cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Left renal venous hypertension “nutcracker” syndrome: Managed by Direct Renocaval Reimplantation

Since 1978 a diagnosis of left renal venous hypertension has been established in 3 patients. All 3 had otherwise unexplained left flank and abdominal pain, 2 had left renal gross hematuria, and 2 were found to have ureteral and peripelvic varices demonstrated by selective renal venography. All were found to have mild to moderate pressure gradients between the left renal vein and vena cava, presumably due to compression of the left renal vein between the aorta and overlying superior mesenteric artery. Direct left renocaval reimplantation was performed in all cases, with resection of the collateral varices that were present in 2 cases. Severe unrelenting pain was the primary indication for surgery in all cases, rather than hematuria. All remain asymptomatic one to four years after surgery.
Cancer as development gone awry: the case for bisphenol-A as a carcinogen

The discovery of a rare clear cell carcinoma of the vagina in young women gestationally exposed to the estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) lent empirical support to the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to xenoestrogens might cause cancer. This fact contradicted two well-accepted notions: (i) mammalian development was merely the unfolding of a genetic program and (ii) only mutagenic agents could cause cancer. The ecological developmental biology (eco–devo) movement revitalized the concept of developmental plasticity through the occurrence of polyphenisms whereby a single genotype produces diverse phenotypes which are determined by environmental cues. Based on the principles of eco–devo and the tissue organization field theory of carcinogenesis, we hypothesized that developmental exposure to xenoestrogens increased the propensity to develop mammary cancer during adulthood. Bisphenol-A (BPA), a ubiquitous xenoestrogen, was chosen as a model for environmental estrogen exposure. In mice, perinatal exposure to environmentally relevant BPA levels induced alterations of the mammary gland architecture which manifested during fetal morphogenesis and throughout life, including the development of pre-neoplastic lesions. In rats, gestational exposure to BPA induced pre-neoplastic lesions and carcinoma in situ that manifested in adulthood in the absence of any additional treatment. Emerging epidemiological data reveal an increased incidence of breast cancer in women exposed to DES during gestation. Hence, both animal experiments and epidemiological data strengthen the hypothesis that fetal exposure to xenoestrogens may be an underlying cause of the increased incidence of breast cancer observed over the past 50 years.
Three-Dimensional Transient Finite Element Analysis for Microstructure Formation and Residual Stresses in Laser-Aided DMD Process

Despite immense advances in Laser-Aided Direct Material Deposition process, many issues concerning the adverse effects of process parameters on the stability of variety of properties and the integrity of microstructure have been reported. Macroscopic aspects are important in predicting macroscopic defects or optimizing process conditions, while microstructural features such as phase appearance, morphology, grain size, spacing, or micro-defects are certainly no less important in determining the ultimate properties of the solidified product. Traditional solidification theories as applied to castings or related processes are inappropriate in describing solidification in high-energy beam processes involving significantly greater cooling rates. Due to the complexity and nonlinearity of this process, analytical solutions can rarely address the practical manufacturing process. This paper is an attempt towards a methodology of finite element analysis for the prediction of solidification microstructure and macroscopic as well as microscopic thermal residual stresses in this process. The computer simulation which is based on metallo-thermomechanical theory and finite element analysis for coupled temperature, solidification, phase transformation and stress/strain fields can prove to be a very useful tool in predicting the material behavior and optimizing the process parameters to obtain the best material properties. This model would reduce long and cumbersome experimental routes to predict the material behavior under similar loading conditions.© 2004 ASME
The Great Visitas of the Mexican Holy Office 1645-1669

Mexico's Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition founded by Philip II in January 1569 had developed its bureacratic structure by the first decade of the seventeenth century. Spectacular autos de fe between 1574 and 1601 allowed the Tribunal to establish its reputation in the colony and to augment its financial base beyond the yearly 10,000 peso subvention provided by the Spanish monarchy. Trials of crypto-Jews in the 1590s netted considerable income and caused the king to cease his payment of inquisitional salaries for a time. During the first decade of the seventeenth century the Tribunal petitioned the crown to assign the income from a series of cathedral canonries for support of the Inquisition bureaucracy. Between 1629 and 1636 “reserved” canonries were established for Holy Office income and by 1650 nine of these were generating the Inquisition's salary budget. It was always understood that royal subsidies were to decrease as canonry income paid salaries. All other expenses had to come from judicial fines.
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of low-pressure hydrocephalus in adults.

Hydrocephalus is very problematic and very difficult problem to treat and still to know many things for a simple, comprehensive solution of it. This statement is truer in cases of low-pressure hydrocephalus (LPH). Though obstructive hydrocephalus is the main indication of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), it is now using in different types of selective communicating hydrocephalus.[3] This is an interesting paper where the authors efficiently managed 16 cases of the “Difficult” LPH. These patients needs prolong external ventricular drainage (EVD) in subatmospheric pressure to reduce the size of ventricles followed by shunting. Management of such EVD for a long time is very difficult, expansive and of course associated with complications. Though idea of use of ETV in the management of LPH is not new,[1,2] the authors set a background to look at it in different way/s. The authors managed their series in two groups with ETV and without ETV. When comparing the ETV and non-ETV group, the overall time interval between first ventriculostomy and shunting did not reach statistical significance. However, 4 patients in the ETV group who underwent shunting, the average time to shunting following ETV was 15.25 days (range 0–45 days). So after the diagnosis of LPH, early ETV (with EVD) can reduce the time interval from EVD to shunt. In 1 patient of ETV group did not require shunt; this indicates there are some patients (with LPH) who can be treated with ETV only (without shunt)!!! We should look for these patients. In pre-ETV images [Figure ​[Figure1a1a and ​andb]b] it is seemed to me that all basal cisternal spaces and cortical cerebrospinal fluid spaces are compressed and did not open up even with subatmospheric EVD. This patient responded with ETV and post-ETV images showed opening of cisterns and cortical subarachnoid spaces. So impotence of cortical subarachnoid spaces cannot be ignored[4] (though not relevant: From my experience, In a case of high pressure ? communicating hydrocephalus with such images, I found ETV is usually successful). So there may be a scope to look at this point in LPH. During the long standing management of EVD, infection is common and serious problem. In this series, it is not clear whether EVD-related infection occurred or not. The authors mentioned many limitations of the study and I do agree with them but at the same time I feel, it can be an important paper in the management of patients with LPH.
Spatial-mode control of a transient Raman amplifier

It has been observed for some time that the Stokes amplitude fluctuations associated with stimulated Raman scattering can be quite severe.1 In addition, recent experimental results by Raymer et al.2 and Murray et al.3 have shown that, for Fresnel numbers of the order of 10-450, stimulated Raman scattering produces an output Stokes beam that has a spatial pattern with large and random amplitude fluctuations. These amplitude and spatial fluctuations are caused by the zero-point energy fluctuations that are the sources for the stimulated Raman process.2
Extreme Value Distributions

Extreme value distributions arise in probability theory as limit distributions of maximum or minimum of n independent and identically distributed random variables with some normalizing constants For example if \(\text {X}_{1,} \text {X}_{2}, {\ldots }, \text {X}_\mathrm{{n}}\) are n independent and identically distributed random variables, then the largest normalized order statistic \(\text {X}_\mathrm{{n,n,}}\) will converge to one of the following three distributions if it has a nondegenerate distribution as \(\text {n}\rightarrow \infty \).
“Sentimental Claptrap”: Lost Cowboys, Dead Horses, and the Discarded in Sam Shepard’s Play Kicking a Dead Horse

This critical essay examines how in the play Kicking a Dead Horse playwright Sam Shepard discards traditional images of the West to celebrate song and dance.
Life-Threatening Autoerotic Behavior: A Challenge for Sex Educators and Therapists

Adolescents and young adults are at greatest risk for accidental deaths caused by certain life-threatening masturbatory behaviors. Sex educators and therapists can play vital roles in education, treatment, and research of little-understood, but sometimes fatal, sexual practices, including “autoerotic asphyxiation.” This article reviews the kinds of masturbatory behavior that are most dangerous and discusses the psychological dynamics that may dispose youths and adults to these practices. Sex educators and therapists are challenged to learn about the problem, inform others, develop effective treatment strategies for clients at risk, and promote more research into the problem.
On Drawing Lines Across the Board

In his celebrated Romanes Lecture of 1907, George Curzon of Kedleston—former British Viceroy of India under Queen Victoria and King Edward VII and future Secretary for Foreign Affairs under King George V—emphasized the overwhelming influence of political frontiers in the history of the modern world.
Electrochemical performance and interfacial investigation on Si composite anode for lithium ion batteries in full cell

Abstract Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) containing silicon (Si) as a negative electrode have gained much attention recently because they deliver high energy density. However, the commercialization of LIBs with Si anode is limited due to the unstable electrochemical performance associated with expansion and contraction during electrochemical cycling. This study investigates the electrochemical performance and degradation mechanism of a full cell containing Si composite anode and LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate (LFP)) cathode. Enhanced electrochemical cycling performance is observed when the full cell is cycled with fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) additive compared to the standard electrolyte. To understand the improvement in the electrochemical performance, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are used. Based on the electrochemical behavior, FEC improves the reversibility of lithium ion diffusion into the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the Si composite anode. Moreover, XPS analysis demonstrates that the SEI composition generated from the addition of FEC consists of a large amount of LiF and less carbonate species, which leads to better capacity retention over 40 cycles. The effective SEI successively yields more stable capacity retention and enhances the reversibility of lithium ion diffusion through the interphase of the Si anode, even at higher discharge rate. This study contributes to a basic comprehension of electrochemical performance and SEI formation of LIB full cells with a high loading Si composite anode.
Wildland Fire: Understanding and Maintaining an Ecological Baseline

The goal was to synthesize the literature on wildland fires, how they create resilient landscape mosaics that affect ecosystem function and maintenance of biodiversity, and how the fires themselves are affected by wilderness edge effects and climate change. The emphasis is on cold-temperate and boreal forests. The interactions of fires with landforms create large-magnitude spatial and temporal heterogeneity in fire severity that cannot be seen in smaller natural areas. Patterns of live and dead biomass and characteristic syndromes of fire-species interactions determine future successional trajectories and spatial-temporal dynamics of landscape mosaics. Therefore, wildlands with freely occurring fires provide a scientific baseline for complexity of vegetation structure and maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem processes on time scales from years to centuries and millennia. Although wildlands are impacted by climate change, they may have considerable resilience, partly due to fire occurrence, and may still serve as a moving baseline. Thus, the patterns observed in wildlands can be used as blueprints for restoration of landscape structure, biodiversity, and ecosystem function in human-dominated ecosystems. Wildland fires play an important role in maintenance of ecological function and biodiversity, even on landscapes where fire is considered to be rare. At time scales of centuries, fires in large wilderness areas maintain a balance among successional stages, and although early and late-successional stages are rarely absent, their occurrences change in space and time, possibly leading to metapopulation dynamics for species that depend on certain successional stages. Over thousands of years, fires influence the trajectory of ecosystem retrogression, and in cold climates, fires can prevent ecosystem acidification that reduces forest productivity. Fire regimes within large wildlands are subject to change caused by fragmentation effects at large spatial extents; this can result in increased or reduced fire frequencies (disturbance dilution effect) within wildlands. Wildland managers need to think about how changes in the surrounding landscape influence the integrity of the natural disturbance baseline, while forest managers need to think about how harvesting compares to the baseline with respect to maintenance of productivity and biodiversity.
Trophodynamics of the Hanna Shoal Ecosystem (Chukchi Sea, Alaska): Connecting multiple end-members to a rich food web

Abstract Predicting how alterations in sea ice-mediated primary production will impact Arctic food webs remains a challenge in forecasting ecological responses to climate change. One top-down approach to this challenge is to elucidate trophic roles of consumers as either specialists (i.e., consumers of predominantly one food resource) or generalists (i.e., consumers of multiple food resources) to categorize the dependence of consumers on each primary producer. At Hanna Shoal in the Chukchi Sea, Alaska, we used stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data to quantify trophic redundancy with standard ellipse areas at both the species and trophic guild levels. We also investigated species-level trophic plasticity by analyzing the varying extents that three end-members were assimilated by the food web using the mixing model simmr (Stable Isotope Mixing Model in R). Our results showed that ice algae, a combined phytoplankton and sediment organic matter composite (PSOM), and a hypothesized microphytobenthos (MPB) component were incorporated by consumers in the benthic food web, but their importance varied by species. Some primary consumers relied heavily on PSOM (e.g, the amphipods Ampelisca sp. and Byblis sp.; the copepod Calanus sp.), while others exhibited generalist feeding and obtained nutrition from multiple sources (e.g., the holothuroidean Ocnus glacialis, the gastropod Tachyrhynchus sp., the sipunculid Golfingia margaritacea, and the bivalves Ennucula tenuis, Nuculana pernula, Macoma sp., and Yoldia hyperborea). Most higher trophic level benthic predators, including the gastropods Buccinum sp., Cryptonatica affinis, and Neptunea sp, the seastar Leptasterias groenlandica, and the amphipod Anonyx sp. also exhibited trophic plasticity by coupling energy pathways from multiple primary producers including PSOM, ice algae, and MPB. Our stable isotope data indicate that consumers in the Hanna Shoal food web exhibit considerable trophic redundancy, while few species were specialists and assimilated only one end-member. Although most consumers were capable of obtaining nutrition from multiple food sources, the timing, quantity, and quality of ice-mediated primary production may still have pronounced effects on food web structure.
Evaluating Instructional Apps Using the App Checklist for Educators (ACE)

The use of iPads and apps has become common in K-12 inclusive classrooms. Special education teachers frequently use this tool to support instruction. Data from electronic surveys were used to determine criteria that teachers identified as important for choosing apps for classroom use. Using this information, the authors developed an App Checklist for Evaluators (ACE) to assist teachers in reviewing apps. Areas included on the ACE are: Student Interest, Design Features, Connection to the Curriculum, and Instructional Features. Suggestions for choosing an effective app include determining user needs, assessing student interest, evaluating design features of the app, documenting the connection to the curriculum, and identifying instructional features.
Phenobarbital stability in different dosage forms: alternatives for elixirs.

Etude de la stabilite du phenobarbital pendant la conservation du medicament allant jusqu'a 56 semaines. Etude comparative de differentes formes: elixir, emulsion, solution aqueuse avec ou sans propylene glycol
Sharing Knowledge in Global Virtual Teams

Virtual teams have been seen as a promising way of organizing work for organizations to cope with the current rapidly changing business environment. Issues concerning virtual teams have received considerable attention in both the academic and practical world. In this paper, a case study approach was used to explore Chinese perceptions of the impact of national cultural difference (China vs. U.S.) on knowledge sharing activities in global virtual teams. Four cultural dimensions (language, education, technology and material culture, and attitudes and values) were identified. The final results show that language has the most salient impact on an individual’s knowledge sharing activities, followed by education, attitudes and values, and technology and material culture. Individual characteristics, organizational culture, time zone problems and leadership style all have a mediated impact on knowledge sharing activities.
Role of the Nonstructural Polyproteins in Alphavirus RNA Synthesis

Alphaviruses are of general interest because they replicate in such a broad range of animals, including invertebrates as well as mammals and birds. This broad replicative potential is an essential part of their transmission strategy. The successful synthesis of many infectious progeny starts with the translation of the genome into the viral nonstructural proteins (nsPs) that form an unstable viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity, which copies the infecting genome into a complementary, or minus-strand, RNA template of genome-length. Complexes composed of the minus-strand templates and long-lived viral replicases or transcriptases then produce throughout the rest of the infectious cycle large amounts of genomes or via internal initiation of a 3’-co-terminal, subgenomic mRNA. The 26S mRNA serves as a template for translation of the viral capsid and envelope proteins. Thus, the crucial step after an alphavirus enters the cell is the formation of the initial replication complex that produces minus-strand RNA since the number of minus strand templates that form during the early part of the infectious cycle determines the amount and rate of viral plus-strand RNA synthesis. This review will highlight research efforts directed toward understanding the synthesis of alphavirus RNA and its regulation.
The cultural impact on social commerce: A sentiment analysis on Yelp ethnic restaurant reviews

Abstract In social commerce, ethnic culture plays an important role in the content and quality perception of customer reviews. This study examined Japanese restaurant reviews in English at Yelp.com and those in Japanese at Yelp.co.jp from a cross-cultural perspective. Using bilingual text mining software, we demonstrate that Japanese customers have significantly different sentiment distribution patterns on four basic attributes of dining experience (food quality, service, ambiance, and price fairness) than Western customers. These findings shed insights on how review contents and ratings may vary between local and foreign customers at multi-national social commerce platforms. Our findings fill a research gap of cultural influence in social commerce.
205 Towards the correction of meconium ileus with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) intestinal expression in CFTR knockout sheep

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a human autosomal genetic disease caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, which is responsible for Cl − anion transport in epithelial cells. We previously generated CFTR +/− and CFTR −/− lambs using CRISPR/Cas9 and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) techniques. The CFTR −/− lambs display many features similar to humans with CF, including meconium ileus (MI), pancreatic fibrosis, portal fibrosis and biliary hyperplasia, small gallbladder, and absence of the vas deferens. Although MI affects only 15 to 20% of human babies with CF, it was observed in 100% of newborn CFTR −/− lambs and was the primary cause of death. We here hypothesized that the transgenic expression of ovine CFTR cDNA under regulation of the rat intestinal fatty acid binding protein (iFABP) promoter would promote the correction of MI in CFTR −/− sheep. In this study, we constructed the pcDNA3.1>iFABP>CFTR expression vector in order to generate iFABP>CFTR transgenic CFTR −/− sheep. PCR and sequence analysis of all junction regions confirmed the presence of the inserts in the vector. We transfected male and female CFTR −/− sheep fetal fibroblasts with the construct. Three days after transfection, limiting dilution and G418 selection were used for the isolation of resistant single cell derived colonies. A total of 15 male colonies containing the pcDNA3.1>iFABP>CFTR vector was confirmed by PCR and sequence analysis. Three male cell colonies were used as nuclear donors for SCNT. In total, 129 one-cell-stage cloned embryos were generated and transferred into 11 estrus-synchronized recipients. Four recipients (4/11; 36.3%) were confirmed pregnant at Day 40 to 45 of gestation. One pregnancy went to term and resulted in the birth of a single lamb. The necropsy indicated the same abnormalities, including MI, seen in CFTR −/− lambs. A PCR assay confirmed the presence of the iFABP>CFTR transgene in the genome of the cloned offspring. The lack of MI correction is likely due to the low expression of CFTR in this particular colony. Western blot analysis is in progress. Additional embryo transfers will be performed using different single-cell-derived colonies.
Incident wavelength and polarization dependence of spectral shifts in β-Ga 2 O 3 UV photoluminescence

We report polarization dependent photoluminescence studies on unintentionally-, Mg-, and Ca-doped β-Ga2O3 bulk crystals grown by the Czochralski method. In particular, we observe a wavelength shift of the highest-energy UV emission which is dependent on the pump photon energy and polarization. For 240 nm (5.17 eV) excitation almost no shift of the UV emission is observed between E||b and E||c, while a shift of the UV emission centroid is clearly observed for 266 nm (4.66 eV), a photon energy lying between the band absorption onsets for the two polarizations. These results are consistent with UV emission originating from transitions between conduction band electrons and two differentially-populated self-trapped hole (STH) states. Calcuations based on hybrid and self-interaction-corrected density functional theories further validate that the polarization dependence is consistent with the relative stability of two STHs. This observation implies that the STHs form primarily at the oxygen atoms involved in the original photon absorption event, thus providing the connection between incident polarization and emission wavelength. The data imposes a lower bound on the energy separation between the self-trapped hole states of ~70-160 meV, which is supported by the calculations.
The foot — a geriatric overview: Part 1

Foot problems in the elderly represent one of the most distressing and disabling afflictions associated with old age. As society considers the basic needs of the older population, it is recognised that health is but one of those needs, and not always the highest priority. There are two primary factors in the elderly patient’s ability to remain as a vital part of society. They are a keen mind and the ability to walk. Foot problems in the older patient represent a significant health concern, in both prevalence and incidence. The immobility that results from a local foot problem can have a significant impact on the patient’s ability to maintain life as a useful member of society. Diseases which commonly affect the foot are listed in Table 1.
Performance of Dynamic Automated CT Annular Measurements Compared with Standard Manual Measurements for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Sizing

Dynamic automated CT software can provide annular measurements of all available cardiac phases in a time-efficient way.
Investigating the Variety and Usualness of Correct Solution Procedures of Mathematical Word Problems.

The contribution focuses on issues related to the implementation of formative assessment methods into inquiry based teaching, by means of issues related to solving twelve multiple-step arithmetic word problems based on operations with natural and rational numbers. These word problems have multiple correct solution procedures and the presented qualitative exploratory empirical study investigates how varied and how usual might be correct solution procedures provided by diverse groups of solvers – future primary school teachers attending diverse university mathematics courses of diverse forms and/or time extent. According to written data collected from 149 solvers, six notions are introduced in the paper: majority, minority and even solution procedures, and majority, minority and mixed solvers. Issues regarding minority solvers are recognized as an important element for implementing formative assessment methods. All the six notions are illustrated in the paper by samples of solution procedures and diagrams of relative frequency. Implications are given for formative assessment within any kind of education involving multiple-step word problems, regardless of the extent of implemented inquiry.
Reading While Walking: A Reflection on Interdisciplinary Co-Teaching

This reflection focuses on how the opportunity to co-teach across disciplines illuminates the interconnections between literary criticism and ethnographic methodology. We discuss the value of walking as a way of knowing and of creative genres as modes of representation. Through the class’s final project, a multimedia map of Kenosha, we see the benefits of a combined literary and ethnographic approach in our students’ rigorously observed and sensitively rendered presentations.
IV – Bessel Functions

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses Bessel function. Bessel's equation arises in the process of solving certain partial differential equations of mathematical physics. The chapter highlights Bessel functions of the second and third kinds. The Bessel functions of the third kind are the complex solutions of Bessel's equation that are defined by the Hankel functions of the first and second kinds. The Bessel functions of the second and third kinds satisfy the same recurrence relations as the functions of the first kind. The recurrence relations for the Hankel functions follow from the fact that the real and imaginary parts of these functions satisfy the same identities. The behaviors of Bessel functions for large values of their arguments have been investigated.
Suicide in late life

Abstract Older adults are at heightened risk for suicide relative to young- and middle-aged adults, as their attempts are most likely to result in death. Several factors have been implicated in late-life suicide, including mental illness, physical illness, and functional impairment, as well as discordant social relationships. Socioeconomic factors appear to be associated with suicidality in later life as well, and there is also growing neurobiological and neuropsychological evidence that frontal lobe dysfunction increases vulnerability to suicide. Several contemporary theories of suicide are discussed in the context of late-life suicide. We discuss several methods to assess risk for suicide among older adults. Finally, we discuss suicide-specific interventions that may have utility in reducing suicide risk in older adults, followed by a discussion of behavioral treatments that may reduce suicide risk through mitigating frontal lobe dysfunction, and an interpersonally-focused treatment that may reduce risk through improving social relationships.
Advances and opportunities for hiPSC-derived models of the blood-brain barrier

As the interface between the vasculature and the central nervous system (CNS), the blood-brain barrier (BBB), composed of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of the CNS but hinders drug delivery. Accordingly, in vitro modeling of the BBB has been and continues to be of great interest to scientists studying neurological diseases and developing therapeutics that must be delivered to the brain. The establishment of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived BMECs (iBMECs) has addressed a major challenge of in vitro modeling of the BBB by providing a scalable source of BMECs that have key features of the in vivo BBB and facilitate disease-in-a-dish and BBB-on-a-chip applications. As researchers seek to augment the applicability of iBMECs for various studies, models involving iBMECs can be improved by integrating more elements of the in vivo BBB microenvironment.
Comparative Genomic Analysis of 450 Strains of Salmonella enterica Isolated from Diseased Animals.

Salmonella is a leading cause of bacterial infections in animals and humans. We sequenced a collection of 450 Salmonella strains from diseased animals to better understand the genetic makeup of their virulence and resistance features. The presence of Salmonella pathogenicity islands (SPIs) varied by serotype. S. Enteritidis carried the most SPIs (n = 15), while S. Mbandaka, S. Cerro, S. Meleagridis, and S. Havana carried the least (n = 10). S. Typhimurium, S. Choleraesuis, S. I 4,5,12:i:-, and S. Enteritidis each contained the spv operon on IncFII or IncFII-IncFIB hybrid plasmids. Two S. IIIa carried a spv operon with spvD deletion on the chromosome. Twelve plasmid types including 24 hybrid plasmids were identified. IncA/C was frequently associated with S. Newport (83%) and S. Agona (100%) from bovine, whereas IncFII (100%), IncFIB (100%), and IncQ1 (94%) were seen in S. Choleraesuis from swine. IncX (100%) was detected in all S. Kentucky from chicken. A total of 60 antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), four disinfectant resistances genes (DRGs) and 33 heavy metal resistance genes (HMRGs) were identified. The Salmonella strains from sick animals contained various SPIs, resistance genes and plasmid types based on the serotype and source of the isolates. Such complicated genomic structures shed light on the strain characteristics contributing to the severity of disease and treatment failures in Salmonella infections, including those causing illnesses in animals.
Vision: A Product of a Society of Independent Experts.

Summary A lesion of primary visual cortex, V1, can result in the perceived size of objects varying with the size of their retinal image. A new study shows that the pregrasp span of the hand of an individual with such a lesion remains tuned to the object’s true size, providing evidence for separate representations mediating perceptual appearance and motor interactions.
Precision Wet Etching of ZnO Using Buffer Solutions

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a metal oxide semiconductor of interest for a wide range of electronic and optoelectronic device applications. Many devices require etching of ZnO structures and there have been many investigations of ZnO wet-etching processes. However, most reported etches have problems with reproducibility and especially control of vertical and lateral (or undercut) etching uniformity. In this work, we report new buffer solutions that provide controlled vertical and lateral etching of ZnO. We compare the ZnO etch characteristics of buffer etchants to a previously reported ammonium chloride etch. Using buffer etchants of suitable composition we find reaction-rate-limited, uniform, reproducible etching, and similar vertical and lateral etch rates. [2020-0009]
Prodrugs: My Initial Exploration and Where It Led.

Abstract This review presents my early exploration in the area of prodrugs and specifically prodrugs of the anticonvulsant, phenytoin, also called diphenylhydantoin. My journey started in graduate school with an introduction to the prodrug concept and continued for much of my career as I remain fascinated by the topic/technique. I have also included some backstories that the reader might find noteworthy. Prodrug intervention is now recognized as one of the better tools for taking a challenging small molecule drug from un-developable to developable.
Impact and Characterization of Delayed Pan-Retinal Photocoagulation in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy.

Purpose The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that patients diagnosed with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) be considered for pan-retinal photocoagulation (PRP) treatment within 1 month of diagnosis. This study aimed to investigate the effect delayed treatment had on visual outcomes and to characterize the medical and socioeconomic factors that contributed to delayed treatment of PDR. Design Retrospective clinical study. Methods This study examined 259 patients diagnosed with PDR and treated with PRP from 2015 to the present. Visual acuity (VA) outcomes through 24 months were compared among patients treated the day of diagnosis, and at 1-14 days, 14-31 days, and >31 days post-treatment. The relationships between time to treatment (days between PDR diagnosis and PRP) and medical comorbidities (coronary artery disease and/or myocardial infarction, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, dialysis, stroke, inpatient admission), laboratory values (hemoglobin A1c, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine), and socioeconomic factors (health insurance, median household income of ZIP code, and distance from ZIP code to treatment site) were examined. Results Mean time to treatment for all patients was 27.8 ± 41.4 days. VA was significantly decreased in patients who received PRP after 31 days compared with those treated on the day of diagnosis at 12 (P Conclusions In patients with diagnosed PDR, a delay in PRP treatment beyond 31 days was associated with worse visual outcomes than those treated earlier. Hospital admissions significantly delayed PRP delivery.
Herpes Zoster Meningitis in a Young, Immunocompetent Adult.

Abstract Background Varicella-zoster virus is typically encountered in the emergency department (ED) in two forms: varicella (chickenpox) in children and zoster (shingles) in older adults. Zoster is infrequently encountered in young, healthy adults, and neurological complications are extremely rare. Case Report We describe a case of a previously healthy 36-year-old woman who presented to the ED with fever, nuchal rigidity, and headache 4 days after being diagnosed with herpes zoster and started on oral valacyclovir. Lumbar puncture confirmed herpes zoster meningitis. Despite initiation of antivirals within 48 h of symptom onset, progression to zoster meningitis occurred. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Emergency physicians must be aware that neurological complications of varicella zoster can develop despite initiation of oral antivirals. These patients must be identified in the ED, as admission for intravenous antivirals is indicated.
Parent Experience and Cost Savings Associated with a Novel Tele-physiatry Program for Children Living in Rural and Underserved Communities.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to investigate parent and therapist experience and cost savings from the payer perspective associated with a novel tele-physiatry program for children living in rural and underserved communities. Design We designed a noninferiority, cluster-randomized crossover study at 4 school-based clinics to evaluate parent experience and perceived quality of care between a telemedicine-based approach in which the physiatrist conducts the visit remotely with an in-person therapist and a traditional in-person physiatrist clinic. Setting Four school-based clinics in Northern California. Participants A total of 268 encounters (124 telemedicine and 144 in-person) were completed by 200 unique patients (N=200). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Parent and therapist experience scores. Results For parents and therapists, experience and perceived quality of care were high with no significant differences between telemedicine and in-person encounters. For parents whose children received a telemedicine encounter, 40 (54.8%) reported no preference for their child's subsequent encounter, 21 (28.8%) preferred a physiatrist telemedicine visit, and 12 (16.4%) preferred a physiatrist in-person visit. From the payer perspective, costs were $100 higher for in-person clinics owing to physician mileage reimbursement. Conclusions We found that school-based tele-physiatry for children with special health care needs is not inferior to in-person encounters with regard to parent and provider experience and perceived quality of care. Tele-physiatry was also associated with an average cost savings of $100 per clinic to the payer.
Innovation in COVID-19 Response: ANNA COVID-19 Surge Support Process and Map

The COVID-19 pandemic began with uncertainty in how to care for patients and protect staff. The American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA) immediately recognized the need to provide its members and others in the nephrology community with as much information as possible. Resources were collected and disseminated in many forms (e.g., publications, webinars, virtual conference sessions). As COVID-19 surges began occurring across the country and staffing reached a crisis level, ANNA collaborated with other organizations to find potential solutions. One solution developed by ANNA was the ANNA COVID-19 Surge Support Process and Map - a process to connect the areas in high need with skilled and available staff. This article describes the ANNA COVID-19 Surge Support Process and Map, which has continued to help address COVID-19 staffing challenges.
Enabling the Design of Behavioral Systems-on-Chip

High-Level Synthesis (HLS) dramatically facilitates the design and verification of individual components. These components are typically the dedicated hardware accelerators used within larger systems, e.g. image processing, DSP or encrypheterogeneoustion cores. Unfortunately, HLS is a single process (component) synthesis method. This implies that the integration of these accelerators are often done at the RT-Level, which implies that the system-level verification and co-design needs to be done at lower levels of abstraction. This work presents an approach that enables a path to generate complete SoCs at the behavioral level. Two main contributions that enable this are: First, an automatic bus generator that generates a synthesizable behavioral description of standard on-chip buses. Second, a library of synthesizable APIs that allow any component in the system to send or receive data through the bus. This approach has significant advantages over traditional approaches. (1) It enables the generation of fast cycle-accurate simulation models of the entire SoC. Experimental results for SoCs of different complexities show that an average speedup of $7.6\times$ is achieved. (2) It allows to completely separate the bus implementation details from the developers view allowing the change between bus types and configuration with only minor changes in the designers’ code. Finally, (3) by creating synthesizable SystemC code any commercial HLS tool can convert the given bus and bus interface code into efficient RTL, thus, making our proposed flow HLS tool agnostic.
Distortions of Coordination Polyhedra

The equilibrium configuration of a set of 4 or 6 point charges about an isotropic attracting center is a regular tetrahedron or octahedron, respectively. In many determinations of crystal structures of compounds containing co — ordination complexes exhibiting coordination numbers 4 and 6, the coordination polyhedra are found to be more or less distorted from these regular configurations. There are many factors which may influence these distortions: differing sizes of the ligand atoms; differing“bonding strength” of the ligand atoms; steric effects of other atoms bonded to the ligand atoms; crystal packing effects; hydrogen bonding; Jahn-Teller or other crystal field effects
Constitutional Law and Criminal Justice

Introduction to the U.S. Constitution Introduction Original Constitution Bill of Rights Supreme Law of the Land Overview of the Judiciary Supreme Court Justices (2008-2009 Term) Capstone Case: United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549 (1995) Questions in Review The Concept of Due Process Introduction States and the Fourteenth Amendment Police Power Vagueness Equal Protection of the Law Capstone Case: Medina v. California, 505 U.S. 437 (1992) Questions in Review Fourth Amendment History Overview of the Amendment What Constitutes a Search? Probable Cause Warrants Arrests Capstone Case: Atwater v. City of Lago Vista, 149 L. Ed. 2d 549 (2001) Questions in Review Fourth Amendment Issues Introduction Searches without Warrants No Reasonable Expection of Privacy Situations Arrests without Warrants Terry Stops Traffic Stops Scope of the Search Wiretaps Capstone Case: Virginia v. Moore, 128 S. Ct. 1598 (2008) Questions in Review Exclusionary Rule Introduction Exceptions to the Rule Noncriminal Trial Proceedings Situations Where the Rule Has Not Been Applied Exclusionary Rule and the Fifth Amendment Exclusionary Rule and the Sixth Amendment Capstone Case: Groh v. Ramirez, 540 U.S. 551 (2004) Questions in Review Fifth Amendment Issues Introduction Grand Jury Double Jeopardy Self-Incrimination Miranda Warning Involuntary Confessions Commenting on Defendant's Silence Capstone Case: Missouri v. Seibert, 542 U.S. 600 (2004) Questions in Review Sixth Amendment Issues Introduction Speedy Trial Public Trial Impartial Jury Trial in the Judicial District in Which the Crime Was Committed To Be Informed of the Nature and Cause of the Accusation Right to Confront the Witnesses To Have a Compulsory Process for Obtaining Witnesses in His Favor To Have Assistance of Counsel for His Defense Guilty Pleas Capstone Case: United States v. Gonzalez-Lopez, 548 U.S. 140 (2006) Questions in Review The Eighth Amendment Introduction Death Penalty as Cruel and Unusual Noncapital Punishments Jail and Prison Conditions as Cruel and Unusual Court Sentences as Cruel and Unusual Bail Capstone Case: Overton v. Bazzetta, 539 U.S. 126 (2003) Questions in Review Endnote The First Amendment Introduction Religious Issues Freedom of the Press Right to Assemble and Free Speech Petitions to the Government Right of Privacy Obscenity Students and the First Amendment Prisoners and the First Amendment Capstone Case: Morse v. Frederick, 127 S. Ct. 2618 (2007) Questions in Review Civil Liability and the Criminal Justice Professional Introduction Federal Civil Rights Under Color of Law Liability of Federal Agents under 42 USCS 1983 Officer's Duty to Arrest Liability of a Public Agency for Failure to Train Its Police Officers Immunity from Liability Capstone Case: Wilson v. Layne, 526 U.S. 603, 628 (1999) Questions in Review Terrorism and the Writ of Habeas Corpus Introduction Boumediene v. Bush Case Subsequent Proceedings Questions in Review Glossary References Appendix A: U.S. Constitution Appendix B: Search Warrants Appendix C: Grand Jury Indictment, August 2005-at Alexandria, Virginia Index
A Quick 3D-to-2D Points Matching Based on the Perspective Projection

This paper describes a quick 3D-to-2D point matching algorithm. Our major contribution is to substitute a new O (2 n ) algorithm for the traditional N ! method by introducing a convex hull based enumerator. Projecting a 3D point set into a 2D plane yields a corresponding 2D point set. In some cases, matching information is lost. Therefore, we wish to recover the 3D-to-2D correspondence in order to compute projection parameters. Traditionally, an exhaustive enumerator permutes all the potential matching sets, which is N ! for N points, and a projection parameter computation is used to choose the correct one. We define "correct" as the points match whose computed parameters result in the lowest residual error. After computing the convex hull for both 2D and 3D points set, we show that the 2D convex hull must match a circuit of the 3D convex hull having the same length. Additionally a novel validation method is proposed to further reduce the number of potential matching cases. Finally, our matching algorithm is applied recursively to further reduce the search space.
Reasoning in Multiple Belief Spaces

MBR is a reasoning system which allows multiple bellets (beliets from multiple agents, contradictory beliefs, hypothetical beliefs) to be represented simultaneously in the same knowledge base and performs reasoning with in sets of these beliefs. MBR also contains provisos to detect contradictions and to recover from them. This paper describes MBR's method of detecting and recording contradictions with in beliefs of different agents, showing an example of such process.