cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
P04.09. Acupuncture and chiropractic utilization among chronic musculoskeletal pain patients at a health maintenance organization

Methods We identified 119,732 HMO members with chronic musculoskeletal pain from electronic medical records data. Patients were contacted by mail and invited to complete an online survey. Those not responding were either contacted by email or mailed a paper copy of the survey. Survey questions included items related to diagnosis, acu/ chiro utilization and payment, and communication about acu/chiro use with HMO clinicians.
Direction dependent etching of diamond surfaces by hyperthermal atomic oxygen: A ReaxFF based molecular dynamics study

Abstract ReaxFF based reactive molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to gain an atomically detailed understanding of the etching of low index diamond surfaces exposed to energetic atomic oxygen collisions of the kind witnessed in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment. ReaxFF simulations on small oxygen terminated diamond slabs indicated that a variety of functional groups such as ethers, peroxides, oxy radicals and dioxetanes can form on the surface, in agreement with earlier experiments and first principles based calculations. Successive oxygen collisions on larger reconstructed diamond surfaces showed that all the low index surfaces, namely diamond (1 0 0), (1 1 1) and (1 1 0) can be etched by hyperthermal atomic oxygen with diamond (1 0 0) showing the lowest etching rate and diamond (1 1 0) presenting the largest etching rate. The erosion yield of these surfaces is in good agreement with experimental results. The simulations performed here have been used to obtain an Arrhenius type rate law for the mass loss from these surfaces under such conditions. These simulations show that diamond thin films are promising materials for the surface of spacecraft exposed to LEO conditions and, in general, demonstrate the ability of ReaxFF to be used as an effective tool to screen or characterize materials for applications in extreme environments.
An Algorithm for Design Rule Checking on a Multiprocessor

Design rules and the problem of design rule checking are introduced. The critical problem of design rule checking is the execution time required to check a complete chip. Proposed solutions try to take advantage of hierarchical aspects of a layout. The algorithm presented in this paper proposes a different approach. Observing that design rule checking is a very local operation, a method is described for partitioning a design for checking on a multiprocessor. An implementation is described and results are given for runs on a single processor. These results indicate that speedup proportional to the number of processors is possible.
More Is Better: A Multimodality Approach to Cancer Cachexia

The author comments on the findings of Mantovani et al. with combination therapy to treat cancer cachexia published in this issue of The Oncologist.
Optimal fed-batch operation of recombinant cells subject to plasmid instability and death

Optimal feed rate strategy is studied for fed-batch culture of recombinant cells with plasmid instability and with different death rates for the plasmid-free cells (PFC) and plasmid-bearing cells (PBC). Most of the fed-batch fermentation is known to have first-order singularity and therefore a single singular arc. However, this study shows that a singular arc with second-order singularity and therefore two distinct singular arcs are possible for a recombinant cell process if PFC and PBC are subjected to death, and their specific growth rates are proportional to each other. Two types of singular arcs are elucidated and analyzed. The optimal policies over the singular arcs are theoretically explored as these findings reveal qualitative information on the singular arc, which is critically important in providing the optimal initial conditions in numerical computation of optimal feed rate profile.
The Evolution of Ethnocentrism.

Ethnocentrism is a nearly universal syndrome of attitudes and behaviors, typically including in-group favoritism. Empirical evidence suggests that a predisposition to favor in-groups can be easily ...
German Schoolteachers, National Socialism, and the Politics of Culture at the End of the Weimar Republic

In the Third Reich a high percentage of the civil servants in the cadres of functionaries of the National Socialist Party on the local and district levels were teachers. It is thus not surprising that some historians who studied the elementary school teaching profession in the Weimar Republic began their research with assumptions about the “ideological affinities” of teachers to fascism and discussed “the specific predispositions that made it easy for them to identify with National Socialism.” The German Teachers' Association, one scholar wrote, “proved to be more a precursor than an opponent of fascism.” At its national congress in May 1932, another historian related, the representatives of the chapters voted for a policy which, in effect, abandoned the democratic republic and “indirectly helped those political forces that would create a dictatorship in Germany within a year.” In 1932 and 1933, on the other hand, recruiters for the National Socialist Teachers’ League often complained about “hard and difficult soil” and “unpenetrable” regions.
Mechanism of the Wedensky phenomena in the left bundle branch

Abstract In a man with acute myocardial infarction, second degree atrioventricular (A-V) block with the Wenckebach phenomenon was observed. Paradoxically, only the first sequence beat showed left bundle branch block; beats conducted after shorter R-R intervals had normal intraventricular conduction. The most likely explanation of this, and of 2 earlier similar cases, is that Wedensky facilitation follows the beat that terminates a long R-R interval and allows the passage of the next descending impulse through the left bundle branch; the Wedensky effect allows the conduction of any further impulses that pass the A-V node to arrive at the depressed zone while the enhancing mechanism is still operative. An extrapolation of certain properties of conduction in nerve allows this hypothesis: electrotonic (physical) potentials spread through and beyond the depressed zone in the wake of the blocked, propagated (biologic) impulse. Further electrotonic potentials invade the depressed area from the antidromic invasion of the distal left bundle, and also from nearby fibers. These potentials summate to raise the resting potential of the zone of block nearer to threshold, and thus facilitate conduction. Conditions most provocative of this phenomenon would appear with a small patch of disease in a bundle branch. This is consonant with previous clinical, pathologic and electrocardiographic experience.
The ecology of floodwater farming in arid southwestern North America

Abstract Floodwater farming is the management of sporadic flashfloods for crop production. It is an ancient technique in the arid southwestern region of North America that is currently being reevaluated and adapted. Floodwater-based agro-ecosystems function via (1) hydrostatic manipulations of the physical environment, and (2) synecological manipulations of the plant community. Agronomically productive hydrostatic conditions have been developed by geomorphological alteratiions of the floodplain, including canals, terraces, grids, spreaders, and weirs. These environmental modifications serve to (1) concentrate the runoff from a larger watershed into a strategically located field, and (2) break the erosive force of the incoming water. Traditional floodwater farming in arid America has depended upon ephemeral, drought-avoiding and heat-tolerant genotypes. In addition, native Americans manipulate the wild and weedy flora of floodwater fields by discouraging or protecting and harvesting selected species. As part of traditional subsistence, floodwater farming has undergone a demise in native communities. Techniques are, however, being modified for (1) forage production, and (2) supplemental human food production. As a high risk system, floodwater agriculture is not now competitive with conventional irrigation agriculture in arid lands, but may become so as groundwater pumping costs continue to affect crop production economics.
The PC MPPR: Implications for Practices

INTRODUCTION The multiple procedural payment reduction (MPPR) for diagnostic imaging applies when multiple services are furnished by the same physician on the same patient in the same session on the same date. In other words, same radiologist, same patient, same session, same day. CMS has expanded the MPPR to now include the professional component (PC) of radiologic services. Under this policy, the second and subsequent interpretations performed by the same physician have their payments reduced by 25%. The reduction does not apply when different physicians, even in the same group practice, provide the interpretations. CMS does not apply the reduction to PC services provided in different sessions on the same date of service. The MPPR policy creates 3 unique challenges for practices that I discuss in this column: (1) What is the definition of separate PC sessions? (2) Once defined, how does a practice identify the same vs a different PC session in its day-to-day operations? and (3) What are the compliance implications of this policy?
Endoscopic ultrasound–guided fine needle aspiration as a diagnostic and staging tool for rectal and perirectal lesions—an institutional experience ☆

Abstract The role of endoscopic ultrasound–guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in evaluating lesions adjacent to the upper gastrointestinal tract wall is well established. However, this tool is underused in evaluating rectal and perirectal lesions, possibly due to insufficient experience and underrecognized value of this procedure. In this study, we report our institutional experience with EUS-FNA as a diagnostic and staging tool for rectal and perirectal lesions. A retrospective chart review was performed and a cohort of 38 patients who underwent rectal EUS-FNA (41 specimens) at our institution between January 2002 and July 2012 was retrieved. The cytology diagnoses were compared with the concurrent or follow-up histologic and clinical diagnoses. Among the total 41 cases, rectal EUS-FNA was performed as a diagnostic procedure in 22 (54%) and a staging procedure in 19 (46%) cases. On cytology examination, 18 cases (44%) were diagnosed as malignant; 1 (2%), as atypical/suspicious for malignancy; 3 (7%), as benign neoplastic; 13 (32%), as nonneoplastic; and 6 (15%), as nondiagnostic cases. Concurrent or follow-up histologic diagnoses were available in 20 cases (48%), 19 of them had concordant cytological/histologic findings (10 benign, 9 malignant). One perirectal lymph node with negative cytology diagnosis was found to be positive on histologic examination, probably due to sampling error on cytology. The sensitivity and specificity of EUS-FNA for detecting malignant rectal/perirectal lesions in this study were 91% and 100%, respectively. Endoscopic ultrasound–guided fine needle aspiration is a useful diagnostic tool for rectal/perirectal lesions; it confirms or excludes malignancy for lesions with high or low clinical suspicions. It serves as a reliable staging method to identify patients for proper clinical management.
Modeling inheritance anomaly in concurrent systems using colored Petri nets

Object oriented design supports encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism. Formal specification of concurrency is possible in the object oriented design. Concurrency with inheritance raises inheritance anomaly, where, synchronization constraints and source code of inherited methods shows disagreement in their behavior. Due to the hierarchical structure of colored Petri nets model and direct inclusion of concurrency, colored Petri nets can be used to solve inheritance anomaly. In this paper, we propose that colored Petri nets, the formal mathematical modeling tool of concurrent systems, can be used to model concurrent object oriented design. The graphical and executable nature of colored Petri net models helps in simulation, verification, and validation of the designed system
Automatic classification of mammography reports by BI-RADS breast tissue composition class.

Because breast tissue composition partially predicts breast cancer risk, classification of mammography reports by breast tissue composition is important from both a scientific and clinical perspective. A method is presented for using the unstructured text of mammography reports to classify them into BI-RADS breast tissue composition categories. An algorithm that uses regular expressions to automatically determine BIRADS breast tissue composition classes for unstructured mammography reports was developed. The algorithm assigns each report to a single BI-RADS composition class: ‘fatty’, ‘fibroglandular’, ‘heterogeneously dense’, ‘dense’, or ‘unspecified’. We evaluated its performance on mammography reports from two different institutions. The method achieves >99% classification accuracy on a test set of reports from the Marshfield Clinic (Wisconsin) and Stanford University. Since large-scale studies of breast cancer rely heavily on breast tissue composition information, this method could facilitate this research by helping mine large datasets to correlate breast composition with other covariates.
Creation of a Professionalism Scale for Hospitality Students: An Exploratory Study

The hospitality industry is dependent on a professional staff to exceed guests’ expectations. Existing research has focused primarily on the various attributes necessary for success in the hospitality industry. The primary focus of this research was professionalism and hospitality students’ self-perception of their professional attributes. Data collected from a focus group of hospitality human resource managers were used to develop a professionalism scale. The scale produced five factors that explained 53.6% of the variance in the responses. Students were more likely to agree in their preparedness for the interview process, but less in agreement of their preparedness for workplace issues. This research provides an exploratory study into a student’s perception of his or her own professional abilities and could be used as a placement tool for human resource managers and a benchmark to determine student’s professional aptitude by hospitality management professors.
Factitious renal colic

Abstract Objectives We reviewed our experience with patients with factitious disorders who presented with renal colic to identify their common characteristics and to quantify the cost burden placed on the health care system as a result. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of two Philadelphia area hospitals from 1989 to 1995 to find patients with factitious disorders who presented with renal colic. A control group of patients with nephroureterolithiasis was also identified. Results We identified 12 patients who presented with renal colic and had a final diagnosis of Munchausen's syndrome or malingering. The incidence of factitious renal colic was 0.6%. Eighty-three percent of these 12 patients were men, had an average age of 32 years, and made a total of 18 hospital visits. Ninety-two percent claimed an intravenous contrast allergy, 25% claimed an allergy to a specific narcotic, and 39% of the hospital visits ended with the patient voluntarily discharged against medical advice. Thirty-three percent were treated elsewhere for similar complaints. Only the number of intravenous contrast allergies and the number of patients leaving against medical advice were statistically different from the control group. The total cost for all factitious visits was $52,452, with a mean cost per visit of $2914. The average bill of those patients who received retrograde pyleograms was $3046 greater than for those who did not. Conclusions Factitious disorders should be considered when evaluating patients with an intravenous contrast allergy and renal colic. These patients are likely to leave against medical advice and place a significant cost burden on hospitals.
The polymerization of vinyl benzoate. Inhibition by the monomer

The slow rates of polymerization and the low molecular weights of polymer obtained by the free radical-initiated polymerization of vinyl benzoate is noted. The kinetics have been investigated and indicate that addition of the growing chain to the aromatic nucleus to form a stable, nonpropagating radical is the probable reason. The chain length and extent of branching are consistent with the observed rates and also with the methyl affinities of similar compounds.
Medical-legal partnership: impact on patients with sickle cell disease

OBJECTIVE: To determine the types of legal problems addressed by the Health Law Partnership (HeLP) and the impact of the legal interventions in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) or its variants. We hypothesized that an interdisciplinary team that includes lawyers would positively affect the social determinants of health that affect patients with SCD. METHODS: The HeLP database was retrospectively queried for all patients with the diagnosis of SCD or 1 of its variants who had been seen by the lawyers of HeLP between April 2004 and September 2010. Data collected in this cohort of patients included income level of the patient/client, the initial presenting problems, any patient/parent/guardian problems identified during the legal checkup, and the type of legal assistance provided. Estimated annualized financial outcomes were calculated. RESULTS: From April 2004 through September 2010, 71 parents/guardians with 76 children with SCD were referred to the HeLP for legal intervention. Of the 71 parents/guardians, 33 were at CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of families of children with SCD, incorporating access to legal services as part of the care plan resulted in a positive impact on these patients/parents/guardians. The impact was directly attributable to the intervention of the HeLP.
Controlling Animal Populations Using Anti‐Fertility Vaccines

The goal for fertility control of animal populations is the development of a safe, economical and effective contraceptive. One offshoot of the development of this technology is the acquisition of multiple therapeutic strategies for diseases, such as immunotherapy probes for cancer. In the long run, successful population control requires multifactorial strategies. One component of population control is immunocontraception. Development of effective antigens for immunocontraceptive vaccines has been remarkable and has greatly advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of fertilization. The chasm between the discovery of an antigen in the laboratory, to the implementation of an effective field program, is immense. The zona pellucida (ZP) immunocontraceptive that has been most extensively evaluated as a fertility vaccine antigen and the porcine ZP has received particular attention. The long-term goal of population control would be the use of a synthetic vaccine, e.g. the ZP, tailored to a target species. In the future, if populations' levels are to be controlled by fertility vaccines, we should consider that the vaccinated animals could receive other health protective agents at the same time. For example, if a species were immunocontracepted, then they could be simultaneously vaccinated against habitat diseases such as rabies (Plumb et al., Rev Sci Tech, 26, 2007, 229).
Socioeconomic Foundations Enabling E-Business and E-Government

We hypothesize that four key national factors of e-readiness are associated with e-business and e-government development: national economic prosperity, technological innovativeness, institutional maturity, and Internet service provider competition. Using hierarchical regression with cross-sectional data on 122 countries, we show that these hypothesized factors are independently associated with nations' reported developmental success in the areas of e-government and e-business. These results are obtained using data for 2006 and are replicated using data for 2007. Between-groups analysis using regression provides evidence of the model's applicability to both developed and developing nations, where the four factors can serve as parsimonious indicators for e-readiness and as key areas for public policy. We then discuss implications and limitations of the present work. We conclude by highlighting the current outlook for progress in developing nations along the four dimensions investigated and suggest a targeted approach for public policy.
Some comments on the views of Niaz, Rodriguez and Brito on Mendeleev’s periodic system

Many articles have been written about the value of incorporating an understanding of history and philosophy of science into science education and this has included the teaching of chemistry. Given the immense role that the periodic table plays in chemistry it is important to be clear about a historical and philosophical perspective on the periodic table and its possible ramifications for the way in which chem istry is presented. The article presents a critique of a paper by Niaz, Rodriguez and Brito who have addressed the relevance of historical and philosophical aspects of the periodic table in an article in which they have claimed that Mendeleev’s periodic table should be regarded as a theory. In addition they have claimed that Mendeleev was a supporter of the atomic theory and have addressed some general philosophical questions concerning inductivism and the role of prediction and accommodation in the acceptance of scientific discoveries.
Inguinal Abnormalities in Male Patients with Acetabular Fractures Treated Using an Ilioinguinal Exposure.

Background: Surgeons performing an ilioinguinal exposure for acetabular fracture surgery need to be aware of aberrant findings such as inguinal hernias and spermatic cord lesions. The purpose of this study is to report these occurrences in a clinical series of adult males undergoing acetabular fracture fixation and a series of adult male cadavers. The secondary aim is to characterize these abnormalities to aid surgeons in detecting these abnormalities preoperatively and coordinating a surgical plan with a general surgeon. Methods: Clinical study- Retrospective review of treated acetabular fractures through an ilioinguinal approach. Incidence of inguinal canal and spermatic cord abnormalities requiring general surgery consultation were identified. Corresponding CT scans were reviewed and radiographic characteristics of the spermatic cord abnormalities and/ or hernias were noted. Cadaveric study- 18 male cadavers dissected bilaterally using an ilioinguinal exposure. The inguinal canal and the contents of the spermatic cord were identified and characterized. Results: Clinical Study- 5.7% (5/87) of patients had spermatic cord lesion and/or inguinal hernia requiring general surgical intervention. Preoperative pelvic CT scan review identified abnormalities noted intraoperatively in four of the five patients. Cord lipomas visualized as enlargements of the spermatic cord with homogeneous density. Hernias visualized as enlarged spermatic cords with heterogeneous density. Cadaver Study- 31% (11/36) of cadavers studied had spermatic cord and/or inguinal canal abnormalities. Average cord diameter in those with abnormalities was 24.9 mm (15-28) compared to 16 mm (11-22) in normal cords, which was statistically significant. Discussion: The clinical and cadaveric findings emphasize the importance of understanding inguinal abnormalities and the value of detecting them preoperatively. The preoperative pelvic CT scans were highly sensitive in detecting inguinal abnormalities.
World society, international society and the periphery: British abolitionists and the post-slave state of Haiti in the early nineteenth century*

AbstractMany studies of world society in the English School claim that non-state actors gain importance in international relations when they try to influence the most important members of the society of states. This article argues that such an approach overlooks the diversity of world society activities. First, it obscures the activities of world society actors beyond the core and therefore offers an incomplete account of the agency such actors exercise in global affairs. Second, it overlooks the fact that non-state actors from the core can disseminate some of the core’s values beyond its borders. The example of British abolitionist contact with the post-slave state of Haiti in the first two decades of the nineteenth century serves as an empirical illustration of these two points. The case study is particularly useful because conventional narratives of abolitionist activism tend to concentrate on contact with the core members of the society of states and overlook equally significant efforts to “teach” for...
Perioperative Care of the Bariatric Patient

Bariatric surgery is an effective long-term treatment for weight reduction [1–5]; improves obesity related comorbidities [1–5]; and decreases mortality [4]. The NIH has developed consensus guidelines on appropriate candidates for bariatric surgery: BMI >40 or BMI between 35 and 40 with a serious obesity-related health problem (e.g., Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), dyslipidemia); acceptable operative risk; and ability to make necessary lifestyle changes and participate in long-term follow-up [6].
Role of Illinois Test-Demonstration Farm Program in Farm Management Extension Education Activities

(1) coordinate and conduct educational farm business record activities with 6,000 farmers in the Farm Bureau Farm Management Service, (2) coordinate Farm and Family Business Management schools involving an educational series of farm business planning and management conducted by five area advisers in resource development, (3) conduct extension farm management education programs in leasing, outlook, federal income tax, farm planning, and budgeting for in-depth interdepartmental teaching of schools for beef, swine, and dairy farmers, (4) coordinate educational efforts with the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, (5) conduct educational programs with agricultural credit groups such as the Production Credit associations, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Land Bank, commercial banks, and agribusiness groups, and (6) cooperate with other federal agencies in team approaches to problems, questions, and new programs. Included in this group are the Soil Conservation Service, Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, and Illinois Board of Economic Development.
Alternative and Complementary Treatment of Thyroid Disorders

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has become increasingly popular for various medical conditions. Several CAM therapies exist for the treatment of thyroid disorders such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and even thyroid cancer.
SMAC sensitizes colon cancer cells to apoptosis induced by nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

A102 Since common epithelial cancers are resistant to most therapeutic treatments, much hope has been placed on chemoprevention. The widely used nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are effective in chemoprevention of colorectal cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying the anti-neoplastic effects of NSAIDs remain unclear. The side effects of NSAIDs have presented a significant obstacle for using these agents for cancer prevention in general population. Substantial evidence has indicated that the chemopreventive activities of NSAIDs are mediated by induction of apoptosis. We found that SMAC, a mitochondrial apoptogenic protein, plays an essential role in NSAID-induced apoptosis in colon cancer cells. SMAC is consistently released from the mitochondria into the cytosol during NSAID-induced apoptosis. Deletion of SMAC by homologous recombination or knockdown of SMAC by RNA interference in these cells abrogates NSAID-induced caspase activation and apoptosis. Furthermore, two different small molecules that mimic the function of SMAC, but not their corresponding control compounds, can significantly enhance the apoptotic response to sulindac and indomethacin, NSAIDs commonly used in chemoprevention. SMAC mimetic small molecules can also restore sensitivity to apoptosis in NSAID-resistant colon cancer cells. We found that SMAC functions in NSAID-induced apoptosis by participating in a feed-back amplification loop to promote the release of cytochrome c and other mitochondrial apoptogenic proteins. Together, these results suggest that SMAC may be useful as a target for the development of more effective chemopreventive agents. Manipulation of the apoptotic regulators may help to develop more effective chemopreventive strategies for enhancing chemopreventive efficacy, reducing dose, and decreasing toxicity.
Parallel data race detection for task parallel programs with locks

Programming with tasks is a promising approach to write performance portable parallel code. In this model, the programmer explicitly specifies tasks and the task parallel runtime employs work stealing to distribute tasks among threads. Similar to multithreaded programs, task parallel programs can also exhibit data races. Unfortunately, prior data race detectors for task parallel programs either run the program serially or do not handle locks, and/or detect races only in the schedule observed by the analysis. This paper proposes PTRacer, a parallel on-the-fly data race detector for task parallel programs that use locks. PTRacer detects data races not only in the observed schedule but also those that can happen in other schedules (which are permutations of the memory operations in the observed schedule) for a given input. It accomplishes the above goal by leveraging the dynamic execution graph of a task parallel execution to determine whether two accesses can happen in parallel and by maintaining constant amount of access history metadata with each distinct set of locks held for each shared memory location. To detect data races (beyond the observed schedule) in programs with branches sensitive to scheduling decisions, we propose static compiler instrumentation that records memory accesses that will be executed in the other path with simple branches. PTRacer has performance overheads similar to the state-of-the-art race detector for task parallel programs, SPD3, while detecting more races in programs with locks.
Skiing Turns Through the Timber: Cutting a Trail Toward Multi-Use, Ecological Forestry

Abstract This paper examines the role of downhill skiing in the development of American forestry practices. By focusing on the state of New Hampshire, where foresters carved some of America's first ski slopes in the 1930s, this paper shows how forest management practices were mutually constitutive with this new form of recreation. A closer look at the papers of Henry Ives Baldwin and other New Hampshire foresters who endeavored to integrate forestry practices with ski trail development challenges the notion that skiing simply brought about an environmental “downhill slide”. Rather, it shows that the skiing foresters were particularly sensitive to mountain ecology and anticipated the development of “multi-use” forestry well before federal forest recreation policies were codified in 1960. In the process, they made important contributions to the emerging science of winter.
I-LEARN: Information Literacy for Learners

The six-stage I-LEARN model—Identify, Locate, Evaluate, Apply, Reflect, kNow—both describes the process of learning with information and presents a mnemonic that can help people accomplish such learning. Built on the three familiar components of information literacy (access, evaluate, and use), the model expands on these to become a learning model, not merely an information-seeking one. This focus on learning distinguishes I-LEARN from similar models and makes it particularly relevant for 21st-century learning. Using the model, a learner Identifies what s/he wants to learn; Locates relevant information; Evaluates the information for authority, timeliness, etc.; Applies the information to generate a new understanding—that is, to learn; and Reflects on what has been learned and on the process that has led to this point. In the kNow stage, the learner uses the new understanding as the basis for generating new questions and continuing the learning cycle.
Outcomes and predictors of survival in testicular sarcomas.

404Background: Testicular sarcomas represent less than 1% of all testicular tumors in adults. Because of their rarity, little is known about the features and outcomes of these tumors. We present an...
Increasing popularity of waterpipe tobacco smoking and electronic cigarette use: Implications for oral healthcare.

Cigarette smoking increases the risk of developing several systemic conditions including cancer, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. Cigarette smoking is also detrimental to oral health as it increases the incidence and severity of oral cancer, periodontal diseases and peri-implantitis, as well as impacting negatively on the dental patients' response to therapy. Therefore, consideration of smoking behavior and recommendation of smoking cessation are important parts of dental treatment planning. However, cigarettes are no longer the most popular form of tobacco use among adolescents in the United States and globally. In recent years, tobacco smoking using a waterpipe (“hookah,” “shisha”) and use of electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) has increased significantly. Thus, dental clinicians likely will treat more patients who are waterpipe and/or ECIG users. Yet, the literature on the health effects of waterpipe and ECIGs use is sparse. Both waterpipe and ECIGs deliver the dependence-producing drug nicotine. Waterpipe tobacco smoking has been associated with periodontitis, dry socket, premalignant lesions, and oral and esophageal cancer. The health effects of long-term ECIG use are unknown. The purpose of this review is to inform healthcare professionals about waterpipes and ECIGs, highlight emerging evidence on the biological effects of these increasingly popular tobacco products, and introduce perspectives for dental patient management and future research.
Hypoglycemic symptoms as a measure of low blood glucose were unreliable

Source Citation Pramming S, Thorsteinsson B, Bendtson I, Binder C. The relationship between symptomatic and biochemical hypoglycaemia in insulin-dependent diabetic patients. J Intern Med. 1990;228:...
The incredibly simple operating system

Instructors have many choices when teaching operating systems with a fundamental decision being how to divide time between abstract concepts and concrete examples. This project has students building a very simple but functional operating system, the Incredibly Simple Operating System (ISOS), for the Zybo development board.
Human sociobiology: Pair-bonding and resource predictability (effects of social class and race)

1. Social class and racial differences in human pair-bonding and heterosexual behavior patterns are considered in an evolutionary perspective. The expected unpredictability of one's future income stream should be an important parameter influencing these variables, according to theoretical considerations. 2. The literature is reviewed relevant to the prediction that those facing more predictable income streams should have a stronger marital pair bond and premarital sexual activities more likely to lead to a strong pair bond, all other things being equal. 3. It is shown that those with high education or high occupational status do have more predictable income streams, and that their pair-bonding activities exhibit the predicted consequences of that fact. A much smaller number of studies comparing different races' sexual patterns are also consistent with the theory. In the extremely few cases that permit it, it is found that a correlate of income predictability is more important in determining the dependent variables than either race or class, as expected. 4. Alternative explanations of the data are briefly examined and found wanting, especially with respect to explaining the patterns of individuals whose parental class differs from their own. Further research is suggested.
miR155 deficiency aggravates high‐fat diet‐induced adipose tissue fibrosis in male mice

Abstract Noncoding RNAs are emerging as regulators of inflammatory and metabolic processes. There is evidence to suggest that miRNA155 (miR155) may be linked to inflammation and processes associated with adipogenesis. We examined the impact of global miRNA‐155 deletion (miR155 −/− ) on the development of high‐fat diet (HFD)‐induced obesity. We hypothesized that loss of miR155 would decrease adipose tissue inflammation and improve the metabolic profile following HFD feedings. Beginning at 4–5 weeks of age, male miR155 −/− and wild‐type (WT) mice ( n = 13–14) on a C57BL/6 background were fed either a HFD or low‐fat diet for 20 weeks. Body weight was monitored throughout the study. Baseline and terminal body composition was assessed by DEXA analysis. Adipose tissue mRNA expression (RT‐qPCR) of macrophage markers (F4/80, CD11c, and CD206) and inflammatory mediators (MCP‐1 and TNF‐ α ) as well as adiponectin were measured along with activation of NF κ B‐p65 and JNK and PPAR‐ γ . Adipose tissue fibrosis was assessed by picrosirius red staining and western blot analysis of Collagen I, III, and VI. Glucose metabolism and insulin resistance were assessed by Homeostatic Model Assessment – Insulin Resistance (HOMA‐IR), and a glucose tolerance test. Compared to WT HFD mice, miR155 −/− HFD mice displayed similar body weights, yet reduced visceral adipose tissue accumulation. However, miR155 −/− HFD displayed exacerbated adipose tissue fibrosis and decreased PPAR‐ γ protein content. The loss of miR155 did not affect adipose tissue inflammation or glucose metabolism. In conclusion, miR155 deletion did not attenuate the development of the obese phenotype, but adipose tissue fibrosis was exacerbated, possibly through changes to adipogenic processes.
Hadronic Lorentz Violation in Chiral Perturbation Theory Including the Coupling to External Fields

If any violation of Lorentz symmetry exists in the hadron sector, its ultimate origins must lie at the quark level. We continue the analysis of how the theories at these two levels are connected, using chiral perturbation theory. Considering a 2-flavor quark theory, with dimension-4 operators that break Lorentz symmetry, we derive a low-energy theory of pions and nucleons that is invariant under local chiral transformations and includes the coupling to external fields. The pure meson and baryon sectors, as well as the couplings between them and the couplings to external electromagnetic and weak gauge fields, contain forms of Lorentz violation which depend on linear combinations of quark-level coefficients. In particular, at leading order the electromagnetic couplings depend on the very same combinations as appear in the free particle propagators. This means that observations of electromagnetic processes involving hadrons---such as vacuum Cerenkov radiation, which may be allowed in Lorentz-violating theories---can only reliably constrain certain particular combinations of quark coefficients.
Using a computerized sign-out program to improve continuity of inpatient care and prevent adverse events.

Article-at-a-Glance Background Many medical injuries are preventable, but there are few reported successful strategies to prevent such injuries. Previous work identified coverage by house staff not primarily responsible for the patient (cross-coverage) as a significant correlate of risk for preventable adverse events. A four-month intervention—computerized sign-outs—was introduced in 1993 in an urban teaching hospital to improve continuity of care during cross-coverage and thereby reduce risk for preventable adverse events. Measurements A previously tested confidential self-report system was used to identify adverse events, which were defined as unexpected complications of medical therapy that resulted in increased length of stay or disability at discharge. A panel of three board-certified internists confirmed events and evaluated preventability based on case summaries. Results After the intervention, the rate of preventable adverse events among the 3,747 patients admitted to the medical service decreased from 1.7% to 1.2% ( p p = 0.01), but was no longer significant after the intervention (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 0.2-9.0). Conclusion House staff are willing participants in efforts to measure and improve the quality of health care systems. The intervention may have reduced the risk for medical injury associated with discontinuity of inpatient care. Four years after the end of the study, the computerized sign-out program remained an integral part of the computing support system for house staff and was widely used.
Multivariate models using MCMCBayes for web-browser vulnerability discovery

Abstract Vulnerabilities that enable well-known exploit techniques are preventable, but their public discovery continues in software. Vulnerability discovery modeling (VDM) techniques were proposed to assist managers with decisions, but do not include influential variables describing the software release (SR) (e.g., code size and complexity characteristics) and security assessment profile (SAP) (e.g., security team size or skill). Consequently, they have been limited to modeling discoveries over time for SR and SAP scenarios of unique products, whose results are not readily comparable without making assumptions that equate all SR and SAP combinations under study. This article introduces a groundbreaking capability that allows forecasting expected discoveries over time for arbitrary SR and SAP combinations, thus enabling managers to better understand the effects of influential variables they control on the phenomenon. To do this, we use variables that describe arbitrary SR and SAP combinations and construct VDM extensions that parametrically scale results from a defined baseline SR and SAP to the arbitrary SR and SAP of interest. Scaling parameters are estimated using expert judgment data gathered with a novel pairwise comparison approach. These data are then used to demonstrate predictions and how multivariate VDM techniques could be used by software-makers.
Chemical-Induced Vasculature Injury: Summary of the Symposium Presented at the 32Nd Annual-Meeting of the Society of Toxicology, New-Orleans, Louisiana, March 1993

The cross-sectional structure of the vasculature is comparatively simple, comprising three layers--the intima, adjacent to the lumen, the media, and the adventitia. Notwithstanding this simplicity, the vessels are host to a variety of reactions to injury. Two cell types, endothelial cells of the intima and smooth muscle cells of the media, are principal targets of damage and repair. The endothelial cells of the intimal layer of the vessel wall present a macromolecular barrier and are important in maintaining vessel integrity. When the integrity is compromised by physical or chemical injury, endothelial cells play a key role in the repair processes. The use of single-cell wound models allows the mechanisms of damage and subsequent repair to be studied in depth. Repair processes can be observed using time-lapse photography and differences between cytoskeleton changes during repair and reendothelialization of small and large wounds can be discriminated. In rats treated with the plant toxin monocrotaline, pulmonary vascular injury occurs which manifests as thrombosis and remodeling with consequent progressive pulmonary hypertension. In vivo and in vitro studies of the mechanism of monocrotaline toxicity suggest that the endothelial cells are an important target. In vitro studies show monocrotaline to be directly cytotoxic; in cells that survive, there are functional changes to the endothelial cells, resulting in a decreased repair capability which may lead to the complex, progressive lung lesions that develop. The other target cells of the vasculature are the smooth muscle cells of the media. Ingestion of primary amines allylamine and beta-aminopropionitrile (beta-APN) results in chronic vasculotoxicity to the aorta and medium-sized arteries. For allylamine, subtle changes in smooth muscle result in medial hypertrophy and subintimal proliferation. The changes are slow to occur, taking weeks or months of repeated treatment. For beta-APN, which is the active ingredient of the toxic sweet pea Lathyrus odoratous, vascular toxicity is manifested by fatal rupture of aortic aneurysms. When these agents are administered concomitantly, a synergistic acute smooth muscle necrosis occurs in large elastic arteries and degenerative changes are seen in muscular arteries. A change in the target for toxicity of allylamine toward the vasculature may be responsible for this synergistic toxic insult. Medial smooth muscle necrosis is also noteworthy after administration of certain pharmaceutical agents of diverse structure and pharmacological activity. These agents induce arteriopathies in dogs and rats, although at different sites. In dogs, the coronary arteries are susceptible, whereas in rats the mesenteric arteries are the principal sites of injury.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Pemphigus Vulgaris: Gastrointestinal Features

Pemphigus vulgaris is a chronic autoimmune disease due to antibodies against proteins involved in cell-to-cell binding within the epidermis. There is an equal gender distribution with the disease often manifesting itself in the fifth or sixth decade. Incidence has been estimated at 0.1/100,000 persons, but it is more common in Middle East and Asia. Mucous membranes are usually affected before any cutaneous lesions manifest.
Arrhythmia Management in the Elderly

Arrhythmias cause significant mortality and impair quality of life in the elderly. The prevalences of cardiac arrhythmias and disorders of impulse formation and conduction, increase with age (1,2). As the US population ages and as cardiovascular care for coronary disease and heart failure improves, the prevalence and burden of electrophysiological disorders will continue to rise. In fact, among Medicare beneficiaries, hospitalization rates for many common arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation (AF), sinoatrial node (SAN) dysfunction, atrial flutter, and ventricular fibrillation (VF), continue to outpace elderly population growth (3). These disorders almost always require the involvement of cardiovascular specialists, and often present challenging management dilemmas. The purpose of this chapter is to review the current information concerning arrhythmia management in the elderly.
Synthetic CT Generation Using MRI with Deep Learning: How Does the Selection of Input Images Affect the Resulting Synthetic CT?

Synthetic x-ray computed tomography (CT) images derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a recent area of focus for medical imaging researchers for applications in attenuation correction in simultaneous PET/MRI systems and MRI-guided radiotherapy planning. Several research groups have demonstrated the potential of deep learning to generate the synthetic CT images, however, there are several major open questions that remain with this approach. We investigated how the selection of MRI inputs affect the resulting output using a fixed network. We found that Dixon MRI may be sufficient for quantitatively accurate synthetic CT images and ZTE MRI may provide additional information to capture bowel air distributions.
Comparing INTERGROWTH-21st Century and Hadlock growth standards to predict small for gestational age and short-term neonatal outcomes.

Objective: To compare the INTERGROWTH-21st Century growth standard to the Hadlock standard in predicting small for gestational age (SGA) and adverse neonatal outcomes.Method: This is a prospective ...
The effect of soft variables on travel mode choices

This paper aims to highlight how soft variables play an important role in travel mode choices in the New York metropolitan area. This study focuses on the effects of racial/ethnic affinities and tr...
The Differing Role of Narrative Unity in the Concepts of Capacity Versus Competence.

The author of “How Bioethics and Case Law Diverge in Assessments of Mental Capacity: An Argument for a Narrative Coherence Standard” (2020) arrives at a reasonable conclusion; however, it is far le...