cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chondrodysplasia punctata, tibial-metacarpal type in a 16 week fetus.

ultrasonography in a fetus at 16 weeks’ gestation. Generalized shortening of the long bones, with bowing of the femora and tibiae, a flat midface, small mouth, and micrognathia, were demonstrated. Radiologic findings of vertebral coronal clefts, shortened tibiae, elongated fibulae, and calcific stippling confirmed the diagnosis of CP-MT. Skeletal dysplasias are a heterogeneous group of bone growth disorders that result in an abnormal shape and size of the skeleton. CP-MT refers to a category of skeletal dysplasias with stippled calcification and abnormalities of vertebrae, long bones, and viscera. This report describes the ultrasonographic, radiographic, and pathologic findings in a fetus aborted during the second trimester of pregnancy because of a skeletal dysplasia. This fetus showed findings of CP-MT as described by Rittler and associates.1
Comparing lead poisoning risk assessment methods: census block group characteristics vs. zip codes as predictors.

Objective.We determined which children should be tested for elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) in the face of financial and practical barriers to universal screening efforts and within 2009 Centers ...
Empirical Study of Traffic Features at a Freeway Lane Drop

Traffic was studied upstream and downstream of a bottleneck that arose near a freeway lane drop near London, U.K. using archived high-resolution loop detector data. The bottleneck’s location and mean discharge flows were reproducible from day to day. Further, it is shown that the bottleneck’s discharge flow was about 10% lower than the prevailing flow observed prior to queue formation. Upon bottleneck activation, flow reductions occurring sequentially in time and space marked the passage of the backward-moving shock. Mean shock velocities ranged between 4.8 and 6.4 km∕h (3 and 4 mph) as they traveled upstream from the bottleneck. During bottleneck discharge, oscillations arose in the queue and propagated upstream at nearly constant speeds of 17.6–19.2 km∕h (11–12 mph). Flows measured at locations downstream of the bottleneck were not affected by these oscillations. These findings were corroborated using data from a freeway lane drop in Minneapolis, Minn. The analysis tools used for this study were curves ...
Statutory sex crime relationships between juveniles and adults : A review of social scientific research

This paper reviews the social scientific literature about non-forcible, voluntary sexual relationships between adults and juveniles, what we have termed “statutory sex crime relationships” or “statutory relationships.” In the available literature, the topic is poorly defined and the research weak, but there are clearly a diverse variety of contexts and dynamics to such relationships. We detail a wide-ranging set of issues on which more research is needed to guide social policy and practice.
Reduced representations of vector-valued coupling variables in decomposition-based design optimization

Decomposition-based optimization strategies decouple a system design problem and introduce coupling variables as decision variables that manage communication among subproblems. The computational cost of such approaches is comparable to that of the equivalent, yet usually unsuccessful, attempts to solve the coupled system directly when the coupling variables consist of a small, finite number of scalars. When the coupling variables are infinite-dimensional quantities, such as functional data, implementing decomposition-based optimization strategies may become computationally challenging. Discretization is typically applied, transforming infinite-dimensional variables into finite-dimensional ones represented as vectors. A large number of discretized points is often necessary to ensure a sufficiently accurate representation of the functional data, and so the dimensionality of these vector-valued coupling variables (VVCVs) can become prohibitively large for decomposition-based design optimization. Therefore, it is desirable to approximate the VVCVs with a reduced dimension representation that improves optimization efficiency while preserving sufficient accuracy. We investigate two VVCV representation techniques, radial-basis function artificial neural networks and proper orthogonal decomposition, and implement each in an analytical target cascading problem formulation for electric vehicle powertrain system optimization. Specifically, both techniques are applied to VVCVs associated with motor boundary torque curves and power loss maps and are assessed in terms of dimensionality reduction, computational expense, and accuracy.
Semiconductive and photoconductive properties of the single-molecule magnets Mn 12 -acetate and Fe 8 Br 8

Resistivity measurements are reported for single crystals of Mn 1 2 -acetate and Fe 8 Br 8 . Both materials exhibit a semiconductor-like, thermally activated behavior over the 200-300 K range. The activation energy E a obtained for Mn 1 2 -acetate was 0.37′0.05 eV, which is to be contrasted with the value of 0.55 eV deduced from the earlier reported absorption edge measurements and the range of 0.3-1 eV from intramolecular density of states calculations. assuming 2E a =E g , the optical band gap. For Fe 8 Br 8 , E a was measured as 0.73 ′0.1 eV, and is discussed in light of the available approximate band structure calculations. Some plausible pathways are indicated based on the crystal structures of both lattices. For Mn 1 2 -acetate, we also measured photoconductivity in the visible range; the conductivity increased by a factor of about 8 on increasing the photon energy from 632.8 nm (red) to 488 nm (blue). X-ray irradiation increased the resistivity, but E a was insensitive to exposure.
Influence of the Climap Ice Sheet on the Climate of a General Circulation Model : Implications for the Milankovitch Theory

While the spectral analysis of data from deep sea cores supports the suggestion that the temporal variation of the earth’s orbital parameters is responsible for triggering the growth and decay of continental ice during the Quaternary (1), the physical factors responsible for maintaining a global ice age climate are less well understood. One of the important factors in maintaining a lowered atmospheric temperature during an ice age is the presence of large continental ice sheets that reflect a large fraction of incoming solar radiation. This study investigates the influence of the 18 kyr BP (18 000 years before present) ice sheet on the earth’s climate by use of a mathematical model of climate constructed at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory of NOAA.
Recent advances in small-scale mechanical property measurement by nanoindentation

Since its initial development in the early 1980’s [1], nanoindentation has matured into one of the premier testing techniques for measuring mechanical properties at the micrometer and sub-micrometer scales and has emerged as a critical tool that has helped to shape the nanotechnology revolution. At the heart of the technique are testing systems with simple but precise force actuators and displacement measuring devices that record the force–displacement record as a diamond indenter, usually the form of a pyramid or a sphere, is pressed into and withdrawn from a small region in the surface of a material of interest. The nano-scale force–displacement data, which can be obtained with a spatial resolution as small as a few nanometers, contains a wealth of information about the local mechanical properties [2], [3] and [4]. This enables the mechanical characterization of very thin films, like those used in the semiconductor, magnetic storage, and hard coatings industries, as well as very small precipitates, particles and second phases, many of which may not exist in bulk form and cannot be characterized by traditional mechanical testing methods. Here, computer automation of nanoindentation testing systems now routinely provides for complete two-dimensional mapping of properties over regions stretching from sub-micronmore » to millimeters in scale.« less
An Investigation of the Selling Situation and Customer-Oriented Selling

This study examines whether product type and customer type influence the degree to which salespeople practice customer-oriented selling. Three hypotheses are tested using a national sample of 402 salespeople. Findings indicate that product type and customer type do not affect customer-oriented selling performance.
Crossed cerebellar diaschisis: occurrence and resolution demonstrated with PET during carotid temporary balloon occlusion.

The authors describe the early occurrence and quick resolution of crossed cerebellar diaschisis in 54-year-old woman undergoing test occlusion of a carotid artery
Postoperative Proton Therapy for Chordomas and Chondrosarcomas of the Spine: Adjuvant Versus Salvage Radiation Therapy

Study Design.Retrospective comparative cohort series.Objective.The aim of this study was to evaluate patients treated with proton therapy for chordoma and chondrosarcoma of the spine in the postoperative setting and to report local control, relapse-free, and overall survival outcomes.Summary of Back
Lymphoma of the Pouch After Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis Report of a Case

The most common cause of pouch dysfunction after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is pouchitis. Although low-grade dysplasia in the mucosa of the pouch has been recently described in the presence of pouchitis, there has been no report of carcinoma arising in the pouch itself. We describe a patient who developed a large-cell lymphoma of the ileal pouch after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis.
On the Growth of Görtler Vortices Excited by Distributed Roughness Elements

Gortler vortices evolve in boundary layers over concave surfaces as a result of the imbalance between centrifugal effects an radial pressure gradients. Depending on various geometrical and flow conditions, these instabilities may lead to secondary instabilities and further downstream to premature precursors to turbulence. In this paper, the growth of Gortler vortices excited by distributed roughness elements is analyzed using the solution to nonlinear boundary region equations with upstream boundary conditions derived previously via an asymptotic analysis applied in the vicinity of the roughness elements. Generalized Rayleigh pressure equation derived for the transverse flow is used to determine the growth rates associated with the secondary instabilities. Within the analysis, the roughness shape, height and diameter, as well as the spanwise separation between the roughness elements are varied in the linear regime, while keeping the same Gortler number. Among other various results, it is found that hill type shape distributed roughness elements are more likely to excite the Gortler instabilities than sharp edge type (e.g., cylindrical) roughness elements, and by increasing the roughness diameter, the size of Gortler vortices associated with the hill type roughness are increasing as expected, but the size of Gortler vortices associated with cylindrical elements are decreasing.
In Vitro Adsorption of Bile Salts to Food Residues, Salicylazosulfapyridine, and Hemicellulose

We investigated the in vitro adsorption of bile salts to nondigestible food residues, hemicellulose, salicylazosulfapyridine, and cholestyramine. Radioactive bile salts were incubated with food residues and drugs in buffered solutions, and, after centrifugation, adsorption was estimated from the decrease in radioactivity in the supernatant solution. Certain food residues, especially celery, corn, lettuce, potato, and string bean, adsorbed large amounts of bile salts, especially unconjugated dihydroxy bile salts. The amounts adsorbed were 20 to 60% of that adsorbed by cholestyramine. Extrapolating to whole foods, modest dietary amounts (173 to 389 g) of whole kidney bean, potato, string bean, or corn could adsorb 1 g of chenodeoxycholate at physiological pH and concentration. The adsorption of bile salts to food residues was increased at lower pH and was greater for less polar bile salts, suggesting that the adsorptive process is hydrophobic in nature. Adsorption isotherms indicated that the adsorption was a uniform and monomolecular process. Hemicellulose and salicylazosulfapyridine adsorbed only meager amounts of bile salts. In normal man, the adsorption of bile salts to food residues might be an important determinant of stool mass and water content, especially in vegetarians. Bile salt adsorption to food residues also might be an important factor in fat absorption and bowel function in patients with decreased bile salt concentration in the intestine, especially after bacterial deconjugation and dehydroxylation of the bile salts.
Construction of Korean Popular Illnesses: A Qualitative Analysis of Han, Hwabyung, and Shingyungshayak among Korean Immigrants

Han, hwabyung, and shingyungshayak are the idioms that seem to represent explanatory models and semantic networks of depression among Korean elderly immigrants in Washington. Labeling with these illnesses is an efficient way of communicating with significant others who share the same holistic biosociocultural perspective. Labeling with Korean popular illnesses serves as an evaluating and diagnosing process of one's life based on life review. This type of reminiscence functions as a life-healing process among Korean elders who believe they can endure and overcome adversity by studying and applying principles of human nature, the natural world, and the universe. To attain harmony within the self and with others, they practice noonchi (thinking and feeling out what others feel and think), chenyom (right thinking), chemyun (face-saving), and confiding in others. They also find nature walks, music, and a sensible diet to be helpful—these conform to the Korean cultural orientation toward nature, religion, and s...
The Long Arm of Religion: Childhood Adversity, Religion, and Self-perception Among Black Americans

Significant associations between childhood adversity and adult mental health have been documented in epidemiological and social science research. However, there is a dearth of research examining this relationship among black Americans, as well as into what cultural institutions and practices may help individuals in dealing with childhood adversity. This study suggests that religion may be an important resource for black Americans in the face of early-life socioeconomic and health disadvantage. Using data from the National Survey of American Life, a nationally representative sample of both African Americans and black Caribbeans (n = 5,191), this study outlines a series of arguments linking childhood adversity, religiosity, and self-perception among black Americans. The results suggest some support for religious involvement in moderating—or buffering—the harmful effects of childhood adversity on the self-esteem and mastery among black Americans, specifically religious service attendance and religious coping. In addition, the results reveal that religion may also amplify the deleterious effects of childhood disadvantage on adult mental health. Study limitations are identified and several promising directions for future research are discussed.
Advancing Community Health Workers Through Higher Education: Lessons Learned From a Basic Certificate Program Implementation:

The Affordable Healthcare Act has, among other changes, created greater incentives to reduce health disparities in low-income communities across the country, which heightened the importance and expectations of community health workers (CHWs) as part of the clinical care team. These heightened expectations have begun to transition what has historically been a paraprofessional role into one that involves more clearly defined competencies and development needs. In an effort to meet these needs in the city of Chicago, a CHW basic certificate program was developed and launched at Malcolm X college (one of the seven city Colleges of Chicago), in collaboration with several community partners. This article presents the experience of this program, the challenges faced in its implementation, and lessons from this experience that may be relevant to others involved in the professional preparation of CHWs.
Gender, Rhetoric and Recognition: Characterizing Jesus and (Re)defining Masculinity in the Gospel of John

Scholars studying the characters of John’s gospel often note the flat or static quality of Jesus’ character. Recently, Colleen M. Conway has investigated Jesus’ static characterization in light of ...
Effect of 2D Boron Nitride Nanoplate Additive on Tribological Properties of Natural Oils

Green tribology is a novel area of engineering that focuses on reducing friction, wear and the release of toxins to the environment caused by synthetic lubricants. The present study investigates the possibilities of utilizing natural, biodegradable olive and almond oils as a lubricant in place of synthetic oils. Boron nitride nanoplatelets (BNNP) are used as an additive (with concentrations of 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 vol%) to olive and almond oils to enhance their tribological performance. BNNP have been selected as an additive because it is composed of a two-dimensional (2D) layered structure with weak van der Waals bonds between layers. Weak interlayer forces in BNNP enable easy shearing along the basal plane to promote lubrication. Wear experiments were also conducted using synthetic motor oil as a lubricant for a comparison with natural oils. As BNNP were added to olive and almond oil, the coefficient of friction (COF) decreased up to 84 %. The synthetic motor lubricant shows higher COF (0.189) in comparison with almond oil with BNNP (COF = 0.100) and olive oil with BNNP (COF = 0.028) at 20 N loads. Furthermore, coefficient of wear (k) of natural oils decreased up to 25 % on adding BNNP. The addition of BNNP resulted in a tribofilm formation, thereby enhancing the lubrication behavior of natural oils. However, a discontinuous layer of polymerized mixture of BNNP in almond oil was observed and this resulted in increased COF compared to olive oil with BNNP.
Local SAR near deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes at 64 and 127 MHz: A simulation study of the effect of extracranial loops.

Purpose MRI may cause brain tissue around deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes to become excessively hot, causing lesions. The presence of extracranial loops in the DBS lead trajectory has been shown to affect the specific absorption rate (SAR) of the radiofrequency energy at the electrode tip, but experimental studies have reported controversial results. The goal of this study was to perform a systematic numerical study to provide a better understanding of the effects of extracranial loops in DBS leads on the local SAR during MRI at 64 and 127 MHz. Methods A total of 160 numerical simulations were performed on patient-derived data, in which relevant factors including lead length and trajectory, loop location and topology, and frequency of MRI radiofrequency (RF) transmitter were assessed. Results Overall, the presence of extracranial loops reduced the local SAR in the tissue around the DBS tip compared with straight trajectories with the same length. SAR reduction was significantly larger at 127 MHz compared with 64 MHz. SAR reduction was significantly more sensitive to variable loop parameters (eg, topology and location) at 127 MHz compared with 64 MHz. Conclusion Lead management strategies could exist that significantly reduce the risks of 3 Tesla (T) MRI for DBS patients. Magn Reson Med, 2016. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Proxemic feature recognition for interactive robots: automating metrics from the social sciences

In this work, we discuss a set of metrics for analyzing human spatial behavior (proxemics) motivated by work in the social sciences. Specifically, we investigate individual, attentional, interpersonal, and physiological factors that contribute to social spacing. We demonstrate the feasibility of autonomous real-time annotation of these spatial features during multi-person social encounters. We utilize sensor suites that are non-invasive to participants, are readily deployable in a variety of environments (ranging from an instrumented workspace to a mobile robot platform), and do not interfere with the social interaction itself. Finally, we provide a discussion of the impact of these metrics and their utility in autonomous socially interactive systems.
Relationship of Iron Deficiency and Serum Ferritin Levels with Pulmonary Hypertension: The Jackson Heart Study.

Purpose Iron deficiency is prevalent in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), but whether iron deficiency or ferritin levels are associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in the general population is unknown. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data on iron deficiency (exposure), and PH (pulmonary artery systolic pressure>40mmHg on echocardiogram) (outcome) on subjects with complete data on exposures and outcomes as well as covariates (n = 2,800) enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study, a longitudinal prospective observational cohort study of heart disease in African-Americans from Jackson, Mississippi. Iron deficiency was defined as a serum ferritin level 47ng/mL– 95ng/mL; > 95ng/mL– 171ng/mL; > 171ng/mL; Males ≤ 110ng/mL; > 110ng/mL– 182ng/mL; > 182ng/mL– 294ng/mL; > 294ng/mL), using the same modeling technique with the lowest quartile as the referent. Results Median pulmonary artery systolic pressure was 27mmHg (interquartile range 23-31mmHg) in the study cohort. 147 subjects (5.2%) had PH and 140 (5.0%) had iron deficiency. However, of the 147 subjects with PH, only 4 were also iron deficient. The crude PH PR was 0.5 (95% CI 0.2–1.4) in iron-deficiency compared to non-deficient. In analysis by quartiles of ferritin, adjusting for age and sex, there was no evidence of association with PH in quartiles 2 (PR 1.1, 95% CI 0.7–1.6), 3 (PR 0.8, 95% CI 0.5–1.3), or 4 (PR 0.8, 95% CI 0.5–1.2) compared with quartile 1 (referent group, PR 1). Further analyses of the relationship between PH and ferritin as a log-transformed continuous variable or by quartiles of serum iron showed similar results. Conclusions In the Jackson Heart Study, the prevalence of PH was similar in iron-deficient and non-iron deficient subjects. There was no evidence of association between ferritin (or serum iron) levels and PH. Clinical Implications Iron deficiency has been associated with IPAH, a rare disorder. However, in a large community-based sample of African-Americans, there was no evidence that iron deficiency or low iron levels were associated with PH.
How much do cancer patients understand? A critical assessment of online patient health information in oncology.

e12637 Background: Approximately 84 million American adults use the Internet to search for health information (HI), with over 70% of patients reporting that the information influences their managem...
Advances in perioperative quality and safety

For decades, safe surgery focused on intraoperative technique and decision-making. The traditional hierarchy placed the surgeon as the leader with ultimate authority and responsibility. Despite the advances in surgical technique and equipment, too many patients have suffered unnecessary complications and suboptimal care. Today, we understand that the conduct of safe and effective surgery requires evidence-based decision-making, multifaceted treatment approaches to prevent complications, and effective communication in and out of the operating room. In this manuscript, we describe three significant advances in quality and safety that have changed the approach to surgical care: the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, evidence-based bundled prevention of surgical site infections, and the Surgical Safety Checklist.
Towards a Technology-Enabled Environment of Care for Nursing Homes

In this paper, we report our experiences in customer validation on using a privacy-aware compliance tracking system (PACTS) to develop an environment of care for nursing homes that want to be more competitive in cost control, quality control and rating. As part of an entrepreneur training program called I-Corps@Ohio, which was sponsored by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, we conducted over a hundred face-to-face interviews with nursing homes and their customers in Ohio. The interviews suggested that PACTS can be used as a data analytical platform to improve nursing home operations to meet the demands of growing number of elderly people. We have formulated the following ways to improve the operation of the nursing home industry: (1) A privacy-protection registration mechanism that enables a nursing staff to register with PACTS, where it is used as a gamified training and service quality evaluation platform; (2) A PACTS-installed service that offers a tipping option for exceptional bedside care services available to residents and/or their family members; (3) An online nursing home hunting website that offers the most recent accumulated data collected by PACTS, which can be used to derive objective ratings for participating nursing homes.
Childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia--a model for therapeutic strategies in hemopoietic neoplasia.

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) of childhood has emerged over the past 30 years as the therapeutically most responsive disseminated form of cancer. The success of treating ALL has been the result of the simultaneous occurrence of two factors: ALL is a relatively responsive tumor and (b) a systematic approach has evolved for the evaluation of, and development of therapy for, this form of cancer. Those who treat childhood ALL cannot take full credit for the success because, as explained below, the single most important factor in the achievement has been the biologic property of the tumor, over which physicians have no control. The central question is, why has childhood ALL responded to treatment much better than acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) at any age, or ALL in adults? Several factors contribute to this difference: Childhood ALL is highly responsive to available therapy. After Dr. Sidney Farber and his colleagues introduced aminopterin as the first effective chemotherapeutic agent for acute leukemia, a succession of new agents were introduced which were quite effective as single agents. This included, in the years up to 1960, corticosteroids, mercaptopurine, cyclophosphamide, and vincristine, as well as the analogue of aminopterin — methotrexate. Each of these agents produced complete remissions in a significant proportion of patients and partial responses in an even larger fraction. To put this in proper perspective, one finds it difficult, even today, to identify any other disseminated form of cancer in which one may achieve complete responses with each of five agents used independently.
Self-With-Other Representations

There are two major divisions in psychology. One is occupied by descendants of 19th-century Leipzig and the other by descendants of 19th-century Vienna. Erdelyi, (1985) observed that this division has resulted in not one, but two, psychologies. He labeled one Apollonian and the other Dionysian. Apollonians (intellectual off-spring of Wundt in Leipzig) thrive in the laboratory where variables are fashioned to meet scientific standards. As this division is played out in personality psychology, the principal goal of Apollonians is to establish objective measures of behavior. Only things that can be observed, counted, or otherwise quantified fall within this province. Modern-day trait psychology falls mostly within this tradition. In contrast, Dionysians (intellectual descendants of Freud in Vienna) are “untrammeled by method” (Erdelyi, 1994, p. 670). Personality psychologists who resist being constricted by numbers and standard statistics argue that if one must postulate the operation of unconscious, unobservable, and nonrational mental processes in order to make headway in understanding the subjective worlds of individuals, so be it. Such inferences regarding psychodynamic forces operating behind the curtains of consciousness provide fuel for Apollonian outrage. They are premises for disparaging charges pertaining to illusive, chameleonlike sorts of data garnered as evidence for psychoanalytic models of the person. In their turn, Dionysians complain about the sparse, even trivial, content of findings that emanate from the positivistic labs of their counterparts.
Facial Pain Treated with Stellate Ganglion Block

The patient is a 51-year-old female who developed chronic facial pain following a radical neck dissection for T1N1 squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, tongue, and right-sided cervical lymph nodes. She described her pain as a constant pulling sensation in the right side of her face. She also reported episodic sharp, shooting pain down her anterior and lateral neck with hyperalgesia of the surrounding skin. During her treatment course, she was unable to obtain control of pain with opioids, gabapentinoids, antidepressants (e.g., duloxetine), anxiolytics (e.g., alprazolam), or physical therapy.
Combination Intravesical Chemotherapy for Non–muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer

Abstract Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) replaced early intravesical chemotherapeutic agents as the standard of care for non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with its US Food and Drug Administration approval in 1990. Multiple studies have proven the superiority of BCG to surgery alone, and to older single-agent intravesical chemotherapy regimens. However, new multiagent intravesical chemotherapy regimens have been developed and tested in recent years. Such regimens offer the possibility of better efficacy and/or tolerability compared to BCG. However, high-quality data comparing such regimens to BCG remain scant. We briefly review the literature regarding combination intravesical chemotherapy for NMIBC.
Chronic oral rapamycin decreases adiposity, hepatic triglycerides and insulin resistance in male mice fed a diet high in sucrose and saturated fat

NEW FINDINGS What is the central question of this study? Whether chronic oral rapamycin promotes beneficial effects on glucose/lipid metabolism and energy balance when administered to mice with an obesogenic diet rich in saturated fat and sucrose has not been explored. What is the main finding and its importance? Chronic oral rapamycin reduces body weight and fat gain, improves insulin sensitivity and reduces hepatic steatosis when administered to mice with a high-fat, high-sucrose diet. In addition, we make the new observation that there appear to be tissue-specific effects of rapamycin. Although rapamycin appears to impart its effects mainly on visceral adipose tissue, its effects on insulin sensitivity are mediated by subcutaneous adipose tissue. ABSTRACT Excess adiposity is commonly associated with insulin resistance, which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the exact molecular mechanisms by which obesity results in insulin resistance are yet to be understood clearly. The intracellular nutrient-sensing protein, mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), is a crucial signalling component in the development of obesity-associated insulin resistance. Given that increased tissue activation of mTOR complex-1 (mTORC1) occurs in obesity, diabetes and ageing, we hypothesized that pharmacological inhibition of mTORC1 would improve metabolic dysregulation in diet-induced obesity. We administered continuous rapamycin, a specific mTORC1 inhibitor, orally to C57BL/6J mice concurrently with a high-fat, high-sucrose (HFHS) diet for 20 weeks. The control group received placebo microcapsules. Rapamycin-treated mice showed significantly reduced weight gain and adiposity (33.6 ± 4.9 versus 40.4 ± 3.0% body fat, P < 0.001, n = 8 mice per group), despite increased or equivalent food intake compared with the placebo group. The rapamycin-fed mice also demonstrated reduced plasma glucose (252 ± 57 versus 297 ± 67 mg dl-1 , P < 0.001) and improved insulin sensitivity during insulin and glucose tolerance testing. Rapamycin-treated mice also had lower plasma triglycerides (48 ± 13 versus 67 ± 11 mg/dL, P < 0.01) and hepatic triglyceride content (89 ± 15 versus 110 ± 19 mg/g liver, P < 0.05) compared with the placebo group. A moderately low dose of rapamycin decreased adiposity and improved the metabolic profile in a model of diet-induced obesity. These data suggest that low-grade chronic mTORC1 inhibition might be a potential strategy for anti-obesity therapies.
Food insecurity and food preparation equipment in US households: exploratory results from a cross-sectional questionnaire.

Background Food insecurity (FI) impacted 15.7% (5.9 million) of US households with children in 2017. These households often experience issues within one or more of the food security pillars: access, availability, utilisation or stability. An underexplored area within the pillar of utilisation that may impact FI risk is the availability of kitchen equipment in households. This exploratory project aimed to quantify household food preparation equipment ownership and use by household FI status. Methods An online platform (Qualtrics, Provo, UT, USA) was used to administer a questionnaire to a sample of 135 parents of children aged 11-14 years. The instrument queried sociodemographic characteristics, food preparation items owned and frequency of use of 44 items within a 6-month interval. Household FI was measured using the 18-item US Department of Agriculture, Household Food Security Survey Module with a 12-month reference period. Results Households experiencing FI (n = 39; 28.9%) owned an average of five fewer items than their food secure counterparts (n = 96, 71.1%, P 0.01). Conclusions Compared to food secure households, the number of food preparation items owned was lower, although frequency of use was the same, in US households that were FI. Future projects should investigate how food equipment ownership impacts cooking behaviours, and whether households experiencing FI display behaviours to compensate for a differing set of equipment.
Acoustic Characterization of PVC Sewer Pipes for Crack Detection Using Frequency Domain Analysis

As an existing industry standard, cracks and other structural defects in sewer pipes are detected by passing a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera mounted on remote-controlled crawler through the pipes. The video from the camera is carefully observed by a trained operator to classify the condition of the pipe. The operator annotates video from the camera with appropriate notes based on condition of the pipe. In addition to a crawler with a CCTV camera, the inspection system needs a vehicle capable of off-road travel, a dedicated power source, and a proprietary software with a customized control system. These requirements make the CCTV based system crew-hour intensive and expensive. There is a need to develop an easily deployable and cost-effective solution to detect cracks and other structural defects in sewer pipes. For smart cities, this application is important as any leaking toxic effluents from cracked pipes pose a direct public health hazard and degrades the environment. Recent developments in acoustic based pipe inspection technologies have demonstrated effectiveness in sewer blockage detection. These systems, however, are not capable of detecting cracks in sewer pipes. This paper reports on an acoustic based approach to detect cracks in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sewer pipes. Extensive laboratory testing has been conducted on clean and cracked samples of 0.1-m diameter, 3.04 m long pipes. The pipes are excited with acoustic signals and their frequency response is analyzed to characterize difference between a clean and a cracked sample. The results indicate that acoustic signal attenuation from cracked pipe can be a good indicator of an existence of a structural defect. This study is ongoing and trials on live sewer installations will be conducted in near future.
Quantifying a scientist's intellectual leadership

Abstract We propose a new metric, the Intellectual Leadership Quotient (ILQ) to quantify the intellectual leadership demonstrated by a researcher. The ILQ provides a simple, accurate and quantifiable measure of a scientist's intellectual leadership. In our view, both the ILQ as well as the Hirsch (h) index should be considered concurrently when judging the scholarly work of a scientist. We propose that to be considered a leader who is shaping the field, ILQ values in excess of 80 in conjunction with a high h index would be necessary. In addition to facilitating better judgements related to faculty hiring, promotion/tenure cases, and society awards, the use of the ILQ will enable funding agencies to make better, more well-informed decisions. Other benefits of the ILQ include curbing unethical h index inflation and discouraging the frivolous addition of co-authors to a manuscript.
Reactions of a 4‐(trifluoromethyl)thiazole dianion

Treatment of 2-trifluoroacetamido-4-(trifluoromethyl)thiazole with two equivalents of n-butyllithium at -78° produced the thiazole dianion 5 in situ, which reacted preferentially at the 5-position with a variety of electrophiles. These electrophiles include: an aldehyde, ketone, chloroformate, acid chloride, phosphorus oxychloride, silicon chloride, and disulfide. Dianion 5 also combined with dibromodifluoromethane at -98° to give the corresponding 5-(bromodifluoromethyl)thiazole 7, which is an unusual reaction for an aromatic or heteroaromatic system. Compound 7 was converted to a 4,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)thiazole 8 using tetrabutylammonium fluoride.
American Society of Biomechanics Journal of Biomechanics Award 2018: Adaptive motor planning of center-of-mass trajectory during goal-directed walking in novel environments.

Abstract To aid in the successful execution of goal-directed walking (discrete movement from a start location to an end target) the central nervous system forms a predictive motor plan. For the motor plan to be effective, it must be adapted in response to environmental changes. Despite motor planning being inherent to goal-directed walking, it is not understood how the nervous system adapts these plans to interact with changing environments. Our objective was to understand how people adapt motor plans of center of mass (COM) trajectory during goal-directed walking in response to a consistent change in environmental dynamics. Participants preformed a series of goal-directed walking trials in a novel environment created by a cable robot that applied a lateral force field to their COM. We hypothesized that participants would adapt to the environment by forming an internal model of their COM trajectory within the force field. Our findings support this hypothesis. Initially, we found COM trajectory significantly deviated in the same direction as the applied field, relative to baseline (no field) (p = 0.002). However, with practice in the field, COM trajectory adapted back to the baseline (p = 0.6). When we unexpectedly removed the field, participants demonstrated after-effects, COM trajectory deviated in the direction opposite of the field relative to baseline (p
Safety Outcomes of Atorvastatin 80 mg Versus Atorvastatin 40 mg in a Veteran Population

Background: High-intensity atorvastatin dosing may lead to a greater incidence of adverse events, subsequently leading to discontinuation and suboptimal risk reduction for major adverse cardiovascular events. No previous studies exist investigating the safety of high-intensity atorvastatin therapy among a veteran population. Objective: To evaluate the safety profile of high-intensity atorvastatin in the veteran population. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study conducted on patients newly prescribed atorvastatin 80 or 40 mg daily at the Memphis Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The primary outcome was incidence of adverse drug events. Secondary outcomes include incidence of high-intensity atorvastatin discontinuation and change of lipid panel values. Results: A total of 205 veterans were analyzed among atorvastatin 80 mg daily (n = 103) and atorvastatin 40 mg daily (n = 102) groups. Of 40 adverse events reported, 23 events occurred with atorvastatin 80 mg and 17 events with atorvastatin 40 mg (P = 0.31). Myalgia (11% vs 7%; P = 0.33) and weakness (12% vs 9%; P = 0.51) were commonly reported events among both cohorts. Rates of discontinuation of high-intensity atorvastatin therapy were similar between cohorts (26% vs 15%; P = 0.45). No statistically significant differences in lipid profile reductions were found. Conclusion and Relevance: Atorvastatin 80 mg daily was well tolerated with similar incidence of discontinuation and reduction of lipid panel values compared with atorvastatin 40 mg daily in a veteran population. This study provides a direct comparison of safety outcomes for high-intensity atorvastatin doses among veterans to highlight the importance of clinician-patient discussion on statin-related adverse effects compared with desired efficacy when considering initiation of therapy.
Input–Output Functions in Human Heads Obtained With Cochlear Implant and Transcranial Electric Stimulation

Author(s): Tran, Phillip; Richardson, Matthew L; Zeng, Fan-Gang | Abstract: ObjectivesElectric stimulation is used to treat a number of neurologic disorders such as epilepsy and depression. However, delivering the required current to far-field neural targets is often ineffective because of current spread through low-impedance pathways. Here, the specific aims are to develop an empirical measure for current passing through the human head and to optimize stimulation strategies for targeting deeper structures, including the auditory nerve, by utilizing the cochlear implant (CI).Materials and methodsOutward input/output (I/O) functions were obtained by CI stimulation and recording scalp potentials in five CI subjects. Conversely, inward I/O functions were obtained by noninvasive transcranial electric stimulation (tES) and recording intracochlear potentials using the onboard recording capability of the CI.ResultsI/O measures indicate substantial current spread, with a maximum of 2.2% gain recorded at the inner ear target during tES (mastoid-to-mastoid electrode configuration). Similarly, CI stimulation produced a maximum of 1.1% gain at the scalp electrode nearest the CI return electrode. Gain varied with electrode montage according to a point source model that accounted for distances between the stimulating and recording electrodes. Within the same electrode montages, current gain patterns varied across subjects suggesting the importance of tissue properties, geometry, and electrode positioning.ConclusionThese results provide a novel objective measure of electric stimulation in the human head, which can help to optimize stimulation parameters that improve neural excitation of deep structures by reducing the influence of current spread.
High-moment magnetic nanoparticles

In recent years, high-moment magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) such as FeCo are attracting intense interest for biomedical applications. The synthesized FeCo MNPs have the specific saturation magnetization up to 226 emu/g that is more than three times higher than that of iron oxide MNPs (~ 70–80 emu/g). Core-shell MNPs are also synthesized to enhance the functionality of high-moment MNPs. Shells like SiO2, Au, and Ag are used for these high-moment MNPs to improve biocompatibility. The sputtering-based gas-phase condensation approach to synthesize high-moment MNPs and core-shell nanostructures are reviewed. The applications of these high-moment MNPs such as magnetic hyperthermia, drug delivery, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and biosensing are summarized. The heating efficiency of magnetic hyperthermia and drug delivery could be significantly enhanced by using high-moment MNPs. MNPs with different crystallinity and shapes (such as cubic, spherical, triangular, and octahedral shapes) are also summarized due to their potential applications in MRI. High-moment MNPs could also provide more magnetic signals for giant magnetoresistance (GMR)-based biosensors, which are also reviewed. We believe that the high-moment MNPs are promising candidates for many bio-applications.
The state of vaccine safety science: systematic reviews of the evidence.

This Review updates the scientific evidence assessing possible causal associations of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) compiled in the 2012 report from the Institute of Medicine and the 2014 report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. For 12 of 46 AEFI examined, a causal relationship has been established with at least one vaccine currently routinely recommended to the general USA population: anaphylaxis, arthralgia or arthritis (mild, acute, and transient, not chronic), deltoid bursitis (when vaccine is administered improperly), disseminated varicella infection (in immune deficient individuals for whom the varicella vaccine is contraindicated), encephalitis, febrile seizures, Guillain-Barre syndrome, hepatitis (in immune deficient individuals for whom the varicella vaccine is contraindicated), herpes zoster, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, meningitis, and syncope. Other than mild acute and transient arthralgia or arthritis, which is very common in adult women after rubella vaccine, these adverse reactions are rare or very rare. Vaccines have an excellent safety profile overall and provide protection against infectious diseases to individuals and the general population.
Liraglutide treatment in overweight and obese patients with type 1 diabetes: A 26-week randomized controlled trial; mechanisms of weight loss.

Aim To investigate the effects of liraglutide treatment on glycaemic control and adipose tissue metabolism in overweight and obese people with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). Research design and methods A total of 84 adult overweight and obese patients with T1DM, with no detectable C-peptide, were randomized (1:1) to either placebo or 1.8 mg/d liraglutide for 6 months. Blood samples were collected at 0, 12 and 26 weeks. Subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies, a high-calorie high-fat meal challenge test, continuous glucose monitoring, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and MRI were performed before and at the end of treatment. Results In all, 37 and 27 patients who received liraglutide and placebo, respectively, completed the study. Glycated haemoglobin fell by 0.41 ± 0.18% (4.5±1.4 mmol/mol) from baseline after liraglutide treatment (P = 0.001), and by 0.29 ± 0.19% (3.1±2.0 mmol/mol) compared to placebo (P = 0.1). There was no increase in hypoglycaemia, while the time spent in normal glycaemia increased (P = 0.015) and time spent in hyperglycaemia decreased (P = 0.019). Body weight fell significantly in the liraglutide group, mostly in the form of fat mass loss (including visceral fat), with no change in lean mass. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) also fell after liraglutide treatment. Liraglutide also caused a significant increase in the expression of adipose tissue triglyceride lipase, carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)α, PPARδ, uncoupling protein-2 and type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase in the adipose tissue. Conclusions Liraglutide improves glycaemia, reduces adiposity and SBP. Liraglutide also stimulates mechanisms involved with an increase in lipid oxidation and thermogenesis, while conserving lean body mass.
Deep Filtering.

This paper develops a deep learning method for linear and nonlinear filtering. The idea is to start with a nominal dynamic model and generate Monte Carlo sample paths. Then these samples are used to train a deep neutral network. A least square error is used as a loss function for network training. Then the resulting weights are applied to Monte Carlo sampl\ es from an actual dynamic model. The deep filter obtained in such a way compares favorably to the traditional Kalman filter in linear cases and the extended Kalman filter in nonlinear cases. Moreover, a switching model with jumps is studied to show the adaptiveness and power of our deep filtering method. A main advantage of deep filtering is its robustness when the nominal model and actual model differ. Another advantage of deep filtering is that real data can be used directly to train the deep neutral network. Therefore, one does not need to calibrate the model.