cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Accessibility of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).

Abstract Objective(s) This study examines the on-site availability of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) methods, defined here as intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants, at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). We also describe factors associated with on-site availability and specific challenges and barriers to providing on-site access to LARC as reported by FQHCs. Study design An original survey of 423 FQHC organizations was fielded in 2011. Results Over two thirds of FQHCs offer on-site availability of intrauterine devices yet only 36% of FQHCs report that they offer on-site contraceptive implants. Larger FQHCs and FQHCs receiving Title X Family Planning program funding are more likely to provide on-site access to LARC methods. Other organizational and patient characteristics are associated with the on-site availability of LARC methods, though this relationship varies by the type of method. The most commonly reported barriers to providing on-site access to LARC methods are related to the cost of stocking or supplying the drug and/or device, the perceived lack of staffing and training, and the unique needs of special populations. Conclusion Our findings indicate that patients seeking care in small FQHC organizations, FQHCs with limited dedicated family planning funding and FQHCs located in rural areas may have fewer choices and limited access to LARC methods on-site. Implications Despite the presumed widespread coverage of contraceptives for women as a result of provisions in the Affordable Care Act, there is a limited understanding of how FQHCs may redesign their practices to provide on-site availability of LARC methods. This study sheds light on the current state of practice and challenges related to providing LARC methods in FQHC settings.
Incomplete Information, Inferences, and Individual Differences: The Case of Environmental Judgments

A model for inference of missing information is explicated and tested in two studies (Ns 5 74, 76) of judgments about two environmental issues (endangered species reintroduction and the siting of a waste processing facility). Participants made judgments of scenarios in which information relevant to the judgment was varied orthogonally and, in some cases, relevant information was missing. The results showed individual differences—as well as intraindividual differences—in the assumptions participants made about missing information and in the tendency to infer missing cues. Reported assumptions about missing information predicted some aspects of the judgments. The data for only a small minority (15%) of the participants were consistent with the inferred values model. Participants may use different methods for dealing with missing information at different times or may not generally follow either an inference or averaging model in such contexts. Less favorable judgments were given for scenarios with incomplete information (the “penalty” effect), and this effect showed individual and intraindividual variation that was related to reported assumptions about missing information. We discuss the implications of these results for societal conflicts over controversial issues and for understanding the sources of individual differences in judgments. q 2000 Academic Press
Effect of high field material characteristics on breakdown under transient conditions

High field electrical characteristics of polymers can vary widely, from thermal activation energies (trap depths) in the range of 0.5 eV to 1.2 eV resulting in large variations in space charge limited field, temperature dependence of conductivity, etc. The implications of such variations for high field aging and breakdown under transient conditions are considered through analysis with the conclusion that the propensity for high field breakdown is probably a relatively weak function of such property variations.
The Story of Some Neuroendocrinological Studies in Cats

I must confess at the beginning of this account that whatever contributions I have made to neuroendocrinological knowledge have had their origin in hints given or chance observations made in the course of studies of central nervous mechanisms involved in the execution of emotional behavior, postural adjustments, and some other overt expressions of nervous integration. Yet, at a critical stage of my development as a physiologist, my intention was to carry on research in endocrinology. Indeed, when in 1924 I asked Dr. Walter B. Cannon to allow me to work under his direction toward the Ph.D. degree in the Division of Medical Sciences of Harvard University, I told him that my chief interest was in that area. And after nine months devoted to the courses for first year medical students I found myself engaged in a neuroendocrinological investigation.
Micromagnetic analysis of permanent magnet biased narrow track spin-valve heads

We have performed a micromagnetic modeling analysis of an abutted permanent magnet longitudinal biased spin valve head. In this design, the linear dynamic range of the head output is essentially unchanged with decreasing track width down to 0.5 /spl mu/m. Optimizing sensor height can yield significant signal enhancement. It has been found that the pinning field on the pinned layer of the spin valve structure has to be greater than a critical value, below which the output will decrease rapidly with decreasing the pinning field, while above that the signal output remains essentially unchanged. Well defined cross-track performance is found for this head design.
Early Timely Management of Ectopically Erupting Maxillary Canines

Diagnosis and treatment of ectopically erupting permanent maxillary canines require timely management by the orthodontist. Potentially impacted maxillary canines may be inadvertently overlooked in the mixed dentition due to the variations in eruption patterns and timing. Periodic examination starting at age 8, including clinical intraoral palpation and selective radiographs, may aid in the early diagnosis of unerupting and potentially impacted permanent canines. When such a diagnosis is apparent, timely interceptive therapy may then be instituted. This article reviewed the incidence, etiology, and development of the maxillary canine. The rationale for early management of potentially impacted maxillary canine is discussed together with the treatment for labially and palatally impacted canines.
D1 Dopamine Receptor Signaling Is Modulated by the R7 RGS Protein EAT-16 and the R7 Binding Protein RSBP-1 in Caenoerhabditis elegans Motor Neurons

Dopamine signaling modulates voluntary movement and reward-driven behaviors by acting through G protein-coupled receptors in striatal neurons, and defects in dopamine signaling underlie Parkinson's disease and drug addiction. Despite the importance of understanding how dopamine modifies the activity of striatal neurons to control basal ganglia output, the molecular mechanisms that control dopamine signaling remain largely unclear. Dopamine signaling also controls locomotion behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans. To better understand how dopamine acts in the brain we performed a large-scale dsRNA interference screen in C. elegans for genes required for endogenous dopamine signaling and identified six genes (eat-16, rsbp-1, unc-43, flp-1, grk-1, and cat-1) required for dopamine-mediated behavior. We then used a combination of mutant analysis and cell-specific transgenic rescue experiments to investigate the functional interaction between the proteins encoded by two of these genes, eat-16 and rsbp-1, within single cell types and to examine their role in the modulation of dopamine receptor signaling. We found that EAT-16 and RSBP-1 act together to modulate dopamine signaling and that while they are coexpressed with both D1-like and D2-like dopamine receptors, they do not modulate D2 receptor signaling. Instead, EAT-16 and RSBP-1 act together to selectively inhibit D1 dopamine receptor signaling in cholinergic motor neurons to modulate locomotion behavior.
Who Accepts Responsibility for Their Transgressions

After committing an offense, transgressors can optimize their chances of reconciling with the victim by accepting responsibility. However, transgressors may be motivated to avoid admitting fault because it can feel threatening to accept blame for harmful behavior. Who, then, is likely to accept responsibility for a transgression? We examined how implicit theories of personality--whether people see personality as malleable (incremental theory) or fixed (entity theory)--influence transgressors' likelihood of accepting responsibility. We argue that incremental theorists may feel less threatened by accepting responsibility because they are more likely to view the situation as an opportunity for them to grow as a person and develop their relationship with the victim. We found support for our predictions across four studies using a combination of real-world and hypothetical offenses, and correlational and experimental methods. These studies therefore identify an important individual difference factor that can lead to more effective responses from transgressors.
Filgrastim in patients with pneumonia and severe sepsis or septic shock.

Study objectives: Evaluate the safety of filgrastim (recombinant methionyl human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) administration, combined with standard therapy, in patients with pneumonia and either septic shock or severe sepsis who were receiving mechanical ventilation. Design: Multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Setting: ICU, multicenter. Patients: Eighteen patients with pneumonia and hypotension, or in the absence of shock, two or more end-organ dysfunctions, were enrolled and treated. Baseline acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II scores and median age for the filgrastim (n 5 12) and placebo (n 5 6) groups were 25.0 and 49.5 years and 31.5 and 56.5 years, respectively. Intervention: Filgrastim (300 mg) or placebo was administered IV daily for up to 5 days. Measurements and results: Study end points included safety; biological response, including endogenous cytokine levels, endotoxin levels, and neutrophil counts; and mortality. Cytokine and endotoxin levels were highly variable in both groups. By day 29, 3 of 12 filgrastim-treated patients and 4 of 6 placebo-treated patients had died. There were no differences in types and occurrences of adverse events, including ARDS, or in outcome between the two groups. Three of four placebo-treated patients had persistent bacterial growth on bronchoscopy repeated after 48 h compared with 2 of 10 filgrastim-treated patients. Conclusion: Filgrastim appeared to be well tolerated in this population of patients with pneumonia and severe sepsis or septic shock. Larger studies to determine the benefit of filgrastim in patients with pneumonia and sepsis or organ dysfunction are warranted. (CHEST 2001; 119:523‐529)
Alloy Formation of Gold−Silver Nanoparticles and the Dependence of the Plasmon Absorption on Their Composition

Gold−silver alloy nanoparticles with varying mole fractions are prepared in aqueous solution by the co-reduction of chlorauric acid HAuCl4 and silver nitrate AgNO3 with sodium citrate. As the optical absorption spectra of their solutions show only one plasmon absorption it is concluded that mixing of gold and silver leads to a homogeneous formation of alloy nanoparticles. The maximum of the plasmon band blue-shifts linearly with increasing silver content. This fact cannot be explained by a simple linear combination of the dielectric constants of gold and silver within the Mie theory. On the other hand, the extinction coefficient is found to decrease exponentially rather than linearly with increasing gold mole fraction xAu. Furthermore, the size distribution of the alloy nanoparticles is examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). High-resolution TEM (HRTEM) also confirms the formation of homogeneous gold−silver alloy nanocrystals.
Thick Protective UHTC Coatings for SiC-Based Structures: Process Establishment

A new process to form thick and dense ultra-high-temperature ceramic (UHTC) composite coatings over SiC surfaces is described. Coatings of ZrB 2 /SiC/(ZrC) thicker than 100 μm are formed by a reaction-bonded SiC (RBSC) approach based on Si infiltration into ZrB 2 /C preform coating. The residual Si, typically found in RBSC, can be eliminated efficiently to provide a coating material that performs at temperatures above 1500°C. The process is performed at 1500°C in Ar at ambient pressure. The interface between the in situ formed SiC and the Zr phases is very tight, as is the interface with the substrate. The ZrB 2 particles used in this process are rearranged in their morphology and an additional new phase containing Zr-C is formed. The coatings exhibit excellent integrity, hardness, and bonding to the tested substrates. A preliminary oxidation study indicates good protection of substrates at 1500°C under both passive and active oxidation conditions, provided that the coatings have sufficient thickness.
Force and torque characteristics for a slotless Lorentz self-bearing servomotor

A new type of self-bearing motor is presented that uses Lorentz-type forces to produce both bearing force and motoring torque. The design eliminates the tradeoff between motoring torque and bearing force with respect to permanent-magnet thickness found in many previous designs. The self-bearing motor layout and servo control are described including alternative winding schemes. Permeance and flux models are presented and used to derive expressions for torque and force production. As with conventional magnetic bearings, these expressions are quadratic with both rotor position and control current. A linearized force-current- displacement relationship is then derived for a general operating point. Experimental results are presented for a prototype servomotor. These results show good agreement with theory and, hence, validate the permeance and flux models, and the linearized force-current relationship. The prototype servomotor, 152 mm in outer diameter and 25.4 mm, in length, was a peak hearing force capacity of 213.6 N and a peak torque capacity of 24 N/spl middot/m, Which is limited by power amplifier saturation.
Multi-objective capacity planning for agile semiconductor manufacturing

Recent semiconductor business requires an agile fabrication facility (fab) that produces wafers in short cycle time and at low production cost to promote customer satisfaction. In this paper, a multi-objective capacity planning methodology is considered. First, a semiconductor wafer fab is modelled as an open queueing network in which each tool group is a node with a GI/G/m queue. Then, cycle time and production cost are modelled as functions of the number of tools of each tool group and of the throughput of each product. This enables to propose a capacity planning which has a property to quantify the trade-off between cycle time and production cost. The proposed capacity planning can be used to determine a tool-set configuration that satisfies required levels of cycle time and production cost with budget constraint, and to quantify the effect of fab scale on cycle time and production cost. The proposed capacity planning is also applied to the SEMATECH data to show how the following phenomena can be measu...
Mutation R120G in αB-crystallin, which is linked to a desmin-related myopathy, results in an irregular structure and defective chaperone-like function

αB-crystallin, a member of the small heat shock protein family, possesses chaperone-like function. Recently, it has been shown that a missense mutation in αB-crystallin, R120G, is genetically linked to a desmin-related myopathy as well as to cataracts [Vicart, P., Caron, A., Guicheney, P., Li, A., Prevost, M.-C., Faure, A., Chateau, D., Chapon, F., Tome, F., Dupret, J.-M., et al. (1998) Nat. Genet. 20, 92–95]. By using α-lactalbumin, alcohol dehydrogenase, and insulin as target proteins, in vitro assays indicated that R120G αB-crystallin had reduced or completely lost chaperone-like function. The addition of R120G αB-crystallin to unfolding α-lactalbumin enhanced the kinetics and extent of its aggregation. R120G αB-crystallin became entangled with unfolding α-lactalbumin and was a major portion of the resulting insoluble pellet. Similarly, incubation of R120G αB-crystallin with alcohol dehydrogenase and insulin also resulted in the presence of R120G αB-crystallin in the insoluble pellets. Far and near UV CD indicate that R120G αB-crystallin has decreased β-sheet secondary structure and an altered aromatic residue environment compared with wild-type αB-crystallin. The apparent molecular mass of R120G αB-crystallin, as determined by gel filtration chromatography, is 1.4 MDa, which is more than twice the molecular mass of wild-type αB-crystallin (650 kDa). Images obtained from cryoelectron microscopy indicate that R120G αB-crystallin possesses an irregular quaternary structure with an absence of a clear central cavity. The results of this study show, through biochemical analysis, that an altered structure and defective chaperone-like function of αB-crystallin are associated with a point mutation that leads to a desmin-related myopathy and cataracts.
Accelerating Electrolyte Discovery for Energy Storage with High-Throughput Screening.

Computational screening techniques have been found to be an effective alternative to the trial and error of experimentation for discovery of new materials. With increased interest in development of advanced electrical energy storage systems, it is essential to find new electrolytes that function effectively. This Perspective reviews various methods for screening electrolytes and then describes a hierarchical computational scheme to screen multiple properties of advanced electrical energy storage electrolytes using high-throughput quantum chemical calculations. The approach effectively down-selects a large pool of candidates based on successive property evaluation. As an example, results of screening are presented for redox potentials, solvation energies, and structural changes of ∼1400 organic molecules for nonaqueous redox flow batteries. Importantly, on the basis of high-throughput screening, in silico design of suitable candidate molecules for synthesis and electrochemical testing can be achieved. We a...
Neighborhood-Aware Density Control in Wireless Sensor Networks

In dense wireless sensor networks, density control is an important technique for prolonging network's lifetime. However, due to the intrinsic many-to-one communication pattern of sensor networks, nodes close to the sink tend to deplete their energy faster than other nodes. This unbalanced energy usage among nodes significantly reduces the network lifetime. In this paper, we propose neighborhood-aware density control (NADC) to alleviate this undesired effect by reducing unnecessary overhearing along routing paths. In NADC, nodes observe their neighborhoods and dynamically adapt their participation in the multihop network topology. Since the neighborhood information can be easily observed through the overheard information, the density in different regions can be adaptively adjusted in a totally distributed manner. Simulation experiments demonstrate that NADC alleviates the extremely unbalanced workload and extends the effective network lifetime without significant increase in data delivery latency.
Resource Acquisition, Violence, and Evolutionary Consciousness

The evolution and development of adaptations result from the gradual selection and inheritance of traits and behaviors that better enable organisms to acquire and maintain resources needed for survival and reproduction. We argue that instances of individual, regional, and global violence are rooted in our adaptations to seek, acquire, maintain, and utilize limited resources, regardless of whether such adaptations are currently successful at doing so. However, violence is not the only strategy employed by organisms to acquire resources; cooperation, reciprocity, and social bonding are behaviors that may likewise prove useful in this endeavor. We speculate about how individual adaptations and their by-products may interact with the adaptations of other individuals and with societal and cultural phenomena, both violently and nonviolently. Finally, we discuss how individual decisions can affect higher level regional and global violence. Individual decisions carry moral weight for the individual in question and for society as a whole. We hope to convince readers that their personal decisions and behaviors have far-reaching consequences on the well-being of others and that an evolutionary consciousness may help us to understand the effects of our personal choices on the existence of individual- and group-level violence.
EMC/EMI analysis of electrically large and multiscale structures loaded with coaxial cables by a hybrid TDIE-FDTD-MNA approach

The electromagnetic compatibility and interference (EMC/EMI) analysis of modern electronic navigation/communication systems aboard airborne platforms requires simulation tools capable of computing electromagnetic fields on electrically large structures (e.g., vehicle shells), coaxial cables and cable connectors/loads. The paper presents a fast time-domain method that simultaneously solves for all fields (free-space propagating, cavity bound. and cable guided) on these structures. Specifically, we extend our preliminary solver (Bag/spl caron/er, H. et al., Proc. URSI Symp., p.348, 2004) to include connectors/loads. The proposed method employs three solvers: (i) a time-domain integral equation (TDIE) solver to compute external fields (current densities) on the exterior structure (platforms and cable shields); (ii) a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) solver to compute guided fields inside cables; (iii) a modified nodal analysis (MNA) solver to compute node voltages on equivalent circuits of connectors/loads. These solvers are coupled at the circuit terminals and cable shields, and the resulting coupled system of equations is solved simultaneously at each time step. The TDIE solver is accelerated by parallel computation and the time-domain adaptive integral method (TD-AIM) (Yilmaz, A.E. et al., IEEE Trans. Anten. Propagat., vol.52, p.2692-709, 2004).
Die Technik der thorakoskopischen Thymektomie

Nach den Regeln der ‘Good clinical practice’ wurde die thorakoskopische Thymektomie (tThx) bei Myasthenia gravis (MG) entwickelt. Dem Konzept folgte eine humane Leichenstudie zur technischen Durchfuhrung, adaquaten Radikalitat und dem optimalen Zugang (links oder rechts). Eine prospektive klinischen Studie an 20 Patienten fuhrte zur standardisierten Technik einer kompletten tThx, die in einer prospektiv-randomisierten Studie mit der Thx durch erweiterte mediane Sternotomie verglichen wird. Im Video wird die komplette tThx mit besonderer Praparation von 8 Lokalisationen potentiell ektopen Thymusgewebes gezeigt. Bei adaquater Radikalitat entsprechen die Besserungsraten der MG denen nach erweiterter medianer Sternotomie. Die tThx erlaubt die Losung des Widerspruches zwischen Wunsch nach minimaler Invasivitat der Thx und Notwendigkeit ihrer Radikalitat.
Circum-crater variability of deposits from discrete, laterally and vertically migrating volcanic explosions: Experimental evidence and field implications

Abstract Circumferential variation in sorting, thickness, granulometry, and componentry of tephra ring deposits can result from instabilities in the eruptive jet and interactions with the confining crater. Jet instabilities result in fingers of high particle concentrations that form deposits radiating away from a crater, referred to as rays. Two major types of rayed deposits are described from subsurface explosion experiments: (1) symmetrical rayed deposits with an axisymmetric ejecta blanket, which result from vertically directed eruptive jets and (2) zones of rays that extend out from sectors of a crater, with an asymmetrical proximal ejecta skirt, that result from inclined jets. Variations within each group are also associated with variations in the explosion depth relative to the energy of the explosion. Although the surface morphology of rays is likely to be lost in natural tephra rings due to overlapping deposits of numerous explosions, rayed deposits are expected to be preserved in cross section as lenses of relatively coarse and poorly sorted material compared to surrounding deposits. Asymmetrical deposits of inclined jets are anticipated to be particularly distinctive. The experimental facies associations indicate that these deposits would be easily distinguished, given sufficient exposure, from other heterogeneities caused by wind influence, collapse of the crater rim, or the influence of topography on density currents. These experimental results can also be used to further the discussion of deposits from inclined jets from other explosion scenarios, such as Vulcanian blasts and hydrothermal explosions. The experimental rayed deposits described here indicate that the classic interpretation of clast concentration zones in tephra ring deposits must be reevaluated.
5 A Day for Better Health-Nine Community Research Projects To Increase Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

One of the national objectives in "Healthy People 2000" is for members of the public to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables to five or more servings daily. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) began a nationwide campaign to achieve this objective in 1991. As part of this campaign, the NCI funded nine research studies in 1993. These projects are implementing and evaluating community-based programs designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among different segments of the population in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Washington. The settings for these projects include the Special Supplement Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Programs), churches, worksites, and schools. The projects are led by multidisciplinary teams and entail extensive collaboration among academic, governmental, private sector, and voluntary agencies within each State. The projects represent a model public health paradigm for conducting this type of research.
A Uniform Database of Teleseismic Shear-Wave Splitting Measurements for the Western and Central United States: December 2014 Update

We present a new version of a shear‐wave splitting (SWS) database for the western and central United States (WCUS) using broadband seismic data recorded up to the end of 2014 to update a previous version that used data recorded prior to the end of 2012, when the USArray Transportable Array stations were still recording in the easternmost region of the WCUS. A total of 7452 pairs of additional measurements recorded by 1202 digital broadband seismic stations are obtained, and all the measurements in the previous database are rechecked. The resulting uniform SWS database contains a total of 23,448 pairs of well‐defined SKS , SKKS , and PKS splitting parameters. Relative to the previous version of the database, the additional measurements notably improved the spatial and azimuthal coverages of the measurements, providing an improved dataset for constraining geodynamic models related to lithospheric deformation and asthenospheric flow, as well as for complex anisotropy recognition and characterization.
Vandermonde strikes again

The search for "cute" proofs-those in which arguments or techniques that at first glance appear completely unrelated in substance are used to establish familiar results-provides healthful exercise for both students and experts. One of the more versatile tools for this purpose is the Vandermonde matrix and its determinant. This mathematical object has an honorable history dating from the late 18th century [1] and has enjoyed sporadic revivals of interest [3], [5]. In the past, most undergraduate major courses included its applications in the proof that values at n + 1 distinct points uniquely determine a monic polynomial of degree n [7] and in the definition of the signature of a permutation [4]. We present here a novel, indeed unexpected, application of the Vandermonde. A theorem of Abel [2] states: if P(x), Q(x) are any two polynomials such that deg Q = n ? 3, Q has no multiple roots, and deg P = m < n 2, then
Prevalence of Antibodies to Western Equine Encephalomyelitis and St. Louis Encephalitis Viruses in Residents of California Exposed to Sporadic and Consistent Enzootic Transmission

Sera from outpatients attending county health department clinics in areas of California with consistent (Imperial Valley) and sporadic (Sacramento Valley) enzootic transmission of western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE) and St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) viruses exhibited neutralizing antibody prevalence rates of 1.3% (n = 690) and 0.5% (n = 1,066) for WEE and 11.0% and 0.8% for SLE, respectively. Seroprevalence for SLE virus in Imperial County increased as a function of both age and years of residence, indicating that this virus was endemic with a low rate of annual infection. Of 26 sera that tested positive for SLE virus antibody by an enzyme immunoassay, but were negative by plaque reduction neutralization test, 14 (53%) had neutralizing antibody that reacted with > or = one type of dengue (DEN) virus. The DEN virus infections presumably were acquired elsewhere because neither the vectors nor DEN virus transmission occurs in California. The low prevalence of neutralizing antibody for WEE and SLE in the California human population indicated that despite recent increases in enzootic transmission, contact between humans and infectious mosquitoes have remained low.
Meta-analyses of Theory Use in Medication Adherence Intervention Research.

Objective This systematic review applied meta-analytic procedures to integrate primary research that examined theory- or model-linked medication adherence interventions. Methods Extensive literature searching strategies were used to locate trials testing interventions with medication adherence behavior outcomes measured by electronic event monitoring, pharmacy refills, pill counts, and self-reports. Random-effects model analysis was used to calculate standardized mean difference effect sizes for medication adherence outcomes. Results Codable data were extracted from 146 comparisons with 19,348 participants. The most common theories and models were social cognitive theory and motivational interviewing. The overall weighted effect size for all interventions comparing treatment and control participants was 0.294. The effect size for interventions based on single-theories was 0.323 and for multiple-theory interventions was 0.214. Effect sizes for individual theories and models ranged from 0.041 to 0.447. The largest effect sizes were for interventions based on the health belief model (0.477) and adult learning theory (0.443). The smallest effect sizes were for interventions based on PRECEDE (0.041) and self-regulation (0.118). Conclusion These findings suggest that theory- and model-linked interventions have a significant but modest effect on medication adherence outcomes.
Earth's magnetosphere and outer radiation belt under sub-Alfvénic solar wind

The interaction between Earth's magnetic field and the solar wind results in the formation of a collisionless bow shock 60,000-100,000 km upstream of our planet, as long as the solar wind fast magnetosonic Mach (hereafter Mach) number exceeds unity. Here, we present one of those extremely rare instances, when the solar wind Mach number reached steady values <1 for several hours on 17 January 2013. Simultaneous measurements by more than ten spacecraft in the near-Earth environment reveal the evanescence of the bow shock, the sunward motion of the magnetopause and the extremely rapid and intense loss of electrons in the outer radiation belt. This study allows us to directly observe the state of the inner magnetosphere, including the radiation belts during a type of solar wind-magnetosphere coupling which is unusual for planets in our solar system but may be common for close-in extrasolar planets.
Support for pointer semantics in a generative communication framework

The Generative Communication (GC) paradigm was introduced in the early 1980s in the form of the Linda coordination and communication language (Gelernter & Bernstein, 1982). The goal of the language was to provide an elegant, intuitive alternative to the state-of-the-art in parallel and distributed processing languages at that time, namely remote procedure calls; message passing systems; and shared memory systems (Gelernter, 1985). Despite the longevity of the Linda coordination language and the GC paradigm, in general, the literature is devoid of meaningful research into the construction and manipulation of dynamic, pointer-based data structures within the context of the GC paradigm. This document motivates the need for such data structures in GC. In addition, this document explores the reasons for the lack literature regarding dynamic pointer-based data structures in GC. Finally, we develop solutions to address the lack of support, within the GC paradigm, for such data structures.
IBD: Management of Symptomatic Anal Fistulas in Patients with Crohn’s Disease

Approximately 30 % of patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) will have or develop perianal fistulas (PF) during the course of their disease. Not only do symptomatic PF cause pain and drainage, they may also lead to sepsis, incontinence, restriction of activities, and decreased quality of life. Ultimately, some patients may end up with permanent fecal diversion either due to progression of disease or in some cases owing to complications from aggressive treatment.
Reversible plasticity of detrusor smooth muscle: evidence for a key role of "slipping" actomyosin cross-bridges in the control of urinary bladder compliance.

to examine biomechanical properties of soft biological materials such as smooth muscle, tissues secured between a force transducer and micrometer are often preconditioned by subjecting them to a protocol involving sequential stretch-release cycles while the tissue is in a relaxed (i.e., unstimulated
From Whence the Hybrid Organization?: Welfare and Professionalism in a Children’s Hospital

There is growing interest in hybrid organizations, or organizations that combine elements from distinct institutional logics. Recently, scholars have begun to unpack how hybrid organizations succes...
Reflections on Racial Identity and the Black Movement in the United States and Brazil

These reflections are based on a long history of study and involvement in the Black movement in the United States, on friendships with militants in the Brazilian Black movement, and on study of that movement. They arise directly from musings occasioned by comments made by an undergraduate white student in my course, Politics of the African Diaspora, and by my observation of a couple on the Avenida Sete de Setembro in Salvador, Bahia.
Protein Analysis Using Automated Experion Chip Electrophoresis and Its Comparison with SDS-PAGE

Two methods recommended for analysis of denatured proteins, automated Experion chip electrophoresis and SDS-PAGE, are compared. The Experion method is a novel technique based on combination of the LabChip microfluidic separation technique (Caliper Life Sciences) and sensitive fluorescent detection. Both methods were compared in molecular weight (MW) determination of a protein standard mixture, resolution of protein pairs of near molecular weights and estimation of the abundance of a target protein in the mixture to be purified. Both the methods are appropriate for MW determination and in purification of proteins. The accuracy of the methods is approximately the same (ca. 8 %), but the Experion method shows better reproducibility (ca. 1.48 %) than SDS-PAGE (ca. 2.17 %).
Considerations for graduate software engineering education: an Air Force perspective

This paper presents a graduate curriculum for software engineering education, as proposed by the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). In order to define such a curriculum, it is first necessary to define what is meant by the term “software engineer,” and what capabilities are expected in a graduate of such a program. The process of “software engineering” is examined in the context of requirements for software system development and management within the Air Force. These requirements help define the fundamental concepts and techniques, as well as the support tools, which must be integrated into an effective curriculum for software engineering. The program presented incorporates both the theory and practice of software engineering. The proposed curriculum for a Master of Science degree with a major in software engineering is based on AFIT’s experience with software engineering education and its ongoing contact with many Air Force agencies involved in software development. Many of AFIT’s student thesis efforts have involved large-scale software developments which often extend from student to student over several years. This paper presents this program, along with supporting discussion of program objectives and course content.
MemBrain: Automated Application Guidance for Hybrid Memory Systems

Computer systems with multiple tiers of memory devices with different latency, bandwidth, and capacity char­acteristics are quickly becoming mainstream. Due to cost and physical limitations, device tiers that enable better performance typically include less capacity. Such heterogeneous memory systems require alternative data management strategies to utilize the capacity-constrained resources efficiently. However, current techniques are often limited because they rely on inflexible hardware caching or manual modifications to source code. This paper introduces MemBrain, a new memory management framework that automates the production and use of data-tiering guidance for applications on hybrid memory systems. MemBrain employs program profiling and source code analysis to enable transparent and efficient data placement across different types of memory. It automatically clusters data with similar expected usage patterns into page-aligned regions of virtual addresses (arenas), and uses offline profile feedback to direct low-level tier assignments for each region. We evaluate MemBrain on an Intel Knights Landing server machine with an upper tier of limited capacity (but higher bandwidth) MCDRAM and a lower tier of conventional DDR4 using a selection of high-bandwidth benchmarks from SPEC CPU 2017 as well as two proxy apps (Lulesh and AMG), and one full scale scientific application (QMCPACK). Our evaluation shows that MemBrain can achieve significant performance and efficiency improvements compared to current guided and unguided management strategies.
Post Transplantation Cyclophosphamide (PTCY) Is Associated with Increased Risk of BK Virus-Associated Hemorrhagic Cystitis (BKHC) in Patients Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT).

Introduction BK virus hemorrhagic cystitis is a well-recognized complication in patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT and is associated with significant morbidity. PTCY has been used for GVHD prophylaxis in patients undergoing haploidentical or mismatched unrelated donor HSCT. We hypothesized that PTCY is associated with increased incidence of HC associated with BK virus. Objectives • To identify the risk factors for developing BKHC in allogeneic HSCT • To assess the effect of PTCY in development of BKHC in patients with myeloablative (MA) regimen containing total body irradiation (TBI) • To evaluate the risk of concurrent CMV infection and BKHC in allogeneic HSCT with MA conditioning regimen Methods We identified 116 consecutive patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT at our institution between January 2015 and July 2018. The MA regimen (n=42) consisted of fludarabine 50 mg/m2/day IV for 5 days and busulfan 3.2 mg/kg/day IV for 4 days with or without TBI of 200 cGy/day for 2 days (FBT or FB4). The reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimen (n=74) consisted of fludarabine 30 mg/m2/day IV for 5 days and busulfan 3.2 mg/kg/day IV for 2 days (FB2). In terms of GVHD prophylaxis all recipients except those undergoing haploidentical and mismatched unrelated transplant received Thymoglobulin 2 mg/kg/daily IV days -2, -1 and 0 (n=80). Recipients of haplo- related and mismatched unrelated donor transplantation received cyclophosphamide 50 mg/kg IV on day +3 and +4 along with Mesna (n=36). All patients received post-transplant immunosuppression with Tacrolimus and Mycophenolate Mofetil. Patients with urinary symptoms were tested for BKV in urine by PCR. Results The median age of patients was 56 years (range 20–76). A total of 31% of patients (n=13) received PTCY in FBT group which was similar to 31% of patients (n=23) in FB4-FB2 (p=0.98). Overall 21.5% patients were diagnosed with BKHC. The patients who received ATG, the incidence of BKHC was 27.5% in FBT group and 11.7 % in FB4-FB2 (p=0.073). The patients who received PTCY, the incidence of BKHC was significantly increased to 69.2% in FBT vs 9% in FB4-FB2 (p=0.0001). The risk of developing concurrent CMV viremia and BKHC was increased to 10.3% in FBT compared to 5.8% in FB2-FB4 (p=0.662). The patients who received PTCY following FBT, the incidence of concurrent CMV viremia and BKHC was increased to 23.1%. as compared to 0% with FB2-FB4. Conclusion Our result shows the addition of PTCY to TBI containing regimen significantly increased the incidence of BKHC. We did not observe increase in the incidence of BKHC in patients receiving PTCY with FB2 or FB4 regimens. Our study revealed an increased incidence of concurrent BKHC and CMV viremia in patients receiving PTCY with FBT which could be due to increased immunosuppression. Our findings suggest that using PTCY as GVHD prophylaxis in patients undergoing MA conditioning regimen including TBI is a risk factor for BKHC.
Modulating smooth muscle cell response by the release of TGFβ2 from tubular scaffolds for vascular tissue engineering.

Tissue engineering has gained considerable attention in the development of small diameter tissue engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) for treating coronary heart disease. A properly designed acellular and biodegradable TEVG must encourage the infiltration and growth of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Our group has previously shown that increasing levels of TGFβ2 can differentially modulate SMC migration and proliferation. In this study, tubular electrospun scaffolds loaded with TGFβ2 were fabricated using various ratios of gelatin/polycaprolactone (PCL), resulting in scaffolds with porous nano-woven architecture suitable for tissue ingrowth. Scaffold morphology, degradation rate, TGβ2 release kinetics, and bioactivity were assessed. TGFβ2 was successfully integrated into the electrospun biomaterial that resulted in a differential release profile depending on the gelatin/PCL ratio over the course of 42 days. Higher TGFβ2 elution was obtained in scaffolds with higher gelatin content, which may be related to the biodegradation of gelatin in culture media. The biological activity of the released TGFβ2 was evaluated by its ability to affect SMC proliferation as a function of its concentration. SMCs seeded on TGFβ2-loaded scaffolds also showed higher densities and infiltration after 5 days in culture as compared to scaffolds without TGFβ2. Our results demonstrate that the ratio of synthetic and natural polymers in electrospun blends can be used to tune the release of TGFβ2. This method can be used to intelligently modulate the SMC response in gelatin/PCL scaffolds making the TGFβ2-loaded conduits attractive for cardiovascular tissue engineering applications.
Reliability, discriminant validity and sex comparisons of dynamic postural stability during a landing task designed to challenge transverse plane knee stability.

Internal and external rotational knee stability is essential for sports performance and excessive rotation can lead to injury but is rarely assessed in injury risk analysis. The objectives of this ...
Igniting activation: Using unannounced standardized patients to measure patient activation in smoking cessation.

Abstract Introduction Despite a decline, smoking rates have remained high, especially in communities with lower income, education, and limited insurance options. Evidence shows that physician-initiated counseling on smoking cessation is effective and saves lives, and that specific skills are needed to appropriately lead this type of patient-physician communication. Residency is a critical moment for future physicians and may be the optimal time to learn, practice, and refine this skillset. Unannounced Standardized Patients (USPs) have been found to be effective, incognito evaluators of resident practices. Methods This study introduced rigorously trained actors (USPs) into two urban, safety-net clinics to assess resident ability to engage, activate, and counsel a pre-contemplative smoker. A complementary chart review assessed appropriate documentation in the patient's electronic health record (EHR) and its relationship to counseling style and prescribing practices. Results Resident scores (% well done) on patient education and engagement were low (33% and 23%, respectively). Residents who coupled cessation advice with an open discussion style activated their patients more than those who solely advised cessation across all comparable measures. On EHR documentation, residents who accurately documented smoking history were more likely to directly advise their patient to quit smoking when compared to residents who did not document (t(97) = 2.828, p = .006, Cohen's D = 0.56). Conclusions Results highlight the need to reinforce training in patient-centered approaches including motivational interviewing, counseling, and shared decision-making. Future research should focus on the effects of smokers in pre-contemplation on physician counseling style and examine the relationship between medical training and provider communication to guide interventions.
Pushing a Sled: Assessing its Impact on Gait Temporospatial Parameters in Young Healthy Adults [Texas Woman's University]

BACKGROUND: Resistance exercise (RE) has been demonstrated as a superior modality for increasing muscle strength, muscle endurance, power, and motor performance. The sled used in this study is a novel device that provides proportional increase in resistance with increased speed. PURPOSE: To examine the impact of resistance on gait temporospatial parameters using a resistance sled in healthy young adults while walking and running. METHODS: Fifteen young adults (ages 21-35) were recruited to participate in this study. Sensors (accelerometers and gyroscopes) were placed on each subject at the chest, waist, both wrists, and ankles. Each participant performed three trials of 40 feet for the following conditions: self-paced walking (W), self-paced walking while pushing the sled (WP), and maximal speed running while pushing the sled (RP). RESULTS: A repeated measures MANOVA was conducted to compare gait temporospatial parameters across conditions. Results indicate significant differences (P <0.005) between all conditions for stride length, cadence, double support time, swing %, and stance %. Stride length decreased across all conditions: W (85+/-3.0), WP (68+/-4.1), and RP (56+/-7.0). Cadence decreased while WP (92+/-10.1), yet increased during RP (169+/-14.9), compared to W (109+/-6.7). During WP and RP, participants demonstrated greater gait cycle percentage in stance phase [(WP, stance phase: 66+/-1.6, swing phase: 34+/-1.6) and (RP, stance phase: 57+/-2.7, swing phase: 42+/-2.7)] when compared to W (stance phase: 37+/-2.1, swing phase: 37+/-2.2). CONCLUSIONS: Longer stance phase with proportional increase in resistance could be utilized as a combined resistance and gait training tool as opposed to only gait training. Future studies should focus on neuromuscular activation of the lower extremity, specifically the muscles involved in the gait cycle stance phase, when walking or running with resistance.
Does serum hemoglobin A1C during early pregnancy predict performance on the 1-hour glucose challenge test?

To determine the negative and positive predictive values of hemoglobin A1c (HgbA1c) levels in predicting abnormal 1-hour glucose challenge test (GCT) results in pregnancy. This retrospective cohort...