cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
J.L. Corning and vagal nerve stimulation for seizures in the 1880s

Beginning in the late 18th century, facial flushing and bounding carotid artery pulses during seizures were seen as evidence that seizures resulted from "venous hyperaemia" of the CNS. Consequently, physicians used digital compression of the carotid artery, and later carotid ligation, to abort seizures. In the early 1880s, New York neurologist James Leonard Corning (1855--1923) developed several instruments for carotid artery compression in the treatment of seizures. These devices included a two-pronged, fork-like instrument (the "carotid fork") for temporary compression as an abortive treatment and an adjustable belt-like instrument to encircle the neck (the "carotid truss") for chronic compression as a prophylactic treatment. Corning's uncontrolled observations suggested that the abortive treatment decreased the duration of seizures and that the prophylactic treatment decreased the frequency of seizures. Corning later combined instrumented carotid artery compression with other devices to decrease cerebral blood flow, including transcutaneous electrical vagal nerve and cervical sympathetic stimulation. Observed side effects of treatment included bradycardia, dizziness, and syncope. Corning's use of instrumented carotid compression and his precocious application of transcutaneous electrical vagal nerve stimulation were not widely adopted by neurologists, and these techniques and devices ultimately were abandoned in the late 19th century.
Effects of Gallery Density and Species Ratio on the Fitness and Fecundity of Two Sympatric Bark Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Interspecific interactions among tree-killing bark beetle species may have ecologically important consequences on beetle population dynamics. Using two tree-killing beetle species (Dendroctonus brevicomis and D. frontalis), we performed observational and experimental studies to verify cross-attraction and co-colonization under field conditions in northern Arizona and test the effects of gallery density and species ratio on response variables of average gallery length, offspring size (progeny fitness), and offspring production per centimeter gallery (fecundity). Our results show that both D. frontalis and D. brevicomis aggregate to pheromones synthesized de novo by D. brevicomis under field conditions and that galleries of both D. brevicomis and D. frontalis occurred together in the same region of a single host tree with significant frequency. In experimental manipulations of species ratios, the presence of conspecific beetles in the gallery environment strongly mediated fecundity, but D. frontalis was the only species that suffered negative impacts from the presence of heterospecific beetles in the gallery environment. Interactions did not result in any apparent fitness effects for progeny of either species, which suggests that multispecies aggregations and co-colonization may be a dominant ecological strategy in the region and result in niche sharing.
Disruption of Golgi morphology and altered protein glycosylation in PLA2G6-associated neurodegeneration

Background Mutations in PLA2G6 , which encodes the calcium-independent phospholipase A2 group VI, cause neurodegeneration and diffuse cortical Lewy body formation by a yet undefined mechanism. We assessed whether altered protein glycosylation due to abnormal Golgi morphology might be a factor in the pathology of this disease. Methods Three patients presented with PLA2G6 -associated neurodegeneration (PLAN); two had infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD) and one had adult-onset dystonia-parkinsonism. We analysed protein N-linked and O-linked glycosylation in cerebrospinal fluid, plasma, urine, and cultured skin fibroblasts using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation - time of flight/mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). We also assessed sialylation and Golgi morphology in cultured fibroblasts by immunofluorescence and performed rescue experiments using a lentiviral vector. Results The patients with INAD had PLA2G6 mutations NM_003560.2: c.[950G>T];[426–1077dup] and c.[1799G>A];[2221C>T] and the patient with dystonia-parkinsonism had PLA2G6 mutations NM_003560.2: c.[609G>A];[2222G>A]. All three patients had altered Golgi morphology and abnormalities of protein O-linked glycosylation and sialylation in cultured fibroblasts that were rescued by lentiviral overexpression of wild type PLA2G6. Conclusions Our findings add altered Golgi morphology, O-linked glycosylation and sialylation defects to the phenotypical spectrum of PLAN; these pathways are essential for correct processing and distribution of proteins. Lewy body and Tau pathology, two neuropathological features of PLAN, could emerge from these defects. Therefore, Golgi morphology, O-linked glycosylation and sialylation may play a role in the pathogenesis of PLAN and perhaps other neurodegenerative disorders.
Geocomputation: a practical primer, by Chris Brunsdon and Alex Singleton, London, SAGE Publications, 2015, 392 pp., US$52.00, ISBN 9781446272930 paperback, ISBN 9781446272923 hardcover

Geocomputation: A Practical Primer by Chris Brunsdon and Alex Singleton (eds) and 22 other contributors presents an accessible primer to modern Geocomputation research. It is a timely addition to t...
Mesembrioxylon obscurum , a new combination for Araucarioxylon? obscurum Knowlton, from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Wyoming

A reinvestigation of the type specimen of Araucarioxylon? obscurum Knowlton (1900) from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation in the Freezeout Hills of Wyoming has determined that this fossil should be transferred to Mesembrioxylon Seward (1919) as M. obscurum comb. nov. (Knowlton) Medlyn and Tidwell. Knowlton (1900), who was uncertain of its appropriate generic disposition, tentatively referred the wood to Araucarioxylon because it had obscure growth rings and relatively low ray height. Reexamination of Knowltons slides demonstrates that the wood has uniseriate, rarely biseriate rays, podocarpoid pitting, and diffuse axial parenchyma, none of which Knowlton mentioned. Tracheary pitting is mostly separate, round, uniseriate, occasionally biseriate and, when biseriate, opposite to subopposite. The smooth-walled crossfields exhibit 1-3 thin-bordered podocarpaceous pits per field. All of these features are present in Mesembrioxylon Seward.
Markov Chain Monte Carlo Analysis of Trophic Cascade in Yellowstone after Reintroduction of Wolves

In this chapter, we update a mathematical model based on the Lotka-Volterra predator–prey model to describe the elk–coyote–wolf interactions after the reintroduction of wolf in Yellowstone in 1995. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm is applied to calibrate the model parameters based on data compiled since wolves were released in the park. Our model predictions match the published experimental data very well. The objective of this study is to predict the impact of wolf reintroduction into the Yellowstone National Park on elk and coyote population.
Assessing the clinical utility of laboratory methods.

A clinically useful test is one that, indirectly, leads to better management results. Decision analysis and benefit-risk models are discussed as means by which performance standards can be set to determine when to treat or not to treat a patient. The difficulties involved in such an assessment are probed.
Eastern Meditation Groups: Why Join?

This paper examines membership in a certain type of New Religious group-viz. those whose members leave the larger society of their own volition in order to participate in meditation and other practices from the East. The data include field observations, responses from a structured interview, and semi-structured, tape-recorded interviews. A model of membership is proposed: individuals with IA) a psychotherapeutic orientation who are IB) structurally available for II) in depth drug experimentation III) seek an alternative to the drug highs without the lows. In the great majority of societies, there is some built-in way of entering a meditative state, some release from the hereand-now other than drugs or alcohol. This society is one of the few exceptions. Members of New Religious groups such as the ashram may be seen as those who have found, in a corner of this society, a way of entering a meditative state.
Controlling hESC-CM Cell Morphology on Patterned Substrates Over a Range of Stiffness

There is a consensus in the cardiac stem cell biology field that human embryonic stem cell derived–cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) are immature and do not resemble human adult cardiomyocytes, either phenotypically or transcriptionally. One striking difference between hESC-CMs and mature adult cardiomyocytes is their morphology. hESC-CMs grown in vitro are pleomorphic in shape and have no clear sarcomere organization; conversely, adult cardiomyocytes are rod-shaped with an average length-to-width (aspect) ratio of 7:1 and display a highly organized internal cytoskeletal structure. By combining multiple cues, i.e. substrate stiffness and topographical features, it may be possible to create a more physiologically-relevant model that better recapitulates the architecture of the native human heart which will aid in regenerative medicine therapies, disease modeling, drug testing, developmental and cardiotoxicity studies. Prior work in our lab used microcontact printing on glass slides to control the cell shape to improve the maturation of hESC-CMs. Since then, new work has focused on patterning methods on more compliant substrates using both microcontact printing, as well as a sacrificial polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film. In this proceeding, the advantages and disadvantages of the above methods will be discussed in relationship to hESC-CM maturation.
How Do We Treat Complex Calcified Coronary Artery Disease

Despite significant advances in treatment of coronary artery disease and improvements in interventional devices and techniques, the subset of obstructive calcified coronary artery disease remains challenging to treat. Percutaneous treatment of these lesions results in increased rates of procedural complications, as well as a higher risk of stent underexpansion and malapposition. This is associated with higher rates of restenosis, target lesion revascularization (TLR), and major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Several interventional strategies and technologies have been developed to improve lesion preparation and successful stent implantation. This includes use of cutting and scoring balloons and atherectomy devices. Several intravascular imaging techniques have also shown to have value in the treatment of complex calcified coronary lesions. These advances have improved the treatment of patients with calcified coronary disease who are often difficult to treat and frequently excluded from large randomized trials. Thoughtful, and not routine, use of rotational atherectomy can be helpful in pre-treating severely calcified lesions to achieve successful stent delivery. Orbital atherectomy represents a newer advancement in the atherectomy approach that may be beneficial in the treatment of calcified coronary disease, but further trials are needed to support its routine use.
Impact of a Standardized Central Line Insertion Site Assessment Score on Localized Inflammation and Infection

Author(s): Gohil, Shruti K; Yim, Jennifer; AQuan, Kathleen; Espinoza, Maurice; Thompson, Deborah; Kong, Allen P; Tjoa, Thomas; Bahadori, Bardia; Paiji, Christopher; Rashid, Syma; Hong, Suzie S; Dickey, Linda; Alsharif, Mohamad N; Amin, Alpesh N; Chang, Justin; Khusbu, Usme; Huang, Susan S
The Methodology of The Witch-Hunt Narrative: A Question of Evidence-Evidence Questioned.

From an evidentiary point of view, the project Ross Cheit seeks to accomplish in his book, The Witch-Hunt Narrative: Politics, Psychology, and the Sexual Abuse of Children, is remarkably complex. I...
Chemically Induced Magnetic Polarization in Systems of Biochemical Interest

Donor-acceptor reactions on chlorophyll and its derivatives are being discussed as model systems for photochemical charge transfer reactions. The CIDNP observed can be explained by the radical pair theory. The polarized triplet esr spectrum of bacterio-chlorophyll in vivo is given as a possible example of the radical pair mechanism operating in intact biological systems.
The dipyridylium herbicides, paraquat and diquat.

Since the discovery of their herbicidal potential in the mid-1950’s, the dipyridylium herbicides 1,1’-dimethyl-4,4’-bipyridinium salts (paraquat) and 6,7-dihydrodipyrido[1,2-a:2’, l’- c]pyrazinediium salts (diquat) have been used extensively for control and management of terrestrial and aquatic vegetation. Crop desiccation, pasture renovation, crop production with limited or no tillage, and selective weed control are only a few of the basic agricultural operations for which these chemicals have proved useful.
Intelligent Factory Agents with Predictive Analytics for Asset Management

Abstract The conceptual framework of predictive manufacturing systems starts with data acquisition of the monitored assets. Using appropriate sensor installations, various signals such as vibration, pressure, etc., can be extracted. In addition, historical data can be harvested for further data mining. Communication protocols, such as MTConnect and OPC, can help users record controller signals. When all the data are aggregated, this amalgamation is called “Big Data.” The transforming agent consists of several components: an integrated platform, predictive analytics, and visualization tools. The algorithms found in the Watchdog Agent® can be categorized into four sections: signal processing and feature extraction, health assessment, performance prediction, and fault diagnosis. By utilizing the tools, health information (such as current condition, remaining useful life, failure mode, etc.) can be effectively conveyed in terms of a radar chart, fault map, risk chart, and health degradation curves.
Outcomes research: Getting started, defining outcomes, a framework, and data sources

As key providers of care and as participants in systems delivering care, APNs are in ideal positions to explore, identify, measure, and evaluate patient outcomes. This article has provided an overview of some of the basic knowledge and skills required to undertake outcome studies. Through the application of these basic principles, the beginning APN can start to explore patient outcomes via quality improvement activities. With mastery and expansion of these principles, the expert APN can easily progress into outcomes research studies, which provide substantive contributions to the outcomes research agenda.
Briquetting grass and tree leaf biomass for sustainable production of future fuels

Biomass plays an important role in meeting the increasing global energy demand. Naturally grown grass and tree leaves are abundant and provide an inexpensive source of biomass. The handling and transportation of collected leaves and harvested grass are difficult because they are loose and have inconsistent structures. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanical and thermal characteristics of briquettes produced from grass and three leaves. In this research, grass and tree leaves were dried, chopped, mixed with binder, and briquetted under pressures of 3, 5, and 6 tons/cm2, followed by carbonization at 600 °C for an hour to investigate their mechanical and thermal properties. The effects of compaction/briquetting loads on density, durability, and ignition temperature were analyzed for both non-carbonized and carbonized grass and leaf briquettes. The average densities obtained under 3, 5, and 6 tons/cm2 compaction loads were 919.8, 934.9, and 945.5 kg/m3 for grass briquettes, and 1102.7, 1117.0, and 1123.0 kg/m3 for leaf briquettes, respectively. Ignition temperature tests showed that the average ignition temperatures were 259.0, 272.3 and 277.7 °C for grass briquettes and 252.0, 266.7 and 273.7 °C for leaf briquettes. In the case of carbonized briquettes, the average ignition temperatures were slightly increased due to the lack of gas and liquid compounds after carbonization. Based on the analysis of compression tests obtained under 3, 5, and 6 tons/cm2, residual strengths were 16.2, 16.8, and 19.2 MPa for grass briquettes, and 13.7, 18.6, and 20.0 MPa for leaf briquettes, respectively. Test results indicated that both grass and tree leaves provided excellent mechanical and thermal properties, which can be used in a number of different industrial applications.
Pyoverdine-dependent virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from cystic fibrosis patients.

The development of therapies that modulate or prevent pathogen virulence may be a key strategy for circumventing antimicrobial resistance. Toward that end, we examined the production of pyoverdine, a key virulence determinant, in ∼70 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from pediatric cystic fibrosis patients. Pyoverdine production was heterogeneous and showed a clear correlation with pathogenicity in Caenorhabditis elegans and an acute murine pneumonia model. Examination showed pyoverdine accumulation in host tissues, including extrapharyngeal tissues of C. elegans and lung tissues of mice, where accumulation correlated with host death. Many of the isolates tested were resistant to multiple antimicrobials, so we assayed the ability of pyoverdine inhibitors to mitigate virulence and rescue pyoverdine-mediated host pathology. Representatives from three different classes of pyoverdine inhibitors (gallium, fluoropyrimidines, and LK11) significantly improved survival. Our findings highlight the utility of targeting virulence factors in general, and pyoverdine in particular, as a promising method to control bacterial pathogenesis as the utility of antimicrobials continues to diminish.
The Relationship Between the Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 Transmission Network and the HIV Care Continuum in Los Angeles County.

BACKGROUND Public health action combating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) includes facilitating navigation through the HIV continuum of care: timely diagnosis followed by linkage to care and initiation of antiretroviral therapy to suppress viral replication. Molecular epidemiology can identify rapidly growing HIV genetic transmission clusters. How progression through the care continuum relates to transmission clusters has not been previously characterized. METHODS We performed a retrospective study on HIV surveillance data from 5226 adult cases in Los Angeles County diagnosed from 2010 through 2014. Genetic transmission clusters were constructed using HIV-TRACE. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the impact of transmission cluster growth on the time intervals between care continuum events. Gamma frailty models incorporated the effect of heterogeneity associated with genetic transmission clusters. RESULTS In contrast to our expectations, there were no differences in time to the care continuum events among individuals in clusters with different growth dynamics. However, upon achieving viral suppression, individuals in high growth clusters were slower to experience viral rebound (hazard ratio 0.83, P = .011) compared with individuals in low growth clusters. Heterogeneity associated with cluster membership in the timing to each event in the care continuum was highly significant (P < .001), with and without adjustment for transmission risk and demographics. CONCLUSIONS Individuals within the same transmission cluster have more similar trajectories through the HIV care continuum than those across transmission clusters. These findings suggest molecular epidemiology can assist public health officials in identifying clusters of individuals who may benefit from assistance in navigating the HIV care continuum.
Factors Associated with Anemia Status Among Children Aged 6–59 months in Ghana, 2003–2014

In 2008, 78% of Ghanaian children under 5 years old were anemic versus 48% of children globally. In this study, we identified proximal and distal determinants of severe–moderate anemia and mild anemia related to socioeconomic status, nutrition, and health access. Using data from the 2003, 2008, and 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys (GDHS), the odds of severe–moderate anemia and mild anemia compared to no anemia, in relation to various hypothesized risk factors, were assessed using a multivariable, multinomial logistic regression, which accounted for survey design. From among 7739 households sampled, severe–moderate anemia was found in approximately 52%, 56%, and 40% of children during 2003, 2008, and 2014, respectively. The proportion of children diagnosed as not anemic was 26% in 2003, 22% in 2008, and 33% in 2014. There are large disparities in anemia prevalence among regions and between urban and rural areas. In 2014, children who were younger (aged 6–24 months), had a recent fever, were from poorer families, and whose mothers were less educated had greater odds of being severely–moderately anemic. These results remained significant when controlling for other risk factors. Predictors of anemia in Ghana remained relatively consistent among the three time periods when the GDHS was administered. The prevalence of anemia in Ghana among children aged 6–59 months has remained unacceptably high. To reduce anemia in these children, the Ghanaian government should concentrate on educating women through both the traditional school system and antenatal care visits.
Prescribed fire promotes acorn survival and seedling emergence from simulated caches

Abstract Prescribed fire increasingly is used to promote oak (Quercus) establishment in many hardwood forests across North America. However, how prescribed fire affects several key components of the oak regeneration process, including acorn survival and germination, is relatively unknown. Acorn mortality during a prescribed fire is likely affected by acorn dormancy, burn season, and previous burial (caching) by scatterhoarding rodents. We assessed the effect of fall and spring prescribed fires on seedling emergence for artificially cached and un-cached northern red oak (Q. rubra) and white oak (Q. alba) acorns in situ in granivore-proof exclosures through eight prescribed fires over two years at two sites in central Indiana. The odds of cached acorn emergence were 3.4–12.1 times higher following fall and spring prescribed fires than the unburned control. Red oak emergence was 1.7 times higher following fall burns than spring burns, whereas white oak emergence was unaffected by burn season. Lower winter temperatures following fall burns may have driven observed differences between burn seasons for northern red oak acorns. Our study links the oak-rodent conditional mutualism hypothesis with the oak-fire hypothesis, by suggesting that prescribed fire may produce environmental conditions that shift interactions between oaks and scatterhoarding rodents toward a more mutualistic relationship.
Application-Driven Model of a PPG Sensing Modality for the Informed Design of Self-Powered, Wearable Healthcare Systems

The convergence of self-powered technology with on-body wearable applications creates impactful opportunities for more personalized healthcare. PPG sensing is recognized as a primary method for recovering physiological information but remains relatively high-power compared to the available energy harvesting options in an on-body self-powered context, limiting reliability. This paper introduces a PPG sensing model based on a differential regulated cascode TIA to demonstrate the power, signaling, and circuit tradeoffs that exist for self-powered PPG operation. The model shows that body-worn μW to sub-μW self-powered PPG operation is theoretically achievable and provides insight on challenges and limitations.
Differences in the Experiential Well-being of Hispanics and Non-Hispanics Engaged in Elder Care

Little attention has been given to how Hispanics differ from non-Hispanics in the well-being they experience while engaging in elder care. This paper uses the 2012 and 2013 American Time Use Surveys (ATUS) and their corresponding Well-being Modules (WBM) to examine how elder care is associated with experiential well-being and how this differs for Hispanic and non-Hispanic caregivers. The sample is limited to regular caregivers for the elderly as defined in the ATUS. Ordered probit models are estimated for several measures of experiential well-being, separately for Hispanic and non-Hispanic subsamples. These measures include how meaningful an activity episode is for a respondent, and how happy, sad, tired, in pain, and stressed they felt during the activity. Standard controls, including health status of the respondent, are included as regressors. Results suggest that, while Hispanics reported a greater psychic benefit (happiness and meaning) when engaging in elder care compared to other daily activities, they also reported higher sadness levels when caring for household members. Although the direct cause of sadness cannot be identified, these conflicting results are consistent with the literature suggesting that, even though Hispanics value collectivistic culture traits, such as familism and have positive caregiving examples from family members, they also have weaker support networks and are reluctant to report burden.
The Emotional Intelligence, Occupational Stress, and Coping Characteristics by Years of Nursing Experiences of Newly Hired Oncology Nurses.

Objective: The objective of the study was to compare and analyze the emotional intelligence, occupational stress, and coping characteristics of three groups of newly hired oncology nurses. Methods: Data for this secondary analysis were collected from a larger study of 114 newly hired nurses at a cancer center in the Northeastern United States. Survey data were collected using the EQi-2.0™, the Nursing Stress Scale, and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. Dimensions of study measures were analyzed based on new graduates, 1–5 years, and >5 years of nursing experience. Analysis of variance was conducted among the three groups followed by Tukey pairwise comparisons analysis when P = 0.05. Results: New graduates scored significantly lower on the self-expression dimension (mean = 96.88; standard deviation [SD] = 13.27) than nurses with >5 years nursing experience (mean = 106.12; SD 15.02) (P = 0.04), and the subdimension, assertiveness (mean = 94.73; SD = 13.87) compared to nurses with >5-year nursing experience (mean = 103.94; SD = 14.86) (P = 0.03). Significantly higher sources of stress for new graduates were death and dying (mean = 16.45; SD = 3.37), and for the associations between the three nursing groups (P = 0.001). New graduate nurses used the problem-focused coping strategy of accepting responsibility (mean = 14.06; SD = 7.28) significantly (P = 0.006) more often than nurses with >5-year experience (mean = 8.54; SD = 4.25), and planful problem solving (mean = 16.76; SD = 5.27) significantly less often (P =.001) than nurses with 1–5-year experiences (mean = 20.12; SD = 7.31). Conclusions: Dimension scores highlight the characteristics of nurses with varying levels of nursing experience onboarding at the same time. Findings may inform model-development for improving nurse-recruitment practices and retention strategies.
Reference frames and geographic scale: understanding their relationship in environmental learning

Reference frames provide structure for spatial cognition and support spatial knowledge development across different scales. This study sheds light on the relationship between geographic scale, defi...
Teaching about Health Disparities: Pedagogy, Curriculum, and Learning Theory

Berger and Miller (2021) argue that contemporary medical education directed toward “cultural competency” fails to address the structural inequities and systemic racism underpinning health dispariti...
CKD Progression From the Time of Estimated GFR-Based Waitlist Eligibility and Racial Disparities in Transplant Access.

Rationale & objective eGFR equations that incorporate a term for race assign a higher value to Black individuals compared to non-Black individuals not attributable to sex, age, or serum creatinine. This difference may contribute to racial disparities in kidney transplant access. We sought to 1) compare time from meeting a transplant eligibility threshold of eGFR ≤20 ml/min/1.73M2 to kidney failure with replacement therapy (KFRT) among Black, Hispanic, and White patients, and 2) assess the impact of incorporation of race into eGFR expressions on establishment of waitlist eligibility and time from eligibility to KFRT. Study design Retrospective cohort. Setting & participants Using the OptumLabs® Data Warehouse, we assembled a cohort of 40,042 White, 8,519 Black, and 3,569 Hispanic patients having at least one eGFR value between 20 and 60 mL/min/1.73m2 within the preceding two years and an incident outpatient eGFR of ≤20 ml/min/1.73m2 between 2008-2018, using the CKD-EPI equation that includes a term for race coded as Black or non-Black. We then re-assembled a Black patient cohort based on incident eGFR ≤20 ml/min/1.73m2 (n=11,269) estimated using the same CKD-EPI equation for Black patients but coding patients as non-Black. Exposure Race/ethnicity. Outcome Time to KFRT. Analytical approach Unadjusted and adjusted Fine-Gray models; linear regression to compute eGFR slopes. Results By 3 years, the cumulative incidence of KFRT was 20.5% among White patients, 40.9% among Hispanic patients, and 36% among Black patients whose eGFR was estimated using a race term coded as Black and 28.7% among Black patients whose eGFR was estimated using a race term coded as non-Black. In fully adjusted analyses including 11,269 Black patients with an eGFR Limitations Inability to exclude individuals who would not be kidney transplant candidates if comprehensively evaluated. Conclusions A uniform eGFR threshold provides less opportunity for being placed on the transplant waitlist among Black and Hispanic patients. For many Black patients, estimation of GFR as if their race category were non-Black would allow substantially earlier waitlisting but would not eliminate their shorter time to KFRT and reduced opportunity for preemptive transplantation compared to White patients.
Surface roughness characterization of the 2014–2015 Holuhraun lava flow-field in Iceland: implications for facies mapping and remote sensing

Surface roughness is a commonly used parameter for the quantitative analysis and characterization of geological terrains on Earth, as well as on other planetary bodies, particularly where detailed optical data may not be available. Here, we statistically investigate if surface roughness can be used to distinguish between different lava facies in remote sensing data by examining the entire 2014–2015 Holuhraun lava flow-field in Iceland. Root-mean-square (RMS) height deviation, Hurst exponents, and breakpoints were calculated to quantify the surface roughness characteristics of eight facies using stereo-derived topographic datasets at three different pixel scales, ranging from 0.05 to 0.5 m/pixel. We show that most of the investigated lava facies (rubbly, spiny, undifferentiated rubbly–spiny, shelly, pāhoehoe, and flat-lying–knobby) are indistinguishable by surface roughness down to the 5 cm baseline, with the exception of topography-building facies like the vent-proximal edifice and the exceptionally blocky channel interior facies. Additionally, we considered baselines corresponding to radar S-band (10 cm), L-band (20 cm), and P-band (90 cm). Our findings imply that when transitional lava types are considered in addition to traditional end-members, topographic roughness data, including RMS height deviation and Hurst exponent values alone, cannot be used to uniquely identify lava facies at these baselines.
Model-based Multivariate Monitoring Charts for Autocorrelated Processes

Autocorrelation or nonstationarity may seriously impact the performance of conventional Hotelling's T2 charts. We suggest modeling processes with multivariate autoregressive integrated moving average time series models and propose two model-based monitoring charts. One monitors the predicted value and provides information about the need for mean adjustments. The other is a Hotelling's T2 control chart applied to the residuals. The average run length performance of the residual-based Hotelling's T2 chart is compared with the observed data-based Hotelling's T2 chart for a group of first-order vector autoregressive models. We show that the new chart in most cases performs well. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
“Economic” Issues and Political Participation: The Evolving Boundaries of International Federalism

John McGinnis has framed the issues in the symposium of which this article is a part, with a provocative paper on the “regime of international federalism.” The structures of federalism have an important place in international governance. Yet the pure model of international federalism endorsed by McGinnis depends on the existence of sharp intellectual boundaries, between the market and other social and political activity and between civil society, on one hand, and national governments and international regimes, on the other. These distinctions are difficult to sustain at the close of the twentieth century. McGinnis's libertarian ideology also leads him to oversimplify his description of economic and political structures and to ignore competing normative conceptions. This article outlines several developments that show the world to be more complex than McGinnis’s model suggests: the two sets of boundaries on which the model depends are in fact fluid, indistinct and constantly evolving. In particular, the "market" has not been a truly autonomous category, separate from other social and political structures, values, and activities, for most of the twentieth century. In addition, individuals, firms, interest groups, and other associations now pursue their political and social interests transnationallyh as well as within their own countries, empowered by new conceptions of "international civil society."
‘Refuge for the Homeless’: Not at Home in Romanticism and Comparative Literature

“‘Refuge for the Homeless’: Not at Home in Romanticism and Comparative Literature” explores the romantic legacy of Comparative Literature. Like many romantic texts, the discipline of Comparative Literature invites and catalogs doubts about its self-definition and so stages the temporal relationship between act and interpretation. In particular, I focus on William Wordsworth’s “Resolution and Independence” and link questions Wordsworth raises about what it means to feel at home to what Theodore Adorno identifies as part of morality today: not feeling too much at home at home. I connect Comparative Literature’s struggle with its own self-definition to a romantic project that investigates the draw but also the threat of vagrancy and refuge, home and its negation.
Relief of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the brain rescues high fat diet-induced hypertension but this is not due to the subfornical organ (682.3)

We have recently demonstrated robust ER stress in central neural cardioregulatory regions of HFD animals, with particularly prominent elevations in the SFO. In line with this, global relief of brai...
Contracting About the Future: Copyright and New Media

In order to deal with the problems of bargaining asymmetry and predicting the future success of creative works, United States copyright law has instated author termination rights. Alternatively, some legal systems prevent authors from licensing the rights to unknown uses of their work. This paper analyzes the distributional reasoning behind this approach from a law and economics perspective. It finds that wealth distribution is likely to be unfavorable to authors without intervention, but also that restricting new-use-right grants may not achieve the intended goal of reallocation. Although the analysis does not aim to determine the optimal design of new-use-right laws, its conclusions may grant helpful insights and provide a sensible direction for further research and policy discussion.
When Prosecutorial Discretion Meets Disaster Capitalism

This Chapter examines the abuse of prosecutorial discretion by D.A. Mike Nifong in an attempt to explain how this elected official exploited for his personal political gain an alleged race-based sexual assault by a gang of privileged, white, male lacrosse players upon a young Black co-ed student in the deep American South. The Chapter asserts that Nifong's manipulation of the shock and subsequent trauma felt by the public in general and the Black Durham, NC citizenry in particular, was textbook disaster capitalism, i.e., an economic theory that explains how capitalists exploit catastrophic "shocks" upon the public's consciousness for political gain via violation of individual liberties is not new. What is new, according to this Chapter, is how Disaster Capitalism should no longer be regarded as a tool of mighty heads of state, vicious dictators, or mercenaries. Rather, Disaster Capitalism is also the methodology of manipulation relied upon by certain public officials whose private interests and personal agendas hide behind the face of public trust. These officials, often as adeptly as private actors, corral a compliant, traumatized public into relinquishing the rule of law and civil liberties - especially of others - in order to feel safe. Drawing upon the parallels seen in the Central Park Jogger case (where prosecutors exploited race-based fears of Black male sexuality, violated the civil liberties of the accused minors, and convicted the accused with coerced confessions), this Chapter notes how, despite their oath to do justice and perform ethically, criminal prosecutors can and will manipulate a frightened public for personal gain, particularly given the high levels of unchecked discretion and power such officials enjoy. By bringing Durham, North Carolina's race-based difficulties to bear upon what, initially, appeared to be a horrific gang rape of Crystal Mangum, Nifong purposely misled the collective unconscious of a traumatized Black population when, almost immediately and upon further investigation, it was clear Mangum had not likely been assaulted at all. Luckily for the players (whose wealth, race, and "victim" served them favorably), they did not suffer the fate of the boys convicted in the Central Park Jogger case who served jail terms, which many others do, as most criminal defendants have no ability to overcome the power of the prosecutor, especially in the face of a shocked, traumatized, and hapless public.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education for the Space Community

The United States currently leads the world in space technology. Academia continues to produce skilled aerospace engineers, and industry continues to produce excellent products. The question is: Ho...
Organic glasses: new photorefractive materials for holographic data storage

Experimental studies of high density holographic digital data storage in organic photorefractive films are described. The results of experiments involving various photorefractive polymer materials are used to assess the relative importance of various material properties. A new class of organic photorefractive materials composed almost entirely of active chromophore molecules, with no inert polymer host, is introduced. The photorefractive properties of these organic glasses are discussed in relation to holographic storage applications.
A Comparison of Atomic Beam Frequency Standards

STANDARD frequencies obtained from various caesium atomic beam frequency standards have been compared in a number of instances1–4. The results of Holloway et al. 1 showed agreement to about 2 × 10−10 between the commercial beam standards developed and manufactured by the National Company and the atomic standard at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, England4.
Peroxynitrite inhibits enterocyte proliferation and modulates Src kinase activity in vitro

Overproduction of nitric oxide (NO) or its toxic metabolite, peroxynitrite (ONOO-), after endotoxemia promotes gut barrier failure, in part, by inducing enterocyte apoptosis. We hypothesized that O...
Inter-phylum HGT has shaped the metabolism of many mesophilic and anaerobic bacteria

Genome sequencing has revealed that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a major evolutionary process in bacteria. Although it is generally assumed that closely related organisms engage in genetic exchange more frequently than distantly related ones, the frequency of HGT among distantly related organisms and the effect of ecological relatedness on the frequency has not been rigorously assessed. Here, we devised a novel bioinformatic pipeline, which minimized the effect of over-representation of specific taxa in the available databases and other limitations of homology-based approaches by analyzing genomes in standardized triplets, to quantify gene exchange between bacterial genomes representing different phyla. Our analysis revealed the existence of networks of genetic exchange between organisms with overlapping ecological niches, with mesophilic anaerobic organisms showing the highest frequency of exchange and engaging in HGT twice as frequently as their aerobic counterparts. Examination of individual cases suggested that inter-phylum HGT is more pronounced than previously thought, affecting up to ∼16% of the total genes and ∼35% of the metabolic genes in some genomes (conservative estimation). In contrast, ribosomal and other universal protein-coding genes were subjected to HGT at least 150 times less frequently than genes encoding the most promiscuous metabolic functions (for example, various dehydrogenases and ABC transport systems), suggesting that the species tree based on the former genes may be reliable. These results indicated that the metabolic diversity of microbial communities within most habitats has been largely assembled from preexisting genetic diversity through HGT and that HGT accounts for the functional redundancy among phyla.
"Out" in Columbus: A Geospatial Analysis of the Neighborhood-Level Distribution of Gay and Lesbian Households

Research on urban growth and vitality suggests that gay men concentrate in high quality of life cities, indicated by high–tech development, diversity, and city amenities. The goal of this paper is ...
A new high-pressure phase transition in natural Fe-bearing orthoenstatite

Single-crystal X-ray structure refinements have been carried out on natural Fe-bearing orthoenstatite (OEN) at pressures up to 14.53 GPa. We report a new high-pressure phase transition from OEN to a monoclinic phase (HPCEN2) with space group P2{sub 1}/c, with a density change of {approx}1.9(3)%. The HPCEN2 phase is crystallographically different from low-pressure clinoenstatite (LPCEN), which also has P2{sub 1}/c symmetry. Upon release of pressure HPCEN2 reverts to OEN, and the transition pressure is bracketed between 9.96 and 14.26 GPa at room temperature. We find no evidence for a C2/c phase at high pressure. The lattice constants for the new phase at 14.26 GPa are a = 17.87(2), b = 8.526(9), c = 4.9485(10) {angstrom}, {beta} = 92.88(4){sup o} [{rho} = 3.658(9) g/cm{sup 3}]. Refinement of the new structure indicates rotation of tetrahedral chain as the key characteristic of this transition. This experiment points to the possibility of OEN and HPCEN2 as the stable phases in Earth's upper mantle.
Lattice dynamics of a mixed diatomic lattice

A pseudo-unit-cell model is utilized to calculate some lattice-dynamical properties of a mixed diatomic lattice of the form $A{B}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{C}_{x}$, where $0\ensuremath{\le}x\ensuremath{\le}1$. The pseudo unit cell is formed by $A$, $(1\ensuremath{-}x)B$, and $\mathrm{xC}$ ions and the resulting mixed crystal lattice is a repetition of such cells. The lattice dynamics of both a linear and a three-dimensional mixed zinc-blende lattice have been studied. The lattice-dynamical model consists of central and noncentral short- and long-range interactions among ions of appropriate effective ionic charge. The model parameters are deduced from physical observables such as the elastic constants and the long-wavelength optical and impurity mode frequencies of the end systems when $x\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$ and $x\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1$. Explicit calculations for the phonon dispersion and frequency distribution function have been performed for the linear mixed diatomic lattice and for $\mathrm{Zn}{\mathrm{S}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Se}}_{x}$ and $\mathrm{Ga}{\mathrm{P}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{As}}_{x}$.
Adverse hemodynamic and clinical effects of encainide in severe chronic heart failure

Abstract Study Objective:To evaluate the hemodynamic effects of the antiarrhythmic drug, encainide, in patients with severe chronic heart failure. Design:Unblinded, before-after study. Setting:Refe...
Derivation of new mathematic formulas for determining whether a D-positive father is heterozygous or homozygous for the D antigen

Objectives: This article derives new mathematic formulas to calculate the probability that the husband of a D-negative woman is heterozygous for the D antigen. Study Design: Current published formulas and tables that estimate this probability are biased in that they incorrectly assume that the father is randomly selected from the general population. With Bayes' theorem, new formulas were derived to eliminate this bias. Results: The probability of the husband being homozygous or heterozygous for the D antigen can be expressed as a function of the number of previous D-positive children. If he has any D-negative children, he is an obligate heterozygote. Conclusion: Previously published formulas and tables that estimate the likelihood of the father being heterozygous or homozygous at the D locus should no longer be used in the obstetric setting.
Past and Current Trends in Intravenous Therapy for Hemorrhagic Shock

One issue that has generated controversy in the area of trauma care is the administration of isotonic intravenous crystalloid volume for patients suffering from traumatic hemorrhagic shock. This practice, once accepted as the standard for good medical care, has become regarded over the past decade as substandard. This article looks at the scientific basis for fluid resuscitation and evidence for declining use of this therapy. Finally, there is recent evidence that some level of intravenous fluid therapy is, in fact, beneficial.
Does the Anti-Hepatitis B Virus Activity of (+)-5‘-Noraristeromycin Exist in Its 4‘-Epimer and 4‘-Deoxygenated Derivatives?

To begin an exploration of the structural parameters responsible for the activity of (+)-5'-noraristeromycin toward hepatitis B virus (HBV), three derivatives varied at the C-4' position have been prepared and evaluated. The syntheses began with a Mitsunobu coupling reaction of an appropriate cyclopentanol with 6-chloropurine. The products of these reactions were synthetically altered by standard ammonolysis and deprotection procedures to give the desired products. Evaluation of the new derivatives indicated that removal of the C-4' hydroxyl of (+)-5'-noraristeromycin increased its potency toward HBV by approximately 10-fold.
An Improved Radio Frequency Interference Model: Reevaluation of the Kurtosis Detection Algorithm Performance Under Central-Limit Conditions

Recent airborne field campaigns making passive microwave measurements have observed some radio frequency interference (RFI) that remained undetected by the kurtosis RFI-detection algorithm. The current pulsed-sinusoidal model for RFI does not explain this anomalous behavior of the detection algorithm. In this paper, a new RFI model is developed that takes into account multiple RFI sources within an antenna footprint. The performance of the kurtosis algorithm with the new model is evaluated. The behavior of the kurtosis detection algorithm under central-limit conditions due to multiple sources is experimentally verified. The new RFI model offers a plausible explanation for the lack of detection by the kurtosis algorithm of the RFI otherwise observed.
Swelling of Microporous High‐Silica Glasses

The swelling of microporous glasses in water was found to change as a function of the heat–treatment time and temperature required for phase separation in the original borosilicate glass (70SiO2-23B2O3-7Na2O (wt%)). The swelling appears to be determined primarily by the quantity of silica gel remaining in the micropores, which in turn is determined by the composition of the alkali-borate-rich phase of the phase-separated glass.