cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative elemental imaging with neutrons for breast cancer diagnosis: A GEANT4 study

Neutron stimulated emission computed tomography (NSECT) has been proposed as an early cancer-detection technique with the capability of 3-D tomographic imaging for identification of malignant tumors. In previous work we have demonstrated the ability of the technique to differentiate between normal and malignant breast tumors based on the concentration of cancer-marking elements in the tissue. Here we present tomographic images from a breast phantom with benign and malignant tumors simulated in GEANT4. A simulated model of the NSECT system was developed in GEANT4, along with phantoms corresponding to the human breast with benign and malignant tumors. Each tumor within the breast was given a different concentration of cancer-marking trace elements based on values reported in literature. The phantom was scanned with a 5-MeV neutron beam over a 180-degree angle. Tomographic images were reconstructed for six elements of interest from 10 different spectral lines. The results showed excellent agreement between the location of the tumor and the concentration of trace element detected in gamma lines from bromine, cesium, sodium and zinc. These results demonstrate the ability of NSECT in quantitative elemental imaging for breast cancer detection.
Examining Profiles of Family Functioning in Pediatric Asthma: Longitudinal Associations With Child Adjustment and Asthma Severity.

Objective Identify profiles of functioning in families of children with asthma and examine whether profile membership predicts subsequent child mental and physical well-being. Methods Primary caregivers and children ( N = 1,030) from the Childhood Asthma Management Program completed questionnaires assessing family functioning and child adaptation at five time points. Asthma severity was also assessed via spirometry. Results Latent profile analyses identified a four-profile solution as best fitting the data: cohesive, permissive, controlling/disengaged, and controlling/enmeshed families. Distal outcome analyses using Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars techniques suggested that children from families that were more cohesive had fewer internalizing and externalizing symptoms. These associations remained stable across time. Family profiles did not differ with regards to child asthma severity. Conclusion Results highlight the importance of looking beyond the effects of distinct components of family functioning and instead using pattern-based approaches. Recommendations for incorporating screenings and services for families in pediatric care settings are provided.
George Herbert Walker Bush: A Disorderly World

Henriksen argues that the end of the Cold War removed the Soviet Union lodestone that orientated US foreign policy since 1945. The disorderly world opened the door for cycler international approaches. The impetus for engagement or disengagement came from the president in office. President Bush furthered re-engagement begun by Ronald Reagan, who assumed office in a disengagement cycle, stemming from the frustrating Vietnam War. While Reagan instituted forward policies, he was more circumspect than his rhetoric implied. Bush pushed successfully to remove the Red Army from Eastern Europe, reunite Germany, and admit it into North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He arm-twisted Britain, France, Germany, and Russia to achieve his goals. Bush invaded Panama and ousted its military ruler without incurring a substantial backlash at home or abroad.
Comparing Civility and Inclusivity of E-Discussion Forum and Radio Talk Platform: A Critical Discourse Analysis of User Comments on the Newest and Oldest 'Faceless', Mediated Discursive Spaces

This study examines user comments of radio talk show call-ins and the corresponding digital discussion forums comments for National Public Radio's (NPR) show On Point. While both media platforms are anonymous and moderated rigorously by NPR staff, the nature and content of the comments in both are vastly different. A frequency analysis followed by critical discourse analysis of the content suggests that the percentage civility of the content in both media, when measured through Papacharissi [1] coding scheme, is very similar. However, the study shows difference in inclusivity, variety of content and degree of incivility. The study further hints that the role of moderator, the role of screener, and the difference in the location of time gap or time lag between the generation of content and the public release of content in final form may be possible reasons that contribute to the difference in nature of interaction in the two 'faceless' mediated discursive spaces.
Activation of C-H Bonds of Alkyl- and Arylnitriles by the TaCl5-PPh3 Lewis Pair.

A new pathway of activation of C–H bonds of alkyl- and arylnitriles by a cooperative action of TaCl5 and PPh3 under mild conditions is reported. Coordination of nitriles to the highly Lewis acidic Ta(V) center resulted in an activation of their aliphatic and aromatic C–H bonds, allowing nucleophilic attack and deprotonation by the relatively weak base PPh3. The propensity of Ta(V) to form multiple bonds to nitrogen-containing ligands is an important driving force of the reaction as it led to a sequence of bond rearrangements and the emergence of, in the case of benzonitrile, a zwitterionic enediimido complex of Ta(V) through C═C double bond formation between two activated nitrile fragments. These transformations highlight the special role of the high-valent transition metal halide in substrate activation and distinguish the reactivity of the TaCl5–PPh3 system from both non-metal- and late transition metal-based frustrated Lewis pairs.
Measuring outcomes in cataract surgery.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The article presents a review of recently published studies reporting postcataract surgery outcomes and the use of electronic systems to track them. RECENT FINDINGS Current publications report several parameters to measure cataract outcomes such as visual acuity, patient-reported visual function, contrast sensitivity, reading speed, residual refractive errors and complications (intraoperative and postoperative). SUMMARY Cataracts currently afflict an estimated 94 million people worldwide, and surgical removal is the only effective therapy known. Tracking outcomes through registry databases has been shown to be a powerful tool for improving patient outcomes, understanding and adopting best clinical practices, reducing costs and increasing value delivered. Large datasets present in electronic registry systems are valuable resources for evaluating the quality of care by allowing researchers and healthcare providers to analyze, understand and adjust to 'real-world' best practices and adverse events.
Eficácia de misturas formuladas contendo halauxifen-methyl no controle de soja voluntária DAS-444Ø6-6 (Enlist E3TM)

Volunteer soybean control is a fundamental requirement, mainly because of the rust inoculum disease present in these plants. Several herbicides are available that will control volunteer soybean in the vegetative growth stage, however farmers may delay application of control measures until the flowering growth stage, where the control can be more difficult With the introduction of 2,4-D tolerant soybean (DAS-444O6-6 - Enlist E3TM), other methods of chemical control need to be identified. The objective of this research was to determine the efficacy to control volunteer DAS-444O6-6 soybean using alternative herbicides. A field experiment was conducted in Cascavel-PR, using a randomized complete block design, with three replications. Herbicides treatments applied were halauxifen-methyl + pyroxsulam at 5 g a.i. ha-1 + 18 g ai ha-1, halauxifen-methyl + diclosulam at 5 g a.i. ha-1 + 25 g ai ha-1 and halauxifen-methyl + 2,4-D at 5 g a.i. ha-1 + 783 g ai ha-1, and the standard paraquat 400 g ai ha-1. The treatments were applied post emergence to soybean at the R2 growth stage. Paraquat and the treatment formulations containing halauxifen-methyl provided effective control of volunteer DAS-444O6-6 soybean sprayed at advanced growth stage (R2).
Channeling Disaster Aid: Process and Problems

Disaster relief focuses on meeting immediate basic needs of survivors of extreme events and enhancing both the short- and long-term disaster recovery processes. Channeling aid to those who have suffered from a disaster is full of complexities. This chapter explores these complexities, understanding of which can facilitate a quick return to pre-disaster life so that the disaster survivors do not have to depend on relief aid for an extended period. This chapter starts by describing the processes of how disaster aid and emergency supplies flow from a plethora of sources (e.g., private, public, humanitarian, business, and nonprofit organizations, as well as individuals from both affected and non-affected areas/countries) to survivors of major extreme natural events. This chapter also covers other essential and relevant information such as providers and distributors of emergency aid, reasons for making donations, ways to improve humanitarian logistics, as well as the advantages and shortcomings of participation by domestic and foreign military forces in disaster relief operations. Because major relief operations have increasingly been attended by many organizations and personnel, coordination has become a dire problem in the disbursement of disaster relief. Attempts have been made over the last decades to improve coordination and partnership by establishing/developing new entities and assessment tools like Cluster Approach, Good Humanitarian Donorship, and Post-disaster Needs Assessments (PDNA). These topics are presented and the final section of this chapter deals with how social networks facilitate disaster relief efforts.
A Thing is Right

The modern concept of the ecosystem is by no means a settled question. Though no one denies that the physical and chemical conditions of an environment change over time or that species migrate in more or less independent ways, there are still those who maintain that the ecosystem is best conceptualized as a holistic unit and protected in its ideal state. Others are equally insistent that there are serious ­deficiencies with the holistic ecosystem concept and associated management goals. The varieties of ecosystem perspectives in between these extremes make it plain that the possibilities are not a dichotomy but a continuum. In this chapter I present ecosystem views that are representative of the two ends of the conceptual ­continuum, and then I consider some key tenets of the modern “ecosystem approach” to conservation.
Median Nerve and Neuropathy

This article describes the anatomy of the median nerve, with its motor and sensory distribution. Common entrapment sites and their diagnosis and treatment are also discussed.
Redistribution, Poor Relief, and the Welfare State

This chapter examines various justificatory arguments regarding state involvement in redistribution and poor relief, and contrasts those arguments with some of the implications for redistribution that emerge out of rent seeking models of government. This examination includes both historical consideration and contemporary controversy, and covers territory ranging from the state guarantee of income to full reliance on private provision.
Phase Transition Properties of Bilayers of Mixed Lipids and their Covalent Analogs

The elucidation of the role played by mixtures of lipids in biomembranes presupposes information on the modes of organization that prevail among different phospholipid species in bilayers.1 One of the manifestations of the organization of phospholipids in bilayers is the thermotropic phase transition from gel to liquid crystalline phase. In the gel phase, almost all the acyl chains are in an all-trans conformation, and they are predominantly close-packed except at the defect sites such as grain boundaries and line defects. In the liquid crystalline phase the presence of 1 to 3 gauche conformers per acyl chain on the average increases the disorder in lateral packing. This description of molecular events is consistent with a variety of experimental observations.2–4 Additional conclusions reached from such studies can be summarized as follows: (a) the phase transition characteristics depend on all the steric factors that determine the packing of the acyl chains in bilayers, such as length, unsaturation and branching of acyl chains; (b) additives incorporated into bilayers modify the transition profile; (c) bilayers of phospholipid mixtures exhibit either an ideal mixing or a phase separation of the molecular species in the bilayer depending on the structure of the chains and the head group in the molecules.
Predictors of mortality for preterm infants with intraventricular hemorrhage: a population-based study.

The goal of this longitudinal, population-level study was to examine factors affecting mortality in preterm infants with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). The study examined patients who were born at 36 weeks estimated gestational age (EGA) or less with a diagnosis of IVH between the years 2005 and 2014 using data from the New York and Nebraska State Inpatient Databases. Potential predictors for mortality were investigated with multivariable survival analysis. The cohort included 7437 preterm infants with IVH. All-cause inpatient mortality occurred in 746 (10.0%). The majority of deaths were in infants born at less than 25 weeks EGA (378 or 50.7%) and with birthweight less than 750 g (459 or 61.5%). Mortality was highest for children with grade IV IVH (306/848 or 36.1%), followed by grades III (203/955 or 21.3%), II (103/1328 or 7.8%), and I (134/4306 or 3.1%). Hydrocephalus was diagnosed within 6 months in 627 (8.4%) patients, with cerebrospinal fluid shunts required in 237 (3.2%). Shunts were eventually revised in 122 (51.5% of shunts), and 43 (18.1%) had infections. Multivariable Cox survival analyses found male sex (HR 1.3 [95% CI 1.1–1.5]), Asian race (HR 1.5 [1.1–2.2]), lower EGA (HR 9.9 [6.3–15.5] for < 25 weeks), higher IVH grade (HR 6.1 [4.9–7.6] for grade IV), gastrostomy (HR 4.0 [2.0–7.7]), tracheostomy (HR 3.5 [1.7–7.1]), and shunt infection (HR 3.2 [1.0–9.9]) to be independently associated with increased mortality risk. This database is the first of its kind assembled for population-based investigations of long-term neurosurgical outcomes in preterm infants with IVH.
EFFECTS OF SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL SCALE ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SURFACE PIGMENT BIOMASS TO COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN THE DEEP-SEA BENTHOS

A problem of fundamental importance in deep-sea ecology has been to quantify the relationship between surface production and benthic community structure over spatial and temporal scales that include major variation in both surface and benthic ecosystems. Recent experimental and observational research on particle flux has suggested that benthic and surface communities may be directly coupled on short-term local scales. How small-scale effects become integrated into large-scale patterns of benthic community structure is still unclear. In this paper, we examine the relationship between large-scale variability in deep-sea benthic community structure and mesoscale surface pigment biomass estimated by the Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner. Measures of benthic community structure included macrofaunal density and biomass, and species diversity of four important macrofaunal taxa (the Polychaeta, Gastropoda, Cumacea and Bivalvia). Surface pigment biomass directly above the benthic sampling stations was averaged monthly and seasonally over a three-year period at three spatial scales corresponding to square areas of 1, 9 and 121 pixels (0.83, 7.43 and 99.83 km2 respectively). Benthic biomass and density are significantly and positively correlated with surface pigment biomass. Species diversity is significantly predicted by second degree polynomial regression models indicating a parabolic relationship with peak diversity at intermediate values of surface pigment biomass. Relationships between community structure and surface pigment biomass closely resemble those between community structure and depth. When we statistically remove the effect of depth by partial correlation analysis, measures of benthic community structure become either uncorrelated or only weakly correlated with surface pigment biomass. The results suggest that surface and benthic communities are largely decoupled by depth-related processes in the water column or within bottom communities.
Three Lectures on Biological Networks

This course comprised three lectures whose uniting thread was the study of some biological networks of interest to the physicist: enzymatic, gene transcription and neural.
Increasing Online Information Retention: Analyzing the Effects

While online education offerings continue to grow in the higher education marketplace, issues of student achievement and course rigor remain challenges to the underlying instructional model and alignment with institutional missions. Pedagogically, instructors and course designers can mitigate these issues by leveraging technology to further enhance students’ cognition and knowledge retention within the online domain. This study analyzed the effects of visual hints and elaborate feedback embedded in serious educational games to determine the effects on student learning and information recollection. Using a quasi-experimental design and quantitative testing methods, significant differences were found among 3 groups of students within an online educational environment based on differing forms of feedback within the game. Supporting information processing theory, mean scores on comprehension tests indicated that participants exposed to elaborate feedback and visual hints performed better than control groups in an online learning environment.
Roadmap for the application of ion beam technologies to the challenges of nuclear energy technologies

Abstract The use of ion beams to estimate materials performance for nuclear energy applications is advancing at a rapid rate with ion irradiations having been shown to produce radiation effects data of direct relevance for understanding neutron-induced displacement damage. Ion beam irradiation shows considerable promise for assisting in down selecting candidate materials for use in nuclear energy systems. Furthermore, ion beams allow rapid achievement of materials damage levels not accessible by neutron irradiation in test reactors due to cost and time constraints. Compared to test reactor irradiations, the relatively open configuration of ion beam irradiations allows capture of data on the effects of irradiation under very specific conditions of temperature, radiation dose, and radiation dose rate that are difficult or impossible to achieve otherwise. There are still multiple challenges to the deployment of ion beam data in support of reactor materials qualification arising from the lack of a detailed mechanistic understanding of potential difference between ion-induced and neutron induced materials damage. Recently, the Nuclear Science User Facilities presented a roadmap for the development and enhancement of current U.S. ion beam irradiation technologies within university and national laboratory settings, and especially for the deployment of new highly controlled in situ interrogation of materials during irradiation to provide dynamic and mechanistic data for model development. In this presentation, the status and capabilities of relevant U.S. ion beam facilities will be summarized and recommended “best practices” for performing ion irradiations will be described. The potential role of ion beam irradiations to assist the development and deployment of reactor materials will be outlined. Key objectives include developing methods for rapid and cost-effective materials selection and development, characterizing fundamental material response under irradiation, and developing a robust mechanistic understanding of microstructure evolution under irradiation (including development and validation of reliable predictive models for microstructure evolution).
The Kansas City Transportation and Local-Scale Air Quality Study (KC-TRAQS): Integration of Low-Cost Sensors and Reference Grade Monitoring in a Complex Metropolitan Area. Part 1: Overview of the Project.

Emissions from transportation sources can impact local air quality and contribute to adverse health effects. The Kansas City Transportation and Local-Scale Air Quality Study (KC-TRAQS), conducted over a 1-year period, researched emissions source characterization in the Argentine, Turner, and Armourdale, Kansas (KS) neighborhoods and the broader southeast Kansas City, KS area. This area is characterized as a near-source environment with impacts from large railyard operations, major roadways, and commercial and industrial facilities. The spatial and meteorological effects of particulate matter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5), and black carbon (BC) pollutants on potential population exposures were evaluated at multiple sites using a combination of regulatory grade methods and instrumentation, low-cost sensors, citizen science, and mobile monitoring. The initial analysis of a subset of these data showed that mean reference grade PM2.5 concentrations (gravimetric) across all sites ranged from 7.92 to 9.34 µg/m3. Mean PM2.5 concentrations from low-cost sensors ranged from 3.30 to 5.94 µg/m3 (raw, uncorrected data). Pollution wind rose plots suggest that the sites are impacted by higher PM2.5 and BC concentrations when the winds originate near known source locations. Initial data analysis indicated that the observed PM2.5 and BC concentrations are driven by multiple air pollutant sources and meteorological effects. The KC-TRAQS overview and preliminary data analysis presented will provide a framework for forthcoming papers that will further characterize emission source attributions and estimate near-source exposures. This information will ultimately inform and clarify the extent and impact of air pollutants in the Kansas City area.
Extending Sobolev functions with partially vanishing traces from locally (ε,δ)-domains and applications to mixed boundary problems

We prove that given any k∈N, for each open set Ω⊆Rn and any closed subset D of Ω¯ such that Ω is locally an (e,δ)-domain near ∂Ω∖D, there exists a linear and bounded extension operator Ek,D mapping, for each p∈[1,∞], the space WDk,p(Ω) into WDk,p(Rn). Here, with O denoting either Ω or Rn, the space WDk,p(O) is defined as the completion in the classical Sobolev space Wk,p(O) of (restrictions to O of) functions from Cc∞(Rn) whose supports are disjoint from D. In turn, this result is used to develop a functional analytic theory for the class WDk,p(Ω) (including intrinsic characterizations, boundary traces and extensions results, interpolation theorems, among other things) which is then employed in the treatment of mixed boundary value problems formulated in locally (e,δ)-domains. Finally, we also prove extension results on the scales of Besov and Bessel potential spaces on (e,δ)-domains with partially vanishing traces on Ahlfors regular sets and explore some of the implications of such extension results.
Recanalization of the Chronically Occluded Internal Carotid Artery: Review of the Literature.

Introduction We reviewed the literature on interventions for patients with medically refractory chronically occluded internal carotid artery (COICA) to assess the risks and/or benefits after recanalization via an endovascular technique (ET) or hybrid surgery (HS, i.e., ET plus carotid endarterectomy). Methods A systematic search of the electronic databases was performed. Patients with COICA were classified into 4 different categories according to Hasan et al classification. Results Eighteen studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. Only 6 studies involved an HS procedure. We identified 389 patients with COICA who underwent ET or HS; 91% were males. The overall perioperative complication rate was 10.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.4%–13.1%). For types A and B, the successful recanalization rate was 95.4% (95% CI: 86.5%–100%), with a 13.7% (95% CI: 2.3%–27.4%) complication rate. For type C, the success rate for ET was 45.7% (95% CI: 17.8%–70.7%), with a complication rate of 46.0% (95% CI: 20.0%–71.4%) for ET and for the HS technique 87.6% (95% CI: 80.9%–94.4%), with a complication rate of 14.0% (95% CI: 7.0%–21.8%). For type D, the success rate of recanalization was 29.8% (95% CI: 7.8%–52.8%), with a 29.8% (95% CI: 6.1%–56.3%) complication rate. Successful recanalization resulted in a symmetrical perfusion between both cerebral hemispheres, resolution of penumbra, normalization of the mean transit time, and improvement in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score (ΔMoCA = 9.80 points; P = 0.004). Conclusions Type A and B occlusions benefit from ET, especially in the presence of a large penumbra. Type C occlusions can benefit from HS. Unfortunately, we did not identify an intervention to help patients with type D occlusions. A phase 2b randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm these findings.
UT-A1/A3 knockout mice show reduced fibrosis following unilateral ureteral obstruction

Renal fibrosis is a major contributor to the development and progression of chronic kidney disease. A low-protein diet can reduce the progression of chronic kidney disease and reduce the development of renal fibrosis, although the mechanism is not well understood. Urea reabsorption into the inner medulla is regulated by inner medullary urea transporter (UT)-A1 and UT-A3. Inhibition or knockout of UT-A1/A3 will reduce interstitial urea accumulation, which may be beneficial in reducing renal fibrosis. To test this hypothesis, the effect of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) was compared in wild-type (WT) and UT-A1/A3 knockout mice. UUO causes increased extracellular matrix associated with increases in transforming growth factor-β, vimentin, and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). In WT mice, UUO increased the abundance of three markers of fibrosis: transforming growth factor-β, vimentin, and α-SMA. In contrast, in UT-A1/A3 knockout mice, the increase following UUO was significantly reduced. Consistent with the Western blot results, immunohistochemical staining showed that the levels of vimentin and α-SMA were increased in WT mice with UUO and that the increase was reduced in UT-A1/A3 knockout mice with UUO. Masson's trichrome staining showed increased collagen in WT mice with UUO, which was reduced in UT-A1/A3 knockout mice with UUO. We conclude that reduced UT activity reduces the severity of renal fibrosis following UUO.
Relative Angle Correction for Distance Estimation Using K-Nearest Neighbors

Indoor position estimation has been cited as not being accurate due to noisy environments. Variations of the k-nearest neighbor (kNN) algorithm have been used to mitigate this noise. In this paper, the concept of using the fingerprinting process with the radiation pattern of an antenna is explored. The contents of the paper focus on finding the distance between an RFID reader and a tag. Using the relative angle of the antenna with respect to a reference point, a model is introduced. Received signal strength index (RSSI) readings from the backscattered signal of the RFID tag were measured in a 7-foot $\times \,\,4$ -foot grid. The resulting data points were placed in the relative angle correction KNN (RAC-KNN) algorithm. Both regression and classification models of the RAC-KNN were implemented. As a result, the classification model yielded an 85% prediction rate of the distance estimation and the regression model resulted in a 0.2-foot average error.
From Dysfunction to Function: An Expansion of the Organizational Metaphor

From the days of Aristotle, the use of metaphor to describe our world has attracted more interest than any other traditionally recognized figures of speech. It is seen in Aristotle’s writings, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Western European cave paintings, Christian scriptures, and even in the stock market’s use of raging bulls and angry bears. Metaphors are easily understood, are powerful, and add texture and beauty to dialogue. By comparing two things that appear dissimilar, metaphors evoke a comprehension of an event or situation. As theories of organization are based upon metaphors, the expansion of both our understanding of metaphor and the limitation of metaphors is helpful in understanding organizational trust, organizational performance, and even organizational longevity. It is worth noting that using metaphors can lead to an oversimplification of phenomena, subjectivity, and even a distortion of the organizational view. However, if properly used, metaphors help us in interpreting organizational behaviors to solve organizational issues but also with their potential biases identified will facilitate an insightful discourse.
Beyond Medical Knowledge and Patient Care: A Program Director's Perspective for the Role of General Surgery Subinternships

Objective Established primary goals of general surgery subinternships are improvement in patient care and medical knowledge. However, the secondary gains such as obtaining recommendation letters and forming relationships are apparent but poorly defined. We sought the opinion of general surgery program directors (PDs) on the secondary purposes of subinternships. Our aim is to aide mentors and students to optimize the subinternship experience relative to the residency application process. Design A survey was administered in July 2019. This questionnaire consisted of 11 items and was broken down into 3 sections: demographics, PD perspective on the secondary goals of a general surgery subinternship, and the role of general surgery subinternships on the students’ residency application. Setting An online, national survey through the Association for Program Directors listserv. Participants United States general surgery PDs affiliated with the Association for Program Directors listserv. Results Sixty-one PDs completed the survey from 42 (69%) academic and 14 (23%) community programs. The majority of PDs (n = 33, 54%) reported that assessment of a subintern's suitability for their residency was the most important secondary purpose. Furthermore, PDs (n = 24, 39%) valued a letter of recommendation from faculty the student worked with during a subinternship as the most important criteria in the interview selection process. Away rotations were perceived as of equal value to subinternships completed at the student's home institution. Overall, PD opinions were similar at academic and community programs. Conclusions Our study suggests subinternships significantly impact a student's application to general surgery residency, clarifying a secondary role for these rotations. Subinternships are important for PDs to assess a student for ranking at their program. All students should pursue a letter of recommendation from subinternship faculty, when possible, as they can heavily influence the interview selection process. Away rotations should only be recommended for those students who need to strengthen their application.
Postnatal alcohol exposure and adolescent exercise have opposite effects on cerebellar microglia in rat

Developmental alcohol exposure results in altered neuroimmune function in both humans and rodents. Given the critical role for the principle neuroimmune cell, microglia, in maintaining synaptic form and function, microglial dysfunction in the cerebellum may be an important mechanism underlying the aberrant cerebellar connectivity observed in rodent models of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Using an established rodent model of alcohol exposure during human third-trimester fetal development, we examine the cerebellum of male and female Long Evans rats to determine the impact of early postnatal alcohol exposure on cerebellar microglia, and the potential therapeutic effects of an adolescent intervention consisting of voluntary exercise (running). All cerebelli were examined at postnatal day 42 (i.e., late adolescence), and microglia were labeled with Iba1, a microglia-specific protein. Early postnatal alcohol exposure caused an increase in microglial density throughout cerebellum and a reduction in cerebellar volume, and a reduction in the proportion of fully ramified (often called "resting state") microglia selective to lobules 1-4. In contrast, adolescent exercise decreased microglial density throughout cerebellum and increased cerebellar volume, while activating microglia (as indicated by increases in amoeboid microglia, and reductions in fully and partially ramified microglia) selectively in lobules 1-4. These results suggest that adolescent exercise may be a suitable intervention to ameliorate alcohol-induced neuroimmune dysfunction as it alters microglia density and cerebellar volume in opposite to the effects of developmental alcohol exposure. Importantly, exercise intervention can be flexibly implemented well after the time window of vulnerability to alcohol.
Polarimetric Lidar Feature Selection for Material Classification

Feature selection for polarimetric lidar material classification is explored. Experimental measurements of a diverse sample set are collected and common features emphasizing polarimetric and polarization-insensitive reflectance are calculated. Multiple classifiers are implemented. Results suggest two transmit and two return polarization states maximize classification performance.
Toward a Structural Description of Row Crops Using UAS-Based LiDAR Point Clouds

The determination of structural description of crops could contribute to precision agriculture applications, such as yield assessments. However, an efficient and reliable automatic system for evaluating key structural descriptors is still lacking. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS)-based light detection and ranging (LiDAR) offers relatively affordable high spatial and temporal resolution 3D data. In this study, we used the UAS-LiDAR system to collect 3D point clouds for 24 plots of snap bean across different seasonal growth stages. We extracted a digital elevation model (DEM) from ground return points, and then introduced a parameter to calibrate data from different flights. Based on the segmentation results, key structural descriptors, including canopy height, width, and leaf area index (LAI) were calculated and compared with in situ measurements. While canopy width showed the most uncertainty, the height evaluation was fairly accurate with a $\mathrm{RMSE} =0.04\mathrm{m}$ and $\mathrm{R}^{2}=0.72$ . LAI assessments also showed promise with a $\mathrm{RMSE} =0.45$ and $\mathrm{R}^{2}=0.43$ . These results bode well for extension to yield modeling and within-season management interventions.
Pharmacology Primer for Medications in Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging

Geoffrey Currie Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging , 2020, 248 pages, $109 The new Pharmacology Primer for Medications in Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging is a timely and much-needed book for nuclear medicine technologists and students. The author of this book, Geoffrey Currie,
On diversity, identity and socialization: Inequality of educational outcomes

This essay begins with a presentation of the author’s personal and professional background relative to the topics of diversity, identity, socialization, and the inequality of educational outcomes. Turner then presents US census and Chronicle of Higher Education data to provide a national context for the discussion to follow, including but not limited to implications for policy. Findings emerging from narratives collected via interviews as well as from relevant extant literature are then described to portray issues involved in the underrepresentation of Latinx women as students and professors in higher education. How role identity and identifiers used to categorize Latinx women are then presented followed by a discussion of the Latinx designation and privilege. Educational outcomes for Latinx women are then presented, demonstrating racial/ethnic/gender imbalance. Recommendations on how this underrepresentation of Latinx women, as well as other marginalized groups, in K-12 and postsecondary education can be addressed are then presented.
Taming the Electoral College

"Taming the Electoral College" is a book to be published by Stanford University Press in the spring of 2006. It explores poorly understood aspects of the electoral college, including two possibilities in particular that pose the most serious danger for American democracy. These are, first, determination of the president by faithless electors who ignore the popular votes in their states and, second, choice of the president in the House of Representatives, which is required if no electoral college majority votes in favor of a single candidate. In any given election neither of these outcomes is likely, but the 2000 election showed that we would do well to take each seriously and act now to prevent them from occurring. Both possibilities could be dealt with through constitutional amendment, but amendment is difficult to achieve, and all the more so for electoral college reform. With this in mind the book offers non-constitutional solutions to the electoral college processes. It also offers a way to work toward popular election of the president without a constitutional amendment. The book provides a short critical history of the electoral college, and deploys political and constitutional theory as aids to understanding.
Knowledge about Benefits of Kidney Transplantation: A Survey of Dialysis Patients

Background Knowledge about benefits of kidney transplantation (KT) is an important determinant of the patients' decision to pursue KT. We investigated factors associated with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients' knowledge about KT benefits. Methods We randomly invited 1,400 dialysis patients to complete a survey about benefits of KT. Using multivariate analysis, we calculated odds ratios for the probability of choosing the correct responses. Results Of 673 participants, 17.6% agreed with benefit of KT for older patients, 36.5% agreed with benefit of KT for diabetic patients, and 31.5% agreed with benefit of pre-emptive KT. Non-white (OR: 0.68) and older (OR: 0.65) participants were less likely to agree with the survival benefit of KT. Older participants were less likely to agree with benefit of KT for older (OR: 0.64), and diabetic patients (OR: 0.54). Participants with less than high school education were less likely to agree with benefit of pre-emptive KT (OR: 0.58). Participants with a previous KT were more likely to agree with benefit of KT for older (OR: 2.32), and diabetic patients (OR: 2.50), and with the benefit of pre-emptive KT (OR: 2.34). Participants who had received 3 or more modes of education about KT were more likely to agree with benefit of KT for diabetic patients (OR: 2.04), and with benefit of pre-emptive KT (OR:1.67). Conclusions Dialysis patients have limited knowledge about benefits of KT. Previous KT, exposure to 3 or more modes of KT education, and education attainment are significant contributors to knowledge about KT benefits.
L-glutamic acid60-L-alanine30-L-tyrosine10 (GAT): A probe for regulatory mechanisms in antibody responses.

The interaction of foreign macromolecular antigen with immunocompetent, antigen-specific precursor lymphocytes initiates two distinct responses, cellular and humoral immunity. Cellular immune responses (delayed hypersensitivity and the various rejection phenomena) are mediated by T cells which recognize antigen by specific membrane receptors whose precise nature is yet to be defined. T cells respond primarily to protein or glycoprotein antigens rather than polysaccharides, and after stimulation, may release biologically active mediators which are responsible for the inflammatory response and tissue damage characteristic of delayed hypersensitivity reactions. Stimulation of T cells with membrane glycoprotein alloantigens on foreign cells leads to proliferative responses the mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and the ability to specifically lyse target cells bearing the sensitizing antigen (the cytotoxic lymphocyte response). Humoral immune responses are mediated by lymphocytes which are functional homologs of bursa of Fabricius cells in birds. These precursors of antibody producing cells (B cells) recognize a wide variety of antigenic determinants by specific membrane Ig receptors and respond by synthesizing and secreting antibody specific for the stimulating antigenic determinant (Katz, 1977; Cantor and Weissman, 1975; Warner, 1974).
Understanding and Reducing Ceruloplasmin Overuse with a Decision Support Intervention for Liver Disease Evaluation.

Abstract Background Over-testing is a source of significant health care costs, both in terms of dollars spent and the false positives generated. Clinicians frequently test patients with elevated liver enzymes (a common problem) for Wilson disease (a rare disease) using a ceruloplasmin level. Methods We performed a prospective pre-post study between October 2013 and November 2014. We deployed a pop-up screen in our provider order entry system to present clinicians with the guidelines for and test characteristics of ceruloplasmin use. Outcomes included rate ratios for test utilization. Indications for inpatient orders were provided by ordering clinicians and reviewed. Results Ceruloplasmin was ordered 448 and 219 times in the pre- and postintervention periods, respectively. Rate ratios for orders from gastroenterologists and general internists were 0.49; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.40-0.59, and 0.31; 95% CI, 0.20-0.50, respectively ( P P = .02. Of the residual ceruloplasmin orders by inpatient internists after the intervention, 75% (18/24) were recommended by hepatology consultants. Conclusion The optimal intervention for the reduction of over-testing should include automated changes to the ordering system combined with efforts to change testing culture through education.
Bone, muscle and fat measurements. Longitudinal measurements of the bone, muscle and fat widths from roentgenograms of the extremities during the first six years of life.

The widths of the bone, muscle and fat shadows were measured at specific locations on 14 seriatim roentgenograms of the extremities of 25 boys and 25 girls between the ages of 2 months and 6 years. Mean values for each of these measurements were presented and demonstrate the changes with age that have been presented by other workers. Interesting individual differences were found in the relative widths of the same tissue measured at different locations as well as changes in relative level of bone, muscle and fat widths with increasing age. Coefficients of correlation between these measurements and weight were all reasonably good, but the height:muscle widths and height:fat widths were considerably lower than the height:bone widths correla tions for both sexes. The bone:fat and muscle:fat correlations were low (-0.1 to 0.2) for both sexes, but a surprising difference which has not been reported by previous workers was found in the bone: muscle correlations for boys (over 0.5 after 1 year of age) and for girls (0.1 to 0.2). For these 50 children, assessments of skeletal age at the chronologic age of 5 years were also available. The correlations with height and weight at this age were 0.32 and 0.38 for the boys and 0.47 and 0.52 for the girls. A superficial examination of the nutritional data of these children and of their records of basal metabolism for this 6-year period has not revealed any obvious relationships between either of these sets of data and the bone, muscle and fat measurements in this study. Accepting these measurements as less consistent than those made from roentgenograms taken for soft tissue delineation, and also accepting that these measurements are but one dimension of the tissue mass in the total body, they do seem to be a useful supplement to the clinical and anthropometric data in the study of the body composition of the child.
A two-level electricity demand model

Abstract A two-stage budgeting model is developed for electricity demand where comsumption in each period is treated as a different commodity. A relative household demand model is first estimated, a consistent price index for electricity is constructed, and then a total electricity consumption model is estimated. Economic procedures are derived which permit application of the model to both time-of-day price situations and also declining vlock price situatiions which result in non-linear budget sets. The model is applied to both types of situations- the data from the Connecticut time-of-day pricing test as well as data from the declining block rate situation of the prevoius year. The model is also tested in a forecasting application to time-of-day customers.
On the channel error count method with convolution code for adaptive transmission

Channel error rate is an important performance measure of digital communication system. We usually use the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the decision statistic at the demodulator output to evaluate this quantity. For wireless transmission, the channel is time varying and highly random, hence an accurate channel error rate estimate at the demodulator output is hard to achieve. In order to maintain acceptable performance at the receiver end, adaptive transmission based on the instantaneous channel error rate is necessary. In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of a recently proposed channel error counts method to estimate the channel error rate used for adaptive transmission.
Re-examining Indigenous Conceptualizations of Family and Community Involvement

In this article, I highlight the importance of schools and educators serving Indigenous children and youth to draw upon the power of family and community engagement that is culturally defined and guided by Indigenous values and knowledge systems. In addressing these concepts, I draw upon my own personal narratives and current research with American Indian families in an urban setting. The expectation of this research was to develop an understanding of how parents respond to a process of constructing healthy and purposeful relations between the home and school for student success among American Indian families living in an urban setting. Throughout, I use the terms Native American, American Indian, and Indigenous peoples interchangeably. Native American and American Indian refers specifically to Indigenous peoples of the United States. When I use the term Indigenous peoples , it is intended to reflect people joining in the global effort to decolonize their worldviews and reposition our epistemology and ontology.
Amiloride inhibits rat mucosal ornithine decarboxylase activity and DNA synthesis

Refeeding fasted rats induces a dramatic trophic response in gastrointestinal mucosa and is associated with elevations in both the rate of DNA synthesis and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity. The signal for these increases is unknown. Amiloride prevents cell alkalinization by blocking Na+-H+ exchange at apical epithelial cell membranes. In study 1, rats were fasted 48 h, treated with amiloride (0.5 to 500 mg/kg), and refed for 4 h. Refeeding increased ODC activities in the jejunal mucosa (X8) and liver (X19) but not in the oxyntic gland mucosa. In the jejunum, but not the liver, the activation of ODC was completely abolished by 100 mg/kg amiloride. In study 2, the rate of DNA synthesis was determined by measuring the rate of [3H]thymidine incorporation 16 h after refeeding. Refeeding resulted in significantly increased rates of DNA synthesis (dpm.microgram DNA-1.30 min-1) over fasted levels, and amiloride at 100 mg/kg significantly reduced the elevations in the jejunum and liver. In conclusion, amiloride inhibits the postprandial increases in jejunal ODC activity and DNA synthesis in the jejunum and liver. The results indicate that 1) the Na+-H+ antiport is essential to the increased ODC activity in the jejunum and the stimulation of DNA synthesis in the jejunum and liver after a meal and 2) increases in DNA synthesis and their suppression by amiloride are not necessarily linked to ODC activity.