cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bundled Payment Models for Actinic Keratosis Management

Importance Recent legislation encourages alternative payment models, such as bundled payments. There are no clear recommendations on bundled payment design, and research on bundled payments for dermatologic care is limited. Objective To investigate several methods to develop bundled payment models for actinic keratosis (AK) management and the likely effect on the cost of AK management. Design, Setting, and Participants Cohort cost identification study using claims from Highmark Insurance and the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters databases. Patients with claims for AK during the study period, January 2010 to December 2012, were included (N = 118 129). Utilization measures, such as visits and procedures, and direct costs were calculated and 8 bundled payment models were developed. Indirect costs were not included. Main Outcomes and Measures The actual health care costs and theoretical cost differences for the bundled payments. Costs are reported in 2012 US dollars and were adjusted for inflation. The proportion of patients and clinicians with annual AK claim costs less than or equal to the bundled payments were calculated. Results Eight bundled payment models were developed and 2, based on the 75th percentile payment, did not result in theoretical savings for any of the patient samples (increased annual spending of $1.04 million to $6.88 million). The median-based payment without adjustments resulted in the largest theoretical savings (decreased spending of $2.22 million to $6.43 million). In contrast, the mean-based payment with adjustments resulted in the smallest theoretical savings. The median-based with indirect payment (65.2% for patients and 62.0% for clinicians) and mean-based adjusted payments, with (68.9% and 66.2%) and without (68.1% and 65.6%) discount, were equal to or greater than the actual health care costs for similar proportions of patients and clinicians, respectively. In addition, both resulted in a decrease in overall health care costs for the patient cohort. Conclusions and Relevance It is important to consider alternative payment models, such as bundled payments, in preparation for payment reform. The dermatology profession needs to understand disease management in dollar terms to advocate on behalf of clinicians and patients for fair and reasonable reimbursement, regardless of payment type.
Postoperative Evaluation of Salter's Tnnominate Osteotomy

We evaluated 22 Salter's innominate osteotomies performed in 21 patients for treatment of residual subluxation and acetabular dysplasia after primary reduction of congenital hip dislocation. We only performed Salter's innominate osteotomy in 18 hips and additionally performed femoral osteotomy in 4 hips.The average age at surgery was 5.1±1.5 years, the average age at evaluation was 10.3±2.1 years and the average duration of follow-up was 5.1±1.6 years. We evaluated radiographic results using Severin's classification. Of the 22 hips, 18 achieved good results (82%) but 4 had poor results (18%). The mean center edge angle and acetabular head index at follow-up in the group with good results was statistically larger than that of the poorer group. Therefore Salter's innominate osteotomy was an effective surgical procedure for treatment of residual subluxation and acetabular dysplasia.
A New Method in Modeling and Simulations of Complex Oxidation Chemistry

A simplified model is proposed for the kinetics of alkane oxidation in air, based on a decomposition of heavy (carbon number ≥ 3) hydrocarbons into a 13 constituent radical base. The behavior of this base is examined in test computations for heptane utilizing Chemkin II with LLNL data inputs. Emphasis is placed on prediction of the heat release and temperature evolution. At stoichiometric conditions, the total constituent molar density was found to follow a quasi-steady rate which is a simplification in the modeling of its reaction rate.
Shifting Sol–Gel Phase Diagram of a Doubly Thermosensitive Hydrophilic Diblock Copolymer Poly(methoxytri(ethylene glycol) acrylate-co-acrylic acid)-b-poly(ethoxydi(ethylene glycol) acrylate-co-acrylic acid) in Aqueous Solution

This article reports that the C-shaped sol–gel phase diagram of a doubly thermosensitive hydrophilic diblock copolymer with each block containing a small amount of weak acid groups in aqueous solution in the moderate concentration range can be readily and reversibly shifted by changing the solution pH. The diblock copolymer, poly(methoxytri(ethylene glycol) acrylate-co-acrylic acid)-b-poly(ethoxydi(ethylene glycol) acrylate-co-acrylic acid) (P(TEGMA-co-AA)-b-P(DEGEA-co-AA)), was synthesized by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and postpolymerization modification. A 20 wt % aqueous solution of P(TEGMA-co-AA)-b-P(DEGEA-co-AA) with pH of 3.29 underwent sol-to-gel, gel-to-sol, and clear sol-to-cloudy sol transitions at 17 °C (Tsol–gel), 38 °C (Tgel–sol), and 55 °C (Tclouding), respectively, upon heating. With the increase of pH, all transition temperatures shifted to high values; for instance, the Tsol–gel, Tgel–sol, and Tclouding were 20, 45, and 63 °C, respectively, at pH = 5.1...
Surface Steps on α-Alumina Films

Thin films of α-alumina have been produced by annealing oxide films produced by the thermal oxidation of aluminum substrates. Grains of αalumina which formed in the basal orientation show well-defined surface steps. When these steps move they interact with particles which have nucleated on the surface. Further annealing allows direct observation of the movement of these surface steps.
Thermal Stresses in Asphalt Overlay Paved on Existing Cement Concrete Pavements(II):Approximate Solutions to Section Internal Forces and Interface Forces

The complicated deformation effects in bi-layer beams are then decomposed to three types of basic deformation effects including uniaxial tension-compression effect induced by shrinkage deformation in bottom layered beam regardless of bi-layer beams' bending effect,bending effect caused by horizontal interlayer friction neglecting uniaxial tension-compression deformation in bottom layered beam,and bending effect created by curling deformation in bottom layered beam,the analytical solutions to the above three basic deformation effects in bi-layer beams are obtained accordingly.Furthermore,the combinations and influences among those three basic deformations while shrinkage and curling deformation occurs in bottom layered beam are discussed;a group of concise formulas for sectional internal forces in asphalt overlay,interface reaction force and interface shearing stress is provided,and the concise formulas for calculating internal forces in asphalt overlay also prove to be precise enough.
Strengthen and Improve the Ideology and Politics Education of College Students during the Process of "Constructing Harmonious Society"

Faced with the new situation of "constructing harmonious society" and the new conditions of college students' ideology and politics education,educators in colleges and universities should work for the harmonious society construction,adhere to the human-oriented theory,march with time,further adjust ways and means of education,strengthen and improve the college students' ideology and politics education,and develop its new stage.
Comments on the paper of Heinrich Vogel and Hans-Henning Schröder (2)

Hans-Henning Schroder and Heinrich Vogel have given a balanced, judicious account of current Soviet technology policy. I have a few disagreements with them, but only on matters of little importance. (For instance, the strongest evidence that the new Machine-Building Bureau does not cover defence production comes from an interview in Izvestiya, 11 March 1986; but I agree that the precise role of the Bureau is unclear.) I shall, therefore, concentrate on issues of method and approach which should in my view be clarified for the sake of future assessments of Soviet policy on militarily-related research, development and innovation (RDI) policy. These issues concern, first, our understanding of the objectives of current Soviet RDI policies and second, the factors which will determine how successfully the Soviets implement these policies. I shall also take the opportunity of drawing attention to some clues provided by other studies presented at this workshop.
Genome Analysis of CLL by Representational Oligonucleotide Microarray Analysis (ROMA).

The transforming events that lead to B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) are unknown, and although genetic abnormalities appear to promote disease progression, none of these is seen in every patient. Therefore, we have applied a highly sensitive and specific method to probe, in greater depth, for genetic changes that can occur in B-CLL, and to explore if these correlate with disease development or progression. Utilizing ROMA to measure changes in gene copy number, we screened the entire genome of over two dozen B-CLL cases to identify characteristic and novel chromosomal changes. DNA from leukemic cells of patients was compared to the normal DNA from their unaffected neutrophils and to an unrelated, normal human control. By comparing normal DNA from each patient to an unrelated normal, we avoid inadvertently mistaking common copy number variation between people as possible candidates for lesions in B-CLL. ROMA was performed on both 85,000 and 390,000 probe microarrays enabling us to screen for far smaller lesions than are detectable by routine techniques, as well as resolve regions of interest, possibly pinpointing important genes in the etiology and progression of B-CLL. Data were also obtained by using the Illumina platform. These two methods (ROMA and Illumina), while not identical, are largely in agreement. We have observed virtually all the major cytogenetic imbalances previously reported, and in many cases to a higher resolution. Although there are fewer lesions present in B-CLL than in more advanced stages of solid cancers, many early stage cancers exhibit only a few common lesions. The most frequent deletion and often the sole abnormality found in B-CLL occurs at chromosome 13q13.4. Two micro-RNAs, miR-15a and miR-16-1, have been implicated in the smallest region of this deletion. ROMA analysis has further delineated the deletions on 13q, suggesting that there may be two epicenters, one encompassing these micro-RNA genes and one encompassing a neighboring region that does not span miR-15a or miR-16-1. A novel finding is the existence in certain patients (5/26) of numerous single probe deletions or amplifications. Since we compare B-CLL to the normal DNA from the same patient, and to a known control, even single probe events can be relevant. Many B-CLLs display single probe aberrations and these events are currently under investigation. In addition, we have observed two patients with major genomic instability, as evidenced by large and multiple regions that change copy number. The analysis of large numbers of B-CLL cases is essential to identifying and understanding the ongoing progression of genetic lesions and the role they play in clinical outcome. Initial results clearly indicate the need to obtain more data to identify critically mutated genes within the leukemic cells that cause them to become more aggressive. The identification and characterization of these genetic changes may be used as stratification tools for new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to this currently incurable disease.
Students in Rural Settings with High-Risk Classroom Behavior Problems and Teacher-Subscribed Intervention Strategies.

Research on the behavior problems of rural students is limited even though the numbers of such students are increasing rapidly. The Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale II (DESB-II) was...
Perceived risk of crime: A tale of two immigrant groups in Metro Detroit

ABSTRACTA particular source of anxiety for many immigrants is personal safety. This study examines the levels and correlates of perceived risk of crime among two understudied immigrant groups, Arab and Chinese immigrants, who resided in an understudied geographic area, the Detroit metropolitan area. Results suggested several universal and immigrants-specific correlates that are significant predictors of Arab and/or Chinese immigrants' perceptions of crime, including self-defense ability, police effectiveness, neighborhood collective efficacy, language proficiency, expectation of U.S. crime condition prior to arrival, and perception of home society crime. Implications for future research are discussed.
Intracranial Hemangiopericytomas: Recurrence, Metastasis, and Radiotherapy.

Background Intracranial hemangiopericytomas (HPCs) are characterized by high recurrence rates and extracranial metastases. Radiotherapy provides an adjunct to surgery, but the timing of therapy and the patients most likely to benefit remain unclear. Methods A retrospective review of 20 patients with HPC treated at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center between 1985 and 2014 was conducted. Recurrence and metastasis rates along with overall survival (OS) were characterized based on therapeutic approach and tumor pathology using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. Results The mean age was 45.6 years (range: 19–77). Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in 13 patients, whereas 5 patients underwent subtotal resection. Median follow-up was 91.5 months (range: 8–357). The 5-, 10-, and 15-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 61, 41, and 20%, respectively. Six patients developed metastases at an average of 113 months (range: 42–231). OS at last follow-up was 80%. Importantly, immediate postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy (IRT) did not influence RFS compared with surgery alone or OS compared with delayed radiotherapy at the time of recurrence. Conclusion HPCs have high recurrence rates necessitating close follow-up. Surgery remains an important first step, but the timing of radiotherapy for optimal control and OS remains uncertain.
Attachment to God, Tenure, Race, and Participation in Congregational Life

The vitality of religious congregations is dependent on how effectively they attract congregants and mobilize participation, and people are more likely to participate when they share similar characteristics with other congregants. This study suggests attachment to God is a fundamental “behavioral and intrapersonal characteristic” which distinguishes participants from one another, contributing to varying levels of participation in congregational and religious life beyond service attendance. Using a national sample, we test several hypotheses related to this theoretical claim. Findings suggest that: (1) secure attachment to God is positively associated with congregational participation, (2) anxious and avoidant attachment are negatively associated with participation, (3) these relationships are moderated by length of time attending a particular congregation, and (4) secure attachment is associated with higher levels of participation in congregational life for blacks than it is for whites. By demonstrating a link between attachment to God and participation in congregational and religious life, this study affirms that intrapersonal characteristics structure the dynamics of religious congregations.
Can College Rankings Be Believed

Abstract The article summarizes literature on college and university rankings worldwide and the strategies used by various ranking organizations, including those of government and popular media. It traces the history of national and global rankings, indicators used by ranking systems, and the effect of rankings on academic programs and their institutions. Although ranking systems employ diverse criteria and most weight certain indicators over others, there is considerable skepticism that most actually measure educational quality. At the same time, students and their families increasingly consult these evaluations when making college decisions, and sponsors of faculty research consider reputation when forming academic partnerships. While there are serious concerns regarding the validity of ranking institutions when so little data can support differences between one institution and another, college rankings appear to be here to stay.
PredictiveNet: An energy-efficient convolutional neural network via zero prediction

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have gained considerable interest due to their record-breaking performance in many recognition tasks. However, the computational complexity of CNNs precludes their deployments on power-constrained embedded platforms. In this paper, we propose predictive CNN (PredictiveNet), which predicts the sparse outputs of the non-linear layers thereby bypassing a majority of computations. PredictiveNet skips a large fraction of convolutions in CNNs at runtime without modifying the CNN structure or requiring additional branch networks. Analysis supported by simulations is provided to justify the proposed technique in terms of its capability to preserve the mean square error (MSE) of the nonlinear layer outputs. When applied to a CNN for handwritten digit recognition, simulation results show that PredictiveNet can reduce the computational cost by a factor of 2.9χ compared to a state-of-the-art CNN, while incurring marginal accuracy degradation.
Shared heart failure knowledge and self-care outcomes in patient-caregiver dyads

Abstract Background Patient's knowledge about heart failure (HF) contributes to successful HF self-care, but less is known about shared patient-caregiver knowledge. Objectives The purpose of this analysis was to: 1) identify configurations of shared HF knowledge in patient-caregiver dyads; 2) characterize dyads within each configuration by comparing sociodemographic factors, HF characteristics, and psychosocial factors; and 3) quantify the relationship between configurations and patient self-care adherence to managing dietary sodium and HF medications. Methods This was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data (N = 114 dyads, 53% spousal). Patient and caregiver HF knowledge was measured with the Atlanta Heart Failure Knowledge Test. Patient dietary sodium intake was measured by 3-day food record and 24 h urine sodium. Medication adherence was measured by Medication Events Monitoring System caps. Patient HF-related quality of life was measured by the Minnesota Heart Failure Questionnaire; caregiver health-related quality of life was measured by the Short Form-12 Physical Component Summary. Patient and caregiver depression were measured with the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Patient and caregiver perceptions of caregiver-provided autonomy support to succeed in heart failure self-care were measured by the Family Care Climate Questionnaire. Multilevel and latent class modeling were used to identify dyadic knowledge configurations. T-tests and chi-square tests were used to characterize differences in sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics by configuration. Logistic/linear regression were used to quantify relationships between configurations and patient dietary sodium and medication adherence. Results Two dyadic knowledge configurations were identified: “Knowledgeable Together” (higher dyad knowledge, less incongruence; N = 85, 75%) and “Knowledge Gap” (lower dyad knowledge, greater incongruence; N = 29, 25%). Dyads were more likely to be in the “Knowledgeable Together” group if they were White and more highly educated, if the patient had a higher ejection fraction, fewer depressive symptoms, and better autonomy support, and if the caregiver had better quality of life. In unadjusted comparisons, patients in the “Knowledge Gap” group were less likely to adhere to HF medication and diet. In adjusted models, significance was retained for dietary sodium only. Conclusions Dyads with higher shared HF knowledge are likely more successful with select self-care adherence behaviors.
Index Endoscopic Restrictive and Other Devices in Obesity Treatment: Techniques and Outcomes

This chapter describes the major intragastric endoscopic restrictive devices currently in use and in development to aid in weight loss for the obese patient. By far the most commonly used and prolific of these devices is the intragastric balloon, of which three types are now FDA approved in the USA, with others available internationally. Many thousands of patients have had such balloons placed, usually for up to 6 months per balloon. Other devices approved for gastric suturing have been adapted for weight reduction procedures, such as the endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty. Space-occupying products of other types, including stents, expanding ingested beads, and devices which partially obstruct the pylorus are also described.
Towards an African-American Genealogy of Market and Religion in Rap Music

This essay provides a new reading of the intersections between religion and rap music in its genealogical consideration of how black laborers’ orientations to the market—from the antebellum slave m...
Delivering more Secure Software

This paper is talking about Microsoft’s initiatives in delivering more secure software. The first part of the paper defines the Trustworthy Computing initiative and will highlight the security pillar of this initiative. I will explain the security framework called SD3+C and give some examples what we did in each part of this framework.
Should Juries Give Reasons for Their Verdicts?: The Spanish Experience and the Implications of the European Court of Human Rights Decision in Taxquet v. Belgium

This article discusses the Belgian jury system and the decision in Taxquet v. Belgium and then explores to what extent a requirement of reasoned judgments will affect the survival of European juries. It focuses on Spain, where the jury is required to give reasons for its verdicts, and where a lively high-court jurisprudence has developed addressing the quality and sufficiency of jury reasons. This article suggests that it might be appropriate for jury courts in the United States to in some way justify their decision of guilt, in order to minimize the amount of completely innocent persons who have been sentenced to death or other long prison sentences based on flawed evidence.
Clinical presentation and management of patients with circulating anticoagulants.

Acquired hemophilia is characterized by the development of antibodies to coagulation proteins. Although these inhibitors are rare, they pose serious threats to health as a result of their ability to produce spontaneous hemorrhage. As these inhibitors occur infrequently, epidemiological analyses of their patterns of occurrence, details of clinical presentations, and practical management of acute hemorrhage are difficult to gather. In an effort to augment the clinical data base, we reviewed the records of 26 patients treated at our institution from 1980 to 1993.
Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies

Obesity has traditionally been treated with lifestyle modification, diet, pharmacologic agents, and more recently bariatric surgeries. Endoscopic bariatric therapies (EBTs) are emerging as a novel approach that is minimally invasive yet efficacious and safe. The goal of EBTs may be for primary, preemptive, bridge, or metabolic therapy, which are classified according to the primary location of the intervention (e.g., gastric vs small bowel) as well as the type of procedure. In this chapter, the authors review the diverse techniques and technologies involved in EBTs, the data behind each, as well as the future implications in the field of obesity treatment.
Pharmacological and Behavioral Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder

Objective:Opioid use disorder (OUD) in the United States has surged, with an estimated 2.5 million needing treatment. The aim of this article is to provide a clinical overview of the key pharmacolo...
Conclusion: Once More Around the Blockbuster

Smith-Rowsey concludes Blockbuster Performances with a summary of findings and a brief discussion that acknowledges work that was completed but not included, as well as work that remains to be done. Among the author’s findings: actors convey the themes and meanings of blockbusters; genre-appropriate acting makes spectacle matter; blockbusters rely upon actors acting, giving “dialogue scenes” more screen time than “action scenes.” Among Smith-Rowsey’s work that was finished but not elaborated at chapter-length: close analyses of pre-1970s “historical epics” like Gone with the Wind (1939) and The Ten Commandments (1955) as well as closer examinations of female-led crime films modeled after The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Among Smith-Rowsey’s suggestions for future research: work on “blockbuster performances” in musicals, comedies, and animated films, as well as more work on so-called “synthespians.”
Der Gang nach Russland lohnt trotz Risiken

Trotz zahlreicher Risiken und Schwierigkeiten ist Johnson Controls davon uberzeugt, dass sich das Investment fur den boomenden russischen Markt lohnt. „Go East, but go now“ lautet der Appell an weitere Firmen, den russischen Markt zu erobern.
Physical Activity, Fitness, and Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease (CHD) and its clinical complications are preventable through established primary or secondary interventions. Strong and clear evidence indicates that higher levels of self-reported physical activity and measured cardiorespiratory fitness have been observed in epidemiologic studies to be associated with lower incidence CHD. The inverse association exhibits a curvilinear dose-response gradient with the largest differences in CHD risk demonstrated when comparing those in the lowest activity or fitness category with those who are only modestly more active and fit. This general pattern of association is consistent among population subgroups including women and men, older adults, race-ethnic minorities, and those who have increased CHD risk due to the presence of existing morbidity. Available evidence supports promotion of guideline-recommended amounts of physical activity (≈8 MET-h/week in moderate-to-vigorous activities). Individuals achieving this level of physical activity experience, on average, a 14–20% lower risk of CHD as compared to their inactive peers. The cardioprotective benefit of higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness is somewhat stronger than for self-reported physical activity, perhaps due in part to less measurement error associated with fitness assessment. While no gold standard classification currently exists to classify “recommended cardiorespiratory fitness level,” many observational epidemiologic studies have demonstrated substantially lower CHD risk (e.g., 35–50% lower risk) among adults in the middle two fifths of the age- and sex-standardized distribution of achieved metabolic equivalents during incremental exercise ergometry testing, as compared to those in the lowest fifth of the distribution. The MET values that separate the lowest and middle two fifths of cardiorespiratory fitness distributions are about 7–10 METs in men and 6–8 METs in women, ages 20 to 60 years. Because of the high population prevalence of physical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness, and given the moderate strength of association these phenotypes have with CHD incidence, the fraction of CHD risk attributed to inactivity and low fitness is substantial and rivals that of conventional CHD risk factors such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking. Because improvements in physical activity tend to favorably influence blood lipids, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and hemostatic factors as well as cardiorespiratory fitness, next to quitting smoking, increasing and maintaining one’s physical activity level at recommended levels is one of the least expensive and most beneficial approaches to achieving cardiometabolic health and reducing CHD risk available to the public.
A stochastic model of particulate matters with AI-enabled technique-based IoT gas detectors for air quality assessment

Abstract Monitoring air quality in urban and industrial environments and estimating exposure to particulate matter (PM) pollution concentrations are critical issues that affect human health. Because of aerosols (suspended particles), PM is mostly observed near the surface and thus can be inhaled. To predict the modeling of micro-to-nano-sized particle suspensions, this study presents a stochastic model in environmental dynamics with internet of things (IoT) gas detectors based on an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled technique; the model can determine floating fine PM dispersion in a city to assess and monitor air quality. The factors that influence the prediction are weather- and air pollution-related data, such as humidity, temperature, wind, PM2.5, and PM10. In this study, these factors have been considered at 7 measuring stations across the urban region in Taipei City, Taiwan, from 2013 to 2018. A nonlinear autoregressive network with exogenous inputs model is constructed using estimated states to investigate approaches for identifying PM; the model can be a state–space self-tuning stochastic model for predicting unknown nonlinear sampled data. The results indicate that a satisfactory agreement was obtained using a normalized root mean square deviation, with small values of 0.0504 and 0.0802 for PM2.5 and PM10, respectively. Accordingly, this study presents that the time-domain causality between PM and the atmospheric environment can be constructed using discrete-time models that can be satisfactorily implemented in developing different air quality monitoring systems for the long-term prediction of air pollution.
Single-position prone lateral approach: cadaveric feasibility study and early clinical experience.

Objective Lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) is a useful minimally invasive technique for achieving anterior interbody fusion and preserving or restoring lumbar lordosis. However, achieving circumferential fusion via posterior instrumentation after an LLIF can be challenging, requiring either repositioning the patient or placing pedicle screws in the lateral position. Here, the authors explore an alternative single-position approach: LLIF in the prone lateral (PL) position. Methods A cadaveric feasibility study was performed using 2 human cadaveric specimens. A retrospective 2-center early clinical series was performed for patients who had undergone a minimally invasive lateral procedure in the prone position between August 2019 and March 2020. Case duration, retractor time, electrophysiological thresholds, implant size, screw accuracy, and complications were recorded. Early postoperative radiographic outcomes were reported. Results A PL LLIF was successfully performed in 2 cadavers without causing injury to a vessel or the bowel. No intraoperative subsidence was observed. In the clinical series, 12 patients underwent attempted PL surgery, although 1 case was converted to standard lateral positioning. Thus, 11 patients successfully underwent PL LLIF (89%) across 14 levels: L2-3 (2 of 14 [14%]), L3-4 (6 of 14 [43%]), and L4-5 (6 of 14 [43%]). For the 11 PL patients, the mean (± SD) age was 61 ± 16 years, mean BMI was 25.8 ± 4.8, and mean retractor time per level was 15 ± 6 minutes with the longest retractor time at L2-3 and the shortest at L4-5. No intraoperative subsidence was noted on routine postoperative imaging. Conclusions Performing single-position lateral transpsoas interbody fusion with the patient prone is anatomically feasible, and in an early clinical experience, it appeared safe and reproducible. Prone positioning for a lateral approach presents an exciting opportunity for streamlining surgical access to the lumbar spine and facilitating more efficient surgical solutions with potential clinical and economic advantages.
Comparative Analysis of the First and Second Wave of the COVID-19: Is the On-Going Impact of Second Wave on Public Health Stronger than First One?

One of the fundamental problems in the crisis management of COVID-19 pandemic is to know the impact on public health of the second wave of the COVID-19 compared to first wave for designing effective policy responses to cope with this on-going socioeconomic and health crisis in society. The research here focuses on a case study of Italy, one of the first countries to experience a rapid increase in confirmed cases and deaths, and that implemented containment measures of lockdown and quarantine in the first and second COVID-19 pandemic wave. In particular, comparative analysis of the study here investigates the impact on public health of the first and second wave of COVID-19 in Italy. Statistical analyses consider daily data from February to November 2020 of the ratio of confirmed cases/total swabs, fatality rate (deaths / confirmed cases) and ratio of individuals in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) / Confirmed cases. The first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Italy had a strong but declining impact on public health with the approaching of summer season and with the effects of containment measures. Results suggest, to date, that second wave of the COVID-19 has a growing trend of confirmed cases, whereas ICUs and deaths seem to have a stationary trend with lower impact on public health compared to first wave. Lessons learned from this comparative analysis between first and second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic can provide vital information to design effective policy responses of crisis management to constrain current and future waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in society.
Investigation of indicator polychlorinated biphenyls in eggs of a district in Chongqing

Objective To understand the polychlorinated biphenyls pollution status in eggs of a district in Chongqing for providing the basis for the administrative departments to strengthen supervision. Methods The content of indicator polychlorinated biphenyls in 25 kinds of eggs of a district in Chongqing in September 2014 was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using stable isotope dilution technique. And the positive samples were reviewed by the same way. Results Two kinds of indicator polychlorinated biphenyls were found in these 25 kinds of samples. PCB28 was detected in 4 samples and the content range was 0.90~2.24 μg/kg. PCB52 was detected in 3 samples and the content range was 0.47~0.70 μg/kg. Conclusion The detectable rate level of indicator polychlorinated biphenyls in these samples is low, and the content of positive samples is also low.
In situ, operando characterization of materials for electrochemical devices

Summary For the development of advanced batteries, it is essential to correlate information obtained from the characterization of materials to properties critical to the battery's performance. In situ/operando characterization and cells specifically designed to conduct such analyses have proven to be the best means of accomplishing that objective. However, complimentary analytical techniques are required to obtain a comprehensive understanding of those changes, pointing to a need for devices that allow for multimodal, in situ/operando characterization of materials and interfaces. This perspective briefly examines the evolution of in situ and operando devices and highlights important considerations in designing such devices. From that discussion arises a clear opportunity regarding the evolution of these devices: magnify their usefulness through incorporating near-simultaneous, multimodal capabilities to advance the development of electrochemical energy storage materials.
An Introduction to Space Plasma Complexity

An Introduction to Space Plasma Complexity considers select examples of complexity phenomena related to observed plasma processes in the space environment, such as those pertaining to the solar corona, the interplanetary medium, and Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. This book provides a guided tour of the ideas behind forced and/or self-organized criticality, intermittency, multifractals, and the theory of the dynamic renormalization group, with applications to space plasma complexity. There is much to be explored and studied in this relatively new and developing field. Readers will be able to apply the concepts and methodologies espoused in this introduction to their own research interests and activities.
Comparison of Front-Line Chemotherapy for Intermediate Grade and Follicular Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Using the CAP-BOP Regimens

The CAP-BOP series of induction regimens (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, mitox-antrone, procarbazine, bleomycin, vincristine, and prednisone) was administered to 389 patients with advanced aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma as primary therapy. The overall complete response rates were not different between the three regimens: CB-A (64%), CB-AI (66%), and CB-M (65%). In addition, the 3-year failure-free survivals did not differ by regimen: CB-A (42%), CB-AI (45%), and CB-M (40%). 158 patients with follicular lymphoma were treated with the identical regimens during the same time period. The complete response rates were also similar in the follicular lymphoma patients with CB-A (71%), CB-AI (67%), and CB-M (68%).
Histamine 1 Receptor Blockade Enhances Eosinophil-Mediated Clearance of Adult Filarial Worms

Filariae are tissue-invasive nematodes that cause diseases such as elephantiasis and river blindness. The goal of this study was to characterize the role of histamine during Litomosoides sigmodontis infection of BALB/c mice, a murine model of filariasis. Time course studies demonstrated that while expression of histidine decarboxylase mRNA increases throughout 12 weeks of infection, serum levels of histamine exhibit two peaks—one 30 minutes after primary infection and one 8 weeks later. Interestingly, mice treated with fexofenadine, a histamine receptor 1 inhibitor, demonstrated significantly reduced worm burden in infected mice compared to untreated infected controls. Although fexofenadine-treated mice had decreased antigen-specific IgE levels as well as lower splenocyte IL-5 and IFNγ production, they exhibited a greater than fourfold rise in eosinophil numbers at the tissue site where adult L. sigmodontis worms reside. Fexofenadine-mediated clearance of L. sigmodontis worms was dependent on host eosinophils, as fexofenadine did not decrease worm burdens in eosinophil-deficient dblGATA mice. These findings suggest that histamine release induced by tissue invasive helminths may aid parasite survival by diminishing eosinophilic responses. Further, these results raise the possibility that combining H1 receptor inhibitors with current anthelmintics may improve treatment efficacy for filariae and other tissue-invasive helminths.
Verbal and Nonverbal Communication of Deception

Publisher Summary Lying and lie detection are the two components that, together, make up the exchange called as the “communication of deception.” Deception is an act that is intended to foster in another person a belief or understanding that the deceiver considers false. This chapter presents a primarily psychological point of view and a relatively microanalysis of the verbal and nonverbal exchange between the deceiver and the lie detector. The chapter discusses the definition of deception. It describes the deceiver's perspective in lie-detection, including the strategies of deception and behaviors associated with lie-telling. The lie-detector's perspective is also discussed in the chapter, and it has described behaviors associated with the judgments of deception and strategies of lie detection. The chapter discusses the outcomes of the deceptive communication process—that is, the accuracy of lie detection—and explores methodological issues, channel effects in the detection of deception, and other factors affecting the accuracy of lie detection.
Stock Option Backdating: Implications for Private Companies

The stock option backdating scandal has been widely covered for public companies in the last few years. However, there is little to no literature available on its impact on private companies. This paper discusses the accounting, tax, securities and corporate governance issues that may influence a private company to backdate options. The paper posits that private companies may be motivated to backdate the grant date of stock options due to financial accounting rules, restrictions in Rule 701 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, and/or governance oversights. Further, it poses that employees of private companies may be motivated to manipulate the exercise date of stock options in an attempt to dodge tax payments. It also summarizes certain accounting, tax, securities and governance implications of illegal backdating practices for private companies and concludes with some recommendations for eliminating backdating problems for such companies.
Cosmological Constraints on Neutrinos and other “Inos” and the “Missing Light” Problem

The arguments favoring non-baryonic dark matter are summarized. Cosmological constraints are presented on the masses of neutrinos and other “inos”, where “ino” represents any candidate particle for the dark matter. A neutrino mass 10e m 25eV is favored for the most massive eigenstate, where the upper limit may be extended to 100 eV if one assumes weaker constraints on the age of the universe.
The Discovery of so in Red Giant Circumstellar Envelopes

Extensive mass loss from red giants is the major source of processed material to the interstellar medium, and probably affects their evolution. Circumstellar envelopes, produced as a result of the mass loss, have come under increasing scrutiny by many authors, both observational and theoretical (Zuckerman, B. 1980, Ann. Rev. Astr. Ap., 18, 263). The study of circumstellar chemistry is important from several viewpoints, but is hampered by the lack of adequate data. The lack is particularly severe for oxygen-rich circumstellar envelopes (O-rich CSE’s), in which very few molecular species have been detected. We have, therefore, undertaken a program of systematically searching for molecular species diagnostic of the chemistry in these objects.
Acetate represents a major product of heptanoate and octanoate beta-oxidation in hepatocytes isolated from neonatal piglets.

An experiment was conducted to explore the nature of the radiolabel distribution in acid-soluble products (ASPs) resulting from the oxidation of [1-14C]C7:0 or C8:0 by isolated piglet hepatocytes. The differences between odd and even chain-length and the impacts of valproate and malonate upon the rate of beta-oxidation and ASP characteristics were tested. A minor amount of fatty acid carboxyl carbon (< or = 10% of organic acids identified by radio-HPLC) accumulated in ketone bodies regardless of chain-length or inhibitor used. In all cases, acetate represented the major reservoir of carboxyl carbon, accounting for 60-70% of radiolabel in identified organic acids. Cells given [1-14C]C7:0 accumulated 85% more carboxyl carbon in Krebs cycle intermediates when compared with C8:0, while accumulation in acetate was unaffected. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that anaplerosis from odd-carbon fatty acids affects the oxidative fate of fatty acid carbon. The piglet appears unique in that non-ketogenic routes of fatty acid carbon flow (i.e. acetogenesis) predominate in the liver of this species.
A mammalian factor that binds telomeric TTAGGG repeats in vitro.

Abstract We have identified a DNA-binding activity with specificity for the TTAGGG repeat arrays found at mammalian telomeres. This factor, called TTAGGG repeat factor (TRF), is present in nuclear extracts of human, mouse, and monkey cells. TRF from HeLa cells was characterized in detail by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. It binds double-stranded TTAGGG repeats in linear and circular DNAs. Single-stranded repeats are not recognized. The optimal site for TRF appears to contain more than six contiguous TTAGGG repeats. Tandem arrays of TAGGG, TTTAGGG, TTTTAGGG, TTGGGG, and TTAGGC repeats do not bind TRF well, indicating that TRF preferentially recognizes the telomeric repeat sequence present at mammalian chromosome ends. The apparent molecular mass of this factor, based on recovery of TRF from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, is approximately 50 kDa. We suggest that TRF binds along the length of mammalian telomeres.
Bistability experimentally observed at three milliwatts in indium arsenide and theoretically predicted for a new class of nonlinear dielectrics

The results of an experimental investigation of nonlinearities and bistability at the band gap in InAs are presented. Bistability was observed in reflection at 3 mW with a HF laser by using the large nonlinearity at the band-gap resonance in InAs. The measured nonlinear refractive index is shown quantitatively to agree with the dynamic Burstein-Moss shift as the mechanism, as long as both the full Fermi-Dirac statistics and the effect of light holes are included in the calculation. In a separate study a theoretical analysis has investigated general conditions for intrinsic bistability without cavities. It is shown that bistability can result from a nonlinear constitutive relation. Specific calculations are presented for bistability due to nonlinear polarization. of optical bistability. The results of an experimental investigation of nonlinearities and bistability at the band gap in InAs are presented. Bistability was observed in reflection at 3 mW with a HF laser by using the large nonlinearity at the band gap resonance in InAs. The measured nonlinear refractive index is shown quantitatively to agree with the dynamic Burstein-Moss shift as the mechanism, as long as both the full Fermi-Dirac statistics and the effect of light holes are included in the calculation. In a separate study a theoretical analysis has investigated general conditions for intrinsic bistability without cavities. It is shown that bistability can result from a nonlinear constitutive relation. Specific calculations are presented for bistability due to nonlinear polarization. The experimental discovery of optical bistability in InAs will be discussed first, and the theoretical discussions will be presented in the later parts of the paper.
Development of ozone precursor relationships using VOC receptor modeling

Abstract The results of a summer 1988 VOC receptor modeling study in Detroit were used in conjunction with a photochemical model to examine the effect of VOC source contributions on predicted ambient ozone. Source hydrocarbon contributions determined from receptor modeling were input to the ozone model along with initial measured concentrations of CO, NO x , O 3 and with measured temperature, uv, pressure and relative humidity data. Wind trajectories were used to compare the predicted ozone concentration maximums against measured ozone maximums at downwind ozone monitoring stations. The r 2 value between observed and calculated downwind ozone was 0.38 and 0.52, for the 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. starting times, respectively, and the slopes of the least squares fit lines were 0.86 and 1.05, respectively, indicating unbiased results. These comparisons are well within the accuracy guidelines specified by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency for ozone prediction models, and are also within the accuracy of similar comparisons produced from Urban Airshed Model applications. Source sensitivity analysis was carried out to see the effect of reducing source emissions on ozone formation. This modeling approach demonstrates that accurate ozone predictive modeling does not have to rely on reported source emission inventories.