cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mountain pine beetle attack faster growing lodgepole pine at low elevations in western Montana, USA

Abstract Global change has impacted forests through altered disturbance regimes. In the western US, climate change has resulted in extensive and severe mountain pine beetle outbreaks. These outbreaks have the potential to impact forest function through the selection of certain phenotypes. We investigated the potential for bark beetle-induced selection by way of measuring growth and climate response in mountain pine beetle-killed and surviving lodgepole pine in the Northern Rockies. We had three objectives: (1) investigate differences in growth between beetle-killed and surviving lodgepole pine prior to a recent outbreak, (2) compare the climate-growth relationships for beetle-killed and surviving lodgepole pine and how those relationships explain observed growth differences and predict mortality risk, and (3) investigate growth differences and growth-climate relationships across north- and south-facing aspects and over an elevation range representing local climate gradients. Significantly higher growth rates were observed in beetle-killed trees at low-elevation sites, but not at mid or high elevations. While aspect influenced overall growth, it did not have a significant influence on the difference in growth between beetle-killed and surviving trees. Growth showed significant relationships with several climate variables (i.e., previous-year August temperatures, October temperatures, annual precipitation, and summertime climatic water deficit), with slight differences in those relationships between beetle-killed and surviving trees. Mixed effects models demonstrated that higher growth rates and age increased the probability of mortality during the outbreak at all elevations, and also that climatic water deficit and previous-year August maximum temperatures were related to the magnitude of growth differences between beetle-killed and surviving trees. Overall, mountain pine beetles tended to attack large, fast-growing, lodgepole trees, especially at lower elevations where trees may be more susceptible to seasonal water stress.
A Genetic Score Associates With Pioglitazone Response in Patients With Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Pioglitazone is used effectively to treat nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but there is marked variability in response. This study examined whether genetic variation contributes to pioglitazone response variability in patients with NASH. This genetic substudy includes 55 participants of a randomized controlled trial designed to determine the efficacy of long-term pioglitazone treatment in patients with NASH. The primary outcome of the clinical trial was defined as ≥ 2-point reduction in the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score (NAS). In this substudy, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in putative candidate genes were tested for association with primary and secondary outcomes. A genetic response score was constructed based on the sum of response alleles for selected genes. The genetic response score was significantly associated with achievement of the primary outcome (odds ratio 1.74; 95% CI 1.27-2.54; p=0.0015). ADORA1 rs903361 associated with resolution of NASH (p=0.0005) and change in the ballooning score among Caucasian and Hispanics patients (p=0.0005). LPL rs10099160 was significantly associated with change in ALT (p=0.0005). The CYP2C8*3 allele, which confers faster pioglitazone clearance in allele carriers, was associated with change in fibrosis score (p=0.026). This study identified key genetic factors that explain some of the inter-individual variability in response to pioglitazone among patients with NASH.
First-Order Grating TM Coupling Coefficients for Distributed Feedback Quantum Cascade Lasers

A ray optics (RO) technique utilizing diffraction grating theory and a transfer matrix method is used to derive a closed form expression for the 1st-order distributed feedback coupling coefficient in practical quantum cascade laser structures. Values of the coupling coefficient obtained using a full-wave finite element numerical method (COMSOL Multiphysics) are in good agreement with those obtained using the RO-derived expression.
Theory of Reflectance and Emittance Spectroscopy: Integrated reflectances and planetary photometry

Introduction The basic expression for the bidirectional reflectance of a semi-infinite medium of isotropically scattering particles was derived in Chapter 8 and is given by equation (8.48). This expression was further refined to include an approximate correction for anisotropic scatterers (8.60) and considerations of the effects of porosity (8.70) and the opposition effect in Chapter 9 (9.47). Variants in different geometries were discussed in Chapter 10. In this chapter we will derive expressions that involve integration of the bidirectional reflectance over one or both hemispheres. The remote sensing of bodies of the solar system has its own nomenclature because of the special problems of astronomical observation. Expressions for quantities commonly encountered in planetary spectrophotometry will be derived. Only media for which the porosity factor K = 1 will be treated. Approximate expressions when K > 1 may be readily obtained by substituting one of the linear approximations (8.54 or 8.55) for the H function in the integrand. Integrated reflectances Biconical reflectances If the source and detector do not occupy negligibly small solid angles as seen from the surface, appropriate expressions for the reflectances may be found by numerically integrating one of the above equations over the angular distribution of the radiance from the source and the angular distribution of the response of the detector. In general, such reflectances will be biconical. However, because they would be specific to each particular system, it would not be particularly useful to discuss biconical reflectances in detail.
The Rastafarian Patient

In this chapter, we discuss a case of a Rastafarian woman who presents with a potentially serious complaint. Her husband opposes certain aspects of her care, which presents obstacles for the treatment team. The approach to these obstacles is later discussed using cross-cultural tools and skills while also exploring some common misconceptions encountered with this particular category of patients.
A Study of CPU Pinout for Density and Its Application

This work introduces 3 new patterns for efficient DDR interconnection. The patterns are optimized for implementation where the number of package pins is limited. For all cases, the industry specifications are fullfiled.
Surgical decision-making in infants with suspected UPJ obstruction: stakeholder perspectives

Summary Introduction Although there are significant demographic and clinical variations in treatment decisions for infants with high-grade hydronephrosis concerning for ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO), there has been little research on the roles of parents and surgeons in the surgical decision-making (DM) process. Objective The purpose of this study was to understand parents' and surgeons' perceived roles in the surgical DM process for infants with high-grade hydronephrosis. Study design Semistructured interviews were conducted with pediatric urologists from three regionally diverse tertiary referral sites and parents of infants diagnosed and treated for unilateral Society for Fetal Urology grade 3 or 4 hydronephrosis at one tertiary pediatric urology practice. Purposive sampling was used to ensure adequate representation of parents based on treatment choice, patient gender, race/ethnicity, and distance from the practice. Survey domains included (1) discussions about diagnosis and treatment options, (2) factors guiding treatment choice, and (3) participants' role in the DM process. Transcribed data and field notes were analyzed using a team-based, inductive grounded theory qualitative approach. Results Thirteen physicians and 32 parents were interviewed between November 2016 and November 2017. Parents and surgeons agreed that the surgeon was best equipped to guide treatment decisions because of their clinical knowledge and experience. Parents reported that their trust in the surgeon was the primary factor in their decisions. Surgeons reported tailoring discussions with parents to not only educate them about treatment options but also to develop an ongoing relationship with parents. Both parents and surgeons reported being satisfied with their roles in the DM process. Discussion This study suggests that parental trust in the surgeon and surgeon recommendations drive DM. This may be due to a lack of explicit discussion of options or of parental values and preferences for care. Limited discussions may also impact parental understanding of risks and potential complications. These findings are similar to those of prior studies in adults and children considering elective surgery. Conclusions In this study, parents and surgeons reported that surgeon recommendations, rather than parent preferences, guide treatment choices for infants with suspected UPJO. Both parents and surgeons are satisfied with a physician-driven approach to DM, suggesting that, in situations where the perceived risk is low and parental knowledge is limited, parents may find a physician-led approach beneficial. Data gleaned from this study will be used to inform future quantitative studies evaluating factors guiding surgeon recommendations for treatment and their associations with underlying treatment variation. Download : Download high-res image (155KB) Download : Download full-size image Summary Fig. .
Consuming a Diet of U.S. Military Food Rations Alters Fecal Microbiota Composition but Does Not Increase Intestinal Permeability (FS07-06-19)

Recent studies have reported altered fecal microbiota composition together with increased intestinal permeability (IP) and inflammation in individuals consuming military food rations in austere environments, but could not separate effects of the highly processed, commercially sterile ration-based diets from environmental factors. This study aimed to determine how the U.S. Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) food ration affects fecal microbiota composition and IP. In this parallel-arm trial, 60 adults (95% male, 18–61 yr) were randomly assigned to consume their usual diet for 31d (CON), or a strictly controlled MRE-only diet for 21d then their usual diet for 10d (MRE). Fecal samples were collected at baseline (BL, days -8–0), and during (INT, days 1–21) and after (POST, days 22–31) the intervention period to measure microbiota composition by 16S rDNA sequencing. On days 0, 10, 21 and 31 IP was measured by dual-sugar absorption test, and circulating markers of bacterial translocation from the gut lumen (LPS-binding protein (LBP)) and inflammation (hsCRP) were measured. During INT, carbohydrate (CON vs MRE: 44% vs 50% energy) and fiber (19 vs 26 g/d) intakes were lower in CON relative to MRE, whereas protein intake was higher (18% vs. 13% energy) (P ≤ 0.01). Body weight increased over time in CON, but transiently decreased during INT in MRE (P = 0.001). Changes in fecal microbiota composition differed over time between groups (P ≤ 0.01), with random forest models discriminating the fecal microbiota of MRE and CON samples during INT with 88% accuracy. The most discriminant genera included multiple bacteria used in food production (Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Streptococcus, Leuconostoc) which were less abundant in MRE, and the inflammation-associated genus Sutterella which transiently increased in MRE during INT. IP and hsCRP were both lower (25% and 16%, respectively) in MRE relative to CON on day 21 (P < 0.05), but did not differ before or after. LBP did not differ between groups at any time. Findings suggest that a highly processed, commercially sterile MRE-only diet reduces the proportions of diet-derived bacteria in the gut microbiota and does not increase IP or inflammation. US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. Authors’ views do not reflect official DoD or Army policy.
Resting state functional connectivity in early post-anesthesia recovery is characterized by globally reduced anticorrelations

ABSTRACT Though a growing body of literature is addressing the possible longer-term cognitive effects of anesthetics, to date no study has delineated the normal trajectory of neural recovery due to anesthesia alone in older adults. We obtained resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans on 62 healthy human volunteers between ages forty and eighty before, during, and after sevoflurane (general) anesthesia, in the absence of surgery, as part of a larger study on cognitive function post-anesthesia. Resting state networks expression decreased consistently one hour after emergence from anesthesia. This corresponded to a global reduction in anticorrelated functional connectivity post-anesthesia, seen across individual regions-of-interest. Positively correlated functional connectivity remained constant across peri-anesthetic states. All measures returned to baseline 1 day later, with individual regions-of-interest essentially returning to their pre-anesthesia connectivity levels. These results define normal peri-anesthetic changes in resting state connectivity in healthy older adults.
Importance of Accurately Modeling Nonlinear Damping in Predicting Parametric Ship Rolling

Parametric rolling has become an important design issue in the safe operation of large high-speed container ships. This interest is partly based upon the well-published large amplitude rolling incident of the APL China several years ago and numerous other incidents which have also since come to light. What we have found in our research is that a simple linear model of roll damping does not accurately predict the threshold nature of this phenomenon. However, when we accurately include nonlinear damping we are able to capture the qualitative nature of this phenomenon. Moreover the Mathieu Ince-Strutt stability diagram is limited to linear harmonic excitation. What we have done in this work is to extend the Mathieu Ince-Strutt stability diagram to include non-harmonic excitation and nonlinear damping.
N95 respirators vs medical masks for preventing influenza among health care personnel: A randomized clinical trial

Importance Clinical studies have been inconclusive about the effectiveness of N95 respirators and medical masks in preventing health care personnel (HCP) from acquiring workplace viral respiratory infections. Objective To compare the effect of N95 respirators vs medical masks for prevention of influenza and other viral respiratory infections among HCP. Design, Setting, and Participants A cluster randomized pragmatic effectiveness study conducted at 137 outpatient study sites at 7 US medical centers between September 2011 and May 2015, with final follow-up in June 2016. Each year for 4 years, during the 12-week period of peak viral respiratory illness, pairs of outpatient sites (clusters) within each center were matched and randomly assigned to the N95 respirator or medical mask groups. Interventions Overall, 1993 participants in 189 clusters were randomly assigned to wear N95 respirators (2512 HCP-seasons of observation) and 2058 in 191 clusters were randomly assigned to wear medical masks (2668 HCP-seasons) when near patients with respiratory illness. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza. Secondary outcomes included incidence of acute respiratory illness, laboratory-detected respiratory infections, laboratory-confirmed respiratory illness, and influenzalike illness. Adherence to interventions was assessed. Results Among 2862 randomized participants (mean [SD] age, 43 [11.5] years; 2369 [82.8%]) women), 2371 completed the study and accounted for 5180 HCP-seasons. There were 207 laboratory-confirmed influenza infection events (8.2% of HCP-seasons) in the N95 respirator group and 193 (7.2% of HCP-seasons) in the medical mask group (difference, 1.0%, [95% CI, −0.5% to 2.5%];P = .18) (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.18 [95% CI, 0.95-1.45]). There were 1556 acute respiratory illness events in the respirator group vs 1711 in the mask group (difference, −21.9 per 1000 HCP-seasons [95% CI, −48.2 to 4.4];P = .10); 679 laboratory-detected respiratory infections in the respirator group vs 745 in the mask group (difference, −8.9 per 1000 HCP-seasons, [95% CI, −33.3 to 15.4];P = .47); 371 laboratory-confirmed respiratory illness events in the respirator group vs 417 in the mask group (difference, −8.6 per 1000 HCP-seasons [95% CI, −28.2 to 10.9];P = .39); and 128 influenzalike illness events in the respirator group vs 166 in the mask group (difference, −11.3 per 1000 HCP-seasons [95% CI, −23.8 to 1.3];P = .08). In the respirator group, 89.4% of participants reported “always” or “sometimes” wearing their assigned devices vs 90.2% in the mask group. Conclusions and Relevance Among outpatient health care personnel, N95 respirators vs medical masks as worn by participants in this trial resulted in no significant difference in the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT01249625
2526 Utilizing Quality and Value Metrics to Improve Patient Outcomes Through the Kaiser Permanente Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy Initiative

Study Objective We present a case study in improving quality metrics with the Kaiser Permanente Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy Initiative to address the high rates of abdominal hysterectomies. Design Quality Improvement Project. Setting Route of hysterectomy (abdominal, laparoscopic, vaginal, robotic). Patients or Participants 31,385 patients who underwent surgical hysterectomy at Kaiser Permanente Northern California between 2008-2015. Interventions We initiated a four-pronged quality improvement program to increase the rate of minimally invasive hysterectomies, including: 1) Leadership engagement to set goals and achievable targets; 2) Surgeon education and training; 3) Utilization of targeted medical data to track outcomes and drive performance; and 4) Delineation of Obstetrics and Gynecology surgical teams and establishment of criterion-based credentialing. Measurements and Main Results Total abdominal hysterectomy percentages decreased from 50.5% to 6.9%, and total laparoscopic hysterectomy percentages increased from 21.9% to 61.9%. Robotic hysterectomy percentages only increased from 0.1% to 7.8%, and total vaginal hysterectomy percentages were maintained. Conclusion Our experience indicates that a quality improvement program to reduce abdominal hysterectomies while improving patient care can be successfully instituted on a large scale with limited reliance on less cost-effective robotic technology. The core aspects of the strategy should be highly incentivized under programs like Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Moreover, this model can be used to address other quality issues in gynecologic surgery. It is our hope that the future of gynecologic surgery moves towards such a model that prioritizes optimal patient care. Please note that this abstract includes information that was presented in the paper, “Measuring Quality in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery: What, How, and Why?” by Abel et. al. in JMIG February 2019.
Efficient Coded Caching with Limited Memory

Recently, coded caching techniques have received tremendous attention due to its significant gain in reducing the cost of delivery rate. However, this gain was only considered with the assumption of free placement phase. Motivated by our recent result of coded caching, we focus here on minimizing the overall rate of the caching network by capturing the transmission cost of the placement and delivery phases under limited storage memory at the end user. We model the dynamic nature of the network through a cost structure that allows for varying the network architecture and cost per transmission across the two phases of caching. The optimal caching decision for the worst case scenario with memory constraint is provided. Moreover, analysis of the delivery phase is proposed where trade-offs between system parameters, memory, and delivery rate are considered. Interestingly, we show that there are regions where the uncoded caching scheme outperforms the coded caching scheme. Finally, we provide numerical results to support and demonstrate our findings.
Tier Two Interventions Implemented within the Context of a Tiered Prevention Framework.

Despite a growing body of evidence demonstrating the value of Tier 1 and Tier 3 interventions, significantly less is known about Tier 2 level treatments when they are added within the context of a ...
Association of Operative Repair Type and Trauma Center Designation With Outcomes in Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

Objective:Open repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) has shown improved outcomes at trauma centers. Whether the benefit of trauma center designation extends to endovascular repair of ...
Age-Structured Populations

Life, in part, is a process of aging; individuals are born, they mature, and at some point they die. The aging process has a direct effect on individual probabilities of survival and reproductive activity, as well as on total population size. For example, fecundity is zero until the age of reproductive maturity; it then increases and remains high through adulthood, finally declining in old age. Mortality, on the other hand, is usually high in the very young and very old individuals, and lower for adults. Any detailed description of population dynamics must take the age- dependent nature of these variables into account.
Routine Opioid Prescriptions Are Not Necessary After Breast Excisional Biopsy or Lumpectomy Procedures

Opioid analgesics are overprescribed after surgery. In August 2018, the authors replaced routine discharge opioid prescription with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for patients who had a lumpectomy or excisional biopsy (lump/ex). This study compared patient-reported post-discharge pain scores for patients treated before and after the change in routine discharge medication. Patients were categorized based on treatment before and after a change in discharge medication as follows: study period 1 (routine opioids), study period 2 (routine NSAID). Pain severity was assessed with an electronic survey on postoperative days (PODs) 1 to 5. Multivariable generalized estimating equations tested the association between pain severity and discharge in the first versus the second study period. Lump/ex was performed for 1606 patients between December 2017 and June 2019. Of these patients, 789 (49%) reported pain scores and were analyzed (328 in study period 1, 461 in study period 2). Opioid prescription at discharge decreased from 96% in period 1 to 14% (95% confidence interval [CI], 11–18%) in period 2. Only 1% of the patients discharged with NSAID were later prescribed an opioid. The maximum reported pain score on any POD for all the patients was severe for 30 patients (3.8%), moderate for 217 patients (28%), mild for 430 patients (54%), and none for 112 patients (14%). The estimated risk for moderate or greater pain on POD 1 was 36% for period 1 and 34% for period 2. The proportion of patients reporting moderate or greater pain was nonsignificantly lower for the patients treated in period 2 (odds ratio [OR], 0.91; 95% CI 0.67–1.22; P = 0.5). For patients undergoing lump/ex, a clinically meaningful difference in reported post-discharge pain scores can be excluded with a change to routine NSAID at discharge. Patients undergoing lump/ex should not be routinely discharged with opioids.
El tropo pastoral en la escritura de la naturaleza de Gabriel Miró

This article illustrates recurrent themes and practices in the writing of nature in Gabriel Miro. It focusses on selected images and modes of the Pastoral myth that evolve from his early fictions to his autobiographical works, to constitute a poetics of the landscape that is both idiosyncratic and encoded (in traditions such as the Biblical, Neo-platonic, Cervantine, post-Romantic, and Decadent versions of the pastoral). In Las cerezas del cementerio (1910), the idyll mode that sustains the sentimental plot against a non-Arcadian and realistic order does not undermine the idyll but reconstitutes it. Its epilogue embraces the poetic truth of the pastoral based on the restoration of the immanence of time —in the form of eternal return— and in accordance to the subjective distortions allowed by the lyrical novel. La novela de mi amigo illustrates the encounter of the pictorial landscape, as an exercise of abstraction and distance, with nature as a life-force personified by the protagonist’s Pantheistic ethos and agonizing search for the lost family idyll. Ultimately, Del vivir manifests the author’s gradual departure from the conventional pastoral symbolism toward the use of landscape as an open theme. He creates an idiosyncratic bucolic that is made of ironic self-reflection. He also exploits and debunks the pathetic fallacies of the Nature-as-illness metaphor personified by the native lepers. With this hybrid novel (of travel and spiritual quest) he introduces the post-pastoral view that will culminate in Anos y leguas (1928), where the landscape becomes a central motif of literary, existential, ecocritic and linguistic reflection and of his mature readjustment to the world.
Herd-based Testing for Young Stock

Investigation of calf morbidity or mortality problems usually requires an accurate assessment of the colostrum-feeding program as well as documentation of the potential enteric and respiratory pathogens to which the pre-weaned calves have been exposed. The approach to herd-based problem solving and assessment is quite different than testing individual calves. Conclusions and recommendations are based, not just on recent history, impressions, written protocols, examination of affected animals and post-mortem results, but on farm data collection. Accurate conclusions require appropriate sample sizes, discriminating tests and an appropriate population of calves to test. The purpose of this paper is to describe the farm data collection and analysis that determines whether there is a herd problem of failure of passive transfer of immunity (FPT), the level of calf exposure to potential fecal and respiratory pathogens and the determination of antimicrobial susceptibility of potential respiratory pathogens.
Reply: HEP-21-0218.R1.

We wish to thank Dr. Edelson and Dr. Rockey for their interest in and comments on our original manuscript investigating anesthesia complications related to endoscopic procedures among patients with cirrhosis.(1) We appreciate their remarks on incorporating objective measures (e.g., model for end-stage liver disease [MELD] score) when evaluating patients for procedural or sedation risk, as well as providing an algorithm for sedation in cirrhosis patients.(2).
Children's reputation management: Learning to identify what is socially valued and acting upon it.

Much of what people do is motivated by a concern with social evaluation. We argue that the process of figuring out what others value and making effective use of this information presents significan...
HGG-04. TARGETING GABAERGIC NEURON-GLIOMA SYNAPSES IN DIFFUSE INTRINSIC PONTINE GLIOMA (DIPG) THROUGH ANTI-EPILEPTIC DRUG REPURPOSING

Pediatric high-grade gliomas, including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), are the leading cause of brain cancer-related death in children. While enormous progress has been made in recent years for many forms of cancer, high-grade gliomas remain seemingly intractable, indicating that fundamental aspects of glioma growth are not yet sufficiently understood. Neuronal activity drives glioma growth both through paracrine signaling and through direct neuron-to-glioma synapses. Recently glutamatergic, AMPA receptor-dependent synapses were discovered between microenvironmental neurons and malignant glioma cells. The depolarizing current that results from synaptic and other forms of electrical neuron-glioma signaling promotes pediatric high-grade glioma proliferation and regulates growth. Neuron-glioma cell synapses mediated by other neurotransmitters remain largely unexplored, though glioma cells express genes encoding neurotransmitter receptors such as GABAA receptor subunits. Using whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology in patient-derived DIPG xenografts, we have identified functional GABAergic neuron-to-glioma synapses mediated by GABAA receptors. GABAergic input has a depolarizing effect on glioma cells, but the magnitude of depolarization is heterogeneous between high-grade glioma subtypes and between patient-derived DIPG xenograft models. As membrane depolarization increases glioma proliferation, depolarizing GABAergic inputs to glioma cells could promote DIPG progression. Drugs that stimulate GABA signaling, such as benzodiazepines, are often given to pediatric glioma patients to treat nausea, seizures or anxiety. In patient-derived DIPG xenograftn models, lorazepam, a benzodiazepine that increases GABAA receptor conductance, increases glioma growth. Conversely, levetiracetam, an anti-epileptic drug that reduces synaptic transmission including at GABAergic neuron-glioma synapses, reduces glioma proliferation in patient-derived DIPG xenografts. This emerging understanding of brain cancer neurophysiology reveals new therapeutic targets and highlights commonly used drugs about which more study is required in this disease context.
A Risk Assessment Method for the Internet Boundary Security

In order to assess the security risks of the Internet boundary in real time, this paper summarizes the characteristics and the security requirements of the network boundary, and proposes a risk assessment method for Internet boundary security, which combines the security strategies that has been activated, the attack complexity and the attack threat degree, at the same time, the triangle module fusion operator is introduced to calculate the security risk of the network boundary. This method evaluates the remaining risk of the network boundary quickly and efficiently by detecting the effectiveness of the security equipment deployed in Internet boundary, it has a certain practical value.
Risk of Suicidal Self-directed Violence Among US Veteran Survivors of Head and Neck Cancer.

Importance Head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors are about twice as likely to die by suicide compared with other cancer survivors. Objective To examine the associations between precancer mental health and pain and postcancer receipt of mental health, substance use disorder (SUD), or palliative care services with risk of suicidal self-directed violence (SSDV). Design, setting, and participants This retrospective cohort study used the Veterans Health Administration data of 7803 veterans with a diagnosis of HNC (stage I-IVB) who received cancer treatment between January 1, 2012, and January 1, 2018. Data were analyzed between May 2020 and July 2021. Exposures Presence of precancer chronic pain and SUD diagnoses, and postcancer SUD, mental health, or palliative care treatment. Exposures were defined using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes in Veterans Health Administration administrative data. Main outcomes and measures Documented SSDV event, including suicide attempt or death by suicide, after HNC diagnosis. Results Among the cohort of 7803 veterans (7685 [98.4%] male; mean [SD] age, 65 [10.7] years), 72 (0.9%) had at least 1 documented SSDV event following their cancer diagnosis, and 51 (0.7%) died by suicide. Four adjusted modified Poisson regression analyses identified that precancer chronic pain (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 2.58; 95% CI 1.54-4.32) or mood disorder diagnoses (IRR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.17-3.24) were associated with higher risk of postcancer SSDV. Those who had at least 1 documented mental health (IRR, 2.73; 95% CI, 1.24-6.03) or SUD (IRR, 3.92; 95% CI, 2.46-6.24) treatment encounter in the 90 days following HNC diagnosis were at higher risk for SSDV. A palliative care encounter within 90 days of postcancer diagnosis was associated with decreased risk of SSVD (IRR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.31-0.78). Conclusions and relevance In this cohort study, a high proportion of HNC survivors with an SSVD event died from their injuries. Identification of risk factors for SSDV among HNC survivors may help direct additional resources to those who are at high risk. Referral to palliative care appears to be an important component of supportive oncologic care to reduce the risk of SSDV.
A Comparative Study of Machine Learning Models in Predicting Energy Consumption

Climate change and the integration of renewable energy resources into the electricity grid in recent years are making electricity consumption very vulnerable. Traditional time series forecasting methodologies make predictions based on historical trends and patterns and are inadequate to address the changing environmental parameters in real-time. Machine learning methods, on the other hand, are more flexible in taking into consideration of parameters such as temperature, wind power, and market price, which are likely to fluctuate in real-time and influence electricity consumption. In this research, we propose to develop an accurate prediction model for hourly electricity consumption using machine learning. We will use California consumption data from US Energy Information Administration and hourly local climatological data (LCD) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the study. Six machine learning models that include Linear Regression, K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) Regression, Gradient Boosting, Random Forest Regression, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) – a Recurrent Neural Network, and Support Vector Machine (SVM) will be used, and their prediction accuracy will be compared and analyzed.
Luncheon Discussion with T.J Glauthier

Question: In preparation for your discussions with the new Congress, are absolute numbers changing from what you had done before November 8, or are you simply trying to reestablish the reasons behind these programs in order to sell them to the new Congress?
Optimal Mechanism for Selling Substitutes

We study a problem of a multiproduct monopolist selling substitutable goods to a buyer with unknown valuations. Under the standard distributional assumptions we find that in the optimal menu every nontrivial contract delivers some good with certainty. Using this result we apply control-theoretic tools to the case of two goods and solve a number of examples. The optimal menus generally have a simple structure and sometimes are substantially more profitable than the deterministic menus. We also extend the approach to the case when the buyer desires more than a single unit of the good.
Robust target labeling from small amounts of RNA for Illumina ® Expression BeadChip ® arrays

The Illumina® Expression BeadChip® arrays are the preferred system for array-based gene expression studies because of their low input requirement, high sensitivity, low cost and high throughput. Two target labeling procedures—the TargetAmp™-Nano and TargetAmp™-Pico Target Labeling Kits for Illumina Expression BeadChip arrays—generate microgram amounts of biotin-antisense RNA (aRNA) from nanogram and picogram amounts of RNA, respectively, and yield high-quality expression analysis results.
Treatment Differences and Political Realities in the GAAP-IFRS Debate

The Securities Exchange Commission has introduced a Roadmap that describes a process leading to mandatory use of IFRS by domestic issuers by 2014. The SEC justifies this initiative on the grounds that global standardization yields cost savings and an ultimate gain in comparability, facilitating the search for global opportunities by U.S. investors and making U.S. capital markets more attractive to foreign issuers. This paper enters an objection, noting that the stakes include more than the choice of the framework for standard setting. The accounting treatments themselves are at issue, treatments that for the most part concern domestic reporting firms and domestic users of financial statements. We present a treatment by treatment comparison of GAAP and IFRS and go on to discuss the differences' implications. FASB maintained its independence during its 35 year history in the teeth of opposition from corporate management, which experienced a steady diminution of its zone of financial reporting discretion. A switch to IFRS would allow management to reclaim some of the lost territory. Meanwhile, the interest group alignment that protected FASB, comprised of auditing firms, actors in the financial markets, and the SEC, has disintegrated as U.S. capital market power has waned in the face of international competition. Management is the shift's incidental beneficiary, with possible negative effects for reporting quality in domestic markets.
Using creation science to demonstrate evolution? Senter’s strategy revisited

Senter’s strategy of arguing against creationism using their own methodology focused on demonstrating a morphological continuum between birds and nonavian dinosaurs using classical multidimensional scaling (CMDS), a method used by some creationists to assign species to assist in the detection of phylogenetic ‘discontinuities.’ Because creationists do not typically use CMDS in the manner Senter used it, his results were re-examined using ‘distance correlation,’ a method used to assign species to ‘created kinds.’ Distance correlation using Senter’s set of taxa and characters supports his conclusion of morphological continuity, but other sets of taxa with more characters do not. These results lessen the potential impact that Senter’s strategy might have on creationism; however, it is possible that future fossil discoveries will provide stronger support for morphological continuity between dinosaurs and birds.
Utility Theory and Rent Optimization: Utilizing Cluster Analysis to Segment Rental Markets

The research reported here segments apartment residents and units into homogeneous groups. This segmentation is accomplished via cluster analysis. The purpose of the research is to identify market ...
What Should a Theory of Knowledge Do

The Gettier Problem is the problem of revising the view that knowledge is justified true belief in a way that is immune to Gettier counter-examples. The “Gettier Problem problem”, according to Lycan, is the problem of saying what is misguided about trying to solve the Gettier Problem. In this paper I take up the Gettier Problem problem. I distinguish giving conditions that are necessary and sufficient for knowledge from giving conditions that explain why one knows when one does know. I argue that the problem with the Gettier Problem is that it requires us to articulate conditions that suffice for knowledge even if those conditions are non-explanatory. After defending this view, I take up two related methodological issues, one about the evidence that can be given in favor of an account of knowledge, and one about the role that investigating justification might play in investigating knowledge.
The Role of BPMN in a Modeling Methodology for Dynamic Process Solutions

This paper introduces a design method for dynamic business process management solutions in which the well-known modeling elements of business object life cycles, business rules, and business activities are integrated in a distributed system as equal communicating components. Using the EURENT car rental domain originally developed by the business rules community, it is demonstrated how this method can be used to enable adhoc and rule-driven activities integrated with the life cycle management of business objects. A modeling methodology based on BPMN collaboration diagrams is proposed to describe component interactions and behavior. Agile principles are applicable to incrementally build the solution in which scenarios play a major role to validate and further evolve the solution’s behavior. A clear separation between components, their interaction, and details of the internal component behavior facilitates change and the implementation of business patterns.
Determination of of operating frequency and signal integrity of various implementations of a symmetric multiprocessor computer

The primary function of the package designer is to determine the maximum frequency of operation and functionality of a given computer design point. Determination of the maximum operating frequency requires calculation of both off chip driver and receiver delays as well as package and interconnect delays. Determination of signal integrity is generally a noise analysis problem, that requires calculation of the total noise from all possible sources at the input to an off chip receiver. This paper outlines the analysis methodology and techniques used to determine the performance and functionality of various implementations of a common symmetric multiprocessor computer architecture.
Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: isolation and characterization of inflammatory cells from the central nervous system

Abstract Lymphocytes from the central nervous system (CNS) of animals with acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) have been isolated and characterized. The lymphocytes were separated from Lewis rats which were injected either with an emulsion of myelin basic protein (BP) emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) to cause EAE or with CFA alone as a control. Using density gradient centrifugation, from 9 days post-inoculation (d.p.i.) (before clinical signs appear), to 19 d.p.i. (after signs abate), lymphocytes were recovered from the spinal cords and popliteal lymph nodes of BP-injected animals. Lymphocyte cell number, phenotype, and antigen specificity were determined. Results show that the onset of clinical signs correlated with lymphocyte influx into the CNS. A clinical index of 1 was associated with less than 10 6 cells per gram of CNS wet weight (cells/g CNS) while animals with a clinical index of 4 had more than 15 × 10 6 cells/g CNS. During remission, when only minor residual neurologic signs were evident, significant numbers of lymphocytes (> 10 7 cells/g CNS) could still be isolated. In contrast, no lymphocytes were obtained from control CNS tissue. The phenotype of the recovered cells was predominantly of the helper/inducer T cell subset (> 40%). Although the percentages of these cells in the CNS were increased when compared to the lymph nodes, I-A expression on CNS-isolated lymphocytes showed the most significant increase with disease progression. Recovered lymphocytes responded to both BP and CFA-related antigens indicating that both CNS-specific and CNS-non-specific inflammatory cells were present in the exudate.
Problems getting back in the swing after breast cancer

For more than 50 years, Cancer has explored every facet of malignant disease, including morphology, therapy, epidemiology, biology, historical perspective, and basic science. However, the Editors of Cancer believe that the human beings who bear the burden of this illness have much to teach us, and we now solicit essays from patients and family members about their experience. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
Mapping the EQ-5D Index from the SF-12: US General Population Preferences in a Nationally Representative Sample:

Background Health status measures provide a numeric score representing a profile of health status across several domains, such as physical and mental health. The SF-12 and its longer form, the SF-3...
Artillery Shell Drift at High Angles of Fire

Spin-stabilized projectiles were instrumented with yawsondes and fired at various launch angles to obtain information on the phenomenon of left drift. The measuring system and data reduction procedures are discussed. At low launch angles, projectiles drift to the right of the line of fire with a normal nose forward orientation. At high angles of launch and low velocities, projectiles fly base forward during descent and drift to the left of the line of fire. Small yaw aerodynamic coefficients are obtained from the yawsonde data using a numerical integration method. Six-degree-of-freedom simulations compare favorably with flight observations.
Molecular and cellular aspects of the insulin-like growth factor I receptor

I. Introduction THE insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their receptors and binding proteins constitute a family of cellular modulators that play essential roles in the regulation of growth and development. The IGF ligands include three structurally related peptides: insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II. Unlike insulin, IGF-I and IGF-II are expressed ubiquitously, albeit in a highly regulated manner (see reviews in Refs. 1-5). The biological functions of the IGFs are mediated by a family of transmembrane receptors, which includes the insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II/mannose-6-phosphate (M-6-P) receptors. While the IGF-I receptor is the primary mediator of IGF action, the insulin and IGF-II/M-6-P receptors may also mediate some of these functions (Fig. 1) (6, 7). The biological actions of the IGFs are modulated by a family of at least six IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) that are found in the circulation and in extracellular compartments and are produced by most tissues. The IGFBPs are capable of inhibiting or enhancing I...
The innate signaling of dangers and the dangers of innate signaling

The innate immune system of mammals has been forged by coevolution with microbes in response to the double constraint of preserving a symbiotic interaction with commensal flora and eliminating intrusion of those commensals or invasion by pathogens. Thus, a 'sensing' network, accompanied by or lacking inflammatory responses, is controlled by elaborate mechanisms of regulation that maintain balance in the basal state. A growing number of non–Toll-like innate immune receptors is recognized as part of this surveillance network.
Nano-scale analysis of precipitates in nitrogen-doped Czochralski silicon

Nitrogen-doped Czochralski (CZ) silicon wafers were heat treated with Lo-Hi annealing in argon. Nanoscale defects were then examined by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) in the Z-contrast mode, and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) analyses using a field emission JEOL 2010 with a resolution below 2 A. The structures of precipitates, stacking faults and interstitial aggregates were found to depend on their location relative to the wafer surface. Precipitate composition, strain at the interface and interface roughness were obtained and are discussed in connection with the point defects generated during crystal growth and modified during wafer annealing. An excellent correlation was found between Z-contrast line scans across the precipitates and the N to O concentration ratio determined with EELS. In the precipitate central region that ratio is between 1 and 6%, whereas at precipitate boundaries it reaches 17%.
OPTIMIZATION OF A WATER RESOURCES SYSTEM BY NON-LINEAR PROGRAMMING

Abstract Optimization of a water resources system necessarily must appropriately mesh the modeling of the system with the optimization technique used. If the system model is linear, many effective optimization techniques exist. But if the model is non-linear in the objective function and/or constraints, very few effective optimization methods exist. This paper describes how a water resources system, including both water quantity and water quality, can be modeled to form a non-linear programming problem. The latter is solved by two techniques: (a) a Generalized Reduced Gradient method, and (b) a conjugate gradient projection method. The relationship between the model and the formulation of the non-linear programming problem is discussed, and computational experience with each of the algorithms is described.
Graphite-AsF5 intercalation kinetics and diffusion by NMR imaging

Abstract One-dimensional NMR images of the 19F concentrations have been recorded as functions of time during the intercalation of AsF5 into HOPG at room temperature. The image maintained a constant shape at all times during intercalation, indicating the absence of AsF5 concentration gradient in the radial direction. The NMR gradient diffusion technique was used to determine the macroscopic 19F diffusion coefficient for stage I HOPG/AsF5 at room temperature; the result is D=4×10−6 cm2/sec.