cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Study of Performance on Word Boundary Tasks as Related to Reading Ability

The study examines how level of reading acquisition is related to per- formance on word boundary tasks written at four differing readability levels. It also ex- plores the validity of using word boundary tasks as measures of reading ability by com- paring student performance on a word boundary measure to performance on both a cloze procedure task and on a word recognition task. Level of reading acquisition, level of passage readability, and grade placement of students were found to affect per- formance on the word boundary task. A multitrait-multimethod matrix of intercorrela- tions between the three measures showed that the word boundary task used for this study appeared to be a reliable and valid measure of reading performance for these sub- jects and that the three methods measure some of the same traits. Grade level scores established by standardized reading tests are often used by teachers to determine the level at which reading instruction is provided. Unfortunately, this determination does not ensure successful reading of instructional materials since standardized test grade-equivalent scores do not always provide an accurate estimate of the student's instructional level (Harris and Sipay, 1975; Sipay, 1964). This problem seems compounded in the content areas by the large range of levels within texts, the above grade readability level of many texts (Johnson, 1975) and the teachers' uncertain estimates of the level of reading difficulty of the textbooks (Olson, 1970). Since Betts' (1946) book, Foundations of Reading Instruction, was first published, some teachers have favored informal measures which assess individual reading ability. The cloze procedure (Taylor, 1953) has been utilized with some success for this pur- pose, and there is some empirical support for its use as a measure of comprehension (Bormuth, 1969; Rankin, 1959) and as a measure of the readability of passages (Bor- muth, 1968; Taylor, 1953).
Communication Complexity Theory: Thirty-Five Years of Set Disjointness

The set disjointness problem features k communicating parties and k subsets S 1,S 2,…,S k ⊆ {1,2,…,n}. No single party knows all k subsets, and the objective is to determine with minimal communication whether the k subsets have nonempty intersection. The important special case k = 2 corresponds to two parties trying to determine whether their respective sets intersect. The study of the set disjointness problem spans almost four decades and offers a unique perspective on the remarkable evolution of communication complexity theory. We discuss known results on the communication complexity of set disjointness in the deterministic, nondeterministic, randomized, unbounded-error, and multiparty models, emphasizing the variety of mathematical techniques involved.
Citation analysis for core journals in educational leadership

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish a core serials list for “Single doctoral”, Carnegie classification universities offering Doctor of Education (EdD) programs in educational leadership based on a sample of six institutions over a six-year period. Design/methodology/approach – A citation analysis was used using a descriptive research design. The population was all dissertations accepted for the award of the EdD degree in Educational Leadership from 2005 to 2010 at six peer institutions. From this population, 20 dissertations from each institution were randomly selected during the period under study. Data were extracted from the title pages and reference lists. Extracted data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Serial titles were ranked according to a frequency-weighted index formula, which recorded the serial titles cited by the greatest percentage of students. Findings – It was found that the serials with the highest frequency weight depended, in part, on the period studied. The f...
Influence of structural distortions on the Ir magnetism in Ba2-xSrxYIrO6 double perovskites

Abstract We explore the relative strengths of spin orbit coupling and crystal field splitting in the Ir 5+ compounds Ba 2− x Sr x YIrO 6 . In the case of strong spin orbit coupling and regular Ir 5+ octahedra, one expects a non-magnetic J =0 state; in the case of distorted octahedra where crystal field effects dominate, the t 2g manifold splits into a magnetic ground state. We report the results of continuously transitioning from the cubic Ba 2 YIrO 6 double perovskite with ideal octahedra to the monoclinic Sr 2 YIrO 6 double perovskite with distorted octahedra. We see no emergence of an enhanced Ir 5+ magnetic moment in the series on increasing the structural distortions, as would have been the case for significant crystal field splitting. The near-constant magnetic moment observed through the Ba 2− x Sr x YIrO 6 series reinforces the notion that spin–orbit coupling is the dominant force in determining the magnetism of iridium-oxygen octahedra in perovskite-like structures.
Impact of Widespread Cervical Cancer Screening: Number of Cancers Prevented and Changes in Race-specific Incidence.

Objectives With recent approval of standalone HPV testing and increasing uptake of HPV vaccination, some have postulated that we are moving toward a "post-Pap" era of cervical cancer prevention. However, the total number cases that have been prevented by Pap smear screening as well as its impact on racial disparities are unknown. Methods We estimated national cervical cancer incidence from 1976 to 2009 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result database. Screening data were obtained from the literature and National Cancer Institute Progress Reports. We examined early, late, and race-specific trends in cancer incidence, and calculated the estimated number of cancers prevented over the past 3 decades. Results From 1976 to 2009, there was a significant decrease in the incidence of early-stage cervical cancer, from 9.8 to 4.9 cases per 100,000 women (P Conclusions A large number of early-stage and late-stage cervical cancers were prevented and racial disparity in cancer rates were reduced during an era of widespread Pap smear screening.
The Petroleum Geologist and the Insurance Policy

In a recent study, Hough and Page (2015) presented several lines of evidence suggesting that most of the significant earthquakes in Oklahoma during the twentieth century, including the Mw 5.7 El Reno earthquake of 9 April 1952, were likely induced by wastewater injection and possibly secondary oil recovery operations. We undertook an archival search for accounts of this event, which unearthed a newspaper article published immediately following the El Reno earthquake regarding a prominent petroleum geologist in the area who took out a rare earthquake insurance policy less than 60 days before the earthquake struck. In this study we present a historical context for this intriguing coincidence. We present a retrospective of oil industry practices in the early- to mid-twentieth century, gleaned from court records and other industry reports, that potentially bear on the interplay between oil exploration activities and earthquakes, focusing on the Oklahoma City region. We describe events of the day that could plausibly have alerted a geologist to the possibility of induced earthquakes, although there is no indication that the potential for induced earthquakes was widely recognized within the industry at that time.
Respiratory responses to selective blockade of carotid sinus baroreceptors in the dog

Activation of carotid sinus (CS) baroreceptors has been shown to increase inspiratory time (Ti) and expiratory time (Te) and to have a varied effect on tidal volume. The contribution of two functio...
Abstract 2133: Identification of driver genes for amplification of the narrow amplicon at 2q11 present in oral cancers and pre-cancers

Genome-wide analysis of copy number aberrations in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and oral epithelial dysplasia, a pre-malignant lesion, by array CGH has revealed that the genomes of these cancers and pre-cancers frequently harbor narrow (∼3 Mb) regions of amplification. These amplicons are recurrent, but rare, being present in Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2133.
Dating out is intercultural: Experience and perceived parent disapproval by ethnicity and immigrant generation

Romantic relationships are situated within broader cultural and family contexts, and this may be particularly salient to those in intergroup relationships. This study examined variations in young adults’ experiences with intercultural romantic relationships by ethnicity and immigrant generation. A sample of ethnically diverse young adults (N = 628; Asian, Latino, and European background) reported on self and parent attitudes toward dating outside of one’s own culture, own current dating status, and disapproval and conflict with parents over current and past dating status. Analyses revealed three key findings. First, intercultural relationships were evenly distributed across ethnic and immigrant generation groups. Second, participants of Asian background perceived greater attitudinal discrepancies with their parents toward intercultural dating than did participants of Latino and European background and were more likely to report intercultural dating conflict with their parents than Latino participants. Thi...
A decision support simulation model for bed management in healthcare

In order to provide access to care in a timely manner, it is necessary to effectively manage the allocation of limited resources. such as beds. Bed management is a key to the effective delivery of high quality and low-cost healthcare. The purpose of this paper is to develop a discrete event simulation to assist in planning and staff scheduling decisions.,A discrete event simulation model was developed for a hospital system to analyze admissions, patient transfer, length of stay (LOS), waiting time and queue time. The hospital system contained 50 beds and four departments. The data used to construct the model were from five years of patient records and contained information on 23,019 patients. Each department’s performance measures were taken into consideration separately to understand and quantify the behavior of departments individually, and the hospital system as a whole. Several scenarios were analyzed to determine the impact on reducing the number of patients waiting in queue, waiting time and LOS of patients.,Using the simulation model, it was determined that reducing the bed turnover time by 1 h resulted in a statistically significant reduction in patient wait time in queue. Further, reducing the average LOS by 10 h results in statistically significant reductions in the average patient wait time and average patient queue. A comparative analysis of department also showed considerable improvements in average wait time, average number of patients in queue and average LOS with the addition of two beds.,This research highlights the applicability of simulation in healthcare. Through data that are often readily available in bed management tracking systems, the operational behavior of a hospital can be modeled, which enables hospital management to test the impact of changes without cost and risk.
Nitrogen Nutrition of Containerized Thuja x ‘Green Giant’

Abstract Rooted stem cuttings of ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae (Thuja L. x ‘Green Giant’) were grown in 3.8 liter (#1) plastic containers containing a pine bark: sand (8:1 by vol) substrate. Plants were fertilized three times weekly for 15 weeks with a complete nutrient solution at N application rates (NARs) of 0, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, or 320 mg/liter (ppm) supplied as ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3). Both shoot and root dry weights were significantly affected by NAR. Maximum shoot weight, as predicted by a quadratic plateau model, was reached at a NAR of approximately 100 mg/liter (ppm), representing a 200% increase over controls [0 mg/liter (ppm) N]. Maximum and minimum root dry weights occurred at 0 mg/liter (ppm) N and approximately 50 mg/liter (ppm) N, respectively, representing a 37% decrease. Root length decreased 36% at a NAR of approximately 50 mg/liter (ppm). Root diameter (root area ÷ root length) increased before reaching a plateau at approximately 130 mg/liter (ppm) N indicating that root length decrease...
SonNet: A Code Interface for Sonifying Computer Network Data

As any computer user employs the Internet to accomplish everyday activities, a flow of data packets moves across the network, forming their own patterns in response to his or her actions. Artists and sound designers who are interested in accessing that data to make music must currently possess low-level knowledge of Internet protocols and spend significant effort working with low-level networking code. We have created SonNet, a new software tool that lowers these practical barriers to experimenting and composing with network data. SonNet executes packet-sniffing and network connection state analysis automatically, and it includes an easy-touse ChucK object that can be instantiated, customized, and queried from a user’s own code. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of the SonNet system, and we discuss a pilot evaluation of the system with computer music composers. We also discuss compositional applications of SonNet and illustrate the use of the system in an example composition.
Malignant gonadal stromal tumor: case report and review of the literature.

Abstract Of the 80 cases of gonadal stromal tumor reported in the literature 10 were malignant. We herein report another malignant case. The role of chemotherapy and radiation therapy in malignant gonadal stromal tumor has not been defined. While the only sure evidence of malignancy is metastatic disease we recommend that if macroscopic and microscopic examination of the primary tumor suggests malignancy a retroperitoneal node dissection should be performed.
Attachment learning: a humanistic educational experience. Final practicum in a coordinated undergraduate program.

Real-life situations encountered during an “attachment” practicum can round out the coordinated undergraduate dietetic student’s education prior to graduation and entry into the profession.
Other Asia: Dragons, Tigers and an Elephant

The economic dynamism now so evident in China has been a feature of Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan for many years. These four countries have been called ‘the four little dragons’ in Asia — China being the large dragon — and ‘the four tigers’ in the west. The dragon is a symbol of serene and prestigious power in Asia. The tiger, while also powerful, is regarded as less majestic and self-confident. Thus because Korea, after decades of highly successful economic performance, encountered some problems in 1993 (discussed below), Koreans tended to characterise their nation as a tiger rather than a dragon.
Fully Autonomous Real-Time Autoencoder-Augmented Hebbian Learning through the Collection of Novel Experiences

Hebbian plasticity in artificial neural networks is compelling for both its simplicity and biological plausibility. Changing the weight of a connection based only on the activations of the neurons it connects is straightforward and effective in combination with neuromodulation for reinforcing good behaviors. However, a major obstacle to any ambitious application of Hebbian plasticity is that the performance of a layer of Hebbian neurons is highly sensitive to the choice of inputs. If the inputs do not represent precisely the features of the environment that Hebbian connections must learn to correlate to actions, the network will struggle to learn at all. A recently-proposed solution to this problem is the Real-time Autoencoder- Augmented Hebbian Network (RAAHN), which inserts an autoencoder between the inputs and the Hebbian layer. This autoencoder then learns in real time to encode the raw inputs into higher-level features while the Hebbian connections in turn learn to correlate these higher-level features to correct actions. Until now, RAAHN has only been demonstrated to work when it is driven by an autopilot during training (in a robot navigation task), which means its experiences are carefully controlled. Progressing significantly beyond this early demonstration, the present investigation now shows how RAAHN can learn to navigate from scratch entirely on its own, without an autopilot. By removing the need for an autopilot, RAAHN becomes a powerful new Hebbian-centered approach to learning from sparse reinforcement with broad potential applications.
Fiscal Decentralization: Explaining Successful Local Economic Development in Latin America

Abstract This study uses a statistical model to examine which institutional factors influence the number of businesses created in a local area. It uses a survey of mayors, city council members and executives from thirteen countries in Latin America to gauge whether they implement pro-business policies. The analysis considers fiscal, administrative and political autonomy as influential factors and controls for municipal environmental factors. The outcome shows that whereas political autonomy and business friendly policies at the local level are important in attracting new businesses to the municipality, administrative and fiscal autonomy are less influential. The importance of this research lies in the theoretical analysis, which evaluates whether mayors and other local authorities see themselves as agents of growth. Specifically, the following questions are addressed. Does government structure matter to support municipalities with the appropriate level of economic policies? Does fiscal, political or administrative decentralization increase the production of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs)? This paper is organized into the following sections. First, it briefly summarizes the development attempts in Latin America and describes why entrepreneurship is key for equitable growth. Second, it provides a theoretical perspective as to why local government is needed to promote business friendly policies and ultimately economic development. Finally, this paper tests the proposed theoretical perspective and provides tentative conclusions.
Le Code Noir: Idées reçues sur un texte symbolique

The book under review is part of a larger series titled Idees Recues offering brief critiques of pre-conceived ideas about social issues that have become highly politicised in the public discourse....
Evaluation of a Method for Recovery of Virus from Oysters

A method was developed for recovery of virus from single oysters, using coxsackievirus B-2 as a model. The viruses were released by blending the oyster tissues in a 1% nonfat dry milk-1% salt solution and Freon TF at pH 9. Low speed centrifugation separated the sample, which was subsequently detoxified with activated carbon and Cat-Floc. The average recovery of the inoculated virus was 59%.
Examining the impact of inference instruction on the literal and inferential comprehension of skilled and less skilled readers: A meta-analytic review.

Inference ability is considered central to discourse processing and has been shown to be important across models of reading comprehension. To evaluate the impact of inference instruction, a meta-analysis of 25 inference studies in Grades K–12 was conducted. Results showed that inference instruction was effective for increasing students’ general comprehension, d = 0.58, inferential comprehension, d = 0.68, and literal comprehension, d = 0.28. Although skilled and less skilled readers responded similarly on general and inference outcomes, less skilled readers benefited more on literal outcomes, d = 0.97, than skilled readers, d = 0.06. Findings suggest that students can increase their inference ability and that less skilled readers gain the extra benefit of increases in literal comprehension. Findings also suggest that instruction provided in small groups is beneficial for increasing readers’ inferential understanding of text. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)
Classical Rational Basis and the Right to Be Free of Arbitrary Legislation

The modern rational basis test used in cases such as Williamson v. Lee Optical and FCC v. Beach Communications is not the “classical” rational basis test that our constitutional tradition demands. Despite the triumphant statements of its adherents, this formulation of the rational basis test is not the traditional test for arbitrary legislative acts that our constitutional tradition recognizes, nor is it required for our constitutional system to properly function. Although the modern rational basis test has many features to dislike, its primary failing from a constitutional standpoint is simply this: The test itself does not do what it is designed to do. The purpose of the rational basis test, admitted by even those who cite Williamson or FCC v. Beach Communications with favor, is to prohibit irrational or arbitrary legislation. However, because the modern rational basis test operates on the basis of what the legislature “could have thought,” without regard to what the legislature’s actual purpose was or whether that purpose or any other legitimate purpose is actually served by the legislation, it is the judicial equivalent of no test at all. Because almost any possible legislation can be justified under modern rational basis review, the modern rational basis test deprives persons from one of the great rights underpinning our constitutional system: The right not to be subjected to arbitrary legislation.
Combinatorial and Spread Techniques in the Fabrication of Organic-Based Photonic and Optoelectronic Devices

In the last few years, organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) [1] have moved from the laboratory to the market place [2,3]. It is now possible to buy devices such as car stereos and cell phones where the display is based on OLEDs. Efforts are also directed to larger displays, and prototypes of 13 and 17 in. displays have recently been demonstrated.
Coelenterazine analogues emit red-shifted bioluminescence with NanoLuc

We report the synthesis and characterization of novel coelenterazine analogues that demonstrate a red-shift in their bioluminescent emission with NanoLuc luciferase. These coelenterazines can be tuned to shift the bioluminescent emission from blue light in the native system. In particular, direct attachment of an aryl moiety to the imidazopyrazinone core of furimazine at the C8 position provides a significant red-shift while maintaining reasonable light output. In addition, modification of the C6 aryl moiety provided additive red-shifts, and by combining the most promising modifications we report a coelenterazine with a maximum emission near 600 nm with NanoLuc. Finally, we show that this new bioluminescent system is capable of efficient BRET to far-red fluorophores. We anticipate these new principles of NanoLuc substrate design will impact applications that depend on shifting the colour of emission to the red, most notably in vivo bioluminescent imaging.
Concurrency, n×n District

In this chapter, we relax the most restrictive requirement of participation of only one element in each move, which held for the robotic models considered in Chapters 3–5. This relaxation is essential for application of the LG tools to real world problems. This requirement was inherited from the original domain, the board games, which served as a test-field for the development of the LG tools. While the serial mode has never been a part of the general definition of a Complex System in the past, until now, the concurrent mode has never been explicitly identified either (DEF 2.1), (Stilman, 1981, 1984). No examples of Complex Systems with simultaneous moves had ever been addressed in LG until 1994. In the 2D/4A and 3D/4A combat problems considered in Chapters 3 and 4, the serial mode is imposed in the form of restriction for each side to participate in both local operations simultaneously. In the more complex multiagent 2D/8A and 3D/8A problems (Chapter 5), the serial mode is introduced explicitly. All these problems belong to the class of AS systems (DEF 2.1).
The Role of the Blood-Brain Barrier in Feeding: Leptin

The blood- brain barrier (BBB) has emerged as a regulatory interface that controls the exchange of informational molecules between the blood and the central nervous system (CNS) fluids (the brain interstitial and the cerebrospinal fluid). As such, it is a pivotal point in a humoral-based, endocrine-like communication between the CNS and peripheral tissues. For example, the BBB controls the entry of major feeding hormones into the CNS from the blood, including leptin. Impaired transport of leptin across the BBB is an early cause of leptin resistance. Leptin transport is regulated by alpha1-adrenergics, which simulate transport, and triglycerides, which inhibit it. The ability of triglycerides to inhibit leptin transport may have evolved as a response to the hypertriglyceridemia of starvation. If so, their ability to inhibit leptin transport in obesity may be a metabolic case of mistaken identity.
The Nature of the Electrical Conduction Transient Behavior of Rutile

Single crystal and ceranic specimens of rutile were examined to determine the existence of conduction transients over the range 500° to 1000°C in air and argon by employing a constant current dc power supply and a six-probe high resistance input-isolated recording system» Voltage transients were observed only when the current was applied parallel to the “c” direction of single crystal rutile. Potential distribution curves at several different times revealed that the electrical conductivity increases with time at the negative end of the specimen and is larger in magnitude than at the positive end where the conductivity initially decreases with time. These results were interpreted in terms of a model that assumes blocking of titanium interstitials at the cathode and a redistribution of the electrons so as to preserve electroneutrality.
Effects of Self-Concept on Subjective QOL

This chapter describes the effects of self-concept on subjective well-being. Social psychologists have long recognized that the self-concept is not a unidimensional construct. The self-concept is multidimensional in that in the mind of every person there may be multiple selves (Brewer & Nakamura, 1984; Garza & Herringer, 1987; Hoelter, 1985; Markus, 1977; McCall & Simmons, 1978). The self-concept is divided in terms of psychological life domains. Thus, a person may have a self-concept in relation to education, family, health, job, friends, and romantic relationships, among others. In other words, the psychological world of a person is divided into life domains, and within each life domain, the person has certain self-related beliefs and values (Burke & Tully, 1977; Campbell, Converse, & Rodgers, 1976; Griffin, Chassin, & Young, 1981). In addition to segmenting life experiences in life domains, people also have a self-concept of their overall life, a global domain that captures one’s emotional state as a function of one’s global feelings about one’s major successes and failures in life.
Empirical Models for Complex Network Dynamics: A Preliminary Study

Network analysis has draw a considerable amount of attention in the last decade, especially after the discovery of common topological characteristics such as Small World or a Power Law degree distribution. Recently our understanding of complex networks has been augmented with the inclusion of a local view of patterns of connectivity, such patterns that are present more often in real networks than in randomized ones have been called motifs. These global and local perspectives equip us with powerful tools to understand the behavior of many real networks. However, an important aspect of complex network analysis is often neglected: the dynamics of the information flows. The structural elements of the network topology are very important, but to fully understand the dynamics of these networks we need to take a closer look at the dynamics of the information flow in a self-regulation perspective. For example, we know that the performance and reliability of a compute network is likely influenced by the dynamics of the packet flows, as much as it is influenced by the network topology. In a biological regulatory network we need to understand the dynamics that control the excitation and the suppression of gene activity and other transcription factors. In this work we introduce a preliminary simulation study of the flow of information in networks with different topological properties and activation functions. The goal is to approach the analysis of network dynamics from a data-driven approach, using simulations to capture, understand, and possibly model the overall dynamics of the network in a self-regulated perspective.
Shannon-Inspired Statistical Computing for the Nanoscale Era

Modern day computing systems are based on the von Neumann architecture proposed in 1945 but face dual challenges of: 1) unique data-centric requirements of emerging applications and 2) increased nondeterminism of nanoscale technologies caused by process variations and failures. This paper presents a Shannon-inspired statistical model of computation (statistical computing) that addresses the statistical attributes of both emerging cognitive workloads and nanoscale fabrics within a common framework. Statistical computing is a principled approach to the design of non-von Neumann architectures. It emphasizes the use of information-based metrics; enables the determination of fundamental limits on energy, latency, and accuracy; guides the exploration of statistical design principles for low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) circuit fabrics and architectures such as deep in-memory architecture (DIMA) and deep in-sensor architecture (DISA); and thereby provides a framework for the design of computing systems that approach the limits of energy efficiency, latency, and accuracy. From its early origins, Shannon-inspired statistical computing has grown into a concrete design framework validated extensively via both theory and laboratory prototypes in both CMOS and beyond. The framework continues to grow at both of these levels, yielding new ways of connecting systems through architectures, circuits, and devices, for the semiconductor roadmap to march into the nanoscale era.
Determination of interfacial fracture energy for 'pop-in' delaminations in a glass-epoxy system using the indentation method

The adhesion of coatings often controls the performance of the substrate-coating system. Certain engineering applications require an epoxy coating on a brittle substrate to protect and improve the performance of the substrate. Interfacial adhesion measurements of such systems provide a quantitative metric of that performance. Indentation experiments were performed to induce interfacial delaminations in a glass substrate-epoxy coating system. Delamination loads and radii were measured and applied to an analytical solution originally developed by Rosenfeld et al. (1990) to estimate the interfacial fracture energy of the substrate-coating adhesive bond. Results suggest an interfacial bond strength far exceeding that of similar previously studied glass-epoxy systems.
Intramedullary spinal cord metastases: an institutional review of survival and outcomes

Intramedullary spinal cord metastases (ISCMs) are rare lesions affecting the spinal cord in patients with disseminated malignancy. Today, due to increased survival, these lesions are more frequently diagnosed. Literature on survival and neurologic outcomes is sparse. Herein, we describe a single institutional case series on ISCMs reported to date in the English literature. We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients diagnosed with intramedullary metastatic lesions at our institution between 1997 and 2016. We analyzed different approaches to management and factors influencing survival and neurologic outcomes. A total of 70 patients (86 lesions) were analyzed. Most lesions were found in thoracic spinal cord (50%) followed by cervical (34%) and conus medullaris (14%). Mean age at diagnosis was 55.6 ± 10.6 years with 60% (n = 42) being females. Median survival was 104.5 days (range 1–888 days). Twenty-three patients (33%) received conservative management, 39 (56%) received palliative radiotherapy, whereas 8 (11%) underwent surgery with one patient receiving only a biopsy. Age, sex, presence of concomitant brain and other systemic metastasis didn’t influence survival. Patients with solitary metastases had longer survival compared to multiple lesions (3.6 vs. 2.2 months, p = 0.01). In patients with solitary lesions without brain metastasis, surgical resection was associated with significantly longer survival (6 months vs. 3 months, p = 0.02). The overall survival in patients with intramedullary metastasis remains poor. Surgical management may contribute to improved survival and neurologic outcomes in selected patients. Intramedullary metastasis may have a greater role on overall survival compared to systemic metastatic burden.
Cluster Analysis: Overview

This article discusses analysis techniques for clustering objects into hopefully meaningful sets. Hierarchical methods are presented for clustering both variables and cases. Examples are presented for variations on the methods. A nonhierarchical method, k-means, is discussed for continuous data. Finally, an example comparing the results of k-means clustering to an ad hoc method using principal components analysis is given. Keywords: clustering; distance functions; hierarchical; principal components; single-linkage
Simultaneous Measurement of Turbulence and Particle Kinematics Using Flow Imaging Techniques

Numerous problems in scientific and engineering fields involve understanding the kinematics of particles in turbulent flows, such as contaminants, marine micro-organisms, and/or sediments in the ocean, or fluidized bed reactors and combustion processes in engineered systems. In order to study the effect of turbulence on the kinematics of particles in such flows, simultaneous measurements of both the flow and particle kinematics are required. Non-intrusive, optical flow measurement techniques for measuring turbulence, or for tracking particles, exist but measuring both simultaneously can be challenging due to interference between the techniques. The method presented herein provides a low cost and relatively simple method to make simultaneous measurements of the flow and particle kinematics. A cross section of the flow is measured using a particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique, which provides two components of velocity in the measurement plane. This technique utilizes a pulsed-laser for illumination of the seeded flow field that is imaged by a digital camera. The particle kinematics are simultaneously imaged using a light emitting diode (LED) line light that illuminates a planar cross section of the flow that overlaps with the PIV field-of-view (FOV). The line light is of low enough power that it does not affect the PIV measurements, but powerful enough to illuminate the larger particles of interest imaged using the high-speed camera. High-speed images that contain the laser pulses from the PIV technique are easily filtered by examining the summed intensity level of each high-speed image. By making the frame rate of the high-speed camera incommensurate with that of the PIV camera frame rate, the number of contaminated frames in the high-speed time series can be minimized. The technique is suitable for mean flows that are predominantly two-dimensional, contain particles that are at least 5 times the mean diameter of the PIV seeding tracers, and are low in concentration.
Blood Letters: The Untold Story of Lin Zhao, A Martyr in Mao's China. By Xi Lian. (New York, NY: Basic Books, 2018. Pp. 352. $25.98.)

The year 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Lin Zhao, a female martyr and victim of Mao's Cultural Revolution. Xi Lian's book Blood Letters is the first English‐language biography of L...
Multimodality imaging for no contrast trans-catheter closure of an arteriovenous fistula

A 6-year-old patient was diagnosed with an arteriovenous fistula in the neck region. Non-invasive three-dimensional imaging, including computed tomography and ultrasonography, was used for guidance of percutaneous closure of the fistula and evaluation of the final outcome.
You Can't Drive a Car With Only Three Wheels

Authors aiming to estimate causal effects from observational data frequently discuss 3 fundamental identifiability assumptions for causal inference: exchangeability, consistency, and positivity. However, too often, studies fail to acknowledge the importance of measurement bias in causal inference. In the presence of measurement bias, the aforementioned identifiability conditions are not sufficient to estimate a causal effect. The most fundamental requirement for estimating a causal effect is knowing who is truly exposed and unexposed. In this issue of the Journal, Caniglia et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2019;000(00):000-000) present a thorough discussion of methodological challenges when estimating causal effects in the context of research on distance to obstetrical care. Their article highlights empirical strategies for examining nonexchangeability due to unmeasured confounding and selection bias and potential violations of the consistency assumption. In addition to the important considerations outlined by Caniglia et al., authors interested in estimating causal effects from observational data should also consider implementing quantitative strategies to examine the impact of misclassification. The objective of this commentary is to emphasize that you can't drive a car with only three wheels, and you also cannot estimate a causal effect in the presence of exposure misclassification bias.
EVALUATION OF THE ROLE OF CATECHOLAMINES IN ALTERING GLUCOSE METABOLISM AFTER INJURY

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role of catecholamines in altering glucose metabolism after injury. The hormonal milieu is altered after burn injury; the most consistent change is a dramatic rise in the plasma catecholamine level. In an experiment described in the chapter, adrenergic blockade resulted in a significant decrease in glucagon concentration of approximately 20% in both control and burned animals. In contrast, cortisol concentration increased 150% in controls within 10 min after blockade. The burned animals started from a significantly higher level of cortisol, but the increase in concentration was not as dramatic after blockade. There were no changes in either insulin or growth hormone concentration after blockade. Combined adrenergic blockade caused a modest increase of 10–15% in plasma glucose concentration in control animals because of an increase in glucose production. When the counter-regulatory hormones were controlled, the hyperglycemic response to blockade was more pronounced, and the peak plasma glucose concentration was 95% greater than the level before blockade. The hyperglycemia was attributable entirely to an increase in glucose production.
The complementarity of serial femtosecond crystallography and MicroED for structure determination from microcrystals.

In recent years, nano and microcrystals have emerged as a valuable source of high-resolution structural information owing to the invention of serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) with X-ray free electron lasers and microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) using electron cryomicroscopes. Once considered useless for structure determination, nano/microcrystals now confer significant advantages for static and time-resolved structure determination from a wide variety of difficult-to-study targets. MicroED has been used to obtain sub-Angstrom resolution maps in which hydrogen atoms can be clearly resolved from only a few nano/microcrystals, while SFX has been used to probe protein dynamics following reaction initiation on time scales from femtoseconds to minutes. We review these two complementary techniques and their abilities for high-resolution structure determination.
Approaches to the Salvage of Axillary Bilateral Femoral Bypass in Patients with Claudication due to Demand Ischemia

The axillary bilateral femoral bypass is often utilized as an alternative to in-line aortic reconstruction in patients with multiple medical comorbidities, who would be unable to tolerate open abdominal surgery with an aortic clamp, or patients with mycotic aneurysms, or infected grafts. Idealized fluid mechanics suggest that there would be equal flow in an axillary bilateral femoral bypass when compared to in-line reconstruction. However, in a non-idealized state, friction results in kinetic energy loss and decreased volume flow to the lower extremities in the longer, smaller diameter graft. Although older or less active people may tolerate the lower volume flow of a long segment extra-anatomic bypass, there is growing evidence that a subset of patients will be symptomatic from reduced flow volumes. Here we present 3 patients in whom symptomatic relief was achieved with the addition of a contralateral axillary femoral bypass and ligation of the previous femorofemoral component.
High-Tech/High-Touch Nursing Care in the Genomic Era

In this column, nurse practitioner, educator, and scientist Dr Andrew Dwyer describes his program of translational research aimed at advancing nurses' crucial role in delivering person-centered care and engaging consumers to make informed decisions for genetic testing that are in line with their val
Shear banding, intermittency, jamming, and dynamic phases for skyrmions in inhomogeneous pinning arrays

We examine driven skyrmion dynamics in systems with inhomogeneous pinning where a strip of strong pinning coexists with a region containing no pinning. For driving parallel to the strip, we find that the initial skyrmion motion is confined to the unpinned region and the skyrmion Hall angle is zero. At larger drives, a transition occurs to a phase in which motion also appears within the pinned region, creating a shear band in the skyrmion velocity, while the skyrmion Hall angle is still zero. As the drive increases further, the flow becomes disordered and the skyrmion Hall angle increases with drive until saturating at the highest drives when the system transitions into a moving crystal phase. The different dynamic phases are associated with velocity and density gradients across the pinning boundaries. We map out the dynamic phases as a function of pinning strength, skyrmion density, and Magnus force strength, and correlate the phase boundaries with features in the velocity-force curves and changes in the local and global ordering of the skyrmion structure. For large Magnus forces, the shear banding instability is replaced by large scale intermittent flow in the pinned region accompanied by simultaneous motion perpendicular to the direction of the drive, which appears as oscillations in the transport curves. We also examine the case of a drive applied perpendicular to the strip, where we find a jamming effect in which the skyrmion flow is blocked by skyrmion-skyrmion interactions until the drive is large enough to induce plastic flow.
The Price of Individual and Institutional Self-Censorship

While self-censorship is a necessary part of everyday social life, suppression of campus speech is inconsistent with academic freedom. Such suppression may take the form of speech disruptions and disinvitations, but it may also be the result of speech codes and bias response teams. These practices may lead to judical remedies. Campus self-censorship in the form of the refusal to sponsor campus public policy debates or forums with diverse viewpoints can only be remedied when higher education adopts models of civil disagreement about important public policy issues.
Effectiveness of a short-term and simple exercise training program for older adults

While there have been many studies determining the effectiveness of training programs to decrease fall risk in the elderly, most of them require special equipment, leader training, or major time commitments (more than 8 weeks, multiple times per week). Individuals older than 66 years old identified an exercise program offered at home, twice a week, lasting 10 or 30 minutes, and with no associated cost as being more attractive than other training program options offered (Franco et al., 2015). The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a simple six-week exercise program on fall risk factors. Thirty-eight older adults were assigned to a Training Group or a Control Group. Investigator-led balance and lower extremity strength exercises were performed twice a week. Mobility, leg strength and postural sway were measured before and after the six weeks for both groups. A survey determined perceptions of participant abilities and fear of falling at three different times. Timed Up and Go times decreased (p = .008), leg strength increased (p = .022), and postural sway decreased in the anteroposterior direction and overall, for the Training Group (p < .05) while the Control group displayed no differences. Surveys administered determined no differences for the Control group, but the Training Group perceived that they had better balance, mobility, and leg strength and a decreased fear of falling (p < .05). This simple training program led to changes that would likely decrease fall risk and did so in an extremely short time.
Perturbing the energy landscape for improved packing during computational protein design.

The FastDesign protocol in the molecular modeling program Rosetta iterates between sequence optimization and structure refinement to stabilize de novo designed protein structures and complexes. FastDesign has been used previously to design novel protein folds and assemblies with important applications in research and medicine. To promote sampling of alternative conformations and sequences, FastDesign includes stages where the energy landscape is smoothened by reducing repulsive forces. Here, we discover that this process disfavors larger amino acids in the protein core because the protein compresses in the early stages of refinement. By testing alternative ramping strategies for the repulsive weight, we arrive at a scheme that produces lower energy designs with more native-like sequence composition in the protein core. We further validate the protocol by designing and experimentally characterizing over 4000 proteins and show that the new protocol produces higher stability proteins. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Effect of Hepatitis C Virus Infection on Heart Transplants in the Current Era.

BACKGROUND The effect of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in recipients or donors on heart transplants is less known in the current era after the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) in 2011. METHODS Using the United Network for Organ Sharing registry, 24 871 adult heart transplant recipients between 2005 and 2019 were identified. The trend in prevalence of HCV-infected recipients and in utilization of HCV-infected donors and their effect on the transplant outcomes were investigated in the past era versus the current era separated by 2011, using Cox proportional hazard regression. RESULTS HCV antibody-positive recipients (n = 520, 2.1%) had stable prevalence (P = 0.18). They had a lower survival estimate when compared with HCV antibody-negative recipients in the past era (55.3% versus 70.9% at 7 y; hazard ratio [HR], 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-1.91; P < 0.001), however not in the current era (73.1% versus 71.5% at 7 y; HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.75-1.32; P = 0.98) (Pinteraction < 0.001). Organ use from HCV antibody-positive donors (n = 371, 1.5%) was concentrated in the recent years (P < 0.001) and provided the similar survival estimate up to 2 y (84.2% versus 87.6%; HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.65-1.44; P = 0.87). The similar findings were confirmed with a subgroup cohort with positive nucleic acid amplification test. CONCLUSIONS Positive HCV antibody in recipients did not adversely affect the long-term transplant outcomes in the current era. Graft utilization from positive HCV antibody or nucleic acid amplification test-positive donors are rapidly more prevalent and appeared to be promising up to 2 y posttransplant.