cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Complementary Functional Organization of Neuronal Activity Patterns in the Perirhinal, Lateral Entorhinal, and Medial Entorhinal Cortices

It is commonly conceived that the cortical areas of the hippocampal region are functionally divided into the perirhinal cortex (PRC) and the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC), which selectively process object information; and the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC), which selectively processes spatial information. Contrary to this notion, in rats performing a task that demands both object and spatial information processing, single neurons in PRC, LEC, and MEC, including those in both superficial and deep cortical areas and in grid, border, and head direction cells of MEC, have a highly similar range of selectivity to object and spatial dimensions of the task. By contrast, representational similarity analysis of population activity reveals a key distinction in the organization of information in these areas, such that PRC and LEC populations prioritize object over location information, whereas MEC populations prioritize location over object information. These findings bring to the hippocampal system a growing emphasis on population analyses as a powerful tool for characterizing neural representations supporting cognition and memory. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Contrary to the common view that brain regions in the “what” and “where” streams distinctly process object and spatial cues, respectively, we found that both streams encode both object and spatial information but distinctly organize memories for objects and space. Specifically, perirhinal cortex and lateral entorhinal cortex represent objects and, within the object-specific representations, the locations where they occur. Conversely, medial entorhinal cortex represents relevant locations and, within those spatial representations, the objects that occupy them. Furthermore, these findings reach beyond simple notions of perirhinal cortex and lateral entorhinal cortex neurons as object detectors and MEC neurons as position detectors, and point to a more complex organization of memory representations within the medial temporal lobe system.
High-altitude illness

Travel to a high altitude requires that the human body acclimatize to hypobaric hypoxia. Failure to acclimatize results in three common but preventable maladies known collectively as high-altitude illness: acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), and high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). Capillary leakage in the brain (AMS/HACE) or lungs (HAPE) accounts for these syndromes. The morbidity and mortality associated with high-altitude illness are significant and unfortunate, given they are preventable. Practitioners working in or advising those traveling to a high altitude must be familiar with the early recognition of symptoms, prompt and appropriate therapy, and proper preventative measures for high-altitude illness.
Diffusion of Noble Gases in Minerals

The study of the diffusion of the six noble gas elements, helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), and radon (Rn) in minerals has spanned many decades with the primary geoscience focus on argon and helium (see below). The primary aim of this chapter is to acquaint the reader with the breadth of themes and perspectives that have accompanied the study of noble gas diffusion in minerals, and in addition, to attempt to bring the reader up to date with a focus on the most recent data and ideas from the literature of the past decade wherever possible. In this chapter, the available data for the diffusivity of each noble gas will be reviewed in turn, beginning with helium, then argon, followed by the rest of the gases. For specific minerals that have received considerably more attention than others, individual sections of this paper will be devoted to them. The data tables which accompany this chapter list the diffusion data cited herein; these tables are also available as an online supplement and from the author in excel format upon request. In general, every effort was made to compile all modern data where diffusivities have been quantified (i.e., where robust measurements of both activation energy and pre-exponential factor have been derived), though some early studies which have been superseded by more recent work will not be discussed. To begin, the first section describes the interpretive challenges associated with the most common method of observation for evaluation of noble gas diffusion in minerals: bulk degassing experiments. Then, following the review of the noble gas diffusion data, the remaining sections of the chapter focus on several broad themes that arise from the data that may span several noble gases or many minerals. The applicability of noble gases and noble gas …
Pourbaix diagrams in weakly coupled systems: a case study involving acridinol and phenanthridinol pseudobases

The thermodynamics of proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) in weakly coupled organic pseudobases was investigated using 2,7-dimethyl-9-hydroxy-9-phenyl-10-tolyl-9,10-dihydroacridine (AcrOH) and 6-phenylphenanthridinol (PheOH) as model compounds. Pourbaix diagrams for two model compounds were constructed using the oxidation potentials and the pKa values obtained, respectively, from cyclic voltammetry and photometric titrations. Our comparative study reveals the importance of having the redox active –N center closer to –OH functionality on the thermodynamics of PCET process: PheOH exhibits a wider range of pH values (pH = 2.8 to 13.3) in which both the alcohol and the corresponding alkoxy radical are expected to coexist in solution. This result indicates that a concerted mechanism is more likely to be discovered in pseudobases analogous to PheOH. The thermochemical data also indicate that the concerted PCET mechanism cannot be achieved if water is used as the proton acceptor: assuming the pKa of hydronium ions as −1.7, the PCET involving PheOH or AcrOH as proton/electron donors and water as the proton acceptor is expected to follow the stepwise ET/PT mechanism. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inhibition of Zn(II) Binding Type IA Topoisomerases by Organomercury Compounds and Hg(II)

Type IA topoisomerase activities are essential for resolving DNA topological barriers via an enzyme-mediated transient single strand DNA break. Accumulation of topoisomerase DNA cleavage product can lead to cell death or genomic rearrangement. Many antibacterial and anticancer drugs act as topoisomerase poison inhibitors that form stabilized ternary complexes with the topoisomerase covalent intermediate, so it is desirable to identify such inhibitors for type IA topoisomerases. Here we report that organomercury compounds were identified during a fluorescence based screening of the NIH diversity set of small molecules for topoisomerase inhibitors that can increase the DNA cleavage product of Yersinia pestis topoisomerase I. Inhibition of relaxation activity and accumulation of DNA cleavage product were confirmed for these organomercury compounds in gel based assays of Escherichia coli topoisomerase I. Hg(II), but not As(III), could also target the cysteines that form the multiple Zn(II) binding tetra-cysteine motifs found in the C-terminal domains of these bacterial topoisomerase I for relaxation activity inhibition. Mycobacterium tuberculosis topoisomerase I activity is not sensitive to Hg(II) or the organomercury compounds due to the absence of the Zn(II) binding cysteines. It is significant that the type IA topoisomerases with Zn(II) binding domains can still cleave DNA when interfered by Hg(II) or organomercury compounds. The Zn(II) binding domains found in human Top3α and Top3β may be potential targets of toxic metals and organometallic complexes, with potential consequence on genomic stability and development.
Assessment of Methods to Identify Patient Subgroups with Enhanced Treatment Response in Randomized Clinical Trials

In contrast to the “one-size-fits-all” approach of traditional drug development, the need to identify subjects with an enhanced treatment effect is a critical component for tailored therapeutics or personalized medicine. Typically, the goal is to determine which patient receives additional benefit from the treatment in terms of an efficacy response. Alternatively, finding subgroups based on the important safety endpoints could be considered to identify those individuals experiencing a reduced risk of key adverse events, or to identify subjects for whom the new therapy may be inappropriate. A number of methods for identifying subgroups with enhanced treatment response have been developed recently, and it is natural to expect many more in the coming years. In order for the development programs for tailored therapeutics to be successful, it is imperative to identify the best method(s) for subgroup identification to be applied in practice. Further, it is likely that no single method will be optimal across all scenarios, so fully characterizing the properties of each methodology is of the utmost importance. To accomplish these goals, the researchers who develop every new and existing method should ideally make use of the same set of simulated data scenarios and report their findings using the same performance measures. We outline and describe the key attributes and scenarios for simulated data as well as the performance measures to enable consistent and rigorous assessment of subgroup identification methods.
Dysphagia in infants and children.

The history and physical examination provides in most patients sufficient information regarding the aetiology of dysphagia in childhood. However, dysphagia might in some rare cases be a diagnostic challenge, as e.g. in patients with gastro-oesophageal disease without typical oesophageal symptoms (regurgitation, emesis). In this paper, most interest will be given to these conditions causing dysphagia in whom the history and physical examination are less relevant. The percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy offers new therapeutic possibilities. Perhaps more than in adults, a correct assessment of dysphagia in childhood necessitates a close collaboration between different sub-specialists such as a paediatric oto-rhino-laryngologist, neurologist, pneumologist and gastro-enterologist.
Aerosol Effects on the Stratocumulus and Evaluations of Microphysics

This study aims at assessing the aerosol effects on the maritime stratocumulus (Sc) clouds and improving the cloud microphysical schemes for more realistic simulations of aerosol and cloud properties in regional and climate models. The double-moment Morrison bulk microphysical scheme presently implemented in the WRF model (Morrison et al. 2005) has been modified by replacing the prescribed aerosols in the original bulk scheme (Bulk-OR) with a prognostic double-moment aerosol representation (Bulk-2M). Furthermore, the impacts of the parameterizations of droplet diffusional growth and autoconversion and the selection of the embryonic raindrop radius on the performance of the bulk microphysical scheme have also been evaluated by the field observations and spectral bin microphysics (SBM) simulations. A maritime Sc system has been investigated over the Southeast Pacific Ocean from an international program, VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study (VOCALS), the major goal of which is to advance the scientific understanding of land-ocean-atmosphere coupled system over the Southeast Pacific region. The warm Sc system is selected because the microphysical and dynamical processes are relatively simple to identify the differences between bulk and SBM microphysics and to evaluate the causes and effects of different treatments in the microphysics.
Why Is Group Process Important in Group Prevention

Group process includes the way in which you bring about change in your group, the way you initiate and use interaction, the interventions that you use to bring about cohesion in your group, and the techniques that you use to generate motivation and resolve conflicts. Group dynamics supplies the personalities and the interrelationships, the people that you have to work with. Group process is how you mold and shape these variables or people into a cohesively, interactive productive group. The purpose of this chapter then is to illustrate how to engage members in active group process that leads to cohesive interaction and change. We will talk about the stages of adjustment that each person must work through in order to bring about change. Through two case studies, we will apply these principles to group-centered prevention. The training interventions at the end of the chapter show how to convert a program to the group-centered approach.
Effects of Mulching and Preemergence Herbicide Placement on Yellow Nutsedge Control and Ornamental Plant Quality in Landscape Beds

Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) is one of the most troublesome and widespread perennial weeds infesting landscape plantings in the United States. Few selective herbicides are available for managing this weed. A combination of organic mulch with preemergence herbicide may improve control efficacy at tuber emergence and reduce the need for subsequent postemergence applications. However, limited information is available on potential interactions between herbicide placement and mulching and their effect on yellow nutsedge control and landscape plant growth and quality. In this study, control efficacy of preemergence herbicide s-ethyl dipropylthiocarbamate (EPTC) applied at 0, 4, or 6 lb/acre above or under pine straw, pine nuggets, or shredded cypress mulches were evaluated in landscape beds infested with yellow nutsedge and planted with ‘Mystery’ gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides), ‘Stella de Oro’ daylily (Hemerocallis), and ‘Big Blue’ liriope (Liriope muscari). Pine nuggets provided greater yellow nutsedge control compared with shredded cypress during the first 6 weeks after treatment (WAT) in mulch-alone plots. All mulch-alone plots had similar yellow nutsedge shoot densities and were 40% to 60% less than untreated bare soil plots from 6 to 12 WAT. Control efficacy was greater when EPTC was applied under mulch compared with above-mulch applications regardless of mulch products. In addition, EPTC at low rate resulted in similar control as high rate when applied under mulch. No injury was observed on any ornamental plants treated with EPTC. Mulching improved growth, flowering, and overall visual quality of gardenia, but reduced number of flowers in daylily and aboveground biomass in liriope at some sample dates though their visual qualities were unaffected. Based on these preliminary data, EPTC applied preemergence before mulching a new landscape bed or replenishing an existing bed can improve yellow nutsedge control without injuring selected ornamental plants.
Structure of the Reduced Copper Active Site in Preprocessed Galactose Oxidase: Ligand Tuning for One-Electron O2 Activation in Cofactor Biogenesis

Galactose oxidase (GO) is a copper-dependent enzyme that accomplishes 2e– substrate oxidation by pairing a single copper with an unusual cysteinylated tyrosine (Cys-Tyr) redox cofactor. Previous studies have demonstrated that the post-translational biogenesis of Cys-Tyr is copper- and O2-dependent, resulting in a self-processing enzyme system. To investigate the mechanism of cofactor biogenesis in GO, the active-site structure of Cu(I)-loaded GO was determined using X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on this model. Our results show that the active-site tyrosine lowers the Cu potential to enable the thermodynamically unfavorable 1e– reduction of O2, and the resulting Cu(II)–O2•– is activated toward H atom abstraction from cysteine. The final step of biogenesis is a concerted reaction involving coordinated Tyr ring deprotonation where Cu(II) coordination enables format...
Association of Recurrence of Infected Congenital Preauricular Cysts Following Incision and Drainage vs Fine-Needle Aspiration or Antibiotic Treatment: A Retrospective Review of Treatment Options.

Importance Treatment modalities for preauricular sinus tract infections vary. Effort should be taken to decrease methods that lead to increased recurrence after surgical excision. Objective To determine whether incision and drainage (I & D) of infected congenital preauricular cysts is associated with increased rate of recurrence when compared with fine-needle aspiration or antibiotic treatment. Design, Setting, and Participants This was a 9-year (2006-2014) retrospective cohort study undertaken at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Children treated for preauricular sinus tract infections were identified using the procedure code for excision of preauricular pit, cyst, or sinus tract. Main Outcomes and Measures Postexcision recurrence. Results Sixty-nine children ranging in age from 4 months to 17 years (mean age, 5.9 years) underwent excision of a preauricular cyst. Thirty-seven of 69 patients (54%) were female. Fifty-seven of 69 (83%) had a preoperative history of infection; the remainder had chronic drainage. Of children with preoperative infection, 27 were initially treated with incision and drainage (I & D), 12 were treated with fine-needle aspiration only, and 18 received antibiotic therapy alone. Overall, the recurrence rate was 8 in 69 (11.6%). Among the 27 patients with a preoperative history of infection treated with I & D, 5 lesions (18.5%) recurred, and among those who only received preoperative antibiotic therapy or fine-needle aspiration 1 in 30 lesions (3.3%) recurred (absolute difference of 15.2%; 95% CI, −1.7% to 33.6%). Conclusions and Relevance Among infants and children undergoing excision of preauricular cysts, a history of infection was not associated with a higher recurrence rate. There was, however, evidence to suggest that a higher rate of recurrence exists among children who had a preoperative history of infection treated with I & D. Our results suggest a more conservative treatment of infected preauricular pit and/or sinus.
A structured systemic framework for software development

The purpose of this research was to develop and apply a systems-based framework for the analysis of software development project performance. Software development project performance is measured at the project level; that is, cost, schedule, and product quality that affect the overall project. To date, most performance improvement efforts have been focused on individual processes within the overall software development system. Making improvements to sub-elements, processes, or sub-systems without regard for the overall project is a classic misbehavior entered into by practitioners who fail to use a holistic, systemic approach. Attempts to improve sub-system behavior are at odds with The Principle of Sub-optimization. (van Gigch, 1974) The traditional method of predicting software development project performance, in terms of sub-system performance is too restrictive. A new holistic, systemic view based on systems principles offers a more robust way to look at performance. This research addressed this gap in the systems and software body of knowledge by developing a generalizable and transportable framework for software project performance that is based on systems principles. A rigorous mixed-method research methodology, employing both inductive and case study methods, was used to develop and validate the framework. Two research questions were identified as integral to increasing the understanding of a systems-based framework. (1) How does systems theory apply to the analysis of software development project performance? (2) What results from the application of a systems-based analysis framework for analyzing performance on a software development project? Using Discoverers' Induction (Whewell, 1858), a systems-based framework for the analysis of software development project performance was constructed, adding to the systems and software body of knowledge and substantiating a comprehensive and unambiguous theoretical construct for software development. Then, the framework was applied to two completed software development projects to support validation. The structured systemic framework shows significant promise for contribution to software practitioners by indicating future software development project performance. The research also made a contribution in the area of research methodologies by resurrecting William Whewell's Discoverers' Induction (1858) and furthering the use of the case study method in the engineering management and systems engineering domain, areas where their application has been very limited.
Surgical site infiltration for abdominal surgery: A novel neuroanatomical-based Approach

Background:Provision of optimal postoperative analgesia should facilitate postoperative ambulation and rehabilitation. An optimal multimodal analgesia technique would include the use of nonopioid analgesics, including local/regional analgesic techniques such as surgical site local anesthetic infiltr
Maturation and rejuvenation in woody species

In the development of all woody plants from seed there is a so-called juvenile phase lasting up to 30–40 years in centain forest trees, during which flowering does not occur and cannot be induced by the normal flower-initiating treatment or conditions. In time, however, the ability to flower is achieved and maintained under natural conditions; at this stage, the tree is usually considered to have attained the adult or mature condition. The length of the juvenile period can be influenced by environmental and genetic factors [20]. Maturation is distinct from aging as used by Wareing [47] to describe changes such as reduced growth rate and type of branching due to increased size and complexity of the tree, which disappear when a scion is grafted onto a young rootstock or when a stem cutting is rooted.
Effect of Collagen-Polycaprolactone Nanofibers Matrix Coating on the In Vitro Cytocompatibility and In Vivo Bone Responses of Titanium

The objective of this study was to improve the biomechanical performance of titanium (Ti) using a biocompatible electrospun nanofiber matrix. The study is based on the hypothesis that coating a Ti surface with a nanofiber matrix (NFM) made of collagen (CG) and polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun nanofibers could increase the mechanical fixation of Ti/bone by improving the surface and cytocompatibility properties of Ti. This study prepared Ti samples with and without CG-PCL NFM coatings. This study determined the in vitro effects of each group of Ti samples on the surface topography and cytocompatibility (osteoblast cell adhesion, proliferation, mineralization and protein adsorption) properties. This study also determined in vivo interface shear strength and bone volume fraction of each group of Ti samples with bone using a rabbit model. This study found that the CG-PCL NFM coating on Ti improved the surface roughness, osteoblast cell adhesion, proliferation, mineralization and protein adsorption properties of Ti. In vivo studies found that interface shear strength of CG-PCL NFM-coated Ti/bone samples was significantly higher compared to those values of control Ti/bone samples (p value < 0.05) due to an increase in the amount of growth of the connective tissue joining the Ti implant. Therefore, the developed CG-PCL NFM coating technique should further be investigated for its potential in clinical applications.
Event-driven wakeup receivers: Applications and design challenges

This paper presents an overview of the design considerations and challenges of event-driven wakeup receivers as well as an analysis of state-of-the-art (SOA) research. We consider advantages and disadvantages of the commonly utilized architectures in these systems as well as presenting big picture perspectives from an application standpoint. This paper focuses on event-driven scenarios where the activity factor of a node is so low that its standby power consumption, which sets the power floor in its sleep mode, becomes a dominant factor in determining the node lifetime.
Measures of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) community viral load and HIV incidence among people who inject drugs

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the measures of community human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load (VL) and the association with HIV incidence among people who inject drugs (PWID). Methods Data were from 1986 to 1999 Urban Health Study conducted among PWID in the San Francisco Bay Area. Extant measures of community VL use mean VL among HIV + study participants, not accounting for the proportion of HIV- individuals. We compared the strength of the associations between HIV incidence and the traditionally measured mean community VL and a new prevalence-adjusted community VL, calculated by dividing the sum of VL among HIV + participants by the total participants irrespective of HIV status. Results Mean community VL was not correlated with HIV incidence in this sample of PWID (rs = 0.32, P = .28). However, prevalence-adjusted community VL was strongly correlated with HIV incidence (rs = 0.69, P = .009). Nested complimentary log-log linear models indicated that increases in community VL and prevalence-adjusted community VL were both associated with HIV incidence, but prevalence-adjusted community VL was a more sensitive measure (hazard ratio = 1.28, P = .038 and hazard ratio = 3.29, P Conclusions The effect of community VL on HIV incidence may be stronger than previously reported. Future studies of community VL surveillance should consider accounting for the prevalence of HIV using a prevalence-adjusted community VL measure.
Sepsis Rapid Response Teams

Sepsis rapid response teams are being incorporated into hospitals around the world. Based on the concept of the medical emergency team, the sepsis rapid response team consists of a specifically trained team of health care providers educated in the early recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of patients at risk of having or who have sepsis. Using hospital-wide initiatives consisting of multidisciplinary education, training, and specific resource utilization, such teams have been found to improve patient outcomes.
EUS-Guided Endoscopic Gastrointestinal Anastomosis with Lumen-Apposing Metal Stent: Feasibility, Safety, and Efficacy.

Traditionally, restoration of normal bowel continuity after resection and bypass of a diseased or obstructed gastrointestinal tract can only be achieved through surgery, which can be technically challenging and comes with a risk of adverse events. Here, we describe our institutions’ experience with endoscopic-guided gastroenterostomy or enteroenterostomy with lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) from March 2015 to August 2016. Ten patients had gastrogastrostomy (gastric pouch to gastric remnant) and three patients had jejunogastrostomy (Roux limb to gastric remnant) for the reversal of Roux-en-Y bariatric surgery. One patient had gastroduodenostomy (stomach to duodenal bulb) post antrectomy and one patient had jejunojejunostomy for distal obstruction following Roux-en-Y reconstruction. Technical and clinical success were achieved in all patients, save for delayed anastomotic stenosis following stent removal in one patient, with a mean follow-up of 126 days (3–318 days) with minimal complications in two patients. Endoscopic gastrointestinal anastomosis therefore may be a safe and feasible technique to re-establish continuity of the digestive system following bypass in the short-term.
Propiedades, modificaciones y usos de los almidones, con miras a la obtención de películas biodegradables. Artículo de revisión

En este articulo se analizan las propiedades, caracteristicas y condiciones para obtener estructuras polimericas (peliculas) utilizando almidon de diversas fuentes naturales, entre ellas: maiz, arroz, papa, yuca, quinua, banano. El proposito de esta revision, por una parte, es precisar tres variables que estan intimamente relacionadas en la obtencion de dichas estructuras con potencial biodegradable: contenido de amilosa, diametro de particula y temperatura de gelatinizacion, y por otra, definir las cantidades de los ingredientes para la formulacion de la pelicula, tales como el porcentaje de almidon y el plastificante, asi como las condiciones de secado. El trabajo expone el efecto de cada propiedad en las caracteristicas mecanicas y opticas de la estructura, asi como selecciona almidones favorables para esta aplicacion. Para llegar a estos resultados, se exponen las generalidades de los almidones (del almidon de quinua, particularmente), sus propiedades fisicoquimicas y sus posibles modificaciones. Por ultimo, se desarrolla el tema con base en la informacion presentada.
An air traffic control simulator for test and development of airspace management schemes

With the advent of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operation in controlled airspace, it has become of increasing need to improve air traffic control resources to handle safe and cooperative interaction of all aircrafts. Existing international protocols such as ADS-B have proven an adequate platform to digitize and automate the exchange of position data to ground control and other aircraft but a system does not yet exist to exchange command and control data to manned or unmanned aircraft other than by the use of airband radio. Next-generation air traffic control systems have been proposed which build on automatic position reporting in order to manage large numbers of manned and unmanned aircraft with minimal human intervention — especially for fully automated flight platforms operating in or near controlled airspaces. Integrating UAVs into general airspace introduces new questions about congestion management for tightly controlled airspace and airports, communications schemes and failure rates, collision avoidance schemes for ad-hoc aircraft encounters, contingency planning, and scalability when it comes to handling large aircraft densities managed by finite ground air traffic control infrastructure. Addressing these challenges, a diverse collection of proposed theoretical solutions from research, industry and policy makers are working to meet these challenges and define various aspects of the next generation of airspace management. To qualify and validate these efforts, we present and demonstrate a simulation toolkit which allows simultaneous communications channel modeling and physical environment modeling to evaluate the efficacy of a communications policy and air traffic management scheme. Our simulation toolkit allows exploration of control solutions based on theoretical decentralized communication architectures where every aircraft broadcasts the aircraft state, future intentions and agrees with other aircraft on proceedings to safely navigate the airspace in accordance with pre-programmed or on-the-fly air traffic instructions. In addition to presenting the simulator, we present runtime results which address environments where non-moving aircrafts join air traffic, demonstrate the capacity of a system to handle emergency states, report incorrect sensory transmission events, and enforce incursion rules to restricted airspaces.
Knowledge and Beliefs About Pedestrian Safety in an Urban Community: Implications for Promoting Safe Walking.

As more people walk for transport and exercise, it is possible to avoid a concomitant increase in the number of pedestrian injuries. Understanding how the public views pedestrian safety can help inform the development of prevention strategies that support national efforts to promote walking and walkable communities. As part of the formative research for a community pedestrian safety health promotion campaign, we administered an online questionnaire to employees and students at a large urban medical campus, along with residents in the neighboring communities, to determine their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding pedestrian safety; awareness of relevant traffic safety laws; and effective strategies that could improve pedestrian safety. Pearson Chi square Test of Independence was used to investigate differences between individuals who mainly traveled as drivers versus those who mainly traveled as pedestrians. Statistical significance was established at p < .05. A total of 3808 adults completed the online survey. More drivers than pedestrians reported that pedestrian safety was an important problem (73 and 64%, respectively; p < .001). A large proportion of respondents incorrectly reported the existing state laws addressing right of way, fines, and enforcement, with significant differences between drivers and pedestrians (p < .001). Significantly more pedestrians than drivers supported changing traffic signals to increase crossing time (p = .001), while more drivers than pedestrians supported creating structures to prevent midblock crossing (p = .003). Effective interventions to improve pedestrian safety need to tailor messages for both drivers and pedestrians, increase awareness of the laws, and implement comprehensive strategies.
Synthesis of platinum single-site centers through metal-ligand self-assembly on powdered metal oxide supports

Abstract Developing single-site metal catalysts has been regarded as a promising strategy to improve activity and selectivity in heterogeneous catalysis. Here, we report a metal-ligand self-assembly method to create Pt single-site centers on powdered oxide supports. Impregnating Pt and a ligand 3,6-di-2-pyridyl-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (DPTZ) simultaneously (one-step) creates Pt-DPTZ single-sites on powdered MgO, Al2O3, and CeO2. MgO has the most uniform single-sites due to a strong, non-competitive support-ligand interaction, and a support-metal interaction of appropriate strength. Pt(II) centers are stabilized between the N binding pockets of DPTZ, with minimal metallic nanoparticle formation. This system was characterized by XAS, XPS, TEM, XRD, and CO adsorption. Sequential impregnation of Pt and DPTZ (two-step) was also tested on Al2O3 and CeO2, but is not as effective as the one-step method due to limited Pt accessibility and mobility. These oxide-supported Pt-DPTZ single-sites were found to be effective catalysts in hydrosilylation reactions. This work demonstrates a metal-ligand self-assembly strategy to create metal single-site centers on high surface area catalyst supports.
Locating Investment Asymmetries and Optimal Deterrence in the Mass Tort Class Action

When a federal judge is determining whether a mass tort class action meets the certification requirements of Rule 23, one question she must ask is whether the proposed class action is superior to other available methods for the fair and efficient adjudication of the controversy. This Note suggests that superiority should depend in part on the degree of disadvantage that plaintiffs would face if no class action were certified and they were forced to assert their claims individually or in relatively small groups. By considering what the world would look like - and what litigation disadvantages plaintiffs would face in suing a mass tort defendant - if no class action were certified, courts can better use the class action device to promote optimal deterrence of mass harms.
Gifted Child Quarterly’s Commitment to Transparency, Openness, and Research Improvement:

As we continue into our second year as Editors of Gifted Child Quarterly (GCQ), we are very excited to be able to share the changes we have been working to implement for the journal in the types of manuscripts accepted, in keywords for manuscripts and reviewers, and in GCQ’s commitment to open science practices. As Editors, we spent much of our first year making improvements to our procedures, email templates, and timelines, and now with these behind-the-scenes changes mostly completed we are ready to take some big steps that will position GCQ as an education leader in moving our research practices forward. During our planning process, we have consulted with our editorial team, with editors of other special education journals, with experts from other disciplines, with members of two working groups that we formed, and with the SAGE publishing team. We are conscious of the value of our journal’s page space, and as always, we will continue to reserve as much of it as possible for publishing high-quality research; however, to most effectively share these exciting new changes, we have decided to describe briefly both the changes themselves and our rationale for making them here, in the journal’s pages, where these will be most visible to our readership.
Pre-service teachers’ figurative and operative graphing actions

Abstract We report on semi-structured clinical interviews to describe U.S. pre-service secondary mathematics teachers’ graphing meanings. Our primary goal is to draw on Piagetian notions of figurative and operative thought to identify marked differences in the students’ meanings. Namely, we illustrate students’ meanings dominated by fragments of sensorimotor experience and compare those with students’ meanings dominated by the coordination of mental actions in the form of covarying quantities. Our findings suggest students’ meanings that foreground operative aspects of thought are more generative with respect to graphing. Our findings also indicate that students can encounter perturbations due to potential incompatibilities between figurative and operative aspects of thought.
Recent measurements with a synthetic two-layer model of the vocal folds and extension of Titze's surface wave model to a body-cover model.

The experiments of Mendelsohn and Zhang in 2011 (J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130, 2961–2968) with six synthetic, two-layer models of the vocal folds were undertaken to better understand the role that the body layer plays in determining the properties of phonation. This rich data set provides an opportunity to extend Titze's surface wave model to a body-cover model. Much of Mendelsohn and Zhang's data can be interpreted with this model by assuming that the ratio of the spring constants of the two oscillators is that of the ratio of the Young's moduli for the two layers, and that the ratio of the masses of the oscillators is proportional to the ratio of the depths of the two layers.The experiments of Mendelsohn and Zhang in 2011 (J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130, 2961–2968) with six synthetic, two-layer models of the vocal folds were undertaken to better understand the role that the body layer plays in determining the properties of phonation. This rich data set provides an opportunity to extend Titze's surface wave model to a body-cover model. Much of Mendelsohn and Zhang's data can be interpreted with this model by assuming that the ratio of the spring constants of the two oscillators is that of the ratio of the Young's moduli for the two layers, and that the ratio of the masses of the oscillators is proportional to the ratio of the depths of the two layers.
Integrating systems thinking skills with multi-criteria decision-making technology to recruit employee candidates

Abstract The emergence of modern complex systems is often exacerbated by a proliferation of information and complication of technologies. Because current complex systems challenges can limit an organization's ability to efficiently handle socio-technical systems, it is essential to provide methods and techniques that count on individuals' systems skills. When selecting future employees, companies must constantly refresh their recruitment methods in order to find capable candidates with the required level of systemic skills who are better fit for their organization's requirements and objectives. The purpose of this study is to use systems thinking skills as a supplemental selection tool when recruiting prospective employees. To the best of our knowledge, there is no prior research that studied the use of systems thinking skills for recruiting purposes. The proposed framework offers an established tool to HRM professionals for assessing and screening of prospective employees of an organization based on their level of systems thinking skills while controlling uncertainties of complex decision-making environment with the fuzzy linguistic approach. This framework works as an expert system to find the most appropriate candidate for the organization to enhance the human capital for the organization. Several large industries, among others, Boeing, the government such as the Army, Military Academy, and National Science Foundation, highlighted the significance of having qualified (systemic) individuals who can successfully deal with complex systems problems. The correct recruiting decision will reduce the rate of job turnover and also help organizations to eliminate unnecessary budget allocated for costly recruitment processes. The proposed framework is intended to first evaluate the pool of applicants according to their level of systems thinking skills and then rank them based on the recruitment strategy and workforce needs of the organization. To achieve the purpose of the study, two recruiting strategies are adopted from the human resource management literature 1) Job-Fit Recruiting strategy—finding candidates who are most aligned with a specific position requirement and 2) Flexible Recruiting strategy—finding candidates with the highest potentials. The proposed framework is validated using a real case study in a US large-scale organization.
A Coded Compressed Sensing Scheme for Unsourced Multiple Access

This article introduces a novel scheme, termed coded compressed sensing, for unsourced multiple-access communication. The proposed divide-and-conquer approach leverages recent advances in compressed sensing and forward error correction to produce a novel uncoordinated access paradigm, along with a computationally efficient decoding algorithm. Within this framework, every active device partitions its data into several sub-blocks and, subsequently, adds redundancy using a systematic linear block code. Compressed sensing techniques are then employed to recover sub-blocks up to a permutation of their order, and the original messages are obtained by stitching fragments together using a tree-based algorithm. The error probability and computational complexity of this access paradigm are characterized. An optimization framework, which exploits the tradeoff between performance and computational complexity, is developed to assign parity-check bits to each sub-block. In addition, two emblematic parity bit allocation strategies are examined and their performances are analyzed in the limit as the number of active users and their corresponding payloads tend to infinity. The number of channel uses needed and the computational complexity associated with these allocation strategies are established for various scaling regimes. Numerical results demonstrate that coded compressed sensing outperforms other existing practical access strategies over a range of operational scenarios.
Eruptive Lichen Planus Associated With Chronic Hepatitis C Infection Presenting as a Diffuse, Pruritic Rash.

Lichen planus has been associated with several precipitating factors, such as drugs, immunizations, and viral infections, including hepatitis C virus (HCV). Eruptive or disseminated lichen planus is a rare variation that most often presents as an acute, widespread exanthem that progresses rapidly and usually lasts for a shorter duration. This variation has not been well studied, and little is known about the etiologies and treatments of this rare form. Thus far, only a few cases of eruptive lichen planus have been reported to be associated with HCV infection. We report a case a 62-year-old woman who presented with a rapidly progressive, diffuse, pruritic rash of the trunk, upper extremities, and thighs that was determined to be eruptive lichen planus secondary to chronic HCV infection. The patient was treated with topical steroids and oral antihistamines, and her rash spontaneously resolved approximately six months after the initial presentation.
Acuity Differences Among Newly Admitted Older Residents in Rural and Urban Nursing Homes.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Our primary objective was to assess rural-urban acuity differences among newly admitted older nursing home residents. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data included the 2015 Minimum Data Set v3.0, the Area Health Resources File, the Provider of Services File, and Rural-Urban Commuting Area codes. Activities of daily living, the Cognitive Function Scale, and aggression/wandering indicators were used to assess functional, cognitive, and behavioral status, respectively. Excluding assessments for short stays (less than 90 days), assessments for 209,719 newly admitted long-stay residents aged 65 and older across 14,834 facilities in 47 states were evaluated. Difference in differences (DID) generalized linear models with state-fixed effects and clustering by facilities were used to assess the interaction effect of older age (75 plus) on rural-urban acuity differences, controlling for socioeconomic factors, admission source, and market characteristics. RESULTS Residents admitted to rural facilities were less functionally impaired (incidence rate ratio: 0.973-0.898) but had more cognitive (odds ratio [OR]: 1.03-1.22) and problem behaviors (OR: 1.19-1.48) than urban. Although older age was predictive of higher acuity, in DID models, the expected decline in functional status was comparable in rural and urban facilities, while the cognitive and behavioral status for older admissions was 8.0% and 8.5% lower in rural versus urban facilities, respectively. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS Although the higher prevalence of cognitive impairment and problem behaviors among rural admissions was attributable in part to older age, rural facilities admitted less complex individuals among older age residents than urban facilities. Findings may reflect less capacity to manage older, complex individuals in rural facilities.
A Longitudinal Examination of Behavioral Transitions among Young Adult Menthol and Non-Menthol Cigarette Smokers Using a Three-State Markov Model.

INTRODUCTION Young adult cigarette smoking behaviors are complex and dynamic. Emerging research suggests a growing rate of switching from non-menthol to menthol cigarettes. Transitions across cigarette smoking states are not well understood. This research longitudinally explores transitions in cigarette smoking behaviors among 18-29 year olds. METHODS We applied a Markov model to data collected biannually for 1542 initially 18-29 year old young adults (mean age: 20.9 years; SD = 2.6) in Texas, who provided 7021 total observations from Fall 2014 to Spring 2017. All participants were past 30 day menthol or non-menthol cigarette smokers at first observation. We examined transitions across three states of cigarette smoking (menthol, non-menthol, and nonsmoking) and compared predictors of each transition, during young adulthood. RESULTS Descriptively, 22.2% of menthol and 14.3% of non-menthol smokers switched products while 25.6% of menthol and 26.0% of non-menthol smokers quit smoking. Among quitters, 20.0% relapsed via menthol and 28.2% relapsed via non-menthol cigarettes. Results from Markov model indicated that Hispanic/Latinos (Hazard Ratio [HR]: 3.69) and Asians (HR: 2.85) were significantly more likely to switch from non-menthol to menthol cigarettes, relative to non-Hispanic whites. Among recent quitters, the use of non-cigarette products was associated with increased risk of relapse via menthol (HR: 1.54) and non-menthol (HR: 1.85) cigarettes. CONCLUSION A substantial proportion of young adult cigarette smokers transitioned across cigarette smoking states over the course of 2.5 years. Other tobacco use and nicotine dependence were impediments to becoming and remaining a non-smoker. Hispanic/Latinos and Asians, relative to non-Hispanic whites, had greater odds of transitioning from non-menthol smoking to both non-smoking and to menthol smoking. Findings suggest racial/ethnic differences in cigarette smoking transitions during young adulthood. IMPLICATIONS This paper examined multidirectional transitions across cigarette smoking, including switching between menthol and non-menthol cigarettes, among young adults. Results indicate that Hispanic/Latino and Asian young adults are at increased risk of transition to menthol cigarette smoking compared with non-Hispanic white young adults. Findings highlight need for further study of Hispanic/Latino and Asian young adult smoking behaviors.