cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of trochanteric osteotomy fragment union after acetabular fracture surgery.

Abstract Background Trochanteric osteotomies are performed in conjunction with standard approaches to improve surgical exposure during open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of acetabular fractures. The literature on total hip arthroplasty reports nonunion rates as high as 30% associated with trochanteric osteotomies; however, few data exist regarding the outcomes of trochanteric osteotomies for acetabular fracture surgery. Our hypotheses were 1) patients receiving trochanteric osteotomies during ORIF of acetabular fractures have a low rate of nonunion of the osteotomy fragment, and 2) hip abduction precautions are not necessary with digastric type osteotomies. Patients and methods A retrospective review was conducted to identify patients with acetabular fractures between July 2002 and June 2010 (n = 734 fractures) who required trochanteric osteotomies (n = 64, 9% of fractures). Forty-seven met inclusion criteria of adequate follow-up (>56 days). No excluded patient experienced a complication. Fractures were classified using the Letournel-Judet classification system. Results Only seven (20%) of 35 patients who received digastric osteotomies had hip abduction precautions applied during the postoperative period. All study patients were shown to have radiographic union at the trochanteric osteotomy site (100% union rate, n = 47). Hip abduction precautions intended to protect the osteotomy site and reduce the risk of nonunion and fixation failure were infrequently applied to patients with digastric osteotomies (20%) in this cohort. Multiple protective factors against nonunion were present in this study population compared with previous arthroplasty studies from other institutions. Conclusions Trochanteric osteotomies are not associated with a significant nonunion rate, and digastric osteotomies might be safely managed without hip abduction precautions.
Stellarator-tokamak hybrid with inclined coils

This report proposes a new type of device for plasma confinement that can be categorized as a stellarator-tokamak hybrid. The device features two systems of coils: the standard toroidal field coils of a tokamak and an additional system of simple coils to produce stellarator-like effects. Overall, devices of this type feature inductive current as well as the prolonged or continuous plasma discharge operation typical of stellarators. 30 refs., 12 figs.
Efficient Release of Affinity‐Captured Cells Using a Coiled‐Coil‐Based Molecular Trigger

Affinity-based cell separation is label-free and highly specific, but it is difficult to efficiently and gently release affinity-captured cells due to the multivalent nature of cell-material interactions. To address this challenge, we have developed a platform composed of a capture substrate and a cell-releasing molecular trigger. The capture substrate is functionalized with a cell-capture antibody and a coiled-coil A. The cell-releasing molecular trigger B-PEG (polyethylene glycol), a conjugate of a coiled-coil B and polyethylene glycol, can drive efficient and gentle release of the captured cells, because A/B heterodimerization brings B-PEG to the substrate and PEG chains adopt extended conformations and break nearby multivalent antibody-biomarker interactions. No enzymes or excessive shear stress are involved, and the released cells have neither external molecules attached nor endogenous cell-surface molecules cleaved, which is critical for the viability, phenotype, and function of sensitive cells.
Determinants associated with E-cigarette adoption and use intention among college students

Abstract Objective This study investigated characteristics of potential and current e-cigarette users based on four different levels of use acceptability along with the determinants that promote e-cigarette use acceptability among college students. Methods College students (N = 1198) aged 18–25 years at a Midwestern university were surveyed in September–October 2015. Participants were categorized into four groups based on e-cigarette use acceptability adapted from the Diffusion of Innovation Theory (i.e., laggards, late majority, early majority, and adopters). Multinomial logistic regressions and Heckman two-step selection procedures were performed to examine the determinants that promote e-cigarette use acceptability. Results Approximately 40% of the participants reported ever using e-cigarettes. E-cigarette adopters agreed that e-cigarettes are more socially acceptable than traditional tobacco cigarettes (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.43, p Conclusions Study findings indicate a possible explosive increase in e-cigarette experimentation or use among college students. Unique features of e-cigarettes such as flavor and USB rechargeability appear to be strong factors making e-cigarettes more acceptable and appealing to young adults regardless of their smoking status. Concerted efforts should be initiated to effectively counter or eliminate attractive features that lure young adults to experiment with e-cigarettes.
The Associations Between the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form and Self-Reported Physical and Sexual Abuse and Posttraumatic Symptoms in a Sample of Incarcerated Women

ABSTRACTThis study examined the impact of posttraumatic symptoms and self-reported abuse on the MMPI-2-RF among female inmates (N = 212). Posttraumatic symptoms were related to demoralization and internalizing dysfunction. MMPI-2-RF scales related to behavioral and externalizing problems, conduct problems, anxiety, anger, fear, guilt, unusual beliefs, somatic complaints, ineffectiveness, stress, family problems, and social isolation were associated with posttraumatic symptoms and abuse. Findings indicate that the MMPI-2-RF has utility for examining the impact of abuse and posttraumatic symptoms in incarcerated women. Using a standardized instrument to examine the effects of trauma provides useful information for treatment management and planning.
CdTe solar cells employing CdS 1−y Te y window layers

Oxygenated cadmium sulfide (CdS:O) is an alternative CdTe window layer that delivers improved blue response relative to CdS. Our recent study revealed that CdS: O completely transforms during device fabrication into a layer containing cadmium sulfate clusters interspersed among CdS 1−y Te y nanocrystals. This motivated us to study CdTe solar cells employing pre-formed CdS 1−y Te y alloy windows without sulfate present. The intrinsic properties of alloys deposited by co-evaporation are evaluated and then used in place of CdS in standard device fabrication. Interestingly we find that device efficiency is nominally unchanged, but there are significant tradeoffs between current collection, fill factor, and open circuit voltage with alloy composition. XRD analysis of interdiffusion with CdTe is performed and the results show that it is largely suppressed in alloy-based devices.
A Temperament for Teaching? Associations Between Personality Traits and Beginning Teacher Performance and Retention

The “greening” (i.e., inexperience) of the U.S. teacher workforce puts a premium on districts and schools hiring effective and persistent beginning teachers. Given the limitations of characteristics currently available at the time of hiring (e.g., academic ability, preparation type), we built off previous research in economics and psychology to investigate associations between personality traits and first-year teachers’ performance and retention in North Carolina public schools. Using the 5-factor model of personality, we find that conscientiousness is significantly associated with higher value-added estimates, higher evaluation ratings, and higher retention rates. Additionally, general self-efficacy, a subdomain of conscientiousness, is significantly associated with teacher value added and evaluation ratings. These conscientiousness results are consistent with a rich body of evidence connecting conscientiousness-related measures to employee performance and retention across professions, and they suggest t...
Molecular tests potentially improving HPV screening and genotyping for cervical cancer prevention

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers can be averted by type-specific vaccination (primary prevention) and/or through detection and ablation of precancerous cervical lesions (secondary prevention). This review presents current challenges to cervical cancer screening programs, focusing on recent molecular advances in HPV testing and potential improvements on risk stratification. Areas covered: High-risk (HR)-HPV DNA detection has been progressively incorporated into cervix cancer prevention programs based on its increased sensitivity. Advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) are being rapidly applied to HPV typing. However, current HPV DNA tests lack specificity for identification of cervical precancer (CIN3). HPV typing methods were reviewed based on published literature, with a focus on these applications for screening and risk stratification in the emerging complex clinical scenario post-vaccine introduction. In addition, the potential for NGS technologies to increase specificity is discussed in regards to reflex testing of specimens for emerging biomarkers for cervix precancer/cancer. Expert commentary: Integrative multi-disciplinary molecular tests accurately triaging exfoliated cervical specimens will improve cervical cancer prevention programs while simplifying healthcare procedures in HPV-infected women. Hence, the concept of a 'liquid-biopsy' (i.e., 'molecular' Pap test) highly specific for early identification of cervical precancerous lesions is of critical importance in the years to come.
Republicanism and Natural Rights at the Founding

Part of: Our Republican Constitution: Six Views and a Response. Six reviews of Our Republican Constitution: Securing the Liberty and Sovereignty of We the People, by Randy E. Barnett (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2016) with a response by Barnett.
Applying Elaboration Likelihood Model to Develop a Framework of Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM): An Abstract

Word-of-mouth studies have been extended to the online environment with the increasing engagement of consumers in sharing and gathering information. Industry report suggests that two-thirds of consumers trust consumer opinions posted online—the third-most-trusted format, higher than traditional advertising channels (Nielsen 2015). Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has been widely adopted by consumers in purchase decision-making. Elaboration likelihood model developed by Petty and Cacioppo (1986) has been widely used in persuasion studies. Prior research on eWOM has applied the ELM model in explaining the effect of eWOM on consumer behavior. However, there is no consensus on how consumers process eWOM in different conditions with different cues. This paper seeks to develop a framework of consumers’ eWOM processing based on the ELM model. The author links the factors studied in the eWOM literature, such as characteristics of review content and reviewer, involvement, and prior knowledge, with the major components in the ELM model, such as motivation and ability, together. The framework provides an overview of the current studies.
Malaria and the development of pulmonary fibrosis.

Intriguing new evidence suggests that early pulmonary fibrosis is associated with exposure to air pollutants http://ow.ly/FDor30gAYzS
The Drama of Couples Therapy

In the author's view, the intensity of couples/family treatment arises from a suppressed acknowledgment of reciprocity, of interconnectedness among family members, beyond the often familiar dynamics of blaming and deprivation. Eliciting a recognition of profound interdependence raises anxiety, and stands in opposition to culturally prescribed concepts of autonomy and independence. To this end, a dramaturgical model of couples/family is proposed and discussed, involving the therapist's participation as director, witness or audience, and protagonist.
Epigenetic remodeling and modification to preserve skeletogenesis in vivo

Current studies offer little insight on how epigenetic remodeling of bone-specific chromatin maintains bone mass in vivo. Understanding this gap and precise mechanism is pivotal for future therapeutic innovation to prevent bone loss. Recently, we found that low bone mass is associated with decreased H3K27 acetylation (activating histone modification) of bone specific gene promoters. Here, we aim to elucidate the epigenetic mechanisms by which a miRNA cluster controls bone synthesis and homeostasis by regulating chromatin accessibility and H3K27 acetylation. In order to decipher the epigenetic axis that regulates osteogenesis, we studied a drug inducible anti-miR-23a cluster (miR-23a ClZIP) knockdown mouse model. MiR-23a cluster knockdown (heterozygous) mice developed high bone mass. These mice displayed increased expression of Runx2 and Baf45a, essential factors for skeletogenesis; and decreased expression of Ezh2, a chromatin repressor indispensable for skeletogenesis. ChIP assays using miR-23a Cl knockdown calvarial cells revealed a BAF45A-EZH2 epigenetic antagonistic mechanism that maintains bone formation. Together, our findings support that the miR-23a Cl connection with tissue-specific RUNX2-BAF45A-EZH2 function is a novel molecular epigenetic axis through which a miRNA cluster orchestrates chromatin modification to elicit major effects on osteogenesis in vivo.
Clinical outcomes and molecular profile of patients with Carmi syndrome: A systematic review and evidence quality assessment.

Abstract Purpose Carmi syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterized by junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) and pyloric atresia (PA). We reviewed the clinicopathologic and molecular features of patients with Carmi syndrome to identify predictors of clinical outcome and guide surgical PA repair. Methods A PRISMA-compliant systematic literature review of PubMed, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library was performed. Results 63 original studies including a total of 100 patients were included. PA type 1 and 2 were equally prevalent (47.2%, 95% CI: 34.4–60.3). Heineke–Mikulicz pyloroplasty (96%, 95% CI: 78.8–99) and gastroduodenostomy (72%, 95% CI: 52.2–85.9) were the most common type 1 and 2 PA repairs, respectively. Seventy lethal cases were identified (74.5%, 95% CI: 64.8–83.5). Of the 73 patients that received an operation, 49 died (67.1%, 95% CI: 55.7–76.8) and 24 survived (32.9%, 95% CI: 23.2–44.3). Integrin α6β4 expression was absent or markedly reduced in lethal cases. Integrin α6, plectin-1, cephalic integrin β4 (exon 3 to intron 11), and premature termination codon mutations were also associated with poor prognosis. Conclusions Although Carmi syndrome typically has poor prognosis, 1 in 4 patients exhibits nonlethal phenotypes. Immunofluorescence mapping and genetic consultation can guide surgical intervention and provide valuable family planning information. Evidence rating/classification Prognosis study, Level IV.
Storage length and temperature influence infectivity and spore yield of two common Daphnia parasites

Daphnia and their parasites have emerged as a model system for understanding the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases. Two of the most commonly studied Daphnia parasites are the bacterium Pasteuria ramosa and the fungus Metschnikowia bicuspidata . In addition to being the focus of numerous field studies, these two parasites have been used in many laboratory experiments. However, there is little information in the scientific literature about how the conditions under which these parasites are stored influence the infectivity and yield of transmission stages (9spores9). This is problematic because such information is critical for experiment design and data interpretation. We tested the influence of storage length (eight treatments ranging from 1 day to 1 year) and temperature (-20°C (freezer) vs. 4°C (refrigerator)) on spore infectivity and yield. We found that Pasteuria spores survived well at both -20°C and 4°C, and remained infective even after storage for one year. However, Pasteuria spore yields dropped over time, particularly at 4°C. In contrast, Metschnikowia spores were killed within days at -20°C. At 4°C, Metschnikowia infectivity declined steadily over a period of two months and, by four months, spores were no longer infective. Spore yield from Metschnikowia -infected hosts was not significantly impacted by storage length, but trended downwards. Scientists working with Pasteuria should be aware that spore yield declines during storage, particularly in the refrigerator. Scientists working with Metschnikowia should be aware that it is killed by freezer storage and that, even if it is stored in the refrigerator, infectivity declines within a few months. These results might have implications for parasite distributions in the field; for example, the high sensitivity of Metschnikowia to freezing might help explain why it tends to be more common in deep lakes than in ponds or rock pools.
Microbial Forensic Investigations in the Context of Bacterial Population Genetics

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on microbial forensic investigations. Genetic analysis created a revolution in the field of forensics, and its application to microbial forensics is a major part of many investigations involving a biothreat agent. The utility and importance of genetic analysis are not surprising given that genomes contain extensive and varied information content. It is exploited to precisely characterize and identify biological evidentiary material and support other investigative efforts. In human forensic DNA analysis, molecular biology tools have become incredibly powerful due to a great understanding of human biology, the human genome, and human population-level genetics. One of the early scientific legal challenges to DNA fingerprinting was the lack of high-quality human population genetic data on the forensically relevant genetic markers. Over the past two decades these data have been generated and represent an invaluable resource to forensic analyses, as they are a point of reference against which forensic DNA profiles are considered for weighing the significance of an observation. Genetic and genomic analyses of forensic evidence are interpreted properly in the context of a specific pathogen’s population genetic structure, diversity, and reproductive mechanisms. Genetic and genomic analyses should lead to quantitative similarity data where evidentiary materials may match, nearly match, or exclude, which represents just three points along a nondiscrete continuum of possibilities.
Das Erleben der Patienten und die Natur höherer Hirnfunktionen

Am Beginn der neuropsychologischen Rehabilitation steht das subjektive Erleben der Patienten. Dieses subjektive Erleben muss bei der neuropsychologischen Untersuchung und bei der Planung rehabilitativer Masnahmen berucksichtigt werden. Erlebt der Patient die neuropsychologische Untersuchung oder das Rehabilitationsprogramm nicht zumindest zu einem gewissen Grad als hilfreich, dann wird er zu einer Mitarbeit nicht bereit sein oder nur passiv an den Therapien teilnehmen. Deshalb betont das erste Prinzip der neuropsychologischen Rehabilitation die Notwendigkeit, das phanomenoloqische Feld bzw. das subjektive Erleben des Patienten zu verstehen. Das Erleben des Patienten ist haufig durch Verwirrung und Frustration gekennzeichnet. Schaffen wires, unsere Therapie darauf auszurichten, diese Frustration und Verwirrung zu reduzieren, dann wird der Patient — unabhangig davon, ob die rehabilitativen Masnahmen tatsachlich seine hoheren Hirnfunktionen verbessern oder nicht — motiviert mitarbeiten.
Thoracic Spine Stabilization

Thoracic spine instability is unusual because of the anatomical support provided by the rib cage. Nevertheless, it does result from a myriad of causes and may place the spinal cord and nerve roots at risk with potentially devastating neurological consequences. The field of surgical stabilization of the thoracic spine has evolved in terms of its anatomical approaches, instrumentation, techniques for arthrodesis, and intraoperative evaluation, all of which have led to better patient outcomes. Selecting appropriate patients and surgical treatments as well as appropriately managing these patients before and after surgery is paramount to success.
Stability in Cosmology, from Einstein to Inflation

I inquire into the role of stability in cosmology by investigating two episodes from the recent history of cosmology: (1) Einstein’s static universe and Eddington’s demonstration of its instability and (2) the flatness problem of the hot big bang model and its alleged solution by inflationary theory. These episodes illustrate differing reactions to instability in cosmological models, both positive ones and negative ones. To provide some context to these reactions, I situate them in relation to perspectives on stability from dynamical systems theory and its epistemology. This reveals, among other things, that an insistence on stability is an extreme position in light of the broad spectrum of physical systems exhibiting degrees of both stability and fragility, one which has perhaps a pragmatic rationale but not any deeper one.
Surgery for patients with Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency: A review

Abstract Background Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD) is a genetic cause of emphysema/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and liver disease, making AATD patients a high-risk surgical group. Additionally, patients may eventually require lung and/or liver transplantation or lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS). This narrative review discusses perioperative considerations for elective procedures in AATD patients, and reviews patient outcomes in AATD-related transplantation and LVRS. Data sources PubMed search terms included: “pre-/peri-/post-operative management”; “COPD”; “AATD”; “lung/liver transplant”; “lung volume reduction.” Conclusions Lung and liver transplantation in AATD patients are associated with very good long-term survival rates that are comparable to, and sometimes superior to, other transplant indications. Although not currently recommended in AATD, LVRS may have a role in a minority of patients. The value of Alpha 1 Antitrypsin (AAT) augmentation therapy following lung transplantation requires further study. Wherever possible, AAT therapy should be continued in the period around elective surgeries.
Standard and inverse microscale Chladni figures in liquid for dynamic patterning of microparticles on chip

We report on experimental demonstrations of the first sub-100 μm scale standard and inverse Chladni figures in both one- (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) fashions in liquid, and on exploiting these micro-Chladni figures for patterning microparticles on chip, via engineering multimode micromechanical resonators with rich, reconfigurable 1D and 2D mode shapes. Silica microparticles (1–8 μm in diameter) dispersed on top of resonating doubly-clamped beams (100 × 10 × 0.4 μm3) are observed to aggregate at antinodal points, forming 1D inverse Chladni figures, while microbeads atop square trampoline resonators (50 × 50 × 0.2 μm3) cluster at nodal lines/circles, creating 2D standard Chladni figures such as “,” “○,” “×,” and “\.” These observations suggest two distinct micro-Chladni figure patterning mechanisms in liquid. Combining analytical and computational modeling, we elucidate that streaming flow dominates the inverse Chladni pattern formation in the 1D beam experiments, while vibrational acceleration dictates the standard Chladni figure generation in the 2D trampoline experiments. We further demonstrate dynamical patterning, switching, and removal of 2D micro-Chladni figures in swift succession by simply controlling the excitation frequency. These results render new understandings of Chladni patterning genuinely at the microscale, as well as a non-invasive, versatile platform for manipulating micro/nanoparticles and biological objects in liquid, which may enable microdevices and functional device-liquid interfaces toward relevant sensing and biological applications.
Insights into the genomic landscape of MYD88 wild-type Waldenström macroglobulinemia.

Activating MYD88 mutations are present in 95% of Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) patients, and trigger NF-κB through BTK and IRAK. The BTK inhibitor ibrutinib is active in MYD88-mutated (MYD88MUT) WM patients, but shows lower activity in MYD88 wild-type (MYD88WT) disease. MYD88WT patients also show shorter overall survival, and increased risk of disease transformation in some series. The genomic basis for these findings remains to be clarified. We performed whole exome and transcriptome sequencing of sorted tumor samples from 18 MYD88WT patients and compared findings with WM patients with MYD88MUT disease. We identified somatic mutations predicted to activate NF-κB (TBL1XR1, PTPN13, MALT1, BCL10, NFKB2, NFKBIB, NFKBIZ, and UDRL1F), impart epigenomic dysregulation (KMT2D, KMT2C, and KDM6A), or impair DNA damage repair (TP53, ATM, and TRRAP). Predicted NF-κB activating mutations were downstream of BTK and IRAK, and many overlapped with somatic mutations found in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. A distinctive transcriptional profile in MYD88WT WM was identified, although most differentially expressed genes overlapped with MYD88MUT WM consistent with the many clinical and morphological characteristics that are shared by these WM subgroups. Overall survival was adversely affected by mutations in DNA damage response in MYD88WT WM patients. The findings depict genomic and transcriptional events associated with MYD88WT WM and provide mechanistic insights for disease transformation, decreased ibrutinib activity, and novel drug approaches for this population.
Securing Downlink Massive MIMO-NOMA Networks With Artificial Noise

In this paper, we focus on securing the confidential information of massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) networks by exploiting artificial noise (AN). An uplink training scheme is first proposed with minimum mean-squared-error estimation at the base station. Based on the estimated channel state information, the base station precodes the confidential information and injects the AN. Following this, the ergodic secrecy rate is derived for downlink transmission. An asymptotic secrecy performance analysis is also carried out for a large number of transmit antennas and high-transmit power at the base station, respectively, to highlight the effects of key parameters on the secrecy performance of the considered system. Based on the derived ergodic secrecy rate, we propose the joint power allocation of the uplink training phase and downlink transmission phase to maximize the sum secrecy rates of the system. Besides, from the perspective of security, another optimization algorithm is proposed to maximize the energy efficiency. The results show that the combination of massive MIMO technique and AN greatly benefits NOMA networks in term of the secrecy performance. In addition, the effects of the uplink training phase and clustering process on the secrecy performance are revealed. Besides, the proposed optimization algorithms are compared with other baseline algorithms through simulations, and their superiority is validated. Finally, it is shown that the proposed system outperforms the conventional massive MIMO orthogonal multiple access in terms of the secrecy performance.
E-118 Extended Dwell-time balloon-guide protected stent-retriever mechanical thrombectomy is associated with decreased requirement for multiple passes

Introduction Although stent-retrievers have revolutionized mechanical thrombectomy for acute large vessel occlusion (LVO), they can be associated with intimal injury and denudation from the mechanical scraping of the endothelium during retrieval. We hypothesized that allowing the retriever to dwell and intercalate with the thrombus would result in a lower number of needed passes for successful recanalization. Methods Only the subset of patients treated for LVO with the overlapping split-type stent retriever and proximal balloon guide catheter protection was analyzed, excluding those treated with closed-cell retriever or large-bore suction thrombectomy. A mandatory dwell time was instituted after retriever deployment within the thrombus for a period of 9–10 min prior to guide balloon inflation and retriever withdrawal. Results There were 76 consecutive patients treated using this method by the senior author from 2012 to 2017 with average age of 66.9 years (range: 27 to 91). The most common etiology was atrial fibrillation (AF), which was present in 44/76 patients (57.89%). Recanalization (TICI IIb/III) was obtained in 70/76 patients overall (92.11%). 42/44 patients with AF vs 28/32 with etiology other than AF achieved recanalization (95.45% vs 87.5%, p=n .s). Using the long-dwell technique, 39/44 AF patients were recanalized on first-pass compared to 19/32 other etiology patients (88.64% vs 59.4%, p Conclusion Allowing the stent-retriever to intercalate with the occlusive large vessel embolus was found to be associated with a high rate of successful first-pass recanalization, especially in patients with AF. Although it needs to be balanced against the need for rapid flow restoration, a long-dwell time approach appears to help minimize the need for injurious multiple-pass intervention, with only a single pass needed in most cases of AF. Disclosures A. Malek: 2; C; CereVasc LLC. 3; C; Stryker Neurovascular, Microvention-Terumo. 4; C; CereVasc LLC. M. Shutran: None.
Ethnic food advertising formats and consumers' responses: Picture-dominant or text-dominant?

Abstract Ethnic restaurant markets are proliferating due to expanding consumer demand for global flavors. This study investigated the most effective advertising formats for encouraging U.S. consumers to eat ethnic foods. This study compared the effectiveness of picture-dominant advertisements (food-focused vs. spokesperson-focused) and text-dominant advertisements with two different text lengths (short vs. long). The two experiments in this study found that the spokesperson-focused ad was more effective for customers with cultural familiarity. This study also found that a detailed description of the ethnic food was evaluated more highly in terms of cognitive understanding than the short summary. The text-dominant ads were significantly more effective than the picture-dominant ads for individuals who were unfamiliar with the culture of the cuisine’s country of origin. The results suggest that marketers need to increase customers’ attention by customizing advertising formats based on target customers with varied levels of cultural familiarity.
Hyponatremic Seizures and Adrenal Hypoplasia Congenita in a Neonate with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in neonates may occur as an isolated finding, in association with other anomalies, or as part of a genetic syndrome. We report the first case of an infant with CDH who presented with hyponatremic seizures due to adrenal hypoplasia congenita (AHC). The patient underwent repair of CDH defect. After an uncomplicated postoperative course while on discharge planning, he developed a seizure episode associated with severe hyponatremia and hyperkalemia. Extensive diagnostic workup revealed an NR0B1 gene variant confirming the diagnosis of X-linked AHC. The patient was eventually discharged home on hydrocortisone, fludrocortisone, and salt supplements. There are a few case reports of adrenal insufficiency in neonates with CDH, manifesting with symptoms before and immediately after reparative surgery. Clinical presentation of our patient was unique in manifesting as neonatal seizure secondary to severe hyponatremia after a stable postoperative phase. The patient's electrolytes and hemodynamic status remained stable before, during, and after surgery for CDH. This case underlines the importance of taking detailed family history and continued vigilance for signs and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency in infants with repaired CDH by pediatricians and intensivists.
Mechanisms of inspiration that modulate cardiovascular control: the other side of breathing.

The objective of this minireview is to describe the physiology and potential clinical benefits derived from inspiration. Recent animal and clinical studies demonstrate that one of the body’s natura...
Review of Relevant Research: Long-Term Effects of Facilitating Oral Language Development

Revue des recherches autour du theme des relations entre les habiletes langagieres precoces de l'enfant et la scolarite ulterieure. Deux approches principales de ce probleme sont presentees: la connaissance de l'enfant de la maniere dont il faut parler dans la salle de classe, et leur controle des capacites cognitives qui sous-tendent l'utilisation du langage. Discussion des implications pratiques
NanoSIMS: Microscale Quantification of Biogeochemical Activity with Large-Scale Impacts.

One major objective of aquatic microbial ecology is to understand the distribution of microbial populations over space and time and in response to environmental factors. Perhaps more importantly, i...
Firearm Retailers and Suicide: Results from a Survey Assessing Willingness to Engage in Prevention Efforts.

Objective Firearms are a highly lethal and commonly used means of suicide. Firearm retailers may be an important group of community members to train as they guide sales and have conversations about firearm-related laws and safety issues with customers. This study presents findings from the largest survey to date of independently owned firearm retailers (n = 178) in Washington State with the goal of ascertaining the extent of willingness to engage in suicide prevention efforts and factors that may underlie willingness. Methods Descriptive analyses and logistic regressions assess factors related to self-reported willingness to engage in suicide prevention activities guided by a well-tested theoretical model. Results Respondents are unaware that suicide is the leading type of firearm fatality and have high levels of exposure to suicide in their personal and professional lives. The majority endorse a willingness to learn and engage in suicide prevention activities. Knowledge about warning signs of suicide and beliefs about the preventability of suicide are predictive of a willingness to engage in prevention efforts. Reluctance to discuss personal issues with customers is negatively associated with willingness to engage in prevention efforts. Conclusions Suggestions for how to improve outreach to firearm retailers to enhance suicide prevention efforts are discussed.
Sex differences in patients with suicidal intent that are managed by toxicologists: An analysis of the Toxicology Investigators' Consortium (ToxIC) Registry.

Abstract Introduction The Toxicology Investigator’s Consortium (ToxIC) maintains a prospective case registry of all patients that have been managed at the bedside by medical toxicologists. We set out to characterize the differences in toxicological suicide attempts between men and women among adult patients with poisonings managed by medical toxicologists. Methods ToxIC database consults for adults aged 19–65 whose primary reasons for encounter were classified as suicide attempt were used for this study (1/2010–12/2016). Data used for analysis included primary agents of toxic exposure, routes of administration, and complications. The statistical analysis was limited to descriptive methods. Results Out of 51,440 registry cases, 33,259 cases remained for analysis after applying the ages 19–65 and removing those without complete data. Of these, there were 4827 suicide attempts (14.5% of toxicological exposures) which were sub classified by gender. There were more females (F) than males (M) whose toxicology consults were due to suicidal attempts (57.6% versus 42.4%). We also found that more males used alcohol as their primary agent (2.8%M v 1.5%F) or a nonpharmaceutical (%7.4 M v %2.3 F). Conclusions In our study, we found that there were more females than males who attempted suicide by self-poisoning; and more of them used pharmaceuticals than males. In contrast, a greater number of males used nonpharmaceuticals such as alcohol. We did not find large sex-differences in suicide completion rates, routes of administration, or subsequent symptomologies. In summary, sex-based differences were observed between adult patients with suicidal-intent exposures/ingestions managed at the bedside by medical toxicologists.
Investigating the association between eye colour and the Neurological Pupil index.

Abstract Introduction Brown or dark brown eyes make it difficult to distinguish the contrast between a black pupil and the surrounding iris, which may result in clinical assessment errors. The pupillometer can be used to derive an indexed value, the Neurological Pupil index™ (NPi) for pupillary light reflex. However, there are limited data associating the NPi and iris colour. We examine the NPi and eye colour association. Methods Data were pooled from the Establishing Normative Data for Pupillometer Assessments in Neuroscience Intensive Care (END-PANIC) Registry. The analysis includes 14,168 observations collected from 865 patients with neurological conditions who were admitted to the intensive care unit. Summary statistics and statistical models were developed to examine the association using Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) summary procedure. Results The mean age of the cohort was 56 years (standard deviation = 17). Eye colour included dark brown (n = 339), blue (n = 234), brown (n = 173), green (n = 82), and other (n = 37). There was significant differences (p Conclusions The pupillary light reflex, when assessed using the pupillometer, is not dependent on the eye colour. Practitioners are not required to consider eye colour as a confounder when they perform pupillary assessment for examining patients with neurological conditions.
Suppressing the Mischief: New Work, Old Problems

Increasing numbers of individuals are working in what have been described as nonstandard, contingent, or precarious relationships. These new arrangements force some difficult questions for labor law: Do these nonstandard types of work fit into the current regulatory scheme? If so, how? More fundamentally, what is work? What kind of work raises the concerns that labor law is meant to address? This paper discusses crowd work and recent developments in volunteerism as illustrations of arrangements that call for a fresh look at the way we identify workers who benefit from labor law protection. It then outlines a boundaried purposive approach to labor law coverage, one that first looks at broader purposes of labor law to decide whether a worker belongs in that protective realm, and then moves to examine the specific regulatory purpose at issue. This method widens potential application of some workplace laws, yet still limits those admitted into the labor law domain to those in economically dependent relationships that give rise to the mischief at which workplace regulation is aimed.
3 – Data Preprocessing

Publisher Summary This chapter introduces the basic concepts of data preprocessing and the methods for data preprocessing are organized into the following categories: data cleaning, data integration, data reduction, and data transformation. Data have quality if they satisfy the requirements of the intended use. There are many factors comprising data quality, including accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness, believability, and interpretability. There are several data preprocessing techniques. Data cleaning can be applied to remove noise and correct inconsistencies in data. Data integration merges data from multiple sources into a coherent data store such as a data warehouse. Data reduction can reduce data size by, for instance, aggregating, eliminating redundant features, or clustering. Data transformations (e.g., normalization) may be applied, where data are scaled to fall within a smaller range. This can improve the accuracy and efficiency of mining algorithms involving distance measurements. These techniques are not mutually exclusive; they may work together. For example, data cleaning can involve transformations to correct wrong data, such as by transforming all entries for a date field to a common format. The different attribute types and data characteristics can help identify erroneous values and outliers, which will be useful in the data cleaning and integration steps. Data processing techniques, when applied before mining, can substantially improve the overall quality of the patterns mined and/or the time required for the actual mining.
Intracranial high-resolution vessel wall imaging in differentiating intraluminal basilar artery thrombus from arterial dissection

Abstract Intracranial high-resolution vessel wall MRI (vwMRI) is a noninvasive imaging protocol to view intracranial intramural abnormalities with a growing array of indications. There is ongoing study in the use of vwMRI on intraluminal pathology. Given the devastating clinical implications of basilar artery pathology, rapid and accurate diagnosis is key to limiting morbidity and mortality. Herein we describe a case in which vwMRI assisted in differentiating an intraluminal basilar thrombus from arterial dissection following clinical worsening of a patient on appropriate anticoagulation.
Identification of a novel disease mechanism and development of therapeutics for the recently identified neurodevelopmental disease “NEDAMSS”

NEDAMSS is a newly discovered neurodevelopmental disorder with regression, abnormal movements, loss of speech and seizures. The disease is caused by heterozygous mutations in the Interferon Regulatory Factor 2 Binding Protein-Like (IRF2BPL) gene. IRF2BPL is a ubiquitously expressed intron-less transcriptional regulator. The function of the protein is currently unknown, but the observed disease phenotype indicates a role in development and maintenance of the nervous system. To study this disease, we used patient skin-derived fibroblasts and reprogrammed them into induced neuronal progenitor cells (iNPCs). The iNPCs were then differentiated into astrocytes. Moreover, we also used a direct conversion method to generate neurons directly from the skin fibroblasts. Using these methods and performing molecular and functional analyses of the different cell types, we identified a novel disease mechanism not previously described. While IRF2BPL is localized in the nucleus in healthy individuals, we found that several patient cell lines displayed mis-localization in the form of aggregates in the cytoplasm. Moreover, the patient astrocytes also showed abnormal mitochondrial ATP-linked respiration levels and caused neuronal death in co-culture assays. Based on these observations, we tested treatment with CuATSM, a small molecule drug currently in clinical trials for ALS. We found that CuATSM successfully rescued neuronal survival and reduced ATP-linked respiration to normal levels in NEDAMSS astrocytes. We also established multiple AAV based gene therapy tools to modulate the expression of the protein and restore its normal function in vitro and potentially in vivo. In summary, we identified a novel disease mechanism involved in NEDAMSS disease and found promising therapeutic strategies that might be able to slow or halt the progression of the disease.
Single-Flux-Quantum Multiplier Circuits for Synthesizing Gigahertz Waveforms With Quantum-Based Accuracy

We designed, simulated, and experimentally demonstrated components for a microwave-frequency digital-to-analog converter based on single flux quantum (SFQ) circuits and an amplifier based on superconducting-quantum-interference-device (SQUID) stacks. These are key components for a self-calibrated programmable waveform reference for communications metrology capable of synthesizing high-frequency signals with quantum-based output accuracy. The amplifier is an SFQ voltage multiplier circuit that consists of a network of SFQ-splitters and SQUID transformers that provides output signals consisting of quantized pulses. The circuits were fabricated using our Nb/Nb $_{x}$ Si $_{1-x}$ /Nb Josephson-junction (JJ) fabrication process, which produces self-shunted JJs with Nb-doped silicon barriers. In order to demonstrate quantum-based reproducibility, stability and performance at 4 K, we synthesized single-tone and multitone waveforms at gigahertz frequencies and demonstrated their operation over a range of synthesizer output and experimental bias parameters. We also propose circuit designs for achieving higher synthesis frequencies and higher output power with improved power accuracy and spectral purity, and discuss the potential limitations of these circuits.
Bias Corrected Estimation of Paleointensity (BiCEP): An Improved Methodology for Obtaining Paleointensity Estimates

The assumptions of paleointensity experiments are violated in many natural and archaeological materials, leading to Arai plots which do not appear linear and yield inaccurate paleointensity estimat...
Broadening the scope of financial literacy to incorporate self-control, budgeting and heuristics

Current measures of financial literacy focus on knowledge, and the literature on financial literacy has described important findings about the extent and impact of limited financial knowledge across the population. This paper discusses issues associated with broadening the scope of the financial literacy approach to include behaviors related to self-control, budgeting, and heuristics. Although the financial literacy literature models financial literacy as human capital in a neoclassical optimization framework, the discussion suggests that properly modeling this type of human capital cannot be easily accomplished through a neoclassical optimization model in which human capital is treated as a generic stock variable. Rather, budgetary human capital needs to be modeled explicitly as part of psychologically feasible heuristic processes that govern household behavior. In this respect, human capital involves more than fact-based knowledge and computational ability, but also mental processes that underlie action. Human capital pertains to both "knowing'' and "doing.'' Financial literacy in the form of knowledge can only produce better decisions when paired with human capital associated with acting on that knowledge.
Classification of patient- and clinician-generated secure messages using a theory-based taxonomy.

Background As secure electronic message exchange increases between patients and clinicians, we must explore and understand how patients and clinicians use those messages to communicate between clinical visits. Objective To present the application of a taxonomy developed specifically to code secure message content in a way that allows for identification of patient and clinician communication functions demonstrated to be associated with patients' intermediate and health outcomes. Method We randomly sampled 1031 patients who sent and received 18 309 messages and coded those messages with codes from our taxonomy. We present the prevalence of each taxon (ie, code) within the sample. Results The most common taxon among initial patient-generated messages were Information seeking (29.09%), followed by Scheduling requests (27.91%), and Prescription requests (23.09%). Over half of subsequent patient-generated messages included responses to clinic staffs' questions (58.31%). Six in 10 clinic staff responses included some form of Information sharing with process-based responses being most common (32.81%). A third of all clinician-generated messages (36.28%) included acknowledgement or some level of fulfilment of a patient's task-oriented request. Clinic staff sought information from patients in 20.54% of their messages. Conclusion This taxonomy is the first step toward examining whether secure messaging communication can be associated with patients' health outcomes. Knowing which content is positively associated with outcomes can support training of, and targeted responses from, clinicians with the goal of generating message content designed to improve outcomes. Patient contribution This study is based on analyses of patient-initiated secure message threads.