cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Imaging rhodopsin degeneration in vivo in a new model of ocular ischemia in living mice

Delivery of antibodies to monitor key biomarkers of retinopathy in vivo represents a significant challenge because living cells do not take up immunoglobulins to cellular antigens. We met this challenge by developing novel contrast agents for retinopathy, which we used with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Biotinylated rabbit polyclonal to chick IgY (rIgPxcIgY) and phosphorylthioate-modified oligoDNA (sODN) with random sequence (bio-sODN-Ran) were conjugated with NeutrAvidin-activated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION). The resulting Ran-SPION-rIgPxcIgY carries chick polyclonal to microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) as Ran-SPION-rIgP/cIgY-MAP2, or to rhodopsin (Rho) as anti-Rho-SPION-Ran. We examined the uptake of Ran-SPION-rIgP/cIgY-MAP2 or SPION-rIgP/cIgY-MAP2 in normal C57black6 mice (n = 3 each, 40 μg/kg, i.c.v.); we found retention of Ran-SPION-rIgP/cIgY-MAP2 using molecular contrast-enhanced MRI in vivo and validated neuronal uptake using Cy5-goat IgPxcIgY ex vivo. Applying this novel method to monitor retinopathy in a bilateral carotid artery occlusion-induced ocular ischemia, we observed pericytes (at d 2, using Gd-nestin, by eyedrop solution), significant photoreceptor degeneration (at d 20, using anti-Rho-SPION-Ran, eyedrops, P = 0.03, Student's t test), and gliosis in Muller cells (at 6 mo, using SPION-glial fibrillary acidic protein administered by intraperitoneal injection) in surviving mice (n ≥ 5). Molecular contrast-enhanced MRI results were confirmed by optical and electron microscopy. We conclude that chimera and molecular contrast-enhanced MRI provide sufficient sensitivity for monitoring retinopathy and for theranostic applications.
Paying the Farm Bill: How One Statute Has Radically Degraded the Natural Environment and How a Newfound Emphasis on Sustainability is the Key to Reviving the Ecosystem

This article follows up on the author's previous publications related to a holistic analysis of the United States Farm Bill by highlighting the grave societal and environmental implications of buttressing our nation's industrial agricultural system with ever-larger commodity subsidies. Specifically, this article first provides a brief history of both American agriculture and the Farm Bill as context for the vast structural shift that has occurred in our nation's farming and food systems over the past century. Next, the article examines the severe environmental consequences of a subsidized industrial agricultural system, including impacts to water, soil, land, biodiversity, and greenhouse gas emissions. The article concludes by re-centering the discussion on Farm Bill reform by proposing an innovative policy solution that can solve many of the environmental problems identified in the preceding chapter. This article appears as the cover article in the Environmental Law Institute's Environmental Forum (Summer Reading Issue – July/August 2010).
Pulmonary Diagnostic Procedures in the Critically Ill

Pulmonary infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Noninvasive diagnostic methods (history, exam, x-rays, routine cultures, etc.) usually cannot provide specific and timely diagnostic information. The decision between bronchoscopy and open lung biopsy is difficult and requires knowledge of expected yields versus risks of the procedures. Bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and/or biopsy can be very useful diagnostically, particularly in patients with AIDS. In patients with rapidly progressive disease, especially immunocompromised patients, open lung biopsy is often the most prudent choice.
New Uses of Telephone Methods in Survey Research

> This article describes new uses of the telephone which have reduced survey interviewing costs. Wasted travel time has been reduced by making advance appointments by telephone, with no reduction in cooperation. Long distance telephone interviews of doctors, and telephone screening for visual impairment have also been proved successful. Use of telephone interviews in market and survey research has become common in recent years. The method has always had much to recommend it. By eliminating travel, the method reduces interview costs, and almost unlimited callbacks are possible if respondents are not home or not available.' Reduction in cost may be accompanied by an increase in quality, since the interviewer is sometimes more at ease working from the comfort of her home, while the respondent is more candid that he would be in a face-to-face interview [4]. This article, which is one in a continuing National Operation Research Center series on the reduction of the cost of surveys, describes some additional uses of telephones which have proved successful in four recent NORC studies [8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Two experiments were conducted in which face-to-face interviews were made but the appointments were made by telephone. This procedure eliminated wasted travel time to a segment where no respondents were available for interviewing. The other two experiments involved using telephones to locate and interview samples of respondents who were
SEX RATIOS IN TROPICAL FOREST TREES.

Sex ratios of dioecious plants often depart significantly from unity (Correns, 1922; Dzhapardize, 1967; Godley, 1964; Pauley and Mennel, 1957; Rathore, 1969). Explanations for these deviations have usually been sought in the genetics of sexdetermination (for a review see Westergaard, 1958; Lloyd, 1974). However, biased sex ratios may also have an ecological basis, and thereby have important implications for the reproductive ecology of the subject plants. Yet, relatively few studies have considered the ecological aspects of deviant sex ratios (Harris, 1968; Lloyd, 1973; Lloyd and Webb, 1977; Putwain and Harper, 1972). Here we present data on the sex ratios of 23 species of tropical forest trees and attempt to explain these ratios with respect to certain ecological factors. Our study may be considered noteworthy because most previous studies of sex ratios in dioecious species have been conducted on plants of temperate regions. Since dioecism is more common in tropical than in temperate ecosystems (Bawa and Opler, 1975; see also Ashton, 1969; Tomlinson, 1973), studies of sex ratios in tropical trees should contribute significantly toward an understanding of deviant sex ratios in flowering plants.
Use of a double-needle technique for safer entry into an abdominal abscess

Where a potentially hazardous approach for drainage of an intra-abdominal abscess or fluid collection is unavoidable, the double-needle puncture technique described here can prevent inadvertent penetration of bowel.
Varunaivibrio sulfuroxidans gen. nov., sp. nov., a facultatively chemolithoautotrophic, mesophilic alphaproteobacterium from a shallow-water gas vent at Tor Caldara, Tyrrhenian Sea

A mesophilic, facultatively anaerobic, facultatively chemolithoautotrophic bacterium, designated strain TC8T, was isolated from a sulfidic shallow-water marine gas vent located at Tor Caldara, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy. Cells were Gram-stain-negative curved rods with one or more polar flagella. Cells were approximately 1-1.5 µm in length and 0.6 µm in width. Strain TC8T grew between 20 and 35 °C (optimum 30 °C), with between 5 and 45 g NaCl l-1 (optimum 15-20 g l-1) and between pH 4.5 and 8.5 (optimum pH 6.0-7.0). The generation time under optimal conditions was 8 h. Strain TC8T was a facultative chemolithoautotroph also capable of using organic substrates as electron donors and carbon sources. Chemolithoautotrophic growth occurred with sulfur and thiosulfate as the electron donors, CO2 as the carbon source, and nitrate, oxygen (5 %, v/v) and ferric iron as the electron acceptors. Chemoorganoheterotrophic growth occurred with tryptone, peptone, Casamino acids, pyruvate and glycerol as substrates, while chemolithoherotrophic growth occurred with d(+)-glucose, sucrose, yeast extract, acetate, lactate, citrate and l-glutamine. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 59.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain TC8T showed that this organism formed a lineage within the family Rhodospirillaceae, which branched separately from the two closest relatives, Magnetovibrio blakemoreiMV1T (91.25 % similarity) and Magnetospira thiophilaMMS-1T (90.13 %). Based on phylogenetic, physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, it is proposed that the organism represents a novel species of a new genus within the family Rhodospirillaceae,Varunaivibrio sulfuroxidans gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain of Varunaivibrio sulfuroxidans is TC8T (=DSM 101688T=JCM 31027T).
Browsing in urge data bases

The formation of data bases containing information on mechanical systems for troubleshooting purposes has become increasingly popular and important. Examination of these data bases by humans can be very costly. A system called BROWSER was developed to heuristically search a data base containing information on U.S. Navy aircraft with little or no human intervention. BROWSER searches the data base guided by models and heuristics looking for interesting patterns or configurations. The user is then notified of the existence of these patterns.
A New Taxonomy Beyond Substantivalism and Relationism I: Early Modern Spatial Ontologies

This chapter will forge a new third-way taxonomy or classificational system for spatial ontologies based on the many themes, both historical and conceptual, that have been featured in our investigation. After an introduction to the limitations of the standard dichotomy in a quantum gravity setting (§9.1), the new classificational scheme will be developed (§9.2) and then applied to Newton, Leibniz, and a host of other natural philosophers from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries (§9.3). Next, the lessons gathered from our analysis will be juxtaposed with rival assessments of spatial ontologies and employed to resolve various perplexities relating to seventeenth century theories (§9.4 and §9.5). The new taxonomy will then be applied, in Chap. 10, to the strategies proposed among competing quantum gravity hypotheses and to examine various issues, such as background independence and nominalism. All told, the new taxonomy will be demonstrated to be in harmony with the property theory of spatial ontology, whether of the P(O-dep) or P(TL-dep) type.
Effect of particle size on the photocatalytic activity of BiNbO4 under visible light irradiation

Numerous attempts have focused on developing more efficient visible-light active photocatalysts. Bismuth niobate (BiNbO4) was reported as a potential candidate for photocatalytic water splitting and for the degradation of organic molecule under visible-light irradiation because of its small band gap and appropriate band positions. Here, three BiNbO4 samples with different, uniform particle sizes were synthesized. The effect of BiNbO4 particle size on its photocatalytic activity was studied by using the reduction of 4-nitroaniline as model reaction. Results show that the photocatalytic degradation of 4-nitroaniline varies systematically with the change in particle size and surface areas. To better understand the correlation between structure, composition, morphology, and optical properties, the catalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL).
Phase II Study of Yttrium 90 (90Y) Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (Zevalin®) in Patients with Relapsed and Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL).

Background: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) has poor clinical outcome and is a significant therapeutic challenge in patients with relapsed or refractory disease due to its resistance to salvage chemotherapy. Although recent studies have shown the clinical utility of radioimmunotherapy (RIT) in relapsed and transformed indolent B-cell lymphoma, the clinical efficacy of this treatment modality in patients with MCL is not well described. We report the results of a completed phase II clinical trial of yttrium 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin) in patients with relapsed and refractory MCL. Patients and Methods: Patients with relapsed or refractory MCL with measurable disease, age ≥18 years, and performance status Results: Thirty-five patients were enrolled at MDACC. The median age was 68 years (range 52–79), and 27 patients were men. All patients had an ECOG performance status of 0 or 1 and had been previously treated with rituximab with or without other chemotherapy. The median number of prior regimens was 3 (range 1–6). Twelve of the patients did not respond to their last regimen. Twenty-two patients were previously treated with Hyper-CVAD alternating with MTX/Ara-C, and 7 previously received bortezomib. Thirty-one of 35 patients are eligible for evaluation of treatment response and toxicity. There were no grade 3 or 4 non-hematologic toxic events. Grade 1 non-hematologic toxic events included fatigue in 7 and nausea in 3. Grade 2 non-hematologic toxic events included non-neutropenic fever in 1 and melana in 1. Grade 3 or 4 hematologic toxic events included thrombocytopenia in 8, neutropenia in 2 and anemia in 1. Objective responses were observed in 13/31 patients for an overall response rate (ORR) of 42% including 8 CR/CRu’s (26%) and 5 PR’s (16%). Three patients had stable disease. Among the 4 patients who received a Zevalin dose of 0.3 mCi 90Y/kg, 1 achieved a CRu while the 3 others had progressive disease. Eight of the 13 responding patients were previously treated with 3 or more regimens; two patients achieved CR after having received 4 prior lines of therapy. Median progression free survival for the responded patients was 6 months after a median follow up time of 16 months. Conclusion: Zevalin treatment was generally well tolerated; with the most common toxicity being hematological. The observed responses to Zevalin in heavily pretreated patients with MCL are promising and warrant further investigation of its activity after first or second relapse, and in conjunction with front-line therapy.
An Exploration of Differential State Responses to Changes in Fiscal Conditions

This paper explores legislative tax changes adopted by states in the face of exogenous budget gaps (projected deficits or surpluses) over the period 1999–2011. Our conceptual framework is based on the premise that states will respond differently to temporary budget changes than to permanent changes. The framework suggests four sets of explanatory factors beyond the size of the budget gap in explaining legislative tax changes, namely the other fiscal options for addressing the gap, the nature of political party control of state government, budgetary institutions, and socio-economic characteristics of the state. We find supportive evidence of our hypotheses that legislative tax changes are affected by a state's budget gap, reserves, debt, unified political control, and super majority rules for tax increases, but not by balanced budget rules or changes in expenditures.
Bundle branch reentrant ventricular tachycardia after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Bundle branch reentrant ventricular tachycardia (BBR-VT) is a well-described entity that accounts for 6% of inducible sustained monomorphic VT during electrophysiology studies.1 BBR-VT is a macroreentrant VT involving the His-Purkinje system and usually requires some form of conduction delay in the His-Purkinje axis.2 BBR-VT is commonly seen in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, myotonic dystrophy,3 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and valvular heart disease. Rare case reports have been published involving patients after corrective surgical aortic valve and mitral valve replacement without a clear cause–effect relationship.2 Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure is now a well-established percutaneous procedure for patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who are deemed at high risk for a traditional surgical aortic valve replacement. Conduction abnormalities post TAVR have been well described, with high incidence of permanent pacemaker implantation.4 TAVR procedure requiring valvuloplasty and stented valve is likely to affect the conduction system, possibly creating the right milieu for bundle branch reentry. We describe the first case of proven BBR-VT in a patient after TAVR, and its management with catheter ablation.
Maternal early warning systems—Towards reducing preventable maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity through improved clinical surveillance and responsiveness

Despite increasing awareness of obstetric safety initiatives, maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in the United States have continued to increase over the past 20 years. Since results from large-scale surveillance programs suggest that up to 50% of maternal deaths may be preventable, new efforts are focused on developing and testing early warning systems for the obstetric population. Early warning systems are a set of specific clinical signs or symptoms that trigger the awareness of risk and an urgent patient evaluation, with the goal of reducing severe morbidity and mortality through timely diagnosis and treatment. Early warning systems have proven effective at predicting and reducing mortality and severe morbidity in medical, surgical, and critical care patient populations; however, there has been limited research on how to adapt these tools for use in the obstetric population, where physiologic changes of pregnancy render them inadequate. In this article, we review the available obstetric early warning systems and present evidence for their use in reducing maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity. We also discuss considerations and strategies for implementation and acceptance of these early warning systems for clinical use in obstetrics.
Most mutations that cause spinocerebellar ataxia autosomal recessive type 16 (SCAR16) destabilize the protein quality-control E3 ligase CHIP.

The accumulation of misfolded proteins promotes protein aggregation and neuronal death in many neurodegenerative diseases. To counteract misfolded protein accumulation, neurons have pathways that recognize and refold or degrade aggregation-prone proteins. One U-box–containing E3 ligase, C terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein (CHIP), plays a key role in this process, targeting misfolded proteins for proteasomal degradation. CHIP plays a protective role in mouse models of neurodegenerative disease, and in humans, mutations in CHIP cause spinocerebellar ataxia autosomal recessive type 16 (SCAR16), a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by truncal and limb ataxia that results in gait instability. Here, we systematically analyzed CHIP mutations that cause SCAR16 and found that most SCAR16 mutations destabilize CHIP. This destabilization caused mutation-specific defects in CHIP activity, including increased formation of soluble oligomers, decreased interactions with chaperones, diminished substrate ubiquitination, and reduced steady-state levels in cells. Consistent with decreased CHIP stability promoting its dysfunction in SCAR16, most mutant proteins recovered activity when the assays were performed below the mutants' melting temperature. Together, our results have uncovered the molecular basis of genetic defects in CHIP function that cause SCAR16. Our insights suggest that compounds that improve the thermostability of genetic CHIP variants may be beneficial for treating patients with SCAR16.
Epidemiology of patient monitoring alarms in the neonatal intensive care unit

To characterize the rate of monitoring alarms by alarm priority, signal type, and developmental age in a Level-IIIB Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) population. Retrospective analysis of 2,294,687 alarm messages from Philips monitors in a convenience sample of 917 NICU patients, covering 12,001 patient-days. We stratified alarm rates by alarm priority, signal type, postmenstrual age (PMA) and birth weight (BW), and reviewed and adjudicated over 21,000 critical alarms. Of all alarms, 3.6% were critical alarms, 55.0% were advisory alarms, and 41.4% were device alerts. Over 60% of alarms related to oxygenation monitoring. The average alarm rate (±SEM) was 177.1 ± 4.9 [median: 135.9; IQR: 89.2–213.3] alarms/patient-day; the medians varied significantly with PMA and BW (p < 0.001) in U-shaped patterns, with higher rates at lower and higher PMA and BW. Based on waveform reviews, over 99% of critical arrhythmia alarms were deemed technically false. The alarm burden in this NICU population is very significant; the average alarm rate significantly underrepresents alarm rates at low and high PMA and BW. Virtually all critical arrhythmia alarms were artifactual.
Note on the Asset Management Industry

This Note provides an overview of the structure and function of the Asset Management industry, with a primary focus on the U.S. It was designed to support the HBS MBA course "Managing the Financial Firm."
Drug information sources and antidepressant adherence

The purpose of the study was to examine how patient sources of antidepressant information were related to antidepressant adherence. Eight community pharmacies in central North Carolina participated in the study. A research assistant interviewed eighty-one English-speaking patients who were picking up antidepressant refill prescriptions. Patients most frequently reported receiving antidepressant information from: pharmacists (58%), primary care physicians (50.6%), mental health specialists (40.7%), friends or family members (32.1%), and the Internet (18.5%). Patients experiencing more side effects were significantly less adherent to their antidepressants. Patients who received antidepressant information from more sources were significantly more adherent to their regimen than patients who received information from fewer sources.
Associations Between the Features of Gross Placental Morphology and Birthweight

The placenta plays a critical role in regulating fetal growth. Recent studies suggest that there may be sex-specific differences in placental development. The purpose of our study was to evaluate t...
Beamforming Training for IEEE 802.11 ay Millimeter Wave Systems

IEEE 802.11ay is a standard that enables enhanced throughput for IEEE 802.11 systems operating in the license-exempt 60 GHz band. By specifying advanced physical layer (PHY) features, improved channel access, and enhanced beamforming training, IEEE 802.11ay supports a maximum data rate of 100 Gb/s, making it a standard of great interest for applications as diverse as virtual reality, high density/throughput networking, and backhaul. In this paper, we provide a description and discussion of two important beamforming training procedures defined in IEEE 802.11ay, namely beam refinement protocol (BRP) transmit sector sweep (TXSS) and asymmetric beamforming training. Because these procedures build upon concepts defined in IEEE 802.11ad, we also examine two legacy beamforming training procedures: Sector-level sweep (SLS) and BRP. PHY definitions relevant to beamforming training are also reviewed.
Assessment and Curriculum for Heritage Language Learners: Exploring Russian Data

This study analyzes data from the questionnaires and online tests administered to 94 heritage speakers of Russian who took placement tests at UCLA between 2013 and 2016.
Gender and Letters of Recommendation: A Linguistic Comparison of the Impact of Gender on General Surgery Residency Applicants✰.

OBJECTIVE We investigated letters of recommendation for general surgery residency applicants to determine if any gender-based disparities exist. DESIGN A dictionary of over 400 terms describing applicants and 24 unique categories into which these terms were classified was created. Word count and language comparisons were performed using linguistic analysis software to assess for differences in applicant characterization, letter length, and writing style between male and female applicants and letter writers. SETTING A large, Midwest, academic general surgery residency program. PARTICIPANTS Five hundred and fifty-nine letters of recommendation received during the 2015 and 2016 interview cycles were selected for analysis. RESULTS Average word count was approximately equal for male and female applicants (503 vs 508, respectively). Female writers wrote longer letters (mean word count 545.5 vs 497.1, p = 0.028). “Standout” terms were more likely to be used to describe female applicants. Otherwise no statistically significant differences in applicant characterization were discovered. CONCLUSIONS Letters of recommendation for general surgery are written using similar descriptive terms and lengths for male and female applicants. This suggests that there is no specific gender disadvantage with regard to letters of recommendation when applying for general surgery residency.
Advent of the Mass Market

This chapter examines the history of Pearce’s first two firms, Pearce & Plenty and the British Tea Table Co. (1886–1898), years in which he rose to dominance as the City’s premier mass caterer to the working class in response to the advent of the mass market. Bourgeois workers—clerical employees and office workers—formed the pivotal group motivating market changes in the City—in part because of their key skills, notably shorthand and typewriting. I reject Lyons’ view of the market, which divided changes into two periods—before Lyons’ teashops (pre-1894) and after their establishment (from 1894) as the basis for supporting Lyons’ role as fostering a “teashop revolution.” What Lyons featured was light refreshments to the middle classes, especially women, offering little competition to the working classes. The various factors responsible for dramatic changes in catering habits in the 1890s are explored.
MultiLyra: Scalable Distributed Evaluation of Batches of Iterative Graph Queries

Graph analytics is being increasingly used for analyzing large scale networks representing entities and relationships in many domains. Various distributed graph processing frameworks have been developed to deliver scalable performance for evaluation of individual iterative graph queries. In practice though, we may need to evaluate many queries. In this paper we develop MultiLyra, a distributed framework that efficiently evaluates a batch of graph queries. To deliver high performance, this system is designed to amortize the communication and synchronization costs of distributed query evaluation across multiple queries. Our experiments with MultiLyra for four iterative algorithms on a cluster of four 32-core machines show the following. Basic batching technique for amortizing communication and synchronization costs yield maximum speedups ranging from $3.08 \times $ to $5.55 \times $ across different batch sizes, algorithms and input graphs. After employing optimizations that improve scalability of expensive phases and perform reuse across the distributed computation, the improved maximum speedups range from $7.35 \times $ to $11.86 \times $. MultiLyra also delivers superior scalabilty than the Quegel batch processing system.
The Diverse Implementation of Geriatrics‐Orthopedics Comanagement Programs in the United States

Author(s): Rogers, Stephanie E; Ko, Jocelyn S; McNicoll, Lynn; Mendelson, Daniel Ari | Abstract: BackgroundMany health systems are establishing geriatrics-orthopedics (Geri-Ortho) comanagement programs; however, there is paucity of published information on existing programs' variations in clinical operations, structure, and reported implementation challenges and perceived successes.ObjectiveOur objective was to obtain detailed information about the variety of existing Geri-Ortho comanagement programs in the United States.Design/particpantsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of 44 existing Geri-Ortho comanagement programs, with 23 (52%) of programs responding.MeasurementQuantitative questions were used to assess operational, staffing, and financial structures; and qualitative questions were used to identify reported challenges and perceived successes of implementation.ResultsPrograms self-identified as urban (n = 23), academic (n = 20), or nonprofit (n = 22) and as having a level I trauma center (n = 17). Most programs (n = 18) were funded fully by the institution. Fourteen programs used geriatricians, and nine used medicine/hospitalists as the supporting clinical service, whereas approximately half (n = 11) used these services in a true comanagement model. Six universal themes were identified as necessary for program implementation. The most commonly described successes perceived by all respondents were improvements in clinical outcomes and better interdisciplinary relationships. Reported challenges included difficulty in interdisciplinary geriatrics education, difficulty in adherence to protocols, and lack of funding for staffing.ConclusionsThere are diverse types of Geri-Ortho comanagement programs in the United States, although universal elements exist. Many had similar challenges in implementation, and further studies are needed to determine which implementation elements are critical to clinical and financial outcomes. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1714-1719, 2020.
Functions, Operations and Policy of a Volunteer Ethics Committee: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Ethics Consultations from 2013 to 2018

Few institutions have published reviews concerning the case consultation history of their ethics committees, and policies used by ethics committees to address inappropriate treatment are infrequently reviewed. We sought to characterize the operation of our institution’s ethics committee as a representative example of a volunteer ethics committee, and outline its use of a policy to address inappropriate treatment, the Conscientious Practice Policy (CPP). Patients were identified for retrospective review from the ethics consultation database. Patient demographics, medical admission information, and consultation information were obtained from the medical record. Consultation notes were analyzed with directed content analysis. The use of the CPP was documented in each case. Groups of interest were compared via two-sample t-tests. There were 178 consultations between 2013 and 2018. The majority originated from medicine services (N = 145, 82.4%). The most common consultation reasons were end-of-life balances of acute and palliative care (N = 85, 47.2%), best interest standard (N = 82, 46.1%), medical futility (N = 68, 38.2%), and code status and intubation status (N = 67, 37.6%). Average age was 65.5 years and average hospitalization before consultation was 51.4 days. 92 patients (53.3%) had a code status change that occurred after consultation. A policy to address inappropriate treatment (CPP) was used in 42 (23.9%) of the consultations. Bivariate analysis demonstrated a reduction in policy use over time, with use in 32.1% of consultations from 2013 to 2016 and 11.4% of consultations 2017–2018, p = 0.002. End-of-life issues were the most common reason for consultation. Our consultation volume was lower than previously-published reports. A policy used to address inappropriate treatment was frequently used, although use decreased over time.
Alcohol Use Disorder: Pharmacologic Treatment Options

Acamprosate and naltrexone should be used as first-line agents for treatment of alcohol use disorder and are effective for reducing relapse rates. Agent selection should be based on comorbid conditions and adherence to the dosing regimen.
Investigating Historical Hurricane Disaster Loss Data and Vulnerable Populations: Identifying the Most Impacted Census Tracts in the Houston Metropolitan Area

Background: The research of climate change examines social vulnerability by looking at hazard exposure and susceptibility to that hazard; however, disaster-related data are not factored into vulner...
Professor Raymond Cohen 1923–2020

Raymond Cohen, founding editor of HVAC & R Research, the predecessor of Science and Technology for the Built Environment passed away on September 21, 2020 at his home in Valparaiso, Indiana at the ...
Proximal Outcomes of Connecting, an Evidence-based, Family-focused Prevention Program for Caregivers of Adolescents in Foster Care.

Abstract This study experimentally tested proximal outcomes of Connecting, a low-cost, self-directed, family-based substance-use prevention program for foster families. Families (n = 220) fostering youth age 11 to 15 years were recruited and randomly assigned into the self-administered program with telephone support (n = 110) or a treatment as usual, control condition (n = 110). Program materials included a workbook with family activities and DVDs with video clips. Survey data were collected from youth and their caregivers at baseline and 4 months later. Results indicate 60% were ‘very satisfied’ with Connecting, and 85% would recommend Connecting to other caregivers. Analyses revealed foster youth in the program (n = 93) were significantly more likely than controls (n = 104) to report improved problem-solving skills (Cohen's d = 0.13, p = .02), involvement in making family rules (OR = 2.6, p = .02), and caregiver recognition for positive behavior (OR = 3.8, p = .03) at posttest. Improvement was observed in youth report of intervention-specific communications (B = 0.15, p = 0.07) and improved refusal skills (OR = 2.09, p = .06). No significant effects were found on bonding communication, inconsistent discipline, family conflict, monitoring, and antisocial norms about substance use and violence, nor were there significant effects from any caregiver reports on similar measures. This evidence suggests that a self-administered family-focused preventive intervention can positively influence known risk and protective factors for youth in foster care.
Combining Regularization with Look-Ahead for Competitive Online Convex Optimization

There has been significant interest in leveraging limited look-ahead to achieve low competitive ratios for online convex optimization (OCO). However, existing online algorithms (such as Averaging Fixed Horizon Control (AFHC)) that can leverage look-ahead to reduce the competitive ratios still produce competitive ratios that grow unbounded as the coefficient ratio (i.e., the maximum ratio of the switching-cost coefficient and the service-cost coefficient) increases. On the other hand, the regularization method can attain a competitive ratio that remains bounded when the coefficient ratio is large, but it does not benefit from look-ahead. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm, called Regularization with Look-Ahead (RLA), that can get the best of both AFHC and the regularization method, i.e., its competitive ratio decreases with the look-ahead window size when the coefficient ratio is small, and remains bounded when the coefficient ratio is large. We also provide a matching lower bound for the competitive ratios of all online algorithms with look-ahead, which differs from the achievable competitive ratio of RLA by a factor that only depends on the problem size. The competitive analysis of RLA involves a non-trivial generalization of online primal-dual analysis to the case with look-ahead.
Comprehensive Analysis for Fraud Detection of Credit Card through Machine Learning

A credit card which remains a very widespread compensation method is accepted online & offline that provides cashless transactions. It’s an easy, suitable then very common to make payments and other transactions. With the increase of developments credit card frauds are also growing. Financial deception is severely cumulative in the worldwide statement enhancement. Billion dollars are at loss due to these fraudulent acts. These actions are accomplished so gracefully that it is similar to genuine transactions. Therefore, simple design practices and other less composite methods will be non-operating. In directive to minimalize disorder and bring order in place having a well-organized method of fraud detection has become a need for all banks. In this paper we used Machine learning, to notice Master Card fake transactions. Also, IFA and OD approaches are applied towards enhance finest answer on behalf of scam finding problems. Approaches remain proved toward diminish untrue alarm proportions also upsurge scam discovery proportion. Dataset of card dealings stays obtained since European card owners having 284,807 communications. To detect and prevent the fraudulent, slightly of these approaches can be applied on bank credit card scam detection system, to detect and prevent the scam.
Alternative Causes of Infectious Diarrhea in Patients with Negative Tests for Clostridoides Difficile.

Background Hospitalized patients with diarrhea who have a negative Clostridoides difficile (C. difficile) test are not routinely evaluated for alternative causes of infectious diarrhea. This study assessed for potential infectious causes of diarrhea in hospitalized patients with an order for repeat C. difficile toxin enzyme immunoassay (tEIA) testing after an initial tEIA test was negative. Methods For patients age ≥18 years who had a second C. difficile tEIA test ordered within 96 h after a negative tEIA test, remnant fecal specimens from the first (negative) tEIA test were evaluated using the BioFire FilmArray Gastrointestinal Panel PCR, C. difficile toxigenic culture, and culture on a blood agar plate (BAP) to identify other potential causes of infectious diarrhea. Growth of organisms on the BAP was also used to assess potential disruptions in the gastrointestinal microbiota. Results Among 84 remnant specimens, toxigenic C. difficile was identified in 9 (11%) by culture or PCR, while potential alternative causes of infectious diarrhea, including norovirus, rotavirus, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, and Salmonella, were identified in 11 specimens (13%) by PCR. For the majority of patients, no infectious cause of diarrhea was identified, but 84% exhibited disrupted gastrointestinal microbiota, which may contribute to diarrhea. Conclusions When a hospitalized patient has a negative C. difficile tEIA test but continues to have diarrhea, alternative infectious and noninfectious causes of diarrhea should be considered. If the patient has clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of infection or risk factors for gastrointestinal infection, laboratory testing for other etiologic agents may be appropriate.
True gravity in ocean dynamics Part 1 Ekman transport

Abstract The direction normal to the Earth spherical (or ellipsoidal) surface is not vertical (called deflected vertical) since the vertical direction is along the true gravity g (= igλ+ jgφ+ kgz). Here, (λ, φ, z) are (longitude, latitude, depth), and (i, j, k) are the corresponding unit vectors. The spherical (or ellipsoidal) surfaces are not horizontal surfaces (called deflected-horizontal surfaces). The most important body force g (true gravity) has been greatly simplified without justification in oceanography to the standard gravity (-g0k) with g0 = 9.81 m/s2. Impact of such simplification on ocean dynamics is investigated in this paper using the Ekman layer model. In the classical Ekman layer dynamic equation, the standard gravity (-g0k) is replaced by the true gravity g(λ, φ, z) with a constant eddy viscosity and a depth-dependent-only density ρ(z) represented by an e-folding near-inertial buoyancy frequency. New Ekman spiral and in turn new formulae for the Ekman transport are obtained for ocean with and without bottom. With the gravity data from the global static gravity model EIGEN-6C4 and the surface wind stress data from the Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (COADS), large difference is found in the Ekman transport using the true gravity and standard gravity.
Essentials of trauma anesthesia

Preface Part I. Core Principles in Trauma Anesthesia: 1. Trauma epidemiology, mechanisms of injury, and prehospital care Andreas Grabinsky 2. Initial evaluation and management Tom Grissom 3. Airway management Christian Diez and Albert Varon 4. Shock resuscitation and fluid therapy Yvette Fouche and Roger Shere-Wolfe 5. Vascular cannulation Shawn Banks and Albert Varon 6. Blood component therapy and trauma coagulopathy Richard Dutton 7. General anesthesia for trauma Michael Bassett and Charles Smith 8. Regional anesthesia and acute pain management for trauma Ralph Gebhard and Sripad Rao 9. Monitoring the trauma patient Richard McNeer and Albert Varon 10. Echocardiography in trauma Ashraf Fayad 11. Postoperative care of the trauma patient C. J. Kucik 12. Chemical and other toxic exposures in trauma Joseph McIsaac and C. J. Kucik Part II. Anesthetic Considerations for Trauma: 13. Anesthetic considerations for head trauma Armagan Dagan 14. Anesthetic considerations for spinal cord trauma Armagan Dagan 15. Anesthetic considerations for ocular and maxillofacial trauma Olga Kaslow 16. Anesthetic considerations for chest trauma Brendan Astley and Charles Smith 17. Anesthetic considerations for abdominal trauma Olga Kaslow 18. Anesthetic considerations for musculoskeletal trauma Jessica Lovich and Charles Smith Part III. Anesthetic Management in Special Trauma Populations: 19. Anesthetic management of the burn patient Edgar Pierre and Albert Varon 20. Anesthetic management of the pediatric trauma patient Ramesh Ramaiah and Sam Sharar 21. Anesthetic management of the geriatric trauma patient Olga Kaslow 22. Anesthetic management of the pregnant trauma patient Nicholas Nedeff and Pertti Hakala Index.
Studies on the mechanism of oxidative phosphorylation. Flow-force relationships in mitochondrial energy-linked reactions.

The relationship between the steady-state level of membrane potential (delta psi) and the rates of energy production and consumption has been studied in mitochondria and submitochondrial particles. The energy-linked reactions investigated were oxidative phosphorylation (with NADH, succinate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate as respiratory substrates) and nucleoside triphosphate-driven transhydrogenation from NADH to NADP and uphill electron transfer from succinate to NAD. Results have shown the following. 1) Attenuation of the rates of the energy-producing reactions results in a parallel change in the rates of the energy-consuming reactions with little or no change in the magnitude of steady-state delta psi. 2) At low rates of energy production and consumption, steady-state delta psi decreases. However, this is due largely to the energy leak of the system which lowers static-head delta psi when the rate of energy production is slow. 3) When the rate of energy production and static-head delta psi are held constant, and the rate of energy consumption is diminished by partial inhibition or the use of suboptimal conditions (e.g. subsaturating substrate concentrations), then even a small decrease in the rate of energy consumption results in an upward adjustment of the level of steady-state delta psi. The lower the rate of energy input, the greater the upward adjustment of steady-state delta psi upon suppression of the rate of energy consumption. 4) The above results have been discussed with regard to the role of bulk-phase delta mu H+ or delta psi in the mitochondrial energy transfer reactions.
Designing and Evaluating Meeting Assistants, Keeping Humans in Mind

Meeting assistants pose some interesting and unique challenges to the enterprise of software design and evaluation. As the technology reaches greater levels of development, we must begin to consider methods of evaluation that reach beyond regarding meeting browsers as signal replay and information search tools, and begin to assess the dimensions in which meeting assistants and browsers can augment or hinder human cognition and interaction. Some of these dimensions are considered, inasmuch as they were encountered during development of the DARPA CALO Meeting Assistant and Meeting Browser.
Aerodynamic Models For Hurricanes I. Model description and horizontal motion of hurricane

Aerodynamic models are developed to describe coherent structures and transport processes in hurricanes moving over open seas. The models consist of the lower boundary layer and upper adiabatic layer. Except friction at the air/sea interface,proposed modeling avoids the common turbulent approximations while using explicitly or implicitly basic stability constraints. The models analyze dynamics of upper hurricane adiabatic layer, dynamics and transport processes in hurricane boundary layer, and genesis and maturing of hurricane. The proposed modeling provides a rude enough but consistent analytical description of basic processes in hurricanes. The present paper qualitatively describes the model of mature hurricane, briefly discusses the basic thermodynamic relations and aerodynamic equations, and establishes the principles of horizontal motion for mature hurricane.
ACHIEVING END-USER TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH WEB-BASED TRAINING SYSTEMS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

The growth in the application of information technology to learning/training underscores the need to understand the impact of these technologies. This paper reports the results of a multi-period quasiexperiment focusing on two e-learning methods: contemporary web-based and video-based training methods. Drawing on the two foundational disciplines of Information Systems and Education, this study presents a theoretical model, based on Adaptive Structuration Theory, which focuses on the learning process involved in technology-mediated learning. The model describes the effect of learning methods as well as the important role of faithful appropriation of learning methods on learning outcomes. Results of the study show a significant influence of web-based training systems on specific learning outcomes. In addition, the study finds that appropriation is an important determinant of the extent of these effects. The study provides important research implications for theory and practice. Researchers and practitioners need to focus, not only on the learning methods, but also on their appropriation.
Evidence That a Specific Interaction Between an 18-Base cis-Element in the 5′-Untranslated Region of Human Folate Receptor-α mRNA and a 46-kDa Cytosolic trans-Factor is Critical for Translation *

Folate receptors (FR) are inversely regulated by the extracellular folate concentration at the translational level in cervical carcinoma cells. Accordingly, the potential for interaction of cis-elements in FR-α mRNA and trans-factors in these cells was determined. Gel-shift assays identified two signals that were specifically derived from the interaction of cytosolic proteins with the 5′-untranslated region of FR-α mRNA. RNase T1 mapping revealed that the RNA sequences interacting with these proteins were located between nucleotides −133 to −116 (18-bases) and −158 to −116 (43-bases), upstream of the translation start site. However, selective RNase H cleavage indicated that the 18-base RNA sequence was the cis-element. The RNA-protein interaction was competed by poly(C), but not by poly(U), homopolymers. UV cross-linking and Northwestern blot analysis confirmed that the trans-factors were 46-kDa proteins. An 18-base antisense oligodeoxynucleotide complementary to the cis-element specifically quenched the RNA-protein interaction and also completely inhibited translation of FR-α mRNA without changing its stability. Thus, the interaction of the 18-base cis-element and the 46-kDa trans-factors likely have an important role in translational regulation of FR. In addition, because the 46-kDa proteins were widely distributed in cells expressing little to no FR-α, these species probably have additional functions that are unrelated to translation of FR.
New method for sensor network design and upgrade for optimal process monitoring

Abstract Previous methods on nonlinear sonsor network design minimize cost subject to a variety of constraints linked to the network performance: precision, residual precision, error detectability and resilience. In recent work, the use of accuracy as an attribute of a network that can replace precision, error detectability and resilience more effectively has been considered. In this paper, we propose a sensor network design methodology based on accuracy thresholds.