cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Vocabulary Instruction Using Constant Time Delay on Expository Reading of Young Adults with Intellectual Disability.

We investigated the effectiveness of using constant time delay (CTD) with young adults with intellectual disability on their vocabulary acquisition and retention, as well as expository reading comp...
Utilization of a citizen monitoring protocol to assess the structure and function of natural and stabilized fringing salt marshes in North Carolina

Narrow fringing salt marshes dominated by Spartina alterniflora occur naturally along estuarine shorelines and provide many of the same ecological functions as more extensive marshes. These fringing salt marshes are sometimes incorporated into shoreline stabilization efforts. We obtained data on elevation, salinity, sediment characteristics, vegetation and fish utilization at three study sites containing both natural fringing marshes and nearby restored marshes located landward of a stone sill constructed for shoreline stabilization. During the study, sediment accretion rates in the restored marshes were approximately 1.5- to 2-fold greater than those recorded in the natural marshes. Natural fringing marsh sediments were predominantly sandy with a mean organic matter content ranging between 1.5 and 6.0%. Average S. alterniflora stem density in natural marshes ranged between 130 and 222 stems m−2, while mean maximum stem height exceeded 64 cm. After 3 years, one of the three restored marshes (NCMM) achieved S. alterniflora stem densities equivalent to that of the natural fringing marshes, while percentage cover and maximum stem heights were significantly greater in the natural than in the restored marshes at all sites. There was no significant difference in the mean number of fish, crabs or shrimp captured with fyke nets between the natural and restored marshes, and only the abundance of Palaemonetes vulgaris (grass shrimp) was significantly greater in the natural marshes than in the restored ones. Mean numbers of fish caught per 5 m of marsh front were similar to those reported in the literature from marshes adjacent to tidal creeks and channels, and ranged between 509 and 634 fish net−1. Most of the field data and some of the sample analyses were obtained by volunteers as they contributed 223 h of the total 300 h spent collecting data from three sites in one season. The use of fyke nets required twice as many man-hours as any other single task. Vegetation and sediment parameters were sensitive indicators of marsh restoration success, and volunteers were capable of contributing a significant portion of the labor needed to collect these parameters.
Child Development in the Context of Disaster, War, and Terrorism: Pathways of Risk and Resilience

This review highlights progress over the past decade in research on the effects of mass trauma experiences on children and youth, focusing on natural disasters, war, and terrorism. Conceptual advances are reviewed in terms of prevailing risk and resilience frameworks that guide basic and translational research. Recent evidence on common components of these models is evaluated, including dose effects, mediators and moderators, and the individual or contextual differences that predict risk or resilience. New research horizons with profound implications for health and well-being are discussed, particularly in relation to plausible models for biological embedding of extreme stress. Strong consistencies are noted in this literature, suggesting guidelines for disaster preparedness and response. At the same time, there is a notable shortage of evidence on effective interventions for child and youth victims. Practical and theory-informative research on strategies to protect children and youth victims and promote their resilience is a global priority.
Monte Carlo simulation of diffusion and chemical reaction in catalyst pores

Diffusion and chemical reaction in a catalyst pore is simulated as a Monte Carlo process. In this analysis the average diffusion distance, calculated for a large number of wall collisions, and the reaction probability are computed as two independent statistical events. This formulation yields results that compare very well with the theoretical values, yet uses minimal computer time. Results reported include typical concentration profiles and effectiveness factors for first- and second-order isothermal reactions using the method described. These results show promise of extension to more complex systems where analytical solutions are not available.
CMOS VCO and LNA Using Tuned-Input Tuned-Output Circuits

A tuned-input tuned-output (TITO) VCO utilizes two resonant-tanks to achieve a low measured phase noise of 130.5 dBc/Hz @ 1 MHz offset from 2.5 GHz center frequency. Improvement in phase noise is achieved with comparable power consumption and tuning range compared to a cross-coupled VCO topology. A TITO cell similar to that in the VCO is used as a common-source amplifier in a current-reuse configuration cascaded with a -boosted common-gate amplifier to realize a high gain (20 dB), low power (2.7 mW) LNA. A technique to improve the linearity of the current-reuse LNA is also presented.
Optimal disturbance rejection by LTI feedback control in a laser beam steering system

This paper presents an optimal control design and experimental implementation for pointing and disturbance rejection in a laser beam steering system. To compensate for broadband disturbances due to atmospheric turbulence in the optical path and mechanical vibration of the laser and optical components, the linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controller includes a stochastic disturbance model, as well as integral action for tracking low-frequency disturbances and commands. The experimental system consists of a two-axis tilt mirror actuated by piezo-electric actuators, a second actuated tilt mirror to generate disturbances, a position sensing device that senses the location of the beam on a target plane, and a real-time computer for digital control. System identification is used to determine a state-space model of the beam steering system for use in control system design. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the LQG optimal disturbance rejection in desired bandwidths.
Effect of repeat exposure on neuroendocrine and symptom responses to pentagastrin

The cholecystokinin (CCK-B) agonist pentagastrin stimulates dose-dependent release of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol in humans, likely via direct pharmacological action at pituitary CCK-B receptors. Pentagastrin also produces side effects, however, which may be experienced as novel or anxiety arousing and could contribute to ACTH release. Available data suggest that pentagastrin's activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is unrelated to anxiety symptoms themselves, but novelty effects have not been examined in this model and do strongly activate this system in animals. To further explore the impact of novelty and anxiety symptoms on HPA responses, pentagastrin was administered twice to 12 subjects (six male, six female) under single-blind conditions. Repeat pentagastrin injection was associated with a slight habituation in the magnitude of symptom and HPA axis responses, but robust HPA and symptom responses were seen following both injections. No relationships were found between anxiety symptoms and HPA activity and the modest symptomatic and neuroendocrine habituation appeared to occur independently. Pentagastrin may release ACTH and cortisol through direct pharmacological action, perhaps enhanced on first exposure by psychologically mediated novelty effects. Novelty, per se, is not likely the primary mediator of the HPA response. This model may be useful for further study of cognitive-emotional modulators of HPA axis activity.
Clients' perspectives of the relationship of vulnerability and resilience in the context of HIV infection.

Clients with HIV infection have been described as both vulnerable and resilient. In addition, the conceptualization of clients with HIV infection has evolved. The purpose of this study is to examine this relationship among a sample of people with HIV infection. Qualitative description was the design used in this study. Interviews of 15 participants with HIV infection were conducted and analyzed using content analysis. All participants provided descriptions of the relationship of vulnerability and resilience in the context of HIV infection. Three different themes emerged from the data: Simultaneity, Dichotomy, and Vacillation. These themes were used to describe the relationship of vulnerability and resilience from the participants’ perspectives. Among people with HIV infection vulnerability and resilience are related concepts. In the context of HIV infection, the relationship of these concepts needs further study in order to relate these concepts to the physical and mental health of people living with HIV ...
Enterobacter cloacae: Bacteremia, Epidemiology, and Antibiotic Resistance

From the clinical viewpoint, Enterobacter cloacae and Enterobacter aerogenes are the two most important species of the genus Enterobacter. E. cloacae lacks lysine and arginine decarboxylases, whereas E. aerogenes has these enzymes. Enterobacter currently accounts for 40-12%?o of all cases of gram-negative bacteremia although it is not a cause of bacteremia at some hospitals. This study showed that E. cloacae has been endemic at a medical center hospital for at least five years and caused 4.5% of all cases of bacteremia in 1978. In May 1977 and July 1979 outbreaks of bacteremia due to E. cloacae occurred in the burn ward of the hospital. Most infected patients had multiple sites (urine, wound, and sputum) colonized before bacteremia occurred. No environmental or personnel sources of E. cloacae in the burn ward were discovered. Isolates of E. cloacae from the second outbreak were resistant to tobramycin, amikacin, and silver nitrate. The plasmid content of these strains differed from those of the first outbreak. For a five-year period, most strains of E. cloacae were resistant to cephalothin and ampicillin; however, resistance to aminoglycosides was rare. A literature review disclosed that E. cloacae has become prominent in burn units, but that it also has caused serious infections in nonburned patients. E. cloacae tends to contaminate various medicinal, iv, and other hospital products. Therefore, bacteremia due to E. cloacae, should prompt an investigation of exposures to potentially contaminated materials, especially those introduced into the bloodstream. Therapy of E. cloacae infections remains problematic and is complicated by the emergence of multiresistant strains. Aminoglycosides are the most active agents against E. cloacae, but new agents such as cefotaxime, cefaperazone, moxalactam, and thienamycin are active and eventually may be valuable in single-drug therapy of infection due to E. cloacae.
X-Ray Reflectivity and Fluorescence Measurements From Polystyrene-Co-Bromostyrene/Polystyrene Interfaces

X-ray fluorescence using synchrotron radiation at glancing angles of incidence was used to measure interface widths for the highly immiscible polymer blend system polystyrene/polybromostyrene (PS/PBrxS, with bromination level x = 0.8 bromine atoms per monomer). The interfacial widths are for bilayers annealed for 4 hours and 24 hours at 141±1C are found to be 100± 20A and 110±20A respectively.
Conditional Information Ratios and the Information Curve

Conditional information ratios (CIR) measure lower partial performance of a portfolio conditional to the distribution of returns on the benchmark. The Information Curve plotted by a serial CIR provides an overall view of performance especially under downside scenarios. The CIR approach is closely related to the theory of conditional stochastic dominance and is thus distributional and modeling free. Statistical inference for CIR performance evaluation is developed and is free from the assumption of normality. Empirical evidence shows that although many US equity mutual funds suffer from the 2005-2010 downtrends, some funds outperform the market and provide good downside protection. Additionally, this article suggests Conditional Sharpe Ratios are useful for measuring hedge fund performance.
CHAPTER 16 – Feeding in Marine Mammals

Reversion to marine habitats is a persistent theme of vertebrate evolution. While aquatic adaptation may be relatively easy for basal tetrapods, such as amphibians, it represents a dramatic shift for mammals and could not have been undertaken without significant benefits, such as the availability of plentiful food. Feeding is a crucial activity for marine mammals and, despite rampant parallel evolution, a source of critical characters in their classification. Rather than adopting a common feeding method, marine mammals radiated to exploit the varied resources and habitats of diverse marine environments. However, at the same time, they were constrained by the physical limitations of life in water and thus developed a few basic strategies for prey capture and manipulation. Although millions of years of evolution separate the dugong, dolphin, whale, and walrus, all share a terrestrial heritage and exhibit striking convergence in their adaptations to herbivory, raptorial, filter, and suction feeding. Clearly there is a considerable overlap in these divisions. The gray whale and crabeater seal (sucking filter feeders or filtering suction feeders) are prime examples of the limited solutions available.
Nepali Bhutanese refugees reap support through community gardening.

Effectively addressing psychological needs of refugees is a challenge for service providers operating within an expensive health care system based on Western constructs of mental health. In respons...
Dialogic framing of accounting information systems in social and environmental accounting domains: Lessons from, and for, microfinance

The successful design, application and evaluation of accounting information systems (AIS) in social and environmental accounting (SEA) domains increasingly requires that stakeholder interests be addressed. Because various stakeholders have competing interests, new thinking about how these can be accommodated is needed. Brown (2009) proposes a dialogic framework following from agonistic democracy, which takes the position that when consensus is not possible, progress can be facilitated through ongoing commitment to accounting processes that represent and accommodate competing perspectives. Previous work in AIS (Blackburn et al., 2014; Dillard and Yuthas, 2013) builds on Brown's work to develop a theoretical perspective useful in the AIS-SEA context that takes pluralism seriously. We extend this line of research by exploring developments in the microfinance industry and illustrate how the agonistic accounting principles can be useful in considering AIS-SEA design, implementation and evaluation as well as the initiation of innovation and change in the industry. Microfinance provides an example of an antagonistic context where the social mission/values come into unambiguous conflict with the economic objectives of microfinance institutions. Agonistics suggests that such conflict, if acknowledged and facilitated, has the potential for fostering innovative responses and reducing the likelihood of one perspective dominating the others. Relating accomplishments in this field to the principles of dialogic accounting demonstrates how this perspective can be incorporated into the design and use of systems that address social and environmental objectives as well as economic ones. We explore both accomplishments and shortcomings in achievement of pluralistic systems in the microfinance domain.
Predicting young adults' risk for engaging in prescription drug misuse in daily life from individual, partner, and relationship factors

ABSTRACTBackground: Mounting evidence based on retrospective and global assessments has established associations between prescription drug misuse and illicit drug use, alcohol abuse, mental health problems, risky sexual behaviors, and overdose deaths. However, there is a notable absence of identified risk and protective factors for an individual's likelihood of engaging in misuse in real-world environments. Methods: Using an experience sampling approach, the authors collected repeated moments of young adults' (n = 95 participants drawn from 49 romantic couples) prescription drug misuse instances in daily life and tested multiple factors associated with the misuse. Results: When examined in separate multilevel models, individual and relationship factors (but not partner factors) reliably predicted the likelihood of females' and males' prescription drug misuse in daily life. Specifically, females' elevated dysphoria symptoms, alcohol problems, and relationship closeness were linked with an increased likelih...
Quantitative Characterization of Aqueous Byproducts from Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Municipal Wastes, Food Industry Wastes, and Biomass Grown on Waste

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a viable thermochemical process for converting wet solid wastes into biocrude that can be hydroprocessed to liquid transportation fuel blendstocks and specialty chemicals. The aqueous byproduct from HTL contains significant amounts (20–50%) of the biogenic feed carbon, which must be valorized to enhance economic sustainability of the process on an industrial scale. In this study, aqueous fractions produced from HTL of food industry wastes, municipal wastes, and biomass cultivated on wastewater were characterized using a wide variety of analytical approaches. Organic species present in these aqueous fractions were identified using two-dimensional gas chromatography equipped with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Identified compounds include organic acids, nitrogen compounds, alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones. Conventional gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detection and liquid chromatography utilizing refractive index detection were employed to quantify the i...
When and why does sex chromosome dosage compensation evolve

In many species, sex is determined by sex chromosomes, and the sex-specific chromosome (Y or W) stops recombining until it degenerates and carries fewer genes than its recombining counterpart (X or Z). This creates an imbalance in the dosage of most sex-linked genes between males and females. Early work in model organisms demonstrated that X chromosomes in multiple groups independently evolved regulatory mechanisms maintaining balanced expression of X-linked genes. However, recent studies have shown that these dosage compensation mechanisms are far from universal. It remains unclear why dosage compensation mechanisms evolved in some groups of organisms and not others. Two factors have led to confusion in this area: first, different authors sometimes define dosage compensation in different ways; second, dosage compensation is sometimes viewed as an all-or-nothing phenomenon, even though it may vary across cell types, developmental stages, and different classes of genes. Here, I discuss current approaches to testing for sex chromosome dosage compensation and highlight patterns in the phylogenetic distribution of dosage compensation mechanisms and possible explanations for those patterns. I conclude by outlining how the presence of dosage compensation can be tested in nearly any nonmodel organism and provide some recommendations for future studies.
Intimacy, Marital Satisfaction, and Third Party Imagined Interactions:

This study examined the relationships between intimacy, relational quality, and third party imagined interactions (TPIIs) in married individuals. Similar to imagined interactions, TPIIs occur when ...
Ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging to monitor ocular stem cell delivery and tissue regeneration (Conference Presentation)

Glaucoma is associated with dysfunction of the trabecular meshwork (TM), a fluid drainage tissue in the anterior eye. A promising treatment involves delivery of stem cells to the TM to restore tissue function. Currently histology is the gold standard for tracking stem cell delivery and differentiation. To expedite clinical translation, non-invasive longitudinal monitoring in vivo is desired. Our current research explores a technique combining ultrasound (US) and photoacoustic (PA) imaging to track mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) after intraocular injection. Adipose-derived MSCs were incubated with gold nanospheres to label cells (AuNS-MSCs) for PA imaging. Successful labeling was first verified with in vitro phantom studies. Next, MSC delivery was imaged ex vivo in porcine eyes, while intraocular pressure was hydrostatically clamped to maintain a physiological flow rate through the TM. US/PA imaging was performed before, during, and after AuNS-MSC delivery. Additionally, spectroscopic PA imaging was implemented to isolate PA signals from AuNS-MSCs. In vitro cell imaging showed AuNS-MSCs produce strong PA signals, suggesting that MSCs can be tracked using PA imaging. While the cornea, sclera, iris, and TM region can be visualized with US imaging, pigmented tissues also produce PA signals. Both modalities provide valuable anatomical landmarks for MSC localization. During delivery, PA imaging can visualize AuNS-MSC motion and location, creating a unique opportunity to guide ocular cell delivery. Lastly, distinct spectral signatures of AuNS-MSCs allow unmixing, with potential for quantitative PA imaging. In conclusion, results show proof-of-concept for monitoring MSC ocular delivery, raising opportunities for in vivo image-guided cell delivery.
Percutaneous Septectomy in Chronic Dissection with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Creates Uniluminal Neck for EVAR.

Purpose The intent of this report is to describe the technical details and rationale of endovascular septectomy using a wire saw maneuver in cases of chronic aortic dissection and associated infra-renal aortic aneurysm to allow standard endovascular abdominal aortic graft placement; preliminary clinical experience is also retrospectively reviewed.
Sexual vs. Non-sexual trauma, sexual satisfaction and function, and mental health in female veterans.

Trauma in general, and sexual assault in particular, is associated with serious mental health and functional problems. The quality of sexual satisfaction/function may be particularly impacted by se...
Surgical Management of Vena Cava Tumor Thrombus (Retrohepatic-extracardiac): Role of Lower Torso Circulatory Arrest

The intraoperative management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with intraluminal inferior vena caval extension demands well conceived exacting surgery.
Genetic Testing, Molecular

Careful clinical, radiological, and genetic evaluation permits the specific diagnosis of various neurological disorders, which in turn facilitates medical care for the patient and genetic counseling for the patient and family. Predictive, prenatal, and carrier testing are possible for certain conditions, but the use of gene tests in these clinical situations requires detailed genetic counseling that may be best left to genetics specialists.
Hemodialysis Graft and Fistula Access and Intervention

The incidence of renal failure in children is 1–2/100,000 as compared to 30/100,000 in adults. Although the method of dialysis depends on many factors, in some European countries, hemodialysis is preferred in children older than 5 years with peritoneal dialysis used in younger children and those less than 10 kg in weight. The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has developed the Kidney Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) guidelines that serve as the standards of hemodialysis access management. Methods of dialysis access that are used in patients requiring hemodialysis include hemodialysis catheters, arteriovenous grafts (AVGs), and arteriovenous fistulae (AVFs). One of the current goals of the DOQI guidelines is to have an AVF placed in at least 50 % of patients with new onset renal failure and in at least 40 % of patients requiring hemodialysis. The DOQI guidelines also recommend that catheters should be used in less than 10 % of patients requiring hemodialysis. This chapter will focus on the management of dysfunctional AVGs and AVFs.
Sedimentation field flow fractionation, a powerful technique for measurement of particle sizes and particle size distributions in the submicron range

ABSTRACT Sedimentation Field Flow Fractionation (SFFF) is a powerful technique for use in the submicron particle size range to measure particle sizes and particle size distributions. SFFF offers resolution and sensitivity which permit exact particle size distributions on samples of very low concentration. This technique extends the analyst's capability to perform particle size determinations down to 10 nanometers. Many materials have been examined by SFFF and examples of these will be shown, including polymer latices, ceramics, silica sols, pigments, carbon black and emulsions.
Combining high spatial resolution multi-temporal satellite data with leaf-on LiDAR to enhance tree species discrimination at the crown level

The long-standing goal of discriminating tree species at the crown-level from high spatial resolution imagery remains challenging. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether combining (a) high sp...
The Global Burden of Cardiovascular Disease in Women.

Purpose of review Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, accounting for one third of all deaths in 2015. Alarmingly, there has been slowing of the decline in age-standardized CVD mortality over the last 5 years compared to the previous 25 years. Recent findings Given the increasing global CVD burden, in 2011, the United Nations declared the goal to reduce premature mortality from the four main non-communicable diseases by 25% from 2010 to 2025, abbreviated as the 25 × 25 goal. The United Nations has further created nine targets to achieve the 25 × 25 goal. These targets emphasize risk factor modification and strengthening of healthcare delivery systems. Achieving the nine targets and 25 × 25 goal set by the United Nations will undoubtedly benefit the world as a whole. However, women face additional, unacceptable, disproportionate CVD risk factors that need to be addressed, including psychological stressors contributing to ischemic heart disease, pregnancy-related CVD, environmental and infectious exposures in low socioeconomic settings, and limited healthcare access and delivery. This paper highlights global CVD gender disparities in order to stimulate awareness and discussion of potential interventions to address the rapidly growing burden of heart disease in women.
The History of Non-obstetric Endoscopic Surgery During Pregnancy

The development of non-obstetric endoscopic surgery in pregnancy is relatively recent. Studies investigating the use of anesthesia and the performance of non-obstetric surgery in pregnancy were not performed until the second half of the twentieth century. Around the same time, video-assisted laparoscopy was invented and pioneered by Camran Nezhat, and as it became embraced by the surgical community, it was also applied to the pregnant patient. Early concerns about the use of laparoscopy in pregnancy revolved around the unknown effects of anesthesia and pneumoperitoneum on the fetus, difficult surgical entry due to the enlarged uterus with a potential for uterine injury, and the physiologic changes inherent to pregnancy. Numerous studies have demonstrated the safety of anesthesia in pregnancy, and pneumoperitoneum has likewise been shown to be safe for the mother and fetus. Once the feasibility of laparoscopic entry was demonstrated, a variety of procedures were demonstrated to be safe in pregnancy. Now, surgical procedures may be performed as indicated in any trimester of pregnancy.
Boosting, Bagging and Ensembles in the Real World: An Overview, some Explanations and a Practical Synthesis for Holistic Global Wildlife Conservation Applications Based on Machine Learning with Decision Trees

Boosting, bagging and ensembles are intellectually ‘deep’ modeling methods well-known and described for several decades. Great computing tools exist to use those methods. But with few exceptions they have not been used well for natural resource conservation management or ecology; for instance, the advanced works of Breiman (2001), Friedman (2001), and Elder (2003) still await generic recognition. Here I present on these methods, conveniently driven by binary recursive partitioning (Classification and Regression Trees CARTs), and many of their real-world aspects and usages. I elaborate on applications and on some of the implementation hurdles known. It is shown that those machine learning methods are the essential part of the new generation of quantitative reasoning. It allows for relevant progress, all while the global environmental state decays further, climate change remain unaccounted for and sustainability policies remain outdated urging for an effective change of global culture and governance.
Surgical and Endovascular Comprehensive Treatment Outcomes of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms: Reduction of Treatment Bias

Background Determining the risks of treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms is critical in the decision-making process of management. Most studies have reported the results for endovascular or surgical management. Our objective was to better delineate the risk estimates for unruptured intracranial aneurysms treated with surgical or endovascular techniques in a comprehensive fashion, according to the patients' risk profiles. Methods Data were gathered from 553 patients with 658 unruptured intracranial aneurysms treated at a single institution from 2014 to 2017. The decision to treat was determined by a projected morbidity that was lower than the natural history rupture risk. Data on aneurysm size, location, patient age, and outcome at the last clinical visit (modified Rankin scale scores) were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Results The mean patient age was 59 years, and the mean lesion size was 7.3 mm. Microsurgical clipping was used in 251 lesions (38.2%), endovascular coiling in 70 (10.6%), stent-assisted coiling in 89 (13.5%), and a pipeline embolization device in 248 (37.7%). Complications from the procedures or during hospital admission occurred 66 lesions (10% of the total). Of these 66 complications, 28 (4.32% of the total) were non-neurological, treated, and resolved without permanent morbidity. Neurologic complications occurred in 38 procedures (5.7% of the total). Of these, 7 (1%) resulted in a permanent poor outcome (modified Rankin scale score, 3–6). Conclusion Aneurysmal obliteration using endovascular and surgical approaches in a comprehensive fashion has low treatment risks for unruptured aneurysms. The nomograms generated are useful in the discussion with patients and families regarding the risks of total institutional treatment of unruptured aneurysms.
Clinical findings Increase the Specificity of the FAST Exam: A Strategy to Guide Imaging in Blunt Pediatric Trauma

Purpose: Our objective was to develop a set of physical exam and laboratory findings that in selected pediatric patients, combined with the FAST exam results, were sensitive and specific in detecting intra-abdominal injuries that correlated with CT scan results. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of all trauma patients aged 0-17 years who were evaluated at an academic American College of Surgeons (ACS) verified …
Weed species and traits associated with organic grain crop rotations in the mid-Atlantic region.

Organic cropping systems are characterized by soil-disturbance events that can be diversified over years through crop rotations and within seasons by varying planting dates. The Farming Systems Project at Beltsville, MD, USA, is a long-term experiment that includes three organic rotations, corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], corn–soybean–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and corn–soybean–wheat–alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Analysis of weed presence and cover over the first 18 yr of this experiment revealed that the tall, erect annual broadleaf weeds smooth pigweed (Amaranthus hybridus L.), common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L.), horseweed (Erigeron canadensis L.), jimsonweed (Datura stramonium L.), and/or velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti Medik.) were most prominent in corn and soybean. Generally, these species exhibited traits adapted to the disturbance regimes, nutrient availability, crop environment and duration, and local meteorological conditions associated with the summer annual corn and soybean crops. Abundance of A. hybridus, D. stramonium, and A. theophrasti were controlled primarily by rotation diversity, whereby presence and cover of these species were highest in the short corn–soybean rotation and lowest in the longer rotations that had more diverse seasonal soil-disturbance regimes. Early-season temperature was the primary factor controlling C. album presence and cover, which were higher at lower temperatures associated with earlier planting dates. Higher early-season precipitation was the primary factor associated with higher presence of annual grass species. The relative abundance of species in organic corn and soybean was determined primarily by the diversity of crops and disturbance operations in rotation, the timing of spring tillage and planting, and annual meteorological conditions driving emergence periodicity.
Current and Investigational Therapeutics for Fabry Disease.

Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disease caused by a deficiency in the lysosomal enzyme α-galactosidase (α-GAL). This in turn leads to the buildup of globotriaosylceramide, resulting classically in progressive kidney disease, peripheral neuropathy, early-onset cerebrovascular disease, gastrointestinal symptoms, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, corneal whorls, and angiokeratomas. The diagnosis of FD relies on identification of a low α-GAL enzyme activity, identification of a genetic mutation, or histologic evidence of disease. With more than 900 mutations identified, there is phenotypic variability deriving from both mutational effects as well as the effect of skewed X-inactivation in females. Treatment of this disease has relied on intravenous replacement of the deficient enzyme with agalsidase α or agalsidase β. However, treatment options for some patients with FD have recently expanded, with the approval of migalastat, an oral molecular chaperone. In addition to chaperone-based therapies, there are several additional therapies under development that could substantially reshape treatment options for patients with FD. Four approaches to gene therapy, through both ex vivo and in vivo methods, are under development. Another approach is through the administration of α-GAL mRNA to help stimulate production of α-GAL, which is another unique form of therapy. Finally, substrate reduction therapies act as inhibitors of glucosylceramide synthase, thus inhibiting the production of GB-3, promise another oral option to treat FD. This article will review the literature around current therapies as well as these newer therapeutics agents in the pipeline for FD.
Teaching Video NeuroImages: Atypical childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes: Seizures often discussed, rarely seen.

A 7-year-old right-handed boy with poorly controlled epilepsy presented to the epilepsy monitoring unit for further clarification of his diagnosis. Seizure onset was at 3 years with focal motor seizures of left face and arm followed by confusion and aphasia. Prominent behavioral and school difficulties were also reported. Valproic acid monotherapy (23 mg/kg/d) was weaned by day 2 and a habitual event captured on day 5 (figure, video 1). Brain MRI and an epilepsy gene panel (including GRIN2A ) were nonrevealing. The diagnosis was therefore consistent with atypical childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes. This differs from benign rolandic epilepsy because of earlier seizure onset, increased seizure burden, EEG with background slowing (figure) with stereotyped discharges, seizure semiology, and more prominent comorbidities.1,2
MELODY: Adaptive Task Definition of COP Prediction with Metadata for HVAC Control and Electricity Saving

It is well-known that the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) dominates electricity consumption in commercial buildings. Existing study on HVAC has shown that it is important to accurately quantify the performance profile of a chiller, namely coefficient of performance (COP), and data-driven COP prediction has been recently proposed. However, the task definition for COP prediction, e.g., the number of needed models and the context when the model should be used, is left as an open question. We propose a framework of Metadata-driven Multi-task COP Prediction with Adaptive Task Definition Methodology (MELODY) which defines and learns multiple COP tasks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first method that adaptively defines COP prediction tasks according to various datasets. As such, this method can select specific COP models under varied contexts and estimate COP. A key idea is to use metadata to dynamically define multiple tasks. We provide a formal definition of metadata and two sources and methods to extract metadata. We evaluate the performance of our scheme by applying it to real-world data, spanning four months obtained from multiple chillers across eight buildings in two large industrial parks in an international metropolis. The results show that our solution outperforms state-of-the-art COP prediction methods and is able to save on 252 MWh of electricity consumption for one month in each of the eight buildings, which is an improvement of over 35% compared to the current mode of operation of the chillers in the buildings.
CAR T Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors: Bright Future or Dark Reality?

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has garnered significant excitement due to its success for hematological malignancies in clinical studies leading to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of three CD19-targeted CAR T cell products. In contrast, the clinical experience with CAR T cell therapy for solid tumors and brain tumors has been less encouraging, with only a few patients achieving complete responses. Clinical and preclinical studies have identified multiple "roadblocks," including (1) a limited array of targetable antigens and heterogeneous antigen expression, (2) limited T cell fitness and survival before reaching tumor sites, (3) an inability of T cells to efficiently traffic to tumor sites and penetrate physical barriers, and (4) an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Herein, we review these challenges and discuss strategies that investigators have taken to improve the effector function of CAR T cells for the adoptive immunotherapy of solid tumors.
Sort-Seq Tools: sequence-function relationship modeling for massively parallel assays

A variety of massively parallel assays for measuring high-resolution sequence-function relationships have been developed in recent years. However, software for learning quantitative models from these data is lacking. Here we describe Sort-Seq Tools, a software package that allows multiple types of quantitative models to be fit to massively parallel data in multiple different ways. We demonstrate Sort-Seq Tools on both simulated and published data from Sort-Seq studies, massively parallel reporter assays, and deep mutational scanning experiments. We observe that, as an inference method, information maximization generally outperforms both least squares optimization and enrichment ratio calculations.
Human Parental Relatedness through Time - Detecting Runs of Homozygosity in Ancient DNA

Abstract At present day, human parental relatedness varies substantially across the globe, but little is known about the past. Here we use ancient DNA to provide new insights, leveraging that parental relatedness leaves traces in the offspring’s genome in the form of runs of homozygosity. We present a method to identify such runs in low-coverage ancient DNA data using linkage information from a reference panel of modern haplotypes. As a result, the method facilitates analysis of a much larger fraction of the global ancient DNA record than previously possible. Simulation and experiments show that this new method has power to detect runs of homozygosity longer than 4 centimorgan for ancient individuals with at least 0.3× coverage. We used this new method to analyze sequence data from 1,785 humans from the last 45,000 years. Generally, we detect very low rates of first cousin or closer unions across most ancient populations. Moreover, our results evidence a substantial impact of the adoption of agricultural lifestyles: We find a marked decay in background parental relatedness, co-occurring with or shortly after the advent of sedentary agriculture. We observe this signal, likely linked to increasing local population sizes, across several geographic regions worldwide.
TRANSIT AND ECLIPSE ANALYSES OF THE EXOPLANET HD 149026b USING BLISS MAPPING

The dayside of HD 149026b is near the edge of detectability by the Spitzer Space Telescope. We report on 11 secondary-eclipse events at 3.6, 4.5, 3 × 5.8, 4 × 8.0, and 2 × 16 μm plus three primary-transit events at 8.0 μm. The eclipse depths from jointly fit models at each wavelength are 0.040% ± 0.003% at 3.6 μm, 0.034% ± 0.006% at 4.5 μm, 0.044% ± 0.010% at 5.8 μm, 0.052% ± 0.006% at 8.0 μm, and 0.085% ± 0.032% at 16 μm. Multiple observations at the longer wavelengths improved eclipse-depth signal-to-noise ratios by up to a factor of two and improved estimates of the planet-to-star radius ratio (Rp /R = 0.0518 ± 0.0006). We also identify no significant deviations from a circular orbit and, using this model, report an improved period of 2.8758916 ± 0.0000014 days. Chemical-equilibrium models find no indication of a temperature inversion in the dayside atmosphere of HD 149026b. Our best-fit model favors large amounts of CO and CO2, moderate heat redistribution (f = 0.5), and a strongly enhanced metallicity. These analyses use BiLinearly-Interpolated Subpixel Sensitivity (BLISS) mapping, a new technique to model two position-dependent systematics (intrapixel variability and pixelation) by mapping the pixel surface at high resolution. BLISS mapping outperforms previous methods in both speed and goodness of fit. We also present an orthogonalization technique for linearly correlated parameters that accelerates the convergence of Markov chains that employ the Metropolis random walk sampler. The electronic supplement contains light-curve files.
Willingness to initiate pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and its use among opioid-dependent individuals in drug treatment

Abstract Background People who use drugs (PWUD) continue to experience a disproportionate HIV burden due to drug- and sex-related risk behaviors. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective at preventing HIV infection, but very little is known about PrEP use among PWUD and their willingness to initiate PrEP. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 234 HIV-negative, opioid-dependent individuals recruited from an urban methadone clinic. Participants were assessed using an audio-computer assisted self-interview technique. Bivariate and multiple logistic regressions were used to explore independent correlates of actual PrEP use and willingness to initiate PrEP. Results One-fourth (25.6 %) of participants had previously used PrEP. Over two-thirds (67.1 %) of participants had previously heard of PrEP, and 65.0 % were willing to take it. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, the number of times participants engaged in HIV testing (aOR = 1.66, p Conclusion PrEP use was low among PWUD, but their willingness to initiate PrEP was moderate, which indicated a significant discrepancy between actual PrEP use and willingness to use it. Our findings highlight the importance of healthcare providers engaging opioid-dependent individuals in discussions about PrEP and the need for innovative strategies to increase their awareness of PrEP and modify their perceptions of HIV risk.
Let’s be frank: Individual and team-level predictors of improvement in student teamwork effectiveness following peer-evaluation feedback

Abstract This paper examines the individual and team-level predictors of improvement in student teamwork effectiveness following peer-evaluation (PE) feedback. The goal of this study is two-fold: first, to understand the differences in students' initial reactions to PE feedback, as well as their subsequent decisions and actions to improve; and second, to identify the team-level processes that contribute to improvements in students' teamwork effectiveness. The mixed-methods study design combines the benefits of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. The sample consists of 266 undergraduate students in 51 teams, working together for the duration of one academic semester. Data were collected in multiple waves, using open-ended surveys and interviews, as well as a standardized online PE system. Both the qualitative and quantitative analyses revealed that PE feedback is the most salient factor influencing students' improvement in their teamwork effectiveness. Moreover, students' grade aspirations and prior experience using the PE system are positively related to the level of improvement in teamwork effectiveness. The team-level factors have more complex effects, with different team processes influencing improvement along different dimensions of teamwork effectiveness. These findings have important pedagogical implications for improving students’ teamwork effectiveness.
Case Article—Bayer New Drug Development Decision Making

The interactive case study requires student teams to engage with the instructor using a structured decision analysis process in deciding whether to develop a new drug to treat blood clots in legs. ...
The Aviation System Monitoring and Modeling (ASMM) Project: A Documentation of its History and Accomplishments: 1999-2005

The Aviation System Monitoring and Modeling (ASMM) Project was one of the projects within NASA s Aviation Safety Program from 1999 through 2005. The objective of the ASMM Project was to develop the technologies to enable the aviation industry to undertake a proactive approach to the management of its system-wide safety risks. The ASMM Project entailed four interdependent elements: (1) Data Analysis Tools Development - develop tools to convert numerical and textual data into information; (2) Intramural Monitoring - test and evaluate the data analysis tools in operational environments; (3) Extramural Monitoring - gain insight into the aviation system performance by surveying its front-line operators; and (4) Modeling and Simulations - provide reliable predictions of the system-wide hazards, their causal factors, and their operational risks that may result from the introduction of new technologies, new procedures, or new operational concepts. This report is a documentation of the history of this highly successful project and of its many accomplishments and contributions to improved safety of the aviation system.
Powder River Basin Resource Council v. Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission

The Wyoming Supreme Court reversed and remanded the district court’s decision that chemicals used in fracking are confidential “trade secrets” that do not need to be publicly disclosed. The Court ordered the district court to apply the WPRA, not the APA, as the standard of review, and to use the FOIA definition of trade secrets. The Court’s chosen definition will make it more difficult for companies to demonstrate that the chemicals they use should not be disclosed.