cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oncologic Outcomes of Extended Robotic Resection for Rectal Cancer.

Surgery for locally advanced rectal cancers beyond the plane of total mesorectal excision (TME) or extramesorectal nodal involvement should include complete resection. This study evaluated the oncologic feasibility and safety of robot-assisted surgery for rectal cancer beyond the TME plane. The study analyzed the operative, perioperative, and oncologic outcomes for all patients who underwent robot-assisted extended rectal cancer surgery from April 2009 to February 2015. Of 36 patients, 22 underwent multivisceral en bloc resection, and 18 underwent extramesorectal lymph node (EMRLN) dissection. The median tumor location was 5 cm [interquartile range (IQR), 2.2–9.0 cm] from the anal verge. A total of 32 patients underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy. The median body mass index of the patients was 26.8 kg/m2 (IQR, 24.0–31.9 kg/m2). Conversion was required for one patient because of inability to tolerate the Trendelenburg position. All the resections were R0, and there were no incomplete TMEs. The vagina and prostate or periprostatic structures were the most commonly resected (n = 13/22), and the lateral pelvic nodes were the most common EMRLNs (n = 16/18). The median numbers of examined mesorectal lymph nodes and EMRLNs were respectively 20 (IQR, 18.0–28.0) and 2.5 (IQR, 1.0–6.0). The median hospital stay was 4 days (IQR, 3.0–5.5 days). Six patients experienced Clavien-Dindo grade 3 complications, the most common of which was deep abscess (n = 5, 13.8 %). The 5-year actuarial local recurrence rate was 3.6 %. Minimally invasive resection for rectal cancer can be performed with extended lymph node dissection or en bloc multivisceral resection using the surgical robot in selected patients. This technique is feasible and has acceptable morbidity.
State's High Court Justices Do Make Law

This Op-ed article challenges the notion that judges should "enforce the law, not make the law." In a common-law jurisdiction, appellate judges have the authority, and indeed the duty, to "make law." Judging involves more than enforcing the will of the legislature. The vast majority of the law that governs us is the common law, and that's a good thing. Legislators are good at passing laws but poor at updating or repealing them as conditions change. They're more interested in planting seeds than cultivating. Judges, particularly at the highest levels, make law continuously as they tend the garden of the common law, advancing or retarding its growth. The public needs to know more about candidates for judicial office than whether they will strictly interpret legislation. They need to ask in what direction will candidates take our state's common law.
Modeling mechanical cardiopulmonary interactions for virtual environments.

Abstract We have developed a computer system for modeling mechanical cardiopulmonary behavior in an interactive, 3D virtual environment. The system consists of a compact, scalar description of cardiopulmonary mechanics, with an emphasis on respiratory mechanics, that drives deformable 3D anatomy to simulate mechanical behaviors of and interactions between physiological systems. Such an environment can be used to facilitate exploration of cardiopulmonary physiology, particularly in situations that are difficult to reproduce clinically. We integrate 3D deformable body dynamics with new, formal models of (scalar) cardiorespiratory physiology, associating the scalar physiological variables and parameters with corresponding 3D anatomy. Our approach is amenable to modeling patient-specific circumstances in two ways. First, using CT scan data, we apply semi-automatic methods for extracting and reconstructing the anatomy to use in our simulations. Second, our scalar models are defined in terms of clinically-measurable, patient-specific parameters. This paper describes our approach and presents a sample of results showing normal breathing and acute effects of pneumothoraces.
Anterior interosseous-nerve paralysis as a complication of supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children.

Six cases of paralysis of the anterior interosseous nerve are presented associated with supracondylar humeral fractures in children. Traction is proposed as the mechanism of the paralysis, the distracting elements being the proximal fragment of the humerus and a tethering structure in the forearm.
A Construction Guide for the Laboratory Manager

This article continues the architectural project begun in parti by discussing the planning, design, and construction process.
Microvascular protein efflux: interaction of histamine and H1 receptors.

AbstractThe effects of H1 and H2 receptor antagonists on histamine-induced increase in microvascular protein transport was examined in the dog forelimb and horse digit. Local intraarterial infusion of histamine (4 μg/min of the base) produces marked increases in lymph flow, lymph protein concentration, and the estimated permeability-surface area (PS) ratio in both the limb and digit (3). These increases were completely prevented in the horse digit by local administration of the H1 antagonist, tripelennamine, and in the dog forelimb by the H1 antagonist, diphenhydramine. In contrast, cimetidine or metiamide, H2 antagonists, failed to greatly alter histamine-induced increases in lymph flow, lymph protein concentration, and PS ratios in the horse digit. Metiamide, except at an extremely high dose (1 mg/min), also failed to alter the histamine-induced increases in canine forelimb lymph flow, lymph protein concentration, and PS ratio. It is concluded that local infusion of histamine to the skin vasculature inc...
The Acquisition of Prefix and Particle Verbs in German: Evidence from CHILDES

German prefix and particle verbs differ in their morphological composition and morpho-syntactic behavior (see Zeller 2001). This project investigates errors children do (not) make in the acquisition of these verb types using semi-automatically extracted CHILDES data from one child (1.9 to 4.0). The results support our prediction that children distinguish prefix and particle verbs: Prefix verbs are not split. Perfective ge- is not inserted between prefix and root. ge- is not attached before the particle. Verb dropping only occurs with particle verbs. Contrasting stress patterns could be explored as the reason for the child’s ability to distinguish these verb types.
The many faces of Epstein-Barr virus

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) persists for life in a person who has been infected. Investigators are uncertain what this means to the host, particularly an immunocompromised one. EBV is the most common cause of infectious mononucleosis, but the diagnosis must be based on clinical, hematologic, and serologic criteria because other agents are the cause in about 10% of cases. EBV is the first virus to be associated with a neoplasm--Burkitt's lymphoma. This childhood malignancy is relatively common in central Africa, and EBV is a cofactor in its development, although direct evidence for a causal relationship has not been found. In southern China, nasopharyngeal carcinoma is an important health problem in adults in areas where the infection rate of EBV in childhood is high. Rare cases of primary EBV infection that evolved into uncontrolled lymphoproliferative disease have also been reported. EBV's relationship to these diverse diseases, its varying effects on certain individuals and in certain geographic locations, and the testing of a vaccine against the virus are areas of ongoing study.
MR imaging of the pancreas: A practical approach

This article reviews the current practical MRI techniques in assessment of the pancreas. With the comprehensive "one-stop-shopping" approach, the great majority of pancreatic diseases can be detected and characterized by the use of a combination of T1, T2-weighted, MRCP, and fat-suppressed T1-weighted dynamic post-gadolinium SGE sequences. This approach may provide the clinician with information regarding the site, nature, and staging of pancreatic tumor in a single setting. In many institutions worldwide, however, including our own, CT remains the main imaging method for the assessment of acute pancreatic diseases, due largely to its wide availability. MR imaging is reserved for the indications listed above, most importantly, the detection of small and non-organ-deforming pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, islet cell tumors, choledocholithiasis and pancreatic duct calculi, cholangiocarcinomas, and in cases of pancreatic head enlargement with no mass discernable on CT.
Thermodynamic Stabilities of Multibranch Loops in Bacteriophage Packaging RNA

Multibranch loops are key determinants of structural and functional roles in RNAs. In prohead RNA (pRNA), an essential component of the Φ29-like bacteriophage packaging motor, the three-way junction (3WJ) is a multibranch loop that imparts flexibility on the RNA, correctly placing helices in the spatial orientation necessary for in vivo self-assembly and packaging. In vitro, pRNA self-assembles, and some species are capable of forming dimers, trimers, and thermostable higher-order multimers. Although different pRNAs have very different interlocking loop sequences and thereby different base pairing stabilities, the overall energetics for pRNA self-assembly are conserved. We present thermodynamic data that support the hypothesis that 3WJ stabilities counterbalance loop-loop interaction stabilities in pRNA.
The "Late Preterm" Birth-Ten Years Later.

* Abbreviations: ACOG — : American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists NCHS — : National Center for Health Statistics NICHD — : Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development SMFM — : Society for Maternal and Fetal Medicine It is now 10 years since the phrase late preterm entered the medical lexicon.1 The impact of this milestone on perinatal patient care and research and a brief note concerning the unresolved issues on this topic are the focus of this Pediatric Perspective. In 1969, the World Health Organization proposed that a preterm birth should be defined as “childbirth occurring at less than 37 completed weeks, or 259 days of gestation counting from the first day of the last menstrual period in women with regular (28-day) menstrual cycles.”2 However, in the mid-1970s through the 1980s, researchers began identifying their research participants close to term gestation as “near-term.” Although no specific lower gestational age limits were stated, the implication was that such participants were fully mature and did not differ from full-term infants in any respect.3 Coincidentally, the US preterm birth rate, calculated from the last menstrual period, increased 31% between 1981 and 2003 (9.4% in 1981 and 12.3% in 2003).4 Most of this increase was due to births between 32 and 36 weeks. The distribution of gestational age at delivery had shifted toward lower gestational ages, such that in 2002 the peak gestational age for US singleton births was 39 weeks, compared with 40 weeks in 1991. During this period, for pregnancies between 32 and 36 weeks, there was a 22% increase in medical interventions, defined as inductions or cesarean births in the absence of prolonged rupture of the membranes.4 Thus, at the turn of the 21st century, some startling perinatal epidemiologic data had emerged. There was a steady increase in US preterm births. The fastest-growing segment was births between 34 and 36 weeks’ gestation, accounting for 74% of preterm births. The ethnic and racial … Address for correspondence to Tonse N. K. Raju, MD, DCH, 6710-B Rockledge Blvd, Room 2330, Mail Stop 7002, Bethesda, MD 20892. E-mail: rajut{at}mail.nih.gov
FUNctional Design: Exploring Design for Disability in a Childrenswear Course

An experimental course in childrenswear was offered which combined fashion and functional design with design for disability for real users. This studio course extended the core apparel design curriculum to include both functional and adaptive design, children as a target market, and knitwear. The capstone was a co-design for disability project in which students were tasked with holistically addressing the clothing-related needs for a specific pediatric user.
Use of a capillary electrophoresis instrument with laser-induced fluorescence detection for DNA quantitation: Comparison of YO-PRO-1 and PicoGreen assays

Highly selective and sensitive assays are required for detection and quantitation of the small masses of DNA typically encountered in clinical and forensic settings. High detection sensitivity is achieved using fluorescent labeling dyes and detection techniques such as spectrofluorometers, microplate readers and cytometers. This work describes the use of a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detector in conjunction with a commercial capillary electrophoresis instrument for DNA quantitation. PicoGreen and YO-PRO-1, two fluorescent DNA labeling dyes, were used to assess the potential of the system for routine DNA analysis. Linearity, reproducibility, sensitivity, limits of detection and quantitation, and sample stability were examined for the two assays. The LIF detector response was found to be linear (R2 > 0.999) and reproducible (RSD < 9%) in both cases. The PicoGreen assay displayed lower limits of detection and quantitation (20 pg and 60 pg, respectively) than the YO-PRO-1 assay (60 pg and 260 pg, respectively). Although a small variation in fluorescence was observed for the DNA/dye complexes over time, quantitation was not significantly affected and the solutions were found to be relatively stable for 80 min. The advantages of the technique include a 4- to 40-fold reduction in the volume of sample required compared to traditional assays, a 2- to 20-fold reduction in the volume of reagents consumed, fast and automated analysis, and low cost (no specific instrumentation required).
Computational imaging through a fiber-optic bundle

Compressive sensing (CS) has proven to be a viable method for reconstructing high-resolution signals using low-resolution measurements. Integrating CS principles into an optical system allows for higher-resolution imaging using lower-resolution sensor arrays. In contrast to prior works on CS-based imaging, our focus in this paper is on imaging through fiber-optic bundles, in which manufacturing constraints limit individual fiber spacing to around 2 μm. This limitation essentially renders fiber-optic bundles as low-resolution sensors with relatively few resolvable points per unit area. These fiber bundles are often used in minimally invasive medical instruments for viewing tissue at macro and microscopic levels. While the compact nature and flexibility of fiber bundles allow for excellent tissue access in-vivo, imaging through fiber bundles does not provide the fine details of tissue features that is demanded in some medical situations. Our hypothesis is that adapting existing CS principles to fiber bundle-based optical systems will overcome the resolution limitation inherent in fiber-bundle imaging. In a previous paper we examined the practical challenges involved in implementing a highly parallel version of the single-pixel camera while focusing on synthetic objects. This paper extends the same architecture for fiber-bundle imaging under incoherent illumination and addresses some practical issues associated with imaging physical objects. Additionally, we model the optical non-idealities in the system to get lower modelling errors.
Many independent arms; geometric discounting

We have indicated several times that the two most widely studied discount sequences are the n-horizon uniform and the geometric. The former applies when the problem is to maximize the sum of n observations. When n is unknown the corresponding random discount sequence can be taken to be nonrandom (see Section 3.1); it can be any nonincreasing sequence depending on the uncertainty in n. As a special case suppose n has a geometric distribution; so the opportunity for gain ceases at each stage with constant probability α. Then, and in many other circumstances as well, the appropriate discount sequence is geometric: A = (1, α, α2, α3,...).
Self-Forgiveness, Self-Harm, and Suicidal Behavior: Understanding the Role of Forgiving the Self in the Act of Hurting One’s Self

Suicide is a significant public health problem, and suicide risk, as well as engagement in non-suicidal self injury, is often predicated on thwarted interpersonal functioning, feelings of internal distress, and a sense of hopelessness, all of which we argue are conceptually related to self-forgiveness. Maladaptive cognitive-emotional characteristics, including ruminative thoughts, feelings of shame and guilt, and negative emotions, are often present when a person is unforgiving of the self, perhaps for a transgression committed or a behavior omitted which caused harm. As well, the self-punitive impact of a perceived transgression may result in social withdrawal, and a desire to escape, both of which are strong predictors of suicide risk. Preliminary results, including in adolescents, college students, and veterans, suggest that self-forgiveness is beneficially related to self-injury and suicide risk. In original data collection for this chapter, using a community sample, we found that self-forgiveness was inversely related to lifetime history of suicide attempt, suicide ideation in the past year, and likelihood of making a future suicide attempt. Current self-forgiveness was also related to a greater likelihood of forgiving others in the future and, in turn, to less suicide risk. Therapeutically bolstering self-forgiveness may promote adaptive coping via cognitive restructuring (e.g., resolving the transgression), reductions in distress (e.g., less negative mood), and an ability to transcend seemingly hopeless or unforgivable situations, thereby reducing suicide risk.
Training the Next Generation to Promote Healthy Places

Training a new generation of leaders in urban planning and public health to promote healthy places will require the development of interdisciplinary training strategies in order to enable effective research and practice collaboration. Next steps toward integrated training include development of a shared language across disciplines; expansion of funding support for multidisciplinary research, training, and practice, and formalization of interdisciplinary training competencies, curricula, and program structures. Core competencies necessary for all professionals engaged in promoting healthy places need to be established and linked to existing urban planning and public health training requirements. Integrated built environment and health curricula should emphasize transformative learning (learning that changes the way students think and approach problems) over simple teaching of facts. Model curricula for interdisciplinary training in the built environment and health are available and periodically updated. Academic training programs ranging from those with cross-listed courses to full dual-degree programs in urban planning and public health are becoming available.
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm

Thoracic aortic aneurysms are most commonly caused by atherosclerotic disease and can be evaluated and followed with MRI. The addition of PET imaging can provide information on aortic inflammation and possibly estimate the risk of acute rupture.
Reduced calcification and osteogenic features in advanced atherosclerotic plaques of mice with macrophage-specific loss of TRPC3

Abstract Background and aims Recent in vitro studies have showed that in macrophages, deletion of the non-selective Ca2+-permeable channel TRPC3 impairs expression of the osteogenic protein BMP-2. The pathophysiological relevance of this effect in atherosclerotic plaque calcification remains to be determined. Methods We used Ldlr−/− mice with macrophage-specific loss of TRPC3 (MacTrpc3−/−/Ldlr−/−) to examine the effect of macrophage Trpc3 on plaque calcification and osteogenic features in advanced atherosclerosis. Results After 25 weeks on high fat diet, aortic root plaques in MacTrpc3−/−/Ldlr−/− mice showed reduced size, lipid and macrophage content compared to controls. Plaque calcification was decreased in MacTrpc3−/−/Ldlr−/− mice, and this was accompanied by marked reduction in BMP-2, Runx-2 and phospho-SMAD1/5 contents within macrophage-rich areas. Expression of Bmp-2 and Runx-2 was also reduced in bone marrow-derived macrophages from MacTrpc3−/−/Ldlr−/− mice. Conclusions These findings show that, in advanced atherosclerosis, selective deletion of TRPC3 in macrophages favors plaque regression and impairs the activity of a novel macrophage-associated, BMP-2-dependent mechanism of calcification.
Polarization properties of three-dimensional electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model sources

The polarization properties of the recently introduced three-dimensional electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model sources [Opt. Lett. 42, 1792 (2017)] are examined. Both cases of uniform and non-uniform polarization are considered. The three-dimensional polarization states are characterized via the eigenvalues of a 3×3 source polarization matrix and, more specifically, via the indices of polarimetric purity. We show that the considered sources exhibit a variety of polarization states throughout their volumes conveniently controlled by several physically accessible source parameters.
Does intensity modulation increase target dose calculation errors of conventional algorithms for lung SBRT

PURPOSE Conventional dose algorithms (Type A and Type B) for lung SBRT can display considerable target dose errors compared to Type-C algorithms. Intensity-modulated techniques (IMRT/VMAT) are increasingly being utilized for lung SBRT. Therefore, our study aimed to assess whether intensity modulation increased target dose calculation errors by conventional algorithms over conformal techniques. METHODS Twenty lung SBRT patients were parallely planned with both IMRT and dynamic conformal arc (DCA) techniques using a Type-A algorithm, and another 20 patients were parallely planned with IMRT, VMAT, and DCA using a Type-B algorithm. All 100 plans were recalculated with Type-C algorithms using identical beam and monitor unit settings, with the Type-A/Type-B algorithm dose errors defined using Type-C recalculation as the ground truth. Target dose errors for PTV and GTV were calculated for a variety of dosimetric end points. Using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests (p < 0.05 for statistical significance), target dose errors were compared between corresponding IMRT/VMAT and DCA plans for the two conventional algorithms. The levels of intensity modulation were also evaluated using the ratios of MUs in the IMRT/VMAT plans to those in the corresponding DCA plans. Linear regression was used to study the correlation between intensity modulation and relative dose error magnitudes. RESULTS Overall, larger errors were found for the Type-A algorithm than for the Type-B algorithm. However, the IMRT/VMAT plans were not found to have statistically larger dose errors from their corresponding DCA plans. Linear regression did not identify a significant correlation between the intensity modulation level and the relative dose error. CONCLUSION Intensity modulation did not appear to increase target dose calculation errors for lung SBRT plans calculated with conventional algorithms.
Utility of a portable desiccant system for preservation of fecal samples for downstream 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing.

Abstract While recent advances in culture-independent sequencing approaches have revitalized the field of microbiology, rapid collection and preservation of microbial DNA in samples like feces is critical to avoid degradation of target DNA via nuclease activity and proliferation of aerotolerant microbes. Common laboratory practices to ameliorate such changes rely on prompt freezing of samples or dispersion in nuclease-inhibiting reagents. As many of the microbial enzymes associated with nuclease activity and bacterial proliferation are hydrolases, prompt desiccation of samples offers an attractive alternative to freezing and liquid reagents for field collection of samples in remote areas. Herein, we evaluated the utility of a portable desiccant chamber with a rechargeable cartridge, for preservation of equine fecal samples for downstream microbial profiling via 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Controls included matched samples promptly frozen at −80 °C or left at room temperature for an equivalent period of time. While samples held at room temperature showed a significant reduction in richness and proliferation of several facultative anaerobes, desiccated samples showed minimal change from promptly frozen samples, with the exception of increased abundance of Acinetobacter spp. in desiccated samples relative to frozen samples. The data support the utility of portable desiccant chambers for the preservation of microbial field samples intended for downstream sequencing approaches.
The impact of tackle football injuries on the American healthcare system with a neurological focus.

Background Recent interest in the study of concussion and other neurological injuries has heightened awareness of the medical implications of American tackle football injuries amongst the public. Objective Using the National Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) and the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), the largest publicly available all-payer emergency department and inpatient healthcare databases in the United States, we sought to describe the impact of tackle football injuries on the American healthcare system by delineating injuries, specifically neurological in nature, suffered as a consequence of tackle football between 2010 and 2013. Methods The NEDS and NIS databases were queried to collect data on all patients presented to the emergency department (ED) and/or were admitted to hospitals with an ICD code for injuries related to American tackle football between the years 2010 and 2013. Subsequently those with football-related neurological injuries were abstracted using ICD codes for concussion, skull/face injury, intracranial injury, spine injury, and spinal cord injury (SCI). Patient demographics, length of hospital stay (LOS), cost and charge data, neurosurgical interventions, hospital type, and disposition were collected and analyzed. Results A total of 819,000 patients presented to EDs for evaluation of injuries secondary to American tackle football between 2010 and 2013, with 1.13% having injuries requiring inpatient admission (average length of stay 2.4 days). 80.4% of the ED visits were from the pediatric population. Of note, a statistically significant increase in the number of pediatric concussions over time was demonstrated (OR = 1.1, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.2). Patients were more likely to be admitted to trauma centers, teaching hospitals, the south or west regions, or with private insurance. There were 471 spinal cord injuries and 1,908 total spine injuries. Ten patients died during the study time period. The combined ED and inpatient charges were $1.35 billion. Conclusion Injuries related to tackle football are a frequent cause of emergency room visits, specifically in the pediatric population, but severe acute trauma requiring inpatient admission or operative interventions are rare. Continued investigation in the long-term health impact of football related concussion and other repetitive lower impact trauma is warranted.
Alexander von Humboldt and the Origins of Our Modern Geographical View of Earth

Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was probably the most important and certainly the most famous scientist in 19th-century Europe before Darwin. Many have pointed to his unparalleled contribution to the modern geographical view. Cannon (1979) and Buttimer (2001) have characterized the key features of ”Humboldtian science,” as distinguished by synthetic thinking, special attention to scale, and innovative use of maps and diagrams. Why, then, talk about Humboldt — again? I argue that understanding Humboldt’s fundamental contributions to science in general, and to geography in particular, provide elements to solve two concrete problems in the way we study our world today: over-specialization and over-rationalization. The broad geographical view of earth, owed in great part to Humboldt, constitutes a distinctive character of our discipline, and a key feature to address today’s relevant issues. In this essay, I trace the origins of Humboldt’s worldview, underscoring his contributions in the form of ”Enlightened Romanticism” and an integration of mechanistic and holistic philosophies. This integration, I believe, is a defining characteristic — and a strength — of geography.
Dynamics of Systems with Randomly Disordered Periodic Excitations

A model of a periodic process with random phase modulation, or disorder, is described. It can be easily incorporated into Stochastic Differential Equations Calculus, thereby providing potential for analytical solution to dynamic problems where it represents the forcing function, or excitation. Thus, the corresponding method of moments had been applied to a linear system subject to external and parametric excitation with preliminary reduction of the equation of motion by asymptotic stochastic averaging in the latter case; boundaries for parametric instability had been derived both in the mean square and in the almost sure sense. Solution for a strongly nonlinear system with impacts had also been obtained illustrating potentially strong influence of imperfect periodicity of excitation on response subharmonics. Examples of application from engineering mechanics are presented.
Who are All These Cheaters? Characteristics of Academically Dishonest Students

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the demographic, academic, behavioral, and personality characteristics of students who are either self-identified or observed cheaters in recent research. Individual differences in student cheating have been studied in relation to multiple demographic factors including age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and school type. Students' school characteristics and the behaviors they exhibit while with their peers at school are common variables of interest in academic cheating research. The student's ability level as reported by test scores or grade point average, as well as self-reported self-efficacy, are frequent correlates of cheating behaviors. Whereas the most frequent finding is that students of lower ability are more likely to report engaging in cheating behaviors, there are also some mixed findings that demonstrate significant levels of cheating behaviors exhibited by higher ability students. One area that has received relatively little attention in the academic cheating literature is the relation between personality variables and academic cheating. Impulsivity and sensation-seeking represent two constructs prevalent in the personality psychology literature that may be related to academic cheating.
Density of States in Noncrystalline Solids

The science of semiconductors and semiconductor devices deals with three fundamental questions: 1. What are the available energy states for electrons in a semiconductor? 2. How do the electrons in each available energy state respond to externally applied fields? 3. How can we control the number and distribution of electron energy states so that we can synthesize a semiconductor that has the desirable electronic properties for specific devices?
Extracellular Flux Assays to Determine Oxidative Phosphorylation and Glycolysis in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Cells

Extracellular flux assays are conducted using seahorse XF96 analyzer. They are used to calculate oxygen consumption rate which is to determine mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and extracellular acidification rate which is a measure of glycolysis. Collectively, these assays are used to assess the metabolic phenotype of a cell. Up to four drugs can be loaded and tested in the XF cartridges used in the assay and their effect on cells could be determined. While adherent cell lines are easy to use for this assay, suspension cultures or primary cells are difficult to use. In the following sections, we describe the methodology for this assay for CLL cells in suspension cultures and CLL-stroma cocultures.
Achieving parsimony in Bayesian vector autoregressions with the horseshoe prior

Abstract In the context of a vector autoregression (VAR) model, or any multivariate regression model, the number of relevant predictors may be small relative to the information set that is available. It is well known that forecasts based on (un-penalized) least squares estimates can overfit the data and lead to poor predictions. Since the Minnesota prior was proposed, there have been many methods developed aiming at improving prediction performance. The horseshoe prior is proposed in the context of a Bayesian VAR. The horseshoe prior is a unique shrinkage prior scheme in that it shrinks irrelevant signals rigorously to 0 while allowing large signals to remain large and practically unshrunk. In an empirical study, it is shown that the horseshoe prior competes favorably with shrinkage schemes commonly used in Bayesian VAR models as well as with a prior that imposes true sparsity in the coefficient vector. Additionally, the use of particle Gibbs with backwards simulation is proposed for the estimation of the time-varying volatility parameters. A detailed description of relevant MCMC methods is provided in the supplementary material.
Skilled Nursing Facility Placement Process After Total Hip and Total Knee Arthroplasty: Revised Rating System and Opportunities for Intervention.

Abstract Background With the advent of bundled payment models, identifying high-performing skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) has become increasingly important. The goal of this study is to develop a rating system to rank SNFs within our health system and to use this system to improve the SNF discharge process at our institution. Methods All SNF-discharged primary total joint arthroplasty cases in 2017 at a multi-hospital academic health system were queried. Discharge patterns were assessed using heat map analysis. Regression analyses in conjunction with structured discussions with subject matter experts were used to identify measures of SNF efficiency and care quality. A revised rating system was developed and used to identify high-performing facilities within our health system. Opportunities to re-direct patients to higher performing facilities were identified. Results A revised rating system for SNFs was constructed based on risk-adjusted SNF length of stay, 30-day re-admission rate, and 30-day emergency department visit rate. As 82% of patients were discharged to SNFs in close proximity to their home, high-performing SNFs (according to the revised rating system) were identified by geographic region. Mapping of the discharge process revealed multiple opportunities where patients could be re-directed to a higher performing SNF in their area. Using conservative estimates (25% of discharges re-directed), this is expected to achieve a cost saving of $2,600,000 over a 5-year period, mainly through reductions in SNF length of stay. Conclusion This study describes the development of a revised rating system for SNFs which, when implemented, is expected to achieve substantial cost savings over a 5-year period.
On-chip manufacturing of synthetic proteins for point-of-care therapeutics

Therapeutic proteins have recently received increasing attention because of their clinical potential. Currently, most therapeutic proteins are produced on a large scale using various cell culture systems. However, storing and transporting these therapeutic proteins at low temperatures makes their distribution expensive and problematic, especially for applications in remote locations. To this end, an emerging solution is to use point-of-care technologies that enable immediate and accessible protein production at or near the patient’s bedside. Here we present the development of “Therapeutics-On-a-Chip (TOC)”, an integrated microfluidic platform that enables point-of-care synthesis and purification of therapeutic proteins. We used fresh and lyophilized materials for cell-free synthesis of therapeutic proteins on microfluidic chips and applied immunoprecipitation for highly efficient, on-chip protein purification. We first demonstrated this approach by expressing and purifying a reporter protein, green fluorescent protein. Next, we used TOC to produce cecropin B, an antimicrobial peptide that is widely used to control biofilm-associated diseases. We successfully synthesized and purified cecropin B at 63 ng/μl within 6 h with a 92% purity, followed by confirming its antimicrobial functionality using a growth inhibition assay. Our TOC technology provides a new platform for point-of-care production of therapeutic proteins at a clinically relevant quantity. A microfluidic reactor enables researchers to synthesize therapeutic proteins at the point of care. Therapeutic proteins are usually produced in a central location, requiring costly refrigeration and transport to the location where they’re administered. This hinders care for patients in remote or resource-scarce areas. Engineers from the United States’ Virginia Tech, led by Chang Lu, have now developed a microfluidic reactor that uses cell components and a DNA template, completed by a protein purification device. The team validated their device by producing an easily quantifiable protein GFP, before producing therapeutically viable concentrations of cecropin B, a protein used in the treatment of microbial infections. The functionality of the synthesized cecropin B was confirmed by its successful inhibition of Escherichia coli. The devices are low-cost, and future research could extend their utility to other clinically beneficial proteins.
Behavioral Changes in Transgenic Mice Expressing Both Amyloid Precursor Protein and Presenilin-1 Mutations: Lack of Association with Amyloid Deposits

Mutations in the amyloid precursor protein (mAPP) and in presenilin 1 (mPS1) have both been linked to increased production of the β-amyloid peptide (Aβ). Doubly transgenic mice produced by mating of a parental line carrying the “Swedish” (K670N/M671L) APP mutation with a FAD4 (M146L) mutant presenilin 1 line developed numerous fibrillar Aβ deposits by 6 months of age. Prior work demonstrated that mAPP and doubly transgenic (mAPP/mPS1) mice have deficits in Y-maze alternation behavior as early as 3 months of age. Increased activity was also apparent in the mAPP/mPS1 mice at this time point. These changes in Y-maze performance persisted in mAPP/mPS1 mice at 6 and 9 months of age. The mPS1 singly transgenic mice were not impaired on this task at any age. Six- and nine-month-old mice were also tested for spatial navigation behavior in the Morris water maze. In training trials, no differences in escape latency were detected among the four genotypes. In probe trials, no differences were detected in either the time spent in the trained quadrant or the number of platform crossings among the four groups. Histological staining for Aβ amyloid deposits indicates that all doubly transgenic mice have amyloid deposits by 6 months of age (roughly 25 mice examined thus far), yet no 3-month-old mice have been found with deposits. Aβ immunostaining confirmed that the 9-month-old mice tested behaviorally also have Aβ deposits. Thus, doubly transgenic mice exhibited changes in Y-maze performance prior to the formation of amyloid deposits, which are essentially unchanged as the deposits increase in number and size to 9 months of age. Yet these mice fail to reveal impairments in spatial navigation at 6 or 9 months in spite of the increasing plaque burden. These data indicate that Aβ deposits alone are not sufficient to cause robust spatial memory impairment in mice of this mixed background lineage and age.
Behavioral Form Finding: A Multi Agent Systems Framework for Environmental Aware Form Finding of Shell Structures

This work focuses on the application of Multi Agent Systems Framework for form finding shell structures by incorporating environmental parameters. Within the developed MAS approach the steering of form beyond purely form found shapes is explored by introducing behaviours which relate to the orientation of the site and the corresponding solar path. The aim is to extend traditional form finding by introducing MAS approach which enables the development of agent based models that integrate physical forces such as gravity and tension with virtual ones that relate to different design objectives. Though the use of heuristic functions the behaviour is coupled with the energy and daylight analysis in order to obtain more control over its impact. The framework is evaluated in an experimental design which uses an existing thin concrete shell design by H. Isler as a benchmark. Using the same boundary conditions as the existing shell, the proposed methodology is applied in order to generate design alternatives with improved environmental performance.
Signal Detection for Underwater IoT Devices With Long and Sparse Channels

Underwater acoustic communication often suffers from extended channel impulse response (CIR) and large Doppler spread such that signals become difficult to detect and decode. For the underwater Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications, the challenges are even bigger, because the IoT devices usually transmit very short messages due to severe power constraints, and the length of pilots are often shorter than that of CIR. Therefore, conventional pilot-assisted channel estimation and equalization approaches are incapable of detecting the information data. Moreover, the existing blind channel equalization algorithms, which do not require pilots, are not able to detect information data either, because the number of transmitted symbols is too small to approximate the expected loss with empirical loss, where the loss refers to as the error of estimated signal envelopes. In this article, a new equalization and decoding algorithm is proposed for the underwater IoT devices under harsh communication environments. Inspired by the recent blind deconvolution and compressive sensing techniques, we construct an optimization problem with the objective function rewarding sparsity of the estimated CIR using $l_{4}$ -norm and convexify the feasible set of the problem while guarantee the same solution. Then, we develop a pruned tree search initialization method and use gradient descent to find an optimal solution efficiently. The new algorithm is first verified by simulations, which show that the proposed algorithm outperforms conventional methods, such as the linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) equalizer and a constant modulus algorithm (CMA). The proposed algorithm, along with a practical procedure for compensating large Doppler spread and carrier frequency offset, is further employed to process the real-world underwater IoT data collected in a fish-tag project. It shows that the proposed algorithm can equalize and detect the IoT data which were corrupted by channels whose lengths are longer than that of pilots, but the existing algorithms, such as LMMSE equalizer and CMA-based blind equalizer are not able to accomplish. It also shows that the proposed algorithm can provide a very impressive improvement compared to raw detection (no equalization or decoding) and decoding-only approaches.
Quantitation of gait and stance alterations due to monosodium iodoacetate-induced knee osteoarthritis in yucatan swine

Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of chronic pain worldwide, and several animal models have been developed to investigate disease mechanisms and treatments to combat associated morbidities. Here we describe a novel method for assessment of locomotor pain behavior in Yucatan swine. We used monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) to induce osteoarthritis in the hindlimb knee, and then conducted live observation, quantitative gait analysis, and quantitative weight-bearing stance analysis. We used these methods to test the hypothesis that locomotor pain behaviors after osteoarthritis induction would be detected by multiparameter quantitation for at least 12 wk in a novel large animal model of osteoarthritis. MIA-induced knee osteoarthritis produced lameness quantifiable by all measurement techniques, with onset at 2 to 4 wk and persistence until the conclusion of the study at 12 wk. Both live observation and gait analysis of kinetic parameters identified mild and moderate osteoarthritis phenotypes corresponding to a binary dose relationship. Quantitative stance analysis demonstrated the greatest sensitivity, discriminating between mild osteoarthritis states induced by 1.2 and 4.0 mg MIA, with stability of expression for as long as 12 wk. The multiparameter quantitation used in our study allowed rejection of the null hypothesis. This large animal model of quantitative locomotor pain resulting from MIA-induced osteoarthritis may support the assessment of new analgesic strategies for human knee osteoarthritis.
Subject analysis on tuberculosis control project loaned by worldbank and onated by United Kingdom in Shiyan

Objective To assess the tuberculosis (TB) control project loaned bv worldbank and donated by United Kingdom. Methods The work report forms and local population data from 2002 to 2008 in Shiyan were collected and analyzed statistically. Results Through the health promotion and strengthening collaboration with general hospital, the way of TB patient discovery changed, the patient discovery rate and the cure rate surpassed the request. During 2002-2008, 11 639 cases of new smear positive TB cases and 1851 cases of re treatment smear positive TB cases were reported,the average rate of smear positive picked out reached 36.90%, average registration rate of new smear positive were 56.02/100 000, and average cure rate for new smear positive were 94.23%, average cure rate for retreatment smear positive were 88.01%. Conclusions The project has improved TB detection and cure rates, the transmission of TB is effectively under control, the project in Shiyan has obtained anticipated effects. Key words: Tuberculosis; Project; Assessment
Diagnostic Performance of a Rapid Point-of-care Test for SARS-CoV-2 in an Urban Emergency Department Setting.

The ability to rapidly and accurately identify a patient's COVID‐19 status has had significant impact on emergency departments (ED) and health systems globally. Since the identification of SARS‐CoV‐2 illness in the United States, there has been rapid development in patient testing capacity following initial challenges including sparse availability. This was made possible by increasing availability of diagnostic molecular tests in several formats, from laboratory based traditional, RT‐PCR methods to near patient testing rapid point of care PCR tests.
Exploring How Gender and Sex Are Measured in Criminology and Victimology: Are we Measuring What we Say we Are Measuring?

Throughout the years, there have been sustained and increasing calls for criminology to become more inclusive in its research and measurements with the purpose of improving our knowledge of crime a...
GALAXY CLUSTERS AT THE EDGE: TEMPERATURE, ENTROPY, AND GAS DYNAMICS NEAR THE VIRIAL RADIUS

Recently, Suzaku has produced temperature and entropy profiles, along with profiles of gas density, gas fraction, and mass, for multiple galaxy clusters out to approximately the virial radius. In this paper, we compare these novel X-ray observations with results from N-body + hydrodynamic adaptive mesh refinement cosmological simulations using the Enzo code. There is excellent agreement in the temperature, density, and entropy profiles between a sample of 24 mostly substructure-free massive clusters in the simulated volume and the observed clusters. This supports our previous contention that clusters have "universal" outer temperature profiles. Furthermore, it appears that the simplest adiabatic gas physics used in these Enzo simulations is adequate to model the outer regions of these clusters without other mechanisms (e.g., non-gravitational heating, cooling, magnetic fields, or cosmic rays). However, the outskirts of these clusters are not in hydrostatic equilibrium. There is significant bulk flow and turbulence in the outer intracluster medium created by accretion from filaments. Thus, the gas is not fully supported by thermal pressure. The implications for mass estimation from X-ray data are discussed.