cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Residents seeking informed consent: Are they adequately knowledgeable?

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which first-year surgical residents are prepared to obtain informed consent from patients. The study was designed to answer the following research questions: 1) Are first-year residents who are asked to obtain informed consent sufficiently knowledgeable about the risks, benefits, and alternatives of the procedures? 2) Can first-year residents accurately answer the questions patients may pose about these procedures? Methods First-year residents (n = 18) were asked to list the risks, benefits, and alternatives for open inguinal hernia repair, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, total thyroidectomy, esophagogastrectomy, and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, assuming the procedures were elective on otherwise healthy individuals. Residents were also asked to answer questions that patients may pose about each of the procedures. The basic minimum risks, benefits, and alternatives to be listed and answers to the questions were validated by asking faculty representing general (n = 6) and vascular (n = 3) surgery to complete the questionnaires. Results Few residents were able to correctly list all risks, benefits, and alternatives of any of the procedures. Less than one-half of the questions that patients may ask about the procedures were correctly answered. Conclusions Even though first-year residents are commonly obtaining consent for surgical procedures, many are unable to provide patients with the correct descriptions of the risks, benefits, and alternatives. Nor were they able to correctly answer common questions. Surgical faculty must take more time to educate first-year residents on the appropriate issues in informed consent for the procedures being performed.
Chance constrained programming approaches to congestion in stochastic data envelopment analysis

Abstract The models described in this paper for treating congestion in DEA are extended by according them chance constrained programming formulations. The usual route used in chance constrained programming is followed here by replacing these stochastic models with their “deterministic equivalents.” This leads to a class of non-linear problems. However, it is shown to be possible to avoid some of the need for dealing with these non-linear problems by identifying conditions under which they can be replaced by ordinary (deterministic) DEA models. Examples which illustrate possible uses of these approaches are also supplied in an Appendix A .
The Layout Synthesizer: An Automatic Netlist-to-Layout System

A system generating compacted physical layouts from MOS transistor netlists has been developed. It uses a novel graph-theoretical placement algorithm to simultaneously maximize diffusion sharing and minimize the wiring area. The algorithm is not limited to circuits that have equal numbers of NMOS and PMOS transistors. A special-purpose router using either one-layer or two-layer metal is described. Experimental results for area efficiency and run-time performance are very promising.
Purchase cards and inventory control—An analytical framework

In the context of e-business, companies use purchase cards (P-cards) to order merchandise directly from the supplier (or use the web or other e-procurement systems). The card company does the budget control and record keeping. Hence, P-cards are touted as leading to reduction in ordering costs for the buyer and financial settlement time for the seller. However, P-cards have a credit limit, and exceeding the limit results in penalties that increase the cost of ordering. So, the question is whether P-cards will reduce total inventory management costs for the buyer compared to obtaining a direct credit from the supplier? This paper shows that for the single item situation, a critical ordering cost exists such that the P-card can be used if and only if the actual cost of ordering using a P-card is less than this critical value. If the actual ordering cost using a P-card is above this critical level, it is preferable to continue with the traditional way of dealing directly with supplier credit policies rather ...
Analysis of T-cell-dependent and -independent antigens of Rickettsia conorii with monoclonal antibodies.

Four monoclonal antibodies from euthymic mice and two monoclonal antibodies from athymic mice were directed against antigens of Rickettsia conorii, as shown by both indirect immunofluorescence and an enzyme immunoassay. There was extensive cross-reactivity with other spotted fever group rickettsiae. Euthymic monoclonal antibodies 3-2 and 9-2 (immunoglobulin G2a [IgG2a]) and 27-10 (IgG1) distinctly outlined the acetone-fixed rickettsial surface, as determined by indirect immunofluorescence; only monoclonal antibody 3-2 reacted with the intact rickettsial surface, as determined by colloidal gold-protein A negative-stain electron microscopy. Athymic monoclonal antibodies 32-2 and 35-3 (IgM) and euthymic monoclonal antibody 31-15 (IgG3) all demonstrated an irregular, extrarickettsial morphology, as determined by immunofluorescence, and ultrastructural cell wall blebs that were readily shed from the rickettsial surface. Monoclonal antibody 3-2, the only antibody to confer protection in lethally challenged mice, reacted with a high-molecular-weight protein in Western immunoblots. Monoclonal antibodies 31-15, 32-2, and 35-3 reacted with a "ladder" of proteinase K-resistant, lipopolysaccharidelike antigens. None of the monoclonal antibodies stabilized the ultrastructural rickettsial slime layer, but both athymic and euthymic polyclonal antibodies to R. conorii did. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of the production of monoclonal antibodies to R. conorii and their use for antigenic analysis. Images
Changes in the incidence of health care–associated pathogens at a university hospital from 2005 to 2011

Background Data on health care–associated infections (HAIs) outside of intensive care units (ICU) are scarce. We assessed hospital-wide changes in the incidence of health care–associated pathogens by infection site and by service between 2005 and 2011. Methods All data on health care–associated pathogens in 2005-2011 based on comprehensive hospital-wide surveillance were extracted from an electronic database. The incidence of HAI by pathogen was calculated per 1000 patient-days and per 1000 device-days. Regression analyses were conducted to estimate trend changes in the yearly incidence of pathogens for selected HAIs. Results The majority (8784 of 10,070; 87.2%) of the HAIs recorded over the 7-year period had at least 1 pathogen; a total of 10,585 pathogens were isolated. Overall, across all major service categories (eg, ICU, medicine), significant trends toward decreasing incidence were observed for all pathogens except Clostridium difficile . The decrease in incidence was greatest for central line–associated bloodstream infections, less for catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and lowest for ventilator-associated pneumonias. Conclusions This study showed significant decreases in incidence of the majority of HAIs caused by various pathogens, but significant increases in patient-days during the study period. Only HAIs due to C difficile showed a significantly increased incidence.
Executive action to combat the rise of drug-resistant bacteria: is agricultural antibiotic use sufficiently addressed?

On September 18, 2014, President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order titled Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. The order demands a ‘strategic, coordinated, and sustained effort’ to detect, prevent, and control antibiotic resistance. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antibiotic-resistant infections are a rising health concern that result in at least two million illnesses and 23,000 deaths each year in the United States. The Executive Order and accompanying documents have been criticized for taking a weak stance against the use of antibiotics in agriculture; however, they include goals to promote antibiotic stewardship on farms, better surveillance of antibiotic use, and the development of alternatives to antibiotics. The criticisms are also unwarranted based on the current state of scientific evidence; nevertheless, there remain compelling reasons to limit the use of antibiotics in agriculture, and if fully implemented, the executive action is set to achieve this goal. This paper will explore why the criticisms are unwarranted, present the conflicting evidence on whether antibiotic use in farm animals poses a significant health threat to humans, offer other reasons to limit the use of antibiotics in livestock, and suggest ways that the government can maximize the efficacy of the proposed actions.
How Religiosity Helps Couples Prevent, Resolve, and Overcome Marital Conflict*

This study reports on in-depth interviews with 57 highly religious, middle-aged married couples representing the major Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) residing in New England and Northern California. The study uses grounded theory methods to create themes and a model describing the ways that religiosity influences marital conflict. Couples reported that religiosity affects the conflict in their marriage at three phases of the conflict process: (a) problem prevention, (b) conflict resolution, and (c) relationship reconciliation. Practitioners may assist religious couples that are struggling with marital conflict by encouraging them to look to religious beliefs and practices.
Cutting Simulation of Laser Assisted Milling of Silicon Nitride Ceramics Using PFC2D

Since laser assisted milling (LAMill) exhibits complicated characteristics in ceramic machining, this paper applies a distinct-element code, PFC2D (Particle Flow Code in Two-Dimensions), to conduct cutting simulation of laser assisted slab milling and explore its machining mechanism. The microstructure of a β-type silicon nitride ceramic (β-Si3 N4 ) is modeled at grain scale. Clusters are used to simulate the rod-like grains of β-Si3 N4 . Parallel bonds are employed to represent the connection between intergranular glass phase and grains. A temperature-dependent PFC specimen is created for simulation of LAMill. A special milling cutter is designed for improving the computing efficiency. Simulation results show that the cutting force is strongly related to crack formation and propagation. The specific cutting energy decreases as the cutting temperature increases.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Analysis of population structure: a unifying framework and novel methods based on sparse factor analysis.

We consider the statistical analysis of population structure using genetic data. We show how the two most widely used approaches to modeling population structure, admixture-based models and principal components analysis (PCA), can be viewed within a single unifying framework of matrix factorization. Specifically, they can both be interpreted as approximating an observed genotype matrix by a product of two lower-rank matrices, but with different constraints or prior distributions on these lower-rank matrices. This opens the door to a large range of possible approaches to analyzing population structure, by considering other constraints or priors. In this paper, we introduce one such novel approach, based on sparse factor analysis (SFA). We investigate the effects of the different types of constraint in several real and simulated data sets. We find that SFA produces similar results to admixture-based models when the samples are descended from a few well-differentiated ancestral populations and can recapitulate the results of PCA when the population structure is more ‘‘continuous,’’ as in isolation-by-distance models.
How dogs dream: Amazonian natures and the politics of transspecies engagement

Under the rubric of an “anthropology of life,” I call for expanding the reach of ethnography beyond the boundaries of the human. Drawing on research among the Upper Amazonian Runa and focusing, for heuristic purposes, on a particular ethnological conundrum concerning how to interpret the dreams dogs have, I examine the relationships, both intimate and fraught, that the Runa have with other lifeforms. Analytical frameworks that fashion their tools from what is unique to humans (language, culture, society, and history) or, alternatively, what humans are commonly supposed to share with animals are inadequate to this task. By contrast, I turn to an embodied and emergentist understanding of semiosis—one that treats sign processes as inherent to life and not just restricted to humans—as well as to an appreciation for Amazonian preoccupations with inhabiting the points of view of nonhuman selves, to move anthropology beyond “the human,” both as analytic and as bounded object of study.
A Reparable Multistate Device

A device that can assume several states of failure is called a multistate device. Closed form solutions for both the steady-state and time-dependent availability of such a device and probability of failure in state i at any given time t are developed, largely in Laplace Transform form.
Competition and the price of municipal cable television services: An empirical study

This paper investigates the effect of competition in the provision of cable television services on social welfare. We develop a simple theoretical model that suggests that competition will be welfare enhancing so long as it results in lower market prices. We empirically test for the presence of this condition by estimating a five equation system: First, the local franchising authority is viewed as self-selecting into a competitive or non-competitive environment in order to maximize its rents. Given this selection, the remaining four equations specify basic service and pay service penetration rate and price equations. Following Mayo and Otsuka (1991), the resulting system is estimated by two-stage least squares. We find that competition among suppliers lowers average basic cable rates by about $3.85 and the typical pay service rate by about $1.10, certis paribus. Mutatis mutandis estimates of these effects imply that monopoly franchising of cable service results in roughly $3.6 billion per year national welfare loss.
From mere coincidences to meaningful discoveries

People’s reactions to coincidences are often cited as an illustration of the irrationality of human reasoning about chance. We argue that coincidences may be better understood in terms of rational statistical inference, based on their functional role in processes of causal discovery and theory revision. We present a formal definition of coincidences in the context of a Bayesian framework for causal induction: a coincidence is an event that provides support for an alternative to a currently favored causal theory, but not necessarily enough support to accept that alternative in light of its low prior probability. We test the qualitative and quantitative predictions of this account through a series of experiments that examine the transition from coincidence to evidence, the correspondence between the strength of coincidences and the statistical support for causal structure, and the relationship between causes and coincidences. Our results indicate that people can accurately assess the strength of coincidences, suggesting that irrational conclusions drawn from coincidences are the consequence of overestimation of the plausibility of novel causal forces. We discuss the implications of our account for understanding the role of coincidences in theory change.
Medication adherence and stroke/TIA risk in treated hypertensives: Results from the REGARDS study

Abstract Background The extent to which low medication adherence in hypertensive individuals contributes to disparities in stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) risk is poorly understood. Methods Investigators examined the relationship between self-reported medication adherence and blood pressure (BP) control ( Results Mean systolic BP varied from 130.8 ± 16.2 mm Hg in those reporting high adherence to 137.8 ± 19.5 mm Hg in those reporting low adherence ( P for trend Conclusion Low medication adherence was associated with inadequate BP control and an increased risk of incident stroke or TIA.
Prospective Validation of the Clinical Usefulness of Reflex Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization Assay in Patients With Atypical Cytology for the Detection of Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder

Purpose: We previously prospectively evaluated the clinical usefulness of a fluorescence in situ hybridization assay for treating patients with atypical cytology results at risk for bladder cancer. This study is a prospective validation the usefulness of fluorescence in situ hybridization in this setting.Materials and Methods: Between June 2007 and January 2009 every patient who underwent cystoscopy and cytology with atypical cytology underwent a reflex UroVysion® test. A comprehensive review was then performed to evaluate clinical and pathological data on each patient.Results: The study population comprised 108 patients with no history of cancer and 108 who underwent cystoscopy for cancer surveillance. In patients with cystoscopically visualized lesions UroVysion had a positive predictive value of 100% but there were false-negative results. In patients with equivocal cystoscopy and a history of cancer all 4 high grade tumors were detected and there were no false-negative findings. In patients with equivo...
Effect of growth promotant usage on enterococci species on a poultry farm

Abstract The species population of enterococci isolated from four poultry houses for six grow-outs on one farm was determined. Two houses on the farm were control houses and did not use any antimicrobials, while two other houses on the farm used flavomycin, virginiamycin, and bacitracin during different poultry grow-outs. Litter, chick boxliners, feed, and poultry carcass rinses were obtained from each house and cultured for the presence of enterococci. Nine species of enterococci (Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium, E. avium, E. casseliflavus, E. cecorum, E. durans, E. gallinarum, E. hirae, and E. malodoratus) were identified from the study. Enterococcus faecalis was isolated more frequently from chick boxliners (n = 176; 92%) and carcass rinses (n = 491; 69%), whereas E. faecium was found more frequently in litter (n = 361; 77%) and feed (n = 67; 64%). Enterococcus faecalis (n = 763; 52%) and E. faecium (n = 578; 39%) were isolated most often from the farm and houses, regardless of antimicrobial treatmen...
Can the Orion electrograms be the next shining star to help us navigate the pulmonary vein

Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) was first described in 1998 by Haissaguerre et al as a technique for ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). Although multiple other techniques have been studied, either alone or in combination with PVI, PVI remains the primary end-point. With minor modifications in catheter design, circular catheters have been used almost exclusively for the past 20 years to evaluate pulmonary vein (PV) conduction, and the electrograms recorded postablation define successful PVI. Unfortunately, there remains a high recurrence of AF even after acute successful PVI, and, at repeat ablation procedures, the primary finding is recovery of PV conduction at sites previously targeted for ablation. Although the relevance of the recovery of PV conduction noted at repeat ablation procedures has been questioned, the majority of centers still guide the index and repeat ablation procedures based on the presumption that if there was no recovery of PV conduction, the rate of recurrent AF postablation would be significantly reduced. To this end, several techniques have been incorporated into a PVI procedure to assess for early recovery of PV conduction, including a 20to 30-minute wait period post-PVI and then repeat PV recordings, response to pharmacologic testing (isoproterenol; adenosine), and response to pacing (pacing along area of PVI to assess conduction exit block; differential pacing to discern local PV potentials vs far-field atrial recordings). Although acute confirmation of PVI is the currently accepted standard for most AF ablation procedures, a reliable method that would assure permanent PVI is critical to enhance long-term procedure outcome. In this issue of HeartRhythm, Anter et al describe the first comparison of PV recordings from the Lasso catheter (described as the “gold standard”) and a new minibasket catheter, the Orion catheter, in 12 patients (48 PVs) with AF (58% paroxysmal) undergoing either an index (75%) or repeat PVI procedure using radiofrequency ablation. There are several differences between these recording catheters. The Lasso consists of 20 electrodes, with 1-mm surface area, 3-mm interelectrode spacing, and maximal diameter of 25 mm. Orion has 8 splines with 8 electrodes on each spline.
Reaching the brain: Advances in optic nerve regeneration

The optic nerve has been widely used to investigate factors that regulate axon regeneration in the mammalian CNS. Although retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the projection neurons of the eye, show little capacity to regenerate their axons following optic nerve damage, studies spanning the 20th century showed that some RGCs can regenerate axons through a segment of peripheral nerve grafted to the optic nerve. More recently, some degree of regeneration has been achieved through the optic nerve itself by factors associated with intraocular inflammation (oncomodulin) or by altering levels of particular transcription factors (Klf-4, -9, c-myc), cell-intrinsic suppressors of axon growth (PTEN, SOCS3), receptors to cell-extrinsic inhibitors of axon growth (Nogo receptor, LAR, PTP-σ) or the intracellular signaling pathway activated by these receptors (RhoA). Other regulators of regeneration and cell survival continue to be identified in this system at a rapid pace. Combinatorial treatments that include two or more of these factors enable some retinal ganglion cells to regenerate axons from the eye through the entire length of the optic nerve and across the optic chiasm. In some cases, regenerating axons have been shown to innervate the appropriate central target areas and elicit postsynaptic responses. Many discoveries made in this system have been found to enhance axon regeneration after spinal cord injury. Thus, progress in optic nerve regeneration holds promise not only for visual restoration but also for improving outcome after injury to other parts of the mature CNS.
Agent-based pedestrian evacuation modeling: a one-size fits all approach?

Past studies develop pedestrian simulations with a large number of agents to answer a series of different questions including estimating the evacuation times from a building or event. This development has occurred due to the advancement of computer and simulation. The advancement in technology also allows us to demand more from our simulations beyond the homogeneous unconnected behavior seen in previous simulation studies. For example, the group dynamic affects the pedestrian movement, such as a parent's unwillingness to navigate through a crowd without consideration for their child. Agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) provides an excellent tool to incorporate groups into a pedestrian model. However, there are several ABMS platforms available for selection. In this paper, we developed two independent pedestrian models that incorporate groups, using two different ABMS platforms: Repast Simphony and NetLogo. The paper compares the two simulation results and concludes with a discussion on model selection.
Impact of an ICU EEG monitoring pathway on timeliness of therapeutic intervention and electrographic seizure termination.

Summary Objectives We aimed to determine whether implementation of a structured multidisciplinary electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring pathway improved the timeliness of administration of antiseizure medication in response to electrographic seizures in encephalopathic critically ill children. Methods A multidisciplinary team developed a pathway to standardize EEG monitoring and seizure management in encephalopathic critically ill children, aiming to decrease the time from electrographic seizure onset to antiseizure medication administration. Data were collected to inform the team of improvement opportunities, which were then provided by an institutional pathway, staff education, and streamlined communication. Measurements were obtained before and after pathway implementation to assess for improvement. Results We collected data on 41 patients before and 21 after pathway implementation. There were no differences between the baseline and pathway groups in demographic characteristics, acute encephalopathy etiologies, or antiseizure medications utilized. The median duration [interquartile range, IQR] from seizure onset to antiseizure medication administration was shorter for patients treated with the pathway (64 min [50, 101]) compared to patients treated prior to pathway implementation (139 min [71, 189]; p = 0.0006). The median [IQR] interval from seizure onset to antiseizure medication order was shorter for the pathway group (31 min [20, 49]) than the baseline group (71 min [33, 131]; p = 0.003). The median [IQR] interval from antiseizure medication order to administration was shorter for the pathway group (30 min [19, 40]) than the baseline group (40 min [17, 68]) (p = 0.047). Seizure termination was more likely to occur following initial antiseizure medication administration in the pathway than baseline group (67% vs. 27%, p = 0.002). Significance Implementation of the pathway resulted in a significant reduction in the duration between electrographic seizure onset and antiseizure medication administration, and a significant increase in the rate of electrographic seizure termination following an initial antiseizure medication. Further study is needed to determine whether these changes are associated with improved outcomes.
Structurally Redundant Heterogeneity and Group Performance

We argue that the performance benefits of interpersonal heterogeneity are subject to three common failure points. First, heterogeneous people tend to homogenize over time with repeated exposure, le...
Perspective: Materials informatics and big data: Realization of the “fourth paradigm” of science in materials science

Our ability to collect “big data” has greatly surpassed our capability to analyze it, underscoring the emergence of the fourth paradigm of science, which is data-driven discovery. The need for data informatics is also emphasized by the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), further boosting the emerging field of materials informatics. In this article, we look at how data-driven techniques are playing a big role in deciphering processing-structure-property-performance relationships in materials, with illustrative examples of both forward models (property prediction) and inverse models (materials discovery). Such analytics can significantly reduce time-to-insight and accelerate cost-effective materials discovery, which is the goal of MGI.
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Following Treatment for Other Malignancies:A Single Institutional Experience

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) secondary to treated primary malignancies is rare, and the literature is limited to few case reports. We analyze 5 cases of CML following therapy for primary malignancy. All cases of CML in the past 10 years were retrieved from our pathology database and were retrospectively evaluated. Of 67 cases of newly diagnosed CML, 5 (7.5%) had …
Bonhoeffer's Two-Kingdoms Thinking in 'The Church and the Jewish Question'

Although it has been claimed that Dietrich Bonhoeffer's controversial 1933 essay on "The Church and the Jewish Question" is riddled with inconsistencies, I argue that the essay is entirely consistent at least on the issue of church action with respect to the state. Seeing this requires recognizing that the essay is driven by the logic of the two kingdoms, that Lutheran way of understanding God's action in two dimensions of life, the spiritual and temporal.
An ‘Intimate Commerce with Figures’: On Rereading/Rewriting Narratives

In a 24 October 1895 Notebook entry, Henry James reviewed his ideas for a story on the struggle of literary critics with ‘the Author’s Secret’. Interestingly, this note rehearses the plot of what would become ‘The Figure in the Carpet’ not in the author’s ‘proper identity’, but from the perspective of an unnamed narrator-critic, punctuating the rich comic-rhetorical resources of this shifted focus:
Isotherms for Water Adsorption on Molecular Sieve 3A: Influence of Cation Composition

This work is part of our continuing efforts to address engineering issues related to the removal of tritiated water from off-gases produced in used nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities. In the current study, adsorption equilibrium of water on molecular sieve 3A beads was investigated. Adsorption isotherms for water on the UOP molecular sieve 3A were measured by a continuous-flow adsorption system at 298, 313, 333, and 353 K. Experimental data collected were analyzed by the Generalized Statistical Thermodynamic Adsorption (GSTA) isotherm model. The K+/Na+ molar ratio of this particular type of molecular sieve 3A was ∼4:6. Our results showed that the GSTA isotherm model worked very well to describe the equilibrium behavior of water adsorption on molecular sieve 3A. The optimum number of parameters for the current experimental data was determined to be a set of four equilibrium parameters. This result suggests that the adsorbent crystals contain four energetically distinct adsorption sites. In addition, it w...
Magnetic, electronic, and optical properties of double perovskite Bi2FeMnO6

Double perovskite Bi2FeMnO6 is a potential candidate for the single-phase multiferroic system. In this work, we study the magnetic, electronic, and optical properties in BFMO by performing the density functional theory calculations and experimental measurements of magnetic moment. We also demonstrate the strain dependence of magnetization. More importantly, our calculations of electronic and optical properties reveal that the onsite local correlation on Mn and Fe sites is critical to the gap opening in BFMO, which is a prerequisite condition for the ferroelectric ordering. Finally, we calculate the x-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectra of Fe and Mn ions (L2 and L3 edges) in BFMO.
Contrast Enhancement without Transient Map Expansion for Species-Specific Vocalizations in Core Auditory Cortex during Learning

Tonotopic map plasticity in the adult auditory cortex (AC) is a well established and oft-cited measure of auditory associative learning in classical conditioning paradigms. However, its necessity as an enduring memory trace has been debated, especially given a recent finding that the areal expansion of core AC tuned to a newly relevant frequency range may arise only transiently to support auditory learning. This has been reinforced by an ethological paradigm showing that map expansion is not observed for ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) or for ultrasound frequencies in postweaning dams for whom USVs emitted by pups acquire behavioral relevance. However, whether transient expansion occurs during maternal experience is not known, and could help to reveal the generality of cortical map expansion as a correlate for auditory learning. We thus mapped the auditory cortices of maternal mice at postnatal time points surrounding the peak in pup USV emission, but found no evidence of frequency map expansion for the behaviorally relevant high ultrasound range in AC. Instead, regions tuned to low frequencies outside of the ultrasound range show progressively greater suppression of activity in response to the playback of ultrasounds or pup USVs for maternally experienced animals assessed at their pups’ postnatal day 9 (P9) to P10, or postweaning. This provides new evidence for a lateral-band suppression mechanism elicited by behaviorally meaningful USVs, likely enhancing their population-level signal-to-noise ratio. These results demonstrate that tonotopic map enlargement has limits as a construct for conceptualizing how experience leaves neural memory traces within sensory cortex in the context of ethological auditory learning.
TNF-alpha Plays a Crucial Role in the JAK2-V617F Induced Myeloproliferative Disorder.

Abstract Background: The JAK2 V617F mutation is present in almost all patients with polycythemia vera (PV) and to a large proportion in patients with essential thrombocythemia and idiopathic myelofibrosis. Mice transplanted with JAK2 V617F infected bone marrow develop a myeloproliferative disorder (MPD) resembling PV with secondary myelofibrosis. We have shown that mice with JAK2 V617F induced MPD have significantly higher plasma TNF-alpha levels compared to controls ( 1 ). We therefore hypothesized that TNF-alpha may be involved in the pathogenesis of murine JAK2 V617F-induced MPD. Methods: In a side by side experiment 5-FU stimulated murine bone marrow cells from TNF-alpha knock out mice (B6;129S6-Tnftm1Gkl/J, referred to as TNF-alpha null) and wild type F1-hybrid control mice (B6;129S6F1/J, referred to as TNF-alpha WT) were infected with MIGR1-IRES-GFP retroviral vector carrying murine wild type JAK2 (JAK2-WT) or JAK2-V617F or empty vector control (MIGR1). Cells were transplanted into lethally irradiated TNF-alpha null or WT recipients. The mice were monitored by observation and blood counts. At day 90 mice were euthanized for detailed pathologic analysis. Results: TNF-alpha WT mice transplanted with TNF-alpha WT cells infected with JAK2-V617F (but not JAK2 WT or MIGR1) developed a PV-like MPD characterized by plethora and elevated hematocrit (HCT) levels (Figure 1). Autopsy and histology revealed splenomegaly with extramedullary hematopoiesis, while the bone marrow showed trilineage hyperplasia and severe reticulin fibrosis. In contrast TNF-alpha null or WT mice transplanted with JAK2-V617F infected TNF-alpha null marrow retained normal blood counts and their spleen weights were similar to controls (Figure 1). Spleen histology showed only mild to moderate infiltration with myeloid cells, with preservation of splenic architecture. Bone marrow cellularity was only slightly increased, and reticulin fibrosis was absent except in one mouse with focally moderate fibrosis. As expected, recipients of JAK2 WT or MIGR1 infected marrow showed no signs of MPD. Conclusion: TNF-alpha is required for induction of murine JAK2-V617F-positive MPD, at least in the B6;129S6 background. The underlying mechanism is under study. One possibility is that suppression of residual normal hematopoiesis by JAK2-V617F-induced TNF-alpha is required for complete penetrance of the MPD phenotype. This would be in analogy to human PV, where erythroblasts from JAK2 V617F-positive PV patients show increased resistance to CD95-induced apoptosis compared to normal erythroblasts, which may give them a proliferative advantage over normal cells ( 2 ). Download : Download high-res image (120KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure 1 .
Should There Be an Upper Age Limit to Transplantation? A Pilot Questionnaire Survey.

Being self-renewable, the hematopoietic stem cells are seemingly unlimited. Scarcity of donor tissues, unlike the solid organ transplantation, is not a limiting criterion for stem cell transplantation (SCT). We are interested in the public opinion of the upper age limit for transplantation and a pilot questionnaire survey was designed. The survey was approved by IRB and conducted among ASCO participants who visited one of our posters in 6/2004. Forty-seven questionnaires were returned on site. Among those who completed the respective questions, 63% were males, median age was 39 (range 30–60) years, 81% were medical doctors, 51% currently worked in the US, 50% graduated their highest academic degrees in the US, and median time interval from graduation was 8.5 (range 1–37) years. When asked to comment on "There should be an upper age limit to transplantation", 11% strongly and 39% somewhat disagreed, 11% were neutral to the statement, and 35% somewhat and 4% strongly agreed. Among those who completed the respective questions, 52% and 62% felt that 70 years should be the upper age limit for kidney and autologous SCT respectively; whereas 61%, 71% and 68% felt that 60 years should be the upper age limit for liver, heart/lung and allogeneic SCT respectively. "Should transplantation be offered to people older than 65?" For kidney and autologous SCT, the majority (64% and 94% respectively) answered yes. For liver, heart/lung and allogeneic SCT, the majority (60%, 56% and 59% respectively) answered no. "Should transplantation be offered to people older than 70?" For autologous SCT, 52% still answered yes. For kidney, liver, heart/lung and allogeneic SCT, the majority (60%, 76%, 77% and 83% respectively) answered no. To investigate specifically SCT, we asked, "Should autologous SCT be offered in the following scenario - 5-year overall survival with transplantation is 50% compared to CONCLUSION: In this pilot study, about half of the participants strongly and somewhat disagreed that there should be upper age limit to transplantation. Among those who completed the questions, 70 years should be the upper age limit for kidney and autologous SCT, and 60 years for liver, heart/lung and allogeneic SCT. In addition, there is a significant difference in the opinion of U.S. versus non-U.S. graduates whether there should be an upper age limit for transplantation. Further study is required to confirm these findings.
Sentinel lymph node evaluation among elderly melanoma patients: Missed opportunities?

e19001 Background: Elderly patients may not receive indicated therapies offered to younger patients. We hypothesized that elderly patients with intermediate thickness cutaneous melanoma would be less likely to receive a sentinel lymph node biopsy than their younger counterparts. Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was queried for patients who underwent surgery for intermediate thickness cutaneous melanoma (Breslow thickness 0.75 to 4.00 mm) from 2004 to 2008. We excluded patients with mucosal melanoma, those without a biopsy-proven diagnosis, and those diagnosed at autopsy. Patients were categorized according to age by decade. We used multivariate logistic regression models to predict use of sentinel lymph node biopsy. Additional covariates other than age included sex, race/ethnicity, T stage, tumor histology, tumor location, ulceration, and LDH status. Likelihood of undergoing sentinel lymph node biopsy was reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI); sig...
Abstract 475: Autonomic Blockade Improves Obesity-Associated Insulin Resistance

A hallmark of obesity is the development of insulin resistance. Increased secretion of insulin is an initial compensatory mechanism and is thought to contribute to sympathetic activation in an attempt to restore energy balance. We have previously shown, however, that sympathetic activity has no beneficial effect on resting energy expenditure in obesity. On the contrary, we hypothesize that sympathetic activation contributes to insulin resistance providing a negative feedback loop. To test this hypothesis we determined insulin sensitivity (hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp) in obese subjects (30 4.5 mg/kg/min). There were no differences in age, total fat percentage, blood pressure or muscle sympathetic activity between groups. GIR increased during autonomic blockade only among subjects with insulin resistance (2.96±0.54 to 4.03±0.67 mg/kg/min for the intact and blocked days, p=0.018, figure group A). No improvement was seen in the insulin sensitive group (6.08±0.88 to 5.99±1.34 mg/kg/min for the intact and blocked days, p=0.5, Group B). Our results support the concept that sympathetic activation has a detrimental effect on glucose utilization in obesity, and provides the rational to explore it as a therapeutic target.
Revolutions without Borders: The Call to Liberty in the Atlantic World. By Janet Polasky. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2015. Pp. xx, 371. $35.00.)

“In the decades after the American Revolution, freed slaves, poets, and philosophers took to the roads of America, Europe, and Africa and the sea lanes of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean in sear...
Predictors of hemodynamic derangement during intubation in the critically ill: A nested case-control study of hemodynamic management - Part II.

Abstract Purpose Our primary aim was to identify predictors of immediate hemodynamic decompensation during the peri-intubation period. Methods We conducted a nested case-control study of a previously identified cohort of adult patients needing intubation admitted to a medical-surgical ICU during 2013–2014. Hemodynamic derangement was defined as cardiac arrest and/or the development of systolic blood pressure Results The final cohort included 420 patients. Immediate hemodynamic derangement occurred in 170 (40%) patients. On multivariate modeling, age/10 year increase (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03–1.39, p = 0.02), pre-intubation non-invasive ventilation (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.04–2.80, p = 0.03), pre-intubation shock index/1 unit (OR 5.37 95% CI 2.31–12.46, p ≤ 0.01), and pre-intubation modified shock index/1 unit (OR 2.73 95% CI 1.48–5.06, p ≤ 0.01) were significantly associated with hemodynamic derangement. Those experiencing hemodynamic derangement had higher ICU [47 (28%) vs. 33 (13%); p ≤ 0.001] and hospital [69 (41%) vs. 51 (20%); p ≤ 0.001] mortality. Conclusions Hemodynamic derangement occurred at a rate of 40% and was associated with increased mortality. Increasing age, use of non-invasive ventilation before intubation, and increased pre-intubation shock and modified shock index values were significantly associated with hemodynamic derangement post-intubation.
Best practice lessons learnt through the exit interview and the Oral History Project at United Nations Mission in Sudan

The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) operated in a vast, remote and difficult environment in the Republic of the Sudan from 2005 to 2011. The mandate of the mission was to ensure the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005 was adhered to and the best outcomes were achieved by both sides to the Sudanese conflict. The issues affecting the western Darfur region are a separate matter and they are dealt with by the UNAMID mission. As far as information and knowledge management is concerned there were many initiatives to ensure that we could address potential risks that operating in the Sudan context presented. DPKO and the UN in general have embraced the concepts of Web 2.0 technology. Social networking and file sharing sites have become de facto systems for many UN bodies. The Public Information Office of UNMIS routinely used Youtube, Twitter and Facebook to spread its information to the wider world. UNMIS had a high turnover of staff and for long periods there is no Best Practice officer based in UNMIS. To counter that trend is was decided to implement an oral history project consisting of videotaped exit interviews of departing staff and that provided a wide range of best practice and lessons learnt material that will add value to the ongoing operations of the mission in South Sudan, UNMISS. It was necessary to develop audiovisual metadata, a keyword thesaurus and video recording standards and guidelines as none previously existed that could be applied in the field.
Leisure in a Diverse Society: Designing a Course

Developing a new course is not an easy task, particularly when few models exist for an emerging content area. This manuscript describes how a course entitled “Leisure in a Diverse Society” was conc...
EMPIRICAL RESULTS ON CONVERGENCE AND EXPLORATION IN APPROXIMATE POLICY ITERATION

Abstract In this paper, we empirically investigate the convergence properties of policy iteration applied to the optimal control of systems with continuous state and action spaces. We demonstrate that policy iteration requires lesser iterations than value iteration to converge, but requires more function evaluations to generate cost-to-go approximations in the policy evaluation step. Two different alternatives to policy evaluation, based on iteration over simulated states and simulation of improved policies are presented. We then demonstrate that the Λ-policy iteration method, with Λ ∈ [0,1], is a tradeoff between value and policy iteration. Finally, the issue of exploration to expand the coverage of the state space during offline iteration is also considered.
Metabotropic glutamate receptor activation induces calcium waves within hippocampal dendrites

1. We investigated the effects of metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptor activation on intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in the soma and dendrites of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. Cha...
Somatics, Transfer Theory, and Learning: Six Case Studies.

ABSTRACTThis mixed methods study investigates the juncture of dance science, somatics, and contemporary modern dance training, and how they intertwine with learning processes and skill execution th...
Rationale and Methods for a Multicenter Clinical Trial assessing Exercise and Intensive Vascular Risk Reduction in Preventing Dementia (rrAD Study)

Abstract Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is an age-related disease with modifiable risk factors such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and physical inactivity influencing the onset and progression. There is however, no direct evidence that reducing these risk factors prevents or slows AD. The Risk Reduction for Alzheimer's Disease (rrAD) trial is designed to study the independent and combined effects of intensive pharmacological control of blood pressure and cholesterol and exercise training on neurocognitive function. Six hundred and forty cognitively normal older adults age 60 to 85 years with hypertension and increased risk for dementia will be enrolled. Participants are randomized into one of four intervention group for two years: usual care, Intensive Reduction of Vascular Risk factors (IRVR) with blood pressure and cholesterol reduction, exercise training (EX), and IRVR+EX. Neurocognitive function is measured at baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months; brain MRIs are obtained at baseline and 24 months. We hypothesize that both IRVR and EX will improve global cognitive function, while IRVR+EX will provide a greater benefit than either IRVR or EX alone. We also hypothesize that IRVR and EX will slow brain atrophy, improve brain structural and functional connectivity, and improve brain perfusion. Finally, we will explore the mechanisms by which study interventions impact neurocognition and brain. If rrAD interventions are shown to be safe, practical, and successful, our study will have a significant impact on reducing the risks of AD in older adults. NCT Registration: NCT02913664