cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Topology-aware task mapping for reducing communication contention on large parallel machines

Communication latencies constitute a significant factor in the performance of parallel applications. With techniques such as wormhole routing, the variation in no-load latencies became insignificant, i.e., the no-load latencies for far-away processors were not significantly higher (and too small to matter) than those for nearby processors. Contention in the network is then left as the major factor affecting latencies. With networks such as fat-trees of hypercubes, with number of wires growing as P log P, even this is not a very significant factor. However, for torus and grid networks now being used in large machines such as BlueGene/L and the Cray XT3, such contention becomes an issue. We quantify the effect of this contention with benchmarks that vary the number of hops traveled by each communicated byte. We then demonstrate a process mapping strategy that minimizes the impact of topology by heuristically minimizing the total number of hop-bytes communicated. This strategy, and its variants, are implemented in an adaptive runtime system in Charm++ and adaptive MPI, so it is available for a broad class of applications.
Obesity is Not Associated with Increased Short-term Complications After Primary Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Few studies have analyzed the association between elevated BMI and complications after total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). Previous studies have not consistently arrived at the same conclusion regarding whether obesity is associated with a greater number of postoperative complications. We used a national surgical database to compare the 30-day complication profile and hospitalization outcomes after primary TSA among patients in different BMI categories. We asked: (1) Is obesity associated with an increased risk of complications within 30 days of primary TSA? (2) Is obesity associated with increased operative time? The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program® database for 2006 to 2012 was queried to identify all patients who underwent a primary TSA for osteoarthritis of the shoulder. The ACS-NSQIP® database was selected for this study as it is a nationally representative database that provides prospectively collected perioperative data and a comprehensive patient medical profile. Exclusion criteria included revision TSA, infection, tumor, or fracture. We analyzed 4796 patients who underwent a primary TSA for osteoarthritis of the shoulder. Patients who underwent a TSA were divided in four BMI categories: normal (18.5–25 kg/m2), overweight (25–30 kg/m2), obesity Class 1 (30–35 kg/m2), and obesity Class 2 or greater (> 35 kg/m2). Perioperative hospitalization data and 30-day postoperative complications were compared among different BMI classes. Differences in patient demographics, preoperative laboratory values, and preexisting patient comorbidities also were analyzed among different BMI groups, and multivariate analysis was used to adjust for any potential confounding variables. There was no association between BMI and 30-day complications after surgery (normal as reference, overweight group relative risk: 0.57 [95% CI, 0.30–1.06], p = 0.076; obesity Class 1 relative risk: 0.52 [95% CI, 0.26–1.03], p = 0.061; obesity Class 2 or greater relative risk: 0.54 [95% CI, 0.25–1.17], p = 0.117). However, greater BMI was associated with longer surgical times (for normal BMI control group: 110 minutes, SD, 42 minutes; overweight group: 115 minutes, SD, 46 minutes, mean difference to control: 5 minutes [95% CI, −1 to 10 minutes], p = 0.096; obesity Class 1: 120 minutes, SD, 43 minutes, mean difference: 10 minutes [95% CI, 5–15 minutes], p < 0.001; obesity Class 2 or greater: 122 minutes, SD, 45 minutes, mean difference: 12 minutes [95% CI, 6–18 minutes], p < 0.001). Although the surgical time increased for patients with greater BMI, the 30-day complications and perioperative hospitalization data after TSA were not different in patients with increased BMI levels. Obesity alone should not be a contraindication for TSA, and obese patients can expect similar incidences of postoperative complications. The preoperative medical optimization plan should be consistent with that of patients who are not obese who undergo TSA. Level III, therapeutic study.
Agroforestry systems in China: a survey and classification

We classified agroforestry systems in China by system type and system unit. A system type is defined as a homogenous group whose major components are closely related economically, socially, and environmentally. A system unit is defined as a basic functional unit that reveals the specific biological relationships among the major components and requires similar management strategies and techniques. Seven system types and 26 system units are recognized in China. Among them, agrosilvofishery, silvomedicinal and agrosilvomedicinal systems have values unique to Chinese. Each system type is discussed in the context of its geographical extent in China, main species components, and system units.
Hypersecretion of Gonadotropic Hormone of Pituitary Gland of Rats Resulting from Treatment with Antigonadotropic Serum.

SummaryPretreatment of young female rats with antigonado-tropic serum induced a hypersecretion of the gonadotropic hormone of the animal's pituitary. This effect was determined by the precocious development of the ovaries of the treated rats after discontinuing the injections, and by the ovarian hypertrophy occurring in female rats paired to pretreated male or female littermates. A theory is offered to explain the results obtained.
Forecasting a point process with an ARIMA model

ABSTRACTIn fitting a power-law process, we show that the construction of the empirical recurrence rate time series either simplifies the modeling task, or liberates a point process restrained by a key parametric model assumption such as the monotonicity requirement of the intensity function. The technique can be applied to seasonal events occurring in spurts or clusters, because the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) procedure provides a comprehensive set of tools with great flexibility. Essentially, we consolidate two of the most powerful modeling tools for the stochastic process and time series in the statistical literature to handle counts of events in a Poisson or Poisson-like process.
Cross-cultural Pedagogy: Practical Strategies for a Successful Interprofessional Study Abroad Course

This article discusses some practical strategies for designing and implementing a cross-cultural interprofessional study abroad course, including pre-departure preparation, facilitating small groups with local students, establishing a weekly theme, utilizing role-play and reflective assignments, and implementing meaningful evaluation strategies. These strategies were based on three years of experience and were found to effectively increase students’ cultural competence and self-confidence, as evidenced by student evaluations and results from a focus group conducted one year after the course. Short term study abroad courses with appropriate pedagogical design are significant strategies for health profession programs in the face of growing diversity and globalization.
Routledge handbook of drugs and sport

Fulfilling Routledge’s series of International Handbooks main goal of providing international reference books on academic debates, the Routledge Handbook of Drugs and Sport provides the most compre...
DATASEM: A simulation suite for SoSE management research

The Systems Engineering Research Center (A US DoD University-Affiliated Research Center) has been researching systems engineering and management problems in the evolution of Systems of Systems (SoSs) since 2011. In 2015, an initial Demonstration and Analysis Tool for Adaptive Systems Engineering Management (DATASEM) was developed to investigate how various combinations of organizational structure, work flow, and governance mechanisms affect the visibility, flow, and overall value produced in developing and evolving SoSs. This paper provides an overview of the “as developed” initial system, plans for improving and validating the system, lessons learned and early results.
Aspects of Hepatocellular Tumor Pathology

The pathologic analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is updated almost daily by advances at the molecular level. However, contextual assessment of these advances is dependent upon the proper diagnosis of HCC and its distinction from other malignant or benign tumors that may involve the liver. Tissue diagnosis is not necessary in every patient, but problematic tumors require pathologic examination for definitive diagnosis; in addition, tissue samples provide a valuable resource for directed studies that may provide prognostic or therapeutic (theranostic) information. In the United States, pathologic evaluation of the explanted liver in transplant recipients previously diagnosed with HCC is mandated by the OPTN/UNOS as a quality control measure to monitor the performance of transplant programs.
Patients Diagnosed with Colorectal Cancer in Rural Areas in Arizona Typically Present with Higher Stage Disease.

Background: Despite the decreasing incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) over the past three decades disparities remain in its incidence, stage at presentation, and efficiency of staging and treatment between different communities, particularly when comparing urban and rural areas. The aim of the study was to assess disparities that exist in CRC outcomes among urban, international border counties, and non-border counties in Arizona. Methods: A retrospective analysis of CRC data from the Arizona Cancer Registry was performed. Data obtained included age, sex, ethnicity, tumor grade, and tumor stage. The data was then categorized into three sections: international border counties, urban counties, and rural counties. The outcome measure was stage of CRC at diagnosis. Results: There were a total of 39, 958 reported incident cases of colorectal cancer from 1995-2010. Of the total incident cases, 53.1% were male and the average age at diagnosis was 69.5. 86.6% were white non-Hispanic, 8.37% Hispanic, 2.4% African American, 1.7% Native American and 1% Asian. There was a significant decrease in the incidence of CRC in all counties, 24.08% in border, 22.5% in urban, and 12.3% in rural. Rural counties showed a higher number of observed cases than expected cases of stage 4 CRC and more unknown diagnosis of grade, stage and lymph node assessment as determined by the adjusted residual. Conclusion: Patients in rural counties are more likely to present with a higher stage of CRC and are less likely to have their cancer adequately staged. This is likely due to lack of better access to healthcare, lack of awareness and poor education and also inadequate specialists.
Predicting and Preventing Elephant Poaching Incidents through Statistical Analysis, GIS-Based Risk Analysis, and Aerial Surveillance Flight Path Modeling:

The illegal ivory market poses a serious threat of extinction to the African elephant (Loxodonta africana). Conservation efforts to protect elephants are challenging due to their vast habitat range...
Lattice Boltzmann models for the convection-diffusion equation: D2Q5 vs D2Q9

Abstract A comparison study between the two most popular lattice Boltzmann (LB) models – D2Q5 and D2Q9 in two dimensions with five and nine discrete lattice velocities, respectively – for the convection-diffusion equation (CDE) for scalar transport is presented in this work. The local equilibria in both the discrete velocity space and the moment space are provided for the LB models examined, including the generalized D2Q5 model without high-order velocity terms and four various D2Q9 models frequently used in the literature. The boundary condition treatment is discussed with particular Dirichlet and Neumann boundary schemes presented for each LB model. In particular, the non-uniqueness in the splitting of the normal flux into three lattice directions in D2Q9 model for Neumann conditions is highlighted. Five representative numerical tests are presented to assess the performance of the D2Q5 and D2Q9 LB models. Performance metrics include the numerical accuracy and convergence orders of the interior distribution of the scalar variable ϕ and its derivatives as well as the boundary flux, boundary scalar values, and total boundary heat/mass transfer rate. The results demonstrate that (i) without the boundary effect, both the D2Q5 and D2Q9 models have second-order convergence for ϕ and its derivatives, and the D2Q5 model has smaller numerical errors at low and moderate Peclet numbers while the D2Q9 models have better accuracy at high Peclet numbers; (ii) for the CDE with specific boundary conditions on straight walls, the D2Q5 model with the interpolation based boundary schemes is able to preserve the second-order accuracy for all the quantities of interest for both Dirichlet and Neumann problems; when the D2Q9 models are applied, these boundary schemes result in second- and first-order accurate ϕ field for the Dirichlet and Neumann problems, respectively; in addition, the convergence orders for the interior derivatives and the boundary flux or boundary values are also degraded for both types of problems; (iii) when curved geometry is encountered, the D2Q5 model also shows better accuracy and/or higher convergence orders than the D2Q9 models. Clearly, D2Q5 is more appealing to D2Q9 for the CDE when the convection is not very strong and the boundary effect is significant. The same behavior in the respective 3-D numerical solutions is observed when the performance of D3Q7 and D3Q19 LB models are compared.
An assessment of methods for the control of large space structures

Large flexible spacecraft represent highly complex distributed-parameter systems. In theory, a distributed-parameter system possesses an infinite number of degrees of freedom. For practical reasons, however, it must be discretized, which implies truncation. From a structural dynamics point of view, a mathematical model can be made more accurate by retaining an increasing number of degrees of freedom. From a control theory point of view, however, an increasing number of degrees of freedom places severe demands on the reliability of the various control algorithms. There is a difference of at least one order of magnitude between the structural modeling requirements and control theory capability. One of the challenges of large space structures control technology is to bridge this difference.
Teaching voters new tricks: The effect of partisan absentee vote-by-mail get-out-the-vote efforts:

In the last few years policy innovators have implemented a variety of new voting reforms aimed at increasing the ways voters can cast their ballot and with it voter turnout. While these efforts hav...
Better Together: The Making and Maturation of the Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group

Abstract Objective: To describe the growth and outcomes of the Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group (PCRC). Background: Despite advances, significant gaps remain in the evidence base to inform care for people with serious illness. To generate this needed evidence and bolster research capacity, the Palliative Care Research Cooperative (PCRC) group was formed. Methods: The PCRC supports investigators in the conduct of multisite clinical studies. After developing a governance structure and completing a proof of concept demonstration study, the PCRC expanded its infrastructure to include additional resource cores (Clinical Studies; Measurement; Data Informatics and Statistics; and Caregiver Studies). The PCRC also supports an Investigator Development Center as many palliative care investigators valued opportunities to advance their skills. Additional key aspects of PCRC resources include a Scientific Review Committee, a Publications Committee, and initiatives to purposefully engage investigators in a co...
Return to the east: Tourism promotion as legitimation in Qiandongnan, China

This article analyzes encounters with tourism promotional materials as acts of legitimation. I argue that legitimation constitutes an integral part of tourism promotion as communicative act. Throug...
Colonization and infection with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae in patients with malignancy

Introduction: Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) constitute a global threat and are prevalent in both nosocomial and community settings. These pathogens have be...
General Overview of Toxicology

Toxicology, simply defined, is the “study of poisons.” Fundamental to the discipline of toxicology is the development of experimental approaches that allow for the characterization of the broad array of adverse effects that may result from exposure to toxic substances (“poisons”). Toxic substances occur in many forms, including both natural and man-made chemicals, physical hazards such as ionizing radiation, and particulate matter, such as air pollutants (e.g., diesel exhaust, wood smoke, asbestos fibers) and nanoscale engineered materials. Fundamental to any toxic response is the “dose–response” relationship. This concept holds that, for any specific type of adverse effect produced by a toxic substance, the magnitude or severity of the effect in an individual is related to the dose, or amount, of substance that enters the body. Similarly, for a specific type of adverse effect (e.g., tumor development, organ toxicity, birth defects), the number or percentage of individuals in an exposed population that are effected (with each individual response converted to a quantal, or “all or none” response) will also be determined by the dose. Inherent in these concepts is that, for most types of toxic responses, “thresholds” exist such that there will be doses below which no adverse effect occurs. A key goal of toxicology studies conducted for public health/regulatory purposes is to identify the “virtually safe dose.” Thus, the science of toxicology provides the foundation for the field of risk assessment for chemical hazards. Toxicology incorporates many aspects of the basic biomedical sciences, including molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, physiology, immunology, and developmental biology. It also relies on the huge advances made in more specialized areas such as cancer research, neuroscience, genomics, computational biology, and environmental sciences, to name a few. This article provides an overview of the fundamentals of the science of toxicology, including how toxic substances enter the body (routes of exposure and processes of absorption), what happens once the substance is in the body (distribution, metabolism, and excretion), the nature and types of adverse effects that can result if the dose is sufficient (organ system toxicity, mutagenesis and carcinogenesis, birth defects, etc.), experimental approaches used to identify and characterize the nature of toxic responses to chemical hazards (toxicity testing procedures in experimental animals), and the approaches and challenges of using experimental animal data to predict human response to a toxic substance (risk assessment and regulatory toxicology). This article is designed to provide an introduction to the field, and to prepare the reader for the more in-depth discussion of the many fascinating aspects of how potentially toxic substances impart their adverse effects that are covered in great detail in this 14-volume series, Comprehensive Toxicology.
Abstract TP62: Outcomes After tPA in African American Women with Explicit Consideration of Baseline Factors

Introduction: African American (AA) women have been reported to have higher mortality after stroke. Our prior analysis of the NINDS dataset also showed poorer outcomes after tPA for AA compared to Caucasian (C) females. Small numbers of AA patients available in a well characterized dataset and large differences in baseline factors hamper definitive conclusions about race-based outcomes. We developed analytical techniques for small samples that explicitly consider baseline factors rather than adjust or control for them. We applied these techniques to two stroke datasets and analyzed them separately and together with NINDS. Methods: pPREDICTS uses the placebo arms of all eligible stroke RCTs to generate a pseudo-control outcome model. The novel feature is generation of multi-dimensional statistical intervals to compare whether an individual trial’s outcome differed from this pooled sample at the trial’s specific baseline NIHSS and age. pPAIRS performs post-hoc Euclidean matching of subjects based on chosen factors and excludes outliers when no close match is found, generating a more homogenous population. We applied these techniques to assess outcomes of tpa-treated females from the NINDS, Tulane, and University of Alabama-Birmingham datasets. Matching factors were baseline NIHSS, age, glucose, race and stroke subtype. Outcomes were mRS 0-1, 0-2 and mortality at discharge or 90 days. Results: Pooled results from individual sites are reported here. Comparison of outcomes from each site with the pPREDICTS model did not show better outcomes for the newer datasets compared to NINDS. mRS 0-2 for tPA-treated AA females was near the p=.05 threshold for poorer outcomes compared to pooled controls. After outlier exclusion, 80 matched AA and C females were found by pPAIRS. After matching, median baseline NIHSS were similar: 12.5 for AA’s and 11.5 for C (p = 0.64). Final mRS 0-1 and mRS 0-2 for AA females were lower: 22.5% and 30% vs. 40% (p = 0.03) and 46.3% for C (p = 0.05). Mortality was 10% in AA and 7% in C (p=0.6). Conclusion: We confirmed in this larger pooled sample that AA females have a poorer functional outcome following tPA after baseline matching. Factors associated with these poor outcomes are being assessed and will be presented. A prospective study is warranted.
Statistical Teleodynamics: Toward a Theory of Emergence.

The central scientific challenge of the 21st century is developing a mathematical theory of emergence that can explain and predict phenomena such as consciousness and self-awareness. The most successful research program of the 20th century, reductionism, which goes from the whole to parts, seems unable to address this challenge. This is because addressing this challenge inherently requires an opposite approach, going from parts to the whole. In addition, reductionism, by the very nature of its inquiry, typically does not concern itself with teleology or purposeful behavior. Modeling emergence, in contrast, requires the addressing of teleology. Together, these two requirements present a formidable challenge in developing a successful mathematical theory of emergence. In this article, I describe a new theory of emergence, called statistical teleodynamics, that addresses certain aspects of the general problem. Statistical teleodynamics is a mathematical framework that unifies three seemingly disparate domain...
Analysis of human gliomas by swab touch spray-mass spectrometry: applications to intraoperative assessment of surgical margins and presence of oncometabolites

Touch spray mass spectrometry using medical swabs is an ambient ionization technique (ionization of unprocessed sample in the open air) that has potential intraoperative application in quickly identifying the disease state of tissue and in better characterizing the resection margin. To explore this potential, we studied 29 human brain tumor specimens and obtained evidence that this technique can provide diagnostic molecular information that is relevant to brain cancer. Touch spray using medical swabs involves the physical sampling of tissue using a medical swab on a spatial scale of a few mm2 with subsequent ionization occurring directly from the swab tip upon addition of solvent and application of a high voltage. Using a tertiary mixture of acetonitrile, N,N-dimethylformamide, and ethanol, membrane-derived phospholipids and oncometabolites are extracted from the tissue, incorporated into the sprayed microdroplets, vacuumed into the mass spectrometer, and characterized in the resulting mass spectra. The tumor cell load was assessed from the complex phospholipid pattern in the mass spectra and also separately by measurement of N-acetylaspartate. Mutation status of the isocitrate dehydrogenase gene was determined via detection of the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate. The lack of sample pretreatment makes touch spray mass spectrometry using medical swabs a feasible intraoperative strategy for rapid surgical assessment.
Skeletal effects of failed parathyroidectomy

Background Parathyroidectomy improves bone mineral density and decreases risk for fracture in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. The aim of this study was to determine skeletal consequences of failed parathyroidectomy. Methods A retrospective, cohort study of patients with biochemically confirmed primary hyperparathyroidism within a vertically integrated health system was performed (1995–2014). Failed parathyroidectomy was defined by hypercalcemia within 6 months of initial parathyroidectomy. Time-varying Cox regression was used to estimate the risk for any fracture and hip fracture in 3 comparison groups: observation, successful parathyroidectomy, and failed parathyroidectomy. Bone mineral density changes also were compared. Results The cohort included 7,169 patients, of whom 5,802 (81%) were observed, 1,228 underwent successful parathyroidectomy (17%), and 137 underwent failed parathyroidectomy (2%). The adjusted risk for any fracture (hazard ratio, 1.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.85–1.92) and hip fracture (hazard ratio, 1.63; 95% CI, 0.77–3.45) associated with failed parathyroidectomy was similar to that associated with observation. Successful parathyroidectomy was associated with a decrease in any fracture (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.57–0.82) and hip fracture (hazard ratio, 0.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.27–0.68) compared with observation. Bone mineral density changes in the failed parathyroidectomy group paralleled those associated with observation. Conclusion Failed parathyroidectomy is associated with a high risk for fracture similar to that seen with observation.
The coming of age: immunotherapy in gastrointestinal malignancies

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC), gastric-esophageal cancer (GEC), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC), hepatocellular cancer (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), remain a major health problem worldwide. If detected early, given advancements in diagnostic strategies and multimodality therapeutic approaches with surgical resection, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, improvement in long term survival has been observed.
Myxovirus-Like Particles in Cells of American Burkitt’s-Type Lymphoma

Distinct tubular arrays associated with cisternae of endoplasmic reticulum were observ. d. in neoplastic lymphoid cells in a primary American Burkitt’s-type lymphoma. A late relapse of the disease was complicated by severe CNS involvement. The pathogenesis of CNS involvement and the significance of the tubular arrays are discussed.
An Administrative Law Approach to Reforming the State Secrets Privilege

Over fifty years ago, in Reynolds v. United States, the Supreme Court recognized the Government’s right to invoke the common law state secrets privilege, which allows the Government to withhold evidence from discovery because its revelation would threaten the nation’s security. Decades later, the plaintiffs in the original case discovered that the Government had lied - no state secrets were contained in the document - and the privilege had been abused. Today, there continue to be concerns that the privilege is abused by Government officials. This Note begins by examining the history of the state secrets doctrine and its current problems. Part II then explores the leading proposal for change, which urges substantive judicial review of the actual documents the government claims to be privileged. This Part examines why this solution is unlikely to fully address the core problems of the privilege: the lopsided incentives that encourage the Government to abuse the privilege. Part III then proposes other mechanisms, including methods used in other areas of national security law, that might cabin the privilege and effectively address the incentives that encourage abuse.
Venoconstriction Induced by Bradykinin in the Rabbit Ear

Bradykinin is widely regarded as a potent vasodilator capable of increasing blood flow, increasing vascular permeability, and lowering systemic blood pressure through arteriolar and capillary dilation. Minority reports have appeared in the literature which indicate that some vessels may be constricted by bradykinin. These reports have not received sufficient attention because they conflict with the established view. They will be briefly reviewed here.
Longitudinal single cell profiling of regulatory T cells identifies IL-33 as a driver of tumor immunosuppression

Regulatory T cells (T regs ) can impair anti-tumor immune responses and are associated with poor prognosis in multiple cancer types. T regs in human tumors span diverse transcriptional states distinct from those of peripheral T regs , but their contribution to tumor development remains unknown. Here, we used single cell RNA-Seq to longitudinally profile conventional CD4 + T cells (T conv ) and T regs in a genetic mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma. Tissue-infiltrating and peripheral CD4 + T cells differed, highlighting divergent pathways of activation during tumorigenesis. Longitudinal shifts in T reg heterogeneity suggested increased terminal differentiation and stabilization of an effector phenotype over time. In particular, effector T regs had enhanced expression of the interleukin 33 receptor ST2. T reg -specific deletion of ST2 reduced effector T regs , increased infiltration of CD8 + T cells into tumors, and decreased tumor burden. Our study shows that ST2 plays a critical role in T reg -mediated immunosuppression in cancer, highlighting new potential paths for therapeutic intervention.
Advancing clinical pharmacy practice globally through an innovative internationally-trained Pharm.D. degree programme

Introduction: There are increasing calls worldwide for pharmacy education to prepare graduates to provide patient- centred care. Description of Programme: In response, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CU SSPPS) developed the innovative Internationally-Trained Pharm.D. (ITPD) degree programme for international pharmacists. Admitted students complete two years of online didactic coursework in their home country, two live sessions in Colorado, one before and one after didactic coursework is completed, and introductory and advanced experiential rotations in the United States. Evaluation: The ITPD programme addresses the complexity of educating diverse pharmacists to provide and meet the increasing demand of patient-centred care. Since 2014, ongoing evaluation of admission criteria and student performance assesses achievement of programme goals and continuous quality improvements. Results demonstrate student and programme success, and identified need for minor programme improvements. Future Plans: CU SSPPS hopes to expand the ITPD programme to pharmacists in low- or low-middle income countries seeking to utilise pharmacists in clinical roles.
Comparative energetics and thermal responses to feeding in allied Agkistrodon snakes with contrasting diet and habitat use

Variation in animal responses to feeding can be attributed to a variety of ecological factors, including foraging mode and dietary specialization. Specialization often favors species that have traits for exploiting food resources that are rare and that are not commonly shared by dietary generalists. We investigated physiological and behavioral responses to feeding between two snake species with different degrees of mammal feeding specialization: Agkistrodon contortrix (copperheads; a terrestrial species in which adults feed almost exclusively on mammals) and Agkistrodon piscivorus (cottonmouths; a semi-aquatic species feeding less on mammals and primarily on ectothermic prey). We measured metabolic rates (at 20, 25, and 30 °C) and body temperature (Tb) selection of snakes both pre- and post-feeding. Following the consumption of rodent meals, post-feeding energy use was higher in A. piscivorus than A. contortrix at both 25 and 30 °C. After feeding, A. piscivorus maintained body temperatures that were 3–4 °C higher, whereas A. contortrix remained within 1 °C of their pre-feeding Tb. Our results support the contention that dietary specialization leads to potential energetic advantages and that generalist species may change their behavior to offset energy used to digest prey.
“Please Mention the Green Book:” The Negro Motorist Green Book as Critical GIS

The Green Book, a Jim Crow era travel guide created by African-Americans for African-Americans, has received much recent popular and academic scrutiny. Consisting of almost 30 editions published between 1936 and 1966, the Green Book features thousands of addresses for businesses that catered to African-Americans during a period of institutionalized discrimination and segregation. Use of the guide allowed for safe travel by black travelers through hostile areas of the United States as it provided escape from harassment and potential violence instigated by unwelcoming shopkeepers and patrons. As a tool of resistance developed to spatially subvert white supremacy, the many editions of the Green Book provide a kind of road map that can reveal black geographies previously forgotten by hegemonic knowledge structures. However, despite this recognized social and historical importance, few studies have investigated the spatial data contained within the pages of the guidebook, or more broadly, the spaces of black geographies. This chapter seeks to fill this gap by understanding how the text of the Green Book can be read through the epistemologies of black geographies and critical geographic information science (GIS). Simultaneously, it provides insights into the geography of African-American travel patterns during an era of state-sponsored discrimination. This study embraces technological advances since the time of the Green Book’s publication to visually map spatial data published during the Jim Crow era to demonstrate how the study of black geographies may benefit from the use of critical GIS and texts such as the Green Book. Using a case study of New Orleans, Louisiana (USA), the author shows how the Green Book can be read to reveal how shifts in American racial politics, from overt segregation in the 1930s to racial liberalization in the 1960s, led to shifts in the spaces associated with African-American travel. By comparing the spatial data of the Green Book to historical census data, trends in urban neighborhood composition can explain how and why African-American travel patterns shifted within the case city. Furthermore, such mapping reveals the complex networks of spaces developed by black Americans to live within a segregationist society while actively resisting discrimination through the construction of counter-public spaces. Finally, this chapter demonstrates how historical texts, including guidebooks, can be used to provide insights into the historical geography of a largely understudied population, African-American travelers.
Early Cardiac Rehab to Reduce Heart Failure Readmissions

Background The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) initiated Cardiac Rehab (CR) coverage for heart failure (HF) patients in 2014. Coverage is limited to HF patients who meet specific criteria. Carilion Clinic, a not-for-profit, integrated healthcare organization composed of seven hospitals in Virginia, has attempted to bridge a gap in service for this patient population by providing an 8 session free CR program. This program, which was made available prior to 2014, is accessible to patients with a HF diagnosis. Objectives The aim of the 8-session free CR program for HF patients is to improve the health of this population and reduce readmissions. By providing monitored exercise sessions, education, and reinforcement of learned materials, patients are encouraged to become knowledgeable and responsible partners in their own healthcare. The 8-session program, which consists of rehab sessions twice weekly for one month, allows for early identification and intervention when problems present. Methods This IRB-approved study used a retrospective quasi-experimental comparison group design incorporating Epic Electronic Medical Record analysis for HF patients discharged between March 2013 and December 2017. Early CR attendance (within six weeks of discharge from the hospital) and readmission rates were evaluated in this study. HF patients who attended CR monitored, CR unmonitored, and the free 8 session program were included. A chi-square test was used to compare the readmission rates of patients who attended early CR and those who did not. The treatment group was identified as HF patients who had attended at least one CR visit within the first 6 weeks following discharge. The comparison group was identified as all HF patients who had not been admitted to the hospital during the previous one-year period, were discharged to home/self-care, and did not attend CR within six weeks of being discharged from the hospital. 30-day and 6-week readmission rates were compared between the treatment and comparison groups. Results Out of 8,613 HF patients, 205 (2.4%) attended at least one session of CR within six weeks post discharge. Readmission rates for comparison group versus treatment group were: 2.7% versus 1.0% for 30-day readmission for HF (p=0.13); 14% versus 5.9% for 30-day all-cause readmission (p Conclusions Statistically significant study results support early access to CR in reducing re-hospitalization rates. Study limitations include unbalanced sample sizes which increased variance and lowered statistical power, potential bias due to exclusion of mortality outcomes, and operationalization of CR as attendance to only one session. Current CMS criteria does not permit early access to CR and limits enrollment to a specific sub-group of this patient population. Future studies are needed with designs that further explore the impact of CR on HF readmissions. Based on the results of this study, CMS and health care systems may consider implementation of early unrestricted access to CR with the aim of improving the health of this patient population and reducing re-hospitalization rates.
Reducing Potential Hazards of Pesticides to Fish, Wildlife, and Habitat

Environmental safety data must be applied in the registration of pesticides, including labels and labeling. Knowledge of physiology, ecology, and behavior of organisms should be combined with the physical and chemical properties, formulation, and use patterns of pesticides to reduce hazard to fish, wildlife, and habitat. The hazards of pesticides can be separated into (1) the pesticide concentrations, (2) the time and nature of exposure, and (3) exposure to nontarget organisms. Hazard varies with the habitat and the sensitivity of organisms, including the most vulnerable life stage, links of food chains, habitat requirement, and other limiting factors. The bioaccumulation of residues may also compromise the wholesomeness and value of fish and wildlife for both recreational and nutritional uses. Mitigation of the hazard can be accomplished by adequate training of pest control operators, better formulations, application methods, timing of the application, and utilization of the safest pesticides or alternative pest control methods and cultural practices (integrated pest management). However, such precautions must be more universally accepted and applied over broad geographic areas to be effective in minimizing losses.
Failure Analysis of an Age Hardenable, Nickel Base Superalloy Barrel Nut from an Army Attack Helicopter

During a routine preflight inspection at Ft. Hood, an outboard barrel nut was found to be cracked on an Army helicopter. The part was fabricated from Inconel 718 (UNS N07718) according to AMS 5662F, "Alloy Bars, Forgings,and Rings, Corrosion and Heat Resistant". Subsequent inspections at Ft. Hood and Ft. Rucker revealed an additional seven barrel nuts with large cracks. The components are used in many critical applications. The failures under investigation in this study were relegated to the vertical stabilizer of the aircraft. The failures were all attributed to hydrogen induced cracking. Galling between the unlubricated bolt and the nut threads provided the sustained hoop stress while galvanic corrosion of the carbon steel retaining clip in contact with the barrel nut generated hydrogen. Microstructural analysis of the nut revealed excessive banding consisting of a Widmanstttten phase and MC carbides which ran parallel to the fracture plane. The grains were almost completely surrounded by an undesirable acicular delta phase. No evidence of Laves phase was observed. Recommendations were made to utilize a corrosion inhibitive lubricant on the threads of the barrel nut and mating bolt to reduce galling and the consequential high stresses which result from metal to metal contact during torquing. A stress analysis of the part showed that the high strength level of the material could be reduced to increase fracture toughness and resistance to hydrogen cracking. The acicular delta phase should be avoided in accordance with AMS 5662F and the extrusion direction of the material should be parallel to the principal loading direction. Salt fog testing of the proposed barrel nut configuration revealed that the shoulder height base thickness should be increased. Future vendors should qualify their product by conducting a prescribed salt fog test incorporating the prescribed torque requirements. Finally, the material used to fabricate the retaining clip should be changed to prevent galvanic corrosion.
Assessing the immediate impact of COVID-19 on surgical oncology practice: Experience from an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Northeastern United States.

BACKGROUND: The effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on surgical oncology practice are not yet quantified. The aim of this study was to measure the immediate impact of COVID-19 on surgical oncology practice volume. METHODS: A retrospective study of patients treated at an NCI-Comprehensive Cancer Center was performed. "Pre-COVID" era was defined as January-February 2020 and "COVID" as March-April 2020. Primary outcomes were clinic visits and operative volume by surgical oncology subspecialty. RESULTS: Abouyt 907 new patient visits, 3897 follow-up visits, and 644 operations occurred during the study period. All subspecialties experienced significant decreases in new patient visits during COVID, though soft tissue oncology (Mel/Sarc), gynecologic oncology (Gyn/Onc), and endocrine were disproportionately affected. Telehealth visits increased to 11.4% of all visits by April. Mel/Sarc, Gyn/Onc, and Breast experienced significant operative volume decreases during COVID (25.8%, p = 0.012, 43.6% p < 0.001, and 41.9%, p < 0.001, respectively), while endocrine had no change and gastrointestinal oncology had a slight increase (p = 0.823) in the number of cases performed. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are wide-ranging within surgical oncology subspecialties. The addition of telehealth is a viable avenue for cancer patient care and should be considered in surgical oncology practice.
What’s the “Problem” of Considering Criminal History in College Admissions? A Critical Analysis of “Ban the Box” Policies in Louisiana and Maryland

In this study, we examine how the issue of considering criminal history in college admissions is represented and constructed as a problem in Ban the Box (BTB) policies in Maryland and Louisiana. We...
Comprehensive Analysis of Multiple Cohort Datasets Deciphers the Utility of Germline Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis.

Prostate cancer susceptibility is a polygenic trait. We aimed to examine the controversial diagnostic utility of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) for prostate cancer. We analyzed two datasets collected from Europeans and one from Africans. These datasets were generated by the genome-wide association studies, that is, CGEMS, BPC3, and MEC-Africans, respectively. About 540,000 SNPs, including 61 risk markers that constitute a panel termed MK-61, were commonly genotyped. For each dataset, we augmented the MK-61 panel to generate an MK-61+ one by adding several thousands of SNPs that were moderately associated with prostate cancer occurrence in external dataset(s). We assessed the diagnostic utility of both panels by measuring their predictive strength for prostate cancer occurrence with AUC statistics. We calculated the theoretical AUCs using quantitative genetics model-based formulae and obtained the empirical estimates via 10-fold cross-validation using statistical and machine learning techniques. For the MK-61 panel, the 95% confidence intervals of the theoretical AUCs (AUC-CI.95) were 0.578–0.655, 0.596–0.656, and 0.539–0.596 in the CGEMS, BPC3, and MEC-Africans cohorts, respectively. For the MK-61+ panels, the corresponding AUC-CI.95 were 0.617–0.663, 0.527–0.736, and 0.547–0.565. The empirical AUCs largely fell within the theoretical interval. A promising result (AUC = 0.703, FNR = 0.354, FPR = 0.353) was obtained in the BPC3 cohort when the MK-61+ panel was used. In the CGEMS cohort, the MK-61+ panel complemented PSA in predicting the disease status of PSA ≥ 2.0 ng/mL samples. This study demonstrates that augmented risk SNP panels can enhance prostate cancer prediction for males of European ancestry, especially those with \( {\rm{PSA}} \ge 2.0\ $ \) ng/mL. Prevention Relevance: This study demonstrates that augmented risk SNP panels can enhance prostate cancer prediction for males of European ancestry, especially those with PSA ≥ 2 ng/mL.
Determination of a sub-chronic threshold for lolitrem B and perennial ryegrass toxicosis in Angus cattle consuming endophyte-infected perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) straw over 64 days

Abstract Lolitrem B is a potent tremorgen responsible for the syndrome known as “ryegrass staggers” in livestock consuming perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) infected with the endophyte fungus Epichloe festucae var. lolii. We evaluated clinical signs in cattle continuously fed endophyte-infected perennial ryegrass straw at four concentrations of lolitrem B (LB)/ergovaline (EV) (groups: I-2256/638, II-1554/373, III-1012/259 or IV-
Analysis of the impact of electric vehicle policy on supply and demand of U.S. states bioethanol market

Abstract This study aims to construct a quantitative model of the dynamic influence of electric vehicle sales in the United States on bioethanol consumption and bioethanol production. The final research results have shown that there is a long-term equilibrium relationship in our multivariate vector autoregression (VAR) model between bioethanol consumption and bioethanol production, gasoline price, corn price, and electric vehicle sales. It can be seen from the impulse response analysis that ethanol demand will strongly respond to one standard deviation of electric vehicle sales, and our new model fits the real data of ethanol supply and demand deviation well. Based on this newly long-term equilibrium relationship, we have constructed a policy simulation model to describe the quantitative relationship between the changes in the electric vehicle policy of each state and the temporal and spatial pattern of the national bioethanol resource allocation among US states. It can help and serve as a reference tool for policy makers to conduct quantitative policy evaluation.