cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of Patient Navigation on Colorectal Cancer Screening Completion and Education: a Review of the Literature

Although the general assumption is that patient navigation helps patients adhere to CRC screening recommendations, concrete evidence for its effectiveness is still currently under investigation. The present literature review was conducted to explore effectiveness of patient navigation and education on colorectal cancer (CRC) screening completion in medically underserved populations. Data collection included PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane reviews searches. Study inclusion criteria included randomized controlled trials and prospective investigations that included an intervention and control group. Case series, brief communications, commentaries, case reports, and uncontrolled studies were excluded. Twenty-seven of the 36 studies screened for relevance were selected for inclusion. Most studies explored the utility of lay and clinic-based patient navigation. Others implemented interventions that included tailored messaging, and culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach and education efforts to meet CRC screening needs of medically underserved individuals. More recent studies have begun to conduct cost-effectiveness analyses of patient navigation programs that impacted CRC screening and completion. Peer-reviewed publications consistently indicate a positive impact of patient navigation programs on CRC screening completion, as well have provided preliminary evidence for their cost-effectiveness.
The translanguaging classroom: leveraging student bilingualism for learning, by O. García, S. I. Johnson and K. Seltzer

Education and educational research are political acts because they take place in sociopolitical contexts that they intend to impact (Kincholoe, McLaren and Steinberg 2011). With an increased tempo ...
Abstract 1247: Identifying novel regulators of the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) by genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens

Development and growth of a tumor as well as its ability to metastasize involves a complex relationship with its tissue microenvironment. A proliferating tumor encounters several microenvironmental stress conditions such as hypoxia, lack of nutrients and acidosis. To cope with these conditions, cancer cells have developed elaborate cytoprotective mechanisms which provide them with distinct advantages to thrive. Thus, deciphering the signaling pathways which get activated in the tumor microenvironment has been paramount to develop new therapeutic strategies for treatment. The Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) is an adaptive prosurvival pathway elicited by stresses in the tumor microenvironment (e.g., hypoxia, low glucose) and involves translational and transcriptional activation of effector genes which act to relieve cellular stress and block cancer cell death. We developed a strategy to comprehensively analyze critical mediators of cell fate in response to UPR activation. We have delivered a lentiviral genome-scale CRISPR Cas9 knockout (GeCKOv2) library to Sq20B cells (human squamous head and neck carcinoma) and A375 (human melanoma) cells. The library is targeting 19,050 genes with 123,411 unique guide sequences and enables both negative and positive selection screening. We used the GeCKO v2 library to identify genes essential for triggering the UPR in response to thapsigargin and tunicamycin, known specific activators of ER stress. Our highest-ranking candidates include BIRC5/Survivin, a well-studied molecule that acts as an inhibitor of apoptosis and is highly expressed in cancer cells and eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF6, whose overexpression increases motility and invasiveness of cancer cells. Our preliminary results indicate that loss of Survivin and eIF6 dramatically enhance sensitization of cells to various ER stress conditions. Moreover, this synergistic outcome is observed when cells are treated with YM155, a small molecule that selectively suppresses Survivin and is used in phase I/II clinical trials. Lastly, morphological changes like endoreduplication are observed after long term absence of Survivin indicating its endogenous ER stress inducing role. Taken together, Survivin and eIF6 are important mediators of survival following ER stress and characterizing the pathways involved can lead to the development of novel targeted agents and therapeutic approaches. Citation Format: Nektaria Maria Leli, Souvik Dey, Lauren Brady, Constantinos Koumenis. Identifying novel regulators of the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) by genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1247. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1247
Supporting Image Geolocation with Diagramming and Crowdsourcing.

Geolocation, the process of identifying the precise location in the world where a photo or video was taken, is central to many types of investigative work, from debunking fake news posted on social media to locating terrorist training camps. Professional geolocation is often a manual, time-consuming process that involves searching large areas of satellite imagery for potential matches. In this paper, we explore how crowdsourcing can be used to support expert image geolocation. We adapt an expert diagramming technique to overcome spatial reasoning limitations of novice crowds, allowing them to support an expert’s search. In two experiments (n=1080), we found that diagrams work significantly better than ground-level photos and allow crowds to reduce a search area by half before any expert intervention. We also discuss hybrid approaches to complex image analysis combining crowds, experts, and computer vision.
A network of dark personality traits: What lies at the heart of darkness?

Abstract The question of whether there is a common element at the core of the various dark personality traits (e.g., psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism, spitefulness, aggressiveness) has been the subject of debate. Callousness, manipulativeness, and disagreeableness have all been nominated as possibly serving as the core of these dark traits. Network analysis, which graphically and quantitatively describes the centrality of various related traits, provides a novel technique for examining this issue. We estimated an association network and an Adaptive Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator network for two large samples, one college student sample (N = 2831) and one mixed college student and Mechanical Turk sample (N = 844). Interpersonal manipulation and callousness were the traits that were central to the networks.
Confucian Values as a Buffer Against Age-Based Stereotype Threat for Chinese Older Adults.

Objectives Research has shown that stereotype threat can impair older adults' memory in Western cultures. We tested whether this also occurs for older adults from the East Asian Chinese culture. We also tested whether an intervention that highlighted Confucian principles would protect Chinese older adults from stereotype threat's detrimental effects. Method Culturally-Chinese older adults residing in the United States completed a memory test either under age-based stereotype threat about cognitive decline or not. Prior to this, some participants were also reminded of Confucian traditions of filial piety and were assured these values had been transmitted to the younger generation. Results Stereotype threat impaired Chinese older adults' memory performance. However, our intervention was effective in eliminating this deficit. When the Chinese participants were reminded of the Confucian principle of filial piety they did not exhibit stereotype threat effects. Discussion Confirming that younger adults have an obligation to respect their elders can eliminate the social-evaluative pressure of stereotype threat for Chinese older adults. These findings are noteworthy since population aging is happening at an unprecedented pace in East Asia. Although our results suggest that stereotype threat can adversely affect older adults' cognitive performance in these societies, we also identify a culturally-based intervention to alleviate this impairment.
What do the Kohn-Sham Orbital Energies Mean? How do Atoms Dissociate?

Hohenberg and Kohn1 have demonstrated the existence of a functional Ey [n] which, when minimized over trial densities \( n(\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle\thicksim}$}}\to {r} )\) integrating Yo N electrons, yields the exact ground-state energy E and density for N electrons subject to an external potential \( v(\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle\thicksim}$}}\to {r} )\).
Bonferroni-Type Probability Bounds as an Application of the Theory of Tchebycheff Systems

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses Bonferroni-type probability bounds as an application of the theory of Tchebycheff systems or T-systems. All T-systems have been shown to share many of the basic properties of the ordinary powers. If the system of functions is a T-system and the moment vector is a boundary point, there is a unique distribution with the prescribed moments and any tight upper and lower bounds that are given are in fact equal.
Efficient Gene Transfer to Kidney Mesenchymal Cells Using a Synthetic Adeno-Associated Viral Vector

Background After injury, mesenchymal progenitors in the kidney interstitium differentiate into myofibroblasts, cells that have a critical role in kidney fibrogenesis. The ability to deliver genetic material to myofibroblast progenitors could allow new therapeutic approaches to treat kidney fibrosis. Preclinical and clinical studies show that adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) efficiently and safely transduce various tissue targets in vivo ; however, protocols for transduction of kidney mesenchymal cells have not been established. Methods We evaluated the transduction profiles of various pseudotyped AAV vectors expressing either GFP or Cre recombinase reporters in mouse kidney and human kidney organoids. Results Of the six AAVs tested, a synthetic AAV called Anc80 showed specific and high-efficiency transduction of kidney stroma and mesangial cells. We characterized the cell specificity, dose dependence, and expression kinetics and showed the efficacy of this approach by knocking out Gli2 from kidney mesenchymal cells by injection of Anc80-Cre virus into either homozygous or heterozygous Gli2-floxed mice. After unilateral ureteral obstruction, the homozygous Gli2-floxed mice had less fibrosis than the Gli2 heterozygotes had. We observed the same antifibrotic effect in β -catenin–floxed mice injected with Anc80-Cre virus before obstructive injury, strongly supporting a central role for canonical Wnt signaling in kidney myofibroblast activation. Finally, we showed that the Anc80 synthetic virus can transduce the mesenchymal lineage in human kidney organoids. Conclusions These studies establish a novel method for inducible knockout of floxed genes in mouse mesangium, pericytes, and perivascular fibroblasts and are the foundation for future gene therapy approaches to treat kidney fibrosis.
Mate choice strategies in a spatially-explicit model environment

Decisions about the choice of a mate can greatly impact both individual fitness and selection processes. We developed a novel agent-based model to investigate two common mate choice rules that may be used by female gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor). In this model environment, female agents using the minimum-threshold strategy found higher quality mates and traveled shorter distances on average, compared with female agents using the best-of-n strategy. Females using the minimum-threshold strategy, however, incur significant lost opportunity costs, depending on the male population quality average. The best-of-n strategy leads to significant female:female competition that limits their ability to find high quality mates. Thus, when the sex ratio is 0.8, best-of-5 and best-of-2 strategies yield mates of nearly identical quality. Although the distance traveled by females in the mating task varied depending on male spatial distribution in the environment, this did not interact with female choice for the best-of-n or minimum-threshold strategies. By incorporating empirical data from the frogs in this temporally- and spatially-explicit model, we thus show the emergence of novel interactions of common decision-making rules with realistic environmental variables.
Places Are Nonlinear

Scholars involved in the study of place are very clear about how they define and intend the characteristics of nonlinearity. As Gatrell [30] and others explain (e.g., [24, 25], [28]), in terms of a complex system like place, nonlinearity addresses the empirical fact that, more often than not, small or large changes in some aspect of a place (e.g., its health system, educational system, etc), particularly in the form of health interventions (e.g., new outpatient program, new educational accountability measures, etc) do not regularly lead to their expected, linearly related outcomes (e.g., a 25 % increase in prenatal care or graduation rates, etc).
Where have all the converts gone?: Difficulties in the study of conversion to Islam in al-Andalus

Discussion of a proposal for identifying converts to Islam in al-Andalus through their onomastics using the huge databases constituted by the medieval Arabic biographical dictionaries. The proposal is shown to be unworkable in practice. It is suggested in consequence that it may not be possible to identify converts in ways that are susceptible of statistical analysis.
Underage Drinking in America: An Explanation through the Lens of the General Theory of Crime

ABSTRACTDespite the high rate of drinking among adolescents and its negative consequences, studies regarding causality of drinking behaviors have been under-examined. Regarding causal factors of un...
Detection of glioma and prognostic subtypes by non-invasive circulating cell-free DNA methylation markers

SUMMARY Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling has shown that epigenetic abnormalities are biologically important in glioma and can be used to classify these tumors into distinct prognostic groups. Thus far, DNA profiling has required surgically resected glioma tissue; however, gliomas release tumoral material into biofluids, such as blood and cerebrospinal fluid, providing an opportunity for a minimally invasive testing. While prior studies have shown that genetic and epigenetic markers can be detected in blood or cerebrospinal fluid (e.g., liquid biopsy [LB]), there has been low sensitivity for tumor-specific markers. We hypothesize that the low sensitivity is due to the targeted assay methods. Therefore, we profiled the genome-wide CpG methylation levels in DNA of tumor tissue and cell-free DNA in serum of glioma patients, to identify non-invasive epigenetic LB (eLB) markers in the serum that reflect the characteristics of the tumor tissue. From the epigenetic profiles of serum from patients diagnosed with glioma (N=15 IDH mutant and N=7 IDH wildtype) and with epilepsy (N=3), we defined glioma-specific and IDH-specific eLB signatures (Glioma-eLB and IDH-eLB, respectively). The epigenetic profiles of the matched tissue demonstrate that these eLB signatures reflected the signature of the tumor. Through cross-validation we show that Glioma-eLB can accurately predict a patient’s glioma from those with other neoplasias (N=6 Colon; N=14 Pituitary; N=3 Breast; N=4 Lung), non-neoplastic immunological conditions (N=22 sepsis; N=9 pancreatic islet transplantation), and from healthy individuals (sensitivity: 98%; specificity: 99%). Finally, IDH-eLB includes promoter methylated markers associated with genes known to be involved in glioma tumorigenesis (PVT1 and CXCR6). The application of the non-invasive eLB signature discovered in this study has the potential to complement the standard of care for patients harboring glioma.
Following the Threads: Showtime's Dexter and Oedipus

Showtime’s Dexter has much in common with Sophocles’ Oedipus. Specifically, both eponymous heroes are shaped by external forces and face tasks of solving murder(s) and of discovering their identiti...
Force-induced conformational changes in PIEZO1.

PIEZO1 is a mechanosensitive channel that converts applied force into electrical signals. Partial molecular structures show that PIEZO1 is a bowl-shaped trimer with extended arms. Here we use cryo-electron microscopy to show that PIEZO1 adopts different degrees of curvature in lipid vesicles of different sizes. We also use high-speed atomic force microscopy to analyse the deformability of PIEZO1 under force in membranes on a mica surface, and show that PIEZO1 can be flattened reversibly into the membrane plane. By approximating the absolute force applied, we estimate a range of values for the mechanical spring constant of PIEZO1. Both methods of microscopy demonstrate that PIEZO1 can deform its shape towards a planar structure. This deformation could explain how lateral membrane tension can be converted into a conformation-dependent change in free energy to gate the PIEZO1 channel in response to mechanical perturbations. Cryo-electron microscopy and high-speed atomic force microscopy reveal that PIEZO1 can reversibly deform its shape towards a planar structure, which may explain how the PIEZO1 channel is gated in response to mechanical stimulation.
A Neural Network Model of the NBA Most Valued Player Selection Prediction

This study analyzed all the performance of the players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during a particular season and predicted the most valued players (MVP) of that season. The NBA game is the most popular basketball game all over the world. Every game attracted hundreds of and thousands of audiences and fans. Some fans supported the specific teams and many of fans supported some specific players in these teams. When they want to observe the performance of their preferred basketball stars and determine whether they can be awarded as the most valued player in the current season. Our study can help answer this question. We developed a novel NBA MVP prediction system with the neural network. We trained and tested this neural network using each season performances of NBA players from 1997 to 2019. These features of inputs are specific and optimized with training results. Based on our model, we randomly chose testing dataset from season 2009-2010 and season 2016-2017, and successfully predicted that the most valued players of the chosen seasons are LeBron James(season 2009-2010) and Russell Westbrook(season 2016-2017).
Loss Aversion as a Potential Factor in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy.

espanolLa falacia del costo irrecuperable (SCF, por sus siglas en ingles) se produce cuando una persona realiza una inversion con una baja probabilidad de pago porque se realizo una inversion anterior. Las inversiones pueden ser tiempo, esfuerzo o dinero. Diferentes investigadores demostraron que las inversiones previas mas grandes tenian mayor probabilidad de conducir al SCF que las inversiones mas bajas, aunque pocas investigaciones se han centrado en comparar los tipos de inversion. Existen varias teorias de la SCF, pero pocas han incluido la aversion a las perdidas, mayor sensibilidad a las perdidas que a las ganancias, como un factor potencial. Estudiamos los efectos diferenciales del monto y el tipo de inversion en la ocurrencia de la SCF y exploramos la aversion a la perdida como una posible explicacion de estas diferencias. Se conto con 168 participantes, quienes completaron una tarea de costo irrecuperable, asi como una tarea de efecto de dotacion, que fue una medida de la aversion a la perdida. Se utilizo un ANCOVA de diseno mixto de 3×3 en el que la puntuacion de SCF fue la variable dependiente y las puntuaciones de aversion a la perdida se usaron como covariables. El SCF se produjo con mayor frecuencia en relacion al dinero, seguido por el tiempo y, por ultimo, al esfuerzo. La aversion a la perdida mostro una relacion negativa debil con el SCF. EnglishThe sunk-cost fallacy (SCF) occurs when an individual makes an investment with a low probability of a payoff because an earlier investment was made. The investments may be time, effort, or money. Previous researchers showed that larger prior investments were more likely to lead to the SCF than lower investments were, though little research has been focused on comparing investment types. There are several theories of the SCF, but few have implicated loss aversion, the higher sensitivity to losses than to gains, as a potential factor. We studied the differential effects of investment amount and type on the occurrence of the SCF and explored loss aversion as a potential explanation of these differences. There were 168 participants, who completed a sunk-cost task as well as an endowment-effect task, which was a measure of loss aversion. A 3×3 mixed-design ANCOVA was used in which the SCF score was the dependent variable and loss-aversion scores were used as a covariate. The SCF occurred most often with money, less with time, and least with effort. Loss aversion displayed a weak negative relation to the SCF.
Early Evidence on the AS 3101 Critical Audit Matters Disclosure

As the deadline looms for companies to comply with AS 3101, the new critical audit matters (CAM) disclosure in the independent auditor’s report, this study evaluates how June 30th fiscal year-end large accelerated filers have already met the deadline with reported CAMs, and provides some insights to companies still looking ahead toward this part of the audit process. Firms reported between one to four CAMs each with the average disclosure consisting of 1.74 CAMs, with 100% of the firms disclosing at least one CAM. We found that 48% of the CAMs that were reported for these firms were related to (1) revenue recognition and, (2) the assessment & impairment of intangibles. And, 57% of the CAMs categorized as acquisition-related issues was related to assessing intangibles as part of an acquisition. Additionally, 84.5% of the firms fall within the manufacturing (51.7%) and services (32.8%) industries. As we are in the time period when December year-end firms must get this process moving, this study provides both firms and auditors with some insights to understanding some of the key challenges that can complicate the audit process and gives them an opportunity to devise a more focused strategic plan of action to get to the December year-end audit.
High-index micro-cones for focusing and concentrating light in MWIR focal plane arrays

Two types of high-index truncated micro-cones are proposed as concentrators for focusing light on pixels of mid-wave infrared (MWIR) focal plane arrays (FPAs). They can be used to miniaturise the pixels for reducing their thermal noise and, potentially, increasing the operation temperature of FPAs without sacrificing their sensitivity.
Deep Reinforcement Learning for Field Development Optimization

The field development optimization (FDO) problem represents a challenging mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem in which we seek to obtain the number of wells, their type, location, and drilling sequence that maximizes an economic metric. Evolutionary optimization algorithms have been effectively applied to solve the FDO problem, however, these methods provide only a deterministic (single) solution which are generally not robust towards small changes in the problem setup. In this work, the goal is to apply convolutional neural network-based (CNN) deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithms to the field development optimization problem in order to obtain a policy that maps from different states or representation of the underlying geological model to optimal decisions. The proximal policy optimization (PPO) algorithm is considered with two CNN architectures of varying number of layers and composition. Both networks obtained policies that provide satisfactory results when compared to a hybrid particle swarm optimization - mesh adaptive direct search (PSO-MADS) algorithm that has been shown to be effective at solving the FDO problem.
Novel Mechanistic PBPK Model to Predict Renal Clearance in Varying Stages of CKD by Incorporating Tubular Adaptation and Dynamic Passive Reabsorption.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has significant effects on renal clearance (CLr ) of drugs. Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models have been used to predict CKD effects on transporter-mediated renal active secretion and CLr for hydrophilic nonpermeable compounds. However, no studies have shown systematic PBPK modeling of renal passive reabsorption or CLr for hydrophobic permeable drugs in CKD. The goal of this study was to expand our previously developed and verified mechanistic kidney model to develop a universal model to predict changes in CLr in CKD for permeable and nonpermeable drugs that accounts for the dramatic nonlinear effect of CKD on renal passive reabsorption of permeable drugs. The developed model incorporates physiologically-based tubular changes of reduced water reabsorption/increased tubular flow rate per remaining functional nephron in CKD. The final adaptive kidney model successfully (absolute fold error (AFE) all < 2) predicted renal passive reabsorption and CLr for 20 permeable and nonpermeable test compounds across the stages of CKD. In contrast, use of proportional glomerular filtration rate reduction approach without addressing tubular adaptation processes in CKD to predict CLr generated unacceptable CLr predictions (AFE = 2.61-7.35) for permeable compounds in severe CKD. Finally, the adaptive kidney model accurately predicted CLr of para-amino-hippuric acid and memantine, two secreted compounds, in CKD, suggesting successful integration of active secretion into the model, along with passive reabsorption. In conclusion, the developed adaptive kidney model enables mechanistic predictions of in vivo CLr through CKD progression without any empirical scaling factors and can be used for CLr predictions prior to assessment of drug disposition in renal impairment.
Use of Cannabis for Self-Management of Chronic Pelvic Pain.

Background: Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) affects up to 15% of women in the United States. The endocannabinoid system is a potential pharmacological target for pelvic pain as cannabinoid receptors are ...
Twenty-one centimeter tomography with foregrounds

Twenty-one centimeter tomography is emerging as a powerful tool to explore the end of the cosmic dark ages and the reionization epoch, but it will only be as good as our ability to accurately model and remove astrophysical foreground contamination. Previous treatments of this problem have focused on the angular structure of the signal and foregrounds and what can be achieved with limited spectral resolution (bandwidths in the 1 MHz range). In this paper we introduce and evaluate a ``blind'' method to extract the multifrequency 21cm signal by taking advantage of the smooth frequency structure of the Galactic and extragalactic foregrounds. We find that 21 cm tomography is typically limited by foregrounds on scales $k\ll 1h/$Mpc and limited by noise on scales $k\gg 1h/$Mpc, provided that the experimental bandwidth can be made substantially smaller than 0.1 MHz. Our results show that this approach is quite promising even for scenarios with rather extreme contamination from point sources and diffuse Galactic emission, which bodes well for upcoming experiments such as LOFAR, MWA, PAST, and SKA.
Study of mixed convection in two layers of saturated porous medium and nanofluid with rotating circular cylinder

Abstract In this study, a numerical investigation of mixed convective heat transfer in a square enclosure partitioned in two layers with a rotating circular cylinder at the middle of the cavity has been carried out. The experiments are performed with Al2O3–water nanofluid (upper layer) and superposed porous medium (lower layer). The upper and lower horizontal walls are assumed to be insulated, while the left and right walls are kept at high and low temperature respectively. Galerkin finite element method has been used to solve the dimensionless governing equations. This study is focused to investigate the effect of Darcy number (10−2≤ Da ≤10−5), Rayleigh number (103≤ Ra≤106), dimensionless angular rotational velocity (−6000≤ W ≤ 6000), solid volume fraction (0≤ ɸ ≤0.06), and the radius of the inner circular cylinder (R = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3) on the heat transfer, fluid flow, and the physical characteristics thermal of the thermal fields. The results show that the intensity of the flow, steep temperature gradient, and the average Nusselt number (Nu) increase with increasing the value of Darcy number, Rayleigh number, and solid volume fractions at any cylinder radius. Moreover, the recirculation and isotherm distribution lines of the fluid at low Darcy numbers are high when the cylinder rotates counter-clockwise compering with clockwise. The findings also revealed that when W = 0, the maximum Nu is at R = 0.1 and decreases as the cylinder radius increases. Moreover, at high Darcy number, the highest local Nusselt number is found at the porous layer region in case of clockwise rotation while at the nanofluid layer region in case of anti-clockwise rotation.
Estimating Demand With Substitution and Intraline Price Spillovers

Standard choice models used to optimize product line prices are effective at capturing the effects of prices on the affordability of products but do not incorporate intraline price spillovers, or the effects of prices on consumer preferences for branded product lines. To date, no approach exists to measure such spillovers, and thus their existence and characteristics are subject to controversy. Different authors have proposed that different product line items, here referred to as known value items (KVIs), generate price spillovers. Yet product line prices and quality levels are typically highly correlated, and thus it is not clear which spillovers should be modeled. No empirical approach exists to test for multiple price spillovers simultaneously while controlling for quality spillovers. This study proposes an empirical approach that includes a choice model to abstract rich demand patterns and an estimation algorithm that addresses the endogeneity and collinearity of KVI prices. An empirical application based on vehicle choice data illustrates how the approach can be implemented in practice and demonstrates the importance of modeling spillovers while yielding interesting managerial implications. The results establish that different KVIs generate separate spillovers and illustrate their distinct roles. KVI price spillovers can be economically important, inducing large cross-price elasticities that range from – 1.31 to .72. Furthermore, neglecting spillovers can bias own-price elasticity estimates by up to 15% and cross-price elasticities by more than 100%.The empirical results generate KVI-specific insights that managers in the automobile industry can use to improve their pricing strategies. For other industries, the manuscript proposes an approach and an implementation algorithm that managers can use to estimate spillovers and optimize product line prices. The empirical application illustrates the implementation of the approach and shows how managers can model price spillovers to increase profits by almost 3%.
Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome: Could it Involve a Potential Familial Pattern?

Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome often presents with small bowel obstruction due to acute angulation of the SMA, thereby compressing the duodenum. This syndrome is a rare, sporadic disease, which is often caused by rapid weight loss. However, there may be a genetic predisposition to SMA syndrome, due to a congenitally shortened ligament of Treitz or a more distal origination of the SMA on the abdominal aorta. In this study, we present a patient who was diagnosed with SMA syndrome despite not exhibiting the classic weight-loss clinical picture. Interestingly, the patient reported a family history of SMA syndrome in her mother who had experienced a similar presentation.
Health care provider views on the magnitude of overweight/obesity in spinal cord injury and awareness of evidence-based guidance for weight management.

BACKGROUND Literature shows that large proportions of people with a spinal cord injury (SCI) continue to experience challenges and limitations in weight management (WM) efforts in the health care setting. Despite the need, evidence-based research on effective and practical WM practices for persons with SCI is inconsistent and not widely used by health care providers (HCPs). OBJECTIVE The objectives were twofold: (1) to explore HCP perspectives of the extent of the problem of overweight/obesity in individuals with SCI and (2) HCPs awareness of and beliefs about availability of literature or evidence-based guidelines that discuss WM in SCI. DESIGN Qualitative study using semistructured interviews with HCPs and thematic analysis to identify themes. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING SCI HCPs (n = 25) from Veterans Health Administration and Midwest Regional SCI Care System. INTERVENTION Not applicable. RESULTS SCI HCPs (88%) emphasized the large scope of the problem of overweight and obesity in persons with SCI. HCPs noted the multiple associated negative consequences, specifically 84% highlighted the impact on chronic conditions (cardiometabolic, respiratory) and 48% discussed the impact on secondary/associated conditions (skin, bowel, bladder, musculoskeletal). HCPs noted other impacts of excess weight as greater disability in later life (28%), challenges with mobility and function (60%), self-care (24%), and equipment safety (28%). This sample of HCPs (76%) indicated being unaware of published or available information about WM efforts that work in SCI populations. CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that HCPs believe that overweight and obesity is a significant problem in persons with SCI but that this sample of HCPs are not aware of published work and easily accessible SCI-specific WM evidence-based guidance. This suggests the need for more education and proactive efforts to improve awareness of appropriate information within interprofessional HCPs.
Improved Organ Sparing with Autoplanned VMAT TBI.

Purpose/Objective(s) To evaluate dosimetric differences between Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and conventional 2D AP/PA Total Body Irradiation (TBI) techniques. Materials/Methods Ten pediatric patients treated with a VMAT TBI technique on a C-arm Linac from November 2019 to August 2020 were included in this study. The VMAT TBI plans were generated using an in-house developed autoplanning script using a treatment planning system. For each VMAT TBI plan a corresponding 2D plan was created replicating our institution's current conventional AP/PA technique with the patient positioned standing in a booth at extended SSD with custom compensators to account for patient thickness variations in 8 regions on central axis, lung blocks with 50%-transmission and electron chest-wall boosts. The clinically relevant metrics in this study, including plan global Dmax, PTV V110%, lungs, and lungs contracted by 1cm (lungs–1 cm) Dmean were analyzed and compared between the VMAT TBI plans and simulated 2D plans. All dosimetric comparisons between the VMAT and 2D plans were made with the dose expressed as a percentage of the prescription dose (2Gy or 12 Gy) and the volume expressed as a percentage of the PTV volume. Paired t-test was used to compare the dosimetric indices between VMAT and 2D TBI plans. Results All VMAT TBI plans achieved D90%≥100% of prescription. PTV coverage, D90%, was reduced significantly (-6.2% ± 2.4%, P Conclusion Improved lung sparing with superior target coverage and similar global Dmax were observed with the VMAT plans as compared to 2D plans. In addition, VMAT TBI plans provided dose reduction in gonads, kidneys, brain and thyroid. Furthermore, VMAT TBI treatments were tolerated well by the patients in more comfortable supine position.
A high speed all-optical NAND logic gate using four-wave mixing

We demonstrate a high speed all-optical NAND gate based on four-wave mixing Bragg scattering in highly nonlinear fiber. A 15.2-dB depletion of the signal is obtained and time domain measurements show 10-Gb/s NAND operation.
Mixed messages: Co-worker responses to the pregnant employee.

American organizations have been actively implementing work and family programs to meet employees' family demands. However, few comprehensive efforts to include the specific needs of pregnant employees into work and family programs have been taken. According to women who are or have been pregnant while employed, organizations must provide greater understanding and flexibility to pregnant employees. Women report mixed messages received from both co-workers and company policies. Based on the reports of pregnant women, recommendations are given which will guide co-workers on maintaining appropriate interactions with pregnant peers and help companies to better incorporate the concerns of pregnant employees into work and family initiatives.
HEV DYNAMOMETER TESTING WITH STATE-OF-CHARGE CORRECTIONS IN THE 1995 HEV CHALLENGE.

In the 1995 HEV Challenge competition, 17 prototype Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) were tested by using special HEV test procedures. The contribution of the batteries during the test, as measured by changes in battery state-of-charge (SOC), were accounted for by applying SOC corrections to the test data acquired from the results of the HEV test. The details of SOC corrections are described and two different HEV test methods are explained. The results of the HEV test methods are explained. The results of the HEV tests and the effects on the test outcome of varying HEV designs and control strategies are examined. Although many teams had technical problems with their vehicles, a few vehicles demonstrated high fuel economy and low emissions. One vehicle had emissions lower than California`s ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV) emissions rates, and two vehicles demonstrated higher fuel economy and better acceleration than their stock counterparts.
A new approach to programming and prototyping parallel systems

Writing parallel programs to run on them. Transactional Coherence and Consistency (TCC) is a new way to implement cache coherency in shared-memory parallel systems by using programmer defined transactions as the fundamental unit of parallel work, communication, coherence, consistency and failure atomicity. TCC has the potential to simplify parallel programming by providing a smooth transition from sequential programs to parallel programs. In this talk, I will describe TCC and explain how to develop parallel applications using the TCC programming model. I will also briefly describe the architecture of the Stanford Flexible Architecture Research Machine (FARM). FARM is a scalable system based on commercial high-density blade server technology. FARM is designed to improve the capability of architects and applications developers to experiment with large-scale parallel systems.
Spatial orientation of periodic alternating drift (PAD)

Sinusoidal vestibular stimulation induces in the intact rabbit in prone position a periodic alternating drift (PAD), evident in the earth horizontal plane when the animal is rotated about the vertical axis but weak in the vertical one when the animal is rotated about the longitudinal axis. It has been hypothesized that these oscillations are related to an intrinsic instability of the velocity storage, due to the length of its time constant. The velocity storage has the longest time constant aligned with the vertical axis, and it changes its orientation with the gravity vector. The present research examined the spatial orientation of PAD in relation to changes of the animal position with respect to gravity. Normal pigmented rabbits were sinusoidally oscillated about their longitudinal axes to evoke vertical eye responses. The stimulation was carried out with the animal in prone position and with the animal in nose-up condition. With the animal in prone position, PAD had a weak vertical component, but an evident horizontal component was visible. When the animal was in nose-up position, the horizontal component of PAD was clearly visible, while the vertical component was negligible. In both stimulation conditions PAD period and peak velocity were not modulated by the stimulus characteristics. These results are consistent with a model of PAD based on an interaction between velocity storage and the cerebellar adaptation-habituation circuit.
The utility of prescreening transesophageal echocardiograms: a prospective study.

Background: Recent emphasis on the judicious use of imaging prompted the publication of the 2007 ACC/ASE Appropriateness Use Criteria (AUC) for Echocardiography. However, the intersection of the AUC with the safety and clinical use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is not well established. Methods: We reviewed 490 consecutive orders for TEEs for appropriateness, significant findings, and reasons for cancellation. Results: We found that 79% (389/490) of ordered studies were performed and 21% (101/490) were not. The number of TEEs cancelled for safety reasons (n = 29) was similar to that cancelled for inappropriateness (n = 36). Only 2% (6/389) of those performed were inappropriate vs. 16% of those that were cancelled. New or unsuspected findings were obtained in half of all performed TEEs; the majority of which were ordered to detect cardiac source of embolism (CSE). Conclusions: The AUC should specifically consider the utility of clinician-based prescreening of TEEs to encourage appropriate use and safety. Furthermore, given the incremental value of TEE over transthoracic echocardiography in detection of CSE, in some cases, TEE may be considered an appropriate initial test for this indication. (Echocardiography 2011;28:767-773)
Language Comprehension and Verbal Working Memory

Working memory is considered to be a specialized component of memory that is responsible for the temporary storage and manipulation of information necessary to accomplish a cognitive task. Language processing is an example par excellence of a task that requires temporary storage and manipulation of information, and that therefore provides a domain in which ideas about working memory can be explored. Keywords: memory; language; language impairment
The Local Stark Conjecture at a Real Place

A refinement of the rank 1 Abelian Stark conjecture has been formulated by B.Gross. This conjecture predicts some \(\mathfrak{p}\)-adic analytic nature of a modification of the Stark unit. The conjecture makes perfect sense even when \(\mathfrak{p}\) is an Archimedean place. Here we consider the conjecture when \(\mathfrak{p}\) is a real place, and interpret it in terms of 2-adic properties of special values of L-functions. We prove the conjecture for CM extensions; here the original Stark conjecture is uninteresting, but the refined conjecture is nontrivial. In more generality, we show that, under mild hypotheses, if the subgroup of the Galois group generated by complex conjugations has less than full rank, then the refined conjecture implies that the Stark unit should be a square. This phenomenon has been discovered by Dummit and Hayes in a particular type of situation. We show that it should hold in much greater generality.
Employee Ownership: Revolution or Ripoff?

The article reviews the book “Employee Ownership: Revolution or Ripoff'” by Joseph R. Blasi.
Scale invariance via a phase of slow expansion

We consider a cosmological scenario in which a scale-invariant spectrum of curvature perturbations is generated by a rapidly evolving equation of state on a slowly expanding background. This scenario generalizes the ``adiabatic ekpyrotic'' mechanism proposed recently by Khoury and Steinhardt [Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 091301 (2010)]. Whereas the original proposal assumed a slowly contracting background, the present work shows that the mechanism works equally well on an expanding background. This greatly expands the realm of broader cosmological scenarios in which this mechanism can be embedded. We present a phase space analysis and show that both the expanding and contracting versions of the scenario are dynamical attractors, with the expanding branch having a broader basin of attraction. In both cases, a finite range of scale-invariant modes can be generated within the regime of validity of perturbation theory.
An automatic price adjustment formula for a regulated firm

(1977). An automatic price adjustment formula for a regulated firm. Applied Economics: Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 243-252.
Religion-Related Child Physical Abuse: Characteristics and Psychological Outcomes.

Religious beliefs can foster, encourage, and justify child abuse, yet religious motivations for child abuse and neglect have been virtually ignored in social science research. In this paper, we compare victims' retrospective reports of religion-related child physical abuse to other reported cases of child physical abuse. We describe in statistical detail the nature and circumstances of the abuse, characteristics of victims and perpetrators, and the spiritual and psychological impact of the abuse. Results indicate that although the basic characteristics of religion-related physical abuse are similar to non-religion-related physical abuse, religion-related abuse has significantly more negative implications for its victims' long-term psychological well-being.
G protein βγ dimer expression in cardiomyocytes: Developmental acquisition of Gβ3

Abstract Heterotrimeric G proteins are comprised of a guanine nucleotide binding Gα subunit and the Gβγ dimers that link G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to effectors. This study focuses on the expression and localization patterns for certain Gβ and Gγ subunits in neonatal and adult cardiomyocytes. We identify developmental downregulation of Gβ1, Gβ2, and Gγ2, and a switch in the molecular form of Gγ3, in cardiomyocytes. Gβ1 is highly localized to caveolae membranes, whereas Gβ2 is identified in caveolae and other membrane fractions. Gβ3 is not detected in neonatal cardiomyocytes, but rather Gβ3 is upregulated in adult cardiomyocytes and detected in the caveolae and soluble fractions. The observation that cardiomyocytes co-express multiple Gβ and Gγ subunits in a developmentally regulated manner, and that these Gβ and Gγ subunits assume distinct subcellular localization patterns, provides for a high level of signaling specificity in the heart.
Recent pharmacologic advances in antidepressant therapy

The serotonergic properties of newer generation antidepressants underscore the role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) in both the pathophysiology and the pharmacotherapy of major depression. Clinical differences between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are attributed to the greater potency and selectivity for 5-HT transporter inhibition by the SSRIs and the comparatively weak interaction of the SSRIs with nonserotonin neurotransmitter receptors. The SSRIs, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), and TCAs share a common adaptive regulation of noradrenergic, 5-HT, and glutamate neurotransmission, suggesting possible unifying mechanisms of action underlying their antidepressant effects. In vivo neuroimaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) have yielded a functional neuroanatomy of compromised neurocircuitry in major depression and promise to be invaluable in mapping the in vivo effects of future novel antidepressant drugs.