cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review article: spontaneous bacterial peritonitis--bacteriology, diagnosis, treatment, risk factors and prevention

SummaryBackground Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a severe and often fatal infection in patients with cirrhosis and ascites. Aim To review the known and changing bacteriology, risk factors, ascitic fluid interpretation, steps in performing paracentesis, treatment, prophylaxis and evolving perspectives related to SBP. Methods Information was obtained from reviewing medical literature accessible on PubMed Central. The search term ‘spontaneous bacterial peritonitis’ was cross-referenced with ‘bacteria’, ‘risk factors’, ‘ascites’, ‘paracentesis’, ‘ascitic fluid analysis’, ‘diagnosis’, ‘treatment’, ‘antibiotics’, ‘prophylaxis’, ‘liver transplantation’ and ‘nutrition’. Results Gram-positive cocci (GPC) such as Staphylococcus, Enterococcus as well as multi-resistant bacteria have become common pathogens and have changed the conventional approach to treatment of SBP. Health care-associated and nosocomial SBP infections should prompt greater vigilance and consideration for alternative antibiotic coverage. Acid suppressive and beta-adrenergic antagonist therapies are strongly associated with SBP in at-risk individuals. Conclusions Third-generation, broad-spectrum cephalosporins remain a good initial choice for SBP treatment. Levofloxacin is an acceptable alternative for patients not receiving long-term flouroquinolone prophylaxis or for those with a penicillin allergy. For uncomplicated SBP, early oral switch therapy is reasonable. Alternative antibiotics such as pipercillin–tazobactam should be considered for patients with nosocomial SBP or for patients who fail to improve on traditional antibiotic regimens. Selective albumin supplementation remains an important adjunct in SBP treatment. Withholding acid suppressive medication deserves strong consideration, and discontinuing beta-adrenergic antagonist therapy in patients with end-stage liver disease and resistant ascites is standard care. Liver transplant evaluation should be undertaken for patients who develop SBP barring contraindications.
Facial nerve palsy associated with a low serum vitamin A level in an infant with cystic fibrosis

A previously healthy 10-week-old infant presented with isolated unilateral facial nerve paralysis which progressed to bilateral paralysis over a 2-week period. Evaluation including MRI and CT of the brain and facial nerve, CSF evaluation and EMG yielded no diagnosis. A single F508 gene mutation on the newborn screen prompted sweat chloride testing which confirmed a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. On measurement of fat-soluble vitamins, levels of vitamin A were approximately 10% of the lower normal range, in the absence of objective evidence of pseudotumor cerebri. This case emphasizes an important association between hypovitaminosis A, cystic fibrosis and facial nerve palsy.
Marketing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation training programs to nontraditional responders

Purpose – To illustrate the challenges involved in communicating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation information and providing lay person training to improve the chance of survival for persons suffering out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest.Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 78 lay persons employed by manufacturing firms in an industrial park were surveyed and asked to identify their attitudes toward and knowledge of lifesaving techniques and willingness to participate in CPR and AED training programs.Findings – Findings suggest that most employees were interested in learning how to administer CPR and defibrillation. However, few had received training. The data also showed that training and relationship with a victim are determinants of level of comfort and willingness to engage in behaviors that would save a life.Research limitations/implications – Results are not necessarily representative of all programs or employees in industrial settings. Sample is US based, which may limit its gen...
Grain imports and food security in an unstable international market

Abstract The paper explores a decision theoretic approach to deriving excess demand functions for grain for food deficit foreign-exchange constrained developing countries. The form of excess demand functions derived is consistent with empirically observed ones. Different strategies to improve on the country's food security are investigated using the expected value of a criterion incorporating foreign exchange and the cost of not satisfying domestic requirements. The results indicate that, besides a drive toward self-sufficiency, by reducing variability of grain requirements with the help, for example, of domestic buffer stocks and by improving the domestic crop information system, a country can go a long way toward improving its international food security position.
Matrices engineered with gradients in rigidity guide stem cell migration and polarize the cytoskeleton

Tissues all have characteristic stiffness that can be represented with elastic modulus. The role this may have in guiding cell migration and in particular stem cell migration to areas of fibrotic matrix is not elucidated. Matrix with gradient in rigidity was used to guide stem cell migration as well as polarize the cell's cytoskeleton.
Enhanced rotation sensing by nonlinear interactions in silicon microresonators

We analyze the effect of the nonlinear Kerr index of refraction and two-photon absorption (TPA) in a rotating silicon microring resonator coupled to waveguides in an add-drop configuration. The nonlinear index of refraction leads to a bifurcation of the intensities of two counterpropagating modes in the nonrotating state. This bifurcation also significantly enhances the intensity difference between these modes due to the Sagnac-induced frequency splitting of the modes in the rotating resonator. Although silicon resonators have a very large Kerr index, they also suffer from large TPA at telecom wavelengths. It is shown that despite TPA, the Kerr nonlinear enhancement to the rotation sensitivity is still of the order of 104. An analysis of typical detector noise indicates that a detection limit of <1 deg/h in a 1.4 mm radius resonator is achievable.
Clinical impact of second opinion in thyroid fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC): A study of 922 interinstitutional consultations

Interinstitutional consultation in pathology has shown to improve patient safety by detecting interpretive errors that may significantly impact clinical management. We conducted a study of 922 cases of thyroid FNAC slides, referred to our institution over a 2-year period, to assess the magnitude of discrepancies and determine the clinical impact of second opinion. Disagreements were categorized as none, minor or major, the latter two defined as one- or two-step deviations respectively on the NCI diagnostic categories scale. There were 122 disagreements (13%), including 44 major and 78 minor. Seventy-five patients underwent a change in management based on second opinion, in conjunction with clinical and radiologic findings (age, size of nodule, family history, ultrasonographic appearance, and solitary versus multiple nodules). The second opinion was supported on follow-up in 57% of major discrepancies, and the initial diagnosis was concurrent with the surgical diagnosis in 7% cases. The remainder (36%) of major discrepancy cases did not undergo surgery, precluding tissue confirmation. Critics have alleged increased costs due to interinstitutional consultations. However, cost avoidance from lost wages, potential surgical complications, and litigation is not easily quantified. Using a simplified calculation to objectively measure the costs associated with changed diagnoses, we estimate that second opinion of these 922 cases resulted in potential cost saving of $940,166 based on current Medicare reimbursement codes. Our study indicates the need for a quality-control program of outside thyroid FNA slides, especially in "high discrepancy categories" as discussed in the article.
Camp Sunrise: supporting bereaved children.

A four-day outdoor experience, Camp Sunrise was developed for youth who have had a family member or close friend die. During the camp, children are involved in activities which support the grieving process, and foster relationships with others who have experienced a significant loss.
Creeping fronts and travelling waves

Some of the ramifications of Wicke's work on creeping fronts in fixed beds are reviewed in this paper. His work laid the experimental foundations for model building by Vortmeyer and Jahnel on the one hand and by Amundson and Rhee on the other. These workers showed how slowly moving waves could arise in various models of these systems. The relation between such a creeping front and a travelling wave of fixed form is further discussed and some of the more recent biological applications are mentioned.
Complete feedback invariant form for linear output feedback

It will be shown that a complete set of feedback invariants for linear (or static) output feedback is explicitly defined under the Grassman space framework. Specifically, it is established that the Grassmann invariant form of linear multivariable system (rigorously, multivector nonzero decomposable form over a rational vector space associated with transfer function matrix), presents a global, minimal and complete feedback invariant form in linear output feedback pole-assignment condition. A former negative preclusion, nonclosed orbit problem for output feedback equivalence in linear algebraic group approach, is re-analyzed in the Grassmann invariant condition (so called, Plucker matrix full-rank condition). A constructive algorithm for the complete feedback invariant form is given and illustrated in a concrete way.
Trajectories of spheres in strong winds with application to wind-borne debris

In this paper, trajectories of spheres, carried by strong winds, are studied theoretically and numerically. The application is to wind-borne debris occurring in severe windstorms such as hurricanes. It is shown that the effect of vertical air resistance is significant, and should be included to accurately predict both horizontal and vertical velocities and displacements. Turbulence appears to have little effect on average trajectories, but produces significant variability in individual trajectories.
Temperament in a Fish: A Longitudinal Study of the Development of Individual Differences in Aggression and Social Rank in the Midas Cichlid

A longitudinal design was applied in a study of the development of individual differences in aggression, and their relationship to growth and sexual differentiation in the Midas cichlid, Cichlasoma citrinellum. Weight and standard length measurements, as well as several measures of aggression, were obtained at regular intervals. Size ranks within groups were stable over a period spanning an early juvenile phase through sexual maturity. Two of three aggression rank scores were also stable over this interval, but they did not relate in any direct way to social rank. As juveniles, males showed higher levels of aggression than females, but the reverse was true in adults. This sex-specific developmental change resulted both from an increase in female aggression at sexual maturity and a decline in male aggression at sexual maturity. Individuals showed distinct and stable behavioral profiles with respect to the combined aggression tests.
Improved load distribution in parallel sparse Cholesky factorization

Compared to the customary column oriented approaches, block oriented, distributed memory sparse Cholesky factorization benefits from an asymptotic reduction in interprocessor communication volume and an asymptotic increase in the amount of concurrency that is exposed in the problem. Unfortunately, block oriented approaches (specifically, the block fan out method) have suffered from poor balance of the computational load. As a result, achieved performance can be quite low. The paper investigates the reasons for this load imbalance and proposes simple block mapping heuristics that dramatically improve it. The result is a roughly 20% increase in realized parallel factorization performance, as demonstrated by performance results from an Intel Paragon system. We have achieved performance of nearly 3.2 billion floating point operations per second with this technique on a 196 node Paragon system. >
Administrative barriers reduce emergency physician ordering of nasal and acromiodavicular joint radiographs

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine whether administrative barriers to clinician ordering of nasal bone and acromioclavicular (AC) joint radiographs would result in a significant diminution in emergency department use of these films and in patient charges. This study involved a retrospective cohort or pre-post analysis of radiograph ordering by emergency care providers seeing adult patients with nasal area or shoulder injuries. Numbers of films ordered before and after enactment of a restrictive policy change were determined, as well as any charge reductions associated with diminished film use. For each radiograph type, there was a 1-year preintervention period, and 2 subsequent 12-month periods after the policy change. Nasal bone radiographs decreased from 166 in 1994 to 10 in 1995 and 4 in 1996 ( P 2 ). This resulted in potential annual charge savings of $33,176. AC joint radiographs decreased from 35 films in 1994 to 5 in 1995 and 8 in 1996 ( P 2 ), with potential annual charge savings of $6,578. Adoption of an interdepartmental policy that prohibits physicians from routinely ordering radiographs of limited clinical value can result in significant reduction of radiograph use. This drop in use can lead to considerable reductions in patient charges. (Am J Emerg Med 2002;20:541-543. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.)
Learning outcomes’ role in higher education teaching

Purpose – The purpose of this multiple-case study was to examine the ambiguity surrounding course learning outcomes and how they are perceived by faculty members in four private universities, while simultaneously investigating the dominant teaching perspectives, practices and assessment techniques. In parallel, theory of constructive alignment was shared with faculty members and students as a possible teaching-learning model. Design/methodology/approach – This study is a qualitative multiple-case study designed based on Yin’s (2009) case study protocol and Stake’s (2006) cross-case analysis report. In the process, 52 faculty members were interviewed, and 38 of the 52 were observed teaching, plus 15 of 52, faculty members participated in separate focus groups about constructive alignment. Further, 18 students were interviewed in separate focus groups to find out how they perceive effective teaching and constructive alignment. Findings – The findings showed why faculty members misunderstood the course learn...
Accounting for the quality of work life

This study describes the development and issuance of an independent report on the quality of work life in a Corporation. The theory underlying the report, criteria, definitions, measurement procedures, the properties of the measures, and report itself are presented. A survey indicating a favourable reception to the data by stockholders, financial analysts, and employees is analysed. Recommendations for increased collaboration between accountants and behavioural scientists in the measurement and assessment of the quality of work life are presented in an effort to stimulate further research in the development of standardized measures and in the preparation of independent reports on the quality of work life in organizations.
The electrostatic effect for the collisionless tearing mode

Electron dynamics has not been self-consistently considered in collisionless tearing mode theories to date because of the mathematical complexity of the Vlasov-Maxwell equations. It has been found, using computer simulations, that electrostatic fields play an important role in the tearing mode. Vlasov theory, including the electrostatic field, is investigated for topologies with both antiparallel and nonantiparallel magnetic field lines. The electrostatic field influences the resonant current in the neutral sheet which is a non-MHD effect, and modifies the linear growth rate. At the magnetopause, where the field lines are not antiparallel, the electrostatic effect acts to raise the linear growth rate of the tearing mode. On the other hand, in the magnetotail, where magnetic field lines are antiparallel, the electrostatic effect reduces the tearing mode growth rate.
Posture matching and elastic registration of a mouse atlas to surface topography range data

Estimation of internal mouse anatomy is required for quantitative bioluminescence or fluorescence tomography. However, only surface range data can be recovered from all-optical systems. These data are at times sparse or incomplete. We present a method for fitting an elastically deformable mouse atlas to surface topographic range data acquired by an optical system. In this method, we first match the postures of a deformable atlas and the range data of the mouse being imaged. This is achieved by aligning manually identified landmarks. We then minimize the asymmetric L2 pseudo-distance between the surface of the deformable atlas and the surface topography range data. Once this registration is accomplished, the internal anatomy of the atlas is transformed to the coordinate system of the range data using elastic energy minimization. We evaluated our method by using it to register a digital mouse atlas to a surface model produced from a manually labeled CT mouse data set. Dice coefficents indicated excellent agreement in the brain and heart, with fair agreement in the kidneys and bladder. We also present example results produced using our method to align the digital mouse atlas to surface range data.
Hamel's paradox and the foundations of analytical dynamics

This paper deals with an explanation of a paradox posed by Hamel in his 1949 book on Theoretical Mechanics. The explanation deals with the foundations of mechanics and points to new insights into analytical dynamics.
Caption-aided face location in newspaper photographs

The human face is an object that is easily located in complex scenes by humans and adults alike. Yet the development of an automated system to perform this task is extremely challenging. This paper is about developing computational procedures to locate human faces in newspaper photographs where scenes are often cluttered making object location non-trivial. On the other hand, the task is made feasible by constraints which follow naturally from rules in photo-journalism. Faces identified by the caption are clearly depicted without occlusion and contrast against the background and sizes of faces fall within a fixed range depending on the dimensions of the photograph and the number of people featuring in it. >
The Federal Civil Service: The Demise of an Institution

Recent changes in federal personnel practices, ostensibly for the purpose of “performance,” serve to deprive the civil service of its moral content and hence to undermine its viability as an institution.
Cancer Screening before and after Switching to a High-Deductible Health Plan

Results: Cancer screening in the high-deductible health plan group was unchanged from baseline to follow-up (adjusted ratios of change, 1.04 [95% CI, 0.91 to 1.19] for breast cancer, 1.04 [CI, 0.92 to 1.17] for cervical cancer, and 1.02 [CI, 0.89 to 1.16] for colorectal cancer). High-deductible health plan members had colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and DCBE less often (ratio of change, 0.73 [CI, 0.56 to 0.95]) and FOBT more often (ratio of change, 1.16 [CI, 1.01 to 1.33]) than HMO members. Limitations: Population screening frequency was probably underestimated because the study could not assess screening before the baseline year. The study may have included people ineligible for screening because of previous colectomy, mastectomy, or hysterectomy. The findings are limited to a population with relatively high socioeconomic status, which is typical of employed, commercially insured populations. Conclusion: Members of a high-deductible health plan did not seem to change their use of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening when tests were fully covered. However, members may have substituted a fully covered screening test (FOBT) for tests subject to the deductible (colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and DCBE).
Predicting lexical proficiency in language learner texts using computational indices

The authors present a model of lexical proficiency based on lexical indices related to vocabulary size, depth of lexical knowledge, and accessibility to core lexical items. The lexical indices used...
Scattering from a dielectric circular cylinder partially clad by a perfect electric conductor

A rigorous field analysis of scattering from a dielectric circular cylinder partially clad by a perfect electric conductor, and excited by a magnetic or electric line current in the free space outside the dielectric cylinder, is given in this paper. The field equivalence theorem is utilised to derive, for each excitation, a system of coupled integral equations for the equivalent magnetic and induced currents on the dielectric interface and the perfectly electrical conductor, respectively. Galerkin's method is applied to determine the unknown equivalent currents, which are used to determine the scattered field outside and inside the dielectric cylinder. Numerical results for the equivalent magnetic currents, far scattered field patterns, and radar cross-section of the problem are given for TE and TM polarisations. It has been shown that the radar cross-section is reduced by increasing the dielectric constant of the dielectric cylinder, and the far field is changed by increasing the arc length of the perfect electric conductor.
The Utility of EOQ in Supply Chain Design and Operation

Supply chain design and operation problems are complicated in many fronts due to intervened decision making. One of the main complications is related to inventory decisions and costs. In many cases, considering inventory in the overall supply chain domain introduces stochastic and nonlinear formulations. Ignoring inventories, as in the traditional approach, results in inferior supply chain designs and operations in terms of cost performance. Economic order quantity (EOQ) models, with their simplicity, intuitive explanation, and clear implementation, aid in the resolution of these issues in a number of integrated supply chain problem contexts. In this chapter, we summarize the role and utility of EOQ models in these integrated supply chain design and operation problems. Specifically, we consider the three pillars of supply chain management: location, transportation, and inventory. We discuss how EOQ models ease the analysis of integrated supply chain models under each pillar in detail including inventory-location models, inventory-routing models, and multi-echelon inventory models.
The Clinical and Economic Benefits of Co-Testing Versus Primary HPV Testing for Cervical Cancer Screening: A Modeling Analysis.

Abstract Background: Consensus United States cervical cancer screening guidelines recommend use of combination Pap plus human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for women aged 30 to 65 years. An HPV test was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2014 for primary cervical cancer screening in women age 25 years and older. Here, we present the results of clinical-economic comparisons of Pap plus HPV mRNA testing including genotyping for HPV 16/18 (co-testing) versus DNA-based primary HPV testing with HPV 16/18 genotyping and reflex cytology (HPV primary) for cervical cancer screening. Methods: A health state transition (Markov) model with 1-year cycling was developed using epidemiologic, clinical, and economic data from healthcare databases and published literature. A hypothetical cohort of one million women receiving triennial cervical cancer screening was simulated from ages 30 to 70 years. Screening strategies compared HPV primary to co-testing. Outcomes included total and incremental differences in c...
Robotic gait assistive technology as means to aggressive mobilization strategy in acute rehabilitation following severe diffuse axonal injury: a case study.

AbstractIntroduction: Diffuse axonal injury is a prominent cause of disablement post-traumatic brain injury. Utilization of the rapid expansion of our current scientific knowledge base combined with greater access to neurological and assistive technology as adjuncts to providing sensorimotor experience may yield innovative new approaches to rehabilitation based upon a dynamic model of brain response following injury. Case description: A 24-year-old female who sustained a traumatic brain injury, bilateral subdural hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage and severe diffuse axonal injury secondary to a motor vehicle collision. Discussion and conclusions: Evidence-based appraisal of present literature suggests a link between graded intensity of aerobic activity to facilitation of neuro-plastic change and up-regulation of neurotrophins essential to functional recovery post-diffuse axonal injury. Following resolution of paroxysmal autonomic instability with dystonia, aggressive early mobilization techniques were pr...
One stage functional hepatectomy in the rat.

SummaryA method is described whereby the portal vein is directly anastomosed to the left renal vein in the rat by a nonsuture method of blood vessel anastomosis. The complete direct Eck fistula produced in a one-stage operation coupled with ligation of the hepatic artery results in the preparation of a functionally hepatectomized animal. The survival time in a series of 12 rats thus prepared averaged 11 1/2 hours.
Basic Research Informing the Use of Token Economies in Applied Settings

Token economies have been used to prompt and organize human economic behavior for centuries. Features important to the establishment and maintenance of token systems began to be formally studied in the laboratory around the turn of the twentieth century. Since that time, their utility in application has been considered one of the most important advances not only within behavior analysis but also in the field of psychology more generally. This chapter reviews laboratory research that has proven foundational to understanding how best to profitably arrange token economies in application. Literature concerning the relative influence of token economic features (token production, exchange production, and token exchange) is reviewed, along with research addressing how best to condition tokens as important stimuli, how to train extended behavioral chains, and how the inclusion of aversive techniques impacts responding. Beyond providing a basis for the effective development and implementation of token economies, the following will ideally function to advance the translational interchange between research and application regarding issues of social importance.
Supporting Play Exploration and Early Development Intervention From NICU to Home: A Feasibility Study.

Purpose:To determine the feasibility of completing a clinical trial of Supporting Play Exploration and Early Development Intervention (SPEEDI) that blends early and intense intervention with family support during the transition from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to home and the community.M
Determination of 27 organophosphorous pesticide residues in drinking water by solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography

Objective:A method for the determination of 27 organophosphorus pesticide residues(OPPs) in drinking water by solid phase microextraction(SPME) coupled with gas chromatography(GC) was developed and validated.Methods:The extraction conditions were optimized with the results of extraction fiber of PDMS-DVB,string rate of 1150 rpm,extraction time of 45 min,extraction temperature of 60℃.Results:The good linearities were obtained for 27 OPPs(r0.990).The detection limits were between 4.3~87 ng/L.The average recoveries were between 76.4%~112.9% and relative satandard deviations 1.5%~9.7%.Conclusion:The proposed method has the advantages of solvent-free sample preparation,simplicity of the procedure,good sensitivity and the reproducibility.
Robot learning with a spatial, temporal, and causal and-or graph

We propose a stochastic graph-based framework for a robot to understand tasks from human demonstrations and perform them with feedback control. It unifies both knowledge representation and action planning in the same hierarchical data structure, allowing a robot to expand its spatial, temporal, and causal knowledge at varying levels of abstraction. The learning system can watch human demonstrations, generalize learned concepts, and perform tasks in new environments, across different robotic platforms. We show the success of our system by having a robot perform a cloth-folding task after watching few human demonstrations. The robot can accurately reproduce the learned skill, as well as generalize the task to other articles of clothing.
Surface-enhanced optical phenomena in nanostructured fractal materials

Publisher Summary This chapter considers surface-enhanced optical phenomena in objects with fractal morphology, such as aggregates of nanoparticles, self-affine surfaces, and random metaldielectric thin films. It is shown that optical modes of such nanostructured random objects consist of localized sharp peaks resulting in very inhomogeneous spatial distributions of local fields. In peaks (hot spots), local fields exceed the applied field by several orders of magnitudes. These peaks are localized in nm-sized areas and they result from the excitation of the fractal plasmon modes. The strongly fluctuating fields associated with the sharp peaks in various random parts of a fractal lead to giant enhancements of optical processes, especially, nonlinear ones that are proportional to the enhanced local field raised to a power higher than 1. The enhancement in these peaks is much larger (by several orders of magnitude) than the ensemble-average enhancement partially because the peaks are separated by distances much larger than the mode spatial sizes. Another important reason is related to the fact that the well-separated peaks represent often topologically disconnected parts of the same mode and therefore are correlated in phase. Destructive (in part) interference between the local field in different parts of a film results in the decreased average enhancements. It is shown experimentally that, in accordance with the theoretical predictions, the degree of localization of optical excitations increases toward longer wavelengths.
FlexSEA-Execute: Advanced motion controller for wearable robotic applications

Wearable robots, such as powered prostheses and active exoskeletons, often rely on electric motors for actuation. Emulating biological joint angle and torque profiles requires special sensors, high peak power and advanced real-time controls. Safety is paramount and fail-safe circuits are required to detect and correct problematic situations. A smaller, lighter circuit can lead to a more efficient and affordable robot. Few commercial motor drivers accommodate all of these requirements. In this paper we present FlexSEA-Execute (Figure 1), the advanced motion controller part of FlexSEA, the FLEXible, Scalable Electronics Architecture designed for wearable robotic applications. At 36cm3 and 34.8g, this PSoC-based design integrates a 8A/25A (continuous/pulse) brushed/brushless motor driver, a safety co-processor, multi-drop RS-485, a strain gauge amplifier, a 6-axis inertial motion unit (IMU), USB, and a programmable expansion connector.
Factors influencing patients’ receptiveness to evidence-based recommendations during the clinical encounter

Aim: To identify the factors that promote or interfere with evidence-based clinical decisions from the patient perspective. Materials & methods: We developed four hypothetical scenarios with clinical decisions, such as whether to pursue testing for a chronic condition. We conducted eight focus groups to better understand the influences on individuals' decisions in the context of the scenarios. Results: A patient's relationship with a physician emerged as the strongest influence on whether participants would accept or reject a physician's recommendation. Various patient characteristics and a patient's financial capacity were also important influences. Conclusion: Our findings point to the potential for interventions that improve communications and relationships between physicians and patients to promote evidence-based care.
Shared Book Reading and Preschool Children's Academic Achievement: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort.

This paper examines the relationships among the quality and quantity of parent–child shared book reading (SBR) engagements and children's reading and mathematics outcomes in preschool. Additionally, we explore how child and family characteristics predict the quality and quantity of SBR. Quantity was measured using parental reports of the frequency of SBR. Quality was measured by observational protocols evaluating for questioning, vocabulary, and discussion depth. A structural equation model was estimated using data from a nationally representative sample of 700 children living in the United States from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Birth cohort. Results indicated that the quality of book reading was associated with children's mathematics outcomes, and the quantity was associated with reading outcomes controlling for contextual variables. Socioeconomic status, race or ethnicity, and children's age predicted the quality and quantity of book reading experiences. These findings indicate that frequent exposure to high-quality book reading may positively impact children's mathematics and reading development, but that variation in SBR exists. SBR is a common practice among many parents; helping parents understand the multiple benefits of the practice may further increase the frequency and quality of the engagement. Implications for research and practice are addressed. Highlights This paper describes the relationship between parental book reading practices, mathematics, and reading outcomes. Structural equation models reveal relationships between the quantity of book reading and children's reading outcomes, as well as the quality of book reading and children's mathematics outcomes. High-quality book reading may positively impact academic achievement in multiple domains, but results may vary based on contextual factors.
Pricing and bidding strategies for cloud computing spot instances

We consider a cloud service based on spot instances and explore bidding and pricing strategies aimed at optimizing users' utility and provider's revenue, respectively. Our focus is on jobs that are heterogeneous in both valuation and sensitivity to execution delay. Of particular interest is the impact of correlation in these two dimensions. We characterize optimal bidding and pricing strategies under some simplifying assumptions, and more importantly highlight the impact of correlation in determining the benefits of a spot service over an on-demand service. We also provide a preliminary assessment of the results' robustness under more general assumptions.
Droplet frequency sensor: A new modality for sensitive, label-free, inline biochemical detection

Inline detectors are routinely used in biochemical analysis, but they have tradeoffs between cost, sensitivity, and the need for labeling. We introduce a novel sensor modality, the droplet frequency sensor (DFS): a sensitive, label-free, inline detector for proteins and surface-active chemicals. The DFS uses a pressure-driven, flow-focusing microfluidic drop generator whose frequency shifts systematically as analytes pass through the device. We hypothesize that the shift is due to changes in interfacial tension and hydrodynamic drag when surface-active analytes adsorb to the liquid-liquid interface. Due to the favorable scaling of interfacial phenomena, the DFS achieves high sensitivity at small length scales. Initial experiments demonstrate a limit of detection of 12.5 femtomoles (200pg) of L-galectin, and 30 femtomoles (2ng) of bovine serum albumin.
Tissue Structure: A CIVICs Lesson for Adipocytes

Summary A new study upends the clear distinction between cell–cell adhesion and cell–matrix adhesion by showing that type IV collagen is essential for inter-adipocyte adhesion in the Drosophila fat body.
Religion and desistance from substance use among adolescent offenders: The role of cognitive functioning.

BACKGROUND Religious beliefs and practices have been shown to have some association with desistance from offending, as have cognitive processes, including emotion regulation, self-control, reasoning, learning, and empathy. Religious behaviours may, however, be moderated or mediated by cognitive abilities, but few studies take this into account. AIM The aim of this study was to assess the role of cognitive ability in any relationship between religious beliefs and behaviours and desistance from substance use among adolescents. METHOD Data were extracted from the Pathways to Desistance Study dataset (n = 1,354). Religious measures were self-rated importance of religion, helpfulness of religion in dealing with problems, and attendance at religious services. Cognitive measures were the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence and Trail Making Tests. A count of numbers of mind-altering substances used constituted the main substance measure. Control variables included sex, age, and age of onset of offending. RESULTS Mixed-effects longitudinal analyses revealed that religious behaviours did constitute a significant predictor of lower substance use for young people after a criminal conviction, after controlling for changes in employment, social support, and delinquent peer association, but only among those with average or above cognitive function. CONCLUSIONS These findings may explain why there have been some discrepancies in previous studies of religion and substance misuse. They may also have important implications for the training of anyone delivering programmes to young people in prison that have faith-based elements, including community faith group leaders and volunteers.
Beyond Design: Implementing Effective Production Work Teams

Achieving sustainable quality performance gains following production work team introduction requires that the work team implementation process be carefully designed and managed. The design of the w...
High-risk Staphylococcus aureus transmission in the operating room: A call for widespread improvements in perioperative hand hygiene and patient decolonization practices

BACKGROUND Increased awareness of the epidemiology of transmission of pathogenic bacterial strain characteristics may help to improve compliance with intraoperative infection control measures. Our aim was to characterize the epidemiology of intraoperative transmission of high-risk Staphylococcus aureus sequence types (STs). METHODS S aureus isolates collected from 3 academic medical centers underwent whole cell genome analysis, analytical profile indexing, and biofilm absorbance. Transmission dynamics for hypertransmissible, strong biofilm-forming, antibiotic-resistant, and virulent STs were assessed. RESULTS S aureus ST 5 was associated with increased risk of transmission (adjusted incidence risk ratio, 6.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.82-24.41; P = .0008), greater biofilm absorbance (ST 5 median absorbance ± SD, 3.08 ± 0.642 vs other ST median absorbance ± SD, 2.38 ± 1.01; corrected P = .021), multidrug resistance (odds ratio, 7.82; 95% CI, 2.19-27.95; P = .002), and infection (6/38 ST 5 vs 6/140 STs; relative risk, 3.68; 95% CI, 1.26-10.78; P = .022). Provider hands (n = 3) and patients (n = 4) were confirmed sources of ST 5 transmission. Transmission locations included provider hands (n = 3), patient skin sites (n = 4), and environmental surfaces (n = 2). All observed transmission stories involved the within-case mode of transmission. Two of the ST 5 transmission events were directly linked to infection. CONCLUSIONS Intraoperative S aureus ST 5 isolates are hypertransmissible and pathogenic. Improved compliance with hand hygiene and patient decolonization may help to control the spread of these dangerous pathogens.
Communicating Public Earthquake Risk Information

Efforts in the United States continue to communicate information about earthquake risk to the public. These efforts fall into two categories. First, risk is communicated to inform and educate citizens about general earthquake risk. Second, risk is communicated in reference to the prediction of warning of a specific impending earthquake. Central to both risk communication types are the perceptions which the public forms about earthquake risk since these perceptions direct public behavior.
Nutritional Requirements in Aging

The number of Americans living to 65 years (an arbitrary, and possibly obsolete, cutoff) is increasing. Katz et al. (1983) estimated that men and women aged 65–69 years in Massachusetts had 13.1 and 19.5 years of life remaining, respectively. At age 85, remaining years of life were 6.5 for men and 7.7 for women. As the life span has continued to increase, the recognition has come that attention needs to be paid to the nutritional requirements of the elderly. These requirements are influenced by the physiological realities of aging as well as by sociological and psychological factors which do not play an important role in younger persons. All these problems must be addressed in order to provide the elderly with a diet replete in macro- and micronutrients.
Solving Problems with a High-Level Programming Language

This chapter presents a general approach to using computers to solve certain kinds of computational problems. It describes instructions and data types common to structured programming with high-level procedural languages and defines a specific strategy for developing algorithms that can easily be translated into a language such as Fortran. It includes a short Fortran program that you can copy and execute on the computer you will be using for a course based on this text.
Images of the Jew

There is hardly an aspect of contemporary history more irritating and mystifying than the fact that of all the great unsolved political questions of our century, it should have been this seemingly small and unimportant Jewish problem that had the dubious honor of setting the whole infernal machine in motion. Such discrepancies between cause and effect outrage our common sense, to say nothing of the historian's sense of balance and harmony.
Challenges in the Creation of Mixed-Use Affordable Housing: Measuring and Explaining Its Limited Prevalence

Mixed-use affordable housing buildings collocate residences and commercial uses. The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program provides one mechanism to fund such structures. But the literature...
Ectopic thyroid tissue presenting as a new neck mass in a pediatric patient.

Abstract Ectopic thyroid tissue is an uncommon, but well-documented condition. We present a case of an ectopic thyroid gland with an atypical presentation as a new neck mass in a 3-year-old female without symptoms of hypothyroidism. Imaging confirmed ectopic thyroid and suggested thyroiditis due to hyperemia and heterogeneity on ultrasound. However, there were no laboratory findings of hypothyroidism. An understanding of anatomy and sonographic features of ectopic thyroid gland allows the radiologist to provide a more accurate differential diagnosis in the setting of a neck mass.
Most Recent Clinical Advances in CAR T Cell and Gene Therapy 2017/2018

Adoptive cell therapy with gene-engineered T cells bearing antitumor-reactive T-cell receptor or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) is a promising and rapidly evolving field of translational medicine. This approach has delivered exciting responses for some patients with lymphoid hematologic neoplasms, leading to recent US Food and Drug Administration approvals. Hematopoietic stem cellular gene therapy has also shown promising advances, with durable and potentially curative clinical benefit and without the potential toxicities of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant. However, for both of these novel strategies, many questions remain unanswered. Compared to synthetic viral gene addition therapy (e.g., CAR T-cell engineering), translation of gene-editing technologies to patient care is in its infancy. Multiple clinical trials are ongoing or expected to open for CAR T cell and inherited monogenic disorders (Gardner et al., Blood 129:3322–3331, 2017) (refer to subsequent disease-specific chapters in the book). In this chapter, we will highlight the most recent and clinically relevant developments in the arena of gene-modified T-cell-based therapies and hematopoietic stem cellular gene therapy specifically focusing on hematologic disorders. We will conclude the chapter by summarizing the apparent challenges and directions for the future.
The Evolution of Tribalism: A Social-Ecological Model of Cooperation and Inter-Group Conflict Under Pastoralism

This study investigates a possible nexus between inter-group competition and intra-group cooperation, which may be called "tribalism." Building upon previous studies demonstrating a relationship between the environment and social relations, the present research incorporates a social-ecological model as a mediating factor connecting both individuals and communities to the environment. Cyclical and non-cyclical fluctuation in a simple, two-resource ecology drive agents to adopt either "go-it-alone" or group-based survival strategies via evolutionary selection. Novelly, this simulation employs a multilevel selection model allowing group-level dynamics to exert downward selective pressures on individuals' propensity to cooperate within groups. Results suggest that cooperation and inter-group conflict are co-evolved in a triadic relationship with the environment. Resource scarcity increases inter-group competition, especially when resources are clustered as opposed to widely distributed. Moreover, the tactical advantage of cooperation in the securing of clustered resources enhanced selective pressure on cooperation, even if that implies increased individual mortality for the most altruistic warriors. Troubling, these results suggest that extreme weather, possibly as a result of climate change, could exacerbate conflict in sensitive, weather-dependent social-ecologies---especially places like the Horn of Africa where ecologically sensitive economic modalities overlap with high-levels of diversity and the wide-availability of small arms. As well, global development and foreign aid strategists should consider how plans may increase the value of particular locations where community resources are built or aid is distributed, potentially instigating tribal conflict. In sum, these factors, interacting with pre-existing social dynamics dynamics, may heighten inter-ethnic or tribal conflict in pluralistic but otherwise peaceful communities.