cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Origin and evolution of continental biotas: speciation and historical congruence within the Australian avifauna

Factors governing the origin and evolution of continental biotas were investigated using an analysis of speciation patterns within the Australian avifauna. Phylogenetic relationships within seven lineages of birds were analyzed by numerical cladistic techniques applied to data sets of morphological characters. These relationships revealed extensive congruence among the spatial and temporal histories of lineages whose species are endemic to common areas of endemism. A general hypothesis is constructed to explain this congruence in which widespread biotas are postulated to have been partitioned into areas of endemism by the origin of geomorphological and/or ecological-climatic barriers. Congruence in these phylogenetic patterns of differentiation suggests the following historical pattern of interrelationships for areas of endemism along the northern and eastern coasts of Australia: (Kimberley Plateau + Arnhem Land) + ([New Guinea + Cape York Peninsula] + [Atherton Plateau + Eastern Coastal Rainforest]). Likewise, this study indicates that the arid interior avifauna was segregated into two closely related biotas (Eastern and Western Desert biotas) by the Eyrean Barrier. These biotas are, in turn, related to a more mesic avifauna that was itself subdivided into areas of endemism located in the Southwest and Southeast corners of the continent.
The Impact of an Urban Telepharmacy on Patient Medication Adherence in a Federally Qualified Health Center

Background:New and innovative ways to efficiently and effectively deliver pharmacy services are necessary to ensure the future viability of the pharmacy profession. We believe that the practice of telepharmacy may be one potential option for some health-care institutions.Objective:To measure the impact of a satellite telepharmacy on medication adherence by making 340B medication pricing more accessible to uninsured, underserved patients in an urban setting and to assess the level of patient acceptance of pharmacy services provided through the use of a telepharmacy.Methods:A retrospective electronic review of medication claims data submitted by community pharmacies was used to ascertain medication adherence rates of patients using our telepharmacy. Using a 30-day supply, the mean number of days between refills for all prescriptions was determined for each patient at his/her respective pharmacy setting (telepharmacy, retail chain, or both). Statistical analyses were conducted to determine whether significan...
Free Amino Acid Composition of the Avian Egg as Related to Embryonic Development

Abstract CONSIDERABLE research has been conducted during the past eight years attempting to cultivate the chick embryo on a chemically defined medium. Two techniques have been used to expose the early chick embryo in vitro to variations in nutrients. These include Waddington's (1932) classical watch-glass method as modified by Spratt (1947) and New's (1955) method which employs the vitelline membrane to support the embryo. However, attempts to replace the yolk and albumen with a chemically defined medium have not been successful with respect to modifications of the nitrogenous precursors (Klein et al., 1958, 1962); Grau et al., 1959; Hayashi and Herrmann, 1959). It would seem important to know the pattern of the free amino acids in the egg in studies where attempts are made to cultivate chick embryos on a chemically defined medium. One could then pattern the nitrogenous precursors in the chemically defined medium after the free amino acid content . . .
Abstract 4832: Overcoming breast cancer chemoresistance and blocking metastasis by targeting RNA-binding protein HuR

Patients with metastatic breast cancer have a dismal 5-year survival rate of only 24%. Chemoresistance is another contributor to the high mortality of advanced breast cancer. The RNA-binding protein, Hu antigen R (HuR), is overexpressed at all stages of breast cancer development. Cytoplasmic HuR accumulation correlates with high-grade malignancy, poor distant disease-free survival and serves as a prognostic factor for poor clinical outcome in breast cancer. HuR promotes tumorigenesis by promoting mRNA stability and translation of proteins implicated in proliferation, survival, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. HuR also modulates sensitivity of breast cancer cells to chemotherapy. Taken together, HuR is an emerging target for breast cancer therapy, especially metastatic breast cancer. Using shRNA and CRISPR technologies to modulate HuR expression in breast cancer cells, we found that cells with HuR KD/KO were less invasive and more sensitive to chemotherapy. In an effort to discover small molecules that disrupt the HuR-mRNA interaction and block HuR functions in breast cancer progression, metastasis and chemoresistance, high throughput screening (HTS) was carried out using several chemical libraries (∼23,000 compounds) using fluorescence polarization (FP) assay and identified several initial hits with sub-micromolar inhibitory constants (Ki). Those potential disruptors were then validated by ALPHA assay (Amplified Luminescent Proximity Homogeneous Assay), confirmed by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). In cell-based assays, top hit KH-3 and its optimized analogs, specifically shortened HuR target mRNA half-lifes and decreased the level of the encoded proteins. Moreover, those compounds inhibited invasion and restored chemosensitivity. qPCR arrays focusing on specific pathways revealed that HuR inhibitors potently upregulated metastatic suppressors and downregulated genes frequently overexpressed in lung metastases. In animal studies, KH-3 not only powerfully exhibited antitumor efficacy in orthotopic xenografts, but also efficiently blocked experimental metastasis. In conclusion, we identified potent and specific small molecule disrupters of HuR-mRNA interaction for potential anti-metastatic therapy for breast cancer with HuR overexpression. Citation Format: Xiaoqing Wu, Rebecca T. Marquez, Shuang Han, Ke Li, Lan Lan, Yuxiao Guo, Dan A. Dixon, Jeffrey Aube, Danny R. Welch, Liang Xu. Overcoming breast cancer chemoresistance and blocking metastasis by targeting RNA-binding protein HuR. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4832.
Enhancing Long-Range Ordering of P3HT by Incorporating Thermotropic Biphenyl Mesogens via ATRP

The methoxybiphenyl liquid crystalline mesogen 6-((4′-methoxy-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)oxy)hexyl methacrylate (MeOBP) was incorporated into block copolymers with regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) by a combination of Grignard metathesis (GRIM) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) techniques. Side chain engineering with a thermotropic liquid crystalline segment produced an improved morphology resulting in field-effect mobilities of ∼10–2 cm2/(V s) measured in organic thin film transistors (OTFTs). It was observed that improved π–π stacking distances between edge-on oriented polythiophene segments upon annealing facilitated charge transport which was accomplished with π–π stacked biphenyl mesogens with P3HT block. Variation of surface morphology of polymer thin films upon annealing was investigated by tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TMAFM). A combined study of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM) was also performed to identify liquid crystalline...
Why Wear a Seat Belt? I'm Going to Die Anyway: Young Qatari Men's Rationales for Deadly Driving Behaviors

The costs, both monetary and psychological, associated with the injuries and deaths caused by motor vehicle collisions (MVC) are quite high across the world and as a recent call from the World Health Organization argues, very preventable (Nebehay, 2015). Qatar has not escaped this worldwide epidemic, in fact the situation may be worse than the global average, as traffic accident rates are alarming and expected to rise dramatically in the next 10 years (Nehlawi, 2013 citing the Qatar Statistics Authority). The report indicates that a 160% increase in MVCs has occurred in the last 10 years as Qatar's population has exploded ? almost tripling in the past 10 years (Trading Economics, n.d.). The number of deaths caused by road accidents is high, 12.5 percent, which means that for every 8 deaths in Qatar, one is from a traffic accident, a higher death rate than from cancer (The Peninsula, 2013). Nehlawi (2013) estimates that the economic impact alone is staggering; Qatar's GDP may be affected by as much as 2.73...
A phase II study of gemcitabine (GEM) given at fixed-dose rate (FDR) infusion, low-dose cisplatin (CDDP), and bevacizumab in metastatic pancreatic cancer (PanCa)

4041 Background: The objectives of this study are to determine safety and efficacy in pts with metastatic PanCa treated with a novel combination consisting of FDR GEM, low-dose CDDP, and BEV. We pr...
1973 The Many Eyes Hypothesis

Being in a group allows sharing of information about predator location and threat level. By having many eyes on sentry duty, the chances of spotting an approaching threat are increased.
Compensation of corneal oblique astigmatism by internal optics: a theoretical analysis

Purpose Oblique astigmatism is a prominent optical aberration of peripheral vision caused by oblique incidence of rays striking the refracting surfaces of the cornea and crystalline lens. We inquired whether oblique astigmatism from these two sources should be expected, theoretically, to have the same or opposite signs across the visual field at various states of accommodation. Methods Oblique astigmatism was computed across the central visual field for a rotationally-symmetric schematic-eye using optical design software. Accommodative state was varied by altering the apical radius of curvature and separation of the biconvex lens's two aspheric surfaces in a manner consistent with published biometry. Oblique astigmatism was evaluated separately for the whole eye, the cornea, and the isolated lens over a wide range of surface curvatures and asphericity values associated with the accommodating lens. We also computed internal oblique astigmatism by subtracting corneal oblique astigmatism from whole-eye oblique astigmatism. Results A visual field map of oblique astigmatism for the cornea in the Navarro model follows the classic, textbook description of radially-oriented axes everywhere in the field. Despite large changes in surface properties during accommodation, intrinsic astigmatism of the isolated human lens for collimated light is also radially oriented and nearly independent of accommodation both in theory and in real eyes. However, the magnitude of ocular oblique astigmatism is smaller than that of the cornea alone, indicating partial compensation by the internal optics. This implies internal oblique astigmatism (which includes wavefront propagation from the posterior surface of the cornea to the anterior surface of the lens and intrinsic lens astigmatism) must have tangentially-oriented axes. This non-classical pattern of tangential axes for internal astigmatism was traced to the influence of corneal power on the angles of incidence of rays striking the internal lens. Conclusions Partial compensation of corneal astigmatism by internal optics is due mainly to the highly converging nature of wavefronts incident upon the lens resulting from corneal refraction. The degree of compensation is quadratically dependent on eccentricity but is expected to diminish as the eye accommodates. Neutralising the cornea by index-matching defeats internal compensation, revealing classical, radially-oriented oblique astigmatism in the isolated lens.
Denton A. Cooley, August 22, 1920, to November 18, 2016

The world lost a medical trailblazer and inspirational humanitarian with the passing of Denton A. Cooley on November 18, 2016. The 28th president of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Cooley was an icon of the astounding progress of cardiovascular medicine in the 20th century and a visionary pioneer who shaped modern surgery.
Rural and urban substance use differences: Effects of the transition to college

Background: With approximately 20% of Americans residing in rural communities, substance use differences is an important topic for appropriate use of resources, policy decisions, and the developmen...
Review: Dobutamine stress myocardial perfusion imaging has high sensitivity for detecting coronary artery disease

Source Citation Geleijnse ML, Elhendy A, Fioretti PM, Roelandt JR. Dobutamine stress myocardial perfusion imaging. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000 Dec;36:2017-27. 11127435 (All 2001 articles were reviewed ...
Oral supplementation with liposomal glutathione elevates body stores of glutathione and markers of immune function

Background/objectives Glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant endogenous antioxidant and a critical regulator of oxidative stress. Maintenance of optimal tissues for GSH levels may be an important strategy for the prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases. We investigated if oral administration of liposomal GSH is effective at enhancing GSH levels in vivo. Subjects/methods A 1-month pilot clinical study of oral liposomal GSH administration at two doses (500 and 1000 mg of GSH per day) was conducted in healthy adults. GSH levels in whole blood, erythrocytes, plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were assessed in 12 subjects at the baseline and after 1, 2 and 4 weeks of GSH administration. Results GSH levels were elevated after 1 week with maximum increases of 40% in whole blood, 25% in erythrocytes, 28% in plasma and 100% in PBMCs occurring after 2 weeks (P Conclusions Collectively, these preliminary findings support the effectiveness of daily liposomal GSH administration at elevating stores of GSH and impacting the immune function and levels of oxidative stress.
Knowing Through Tripping: A Performative Praxis for Co-Constructing Knowledge as a Disabled Halfie:

This article reflects on a performative praxis entailing cultural, symbolic, embodied, and political processes involved in negotiating difference and sameness from the perspective of doing disabili...
Large Variability in the Diversity of Physiologically Complex Surgical Procedures Exists Nationwide Among All Hospitals Including Among Large Teaching Hospitals.

BACKGROUND:Multiple previous studies have shown that having a large diversity of procedures has a substantial impact on quality management of hospital surgical suites. At hospitals with substantial diversity, unless sophisticated statistical methods suitable for rare events are used, anesthesiologis
Presidential activism and government termination in dual-executive Ukraine

ABSTRACTThe limits on presidential authority in premier-presidential regimes permit legislatures to wield preeminent influence over government formation and termination. This article shows that eve...
Conversational Cross-Examination

Susan Rutberg transveres the complex journey of a successful cross-examination in this succinct article. In the article Prof. Rutberg discusses the benfits of the more subtle, conversational style of cross-examination as an alternative to the stereotypical gladiator style of cross-examination.
The rewritten Bible at Qumran

~in ce the di scovery of th e scrolls from th e Qumran caves in the late 1940s and earl y-to-mid 50s, the process of sort­ ing, id entifying, and editing the fragmentary manuscripts has occupied th e attention of scholars. Now, as that peri od in the hi stOlY of scro ll s scholarship draws to a close, more and more attention has turned to the contents of the texts from th e eleven caves ill the vi cinity of Khirbet Qumran as a collecti on. Several thin gs may be sa id about thi s collection. First, the maj ority of the tex ts are wr itten in Hebrew, thus pointing to Hebrew as a living language (a t least in literature) in th e Second Temple Period. Second, a large percentage of the texts found in the caves (about 25 percent) are copies of books later co nsidered part of the ca non of the Hebrew Bibl e; there are a lso copies of books that were later grouped into the ApoCly pha and Pseudepigrapha.' l 11ird, of the "prev iously unknown" works unearthed fi'om the caves, the vast majority of them bear so me relationship to th e books that later became known as the Hebrew Bibl e. It is with cl assifY in g and understanding these manuscripts, both individu­ all y and in rela ti on to one another, that scholarship is now occupied. One of the groups of manuscripts that has been identified fr om the Q umran caves is the " Rewritten Bible" texts. A "Rewritten Bi ble" text may be defin ed as a text that has a close narrati ve attachment to so me book contained in the present J ew ish canon o f scripture, a nd so me type of reworking, It is a we ll- known and we ll -rehearse d fact that every book of the Hebrew Bible except lo r Es th er and Nehemi ah was found at Qumran, bu t that statemen t ignores th e equall y important fact that Tobit, Enoch, j ubilees, Eccles ias ticu s, th e Letter ofJ e remiah, and Psa lm 15 1 were found the re as well.
Improving Blood Transfusion Practices in a Community Hospital Setting: Our Experience with Real-Time Clinical Decision Support

There is good evidence that 50% or more of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are unnecessary. To curtail inappropriate RBC transfusions at our hospital, real-time clinical decision support was implemented in our electronic medical record (EMR) that alerts clinicians to the patient’s most recent pretransfusion hemoglobin value upon order entry and provides Best Practice Advisory. This is a soft pop-up alert which is activated when the hemoglobin exceeds 7 g/dL. The ordering clinician can either honor (by cancelling the order) or override the alert. We studied the impact of the alert on blood utilization during a 3-month period (November 2016 to January 2017). For patients who were transfused despite the alert, a retrospective review of the medical chart was performed to determine whether or not the transfusion was clinically indicated. During the study period, 178 of the 895 RBC transfusion orders (20%) triggered the alert. After excluding duplicates, 144 orders were included in our analysis. Most of these orders (124/144, 86%) were carried out despite the alert. According to our chart review, 48% of the alert transfusions could be considered inappropriate, with hemodynamically stable, asymptomatic anemia being the leading indication. Of clinical services, orthopedic surgery had the highest rate of overriding the alert with no clinical justification (70%). The number of RBC transfusions dropped from 313.5 units per month (preintervention period) to 293.2 units per month (postintervention period)—a 6.5% decrease. Real-time clinical decision support may reduce the number of inappropriate RBC transfusions in a community hospital setting, though in our study, the decrease in blood utilization (6.5%) did not reach statistical significance.
Management of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in Dementia

Behavioral and psychological symptoms are common in dementia, challenging to manage, and a leading cause of nursing home placement, decreased quality of life, and caregiver distress. This chapter provides a seven-step model for tailoring treatment of five common behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD): agitation/irritability/aggression, depression and anxiety, apathy, sleep disturbance, and wandering. A review of nonpharmacological and pharmacological interventions and practical strategies for addressing BPSD in the context of neuropsychology practice are included.
The Influence of Personality on Small Fish Migration and Dispersal in the Everglades

The Everglades is characterized by seasonal hydrologic variation that expands and reduces aquatic habitats. Fish like Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), Bluefin Killifish (Lucania goodei), Golden Topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus) and Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna) annually move to and from temporary wetlands. Field studies have indicated cyclic changes in activity and directionality for some fishes moving across the landscape and that rates vary among species. Laboratory experiments were performed to test the hypotheses that personality traits related to migration, including boldness, exploration and activity vary among fishes from locations with different hydrology and during periods of differing hydrology. Strong dispersers like Eastern Mosquitofish and Golden Topminnow were bolder when water levels were changing and were superior, as explorers of unknown environments, to species whose populations take longer to recover in seasonal wetlands. Poorer dispersers like Bluefin Killifish and Sailfin Molly lacked variation in personality traits related to seasonal dispersal. The results confirm prior studies showing seasonally changing activity levels by migrating fishes and demonstrate that seasonal personality changes are partially responsible. Understanding how and why fish move into and out of temporary wetlands is critical to the management of short-hydroperiod water levels to maintain an accessible food supply for wading birds.
Challenges in pulmonary hypertension associated with left heart disease

Introduction: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) secondary to left-sided heart disease (Group 2 PH) is a frequent complication of heart failure (HF) and is a heterogeneous phenotypic disorder that worsens exercise capacity, increases risk for hospitalization and survival independent of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) or stage of HF. Areas covered: In this review, an update of the current knowledge and some potential challenges about the pathophysiology and treatments of group 2 PH in patients with HF of either preserved or reduced ejection fraction are provided. Also, this review discusses the epidemiology and provides hints for the optimal evaluation and diagnosis of these patients to prevent misclassification of their pulmonary hypertension. Expert opinion: There are many of areas lacking knowledge and understanding in the field of pulmonary hypertension associated to left heart disease (PH-LHD) that should be addressed in the future. Further research should be performed, in terms of pathobiology, and understanding the predisposition (genetic susceptibility and contributing factors) of the different phenotypes of this disorder. More clinical trials targeting new therapeutic options and specific PH therapies are warranted to help this increasing important patient group as the current guidelines recommend to only treat the underlying left-sided heart disease.
Do Patients With Moderate or High Disease Activity Escalate Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy According to Treat-to-Target Principles? Results From the Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness Registry of the American College of Rheumatology.

Objective Despite strong recommendations for routine measurement of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity and associated treatment changes to attain remission/low disease activity, the measurement tools that clinicians use to evaluate RA patients' disease activity and frequency of treatment change have not been well characterized. Therefore, we evaluated different measurement tools that physicians used to assess RA disease activity and associated RA treatment changes. Methods Using data from the Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) registry from January 2016 through June 2017, and using the following criteria: age ≥18 years, diagnosis of RA (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Revision, codes), ≥2 RISE visits, and ≥1 RA disease activity measure scored in 2016, we classified eligible patients' drug use at the index visit as monotherapy or combination therapy with conventional synthetic (cs) and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs). Outcomes include change in treatment over 12 months. Mixed models identified factors associated with treatment change. Results Among 50,996 eligible patients, 27,274 had longitudinal data. The most commonly used measures were RAPID3 (78.9%) and the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) (34.2%). The frequency of treatment change during follow-up was relatively low (35.6-54.6%), even for patients with moderate/high disease activity according to RAPID3 or CDAI scores. Older patients (age ≥75 years; adjusted odds ratio [ORadj ] 0.63 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.50-0.78]) and those already receiving combination therapy with csDMARDs (ORadj 0.45 [95% CI 0.33-0.61]) or combination therapy with bDMARDs (ORadj 0.30 [95% CI 0.24-0.38]) were less likely to change RA treatment even after multivariable adjustment. Conclusion Using the American College of Rheumatology's national RISE registry, one- to two-thirds of RA patients failed to change their treatment, even when experiencing moderate/high disease activity. Multimodal interventions directed at both patients and providers are needed to encourage shared decision-making, goal-directed care, and to overcome barriers to treatment escalation.
3D printed porous PEEK created via fused filament fabrication for osteoconductive orthopaedic surfaces.

Abstract Due to its unique and advantageous material properties, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is an attractive biomaterial for implantable devices. Though concerns exist regarding PEEK for orthopaedic implants due to its bioinertness, the creation of porous networks has shown promising results for interaction with surrounding tissue. In this study, we created porous PEEK via clinically-available fused filament fabrication (FFF, 3D printing) and assessed the pore structure morphology, mechanical properties, and biologic response. The designs of the porous structures were based on a simple rectilinear pattern as well as triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS), specifically gyroid and diamond types. The material characteristics, including porosity, yield strength, and roughness, were evaluated using μCT, static compression testing, and optical profilometry. The porous PEEK, along with 3D printed solid PEEK, was then seeded with MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cells for evaluation of cell proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. The samples were then imaged via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to observe cell morphology. μCT imaging showed the porous networks to be open and interconnected, with porous sizes similar (p > 0.05) to the as-designed size of 600 μm. Average compressive properties ranged from 210 to 268 MPa for elastic modulus and 6.6–17.1 MPa for yield strength, with strength being greatest for TPMS constructs. SEM imaging revealed cells attaching to and bridging micro-topological features of the porous constructs, and cell activity was significantly greater for the porous PEEK compared to solid at multiple time points.
A 140GHz Two-Channel CMOS Transmitter Using Low-Cost Packaging Technologies

We report a 2-channel 140GHz transmitter using low-cost antenna and packaging technologies. The arrays use 8-element series-fed linear microstrip patch antenna arrays fabricated on an Isola Astra MT77 printed circuit board (PCB). Two such antennas, connected to a CMOS multi-channel transmitter IC with 2dBm output power form the two-channel transmitter. At 145GHz, the measured transmitter EIRP is 14-15dBm in single-channel operation and 19-20dBm in two-channel operation. QPSK transmission experiments over 25 cm distance show open eye patterns at 10.0 Gb/s rates.
Hydrogen-terminated diamond FET and GaN HEMT delivering CMOS inverter operation at high-temperature

An increasing number of applications in power electronics, sensor signal conditioning, and RF communication are demanded to operate beyond 200°C (e.g., engine and geothermal wellbore monitoring). These applications require integrated circuits such as mixed-signal circuits featuring analog circuitry, analog to digital converters as well as embedded microcontrollers and on-chip memories. The Si-based complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology combining a P-type MOS (PMOS) and N-type MOS (NMOS) to achieve different logic functions is not reliable for stable and sustained operations at high temperatures (>125 °C) [1] . In this work, we report the successful development of a CMOS building block using wide bandgap (WBG) technology that demonstrated operations up to >350 °C. The CMOS was developed using two wide bandgap material systems known for their high-temperature capability: diamond and gallium nitride (GaN). The "PMOS" utilizes a hole channel FET achieved using a hydrogen-terminated diamond field-effect transistor (diamond FET) and the "NMOS" is made out of an electron channel GaN high electron mobility transistor (GaN HEMT) as shown in Figure 1 .
Decentralized Volt/Var Control of EV Charging Station Inverters for Voltage Regulation

With the emergence of the smart inverter, EV charging stations have a tremendous potential to provide ancillary services to power distribution grids such as increasing the system capacity, reducing the system losses, and enhancing the system voltage profile. These inverters can be allowed to inject reactive power into the grid for voltage regulation, i.e., smoothing voltage fluctuations due to the variation of demands and also renewable generations. To our best knowledge, few works are conducted to analyze the effect of the EV charging station inverters on voltage regulation. In this paper, how EV charging station inverters can participate in voltage regulation formulated as an optimization problem. A game-theoretic machine learning framework is proposed to design a decentralized Volt-Var control strategy. The proposed framework and algorithm are validated on the Southern California Edison 47-bus system.
Effect of Blood Loss and Transfusion Requirements on Clinical Outcomes of Fenestrated-Branched Endovascular Aortic Repair

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of blood loss and transfusion requirements on clinical outcomes of patients treated by fenestrated-branched endovascular aortic repair (F-BEVAR) for pararenal (PRA) and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs). We reviewed the clinical data of 370 consecutive patients (277 male, mean age 74 ± 10 years) treated by F-BEVAR between 2007 and 2017. Outcomes were estimated blood loss (EBL), use of intraoperative blood salvage (IOBS), transfusion of packed red blood cells (PRBCs), mortality, and major adverse events (MAEs). There were 189 patients (51%) treated for PRAs and 181 patients (49%) treated for TAAAs. IOBS was used in 194 patients (52%) and transfusion of PRBCs was needed in 137 (37%). Thirty-day mortality was 2.2% (8/370) and MAEs occurred in 123 patients (33%), including 74 patients (20%) who had EBL > 1L. EBL > 1L and transfusion of PRBCs were significantly higher (P 1L, male gender and the last half of clinical experience were associated with MAEs/mortality. F-BEVAR was associated with significantly higher volume of blood loss and transfusion requirements in patients treated in the early experience and in those who had iliofemoral conduits, open femoral surgical exposure or Extent I–III TAAAs.
Racial Differences in End-of-Life Care Quality between Asian Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites in San Francisco Bay Area.

Background: Little is known about end-of-life care experiences of Asian Americans and gaps in end-of-life care quality between Asians and non-Hispanic whites. Objective: Compare the perceptions of ...
On the use of multibody dynamics techniques to simulate fluid dynamics and fluid–solid interaction problems

A multibody dynamics-based solution to the fluid dynamics problem is compared herein to two established Lagrangian-based techniques used by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) community. The multibody dynamics-based solution has two salient attributes: it enforces the incompressibility condition through bilateral kinematic constraints, and it treats the coupling with the solid phase via unilateral kinematic constraints. The multibody dynamics-based solution, called herein the Kinematically Constrained Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (KCSPH) method, is a Lagrangian approach to solving the CFD problem. It relies on the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method to discretize the spatial differential operators in the Navier–Stokes equations, and on the Newton–Euler equations of multibody dynamics to convect the SPH particles forward in time. We show that the multibody dynamics-based approach is efficient and accurate by comparing its performance with the two most commonly used SPH algorithms in the CFD community: the weakly compressible SPH (WCSPH), and the implicit SPH (ISPH) methods. The comparison is carried out in conjunction with four tests: an incompressibility benchmark test, dam break, floating cylinder, and sloshing tank. We conclude that KCSPH is a robust alternative to conventional CFD approaches for fluid–solid interaction (FSI) problems with complex/moving boundaries. The solvers and models used herein are publicly available in an open-source software called Chrono; the implementations use GPU (for WCSPH and ISPH), and multicore CPU (for KCSPH) parallel computing.
Crisis communication on social media - lessons from Covid-19

Social media networks are increasingly important tools for crisis communication and the Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) provides a unique opportunity to explore the role of social media in crisis...
Assessing the vulnerability of remittance networks to geopolitical shocks in countries of the former USSR: An econometric analysis

Abstract Remittances are an important source of cash flows for lower-middle income countries, but may also enhance vulnerability to shocks if these financial flows are concentrated among a few sources. We utilize descriptive statistics and panel econometric models estimated via generalized least squares (GLS) to investigate whether remittances are a source of vulnerability for the newly independent states (NIS) arising from the dissolution of the former Soviet Union, who receive a substantial proportion of remittance flows from the Russian Federation. Analytical results reveal remittance inflows from the Russian Federation to the NIS, are more significant than remittance inflows from the Russian Federation to all other countries. Model results also indicate remittances to the NIS are more susceptible to geopolitical and economic shocks affecting the Russian Federation than are remittance inflows to other countries. From a policy perspective, our results suggest policymakers should strive to eliminate barriers to migration between countries to reduce the likelihood of concentrated financial flows, since concentrated remittances sources represent potential exposure to economic and geopolitical shocks of sending countries.
The rat urinary bladder. A novel preparation for the investigation of central opioid activity in vivo.

Abstract A novel method, which utilized spontaneous, volume-induced contractions of the urinary bladder in the anesthetized rat, was developed to assess the central activity of substances with opioid properties. It was discovered that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections made directly into the lateral ventricle or intrathecal (i.t.) injections made into the spinal subarachnoid space inhibited bladder contractions in a dose-dependent manner. The methods for spinal and supraspinal drug administrations are described as is the estimation of the spread of drug as determined by i.c.v. and i.t. dye injections. The pharmacology of the i.c.v. and i.t. effects of opioids was determined by use of selective opioid agonists (μ-agonists: morphine, DAGO; δ-agonists: DADLE, DPDPE; k-agonist: U-50, 488H) and antagonists (μ-antagonist, naloxone; δ-antagonist, ICI 174,864). It was concluded that the i.c.v. and i.t. effects were mediated by μ- and δ-opioid receptors and not by k-receptors. A number of other agents such as pentobarbital, haloperidol, and desipramine also inhibited bladder activity following i.c.v. and i.t. administration, but their actions were insensitive to naloxone. This in vivo model was considered useful in the detection and evaluation of the central actions of substances with opioid properties.
Legislating regulation for the Philippine HMO industry

This paper examines the process of legislating regulation for the Philippine health maintenance organization (HMO) industry. It particularly looks at how interest groups compete with each other and attempt to influence legislation of the regulation law. We find that a substantial number of government agencies and private organizations, principally the Association of Health Maintenance Organizations of the Philippines Inc. (AHMOPI), lobbied for or influenced legislation. The result of lobbying, “The HMO Act of 2003”, appears to be a compromise settlement among the interest groups, with the association taking the biggest slice of the pie. JEL classiﬁcation: I18, L51
Nelson's syndrome in pregnancy

The therapeutic considerations in the management of Nelson's syndrome in a 29 year old primigravida are described. CT scans revealed a 2-cm solid pituitary lesion with suprasellar extension and chiasmatic encroachment. A transsphenoidal hypophysectomy was performed to remove a eosinophilic pituitary adenoma. The patient's symptoms improved following surgery. Fetal growth was followed by ultrasound and a female infant was delivered by cesarean section. Follow-up CT scan 2 weeks after delivery revealed no evidence of tumor recurrence.
Compositional Stochastic Modeling and Probabilistic Programming

Probabilistic programming is related to a compositional approach to stochastic modeling by switching from discrete to continuous time dynamics. In continuous time, an operator-algebra semantics is available in which processes proceeding in parallel (and possibly interacting) have summed time-evolution operators. From this foundation, algorithms for simulation, inference and model reduction may be systematically derived. The useful consequences are potentially far-reaching in computational science, machine learning and beyond. Hybrid compositional stochastic modeling/probabilistic programming approaches may also be possible. 1
Non-rigid surface registration using spherical thin-plate splines

Accurate registration of cortical structures plays a fundamental role in statistical analysis of brain images across population. This paper presents a novel framework for the non-rigid intersubject brain surface registration, using conformal structure and spherical thin-plate splines. By resorting to the conformal structure, complete characteristics regarding the intrinsic cortical geometry can be retained as a mean curvature function and a conformal factor function defined on a canonical, spherical domain. In this transformed space, spherical thin-plate splines are firstly used to explicitly match a few prominent homologous landmarks, and in the meanwhile, interpolate a global deformation field. A post-optimization procedure is then employed to further refine the alignment of minor cortical features based on the geometric parameters preserved on the domain. Our experiments demonstrate that the proposed framework is highly competitive with others for brain surface registration and population-based statistical analysis. We have applied our method in the identification of cortical abnormalities in PET imaging of patients with neurological disorders and accurate results are obtained.
Beaming and Jets in GRBs

The origin of GRBs have been a mystery for almost 30 years. The afterglow observed in the last few years enabled redshift determination for a handful of bursts, and the cosmological origin is now firmly established. Though the distance scale is settled, there still remains orders of magnitude uncertainty in their rate and in the total energy that is released in the explosion due to the possibility that the emission is not spherical but jet-like. Contrary to the GRB itself, the afterglow can be measured up to months and even years after the burst, and it can provide crucial information on the geometry of the ejecta. We review the theory of afterglow from jets and discuss the evidence that at least some of the bursts are not spherical. We discuss the prospects of polarization measurements, and show that this is a powerful tool in constraining the geometry of the explosion.
Immature Recent Thymic Emigrants Are Eliminated by Complement

Recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) must undergo phenotypic and functional maturation to become long-lived mature naive T cells. In CD4-cre NKAP conditional knockout mice, NKAP-deficient RTEs fail to complete T cell maturation. In this study, we demonstrate that NKAP-deficient immature RTEs do not undergo apoptosis, but are eliminated by complement. C3, C4, and C1q are bound to NKAP-deficient peripheral T cells, demonstrating activation of the classical arm of the complement pathway. As thymocytes mature and exit to the periphery, they increase sialic acid incorporation into cell surface glycans. This is essential to peripheral lymphocyte survival, as stripping sialic acid with neuraminidase leads to the binding of natural IgM and complement fixation. NKAP-deficient T cells have a defect in sialylation on cell surface glycans, leading to IgM recruitment. We demonstrate that the defect in sialylation is due to aberrant α2,8-linked sialylation, and the expression of three genes (ST8sia1, ST8sia4, and ST8sia6) that mediate α2,8 sialylation are downregulated in NKAP-defcient RTEs. The maturation of peripheral NKAP-deficient T cells is partially rescued in a C3-deficient environment. Thus, sialylation during T cell maturation is critical to protect immature RTEs from complement in the periphery.
Co-located collaborative sensemaking on a large high-resolution display with multiple input devices

This study adapts existing tools (Jigsaw and a text editor) to support multiple input devices, which were then used in a co-located collaborative intelligence analysis study conducted on a large, high-resolution display. Exploring the sensemaking process and user roles in pairs of analysts, the two-hour study used a fictional data set composed of 50 short textual documents that contained a terrorist plot and subject pairs who had experience working together. The large display facilitated the paired sensemaking process, allowing teams to spatially arrange information and conduct individual work as needed. We discuss how the space and the tools affected the approach to the analysis, how the teams collaborated, and the user roles that developed. Using these findings, we suggest design guidelines for future co-located collaborative tools.
Wari and Tiwanaku: International Identities in the Central Andean Middle Horizon

When Julian Steward organized the Handbook of South American Indians, he placed Andean cultures in Volume 2, titled “The Andean Civilizations,” (Steward 1946). Andean societies, and particularly those of the Central Andes, were the only ones recognized as “civilized,” by Steward and his colleagues. Answering the question “When did Central Andean cultures evolve into civilizations?” the best consensus has been the Middle Horizon, from about AD cal 650 to 1050. Specifically, the Middle Horizon Wari and Tiwanaku social formations were civilizations—with cities (Isbell and Vranich 2004; Isbell et al. 1991; Kolata 1993; Ponce 1981; but see Makowski, chapter 32 of this volume), state government (Isbell and Schreiber 1978; Kolata 1993; Janusek 2004) and maybe even imperial systems of expansion (Isbell and Cook 2002; Stanish 2003; Schreiber 2005). In terms of archaeological evidence, both Wari and Tiwanaku had complex settlement hierarchies. But what were these capitals like, and how were their polities organized? How did they differ from older Andean settlements and polities? “Middle Horizon” is a period in Peruvian prehistory (Figure 37.1), but cultural dynamics embraced an area much larger than Peru (Figure 37.2). The Middle Horizon was the time when leadership in complexity within the Central Andes shifted from northern Peru and the Pacific coast – especially the spectacular Moche culture (see Chapter 36 in this volume) – to south central Peru, northwestern Bolivia and the Andean highlands (Figure 37.1). A new religious art spread through the Andes, composed of three primary
Intracardiac Myxomas: Twenty-year Echocardiographic Experience With Review of the Literature

We reviewed the echocardiograms of 35 patients with intracardiac myxomas. Patient data were combined from two geographically distant laboratories. No significant variations in the patient profiles were encountered. Most patients were white (33 of 35) with a mean age of 45 years. The diagnosis was suspected on clinical grounds alone in only six of 35 patients before the echocardiogram was done. M-mode recordings were the primary echocardiography modality available in the first 16 patients, whereas two-dimensional studies were also done in the others. Continuous and pulsed wave Doppler echocardiography were added in eight of the most recent studies. In one patient color flow imaging from both transthoracic and esophageal approaches was possible to better visualize a large left atrial tumor. Thirty-three patients had solitary tumors (29 left atrial, three right atrial, and one left ventricular), and two had multiple tumors. The most characteristic finding, as expected, was the demonstration of abnormal mass echoes produced by the myxoma tissue. Several interesting features not previously emphasized in the literature included abnormal notching of the interventricular septum and posterior left ventricular wall probably produced by displacement from the larger mobile left atrial tumors dropping into the mitral sleeve. This was best appreciated by the M-mode recordings. In one patient with an associated atrial septal defect, movement of the tumor into the defect appeared to alter the expected downward displacement into the mitral orifice. In the patients who were studied by two-dimensional, Doppler, or color flow imaging, tumor movement was evidenced by abnormal frequency shifts, and dispersion of flow around the tumor mass was readily appreciated. Surgical removal was performed in all patients. Follow-up echocardiograms were done postoperatively ranging up to 17 years. Recurrent tumors occurred in two patients, both of whom had congenital myxomas. Echocardiography is proving to be an unparalleled tool in the diagnosis of intracardiac tumors.
Zwitterion formation in gas-phase cyclodextrin complexes.

Protonated complexes of amino acids and underivatized β-cyclodextrin, produced by electrospray ionization and trapped in the Fourier transform mass spectrometer, undergo formation of ternary complexes when reacted with alkyl amine. Based on the reactivities of the protonated amino acid complexes with alkylamines, the reactivities of the corresponding amino acid esters, and partially derivatized β-cyclodextrin hosts, we conclude that the ternary complexes are salt-bridge zwitterionic species composed of amino acid zwitterions and protonated alkylamine all interacting with the hydroxyl groups on the narrow rim of the cyclodextrin. Molecular modeling calculations and experimental results suggest that the interactions of the amino acids with the rims contribute greatly to the formation of the zwitterionic species.
Isomeric phenylalanyl-tRNAs. Position of the aminoacyl moiety during protein biosynthesis.

Abstract The preparation of phenylalanyl-tRNA terminating in 3′-deoxyadenosine has been achieved by incubation of abbreviated tRNA (tRNA-CpCOH) with 3′-deoxyadenosine 5′-diphosphate and polynucleotide phosphorylase (EC 2.7.7.8), followed by aminoacylation. The isomeric phenylalanyl-tRNA terminating in 2′-deoxyadenosine was constructed by incubation of tRNA-CpCOH with 2′-deoxy-3′-O-phenylalanyladenosine 5′-diphosphate and polynucleotide phosphorylase. While tRNA is aminoacylated at the 2′-position, only the 3′-aminoacyl-tRNA is active as a peptide acceptor in the peptidyltransferase reaction. Both modified tRNAs were bound to the A-site as efficiently as unmodified tRNA, but neither was so efficient at P-site binding or as an acceptor in the peptidyltransferase reaction. Neither of the modified tRNAs acted as a donor in the peptidyltransferase reaction.