cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Percutaneous endoscopic cecostomy: a case series.

Background: There are few reports of percutaneous endoscopic cecostomy in adult patients. Methods: All cases of acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (n = 2) and neurogenic bowel (n = 3) in adults in which percutaneous endoscopic cecostomy was performed were reviewed retrospectively. Observations: Percutaneous endoscopic cecostomy was a definitive treatment. In 1 of the 2 patients with acute colonic pseudo-obstruction, the percutaneous endoscopic cecostomy tube was clamped and subsequently removed 10 weeks after placement; in the other patient with acute colonic pseudo-obstruction, the percutaneous endoscopic cecostomy tube remains in place. In 2 of the 3 patients with neurogenic bowel, the percutaneous endoscopic cecostomy tube continues to function well; the third patient did well for 6 months and then died of underlying comorbid disease. There was no mortality or need for surgical intervention for any patient. Complications occurred in 2 patients; 1 developed transient fever and leukocytosis and 1 had self-limited bleeding during anticoagulation. Conclusions: Percutaneous endoscopic cecostomy is a safe and effective treatment for both acute colonic pseudo-obstruction and neurogenic bowel when aggressive albeit conservative treatment is unsuccessful.
Flat membrane mirrors for space telescopes

Current work concentrates on making optically flat mirrors using stretched membranes. Very lightweight mirrors can be made that only require a rigid support at the perimeter of the membrane. Contact with the membrane need not be continuous, only discrete attachment points are required to tension the material. Initial results of useable area as a function of the number of attach points will be given. Experimental fixtures demonstrating methods of forming a flat membrane are shown. The potential for nearly flat mirrors is mentioned including one method of implementation. Surface measurements are also contrasted for different materials.
Quantifying and resolving remote memory access contention on hardware DSM multiprocessors

This paper makes the following contributions: It proposes a new methodology for quantifying remote memory access contention on hardware DSM multiprocessors. The most valuable aspect of this methodology is that it assesses the impact of contention on real parallel programs running on real hardware. The methodology uses as input the number of accesses from each DSM node to each page in memory. A trace of the memory accesses of the program obtained at runtime from hardware counters is used to compute an accurate estimate of the fraction of execution time wasted due to contention. The paper presents also a new algorithm which detects potential hot spots in pages and resolves contention on them using dynamic page migration. The algorithm balances the remote memory accesses across the nodes of the system, while trying to improve memory access locality. Experiments with five parallel codes with irregular memory access patterns on a 128-processor Origin2000 show that our algorithm yields respectable reductions of execution time, averaging 27.7%.
A control theoretic analysis of XCP

Prior studies have shown that XCP D. Katabi et al., (2002), while showing high potential for effective congestion control, may have significant performance problems if it misestimates the bottleneck link capacity Y. Zhang et al., (2005). To explore the magnitude of this implication and ultimately to contain it, we have conducted a control theoretic analysis of the XCP protocol and have studied its properties in the presence of capacity estimation errors. Under such conditions, by using a revised fluid model, we have discovered that XCP will not settle at zero steady-state error. However, we found that the steady-state error is bounded by the estimation error, and this bound can be exploited in XCP router queue size planning. This preliminary analysis explains what we have observed experimentally in an implementation study of XCP.
Color of Denture Resins

The color of 24 commercially available denture resins was determined visually with Munsell color tabs and by reflection spectrophotometry. Correlation between Munsell and spectrophotometric data was found. The resins characterized for Black patients had a higher degree of specular reflectance and were more opaque than resins for Caucasians.
Employment Experiences, Perspectives, and Wishes of Mothers of Children with Autism in the People’s Republic of China

Background The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences with and meaning of employment in the lives of mothers of children with autism in China. Materials and Methods This research used qualitative methods including open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with mothers of children with autism participating in an intervention program in Beijing. Results Mothers find employment outside the home appealing, but they also see their role of mother as requiring being responsible and often making sacrifices. Conclusions Mothers in this study make sacrifices in their own lives, including employment, in order to promote and provide intervention for their children with autism. These families had fewer services available to them than in many developed Western countries, and most services are at a cost to the parents. Considerations that Chinese mothers of children with autism make regarding their own employment situation are unique.
Provider response to insulin‐induced hypoglycemia in hospitalized patients

BACKGROUND Risk of hypoglycemia is a major barrier to the implementation of tight blood glucose (BG) control in hospitalized patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in diabetes treatment after an episode of hypoglycemia. METHODS The study was a retrospective data analysis of patients who received 50% dextrose for an episode of hypoglycemia. Data on immediate and subsequent changes in the antidiabetic medications the patients received were collected and evaluated by 2 diabetes specialists. RESULTS Data from 52 patients were included in the study. Mean BG at the time of dextrose administration was 52.1 ± 9.3 mg/dL (range 31-68). Mean BG during the 24 hours before the hypoglycemic episode was 137.5 ± 57.0 mg/dL (range 63-287). Insulin dose was held at the time of the hypoglycemic episode in all 52 patients. Diabetes specialists agreed with this decision 100% of the time. Changes were subsequently made in the treatment of only 21 patients (40%), and diabetes specialists agreed with the changes made for 11 of these patients (52%). Thirty-one patients (60%) received no changes in treatment, and diabetes specialists agreed with that decision for 10 patients (32%). CONCLUSIONS Provider response in making treatment changes after an episode of hypoglycemia is suboptimal. Standardized protocols to make changes in diabetes treatment after an episode of hypoglycemia need to be tested. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2007;2:258–260. © 2007 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Photoluminescence spectroscopy of crystalline semiconductors

Abstract The objective of this review article is to give an overview of the current state-of-the-art of photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy as a characterization tool in the study of semiconductors. A detailed description of all of the PL spectroscopic techniques will be given together with examples from the literature of their use. These examples will be the primary tool used to convey the essential aspects and usefulness of the variety of PL techniques discussed throughout this review. The primary examples of semiconductor materials examined with these techniques will be of the prototypical direct-gap and indirect-gap semiconductors, gallium arsenide and silicon, respectively. Additionally, PL characterization of structures with lower dimensionality (quantum wells, superlattices, quantum wires, and quantum dots) will be shown. This article will not cover the history of this type of spectroscopy, inelastic light scattering, infrared spectroscopy, or reflectance, etc. The focus is intended to be experimental in nature, and will be supplemented by theory where appropriate and necessary. There are several fine review articles and books dealing with the subject of photoluminescence, and radiative recombination in general, and this article is only intended to supplement these sources.
Parenting Style, Perfectionism, and Creativity in High-Ability and High-Achieving Young Adults

The current study explores the potential relationships among perceived parenting style, perfectionism, and creativity in a high-ability and high-achieving young adult population. Using data from 323 honors college students at a Midwestern university, bivariate correlations suggested positive relationships between (a) permissive parenting style and creativity and (b) authoritarian parenting style and socially prescribed perfectionism. Furthermore, negative relationships were also found between authoritarian parenting style and creativity. These relationships were further investigated using a path model that included control variables for gender and parent education level. Findings suggest statistically significant relationships between creativity and gender, authoritarian parenting and socially prescribed perfectionism, authoritarian parenting and creativity, and permissive parenting and creativity.
Motivated and Controlled Attention to Emotion: Time-Course of the Late Positive Potential

Abstract Objective The present study examined the time-course of automatic and controlled modulation of the late positive potential (LPP) during emotional picture viewing. Methods Participants ( N =32) viewed neutral and unpleasant stimuli for 6000ms; at 3000ms, one of two tones signaled participants to attend either to a more or less arousing portion of the picture. The time-course of the LPP was examined both during the passive viewing and directed attention portions of the trial using the method proposed by Guthrie and Buchwald [Guthrie D, Buchwald JS. Significance testing of difference potentials. Psychophysiology 1991;28(2):240–4]. Results During passive viewing, the LPP became reliably larger following the presentation of unpleasant pictures from 160ms onward; the magnitude of the LPP became reliably smaller beginning 620ms after participants were instructed to attend to the less arousing aspects of unpleasant pictures – and this difference was maintained throughout the duration of the trial. Conclusions The LPP reflects relatively automatic attention to emotional visual stimuli, but is also sensitive to manipulations of directed attention toward arousing versus neutral aspects of such stimuli. Significance These results shed further light on the time-course of emotional and cognitive modulation of the LPP, and suggest that the LPP reflects the relatively rapid and dynamic allocation of increased attention to emotional stimuli.
A prototype theory approach to Web site localization: an analytical method for technical communicators

As global online access grows, Web site designers find themselves creating materials for an increasingly international audience. Cultural groups, however, can have different expectations of what constitutes acceptable Web site design. This article examines how prototype theory can serve as a methodology for analyzing Web sites designed for users from different cultures. Such analyses, in turn, can help individuals create more effective online materials for international audiences.
The role of self-models in learning to plan

We argue that in order to learn to plan effectively, an agent needs an explicit model of its own planning and plan execution processes. Given such a model, the agent can pinpoint the elements of these processes that are responsible for an observed failure to perform as expected, which in turn enables the formulation of a repair designed to ensure that similar failures do not occur in the future. We have constructed simple models of a number of important components of an intentional agent, including threat detection, execution scheduling, and projection, and applied them to learning within the context of competitive games such as chess and checkers.
Parents and Bereavement: A Personal and Professional Exploration of Grief by Christine Young and Tracy Dowling

Parents and Bereavement: A Personal and Professional Exploration of Grief was published by Helen and Douglas House, a specialist organization for children and young adults with terminal illnesses a...
Isotope Targeted Glycoproteomics (IsoTaG) to Characterize Intact, Metabolically Labeled Glycopeptides from Complex Proteomes

Protein glycosylation plays many critical roles in biological function and creates the most diversity of all post-translational modifications (PTMs). Glycan structural diversity is directly correlated with difficulty in characterizing the intact glycoproteome by mass spectrometry (MS). In this protocol, we describe a novel mass-independent chemical glycoproteomics platform for characterizing intact, metabolically labeled glycopeptides from complex proteomes, termed Isotope Targeted Glycoproteomics (IsoTaG). To use IsoTaG, cell culture samples are metabolically labeled with an azido- or alkynyl-sugar. Metabolically labeled glycoproteins are then tagged using Click chemistry and enriched with an isotopic recoding biotin probe. Intact glycopeptides are recovered by cleavage of the probe, analyzed with directed MS, and assigned by targeted mass-independent data analysis. The outlined procedure is well defined in cell culture and has been executed with over 15 cell lines.
Variability in Toxicity of Propargite to Spider Mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) from California Almonds

Variability in propargite (Omite) toxicity in spider mites ( Tetranychus spp.) from California almonds was determined using a residual-bioassay procedure. T. pacificus McGregor collected from the Bakersfield area in September 1983 had an LC50 of 484 ppm (95% CL, 315–678) propargite. Spider mites from this culture which were selected twice using propargite-treated leaves (10,000 ppm) had an LC50 of 11,466 ppm (95% CL, 9,159-15,284) propargite (cotton seedlings) and an LC50 of 14,861 ppm (95% CL, 12,720-18,651) (almond foliage). In a topical bioassay, an average of 32.5% (SD 13.9%) of the selected T. pacificus were killed by 1,621 ppm propargite, the highest registered tank-mix rate for California almonds. T. pacificus collected in a June 1984 survey of California almond growing regions were found primarily in the southern part of the Central Valley. These T. pacificus were more tolerant of propargite (when tested using the residual bioassay) than T. unticae Koch collected in the survey. Substantial differences in propargite susceptibility were found between cultures of both species. These results suggest that propargite resistance may pose a problem in almonds, especially with T. pacificus .
121Sb MöSsbauer Studies of Graphite–SbF5 Intercalation Compounds

Stage 2 samples of graphite-SbF5 intercalation compounds were prepared by reacting SbF5 with HOPG at 200°C for 5 days. 121Sb Mossbauer spectra taken at 4.2K reveal an intense and narrow feature in the Sb(5+) region and a weak and broad feature in the Sb(3+) region. Interpretation of these data in terms of possible Sb(5+) and Sb(3+) intercalant species is discussed in connection with chemical aspects of intercalation.
DSM-5 and the Assessment of Childhood Anxiety Disorders: Meaningful Progress, New Problems, or Persistent Diagnostic Quagmires?:

Having passed the one-year anniversary of the initial DSM-5 publication, this paper presents a guiding summary of key areas of change—and lack thereof—across DSM definitions of disorders affecting ...
Power System Self-organized Criticality Simulation Model Based on Cellular Automata

By applying the theory of cellular automata in the evolutionary mechanism of the power system blackout,a model for simulating power failure with cellular automata is presented.The model defines the composing method of cells,cellular space,rules,neighbors,etc.The spread and evolution of power failure is investigated using proposed model and the self-organized criticality(SOC) of the power grid failure is verified. This work is supported by State Administration of Work Safety Project(No.10-052) and State Grid Corporation of China.
Study of Resonance Force Microscopy System Based on Fabric Silicon Cantilever Detector

Aiming at fabric silicon cantilever and spins study, the resonance force microscopy system was present. The silicon cantilever was fabriced to perfect the Q,K value. Moreover, combining with pulse sequence control and the spin rotate frame system, the experiments analyse the small resonance force and sensitivity. The results show that fabric silicon cantilever have high Q and soft K, the resonance slice and fiber interferometer gain the effective force oscillating, and greatly improved the spatial resolution. The system had advantage of MRI and AFM characteristics. In addition, the simulation indicates that it is powerful tool of magnetic resonance force technology and useful way to 3D atomic resolution microscopy imaging.
Clinical Neuropsychology of Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) shows lesser memory impairment and more severe visuospatial disability than Alzheimer disease (AD). Although deficits in both consolidation and retrieval underlie the memory impairment, retrieval deficit is predominant in DLB. Visuospatial dysfunctions in DLB are related to the impairments in both ventral and dorsal streams of higher visual information processing, and lower visual processing in V1/V2 may also be impaired. Attention and executive functions are more widely disturbed in DLB than in AD. Imitation of finger gestures is impaired more frequently in DLB than in other mild dementia, and provides additional information for diagnosis of mild dementia, especially for DLB. Pareidolia, which lies between hallucination and visual misperception, is found frequently in DLB, but its mechanism is still under investigation.
Efficient neural codes that minimize lp reconstruction error

The efficient coding hypothesis assumes that biological sensory systems use neural codes that are optimized to best possibly represent the stimuli that occur in their environment. Most common models use information-theoretic measures, whereas alternative formulations propose incorporating downstream decoding performance. Here we provide a systematic evaluation of different optimality criteria using a parametric formulation of the efficient coding problem based on the reconstruction error of the maximum likelihood decoder. This parametric family includes both the information maximization criterion and squared decoding error as special cases. We analytically derived the optimal tuning curve of a single neuron encoding a one-dimensional stimulus with an arbitrary input distribution. We show how the result can be generalized to a class of neural populations by introducing the concept of a meta-tuning curve. The predictions of our framework are tested against previously measured characteristics of some early visual systems found in biology. We find solutions that correspond to low values of , suggesting that across different animal models, neural representations in the early visual pathways optimize similar criteria about natural stimuli that are relatively close to the information maximization criterion.
Collaborative Problem-Solving Process in a Web-Based Anchored Instruction

On-line videos are widely used on e-learning. However, the learning activities of on-line video still need to be designed and evaluated especially. Wang (2010) proposed a web-based anchored instruction that were a new online learning activity based on anchored instruction and composed of on-line video learning and collaborative problem-solving learning. In this study, the author investigated the process of collaborative problem solving and examined the relationships among students' learning styles, learning outcomes and problem-solving abilities in the web-based anchored instruction. The results showed that problem analysis and group discussion had a significant relation with learning outcomes, and personal annotations made before collaborative learning could contribute to subsequent group discussion.
Photoperiod throughout the maternal life cycle, not photoperiod during seed imbibition, influences germination in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Premise of the study Plants adjust their phenology in response to seasonal cues experienced both by their parents and by themselves, and coordinating responses to these cues is necessary for expressing adaptive phenology. We investigated how cues are integrated across time to influence an important progeny phenotype, i.e., seed germination. Methods We used Arabidopsis thaliana to investigate how the photoperiod experienced by maternal parents and by progeny influences seed germination. We examined when maternal photoperiod effects on germination are imposed and how long they persist in progeny. Key results The photoperiod experienced by maternal plants more strongly influenced germination than the photoperiod experienced during seed imbibition. In addition, the photoperiod experienced at the prereproductive stage frequently influenced germination as strongly as that experienced during reproduction. In general, seeds from plants grown under short days had higher seed germination percentages than seeds from plants grown in longer days. These maternal effects diminished with after-ripening, but reappeared in seeds induced into secondary dormancy. Conclusions We found no evidence that the effect of photoperiod systematically attenuates in proportion to the time that elapsed between the cue and the timing of seed germination. Moreover, more recently experienced cues did not override the effects of cues experienced previously. Instead, specific sequences of photoperiods experienced at the prereproductive and reproductive stages appear to influence germination behavior.
Heart Failure Guidelines on Pharmacotherapy

Heart Failure (HF) is a serious emerging Public Health issue mainly in the high-income countries. In the USA, more than 6 million adults are affected. Despite the latest advances in device and pharmacological therapeutics, it still carries a huge burden, partially reflected in the annual healthcare cost of approximately $30 billion (2012) and the 5 year mortality rate of 50%. In this article, we review the medications, proven to significantly reduce mortality and morbidity in HF patients with structural myocardial disease and past or current symptoms, based on the latest North American HF guidelines. We, finally, perform a brief comparison between the former recommendations and the published 2016 HF guidelines by European Society of Cardiology.
Austenland: The Past Is a Foreign Theme Park

Riffing on P.L. Hartley’s line that “The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there,” this chapter examines how the spatialization of literature and history in film and television allows and encourages audiences to use “the Regency” as a site for the gratification of desire. The historical reality show Regency House Party (2004) and the film adaptation of Austenland (2013) present the Regency as a place that one can visit, a place where desire, specifically female desire, is validated and fulfilled. As this chapter reveals, that female desire is constructed and bounded by heteronormativity and objectification. Seemingly affirming independent female desire, the spatialized Regency in these productions affirms conservative norms, presenting objectification and passivity as the apex of women’s pleasure.
Social Psychology in the Soviet Union: Some Comments

One of my favorite writers, the late A. J. Liebling, political analyst, social critic, sports reporter, gastronome, and general know-it-all, once wrote something that seems particularly relevant to my presence here today. He was speaking of newspaper reporters and what he said is: There are three kinds of writers of news in our generation. In inverse order of wordly consideration they are: (1) the reporter who writes what he sees; (2) the interpretive reporter who writes what he sees and what he construes to be its meaning; and (3) the expert, who writes what he construes to be the meaning of what he hasn’t seen (Liebling, 1961, p. 225).
Trauma to the Nervous System

Head trauma is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood and adolescence. Children are active and attempt to explore and master their environment, but have poorly developed motor skills and limited judgment. Although adolescents have better developed motor skills, the other factors increasing the risk of injury are still operative. When these behavioral characteristics are associated with the use of motor vehicles, and often alcohol and other drugs, the chances of suffering a serious injury obviously become greatly increased.
Molecular Mechanism for Folding Cooperativity of Functional RNAs in Living Organisms.

A diverse set of organisms has adapted to live under extreme conditions. The molecular origin of the stability is unclear, however. It is not known whether the adaptation of functional RNAs, which have intricate tertiary structures, arises from strengthening of tertiary or secondary structure. Herein we evaluate effects of sequence changes on the thermostability of tRNAphe using experimental and computational approaches. To separate out effects of secondary and tertiary structure on thermostability, we modify base pairing strength in the acceptor stem, which does not participate in tertiary structure. In dilute solution conditions, strengthening secondary structure leads to non-two-state thermal denaturation curves and has small effects on thermostability, or the temperature at which tertiary structure and function are lost. In contrast, under cellular conditions with crowding and Mg2+-chelated amino acids, where two-state cooperative unfolding is maintained, strengthening secondary structure enhances the...
Conclusion: Toward Mental Health for All and by All

Looking toward the future, it is expected that mental well-being and work-life balance will become a necessary cornerstone to a successful organization’s mission and a central function of its management. This will require us as to reflect on our own capabilities and failings, abandon our fears of stigma and vulnerability, and adopt the courage to work with our employees, listen to them, and institute holistic change that will make for a more purposeful work experience and, ultimately, a more prosperous organization.
A conserved glycine harboring disease-associated mutations permits NMDA receptor slow deactivation and high Ca 2+ permeability

A variety of de novo and inherited missense mutations associated with neurological disorders are found in the NMDA receptor M4 transmembrane helices, which are peripheral to the pore domain in eukaryotic ionotropic glutamate receptors. Subsets of these mutations affect receptor gating with dramatic effects, including in one instance halting it, occurring at a conserved glycine near the extracellular end of M4. Functional experiments and molecular dynamic simulations of constructs with and without substitutions at this glycine indicate that it acts as a hinge, permitting the intracellular portion of the ion channel to laterally expand. This expansion stabilizes long-lived open states leading to slow deactivation and high Ca2+ permeability. Our studies provide a functional and structural framework for the effect of missense mutations on NMDARs at central synapses and highlight how the M4 segment may represent a pathway for intracellular modulation of NMDA receptor function.
Cardio-oncology: Understanding cardiotoxicity to guide patient focused imaging

Current cancer therapy has led to tremendous improvements in outcomes. These therapies rely both on established therapies, such as anthracyclines and radiation, and molecularly-targeted therapies, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immune modulators. Integrative care for patients with cancer must consider the potential effects of these therapies on a variety of organ systems, including the cardiovascular system. As a result, specialties such as cardio-oncology have developed to identify these effects, determine how to best monitor for these effects, and how to treat and ultimately prevent these effects while allowing the patient to receive the therapy they require for their cancer. This review provides a basis for understanding the cardiovascular effects of cancer therapies so that the most appropriate imaging modality may be selected to prevent and treat these effects.
Resolution of cutaneous sarcoidosis after Janus kinase inhibitor therapy for concomitant polycythemia vera.

Sarcoidosis is a chronic multisystem inflammatory disorder characterized by the formation of immune granulomas that may lead to serious, often irreversible, disability and significant disease-associated mortality.1 Current understanding suggests that sarcoidosis represents a helper T cell 1–mediated granulomatous immune response to an unidentified antigen, but the exact pathogenesis remains unknown.1 Polycythemia vera (PV) is an acquired myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by mutant Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) signaling leading to erythrocyte overproduction.2 Hematologic abnormalities such as anemia and lymphopenia have been reported in association with sarcoidosis, but sarcoidosis has rarely been reported with PV.3 Here we present a patient with PV and multiorgan sarcoidosis who experienced resolution of cutaneous sarcoidosis lesions after systemic JAK inhibitor therapy for PV.
46 Smoking exposure in pack-years predicts cutaneous manifestations of lupus

Background Patients of color are more likely to have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a smoking history. Prior literature notes that both smoking and race impact odds of cutaneous manifestations. Therefore, we sought to examine the impact of cumulative smoking and race on cutaneous manifestations of SLE. Methods Our cohort study included 631 consecutive SLE patients at a single academic center. Adults with at least one ambulatory rheumatology encounter with an SLE ICD- 9 or 10 code from 2008–16 were identified. Electronic health records were manually abstracted to include patients meeting ACR 1997 or SLICC 2012 classification criteria. The primary outcomes were ACR or SLICC cutaneous criteria and SLICC Damage Index (DI) cutaneous criteria. The primary explanatory variable was smoking exposure defined as low ( 10 pack-years), compared to nonsmokers. Covariates included age category at diagnosis (early onset 50 years), sex, and race. Analysis was performed using multivariate logistic regression to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (OR, (95% CI)). Results Among 631 SLE patients, mean age was 42, 91% female, 82% white, and 40% ever smokers. Patients with low smoking exposure were nine times more likely to develop any mucocutaneous manifestations (OR 9.0, (1.2, 67.7)), four times more likely to meet any SLICC cutaneous criteria (OR 3.7, (OR 1.3, 10.6)), and twice as likely to meet ACR cutaneous criteria (OR 2.0 (1.0, 3.8)) compared to non-smokers (table 1). Patients with medium smoking exposure were twice as likely to meet acute cutaneous SLICC criteria (OR 2.3, (1.1, 5.1)), whereas those with high smoking exposure had two-fold higher odds of discoid lupus (OR 2.1, (1.1, 4.1) data not shown). Chronic cutaneous SLICC criteria and DI cutaneous criteria showed linear pack-year trends that met significance with high smoking exposure (OR 2.2, (1.2, 4.2); OR 4.2, (0.9, 9.2)). Patients of color had increased risk for alopecia, discoid lupus, chronic cutaneous lupus, and DI skin damage. Limitations included sample size and just 18% patients of color. Conclusions Any smoking exposure was an independent risk factor for nearly all cutaneous SLE manifestations whereas high smoking exposure and patients of color had significantly increased risk of chronic cutaneous manifestations and skin damage. Findings suggest a dose relationship between smoking exposure and cutaneous manifestations/damage, making cessation an important strategy to potentially reduce disparities and improve cutaneous outcomes in SLE. Funding Source(s): Support: Rheumatology Research Foundation
Modeled diameter growth response to intermediate treatments of planted white spruce (Picea glauca) affected by eastern spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) in Minnesota, U.S.A.

White spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) plantations have historically been an important source of high-quality forest products in the Great Lakes Region of North America. Thinning in spruce plant...
Natural abundance O17 and S33 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in solids achieved through extended coherence lifetimes

We have found that the NMR coherence lifetime ${T}_{2}$ of the symmetric central $\left(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\frac{1}{2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mp}\frac{1}{2}\right)$ transition for $^{17}\mathrm{O}$ nuclei through a $\ensuremath{\pi}$ pulse train can be extended by over two orders of magnitude in a lattice dilute with NMR active nuclei through the use of highly selective (low-power) radio-frequency pulses. Crucial to this lifetime extension is the avoidance of coherence transfer to short-lived nonsymmetric transitions. For $^{17}\mathrm{O}$ in $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-quartz, we obtain ${T}_{2}=262\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\text{s}$. This translates into enormous sensitivity gains for echo train acquisition schemes such as Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG). By combining satellite population transfer schemes with a low-power (2.73 kHz) CPMG on $^{17}\mathrm{O}$ in quartz, we obtain over a 1000-fold sensitivity enhancement compared to a spectrum from a free induction decay acquired at a more typical rf field strength of $32.5\phantom{\rule{4.pt}{0ex}}\text{kHz}$. For $^{33}\mathrm{S}$ in ${\mathrm{K}}_{2}{\mathrm{SO}}_{4}$ the same approach yields ${T}_{2}=8.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.4\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{s}$ and a sensitivity enhancement of 63. In both examples, these enhancements enable the acquisition of NMR spectra at 9.4 T, despite their low natural abundance and spin-lattice relaxation times of $\ensuremath{\sim}900$ and $25\phantom{\rule{4.pt}{0ex}}\text{s}$, respectively, with signal-to-noise ratios of $\ensuremath{\sim}30$ in 1 h.
Itching to Learn: School Chair Allergic Contact Dermatitis on the Posterior Thighs

A 10-year-old girl with a history suggestive of nickel allergy presented with pruritic, eczematous plaques on her posterior thighs. Patch testing revealed sensitivities to nickel, cobalt, and chromium. The pattern of her involvement suggested an “outside job,” and subsequent investigations confirmed that the exposed metal fasteners on her school chair were the likely source of her focal contact dermatitis. Medical history-taking, clinical observation, and investigative follow-through are essential when trying to identify a specific source of contact dermatitis in the pediatric and adolescent populations.
Retention of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hydroxylated metabolites in paired human serum and milk in relation to CYP2B6 genotype

Abstract Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their hydroxylated metabolites (OH-BDEs) are endocrine disrupting compounds prevalent in human serum and breast milk. Retention of PBDEs and OH-BDEs in humans may be affected by differences in PBDE metabolism due to variants in cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6). The objectives of this study are to assess the partitioning profiles of PBDEs and OH-BDEs in forty-eight paired human serum and milk samples, and to evaluate the relationship between variants in CYP2B6 genotype and PBDE and OH-BDE accumulation in humans. Results show that the geometric mean (GM) concentrations of PBDEs are similar in serum (GM = 43.4 ng/g lipid) and milk samples (GM = 52.9 ng/g lipid), while OH-BDEs are retained primarily in serum (GM = 2.31 ng/g lipid), compared to milk (GM = 0.045 ng/g lipid). Participants with CYP2B6*6 genotype had a greater relative retention of PBDEs in serum and milk, and significant relationships (p
Evidence-based, Skin-directed Treatments for Cutaneous Chronic Graft-versus-host Disease.

Chronic graft-versus host disease (cGVHD) occurs in 30% to 70% of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Cutaneous cGVHD affects 75% of cGVHD patients, causing discomfort, limiting the range of movement, and increasing the risk of wound infections. Furthermore, systemic immunosuppression is often needed to treat cGVHD and long-term use can lead to adverse events. Optimal use of skin-directed therapies is integral to the management of cutaneous cGVHD and may decrease the amount of systemic immunosuppression required. This study reviewed English-language articles published from 1990 to 2017 that evaluated the effect of skin-directed treatments for cutaneous cGVHD. A total of 201 papers were identified, 164 articles were screened, 46 were read, and 18 publications were utilized in the review. Skin-directed treatments for cGVHD included topical steroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors, psoralen with ultraviolet A (PUVA) irradiation, ultraviolet A1 (UVA1) irradiation, and ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation. We report the number of complete remissions, partial remissions, and systemic immunosuppression reduction in each study, as available. Twenty-two out of 30 (73.3%) patients experienced overall improvement with topical calcineurin inhibitors. At least 26 out of 76 patients (34.2%) receiving PUVA experienced complete remission, and 30 out of 76 patients (39.5%) experienced partial remission. In UVA1 studies, 44 out of 52 (84.6%) patients experienced overall improvement. In UVB studies, nine out of 14 patients (64.3%) experienced complete remission and four out of 14 patients (28.6%) experienced partial remission. As more HCTs are performed, more individuals will develop cGVHD. Awareness and optimal use of skin-directed therapies for cutaneous cGVHD may help improve patient outcomes and quality of life.
Public Health Insurance and Farm Labor Supply: Evidence from China's Rural Health Insurance Reform

This study examines the impact of China's public health insurance program on the farm employment decisions of the rural population. Using a difference‐in‐differences (DID) model, this study indicates that the public health insurance reform led to reallocation of the rural labor force out of the farm sector by reducing the farm employment and increasing the likelihood of rural residents working in both the farm and nonfarm sectors. This research finds that rural female residents who are of a younger age and in better health were more likely to leave farm employment when covered by public health insurance. Suggestive evidence also finds that such public health insurance reform increased the individual income of the farm population.
Discovering and Identifying Grey Literature in the Field of Law

This paper will first discuss how legal materials are considered to fall into two categories: primary and secondary sources. Primary sources consist of the law as produced by the three branches of ...
Radiation Modalities Used in Lung Cancer: An Overview for Thoracic Surgeons.

Radiation is a constantly evolving technology which plays a role in the management of lung cancer in a variety of settings: as an adjunct to surgery, definitively, and palliatively. Key aspects of radiation oncology—including acute and chronic toxicities of thoracic radiation and rationale for choosing one modality of radiation over another—may be obscure to those outside the field. We aim to provide a useful overview relevant for the thoracic surgeon of radiation technology and delivery. A review was performed of salient articles identifying radiation technologies used in lung cancer which were summarized and expounded upon with focus on integrating their history, evolution, and landmark trials establishing basis of their use. This article reviews the four fundamental means of external beam radiation employed in managing lung cancer and provides visual examples of comparison plans. We also touch on potential practice-changing developments in regards to proton therapy and radiation in the era of immunotherapy. Radiation oncology has evolved considerably over time to become a critical part of lung cancer management, particularly in early-stage inoperable disease and locally advanced disease. Maximizing tumor control while minimizing toxicity drives treatment strategies. Knowledge of these fundamentals will help the thoracic surgeon answer many questions patients pose regarding radiation.
Platform-Based, Electrically-Small HF Antenna With Switchable Directional Radiation Patterns

A platform-based, electrically small antenna (ESA) operating in the high-frequency (HF) band with switchable directional radiation patterns in the azimuth plane is presented. The antenna is designed to exploit three orthogonal characteristic modes of a mid-size, ground-based platform. Two of the modes have orthogonal, figure-eight-shaped radiation patterns, and the third has an omnidirectional pattern along the azimuth plane. Electrically small coupling elements along with passive feeding and matching networks are designed to excite each mode purely with minimal coupling to the others. We demonstrate that the radiated fields of these antennas can be properly combined to generate cardioid-shaped radiation patterns in the azimuth plane whose directions of maximum radiations can be oriented toward the front, back, and the two sides of the vehicle. This antenna system is capable of generating such directional radiation patterns with front-to-back ratios better than 15 dB over the frequency range of 6–24 MHz. A 1:35 scaled-model prototype of this antenna was fabricated and experimentally characterized. Measurement results of the scaled model are consistent with the simulation results of the full-scale platform and demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed design approach.
High-Fat Diet-Induced Weight Gain, Behavioral Deficits, and Dopamine Changes in Young C57BL/6J Mice

Chronic exposure to a high-fat diet (HFD) may predispose individuals to neuropathologies and behavioral deficits. The objective of this study was to determine the temporal effects of a HFD on weight gain, behavioral deficits, and dopamine changes in young mice. One-month old C57BL/6J male and female mice were fed either a control diet (containing 10% calories from fat) or a HFD (containing 45% of calories from fat) for 5 months. Physiological measures such as food consumption, body weight, blood glucose, and behaviors such as motor activity, sensorimotor integration, and anxiety-like behaviors were evaluated monthly. Dopamine (DA), dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2), and dopamine transporter (DT) protein expression levels were measured in the midbrain after 5 months of dietary exposure. Results showed that body weight was significantly greater in the HFD-exposed group compared to the control-group at the end of the 4th month, while food consumption was similar in both groups. For behavioral effects, the HFD group exhibited a significant decrease in motor activity in the open field test after 3 months, and rearing frequency after 4 months of dietary exposure. The HFD group also showed deficits in sensorimotor integration after 3 months. Specifically, chronic HFD exposure increased contact time and time to remove the first adhesive tape in the adhesive-tape removal test (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the HFD group showed significant deficits in balance/coordination compared to the control group after 4 months of dietary exposure using the beam traverse test, and increased anxiety-like behavior tested by both the open field and light/dark box tests (p < 0.05). Neurochemical measurements showed that HFD-exposed mice had significantly higher midbrain DA and DRD2 protein levels compared to the control group after 5 months of dietary exposure (p < 0.05). These results indicate that the impact of HFD on the C57BL/6J mouse strain began at the 3rd month of dietary exposure. Behavioral deficits occurred at a similar time point as increased body weight, at about 3-4 months. Overall, this study provides a critical understanding on how HFD-induced changes in weight gain and behavioral deficits in this strain occur over time. The behavioral changes support the idea that changes also occurred in neurochemical pathways such as dopamine dysregulation.
Is the Clutch Gene Real

This chapter focuses on what is known in the sports world as the “clutch gene.” Many analysts, fans, and journalists believe that some players have an ability to perform under pressure more than others, and this chapter statistically investigates this claim. A series of paired sample t tests were conducted to investigate differences in player shooting percentages between clutch shots and regular shots. The analyses showed that no significant differences exist thus enforcing the notion that the clutch gene may be a manifestation of bias.
Autoethnography and Beyond: Colonialism, Immigration, Embodiment, and Belonging

Life Writing’s choice to feature twenty-first century autoethnography offers interpretive, analytic, interactive, performative, experiential, and embodied forms of constructed self and culture in w...
Theory of the Thermal Conductivity of Amorphous Solids

Thermal conduction by means of lattice waves in glasses will be discussed. Random arrangements of molecular units can be treated as point defects which scatter phonons, with possible enhancement of the scattering due to correlations over longer distances. However, such a model does not result in sufficient scattering at low frequencies and accounts neither for the thermal resistivity at ordinary temperatures nor at low temperatures, unless correlations over unlikely long distances are assumed. An additional interaction mechanism is provided by phonon-assisted transitions between the states of two-level systems, with a wide distribution of level spacings. These systems, whose presence in amorphous systems are postulated, also give rise to an excess specific heat at low temperatures, linear in temperature. This model also accounts for saturation effects in the absorption of high-frequency ultrasonic waves. Unfortunately we know too little about the basic structure of amorphous solids to derive the density, the level-spacing distribution and the phonon interaction strength of these centers. In a simpler case of crystalline Ti-V alloys, where such centers have also been observed, it is possible to derive the first two of these parameters, and hence the excess specific heat, from the known size difference of the two ions.
Fine Structure of Amoebae and Their Relatives

Comparative views of the cytoplasm of a naked amoeba, planktonic foraminife-ran, radiolarian, and heliozoan are presented in Figures 13.1 and 13.2. Some general descriptions of these four representative cells will be presented before proceeding to more detailed comparative analyses of the various taxonomic groups. The diversity of protozoa within the Sarcodina and related groups, and the broad comparative focus of the chapter necessitate a generalized description of fine structure rather than an intensive analysis of individual species. For purposes of clarity, however, reference to interspecies differences will be made to illustrate general principles of microanatomy and correlated function among the “amoeboid” organisms.
Nature of a Red Cell Sensitizing Substance from Streptococci

Jackson, Robert W. (Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind.), and Merwin Moskowitz. Nature of a red cell sensitizing substance from streptococci. J. Bacteriol. 91:2205–2209. 1966.—A method for purifying a streptococcal antigen which sensitizes red cells to agglutination by antiserum is described. The antigen, when purified by this method, is almost exclusively composed of glycerophosphate and d-alanine. The ratio of alanine to glycerophosphate varies from 1:5 to 1:3. The glycerophosphate is polymerized and is thus a teichoic acid. The polyglycerophosphate appears to be the antigenic determinant for agglutination. d-Alanine is readily removed by mild base and appears to be necessary for the attachment of the teichoic acid to red cells. Quantitative removal of alanine does not affect the ability of the polymer to absorb antibody from serum.