cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Children in the Crossfire Child Custody Determinations Among Couples With a History of Intimate Partner Violence

Although most states mandate considerations of intimate partner violence (IPV) in child custody proceedings, little is known about how often a preexisting history of IPV is effectively presented to the courts in dissolution cases and, when it is, what effect it has on child custody and visitation outcomes. This retrospective cohort study examined the effects of a history of IPV, further categorized by whether substantiation of that history existed and whether the court handling the custody proceedings knew of that history, on child custody and visitation outcomes. The findings from this study highlight several issues of concern regarding the reality of child custody among families with a history of IPV. These include two primary concerns: a lack of identification of IPV even among cases with a documented, substantiated history, and a lack of strong protections being ordered even among cases in which a history of substantiated IPV is known to exist.
Solving Large-Scale Hybrid Circuit-Antenna Problems

Motivated by different applications in circuits, electromagnetics, and optics, this paper is concerned with the synthesis of a particular type of linear circuit, where the circuit is associated with a control unit. The objective is to design a controller for this control unit such that certain specifications on the parameters of the circuit are satisfied. It is shown that designing a control unit in the form of a switching network is an NP-complete problem that can be formulated as a rank-minimization problem. It is then proven that the underlying design problem can be cast as a semidefinite optimization if a passive network is designed instead of a switching network. Since the implementation of a passive network may need too many components, the design of a decoupled (sparse) passive network is subsequently studied. This paper introduces a tradeoff between design simplicity and implementation complexity for an important class of linear circuits. The superiority of the developed techniques is demonstrated by different simulations. In particular, for the first time in the literature, a wavelength-size passive antenna is designed, which has an excellent beamforming capability and which can concurrently make a null in at least eight directions.
A quantitative evaluation of cache types for high-performance computer systems

Parallel accesses to the table lookaside buffer (TLB) and cache array are crucial for high-performance computer systems, and the choice of cache types is one of the most important factors affecting cache performance. The authors classify caches according to both index and tag. Since both index and tag could be either virtual (V) or real (R), their classification results in four combinations or cache types. The real address caches with virtual tags for high-performance computer systems in this study are prediction-based, since index bins are generated from a small array and predictions could be false. As a result, they also discuss and evaluate real address MRU caches with real tags, and propose virtually indexed MRU caches with real tags. Each of the four cache types and MRU caches are discussed and evaluated using trace-driven simulation. The results show that a virtually indexed MRU cache with real tags is a good choice for high-performance computer systems. >
Discrimination of Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, and Steelhead Redds and Evaluation of the Use of Redd Data for Estimating Escapement in Several Unregulated Streams in Northern California

Abstract We developed and evaluated a stratified index redd area method to estimate Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, coho salmon O. kisutch, and steelhead O. mykiss escapement in several coastal streams in northern California based on the assumption that redd size is related to the number of redds a female builds. Sources of error in redd counts were identified, including the use of logistic regression to classify redd species (necessary due to temporal overlap in the spawning of these species in coastal northern California). Redd area escapement estimates were compared with estimates from more conventional methods and releases above a counting structure. Observer efficiency in redd detection ranged from 0.64 (SE = 0.10) to 0.75 (SE = 0.14) and was significantly associated with streamflow and water visibility (analysis of variance (ANOVA): F = 41.8; P < 0.001). Logistic regression reduced uncertainty in redd identification. Redd area and date observed were significant in predicting coho salmon and...
Procedural level design for platform games

Although other genres have used procedural level generation to extend gameplay and replayability, platformer games have not yet seen successful level generation. This paper proposes a new four-layer hierarchy to represent platform game levels, with a focus on representing repetition, rhythm, and connectivity. It also proposes a way to use this model to procedurally generate new levels.
Ventricular Arrhythmias in the Elderly

The management of malignant ventricular arrhythmias will become gradually more important as life expectancy continues to increase. The incidence of sudden cardiac death and overall cardiac mortality is more pronounced in the elderly mainly as a reflection of the higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease. With the exception of beta-blocker therapy, antiarrhythmic drug therapy has not proven to be effective in the prevention of sudden cardiac death. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy has been shown to reduce both overall mortality and arrhythmic death when following current guidelines for implantation and appears to be applicable to any age group when sensible patient selection is implemented. The greater efficacy of this therapy relative to antiarrhythmic therapies supports its expanded use in the elderly population. Such therapy has a similar cost-effectiveness to other accepted interventions and does not appear to be associated with reduced quality of life or age-specific complications. The clinical approach to elderly patients at risk of sudden death from ventricular arrhythmias will continue to evolve as new technologies are developed, but the future of ventricular arrhythmia treatment in the elderly will likely emphasize an increasing utilization of both implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and beta-blocker therapies.
Deceiving and Informing: The risky business of risk perception

Uncertainty is a fundamental experience in human life, and medical decisions are no exception. This will not surprise readers of Medical Decision Making. The communication of risk information is a crucial activity in medicine, as risk information informs the judgments and recommendations of physicians as well as the decisions of patients. Risk communication, however, is complicated not only by the need to express uncertainty effectively, efficiently, and accurately but also by the aim to receive and perceive these communications to equitably enable consistent, coherent, and useful action. Two articles in this issue provide compelling demonstrations of these complications. Wegwarth, Gaissmaier, and Gigerenzer 1 asked physicians to estimate the effectiveness of cancer screening on the basis of combinations of 5-year survival rate, annual diseasespecific mortality, and incidence and found that ineffective screening programs can appear highly effective to physicians when presented as comparisons of 5-year survival rates between groups or over time. Peters, Hart, and Fraenkel 2 measured numeracy in an Internet sample and asked participants to rate the subjective risk of a hypothetical headache treatment under differently framed (as gains, as losses, or combined) descriptions of side effects presented in either frequency or percentage formats. They demonstrated the expected impact of gain/loss framing on perception of risk, that combined framing resulted in intermediate perceptions, and that the percentage format led to lower risk perception among respondents who were low in numeracy. The studies differ in their participants (physicians v. general public), their stimuli (statistical outcomes of screening v. numerical descriptions of therapeutic effects), and their response tasks (decisions about effectiveness that have correct answers v. subjective ratings of risk), yet each of these studies reveals that risk perceptions are substantially influenced by the way “objective” risk data are described and presented. Each represents a relatively early exploration of the phenomenon in medical decision making, and each cries out for further research on the mechanisms of influence. Among the physicians in the first study who attempted to estimate numerical effectiveness of the cancer screening program, few provided estimates from a clearly determined source. Among the patients in the second study, the impact of numeracy on framing in medical decisions differed from that found in research on nonmedical decisions. We need to discover why.
Safety of drotrecogin alfa (activated) in severe sepsis: Data from adult clinical trials and observational studies

Drotrecogin alfa (activated) (DrotAA), or recombinant human activated protein C, represents the only Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy for mortality reduction in adult patients with severe sepsis. Drotrecogin alfa (activated) has properties that address microvascular injury in severe sepsis through its direct effects on endothelial cells and leukocytes while also having antithrombotic and indirect profibrinolytic properties. Sepsis bundle and guideline implementation has been associated with improved survival and includes DrotAA administration in appropriate patients. Several DrotAA postapproval clinical studies have yielded additional outcome and safety data, better defining its benefit/risk profile. Bleeding is more common in DrotAA-treated patients; therefore, a careful assessment of bleeding risk and an understanding of the safety profile is required. This summary provides a detailed review of safety data and outcomes of patients treated with DrotAA in recent clinical studies enrolling more than 7000 adult patients.
A statistical test to discern random from constant amplitude harmonics

A periodogram is an important tool to reveal hidden periodicities in a given time series but does not tell whether the resulting spectral lines are associated with constant or random amplitude harmonics. Applications dealing with random amplitude models include Doppler spread targets and detection in the presence of fading. We propose to estimate the variance of the harmonic amplitude and then make the decision based on whether the variance can be regarded as zero in a statistical sense. This is a viable approach because any constant has variance zero whereas any real random process has a positive variance. A rigorous statistical test is formulated and illustrated with simulations.
Arterial Smooth Muscle Mitochondria Amplify Hydrogen Peroxide Microdomains Functionally Coupled to L-Type Calcium Channels

Rationale: Mitochondria are key integrators of convergent intracellular signaling pathways. Two important second messengers modulated by mitochondria are calcium and reactive oxygen species. To date, coherent mechanisms describing mitochondrial integration of calcium and oxidative signaling in arterial smooth muscle are incomplete. Objective: To address and add clarity to this issue, we tested the hypothesis that mitochondria regulate subplasmalemmal calcium and hydrogen peroxide microdomain signaling in cerebral arterial smooth muscle. Methods and Results: Using an image-based approach, we investigated the impact of mitochondrial regulation of L-type calcium channels on subcellular calcium and reactive oxygen species signaling microdomains in isolated arterial smooth muscle cells. Our single-cell observations were then related experimentally to intact arterial segments and to living animals. We found that subplasmalemmal mitochondrial amplification of hydrogen peroxide microdomain signaling stimulates L-type calcium channels, and that this mechanism strongly impacts the functional capacity of the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II. Importantly, we also found that disrupting this mitochondrial amplification mechanism in vivo normalized arterial function and attenuated the hypertensive response to systemic endothelial dysfunction. Conclusions: From these observations, we conclude that mitochondrial amplification of subplasmalemmal calcium and hydrogen peroxide microdomain signaling is a fundamental mechanism regulating arterial smooth muscle function. As the principle components involved are fairly ubiquitous and positioning of mitochondria near the plasma membrane is not restricted to arterial smooth muscle, this mechanism could occur in many cell types and contribute to pathological elevations of intracellular calcium and increased oxidative stress associated with many diseases.
Alveolar’s International Human Resources Faux Pas: Their History and One Manager’s Influence!

The purpose of this case is toinstill inthe reader the importance of human resource management policies and practices and how they contribute to an international companys competitiveness. International Human Resources Management (IHRM) and sound HR practices should be present at all levels within the context of strategic business objectives, culture, and resources management constraints. This case willshowcase Alveolar International, Inc., an international corporationthat specializes in the manufacturing and sales ofdental implants. It will include an overview and history, an analysis of their management constraints,some examples of non-compliance of HR practices within the firm and itseffect on employee morale, and lastly, the actions that should have been taken place from an IHRM perspective. An explanation will be provided as to how these very same blunders could have potentially contributed to the sale of the company and, furthermore, the takeover of Alveolar ina recent merger. The analysis is provided to the reader from the perspective of an employee of the corporation as well as a researcher. It should be noted that for the protection of employers and employees, the identities and names of those involved have been changed.
A New Ideomotor Theory of Voluntary Control

A century ago, psychology was defined as the study of three core topics: conation (i. e., volition or will), cognition, and emotion (Hilgard, 1980). But since the advent of behaviorism and logical positivism, the first of these topics—the question of volition, or will—has been almost entirely neglected. Cognition and, to some extent, emotion have been revived by the “cognitive revolution in psychology,” which has made it possible to approach these topics as inferential constructs that can be used with scientific rigor if they are properly operation-alized (Baars, 1986; see Ekman, 1984). But until very recently, no systematic attempt has been made to approach volition with modern theoretical and empirical tools (Baars, 1988; Kimble & Perlmutter, 1970). Still, this missing element is being increasingly recognized. George A. Miller, one of the foremost leaders in the cognitive shift in psychology, has called volition one of the few “constitutive topics” of psychology—one of those central questions that define its natural domain: [Volition] keeps coming back to me as a critically important thing. I think ‘will’ is terribly important.... As I used to say to my students, I can foul up any of your experiments by an act of will. Now why doesn’t that make ‘will’ more important than the stuff you’re studying? (in Baars, 1986, p. 221)
Locating salient group-structured image features via adaptive compressive sensing

In this paper we consider the task of locating salient group-structured features in potentially high-dimensional images; the salient feature detection here is modeled as a Robust Principal Component Analysis problem, in which the aim is to locate groups of outlier columns embedded in an otherwise low rank matrix. We adapt an adaptive compressive sensing method from our own previous work (which examined the task of identifying arbitrary sets of outlier columns in large matrices) to settings where the outlier columns occur in groups, and establish theoretical results certifying that accurate group-structured inference is achievable using very few linear measurements of the image, subject to some (arguably) minor structural assumptions on the image itself. We also demonstrate, through extensive numerical simulations, our proposed algorithm in a salient object detection task, and show that it simultaneously achieves low sample and computational complexity, while exhibiting performance comparable to state-of-the-art methods that acquire and process the entire image.
Age-Related Variations in Proteinpolysaccharides from Human Nucleus Pulposus, Annulus Fibrosus, and Costal Cartilage

Light fraction proteinpolysaccharide was prepared by water extraction of nucleus pulposus, annulus fibrosus, and costal cartilage obtained at autopsy from fifteen skeletally normal subjects ranging in age from four and one half to seventy-six years. Age dependent changes in glucosamine and galactosamine content of the crude tissue and of the light fraction proteinpolysaccharide were demonstrated. A decrease with aging in per cent of total hexosamine extractable in the light fraction proteinpolysaccharide and an increase in protein content was observed in all three tissues. Electrophoresis of the light fraction produced two main components differing in both polysaccharide and protein content.
Challenging claims of nonjet “higher harmonic” components in 2D angular correlations from high-energy heavy-ion collisions

Background: Possible evidence for triangular flow and other ``higher harmonic flows'' in high-energy nucleus-nucleus collisions has received much attention recently. It is conjectured that several higher harmonic flows ${v}_{m}$ may result from initial-state geometry fluctuations in $A$-$A$ collisions coupled to a radially expanding medium. However, as with ``elliptic flow'' ${v}_{2}$ measurements, nonhydrodynamic mechanisms such as jet production may contribute to other higher azimuth multipoles ${v}_{m}$ as biases.Purpose: Careful distinctions should be maintained between jet-related and nonjet (possibly hydrodynamic) contributions to ${v}_{m}$ (e.g., ``nonflow'' and ``flow''). In this study we consider several questions. (a) To what extent do jetlike structures in two-dimensional (2D) angular correlations contribute to azimuth multipoles inferred from various ${v}_{m}$ methods? (b) If a multipole element is added to a 2D fit model, is a nonzero amplitude indicative of a corresponding flow component? (c) Can 2D correlations establish the necessity of nonjet contributions to some or all higher multipoles?Method: Model fits to 2D angular correlations are used to establish the origins of azimuth multipoles inferred from 1D projections onto azimuth or from nongraphical numerical methods.Results: We find that jetlike angular correlations, and specifically a 2D peak at the angular origin consistent with jet production, constitute the dominant contribution to inferred higher multipoles, and the data do not require higher multipoles in isolation from the jetlike 2D peak.Conclusions: The inference of ``higher harmonic flows'' results from identifying certain nominally jetlike structures as flow manifestations through unjustified application of 1D Fourier series analysis. Although the peak structure at the angular origin is strongly modified in more-central collisions, some properties remain compatible with relevant pQCD theory expectations for jet production.
Effect of mangiferin on the expression of myeloid differentiation factor 88 of peripheral blood mononuclear cell in rats with chronic inflammation

Aim To investigate the regulation of mangiferin on the expression of myeloid differentiation factor 88(MyD88) of peripheral blood mononuclear cell(PBMC) in rats with chronic lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation.Methods A rat model with chronic inflammation was established by low dose intermittent lipopolysaccharide injection via the caudal vein.Rats were randomly divided into control group,model group,prednisone(5 mg·kg-1·d-1) group and mangiferin high,middle,low dose(MGF-H,MGF-M,MGF-L,200,100,50 mg·kg-1·d-1) groups.The rats were administrated orally with the predetermined drugs within 4 weeks.At the end of 4th week,the PBMC was isolated and then followed by magnetic bead sorting purification.The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and the flow cytometer were applied to evaluate the expression of MyD88.Results Compared with the model,the MyD88 over-expression of PBMC in MGF-H group was significantly depressed,while both of the noteworthy lower leukocyte counting and the lower serum hs-CRP level were observed.Conclusion Mangiferin may regulate the MyD88 expression of PBMC in rats with chronic lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation,and it could be identified with anti-inflammation character of mangiferin.
Adenocarcinoma of the uterine tube: Potential for lymph node metastases

A clinicopathologic study of 15 cases of primary adenocarcinoma of the uterine tube occurring over a 12-year period is presented. The mean age of the patients was 54.8 years. Predominant symptoms were abnormal bleeding, abnormal vaginal discharge, and pelvic pain. Abnormal vaginal cytology was noted in two instances (13%). A pelvic mass was detected in two thirds of the patients. The neoplasm was bilateral in three instances (20%). Lymph nodes were involved in eight cases (53%), and metastatic spread to the para-aortic nodes was present in five (33%). The most common primary treatment was total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Various combinations of adjuvant radiation therapy and chemotherapy were also employed. Six patients (40%) are alive without evidence of recurrent cancer. It is concluded that lymphatic spread, especially to the para-aortic nodes, is a major pattern of dissemination for adenocarcinoma of the uterine tube. The presence of tumor in capillary-like spaces bears a strong relationship to lymph node metastases, and the para-aortic nodes are a frequent site of involvement even when the disease is apparently limited to the tube.
Abstract 24: Bone Marrow Cells Transdifferentiate into Cardiomyocytes and Repair the Infarcted Heart

A major controversy concerns whether c-kit-positive bone marrow cells (c-kit-BMCs) can acquire cell lineages different from their organ of origin. Technical challenges and variability in the protocols employed for cell isolation and detection of donor-derived structures may account only in part for the conflicting results obtained in different laboratories. We raised the hypothesis that c-kit-BMCs are functionally heterogeneous and possess distinct transdifferentiation potential. To address this issue, two methodologies were employed to label individual c-kit-BMCs and define their clonal fate in vivo: viral gene-tagging and fluorescent protein-based multicolor cell marking. c-kit-BMCs were infected with EGFP lentiviruses and injected in infarcted hearts. At 2 weeks, the regenerated myocardium was enzymatically digested and EGFP-labeled myocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and c-kit-cells were sorted. By employing a PCR-based method of detection of viral integrants, we searched for sites of viral insertion in the isolated cells. Common insertion sites were found in the DNA of c-kit-BMCs and specialized cells, documenting that single c-kit-BMCs transdifferentiated into multiple cell lineages. However, only specific subsets of c-kit-BMCs generated cardiomyocytes in vivo, strongly indicating that the c-kit-BMC pool is composed of myogenic and non-myogenic cells. To strengthen these observations, FACS-sorted c-kit-BMCs were simultaneously transduced with 3 lentiviruses, each encoding red, green or blue (RGB) fluorescent proteins. Different combinations of inserted vectors in individual c-kit-BMCs resulted in a variety of mixed colors, each indicative of the development of clonal populations. RGB-infected c-kit-BMCs were delivered to infarcted rats and gave rise to homogeneously colored colonies containing fluorescently labeled myocytes and vascular cells. The homogenous pattern of expression of the fluorescent proteins documented that the regenerated structures derived from the expansion and transdifferentiation of single c-kit-BMCs. Our findings demonstrate that c-kit-BMCs are functionally heterogeneous and have a different ability to survive, engraft, and transdifferentiate in the ischemic heart.
Rotor pivot point identification with intrinsic mode function complexity index using empirical mode decomposition

Atrial Fibrillation (AF), a most common cardiac arrhythmia affects more than 2.3 million people in the US and associated with increased risk of stroke, heart failure and death. Cather ablation to treat paroxysmal AF patients is somewhat successful with challenges remaining to accurately identify the active sites for persistent AF patients which may occur outside the pulmonary vein (PV) region due to inadequate cardiac mapping systems. In this work, the authors propose an Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) approach using multi-scale entropy estimates of the intrinsic mode functions as a complexity measure to accurately identify pivot point of the rotor that were induced in ex-vivo isolated rabbit heart with Ventricular Tachycardia (VT). The new approach using EMD demonstrated successful identification of the rotor core region providing better contrast relative to the periphery region. Validation of the EMD approach using intra-atrial electrograms from paroxysmal and persistent AF patients with rotors is required to accurately identify the rotor pivot point to guide AF ablation.
Design and implementation of an autonomous robot for steel bridge inspection

Steel bridges constitute the second most bridges in the U.S. while the number of deficient bridges are growing. Currently, the majority number of current bridge inspections are done manually by inspectors which require significant amount of human resources along with expensive and specialized equipment. Moreover, it is difficult and dangerous for inspectors to inspect large bridges with high structures. In this paper, we propose a new design and implementation of a robotic system that can be used for steel bridge inspection. The robot consists of four magnetic wheels which create adhesion to steel surface. It is able to carry multiple sensors for navigation and mapping. Collected data are sent to the ground station for live monitoring as well as further processing. In addition, magnetic field and range sensors are also integrated to enable robot to move safely on steel surfaces. Results with physical tests on real steel structures are shown to validate the feasibility of robot design.
Prognostic impact of TTF-1 expression in patients with stage IV lung adenocarcinomas.

Abstract Objectives Thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) is routinely tested in the diagnostic evaluation of suspected lung cancers, is commonly expressed by lung adenocarcinomas, and may modulate lung cancer biology. We examined the role of TTF-1 as a predictive and prognostic marker in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinomas. Materials and methods We analyzed clinical, pathologic, and molecular features, treatments received, and overall survival obtained from the medical records of 479 consecutive patients at a single site with stage IV lung adenocarcinomas and evaluable TTF-1 expression. TTF-1 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry using antibody 8G7G3/1. Results and conclusion TTF-1 expression was evaluable in 479 (75%) of all patients reviewed, and was positive in 383 (80%, 95% CI 76–83%). Clinicopathologic features were similar between TTF-1 positive and TTF-1 negative tumors, except EGFR mutations were more common in TTF-1 positive cases (24% vs 6%, p /= 80% (HR 0.62, p = 0.0003) and receipt of first-line combination chemotherapy or targeted therapy (HR relative to first-line single agent chemotherapy 0.59, p = 0.05 and 0.51, p = 0.05 respectively). Both patients with TTF-1 positive and TTF-1 negative cancers had longer durations of initial therapy when treated with pemetrexed-based chemotherapy. In patients with advanced lung adenocarcinomas, TTF-1 expression is associated with better survival but is not predictive of distinct benefit from pemetrexed-based chemotherapy.
A Best Practice of Book Inventory Project at a Medium-Sized Academic Library: How to Choose Hand-Held Inventory Devices and Handle Inventory Exceptions

ABSTRACTRecently, a book inventory project was conducted at a medium-sized academic library. Based on best practices, the author elaborates on the cost-effective inventory process, how to choose appropriate hand-held inventory devices, and how to handle inventory exceptions regarding a variety of related issues, including missing, mishelving, on-going shelf-reading, and varied inventory exceptions. Inventory could greatly reduce user frustration by providing more accurate information regarding the library collection for users. The author suggests useful recommendations based on the lessons learned from the project experience. The project experience presents in this article should be instructive for libraries undertaking similar inventory projects.
Pediatric Environmental Health: Using Data on Toxic Chemical Emissions in Practice.

Children’s unique behavioral and physiological characteristics can increase their exposure and susceptibility to environmental chemicals. The link between exposure to environmental chemicals and specific health outcomes, however, is often uncertain. This article introduces several resources to help health practitioners identify potential environmental exposures and risks related to toxic chemicals. It focuses on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) free and public environmental data, including the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data that contain information about toxics released to the environment. Three hypothetical case studies are presented to demonstrate how these data can help answer environmental exposure questions. The first case study illustrates a scenario where multiple patients in an area exhibit the same symptoms with a suspected link to environmental chemicals. The second case study illustrates a scenario where a patient with a confirmed exposure to a toxic chemical needs assistance with identifying potential environmental sources. And the third case study illustrates a scenario where a patient is concerned about the potential for future exposure to an environmental contaminant in a particular geographic area. Each case study includes contacts for follow-up questions, including the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs), EPA regional staff, state environmental agencies, and local health departments. These resources can help practitioners access and interpret environmental data, answer questions about potential exposures, and inform next steps if necessary. Learning Objectives • Identify environmental data on potential sources of toxic chemical releases to the environment available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other organizations. • Identify resources and contacts that can help interpret the data and answer specific environmental exposure questions that practitioners encounter.
Development of Valid and Reliable Measures of Patient and Family Experiences of Hospice Care for Public Reporting

Abstract Background: Increasingly, dying patients and their families have a choice of hospice providers. Care quality varies considerably across providers; informing consumers of these differences ...
Uncertainty in long-run forecasts of quantities such as per capita gross domestic product.

People make predictions about the future all of the time. Often these predictions take the form of single-value best estimates, with no associated statement of uncertainty. Sometimes that is just fine. For example, if you need to know to within a few meters where Venus or the Earth will be located with respect to the sun at noon Greenwich Mean Time on January 1, 2100, experts in orbital mechanics can tell you, and single-value answers will be more than sufficient. Of course, there is a miniscule probability that some large object from outside the solar system will disrupt those orbits. However, on the timescale of the next century, the probability that something like that will happen is so low that it can be ignored in virtually any human decision making. In other cases, people routinely make forecasts in the form of single-value or point estimates when in fact uncertainty is very high. Slowly but surely different communities have come to understand that doing this can result in serious problems and have begun to characterize uncertainty with probability distributions (1). Thanks to the efforts of Richard Moss and Steven Schneider (2) the climate science community has been in the forefront of working to describe the uncertainty in their estimates. However, other fields such as health risk assessment (3⇓–5) and energy forecasting (6⇓⇓⇓–10) have been slower to embrace the characterization of uncertainty in their forecasts. For this reason the paper published in PNAS by Christensen et al. (11) that provides probabilistic estimates of global per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in 2100 is an important step forward. These authors correctly note that “projections of long-run productivity growth and economic growth are primary inputs into analyses used to support long-term planning and decision-making on many … [↵][1]1Email: granger.morgan{at}andrew.cmu.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Clinical Assessment in the Treatment of Sexual Dysfunctions

The development of brief forms of psychotherapy such as behavior therapy and sex therapy has been relatively recent. As opposed to more traditional forms of long-term open-ended therapy, these therapies are often symptom-focused and time-limited.
Monolithic Silicon-PVF2 Piezoelectric Arrays for Ultrasonic Imaging

The piezoelectric polymer Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVF2) has recently become of great interest in acoustic imaging applications because of its strong piezoelectricity, its low acoustic impedance, and its physical flexibility. This paper will describe the development of linear and two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer arrays employing PVF2. These arrays are based on integrated circuit technology, using silicon wafers containing multiplexers and amplifiers in a matrix configuration of unit cells. Following batch fabrication of the integrated circuit devices within the silicon wafer, a PVF2 layer is physically bonded on top of the silicon. This results in a simple, yet high performance array structure, one which is suitable for implementation of very large and very dense arrays for medical imaging or nondestructive testing applications over a very broad frequency spectrum. A description of the fabrication details and experimental results from present arrays will be presented, along with a discussion of future capabilities.
Laser-Ultrasonic Characterization of Electrodeposited Chromium Coatings

Metal coatings are of interest in applications where erosion, corrosion, or mechanical degradation result from chemical, temperature and mechanical insults to the surface. The evaluation of a coating nondestructively, responds to the need to estimate its effectiveness prior to actual use, without damaging it. An area of interest is the coatings’ elastic properties. These properties are determined here by measuring bulk and Rayleigh ultrasonic velocities. The material bulk velocities are found by measuring the thickness and shear and longitudinal ultrasonic time-of-flight of the substrate with and without the electroplated chromium coating. Elastic properties of the material are calculated from the bulk velocities measured assuming little or no dispersion within the material. The Rayleigh (surface wave) velocity is measured using a pulsed laser for ultrasonic wave generation in conjunction with a Michelson interferometer for signal detection. Wavelet analysis is used as a signal processing technique to determine the dispersion curves for the laser generated surface acoustic waves. The specimens are produced by electrodepositing chromium of various thicknesses on 2 in. × 1 in. × 0.5 in. steel coupons using controlled plating parameters.
The Ukrainian-Russian Virtual Flashmob against Sexual Assault

Feruza Aripova – PhD Candidate in World History, Northeastern University; Center Associate, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University; Visiting Scholar, Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia, New York University, USA. Email: aripova.f@husky.neu.edu Janet Elise Johnson – Professor of Political Science and Women’s & Gender Studies, Brooklyn College, City University of New York; Visiting Scholar, Center for European and Mediterranean Studies at New York University, New York, USA. Email: Johnson@brooklyn.cuny.edu This article examines the 2016 Ukrainian-Russian virtual flashmob that took on the issues of sexual assault, including childhood sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape. Begun by a Ukrainian activist on Facebook, the flashmob resulted in more than ten thousand original posts and led to a broader discussion on violence against women in Ukrainian and Russian. Many women (and some men) for the first time publicly disclosed excruciating details of physical and psychological coercion and the lasting trauma they suffered. The commonalities across the posts and the public visibility of the flashmob directly confronted the stigma attached to the topic of sexual violence. The media reactions to the flashmob ranged from empathy toward the victims and condemnation of the perpetrators to criticism of female promiscuity and victim blaming. The flashmob had concrete results: criminal cases were opened against teachers at one of Moscow’s prominent public schools and a series of initiatives were directed against sexual violence in Ukraine. This article provides the first systematic documentation and analysis of these posts as well as their reception in mass media and the impact so far of the flashmob, situating this flashmob as the same kind of activism that was seen in the bigger 2017 #MeToo campaign. In these ways, we contribute to what little social scientists know about violence against women in the post-Soviet region and assess this new tactic of feminist activism. Unsurprisingly, such activism does not change societies in one fell swoop, but the Ukrainian-Russian flashmob shows how virtual activism can nudge towards progressive change.
Treatment of Dementia in Parkinson’s Disease

Dementia is a frequent and debilitating complication of Parkinson’s disease (PD). It typically is gradual in onset and occurs after a number of years of disease. Longitudinal studies indicate that up to 80% of PD patients may develop dementia during their disease course, though this figure varies. Cognitive deficits in PD dementia (PDD) affect more than one cognitive domain, such as attention, working memory, executive function, memory, language, and/or visuospatial functions and are severe enough to impair daily life, independent of motor symptoms. Behavioral symptoms such as depression, apathy, psychosis, and excessive daytime sleepiness can accompany PDD. To date, rivastigmine is the only FDA-approved medication for PDD. There is growing interest in other pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for PDD including medications, neuromodulation, and physical and cognitive exercise. Management strategies include avoiding medications that can exacerbate cognitive impairment (such as anticholinergics); treating comorbid neuropsychiatric symptoms; addressing driving, safety, and/or work issues; and providing support to the patient and care partner.
Dual Reporting of Clostridioides difficile PCR and Predicted Toxin Result Based on PCR Cycle Threshold Reduces Treatment of Toxin-Negative Patients without Increases in Adverse Outcomes.

ABSTRACT Nucleic acid amplification tests are commonly used to diagnose Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Two-step testing with a toxin enzyme immunoassay is recommended to discriminate between infection and colonization but requires additional resources. Prior studies showed that PCR cycle threshold (CT) can predict toxin positivity with high negative predictive value. Starting in October 2016, the predicted toxin result (CT-toxin) based on a validated cutoff was routinely reported at our facility. To evaluate the clinical efficacy of this reporting, all adult patients with positive GeneXpert PCR results from October 2016 through October 2017 underwent a chart review to measure the recurrence of or conversion to a CT-toxin+ result and 30-day all-cause mortality. There were 482 positive PCR tests in 430 unique patients, 282 CT-toxin+ and 200 CT-toxin−. Patient characteristics were similar at testing, though CT-toxin+ patients had higher white blood cell (WBC) counts (12.5 × 103 versus 9.3 × 103 cells/μl; P = 0.001). All cases (n = 21) of fulminant CDI had a CT-toxin+ result. Index CT-toxin+ patients were significantly more likely to have a CT-toxin+ result within 90 days than CT-toxin− patients (17.4% [n = 49] versus 8.0% [n = 16], respectively; P = 0.003). Thirty-day all-cause mortality was higher in CT-toxin− patients (11.1% versus 6.8%; P = 0.1), though no deaths in CT-toxin− patients were directly attributable to CDI. Of the 200 CT-toxin− patients, 51.5% (n = 103) were treated for CDI. The rates of conversion to a CT-toxin+ result (8.8% versus 7.2%; P = 0.8) and all-cause mortality (8.8% versus 13.4%; P = 0.3) were similar between treated and untreated CT-toxin− patients, respectively. CT-based toxin prediction may identify patients at higher risk for CDI-related complications and reduce treatment among CT-toxin− patients.
Reads2Resistome: An adaptable and high-throughput whole-genome sequencing pipeline for bacterial resistome characterization

Summary: The bacterial resistome is the collection of all the antibiotic resistance genes, virulence genes, and other resistance elements within a bacterial isolate genome including plasmids and bacteriophage regions. Accurately characterizing the resistome is crucial for prevention and mitigation of emerging antibiotic resistance threats to animal and human health. Reads2Resistome is a tool which allows researchers to assemble and annotate bacterial genomes using long or short read sequencing technologies or both in a hybrid approach. Using a massively parallel analysis pipeline, Reads2Resistome performs assembly, annotation and resistome characterization with the goal of producing an accurate and comprehensive description of a bacterial genome and resistome contents. Key features of the Reads2Resistome pipeline include quality control of input sequencing reads, genome assembly, genome annotation, resistome characterization and alignment. All prerequisite dependencies come packaged together in a single suit which can easily be downloaded and run on Linux and Mac operating systems. Availability: Reads2Resistome is freely available as an open-source package under the MIT license, and can be downloaded via GitHub (https://github.com/BioRRW/Reads2Resistome).
Big data for Design Options Repository: Towards a DFMA approach for offsite construction

A persistent barrier to the adoption of offsite construction is the lack of information for assessing prefabrication alternatives and the choices of suppliers. This study integrates three aspects of offsite construction, including BIM, DFMA and big data, to propose a Big data Design Options Repository (BIG-DOR). The proposed BIG-DOR system will connect BIM clients to manufacturers/supplier’s information such as prefab component cost and production lead times. In this study, we propose a framework for integrating BIG-DOR into the process of offsite construction delivery. The design of the BIG-DOR system architecture, as well as the key components such as the DFMA option-based 3D objects classifier, is presented. The contribution to the knowledge of this study is the successful integration of BIM, big data, DFMA and offsite construction in a single framework and the development of a design alternatives assessment system for offsite construction adoption using this framework.
Modulation of blood glucose, oxidative stress, and anxiety level by controlled vestibular stimulation in prediabetes

Introduction: Prediabetes is the state of intermediate hyperglycemia. The present study was conducted to analyze the effect of controlled vestibular stimulation (CVS) on blood glucose levels, oxidative stress, and anxiety levels in prediabetic patients. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled study was conducted at Little Flower Hospital and Research Centre, Angamaly, Kerala. This study comprised 117 prediabetic patients divided into experimental and control groups. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressures, blood glucose levels, and oxidative stress parameters were estimated. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire was used to measure the anxiety levels. CVS was provided to the patients in the experimental group using a swing with back to front direction for 3 months. The parameters were reassessed after 3 months of intervention. Comparisons of parameters were carried out by paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and multivariate regression analysis. Results: Blood glucose levels, malondialdehyde level, and anxiety levels were significantly decreased in the experimental group compared to the control group. There was a significant increase in the superoxide dismutase activity after the intervention compared with the control group. Conclusion: The present study confirmed the importance of cost-effective lifestyle intervention for prediabetic patients. CVS can be incorporated in the lifestyle to maintain optimum blood glucose levels and tackle oxidative stress and anxiety
Historical Digital Archives at Saint Joseph Hospital

This article describes the evolution of Saint Joseph Hospital Historical Archives, located in Denver Colorado, from a primarily paper-based, physical repository into a digital one with enhanced ele...
Motivation to change predicts naturalistic changes in binge eating and purging, but not fasting or driven exercise among individuals with eating disorders.

We examined the naturalistic relations between motivation to change and change in four specific eating disorder (ED) behaviors—binge eating (BE), purging, fasting, and driven exercise—in a communit...
On the bias and variance of odds ratio, relative risk and false discovery proportion

This paper develops a method to calculate the moments of statistical ratios as functionals of Bernoulli random variables via inverse moments of binomial distributions. We derive exact expressions f...
Inter-twin differences in fetal echocardiographic findings are associated with decreased dual twin survival in twin-twin transfusion syndrome

To determine if inter-twin differences in fetal echocardiographic findings are associated with fetal survival in monochorionic pregnancies complicated by twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). T...
Combining multiple biomarkers to linearly maximize the diagnostic accuracy under ordered multi-class setting.

Either in clinical study or biomedical research, it is a common practice to combine multiple biomarkers to improve the overall diagnostic performance. Despite the fact there exist a large number of...