cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bilateral internal mammary artery fibromuscular dysplasia discovered upon evaluation for reconstructive breast surgery.

Two years after successful treatment of stage IIA breast cancer, a 71-year-old Caucasian female elected to undergo reconstructive breast surgery. The patient’s cancer was treated with a left modified radical mastectomy alongside adjuvant docetaxel and cyclosphosphamide chemotherapy. She also received intensity-modulated radiation therapy to the left chest wall, supraclavicular, and infraclavicular regions and was maintained on anastrazole. Her recovery was uneventful with the exception of lymphedema in her left upper extremity. Her cardiovascular history included hypertension – diagnosed nine years previously and controlled with triple drug therapy – hyperlipidemia, and a five pack-year history of smoking. Her preoperative computed tomographic angiography (CTA) included evaluation of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, which revealed multifocal irregularity and beading of the bilateral internal mammary (Panels A–B), renal (Panel C), and iliac (Panel D) arteries without severe focal stenosis. There was normal renal parenchymal enhancement bilaterally. Bilateral internal mammary artery fibromuscular dysplasia discovered upon evaluation for reconstructive breast surgery
Design and Realization of An Access Controling System Based on 802.1x Protocol

The technology of ethernet-port authentication and access controling based on 802.1xprotocal has many advantages,such as high efficiency,is designed and built,flexible application and easy operation.In this paper,access-controling system based on 802.1xprotocal is designed and built,the key technical problems are researched,such as the security mode of EAP-TLS and the efficiency of USBKEY authentication.
The impact of prenatally diagnosed Klinefelter Syndrome on obstetric and neonatal outcomes

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to examine the obstetric and neonatal outcomes as well as the as the associated hospital costs for pregnancies complicated by prenatally diagnosed Klinefelter Syndrome, 47,XXY. Study design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all of the singleton deliveries in California from 2005 to 2008 using vital statistics and ICD-9 data, specifically identifying cases of fetal Klinefelter Syndrome. Specifically, we were interested in the outcomes of preterm delivery, preeclampsia, intrauterine fetal demise, cesarean delivery, neonatal death, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), small for gestational age, large for gestational age, neonatal death, and infant death. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare pregnancies and neonates affected by prenatally diagnosed Klinefelter Syndrome to those that were not affected with 47,XXY. Results There were 2,029,000 deliveries in the cohort, including 52 women with prenatally diagnosed 47,XXY. Advanced maternal age, completion of 12th grade, and private insurance were all associated with a prenatal diagnosis of Klinefelter Syndrome. Compared to unaffected deliveries, pregnancies complicated by prenatally diagnosed Klinefelter Syndrome had higher rates of preterm delivery (23.1% vs 9.9%, p = 0.0004), cesarean delivery (50.0% vs 30.2%, p = 0.004), and RDS (9.6% vs 1.2%, p = p ≤ 0.001). Rates of neonatal death were 9.5 times higher (1.9% vs 0.2% p p Conclusion Pregnancies affected by prenatally diagnosed Klinefelter Syndrome are at an increased risk of adverse fetal and neonatal outcomes. These findings may be helpful when counseling families with pregnancies affected by fetal 47,XXY.
PCBP1/HNRNP E1 Protects Chromosomal Integrity by Translational Regulation of CDC27.

CDC27 is a core component of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), a multisubunit E3 ubiquitin ligase, whose oscillatory activity is responsible for the metaphase-to-anaphase transition and mitotic exit. Here, in normal murine mammary gland epithelial cells (NMuMG), CDC27 expression is controlled posttranscriptionally through the RNA binding protein poly(rC) binding protein 1 (PCBP1)/heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein E1 (HNRNP E1). shRNA-mediated knockdown of HNRNP E1 abrogates translational silencing of the Cdc27 transcript, resulting in constitutive expression of CDC27. Dysregulated expression of CDC27 leads to premature activation of the G2–M–APC/C–CDC20 complex, resulting in the aberrant degradation of FZR1/CDH1, a cofactor of the G1 and late G2–M–APC/C and a substrate normally reserved for the SCF-βTRCP ligase. Loss of CDH1 expression and of APC/C-CDH1 activity, upon constitutive expression of CDC27, results in mitotic aberrations and aneuploidy in NMuMG cells. Furthermore, tissue microarray of breast cancer patient tumor samples reveals high CDC27 levels compared with nonneoplastic breast tissue and a significant correlation between disease recurrence and CDC27 expression. These results suggest that dysregulation of HNRNP E1-mediated translational regulation of Cdc27 leads to chromosomal instability and aneuploidy and that CDC27 expression represents a significant predictor of breast cancer recurrence. Implications: The RNA-binding protein HNRNP E1 mediates translational regulation of the cell-cycle regulator CDC27 and that dysregulation of CDC27 leads to aneuploidy. In addition, high CDC27 expression in breast cancer patient tumor specimens significantly predicts disease recurrence, suggesting a novel role for CDC27 as a predictor of relapse. Mol Cancer Res; 14(7); 634–46. ©2016 AACR.
Tunable VO2/Au hyperbolic metamaterial

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) is known to have a semiconductor-to-metal phase transition at ∼68 °C. Therefore, it can be used as a tunable component of an active metamaterial. The lamellar metamaterial studied in this work is composed of subwavelength VO2 and Au layers and is designed to undergo a temperature controlled transition from the optical hyperbolic phase to the metallic phase. VO2 films and VO2/Au lamellar metamaterial stacks have been fabricated and studied in electrical conductivity and optical (transmission and reflection) experiments. The observed temperature-dependent changes in the reflection and transmission spectra of the metamaterials and VO2 thin films are in a good qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions. The demonstrated optical hyperbolic-to-metallic phase transition is a unique physical phenomenon with the potential to enable advanced control of light-matter interactions.
Design and implementation of a long range iris recognition system

Iris recognition is widely regarded as one of the most unique methods for subject identification. The practical application of iris recognition is primarily limited by constraints imposed on subjects to enable the collection of images of sufficient quality for recognition. This paper introduces the Iris-at-a-Distance (IAAD) system. The IAAD system is a prototype that illustrates the feasibility of iris recognition at a distance of 30 meters. The system uses a wide-field-of-view camera to locate a subject via face and eye detection. A narrow-field-of-view camera, attached to an 8-inch telescope, is then pointed to the first detected eye. Images taken from the iris acquisition camera are then processed for identification. This system acquires iris images from a subject within the capture volume in an average of four seconds.
English possessive gender agreement in production and comprehension: Similarities and differences between young monolingual English learners and adult Mandarin–English second language learners

Second language learners of English occasionally establish gender agreement between a possessive determiner and the local noun that follows it, rather than with its target antecedent (*“Maryi loves hisi brother”). The production and comprehension profiles of adult Mandarin second language learners of English and monolingual English-speaking children were examined to establish (a) if such errors result from an inherent tendency to establish agreement locally within the noun phrase or rather from transfer of first language agreement procedures, and (b) if these errors are production specific or rather reflect nontarget grammatical representations, thus also affecting comprehension. The results of the elicited production portion of the study support the hypothesis that gender agreement errors in learners’ production of possessives result from a generalized tendency to establish local agreement. The results of the comprehension portion of the study suggest that the observed tendency for local agreement within the noun phrase is production specific and does not characterize learners’ grammatical representations as a whole.
Features for Masking-Based Monaural Speech Separation in Reverberant Conditions

Monaural speech separation is a fundamental problem in speech and signal processing. This problem can be approached from a supervised learning perspective by predicting an ideal time–frequency mask from features of noisy speech. In reverberant conditions at low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), accurate mask prediction is challenging and can benefit from effective features. In this paper, we investigate an extensive set of acoustic–phonetic features extracted in adverse conditions. Deep neural networks are used as the learning machine, and separation performance is evaluated using standard objective speech intelligibility metrics. Separation performance is systematically evaluated in both nonspeech and speech interference, in a variety of SNRs, reverberation times, and direct-to-reverberant energy ratios. Considerable performance improvement is observed by using contextual information, likely due to temporal effects of room reverberation. In addition, we construct feature combination sets using a sequential floating forward selection algorithm, and combined features outperform individual ones. We also find that optimal feature sets in anechoic conditions are different from those in reverberant conditions.
Public Health and the Modernization of China, 1865-2015

This book, based on extensive original research, traces the development of China’s public health system, showing how advances in public health have been an integral part of China’s rise. It outlines the phenomenal improvements in public health, for example the increase in life expectancy from 38 in 1949 to 73 in 2010; relates developments in public health to prevailing political ideologies; and discusses how the drivers of health improvements were, unlike in the West, modern medical professionals and intellectuals who understood that, whatever the prevailing ideology, China needs to be a strong country. The book explores how public health concepts, policies, programmes, institutions and practices changed and developed through social and political upheavals, war, and famine, and argues that this perspective of China’s development is refreshingly different from China’s development viewed purely in political terms.
Abstract 266: Autophagy Reverses Intramuscular Lipid Accumulation in Myocytes

Autophagy, or “self-eating” of the cell, is a tightly regulated “housekeeping” process involved in the degradation and recycling of protein aggregates and damaged organelles. In the failing heart, autophagy has been shown to be an adaptive response. We have previously demonstrated that a common feature of non-ischemic heart failure is lipid accumulation, which in excess can mediate cardiac dysfunction via lipotoxicity. Since autophagy mediates the clearance of lipids through a specific process, known as lipophagy, in hepatocytes, we wondered whether the activation of autophagy in the failing heart protects myocyte from lipotoxicity. To test this hypothesis, L6 myocytes were incubated over a period of 6 days with long chain fatty acids, either 0.5mM or 1.0mM fatty acids (equimolar mixture of oleate and palmitate). On the sixth day of treatment, an autophagic inhibitor (bafilomycin A1, 200nM) or autophagic activator (rapamycin, 1uM) was added to the cell culture medium for 24 hours. Intracellular triglyceride (TG) accumulation was measured in the cells using enzyme quantification assay as well as Oil Red O stain. Immunoblotting was also performed on protein markers to confirm autophagic flux (LC3 and P62) and cell death (Caspase3) in the myocytes. The results indicated that increasing concentrations of fatty acids gradually increased intracellular TG accumulation. Inhibition of autophagy using bafilomycin increased this effect whereas activation of autophagy using rapamycin reduced lipid accumulation in the L6 myocytes. Moreover, fatty acid mediated cell death was increased when autophagy is inhibited. We conclude that autophagy promotes the clearance of lipids from cultured myocytes. These findings suggest that lipophagy may be a protective mechanism in the myocyte through the decrease and reversal of intracellular lipid accumulation.
Minimal nuclear energy density functional

We present a minimal nuclear energy density functional (NEDF) called "SeaLL1" that has the smallest number of possible phenomenological parameters to date. SeaLL1 is defined by 7 significant phenomenological parameters, each related to a specific nuclear property. It describes the nuclear masses of even-even nuclei with a mean energy error of 0.97 MeV and a standard deviation 1.46 MeV, two-neutron and two-proton separation energies with r.m.s. errors of 0.69 MeV and 0.59 MeV respectively, and the charge radii of 345 even-even nuclei with a mean error $\epsilon_r=$0.022 fm and a standard deviation $\sigma_r=$0.025 fm. SeaLL1 incorporates constraints on the EoS of pure neutron matter from quantum Monte Carlo calculations with chiral effective field theory two-body (NN) interactions at N3LO level and three-body (NNN) interactions at the N2LO level. Two of the seven parameters are related to the saturation density and the energy per particle of the homogeneous symmetric nuclear matter, one is related to the nuclear surface tension, two are related to the symmetry energy and its density dependence, one is related to the strength of the spin-orbit interaction, and one is the coupling constant of the pairing interaction. We identify additional phenomenological parameters that have little effect on ground-state properties, but can be used to fine-tune features such as the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule, the excitation energy of the giant dipole and Gamow-Teller resonances, the static dipole electric polarizability, and the neutron skin thickness.
72 Health-related risk factors for motor vehicle crash among post-9/11 veterans

Purpose Following combat deployments, veterans have an increased risk of fatal motor vehicle crash (MVC) than civilians or non-combat veterans. Risk of nonfatal MVC also appears to be elevated. Little research has examined health-related risk factors for MVC in this population. Methods Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data were used to identify a cohort of n=27 134 post-9/11 combat veterans residing in Oregon for any length of time between October 2001 and June 2015. This file was probabilistically linked to Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) data identifying MVCs in the state of Oregon during this same time-period. Cox-proportional hazard models were used to examine associations between veterans’ VA healthcare diagnoses and risk of MVC. Diagnoses of interest were those that are relatively frequent among post-deployment veterans and hypothesised to affect MVC risk; these included post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and sensory deficits. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated while adjusting for age, gender, race, marital status, and education. Results We identified 2242 (8.3%) veterans involved in MVCs during the study period. Veterans with diagnoses of PTSD (HR=1.2; 95% CI: 1.0–1.3) and alcohol use disorder (HR=1.3; 95% CI: 1.0–1.3) were more likely to be involved in a MVC compared to Veterans without the respective diagnoses. Other diagnoses examined were not associated with risk of MVC. Conclusion Select post-deployment health diagnoses appeared to be associated with risk of MVC among post-9/11 combat Veterans. Significance Approximately 2.7 million post-9/11 military service members have been deployed to combat zones in and around Iraq and Afghanistan. Prevention efforts targeting those at greatest risk for post-deployment MVC may prevent fatal and nonfatal injury in this population. Potential interventions include screening and referral to mental and behavioural health services.
Practical Applications, Limitations, and Prospective Research Using TIARA

This chapter discusses the various applications of TIARA method for research, counseling, and clinical practice. It also summarizes the strength, limitations, and future research directions using this new method.
Evaluation of Cool-Season Extratropical Cyclones in a Multimodel Ensemble for Eastern North America and the Western Atlantic Ocean

AbstractThis paper evaluates the extratropical cyclones within three operational global ensembles [the 20-member Canadian Meteorological Centre (CMC), 20-member National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), and 50-member European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)]. The day-0–6 forecasts were evaluated over the eastern United States and western Atlantic for the 2007–15 cool seasons (October–March) using the ECMWF’s ERA-Interim dataset as the verifying analysis. The Hodges cyclone-tracking scheme was used to track cyclones using 6-h mean sea level pressure (MSLP) data. For lead times less than 72 h, the NCEP and ECMWF ensembles have comparable mean absolute errors in cyclone intensity and track, while the CMC errors are larger. For days 4–6 ECMWF has 12–18 and 24–30 h more accuracy for cyclone intensity than NCEP and CMC, respectively. All ensembles underpredict relatively deep cyclones in the medium range, with one area near the Gulf Stream. CMC, NCEP, and ECMWF all have a slow alon...
Effects of creep heat type and location on its usage by piglets in farrowing crates.

Comparative tests were conducted in an environment-controlled farrowing room (21 C, 70 F) to determine the choice of mat heat vs. lamp heat by piglets in farrowing crates. Two widened farrowing crates (2.40 2.13 m, 8 7 ft.) were used, each equipped with two double-size heat mats (0.6 1.2 m or 2 4 ft, 120 W capacity each). One mat was powered to provide the localized heat, while the other simply served as a floor mat with a 175 W heat lamp suspended 76 cm above it for the localized heat. Both heat sources were placed along one side of the sow, hence one mat was closer to the rear end of the sow than the other. Location of the heat source showed a profound effect on its choice by the piglets, with the one near the rear end being clearly preferred regardless of its type. Lamp heat was used significantly more than mat heat for the first two days after birth. Surface temperatures of piglets and heat sources were quantified. In particular, surface temperature of piglets under the heat lamp decreased linearly with the distance between the piglets and the center of the heat source, ranging from 39.4 to 33.4 C (103 to 92 F).
Colorectal Cancer and Alcohol Consumption-Populations to Molecules.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, being the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the world. Several environmental and habitual factors have been associated with the CRC risk. Alcohol intake, a common and rising habit of modern society, is one of the major risk factors for development of CRC. Here, we will summarize the evidence linking alcohol with colon carcinogenesis and possible underlying mechanisms. Some epidemiologic studies suggest that even moderate drinking increases the CRC risk. Metabolism of alcohol involves ethanol conversion to its metabolites that could exert carcinogenic effects in the colon. Production of ethanol metabolites can be affected by the colon microbiota, another recently recognized mediating factor to colon carcinogenesis. The generation of acetaldehyde and alcohol’s other metabolites leads to activation of cancer promoting cascades, such as DNA-adduct formation, oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, epigenetic alterations, epithelial barrier dysfunction, and immune modulatory effects. Not only does alcohol induce its toxic effect through carcinogenic metabolites, but alcoholics themselves are predisposed to a poor diet, low in folate and fiber, and circadian disruption, which could further augment alcohol-induced colon carcinogenesis.
Moving toward Multiliteracies in Foreign Language Teaching: Past and Present Perspectives … and Beyond.

In recent years, literacy has emerged as a key critical term in foreign language (FL) teaching and learning. This essay reflects on the history of literacy and on current developments, in particular those related to the development of multiliteracies paradigms. The article concludes with a discussion of emergent topics related to literacy and language teaching and suggests ways in which research in these domains is posing new questions for the field of FL education
Designing communication systems via iterative improvement: error correction coding with Bayes decoder and codebook optimized for source symbol error

In most error correction coding (ECC) frameworks, the typical error metric is the bit error rate (BER) which measures the number of bit errors. For this metric, the positions of the bits are not relevant to the decoding, and in many noise models, not relevant to the BER either. In many applications this is unsatisfactory as typically all bits are not equal and have different significance. We look at ECC from a Bayesian perspective and introduce Bayes estimators with general loss functions to take into account the bit significance. We propose ECC schemes that optimize this error metric. As the problem is highly nonlinear, traditional ECC construction techniques are not applicable. Using exhaustive search is cost prohibitive, and thus we use iterative improvement search techniques to find good codebooks. We optimize both general codebooks and linear codes. We provide numerical experiments to show that they can be superior to classical linear block codes such as Hamming codes and decoding methods such as minimum distance decoding.
Abstract 63: Correlation of AOL Recanalization, TIMI Reperfusion and TICI Reperfusion with Infarct Growth and Clinical Outcome in the DEFUSE 2 Trial

Objective: To understand how three commonly utilized angiographic outcome measures of endovascular therapy correlate with clinical outcome and infarct growth in acute stroke patients. Methods: Prospectively enrolled patients with anterior circulation strokes underwent baseline MRI and started endovascular therapy within 12 hours of stroke onset. The final angiogram was given a recanalization score of the primary arterial occlusive lesion- AOL (0-3), a Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarct (TIMI) Score (0-3) and a Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) Score (0-3) using previously described definitions. TICI 2 scores were divided into partial reperfusion 50% (TICI 2b). Scores were dichotomized into poor recanalization or reperfusion (AOL 0-2, TIMI 0-1 and TICI 0-2a) versus good (AOL 3, TIMI 2-3, TICI 2b-3). Patients were classified as Target Mismatch (TMM) if: PWI (Tmax>6s) / DWI >1.8, (Tmax>6)-DWI>15ml, DWI 10s) <100mL. Good functional outcome (GFO) was a 90 day mRS of 0-2. Results: There were 99 patients with endovascular treatment and adequate baseline MR data. Following therapy, 46% were TICI 2b-3, 76% TIMI 2-3 and 59% had an AOL score of 3. TICI scores correlated with GFO (p=0.009). In TMM patients, 63% with TICI 2b-3 reperfusion had GFO, versus 28% of TICI 0-2a (p=0.003). Patients with TICI 2a had only a 36% rate of GFO. Overall TIMI scores also correlated with GFO at 90 days, p=0.036. In TMM patients, 54% with TIMI 2-3 had GFO, versus 16% of TIMI 0-1 patients (p=0.007). AOL recanalization scores did not correlate with GFO, nor did the dichotomized scores in TMM patients. Median lesion growth was 23 ml (IQR, 6-69) for TICI 2b-3 patients versus 80 ml (39-159) for TICI 0-2a, p<0.001. Considered separately, TICI 2a patients had more growth, 86 ml (21-178), than TICI 2b-3 patients (p=0.003). Median lesion growth was 41 ml (IQR, 8-93) for TIMI 2-3 patients versus 68 (45-127) for TIMI 0-1 patients, p=0.024. Conclusion: TIMI and TICI reperfusion scores identified Target Mismatch patients with good functional outcome. The AOL recanalization score did not. The TICI 2a patients had poorer outcome and more lesion growth than TICI 2b-3 patients.
The Role of Phenotypic Plasticity in Marine Biological Invasions

The outcome of a species introduction depends, in large measure, on the abilities of the invader and species in the receiving community to respond to their new environments. A successful invader must survive changing environmental conditions at all stages leading to and following its introduction. Residents in the invaded community, in turn, must cope with environmental changes that result from the arrival of the new species. Adaptive responses (i.e., those that confer a fitness benefit) by either party have been viewed primarily to result from evolutionary changes in fixed traits in populations (Thompson 1998; Mooney and Cleland 2001; Cox 2004). Although intense selection can result in rapid phenotypic shifts across generations (Huey et al. 2000; Gilchrist et al. 2001; Reznick and Ghalambor 2001), this process does not encompass fully the dynamic nature of many invasions. A burgeoning literature indicates that individual organisms are capable of modifying ecologically important physiological, morphological, behavioral, and life-history features within a lifetime in response to environmental cues (Harvell 1986; Stearns 1989; Kingsolver and Huey 1998; Schlichting and Pigliucci 1998; West-Eberhard 2003; DeWitt and Scheiner 2004a). This phenomenon, known as phenotypic plasticity, provides a means by which an invader can respond relatively quickly to its new biotic or abiotic environment. Similarly, phenotypic plasticity may allow resident species to mitigate changes wrought by the invader. The role of adaptive phenotypic plasticity in biological invasions, however, has been largely ignored in marine settings. Our understanding and interpretation of marine biological invasions will be incomplete on several counts if we fail to acknowledge or test for the potential influence of phenotypic plasticity. First, phenotypic plasticity can provide a mechanistic explanation to understand and predict (1) why and how some individuals or species invade and others do not, (2) what the ecological effects and eventual ranges of the invader might be, and (3) how native species might respond to the introduction. In particular, knowledge of the type, direction, and magnitude of induced responses is critical if we are to decipher direct and indirect ecological effects stemming from species introductions. Second, recognition of phenotypic plasticity’s
the 400 blows--children lost in the Health Care System

A discussion of a film that explores the effect that lack of physical touch and language has on the health of a child and how a physician can play in giving children the personal attention they may need. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Sensory neuropathies and neuronopathies: an overview

In recent years, it has been increasingly realized that certain disorders can single out primary sensory neurons as their principal targets. The result is dysfunction or ablation of primary modalities of sensation. Sensory tissue damage occurs by several mechanisms including toxin-induced effects (pyridoxine, taxol, cisplatin, doxorubicin), immune-mediated events (including paraneoplastic disorders, collagen-vascular disorders, perhaps monoclonal gammopathies) and genetically-determined diseases (such as hereditary sensory neuropathy types I, and II, and III, Fabry’s disease, and abetalipoproteinemia). In addition, many cases, either acute or chronic, are idiopathic in nature.
Learning with multiple online texts as part of scientific inquiry in the classroom

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate how teachers interact with students in order to prepare them to conduct research with multiple online texts as part of the process of scientific inquiry in the classroom. The specific focus of this work was on understanding how teachers used classroom dialogue to create an environment that supports the use of multiple online text-based resources as part of the process of doing science. Data collection for this study occurred in the 6th grade classrooms of two teachers in a Midwestern school district. Each of the teachers taught three science classes for a total of 150 students. A test of students' content knowledge of physics was used in order to evaluate students' understanding of the physics concepts targeted in the curriculum. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that the students from one teacher's classes performed significantly better on the physics test than the students of the other teacher (p
Are Kentucky Farmers Prepared for Farm-Related Emergencies?

OBJECTIVES Farming is a hazardous occupation with a high incidence of fatal and non-fatal injuries. Little is known about the preparedness of Kentucky farmers to respond to farm emergencies. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge, preparation, and concerns of Kentucky farmers relative to being prepared to take appropriate action in the event of a farm emergency. METHODS For this descriptive study, a 36-item questionnaire was used to assess the farmer's education and training, access to supplies/equipment to deal with farm emergencies, and their concern regarding emergency preparedness. Data were collected from a sample of 115 farmers attending an agricultural related conference or meeting in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. RESULTS A majority of the farmers reported: 1) limited CPR/first aid training, 2) minimal access to first aid kits/fire extinguishers on the farm, and 3) concern that EMS could not locate their farms. A large majority of the farmers reported use of a smartphone with a GPS locator; however, some farms were reported to be without cell service. The farmers were interested in attending training on emergency preparedness if training sessions were scheduled at a convenient time. CONCLUSION Information obtained from this survey will guide the development of a multi-component community-based program to prepare farmers to take appropriate action and receive quick emergency medical services (EMS) in farm emergencies. New community partnerships will be established to identify, implement, and evaluate creative strategies to ensure that Kentucky farmers are prepared for emergency events.
Brainstem integration of arousal, sleep, cardiovascular, and respiratory control

The brainstem contains several critical areas involved in control of behavioral arousal, wake-sleep cycle, cardiovascular function, and respiration. Sleep and arousal are associated with profound changes in arterial pressure, heart rate, and respiration. Reciprocally, signals from brainstem areas controlling these functions promote arousal from sleep. These interactions involve neurons distributed throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the brainstem (figure 1). These neurons primarily utilize the excitatory amino-acid l-glutamate or the inhibitory amino acid γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and their activity is modulated in a state-dependent manner by cholinergic, monoaminergic, and peptidergic neurons in the brainstem and hypothalamus. Recent studies in rodents using optogenetic and other approaches for selective activation or inactivation of specific groups of brainstem neurons, identified by their unique expression of neurochemical markers, have led to a reevaluation of classical concepts on the brainstem mechanisms controlling arousal, wake-sleep cycle,1–3 cardiovascular function4–6 and respiration.7,8 Some of the findings are supported by clinico-pathological correlations in humans and provide insight into the brainstem pathophysiology of disorders such as multiple system atrophy (MSA), obstructive sleep apnea, congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, sudden infantile death syndrome, and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
CSR Reputation and Firm Performance: A Dynamic Approach

Many countries have regulations that require firms to engage in minimum levels of corporate social (CS) activities in areas such as the environment and social welfare. In this paper, we argue that changes in a firm’s compliance with CS regulations are reflected in its reputation for corporate social responsibility (CSR), which affects the firm’s performance. The performance impacts depend on whether the firm’s CSR reputation in the current and prior periods is positive (i.e., the firm exceeds CS regulations), neutral (the firm meets CS regulations), or negative (the firm fails to comply with CS regulations). Our theoretical framework draws on the reputation literature and on the concepts of recency bias, which weights the present more heavily than the past, and negativity bias, which weights negative assessments more heavily than neutral or positive assessments. We test our hypotheses on a sample of 7317 banks over 1992–2007 where we compare a bank’s return on assets (ROA) with its current and prior compliance ratings under the U.S. Community Reinvestment Act. We find that changes in CSR reputation have predictable, asymmetric, and sizeable impacts on firm performance. For example, for an average bank with $1 billion in assets, gaining a positive CSR reputation translates into a rise in profits of 4.04%; gaining a negative CSR reputation results in a drop in profits of − 7.8%.
Report from the Editor (2017)

Report presented at the meeting of the Executive Council of the Latin American Studies Association in Lima, Peru, April 27, 2017.
On Foreign Policy: Unfinished Business

1 Ideology, National Interest, and National Values 2 The Need for Policy Legitimacy 3 Stable Peace and Democratic Peace 4 Analysis and Judgment 5 The Role of Counterfactuals in "Missed Opportunities" 6 Prevention of Genocide: The Warning-Response Problem
Computer simulations of transapical mitral valve repair with neochordae implantation: Clinical implications

Abstract Objectives Transapical beating heart neochordae implantation is an innovative mitral valve repair technique that has demonstrated promising clinical results in patients with primary mitral regurgitation. However, as clinical experience continues to increase, neochordae implantation criteria have not been fully standardized. The aim of this study was to investigate the biomechanical effects of selecting an antero-lateral apical access site compared with a postero-lateral site, and suboptimal neochordae length compared with optimal suture length, on restoring physiologic left heart dynamics. Methods Transapical neochordae implantation using 3 and 4 sutures was computer simulated under 3 posterior mitral leaflet prolapse conditions: isolated P2, multiscallop P2/P3 and multiscallop P2/P1. Physiologic, pre- and postrepair left heart dynamics were evaluated using a fluid-structure interaction modeling framework. Results Despite the absence of residual mitral regurgitation in all postrepair models with optimal neochordae length, selecting an antero-lateral apical entry site for the treatment of P2/P3 prolapse generated a significant increase (>80%) in neochordae tension and P2 peak stress, with respect to a postero-lateral entry site. During isolated P2 prolapse repair, although neochordae overtension by 5% led to minimal hemodynamic changes in the regurgitant volume compared with using an optimal suture length, a significant increase in systolic and diastolic neochordae tension (>300%) and posterior leaflet average stress (70%-460%) was quantified. On the other hand, neochordae undertension by 5% led to worsening of regurgitation severity. Conclusions This parametric computer study represents a further step toward an improved understanding of the biomechanical outcomes of transapical neochordae technologies.
Factor VIII binding affects the mechanical unraveling of the A2 domain of von Willebrand factor

Background Proteolytic cleavage of von Willebrand factor (VWF) by ADAMTS13 is crucial for normal hemostasis. Our previous studies demonstrate that binding of coagulation factor VIII (or FVIII) to VWF enhances the proteolytic cleavage of VWF by ADAMTS13 under shear. Objectives Present study aims to determine the mechanism underlying FVIII-mediated enhancing effect on VWF proteolysis by ADAMTS13 under force. Methods Single molecular force spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and surface plasmon resonance are all used. Results Using single molecule force spectroscopy, we show that an addition of FVIII (~5 nmol/L) to D'D3 or D'D3A1 does not significantly alter force-induced unfolding of these fragments; however, an addition of FVIII at the same concentration to D'D3A1A2 eliminates its long unfolding event at ~40 nm, suggesting that binding of FVIII to D'D3 and/or A2 may result in force-induced conformational changes in A2 domain. Atomic force spectroscopy further demonstrates the direct binding between FVIII and D'D3 (or A2) with an intrinsic 2-dimensional off-rate (k0 ) of 0.02 ± 0.01/s (or 0.3 ± 0.1/s). The direct binding interaction between FVIII and A2 is further confirmed with the surface plasmon resonance assay, with a dissociation constant of ~0.2 μmol/L; no binding is detected between FVIII and A1 under the same conditions. Conclusions Our results suggest that binding of FVIII to D'D3 and/or A2 may alter the mechanical property in the central A2 domain. The findings provide novel insight into the molecular mechanism underlying FVIII-dependent regulation of VWF proteolysis by ADAMTS13 under mechanical force.
Landscape Genetics of Plants: Challenges and Opportunities.

Abstract Dispersal is one of the most important but least understood processes in plant ecology and evolutionary biology. Dispersal of seeds maintains and establishes populations, and pollen and seed dispersal are responsible for gene flow within and among populations. Traditional views of dispersal and gene flow assume models that are governed solely by geographic distance and do not account for variation in dispersal vector behavior in response to heterogenous landscapes. Landscape genetics integrates population genetics with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to evaluate the effects of landscape features on gene flow patterns (effective dispersal). Surprisingly, relatively few landscape genetic studies have been conducted on plants. Plants present advantages because their populations are stationary, allowing more reliable estimates of the effects of landscape features on effective dispersal rates. On the other hand, plant dispersal is intrinsically complex because it depends on the habitat preferences of the plant and its pollen and seed dispersal vectors. We discuss strategies to assess the separate contributions of pollen and seed movement to effective dispersal and to delineate the effects of plant habitat quality from those of landscape features that affect vector behavior. Preliminary analyses of seed dispersal for three species indicate that isolation by landscape resistance is a better predictor of the rates and patterns of dispersal than geographic distance. Rates of effective dispersal are lower in areas of high plant habitat quality, which may be due to the effects of the shape of the dispersal kernel or to movement behaviors of biotic vectors. Landscape genetic studies in plants have the potential to provide novel insights into the process of gene flow among populations and to improve our understanding of the behavior of biotic and abiotic dispersal vectors in response to heterogeneous landscapes.
What Do Constitutional Law Professors Do

This Essay — written for a symposium hosted by the Wisconsin Law Review on Andrew Coan’s splendid new book — examines the social space that non- clinical, tenure-track American constitutional law professors occupy, and whether that social space is a desirable one. Constitutional law professors are relatively unique among faculty in the current American research university for the degree to which they speak to those inside and outside of the university. Constitutional law professors are socialized by and participate in the research community of the university but also the elite legal profession. They aspire to speak truth to power, but they are also part of the power that they seek to evaluate. It is good for a society to have scholarly insights brought to bear on important decisions by powerful people, and law professors are increasingly the ones doing that. It is also good to have a scholarly discipline generated by combining its own original insights with the insights of other disciplines. As the humanities and social sciences produce more technical scholarship, more removed from the comprehension and concerns of daily life, this engaged and interdisciplinary role for constitutional law professors becomes more important because it is more uncommon. However, being such a part of the system that one aspires to evaluate also encourages law professors to be more deferential and defensive of existing power structures.
Efficacy of continuous monitoring of maternal temperature during labor using wireless axillary sensors.

Neonatal early onset sepsis (EOS) occurs in 0.5–0.8/1000 live births and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Its presenting signs in newborns are non-specific, so risk assessment before birth is essential. Maternal fever during labor is the strongest predictor of EOS, but the current standard is for infrequent manual determinations of temperature. We aimed to determine whether continuous measurement of temperature during labor is feasible, accurate, and more effective than manual measurements for detecting fever. Women were recruited on admission in labor at > 35 weeks gestational age, with 4 hours of continuous data and > 2 manual temperature measurements and were included for analysis. Continuous recordings were feasible and correlated well with manual measurements independent of mean temperature. Of 15 episodes of fever > 38 °C detected by both methods, 13 were detected earlier by continuous (9 of those more than 1 hour earlier). Manual measurements missed 32 fevers > 38 °C and 13 fevers > 38.5 °C that were identified by continuous. Continuous measurement of maternal temperature for the duration of labor is practical and accurate. It may be more sensitive for identifying infants at risk for EOS than the current practice, enabling earlier and more effective targeted treatment of affected infants.
A claims-based score for the prediction of bleeding in a contemporary cohort of patients receiving oral anticoagulation for venous thromboembolism

ABSTRACT Background Current scores for bleeding risk assessment in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) undergoing oral anticoagulation (OAC) have limited predictive capacity. We developed and internally validated a bleeding prediction model using healthcare claims data. Methods and Results We selected patients with incident VTE in the 2011-2017 MarketScan databases initiating OAC. Hospitalized bleeding events were identified using validated algorithms in the 180 days after VTE diagnosis. We evaluated demographic factors, comorbidities, and medication use prior to OAC initiation as potential predictors of bleeding using stepwise selection of variables in Cox models ran on 1000 bootstrap samples of the patient population. Variables included in >60% of all models were selected for the final analysis. We internally validated the model using bootstrapping and correcting for optimism. We included 165,434 VTE patients initiating OAC, of which 2,294 had a bleeding event. After undergoing the variable selection process, the final model included 20 terms (15 main effects and 5 interactions). The c-statistic for the final model was 0.68 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.67-0.69). The internally validated c-statistic corrected for optimism was 0.68 (95%CI 0.67-0.69). For comparison, the c-statistic of the HAS-BLED score in this population was 0.62 (95%CI 0.61-0.63). Conclusion We have developed a novel model for bleeding prediction in VTE using large healthcare claims databases. Performance of the model was moderately good, highlighting the urgent need to identify better predictors of bleeding to inform treatment decisions.
Frequent Fire Reduces the Magnitude of Positive Interactions Between an Invasive Grass and Soil Microbes in Temperate Forests

Fire activity is increasing in many regions. Although increased fire activity is expected to promote plant invasion, over longer time periods, frequent fire can shift the nutrient status of ecosystems, which may alter interactions between invasive plants and soil microbial decomposers. Here, we applied a fire treatment to plots embedded in deciduous forests under regimes of either fire exclusion or frequent fire and invaded by the most widespread invasive grass in the eastern USA (Microstegium vimineum) to determine how frequent fire affects plant–soil interactions while controlling for time after fire. We predicted that frequent fire would increase microbial nitrogen (N) limitation, leading to lower Microstegium productivity and reduced soil carbon (C) and N loss. We found that Microstegium leaf, root, and microbial biomass C/N ratios were significantly wider under frequent fire than fire exclusion. Consistent with these patterns, dissolved organic N concentration was 22% lower and the activity of an exoenzyme targeting N acquisition was 59% higher under frequent fire, indicating that frequent fire increased microbial N limitation. Higher surface soil C and N and fire-induced increases in particulate soil organic matter N suggest that frequent fire in these grass-invaded forests enhanced microbial N limitation through the accumulation of microbially resistant pyrogenic N. A structural equation model confirmed that these changes were interrelated and associated with 87% lower Microstegium aboveground biomass and 85% higher fine root biomass. These findings provide new insights into how frequent fire impacts plant–soil microbial interactions and thus may feedback to plant invasion over longer time periods.
Conversion from Channel Attenuation to Data Rate Estimation

In an early development state for a wireless terrestrial or satellite communication system, channel path attenuation data is typically collected first under an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) in the line of sight by transmitting a carrier frequency signal without modulation. This is because these data can be obtained economically, and will be useful for an radio frequency (RF) communication system engineer to determine the transmit power, antenna type, antenna size, modulation type, forward error correction coding type, code rate, data rate, and so on. The objective of this paper is to study how to convert from this set of channel path attenuation measurement data obtained under AWGN to useful information such as data rate, i.e., bandwidth efficiency (BWE) in bits per second per Hertz of the channel under a general fading channel environment. The adaptive code modulation (ACM) has been used recently in both terrestrial and satellite modern communications systems. To achieve the objective, the Digital Video Broadcasting - Second Generation (DVB-S2) satellite communication system is considered under a memoryless flat Rayleigh fading channel to exploit its ACM scheme as an example. Then it is observed that the bit error rate (BER) of the DVB-S2 under non-line of sight (NLOS), memoryless, flat (i.e., single multipath) Rayleigh fading with no Doppler frequency shift could not reach 10−5with practical symbol-energy-to-noise ratio. Hence, in this paper BER of 10−2criterion is used and steps to compute the BWE for a given set of channel attenuation data under memoryless, NLOS, flat, and no Doppler Rayleigh fading is presented.
H-scan analysis of subtle changes in scattering

The H-scan analysis provides a matched filter approach to quantifying the scattering transfer function of tissue, at high resolution, in medical ultrasound. The approach yields quantitative estimates and high resolution images where color encodes the scattering information, and the results on normal and diseased tissues will be presented.