cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Testing futures market efficiency: an empirical study

Some researchers have found that futures prices were biased predictors of future cash prices due to the risk averse behavior of market participants. This paper tested efficiency of corn and wheat futures market using the theoretical model developed by Turnovsky (1983).[superscript]1 The risk premium under the assumption of constant absolute risk aversion of producers and inventory holders was estimated using a nonlinear estimation technique and was used to specify another model of equilibrium expected prices to test if corn and wheat futures markets were efficient. The expectations in this study were formed rationally, which is a necessary condition of an efficient market;The empirical results showed that the risk premiums did exist in corn and wheat futures market and they were different for different group of traders. All of the estimated risk premiums were small, however, they were statistically significant different from zero. The estimated risk aversion coefficient of hedgers was higher than the estimated risk aversion coefficient of speculators for corn futures market. However, for wheat futures market the estimation showed that speculators had higher risk aversion coefficient than hedgers;It was found out that futures prices were biased predictors of future cash prices but the biases were very small. However, not only futures price was important in predicting future cash price, production cost, carrying cost and cost of using futures market were also important. The influence of futures price on future cash price would be diluted by the magnitude of these variables;The efficiency test based on the proposed equilibrium expected model in this paper found the corn futures market to be efficient, while the result was ambiguous for wheat futures market. This study showed that the existence of risk premiums and the biased predictor of futures price had nothing to do with the efficiency of futures market. The empirical test on corn futures market based on the proposed equilibrium expected price model in this study confirmed the efficiency of corn futures market despite the presence of the bias. ftn[superscript]1Turnovsky, Stephen J. "The Determination of Spot and Futures Prices with Storable Commodities." Econometrica, 51(5) (September, 1983): 1363-87.
Automatic Textual Feedback for Guided Inquiry Learning

We briefly introduce the online learning environment INFACT, and then we describe its textual feedback system. The system automatically provides written comments to students as they work through scripted activities related to image processing. The commenting takes place in the context of an online discussion group, to which students are posting answers to questions associated with the activities. Then we describe our experience using the system with a class of university freshmen and sophomores. Automatic feedback was compared with human feedback, and the results indicated that in spite of advantages in promptness and thoroughness of the automatically delivered comments, students preferred human feedback, because of its better match to their needs and the human's ability to suggest consulting another student who had just faced a similar problem.
Adaptive management of animal populations with significant unknowns and uncertainties: a case study

Conservation and management decision making in natural resources is challenging due to numerous uncertainties and unknowns, especially relating to understanding system dynamics. Adaptive resource management (ARM) is a formal process to making logical and transparent recurrent decisions when there are uncertainties about system dynamics. Despite wide recognition and calls for implementing adaptive natural resource management, applications remain limited. More common is a reactive approach to decision making, which ignores future system dynamics. This contrasts with ARM, which anticipates future dynamics of ecological process and management actions using a model-based framework. Practitioners may be reluctant to adopt ARM because of the dearth of comparative evaluations between ARM and more common approaches to making decisions. We compared the probability of meeting management objectives when managing a population under both types of decision frameworks, specifically in relation to typical uncertainties and unknowns. We use a population of Sandhill Cranes as our case study. We evaluate each decision process under varying levels of monitoring and ecological uncertainty, where the true underlying population dynamics followed a stochastic age-structured population model with environmentally driven vital rate density dependence. We found that the ARM framework outperformed the currently employed reactive decision framework to manage Sandhill Cranes in meeting the population objective across an array of scenarios. This was even the case when the candidate set of population models contained only naive representations of the true population process. Under the reactive decision framework, we found little improvement in meeting the population objective even if monitoring uncertainty was eliminated. In contrast, if the population was monitored without error within the ARM framework, the population objective was always maintained, regardless of the population models considered. Contrary to expectation, we found that age-specific optimal harvest decisions are not always necessary to meet a population objective when population dynamics are age structured. Population managers can decrease risks and gain transparency and flexibility in management by adopting an ARM framework. If population monitoring data has high sampling variation and/or limited empirical knowledge is available for constructing mechanistic population models, ARM model sets should consider a range of mechanistic, descriptive, and predictive model types.
Primitive Money, Modern Money

I am very interested in the distinction made by Orlean between two origins: the origin of modern money which seems now purely conventiona1, unconvertible, and the origin of primitive money. It seems to me that this division between two origins can solve many problems, but that this duality of origins can also raise new interesting but difficult issues. And the questions I have in mind after the close reading of the text are related to this double origin, or more precisely, to the relationship between the two regimes of money described in the text, not only the historical problem of the passage from one to another, but also the structural problem of persistence (or not) of the primitive status into the modern status. To sum up roughly: the primitive money would be sacrificial, the modern money would be non-sacrificial (no transcendence, no alterity, but self-institution). The problem would be: what kind of historical, or rather critical consequences should be drawn concerning this difference? Is the non-sacrificial status of modern money a stable possibility or a catastrophic limit? Is the modern man doomed to live this new status as a loss (lack of transcendence, alterity, sociality) or as a conquest?
Therapie von Verbrennungen im Gesichts- und Kopfbereich

Gesicht und Kopf gehoren zu den exponiertesten Bereichen des menschlichen Korpers. Die verhaltnismasig dunne Gesichtshaut wird daher im Rahmen vieler Verbrennungsunfalle geschadigt. Die Folgen sind einerseits funktionelle Storungen des Sehens, der Atmung sowie der Nahrungsaufnahme und des Sprechens, auf der anderen Seite fuhren entstellende Narben im Gesicht zu schweren Veranderungen des Selbstwertgefuhls sowie durch Storung der sozialen Interaktion zu schweren, dauerhaften psychischen Belastungen des Patienten. Ziel der Behandlung ist daher neben der guten funktionellen Wiederherstellung immer auch die Verbesserung des asthetischen Ergebnisses, um den Patienten eine moglichst hohe Lebensqualitat zu sichern. Daher ist neben der optimierten Akuttherapie immer auch die nachfolgende rekonstruktive Chirurgie in den schwierigen und oft langwierigen Behandlungsverlauf zu integrieren. Patienten mit grosflachigen bzw. tiefen Brandwunden im Gesichts- und Kopfbereich sollen aus diesen Grunden schon ab der primaren Behandlungsphase in dafur spezialisierten Brandverletztenzentren therapiert werden.
Regulation of endothelial VCAM-1 expression in murine cardiac grafts. Roles for TNF and IL4.

Abstract The in vivo mechanisms of vascular endothelial activation and VCAM-1 expression were studied in murine heterotopic cardiac grafts. Preliminary studies demonstrated that cardiac allograft endothelia develop reactivity with MECA-32 monoclonal antibody (MAb) and M/K-2 (anti-VCAM-1) MAb within 3 days of transplantation, whereas cardiac isografts develop MECA-32 reactivity but no M/K-2 reactivity. Additional studies demonstrated that a single treatment of cardiac isograft recipients with the anti-CD3 MAb 145-2C11 induces VCAM-1 expression on isograft microvascular endothelia within 24 hours. We have used this experimental system to identify the cytokines responsible for expression of VCAM-1 and MECA-32 MAb reactivity on graft vascular endothelia. We report that the expression of VCAM-1 on isograft endothelia that was induced with anti-CD3 MAb was blocked by simultaneous treatment with either pentoxifylline, soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor (TNFR-Fc), anti-IL4 MAb, or soluble IL4R, but not by anti-IFN-gamma MAb. Alternatively, a similar pattern of isograft endothelial VCAM-1 expression was stimulated in the absence of anti-CD3 MAbs with a single injection of human recombinant TNF-alpha, or with recombinant murine IL4 provided as IL4/anti-IL4 MAb complexes. In addition, the IL4-induced VCAM-1 expression was completely blocked by a single intravenous treatment of the isograft recipients with TNFR:Fc. This suggests that high concentrations of TNF-alpha can stimulate endothelial VCAM-1 expression, but these concentrations are apparently not achieved in cardiac isografts. In the absence of an inducing agent such as anti-CD3 MAb, the stimulation of VCAM-1 expression with exogenous IL4 may reflect functional interaction between endogenous TNF and exogenous IL4, as suggested by the blocking experiments with TNFR:Fc. Although cardiac isograft endothelia normally develop reactivity with MECA-32 MAb within 3 days of transplantation, treatment of cardiac isograft recipients with anti-CD3 MAb accelerated MECA-32 reactivity to within 24 hours of transplantation. This accelerated expression can be experimentally manipulated in the same way as M/K-2 reactivity, suggesting that similar mechanisms may control the development of these two inflammatory endothelial phenotypical markers, despite their differential expression in cardiac isografts and allografts.
Clinical Risk Factors and Postoperative Complications Associated with Unplanned Hospital Readmissions After Cranial Neurosurgery.

Background Hospital readmission is a key surgical quality metric associated with financial penalties and greater healthcare costs. We examined the clinical risk factors and postoperative complications associated with 30-day unplanned hospital readmissions after cranial neurosurgery. Methods We queried the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2011 to 2016 for adult patients who had undergone a cranial neurosurgical procedure. Multivariable logistic regression with backward model selection was used to determine the predictors associated with 30-day unplanned hospital readmission. Results Of 40,802 cranial neurosurgical cases, 4147 (10.2%) required an unplanned readmission. Postoperative complications were greater in the readmission cohort (18.5% vs. 9.9%; P 216 minutes, and unplanned reoperation were also associated with an increased likelihood of readmission (P ≤ 0.001 for all). The postoperative complications predictive of unplanned readmissions were wound infection (odds ratio [OR], 4.90; P Conclusions Unplanned hospital readmission after cranial neurosurgery is a common event. The identification of high-risk patients who undergo cranial procedures might allow hospitals to reduce unplanned readmissions and their associated healthcare costs.
Modeling Large-Scale Slim Fly Networks Using Parallel Discrete-Event Simulation

As supercomputers approach exascale performance, the increased number of processors translates to an increased demand on the underlying network interconnect. The slim fly network topology, a new low-diameter, low-latency, and low-cost interconnection network, is gaining interest as one possible solution for next-generation supercomputing interconnect systems. In this article, we present a high-fidelity slim fly packet-level model leveraging the Rensselaer Optimistic Simulation System (ROSS) and Co-Design of Exascale Storage (CODES) frameworks. We validate the model with published work before scaling the network size up to an unprecedented 1 million compute nodes and confirming that the slim fly observes peak network throughput at extreme scale. In addition to synthetic workloads, we evaluate large-scale slim fly models with real communication workloads from applications in the Design Forward program with over 110,000 MPI processes. We show strong scaling of the slim fly model on an Intel cluster achieving a peak network packet transfer rate of 2.3 million packets per second and processing over 7 billion discrete events using 128 MPI tasks. Enabled by the strong performance capabilities of the model, we perform a detailed application trace and routing protocol performance study. Through analysis of metrics such as packet latency, hop count, and congestion, we find that the slim fly network is able to leverage simple minimal routing and achieve the same performance as more complex adaptive routing for tested DOE benchmark applications.
Realtime Vehicle and Pedestrian Tracking for Didi Udacity Self-Driving Car Challenge

The efficiency and execution time of a road scene evaluation subsystem directly influences a self-driving car's control effectiveness. This article presents a novel approach to fuse data from various sensors (camera, LIDAR, radar, IMU) for pedestrian and vehicle tracking. Our approach, thanks to modern methods of image processing and power of GPU for LIDAR processing, achieves 25Hz update frequency for tracking. The system has been tested on the DiDi-Udacity Self-Driving Challenge datasets.
Self-adjoint elements in the pseudo-unitary group U(p,p)

Abstract The pseudo-unitary group U ( p , q ) of signature ( p , q ) is the group of matrices that preserve the indefinite pseudo-Euclidean metric on the vector space C p , q . The goal of this paper is to describe the set U s ( p , p ) of Hermitian, or, self-adjoint elements in U ( p , p ) .
Abstract NS7: Driving Down Readmissions With Dynamic Discharge Follow up Team

Introduction: Stroke patients have complex discharge needs and benefit from strong care transition models. A common care transition model is to perform discharge phone calls to eliminate gaps that ...
The Positive Second Amendment: Rights, Regulation, and the Future of Heller (Introduction)

This is the introduction to Joseph Blocher & Darrell A. H. Miller, The Positive Second Amendment: Rights, Regulation, and the Future of Heller (Cambridge University Press 2018). The Second Amendment is among the most recognized provisions of the Constitution. It is also perhaps the most misunderstood. Common misconceptions about the amendment - what it forbids, what it permits, how it functions as law - distort the gun debate and America's constitutional culture. In The Positive Second Amendment, Blocher and Miller provide the first comprehensive post-Heller account of the history, theory, and law of the right to keep and bear arms. The book’s aim is not to pick sides in the gun debate, but rather to show how a positive account of the 'constitutional' Second Amendment differs from its political cousin. Understanding the right to keep and bear arms as constitutional law will challenge many deeply held beliefs. But it may also provide a better way to negotiate the seemingly intractable issues that afflict America's debate over gun rights and regulation.
Kepler and the origins of the theory of gravity

The concept of gravity came into being in ancient times as a terrestrial concern associated with the practicalities of “weight.” A great leap forward came in the early 1600s with the important theoretical speculations of Johannes Kepler. This article focuses on his prescient theory of gravity which guided the later progress of a number of scholars including Roberval, Hooke, and Newton. And yet, Kepler's remarkable contribution to gravitational theory has been almost completely overlooked in the contemporary scientific literature.
Single Stage Boost-Inverter Integrated Electric Drives for Electric Vehicles

This paper investigates single stage boost-inverter integrated electric drives for HEV applications by integrating boost function in inverters of electric drives. In the discussed systems, battery is combined with generator/motor stator windings, so inverters control generator/motor and battery to achieve their bidirectional power flows, meanwhile, boost battery voltage to a high level on de bus. A control strategy is proposed to ensure drive system with high performance. The topologies, operational principle, detailed analysis, modulation and control method included in the paper thoroughly explain this kind of boost-inverter integrated electric drive systems. A simulation example is illustrated to verify the discussed electric drives and control method.
Yoma from Babylonia to Egypt: Ritual Function, Textual Transmission, and Sacrifice

As recent research has emphasized, the Mishnah tractate Yoma is a model par excellence of the category of Mishnah tractates that take the form of narrative and describe key institutions of the lost Temple and its rituals. But even among those tractates, Yoma is unique in that it served as a source for liturgical recitation in what became the Avodah liturgy. This paper will look at the complex relationships between textual transmission and liturgical recitation in the history of the tractate by examining internal and external textual evidence. In particular, this discussion includes a detailed analysis of a papyrus fragment from Oxyrhynchus that has received insufficient attention so far. It is argued from this evidence that the tractate's literary nature coalesced with the substance of the tractate to produce a virtual enactment of sacrifice for its reciters and performers.
Multi-material thermomechanical topology optimization with applications to additive manufacturing: Design of main composite part and its support structure

Abstract This paper presents a density-based topology optimization formulation for the design of multi-material thermoelastic structures. The formulation is written in the form of a multi-objective topology optimization problem that considers two competing objective functions, one related to mechanical performance (mean compliance) and one related to thermal performance (either thermal compliance or temperature variance). To solve the optimization problem, we present an efficient design variable update scheme, which we have derived in the context of the Zhang–Paulino–Ramos (ZPR) update scheme by Zhang et al. (2018). The new update scheme has the ability to solve non-self-adjoint topology optimization problems with an arbitrary number of volume constraints, which can be imposed either to a subset of the candidate materials, or to sub-regions of the design domain, or to a combination of both. We present several examples that explore the ability of the formulation to obtain candidate Pareto fronts and to design support structures for additive manufacturing. Enabled by the ZPR update scheme, we are able to control the complexity and the length scale of the support structures by means of regional volume constraints.
Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer in UAV-assisted Cellular IoT Networks

In this paper, we consider simultaneous information and energy transfer (SWIPT) in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted cellular Internet of Things (IoT) networks, in which the user equipment (UE) locations are modeled as Thomas cluster processes. A realistic air-to-ground communication model is incorporated into the analysis. In particular, different line of sight (LOS) and non-LOS (NLOS) path loss models are considered for the links from the UAVs to UEs and ground base stations (GBSs) to UEs. Three dimensional (3D) antenna patterns are adopted, e.g., a doughnut-shaped antenna radiation pattern is considered for UAVs and a combination of horizontal and vertical antenna pattern is utilized for GBSs. In addition, we employ the power splitting technique in the SWIPT scenario, which allows the UEs to harvest energy and decode information simultaneously using the same received signal. Association probability and energy coverage probability of the UAVs and GBSs are determined. Moreover, an analysis of the successful transmission probability which jointly addresses the energy and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) coverages is provided. Finally, performance is further investigated via numerical results.
Vascular permeability in the fibrotic lung

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is thought to result from aberrant tissue repair processes in response to chronic or repetitive lung injury. The origin and nature of the injury, as well as its cellular and molecular targets, are likely heterogeneous, which complicates accurate pre-clinical modelling of the disease and makes therapeutic targeting a challenge. Efforts are underway to identify central pathways in fibrogenesis which may allow targeting of aberrant repair processes regardless of the initial injury stimulus. Dysregulated endothelial permeability and vascular leak have long been studied for their role in acute lung injury and repair. Evidence that these processes are of importance to the pathogenesis of fibrotic lung disease is growing. Endothelial permeability is increased in non-fibrosing lung diseases, but it resolves in a self-limited fashion in conditions such as bacterial pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. In progressive fibrosing diseases such as IPF, permeability appears to persist, however, and may also predict mortality. In this hypothesis-generating review, we summarise available data on the role of endothelial permeability in IPF and focus on the deleterious consequences of sustained endothelial hyperpermeability in response to and during pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. We propose that persistent permeability and vascular leak in the lung have the potential to establish and amplify the pro-fibrotic environment. Therapeutic interventions aimed at recognising and "plugging" the leak may therefore be of significant benefit for preventing the transition from lung injury to fibrosis and should be areas for future research.
Hydrolyses of α- and β-cellobiosyl fluorides by cellobiohydrolases of Trichoderma reesei

Cellobiohydrolase II hydrolyses alpha- and beta-D-cellobiosyl fluorides to alpha-cellobiose at comparable rates, according to Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The stereochemistry, absence of transfer products and strict hyperbolic kinetics of the hydrolysis of alpha-cellobiosyl fluoride suggest that the mechanism for the alpha-fluoride may be the enzymic counterpart of the SNi reaction observed in the trifluoroethanolysis of alpha-glucopyranosyl fluoride [Sinnott and Jencks (1980) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 102, 2026-2032]. The absolute factors by which this enzyme accelerates fluoride ion release are small and greater for the alpha-fluoride than for the beta, suggesting that its biological function may not be just glycoside hydrolysis. Cellobiohydrolase I hydrolyses only beta-cellobiosyl fluoride, which is, however, an approx. 1-3% contaminant in alpha-cellobiosyl fluoride as prepared and purified by conventional methods. Instrumental assays for the various components of the cellulase complex are discussed.
Utilization of Natural History Information in Evidence based Herpetoculture: A Proposed Protocol and Case Study with Hydrodynastes gigas (False Water Cobra)

Herpetocultural practices are based on norms driven by economy of space and time for keepers, with little scientific inference backing their practice. In recent years, a subset of herpetoculturalists have promoted evidence-based husbandry that relies on science and experimental design to generate husbandry practice. A theoretical framework and protocol are proposed herein that enables any individual who has access to the internet the ability to use various outlets of natural history information (scientific literature databases, social media sources, and weather websites) and previously published husbandry reports as evidence to drive the creation of novel herpetocultural practice. A case study is provided which compares readily available information on the care of Hydrodynastes gigas (false water cobra), such as online care sheets for the species, with the proposed evidence based herpetocultural protocol founded on natural history information and published care and captive breeding reports. Results were assessed for protocol efficacy and determined that the natural history informed evidence-based approach increased animal welfare and generated new information specific to the natural history of H. gigas.
Paradoxical Embolism Causing Myocardial Infarction in a COVID-19 Patient Presenting With Pulmonary Embolism

The presence of myocardial injury in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2) infection is common The cardiac complications of SARS-CoV2 infection are varied and distinguishing between them can be complicated A 55-year-old man with recent diagnosis of SARS-CoV2 infection presented with chest pain, syncope, and was found to have saddle pulmonary embolism (PE) Marked elevation in cardiac enzymes prompted a coronary angiogram which was normal Cardiac MRI revealed late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in the anterolateral wall consistent with myocardial infarction (MI) He was diagnosed with paradoxical embolism causing MI The differential for elevated cardiac enzymes is wide in patients with SARS-CoV2 infection This case illustrates that sometimes multiple diagnoses exist, and that a high index of suspicion is required to continue work-up
Employees, Advisees, and Emerging Scholars: A Qualitative Analysis of Graduate Students' Roles and Experiences of Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment on College Campuses.

Sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) are pervasive across university campuses. SVSH research rarely focuses on graduate students, who occupy unique positions within university settings due to their multiple responsibilities (e.g., teaching, research, mentoring), including managing unequal power dynamics with mentors and advisors. As part of a larger qualitative study, we sought to better understand SVSH generally and, when applicable, experiences of SVSH among graduate students on three campuses. Our primary research questions were: (a) How graduate students understand SVSH on their campus and whether they are at risk, (b) How graduate students navigate power dynamics that position them to experience SVSH, and (c) What graduate student-centered solutions and improvements can make campuses safer, more equitable spaces for all students. To answer these questions, we conducted 21 in-depth interviews and 8 focus group discussions with a diverse group of graduate students across various graduate programs. Using grounded theory and implementing student-centered approaches to data collection and analysis, we identified multiple themes, including graduate students’ uncertainty regarding SVSH on campus; and how power relations with faculty, combined with distrust of university processes, keep many graduate students silent about SVSH. Finally, employing graduate students’ suggestions, we offer recommendations for how universities can improve campus climate and SVSH resources for graduate students.
Factors that contribute to managers becoming engaged in unintentional price war

Despite understanding that price wars should be avoided and consensus among the pricing managers in our study, there remains a high reported incidence of price wars. The literature is silent about what factors lead well-educated pricing managers into price wars despite their desire to avoid them. This qualitative inquiry involved semi-structured interviews with 25 pricing managers across five industries. Our findings confirm that pricing managers have a strong desire to avoid price wars and confirm that pricing managers frequently blame competitors for aggressive pricing action. Additionally, we identify several common characteristics among the study participants. Pricing managers do not recognize value adjusted price competition as a price war. Pricing managers modify the definition of a price war in order to ensure their own actions and circumstances do not fit their definition of a price war. Finally, practitioners lack a widely accepted definition of price war.
Outpatient Telehealth Implementation in the United States during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Background and objectives: Ambulatory (outpatient) health care organizations continue to respond to the COVID-19 global pandemic using an array of initiatives to provide a continuity of care and related patient outcomes. Telehealth has quickly become an advantageous tool in assisting outpatient providers in this challenge, which has also come with an adaptation of U.S. government policy, procedures, and, as a result, organizational protocols surrounding the delivery of telehealth care. Materials and methods: This systematic review identified three primary facilitators to the implementation and establishment of telehealth services for the outpatient segment of the United States health care industry: patient engagement, operational workflow and organizational readiness, and regulatory changes surrounding reimbursement parity for telehealth care. Results: Researchers identified three barriers impacting the implementation and use of telehealth resources: patient telehealth limitations, lack of clinical care telehealth guidelines, and training, technology, and financial considerations. Conclusions: This systematic review's identified facilitators and barriers for telehealth implementation initiatives in the United States can assist future outpatient providers as the global pandemic and associated public health initiatives such as physical distancing continue.
Influenza, PCV13, and PPSV23 Vaccination Rates Among Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients With Additional Co-Morbidities as per CDC Recommendations.

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and its immunosuppressive therapy alter the body's immune response, predisposing patients to higher infection risk preventable with vaccination. The CDC recommends every adult receive the annual influenza vaccine and patients with certain comorbidities receive the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23). However, vaccination rates among IBD patients remain unacceptably low. The aim of our study is to present influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations rates of IBD patients at our center. Methods We hypothesized that vaccination rates will be suboptimal at our outpatient center and that patients are not being vaccinated based on comorbid conditions in accordance with guidelines. We retrieved electronic medical records from the gastroenterology clinic between December 2018 and December 2019. Data regarding influenza and pneumococcal vaccines, immunosuppressive drugs, and comorbidities were obtained. Microsoft Excel and SPSS Statistics (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) were used for data analyses. A p-value 50 years were more likely to receive the influenza vaccine (P = 0.0122). Patients on immunosuppressive therapy were not more likely to be vaccinated with both PCV13 and PPSV23 (P = 0.1848, P = 0.7382). Active smokers were not more likely to be vaccinated with PPSV23 (P = 0.695). Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and sickle-cell disease were more likely to be vaccinated with both PCV13 and PPSV23 (P = 0.02, P = 0.02). Patients with other chronic medical conditions were more likely to be vaccinated with PPSV23 (P = 0.0201). Conclusion Our study revealed suboptimal influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates among IBD patients at our facility. We also found that patients were not consistently vaccinated based on qualifying co-morbid conditions. Age plays a role in whether patients received the influenza vaccine contrary to guidelines. We urge clinicians to examine IBD patient vaccination rates at their facilities.
Sparse Coding-enabled Low-fluence Multi-parametric Photoacoustic Microscopy

Uniquely capable of simultaneous imaging of the hemoglobin concentration, blood oxygenation, and flow speed at the microvascular level in vivo, multi-parametric photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) has shown considerable impact in biomedicine. However, the multi-parametric PAM acquisition requires dense sampling and thus a high laser pulse repetition rate (up to MHz), which sets a strict limit on the applicable pulse energy due to safety considerations. A similar limitation is shared by high-speed PAM, which also uses lasers with high pulse repetition rates. To achieve high quantitative accuracy besides good structural visualization at low levels of laser fluence in PAM, we have developed a new, sparse coding-based two-step denoising technique. In the setting of intravital brain imaging, we demonstrated that this unsupervised learning approach enabled the reduction of the laser fluence in PAM by 5 times without compromise of the image quality (structural similarity index measure or SSIM: >0.92) and the quantitative accuracy (errors: <4.9%). Offering a significant relaxation in the requirement of PAM on laser fluence while maintaining the quality of structural imaging and accuracy of quantitative measurements, this sparse coding-based approach is expected to facilitate the application and clinical translation of multi-parametric PAM and high-speed PAM, which have a tight photon budget due to either safety considerations or laser source limitations.
The Implication of Dropping Race from the MDRD Equation to Estimate GFR in an African American-Only Cohort.

The widely used Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula adapts a 1.212 multiplier for individuals who are identified as African Americans (AAs) or Blacks, which leads to a higher GFR estimation. As it stands, AAs have a lower prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) but higher incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) compared with Whites. Many hypotheses have been postulated to explain this paradox, but the imprecision of the GFR estimation with race-adaptation could be contributory. We performed a single-center, longitudinal, retrospective study on a cohort of outpatient AA patients using the MDRD and MDRDrace removed and CKD-EPI and CKD-EPIrace removed and their progression to CKD G5 (eGFR . Comparing the CKD-EPI formula against the MDRD in our cohort, we found that 8.2%, 18.8%, and 11.4% of patients were reclassified from CKD G1/2 to CKD G3a, CKD G3a to G3b, and CKD G3b to CKD G4 respectively. Overall median time to progression to CKD G5 was 137.4 (131.9–142.8) months in patients who were not reclassified and 133.6 (127.6–139.6) months for patients who were reclassified by MDRDrace removed . Concerns of inequitable access to healthcare have elicited calls to review race-corrected eGFR equations. A substantial number of individuals would have their CKD stage reclassified should have the MDRDrace removed equation be adopted en masse on an AA-only population. The discrepancy is highest at the 45–59 and >60 ml/min/1.72 min2 ranges. This will have tremendous impact on our center’s approach to pharmacological dosing, referral system, best practices, and outcome surveillance. Comprehensive review of the current “race-corrected” eGFR will require a multifaceted approach and adjunctive use of noncreatinine-based approach.
THE USA NATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN FOR PROMOTING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THE MID-LIFE AND OLDER ADULT POPULATION

On May 1, 2001, a coalition of national organizations released a major planning document designed to develop a national strategy for the promotion of physically active lifestyles among the mid-life and older adult population. The National Blueprint: Increasing Physical Activity Among Adults Age 50 and Older was developed with input from 46 organizations with expertise in health, medicine, social and behavioral sciences, epidemiology, gerontology/geriatrics, clinical science, public policy, marketing, medical systems, community organization, and environmental issues. The Blueprint notes that, despite a wealth of evidence about the benefits of physical activity for mid-life and older persons, there has been little success in convincing age 50+ Americans to adopt physically active lifestyles. The Blueprint identifies barriers in the areas of research, home and community programs, medical systems, public policy and advocacy, and marketing and communications. In addition to identifying barriers, the Blueprint proposes a number of concrete strategies that could be employed to overcome the barriers to physical activity in society at large. This report summarizes the outcome of the National Blueprint Consensus Conference that was held in October 2002. In this conference, representatives of more than 50 national organizations convened in Washington, D.C. with the goal of identifying high priority and high feasibility strategies which would advance the National Blueprint and which could be initiated within the next 12 to 24 months. Participants in the consensus conference were assigned to one of five breakout groups: home and community, marketing, medical systems, public policy, and research. Each breakout group was charged with identifying the three highest priority strategies within their area for effectively increasing physical activity levels in the mid-life and older adult population. In addition to the 15 strategies identified by the breakout groups, three “cross-cutting” strategies were added which were considered to be broad-based in scope and which applied to more than one of the breakout themes. A national organization was identified to take the lead in planning and implementing each strategy. A summary of the 18 strategies, lead organizations, and progress to date is presented. The National Blueprint Consensus Conference has identified an ambitious agenda of strategies and tactics that will need to be implemented to overcome societal barriers to physical activity among the mid-life and older adult population. More than 50 national organizations have expressed a commitment to work towards the implementation of the Blueprint agenda. Eighteen priority strategies have been identified in the areas of home and community, marketing, medical systems, public policy, and research. The organizations charged with the task of implementing the high priority strategies are using professional networks and established delivery channels and communication systems to translate this plan into action.
Advances in Photorefractive Polymers and Applications

Photorefractive (PR) polymers change their index of refraction upon illumination through a series of electronic phenomena that makes these materials one of the most complex organic systems known. The refractive index change is dynamic and fully reversible, making PR materials very interesting for a large variety of applications such as holography and 3D display. In order to improve the recording speed and achieve videorate for our stereographic display application, we have introduced a new type of electrode geometry where the anode and cathode are in the same plane and are shaped as interpenetrating combs. This type of electrode geometry does not require the sample to be tilted with respect to the writing beams to record the hologram, which is a significant advantage. To monitor the highly non-homogeneous field resulting from this configuration, we used a multiphoton microscope to directly observe the chromophore orientation in situ upon the application of an electric field. Most recently, we developed a fast repetition rate laser (10kHz) where the pulse width can be adjusted from microseconds to milliseconds so that, in conjunction with a ns Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and an externally chopped CW laser, the diffraction efficiency of the material could be measured over 9 orders of magnitude. This measurement helps us better understand the mechanism of grating buildup inside photorefractive polymers.
Bioenergetics and cell death

Mitochondrial bioenergetic function is a key to cell life and death. Cells need energy not only to support their vital functions but also to die gracefully. Execution of an apoptotic program includes energy-dependent steps, including kinase signaling, formation of the apoptosome, and effector caspase activation. Under conditions of bioenergetic collapse, cells are diverted toward necrotic demise. Mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) is a decisive event in the execution of apoptosis. It is also causally linked to a decline in bioenergetic function via different mechanisms, not merely due to cytochrome c dispersion. MOMP-induced bioenergetic deficiency is usually irreversible and commits cells to die, even when caspases are inactive. Here, we discuss the mechanisms by which MOMP impacts bioenergetics in different cell death paradigms.
Folic Acid Content of Milk and Milk Substitutes

The "folic acid" content of cow9s milk, as listed in the report of the Committee on Nutrition (Pediatrics, 31:329, 1963) is probably too low, as pointed out by Drs. Naiman and Oski. We would agree that these figures should be withdrawn until a more accurate assessment can be made. We are, however, less certain than they appear to be, that the L. casei assay, ascorbate-protected, will provide the information desired, i.e., the true total folate content of foodstuff biologically available to the human. For an understanding of the present situation, it is necessary to review briefly certain pertinent developments in this field.
A polissemia da diferença: um estudo comparativo sobre a avaliação da qualidade no Ensino Superior entre Brasil, Chile e Colômbia

A avaliacao da qualidade e vista como um fenomeno social. Requer dos atores uma compreensao de sua insercao no seio da sociedade, de suas expectativas, de suas formas de compromisso, de uma combinacao equilibrada entre fatores e parâmetros de ordem qualitativa e quantitativa. Nesse sentido, o objetivo desse artigo foi apresentar um estudo comparativo sobre a avaliacao da qualidade no ensino superior entre Brasil, Chile e Colombia. A proposta de pesquisa aqui delineada diz respeito a realizacao de uma analise comparada na perspectiva de Popper (2010). Considera-se que no caso do Brasil e preciso pensar na questao da subjetividade dos avaliadores em confronto com a objetividade extrema do instrumento de avaliacao. Com relacao a Colombia percebesse que esta objetividade tambem existe, porem utiliza-se das contribuicoes dos avaliadores a partir de suas competencias pedagogicas e dos objetivos institucionais. O Chile caminha para a continuidade da discussao existente em torno da busca pela qualidade no Ensino Superior. Nesse sentido, uma avaliacao deve ser construtiva e emancipatoria, uma vez que nao existe o instrumento perfeito para avaliar um conceito tao subjetivo como o de instituicao de qualidade. Palavras-chave: Avaliacao da Qualidade; Ensino Superior; Estudo Comparativo. Resumen La evaluacion de la calidad es vista como un fenomeno social. Actores requiere una comprension de su integracion en la sociedad, sus expectativas, sus formas de compromiso, una combinacion equilibrada de los factores y parametros de orden cualitativo y cuantitativo. En este sentido, el objetivo de este trabajo es presentar un estudio comparativo de aseguramiento de la calidad en la educacion superior de Brasil, Chile y Colombia. La propuesta de investigacion descritos aqui se refiere a la realizacion de un analisis comparativo en el contexto de Popper (2010). Se considera que en el caso de Brasil, es necesario examinar la cuestion de la subjetividad de los evaluadores, en comparacion con la objetividad extrema del instrumento de evaluacion. Em cuanto a Colombia se da cuenta de que esto tambien existe objetivamente, sino que utiliza las contribuciones de los evaluadores de sus habilidades de ensenanza y los objetivos institucionales. Chile se mueve a continuar con el debate que existe en torno a la busqueda de la calidad en la educacion superior. En este sentido, una evaluacion debe ser constructiva y emancipadora, ya que no existe un instrumento perfecto para evaluar un concepto tan subjetivo como uma institucion de calidad. Palabras-clave: Evaluacion de la Calidad. De Educacion Superior. Estudio comparativo.
Quaternion wavelets for image analysis and processing

Using the concepts of two-dimensional Hubert transform and analytic signal, we construct a new quaternion wavelet transform (QWT). The QWT forms a tight frame and can be efficiently computed using a-2-D dual-tree filter bank. The QWT and the 2-D complex wavelet transform (CWT) are related by a unitary transformation, but the former inherits the quaternion Fourier-transform (QFT) phase properties, which are desirable for image analysis. The quaternion magnitude-phase representation of the QWT directly leads to near shift-invariance and the ability to encode phase shifts in an absolute x-y-coordinate system, which we can use for applications such as edge estimation and statistical image modeling.
Bounding the distance to the nearest unobservable switched linear time-invariant system

This paper presents algorithms for computing lower and upper bounds on the distance to the nearest unobservable switched linear time-invariant (SLTI) system. In particular a SLTI system subject to real perturbations, an unknown switching sequence, unknown initial state, and no continuous control input is examined. The perturbations considered are additive real structured perturbations to the A- and C- state model matrices of each mode. The lower and upper bounds are constructed by considering larger and smaller sets of allowable real perturbations, respectively.
Localized imaging of the uppermost mantle with USArray Pn data

[1] USArray has now provided several years of high-quality seismic data and improved ray coverage for much of the western United States. This allows increased resolution for regional studies of the lithosphere and deeper structure of the North American continent. In this study, we use Pn phases in the USArray data set to solve for velocity structure in the uppermost mantle in the western United States. This article focuses on localized imaging techniques that complement traditional Pn tomography analysis. We apply waveform cross-correlation to obtain inter-station travel times between the closely and uniformly spaced USArray stations. This allows us to use traces without phase picks and reduces errors associated with the picking. We obtain differential times that can directly be used to fit locally for slowness and, depending on the approach, for the direction and curvature of the incoming wavefront. The various measurements of incoming wavefronts at different sub-arrays provide constraints on azimuthal variations in velocity. The traditional tomography approach and the local fitting method reveal similar large-scale features. No regularization is applied with the local method, and the resulting velocity maps reveal smaller-scale structures than the tomographic images.