cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RRAM-based TCAMs for pattern search

Content Addressable Memory (CAM) is beneficial to applications that require high-speed pattern searching as it provides fast associative lookup operations. As the amount of data to search continues to grow, reducing power consumption while minimizing the costs for speed and area is the main thread of research in designing large capacity CAMs. In this work, we are presenting an active memory architecture incorporating a searchable resistive memory. The proposed architecture incorporates processing logic in close proximity to the RRAM and the RRAM-based TCAM, where the unit TCAM cell is comprised of five transistors and two memristors. Analyzed and simulated performance (e.g., latency, energy consumption, and storage density) of the RRAM-based TCAM at various technology nodes are presented and compared to those of prior CAM/TCAM designs.
USE OF TYMPANIC THERMOMETERS TO SCREEN FOR FEVER IN PATIENTS IN A PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

ABSTRACT:The use of tympanic thermometers has markedly increased over the past few years. While some authors have shown high correlation between rectal and tympanic readings, others have found low correlation. After noticing a failure of the tympanic thermometer to detect fever in obviously febrile
Association Between a Prolonged PR Interval and Outcomes of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: A Report from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry

Background:A prolonged PR interval is common among cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) candidates; however, the association between PR interval and outcomes is unclear, and the data are conflic...
Assessing the Relationships among Religiousness, Loneliness, and Health:

The purpose of this study is to see whether involvement in religion is associated with loneliness and health. A theoretical model is developed to explain how the potentially beneficial effects of religiousness arise. The following core hypotheses are embedded in this conceptual scheme: (a) people who attend worship services more often are more likely to receive informal spiritual support from fellow church members (spiritual support is assistance which is provided in order to bolster the religious beliefs and behaviors of the recipient); (b) spiritual support from coreligionists encourages people to adopt the virtue of humility; (c) people who are more humble are more likely to receive emotional support from significant others; (d) individuals who receive more emotional support will feel less lonely; and (e) people who feel less lonely tend to enjoy better health. Data from a recent nationwide survey provide support for each of these hypotheses.
Evaluation of graphite depressants in a poly-metallic sulfide flotation circuit

Abstract Synthetic dyes are commonly used for graphite depression in poly-metallic flotation circuits; however, these dyes can be very expensive. The aim of this study is to evaluate performance of certain low-cost alternative depressants for a complex lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) ore rich in graphite (Gr-C) on a conventional mini pilot-scale flotation circuit. The reagents used were commercial and industrial grade starch; agro-based waste-sugarcane bagasse and charred (burnt) bagasse powder. The primary evaluation criteria were quality (grades) of lead and zinc concentrates, their recoveries (%), and graphite rejection (%) in the tails. Benchmark tests using nigrosine as graphite depressant showed 94.3% rejection of Gr-C. The results with commercial starch were found as effective with 93.8% graphite rejection. Furthermore, bagasse powder showed potential in improving product quality (36.4% and 65.6% Pb grade and recovery) with an intermediate effectiveness in graphite rejection (85.6%). The order of effectiveness in Gr-C rejection follows nigrosine ≈ commercial starch > bagasse > industrial starch > charred bagasse. In addition, the effect these depressants on silver (byproduct) grade and recovery was also investigated.
Reprogrammable redundancy for cache V min reduction in a 28nm RISC-V processor

The presented processor lowers SRAM-based cache V min by using three architectural techniques-bit bypass (BB), dynamic column redundancy (DCR), and line disable (LD)-that use low-overhead reprogrammable redundancy (RR) to avoid failing bitcells and therefore increase the maximum bitcell failure rate in processor caches. In the 28nm chip, the V min of the 1MB L2 cache is reduced by 25%, resulting in a 49% power reduction with a 2% area overhead and minimal timing overhead.
Revisiting inland hypoxia: diverse exceedances of dissolved oxygen thresholds for freshwater aquatic life.

Water resources in many regions are stressed by impairments resulting from climate change, population growth and urbanization. In the United States (US), water quality criteria (WQC) and standards (WQS) were established to protect surface waters and associated designated uses, including aquatic life. In inland waters of the south central US, for example, depressed dissolved oxygen (DO) consistently results in impaired aquatic systems due to noncompliance with DO WQC and WQS. In the present study, we systematically examined currently available DO threshold data for freshwater fish and invertebrates and performed probabilistic aquatic hazard assessments with low DO toxicity data that were used to derive the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Ambient Water Quality Criteria (AWQC) for DO and newly published information. Aquatic hazard assessments predicted acute invertebrate DO thresholds for Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, or Trichoptera (EPT) taxa and species inhabiting lotic systems to be more sensitive than fish. For example, these organisms were predicted to have acute low DO toxicity thresholds exceeding the US EPA guidelines 17, 26, 31 and 38% and 13, 24, 30 and 39% of the time at 8.0, 5.0, 4.0 and 3.0 mg DO/L, respectively. Based on our analysis, it appears possible that low DO effects to freshwater organisms have been underestimated. We also identified influences of temperature on low DO thresholds and pronounced differences in implementation and assessment of the US EPA AWQC among habitats, seasons, and geographic regions. These results suggest some implemented DO guidelines may adversely affect the survival, growth, and reproduction of freshwater aquatic organisms in a region susceptible to climate change and rapid population growth. Given the global decline of species, particularly invertebrates, low DO threshold information, including sublethal (e.g., reproduction, behavior) responses, for additional species (e.g., mollusks, other invertebrates, warm water fish) across seasons, habitats, and life history stages using consistent experimental designs is needed to support more sustainable environmental assessment efforts and management of biodiversity protection goals in inland waters.
Early Childhood Teachers at the Center: A Qualitative Case Study of Professional Development in an Urban District.

Professional development for early childhood educators (ECE PD) is an essential component of supporting a professional early childhood workforce. Yet research on ECE PD frequently centers on narrow fidelity data, while teachers’ individual voices and teaching contexts are only rarely considered in order to understand teacher experiences with PD initiatives. This qualitative case study utilizes the critical ecology of the early childhood profession framework (Miller et al., Early childhood grows up: Towards a critical ecology of the profession, Springer, London) to examine process-related questions in a large urban district’s PD initiative connected with the launch of a new district-developed kindergarten curriculum. Examining teacher experiences through an ecological lens, the study focuses on two kindergarten teachers, viewing them as active agents in their own professional learning and situating them within their particular teaching contexts. Data sources included classroom observations, teacher interviews, and curriculum fidelity data. Although fidelity data provided some information about teacher responses to the PD, triangulating this data with teacher accounts of adapting the curriculum to their particular context enabled more nuanced understandings about how teachers adapt information from PD sessions to their particular teaching contexts. This study demonstrates the need for research on ECE PD to go beyond fidelity data to explore process-related questions about teachers PD experiences.
3D Visualization of Optical Ray Aberration and Its Broadcasting to Smartphones by Ray Aberration Generator

The ray formalism is critical to understanding light propagation, yet current pedagogy relies on inadequate 2D representations. We present a system in which real light rays are visualized through an optical system by using a collimated laser bundle of light and a fog chamber. Implementation for remote and immersive access is enabled by leveraging a commercially available 3D viewer and gesture-based remote controlling of the tool via bi-directional communication over the Internet.
Dehydration of polyacrylamide-based super-absorbent polymer swollen in different concentrations of brine under CO2 conditions

Abstract Carbon dioxide has been used successfully to enhance oil recovery while remitting greenhouse effects through its ability to be stored underground. Polyacrylamide-based super-absorbent polymer (PSAP) has been applied in oil fields to control CO2 production during CO2 flooding. However, no study has reported the performance of PSAP under CO2 flooding. This study illustrates the effects of the salinity and differential pressure on the PSAP in a CO2 environment. A series of CO2 flooding tests was conducted using a newly designed open conduit model and PSAPs swollen in different concentrations of brine. Pressure data, effluent weight, and the PSAP left in the system were analyzed to determine the PSAP’s behavior during CO2 flooding. The results show that the PSAP’s dehydration increased as the brine salinity decreased. The particle size of the PSAP remaining in the conduit was smaller than the original injected size. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the structure of the shrunken PSAP became tighter, and some damage to the structure was detected, indicating the CO2 and differential pressure-induced dehydration of the PSAP. Some polymers were detected in the translucent effluent, revealing that some polymers were released into the effluent; this confirmed the damage to the PSAP’s structure. Under the same differential pressure, the PSAP swollen in low-salinity brine lost water more easily and had a higher recovery of swelling ratio. As the differential pressure increased, the dehydration and structure change became more serious.
Sex, Sleep Deprivation, and the Anxious Brain.

Insufficient sleep is a known trigger of anxiety. Nevertheless, not everyone experiences these effects to the same extent. One determining factor is sex, wherein women experience a greater anxiogen...
Virtual Screening of Chemical Compounds for Discovery of Complement C3 Ligands.

The complement system is our first line of defense against foreign pathogens, but when it is not properly regulated, complement is implicated in the pathology of several autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Compstatin is a peptidic complement inhibitor that acts by blocking the cleavage of complement protein C3 to the proinflammatory fragment C3a and opsonin fragment C3b. In this study, we aim to identify druglike small-molecule complement inhibitors with physicochemical, geometric, and binding properties similar to those of compstatin. We employed two approaches using various high-throughput virtual screening methods, which incorporate molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, pharmacophore model design, energy calculations, and molecular docking and scoring. We have generated a library of 274 chemical compounds with computationally predicted binding affinities for the compstatin binding site of C3. We have tested subsets of these chemical compounds experimentally for complement inhibitory activity, using h...
THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH PORCINE GROWTH HORMONE IMPROVES PIG GROWTH PERFORMANCE

Chronic treatment of growing pigs with porcine growth hormone (pGH) markedly increases growth rate, improves feed efficiency (feed/gain), increases muscle growth and inhibits adipose tissue accretion. Growth hormone regulates a number of important metabolic and somatogenic events that include: elevation of plasma insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) concentration, stimulation of satellite cell proliferation, inhibition of glucose utilization by porcine adipocytes (due to a decrease in glucose transport, fatty acid synthesis and inhibition of several lipogenic enzymes) and antagonism of the stimulatory effects of insulin on glucose utilization in adipose tissue. These effects of GH on muscle and adipose tissue growth are coordinated in a manner that enables GH to alter the normal rate of nutrient partitioning between lipid and protein accretion to achieve the rather marked increase in protein deposition that occurs in parallel with the decrease in lipid deposition in pigs treated with exogenous pGH. In porcine adipose tissue, the metabolic effects of pGH are direct and are not mediated by IGF-I. The decrease in insulin sensitivity of porcine adipose tissue is not associated with any change in insulin binding or tyrosine kinase activity of the insulin receptor. The mechanisms by which pGH elicits its somatogenic effects in pigs are undoubtedly due in large part to the pGH-dependent elevation in serum IGF-I concentration. In association with the pGH-dependent rise in IGF-I there is a concurrent increase in a 150 kDa pGH-dependent IGF-I binding protein (IGF-BP) that acts as an inhibitor of IGF-I action. Further resolution of the mechanisms by which pGH affects pig growth and metabolism may lead to new strategies to enhance the biological potency of pGH or identify other ways of altering pig growth performance.
The Imperative of Basic Tax Education for Citizens.

The role and impact of taxes in the lives of Americans makes basic tax education an imperative for all Americans. Not only will that knowledge be valuable to the taxpayer, it will also be valuable to the Government that imposes a variety of taxes. Specifically, it is our position that the lack of basic understanding of taxes is unwarranted, long overdue and importantly could be costing the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. In this paper, we focus on the personal income tax because it is one of the most recognizable of the taxes and because it does account for a significant amount paid by Americans. While we wholeheartedly agree that basic knowledge of all other types of taxes will equally be valuable, the income tax, we believe, is a good starting point in light of its unique effect on the majority of Americans.
Mitochondrial fission and fusion machineries

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles, often fusing and dividing in response to changes in the cellular environment, during cell division and differentiation and under many other circumstances that affect mitochondrial function. Mitochondrial division is also an integral part of the apoptotic pathway in mammalian cells. In recent years, significant advances have been made in the study of mechanisms underlying the mitochondrial division and fusion processes. A number of proteins that contribute to these processes were discovered. Prominent among these are three large GTP binding proteins, of which two are members of the dynamin family. Here, we review what is known about these proteins and discuss possible mechanisms for the mitochondrial fusion and division processes.
Conversion of Skeletal Society of Radiology annual meeting abstracts to publications in 2010-2015.

Background Material presented at conferences is meant to provide exposure to ongoing research that could affect medical decision making based on future outcomes. It is important then to evaluate the rates of publication from conference presentations as a measure of academic quality as such research has undergone peer review and journal acceptance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the fate of abstracts presented at the Skeletal Society of Radiology Annual Meetings from 2010-2015. Materials and Methods Conference abstracts were searched using Google, Google Scholar, and PubMed (which includes Medline) to locate the corresponding published reports. The data recorded for published studies included date published online, in print, or both; the journal in which it was published; and the 5-year journal impact factor. When an abstract was not confirmed as published, authors were contacted by email to verify its publication status or, if not published, the reason for nonpublication. Results A total of 162 abstracts were published out of 320 presented (50.6%) at the SSR conferences from 2010 to 2015 with 59.9% (85/142) of publications occurring within two years of the conference date (not counting abstracts published prior to conference). Mean time to publication was 19 months and is calculated by excluding the 20 (12.3%) abstracts that were published prior to the conference date. The median time to publication is 13 months (25th-75th percentile: 6.25-21.75). The top two journals publishing research studies from this conference were Skeletal Radiology and The American Journal of Roentgenology. These journals accepted 72 of the 162 (44.4%) studies for publication. Of the 14 authors who responded with 17 reasons for not publishing, the most common reasons were lack of time (7-41.2%), results not important enough (4-23.5%), publication not an aim (3-17.6%), and lack of resources (3-17.6%). Discussion At least half of the abstracts presented at the annual meeting for the Society of Skeletal Radiology are accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The majority (59.9%) of these publications were achieved within two years of the conference presentation. The rate at which presentations are published and the journals that accept the abstracts can potentially be used to compare the importance and quality of information at conferences.
Abstract 355: A Systematic Review of Medication Adherence Interventions for Heart Failure Patients

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of death in the United States and the world. Patients experience substantially reduced longevity and quality of life. Although treatments are avail...
Is psychic distance still relevant for internationalization decisions

Psychic distance has been considered for decades as one of the main drivers of companies’ internationalization decisions. However, changes in the competitive environment caused by the accelerated diffusion of information technologies and increased global integration has led us to reconsider whether this concept remains useful to managers. This study aimed to identify the determinants of psychic distance and the strength of their influence in decision-making during the internationalization process of firms. Following Brewer’s (2007) work, which analyzed the key concepts and ideas about psychic distance from 1996 to 2006, we extended the analyzed period, considering published articles from 2007 up to 2014. From the composition of both periods, we set up the main factors updated. Additionally, we conducted a survey with 35 companies in order to validate research findings. Results show that, as economic factors gain more relevance in market analysis, cultural factors have significantly lost importance as the key drivers of internationalization decisions.
Understanding Costs in a 90-Day Episode of Care Following Posterior Spinal Fusions for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Objective To understand cost distribution in a 90-day episode of care following posterior spinal fusions (PSFs) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Methods The 2007–2016 Humana PearlDiver dataset was queried using Current Procedural Terminology codes (22800, 22802, 22804, 22842, 22843, and 22844) to identify patients with AIS, aged 10–19 years, receiving PSFs. The following categories were used to define distribution in 90-day costs: 1) facility costs, 2) surgeon costs, 3) anesthesia costs, 4) intraoperative neuromonitoring, 5) hospital services and investigations, 6) intensive care unit stay, 7) radiology, 8) physical therapy/rehabilitation, 9) office visits, and 10) readmissions. Results A total of 455 patients with AIS received PSFs, of whom 381 (83.7%) were commercial insurance beneficiaries and 74 (16.3%) were Medicaid beneficiaries. The overall average 90-day cost of surgery was $124,360 with the 90-day stipulated bundled prices being $136,302 and $62,871 for commercial and Medicaid beneficiaries, respectively. Facility costs comprised 85%−92% of the 90-day cost, followed by surgeon costs (5.2%−5.7%). Post-acute care (physical therapy/rehab and office visits) was not a major driver of the 90-day cost (0.2%−0.3%). Significant independent predictors of increased 90-day costs were—increased co-morbidity burden (+$11,284), ≥7 levels fusion (+$65,330), and length of stay (+$5298/day). Medicaid (−$81,957) payer type was associated with lower 90-day costs. Conclusions Facility costs are a major determinant of overall 90-day costs following PSFs in AIS. Providers should aim at optimizing the co-morbidity burden and constructing accelerated care-pathways to decrease the length of stay and reduce the cost of the entire episode of care.
ICEBERGS AS A HEAT SINK FOR POWER GENERATION

ABSTRACT A modification of systems designed to make use of ocean thermal gradients for power generations is proposed as an adjunct to the use of icebergs as sources of fresh water. In addition to energy production, the system provides more fresh water than corresponds to the mass of ice melted. Depending on design features, the plant can be used as a conventional SSPP (Solar Sea Power Plant) if or when icebergs are not available.
Teaching diversity, cultural competency, and globalization to American public affairs students: Integrating comparative approaches to public administration and policy:

Diversity, cultural competency, and global awareness are three broad and mutually reinforcing conceptual themes in the literature of American public affairs education that are rarely implicitly int...
The Mothers and Daughters of Bhakti : Janābāī in Marathi Literature

This article focuses on the writings of the lonely, orphaned poet Janābāī, a popular figure believed to have lived in fourteenth-century Maharashtra. By studying the oral tradition of grind-mill songs with which Janābāī is associated as a neglected field of bhakti composition, this article seeks to recuperate the elements of absence, exile, and dislocation central to the devotional lives and experience of bhakti poets, especially those like Janābāī who were and continue to be marginalized by gender and caste. Examining the ubiquitous way in which worship, divinity, and writing are figured as feminine in Maharashtrian bhakti as a whole, this article excavates the ways women’s oral traditions helped to shape Marathi literary and devotional ideals and deepen bhakti’s “theology of embodiment” into a poetics of exile and belonging.
Structural competency: A pilot study

Objective The objective of this study is the use of structural competency (SC) as a tool to broaden the view of nursing students beyond individual, behavioral, biological, and cultural frameworks to encompass the structural determinants of health. Design This mixed-methods pilot study consists of a concurrent nested strategy in which close-ended, forced-choice questions are the drivers while open-ended questions are embedded therein. Sample The sample consists of second-year doctor of nursing practice students. Measures The short-term impact is measured through the use of a survey tool. Intervention The 3-hr SC educational module focuses on six learning objectives: knowledge of structural terms, identifying SC effects on population and patient health; strategizing responses to these influences, student readiness to create change at the individual, organizational, and systems-level, identifying needed tools, and assessing empowerment and burnout. Results Students understand structural terms and are willing to create systemic change but lack necessary tools which may result in burnout. Conclusions Careful thought about curricula incorporating SC and skills to offset the potential impact of burnout is needed.
A fourth order finite difference method for solving elliptic interface problems with the FFT acceleration

Abstract In this paper, a new Cartesian grid finite difference method is introduced based on the fourth order accurate matched interface and boundary (MIB) method and fast Fourier transform (FFT). The proposed augmented MIB method consists of two major parts for solving elliptic interface problems in two dimensions. For the interior part, in treating a smoothly curved interface, zeroth and first order jump conditions are enforced repeatedly by the MIB scheme to generate fictitious values near the interface. For the exterior part, two layers of zero-padding solutions are introduced beyond the original rectangular domain so that the FFT inversion becomes feasible. Different types of boundary conditions, including Dirichlet, Neumann, Robin and their mix combinations, can be imposed via the MIB scheme to generate fictitious values near boundaries. Based on fictitious values at both interfaces and boundaries, the augmented MIB method reconstructs Cartesian derivative jumps as auxiliary variables. Then, by treating such variables as unknowns, an enlarged linear system is obtained. In the Schur complement solution of such system, the FFT algorithm will not sense the solution discontinuities, so that the discrete Laplacian can be efficiently inverted. Therefore, the FFT-based augmented MIB not only achieves a fourth order of accuracy in dealing with interfaces and boundaries, but also produces an overall complexity of O ( n 2 log ⁡ n ) for a n × n uniform grid. Moreover, the augmented MIB scheme can provide fourth order accurate approximations to solution gradients and fluxes.
n-Doping of Quantum Dots by Lithium Ion Intercalation.

The optical properties of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are controllable through introduction of excess electrons or holes into their delocalized bands. Crucial to robust and energy-efficient electr...
3030 – A GLYCAN BASED APPROACH TO CHARACTERIZING AND ISOLATING CELLS IN THE HEMATOPOIETIC SYSTEM

The cell surface contains many molecules that confer identity and function. Flow cytometry and the cluster of differentiation (CD) marker system have revolutionized cell characterization and isolation. Despite this, cell populations such as hematopoietic stem and progenitors (HSPCs) remain heterogenous. Heparan sulfates (HS) are linear polysaccharides of extraordinary diversity with cell- and context-specific modification patterns. Here we utilized single-chain variable fragment antibodies (scFvs) against differentially modified HS to analyze hematopoietic cells. This approach detected different HS patterns in closely related progenitors as well as distinct lineages. HS-specific scFvs differentially bound murine HSPCs, thereby establishing unique cellular “glycotypes” and uncovering divergent and dynamic HS modification expression, specifically within the continuum of megakaryocyte and erythrocyte differentiation. Prospective HS scFv-based isolation of cellular subtypes within immunophenotypic megakaryocyte-erythrocyte progenitors (MEPs) revealed unique functional and molecular phenotypes. These discrete populations could also be purified directly by HS scFvs from a broad pool of HSPCs, as confirmed by in vitro and in vivo functional assays, as well as single-cell transcriptomics. Profiling of human HSPCs, including in differentiation assays towards megakaryocyte or erythroid cell fates revealed conserved, HS scFv binding patterns between mouse and humans, implicating HS modification patterns in lineage commitment across species. In sum, our work establishes HS glycotyping as a novel orthogonal approach to define and prospectively purify viable cell types across different hematopoietic lineages in mice and humans.
The Relationship Between Physical Activity and School Success Among Children With and Without Special Health Care Needs.

Background School-environments are thought to be strong influences of behavioral choices. There is limited research available on the role of physical activity (PA) and school success among children with special health care needs (CSHCN). The purpose of this study was to explore differences in PA among CSHCN and non-CSHCN and how the school success index is related to PA in both groups. Methods Data were taken from new version of the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), which consolidated questions from the previous NSCH and the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN). Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were employed to examine group differences. Results There were significant differences among both subgroups, although most school-aged children did not meet recommended PA guidelines. Chi-squared analyses indicated; school engagement and the parent's perception of child safety at school were associated with the likelihood of meeting PA guidelines. Logistic regression analyses showed that the odds of meeting PA guidelines were associated with the school success index. Conclusions Comprehensive school health programs should focus on PA both subgroups. School health educators should continue to advocate for safe and structured extracurricular activities to improve the child and adolescent's engagement and overall well-being.
A Pilot Study Using Two Novel fMRI Tasks: Understanding Theory of Mind and Emotion Recognition Among Children With ASD

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle with social interactions due to deficits in theory of mind (ToM). In this study, we collected behavioral and neuroimaging data from 9 children with ASD and 19 neurotypical children between the age of 7 and 14 years old, particularly in the area of emotion recognition to better understand those skills needed for meaningful social interaction. The results suggest impaired abilities in multiple ToM metrics and brain deficits associated with ToM-related emotion recognition and processing among children with ASD. Findings from this study are expected to establish connections between behavior and brain activities surrounding ToM in ASD, which may assist the development of neuroanatomical diagnostic criteria and provide a way to measure intervention outcomes.
Opioid Exposures Reported to U.S. Poison Centers.

Opioid-related deaths are a leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States (U.S.). This study aims to examine the national trends in opioid exposures reported to U.S. poison centers (PCs)....
Surveillance for Disease Progression of Transthyretin Amyloidosis after Heart Transplantation in the Era of Novel Disease Modifying Therapies

Abstract Introduction Heart Transplantation (HT) is a rational therapy for advanced transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA), but the impact of ongoing amyloid deposition is not well defined. We evaluated a cohort of patients who underwent HT for ATTR-CA to determine the incidence of de novo or progression of post-HT ATTR deposition. Methods All patients who were followed post-HT for ATTR-CA at our center were included. Baseline demographics and post-HT manifestations of TTR deposition were collected. All patients completed the Composite Autonomic Symptom Score (COMPASS-31 quantifies autonomic symptoms, with a higher score [0 – 100] indicating more severe autonomic dysfunction) and Polyneuropathy Disability Score (PND, range from 0 [asymptomatic] to IV [confined to wheelchair/bed]) questionnaires. Results Twelve patients (5 wild-type, 7 variant [6 p.Val142Ile, 1 p.Thr80Ala]) were included. Mean age at HT was 64.6 (SD: 4.8) years, 83.3% male, and 50% Black. At a median of 4.0 years (IQR 2.4, 5.9) post-HT, 8 patients had symptoms of ATTR deposition (5 with gastrointestinal involvement, 4 orthopedic and 4 neurologic), with 4 patients having ≥ 2 body systems involved. There were no patients with recurrent cardiac involvement. Median COMPASS-31 score was 17.3 (IQR 11.3, 23.5) at 3.9 years (IQR 2.4, 5.9) post-HT. Four patients had a PND score of stage 1 (sensory disturbance), 1 patient was stage 2 (impaired walking) and 1 patient stage 3b (required a walking aid). Conclusion More than 50% of patients had evidence of progressive or de novo ATTR deposition post-HT, impairing quality of life despite a well-functioning cardiac allograft. These observations highlight an unmet need to establish the role of formal surveillance and treatment of TTR using TTR disease-modifying therapies, which may maintain or improve quality of life post-HT for ATTR-CA.
Subjects of International Law Other Than Independent States and Individuals

Subjects of international law are legal and physical persons upon whom international law directly imposes duties and confers rights. In other words, direct subordination of legal and physical persons to international law makes them subjects of that law.
THE TRANSNATIONAL FAMILY, CONFLICT OF LAWS BETWEEN ISLAMIC AND EUROPEAN SYSTEM

The goal that animates the present work is to analyze, on the basis of the rules of private international law, the question of the right bed where one of the parties, or both, are devoted to Islam. Such devotion tends to imply, observant, a perfect coincidence between the legal sphere and the religious sphere. Which is why the phenomenon of migration, by Muslims as it poses many problems with respect to the applicable law. The focus, in the remainder of this paper, it invests the Islamic family law and, specifically, the types of family ties outside our legislation involving conflicts of civilization. The intent is to understand how posing as the Italian domestic law when, following the provisions of private international law, it’s "in touch" with the rules and practices of the Islamic family law that may conflicts with the fundamental principles of the law of the forum whose interest is in the exception of public order. The Islamic system is in fact incompatible with fundamental principles of our legal system (and not just legal): first the secular state and religious pluralism.
Reactions to Victims of Life Crises: Support Attempts That Fail

We became interested in the topic of social support while studying how people cope with a variety of life crises such as loss of a loved one, life-threatening illness, and physical disability. In most discussions of social support, it is generally assumed that support attempts made by the provider will be valued and appreciated by the receiver. There is growing awareness that in many cases, however, others’ well-intentioned efforts to provide support may be regarded as unhelpful by the recipient, may result in negative consequences, or both (Dunkel-Schetter & Wortman, 1982a; 1982b; House, 1981; Thoits, 1982). In a study we recently completed on coping with the loss of a spouse or child (Lehman, Wortman & Williams, in press), respondents reported that others frequently tried to support them by making statements like, “I know exactly how you feel,” “It was God’s will,” or “It’s a good thing you have other children.” Such statements were commonly judged by respondents to be unhelpful (see also Glick, Weiss & Parkes, 1974; Maddison & Walker, 1967).
Clinical Psychology Curriculum and the Industrialization of Behavioral Healthcare

This chapter discusses the clinical psychology curriculum and the industrialization of behavior healthcare as discussed by Pallak. According to this chapter, current curricula tend to focus on the individual as the unit of analysis. Programs essentially train students to be craftspeople in an outdated, cottage industry model of behavioral healthcare delivery. With the rise of managed care, however, psychologists are confronted with a much larger unit of analysis—namely, an organized care system. The prospect of expanding from an individual to a systems level may at first appear daunting; the task is largely one of applying methods of clinical science to larger units of analyses. The chapter provides an outline of some of the issues that emerge when one's unit of analysis is a system as opposed to an individual. This chapter focuses the attention to the modification of clinical science curricula. The chapter concludes that many training programs may need to modify training in research methods to include these other methodologies that are more applicable to a systems level unit of analysis.
Effects of LY267108, an erythromycin analogue derivative, on lower esophageal sphincter function in the cat

Abstract Background/Aims: Erythromycin (EM-A) and some of its analogues stimulate gastrointestinal smooth muscle contractions. Because gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in humans is in part caused by a reduction in lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of LY267108 (an EM-A analogue with no significant antimicrobial activity) on LES function. Methods: In ketamine-anesthetized cats, LES pressure was recorded using a Dent sleeve. Results: In cats, LY267108 increased LES pressure, as did motilin and EM-A. Neither LY267108, EM-A, nor motilin altered LES relaxation in response to a swallow. LY267108 increased LES pressure in cats in which the basal LES pressure was lowered experimentally by perfusing the distal esophagus with HCl (0.1 N for 3 days) or following isoproterenol (3.0 μg/ kg intravenously). In summary, LY267108 increases LES pressure in normal cats, did not affect the relaxation of the LES in response to a swallow, and increases LES pressure in animals with an experimentally induced decrease in LES pressure. Conclusions: The results suggest that LY267108 may be useful in treating GERD because of its ability to increase LES pressure and thus present a barrier for gastroesophageal reflux.
Mouse Toxicity of Fungi of Tobacco

A bioassay for fungal toxins based on the intraperitoneal injection of test materials into mice was used to screen 976 cultures isolated from tobacco and grown in a high-protein baby cereal and also to determine whether samples of tobacco damaged by fungi are more toxic than samples of apparently sound tobacco. Of 236 fungal isolates from noncured tobacco, 79% were lethal when homogenized cultures of these isolates were tested. Forty-nine per cent of 740 fungi isolated from cured tobacco were lethal. Of the genera from which 30 or more isolates were tested, Epicoccum, Alternaria, and Penicillium had the highest percentage of toxic isolates from non-cured tobacco, whereas Epicoccum, Aspergillus, and Alternaria had the highest percentage from cured tobacco. Samples of tobacco naturally infected with brown spot, caused by Alternaria tenuis, did not have a significantly different LD50 value after 48 hr than comparable disease-free samples. However, animals which died from doses near the LD50 dose of tobacco infected with Alternaria generally died in 24 to 48 hr with signs associated with a depressant rather than a stimulant, such as nicotine, which caused death in 15 to 30 min. These signs were duplicated by injecting homogenized pure cultures of Alternaria. These studies, although inconclusive with regard to the effects of fungal contaminants on the quality or usability of tobacco, have developed evidence that suggests the advisability of a study on smoke or smoke condensates from moldy and nonmoldy tobacco.
Molecular Thermodynamics of Electrolyte Solutions

Review of Electrostatics Solution Thermodynamics of Electrolytes The Debye-Huckel Theory The Statistical Mechanics of Ionic Solutions Molecular Thermodynamics Mean Spherical Approximation: The Hard Sphere Ions The Integral Equations for Ion Distributions The McMillan-Mayer and Lewis-Randall Scales in Non-Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions Generalization to Mixed-Salt and Non-Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions Application: Amine Solutions in Acid Gas Removal Application: Ionic Refrigerants in Adsorption Engine Cycles.
Comparison of methods for improving search efficiency in a partial-order planner

The search space in partial-order planning grows quickly with the number of subgoals and initial conditions, as well as less countable factors such as operator ordering and subgoal in teractions. For partial-order planners to solve more than simple problems, the expansion of the search space will need to be controlled. This paper presents four new approaches to controlling search space expansion by exploiting commonalities in emerging plans. These approaches are described in terms of their algorithms, their effect on the completeness and correctness of the underlying planner and their expected performance. The four new and two existing approaches are compared on several metrics of search space and planning overhead.
Weeding Library and Information Science Collections:: An Experience Using Student Assistants

The library of the Emory University Division of Librarianship had its beginnings in the teaching collection of the training classes of the Carnegie Library of Atlanta, and thus the genesis of the collection dates to 1899. As with almost any library collection, its development has been uneven; and, it has suffered the vagaries of fluctuating acquisitions funds, a long series of librarians with differing capabilities and interests, and—as with all academic libraries—a rather constantly shifting and changing faculty and curriculum which it supports. Given these circumstances, and the fact that the collection had never been methodically weeded in its entirety, one might conclude the need for a weeding project was almost indisputable.
Direct observation of grain orientation in YBa2 Cu3 O7-δ thin films

Abstract Using a recently developed specimen-preparation technique to examine heteroepitactic growth in ceramics, the early development of grain orientation in thin YBa2 Cu3 O7-δ films prepared by pulsed-laser ablation can be determined. The technique involves deposition directly on to a specially prepared electron-transparent substrate. The films are examined during the early stages of growth by transmission electron microscopy. Three different orientations corresponding to different alignments of the c axis of the YBa2 Cu3 O7-delta; unit cell with the MgO substrate could be determined from the particle morphology in the image, but were not detected by selected-area diffraction due to their small size.
There is less thalamic degeneration in neonatal-lesioned than in adult-lesioned cats after cerebral hemispherectomy.

In order to study age-related processes of degeneration and recovery, the left hemitelencephalon was surgically removed in 5 adult cats and 5 neonatal kittens which were compared to 5 intact controls. After long survival, brains were sectioned in the coronal plane and thionine-stained. Drawings of gross and microscopic thalamic structures were made at 4 planes and computer-digitized to provide 7 measures: total thalamic area at planes A 7.5 and A 8.5; counts of neuroglia, small neurons (31 – 100 μm 2 ) and large neurons (101–1000 μm 2 ); area of neuroglia, small neurons and large neurons. All cellular measurements were in the ventrobasal complex at planes A 8.0 and A 10.0. Morphological changes were found bilaterally in all lesioned cats. Ipsilateral to the ablation in adult-lesioned cats, thalamic area, large neuron count and glia cells size were markedly and significantly decreased ( P ), while in neonatal-lesioned cats these changes were present but significantly reduced in magnitude compared to adult-lesioned animals. In addition, adult-lesioned cats showed a marked increase in glial cell numbers ( P ) and a decrease in small neuron size ( P ), while kitten-lesioned animals did not show changes in these measures. In the intact side of the brain, the thalamus of adult-lesioned cats was decreased in size ( P ), and glial cells were decreased in number and size ( P ), while in kitten-lesioned brains there were few changes. In both lesioned groups large neurons showed a significant increase in size ( P ). We conclude that neonatal hemispherectomy v results in markedly less thalamic atrophy, retrograde neuronal degeneration and gliosis than the equivalent lesion in adults. The changes are discussed in the context of the increased neuronanatomical reorganization and functional recovery which we reported in neonatal- vs adult-lesioned animals.
Patterns of Educational Sponsorship to Work A Study of Modes of Early Occupational Attainment from College to Professional Work

A longitudinal study of the varying impact of educational sponsorship upon the early professional careers of male college graduates of elite and nonelite social origins suggests that attendance at high quality colleges benefits more the children of nonelite families than it does those from elite backgrounds. Family origins and colleges appear to provide two distinct routes to success among professional occupations. When resources contained in the family are sufficient for occupational success, colleges appear to have little impact upon occupational attainment. When family resources are insufficient, colleges may play an important role in subsequent occupational attainment. In either case, performance in college, the holding of high expectations, and the obtaining of an advanced degree are all important to professional success.
Reduced fat stores after early weaning: A correlate of vulnerability to stress ulcers ☆ ☆☆

Abstract Rats prematurely weaned at day 15 (15w) are more susceptible to restraint-induced gastric erosions (RGEs) than rats weaned normally at day 21 (21w). Increased RGE susceptibility is linked to nutritional changes occurring during premature weaning and to a disturbance of temperature regulation during restraint. Here we examine the hypotheses that: (a) premature weaning leads to decreases in fat stores, (b) a decrease in fat stores is associated with the occurrence of RGEs and hypothermia. Wet weights of white and brown adipose tissue deposits were determined in 30 day old 15w and 21w rats before or subsequent to food deprivation and restraint. In additional 21w animals we excised bilateral inguinal fat depots or interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT) prior to food deprivation and restraint. Stomachs were examined for the presence of RGEs. Early weaned (15w), but not 21w rats became hypothermic and developed RGEs. White and brown adipose tissue weighed significantly less in 15w rats than in 21w rats, and 15w rats used a larger percentage of white adipose tissue. Excision of BAT, but not white adipose tissue increased RGE susceptibility of 21w rats. We conclude that the occurrence of RGEs in 15w rats is associated with decreased fat stores. Furthermore, the results suggest that BAT protects against RGE formation.