cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endometrial stripe thickness as a predictor of ectopic pregnancy

Objective To evaluate the potential utility of endometrial stripe thickness in predicting pregnancy outcome in women with an hCG less than a discriminatory zone. Design Retrospective case review. Setting University emergency department. Patients Women who presented with symptomatic early pregnancies after a spontaneous conception with an hCG level less than a discriminatory zone evaluated to rule out an ectopic pregnancy (EP). Interventions Measure endometrial stripe thickness by transvaginal ultrasound. Main Outcome Measures Initial endometrial stripe thickness was correlated to eventual pregnancy outcomes. Results The mean initial endometrial stripe thickness of patients eventually diagnosed with an intrauterine pregnancy (13.42 ± 0.68mm), spontaneous abortion (9.28 ± 0.88mm), and an EP (5.95 ± 0.35mm) were all statistically different from each other. Ninety-seven percent of pregnancies found to have an endometrial stripe thickness ≤ 8mm were abnormal (EP or spontaneous abortion). Conclusions This study suggest a role of the evaluation of the endometrial stripe thickness in the detection of abnormal pregnancies in patients presenting for evaluation of a symptomatic early pregnancy with an hCG below a discriminatory zone. Initial endometrial stripe thickness measured in patients with an EP is significantly thinner than in those with an intrauterine pregnancy.
Supporting Multiplayer Online Ball Passing at a Distance with Multiple Sets of Kinect

We present Alone Together, a collaborative virtual ball playing environment augmented with three sets of Microsoft Kinect. The play environment fulfills a 'sport over the distance' them via the attempt to mimic the real world ballpassing exercise (or rehabilitation sessions) except that the players can be miles away from each other, and they interact without a physical ball. Moreover, our system allows each player to see the other two and their physical environment respectively, which is a combination of the physical world where players are situated and the virtual world where they play with each other. Kinect sensors are used to map players' action into a virtual world including the passing of the virtual ball.
Integrity and Learning: Enhancing Workability and Student Performance Outcomes

This paper uses a positive model of integrity to assess the impact of the practice of integrity on student learning outcomes. The model posits integrity as honoring one's word, and provides a very clear and specific definition of what constitutes one's word. The model is then implemented in a classroom setting, where the degree to which students honor their word is measured. Subsequent statistical tests demonstrate that higher levels of integrity are associated with superior classroom performance, even after controlling for factors such as incoming grade point average and personality traits.
Overlapping Clustering: A New Method for Product Positioning

Most clustering techniques used in product positioning and market segmenta­tion studies render mutually exclusive equivalence classes of the relevant products or subjects space. Such classificatory techniques are thus restricted to the extent that they preclude overlap between subsets or equivalence classes. An overlapping clustering model, ADCLUS, is described which can be used in marketing studies involving products/ subjects that can belong to more than one group or cluster simultaneously. The authors provide theoretical justification for and an application of the approach, using the MAPCLUS algorithm for fitting the ADCLUS model.
Optical-fiber-processing techniques

Aside from the significant technical advantages of optical fibers and the possibility of achieving operating economies in systems using them, it is apparent that for many applications the cost of the fiber may be a deciding factor. This is particularly true for the telecommunications fibers in which future applications, such as broadband subscriber loops, will require fibers costing only a few pennies per meter1 yet produced in large volume with high quality. It is believed that one of the major controllable elements influencing the cost of optical fibers is the rate of the fabrication processes involved, and it is expected that, as the rates improve, the cost will be significantly reduced.2
Three new species of Paraneseuthia Franz from Australia (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae).

Three new species of the ant-like stone beetle genus Paraneseuthia (Eutheiini) are described from Australia: P. bernierana sp. n. (Western Australia), P. dilatifurculata sp. n. (Queensland) and P. angustifurculata sp. n. (Queensland). Key morphological characters of the new species are illustrated and discussed. Diagnoses of these and other species within the genus having similar body forms are based mainly on morphological differences in the male genitalia. New distributional data are given for Australian Paraneseuthia , based not only on named species but also on females recorded from coastal and sub-coastal eastern and northern regions that are not possible to identify in the absence of males.
Long-Term, Prospective Performance of the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory in "Low-Intermediate Risk" Oropharyngeal Carcinoma After Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy.

Purpose To characterize long-term MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) results after primary intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) among patients with "low-intermediate risk" OPC who would be eligible for current trials (eg, ECOG 3311, NRG HN002, CRUK PATHOS). Methods and Materials A retrospective pooled analysis combined data from 3 single-institution clinical trials for advanced-stage head and neck carcinoma. Inclusion criteria were clinical stage III/IV OPC (T1-2/N1-2b, T3/N0-2b) treated with definitive split-field IMRT and prospectively collected MDADI at baseline and at least 1 posttreatment interval available in trial databases. Patients were sampled to represent likely human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated disease (HPV + /p16 + or Results Forty-six patients were included. All received bilateral neck irradiation with a median dose of 70 Gy and systemic therapy (57% concurrent, 43% induction only). Overall the mean baseline MDADI composite score was 90.1, dropping to 74.6 at 6 months ( P P P =.002) by 12 and 24 months relative to baseline, respectively, representing a clinically meaningful drop in MDADI scores at 6 months that partially recovers by 24 months (6 vs 24 months, P =.05). Poor MDADI scores (composite Conclusion "Low-intermediate risk" patients with OPC treated with laryngeal/esophageal inlet dose-optimized split-field IMRT are highly likely to report recovery of acceptable swallowing function in long-term follow-up. Only 15% report poor swallowing function and/or persistently depressed MDADI at 12 months or more after IMRT. These data serve as a benchmark future trial design and endpoint interpretation.
SU-G-BRA-03: PCA Based Imaging Angle Optimization for 2D Cine MRI Based Radiotherapy Guidance

Purpose: To develop an imaging angle optimization methodology for orthogonal 2D cine MRI based radiotherapy guidance using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of target motion retrieved from 4DCT. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 4DCT of 6 patients with lung tumor. A radiation oncologist manually contoured the target volume at the maximal inhalation phase of the respiratory cycle. An object constrained deformable image registration (DIR) method has been developed to track the target motion along the respiration at ten phases. The motion of the center of the target mass has been analyzed using the PCA to find out the principal motion components that were uncorrelated with each other. Two orthogonal image planes for cineMRI have been determined using this method to minimize the through plane motion during MRI based radiotherapy guidance. Results: 3D target respiratory motion for all 6 patients has been efficiently retrieved from 4DCT. In this process, the object constrained DIR demonstrated satisfactory accuracy and efficiency to enable the automatic motion tracking for clinical application. The average motion amplitude in the AP, lateral, and longitudinal directions were 3.6mm (min: 1.6mm, max: 5.6mm), 1.7mm (min: 0.6mm, max: 2.7mm), and 5.6mm (min: 1.8mm, max: 16.1mm), respectively. Based on PCA, the optimal orthogonal imaging planes were determined for cineMRI. The average angular difference between the PCA determined imaging planes and the traditional AP and lateral imaging planes were 47 and 31 degrees, respectively. After optimization, the average amplitude of through plane motion reduced from 3.6mm in AP images to 2.5mm (min:1.3mm, max:3.9mm); and from 1.7mm in lateral images to 0.6mm (min: 0.2mm, max:1.5mm), while the principal in plane motion amplitude increased from 5.6mm to 6.5mm (min: 2.8mm, max: 17mm). Conclusion: DIR and PCA can be used to optimize the orthogonal image planes of cineMRI to minimize the through plane motion during radiotherapy guidance.
Barriers to Greater Utilization of Marketing Research in the Health Care Sector: Recommendations for Improvement

The acceptance and use of marketing techniques and concepts in the health care area is a phenomena well known to many of us (Cooper, 1979). Yet, while many health care institutions are actively using marketing, there has been little commensurate growth in health care marketing research efforts.
Meta-analysis of postruminal microbial nitrogen flows in dairy cattle. II. Approaches to and implications of more mechanistic prediction

Several attempts have been made to quantify microbial protein flow from the rumen; however, few studies have evaluated tradeoffs between empirical equations (microbial N as a function of diet composition) and more mechanistic equations (microbial N as a function of ruminal carbohydrate digestibility). Although more mechanistic approaches have been touted because they represent more of the biology and thus might behave more appropriately in extreme scenarios, their precision is difficult to evaluate. The objective of this study was to derive equations describing starch, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and organic matter total-tract and ruminal digestibilities; use these equations as inputs to equations predicting microbial N (MicN) production; and evaluate the implications of the different calculation methods in terms of their precision and accuracy. Models were evaluated based on root estimated variance σˆe and concordance correlation coefficients (CCC). Ruminal digestibility of NDF was positively associated with DMI and concentrations of NDF and CP and was negatively associated with concentration of starch and the ratio of acid detergent fiber to NDF (CCC=0.946). Apparent ruminal starch digestibility was increased by omasal sampling (compared with duodenal sampling), was positively associated with forage NDF and starch concentrations, and was negatively associated with wet forage DMI and total dietary DMI (CCC=0.908). Models were further evaluated by calculating fit statistics from a common data set, using stochastic simulation, and extreme scenario testing. In the stochastic simulation, variance in input variables were drawn from a multi-variate random normal distribution reflective of input measurement errors and predicting MicN while accounting for the measurement errors. Extreme scenario testing evaluated each MicN model against a data subset. When compared against an identical data set, predicting MicN empirically had the lowest prediction error, though differences were slight (σˆe 23.3% vs. 23.7 or 24.3%), and highest concordance (0.52 vs. 0.48 or 0.44) of any approach. Minimal differences were observed between empirical MicN prediction (σˆe 25.3%; CCC 0.530) and MicN prediction (σˆe 25.3%; CCC 0.532) from rumen carbohydrate digestibility in the stochastic analysis or extreme scenario testing. Despite the hypothesized benefits of a more mechanistic prediction approach, few differences between the calculation approaches were identified.
Feeding problems in infancy and early childhood: evolutionary concept analysis

Aim The aim of this study was to report an analysis of the concept of pediatric feeding problems. Background Reviews of the literature on pediatric feeding problems and disorders repeatedly reference the lack of a shared conceptualization of feeding problems. It is difficult to track aetiology, prevalence and incidence of a phenomenon when available definitions and diagnoses lack practical utility. Design An evolutionary concept analysis. Data sources A search was conducted in October 2014 of Google Scholar, CINAHL, PubMed and Web of Science databases, with MeSH terms and key words including: failure to thrive, feeding disorder/difficulty/problems, infantile anorexia, oral aversion, mealtime behaviour and dysphagia. Inclusion criteria were: subject of feeding problems, index children 0-10 years of age, English language and full text. Methods The articles (n = 266) were sorted into disciplines of authorship, including Psychology, Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition, Occupational Therapy, Speech Language Pathology or Other. The sample was divided into a historical sample (n = 42) for pre-2000 articles and current for those published post-2000. The current sample was later reduced to 100 and coded for surrogate terms, related concepts, attributes, antecedents and consequences. Results The historical view of pediatric feeding problems shows a tradition of mother blame or parental culpability, both direct and indirect. Currently, there exist many different definitions and typologies, but none have sound validity or generalizability. Areas of attribute consensus across disciplines are problematic feeding behaviours and selective or restrictive intake. Conclusion A spectrum conceptualization of feeding problems is suggested for further development, with attributes that would be critical to have a feeding problem.
Transformative Leadership: The Camp Counselor Experience

A study, utilizing focus groups, was conducted with teens serving as camp counselors at the North Central 4-H camp in Missouri. High school students, 14-18 years old, served as camp counselors during a four-day residential camp the summer of 2014. Each counselor was a current 4-H member and had served as a 4-H camp counselor in Missouri for at least one year, some serving as many as five years. Comparing two training models, evidence was found that intentional training sessions are crucial for the empowerment that leads to transformation.
Be a Part of Our Bright Future

The 2016 Chair of ACRP’s Association Board of Trustees shares some final thoughts with readers about the time he served in the role, as well as about how others can participate in the future of the organization through volunteerism.
Awareness and trust of the FDA and CDC: Results from a national sample of US adults and adolescents.

Trust in government agencies plays a key role in advancing these organizations' agendas, influencing behaviors, and effectively implementing policies. However, few studies have examined the extent to which individuals are aware of and trust the leading United States agencies devoted to protecting the public’s health. Using two national samples of adolescents (N = 1,125) and adults (N = 5,014), we examined demographic factors, with a focus on vulnerable groups, as correlates of awareness of and trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the federal government. From nine different weighted and adjusted logistic regression models, we found high levels of awareness of the existence of the FDA and CDC (ranging from 55.7% for adolescents’ awareness of the CDC to 94.3% for adults’ awareness of the FDA) and moderate levels of trust (ranging from a low of 41.8% for adults’ trust in the federal government and a high of 78.8% for adolescents’ trust of the FDA). In the adolescent and adult samples, awareness was higher among non-Hispanic Blacks and respondents with low numeracy. With respect to trust, few consistent demographic differences emerged. Our findings provide novel insights regarding awareness and trust in the federal government and specific United States public health agencies. Our findings suggest groups to whom these agencies may want to selectively communicate to enhance trust and thus facilitate their communication and regulatory agendas.
Working memory capacity and the antisaccade task: A microanalytic–macroanalytic investigation of individual differences in goal activation and maintenance

The association between working memory capacity (WMC) and the antisaccade task, which requires subjects to move their eyes and attention away from a strong visual cue, supports the claim that WMC is partially an attentional construct (Kane, Bleckley, Conway, & Engle, 2001; Unsworth, Schrock, & Engle, 2004). Specifically, the WMC-antisaccade relation suggests that WMC helps maintain and execute task goals despite interference from habitual actions. Related work has recently shown that mind wandering (McVay & Kane, 2009, 2012a, 2012b) and reaction time (RT) variability (Unsworth, 2015) are also related to WMC and they partially explain WMC's prediction of cognitive abilities. Here, we tested whether mind-wandering propensity and intraindividual RT variation account for WMC's associations with 2 antisaccade-cued choice RT tasks. In addition, we asked whether any influences of WMC, mind wandering, or intraindividual RT variation on antisaccade are moderated by (a) the temporal gap between fixation and the flashing location cue, and (b) whether targets switch sides on consecutive trials. Our quasi-experimental study reexamined a published dataset (Kane et al., 2016) comprising 472 subjects who completed 6 WMC tasks, 5 attentional tasks with mind-wandering probes, 5 tasks from which we measured intraindividual RT variation, and 2 antisaccade tasks with varying fixation-cue gap durations. The WMC-antisaccade association was not accounted for by mind wandering or intraindividual RT variation. WMC's effects on antisaccade performance were greater with longer fixation-to-cue intervals, suggesting that goal activation processes-beyond the ability to control mind wandering and RT variability-are partially responsible for the WMC-antisaccade relation. (PsycINFO Database Record
Fascist-Style Law and Order

In the RSI government, the collapse of law and order proceeded apace. The Germans impaired the royalist Carabinieri, while the National Republican Guard broke down from sheer incompetence. In the resultant void, rogue militias proliferated: Prince Valerio Borghese’s X Mas, the Muti Legion, the Carita band, and an Italian SS. A general free-for-all ensued between federale and rogue militias. Power slipped from the authorities in Salo to a hodge-podge of municipalities, regional authorities, and rogue gangs. Given the competition among provincial heads, federali, questori, and podesta, space was created for the German military to impose their will on local Italian officials. The RSI interior ministry made desultory efforts to harness the militias but was not helped by Mussolini’s lack of willpower to quell the mayhem engulfing the regime. In the general breakdown of authority, Fascist radicals and rogue squads, having seized police functions from local civil and police authorities, were easily able to defy Mussolini’s desultory efforts to reimpose discipline over disorderly local power centers or to break up the disparate irregular Fascist formations.
Does Pulling Together Lead to Falling Apart? The Self-Regulatory Consequences of Cooperative and Competitive Mindsets

The present paper explores the effects of cooperative as opposed to competitive mindsets on self-control. Four experiments provide convergent evidence that self-sufficiency determines the self-regulatory effect of these task structures. As either chronic or primed self-sufficiency rises, individuals holding a cooperative mindset exhibit poorer self-control. Further, for less self-sufficient individuals, cooperative experiences tend to enhance subsequent restraint relative to competition. Though observable in the aggregate, results also suggest that these effects are strongest among individuals low in self-control. Further, results replicate when income is taken as a proxy for self-sufficiency, following Vohs, Meade, & Goode, 2006. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of understanding the effects of cooperation and competition on different types of consumers, and also call for further work in the relationships between self-sufficiency, task structure, and downstream consequences.
Mechanical properties and microstructural stability of wrought, laser, and electron beam glazed NARloy-Z alloy at elevated temperatures

Microstructure of wrought, laser and electron beam processed NARloy-Z (Cu-3 wt % Ag–0.5 wt% Zr) was investigated for thermal stability at elevated temperatures 539–760 °C (1100 to 1400°F) up to 94 h. Optical and scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalysis were employed for studying microstructural evolution and kinetics of precipitation. Grain boundary precipitation and precipitate free zones (PFZs) were observed in the wrought alloy after exposing to temperatures above 605 °C (1120 °F). Fine-grained microstructure observed in the laser and electron beam (EB) processed NARloy-Z was much more stable at elevated temperatures. Tensile properties of laser and EB glazed NARloy-Z can be tailored by giving suitable heat treatments and maintaining the same strength with increased ductility. Microstructural changes correlated well with hardness measurements and mechanical properties.
Crystallographic Studies of NH4Cl-NH4Br Solid Solutions

Both ammonium chloride and ammonium bromide undergo a transition, with rise in temperature, from an interpenetrating simple cubic (II) to a face-centered cubic (I) lattice at 183 and 137°C, respectively, and both the low- and high-temperature forms give a complete series of solid solutions. We have determined the lattice constants of the high-temperature solids at about 250° as a function of composition, and redetermined the lattice constants of the low-temperature solids at room temperature. The solutions were made by crystallization from water, followed by stirring in contact with mother liquor for at least three weeks at room temperature. Measurements were made with a Norelco-Philips diffractometer and recorder, with Cu K α radiation. For the high-temperature work, a simple, inexpensive heating apparatus was developed. The only previous data reported for the high-temperature forms are the lattice constants of the pure components given by Bartlett and Langmuir.13
Impact of Daylight Saving Time on the Clinical Laboratory

Daylight saving time is a practice in some countries and local regions to set clocks forward (typically 1 hour) during the longer days of summer and back again in autumn. Time changes resulting from daylight saving time have the potential to impact clinical laboratory instruments, computer interfaces, and information systems. We analyzed turnaround time data for an academic medical center clinical laboratories (chemistry, hematology, blood gas analyzer, and transfusion medicine), examining how turnaround time was impacted by the daylight saving time shifts in 2017. We also determined whether the daylight saving time shift on November 5, 2017 ("fall back" by 1 hour) resulted in any "absurd" time combinations such as a receipt time occurring "before" a normally later time such as final result. We also describe challenges resulting from daylight saving time changes over a 5-year period. The only significant impact on turnaround time was for clinical chemistry samples during the autumn daylight saving time change, but the overall impact was low. Four instances of absurd time combinations occurred in the autumn time change with only a transfusion medicine example resulting in an interface error (a Type and Screen resulted "before" receipt in laboratory). Over a 5-year period, other daylight saving time impacts included problems of reestablishing interface to instruments, inadvertent discrepancies in manual time changes at different points of the core laboratory automation line, and time change errors in instruments with older operating systems lacking patches that updated daylight saving time rules after 2007. Clinical laboratories should be aware that rare problems may occur due to issues with daylight saving time changes.
Clinical outcome of maintenance electroconvulsive therapy in comorbid Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and major depressive disorder

Abstract Background Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are prevalent and frequently comorbid. Approximately 42–48% of patients with PTSD also meet diagnostic criteria for MDD. Maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (mECT) has been found to be efficacious for the prevention of recurrence of MDD. This study investigated the efficacy of mECT in the treatment of MDD with and without comorbid syndromal PTSD. Methods This retrospective study includes 36 patients, 26 with MDD and 10 with comorbid MDD & PTSD receiving monthly mECT for a mean of 1.5 years. The mean age was 52 ± 14 years and 25% were female. The change in PTSD and MDD symptoms in response to mECT was assessed using Clinical Global Impression - Severity Scale (CGI-S). Heart rate variability (HRV), 12-month hospitalization rate, suicide rate and all-cause mortality in response to mECT were assessed and compared between groups using repeated generalized linear regression (GLM) analysis. Results At mECT baseline, there were no statistically significant differences in CGI-S scores, HRV between patients with MDD alone and those with comorbid MDD and PTSD (P > 0.05). After 12-months of mECT, a significant increase in HRV (mean difference: 10.9 95%CI 4.8–20.3, p = 0.001) and decrease in CGI-S overall (mean difference: 3.5, 95% CI 3.3–3.6, p = 0.001)], PTSD (mean difference: 3.4, 95% CI 3.2–3.6, p = 0.001)], and MDD (mean difference: 3.8, 95% CI 3.5–3.9, p = 0.001)] symptoms in both groups were noted (p Conclusions Maintenance ECT is associated with improved HRV, reduction of both major depression and PTSD symptoms, and a favorable clinical outcome.
Quantitative MRI of Nerve Pathology in Mouse Models of CMT1A and HNPP (P1.453)

Objective: To characterize quantitative MRI measures of myelin/axon pathologies in mouse models of peripheral myelin potein-22 (PMP22) related inherited neuropathies. Background: Recent clinical trials indicated the need for novel biomarkers of inherited neuropathies. In response, we developed a sciatic nerve (SN) magnetization transfer (MT) MRI assay that reports on myelin content. More recently, we deployed diffusion tensor (DT)-MRI to obtain more specific information on axonal pathologies. This study aims to further characterize MT/DT-MRI measures in mouse models of Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A (CMT1A) and hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP), with the longer-term goal of validating via histology. Design/Methods: Five CMT1A (C3, 5.2±2.1 months), six HNPP (heterozygous deletion of PMP22, 6.1±3.9 months), and 10 wild type mice (WT: 4.8±3.5 months) were studied. After euthanasia, ≈1 cm segments of the SN were excised and fixed, then MT/DT-MRI (4.7/7.0-T Bruker) was performed. The macromolecular pool-size-ratio (PSR) was estimated from MT-MRI (selective inversion recovery sequence, 16 inversion times). Fractional anisotropy (FA) and axial/radial diffusivities (AD/RD) were estimated from DT-MRI data (PGSE sequence, TE/TR=22/425 ms, resolution=100×100×500 μm3, NEX=10, b=2000 s/mm2, directions=15, and time≈49 h). Results: Relative to WT (18.9±1.3%), PSR values were significantly elevated in HNPP nerves (20.9±1.3%, p Conclusions: MT/DT-MRI indices are sensitive to myelin/axon pathologies in mouse models of inherited neuropathies. Future work includes i) collecting data in a larger cohort and ii) comparing MRI measures to histology data for validation. Study Supported by: NIH/NIBIB K25-EB13659, and NIH R01-NS066927 Disclosure: Dr. Manzanera has nothing to disclose. Dr. Simmons has nothing to disclose. Dr. Moiseev has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Li has nothing to disclose. Dr. Dortch has nothing to disclose.
A retrospective cost analysis of the frequency and cost of transfusion premedications.

Background Acetaminophen and diphenhydramine are routinely administered to prevent febrile non-hemolytic and allergic blood transfusion reactions despite multiple randomized controlled trials demonstrating that this practice lacks efficacy. As a result, patients are exposed to the adverse effects of these medications and their financial burdens with no expected benefit. The aim of this study was to quantify the frequency and cost of transfusion premedications in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Study design and methods This was a retrospective study of patients with AML admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) for induction chemotherapy between January 2008 and December 2016. Data were collected on the number of platelet and packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions each patient received during the initial inpatient encounter for AML, as well as on the administration of premedications prior to each transfusion. Results During the 9-year study period, 948 AML patients received a total of 19,820 transfusions. Of these, 30% were preceded by oral diphenhydramine, 8% by intravenous diphenhydramine, and 39% by oral acetaminophen. The percentage of patients that received a transfusion preceded by a premedication increased over the study period (p = 0.03), as did the percentage of transfusions preceded by a premedication (p = 0.02). The total unadjusted cost of pre-transfusion medications to the institution during the study period was $50,309.77, or $52.67 per patient with AML. The cost of premedications per patient did not increase over the study period (p = .45). Conclusions Routine transfusion premedication administration is common in AML patients and not well-supported by available evidence.
Heart Failure in Children Part I: History, Etiology, and Pathophysiology

Why is heart failure in children important? If we just consider the number of individuals affected, adult heart failure is clearly a more compelling public health problem. However, the relatively small numbers belie the overall economic and social impact of pediatric heart failure. When a child is admitted to the hospital for heart failure, the costs are considerably higher for children than adults because of the frequent need for surgical or catheter-based intervention. The demands of medical care can fray the family structure and adversely affect parental economic productivity. When a child dies of heart failure, the economic impact is magnified enormously because of the number of potentially productive years lost per death. For these and other reasons, heart failure in children is a serious public health concern. In addition, growing numbers of children with heart failure are reaching adulthood because of the successful application of medical and surgical heart failure therapies and the improved outcomes of congenital heart surgery. A greater understanding of the pathophysiology of heart failure in childhood may help inform therapeutic strategies once these children become adults. Furthermore, given the recent explosion of research in the impact of cardiac development and cardiogenetics on pediatric cardiovascular disease, it is not outside the realm of possibility for a pediatric discovery to be made that will also benefit adults with heart failure. We may not yet be able to agree on a definition of heart failure, but the cardinal symptoms, dyspnea, anasarca (“dropsy”), and cachexia, were well recognized in antiquity.1 These symptoms were not specific for cardiac pathology, and it was not until the 17th century, when William Harvey definitively identified the heart as an organ that pumped blood rather than generating heat, that the heart could begin to be understood as a source of dyspnea, edema, and …
Abstract LB-181: CD133 as a disparity stem cell biomarker in African Americans with late-stage prostate cancer

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is higher among African American (AA) than Caucasian Americans (CA). AAs are more frequently diagnosed with PCa with worse prognoses than CAs. Support of a genetic component to the high incidence and mortality rate in AA men is based on epidemiologic studies of men with similar genetic backgrounds. For instance, men in Ghana and Nigeria also have a high incidence of prostate cancer, as do men of African descent in the Caribbean islands and in the United Kingdom. Multiple reports indicate that PCa aggressiveness is the result of cancer stem cells (CSC). Furthermore, people of African Ancestry have been reported to have increased stemness gene signature in multiple tumor types. CD133, which is a well-known progenitor/stem cells marker, and is associated with prostate tumor relapse and metastasize due to the existence of prostate cancer stem cells (PCaCSC) has been well characterized, however, its role in prostate cancer racial disparity is unknown. Therefore, our objective is to analyze the significance of CD133 as a disparity stem cell biomarker in AA and CA patients with late-stage PCa. Methods: TGCA Prostate Dataset was used for patient data. The R and R studio statistical software was used for the analysis, and for the survival analysis, Log-Rank test was used to determine survival. H & E was used to determine the presence of prostate cancer and tumors were scored using Gleason grading. CD133 protein location and expression was determined by IHC, and quantified using Aperio imaging software. Results: We analyzed genomic data in TGCA for correlation between CD133 over-expression and worst patient survival outcome. Survival analysis indicated a poorer survival outcome in the AA with high CD133 expression during late-stage PCa compare to the CA with the same stage of PCa. Furthermore, the addition of CD44 furthermore increased the significant difference between the stem cell population (p= 0.04) between AA and CA patients. To confirm these results, we evaluated CD133 expression in (Gleason =7) PCa tumor from AA and CA patients and compared them to BPH. As in the TCGA data, we observed increased CD133 expression in AA patients. Conclusion: Elevated CD133 shows an association with patients with African Ancestry. Further studies are necessary on a larger series of cases to elucidate the role of CD133 in the development and progression of prostate cancer and its suitability as a prognostic biomarker. Citation Format: Benjamin Adu-Addai, Ahmad B. Salam, Ruksana Amin, Honghe Wang, Huixian Lin, Anghesom Ghebremedhin, Jason White, Jesse M. Jaynes, Clayton Yates. CD133 as a disparity stem cell biomarker in African Americans with late-stage prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-181.
Chicano popular culture: Que Hable el Pueblo

We set forth on this journey, passing through a table of Contents, a list of Illustrations, and a list of Acronyms. We stop momentarily at the Introduction, where Tatum proceeds with a detailed his...
The impact of heat exposure on reduced gestational age in pregnant women in North Carolina, 2011–2015

Research on the impact of heat on pregnant women has focused largely on outcomes following extreme temperature events, such as particular heat waves or spells of very cold weather on pregnant women. Consistently, the literature has shown a statistically significant relationship between heat with shortened gestational age with studies concentrated largely in the western states of the USA or other nations. The association between heat and shortened gestational age has not been examined in the Southeastern US where maternal outcomes are some of the most challenging in the nation. Unlike previous studies that focus on the impacts of a single heat wave event, this study seeks to understand the impact of high heat over a 5-year period during the annual warm season (May–September). To achieve this goal, a case-crossover study design is employed to understand the impact of heat on preterm labor across regions in North Carolina (NC). Temperature thresholds for impact and the underlying relationships between preterm labor and heat are investigated using generalized additive models (GAM). Gridded temperature data (PRISM) is used to establish exposure classifications. The results reveal significant impacts to pregnant women exposed to heat with regional variations. The exposure variable with the most stable and significant result was minimum temperature, indicating high overnight temperatures have the most impact on preterm birth. The magnitude of this impact varies across regions from a 1% increase in risk to 6% increase in risk per two-degree increment above established minimum temperature thresholds.
Family studies of warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, immunodeficiency, myelokathexis syndrome.

Purpose of reviewWHIM syndrome (warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, immunodeficiency, myelokathexis, or WHIMs) is a very rare autosomal dominant immunodeficiency disorder attributable to mutations in CXCR4. We reviewed clinical manifestations in 24 patients in 9 families to expand understanding of this sy
Feature Based Comparative Analysis of Online Malware Scanners (OMS)

Threat Intelligence is evidence-based knowledge that helps to understand, predict and adapt the behavior of an existing or emerging threats. Threat Intelligence can be used to decide on the subject’s response to its threat. Several components provide information about threats. Online Malware Scanners (OMS) are part of the general threat intelligence that the entire system can provide when searching for files, URLs, hashes, CVEs, IP addresses and domain names. Among other industrial technologies, threat intelligence has also proven its importance to reduce the human effort in detection, prevention and analysis of a malware. The paper covers the comparative analysis of OMS that would assist the industrial research and development (R&D) teams, cybersecurity researchers and students to decide the best suitable OMS for their deployed cyber physical systems in order to efficiently automate the whole process of threat intelligence and ultimately reducing the impact of external attacks on the overall cyber infrastructure of industrial organizations.
Measuring Polarization In Cosmic Microwave Background

Polarization induced by cosmological scalar perturbations leads to a typical anisotropy pattern, which can best be analyzed in Fourier domain. This allows one to unambiguously distinguish cosmological signal of polarization from other foregrounds and systematics, as well as from polarization induced by non-scalar perturbations. The precision with which polarization and cross-correlation power spectra can be determined is limited by cosmic variance, noise and foreground residuals. Choice of estimator can significantly improve our capability of extracting cosmological signal and in the noise dominated limit the optimal power spectrum estimator reduces the variance by a factor of two compared to the simplest estimator. If foreground residuals are important then a different estimator can be used, which eliminates systematic effects from foregrounds so that no further foreground subtraction is needed. A particular combination of Stokes $Q$ and $U$ parameters vanishes for scalar induced polarization, thereby allowing an unambiguous determination of tensor modes. Theoretical predictions of polarization in standard models show that one typically expects a signal at the level of 5-10$\mu$K on small angular scales and around 1$\mu$K on large scales ($l<200$). Satellite missions should be able to reach sensitivities needed for an unambiguous detection of polarization, which would help to break the degeneracies in the determination of some of the cosmological parameters.
Perceptions of cruise travel during the COVID-19 pandemic: Market recovery strategies for cruise businesses in North America

Abstract The study aims to identify consumer perceptions of the cruise industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to provide market recovery strategies for cruise businesses. The relationship between perceptions among cruise experience and COVID-19 financial status groups were explored. The results of analyses of data from 759 respondents indicated that travel constraints negatively influence behavioral intention through negativity bias. Further, perceived crisis management positively affects behavioral intention through attitude-trust. New consumers’ behavioral intention is significantly affected by the negativity bias, and the perceived crisis management manipulates the trust of financial-affected consumers.
Patient Experiences with Ambulatory Telehealth in Neurology: Results of a Mixed Methods Study

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess patient experiences with rapid implementation of ambulatory telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A mixed methods study was performed to characterize the patients’ experience with neurology telehealth visits during the first eight weeks of the COVID-19 response. Consecutive patients who completed a telehealth visit were contacted by telephone. Assenting patients completed a survey quantifying satisfaction with the visit followed by a semi-structured telephone interview. Qualitative data were analyzed using the principles of thematic analysis. Results: 2,280 telehealth visits were performed, 753 patients (33%) were reached for post-visit feedback. Of these, 47% of visits were by video and 53% by telephone. Satisfaction was high with 77% of patients reporting that all needs were met though only 51% would consider telehealth in the future. Qualitative themes emerged suggesting that positive patient experiences were associated with elimination of commute time and associated costs as well as a positive physician interaction. Negative patient experiences were associated with the inability to complete the neurologic examination. Overall, patients tended to view telehealth as a tool that should augment, and not replace, in-person visits. Conclusion: In ambulatory telehealth, patients valued convenience, safety, and physician relationship. Barriers were observed but can be addressed.
Plasmonic carriers responsive to pulsed laser irradiation: a review of mechanisms, design, and applications

The ability to deliver molecules in an on-demand fashion with high spatial and temporal control represents an important challenge which could positively impact a wide range of biological applications. One such approach is through the development of “smart carriers” which release their cargo in response to an internal or external trigger. Light has been studied extensively as a stimulus as it can be applied externally to a system, can be optimized for biocompatibility, and controlled in both time and space. However, there are drastic differences depending on whether the irradiation source is a continuous wave or pulsed laser. While continuous wave light-responsive carriers have been more extensively studied, the use of pulsed lasers for system activation holds many significant benefits, such as the ability to achieve sub-second release while decreasing environmental heating and thus, increasing the promise of achieving high spatiotemporal resolution over cargo release. Pulsed lasers become increasingly useful when paired with plasmonic nanoparticles as photosensitizers, as their interactions can be controlled through a wide range of laser and nanoparticle parameters, and thus provides an avenue to create a highly tunable carrier system. This review will focus on hollow carrier systems, specifically, liposomes, polymersomes, and nanodroplets, which are photosensitized by plasmonic nanoparticles and demonstrate a response to pulsed laser irradiation. To fully realize the complexity of the factors which govern release, the systems will be discussed from various perspectives, including laser-nanoparticle interactions, mechanisms leading to membrane disruption, and their considerations in carrier design. Finally, we will present recent examples which have been implemented into biological systems.
Interactions Among Multiple Spontaneous Otoacoustic Emissions

Evidence has recently been obtained (Burns et al., 1984) for several interactions among spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) including intermodulation distortion products, mutual suppression, and noncontiguous-linked SOAEs which apparently share energy between two quasi-stable states. In this paper, we give an updated record of our findings on intermodulation distortion products and linked emissions, and give evidence that the former tend to occur when a distortion product frequency is close to that of a cochlear resonance. Computer simulations of the interactions among van der Pol oscillators, which represent nonlinear active elements in a simplified cochlear model, appear to qualitatively account for some of the observed features of SOAE interactions.
Industrial Property Rights - Licensing and Joint Ventures Abroad

The rights granted in foreign licensing agreements are of three distinct types; patent rights, trademark rights, and knowhow rights. The combination of these rights licensed in any particular agreement will depend on the respective resources and needs of the contracting parties, and on the products or technology involved. Patents are limited monopoly rights conferred by the government of a country within its own area, and in accordance with its own laws and regulations. Ownership or control of a U.S. patent does not automatically give protection in other parts of the world or provide the basis for a license grant to a foreign concern. To obtain foreign patent rights the company must file a separate application in each country in which it desires protection. Under the International Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the person or concern filing an original patent claim in one member country has a priority right of application for the corresponding patent right in other member countries for a period of one year following the original filing. The number of countries which belong to the Convention has been rising steadily and now stands at about 80, including all of the industrialized nations; the Soviet Union joined in 1965 and most of the other European communist countries are also members.
Offset Frontal Collisions: A Review of the Literature and Analysis of UMTRI and NASS Crash Injury Data - CDC, AIS and Body Area Injuries

Using the Collision Deformation Classification (CDC) (SAE J224), a comparison of the National Accident Sampling System (NASS) data and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) field accident files (UM series) indicates a similar distribution of offset frontal crashes. Offset frontal damage occurs in 56-61% of crashes, often involving more than one-third of the front of the car. Lap-shoulder belted drivers sustain more AIS 2 or greater injuries when there is interior intrusion and these occur more often when the offset damage is in front of the driver. However, this may well be due to the severity of the crash. European studies have no uniformity as to offset frontal collision descriptors, so they are difficult to interpret, or to compare one to another.