cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Facilitators and barriers of implementing enhanced recovery in colorectal surgery at a safety net hospital: A provider and patient perspective

Background Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways are known to decrease complications and duration of stay in colorectal surgery patients. However, it is unclear whether an ERAS pathway would be feasible and effective at a safety-net hospital. The aim of this study was to identify local barriers and facilitators before the adoption of an ERAS pathway for patients undergoing colorectal operations at a safety-net hospital. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted to assess the perceived barriers and facilitators before ERAS adoption. Stratified purposive sampling was used. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using content analysis. Analytic and investigator triangulation were used to establish credibility. Results Interviewees included 8 anesthesiologists, 5 surgeons, 6 nurses, and 18 patients. Facilitators identified across the different medical professions were (1) feasibility and alignment with current practice, (2) standardization of care, (3) smallness of community, (4) good teamwork and communication, and (5) caring for patients. The barriers were (1) difficulty in adapting to change, (2) lack of coordination between different departments, (3) special needs of a highly comorbid and socioeconomically disadvantaged patient population, (4) limited resources, and (5) rotating residents. Facilitators identified by the patients were (1) welcoming a speedy recovery, (2) being well-cared for and satisfied with treatment, (3) adequate social support, (4) welcoming early mobilization, and (5) effective pain management. The barriers were (1) lack of quiet and private space, (2) need for more patient education and counseling, and (3) unforeseen complications. Conclusion Although limited hospital resources are perceived as a barrier to ERAS implementation at a safety-net hospital, there is strong support for such pathways and multiple factors were identified that may facilitate change. Inclusion of patient perspectives is critical to identifying challenges and facilitators to implementing ERAS changes focused on optimizing patient perioperative health and outcomes.
Characteristics of Children With Cancer Discharged or Admitted From the Emergency Department.

Background Emergency department (ED) utilization by children with cancer is poorly understood. Among children with cancer, we explored reasons for ED visits and factors associated with admission within U.S. children's hospitals. Methods A retrospective study of the 2011–2013 Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) was conducted. Eligible ED visits included those within 365 days from the first inpatient encounter with an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code for cancer. Patient characteristics and reasons for ED visits were assessed. Factors associated with admission from the ED were examined with multivariable regression. Results There were 26,770 ED visits by 17,943 children with cancer at 39 children's hospitals during the study period. Half of children with cancer visited the ED within 1 year after their first cancer hospitalization in PHIS. Fifty-six percent of ED visits resulted in admission. Fever or neutropenia accounted for the largest proportion of reasons for visits (34.6%). Risk factors for admission were as follows: “Other” race/ethnicity as compared to white, non-Hispanic (odds ratio [OR] = 1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2–1.6), history of transplant (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.4–2.1), and ED visits reasons including neutropenia (OR = 43.4, 95% CI 36.0–52.3), blood stream infection (OR = 3.3, 95% CI 2.8–3.9), pancytopenia (OR = 28.8, 95% CI 18.1–45.9), dehydration (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.9–2.9), or pneumonia (OR = 3.8, 95% CI 2.8–5.1). Conclusions Children with cancer have high ED usage within 1 year after their first cancer hospitalization. Age, demographic factors, and reasons for ED visits significantly impacted admission from the ED. Further research should focus on ED utilization among children with cancer.
The law is nine-tenths of possession: An adage turned on its head

This chapter explores the adage that "possession is nine-tenths of the law." At face value, the adage would have it that the law of property follows from the facts on the ground - implicitly, the results of superior power, as in a game of Hawk/Dove or Chicken, where one party defers and the other takes the prize. Courts have distanced themselves from this view, however, and for good reason. It is only in times and places where the law has little force or none at all that possession flows simply from superior force. On closer examination of the legal meaning of possession - especially in two areas where possession supposedly matters, first possession and adverse possession - it emerges that for legal purposes, "possession" generally means acting the way an owner would. Thus for legal purposes, legality, or at least the appearance of legality, determines the meaning of possession, rather than the other way around.
Nitric Oxide Synthase: Function and Mechanism

The discovery of nitric oxide (•NO) as a mammalian metabolic intermediate has developed into a swiftly moving area of research. The intense interest and rapid progress have developed primarily because •NO controls and influences a number of critical physiological processes. The formation of •NO from L-arginine in mammalian cells is catalyzed by the enzyme •NO synthase (NOS; EC 1.14.23) (Figure 1). The best characterized examples of biological reactions controlled by •NO include vasodilation and regulation of normal vascular tone, inhibition of platelet aggregation, neuronal transmission and cytostasis [for reviews, see1–5 ]. In addition to these activities it appears that abnormally high levels of •NO are also involved in the hypotension associated with endotoxic shock6, inflammatory response-induced tissue injury7, mutagenesis8,9, and the formation of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines10. In tissues where •NO controls normal vascular tone, low levels can also be deleterious such as in the case of pulmonary hypertension in infants and adults. •NO has very recently been found to be useful in the treatment of this type of hypertension.
Respiratory disorders: Ironing out smoking-related airway disease

Lack of the protein IRP2 in mice prevents organelles called mitochondria from accumulating toxic levels of iron in response to smoke exposure. This discovery links environmental and genetic risk factors for a chronic lung disease.
Insights Into the Pathophysiology and Therapy of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms From Mouse Models

CML (chronic myeloid leukemia) is genetically simple cancer, having a very few point mutations or copy number variations in its early chronic phase genome. Therapies using ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have dramatically altered the prognosis in CML. The major goal of current molecular research on CML is to understand TKI resistance and disease progression. CML mouse models can provide information and insights into the pathophysiology of this disease that are difficult or impossible to obtain when one is limited to working with human cells. There are two widely used mouse models of CML: binary conditional BCR-ABL1 transgenic mice1, 2 and the retroviral bone marrow transplant (BMT) model of CML.3, 4, 5 In these models, BCR-ABL1-induced CML-like myeloproliferative neoplasm originates from stem/progenitor cells with multi-lineage repopulating activity.5 This neoplasm is transplantable and can progress to blast crisis;5, 6 it is responsive to kinase inhibitors and immunological therapy.7, 8 In this summary, I will focus on three examples where mouse model systems have revealed crucial details about the pathophysiology of CML.
A Method for Attenuating the Spurious Responses of Aluminum Nitride Micromechanical Filters

We present a method for attenuating the spurious responses in aluminum nitride micromechanical filters and demonstrate the technique in a 4-pole self-coupled filter operating at 494 MHz. In the standard implementation of a 4-pole self-coupled filter, each filter pole is realized using physically identical resonators. The spur mitigation approach reported here realizes the four poles of the filter using two different physical implementations of the resonator. Both resonators are designed to have identical responses at the desired resonant frequency of 494 MHz, while many of the spurious responses of the two resonators appear at nonidentical frequencies and do not add constructively at the filter output. Using the reported method, the measured attenuation of the largest filter spur is increased by 47.5 dB when compared with a 4-pole filter realized using identical resonators (standard approach) to form each filter pole. The filter realized using the reported spur attenuation approach has >59.6 dBc of stopband and spurious response rejection over nearly a 2-GHz frequency span.
Study of Voluntary Counselling and Testing among 118 Female Drug Addicts

Objective The purpose of this study is to analyze the background of the participants, their HIV risk behaviors, HIV VCT experience and the desier of future VCT. Method There were 118 participants recruited in this study. Univariate analysis of the data regarding participants′ background, HIV risk behaviors, and voluntary HIV testing experience were performed. Result Only 8% of the participants self-reported that they had taken voluntary HIV testing in their lifetime. 32.2% of the participants had ever engaged in needle sharing with other intravenous drug users, 13.3% had ever traded sex for drug or money, 29.2% had multiple sex partners and 59.7% had no condom using habit in the past one year. The understanding of HIV testing, peer factor, spouse (sexual partner) factor, and the intention to take voluntary HIV testing of participants who had previously taken VCT were significantly different from those had ever taken VCT before. Conclusion According to the result,the author suggested that effective HIV protective strategies for female drug addicts should be toward increasing their recognition of HIV risk behaviors, promoting the benefit of HIV testing, and accelerating the protective information spread among this population.
Effect of habitat structure on reproduction and prey capture of a rare carnivorous plant, Pinguicula lutea

Habitat degradation is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity worldwide and the main contributor to the decline of many carnivorous plant species. For carnivorous plants in the southeastern United States, including many Pinguicula species (butterwort, Lentibulariaceae), degradation via altered fire regime has been implicated in their decline. Despite this decline, limited empirical research has been conducted examining the influence of habitat structural changes (through natural succession or human management) on reproduction and prey capture by carnivorous plants. The objectives of our study were to compare reproduction and prey capture for Pinguicula lutea (yellow butterwort) in habitats with different vegetation structures in the Florida Panhandle, where differences were largely due to management history. Pinguicula lutea is a self-compatible carnivorous plant that inhabits fire-dependent longleaf pine savannas of the southeastern United States and is threatened in the state of Florida. In 2014 and 2015, 13 sites were identified occupying three different habitat structures: maintained (intermittently mowed), grassy (dominated by Aristida stricta var. beyrichiana), and woody (encroachment by Hypericum and Ilex). Reproductive output was determined by assessing fruit set and ovule fertilization rate at each site. Additionally, prey availability and prey capture were assessed at each habitat site. In general, there were no differences in either measure of reproduction across habitat structure types. There were differences in prey abundance of Collembola, Diptera, and total arthropods both in terms of availability and capture. Total arthropod availability and prey capture were lowest in grassy sites compared to maintained habitat sites and woody habitat sites. Microclimatic conditions associated with each habitat structure and leaf morphology or physiology could explain the observed arthropod abundance and prey capture patterns. This study is the first ecological assessment of plant–insect interactions for Pinguicula species of the southeastern US and highlights the importance of habitat quality and management for this understudied group of carnivorous plants.
PLL Basics and Standard Structure

This chapter provides an overview of the standard phase-locked loop (PLL) structure and illustrates that this structure is not suitable for power engineering applications. The chapter explains the control objectives in the PLL system. For a pure sinusoidal signal with no distortion or noise, the error in phase locking is in the order of several degrees when a first order integrating plus a lowpass filter (LPF) is used for the loop filter. Adding more low-pass filtering in the loop can decrease the ripples, but, by the time the ripples are small enough, the transient time of the loop is beyond the admissible range for power system applications. This is why this standard PLL structure has not been of much interest in power engineering.
CD33-Directed Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cells for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Abstract Therapies for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have not improved patient long-term survival for decades. Novel treatment options, such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, are needed for patients with this disease. However, AML cells lack ideal targeting antigens that are safe to target with CAR T cells. CD33, a commonly targeted antigen, is expressed in about 85-90% of AML cases but is also present on normal myeloid progenitors and myelocytes. Our aim was to engineer and validate CD33-directed CAR T cells, with the intention to open a phase I clinical trial in patients with relapsed AML. Given the potential toxicity associated with targeting CD33 in patients, an elimination gene was included in the construct design to allow CAR T cell clearance after disease eradication. We constructed a CAR specific for CD33 by utilizing the variable heavy and light chains of the humanized M-195 antibody (HuM-195), CD28 and zeta signaling domains, and the IL-12 gene. To facilitate CAR T cell elimination if necessary, a truncated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFRt) gene was also inserted into the retroviral vector to create the EGFRt/HuM195-28z/IL-12 CAR construct. Retroviral transduction with this tri-cistronic construct resulted in high transduction efficiency of human T cells, as determined by detection of EGFRt with fluorescently-labeled cetuximab or CAR with fluorescently-labeled CD33 molecule by flow cytometry. T cells transduced with the EGFRt/HuM195-28z/IL-12 CAR secreted functional IL-12, as assessed by culturing CAR cell supernatant with peripheral blood mononuclear cells and detecting IFN-g produced in response to IL-12. When stimulated through the CAR by co-culturing with the CD33+ AML cell line Molm-13, EGFRt/HuM195-28z/IL-12 CAR T cells proliferated and produced significant levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-g and IL-2. In addition, EGFRt/HuM195-28z/IL-12 CAR T cells mediated significantly cytotoxicity against Molm-13 at a range of effector-to-target ratios in standard 51Cr-release assays, as compared to control CAR T cells. The in vivo anti-tumor efficacy of EGFRt/HuM195-28z/IL-12 CAR T cells was tested in two preclinical mouse models of AML. First, SCID/Beige mice were xenografted with Molm-13 cells. Mice subsequently treated with EGFRt/HuM195-28z/IL-12 CAR T cells exhibited significant long-term survival, as compared to untreated or control CAR T cell-treated mice (p = Disclosures Brentjens: Juno Therapeutics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.
Reducing Side Reactions Using PF6-based Electrolytes in Multivalent Hybrid Cells

The need for higher energy density batteries has spawned recent renewed interest in alternatives to lithium ion batteries, including multivalent chemistries that theoretically can provide twice the volumetric capacity if two electrons can be transferred per intercalating ion. Initial investigations of these chemistries have been limited to date by the lack of understanding of the compatibility between intercalation electrode materials, electrolytes, and current collectors. This work describes the utilization of hybrid cells to evaluate multivalent cathodes, consisting of high surface area carbon anodes and multivalent nonaqueous electrolytes that are compatible with oxide intercalation electrodes. In particular, electrolyte and current collector compatibility was investigated, and it was found that the carbon and active material play an important role in determining the compatibility of PF 6 -based multivalent electrolytes with carbon-based current collectors. Through the exploration of electrolytes that are compatible with the cathode, new cell chemistries and configurations can be developed, including a magnesium-ion battery with two intercalation host electrodes, which may expand the known Mg-based systems beyond the present state of the art sulfide-based cathodes with organohalide-magnesium based electrolytes.
A Framework for Validation of Network-based Simulation Models: an Application to Modeling Interventions of Pandemics

Network-based computer simulation models are powerful tools for analyzing and guiding policy formation related to the actual systems being modeled. However, the inherent data and computationally intensive nature of this model class gives rise to fundamental challenges when it comes to executing typical experimental designs. In particular this applies to model validation. Manual management of the complex simulation work-flows along with the associated data will often require a broad combination of skills and expertise. Examples of skills include domain expertise, mathematical modeling, programming, high-performance computing, statistical designs, data management as well as the tracking all assets and instances involved. This is a complex and error-prone process for the best of practices, and even small slips may compromise model validation and reduce human productivity in significant ways. In this paper, we present a novel framework that addresses the challenges of model validation just mentioned. The components of our framework form an ecosystem consisting of (i) model unification through a standardized model configuration format, (ii) simulation data management, (iii) support for experimental designs, and (iv) methods for uncertainty quantification, and sensitivity analysis, all ultimately supporting the process of model validation. (Note that our view of validation is much more comprehensive than simply ensuring that the computational model can reproduce instance of historical data.) This is an extensible design where domain experts from e.g. experimental design can contribute to the collection of available algorithms and methods. Additionally, our solution directly supports reproducible computational experiments and analysis, which in turn facilitates independent model verification and validation. Finally, to showcase our design concept, we provide a sensitivity analysis for examining the consequences of different intervention strategies for an influenza pandemic.
Pleural sclerosis for malignant pleural effusion: Optimal sclerosing agent

Malignant pleural effusions are frequent sequelae of metastatic cancer. Approximately half of all patients with metastatic cancer will develop a pleural effusion, with lung and breast cancer accounting for 75% of cases. The development of a malignant pleural effusion often leads to symptoms, such as dyspnea and cough, which significantly reduce the quality of life. Unfortunately, most malignant effusions do not respond to systemic therapy, thereby necessitating other forms of treatment when symptomatic. Currently the main options for the palliative treatment of symptomatic malignant pleural effusion include repeated thoracenteses, placement of indwelling pleural catheters, and pleurodesis. Repeated thoracenteses and indwelling pleural catheters are reasonable options for patients with very short life expectancies. Over time, repeated thoracenteses are inconvenient and the patient must tolerate recurrent symptoms as the fluid reaccumulates.
Regional variation in the browsing diet of Pleistocene Mammut americanum (Mammalia, Proboscidea) as recorded by dental microwear textures

Abstract Analyses into the feeding ecology of Mammut americanum have reconstructed this extinct proboscidean as a forest-dwelling browser that thrived across North America during the Pleistocene. However, the level of variability in mastodon diet that may have existed across its spatio-temporal range remains unresolved. We address this deficiency through comparison of dental microwear textures in a large sample (N = 65) of M. americanum teeth from six geographic and chronologically distinct locations from the Late Pleistocene of North America. Mastodon microwear textures correspond to a woody browsing diet, congruent with results from other dietary proxies. However, microwear textures reveal that southern populations from Florida (associated with a cypress swamp habitat) had a slightly softer, tougher browsing diet compared to northern populations (associated with boreal forest and open-pine parkland habitats) in the Late Pleistocene. In addition, there was no significant difference in microwear variables associated with food hardness or toughness in mastodons from two temporally distinct populations from Missouri, despite a significant environmental shift from open-pine parkland to boreal forest through time. Our findings elucidate M. americanum as a species with some plasticity in its browsing strategy across its range, with regional populations capable of having different diets yet able to maintain their ecological niche in the face of local environmental shifts in the Late Pleistocene. This has implications for the future testing of environmentally-induced extinction hypotheses during the latest Pleistocene and also illustrates the importance of measuring population-level dietary variation to better understand total feeding ecology in an extinct species.
Unplanned return to operating room after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (EVAR) is associated with increased risk of hospital readmission.

ObjectivesHospital readmissions after surgical operations are considered serious events. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) consider surgical readmissions as preventable and hold hospitals res...
Assessing Gaussian Assumption of PMU Measurement Error Using Field Data

Gaussian phasor measurement unit (PMU) measurement error has been assumed for many power system applications, such as state estimation, oscillatory modes monitoring, voltage stability analysis, to cite a few. This letter proposes a simple yet effective approach to assess this assumption by using the stability property of a probability distribution and the concept of redundant measurement. Extensive results using field PMU data from WECC system reveal that the Gaussian assumption is questionable.
Детское Чтение (1785-1789) и Детския Забавы (1792): Рецепция немецкого протестантизма в детских изданиях XVIII в.

This article is focused on Protestantism-related ideas encrypted in children’s literature in eighteenth-century Russia. The primary focus of the study is on Detskiia Zabavy (1792), a short-story collection that was thought to be an original Russian book. As this study shows, the book in question is actually a collection of texts translated from German and French. The bulk of the collection deals with the so-called short didactic stories, the ideological roots of which have been overlooked and understudied. The author’s findings help to clarify, among other things, the subject of Pushkin’s parody in his Detskaia Knizhka (1830).
Early Mobilization in the ICU: Assessing a Standardized Early Mobility Protocol on Neurological Patients (P4.323)

Objective: Assess standardized early mobility (EM) protocol within the neurological intensive care unit (NSICU) and evaluate its effect on acute ischemic stroke (AIS), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), status epilepticus, and acute neuromuscular disorders. Background: EM in medical ICUs have demonstrated benefit, but studies fail to include significant numbers of neurological patients. A limited number have suggested mobilization within 48 hours of ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke improve outcomes. However, institutionalized guidelines that can be applied uniformly in NSICU are still lacking. Design/Methods: In 2014, UC Davis institutionalized an EM protocol in the NSICU; all admitted patients were assessed on a 24-hour interval to participate in physical therapist assisted mobility based on specific inclusion criteria. Patients were retrospectively analyzed from 2012 to 2016, and categorized into AIS, ICH, status epilepticus, and acute neuromuscular disorder. Groups were evaluated based on primary outcomes of ICU length of stay (LOS), overall LOS, and discharge modified rankin scale (mRS). Statistical analysis completed using Mann Whitney U Test, ANOVA, and regression analysis. Results: 223 pre-early mobility (pre-EM) and 339 post-early mobility (post-EM) patients were analyzed. Overall, groups did not differ statistically in terms of LOS (7.21 vs 7.51 days (d)), ICU LOS (3.5d vs 3.78 d), or mortality (10.1 vs 11%). Within AIS, post-EM patients admitted with a NIH stroke scale (NIHSS) of 0–10 demonstrated a 12% reduction in ICU LOS (1.96 d vs 2.23d, p=0.2693) and those with NIHSS of greater than 20 demonstrated 25% reduction in ICU LOS (6.86 vs 5.11 d, p=0.4299). Post-EM AIS also had improved mRS at discharge by a factor of 0.5 (p=0.01). In patients with ICH, those admitted with ICH score of 2–3, had 51% reduction in ICU LOS (8.73d vs 4.24d, p=0.0992). Conclusions: This study found institutionalized EM protocol for stroke patients reduced average ICU LOS and reduced overall mRS at discharge. Disclosure: Dr. Walia has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sodhi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chen has nothing to disclose. Dr. Black has nothing to disclose.
Maintenance of Gains in Relationship and Individual Functioning Following the Online OurRelationship Program.

Abstract In the United States, more than 40% of marriages end in divorce and more than one third of intact marriages are distressed. Unfortunately, only a minority of couples seek couple therapy to improve their relationships. Online interventions, with their increased reach and reduced costs, offer the potential to improve relationships nationwide. The online OurRelationship program has been shown in previous nationwide studies to improve relationship and individual functioning. The present study examined whether initial gains in the OurRelationship program were maintained in the following year and whether the extent of maintenance varied across important demographic and individual factors. In this study, 151 distressed heterosexual couples (302 individuals) who were randomized to the OurRelationship program were assessed 3 and 12 months following the intervention. Initial gains in relationship satisfaction, relationship confidence, and negative relationship quality were maintained through 12 months; positive relationship quality significantly improved over follow-up. Furthermore, couples maintained their initial gains in depressive symptoms, perceived health, work functioning, and quality of life; anxious symptoms continued to significantly decrease over follow-up. Finally, there was no evidence that historically underserved groups—racial/ethnic minorities, lower income couples, or rural couples—experienced greater deterioration. In fact, Hispanic couples reported continued improvement in relationship confidence and negative relationship quality in the 12 months following the program. The ability of the OurRelationship program—an 8-hour, primarily self-help program—to create long-lasting improvements in distressed relationships indicates it may have the potential to improve the lives of distressed couples on a broad scale.
Towards an Integrated Model of the Interseismic Velocity Field Along the Western Margin of North America

This paper describes a block model of tectonic deformation for the western part of the contiguous United States (i.e. west of longitude 100°W and between latitudes 31°N and 49°N). NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) uses velocities predicted by this model as the basis of the horizontal velocity grids incorporated in Horizontal Time-Dependent Positioning (HTDP) software. We model the deformation of this area using 46 rotating blocks. Along with the poles of rotation, we also solve for 38 independent horizontal strain rate tensors and the elastic coupling coefficients on faults that bound adjacent blocks. For the release of HTDP 3.1, we updated estimates of model parameters by using 6,287 GPS-derived velocity vectors, that include vectors from the 2009 Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) solution and the NGS Multiyear CORS (MYCORS) solution, and 330 geological measurements of fault slip rates and/or fault orientation. In general, the fault slip rates and the interseismic coupling coefficients are consistent with the results of previous studies; however, because of the comprehensive nature of this model, we are able to quantitatively map deformation rates over the entire plate boundary zone within the contiguous United States. Slip rates on the faults range from over 30 mm/year for the Cascadia subduction zone and parts of the San Andreas system to near zero for faults adjacent to stable North America. Block rotations play a significant role in accommodating deformation in the Pacific Northwest but make a much smaller contribution south of Cape Mendocino. Because of the variable gradient of the velocity field, HTDP3.1 incorporates a hierarchy of 5 grids with a spacing ranging from 4 nodes per degree to 100 nodes per degree.
Cognitive Optical Networks

Future optical networks will have 103-4 increase in rates and highly granular traffic due to large transactions. Cognitive techniques will provide agile automated fast scheduling of resources, topology changes and agile adaptations for congestion control, load balancing and reconfiguration involving all layers.
Developing a Rural, Community-Based Registry for Cardiovascular Quality Improvement.

Background Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death, yet most evidence is collected from small clinical trials or individual hospital providers. Achieving scalable data to enable quality improvements (QIs) remains a challenge. We investigate whether a registry that is shared by multiple providers and integrates data longitudinally could help drive QIs across a large rural geographic region. Methods We describe a case study involving the development of an informatics infrastructure across the entire state of Wyoming. This rural, regional, community-based cardiovascular system of care involved all interventional hospitals in the state as well as all surrounding states. Data exchange was initiated between 36 hospitals, and 56 ambulance agencies, to a centralized registry for clinical analytics and QI for patients with acute myocardial infarction. Results After 3 years, the registry maintained all documented acute myocardial infarctions across Wyoming. Median total ischemic time (time from patient's symptom onset to definitive treatment) had a 36.7% improvement during the program. Changes in quality for the rural community included reduction in overall treatment times, as well as enhanced training, standardized protocols, and community awareness. We also share key lessons learned. Conclusions Collaborative data registries for emergency cardiovascular care can help providers and communities measure and improve the quality of the care across regions.
The effects of fathers on daughters’ expectations for men.

Guided by paternal investment theory (PIT), the current research examines the effects of fathers on daughters' expectations for men in adulthood, and the role of these expectations in mediating women's short-term (casual or uncommitted) sexual behavior. Using a genetically informed differential sibling-exposure design (N = 223 sister pairs from divorced/separated families), we found that developmental exposure to low-quality paternal behavior (but not paternal absence per se) predicted adult women's expectations for men as partners. For older sisters, who spent much of their childhoods living with their fathers, lower-quality paternal behavior predicted lower expectations for male investment in their relationships as adults. Moreover, lower expectations for men as partners predicted higher numbers of sexual partners (past and anticipated) among these women. By contrast, for younger sisters, who spent relatively little time coresiding with their fathers, no such effects of quality of paternal behavior were observed. The current work provides evidence that exposure to low-quality paternal behavior during development may help calibrate daughters' expectations for the behavior of male relationship partners, and these expectations may shape their sexual behavior in adulthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
High-Performance Ray Tracing

We describe how the Intel Embree ray tracing kernel library can be used to achieve high performance and high image quality on Intel Xeon Phi coprocessors. We demonstrate that this hardware/software combination can reach levels of performance (on nontrivial workloads) comparable to and often better than any other CPU or GPU known today. Moreover, the ray tracing computation itself and related vectorization strategies are conceptually straightforward for nonexperts, and a simple example is given that illustrates the key elements of an application which uses Embree on Xeon Phi coprocessors.
ESL-1 Is a Major Physiological Leukocyte Ligand for E-Selectin That Cooperates with PSGL-1 and CD44, and Together Mediate All Binding Activity to Endothelial Selectins In Vivo.

Abstract Endothelial selectins mediate leukocyte (WBC) rolling on activated endothelium. ESL-1 was isolated by affinity purification more than 10 years ago but whether it is a physiological ligand for E-selectin remains unclear. Recent studies suggest that PSGL-1 and CD44 are physiological E-selectin ligands on neutrophils (PMNs)(J. Exp. Med. 2005 201:1183). To analyze the contribution of ESL-1, PSGL-1 and CD44, we knocked down ESL-1 expression using lentiviral transfer of short hairpin (sh) RNA into wild-type (WT), PSGL-1- or/and CD44-deficient bone marrow lineage-negative (Lin-) cells. Sorted GFP+ cells from mice transplanted with Lin- cells transduced with the shESL-1 exhibited >90% reduction in total ESL-1 levels by Q-PCR and Western blot analyses, and complete absence of ESL-1 on the PMN surface. shESL-1 transduced Lin- cells engrafted recipients mice with the same efficiency as control vector. Downregulation of ESL-1 slightly affected (~33%) the binding of soluble E-selectin to PMNs, but did not alter WBC rolling numbers in TNF-α-stimulated cremasteric venules. Absence of ESL-1 or CD44, but not PSGL-1, resulted in significant increases in mean rolling velocities (4.7 ± 0.4 μm/s for WT; 8.3 ± 0.4 μm/s for shESL-1*; 7.2 ± 0.2 μm/s for CD44−/−* and 5.4 ± 0.4 μm/s for PSGL-1−/−; *p
Airbnb’s Reputation System and Gender Differences Among Guests: Evidence from Large-Scale Data Analysis and a Controlled Experiment

Sharing economy platforms are rapidly scaling up by reaching increasingly diverse demographics. However, this expansion comes with great difficulties in adequately identifying and responding to everyone’s needs. In this paper, we study gender-related behaviors of guests on the currently most prominent home-sharing platform, Airbnb. While our results confirm the efficacy of Airbnb’s reputation system, we also find that the level of trust and participation on the platform varies by gender. In particular, female solo travelers are more likely to be conscious of review sentiment and choose more often female hosts than male solo travelers. Our findings are obtained by combining exploratory data analysis with large-scale experiments and call for further studies on the usage of sharing economy platforms among subpopulations, informing and improving both policy and practice in these growing online environments.
The OSIM Group (D)

The B case recounts Tom Stark's meeting with the OSIM Group's chairman of the board. See also the A, C, D, E, F, and G cases (UVA-BP-0399 and UVA-BP-0401 through UVA-BP-0405).
Chapter 6 – Condensation in minichannels and microchannels

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the available literature on the modeling of condensation in microchannels. Microchannel definitions and governing influences, flow regimes and transition criteria, void fraction correlations, pressure drop, and heat transfer are also discussed in the chapter. The building blocks for the modeling of condensation in microchannels are slowly becoming available. The progress on addressing microchannel flows in the area of flow regime determination is documented in adiabatic and condensing flows in mini channels. The Wilson plot techniques used for large channels are limited in their utility for small channels. Controlled experiments measure heat transfer rates of the order of a few watts for local condensation in microchannels. Models for heat transfer coefficients reflect the cumulative effects of reliable or unreliable establishment of flow regimes, modeling of void fractions, the computation of the shear stress through a pressure drop, and uncertainties in the measurement of heat transfer coefficients. Microchannels are increasingly being used in industry to yield compact geometries for heat transfer in a wide variety of applications.
Energy, economic, and environmental benefits assessment of co-optimized engines and bio-blendstocks

Advances in fuel and engine design that improve engine efficiency could lower the total cost of vehicle ownership for consumers, support economic development, and offer environmental benefits. Two fuel properties that can enhance the efficiency of boosted spark ignition engines are research octane number and octane sensitivity. Biomass feedstocks can produce fuel blendstocks with these properties. Correspondingly, using a suite of models, we evaluated the change in energy and water consumption and greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions in the light duty fleet from 2025 to 2050 when bio-blendstocks isopropanol, a methylfuran mixture, and ethanol are blended at 31%, 14%, and 17%, respectively, with petroleum. These blended fuels increase engine efficiency by 10% when used with a co-optimized engine. In these scenarios, we estimated that petroleum consumption would decrease by between 5–9% in 2050 alone and likely by similar levels in future years as compared to a business as usual case defined by energy information administration projections. Overall, between 2025 and 2050, we determined that, when isopropanol is the bio-blendstock, GHG emissions, water consumption, and PM2.5 emission cumulative reductions could range from 4–7%, 3–4%, and 3%, respectively. Cumulative reductions would continue to increase beyond 2025 as the technology would gain an increasing foothold, indicating the importance of allowing time for technology penetration to achieve desired benefits. Annual jobs increased between 0.2 and 1.7 million in the case in which isopropanol was the bio-blendstock. Overall, this analysis provides a framework for evaluating the benefits of deploying co-optimized fuels and engines considering multiple energy, environmental, and economic factors.
Re: Exposure to asbestos and the risk of colorectal cancer mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis by Kwak et al.

I read with interest the review by Kwak et al 1 on exposure to asbestos and the risk of colorectal cancer. However, I was concerned about the choice of the cohorts included in the meta-analysis (table 1 of the original publication). The authors failed …
General soliton solution to a nonlocal nonlinear Schrödinger equation with zero and nonzero boundary conditions

General soliton solutions to a nonlocal nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) equation with PT-symmetry for both zero and nonzero boundary conditions are considered via the combination of Hirota's bilinear method and the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (KP) hierarchy reduction method. First, general N-soliton solutions with zero boundary conditions are constructed. Starting from the tau functions of the two-component KP hierarchy, it is shown that they can be expressed in terms of either Gramian or double Wronskian determinants. On the contrary, from the tau functions of single component KP hierarchy, general soliton solutions to the nonlocal NLS equation with nonzero boundary conditions are obtained. All possible soliton solutions to nonlocal NLS with Parity (PT)-symmetry for both zero and nonzero boundary conditions are found in the present paper.
Qualitative Properties of Profit-Maximizing K-Out-of-N Systems Subject to Two Kinds of Failures

This paper derives several properties of the optimal k-out-of-n: G systems where: (i) the i.i.d. components can be, with a pre-specified frequency, in one of two possible modes, (ii) components are subject to failures in each of the two modes, and (iii) the costs of two kinds of system's failures are not necessarily the same. A characterization of the optimal k which maximizes the system's expected profit is obtained (a special case of this optimization criterion is the maximization of the system's reliability). We show how one can predict, based directly on the parameters of the system, whether the optimal k is smaller or larger than one-half of n. Also, the directions of change in the optimal k resulting from changes in the system's parameters are ascertained.
Job-Readiness After Pediatric Neuroradiology Training: Defining Trainee Needs.

Rationale and Objectives To describe and analyze the pediatric neuroradiology implicit curriculum for general-pediatric and neuro-pediatric radiology fellowship training in order to define specific trainee needs and inform an explicit pediatric neuroradiology curriculum. Materials and Methods A focus group of pediatric radiologists, pediatric neuroradiologists and fellows was conducted to create a needs assessment questionnaire that focused on training experience, current job, and a list of essential competency items. The questionnaire was distributed to 175 members of the Society for Pediatric Radiology. Data were derived from categorical and continuous survey variables. Using an inductive approach, we analyzed and systematically inspected the data to derive themes regarding trainee needs and how they might inform an explicit curriculum. Results Fifty-seven pediatric radiologists (response rate of 33%) responded to the survey. Sixty-three percent of respondents were fellowship trained in general pediatric radiology, 21% in pediatric neuroradiology, and 16% in both. In their current jobs, 75% of respondents were responsible for interpreting some pediatric neuroradiology. 50% or greater reported limited or no fellowship instruction in five areas of imaging interpretation: fetal neuroimaging; ear and/or nose and/or throat imaging; head and neck imaging; neuroembryology; neuro-spectroscopy and four areas of technical skills and/or image quality: reducing imaging time; choice of contrast agents; sedation; understanding clinical management pathways. Conclusion Trainees endorse inadequate training in certain aspects of imaging interpretation and technical skills which are known to remain a significant and vital aspect of pediatric neuroradiology practice, revealing an opportunity to emphasize these aspects in an explicit curriculum and dedicate educational resources towards this cause.
At the crossroads: the euro and its central bank guardian (and saviour?)

This paper investigates the role of the European Central Bank (ECB) in the (mal)functioning of Europe's Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), focusing on the German intellectual and historical traditions behind the euro policy regime and its central bank guardian. The analysis contrasts Keynes's chartalist conception of money and central banking with the peculiar post-World War II German traditions nourished by the Bundesbank and based on a fear of fiscal dominance. Keynes viewed the central bank as an instrument of the state, controlling the financial system and wider economy but ultimately an integral part of, and controlled by, the state. In contrast, the 'Maastricht (EMU) regime' (of German design) positions the central bank as controlling the state. Essentially, the national success of the Bundesbank model in pre-EMU times has left Europe stuck with a policy regime that is wholly unsuitable for the area as a whole. But regime reform is complicated by severely unbalanced competitiveness positions and debt-overhang legacies. Refocusing the ECB on growth and price stability would have to be a part of any solution, as would refocusing area-wide fiscal policy on growth and investment. Copyright , Oxford University Press.
Common Factors Underlying Diverse Responses in Alcohol Use Disorder.

Objective Interindividual variation in responses to alcohol is substantial, posing challenges for medical management and for understanding the biological underpinnings of alcohol use disorders (AUD...
A retinoic acid receptor β2 agonist protects against alcohol liver disease and modulates hepatic expression of canonical retinoid metabolism genes.

Alcohol abuse reduces hepatic vitamin A (retinoids), reductions that are associated with progression of alcohol liver disease (ALD). Restoring hepatic retinoids through diet is contraindicated in ALD due to the negative effects of alcohol on retinoid metabolism. There are currently no drugs that can both mitigate alcohol-driven hepatic retinoid losses and progression of ALD. Using a mouse model of alcohol intake, we examined if an agonist for the retinoic acid (RA) receptor s2 (RARs2), AC261066 (AC261) could prevent alcohol-driven hepatic retinoid losses and protect against ALD. Our results show that mice co-treated with AC261 and alcohol displayed mitigation of ALD, including reduced macro, and microvesicular steatosis, and liver damage. Alcohol intake led to increases in hepatic centrilobular levels of ALDH1A1, a rate-limiting enzyme in RA synthesis, and co-localization of ALDH1A1 with the alcohol-metabolizing enzyme CYP2E1, and 4-HNE, a marker of oxidative stress; expression of these targets was abrogated in mice co-treated with AC261 and alcohol. By RNA sequencing technology, we found that AC261 treatments opposed alcohol modulation of 68 transcripts involved in canonical retinoid metabolism. Alcohol modulation of these transcripts, including CES1D, CES1G, RBP1, RDH10, and CYP26A1, collectively favor hepatic retinoid hydrolysis and catabolism. However, despite this, co-administration of AC261 with alcohol did not mitigate alcohol-mediated depletions of hepatic retinoids, but did reduce alcohol-driven increases in serum retinol. Our data show that AC261 protected mice against ALD, even though AC261 did not prevent alcohol-mediated reductions in hepatic retinoids. These data warrant further studies of the anti-ALD properties of AC261.