cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sovereignty Cannot Hold Back the Power of Humanity

At the heart of the current refugee crisis affecting Europe’s borders is the poor exercise of sovereign judgment. Sovereignty, as a fundamental principle of international law, implies that countries have absolute control over what happens within its borders, free from foreign interference. A state’s power to exclude people from crossing its borders flows directly from this power. Whether it is Hungary’s use of tear gas against asylum seekers, Slovakia’s decision to only accept Christian refugees, or Croatia’s separation of refugee families, the use of sovereign powers in this crisis raises important questions about the role and responsibilities of states as members of the international community.
Association between formulary strategies and hospital drug expenditures

National survey data were analyzed to determine whether an association existed between formulary strategies and hospital drug expenditures. Data on community hospitals were obtained from (1) ASHP's 1987 national survey of pharmaceutical services, (2) the American Hospital Association, and (3) the Health Care Financing Administration. Along with size, case mix, and salary information, data were collected on whether the hospitals used a well-controlled formulary, whether they used therapeutic interchange, and how much money they spent on drugs. A logarithmic cost-function model was used to obtain a straight-line equation that expressed the relationships between drug cost per patient day and the other variables assessed. Summary statistics were calculated with data from 514 hospitals. The adjusted coefficient of multiple determination indicated that the model was able to explain 24.6% of the observed variation in drug cost per patient day. A significant association was found between decreased costs and a well-controlled formulary, therapeutic interchange, or both. Hospitals that used either strategy spent 10.7% less for drugs than those that used neither. Hospitals that used both strategies spent 13.4% less than those that used neither. Analysis of national survey data suggests that use of a well-controlled formulary, therapeutic interchange, or both are associated with lower pharmacy drug expenditures.
Secretion-Competent Mouse Tracheal Epithelial Cell Culture From the Genetically Altered Mouse: Pathway Analysis Via Gene Array

2002;121;79S-80S Chest V. Romberger John Spurzem, Ji Zhang PhD, Xiang-der Liu, Stephan I. Rennard and Debra * Epithelial Repair Model of In Vitro Gene Expression in an http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/121/3_suppl/79S.2.full.html can be found online on the World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and services ) ISSN:0012-3692 http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/site/misc/reprints.xhtml ( distributed without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. All rights reserved. No part of this article or PDF may be reproduced or College of Chest Physicians, 3300 Dundee Road, Northbrook, IL 60062. has been published monthly since 1935. Copyright2002by the American is the official journal of the American College of Chest Physicians. It Chest
A History of MEA Development

For this volume about the current state of the art in MEA electrophysiology, it is valuable to set the stage with an overview of what has come before, extending up to the present, including some interesting antecedents of the work described here and also some descriptions of work that supplements these chapters. The time span is over thirty years, and most readers will not be familiar with all this past work. We believe there is value in knowing the tradition on which we are building.
Development of Allosteric Hydrazide-Containing Class I Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors for Use in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

One of the biggest hurdles yet to be overcome for the continued improvement of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors is finding alternative motifs equipotent to the classic and ubiquitously used hydroxamic acid. The N-hydroxyl group of this motif is highly subject to sulfation/glucoronidation-based inactivation in humans; compounds containing this motif require much higher dosing in clinic to achieve therapeutic concentrations. With the goal of developing a second generation of HDAC inhibitors lacking this hydroxamate, we designed a series of potent and selective class I HDAC inhibitors using a hydrazide motif. These inhibitors are impervious to glucuronidation and demonstrate allosteric inhibition. In vitro and ex vivo characterization of our lead analogues’ efficacy, selectivity, and toxicity profiles demonstrate that they possess low nanomolar activity against models of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and are at least 100-fold more selective for AML than solid immortalized cells such as HEK293 or human pe...
Epistemology in Excess? A Response to Williams.

Emma Williams’ ‘In Excess of Epistemology’ admirably endeavours to open the way to an account of critical thinking that goes beyond the one I have defended ad nauseum in recent decades by developing, via the work of Charles Taylor and Martin Heidegger, ‘a radically different conception of thinking and the human being who thinks’, one that ‘does more justice to receptive and responsible conditions of human thought.’ In this response I hope to show that much of Williams’ alternative approach is compatible with my own; that, where incompatible, the alternative is problematic; and, finally, that there is a risk of talking past one another, talking at cross-purposes, that all sides must work to overcome.
Prevention of tumorigenesis in mice by exercise is dependent on strain background and timing relative to carcinogen exposure

Among cancer diagnoses, colorectal cancer (CRC) is prevalent, with a lifetime risk of developing CRC being approximately 5%. Population variation surrounding the mean risk of developing CRCs has been associated with both inter-individual differences in genomic architecture and environmental exposures. Decreased risk of CRC has been associated with physical activity, but protective responses are variable. Here, we utilized a series of experiments to examine the effects of genetic background (strain), voluntary exercise (wheel running), and their interaction on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced intestinal tumor number and size in mice. Additionally, we investigated how the timing of exercise relative to AOM exposure, and amount of exercise, affected tumor number and size. Our results indicated that voluntary exercise significantly reduced tumor number in a strain dependent manner. Additionally, among strains where exercise reduced tumor number (A/J, CC0001/Unc) the timing of voluntary exercise relative to AOM exposure was crucial. Voluntary exercise prior to or during AOM treatment resulted in a significant reduction in tumor number, but exercise following AOM exposure had no effect. The results indicate that voluntary exercise should be used as a preventative measure to reduce risk for environmentally induced CRC with the realization that the extent of protection may depend on genetic background.
‘I’m Black and I’m Proud’: A Majority Ecological Context Protects Affective Aspects of Black Identity Under Stereotype Threat

We provide evidence that stereotype threat, a phenomenon that causes stigmatized individuals to experience group-based evaluative concerns (Steele in Am Psychol 52:613–629, 1997; Whistling Vivaldi and other clues to how stereotypes affect us, W.W. Norton, New York, 2010), impacts affective aspects of Black identity as a function of majority versus minority ecological contexts. Black/African-American students, enrolled in either Africana Studies (Black ecological majority) or Psychology (Black ecological minority), completed private and public regard subscales from the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (Sellers et al. in Pers Soc Psychol Rev 2:18–39, 1998) at baseline (Time 1) and after being randomly assigned to a stereotype threat or no-threat/control condition (Time 2). In threat, participants were introduced to a ‘puzzle’ task as diagnostic of intellectual abilities, whereas in no-threat the same task was introduced as culture fair, such that people from different racial/ethnic groups had performed similarly on this task in the past. In Psychology, students under threat exhibited a simultaneous decrease and increase in private and public regard, respectively, a pattern shown in the literature to be associated with discrimination-based distress and lesser well-being in Black ecological minority environments. In contrast, Africana Studies students’ racial identity under threat remained intact. We discuss the protective effects of Africana Studies on racial identity and implications for educational reform.
Reflections on School Change Through the Arts

As I walked into the room, the tension was palpable. The secondary theatre teachers were clumped sporadically throughout the black box theatre; most were hidden in the uppermost rows of the audience. I mentally reviewed the situation.
A review of microstructural features in fast reactor mixed oxide fuels

Abstract As an alternative to traditional uranium dioxide (UO2) fuels, mixed oxide (MOX) fuels were developed to dispose of industrial and military stores of plutonium (Pu) through the incorporation of plutonium dioxide (PuO2) powder into a UO2 base fuel. The high temperature and chemical stability characteristic of oxide fuels would be maintained, while the added Pu would ultimately be eliminated from long term storage. Plutonium could be extracted from spent light water reactor (LWR) fuels, acting as an additional step to close the fuel cycle and mitigate potential environmental or proliferation concerns. This review summarizes the primary features associated with fast reactor MOX fuels, including fuel restructuring, actinide redistribution, solid fission products, plutonium agglomerates, joint oxide gain, and fuel-cladding chemical interaction. A summary of research efforts within the last 10 years and directions for future research are discussed.
Identification of Fe4+, Fe5+ and Fe4+-V0 Photochromic Absorption Bands in SrTiO3

SrTiO3Al exhibits photochromism due to the presence of iron as a minority impurity. The wavelength dependence of the optical absorption due to Fe5+ agrees with the wavelength dependence of the bleaching of Fe5+ EPR.1 After the decay of the Fe5+ and an initial decay of Fe3+ EPR, the intensity of the latter is enhanced with the same wavelength dependence as the optical absorption due to Fe4+. During these processes, a hole center is also created. This correlation of the optical absorption with the EPR bleaching and enhancement curves, shows that the photochromic absorption bands must be due to electrpn transfer from the O2− valence states to the Fe5+ and Fe4+ ions. The bands occur at 2.09 and 2.82 eV for Fe4+, and 1.99 and 2.53 eV for Fe5+; they show a shift to higher energies as the charge state of the impurity decreases.2 A weak EPR, spectrum axially symmetric around , with g ll e ∼ 8, g ⊥ e ∼ 0 was observed in Al and Mg-doped crystals. This spectrum is due to Fe4+-VO. The angular dependence of the resonance fields is given by $$H\cdot 4gn\cdot \cos \delta ={{\left[{{\left(hv\right)}^{2}}-{{a}^{2}}\right]}^{1/2}}$$ similar to Mn3+-VO.3 From X- and K-band measurements, gll = 2.007 ± 0.001, a = 0.1504 ± 0.0008 cm−1. Optical charge transfer of valence O2− electrons to Fe4+-VO, converts the center to well-known Fe3+-VO; the respective EPR quenching and creation rates are identical in the investigated energy range 1.85 – 3.07 eV, this allowed a determination of the charge transfer bands.4 Fe4+-VO is a shallow acceptor and observed only in low Fermi-level SrTiO3 at temperatures below 77°K.
Microstructural Characterization of a GMA Weldment in a Copper-precipitation Strengthened HSLA Steel

ABSTRACT The microstructures produced in a low carbon copper precipitation strengthened HSLA steel weldment prepared by a multipass gas–metal-arc (GMA) welding process has been investigated. The microstructure of the base plate consists of an uniform distribution of small copper precipitate particles dispersed in a substructured bainitic ferrite matrix, whereas in the fine grained HAZ/base plate region the microstructure is characterized by polygonized ferrite grains containing coarse copper precipitates. The HAZ near to the fusion line displays a upper bainite microstructure arranged into packets of parallel laths of high dislocation density and separated by low angle boundaries. The most remarkable feature in this microstructure is the presence of retained austenite which is expected to enhance the impact toughness and reduce the susceptibility of failure by hydrogen assisted cracking.
Phenomenological Description of Continuous Electronic Transitions

Many electronic transitions in metals occur at some fixed pressure at a given temperature and are accompanied by a volume discontinuity. On the other hand, some electronic transitions, including those in compounds of iron involving changes in spin state or oxidation state, occur continuously over a range of pressure. In fact, for the reduction of ferric to ferrous iron, one can frequently represent the conversion over a considerable range of pressure by the relationship: $$K=\frac{{{C}_{II}}}{{{C}_{III}}}=A{{P}^{M}}$$ (4.1) where C II and CIII are the fractions of ferrous and ferric ions, p is the pressure and A and M are constants. For some transformations the conversion at first increases with pressure and then levels or may actually go through a maximum.
Outcomes and the Personal Impact of Osteoporosis

Publisher Summary Osteoporosis is the most prevalent metabolic bone disease. Age is an important risk factor, with nearly half of all individuals older than 75 affected by this disease. As life expectancy of both men and women continues to increase and more cases of primary osteoporosis in men are diagnosed and treated, it will become imperative to include both genders in pharmaceutical trials and outcomes studies. In addition to the primary diagnoses of osteoporosis, the increase in secondary osteoporosis in men associated with organ transplantation, hypogonadism, steroid use, alcoholism, and other causes compounds the problem. Although fractures of the hip threaten quality of life (QOL) more than do other osteoporotic fractures (especially in old age), all fractures cause serious morbidity. In addition, hip fractures result in substantial excess mortality. In short, osteoporosis is a major public health problem of particular concern in an aging society.
Population-based simulated annealing for traveling tournaments

This paper reconsiders the travelling tournament problem, a complex sport-scheduling application which has attracted significant interest recently. It proposes a population-based simulated annealing algorithm With both itensification and diversitication. The algorithm is organized as a series of simulated annealing waves, each wave being followed by a macro-intensification. The diversification is obtained through the concept of elite runs that opportunistically survive waves. A parallel implementation of the algorithm on a cluster of workstations exhibits remarkable results. It improves the best known solutions on all considered benchmarks, sometimes reduces the optimality gap by about 60%, and produces novel best solutions on instances that had been stable for several years.
Ensemble Feature Ranking Methods for Data Intensive Computing Applications

This paper presents a novel approach to feature ranking based on the notion of ensemble learning. The combination of multiple learners in the ensemble learning approach is supposedly superior than one single learner. Extending this concept to feature ranking, this paper investigates the ensemble feature ranking approach where multiple feature selection techniques are combined to give one ranking, which can be superior to that of the individual ranking techniques. The ensembles are assessed in terms of their robustness to class noise. This study shows that the robustness of an ensemble depends on the type of techniques in the ensemble. The threshold-based feature selection techniques perform better than the standard filters as components in terms of robustness to class noise. The poor stability of ensembles of standard filters is particularly evident. Also noticeable is the decrease in stability as standard filters are added to a stable ensemble.
High-Powered Incentives in Hierarchies: The Determinants of Incentive Intensity in Group-Based Rewards

Highly incentive intensive rewards have been linked both theoretically and empirically to higher effort. Nonetheless, historically the incentive intensity of individual rewards has been quite modest in most hierarchies. In an effort to escalate the incentive intensity of rewards, managers have increasingly implemented pay systems which reward individuals for group performance. While the determinants of incentive intensity for individual rewards have been widely examined, the determinants of incentive intensity for group- based rewards remain unexplored. In this paper, we draw upon literature in economics and social psychology to develop a theory of the determinants of incentive intensity in group rewards. Our derived hypotheses are tested using data from a large sample of 663 group pay plans in the US private sector.
The Statecraft Effect: Assessment, Attitudes, and Academic Honesty.

This article uses a multimethod research design to compare Statecraft to non-Statecraft assignments and courses along three dimensions: student engagement, political attitudes, and academic honesty...
Risk Factors Associated With Perioperative Complications and Prolonged Length of Stay After Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy.

Importance Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the gold standard for most adrenal disorders and its frequency in the United States is increasing. While national and administrative databases can adjust for patient factors, comorbidities, and institutional variations, granular disease-specific data that may significantly influence the incidence of perioperative complications and length of stay (LOS) are lacking. Objective To investigate factors associated with perioperative complications and LOS after laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study was carried out at a single academic medical center, with all patients who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy between 1993 and 2017 by the endocrine surgery department. Multivariable linear and logistic regression were used to obtain adjusted odds ratios (ORs). Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was perioperative complications with a Dindo-Clavien grade of 2 or more. The secondary outcome was prolonged length of stay, defined as a stay longer than the 75th percentile of the overall cohort. Results We identified 640 patients who underwent 653 laparoscopic adrenalectomies, of whom 370 (56.7%) were female. The median age was 51 (range, 5-88) years. A total of 76 complications with a Dindo-Clavien grade of 2 or more occurred in 55 patients (8.4%), with postoperative mortality in 2 patients (0.3%). The median hospital length of stay was 1 day (range, 0-32 days). Factors independently associated with increased complications were American Society of Anesthesiologists class 3 or 4 (OR, 2.78 [95% CI, 1.39-5.55];P Conclusions and Relevance Laparoscopic adrenalectomy remains safe for most adrenal disorders. Patient comorbidities, adrenal pathology, and tumor size are associated with the risk of complications and length of stay and should all be considered in selecting and preparing patients for surgery.
New sharks and other chondrichthyans from the latest Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of North America

Cretaceous aquatic ecosystems were amazingly diverse, containing most clades of extant aquatic vertebrates as well as an array of sharks and rays not present today. Here we report on the chondrichthyan fauna from the late Maastrichtian site that yielded the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton FMNH PF 2081 (“SUE”). Significant among the recovered fauna is an unidentified species of carcharhinid shark that adds to the fossil record of this family in the Cretaceous, aligning with estimates from molecular evidence of clade originations. Additionally, a new orectolobiform shark, here named Galagadon nordquistae n. gen. n. sp., is diagnosed on the basis on several autapomorphies from over two-dozen teeth. Common chondrichthyan species found at the “SUE” locality include Lonchidion selachos and Myledaphus pustulosus. Two phylogenetic analyses (Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian Inference) based on twelve original dental character traits combined with 136 morphological traits from a prior study of 28 fossil and extant taxa, posited Galagadon n. gen. in two distinct positions: as part of a clade inclusive of the fossil species Cretorectolobus olsoni and Cederstroemia triangulata plus extant orectolobids from the Maximum Parsimony analysis; and as the sister taxon to all extant hemiscyllids from the Bayesian Inference. Model-based biogeographical reconstructions based on both optimal trees suggest rapid island hopping-style dispersal from the Western Pacific to the Western Interior Seaway of North America where Galagadon n. gen. lived. Alternatively, the next preferred model posits a broader, near-global distribution of Orectolobiformes with Galagadon n. gen. dispersing into its geographic position from this large ancestral range.UUID: http://zoobank.org/61e32ffc-4f87-4ff7-820d-0bb33a80f0a0
“Military Chic” and the Rhetorical Production of the Uniformed Body

In this essay I perform a critical analysis of military uniform rhetoric and military design aesthetics in everyday life. I compare and contrast the Army’s efforts to codify the meaning of the uniformed body with the appropriation of military uniform elements in everyday dress, from high fashion to sports to the sales rack. I argue that military-inspired styles draw on the positive ethos of the military to capitalize on the pleasures of militarism even as they rely upon the creation of rhetorical distance from the violence of war. The campy, pastiche rhetoric of milchic reinforces traditional views of femininity and cultivates affective participation in state-sponsored violence.
Natural history of human papillomavirus and vaccinations in men: A literature review

Background and aims Infection with high-risk (HR) genotypes of the human papillomavirus (HPV) is necessary for and causative of almost all cervical cancers and their precursor condition, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. These conditions have been sharply reduced by cervical cytology screening, and a further decrease is expected because of the recent introduction of prophylactic HPV vaccinations. While significant attention has been given to gynecologic HPV disease, men can be affected by HPV-related cancers of the anus, penis, and oropharynx. This literature review aims to address disparities in HPV-related disease in men, and certain HR male subpopulations, compared with women. Discussion Overall, immunocompetent men are far less likely than women to develop anogenital HPV-related cancers, despite harboring HR HPV infections at anogenital sites. On the other hand, men who have sex with men and men living with human immunodeficiency virus infection are at considerably higher risk of HPV-related disease. Historic rates of prophylactic HPV vaccination in males have trailed those of females due to numerous multilevel factors, although, in recent years, this sex gap in vaccination coverage has been closing. In the absence of routine HPV screening in males, therapeutic vaccinations have emerged as a potential treatment modality for preinvasive neoplasia and are in various phases of clinical testing. Conclusion Successful reductions in HPV disease morbidity at the population level must acknowledge and target HPV infections in men.
Development of a machine learning algorithm for prediction of failure of nonoperative management in spinal epidural abscess.

Abstract BACKGROUND CONTEXT Data regarding risk of failure of nonoperative management in spinal epidural abscess (SEA) are limited. Given the potential for deterioration with treatment failure, a tool that predicts the probability of failure would be of great clinical utility. PURPOSE We primarily aim to build a machine learning model using independent predictors of nonoperative management failure. Secondarily, we aim to develop an open-access web-based application that provides a patient-specific probability of treatment failure. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective, case-control study. PATIENT SAMPLE Patients 18 years or older diagnosed with SEA at 2 academic medical centers and 3 community hospitals. OUTCOME MEASURES Failure of nonoperative management. METHODS This is a retrospective cohort study of 367 patients with SEA initially managed nonoperatively between 1993 and 2016. The primary outcome was failure of nonoperative management defined as neurologic deterioration, worsened back and/or radicular pain, or persistent symptoms despite initiation of antibiotic therapy. Five machine learning algorithms were developed and assessed by discrimination, calibration, and overall performance. RESULTS Ninety-nine (27%) patients failed nonoperative management. Factors determined for prediction of nonoperative management were: motor deficit, diabetes, ventral component of abscess relative to thecal sac, history of compression or pathologic vertebral fracture, sensory deficit, active malignancy, and involvement of 3 or more vertebral levels. The elastic-net penalized logistic regression model was chosen as the final model given its superior discrimination, calibration, and overall model performance. This model was incorporated into an open access web application. CONCLUSION By building a discriminative and well-calibrated model in a user-friendly and open-access digital interface, we hope to provide a prognostic tool that can be used to inform clinical decision-making in real-time.
Safety of light emitting diode-red light on human skin: Two randomized controlled trials.

Therapeutic applications of light emitting diode-red light (LED-RL) are expanding, yet data on its clinical effects are lacking. Our goal was to evaluate the safety of high fluence LED-RL (≥160 J/cm2 ). In two phase I, single-blind, dose escalation, randomized controlled trials, healthy subjects received LED-RL or mock irradiation to the forearm thrice weekly for 3 weeks at fluences of 160-640 J/cm2 for all skin types (STARS 1, n = 60) and at 480-640 J/cm2 for non-Hispanic Caucasians (STARS 2, n = 55). The primary outcome was the incidence of adverse events (AEs). The maximum tolerated dose was the highest fluence that did not elicit predefined AEs. Dose-limiting AEs, including blistering and prolonged erythema, occurred at 480 J/cm2 in STARS 1 (n = 1) and 640 J/cm2 in STARS 2 (n = 2). AEs of transient erythema and hyperpigmentation were mild. No serious AEs occurred. We determined that LED-RL is safe up to 320 J/cm2 for skin of color and 480 J/cm2 for non-Hispanic Caucasian individuals. LED-RL may exert differential cutaneous effects depending on race and ethnicity, with darker skin being more photosensitive. These findings may guide future studies to evaluate the efficacy of LED-RL for the treatment of various diseases.
The influence of peer and parental norms on first-generation college students’ binge drinking trajectories

Abstract Introduction First-generation college students are those whose parents have not completed a four-year college degree. The current study addressed the lack of research on first-generation college students’ alcohol use by comparing the binge drinking trajectories of first-generation and continuing-generation students over their first three semesters. The dynamic influence of peer and parental social norms on students’ binge drinking frequencies were also examined. Methods 1342 college students (n = 225 first-generation) at one private University completed online surveys. Group differences were examined at Time 1, and latent growth-curve models tested the association between first-generation status and social norms (peer descriptive, peer injunctive, parental injunctive) on binge drinking trajectories. Results Overall, binge drinking frequency tended to decline over the first three semesters of college. After controlling for demographics, substance-free dormitory residence, parental alcohol problems and norms, first-generation status was associated with steeper declines in binge drinking frequency. During the first semester, the association between parental injunctive norms and binge drinking frequency was stronger for first-generation students than for continuing-generation students; this influence declined over time for first-generation students. The influence of peer descriptive norms on binge drinking increased for continuing-generation students; while this influence remained stable over time for first-generation students. Conclusions First-generation student status appears to be protective against binge drinking. Substance-free dormitory residence, and perceived parental and peer norms likely play a role in first-generation students’ tendency to engage in binge drinking less often over the first year of college.
Sarcoidosis-Like Granulomatous Lymphadenopathy Mistaken for Neoplastic Disease on Positron Emission Tomography:

This is a rare case of sarcoidosis-like granulomatous lymphadenopathy that was initially mistaken for a neoplastic process due to the degree of hypermetabolic changes observed on positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Sarcoid-like granulomatous pulmonary disease is a disorder that has been described in WTC (World Trade Center) Rescue Workers, and also known as post 9/11 sarcoidosis. We present an interesting case of a man who presented with several months of progressive dyspnea and was later discovered to have significant bilateral hilar adenopathy, which was PET avid. Even more interesting, this patient's symptoms completely resolved without the use of systemic steroids or immune suppressants. This is a condition that requires awareness in order to avoid repeating unnecessary tests of performing interventions on a benign condition that may resolve on its own.
Prevalence and Factors Associated With Low-Value Preoperative Testing for Patients Undergoing Carpal Tunnel Release at an Academic Medical Center:

Background: Routine preoperative screening tests before low-risk surgery cannot be justified if the risks to patients are not outweighed by benefits. Several studies and professional guidelines suggest avoiding screening tests prior to minor operations. We aimed to assess the prevalence and patient characteristics associated with low-value preoperative tests (LVTs) prior to carpal tunnel release (CTR) at an academic medical center. Methods: From electronic medical records, we identified patients aged ≥18 who underwent CTR from 2015 to 2017. We determined the occurrence of 9 common LVTs, such as complete blood count (CBC), basic metabolic profile (BMP), and electrocardiogram (ECG), in the 30 days prior to CTR. Multivariable logistic and Poisson regression were used to identify factors associated with receiving any LVT and the number of LVTs, respectively. Results: Among 572 patients, 248 (43.4%) had at least 1 LVT. The most common tests were ECG (31.3% of CTRs), CBC (27.3% of CTRs), and BMP (23.6% of CTRs). Patient factors associated with higher odds of receiving LVT included older age, higher Elixhauser comorbidity score, and general or regional anesthesia (vs monitored anesthesia care). Conclusions: Low-value preoperative tests were frequently received by patients undergoing CTR and were associated with anesthesia type, age, and number of comorbidities. Although our study focused on CTR, these results likely have implications for other commonly performed low-risk procedures. These findings can help guide efforts to improve the quality and value of surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome and facilitate the development of strategies to reduce LVT, such as audit feedback and provider education.
From Black Liberation to Mass Incarceration: A Documentary Journey

Of the repression carried out against the New Left, none was more extreme than that which was visited upon the Black Panther Party. The BPP had aroused an extraordinary mass following in a very short time, leading the FBI to brand it as the greatest danger to US “national security.” Lee Lew-Lee’s 1996 documentary film All Power to the People! The Black Panther Party and Beyond shows both the achievements and the vulnerabilities of the BPP. The official response was in effect to criminalize a whole sector of the population, drawing on deeply ingrained racist traditions and using as a new pretext the “war on drugs.” The resulting rise of mass incarceration and its impact are shown in Ava DuVernay’s 2016 film 13th.
From Modern Physics to the Cold War and Beyond

This essay is part of a special issue entitled “Looking Backward, Looking Forward: HSNS at 50,” edited by Erika Lorraine Milam.
Pulse-shape analysis in Cd0.9Zn0.1Te0.98Se0.02 room-temperature radiation detectors

The effect of trapping of charge carriers on the shape of the charge pulses from room temperature nuclear detectors, based on a recently discovered quaternary semiconductor Cd0.9Zn0.1Te0.98Se0.02 (CZTS), has been studied. We present a charge-trapping model that explains the pulse shapes for its entire duration from radiation detectors containing multiple defect types. A piecewise continuous model, based on the movement of a large number of charge carriers rather than a single charge, has been proposed to explain the pulse shapes from planar room temperature nuclear detectors. An experimental method based on the model has been described to extract charge-trapping information. This model can be applied to similar semiconductor detectors with electrically active trap centers, in general, to extract information like pre-trapping drift times. Charge pulses from a CZTS planar detector, exposed to 5486 keV alpha particles emitted by a 241Am source, were acquired using a digitizer, and the pulse shapes were explained based on the proposed model. The pre-trapping drift times for electrons as well as holes in CZTS were calculated and studied as a function of operating bias voltage, and a contrast between their bias dependent behaviors was noticed, indicating the behavioral difference of electron and hole traps.
Guided Policy Search Model-based Reinforcement Learning for Urban Autonomous Driving.

In this paper, we continue our prior work on using imitation learning (IL) and model free reinforcement learning (RL) to learn driving policies for autonomous driving in urban scenarios, by introducing a model based RL method to drive the autonomous vehicle in the Carla urban driving simulator. Although IL and model free RL methods have been proved to be capable of solving lots of challenging tasks, including playing video games, robots, and, in our prior work, urban driving, the low sample efficiency of such methods greatly limits their applications on actual autonomous driving. In this work, we developed a model based RL algorithm of guided policy search (GPS) for urban driving tasks. The algorithm iteratively learns a parameterized dynamic model to approximate the complex and interactive driving task, and optimizes the driving policy under the nonlinear approximate dynamic model. As a model based RL approach, when applied in urban autonomous driving, the GPS has the advantages of higher sample efficiency, better interpretability, and greater stability. We provide extensive experiments validating the effectiveness of the proposed method to learn robust driving policy for urban driving in Carla. We also compare the proposed method with other policy search and model free RL baselines, showing 100x better sample efficiency of the GPS based RL method, and also that the GPS based method can learn policies for harder tasks that the baseline methods can hardly learn.
Lean Lobectomy: Streamlining Video-Assisted Lobectomy to Increase the Value of Lung Cancer Care

PURPOSE:A review of the outcomes of patients who received our video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lung lobectomy in 2015 revealed long lengths of stay, inefficient care transitions, and overuse ...
Antimicrobial resistance and recurrent bacterial urinary tract infections in hospitalized patients following kidney transplantation: A single-center experience.

Purpose The burden of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and risk factors for developing infections with multidrug resistant organisms (MDROs) post-kidney transplantation (KT) are poorly understood. Methods Single-center retrospective cohort study (January 2015-December 2017) evaluating first and recurrent episodes of bacteriuria and subsequent analysis of episodes caused by MDROs up to 6 months post-KT. Donor and recipient variables were reviewed. Results A total of 743 adults underwent single KT during the study period, and 106 patients were hospitalized with bacteriuria. 45% were asymptomatic in their first episode. 73.6% had a single episode, and 26.4% had 2 or more episodes. A total of 28 patients had recurrent episodes; 64.3% had an MDRO on the first episode and 78.6% on the second episode. Escherichia coli was the most common organism isolated, 88.5% were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), 9.3% were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers, and 38.1% were MDROs. Body mass index ≥30 was significantly associated with the presence of MDROs in both univariate and multivariate analyses (RR 1.37, 95% CI 1.01-1.88; OR 3.26, CI 1.29-8.25). A total of 12 donors had bacteremia or bacteriuria and 6 (50%) with E coli. A total of 10 KT recipients received antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent donor-derived infections. Conclusions Our results suggest that a significant proportion of patients develop recurrent bacteriuria post-transplantation; of those, more than half caused by MDROs. There is a possible association between obesity and MDROs in KT recipients that merits further investigation. With the global crisis in antimicrobial resistance, innovative strategies are needed to prevent and treat UTIs in KT patients.
Model-Based Robust Filtering and Experimental Design for Stochastic Differential Equation Systems

We derive robust linear filtering and experimental design for systems governed by stochastic differential equations (SDEs) under model uncertainty. Given a model of signal and observation processes, an optimal linear filter is found by solving the Wiener-Hopf equation; with model uncertainty, it is desirable to derive a corresponding robust filter. This article assumes that the physical process is modeled via a SDE system with unknown parameters; the signals are degraded by blurring and additive noise. Due to time-dependent stochasticity in SDE systems, the system is nonstationary; and the resulting Wiener-Hopf equation is difficult to solve in closed form. Hence, we discretize the problem to obtain a matrix system to carry out the overall procedure. We further derive an intrinsically Bayesian robust (IBR) linear filter together with an optimal experimental design framework to determine the importance of SDE parameter(s). We apply the theory to an SDE-based pharmacokinetic two-compartment model to estimate drug concentration levels.
Song performance improves with continued singing across the morning in a songbird

Vocal performance – an animal's ability to produce physically challenging vocalizations – can reflect a signaller's overall condition and can be a reliable signal of quality. It has been suggested recently that songbirds improve vocal performance through recent practice during intense dawn singing. We tested whether recent practice improves vocal performance in swamp sparrows, Melospiza georgiana, a species for which the biomechanical constraints and biological implications of vocal performance are well established. We measured vocal deviation – a measure of performance – in 1527 songs recorded from 11 captive swamp sparrows, four of which were developmentally stressed as juveniles. Vocal performance improved across the morning as a function of both the cumulative number of songs previously performed and the time of day. Song types with introductory syllables showed greater improvement than more typical song types composed solely of trilled syllables, and across all song types, as song output increased, the average improvement in vocal performance also increased. However, males with high song output exhibited greater variability in vocal performance, suggesting that some individuals might experience fatigue in song production. Furthermore, birds that had been developmentally stressed as juveniles showed greater improvement over the morning than birds that were not stressed. If conspecifics attend to within-individual variation in vocal performance, then improvement in vocal performance over the course of a day may drive birds to sing early and often, although fatigue may limit the extent to which this advantage may be gained.
Interactions between whey proteins and cranberry juice after thermal or non-thermal processing during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion

The objective of this study was to understand the possible interactions between whey protein and cranberry juice after processing that could impact either the protein digestibility or the bioaccessibility of cranberry antioxidants using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model. Whey protein isolate (27 or 54 mg of protein per mL) was dissolved in either cranberry juice or water and used as a model beverage system. Beverages were either non-processed or underwent thermal (low: 85 °C for 1 min, medium: 99 °C for 10 s and long: 99 °C for 5 min) or high-pressure processing (600 MPa for 4 min). After processing, beverages underwent oral (30 s), gastric (2 h) and small intestinal (2 h) digestion. During in vitro digestion, protein hydrolysis was monitored by the o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) assay, SDS-PAGE, soluble amino acid content, and pepidomic profiling using Orbitrap mass-spectrometry. Antioxidant capacity was measured with Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and 2,2-azinobis (3-ethlybenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assays before and during in vitro digestion. Whey protein isolate dissolved in water had a significantly higher (p 0.05), suggesting that the cranberry juice interactions with the protein do not significantly decrease β-lactoglobulin resistance to hydrolysis by pepsin. Peptide formation also differed between whey protein dissolved in either water or juice. Cranberry juice protein solutions showed a slightly lower peptide count compared with whey protein isolate dissolved in water. Antioxidant bioaccessibility by FRAP during gastric digestion significantly increased in cranberry juice with addition of whey protein isolate. This trend might indicate a protective effect of whey protein isolate to cranberry antioxidant compounds.
Can You Escape? The Pharmacology Review Virtual Escape Room

Background.Clinical learning activities in a pre-licensure nursing program are challenging to rapidly convert to an online format due to their objectives to provide hands-on practice. Previously, s...
Regiodivergent biocatalytic hydroxylation of l-Glutamine facilitated by characterization of Non-Heme dioxygenases from Non-Ribosomal peptide biosyntheses

Abstract We report the functional characterization of two iron- and α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases that are capable of hydroxylating free-standing glutamine at its C3 and C4 position respectively. In particular, the C4 hydroxylase, Q4Ox, catalyzes the reaction with approximately 4300 total turnover numbers, facilitating synthesis of a solid-phase compatible building block and stereochemical elucidation at the C4 position of the hydroxylated product. This work will enable the development of novel synthetic strategies to prepare useful glutamine derivatives and stimulate further discoveries of new amino acid hydroxylases with distinct substrate specificities.
The fold-thrust belt stress cycle: Superposition of normal, strike-slip, and thrust faulting deformation regimes

Abstract Mesoscale deformation in fold-thrust belts and foreland areas occurs during the interaction of evolving stress regimes and mechanical stratigraphy, leading to a progressive deformation sequence. Tensile, hybrid, shear, compactive shear, and compactive failure may all occur in a thrust faulting stress and deformation regime, often contemporaneously in adjacent layers. Mesostructural studies, however, typically identify structural suites that appear inconsistent with a thrust faulting stress regime, such as vertical opening-mode fractures, normal faults, and strike-slip faults. We present a conceptual model that considers the progressive sequence associated with development and eventual waning of fold-thrust belt activity. The general sequence consists of five stages: (1) burial deformation in a normal faulting stress regime, (2) early horizontal contractional deformation in a strike-slip stress regime, (3) horizontal contractional deformation in a thrust faulting stress regime, (4) late horizontal contractional deformation and initial relaxation in a strike-slip stress regime, and (5) horizontal extensional deformation in a normal faulting stress regime. This sequence can be recognized in horizontal or subhorizontal strata in fold-thrust belts and foreland areas, and in more structurally complex structural positions. This model explains common suites of mesostructures, and can be used to (i) predict mesostructural suites in different structural positions, (ii) explain apparently anomalous, but inherited, structures, and (iii) infer paleostress history.
Criminogenic risk assessment: A meta-review and critical analysis:

A vast body of research underlies the ascendancy of criminogenic risk assessment, which was developed to predict recidivism. It is unclear, however, whether the empirical evidence supports its expa...
Persistent Infection of Ovine Herpes virus Type 2 in a Dairy Herd

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a frequently fatal viral disease of cattle and other ruminants. Sheep-associated MCF is caused by ovine herpesvirus type 2 (OvHV-2). Over 95% of domestic sheep are asymptomatic carriers of OvHV-2 and serve as a source of infection for cattle. Previous studies demonstrated a significant high prevalence of asymptomatic OvHV-2 infection in adult dairy cattle from a herd housed in close proximity to sheep. While sheep are considered to be the primary source of infection in cattle, there are reports of MCF in cattle that are not in direct contact with sheep. The hypothesis for this study is that cattle infected with OvHV-2 can remain asymptomatic for extended periods of time and may transmit the virus to offspring through placenta and/or colostrum. The study's objectives were to monitor a group of adult cattle for evidence of OvHV-2 persistent infection and evaluate possible transmission of OvHV-2 to calves.
Antecedents and Consequences of Discrepant Perceptions of Racial Socialization between Parents and Adolescents within Mexican-Origin Families

Parents and adolescents often have different views regarding parental racial socialization practices; however, studies documenting such discrepancies remain scarce. Using a person-centered approach, this study investigated patterns of parent–adolescent discrepant views on racial socialization (i.e., cultural socialization, bias coping, bias awareness) as well as antecedents and consequences of the discrepancy profiles. Participants were 604 adolescents (54% female, Mage = 12.41, Rangeage = 11–15) and their mothers and fathers. The results showed distinct discrepancy patterns and suggested that more maternal/paternal warmth was associated with profiles that have smaller discrepancies or profiles in which adolescents reported higher socialization than parents. Adolescents who reported higher or similar socialization as parents demonstrated better adjustment. Implications for interventions aimed at strengthening parent–child relationships and communication about race and culture are discussed.