cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling work plan logistics for centralized biomass recovery operations in mountainous terrain

Industrial timberland managers and biomass contractors are faced with a variety of challenges when implementing biomass recovery operations in mountainous terrain. Utilizing a centralized grinding supply chain with modified dump trucks to pre-haul loose slash and a decoupled chip truck transportation system has been found to maximize the utilization rate of machines and productivity of forest residue recovery operations in northern California. This study used a spatial analysis approach to identify the optimal locations for centralized grinding and trailer landings based on the spatial distribution of biomass, existing road networks, and terrain characteristics. The network analyst in ArcGIS was used to model the supply chain logistics from the harvest unit to the energy facility. The resulting models provide explicit details on developing an operational work plan that can be used to cost-effectively implement large-scale centralized biomass recovery operations on industrial timberlands. Optimization of system logistics resulted in low costs of collection and transportation as well as improved access to recoverable forest residues. This was done by identifying the locations of landings, amount and distribution of recoverable forest residues, and modeling an efficient forest residue freight supply chain. Through the use of spatial and network analysis, operational mangers will now be able to develop a comprehensive work plan that provides a framework for centralized biomass recovery operations.
Incorporating Fixed-Point and -Line Constraints and Tolerance Based Synthesis in 4MDS

This paper presents implementation of fixed-pivots, ground-link line, and tolerance based motion synthesis in the 4MDS (Four-Bar Motion Design System). This is a continuation of the first work reported on 4MDS, which provides an interactive, graphical, and geometric constraint based mechanism design system for the exact- and approximate-motion synthesis problems. Theoretical foundation of the 4MDS is laid over a kinematic mapping based unified formulation of the geometric constraints (circle, fixed-line, line-tangent-to-a-circle) associated with the mechanical dyads (RR, PR, and RP) of a planar four-bar mechanism. An efficient algorithm extracts the geometric constraints of a given motion task and determines the best dyad types as well as their dimensions that best fit to the motion. Often, Mechanism designers need to impose additional geometric constraints, such as specification of location of fixed pivots or ground-link line. If synthesized mechanism suffers from branch, circuit, or order defect, they may also desire rectified solutions by allowing a tolerance to certain or all task positions. Such functions are crucial to a practitioner and much needed during the conceptual design stage of machine design process.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Laying the Groundwork: The Struggle for Civil Society in El Salvador

The armed conflict that wracked El Salvador from 1980 to the signing of the Peace Accords in January 1992 began and ended in a still unresolved struggle over civil society: over what expression civil society would be allowed to take, over its influence in public debate, over who would control it, and how. If the Right fought to protect its own economic power, it fought first of all on the ground of civil society, attempting by all means available to subordinate, or subdue, the forces unleashed via the wave of organizing by church groups, unions, and the Left in the 1960s (Baloyra, 1982; Lungo U., 1987; Montgomery, 1995). The targets of the famous “death squads,” which emerged well before the eruption of civil war in 1981, were preponderantly representatives of organized civil society: union leaders, teachers, community organizers, health workers, catechists. While political militants have been the most prominent among recent victims of the violence carried out by resurgent death squads, the struggle going on in El Salvador today is essentially a struggle over the character and direction of the new civil society that has arisen in the wake of the war and the Peace Accords.
Science discovery in clinician-economist collaboration: legacy and future challenges.

BACKGROUND 2002 Carl Taube Lecture at the NIMH Mental Health Economics Meeting. AIMS OF THE STUDY To analyze the contribution and process of clinician/economist collaboration. METHODS Personal scientific autobiography, using relationships with three economists as case examples. RESULTS In joint efforts by clinicians and economists, clinicians bring an interest in case examples and in responding to unmet need, while economists bring structured analysis methods and respect for a societal perspective. Through mutual respect and discovery, both clinicians and economists can define unmet need in clinical and economic terms and help develop models and programs to improve clinical care, while maintaining a societal evaluation perspective. Key to scientific discovery is the principle that the emotions generated by data, such as hope and despair, need to be acknowledged and utilized rather than avoided or buried, provided that such feelings are used in a balanced manner in research. According to the author, collaboration helps maintain such a balance. DISCUSSION Collaboration requires and builds trust, and improves the depth of research by combining different personal and disciplinary perspectives and strengths. Young investigators should be encouraged to explore collaboration and to consider their feelings in response to health and economic data as an important scientific and creative resource.
Far-field optical nanothermometry using individual sub-50 nm upconverting nanoparticles

We demonstrate far-field optical thermometry using individual NaYF4 nanoparticles doped with 2% Er3+ and 20% Yb3+. Isolated 20 × 20 × 40 nm3 particles were identified using only far-field optical imaging, confirmed by subsequent scanning electron microscopy. The luminescence thermometry response for five such single particles was characterized for temperatures from 300 K to 400 K. A standard Arrhenius model widely used for larger particles can still be accurately applied to these sub-50 nm particles, with good particle-to-particle uniformity (response coefficients exhibited standard deviations below 5%). With its spatial resolution on the order of 50 nm when imaging a single particle, far below the diffraction limit, this technique has potential applications for both fundamental thermal measurements and nanoscale metrology in industrial applications.
Assessment of Learning in Digital Interactive Social Networks: A Learning Analytics Approach

This paper summarizes initial field-test results from data analytics used in the work of the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21S) project, on the “ICT Literacy — Learning in digital networks” learning progression. This project, sponsored by Cisco, Intel and Microsoft, aims to help educators around the world enable students with the skills to succeed in future career and college goals. The paper begins with describing some expansions to a common definition of learning analytics, then includes a review of the literature on ICT literacy, including the specific development that led to the ATC21S effort. This is followed by a description of the development of a “learning progression” for this project, as well as the logic behind the instrument construction and data analytics, along with examples of each. Data were collected in a demonstration digital environment in four countries: Australia, Finland, Singapore and the U.S. The results indicate that the new constructs developed by the project, and the novel item forms and analytics that were employed, are indeed capable of being employed in a large-scale digital environment. The paper concludes with a discussion of the next steps for this effort. Acknowledgements: We thank the ATC21S project and its funders for their support for the work reported in this report. We also acknowledge the expertise and creative input of the ATC21S Expert Panel in ICT Literacy: John Ainley (Chair), Julian Fraillon, Peter Pirolli, Jean-Paul Reeff, Kathleen Scalise, and Mark Wilson. Of course, the views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors alone.
Deletion of Bak and Bax in Tie2+ BM Hematopoietic Stem Cells Induces a B Cell Lymphoproliferative Disorder.

Abstract Abstract 1247 Poster Board I-269 Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by a monoclonal, mature B-cell lymphocytosis, lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly. The pathogenesis of CLL is thought to be related to abnormal programmed cell death mechanisms but the precise contribution of several pro-apoptotic genes remains unknown. Elucidation of the pathogenesis of CLL is also limited by the lack of animal models which reproduce the CLL phenotype. We present a transgenic mouse model in which conditional, tissue-specific deletion of Bax is achieved in Tie2+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) via Cre-LoxP recombination. In this model, Tie2Cre;Bak-/-;BaxFl/- mice carried constitutive deletion of Bak and targeted deletion of Bax in Tie2+ BM HSCs. Surprisingly, the combined deletion of Bak and Bax in Tie2+ cells caused a pronounced leukocytosis with total WBCs>100,000 in 8-week old mice. In contrast, Tie2Cre;Bak-/-;BaxFl/+ mice, which retained one Bax allele, had normal peripheral blood WBCs comparable to wild type C57Bl6 mice (range 4-10,000;p Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
A bloom filter based scalable data integrity check tool for large-scale dataset

Large scale HPC applications are becoming increasingly data intensive. At Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF), we are observing the number of files curated under individual project are reaching as high as 200 millions and project data size is exceeding petabytes. These simulation datasets, once validated, often needs to be transferred to archival system for long term storage or shared with the rest of the research community. Ensuring the data integrity of the full dataset at this scale is paramount important but also a daunting task. This is especially true considering that most conventional tools are serial and file-based, unwieldy to use and/or can't scale to meet user's demand.To tackle this particular challenge, this paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a scalable parallel checksumming tool, fsum, which we developed at OLCF. It is built upon the principle of parallel tree walk and work-stealing pattern to maximize parallelism and is capable of generating a single, consistent signature for the entire dataset at extreme scale. We also applied a novel bloom-filter based technique in aggregating signatures to overcome the signature ordering requirement. Given the probabilistic nature of bloom filter, we provided a detailed error and trade-off analysis. Using multiple datasets from production environment, we demonstrated that our tool can efficiently handle both very large files as well as many small-file based datasets. Our preliminary test showed that on the same hardware, it outperforms conventional tool by as much as 4×. It also exhibited near-linear scaling properties when provisioned with more compute resources.
Mixed-Metal Oxide Phases Containing Decavanadate Clusters: Synthesis and Crystal Structures of {{(H2O)2K-μ-(H2O)3-M(H2O)3}2[V10O28] (M=Co, Ni)

The synthesis and structures and thermal properties of two compounds: {(H2O)2K-μ-(H2O)3-Co(H2O)3}2[V10O28] (1) and {(H2O)2K-μ-(H2O)3-Ni(H2O)3}2[V10O28] (2) are described. These compounds have been prepared by the reaction of aqueous solutions (pH=3.5) of KVO3with MCl2·6H2O (M=Co, Ni) at 70–72°C. The isomorphous structures of the two compounds consist of interlinked chains composed of arrays of {V10O28} clusters which are joined through {(H2O)2K-μ-(H2O)3-M(H2O)3} bridges. Thermogravimetric studies revealed the complete removal of all water molecules in multiple steps in the temperature range 90–208°C.
The Alleged Gender Pay Gap: A Comment on Horwitz

This article comments on an article by Steven Horwitz, who argued that most of the gender pay gap can be explained by factors other than discrimination, such as life choices. The author also raises the question of whether there is a moral duty to discriminate on the basis of gender in some cases, and provides an example.
A Woman with ESRD with Increasing Need for Erythropoietin to Maintain Hemoglobin

A 71-year-old woman was evaluated because of anemia resistant to erythropoietin (EPO) analog treatment. She had received in-center hemodialysis thrice weekly for the past 5 years. The cause of ESRD was not known. She had a history of hypothyroidism, depression, hypertension, and breast cancer. The
Student's Swimming-related Death

A physical education teacher who required a student non-swimmer to spend most of a class period in a school pool was immune from liability after the student ingested water into his lungs and died.
Estimating Models of Financial Market Behaviour during Periods of Extensive Structural Reform: The Experience of Chile (Estimation de modÃ¨les du comportement du marchÃ© financier en pÃ©riodes de rÃ©formes structurelles gÃ©nÃ©ralisÃ©es: l'expÃ©rience du Chili) (La estimaciÃ³n de modelos de comportamineto del mercado financiero durante perÃ­odos de reforma estructural amplia: La experiencia de Chile)

This paper examines the problems involved in estimating portfolio balance models of the behavior of financial markets during a period of extensive structural reforms. The model encompasses specifications of the portfolio behavior of banks and nonbanks (firms and households) regarding holdings of currency, demand deposits, time deposits, and bank loans. In addition, the analysis describes the determinants of bank loan and time deposit rates and the linkages between inflation, the balance of payments, interest rates, and financial aggregates. The model is estimated for a sample of monthly Chilean data from July 1965 to June 1980. The estimation results are also contrasted with those obtained in previous work on Argentina. /// L'auteur de la prA©sente A©tude analyse les difficultA©s que prA©sente l'estimation de modA¨les du comportement du marchA© financier -- axA©s sur l'A©quilibre des portefeuilles -- en pA©riodes de rA©formes structurelles gA©nA©ralisA©es. Le modA¨le spA©cifie le comportement en matiA¨re de portefeuilles des banques et des agents non bancaires (entreprises et mA©nages) au niveau des avoirs en monnaie, des dA©pA´ts A vue, des dA©pA´ts A terme et des prAats bancaires. L'analyse comporte A©galement une description des facteurs dA©terminants des taux servis sur les prAats bancaires et les dA©pA´ts A terme ainsi que des liens existant entre l'inflation, la balance des paiements, les taux d'intA©rAat et les agrA©gats financiers. Le modA¨le est estimA© au moyen d'un A©chantillon de donnA©es mensuelles observA©es au Chili pendant la pA©riode allant de juillet 1965 A juin 1980. Enfin, l'auteur compare les rA©sultats A ceux obtenus dans le cadre d'une A©tude effectuA©e antA©rieurement pour l'Argentine. /// En este estudio se abordan los problemas de la estimaciA³n de modelos de equilibrio de cartera del comportamiento de los mercados financieros durante un perA­odo de amplias reformas estructurales. El modelo incluye especificaciones del comportamiento de cartera de la banca y del sector no bancario (empresas y unidades familiares) en cuanto a las tenencias de moneda, depA³sitos a la vista, depA³sitos a plazo y prA©stamos bancarios. TambiA©n se describen los factores determinantes de los tipos de interA©s de los prA©stamos bancarios y los depA³sitos a plazo, y los vA­nculos entre inflaciA³n, balanza de pagos, tipos de interA©s y agregados financieros. Se estima el modelo para una muestra de datos mensuales chilenos que abarca desde julio de 1965 hasta junio de 1980. Se comparan tambiA©n los resultados de la estimaciA³n con los obtenidos en un trabajo anterior sobre Argentina.
A Case Study in Rural Community Economic Development: Hill Country Health & Wellness Center

This short article was written for a symposium issue on the role of law and lawyers in community economic development. The symposium issue arose from an AALS 2017 Discussion Group session about whether “law matters” in the context of community economic development and, if so, how and why law matters. The case study presented here is about a rural community health care center, Hill Country Health and Wellness, in far northern California’s Shasta County. The case study tracks the use—or lack thereof—of lawyers by the center’s founder and principal, and it discusses these phenomena against a backdrop of rural lack of anonymity and self-reliance.
Association between hospital community services and county population health in the USA.

Objectives Little research has utilized population level data to test the association between community health outcomes and (i) hospital-sponsored community services that facilitate access to care and (ii) hospital-sponsored community building services in the USA. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine these relationships. Methods A secondary data analysis of the 2016 County Health Rankings and American Hospital Association databases was conducted via zero-truncated negative Binomial regression. Results Findings indicate a statistically significant difference between the number of community healthcare access services and community building services with county's rank of health behavior. However, no statistically significant differences were found between the number of community healthcare access services and community building services with county rankings of length of life, quality of life or clinical care. Conclusions Our findings suggest that quality measures of services may play a more important role in community health improvement and that there is opportunity for hospitals to revamp the way in which community health needs assessments are conducted. Additional federal action is needed to standardize hospital sponsored community health service data reporting so that practitioners, hospital administrators and researchers can more specifically define hospitals' role in public health protection in the USA.
Effect of intermittent vs. daily calorie restriction on changes in weight and patient-reported outcomes in people with multiple sclerosis.

Abstract An intermittent fasting or calorie restriction diet has favorable effects in the mouse forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and may provide additional anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective advantages beyond benefits obtained from weight loss alone. We conducted a pilot randomized controlled feeding study in 36 people with MS to assess safety and feasibility of different types of calorie restriction (CR) diets and assess their effects on weight and patient reported outcomes in people with MS. Patients were randomized to receive 1 of 3 diets for 8 weeks: daily CR diet (22% daily reduction in energy needs), intermittent CR diet (75% reduction in energy needs, 2 days/week; 0% reduction, 5 days/week), or a weight-stable diet (0% reduction in energy needs, 7 days/week). Of the 36 patients enrolled, 31 (86%) completed the trial; no significant adverse events occurred. Participants randomized to CR diets lost a median 3.4 kg (interquartile range [IQR]: −2.4, −4.0). Changes in weight did not differ significantly by type of CR diet, although participants randomized to daily CR tended to have greater weight loss (daily CR: −3.6 kg [IQR: −3.0, −4.1] vs. intermittent CR: −3.0 kg [IQR: −1.95, −4.1]; P = 0.15). Adherence to study diets differed significantly between intermittent CR vs. daily CR, with lesser adherence observed for intermittent CR (P = 0.002). Randomization to either CR diet was associated with significant improvements in emotional well-being/depression scores relative to control, with an average 8-week increase of 1.69 points (95% CI: 0.72, 2.66). CR diets are a safe/feasible way to achieve weight loss in people with MS and may be associated with improved emotional health.
Developing and implementing a heart failure data mart for research and quality improvement.

ABSTRACTObjective: The purpose of this project was to build and formatively evaluate a near-real time heart failure (HF) data mart. Heart Failure (HF) is a leading cause of hospital readmissions. Increased efforts to use data meaningfully may enable healthcare organizations to better evaluate effectiveness of care pathways and quality improvements, and to prospectively identify risk among HF patients. Methods and procedures: We followed a modified version of the Systems Development Life Cycle: 1) Conceptualization, 2) Requirements Analysis, 3) Iterative Development, and 4) Application Release. This foundational work reflects the first of a two-phase project. Phase two (in process) involves the implementation and evaluation of predictive analytics for clinical decision support. Results: We engaged stakeholders to build working definitions and established automated processes for creating an HF data mart containing actionable information for diverse audiences. As of December 2017, the data mart contains info...
Spin resonance free electron ring injector

We have developed an intrinsic resonance free circular electron accelerator. This lattice could be placed in the existing RHIC tunnel and accelerate electrons from 400 MeV to 18 GeV avoiding all major polarization loss usual in such machines.
Identifying hierarchical spatial patterns within paleocommunities: An example from the Upper Pennsylvanian Ames Limestone of the Appalachian Basin

Abstract Identifying ecological mechanisms that produce hierarchically arrayed spatial variation in community structure can be difficult in the fossil record due to conflation of spatial and temporal patterns. However, this difficulty can be mediated by minimizing the temporal duration of deposition within the unit examined. In this study, the fauna of the Upper Pennsylvanian Ames Limestone (Conemaugh Group) was analyzed to explore whether Ames paleocommunities exhibited hierarchical structure in a spatial dimension. This widespread carbonate unit was deposited during the maximum flooding interval of a glacio-eustatically influenced fifth order sea level cycle, and preserved taxa are contemporaneous within only a few thousand years. Paleocommunity structure and variability was assessed at multiple spatial scales using samples collected from seven outcrops of the Ames Limestone throughout southeastern Ohio which form a northeast to southwest trending transect parallel to the paleoshoreline. Abundance data were collected using quadrat sampling for brachiopods, bivalves, gastropods, bryozoa, corals, crinoids, echinoids, trilobites and foraminifera. Paleocommunity structure was analyzed via cluster, ordination, guild, and abundance analyses at multiple spatial scales (within a single locality, among localities and within the total study area) to provide insight on geographic partitioning of paleocommunity variation. Multiple levels of paleocommunity organization were recovered within the Ames fauna. All levels exhibited spatial partitioning, but the inferred proximate controls shifted from abiotic environmental controls at higher hierarchical levels to biotic controls at the lowest level. At the highest level, differentiation into a northern and southern regional paleocommunity was controlled primarily by substrate consistency and habitat heterogeneity related to variation in fluvial input within the basin. Local paleocommunity differentiation reflects biotic responses to topographic and environmental conditions that were geographically distributed within the region; whereas within outcrop variation was due largely to biotic feedback mechanisms.
Asking for Care, not Favors: Experience of Immigrants in the U.S. Medical System.

Immigrant patients are often bewildered when they need to seek health care in the U.S., and that care usually comes from physicians who are unsympathetic to their plight. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
The use of unrelated donors for bone marrow transplantation

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation has curative potential in hematologic malignancies, bone marrow failure syndromes, and congenital disorders of the hematopoietic and/or lymphoid system. Suitable donors have been human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotypically identical siblings. Given the current average family size, less than 30% of patients in North America have an HLA-matched sibling donor. This percentage can be increased by 3% to 5% if partially matched relatives (one antigen-mismatch) are included. As the precision of HLA typing increased, it became possible to identify unrelated donors who are HLA matched with the patient. A relation between the registry size and the probability of finding an HLA-matched donor for a random patient cannot be derived from theoretical calculations, because it depends on the frequency of HLA haplotypes in donor and recipient populations. Models have been designed to solve this problem, showing that the relation of the probability of finding a matching donor to the registry size is sigmoidal, with small increases in probability at the extremes of the registry size but a middle range of registry size within which the probability of matching increases sharply [1]. Because of genetic disequilibrium, a small number of common HLA haplotypes comprises most of the registry population. It has been calculated that for a registry size of 100,000 volunteers, the 17% of patients with the most common haplotypes have a greater than 90% chance of finding a donor.
Czeslaw Milosz’s Passion for “Place”

In his poetics, the emigre poet Czeslaw Milosz explains the title of the published work: “I have titled this book The Witness of Poetry not because we witness it, but because it witnesses us”.1 The testimony that the poetry of our time gives is not encouraging, to say the least. It reveals emptiness, insignificance, downright despondency in our lives, and in some cases takes a perverse delight in debasing humanity. This is hardly news. But Milosz’s treatise is more than a personal grouse about these bad days or a scholarly analysis of historical cause and effect. The Witness of Poetry reveals that the crisis of our day is not merely a result of social-political failure but a fundamental failure in human knowing, which is, of course, the subject of Husserl’s teleohistorical reflection, the Crisis. Actually, the poetics is a small book, and Milosz’s enormous achievement can only be gauged by examining his other autobiographical and poetic works. If we examine more closely the seemingly exclusive and reclusive Milosz, who has claimed to write — in Polish — for a few literati only, we will see an artist who has won a world-wide audience (and the Nobel Prize) because of his courage and skill to engage “the scientific world-view in a fundamental dialogue”. Moreover, he aims to be not an advocate of this or that social or political cause but a true “functionary of mankind”.
Further Evidence on the Relationship Between International Reserves and World Inflation

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the utilization of path analysis to explore the relationship between the major aggregates observed in the paper of Heller (1976) where the relationship between changes in international reserves and worldwide inflation was investigated. The concept of the world money supply has been the subject of much attention in recent years; some economists argue that the concept of the world money supply has meaning and relevance only under a fixed exchange rate system. Day and Heller (1977) developed alternative concepts of the world money supply that take account of the various exchange arrangements that might influence the appropriate measurement of the world money supply. The analysis of the examination reveals evidence has been presented on the relationship among increases in global international reserves, changes in world base money, changes in the world money supply, and international inflation. It was observed that the money supply—broadly or narrowly defined—has an important lagged effect on consumer prices.
Graphene nanoplatelet reinforced polyacrylonitrile/poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) nanocomposite foams: physical properties and ion detoxification

ABSTRACTThis study reports on novel polyacrylonitrile/poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PAN/PVDF-HFP) blend and polyacrylonitrile/poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)/gr...
Abstract 108: Lipopolysaccharide Fails to Augment Development of Angiotensin II-induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Mice

Background and objective: Our previous study demonstrated that deficiency of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) reduced angiotensin II (AngII)-induced abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in hypercholesterol...
A pilot study comparing newly licensed drivers with and without autism and experienced drivers in simulated and on-road driving

This study compared newly licensed drivers with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and experienced drivers. Twenty new drivers (8 with ASD) and 16 experienced drivers completed the Driving Attitude Scale (DAS) and drove a simulator and an instrumented vehicle. Heart rate (HR), galvanic skin response (GSR), wrist movement, eye-gaze and driving performance were monitored. ASD drivers had more negative attitudes toward driving and greater change in HR, GSR and wrist movement. In a driving simulator, drivers with ASD scored lower than NT drivers and were rated less safe. There were fewer differences during on-road driving. Poorer driving and greater anxiousness in the new drivers with ASD indicates the need for a large-scale study of driving performance and apprehension to formulate remediation.
Independent director reputation incentives, accruals quality and audit fees

While prior research provides abundant evidence that independent directors are associated with favorable outcomes, researchers have only recently started to investigate the impact of independent director reputation incentives. This study examines whether the reputation incentives of independent directors are associated with accruals quality and audit fees. The results reveal a negative relationship between the proportion of independent directors with relatively low reputation incentives and accruals quality. Further, the proportion of independent directors with relatively low reputation incentives is positively associated with audit fees, suggesting that auditors view lower reputation incentives as increasing risk. We also find that Big 4/5 auditor office size moderates the relationship between independent director reputation incentives and audit fees. Specifically, our results indicate that audit fees increase less in response to lower reputation incentives as office size increases, suggesting that larger offices respond to the risks associated with lower reputation incentives more efficiently than smaller offices.
Benign Nodules and Goiters

The transoral thyroidectomy approach has provided a cosmetically appealing approach to the thyroid gland due to the scarless nature of the procedure. This technique, whether done by the robotic or endoscopic vestibular approach, has been shown to be both effective and safe. Its use has been extended to include excision of thyroid tissue for nodules and goiters. Following workup and confirmation that the nodule or goiter is benign, the lesion is excised, given there are local compressive symptoms, or the patient wishes to have surgery. Once surgery is chosen for the patient’s thyroid nodule or goiter, utilization of the transoral approach is dependent on whether or not they have favorable features to decide whether the technique is feasible. Candidacy is individualized and dependent on the patient’s and pathology-specific characteristics. There are overlapping complications between the open and transoral approaches. Specific to the transoral technique is a never before seen complication – transient mental nerve injury. The transoral thyroidectomy technique offers an alternative to the open technique, one that is safe as well as cosmetically pleasing. This chapter summarizes up-to-date information on benign thyroid nodules and goiters with respect to the indicated application of the transoral approach.
Reducing an entrée portion size does not affect the amount of dessert consumed.

Abstract Background Increasing portion size has been shown to increase energy intake. However, little is known about the effect of reducing portion size on subsequent consumption and the consequent energy intake. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of decreasing portion size of an entree on the amount of dessert consumed as a following course. Methods A total of 81 participants were instructed to consume a lunch entree and dessert ad libitum. The participants were given the same entree and dessert on the same day of the week for four consecutive weeks. However, the entree was reduced to 90%, 85%, 80%, and 75% of the amount they consumed in the first week of the study. Participants were randomized into four groups and were served the reduced entree according to a Latin square design. Dessert was consumed ad libitum. In addition, subjects’ hunger and satiety levels were assessed before the entree, after the entree, and after dessert. Results Reducing portion size had no effect on the amount of dessert consumed despite the finding that measures of hunger and satiety indicated that participants experienced increased hunger at 80% and 75% portion reductions. Conclusions Reduction in the portion size of an entree by up to 25% did not increase the amount of dessert consumed, despite an increase in perceived hunger at lower portion sizes. Further investigation is needed to study how much further portion size could be reduced with a sustained decrease in energy intake without compensation, as well as to examine potential interventions for portion control that could reduce daily energy intake.
Evaluation of literature searching and article selection skills of an evidence-based practice team

Background: An evidence-based practice (EBP) team at an academic medical center supports the development of evidence-based hospital policies and protocols via “Evidence Briefs.” An early career librarian was added to the EBP team to meet increased requests for Evidence Briefs, which provided an opportunity to initiate a quality improvement (QI) analysis, improve work flow, and cross-train staff on literature searching and article selection skills. Case Presentation: This QI project evaluated literature searching and article selection skills of an early career librarian (less than 2 years’ experience), a mid-career librarian (more than 10 years’ experience), and a critical appraisal expert. This project examined 10 Evidence Brief requests completed within a 6-month period. Analysis of each individual’s performance of literature searching and article selection was completed for each Evidence Brief. Across all Evidence Brief requests, the mid-career librarian performed the most comprehensive literature searches and captured the highest number of articles that ultimately ended up being included in the Evidence Briefs (75%). The critical appraisal expert performed best on the article selection portion of the project and identified the highest number of relevant articles that were included in Evidence Briefs (74%). Conclusions: This project provided a formalized method of assessing the literature searching and article selection skills of each member of the EBP team. This project illustrated the skill level of each individual and led to improvements in the Evidence Brief request work flow.
A superlative image encryption technique based on bit plane using key-based electronic code book

To contend with the growing concern of information security, firms are espousing cryptography for protection. To comprehend this need, the paper proposes a block cipher that ensures confidentiality and secrecy for secure data communication network. A high-quality cryptographic process ensures high entropy, high key sensitivity, ability to resist known plaintext and chosen-plaintext attack, high speed of execution, high key space, high randomness and resistance towards differential attack. In projected work, encryption mechanism is comprises of multiple processes and each process is devised key dependent utilizing diverse keys to ensure high key sensitivity and vast resistance power towards differential attack. The keys are generated using contemporary encryption process- the quantum chaotic map due to its high randomness and non periodicity, which includes confusion and diffusion processes. For the confusion process, Electronic Code Book (ECB), Initial Permutation (IP), Bit plane scrambling, and Inter bit plane scrambling are employed. The ECB and IP, being matching processes are chosen for high speed of execution. Bit level permutation unlike byte level is applied to reinforce randomness, in conjunction with variable number of rounds as per the security key. For diffusion process, the folding technique is used along eight directions, exploiting different keys. To reveal the efficacy of the proposed methodology, it is compared with the existing renowned methods on the basis of Cryptanalysis, Perceptibility analysis, Statistical analysis, etc. It is asserted that results such as differential attack, cryptanalysis, and key space analysis are reasonably enhanced than others while entropy and speed of execution are at equivalence with other techniques.
Population-scale Genomic Data Augmentation Based on Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks

Although next generation sequencing technologies have made it possible to quickly generate a large collection of sequences, current genomic data still suffer from small data sizes, imbalances, and biases due to various factors including disease rareness, test affordability, and concerns about privacy and security. In order to address these limitations of genomic data, we develop a Population-scale Genomic Data Augmentation based on Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks (PG-cGAN) to enhance the amount and diversity of genomic data by transforming samples already in the data rather than collecting new samples. Both the generator and discriminator in the PG-CGAN are stacked with convolutional layers to capture the underlying population structure. Our results for augmenting genotypes in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) regions showed that PC-cGAN can generate new genotypes with similar population structure, variant frequency distributions and LD patterns. Since the input for PC-cGAN is the original genomic data without assumptions about prior knowledge, it can be extended to enrich many other types of biomedical data and beyond.
How adolescents' working memory abilities relate to their alcohol craving in real-life contexts depends on biological sex

Abstract Aim We sought to elucidate whether stress, peers, and in vivo (i.e., direct) alcohol cues elicit alcohol craving in daily life among adolescents and to test whether individual variation in working memory function and biological sex alters these associations. Methods We leveraged ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine momentary associations between stress, peers, and direct alcohol cues with craving, assessed as “urge to drink alcohol,” among 86 male (51.2 %) and female (48.8 %) frequent drinkers (i.e., two or more drinking days per week). Participants were ages 14–24 years (M = 20.7 years, SD = 2.1). Participants completed EMA throughout the day for about one week prior to randomization to a treatment condition for an AUD clinical trial. Pre-registered, secondary analyses focused on craving for assessments when adolescents were not drinking, and assessments occurring after drinking on drinking days were removed. Working memory performance was assessed in the laboratory via the Memory for Words subtest of the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities. Results Craving was heightened at more stressful moments and when adolescents were with their peers and in the presence of direct alcohol cues. Working memory function was not related to craving but altered the relation of momentary stress, peers, and cues with craving once biological sex-related differences were considered. Females generally had lower craving than males, but working memory function served to buffer against stress-induced craving for males. Conclusions Higher working memory function buffered the in-the-moment relation of stress with alcohol craving for males but not females.
The Use of Telemedicine and Other Strategies by Registered Dietitians for the Medical Nutrition Therapy of Patients With Inherited Metabolic Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The clinical management of patients with inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs) includes medical nutrition therapy (MNT) by a registered dietitian (RD). We utilized an online quantitative and qualitative survey to characterize the practices of RDs treating patients with IMDs during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify challenges and unmet needs. We received responses from 117 RDs. Results indicate that RDs are using alternate methods to engage this vulnerable population and provide MNT during the pandemic, including offering telemedicine appointments. Barriers to implementation of telemedicine include the limitations of virtual visits (inability to conduct physical exams and collect blood samples), time, patient knowledge of technology, audio problems, and patient access to internet, computers, or smartphones. RDs have addressed these barriers by extending prescriptions without a medical exam, relying on local facilities for blood draws, increasing the number of patients that use at-home filter papers for blood monitoring, and expanding the use of phone calls and emails. RDs identified patient education materials to facilitate telemedicine visits as a primary unmet need. Despite the reported barriers and limitations of telemedicine for MNT of IMDs, there was widespread satisfaction with the approach among RDs, with 96.9% reporting that they were somewhat or very satisfied with telemedicine. Although this survey focused on barriers, benefits of telemedicine for both RDs and patients were also reported. Identification of barriers and unmet needs can help clinics plan strategies to maximize telemedicine delivery models, to improve efficiency and patient outcomes, and to support sustained use of telemedicine post-pandemic.
Disparity in Opportunities: Is It Harder to Match Into Plastic Surgery Residency Without a Home Plastic Surgery Division?

ABSTRACT: Medical students pursuing plastic surgery training must overcome multiple challenges to successfully match in such a highly coveted subspecialty. This adversity is amplified in applicants from medical schools without a home plastic surgery residency program and academic division. There is a paucity of data on the advantage of medical students applying from an institution with a home residency program. Applicant data from the past 5 years were accessed from the Association of American Medical Colleges Electronic Residency Application Services statistics form. Individual home programs of successfully matched applicants were collected from plastic surgery residency websites. A survey was distributed to 32 students pursuing specialty residencies from home medical schools without a plastic surgery residency. Evaluation of a subset of incoming plastic surgery interns revealed that 72% of matched applicants attended home medical institutions with plastic surgery residency programs. Seventy-seven percent of survey respondents felt strongly that students at institutions with home residency programs had a significant advantage. The current COVID pandemic is changing the landscape of subinternships and bringing to light the disadvantage students face without home residency programs. The development of virtual subinternships, online mentorship, and selection of students for subinternships from geographic areas without home programs may help address some disparities in educational opportunities. Continuing these virtual programs and offering preferential help to disadvantaged medical students permanently is an avenue for the field of plastic surgery to be a leader in diversity and inclusion.
Characterization of the disordered‐to‐α‐helical transition of IA3 by SDSL‐EPR spectroscopy

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy coupled with site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) is a valuable tool for characterizing the mobility and conformational changes of proteins but has seldom been applied to intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). Here, IA3 is used as a model system demonstrating SDSL-EPR characterization of conformational changes in small IDP systems. IA3 has 68 amino acids, is unstructured in solution, and becomes α-helical upon addition of the secondary structural stabilizer 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE). Two single cysteine substitutions, one in the N-terminus (S14C) and one in the C-terminus (N58C), were generated and labeled with three different nitroxide spin labels. The resultant EPR line shapes of each of the labels were compared and each reported changes in mobility upon addition of TFE. Specifically, the spectral line shape parameters h(+1)/h(0), the local tumbling volume (VL), and the percent change of the h(−1) intensity were utilized to quantitatively monitor TFE-induced conformational changes. The values of h(+1)/h(0) as a function of TFE titration varied in a sigmoidal manner and were fit to a two-state Boltzmann model that provided values for the midpoint of the transition, thus, reporting on the global conformational change of IA3. The other parameters provide site-specific information and show that S14C-SL undergoes a conformational change resulting in more restricted motion than N58C-SL, which is consistent with previously published results obtained by studies using NMR and circular dichroism spectroscopy indicating a higher degree of α-helical propensity of the N-terminal segment of IA3. Overall, the results provide a framework for data analyzes that can be used to study induced unstructured-to-helical conformations in IDPs by SDSL.
Closing remarks: review and commentary on selected aspects of the roles of vasopressin and oxytocin in memory processing.

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the selected aspects of the roles of vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) in memory processing. A retrospective summary highlighting the progress made in VP/OT memory-processing research from its inception in the mid-1960s is presented. A number of major themes, issues, and study areas that have emerged in the course of the research in this area are discussed in the chapter. The role of VP and OT in memory processing tested in appetitive and avoidance paradigms, especially relevant to self-preservation, is emphasized. Viewpoints and relevant evidence relating to a number of issues raised in the course of these investigations are reviewed and summarized in the chapter, followed by relevant commentaries. The reviews and evidence relevant to the neuropeptide concept as it applies to the effects of VP and OT on memory processing are presented. The chapter also reviews major theoretical positions and issues, summarizes relevant evidence, and provides follow-up commentaries about the roles of VP and OT in olfactory-based social recognition memory (SRM). Species-typical conspecific recognition behavior is necessary for social interactions directly involved in reproductive behavior and thus species preservation.