cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
title: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Community Health Workers Using Patient Stories to Support Hypertension Management: Preliminary Results
Creators: name: Hargraves, J. Lee
name: Bonollo, Debra
name: Ferguson, Warren J.
name: Aaker Orvek, Elizabeth
Publisher: name: eScholarship@UMMS
Year: 2017

description: Background: Uncontrolled hypertension is a significant public health problem in the U.S. with about one half of people able to keep blood pressure under control. Furthermore, the social and economic costs of poor hypertension control are staggering. Community Health Worker (CHW) interventions are a low-cost, culturally tailored approach to improve chronic disease outcomes.

Methods: This randomized trial conducted at two Community Health Centers (CHCs) in Massachusetts assessed the effect of CHWs assisting patients with hypertension. CHWs, trained in motivational interviewing, used video narratives from patients who have worked to control their BP through diet, exercise, and better medication adherence. Participants enrolled in the study were randomly assigned to immediate intervention or a delayed intervention (DI) (4 to 6 months later). Each participant received a DVD and met with a CHW 5 times (twice in person and three times telephonically) over six months.

Results: One hundred seventy-one patients were randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions. Participants ranged in age from 25 to 79 years old (mean = 56 years old). Seventy-three percent of participants were Hispanic and reported speaking Spanish at home. The intervention group experienced a significant reduction in BP over the 6 month period of time they were receiving the intervention. At 6 months, the average systolic BP declined from 141 at baseline to 136 (p <.0001); while the average diastolic declined from 91 to 86 (p<.0001). During this same period of time, the control group did not experience a significant reduction in BP. The control group's average systolic BP declined from 141 to 138 (p=0.2076) and average diastolic BP declined from 87 to 83 (p=0.2325).

Discussion: Having culturally appropriate tools, such as narrative videos and CHWs trained in motivational interviewing, can be an important, cost effective aid to educate, support, and encourage people to manage hypertension.
Deterministic and Robust Entanglement of Nitrogen Vacancy Centers using Low-Q Photonic Crystal Cavities
Creators: name: Wolters, Janik
name: Kabuss, Julia
name: Knorr, Andreas
name: Benson, Oliver
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: Optics (physics.optics)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We propose an experiment to generate deterministic entanglement between separate nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers mediated by the mode of a photonic crystal cavity. Using numerical simulations the applicability and robustness of the entanglement operation to parameter regimes achievable with present technology is investigated. We find that even with moderate cavity Q-factors of $10^{4}$ a concurrence of $c>0.6$ can be achieved within a time of $t_{max}\approx150$~ns, while Q-factors of $10^{5}$ promise $c>0.8$. Most importantly, the investigated scheme is relative insensitive to spectral diffusion and differences between the optical transitions frequencies of the used NV centers.
description: 5 pages, 5 figures
Enhanced DC Spin Pumping into a Fluctuating Ferromagnet near Tc
Creators: name: Ohnuma, Yuichi
name: Adachi, Hiroto
name: Saitoh, Eiji
name: Maekawa, Sadamichi
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: A linear-response formulation of the dc spin pumping, i.e., a spin injection from a precessing ferromagnet into an adjacent spin sink, is developed in view of describing many-body effects caused by spin fluctuations in the spin sink. It is shown that, when an itinerant ferromagnet near Tc is used as the spin sink, the spin pumping is largely increased owing to the fluctuation enhancement of the spin conductance across the precessing ferromagnet/spin sink interface. As an example, the enhanced spin pumping from permalloy into nickel palladium alloy (Tc ~ 20K) is analyzed by means of a self-consistent renormalization scheme, and it is predicted that the enhancement can be as large as tenfold.
description: 11pages, 7figures
title: Evolution of the Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Muscle Gene Therapy: Translation from Clinical Trial to Benchtop and Back Again
Creators: name: Gruntman, Alisha M.
name: Gernoux, Gwladys
name: Wang, Gensheng
name: Benson, Janet
name: Chulay, Jeff
name: Knop, Dave
name: Mueller, Christian
name: Flotte, Terence R.
Publisher: name: eScholarship@UMMS
Year: 2017

description: Alpha-one antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a genetic disease affecting the lungs due to inadequate anti-protease activity in the pulmonary interstitium. On-going human trials use intra-muscular delivery of adeno-associated virus (rAAV1), allowing expressing myofibers to secrete normal (M)AAT protein. In the Phase IIa trial, patients in the highest dose cohort (6x1012vg/kg) were given 100 intra-muscular (IM) injections of undiluted vector, with serum AAT levels still substantially below target levels. Previous work has shown that delivering rAAV vector to the musculature via limb perfusion leads to widespread gene expression in myofibers. We hypothesize that widespread delivery would result in an overall increase in serum AAT levels with the same dose of AAV gene therapy vector and allow for increased volume and thereby dose of vector. In macaques, similar serum myc-tagged rhAAT was produced using regional venous infusion when compared to direct IM delivery at the same total vg dose with either rAAV1 or rAAV8, while not being limited to a small volume as with IM injection. These data prove the concept that a 30-fold expanded volume of rAAV-AAT could be delivered to myofibers using limb perfusion without loss of potency on a per vg basis, thereby enabling potential achievement of therapeutic AAT levels in patients. This will allow us to proceed to a phase IIb clinical trial in AAT patients employing venous limb perfusion.
Magazzino 101 Gestione e smaltimento
Creators: name: SCHIAVONE, Filomena
name: DE BLASI, Antonio
name: DE CESARE, GIOVANNI
name: DE ROSA, Adriano Giuseppe
name: CONFORTI, Vito
name: DIOLAITI, EMILIANO
name: NANNI, MONICA
name: TACCHINI, ALESSANDRO
name: SEMOLA, Antonio
name: STEFANINI, Renato
name: VILLA, Fabrizio
Publisher: name: OAS Bologna
Year: 2023

description: Il personale OAS tutto.
description: La gestione di un magazzino efficiente passa attraverso una buona organizzazione e il rispetto delle regole. Trattandosi di ambienti in cui le merci sono costantemente movimentate, spesso con l’ausilio di attrezzature specifiche, il magazzino è soggetto a disordine e sporcizia. Questo, inevitabilmente, si può tradurre in incidenti, che possono rallentare o addirittura arrestare il lavoro. Ordine e pulizia dovrebbero essere mandatori.
Measuring Jupiter's water abundance by Juno: the link between interior and formation models
Creators: name: Helled, Ravit
name: Lunine, Jonathan
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The JUNO mission to Jupiter is planned to measure the water abundance in Jupiter's atmosphere below the cloud layer. This measurement is important because it can be used to reveal valuable information on Jupiter's origin and its composition. In this paper we discuss the importance of this measurement, the challenges in its interpretation, and address how it can be connected to interior and formation models of Jupiter.
description: 18 pages. Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
title: Home Matters: Adolescents Drink More Sugar Sweetened Beverages When They Are Available at Home
Creators: name: Haughton, Christina F.
name: Waring, Molly E.
name: Wang, Monica L.
name: Rosal, Milagros C.
name: Pbert, Lori
name: Lemon, Stephenie C.
Publisher: name: eScholarship@UMMS
Year: 2017

description: Objective: Sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption has increased by 300% in the past three decades and the largest source of both added sugar and calories in the diets of US adolescents. It has been argued that the increased intake of SSBs has contributed to the rising prevalence of obesity. The availability and accessibility of foods/drinks in multiple levels of an adolescent’s environment can influence one’s choices and impact consumption. The aim of this study is to examine the association between adolescent self-report of the availability of SSBs in their home and SSB consumption and whether neighborhood and school SSB availability modifies the association between availability of SSBs in the home and adolescent SSB consumption.

Methods: The Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health and Eating (FLASHE) was used to conduct a cross sectional analysis of 1,484 parent-adolescent dyads. Each dyad completed four online surveys about dietary and activity health behaviors. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between the measures of SSB availability in the home and teen SSB consumption behaviors. The potential moderators, school SSB availability and neighborhood SSB availability, were tested separately using stratified ordinal logistic regression analyses.

Results: The greater frequency of availability of SSB’s in the home had a positive association with teen SSB consumption. This association remained present despite the availability of SSB’s in other locations. There was no moderation effect present in either school SSB availability and neighborhood SSB availability.

Conclusion: Understanding the impact of the availability of SSB’s in multiple environments on consumption is important for obesity prevention efforts. This study found that parents can be important factors in reducing adolescent SSB consumption by influencing the home environment. Despite the availability of SSB’s in other environments, the home remains important for impacting consumption.

Also Presented at the 2018 Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting.
Interview Transcripts of 17 Preservice Teachers_The factors that shape their self-efficacy
Creators: name: Hayanto, Zeni
name: Efwinda, Shelly
name: Sulaeman, Nurul Fitriyah
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2023
Subjects: Science, technology and engineering curriculum and pedagogy
Curriculum and pedagogy theory and development

description: This data contains interview transcripts from 17 preservice physics teachers regarding what factors shape their pedagogical content knowledge self-efficacy
Mordell-Weil Torsion and the Global Structure of Gauge Groups in F-theory
Creators: name: Mayrhofer, Christoph
name: Morrison, David R.
name: Till, Oskar
name: Weigand, Timo
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We study the global structure of the gauge group $G$ of F-theory compactified on an elliptic fibration $Y$. The global properties of $G$ are encoded in the torsion subgroup of the Mordell-Weil group of rational sections of $Y$. Generalising the Shioda map to torsional sections we construct a specific integer divisor class on $Y$ as a fractional linear combination of the resolution divisors associated with the Cartan subalgebra of $G$. This divisor class can be interpreted as an element of the refined coweight lattice of the gauge group. As a result, the spectrum of admissible matter representations is strongly constrained and the gauge group is non-simply connected. We exemplify our results by a detailed analysis of the general elliptic fibration with Mordell-Weil group $\mathbb Z_2$ and $\mathbb Z_3$ as well as a further specialization to $\mathbb Z \oplus \mathbb Z_2$. Our analysis exploits the representation of these fibrations as hypersurfaces in toric geometry.
description: 42 pages, 10 figures; v2: references added
Identifying Users with Opposing Opinions in Twitter Debates
Creators: name: Rajadesingan, Ashwin
name: Liu, Huan
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Social and Information Networks (cs.SI)
subject: Computers and Society (cs.CY)
subject: Physics and Society (physics.soc-ph)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: In recent times, social media sites such as Twitter have been extensively used for debating politics and public policies. These debates span millions of tweets and numerous topics of public importance. Thus, it is imperative that this vast trove of data is tapped in order to gain insights into public opinion especially on hotly contested issues such as abortion, gun reforms etc. Thus, in our work, we aim to gauge users' stance on such topics in Twitter. We propose ReLP, a semi-supervised framework using a retweet-based label propagation algorithm coupled with a supervised classifier to identify users with differing opinions. In particular, our framework is designed such that it can be easily adopted to different domains with little human supervision while still producing excellent accuracy
description: Corrected typos in Section 4, under "Visibly Opinionated Users". The numbers did not add up. Results remain unchanged
Accretion and OH Photodissociation at a Nearby T Tauri System in the beta Pictoris Moving Group
Creators: name: Zuckerman, B.
name: Vican, Laura
name: Rodriguez, David R.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present spectra of an M-type, binary star system (LDS 5606) that belongs to the nearby ~20 Myr old beta Pictoris moving group. Both stars are very dusty; the dustier member displays optical emission lines from eight elements indicative of ongoing mass accretion. The spectra of both stars contain oxygen forbidden line emission at 6302 and 5579 A, consistent with a recent model of far ultraviolet photodissociation of OH molecules in a circumstellar disk. These are the oldest dwarf stars presently known to display such a phenomenon. The spectral energy distribution of the dustier star indicates substantial quantities of dust as hot as 900 K, and its fractional infrared luminosity (L_IR)/L_bol) is almost as large as that of the main sequence record holder, V488 Per. The LDS 5606 binary joins a remarkable group of very dusty, old, T Tauri stars that belong to widely separated multiple systems.
description: Some fixes in the reference list and small changes in a few numbers compared to version 1. In press ApJ June 20, 2014 issue
title: Video Capsule Endoscopy in Patients with Muir-Torre Syndrome
Creators: name: Holzwanger, Erik
name: Al-Azzawi, Yasir
name: Cave, David R.
Publisher: name: eScholarship@UMMS
Year: 2017

description: Introduction: Muir-Torre Syndrome (MTS) is a rare, primarily autosomal dominant disorder that is distinguished by having sebaceous skin malignancies in addition to visceral malignancies. The most common form of MTS is a variant of HNPCC. Our aim is to demonstrate the utilization of VCE in patients with MTS as the first line screening method.

Methods: Single center, retrospective chart review study of outpatients with MTS who underwent a video capsule endoscopy study between January 2006 and January 2016.

Results: Four patients, all women and mean age of 57 years old, with MTS underwent a video capsule endoscopy at our institution. In 75% of the patients, VCE detected polyps at a point in the small bowel which upper endoscopy and colonoscopy did not visualize. Two patients had large jejunal polyps, approximately 20mm in diameter. One patient had multiple 3-20mm sessile polyps from the duodenum to the ileum. On endoscopy, only one of the patients had a polyp detected and it was a 10mm polyp in the stomach which was positive for GIST. With regards to colonoscopy, 2 of the patients had critical findings of colonic mucosa with focal adenomatous changes and cryptitis (high grade dysplasia) and T1 poorly differentiated signet cell carcinoma respectively. Both of these patients underwent total colectomies. Cumulatively, all four of these patients have undergone 17 endoscopies/colonoscopies.

Conclusion: MTS is a disorder that needs to be monitored closely as patients have a high propensity of developing gastrointestinal malignancies. Current recommendations are colonoscopies annually starting at ages 20-25 and endoscopies with gastric antrum biopsies starting at ages 30-35. 75% of the patients had lesions in the small bowel that were only picked up by VCE. Failure to detect asymptomatic advanced lesions in the small bowel may have serious consequences. We therefore recommend pan-endoscopy in this rare syndrome.
title: Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of the Antioxidant Features of Phenol and Aniline Model Compounds
Creators: name: Horton, William
name: Ellstrom, Clifford
name: Torok, Bela
name: Torok, Marianna
Publisher: name: eScholarship@UMMS
Year: 2017

description: Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) have been implicated in the aging process and numerous diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes. Several natural products such and polyphenols including resveratrol have been investigated as potential antioxidants preventing and/or treating diseases related to oxidative stress. We intend to gain better insight into the mechanism of action of these bioactive molecules and ultimately develop new derivatives with improved antioxidant capacity. Our computational and experimental studies on resveratrol-inspired hydrazone derivatives have shown that an -NH group may act as a better radical scavenger than the phenolic-OH that is commonly found in natural polyphenols. To assess this idea, several simple phenol and aniline derivatives were selected as model compounds and basic structural, energetic and electronic features of these compounds were calculated by density functional theory (DFT) to determine the structural characteristics that has major effect on the radical scavenging activity. The structures were analyzed at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory using Gaussian09 to identify the ionization potential, N-H dissociation enthalpy, proton affinity, HOMO/LUMO energies, and the band gaps. This data was correlated with the experimental antioxidant activity determined in three assays: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). The % radical scavenging has been analyzed as a function of the above determined structural parameters in order to identify the role of the structural, energetic and electronic features in determining the antioxidant activity.
Rotating and Moving D-Branes in the Presence of Various Background Fields
Creators: name: Safarzadeh-Maleki, Farzin
name: Kamani, Davoud
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2013
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We calculate the bosonic boundary state associated with a rotating and moving D$p$-brane in the presence of the antisymmetric tensor field, a $U(1)$ gauge field and a tachyon field. Rotation and motion are in the brane volume. We reconstruct this boundary state via the group $PSL(2,R)$ to be applicable when the tachyon field is presented. This modified boundary state enables us to calculate the interaction amplitude between two parallel D$p$-branes with rotation and motion. The long-range force of this interaction will be obtained. The boundary state also enables us to investigate the tachyon condensation on a rotating and moving D$p$-brane.
description: 14 pages, Latex, no figure, Typos fixed and references added
ERKIN SAVDONI RIVOJLANTIRISH VA GLOBAL QASHSHOQLIKNI KAMAYTIRISHDA JAHON SAVDO TASHKILOTINING O'RNI
Creators: name: Malikov, Numonjon
name: G'ayibov, Xurzodbek
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023

description: Ushbu tezis Jahon savdo tashkiloti (JST)ning erkin savdoni rivojlantirish va global qashshoqlikni kamaytirishdagi rolini atroflicha o'rganadi. JST aʼzo davlatlar oʻrtasidagi savdo qoidalari va kelishuvlarni oʻrnatish uchun javobgardir. U savdo to'siqlarini kamaytirish, savdo munosabatlarida shaffoflik va prognozlilikni ta'minlash va rivojlanayotgan mamlakatlarning global savdo tizimidagi ishtirokini osonlashtirish orqali erkin savdoni rag'batlantiradi. Erkin savdo iqtisodiy o'sishga yordam beradi, bu esa o'z navbatida qashshoqlik darajasini pasaytiradi. Shu yo`llar orqali esa JST o'z maqsadiga erishadi.
Rome and Naples: differences and similarities between squatting experiences
Creators: name: Davoli, Chiara
name: De Falco, Ciro Clemente
name: Punziano, Gabriella
Publisher: name: Fuori Luogo. Rivista di Sociologia del Territorio, Turismo, Tecnologia
Year: 2020

description: Questo articolo analizza le continuità e le discontinuità nelle esperienze di occupazione a scopo abitativo-residenziale in due casi italiani: Roma e Napoli. L’obiettivo è discutere i significati, le strutture e i principi che emergono dalle due esperienze selezionate le quali appartengono a diverse tradizioni: da una parte, una con storia consolidata, come nel caso di Roma; dall’altra, una esperienza che solo di recente ha conosciuto un processo di consolidamento, come nel caso di Napoli. I casi sono stati affrontati con un approccio comparato di stampo qualitativo che non ha l’intento di inquadrare le due esperienze in quanto modelli finali, piuttosto il fine ultimo è quello di esplorare gli aspetti locali che consentono di comprendere: le differenze tra i tipi di conflitti generati attorno al diritto all’abitare; le coalizioni, le organizzazioni di movimento e, in generale, i movimenti sociali e urbani a Roma e Napoli. Tenendo fissi questi obiettivi, l’articolo che si presenta intende contribuire al dibattito attuale fornendo nuovi spunti ed elementi stimolanti nello studio generale del fenomeno delle occupazioni a scopo abitativo-residenziale.
description: Fuori Luogo. Rivista di Sociologia del Territorio, Turismo, Tecnologia, V. 3 N. 1 (2018): Rivista di Sociologia del Territorio, Turismo, Tecnologia
title: Pleural Sepsis Associated with High Mortality in Orthotopic Liver Transplantation Recipients
Creators: name: Holzwanger, Erik
name: Patwardhan, Soumil
name: Touray, Sunkaru
name: Knox, Daniel B.
Publisher: name: eScholarship@UMMS
Year: 2017

description: Background: Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is currently the only definitive treatment for patients with acute liver failure and end-stage liver cirrhosis. Pulmonary complications are a leading cause of post-operative morbidity and mortality. Post-transplant pleural effusions have been reported in the immediate post-operative period reported in about 32 – 47 % of effusion.

Methods: From a database of 1517 patients who presented at our medical center with pleural effusions from 2010 – 2015, we identified 21 patients who had liver transplants using ICD code 50.59. We performed chart reviews to assess the occurrence of the pleural effusion in relation to their liver transplant and determined the impact this had on survival.

Results: Mean age was 60 years (± 7), 71 % were men, and the mean MELD score was 21 (± 8). There were 5 patients who developed pleural effusions after OLT resulting in an incidence rate of 23.8%. Four out of the 5 patients had a positive pleural fluid culture. The most common isolate was Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3 patients) while the other two had Klebsiella pneumonia and Candida glabarata respectively.

Mortality rate in the 5 year period was 42.9 %; and was higher in patients with sepsis (71 vs. 28.5 %, p= 0.06). In multivariate cox regression analysis, pleural sepsis was the strongest predictor of mortality (HR 9.2 95 % CI 1.2-66, p 0.03).

Conclusions: Pleural effusions are a common post-operative complication in OLT patients with an increased mortality associated with pleural space infections. OLT patients who present with pleural effusions must therefore undergo pleural aspiration with a view to diagnose and treat these infections promptly in order to improve survival. Our study is limited by a small sample size and retrospective design selecting for patients who may have had a higher risk of mortality in the first instance.
Loop Corrections to Soft Theorems in Gauge Theories and Gravity
Creators: name: He, Song
name: Huang, Yu-tin
name: Wen, Congkao
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: In this paper, we study loop corrections to the recently proposed new soft theorem of Cachazo-Strominger, for both gravity and gauge theory amplitudes. We first review the proof of its tree-level validity based on BCFW recursion relations, which also establishes an infinite series of universals soft functions for MHV amplitudes, and a generalization to supersymmetric cases. For loop corrections, we focus on infrared finite, rational amplitudes at one loop, and apply recursion relations with boundary or double-pole contributions. For all-plus amplitudes, we prove that the subleading soft-theorems are exact to all multiplicities for both gauge and gravity amplitudes. For single-minus amplitudes, while the subleading soft-theorems are again exact for the minus-helicity soft leg, for plus-helicity loop corrections are required. Using recursion relations, we identify the source of such mismatch as stemming from the special contribution containing double poles, and obtain the all-multiplicity one-loop corrections to the subleading soft behavior in Yang-Mills theory. We also comment on the derivation of soft theorems using BCFW recursion in arbitrary dimensions.
description: 19 pages 1 figure. v2: references added, typos corrected
Models of parton distributions and the description of form factors of nucleon
Creators: name: Selyugin, O. V.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The comparative analysis of different sets of the parton distribution functions (PDFs), based on the description of the whole sets of experimental data of electromagnetic form factors of the proton and neutron, is made in the framework of the model of t-dependence of the generalized parton distributions (GPDs) with minimum free parameters and some extending variants of the model. In some cases, a large difference in the description of electromagnetic form factors of nucleons with using the different sets of PDF are found out. The different variants of the flavor dependence of the up and down quark form factors are presented and discussed. The gravitation form factors, obtained with the different sets of PDF, are also calculated and the anomalous gravimagnetic moment is compared with the Equivalence Principle. The calculations of the differential cross sections of the real Compton scattering are presented.
description: 14 pages; 15 figures; (corrected some misprints in text and references)
Crossing Cultural Barriers: Informed Consent in Developing Countries
Publisher: name: Online Ethics Center
Year: 2006
Subjects: Community and Participatory Research
Human Subjects Research
Informed Consent
Research and Practice

description: This case highlights potential dilemmas encountered by postdoctoral fellows in a research setting. Does the promise of a U.S. standard of medical care undermine informed consent in foreign based studies? It also explores the issues of informed consent when U.S. supported medical research is taking place in a developing country.
Accretion of Jupiter-mass Planets in the Limit of Vanishing Viscosity
Creators: name: Szulágyi, J.
name: Morbidelli, A.
name: Crida, A.
name: Masset, F.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2013
Subjects: subject: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: In the core-accretion model the nominal runaway gas-accretion phase brings most planets to multiple Jupiter masses. However, known giant planets are predominantly Jupiter-mass bodies. Obtaining longer timescales for gas accretion may require using realistic equations of states, or accounting for the dynamics of the circumplanetary disk (CPD) in low-viscosity regime, or both. Here we explore the second way using global, three-dimensional isothermal hydrodynamical simulations with 8 levels of nested grids around the planet. In our simulations the vertical inflow from the circumstellar disk (CSD) to the CPD determines the shape of the CPD and its accretion rate. Even without prescribed viscosity Jupiter's mass-doubling time is $\sim 10^4$ years, assuming the planet at 5.2 AU and a Minimum Mass Solar Nebula. However, we show that this high accretion rate is due to resolution-dependent numerical viscosity. Furthermore, we consider the scenario of a layered CSD, viscous only in its surface layer, and an inviscid CPD. We identify two planet-accretion mechanisms that are independent of the viscosity in the CPD: (i) the polar inflow -- defined as a part of the vertical inflow with a centrifugal radius smaller than 2 Jupiter-radii and (ii) the torque exerted by the star on the CPD. In the limit of zero effective viscosity, these two mechanisms would produce an accretion rate 40 times smaller than in the simulation.
description: 11 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal
title: Emergency Department Super-utilizer Program Involvement: Pilot Data and Methods Challenges
Creators: name: Houssan, Colette
name: Ash, Arlene S.
name: Davis-Martin, Rachel
name: Banach, Laurel
name: Dickson, Eric W.
name: Boudreaux, Edwin D.
Publisher: name: eScholarship@UMMS
Year: 2017

description: Super-utilizers are patients who use extreme amounts of medical services, often due to comorbid medical, social, and mental health issues. The MyLink Evaluation Project (MEP) studies MyLink, a program that connects super-utilizers with community support workers (CSWs) to improve the patient experience and reduce costs. The MEP-eligible population is ≥18 years old with at least 5 Emergency Department (ED) visits within 12 months and no other exclusions (e.g., language barriers, living out-of-region). During MEP’s pilot, among 58 eligible patients, 28 consented to being referred to MyLink and followed up. Of these, 7 could not be located for follow-up, 8 refused enrollment, and the remaining 13 enrolled and “engaged” (had at least 3 face-to-face contacts and developed an initial plan). All 13 enrollees were followed at 6 months vs. 4 of the 8 not enrolled. Consequently, we expect about 50% of eligible patients to consent to the main randomized study, with the vast majority of the MyLink-assigned group becoming engaged and completing follow-up. Achieving this requires identifying patients in real-time at the ED, frequent communications between researchers and CSWs, cultivating rapport during patient referral, enrollment, and follow-up, coordinating with other care management programs serving our patients, and adhering to MEP protocols that are rapidly evolving to address and overcome barriers. Challenges include: increasingly heavy CSW case-loads that decrease “warm” handoffs during the ED visit; problematic patient contact information; and incomplete program and follow-up assessments due to patient withdrawal, relocation, or death. These challenges lead to missing quality-of-life and healthcare utilization data needed for program evaluation. To reduce incomplete assessments, we lengthened time windows and expanded outreach methods (e.g., in-person upon ED revisit, web and medical record searches for updated contact information). We hypothesize that MyLink will improve patient quality-of-life and reduce ED utilization and total costs of care for super-utilizers.
But For the Fear of What You Might Find Out
Publisher: name: Online Ethics Center
Year: 2006
Subjects: Human Subjects Research
Informed Consent
Public Health and Safety
Research and Practice
Safety

description: This case highlights potential dilemmas encountered by postdoctoral fellows in a research setting. Are participants in a breast cancer imaging modality entitled to their test results when none of the modalities have been validated as medical screening tools? This case also explores the potential problems researchers face with clinical trials.
Precise comparison of the Gaussian expansion method and the Gamow shell model
Creators: name: Masui, Hiroshi
name: Katō, Kiyoshi
name: Michel, Nicola
name: Płoszajczak, Marek
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Nuclear Theory (nucl-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We perform a detailed comparison of results of the Gamow Shell Model (GSM) and the Gaussian Expansion Method (GEM) supplemented by the complex scaling (CS) method for the same translationally-invariant cluster-orbital shell model (COSM) Hamiltonian. As a benchmark test, we calculate the ground state $0^{+}$ and the first excited state $2^{+}$ of mirror nuclei $^{6}$He and $^{6}$Be in the model space consisting of two valence nucleons in $p$-shell outside of a $^{4}$He core. We find a good overall agreement of results obtained in these two different approaches, also for many-body resonances.
description: 8 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to PRC
Asymptotics for the Laplace transform of the time integral of the geometric Brownian motion
Creators: name: Pirjol, Dan
name: Zhu, Lingjiong
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Pricing of Securities (q-fin.PR)
subject: Probability (math.PR)
subject: FOS: Economics and business
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: We present an asymptotic result for the Laplace transform of the time integral of the geometric Brownian motion $F(θ,T) = \mathbb{E}[e^{-θX_T}]$ with $X_T = \int_0^T e^{σW_s + ( a - \frac12 σ^2)s} ds$, which is exact in the limit $σ^2 T \to 0$ at fixed $σ^2 θT^2$ and $aT$. This asymptotic result is applied to pricing zero coupon bonds in the Dothan model of stochastic interest rates. The asymptotic result provides an approximation for bond prices which is in good agreement with numerical evaluations in a wide range of model parameters. As a side result we obtain the asymptotics for Asian option prices in the Black-Scholes model, taking into account interest rates and dividend yield contributions in the $σ^{2}T\to 0$ limit.
description: 17 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables
DNA Copy Number Calculator
Creators: name: Acosta, Kenneth
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2023
Subjects: Plant cell and molecular biology

description: A worksheet to calculate the DNA copy number present in a sample. The calculation involves using the DNA concentration (ng/uL) of the sample, Avogradro's constant, the organism's genome size (bp), and a molecular weight of 660 Daltons per 1 bp of double-stranded DNA.
Neutron star-black hole mergers with a nuclear equation of state and neutrino cooling: Dependence in the binary parameters
Creators: name: Foucart, Francois
name: Deaton, M. Brett
name: Duez, Matthew D.
name: O'Connor, Evan
name: Ott, Christian D.
name: Haas, Roland
name: Kidder, Lawrence E.
name: Pfeiffer, Harald P.
name: Scheel, Mark A.
name: Szilagyi, Bela
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present a first exploration of the results of neutron star-black hole mergers using black hole masses in the most likely range of $7M_\odot-10M_\odot$, a neutrino leakage scheme, and a modeling of the neutron star material through a finite-temperature nuclear-theory based equation of state. In the range of black hole spins in which the neutron star is tidally disrupted ($χ_{\rm BH}\gtrsim 0.7$), we show that the merger consistently produces large amounts of cool ($T\lesssim 1\,{\rm MeV}$), unbound, neutron-rich material ($M_{\rm ej}\sim 0.05M_\odot-0.20M_\odot$). A comparable amount of bound matter is initially divided between a hot disk ($T_{\rm max}\sim 15\,{\rm MeV}$) with typical neutrino luminosity $L_ν\sim 10^{53}\,{\rm erg/s}$, and a cooler tidal tail. After a short period of rapid protonization of the disk lasting $\sim 10\,{\rm ms}$, the accretion disk cools down under the combined effects of the fall-back of cool material from the tail, continued accretion of the hottest material onto the black hole, and neutrino emission. As the temperature decreases, the disk progressively becomes more neutron-rich, with dimmer neutrino emission. This cooling process should stop once the viscous heating in the disk (not included in our simulations) balances the cooling. These mergers of neutron star-black hole binaries with black hole masses $M_{\rm BH}\sim 7M_\odot-10M_\odot$ and black hole spins high enough for the neutron star to disrupt provide promising candidates for the production of short gamma-ray bursts, of bright infrared post-merger signals due to the radioactive decay of unbound material, and of large amounts of r-process nuclei.
description: 20 pages, 19 figures
title: Collaborating to Cure the Most Common Parasites on the Planet
Creators: name: Hu, Yan
name: Noon, Jason
name: Abraham, Ambily
name: Li, Hanchen
name: Rus, Florentina
name: Pinto, Deysy
name: Ostroff, Gary R.
name: Aroian, Raffi V.
Publisher: name: eScholarship@UMMS
Year: 2017

description: Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), most notably, hookworms, whipworms, and Ascaris, are nematodes that infect more than 1.5 billion of the poorest people and are leading causes of morbidity worldwide. Only one class of de-worming drugs (anthelmintic) is commonly used in mass drug administrations. New anthelmintics are urgently needed to overcome emerging resistance and to produce higher cure rates. Crystal (Cry) proteins, in particular Cry5B, made by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are promising new candidates. Cry5B has excellent anthelmintic properties against many free-living and parasitic nematodes, including in vivo efficacy against multiple STH infections in rodents (Heligomasmidoes polygyrus and Ancylostoma ceylanicum) and in pigs (Ascaris suum).

An enormous challenge for STHs, very different from most diseases worked on in the developing world, is the requirement that therapies be very cheap (the people infected are very poor and current drugs costs pennies a dose), massively scalable (over 4 billion people are at risk from infection), and have a long shelf life in harsh environments, that have high temperature and humidity and no cold chain.

Working together, we have made excellent progress in our development efforts to produce a deployable version of Cry5B that is cheap, safe, scalable, and stable. These efforts are focused on microbiology, bacterial engineering, expression, and formulation. In the process of this work, we have discovered a novel bacterial expression system that meets these key requirements. In addition, we will provide latest information about the broad spectrum of activity of Cry5B against key parasites that make this therapeutic a very attractive alternative from current treatments.
A solution of the puzzling symbiotic X-ray system 4U 1700+24
Creators: name: Xu, Renxin
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: A circumstellar corona is proposed for a strange quark-cluster star during an accretion phase, that could be essential to understand the observations of the puzzling symbiotic X-ray system, 4U 1700+24. The state of cold matter at supranuclear density is still an important matter of debate, and one of the certain consequences of strange star as the nature of pulsars is the self-bound on surface which makes extremely low-mass compact objects unavoidable. In principle, both the redshifted O VIII Ly-$α$ emission line and the change of the black-body radiation area could be understood naturally if 4U 1700+24 is a low-mass quark-cluster star in case of wind-accretion.
description: A version accepted by RAA
title: Resident and Facility-level Correlations of Long-term Opioid Use in United States Nursing Homes
Creators: name: Hunnicutt, Jacob N.
name: Ulbricht, Christine M.
name: Hume, Anne
name: Lapane, Kate L.
Publisher: name: eScholarship@UMMS
Year: 2017

description: Background: There is limited information on the prevalence and multilevel risk factors of long-term opioid use in older nursing home residents despite their high burden of pain and vulnerability to adverse drug events.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and correlates of long-term opioid use in United States (US) nursing homes.

Methods: We used comprehensive administrative/claims data (Minimum Data Set 3.0; Medicare Part D) from 2012 to conduct a cross-sectional study of 369,180 long-stay nursing home residents who were Medicare beneficiaries, ≥65 years old, and had no cancer. Resident factors of interest included demographics and physical/cognitive impairment, and facility factors included US census region and structural characteristics (eg, bed size, ownership). Long-term opioid use was defined as ≥90 cumulative days of opioid use during a 120 day observation window - defined using fill dates and days’. Modified Poisson models were used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between resident/ facility-level characteristics and long-term opioid use.

Results: Nearly one third of long-stay residents used any opioid, with 14.5% using opioids long-term. Among long-term users, 35.3% received a long-acting opioid, with 17.1% receiving high (≥90 mg/day oral morphine equivalents) daily doses. Hydrocodone (49.0%), tramadol (31.3%), and fentanyl (24.8%) were most commonly used. The prevalence of long-term use was higher in women (vs. men; aPR=1.20, 95% CI: 1.18-1.23) and those with no/mild cognitive impairment (vs. other; aPR=1.18, 95% CI: 1.16-1.20) or severe physical impairment (aPR=1.25; 95% CI: (1.22-1.27), and in government-owned nursing homes (vs. for-profit; aPR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.05-1.16). Long-term use varied by region (10.6% [Northeast] to 17.7% [Midwest]) and across facilities (median: 13.3% interquartile range: 6.7%-21.3%).

Conclusions: Long-term opioid use is substantially higher in nursing home residents than what has been previously reported in community-dwelling older adults. Further investigations of opioid safety in this frail population are needed.
Starobinsky Model in N=2 Supergravity
Creators: name: Ketov, Sergei V.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The Starobinsky inflationary model of $(R+R^2)$ gravity is extended to the new-minimal (40+40) off-shell 4D, N=2 supergravity in N=2 chiral (curved) superspace. In its dual formulation, as a matter-coupled N=2 Einstein supergravity, inflaton belongs to a massive N=2 vector multiplet.
description: 15 pages, no figures, LaTeX; minor revision, two references added (including BICEP2)
PI or Private Investigator
Publisher: name: Online Ethics Center
Year: 2006
Subjects: Data Management
Human Subjects Research
Informed Consent
Institutional Review Boards
Research and Practice

description: This case highlights potential dilemmas encountered by postdoctoral fellows in a research setting. Does informed consent entitle a researcher to use a credit bureau to locate study participants after three years? It also explores the ways that confidentiality might be jeopardized.
title: The Utilization of Video Capsule Endoscopy in Patients with Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome
Creators: name: Al-Azzawai, Yasir
name: Holzwanger, Erik
name: Cave, David R.
Publisher: name: eScholarship@UMMS
Year: 2017

description: AIM: Our aim is to demonstrate the utilization of VCE in the patients with Peutz–Jeghers syndrome (PJS) and evaluate the distribution of the polyps in each part of the small intestine and the percentage of patients with PJS who developed complications.

METHODS: Single center, retrospective chart review study of outpatients with PJS who underwent a video capsule endoscopy study between January 2006 and January2016.

RESULTS: A total of 16 patients were identified with PJS; mean age was 40 years. Female gender was predominant with 9 patients. Polyps were found in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum in 33%, 80% and 26 % respectively. Sixty percent of the patients had further evaluation with deep enteroscopy of the small intestine and 88 % of them showed small intestine polyps. Colonoscopy was done in 13 of the patients and polyps were found in 11 patients. 33% of patients had complications with intussusceptions or small bowel obstruction and all of them had jejunal polyps. 100% of females had polyps in the small intestine and 33% of them developed complications. 6 patients had polyps larger than 20 mm in the jejunum and 4 had complications with either intussusceptions or small bowel obstruction.

CONCLUSIONS: VCE has the ability to visualize more polyps compared to current deep enteroscopy devices. There is a direct relationship between the size of the polyp, location and the risk of complication. Polyps of at least 20mm in size, primarily in the jejunum had a high complication rate in this study of 67%. VCE is a valuable tool in evaluating patients with PJS and allows for monitoring of the small bowel and will further help to determine patients at high risk of complications. However, VCE was found in this study to be inferior to upper endoscopy for the detection of gastric polyps.
Exceeding Pollution Limits
Publisher: name: Online Ethics Center
Year: 2006
Subjects: Engineer/Client Relationships
Environmental Justice
Ethics and Society
Research and Practice
Workplace Ethics

description: Marvin has just prepared a report that indicates that the level of pollution in the plant's water discharges slightly exceeds the legal limitations. However, there is little reason to believe that this excessive amount poses any danger to people in the area; at worst, it will endanger a small number of fish. On the other hand, solving the problem will cost the plant more than $200,000.