cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Overview of transplant mycology.

Purpose. The epidemiology, clinical manifestation, diagnosis, and management of invasive mycoses in transplant patients are described. Summary. The incidence of and mortality from invasive mycoses have increased in transplant patients. Candida and Aspergillus are the two most common fungal pathogens in this patient population. The use of immunosuppressive and myeloablative therapies and other factors increases the risk of invasive mycoses. A high index of suspicion and clinical clues are needed for the diagnosis of Candida and Aspergillus infections because reliable diagnostic techniques are not available and the patient presentation is nonspecific. Targeted prophylaxis for patients at high risk for morbidity and mortality and early, aggressive treatment using broad-spectrum antifungal agents are recommended. Prophylaxis using itraconazole reduces the risk of treatment failure due to resistant pathogens compared with fluconazole. Voriconazole might prove advantageous compared with fluconazole and itraconazole for prophylaxis because of its extended spectrum and predictable blood levels. Caspofungin seems as effective as and less toxic than amphotericin B for this use. Voriconazole is more effective than amphotericin B for the treatment of aspergillosis. Caspofungin is comparable to voriconazole in efficacy as salvage treatment after failure to respond to other antifungal agents. Conclusion. Caspofungin plus voriconazole and other combination therapies often are used for the treatment of aspergillosis yet data to support such use are yet to be produced. The investigational agents posaconazole, micafungin, and anidulafungin appear promising as salvage treatment of various invasive mycoses.
Angiosarcoma of the Bladder: A Case Report

We report a case of angiosarcoma of the bladder. Numerous cases of hemangioma of the bladder have been reported previously but only 3 cases of angiosarcoma have been published. In our case immunoperoxidase staining for factor VIII antigen was useful in substantiating the diagnosis of angiosarcoma.
Investigation of secondary views in a multimodal VR environment: 3D lenses, windows, and mirrors

We investigate secondary view techniques in a multimodal VR environment for dataset exploration and interpretation. Secondary views, such as 3D lenses or mirrors, can present alternative viewpoints, different filtering options, or different data sets. We focus on 3D views showing surface features that are hidden in a main view. We present different view techniques, including new variations, and experimentally compare them. Experiment subjects marked paths on a geological dataset in a manner that required a secondary view for a portion of each path. We compared passive to interactive (reach-in) views, rotated to mirrored presentations, and box vs. window shapes. We also considered two types of path complexity arising from surface contact geometry impacting force feedback, as the level of lateral guidance provided by the contact geometry may impact relative effectiveness of different view techniques. We show several differences in task times, error rates, and subjective preferences. Best results were obtained with an interactive box shape.
New Precursor in Improved 18F-Nifene Synthesis for Imaging Nicotinic Receptors

1086 Objectives The α4β2 nicotine acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) has been implicated in various neurodegenerative diseases. 18F-Nifene has demonstrated useful properties in rodent, nonhuman primate and human PET imaging studies of nicotinic α4β2 receptors. Here we report the synthesis of trimethylamino triflate (tmat) derivative, 2-(trimethylamino)-3-[2-((S)-N-tert-butoxycarbonyl-3-pyrrolinyl)methoxy]pyridine triflate 1 (tmat-Nifene) for 18F-Nifene radiosynthesis. Methods The synthesis of tmat-Nifene was carried out by nucleophilic displacement of fluorine in N-BOC-Nifene 2 in refluxing dimethylamine 3 for 18 hrs. This 2-(dimethylamino)-3-[2-((S)-N-tert-butoxycarbonyl-3-pyrrolinyl)methoxy]pyridine 4 was reacted with methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate in toluene at ambient temperature for 24 hrs. Alternate method involved refluxing 2-fluoro-3-pyridinol 5 with dimethylamine to provide 2-(dimethylamino)-3-pyridinol 6 which was then coupled in a Mitsunobu reaction with (S)-N-tert-butoxycarbonyl-2-hydroxymethyl-3-pyrroline 7 to provide 4. The pure tmat-Nifene 1 was isolated by PTLC and used for fluorination reactions. Results The displacement of fluorine in 2 and 5 by 3 proceeded smoothly with pure products 4 and 6 isolated in >50% yields. Mitsunobu reaction of 6 and 7 to provide 4 gave very low yields ( 80% yield and was therefore the method of choice. Previously, two-step radiosyntheses of 18F-Nifene was carried out with high specific activity 18F-fluoride using N-BOC-Nitronifene precursor followed by acid deprotection of the N-BOC group was accomplished in ~2 hrs. The ability to efficiently separate the more water soluble tmat-Nifene precursor using C18 sep-pak rather than HPLC, is a significant improvement. Conclusions The new precursor, tmat-Nifene offers improved radiosynthesis of 18F-Nifene for imaging α4β2 nicotinic receptors in animal models and humans. The tmat-precursor approach has been applied to other related 2-fluoropyridine derivatives such as 18F-2-FA85380, 18F-flubatine and 18F-T-807.
Mid-IR to THz polaritonics: realizing novel materials for nanophotonics (Conference Presentation)

The field of nanophotonics is based on the ability to confine light to sub-diffractional dimensions. Up until recently, research in this field has been primarily focused on the use of plasmonic metals. However, the high optical losses inherent in such metal-based surface plasmon materials has led to an ever-expanding effort to identify, low-loss alternative materials capable of supporting sub-diffractional confinement. Beyond this, the limited availability of high efficiency optical sources, refractive and compact optics in the mid-infrared to THz spectral regions make nanophotonic advancements imperative. One highly promising alternative are polar dielectric crystals whereby sub-diffraction confinement of light can be achieved through the stimulation of surface phonon polaritons within an all-dielectric, and thus low loss material system. Due to the wide array of high quality crystalline species and varied crystal structures, a wealth of unanticipated optical properties have recently been reported. However, these materials also have some limitations, primarily in the limited spectral bandwidth of operation for any given material. This talk will discuss recent advancements to improve the material lifetime and to induce additional functionality through isotopic enrichment and hybridization of polaritonic modes for realizing low-loss, actively tunable/modulated nanophotonic materials.
Morphodynamic Profiling of Cell Protrusion Based on Spatiotemporal Spectrum Decomposition and Unsupervised Clustering

Cellular morphogenesis is governed and regulated by complex interactions between the cytoskeleton and molecular pathways. Due to their central roles in the differentiation, embryogenesis and homeostasis process, cell morphology and morphodynamics are often used for qualitative and quantitative assessments of cell state. Here, we propose a framework to quantitatively profile cellular morphodynamics based on an adaptive spectrum decomposition method. This method decomposes the motion of cell boundary into analytical instantaneous frequency spectrum through Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT). Subsequently, we computed for each decomposed signal the distribution of instantaneous frequency and amplitude, from which we compiled the HHT spectrum. For spontaneously protrusive Cos7 cells, the instantaneous magnitudes of protrusion were found to greatly vary across different cells with nearly identical genetic and molecular backgrounds, whereas the frequency spectra were remarkably consistent. Meanwhile we examined Cos7 cells in which the Vav2 Guanine Exchange Factor (GEF) activity was acutely perturbed by optogenetic tools, and found significant shifts in the frequency distribution for specific signals. We thus concluded that edge motion velocity is an arbitrary parameter of cell morphogenesis whereas the frequency spectrum encodes the molecular state of regulation. The features extracted from the HHT spectrum could be used as a classifier to group subcellular regions into numerous characteristic sectors with specific molecular states through Statistical Region Merging (SRM) based clustering. Finally, we monitored the Rac1 activity downstream of Vav2 expressed in Cos7 cells and found that those clustering sectors distinguished by morphodynamic parameters indeed reflect regions with different local signaling. Thus, cell morphodynamic behavior can be used to detect different modes of operations or perturbations in cellular signaling.
Individuals with mild MS with poor sleep quality have impaired visuospatial memory and lower perceived functional abilities

Abstract Background Sleep disturbances are common in individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), but the impact of poor sleep quality on cognitive and physical function in individuals with MS is less clear. Objective/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sleep quality and cognitive and physical function in individuals with mild MS. Methods Forty individuals with relapsing-remitting or secondary-progressive MS (50.3 ± 11.6 years of age) participated. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to index sleep quality. A PSQI of ≤5 was considered good sleep quality and >5 was considered poor sleep quality. Cognitive function was assessed using a battery of cognitive tests, and physical function was assessed using 2 objective measures and a self-report measure. Results Thirteen individuals (32.5%) indicated good sleep quality and 27 (67.5%) of the participants reported poor sleep quality. Those with good sleep quality performed significantly better on a visuospatial memory test (p = 0.025) and reported higher functional abilities (p Conclusions Visuospatial memory appears to be the memory domain particularly associated with poor sleep quality in people with mild MS. Also, individuals with mild MS with poor sleep quality may underestimate their functional abilities.
Epigenetics in the Primary Biliary Cholangitis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

Epigenomics, the study of modifications to genetic material that do not alter the underlying DNA sequence, is generating increasing interest as a means to help clarify disease pathogenesis and outcomes. Although genome-wide association studies have identified several potential candidate genes that may be implicated in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), it is estimated that these genes explain less than 20% of the heritability of these diseases. Thus, to date, the origins of “missing heritability” for PBC and PSC remain elusive. The epigenome may provide a potentially elegant solution to this phenomenon, as it can be modified by both internal and external exposures (coined the “exposome”). This may explain differences in disease presentation, treatment response, and rates of progression between individuals. Epigenetic changes may also provide a framework for discovering potential biomarkers for diagnosis and screening of PBC and PSC. Importantly, because the epigenome is modifiable, it may also highlight novel pathways for therapeutic discovery and interventions of these diseases.
Mode Focus versus Mode Ambidexterity: Solving a Dilemma

Using organizational learning and niche theory, we develop a model of mode focus and firm performance that challenges most recent findings in the exploration/exploitation knowledge domain. We conce...
Ptbp2 Controls an Alternative Splicing Network Required for Cell Communication during Spermatogenesis

Alternative splicing has essential roles in development. Remarkably, spermatogenic cells express more alternatively spliced RNAs compared to most whole tissues; however, regulation of these RNAs remains unclear. Here, we characterize the alternative splicing landscape during spermatogenesis and reveal an essential function for the RNA-binding protein Ptbp2 in this highly regulated developmental program. We found that Ptbp2 controls a network of genes involved in cell adhesion, migration, and polarity, suggesting that splicing regulation by Ptbp2 is critical for germ cell communication with Sertoli cells (multifunctional somatic cells necessary for spermatogenesis). Indeed, Ptbp2 ablation in germ cells resulted in disorganization of the filamentous actin (F-actin) cytoskeleton in Sertoli cells, indicating that alternative splicing regulation is necessary for cellular crosstalk during germ cell development. Collectively, the data delineate an alternative splicing regulatory network essential for spermatogenesis, the splicing factor that controls it, and its biological importance in germ-Sertoli communication.
Multi-resonance frequency spin dependent charge pumping and spin dependent recombination - applied to the 4H-SiC/SiO2 interface

We report on a new electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) approach involving spin dependent charge pumping (SDCP) and spin dependent recombination (SDR) at high (K band, about 16 GHz) and ultra-low (360 and 85 MHz) magnetic resonance frequencies to investigate the dielectric/semiconductor interface in 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). A comparison of SDCP and SDR allows for a comparison of deep level defects and defects with energy levels throughout most of the bandgap. Additionally, a comparison of high frequency and ultra-low frequency measurements allows for (1) the partial separation of spin-orbit coupling and hyperfine effects on magnetic resonance spectra, (2) the observation of otherwise forbidden half-field effects, which make EDMR, at least, in principle, quantitative, and (3) the observation of Breit-Rabi shifts in superhyperfine measurements. (Observation of the Breit-Rabi shift helps in both the assignment and the measurement of superhyperfine parame...
Regional Brain Volume Changes in Alcohol-Dependent Individuals During Short-Term and Long-Term Abstinence.

Background Widespread brain atrophy in alcohol-dependent individuals (ALC) has been consistently documented in pathological and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. Longitudinal MRI studies have shown that the regional brain volume losses in ALC are partially reversible during abstinence from alcohol. The goal of this study was to determine volume reductions in cortical and subcortical regions functionally important to substance use behavior and their changes during short-term (1 week to 1 month) and long-term abstinence (1 to 7 months) from alcohol. The regions of interest (ROIs) were as follows: anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), insula, amygdala, and hippocampus. Methods A total of 85 unique ALC were assessed at 1 week (n = 65), 1 month (n = 82), and 7 months (n = 36) of abstinence. In addition, 17 light/nondrinking healthy controls (CON) were assessed at baseline and follow-up over a 10-month interval. Regional brain volumes were derived from FreeSurfer. Cross-sectional statistical analyses using 1-way analysis of variance or Fisher's exact test were applied to identify group differences. Longitudinal statistical analyses using linear mixed models were applied to identify regional volume increases and nonlinear volume recovery trajectories. Results We demonstrated significant regional volume reductions in ACC, DLPFC, and hippocampus. Older age was associated with smaller DLPFC and OFC, and higher average monthly drinking over 1 year prior to study was associated with smaller OFC. We also demonstrated significant volume increases of all ROIs except amygdala in ALC and significant nonlinear volume recovery trajectories of DLPFC, OFC, and insula. Conclusions Results showed significant volume reductions in key regions of the executive control, salience, and emotion networks in ALC at entry into treatment and significant volume increases during short-term and long-term abstinence that were nonlinear over the entire abstinence period for the DLPFC, OFC, and insula. This gray matter plasticity during alcohol abstinence may have important neurobiological and neurocognitive implications in ALC, and it may contribute to an individual's ability to maintain abstinence from alcohol at different phases.
Involvement of Activated Brain Stress Responsive Systems in Excessive and "Relapse" Alcohol Drinking in Rodent Models: Implications for Therapeutics.

Addictive diseases, including addiction to alcohol, pose massive public health costs. Addiction is a chronic relapsing disease caused by both the direct effects induced by drugs and persistent neuroadaptations at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels. These drug-type specific neuroadaptations are brought on largely by the reinforcing effects of drugs on the central nervous system and environmental stressors. Results from animal experiments have demonstrated important interactions between alcohol and stress-responsive systems. Addiction to specific drugs such as alcohol, psychostimulants, and opioids shares some common direct or downstream effects on the brain’s stress-responsive systems, including arginine vasopressin and its V1b receptors, dynorphin and the κ-opioid receptors, pro-opiomelanocortin/β-endorphin and the μ-opioid receptors, and the endocannabinoids. Further study of these systems through laboratory-based and translational research could lead to the discovery of novel treatment targets and the early optimization of interventions (for example, combination) for the pharmacologic therapy of alcoholism.
The dizzy patient. A practical approach to management.

PreviewIn this article, Dr Hanson tackles a complaint that physicians are often called on to evaluate but often dread. Dizziness can have many causes because the biologic systems that maintain equilibrium are so complex. When is dizziness true vertigo? Which tests reliably differentiate benign from more serious causes? Should drugs be given and, if so, for how long? Dr Hanson's answers to these and other questions about dizziness should dispel some of the dread surrounding this frequent and enigmatic complaint.
The Political Ecology of Vulnerability to Hurricane-Related Hazards

Differences in research emphases into the impacts and management of natural hazards have, for the most part, resulted from two fundamentally different views environment-society relationships. In one view, a self-correcting, homeostatic process operates, in which society and environmental hazards are inexorably adjusted, toward some acceptable equilibrium. This view infers that people and institutions are committed to removing known risks from life and fail to do so only where the risk is highly uncertain. Proponents of a second view argue that vulnerability is constructed from an open-ended development process that determines the ways in which a hazard is likely to constitute a disaster. The fact that aggregate economic losses to hurricane impacts are increasing is well documented. Cases, taken from the hurricane-hazard and recent development experience in the Greater Caribbean Basin, illustrate that the progression of vulnerability cannot be addressed outside of the context of social and economic trends that play significant roles in determining “Who is vulnerable and why”. An appeal is made here, for a more evenhanded (or objective) consideration of the factors that give rise to vulnerability. Political ecology provides a framework for understanding and integrating the social construction of vulnerability and climatic risk. It reflects the confluence of political economy and human ecology and refers to ways in which vulnerability is rooted in people, values, institutions, and the environment. We review the definition and study of vulnerability from these perspectives, drawing on insights and lessons developed by researchers over the past twenty-five years. These lessons are especially immediate as programs for hazard reduction and sustainable development, such as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, are being designed, implemented, and evaluated.
Basic ECG Theory, Recordings, and Interpretation

An electrocardiogram (ECG; in German, the electrokardiogram, EKG) is a measure of how the electrical activity of the heart changes over time as action potentials propagate throughout the heart during each cardiac cycle. However, this is not a direct measure of the cellular depolarization and repolarization with the heart, but rather the relative, cumulative magnitude of populations of cells eliciting changes in their membrane potentials at a given point in time; it shows electrical differences across the heart when depolarization and repolarization of these atrial and ventricular cells occur.
Caring for Women at the End of Life

With an average life expectancy of 81 years, women are enjoying a longer lifespan. While the additional years of life can be rewarding, development of chronic conditions later in life is common. The end of life for many women with serious chronic illness is often characterized as an extended period of declining health and progressive disability. Many of the most common causes of death follow an illness course that is episodic in nature with bouts of acute exacerbation intermixed with periods of symptom control. This presents challenges with prognostication and complicates medical decision-making, particularly decisions to continue or stop disease-modifying therapies. End of life is commonly marked by frequent and sometimes prolonged hospitalizations. Palliative care options including hospice are underutilized. This chapter reviews the epidemiology of dying, clinical issues at the end of life, and the role of palliative and hospice care, and discusses the need for health care reform.
Cost-effectiveness of single versus dual immune checkpoint blockade for chemotherapy-refractory esophageal, GE junction, and gastric cancers.

e16089Background: Immune checkpoint inhibition has shown early promising results in patients with chemotherapy-refractory metastatic or advanced tumors of the esophagus, gastroesophageal junction, ...
Intravenous treatment of choroidal neovascularization by photo-targeted nanoparticles

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the major cause of vision loss in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Current therapies require repeated intravitreal injections, which are painful and can cause infection, bleeding, and retinal detachment. Here we develop nanoparticles (NP-[CPP]) that can be administered intravenously and allow local drug delivery to the diseased choroid via light-triggered targeting. NP-[CPP] is formed by PEG-PLA chains modified with a cell penetrating peptide (CPP). Attachment of a DEACM photocleavable group to the CPP inhibits cellular uptake of NP-[CPP]. Irradiation with blue light cleaves DEACM from the CPP, allowing the CPP to migrate from the NP core to the surface, rendering it active. In mice with laser-induced CNV, intravenous injection of NP-[CPP] coupled to irradiation of the eye allows NP accumulation in the neovascular lesions. When loaded with doxorubicin, irradiated NP-[CPP] significantly reduces neovascular lesion size. We propose a strategy for non-invasive treatment of CNV and enhanced drug accumulation specifically in diseased areas of the eye. Current treatments of wet age-related macular degeneration require repeated injections of active drugs into the vitreous. Here Wang et al. develop nanoparticles that when injected intravenously can be targeted to the eye by irradiation with blue light, allowing local and enhanced drug release in the back of the eye, and providing an alternative to current delivery strategies.
Prediction and calibration for multiple correlated variables

Abstract The standard approach for prediction of multiple correlated outcome measures overpredicts the unknown observation in the linear model setup if associated covariate measures follow a certain distribution. It is desired to have a nonempty confidence region when some covariate measures are missing and required to be estimated. This article develops a methodology for prediction and proposes a shrinkage predictor with a smaller risk compared to the one based on the maximum likelihood estimate. It also provides an algorithm for constructing a nonempty confidence region for unknown covariates. Proposed methodology is shown to perform well in terms of maintaining a smaller risk in prediction and the coverage probability in calibration. Results are illustrated with a recent behavioral science dataset.
Quality of life as a predictor of social relationships in Oxford House.

Abstract Improved access to housing and recovery support is a low-cost, high-potential opportunity to help people recovering from alcohol and substance use sustain their recoveries. Oxford House (OH) recovery homes represent a recovery-favorable social environment for at least some people, but it is still unclear which resident characteristics and relational dynamics affect the social integration of residents. In the current study, OH residents in three geographic locations completed a social network instrument and self-rated their quality of life (QOL). The instruments were administered to the current (per wave) residents of 42 OHs at three time points over a period of a year. Findings indicated that those with a higher QOL were more likely to form friendships with those with a lower QOL than with their similar QOL peers, and vice versa. This finding would not have been predicted based on relationship mechanisms typical of broader social contexts, where homophily (similarity-based assortativity) is common. The self-governance model that characterizes OH residences, in which success among residents is necessarily viewed as mutually dependent and therefore mutually beneficial, seems a likely explanation for our result. Specifically, and aligned with current knowledge about what works in peer oriented recovery, our results suggest the governance mechanisms of OH favor relationships between those more stable in their recovery and those who are at a higher risk of dropout or relapse. This study reveals a potential research avenue examining an important ingredient for the effectiveness of OH.
Commemorating the 50-Year Anniversary of Ball and Brown (1968): The Evolution of Capital Market Research over the Past 50 Years

We commemorate the 50th anniversary of Ball and Brown [1968] by chronicling its impact on capital market research in accounting. We trace the evolution of various research paths that post–Ball and Brown [1968] researchers took as they sought to build on the foundation laid by Ball and Brown [1968] to create a body of research on the usefulness, timeliness, and other properties of accounting numbers. We discuss how those paths often link back to the groundwork laid and questions originally posed in Ball and Brown [1968].
Large- and small-scale feedback in the Starburst centers of galaxies

The interplay between stellar populations and gas in local starburst galaxies is analyzed using images from the Hubble Space Telescope to map the ages of the young stellar components and to isolate the contribution of shocks on spatial scales ranging from a few tens of pc to ∼1 kpc. The shocked gas represents a small fraction of the total ionized gas in these objects, yet it can have profound effects on the long–term evolution of the starburst, which may include the triggering of new star formation. To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html
Vagus Nerve Stimulation

In a recent paper (Nei et al. 2006), vagus nerve stimulation was assessed in terms of efficacy and safety as compared to corpus callosotomy. Results showed that although corpus callosotomy was more effective for generalized tonic clonic seizures and for atonic seizures, the risks and complications excelled those of vagus nerve ­stimulation by a significant margin. The much lesser invasiveness of vagus nerve stimulation would suggest that in cases in which invasive surgery is not an option, vagus nerve stimulation might be indicated. Complications in the above paper listed infections and a defective battery for vagus nerve stimulation. Complications of corpus callosotomy included death, ataxia, hemiparesis, infection, etc.
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes upregulate mitochondrial gene expression and trigger mitochondrial dysfunction in primary human bronchial epithelial cells.

Nanomaterials are a relatively new class of materials that acquire novel properties based on their reduced size. While these materials have widespread use in consumer products and industrial applic...
Correction to: Orgasm Equality: Scientific Findings and Societal Implications

The original article unfortunately contained mistakes. In the table, “95% usually always orgasm2” was not changed to “95% usually-always orgasmb”.
Optical calibration and distortion correction for a volumetric augmented reality display

We develop optical calibration and distortion correction for a recently developed DMD-based volumetric augmented reality display. The display is capable of displaying imagery over a large volume | composed of 280 depth planes over a large depth-range (15 cm to 400 cm) and 40 degrees field-of-view. An unintended property of this display is that the field-of-view of the depth planes changes slightly over depth. This can cause distortions, perceptual errors for the perspective depth cue, and reduce the image quality slightly. To address these issues, we develop an optical calibration method and a distortion correction as a post-processing step to our rendering pipeline.
Social Work Minors in Undergraduate Education: Benefit or Burden?.

ABSTRACTWhile much is written about the professionalization of practitioners with bachelor’s degrees in social work, there is a void in the literature with regard to the role of those with undergra...
Securing the Long-Chain of Cyber-Physical Global Communication Infrastructure

Executive Order, May 2019 states: “…foreign adversaries are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communications technology and services … in order to commit malicious cyber-enabled actions, including economic and industrial espionage against the United States and its people. ” [1] This paper focuses on challenges of securing the long chain of global communication infrastructure, presents some illustrative data, and puts forth a multi-method research design for analysis of long-chain systems of information and or communications technology, infrastructure, services, ownership, providers, and networks - within a state and outside its jurisdiction - all essential for unimpeded global operations. A proof of concept for data requirements to support end-to-end integrated research is provided, along with highlights of some initial empirical analysis, with China as a case in point.
Cannabis use may reduce healthcare utilization and improve hospital outcomes in patients with cirrhosis.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Previous studies reveal conflicting data on the effect of cannabis use in patients with cirrhosis. This research evaluates the impact of cannabis on hepatic decompensation, health care utilization, and mortality in patients with cirrhosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective analysis of the State Inpatient Database (SID) was performed evaluating patients from Colorado and Washington in 2011 to represent pre-cannabis legalization and 2015 to represent post-cannabis legalization. Multivariable analysis was performed to study the impact of cannabis on the rate of admissions with hepatic decompensations, healthcare utilization, and mortality in patients with cirrhosis. RESULTS Cannabis use was detected in 370 (2.1%) of 17,520 cirrhotics admitted in 2011 and in 1162 (5.3%) of 21,917 cirrhotics in 2015 (p-value <0.001). On multivariable analysis, cirrhotics utilizing cannabis after its legalization experienced a decreased rate of admissions related to hepatorenal syndrome (Odds Ratio (OR): 0.51; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.34-0.78) and ascites (OR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.63-0.84). Cirrhotics with an etiology of disease other than alcohol and hepatitis C had a higher risk of admission for hepatic encephalopathy if they utilized cannabis [OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.16-2.13]. Decreased length of stay (-1.15 days; 95% CI: -1.62, -0.68), total charges (-$15,852; 95% CI: -$21,009, -$10,694), and inpatient mortality (OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.51-0.91) were also observed in cirrhotics utilizing cannabis after legalization compared to cirrhotics not utilizing cannabis or utilizing cannabis prior to legalization. CONCLUSION Cannabis use in patients with cirrhosis resulted in mixed outcomes regarding hospital admissions with hepatic decompensation. A trend towards decreased hospital utilization and mortality was noted in cannabis users after legalization. These observations need to be confirmed with a longitudinal randomized study.
Treatment of Neck Pain with Opioids in the Primary Care Setting: Trends and Geographic Variation.

OBJECTIVE Neck pain is a leading cause of years lived with disability and is often managed with opioid medications in primary care settings, though this is contraindicated by national guidelines. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of opioid prescription for neck pain at a primary care visit and to analyze the geographic variation and trends in opioid prescriptions between 2011 and 2017. METHODS Using a prescription drug claims database, we identified 591,961 adult patients who presented for neck pain in primary care settings between 2011 and 2017. Patients who had outpatient specialty visits within 1 year before presentation, a concomitant diagnosis of a non-musculoskeletal cause of neck pain, or preexisting chronic opioid use were excluded. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 45 ± 12 years, and 64% were female. Fifteen percent of patients were prescribed opioids within 30 days of their encounter. Eleven percent of patients were prescribed moderate- to high-dose opioids (>20 morphine milligram equivalents). From 2011-2017, the proportion of both overall opioid prescriptions and moderate- to high-dose prescriptions given to first time presenters to an outpatient clinic for neck pain was highest in Mississippi (20%) and lowest in New Mexico (6%) (P < 0.001). In 2017, the proportion of both overall opioid prescriptions and moderate- to high-dose prescriptions was highest in the Midwest (10.4%) and lowest in the Northeast (4.9%). The proportion of patients with filled opioid prescriptions declined between 2011 (19%) and 2017 (13%) (P < 0.001), and the proportion of patients with moderate- to high-dose prescriptions declined from 2011 (13%) to 2017 (8%) (P < 0.001). first-time presenters of neck pain to an outpatient clinic. CONCLUSIONS Opioid medication use for neck pain in the primary care setting is significant. Although opioid prescriptions are declining, there remains a need for further standardization in prescription practices.
What is a habit? Diverse mechanisms that can produce sustained behavior change

Abstract In the literature on behavior change it has commonly been assumed that sustained changes in behavior means that habits have been formed and that sustained behavior change is achieved through the formation of habits. In this paper we argue that habit formation is often confused with a variety of alternative mechanisms through which sustained changes in behavior can be achieved. These include: learning, information acquisition, status quo bias, taste discovery, technology, commitment devices, social influences, and concomitant changes to choice environments. Understanding these mechanisms is important for determining why specific interventions work or don’t work and for aiding in the design of more effective mechanisms for inducing sustained behavior change.
Fair Value Measurement in Financial Reporting

This monograph provides a historically informed discussion of conceptual and procedural issues related to the use of the fair value measurement attribute in financial reporting. Our goal is to provide a structure, based on the conceptual frameworks of the Financial Accounting Standards Board and International Accounting Standards Board, for researchersâ€™ evaluations of empirical research studies that investigate the informational properties of all measurement bases, including fair values. We begin by defining, addressing misconceptions about, and providing a brief history of the fair value measurement 1400000030attribute. We next discuss decision usefulness of fair value and other measurement bases, and describe and evaluate examples of empirical research that documents the decision usefulness of recognized and disclosed fair value information, focusing on predictive ability, value relevance, and risk relevance.We also discuss the role of verifiability in the context of relevant and faithfully represented accounting information; describe three untested, verifiability-related maintained assumptions that arise in discussions of fair-value-measurement research; and discuss research designs for investigating questions related to accounting measurement verifiability. Finally, we discuss claims that use of the fair value measurement attribute causes procyclical behavior among financial institutions and that accounting standards have become increasingly fair-value-oriented during the last two decades.
Length of hospital stay in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients without vasospasm on angiography: potential for a fast-track discharge cohort.

Background Patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) frequently suffer from vasospasm. We analyzed the association between absence of early angiographic vasospasm and early discharge. Methods All aSAH patients treated from August 1, 2007, to July 31, 2019, at a single tertiary center were reviewed. Patients undergoing diagnostic digital subtraction angiography (DSA) on post-aSAH days 5 to 7 were analyzed; cohorts with and without angiographic vasospasm (angiographic reports by attending neurovascular surgeons) were compared. Primary outcome was hospital length of stay; secondary outcomes were intensive care unit length of stay, 30 day return to the emergency department (ED), and poor neurologic outcome, defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score >2. Results A total of 298 patients underwent DSA on post-aSAH day 5, 6, or 7. Most patients (n=188, 63%) had angiographic vasospasm; 110 patients (37%) did not. Patients without vasospasm had a significantly lower mean length of hospital stay than vasospasm patients (18.0±7.1 days vs 22.4±8.6 days; p 2 at last follow-up or those returning to the ED before 30 days. After adjustment for Hunt and Hess scores, Fisher grade, admission Glasgow Coma Scale score, and age, logistic regression analysis showed that the absence of vasospasm on post-aSAH days 5–7 predicted discharge on or before hospital day 14 (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.8 to 6.4, p Conclusion Lack of angiographic vasospasm 5 to 7 days after aSAH is associated with shorter hospitalization, with no increase in 30 day ED visits or poor neurologic outcome.
Non-invasive Deep Brain Stimulation using Electromagnetic Waves

This paper presents the novel study of deep brain stimulation using electromagnetic waves. Using giga-hertz electric fields, we can manipulate both amplitudes and phases to achieve focal stimulation at target regions inside the brain tissue. However, the issue with this approach would be that neurons have priorly been shown to respond to lower frequency electric fields (~1kHz). To overcome this issue, similar to the recently proposed temporal interference stimulation for electric currents, we propose using two giga-hertz electromagnetic waves differing from each other by a small frequency offset to potentially modulate neurons for non-invasive deep brain stimulation purposes. Moreover, leveraging the advances in antenna technology, we can create miniature antenna arrays at giga-hertz that can be endocranially implanted to allow for continuous operation, which can also help mitigate signal attenuation. To achieve high focality, we then propose an optimization framework that optimizes the antenna array phases and amplitudes to achieve focal stimulation at multiple target regions inside the brain tissue without moving the antenna arrays. We test the efficacy of our proposed method via Finite Element Method simulations on four realistic 2D human brain phantoms. Our results show that with endocranially implanted array size of mean 4.6cm consisting of point source antenna array elements, a focality of mean 3cm can be achieved at targets deep inside the brain tissue.
A disproportionate impact of G9a methyltransferase deficiency on the X chromosome

G9a is a histone methyltransferase responsible for the dimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 9 (H3K9me2). G9a plays key roles in transcriptional silencing of developmentally regulated genes, but its role in X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) has been under debate. Here, we uncover a female-specific function of G9a and demonstrate that deleting G9a has a disproportionate impact on the X chromosome relative to the rest of the genome. G9a deficiency causes a failure of XCI and female-specific hypersensitivity to drug inhibition of H3K9me2. We show that G9a interacts with Tsix and Xist RNAs, and that competitive inhibition of the G9a-RNA interaction recapitulates the XCI defect. During XCI, Xist recruits G9a to silence X-linked genes on the future inactive X. In parallel on the future Xa, Tsix recruits G9a to silence Xist in cis Thus, RNA tethers G9a for allele-specific targeting of the H3K9me2 modification and the G9a-RNA interaction is essential for XCI.
Hydrogel-incorporated colorimetric sensors with high humidity tolerance for environmental gases sensing

Humidity interferes most gas sensors, especially colorimetric sensors. The conventional approaches to minimize the humidity interference in colorimetric gas sensing require using extra components, causing unwanted analytes loss, or limiting the choices of sensing probes to only hydrophobic ones. To explore the possibility of minimizing the humidity interference in a hydrophilic colorimetric sensing system, we have developed a hydrogel-incorporated approach to buffer the humidity influence on the colorimetric gas sensing. The hydrogel-incorporated colorimetric sensors show not only high humidity tolerance but also the improved analytical performance. The accuracy and reliability of the hydrogel-incorporated colorimetric sensors have also been validated in field tests. This hydrogel-incorporated approach will open up an avenue to implement hydrophilic recipes into colorimetric gas sensors and extend the application of colorimetric sensors to humid gases detection.
Soil Moisture Monitoring Using Autonomous and Distributed Spacecraft (D-Shield)

We describe a suite of scalable software methods and frameworks to helps schedule payload operations of a large constellation, with multiple payloads per and across spacecraft, such that the collection of observational data and their downlink, constrained by the constellation constraints (orbital mechanics), resources (e.g., power) and subsystems (e.g., attitude control), results in maximum science value for a selected use case. Constellation topology, spacecraft and ground network characteristics can be imported from design tools or existing constellations and can serve as elements of an operations design tool. Our framework includes a science simulator to inform the scheduler of the predictive value of observations or operational decisions. Autonomous, realtime re-scheduling based on past observations needs improved data assimilation methods within the simulator.
Wheat straw direct shear simulation using discrete element method of fibrous bonded model

A discrete element method (DEM) calibration for a flexible wheat straw model for simulating direct shear test of wheat straw was investigated. The calibration process uses DEM simulated Design of Experiment (DOE) of a three-point bending test, DEM parameters initialised from previous cantilever beam test, and uniaxial compression test of wheat straw. Wheat straw samples from physiologically matured Winter wheat straw (Triticum aestivum) material were used to estimate shape of a flexible wheat straw model and to obtain material testing data. Using the DEM simulated DOE of a three-point bending test, a regression meta-model was established between particle contact Young's modulus, and bond Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. An optimisation procedure that minimised a global error relative to the test data was utilised to determine the DEM parameters of particle contact Young's modulus, bond Young's modulus, and Poisson's ratio. From the three-point bending test of wheat straw (length of 55 mm, a diameter of 2.81 mm, and a thickness of 0.35 mm), and DOE based optimisation procedure, the DEM predicted Young's modulus of flexible wheat straw at a percent relative error (RE) of 3.11% compared to test data. Using the optimised DEM parameters of the flexible wheat straw model, the direct shear box test was simulated using the flexible fibre DEM model, as a validation experiment. DEM successfully simulated the direct shear behaviour of wheat straw from the ASTM laboratory direct shear box test, predicting wheat straw angle of internal friction (RE of 1.67%) and apparent cohesion close to zero.
The Early Enforcement of Uses

As a means of avoiding feudal incidents and of evading the common law rule prohibiting devises of freehold land, the feoffment to uses, ancestor of the modern trust, enjoyed a popularity at least from the reign of Edward III (1327-1377).' The holder of freehold land-the feoffor-would convey land during his lifetime to feoffees to uses. They in turn held it for the benefit of the feoffor, or sometimes of a third party-the cestui que use-under instructions to convey the land to persons to be named in the feoffor's will.2 Enforcement of the feoffor's directions, however, long posed a problem. What of the feoffee who refused to carry out those directions after the feoffor's death? What of the situation where the directions were ambiguous or contradictory? Except in special circumstances, the common law courts would neither enforce nor interpret the use, and the Chancery's jurisdiction over uses developed only gradually during the second quarter of the fifteenth century.4 How can so important and so widespread an institution have existed without legal sanction? Can its effectiveness really have rested solely on the conscience and good sense of the feoffees prior to the time the Chancellor began to intervene? This seems implausible. Yet it is the answer that historians of the law have had to give. Professor J.M.W. Bean, the latest and most thorough investigator of the medieval use, suggests some informal checks on the potentially dishonest feoffee, but in the end he is obliged to leave the
Innovative retention methods in longitudinal research: A case study of the Development Trends Study

Minimizing participant attrition is vital to the success of longitudinal research. The Developmental Trends Study (DTS), a longitudinal study of the development of disruptive behavior disorders, has achieved a low attrition rate throughout the study. The development of early retention strategies, managing contact and scheduling history through the use of electronic databases, interviewer persistence, and the emergence of new electronic search methods have contributed to the success of our study. A literature review of retention methodology and practical solutions to maintain participant cooperation is described. A case study of the DTS is presented to inform researchers in longitudinal research on new methods used to maintain high retention rates.