cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Occupational Mix Adjustment to the Medicare Hospital Wage Index: Why the Rural Impact Is Less Than Expected

Context Rural hospitals are heavily dependent on Medicare for their long-term financial solvency. A recent change to Medicare prospective payment system reimbursement--the occupational mix adjustment (OMA) to the wage index--has attracted a great deal of attention in rural policy circles. Purpose This paper explores variation in the OMA across and within urban and rural markets. Reasons why the effect of the OMA has been less than some rural advocates anticipated are discussed. Methods Data were obtained from the fiscal year 2007 Final Occupational Mix Survey Data Public Use File and the fiscal year 2007 Final Rule Wage Data Public Use File. Descriptive statistics were generated to determine the need for the OMA and the potential impact of its application on hospitals located in rural markets. Findings The average OMA for nonmetropolitan markets is greater than 1, indicating that hospitals in these markets use a less-skilled mix of labor than the national average. However, almost one third of nonmetropolitan markets had an OMA that was less than 1 and experienced a net decrease in Medicare reimbursement due to the OMA. Conclusions There are several reasons why the impact of the OMA is smaller than many rural hospital administrators expected. The most important is that the adjustment happens at the market-level rather than for individual hospitals, so a small hospital's staffing mix may have almost no effect on the final payment adjustment. In rural markets, it appears that hospitals in micropolitan areas exert a large influence on the OMA.
Trill: a high-performance incremental query processor for diverse analytics

This paper introduces Trill -- a new query processor for analytics. Trill fulfills a combination of three requirements for a query processor to serve the diverse big data analytics space: (1) Query Model: Trill is based on a tempo-relational model that enables it to handle streaming and relational queries with early results, across the latency spectrum from real-time to offline; (2) Fabric and Language Integration: Trill is architected as a high-level language library that supports rich data-types and user libraries, and integrates well with existing distribution fabrics and applications; and (3) Performance: Trill's throughput is high across the latency spectrum. For streaming data, Trill's throughput is 2-4 orders of magnitude higher than comparable streaming engines. For offline relational queries, Trill's throughput is comparable to a major modern commercial columnar DBMS.Trill uses a streaming batched-columnar data representation with a new dynamic compilation-based system architecture that addresses all these requirements. In this paper, we describe Trill's new design and architecture, and report experimental results that demonstrate Trill's high performance across diverse analytics scenarios. We also describe how Trill's ability to support diverse analytics has resulted in its adoption across many usage scenarios at Microsoft.
Abstract 511: Endothelial Cell-specific Liver Kinase B1 Deletion Causes Hypertension in Mice in vivo

Background- Liver kinase B1 (LKB1), a tumor suppressor, is a central regulator of cell polarity and energy homeostasis. The roles of LKB1 in endothelial function in vivo have not been explored. Methods and Results- The endothelium-specific LKB1 knockout ( LKB1endo -/- ) mice were generated by crossbreeding LKB1flox/flox mice with VE-cadherin Cre approach. LKB1endo -/- mice exhibited hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy and impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation. In addition, in parallel with reduced levels of both endothelial nitric oxidase (eNOS) activity and phosphorylated (Thr172) AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a downstream enzyme of LKB1, LKB1endo -/- mice expressed high levels of caveolin-1. Further, siRNA silencing of caveolin-1 normalized the eNOS activity in LKB1-deficient endothelial cells. Furthermore, human antigen R (HuR) bound with AU-rich elements of caveolin-1 mRNA 3’ UTR resulting in increased stability of caveolin-1 and genetic knockdown of HuR decreased caveolin-1 level in LKB1-deficient endothelial cells. Finally, we found that inhibition of LKB1 or AMPK induced the translocation of HuR from nuclei to cytosol and overexpression of constitutively active AMPK (CA-AMPK) led to decreased caveolin-1 level. Consistently, administration of CA-AMPK in LKB1endo -/- mice lowered blood pressure with improved endothelial function in vivo . Conclusions- Our findings indicate that endothelial cell LKB1 plays an essential role in regulating eNOS activity, endothelial function, and blood pressure through modulating AMPK-mediated caveolin-1expression.
The problem with problem-solving justice: coercion vs. democratic deliberation

AbstractProblem-solving justice is analysed in terms of democratic theory about the conditions under which courts are justified in applying coercive sanctions. The guilty plea process forces defendants to forego evidentiary proof and accept treatment and surveillance. All problem-solving ‘courts', which actually are corrections agencies, operate this way. This violates the legitimating triadic structure in which judges adjudicate, not medicate. Two popular problem-solving models are therapeutic justice and restorative justice. The therapeutic model is individualistic and emphasises personal responsibility, consistent with neoliberal penality. The restorative model is socially and communally oriented, but in practice it must be legally constrained from applying unwise popular prejudices. Habermas's theory of communicative action and discourse ethics of democratic deliberation presents an alternative to both models. Communicative interaction implies a commitment to factual truth, sincerity, and normativity ...
Relationship of urinary endothelin-1 with estimated glomerular filtration rate in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: a pilot cross-sectional analysis

The pathogenesis of progressive renal insufficiency in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is unclear. Evidence from experimental models of ADPKD suggests that elevated endothelin-1 (ET-1) drives cyst growth, renal fibrosis and loss of renal function, but whether ET-1 is elevated in humans with ADPKD is uncertain.
Debating rape jokes vs. rape culture: framing and counter-framing misogynistic comedy

ABSTRACTHumor controversies can simultaneously reveal and obscure relations of power, as well as the rhetorical/political nature of jokes. US comedian Daniel Tosh ignited one such controversy in July 2012 when he directed a rape joke toward a female audience member during a live performance in Hollywood, CA. This paper consists of a two-part analysis of this humor controversy. First, we examine a televised debate following this incident, between a comedian and feminist, to map the dominant framing and counter-framing of rape jokes. We contend these positions are representative of two frames that repeatedly surface in response to controversial sexist humor: a dominant patriarchal frame and an oppositional feminist counter-frame. Second, we analyze the saliency of these two frames among college students to observe the way individual interpretations resonate with, challenge, and complicate those frames. In light of our findings, we argue the dominant framing/interpretation of rape jokes reinforce patriarchal...
Dispersal and Flight Activities of Some Species of Tabanus (Diptera: Tabanidae)

Certain aspects of the dispersal, flight activities, and longevity of some horse flies of the genus Tabanus were determined by recapturing marked flies during the summers of 1969 and 1970. Of the 1063 marked flies released in 1969 and the 2931 released in 1970, 11 marked flies were recaptured in 1969 and 103 in 1970. Marked flies recaptured during 1969 and 1970 were of the following species: Tabanus fulvulus Wiedemann, T. lineola F., T. melanocerus Wiedemann, T. nigripes Wiedemann, T. pallidescens Philip, and T. petiolatus Hine. The number of recaptured flies in relation to the distance of the traps from the release point indicated that some horse flies did not range widely. The amount of wooded terrain in the flight path apparently had no influence on the number of recaptures. Marked flies were recaptured in the research area for periods of up to 23 days. The numbers of recaptures east and west of the release point and in open and wooded areas were compared statistically. The flies indicated no preference for any of these areas. When the total numbers of horse flies on each trap were compared, it was evident that the flies were equally distributed throughout the research area.
Institutional Uncertainty as Public Politics: Climate Change Hearings & New Technology Development

While there has been much debate among social movement scholars concerning the efficacy of collective activists on public policy outcomes, few studies have investigated how the policymaking process itself can be a significant public-politics tactic in influencing firm behavior. We explore how the early phases of policymaker-responsiveness to movement demands can affect the development and adoption of firm practices that address movement demands. Empirically, we investigate how Congressional hearings on climate change impacted U.S. oil and gas companies’ investment in particular enhanced oil recovery technologies (CO2 injection), as well as their normative and cognitive framing of such tactics, from 1982-2010. The results indicate that instilling institutional-uncertainty can be significant and perhaps less costly method than traditional emphasis on policy outcomes for social movements when seeking behavioral changes from very powerful and resource- rich organizations.
Guaranteeing performance based on time-stability for energy-efficient data centers

ABSTRACTWe consider a system of multiple parallel single-server queues where servers are heterogeneous with resources of different capacities and can be powered on or off while running at different speeds when they are powered on. In addition, we assume that application requests are heterogeneous with different workload distributions and resource requirements and the arrival, rates of request are time-varying. Managing such a heterogeneous, transient, and non-stationary system is a tremendous challenge. We take an unconventional approach, in that we force the queue lengths in each powered-on server to be time-stable (i.e., stationary). It allows the operators to guarantee performance and effectively monitor the system. We formulate a mixed-integer program to minimize energy costs while satisfying time-stability. Simulation results show that our suggested approach can stabilize queue length distributions and provide probabilistic performance guarantees on waiting times.
49 THE ARG16/GLY β2-ADRENERGIC RECEPTOR POLYMORPHISM ALTERS THE CARDIAC OUTPUT RESPONSE TO ISOMETRIC EXERCISE

Our laboratory has demonstrated that healthy, normotensive adults homozygous for glycine (Gly) of the Arg16/Gly β2-adrenergic receptor polymorphism produce 1) greater forearm β2-receptor mediated vasodilation and 2) a higher heart rate (HR) response to isometric handgrip than arginine (Arg) homozygotes. To test the hypothesis that the higher HR response in Gly16 subjects serves to maintain the pressor response (increased cardiac output, CO) in the setting of augmented peripheral vasodilation to endogenous catecholamines, we measured continuous HR (ECG), arterial pressure (AP, Finapres), and CO (transthoracic echocardiography) during isometric, 40% submaximal handgrip to fatigue in healthy subjects homozygous for Gly (n = 25; mean age ± SE: 30 ± 1, 9 women) and Arg (n = 14, age 29 ± 1, 8 women). Resting data were similar between groups. Handgrip produced similar increases in AP, venous norepinephrine and epinephrine concentrations; however, HR increased greater in the Gly group (62 ± 5% increase from baseline vs. 44 ± 4%, p
Extended Angiography in Diagnosis and Treatment of Renal Carcinoma

AbstractNew and highly sophisticated advances in uro-angiography need to be systematically analyzed and presented for evaluation. Our experience with these techniques applied to renal carcinoma is reviewed. This series demonstrates the important features of angiography in the diagnosis and treatment of renal carcinoma although the number of patients was not large enough to permit statistical treatment of the data. We anticipate that close cooperation between radiologist and urologist will continue to produce advances such as annotated in this report.
Aberrant antigen expression detected by multiparameter three color flow cytometry in intermediate and high grade B-cell lymphomas.

The aberrant expression of antigens (Ag) in lymphoproliferative disorders may cause a diagnostic problem when single parameter immunohistochemical assays are performed on frozen or paraffin sections because coexpression by relevant cells is not determined. This aberrant expression also raises the question as to whether mixed lineage (biphenotypic) lymphoid proliferations exist. Marrow (6) and extramedullary (20) tissues from 26 patients with diffuse, intermediate and high grade, B-cell lymphomas (IWF E=l, F=l, G=19, H=l and J=4) were analyzed with 19 markers using 3-olor flow cytometry. The percentages (%) of patients with double Ag coexpression in at least 20% of the CD19+ or CD20+ lymphoma cells were: stem cell(SC) Ag: CDlO = 58 and CD34 = 15; T-cell Ag: CD2 = 38, CD5 = 19 and CD7 = 19; myeloid(My) Ag: CD13 = 19 and CD33 = 8. The corresponding % with unusual triple Ag coexpression in at least 10% of the CD19+ B-cells were SC+T+ Ag: CD10CD2 = 50, CD10CD5 = 27, CD10CD7 = 38, CD34CD2 = 31, CD34CD5 = 19 and...
Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Extremity Vascular Trauma

The principles of management of extremity vascular trauma have largely developed over the past 50 years, and they are still evolving. The need for rapid and accurate diagnosis was achieved by routine surgical exploration of injured extremities until arteriography became established in the early 1980s. Recently, less invasive and less costly diagnostic modalities are being used. Treatment has progressed from ligation to surgical repair, with a recent trend toward nonoperative management of select vascular injuries. Many issues remain to be clarified by further experience and research.
Parent and teacher perspectives on psychological adjustment: A national measurement study in Trinidad and Tobago

This article reports on the national standardization and psychometric properties of the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents–Home Edition (ASCA-H) for use in Trinidad and Tobago. ASCA-H is a parent rating scale composed of behavioral indicators in play, social, and learning contexts. The sample was comprised of students (N = 780) attending government and assisted elementary schools. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed two internally consistent dimensions, Problems in Contexts Requiring Disciplined Behavior (i.e., Indiscipline) and Problems in Contexts Requiring Engaged Behavior (i.e., Disengagement). Dimensions were scaled with IRT and Bayesian scoring methods, with Disengagement scores more strongly relating to clinical disturbances, peer contexts, and classroom learning contexts. The norming information on the ASCA-H will enable identification of at-risk students and allow resources to be targeted to specific situational contexts with parents and other adults.
Cognitive Topology and Lexical Networks

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a study of a polysemous lexical item—the English word “over”—paying specific attention to the character of the relations among its senses. Polysemy is a subtype of lexical ambiguity, contrasting with homonymy, wherein a single lexical form is associated with more than one meaning, and those meanings are unrelated. In the case of polysemy, it is taken that one word has senses which are related. The distinction is important for the resolution of lexical ambiguity—the way semantic information is stored in a lexical entry may differ depending on whether that lexical entry is taken as reflecting homonymy or polysemy. This chapter shows that the common practice of giving a list of meanings of ambiguous items is neither the only way, nor, for polysemous words, the most efficient way, of storing such semantic information. Instead, a network-style mode of storage is cognitively real, and this allows for a maximum of shared and otherwise related information between senses. It is explained in the chapter that oriented topological representations using image-schemas are necessary for two reasons: (1) to account for the range of scenes that concepts like “over” can fit, and (2) to account for the naturalness of image-schema transformations.
Risk management and participation planning of electric vehicles in smart grids for demand response

Abstract Demand response (DR) can serve as an effective tool to better balance the electricity demand and supply in the smart grid. It is defined as "the changes in electricity usage by end-use customers from their normal consumption patterns" in response to pricing and incentive payments. This paper focuses on new opportunities for DR with electric vehicles (EVs). EVs are potential distributed energy resources that support both the grid-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-grid modes. Their participation in the time-based (e.g., time-of-use) and incentive-based (e.g., regulation services) DR programs helps improve the stability and reduce the potential risks to the grid. Smart scheduling of EV charging and discharging activities also supports high penetration of renewables with volatile energy generation. This paper proposes a novel stochastic model from the Independent System Operator's perspective for risk management and participation planning of EVs in the smart grid for DR. The risk factors considered in this paper involve those caused by uncertainties in renewables (wind and solar), load patterns, parking patterns, and transmission lines' reliability. The effectiveness of the model in response to various settings such as the area type (residential, commercial, and industrial), the EV penetration level, and the risk level has been investigated.
Rapidly progressing dual infection with Aspergillus and Rhizopus: when soil inhabitants become deadly invaders.

We present a case report of a 61-year-old patient with acute pulmonary and cerebral infections with Aspergillus and Rhizopus. The only risk factor for invasive fungal disease was high-dose corticosteroids used to treat her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation. She had rapid progression and succumbed to her infections within 2 weeks of diagnosis in spite of aggressive antifungal therapy and surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of rapidly fatal dual infection with Aspergillus and Rhizopus. Our case highlights the role of high-dose corticosteroids as a risk factor for invasive fungal disease in patients without traditional risk factors like haematological malignancies, solid organ transplantation or uncontrolled diabetes.
The Nuclear Refractive Index from Quantitative Phase Imaging: Corrupting Factors and Application to a/LCI

Recent Quantitative Phase Microscopy experiments have measured the refractive index of a cell nucleus to be lower than the cytoplasm. We suggest a potential error capable of corrupting these measurements.
Think globally, act locally: An alternative proposal for effecting change in language education

The article responds to the issue article "Making Change Happen: The New Mission and Location of Language Departments" by Rogelio Minana. Topics include research on second language acquisition (SLA) and pedagogy, the promotion of innovations in higher education through language departments, and the promotion of multilingualism and multiculturalism.
POSS-ProDOT crosslinking of PEDOT

Alkoxy-functionalized polythiophenes such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) (PProDOT) have become promising materials for a variety of applications including bioelectronic devices due to their high conductivity, relatively soft mechanical response, good chemical stability and excellent biocompatibility. However the long-term applications of PEDOT and PProDOT coatings are still limited by their relatively poor electrochemical stability on various inorganic substrates. Here, we report the synthesis of an octa-ProDOT-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) derivative (POSS-ProDOT) and its copolymerization with EDOT to improve the stability of PEDOT coatings. The POSS-ProDOT crosslinker was synthesized via thiol–ene “click” chemistry, and its structure was confirmed by both Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopies. PEDOT copolymer films were then electrochemically deposited with various concentrations of the crosslinker. The resulting PEDOT-co-POSS-ProDOT copolymer films were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The optical, morphological and electrochemical properties of the copolymer films could be systematically tuned with the incorporation of POSS-ProDOT. Significantly enhanced electrochemical stability of the copolymers was observed at intermediate levels of POSS-ProDOT content (3.1 wt%). It is expected that these highly stable PEDOT-co-POSS-ProDOT materials will be excellent candidates for use in bioelectronics devices such as neural electrodes.
A vitamin D protocol post-liver transplantation

Background and purpose Adults with compromised liver function are inherently deficient and especially vulnerable to the consequences of vitamin D deficiency. Consequences of vitamin D deficiency include liver disease progression, infection, and graft failure. A vitamin D supplementation protocol is proposed to systematically optimize serum vitamin D levels according to guidelines in both pre- and post-liver transplanted patients. Methods This quasiexperimental study included a sample of N = 45 post-liver transplanted patients taking daily cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) 2500 units for 12 weeks, with a pre- and post-lab measure of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels at a large academic facility. Conclusions Seventy-eight percent of patients reached minimum guideline levels using the protocol with an average increase of serum vitamin D of 13.8 ng/mL. Long-term outcomes of clinical significance may include decreased incidence of acute T-cell-mediated graft rejection and infections in the immunocompromised patient. Implications for practice Optimizing vitamin D in vulnerable patient populations such as chronic liver disease and the immunosuppressed posttransplanted patient has the potential to curtail complications of vitamin D deficiency. As a result, nurse practitioners employing a vitamin D protocol can create a favorable impact on patient quality of life, safety, and healthcare spending.
Abstract 1844: Investigating the role of amphiregulin in breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide and afflicts more than 3.1 million women in the US alone. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is frequently overexpressed in breast cancer and is associated with poor clinical outcome. Several therapies involving anti-EGFR agents have been developed to target breast cancer. However, clinical trials have shown mixed outcomes with these therapies. Amphiregulin (AREG) is a ligand for EGFR that mediates estrogen-induced mammary ductal morphogenesis during development. Expression of AREG is enriched in invasive breast carcinomas, particularly ERα-positive breast tumors. Studies have shown that AREG increases the in vitro invasiveness of breast cancer cells. Furthermore, suppression of AREG expression in transformed human breast epithelial cells reduces tumor formation when injected in nude mice. These observations suggest that AREG plays an important role in breast cancer development and progression. To investigate the role of AREG in breast cancer development and progression, we utilized a spontaneous mammary tumor mouse model where oncogenesis is driven by expression of the polyoma middle T oncoprotein (PyMT) through the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter. We have crossed AREG knockout mice with the MMTV-PyMT mice to generate AREG KO mice that spontaneously form mammary tumors. Tumors in AREG KO PyMT mice initially grow more quickly but eventually reach 2 cm in diameter at a relatively time as compared to tumors formed in AREG WT PyMT mice. Histologically, AREG KO tumors appear more differentiated and display a greater proportion of tumor stroma. This prompted us to further hypothesize that AREG may have diverse effects in the tumoral or stromal compartment of developing tumors. To individually assess the effects of AREG knockout in the tumor cells and the stroma, we utilized a transplantation model in which we prepared tumor chunks from AREG WT and KO PyMT tumors and transplanted them into AREG WT and KO mice. Through this model, we have found that AREG expression in the tumor has a greater impact on tumor growth and progression than the tumor stroma. Regardless of the AREG status of the recipient mice, AREG KO tumors display a significant growth impairment and reduced transplant efficiency. In summary, these results demonstrate that AREG is important for mammary tumor progression. Citation Format: Serena P. Chiang, George S. Karagiannis, John S. Condeelis, Jeffrey E. Segall. Investigating the role of amphiregulin in breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1844. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1844
Deterministic Nucleation for Halide Perovskite Thin Films with Large and Uniform Grains

Halide perovskite materials have come to the forefront of optoelectronics recently owing to their excellent light absorbing and emitting properties. Despite their excellent properties there are still problems that need to be overcome such as short operating lifetimes, and an observed hysteresis behavior in their current–voltage characteristics. It is found that these challenges could be overcome by developing a deterministic nucleation process using gold as a nucleation promoter to control the grain size of the perovskite layer. It is shown that this deterministic nucleation process can be expanded across multiple perovskite systems and can be used to achieve extremely uniform and large grain sizes within the perovskite layer. These large perovskite grains exhibit enhanced stability compared to current state-of-the-art nanocrystalline films, and exhibit no hysteresis in their I–V characteristics which is key if commercialization of perovskites is to be realized.
Fibrin Clot Strength in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Measured by Thrombelastography

Background Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) exhibit increased risk of recurrent myocardial infarction. Maximal clot strength measured by thrombelastography (TEG) is a risk factor for recurrent ischemic events. We hypothesized that diabetic subjects exhibit increased fibrin clot strength in platelet-poor plasma and that glycemic control correlates with maximal fibrin clot strength. Methods We collected plasma samples from subjects with known or suspected coronary artery disease undergoing cardiac catheterization (n = 354). We measured kaolin-activated TEG in platelet-poor citrate plasma. Time to fibrin formation (R), clot formation time (K), and maximal fibrin clot strength (MA) were recorded. Results Plasma fibrin MA was increased among subjects with DM (n = 152) as compared to non-DM (n = 202) (37.0 ± 8 versus 34.1 ± 8 mm; p < 0.001). Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (ρ = 0.22; p = 0.001) and fibrinogen (ρ = 0.29; p < 0.001) correlated with fibrin MA. In multivariable regression analysis, DM remained significantly associated with plasma MA after adjustment for fibrinogen level (p = 0.003). Conclusions Subjects with diabetes mellitus exhibit increased maximal fibrin clot strength measured by TEG in platelet-poor plasma.
Children’s Ecoliterature and the New Nature Study

This essay explores how nineteenth-century nature study principles inform a twenty-first century New Nature Study movement, and gives examples of a trend toward nature writing in recent picture books. The pedagogical principles of nineteenth-century nature study, ascendant at the turn of the twentieth century and implicit in interwar children’s literature, yielded to a model founded on Cold War competition rather than environmental stewardship. In mid-century narratives for children, technological progress prevailed. In the 1990s, the ideals of the first nature study movement reemerged in a call for meaningful conservation to sustain future generations. Like the original nature study, the New Nature Study arises from anxieties about industrial development, habitat loss and extinction, and hazards to childhood itself. The New Nature Study treats children as agents for change and citizens being denied their full human rights when their land, soil, water, and lives are bought and sold.
The search for drug-targetable diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers in chronic graft-versus-host disease

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) continues to be the leading cause of late morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), which is an increasingly applied curative method for both benign and malignant hematologic disorders. Biomarker identification is crucial for the development of noninvasive and cost-effective cGVHD diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive test for use in clinic. Furthermore, biomarkers may help to gain a better insight on ongoing pathophysiological processes. The recent widespread application of omics technologies including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and cytomics provided opportunities to discover novel biomarkers.Areas covered: This review focuses on biomarkers identified through omics that play a critical role in target identification for drug development, and that were verified in at least two independent cohorts. It also summarizes the current status on omics tools used to identify these useful c...
Treatment decision making involving patients with dementia in acute care: A scoping review.

Abstract Objective To summarize the evidence regarding the factors and processes of treatment decision making involving a person with dementia (PWD) in the acute care setting. Methods We conducted a scoping review, searching 4 databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, & PsychINfo) for articles that contained primary data from a quantitative or qualitative study involving treatment decision making in the acute care setting for PWD and were published in English. We categorized the factors and processes of decision making identified in each article using inductive content analysis. We also consulted with healthcare practitioners to receive stakeholder input on our findings. Results Our search initially revealed 12,478 articles, of which 28 were included in the review. We identified 5 categories of factors that influence the decision-making process: knowing the patient, culture and systems, role clarity, appropriateness of palliative care in dementia, and caregiver need for support. Conclusion Our findings highlight the complexities of the decision-making process and the importance of attending to the needs of the caregiver, healthcare practitioners, and the patient. Practice Implications It is important to address beliefs of involving palliative care for a PWD and the role of each healthcare discipline.
Judicial Settlement Conferences and Staff Mediation

The present Article summarizes the findings of an empirical study that provides a rare look at lawyers’ views of judicial settlement conferences and court staff mediation, based on their experience with the procedures in federal court. Lawyers have more concerns about settlement conferences with judges assigned to the case than about settlement conferences with other judges, but see few differences in benefits between the two. Staff mediation is far less likely to raise concerns than judicial settlement conferences, and presents a mixed picture with regard to its relative benefits. Lawyers’ strong overall preference for staff mediation suggests that when they consider all dimensions, lawyers assign greater importance to their concerns about judicial settlement conferences and to the benefits that staff mediators offer than to the benefits judges provide. Given the paramount importance of judicial impartiality, avoidance of the appearance of impropriety, and non-coercion of settlements in promoting public confidence in the procedures courts provide, the empirical research to date raises concerns about judges routinely conducting settlement conferences in cases assigned to them for trial.
The Relationship of Test Anxiety and Answer-Changing Behavior: An Analysis by Race and Sex

Answer changing on an eighth-grade aggregate science achievement collection of 134 items was examined by race and sex in relation to test anxiety. No sex differences in answer changing were noted; ...
A Comparison of Front and Rear Wheel Shock Magnitudes for Manual Tilt-in-Space Wheelchairs with and Without Suspensions

When encountering an obstacle, both the front and rear wheels encounter a shock that may be unhealthy to the wheelchair user. Furthermore, depending on the obstacle there may be two peaks at each wheel - one when the wheel first encounters the obstacle and one when it leaves the obstacle. Limited research reports on these multiple peak accelerations at each wheel when investigating shock and vibration exposures in wheelchair users. There is also limited information comparing the front wheel impact to those at the rear wheel. One of the few studies available suggests the front wheel incurs greater shock than the rear wheel. However, this study had the wheelchair mounted on a treadmill for one of their obstacles. Although a treadmill controls for speed, the participants were not operating the wheelchair as they would during daily use. Using an attendant propelled tilt-in-space wheelchair, the present study investigated the initial impact at the front wheel versus the rear wheel, and the final impact at the front wheel versus the rear wheel. The obstacles included a door threshold, 2 cm descent, and 2 cm ascent. Front and rear wheel un-weighted and frequency- weighted (per the ISO 2631-1 standards) peak accelerations were significantly higher depending on the obstacle the wheelchair was traversing (door threshold, 2 cm descent or 2 cm ascent).
Trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole‐induced drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms in a child with congenital renal disease

We present a special case of an 8-year-old girl diagnosed with severe drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms due to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for urinary tract infection prophylaxis for congenital vesicoureteral reflux. The patient is believed to have developed drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms because of her underlying renal disease.
Rapid Assembly of Presynaptic Materials behind the Growth Cone in Dopaminergic Neurons Is Mediated by Precise Regulation of Axonal Transport.

Summary The proper assembly of neural circuits depends on the process of synaptogenesis, or the formation of synapses between partner neurons. Using the dopaminergic PDE neurons in C. elegans, we developed an in vivo system to study the earliest steps of the formation of en passant presynaptic specializations behind an extending growth cone. We find that presynaptic materials coalesce into puncta in as little as a few minutes and that both synaptic vesicle (SV) and active zone (AZ) proteins arrive nearly simultaneously at the nascent sites of synapse formation. We show that precise regulation of UNC-104/Kinesin-3 determines the distribution of SV proteins along the axon. The localization of AZ proteins to en passant puncta, however, is largely independent of the major axonal kinesins: UNC-104/Kinesin-3 and UNC-116/Kinesin-1. Moreover, AZ proteins play a crucial role in recruiting and tethering SV precursors (SVPs).
The History of Spanish: A Student's Introduction

This concise textbook provides students with an engaging and thorough overview of the history of Spanish and its development from Latin. Presupposing no prior knowledge of Latin or linguistics, students are provided with the background necessary to understand the history of Spanish. Short, easy-to-digest chapters feature numerous practice exercises and activities. Chapter 'Lead-in' questions draw comparisons between English and Spanish, enabling students to use their intuition about their native language to gain a deeper understanding of Spanish. Each chapter features further reading suggestions, an outline, and a summary. Highlighted key terms are collated in a glossary. Boxes on linguistic debates teach students to evaluate arguments and think critically about linguistics. Supporting online resources include Word files of all the practices and activities in the book and an instructor's manual featuring a sample syllabus, answer key to the practices and activities, sample exams and teaching suggestions. This book is ideal for a range of courses on the history of Spanish and Spanish linguistics.
Cost Savings and Clinical Interventions Made by PharmD Students During APPE Rotations at Federally Qualified Health Centers

PharmD students make significant clinical interventions during their last year of training in clinical rotations at a variety of practice sites. These interventions ranged from performing dosage adjustments to preventing adverse drug reactions and saved $92,803 dollars in the Federally Qualified Health Center practice sites that were included in this study over a 1-year period of time. The following study examines the types of interventions made and their associated cost savings.
Lymphoidal chemokine CCL19 promoted the heterogeneity of the breast tumor cell motility within a 3D microenvironment revealed by a Lévy distribution analysis

Tumor cell heterogeneity, either at the genotypic or the phenotypic level, is a hallmark of cancer. Tumor cells exhibit large variations, even among cells derived from the same origin, including cell morphology, speed and motility type. However, current work for quantifying tumor cell behavior is largely population based and does not address the question of cell heterogeneity. In this article, we utilize Levy distribution analysis, a method known in both social and physical sciences for quantifying rare events, to characterize the heterogeneity of tumor cell motility. Specifically, we studied the breast tumor cell (MDA-MB-231 cell line) velocity statistics when the cells were subject to well-defined lymphoid chemokine (CCL19) gradients using a microfluidic platform. Experimental results showed that the tail end of the velocity distribution of breast tumor cell was well described by a Levy function. The measured Levy exponent revealed that cell motility was more heterogeneous when CCL19 concentration was near the dynamic kinetic binding constant to its corresponding receptor CCR7. This work highlighted the importance of tumor microenvironment in modulating tumor cell heterogeneity and invasion.
Abstract P5-10-01: Triaging cancer-related distress at the time of breast cancer (BC) diagnosis

Background: In accordance with Commission on Cancer (CoC) Standard 3.2, the Loyola University Chicago multidisciplinary Breast Oncology Center evaluates every new patient (pt) for cancer-related concerns and makes supportive oncology referrals accordingly (CoC Standard 3.2). We previously reported that pts with newly diagnosed early-stage BC experience high levels of physical and emotional distress (Rynar 2019, ASCO abstract 269661). This study expands upon those findings by examining relationships between psychological distress and other cancer-related concerns and referrals to supportive services in a larger cohort of pts with newly diagnosed BC. Methods: The "Patient Screening Questions for Supportive Care" (Coleman Supportive Oncology Collaborative, 2017), an aggregate of validated screening tools, was implemented across 200 new pts from April 2018 thru August 2018. Demographic information and supportive oncology referrals were obtained from medical records. Descriptive statistics and chi-square were used to assess frequencies and relationships among variables. Results: 200 female pts aged 26-94 (mean (SD) = 61.39(12.90)) completed the screening tool; 16.5% had Stage 0, 40% Stage I, 34.5% Stage II, 4.5% Stage III, 2.0% Stage IV. Commonly reported psychosocial and physical complaints included concerns about work and paying for medical care, poor sleep, tingling in hands or feet, and concerns about weight gain. 47% of pts met the threshold for referral to psychology based on a positive screen for anxiety (n=65) or depression (n=28); the majority (92.8%) had at least 1 contact with a psychologist within 12 days. 51.5% of pts screened positive for a practical need triggering a referral to social work; 72.8% of consults were completed within 3 days. 27% had nutrition concerns triggering referrals to dietician services; 77.8% completed contact within 3 days. Pts who screened positive for anxiety were significantly more likely (p Citation Format: Lauren Z. Rynar, Blaine A. Knox, Kristen B. Wendell, Patricia B. Mumby, Kathy S. Albain, Cathy Grace-Louthen, Hahn P. Mai, Patricia A. Robinson, Shelly S. Lo. Triaging cancer-related distress at the time of breast cancer (BC) diagnosis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-10-01.
Right Ventricular Failure and Congenital Heart Disease

Survivorship into adulthood of patients with congenital heart disease is due to improvements in prenatal detection, novel surgeries, and specialized adult congenital heart disease care. As patients survive further into adulthood, long-term complications of congenital and repaired physiology have been more clearly elucidated. The overall mortality of patients with adult congenital heart disease with heart failure is around 4%. Congenital malformations, palliations, residual defects, and resultant physiology impact the right ventricle. This relationship influences morbidity and mortality. For this discussion, focus on atrial septal defects, Ebstein anomaly, Tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great vessels, and single right ventricle physiology.
Is a Fetal Echocardiography Necessary in IVF-ICSI Pregnancies After Anatomic Survey?

Purpose In vitro fertilization with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF-ICSI) is generally regarded as an indication for fetal echocardiography due to a reported increased risk of congenital abnormalities including cardiac anomalies. In this study we evaluated the utility of fetal echocardiography after anatomic survey in an experienced center. Methods This was a retrospective case review of in vitro fertilization with intracytoplasmic sperm injection pregnancies who had echocardiography in our institution from January 1996 to October 2010. Results Records from 85 mothers and 110 fetuses were identified. During anatomic survey, six cardiac anomalies were identified, including four ventricular septal defects, one pulmonary-aortic disproportion, and one post-valvular pulmonary artery dilatation. At fetal echocardiography, two of the four ventricular septal defects were confirmed and an additional three were identified. The most common cardiac anomaly seen in our population of IVF-ICSI pregnancies was ventricular septal defect, which was identified in 3.6% of all cases in the neonatal period. Of ventricular septal defects identified in the prenatal period, 71% resolved before birth. Conclusion In experienced centers, a fetal echocardiography may not be necessary if the 3 vessels tracheal view of the heart is evaluated and the heart is evaluated carefully for a ventricular septal defect.
Martín and the pink crayon: peer language socialization in a kindergarten bilingual classroom

This paper addresses the interactional dynamics of one bilingual, two-way immersion classroom where children came from diverse linguistic, cultural, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Based on ...
Optimal burn-in policies for multiple dependent degradation processes

Many complex engineering devices experience multiple dependent degradation processes. For each degradation process, there may exist substantial unit-to-unit heterogeneity. In this article, we descr...
Success factors in Capsim’s Capstone simulation: An empirical examination

The Capstone business strategy simulation has been used in business schools throughout the world. Scholars have investigated the impact of Capstone and other simulations on student learning, but th...
Mechanics, optics, and thermodynamics of water transport in chemically modified transparent wood composites

Abstract Effects of chemical modification on mechanical, optical, and water transport behavior of transparent wood composites (TWCs 1 ) were investigated. TWCs were produced from a methacrylate resin and balsa wood templates using two delignifying pretreatments, namely lignin-oxidation and lignin-modification, and three interfacial modifications, namely acetylation, methacrylation, and treatment with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. Water transport behavior was investigated via immersion at three temperatures, where diffusion coefficients, kinetic rate constants, and activation energies of water diffusion were obtained. Lignin-modified TWCs were generally more water resistant than lignin-oxidized TWCs. Interfacial modification of the wood template via acetylation and methacrylation were observed to further decrease diffusion coefficients and increase activation energies of diffusion compared to unmodified TWCs, indicating superior fiber-matrix compatibility and improved moisture resistance relative to other tested TWCs. Flexural properties of post-dried TWCs were not adversely affected by moisture compared to samples unconditioned by water. TWC optical properties were measured in pre-immersion, water-saturated, and post-dried states to characterize deterioration of transmittance and haze. While moisture saturation degraded optical properties, optical performance of select TWC classes were observed to rebound upon drying.
The Skip-Innovation Model for Sparse Images

On sparse images, contiguous runs of identical symbols often occur in the same coding context. This paper proposes a model for efficiently encoding such runs in a two-dimensional setting. Because it is model based, the method can be used with any coding scheme. An experimental coder using the model compresses the CCITT fax documents 2% better than JBIG and is more than three times as fast. A low complexity application of the model is shown to dramatically improve the compression performance of JPEG-LS on structured material.