cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reactive oxygen metabolite scavengers decrease functional coronary microvascular injury due to ischemia-reperfusion

The role of reactive oxygen metabolites in ischemia-reperfusion coronary microvascular injury is unclear. To investigate this problem, we tested the effects of the reactive oxygen metabolite scavengers superoxide dismutase (SOD) and dimethylthiourea (DMTU) on ischemia-reperfusion-induced coronary microvascular dysfunction. As an index of vascular function, we assessed microvascular permeability with a double radioisotope protein leak index (PLI) method. Anesthetized dogs underwent 60 min of ischemia via left anterior descending (LAD) occlusion followed by 60 min of reperfusion. Untreated animals (n = 7) received saline. SOD-treated animals (n = 6) received 140 U.kg-1.min-1 (6.6 mg.kg-1.min-1) bovine SOD throughout ischemia and reperfusion. DMTU-treated animals (n = 5) received a 500 mg/kg bolus 30 min before ischemia. At the beginning of reperfusion, radiolabeled autologous protein (113mIn transferrin) and red blood cells (99mTc) were given intravenously for the assessment of permeability. In untreated dogs, ischemia-reperfusion increased the PLI of ischemic (flow less than 20 ml.min-1.100 g-1) myocardium more than threefold compared with that of nonischemic (flow greater than 100 ml.min-1.100 g-1) myocardium (ischemic-to-nonischemic PLI ratio = 3.49 +/- 0.48). SOD reduced the PLI of ischemic myocardium by 45% and DMTU reduced it by 66% (PLI = 9.25 +/- 1.30, 5.04 +/- 1.18, and 3.16 +/- 0.94, untreated, SOD, and DMTU, respectively). The PLI was increased proportional to the regional severity of ischemic blood flow. Both SOD and DMTU reduced the increase in protein leak at all levels of regional ischemic blood flow. Neither SOD nor DMTU increased regional myocardial blood flow to the occluded LAD zone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Optical remote sensing for measurement of toxic gases

There is renewed interest in using optical remote sensing techniques for measuring and monitoring airborne toxins. Many instruments have been used to measure traces of atmospheric molecular species. Some optical remote sensing technology is in use for measuring or monitoring toxic or pollutant gases. The examples in this article provide a number of lessons that may be of use in the new field of optical remote sensing of toxic gases. Topics covered include the following: atmospheric properties, Fourier transform spectrometry, gas-filter correlation, differential absorption laser systems, aircraft missions, laser long-path instruments, differential optical absorption spectrometry, and ozone measurement.
Organizational Legitimacy: Social Values and Organizational Behavior

Organizations seek to establish congruence between the social values associated with or implied by their activities and the norms of acceptable behavior in the larger social system of which they are a part. Insofar as these two value systems are congruent we can speak of organizational legitimacy. When an actual or potential disparity exists between the two value systems, there will exist a threat to organizational legitimacy. These threats take the form of legal, economic, and other social sanctions. In this paper, it is argued that an empirical focus on organizational efforts to become legitimate can aid in explaining and analyzing many organizational behaviors taken with respect to the environment, and further, can generate hypotheses and a conceptual perspective that can direct additional attention to the issue of organizational legitimacy. This paper provides a conceptual framework for the analysis of organizational legitimacy and the process of legitimation through which organizations act to increase their perceived legitimacy. It presents a number of examples including a discussion of the American Institute for Foreign Study as a demonstration of these ideas in action. Both the particular circumstances which can lead to problems of organizational legitimacy and some of the actions that can be taken to legitimate an organization are illustrated.
Smart power technologies enabling power SOC and SIP

Today's smart power technologies and advanced packaging techniques have helped enable complex power systems on chip (SOCs) as well as multi-chip power modules and systems in package (SIPs). Innovations in power management SOCs and SIPs have been key in pushing the efficiency and form factor targets for portable electronics as well as for enhancing the overall system robustness and reliability for harsher industrial and automotive applications. Increasingly mature SiC and GaN power technology along with heterogeneous integration is helping achieve enormous power density enhancement even for higher voltage applications.
Uncertainty quantification of microstructural properties due to variability in measured pole figures

Abstract Experimental pole figures are an important input for microstructure homogenization models. In this paper, we derive an exact analytical formulation to quantify the uncertainties in homogenized properties due to uncertainty in the experimentally measured pole figures. The pole figures are acquired from a set of Ti-7Al alloy samples. These samples were obtained from the same process: by compressing a beta forged ingot at room temperature followed by annealing. The samples were taken from different regions of the original ingot, and this created variability in the resulting pole figures. The joint multivariate probability distributions of the computed orientation distribution function (ODF) is then found using the method of characteristic functions based on a Gaussian model of the pole figures. Engineering properties such as elastic modulus can be obtained by volume averaging over the ODF. We also show that uncertainty in elastic properties can be analytically obtained using direct transformation of random variables in the homogenization approach.
5-Day versus 10-Day Course of Fluoroquinolones in Outpatient Males with a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Introduction: Current guidelines classify urinary tract infections (UTIs) in males as complicated and recommend longer treatment than for UTIs in females. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that males with UTIs may be successfully treated with an outpatient 5-day course of levofloxacin. Methods: Data were obtained from a previously conducted clinical trial (www.clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT00210886), a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, noninferiority study comparing levofloxacin 750 mg intravenously/by mouth once daily for 5 days and ciprofloxacin 400/500 mg intravenously/by mouth twice daily for 10 days in complicated UTI (cUTI). The current study was a post hoc, subgroup analysis of male and female subjects with cUTI. Subjects were stratified into groups based on sex and antibiotic received. The subjects were analyzed at the end of therapy (EOT) and post therapy (PT) for clinical success rates, defined as no further need for antimicrobial treatment. Results: Totals of 427 patients (224 male, 203 female) and 350 patients (189 male, 161 female) were included in the modified intent-to-treat (mITT) population and microbiologically evaluable (ME) populations, respectively. Clinical success rates between males and females were not statistically different between antibiotic groups in either the mITT or ME populations at EOT or PT. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that males with UTI may be treated with a shorter course of antimicrobial therapy for UTI than previously recommended.
Exhibiting the Native American Other: The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and Commodified Racism

ABSTRACTThe Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYP) not only reflected the frontier culture of Seattle, Washington, in 1909, it also revealed a deeply ingrained set of values within American culture that deemed Native individuals (the Other) as inferior. This label of “inferior” is visible in the various exhibitions of Native American objects at the AYP, which also expose deliberate expressions of hierarchy and the association of culture with commodity. The visual record that remains from the AYP includes souvenir items, official photographs, and postcards, which, when viewed as a cross section of fair imagery, suggest a relationship between Georg Simmel’s theory of objective/subjective culture and commodified racism.
Investigating dislocation motion through a field of solutes with atomistic simulations and reaction rate theory

Abstract The rate of thermally activated dislocation motion across a field of solutes is studied using traditional and modern atomistically informed rate theories. First, the accuracy of popular variants of the Harmonic Transition State Theory, as the most common approach, is examined by comparing predictions to direct MD simulations. It is shown that HTST predictions are grossly inaccurate due to the anharmonic effect of thermal softening. Next, the utility of the Transition Interface Sampling was examined as the method was recently shown to be effective for predicting the rate of dislocation-precipitate interactions. For dislocation-solute interactions studied here, TIS is found to be accurate only when the dislocation overcomes multiple obstacles at a time, i.e. jerky motion, and it is inaccurate in the unpinning regime where the energy barrier is of diffusive nature. It is then shown that the Partial Path TIS method - designed for diffusive barriers - provides accurate predictions in the unpinning regime. The two methods are then used to study the temperature and load dependence of the rate. It is shown that Meyer-Neldel (MN) rule prediction of the entropy barrier is not as accurate as it is in the case of dislocation-precipitate interactions. In response, an alternative model is proposed that provides an accurate prediction of the entropy barrier. This model can be combined with TST to offer an attractively simple rate prediction approach. Lastly, (PP)TIS is used to predict the Strain Rate Sensitivity (SRS) factor at experimental strain rates and the predictions are compared to experimental values.
Hydrologic flow path development varies by aspect during spring snowmelt in complex subalpine terrain

Abstract. In many mountainous regions around the world, snow and soil moisture are key components of the hydrologic cycle. Preferential flow paths of snowmelt water through snow have been known to occur for years with few studies observing the effect on soil moisture. In this study, statistical analysis of the topographical and hydrological controls on the spatiotemporal variability of snow water equivalent (SWE) and soil moisture during snowmelt was undertaken at a subalpine forested setting with north, south, and flat aspects as a seasonally persistent snowpack melts. We investigated if evidence of preferential flow paths in snow can be observed and the effect on soil moisture through measurements of snow water equivalent and near-surface soil moisture, observing how SWE and near-surface soil moisture vary on hillslopes relative to the toes of hillslopes and flat areas. We then compared snowmelt infiltration beyond the near-surface soil between flat and sloping terrain during the entire snowmelt season using soil moisture sensor profiles. This study was conducted during varying snowmelt seasons representing above-normal, relatively normal, and below-normal snow seasons in northern Colorado. Evidence is presented of preferential meltwater flow paths at the snow–soil interface on the north-facing slope causing increases in SWE downslope and less infiltration into the soil at 20 cm depth; less association is observed in the near-surface soil moisture (top 7 cm). We present a conceptualization of the meltwater flow paths that develop based on slope aspect and soil properties. The resulting flow paths are shown to divert at least 4 % of snowmelt laterally, accumulating along the length of the slope, to increase the snow water equivalent by as much as 170 % at the base of a north-facing hillslope. Results from this study show that snow acts as an extension of the vadose zone during spring snowmelt and future hydrologic investigations will benefit from studying the snow and soil together.
A survey on cloud service description

Cloud service description (CSD) becomes an active area which attracts the attention of many research organizations, while no standard CSD exists. This lack of standardization is caused by the vendor lock-in problem, where cloud providers use various techniques (languages, standards, ontologies, models, etc.) to describe cloud services. Furthermore, there are few studies which dealt with the four aspects of service especially the technical, operational, business, and semantic aspects. Whereas, many other studies dealt only with some of these four aspects. This is the case of WSDL (Web Service Description Language) language, which focuses in the technical aspect, but it does not cover business and semantic ones. Our objective in this paper is to identify the foundations of a standardized CSD covering the technical, operational, business, and semantic aspects. We present a comparative study of the different approaches that address CSD issues. The result of this comparative study shows that USDL (Unified Service Description Language) is the appropriate language supporting a service description by covering three aspects (technical, operational, and business), despite its inability to cover the semantic aspect.
Neurodegenerative Markers are Increased in Postmortem BA21 Tissue from African Americans with Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) presents with an earlier onset age and increased symptom severity in African Americans and Hispanics. OBJECTIVE Although the prevalence of plaques and tangles may not exhibit ethnicity-related differences, levels of neurodegenerative proteins have not been described. METHODS Here, levels of five proteins (i.e., S100B, sRAGE, GDNF, Aβ40, and Aβ42) and the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio were measured in postmortem samples of the middle temporal gyrus (BA21) from age-matched African Americans and Caucasians with AD (n = 6/gender/ethnicity). RESULTS S100B levels were increased 17% in African Americans (p < 0.003) while sRAGE was mildly decreased (p < 0.09). Aβ42 levels were increased 121% in African Americans (p < 0.02), leading to a 493% increase in the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio (p < 0.002). Analysis of GDNF levels did not indicate any significant effects. There were no significant effects of gender and no significant ethnicity with gender interactions on any analyte. Effect size calculations indicated "medium" to "very large" effects. CONCLUSION S100B is typically elevated in AD cases; however, the increased levels in African Americans here may be indicative of increased severity in specific populations. Increased Aβ42/Aβ40 ratios in the current study are compatible with increased disease severity and might indicate increased AD pathogenesis in African Americans. Overall, these results are compatible with a hypothesis of increased neuroinflammation in African Americans with AD.
Delay-Doppler estimation using phase information for multitarget detection

In FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Waveform) radar, target detection relies on the analysis of the beat frequency which contains delay and Doppler information. Resolving the delay-Doppler coupling requires multiple constraints and an exhaustive search when using the traditional FMCW waveforms. In this work, target delay estimation using phase information is investigated. The chirp parameters are derived to estimation the target range directly from one chirp using the phase information. A second waveform model that includes a CW (continuous wave) followed by a chirp is derived in order to achieve an accurate range and velocity estimations for longer ranges. The proposed estimation method allows multitarget detection without producing ghost targets. We show that further improvement is possible by using an additional chirp, where beat frequencies are mapped using similar estimated ranges without the need for exhaustive searching within all the beat frequency combinations.
Assemblies and Superstructures of Inorganic Colloidal Nanocrystals

Inorganic colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) possess the ability to self-assemble into complex hierarchical structures with unique properties that are different from their individual counterparts. The assembly of particles into compact 2D and 3D structures occurs only when they have a narrow size distribution and uniform shape. In this chapter, we review how various types of forces and fundamental interactions at the nanoscale govern the assembly of colloidal nanocrystals, the available methods for assembling colloidal nanocrystals with discrete geometries and the application of such assembled structures in various fields ranging from catalysis, biological diagnosis, plasmonics and electronics.
Associations of Source-apportioned Fine Particles with Cause-specific Mortality in California.

Background:Exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been linked with premature mortality, but sources of PM2.5 have been less studied.Methods:We evaluated associations between source-specific PM2.5 exposures and cause-specific short-term mortality in eight California locations from 20
Time series analysis of error-correction models

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the time series analysis of error-correction models. The main purpose of error-correction models is to capture the time-series properties of variables, through the complex lag-structures allowed, while at the same time incorporating an economic theory of an equilibrium type. By using error-correction models, a link is formed among classical econometric models that rely heavily on such theory but do not utilize a rich lag-structure. They capture the true dynamics of the system while incorporating the equilibrium suggested by economic theory. The chapter describes multi-component co-integrated series. The temporal structure and relationships among the series do not fit simply into the class of models, which are restricted to linear forms and with time invariant parameters.
Barring the Gates: Timing and Tailoring Environmental Standing and Greenhouse Gas Regulation after Corri v. EPA

In 2007, the Supreme Court affirmed the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Designing a regulatory scheme for GHGs, however, is difficult. Carbon dioxide, a ubiquitous GHG, is a byproduct of almost every industry in America, and regulating it places a heavy burden on emitters and administrators alike. The EPA sought to alleviate this burden by promulgating two new rules, the Timing and Tailoring Rules, designed to phase in regulation over a period of years. States and industry groups recently challenged these rules in the D.C. Circuit court in the case Coalition for Responsible Regulation, Inc. v. EPA, but could not show the type of concrete injury necessary for Article III standing. This ostensible victory for environmental advocates contains a sting in the tail: The court’s narrow construction of standing will hinder future challenges to GHG regulation, including those intended to spur greater action.
Effect of Molecular Structure on Mesomorphism. 151. Thermal and X-Ray Diffraction Analysis of a “Siamese Twin” Series: 4,4’-Dicarboxy-α, ω-Diphenoxyalkanes

The homologous series of 4,4’-dicarboxy-α,ω-diphenoxyalkanes shown below have been of considerable interest in our laboratories (figure) as intermediates in the synthesis of polyester liquid crystals2 and other diester liquid crystalline compounds3. In the course of our work it ocurred to us that these diacids might themselves be likely candidates to exhibit liquid crystalUnity (mesomorphism) since they are conceptually related (by a tail-to-tail coupling) to the well-known liquid crystalline family of 4-alkoxybenzoic acids (below). Members of series 2 show both nematic and/or smectic C (Figure)
Grundlegende Formen und Ideen

Molekule und Ionen gibt es in vielen verschiedenen Formen. Einige sind eindimensional, wie Kohlendioxid, CO2, andere zweidimensional, wie H2O oder BF3. Die grose Mehrzahl ist jedoch dreidimensional.
Pembrolizumab (Pembro) plus enzalutamide (Enz) in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC): Extended follow up.

5047Background: Anti-PD1 treatment with Pembro is a promising treatment strategy in many solid tumors. Here, we report clinical outcomes of adding Pembro to men with mCRPC progressing on Enz. Metho...
RELATIONSHIP QUALITY AMONG SPOUSES AND EX-SPOUSES OF VETERANS WITH DEMENTIA AS CAREGIVING CONTEXT

Factors that place military veterans at increased risk for dementia – such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive symptoms, or substance use – may also increase their risk of divorce or marital distress further complicating the caregiving context. The current paper examines known correlates and novel indicators of relationship quality to better understand marital satisfaction/distress in 27 married or divorced spousal caregivers and 18 community-dwelling veterans with dementia who completed a baseline assessment as part of an ongoing pilot study. Individuals with dementia (IWD) were 72.5 years and scored M = 16.8 (SD = 5.9) on the MOCA; caregivers were M = 69.8 years old, and had been married for M = 44 years (SD = 15.1). Caregiver scores on domains of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (dyadic consensus, affectional expression, dyadic satisfaction, and dyadic cohesion) were highly correlated ranging from .525 to .912 (ps <.01), and total scores were significantly correlated with quality of life (.429, p = .029) and the IWD’s depressive symptoms (-.478, p = .013). For IWD’s, the mutuality scale was significantly related to their perceived dyadic satisfaction (.637, p = .003) and had a higher concordance with their caregivers ratings of mutuality (.463, p = .046); whereas ratings of marital or dyadic satisfaction between spouses had no association (.002, p = .994). Family relationship quality – and relationship type – are known to impact outcomes, such as frequency of challenging or responsive behaviors, for individuals with dementia. Understanding these factors is necessary to inform dyadic intervention approaches.
Cosmopolitan Paths to Peace

Cosmopolitanism is at once the oldest and the least tested ideology that addresses the most profound question facing humanity since the first moment of its existence—how best to live together on this earth. The first formulations of a cosmopolitan orientation are to be found in ancient Greece and Rome, with reverberations along similar lines in China and India. At the same time, cosmopolitan ideas have never been put into practice as distinct from their prominence over the centuries in religious, ethical, and utopian traditions of thought. The position taken in this chapter is that an appropriate form of cosmopolitanism remains our best hope for shaping policies and practices, improve prospects for humanity to achieve sustainable humane governance and species survival, and hence, world peace.
Impact of Plan-Level Access Restrictions on Effectiveness of Biologics Among Patients with Rheumatoid or Psoriatic Arthritis

Novel disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can slow disease progression among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA); however, some health plans require prior authorization (PA) or step therapy for access to treatments. This retrospective study compared treatment effectiveness among RA and PsA patients with and without plan-level access restrictions to biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) or targeted synthetic DMARDs (tsDMARDs). Medication adherence, a component of effectiveness, was also examined as a secondary outcome. RA and PsA patients aged 18–64 years with one or more claims for subcutaneous bDMARDs between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2015, with plan-level access data available, were identified within the IBM MarketScan claims database. The primary outcome was treatment effectiveness assessed during the 12 months following the first qualifying DMARD claim. Multivariate modeling examined the correlation between access restrictions and treatment effectiveness. Medication adherence during the 12-month follow-up period was also compared between patients with and without access restrictions. Among 3993 RA and 1713 PsA patients, 34.2 and 35.1%, respectively, had access restrictions, of whom 70.5 and 78.9%, respectively, had plans with step therapy. Compared with patients whose plans did not require step therapy, odds of treatment effectiveness were 19% lower (odds ratio [OR] 0.81, 95% CI: 0.67–0.98; p = 0.033) for RA patients and 27% lower (OR 0.73, 95% CI: 0.55–0.98; p = 0.037) for PsA patients in plans with step therapy. Differences in effectiveness were driven by differences in medication adherence, the odds of which were 19% lower (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.68–0.96; p = 0.014) among RA patients and 29% lower (OR 0.71, 95% CI: 0.54–0.94; p = 0.017) among PsA patients in plans with versus without step therapy. Compared with patients in plans without access restrictions or with PA only, RA and PsA patients in insurance plans with step therapy had lower odds of treatment effectiveness, mainly due to lower odds of adhering to treatment, during the 12 months following subcutaneous bDMARD initiation.
Demographic, psychological, behavioral, and cognitive correlates of BMI in youth: Findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.

Background Previous research has implicated demographic, psychological, behavioral, and cognitive variables in the onset and maintenance of pediatric overweight/obesity. No adequately-powered study has simultaneously modeled these variables to assess their relative associations with body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) in a nationally representative sample of youth. Methods Multiple machine learning regression approaches were employed to estimate the relative importance of 43 demographic, psychological, behavioral, and cognitive variables previously associated with BMI in youth to elucidate the associations of both fixed (e.g. demographics) and potentially modifiable (e.g. psychological/behavioral) variables with BMI in a diverse representative sample of youth. The primary analyses consisted of 9-10 year olds divided into a training (n = 2724) and test (n = 1123) sets. Secondary analyses were conducted by sex, ethnicity, and race. Results The full sample model captured 12% of the variance in both the training and test sets, suggesting good generalizability. Stimulant medications and demographic factors were most strongly associated with BMI. Lower attention problems and matrix reasoning (i.e. nonverbal abstract problem solving and inductive reasoning) and higher social problems and screen time were robust positive correlates in the primary analyses and in analyses separated by sex. Conclusions Beyond demographics and stimulant use, this study highlights abstract reasoning as an important cognitive variable and reaffirms social problems and screen time as significant correlates of BMI and as modifiable therapeutic targets. Prospective data are needed to understand the predictive power of these variables for BMI gain.
Assessing Low-Value Health Care Services In The Military Health System

Low-value care is the provision of procedures and treatments that provide little or no benefit to patients while increasing the cost of health care. This study examined the provision of low-value care in the Military Heath System (MHS), comparing care delivered in civilian health care facilities (purchased care) to care delivered in Department of Defense-controlled health care facilities (direct care). We used 2014 TRICARE claims data to evaluate the provision of nineteen previously developed measures of low-value care, including diagnostic, screening, and monitoring tests and therapeutic procedures. Of these, six measures appeared more frequently in direct care, while eleven measures appeared more frequently in purchased care-which may reflect the outsourcing of specialist services from the former to the latter. Magnetic resonance imaging for low back pain emerged as the most common low-value service in both care environments and could represent a target for future interventions. As the MHS and the United States increasingly focus on value-based care, the identification of low-value services accompanied by efforts to reduce such inefficient practices could provide greater quality of care at a lower cost.
Welfare, work, and single mothers: The Great Recession and income packaging strategies

Abstract The public social safety net in the U.S. for single mothers and their children, including cash assistance and in-kind benefits or vouchers, is largely tied to work—both from individual earnings and from child support intended to supplement public support. How does the safety net perform in periods of severe work instability, such as during the unemployment crisis of the 2008–2010 Great Recession? This paper uses a unique panel dataset from Wisconsin to compare total formal income for a cohort of first-time single mothers in 2002 with a cohort in 2007. Income for both cohorts is constructed for the year after birth—including earnings from the formal labor market, public benefits, and child support—and five years after birth. We hypothesize that total formal income will grow over those five years as mothers accrue experience in the labor market. However, with the labor market crisis of the Great Recession, we expect public benefits to expand as earnings decrease, but not enough to offset the loss of earnings and child support when comparing total formal income differences across the two cohorts, resulting in a lower total income package for mothers in the Great Recession cohort. Using multivariate regression to adjust for demographic covariates, we find that while there is significantly less income from earnings and child support among the Great Recession cohort, the total formal income for the Great Recession cohort is slightly but significantly greater than the control cohort at time two. This suggests that the safety net during the Great Recession provided a buffer relative to lost income, likely as a result of critical policy changes making public benefits more generous and more accessible during the recession. High poverty rates among both cohorts of mothers, however, highlight the importance of the safety net even in stable labor market conditions, and suggests the need for greater benefit expansion.
Effect of Medicare Financial Incentives on Cardiac Testing: Rates, Locations, and Cost

There have been large changes over the last decade in Medicare fee-for-service (M-FFS) payments for the principal cardiac tests (stress ECG, stress echo, SPECT, and transthoracic echo) in both cardiologist office (Office) and hospital outpatient department (HOPD) settings, including highly publicized cuts in 2010 in office payments, intended to address perceived over-testing in cardiologist offices. An apparently unintended effect of these payment changes was the emergence of a large gap between HOPD and Office payment levels for all forms of cardiac tests. We assess how these payment changes affect cardiac testing rates and locations. We use a difference-in-differences research design, in which we compare cardiac testing rates and locations for M-FFS patients to rates and locations for a control group of patients in several large Medicare Advantage (M-Adv) networks, who did not face similar payment changes. We find mild evidence that the M-FFS payment changes may have modestly reduced cardiac testing rates, but no evidence that they reduced M-FFS spending. Instead, providers shifted tests from Office to HOPD. The extent of the location shift varied greatly across states. This shift is consistent with anecdotal evidence that the payment gap encouraged vertical integration, with hospitals acquiring cardiology practices and then moving test locations rom Office to HOPD.
Reverse Engineering a Fully Collapsed Ancient Roman Temple through Geoarchaeology and DEM

The imperial Temple at the ancient Roman site of Antiochia ad Cragum has been excavated and studied by an interdisciplinary team since 2005. The temple was found in a collapsed state. Since there w...
Abstract WP430: Implementation of Inpatient Stroke Champions Leads to Improved Inpatient Code Stroke Metrics

Introduction: Stroke Champions (SC) are AHA recommended designated inpatient nurses that serve as expert resources for their units to ensure that evidence-based practices for stroke care are implem...
Mental Health Needs of Health Care Workers Providing Frontline COVID-19 Care

The landscape of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly changing, with new hot spots of concentrated coronavirus infections emerging across the US and around the world Nearly every day, novel studies and insightful commentaries are being published by the JAMA Network and other leading biomedical journals While the biology, epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19 are the main focus of these reports, it will become increasingly important to study and address the health care needs of clinicians and other health care workers responding to the unprecedented demands of caring for patients with COVID-19
A post-disaster resource allocation framework for improving resilience of interdependent infrastructure networks

Abstract Extreme events can greatly impact the functionalities of infrastructure networks. The ability of an infrastructure network to restore its before-the-event functionality after the occurrence of an extreme event, being recognized as one of the most important aspects of resilience, is also one area where the resilience of the infrastructure network can be improved. To expedite the recovery of the infrastructure network after an extreme event, it is essential to allocate limited repair crews properly to disrupted infrastructure facilities. The loss and recovery of infrastructure functionalities are further complicated by infrastructure interdependencies, which can lead to the propagation of the impact of an extreme event to all infrastructure facilities in the network. The interdependent nature of infrastructure networks also complicates the process of optimally allocating repair crews and the effectiveness assessment of an allocation strategy. This paper proposes a methodological framework, by combining agent-based modeling and reinforcement learning, to assess the effectiveness of a repair crew allocation strategy and optimize the strategy after an extreme event, with which the impact of the extreme event can be better mitigated.
Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces

In three-dimensional analytic geometry, vectors are defined geometrically. The definition need not be recalled here. The important fact from the algebraic point of view is that a vector ν is completely determined by its three coordinates (¾, η, ζ) (relative to a definite coordinate system). It is customary to indicate this by writing ν = (¾, η, ζ), meaning thereby that ν is the vector whose x-, y-, and z-coordinates are, respectively, ¾, η, and ζ. Conversely, any ordered triple of real numbers (¾, η, ζ) determines a definite vector. Thus there is a 1–1 correspondence between vectors in 3-space and ordered triples of real numbers.
The Face Mask at the Intersection of Preventive Science, Domestic Politics, and International Diplomacy: A Historical Perspective.

Background: The face mask has been used to protect against airborne diseases throughout history. We conducted a historical review of the literature on the origin of the face mask, the scientific evidence of its benefits, and its implications for domestic and international politics. Material and Methods: We performed a comprehensive search for peer- and nonpeer- reviewed literature published between 1905 and 2020. Results: Face mask wearing in hospital settings to prevent disease transmission from health care workers to their patients originates with the first use of the mask in surgery in 1897 by German surgeon Johann von Mikulicz. During the first half of the 20th century, various scientific investigators focused on determining the most effective type of medical mask. The role of the face mask in the general population as a preventive intervention during public health emergencies is supported by historical reports spanning from the European Bubonic Plague in 1619, to the Great Manchurian Plague of 1910-1911, the influenza pandemic of 1918, and the current coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Although the face mask has helped against airborne disease transmission, its benefits during pandemics have been filtered through the prism of political leanings and geopolitical interests. Conclusions: Our review suggests that while face mask alone cannot stop pandemics, in conjunction with other nonpharmacologic interventions it can be useful in mitigating them. When cooperation rather than division becomes the norm in the global response to pandemics, the face mask can then unite rather than divide us.
A Pilot Trial of Vaccination with CEA and Her2 Peptides in Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Checkpoint-blockade therapy (CBT) is approved for select colorectal cancer (CRC) patents, but additional immunotherapeutic options are needed. We hypothesized that vaccination with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and Her2/neu (Her2) peptides would be immunogenic and well-tolerated by participants with advanced CRC. A pilot clinical trial (NCT00091286) was conducted in HLA-A2+ or -A3+ Stage IIIC-IV CRC patients. Participants were vaccinated weekly with CEA and Her2 peptides plus tetanus peptide and GM-CSF emulsified in Montanide ISA-51 adjuvant for 3 weeks. Adverse events (AE) were recorded per NIH Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3. Immunogenicity was evaluated by interferon-gamma ELISpot assay of in-vitro sensitized peripheral blood mononuclear cells and lymphocytes from the sentinel immunized node (SIN). Eleven participants were enrolled and treated; one was retrospectively found to be ineligible due to HLA type. All eleven participants were included in AE and survival analyses, and the ten eligible participants were evaluated for immunogenicity. All participants reported AE: 82% were Grade 1-2, most commonly fatigue or injection site reactions. Two participants (18%) experienced treatment-related dose-limiting Grade 3 AE; both were self-limiting. Immune responses to Her2 or CEA peptides were detected in 70% of participants. Median overall survival was 16 months; among those enrolled with no evidence of disease (n=3), median overall survival was not reached after 10 years of follow-up. These data demonstrate that vaccination with CEA or Her2 peptides is well-tolerated and immunogenic. Further study is warranted to assess potential clinical benefits of vaccination in advanced CRC either alone or in combination with CBT.
Major Research and Monitoring Needs for Urban Streams and Watersheds

Successful rehabilitation of salmonid habitat and populations in urban streams requires fundamental understanding of what works and thus requires an adaptive management approach that is based on continuing to fill our major knowledge gaps. Major research and monitoring needs for urban streams and watersheds are similar to those in other land uses (Wenger et al. 2009). This chapter provides a review of those needs including rigorous assessments of the ecological condition of urban waters, assessing urban stormwater mitigation and groundwater contamination, determining the extent of fish passage barriers in urban areas, evaluating chronic toxicities of salmonids and other aquatic biota to commonly occurring urban chemical mixtures, conducting futures analyses that include both human settlement and climate change scenarios, evaluating the effectiveness of urban watershed and stream rehabilitation projects, establishing the effectiveness of urban environmental regulation and ecosystem mitigation efforts, implementing intergovernmental and interdisciplinary research and monitoring of urban aquatic systems, and improving the general understanding of how to effectively educate urban and exurban citizens regarding urban ecosystems.
Preparation and separation of DNA-wrapped carbon nanotubes.

Purification of single-chirality single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) from their synthetic mixture is a prerequisite for many applications. DNA-controlled carbon nanotube (CNT) purification has evolved over a decade along with other separation techniques utilizing different types of dispersing agents such as surfactants and polymers. The size of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) libraries affords practically unlimited ways of coating SWCNTs. Recent developments in separating surfactant-dispersed SWCNTs by polymer aqueous two-phase (ATP) extraction has enabled rapid and efficient SWCNT separation on a larger volume scale. Applying the ATP separation method to DNA-SWCNT hybrids opens a new route for effective sorting of nanotubes into each and every single-chirality species. Here, we report protocols for purifying as many as 15 single-chirality nanotube species from a synthetic mixture based on the separation of DNA-SWCNTs by the aqueous two-phase (ATP) method. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: carbon nanotube purification; ATP system; DNA sequences; single-chirality; modulating agents
Lonergan and Voegelin on Political Authority

Is "political authority" an oxymoron? The term "authority" derives from the Latin auctoritas (from the root auctor, the agent who could guarantee a legal transaction). The Roman auctoritas conveyed in a compact way the ideas of (1) the guarantor of a legal transaction, (2) the personal, especially moral qualities, of an agent or, by extension, of an institution, such as the senate, and (3) the property of creation or initiation, still associated with the term "author." The original meaning of auctoritas, then, was the capacity to evoke voluntary compliance distinct from coercive power. And yet in modern political culture the "political" has been increasingly identified with power, either as simply force or as the machinery of government. Machiavelli gave expression to the former conception in his classic statement that "the main foundations of every state . . . are good laws and good arms; and because you cannot have good laws without good arms, and where there are good arms, good laws inevitably follow, I shall not discuss laws but give my attention to arms." Modern liberalism, on the other hand, supports the latter view since it sees government as an artificial machine serving the interest of freedom. At the same time it is highly suspicious of authority. Indeed modernity has rejected the medieval symbolism of politics, whose archetypal expression was the formula of Pope Gelasius I, as embracing both authority (the sacred authority, auctoritas sacrata pontificum) and power (the secular power, potestas regalis). While the medieval discussion of politics was replete with terminological confusion of auctoritas and potestas, the modern discussion, left solely with the potestas regalis, has tended to reduce authority basically to a justification for, or an ancillary to, power. Lonergan and Voegelin speak a language very different from that of most of modern political discourse. They approach politics in a radical and foundational manner, holding positions that differ significantly from the reigning assumptions of modernity regarding epistemology, philosophical anthropology, and metaphysics. They both dissent from the modern preoccupation, since Descartes, of becoming "masters and possessors of nature" and, by implication, of human nature. They view the two leading political movements of the twentieth century, liberalism and totalitarianism in its various guises, in a very dim light, seeing liberalism as, at best, superficial, and totalitarianism as diabolical. Lonergan spent much of his academic life in trying to work out a philosophy of history at odds with both liberal social engineering and totalitarian practicality. Voegelin in his effort to restore political science not only vigorously attacked the presuppositions of liberalism and totalitarianism but in the process wrote books in the 1930's against National Socialism that placed his life in jeopardy. Not surprisingly, Lonergan and Voegelin hold that politics encompasses both authority and power, with neither term reduced to the other, but both as essentially and specifically linked in the real life of the polity.
The Search for an Effective Rural Policy: An Endless Quest or an Achievable Goal.

To date, the United States has failed to articulate a coherent and effective national rural development policy. The federal government, with a few exceptions, has focused primarily on a sector based policy that has only indirect, and at times weak, impact on rural America. State governments, once championed as the key to effective rural policy, have also failed to move beyond their traditional areas of focus in, education, corrections, Medicaid and other state services. No obvious forum or arena in which federal or state governments can carry out a national rural development policy other than as an afterthought of other policies and programs has developed, nor is one visible on the horizon. We believe national development can only come about through the aggregation of successful local development initiatives. The sheer diversity of rural America, from agricultural communities to manufacturing intensive places or retirement destinations, makes it difficult for states or the federal government to create and manage a coherent set of rural development policies. At the same time, many parts of rural America continue to suffer from economic and social disparities with the rest of the nation and have become increasingly dependent on federal and state transfer payment programs. National rural development policy has been unable to adequately take these and many other factors into account. Federal and state governments must rethink their role in rural development policy. These levels of government, rather than creating and managing large government programs, can provide support through block grants, fiscal and regulatory flexibility and technical assistance. A new rural development policy must accept that the progress is incremental and that change must be based on a broad coalition of support. This means that we have to move from top-down to bottom-up approaches. Local governments represent an important piece of the rural policy puzzle and the revival of rural America. Rural cities and counties are best positioned to address the needs of rural America, but have been hampered in the past due to state restrictions on revenue raising capacity and expenditure limitations. Many analysts now believe that rural development policy can be carried out more effectively by local governments enacting positive changes in their community to revive economies and reduce disparities. The large number of local governments and overlapping jurisdictions implies that rural city-county partnerships must be the foundation of nationally-based rural development policy.
India wiring out: ethnographic reflections from two transnational call centres in India

This article examines the increasing presence of North American call centres in Bangalore and Delhi and analyses the ways in which these products of transnationalism have impacted notions of Indian national identity. The analysis is based on primary fieldwork conducted in the summer of 2006, and reflections on Thomas Friedman's book The World is Flat, one of the earliest pieces of literature that discussed the call centre phenomenon. The argument presented suggests that the popular notion that India has become an equal global power because of the outsourcing business is flawed; instead, it points out that evident within many pro-globalisation claims is the reproduction of a first/third world hierarchy that works to further oppress the third world worker. I focus on accent training sessions and information gathered from first-hand interviews and observations to suggest that the call centre business has emerged as a convenient way for North American companies to create Indians as subordinate workers, who are expected to exchange physical mobility for the comparatively high economic benefits that the business promises.