cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What is chat doing in the workplace

We report an empirical study of a synchronous messaging application with group-oriented functionality designed to support teams in the workplace. In particular, the tool supports group chat windows that allow members of a group to communicate with text that persists for about a day. We describe the experience of 6 globally-distributed work groups who used the tool over a period of 17 months. An analysis of use shows that the group functionality was used primarily for bursts of synchronous conversations and occasional asynchronous exchanges. The content was primarily focused on work tasks, and negotiating availability, with a smattering of non-work topics and humor. Nearly all groups were remarkably similar in the content of their group chat, although the research group chatted far more frequently than the others. We conclude with suggestions for future research, and a discussion of the place of team-oriented synchronous messaging tools in the workplace.
Efficacy of risperidone versus olanzapine in patients with schizophrenia previously on chronic conventional antipsychotic therapy: a switch study.

The objective of the study was to examine whether patients with schizophrenia who were judged to be stable on long-term treatment with conventional antipsychotic medications would further benefit from a switch to an atypical antipsychotic drug. Thirty-six subjects with schizophrenia spectrum disorder, on conventional antipsychotic medication therapy for at least 2 years, were randomized in doubleblind fashion to risperidone versus olanzapine. Patients were titrated up to 6 mg risperidone or 15 mg olanzapine as tolerated, followed by tapering and discontinuation of conventional antipsychotic medication. Atypical antipsychotic agents were then administered alone (monotherapy) for 12 weeks. Efficacy and tolerability were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression Scale, and Simpson Angus Scale. Body weight was measured at each visit. Both treatment groups exhibited marked and similar improvement in the total PANSS score from baseline to study endpoint (22 weeks) [risperidone: baseline = 59.3 (SE 3.1), 22 weeks = 44.3 (SE 2.3) (p < 0.001); olanzapine: baseline = 55.9 (SE 3.3), 22 weeks = 46.9 (SE 3.2) (p < 0.001). Both groups also exhibited significant reductions in PANSS factor scores for positive and negative symptoms and disorganized thoughts. Only risperidone-treated patients exhibited significant decreases in uncontrolled hostility/excitement and anxiety and depression. Of note, while positive factor scores exhibited the majority of change within the first 10 weeks, negative factor scores continued to decline significantly in both treatment groups throughout the study. Tolerability assessments did not differ between groups. The results indicate that both atypical antipsychotic medications provided significant additional improvement in symptom severity in patients with schizophrenia previously on conventional antipsychotic agents. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Nonlinear feedback control of parabolic PDE systems with time-dependent spatial domains

Proposes a methodology for the synthesis of nonlinear finite-dimensional time-varying output feedback controllers for systems of quasi-linear parabolic partial differential equations with time-dependent spatial domains. The method is successfully applied to a typical diffusion reaction process whose spatial domain changes with time and is shown to outperform a controller design method which does not account for the variation of the spatial domain.
Differential Genome Evolution Between Companion Symbionts in an Insect-Bacterial Symbiosis

ABSTRACT Obligate symbioses with bacteria allow insects to feed on otherwise unsuitable diets. Some symbionts have extremely reduced genomes and have lost many genes considered to be essential in other bacteria. To understand how symbiont genome degeneration proceeds, we compared the genomes of symbionts in two leafhopper species, Homalodisca vitripennis (glassy-winged sharpshooter [GWSS]) and Graphocephala atropunctata (blue-green sharpshooter [BGSS]) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). Each host species is associated with the anciently acquired “Candidatus Sulcia muelleri” (Bacteroidetes) and the more recently acquired “Candidatus Baumannia cicadellinicola” (Gammaproteobacteria). BGSS “Ca. Baumannia” retains 89 genes that are absent from GWSS “Ca. Baumannia”; these underlie central cellular functions, including cell envelope biogenesis, cellular replication, and stress response. In contrast, “Ca. Sulcia” strains differ by only a few genes. Although GWSS “Ca. Baumannia” cells are spherical or pleomorphic (a convergent trait of obligate symbionts), electron microscopy reveals that BGSS “Ca. Baumannia” maintains a rod shape, possibly due to its retention of genes involved in cell envelope biogenesis and integrity. Phylogenomic results suggest that “Ca. Baumannia” is derived from the clade consisting of Sodalis and relatives, a group that has evolved symbiotic associations with numerous insect hosts. Finally, the rates of synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions are higher in “Ca. Baumannia” than in “Ca. Sulcia,” which may be due to a lower mutation rate in the latter. Taken together, our results suggest that the two “Ca. Baumannia” genomes represent different stages of genome reduction in which many essential functions are being lost and likely compensated by hosts. “Ca. Sulcia” exhibits much greater genome stability and slower sequence evolution, although the mechanisms underlying these differences are poorly understood. IMPORTANCE In obligate animal-bacterial symbioses, bacteria experience extreme patterns of genome evolution, including massive gene loss and rapid evolution. However, little is known about this process, particularly in systems with complementary bacterial partners. To understand whether genome evolution impacts symbiont types equally and whether lineages follow the same evolutionary path, we sequenced the genomes of two coresident symbiotic bacteria from a plant sap-feeding insect and compared them to the symbionts from a related host species. We found that the older symbiont has a highly reduced genome with low rates of mutation and gene loss. In contrast, the younger symbiont has a larger genome that exhibits higher mutation rates and varies dramatically in the retention of genes related to cell wall biogenesis, cellular replication, and stress response. We conclude that while symbiotic bacteria evolve toward tiny genomes, this process is shaped by different selection intensities that may reflect the different ages and metabolic roles of symbiont types.
Comments on "solvation parameters. 2. A simplified molecular topology to generate easily optimized values".

A polemic is presented in regards to a recent paper by Laffort and Hericourt [J. Chem. Inf. Model. 2006, 46, 1723−1734].
Helitrons: Their Impact on Maize Genome Evolution and Diversity

Gene movement by the newly-described Helitron family of transposable elements apparently has significantly impacted the evolution of this genome and has contributed to the lack of intra-specific gene collinearity between different maize inbred lines. The abundance of these elements and the extent of diversity among them remain largely undetermined. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain their transposition and mechanism by which these elements prolifically capture and mobilize gene sequences, but each lacks supporting experimental evidence. A more complete understanding of this process requires molecular and genetic evidence of Helitron activity in modern maize genome. Establishment of in vivo and in vitro systems to assay transposition activity would also aid our understanding of this new class of transposable elements.
Low voltage microprocessors, the inevitable future

The laws of physics will necessitate that future microprocessors operate with ever decreasing power supply voltages. Smaller process technologies, higher integration, and faster internal frequencies are requiring the reduction of the power supply voltage. This paper is an insightful look at the challenges of designing with low voltage microprocessors. An embedded reference design based on a military Pentium processor is presented as a primary example. Topics included in the paper include explanation of the reasons for lowering supply voltage, techniques for interfacing devices of different voltage technologies, and the creation of an accurate low voltage power supply.
Protein domains and residues involved in the CheZ/CheAS interaction.

CheZ localizes to chemoreceptor patches by binding CheA-short (CheAS). Residues 70 to 134 of CheZ, constituting the apical loops and part of the dimerization domain, suffice for localization. Replacements of Tyr-118, Ile-119, Leu-123, Arg-124, and Leu-126 of CheA interfere with localization. These residues are exposed in the ′P1 domain of CheAS.
Racing to the top: How regulation can be used to create incentives for industry to improve environmental quality

This essay argues that a race-to-the-top approach to regulation will not only improve some failing regulatory programs but could well be transformative. Such a seemingly modest adjustment in the regulatory endgame - focusing regulators on a “best-in-market” - could effectuate a fundamental shift in the regulatory standard-setting exercise. Instead of ensuring that actors are above the floor, the best becomes the focus and debate centers on why competitors cannot do as well or better than these exemplars. In doing so, the new standard creates a race to the top. In this race, firms benefit from investing in environmental innovation, perhaps for the first time. Front-movers recoup significant regulatory rewards by their foresighted investments, again, a stark contrast with the status quo. And rather than engaging in a collective that resists any form of regulatory intervention, the race-to-the-top approach fractures regulated industry and pits them against each other. In doing this, firms encounter first-time incentives to share with regulators unflattering information on other firms, boast of accomplishments that exceed the collective industry standards, and continue to invest in research for improvement beyond the promulgated standards.Rather than attempt a systematic overhaul of environmental law in a short essay, this piece examines the race-to-the-top approach in one discrete area of environmental regulation in particular need of repair - the regulation of chemicals and other toxic products. This preliminary assessment of both the merits and practicalities of this approach for toxics control proceeds in five parts. The first section provides background and context on chemical regulation and its well-established regulatory failures. The second section introduces the idea of altering regulatory standards to focus on the best in the market and considers the advantages to that approach. The third section places the idea against other, somewhat similar regulatory programs and from this synthesis identifies design features that appear integral to ensuring the success of a regulatory standard based on the best performers. The final two sections troubleshoot some of the remaining challenges associated with the proposal and attempt to chart a path forward in toxics regulation and beyond.
Circadian Disruption Reveals a Correlation of an Oxidative GSH/GSSG Redox Shift with Learning and Impaired Memory in an Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Model

Abstract It is unclear whether pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes circadian disruption or whether circadian disruption accelerates AD pathogenesis. In order to examine the sensitivity of learning and memory to circadian disruption, we altered normal lighting phases by an 8 h shortening of the dark period every 3 days (jet lag) in the APPSwDI NOS2-/- model of AD (AD-Tg) at a young age (4-5 months), when memory is not yet affected compared to non-transgenic (non-Tg) mice. Analysis of activity in 12-12 h lighting or constant darkness showed only minor differences between AD-Tg and non-Tg mice. Jet lag greatly reduced activity in both genotypes during the normal dark time. Learning on the Morris water maze was significantly impaired only in the AD-Tg mice exposed to jet lag. However, memory 3 days after training was impaired in both genotypes. Jet lag caused a decrease of glutathione (GSH) levels that tended to be more pronounced in AD-Tg than in non-Tg brains and an associated increase in NADH levels in both genotypes. Lower brain GSH levels after jet lag correlated with poor performance on the maze. These data indicate that the combination of the environmental stress of circadian disruption together with latent stress of the mutant amyloid and NOS2 knockout contributes to cognitive deficits that correlate with lower GSH levels.
Large farm establishment, smallholder productivity, labor market participation, and resilience : evidence from Ethiopia

Although the nature and magnitude of (positive or negative) spillovers from large farm establishment are hotly debated, most evidence relies on case studies. Ethiopia's large farms census together with 11 years of nation-wide smallholder surveys allows examination and quantification of spillovers using intertemporal changes in smallholders' proximity and exposure to large farms, generally or growing the same crop, for identification. The results suggest positive spillovers on fertilizer and improved seed use, yields, and risk coping, but not local job creation, for some crops, most notably maize. Most spillovers are crop-specific and limited to large farms' immediate vicinity. The implications for policy and research are drawn out.
A note on unexpected chicken 7S immunoglobulin allotypes.

Allotypes have been detected on both chicken low molecular weight (7S) (1–3) and high molecular weight (17S) (2, 4) immunoglobulins (Ig), and their inheritance is similar to allotype inheritance in mammals. The expression of the 7S heavy (H) chain allotypes and their segregation ratios are indistinguishable from those expected for codominant alleles at a single autosomal locus (3, 5, 6). In addition, genetic analysis of the inheritance of 7S and 17S Ig allotypes is consistent with the presence of alleles at two closely linked loci (7).
Observations on Body Temperature in a Hedgehog

Our knowledge of body temperature in most small mammals has until recently been quite limited. But because of the great interest in hibernation, there are a number of references to the body temperature of the European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus , including 8 reports prior to 1850 and a dozen since that date. Many of these represent only single values but more recently several quite substantial studies have been reported (Herter, 1934; Eisentrant, 1935; Suomalainen and Suvanto, 1953). But of these three, one represents subdermal values and another, measurements on immature animals. Because of its unique taxonomic and physiological position additional data is needed, particularly since it will allow us to directly compare this interesting animal to various North American species. Methods .—These measurements were taken over a two-week period in March of 1952, shortly after the animal was sent from Norway by air through the kindness of Dr. Arnold Baaken. During the term of these measurements, it was kept at home and allowed the run of …
Impaired local regulation of ryanodine receptor type-2 by protein phosphatase 1 promotes atrial fibrillation

Purpose: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia with a growing prevalence yet current pharmaceutical treatments are ineffective. Previous studies suggest that protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is dysregulated globally in AF patients but its local regulation on key Ca2+-handling proteins such as ryanodine receptor type-2 (RyR2) is not known. In this study we hypothesize that decreased PP1 regulation of RyR2 promotes AF through increasing Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) phosphorylation of RyR2. Methods: To study the local regulation of RyR2 by PP1, we used spinophilin knockout mice (KO), since PP1 targets RyR2 via spinophilin. The interaction between RyR2 and PP1 was measured using co-immunoprecipitation while RyR2 phosphorylation level was quantified using Western blot. RyR2 activity was determined by measuring 1) single RyR2 channel activity in a lipid bilayer system and 2) Ca2+ sparks frequency in atrial myocytes loaded with Fluo4-AM. Baseline cardiac characteristics were determined using echocardiography and histological staining while AF inducibility was assessed by intracardiac electrophysiology study. Results: The interaction of PP1 with RyR2 was reduced by 55% in the KO hearts compared to WT (P<0.001). RyR2 phosphorylation at Serine 2814 was increased by 43% in the KO atria (P<0.05 vs. WT) while unchanged at Serine 2808. Single RyR2 channels isolated from KO hearts had a higher open probability (0.10±0.02) compared to that from WT (0.02±0.01; P<0.01). Ca2+ spark frequency normalized to sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ content was increased in atrial myocytes isolated from KO mice (1.72±0.26 a.u.) compared to WT (0.77±0.20 a.u.; P<0.05). Furthermore, this increase was rescued by CaMKII-inhibitor KN93 but not by protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor H89. End diastolic diameter of hearts from KO mice was 10% smaller than that from WT (P<0.01) but both the heart weight to body weight ratio and ejection fraction were unchanged. Also, there was no difference in fibrosis between KO and WT heart based on histological sections stained with Masson's trichome. However, when subjected to intracardiac electrical stimulation, KO mice had a higher incidence of pacing-induced AF (100%) compared to WT (33%; P<0.01). Conclusions: PP1 regulates RyR2 by counteracting CaMKII but not PKA phosphorylation of RyR2. Spinophilin deficiency leads to decreased PP1 regulation of RyR2 which may promote AF. This regulation may represent a novel therapeutic target for treating AF.
Several Points about Jing Nan Jun Jie Du During Late Tang Dynasty——Using Jingzhao Weng's Family Tree as a Clue

According to Jingzhao Weng's family tree and the Dunhuang documents,Weng Gao had successively taken the post of Hexi Du Fang Yu Shi and Hexi Jie Du Shi and served concurrently as Jing Nan Jun Jie Du Shi during Tang Zhaozong period.Although Bin Ning Jie Du was once honored as Jing Nan Jun by Tang Xizong,this tittle was soon conceled.Therefore Jing Nan Jun Jie Du Shi which Weng Gao was appointed was not Bin Ning Jie Du Shi but a new vassal state which the Tang government made use of former troop to establish.Its districts were the He state and the Lan state in the Longyou area.
Epidemiologic Analysis of Japanese B Encephalitis in Zhejiang Province During 1995-2004

Objective To understand the epidemic situation of Japanese B Encephalitis(JE) in Zhejiang Province and provide scientific evidences for controlling JE.Method The epidemiologic characteristics of JE in Zhejiang Province during 1995-2004 was analyzed. Results The results showed that the overall JE incidence brokedown in Zhejiang Province and decreased year by year,the incidence peak was during Summer and Autumn,and most of the JE cases were among children under 10 years old. Conclusion The general prevention measures by killing mosquito,avoiding the biting of the mosquito and vaccination in JE prevention should be adopted.The main target of vaccination should be among the children under 10 years old.
Nutrient Analysis System--a computerized seven-day food record system.

This system allows for efficient use of professional time and immediate availability of nutrient analysis for use in counseling.
Inguinal Hernia and Hydrocele in Infants and Children

Forty senior pediatric surgeons were surveyed regarding difficult decisions in the management of inguinal hernia. Areas covered were diagnosis, surgical techniques, hydrocele, incarceration, the contralateral side of a clinically apparent inguinal hernia, and inguinal hernia in the premature baby. The lack of agreement on many questions indicates that more than one approach may be effective in managing problems associated with hernia and that rigid policies are unwarranted.
Environmental Regulation and Industrial Performance: Evidence from Unexpected Externalities in China

The neoclassical model argues that environmental regulations impede industrial performance. In this paper, we shed light on two features of environmental regulations in developing countries that have received little attention and that give rise to unexpected outcomes with respect to industry performance. First, compliance to regulations is likely to provide positive forces leading to improved productivity because a) induced innovation and/or the adoption of cleaner technologies among polluting firms enhance industrial activities, and b) regulations stimulate market dynamics through the entry of more efficient firms and the exit of less efficient ones. Second, regulations carry externality effects for non-polluting energy-intensive firms, when the energy sector is prone to regulations. By exploiting plausibly exogenous variation in regulatory stringency generated by the Two Control Zone policy in China across cities and across industries, we find evidence that pollution-intensive firms substantially improved economic performance, whereas energy-intensive firms received negative externalities. The findings are robust to the inclusions of city-specific trends, industry-specific trends, and key ex ante determinants of firm growth.
How Some Major Components of Religion Could Have Evolved by Natural Selection

Religion is a broad concept that is difficult to define, as each definition has exceptions. As a result, it is difficult to ask how religion as a whole could have evolved by natural selection . An alternative is to divide religion into its components – behavior, beliefs, values, moods, and feelings. One can then ask the same question of these components individually. However, there are problems. These components of religion are composed of forms and functions but only forms which have structure can be passed across generations in DNA and evolve directly by natural selection. Therefore, in order for a component of religion to evolve by natural selection it has to contain structural design features. The chapter therefore searches for structural design features in the various components of religion. As will be seen, this is easier to do for some components of religion than for others. However, in the end all the components of religion are accounted for. The chapter also addresses the level of selection from the individual to the group where natural selection could be acting. Finally, the chapter presents evidence for the counter-intuitive proposition that belief in God may have been what created many parts of the human mind – “gifts” as some would say.
Compressed Gaussian process for manifold regression

Nonparametric regression for large numbers of features (p) is an increasingly important problem. If the sample size n is massive, a common strategy is to partition the feature space, and then separately apply simple models to each partition set. This is not ideal when n is modest relative to p, and we propose an alternative approach relying on random compression of the feature vector combined with Gaussian process regression. The proposed approach is particularly motivated by the setting in which the response is conditionally independent of the features given the projection to a low dimensional manifold. Conditionally on the random compression matrix and a smoothness parameter, the posterior distribution for the regression surface and posterior predictive distributions are available analytically. Running the analysis in parallel for many random compression matrices and smoothness parameters, model averaging is used to combine the results. The algorithm can be implemented rapidly even in very large p and moderately large n nonparametric regression, has strong theoretical justification, and is found to yield state of the art predictive performance.
Intracerebral hemorrhage due to dural arteriovenous malformations and fistulae.

Intracerebral hemorrhage is a rare but devastating occurrence with dural arteriovenous malformations. Patients at highest risk are those with lesions located in the anterior cranial fossa or at the tentorial incisura. Pial draining veins and varices represent ominous angiographic features. Therapy is directed at preventing secondary brain injury and obliterating the vascular nidus. This article reviews the literature on hemorrhage from dural vascular malformations and fistulae and describes the therapeutic options.
Placental Steroid Dehydrogenases: Assessment with a Nonhuman Primate in Situ Placental Perfusion Model

The oxidoreductase activity of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) has been demonstrated in human placenta and catalyzes the interconversion of estradiol-17β (E2) and estrone (E1) (Langer and Engel, 1958; Jarabak and Sack, 1969; Strickler and Tobias, 1982). Preimplantation rat and mouse embryos have also been reported to possess 17β-HSD activity (Wu and Lin, 1982; Wu and Matsumoto, 1985). It has been postulated that 17β-HSD is responsible for the conversion of the potent estrogen, E2, to the less potent E1 in later-term non-human primate pregnancy (Slikker et al., 1982a) and regulates the ratio of E2 and E1 throughout the preimplantation period in the rodent (Wu and Matsumoto, 1985).
Blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence from a biphenyl difluoroboron β-diketonate

Optical properties of biphenyl difluoroboron β-diketonates were studied in poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends. Increased conjugation lowered the emission energy, decreased the singlet–triplet energy gap and yielded blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). The properties of these biphenyl dyes may inform organic light emitting diode (OLED) and bioimaging agent design.
Predictability and prediction of persistent cool states of the Tropical Pacific Ocean

The Tropical Pacific Ocean displays persistently cool sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies that last several years to a decade, with either no El Nino events or a few weak El Nino events. These cause large-scale droughts in the extratropics, including major North American droughts such as the 1930s Dust Bowl, and also modulate the global mean surface temperature. Here we show that two models with different levels of complexity—the Zebiak–Cane intermediate model and the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Coupled Model version 2.1—are able to produce such periods in a realistic manner. We then test the predictability of these periods in the Zebiak–Cane model using an ensemble of experiments with perturbed initial states. Our results show that in most cases the cool mean state is predictable. We then apply this method to make retrospective forecasts of shifts in the decadal mean state and to forecast the mean state of the Tropical Pacific Ocean for the upcoming decade. Our results suggest that the Pacific will undergo a shift to a warmer mean state after the 2015–2016 El Nino. This could imply the cessation of the drier than normal conditions that have generally afflicted southwest North America since the 1997–1998 El Nino, as well as the twenty-first-century pause in global warming. Implications for our understanding of the origins of such persistent cool states and the possibility of improving predictions of large-scale droughts are discussed.
Livestock Exclusion Impacts on Oak Savanna Habitats—Differential Responses of Understory and Open Habitats☆

Large grazing animals can have profound impacts on plant communities and soil properties; however, these impacts are not always uniform across or within regions. The distribution of features such as forage quality, water, or shade within a pasture can change the behavior of grazers and thus, the impact of their grazing. Where managed livestock grazing has been proposed as a conservation tool to enhance or maintain desirable plant communities, understanding how spatial variation between tree and intertree habitats within a savanna landscape affects the response of vegetation and soil properties to grazing will be critical for designing management plans for different sites. In this study, we used a previously established, long-term livestock grazing experiment in California oak [Quercus L.] savannas to investigate how the removal of grazing affected plant communities and soil characteristics underneath and outside of isolated tree canopies. In the oak understory, plant community composition shifted in response to livestock removal, largely due to a 68–400% increase in the relative cover of native species. Overall plant community composition in open grassland neighboring trees changed little in response to livestock grazing removal, yet we did see a decrease in species richness and diversity surrounding deciduous oaks as the dominance of the exotic annual Bromus diandrus Roth increased. The depth of plant litter increased 1–2 cmin both habitat types when livestock grazing was absent, along with minor changes in soil carbon, nitrogen, and bulk density. These results highlight how different habitat patches within savanna landscape can have varying responses to grazing removal and illustrate how challenging it will be to use grazing as a management tool to enhance the diversity of native species. In the oak understory, native species that are tolerant of herbivory may be absent or unable to coexist with non-native annual grasses. The abundance of understory habitat at a particular site may therefore be an important variable predicting the outcome of livestock grazing.
Can postoperative process of care utilization or complication rates explain the volume-cost relationship for cancer surgery?

Background Past studies identify an association between provider volume and outcomes, but less is known about the volume-cost relationship for cancer surgery. We analyze the volume-cost relationship for 6 cancer operations and explore whether it is influenced by the occurrence of complications and/or utilization of processes of care. Methods Medicare hospital and inpatient claims for the years 2005 through 2009 were analyzed for 6 cancer resections: colectomy, rectal resection, pulmonary lobectomy, pneumonectomy, esophagectomy, and pancreatic resection. Regressions were first estimated to quantify the association of provider volume with costs, excluding measures of complications and processes of care as explanatory variables. Next, these variables were added to the regressions to test whether they weakened any previously observed volume-cost relationship. Results Higher hospital volume is associated with lower patient costs for esophagectomy but not for other operations. Higher surgeon volume reduces costs for most procedures, but this result weakens when processes of care are added to the regressions. Processes of care that are frequently implemented in response to adverse events are associated with 14% to 34% higher costs. Utilization of these processes is more prevalent among low-volume versus high-volume surgeons. Conclusion Processes of care implemented when complications occur explain much of the surgeon volume–cost relationship. Given that surgeon volume is readily observed, better outcomes and lower costs may be achieved by referring patients to high-volume surgeons. Increasing patient access to surgeons with lower rates of complications may be the most effective strategy for avoiding costly processes of care, controlling expenditure growth.
Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Encapsulated in Hydrogel Matrix Materials

Prior work on many cell types, including stem cells, has definitively shown that mechanical stiffness of the neighboring material and the overall stress state influences cell behavior. There is also evidence that the topology (i.e. 2D vs 3D environment) impacts cell behavior. Our research involves controlling the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) through mechanical stimuli. We employ three-dimensional cultures to better understand how topology and mechanical properties of a surrounding matrix impact stem cell differentiation. For these experiments, H9 hESCs were embedded in hydrogels of varying Young’s moduli with the target of differentiation toward cardiomyocytes. The amount of contractile behavior was quantified, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) tests were conducted at various time points. Results show a similar efficiency in cardiomyocyte generation to other methods with the advantages of a three-dimensional matrix environment more conducive to the needs of tissue engineering.
Characterization of the concurrent metabolic changes in brain and plasma during insulin-induced moderate hypoglycemia using 1H NMR spectroscopy in juvenile rats

Abstract Treatment of hypoglycemia in children is currently based on plasma glucose measurements. This approach may not ensure neuroprotection since plasma glucose does not reflect the dynamic state of cerebral energy metabolism. To determine whether cerebral metabolic changes during hypoglycemia could be better characterized using plasma metabolomic analysis, insulin-induced acute hypoglycemia was induced in 4-week-old rats. Brain tissue and concurrent plasma samples were collected from hypoglycemic (N = 7) and control (N = 7) rats after focused microwave fixation to prevent post-mortem metabolic changes. The concentration of 29 metabolites in brain and 34 metabolites in plasma were determined using 1H NMR spectroscopy at 700 MHz and examined using partial least squares-discriminant analysis. The sensitivity of plasma glucose for detecting cerebral energy failure was assessed by determining its relationship to brain phosphocreatine. The brain and plasma metabolite profiles of the hypoglycemia group were distinct from the control group (brain: R2 = 0.92, Q2 = 0.31; plasma: R2 = 0.95, Q2 = 0.74). Concentration differences in glucose, ketone bodies and amino acids were responsible for the intergroup separation. There was 45% concordance between the brain and plasma metabolite profiles. Brain phosphocreatine correlated with brain glucose (control group: R2 = 0.86; hypoglycemia group: R2 = 0.59; p
Imaging of Orthognathic, Maxillofacial, and Temporomandibular Joint Surgery

This chapter reviews the diagnostic imaging findings following orthognathic, maxillofacial, and temporomandibular joint surgery, including vertical ramus osteotomy, sagittal split osteotomy, genioplasty, mandibular angle augmentation, mandibular distraction, LeFort I osteotomy, LeFort III osteotomy, fixation of mandible fractures, mandibulotomy, enucleation, cyst decompression, coronoidectomy, mandibulectomy and mandibular reconstruction, eminectomy and meniscal plication, temporomandibular joint discectomy, temporomandibular joint costochondral graft reconstruction, temporomandibular joint disc replacement implants, temporomandibular joint hemiarthroplasty, temporomandibular total joint arthroplasty, and temporomandibular joint disc implant and prosthesis failure.
Division I college student-athlete attitudes toward career counseling

ABSTRACTFew student-athletes advance to the professional level following their collegiate athletic career, leaving many to pursue alternative career paths. Although much attention has been dedicated to student-athlete academic progress and graduation rates, little attention has been given to student-athlete career development and their attitudes toward career counseling. Therefore, the present study investigated Division I student-athletes’ attitudes toward career counseling. The results of the current study indicate that student-athletes value career counseling more than non-athlete students, and while males have a higher degree of stigma toward career counseling than females, females value career counseling more than males. Lastly, the current study confirmed that career situation factors and personality variables were greater predictors of student-athlete attitudes toward career counseling.
Reno's Venture Gamble: Leveraging Tesla's Gigafactory

How do you create an entrepreneurial renaissance in a downtrodden city, especially after the Great Recession has wreaked havoc on the local economy? The lesson from Reno, Nevada, is that it can be done. The key is to resist the temptation to emulate others and instead focus on your own strengths, even if they are humble ones. In Reno’s case, those strengths include unexciting activities such as logistics, warehousing, data centers, and manufacturing. But those humble strengths are Reno’s building blocks to create positive momentum and rebrand a battered reputation, most notably (though far from singularly) through Tesla’s technologically-advanced Gigafactory for producing lithium-ion batteries for electric cars and home energy-storage systems. The results of a re-energized city in turn spill over into other areas, such as Reno’s emerging grass-roots startup community, its revitalized downtown, and its re-engaged flagship university. Coupled with the state’s business-friendly policies and the city’s scenic location at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Lake Tahoe, Reno is poised to attract a wave of aspiring entrepreneurs to carry its industrial momentum forward to new ventures.
Consultation Practices: Training Parents and Families

Abstract Parents and families interact with and address their children’s problem behavior on a daily basis, and often do so with a very limited amount of training, which may lead to poor treatment fidelity and treatment adherence when the behavior analytic services are discontinued. To increase parent/family fidelity and treatment adherence, our clinical teams maximally include parents/families throughout our assessment and treatment process. In this chapter, we discuss how we train parents and families on behavior analytic procedures conducted within our behavioral services for problem behavior displayed by children with and without disabilities. We emphasize the training procedures we use in our 90-minute outpatient clinic, Day Treatment service, and in-home service, with a focus on strategies we use to promote the parents/families generalization and maintenance of the treatment procedures for their children. We, then, discuss the benefits and limitations to training parents/families within each of these services, and conclude with recommendations for behavior analytic therapists.
The association of visual memory with hippocampal volume.

Background In this study we investigated the role of hippocampal volume (HV) in visual memory. Methods Participants were a subsample of older adults (> = 70 years) from the Einstein Aging Study. Visual performance was measured using the Complex Figure (CF) copy and delayed recall tasks from the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. Linear regressions were fitted to study associations between HV and visual tasks. Results Participants’ (n = 113, mean age = 78.9 years) average scores on the CF copy and delayed recall were 17.4 and 11.6, respectively. CF delayed recall was associated with total (β = .031, p = 0.001) and left (β = 0.031, p = 0.001) and right HVs (β = 0.24, p = 0.012). CF delayed recall remained significantly associated with left HV even after we also included right HV (β = 0.27, p = 0.025) and the CF copy task (β = 0.30, p = 0.009) in the model. CF copy did not show any significant associations with HV. Conclusion Our results suggest that left HV contributes in retrieval of visual memory in older adults.
Imaging in Status Epilepticus

The study of seizures and status epilepticus (SE) has seen tremendous advances over the last few decades, particularly in neuroimaging. Modern neuroimaging has made it possible to demonstrate structural etiologies for seizures and epilepsy that would have been considered “cryptogenic” previously. Similarly, nuclear imaging studies have demonstrated complementary metabolic or functional correlates of ictal, interictal, and post-ictal activity. During SE, neuroimaging has practical limitations. SE is typically a medical emergency requiring prompt therapeutic intervention, and prolonged comprehensive imaging studies should not delay appropriate medical care. It is also challenging to choose among the many types of imaging modalities in order to obtain the best information, while maintaining patient safety. There are practical, financial, and therapeutic considerations in choosing the most appropriate imaging modality for a particular clinical situation.
Crematogaster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies

ABSTRACT Trinidad and Tobago are continental shelf islands, connected with South America when ocean levels were lower during glacial maxima. Trinidad became isolated from South America only ∼1.5 kya and Tobago became isolated ∼12 kya. Because of this former connection, these islands have many South American species not found on islands of the Lesser Antilles that were never connected to South America. I collected nine species of acrobat ants (Crematogaster) in Trinidad and Tobago: Crematogaster brasiliensis, Crematogaster carinata, Crematogaster crinosa, Crematogaster crucis, Crematogaster curvispinosa, Crematogaster limata, Crematogaster nigropilosa, Crematogaster rochai, and Crematogaster tenuicula. All these species have broad ranges in South and Central America. Only two, C. crinosa and C. curvispinosa, are also known from multiple islands of the Lesser Antilles north of Trinidad and Tobago.
Delirium in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.

Delirium is an important diagnosis, both because it is challenging to manage and because it portends a poor prognosis in the hospital and beyond.[1][1] Delirium is particularly prevalent in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting, where it is associated with longer hospital stays,[2][2] prolonged
The systemic and mucosal immune response of humans to influenza A virus.

Influenza A virus contains a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA genome which consists of 8 segments that code for 7 structural and 3 non-structural proteins (Murphy et al. 1985). In nature, the virus undergoes antigenic changes, referred to as antigenic drift and shift, that permit it to escape from immunity induced by prior infection with related influenza A viruses (Murphy et al. 1985). Common to both types of antigenic change are alterations in the surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) (Murphy et al. 1985). Antibodies to the HA glycoprotein neutralize the infectivity of the virus, and antibodies to the NA prevent efficient release of virus from infected cells (Askonas et al. 1982; Becht et al. 1971). Passive transfer of monoclonal antibodies to the HA or NA glycoprotein protects mice from experimental challenge with wild type influenza virus whereas those to the membrane (M) protein or nucleoprotein (NP) fail to protect (Askonas et al. 1982). Clearly, the surface glycoproteins constitute the major protective antigens against which an immune response is directed. Immunization of animals with purified NP or with NP expressed by a vaccinia virus induces partial resistance to lethal wild type virus challenge, but the level of resistance is considerably less than that induced by immunization with HA (Andrew et al. 1986; Wraith et al. 1986). It is thought that the resistance induced by immunization with NP is mediated primarily by histocompatibility class I restricted cytotoxic T-cells, but is not limited to this T-cell subset (McDermott et al. 1987; Taylor et al. 1986).
Mathematics in Early Childhood: Teacher Educators' Accounts of Their Work.

While early childhood practitioners have long been asked to have complex understandings of child development and provide rich, meaningful educational experiences for children, focusing on mathemati...
A unified model for dwell and penetration during long rod impact on thick ceramic targets

Abstract In this manuscript, we present an improved model for long rod penetration into thick ceramic targets by using a modified version of the Walker–Anderson model along with our dynamic expanding cavity model. This model is simpler to use and captures additional physics such as the dwell-penetration transition phenomena in ceramics as compared to the Walker–Anderson model. The target response is assumed to occur in a hemispherical region containing nested comminuted, cracked and elastic regions of deformation. A dynamic expanding cavity model, recently developed by the authors, along with an exponential pressure-shear response of brittle materials in the form of the extended Mohr-Coulomb model, is used to capture the stress fields in these regions. Incorporating this constitutive model reduces the requirement on (often expensive) experimental data as it uses a single set of parameters to predict the response of many brittle ceramics, which is especially beneficial in understanding and exploring the behavior of new materials. The predictions of the model are in good agreement with experimental results and is also used to quantify the effect of amorphization on boron carbide.
Lemierre’s Syndrome: A Real Pain in the Neck

Lemierre’s syndrome describes a septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein. It is an uncommon but very serious complication of pharyngitis and occasionally dental infections. The most common pathogen is Fusobacterium necrophorum. It is clinically suspected when a pharyngitis becomes persistent and worse than expected despite treatment with antibiotics. When an abscess develops involving the internal carotid, thrombosis of the vessel an occur. Treatment is with antibiotics, operative incision, and drainage, and in some cases, anticoagulation.
Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents: Diagnostic Criteria, Therapeutic Options and Perspectives

This review summarizes our current understanding of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children and adolescents. Special emphasis is given towards diagnostic criteria and therapeutic options. Consistent diagnostic criteria to define MetS in childhood and adolescence are not available to date. There is common agreement that the main features defining MetS include (1) disturbed glucose metabolism, (2) arterial hypertension, (3) dyslipidemia, and (4) abdominal obesity. However, settings of cut-off values are still heterogeneous in the pediatric population. Additional features that may define cardiometabolic risk, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFDL) or hyperuricemia, are not considered to date. Prevalence of childhood obesity has more than doubled since 1980, and 6–39% of obese children and adolescents already present with MetS, depending on the definition applied. There is common agreement that a consistent definition of MetS is urgently needed for children to identify those at risk as early as possible. Such definition criteria should consider age, gender, pubertal stage, or ethnicity. Additional features such as NAFDL or hyperuricemia should also be included in MetS criteria. Lifestyle modification is still the main basis to prevent or treat childhood obesity and MetS, as other therapeutic options (pharmacotherapy, bariatric surgery) are not available or not recommended for the majority of affected youngster.