cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficient broadcasting with guaranteed coverage in mobile ad hoc networks

We study an efficient broadcast scheme in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). The objective is to determine a small set of forward nodes to ensure full coverage. We first study several methods that guarantee coverage when the local view of each node on its neighborhood information is updated in a timely manner. Then we consider a general case where nodes move even during the broadcast process, making it impractical to maintain up-to-date and consistent local views. A formal framework is used to model inaccurate local views in MANETs, where full coverage is guaranteed if three sufficient conditions, connectivity, link availability, and consistency, are met. Three solutions are proposed to satisfy those conditions. First, we give a minimal transmission range that maintains the connectivity of the virtual network constructed from local views. Then, we use two transmission ranges, one for neighborhood information collection and the other for actual data transmission, to form a buffer zone that guarantees the availability of logical links in the physical network. Finally, we propose a mechanism called aggregated local view to ensure consistent local views. By these, we extend Wu and Dai's coverage condition for broadcasting in a network with mobile nodes. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is confirmed via both performance analysis and simulation study.
Validation of a New Procedure for Impedance Eduction in Flow

A new impedance eduction procedure is validated by comparing the educed impedance spectrum to that of an older but well-tested eduction procedure. The older procedure requires the installation of a microphone array in the liner test section but the new procedure removes this requirement. A 12.7-mm stainless steel plate and a conventional liner consisting of a perforated plate bonded to a honeycomb core are tested. Test data is acquired from a grazing flow, impedance tube facility for a range of source frequencies and mean flow Mach numbers for which only plane waves are cut on. For the stainless steel plate, the educed admittance spectrum using the new procedure shows an improvement over that of the old procedure. This improvement shows up primarily in the educed conductance spectrum. Both eduction procedures show discrepancies in educed admittance in the mid-frequency range. Indications are that this discrepancy is triggered by an inconsistency between the measured eduction data (that contains boundary layer effects) and the two eduction models (for which the boundary layer is neglected). For the conventional liner, both eduction procedures are in very good agreement with each other. Small discrepancies occur for one or two frequencies in the mid-frequency range and for frequencies beyond the cut on frequency of higher-order duct modes. This discrepancy in the midfrequency range occurs because an automated optimizer is used to educe the impedance and the objective function used by the optimizer is extremely flat and therefore sensitive to initial starting values. The discrepancies at frequencies beyond the cut on frequency of higher order duct modes are due to the assumption of only plane waves in the impedance eduction model, although higher order modes are propagating in the impedance tube facility.
The better the story, the bigger the serving: narrative transportation increases snacking during screen time in a randomized trial

Background: Watching television and playing video games increase energy intake, likely due to distraction from satiety cues. A study comparing one hour of watching TV, playing typical video games, or playing motion-controlled video games found a difference across groups in energy intake, but the reasons for this difference are not clear. As a secondary analysis, we investigated several types of distraction to determine potential psychosocial mechanisms which may account for greater energy intake observed during sedentary screen time as compared to motion-controlled video gaming. Methods: Feelings of enjoyment, engagement (mental immersion), spatial presence (the feeling of being in the game), and transportation (immersion in a narrative) were investigated in 120 young adults aged 18 – 35 (60 female). Results: Only narrative transportation was associated with total caloric intake (ρ = .205, P = .025). Transportation was also higher in the TV group than in the gaming groups (P = .002) and higher in males than in females (P = .003). Transportation mediated the relationship between motion-controlled gaming (as compared to TV watching) and square root transformed energy intake (indirect effect = �1.34, 95% confidence interval �3.57, �0.13). No other distraction-related variables were associated with intake. Conclusions: These results suggest that different forms of distraction may differentially affect eating behavior during screen time, and that narrative appears to be a particularly strong distractor. Future studies should further investigate the effects of narrative on eating behavior.
Hyper-recombining recipient strains in bacterial conjugation.

Using a direct enrichment and screening procedure, mutants of Escherichia coli have been isolated in which recombination frequencies for several intragenic Hfr x F- crosses are significantly higher (twofold to sixfold) than in the parental strains. These hyper-recombination mutations comprised five new mutS- and one new mutL- allele. Together with other known mut - alleles, they were analyzed for effects on intragenic recombination using several types of crosses. Hyper-recombination was found for mutS -, mutL-, mutH (= mutR)- and mutU (=uvrD)- , with the largest effects seen for certain alleles of uvrD; these resulted in over 20-fold excesses in recombinant production for Hfr x F- crosses and F'-chromosome homogenotization. Spontaneous mutator ability was not always correlated with degree of hyper-recombination.
Cone beam X-ray microtomography: a new facility for three-dimensional analysis of multiphase materials

As the techniques and resolution for three-dimensional spatial analysis have advanced in the last deauie, it is now possible to map in detail the microstructure ofmllltipizase materials in three-dimensional digital space. In this regard, three-dimensiollal X-ray microtomography offers a unique imaging capability. Sparial resolution on the order of lO pm can be achieved ,,'/ith the lise of microfocus X-ray generators. Recently, a state-oIfhe-art cone beam X-ray microtomography system was installed at the University of Utah for the quantitative analysis of multiphase materials in three dimensions. This facility was designed to obtain 2,048 by 2,048-pixel reconstruction overa lO-mm diameter, while also allowingfor the imaging of somewhat larger (40-mm) objects. The system is capable of handling high-density materials, even materials having a density as high as 8.0 glcm 3 . This ullique, one-of-a-kind instrument can he used to obtain three-dimensional spatial reconstruction for many applications, such as three-dimensional liberation analysis, pore structure analysis of particle beds during filtration and the air-void system of concrete structures. The utilization of X-ray microtomography not only allows for the quantitative analyst.\· of multiphase systems but also allows for the textural characterization and determination of phase continuity. This paper presents injomwtion regarding the current use of this new facility and a review of potential applications for the advanced analytical system.
RECK Gene Polymorphism is Associated with Susceptibility and Prognosis of Wilms’ Tumor in Chinese Children

BACKGROUND Wilms' tumor (WT) is the most common malignant renal tumor in children. Previous studies suggested the reversion-inducing, cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK) down-regulation might have a role in numerous human cancers. The current study was done to investigate the associations of RECK single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the WT susceptibility in Chinese children. MATERIAL AND METHODS We analyzed 2 SNPs (rs10972727 and rs11788747) in a total of 97 WT children and 194 healthy matched controls (1:2 ratio) by real-time PCR and PCR-RFLP genotyping analysis. RESULTS We found that the G allele of rs11788747 in the RECK gene was significantly associated with WT in Chinese children (OR=0.7, 95% CI: 0.45-0.99; P=0.042); as with another SNP rs10972727, however, no statistically significant difference was detected. Further analysis showed there was also a statistically significant difference in genotype frequencies between terminal tumor stage (P=0.026) and metastatic groups (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS The present data indicate that there is a significant association between mutant G of rs11788747 in RECK and WT risk. G carriers with advanced tumor stage or with metastasis might have an increased risk of WT.
Stem cell-derived tissue- associated regulatory T cells ameliorate the development of autoimmune arthritis

Meeting abstracts Embryonic stem cells have the ability to grow indefinitely while maintaining pluripotency. Under the right circumstance, pluripotent stem cells (PSC) can produce almost all of the cells in the body including regulatory T cell (Tregs). Tregs are essential for normal immune
Ocean Heat Transport

Abstract The ability to ascertain the implications of a changing climate are based first and foremost on our understanding the fundamental balances comprising earth’s climate. The global energy budget is integral to this understanding, and the poleward transport of heat by the oceans is an intrinsic component of the energy balance. In this chapter, we look to describe what is presently known about ocean heat transport and its role in the climate system. At the end of the last century, as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS), the ocean-going research community completed a decade-long international effort to explore the ocean through the acquisition of a single consistent and comparable set of high-quality, full-depth observations. This global-scale field campaign was designed to determine the mean steady-state basin-scale circulation and meridional ocean heat transport. At the time, it was recognized that this mean was unlikely to be stationary. It was also understood that patterns of variability that had yet to be measured would influence our eventual understanding of these one-time “synoptic” observations. A decade later, time series of ocean heat transport (from moorings, repeat XBT and CTD lines and profiling floats), although still quite short and either spatially and/or temporally sparse, are now becoming available. The WOCE/JGOFS programs of the 1990s have been extended through large international efforts first by the Climate Variability and Predictability program and now by the Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program. Through these newly acquired time series, improvements in analysis techniques, and recent modeling advances, we are beginning to describe ocean heat transport variability and to understand its possible response to and role in climate change. In this chapter, we focus on what has been learnt about ocean heat transport through in situ observations. We include some history, a detailed description of ocean heat transport computation and decomposition, and a discussion of the present state of the science, seeking to measure ocean heat transport variability.
The effect of electronic health records adoption on patient visit volume at an academic ophthalmology department

Electronic health records (EHRs) have become a mandated part of delivering health care in the United States. The purpose of this study is to report patient volume before and after the transition to EHR in an academic outpatient ophthalmology practice. Review of patient visits per half-day and number of support staff for established faculty ophthalmologists between July and October for five consecutive years beginning the year before EHR implementation. Eight physicians met inclusion criteria for the study. The number of patient visits was lower in each year after EHR adoption compared to baseline p ≤ 0.027). Patient volume per provider was reduced an average of 16.9 % over the 4 years (range 15.3–18.5 %), and during the final year studied, no provider had returned to the pre-EHR number of patients per clinic session. Support staffing was unchanged (p > 0.2). Adoption of EHR was associated with a significantly reduced number of patient visits per clinic session in an academic setting in which support staffing remained stable. Maintaining clinic volume and access in similar settings may require use of additional staffing.
Quantifying the Impact of the Revolving Door: Evidence from South Korea's Judiciary

This paper quantifies the impact of judicial connections on criminal sentences. Using a unique data set of 318 high-profile Korean white-collar criminals, I investigate how often the judiciary favors newly retired senior judge attorneys (Revolving Door Attorneys, RDAs) by giving their clients leniency (e.g., suspended jail terms). To distinguish connections from skills of RDAs, I exploit the length of retirement of former senior judge counsels as a source of exogenous variation in connections. Particularly, I hypothesize that preferential treatment granted to the counsels substantially decays after one year of their retirement. I find that judicial connections have a sizable impact on sentences: convicted white-collar offenders defended by RDAs are more likely (by around 15 percentage points) to receive suspended jail terms than those represented by ordinary attorneys. I also find that the impact is discontinuous after the first year of departure from the judiciary: Lastly, I find that observed leniency disappears when cases become subject to media attention. These findings suggest causal linkage between judicial connections and leniency in sentencing.
Sarah is magic: The (post-gendered?) comedy of Sarah Silverman

ABSTRACTSarah Silverman is an especially significant case study for scholars interested in gender and humour because she represents a turning point in the history of women's comedy. During the stand-up comedy boom of the late 1980s, a greater number of women began performing stand-up comedy than ever before, and their performances served as a catalyst for increased scholarly attention to women's humour. By the mid-1990s, a consensus had formed amongst feminist humour scholars that women adopt markedly different humour styles than their male counterparts. In this article, we argue that none of the usual generalizations about women's humour are applicable to Sarah Silverman. On the other hand, because she has failed to play by traditional ‘rules’ of women's comedy, Silverman has received more than her fair share of criticism. We conclude our article by arguing that critics have been especially critical of Silverman because they have failed to distinguish between the performer and her comic persona(s).
Atmospheric Reanalyses: A Major Resource for Ocean Product Development and Modeling

Atmospheric reanalyses have greatly improved our ability to analyse past climate variability. Further improvements to reanalyses, including expansion to encompass the ocean, land and sea-ice domains, hold promise for extending their use in climate change studies, research and applications. Other developments, such as the assimilation of observed cloud and coupled reanalysis, are needed before the considerable potential for providing reliable surface fluxes for the ocean is realized.
Molecular aspects of reovirus-host cell interaction

Reovirus biology is defined, in the main, by the sigma 1 cell attachment protein located in the virion outer capsid. Interaction of the sigma 1 protein with serotype-specific receptor molecules located on the surface of target cells determines the tropism and virulence of the virus and mediates viral inhibition of target cell growth.
Lexical and Semantic Data

In the previous chapters we have discussed sentences, morphology and grammar. However, we should also talk about the documentation of the lexicon of a language. Lexical documentation can be something done in conjunction with other work on the language, however dictionary making is also an extensive enterprise in its own right. You could just wait for lexical items to appear in the course of your other work (e.g., in text collection); however, the returns on this method diminish rapidly as you gain familiarity with the language (i.e., the number of new words in texts drop off rapidly).
The Role of OEICs in Commercial Applications

Introduction: The concept of Opto-Electronic Integrated Circuits (OEICs) has been around for many years but only in the last few years has it seen extensive commercial application. The inclusion of optical components such as optical detectors and emitters on the same chip as as high speed circuitry has in general been difficult, resulting in either poor performance or problems due to the mismatch of materials parameters and a large number of processing steps. One exception to this situation is the integration of the MSM detector with GaAs, MESFET circuitry. In this case a LSI level of integration as been achieved and h&h performance OEICs based on this technology are now in production. Since this is one of the most developed areas of OEIC application and thus the best example of how these OEICs may be used the rest of the talk will concentrate on this subject. Silicon receiver OEICs have also achieved commercial success in low performance applications but will not be discussed but will not be discussed in this talk. OEIC Advantages: The relative ease of detector integration possible using the MSM detector is especially fortuitous since it is in the receiving section of an optical communication system where the inherent advantages of integration are most realized. Whereas it is possible to have a laser diode present a reasonable termination to a transmission line, in a receiving system a transmission line is out of the question due to noise considerations. In fact a very high impedance, low capacitance connection is optimum. Also in computer applications the very noisy environment that is often present requires a very tight coupling loop between the preamp and detector. The inherent low capacitance of the MSM detector along with the low parasitic capacitances of an OEIC design match this situation perfectly resulting in lower circuit noise and larger detector areas2. It should be also noticed that these advantages become even greater at lower speeds where the finger spacing the of the detectors can be increased resulting in even lower capacitances. Besides performance there are also several cost advantages. A seemingly obvious advantage of the OEIC design is the elimination of need to separately package the detector and
Relation between coherent. pi. /sup 0/ photoproduction and. pi. -nucleus elastic scattering

We show that, at energies of the (3,3) resonance, the angular distributions for coherent, nuclear ..pi../sup 0/ photoproduction and elastic ..pi..-nucleus scattering are approximately related through simple geometric and kinematic factors.
Feminist Faculty: Striving to Be Heard

This chapter explores the experiences of early career feminist women academics and how their feminist positionalities are constrained and liberated as scholars. Two years of interviews with 12 women feminist academics in a variety of disciplines and institution types in the United States provide the data for this study. Their narratives demonstrate that many feel exploited for their labor and self-censor in light of the intersections of their gendered, feminist, academic, and activist identities. They also consider much of their academic labor as activism and embraced opportunities to speak up and speak out. The argument put forth in this chapter is that academic culture has a powerful influence on how these women feminist academics participate in activism and this has implications for practice and for transforming the academy to become more equitable and socially just.
Ontology-Based Recommendation Algorithms for Personalized Education

This paper presents recommendation algorithms that personalize course and curriculum content for individual students, within the broader scope of Pervasive Cyberinfrastructure for Personalizing Learning and Instructional Support (PERCEPOLIS). The context considered in making recommendations includes the academic background, interests, and computing environment of the student, as well as past recommendations made to students with similar profiles. Context provision, interpretation, and management are the services that facilitate consideration of this information. Context modeling is through a two-level hierarchy of generic and domain ontologies, respectively; reducing the reasoning search space. Imprecise query support increases the flexibility of the recommendation engine, by allowing interpretation of context provided in terms equivalent, but not necessarily identical to database access terms of the system. The relevance of the recommendations is increased by using both individual and collaborative filtering. Correct operation of the algorithms has been verified through prototyping.
Dependence of quantitative accuracy of CT perfusion imaging on system parameters

Deconvolution is a popular method to calculate parametric perfusion parameters from four dimensional CT perfusion (CTP) source images. During the deconvolution process, the four dimensional space is squeezed into three-dimensional space by removing the temporal dimension, and a prior knowledge is often used to suppress noise associated with the process. These additional complexities confound the understanding about deconvolution-based CTP imaging system and how its quantitative accuracy depends on parameters and sub-operations involved in the image formation process. Meanwhile, there has been a strong clinical need in answering this question, as physicians often rely heavily on the quantitative values of perfusion parameters to make diagnostic decisions, particularly during an emergent clinical situation (e.g. diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke). The purpose of this work was to develop a theoretical framework that quantitatively relates the quantification accuracy of parametric perfusion parameters with CTP acquisition and post-processing parameters. This goal was achieved with the help of a cascaded systems analysis for deconvolution-based CTP imaging systems. Based on the cascaded systems analysis, the quantitative relationship between regularization strength, source image noise, arterial input function, and the quantification accuracy of perfusion parameters was established. The theory could potentially be used to guide developments of CTP imaging technology for better quantification accuracy and lower radiation dose.
Profile of public health nutrition personnel: challenges for population/system-focused roles and state-level monitoring.

Abstract Objective Our 3 objectives were to document the current public health nutrition workforce in the United States, identify top public health nutrition priorities for the next 5 years, and assess the capacity of public health nutrition personnel to address these priorities and the nutrition-related objectives of Healthy People 2000. Design A census survey was distributed to public health nutrition personnel in all state and local health agencies and nonprofit and for-profit agencies funded by official health agencies throughout the United States and US territories. Also, state and territorial nutrition directors were sent a different questionnaire. Subjects Data were collected from 49 states, the District of Columbia, and 2 territories; 7,550 public health nutrition personnel were represented. Statistical analysis Data were analyzed using EpiInfo software. Descriptive statistics are presented. Results Almost half of the respondents worked in local or county health agencies and about two thirds were involved in direct care services. Only about 40% were registered dietitians and about one fourth had a master's degree. Almost 90% of all full-time equivalent positions were funded through federal dollars; 78% of all funding was from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Top health concerns identified were diet/nutrition to prevent chronic disease, low breast-feeding rates, low birth weight, iron deficiency anemia, and obesity/overweight. Public health nutrition personnel will be challenged to assume population/system-focused roles and state-level monitoring of Healthy People 2000 objectives. Only 2 of the 17 nutrition objectives of Healthy People 2000 were monitored by more than 50% of the states. Applications If official health agencies are to shift to public health core functions, as recommended by an Institute of Medicine report, then a substantial proportion of the public health nutrition workforce must not only change how they practice but also obtain the knowledge and skills to do so. Strategies to improve workforce capacity are discussed, including continuing education interventions through professional organizations, distance and on-campus educational opportunities through approved public health nutrition programs, and advocacy for new funding streams focused on public health core functions. J Am Diet Assoc. 1998;98:664–670 .
Glaucoma drug therapy in pregnancy: literature review and Teratology Information Service (TIS) case series

Background There are many contradictions about pregnancy and fetal/neonatal outcomes after topical use of timolol alone or timolol in combination with other antiglaucoma medications. Methods Seventy-five pregnant women exposed to antiglaucoma medications were followed prospectively by phone interviews. 27 women used timolol as monotherapy, 48 women used timolol as a part of multidrug therapy. We selected a control group of 187 healthy pregnant women. Results Topical use of timolol alone or timolol in combination with other antiglaucoma medications does not influence pregnancy or fetal/neonatal outcomes. Conclusion Beta-blocker is the first choice treatment for glaucoma in pregnancy but, when necessary, multidrug therapy should not to be excluded.
Developmental and reproductive characteristics of beef heifers classified by pubertal status at time of first breeding

Data collected for 10 or more years at the West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte, NE (n = 1,104); the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory, Whitman, NE (n = 1,333); and the USDA, ARS, Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, Miles City, MT (n = 1,176) were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate growth and reproductive performance of beef heifers classified by pubertal status before first breeding. Concentrations of progesterone in serum from 2 blood samples collected 9 to 11 d apart before the breeding season classified heifers as pubertal (progesterone ≥ 1.0 ng/mL in 1 or both samples) or nonpubertal (progesterone < 1.0 ng/mL in both samples). Average date of birth was earlier (P < 0.06) and proportion born in the first 21 d of the calving season was 10 to 20 percentage points greater for heifers that were pubertal at the start of breeding compared with heifers not pubertal by the start of breeding. Heifers that were pubertal by the start of breeding were 7 to 10 kg heavier (P < 0.01) and 1 cm taller (P < 0.01) at weaning than heifers not pubertal by the start of breeding. Differences in BW persisted through the start of breeding to pregnancy diagnosis. Heifers that achieved puberty by the start of breeding had greater (P < 0.05) feed intake and G:F during postweaning development and had greater (P < 0.01) LM area and fat thickness over the LM at approximately 1 yr of age compared with heifers not pubertal by the start of breeding. Heifers that achieved puberty before the start of breeding had greater (P < 0.01) ADG from birth to weaning but slower (P < 0.10) rates of gain from the start of breeding through pregnancy diagnosis. Pregnancy rate was greater (P < 0.01) for heifers that were pubertal at the start of breeding. In heifers that became pregnant, those that were pubertal before the start of breeding calved earlier (P < 0.01), with a greater (P < 0.01) percentage calving in the first 21 d of calving than heifers not pubertal at the start of breeding. Calves from heifers that achieved puberty before the start of breeding were heavier at weaning (P < 0.01) than calves from heifers that had not achieved puberty by the start of breeding. In summary, heifers that failed to achieve puberty by the start of breeding were less desirable for several traits evaluated. Based on these results, implementing feeding strategies to increase the proportion of heifers that achieve puberty before first breeding could result in propagation of undesirable characteristics.
Stochastic cellular automata model of neurosphere growth: Roles of proliferative potential, contact inhibition, cell death, and phagocytosis.

Abstract Neural stem and progenitor cells isolated from the central nervous system form, under specific culture conditions, clonal cell clusters known as neurospheres. The neurosphere assay has proven to be a powerful in vitro system to study the behavior of such cells and the development of their progeny. However, the theory of neurosphere growth has remained poorly understood. To overcome this limitation, we have, in the present paper, developed a cellular automata model, with which we examined the effects of proliferative potential, contact inhibition, cell death, and clearance of dead cells on growth rate, final size, and composition of neurospheres. Simulations based on this model indicated that the proliferative potential of the founder cell and its progenitors has a major influence on neurosphere size. On the other hand, contact inhibition of proliferation limits the final size, and reduces the growth rate, of neurospheres. The effect of this inhibition is particularly dramatic when a stem cell becomes encapsulated by differentiated or other non-proliferating cells, thereby suppressing any further mitotic division – despite the existing proliferative potential of the stem cell. Conversely, clearance of dead cells through phagocytosis is predicted to accelerate growth by reducing contact inhibition. A surprising prediction derived from our model is that cell death, while resulting in a decrease in growth rate and final size of neurospheres, increases the degree of differentiation of neurosphere cells. It is likely that the cellular automata model developed as part of the present investigation is applicable to the study of tissue growth in a wide range of systems.
Bedside ultrasound as a predictive tool for acute chest syndrome in sickle cell patients.

Abstract Background Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is the leading cause of death for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Early recognition of ACS improves prognosis. Objective Investigate the use of bedside lung ultrasound (BLU) in identification of early pulmonary findings associated with ACS in SCD patients. Methods Prospective, observational study of a convenience sample of SCD patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) for a pain crisis. BLU interpretations were made by an emergency physician blinded to the diagnosis of ACS, and were validated by a second reviewer. The electronic medical record was reviewed at discharge and at 30 days. Results Twenty SCD patients were enrolled. Median age was 31 years, median hemoglobin was 7.7 g/dL. Six patients developed ACS. Five patients in the ACS group had lung consolidations on BLU (83%) compared to 3 patients in the non-ACS group (21%), p = 0.0181, (OR = 12.05, 95% CI 1.24 to 116.73). The ACS group was also more likely to have a pleural effusion and B-lines on BLU than the non-ACS group, p = 0.0175; 0.1657, respectively. In the ACS group, peripheral and frank consolidations on BLU was 83% and 50% sensitive, 79% and 100% specific for ACS, respectively; whereas an infiltrate on initial chest X-ray (CXR) was only 17% sensitive. BLU identified lung abnormalities sooner than CXR (median 3.6 vs. 31.8 h). Conclusions Pulmonary abnormalities on BLU of an adult SCD patient presenting to the ED for a painful crisis appear before CXR, and highly suggest ACS. BLU is a promising predictive tool for ACS.
Mobile Healthcare and mHealth Apps for People with Disabilities

This paper provides an overview and background information related to the mHealth technology landscape specific for the ICCHP 2018 Special Thematic Session of the same title. Specifically, it contains: (1) an overview of mHealth including a working definition, its broad scope on healthcare, and its current state for people with disabilities; (2) types of mHealth technologies; (3) the availability of mobile health apps designed for people with disabilities; (4) the state of the art of the effectiveness of mHealth apps for people with disabilities; and, (5) a review of emerging trends in mHealth technology development and its adoption.
Biologic Scaffold Materials for Orthopaedic Soft Tissue Reconstruction

Biologic scaffold materials composed of extracellular matrix (ECM) are being used for the repair and reconstruction of injured or weakened orthopaedic soft tissues, especially the rotator cuff. These ECM-based products differ in their tissue of origin, species of origin and the processing and sterilization procedures used to prepare such materials for human clinical use. These differences clearly alter the host tissue remodeling response, clinical course and clinical outcome. This chapter reviews the composition, preparation and mechanical and material properties of ECM scaffold materials. Preclinical and clinical studies, although relatively few in number, are also reviewed for the commercial products currently available for orthopaedic soft tissue surgical application.
Income Inequality, Net Investment, and the U.S. Capital Stock: Is There an Equity-Efficiency Tradeoff?

The equity versus efficiency approach emphasizes the importance of incentives and would predict a positive relationship between inequality and economic growth. This view was challenged in the 1990s by the incomplete markets and political outcomes theories, because of increasing empirical evidence of an inverse relationship between income inequality and economic growth. We offer a macroeconomic rationale which emphasizes the divergence between savings and investment in explaining the nature of the relationship amongst inequality, net investment spending, and a country’s capital stock. For the United States over the period 1970 to 2006, we have found no empirical evidence for the support of incentives being necessary for capital accumulation. In fact, it was discovered that in most cases, inequality has had little or no impact on movements in the U.S. capital stock, net investment, and consequently no effect on economic growth. Another interesting finding of this study was that inequality exhibits hysteresis--implying that any shock, such as the dot-com boom, can lead to persistent and enduring increases in inequality.
Revealing the Immunogenic Risk of Polymers

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) conjugation has been the gold standard to ameliorate the pharmacokinetic (PK) and immunological profiles of proteins. PEG polymer does become immunogenic once attached to proteins, evoking PEG-specific antibody (Ab) responses. The anti-PEG Abs could cause PEGylated biologic treatments to fail and even result in lethal adverse reactions. Thus the zwitterionic poly(carboxybetaine) (PCB) has been introduced as a PEG substitute for protein modification. Addressed herein is anti-polymer Ab induction by conjugating PEG and PCB polymers to a series of carrier proteins with escalating immunogenicity. Results indicate that titers of PEG-specific Abs were quantitatively correlated to the immunogenicity of carrier proteins, whereas the generation of PCB-specific Abs was minimal and insensitive to increased protein immunogenicity. This work provides insight into the immunological properties of PEG and PCB and has far-reaching implications for the development of polymer-protein conjugates.
Systematic study of variation in radiation data in cluttered environments

Abstract There are many challenges to overcome during nuclear nonproliferation measurements, including a wide variety of clutter sources that may be introduced into a scene during acquisition. The ability to understand how the dissimilarity of various objects, or clutter, obscures a detector’s field of view and affects the measured response of the detector improves the input to detection alarm and nuclide identification algorithms. Additionally, having the capability to input clutter variation into radiation transport models would allow for more real-world scenarios to be modeled and understood. Efforts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been exploring the ability to determine specific natural background radiation contributions from surroundings, such as buildings, soil, asphalt, and concrete, and use those source terms in large-scale (100 + m 2 ) models. The capability to quantify different clutter terms, ranging from humans to large vehicles, allows researchers to inject realistic noise into these models. This work seeks to explore the effects that clutter introduces to quantify the expected signal variation inherent to both controlled and uncontrolled scenarios, specifically how the introduction of clutter into a scene introduces a variation in signals due to the attenuation of naturally occurring radioactive material distributed within the scene or by introducing non-threatening radioactive materials into the scene. Controlled measurements aim to quantify how different types of clutter of varying size and composition affects the response of a radiation detector. Using results from various controlled tests, the systematic effects of clutter and its effect on radiation readings is analyzed.
Household gun ownership and youth suicide rates at the state level, 2005-2015

Introduction Determining whether the prevalence of gun ownership is associated with youth suicide is critical to inform policy to address this problem. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the prevalence of household gun ownership in a state and that state's rate of youth suicide. Methods This study, conducted in 2018, involved a secondary analysis of state-level data for the U.S. using multivariable linear regression. The relationship between the prevalence of household gun ownership and youth (aged 10–19 years) suicide rates was examined in a time-lagged analysis of state-level household gun ownership in 2004 and youth suicide rates in the subsequent decade (2005–2015), while controlling for the prevalence of youth suicide attempts and other risk factors. Results Household gun ownership was positively associated with the overall youth suicide rate. For each 10 percentage-point increase in household gun ownership, the youth suicide rate increased by 26.9% (95% CI=14.0%, 39.8%). Conclusions Because states with high levels of household gun ownership are likely to experience higher youth suicide rates, these states should be especially concerned about implementing programs and policies to ameliorate this risk.
To Act or Not to Act, That Is the Question

Lars Oystein Ursin’s article, “Withholding and Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Treatment: Ethically Equivalent?” (Ursin 2019), and Dominic Wilkinson, Ella Butcherine, and Julian Savulescu’s article, “W...
Chemical Engineering 'On-a-Chip': Capturing the Integrated Scope of Chemical Engineering in STEM Outreach.

A hands-on educational module was created to illustrate the scope of chemical engineering. Students are taught fundamental concepts that they integrate in a laboratory experience designing and fabricating a ‘plant-on-a-chip’ microfluidic device capable of continuous processing of reactive flows. Students gain insight into chemical engineering principles in the context of process scale-down, including extracting and extending reaction kinetics from bench to microfluidic-scale while accounting for the need for enhanced mixing within laminar fluid flow.
The Social Participation of Older Adults Living With a Visual Impairment

AbstractAim: To explore the social participation for four older adults with a visual impairment to better understand how access and choice affect social participation. Methods: A qualitative study ...
Teaching NeuroImages: Acute convexity subarachnoid hemorrhage: An underrecognized presentation of CAA-ri

Nontraumatic acute convexity subarachnoid hemorrhage (cSAH) is a common manifestation of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), but has been rarely reported in patients with CAA-related inflammation (CAA-ri).1,2
A Phylogeny of Marstonia lustrica (Pilsbry 1890) (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) across its Range

Marstonia lustrica is a poorly understood aquatic snail, relatively rare throughout its range, and listed in the State of Massachusetts as endangered. It is the northern-most cold temperate species of its genus, with other members of the genus occurring along the southern edge of its range and in the southeastern United States. The current range of M. lustrica appears to follow the maximum extent of the Laurentide Glacier (20–25 kya), extending from Minnesota to western Massachusetts. Historically the northern Marstonia species have been identified as M. lustrica with a few historical populations of M. scalariformis and M. letsoni on the southern edge of its range. I completed a full range survey of M. lustrica in 2007 and 2008 and sampled over 60 waterbodies with populations identified in 20 lakes or rivers from Minnesota east to Massachusetts, and Ohio north to Ontario, Canada. Fifty-seven specimens from the 20 populations were sequenced for 2 mtDNA markers (COI and NDI). 14 concatenated haplotypes were documented across the range.
Energy level and fatigue after surgery for thyroid cancer: A population-based study of patient-reported outcomes.

Abstract Introduction The relationship between treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer and patient-report of decreased energy and fatigue remains unclear. Methods Patients diagnosed with differentiated thyroid cancer from 2014 to 2015 included in the Georgia and Los Angeles, California cancer registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program were surveyed 2 to 4 years after diagnosis, and responses were linked to data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry. Multivariable logistic regression analysis determined characteristics associated with the report of worse energy level at 2 to 4 years compared to before treatment and current fatigue severity using adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Results Of the 2,584 respondents, 988 (38.2%) reported much worse or somewhat worse energy and 1,310 (50.7%) reported moderate to very severe fatigue. The majority of patients were treated with total thyroidectomy with or without nodal dissection (total thyroidectomy with lymph node removal [49.3%] or total thyroidectomy [38.3%]). Only 12.3% had a thyroid lobectomy. Just over half were treated with radioactive iodine therapy (56.7%) and thyroid hormone suppression (50.2%) after the thyroidectomy. Younger age, history of depression, thyroid hormone suppression (odds ratio 1.48 [confidence interval 1.21–1.82]), and receipt of radioiodine (odds ratio 1.31 [confidence interval 1.10–1.56]) correlated with worse energy. Similarly, correlates of substantial fatigue included younger age, more comorbidities, history of depression, and thyroid hormone suppression (odds ratio 1.63 [confidence interval 1.34–1.99]). The presence of low serum calcium levels for >3 months after thyroidectomy was associated with worse energy (odds ratio 1.26 [confidence interval 1.02–1.54]) and substantial fatigue (odds ratio 1.49 [confidence interval 1.21–1.84]). Conclusion In addition to accepted risk factors such as depression and comorbidities, receiving radioactive iodine and reporting low calcium after thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer were associated with reports of worse energy compared to preoperative levels; thyroid hormone suppression was associated with reports of both worse energy and substantial post-treatment fatigue.
Aberrant patterns of default‐mode network functional connectivity associated with metabolic syndrome: A resting‐state study

Introduction Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a clustering of three or more cardiovascular risk factors (RF), including hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol, or hyperglycemia. MetS and its component RFs are more prevalent in older age, and can be accompanied by alterations in brain structure. Studies have shown altered functional connectivity (FC) in samples with individual RFs as well as in clinical populations that are at higher risk to develop MetS. These studies have indicated that the default mode network (DMN) may be particularly vulnerable, yet little is known about the overall impact of MetS on FC in this network. Methods In this study, we evaluated the integrity of FC to the DMN in participants with MetS relative to non-MetS individuals. Using a seed-based connectivity analysis approach, resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) data were analyzed, and the FC measures among the DMN seed (isthmus of the cingulate) and rest of the brain voxels were estimated. Results Participants with MetS demonstrated reduced positive connectivity between the DMN seed and left superior frontal regions, and reduced negative connectivity between the DMN seed and left superior parietal, left postcentral, right precentral, right superior temporal and right superior parietal regions, after accounting for age- and sex-effects. Conclusions Our results suggest that MetS is associated with alterations in FC between the DMN and other regions of the brain. Furthermore, these results indicate that the overall burden of vascular RFs associated with MetS may, in part, contribute to the pathophysiology underlying aberrant FC in the DMN.
The Current and Future Role of Echocardiography for the Detection of Cardiotoxicity Related to Cancer Therapy

The purpose of this review is to outline the role of echocardiography in identifying patients at increased cardiovascular risk for cancer treatment-associated cardiotoxicity. With a wide array of cancer therapeutics, a variety echocardiographic cardiotoxicity phenotypes have been identified. Recent consensus statements from several professional societies have provided a framework for risk assessment prior to cancer therapy that involves assessment and optimization of cardiac risk factors but also involves echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular (LV) function at baseline, during, and after treatment. While newer echocardiographic techniques such as global longitudinal strain are key to detecting subclinical cardiotoxicity, it is as yet unclear if strain-directed initiation of cardioprotective medications will result in better outcomes. This is the subject of an ongoing clinical trial, the results of which are eagerly awaited. Given the serial nature of echocardiographic assessments in the cancer population, the application of automated techniques for ejection fraction and strain may have the potential to further reduce measurement variability and are also subjects of ongoing research. Echocardiography is the preferred imaging modality for the detection of cardiotoxicity related to cancer therapy. Our expanded understanding of the cardiac side effects of cancer therapy and optimal surveillance strategies for those at risk is predicated on the ascertainment of cardiac outcomes in future clinical trials, for which echocardiography will undoubtedly play a pivotal role.
The Southern Pine Beetle Dendroctonus frontalis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

The southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, is the most destructive insect pest of pine in the southern United States. This 8-page fact sheet written by Demian F. Gomez and Jiri Hulcr and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Entomology and Nematology describes the beetle and includes advice on how to monitor for them and strategies for their prevention and control. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in333