cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interpreting Statistics in the Urological Literature

Purpose: Knowledge of statistical terminology and the ability to critically interpret research findings are critical skills in the practice of evidence based medicine.Materials and Methods: We provide a series of nontechnical explanations of basic statistical concepts commonly encountered in the urological literature. In addition, we provide examples of common statistical pitfalls to increase awareness of limitations to consider when applying research findings to practice.Results: Statistical goals encountered in the urological literature can be broadly categorized as summarizing outcome variables, comparing 2 or more groups, measuring association among variables or predicting 1 variable from another. Errors frequently include the use of an inappropriate test for the data type of interest or using statistical testing in a manner that increases the likelihood of false-positive results. Such errors pose a threat to the validity of research findings and they may undermine study conclusions.Conclusions: Edito...
Self-regulation minimizes crash risk from attentional effects of cognitive load during auditory-vocal tasks

This study reanalyzes the data from a recent experimental report from the University of Utah investigating the effect on driving performance of auditory-vocal secondary tasks (such as cell phone and passenger conversations, speech-to-text, and a complex artificial cognitive task). The current objective is to estimate the relative risk of crashes associated with such auditory-vocal tasks. Contrary to the Utah study's assumption of an increase in crash risk from the attentional effects of cognitive load, a deeper analysis of the Utah data shows that driver self-regulation provides an effective countermeasure that offsets possible increases in crash risk. For example, drivers self-regulated their following distances to compensate for the slight increases in brake response time while performing auditory-vocal tasks. This new finding is supported by naturalistic driving data showing that cell phone conversation does not increase crash risk above that of normal baseline driving. The Utah data are next compared to those from a larger study that included visual-manual as well as auditory-vocal tasks. The Utah auditory-vocal tasks had negligible effects on response time compared to visual-manual tasks with socially acceptable crash risk, such as manual radio tuning. In conclusion, auditory-vocal tasks such as those in the Utah study are not expected to increase crash risk or impair real-world operation of an automobile, compared to normal baseline driving without performing such tasks. Language: en
MCLB (Much Curriculum Left Behind): A U.S. Calamity in the Making

Abstract The relationships between high-stakes testing, curriculum, and the economic needs of our nation are explored. High-stakes testing has been found to narrow the curriculum by forcing more attention to be paid to reading, mathematics, and test preparation. Less time is available for the arts and humanities and for activities that could promote creativity and critical thinking—skills needed for national success in the 21st century. High-stakes testing may ultimately weaken our nation, not improve it.
Individual Characteristics and Creativity in the Marketing Classroom: Exploratory Insights:

This study explores student characteristics that affect creativity skills. Students from three marketing classes were included in the study. Using the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, compariso...
Effect of joining decisions on peer clusters

Super-peer networks have been proposed to address the issue of search latency and scalability in traditional peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. In a super-peer network, instead of having a fully distributed systems of peer nodes with similar or comparable capabilities, some nodes that possess considerable computing power and resources are designated as super-peers. Each super-peer acts as a server for multiple client peers under it. This hierarchical structure of a super-peer network improves the performance of a super-peer network over traditional P2P networks by handling most search queries between the few super-peer nodes, thereby reducing overall network traffic and improving search latency. In this paper, we address the problem of mutual selection by super-peers and client peers. In particular, we evaluate alternative decision functions used by super-peers to allow new client peers to join the cluster of clients under it. We experiment with peers with known resources and demands. By formally representing and reasoning with capability and query distributions, we develop peer-selection functions that either promote concentration or diversification of capabilities within a cluster. We evaluate the effectiveness of these different selection functions for different environments where peer capabilities are aligned or are independent of their queries. We offer insight and analysis on the effects on inter and intra-peer bandwidth consumption which will allow a super-peer to adopt appropriate peer-selection functions given their expectations about the environment.
The brainstem switch for gaze shifts in humans

Saccades are rapid eye movements that turn both eyes in the same direction. Brainstem omnipause neurons gate saccades. Most natural shifts of the fixation point are between targets lying in different directions and at different distances requiring a combination of saccades and vergence. We investigated whether the visual stimulus, the saccadic command or the vergence command turns off omnipause neurons during gaze shifts. Using the scleral search coil technique, eye movements were measured in seven normal subjects, as they made voluntary, disjunctive gaze shifts comprising saccades and vergence movements. Conjugate oscillations of small amplitude and high frequency were identified during the vergence movement that followed the initial saccade. These oscillations, which are an indication that the omnipause neurons are turned off, corresponded to the saccade onset, and not the vergence eye movement or the visual stimulus. These data were used to test and modify a model of the human saccade-vergence system.
Returns-to-Scale in Software Production: A Comparison of Approaches

The literature on the software development industry (summarized in [2]) contains references to returns-to-scale as a factor in software development productivity. As noted in [2], most studies have typically related project size to labor productivity. A general finding is that software development tools and more specialized labor are usually employed on larger, in terms of project size, software projects. However, this observation does not necessarily imply increasing returns to a particular input, such as software development tools or more specialized labor. The confusion in the literature stems from the use of the term scale and the more general observation that large projects rarely have the same capital-labor mix as their smaller counterparts. In this paper returns-to-scale estimates are allowed to vary with both project capital-labor mix and project size.
Observations on the Urban Transportation Problem

To provide a setting for an examination of the problem of urban transportation, the interrelationship of urban development and transportation is presented, and a series of observations pertaining t...
Influence of Primary (Parasite) Hosts on Host Selection of the Hyperparasite Cheiloneurus noxius (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)

The oviposition-related behavior of females of Cheiloneurus noxius Compere, a hyperparasite of unarmored scale insects, was observed and quantified by presenting them with specimens of the brown soft scale, Coccus hesperidum L., which were either unparasitzed or parasitized by larvae or pupae of Diversinervus elegans Silvestri. Modifications of scale insects caused by parasitism had no direct influence on the female's behavior, and only when parasites were present within scales was the hyperparasite's behavior altered significantly. Primary parasites seemed to be detected only after they were contacted by the hyperparasite's ovipositor. Living and dead parasites were discriminated between, eggs being laid only in the former. Possible sensory structures on the ovipositor which may be involved in the discriminatory process are described.
pH-induced conformational change of IscU at low pH correlates with protonation/deprotonation of two conserved histidine residues.

Iron–sulfur (Fe–S) proteins are among the most ancient of macromolecules.1 They are involved in various biochemical processes, including nitrogen fixation, metabolic catalysis, regulation of gene expression, and electron transfer.2−4 The major pathway for Fe–S cluster biosynthesis, the ISC pathway, is highly conserved across the many species in which it occurs.1 Defects in this machinery underlie many human diseases and aging processes.5−8 IscU (Isu1 and Isu2 in yeast; ISCU in human) is a major player among the several proteins involved in the ISC pathway. IscU is the scaffold protein on which the Fe–S cluster is assembled and from which the Fe–S cluster is delivered to a receiver apoprotein. Structures of forms of IscU containing Zn2+ or [2Fe–2S] ligated have been determined by NMR spectroscopy9 and X-ray crystallography.10−14 However, studies from our laboratory have shown that IscU in the absence of metal or Fe–S cluster populates two distinct conformations that interchange on a subsecond time scale4,15,16 and interact differentially with other proteins involved in Fe–S cluster assembly and delivery.4,17,18 The S-state is structured, and the D-state lacks secondary structure17 but is not unfolded.19 In addition, N13–P14 and P100–P101, two peptidyl-prolyl peptide bonds that are trans in the S-state, become cis in the D-state.20 We report here that the D ⇄ S equilibrium is pH-dependent, with the S-state favored at intermediate pH values and the D-state favored at high and low pH. NMR studies demonstrate that the transition at low pH is explained by differences in the pKa values of two conserved histidine residues (H10 and H105) in the S- and D-states. The origin of the transition at high pH remains to be determined. We postulate that IscU evolved these properties to match changes in proton inventory in the cluster assembly and transfer reactions.
Nod1 Limits Colitis-Associated Tumorigenesis by Regulating IFN-γ Production

Chronic intestinal inflammation is a major risk factor for the development of colorectal cancer. Nod1, a member of the Nod-like receptor (NLR) family of pattern recognition receptors, is a bacterial sensor that has been previously demonstrated to reduce susceptibility of mice to chemically induced colitis and subsequent tumorigenesis, but the mechanism by which it mediates its protection has not been elucidated. In this study, we show that Nod1 expression in the hematopoietic cell compartment is critical for limiting inflammation-induced intestinal tumorigenesis. Specifically, Nod1-deficient T cells exhibit impaired IFN-γ production during dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute inflammation in vivo, and administration of the Nod1 ligand KF1B enhances IFN-γ responses by anti-CD3-activated T cells in vitro. Absence of IFN-γ signaling results in increased inflammation-associated tumors in mice, and adoptive transfer of Nod1(-/-) or IFNγ(-/-) T cells into T cell-deficient mice results in increased tumorigenesis as compared with T cell-deficient mice that were adoptively transferred with wild-type T cells. Collectively, these results suggest a previously unappreciated role for the innate immune receptor Nod1 in suppressing colitis-associated tumorigenesis through a T cell-mediated mechanism.
Quantification of Multi-Scale Mechanics and Failure of Human Stratum Corneum

Human stratum corneum (SC) acts as an essential mechanical barrier to the inhospitable external environment. Maintaining skin barrier function by preventing rupture is of fundamental importance to healthcare. Cracking, chapping and the formation of exudative lesions all result from a mechanical failure of SC tissue. At macroscopic length scales, SC exhibits well defined mechanical properties. These properties, such as the elastic modulus, are strongly influenced by SC water content. Using a combination of uniaxial tensometry and macrophotography, we quantify variations in the Poisson's ratio and toughness of SC as a function of ambient humidity. These parameters are essential for accurate modeling of skin mechanics and have not previously been reported. Macroscopic measurements of SC mechanical properties however assume the tissue is homogeneous in composition and cannot describe the mechanisms of failure at the microscale. SC exhibits a rich topography across many length scales and large sample to sample variations in toughness suggest the microstructure of SC is likely to influence the onset of failure rather than the physical limits of the material. We demonstrate that structural heterogeneities cause the formation of heterogeneous micro-strains within uniaxially stressed tissue, with peak strains coinciding with sites of crack nucleation. We further study the influence of structural heterogeneities and SC water content on the failure mechanics of the SC. Crack propagation timescales, strain energy release rates and crack morphologies vary dramatically with tissue hydration. Examinations of crack interfaces at different length scales further illustrate that while topographical canyons and follicular holes influence cracking to a small degree, failure of the SC is governed by rupture of intercellular corneodesmosome plaques, leaving the structural integrity of corneocyte cells intact. These results provide key biophysical insights into the mechanics of fracture in soft heterogeneous tissues.
Instructional Materials for Students and Teachers

This chapter offers a model of how to approach an ethical problem and produce an ethical argument, that is, make a well justified or sound recommendation in a case analysis, for an essay on a test or for a paper in a course. It also includes a model grading rubric which can be used by teachers new to teaching ethics to help them evaluate student essays or papers, and can also be shared with students to give them a better sense of how the teacher might evaluate their work. The chapter concludes with some advice to teachers on how to teach the subject if the teacher is not an ethicist by training.
Effects of 21-day d-amphetamine and risperidone treatment on cocaine vs food choice and extended-access cocaine intake in male rhesus monkeys

Abstract Background Clinical trial data suggest amphetamine treatment is most efficacious in moderate to high frequency cocaine users. However, preclinical studies have examined amphetamine treatment effects under relatively limited cocaine access conditions with low to moderate cocaine intakes. This study determined d -amphetamine treatment effects on cocaine self-administration in rhesus monkeys under cocaine access conditions allowing for high daily cocaine intake. For comparison and as a negative control, treatment effects with the antipsychotic risperidone were also examined. Methods Continuous 21-day treatments with ramping doses of d -amphetamine (days 1–7: 0.032 mg/kg/h; days 8–21: 0.1 mg/kg/h, i.v.) or risperidone (days 1–7: 0.001 mg/kg/h; days 8–14: 0.0032 mg/kg/h; days 15–21: 0.0056 mg/kg/h, i.v.) were administered to rhesus monkeys (n = 4) with daily access to two types of cocaine self-administration sessions: (1) a 2-h ‘choice’ session with concurrent availability of 1-g food pellets and intravenous cocaine injections (0–0.1 mg/kg per injection) and (2) a 20-h ‘extended-access’ session with 0.1 mg/kg per injection cocaine availability. Results Total daily cocaine intake increased >6-fold during extended cocaine access. d -Amphetamine significantly decreased total cocaine intake, but not cocaine vs food choice. In contrast, risperidone did not significantly alter either total cocaine intake or cocaine vs. food choice. Conclusions These results confirm and extend previous results supporting treatment effectiveness for monoamine releasers, but not dopamine antagonists, to reduce cocaine self-administration. Moreover, these results suggest amphetamine treatment efficacy to decrease preclinical cocaine vs. food choice may depend upon cocaine access conditions.
Immunoglobulin Deposition Diseases

Immunoglobulin deposition diseases are rare and unusual plasma cell dyscrasias. A tissue biopsy is required for diagnosis. Since the kidney is involved in most cases, a kidney biopsy usually provides the diagnosis. It is important to distinguish these disorders as their clinical presentation often mimics multiple myeloma and amyloidosis. The degree of renal involvement at presentation may vary from mild renal impairment to severe renal dysfunction requiring renal replacement therapy. The underlying lymphoproliferative or clonal plasma cell disorder usually has a low tumor burden compared to conditions such as multiple myeloma or Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. The identification of the underlying hematological disorder guides therapeutic intervention. There has been significant improvement in the outcome of these patients, since the availability of novel agents such as immunomodulatory drugs, proteasome inhibitors, and with autologous stem cell transplantation. In this review, we address clinical presentation and outcomes with light-chain and heavy-chain monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition disease, Type I cryoglobulinemia, proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal IgG deposits, C3 monoclonal-associated glomerulonephritis, immunotactoid glomerulonephropathy, Fanconi syndrome, and light-chain crystallopathy.
Adenosine Inhibits Pro-Inflammatory Thrombin Signaling In Endothelial Cells

Adenosine is an important regulatory metabolite which attenuates inflammation when it binds and activates the adenosine A 2A receptor subtype on immune cells. However, the effect of adenosine on inflammatory responses in endothelial cells is mostly unknown. Thrombin as a known pro-inflammatory protease is involved in a variety of pathophysiological processes associated with inflammation in stimulated endothelial cells. The present study investigated the effect of adenosine on thrombin-mediated modulation of pro-inflammatory responses in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Adenosine, in a concentration-dependent manner (1-100µM), inhibited the barrier disruptive effect of thrombin (20nM) on endothelial monolayer. The expression level of adenosine receptors, A 1 , A 2A , A 2B and A 3 was examined in HUVECs and it was found that A 2A and A 2B are the highest expressing receptors among the four subtypes (A 2B > A 2A >A 1 >A 3 ) in endothelial cells. Further studies revealed that the barrier protective effect of adenosine on thrombin-induced hyperpermeability in HUVECs was abrogated by the A 2A receptor specific siRNA or the A 2A receptor specific antagonist, ZM-241385, but not by siRNAs targeting the other adenosine receptor subtypes. To further determine the molecular mechanisms of the barrier protective effect of adenosine, its effect on thrombin-induced RhoA activation was assessed. Pretreatment of endothelial cells with adenosine prevented both thrombin-induced RhoA activation (Rho-GTP) and its membrane translocation as evidenced by cell fractionation and Pull-down assays, respectively. Moreover, preincubation of endothelial cells with adenosine down-regulated the expression of cell surface adhesion molecules (VCAM-1 and ICAM-1) and thrombin-mediated activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kB) pathway. Adenosine also inhibited secretion of the early chemokine, MCP-1, and the late-acting pro-inflammatory cytokine, HMGB-1, by thrombin-stimulated endothelial cells. Taken together, these results suggest that adenosine can inhibit pro-inflammatory thrombin signaling responses in endothelial cells by specifically activating the A 2A receptor subtype, thereby protecting endothelium during the activation of coagulation and inflammatory pathways. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Robot-guided ankle sensorimotor rehabilitation of patients with multiple sclerosis

Abstract Background People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often develop symptoms including muscle weakness, spasticity, imbalance, and sensory loss in the lower limbs, especially at the ankle, which result in impaired balance and locomotion and increased risk of falls. Rehabilitation strategies that improve ankle function may improve mobility and safety of ambulation in patients with MS. This pilot study investigated effectiveness of a robot-guided ankle passive-active movement training in reducing motor and sensory impairments and improving balance and gait functions. Methods Seven patients with MS participated in combined passive stretching and active movement training using an ankle rehabilitation robot. Six of the patients finished robotic training 3 sessions per week over 6 weeks for a total of 18 sessions. Biomechanical and clinical outcome evaluations were done before and after the 6-week treatment, and at a follow-up six weeks afterwards. Results After six-week ankle sensorimotor training, there were increases in active range of motion in dorsiflexion, dorsiflexor and plantar flexor muscle strength, and balance and locomotion (p Conclusion Robot-guided ankle training is potentially a useful therapeutic intervention to improve mobility in patients with MS.
Left Truncation Bias to Explain the Protective Effect of Smoking on Preeclampsia: Potential, But How Plausible?

BACKGROUND An inverse association between maternal smoking and preeclampsia has been frequently observed in epidemiologic studies for several decades. In the May 2015 issue of this journal, Lisonkova and Joseph described a simulation study suggesting that bias from left truncation might explain the inverse association. The simulations were based on strong assumptions regarding the underlying mechanisms through which bias might occur. METHODS To examine the sensitivity of the previous authors' conclusions to these assumptions, we constructed a new Monte Carlo simulation using published estimates to frame our data-generating parameters. We estimated the association between smoking and preeclampsia across a range of scenarios that incorporated abnormal placentation and early pregnancy loss. RESULTS Our results confirmed that the previous authors' findings are highly dependent on assumptions regarding the strength of association between abnormal placentation and preeclampsia. Thus, the bias they described may be less pronounced than was suggested. CONCLUSIONS Under empirically derived constraints of these critical assumptions, left truncation does not appear to fully explain the inverse association between smoking and preeclampsia. Furthermore, when considering processes in which left truncation may result from the exposure, it is important to precisely describe the target population and parameter of interest before assessing potential bias. We comment on the specification of a meaningful target population when assessing maternal smoking and preeclampsia as a public health issue. We describe considerations for defining a target population in studies of perinatal exposures when those exposures cause competing events (e.g., early pregnancy loss) for primary outcomes of interest.
Abstract 473: Fluid Shear Stress Specifically Exacerbates Chlamydia pneumoniae-mediated Pro-inflammatory Responses in Monocytes

Background and SignificanceThe precise role of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in various stages of the atherosclerosis is not well understood. During the transit from lung to the atherosclerotic si...
Governance in Executive Suites

This paper investigates how personal connections influencing governance in executive suites are impacted by other governance mechanisms. We use the independent board requirement as an exogenous shock reducing CEO influence in the boardroom. CEOs of the treated firms recoup the loss of influence by increasing their influence in executive suites: The executive suites are filled with more of current CEOs’ appointees with pre-existing social connections to the CEOs, leading to closer CEO connectedness with other top executives. The closer connectedness seems to diminish the intended benefits of the regulation. The improvement in the effectiveness of monitoring CEOs and shareholder value are inversely related to the capacity to increase CEO connectedness. These findings highlight the important role CEO connectedness in executive suites plays in determining the overall governance at the firm level. They also demonstrate strengthening a specific governance mechanism can have spillover effects to a seemingly unrelated governing body.
tICA-Metadynamics: Accelerating Metadynamics by Using Kinetically Selected Collective Variables

Metadynamics is a powerful enhanced molecular dynamics sampling method that accelerates simulations by adding history-dependent multidimensional Gaussians along selective collective variables (CVs). In practice, choosing a small number of slow CVs remains challenging due to the inherent high dimensionality of biophysical systems. Here we show that time-structure based independent component analysis (tICA), a recent advance in Markov state model literature, can be used to identify a set of variationally optimal slow coordinates for use as CVs for Metadynamics. We show that linear and nonlinear tICA-Metadynamics can complement existing MD studies by explicitly sampling the system’s slowest modes and can even drive transitions along the slowest modes even when no such transitions are observed in unbiased simulations.
Antibodies to β1 integrins inhibit dendritic growth in rat sympathetic neurons.

We have examined the role of integrins in the development of dendrites in embryonic rat sympathetic neurons in vitro. Previous studies have established that exposure to a basement membrane extract (BME) causes these neurons to form dendrites (Lein and Higgins, 1989). The current experiments demonstrate that the dendrite-promoting activity of BME can be markedly inhibited by antibodies directed against the β1 integrin subunit. Although the specific ∝ integrin sub-unit(s) that mediate the effect of BME on dendritic growth were not identified, it was found that neither the ∝1, or ∝4 sub-units, nor RGD-binding integrins were involved to any significant extent. These data suggest that, in addition to their well established role in regulating axonal growth, β1 integrins also participate in dendritic growth.
Functional analysis of promoter elements in plants.

Plant growth and development involve temporal and spatial expression of the specific genes subsets in response to various physiological and environmental factors mediated by complex signal transduction pathways. A minimal gene regulatory network typically consists of an input signal receptor and a transduction pathway linking the extracellular environment with intracellular targets, a core complex of transacting regulatory proteins and relevant cis-acting DNA sequences, and a subsequent molecular output (RNA and protein) from the target genes. Generally, the result of the activation of such a regulatory pathway is stimulation or repression of expression of the genes coding for structural, metabolic and behavioral capacities of the plant cell. In addition, such networks often include dynamic feedback loops that provide for further regulation of the network architecture and output.
Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis of Frame Elements Subjected to Blast Explosions

Abstract A finite element method was recently proposed for performing nonlinear analysis of plane frames subjected to blast loads. This method uses an explicit three-parameter time integration method within a total-load, secant-stiffness analysis framework. Rigorous nonlinear sectional analyses are undertaken, considering the strain rate effects and utilizing nonlinear concrete and reinforcement hysteresis models. Shear effects are included through a 2D implementation of the Disturbed Stress Field Model, which is based on a smeared rotating crack conceptualization. In this study, numerical modeling of 18 previously-tested specimens was undertaken to verify the accuracy, reliability, and practicality of this method for blast load conditions. Some specimens were subjected to multiple blast loads, resulting in 24 simulations in total. Most specimens were subjected to very high peak reflected pressures in the range of 0.35 MPa and exhibited significant damage and nonlinearity. Analysis results (obtained from this method and two other methods from the literature) are compared to the experimental responses in terms of peak displacements, stiffnesses, residual displacements, and crack widths. The three advantages of the proposed method were demonstrated: more accurate modeling of reinforced concrete behaviour, simpler modeling requirements, and shorter analysis times. The proposed method was found to simulate the experimental behaviours of the specimens examined with a high degree of accuracy. The solution algorithm provided unconditional numerical stability, and required much shorter analysis times than continuum finite element methods.
Energy Density Limits of Multiphase Composites With Dielectric Nanoparticles

Analyzing electric field distributions of multiphase nanoparticle (NP) composites can provide physical insight into their energy density limits. A three-dimensional simulation platform that uses a control volume approach with a finite difference grid is created to efficiently calculate electric field patterns, effective permittivity, and energy density of multiphase composites. To estimate a maximum energy density metric for materials, a physically based percolation model is used to estimate the maximum voltage that can be applied to materials before a potential breakdown path occurs. The simulation predictions are compared to measured data from current work on BaTiO3 NPs infused in a PVDF matrix to help verify simulation results. The simulation platform is then used to explore the possible energy density limits for a variety of nanocomposite material configurations. For example, one such nanocomposite category that is highlighted is the one in which certain metal-oxide dielectric NPs can have localized and highly polarizable dipoles at their surfaces. Finally, simulation is used to explore the impact that an NP's average diameter, degree of clustering, and volumetric density can have on the maximum energy density for a variety of nanocomposite material types.
Immigration and environment in the U.S.: A spatial study of air quality

Abstract Environmental consequences are frequently cited as a justification for restricting immigration to the United States, but there is little empirical research on the environmental consequences of immigration to support such arguments. The research that does exist shows immigration to be less environmentally harmful than native population growth, but is hampered by small samples and fails to account for spatial autocorrelation of air quality. We use the air quality domain of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Quality Index (EQI) to examine the association between immigrant and native populations and local air quality across all counties in the continental U.S. We employ spatial models to account for spatial autocorrelation of air quality across the counties, controlling for indicators of economic development and location characteristics. We find that native population is strongly associated with worse air quality, while foreign-born population is associated with better air quality. However, this association varies by immigrant country of origin, with East Asian immigrants in particular associated with worse air quality, and by immigrants’ year of entry, with some immigration cohorts positively associated with air quality, and others negatively. These findings highlight the importance of population characteristics in understanding population-environment linkages.
Drug-Induced Acute Kidney Injury

Drug-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is a relatively common problem. Prescribed medications, over-the-counter drugs/substances, and diagnostic agents may alter kidney function. As the kidney filters, secretes, reabsorbs, biotransforms, and excretes many drugs, it is not surprising that acute kidney injury is an adverse effect. Drugs and their metabolites can lead to injury within all compartments of the kidney including the vasculature, glomerulus, tubules, and interstitium. Common forms of drug-induced AKI affecting the various renal compartments include thrombotic microangiopathy, membranous and minimal change/focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, acute tubular injury/necrosis, osmotic nephropathy, crystalline-induced AKI, and acute interstitial nephritis. Recognizing AKI syndromes that are associated with various agents can lead to early identification of potentially harmful drugs and therapeutic agents, reducing exposure in at-risk patients. Once identified, the medication or agent can be withheld or dose-reduced, thereby significantly impacting and potentially reducing the duration and severity of kidney injury.
Making It Stick: Central Line Dressing Adherence

Topic Significance & Study Purpose/Background/Rationale The Infusion Nurses Society (INS) standards of practice requires all central venous catheter (CVC) dressings be changed every 7 days to reduce the risk of central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) (Infusion Nurses Society, 2016). Dressings for patients receiving chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants on our units were not adhering for the recommended 7 days. The purpose of our project was to increase CVC dressing adherence to remain in accordance with evidence based CLABSI prevention guidelines by incorporating liquid adhesive in central line dressing changes in BMT/hematology inpatients. Methods, Intervention, & Analysis Education was provided to staff on the proper way to apply the adhesive when performing dressing changes prior to implementation. Pre-intervention data (n=35) was collected to look at dressing adherence as well as skin irritation around dressings. Liquid adhesive and adhesive remover were attached to the central line dressing kits so that every dressing change performed on the units would utilize the intervention. Spot checks were performed throughout implementation to ensure staff compliance. Findings & Interpretation Post data was collected (n=27) after 4 weeks of implementation. Pre and post data were collected using a point prevalence assessment tool. Implementing the use of the liquid adhesive in dressing changes resulted in a 16% increase in intact dressings after 7 days. Premature dressing changes were decreased by 39% and the amount of nursing time saved was roughly 3 hrs and 23 minutes. There were no CLABSIs on our units during this trial period. Discussion & Implications After the pilot ended, the biggest barrier to sustainability was the inability to include the liquid adhesive in the central line dressing change kits due to cost. Our next step in this project is to attempt to replicate our results by repeating the pilot. We will then present our findings to our health system CLABSI team for consideration to include the liquid adhesive in the manufactured dressing change kit. We plan to continue to monitor dressing adherence and CLABSI data in order to implement a hospital wide change through the Nursing Practice Council.
Advances in Empirically Based Assessment of Children's Behavioral and Emotional Problems.

Recent revisions of the scoring profiles for the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Teacher's Report Form (TRF), and Youth Self-Report (YSR) represent important advances in empirically based assessme...
Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome Secondary to Accessory Musculature: A Case Report.

Tarsal tunnel syndrome (TTS) is a relatively uncommon compression neuropathy caused by impingement of the tibial nerve or one of the terminal branches. The presence of accessory musculature at the ...
The AVMA Animal Health Studies Database

Abstract The AVMA Animal Health Studies Database (AAHSD, www.avma.org/findvetstudies ) was established as a tool for investigators conducting prospective veterinary clinical studies. Investigators may use the database to list studies recruiting for patients after creation of log-in credentials, while searches of the database listings may be made freely by anyone through the public search side. Although the main intent of the AAHSD is to increase public awareness of veterinary clinical studies and enhance recruitment of suitable animal patients into the studies, the database does have other intended purposes. Specifically, the AAHSD was modeled after the NIH-NLM site for medical trials (Clinicaltrials.gov) and functions like a trial registry and results database. Study listings remain permanently recorded in the AAHSD such that the AAHSD serves as a running archive of veterinary clinical studies conducted, informing investigators of studies performed both presently and in the past as well as providing an opportunity for investigators to make public the outcomes and conclusions of studies that have been completed.
Anti-icing epoxy resin surface modified by spray coating of PTFE Teflon particles for wind turbine blades

Abstract Epoxy resins are widely used for the outer surface of wind turbine blades and many other engineering applications. An anti-icing epoxy resin surface was generated by a spray coating of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE; commonly known as Teflon) nanoparticles. The Teflon particles with a mean diameter of 300 nm were dispersed in acetone to achieve 5 % weight fraction. The static contact angle and the roll-off angle for deionized water were measured at 154° and below 2° respectively. The ice detachment strength at the temperature of −10 °C and 16 % relative humidity was approximately 30 kPa on average, which was about 2.5 % of the ice detachment strength of an aluminum substrate and was about 20 % of the ice adhesion strength of plain epoxy. This spray coating method has no limit on the application coverage surface area. To demonstrate the scalability of this coating method, a 101.6 mm by 101.6 mm aluminum surface was successfully produced in the laboratory and demonstrated the same superhydrophobic and icephobic surface characteristics as the smaller test surfaces.
Annals On Call - Shorter-Duration Antibiotics for Community-Acquired Pneumonia

In this episode of Annals On Call, Dr. Centor discusses the duration of antibiotic therapy for patients with pneumonia with Dr. Brad Spellberg of the University of Southern California Medical Center.
Response function generation for Cerenkov radiation production and transport in a TRIGA coolant channel

Abstract This study produces a response function that correlates the electron flux within a coolant channel in a TRIGA reactor to the amount of observable, visible Cerenkov light above the core. This response function is to be used in a study on using Cerenkov detection for spatial power profiling in a reactor. 23 electron energy bins and 16 spatial bins are used to create a matrix of 368 correlation factors that comprises the response function. It was tested to verify self-consistency by accounting for 92% of the Cerenkov photons 2 m above the core. The strength of the coupling between the Cerenkov above a coolant channel and the fission density in the core was also analyzed and it was found that in an 8 × 8 fuel pin lattice, 60.5% of the Cerenkov above a channel comes from gammas produced within the four surrounding pins and 88.1% comes from the closest 16 pins.
Sleep conditions of adult residents in Shandong Province from 2010 to 2012

OBJECTIVE To understand the sleep conditions of adults in Shandong Province. METHODS From 2010 to 2012, 10 201 residents aged ≥6 years old were selected from 7 counties and cities in Shandong Province by multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method in proportion to the population. A face-to-face interview was conducted with a questionnaire uniformly formulated by "China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance"to investigate and analyze the sleep status of residents aged 18 years and above. RESULTS A total of 6626 people over the age of 18 were investigated. The average daily sleep was(7. 84±1. 29) h. There was no significant difference between male((7. 80 ± 1. 07) h) and female((7. 86 ± 1. 18) h). However, there was significant difference between males((7. 87±1. 17) h) and females((8. 01±1. 27) h) in rural areas(t = 3. 08, P < 0. 01). There was significant difference in different regions(big cities(7. 62± 1. 17) h, small and medium-sized cities(7. 85 ± 0. 89) h, rural areas(7. 95 ±1. 23) h, F = 39. 733, P<0. 001) and in different age groups(18-44 years old(7. 97±0. 98) h, 45-49 years old(7. 80±1. 07) h, 60 years old and above(7. 74±1. 33) h, F =21. 642, P<0. 001), the average daily sleep time was decreased with increasing age. The insufficient sleep rate was 9. 8%, there was no significant different between male(9. 5%)and female(10. 1%). There was significant difference in different regions(big cities15. 3%, small and medium-sized cities 5. 2%, rural areas 9. 7%, χ~2= 105. 870, P <0. 001) and in different age groups(18-44 years old 5. 1%, 45-59 years old 9. 7%, 60 years old and above 15. 3%, χ~2= 114. 308, P < 0. 001). Big cities had the higher insufficient sleep rate than medium-sized cities and rural areas, The insufficient sleep rate showed an upward trend with the increase of age. The proportion of excessive sleep was9. 3%. The difference between male(8. 4%) and female(10. 0%) was statistically significant(t = 2. 11, P < 0. 05). There were statistically significant differences in different regions(7. 0% in large cities, 6. 0% in medium and small cities, 12. 8% in rural areas, χ~2= 77. 156, P< 0. 01) and different, age groups(6. 7% in 18-44 years old, 6. 1% in 45-59 years old, 16. 8% in 60 years old and above, χ~2= 175. 556, P <0. 01). The rate of excessive sleep in rural areas was higher than that in cities, and the rate of excessive sleep in the 45-59 age group was the highest. CONCLUSION Insufficient sleep is common in adult residents in Shandong Province. The insufficient sleep is more significant among elderly population and residents of big cities. The problem of excessive sleep also exists.
Less Invasive Approach to Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation May Improve Survival in High-Risk Patients:

ObjectiveDespite improvement in outcomes after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation over the past 2 decades, high-risk recipients continue to have a prohibitive rate of morbidity and ...
Adjunctive Procedures and Informed Consent with Breast Implant Explantation.

Background The use of injectable or implantable materials or devices in the breast for augmentation or reconstruction has a history of innovation and controversy. Staying current in the field of breast implant management today means understanding not just the published literature but also its absence. Cutting edge breast implant treatment also means awareness of patient and media-driven interests and requests. Methods Adjuvant treatments to optimize physical and psychological well-being with breast implant explantation, without replacement, will be addressed through literature review and analysis. Results The body of literature demonstrates evidence of variable, and sometimes contradictory, methods to address adjunctive management of systemic concerns, the capsule, soft tissue of the native breast/chest, and treatment timing related to explantation. Few approaches are supported by very strong evidence. Many treatment methodologies are defensible. Any current attempts at optimizing management in patients undergoing explantation will be somewhat impaired by the ongoing nebulousness of related issues, such as breast implant illness. It seems clear, therefore, that plastic surgeons must fulfill their duty as caregivers to provide explantation surgery, either to attempt to improve physical health, mental well-being, or simply to respect patients' wishes. A well-informed surgeon will likely employ a variety of approaches, adapted to the unique patient presentations at hand. Conclusion It is expected that consultations, incisions, tissue rearrangements, surgical timing, and treatment indications will continue to vary as scientific investigation strives to understand and to optimize treatment of patients experiencing difficulty with breast implants.
Progress with Treatments for Alzheimer's Disease.

An estimated 50 million people worldwide have dementia, mostly due to Alzheimer’s disease. The inexorable progression of Alzheimer’s disease exerts a huge toll on patients, families, and society, c...
Hereditary Pancreatitis

The term “hereditary pancreatitis,” as it is currently used and understood, should probably be amended to “autosomal dominant hereditary pancreatitis.” The recent discovery of the association between minor variants of the CFTR gene and chronic pancreatitis without significant pulmonary pathology has introduced the concept of autosomal recessive hereditary pancreatitis. The autosomal dominant form is relatively rare. It is characterized by recurrent attacks of acute pancreatitis, usually starting in childhood, with frequent progression to chronic pancreatitis. There is 80% penetrance and variable expressivity. It appears that at least 50% of cases are due to one of two point mutations in the cationic trypsinogen gene. A third mutation has been mapped to chromosome 12, but has not been fully characterized. As with many genetic diseases, our understanding of the pathophysiology of autosomal domi-nant hereditary pancreatitis has outstripped our ability to intervene effectively in the disease process. At present, there is no effective specific therapy for either the acute or chronic phase of the disease. If autosomal dominant hereditary pancreatitis is suspected, a thorough family med-ical history should be obtained, extending back as many generations as possible. Symptomatic patients should have molecular diagnostic testing for the two known mutations to confirm the diagnosis. Asymptomatic family members should not be tested for the gene defect unless they are requesting genetic counseling for family planning. Acute attacks are treated conservatively, keeping the patient NPO (nothing by mouth) or placing a nasojejunal tube for semi-elemental enteral nutrition. Exocrine insufficiency should be treated with a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet and adequate oral enzyme replacement. This usually requires 20,000 to 40,000 units of enteric coated enzymes with each meal. Chronic pain is treated with analgesics, starting with acetaminophen. Step-by-step escalation may be necessary for potent non-steroidals (ibuprofen, piroxicam), schedule III narcotics (hydrocodone), schedule II narcotics (oxycodone), and finally, sustained release or long acting schedule II narcotics (methadone, sustained release morphine, fentanyl patches). Patients should be placed on the lowest level of analgesics necessary to maintain tolerable pain levels. At any point, one may consider the addition of co-analgesics such as amitriptyline 25 to 100 mg at bedtime, carbamazepine 100 mg q.i.d., or gabapentin 300 mg t.i.d. Patients known to have the hereditary pancreatitis gene defect, symptomatic or not, should have genetic counseling before planning a family.
Cybersecurity Methodology for Specialized Behavior Analysis

Analyzing attacker behavior and generating realistic models to accurately capture the realities of cybersecurity threats is a very challenging task for researchers. Psychological personality and profiling studies provide a broad understanding of personality traits, but lack a level of interactive immersion that enables observers to collect concrete cybersecurity-relevant behavioral data. Participant’s intricate actions and interactions with real computer systems are seldom captured in any cybersecurity studies. Our work focuses on capturing human actions and decisions to provide an empirical basis for these types of models. We provide a practical methodology that helps bridge the gap between theory and practice by facilitating construction, experimentation, and data collection for repeatable and scalable human experimentation with realistic cybersecurity scenarios. While our methodology is platform agnostic, we describe state of the art technologies that may be used to satisfy the objectives of each of the stages of the methodology.