cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Probe-based recording technology: a MEMS perspective

The invention of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) prompted researchers to contemplate whether such technology could be used as the basis for the storage and retrieval of information. With magnetic data storage technology facing limits in storage density due to the thermal instability of magnetic bits, the super-paramagnetic limit, the heir-apparent for information storage at higher densities appeared to be variants of the STM or similar probe-based storage techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM). Among these other techniques that could provide replacement technology for magnetic storage, near-field optical scanning optical microscopy (NSOM or SNOM) has also been investigated. Another alternative probe-based storage technology, called atomic resolution storage (ARS) is also currently under development. An overview of these various technologies is herein presented, with an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages inherent in each particularly with respect to reduced device dimensions. The role of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is emphasized.
Upper bounds on sparticle masses from naturalness or how to disprove weak scale supersymmetry

While it is often stated that the notion of electroweak (EW) naturalness in supersymmetric models is subjective, fuzzy and model dependent, here we argue the contrary: electroweak naturalness can be elevated to a principle which is both objective and predictive. We demonstrate visually when too much fine-tuning sets in at the electroweak scale which corresponds numerically to the measure ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{\mathrm{BG}}\ensuremath{\sim}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{\mathrm{EW}}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}30$. While many constrained supersymmetry models are already excluded by this value, we derive updated upper bounds on sparticle masses within the two-extra parameter nonuniversal Higgs model (NUHM2). We confirm the classic Barbieri-Giudice (BG) result that ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{\mathrm{BG}}l30$ implies $\ensuremath{\mu}l350\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$. However, by combining dependent soft terms which appear as multiples of ${m}_{3/2}$ in supergravity models, then we obtain ${m}_{\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{g}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}4\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$ as opposed to the BG result that ${m}_{\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{g}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}350\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$. We compare the NUHM2 results to a similar scan in the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model (pMSSM) with 19 weak scale parameters. In the pMSSM with complete one-loop scalar potential plus dominant two-loop terms, then a ${m}_{\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{g}}l7\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$ bound is found. Our tabulation of upper bounds provides a target for experimenters seeking to discover or else falsify the existence of weak scale supersymmetry. In an Appendix, we show contributions to the naturalness measure from one-loop contributions to the weak scale scalar potential.
Virginia-Class Submarine: Two for Four in 2012 (B)

The VIRGINIA-class submarine was one of the largest naval-acquisition projects in history, involving the construction of 30 submarines at an acquisition cost of $93 billion. By FY05, the VIRGINIA-class program was in its 10th year. Construction had begun on seven submarines. Unit costs were running 41% over the base-line budget, and production goals were not being met. Ship construction budget limits necessitated a 20% unit-cost reduction, an unprecedented task on a ship already in serial production. How would the program office achieve that goal and prevent the program from being truncated, the fate of its predecessor the SEAWOLF-class?
Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 outcomes for maxillary sinus floor augmentation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims To study the effect of the recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP-2) on sinus volumetric and histometric changes after sinus floor augmentation compared to a conventional approach of non-biologic bone grafting materials. Materials and methods An electronic search of 4 databases (January 1990–February 2015), including PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Central, and a hand search of peer-reviewed journals for relevant articles were performed. Human clinical trials with data on comparison of sinus volumetric and/or histometric outcomes with and without the use of rhBMP-2 in sinus grafting procedures, with ≥10 augmentation sites in each study group, and with a follow-up period of at least 6 months, were included. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed to analyze weighted mean difference (WMD) and confidence interval (CI) for the recorded variables according to PRISMA guidelines. Results Six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. The results of the meta-analyses showed that the WMD of vertical bone height gain was −0.14 mm (95% CI = −1.91 to 1.62 mm, P = 0.87), the WMD of bone density was −142.42 mg/cm3 (95% CI = −310.62–25.78 mg/cm3, P = 0.10), the WMD of the percentage of vital bone was −4.59% (95% CI = −11.73–2.56%, P = 0.21), and the WMD of the percentage of residual bone grafting materials was −9.90% (95% CI = −26.38–6.58%, P = 0.21). The comparison of implant survival rate presented an overall risk ratio of 1.00 (95% CI = 0.94–1.07). The two approaches (conventional bone grafting compared to BMPs) demonstrated comparable effectiveness for both clinical and histomorphometric measures. Conclusions This systematic review revealed that the use of rhBMP-2 in maxillary sinus floor augmentation achieved similar clinical and histometric outcomes when compared to conventional sinus grafting procedures after a healing period of 6–9 months. However, previous studies showed the morbidity and other patient-reported outcomes were improved in rhBMP-2 approaches as compared to bone autograft procedures (both intraoral and extraoral bone harvesting because no donor site is required). Long-term studies are required to determine the cost-benefit of sinus floor augmentation procedures for patients requiring implant reconstruction.
The Units of Protective Antibody in Anti-Pneumococcus Serum and Antibody Solution

Just what method should be used for standardization or estimation of the protective strength of antipneumococcus serum is a problem. The method of choice to date is the mouse protection test which has been developed by the work of Neufeld, Avery, Chickering, Cole, Dochez, Wadsworth, and others,' and applied as a practical standard by the Hygienic Laboratory.2 The test consists of the protection of two out of three mice from 0.1 cc. of a highly virulent 18-hour serum broth culture by 0.2 cc. of serum. In our work on pneumococcus antibody in which fairly accurate comparison of antibody content of various serum fractions was essential, it was soon seen that 0.1 cc. of culture was too large a dose. This was especially true with type 2 and type 3 organisms. Consequently from time to time dosages of organisms varying from 0.05 cc. to 0.0005 cc. were tried against varying dilutions of serum. The change to a smaller dose of organism proved successful for a two-fold reason: first, because it minimized the zone effect, that is, the death of the animals receiving large amounts of serum or antibody solution while those receiving less survived; and second, because the endpoint became more definite. Many serums have been studied which not only passed the standard of the Hygienic Laboratory, but also were found to contain from two to four times as many protective units when estimated with dilute culture as they did when the 0.1 cc. dose of culture was the standard. For example, one lot of serum, some 70 liters, shipped to our laboratory for experimental purposes because of failure to pass the government standard, when tested by dilute culture, had 600 protective units per cc. However, in view of the possible antagonistic
Constituents of the boll weevil. VI. Effect of free fatty acid content larval development.

When isolated free fatty acids (FFA) and methyl ester fatty acids (MEFA) from larvae of A nthonomus grandis Boheman were applied topically to larvae and pupae, juvenile hormonelike characters such as retardation, arrest, formation of intermediates, and deformities occurred. Effective doses of both standard and isolated unsaturated FFA and MEFA were (ED50) 25–30µg for larvae and 15–20 µg for pupae. The FFA in larvae does not exceed 9 µg. The endogenous FFA levels drop significantly during larval development, reaching a minimum just before the onset of pupation.
Abstract 4583: Biospecimen banking research with circulating microRNAs: internal controls and pre-analytic variables.

Because of the significance of microRNA (miRNA) in carcinogenesis, circulating miRNAs offer unique opportunities as minimal invasive biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. To date, more than 200 studies have been reported. However, no single miRNA has been consistently observed across the studies. The wide inconsistency might be due to the fact that a significant amount of pre-analytic variations occurs from blood collection to the molecular analysis, and these variations may significantly contribute to observed inter-individual and intra-individual variations in circulating miRNAs. Little is known about how pre-analytic variations might affect the levels of circulating miRNAs, and there are no reliable internal controls currently available. Therefore, using high-quality biospecimens collected from the DataBank and BioRepository (DBBR) of Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), we performed a study to identify circulating miRNAs which can be used internal controls and then use them to study the effect of selected pre-analytic variables on circulating miRNAs in EDTA-plasma and whole blood collected using PaxGene tubes. Our criteria for internal control miRNAs include: they occur in all tested samples; their expression levels are not significantly different between cancer cases and controls; they show little inter-individual variations among cases and controls. Using exiqon miRNA PCR panel analysis, we performed miRNA profiling in 40 cancer cases and 40 healthy controls. A total of 4 miRNAs in whole blood (miR-134, miR-346, miR-934 and miR-16) and one miRNA in plasma (miR-16) fit our selection criteria for internal control miRNAs. These candidates were further validated in additional 100 cancer cases and 100 healthy controls. Using these identified internal control miRNAs, we next studied the effect of selected pre-analytic variables, including processing delay time, storage conditions, storage durations, and cycles of freeze/thaw. Twenty-four hour processing delay did not affect three tested miRNAs in whole blood, but significantly decreased the levels of miR-16 in plasma (P Citation Format: Hua Zhao, Song Liu, Qiang Hu, Li Yan, Warren Davis, Mary Nesline, Christine Ambrosone. Biospecimen banking research with circulating microRNAs: internal controls and pre-analytic variables. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4583. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4583
Editor's Foreword: Watching History Unfold, Again-or: Back to the Future?

This editor's foreword is a general introduction to a special issue of the Journal of Offender Rehabilitationon the theme Treating Substance Abusers in Correctional Contexts: New Understandings, New Modalities. Some personal reminiscences are recounted concerning earlier modalities in the rehabilitative treatment of heroin addicts before the introduction of meth-adone maintenance.
Advanced biosensing methodologies developed for evaluating performance quality and safety of emerging biophotonics technologies and medical devices(Conference Presentation)

Biophotonics is an emerging field in modern biomedical technology that has opened up new horizons for transfer of state-of-the-art techniques from the areas of lasers, fiber optics and biomedical optics to the life sciences and medicine. This field continues to vastly expand with advanced developments across the entire spectrum of biomedical applications ranging from fundamental “bench” laboratory studies to clinical patient “bedside” diagnostics and therapeutics. However, in order to translate these technologies to clinical device applications, the scientific and industrial community, and FDA are facing the requirement for a thorough evaluation and review of laser radiation safety and efficacy concerns. In many cases, however, the review process is complicated due the lack of effective means and standard test methods to precisely analyze safety and effectiveness of some of the newly developed biophotonics techniques and devices. There is, therefore, an immediate public health need for new test protocols, guidance documents and standard test methods to precisely evaluate fundamental characteristics, performance quality and safety of these technologies and devices. Here, we will overview our recent developments of novel test methodologies for safety and efficacy evaluation of some emerging biophotonics technologies and medical devices. These methodologies are based on integrating the advanced features of state-of-the-art optical sensor technologies and approaches such as high-resolution fiber-optic sensing, confocal and optical coherence tomography imaging, and infrared spectroscopy. The presentation will also illustrate some methodologies developed and implemented for testing intraocular lens implants, biochemical contaminations of medical devices, ultrahigh-resolution nanoscopy, and femtosecond laser therapeutics.
Latino parents' perceptions of the eating and physical activity experiences of their pre-school children at home and at family child-care homes: a qualitative study.

Objective Research indicates that healthful eating and physical activity (PA) practices implemented in child-care settings can have a positive effect on children's healthful behaviours in this setting, and this effect on healthful behaviours may possibly transfer to the home environment. While more research is needed to examine whether behaviours learned in family child-care homes (FCCH) transfer, the potential for transferability is especially important given that Latino children's home environment has been characterized by obesogenic parenting practices. We aimed to examine Latino parents' perceptions of their pre-school children's eating and PA experiences at home and at FCCH. Design Qualitative study. Six focus groups were conducted in Spanish (n 36). Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis to identify key concepts and themes. Results Analyses revealed that Latino parents perceive their children have healthier eating and PA experiences at FCCH than at home. Parents attributed this to FCCH providers providing an environment conducive to healthful eating and PA due to providers having more knowledge and skills, time and resources, and being required to follow rules and regulations set by the state that promote healthful eating and PA. Conclusions Understanding parental perceptions, attitudes and practices related to establishing and maintaining an environment conducive to children's healthful eating and PA at home and at the FCCH is essential for the design of successful interventions to promote children's healthful behaviours in these two settings. Given that parents perceive their children as having more healthful behaviours while at FCCH, interventions that address both settings jointly may be most effective than those addressing only one environment by itself.
OP0094 Physician and Patient Estimates of Global Status Are More Likely To Be Discordant in Osteoarthritis than in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background Concordance between global estimates of clinical status by physicians and patients may influence shared decisions concerning therapy toward better compliance and outcomes. However, discordance has been described in most rheumatology settings in which it has been studied carefully 1,2 . While osteoarthritis (OA) generally is regarded as a less severe medical problem than rheumatoid arthritis (RA), recent evidence suggests similar disease burdens in both OA and RA. Objectives To analyze discordance between physician global estimates (DOCGL) and patient global estimates (PATGL) in OA vs RA patients seen in a routine rheumatology academic setting. Methods In this setting, all patients complete a multidimensional health assessment questionnaire/routine assessment of patient index data (MDHAQ/RAPID3), which includes 0–10 scores for physical function, pain, and PATGL compiled into a 0–30 RAPID3, as well as fatigue VAS, a symptom checklist, and a RADAI self-report joint count, and demographic data. Patients with primary diagnoses of OA or RA were classified into 3 categories: PATGL≥DOCGL by 2/10 units, PATGL=DOCGL, and DOCGL≥PATGL by 2 units. The percentage of patients in each group was compared between RA and OA using chi-square. Variables were compared using ANOVA. Results The study included 216 patients with RA, 39 (18%) were discordant with PATGL>DOCGL and 243 patients with OA, 82 (34%) were similarly discordant. Concordance with PATGL=DOCGL was seen in 144 patients (67%) with RA and 136 patients (56%) with OA, while discordance with DOCGL>PATGL was seen in 33 patients (15%) of patients with RA and 25 (10%) with OA (p PATGL than younger patients with OA (64.6–64.8 yrs). Patients with PATGL>DOCGL had lower formal education levels (p DOCGL than in PATGL=DOCGL than in DOCGL>PATGL (p Conclusions Patients with OA are more likely to have their clinical status underestimated by rheumatologists than patients with RA, although the burden of disease in OA in these patients was greater than in RA. These data suggest a need to revise generally held views that OA is less severe than RA. References Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2014;66:934–42. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2012;64:206–14. Disclosure of Interest I. Castrejon: None declared, J. Chua: None declared, J. Block: None declared, T. Pincus Shareholder of: Health Report Services, Inc
Additive Representations of Elements in Rings: A Survey

This article presents a brief survey of the work done on various additive representations of elements in rings. In particular, we study rings where each element is a sum of units; rings where each element is a sum of idempotents; rings where each element is a sum of idempotents and units; and rings where each element is a sum of additive commutators. We have also included a number of open problems in this survey to generate further interest among readers in this topic.
Significant enhancement of elasticity in alginate-clay nanocomposite hydrogels with PEO-PPO-PEO copolymers

Abstract The mechanical properties of a new type of nanocomposite gel, consisting of varying concentrations of the biopolymer alginate and the synthetic clay Laponite®, together with the temperature-sensitive copolymer poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO, trade name Pluronic® F127), are reported. These “ALP” gels (alginate-Laponite®-Pluronic®) were prepared and studied using rheology. Gels with multiple networks and gelation mechanisms have been explored as one strategy to strengthen and stiffen conventional hydrogels, which usually consist of a single polymer network. This work shows that the ALP gels exhibit significantly higher storage and loss modulus (G′, G″) values than gels composed of only alginate and Laponite®. Moreover, the interaction between the components appears to be synergistic; that is, the resulting multicomponent hydrogels are much more elastic than the additive effects of individual components. For example, the G′ of one series of the nanocomposite gels containing F127 Pluronic® experiences two orders of magnitude enhancement compared to its respective control containing only alginate and Laponite®. Furthermore, the ALP gels show a 20-40x enhancement in storage modulus, with values as high as 10,000–20,000 Pa, over the 30–55 °C temperature range. The large degree of enhancement in the storage modulus of the ALP gels with addition of Pluronic® is quite remarkable, compared to alginate-Laponite® gels on their own at comparable concentrations and temperatures, which form relatively weak gels. These results provide a simple strategy for significantly increasing the mechanical properties of polymer hydrogels used in biomaterials applications.
Derivation of Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells From Vector-Free Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Abstract 4746 Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), due to their self-renewal and differentiation capability, have tremendous potential in regenerative medicine. Differentiation of IPSCs in vitro to obtain sufficient number of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and their progenitors (HPCs) from iPSCs for therapeutic purposes is a holy grail of cellular therapy. To this end, we are comparing different in vitro differentiation approaches for generation of HSCs/HPCs from IPSCs. We have generated iPSCs from human adult dermal fibroblasts using two different reprogramming methods: 1) Transduction with retroviral vectors encoding human Klf4, Oct3/4, Sox2 and cMyc or 2) Electroporation with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) based episomal plasmid vectors encoding Klf4, Oct3/4, Sox2, L-Myc and p53 targeting shRNA. The transduced/electroporated cells were reprogrammed on SNL5 mouse feeder cells. Putative iPSC-like colonies were cloned and adapted to grow under feeder-free conditions on Matrigel (BD) in mTeSR1 (Stem Cell Technologies) medium. From over 30 individual clones isolated, six were further characterized for: 1) expression of pluripotency markers (Tra-1–60, SSEA-3, SSEA-4, Nanog and Oct3/4) by immunofluorescence; 2) endogenous and total mRNA expression by quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-qPCR) for Klf4, Oct3/4, Sox2 and cMyc to distinguish between cellular and vector derived expression of reprogramming factors; 3) RT-qPCR to determine expression of other markers of pluripotency such as Nanog and DNA methyl transferease; 4) karyotype analysis to determine chromosomal anomalies. The vector-free IPSC clones were also tested for residual integrated EBV plasmid DNA by qPCR. Trilineage differentiation ability of the clones was determined through embryoid body formation in suspension cultures, and subsequent staining of resulting embryoid bodies after adherence to gelatin coated dishes for makers of ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm. HSCs/HPCs were obtained from IPSCs by 1) coculture with OP9 stromal cells, or 2) step-wise differentiation in feeder-free conditions on Matrigel under defined conditions in the presence of appropriate growth factors [Niwa A et al. PLoS One. (2011); 6(7):e22261.]. The resultant HSCs/HPCs were subjected to colony forming assays in semi-solid medium containing hematopoietic cytokines. Both erythroid and myelomonocytic colonies could be readily identified. The influence of ambient oxygen concentration on the HSC/HPC derivation procedure is being investigated. The results of these studies will be presented. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
An Evaluation of Peer Ratings for the Selection of School Administrators

The validity of peer assessment for the selection of school principals by teachers was evaluated using principal ratings and work samples as criteria. In addition, the criteria related validity of ratings by peers nominated by job candidates was compared to validates for peers nominated by job candidates was compared to validates for peers who judged themselves to be qualified to rate the candidates. Results support the use of peer ratings and, to a more limited extent, the peer nomination process for the selection of school principals. Using a composite criterion of principal ratings and work sample performance, the validities of the ratee-nominated and all-peer assessments were .43 and .46, respectively.
Equalization or normalization? Voter–candidate engagement on Twitter in the 2010 U.S. midterm elections

This study assesses the engagement between voters and political candidates on Twitter and examines its relationship with offline electoral factors such as campaign finances and election outcomes. A...
FreeRider: Backscatter Communication Using Commodity Radios

We introduce the design and implementation of FreeRider, the first system that enables backscatter communication with multiple commodity radios, such as 802.11g/n WiFi, ZigBee, and Bluetooth, while these radios are simultaneously used for productive data communication. Furthermore, we are, to our knowledge, the first to implement and evaluate a multi-tag system. The key technique used by FreeRider is codeword translation, where a tag can transform a codeword present in the original excitation signal into another valid codeword from the same codebook during backscattering. In other words, the backscattered signal is still a valid WiFi, ZigBee, or Bluetooth signal. Therefore, commodity radios decode the backscattered signal and extract the tag's embedded information. More importantly, FreeRider does codeword translation regardless of the data transmitted by these radios. Therefore, these radios can still do productive data communication. FreeRider accomplishes codeword translation by modifying one or more of the three dimensions of a wireless signal --- amplitude, phase and frequency. A tag ensures that the modified signal is still comprised of valid codewords that come the same codebook as the original excitation signal. We built a hardware prototype of FreeRider, and our empirical evaluations show a data rate of ~60kbps in single tag mode, 15kbps in multi-tag mode, and a backscatter communication distance up to 42m when operating on 802.11g/n WiFi.
Ticagrelor as an Alternative for Clopidogrel-Associated Acute Arthritis

A 65-year-old Caucasian man was hospitalized for a non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. On discharge, the patient was started on multiple new medications, including clopidogrel and atorvastatin. Twenty-six days after discharge, he presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with polyarthralgias. He was instructed to stop atorvastatin and to follow up with rheumatology and cardiology clinic. At cardiology clinic follow-up 43 days after ED discharge, clopidogrel was discontinued and patient was switched to ticagrelor. On follow-up one month later, his symptoms had completely resolved. During the next 4 months, patient had routine follow-up due to participation in Cardiopulmonary Rehab and he had no cardiac events or recurrence of joint symptoms. Our patient had no history of arthritis. Because he initially presented with 2 medication classes associated with arthritis, each was withdrawn separately. The temporal association of patient’s symptomatic improvement strongly suggests that the arthritis was caused by clopidogrel. Our patient was able to tolerate ticagrelor with complete resolution of his arthritis and no cardiac events. Clopidogrel-induced arthritis is a rare adverse drug event. For patients with a recent drug-eluting stent, alternative antiplatelet therapy with ticagrelor may provide positive cardiac outcomes without similar adverse effects.
The influence of insurance status on treatment and outcomes in oral cavity cancer: an analysis on 46,373 patients.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of insurance status on treatment and outcomes in oral cavity cancer. Patients were identified in the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Data were collected and analyzed using χ2 tests, Kaplan–Meier methods, and multivariable Cox regression models. Those uninsured or on Medicaid were more likely to be younger (P
Dyadic stress of breast cancer survivors and their caregivers: Are there differences by sexual orientation?

OBJECTIVE The objective of the study is to assess dyadic stress among sexual minority cancer survivor and caregivers compared to heterosexual cancer survivors and their caregivers. METHODS We recruited 167 survivors of nonmetastatic breast cancer of different sexual orientations and their caregivers, who were interviewed via telephone after obtaining consent. We used inverse propensity score weighting to account for differences by sexual orientation in age and length of the survivor-caregiver relationship and simultaneous equation models consistent with the needs for analyzing dyadic data. RESULTS Survivors and caregivers reported stress levels consistent with population norms, irrespective of survivors' sexual orientation. Accounting for covariates, survivors' and caregivers' stress did not mutually influence one another overall. However, differences by sexual orientation were noted such that caregivers' stress was influential for sexual minority survivors' stress, but not for heterosexual survivors' stress. CONCLUSIONS Careful consideration should be given to caregivers of sexual minority survivors, an underserved group for whom currently no interventions exist.
The Anal Phase (Ages 1–3)

The years between 1 and 3 are a time of explosive physical growth and psychological development. During this relatively brief period of time, toddlers develop a strong sense of self and the ability to maintain relationships with others; the capacity to walk and talk; and the ability to utilize and control the body, mind, and environment in sophisticated ways. The “terrible twos” are real enough, but only for the parents; for the child, they are a time of wonderment and excitement as horizons broaden and the world becomes the subject of exploration and amusement.
THEORETICAL RESPONSE OF MULTILAYER PAVEMENT SYSTEMS TO DYNAMIC NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING.

Nondestructive testing of highway and airport pavements has become increasingly popular. Although dynamic loading devices have become the method of choice because their field operation is relatively simple, fast, and economical, analysis of the test data remains problematic. Using a rigorous elastodynamic formulation, it is demonstrated in this paper that the dynamic phenomena of resonance and inertial damping within the subgrade may result in significant differences in pavement response to static and dynamic loading. Because static analyses are currently used to analyze the latter, significant errors may arise in back-calculating layer stiffness, particularly because the iterative schemes used in such analyses are ill-conditioned. Examination of the data obtained from a study of the response of four-layer flexible pavements to excitation by the Road Rater device for a wide range of frequencies suggests that no simple correlation between dynamic and static deflections can be developed. Some improvement in current practice may be effected by carrying out tests over the entire operating range of frequencies to ensure that the measured deflections are not corrupted by spurious subgrade resonances.
FOUR-WAY CASE SYSTEMS: ERGATIVE, NOMINATIVE, OBJECTIVE AND ACCUSATIVE

In the context of an analysis of the four-way Case system of Nez Perce, this paper presents evidence for three claims concerning Case theory. First, ergative is not a structural Case like nominative or accusative; instead, ergative is a lexical Case like the dative. Second, contrary to the usual assumption that UG allows for only one structural Case for objects, there are, in fact, two structural object Cases available in UG: one, termed ’objective Case‘ here, is assigned/checked in Spec Agr-O and is associated with object agreement, if the language has object agreement. There is a limit of one objective Case per clause. The other, termed ’accusative Case‘ here, is assigned/checked by V inside VP and is never associated with object agreement. There may be more than one structural accusative Case per clause. The third claim is that the following descriptive generalization holds universally: in a clause with a lexically Cased subject (e.g., ergative or dative) the highest object cannot have structural accusative Case (although that object can have objective Case). That generalization and the facts that motivated Burzio‘s (1986) generalization are manifestations of a broader generalization governing the maximum number of accusative Cases that a verb can assign.
Occult Gastrointestinal Bleeding: General Overview and Approach

Occult gastrointestinal bleeding is most commonly defined as an acute or chronic loss of blood, the source of which has not been identified after gastroscopy, colonoscopy, and upper gastrointestinal series have been performed. As the title suggests, this article provides a general overview of this disorder. Specific topics discussed include etiology, diagnostic procedures, laboratory studies, radiologic procedures, radionuclide studies, angiography, and endoscopy.
Further Topics: Synthesis

We have arrived at the final chapter of this course. As with the preceding chapter our main objective is to acquire some familiarity with two new topics, and again our treatment will be of a survey nature. The areas we will consider are linear parameter varying systems, multidimensional systems, and linear time-varying (LTV) systems. In Chapter 10 we covered new analysis techniques and problems, and our aim in this chapter is the study of additional methods and results pertaining to synthesis.
THYROSEQ®V2.0 MOLECULAR TESTING: A COST-EFFECTIVE APPROACH FOR THE EVALUATION OF INDETERMINATE THYROID NODULES

ABSTRACT Objective: Approximately 15 to 30% of thyroid nodules have indeterminate cytology. Many of these nodules are treated surgically, but only 5 to 30% are malignant. Molecular testing can furt...
Enhanced Recovery in Bariatric Surgery: A Study of Short-Term Outcomes and Compliance

The implementation of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines has been widely studied among various surgical specialties. We aimed at comparing the perioperative outcomes and compliance with ERAS protocol in bariatric surgery at our center. An observational review of a prospectively maintained database was performed. Patients who underwent primary bariatric surgery (gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy) between January 2011 and June 2018 were included. Patients were divided into pre- and post-ERAS groups. Data including basic demographic information, length of hospital stay, 30-day perioperative complications, and readmission rates were collected. Compliance with elements of ERAS was assessed using a combination of chart review and a prospectively implemented checklist. P < 0.05 was chosen to be statistically significant. A total of 435 patients were included: 239 patients in the pre-ERAS group and 196 patients in the post-ERAS group. There were no statistical differences in baseline demographics and major comorbidities between the 2 groups. The post-ERAS group had shorter length of hospital stay (2.23 vs 1.23, p < 0.001) and lower rates of 30-day postoperative morbidity (8.7 vs 4%, p = .04). There was no significant difference between the 2 groups with respect to readmissions rates. There was no mortality in either group. Overall compliance rates with ERAS elements were 85%; compliance increased significantly with the implementation of a checklist (p < 0.001). Implementation of ERAS program for bariatric surgery is safe and feasible. It reduces hospital stay and postoperative morbidity. Easy to implement strategies such as checklists should be encouraged in bariatric programs to aid in implementation and compliance with ERAS elements for perioperative care.
Challenges and Strategies for Implementing Interventions in a Statewide System-Based Pragmatic Trial (P5.015)

Objective: To describe key challenges and successful strategies in implementing the COMprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Services (COMPASS) model. Background: Successful implementation of system-level quality improvement models remains a challenge for many pragmatic trials. Design/Methods: The COMPASS Study is cluster-randomized pragmatic trial comparing the effectiveness of an evidence-based transitional care model with usual care for eligible stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients in 41 North Carolina hospitals. The COMPASS model involves stroke education, telephone follow-up at 2, 30 and 60 days post-discharge, and a transitional clinic visit within 14 days post-discharge. Implementation metrics include percent of patients receiving the 2-day call, clinic visit, and individualized eCare plan. We compared clinical and demographic characteristics of patients returning vs not returning for the clinic visit. Hospitals received monthly performance reports, monthly individual phone calls, and bi-monthly conference calls with other hospitals to discuss challenges, facilitate implementation, and problem-solve. We recorded and qualitatively analyzed conference calls. Results: Of the first 1,783 patients enrolled at 19 intervention hospitals, 42.9 to 95.5% received the 2-day call and 11.8 to 70.7% attended the clinic visit and received an eCare plan. Patients who did not attend the clinic visit were older (68.9 vs 66.9 years), more likely to have Medicare, less likely to have a caregiver, and more likely to have a TIA (vs stroke). The most frequent implementation challenges involved system logistics, including staffing, scheduling, clinic structure, and engaging champions. Patient-level challenges included a resistance to co-pays and a reluctance to attend a transitional clinic visit that was not part of a specialty practice (e.g. neurology) or their personal primary care provider. Conclusions: Whereas some patient-specific factors drive uptake of the COMPASS model, system logistics and structures are also important barriers to implementation. Successful implementation requires tailored strategies and ongoing collaboration with hospital administration, stroke champions, and providers to identify and address barriers. Study Supported by: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Award Number: PCS-1403-14532, NCT02588664; National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Award Number: UL1TR001420. Disclosure: Dr. Lutz has nothing to disclose. Dr. Coleman has nothing to disclose. Dr Bushnell has nothing to disclose. Dr. Duncan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gesell has nothing to disclose.
Reciprocity in Book Reviewing among American, British and Canadian Academics

Books and their reviews have been historically central to knowledge dissemination in the social sciences and humanities. Despite this perceive importance, few studies have assessed the relative importance of these document types in the dissemination of knowledge. This paper aims at better understanding the place of book reviews in the scholarly communication system and to shed light--through the analysis of books on Canada, United Kingdom and United States and their reviewers--on the international circulation of ideas in the social sciences and humanities. Based on 1,675,999 book reviews indexed in the Social Science Citation Index and Arts and Humanities Citation Index over the 1975-2016 period, our results show that book reviews are decreasing in importance in all disciplines—especially those where books have historically been peripheral. We also observe a high rate of homophily between reviewers and reviewed books, with researchers being primarily interested in the books that have been written by someone from their own country. Hence, despite the now widely held assumptions of the globalization of science, social science and humanities remains a highly localized activity.
Multilevel analysis of individual, household, and community factors influencing child growth in Nepal

Childhood malnutrition and growth faltering is a serious concern in Nepal. Studies of child growth typically focus on child and mother characteristics as key factors, largely because Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) collect data at these levels. To control for and measure the importance of higher-level factors this study supplements 2006 and 2011 DHS data for Nepal with data from coincident rounds of the Nepal Living Standards Surveys (NLSS). NLSS information is summarized at the district level and matched to children using district identifiers available in the DHS. The sample consists of 7533 children aged 0 to 59 months with complete anthropometric measurements from the 2006 and 2011 NDHS. These growth metrics, specifically height-for-age and weight-for-height, are used in multilevel regression models, with different group designations as upper-level denominations and different observed characteristics as upper-level predictors. Characteristics of children and households explain most of the variance in height-for-age and weight-for-height, with statistically significant but relatively smaller overall contributions from community-level factors. Approximately 6% of total variance and 22% of explained variance in height-for-age z-scores occurs between districts. For weight-for-height, approximately 5% of total variance, and 35% of explained variance occurs between districts. The most important district-level factors for explaining variance in linear growth and weight gain are the percentage of the population belonging to marginalized groups and the distance to the nearest hospital. Traditional determinants of child growth maintain their statistical power in the hierarchical models, underscoring their overall importance for policy attention.
Radiocarbon Pretreatment Comparisons of Bald Cypress (Taxodium Distichum) wood samples from a massive buried deposit on the Georgia Coast, USA

We sampled individual growth rings from three ancient remnant bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) trees from a massive buried deposit at the mouth of the Altamaha River on the Georgia Coast to determine the best technique for radiocarbon (14C) dating pretreatment. The results of our comparison of traditional ABA pretreatment and holocellulose and α-cellulose fractions show no significant differences among the pretreatments (<1 sigma) thereby suggesting that ABA pretreatment will prove sufficient for the development of a high-resolution 14C tree-ring chronology based on these ancient bald cypresses which will indicate whether the U.S. Southeast is subject to a regional radiocarbon offset.
Cathodic Polarization Study on Doped Lanthanum Gallate Electrolyte Using Impedance Spectroscopy

The perovskite electrolyte La1 − xSr x Ga1 − yMg y O3 (LSGM) has received a lot of interest in recent years after it was first reported to have significantly higher oxygen-ion conductivity than conventional YSZ. A very large fraction of the total polarization losses in SOFC is known to occur at the electrode-electrolyte interfaces manifesting itself as the kinetic barrier to charge-transfer reactions. AC complex impedance spectroscopy studies were conducted on symmetrical cells of the type [air, electrode/LSGM electrolyte/electrode, air] to measure the charge-transfer polarization at the cathode-electrolyte interfaces. The electrode materials were slurry-coated on both sides of the LSGM electrolyte support. The cathode materials investigated in this study include La1 − xSr x MnO3(LSM), LSCF (La1 − xSr x Co y Fe1 − yO3) and a two-phase particulate composite consisting of LSM +doped-lanthanum gallate (LSGM). Symmetrical cell studies were also performed on SOFC anode materials. The principal anode material investigated in this study is a porous composite of Ni-gadolinium doped ceria (GDC). It is well known that Ni reacts with the state-of-the-art LSGM anode material. Thus our approach is to use a barrier layer of GDC between the Ni-GDC anode and the LSGM electrolyte. This paper will focus on the influence of microstructure, electrode composition, electrode thickness, interfacial compatibility and electrode processing conditions on cathode and anode polarization.
Surface soil temperature seasonal variation estimation in a forested area using combined satellite observations and in-situ measurements

Abstract Surface soil temperature is the soil temperature from the surface to 10 cm in depth. Surface soil temperature plays a significant role in agricultural drought monitoring, ecosystem energy transfer modeling, and global carbon cycle evaluation. Studies have been proposed to estimate surface soil temperature, but surface soil temperature monitoring within forested areas still poses a significant challenge. In this study, we proposed a surface soil temperature retrieval method using combined satellite observations and in-situ measurements for the Great Dismal Swamp (GDS). The GDS is a U.S. protected area managed and protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is located along the boundary of Virginia and North Carolina, with maple gum, Atlantic white cedar, and pine pocosin as the main forest cover types. Ground-based surface soil temperature measurements were collected for these forest types from May 2015 to April 2017. Both the Land Remote Sensing Satellite (Landsat) Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) carry two thermal infrared (TIR) channels. The TIR channels with similar corresponding wavelengths were first fused using an improved fusing model to generate high resolution TIR measurements. Then the enterprise algorithm was applied to calculate land surface temperature (LST) from the fused TIR bands. An improved soil temperature retrieval method was applied to generate surface soil temperature based on LST and vegetation index (VI) within the study area for the three forest types. In-situ measurements were used to build the surface soil temperature retrieval method, and results were then validated. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) were integrated separately as VIs in the model to monitor surface soil temperature. The R2 for retrieved surface soil temperature through satellite observations was 0.76, and the RMSE was 1.96 ℃ when NDVI was integrated in the model; the R2 was 0.78, and the RMSE was 1.85 ℃ when EVI was used.
Muting or Meddling? Advocacy as a Relational Communication Strategy Affecting Organization–Public Relationships and Stakeholder Response:

This article conceptualizes organizational advocacy as a relational communication strategy by which organizations take stances on controversial, sociopolitical issues to signal shared commitment wi...
Vertical rib plating for the treatment of slipping rib syndrome.

Abstract Background Slipping rib syndrome (SRS) is a painful condition of hypermobile, detached lower costal cartilages impinging the intercostal nerves. While surgical resection of the cartilaginous rib is reported as definitive treatment, recurrent symptoms are common. We describe the addition of vertical bioabsorbable rib plating to decrease recurrence. Methods An IRB-approved (#17-098), single institution, retrospective chart review was performed for patients who presented with SRS from 2009 to 2019 at a single institution. Descriptive statistics were used to compare patients with and without bioabsorbable vertical plating. Results A total of 85 patients (71.8% female, mean age 17.7 years) underwent evaluation for SRS. Of the 70 who underwent surgery solely for SRS, 29 (41%) underwent vertical rib plating at initial surgery while 41 (58.6%) did not. Recurrent symptoms developed in 7 (17.1%) unplated patients, while only 1 (3.4%) plated patient had recurrent SRS (which occurred after a motor vehicle crash) (p = 0.0116). Of the 8 with recurrent symptoms, 3 underwent vertical plating at a subsequent operation. Conclusion Rate of recurrent symptoms after cartilage resection alone for SRS was 17.1%. The addition of vertical rib plating with bioabsorbable plates decreased recurrent symptoms and improved outcomes. Level of evidence II.