cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a Fuel-Based Oil and Gas Inventory of Nitrogen Oxides Emissions.

In this study, we develop an alternative Fuel-based Oil and Gas inventory (FOG) of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from oil and gas production using publicly available fuel use records and emission factors reported in the literature. FOG is compared with the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2014 National Emissions Inventory (NEI) and with new top-down estimates of NOx emissions derived from aircraft and ground-based field measurement campaigns. Compared to our top-down estimates derived in four oil and gas basins (Uinta, UT, Haynesville, TX/LA, Marcellus, PA, and Fayetteville, AR), the NEI overestimates NOx by over a factor of 2 in three out of four basins, while FOG is generally consistent with atmospheric observations. Challenges in estimating oil and gas engine activity, rather than uncertainties in NOx emission factors, may explain gaps between the NEI and top-down emission estimates. Lastly, we find a consistent relationship between reactive odd nitrogen species (NOy) and ambient methane (CH4) across basins w...
A method of directly defining the inverse mapping for solutions of non-linear coupled systems arising in convection heat transfer in a second grade fluid

Abstract In this paper, we extend Liao’s newly invented Directly Defining inverse Mapping Method (MDDiM) to obtain solutions to fourth order nonlinear systems arising in combined free and forced convection flow of a second-grade fluid, over a stretching sheet. Errors ranging from 10 − 5 to 10 − 9 are reported for a relatively few terms. The idea is novel and this is the first time MDDiM has been used for a fourth-order coupled system. So, this idea is not limited to a single equation, but can also be used for coupled equations. The same idea could be applied to systems of several equations, etc. Also, it is important to note that finding an inverse linear operator that works well (gives low error, or leads to easily generated solution terms, or both) for a specific type of problem would be worth investigating.
Variations of a Commonly Used Medication Adherence Assessment Scale: Do Changes in Scale Change Structure Results?

Background: Medication nonadherence is a major barrier to both patients and health care professionals when trying to manage medical conditions. An appropriate self-report adherence tool would be he...
Robustness of Coarrays of Sparse Arrays to Sensor Failures

Sparse arrays can identify $\mathcal{O}(N^{2})$ uncorrelated sources using $N$ physical sensors. This property is because the difference coarray, defined as the differences between sensor locations, has uniform linear array (ULA) segments of length $\mathcal{O}(N^{2})$ . It is empirically known that, for sparse arrays like minimum redundancy arrays, nested arrays, and coprime arrays, this $\mathcal{O}(N^{2})$ segment is susceptible to sensor failure, which is an important issue in practical systems. This paper presents the $(k-$ )essentialness property, which characterizes the combinations of the failing sensors that shrink the difference coarray. Based on this, the notion of fragility is proposed to quantify the reliability of sparse arrays with faulty sensors, along with comprehensive studies of their properties. It is demonstrated through examples that there do exist sparse arrays that are as robust as ULA and at the same time, they enjoy $\mathcal{O}(N^{2})$ consecutive elements in the difference coarray.
Social Justice Mentoring and Scholarship: Building a Community of Leaders and Advocates:

In this 2018 Janet E. Helms Award for Mentoring and Scholarship keynote address, I speak about the importance of social justice mentoring and scholarship as a way to build communities of leaders an...
Tone Correction with Quasi-cubic Splines in a Spherical Color Model

In this paper cubic splines are designed as tone correction functions applied to the achromatic component of a spherical color model. Compared with the commonly used color models HSV and HSL, an advantage of the spherical color model is that color changes more perceptually smoothly along its coordinates. However, the spherical color model contains more color points than what can be displayed with the RGB color model, so a tone correction function might cause a gamut issue. The paper demonstrates the gamut issue can be avoided when tone correction functions are well designed and the general tone correction techniques still work well in the spherical color model. A particular type of cubic splines is designed to serve the purpose, and these splines can be adopted by the general tone correction techniques including those for low-key, middle-key and high-key images with correspondingly selected parameters. Experimental results demonstrate that these cubic splines work well for tone correction under the spherical color model.
Structure of Burkeite and a New Crystalline Species Obtained from Solutions of Sodium Carbonate and Sodium Sulfate

It has long been recognized that crystallization from solutions of sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate can produce anhydrous or hydrated forms of the pure species or, in certain composition ranges, burkeitea crystalline double salt of sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate having the nominal stoichiometry Na2CO3·2Na2SO4. The present work examines and explains the observed variation of burkeite composition and identifies a new double-salt species whose composition has been determined to contain approximately 2 moles of sodium carbonate per mole of sodium sulfate. The new species was formed at 115 °C from solutions whose compositions range from approximately 5 moles of sodium carbonate per mole of sodium sulfate to 7 moles of sodium carbonate per mole of sodium sulfate.
The measurement of intestinal calcium absorption by external radioisotope counting: application to study of nephrolithiasis.

1. Gastro-intestinal absorption of calcium was studied in man by the measurement of forearm radioactivity in a large-volume liquid scintillation counter following separate oral and intravenous doses of 47 CaCl 2 . From the ratio of the percentages of total radioactivity appearing in the forearm following these separate determinations the fractional absorption of calcium was estimated. 2. Changes of forearm radioactivity with time following the administration of this isotope were studied; evidence is presented that the radioactivity in the forearm at 4 h after administration of the isotope gives a valid assessment of fractional calcium absorption. 3. Fractional calcium absorption determined by this technique correlated well with the net calcium absorption as determined from stool radioactivity after oral administration of isotope. 4. In normal subjects it was shown that fractional calcium absorption measured by this technique varies inversely with the stable calcium load and that the absolute amount of calcium absorbed from given loads increases with the size of the load in the range 20–1000 mg calcium. 5. Gastro-intestinal calcium absorption was measured at various oral calcium loads in a group of fifteen patients with recurrent calcium-containing renal stones. All the patients were normocalcaemic; some had hypercalciuria. In the patients with hypercalciuria, calcium absorption, fractional and absolute, was significantly increased at all calcium loads as compared to that of patients with normal urinary calcium. 6. It is concluded that hyperabsorption of calcium from the gastro-intestinal tract plays a crucial role in the aetiology of hypercalciuria, probably by causing an increase in the renal filtered calcium load.
Contemporary College Students’ Attitudes about Deception in Research

Given the widespread use of deception in psychological experiments and the frequent recruitment of college students as participants, scholars have taken an interest in the ways college students assess the potential costs and benefits of deception studies. It stands to reason that the engagement of participants not as mere subjects, but rather as participant partners, demands at least an awareness of how such participants consider the moral dimensions of deception. To this end, the present study replicates a project conducted almost 25 years ago to determine whether today's college students think about deception in research any differently than their counterparts did in the early 1990s. This article reviews some of the literature on deception, describes the original study conducted, and presents the results of the replication study.
The effects of age, pathology, and fusion on cervical neural foramen area

Cervical radiculopathy is a relatively common neurological disorder, often resulting from mechanical compression of the nerve root within the neural foramen. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a common treatment for radicular symptoms that do not resolve after conservative treatment. One mechanism by which ACDF is believed to resolve symptoms is by replacing degenerated disc tissue with bone graft to increase the neural foramen area, however in vivo evidence demonstrating this is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of age, pathology, and fusion on bony neural foramen area. Participants included 30 young adult controls (<35 years old), 23 middle-aged controls (36 to 60 years old), and 36 cervical arthrodesis patients tested before and after ACDF surgery. Participants' cervical spines were imaged in the neutral, full flexion, and full extension positions while seated within a biplane radiography system. A validated model-based tracking technique determined three-dimensional vertebral position and orientation and automated software identified the neural foramen area in each head position. The neural foramen area decreased throughout the entire sub-axial cervical spine with age and pathology, however, no changes in neural foramen area were observed due solely to replacing degenerated disc tissue with bone graft. The neural foramen area was not associated with disc height in young adult controls, but moderate to strong associations were observed in middle-aged controls. The results provide evidence to inform the debate regarding localized versus systemic spinal degeneration and provide novel insight into the mechanism of pain relief after ACDF.
The clinical effect of thoracoscopic-laparoscopic radical resection in the treatment of esophageal cancer and its effect on the pulmonary function of the patients

Objective To investigate the safety and effect of azithromycin combined with methylprednisolone for children with refractory mycoplasma pneumonia, and explore the clinical value of the combined application. Methods 120 children with refractory mycoplasma pneumonia admitted to our hospital from January 2015 to January 2017 were selected, and were randomly divided into the control group and the research group, 60 cases in each group. Conventional treatment was implemented in both two groups, including abatement of fever, relieving cough. The control group was treated with intravenous drip of azithromycin 10 mg/(kg•d), after every 4 days, stopping 3 days, 7 days as a treatment course, lasting for 2 courses. On the basis, the research group was treated with intravenous drip of methylprednisolone 2 mg/(kg•d), and then oral prednison tablets 1 mg/(kg•d) after clinical symptoms improving and temperature returning to normal. Results The time of temperature recovery, cough disappearance, pulmonary rales disappearance, and hospitalization of the research group were significantly shorter than those of the control group (P 0.05). Conclusion Azithromycin combined with methylprednisolone in the treatment of children with refractory mycoplasma pneumonia can improve the curative effect, improve the immune function, and has high safety, which is worthy of clinical promotion. Key words: Azithromycin; Glucocorticoid; Children; Refractory mycoplasma pneumonia
Grandiose narcissists and decision making: Impulsive, overconfident, and skeptical of experts-but seldom in doubt.

Abstract A substantial body of research has documented that grandiose narcissists are characterized by high self-esteem, a sense of personal superiority and entitlement, overconfidence, a willingness to exploit others for self-gain, and hostility and aggression when challenged. We report two studies (N = 452) that explore how these dispositions affect their decision making. We show that grandiose narcissists' overconfidence, impulsivity, and a willingness to ignore expert advice results in a higher likelihood of making a bad decision. In addition, after getting the wrong answer, grandiose narcissists are more likely to blame others and remain self-confident in their judgment.
Emphasizing the Strategies Hospital Manager Use to Improve Customer Services

The purpose of this study was to explore strategies for hospital managers to improve customer services. The target population consisted of five hospital managers who implement customer services strategies within hospitals. The conceptual framework for the study was the expectation-confirmation theory. Using methodological triangulation, the data derived from included semistructured interviews, hospital policy and procedure documents, and qualitative data from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Hospital Compare website. The three major themes were to improve interpersonal communication, address issues in the hospital environment, and provide employee training. The findings reveal that exploring employee training relate to the conceptual framework of the expectation-confirmation theory. Hospitals’ staff exhibit satisfactory performance when customer expectations, regarding the quality of medical care and service satisfaction, receive confirmation. Consistent review of the strategies in the daily operations of the hospital staff will enable hospital managers to continuously increase customer satisfaction and achieve the goal of reaching the 75% level or higher. The participants described multiple attempts to alter operations within the hospital based on customer expectations for satisfaction and to confirm customer satisfaction for the hospital system. The expectation confirmation theory by [1] Joo, Park, and Shin (2017) was the framework of this study. Hospital managers performed actions for example, hiring the right people, using customer feedback for improvement, and using the HCAHPS qualitative data to create strategies that would meet customer expectations for satisfaction and loyalty.
P004. 30-Day Hospital Readmission Rates, Frequencies, and Heart Failure Classification for Patients with Heart Failure

Background Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the leading cause of mortality, morbidity, and disability worldwide among patients. Both the incidence and the prevalence of heart failure are age dependent and are relatively common in individuals 40 years of age and older. CHF is one of the leading causes of inpatient hospitalization readmission in the United States, with readmission rates remaining above the 20% goal within 30 days. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services imposes a 3% reimbursement penalty for excessive readmissions including those who are readmitted within 30 days from prior hospitalization for heart failure. Hospitals risk losing millions of dollars due to poor performance. A reduction in CHF readmission rates not only improves healthcare system expenditures, but also patients' mortality, morbidity, and quality of life. Objectives The purpose of this DNP project is to determine 30-day hospital readmission rates, frequencies, and heart failure classification for patients with heart failure. Specific aims include comparing computed annual readmission rates with national average, determine the number of multiple 30-day readmissions, provide descriptive data for demographic variables, and correlate age and heart failure classification with the number of multiple readmissions. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted to collect hospital admission and study data. The setting occurred in an urban hospital in Memphis, TN. The study was reviewed by the University of Tennessee Internal Review Board and deemed exempt. The electronic medical records were queried from July 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019 for heart failure ICD-10 codes beginning with the prefix 150 and a report was generated. Data was cleaned such that each patient admitted had only one heart failure ICD-10 code. The total number of heart failure admissions was computed and compared to national average. Using age ranges 40-80, the number of patients readmitted within 30 days was computed and descriptive and inferential statistics were computed using Microsoft Excel and R. Results A total of 3524 patients were admitted for heart failure within the six-month time frame. Of those, 297 were re-admitted within 30 days for heart failure exacerbation (8.39%). An annual estimate was computed (16.86%), well below the national average (21%). Of those re-admitted within 30 days, 50 were readmitted sequentially, on multiple occasions, ranging from two to eight readmissions. The median age was 60 and 60% were male. Due to the skewed distribution (most readmitted twice), nonparametric statistics were used for correlation. While graphic display of charts suggested a trend for most multiple readmissions due to diastolic dysfunction and least number due to systolic heart failure, there was no statistically significant correlation between age and number or multiple re-admissions (Spearman rank, p = 0.6208) or number of multiple re-admissions and heart failure classification (Kruskal Wallis, p =0.2553).
Stereotactic body ablative radiotherapy for reirradiation of small volume head and neck cancers is associated with prolonged survival: A large, single-institution, modern cohort study

Background Recurrent head and neck cancer has poor prognosis. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) may improve outcomes by delivering ablative radiation doses. Methods We reviewed patients who received definitive-intent SBRT reirradiation at our institution from 2013 to 2020. Patterns of failure, overall survival (OS), and toxicities were analyzed. Results One hundred and thirty-seven patients were evaluated. The median OS was 44.3 months. The median SBRT dose was 45 Gy and median target volume 16.9 cc. The 1-year local, regional, and distant control was 78%, 66%, and 83%, respectively. Systemic therapy improved regional (p = 0.004) and distant control (p = 0.04) in nonmetastatic patients. Grade 3+ toxicities were more common at mucosal sites (p = 0.001) and with concurrent systemic therapy (p = 0.02). Conclusions In a large cohort of SBRT reirradiation for recurrent, small volume head and neck cancers, a median OS of 44.3 months was observed. Systemic therapy improved regional and distant control. Toxicities were modulated by anatomic site and systemic therapy.
Acute onset traction-associated ulceration and alopecia.

Traction alopecia is a protracted form of hair loss resulting from persistent tension on the hair follicle . We report a case of a 9-year-old African American girl who presented with extensive scalp ulceration and alopecia 11 days after placement of a synthetic hair braid. Over a period of months, with consistent wound care and low-tension hairstyling, most of the hair regrew. We propose that the ulceration and hair loss in this case represents an acute variant of traction alopecia due to pressure-induced ischemia and necrosis.
Improving SIMO-Regulated Digital SoC Energy Efficiencies Through Adaptive Clocking and Concurrent Domain Control

Single-inductor multiple-output (SIMO) voltage regulators allow multiple voltage domains to share a single inductor, thus representing a domain-scalable approach to energy-efficient integrated voltage regulation (IVR). However, poor transient response and significant supply voltage ( $V_{dd}$ ) ripple in SIMO regulators induce severe voltage margins. This article quantifies the prohibitive energy-efficiency impact of these margins and proposes two techniques to address them: dynamic droop allocation (DDA) through concurrent domain- $V_{dd}$ control and adaptive clocking using the UniCap architecture. We demonstrate the effectiveness of both techniques on an integrated four-domain SIMO system on chip (SoC) in 65-nm CMOS. Measurements indicate that, compared to conventional SIMO implementations, $V_{dd}$ guardband reductions obtained by UniCap (98%) and DDA (40%) reduce total system power draw by 53% and 31% respectively.
The Role of Brand Image Orientation, Innovativeness and Sustainability Marketing Commitment on Company Performance: Moderating Influence of Sustainable Leadership

Sustainable marketing commitment of the organization could lead them towards high performance and gained top management and researchers' attentions. Thus, the current study also examines the role of brand image orientation and innovativeness on sustainable marketing commitment. The goal also includes the moderating role of sustainable leadership among the nexus of brand image orientation, innovativeness and sustainable marketing commitment. This study also examined that impact of sustainable marketing commitment on the performance of mobile phone companies in Thailand. This study has followed the quantitative methods such as questionnaires for the data collection and analyzed the data with smart-PLS. The researchers have adopted the mail and personal visit methods to send surveys to the selected respondents. A total of 550 questionnaires were forwarded to the respondents and received only 340 after fifteen days of distribution and has a response rate of 61.82 per cent. The results exposed that brand image orientation and innovativeness have a positive association with sustainable marketing commitment. The results also indicated that sustainable leadership significantly moderates among the links of brand image orientation and innovativeness on sustainable marketing commitment. The outcomes also show that sustainable marketing commitment has a positive impact on firm performance. These outcomes are suitable for policymakers who want to develop sustainable marketing commitment and firm performance policies.
Lateralization of neural control for vocalization by the frog (Rana pipiens)

The hypothesis that anuran vocalization is lateralized was examined. Vocalization was induced by clasping the animal behind the forelimbs for 30 sec in the morning and 30 sec in the afternoon for 6 weeks. On the basis of the number of baseline vocalizations, four matched groups were formed (n = 11): nonoperates, sham operates, and animals receiving knife cuts in the left or right side just posterior to the brain areas that are thought to be the major vocalization generators. Following recovery, the number of vocalizations was recorded for 6 additional weeks. Vocalization was reduced significantly more by sections in the left side than in the right side, suggesting that one of the most basic relationships between the brain and vocal communication evolved very early and that natural language is based on previous adaptations in animals.
A Novel Approach to Detect Tampered Wireless Network Applications

The end users rely on wireless networks in obtaining legitimate updated applications to install on their wireless devices. If the application that is being updated and distributed is not encrypted, or encrypted with weak algorithms, the attacker can possibly intercept the application and inject malicious code into the application. This paper presents a novel detection approach to identify application updates that have been tampered with while being distributed via a wireless network. The approach makes use of the Kull back-Leibler Divergence (KLD) metric. Our approach builds the population distribution of a legitimate and tampered with application based on a set of opcodes. A larger KLD value indicates that an application is dissimilar compared to its original application, hence likely got tampered with.
ChIP-Seq and the complexity of bacterial transcriptional regulation.

Transcription factors (TFs) play a central role in regulating gene expression in all bacteria. Yet, until recently, studies of TF binding were limited to a small number of factors at a few genomic locations. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing enables mapping of binding sites for TFs in a global and high-throughput fashion. The NIAID funded TB systems biology project http://www.broadinstitute.org/annotation/tbsysbio/home.html aims to map the binding sites for every transcription factor in the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), the causative agent of human TB. ChIP-Seq data already released through TBDB.org have provided new insight into the mechanisms of TB pathogenesis. But in addition, data from MTB are beginning to challenge many simplifying assumptions associated with gene regulation in all bacteria. In this chapter, we review the global aspects of TF binding in MTB and discuss the implications of these data for our understanding of bacterial gene regulation. We begin by reviewing the canonical model of bacterial transcriptional regulation using the lac operon as the standard paradigm. We then review the use of ChIP-Seq to map the binding sites of DNA-binding proteins and the application of this method to mapping TF binding sites in MTB. Finally, we discuss two aspects of the binding discovered by ChIP-Seq that were unexpected given the canonical model: the substantial binding outside the proximal promoter region and the large number of weak binding sites.
Engineering vascularized soft tissue flaps in an animal model using human adipose-derived stem cells and VEGF+PLGA/PEG microspheres on a collagen-chitosan scaffold with a flow-through vascular pedicle

Insufficient neovascularization is associated with high levels of resorption and necrosis in autologous and engineered fat grafts. We tested the hypothesis that incorporating angiogenic growth factor into a scaffold-stem cell construct and implanting this construct around a vascular pedicle improves neovascularization and adipogenesis for engineering soft tissue flaps. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic-acid/polyethylene glycol (PLGA/PEG) microspheres containing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were impregnated into collagen-chitosan scaffolds seeded with human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs). This setup was analyzed in vitro and then implanted into isolated chambers around a discrete vascular pedicle in nude rats. Engineered tissue samples within the chambers were harvested and analyzed for differences in vascularization and adipose tissue growth. In vitro testing showed that the collagen-chitosan scaffold provided a supportive environment for hASC integration and proliferation. PLGA/PEG microspheres with slow-release VEGF had no negative effect on cell survival in collagen-chitosan scaffolds. In vivo, the system resulted in a statistically significant increase in neovascularization that in turn led to a significant increase in adipose tissue persistence after 8 weeks versus control constructs. These data indicate that our model-hASCs integrated with a collagen-chitosan scaffold incorporated with VEGF-containing PLGA/PEG microspheres supported by a predominant vascular vessel inside a chamber-provides a promising, clinically translatable platform for engineering vascularized soft tissue flap. The engineered adipose tissue with a vascular pedicle could conceivably be transferred as a vascularized soft tissue pedicle flap or free flap to a recipient site for the repair of soft-tissue defects.
Prevalence of Listeria spp. in Turkey Meat at the Supermarket and Slaughterhouse Level.

The prevalence of Listeria spp. in the skins of turkey wings, legs (drumsticks), and tails was studied first. During three trips to local supermarkets we purchased and analyzed 180 packages representing two national brands. Overall, total Listeria spp., L. monocytogenes, L. welshimeri, and L. innocua were present in 32.2, 15.0, 15.6, and 1.7% of the packages. Listeria spp. were present in 23.3 and 41.1% of the products of Company A and B, respectively. The corresponding figures for L. monocytogenes were 12.2 and 17.8% and fori,, welshimeri, 11.1 and 20.0%. The overall prevalence of Listeria spp. on wings, legs, and tails was 45.0, 28.5, and 23.3%, respectively. The corresponding numbers for i. monocytogenes were 20.0, 13.3, 11.7%. Next, we determined the presence of Listeria spp. in 10 locations and products collected from a slaughterhouse of Company A during three visits. A total of 225 samples were analyzed. No Listeria spp. were isolated from 30 feather samples (5g composite samples from 10 birds), 15 scalding tank water overflow samples (25 ml), 30 samples of neck skin (149 to 183 cm 2 ), 30 whole liver and 30 heart samples after chilling, and 30 samples of cecum and large intestine con­ tent (lg). Listeria spp. were present in 13.4, 6.7, 33.3, and 26.7% of 15 feather picker drip water (25 ml), 15 chiller water overflow (25 ml), 15 recycling water for cleaning gutters (25 ml), and in 15 of mechanically deboned meat (25 g) samples, respectively. The prevalence of Listeria spp. in wings, legs, and tails increased through processing and distribution. The prevalence immediately after chilling, after packaging and at the retail level was 4.4, 13.3, and 23.3%. No Listeria spp. was isolated from 30 livers after chilling and 30 liver packages ready to go to the market. The prevalence of Listeria spp. on the hands and gloves of the persons hanging birds after chilling, cutting carcasses, and packaging parts was 16.7, 33.3, and 40.0%, respectively. Overall, the study dem­ onstrated the high prevalence of Listeria spp. and specifically i. monocytogenes in turkey products. Improvements and innovations at the slaughterhouse level may effectively reduce final product contamination with Listeria.
A Decision-Making Framework for Project Portfolio Planning at Intel Corporation

The work we describe addresses the problem of deciding between project-funding opportunities under budget and headcount constraints. Although the projects lead to products that yield revenue in the market, complex interactions between the projects and products make the selection of a portfolio difficult. Furthermore, the senior managers in the company have a wealth of business intuition that can inform the required decisions. We combine modeling, simulation, and optimization techniques to provide a set of the best portfolios possible from the proposed projects and resulting products. We also provide a rich set of analysis and visualization tools for the decision makers to use in exploring the suggested portfolios and applying their intuition to make the final selection. The resulting interplay between analytics and intuition produces better business solutions through a more focused and effective debate in a shorter time than previously achieved.
Evaluation of Printed Health Education Materials for Use by Low‐Education Families

Purpose Millions of adults lack adequate reading skills and many written patient education materials do not reflect national guidelines for readability and suitability of materials, resulting in barriers to patients being partners in their own health care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate commonly used printed health materials for readability and suitability for patients with limited general or health literacy skills, while providing easy recommendations to health care providers for how to improve the materials. Methods Materials (N = 97) from three clinical areas that represented excellence in nursing care in our organization (stroke, cancer, and maternal-child) were reviewed for a composite reading grade level and a Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) score. Results Twenty-eight percent of the materials were at a 9th grade or higher reading level, and only 23% were 5th grade or below. The SAM ratings for not suitable, adequate, and superior were 11%, 58%, and 31%, respectively. Few materials were superior on both scales. The SAM scale was easy to use and required little training of reviewers to achieve interrater reliability. Conclusions Improving outcomes and reducing health disparities are increasingly important, and patients must be partners in their care for this to occur. One step to increasing patient understanding of written instructions is improving the quality of the materials in the instruction for all patients and their families, especially those with limited literacy skills. Clinical Relevance Using materials that are written in a manner that facilitates the uptake and use of patient education content has great potential to improve the ability of patients and families to be partners in care and to improve outcomes, especially for those patients and families with limited general literacy or health literacy skills.
Correlelogram stereo display: computer simulations

Computer simulations are presented of a correlelogram stereo-display screen. First, an underlying physical model of the correlelogram is developed. A program for generating stereo pairs is then described. Next, the calculation of the layer transmissions for the correlelogram is discussed. Finally, several synthesized image pairs are presented.
Incidence and outcomes of unexpected pathology findings after appendectomy

article i nfo Purpose: Pathologic evaluation of the appendix after appendectomy is routine and can identify unexpected findings. We evaluated our experience in children undergoing appendectomy to review the clinical course of patients with unexpected appendiceal pathology. Methods: After IRB approval, a retrospective review was conducted on patients who underwent appendectomy from January 1, 1995 to March 1, 2011. Patient demographics, diagnosis, pathological findings, disease outcomes, and treatment were collected only on patients with abnormal pathology. Results: 3602 patients underwent appendectomy. 113 patients had normal appendices, and 86 patients had unexpected findings, including carcinoid tumor (n = 9), pinworm (n = 34), granuloma (n = 14), eosinophilic infiltrates (n = 18), and other (n = 11). All cases of carcinoid tumor were completely resected, with no recurrence or need for reoperation. Of the 34 patients with pinworm infestation, 41.2% underwent antimicrobial therapy, and none had post-operative symptoms. One patient (7%) with an appendiceal granuloma developed Crohn's disease. Three patients (16.7%) with eosinophilia developed symptomatic intestinal eosinophilia. Conclusions: Pediatric appendiceal carcinoid is an incidental finding; in this series, none required further intervention. Appendiceal granulomas are not commonly associated with developing Crohn's disease in the short term. Routine antibiotics for the treatment of pinworms are adequate. Patients with appendiceal eosinophilia may develop symptomatic intestinal eosinophilia.
Examination of a learning style topology

This study provides an initial examination of a learning style topology through the comparison of information processing and instructional preference toponymies. It was hypothesized that learning style modes would be discernible within each of these toponymies and that the toponymies would demonstrate orthogonality. Data analyzed for 429 university students supported these hypotheses.
Adiponectin Independently Predicts Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight Latino Youth

Context: Adiponectin may be important in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome in youth. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the unique effect of adiponectin on the metabolic syndrome in overweight Latino youth. Participants: Participants included 175 overweight children (aged 11.1 1.7 yr, body mass index percentile 97.3 2.9) with a family history of type 2 diabetes. Methods: Metabolic syndrome was defined according to a pediatric adaptation of the Adult Treatment Panel III report and included dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, and prediabetes (impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance from a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test). Body composition was estimated via dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, insulin sensitivity was quantified by the frequently sampled iv glucose tolerance test, visceral fat was measured using magnetic resonance imaging, and adiponectin was determined in fasting serum. Results: In simple linear regression, adiponectin was significantly and inversely related to systolic blood pressure (P 0.05), waist circumference (P 0.001), triglycerides (P 0.001), and 2-h glucose levels (P 0.05) and positively related to high-density lipoproteincholesterol(P0.001).Inmultiplelinearregression,adiponectinwas significantly related to triglycerides (P 0.01) and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P 0.01) independent of age, gender, Tanner stage, body composition, and insulin sensitivity. Analyses of covariance established that adiponectin levels were approximately 25% higher in healthy overweight youth, compared with those with the metabolic syndrome (12.5 3.5 vs. 9.4 2.8 g/ml; P 0.05). In multiple logistic regression, adiponectin was a significant independent predictor of the metabolic syndrome, even after adjustment for confounders including insulin sensitivity and visceral fat. Conclusions: Hypoadiponectinemia is an independent biomarker of the metabolic syndrome, and thus, adiponectin may play a role in the pathophysiology of the disorder in overweight youth. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 92: 1809–1813, 2007)
Fear Perceptions in Public Parks:: Interactions of Environmental Concealment, the Presence of People Recreating, and Gender

This research examined the effect of concealment (environmental cues), presence or absence of people recreating (social cues), and gender on individuals' fear of crime in a community park setting. Using a 7-point single-item indicator, 732 participants from two samples (540 park visitors and 192 college students) rated their estimates of fear of crime to 24 photographic representations of a community park. All three, two-factor interaction effects were significant in the park visitor sample, but in the student sample, only the Presence of People Recreating × Gender effect was significant. These results suggest that social and environmental cues may jointly affect fear experiences and that the presence of other people recreating in a park environment and the gender of an individual may influence fear of crime when recreating alone in a park setting. Implications include design and management techniques that promote safe park environments. Language: en
Impact of new diagnostic criteria on the prevalence and incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease

Abstract Study Objective The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently changed the recommended criteria for the clinical diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of this change on the frequency with which we made a diagnosis of PID. Design prospective cohort study. Setting juvenile detention center. Participants adolescent females. Interventions We used the new diagnostic criteria to determine the prevalence and incidence of PID. We then compared these values to those in a previous study of a similar cohort of youth who were evaluated with the CDC's old, more stringent clinical criteria. Main Outcome Measures Prevalence and incidence of PID. Incidence measures Incidence density and cumulative incidence, using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results between studies were compared using prevalence and incidence ratios. Results In sexually active adolescents (N=315), the prevalence of PID (95% confidence interval) at admission was 8.6% (5.7–12.2%). During the first 31 days of incarceration, the cumulative incidence was 7.9% (5.0–12.3%) and the incidence density was 11.1 cases/100 person-months (6.5–16.4). Comparison of these results with those of our previous study that used old diagnostic criteria yielded a prevalence ratio of 2.0 (1.0–4.2), a risk ratio (comparing cumulative incidence) of 3.6, and a rate ratio (comparing incidence density) of 3.4 (1.2–11.2). All differences were statistically significant ( P Conclusion The new diagnostic criteria for PID doubled the prevalence and more than tripled the incidence of this disease in this high risk population of incarcerated adolescents.
Lactate-starved neurons in ALS.

Summary and comment on a recent Nature article entitled ‘Oligodendroglia metabolically support axons and contribute to neurodegeneration’ (Lee et al., 2012).
Beyond labeling: The case of the mentally retarded

This paper provides a review of the sociological literature on the mentally retarded. It attempts to analyze the reasons why the mentally retarded have been so thoroughly de-valued in our society that even social scientists ignore them as an object of study. The literature that does exist is primarily confined to the mildly retarded and generally applies labeling theory to understand the processes by which individuals unable to succeed in institutions such as schools are diagnosed as retarded. Studies employing labeling theory either ignore the severely retarded or allow the “medical model” as the only appropriate framework for understanding these populations.
Development and demonstrative application of a 3-D numerical model of subsurface flow, heat transfer, and reactive chemical transport : 3DHYDROGEOCHEM

Abstract This paper presents the development of a 3-D coupled model of subsurface flow, heat transfer, and reactive chemical transport where the local equilibrium assumption is applied. Strong coupling is used for steady-state simulations, while weak coupling may be employed for transient simulations to save computation time. Four types of boundary conditions and a complete suite of geochemical reactions are taken into account. The flow equation is discretized by the Galerkin finite element method. Both the reactive chemical transport and heat transfer equations are solved by either the hybrid Lagrangian–Eulerian or the conventional Eulerian finite element method. Two approaches are considered to compute the transport of aqueous components. The Picard method is used to handle non-linearity in both reactive chemical transport and unsaturated subsurface flow, while the Newton–Raphson method is employed to calculate chemical equilibrium. Two realistic, albeit hypothetical example problems are used to demonstrate the capability of the model.
Combination chemotherapy of esophageal carcinoma using cisplatin, vindesine, and bleomycin

Sixty-one patients with epidermoid carcinoma of the esophagus have been treated with a three drug combination of cisplatin, vindesine, and bleomycin. Of 53 patients currently evaluable for response, 29 (55%) have had partial remissions: 7/16 with metastatic, and 22/37 with local-regional disease. The median duration of response in metastatic patients is eight months. Of 28 patients treated preoperatively, 23 (82%) had resectable disease. The major toxicities seen were nephrotoxicity and myelosuppression. Cisplatin, vindesine and bleomycin is an effective combination in the treatment of esophageal carcinoma. Effects on long-term survival cannot yet be evaluated.
Orientation dependence of the hydrogen molecule's interaction with Rh(001).

First-principles calculational results, that conflict with conventional wisdom, are reported for the orientation dependence of the energy of H{sub 2}, a few bohrs above a Rh(001) surface. In geometric configurations near the saddle point where H-Rh bonds begin to form, the favored molecular axis orientation is along a {l angle}100{r angle} direction, corresponding to the attraction of each H atom to a twofold bridge site. This is true even though the final destinations of the H atoms are fourfold hollows, and even though the {l angle}100{r angle} orientation corresponds to relatively low symmetry, i.e., {ital C}{sub {ital s}} rather than {ital C}{sub 2{ital v}}.
Percutaneous coronary interventions in patients with renal insufficiency: a high-risk, under-studied cohort.

See related article on page 345. Renal insufficiency, at any level, is associated with poor short- and long-term outcomes after a revascularization procedure. Several observational series have found that patients with a baseline creatinine level 1.5 mg/dL who undergo a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) experience a significantly lower procedural success rate, an at least 5-fold increase in major in-hospital adverse events, and nearly 4-times the mortality rate on long-term follow-up than patients with a baseline creatinine level 1.5 mg/dL. 1,2 Patients with more severe levels of renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance 30 mL/min, or dialysis dependence) have mortality rates approaching 20% in the year after a PCI, 3 with similarly high mortality rates after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. 4 . Among patients with
Detecting and assessing macrophages in vivo to evaluate atherosclerosis noninvasively using molecular MRI

We investigated the ability of targeted immunomicelles to detect and assess macrophages in atherosclerotic plaque using MRI in vivo. There is a large clinical need for a noninvasive tool to assess atherosclerosis from a molecular and cellular standpoint. Macrophages play a central role in atherosclerosis and are associated with plaques vulnerable to rupture. Therefore, macrophage scavenger receptor (MSR) was chosen as a target for molecular MRI. MSR-targeted immunomicelles, micelles, and gadolinium–diethyltriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) were tested in ApoE−/− and WT mice by using in vivo MRI. Confocal laser-scanning microscopy colocalization, macrophage immunostaining and MRI correlation, competitive inhibition, and various other analyses were performed. In vivo MRI revealed that at 24 h postinjection, immunomicelles provided a 79% increase in signal intensity of atherosclerotic aortas in ApoE−/− mice compared with only 34% using untargeted micelles and no enhancement using gadolinium–DTPA. Confocal laser-scanning microscopy revealed colocalization between fluorescent immunomicelles and macrophages in plaques. There was a strong correlation between macrophage content in atherosclerotic plaques and the matched in vivo MRI results as measured by the percent normalized enhancement ratio. Monoclonal antibodies to MSR were able to significantly hinder immunomicelles from providing contrast enhancement of atherosclerotic vessels in vivo. Immunomicelles provided excellent validated in vivo enhancement of atherosclerotic plaques. The enhancement seen is related to the macrophage content of the atherosclerotic vessel areas imaged. Immunomicelles may aid in the detection of high macrophage content associated with plaques vulnerable to rupture.
Photoelectron imaging of negative ions

This article provides an overview of some of the recent advances in the rapidly growing field of negative-ion photoelectron imaging spectroscopy. Setting the work that spans several projects in the authors’ laboratory in broader context, three types of measurements are described. First are the ‘static’ (one-photon) photoelectron imaging experiments that aim to characterize the electronic structure and photodetachment dynamics of negative ions, providing ‘signatures’ of the bound electron orbitals. The experimental results are presented alongside a conceptual symmetry-based description of the photodetachment processes, enabling a qualitative interpretation of the photoelectron images. Second, the effects of solvation on the electronic structure and photodetachment dynamics are examined using photoelectron imaging of cluster anions. Third, the time-resolved experiments that target imaging of bond dissociation, as viewed from the electronic perspective along the time-resolved reaction coordinate, are describ...
239 Mildly Elevated Levels of TSH in Preterm Neonates At First Month of Life are Often Transient

Background: Preterm infants may present mildly elevated levels of TSH (MELTSH) that is levels higher than the '“normal” ones (5 mU/L) but lower than the cut off level of congenital hypothyroidism (20 mU/L). It has been suggested that these MELTSH may indicate hypothyroidism requiring treatment even with normal free thyroxine levels. The aim of this study was to determine the rates of MELTSH in preterm neonates at the first six weeks of life and whether this condition is a transient one.