cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Congenital cervical spine fusion and airway management : a case series of Klippel-Feil syndrome

Abstract Study Objective To determine the ideal airway management modalities in general anesthesia for pediatric patients with Klippel-Feil syndrome, a disorder that is characterized by abnormalities of the cervical spine and craniofacial structures that may impede successful airway management. Design Retrospective review of electronic anesthesia database. Setting University hospital. Measurements The electronic charts of 10 pediatric patients with Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) who received treatment at our institution from 2005 to 2007 were reviewed with a focus on diagnosis, level of lesion, comorbid diseases, age, procedure, history of perioperative difficulties, and airway management during general anesthesia. Main Results A total of 10 pediatric patients, 6 girls and 4 boys, underwent 11 procedures from 2005 to 2007. Average age was 11 (range, 4-16 yrs). Six patients were ASA physical status II and 4 were ASA physical status III. Four patients had spinal fusion, 6 underwent magnetic resonance imaging, and one patient underwent removal of halo hardware. Eight patients had undergone previous surgeries; of the 8, one patient had a history of difficult intubation. Six patients underwent tracheal intubations, 4 had a Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA; Orthovent Intafix, Maidenhead, UK) placed, and one had mask ventilation with an oral airway. Of 6 tracheal intubations, 5 were achieved on the first or second attempt without difficulty. Three had grade 1 laryngoscopic views; only one patient needed fiberoptic intubation. Because the fiberoptic intubation took several attempts, it was noted as a difficult intubation in the chart. All LMAs were placed without difficulty, and the cases were uneventful. Conclusions The airways of individuals with KFS may be successfully managed in a variety of ways, often with little degree of difficulty.
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy after operative procedures on the lumbar spine

Between July 1987 and April 1991, reflex sympathetic dystrophy developed in eleven patients after a posterior operation on the lumbar spine. The average age of the patients was forty-four years (range, twenty-eight to sixty years). The preoperative diagnosis had been lumbar spondylolisthesis or lumbar instability, associated with degenerative disc disease or with osteoarthrosis of a facet joint. Ten patients had posterior stabilization with bilateral arthrodesis and interpedicular fixation, with use of plates or screws; the remaining patient had a posterior hemilaminotomy of the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae, partial discectomy, and foraminal decompression of the fifth lumbar-nerve root. After the operation, all patients had burning pain, vasomotor dysfunction, and dystrophic changes in the lower limb and foot; in four patients, the symptoms were bilateral. The symptoms began four days to twenty weeks after the operation. The patients were followed for nine months to four years. Treatment was most successful in four of six patients who had had at least one nerve-block of the sympathetic lumbar trunk in addition to physiotherapy.
Assessing the antimicrobial activity of zinc oxide thin films using disk diffusion and biofilm reactor

The electronic and chemical properties of semiconductor materials may be useful in preventing growth of microorganisms. In this article, in vitro methods for assessing microbial growth on semiconductor materials will be presented. The structural and biological properties of silicon wafers coated with zinc oxide thin films were evaluated using atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and MTT viability assay. The antimicrobial properties of zinc oxide thin films were established using disk diffusion and CDC Biofilm Reactor studies. Our results suggest that zinc oxide and other semiconductor materials may play a leading role in providing antimicrobial functionality to the next-generation medical devices.
Improved resolution of reflections from the crystalline upper crust

Summary. Use of higher frequencies and a careful selection of the other data acquisition parameters can significantly enhance the resolution obtained in reflection seismic CDP profiling in hard rock terranes. Experiments with a 20–80 Hz non-linear vibroseis sweep near the projected ADCOH site reveal that the wave-field reflected from the upper crust contains frequencies spanning the entire source spectrum even in the presence of a weathered layer of saprolite. Attenuation of higher frequencies and the severe distortion produced by the ‘notch’ filter for line-frequency necessitate some pre-processing spectral shaping. The operations are linear and yield, as a by-product, an estimate of the average ‘Q’ for the section - about 250 in the present case.
Sleep, Memory Maintenance, and Mental Disorders

Memory circuits of the brain are activated by self-generated brain waves, primarily during sleep. These activations refresh the efficacies (strengths) of synapses in affected circuits, maintaining the efficacies at the "dedicated" values that support circuit functions. The neural pathologies underlying many mental disorders appear to exert their deleterious influences by inducing abnormalities in brain waves. The abnormal waves, in turn, fail to sustain dedicated synaptic efficacies in memory circuits, leading to mental malfunction. Dreaming is an "unconscious" awareness of circuit reinforcement during sleep, with dream contents being derived from the activated circuits. When synaptic efficacies are degraded, the dreams are illusory.
Marked genetic divergence among sky island populations of Sedum lanceolatum (Crassulaceae) in the Rocky Mountains

Climate change during the Quaternary played an important role in the differentiation and evolution of plants. A prevailing hypothesis is that alpine and arctic species survived glacial periods in refugia at the periphery of glaciers. Though the Rocky Mountains, south of the southernmost extent of continental ice, served as an important glacial refuge, little is known about how climate cycles influenced populations within this region. We inferred the phylogeography of Sedum lanceolatum (Crassulaceae) within the Rocky Mountain refugium to assess how this high-elevation plant responded to glacial cycles. We sequenced 884 base pairs (bp) of cpDNA intergenic spacers (tRNA-L to tRNA-F and tRNA-S to tRNA-G) for 333 individuals from 18 alpine populations. Our highly variable markers allowed us to infer that populations persisted across the latitudinal range throughout the climate cycles, exhibited significant genetic structure, and experienced cycles of range expansion and fragmentation. Genetic differentiation in S. lanceolatum was most likely a product of short-distance elevational migration in response to climate change, low seed dispersal, and vegetative reproduction. To the extent that Sedum is a good model system, paleoclimatic cycles were probably a major factor preserving genetic variation and promoting divergence in high-elevation flora of the Rocky Mountains.
Test results of a resonant integrated microbeam sensor (RIMS) for acoustic emission monitoring

An acoustic emission (AE) sensor has been developed by Honeywell Technology Center for avionics, industrial control, and military applications. The AE sensor design is based on an integrated silicon microstructure, a resonant microbeam with micron-level feature size, and frequency sensitivity up to 500 kHz. The AE sensor has been demonstrated successfully in the laboratory test environment to sense and characterize a simulated AE even for structural fatigue crack monitoring applications. The technical design approach and laboratory test results are presented.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Holding the shop together: German industrial relations in the postwar era

This book examines the course of industrial relations in Germany since the war but, given the long-standing role of the state, necessarily reaches back a little beyond 1945. Its main title may soun...
CONFORMATION DEPENDENT FUNCTION OF CARBOXYPEPTIDASE A

Publisher Summary The determination of the amino acid sequence and the tertiary structure of the enzyme by Neurath and Lipscomb and their collaborators greatly advanced knowledge in the field. As a result, the approaches to the studies of its mode of action have altered significantly, and recent reviews have focused on the integration of the emerging structural information with existent knowledge of its function. A major emphasis was placed on the perspective given by the structure. Moreover, most current views of the nature of the substrate complex of this enzyme and its role in catalysis have derived from X-ray structure analysis of that of the crystals with glycyl-L-tyrosine, a substrate that is hydrolyzed very slowly and binds in both productive and nonproductive modes. Model-building experiments have subsequently enlarged upon the analytical data obtained with this system. This chapter discusses the physical state dependence of catalytic activity and presents the general conclusions from the kinetic studies of carboxypeptidase crystals and solutions. It also presents chemical modifications for the visualization of the active site of carboxypeptidase and its conformation.
R. J. B ARENDSE , The Arabian Seas: The Indian Ocean World of the Seventeenth Century , Asia and the Pacific (London: M. E. Sharpe, 2002). Pp. 604. $34.95

This is a frustrating book. It is frustrating because the author, R. J. Barendse, has clearly undertaken an enormous amount of archival research, including extensive work in the Dutch archives, which, for linguistic reasons, have not been sufficiently exploited. His sources provide a wealth of colorful vignettes from the world of trade in the 17th century. The trip from Mosul to Basra, for example, “led through barren deserts, where the single sound was the distant wail of hyenas. No other human beings were seen for days; sometimes on the far horizon appeared campfires” (p. 44). Or the trials and tribulations of a Turkish merchant named Nasr Ali Cagasi who went to Samarkand to buy rhubarb for a Dutch merchant. When he went bankrupt, the Dutch East India Company threw him in jail to force him to pay his debts. Finally, they released him since no one came forward to provide bail; he had to labor as a domestic servant instead (p. 157). Yet the wealth of detail in the book is not presented within a coherent framework. Indeed, organization of the material is so lacking that it is exhausting to read.
Misinformed Voters and the Politics of the Slippery Slope

Reform opponents often argue that beneficial reforms should be rejected, just in case implementation leads the polity down the slippery slope (of implementing additional reforms) that ends at an outcome that is worse than the status quo. What rationalizes this fear of policy overshooting its target? In the context of public goods provision, I explain the slippery slope sentiment as the consequence of manipulation by some informed voters, of the beliefs of misinformed voters who systematically undervalue the public good. Inefficiently under-providing the public good reduces the opportunities for the misinformed to learn the true value of the good, which suppresses aggregate demand for the good. This incentive to distort is larger when the income of the pivotal voter is further from the median income, and exists even when the number of misinformed are small. Using an inequality measure that is analogous to, but distinct from, Lorenz dominance, I show that slippery slope inefficiencies are more likely to arise when inequality increases.
Consideration of Economical and Socio-Psychological Factors in the Implementation of Computer-Aided Manufacturing:

For the successful implementation of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), management should plan in advance and involve all the people concerned to develop a “consensus” toward a common goal. The management should explain to the workers the advantages of CAM: job security through competitive strength, easier and safer work, a longer working life and better pay. Develop a sound company labor policy to provide “psychological security” through guaranteed job security, pay, job status and seniority. Provide a continuous training program to update workers skills for dealing with CAM.
The Improvement of the Aero-Optical Environment of a Hemisphere-on-Cylinder Turret using Vortex Generators

Aero-optical mitigation effect of a passive flow control device consisted of a pair of deltawing vortex generators placed on both sides near a hemisphere-on-cylinder turret was experimentally studied in-flight aboard the Airborne Aero-Optics Laboratory (AAOL) at different subsonic speeds. The optical environment was characterized with a 2D high speed Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. Wavefronts were acquired at a variety of viewing angles for both flat and conformal window turrets. Flight data were compared to both tunnel data and CFD simulations to give insight into how vortex generators alter the flow field around the turret for potential improvement of the aero-optical performance. In CFD simulations the vortex generators were shown to move the necklace vortex away from the turret and horn vortices were modified. Vortical generators were shown to reduce OPDRMS for a range of back-looking viewing angles.
Monitoring results of water from rural drinking water safety project in Renhe District of Panzhihua City before and after the severe drought

[Objective]To learn the status and change trend of water quality from rural drinking water safety project(RDWSP) in Renhe District of Panzhihua City after the drought,to prevent and control waterborne diseases outbreak,and provide scientific basis for drought relief.[Methods] According to the " Quality Monitoring Program of Rural Drinking Water Safety Project " of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention,an investigation on RDWSP in Renhe District was performed before the drought(2010) and after drougt(2012) respectively.Samples were collected from the project of finished water and tap water to detect in the wet period and dry period,respectively.[Results] The population coverage rate of the centralized water supply in rural areas was 45.45% after drought.The main source type of RDWSP was surface water(67.86%) and 85.71% of water from RDWSP was treated..The engineering quality qualified rate was 32.14% in 2012,and the qualified rates of the finished water and tap water in the dry season and wet season of 2012(not including the sterilization index) were significantly better than those in 2010(P 0.01).But the coverage rate of tap water rate was still not high,complete treatment rate was low,the qualified rates of the engineering quality,abundant water and tap of wet period were low.The disinfection-related indicators and microbiological index was the bottleneck for water quality determination.[Conclusion]To strengthen health management and protection of surface water,to add the necessary equipment,to improve the water treatment processes and the implementation of disinfection measures,to carry out daily self detection and make a risk assessment of RDWSP timely after drought are the comprehensive measures to further improve the qualified rate and to ensure the safety of water from RDWSP after drought.
Scanning electron microscopy of adult head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) with focus on clinical implications.

Antecedents : L'incidence des infestations de poux de tete en Amerique du Nord est en croissance, le nombre de cas estimes etant de 12 millions par an. Objectifs : Mettre en evidence certaines caracteristiques du pou de tete, comme ses pattes adaptees en pinces, ses antennes avec perceptions sensorielles et ses spiracles permettant les echanges d'oxygene. Methodes : Examen au microscope electronique a balayage du pou de tete. Resultats : Les nouveaux traitements proposes doivent tenir compte des mecanismes de defense fondes sur la structure anatomique et les caracteres physiologiques du pou de tete, les details de la transmission des poux et la capacite de l'insecte de ressusciter apres une pseudo-mort. Conclusions : Il est essentiel de comprendre le pou de tete pour trouver de nouveaux moyens d'endiguer l'epidemie.
Indexing and Querying Techniques for Moving Objects in Both Euclidean Space and Road Network

Abstract Location-dependent query is a service that enables users to acquire real-time location-dependent information on mobile objects. This type of service is challenged by the size and volatility of the underlying data. This challenge has created the need for new methods that allow users to efficiently access, retrieve, and update volatile mobile object data. Motivated by this necessity, this chapter explores and discusses research challenges and issues regarding indexing and querying mobile data. The support for predictive queries on road-network constrained mobile objects is a major deficiency in the existing research. This chapter also presents performance evaluation on some solutions of indexing mobile objects as well as their supported predictive queries under the road-network constraints.
Novel Piperazino-Enaminones Suppress Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines and Inhibit Chemokine Receptor CCR2

Pro-inflammatory mediators including TNF-alpha, IL-6, and nitric oxide are important for the regulation of the immune response when an infection is present, but when overproduced, it can be responsible for the development of tissue and organ injury seen in sepsis, as well as severe asthma, and autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Data from our lab to characterize the novel compound enaminone E121 have suggested that macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) release significantly decreased levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as compared to the DMSO control group. Additionally, functional experiments in a mouse model of asthma have shown that E121 is efficacious in decreasing airway hyperresponsiveness. A new set of compounds synthesized in our lab (JODI) have an N-aryl piperazino motif incorporated on the aromatic side of the enaminone pharmacophore. It was hypothesized that this would enhance their immunosuppressive activity as anti-inflammatory agents by also acting as a chemokine receptor antagonist. Our studies suggest that JODI appears to suppress TNF-alpha and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner. The JODI compounds were also more effective in reducing TNF-alpha after LPS stimulation when compared to dexamethasone. Lastly, studies using MCP-1 suggest that the JODI compounds, and not E121, are able to block CCR2 signaling as evidenced by decreased total ERK1/2. These studies indicate that E121 and its corresponding piperazino analogs could act as strong anti-inflammatory agents in asthma or other autoimmunities where efficacious therapeutic options are needed.
Isotope scattering and phonon thermal conductivity in light atom compounds: LiH and LiF

Engineered isotope variation is a pathway toward modulating lattice thermal conductivity (\ensuremath{\kappa}) of a material through changes in phonon-isotope scattering. The effects of isotope variation on intrinsic thermal resistance is little explored, as varying isotopes have relatively small differences in mass and thus do not affect bulk phonon dispersions. However, for light elements, isotope mass variation can be relatively large (e.g., hydrogen and deuterium). Using a first principles Peierls-Boltzmann transport equation approach, the effects of isotope variance on lattice thermal transport in ultra-low-mass compound materials LiH and LiF are characterized. The isotope mass variance modifies the intrinsic thermal resistance via modulation of acoustic and optic phonon frequencies, while phonon-isotope scattering from mass disorder plays only a minor role. This leads to some unusual cases where \ensuremath{\kappa} values of isotopically pure systems (${}^{6}\mathrm{LiH}{,}^{7}\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{i}}^{2}\mathrm{H}$, and ${}^{6}\mathrm{LiF}$) are lower than the values from their counterparts with naturally occurring isotopes and phonon-isotope scattering. However, these \ensuremath{\kappa} differences are relatively small. The effects of temperature-driven lattice expansion on phonon dispersions and calculated \ensuremath{\kappa} are also discussed. This paper provides insight into lattice thermal conductivity modulation with mass variation and the interplay of intrinsic phonon-phonon and phonon-isotope scattering in interesting light atom systems.
A Magic Spot in Genome Maintenance

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is the key DNA repair system that eliminates the majority of DNA helix-distorting lesions. RNA polymerase (RNAP) expedites the recognition of DNA damage by NER components via transcription-coupled DNA repair (TCR). In bacteria, a modified nucleotide ppGpp (‘magic spot') is a pleiotropic second messenger that mediates the response to nutrient deficiencies by altering the initiation properties of RNAP. In this review, we discuss newly elucidated roles of guanosine 5′-diphosphate 3′-diphosphate (ppGpp) in transcription elongation that couple this alarmone to DNA damage repair and maintenance.
Immunological alteration & toxic molecular inductions leading to cognitive impairment & neurotoxicity in transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract Aims Inflammation is considered to be one of the crucial pathological factors associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease, although supportive experimental evidence remains undiscovered. Therefore, the current study was carried out to better understand and establish the pathophysiological involvement of chronic inflammation in a double transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Main methods We analyzed amyloid-beta deposition, oxidative stress, biochemical, neurochemical and immunological markers in a 10 month old (APΔE9) mouse model. Memory functions were assessed by behavioral testing followed by measurement of synaptic plasticity via extracellular field recordings. Key findings Substantial increases in amyloid-beta levels, beta-secretase activity, and oxidative stress, along with significant neurochemical alterations in glutamate and GABA levels were detected in the brain of APΔE9 mice. Interestingly, marked elevations of pro-inflammatory cytokines in whole brain lysate of APΔE9 mice were observed. Flow cytometric analysis revealed a higher frequency of CD4 + IL-17a and IFN-γ secreting T-cells in APΔE9 brain, indicating a robust T-cell infiltration and activation. Behavioral deficits in learning and memory tasks, along with impairment in long-term potentiation and associated biochemical changes in the expression of glutamatergic receptor subunits were evident. Significance Thus, this study establishes the role by which oxidative stress, alterations in glutamate and GABA levels and inflammation increases hippocampal and cortical neurotoxicity resulting in the cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Corrected ROC analysis for misclassified binary outcomes.

Creating accurate risk prediction models from Big Data resources such as Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is a critical step toward achieving precision medicine. A major challenge in developing these tools is accounting for imperfect aspects of EHR data, particularly the potential for misclassified outcomes. Misclassification, the swapping of case and control outcome labels, is well known to bias effect size estimates for regression prediction models. In this paper, we study the effect of misclassification on accuracy assessment for risk prediction models and find that it leads to bias in the area under the curve (AUC) metric from standard ROC analysis. The extent of the bias is determined by the false positive and false negative misclassification rates as well as disease prevalence. Notably, we show that simply correcting for misclassification while building the prediction model is not sufficient to remove the bias in AUC. We therefore introduce an intuitive misclassification-adjusted ROC procedure that accounts for uncertainty in observed outcomes and produces bias-corrected estimates of the true AUC. The method requires that misclassification rates are either known or can be estimated, quantities typically required for the modeling step. The computational simplicity of our method is a key advantage, making it ideal for efficiently comparing multiple prediction models on very large datasets. Finally, we apply the correction method to a hospitalization prediction model from a cohort of over 1 million patients from the Veterans Health Administrations EHR. Implementations of the ROC correction are provided for Stata and R. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA
Development of a Biorelevant, Material-Sparing Membrane Flux Test for Rapid Screening of Bioavailability-Enhancing Drug Product Formulations

Bioavailability-enhancing formulations are often used to overcome challenges of poor gastrointestinal solubility for drug substances developed for oral administration. Conventional in vitro dissolution tests often do not properly compare such formulations due to the many different drug species that may exist in solution. To overcome these limitations, we have designed a practical in vitro membrane flux test, that requires minimal active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and is capable of rapidly screening many drug product intermediates. This test can be used to quickly compare performance of bioavailability-enhancing formulations with fundamental knowledge of the rate-limiting step(s) to membrane flux. Using this system, we demonstrate that the flux of amorphous itraconazole (logD = 5.7) is limited by aqueous boundary layer (ABL) diffusion and can be increased by adding drug-solubilizing micelles or drug-rich colloids. Conversely, the flux of crystalline ketoconazole at pH 5 (logD = 2.2) is membrane-limite...
Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the United States. Approximately 10 to 20% of patients with NAFLD progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH can progress to cirrhosis, which, in turn, can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, evidence also supports that HCC can develop in patients with NASH who do not have cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis. Obesity, diabetes mellitus, hepatic iron deposition, and insulin resistance are potential risk factors for HCC in NASH. Mechanisms proposed include a role for tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, insulinlike growth factor, and nuclear factor κβ activation in progression of NASH to HCC. Polymorphisms in patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 also support a genetic influence in NASH-related HCC. Surgical resection, liver directed therapy, and liver transplant remain the mainstay of therapy. Ultrasound has reduced sensitivity for surveillance of HCC in obese patients and alpha fetoprotein may have more value for HCC surveillance in the NASH patient as compared with the HCV patient. Although HCC can develop in noncirrhotic NASH, currently there are no guidelines to recommend surveillance in noncirrhotic NASH patients.
Constraints on fluids in subduction zones from electromagnetic data

Magnetotelluric data have been increasingly used to image subduction zones. Models of electrical resistivity commonly show features related to the release of fluids at several depths through the systems imaged, consistent with thermal and petrologic models of dehydration of the downgoing slab. Imaging the release of fluids from sediments and pore space in the crust requires controlled source electromagnetic techniques, which have to date only been used in one setting, offshore Nicaragua. The release of fluids related to the transition of basalt to eclogite is commonly imaged with magnetotelluric data. Deeper fluid release signals, from the breakdown of minerals like serpentine, are highly variable. We hypothesize that regions where very strong conductive anomalies are observed in the mantle wedge at depths of ∼80–100 km are related to the subduction of anomalous seafloor, either related to excessive fracturing of the crust (e.g., fracture zones), subduction of seamounts, or other ridges and areas of high relief. These features deform the seafloor prior to entering the trench, permitting more widespread serpentinization of the mantle than would otherwise occur. An alternative explanation is that the large conductors represent melts with higher contents of crustal-derived volatiles (such as C and H), suggesting in particular locally higher fluxes of carbon into the mantle wedge, perhaps also associated with subduction of anomalous seafloor structures with greater degrees of hydrothermal alteration.
Regulation Layer Controller Design for Automated Highway System

Abstract An AHS protocol proposed by Varaiya outlines a fully automated highway system which promises a threefold increase in capacity. The core of this protocol to achieve a fully automated highway system is a four-layer hierarchical control architecture. Starting from the bottom, the layers are called the regulation planning, link and network layers. In this paper, our emphasis is on the design of platoon merge and split controllers for vehicle longitudinal maneuvers as required in regulation layer of the Varaiya AHS protocol.
Temporal changes in stored-product insect populations associated with boot, pit, and load-out areas of grain elevators and feed mills☆

Abstract Commercial grain elevator and feed mill facilities can quickly become infested with stored-product insect pests, compromising the protection of the stored raw and processed cereal products. Elevators and feed mills were sampled monthly for adult stored-product insects in grain residues from the boot-pit areas and in bulk load-out samples from 2009 to 2010. The grain samples collected from the boot, pit, and load-out areas consisted of corn, soybeans, or a mixture of the two grains. Low insect densities were found in the boot-pit area during the cool winter months. Insect numbers increased in the spring and peaked during the warm summer months, prior to declining in the fall following a pattern of higher insect densities during higher ambient temperatures. The rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.), was the most prevalent species collected in all of the sampled grain residues, representing 69.2 and 35.8% of total insects collected in feed mills and elevators, respectively, during 2009 and was also commonly collected in 2010. Other commonly collected insect species included, the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst); rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens); and sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Linnaeus). Our results showed that failing to clean out boot residual grain and a lack of sanitation of the pit area resulted in high numbers of insects that were transferred through the elevator leg to other locations within a facility. We conclude that the lack of sanitation at elevator and feed mill facilities allowed high numbers of insects to develop.
52 Prevalence of coronary artery calcification in patients with early stage lung cancer and missed opportunities for cardiovascular risk optimization

Introduction Cardiovascular (CV) disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer survivors. Patients with lung cancer often have traditional CVD risk factors.Quantification of coronary artery calcium (CAC) on gated noncontrast cardiac CT, as a screening test for subclinical coronary artery disease, is a proven tool for the prediction of long-term cardiovascular risk. CAC may also be incidentally identified on noncontrast nongated chest CT imaging (NCCT) performed during evaluation of patients with lung cancer. This presents an opportunity to modify CV risk in this cancer cohort. Aims To determine the prevalence of CAC among patients with a new diagnosis of early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) To investigate if the incidental finding of CAC in patients with NSCLC who were not on the combination of aspirin (ASA) and statin prompted initiation of these agents at any time within the following 6 months. Methods We carried out a single center, retrospective cohort study of 143 patients referred to thoracic surgery with early stage NSCLC who had undergone noncontrast CT chest imaging prior to surgery. Baseline demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, oncological history, as well as usage of anti-platelet and lipid lowering agents, were determined from review of electronic medical record review. All NCCTs were independently reviewed by two readers with training in advanced CV imaging using validated techniques to identify and grade severity of CAC. Medications usage at 6 months following NCCT was assessed to determine if the incidental finding of CAC in patients without pre-existing diagnoses of coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral arterial disease (PAD), or cerebrovascular disease (CVD), prompted prescription of anti-platelet and lipid lowering agents. Data on absolute and relative contraindications to prescription of these agents, and on any new CV events in this intervening period were also sought. Results Of the 143 patients included in this study, the mean age was 67 years (range 41–88), and 42% were male. Image quality was adequate to evaluate for CAC in 138 (96.5%) of patients. CAC was detected in 109 (79%) patients; 68 of these patients had no pre-existing diagnosis of CAD, PAD, or CVD. Of these 68 patients, 37 were on ASA, a statin or both at baseline. At 6 months following the incidental finding of CAC on NCCT, only 3 additional patients had been commenced on ASA and none on a statin. Conclusion CAC is a very prevalent finding on NCCT chest imaging performed in patients with early stage lung cancer, but does not prompt prescription of antiplatelet and/or lipid lower agents in the majority of cases. The finding of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis during staging NCCT chest imaging presents an opportunity for interventions that could improve cardiovascular outcomes in this cohort of cancer patients.
Impact of Volcanic Eruptions on Decadal to Centennial Fluctuations of Arctic Sea Ice Extent during the Last Millennium and on Initiation of the Little Ice Age

AbstractThis study evaluates different hypotheses of the origin of the Little Ice Age, focusing on the long-term response of Arctic sea ice and oceanic circulation to solar and volcanic perturbations. The authors analyze the Last Millennium Ensemble of climate model simulations carried out with the Community Earth System Model at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The authors examine the duration and strength of volcanic perturbations, and the effects of initial and boundary conditions, such as the phase of the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation. They evaluate the impacts of these factors on decadal-to-multicentennial perturbations of the cryospheric, oceanic, and atmospheric components of the climate system. The authors show that, at least in the Last Millennium Ensemble, volcanic eruptions are followed by a decadal-scale positive response of the Atlantic multidecadal overturning circulation, followed by a centennial-scale enhancement of the Northern Hemispheric sea ice extent. It is hypothesiz...
Deformable Model-Based Medical Image Segmentation

Image data is of immense practical importance in medical informatics. Automated image segmentation, which aims at automated extraction of region boundary features, plays a fundamental role in understanding image content for searching and mining in medical image archives. A challenging problem is to segment regions with boundary insufficiencies, i.e., missing edges and/or lack of texture contrast between regions of interest (ROIs) and background. To address this problem, several segmentation approaches have been proposed in the literature, with many of them providing rather promising results. In this chapter, we focus on a specific category of image segmentation methods widely used in medical vision, namely the deformable models. We first review two general classes of deformable models, i.e., (1) the parametric deformable models, or active contours, and (2) the geometric or implicit models. Then we describe the feature extraction, i.e., the estimation of image features based on which the segmentation is performed. We show the most common approaches of how the image data is transformed into compact (higher level) numerical representations, which are integrated into the deformable models to play the image-based driving factor for the segmentation. Since these features can be used in a deterministic or probabilistic manner, we describe the basic principles of transforming these numerical representations into probabilities, using two known probabilistic graphical models, namely the Markov Random Fields (MRFs) and the Conditional Random Fields (CRFs). Then we show how these machine learning methods are integrated with deformable models to yield robust segmentation results. To illustrate the latter case, we describe a geometric model, which is integrated with a CRF: the deformable model is driven by probability fields estimated from the images (features), rather than being driven by the image features directly, with the main advantage being the increased robustness in cases of feature ambiguities, i.e., noise. We show different examples of medical data deformable model-based segmentation, we draw general conclusions from the methods described in this chapter, and we give future directions for solving challenging and open problems in medical image segmentation.
Agile Development in Bureaucratic Environments: A Literature Review.

For the past decade, agile development approaches have achieved a good level of success. It does appear however that not all development environments have the same level of agile readiness, hence an organization’s prevalent culture may be a mismatch with the agile development approach adopted. In this paper, we report on a structured literature review of information systems development projects that were conducted in a public sector or government organization. We posit that public sector and government organizations are commonly found to be bureaucratic in nature and we investigate how this impacts the project implementation using agile methodology. We document the challenges encountered in implementing these projects and some approaches to resolving these challenges.
Abstract TP587: Microsurgery Treatment Rate for Unruptured Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations is Increased post-ARUBA

Background: The ARUBA trial reported medical management was superior to intervention for unruptured cerebral arteriovenous malformations (cAVMs); however, open excision was underrepresented in the ...
Epithelial Inclusions in Lymph Node

Clusters of benign epithelial cells or structures, most often glands, within a lymph node are thought to represent remnants of embryonic structures that terminally differentiate and remain quiescent in lymph nodes (developmental heterotopia), or more rarely result from ruptured structures that float into lymph nodes from neighboring organs. The most common epithelial inclusions within lymph nodes are found in the head and neck, axillary, paraaortic, and pelvic regions. Most important from the clinical standpoint, epithelial inclusions must be distinguished from metastatic deposits in lymph nodes, which are significantly more commonly found during surgical or staging procedures.
DUBbing Down Translation: The Functional Interaction of Deubiquitinases with the Translational Machinery

Cancer cells revamp the regulatory processes that control translation to induce tumor-specific translational programs that can adapt to a hostile microenvironment as well as withstand anticancer therapeutics. Translational initiation has been established as a common downstream effector of numerous deregulated signaling pathways that together culminate in prooncogenic expression. Other mechanisms, including ribosomal stalling and stress granule assembly, also appear to be rewired in the malignant phenotype. Therefore, better understanding of the underlying perturbations driving oncogenic translation in the transformed state will provide innovative therapeutic opportunities. This review highlights deubiquitinating enzymes that are activated/dysregulated in hematologic malignancies, thereby altering the translational output and contributing to tumorigenesis.
Learning From Video: A Meta-Analysis of the Video Deficit in Children Ages 0 to 6 Years

Young children often learn less from video than face‐to‐face presentations. Meta‐regression models were used to examine the average size of this difference (video deficit) and investigate moderators. An average deficit of about half of a standard deviation was reported across 122 independent effect sizes from 59 reports, involving children ages 0–6 years. Moderator analyses suggested (a) the deficit decreased with age, (b) object retrieval studies showed larger deficits than other domains, and (c) there was no difference between studies using live versus prerecorded video. Results are consistent with a multiple‐mechanism explanation for the deficit. However, the analyses highlighted potential quality and publication bias issues that may have resulted in overestimation of the effect and should be addressed by future researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Emergency medical services targeting opioid user disorder: An exploration of current out-of-hospital post-overdose interventions.

Objective The opioid epidemic continues to escalate, and out-of-hospital emergency medical services (EMS) play a vital role in acute overdose reversal, but could serve a broader role post-incident for follow-up, outreach, and referrals. Our objective is to identify the scope and prevalence of community-based, post-opioid overdose EMS programs across the United States. Methods We used a narrative review of prior studies in PubMed and Scopus for the last 20 years (1999-2020) to identify relevant medical literature and a web search to identify gray literature of EMS interventions involving opioids. Results Out of nearly 22,000 EMS agencies across the United States, we found evidence of only 27 programs published in medical or gray literature involving post-overdose interventions. They were most commonly found in the north and eastern region of the country. Although most of these programs incorporate harm reduction and education, other more innovative aspects such as linkage to outpatient addiction treatment or peer support services, are much less common. The most comprehensive programs involved combinations of innovative outreach, specialized referrals, integration with police and criminal justice, peer support, and even treatment initiation. Conclusions Out-of-hospital emergency care has the potential to provide more comprehensive care after drug overdose, but many programs either do not currently have such an intervention in place, or are not disseminating their practices for other agencies to assimilate. EMS protocols and policies that encourage greater adoption of active community paramedicine practices for opioids should be encouraged.
Preservice teachers’ transformative learning through field experience with emergent bilinguals in a dual language school

This qualitative study investigates the transformative learning of preservice teachers vis-a-vis reflective practice in field experience with emergent bilingual (EB) students. Teacher candidates in...
Rural Patients With Heart Failure And Multiple Chronic Conditions: A Cross-Sectional, Descriptive Study

Introduction Living in a rural area increases the risk of adverse heart failure (HF)-related outcomes including decreased quality of life (QOL). Multiple chronic conditions (MCC) are also known to affect QOL. HF is frequently accompanied by MCC including hypertension (HTN), diabetes (DM), pulmonary disease, and/or renal dysfunction. However, little is known about the occurrence of these HF+MCC clusters and their impact on QOL in rural patients. Therefore, we aimed to identify and describe HF+MCC clusters and examine characteristics including demographics, ejection fraction (EF), and QOL across clusters in a sample of rural adults with HF. Methods We used data previously collected by the RICH Heart Program at the University of Kentucky. Subjects in the database with rural-urban commuting area codes of 7-10 were considered rural. We extracted demographics, EF, MCC (coronary heart disease (CHD), HTN, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, pulmonary disease, DM, peptic ulcer disease (PUD), dementia, renal disease, connective tissue disease, liver disease, dementia, AIDS, and cancer), and responses to the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) for analysis. Latent class analysis, one-way ANOVA, and Chi-square tests were applied as appropriate. Results Subjects (n=839) were mostly male (513/839, 61.1%), non-Hispanic (601/839, 71.9%), White/Caucasians (715/839, 85.2%) with a mean age of 64.8 ± 12.8 and EF of 38.2 ±15. HTN was the most reported MCC followed by CHD. Mean MLHFQ for all subjects was 44.6 ± 26.9. A three-class (HF+MCC cluster) solution was the best fitting latent model. Discriminatory MCC were DM and PUD. HF+MCC Cluster 1 (n=367, 43.7%) was defined by DM and the largest proportion of members with HTN. HF+MCC Cluster 2 (n=70, 8.3%) had the greatest proportion of comorbidities overall, the highest proportion of PUD, and zero members with DM. HF+MCC Cluster 3 (n=402, 47.9%) had the least proportion of comorbidities and was differentiated by no class members with PUD. We compared the MLHFQ total QOL score (lower scores reflect better QOL) across clusters. Mean scores (Cluster 1 - 51.4 ± 26.4, Cluster 2- 48.8 ± 26.5, Cluster 3- 37.7 ± 25.7) were significantly different (F(2,834)=27.25, p= Conclusions Most subjects in this sample reported MLHFQ scores that indicate poor QOL (scores >45). Cluster 3 members reported better QOL (lower scores) which is likely related to the low HF+MCC burden in this class. Interestingly, Cluster 1 members reported the lowest QOL (highest MLHFQ scores) despite Cluster 2 including a greater HF+MCC burden. Cluster 1 included the highest proportion of members with DM which may have driven this finding. QOL interventions in rural patients with HF should be designed to account for the number of MCC and the influence of HF+MCC clusters.
Predicting Biomedical Interactions with Higher-Order Graph Convolutional Networks.

Biomedical interaction networks have incredible potential to be useful in the prediction of biologically meaningful interactions, identification of network biomarkers of disease, and the discovery of putative drug targets. Recently, graph neural networks have been proposed to effectively learn representations for biomedical entities and achieved state-of-the-art results in biomedical interaction prediction. These methods only consider information from immediate neighbors but cannot learn a general mixing of features from neighbors at various distances. In this paper, we present a higher-order graph convolutional network (HOGCN) to aggregate information from the higher-order neighborhood for biomedical interaction prediction. Specifically, HOGCN collects feature representations of neighbors at various distances and learns their linear mixing to obtain informative representations of biomedical entities. Experiments on four interaction networks, including protein-protein, drug-drug, drug-target, and gene-disease interactions, show that HOGCN achieves more accurate and calibrated predictions. HOGCN performs well on noisy, sparse interaction networks when feature representations of neighbors at various distances are considered. Moreover, a set of novel interaction predictions are validated by literature-based case studies.