cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model of Rifampin in Mice

One problem associated with regimen-based development of antituberculosis (anti-TB) drugs is the difficulty of a systematic and thorough in vivo evaluation of the large number of possible regimens that arise from consideration of multiple drugs tested together. A mathematical model capable of simulating the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of experimental combination chemotherapy of TB offers a way to mitigate this problem by extending the use of available data to investigate regimens that are not initially tested. In order to increase the available mathematical tools needed to support such a model for preclinical anti-TB drug development, we constructed a preliminary whole-body physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model of rifampin in mice, using data from the literature. Interindividual variability was approximated using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation with assigned probability distributions for the model parameters. An MC sensitivity analysis was also performed to determine correlations between model parameters and plasma concentration to inform future model development. Model predictions for rifampin concentrations in plasma, liver, kidneys, and lungs, following oral administration, were generally in agreement with published experimental data from multiple studies. Sensitive model parameters included those descriptive of oral absorption, total clearance, and partitioning of rifampin between blood and muscle. This PBPK model can serve as a starting point for the integration of rifampin pharmacokinetics in mice into a larger mathematical framework, including the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, and pharmacokinetic models for other anti-TB drugs.
Sculpting the Illness Experience

Otto Kamensek provided the cover art for the Fall 2014 issue of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. “Glimmer of Hope” is part of Otto’s collection “Shard’s, Bone Deep,” which includes hand-built ceramic sculptures that portray his experiences with a lifelong chronic illness. Engaging in ceramic sculpture helps him process the experiences associated with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and provides a means to support others experiencing chronic illness.
A new parallel algorithm for CRC generation

Cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is one of the most important error-detection schemes used in digital communications. A new parallel algorithm for CRC generation and its software as well as hardware implementation is described. For the software implementation, this paper has focused on the 32-bit CRC used in the Ethernet, computed on a general purpose PowerPC microprocessor with the new AltiVec technology. A speedup by a factor of 4.57 over the standard table-lookup algorithm was obtained. A hardware implementation of the algorithm is then discussed, which yields an unlimited speed-up potential over the bit-wise serial algorithm.
Evoked Potentials and EEG Suggest CNS Inhibitory Deficits in Aging

The central nervous system (CNS) comprises some fifty billion neurons. From the simplest reflex to the most complex activity, all behavior depends on the special ability of these neurons to communicate with the environment, with other neurons within the nervous system, and with muscles and glands. Communication between neurons is accomplished by electrochemical depolarization at nerve cell membranes that travels along cell processes to trigger the release of chemical neurotransmitters at synaptic clefts. These transmitters drift across the synaptic cleft and attach to receptor sites on the postsynaptic membrane effecting one of two possible changes: depolarization which biases membrane potentials of receiving neurons so that action potentials are more likely to occur (excitation), or hyperpolarization which decreases the likelihood of cell firing (inhibition). At any time, the probability of action potentials depends on the temporal and spatial summation of these excitatory and inhibitory effects. Thus, all behavior is controlled by excitatory and inhibitory neuronal activity and reflects an ongoing and dynamic shifting of the predominance of the two effects [55]. The importance of inhibition within the CNS is eloquently described by McGeer et al. [49, pg 133].
Deletion of the nuclear localization sequence and C-terminus of parathyroid hormone–related protein decreases osteogenesis and chondrogenesis but increases adipogenesis and myogenesis in murine bone marrow stromal cells

The N-terminus of parathyroid hormone–related protein regulates bone marrow stromal cell differentiation. We hypothesized that the nuclear localization sequence and C-terminus are involved. MicroRN...
The effect of TOC on acoustic impedance for a Middle Eastern source rock

Acoustic impedance (AI) is correlated with total organic carbon (TOC), where AI decreases as TOC increases. An example is presented that demonstrates this relationship using wireline and lab data for a source rock from northwest Saudi Arabia. We discuss why this relationship is expected and support this expectation quantitatively with a simple, theoretical rock-physics model (not calibrated to any data). We then use well and lab data to establish an empirical relation and combine it with seismic data to map the areal distribution of TOC over our study area. We verify quantitatively that the addition of seismic data improved the map. Finally, we discuss various issues regarding the confidence that can be attributed to such a map.
Comparative Static in Terms of Three Adjustment Weights

For a competitive market, using the competitive market structures three adjustment weights that Mallick (2014) defined, this paper derives general formulae of changes in equilibrium price and quantity that take in simultaneous changes in all the exogenous factors that are present in an ordinary demand and in a supply. From these general formulae, it then derives formulae for three special cases: parallel shifts in demand and supply, the demand and supply tilt about their respective quantity intercept, and the demand and supply tilt about their respect price intercept.
Newer developments in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in the era of anti-fibrotic medications

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common interstitial lung disease with a fatal prognosis. Over the last decade, the concepts in pathobiology of pulmonary fibrosis have shifted from a model of chronic inﬂammation to dysregulated ﬁbroproliferative repair in genetically predisposed patients. Although new breakthrough treatments are now available that slow the progression of the disease, several newer anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic drugs are under investigation. Patients with IPF often have coexistent conditions; prompt detection and interventions of which may improve the overall outcome of patients with IPF. Here, we summarize the present understanding of pathogenesis of IPF and treatment options for IPF in the current landscape of new anti-fibrotic treatment options.
Power consuming administrative system and its smart collecting units based on GPRS

Electric larceny in industrial huge users severely damages the benefits of power enterprises,so power consuming administrative system on industrial huge users is very important to power supply bureaus for its capability in timely locating electric larceny.The communication mode of general packet radio service(GPRS) has the excellence of real time response,low construction costs,wide coverage,etc,so it is very suitable for the power consuming administrative system on industrial huge users.In this paper,GPRS-based power consuming administrative system and its smart collecting units are described in detail.The serial-port/GPRS converting kernel module and the more well-rounded bidirectional data conversion and transfer equipment are presented.The GPRS-based power consuming administrative system provides a solution to electric larceny prevention and the improvement on power supply/consumption analysis and management.
Design & Application of Video Image Encode and Transmission System for UAV GCS

In order to fulfill the networking requirement of UAV Ground Control Station(GCS) video image signal is sent through network and displayed in real time.The system consists of server based on DSP and general software client.The server digitizes,encodes and sends the video signal in real time by setting three parallel software tasks,the client receives,decodes and displays the video image in real time.Thus the system realizes the function of displaying video image on all the monitor terminals in the GCS.Real flight tests show that the system meets all the feature and function requirements of GCS.Meanwhile it saves precious space in GCS through digital networking design.The design concept of this system can be used for reference for similar system design.
AN IMPROVED DETERMINATION OF THE CHARACTERISTIC POLYNOMIAL FOR THE STANDARD EIGENVALUE PROBLEM

An algorithm for the determination of the coefficients of the characteristic polynomial of the standard eigenvalue problem is presented. Simple row and column operations are used to formally reduce the matrix (A - λI) to upper Hessenburg form with λ being carried as a variable. Row operations are then employed to clear all but the (1,N) entry in the upper row. The resulting (1,N) entry is a scalar multiple of the characteristic polynomial.
Marx: Historical Materialism and Economics

Marx and Frederick Engels exchanged ideas for the first time in late 1844. Engels had submitted a piece for publication in the German-French Yearbooks, the substance of which Engels later published in book form under the title On the Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844. Engels’s depiction of the poverty of the working class at the height of the industrial revolution in England in the first half of the nineteenth century dovetailed nicely with Marx’s depiction of the revolutionary role of the proletariat set forth in Towards a Critique to Hegel’s Philosophy of Right: An Introduction; and both agreed that the establishment of a socialist society through the revolutionary role of the working class was the materialist key to the universal emancipation of mankind from the loss of the product and activity of the worker in alienated labor. Bruno Bauer and his brother Edgar Bauer, on the other hand, still held that alienated self-consciousness rested only in a fantastic mental image of the individual as a divine world creator possessing the universal powers of the human species. Their solution to alienated self-consciousness therefore continued to rest in a “pure criticism” of religion grasped by all mankind in a secular state. As such, they denounced the notion of a class struggle as in itself egoistic and self-serving, and argued that it was responsible for the failure of the French Revolution of 1789 in dividing society and undermining the consolidation of a secular democratic state as the true basis to the abolition of the alienated self-consciousness of the egoistic man.
Objective and Subjective Aspects of the Drive to Eat in Obesogenic Environments

In obesogenic environments the compulsion to eat and eating behaviors occur even though biomarkers of physiological hunger are not present. Appetite is driven by a symphony of invisible hormones, enzymes, peptides, neurotransmitters and neuromodulators from peripheral inputs including the sensory organs, adipose tissue, stomach, small intestines and pancreas acting in the gut and the central nervous system (CNS) particularly the hindbrain, hypothalamus and cerebral cortex. Many of these responses are catalyzed by the visible abundance of food and food cues that are ever-present for an increasing number of people. Other aspects of the environment that unconsciously (mindlessly) increase food intake are: large packages, eating distractions, convenience, as well as physical characteristics of foods such as high food salience and increases in variety. Chemosensory (i.e., sweetness) and visual manipulations (e.g., colors and shapes) of food are prominent features of the obesogenic environment and are deceptive with regard to both consumption volume and energy density. This chapter will explore the linkages of these objective neurophysiological parameters, their environmental triggers and the subjective experiences of obesogenic eating.
Revealing the Diversity of Natural Hydrologic Regimes in California with Relevance for Environmental Flows Applications

Alterations to flow regimes for water management objectives have degraded river ecosystems worldwide. These alterations are particularly profound in Mediterranean climate regions such as California with strong climatic variability and riverine species highly adapted to the resulting flooding and drought disturbances. However, defining environmental flow targets for Mediterranean rivers is complicated by extreme hydrologic variability and often intensive water management legacies. Improved understanding of the diversity of natural streamflow patterns and their spatial arrangement across Mediterranean regions is needed to support the future development of effective flow targets at appropriate scales for management applications with minimal resource and data requirements. Our study addresses this need through the development of a spatially explicit reach-scale hydrologic classification for California. Dominant hydrologic regimes and their physio-climatic controls are revealed, using available unimpaired and naturalized streamflow time-series and generally publicly available geospatial datasets. This methodology identifies eight natural flow classes representing distinct flow sources, hydrologic characteristics, and catchment controls over rainfall-runoff response. The study provides a broad-scale hydrologic framework upon which flow-ecology relationships could subsequently be established towards reach-scale environmental flows applications in a complex, highly altered Mediterranean region.
Towards Causal Estimates of Children's Time Allocation on Skill Development

Cognitive and noncognitive skills are critical for a host of economic and social outcomes as an adult. While there is broad agreement that a significant amount of skill acquisition and development occurs early in life, the precise activities and investments that drive this process are not well understood. In this paper we examine how children’s time allocation affects their accumulation of skill. Children’s time allocation is endogenous in a model of skill production since it is chosen by parents and children. We apply a recently developed test of exogeneity to search for models that yield causal estimates of the impact time inputs have on child skills. We show that the test, which exploits bunching in time inputs induced by a non-negativity time constraint, has power to detect endogeneity stemming from omitted variables, simultaneity, measurement error, and several forms of model misspecification. We find that with a sufficiently rich set of controls, we are unable to reject exogeneity in our most detailed production function specifications. The estimates from these models indicate that active time with adult family members, such as parents and grandparents, are the most productive in generating cognitive skill.
The Woodstock Lineament: A Possible Surface Expression of the Seismogenic Fault of the 1886 Charleston, South Carolina, Earthquake

A SPOT satellite image of the Charleston, South Carolina, area revealed a linear feature, the Woodstock lineament, that may be the surface expression of a seismogenic fault of the 1886 Charleston earthquake. An enhancement of the SPOT image reveals a linear, 5 km wide band on the east side of the lineament that extends at least 65 km in a north-northeast direction and coincides with a part of the axis of the highest intensity isoseismal contours of the Charleston earthquake. Corroborative geologic, geodetic, and geophysical data suggest that the lineament and associated band may be the result of ongoing tectonic activity on the Woodstock fault inferred from seismicity.
Nuclear Models for High Spin Phenomena

Physics is well known for its strong emphasis on quantitative theory to guide understanding. In nuclear physics we have numerous theoretical models that explain different aspects of nuclear behavior. In many cases these models build upon each other, for instance, the deformed shell model (or Nilsson model) is a generalization of the shell model. In some cases these models are composited together, the output of one calculation serving as part of the input to another calculation. In this chapter the models that contribute to understanding the nucleus at high spin, particularly in the wobbling mode, are discussed.
A dental fluorosis trend analysis of children aged 8 to 12 in drinking-water-type endemic fluorosis areas of Hubei Province from 2010 to 2014

Objective Through the dynamical monitoring of the water improvement projects operation, we intend to understand the prevalent trends of endemic fluorosis of children aged 8 to 12 in Hubei, to evaluate the effect of control measures and to provide the basis for making preventive measures. Methods In Hubei, ten surveillance counties were selected, and three epidemic villages were selected as fixed monitoring villages in each county from 2010 to 2014. In those villages, the operation situation of water improvement projects and the fluoride content in drinking water were detected, and the dental fluorosis of children aged 8 to 12 was diagnosed. Results From 2010 to 2014, the normal operation rate of water improvement projects was 75.61%-100.00%, the average of water fluorine content did not change, the differences were not statistically significant (F = 2.00, P > 0.05). The numbers of water improvement projects with water fluorine content in excessive amount was increased in the past five years which was only one project in 2010-2012 and was increased to two projects in 2013 and 2014. In 2010-2014, the dental fluorosis prevalence rate of whole children was 9.45% (525/5 557), the dental fluorosis prevalence rate of exceeding-standard villages of water fluoride content was 42.40% (92/217), the dental fluorosis prevalence rate of qualified villages was 8.11% (433/5 340). The children's dental fluorosis prevalence rate of exceeding-standard villages of water fluoride content was higher than that in qualified villages; the differences were statistically significant (χ2 = 282.60, P < 0.05). Conclusions The operation rate of water-improving projects is mostly higher than 90%, and so is the qualification rate of fluoride content in drinking water. The operation condition and water quality of the water-improving projects in Hubei need to be improved. The prevalence of children dental fluorosis of affected villages has dropped significantly after low fluoride water is provided continuously. Key words: Drinking; Water-improving project; Fluorosis, dental; Trend analysis
Evaluating Diabetes Care for Patients With Serious Mental Illness Using the Chronic Care Model: A Pilot Study

People with serious mental illness (SMI) have a higher incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and shorter life span due to medical health problems. The chronic care model (CCM) has been used to improve care of patients with T2DM. One clinical organization that provided primary care to patients with SMI had excellent diabetes outcomes but did not have information on how they achieved those outcomes. Thus, we conducted a pilot study chart review for 30 patients with T2DM and SMI to determine how well the clinic’s system aligned with the overall CCM components and which components correlated with diabetes control. We also evaluated use of the CCM using the Assessment of Chronic Illness Care provider survey. Results showed that the clinic had an overall basic implementation level of the CCM, which allows opportunity for improvement. Two elements of the CCM were correlated with hemoglobin A1C and both were in an unexpected direction: self-management support in the variable of percentage of visits that in...
Breastfeeding Challenges and the Preterm Mother-Infant Dyad: A Conceptual Model.

Abstract Breastfeeding is an experience that only a mother and her infant(s) can share. Infants who can feed from the breast receive not only the best nutrition but also, due to the close physical contact between mother and child, it is the optimal nurturance they can receive from their mother. When breastfeeding is trouble free, maternal well-being is uniquely heightened. However, breastfeeding remains a challenge for many mother-infant dyads and more so for those whose infants are born prematurely. This article introduces a conceptual model of the breastfeeding challenges facing preterm mother-infant dyads. It distinguishes between a maternal caregiving and an infant growth/development components. Within the maternal component, two primary elements are considered, that is, maternal behavioral and nutritional care. The two primary elements within the infant component include infant non-nutritional and nutritional growth/development. It is proposed that an improved understanding of the factors associated ...
Association Between Nursing Visits and Hospital-Related Disenrollment in the Home Hospice Population.

Background:Over 10% of hospice patients experience a transition out of hospice care during the last months of life. Hospice transitions from home to hospital (ie, hospital-related hospice disenrollment) result in fragmented care, which can be burdensome for patients and caregivers. Nurses play a major role in delivering home hospice care, yet little is known about the association between nursing visits and disenrollment.Objectives:The study’s purpose is to examine the association between the average number of nursing visits per week and hospital-related disenrollment in the home hospice population. We hypothesize that more nursing visits per week will be associated with reduced odds for disenrollment.Design:A retrospective cohort study using Medicare data.Participants:Medicare hospice beneficiaries who were ≥18 years old in 2012.Outcome measured:Hospitalization within 2 days of hospice disenrollment.Results:The sample included 115 103 home hospice patients, 6450 (5.6%) of whom experienced a hospital-relat...
Grain refinement of CuZnAl shape memory alloys

Abstract Various dopants, such as boron and its compounds and pure elements such as Zr, Ti, V and Cr, were added to two commercial, copper-based shape memory alloys (70.7% Cu-25.7% Zn-3.58% Al [alloy X] and 65.6% Cu-31.4% Zn-2.95% Al-0.1% Zr [alloy Y]) in order to identify their grain refining abilities. Different annealing schedules were given to certain of the grain-refined alloys to observe their grain growth rate. Boron and various borides provided some degree of grain refinement, although not extensive. Zr and Ti produced the most grain refinement. Moreover, Zr suppressed the grain growth rate to virtually zero even after 6 h annealing at 800°C. The Ti-doped alloys had a relatively larger grain growth rate. Zr-rich second-phase particles, observed at the grain boundaries of Zr-doped alloys, are believed to be responsible for grain refinement. The formability of all alloys investigated was studied by hot-rolling with intermediate annealing. A 98% reduction, leading to a final thickness of 0.254 mm could be achieved for all the alloys. For the 0.91% Zr-doped alloys, a 98% reduction did not increase the grain growth rate. Zr-, Ti-, V-, and Cr-doped alloys were tensile-fractured as well as impact-fractured in situ in an Auger vacuum system. These alloys all showed a ductile transgranular fracture mode; no grain boundary segregation was detected. An equation to predict the M s temperature in CuZnAl alloys was obtained by analyzing previous data using a first-order linear regression computer program.
Origin and structure of the brood chamber in Bugula neritina (Bryozoa)

The literature on bryozoan reproduction contains varying accounts of the origin and structure of the “hyperstomial” type of brood chamber (ooecium). Because of the widespread occurrence of hyperstomial ooecia in eurystome bryozoans and the discrepancies in previous descriptions of ooecial structure, a reexamination of this problem was initiated. Results of a light microscopic study of Bugula neritina indicate that the ooecium is composed of two parts, between which the embryo is brooded: an outer double-walled calcified ooecial fold and inner membranous ooecial vesicle. The ooecial fold represents a kenozooid derived from the autozooid immediately distal to the maternal autozooid, and is separated from its progenitor by a communication pore. The ooecial vesicle, however, is a simple evagination of the maternal body wall. Therefore, three separate individuals function in formation of the brood chamber: the maternal autozooid, the distal autozooid, and a kenozooid. Confirmation that the epithelium of the vesicle adjacent to the embryo is hypertrophied, and the additional observation that funicular tissue is associated with these epithelial cells support the hypothesis that the maternal autozooid functions in extra-embryonic nutrition of the embryo.
Who's in Charge? Effects of Situational Roles on Automatic Gender Bias

Sixty European American male and female participants' implicit gender-related attitudes were assessed prior to engaging in a cross-gender dyadic interaction, according to one of three situational roles (superior, subordinate, or equal-status partner). Results revealed that the social roles affected male participants' gender attitudes. Specifically, male participants who anticipated an interaction with a female superior revealed negatively biased evaluative attitudes about women. By contrast, males who expected to interact with a female equal-status partner or subordinate revealed attitudes that were biased in favor of women. This finding highlights the importance of situational factors in the generation of implicit attitudes regarding social groups. Specifically, the present data point to the influence of situational status on males' attitudes regarding women. Implications of this work for integration and diversity initiatives are discussed.
Role of central/peripheral chemoreceptors and their interdependence in the pathophysiology of sleep apnea.

Unstable periodic breathing with intermittent ventilatory overshoots and undershoots commonly occurs in chronic heart failure, in hypoxia, with chronic opioid use and in certain types of obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep promotes breathing instability because it unmasks a highly sensitive dependence of the respiratory control system on chemoreceptor input, because transient cortical arousals promote ventilatory overshoots and also because upper airway dilator muscle tonicity is reduced and airway collapsibility enhanced. We will present data in support of the premise that carotid chemoreceptors are essential in the pathogenesis of apnea and periodicity; however it is the hyperadditive influence of peripheral chemoreceptor sensory input on central chemosensitivity that accounts for apnea and periodic breathing. This chemoreceptor interdependence also provides a significant portion of the normal drive to breathe in normoxia (i.e. eupnea) and in acute hypoxia. Finally, we discuss the effects of preventing transient hypocapnia (via selective increases in FICO2) on centrally mediated types of periodic breathing and even some varieties of cyclical obstructive sleep apnea.
Inferring groundwater flow and recharge from time series analysis of storm responses in a karst aquifer of southeastern Kentucky (USA)

Epigenic karst systems exhibit strong connectivity to surface recharge. In land use dominated by extensive agriculture and farming, epigenic karst aquifers are highly vulnerable to surface contaminants from point and nonpoint sources. Currently, the karstic landscapes of the southeastern Kentucky platform (USA) are impacted by agriculture and the rapid proliferation of concentrated-animal-feeding operations. Analysis of karst aquifer responses to storm events provides qualitative information regarding aquifer–recharge flow paths and groundwater residence time, and knowledge of spatial and temporal variations in recharge and flow is crucial to the understanding of the fate of surface contaminants. Time-series correlation analyses on long-term physicochemical data recorded at the outlet of Grayson Gunnar Cave, an epigenic karst system located along the Cumberland escarpment in southeastern Kentucky, revealed the existence of two separate conduit branches responding 4–8 h apart from each other. Recorded storm response times range from 4 h for flushing and dilution to 7 h for recovery. An estimated 6 million L of stored groundwater is discharged from both branches during major storms, and the fastest responding branch accounts for the majority (80%) of the groundwater reserve being discharged through the spring. As evidenced by groundwater residence time (7 days), recharge is likely characterized by localized infiltration of rain water from subsurface sinkholes to the conduit branches with no contribution of regional or lateral groundwater flow.
Estimation of Value-at-Risk Using Mixture Copula Model for Heavy-Tailed Operational Risk Losses in Financial, Insurance & Climatological Data

Data fusion techniques are being regularly used for analysis in Operational Risk Management (ORM). A popular and commonly used risk metric of interest, Value-at-Risk (VaR), has always been difficult to robustly estimate for different data types. The classical Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) approach (denoted henceforth as classical approach) assumes the independence of loss severity and loss frequency. In practice, this assumption may not always hold. To overcome this limitation and handle cases with heavy-tail data and more robustly estimate the corresponding VaR, we adopt a new approach known as Mixture Copula-based Parametric Modeling of Frequency and Severity (MCPFS). The proposed approach is verified via large-scale MCS experiments and validated on four publicly available financial datasets. We compare MCPFS with the classical approach for robust VaR estimation. We observe that the classical approach estimates VaR poorly while the MCPFS methodologies attain better VaR estimates for real-world data. These studies provide real-world evidence that the MCPFS methodologies have merits for its use to accurately estimate VaR.
Localized prosocial preferences, public goods, and common-pool resources

The presence of prosocial preferences is thought to reduce significantly the difficulty of solving societal collective action problems such as providing public goods (or reducing public bads). However, prosociality is often limited to members of an in-group. We present a general theoretical model where society is split into subgroups and people care more about the welfare of others in their own subgroup than they do about those in out-groups. Individual contributions to the public good spill over and benefit members in each group to different degrees. We then consider special cases of our general model under which we can examine the consequences of localized prosociality for the economic outcomes of society as a whole. We ask to what extent prosociality closes the welfare gap between the Nash equilibrium without prosociality and the social optimum. The answer depends on whether private and public inputs are good or poor substitutes in producing final output. Critically, the degree to which this welfare gap closes is a concave function of the level of prosociality in the case of poor substitutes, so even low levels of prosociality can lead to social welfare near the social optimum.
LEFT VENTRICULAR EJECTION FRACTION: COMPARISON BETWEEN TRUE VOLUME-BASED MEASUREMENTS AND AREA-BASED ESTIMATES

Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a critical measure of cardiac health commonly acquired in clinical practice, which serves as the basis for cardiovascular therapeutic treatment. Ultrasound (US) imaging of the heart is the most common, least expensive, reliable and non-invasive modality to assess LVEF. Cardiologists, in practice, persistently use 2D US images to provide visual estimates of LVEF, which are based on 2D information embedded in the US images by examining the area changes in LV blood pool between diastole and systole. There has been some anecdotal evidence that visual estimation of the LVEF based on the area changes of the LV blood pool significantly underestimate true LVEF. True LVEF should be calculated based on changes in LV volumes between diastole and systole. In this project, we utilized both idealized models of the LV geometry — a truncated prolate spheroid (TPS) and a paraboloid model — to represent the LV anatomy. Cross-sectional areas and volumes of simulated LV shapes using both models were calculated to compare the LVEF. Further, a LV reconstruction algorithm was employed to build the LV blood pool volume in both systole and diastole from multi-plane 2D US imaging data. Our mathematical models yielded an area-based LVEF of 41 ± 4.7% and a volume-based LVEF of 55 ± 5.7%, while the 3D reconstruction model showed an area-based LVEF of 35 ± 11.9% and a volume-based LVEF of 48.0 ± 14.0%. In summary, the area-based LVEF using all three models underestimate the volume-based LVEF using corresponding models by 13% to 14%. This preliminary study confirms both mathematically and empirically that area-based LVEF estimates indeed underestimate the true volume-based LVEF measurements and suggests that true volumetric measurements of the LV blood pool must be computed to correctly assess cardiac LVEF.
Measuring intercultural knowledge and competence in college essays: Does a performance-based rubric have construct validity?

Abstract College mission statements describe their belief that a meaningful college experience includes curricular and co-curricular activities that challenge students to develop socially-responsible attitudes and actions toward others. This charge highlights the dynamic role of the university in society and the need for valid measures to evaluate mission effectiveness and inform programmatic decision-making. In response to this need, research regarding the use of rubrics for rating performance-based assignments (PBAs) such as college essays is growing (McConnell et al., 2019). This study explored the construct validity and reliability of a performance-based rubric, the Intercultural Knowledge and Competence VALUE Rubric (Rhodes, 2010), the items of which are posited to measure elements of Social Responsibility (SR). Using data from PBAs embedded within general-education courses and scored by multi-disciplinary faculty, we evaluated aspects of construct validity and reliability of the rubric. Overall, our results provide evidence that this rubric has favorable statistical properties that lend support to its usage.
Artificial Intelligence and Arthroplasty at a Single Institution: Real-World Applications of Machine Learning to Big Data, Value-Based Care, Mobile Health, and Remote Patient Monitoring

Abstract Background Driven by the recent ubiquity of big data and computing power, we established the Machine Learning Arthroplasty Laboratory (MLAL) to examine and apply artificial intelligence (AI) to musculoskeletal medicine. Methods In this review, we discuss the 2 core objectives of the MLAL as they relate to the practice and progress of orthopedic surgery: (1) patient-specific, value-based care and (2) human movement. Results We developed and validated several machine learning-based models for primary lower extremity arthroplasty that preoperatively predict patient-specific, risk-adjusted value metrics, including cost, length of stay, and discharge disposition, to provide improved expectation management, preoperative planning, and potential financial arbitration. Additionally, we leveraged passive, ubiquitous mobile technologies to build a small data registry of human movement surrounding TKA that permits remote patient monitoring to evaluate therapy compliance, outcomes, opioid intake, mobility, and joint range of motion. Conclusion The rapid rate with which we in arthroplasty are acquiring and storing continuous data, whether passively or actively, demands an advanced processing approach: AI. By carefully studying AI techniques with the MLAL, we have applied this evolving technique as a first step that may directly improve patient outcomes and practice of orthopedics.
What do migration and meteorology have to do with Latin American studies? Bridges across disciplines at the United States Naval Academy

This essay explores how faculty from three different disciplines (applied linguistics, history, and meteorology), all with expertise in Latin America, have promoted an interdisciplinary approach toward Latin American studies through their study of migration and climate. The essay begins by reviewing the history and significance of the U.S. Department of Defense’s LREC initiative on tertiary Spanish language education. The essay then describes how climate and human interests in Latin America can be integrated into undergraduate courses and research projects to leverage students’ intellectual interests (in their major subject) with other academic pursuits (via a minor in Spanish). Finally, the essay discusses how demographic changes in the U.S. have impacted higher education in Spanish. The essay concludes by reviewing some of the guidelines that professional organizations and universities have put in place in response to these challenges, and offers some suggestions for how academics might respond in their institutional contexts.
Technical efficiency and artisanal fishing households: Any hope in oil extracting locations? Evidence from Nigeria

Artisanal fishing household’s production is investigated using stochastic frontier analysis through Cobb-Douglas production function, which incorporates an inefficiency effects model. Descriptive statistics and profitability index were also used to analyzed the data collected. One hundred and twenty eight households were randomly picked through multistage techniques in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. Primary data were chosen using structured questionnaire and interview schedule. Results indicates that greater part of respondents were males with an average age of 42 years who were married with household size of 6 persons. Very many of them did not belong to cooperative society with high educational level. The result indicates that labour, baits and capital inputs were significantly related to output. The average technical efficiency was 73%. This means that the households can still improve their efficiency level by 27%. The structure of production suggests that the returns to scale was 0.9584. The estimated gamma parameter was 0.9423 and was significant at 5% level. Access to credit, membership of cooperative society and fishing experience had an inverse relationship with technical inefficiency while age, fishing distance, gender, number of trips and oil spill had a direct relationship with inefficiency . Artisanal fishing was found to be profitable with a net farm income of N 135261.21 and a benefit cost ratio (BCR) of N 1.20k. The major constraint to artisanal fishing was pollution. Therefore, the study calls for policies that increases the security of oil pipelines in order to stem the tide of oil spillage and invariably water pollution.
Characterization of the Upper Slope Sand Dunes in the South China Sea and their Impact on Acoustic Propagation

Abstract : The long-term goal is to understand, parameterize and predict the impact of physical mechanisms on acoustic propagation in the ocean environment. The objective is to numerically investigate the spectral and angular characteristics of acoustic propagation in the vicinity of the shelfbreak due to the presence of the large subaqueous sand dunes on the upper continental slope in the South China Sea (SCS), and in the presence and absence of the episodic trans-basin internal solitary waves (ISW) approaching the shelfbreak.
College Students’ Time Management: a Self-Regulated Learning Perspective

Despite its recognized importance for academic success, much of the research investigating time management has proceeded without regard to a comprehensive theoretical model for understanding its connections to students’ engagement, learning, or achievement. Our central argument is that self-regulated learning provides the rich conceptual framework necessary for understanding college students’ time management and for guiding research examining its relationship to their academic success. We advance this larger purpose through four major sections. We begin by describing work supporting the significance of time management within post-secondary contexts. Next, we review the limited empirical findings linking time management and the motivational and strategic processes viewed as central to self-regulated learning. We then evaluate conceptual ties between time management and processes critical to the forethought, performance, and post-performance phases of self-regulated learning. Finally, we discuss commonalities in the antecedents and contextual determinants of self-regulated learning and time management. Throughout these sections, we identify avenues of research that would contribute to a greater understanding of time management and its fit within the framework of self-regulated learning. Together, these efforts demonstrate that time management is a significant self-regulatory process through which students actively manage when and for how long they engage in the activities deemed necessary for reaching their academic goals.
Smooth Extubation and Smooth Emergence Techniques: A Narrative Review

There is a paucity of literature on extubation technique and a lack of consensus regarding the definition of smooth extubation. This narrative review paper defines an ideal extubation, otherwise known as a "smooth extubation," reviews perioperative criteria for extubation and risks and adverse events related to extubation, and explores various perioperative techniques that can be used to achieve a smooth extubation while caring for an uncomplicated patient without significant risk factors for extubation failure. In light of the evolving practice during the SARS CoV2 (COVID-19) pandemic to minimize aerosol generation and infection transmission, smooth extubation is particularly important.
Multidisciplinary Approach in Teaching Diagnostic Radiology to Medical Students: The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Virtual Educational Model.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of an online multidisciplinary approach for teaching diagnostic radiology to medical students. Methods An online 10-session case-based learning course was designed and taught by a multidisciplinary team of radiologists, surgeons, and internists. Session topics included common clinical case scenarios for different systems and were hosted on a videoconferencing platform. Students from six medical schools across Texas enrolled in the course. The effectiveness of each session was evaluated using a pretest-posttest design. Students completed a final survey after the course to evaluate their experience. Results An average of 108 attended the live sessions, with attendance peaking at 220. On average, 75 students completed both the pretest and posttest of each session. Posttest scores were an average of 46% higher than pretest scores. A total of 109 students completed the final survey; more than 90% of participants agreed that the program was relevant, that its multidisciplinary approach was valuable, and that it increased their knowledge of imaging as a diagnostic tool. Seventy-four percent said that the program increased their interest in radiology. Almost all participants said that the topics presented were thought to be “excellent and clinically important to learn” by most of the students (70%). Participants reported increased confidence in basic radiology skills after completion of the program. Conclusions An online multidisciplinary approach can be feasibly implemented to address the radiology education needs of a large number of medical students across a group of medical schools.
The Use of Waste Sludge: Benefits to the Regenerative Economy in Bulgaria

This chapter’s target is to accentuate on the benefits for the social-economic development, resulting from the wastewater governance. The wastewater treatment is the process of extraction of extra-resources, namely: residual biogas, used for heat and electricity; sand used in the construction; sludge and purified water, discharged into hydro-basins. Simultaneously, attention should be paid of the environmental challenges in relation to the circular economy. The sludge use should become a national policy with a direct governmental engagement, having in view that wastewater treatment plants and wastewater safety are strategic guidelines. Statistical information was used by Eurostat and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Forestry (MAFF)’s Agristatistics Department (2020). A brief literature review of publications on the topic is made at the outset. Thereafter, more light is placed on the regulatory framework in the EU and Bulgaria. The analysis continues with the situation so far, based on existing statistics on the quantities of sludge received and its utilization in agriculture in the European countries and in Bulgaria. Dependence and sludge effect on grain yield are determined on the basis of regression analysis.