cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pure-Tone Masking of Tinnitus

Experiments were initiated to determine the frequency most closely associated with a continuous atonal tinnitus reported by a listener with a sloping sensorineural hearing loss in his left ear. The procedure was modeled after that used to obtain a psychophysical tuning curve. Pure tones presented binaurally and monaurally between 521 and 3629 Hz were adjusted in level by the listener to just mask his tinnitus, which functioned as a signal. Masking curves for binaural and monaural masker presentation were found to be of similar shape but they varied in terms of absolute level, variability of estimates, and with regard to fine detail of the curves. The magnitude of the tinnitus as also estimated by a loudness match with a pure tone to the opposite ear. The masking levels required to mask the tinnitus were found to be consistent with those reported necessary to mask the equally loud pure tone. These findings are consistent with Langenbeck's [1953, 1965] hypothesis that tinnitus arising from the inner ear should be masked in a manner similar to an externally presented tone at the same effective level. Information derived from the masking of tinnitus by pure tones may be useful in fitting tinnitus-masking devices and also for diagnosing the site of lesion associated with tinnitus.
The Beauty of State Construction: Juan Valdez, Miss Colombia and Crisis Resolution

The Colombian state was in acute crisis in the 1990s. Widely considered a failed state, Colombia suffered from uncontrollable violence and an acute economic crisis that left over half of the population impoverished. Yet shortly after the turn of the century, it was being touted as one of the great successes in crime reduction, economic growth, and democratic stability. In this article, I examine the role of beauty pageants in strengthening the state by consolidating national identity and re-articulating hegemonic understandings of sexuality in moments of crisis. Based on six months of field research on the Caribbean Coast and the coffee growing region, the two most violent and economically volatile regions of the country, I argue that beauty pageants play a key role in creating modern forms of legitimacy and governance in Colombia through their reliance on familiar tropes of gender and sexuality in the face of political and economic crisis. I analyze the organization and impact of simultaneous competitions to select a new Miss Colombia and a new Juan Valdez. I argue that these beauty pageants served to successfully (re)articulate a national identity based on heterosexual complementarity while providing a forum for the construction of state institutions ranging from national infrastructure to the economy.
Chronic and low charge injection wireless intraneural stimulation in vivo

Functional stability and in-vivo reliability are significant factors determining the longevity of a neural interface. In this ongoing study, we test the performance of a wireless floating microelectrode array (WFMA) over a period of 143 days. The topography of the microelectrodes has allowed for selective stimulation of different fascicles of the rat sciatic nerve. We confirmed that motor evoked thresholds remain stable over time and that the nerve stimulation charges were within tissue safety limits. Importantly, motor evoked responses were elicited at threshold currents in fully awake animals without causing pain or discomfort. These data validate the use of the WFMA system for intraneural interfacing of peripheral nerves for neuroprosthetic and bioelectronics medical applications.
Mortality of the Immature Stages of Rhinocyllus conicus , a Thistle Head Weevil, in Virginia

Mortality of pre-adult Rhinocyllus conicus Froelich on musk thistle ( Carduus nutans L.) at Pulaski, Va., in 1972 was 68.0%. The range in mortality at 11 sampling sites was 56.6–95.8%; greater losses occurred in open, unsheltered pasture. Egg and early instar larval mortality (58.3%) resulted primarily from egg destruction by wind and rain. Mortality of late instar larvae and pupae (9.7%) was partially attributable to parasitism (3.6%) by Aliolus curculionis (Fitch), Bracon mellitor (Say), and Campoplex polychrosidis Viereck. Some loss of larvae and pupae was caused by crowding.
Pyrolysis Kinetics of a Green River Oil Shale Using a Pressurized TGA

Crushed samples of Green River Oil Shale and its kerogen extract were pyrolyzed at heating rates from 1 to 10 K/min at pressures of 1 and 40 bar and temperatures up to 1000 °C. Two to four mass release peaks were observed with the major two corresponding to kerogen pyrolysis and carbonate decomposition. The transient pyrolysis data were fit with a first-order model and a Distributed Activation Energy Model (DAEM). An F-test was used to determine confidence regions and compare the kinetic parameters among the oil shale and demineralized samples, between the two pressure levels, and between the models. The activation energies determined ranged from 173 to 226 kJ/mol, while the pre-exponential factors ranged from 2.74 × 1010 to 1.86 × 1014 1/s. It was found that there is not a significant difference among the activation energy/pre-exponential factor combinations determined for oil shale and the demineralized samples nor between pressures of 1 and 40 bar. The first-order and DAEM models were also shown to be ...
Beyond the Periodic Table of Elements: The Role of Superatoms

Atomic clusters composed of homo or heteroatomic species constitute an intermediate phase of matter where every atom counts and whose properties depend on their size, shape, composition, and charge. If specific clusters mimicking the chemistry of atoms can be produced, they can be thought of as man-made superatoms forming the building blocks of a new three-dimensional periodic table. Novel materials with tailored properties can then be synthesized by assembling these superatoms. This invited Perspective presents a brief summary of the pioneering works that led to this concept, and highlights the recent breakthroughs that hold promise for a new era in materials science.
Effects of Computer Access and Flowcharting on Students' Attitudes and Performance in Learning Computer Programming

Performance and attitudes in a high school programming course (n = 72) were investigated as a function of degree of computer access (limited vs. unlimited); flowcharting usage (required vs. not required); and aptitude-treatment interactions (ATI's) involving these variables in combination with student gender and ability level. On four out of five performance measures, ATI results revealed a significant tendency for low-ability students to perform better under unlimited- than limited-access, and conversely for middle- to high-ability students. Regardless of computer-access level or student characteristics, the requirement to produce flowcharts negatively affected performance and attitudes. Only isolated gender effects were found. These and other findings are discussed with emphasis on their implications for teaching programming at the precollege level.
Design for structural flexibility using connected morphable components based topology optimization

In topology optimization of structures considering flexibility, degenerated optimal solutions, such as hinges, gray areas and disconnected structures may appear. In this paper, built upon the newly developed morphable component based topology optimization approach, a novel representation using connected morphable components (CMC) and a linkage scheme are proposed to prevent degenerating designs and to ensure structure integrity. A lower bound condition of the thickness of each component is also incorporated to completely remove the smallest components in an optimal configuration. Designs of flexible structures, such as compliant mechanism design, maximum compliance structure design, and design of low-frequency resonating micro devices are studied to validate the proposed methodology. Our work demonstrates that the new methodology can successfully prevent degeneration solutions and possesses other advantages, such as minimum member size control in topology optimization of flexible structures.
Studying the Genetics of Complex Disease With Ancestry-Specific Human Phenotype Networks: The Case of Type 2 Diabetes in East Asian Populations

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have led to the discovery of over 200 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Additionally, East Asians develop T2DM at a higher rate, younger age, and lower body mass index than their European ancestry counterparts. The reason behind this occurrence remains elusive. With comprehensive searches through the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) GWAS catalog literature, we compiled a database of 2,800 ancestry-specific SNPs associated with T2DM and 70 other related traits. Manual data extraction was necessary because the GWAS catalog reports statistics such as odds ratio and P-value, but does not consistently include ancestry information. Currently, many statistics are derived by combining initial and replication samples from study populations of mixed ancestry. Analysis of all-inclusive data can be misleading, as not all SNPs are transferable across diverse populations. We used ancestry data to construct ancestry-specific human phenotype networks (HPN) centered on T2DM. Quantitative and visual analysis of network models reveal the genetic disparities between ancestry groups. Of the 27 phenotypes in the East Asian HPN, six phenotypes were unique to the network, revealing the underlying ancestry-specific nature of some SNPs associated with T2DM. We studied the relationship between T2DM and five phenotypes unique to the East Asian HPN to generate new interaction hypotheses in a clinical context. The genetic differences found in our ancestry-specific HPNs suggest different pathways are involved in the pathogenesis of T2DM among different populations. Our study underlines the importance of ancestry in the development of T2DM and its implications in pharmocogenetics and personalized medicine.
Construction on evaluation criterion for pregnant health education in the pregnancy of fetuses undergoing congenital intestinal atresia

Objective: To develop the evaluation criterion for pregnant health education in the pregnancy of fetuses undergoing congenital intestinal atresia. Methods: The qualitative method and Delphi technique were employed to construct the evaluation criterion for pregnant health education based on the frame of KABP Model and Nursing Outcomes Classification. Results: The evaluation criterion was developed based on two rounds of consultation with 100% response rate. The expert authority score was 0.920 and the Kendall's coefficient of concordance for two rounds was 0.316 and 0.422 respectively. The indicator system consisted of 3 first-level indicators, 20 second-1evel indicators and 70 third-1evel indicators and its content validity index was 0.970. Conclusion: The experts have higher enthusiasm and authority as well as relatively unified opinions. The evaluation criterion for pregnant health education is maneuverable and could provide guidelines for health care service during pregnancy. The evaluation criterion can also improve service efficiency and quality for health education in communities and outpatient departments.
An Unusual Case of Polyostotic Fibrous Dysplasia in a 53-Year-Old Woman With Low Back Pain.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this case report is to describe the features of an unusual presentation of fibrous dysplasia. Clinical Features A 53-year-old woman had low back pain and numbness in the anterior upper left thigh that started 3 years earlier after a fall. She experienced pain during active lumbar flexion and extension range of motion. Radiographic examination demonstrated an oval geographic osteolytic lesion in the left ilium and abnormal trabecular architecture with variable-sized osteolytic lesions and both ill-defined and well-defined borders along the sacroiliac joint margin. Intervention and Outcome Because of the aggressive osteolytic appearance, magnetic resonance imaging of the pelvis with gadolinium contrast was obtained for additional characterization of the lesions. There were 3 additional mixed signal lesions located within the left femoral neck and extending to the greater trochanter that enhanced with contrast. Because of the suspicion of malignancy, needle biopsy was performed. The pathologic findings in combination with the radiographic appearance confirmed the diagnosis of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia. Conclusion This case demonstrated a rare aggressive appearance of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia located in the left innominate and the left proximal femur that prompted a diagnostic imaging workup and biopsy for suspected skeletal malignancy. These lesions may require careful evaluation by an experienced team of physicians, radiologists, and pathologists to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.
Role of Long-Range Interactions for the Structure and Energetics of Olympicene Radical Adsorbed on Au(111) and Pt(111) Surfaces

We report on the results of the van der Waals (vdW) inclusive density functional theory (DFT) calculations for the adsorption characteristics of olympicene radical (C19H11) on Au(111) and Pt(111) surfaces. The nature of bonding between the olympicene radical and Au(111) and Pt(111) surfaces is evaluated along with the effects of vdW interactions, and the chemical characteristics of the surfaces, on the adsorption. Our results show a significant increase in the adsorption energies with the inclusion of vdW interactions, with the largest enhancement is obtained with the optimized exchange functionals, while a smaller enhancement is found using the rPW86-vdW2 functional, in agreement with the trends obtained in our earlier observations for other molecular adsorption on similar surfaces. The adsorption of olympicene radical on Au(111) leads to negligible change in the geometric structures of olympicene and the surface layer, while adsorption on Pt(111) reveals significant structural changes. This observation ...
Buffer layer engineering for La2−xSrxCuO4+δ thin films

Strain has very significant impact on the superconducting properties of La 2-x Sr x CuO 4+δ (LSCO) thin films. Using SrLaAlO 4 (SLAO) substrate, which introduce compressive strain in LSCO, T c has been nearly doubled for La 1.9 Sr 0.1 CuO 4 films. In our experiment, we have successfully tuned the strain in LSCO film from tensile to compressive by depositing a SLAO buffer layer of different thickness on SrTiO 3 (STO) substrate. We think this is an excellent approach to study the strain effect on physical properties of epitaxial thin films.
A Little Simple Graph Theory

In this chapter, we concentrate on some of the theoretical concepts and results in graph theory. These are usually intuitive and easy to understand, particularly in terms of the associated diagram. However, there are a lot of definitions to keep straight; furthermore there is no unanimity in the literature about these definitions, so other references may not be helpful. We present the proofs of theorems in some cases as well. These are more difficult than the other materials and can be omitted on first reading.
Diel diet of fantail darter in a tributary to Lake Ontario, New York, USA

ABSTRACTThe foraging behavior of benthic fishes in streams is seldom examined but is vital to the health of the aquatic community. We examined the feeding ecology of the fantail darter (Etheostoma flaballere) in Trout Brook, a tributary of the Salmon River in central New York, USA. Of the six time periods examined, fantail darters fed most intensely from 1600–2000 h, with ephemeropterans the major prey consumed during all time periods except for 2000 where chironomid larvae were consumed the most. Fantail darter diet composition was similar across all time periods except during the night which appeared to be uniquely different. According to the prey selection analysis, fantail darters appear to prefer dipterans and ephemeropterans but also demonstrated an opportunistic behavior feeding on what was available in the brook.
Current Approaches to Syntax

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses generally recognized major contemporary currents in syntactic theory. It discusses the government-binding (GB) theory, generalized phrase structure grammar, and relationally based models of grammar. The central guiding principle of GB is that the internal structure of the grammar is modular as well. That is, syntactic complexity results from the interaction of grammatical subsystems, each characterizable in terms of its own set of general principles. The most appealing thing about GB is that it incorporates a program of comparative syntax, that is, it provides a theoretical foundation for linguistic typology. In the GB view, what appear on the surface to be major structural differences among languages result from each language setting slightly different values for each of the various grammatical subsystems. Such an approach to crosslinguistic variation was first taken in an extremely important paper that Luigi Rizzi wrote in 1978. As Rizzi pointed out, Italian at first glance appears to be very different from English, in that several constraints on the extraction of wh-elements that work for English seem to be violated in Italian.
Death and the Real Girl: The Impact of Mortality Salience on Men’s Attraction to Women as Objects

Feminist scholars, philosophers, and more recently, social psychological researchers have argued and provided evidence that women are objectified, often in a very literal manner. Terror management theory offers additional insight, suggesting there is an existential threat associated with men’s attraction to women’s natural bodies. When a woman’s body is objectified, however, it is devoid of this complication. In this chapter, we argue that existential concerns set the stage for men to find objectified depictions of women appealing. To examine this hypothesis, men and women rated the attractiveness of real women and men, or females and males that are literal objects—that is, mannequins—subsequent to being reminded of their mortality. As hypothesized, heterosexual men rated the female mannequin, but not the real woman (or either male target), as more attractive after being primed with mortality. The prime did not impact the ratings that heterosexual women gave to the targets. We discuss these findings and consider implications and remaining questions.
Healthcare burden of depression in adults with arthritis.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Arthritis and depression are two of the top disabling conditions. When arthritis and depression exist in the same individual, they can interact with each other negatively and pose a significant healthcare burden on the patients, their families, payers, healthcare systems, and society as a whole.Areas covered: The primary objective of this review is to summarize, identify knowledge gaps and discuss the challenges in estimating the healthcare burden of depression among individuals with arthritis. Electronic literature searches were performed on PubMed, Embase, EBSCOhost, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar to identify relevant studies.Expert Commentary: Our review revealed that the prevalence of depression varied depending on the definition of depression, type of arthritis, tools and threshold points used to identify depression, and the country of residence. Depression exacerbated arthritis-related complications as well as pain and was associated with poor health-related q...
Health-related quality of life outcomes following adult cochlear implantation: A prospective cohort study.

Introduction: The benefits of cochlear implantation extend beyond improved speech recognition and into overall health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Several measures of HRQoL, categorized as gene...
Localization beyond the diffraction limit (Conference Presentation)

Point spread function (PSF) engineering has extended far-field localization microscopy into three dimensions by encoding the axial position of each emitter into the shape of its image on the detector. By fitting the observed PSF to a model function, one can extract position information with sub-diffraction precision. However, in practice this procedure is often complicated by optical aberrations present in the imaging system, which distort the shape of the observed PSF relative to the model function. The mismatch between the model and observed PSFs can limit the accuracy and precision achieved by the localization procedure. Here, we present a simple method to experimentally improve the model PSF by phase retrieval of the pupil function of the imaging system using a set of images of an isolated emitter at different displacements from the focal plane. The pupil function is estimated by adding a phase term consisting of a combination of Zernike modes to the theoretical electric field at the back focal plane of the microscope. The amplitudes of the Zernike modes are determined by maximizing the likelihood function over all pixels in the experimental data set. Importantly, since all data is taken with the phase mask in place, we account for any aberrations it introduces. Using the resulting pupil function, we generate a model PSF which is significantly improved over the theoretical model in both the accuracy and precision of experimental emitter localizations. We also provide a MATLAB package which performs the entire fitting procedure, from phase retrieval to single-emitter localization.
Industrialization and Competition: The Development of the American Research University

During one of the nation’s darkest periods, the Civil War and the subsequent Reconstruction period, the federal government supported the expansion of higher education through the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. The government placed direct confidence in universities to provide support for the nation in a time of need and change; when the national identity faltered. The Union, and later the re-united nation-state, needed to maintain a position of superiority among nations through the domestic economy and trans-Atlantic trade; the universities were envisioned to support the economic position of the nation-state, making the institution vital to the identity of a superior, economically vital nation. To make this expectation a reality, the Morrill Acts were passed, causing a profound policy paradigm shift.
Skeletal Muscle Collagen: Age, Injury and Disease

Collagen is the most common protein of the extracellular matrix and has several important functions in skeletal muscle, including the provision of both tensile strength and elasticity, the transmission of muscular forces to the bones, the regulation of cell attachment and differentiation, and mechanical and ionic filtration by the basal lamina. Aging is associated with significant changes in the connective tissue compartment of skeletal muscle. This chapter describes the effect of aging on skeletal muscle collagen, how injury affects collagen metabolism, how collagen is remodeled with advancing age and in severe muscle diseases like Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The regulation of collagen metabolism in normal and damaged skeletal muscle is complex and likely involves the interaction of several cell types and growth factors. Muscles with different activation patterns exhibit marked differences in collagen mRNA levels as well as collagen characteristics, indicating that mechanical load mediates collagen biosynthesis. Injured skeletal muscle contains elevated levels of inflammatory cells, which are known to secrete pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Chronic inflammation plays a key role in the development of fibrosis in dystrophic muscle, although the mechanisms that regulate this process are not well understood. Both neutrophils and macrophages play important roles in the regulation of collagen remodeling post-injury by releasing various cytokines that mediate the behavior of inflammatory cells, fibroblasts and satellite cells. The behavior of these cells can be affected by extrinsic factors such as basal levels of growth hormone, which also changes with advancing age.
Narrative and Healing in Dynamic Psychotherapy: Implications for Culture Theory

In dynamic psychotherapies, people work to address troubling thoughts, actions, and feelings by talking about themselves and their experiences. How can such talk ameliorate mental health symptoms? This chapter proposes an answer to this question that circumvents the central barrier to answering it, the assumption that the body and the mind are two separate systems. The chapter author calls upon recent work in cognitive science that emphasizes how human beings use their bodies and their environments in thinking; in such approaches mind and body are not separable. Such work helps us to conceptualize clients in psychotherapy as shaping the environments in which they dwell through the narratives they construct. The transformation that can occur through narrative is, from this perspective, in part a consequence of how persons constitute themselves differently in different environments.
Optimal Design of Inerter based vibration absorbers

This paper addresses the analysis and optimization of the inerter based vibration absorber. Tuning of parameters based on the $H_{2}$ optimization and the minimax optimization is done to determine which parameters minimize the total vibration energy and the maximum displacement respectively. The achieved inerter based vibration absorber is superior to the mass based vibration absorber for each of the optimization metrics. The inerter based vibration absorber is of importance because an increase in inertance does not lead to increase in mass and no addition mass mounting has to be imposed on a pre-existing system.
Predictors of distal malfunction after ventriculoperitoneal shunting for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus and effect of general surgery involvement.

Abstract Objectives Distal obstruction is a common cause of shunt failure and need for revision in patients undergoing ventriculoperitoneal shunting (VPS) for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). Patients and Methods Records of patients with iNPH treated with VPS between 2001 and 2017 were reviewed. Patients undergoing initial shunt placement at our institution were included for analysis and the incidence of revision surgery due to distal obstruction was noted. Risk factors for distal obstruction were identified using a stepwise Cox proportional hazards model. Results There were 341 patients included for analysis. Assistance from a general surgeon in placement of the peritoneal catheter was provided in 54 patients (15.8%). Shunt revision was necessary in 69 patients (20.2%), with 17 patients (5.0%) found to have a distal malfunction. On univariate analysis, increasing age was associated with reduced risk of distal malfunction (Unit RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.89–0.96; p Conclusions We identify multiple factors associated with distal shunt obstruction, and found that general surgery assistance was not protective against distal malfunction. These data may aid in the risk-stratification of patients undergoing VPS for iNPH.
The association between county-level safety net treatment access and opioid hospitalizations and mortality in New York

Abstract Background Increases in pharmaceutical opioid sales have paralleled the quadrupling of prescription opioid overdose deaths and spikes in emergency department visits for non-medical opioid prescription overdoses. In response, federal and state governments have advanced a myriad of policies to reduce opioid availability and increase treatment access, aimed to ultimately reduce opioid-related mortality. Despite these efforts, including ACA Medicaid expansion and more robust prescription drug monitoring programs, opioid-related mortality has continued to rise in NY and 29 other states. This study examined whether geographic access to Federally Qualified Health Centers, opioid treatment programs, and buprenorphine providers mitigated opioid-related hospital visits (emergency department, inpatient, and all visits) and mortality, by county, between 2012 and 2014. Methods The authors examined the relationships among opioid-related health outcomes and geographic access to treatment options using spatial error regression models at the county (n = 62) level in 2012 and 2014. Z-tests further assessed significant differences in access coefficients between 2012 and 2014. Results Of the 62 counties in New York State in 2014, 54 (87.1%) showed increased opioid overdose-related emergency department rates (t = 9.125, p 0.05). Conclusions Greater geographic access to treatment services was protective against opioid-related mortality. Access to opioid treatment may not be sufficient to mitigate opioid-related hospital visits or mortality, but may offset climbing mortality rates in select counties.
Per-Contact Infectivity of Hepatitis C Virus Acquisition in Association With Receptive Needle Sharing Exposures in a Prospective Cohort of Young Adult People who Inject Drugs in San Francisco, California.

Author(s): Leyva, Yuridia; Page, Kimberly; Shiboski, Stephen; Hahn, Judith A; Evans, Jennifer; Erhardt, Erik | Abstract: BackgroundSharing needles and ancillary injecting equipment is a primary risk exposure for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among people who inject drugs (PWID); however, infectivity of these exposures is not well quantified. We aimed to estimate per-event HCV infectivity associated with receptive needle sharing (RNS) among susceptible PWID.MethodsParticipants in a prospective cohort study of young adult PWID who were anti-HCV and HCV RNA negative at baseline and attended at least 2 follow-up study visits between 2003 and 2014 were eligible. Data were selected from the first HCV-negative through the first HCV-positive visit (or last HCV-negative among those uninfected). Anti-HCV and HCV-RNA tests were used to determine infection status. A probabilistic exposure model linking observed HCV infection outcomes to self-reported exposure events was applied to estimate infectivity.ResultsAmong 344 participants, a maximum likelihood estimate considering RNS yielded a pooled population per RNS event HCV probability of 0.25% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.10%-0.43%), and 1.12% (95% CI, 0.48%-2.35%) among those who acquired any HCV infection (primary or reinfection).ConclusionsHCV is highly infectious in association with RNS, a primary injection-related risk exposure. Our infectivity estimate among participants who acquired any HCV infection is 1.7 times higher than that estimated for HIV infection in PWID and 2.24 times higher than that estimated among health care workers exposed through needle sticks. The strengths of this study include the assessment of receptive needle sharing events, the prospective design, and relatively short recall and testing periods. These results can inform transmission models and research to prevent HCV infection.
Factors Associated With the Use of Bare Metal Stents in Patients With ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Abstract Background Drug eluting stents (DES) are used in the majority of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Factors associated with the use of bare metal stents (BMS) for patients undergoing primary PCI for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have not been adequately explored. The objective of this study was to evaluate factors associated with BMS use in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI. Methods Patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI between January 2008 and February 2015 were retrospectively identified. Patients who received both a DES and BMS were included in the DES group and patients receiving balloon angioplasty only were excluded. Baseline demographics, angiographic variables, procedure related variables and in-hospital events were collected. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify factors associated with BMS use. Results Eight hundred and sixty-five patients underwent primary PCI for STEMI during the study period. Seventy-two patients (8.3%) received balloon angioplasty only and were excluded, yielding 793 patients for the study cohort. Three hundred fifty-two patients (44%) received BMS and 441 patients (56%) received DES. Patients receiving DES had a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, prior myocardial infarction, prior PCI, left anterior descending artery culprit location and Medicaid Insurance compared to those receiving BMS. Patients receiving BMS had a higher prevalence of cardiogenic shock and right coronary artery culprit location. Unadjusted in-hospital mortality was significantly higher for patients receiving BMS compared to patients receiving DES, 11.1% vs 3.2%, respectively, p Conclusion In a contemporary series of patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI, BMS were used in 44% of patients and independent factors associated with BMS use were cardiogenic shock and diabetes mellitus.
Abstract 14130: Effect of Angiovac on Right Ventricular Function Following Removal of Right Atrial Masses in Patients With and Without Malignancy

Introduction: The AngioVac thrombectomy system (AngioDynamics Inc, Queensbury, NY) is an FDA approved device for removal of thrombi and emboli. Prior studies have shown procedural success for remov...
Managing and Replacing Toxic Fescue

Research from many states has demonstrated conclusively that the endophyte is associated with quality problems in tall fescue. Interdisciplinary teams of researchers at different locations are presently engaged in studies attempting to provide answers to many of the remaining questions concerning the endophyte. A cause-effect relationship between the endophyte and a toxin has not been shown conclusively.
How Muftis Think: Islamic Legal Thought and Muslim Women in Western Europe; Rethinking Islamic Legal Modernism: The Teaching of Yusuf al-Qaradawi: by Lena Larsen, translated from the Norwegian by Christian Moe, Leiden, Brill, 2018, xii+312 pp., €99.00/$119.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-90-04-36785-2; by Ron Shaham, Leiden, Brill, 2018, 210 pp., €99.00/$119.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-90-04-36954-2

These two volumes, 44 and 45 in Brill’s long-running Studies in Islamic Law and Society series, are competent and well-argued monographs that use fatwas to address some of the most intriguing metho...
Deep Reinforcement Learning for Self-Configurable NoC

Network-on-Chips (NoCs) has been the superior interconnect fabric for multi/many-core on-chip systems because of its scalability and parallelism. On-chip network resources can be dynamically configured to improve the energy-efficiency and performance of NoC. However, large and complex design space in heterogeneous NoC architectures becomes difficult to explore within a reasonable time for optimal trade-offs of energy and performance. Furthermore, reactive resource management is not effective in preventing problems, such as creating thermal hotspots and exceeding chip power budget, from happening in adaptive systems. Therefore, we propose machine learning (ML) technique to provide proactive solution within an instant for both energy and performance efficiency. In this paper, we present deep reinforcement learning (deep RL) techniques to configure the voltage/frequency levels of both NoC routers and links in multicore architectures for energy-efficiency while providing high-performance NoC. We propose the use of reinforcement learning (RL) to configure the NoC resources intelligently based on system utilization and application demands. Additionally, neural networks (NNs) are used to approximate the actions of distributed RL agents in large-scale systems, to mitigate the large cost of traditional table-based RL. Simulations results for 256-core and 16-core NoC architectures under real-world benchmarks show that the proposed approach improves energy-delay product significantly (40%) when compared to traditional non-ML based solution. Furthermore, the proposed solution incurs very low energy and hardware overhead while providing self-configurable NoC to meet the real-time requirements of applications.
E-voting adoption in many countries: A literature review

Although the number of countries that have adopted e-voting has decreased lately, the number of academic publications on e-voting adoption has increased in the last two years. To date, there is no ...
From logic to computing

Preface. Part I: Logic. Reasoning. Statement logic: fundamentals. Statement logic: validity. Statement logic: inference. Predicate logic: fundamentals. Predicate logic: validity and inference. Truth trees and derivations in PL. Part II: Computing. Boolean systems. Numerical systems. Logical circuits. Computability. Computing. Appendix. Answers to selected exercises. Index.
- SplA: Spore lysis A PK (D. discoideum) (Previously DPyk1)

The sp1A gene is necessary for the formation of spores in Dictyostelium discoideum. Strains in which this gene has been disrupted undergo relatively normal morphological development, but spore cells lyse prior to maturation. The kinase domain was found in a 1.1 kb partial cDNA to end ≈30 amino acids from the C-terminus. Physiological substrates sp1A have not yet been identified. Features of the sequence of the catalytic domain might suggest that this kinase has specificity for serine or threonine and tyrosine. When expressed in E. coli the DPYK1 partial cDNA caused the phosphorylation of a variety of polypeptides as assayed by antiphosphotyrosine staining of Western blots. Northern blots revealed an increase in expression early in development.
Siliconcarbon multiple-bonded (pπpπ)intermediates

The order of reactivity and the selectivity of 1,1-dimethyl-1-silaethene (Me2SiCH2), generated from 1,1-dimethylsilacyclobutane at 611°, toward a variety of substrates was determined using standard competition experiments. The observed reactivity order was Ph2CO>ROH, ArOH ⋟ m-ClPhNH2 CH3CN, which indicates that with these substrates and under the reaction conditions used, Me2SiCH2 is behaving like an electrophilic species. Within a given class of substrates, polar effects were found to be generally unimportant, while increased steric effects caused a decrease in rate (up to 50%).
Comment on Intellectual Property, Concentration and the Limits of Antitrust in the Biotech Seed Industry

This comment was filed with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division on December 31, 2009, as "Comments Regarding Agriculture and Antitrust Enforcement Issues in Our 21st Century Economy" in response to the DOJ/USDA request for public comments for the agencies' joint workshops on antitrust issues in the agricultural sector. Regarding firm size and integration, it must be kept in mind that the agriculture industry in the U.S. has, for good reasons, moved beyond the historic, pastoral image of small family farms operating in quiet isolation, devoid of big business and modern technologies. The genetic traits that give modern seeds their value - traits that confer resistance to herbicide and high yields, for example - are often developed through processes that are technologically-advanced, time- and money-intensive, risky investments, and subject to various layers of regulation, and, at least for some participants in this market, these processes are likely to be more efficiently and effectively conducted within large agribusiness companies having enormous research and development budgets and significant expertise in managing complex business and legal operations. This short comment discusses the implications for industry structure in the US biotech seed industry of the importance of intellectual property and innovation. Contrary to some commentators and the implicit underpinnings of the DOJ/USDA workshops, neither concentration nor typical licensing practices in the industry are cause for concern, and we counsel caution before intervening in this well-functioning and innovative market. From the public record it appears that the impetus for much of today’s antitrust interest in the biotech seed industry boils down to efforts to intervene into business disputes between large and sophisticated parties. The inherent uncertainty regarding the economic consequences of specific conduct, coupled with competitors’ poor incentives and the huge costs of error, counsel strongly against antitrust intervention without strong empirical evidence that the conduct has reduced competition and harmed consumers in the form of higher prices, lower quality, or reduced innovation.
High-dose 166Ho-DOTMP in myeloablative treatment of multiple myeloma: pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and absorbed dose estimation.

Thirty-two patients with multiple myeloma were treated with high doses of 166Ho-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetramethylene-phosphonic acid (DOTMP) and were a subset of patients enrolled in a multicenter phase I/II dose escalation myeloablative trial. 166Ho with β-emission (half-life, 26.8 h; β-particle energies, 1.85 MeV [51%] and 1.77 MeV [48%]; γ-photons, 80.6 keV [6.6%] and 1.38 MeV [0.9%]) was complexed to DOTMP, a macrocyclic tetraphosphonate. Pharmacokinetics, dosimetry, and biodistribution were studied. Methods: Patients were treated at escalating dose levels of 20, 30, and 40 Gy to the bone marrow in combination with high-dose melphalan, with or without total-body irradiation, to evaluate toxicity and efficacy. After infusion with 1,110 MBq (30 mCi) of 166Ho-DOTMP for evaluation of biodistribution and dosimetry calculation, patients received the calculated amount of radioactivity for therapy in a single administration based on estimated dose calculations. Results: Thirty-two patients participated in the study and were then treated. The average amount of administered radioactivity was 74.3 GBq (2,007 mCi) (range, 21.5–147.5 GBq [581–3,987 mCi]) of 166Ho-DOTMP. Conclusion:166Ho-DOTMP has physical and pharmacokinetic characteristics compatible with high-dose myeloablative treatment of multiple myeloma.
Copper: Inorganic & Coordination Chemistry

Copper was one of the first metals used widely because the metal is fairly plentiful (among the 25 most abundant elements in the earth's crust) and can be found in its metallic state. In addition, the metal and its alloys have a number of beneficial qualities including ductility, malleability, strength, corrosion resistance, and high thermal and electrical conductivity, combined with an attractive appearance. Copper is also an essential trace nutrient for organisms ranging from bacteria to mammals. Copper exhibits a rich coordination chemistry with complexes known in oxidation states ranging from 0 to +4, although the +2 (cupric) and the +1 (cuprous) oxidation states are by far the most common, with +2 predominating. Compounds of copper have found extensive practical usage, including as catalysts in both homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions, as fungicides, pesticides, and wood preservatives, as pigments for paints and glasses, and in the so-called high-temperature superconductors. The coordination numbers and geometries of copper complexes vary with oxidation state. For the spherically symmetric d10 CuI ion, the common geometries are two-coordinate linear, three-coordinate trigonal planar, and four-coordinate tetrahedral. CuI compounds are diamagnetic and colorless, except where color results from charge-transfer bands or a counterion; these complexes are often fairly readily oxidized to CuII compounds. The d9 CuII ion is usually found in a tetragonal coordination environment, with four short equatorial bonds and another one or two longer axial bonds although complexes with other structures are known, including tetrahedral, square planar, and trigonal bipyramidal geometries. Most of the CuII compounds are blue or green because of d–d absorptions in the 600 to 900-nm region; exceptions generally also have charge-transfer bands tailing into the visible, causing a red or brown appearance. CuIII complexes are typically square planar and diamagnetic. Keywords: copper; cuprate; cuprous; cupric; cuprum; mining; nutrient; refining
Sensitivity of embryonic rat dorsal root ganglia neurons to Clostridium botulinum neurotoxins.

Clostridium botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) are zinc dependent endopeptidases which, once internalised into the neuronal cytosol, block neurotransmission by proteolysis of membrane-associated proteins putatively involved in synaptic vesicle docking and fusion with the plasma membrane. Although many studies have used a variety of cellular systems to study the neurotoxins, most require relatively large amounts of toxin or permeabilisation to internalise the neurotoxin. We present here a primary culture of embryonic rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons that exhibits calcium-dependent substance P secretion when depolarised with elevated extracellular potassium and is naturally BoNT sensitive. The DRG neurons showed a different IC50 for each of the toxins tested with a 1000 fold difference between the most and least potent neurotoxins (0.05, 0.3, 30 and ∼60 nM for A, C, F and B, respectively). BoNT/A cleavage of SNAP-25 was seen as early as 2 h, but substance P secretion was not significantly inhibited until 4 h intoxication and the effects of BoNT/A were observed for as long as 15 days. This primary neuronal culture system represents a new and sensitive cellular model for the in vitro study of the botulinum neurotoxins.
Acid-base balance and plasma glutamine concentration in man

Plasma glutamine concentrations were measured in chronic metabolic acidosis and alkalosis in healthy male volunteers. Metabolic acidosis resulted in a significant drop in glutamine concentration while metabolic alkalosis significantly elevated glutamine levels. These changes in glutamine concentration correlated with both the bicarbonate and PCO2 levels. To determine whether bicarbonate or PCO2 levels influence the glutamine concentrations, respiratory acidosis was induced by respiring 5% CO2. This resulted in a significant elevation in both PCO2 and glutamine while bicarbonate levels remained unchanged. The results demonstrate an effect of acid-base alterations upon plasma glutamine concentration mediated by PCO2.
Regulation of the 26S Proteasome Complex During Oxidative Stress

The proteasome plays a pivotal role in the cellular response to oxidative stress. Here, we used biochemical and mass spectrometric methods to investigate structural changes in the 26S proteasomes from yeast and mammalian cells exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Oxidative stress induced the dissociation of the 20S core particle from the 19S regulatory particle of the 26S proteasome, which resulted in loss of the activities of the 26S proteasome and accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins. H2O2 triggered the increased association of the proteasome-interacting protein Ecm29 with the purified 19S particle. Deletion of ECM29 in yeast cells prevented the disassembly of the 26S proteasome in response to oxidative stress, and ecm29 mutants were more sensitive to H2O2 than were wild-type cells, suggesting that separation of the 19S and 20S particles is important for cellular recovery from oxidative stress. The increased amount of free 20S core particles was required to degrade oxidized proteins. The Ecm29-dependent dissociation of the proteasome was independent of Yap1, a transcription factor that is critical for the oxidative stress response in yeast, and thus functions as a parallel defense pathway against H2O2-induced stress.
Automated acquisitions: The future of collection development

Abstract Automation of vendor files and integrated library systems are changing (a) the process of collection development, (b) the role of the collection developer, (c) the relationship between libraries and vendors, and even (d) the library's organization. By combining files in the bibliographer's workstation, paraprofessional staff can select the core collection; professionals will focus on expensive or fringe titles. Programmed or mechanical selection can replace staff decisions in acquiring the core titles. Automation may increase successful cooperative collection development and expand the responsibilities of collection developers. Professional roles will change to include more policy, preservation, evaluation, and process assignments. Collection development activities may be decentralized and combined with reference and cataloging subject groups or become part of acquisitions processing teams.