cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Cost of System Congestion: Evidence from the Healthcare Sector

We investigate the cost of system congestion using data from 225,473 maternity admissions at 30 hospitals in the state of Washington. We identify congested days using the distribution of patient admissions for each hospital‐year combination and use the rate of Caesarian sections (C‐sections) as the proxy for the cost of congestion. We use two separate logistic regressions to investigate the relation between congestion and the decision to operate. The first regression includes data from the full sample of patients. Contrary to expectations, we find that congestion does not increase C‐section rates. We estimate the second regression using data only from those patients classified as being at risk for a C‐section and find that congestion does lead to increased C‐section rates. The difference obtains because our full sample analyses do not control for physician incentives to classify patients as being “at risk,” and whether the patient is “at risk” is included as a control in the regression. The nature of our ...
State based key hop protocol: a lightweight security protocol for wireless networks

State Based Key Hop (SBKH) protocol provides a strong, lightweight encryption scheme for battery operated devices, such as the sensors in a wireless sensor network, as well as small office home office (SOHO) users. Although SBKH can be applied to many underlying protocols, in this paper, we focus on integrating SBKH with 802.11. Hence we compare SBKH with other 802.11 security protocols and show that SBKH eliminates all the issues with wired equivalent privacy (WEP) protocol, using the existing hardware and software as much as possible at a power and processing cost that is much lower than WiFi Protected Access (WPA) 1.0 or 2.0, and is cheaper than WE.
GABA and glutamate depolarize cortical progenitor cells and inhibit DNA synthesis

We have found that, during the early stages of cortical neurogenesis, both GABA and glutamate depolarize cells in the ventricular zone of rat embryonic neocortex. In the ventricular zone, glutamate acts on AMPA/kainate receptors, while GABA acts on GABAA receptors. GABA induces an inward current at resting membrane potentials, presumably owing to a high intracellular Cl- concentration maintained by furosemide-sensitive Cl- transport. GABA and glutamate also produce increases in intracellular Ca2+ in ventricular zone cells, in part through activation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. Furthermore, GABA and glutamate decrease the number of embryonic cortical cells synthesizing DNA. Depolarization with K+ similarly decreases DNA synthesis, suggesting that the neurotransmitters act via membrane depolarization. Applied alone, GABAA and AMPA/kainate receptor antagonists increase DNA synthesis, indicating that endogenously released amino acids influence neocortical progenitors in the cell cycle. These results demonstrate a novel role for amino acid neurotransmitters in regulating neocortical neurogenesis.
Modularity and the Social Mind Are Psychologists Too Self-ish?

A modular view of the mind implies that there is no unitary "self" and that the mind consists of a set of informationally encapsulated systems, many of which have functions associated with navigating an inherently ambiguous and competitive social world. It is proposed that there are a set of cognitive mechanisms--a social cognitive interface (SCI)--designed for strategic manipulation of others' representations of one's traits, abilities, and prospects. Although constrained by plausibility, these mechanisms are not necessarily designed to maximize accuracy or to maintain consistency with other encapsulated representational systems. The modular view provides a useful framework for talking about multiple phenomena previously discussed under the rubric of the self.
Performance of an exhaled nitric oxide and carbon dioxide sensor using quantum cascade laser-based integrated cavity output spectroscopy

Exhaled nitric oxide NO is an important biomarker in asthma and other respiratory disorders. The optical performance of a NO/CO2 sensor employing integrated cavity output spectroscopy ICOS with a quantum cascade laser operating at 5.22 m capable of real-time NO and CO2 measurements in a single breath cycle is reported. A NO noise-equivalent concentration of 0.4 ppb within a 1-sec integration time is achieved. The off-axis ICOS sensor perfor- mance is compared to a chemiluminescent NO analyzer and a non- dispersive infrared NDIR CO2 absorption capnograph. Differences between the gas analyzers are assessed by the Bland-Altman method to estimate the expected variability between the gas sensors. The off- axis ICOS sensor measurements are in good agreement with the data acquired with the two commercial gas analyzers. This work demon- strates the performance characteristics and merits of mid-infrared spectroscopy for exhaled breath analysis. © 2007 Society of Photo-Optical In-
Functional Consequences of Regional Heterogeneity in the Left Ventricle

The left ventricle is characterized by significant regional heterogeneity in structure, electrophysiology, and function. This discussion focuses on the functional consequences of regional heterogeneity. First we examine the extent of regional heterogeneity in deformations observed under physiologic conditions. The importance of considering the direction as well as the magnitude of maximal deformations will be emphasized. Second, we discuss potential mechanisms for regional heterogeneity in deformations. The potential contribution of electrophysiologic, anatomic, structural, and geometric factors will be considered. Third, we examine the functional consequences of regional heterogeneity using experimental models. Regional ischemia is used to examine the mechanical interaction between ischemic and nonischemic areas, that is, the interaction between “weak” and “strong” muscles. Regional inotropic stimulation is used to produce subtle alterations in regional heterogeneity to examine the mechanical interaction between “strong” and “stronger” muscles. Finally, we correlate some of the predictions from theoretical models of acute ischemia and chronic infarction with the experimental observations.
Lymphocyte homeostasis and tumor-specific immunity during immune reconstitution

Myelo- and lymphoablative chemotherapy and/or systemic irradiation followed by the infusion of autologous hematopoietic grafts containing stem cells, committed progenitors, and mature lymphocytes has been widely used to treat many types of hematopoietic cancers as well as some solid tumors. Initially conceived as a means to enable dose-intensification by circumventing the first dose-limiting toxicity of chemo-radiation, stem-cell transplantation is now evolving into a platform for the delivery of both active and passive cancer immunotherapies. Immune reconstitution of autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplant recipients with the progeny of mature T cells in the graft leads to profound changes in the emerging functional T cell repertoire. In the steady-state, the host is frequently tolerant to tumor-antigens, reflecting dominant suppression of naive and effector T cells by regulatory T cells (Tregs). We examined the relative frequency and function of these three components within the tumor-specific T cell compartment during immune reconstitution. Grafts from tumor-bearing donors exerted a significant anti-tumor effect in irradiated, syngeneic tumor-bearing recipients. This was associated with dramatic clonal expansion and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production by previously tolerant tumor-specific T cells. While donor- derived Tregs expanded in recipients, they did not inhibit the antigen-driven expansion of effector T cells in the early post-transplant period. Indeed, the expansion of tumor-specific effector T cells significantly exceeded that of Tregs, resulting in a nearly five-fold increase in the effector:Treg ratio. Although the intrinsic suppressive capacity of Tregs remained intact, their diminished frequency was insufficient to suppress effector cell function. While many factors may contribute to the differential repopulation of effector cells and Tregs in the early posttransplant period, systemic IL-2 administration decreased the effector:Treg ratio, suggesting that limited access to this cytokine may promote escape from suppression during immune reconstitution. These findings provide an explanation for the reversal of tolerance leading to tumor rejection in transplant recipients and likely contribute to the efficacy of adoptive T cell therapies in lymphopenic hosts. This abstract was published in Cancer Immunity, a Cancer Research Institute journal that ceased publication in 2013 and is now provided online in association with Cancer Immunology Research.
IDIOPATHIC FETAL GROWTH RESTRICTION : A PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC APPROACH

Known causes of fetal growth restriction (FGR) can be traced in up to 40 percent of the cases. In the remainder of cases, FGR is idiopathic in origin. Evidence from experimental studies, antenatal findings at Doppler velocimetry of the uterine and umbilical arteries, and placental pathology studies suggests that idiopathic FGR can be divided into three groups: 1) primary abnormality in the uteroplacental perfusion; 2) primary abnormality in the fetoplacental perfusion; and 3) abnormal villous structure at the interface between fetal and maternal circulation. An improved understanding of the pathophysiology of idiopathic FGR is crucial to gain insight into its pathogenesis.
Analysis of Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage Produced Water using Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography with Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

The recycling of water coproduced during in situ bitumen production is one of the primary operating challenges for steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) operations in oil sand reserves. Produced water that is either recycled for steam production or disposed of may be subject to different water quality requirements for the purposes of plant operations or environmental regulations. The organic components dissolved and suspended in the produced water are a fingerprint of the bitumen-in-place, the processing conditions utilized during production, and the chemicals used by operators during operations. Analysis of SAGD produced water using two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with electron ionization and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (2DGC-TOFMS) showed a wide variety of organic constituents within the water sample. Compounds ranging from C6 to C18 straight chain and branched aliphatics to more polar, water-soluble, oxygen- and sulfur- heteroatomic species were tentatively identified. Methyl- and ethy...
Chemotherapeutic effects of a naphthoquinonimine on infection of mice with Columbia-SK group of viruses.

Summary and ConclusionsThe chemotherapeutic effect of a certain napthoquinonimine (compound Ro 2-3532/1) was studied on the peripheral infection of mice with Col-SK virus, F virus and EMC virus. It was found that a well tolerated single dose of 5 mg of the drug, administered intraperitoneally, was sufficient to protect a high percentage of the mice against infection with multiple paralytic doses of Col-SK or F virus injected simultaneously by the same route. Experiments in which the virus was injected intraperitoneally but the drug subcutaneously showed likewise a definite degree of protection though inferior to that observed when both were given by the same route. Significant protection could also be obtained up to and including 1 hour after intraperitoneal infection with small doses of virus. Experiments in which the drug was tested for its chemotherapeutic action against EMC virus showed only a minimum degree of protection considered to be insignificant. Some attempts were made to analyze the probable ...
Systematic Review of Dietary Interventions Targeting Sleep Behavior

Abstract Objectives: Nearly 9 million Americans use prescription sleep aids to induce or maintain sleep; however, the long-term effects of these medications are unknown. Considering the number of individuals reporting insufficient sleep, nonpharmacologic methods for improving sleep are needed. Design: A systematic review of published studies was conducted to determine the efficacy of nutritional intake as a modality for improving sleep behavior. Inclusion criteria for the review were interventions (both in vivo and in natura), using any quantitative design, employing a dietary intervention as the primary treatment variable, targeting sleep behavior, in nonclinical human populations age 18–50 years. Results: A total of 21 studies (17 in vivo and 4 in natura) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. Conclusions: The evidence for nutrition as treatment modality for improving sleep is mixed. Nearly half of the in vivo trials suggested a significant change in a primary sleep varia...
Out of Death, a Birth

The story of phantom data, of digital specters and data revenants, is a true story. It is a story born from and haunted by death, in which death is made lively through data’s mobility. You could say that it is a hard-boiled ghost story. Focus is on how these data phantoms haunt health information in the USA. Such information is often assumed to be “private data,” as it is produced by patients within digitized healthcare systems, but these data in fact go on to be innovated upon, packaged into new data assets, commodified and traded among data brokers.
Simulating complicated human birth for research and training

We report on the design, testing and implementation of a novel birthing simulator developed specifically to research the delivery process and improve clinical training in uncommon but inevitable complicated human births. The simulator consists of a maternal model and an instrumented fetal model, used in conjunction with an existing force-sensing system and a data-acquisition system. The maternal model includes a bony, rotatable pelvis, flexible legs, and a uterine expulsive system. The fetal model, which can be delivered repeatedly through the maternal model, is instrumented with potentiometers to measure neck extension, rotation and flexion during delivery. Simulation of the brachial plexus within the model fetal neck allows measurement of stretch in those nerves at risk for injury during difficult deliveries. Wooden elements mimic the properties of neonatal bone and can break either spontaneously or purposely. Two methods for measuring clinician-applied force during simulated deliveries provide trainees with real-time assessment of their own traction force and allow researchers to correlate fetal neck motion and nerve stretch parameters with clinician-applied traction. Preliminary testing indicates the system is biofidelic for the final stages of the birthing process, and can be used for training and research in obstetrics.
Mouse model for triple negative breast cancer

B71 Introduction: Recently the triple negative (TNT) breast cancers were found to be especially frequent in young African-American women. TNT does not express the breast cancers markers estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and epidermal growth factor type 2 (Her-2/neu), which are currently used in patient management decisions. These tumors have an unfavorable course and there is no targeted therapy available. They frequently express EGFR and p53 positivity. The molecular events leading to this particularly aggressive breast carcinoma are not fully understood. Objective: To determine the molecular events leading to the development of triple negative invasive tumor cells, we examined the changes of biomarkers in MCF-10A serial cell lines that represent different stages of breast cancer development in vitro and in vivo in xenografted tumors derived from those cell lines.Methods: MCF-10DCIS or MCF-10CA1 tumor cells were inoculated subcutaneously into nude mice for 4 weeks. The mice were treated with an EGFR inhibitor for 4 weeks and tumors from the untreated and treated mice from these cell lines were evaluated for size, harvested and embedded in paraffin. Paraffin tissue sections from representative tumors were examined by histopathological and Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. Results: The xenografted tumors derived from MCF-10DCIS cells contain both DCIS-like architecture and frank invasive tumor areas while the MCF-10CA1 tumors consist entirely of invasive tumor cells. The xenograft tumors derived from MCF-10DCIS cells contain mixed DCIS and invasive tumor areas while the MCF-10CA1 tumors entirely consist of invasive tumor cells. Both MCF-10DCIS and CA1 tumors are negative for ER and PR. In addition, MCF-10DCIS lesions express EGFR (50%), CD44 (85%), Ki-67 (90%), up to 8% p53 positivity and HER-2 (60%). The tumors derived from MCF-10CA1 show a TNT phenotype, and are positive for p53 (20%), EGFR (100%), CD44 (100%) and up to 75% Ki-67 positivity. After treatment the MCF-10DCIS generated tumors with a EGFR inhibitor, Tarceva, for four weeks, about 50 % of tumor growth inhibition was detected in the xenografted tumors. Histological examination showed a 15% decrease in EGFR expression and 5% in CD44, 2% increased p53 expression while the proliferation marker Ki-67 remained basically unchanged. In MCF-10CA1 tumors, Tarceva treatment resulted in 50% reduction in tumor mass, 50% decrease in p53 and 10% decrease in expression of the proliferation marker Ki-67 in the MCF-10CA1 generated tumors. Conclusions: We have developed an animal tumor model that allows for study of the breast tumor biology and development, especially for the determination of the role of triple negative (ER, PR, Her-2) tumor cells in breast cancer progression and resistance to therapy. In addition EGFR and p53 expression in these tumors, similar with TNT breast cancers, makes them well suited for further TNT molecular studies.
Cardiac electrophysiology of patients with spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury is a clinical syndrome encountered frequently in trauma centers and is accompanied by both acute and chronic heart rhythm abnormalities. The injury is characterized by sympathetic nervous system impairment with preservation of parasympathetic output via the vagus nerve. Severe bradycardia in the form of life-threatening sinus arrest or complete heart block may be observed in the acute recovery phase. Therapy for arrhythmias in the acute phase includes atropine, intravenous chronotropes, methylxanthines for the prevention of episodic bradycardia, and pacemaker implantation in severe cases. In the chronic recovery phase, autonomic dysreflexia in the form of paroxysmal hypertension is often induced by visceral organ distension or other stimuli and can be accompanied by bradycardia or tachycardia. The prognosis for survivors of spinal cord injury is expected to improve with further advances in surgical and medical care, and electrophysiologists will likely be called upon more frequently to help manage heart rhythm disorders in this setting.
Understanding Emotional Responses to Mobile Video Advertisements via Physiological Signal Sensing and Facial Expression Analysis

Understanding a target audience's emotional responses to video advertisements is crucial to stakeholders. However, traditional methods for collecting such information are slow, expensive, and coarse-grained. We propose AttentiveVideo, an intelligent mobile interface with corresponding inference algorithms to monitor and quantify the effects of mobile video advertising. AttentiveVideo employs a combination of implicit photoplethysmography (PPG) sensing and facial expression analysis (FEA) to predict viewers' attention, engagement, and sentiment when watching video advertisements on unmodified smartphones. In a 24-participant study, we found that AttentiveVideo achieved good accuracies on a wide range of emotional measures (the best average accuracy = 73.59%, kappa = 0.46 across 9 metrics). We also found that the PPG sensing channel and the FEA technique are complimentary. While FEA works better for strong emotions (e.g., joy and anger), the PPG channel is more informative for subtle responses or emotions. These findings show the potential for both low-cost collection and deep understanding of emotional responses to mobile video advertisements.
Heat transport across a gold nanowire/water interface enhanced by the solution ionic strength

Lithographically fabricated gold nanowires are optically excited with 532nm CW laser and the local temperature change is measured in air, pure water and various concentration aqueous solutions of ionic solutes NaCl, Na2SO4 and MgSO4 using the thermal sensor film of Al0.94Ga0.06N embedded with Er3+ ions. The interface thermal resistance for heat transfer from the excited nanowires into the surrounding liquid is determined from the slopes of the temperature change versus laser intensity plots obtained for the nanowire excitation under various solutions. Addition of ionic solute molecules into the solution decreases the interface thermal resistance and hence leads to increased heat dissipation into the surrounding liquid. Interface thermal resistance decreases exponentially with the ionic strength of solution and saturates around zero for solution ionic strength of 0.3M and higher.
Anonymizing and Sharing Medical Text Records.

Health information technology has increased accessibility of health and medical data and benefited medical research and healthcare management. However, there are rising concerns about patient privacy in sharing medical and healthcare data. A large amount of these data are in free text form. Existing techniques for privacy-preserving data sharing deal largely with structured data. Current privacy approaches for medical text data focus on detection and removal of patient identifiers from the data, which may be inadequate for protecting privacy or preserving data quality. We propose a new systematic approach to extract, cluster, and anonymize medical text records. Our approach integrates methods developed in both data privacy and health informatics fields. The key novel elements of our approach include a recursive partitioning method to cluster medical text records based on the similarity of the health and medical information and a value-enumeration method to anonymize potentially identifying information in ...
Plato’s Philosophical Politics

This paper suggests an alternative account of the political character of Plato’s political philosophy. After pointing toward some problems of the common developmental paradigm, which emphasizes discontinuities between Plato’s Socratic early writings, the mature utopianism of the Republic, and the late pessimism of the Laws, it proposes that Plato’s two large constructive works, the Republic and Laws, are related to two actual historical events in which Plato played a role, the trial of Socrates and Plato’s failed intervention in Sicilian politics. On this view, the Republic is to the Apology of Socrates as the Laws is to the Seventh Letter. The Republic is an imaginative reconstruction of the sort of defense of philosophy under more favorable conditions than obtained in the actual trial; the Laws is an imaginative reconstruction of the sort of political reform that Plato advocated under more favorable conditions than obtained in Syracuse under Dionysius II. The paper suggests this as the basis of a unified interpretation of Plato’s political philosophy.
A Tribute to Janice Glime—A Stalwart Contributor to Bryology

We are very happy to dedicate this book to Janice M. Glime, Professor Emerita at Michigan Technological University. Her name is probably familiar to more bryologists around the world that any other. This is largely a result of her management (since 1996) of Bryonet (bryonet-L@mtu.edu), a wonderful bryophyte email discussion and news blog. Under Janice’s management, Bryonet subscribers grew from about 170 in 1996 to 1,379 members as of March 2017 (http://iab-bryologists-website.blogspot.com/p/past.html). Bryonet was originally established by Swedish bryologist Gillis Een in 1991 and then managed by Jan-Peter Frahm from 1991–1996. Under Janice’s management, Bryonet has flourished and provides a key resource to graduate students and biologists from many continents, allowing persons to find sources, identify specimens, have questions answered, and have serious conversations on a variety of questions and methods related to bryophytes. She was also a long-time IAB Council member and its president from 2005–2009. In addition, Janice (pronounced Janeece) has been and continues to compose a comprehensive treatise on Bryophyte Ecology, (digitalcommons.mtu.edu/bryophyte-ecology/). Details are updated regularly with new information that anyone can download. This is the only textbook-style treatment that is available for beginning classes in bryology and thanks to Janice is available free on the internet.
Black-box reductions in mechanism design

A central question in algorithmic mechanism design is to understand the additional difficulty introduced by truthfulness requirements in the design of approximation algorithms for social welfare maximization. In this paper, by studying the problem of single-parameter combinatorial auctions, we obtain the first black-box reduction that converts any approximation algorithm to a truthful mechanism with essentially the same approximation factor in a prior-free setting. In fact, our reduction works for the more general class of symmetric single-parameter problems. Here, a problem is symmetric if its allocation space is closed under permutations. As extensions, we also take an initial step towards exploring the power of black-box reductions for general single-parameter and multi-parameter problems by showing several positive and negative results. We believe that the algorithmic and game theoretic insights gained from our approach will help better understand the tradeoff between approximability and the incentive compatibility.
Diabetes and Trajectories of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate: A Prospective Cohort Analysis of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

OBJECTIVE Long-term kidney disease trajectories in persons with and without diabetes in a general population are largely uncharacterized. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We classified 15,517 participants in the community-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study by diabetes status at baseline (1987–1989; no diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, and diagnosed diabetes). We used linear mixed models with random intercepts and slopes to quantify estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) trajectories at four visits over 26 years. RESULTS Adjusted mean eGFR decline over the full study period among participants without diabetes was −1.4 mL/min/1.73 m 2 /year (95% CI −1.5 to −1.4); with undiagnosed diabetes was −1.8 mL/min/1.73 m 2 /year (95% CI −2.0 to −1.7) (difference vs. no diabetes, P 2 /year (95% CI −2.6 to −2.4) (difference vs. no diabetes, P APOL1 high-risk genotype, systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg, insulin use, and higher HbA 1c . CONCLUSIONS Diabetes is an important risk factor for kidney function decline. Those with diagnosed diabetes declined almost twice as rapidly as those without diabetes. Among people with diagnosed diabetes, steeper declines were seen in those with modifiable risk factors, including hypertension and glycemic control, suggesting areas for continued targeting in kidney disease prevention.
Exosome-mediated amplification of endogenous brain repair mechanisms and brain and systemic organ interaction in modulating neurological outcome after stroke:

Ischemic stroke is caused by a regional interruption of cerebral blood flow to the brain. Rigorous pre-clinical and clinical research has made landmark progress in stroke treatment using thrombolytics and endovascular thrombectomy. Although numerous successful neuroprotective therapeutic agents for ischemic stroke have been reported in pre-clinical studies, most of them failed in clinical testing. Persistent pre-clinical research has demonstrated that the ischemic brain is not only passively dying but is also actively recovering. Within the neurovascular niche in the peri-infarct tissue, repair mechanisms thrive on the interactions between the neural and vascular compartments. In this review, we discuss exogenous therapy using mesenchymal stromal cell-derived exosomes to amplify endogenous brain repair mechanisms and to induce neurorestorative effects after stroke. Emerging evidence indicates that multiple communication axes between the various organs such as the brain, heart, kidney and gut, and whole body immune response mediated by the spleen can also affect stroke outcome. Therefore, in this review, we summarize this evidence and initiate a discussion on the potential to improve stroke outcome by amplifying multiple brain repair mechanisms after stroke, and by targeting peripheral organs and downstream events to enhance recovery in the injured brain and promote over all well being.
Normal Cardiac Anatomy and Common Views

There is no universally accepted imaging protocol for point-of-care cardiac ultrasound. Image acquisition and interpretation skills of the examiner are crucial in order to diagnose common conditions and comprehend the limitations of the approach [1]. Certain imaging views are easier to obtain (such as parasternal and subcostal views), others need more expertise (such as apical views), and certain techniques require comprehensive training (such as color and spectral Doppler) [2]. The following abnormalities can be accurately detected using point of care cardiac ultrasound: left ventricular enlargement, hypertrophy, and systolic dysfunction; right ventricular enlargement and dysfunction; pericardial effusion; and elevated central venous pressure [3]. Correct quantification of the detected abnormalities requires comprehensive echocardiography. The current chapter (Figs. 16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.4, 16.5, 16.6, 16.7, 16.8, 16.9, 16.10, 16.11, 16.12, 16.13, and 16.14; Videos 16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.4, 16.5, 16.6, 16.7, and 16.8; and Table 16.1) reviews some common views that can be obtained and interpreted during point of care ultrasound examination.
Ramanujan: An Estimation

Srinivasa Ramanujan, one of greatest mathematicians in history, made path-breaking contributions without any formal education, and undeterred by poverty and hardships. Ramanujan’s accomplishments are compared with those of certain mathematical luminaries who in their own way faced tremendous difficulties in life, yet made revolutionary contributions.
A23 Session 7: Advances in Thermal Medicine

A number of nanoparticle drug delivery systems are available for heat- or cold-mediated local drug delivery. One example currently in clinical trials includes Temperature-sensitive liposomes (TSL), which release their contents in response to localized hyperthermia above ∼40 °C. This presentation describes advantages and disadvantages of this targeted drug delivery strategy, explains the drug transport kinetics, and identifies relevant properties of drug and nanoparticle that affect delivery. Further, specific devices for heat-activated drug delivery are reviewed, including tumor ablation devices currently in clinical use. One particularly elegant method of localized tissue heating is via high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). HIFU focuses ultrasound with mm accuracy into deep tissue regions to locally heat tissue non-invasively, while MR thermometry allows monitoring of tissue temperature during HIFU. Computational models and corroborating animal studies of the HIFU + TSL approach are presented showing the ability to facilitate locally targeted drug delivery. To monitor amount and location of drug delivery, TSL can be loaded with contras t agents that allow real-time monitoring under MR imaging. Thermally activated nanoparticles thus have the potential to become a clinically relevant drug delivery system for loco-regional cancer treatment.
Respiratory Failure in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive neuromuscular disease characterized by both lower motor neuron and upper motor neuron dysfunction. Although clinical presentations can vary, there is no cure for ALS, and the disease is universally terminal, with most patients dying of respiratory complications. Patients die, on average, within 3 to 5 years of diagnosis, unless they choose to undergo tracheostomy, in which case, they may live, on average, 2 additional years. Up to 95% of patients with ALS in the United States choose not to undergo tracheostomy; management of respiratory failure is therefore aimed at both prolonging survival as well as improving quality of life. Standard of care for patients with ALS includes treatment from multidisciplinary teams, but many patients do not have consistent access to a pulmonary physician who regularly sees patients with this disease. The goal of this review was to serve as an overview of respiratory considerations in the management of ALS. This article discusses noninvasive ventilation in the management of respiratory muscle weakness, mechanical insufflation/exsufflation devices for airway clearance, and treatment of aspiration, including timing of placement of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube, as well as secretion management. In addition, it is important for physicians to consider end-of-life issues such as advanced directives, hospice referral, and ventilator withdrawal.
Magnetic graphene oxide-nano zero valent iron (GO–nZVI) nanohybrids synthesized using biocompatible cross-linkers for methylene blue removal

GO and nZVI have been used for removing different contaminants from aqueous solution; however, difficulty in the separation of GO, and the aggregation propensity of nZVI particles prevent them from having efficient practical applications. In this study, a green synthesis method was performed to prepare nanohybrids of GO and nZVI to provide an adsorbent with high adsorption efficiency that can be removed from aqueous solution easily by magnetic separation. GO–nZVI nanohybrids were synthesized by using biocompatible cross linkers named 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). The effect of the nZVI ratio in the synthesized nanohybrids was studied at three different ratios of GO : nZVI, 1 : 1, 1 : 5 and 1 : 10. SEM/EDS, HRTEM, STEM/EDS, XRD, Raman, FTIR, and TGA analyses were conducted to provide physical and chemical properties of the adsorbents. The performance of nZVI and GO–nZVI nanohybrids as an adsorbent have been studied for methylene blue (MB) removal from an aqueous solution with an initial concentration of 12 mg L−1 at adsorbent dosages of 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 mg mL−1. Results indicated that GO–nZVI (1 : 5) provided the highest MB removal (99.1%) by using 10 mL of the 1 mg mL−1 adsorbent. After regeneration of the GO–nZVI (1 : 5) nanohybrids with ethanol, 84.3%, 67.2%, and 63.0% of MB removal were achieved in the first to third regeneration cycle. Results also showed that the GO–nZVI nanohybrids were not affected by aggregation compared to nZVI.
Managing and Improving Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Programs: A Practical Guide for Librarians

Many people who have completed graduate degrees will likely have written a thesis or dissertation as a requirement for graduation. Since the late 1990s, these documents are likely to have been “bor...
Exercise Interventions in Patients with Diabetes and Peripheral Artery Disease

Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is defined by atherosclerotic obstruction of arteries supplying the lower extremities. PAD affects 8.5 million people in the United States and more than 200 million people worldwide. PAD will be increasingly common as the population survives longer with chronic disease. Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for PAD. People with PAD have significantly impaired walking endurance, increased rates of functional decline, and higher rates of disability compared to those without PAD. Functional impairment is even greater in people with PAD who have diabetes mellitus, compared to those without diabetes. Improving walking performance and preventing functional decline are major therapeutic goals for people with PAD and diabetes mellitus. Supervised treadmill exercise and home-based walking exercise programs that incorporate behavioral change methods have each been shown to significantly improve walking endurance in patients with PAD. This review summarizes current evidence regarding beneficial effects of specific exercise therapies for patients with PAD and diabetes mellitus. Practical information is provided for successful implementation of walking exercise programs for people with PAD and diabetes mellitus.
Nitrogen-containing derivatives of O-tetramethylquercetin: Synthesis and biological profiles in prostate cancer cell models.

Abstract Forty-eight nitrogen-containing quercetin derivatives were synthesized from readily available rutin or quercetin for the in vitro evaluation of their biological profiles. The WST-1 cell proliferation assay data indicate that thirty-nine out of the forty-eight derivatives possess significantly improved antiproliferative potency as compared with quercetin and fisetin, as well as the parent 3,3′,4′,7-O-tetramethylquercetin toward both androgen-sensitive (LNCaP) and androgen-insensitive (PC-3 and DU145) human prostate cancer cell lines. 5-O-Aminoalkyl-3,3′,4′,7-O-tetramethylquercetins were established as a better scaffold for further development as anti-prostate cancer agents. Among them, 5-O-(N,N-dibutylamino)propyl-3,3′,4′,7-O-tetramethylquercetin (44) was identified as the optimal derivative with IC50 values of 0.55–2.82 µM, being over 35–182 times more potent than quercetin. The flow cytometry-based assays further demonstrate that 44 effectively activates PC-3 cell apoptosis.
Model Refinement for Terrain Responsive Planning on a Dynamic Running Quadruped

Running legged robots present several challenges when motion planning, these challenges often stem from the difficulty in predicting motion due to the innate complexity of the mechanical system, persistent effects of terrain and foot-ground interactions. While reasonable approximations of the inherent motion models of the Ghost Robotics Minitaur platform can be learned through data-driven approaches, system mechanical robustness and the requisite experimental time discourages running a full battery of experiments to determine a unique model for each considered terrain. This paper discusses the development of turning maneuvers on the quadruped robot Minitaur and the approach taken to adapt a learned model for new terrains. The prediction model was generated through data collected in indoor experiments using a VICON motion capture system and adapted through use of a correction factor for new terrains. Resulting motion planning differences show that the addition of this factor improves the planning model and reduces the computational burden of replanning.
Biodegradable alginate hydrogel bait delivery system effectively controls high-density populations of Argentine ant in commercial citrus

The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr), poses a significant economic threat to citrus production in southern California. Broad-spectrum insecticide sprays provide poor ant control and present a hazard to human and environmental health. Liquid sucrose bait infused with a low concentration of insecticide is an effective alternative treatment but current approaches require considerable economic investment in plastic dispensers and continual maintenance. To produce a baiting product for control of L. humile suitable for large-scale application, a biodegradable, broadcastable alginate hydrogel for delivery of aqueous low-dose thiamethoxam sucrose bait was developed and evaluated in replicated field trials in commercial citrus groves. Ant activity was significantly reduced in hydrogel-treated trees. Peak L. humile suppression was achieved 48 h following the final hydrogel disbursement, with an estimated 91% reduction in activity from baseline estimates and a 17-fold lower activity in treated trees in comparison with untreated trees. Significant residual activity of the hydrogel treatments was recorded, with a nearly 70% reduction from pre-treatment levels persisting at least 3 weeks after the last application. We conclude that alginate hydrogels can provide excellent control of L. humile while deploying 99.99% less insecticide into orchards than commercial barrier spray treatments.
Harvey Cushing’s Wanderjahr (1900-1901)

Harvey Cushing's 14-month Wanderjahr had a profound effect on his subsequent personal career, which in turn ushered in the modern age of American neurosurgery. From July 1900 to August 1901, he traveled to European neurosurgical centers in England, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany. His excursion happened at a crucial moment in his trajectory; it was built on his existing foundation of Halstedian surgical training and occurred at a time when interest in the special field of neurological surgery was emerging. The research and clinical experiences on his journey-good and bad-undoubtedly informed his fledgling neurosurgical practice. We present a concise account of Harvey Cushing's time in Europe that consolidates accounts from Cushing's travel journals, biographers, and other neurosurgeons. This article highlights tensions in prior works and reveals new insights into the transformative nature of his Wanderjahr. Furthermore, we contextualize his travels and achievements within the broader transformation of American medical education at the turn of the 20th century to elucidate how Europe influenced American medicine. We briefly consider parallel benefits of Harvey Cushing's Wanderjahr and modern domestic or international training opportunities and present potential areas of implementation.
Ocular involvement in recurrent infectious mucocutaneous eruption (RIME): a variation on a theme.

We present 2 cases of pediatric patients with reactive infectious mucocutaneous eruption with ophthalmic involvement. In both cases, the disease processes behaved similarly to that seen in patients with Mycoplasma pneumoniae-induced rash and mucositis. Visual outcomes were good.
Chordomas and Chondrosarcomas of the Skull Base: Transpetrosal Approaches

Abstract Skull base chordomas and chondrosarcomas are often approached anteriorly but with tumor extension posterolateral to the intrapetrous carotid artery, or intradural posterior fossa extension, lateral approaches afford improved access and/or reduce morbidity. The lateral approaches to skull base chordomas and chondrosarcomas include transpetrosal (retrolabyrinthine, translabyrinthine, or transcochlear), transjugular, far lateral approach to foramen magnum, and combined approaches (middle fossa and transpetrosal; transpetrosal and far lateral approach to foramen magnum; and subtemporal transpetrous apex). Combination of middle fossa and retrolabyrinthine approaches can avoid the hearing loss resulting from translabyrinthine or transcochlear approaches. Fallopian bridge technique in transjugular approaches can avoid facial nerve rerouting and resulting weakness. Since survival benefits accrue to greater degrees of resection of skull base chordomas and chondrosarcomas, it is important to have a multidisciplinary team to determine the optimal approach(es) for access and cytoreduction while minimizing morbidity.
Investigating the role of group-based morality in extreme behavioral expressions of prejudice.

Understanding motivations underlying acts of hatred are essential for developing strategies to prevent such extreme behavioral expressions of prejudice (EBEPs) against marginalized groups. In this work, we investigate the motivations underlying EBEPs as a function of moral values. Specifically, we propose EBEPs may often be best understood as morally motivated behaviors grounded in people’s moral values and perceptions of moral violations. As evidence, we report five studies that integrate spatial modeling and experimental methods to investigate the relationship between moral values and EBEPs. Our results, from these U.S. based studies, suggest that moral values oriented around group preservation are predictive of the county-level prevalence of hate groups and associated with the belief that extreme behavioral expressions of prejudice against marginalized groups are justified. Additional analyses suggest that the association between group-based moral values and EBEPs against outgroups can be partly explained by the belief that these groups have done something morally wrong. Understanding motivations underlying acts of hatred are essential for developing strategies to prevent such acts against marginalized groups. Here the authors show that group-based moral values are associated with tendency to justify extreme behavioural expressions of prejudice.
Self-Management Model fails to Predict Quality of Life for People Living with Dual Diagnosis of HIV and Diabetes.

The objective of this study was to test a self-management model for self-management in people living with HIV and type 2 diabetes (PLWH + T2DM). We conducted a predictive, longitudinal study of data from a national research cohort of PLWH using lag analysis to test short- and long-term health outcomes for PLWH + T2DM. We used a dataset from the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Network of Integrated Clinic Systems (CNICS), a nation-wide research network of 8 clinics that serves PLWH. Patient-reported outcomes, collected at clinic visit, included depression, adherence, CD4 cell count, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We computed summary statistics to describe the sample. Using lag analysis, we then modeled the three variables of adherence, CD4 count, and HRQoL as a function of their predecessors in our conceptual model. In the final model, an increase of in medication adherence corresponded to a small increase in HRQoL. An increase in CD4 count corresponded to a small increase in HRQoL. An increase in lagged depression was associated with a small decrease in HRQoL. The model was not sufficient to predict short- or long-term outcomes in PLWH + T2DM. Although depression had a moderate impact, the final model was not clinically significant. For people with a dual diagnosis of HIV and T2DM, variables other than those traditionally addressed in self-management interventions may be more important.
Evaluation of distal radial artery cross-sectional internal diameter in neonates and infants by ultrasound and adequate selection of an intra-arterial catheter size

Background Radial artery catheterization in neonates, infants, and young children is a common and useful invasive procedure that brings technical placement challenges and potential complications due to the small diameter size of the radial artery in these patients. The aim of this study is to determine appropriate catheter sizes in infants up to 6 months of age. Materials and methods A total of fifty infants undergoing general anesthesia or hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit were included. Images of the radial artery diameter were obtained from the infant's wrist using Philips EPIQ Diagnostic Ultrasound System CVX Release 4.0. All images obtained were distal in the forearm, medial to the border of the styloid process of the radius, at the point of maximal impulse of the radial artery, and with the wrist at a 45-degree angle position. We recorded postmenstrual age, chronological age, gender, weight, location, comorbidities, medications, weight, and vital signs of each individual. Results In this single cohort study of 50 children whose ages ranged from 0 to 6 months chronological age, their radial artery diameters were averaged proportionally to their weight and age. Use of a 22G catheter would result in 100% occlusion of the diameter of the artery in most study subjects. Use of a 24G catheter would result in a range of 75%-99% occlusion depending on weight, postmenstrual age, and chronological age of the infants. Conclusions In view of these findings, we recommend using US to measure the diameter of the radial artery and choose the most appropriate catheter size before proceeding with US-guidance for radial artery cannulation in infants. This will prevent inappropriate sizing of the catheter and the thrombotic complications this can incur.