cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
STUDIES ON THE BLOOD PROTEINS II. THE ALBUMIN-GLOBULIN RATIO IN EXPERIMENTAL INTOXICATIONS AND INFECTIONS.

The intoxication which develops as the result of a simple obstruction or a closed intestinal loop is accompanied by definite changes in the coagulable proteins of the blood serum. These changes consist essentially in an alteration in the normal albumin-globulin ratio; the globulin fraction is greatly increased and at times the normal relation of the two fractions may show a complete inversion. The increase in the globulin content of the blood serum is most marked in the animals which show some of the complications met with in loop animals,—rupture of the loop and peritonitis. In the latter conditions especially, the globulin increase is rapid and large. We believe this reaction to be of diagnostic value in acute infections attended by the sudden liberation and absorption of a toxic exudate. Infections and intoxications produced by inflammatory irritants are also accompanied by a rise in the blood globulins. This observation suggests that tissue disintegration with absorption of toxic products is responsible for the changes noted, and that bacterial invasion is important only in as far as it gives rise to toxic substances. Animals which have developed a tolerance to proteose intoxication following the periodic injection of small doses of proteose do not show a globulin increase. These experiments do not support the view that the rise in globulins observed in these experimental conditions is an expression of a resistance or tolerance developed by the animal. From the experimental evidence it seems more probable that the alteration in the partition of the blood protein fractions is one of the results of the metabolic disturbance which has been shown to occur in these conditions.
Improved endometrial assessment using cyclin E and p27

Abstract Objective To evaluate endometrial expression of cyclin E and p27 in fertile and infertile women. Design Retrospective clinical study. Setting University medical center and private practice. Patient(s) Thirty-three fertile volunteers, 83 women seeking infertility treatment, and 23 women undergoing mock cycles. Intervention(s) Endometrial biopsy. Main outcome measure(s) Cyclin E and p27 immunohistochemistry. Result(s) Glandular cyclin E and p27 expression dramatically changed in intensity and subcellular localization throughout the menstrual cycle. In normal control biopsies, glandular cyclin E progressed from the basal to the lateral cytoplasm (midproliferative phase) to the nucleus (days 18 to 19) and was absent in biopsies after day 20. First appearing on days 17 to 19, p27 was found only in the nuclei. Cyclin E was more frequently seen after day 20 in infertility patients. In the hyperstimulated cycles, staining for cycle E in proliferative samples was more intense than in the natural cycles, but p27 staining was unchanged. Conclusion(s) Cyclin E and p27 may be clinically useful markers of development in the endometrium. As cell cycle regulators, cyclins reveal underlying biochemical processes driving endometrial progression and may partly represent the means by which estrogen and progesterone regulate this dynamic tissue.
Psychosocial intervention research: challenges, strategies and measurement issues.

Impediments to demonstrating evidence of effectiveness of psychosocial interventions include a dearth of studies that optimize the likelihood of empirical proof of efficacy for interventions clinic...
Adapting Older Adults to Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Vice Versa: The Case of Geoffrey

Mohlman et al.’s (2008) case history of Geoffrey makes a compelling case for adding training to improve cognitive functioning in older adults to enhance responsiveness to CBT. They also provide by example a demonstration of therapist flexibility in working with older adults. Along with attention to the influence of cohort differences and ethnic differences, the case provides a good model for what changes in working with older clients.
Spatial heterogeneity of soil nutrients and plant species in herb-dominated communities of contrasting land use

Recent interest in spatial pattern in terrestrial ecosystems has come from an awareness of the intimate relationship between spatial heterogeneity of soil resources and maintenance of plant species diversity. Soil and vegetation can vary spatially in response to several state factors of the system. In this study, we examined fine-scale spatial variability of soil nutrients and vascular plant species in contrasting herb-dominated communities (a pasture and an old field) to determine degree of spatial dependence among soil variables and plant community characteristics within these communities by sampling at 1-m intervals. Each site was divided into 25 1-m2 plots. Mineral soil was sampled (2-cm diameter, 5-cm depth) from each of four 0.25-m2 quarters and combined into a single composite sample per plot. Soil organic matter was measured as loss-on-ignition. Extractable NH4 and NO3 were determined before and after laboratory incubation (28 days at 27°C) to determine potential net N mineralization and nitrification. Cations were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry. Vegetation was assessed using estimated percent cover. Most soil and plant variables exhibited sharp contrasts between pasture and old-field sites, with the old field having significantly higher net N mineralization/nitrification, pH, Ca, Mg, Al, plant cover, and species diversity, richness, and evenness. Multiple regressions revealed that all plant variables (species diversity, richness, evenness, and cover) were significantly related to soil characteristics (available nitrogen, organic matter, moisture, pH, Ca, and Mg) in the pasture; in the old field only cover was significantly related to soil characteristics (organic matter and moisture). Both sites contrasted sharply with respect to spatial pattern of soil variables, with the old field exhibiting a higher degree of spatial dependence. These results demonstrate that land-use practices can exert profound influence on spatial heterogeneity of both soil properties and vegetation in herb-dominated communities.
High‐resolution methods for preserving the sum of mass fractions: improved χ‐scheme and an alternative

SUMMARY When high resolution convection schemes are used for discretizing chemical species mass balance equations, the mass fractions are not guaranteed to add to one. We show that a proposed remedy called χ —scheme (Darwish and Moukalled, Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Engrg. 192 (2003): 1711) will degrade to a diffusive first-order scheme when a chemical species vanishes from the mixture, for example, because of chemical reactions. We propose an improvement to the χ -scheme to overcome this problem. Furthermore, a computationally efficient alternative scheme is proposed and evaluated with several examples, to quantify the improvements in the accuracy and the computational time. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Robots in human environments

Discusses the basic capabilities needed to enable robots to operate in human populated environments for accomplishing both autonomous tasks and human-guided tasks. These capabilities are key to many new emerging robotic applications in service, construction, field, underwater, and space. An important characteristic of these robots is the "assistance" ability they can bring to humans in performing various physical tasks. To interact with humans and operate in their environments, these robots must be provided with the functionality of mobility and manipulation. The article presents developments of models, strategies, and algorithms concerned with a number of autonomous capabilities that are essential for robot operations in human environments. These capabilities include: integrated mobility and manipulation, cooperative skills between multiple robots, interaction ability with humans, and efficient techniques for real-time modification of collision-free path. These capabilities are demonstrated on two holonomic mobile platforms designed and built at Stanford University in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratories and Nomadic Technologies.
Battered women versus male batterer typologies: Same or different based on evidence-based studies?

Abstract Domestic violence research has made great strides in understanding patterns of violence by examining typologies or categories of male batterers. Examining classifications of batterers allows for more targeted interventions and policies that address the particular risks and needs of each batterer subtype. Despite great advancement in our understanding of batterer typologies, little work has been done to examine what these typologies mean for battered women and whether battered women are easily classified into similar typologies useful for service provision. This article reviews the most common and empirically supported batterer typologies and then compares these typologies to Roberts’ [Roberts, A. R. (2007). Domestic violence continuum, forensic assessment, and crisis intervention.] The continuum of the duration and severity of woman battering is adapted from Roberts and Roberts' (2005) Ending Intimate Abuse: Practical Guidance and Survival Strategies, New York: Oxford University Press. The battered-women typology, however, introduces women's degree of independence as a factor important in battered-women classification but often ignored in batterer typologies. Making these comparisons raises several questions regarding the focus of future classificatory and typological research on intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental factors. The implications for practice with battered women in different types of violent relationships are discussed.
IMPLEMENTATION OF LARGE-SCALE PLANNED CHANGE: SOME AREAS OF AGREEMENT AND DISAGREEMENT '

This article discusses the results of a study designed to identify key issues in the large-scale planned change process. 80 internal consultants, 58 external consultants, 71 researchers, and 189 managers indicated the extent to which they perceived various issues as having a positive or negative influence on the process of large-scale change. These positive and negative influence issues, as well as areas of agreement and disagreement concerning the perception of key issues are summarized.
Growth of the Calf Udder Using DNA as an Index

Summary Nine dairy calves were administered subcutaneously 30 µg. estradiol benzoate (EB) and 30 mg. progesterone (P) daily, starting at 2 mo. of age. Each month, the EB and P were increased 10 µg. and 10 mg., respectively. Three calves were sacrificed after 2, 4, and 6 mo. of treatment. The udders were removed and the glands in each quarter were dissected free of the surrounding fatty tissue, cut up into tiny pieces, and the fat and water extracted. The dry, fat-free tissue was then analyzed for the content of DNA per milligram. The total DNA in each quarter of the calf's udder was quite similar, but considerable variability was observed in either total DNA per udder or per 100 lb. body weight. In comparing the group injected for 4 mo. with the 2-mo. group, a marked increase in growth (DNA) was observed. It is believed that the DNA method will serve as a satisfactory method of quantitative estimation of normal and experimental gland growth in calves.
Three-port ZVS converter with PWM plus secondary-side phase-shifted for photovoltaic-storage hybrid systems

A full bridge three-port converter (FBTPC) with PWM plus secondary-side phase shift (PWM+SSPS) is proposed for photovoltaic-storage hybrid systems in this paper. Employing the parasitized control variables along with the potential power transmission paths from the primary side, the proposed TPC, which consists of two bidirectional ports and an isolated output port, is derived. Moreover, the primary switch's duty cycle and the phase shift between the leading primary and the corresponding lagging secondary switches are employed as two control freedoms to achieve the voltage regulation within the power conversion between any two of the three ports, namely the PWM+SSPS control scheme. Furthermore, zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) performance is achieved for both the primary and secondary side switches due to the proposed PWM+SSPS. As a result, high power density and efficiency can be implemented. The operation principle of the proposed converter is analyzed in detail and experimental results of an 800W prototype are provided to verify the feasibility and advantages of the proposed converter along with the control scheme.
Practical Markov Logic Containing First-Order Quantifiers with Application to Identity Uncertainty

Markov logic is a highly expressive language recently introduced to specify the connectivity of a Markov network using first-order logic. While Markov logic is capable of constructing arbitrary first-order formulae over the data, the complexity of these formulae is often limited in practice because of the size and connectivity of the resulting network. In this paper, we present approximate inference and estimation methods that incrementally instantiate portions of the network as needed to enable first-order existential and universal quantifiers in Markov logic networks. When applied to the problem of identity uncertainty, this approach results in a conditional probabilistic model that can reason about objects, combining the expressivity of recently introduced BLOG models with the predictive power of conditional training. We validate our algorithms on the tasks of citation matching and author disambiguation.
ReAsH as a Quantitative Probe of In-Cell Protein Dynamics.

The tetracysteine (tc) tag/biarsenical dye system (FlAsH or ReAsH) promises to combine the flexibility of fluorescent protein tags with the small size of dye labels, allowing in-cell study of target proteins that are perturbed by large protein tags. Quantitative thermodynamic and kinetic studies in-cell using FlAsH and ReAsH have been hampered by methodological complexities presented by the fluorescence properties of the tag-dye complex probed by either Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) or direct excitation. We label the model protein phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) with AcGFP1 and ReAsH for direct comparison with AcGFP1/mCherry-labeled PGK. We find that fast relaxation imaging (FReI), combining millisecond temperature jump kinetics with fluorescence microscopy detection, circumvents many of the difficulties encountered working with the ReAsH system, allowing us to obtain quantitative FRET measurements of protein stability and kinetics both in vitro and in cells. We also demonstrate the to us surprising result that fluorescence from directly excited, unburied ReAsH at the C-terminus of the model protein also reports on folding in vitro and in cells. Comparing the ReAsH-labeled protein to a construct labeled with two fluorescent protein tags allows us to evaluate how a bulkier protein tag affects protein dynamics in cells and in vitro. We find that the average folding rate in the cell is closer to the in vitro rate with the smaller tag, highlighting the effect of tags on quantitative in-cell measurements.
New Developments in Pertussis Vaccines

The incidence of pertussis disease declined following widespread immunisation earlier in the twentieth century. However, adverse affects associated with whole-cell pertussis vaccines and recent concern about their efficacy has lead to poor acceptance in a number of countries. Administration of whole-cell pertussis vaccine is associated with a number of undesirable effects such as fever, local reactions and prolonged crying episodes, in addition to rare but serious acute neurological sequelae that may occur in 1 in 100 000 to 1 000 000 vaccinations. Furthermore, recent increases in the incidence of pertussis, even among vaccinated individuals, raise questions regarding the efficacy of the whole-cell vaccine. A number of acellular pertussis vaccines have been developed to improve vaccine efficacy and decrease vaccine-associated adverse effects. Acellular pertussis vaccines consist of purified, inactivated pertussis antigens. Two types of acellular vaccines are widely used in Japan and are gaining acceptance in other countries. The B-type vaccine contains equal amounts of pertussis toxin and filamentous haemagglutinin. The T-type vaccine contains larger amounts of filamentous haemagglutinin and smaller amounts of pertussis toxin, pertactin and other agglutinogens. In studies conducted in Japan, the US and Sweden, these vaccines have been associated with few adverse effects and elicit a measurable antibody titre to their components. Efficacy studies evaluating these vaccines have also been promising, although no study has compared the efficacy of whole-cell vaccine with the efficacy of acellular pertussis vaccine, and the quantities of acellular vaccine antigens required for protection have not been determined. Studies to answer these questions are ongoing.
Steroid secretion by the isolated rat adrenal.

Summary(1) A method to determine the in vitro steroid secretion by the rat adrenal is described. This procedure measures total steroid hormone production as well as secretion of steroids which have a 17, 21 dihy-droxy-20-ketone side chain. (2) It has been demonstrated that the in vitro secretion of adrenal hormones which possess a dihydroxy-ketone side chain amounts to almost one-half of the total steroid secretion. (3) The isolated rat adrenal secretes four steroid hormones in response to ACTH. The compound secreted in largest amount has been shown to be 11-epi-corticosterone.
Serum beta-acetylglucosaminidase and arylsulfatase A in inflammatory disorders of muscle and connective tissue. 1.

SummaryIncreased serum β-acetylglucosaminidase was found in some patients with active polymyositis or dermatomyositis, in a majority of patients with SLE, and in a few patients with local or systemic vasculitis. Arylsulfatase A was also increased, but only in a smaller number of patients. Enzyme levels were normal in most patients with inactive myositis and always in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, other forms of dystrophy, various other myopathies and the majority of patients with neurogenic atrophies. High serum creatine kinase activity was nearly always present in the dystrophies and in a few patients with neurogenic disease and in one patient with myasthenia gravis.This study suggests a correlation between lysosomal enzymes in the inflamed tissues and serum β-aetylglucosaminidase activity in certain inflammatory disorders of muscle, connective tissue and blood vessels.
Understanding the diverging paths of stayers and leavers: An examination of factors predicting worker retention

Abstract The retention of qualified, competent staff has been a longstanding challenge for child welfare agencies. Given the stressful nature of child welfare work, difficulties with recruitment and retention of staff may not be surprising. However, considering the costs of chronic turnover, efforts to increase retention are crucial. The current study utilizes a large sample (n = 1102) of Title IV-E graduates from one statewide consortium in order to explore the usefulness of a conceptual model for understanding retention and turnover of workers in public child welfare. Logistic regression models reflect that at least one variable from each of four categories (worker, job-extrinsic, job-intrinsic, responses to job) predicted retention. Implications for child welfare workforce research, agency practice, and Title IV-E MSW programs are discussed.
Examining the Impact of a Domestic Violence Simulation on the Development of Empathy in Sociology Classes.

Increasing empathy toward others is an unspoken goal of many sociology courses, but rarely do instructors measure changes in empathy throughout a semester. To address this gap in the literature, I ...
Reconciling Non-malleability with Homomorphic Encryption

Homomorphic encryption schemes are useful in designing conceptually simple protocols that operate on encrypted inputs. On the other hand, non-malleable encryption schemes are vital for designing protocols with robust security against malicious parties, in a composable setting. In this paper, we address the problem of constructing public-key encryption schemes that meaningfully combine these two opposing demands. The intuitive tradeoff we desire in an encryption scheme is that anyone should be able to change encryptions of unknown messages $$m_1, \ldots , m_k$$ into a (fresh) encryption of $$T(m_1, \ldots , m_k)$$ for a specific set of allowed functions T, but the scheme should be otherwise “non-malleable.” That is, no adversary should be able to construct a ciphertext whose value is related to that of other ciphertexts in any other way. For the case where the allowed functions T are all unary, we formulate precise definitions that capture our intuitive requirements and show relationships among these new definitions and other more standard ones (IND-CCA, gCCA, and RCCA). We further justify these new definitions by showing their equivalence to a natural formulation of security in the framework of Universally Composable security. Next, we describe a new family of encryption schemes that satisfy our definitions for a wide variety of allowed transformations T and prove their security under the Decisional Diffie-Hellman (DDH) assumption in two groups with related sizes. Finally, we demonstrate how encryption schemes that satisfy our definitions can be used to implement conceptually simple protocols for non-trivial computation on encrypted data, which are secure against malicious adversaries in the UC framework without resorting to general-purpose multi-party computation or zero-knowledge proofs. For the case where the allowed functions T are binary, we show that a natural generalization of our definitions is unattainable if some T is a group operation. On the positive side, we show that if one of our security requirements is relaxed in a natural way, we can in fact obtain a scheme that is homomorphic with respect to (binary) group operations, and non-malleable otherwise.
Customer Experience at Veterans Affairs

VA's veteran experience office is basically a startup of about 20 people, many from the private sector. Their brief: Shift Veterans Affairs toward a customer-first perspective. This Presidential Innovation Fellow helped start the first-ever cabinet-level customer experience office in the US government, at the Veterans Affairs Administration.
Bottom reflood modelling in heated rods

Reflood calculation carability of the computer program PSATH-1 is shown assuming one dimensional flow for the fluid and two dimensional (radial + axial) heat conduction equation for the fuel rods. ...
Best practice fall prevention strategies CATCH

In a quest to exceed the expectations of our veterans, the staff strives to perform at the highest level of competence in all endeavors. An opportunity to improve nurse-sensitive indicators associated with patient falls was noted. The fall prevention program was evaluated and a plan was formulated. The 5 principle elements incorporated in clinical trials for practice improvement included: collaborative interdisciplinary practice, active leadership engagement, use of technology to support processes, carefully executed communication strategy and house-wide change. As a result of practice improvements at the study facility, positive outcomes were evident. In a national database for hospitals having a similar bed size, the study facility outperformed more than half of others in regard to total falls and falls with injury per 1000 days during two-quarters.
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF MATTER

This chapter discusses the magnetic properties of matter by making qualitative observations of the behavior of various materials placed in a non-uniform magnetic field. These observations allow one to classify the magnetic materials as diamagnetic, paramagnetic, and ferromagnetic. Measurements of the magnetic dipole moment of a wide variety of materials lead to a quantitative classification of magnetic materials in terms of the magnetic susceptibility. Diamagnetism is the result of magnetically induced atomic dipoles. Paramagnetism is due to orientation of weakly interacting magnetic moments associated with electron magnetic moments and circulating electron currents. Ferromagnetism results from a very strong mutual interaction between magnetic moments. This interaction produces nearly perfect magnetic alignment in regions called magnetic domains. Permanent ferromagnets are produced by the alignment of magnetic domains. The chapter also presents an overview of the earth's magnetic field, which is similar to that of an elementary magnetic dipole. The earth's magnetic field is believed to be caused by circulating interior electric currents.
Influences: Growing up in Yale Physiology.

I arrived in New Haven in January 1980 in the middle of a sleet storm after a leisurely cross-country trip from California. I had just completed my PhD at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey—surely one of the most beautiful places in the country to do basic biological
Complete Unilateral Cleft of the Lip and Palate

As previously described (Pruzansky 1955), in complete unilateral and bilateral clefts of the lip and palate, after the lip is united, the overexpanded palatal segments move together, reducing the cleft width along its entire posterior length. Subtelny (1955), using laminographs, has shown that newborns with complete clefts of the lip and palate have wider than normal pharyngeal widths and the perpendicular plates of the sphenoids are distorted in their relationship. Aduss and Pruzansky (1967) have demonstrated that, in complete unilateral cleft lip and palate, any one of three arch forms can result after the lip is repaired (Fig. 6.1)
The Current Status of Psychotherapy Integration

After reviewing the excellent and varied contributions to this Handbook, it is possible to integrate these chapters and to reach some superordinate conclusions. However, let us first begin by drawing distinctions between psychotherapy integration, integrative psychotherapy, and an eclectic approach to psychotherapy. An eclectic approach is one in which the therapist chooses interventions because they work, without any theoretical basis for, or understanding of, or necessary concern with, the reason for using the technique other than the one of efficacy. Psychotherapy integration attends to the relationship between theory and technique. Integrative psychotherapy is presented as a completed, pure-form approach to treatment, whereas psychotherapy integration is a process rather than a school of psychotherapy.
Metformin Is Associated with Improved Survival and Decreased Cardiac Events with No Impact on Patency and Limb Salvage after Revascularization for Peripheral Arterial Disease

Background The incidence of cardiovascular and limb-specific adverse outcomes is higher in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients with diabetes. Metformin is associated with improved cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, the effect of metformin on limb-specific outcomes is unclear. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of metformin on outcomes after intervention for PAD. Methods Patients who underwent revascularization for chronic limb ischemia (Rutherford 3–6) between June 2001 and December 2014 were retrospectively identified. Primary patency (PP), secondary patency (SP), limb salvage (LS), major adverse limb events (MALE), major adverse cardiac events (MACE), and survival rates were compared using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression. Results One thousand sixty-four limbs in 1204 patients were identified (147 metformin, 196 other hypoglycemics [OH], 216 insulin, and 645 nondiabetics (nondiabetes mellitus [DM]). Non-DM had significantly lower incidence of CAD (46%) than insulin (65%), metformin (56%), and OH groups (63%) (P Conclusions Metformin is associated with improved survival and decreased incidence of adverse cardiac events in PAD patients. However, it did not have an impact on patency or LS rates after open and endovascular interventions. LS was worse in diabetic patients primarily treated with insulin.
World Health Organization Guidelines on Medicines for Diabetes Treatment Intensification: Commentary From the American College of Physicians High Value Care Committee

This commentary from the American College of Physicians High Value Care Committee discusses the World Health Organization guideline on managing diabetes mellitus, the nuances of clinical decision m...
Field investigation of ultra-high performance concrete shear key in an adjacent box-girder bridge

Adjacent box girders are widely used in short to intermediate span bridges in several states because they make bridges quick and easy to build. However, the strength and serviceability of this type...
The Bone Marrow Protects and Optimizes Immunological Memory during Dietary Restriction

Summary Mammals evolved in the face of fluctuating food availability. How the immune system adapts to transient nutritional stress remains poorly understood. Here, we show that memory T cells collapsed in secondary lymphoid organs in the context of dietary restriction (DR) but dramatically accumulated within the bone marrow (BM), where they adopted a state associated with energy conservation. This response was coordinated by glucocorticoids and associated with a profound remodeling of the BM compartment, which included an increase in T cell homing factors, erythropoiesis, and adipogenesis. Adipocytes, as well as CXCR4-CXCL12 and S1P-S1P1R interactions, contributed to enhanced T cell accumulation in BM during DR. Memory T cell homing to BM during DR was associated with enhanced protection against infections and tumors. Together, this work uncovers a fundamental host strategy to sustain and optimize immunological memory during nutritional challenges that involved a temporal and spatial reorganization of the memory pool within “safe haven” compartments.
Smartphone interfaced handheld echocardiography for focused assessment of ventricular function and structure in children: A pilot study.

INTRODUCTION Miniaturized echocardiographic machines improve availability and portability and can be particularly useful for underserved and resource-limited settings. The goal of this study was to compare left ventricular fractional shortening (FS) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) obtained by a newer handheld echo (HHE) machine to standard transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) in children. METHODS Pediatric outpatients (Birth-18 years) undergoing TTE were prospectively enrolled. HHE protocol included 2D and M-mode images from the parasternal long, short, and apical-4 chamber views. HHE and TTE measurements were reviewed for agreement. Kappa statistic was used to analyze qualitative indices while FS and LVEF were analyzed with Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and Bland-Altman limits of agreement (loa). RESULTS Sixty children were enrolled; 55 were included in the quantitative analysis. Mean age was 7.5 ± 5.5 years; 67% males; median HHE image acquisition duration was 2.3(1-5) minutes. Fractional shortening and EF by HHE showed good agreement with TTE [CCC = 0.82, 95%CI (0.73,0.90), mean bias -3.18%, loa (-7.00,6.44%) vs CCC = 0.81 (0.72,0.90), mean bias -0.87%, loa (-6.94,5.17%], respectively. In children ≤5 years, HHE FS (n = 20) and EF (n = 21) agreed with TTE measurement [0.59 (0.31, 0.88), mean bias 0.30%, loa (-8.5, 9.1%); 0.79 (0.63, 0.96), mean bias 0.10%, loa (-5.99, 6.14)]. Kappa values for RV size, function, and LV function were 1.00 (P < .05); 0.75 for LV size (P < .05) and 0.66 for pericardial effusion (P < .05). CONCLUSION Handheld echo demonstrates good correlation with standard TTE for focused assessment of ventricular chamber sizes and function in children.
Flat combined Red Black Trees

Flat combining is a concurrency threaded technique whereby one thread performs all the operations in batch by scanning a queue of operations to-be-done and performing them together. Flat combining makes sense as long as k operations each taking O(n) separately can be batched together and done in less than O(k*n). Red black tree is a balanced binary search tree with permanent balancing warranties. Operations in red black tree are hard to batch together: for example inserting nodes in two different branches of the tree affect different areas of the tree. In this paper we investigate alternatives to making a flat combine approach work for red black trees.
Artificial Blood: The History and Current Perspectives of Blood Substitutes

Blood transfusions are one of the most common procedures performed in hospitalized patients. Yet, despite all of the measures taken to ensure the safety of the blood supply, there are known risks associated with transfusions, including infectious and noninfectious complications. Meanwhile, issues with blood product availability, the need for compatibility testing, and the storage and transport requirements of blood products, have presented challenges for the administration of blood transfusions. Additionally, there are individuals who do not accept blood transfusions (e.g., Jehovah's Witnesses). Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative agents that can reliably and safely replace blood. However, although there have been many attempts to develop blood substitutes over the years, there are currently no such products available that have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, a more-recently developed hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier has shown promise in early clinical trials and has achieved the status of "Orphan Drug" under the FDA.
Changes in Hospital-Based Obstetric Services in Rural US Counties, 2014-2018.

This study describes hospital-based obstetric service losses in rural US counties between 2014 and 2018 overall and by county population and urban adjacency.
Bariatric Surgery in Those with Coronary Artery Disease

Bariatric surgery is known to have cardiovascular mortality benefit, primarily driven by significant and sustained weight loss. Available data suggests benefit in patients with established coronary artery disease, however this population encompasses a small percentage of the overall bariatric population, and is therefore not extensively studied. It has, however, been established that there are increased risks of perioperative cardiovascular morbidity for patients of noncardiac surgeries who have coronary artery disease. Larger randomized studies are required to determine whether the benefits of bariatric surgery outweigh the potential risks in patients with established coronary artery disease. Until better evidence is available, we recommend following the established societal guidelines for operative timing in noncardiac surgery.
Multiple Voices, Messy Truths:

The following commentary follows on and flows out of an initial response to reading “Multiple Voices on Authorship and Authority in Biomedical Publications” by DeTora and colleagues (2020), which appeared in volume 3 issue 4 of Rhetoric of Health and Medicine. This response, by rhetorician of science, health, and medicine Celeste Condit, begins by situating questions about authorship and authority in biomedicine against a classical rhetorical source, Plato’s Gorgias. In so doing, Condit identifies a messy truth—that rhetoric potentially can pose dangers when applied to health and medicine. The authors then construct a Platonic dialogue that situates authorship, ethos, and authority in the context of biomedicine. Ultimately, the two authors illustrate the messiness that results when attempting to mount a discussion of these terms across intellectual registers.
Unmasking the psychology of recognizing emotions of people wearing masks: The role of empathizing, systemizing, and autistic traits

Abstract Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people around the world have been wearing masks. This has negatively affected the reading of facial emotions. In the current study, the ability of participants' emotional recognition of faces and the eye region alone (similar to viewing masked faces) was analyzed in conjunction with psychological factors such as their capacity to empathize, systemize and the degree of autistic traits. Data from 403 healthy adults between 18 and 40 years revealed a significant difference between faces and eyes-only conditions for accuracy of emotion recognition as well as emotion intensity ratings, indicating a reduction in the capacity to recognize emotions and experience the emotion intensities of individuals wearing masks. As expected, people who were more empathetic were better at recognizing both ‘facial’ and ‘eyes-only’ emotions. This indicates that empathizers might have an upper hand in recognizing emotions of masked faces. There was a negative correlation between the degree of autistic traits and emotion recognition in both faces and eyes-only conditions. This suggests that individuals with higher levels of autistic traits would have greater difficulty recognizing emotions of both faces with and without masks. None of the psychological factors had a significant relationship with emotion intensity ratings. Finally, systemizing tendencies had no correlation with either emotion recognition or emotion intensity ratings.
Low GWP R22 replacement for air conditioning in high ambient conditions

Abstract Due to the ongoing phase-out of R22 and implementation of stringent efficiency requirements for air-conditioning in the Middle East there is need for environmentally friendly replacement. This paper focuses on a thorough evaluation of the R22 replacement options for air conditioning applications. It includes a thermodynamic analysis, experimental testing and determination of the environmental impact of the refrigerant selection. Two potential alternatives to R22 were studied: one HFC (R407C) and one HFO based (R444B). R444B is shown to be an efficient and environmentally acceptable option to replace R22 in air conditioning applications.
Investigation of hardwood biochar as a replacement for wood flour in wood–polypropylene composites

The overall goal of this project was to combine biochar (BC) with plastic and wood residue to create novel composite products. Little to no research has been conducted on combining BC with other materials to form a composite. In this research, BC was used as a partial and full replacement material for wood flour and was combined with polypropylene to manufacture composite materials. The resulting wood/BC/plastic composites were evaluated for various mechanical and physical properties. The composites fabricated with 25% BC had the highest average flexural strength and modulus of elasticity. Composites fabricated with 5% BC had the highest average tensile strength and tensile elasticity. Composites fabricated with 40% BC had the lowest average 24- and 48-h water absorption percentage. The findings suggested that BC has the potential to be a replacement for traditional wood in a variety of composite applications.
From Afghanistan 1979 to Afghanistan 2001: How Three Current High School History Textbooks Frame the Origins of the “War on Terror” Historical Analysis and Interviews with William Blum, Noam Chomsky and James Loewen

This work examines how three current eleventh grade U.S. high school history textbooks report on the origins of the “war on terror.” The researcher chose one textbook from each of the three leading publishing houses that supply the high school market: Holt McDougal, Prentice Hall, and McGraw-Hill. The scope of the researcher’s inquiry covers the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to the U.S. invasion in 2001. The nomenclature of the “war on terror,” Reagan’s “war on terror,” U.S. support for the Afghan Mujahideen, the Persian Gulf War, and the decision to invade Afghanistan are examined. Interviews with authors William Blum, James Loewen, and Noam Chomsky are also reported. Findings indicate factual errors regarding historical events, as well as numerous omissions of historical context. Such errors and omissions may lead the high school reader to form inaccurate conclusions regarding current U.S. foreign policy regarding terrorism. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the instructor to devote considerable research to this topic so to supplement the inadequacies of the textbook. Afghanistan to Afghanistan 9 Chapter
Sensory Preferences of Consumers for High pH, Low pH Commodity Pork Loins and Berkshire Pork Loins

Consumers desire pork that will transcend into a pleasurable dining experience. Tenderness, juiciness, and flavor are sensory parameters that will primarily determine consumer acceptance of pork in the retail market. The pH of the muscle tissue appears to be one of the major factors influencing the sensory perception of pork. In this study consumers were asked to evaluate loin samples of high pH (6.10), low pH commodity loins (5.65) and berkshire loins (5.58). There was no significant difference in overall acceptance between the high pH and berkshire loins but a difference was noted for the low pH loins. High pH and berkshire pork loins were preferred over the low pH for tenderness and the high pH tended to have a slight preference over the Berkshire. For juiciness the high pH and berkshire loins were significantly superior over the low pH loins. Consumers in this study choose the berkshire loins over the high and low pH loins for flavor. But there was less difference noted in flavor between the berkshire and high pH loins. The Berkshire breed is known for its superior muscle quality and consumer preference. Even though the berkshire loins were the lowest in pH in this study, the “Berkshire influence” was evident for consumer satisfaction and preference. Therefore, according to the consumers participating in this sensory panel, high pH and berkshire loins would provide the most acceptable dining experience for a pork consumer. However, when the panelist where given the opportunity to evaluate the uncooked samples for their preference as a purchase selection at the meat counter, approximately 75% chose the low pH loin sample which was the lightest in color and had the least amount of marbling. Therefore, this clearly demonstrates the need for more consumer education on pork quality and how to select pork at the meat counter to achieve the ultimate dining experience.
Who and what is fair matters: A multi‐foci social exchange model of creativity

To better understand the role of fairness in creativity, we developed and tested a multi-foci social exchange model of creativity. Specifically, we examined the effect of both the organization and supervisor as distinct sources of interpersonal and informational justice types on creativity through the mediating mechanisms of trust and social exchange relationships. The data were collected from 205 employees and their supervisors at a large chemical engineering plant in India. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model. Results show that both interpersonal and informational justice types influence creativity via different mechanisms but both justice types were not equally important for employee creativity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Operating Room Time Savings with the Use of Splint Packs: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: The most expensive variable in the operating room (OR) is time. Lean Process Management is being used in the medical field to improve efficiency in the OR. Streamlining individual processes within the OR is crucial to a comprehensive time saving and cost-cutting health care strategy. At our institution, one hour of OR time costs approximately $500, exclusive of supply and personnel costs. Commercially prepared splint packs (SP) contain all components necessary for plaster-of-Paris short-leg splint application and have the potential to decrease splint application time and overall costs by making it a more lean process. We conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing OR time savings between SP use and bulk supply (BS) splint application. Methods: Fifty consecutive adult operative patients on whom post-operative short-leg splint immobilization was indicated were randomized to either a control group using BS or an experimental group using SP. One orthopaedic surgeon (EMB) prepared and applied all of the splints in a standardized fashion. Retrieval time, preparation time, splint application time, and total splinting time for both groups were measured and statistically analyzed. Results: The retrieval time, preparation time and total splinting time were significantly less ( p<0.001) in the SP group compared with the BS group. There was no significant difference in application time between the SP group and BS group. Conclusion: The use of SP made the process of splinting more lean. This has resulted in an average of 2 minutes 52 seconds saved in total splinting time compared to BS, making it an effective cost-cutting and time saving technique. For high volume ORs, use of splint packs may contribute to substantial time and cost savings without impacting patient safety.
Developmental regulation of adult cortical morphology and behavior: an animal model for mental retardation.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the behavioral performance in adult mice which, as neonates, had received lesions to cortically projecting, cholinergic basal forebrain neurons. The nucleus basalis magnocellularis (nBM) provides the primary cholinergic innervation to cerebral cortex. Lesions in the nBM in neonatal mice result in transient cholinergic denervation and persistent abnormalities in cortical morphology and cytoarchitecture. These cortical abnormalities resemble pathologies observed in a number of developmental disabilities in humans, including Down Syndrome. Balb/CByJ mice received lesions to the nBM 12–24 hr after birth; littermates served as controls. Behavioral testing began 8 weeks after the lesion and included assessments of spontaneous motor activity, retention (a passive avoidance task) and cognition (the Morris swim task). Following behavioral testing, a subset of mice was killed for Nissl and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) histology. The cortical morphology in these brains was evaluated and ranked by the experimenter, who was blind to the lesion and behavioral studies. The lesioned mice exhibited increased spontaneous activity as compared to littermate controls. The lesioned mice were also severely impaired in performance of the retention and cognitive task; they showed decreased passive avoidance retention latencies and increased swim maze latencies as compared to controls. The brains of all of the lesioned mice exhibited cortical morphological abnormalities that ranged from slight to severe. Cortical AChE intensity and distribution in the brains of the lesioned mice, however, were comparable to those of controls. In correlation studies of behavioral and morphological data, motor activity did not correlate with either passive avoidance retention or swim maze latencies. Additionally, cortical cytoarchitectural abnormalities did not correlate with motor activity. Cortical cytoarchitectural abnormalities did, however, correlate with both passive avoidance and swim maze latencies, i.e. severely abnormal cortical morphology predicted low passive avoidance retention latencies and high swim maze latencies. These data indicate that cortical cytoarchitectural abnormalities resulting from nBM lesions in neonates correlate with impairments on the cognitive task, but not with the activity measures, in adult mice. Thus, in this lesion model, and by extrapolation in developmental disabilities in humans, structural changes in the cortex which result from transient disruption of cortical cholinergic innervation may lead to persistent cognitive impairments in adulthood.