cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
"Worst Headache of Life" in a Migraineur: Marginal Value of Emergency Department CT Scanning.

Abstract Purpose The ACR Appropriateness Criteria recommend performing noncontrast head CT (NCCT) for patients with sudden severe headache (“worst headache of life” [WHOL] or “thunderclap headache” [TCH]). The aim of this study was to assess the value of NCCT scanning in patients with known migraine histories and WHOL or TCH. The hypothesis was that there would be little utility in performing emergency department (ED) NCCT scans in migraineurs without other red flags, even if they had WHOL or TCH. Methods The ED NCCT scans of all patients reporting WHOL or TCH who had established diagnoses of migraine were retrospectively reviewed over a 5-year period. Patients without known intracranial pathology, cancer, or immunocompromising disease or recent head trauma were included as the main study group. For comparison, patients with any of those factors were included as the comparison group. Scans were graded as (1) normal, (2) minor unimportant findings, (3) findings requiring intervention or follow-up, or (4) critical. Results Two hundred twenty-four patients with the chief symptom of WHOL or TCH and a history of migraine who underwent ED NCCT were studied. In the main study group, no patients had grade 4 imaging findings (0%), one had a false-positive grade 3 finding (0.8%), and there were no cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage (0%). In the comparison group, six patients had grade 4 imaging findings (6.5%) and three had grade 3 findings (3.3%). Conclusions NCCT in known migraineurs with WHOL or TCH who do not have intracranial pathology, cancer, immunocompromising disease, or recent head trauma yielded no critical findings. Therefore, the value of scanning these patients is questionable.
Incidence and mechanism of injury of clavicle fractures in the NEISS database: Athletic and non athletic injuries.

Abstract Background Clavicle fractures are a very common injury due to accidental trauma, specifically during athletics. The purpose of this study was (1) to determine the incidence of clavicle fractures presenting to United States emergency departments; (2) to compare the rate of clavicle injuries from 2012 to 2015 to 2002–2005 (3) to determine the most common mechanisms of injury for clavicle fractures. Methods The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was queried for the years 2002–2005 and 2012–2015. Examined variables included patient age, sex, and year of admission. Total annual case numbers were estimated using NEISS hospital weights. Annual injury incidence rates by age group and patient sex were calculated based on yearly U.S. Census estimates. Chi square test and logistic regression were used to compare injury rates by sex and age groups. Statistical significance was set at P Results During the 8 years studied, the participating emergency departments (EDs) coded 14,795 fracture exposures. Using weighted estimates, this represent 545,663 injuries nationally (95% CL 425,986–665,339). This resulted in an incidence of 22.4 injuries per 100,000 person years (95% CL 17.5–27.3). The most common causes of injury were bicycles (15.1%), football (10.7%), beds/bedframes (6.8%), stairs (5.4%), and floors (4.0%). Fifty percent of clavicle fractures were due to an athletic activity. There was no significant change in injuries from 2002 to 2005 compared to 2012–2015 (23.1 per 100,000, 95% CL 18.5–27.7, and 22.4 per 100,000 person years (95% CL 17.5–27.3), respectively). Conclusion Clavicle fractures continue to occur at similar rates, with athletics accounting for 50% of injuries. Patients most at risk for clavicle fracture was bimodal in nature, with males aged 0–19 being the most common. Females were most at risk between 0 and 9 years old. We found that clavicle fracture continued to occur at similar rates as compared to 10 years prior, especially in active populations participating in collision sports (bicycle, football, and soccer).
Effect of Treatment of Mild Gestational Diabetes on Long-Term Maternal Outcomes.

Objective The main purpose of this article is to evaluate whether identification and treatment of women with mild gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during pregnancy affects subsequent maternal body mass index (BMI), anthropometry, metabolic syndrome, and risk of diabetes. Study Design This is a follow-up study of women who participated in a randomized controlled treatment trial for mild GDM. Women were enrolled between 5 and 10 years after their index pregnancy. Participants underwent blood pressure, height, weight, and anthropometric measurements by trained nursing personnel using a standardized approach. A nurse-assisted questionnaire regarding screening and treatment of diabetes or hypercholesterolemia, diet, and physical activity was completed. Laboratory evaluation included fasting serum glucose, fasting insulin, oral glucose tolerance test, and a lipid panel. Subsequent diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and adiposity in those diagnosed with mild GDM and randomized to nutritional counseling and medical therapy (treated) were compared with those who underwent routine pregnancy management (untreated). Multivariable analyses were performed adjusting for race/ethnicity and years between randomization and follow-up visit. Results Four-hundred fifty-seven women with mild GDM during the index pregnancy were included in this analysis (243 treated; 214 untreated) and evaluated at a median 7 years after their index pregnancy. Baseline and follow-up characteristics were similar between treatment groups. Frequency of diabetes (9.2 vs. 8.5%, p =0.80), metabolic syndrome (32.2 vs. 34.3%, p =0.63), as well as adjusted mean values of homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (2.5 vs. 2.3, p =0.11) and BMI (29.4 vs. 29.1 kg/m2, p =0.67) were also not different. Conclusion Identification and treatment of women with mild GDM during pregnancy had no discernible impact on subsequent diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or obesity 7 years after delivery.
Teacher attunement: Supporting early elementary students’ social integration and status

Abstract This study examined the longitudinal association between teachers' broad attunement to students’ peer group memberships and students’ social centrality and status in early elementary classrooms in a sample of 276 first – third graders and 20 teachers. We further examined the value added when considering teachers' precise attunement to students’ individual peer group affiliates. Social cognitive mapping (SCM) procedures were used to generate and compare students’ and teachers’ reports of peer groups to assess teacher attunement and students’ centrality; peer nominations assessed students’ social preference and popularity. Results indicated early elementary teachers’ attunement is limited. Findings substantiated the value in distinguishing between teachers' broad and precise attunement, indicating that teachers’ broad attunement to peer group memberships is important for popularity, whereas precise attunement to individual students' affiliates matters for centrality. Implications for the contribution of teacher attunement to students’ centrality and status are discussed in relation to teachers’ invisible hand.
Investigation of Rare Earth Garnet and its Physical Properties Synthesized by Facile Sol-Gel Method

Abstract To meet the demand of electronic devices pure polycrystalline yttrium iron garnet with cubic structure is investigated by sol gel method. The crystalline information and identification of garnet phases is confirmed using X-ray Diffraction. The X-ray diffraction pattern is analyzed by utilizing Rietveld Refinement method using Fullprof Software suite. Well defined domain morphology is observed in the High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope image (HR-SEM). Pure YIG is inspected by Impedance Spectroscopy (IS) using Cole-Cole plot and Bode plot. It is interpreted using electrical circuit which is the combination of resistors and capacitors. The effect of g value of the sample is measured using Electron Spin Resonance (ESR).
Distinction Through Diversity: A Career Health Educator’s Story

No matter the setting or framework within which we work, health educators dedicate time, energy, and effort to enhancing the public’s quality of life. Each job - indeed, each task - performed by the health educator is of value, no matter its specific purpose. In light of our profession’s overall objective, each undertaking represents a single thread within an enormously diverse, richly textured tapestry. Our communities need us to work alongside them – now more than ever before - and bring our skills, hearts and minds “to the table.” During the last 17 years I have been on the receiving end of many a lesson. A key factor that keeps me solidly and cheerfully ensconced in this profession is the knowledge that the lessons and challenges will just keep on coming! It brings me great pleasure to share a few of my eye-opening experiences with others who share a similar passion for public health education.
Recreating Little Manila through a Virtual Reality Serious Game

This paper describes the authors’ efforts to develop a virtual reality (VR) serious game depicting life in Little Manila in the late 1940s. Little Manila was a thriving Filipino community located in downtown Stockton, California, that existed from the 1920s to 1960s until it was destroyed as part of a freeway construction project. Using Unreal Engine, Autodesk Maya, and Autodesk 3ds Max to design the game and historical research to contextualize in-game content, the authors have constructed a quest-based VR game intended for educational use in both museum and classroom settings.
Histiocytic Sarcoma Following B-Lymphoblastic Leukemia/Lymphoma.

Objectives Rare cases of clonally related histiocytic sarcoma (HS) following B-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (B-ALL/LBL) have been reported to date. Methods We present a patient with HS, which appeared as a breast mass 12 months after the initial diagnosis of B-ALL. Results Both HS and the B-ALL shared IGH-MYC and IGK gene rearrangements. Next-generation sequencing and whole-exome sequencing (WES) studies detected 35 common mutations, as well as mutations unique to B-ALL (16) and HS (15), including BRAF D594G. The patient achieved complete remission of B-ALL, but HS failed to respond to many cycles of intensive chemotherapy regimens. A partial response was achieved with sorafenib, a BRAF-targeted therapy. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate by WES that clonally related B-ALL and HS arise through divergent evolution from a common precursor. We present our findings together with a discussion of the previously reported cases of HS in patients with B-ALL.
Mothers’ Intimate, Imaginative Literacy Practices as Pushback

This qualitative study explores literacy practices in homes of Latino families in a low-socioeconomic Rio Grande Valley city. Participants included 14 recent immigrant Latina mothers whose children...
Targeting Extracellular Matrix Remodeling Restores BRAF Inhibitor Sensitivity in BRAFi-resistant Melanoma.

Purpose: The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an intriguing, yet understudied component of therapy resistance. Here, we investigated the role of ECM remodeling by the collagenase, MT1-MMP, in conferring resistance of v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF)-mutant melanoma to BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) therapy. Experimental Design: Publicly available RNA-sequencing data and reverse phase protein array were used to determine the relevance of MT1-MMP upregulation in BRAFi-resistant melanoma in patients, patient-derived xenografts, and cell line–derived tumors. Short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown of MT1-MMP, inhibition via the selective MT1-MMP/MMP2 inhibitor, ND322, or overexpression of MT1-MMP was used to assess the role of MT1-MMP in mediating resistance to BRAFi. Results: MT1-MMP was consistently upregulated in posttreatment tumor samples derived from patients upon disease progression and in melanoma xenografts and cell lines that acquired resistance to BRAFi. shRNA- or ND322-mediated inhibition of MT1-MMP synergized with BRAFi leading to resensitization of resistant cells and tumors to BRAFi. The resistant phenotype depends on the ability of cells to cleave the ECM. Resistant cells seeded in MT1-MMP uncleavable matrixes were resensitized to BRAFi similarly to MT1-MMP inhibition. This is due to the inability of cells to activate integrinβ1 (ITGB1)/FAK signaling, as restoration of ITGB1 activity is sufficient to maintain resistance to BRAFi in the context of MT1-MMP inhibition. Finally, the increase in MT1-MMP in BRAFi-resistant cells is TGFβ dependent, as inhibition of TGFβ receptors I/II dampens MT1-MMP overexpression and restores sensitivity to BRAF inhibition. Conclusions: BRAF inhibition results in a selective pressure toward higher expression of MT1-MMP. MT1-MMP is pivotal to an ECM-based signaling pathway that confers resistance to BRAFi therapy.
Segmentation of Coronary Calcified Plaque in Intravascular OCT Images Using a Two-Step Deep Learning Approach

We developed a fully automated, two-step deep learning approach for characterizing coronary calcified plaque in intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT) images. First, major calcification lesions were detected from an entire pullback using a 3D convolutional neural network (CNN). Second, a SegNet deep learning model with the Tversky loss function was used to segment calcified plaques in the major calcification lesions. The fully connected conditional random field and the frame interpolation of the missing calcification frames were used to reduce classification errors. We trained/tested the networks on a large dataset comprising 8,231 clinical images from 68 patients with 68 vessels and 4,320 ex vivo cadaveric images from 4 hearts with 4 vessels. The 3D CNN model detected major calcifications with high sensitivity (97.7%), specificity (87.7%), and F1 score (0.922). Compared to the standard one-step approach, our two-step deep learning approach significantly improved sensitivity (from 77.5% to 86.2%), precision (from 73.5% to 75.8%), and F1 score (from 0.749 to 0.781). We investigated segmentation performance for varying numbers of training samples; at least 3,900 images were required to obtain stable segmentation results. We also found very small differences in calcification attributes (e.g., angle, thickness, and depth) and identical calcium scores on repetitive pullbacks, indicating excellent reproducibility. Applied to new clinical pullbacks, our method has implications for real-time treatment planning and imaging research.
Combating an invisible enemy: the American military response to global pandemics.

The present moment is not the first time that America has found itself at war with a pathogen during a time of international conflict. Between crowded barracks at home and trenches abroad, wartime conditions helped enable the spread of influenza in the fall of 1918 during World War I such that an estimated 20–40% of U.S. military members were infected. While the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unparalleled for most of today’s population, it is essential to not view it as unprecedented lest the lessons of past pandemics and their effect on the American military be forgotten. This article provides a historical perspective on the effect of the most notable antecedent pandemic, the Spanish Influenza epidemic, on American forces with the goal of understanding the interrelationship of global pandemics and the military, highlighting the unique challenges of the current pandemic, and examining how the American military has fought back against pandemics both at home and abroad, both 100 years ago and today.
Education Mediates Racial Disparities in Cognitive Impairment Among Older Adults With Schizophrenia.

Objectives: In the general population, the construct of race is associated with disparities in cognitive aging. There are notable racial group disparities and inequities among people living with sc...
Hip Adductor Longus Tendon Origin Anatomy Is Consistent and May Inform Surgical Reattachment.

Purpose To define the topographic anatomy of the footprint of the adductor longus origin on the pubis and its underlying bony morphology to better inform surgical repair of adductor longus tendon injuries. Methods Five cadaveric pelvis specimens were dissected, making 10 adductor footprints available for analysis. The adductor longus tendon origin was isolated and the surrounding tissue debrided. The circumference of the tendinous attachment to the pubic crest was marked before excising the tendon and fibrocartilage enthesis from the pubis. Radiopaque paint was prepared by mixing 30 mL of all-purpose acrylic paint (Anita’s no. 11150 Island Blue; Rust-Oleum Corp, Vernon Hills, IL) with 15g of E-Z-HD 98% w/w barium sulfate (Bracco Diagnostics Inc., Anjou Quebec, Canada) and applied to the marked footprint. The specimens underwent a 1.0-mm slice computed tomographic scan with 3-dimensional reconstructions. Synapse PACS (FujiFilm, Valhalla, NY) software for measurements of the tendon footprint and underlying bone. Results Average age and weight of the specimens at the time of death was 37 years and 204.6 ± 48.7 lbs, respectively. The width and length of the tendon origin was 12.0 ± 1.1 mm and 10.9 ± 1.1 mm, respectively. The distance of the center of the footprint from the center of the pubic tubercle was 8.5 ± 1.4 mm lateral and 12.2 ± 0.4 mm caudal. The osseous thickness underlying the footprint was 18.7 ± 3.7 mm at an angle of 34.5 ± 1.5° in relation to the sagittal plane. The correlation between specimen body weight and the thickness of the bone underlying the footprint was strongly positive (r = 0.92). Conclusions We found that there is a consistent angle from the center of the adductor longus tendon footprint to the point of maximal underlying bony thickness, as well as a positive correlation between body mass index and osseous thickness, which may inform anatomic reattachment of this tendon. Clinical Relevance Our findings will assist surgeons in identifying the footprint of the adductor longus tendon and safely perform anatomic repair of adductor longus tendon avulsions.
The ʾAgur: A Halakhic Code for Print

The ʾAgur—a relatively obscure and occasionally derided Jewish legal compendium of the late fifteenth century—represents the first halakhic work truly of the printed age, in that it was not simply a printed manuscript, a book that utilized the production value of the printing press without changes to its substance or presentation, but rather an original text, written by its author during his lifetime, to be precisely suited for the opportunities presented by print. Jacob Landau, the author, was wholly aware of the cultural ramifications of print and adapted his work to these new circumstances and possibilities. He created a text that could be used by both scholars and nonscholars and would appeal to a variety of geographically specific traditions. It was also the first Hebrew book to contain haskamot, which later were commonly used and even required in some Jewish communities. As the first halakhic book printed during its author's lifetime, justification was necessary for its very existence.
Antibiotics drive expansion of rare pathogens in a chronic infection microbiome model

Chronic (long-lasting) infections are globally a major and rising cause of morbidity and mortality. Unlike typical acute infections, chronic infections are ecologically diverse, characterized by the presence of a polymicrobial mix of opportunistic pathogens and human-associated commensals. To address the challenge of chronic infection microbiomes, we focus on a particularly well-characterized disease, cystic fibrosis (CF), where polymicrobial lung infections persist for decades despite frequent exposure to antibiotics. Epidemiological analyses point to conflicting results on the benefits of antibiotic treatment, and are confounded by the dependency of antibiotic exposures on prior pathogen presence, limiting their ability to draw causal inferences on the relationships between antibiotic exposure and pathogen dynamics. To address this limitation, we develop a synthetic infection microbiome model, and benchmark on clinical data. We show that, in the absence of antibiotics, the microbiome structure in a synthetic sputum medium is highly repeatable and dominated by oral commensals. In contrast, challenge with physiologically relevant antibiotic doses leads to substantial community perturbation characterized by multiple alternate pathogen-dominant states and enrichment of drug-resistant species. These results provide evidence that antibiotics can drive the expansion (via competitive release) of previously rare opportunistic pathogens and offer a path towards microbiome-informed conditional treatment strategies.
What Does Not Define You Makes You Cleaner: Heterogeneous Responses to the Green Credit Initiative Across Chinese Commercial Banks

To explore how authoritarian mandate on socially responsible practices may lead to heterogeneity in corporate responses, we examine the effect of China’s Green Credit Initiative – a top-down political effort that discourages commercial lending to polluting firms. Despite the initiative’s success to achieve its intended agenda, we discover that political strengths of the borrowing firms protect commercial banks from complying with the authority, whereas such an effect become less prominent if the bank operates under a more salient market identity. This phenomenon is further tested via a quasi-experimental approach, through which we conclude that the institutionalization a prosocial mandate incentivizes improvement, but contingent upon identity configuration of an organization, such incentives manifest through distinctive mechanisms. The state banks respond to the mandate marginally and react more actively if their portfolio contains higher shares of state owned enterprises. The merchant banks, whose political dependency remains weak but who pursue a rather strong market identity, improve more substantially and are sensitive to the social orientation of their borrowing firms, as indicated via CSR reporting. Our research complements studies on the reconciliation of social commitment with commercial interests by highlighting the role of organizational identity and its configurations in resolving social-business tension for profit-driven entities.
Spontaneous Clearance of Drug-Resistant Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is characterized by stable HCV RNA levels. Spontaneous clearance or even temporary control of viremia to undetectable levels are almost never observed in long-term chronic infection. Here we report the spontaneous control of HCV viremia in a patient following virological relapse with emergence of a NS5A drug-resistant virus after therapy with sofosbuvir and velpatasvir.
Unilateral Denervation of the Diaphragm Muscle Increases Central Drive Only During Ventilatory Behaviors

Compensatory respiratory plasticity is critical to preserve breathing capacity after phrenic denervation (DNV), when the contribution of the ipsilateral phrenic motor neuron (PhrMn) pool is abolish...
The Changing Status of Chinese Philosophy

The article tries to stress the historical nature of the issue about the “legitimacy of Chinese philosophy.” It argues that we are facing an era in which the question will no longer be whether the thoughts of traditional Chinese masters can be comfortably adopted by a foreign “family”; instead, it will be whether we can make the marriage of Chinese traditional thoughts and Western philosophy a constructive process through which philosophy, whether Chinese or Western, can be rejuvenated with renewed legitimacy under the title originally coined by the Greeks, namely the love of wisdom.
Federal Policy Making for Biotechnology Executive Branch Office of Management and Budget

Introduction OMB Role in Biotechnology Budget Initiative and Analysis Budget Follow-on to the Budget Initiative Keywords: federal policy; biotechnology
Mexican Law in California and Texas Courts and the (Lack of) Application of Foreign Law by Mexican Courts

This article is divided into two parts: part one reports the results of a survey conducted in California and Texas to find cases where Mexican law was applied by the court. The number of cases found where Mexican law governed the case was insignificant and statistically negligible. The second part discusses the cases when, under the Mexican Federal Code of Civil Procedure, foreign law may be applied by Mexican courts in a given case. Although this federal code permits the application of foreign law (including U.S. law) under certain situations, a survey that reviewed cases decided by the courts of the six Mexican states bordering the United States, in addition to Mexico City, between 2006 and 2008, indicated that Mexican courts did not render any judgments based on foreign law during that period of time.
Organizations preparing organizations for the IoT: The congruence of the IoT meme

While the Internet of Things (IoT) has significant economic promise, an obstacle to its rapid adoption is the development of a shared understanding of capabilities and purpose. As the IoT concerns the transformation of everyday products, organizations that have limited expertise in computing and networking technologies still have the need to understand IoT possibilities. In addition, if these organizations collectively select a similar IoT strategic direction, more value will be created for society on the whole. Recognizing this dilemma, technical organizations are taking the initiative to enhance their clients and potential clients' IoT understanding as it relates to opportunities with their products. In this paper we model this interorganizational learning as it relates to reaching a consensus on IoT purpose and briefly identify real world practices that technical organizations are undertaking to facilitate this transformation.
Computer Science unplugged

This tutorial focuses on enrichment and extension material for classes of all ages, and explores Computer Science in a fun way without using computers! It includes material from the Computer Science Unplugged project (including, sample activities, book, and videos), activities from a show for children will be demonstrated, and evaluation and lessons learned over the years will be presented. A CD containing copies of the two CS Unplugged textbooks, sample activities, videos and articles on CS Unplugged will be distributed. Participants will be introduced to the new Unplugged++ project, the next steps in materials development and presentation for educating young people about the field of Computer Science.
α-Galactosidase Activity of Lactobacilli

α-Galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.22) activity was observed in cell-free extracts of Lactobacillus fermenti, L. brevis, L. buchneri, L. cellobiosis, and L. salivarius subsp. salivarius. The cultural conditions under which the enzyme activity was detected suggest that the enzyme is constitutive and present in the soluble fraction in the cell. The enzyme preparations readily hydrolyzed melibiose and other oligosaccharides containing α(1 → 6) linked galactose. Although the cell-free extracts of L. fermenti and L. brevis are negative for β-fructofuranosidase (EC 3.2.1.26), they hydrolyzed melibiose, stachyose, and raffinose in decreasing order of activity. The β-fructofuranosidase-positive L. buchneri, L. cellobiosis, and L. salivarius preparations hydrolyzed melibiose, raffinose, and stachyose in decreasing rates of activity. The α-galactosidases from different lactobacilli showed optimum activity in pH range 5.2 to 5.9. L. fermenti and L. salivarius preparations exhibited maximum activity between 40 to 44 C and 48 to 51 C, respectively, whereas a 38 to 42 C range was observed for other lactobacilli. Cell-free extract of L. cellobiosis was studied for transgalactosylase activity. When incubated with melibiose, a new compound was detected and tentatively identified as manninotriose.
DFA Learning of Opponent Strategies

This work studies the control of robots in the adversarial world of “Hunt the Wumpus”. The hybrid learning algorithm which controls the robots behavior is a combination of a modified RPNI algorithm, and a utility update algorithm. The modified RPNI algorithm is a DFA learning algorithm, to learn opponents’ strategies. An utility update algorithm is used to quickly derive a successful conclusion to the mission of the agent using information gleaned from the modified RPNI. 1
Experiences in modeling for a domain specific language

Building models with a domain specific language enables targeting specific platform and framework functionality. We built a domain specific language for use in modeling applications targeting our business application framework. Such models are used for tasks including generating C# code and producing object-relational mappings for business objects. The paper briefly describes the framework and its accompanying domain specific language and then describes issues we encountered in using an unconstrained UML tool to express our models, solutions we developed to deal with those issues and observations about the suitability of UML for application to such problems. We found that making a general-purpose, extensible modeling language serve the needs of a targeted domain specific language is a lot of work and is only partially successful. We conclude that what is needed is a more general purpose framework for creating domain specific languages and tools for them.
A Theory of Situation Assessment : Implications for Measuring Situation Awareness

Measures of pilot situation awareness (SA) are needed in order to know whether new concepts in display design help pilots keep track of rapidly changing tactical situations. In order to measure SA,...
Alcohol dehydrogenase expression as a biomarker of denitrification activity in activated sludge using methanol and glycerol as electron donors

Summary Carbon sources such as methanol and glycerol are used for enhancing denitrification at wastewater treatment plants, which are required to meet increas- ingly stringent effluent nitrogen limits. Consequently, dosing strategies for these compounds could benefit from the development and application of molecular activity biomarkers to infer and distinguish between methanol- or glycerol-based denitrification in acti- vated sludge. In this study, the applicability of genes coding for methanol dehydrogenase (mdh2 and mxaF) and glycerol dehydrogenase (dhaD) as poten- tial biomarkers of denitrification activity using these specific substrates was explored and confirmed using a two-pronged approach. First, during short- term spikes of activated sludge biomass with glyc- erol, the ability of dhaD mRNA concentrations to closely track nitrate depletion profiles was demon- strated. Second, a high-degree of correlation of the mRNA concentrations of mdh2, mxaF and dhaD with methanol- and glycerol-based denitrification kinetics during long-term bioreactor operation using these substrates was also shown. Based on these results, expression of mdh2, mxaF and dhaD genes are prom- ising biomarkers of in situ denitrification activity on methanol and glycerol, respectively, in mixed-culture engineered wastewater treatment processes.
Recovery and improvement in low-velocity impact properties of e-glass/epoxy composites through novel self-healing technique

Abstract We report the recovery and improvement in low-velocity impact properties of e-glass/epoxy composites achieved through embedding self-healing agent (SHA) filled hollow glass fibers (HGFs). At first, catalytic technique was used to fill bonded HGFs with SHA. The HGFs were then laid on e-glass fibers and the laminates were fabricated using vacuum assisted resin infusion molding (VARIM) process. Low-velocity impact tests at two different energy levels were conducted multiple times in the closest proximity to determine the healing efficiency. Results showed significant improvement and recovery in impact properties with 53.6% gain in peak load after second impact in SHA filled HGFs samples in comparison to control samples. A significant gain in energy to peak load was also found in SHA filled samples with 86.6% improvement over control samples. Optical microscopy images of SHA filled HGFs samples showed filling of cracks developed after impact. A distinct damage behavior was observed in control and HGFs embedded samples.
National study of continuity clinic satisfaction in pediatric fellowship training.

BACKGROUND A national online survey was conducted to evaluate pediatric subspecialty fellow satisfaction regarding continuity clinic experience. METHODS An anonymous online survey (SurveyMonkey™) was developed to evaluate demographics of the program, clinic organization, and patient and preceptor characteristics, and to compare fellow satisfaction when fellows were the primary providers with faculty supervision versus attending-run clinics assisted by fellows or a combination of the two models. Pediatric subspecialty fellows in a 3-year Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited program in the United States (excluding emergency medicine, neonatology, and critical care) were invited to participate. RESULTS There were 644 respondents and nearly half (54%) of these had fellow-run clinics. Eighty-six percent of fellows responded that they would prefer to have their own continuity clinics. Higher satisfaction ratings on maintaining continuity of care, being perceived as the primary provider, and feeling that they had greater autonomy in patient management were associated with being part of a fellow-run clinic experience (all P < 0.001). Additionally, fellow-run clinics were associated with a feeling of increased involvement in designing a treatment plan based on their differential diagnosis (P < 0.001). There were no significant associations with patient or preceptor characteristics. CONCLUSION Fellow-run continuity clinics provide fellows with a greater sense of satisfaction and independence in management plans.
Outcome and influencing factors of external levator palpebrae superioris aponeurosis advancement for blepharoptosis

Purpose: To evaluate, in patients with acquired good-function blepharoptosis, levator advancement success and surgical failure risk factors. Methods: This retrospective, case-cohort study was university based. An estimated 828 patients underwent levator advancement for acquired good-function blepharoptosis between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 1999. Seventy-two patients underwent reoperation during the first postoperative year. Of 125 randomly selected patients not undergoing reoperation, 106 met the desired outcome criteria: postoperative margin reflex distance (MRD) ≥2.0 mm and ≤4.5 mm in operated eyes and ≤1.0 mm asymmetry between eyelids. Mean MRD, levator function, and Hering dependence (ipsilateral eyelid elevation exacerbating contralateral blepharoptosis) prevalence were determined for reoperated and desired-outcome groups and compared by using 2-sample t test and the Fisher exact test, respectively. Multivariate analysis was also performed. Results: Reoperative rates were 8.7% overall, 5.2% of unilateral, and 13% of bilateral cases. Fourteen percent of patients had results outside the desired range but declined reoperation. Univariate analysis revealed significant differences in preoperative characteristics between desired and undercorrected groups: MRD, 1.0 versus 0.32 mm (p=0.001); levator function, 15.4 versus 14.7 mm (p=0.013); and Hering dependence, 50% versus 79% (p=0.005). With multivariate analysis, bilateral blepharoptosis was statistically significant (p=0.014), whereas levator function and Herring dependence were not. No differences were seen between desired and overcorrected groups. Conclusions: After levator advancement for acquired good-function blepharoptosis, 77% of patients had ideal results and 8.7% underwent reoperation. Patients with bilateral or severe blepharoptosis have increased risk of undercorrection.
Understanding Decisionmaking, U.S. Foreign Policy, and the Cuban Missile Crisis: A Review Essay

Graham T. Allison and Philip Zelikow, Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis, 2d ed. New York: Longman, 1999 In 1971, Graham Allison published his revised Harvard government department dissertation, Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis.1 It was an ambitiously intelligent and sophisticated book, ranking among the most important studies in American political science in the 1970s and signiacantly inouencing other aelds. Over the years, Allison’s volume helped shape interpretations in disciplines interested in decisionmaking, and provoked many methodological and conceptual critiques, as well as some on issues of evidence, sources, and missile crisis history.2 The book made many analysts of policy more self-conscious about the models of process and of explanation they employed, and Essence
The psychology of knights and knaves

Abstract Knight-knave brain teasers are about a realm in which some people, knights, tell only truths, whereas all others, knaves, tell only lies. For example, suppose person A says, “I am a knight and B is a knight,” and person B says, “A is a knave.“ Is A a knight or a knave? Is B a knight or a knave? In a pilot study, we asked subjects to think aloud while solving problems like these. Their statements suggested that they were making assumptions about the knight/knave status of the characters and drawing deductive inferences from these assumptions to test their consistency. This encouraged us to model the process by means of a simulation based on an earlier natural-deduction theory of reasoning. The model contains a set of deduction rules in the form of productions and a working memory that holds a proof of the correct answer. The greater the number of steps (assumptions and inferences) in the proof, the greater the predicted difficulty of the puzzle. The experiments reported here confirmed this prediction by showing that subjects were more likely to make mistakes (Experiment 1) and take longer to solve (Experiment 2) puzzles associated with a larger number of proof steps.
Advertising models, stochastic games and myopic strategies

This paper analyzes dynamic advertising models. We present conditions that imply that the payoffs under myopic strategies are linear in the state variable, which represents the number of customers for each firm. These conditions, which determine a subclass of stochastic games, are satisfied by several dynamic advertising models. We give a criterion to check whether this model contains an equilibrium point within the class of myopic strategies that is also an equilibrium point with regard to all strategies.
Physical vanity across cultures: measurement and validation

Physical vanity relates to a person's, often excessive, concern for physical appearance and/or positive view of appearance. The study presented attempted to establish measurement invariance of the physical vanity scale across three extremely diverse cultures with samples from China (N = 502), India (N = 156) and the USA (N = 338). The results from a series of confirmatory factor analyses indicate that the physical vanity scale is applicable to culturally differing countries. Implications of findings are also discussed.
Brain stimulation: Effects on memory

Summary Despite some methodological constraints, electrical brain stimulation represents a powerful technique in elucidating the neurobiological basis of memory. Electrical brain stimulation appears to produce temporary and easily reversible effects upon neural function with more prolonged effects upon mnemonic information processing. Progress is being made in determining the critical nerual “unit(s)” and neurochemical mechanism(s) affected by EBS treatments that that are capable of altering the efficiency of mnemonic function. The technique has a great deal of flexibility in that it can be applied readily to the study of memory within a number of different behavioral paradigms. With respect to the six paradigms mentioned, none by itself can illuminate the complexities of the multiple processes associated with memory. Each paradigm emphasizes a somewhat different aspect of mnemonic information processing. For example, the registration paradigm emphasizes the role of specific neuronal substrates with processes associated with registration (e.g., perception, attention) of infomation. The short-term memory paradigm places an emphasis upon neuronal substrates involved in process that modulate or control the STM system within a short time frame (seconds). The consolidation paradigm, which thus far has received the most attention, emphasizes the role of specific neuronal substrates with processes that control or modulate the LTM system within a long time frame (seconds to days). The short- and long-term memory paradigm concerns the analysis of neuronal substrates that either exclusively affect the STM of LTM systems or play a role in processes that modulate the interactions between the two. The age-of-memory paradigm deals with the determination of specific neuronal substrates that affect processes that maintain memory traces over long periods of time (hours, weeks, years). Finally the memory-attribute paradigm emphasizes the role of specific neural regions in determining the nature of the stored memory trace. Thus, each paradigm emphasizes a somewhat different aspect of the memory system. Ultimately, selection of a specific paradigm depends upon assumptions one wishes to make concerning the function of the underlying neural substrate, the processes that mediate storage and/or retrieval of mnemonic information, and the nature or structure of the stored memory. In conclusion. it is hoped that this article might provide for a framework and an impetus for future inquiry into mnemonic function using the electrical brain stimulation technique.
MENDEL: Morphologist and Mathematician Founder of Genetics - To Begin a Celebration of the 2015 Sesquicentennial of Mendel's Presentation in 1865 of his Versuche über Pflanzenhybriden.

Entering a school building, recently erected at state expenses, to attend a regularly scheduled evening session of a local and regional scientific association, few would give any thought to its foundation. Except perhaps those who watched the building go up in the downtown area of Brunn (Brno) in 1858/9 and who taught in it, as did Mendel (Fig.​(Fig.1).1). Thus, 150 years ago, on a cold clear (Iltis 1924) February night (2/8/1865) a small group of Augustinian monks, all priests, Mendel among them, made their way from their more or less permanent abode, the renowned, ancient abbey of St. Thomas, along the Johannesgasse to the new school building to hear Fr. Mendel present the results of his 8 years of research into plant hybrids, specifically crosses of several types of Pisum sativum, garden peas. The monastery with its beautiful Gothic church (Fig.​(Fig.2)2) was located in Altbrunn (Stare Brno), incorporated into Brunn, then as now the capital of Moravia. At the time, Moravia was in the Austrian Empire in that portion of Silesia left to Austria after the three wars between Frederic the Great and Empress Maria Theresia. Later it was in Czechoslovakia, and at present is in the Czech Republic. Figure 1 Pencil and ink sketch of Gregor Mendel (1822–1884) as imagined at the time he gave his lecture on February 8, 1865. Used with permission by the artist Claire Harper and provided by Dr. Sherri Bale, GeneDx. Figure 2 Partial view of the Koniginkloster (“Queen's Cloister”), Abbey of St. Thomas of Altbrunn taken by Diana Bianchi in 2003. View from southwest. On the left, between two trees is the Charlemont monument to Mendel. The part ... Entering the Oberrealschule, the monks and their secular fellow members and guests of the Society of Natural Sciences (Naturforschender Verein) left their top hats, canes, and capes in the lobby, took their seats close to the stove, noting the officers of the Association moving forward to where Mendel had seated himself in the front row. The Vice President of the Association, the distinguished botanist Carl (or Karl) Theimer, announced the evening's agenda and asked the Association's equally accomplished secretary, the botanist and astronomer Gustav V. Niessl to introduce the speaker, Mendel, and invited him to give the first of his two presentations on Experiments in Plant Hybridization (Versuche uber Pflanzenhybriden). The second, Mendel's summary and conclusion, was given 1 month later (3/8/1865). Thus, more or less imaginatively retold, occurred an event, surely equal in importance in the history of Western Biology to the presentation just 7 years earlier by Darwin's friends and colleagues to the Linnean Society of London (Slotten 2004) on the theory of descent with modification through the action of natural selection proposed by Wallace and Darwin.
Evidence for neural wavelet packet computations

Abstract Averaged multiunit potentials elicited by biologically relevant acoustic stimuli strongly resemble Symlet wavelet packets in bat auditory cortex as determined by cross correlation analysis. Since neurons are thought to encode information digitally using rate codes, this result suggested the possibility of analog neurocomputing. The characteristic signature of symlet wavelet packet computations typically employs dyadic scaling and translations. We sought additional indications of analog neurocomputing by examining the distribution-averaged potential durations and response latencies for evidence of dyadic scaling. We report here evidence of dyadic scaling in averaged potential duration and response latency distributions.
MDCT of primary, locally recurrent, and metastatic duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs): a single institution study of 25 patients with review of literature.

Aim To describe the multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) features of primary, locally recurrent, and metastatic duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs). Materials and methods In this institutional review board-approved, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)-compliant, retrospective study, 25 patients [13 men, 12 women; mean age 56 years (34–74 years)] with histopathologically confirmed duodenal GISTs seen at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital from December 1999 to October 2009 were identified. The MDCT of primary tumours in six patients and follow-up imaging in all the 25 patients was reviewed by two radiologists in consensus. Electronic medical records were reviewed to document the clinical characteristics and management. Results The mean size of the primary tumour was 3.7 cm (range 2.5–5.6 cm). Three of six primary tumours were in the second and third portions of the duodenum, one in the third portion, one in the third and fourth portions, and one in the fourth portion. Three of six of the tumours were exophytic, two were both exophytic and intraluminal, and one was intramural. The tumours were well-circumscribed, round or oval masses, with few lobulations, and were either homogeneously hyper-enhancing or heterogeneously isodense at MDCT. None of the tumours had necrosis, haemorrhage, calcification, or loco regional lymphadenopathy on imaging. Sixteen of 25 (64%) patients developed metastatic disease, the most common sites being liver (14/16; 87.5%) and peritoneum (5/16; 31%). Conclusion Duodenal GISTs are well-circumscribed, round or oval masses, and occur in the second through fourth portions of the duodenum, without lymphadenopathy or duodenal obstruction. Duodenal GISTS metastasize frequently to the liver and peritoneum.