cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teaching Research to Teachers: A Self-Study of Course Design, Student Outcomes, and Instructor Learning

This description of a teaching self-study focuses on a graduate research course for classroom teachers in which two issues central to improving teaching practice were addressed. First, it details the process of examining course design and curriculum in search of the most effective strategies for training classroom teachers to do research. Second, it explores what can be learned about the teaching process by methodically examining student feedback, course outcomes, and instructor learning during three course iterations. The results of the study include a description of the teacher-as-researcher course design, a summary of student feedback and outcomes, and a report of instructor learning that grew out of engaging in the self-study process. What methods are most useful in training classroom teachers to engage in action research? Two years ago, I was assigned to design and teach a graduate-level practitioner research course. I found this assignment to be exciting but somewhat intimidating. In designing the course, my plan was to discover and incorporate "best practice" for training teacher-scholars to access and understand academic research. Other key aims of the course were to empower students by teaching core research skills that could be applied in their own educational settings (Parsons and Brown, 2002), to model the scholarship of teaching by using action research and reflection in my own classroom (Mertler and Charles, 2005), and to share study outcomes with professional colleagues. Since classroom research has recently moved to the forefront of potential strategies for school improvement (Darling-Hammond, 1999; Savoie-Zajc, L., and Deschamps-Bednarz, N.; 2007), I felt the full weight of my instructional responsibility. The constructivist design that evolved during the course of the study is grounded in sociocultural adult learning theory (Vygotsky, 1997). Self-study frameworks (Kosnik, Beck, Freese, and Samaras, 2006) were used to inform reflective instructor inquiry. Student outcomes were reviewed using qualitative research methods (Coffey and Atkinson, 1996) to address the following research questions: ∞ Course Design: What course design and teaching/learning strategies are effective in training teacher researchers? ∞ Instructor Learning: What patterns of instructor learning emerge from a methodical examination of instructor inquiry, reflection, and student feedback in a self-study of a teacher-as-researcher course? ∞ Student Outcomes: What patterns/understandings will emerge from a methodical examination of student products and reflections during a self-study of a teacher- as-researcher course? ð ð ð ð ð ð ð ð
Viscoelastic and failure properties of spine ligament collagen fascicles

The microstructural volume fractions, orientations, and interactions among components vary widely for different ligament types. If these variations are understood, however, it is conceivable to develop a general ligament model that is based on microstructural properties. This paper presents a part of a much larger effort needed to develop such a model. Viscoelastic and failure properties of porcine posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) collagen fascicles were determined. A series of subfailure and failure tests were performed at fast and slow strain rates on isolated collagen fascicles from porcine lumbar spine PLLs. A finite strain quasi-linear viscoelastic model was used to fit the fascicle experimental data. There was a significant strain rate effect in fascicle failure strain (P < 0.05), but not in failure force or failure stress. The corresponding average fast-rate and slow-rate failure strains were 0.098 ± 0.062 and 0.209 ± 0.081. The average failure force for combined fast and slow rates was 2.25 ± 1.17 N. The viscoelastic and failure properties in this paper were used to develop a microstructural ligament failure model that will be published in a subsequent paper.
5-HT offsets homeostasis of synaptic transmission during short-term facilitation

In this study, we approach the topic of vesicle recruitment and recycling by perturbing neurotransmission at the crayfish neuromuscular junction with altered electrical activity and the presence of the neuromodulator serotonin (5-HT). After induction of short-term facilitation (STF) with stimulus pulse trains (40 Hz, 20 pulses), the amount of synaptic transmission can be maintained at a relatively constant level, producing a plateau in the amplitude of the excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) throughout the remaining stimuli within a train of a few hundred milliseconds. With an increase in the frequency of the stimuli within a train (60 Hz, 20 pulses), an altered plateau of larger EPSP amplitudes occurs. This suggests that differential rates of vesicle recruitment can be rapidly reached and maintained. Exposure of nerve terminals to 5-HT further enhances the EPSP amplitudes to yet a higher plateau level. The effect of 5-HT is more pronounced for 40-Hz pulse trains than for 60-Hz trains. This suggests that 5-HT can recruit vesicles into the readily releasable pool (RRP) and that the recruitment is limited at higher stimulation frequencies. The attainment of a larger amplitude in the plateaus of the EPSPs at 60 Hz compared with 40 Hz also suggests that the rapid induction of STF enhances the entry of vesicles into the RRP. By direct quantal counts, mean quantal content increases linearly during STF, and 5-HT offsets the linear release. We propose that 5-HT and electrically induced recruitment of vesicles from a reserve pool to the RRP may share similar recruitment mechanisms.
Laser cooling and trapping as an enabling technology

Summary form only given. Techniques for cooling and trapping atoms now provide unique capabilities for the manipulation of atoms. In particular, they make possible very low temperatures, extraordinarily high atomic phase space densities, and long perturbation-free observation times. These capabilities enable one to carry out many new measurements on atoms with great precision and/or in entirely new regimes of temperature and density. This tutorial will concentrate primarily on the practical aspects of how to apply current laser cooling and trapping techniques. This will include descriptions of the various techniques and their capabilities, as well as a discussion of tradeoffs between price, complexity, and various performance parameters. Finally, I will briefly discuss how these techniques are applied in a number of specific cases including cold collisions, precision measurements including atomic clocks, atom interferometry, collecting radioactive isotopes, and the creation of Bose-Einstein condensates.
Patent pledges at the U.S. International Trade Commission

The United States International Trade Commission (“ITC”) investigates alleged trade violations of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. § 1337) including importation of products infringing patents. This paper seeks to explore the impact of voluntary public commitments made by patentees, limiting the enforcement and exploitation of their patents, on the role of the ITC in protecting domestic industry. The ITC exists to protect domestic industry, and not the patent. A patent pledge may preclude the seeking of injunctive relief, but that goes to the patent itself. Exclusion orders are an appropriate remedy for infringement of a patent subject to a patent pledge, unless the exclusion order is contrary to the public interest. An exclusion order is not an injunction, and can be not conclusively precluded by a patent pledge. The exclusion order is a statutory mandate that can be overcome only by evidence that the statutorily enumerated public interest factors are frustrated. The availability of an exclusion order remains critical to a continuing balance of encouraging contribution to standard setting bodies, while still allowing access to standards, preventing unfair competition and protecting our domestic industry.
State Constitutional Doctrine and the Criminal Process

This article discusses the states' constitutional tradition of guaranteeing the rights of the accused. It explores several patterns of modern decision making and details the historical antecedents in the state constitutions of the revolutionary period.
Optical Imaging of Dynamic Events in Cardiovascular Development: Understanding Physical and Genetic Mechanisms Underlying Birth Defects

This talk will focus on the recent developments in Optical Coherence Tomography from our group, which is used to define changes in heart function and morphology, as well as the development of strategies to image mouse embryos using light sheet microscopy. Article not available.
Plasmonics: Quantum on the Angstrom Scale, as Observed by Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering

We fabricate plasmonic dimers consisting of two metallic nanostructures spaced by a few angstroms using lithographic methods, and show that quantum mechanical tunneling across the gaps limits the enhancement in surface-enhanced Raman scattering.
Analysis of financing of local small and medium-sized enterprises based on the city commercial bank

Looking from the present financing situation of local small and medium-sized enterprises,the difficultly of financing is still its barrier of development.In order to solve this problem,it is necessary for us to develop relation financing.The large commercial banks loaned to small and medium-sized enterprises limitedly under the actual condition and the potentiality is also limited.The effective way of financing of small and medium-sized enterprises lies in the medium and small financial institutions,especially the city commercial banks.So we should open up our mind to guide the city commercial bank to offer the local medium and small enterprises financing service,establishing the financial service mechanism and innovative financing way that can realize mutual benefit.
Hyper-active non-homologous end joining selects for synthetic lethality resistant and pathological Fanconi anemia hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

The prominent role of Fanconi anemia (FA) proteins involves homologous recombination (HR) repair. Poly[ADP-ribose] polymerase1 (PARP1) functions in multiple cellular processes including DNA repair and PARP inhibition is an emerging targeted therapy for cancer patients deficient in HR. Here we show that PARP1 activation in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in response to genotoxic or oxidative stress attenuates HSPC exhaustion. Mechanistically, PARP1 controls the balance between HR and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) in double strand break (DSB) repair by preventing excessive NHEJ. Disruption of the FA core complex skews PARP1 function in DSB repair and led to hyper-active NHEJ in Fanca−/− or Fancc−/− HSPCs. Re-expression of PARP1 rescues the hyper-active NHEJ phenotype in Brca1−/−Parp1−/− but less effective in Fanca−/−Parp1−/− cells. Inhibition of NHEJ prevents myeloid/erythroid pathologies associated with synthetic lethality. Our results suggest that hyper-active NHEJ may select for “synthetic lethality” resistant and pathological HSPCs.
Proteomic identification of component proteins of orphan nuclear receptor COUP-TFI complexes in mammalian cells

B168 Nuclear receptors, the transcription factors regulated by ligands, have become major targets for drug discovery, including new drug development for chemotherapy. Orphan nuclear receptor chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor I (COUP-TFI) possesses the ability to either activate or repress the transcription of a diversity of target genes through undefined mechanisms. A proteomics-based, tandem affinity purification (TAP) procedure was used in this study to identify the component proteins of COUP-TFI complexes in mammalian cells. Several known proteins of transcriptional repressive complexes, including NCoR, HDAC1 and TIF1β/KAP-1, were found to co-purify with COUP-TFI, as were other transcriptional regulatory proteins, including the SWI/SNF family member Brahma, and its associated factors BAF155 and BAF170. Proteins not previously implicated in transcriptional regulation were also found to co-purify with COUP-TFI including the DNA repair protein DDB1, a pro-apoptotic protein that is deleted in breast cancer (DBC1), HSP70, HSP90 and the ubiquitin ligase HYD1. Finally, several components of the splicesome assembly were identified (SFR1, SF3A1 and SF3B1) in COUP-TFI complexes. Collectively, our TAP strategy revealed that COUP-TFI may associate with a number of transcriptional regulatory proteins in HeLa S3 cells as well as other classes of proteins that have not been previously implicated in the regulation of gene expression. Many of these proteins and COUP-TFI were demonstrated to co-occupy the promoter of retinoic acid-induced 1, a newly identified, COUP-TFI target gene in HeLa S3 cells. These results may underlie the complexity of COUP-TFI action in mammalian cells.
Patients willingness to participate in clinical trials for symptom alleviation during radiation therapy.

e20579 Background: Cancer patients typically experience symptoms related to their underlying disease and treatments. Clinical trials aimed at mitigating morbidity are needed, particularly for patie...
Blunted Neural Response to Rewards as a Prospective Predictor of the Development of Depression in Adolescent Girls

Objective:A blunted neural response to rewards has recently emerged as a potential mechanistic biomarker of adolescent depression. The reward positivity, an event-related potential elicited by feedback indicating monetary gain relative to loss, has been associated with risk for depression. The authors examined whether the reward positivity prospectively predicted the development of depression 18 months later in a large community sample of adolescent girls.Method:The sample included 444 girls 13.5–15.5 years old with no lifetime history of a depressive disorder, along with a biological parent for each girl. At baseline, the adolescents’ reward positivity was measured using a monetary guessing task, their current depressive symptoms were assessed using a self-report questionnaire, and the adolescents’ and parents’ lifetime psychiatric histories were evaluated with diagnostic interviews. The same interview and questionnaire were administered to the adolescents again approximately 18 months later.Results:A bl...
Photography and Photogravure: History of Photomechanical Reproduction

AbstractThe first practicable photomechanical system—contact-screen photogravure—was invented in 1852 by W. H. F. Talbot of England. Many of the approaches introduced by Talbot are still used in current practice: contact cross-line “master” and “working” screens: metal plate etching through a bichromated gelatin emulsion: etching with ferric chloride solutions of different concentrations: and selective local etching for “retouching” purposes.To provide the tiny image ink-holding components in the printing plate, Talbot used fine gauze fabrics for the contact cross-line screens and fine resin particles (aquatint) applied as a powder or liquid. He also experimented with contact screens of ruled lines on paper: scored cartilage: waxed paper with scribed lines: aquatint pattern on paper and a blackened film with uniform grid of clear circular openings.
Inhibition of mold growth and aflatoxin production by Lactobacillus spp.

The effect of three individual species of lactobacilli (Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, and L. plantarum) and a commercial silage inoculant, containing three different strains of the same species, on growth and aflatoxin production of A. flavus subsp. parasiticus NRRL 2999 was determined. The study was done in three substrates; a liquid semi-synthetic broth, rice, and corn. The effect of the growing cell masses of the lactobacilli as well as the effect of metabolic products contained in cell free filtrates were determined in the liquid medium. The cells were effective in preventing growth of the mold, and bacterial metabolites were effective in reducing the amount of aflatoxin produced, although growth was not affected. The prevention of growth that was observed was determined to be relative to a pH effect and microbial competition; however, the lower levels of aflatoxin obtained in the presence of cell free supernatant culture fluids could not be explained on the basis of pH or competition. Mol...
Understanding AAA Pathobiology: A GWAS Leads the Way.

Some epidemiological and vascular properties of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) encourage understanding its pathobiology in terms of similarities with coronary artery disease (CAD), but substantial differences between the 2 diseases emphasize that this perspective is ultimately inadequate. The primary risk factors for AAA of age, smoking, high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) or total cholesterol, and male sex are reminiscent of those for CAD. By contrast, the role of elevated blood pressure for AAA pathogenesis is less well established than for CAD,1 white race is more relevant to AAA than to CAD, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, which is a clear CAD risk factor, is at least controversial in its relationship to AAA.2,3 An atherogenic process involving lipid introgression into the intima, inflammation, and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation underlies both AAA and CAD. However, inflammatory mechanisms in AAA lead especially to damage of the connective extracellular matrix in the intima, weakening of vessel walls, dilation or dissection of the vessel, and potentially catastrophic rupture, whereas atherosclerotic progression in CAD is characterized by stenosis and risk of thrombosis. Article, see p 341 The liability to AAA has been shown to be as high as >70% heritable enabling refinement of the similarities and differences with CAD through genetic analysis.4 Today, genetic analysis of complex traits such as AAA can be investigated in an unbiased way using the genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach, in which common genetic variation throughout the genome is scanned for association with disease. Initial GWASs including >1800 AAA cases in discovery revealed associations meeting rigorous thresholds for significance implicating LDLR , LRP1 , and DAB2IP genes as well as the same chromosome 9p21 locus identified for CAD.5–8 LDLR , encoding the …
Indirect Effects of Loneliness on Substance Use through Stress

ABSTRACTLoneliness is associated with a range of physical health problems, and health behaviors (e.g., alcohol use) have been specified as one factor that explains the compromised health of lonely people. Accordingly, in this investigation, we sought to test direct and indirect (through stress) effects of loneliness on substance use (i.e., alcohol consumption, drinking problems, and prescription medication use) over the course of 1 year in a 2-wave longitudinal study. These effects were tested in a sample of 210 young adults who completed self-report measures of loneliness and substance use at time 1 and then completed measures of stress and substance use at time 2. The results showed that loneliness did not have prospective direct effects on substance use, but that it did have significant indirect effects, through increased stress, on all indicators of substance use. These findings highlight the important role of stress in potentially compromising the health of lonely people by increasing their propensit...
Unit Root Properties of Seasonal Adjustment and Related Filters: Special Cases

Bell (2012) catalogued unit root factors contained in linear filters used in seasonal adjustment (model-based or from the X-11 method) but noted that, for model-based seasonal adjustment, special cases could arise where filters could contain more unit root factors than was indicated by the general results. This article reviews some special cases that occur with canonical ARIMA model based adjustment in which, with some commonly used ARIMA models, the symmetric seasonal filters contain two extra nonseasonal differences (i.e., they include an extra (1 - B)(1 - F)). This increases by two the degree of polynomials in time that are annihilated by the seasonal filter and reproduced by the seasonal adjustment filter. Other results for canonical ARIMA adjustment that are reported in Bell (2012), including properties of the trend and irregular filters, and properties of the asymmetric and finite filters, are unaltered in these special cases. Special cases for seasonal adjustment with structural ARIMA component models are also briefly discussed.
Reduction of cooling system noise in heavy–duty truck design

Noise reduction in heavy–duty vehicles is required urgently. To this end, four major manufacturers of heavy vehicles jointly implemented a project: 'Development and Research of Low Noise Heavy Duty Trucks', under the guidance of M.I.T.I., Isuzu Motors Limited have conducted research into the reduction of noise in cooling systems. In heavy–duty vehicles, cooling fan noise is one of the biggest contributors to overall vehicle noise, second only to that of the engine itself. Our experimental research described here, was carried out by classifying the subject into the following three areas: (a) research concerning the specification and layout of cooling elements affecting noise characteristics and air flow, (b) research into the heat dissipation rate of radiators, (c) research into developing an optimum low–noise cooling system by coordinating (a) and (b). From the test results it was determined that the best way to reduce cooling system noise more efficiently is to decrease the fan speed while improving the cooling performance by using a larger fan and radiator, a bell–mouthed fan–shroud and an alternating the system layout.
Family Perspectives on Telemedicine for Pediatric Subspecialty Care

Abstract Background: Children often have difficulty accessing subspecialty care, and telemedicine may improve access to subspecialty care, but information is lacking on how best to implement telemedicine programs to maximize acceptance and, ultimately, maximize impact for patients and their families. Methods and Materials: To understand how subspecialty telemedicine is perceived and to identify design elements with the potential to improve telemedicine uptake and impact, we conducted and analyzed semi-structured interviews with 21 informants, including parents and caregivers of children with subspecialty care needs and adolescent and young adult patients with subspecialty care needs. Results: Although informants saw the potential value of using telemedicine to replace in-person subspecialty visits, they were more enthusiastic about using telemedicine to complement rather than replace in-person visits. For example, they described the potential to use telemedicine to facilitate previsit triage encounters to...
Low-dose aspirin reduced the incidence of first nonfatal myocardial infarction in patients with stable angina pectoris

Source Citation Juul-Moller S, Edvardsson N, Jahnmatz B, et al. Double-blind trial of aspirin in primary prevention of myocardial infarction in patients with stable chronic angina pectoris. Lancet....
Broadband coherent Raman imaging — method development and application to tissue imaging

I will discuss efforts to render spectroscopic coherent Raman imaging sufficiently simple and robust for general users. I will discuss progress in signal generation, data reduction, and extraction of information from rich spectroscopic images.
Introduction to Safe Space Training: Interactive Module for Promoting a Safe Space Learning Environment for LGBT Medical Students.

Introduction Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students face challenges in achieving their educational goals. By understanding concepts surrounding sexual orientation and gender identi...
How is the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) used in the global health community? Results of a mixed-methods LiST user study.

The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) is a computer-based model that estimates the impact of scaling up key interventions to improve maternal, newborn and child health. Initially developed to inform the Lancet Child Survival Series of 2003, the functionality and scope of LiST have been expanded greatly over the past 10 years. This study sought to “take stock” of how LiST is now being used and for what purposes. We conducted a quantitative survey of LiST users, qualitative interviews with a smaller sample of LiST users and members of the LiST team at Johns Hopkins University, and a literature review of studies involving LiST analyses. LiST is being used by donors, international organizations, governments, NGOs and academic institutions to assist program evaluation, inform strategic planning and evidenced-based decision-making, and advocate for high-impact interventions. Some organizations have integrated LiST into internal workflows and built in-house capacity for using LiST, while other organizations rely on the LiST team for support and to outsource analyses. In addition to being a popular stand-alone software, LiST is used as a calculation engine for other applications. The Lives Saved Tool has been reported to be a useful model in maternal, newborn, and child health. With continued commitment, LiST should remain as a part of the international health toolkit used to assess maternal, newborn and child health programs.
Discrimination Directed Toward Conservative Women

In two investigations White conservative women and African American conservative women were surveyed with regard to perceived discrimination toward each of their multiple minority categories. Both studies yielded the same results: (1) White women rated perceived discrimination toward their conservative political viewpoint significantly higher than that toward their gender; (2) Among African American conservative women the perceived discrimination toward their race was rated higher than that toward either their political viewpoint or their gender, which did not differ significantly from each other; (3) perceived discrimination on any dimension was not related to whether one was currently in college (or very recently graduated) versus whether one had graduated between 1 and 10 years earlier (Study 1) or between 5 and 10 years earlier (Study 2).
Unconventional Bladder Preservation: Factors Predicting Failure to Receive Definitive Surgery following Chemotherapy for Nonmetastatic Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer in the National Cancer Database

Purpose: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is an important adjunct to cystectomy for managing muscle invasive bladder cancer. Using the National Cancer Database we investigated factors that predict failure to undergo surgery following multi-agent chemotherapy for nonmetastatic muscle invasive bladder cancer.Materials and Methods: We performed a cohort study in patients diagnosed with cT2-4aN0M0 urothelial cell carcinoma of the bladder between 2004 and 2013 who underwent multi-agent chemotherapy. We excluded those with surgery prior to chemotherapy, clinical T4b disease and those who received radiotherapy. Socioeconomic and clinical predictors, including time from diagnosis to treatment, were analyzed using logistic regression for the receipt of surgery after chemotherapy. Cox proportional hazards modeling was applied to perform time dependent analysis.Results: Of the 4,640 patients who met our study inclusion and exclusion criteria 4,244 (91%) proceeded to surgery. Negative predictors of surgery included African A...
Adjusting Suicide Rates in a Military Population: Methods to Determine the Appropriate Standard Population

The choice of the standard population is important when calculating adjusted rates for a military population: results can influence policies and funding allocations for programs and initiatives for suicide prevention.We describe the methodological considerations and decision-making process used in choosing a standard population for adjusting rates to compare suicide among US Army soldiers and the general US population. We examined 5 different standard populations, using the direct method to adjust annual suicide rates for the Army and the US population, 2004 to 2015, for age and for age and sex.The pattern of the Army and US population age- and sex-adjusted rates remained consistent with crude rates when adjusted to any of the Army standard population distributions. Using an Army distribution as the standard population produces suicide rates consistent with routine messaging about suicide trends among Army soldiers.
Hybrid Baboons and the Origins of the Hamadryas Male Reproductive Strategy

Hamadryas male baboons concentrate their reproductive effort on a small subset of females (i.e., females in their one-male unit) rather than competing with other males for estrous females throughout the group. Hamadryas males also exhibit a sustained, intense interest in females, regardless of estrus condition, an interest manifested by stereotypical herding behaviors. In this chapter, I use the behavioral variation expressed by hybrid (olive × hamadryas) baboon males to test predictions regarding behavioral precursors of the unique hamadryas male reproductive strategy. I analyze three potential precursors for hamadryas male behavior: (1) the herding of females during intergroup encounters, (2) the long-term bonds involving paternal care (i.e., “friendships”), and (3) temporary consortships. Because the male motivation behind each potential precursor is different (intolerance of other males, paternal care, and attraction to females, respectively), it is possible to make different predictions for the behavior of hybrid males. Consort behavior of hybrid males continued over a longer portion of female estrus than is usual for nonhamadryas baboons, and nonconsort behavior of hybrid males resembled the consort behavior of nonhamadryas males. Herding females and paternal care were rare, while all hybrid males expressed some interest in nonestrous females. Results support hypothesis 3, that consortships represent the behavioral homologue to the hamadryas male reproductive strategy.
HIV treatment outcomes among formerly incarcerated transitions clinic patients in a high prevalence setting.

Incarceration disproportionately affects people living with HIV/AIDS. When people are released from jail or prison, they face multiple barriers to HIV care, and those who do engage in care may have suboptimal HIV treatment outcomes. A limited number of studies have investigated HIV treatment outcomes among people who have been released from incarceration. We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing HIV viral load (VL) suppression and retention in care 12 months after entry into care among patients of a post-incarceration Transitions Clinic (TC) and a comparison group who received HIV care in the same community. Of 138 participants, 38 TC patients were matched to 100 non-TC controls based on age, race/ethnicity, gender, and date of HIV care entry. There was no significant difference in clinical study outcomes between TC and non-TC patients: 63% vs. 67% (p = 0.67) were retained in care and 54% vs. 63% (p = 0.33) had suppressed VL at 12 months. After adjusting for substance use disorder and viral load suppression at the start of treatment, the odds ratio of TC patients’ 12-month retention was 0.60 (95% CI 0.25–1.49) and VL suppression was 0.44 (95% CI 0.16–1.23) compared with non-TC patients. Our findings show HIV care outcomes for patients at a post-incarceration Transitions Clinic that are similar to those of community-based comparison patients. The transitions clinic model, which provides medical, behavioral health, and supportive services to formerly incarcerated people, may be an effective model of care for this population; however, more scholarship is needed to quantify the components most effective in supporting retention in care and viral load suppression.
The Fifth Vital Sign

Pain has recently become the focus of attention as a major health problem in the US. The implementation of a pain management strategy in a rural not-for-profit federal hospital is described in this article. The strategy heightened awareness and changed the practice behaviors of clinicians in recognizing, assessing, treating and following patients with pain. Quality improvement initiatives monitored the performance of the healthcare staff regarding use of the assessment and documentation tools. Reduction of pain was surveyed in both transitional care patients and outpatients. Outpatients were also interviewed for satisfaction with their pain management plan. The efforts are ongoing as healthcare professionals continue to focus on reducing pain and suffering in their patients. Additional work is directed toward meeting both the objectives in the strategic plan and standards set by the health systems organization accrediting body described for pain management.
Improving monthly streamflow forecasts through assimilation of observed streamflow for rainfall-dominated basins across the CONUS

Abstract Among different sources of uncertainty in hydrologic modeling (i.e., model structure, parameter estimation, input data, etc.), consecutive error reduction of model initial conditions can prevent a model from drifting away from reality and consequently improving model estimates. Most approaches that evaluated the correction of initial conditions through data assimilation (DA) have focused on improving hydrologic model simulations (i.e., under observed forcings) rather than evaluating the model performance in a forecasting context. This paper investigates the utility of Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) data assimilation in which available observed streamflow is exploited to update state variables of a conceptual water balance model for forecasting monthly streamflow over 340 rainfall-dominated river basins across the contiguous United States (CONUS). Our results demonstrate that after EnKF application, streamflow simulation skill improves in terms of both Relative Root Mean Square Error (R-RMSE) and correlation coefficient (CC) for almost 90% of the selected river basins. Evaluating the model performance under different flow conditions shows that EnKF has stronger positive effect on monthly low flow predictions comparing to monthly high flows particularly during the summer season. The utility of EnKF is also assessed in the context of 1-month ahead streamflow forecasting. Due to the updated model initial conditions, streamflow forecasts are improved throughout the year even though the skill in hydrologic forecasts is predominantly dependent on the accuracy of precipitation forecasts.
Analytical observational study of nonfatal motor vehicle collisions and incidents in a light-vehicle sales and service fleet

Abstract Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are a significant cause of lost-workday injuries, and consistently the leading cause of work-related fatalities in the United States for all industries combined. Prevention research has focused mainly on collisions fatal to the drivers of large trucks. This analytical observational study addresses gaps in the literature by: conducting a descriptive analysis of motor vehicle claim events involving light-vehicle drivers in a large health care industry fleet; identifying risk factors for work-related MVCs and injuries based on vehicle miles traveled; and providing details on circumstances of these events. The study examined 8068 motor vehicle events resulting in vehicle damage, property damage, or injury reported by 6680 U.S.-based drivers in a light-vehicle sales and service fleet operated by a health care company over a 4 ½-year period (January 2010 through June 2014). Thirty-three percent (n = 2660) of the events were collisions. Collisions were segmented as recoverable or non-recoverable according to whether the company could recover costs from another party, and mileage-based collision and injury rates were calculated by gender, age, tenure, and vehicle type. Differences in collision and injury rates between groups of interest (for example, tenure and age categories) were assessed with Poisson regression techniques adjusted using generalized estimating equations (GEE) for repeated observations on the same employee over time. Age, gender, and job tenure were significant collision risk factors, and risk patterns for recoverable and non-recoverable collisions were similar to those for total collisions. Collisions per million miles (CPMM) were significantly higher for drivers 21–24.9 years of age compared to drivers age 25–54.9 years (9.58 CPMM vs 4.96 CPMM, p = .025), drivers employed for less than 2 years compared to those employed 2 or more years (6.22 CPMM vs 4.82 CPMM, p
Thoughts and Observations of Punishment in Contemporary Criminal Law

[RETRACTED PAPER -PLAGIARISM THROUGH TRANSLATION-] The Editorial team of the journal respectfully informs to the readers, authors, academics, researchers and the public that consult Opinion Juridica that the article Thoughts and Observations of Punishment in Contemporary Criminal Law, by the author Dimitirs Liakopoulos, published in volume 19, 38th issue, has been retracted. At the end of 2020, the journal received information about unethical conducts by this author and we were informed about this article being plagiarized by translating a text from the book Punibilita (2017), compiled by Giovannangelo de Francesco, as can be evidenced in the following link: https://pubpeer.com/publications/40BD300324ADA61079955553C23E57 It is worth mentioning that the manuscript, once submitted, was initially reviewed by the anti plagiarism software Turnitin, and its similarity report did not display any relation with the aforementioned text; the article passed all the assessment criteria through the double-blind peer review methodology and only after publishing it were the journal notified about the unethical conducts of the author, whose Orcid was public and recently restricted. Unfortunately, the Turnitin software was not able to detect plagiarism through translation. In the days close to these events, the journal had communications with the author, given that he had another article in submission process, and as soon as the journal consulted him about the recent restriction of his public Orcid, he decided to retire the manuscript and requested not being contacted again. Following the Crossmark Policy, declared in the University of Medellin's journal system website, this article is hereby retracted for plagiarism and unethical research.
Heteroscedastic regression modeling elucidates gene-by-environment interaction

Abstract Genotype-by-environment interaction (GxE) occurs when the size of a genetic effect varies systematically across levels of the environment and when the size of an environmental effect varies systematically across levels of the genotype. However, total variance in the phenotype may shift as a function of the moderator irrespective of its etiology such that the proportional effect of the predictor is constant. We expand the traditional GxE regression model for polygenic scores and single locus allele counts to directly account for heteroscedasticity associated with both the genotype and the measured environment, and we derive a test statistic, ξ, for inferring whether GxE can be plausibly attributed to a more general effect of the genetic or environmental moderator on the dispersion of the phenotype. We apply this method to test whether genotype-by-birth year interactions for Body Mass Index (BMI) are distinguishable from general secular increases in the variance of BMI or associations of the genetic predictors (both PGS and individual loci) with BMI variance. We provide software for estimating heteroscedastic GxE regression models and calculating ξ.
Clinical and Economic Burden of Valley Fever in Arizona: An Incidence-Based Cost-of-Illness Analysis.

Background Coccidioidomycosis, ie, Valley fever, is an important fungal infection in the Southwest, with half to two thirds of all cases occurring in Arizona. This endemic respiratory disease can range from primary uncomplicated pneumonia to disseminated infection such as meningitis with chronic pulmonary complications. Valley fever diagnoses have risen over recent years and cause substantial morbidity and economic burden in Arizona. Methods We estimated the lifetime cost-of-illness associated with all cases of Valley fever diagnosed in 2019 in Arizona. Natural history of the disease was determined from literature and expert opinion and assigned costs from national data sources to determine lifetime direct and indirect costs (work loss). Results Total lifetime costs of $736 million were estimated for the 10 359 cases of Valley fever diagnosed in Arizona in 2019. Direct costs of $671 million accounted for over 90% of expenditures, with $65 million in indirect costs. Disseminated infection produces the highest economic burden at $1.26 million direct and $137 400 indirect costs per person. The lowest Valley fever lifetime costs were for cases of primary uncomplicated pneumonia with $23 200 in direct costs and $1300 in lost wages. The average lifetime direct costs across all Valley fever manifestations are $64 800 per person diagnosed in Arizona in 2019 and $6300 for indirect costs. Conclusions Valley fever is responsible for substantial economic burden in Arizona. Our estimates underscore the value of supporting research into developing more rapid diagnostic tests, better therapies, and ultimately a preventative vaccine to address this important public health problem in Arizona.
Is Accounting Useful for Forecasting GDP Growth? A Machine Learning Perspective

We provide a comprehensive examination of whether, to what extent, and which accounting variables are useful for improving the predictive accuracy of GDP growth forecasts. We leverage statistical models that accommodate a broad set of (341) variables---outnumbering the total time-series observations---and apply machine learning techniques to train, validate, and test the prediction models. For near-term (current and next-quarter) GDP growth, accounting does not improve the out-of-sample accuracy of predictions because the professional forecasters' predictions are relatively efficient. Accounting's predictive usefulness increases for more distant-term (three- and four-quarters-ahead) GDP growth forecasts: they contribute more to the model's predictions; moreover, their inclusion increases the model's out-of-sample predictive accuracy by 13 to 46%. Overall, four categories of accounting variables---relating to profits, accrual estimates (e.g., loan loss provisions or write-offs), capital raises or distributions, and capital allocation decisions (e.g., investments)---are most informative of the longer-term outlook of the economy.
Analyst Forecasting Errors: Additional Evidence

Analyst forecasting errors are approximately as large as Dreman and Berry (1995) documented, and an optimistic bias is evident for all years from 1985 through 7996. In contrast to their findings, I show that analyst forecasting errors and bias have decreased over lime. Moreover, the optimistic bias in quarterly forecasts was absent for SP (2) firms with comparatively large amounts of market capitalization, absolute value of earnings forecast, and analyst following; and (3) firms in certain industries.
A Step-by-Step Derivation of a Generalized Model Coupled With Questions Formulation Technique to Teach Different Types of dc Motors and Its Impact on Student Performance, the Course, and the Program

Contribution: Project-based learning is a widely used learning approach that has proven itself effective in engineering education. This article describes a generalized model to teach undergraduate students the concepts of dc electric motors using project-based learning through a complete module that consists of modeling and simulation, and questions formulation. Background: Undergraduate level Electric Machines textbooks lack a detailed and complete models of dc electric motors, and they only cover the motors' traditional steady-state analysis. Teaching such topics that cover both steady-state and transient analyses through a complete module that includes both a step-by-step model derivation and simulation coupled with question formulation allows students to understand the materials better and, in turn, improve their performance. Intended Outcomes: The intended outcomes of the proposed approach are to improve students' conceptual understanding, analytical skills, and simulation experience of dc electric motors. Application Design: The proposed approach introduces students to the concepts through seven elements: 1) the model derivation; 2) the types of dc motors; 3) how to modify the derived model to represent a specific type; 4) the assigned project; 5) the MATLAB programming; 6) the simulation results; and 7) question formulation that are related to dc motors. Findings: The evaluation of the data obtained from both students' performances and surveys showed a significant improvement in performance and a positive attitude toward the proposed approach.
Optimizing non-uniform multivariate embedding for multiscale entropy analysis of complex systems

Abstract Multivariate signals are ubiquitous in various complex systems. There has been substantial interest in measuring the complexity of them to describe the target system. Traditional entropy-based methods are applicable only to univariate time series and cannot properly assess the structural complexity as a whole. The recently proposed multivariate multiscale entropy is capable of evaluating the complexity of a complex system of multi-channel data, but it is based on uniform time delay embedding and not able to account for multiple time scales structure. To this end, we develop the non-uniform multivariate multiscale entropy based on a non-uniform multivariate embedding which is optimized by solving the proposed algorithm. Experimental results on both synthetic chaotic systems and real-world brain systems of multivariate physiological signals demonstrate that the non-uniform multivariate multiscale entropy outperforms the multivariate multiscale entropy in measuring the complexity of multivariate complex systems, which is potentially applied for critical transition detection and pattern recognition problems.
The Epigenome and Aging

The epigenetics of aging is a relatively new field. Global DNA methylation has been examined for some time; however, only recently have age-related differentially methylated regions been elaborated. These regions encompass genes that in some cases interact with longevity and disease-associated genes. Histone modifications have now become of interest in aging studies. Model organisms have provided substantial evidence that some of the enzymes that are involved in histone modifications play a role in longevity, and direct evidence of such a role for one of the sirtuins has been gathered in mice. A number of studies examining expression of microRNA during aging in various organisms, including human, point to the possibility that these gene regulatory molecules may also be involved in aging. A recent study of one such microRNA in mice substantiates such a role in cardiac aging. All of these epigenetic mechanisms are responsive to environmental and lifestyle factors. Thus, the groundwork has been laid for an understanding of the interface between the genome and the environment that epigenetic mechanisms provide.
Effect of Sustaining Dietary Ketosis on the Hippocampal and Serum Metabolome of Sprague-Dawley Rats

The ketogenic diet (KD) has been successfully used to treat pediatric refractory epilepsy since the 1920s and is currently being investigated as an adjunct treatment for many disease states. The therapeutic efficacy of the KD results from an elevation of blood ketones. We previously reported that oral administration of ketone supplements produced nutritional ketosis (>0.5 mM) without carbohydrate restriction and the effects of a 28-day administration of five ketone supplements on blood glucose, ketones, and lipids in male Sprague-Dawley rats. We hypothesized that the 28-day administration would affect metabolomic markers. Serum (~300 μL) and hippocampal tissues for ketone supplements 1,3 butanediol acetoacetate diester (KE) and (1:1 mixture of sodium/potassium beta-hydroxybutyrate mineral salt solution (BMS) and medium chain triglyceride oil (MCT)) BMS+MCT were collected on day 28 at 4 hours post-intragastric gavage (peak ketone elevation). Metabolon analyzed samples by gas and liquid chromatography in ta...