cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The phenotype of primary hyperparathyroidism with normal parathyroid hormone levels: how low can parathyroid hormone go?

Background While normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism is well recognized in primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP), less is known about patients with high calcium but normal intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH). We aimed to describe this entity and designated it normohormonal primary hyperparathyroidism (NHPHP). Methods From a prospectively maintained database of patients undergoing bilateral parathyroid exploration for PHP, we identified and compared those with preoperative iPTH levels below (NHPHP) and above (typical PHP) normal reference peak (60 pg/mL). Results NHPHP occurred in 46 of 843 patients (5.5%) undergoing initial parathyroidectomy for PHP. All had hypercalcemia (11.1 mg/dL). Regarding preoperative iPTH, 7 patients (15%) had values 60 pg/mL. Unlike patients with elevated iPTH, nearly all NHPHP patients had additional testing delaying the operation. Imaging correctly localized NHPHP parathyroid disease in 80%. At the time of operation, 74% of NHPHP patients had single adenomas. Intraoperatively postmobilization, using the same assay that was used preoperatively, 82% had PTH levels >60 pg/mL (mean, 279 pg/mL). During the follow-up period, iPTH levels remained lower among NHPHP patients (21 pg/mL) compared to 41 pg/mL for patients with preoperative iPTH 60 to 100 pg/mL and 56 pg/mL for patients with preoperative iPTH 100 to 200 pg/mL (P Conclusion Lower PTH set points may exist in some patients with otherwise typical PHP features. Although high normal iPTH is inappropriate for hypercalcemia and should suggest PHP, this disorder may occur with iPTH levels as low as 5 pg/mL. Awareness of the unusual phenotype of NHPHP may facilitate earlier diagnosis and surgery.
Approaches used in conducting health outcomes and effectiveness research

Over the past several decades, a number of approaches (e.g., decision analysis, meta-analyses, clinical trials, analysis of claims data, longitudinal observational studies including those done through patient outcomes research teams, etc.) have been used to conduct outcomes, effectiveness, and appropriateness research. Each of these approaches has varying degrees of comparative advantage and disadvantage with respect to the other. As knowledge of outcomes and effectiveness increases, and as new issues emerge as subjects of research, these approaches may or may not be adequate to generate the necessary information and level of confidence in findings that are desired. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, and what gaps exist in our methodological armamentarium? How do existing methods need to be strengthened? What is the most appropriate application of specific research methods to particular problems? What is the appropriate balance of use of the different available approaches? What types of new methodologies need to be developed to further the field of outcomes and effectiveness research?
Clinical controversies in endoscopic ultrasound

The field of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is growing rapidly. Although EUS has enhanced our ability to diagnose and treat a wide variety of GI conditions, there are many controversial issues regarding the appropriate application of EUS techniques. In this review we discuss five controversial topics in EUS: the utility of EUS in staging of esophageal and gastric cancer; selection of appropriate needle gauge for fine needle aspiration (FNA); use of the stylet in FNA; and the emerging role of contrast agents in endoscopic ultrasound.
Improving liquid bait programs for Argentine ant control: bait station density.

Argentine ants, Linepithema humile (Mayr), have a positive effect on populations of mealybugs (Pseudococcus spp.) in California vineyards. Previous studies have shown reductions in both ant activity and mealybug numbers after liquid ant baits were deployed in vineyards at densities of 85-620 bait stations/ha. However, bait station densities may need to be <85 bait stations/ha before bait-based strategies for ant control are economically comparable to spray-based insecticide treatments-a condition that, if met, will encourage the commercial adoption of liquid baits for ant control. This research assessed the effectiveness of baits deployed at lower densities. Two field experiments were conducted in commercial vineyards. In experiment 1, baits were deployed at 54-225 bait stations/ha in 2005 and 2006. In experiment 2, baits were deployed at 34-205 bait stations/ha in 2006 only. In both experiments, ant activity and the density of mealybugs in grape fruit clusters at harvest time declined with increasing bait station density. In 2005 only, European fruit lecanium scale [Parthenolecanium corni (Bouche)] were also present in fruit clusters, and scale densities were negatively related to bait station density. The results indicate that the amount of ant and mealybug control achieved by an incremental increase in the number of bait stations per hectare is constant across a broad range of bait station densities. The results are discussed in the context of commercializing liquid ant baits to provide a more sustainable Argentine ant control strategy.
Assessment and Treatment of Chinese-American Immigrant Families

(1989). Assessment and Treatment of Chinese-American Immigrant Families. Journal of Psychotherapy & The Family: Vol. 6, No. 1-2, pp. 99-122.
Addressing Agency Problems in Contracting Out Public Services

In order to balance budgets, politicians often resort to privatization. The contracting out literature, especially regarding contracting out public services, discusses a government's lack of capability to manage contracted-out services ('the hollow state'), thereby emphasizing the importance of effective monitoring. (Brown and Potoski 2003, 2006; DeHoog 1990; Pager 1994; Savas 2002; Van Slyke 2003). This paper explains how 'contract failure' can be managed through effective monitoring systems, especially for social programs. The formal model incorporates both monitoring mechanisms of 'fire alarm' and 'police control' (McCubbins and Schwartz 1984). The model describes a government's contracting out as a set of strategic decisions made by both a government (principal) and a vendor (agent). The findings of the model imply that social service provision carries a different weight of political costs to politicians from non-social services and therefore requires a different type of monitoring activity, either fire alarm or police patrol. This model provides a generally applicable paradigm, explaining both social and non-social programs with the same factors, such as 'the government's political cost of poor quality service' (Cg in the model) and 'the government's cost of monitoring' (Cm in the model) but different weights. The findings are empirically tested by applying them to various contracted-out services in cities of Southern California.
Effects of O2, Xe, and Gating on the Photoconductivity and Persistent Photoconductivity of Porphyrin Nanorods

The photoconductivity of samples including both individual nanorods and bundles self-assembled from meso-tetra(4-sulfonato-phenyl)porphine grows over several days of illumination by more than a factor of 15. It also shows a transition from an initially nonpersistent response (in which the conductivity goes to zero when illumination is removed) to a primarily persistent response (in which the conductivity decays slowly when illumination is removed). Application of a gate voltage results in an initial n-type response, most of which decays away slowly, even though the gate voltage is held constant. The addition of O2 to the inert atmosphere surrounding the samples drastically reduces the persistent photoconductivity. When Xe is used instead of O2, there is at most a slight reduction of conductivity. A qualitative model is presented, in which the conductivity changes are attributed to light-induced and gate-voltage-induced adsorption and desorption of O2.
Action of Ultra-Violet Rays on New and Old Bacterial Cultures.:

Cultures of bacteria placed on agar are as a rule easily killed by exposure to ultra-violet light from a quartz mercury arc. The amount of radiation necessary for devitalization depends upon several factors. Perhaps the most intricate of these is the variation of resistance with age. This relation between resistance and age has not been determined in detail. The following study was aimed as a contribution to our knowledge in this respect.In the following experiments a new Victor quartz mercury arc lamp was used without any filter. The current was 4.5 amperes at 65 volts and the distance from burner to plate was 24 inches.An old culture was one that was grown and transplanted daily for one week and then sealed and left in the museum till needed; a period of from one to 6 weeks.A new culture was one that was grown and transplanted daily from the old culture for a period of 5 weeks or so. Coli communis was used as the culture in most of our experiments, a control being run on each plate irradiated.Series I. ...
Thermal diffusion of radon in porous media

Based on the non-intersection model of cylindrical capillaries, the mean radius of the pores of some soils and building materials are estimated. In size, the above-mentioned radii are usually of the order of the free path of gas molecules at atmospheric pressure. A review of pore size distribution data also reveals that a large fraction of concrete pores belong to Knudsen's region. This fact indicates that the thermal gradient in these media must cause gas (radon) transport. The interpretation of the experimental data concerning the rate of emanation of 222Rn from a concrete-capped source subjected to a sudden increase in temperature is given, based on irreversible thermodynamics theory. The calculations given here for radon flux, caused by concentration and thermal gradients, are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data. It is shown that thermodiffusion can significantly contribute to radon flux in concrete. The need to include the thermodiffusion radon flux in the radon entry model is discussed.
The procedure about determination of pesticide,raticide and other chemicals in poisoning and contaminative events by GC-MS in site

Objective:In order to response burst public health events,we have established a procedure to determine of pesticide and raticide in poisoning and contaminative events qualitatively and semiquantitatively by GC-MS.Methods:We extract target compounds with multiple organic solvents continuously,then extracts were determined by by GC-MS.Results:Using the procedure,organophosphorus pesticides,organo-chlorine pesticides,carbamate esters,pyrethroids and raticides can be determined within two or three hours.Conclusion:The method is reliable,exact and suitable for treatment and detect food poisoning as well as environmental pollusion samples in site.
Characterization and Film-Forming Properties of Gelatins from Whitemouth Croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) Skin and Bones

ABSTRACTThe Whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri), due to its abundance, is considered one of the most traditional and important species fished in the coastal waters and estuaries of South America. The aim of this work was to produce biopolymeric films of gelatins obtained from skin and bones of Whitemouth croaker. The fish gelatins were characterized through the yield, chemical composition, physiochemical, and rheological properties. The films were characterized by tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (EAB), water vapor permeability (WVP), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and optical properties. The values of protein yield, hydroxyproline content, gel strength, melting temperature, gelling temperature, and viscosity of the skin gelatin were higher than the values of the bone gelatin. The films obtained of skin gelatin showed all properties and thermal analysis superior in relation to the films of bone gelatin; this can be justified by the best...
Direct photoactivation of a nickel-based, water-reduction photocathode by a highly conjugated supramolecular chromophore

In dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cells, multi-step photoinduced electron transfer takes place to generate redox-separated (RS) states that activate catalysts for water splitting or carbon dioxide reduction. From photoexcitation of the chromophores to formation of the RS states, the solar energy initially stored at the chromophore excited states is reduced stepwise in a sequence of photoinduced electron transfer steps. We report here a water-reduction photocathode based on a supramolecular chromophore, an ethyne-bridged (porphyrinato)zincII and bis(terpyridyl)rutheniumII complex, which is surface-bound to a mesoporous nickel oxide electrode, with an over-layer of nickel sulfide derivative as a water reduction catalyst. Visible light excitation of the chromophore generates a long-lived RS state that forms directly at its excited state with the electron delocalized at the terpyridyl ligands for transferring to the nickel sulfide catalyst, and the hole at the zinc porphyrin moiety for injecting into the nickel oxide electrode. The resulting photocathode shows enhanced photoelectrocatalytic performances relative to the previously reported NiO-based photocathodes. A key element lies in the efficient, direct activation of the catalyst by the long-lived, RS excited state that minimizes the energy loss along the photoinduced electron transfer steps towards water reduction.
MICROSTRUCTURE-PROPERTY RELATIONSHIPS OF NANOSTRUCTURED Al-Fe-Cr-Ti ALLOYS

Nanostructured Al 93 Fe 3 Ti 2 Cr 2 alloys were prepared via mechanical alloying (MA), followed by extrusion to form bulk materials. The microstructure of the alloy was characterized using a variety of analytical instruments including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Compression tests were conducted as a function of temperature ranging from 25 to 400°C. It was found that the MA-processed Al 93 Fe 3 Ti 2 Cr 2 alloy had excellent compressive strength and ductility. High temperature strengths were especially impressive with the ratio of the ultimate strength to density equivalent to that of Ti-6Al-4V up to about 300°C. The enhanced strength at both ambient and elevated temperatures was attributed to grain refinement, formation of supersaturated solid solutions, and presence of intermetallic precipitates.
APPLYING DATA MINING TO SCHEDULING COURSES AT A UNIVERSITY

Scheduling courses (“timetabling”) at a University is a persistent challenge. Allocating coursesections to prescribed “time slots” for courses requires advanced quantitative techniques, such as goal programming, and collecting a large amount of multi-criteria data at least six to eight months in advance of a semester. This study takes an alternate approach. It demonstrates the feasibility of applying the principles of data mining. Specifically it uses association rules to evaluate a nonstandard (“aberrant”) timetabling pilot study undertaken in one College at a University. The results indicate that 1), inductive methods are indeed applicable, 2), both summary and detailed results can be understood by key decision-makers, and 3), straightforward, repeatable SQL queries can be used as the chief analytical technique on a recurring basis. In addition, this study was one of the first empirical studies to provide an accurate measure of the discernable, but negligible, scheduling exclusionary effects that may impact course availability and diversity negatively.
Fiber Chromatic Dispersion Effects of Broadband mm-Wave Subcarrier Optical Signals and Its Elimination

The millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequency band offers the free-space bandwidth necessary for future broadband wireless communications services. A high-capacity broadband wireless network can be the quickest and most cost-effective method of delivering services to a large number of customers in a dense environment. Millimeter-wave optical fiber links can effectively distribute mm-wave signals from a central office to remote antennas located at suitable vantage points for line-of-sight interconnection to other nodes of the network. As described in [112], these fiber links offer simplification of base stations and centralized control and stabilization of mm-wave carrier signals for conformity to FCC standards. Even though it is expected that this type of fiber systems will take advantage of legacy metropolitan fiber cable plant infrastructure at the dispersion minimum of 1,300 nm.
Sleep-disordered breathing and white matter disease in the brainstem in older adults

Study Objectives: To examine whether sleep-disordered breathing is associated with white matter disease in the brainstem. Design: A population-based longitudinal study. Setting: Allegheny County, PA; Sacramento County, CA; and Washington County, MD Patients or Participants: A total of 789 individuals, aged 68 years or older, drawn from the Sleep Heart Health Study. Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: The participants underwent home polysomnography in 1995-1998 and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging in both 1992-1993 and 1997-1998. The apnea-hypopnea index was not associated with white matter disease in the brainstem, with or without adjusting for age, sex, race, community, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol use, systolic blood pressure, and the use of antihypertensive medication. In contrast, the arousal index (number of arousals per hour of sleep) was inversely associated with brainstem white matter disease (odds ratio = 0.75 for a SD increase in the arousal index, 95% confidence interval: 0.62, 0.92). Conclusions: The frequency of apneas and hypopneas was not associated with brainstem white matter disease in these older adults. A unique relationship with arousal frequency suggests that ischemic changes in the brainstem may be associated with arousals during sleep.
Discovery of water-soluble anticancer agents (edotides) from a vegetable found in Benin City, Nigeria.

>> Cancer claims the lives of more than six million people each year in the world. About 1,268,000 new cancer cases, and 553,400 deaths were reported in the United States in 2001. Current treatment approaches have yielded significant progress in the fight against cancer, but the incidence of developing certain types of cancer continues to rise. This is especially true in the African-American communities. African Americans are about 33% more likely to die of cancer than are whites and more than twice likely to die of cancer as are Asian-Islander, AmericanIndians, and Hispanics. This increase coupled with the harsh side effects of some of the cancer chemotherapies have led to the search for more natural biological products, especially those derived from plant products, currently known as herbal medicine. There is a need for a continued search for novel natural products that may be used as cancer chemopreventive and/ or chemotherapeutic agents. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect(s) of a novel water-soluble leaf extract of Vernonia amygdalina (VA) on human breast cancer cell DNA synthesis. MCF-7 cell line, considered a suitable model, was used in this study. Treatment of cells with physiologically relevant concentrations of water-soluble VA extract potently inhibited DNA synthesis in a concentration-dependent fashion both in the absence and presence of serum. Fractions of VA extract separated using preparative reverse-phase chromatography also inhibited DNA synthesis (P < 0.005). These results suggest that VA vegetable, if incorporated in the diet, may prevent or delay the on-set of breast cancer. Exp Biol Med 228:293–
Hypocretin/Orexin and MCH and Receptors

The lateral hypothalamus (LH) has long been known to affect energy homeostasis, feeding behavior, arousal, and brain reward. The hypocretins (Hcrts) (also called the orexins) and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) are Hcrts produced in two nonoverlapping populations of a few thousand neurons in the LH. The Hcrts have a prominent role in regulating the stability of arousal because Hcrt deficiency leads to narcolepsy. MCH-deficient mice are lean and hypophagic, thus suggesting an important role for MCH in the regulation of energy homeostasis. The cross-talk between Hcrt and MCH neurons provides a balance system to regulate complex consummatory behaviors.
Loss of Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase Leads to Distinct Chronic Changes in Bone Phenotype.

Abstract Background The gut is becoming increasingly recognized as the source of various systemic diseases, and recently, it has been linked to bone metabolism via the so-called gut-bone axis. The microbiome and gut-derived mediators are thought to impact upon bone metabolism, and administration of probiotics has been shown to have beneficial effects in bone. The gut brush border enzyme intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) plays an important role in controlling calcium absorption, inhibiting lipopolysaccharides, and other inflammatory mediators responsible for endotoxemia and appears to preserve the normal gut microbiota. Interestingly, IAP-deficient mice (AKP3−/−) also display a significant decrease in fecal Lactobacillus, the genus shown to be beneficial to bone. Materials and methods IAP mRNA levels in mouse bone were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Femurs of IAP-knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice were analyzed by microcomputed tomography and histopathology. Serum levels of alkaline phosphatase, calcium, and phosphorus were measured. Target cell response upon exposure to serum from IAP-KO and WT mice was quantified using primary bone marrow macrophages. Results IAP was not significantly expressed in bones of WT or KO animals. IAP (alkaline phosphatase 3) expression in bone was vanishingly low compared to the duodenum (bone versus duodenum, 56.9 ± 17.7 versus 25,430.3 ± 10,884.5 relative expression, P = 0.01). Bone histology of younger IAP-KO and WT animals was indistinguishable, whereas older IAP-deficient mice showed a distinctly altered phenotype on histology and computed tomography scan. Younger KO mice did not display any abnormal levels in blood chemistry. Older IAP-KO animals showed an isolated increase in serum alkaline phosphatase levels reflecting an environment of active bone formation (IAP-WT versus IAP-KO, 80 ± 27.4 U/I versus 453 ± 107.5 U/I, P = 0.004). There was no significant difference in serum calcium or phosphorus levels between KO and WT mice. Serum from IAP-KO mice induced a significantly higher inflammatory target cell response. Conclusions Through its multiple functions, IAP seems to play a crucial role in connecting the gut to the bone. IAP deficiency leads to chronic changes in bone formation, most likely through dysbiosis and systemic dissemination of proinflammatory mediators.
Positive affective priming decreases the middle late positive potential response to negative images.

INTRODUCTION This study aims to expand on previous literature showing that incidental emotion state priming in a specific domain leads to a higher probability that the primed emotion domain will be activated during a subsequent task. METHODS To that end, we investigated the influence of happy, fearful, and neutral incidental emotion state priming on subsequent responses to emotionally negative and neutral pictures, measured by the event-related potential (ERP) late positive potential (LPP). New to our study, we examined the influence of affective priming on the LPP response (analyzed separately at early and middle latency ranges) to emotional pictures in both the foveal and extrafoveal presentation locations. RESULTS Following both fearful and neutral incidental state priming, both the early and middle LPP latency ranges overwhelmingly differentiated between negative and neutral pictures. Following happy incidental state priming, however, the LPP response failed to differentiate between negative and neutral pictures by the middle LPP latency range (800-1,000 ms). These results suggest that incidental happy states can have a protective effect when viewing aversive stimuli. Additionally, the LPP showed greater sensitivity to negative stimuli when presented extrafoveally compared to foveally. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our findings suggest that incidental affective state and stimulus location influence emotional processing differentially for emotionally negative and emotionally neutral stimuli.
Puddle: A Dynamic, Error-Correcting, Full-Stack Microfluidics Platform

Microfluidic devices promise to automate wetlab procedures by manipulating small chemical or biological samples. This technology comes in many varieties, all of which aim to save time, labor, and supplies by performing lab protocol steps typically done by a technician. However, existing microfluidic platforms remain some combination of inflexible, error-prone, prohibitively expensive, and difficult to program. We address these concerns with a full-stack digital microfluidic automation platform. Our main contribution is a runtime system that provides a high-level API for microfluidic manipulations. It manages fluidic resources dynamically, allowing programmers to freely mix regular computation with microfluidics, which results in more expressive programs than previous work. It also provides real-time error correction through a computer vision system, allowing robust execution on cheaper microfluidic hardware. We implement our stack on top of a low-cost droplet microfluidic device that we have developed. We evaluate our system with the fully-automated execution of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a DNA sequencing preparation protocol. These protocols demonstrate high-level programs that combine computational and fluidic operations such as input/output of reagents, heating of samples, and data analysis. We also evaluate the impact of automatic error correction on our system's reliability.
Dynamic Model Development and Characterization of Gear Bearing Transmission Systems: Theory and Experiments

The Gear Bearing Drive (GBD) is a newly developed actuator concept based on NASA's high-reduction gear bearing technology and brushless outrunner motor technology. Compared to conventional precision drive systems such as harmonic drives, the GBD offers similar advantages such as high torque in a compact assembly but with the potential of better stiffness characteristics and lower transmission friction and more predictable output speed response. In this paper, the open-loop behavior of a GBD prototype is experimentally characterized to obtain a dynamic model for its velocity/position response. Two analytical models for the transmission stiffness are developed using the bending flexure of gear-teeth and transmission geometry that accurately capture the stiffness characteristics. Finally, a sensitivity study is presented that reproduces the response of this transmission under various input and output loads. Analysis of the system dynamics suggests that the GBD behavior is dominated by linear dynamics that are characterized by finite friction dissipation and geometric errors in its gear mesh resulting from imperfect manufacturing. In addition, the transmission shows no unpredictable open-loop dynamics or transmission resonance within its speed range, making its closed-loop control problem a simple task.
Differences in Perceived Risk at Which Clinician and Patient Stakeholders Initiate Activities to Prevent Late Effects Among Breast Cancer Survivors.

Abstract Objective To characterize the level of probability or perceived risk that will trigger patients, physicians, nurses, or therapists to initiate clinical activities to prevent late effects, including chronic physical impairments and adverse symptoms that often occur among breast cancer (BC) survivors. Design Cross-sectional survey querying participants regarding the level of probability or perceived risk of a patient developing a late effect, 0%-100% visual analog scale, that would cause them to initiate activities to prevent or preemptively address late effects such as lymphedema, upper quadrant pain, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, shoulder contracture, and fatigue. Setting A quaternary medical center and community medical and radiation oncology clinics. Participants A purposive sample of 50 BC survivors, 10 breast clinic physicians, 10 breast surgeons, 10 radiation oncologists, 10 medical oncologists, 10 breast clinic nurses, and 10 cancer rehabilitation therapists (N=110). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Stakeholder ratings of the probability level at which they would initiate clinical activities to prevent BC-related late effects: education, screening, prevention, and therapist referral, scored on a visual analog scale 0%-100% with verbal anchors, to address lymphedema, chronic upper quadrant pain, function-limiting chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy, shoulder contracture, and chronic fatigue. Results For the 5 late effects, mean probability level ranges across the stakeholder groups were ordered as follows: education (2.8-27.1), prevention (8.1-44.1), screening (11.1-50.2), and therapist referral (16.4-59.2). BC survivors had the lowest thresholds for initiating education: lymphedema 2.0, pain 3.6, neuropathy 1.4, shoulder contracture 3.3, and fatigue 3.3. Therapists, in contrast, had the lowest thresholds for initiating all prevention activities except education. When averaged across late effects, mean probability levels for initiating activities were higher among physicians with breast surgeons having the highest mean levels for all activities except therapist referral. Nonetheless, mean probability levels differed significantly between survivors and clinicians (allied health and physicians combined) for only 2 of the 4 prevention activities and in these cases by ≤12%. Conclusions The probability level or perceived risk of a BC-related late effect at which stakeholders recommended initiating preventive activities differed across groups, with therapists generally having the lowest levels and breast surgeons the highest. However, the mean levels endorsed by survivors were congruent with or differed limitedly from clinicians and should be considered as a guide to initiating activities.
Trends in the Geospatial Distribution of Adult Inpatient Surgical Cancer Care Across the United States

The relationship and trends of geography and travel distance to access surgical cancer care has been poorly characterized. The objective of the study was to define the geographic distribution of access to hospital-based operative cancer care across the USA. A cohort analysis was performed using the 2005 and 2015 American Hospital Association Annual Survey, Census Bureau Data for 2010, and the American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2011 to 2016. The number of hospitals that provided surgical services with an approved American College of Surgeons (ACS) cancer program slightly increased over the time periods examined (2005, n = 1203 vs. 2015, n = 1284; p = 0.7210). Based on geospatial analysis, 18,214,994 (5.9%) people lived more than 60 min from a hospital with a cancer program in 2005 compared with 34,630,516 (11.2%) by 2015. Communities within a 60-min drive time were more likely to be composed of individuals who completed high school (85.9% vs. 84.2%), were employed (62.7% vs. 57.1%), had a higher median household income ($67.4 k vs. $53.2 k), and lived within states that had expanded Medicaid (62.5% vs. 48.9%) (all p < 0.0001). In contrast, communities outside of a 60-min drive time had a greater proportion of individuals below the federal poverty level (18.3% vs. 16.5%; p < 0.0001). While the number of hospitals with ACS approved cancer program designation increased over the last decade, the number of people living greater than 60 min from an approved cancer programs nearly doubled. These data highlight worrisome geospatial trends that may make access to cancer care for certain patient populations increasingly challenging.
Factors contributing to burnout in dermatologists

Physician burnout is associated with increased medical errors, lower patient satisfaction, and decreased professional work effort. Although rates of burnout are lower in dermatology than in other specialties, the prevalence is still high and increasing. Burnout affects both personal and patient care. It is important to consider factors and ways to combat this phenomenon to prevent deterioration. To achieve this, a comprehensive understanding of the causes contributing to burnout in dermatology is crucial. To date, a limited number of publications have specifically addressed burnout in dermatology. In this contribution, burnout in dermatology, burnout prevention, and promotion of dermatologist wellness through the systemic approach of the Stanford model for professional fulfillment, which includes creating a culture of wellness, workplace efficiency, and resilience, are reviewed.
Implementation of a nurse-driven antibiotic engagement tool in 3 hospitals.

Background Nurses are key in implementing antibiotic stewardship; however, standardized processes are lacking. Methods This feasibility study tested implementation of a nurse-driven antibiotic engagement tool (AET) that addressed antibiotic indication, duration, discontinuation, and intravenous to oral conversion. An investigator-developed survey measured nurse satisfaction, confidence, and understanding of antibiotic plan of care among 4 clinical units. Mann-Whitney U was used to compare differences between time periods. Nonparametric summary distributions assessed AET use. Results Results from 121 surveys were available; 71 (36%) presurvey, 50 (24%) postsurvey. Thirteen registered nurses reported satisfaction or agreement with AET use: (1) ease (median: 4 [2.25, 4]); (2) time (median: 4 [3.5, 4.5]); (3) helped facilitate asking questions (median: 4 [3, 4]); (4) helped find antibiotic information (median: 4 [2.5, 4]); and (5) increased confidence in antibiotic discussions (median 4 [3, 4]). Planned duration of antibiotic therapy was unclear to nurses 13.9% of the time with nurses identifying duration discrepancies in 22.8% of submitted AETs. Conclusions The AET promoted interprofessional conversation. Use was higher in settings where leaders and nurse influencers were involved in stewardship promotion. Clarifying antibiotic duration is a prime area for future nursing antibiotic stewardship efforts.
Unified Proofs of the Error Estimates for the Midpoint, Trapezoidal, and Simpson's Rules

SummaryUnified, elementary proofs are given for the error estimates associated with the midpoint rule, the trapezoidal rule, and Simpson's rule.
FaceRevelio: a face liveness detection system for smartphones with a single front camera

Facial authentication mechanisms are gaining traction on smartphones because of their convenience and increasingly good performance of face recognition systems. However, mainstream systems use traditional 2D face recognition technologies, which are vulnerable to various spoofing attacks. Existing systems perform liveness detection via specialized hardware, such as infrared dot projectors and dedicated cameras. Although effective, such methods do not align well with the smartphone industry's desire to maximize screen space. This paper presents a new liveness detection system, FaceRevelio, for commodity smartphones with a single front camera. It utilizes the smartphone screen to illuminate a user's face from multiple directions. The facial images captured under varying illumination enable the recovery of the face surface normals via photometric stereo, which can then be integrated into a 3D shape. We leverage the facial depth features of this 3D surface to distinguish a human face from its 2D counterpart. On top of this, we change the screen via a light passcode consisting of a combination of random light patterns to provide security against replay attacks. We evaluate FaceRevelio with 30 users trying to authenticate under various lighting conditions and with a series of 2D spoofing attacks. The results show that using a passcode of 1s, FaceRevelio achieves a mean EER of 1.4% and 0.15% against photo and video attacks, respectively.
The Legal Landscape of U.S. Immigration: An Introduction

Many have written about and debated the U.S. visa system, but three decades after the passage of the 1990 Immigration Act, it continues to define the ways in which immigrants legally enter the United States. Yet, without comprehensive immigration policy reform grounded in deep understanding about
Printed Self-Resonant Sensor on Building Envelope for Wall Integrity Monitoring

A screen printed self-resonant sensor is designed and printed on Tyvek® substrates to monitor the relative humidity (RH) and moisture level change inside the walls for early detection of moisture-related building problems. The highly sensitive sensor is based on the detection of the major resonant frequency shift in the reflection spectrum of the printed structure, which is highly sensitive to water. Tyvek® made by flash spinning extremely fine high-density polyethylene fibers allows for water vapor permeability and has been commonly used as house wrap in the walls. Two designs of the self-resonant sensors are modeled using 3-D finite element method and are printed within the Tyvek® envelope patch to monitor the RH level difference in a controlled chamber. Both modeling and experimental results have proven the effectiveness of the passive sensors to detect a small water droplet of 50 µL and RH change of as small as 10% variation.
An examination of racial and ethnic disparities in mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S. South.

Abstract Background The mental health of racial/ethnic minority groups in the United States may be disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to greater experience of peri-pandemic stressors. Yet, few studies have systematically examined racial/ethnic differences in mental health outcomes in this context. Methods Data came from the COVID-19 Southern Cities Study, a probability-based, cross-sectional study conducted in May/June 2020 among adults living in the metropolitan statistical areas of Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, and New Orleans. Unadjusted and adjusted associations between racial/ethnic identity and past-week depression and/or anxiety symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-2 score ≥ 3 or Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 score ≥ 3), trouble sleeping, physical reactions when thinking about COVID-19, and self-rated worsened mental health due to the pandemic were estimated in separate logistic regression models. Results Over 30% of respondents reported depression and/or anxiety symptoms, 21% reported physical reactions, 25% had trouble sleeping, and 33% worsened mental health since the pandemic began. Adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related characteristics and pandemic-related stressors, odds of anxiety symptoms (odds ratio (OR) 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30–0.95) and worsened mental health (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.36–0.94) were lower among non-Hispanic Black vs. non-Hispanic white respondents. Limitations No diagnostic assessments were used, and results may not be generalizable to later phases of the pandemic and the entire U.S. South. Conclusions Despite greater pandemic-related stressor experience, poor mental health outcomes were not more common among racial/ethnic minority individuals. However, interventions to reduce disparities in stressor experience and promote mental health are needed.
The immunogenetics of multiple sclerosis: A comprehensive review

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system and common cause of non-traumatic neurological disability in young adults. The likelihood for an individual to develop MS is strongly influenced by her or his ethnic background and family history of disease, suggesting that genetic susceptibility is a key determinant of risk. Over 100 loci have been firmly associated with susceptibility, whereas the main signal genome-wide maps to the class II region of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene cluster and explains up to 10.5% of the genetic variance underlying risk. HLA-DRB1*15:01 has the strongest effect with an average odds ratio of 3.08. However, complex allelic hierarchical lineages, cis/trans haplotypic effects, and independent protective signals in the class I region of the locus have been described as well. Despite the remarkable molecular dissection of the HLA region in MS, further studies are needed to generate unifying models to account for the role of the MHC in disease pathogenesis. Driven by the discovery of combinatorial associations of Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor (KIR) and HLA alleles with infectious, autoimmune diseases, transplantation outcome and pregnancy, multi-locus immunogenomic research is now thriving. Central to immunity and critically important for human health, KIR molecules and their HLA ligands are encoded by complex genetic systems with extraordinarily high levels of sequence and structural variation and complex expression patterns. However, studies to-date of KIR in MS have been few and limited to very low resolution genotyping. Application of modern sequencing methodologies coupled with state of the art bioinformatics and analytical approaches will permit us to fully appreciate the impact of HLA and KIR variation in MS.
Forecasting Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) Distribution and Long-Term Viability at Fort Benning, Georgia

The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), once thrived in the southeastern USA, is now at risk due to habitat destruction and fragmentation throughout its native range. The US Army installation at Fort Benning, GA, provides a significant amount of habitat for the gopher tortoise. However, both installation operations and natural processes such as forest canopy growth may disrupt the highly specialized habitat that the gopher tortoise needs to survive. This chapter presents a spatially explicit agent-based simulation model of gopher tortoise population distribution and viability on Fort Benning lands. The model, developed in NetLogo (http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/), incorporates geospatial data for Fort Benning, ecological characteristics of the land, and data on the gopher tortoise life cycle. Because there is little published data on gopher tortoise population dynamics, the model is based on published studies of species individuals. The purpose of this model was to investigate whether useful simulations of tortoise population dynamics and movement may be produced by a model based on robust data on individuals of the species. The authors conclude that the model can produce valid science-based simulations that provide valuable insights on how alternate land-management policies may affect gopher tortoise distribution on Fort Benning.
Technical change and pollution abatement costs

Abstract There is continuing interest in the trend of costs associated with pollution abatement activities. We specify an environmental production technology to model the joint production of good and bad outputs. The joint production model calculates pollution abatement costs and identifies changes in these costs associated with: (1) technical change, (2) input changes, and (3) changes in bad output production. Estimates of the relative importance of each factor are estimated using data from 1995 to 2005 for a sample of coal-fired power plants in the United States. Finally, we discuss the potential usefulness of the decomposition model for identifying discrepancies between ex ante and ex post pollution abatement costs that are linked to the underlying joint production model.
Business administration students' perception of usability of the Business Source Premier database : A case study

Purpose – The current article is a research study examining user perception of the usability of an online information system used by business administration students. The online database which it aims to examine is Business Source Premier, which is incorporated in a larger platform of databases called EBSCO. The findings of this research will help with the efficient management of this information service as well as improve the application of this database in an academic library setting.Design/methodology/approach – Convenience sampling procedure was used for recruiting participants. The entire class of 22 students taught at Medgar Evers College of CUNY participated in this survey. Users evaluated this database using Oulanov's usability tool, which entails the following eight criteria: Affect, Adaptability, Control, Helpfulness, Efficiency, User Effort, Measures of Effectiveness, and Retrieval Features.Findings – Business Source Premier was rated highest in terms of efficiency. Some improvement might be ne...
REASSURE: a self-contained mechanism for healing software using rescue points

Software errors are frequently responsible for the limited availability of Internet Services, loss of data, and many security compromises. Self-healing using rescue points (RPs) is a mechanism that can be used to recover software from unforeseen errors until a more permanent remedy, like a patch or update, is available. We present REASSURE, a self-contained mechanism for recovering from such errors using RPs. Essentially, RPs are existing code locations that handle certain anticipated errors in the target application, usually by returning an error code. REASSURE enables the use of these locations to also handle unexpected faults. This is achieved by rolling back execution to a RP when a fault occurs, returning a valid error code, and enabling the application to gracefully handle the unexpected error itself. REASSURE can be applied on already running applications, while disabling and removing it is equally facile. We tested REASSURE with various applications, including the MySQL and Apache servers, and show that it allows them to successfully recover from errors, while incurring moderate overhead between 1% and 115%. We also show that even under very adverse conditions, like their continuous bombardment with errors, REASSURE protected applications remain operational.
Performing Under Uncertainty: Contextualized Engagement in Wildland Firefighting

In this paper, we propose that performance under uncertainty and ambiguity is enabled by a two-pronged set of practices enacted by leaders and frontline workers. These contextualized practices fuel performance by enabling teams and organizations to both discern, interpret and make sense of important discrepancies as situations unfold (what we refer to as anomalizing), and to develop a richer understanding of a situation (what we call proactive leader sensemaking). Together, these situation-specific practices contextualize engagement and promote capabilities to contingently tailor actions to unfolding conditions. We test our hypotheses using data gathered from a sample of wildland firefighters and find strong support for our theorizing. We also identify a set of additional group and situational conditions that provide a more nuanced understanding of factors that contribute to reliable performance under dynamic uncertainty. Together, the findings provide quantitative evidence for the micro-foundations of effective performance in uncertain contexts.
Scalable Multilingual Information Access

The third Cross-Language Evaluation Forum workshop (CLEF-2002) provides the unprecedented opportunity to evaluate retrieval in eight different languages using a common set of topics and a uniform assessment methodology. This year the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory participated in the monolingual, bilingual, and multilingual retrieval tasks. We contend that information access in a plethora of languages requires approaches that are inexpensive in developer and run-time costs. In this paper we describe a simplified approach that seems suitable for retrieval in many languages; we also show how good retrieval is possible over many languages, even when translation resources are scarce, or when query-time translation is infeasible. In particular, we investigate the use of character n-grams for monolingual retrieval, CLIR between related languages using partial morphological matches, and translation of document representations to an interlingua for computationally efficient retrieval against multiple languages.