cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spatial awareness in synthetic vision systems: using spatial and temporal judgments to evaluate texture and field of view.

Objective: This work introduced judgment-based measures of spatial awareness and used them to evaluate terrain textures and fields of view (FOVs) in synthetic vision system (SVS) displays. Background: SVSs are cockpit technologies that depict computer-generated views of terrain surrounding an aircraft. In the assessment of textures and FOVs for SVSs, no studies have directly measured the three levels of spatial awareness with respect to terrain: identification of terrain, its relative spatial location, and its relative temporal location. Methods : Eighteen pilots made four judgments (relative azimuth angle, distance, height, and abeam time) regarding the location of terrain points displayed in 112 noninteractive 5-s simulations of an SVS head-down display. There were two between-subject variables (texture order and FOV order) and five within-subject variables (texture, FOV, and the terrain point's relative azimuth angle, distance, and height). Results: Texture produced significant main and interaction eff...
A combined heuristic approach to dynamic lot sizing problems

A combined heuristic approach for dynamic lot sizing problems has been proposed. The combined heuristic is based on the performance analysis of the Silver-Meal heuristic on different problem sizes and demand patterns. The heuristic performs extremely well on average, and has a worst case performance ratio of two.
Remanent and transitory effects of elastic deformation of magnetite crystals

Abstract Single crystals of natural magnetite have been subjected to extended elastic deformation. The irreversible magnetic effects investigated were the acquisition of remanence and reduction of saturation remanence by compression in a null or directed magnetic field. The magnitude of the remanent moment is dependent on a complementary combination of the extent of deformation and magnitude of the field. The strain-induced moment is much larger than the isothermal remanence acquired in the deformation field, and has a significantly greater relative stability. The transitory effects of interest under the influence of applied stress were increase of saturation remanence and changes in microscopic coercivity spectrum. A structure-dependent model has been developed to interpret the behaviour. The magnetomechanical effects may be associated with the response of a multidomain configuration to changes induced in the internal mechanical microstructure. These changes are caused by the stress, and are attributed t...
Effect of planting date and tillage system on soybean root growth

Abstract Soil erosion and moisture retention are major concerns of soybean growers. Conservation tillage provides residue cover to reduce soil loss and water evaporation. This study was conducted on a Tiptonville silt loam near Portageville, MO, USA. to determine the effect of tillage system and planting date on soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] root growth and distribution. Tillage systems were conventional (clean) tillage, ridge tillage, and no‐tillage. ‘Essex’ soybean was planted on 14 May, 15 June, and 7 July in 1992 and 12 May, 2 June, and 21 June in 1993. Roots were observed 30 and 60 days after emergence (DAE) using a minirhizotron system. Stand density was not affected by tillage in either year or by planting date in 1992. Tillage did not effect rooting depth in either year. In 1992, rooting depth 30 DAE was greater for the 14 May planting date than for either of the other two planting dates. No other planting date effects on rooting depth were found. Among soil depths, root length density (RLD) ...
Segmental modeling of viral load changes for HIV longitudinal data with skewness and detection limits

Although it is a common practice to analyze complex HIV longitudinal data using nonlinear mixed-effects or nonparametric mixed-effects models in literature, the following issues may standout. (i) In clinical practice, the profile of each subject's viral response may follow a 'broken-stick'-like trajectory, indicating multiple phases of decline and increase in response. Such multiple phases (change points) may be an important indicator to help quantify treatment effect and improve management of patient care. To estimate change points, nonlinear mixed-effects or nonparametric mixed-effects models become a challenge because of complicated structures of model formulations. (ii) The commonly assumed distribution for model random errors is normal, but this assumption may unrealistically obscure important features of subject variations. (iii) The response observations (viral load) may be subject to left censoring due to a limit of detection. Inferential procedures can be complicated dramatically when data with asymmetric (skewed) characteristics and left censoring are observed in conjunction with change points as unknown parameters into models. There is relatively little work concerning all these features simultaneously. This article proposes segmental mixed-effects models with skew distributions for the response process (with left censoring) under a Bayesian framework. A real data example is used to illustrate the proposed methods.
Models for the nearfield interaction of a magnetic field from point sources representing transformers and power supplies and a ferromagnetic cylindrical shell

This paper describes models of the magnetic field interactions from various sources and a physical blockage. The sources represent power supplies, transformers, and cables; the physical blockage is a cylindrical shell. The sources are modeled as vector fields in the magnetostatic limit. Boundary conditions applied at the outer and inner interfaces of the cylindrical shell require that the normal component of the B field and the tangential component of the H field be continuous at the outer and inner interfaces. The source fields are transformed to the coordinate system of the cylindrical shell, where the final solutions are given. The source fields are expanded in binomial expansions, and the response fields outside, within, and in the interior region of the cylindrical shell are expanded in Legendre polynomial expansions. Upon application of the boundary conditions, a system of linear equations is generated by matching powers of sine and cosine functions in the binomial and Legendre polynomial expansions. The solutions of this system of equations yield the coefficients of expansion of the Legendre polynomials. The number of equations generated depends on the extent of the expansions, which, in turn, depends on the accuracy that is required. After solving for the coefficients of expansion, the coefficients are substituted back into the Legendre polynomial field equations, and the gradients are taken to obtain the vector fields. These fields are then added to the source fields to obtain the final solutions.
The Influence of Body Mass Index, Sex, and Race on College Students’ Optimistic Bias for Lifestyle Healthfulness

Abstract Objective To examine the influence of body mass index (BMI), sex, and race on college students’ optimistic bias (OB) concerning the healthiness of their own lifestyles relative to the “average college student” and best friends. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Large university campus. Participants College students recruited from first-year classes (1,398 female, 985 male). Variables Measured Student height, weight, sex, race, and assessments of lifestyle healthfulness for self, best friends, and the “average college student.” Analysis Paired 2-way t tests compared lifestyle ratings for self and others. One-way analyses of variance compared differences between BMI categories. Tukey Honestly Significant Difference tests tested all pairwise comparisons. Analyses of covariance controlling for BMI scores tested sex and race differences (P Results College students in all BMI categories were optimistically biased in comparisons to the average college student. Optimistic bias differences were significantly smaller, however, for self and close friends. Sex and race also influenced the extent and nature of OB judgments. Conclusions and Implications Optimistic bias may limit students’ willingness to adopt and maintain more healthful behaviors. Optimistic bias can be reduced or even eliminated if close friends are specified as comparative targets. Health education campaigns, particularly those using socially normative approaches, should consider the impact of comparative target, sex, and race on OB.
A stackable, 6-cell, Li-ion, battery management IC for electric vehicles with 13, 12-bit ΣΔ ADCs, cell balancing, and direct-connect current-mode communications

Battery monitoring systems are a critical aspect of electric vehicles. To interface with the high voltages in these systems a stacked IC approach is used. In this work we present an IC suitable for monitoring 6 cells which can be stacked to monitor a total of 192 cells. The IC has 13 parallel ΣΔ ADCs (12 bit, 5mV accuracy, better than 1.5mV matching) to measure individual cell voltages, cell temperature and battery current. Gate drivers with programmable frequency (5kHz - 2.048MHz), duty cycle and dither for active and passive cell balancing is provided. On chip 3.3V and 5.2V LDOs power the various subsystems. To eliminate external components, the ICs uses current mode signaling which allows the IC to be directly connected to one another to transmit information about cells from the top of the stack to the host. The IC consumes less than 15uA of quiescent current.
Alternating Systemic and Hepatic Artery Infusion Therapy for Resected Liver Metastases From Colorectal Cancer: A North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG)/ National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) Phase II Intergroup Trial, N9945/CI-66

Purpose Prior trials have shown that surgery followed by hepatic artery infusion (HAI) of floxuridine (FUDR) alternating with systemic fluorouracil improves survival rates. Oxaliplatin combined with capecitabine has demonstrated activity in advanced colorectal cancer. Based on this observation a trial was conducted to assess the potential benefit of systemic oxaliplatin and capecitabine alternating with HAI of FUDR. The primary end point was 2-year survival. Patients and Methods Patients with liver-only metastases from colorectal cancer amenable to resection or cryoablation were eligible. HAI and systemic therapy was initiated after metastasectomy. Alternating courses of HAI consisted of 0.2 mg/m2/d FUDR and dexamethasone, day 1 through 14 weeks 1 and 2. Systemic therapy included oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 day 1 with capecitabine at 1,000 mg/m2 twice daily, days 1 through 14, weeks 4 and 5. Two additional 3-week courses of systemic therapy were given. Capecitabine was reduced to 850 mg/m2 twice daily after int...
(Re-)locating TESOL in an age of empire, by J. Edge: New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 256 pp, $80 (hardback)

In recent literature on critical English Language Teaching (ELT), scholars such as Canagarajah (1999), Kumaravadivelu (2005), Pennycook (1998), Phillipson and Skutnabb-Kangas (1995), and Ramanathan...
INCREASED PERFUSION DUE TO VASCULAR NORMALIZATION IMPROVES OXYGENATION AND SURVIVAL IN GLIOBLASTOMA PATIENTS TREATED WITH CEDIRANIB WITH OR WITHOUT CHEMORADIATION

BACKGROUND: (blind field). METHODS: We evaluated MRI markers in 84 GBM patients enrolled in phase 2 trials (NCT00305656, NCT00662506) to investigate the mechanisms of tumor response to anti-VEGF treatment. Forty newly diagnosed GBM (nGBM) patients were treated with the oral pan-VEGFR inhibitor, cediranib, in combination with radiation and temozolomide. Fourteen nGBM patients were treated with radiation and temozolomide alone. Thirty recurrent GBM (rGBM) patients were treated with cediranib alone. All patients underwent serial brain MRI scans at uniform time points. RESULTS: In both the nGBM and rGBM cohorts treated with cediranib, increased tumor perfusion was observed in 20/40 and 7/30 patients, respectively. In contrast, in the nGBM cohort not treated with cediranib increased tumor perfusion was observed in 1/14 patients. Increased tumor perfusion was associated with improved overall survival in nGBM (p = 0.040) and rGBM (p = 0.009) patients. Moreover, increased perfusion was associated with improved tumor oxygenation status in patients the nGBM patients treated with cediranib and chemoradiation. These findings are consistent with a recent report in rGBM patients treated with bevacizumab. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-VEGF therapy confers clinical benefit to GBM patients by normalization of tumor vessels. We hypothesize that the subset of GBM subjects who experience increased perfusion and improved tumor oxygenation status after anti-VEGF therapy will derive optimal benefit from concurrent chemoradiation and innate anti-tumor immune mechanisms. MRI techniques may enable early identification of GBM patients most likely to benefit from this expensive, and potentially toxic, class of anti-cancer drugs. SECONDARY CATEGORY: Imaging.
Correlation of Office and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurements with Urinary Albumin and N-Acetyl-βD-Glucosaminidase Excretions in Essential Hypertension

Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) correlates better than office blood pressure with hypertensive changes in the heart and vasculature. Using the 24-hour urinary excretions of albumin and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) as markers, we examined the relationship between office and ABP and target-organ changes in the kidney in 42 untreated patients with essential hypertension. Mean urinary albumin excretion was 23.2 +/- 34.3 mg/day and mean urinary NAG excretion was 45.1 +/- 22.9 nmol/hr/mg creatinine. Urinary albumin excretion was positively correlated with both office and mean 24-hour systolic blood pressure (r = 0.31, P less than 0.05; and r = 0.44, P less than 0.01, respectively). Urinary NAG excretion was positively correlated with 24-hour ambulatory systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure (r = 0.32, P less than 0.05; r = 0.32, P less than 0.05; and r = 0.39, P less than 0.05, respectively), but not with office blood pressure. Thus, urinary albumin and NAG excretions are positively correlated with blood pressure and may be useful markers of renal involvement in patients with essential hypertension. Additionally, ABP may be more reliable than office blood pressure in identifying those patients at risk for hypertensive target-organ changes in the kidney.
Gossip in the New Testament

Gossip was a vigorous and vital social phenomenon in the biblical world, and especially the New Testament. After assaying how modern research of this oral phenomenon has been brought to bear specifically on the New Testament, texts both describing “gossip in action,” and appraising gossip in the canonical Gospels and the Pauline corpus are examined in order to highlight its role along with other social processes in constituting identity. The aim is to demonstrate how seeing texts through the lens of this peculiar social process provides readers with new and interesting insight into the social world from which the New Testament emerged.
Institutional Review Boards: What’s Old, What’s New, What Needs to Change?

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) have come under fire for being burdened with work, causing delays in the progress of human subject research without improvements in the protection of human subjects. Over the years, there have been increases in the numbers of clinical trials, the use of multi-site studies, and the amount of bureaucracy, but no changes to the system to accommodate these advancements. Proposed changes include the use of a centralized IRB for multi-site studies and harmonization of reporting requirements amongst agencies. The purpose of this paper is to review the history, structure, and purpose of the IRB, to assess the criticisms of the current system, and to discuss solutions for improvement.
Strategy of Mobile Payment System based on RFID Technology

In order to meet the increasing demand for mobile payment and promote its fast development,the entire industial chain of mobile payment is analyzed,and its best business model,involving the mobile operator,bank,payment platform and terminal also defined in the paper.Then the system solution for mobile payment is proposed,the critical technology of core unit,that is,RFID mobile phone,is discussed,and its implementation plan addressed.Finally the principal operation flow,involving large payment,small payment,refilling and loss report,is described in detail.
Description and Comparison of the Canals and Canal Branching Pattern of the Lateral Line Canal System of Dorosoma petenense (Günther) [Clupeomorpha: Clupeoidei]

The lateral line canals, canal neuromasts, dermal canal carrying bones and scales, and canal branches of Dorosoma petenense are described and compared with those of clupeids Dorosoma cepedianum, Brevoortia patronus, Brevoortia tyrannus, Caspialosa pontica, Chirocentrus dorab, Clupea harengus, Clupeonella cultriventris, and Sardina pilchardus. The first trunk lateral line canal carrying scale is narrower than the second in Denticeps clupeoides, Dorosoma petenense, Dorosoma cepedianum, and Sardina pilchardus. Although the clupeoid lateral line canal system is complex, information from its branching pattern, with or without information from other systems of the body, could provide significant justification for a fully resolved phylogeny of clupeoids.
Suboptimal Vitamin D levels among adult survivors of childhood cancers

Purpose: Vitamin D plays an important role in many bodily systems, with increasing evidence suggesting its importance for the prevention of chronic diseases and cancer. The identification of vitamin D levels in childhood cancer survivors becomes, therefore, particularly relevant, given that optimizing levels may contribute to the prevention of secondary malignancies and chronic diseases. Methods: A cross - sectional analysis of serum 25 - hydroxyvitamin D levels among adult survivors of childhood cancers living in New York State and surrounding areas (n = 139) was performed. Independent variables included gender, race/ethnicity, cancer site, year of diagnosis, past medical and surgical history, prior radiation therapy; prior chemotherapy, age at diagnosis, age at last clinic visit, year of last clinic visit, height, weight, body mass index, and vitamin D supplementation. Results: Overall, 34% of survivors were vitamin D deficient ( 25 demonstrated lower levels of vitamin D (p < 0.05). Vitamin D levels did not vary by age group, race, ethnicity, diagnosis, or years since diagnosis. Conclusion: Given the growing awareness of the role of vitamin D and the documented late effects of treatment for childhood cancers, the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency within the childhood cancer survivor population is of concern. Vitamin D represents an important target for surveillance and intervention to help improve long - term outcomes of childhood cancer survivors.
Neutralisation and sexual abuse: a study of monks from one Benedictine Abbey

ABSTRACTAllegations of sexual abuse against minors by priests in Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the US are not new. Yet, it has only been within the past three years that dioceses (including Milwaukee, Chicago, Los Angeles, Joliet, and Winona) have unsealed files of priests accused of sexual abuse. Using available files from one Benedictine Abbey in Minnesota, we conducted a retrospective content analysis with a focus towards the way those within the diocese justified, neutralised, or shifted blame for these crimes. In addition to the presence of some of these themes, we also uncovered evidence of concealment by upper-level administrators. This manuscript offers a brief summation of the sexual abuse scandal within the Church, a case study of this abbey’s changing response to allegations over the past three decades, and a discussion of our findings, ideas for policy changes, and directions for future research.
When Historians Disagree: B. F. Skinner and E. G. Boring, 1930

B.F. Skinner and E. G. Boring disagreed over the historical portions of a manuscript that the younger man wished to present as his doctoral dissertation in Harvard University in the fall of 1930. This article provides an interpretive account of their disagreement and the reasons for it, and sketches its disciplinary and institutional setting.
Ischemic Heart Disease

Myocardial ischemia, an imbalance between myocardial blood supply and demand, is the hallmark of the clinical syndromes of ischemic heart disease (IHD). The manifestations of IHD are dependent on the severity, acuity, and duration of the ischemic episodes ranging from acute myocardial infarction to chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy and angina pectoris. This chapter first discusses the fundamental metabolic, functional, and ionic disturbances occurring in the myocardium following ischemia. Subsequently, we describe the reparative signals triggered in the infarcted heart and the molecular pathways leading to scar formation and ventricular remodeling. Finally, we discuss the mechanistic basis of the manifestations of chronic IHD, including ischemic cardiac fibrosis, myocardial hibernation, and angina pectoris.
Howells and W. R. Alger: An Overlooked Review

(1990). Howells and W. R. Alger: An Overlooked Review. ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews: Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 171-174.
Decadal application of WRF/Chem for regional air quality and climate modeling over the U.S. under the representative concentration pathways scenarios. Part 1: Model evaluation and impact of downscaling

Abstract An advanced online-coupled meteorology-chemistry model, i.e., the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with Chemistry (WRF/Chem), is applied for current (2001–2010) and future (2046–2055) decades under the representative concentration pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios to examine changes in future climate, air quality, and their interactions. In this Part I paper, a comprehensive model evaluation is carried out for current decade to assess the performance of WRF/Chem and WRF under both scenarios and the benefits of downscaling the North Carolina State University's (NCSU) version of the Community Earth System Model (CESM_NCSU) using WRF/Chem. The evaluation of WRF/Chem shows an overall good performance for most meteorological and chemical variables on a decadal scale. Temperature at 2-m is overpredicted by WRF (by ∼0.2–0.3 °C) but underpredicted by WRF/Chem (by ∼0.3–0.4 °C), due to higher radiation from WRF. Both WRF and WRF/Chem show large overpredictions for precipitation, indicating limitations in their microphysics or convective parameterizations. WRF/Chem with prognostic chemical concentrations, however, performs much better than WRF with prescribed chemical concentrations for radiation variables, illustrating the benefit of predicting gases and aerosols and representing their feedbacks into meteorology in WRF/Chem. WRF/Chem performs much better than CESM_NCSU for most surface meteorological variables and O3 hourly mixing ratios. In addition, WRF/Chem better captures observed temporal and spatial variations than CESM_NCSU. CESM_NCSU performance for radiation variables is comparable to or better than WRF/Chem performance because of the model tuning in CESM_NCSU that is routinely made in global models.
Transmitter-Specific Synaptic Contacts Involving Mixed Rod-Cone Bipolar Cell Terminals in Goldfish Retina

Retinal bipolar cells are the neurons largely responsible for conveying information from photoreceptors to ganglion cells. They are also subject to lateral inputs from horizontal cells in the outer plexiform layer (OPL), amacrine cells in the inner plexiform layer (IPL), and centrifugal input from interplexiform cells (IPC). Bipolar cells in teleost retinas receive either pure cone input or a mixture and rod and cone input. The morphology of mixed rod-cone bipolar cells have been correlated with their response polarity to illumination over the receptive field center. There are two major types: type Mb are depolarizing (ON-center), with synaptic terminals in the proximal 40% of the IPL (sublamina b), and type Ma are hyperpolarizing (OFF-center) with synaptic terminals in the distal 60% of the IPL (sublamina a) (Fig. 1, Stell, 1967; Famiglietti et al 1977; Stell et al 1977; Iahida et al 1980; Saito et al 1983). The synaptic terminals of Mb and Ma cells are relatively large, ranging from 4–10 um in diameter, and are surrounded by amacrine cell synapses. Despite the elegant work describing the photoreceptor input to bipolar cell dendrites (Stell and Kock, 1984, for review), there is less information on the transmitter-specific inputs to their synaptic terminals.
Total versus superficial parotidectomy for stage III melanoma.

Background The primary purpose of this study was to describe the parotid recurrence rates after superficial and total parotidectomy. Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed on patients with cutaneous melanoma metastatic to the parotid gland who underwent parotidectomy from 1998 through 2014. Primary outcome was parotid bed recurrence. Secondary outcomes were facial nerve function postoperatively and at last follow-up. Results One hundred twenty-nine patients were included in the study. Thirty-four patients (26%) underwent a total parotidectomy and 95 patients underwent superficial parotidectomy. Twelve patients (13%) developed parotid bed recurrence after superficial parotidectomy alone versus zero after total parotidectomy (P = .035). Facial nerve function, clinically detected disease, stage, and adjuvant treatment were not statistically different between the groups (P = .32, .32, .13, and 0.99, respectively). Conclusion Parotid bed melanoma recurrence was more common after superficial parotidectomy compared to total parotidectomy, and recurrence resulted in significant facial nerve functional deficit. Our results support total parotidectomy when metastatic melanoma involves the parotid nodal basin.
Specialist Endoscopists Are Associated with a Decreased Risk of Incomplete Polyp Resection During Endoscopic Mucosal Resection in the Colon.

Endoscopic experience is known to correlate with outcomes of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), particularly complete resection of the polyp tissue. Whether specialist endoscopists can protect against incomplete polypectomy in the setting of known risk factors for incomplete resection (IR) is unknown. We aimed to characterize how specialist endoscopists may help to mitigate the risk of IR of large sessile polyps. This is a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent EMR at the University of Michigan from January 1, 2006, to November 15, 2015. The primary outcome was endoscopist-reported polyp tissue remaining at the end of the initial EMR attempt. Specialist endoscopists were defined as endoscopists who receive tertiary referrals for difficult colonoscopy cases and completed at least 20 EMR colonic polyp resections over the study period. A total of 257 patients with 269 polyps were included in the study. IR occurred in 40 (16%) cases. IR was associated with polyp size ≥ 40 mm [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.38–7.93], flat/laterally spreading polyps (aOR 2.61, 95% CI 1.24–5.48), and difficulty lifting the polyp (aOR 11.0, 95% CI 2.66–45.3). A specialist endoscopist performing the initial EMR was protective against IR, even in the setting of risk factors for IR (aOR 0.13, 95% CI 0.04–0.41). IR is associated with polyp size ≥ 40 mm, flat and/or laterally spreading polyps, and difficulty lifting the polyp. A specialist endoscopist initiating the EMR was protective of IR.
Depression and Suicidal Behaviors among Adolescents: The Role of Ethnicity

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on issues of incidence, prevalence, natural history, and etiologic factors in regard to depression and suicidal behaviors in adolescence. The available data on prevalence are quite limited. For example, there are almost no data on the prevalence of clinical depression among diverse ethnic minorities, different socioeconomic strata, and rural compared with urban populations. The same is true for the spectrum of suicidal behaviors. From the perspective of prevention and treatment as well as epidemiology, understanding the natural history of child and adolescent disorders is critical, yet there are essentially no data on incidence, duration, and recurrence of clinical depression and suicidal behaviors in minority populations. Further, comorbidity is increasingly recognized as a key phenomenological feature of psychiatric disorders among children and adults, yet there are basically no community-based epidemiologic data on the prevalence, incidence, and natural history of comorbity disorders with depression and suicidal behaviors in minority adolescents. A key to understanding disorders is understanding the role of developmental factors, but at present there are few data on the role of development in the manifestation of psychiatric problems, because there are few data from epidemiologic studies examining the relation between developmental milestones of stages and psychiatric syndromes such as depression and suicide.
Prediction of Type 2 Diabetes by Hemoglobin A1c in Two Community-Based Cohorts.

OBJECTIVE Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) can be used to assess type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. We asked whether HbA1c was associated with T2D risk in four scenarios of clinical information availability: 1) HbA1c alone, 2) fasting laboratory tests, 3) clinic data, and 4) fasting laboratory tests and clinic data. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We studied a prospective cohort of white (N = 11,244) and black (N = 2,294) middle-aged participants without diabetes in the Framingham Heart Study and Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Association of HbA1c with incident T2D (defined by medication use or fasting glucose [FG] ≥126 mg/dL) was evaluated in regression models adjusted for 1) age and sex (demographics); 2) demographics, FG, HDL, and triglycerides; 3) demographics, BMI, blood pressure, and T2D family history; or 4) all preceding covariates. We combined results from cohort and race analyses by random-effects meta-analyses. Subsidiary analyses tested the association of HbA1c with developing T2D within 8 years or only after 8 years. RESULTS Over 20 years, 3,315 individuals developed T2D. With adjustment for demographics, the odds of T2D increased fourfold for each percentage-unit increase in HbA1c. The odds ratio (OR) was 4.00 (95% CI 3.14, 5.10) for blacks and 4.73 (3.10, 7.21) for whites, resulting in a combined OR of 4.50 (3.35, 6.03). After adjustment for fasting laboratory tests and clinic data, the combined OR was 2.68 (2.15, 3.34) over 20 years, 5.79 (2.51, 13.36) within 8 years, and 2.23 (1.94, 2.57) after 8 years. CONCLUSIONS HbA1c predicts T2D in different common scenarios and is useful for identifying individuals with elevated T2D risk in both the short- and long-term.
An initial cost-effectiveness analysis of intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) in pediatric epilepsy surgery

Previous studies have illustrated the clinical utility of the addition of intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) to conventional microsurgical resection. While iMRI requires initial capital cost investment, long-term reduction in costly follow-up management and reoperation costs may prove economically efficacious. The objective of this study is to investigate the cost-effectiveness of the addition of iMRI utilization versus conventional microsurgical techniques in focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) resection in pediatric patients with medically refractory epilepsy. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of pediatric subjects who underwent surgical resection of FCD at the Children’s National Health System between March 2005 and April 2015. Patients were assigned to one of three cohorts: iMRI-assisted resection, conventional resection with iMRI-assisted reoperation, or conventional resection. Direct costs included preoperative, operative, postoperative, long-term follow-up, and antiepileptic drug (AED) costs. The cost-effectiveness was calculated as the sum total of all direct medical costs over the quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). We also performed sensitivity analysis on numerous variables to assess the validity of our results. Fifty-six consecutive pediatric patients underwent resective surgery for medically intractable FCD. Ten patients underwent iMRI-assisted resection; 7 underwent conventional resection followed by iMRI-assisted reoperation; 39 patients underwent conventional microsurgical resection. Taken over the lifetime of the patient, the cumulative discounted QALY of patients in the iMRI-assisted resection cohort was about 2.91 years, versus 2.61 years in the conventional resection with iMRI-assisted reoperation cohort, and 1.76 years for the conventional resection cohort. Adjusting for inflation, iMRI-assisted surgeries have a cost-effectiveness ratio of $16,179 per QALY, versus $28,514 per QALY for the conventional resection with iMRI-assisted reoperation cohort, and $49,960 per QALY for the conventional resection cohort. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that no one single variable significantly altered cost-effectiveness across all three cohorts compared to the baseline results. The addition of iMRI to conventional microsurgical techniques for resection of FCD in pediatric patients with intractable epilepsy resulted in increased seizure freedom and reduction in long-term direct medical costs compared to conventional surgeries. Our data suggests that iMRI may be a cost-effective addition to the surgical armamentarium for epilepsy surgery.
STRUCTURE, BONDING, AND THE MOSSBAUER LATTICE TEMPERATURE

Since the earliest days of Mossbauer Effect Spectroscopy and its application to chemical problems, it has been well understood that the various parameters which could be extracted from a resonance spectrum all have characteristic dependencies on temperature. Moverover, it soon became apparent that a good deal of useful chemical information could be extracted from a determination of these temperature coefficients, and that the resulting systematics provided an additional means for understanding the structure and bonding in chemical systems.
The Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

The acetylcholine receptor (AcChR) from Torpedo electroplax has been isolated both in its native membrane-bound state and by affinity chromatography after solubilization (see Conti-Tronconi and Raftery, 1982). Purified membrane fragments can reseal, forming closed, right-side-out vesicles, which can be used for both functional and structural studies. The major physiochemical properties of T. californica AcChR protein are summarized in Fig. 1.
Scaling up WA* with commitment and diversity

Weighted A* (WA*) is a popular search technique that scales up A* while sacrificing solution quality. Recently, researchers have proposed two variants of WA*: KWA* adds diversity to WA*, and MSC-WA* adds commitment to WA*. In this paper, we demonstrate that there is benefit in combining them. The resulting MSC-KWA* scales up to larger domains than WA*, KWA* and MSC-WA*, which is rather surprising since diversity and commitment at first glance seem to be opposing concepts.
Cascading strategy in a large health system: Bridging gaps in hospital alignment through implementation.

Using any number of open system strategic frameworks, the planning process follows a fairly consistent trajectory: formulation, implementation, and evaluation. Most agree that the formulation and e...
Vegetation Health Method

Vegetation health (VH) method was developed for space-based monitoring of moisture and thermal and total health conditions in vegetation. This chapter is very important in explaining the theoretical and practical principals of the new development. The method stems from the properties of green vegetation to reflect sunlight and emit absorbed solar radiation in the visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) parts of solar spectrum. In drought-free years, vegetation is normally healthy being very green (contains much chlorophyll) and vigorous (contains much water). Such vegetation reflects very little solar radiation in the VIS and much in the NIR parts of solar spectrum. As a result, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), calculated from VIS and NIR, has a very high value, symbolizing good vegetation health, moisture, and thermal conditions. Healthy vegetation also emits less absorbed thermal infrared (IR) radiation, resulting in a lower brightness temperature (BT) and a cooler canopy. Drought depresses vegetation greenness and vigor and makes the canopy hot due to an increase in VIS (due to depletion of chlorophyll), decrease in NIR (due to a drop in water content), a reduction of NDVI, and an increase in BT making canopy hot. Therefore, NDVI and BT serve as indicators of healthy/non-healthy vegetation. Their data are composited and processed to reduce noise related to clouds, aerosols, water vapor, sun-sensor geometry, orbit degradation, satellite position, sensor deterioration, random noise, and other errors. Further, processing includes a development of NDVI and BT multiyear climatology and three indices in the form of deviation from that climatology. The indices are vegetation condition index (VCI), temperature condition index (TCI) and vegetation health index (VHI), combining the first two together. They characterize vegetation moisture (VCI), thermal (TCI), and total health (VHI) conditions. These indices were based on the three biophysical laws: the Leibig’s Law of Minimum, the Shelford’s Law of Tolerance, and the Principal of Carrying Capacity. This chapter describes the three indices and their applications for monitoring vegetation moisture, thermal, and health conditions.
Neuroinflammatory mechanisms of blood-brain barrier damage in ischemic stroke.

As part of the neurovascular unit, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a unique, dynamic regulatory boundary that limits and regulates the exchange of molecules, ions, and cells between the blood and ...
The next chapter in symptomatic Parkinson disease treatments.

Abstract Significant advances in the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson disease (PD) have occurred since the discovery of levodopa (LD). Perhaps as a testament to its unparalleled efficacy, novel formulations aiming to optimize LD delivery to obtain better bioavailability, longer duration of effect and less plasma level fluctuations remain a major focus of drug development, nearly 5 decades since it was first commercially used. In addition, alternative apomorphine delivery formulations are also in development to provide rapid-acting, needle-free agents for the management of “off” episodes in patients experiencing motor fluctuations. “Non-dopaminergic” approaches have also emerged as promising treatments targeting different pathways to enhance the modulation of dopaminergic and neuroprotective mechanisms. This paper focuses on reviewing the evidence on the latest advances in non-surgical, symptomatic motor PD treatment.
Cost-Effectiveness of Bridging Anticoagulation Among Patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation.

Bridging anticoagulation is commonly prescribed to patients with atrial fibrillation during initiation and interruption of warfarin. Guidelines recommend bridging patients at high risk of stroke, while a recent randomized trial demonstrated overall harm in a population at comparatively low risk of ischemic stroke. Theory suggests that patients at high risk of stroke and low risk of hemorrhage may benefit from bridging, but data informing patient selection are scant. To estimate the utility and cost-effectiveness of bridging anticoagulation among patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, stratified by thromboembolic and hemorrhagic risk Cost-effectiveness analysis with lifelong time horizon, from the perspective of a third-party payer Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) per bridged patient; US dollars per QALY gained Unselected patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation may be harmed by bridging anticoagulation. Hospital admission for bridging is almost never cost-effective, and generally harmful. Among patients carefully selected by both thromboembolic and hemorrhagic risks, outpatient bridging can be beneficial and cost-effective. Results were sensitive to how effectively heparin products reduce stroke risk. Outpatient bridging anticoagulation can be beneficial and cost-effective for a subset of patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation during interruption or initiation of warfarin. Admission for bridging should be avoided.
Reinforcement Learning-based Adaptive Trajectory Planning for AUVs in Under-ice Environments

This work studies online learning-based trajectory planning for multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to estimate a water parameter field of interest in the under-ice environment. A centralized system is considered, where several fixed access points (APs) on the ice layer are introduced as gateways for communications between the AUVs and a remote data fusion center (FC). We model the water parameter field of interest as a Gaussian process (GP) with unknown hyper-parameters. The AUV trajectories for sampling are determined on an epoch-by-epoch basis. At the end of each epoch, the APs relay the observed field samples from all the AUVs to the FC which computes the posterior distribution of the field based on the Gaussian process regression (GPR) and estimates the field hyper-parameters. The optimal trajectories of all the AUVs in the next epoch are determined to minimize a long-term cost that is defined based on the field uncertainty reduction and the AUV mobility cost, subject to the kinematics constraint, the communication range constraint and the sensing area constraint. We formulate the adaptive trajectory planning problem as a Markov decision process (MDP). A reinforcement learning (RL)-based online learning method is designed to determine the optimal AUV trajectories in a constrained continuous space. Simulation results show that the proposed learning-based trajectory planning algorithm has performance similar to a benchmark method that assumes perfect knowledge of the field hyper-parameters.
Do beliefs yield to evidence? Examining belief perseverance vs. change in response to congruent empirical findings

Abstract Research on belief perseverance often suggests that people maintain or even strengthen their beliefs in response to disconfirming evidence. However, many studies demonstrating belief perseverance have presented participants with mixed evidence. The present research investigated whether people maintain their beliefs in response to a single pattern of findings. Across four studies, participants consistently shifted their beliefs in response to the evidence, even when it challenged their views on religion (Studies 1–3), politics (Study 3), gun control (Study 3), and capital punishment (Studies 3–4). Participants were also receptive to mixed evidence, shifting their beliefs in response to the first study presented and shifting back in response to the second (and overall, depolarizing in response to the evidence). Participants not only updated their beliefs about the research question but also sometimes their position on the issue. In some cases, bias emerged in participants' evaluations of evidence, but not in others. Evaluations of evidence quality generally predicted belief change in response to the evidence and did not largely explain the degree of belief maintenance participants exhibited. These findings suggest that people may be receptive to counter-attitudinal evidence when the findings are clear, and highlight the importance of further examining the conditions under which biased assimilation and belief perseverance (vs. change) occur.
Experimental Results and Theoretical Developments of Muon g-2

The anomalous magnetic moments of both positive and negative muons are measured to the precision of 0.7 parts per million. Two values are in good agreement. The standard model calculations of muon g-2 are under further studies, especially the descrepancies between $e^+e^-$ and $\tau$ data. The differences between experimental result and the standard model calculations are $2.4\sigma$ for $e^+e^-$ data and $0.9\sigma$ for $\tau$ data.
Systemic vasoprotection by inhaled carbon monoxide is mediated through prolonged alterations in monocyte/macrophage function.

Abstract Carbon monoxide (CO) is anti-inflammatory and protective in models of disease. Its actions in vitro are short-lived but are sustained in vivo. We hypothesize that systemic CO can mediate prolonged phenotype changes in vivo, with a focus on macrophages (Mφs). Mφs isolated from CO treated rats responded to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with increased IL6, IL10 and iNOS expression but decreased TNF. Conditioned media (CM) collected from peritoneal Mφs isolated from CO treated rats stimulated endothelial cell (EC) proliferation versus CM from Mφs from air treated rats. This effect was mediated by Mφ released VEGF and HMGB1. Inhaled CO reduced LPS induced Mφ M1 inflammatory phenotype for up to 5 days. Mitochondrial oxygen consumption in LPS treated Mφs from CO treated mice was preserved compared to LPS treated Mφs from control mice. Finally, transient reduction of inflammatory cells at the time of inhaled CO treatment eliminated the vasoprotective effect of CO in a rodent carotid injury model. Thus, inhaled CO induces a prolonged mixed phenotype change in Mφs, and potentially other inflammatory cells, that contribute to vasoprotection. These findings demonstrate the ability of inhaled CO to modify Mφs in a sustained manner to mediate its therapeutic actions, supporting the translational potential of inhaled CO.
Distribution of congenital anomalies by race/ethnicity and geospatial location in Oklahoma, 1997–2009

INTRODUCTION Congenital anomalies were the leading cause of infant mortality, responsible for 23 and 21% of deaths in Oklahoma and the USA, respectively, in 2016. We aimed to determine the prevalence by race/ethnicity and spatial distribution of congenital anomalies to identify geographic and racial/ethnic disparities, particularly among American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN). METHODS We evaluated the prevalence of anomalies by type and race/ethnicity among 648,074 live births in Oklahoma from 1997 to 2009. Prevalence proportion ratios (PPRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using Poisson regression. We used Moran's I and Getis-Ord Gi* to evaluate spatial clustering for neural tube defects, critical congenital heart defects (CCHDs), and oral clefts among births whose residence geocoded to the ZIP code or finer level. RESULTS Overall prevalence of anomalies among live births was 3.9%. Non-Hispanic (NH) African American (PPR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.83, 0.91), Asian/Pacific Islander (PPR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.63, 0.78), and Hispanic (PPR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.83, 0.91) children had a lower prevalence of anomalies compared to NH whites. The prevalence in NH AI/AN children was similar to NH whites (PPR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.97, 1.05). However, differences in specific types of anomalies were observed by race/ethnicity. We observed no spatial autocorrelation for CCHD and oral clefts. Neural tube defects demonstrated spatial autocorrelation (p < .0001). Local hot spots varied by anomaly. DISCUSSION The prevalence of anomalies by race/ethnicity and geography differed by race/ethnicity and region, though this varied by anomaly. Additional research is needed to identify behavioral or environmental factors to target for prevention.