cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Space occupying lesions in the presence of congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Abstract Introduction Previous reports describe lung malformations and other chest lesions in association with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), yet little is known how these lesions affect outcomes. We sought to evaluate the incidence and outcomes of patients diagnosed with chest lesions in association with CDH. Methods The charts of all infants treated for CDH in a single tertiary center from January 2004 to January 2015 were reviewed. The outcomes of those with space occupying lesions (SOLs) in association with CDH were compared to those with isolated CDH. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test and Mann–Whitney U test for continuous variables and Fisher's exact for categorical variables. Results Of the 214 infants treated, 20 had an associated SOL (4 had>1 lesion). SOLs were confirmed by pathological examination and included: bronchopulmonary sequestration ( n =10; 4.7%), ectopic liver ( n =9; 4.2%), foregut duplication cyst ( n =2; 1%), and other lesions ( n =3; 1.4%). No statistical difference was noted in the long-term outcomes of patients with SOL in comparison to those with isolated CDH. Conclusion SOLs are not uncommon in neonates with CDH. Despite theoretical concerns, there is no evidence that SOLs are associated with worse outcomes, a finding which is helpful during prenatal counseling of families.
Assessing differences in inhaled corticosteroid response by self-reported race-ethnicity and genetic ancestry among asthmatic subjects

Background Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) are the preferred treatment for achieving asthma control. However, little is known regarding the factors contributing to treatment response and whether treatment response differs by population group. Objective We sought to assess behavioral, sociodemographic, and genetic factors related to ICS response among African American and European American subjects with asthma. Methods Study participants were part of the Study of Asthma Phenotypes and Pharmacogenomic Interactions by Race-ethnicity (SAPPHIRE). The analytic sample included asthmatic subjects aged 12 to 56 years with greater than 12% bronchodilator reversibility and percent predicted FEV 1 of between 40% and 90%. Participants received 6 weeks of inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate. The primary measure of ICS response was a change in Asthma Control Test (ACT) score; the secondary measure was a change in prebronchodilator FEV 1 . Adherence was measured with electronic monitors. Genetic ancestry was estimated for African American participants by using genome-wide genotype data. Results There were 339 study participants; 242 self-identified as African American and 97 as European American. Baseline ACT score, percent predicted FEV 1 , degree of bronchodilator response, and ICS adherence were significantly associated with ICS response. A baseline ACT score of 19 or less was useful in identifying those who would respond, as evidenced by the significant dose-response relationship with ICS adherence. Neither self-reported race-ethnicity among all participants nor proportion of African ancestry among African American participants was associated with ICS responsiveness. Conclusions Our findings suggest that baseline lung function measures and self-reported asthma control predict ICS response, whereas self-reported race-ethnicity and genetic ancestry do not.
Direct detection of malaria infected red blood cells by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Abstract Surface enhanced Raman spectra (SERS) of normal red blood cells (RBCs) and Plasmodium falciparum infected RBCs (iRBCs) at different post invasion time were obtained based on silver nanorod array substrates. Distinct spectral differences were observed due to the cell membrane modification of RBCs during malaria infection. The SERS spectra of ring stage iRBCs had a characteristic Raman peak at Δ v =1599cm −1 as compared to those of normal RBCs, while the trophozoite and schizoid stages had identical SERS spectra with a characteristic peak at Δ v =723cm −1 , which is significantly different from ring stage iRBCs, consistent with ongoing modification of the iRBC membrane. Since ring stage iRBCs of P. falciparum are found circulating in blood, such a difference provides a new strategy for rapid malaria detection. The limit of detection as well as the ability to detect a mixed iRBC and RBC solution was also investigated.
Crude Oil Sorption by Raw Cotton

Since the recent Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the need for environmentally friendly oil sorbents has intensified. This study deals with the sorption of crude oil by raw cotton, a biodegradable sorbent. To our best knowledge, the data related to crude oil sorption by unprocessed raw cotton and correlation with cotton characteristics such as micronaire, fineness, and maturity are unavailable. More importantly, our work quantifies the oil sorption (g/g) of low micronaire (immature) cotton. Results showed at the minimum level, low micronaire raw cotton has 30.5 g/g crude oil sorption capacity. Furthermore, the crude oil sorption capacity of low micronaire cotton was significantly higher than the sorption capacity of high micronaire cotton. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area and environmental scanning electron microscopy analyses support the correlation between the quality characteristics of raw cotton and its oil sorption capacity. In contrast to synthetic sorbents, raw cotton with its h...
Ureaplasma Urealyticum (T-Mycoplasma) Infection: Does it Have a Role in Male Infertility?

AbstractUreaplasma urealyticum (T-mycoplasma) has been related to male infertility by some observers. To assess further this question 150 couples who presented for infertility had semen and cervical mucus cultures for mycoplasma. Positive cultures were obtained from 69 couples. There were no significant differences in the semen analyses among patients with positive or negative cultures. The presence of mycoplasma in the semen is probably the result of contamination at the time of ejaculation. Routine investigation for the presence of mycoplasma in subfertile men is unjustified. The routine use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in subfertile patients with positive mycoplasma cultures is unnecessary.
Stigma In Persons with Obesity

Obesity is a highly stigmatized disease that is one of the most common health problems facing our nation today. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the current understanding of how perceptions of people with obesity and the associated weight-related stigma ultimately impact treatment (including weight loss surgery), the healthcare system, mental health/psychosocial functioning, and other social determinants of behavior (e.g., employment, education, interpersonal relationships). Finally, a look at current interventions to address weight stigma and future directions for the field will be summarized.
GPU-enabled PET motion compensation using sparse and low-rank decomposition

The resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of motion-compensated PET images depend highly on the motion estimation accuracy. However, in many practical settings, the estimated motion information contains noise. In this work, we propose a fast and accurate method to incorporate noisy motion estimation into PET image reconstruction in a systematic framework using multiscale sliding time window reconstruction followed by matrix decomposition. In the first step, we propose multiscale sliding window to trade off the resolution and the SNR of the images. A Gaussian window is placed at multiple time points in the list-mode data, giving higher weight to the events that have less motion artifact relative to the current window position. The window size for each position is varied, generating high SNR images with wide windows and high resolution images with narrow windows. In the second step, we use matrix decomposition to combine the set of images in the first step into an image that has both high resolution and high SNR. More specifically, the results generated by different windows are organized into a matrix with each column representing an image. In the ideal case, the images should be highly correlated with each other. Based on this observation, we decompose the matrix into the sum of a low-rank matrix and a sparse matrix. The low-rank matrix represents the high resolution and high SNR image, while the sparse matrix corresponds to noise. The proposed method is implemented on a graphics processing unit (GPU) using the compute unified device architecture (CUDA) framework for fast execution. Experiments on a simulated data set demonstrate that the proposed approach can effectively preserve the high resolution of the narrow time window while maintaining the low noise of the wide time window. Quantitative analysis shows 22.4% improvement in spatial resolution, 16.7% reduction in noise, and 20.9% improvement in contrast-to-noise ratio compared to the baseline method.
Wavelet-based monetary and fiscal policy in the Euro area

Abstract This paper first applies the MODWT (Maximal Overlap Discrete Wavelet Transform) to Euro area quarterly GDP data from 1995 to 2014 to obtain the underlying cyclical structure of the GDP components. We then design optimal fiscal and monetary policy within a large state-space LQ-tracking wavelet decomposition model. Our study builds a MATLAB program that simulates optimal policy thrusts at each frequency range where: (1) both fiscal and monetary policy are emphasized, (2) only fiscal policy is relatively active, and (3) when only monetary policy is relatively active. The results show that the monetary authorities should utilize a strategy that influences the short-term market interest rate to undulate based on the cyclical wavelet decomposition in order to compute the optimal timing and levels for the aggregate interest rate adjustments. Given that central bank rates are adjusted in discrete steps, this implies that central bank monetary policy adjustments will be sub-optimal. We also find that modest emphasis on active interest rate movements can alleviate much of the volatility in optimal government spending, while rendering similarly favorable levels of aggregate consumption and investment. This research is the first to construct joint fiscal and monetary policies in an applied optimal control model based on the short and long cyclical lag structures obtained from wavelet analysis.
Toward an analytical framework for the study of race and police violence

Treatments of race and police violence in the fields of public administration and policy have drawn eclectically from many disciplinary sources in historical, political, and managerial analysis. From an institutional perspective, emphasis has been on how organizational practices, rules, norms, and values, along with role socialization, shape germane behavior. Of particular interest to the authors is the phenomenon of race-related police violence in its systemic but also attitudinal and behavioral manifestations in the policing role. How does an academic or practitioner researcher specify evaluative perspectives applicable to this policy and administrative challenge? There is a prior need for defined analytical and ethical positions drawing closely from public administration and policy sources. This article suggests ways to develop such grounded frameworks, built on these distinctive traditions but also going beyond them, so as to allow for an integrative approach to evaluative analysis and action on this grave and contentious issue.
Learning Network Structure of Financial Institutions from CDS Data

Default contagion is a concern especially after witnessing the financial crisis. How the financial institutions are connected is crucial to how likely they will default together. However, the information on financial network structure is not available. This paper builds a probabilistic graphical model relating the network structure to observable prices. The financial network structure can be learned using CDS data. Conditional default probability and expected conditional loss can be calculated accordingly. As the information is extracted from the CDS price, all quantities are under the risk-neutral measure, and thus account for the market fear that can trigger bank run. This knowledge can be used to gauge systemic risk and inform policy decisions.
Epilepsy in Adolescents: Rational Treatment and Considerations

Human brain development is a dynamic process that proceeds from childhood through the adolescent period into adulthood both anatomically and functionally. Likewise, epilepsy follows a course of change. Childhood seizure disorders may change or remit, and other epilepsies may begin during adolescence. Care of the epilepsy patient should include new or further diagnostic testing that is appropriate for the individual patient, differentiation from other paroxysmal disorders, attention to psychosocial and behavioral concerns, and selection and management of appropriate antiepileptic drug therapy. Attention should also be placed on potential adverse effects that appropriate antiepileptic drugs may impart. Special consideration should be given to adolescent girls who should be considered of childbearing age during adolescence. When epilepsy is refractory to medical therapy, alternative therapies should be considered that include epilepsy surgery, vagus nerve stimulation, and specific diets such as ketogenic diet and modified Atkins diet that can be used to successfully treat epilepsy.
A Max-Plus Algebra of Signals for the Supervisory Control of Real-Time Discrete Event Systems

Abstract This paper defines a max-plus algebra of signals for the evaluation of timing behavior of discrete event systems modeled by timed event graphs. The scope of this work is limited to infinite. periodic sequences for whhich finite representations called signals can be Computed. The implementation of this Inax-plus algebra allows a user to Compute supremal controllers for real-time. discrete event systems
Radiometry, Noise Temperature, and Interferometry

This chapter first discusses radiometry, which is the passive detection of natural radiation from various media, targets, and objects. Included in this discussion are brightness, antenna temperature, radiative transfer, and emissivity. Next, the chapter discusses the effects of the receiving system on the system noise temperature and the minimum detectable temperature, and deals with the use of interferometry for mapping the brightness distribution. The fundamental quantity in radiometry is the brightness (B). The chapter considers the propagation of the brightness in a medium emitting electromagnetic radiation. All objects emit electromagnetic energy. A perfect absorber that absorbs electromagnetic energy at all wavelengths is called a blackbody. The brightness of the electromagnetic radiation from a blackbody depends only on its temperature and frequency. The chapter further describes how the noise temperature is emitted, propagated, absorbed, and scattered, and then reaches the antenna. Finally, it discusses what happens in the receiver.
Elaborations on L2 interactional competence: the development of L2 grammar-for-interaction

This paper argues for a broadening of the analytic scope of research on L2 interactional competence so as to embrace systematic investigation of the linguistic resources that L2 speakers put to use...
The Tenth Leper

I (Sorenson, 1996c) took inspiration from John Bunyan's (1678/1969) The Pilgrim's Progress and imagined the ten lepers in Luke 17 as invented, allegorical characters who represent different but com...
Pathogenesis of scleroderma: the interrelationship of the immune and vascular hypotheses.

The vascular and immune hypotheses of the pathogenesis of scleroderma are not mutually exclusive, since each incorporates aspects of the other in the proposed cycle of events. They differ in the emphasis placed on the importance of the vascular and immune phenomena which are both present in scleroderma. Analysis of data supporting either hypothesis shows great variability regardless of the measurement being examined. This consistent variability of data supports the concept that multiple pathogenic mechanisms are probably operative in PSS, including the vascular and the immune.
CD69 and CD103 cooperatively regulate CD8 T cell responses in the lungs after viral infection (39.25)

T cell mediated immunity to influenza infection disappears within a few months, even though large numbers of virus-specific memory CD8 T cells remain in the circulation for at least two years. It has been suggested that antigen persistence may play an instrumental role in protective cellular immunity. This idea is supported by the presence of activated virus-specific CD8 T cells in the respiratory tract during the months following infection, when processed influenza antigens are presented to virus-specific CD8 T cells in the draining lymph nodes. A majority of the endogenous virus-specific CD8 T cells that were at the mucosal surface of the lungs one month after infection expressed both CD69 and CD103. In contrast, bystander memory CD8 T cells that entered the lungs during parabiosis did not acquire this phenotype. We have crossed CD69KO and CD103KO mice with F5 TcR transgenic mice which are specific for the influenza NP peptide. Transfer studies show that CD103-deficiency results in reduced numbers of CD69+ NP-specific CD8 T cells in the lungs. In contrast, CD69-deficiency results in slightly delayed T cell activation followed by a late accumulation of CD103-negative NP-specific CD8 T cells in the lung parenchyma. This work was supported by NIH grants AI065895 & AI071213 (LSC), RO1 AI-36532 (GH).
Optimal Control Design of Large Scale Systems with Uncertainty

In this paper, model reduction techniques are used to design optimal control strategies with low sensitivity to model uncertainty. Two sources of uncertainty are investigated; parameter variation and time delay. To obtain reduced order models, two techniques are considered; aggregation and singular perturbation. Performance sensitivity is reduced by adding a sensitivity measure to the performance index that represents the cost to be minimized. This results in an augmented model that includes the new sensitivity variable, which has the same size as the state vector of the original system. As a result, the order of the dynamic constraint of the optimization procedure will be doubled. Therefore, developing a reduced order model and using it in the design procedure will alleviate the problem of large dimensions. The design is completed based on the reduced order model. Then, such design is used to obtain an approximate design for the full order system.
Normative data for the Balance Tracking System modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance protocol

Purpose: Force plate balance testing technology has traditionally been underutilized in clinical and research settings due to the high cost and lack of portability. A relatively new force plate called the Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) has been developed to overcome these barriers. BTrackS recently implemented the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance (mCTSIB) as a means of evaluating various sources of sensory information for postural sway control. The present study aimed to provide much needed normative data for the BTrackS mCTSIB protocol. Materials and methods: Data from 604 healthy adults (308 women; 296 men) between the ages of 18 and 29 years were collected according to the BTrackS mCTSIB protocol. The protocol consisted of four, 20-second static standing trials that manipulated relative contributions of the vision, proprioception and vestibular sensory systems through various eyes open/closed and foam/no foam conditions. Comparisons of men versus women and the impact of body size (ie body mass index) were determined so that relevant percentile rankings could be calculated. Results: Analysis of variance showed an interaction between sex and task condition on the BTrackS mCTSIB (p<0.001). This interaction indicated that women outperformed men on all conditions, but especially in the fourth trial where eyes were closed and standing was done on a compliant foam surface. Percentile rankings were calculated based on sex and BTrackS mCTSIB condition. No relationship was found between BTrackS mCTSIB results and body size. Conclusion: Normative data provided in this study are vital for establishing potential sensory feedback-based balance dysfunctions that may exist clinically or in laboratory settings. In addition, this data can aid in the tracking of changes over a rehabilitation period and/or the effectiveness of balance interventions.
Successful Treatment of a Case of Ectopic Jejunal Varices with Portal Venous Stenting

BACKGROUND Management of patients with ectopic variceal bleeding can be challenging and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Ectopic bleeding from jejunal varices at the anastomotic site of choledochojejunostomy is rare and difficult to treat. CASE REPORT We report a case of ectopic jejunal variceal bleeding secondary to portal vein stenosis at the anastomotic site of a prior choledochojejunostomy for pancreatic cancer. The patient was successfully treated with portal vein metallic stent placement that remained patent for 7 months. CONCLUSIONS The management of ectopic of variceal bleeding remains difficult and controversial. Portal vein stenting has been reported as a successful method of treatment that is minimally invasive especially in patients who had prior major surgeries.
Discrepant Rates of Hypospadias Surgical Complications: A Comparison of U.S. News & World Report and Pediatric Health Information System® Data and Published Literature.

Purpose:Complication rates of 5% to 10% and 12% to 23% have been observed following distal and proximal hypospadias repair, respectively. However, these rates may be overreported. We hypothesized t...
Prey fish communities of the Laurentian Great Lakes: A cross-basin overview of status and trends based on bottom trawl surveys, 1978-2016

Annual bottom trawl surveys were initiated in the 1970s in Laurentian Great Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan and Ontario and in 1990 in Erie to provide annual assessments of the status and trends of...
Mining the Role of Design Reflection and Associated Brain Dynamics in Creativity

Reflection—the activity of reasoning through an action that has occurred—has been shown to be of importance to the development of design expertise. Although design reflection has been widely studied previously, several gaps in the knowledge still exist. First, previous work in design reflection has been mostly limited to descriptive and prescriptive research, while very few researchers investigated the effect of design reflection on performance of individuals and teams. Second, previous researchers limited the study of reflection to the language used and its reference to the design problem or solution space. Third, previous work on design reflection has not taken into account the antagonist of reflection—i.e., rumination. Rumination is characterized as repetitive and persistent evaluation of the meaning, causes, and consequences of one’s affective state and personal concerns, and has been shown to negatively affect creativity and problem solving. In this project, we planned to address these limitations by (1) assessing the effects of different types of reflection on creative performance; (2) going beyond the frontier of language (or speech) and additionally investigating the role of brain and interaction dynamics during design reflection; and (3) including psychological construct of rumination in addition to reflection. We hypothesized that given the critical importance of reflection in design thinking, our approach will provide a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between brain dynamics, design reflection, and creativity.
IT-leveraged network value cocreation: a case study of the value cocreation process and value capture in the South Korean broadcast advertising industry

ABSTRACTOrganisations operate in increasingly dynamic environments, internetworked in cooperative arrangements that cocreate value. They pursue the cocreation of value through collaborative network...
β-Arrestin2 is a critical component of the GPCR–eNOS signalosome

Endothelial cell nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS), the enzyme responsible for synthesis of NO in endothelial cells, is regulated by complex posttranslational mechanisms. Sinusoidal portal hypertension, a disorder characterized by liver sinusoidal endothelial cell (SEC) injury with resultant reduced eNOS activity and NO production within the liver, has been associated with defects in eNOS protein-protein interactions and posttranslational modifications. We and others have previously identified novel eNOS interactors, including G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) kinase interactor 1 (GIT1), which we found to play an unexpected stimulatory role in GPCR-mediated eNOS signaling. Here we report that β-arrestin 2 (β-Arr2), a canonical GPCR signaling partner, localizes in SECs with eNOS in a GIT1/eNOS/NO signaling module. Most importantly, we show that β-Arr2 stimulates eNOS activity, and that β-Arr2 expression is reduced and formation of the GIT1/eNOS/NO signaling module is interrupted during liver injury. In β-Arr2-deficient mice, bile duct ligation injury (BDL) led to significantly reduced eNOS activity and to a dramatic increase in portal hypertension compared to BDL in wild-type mice. Overexpression of β-Arr2 in injured or β-Arr2-deficient SECs rescued eNOS function by increasing eNOS complex formation and NO production. We also found that β-Arr2-mediated GIT1/eNOS complex formation is dependent on Erk1/2 and Src, two kinases known to interact with and be activated by β-Arr2 in response to GCPR activation. Our data emphasize that β-Arr2 is an integral component of the GIT1/eNOS/NO signaling pathway and have implications for the pathogenesis of sinusoidal portal hypertension.
A New Perspective: Administrator Recommendations for Reducing Child Welfare Turnover

Child maltreatment impacts society on multiple levels, and consistent turnover in the child welfare workforce creates financial challenges and problems associated with service delivery. This study ...
Experience with a six-month regimen of Pneumocystis pneumonia prophylaxis in 122 HIV-positive kidney transplant recipients.

Anti-Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) prophylaxis is recommended for 3 to 6 months post-transplant, in HIV-negative kidney transplant recipients. For HIV-positive kidney transplant recipients, there is no definite duration of primary prophylaxis and is often prescribed life-long. The objective of this study is to determine the incidence of PCP in HIV-positive recipients who received 6 months of prophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or an alternative agent. One hundred and twenty-two HIV-positive recipients received a kidney transplant from 2001 to 2017 at Hahnemann University Hospital. Most patients received induction immunosuppression with an IL-2 receptor antagonist, with or without intravenous immunoglobulin. Only one patient received anti-thymocyte globulin. Maintenance immunosuppression included a calcineurin-inhibitor (tacrolimus or cyclosporine), an antiproliferative agent (mycophenolate or sirolimus), and prednisone. Mean CD4 cell count was 461 ± 127 cells/uL prior to transplant and 463 ± 229 cells/uL at 6 to 12 months after transplant. None of the recipients developed PCP after a median follow-up of 2.88 years (IQR 1.16-4.87). Based on our observation, a 6-month regimen of PCP prophylaxis may be sufficient among HIV-positive recipients, similar to those without HIV infection.
Extremal GI/GI/1 queues given two moments: exploiting Tchebycheff systems

This paper studies tight upper bounds for the mean and higher moments of the steady-state waiting time in the GI/GI/1 queue given the first two moments of the interarrival-time and service-time distributions. We apply the theory of Tchebycheff systems to obtain sufficient conditions for classical two-point distributions to yield the extreme values. These distributions are determined by having one mass at 0 or at the upper limit of support.
Public versus Private Enforcement of International Economic Law: Standing and Remedy

Abstract This paper develops a theory of the rules regarding standing and remedy in international trade and investment agreements. Regarding investment agreements, the paper argues that a credible government‐to‐firm commitment (or signal) that the capital importer will not engage in expropriation or related practices is required and that a private right of action for money damages is the best way to make such a commitment. In trade agreements, by contrast, importing nations have commitments that are best viewed as government to government rather than government to firm. The parties to trade agreements can enhance their mutual political welfare by declining to enforce commitments that benefit politically inefficacious exporters and can most cheaply do so by reserving to themselves the standing to initiate dispute proceedings—a right to act as a political filter. The paper also suggests why governments may prefer to utilize trade sanctions rather than money damages as the penalty for breach of a trade agree...
Disaggregated mortality from gastrointestinal cancers in Asian Americans: Analysis of United States death records.

Asian Americans (AAs) are heterogeneous, and aggregation of diverse AA populations in national reporting may mask high-risk groups. Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers constitute one-third of global cancer mortality, and an improved understanding of GI cancer mortality by disaggregated AA subgroups may inform future primary and secondary prevention strategies. Using national mortality records from the United States from 2003 to 2017, we report age-standardized mortality rates, standardized mortality ratios and annual percent change trends from GI cancers (esophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver and pancreatic) for the six largest AA subgroups (Asian Indians, Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese). Non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) are used as the reference population. We found that mortality from GI cancers demonstrated nearly 3-fold difference between the highest (Koreans, 61 per 100 000 person-years) and lowest (Asian Indians, 21 per 100 000 person-years) subgroups. The distribution of GI cancer mortality demonstrates high variability between subgroups, with Korean Americans demonstrating high mortality from gastric cancer (16 per 100 000), and Vietnamese Americans demonstrating high mortality from liver cancer (19 per 100 000). Divergent temporal trends emerged, such as increasing liver cancer burden in Vietnamese Americans, which exacerbated existing mortality differences. There exist striking differences in the mortality burden of GI cancers by disaggregated AA subgroups. These data highlight the need for disaggregated data reporting, and the importance of race-specific and personalized strategies of screening and prevention.
Insights from an inaugural eight-month interprofessional collaborative co-design educational experience between occupational therapy and industrial design

The design of the built environment greatly impacts how all types of individuals and populations actively participate in their daily lives. Lack of access in the built environment for disabled populations remains a daily reality, negatively impacting engagement and life satisfaction, leading to isolation, loneliness, and depression. A university in the Northeastern United States sought to expand current constructs of the end-user and environment within a universal design (UD) perspective. On an eight-month inaugural interprofessional collaborative co-design experience, third-year occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) students were embedded in a first-year masters of industrial design (MSID) curriculum, which ran the course of the academic calendar (two consecutive semesters: Fall and Spring). Primary aims wanted to determine, via an interrupted time-series quantitative design, if embedding OTD students within the industrial design curriculum influenced the MSID students’ prior assumptions, understanding of disability and enhanced their willingness to create more inclusive final products. Quantitative findings indicated that it was difficult to capture the meaningful change that occurred in the doctoral capstone program experience with the existing psychometric tools available. Anecdotal mixed-method findings indicated that informal interprofessional learning experiences in the classroom, such as lectures and learning activities created and facilitated by the OTD students and delivered in real-time, broadened and enhanced the MSID students’ knowledge surrounding disability and accessibility in a more nuanced way than the chosen quantitative survey tools were constructed to capture. A detailed literature review and description of the program have been provided, along with suggestions to capture meaningful outcomes for longer-term interdisciplinary collaborations.
Soil and microbe interactions in two populations of Appalachian black cohosh (Actaea racemosa L.)1

Soil and whole plant samples were collected from two natural populations of Appalachian black cohosh (Actaea racemose L.) to assess soil-plant-microbe interactions and determine seasonal mineral acquisition by the species. A. racemosa is one among medicinal forest plants subject to excessive harvesting, and there is increasing concern over the sustainability of natural populations. Following standard procedures, mineral content and chemistry of soils sampled from the two sites were determined, and monthly (May to August) A. racemosa root, stem, and leaf mineral content were analyzed. Fresh tissue samples were processed for isolation and genotyping of associated endophytic organisms, and classical root staining was used to assess presence and extent of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis. Results showed that forest soils in the natural habitat of A. racemosa are slightly acidic (pH 4.5–6.0; 40–70% base saturation) with high organic matter (6–25%) and microelement content. Significant (P ≤ 0.05) variation was observed in seasonal concentration of key elements in leaf, stem, and root samples, with high levels of iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) sequestered in root tissues. Root colonization by AM fungi was found to be high (85–100%) at both locations throughout the sampling period. A total of 22 fungal and 24 bacterial endophytes were isolated from A. racemosa root, shoot, and flower organs. Molecular characterization revealed bacterial isolates to be primarily Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Serratia spp., whereas fungal isolates included Alternaria, Cadophora, Diaporthe, Penicillium, and Volutella spp. We conclude that potential exists for managed cultivation of black cohosh in arable land. Further, our findings confirm endophytic (mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal) associations in A. racemosa. We believe associated organisms could play a role in the adaptation of A. racemosa to the Appalachian ecosystem and recommend further examination of these relationships.
How to become an antiracist newspaper in the 1890s Black Atlantic: The ethical imperative of recirculation in Celestine Edwards’s Fraternity

This essay examines the print strategies of Britain’s first Black editor, S. J. Celestine Edwards (1857?–1894), during his tenure at the antiracist journal, Fraternity. I show how Edwards capitaliz...
Systematic Identification of Preferred Orbits for Magnetospheric Missions: 1. Single Satellites

This is a systematic attempt to identify and assess near-equatorial, high-eccentricity orbits best suited for studying the Earth’s magnetosphere, in particular its most dynamic part, the plasma sheet of the magnetotail. The study was motivated by the design needs of a multi-spacecraft “constellation” mission, stressing low cost, minimal active control and economic launch strategies, and both quantitative and qualitative aspects were investigated. On one hand, by collecting hourly samples throughout the year, accurate estimates were obtained of the coverage of different regions, and of the frequency and duration of long eclipses. On the other hand, an intuitive understanding was developed of the factors which determine the merits of the mission, including long-range factors due to perturbations by the Moon, Sun and the Earth’s equatorial bulge.
The Role of Surgical Resection in Stage IIIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Decision and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Background This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of combination chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical intervention (CRS) vs definitive chemotherapy and radiotherapy (CR) in clinical stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients at academic and nonacademic centers. Methods Patients with clinical stage IIIA NSCLC receiving CR or CRS from 1998 to 2010 were identified in the National Cancer Data Base. Propensity score matching on patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics was performed. Medicare allowable charges were used for treatment costs. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was based on probabilistic 5-year survival and calculated as cost per life-year gained. Results We identified 5,265 CR and CRS matched patient pairs. Surgical resection imparted an increased effectiveness of 0.83 life-years, with an ICER of $17,618. Among nonacademic centers, 1,634 matched CR and CRS patients demonstrated a benefit with surgical resection of 0.86 life-years gained, for an ICER of $17,124. At academic centers, 3,201 matched CR and CRS patients had increased survival of 0.81 life-years with surgical resection, for an ICER of $18,144. Finally, 3,713 CRS patients were matched between academic and nonacademic centers. Academic center surgical patients had an increased effectiveness of 1.5 months gained and dominated the model with lower surgical cost estimates associated with lower 30-day mortality rates. Conclusions In stage IIIA NSCLC, the selective addition of surgical resection to CR is cost-effective compared with definitive chemoradiation therapy at nonacademic and academic centers. These conclusions are valid over a range of clinically meaningful variations in cost and treatment outcomes.
Full-Scale Wind-Tunnel Investigation of an Ayres S2R-800 Thrush Agricultural Airplane

This paper summarizes the significant results of recent full-scale wind tunnel tests at the NASA-Langley Research Center of the Ayres S2R-800 Thrush Agricultural Aircraft. The purpose of the tests was to provide fundamental aerodynamic, performance, and stability and control information of the airplane and dispersal equipment; and to study near-field wake interaction characteristics behind the aircraft. The aerodynamic tests included the use of a propeller thrust-torque balance to measure the efficiency of the propeller in the presence of the engine and to provide data for determining slipstream interference effects and slip-stream drag.
Low-cost addition of preferences to DTPs and TCSPs

We present an efficient approach to adding soft constraints, in the form of preferences, to Disjunctive Temporal Problems (DTPs) and Their subclass Temporal Constraint Satisfaction Problems (TCSPs). Specifically, we describe an algorithm for checking the consistency of and finding optimal solutions to such probkms. The algorithm borrows concepts from previous algorithms for solving TCSPs and Simple Temporal Problems with Preferences (STPPs), in both cases using techniques for projecting and solving component sub-problems. We show that adding preferences to DTPs and TCSPs requires only slightly more time than corresponding algorithms for TCSPs and DTPs without preferences. Thus, for problems where DTPs and TCSPs make sense, adding preferences provides a substantial gain in expressiveness for a marginal cost.
What Can Johnson & Johnson Do to Remain a Giant in the Health Care Industry?

As a major Fortune 500 corporation and manufacturer of significant drug products for the pharmaceutical industry, Johnson & Johnson has also had its share of marketing crisis, including the classic case example of The Tylenol Scare in Fall, 1982, so they can appreciate the need for effective marketing performance and customer responsiveness. This article will examine how Johnson & Johnson has adapted to a highly volatile business environment and how they can be benchmarked for highly competitive marketing strategies and practices.
Subcortical and cortical components of the MLR generating system

Abstract The contributions of the auditory thalamo-cortical pathway, mesencephalic reticular formation, and inferior colliculus to the surface recorded auditory middle latency response (MLR) were assessed by selective inactivation of these areas with lidocaine. Evoked responses were recorded simultaneously from these areas and from the cortical surface. Lidocaine-induced changes were compared across recording sites. In the guinea pig, surface components measured from over the temporal lobe (waves A, B and C) and the midline (waves M− and M+) have been previously shown to reflect the activity of two distinct generating mechanisms. Effects of lidocaine injections corresponded to selective changes in components from these two systems. Injections in the medial geniculate body (MGB) were associated with total disruption of surface potentials measured over the temporal lobe, auditory cortex (AC) responses, and local activity in MGB. Thus the thalamo-cortical pathway appears to be important for the generation of MLRs recorded from the surface of the temporal lobe. These injections generally did not alter the surface midline responses or activity obtained from either the mesencephalic reticular formation (mRF) or the inferior colliculus (IC). Lidocaine injections within AC did not alter the basic response morphology of surface potentials, nor were significant changes measured within AC. Lidocaine injections into the mRF produced changes in all surface temporal potentials, the M+ midline surface potential, and in local potentials recorded from MGB and mRF. Injections into the IC changed surface and subcortical responses at all sites. This was the only injection to affect activity at the latency of surface midline wave, M−. This wave may be the animal analogue for human wave Na. Control experiments indicated that the effects observed were specific to the neural inactivation of target areas. The MLR generating system appears to consist of contributions and interactions from multiple areas including the auditory thalamo-cortical pathway, mRF and IC. The animal model and e experimental strategy described appear promising for linking the contributions from specific brain areas to surface MLR waves.
Nyctohemeral and sex-related variations in plasma thyrotropin, thyroxine and triiodothyronine.

TSH, T4, and T3 were measured by radioimmunoassay in plasma samples obtained from 77 young adult male and 114 female rats fed a Purina high-iodine diet and maintained in an isolated room, 2-4/cage, at 24 +/- 1 C with light from 0600-1800 h. In one experiment, 7 male and 7 female rats were decapitated every 3 h for 30 consecutive h and trunk blood was collected. There was a clear nyctohemeral rhythm of plasma TSH in both sexes characterized by a zenith at 1200 h and a nadir between 1800 and 2100 h. The plasma TSH cycle was approximately 180 degrees out of phase and negatively correlated (P less than .05) with that of plasma corticosterone (B) in both sexes. Although glucocorticoids have been reported to suppress TSH secretion, there was no causal relationship between plasma B and TSH in our experiments since the TSH cycles were normal in chronically adrenalectomized rats. Normal TSH cyclicity was not observed in severely iodine-deficient rats with extremely high plasma TSH levels although the nyctohemeral B rhythm was normal. Plasma TSH was approximately twice as high in males as in females (overall mean +/- SE: M = 149 +/- 11, F = 81 +/- 7 muU/ml, p less than 0.001). There was no significant difference (P greater than 0.05) in plasma TSH at different stages of the estrous cycle. Plasma T4 was slightly, but significantly, higher in males than females (overall mean +/- SE: M = 6.4 +/- 0.1, F = 6.0 +/- 0.1 mug/100 ml; P less than 0.001), while T3 was higher in females than in males (overall mean +/- SE: M = 69.5 +/- 1.7, F = 80.3 +/- 2.1 ng/100 ml; P less than 0.001). No significant nyctohemeral rhythm was observed in plasma T4 or T3 in either sex. These observations indicate that: 1) There is a nyctohemeral rhythm of plasma TSH which is independent of plasma B fluctuations and not associated with proportional changes in plasma thyroid hormones. 2) A sustained high rate of TSH secretion abolishes the normal nyctohemeral plasma TSH rhythm. 3) There are significant differences in plasma concentrations of TSH, T4, and T3 between male and female rats.
Newer Developments in Therapy for Endemic Mycoses

In the 1960s and 1970s, amphotericin B was the only effective therapy for serious systemic endemic fungal infections due to Histoplasma capsulatum, Blastomyces dermatitidis, and Sporothrix schenckii. In the 1980s, ketoconazole was introduced as therapy for endemic mycoses; after this antifungal agent was introduced, some of these infections could be treated orally in an outpatient setting rather than intravenously in an inpatient setting. The 1990s have become the triazole era. It is now standard practice to treat nonmeningeal, non-life-threatening histoplasmosis and blastomycosis orally on an outpatient basis; the drug of choice for this treatment is itraconazole. Itraconazole also has proved useful as treatment for histoplasmosis in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus. Although itraconazole has not yet been approved for the treatment of sporotrichosis, in preliminary studies it has been shown to be effective therapy not only for cutaneous and lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis but also for disseminated infection with S. schenckii.
A New Skewed Link Model for Dichotomous Quantal Response Data

Abstract The logit, probit, and student t-links are widely used in modeling dichotomous quantal response data. Most of the commonly used link functions are symmetric, except the complementary log-log link. However, in some applications the overall fit can be significantly improved by the use of an asymmetric link. In this article we propose a new skewed link model for analyzing binary response data with covariates. Introducing a skewed distribution for the underlying latent variable, we develop a class of asymmetric link models for binary response data. Using a Bayesian approach, we first characterize the propriety of the posterior distributions using standard improper priors. We further propose informative priors using historical data from a similar previous study. We examine the proposed method through a large-scale simulation study and use data from a prostate cancer study to demonstrate the use of historical data in Bayesian model fitting and comparison of skewed link models.