cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Virtual Simulation of the Effects of Intracranial Fluid Cavitation in Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury

A microscale model of the brain was developed in order to understand the details of intracranial fluid cavitation and the damage mechanisms associated with cavitation bubble collapse due to blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI). Our macroscale model predicted cavitation in regions of high concentration of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood. The results from this macroscale simulation directed the development of the microscale model of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) region. The microscale model includes layers of scalp, skull, dura, superior sagittal sinus, falx, arachnoid, subarachnoid spacing, pia, and gray matter. We conducted numerical simulations to understand the effects of a blast load applied to the scalp with the pressure wave propagating through the layers and eventually causing the cavitation bubbles to collapse. Collapse of these bubbles creates spikes in pressure and von Mises stress downstream from the bubble locations. We investigate the influence of cavitation bubble size, compressive wave amplitude, and internal bubble pressure. The results indicate that these factors may contribute to a greater downstream pressure and von Mises stress which could lead to significant tissue damage.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Reward reveals dissociable aspects of sustained attention

Although reward is known to have a powerful influence on performance, its effects on the ability to continuously sustain performance over time are poorly understood. The current study examines multiple measures of sustained attention (accuracy and variability) and their decrements over time, while introducing reward in the form of a monetary incentive or the promise of early completion. Compared with unrewarded participants, rewarded participants demonstrated greater overall accuracy and lower reaction time variability. However, rewarded and unrewarded participants displayed nearly identical decrements in performance over time, suggesting that these aspects of sustained attention are far less malleable by enhanced effort. This study helps to resolve conflicting models of sustained attention as it reveals that some aspects of performance are due to motivational lapses whereas others are due to the depletion of cognitive resources that cannot be easily overcome.
Turkish Free Trade Zones: An Export-Oriented Development Strategy

Like many developing countries, Turkey also has recently shifted the priorities of its developmental policies from import-substitution to export promotion and established free trade zones as instruments of export-led industrialization. The success of free trade zones of many developing countries in serving these development strategies has been quite limited. Although it is too early for a thorough evaluation of the Turkish free trade zones, it is possible to argue that, if the foreseen organizational and managerial problems are taken care of, they can be more attractive for multinationals and can better serve the developmental goals of the country.
Searching for normalcy: mothers' caregiving for low birth weight infants

This research addressed the process mothers use to seek help when giving care to low birth weight (LBW) infants at home. The design was descriptive, using a grounded theory approach. Data from audiotaped interviews guided by questions about seeking help related to giving care were analyzed by constant comparative analysis. The sample was 14 mothers of premature LBW infants enrolled in a follow up clinic for high risk infants. Their LBW infants (M birth weight = 1,575 g) were 4-12 months old (M = 9) at the time of the interview. Searching for Normalcy through caregiving includes: learning caregiving, maintaining vigilance for progress, normalizing going alone with caregiver burden, and help-seeking. Mothers seek resources for information, assessment and treatment, respite caregiving, and support. Nurses can help mothers identify, access, and effectively use resources.
Application of decision analysis to mental health.

The three papers presented by this panel demonstrate to my satisfaction that certain tools of decision analysis can be quite useful in the evaluation of mental health policies. The majority of my comments are therefore devoted to highlighting what those tools are and how they could have been used in an even more sophisticated way. At the same time, these papers do not demonstrate that all of the tools of decision analysis can be credibly applied to mental health issues. In particular, they provide no indication that a decision-analytic approach to utility assessment -patient or societal-can be implemented credibly with state-of-the-art methods. With these general observations in mind, I turn to specific comments on the panel's work.
Transforming growth factor beta selectively inhibits normal and leukemic human bone marrow cell growth in vitro.

The effects of transforming growth factor beta 1 or beta 2 (TGF-beta 1 or -beta 2) on the in vitro proliferation and differentiation of normal and malignant human hematopoietic cells were studied. Both forms of TGF- beta suppressed both the normal cellular proliferation and colony formation induced by recombinant human interleukin-3 (IL-3) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). In the presence of GM-CSF or IL-3, optimal concentrations of TGF-beta (400 pmol/L) inhibited colony formation by erythroid (BFU-E), multipotential (CFU-GEMM), and granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) progenitor cells by 90% to 100%, whereas granulocyte or monocyte cluster formation was not inhibited. In contrast, neither form of TGF-beta had any effect on G- CSF-induced hematopoiesis. The suppressive action appeared to be mediated directly by TGF-beta since antiproliferative responses were also observed in accessory cell-depleted bone marrow cells. In contrast to normal bone marrow cells, both GM- and G-CSF-induced proliferation of cells from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia were suppressed in a dose-dependent manner by TGF-beta. Differential effects of TGF-beta on the proliferation of established leukemic lines were also observed since most cell lines of myelomonocytic nature studied were strongly inhibited where erythroid cell lines were either insensitive or poorly inhibited by TGF-beta. These results suggest that TGF-beta is an important modulator of human hematopoiesis that selectively regulates the growth of less mature hematopoietic cell populations with a high proliferative capacity as opposed to more differentiated cells, which are not affected by TGF-beta.
Numerical study of the time dependent behavior of GN-10 structural ceramics in bend creep test

Numerical simulation coupled with a realistic material model for high temperature structural ceramics is used to gain insight into the time dependent behavior of ceramics under bending. No simplifications used in conventional analysis methods are invoked, such as the assumption of steady-state creep and omission of elastic deformation etc. As yet, the formulation is shown to be sufficiently general to adopt arbitrary material models. The final formulation results in a set of first order coupled ordinary differential equations that can be solved with ease by well-established numerical techniques. Due to the time-dependent and inhomogeneous stress and strain distributions in the specimen, it is generally difficult to extract intrinsic material information associated with a particular stress state from the bend creep test. The validity of the material parameters obtained from bend creep tests depends on the validity of the assumptions that underlie the analysis. More in situ measurements to obtain information besides deflection, such as the location of the neutral axis etc., will be helpful for interpreting the bend test data. However, in this case, the major advantage of the bend test, namely, simplicity, is eradicated.
Knowledge discovery for smart grid operation, control, and situation awareness — a big data visualization platform

In this paper, a big data visualization platform is designed to discover the hidden useful knowledge for smart grid (SG) operation, control and situation awareness. The spawn of smart sensors at both grid side and customer side can provide large volume of heterogeneous data that collect information in all time spectrums. Extracting useful knowledge from this big-data poll is still challenging. In this paper, the Apache Spark, an open source cluster computing framework, is used to process the big-data to effectively discover the hidden knowledge. A high-speed communication architecture utilizing the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model is designed to transmit the data to a visualization platform. This visualization platform uses Google Earth, a global geographic information system (GIS) to link the geological information with the SG knowledge and visualize the information in user defined fashion. The University of Denver's campus grid is used as a SG test bench and several demonstrations are presented for the proposed platform.
Mining Time Series Data

Some of the problems raised by massive time series databases are briefly considered. They include indexing, clustering, classification, prediction, association detection, summarization, anomaly detection, and segmentation, most of which make explicit or implicit use of a distance measure. A key feature is the approximate representation of time series. Keywords: signal analysis; databases; indexing; clustering; classification; discrete Fourier transform; piecewise linear approximation; wavelets; time series representation
Agency Conflict in Internal Corporate Innovation Contests

Crowdsourcing innovation aims to solicit a large volume of diverse ideas but inherently increases demands on resources to assess those contributions. As a result, organizations may now crowdsource the assessment of the ideas as well. However, crowd assessment of crowd generated ideas may diverge from organizational objectives. We investigate crowd versus expert assessment in the context of a recurring innovation contest at a global technology company. Textual analysis of 14,697 submitted ideas reveals agency conflict between the two assessments. Experts focus on stated corporate objectives, while the preferences of the employee crowd negatively relate to corporate direction. Topic popularity and social concerns influence crowds of employees. While experts exhibit less agency conflict than employees relative to stated corporate objectives, they are far less numerous and potentially more expensive than employee resources. We identify hybrid mechanisms that balance use of constrained expert resources with the potential assessment biases of the crowd.
An 8-PSK Super Regenerative Receiver with new phase detection technique

This paper presents a new 8-PSK Super Regenerative Receiver operating in 402–405 MHz MICS band. The proposed topology employs minimum components to design phase detection engine. The receiver utilizes a combined Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) and Super Regenerative Oscillator (SRO) for current reuse purpose and a digital phase detection engine that extracts modulated phase information, via Latches and D-Flip-flops. The receiver is designed and simulated in 130 nm CMOS process and the whole circuit's power consumption is 119µW for the input of −80dBm at the rate of 6 Mbps with Energy Per Bit of 19.8 pj/b.
Plasma, tissue and tumor disposition of STEALTH® liposomal CKD-602 (S-CKD602) and non-liposomal CKD-602, a camptothecin analogue, in mice bearing A375 human melanoma xenografts

3064 Introduction: S-CKD602 is a STEALTH® liposomal formulation of CKD-602, a camptothecin (CPT) analogue. The cytotoxicity of CPT analogues is related to duration of exposure (Zamboni, et.al., Clin Cancer Res 1998). STEALTH® liposome (SL) formulations contain lipid conjugated to polyethylene glycol and have been designed to prolong drug circulation time, increase tumor delivery, and improve the therapeutic index. The disposition of SL-encapsulated drug is dictated by the liposome, which alters the plasma pharmacokinetic (PK) profile and tissue distribution of the drug. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the plasma, tissue and tumor disposition of drug after S-CKD602 and non-liposomal CKD-602 administration. Methods: S-CKD602 at 1mg/kg (∼1/2 of the maximum tolerated dose [MTD]) or non-liposomal CKD-602 at 30mg/kg (∼MTD) was administered IV x 1 via a tail vein to mice bearing A375 human melanoma xenografts. The A375 xenograft was used based on previous antitumor activity (Yu et al., AACR;05, #2396). Mice (n=3) were euthanized at 0.083 to 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after S-CKD602 and from 0.083 to 24 h after non-liposomal CKD-602. Plasma, tumor, liver, spleen, kidney, and brain samples were processed to measure sum total (encapsulated + released) CKD-602. An LC-MS assay was used to measure the total (sum of lactone and hydroxyl acid) CKD-602. The area under the concentration versus time curves (AUC) from 0 to infinity, maximum conc (C max ), time of C max (T max ), and time of last detectable conc (T last ) were estimated. Results: PK parameters are summarized in the table. Conclusions: The prolonged exposure of CKD-602 in tumor, liver, and spleen after administration of S-CKD602 is consistent with SL. S-CKD602 provides PK advantages in plasma and tumor compared to non-liposomal CKD-602 at 1/30 th of the dose, which is consistent with the improved antitumor efficacy of S-CKD602 in preclinical studies. The greater exposure of CKD-602 in the brain after S-CKD602 compared with CKD-602 and activity of CPT analogues in patients with brain tumors suggest S-CKD602 should be evaluated in this patient population. Sponsored by ALZA Corporation.
What Does the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) Measure? Joint Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the CAS and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (3rd Edition).

Results of recent research by Kranzler and Keith (1999) raised important questions concerning the construct validity of the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS; Naglieri & Das, 1997), a new test of in...
Associations Among Trajectories of Sleep Disturbance, Depressive Symptomology and 24-Hour Urinary Cortisol in HIV+ Women Following a Stress Management Intervention

ABSTRACTObjective: The burden of sleep disturbance and depressive symptomology is high for persons living with HIV and particularly so for women. While cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM) is shown to reduce symptoms of depression and 24-hr urinary free cortisol output (CORT) in HIV+ men, less is known about the effects of CBSM on mood and concomitant sleep disturbance in HIV+ women. The study aim is to model longitudinal change in sleep disturbance, depressive symptomology, and CORT for HIV+ women exposed to a 12-week CBSM intervention or control condition. Methods: Self-reported sleep quality and depressive symptomology, along with CORT, was collected from surveys at baseline and approximately every three months thereafter for nine months from 130 HIV+ women (Mage = 38.44, SD = 7.73). The data was used to specify a parallel process latent growth model with CORT as a time-varying covariate. Results: The model showed acceptable fit. There was a linear decline in sleep disturbance (β = −0.32, p < ...
Memory Matters: Bumblebee Behavioral Models for Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications

Vehicles forming connected communication networks are routinely challenged with the complex decision problem of either staying with the same wireless channel or moving to a different wireless channel when experiencing highly variable channel quality conditions. In order to obtain a practical solution to this problem, we refer to bumblebee behavioral models, which possess evolved decision-making mechanisms to adaptively solve similar problems while foraging in environments containing multiple floral resources (channels). In order to enable vehicles to adapt to these time-varying channel conditions, we propose in this paper a bumblebee-inspired decision-making algorithm in which channel quality information is stored and updated in vehicle memory. This information is used to estimate qualities of channel options and then weighed against switch costs to determine optimal channel selection. We incorporated our algorithm into a VDSA-based VANET model, while the GEMV2 Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) propagation simulator was used to test its performance under different memory parameters and against existing models. Our results show that a memory system based on the averaging of stored channel information dramatically increased channel selection performance over a memoryless system in both urban and highway scenarios by 52% and 20%, respectively.
Collisional Electron-Detachment and Ion-Conversion Processes in Sf6

It has long been hypothesized that collisional electron detachment from negative ions may be the cause of discharge initiation in SF6-insulated high-voltage equipment. However, uncertainties continue to exist concerning the identities of the significant negative ions, and the magnitudes of the detachment cross sections and corresponding reaction coefficients. Discharge inception studies, which usually assume that SF 6 − is the negative ion of interest, have predicted collisional-detachment cross sections of SF 6 − in SF6with thresholds ranging from 1 to 8 eV (Kindersberger, 1986). Collisional- detachment coefficients determined from low-pressure, uniform-field drift-tube experiments (O’Neill and Craggs, 1973; Hansen et al., 1983) lie several orders of magnitude above those calculated from breakdown data (Kindersberger, 1986), while exhibiting an unexplained pressure dependence. Additionally, evidence exists that the destruction of negative ions in SF6is dominated by collisional dissociation into ionic fragments (O’Neill and Craggs, 1973; McAfee, Jr. and Edelson, 1963; Compton et al., 1971; McGeehan et al., 1975; Urquijo-Carmona et al., 1986; Nakamura and Kizu, 1987) or by charge-transfer processes rather than by the loss of an electron. However, the exact nature of these io-conversion processes has not previously been determined.
Neonatal brain injury causes cerebellar learning deficits and Purkinje cell dysfunction.

Premature infants are more likely to develop locomotor disorders than term infants. In a chronic sub-lethal hypoxia (Hx) mouse model of neonatal brain injury, we recently demonstrated the presence of cellular and physiological changes in the cerebellar white matter. We also observed Hx-induced delay in Purkinje cell (PC) arborization. However, the behavioral consequences of these cellular alterations remain unexplored. Using the Erasmus Ladder to study cerebellar behavior, we report the presence of locomotor malperformance and long-term cerebellar learning deficits in Hx mice. Optogenetics experiments in Hx mice reveal a profound reduction in spontaneous and photoevoked PC firing frequency. Finally, treatment with a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) reuptake inhibitor partially rescues locomotor performance and improves PC firing. Our results demonstrate a long-term miscoordination phenotype characterized by locomotor malperformance and cerebellar learning deficits in a mouse model of neonatal brain injury. Our findings also implicate the developing GABA network as a potential therapeutic target for prematurity-related locomotor deficits. Premature infants are vulnerable to hypoxia and thus white matter injury, especially in the cerebellum, which develops during late gestation. Here, the authors test the effects of perinatal hypoxia on motor performance and rescue behavioral deficits using the GABA reuptake inhibitor Tiagabine.
A Needs Assessment of Palliative Care Education among the United States Adult Neurology Residency Programs.

Abstract Background: Palliative care (PC) needs in patients with neurological diseases are becoming more recognized by neurologists and PC physicians. Objective: To qualify and quantify the PC educ...
11.24 – Occupational Immunotoxicology

Individuals working in a variety of occupational industries and sectors are potentially exposed to biological, chemical, and hazardous agents with dermal and respiratory being the two most common routes of exposure. These exposures can potentially result in numerous diseases and can adversely affect an individual’s health and capacity to perform at work resulting in significant economic losses. Occupational immune diseases are some of the most common illnesses that affect workers including inflammation, allergy, respiratory disease, autoimmunity, or other immune modulation resulting in suppression following exposure in the work environment. Due to the complexity of the immune system, the identification of agents that induce immunotoxicity requires specific assays. Various organizations have proposed different approaches to immunotoxicity testing that include validated immune testing protocols that measure diverse immunological biomarkers and endpoints. This chapter provides descriptions of the most commonly recognized occupational immune diseases.
Abstract 228: Comparison of the Effect of Local and Long-Distance Delivery Models for a School-Based Wellness Intervention on Health Behaviors of Middle School Students

Background: Michigan’s upper peninsula (UP) is a remote area with only 3% of the state’s population, making it difficult to reach with health interventions. Nearly half of the UP counties have high...
Longitudinal quality of life (QOL) and sexual functioning in women undergoing pelvic exenteration for gynecologic malignancies.

5608 Background: Pelvic exenteration (PE) is en bloc resection of the pelvic organs including bladder, vagina, and rectum to treat central recurrence of a gynecologic malignancy. While this procedu...
Trapped Intermediate of a Meerwein-Pondorf-Verley Reduction of Hydroxy Benzaldehyde to a Dialkoxide by Titanium Alkoxides.

A series of titanium alkoxides ([Ti(OR)4] (OR = OCH(CH3)2 (OPri), OC(CH3)3 (OBut), and OCH2C(CH3)3 (ONep)) were modified with a set of substituted hydroxyl-benzaldehydes [HO-BzA-Lx: x = 1, 2-hydrox...
On maps preserving rank-one nilpotents

In this paper, we show that a linear, bijective map f:Mn(C)→Mn(C) such that f(X)f(Y)=N whenever XY = M, for M, N rank-one nilpotents, is of the form f(X)=cU−1XU for an invertible U∈Mn(C) and a non-...
Forensic human factors and ergonomics: theory in practice

This lead article of the special issue on Forensic Human Factors and Ergonomics (guest edited by Michael S. Wogalter and Christopher B Mayhorn) introduces the readership to the topic then describes...
Abstract P1-19-23: Impact of early dose reduction of palbociclib on clinical outcomes in patients with hormone-receptor positive metastatic breast cancer

Background: Palbociclib (palbo), a CDK4/6 inhibitor, is commonly added to an aromatase inhibitor (AI) as the first line therapy in managing estrogen receptor positive, HER2 non amplified (ER+ HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Though more tolerable than chemotherapy, palbo may need dose interruption, delay or reduction due to toxicities like neutropenia. Currently, there are no clinical data on the effect of relative dose intensity (RDI) of palbo in the first line setting on clinical outcomes. The primary objective of this study is to explore the correlation of RDI and dose reduction of palbo in the first line setting with median progression free survival (PFS). Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of ER+ HER2- MBC patients (pts) at Wilmot Cancer Center from Jan 1st 2015 to Feb 1st 2019 who had received palbo plus an AI in the first line setting. Men/women more than 18 years old with biopsy proven MBC, who were started on 125 mg of palbo daily, had completed at least 1 cycle of palbo, and did not have disease progression within the first 12 weeks were eligible. Pts receiving fulvestrant with palbo or those switched to other CDK4/6 inhibitors in the first 12 weeks were excluded. Statistical analyses were performed at 12 and 36 weeks landmarks (LM) to compare clinical outcomes. RDI was defined as the total amount of palbo actually taken per total amount of palbo planned within respective LM. RDI-high-12 and RDI-low-12 cohorts were defined as pts receiving palbo with RDI >/= 80% and RDI 60 years old, 71% had ECOG performance status (PS) 0-1, 88% were post-menopausal, 21% had de novo MBC, and 57% had visceral metastases. By 12 weeks, 24 (43%) pts had a dose reduction and 8 (14%) had RDI /= 80%. Similarly, there is a trend towards shorter PFS among pts with RDI of palbo /= 80%. A larger study is needed to validate these findings. Citation Format: Bahar Moftakhar, Manidhar Reddy Lekkala, Myla Strawderman, Tae C Smith, Philip Meacham, Bryan Fitzgerald, Ajay Dhakal. Impact of early dose reduction of palbociclib on clinical outcomes in patients with hormone-receptor positive metastatic breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-19-23.
Basic relationships for Hall half-plane structures with multiple extended contacts on the boundary: Applications to the extraction of physical parameters and optimization of graphene and vertical Hall devices

Abstract The basic relationships for a Hall plate with N non-symmetric contacts placed in an arbitrary magnetic field are a set of N - 1 relationships that are necessary and sufficient for the existence of a complex electrostatic potential function. By the application of the boundary conditions, they turn into a linear system of N - 1 compatibility conditions involving the terminal voltages and currents. The construction of the basic relationships requires the positions of the contact extremities on the real axis of the canonical domain (the upper half-plane) as well as the electric and magnetic parameters of the Hall device. The conduction and resistance matrices can be obtained easily from the basic relationships. They give an effective method for predicting the performance of both horizontal and vertical Hall effect devices and provide a useful method for designing these types of planar devices.
The lived experience of linear algebra: a counter-story about women of color in mathematics

This paper focuses on the mathematical sensemaking by women of color in the USA as part of the global effort of dismantling deficit narratives about historically marginalized groups of students. Following Adiredja’s anti-deficit framework for sensemaking, this cognitive study invited a group of women of color to share their understanding of basis from linear algebra to construct a sensemaking counter-story. Extending the framework, this study examines a task that explores the boundaries and nuances of a concept to support the effort of going beyond students’ deficits. Eight women extended the concept of basis (and vector spaces) to 22 distinct everyday contexts, drawing from their everyday lives as well as topics from their academic experiences. Their explanations revealed analytical codes describing roles and characteristics of a basis. These codes suggest ways that students can mobilize the concept of basis beyond its logical underpinnings. Contrasting interpretations using a deficit and an anti-deficit perspective construct a counter-story that showcases these women’s creativity and flexibility in understanding the concept, and potential resources for the teaching and learning of linear algebra.
Incidence, Etiology, and Severity of Acute Gastroenteritis Among Prospectively Enrolled Patients in 4 Veterans Affairs Hospitals and Outpatient Centers, 2016-2018.

BACKGROUND Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) burden, etiology, and severity in adults is not well characterized. We implemented a multisite AGE surveillance platform in 4 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (Atlanta, Georgia; Bronx, New York; Houston, Texas; and Los Angeles, California), collectively serving >320 000 patients annually. METHODS From 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2018, we actively identified inpatient AGE case patients and non-AGE inpatient controls through prospective screening of admitted patients and passively identified outpatients with AGE through stool samples submitted for clinical diagnostics. We abstracted medical charts and tested stool samples for 22 pathogens by means of multiplex gastrointestinal polymerase chain reaction panel followed by genotyping of norovirus- and rotavirus-positive samples. We determined pathogen-specific prevalence, incidence, and modified Vesikari severity scores. RESULTS We enrolled 724 inpatients with AGE, 394 non-AGE inpatient controls, and 506 outpatients with AGE. Clostridioides difficile and norovirus were most frequently detected among inpatients (for AGE case patients vs controls: C. difficile, 18.8% vs 8.4%; norovirus, 5.1% vs 1.5%; P < .01 for both) and outpatients (norovirus, 10.7%; C. difficile, 10.5%). The incidence per 100 000 population was highest among outpatients (AGE, 2715; C. difficile, 285; norovirus, 291) and inpatients ≥65 years old (AGE, 459; C. difficile, 91; norovirus, 26). Clinical severity scores were highest for inpatient norovirus, rotavirus, and Shigella/enteroinvasive Escherichia coli cases. Overall, 12% of inpatients with AGE had intensive care unit stays, and 2% died; 3 deaths were associated with C. difficile and 1 with norovirus. C. difficile and norovirus were detected year-round with a fall/winter predominance. CONCLUSIONS C. difficile and norovirus were leading AGE pathogens in outpatient and hospitalized US veterans, resulting in severe disease. Clinicians should remain vigilant for bacterial and viral causes of AGE year-round.
The association between Asian patient race/ethnicity and lower satisfaction scores.

Patient satisfaction is increasingly being used to assess, and financially reward, provider performance. Previous studies suggest that race/ethnicity (R/E) may impact satisfaction, yet few practices adjust for patient R/E. The objective of this study is to examine R/E differences in patient satisfaction ratings and how these differences impact provider rankings. Patient satisfaction survey data linked to electronic health records from two large outpatient centers in northern California – a non-profit organization of community-based clinics (Site A) and an academic medical center (Site B) – was collected and analyzed. Participants consisted of adult patients who received outpatient care at Site A from December 2010 to November 2014 and Site B from March 2013 to August 2014, and completed Press-Ganey Medical Practice Survey questionnaires (N = 216,392 (Site A) and 30,690 (Site B)). Self-reported non-Hispanic white (NHW), Black, Latino, and Asian patients were studied. For six questions each representing a survey subdomain, favorable ratings were defined as top-box (“very good”) compared to all other categories (“very poor,” “poor,” “fair,” and “good”). Using multivariable logistic regression with provider random effects, we assessed whether the likelihood of giving favorable ratings differed by patient R/E, adjusting for patient age and sex. Asian, younger and female patients provided less favorable ratings than other R/E, older and male patients. After adjustment, Asian patients were less likely than NHW patients to provide top-box ratings to the overall assessment question “likelihood of recommending this practice to others” (Site A: Asian predicted probability (PP) 0.680, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.675–0.685 compared to NHW PP 0.820, 95% CI: 0.818–0.822; Site B: Asian PP 0.734, 95% CI: 0.733–0.736 compared to NHW PP 0.859, 95% CI: 0.859–0.859). The effect sizes for Asian R/E were greater than the effect sizes for older age and female sex. An absolute 3% decrease in mean composite score between providers serving different percentages of Asian patients translated to an absolute 40% drop in national ranking. Patient satisfaction scores may need to be adjusted for patient R/E, particularly for providers caring for high panel percentages of Asian patients.
Infective Endocarditis Causing Acute Myocardial Infarction

Endocarditis is a well-known disease, yet septic embolization resulting in myocardial infarction is much rarer and very infrequently diagnosed in the emergency department (ED). Point-of-Care-Ultrasound (POCUS) can be used to confirm clinical suspicion within minutes of patient presentation, thereby expediting patient care. We report the case of a 26-year-old female with known intravenous drug use who presented with altered mental status. Her clinical presentation prompted urgent evaluation in the ED with POCUS which showed a hyperdynamic functioning left ventricle, greater than 50% inferior vena cava collapse, and a large tricuspid valve vegetation. In light of the electrocardiogram (ECG) ST changes suggesting an acute myocardial infarction, the patient was emergently taken to the cardiac catheterization laboratory where coronary angiography revealed multiple coronary emboli. Primary diagnoses included endocarditis due to Staphylococcus, septic pulmonary embolism, and ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) due to embolic occlusion of the distal left anterior descending artery. Myocardial infarction caused by septic embolization from endocarditis is a rare condition; however, POCUS is a quick, non-invasive tool that can aid the emergency medicine (EM) physician in identifying this life-threatening pathology thereby expediting appropriate care for the patient.
Regional Blood to Brain Transport of Lactate

Brain lactate is elevated in certain pathophysiological conditions such as hypoxic or ischemic brain injury, and plasma lactate levels are elevated during conditions of systemic metabolic stress. In either case, the transport of lactate at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) may play an important role in determining eventual tissue survival. BBB lactate transport is thought to occur via a facilitative, non-concentrative diffusion mechanism (Nemoto et al., 1974; Oldendorf, 1972; Oldendorf, 1973; Gjedde et al., 1975) which is linked to the monocarboxylic acid transporter that also transports pyruvate (Oldendorf, 1973; Pardridge and Oldendorf, 1977). Nevertheless, it is unclear from the previous reports whether the capacity of this system to transport lactate would be functionally meaningful. Here, we measured the rate of lactate influx into brain at plasma concentrations encountered during pathological conditions.
Risk Assessments and Approaches for Evaluating Myxozoan Disease Impacts

Risk assessments are increasingly being used as tools to examine the possibility and consequences of transboundary introductions of pathogens and parasites of important aquaculture species. Developing these tools for myxozoan parasites is complicated by their two-host life cycles and our lack of basic data for many parameters. The distributions of many myxozoans are undocumented, techniques used for detection of myxozoan may vary in sensitivity and specificity, and often, the invertebrate host and its ecological requirements are poorly understood. Risk assessments for myxozoans have been performed for a variety of reasons and incorporate different geographic scopes and management questions. In this chapter, we review the general components of a risk assessment, discuss specific data requirements for myxozoan risk assessments, and provide examples of myxozoan risk assessments in relation to importation of food fish, emerging aquaculture species and wild fisheries, and pathogen transmission from aquaculture to wild fish.
Chapter 3 Magnetic Resonance Measurements in a-Si:H

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the information available from magnetic resonance measurements. These come into two categories: nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron spin resonance (ESR). Nuclear magnetic resonance gives insights on the environment near a given atom (H or D) because it senses how the nuclear field is distorted by that of neighboring atoms. Two types of configuration are found: isolated SiH that gives a narrow resonance line riding on top of a broad resonance due to clusters of hydrogen atoms, probably in microvoids. Nuclear magnetic resonance data of boron suggest that B is mostly threefold coordinated, thus explaining the low doping efficiency of B in a-Si:H. There is also evidence that B is bonded to at least one H and that 1% of the hydrogen is in the molecular H2 form. Electron spin resonance probes the resonance of unpaired electrons. Silicon dangling bonds have a characteristic resonance corresponding to a gyromagnetic ratio g = 2.0055. There are about 1019 cm–3 dangling bonds in a-Si; their concentration drops by several orders of magnitude in a-Si:H, becoming as low as 1015cm–3­­. The evolution of H and the restructuring of bonds can be followed by ESR. Phosphorus doping yields a resonance at g = 2.004, whereas that of B occurs at g = 2.013. Optical excitation produces a light-induced ESR that decays in time. High-intensity optical excitation creates metastable states owing to dangling bonds that can be annealed thermally.
CLOSURE ON ELECTRICAL DISPERSION IN RELATION TO SOIL STRUCTURE

KEE PRESENTED TEST DATA TO INDICATE THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE AND MOISTURE CONTENT FOR COMPACTED SOILS HAS A CHARACTERISTIC SHAPE SUCH THAT OPTIMUM MOISTURE CONTENT IS EASILY DEFINED. THESE DATA SUPPLEMENT THOSE PRESENTED BY THE WRITER AND PROVIDE FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT THE ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SOILS ARE RELATED. REFERENCES: ELECTRICAL DISPERSION IN RELATION TO SOIL STRUCTURE, JAMES K. MITCHELL, KANDIAH ARULANANDAN, ASCE PROCEEDINGS PAPER 5853, MARCH, 1968.
Una Contribución biográfica a la historia del partido comunista salvadoreño

Resumen Entrevista realizada a un dirigente del Partido Comunista Salvadoreno entre 1932 y la decada de 1960. Abstract An interview with a leader of the Salvadorean Communist Party from 1932 to the 1960s.
Solving Case Studies through Asynchronous Learning Networks: Possibilities and Limitations

Business Schools have been using case studies to present real or hypothetical situations to bridge the gapbetween knowledge and action. New communication technologies can be incorporated into the casemethod of teaching, allowing participants to be in different locations and to work at their own convenience.An Asynchronous Learning Network is a Computer-Mediated Communication System to support"anytime/anywhere" interaction by providing a combination of database and conferencing system. A fieldexperiment was conducted to test the effectiveness of an ALN vs. traditional manual methods at both theindividual and group level for the solution of a case study. Findings indicate that groups working in anasynchronous networked environment produced better and more complete solutions to the case study, butwere less satisfied with the interaction process. Further research in the implementation of ALN's promisesto enhance the quality of education and to provide future managers with essential expertise in newcommunication technologies.
The relationship between classroom interactions and exclusionary discipline as a social practice: A critical microethnograhy

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Linguistic Anthropology Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons
Freeze-Induced Dehydration and Membrane Destabilization in Plants

A multitude of potentially lethal stresses occurs during a freeze/thaw cycle, including thermal, mechanical, chemical, osmotic, and possibly even electrical perturbations. Nevertheless, there is a general consensus that, in the absence of intracellular ice formation, freeze-induced cell dehydration is a primary cause of freezing injury. Although this was first proposed by Muller-Thurgau in 1886, the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for dehydration-induced injury have begun to be elucidated only recently (Steponkus 1984; Steponkus and Lynch 1989b).
Upregulation of ATF3 inhibits expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 during Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection.

Summary Neisseria gonorrhoeae regulates the expression of epithelial cell genes, activates cytoprotective pathways in the infected cell and protects it from apoptosis. Many of these responses are enhanced by the Type IV pilus (Tfp). We tested the hypothesis that N. gonorrhoeae modulates the innate immune response by inducing expression of ATF3, a transcription factor that negatively regulates the expression of many cytokine genes. We further determined whether Tfp are involved in these events. We found that N. gonorrhoeae induces ATF3 expression in mucosal epithelial cells through activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases. Maximal ATF3 expression requires Tfp retraction. Knocking down endogenous levels of ATF3 results in higher levels of IL-6 transcript. Our findings strongly suggest that ATF3 is involved in suppressing cytokine expression during gonococcal infection. We propose a model for the role of ATF3 in the context of N. gonorrhoeae infection.
High-temperature remote thermometry using laser-induced fluorescence decay lifetime measurements of Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/:Eu and YAG:Tb thermographic phosphors

An Nd:YAG-laser-based remote sensing system for determining the surface temperature of substrates coated with thermographic phosphors has been developed. The fluorescence decay lifetime versus temperature measurements obtained for Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/:Eu (4.52% Ec) and YAG:Tb (5% Tb) over the temperature range 27 degrees C-1095 degrees C are presented. Both phosphors can be used for continuous temperature measurements over the range of approximately 550 degrees C-1000 degrees C. Stepwise regression analysis is used to calculate empirical relationships expressing temperature as a function of the measured fluorescence lifetimes for both phosphors beyond the onset temperature quenching point. The accuracy of the temperature measurements was estimated to be +or-5%. The intensities of the 611-nm Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/:Eu and the 544-nm YAG:Tb emission lines as a function of temperature are compared. >
Online Academic Integrity

Psychology students completed a task with reinforcement for successful performance. We tested academic integrity under randomly assigned conditions of check mark acknowledgment of an honor pledge, typed honor pledge, or no pledge. Across all conditions, 14.1% of students inflated their self-reported performance (i.e., cheated). We found no significant differences in the likelihood of cheating under differing honor pledge conditions. Students were more likely to cheat in late semester (20.2% and 16.0%) compared to the early semester condition (9.6%). Our research is important in understanding the frequency and timing of online academic dishonesty.
External influence on firms: An exploratory model of bank strategies

Abstract Commercial banks, as providers of capital, influence the decisions of their client firms in decline. This article examines the strategies used by a bank while responding to financial difficulty in its clients. Five strategies are identified: managerial turnaround, restructuring, financial workout, legal, and exit. These are dependent on the causes of the problem in the firms, secured status of the loan, severity of the problem, client's cooperation, and turnaround ability of the management. The implications of the findings and directions for further research are discussed.
A language for automatically enforcing privacy policies

It is becoming increasingly important for applications to protect sensitive data. With current techniques, the programmer bears the burden of ensuring that the application's behavior adheres to policies about where sensitive values may flow. Unfortunately, privacy policies are difficult to manage because their global nature requires coordinated reasoning and enforcement. To address this problem, we describe a programming model that makes the system responsible for ensuring adherence to privacy policies. The programming model has two components: 1) core programs describing functionality independent of privacy concerns and 2) declarative, decentralized policies controlling how sensitive values are disclosed. Each sensitive value encapsulates multiple views; policies describe which views are allowed based on the output context. The system is responsible for automatically ensuring that outputs are consistent with the policies. We have implemented this programming model in a new functional constraint language named Jeeves. In Jeeves, sensitive values are introduced as symbolic variables and policies correspond to constraints that are resolved at output channels. We have implemented Jeeves as a Scala library using an SMT solver as a model finder. In this paper we describe the dynamic and static semantics of Jeeves and the properties about policy enforcement that the semantics guarantees. We also describe our experience implementing a conference management system and a social network.
Microscale compression molding of Al with surface engineered LiGA inserts

High temperature compression molding of Al plates with high-aspect-ratio microscale mold inserts was carried out. The bulk of the mold insert consists of electrodeposited Ni, fabricated with the LiGA (Lithographie, Galvanoformung, Abformung) technique. Both as-fabricated Ni inserts and Ni inserts conformally coated with a Ti-containing hydrocarbon (Ti-C:H) coating were used for Al micromolding at temperatures ∼450 °C. In-situ measurements of compression molding force, demolding force, and insert displacement were carried out. Insert conditions and microscale features generated on Al plates by molding were examined. Our results show that as-fabricated Ni inserts are not suitable for Al micromolding, and that Ni inserts conformally coated with a Ti-C:H coating allow repeated Al micromolding with 100% transfer of microscale features from the insert to the molded Al plate. Our results demonstrate, to our knowledge for the first time, successful replication of high-aspect-ratio Al microscale structures by high temperature compression micromolding.
Henry Freund: 1896–1982

Abstract Dr. Henry Freund was one of the foremost authorities on stuttering in Europe, and his contributions on the psychology of the disorder continued after emigrating to this country. He was a neurologist and psychiatrist, as well as a speech pathologist. He died in 1982, and in this posthumous paper he describes his career and personal experiences, while undergoing therapy from the most famous European speech pathologists of his time. He also offers some cogent comments about current therapies and future needs.
Heavy-atom effects associated with methylmercury(II) binding to rabbit glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

The complex of CH3Hg(II) with the accessible cysteines of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPD, EC 1.2.1.12) from rabbit muscle has been studied by phosphorescence and optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectroscopy. The wavelength dependence of the phosphorescence decay kinetics has also been measured. Comparison of CH3Hg(II)–GAPD with GAPD by these methods shows that a specific optically resolved tryptophan site of GAPD is perturbed by the interaction with a nearby mercury atom. The perturbation on the luminescence and ODMR properties is typical of an external heavy-atom effect. Based on the x-ray diffraction structure of the lobster enzyme, it is proposed that the heavy-atom effect results from the interaction of tryptophan-310 with CH3Hg(II) bound to cysteine-281 in the rabbit muscle enzyme.
High-energy electroproduction and the constitution of the electric current

The asymptotic behavior of electroproduction cross sections is shown to contain information about the constitution of the electric current.