cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Limitations of using same-hospital readmission metrics.

Objective To quantify the limitations associated with restricting readmission metrics to same-hospital only readmission. Design Using 2000–2009 California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development Patient Discharge Data Nonpublic file, we identified the proportion of 7-, 15- and 30-day readmissions occurring to the same hospital as the initial admission using All-cause Readmission (ACR) and 3M Corporation Potentially Preventable Readmissions (PPR) Metric. We examined the correlation between performance using same and different hospital readmission, the percent of hospitals remaining in the extreme deciles when utilizing different metrics, agreement in identifying outliers and differences in longitudinal performance. Using logistic regression, we examined the factors associated with admission to the same hospital. Results 68% of 30-day ACR and 70% of 30-day PPR occurred to the same hospital. Abdominopelvic procedures had higher proportions of same-hospital readmissions (87.4–88.9%), cardiac surgery had lower (72.5–74.9%) and medical DRGs were lower than surgical DRGs (67.1 vs. 71.1%). Correlation and agreement in identifying high- and low-performing hospitals was weak to moderate, except for 7-day metrics where agreement was stronger ( r = 0.23–0.80, Kappa = 0.38–0.76). Agreement for within-hospital significant ( P < 0.05) longitudinal change was weak (Kappa = 0.05–0.11). Beyond all patient refined-diagnostic related groups, payer was the most predictive factor with Medicare and MediCal patients having a higher likelihood of same-hospital readmission (OR 1.62, 1.73). Conclusions Same-hospital readmission metrics are limited for all tested applications. Caution should be used when conducting research, quality improvement or comparative applications that do not account for readmissions to other hospitals.
Offering reflection to an organization

This chapter offers a faculty development model based on contemplative practice within a multiple-campus community college system.
Experimental evaluation of a new robot learning controller

The result of the implementation of a learning control algorithm on an IBM 7545 robotic manipulator are presented. The implementation of the joint space algorithm on the IBM manipulator confirms and exceeds the performance estimated by previous simulation work. Feedback was obtained from optical joint position encoders, and velocity was estimated by simple numerical differentiation in software. No acceleration feedback of any kind was used, and no dynamic parameters, dynamic equations of motion, or kinematic equations were needed. The performance of the algorithm was compared to that of a simple PD feedback system (common in many current industrial robots) and an adaptive algorithm which performs at least as well as a computed torque controller. The learning algorithm outperformed both of these controllers by a large margin, and exhibited convergence within approximately three cycles. >
The evolution of Candida species and fluconazole susceptibility among oral and vaginal isolates recovered from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive and at-risk HIV-seronegative women.

Antifungal agents can effectively treat mucosal candidiasis; however, their use can lead to colonization with less susceptible species and to resistance among normally susceptible strains. Oral and vaginal Candida isolates obtained at 3 points over 2 years from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive and at-risk HIV-seronegative women were identified by species and were evaluated for in vitro fluconazole susceptibility. Prevalence of non-C. albicans strains increased over time, and these strains were more likely among women reporting current antifungal use. Among C. albicans isolates, resistance was rare, with no evidence for progressive reduction in susceptibility over time. Among non-C. albicans isolates, reduced susceptibility occurred frequently and increased with time. HIV-seropositive women were more likely to have non-C. albicans isolates with reduced susceptibility as were women reporting current antifungal use. This evolution and selection of mucosa-colonizing Candida species with reduced susceptibility could play a critical early role in the development of antifungal resistance among C. albicans isolates responsible for refractory candidiasis.
Comparison of FSCBG spray model predictions with field measurements

The FSCBG (Forest Service, Cramer, Barry, and Grim) aerial spray model was developed under joint sponsorship of the U.S. Army and the USDA Forest Service to predict concentration, dosage, and deposition patterns of spray material downwind from aerial releases. A new version of the model incorporates the AGDISP model, which provides a much more rigorous mathematical description of wake effects on drop trajectories than the simple wake effects algorithm of the original FSCBG model. This paper describes graphical and statistical comparisons of deposition measurements from two field programs with model predictions using (a) no wake effects, (b) the simple wake effects of the original model, and (c) the AGDISP (agricultural dispersal) wake effects of the new model. All model versions showed skill in reproducing observed deposition profiles for both data sets. The inclusion of complex wake effects qualitatively improved the correspondence between predictions and measurements in the vicinity of the peak deposition for inwind releases and at the longer downwind distances for crosswind releases. However, statistical performance measures were inconclusive in quantifying this improvement.
Flexible ligand docking without parameter adjustment across four ligand–receptor complexes

Understanding molecular recognition is one of the fundamental problems in molecular biology. Computationally, molecular recognition is formulated as a docking problem. Ideally, a molecular docking algorithm should be computationally efficient, provide reasonably thorough search of conformational space, obtain solutions with reasonable consistency, and not require parameter adjustments. With these goals in mind, we developed DIVALI (Docking wIth eVolutionary AlgorIthms), a program which efficiently and reliably searches for the possible binding modes of a ligand within a fixed receptor. We use an AMBER-type potential function and search for good ligand conformations using a genetic algorithm (GA). We apply our system to study the docking of both rigid and flexible ligands in four different complexes. Our results indicate that it is possible to find diverse binding modes, including structures like the crystal structure, all with comparable potential function values. To achieve this, certain modifications to the standard GA recipe are essential. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A Census of Rotation and Variability in L1495: A Uniform Analysis of Trans-atlantic Exoplanet Survey Light Curves for Pre-main-sequence Stars in Taurus

We analyze light curves obtained by the Trans-atlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES) for a field centered on the L1495 dark cloud in Taurus. The Spitzer Taurus Legacy Survey catalog identifies 179 bona fide Taurus members within the TrES field; 48 of the known Taurus members are detected by TrES, as well as 26 candidate members identified by the Spitzer Legacy team. We quantify the variability of each star in our sample using the ratio of the standard deviation of the original light curve (σ_(orig.)) to the standard deviation of a light curve that has been smoothed by 9 or 1001 epochs (σ_9 and σ_(1001), respectively). Known Taurus members typically demonstrate (σ_(orig.)/σ_9) < 2.0, and (σ_(orig.)/σ_(1001)) < 5, while field stars reveal (σ_(orig.)/σ_9) ~ 3.0 and (σ_(orig.)/σ_(1001)) ~ 10, as expected for light curves dominated by unstructured white noise. Of the 74 Taurus members/candidates with TrES light curves, we detect significant variability in 49 sources. Adapting a quantitative metric originally developed to assess the reliability of transit detections, we measure the amount of red and white noise in each light curve and identify 18 known or candidate Taurus members with highly significant period measurements. These appear to be the first periods measured for four of these sources (HD 282276, CX Tau, FP Tau, TrES J042423+265008), and in two other cases, the first non-aliased periods (LkCa 21 and DK Tau AB). For the remainder, the TrES measurements typically agree very well (δP < 1%) with previously reported values. Including periods measured at lower confidence for 15 additional sources, we report periods for 11 objects where no previous periods were found, including 8 confirmed Taurus members. We also identify 10 of the 26 candidate Taurus members that demonstrate variability levels consistent with being bona fide T Tauri stars. A Kolomgorov-Smirnov (K-S) test confirms that these new periods confirm the distinction between the rotation period distributions of stars with and without circumstellar disks, with only a 10% probability of the two populations sharing the same parent period distribution. K-S tests do suggest, however, that the updated Taurus period distribution now more closely resembles those measured in other young star-forming clusters (i.e., NGC 2264, NGC 6530, and the ONC). This improved agreement may reflect the exclusion of long rotation periods which are detected in Taurus at lower significance, and which may be beyond the limits of detectability in more distant star-forming regions.
Pan-Viral Screening of Respiratory Tract Infections in Adults With and Without Asthma Reveals Unexpected Human Coronavirus and Human Rhinovirus Diversity

Author(s): Kistler, Amy; Avila, Pedro C; Rouskin, Silvi; Wang, David; Ward, Theresa; Yagi, Shigeo; Schnurr, David; Ganem, Don; DeRisi, Joseph L; Boushey, Homer A | Abstract: BackgroundBetween 50% and 80% of asthma exacerbations are associated with viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs), yet the influence of viral pathogen diversity on asthma outcomes is poorly understood because of the limited scope and throughput of conventional viral detection methods.MethodsWe investigated the capability of the Virochip, a DNA microarray-based viral detection platform, to characterize viral diversity in RTIs in adults with and without asthma.ResultsThe Virochip detected viruses in a higher proportion of samples (65%) than did culture isolation (17%) while exhibiting high concordance (98%) with and comparable sensitivity (97%) and specificity (98%) to pathogen-specific polymerase chain reaction. A similar spectrum of viruses was identified in the RTIs of each patient subgroup; however, unexpected diversity among human coronaviruses (HCoVs) and human rhinoviruses (HRVs) was revealed. All but one of the HCoVs corresponded to the newly recognized HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-HKU1 viruses, and g20 different serotypes of HRVs were detected, including a set of 5 divergent isolates that formed a distinct genetic subgroup.ConclusionsThe Virochip can detect both known and novel variants of viral pathogens present in RTIs. Given the diversity detected here, larger-scale studies will be necessary to determine whether particular substrains of viruses confer an elevated risk of asthma exacerbation.
HRASLS3 is a PPARγ-selective target gene that promotes adipocyte differentiation

The prevalence of obesity and its associated metabolic diseases worldwide has focused attention on understanding the mechanisms underlying adipogenesis. The nuclear receptor PPARgamma has emerged as a central regulator of adipose tissue function and formation. Despite the identification of numerous PPARgamma targets involved in a range of processes, from lipid droplet formation to adipokine secretion, information is still lacking on targets downstream of PPARgamma that directly affect fat cell differentiation. Here we identify HRASLS3 as a novel PPARgamma regulated gene with a role in adipogenesis. HRASLS3 expression increases during the differentiation of preadipocyte cell lines and is highly expressed in white and brown adipose tissue in mice. HRASLS3 expression is induced by PPARgamma ligands in preadipocyte cell lines as well in adipose tissue in vivo. We demonstrate that the HRASLS3 promoter contains a functional PPAR response element and is a direct target for regulation by PPARgamma/RXR heterodimers. Finally, we show that overexpression of HRASLS3 augments PPARgamma-driven lipid accumulation and adipogenesis, whereas siRNA-mediated knockdown of HRASLS3 expression decreases differentiation. Together, these results identify HRASLS3 as one of the downstream effectors of PPARgamma action in adipogenesis.
Exploring Correlation Between ROUGE and Human Evaluation on Meeting Summaries

Automatic summarization evaluation is very important to the development of summarization systems. In text summarization, ROUGE has been shown to correlate well with human evaluation when measuring match of content units. However, there are many characteristics of the multiparty meeting domain, which may pose potential problems to ROUGE. The goal of this paper is to examine how well the ROUGE scores correlate with human evaluation for extractive meeting summarization, and explore different meeting domain specific factors that have an impact on the correlation. More analysis than those in our previous work has been conducted in this study. Our experiments show that generally the correlation between ROUGE and human evaluation is not great; however, when accounting for several unique meeting characteristics, such as disfluencies, speaker information, and stopwords in the ROUGE setting, better correlation can be achieved, especially on the system summaries. We also found that these factors have a different impact on human versus system summaries. In addition, we contrast the results using ROUGE with other automatic summarization evaluation metrics, such as Kappa and Pyramid, and show the appropriateness of using ROUGE for this study.
NMR structure and backbone dynamics of the extended second transmembrane domain of the human neuronal glycine receptor alpha1 subunit.

The structure and backbone dynamics of an extended second transmembrane segment (TM2e) of the human neuronal glycine receptor α1 subunit in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles were studied by 1H and 15N solution-state NMR. The 28-amino acid segment contained the consensus TM2 domain plus part of the linker between the second and third transmembrane domains. The presence of a well-structured helical region of at least 13 amino acids long and an unstructured region near the linker was evident from the proton chemical shifts and the pattern of midrange nuclear Overhauser effects (NOE). 15N relaxation rate constants, R1 and R2, and 15N-{1H} NOE indicated restricted internal motions in the helical region with NOE values between 0.6 and 0.8. The squared order parameter (S2), the effective correlation time for fast internal motions (τe), and the global rotational correlation time (τm) were calculated for all TM2e backbone N−H bonds using the model-free approach. The S2 values ranged about 0.75−0.86, and the τe value...
A features analysis of vertical integration on American television network websites

This article explores the level of vertical integration on official network television websites. A features analytic method is utilized to assess how the individual television program web pages on these network sites are designed and evaluates the extent to which they integrate various media forms. In this regard, a five item coding scheme is proposed, to draw comparisons across network sites. This inquiry also has value in finding out whether vertical integration among networks and studios plays a role in determining the use of media features on these sites.
Quantitative Investigation of Free Radicals in Bio‐Oil and their Potential Role in Condensed‐Phase Polymerization

We report on the quantitative analysis of free radicals in bio-oils produced from pyrolysis of cellulose, organosolv lignin, and corn stover by EPR spectroscopy. Also, we investigated their potential role in condensed-phase polymerization. Bio-oils produced from lignin and cellulose show clear evidence of homolytic cleavage reactions during pyrolysis that produce free radicals. The concentration of free radicals in lignin bio-oil was 7.5×10(20) spin g(-1), which was 375 and 138 times higher than free-radical concentrations in bio-oil from cellulose and corn stover. Pyrolytic lignin had the highest concentration in free radicals, which could be a combination of carbon-centered (benzyl radicals) and oxygen-centered (phenoxy radicals) organic species because they are delocalized in a π system. Free-radical concentrations did not change during accelerated aging tests despite increases in molecular weight of bio-oils, suggesting that free radicals in condensed bio-oils are stable.
NERVE ALLOGRAFTS SUPPLEMENTED WITH SCHWANN CELLS OVEREXPRESSING GLIAL-CELL-LINE-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR

Introduction: We sought to determine whether supplementation of acellular nerve allografts (ANAs) with Schwann cells overexpressing GDNF (G-SCs) would enhance functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury. Methods: SCs expanded in vitro were infected with a lentiviral vector to induce GDNF overexpression. Wild-type SCs (WT-SCs) and G-SCs were seeded into ANAs used to repair a 14-mm nerve gap defect. Animals were harvested after 6 and 12 weeks for histo- morphometric and muscle force analysis. Results: At 6 weeks, histomorphometry revealed that ANAs supplemented with G- SCs promoted similar regeneration compared with isograft at midgraft. However, G-SCs failed to promote regeneration into the distal stump. At 12 weeks, ANAs with G-SCs had lower maximum and specific force production compared with controls. Conclusions: The combined results suggest that consistent overexpression of GDNF by G-SCs trapped axons in the graft and prevented functional regeneration. Muscle Nerve 47:213-223, 2012 The current ''gold standard'' for peripheral nerve repairs is a direct end-to-end coaptation. However, this is not always possible due to tension on the repair that would ultimately impair nerve regenera- tion. 1 In these instances, it may be necessary to use
Encouraging teachers to adopt inquiry-based learning by engaging in participatory design

Inquiry-based methods are effective for STEM education, but they are perceived as difficult to implement. Often teachers have not experienced inquiry-based learning themselves, which limits their appreciation of their value of these methods. Changing this requires modifications at the classroom level to simplify implementation of inquiry-based methods and implementing professional development for teachers to encourage adoption. A participatory design project is described that is part of a multi-year program in which five high school physics teachers are collaborating with researchers at Tufts University to develop classroom educational technology tools for promoting collaborative inquiry-based learning. By participating in a technology-design project, teachers are experiencing the inquiry process as well as developing tools that will facilitate using inquiry-based methods in their classrooms. The research and design effort to date has led to requirements for (and a prototype of) a classroom tool that promotes student collaboration and sharing of their ideas. An overview of the design process is provided along with a discussion of the activities planned for the implementation phase.
A performance analysis of coded frequency-hopped OFDMA [cellular system]

This paper considers the deployment of frequency-hopped OFDMA at the downlink of a cellular system. Each user in the cell is assigned a number of subcarriers by the base-station, which change every OFDM symbol according to deterministic hopping patterns. The construction of the hopping patterns is based on orthogonal Latin squares, that guarantee orthogonal intra-cell multiple access and randomize the inter-cell interference. Properties of Latin squares are derived, which enable us to evaluate analytically the performance of two coded modulation schemes, namely TCM and BICM. Our results demonstrate the effect of the channel parameters, the hopping pattern selection, the interleaver depth and the inter-cell interference on the performance of a coded FH-OFDMA system.
Intestinal microbiota of preterm infants differ over time and between hospitals.

Intestinal microbiota are implicated in risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and sepsis, major diseases of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Rates of these diseases vary over time and between NICUs, but time and NICU comparisons of the intestinal microbiota of preterm infants are lacking. We included 66 singleton infants <29 weeks gestational age with stool samples collected between postnatal days 3 to 21 of life who survived free of NEC and sepsis. Infants were enrolled during 2010 and 2011. Twenty-six infants were enrolled at hospital 1 in Cincinnati, OH, and 40 infants were enrolled at hospital 2 in Birmingham, AL. Samples collected from days 3–9 (“week 1”) and days 10–16 (“week 2”) were compared between years and hospitals. Microbial succession was compared between hospitals in 28 infants with samples from the first 3 weeks of life. DNA extracted from stool was used to sequence the 16S rRNA gene by Illumina MiSeq using universal primers. Resulting operational taxonomic unit tables were analyzed for differences between years and hospitals using linear discriminant analysis effect size algorithm (LEfSe; significance, p < 0.05). Significant variation was observed in infant microbiota by year and hospital. Among hospital 1 infants, week 1 samples had more phylum Firmicutes (class Bacilli, families Clostridiaceae and Enterococcaceae) in 2010 and more phylum Proteobacteria (family Enterobacteriaceae) in 2011; week 2 samples did not significantly vary over time. However, among hospital 2 infants, the week 1 shift was nearly opposite, with more Proteobacteria (Enterobacteriaceae) in 2010 and more Firmicutes (Bacilli) in 2011; week 2 samples exhibited the same pattern. Regression analysis of clinical covariates found that antibiotic use had an important influence but did not explain these observed shifts in microbiota over time and between hospitals. Microbial succession also differed by hospital, with greater change in microbiota in hospital 1 than hospital 2 infants (p < 0.01, Jaccard distance). Colonizing microbiota differ over time and between NICUs in ways that could be relevant to disease. Multi-site, longitudinal studies are needed to reliably define the impact of intestinal microbiota on adverse outcomes of preterm infants.
Social Support, Social Conflict, and Adjustment Among Adolescents With Cancer

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate support and conflict in close relationships of adolescents in active medical treatment for cancer. Family and friend perceptions of supportive and conflictual behaviors were examined in relation to psychological distress, taking into account the impact of functional impairment induced by the illness. METHODS: Using self-report questionnaires, 50 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 20 years rated the frequency of supportive and conflictual interactions with parents, siblings and best friends. RESULTS: Results indicated that perceived maternal conflict was associated with psychological distress. Conflict with fathers, siblings, and best friends was not associated with distress. Supportive aspects of close relationships did not predict psychological distress. The amount of physical impairment accounted for the most variance in distress, contributing between 35% and 38% of the variance. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that mother-adolescent conflict would be an appropriate target for psychosocial interventions.
Effects of Long Term Corseting on the Female Skeleton: A Preliminary Morphological Examination

This 2012/2013 study looks at corset dimensions and skeletal rib deformation in female remains from three time periods and two locations to understand certain aspects of longevity. All artifacts and skeletal remains originate from the Early Modern, Victorian, and Edwardian periods. The corsets are held in the Victoria and Albert Museum, and range in date from 1750-1908. The data on the skeletal remains are the result of the author’s examination of collections held in the Musee de l’Homme in Paris, France, and the Centre for Human Bioarchaeology at the Museum of London Archaeology (MoL) in London, England. An anachronistic view of corseted women posits that they lived short and painful lives. I examine these skeletal remains with an eye toward establishing that rich or poor, young or old, corseted women lived comparatively long lives, and that the corset was not, in itself, a death sentence. My findings indicate that although women experienced skeletal deformation because of corseting, they also lived longer than the average age for their times.
Evolution of Antimicrobial Peptides: A View from the Cystine Chapel

An animal’s environment contains smaller entities that may attack it and cause illness or death. The immune system evolved to protect against such threats. It has two branches, one innate and the other adaptive. The former relies on field-tested molecules that have been selected over eons. Since they are gene-encoded, these innate molecules are deployed with little or no delay. The adaptive immune system consists of molecular and cellular machinery that produces custom-tailored molecules. Its handiwork is relatively slow, and many clients in need of its products would be lost if their innate systems did not also exist. This chapter focuses on cysteine-containing antimicrobial peptides that contain one or more internal disulfide bonds. Special emphasis is placed on the evolution of two superfamilies of defensins: small, usually cationic and amphipathic host defense molecules with three or four intramolecular disulfide bonds. The ancient roots of both defensin groups predate the advent of adaptive immunity by hundreds of millions of years. One superfamily includes the α-, β-, γ-, and θ-defensins of vertebrates, and the “big defensins” found in cephalochordates, mollusks, and crustaceans. The other superfamily of defensins is expressed in arthropods, mollusks, and fungi and may have arisen much earlier. Like defensins, the evolution of other families of cysteine-containing AMPs can be traced to the predawn of vertebrate existence. Collectively and individually, antimicrobial peptides provide a broad range of protective effects. Yet, despite their essential contributions to animal existence, and perhaps because specificity ranks higher than efficacy in the view of most immunologists, AMPs have often been undervalued. Ironically, it is precisely because AMPs lack specificity that these broadly efficacious molecules have been conserved and refined for more than one billion years.
Social Aspects of Wearability and Interaction

This chapter addresses the influence of a wearable system on the wearer’s emotional and social comfort: the “social wearability” of the system. Social wearability influences system performance and user decisions to adopt or reject a wearable system in much the same way as other aspects of wearability like physical comfort or usability. In this chapter, the influence of aesthetics and gestural interactions on the social wearability of a system is explored. Socio-cultural influences on social wearability are also discussed.
Conditions for Judicial Independence

Judicial dependence is much discussed in political science and law, but the definitions are often contradictory or inconsistent. Instead of defining judicial independence as a permanent feature of the institutional environment, we develop a model in which judicial independence is an equilibrium outcome of a game between the judiciary, legislature and executive. Accordingly, the independence of the judiciary varies with changes in the composition of the branches of government. This approach to judicial independence helps to explain some of the major confrontations between the judiciary and other branches of government in both the United States and other countries.
Introduction: The History of Statistics in Medicine and Surgery

Cardiac surgery has been quantitative from its onset. As the field progressed, surgeons encountered questions that required going beyond existing and traditional methods, fostering both adoption of analytic methods from non-medical fields (communication, industrial sciences, and physics, for example) and development of new ones. These were underpinned by specific philosophies of science about uncertainty, causes of surgical failure as a result of human error on the one hand and lack of scientific progress on the other, and how to express effectiveness and appropriateness to inform the timing of surgery and its indications. Included were traditional methods such as confidence limits and P-values, but also appreciation of why human error takes limited forms, as studied by human factors and cognitive researchers. The “incremental risk factor concept” reinterpreted variables associated with outcomes, initially in the context of congenital heart disease. New methods were either developed within the discipline or introduced, including those for survival analysis and competing risks that accounted for non-proportional hazards by temporal decomposition and separate risk factors for different time frames of follow-up. More recently, longitudinal methods to examine binary, ordinal, and continuous outcomes were developed. Propensity-score–based methods for comparative effectiveness studies, particularly in light of the limited ability to randomize treatments, enabled identifying complementary rather than competing techniques. However, just as the evolution of surgery has not stopped, neither has the quest for better methods to answer surgeons’ questions. Increasingly, these require advanced algorithmic data analytic methods, such as those developing in the field of genomic informatics.
A New Method of Indexing Manuscripts

DOWNS, first curator of the Henry Francis du Pont JOSEPH Winterthur Museum, near Wilmington, Del., called it "the largest and richest assemblage of American decorative arts, especially of furniture, ever brought together." When Mr. Downs died, having just begun the task of describing and interpreting the treasures of the museum, the Joseph Downs Manuscript Library was established at Winterthur as a means of honoring and perpetuating his scholarly approach to research and writing. Since its foundation in 1955, the library has collected documentary materials of the period 1640 to 1840 that add to what is known about the kinds of objects to be found in the museum how, where, and under what circumstances the objects were produced, who produced them, who bought and used them, how they were used, and so forth.
Complement-independent clearance of IgG-sensitized erythrocytes: inhibition by cortisone.

The effect of corticosteroid administration on the complement-independent clearance of IgG-sensitized erythrocytes was examined in guinea pigs. 51Cr-labeled guinea pig erythrocytes coated with a known amount of high-avidity IgG antibody were injected into control and cortisone-treated C4-deficient guinea pigs, and cell survival was determined. In these animals with a genetically controlled total deficiency of the fourth complement component, cell-bound antibody does not activate the biologically active complement components; clearance is therefore complement independent. At low levels of sensitization, cortisone completely inhibited the splenic sequestration of IgG coated red cells. As the amount of antibody coating the red cell was increased, higher cortisone doses were required to decrease the rate and magnitude of clearance. Eventually a level of erythrocyte sensitization was reached where cortisone did not significantly alter the clearance pattern compared to untreated controls. The cortisone effect was present by 3 days but required 5-7 days before it was maximal. No evidence was found to suggest that cortisone decreased the affinity of the antibody for the red cell membrane. Rather, the most likely explanation for these results is that cortisone affects the interaction between IgG on the erythrocyte surface and its receptor on splenic and hepatic macrophages. This experimental model of immune hemolytic anemia parallels those cases of warm-antibody-mediated disease in which complement plays no role. These findings suggest that a major clinical effect of cortisone therapy may be to decrease complement-independent erythrocyte clearance, thereby inducing a remission even in the presence of a positive antiglobulin test.
Schedule matters: Understanding the relationship between schedule delays and costs on overruns

This paper examines the relationship between schedule delays and cost overruns on complex projects. It is generally accepted by many project practitioners that cost overruns are directly related to schedule delays. But what does “directly related to” actually mean? Some reasons or root causes for schedule delays and associated cost overruns are obvious, if only in hindsight. For example, unrealistic estimates, supply chain difficulties, insufficient schedule margin, technical problems, scope changes, or the occurrence of risk events can negatively impact schedule performance. Other factors driving schedule delays and cost overruns may be less obvious and more difficult to quantify. Examples of these less obvious factors include project complexity, flawed estimating assumptions, over-optimism, political factors, “black swan” events, or even poor leadership and communication. Indeed, is it even possible the schedule itself could be a source of delay and subsequent cost overrun? Through literature review, surveys of project practitioners, and the authors' own experience on NASA programs and projects, the authors will categorize and examine the various factors affecting the relationship between project schedule delays and cost growth. The authors will also propose some ideas for organizations to consider to help create an awareness of the factors which could cause or influence schedule delays and associated cost growth on complex projects.
Parameter Estimation in Quantum Optical Coherence Tomography

Quantum optical coherence tomography (QOCT) has been used for axial imaging based on quantum interferometry. We demonstrate a technique for the estimation of sample parameters (positions of reflecting layers, refractive indices, dispersion coefficients) for closely spaced layered media, based on measurement of QOCT interferograms.
P.12.5 Subunit specific effects of the invariant AChR Cys-loop Aspartate residues on gating and AChR expression

The signature Cys-loop at the interface between binding and gating domains of AChR is crucial for coupling agonist binding to gating but the mechanism is not fully understood. An invariant Cys-loop Asp is present at equivalent positions in all subunits of Cys-loop superfamily receptors of all species, but its functional significance is not known. After discovering that a phenotype-determining Asp140Asn in the AChR δ subunit causes a severe congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS), we introduced the same mutation into the AChR α, β, and e subunits and examined the expression, burst openings, and gating efficiency of each mutant in HEK cells. We employed mutation analysis, mutagenesis, single-channel recordings, and mutant cycle analysis using wild-type and mutant receptors expressed in HEK cells. Compared to wild-type, the respective protein expressions of the α, β, δ and e mutants were 54%, 79%, 21%, and 100%; the corresponding burst durations were 7%, 18%, 55%, and 62%; and the corresponding gating efficiencies were 1%, 23%, 75%, and 108%. To understand why α Asp138Asn has the greatest effects on gating, we examined its thermodynamic interactions with nearby residues by mutant cycle analysis. This revealed that corresponding αAsp138 is functionally linked to nearby αGln208 which is conserved in mammalian α-subunits and is adjacent to the invariant αArg209 which was previously shown to be essential for rapid and efficient gating. (1) The invariant Cys-loop Asp residues contribute to receptor expression, burst duration, and gating efficiency in a subunit-specific manner. (2) The α-subunit Asp has profound effects on burst length and gating efficiency whereas δ-Asp predominantly affects AChR expression. (3) Mutant cycle analysis indicates that αAsp138 is an essential link in the chain of conformational changes that couple agonist binding to gating. (4) The δAsp140Asn causes CMS mainly by reducing AChR expression.
Application of Tirofiban in Patients with Acute ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction Treated by Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Application of glycoprotein Ⅱb/Ⅲa receptor blockade during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) could prevent thrombosis in coronary artery and prevent distal embolization, and improve microvascular perfusion. Different from abciximab, the actual effects of tirofiban on clinical results in acute myocardial infarction patients treated using primary PCI have been known only imprecisely. However, some observational clinical studies have shown the application of tirofiban in primary PCI to be promising.
Business Ethics in the Intercultural and Global Context: A Conceptual Framework *

The article aims at definitely placing the approach to business and economic ethics into the global context. By learning from different approaches in various countries, it develops a conceptual framework which provides room for multiple types of actors and various kinds of international relations and characterizes the relationship between ethics and business/economics as a ‘two-leg approach’. Then a brief descriptive overview of the emerging field of business ethics around the world is presented and different theoretical approaches are discussed.
A Biochemical Approach to Identify Direct MicroRNA Targets

We have recently developed a biochemical approach to isolate miRNA-bound mRNAs and have used this method to identify the genome-wide mRNAs regulated by the tumor suppressor miRNA miR-34a. This method involves transfection of cells with biotinylated miRNA mimics, streptavidin pulldown, RNA isolation, and qRT-PCR. The protocol in this chapter describes these steps and the issues that should be considered while designing such pulldown experiments.
Retroiliac Ureter in a Male Newborn with Multiple Genitourinary Anomalies: Case Report and Review of the Literature

We report a case of a male newborn with unilateral retroiliac ureter, ectopic left vas deferens, ectopic ureters and imperforate anus. A review of the urological literature has revealed only 2 other instances of an association of anomalies similar to that in our patient.
To B or not to B maintained

In this issue of Blood , [Bhoj et al][1] explore the longevity of plasma cells (PCs) and humoral immunity in the absence of B cells. This is done by studying subjects experiencing B-cell aplasia after CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy.[1][2] Rapid immune protection against
Rural Parenting: Cumulative Risk and Parenting Process

In this chapter, we describe the Family Life Project, a large-scale longitudinal study that chronicles the lives of African American and non-African American children and their families living in two poor rural areas of the US: Appalachia and the Black South. The breadth of the Family Life Project data allows us to expand the previous literature on rural poverty and to highlight the notion that the effects of poverty are not limited to low levels of income, but are rather fused with several “correlated constraints” that co-occur with poverty: low maternal education, low job prestige, non-standard work hours, single parenthood, residential instability, and neighborhood safety. We use a cumulative risk perspective as a comprehensive way to describe the life in rural poverty and the disproportionate burden it puts on rural families as they navigate day-to-day life. We also look at two examples of parenting—the quality of mothers and fathers language input and the quality of mothers and fathers emotion talk—as we examine (1) parenting as a mediating link in the relation between cumulative risk and children’s literacy skills, and (2) the role of fathers in the process of child development.
Children's descriptive-to-prescriptive tendency replicates (and varies) cross-culturally: Evidence from China

Research with U.S. samples found that children use descriptive group regularities (characteristics shared by individuals within a group) to generate prescriptive judgments (characteristics that should be shared by individuals within a group). Here, we assessed this descriptive-to-prescriptive tendency in a sample of children (ages 4-13years) and adults (ages 18-40years) from mainland China. Participants were introduced to novel groups (i.e., Hibbles and Glerks) who engaged in contrasting morally neutral behaviors (e.g., listening to different kinds of music) and then to conforming and non-conforming individuals (e.g., a Hibble who listened to music more typical of Glerks). Like U.S. children, Chinese children disapproved of non-conformity and rates of disapproval declined with age. However, compared with U.S. children, younger Chinese children (ages 4-6years) rated non-conformity more disapprovingly, and unlike U.S. adults, Chinese adults rated non-conformity more negatively than conformity. Moreover, compared with U.S. participants, Chinese participants across all age groups appealed more often to norm-based explanations when justifying their disapproval. These data provide a cross-cultural replication of children's descriptive-to-prescriptive tendency but also reveal cross-cultural variation, and they have implications for understanding the mechanisms that underlie stereotyping and normative reasoning.
Multigenerational learning for expanding the educational involvement of bilinguals experiencing academic difficulties

ABSTRACTFocusing on two bilingual children experiencing learning difficulties, I explore the scientific representations these students generate in an afterschool programme where they have opportunities to exercise agency. In the programme, children use a digital camera to document science in their lives and engage in conversations about the products they generate. Acting as agents in this context requires that these children undertake the responsibility of transforming the knowledge and practice of the afterschool community. Using cultural historical activity theory, I analyse child-generated multimodal data and conversations. Findings show that these two bilinguals acted as agents as they responded to the proposed curriculum in a process I call multigenerational learning. This process served to bring to the surface children's culturally relevant practices, allowing them to recognize science in their lives. As other students, teacher candidates and researchers in the afterschool programme engaged in analy...
Factors associated with non use of adjuvant trastuzumab in older patients with HER2+ breast cancer.

601Background: Although adjuvant trastuzumab for human epidermal growth factor (HER2)+ breast cancer (BC) is highly efficacious regardless of age, the real world use of trastuzumab for older patients is not known. Methods: We used Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Medicare data to identify patients aged ≥66 with stage I-III HER2+ BC diagnosed in 2010-2011(when HER2 was available). Multivariable logistic regression examined characteristics associated with trastuzumab non use. Results: Among 1900 women, 77% were ≤ age 80, 76% had a comorbidity score=0, 6% had history of congestive heart failure (CHF), 72% had hormone receptor (HR)+BC, and 15% had stage III disease. Overall, 51% did not receive adjuvant trastuzumab and 30% did not receive any systemic therapy. Older age, CHF, favorable disease characteristics (lower stage, HR+), black race, and low socio-economic status were strongly associated with non use of trastuzumab (Table). Even among patients with higher risk cancers, a substantial pr...
Cross-sectional Survey of Long-Term Care Facilities in the Rockaway Peninsula: Preparedness and Response During Hurricane Sandy.

Background Few studies have described the challenges experienced by long-term care facilities (LTCFs) following Hurricane Sandy. This study examined LTCF preparedness and experiences during and after the storm. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted 2 years after Hurricane Sandy to assess LTCF demographics, preparation, and post-storm resources. Surveys were conducted at LTCFs located on the Rockaway Peninsula of New York City. All LTCFs located in a heavily affected area were approached. Results Of 29 facilities, 1 had closed, 5 did not respond, 9 declined to participate, and 14 participated, yielding a response rate of 50% for open facilities. Twenty-one percent of the facilities had preparations specifically for hurricanes. More than 70% of the facilities had lost electricity, heat, and telephone service, and one-half had evacuated. Twenty-one percent of the facilities reported not receiving any assistance and over one-half reported that relief resources did not meet their needs. Conclusions Many LTCFs lacked plans specific to such a large-scale event. Since nearly all of the LTCFs in the region were affected, preexisting transportation and housing plans may have been inadequate. Future preparation could include hazard-specific planning and reliance on resources from a wider geographic area. Access to electricity emerged as a top priority. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:194-200).
Environmental Exposures and Neuropsychiatric Disorders: What Role Does the Gut-Immune-Brain Axis Play?

Evidence is growing that environmental exposures—including xenobiotics as well as microbes—play a role in the pathogenesis of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Underlying mechanisms are likely to be complex, involving the developmentally sensitive interplay of genetic/epigenetic, detoxification, and immune factors. Here, we review evidence supporting a role for environmental factors and disrupted gut–immune–brain axis function in some neuropsychiatric conditions. Studies suggesting the involvement of an altered microbiome in triggering CNS-directed autoimmunity and neuropsychiatric disturbances are presented as an intriguing example of the varied mechanisms by which environmentally induced gut–immune–brain axis dysfunction may contribute to adverse brain outcomes. The gut–immune–brain axis is a burgeoning frontier for investigation of neuropsychiatric illness. Future translational research to define individual responses to exogenous exposures in terms of microbiome-dependent skew of the metabolome, immunity, and brain function may serve as a lens for illumination of pathways involved in the development of CNS disease and fuel discovery of novel interventions.
Boundary layer pollution profiles from a rural site in South Korea

During the NASA 2016 KORUS-AQ campaign, the ground based NASA GSFC ozone lidar and balloon borne instrumentation were deployed to the remote Taehwa Forest site (37.3 N, 127.3 E, 151 m AGL) to characterize the transport of pollution downwind of the Seoul metropolitan region. On most days from 02 May to 10 June 2016, continuous hours of lidar profiles of ozone were measured. Select days are shown to represent key ozone events that occurred at the rural site.
Clinicopathologic characteristics and impact of oophorectomy for ovarian metastases (ovmets) in colorectal cancer (CRC).

779Background: As overall survival (OS) with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and imaging modalities improve, detection of ovmets may be increasing. The ovary is often a sanctuary site for mCRC;...