cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Health plan auditing: 100-percent-of-claims vs. random-sample audits

The objective of this study was to examine the relative efficacy of two different methodologies for auditing self-funded medical claim expenses: 100-percent-of-claims auditing versus random-sampling auditing. Multiple data sets of claim errors or 'exceptions' from two Fortune-100 corporations were analysed and compared to 100 simulated audits of 300- and 400-claim random samples. Random-sample simulations failed to identify a significant number and amount of the errors that ranged from $200,000 to $750,000. These results suggest that health plan expenses of corporations could be significantly reduced if they audited 100% of claims and embraced a zero-defect approach.
Use of a subxiphoid incision for pectus bar placement in the repair of pectus excavatum

Abstract Background Since the first description of the Nuss repair for pectus excavatum, many technical variations have been described. Over the past 10 years, we have used a subxiphoid incision to allow finger guidance to protect the mediastinum which obviates the need for thoracoscopy. Methods A retrospective review was conducted on all our patients who have undergone pectus excavatum repair from December 1999 to March 2009. Demographic, treatment, and outcome variables were recorded. All operations were performed with 2 lateral incisions, one subxiphoid incision, and 2 stabilizers. Results During this timeframe, 307 patients underwent pectus bar placement. Mean age was 14.0 ± 3.3 years, and 78% were male. Mean operating time was 50.0 ± 15.9 minutes, length of hospitalization was 4.1 ± 1.1 days, and time to bar removal was 33.0 ± 7.3 months. There were no intraoperative events. Postoperative complications included a bar infection in 13 patients (4.2%), stabilizer displacement/discomfort requiring removal in 5 patients (1.6%), and bar rotation in 4 patients (1.3%). Rotation required operative correction in 3 cases and early removal in the other owing to a cracked sternum. No reoperations have been done for recurrence. Conclusions The subxiphoid guided technique is a simple, safe, and reproducible method for the minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum that obviates the need for thoracoscopy.
The Coevolution of Autosomal and Cytoplasmic Sex Ratio Factors

It is generally believed that the presence of cytoplasmic sex ratio distorters in a population causes selective pressure on autosomal genes for a compensatory shift in the sex ratio. Investigations reveal that when within lineage transmission of a cytoplasmic distorter of the primary sex ratio is 100%, no compensatory autosomal sex ratio shift is favored. When transmission is less than 100%, a synergistic interaction occurs between autosomal and cytoplasmic sex ratio factors which results in a polymorphic population with individuals producing either 100% sons (autosomal) or 100% daughters (cytoplasmic). The outcome will only occur if there is sufficient autosomal sex ratio variability in the population for 100% son production. Some cytoplasmic factors cause male larval death, rather than a shift in the primary sex ratio. Such factors have no effect upon autosomal sex ratio selection, and therefore no compensatory sex ratio shift is expected. Even low levels of inbreeding can selectively favor male-killing cytoplasmic factors. Basic models of cytoplasmic sex ratio distortion suggest that cytoplasmic distorters (with high transmission) should increase to or near fixation, thus potentially driving a population to extinction. Models indicate that haplodiploid species are less vulnerable to this population level selection than are diplodiploid species. Among diplodiploid species, cytoplasmic distorters with incomplete transmission will achieve lower frequencies in species without autosomal sex ratio variability.
Recent Advances in Ceramics for Dentistry

For the last ten years, the application of high-technology processes to dental ceramics allowed for the development of new materials such as heat-pressed, injection-molded, and slip-cast ceramics and glass-ceramics. The purpose of the present paper is to review advances in new materials and processes available for making all-ceramic dental restorations. Concepts on the structure and strengthening mechanisms of dental ceramics are provided. Major developments in materials for all-ceramic restorations are addressed. These advances include improved processing techniques and greater mechanical properties. An overview of the processing techniques available for all-ceramic materials is given, including sintering, casting, machining, slip-casting, and heat-pressing. The most recent ceramic materials are reviewed with respect to their principal crystalline phases, including leucite, alumina, forsterite, zirconia, mica, hydroxyapatite, lithium disilicate, sanidine, and spinel. Finally, a summary of flexural strength data available for all-ceramic materials is included.
Coastal Land Management in Florida

During the 1970s, the Florida legislature enacted some of the nation's most innovative and comprehensive state and local land-planning and regulatory programs. The Environmental Land and Water Management Act of 1972 adopted large parts of an early draft of article 7 of the ALI Model Land Development Code, thereby asserting a state regulatory role in areas of critical state concern and for developments of regional impact; Florida's Local Government Comprehensive Planning Act of 1975 introduced planning and regulatory innovations that, if ever fully implemented, could place Florida in the vanguard of land regulatory reform at the local governmental level. This study, which is the concluding part of a study of the evolution of federal, state, and local regulatory roles in the management of coastal land resources, examines the intergovernmental, interagency, and separate-branch tensions that have emerged as Florida moves to implement its new laws. Included, inter alia, is an analysis of the Florida Supreme Court's controversial nondelegation decision in Askew v. Cross Key Waterways. Although Florida can claim some limited successes in program implementation, its land management systems are still not adequately integrated and coordinated, and they have not been implemented as successfully as their proponents thought possible. For example, the state has several alternatives for complying with the federal requirements for an approved management program under the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972—the comprehensive land management system examined in this study being only one of the available ones. Yet Florida still has been unable to obtain federal approval, and, if it ever does, will be one of the last of the major coastal states to do so. Much of Florida's difficulty in forging a well-integrated coastal land management process is attributable to substantial disagreements on two basic propositions: because of Florida's unique ecological characteristics, coastal land management should not be divorced from comprehensive land management for other purposes; and because of substantial regional diversities within the state, coastal land management in Florida should include a significant planning and regulatory role for local governments as well as for regional and state agencies.
On a free-choice equivalent of a Petri net

A Petri net (PN) is said to be live if it is possible to fire any transition from every reachable marking, although not necessarily immediately. In this paper we consider the issue of enforcing liveness in nonlive PNs via supervisory control. Using a construction procedure that converts an arbitrary PN into an equivalent member of a family of PNs called free-choice Petri nets, we show there is a policy that enforces liveness in the original PN if and only if there is a corresponding policy for its free-choice equivalent. The utility of this approach is illustrated via an example.
Projected Changes in Greater St. Louis Summer Heat Stress in NARCCAP Simulations

AbstractA matrix of four GCM–RCM combinations from the NARCCAP project is examined for changes in heat stress between contemporary and future scenario climates in the greater St. Louis region in Missouri. The analysis also compares the contemporary simulations with observation-based results from the North American Regional Reanalysis. The character of heat-stress days in one of the RCMs, the CRCM, tends to be like that of heat-stress days in the North American Regional Reanalysis, with high temperatures accompanied by high humidity. In contrast, heat-stress days in the other RCM, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with Grell-Devenyi Cumulus Scheme (WRFG), have high temperature, but typically the humidity is similar to or even slightly drier than climatological values.Although specific magnitudes of change differ between the simulations, all show a marked increase in projected heat stress, from a variety of perspectives. Increases in temperature contribute more to these increases than do increases ...
What constitutes quality of family experience at the end of life? Perspectives from family members of patients who died in the hospital

Objective Most palliative care efforts focus on assessing and improving the quality of life and quality of care for patients. Palliative care views the family as the unit of care; therefore, excellent comprehensive palliative care should also address the needs of the family and the caregiver(s). While the recent literature has offered detailed descriptions of caregiving needs in the home setting, it is crucial to describe the needs of family members who provide care for patients with advanced illness in an inpatient setting, where family members serve as the key intermediaries and decision makers. Therefore, we sought to define the relevant aspects of quality of experience for families of hospitalized patients. Method We convened a series of focus groups to identify the domains important for the quality of experience of dying patients' family members. Participants included bereaved family members of patients who had died at a Veterans Administration (VA) or private academic medical center. We conducted four in-depth follow-up interviews to probe for additional details and validate our interpretation of the focus group findings. Results Participants (n = 14) ranged in age from 46 to 83, with a mean of 62. All were female; 64% were Caucasian, 21% African American, and 14% did not report their ethnicity. Content analysis yielded 64 attributes of quality of family experience constituting eight domains: completion, symptom impact, decision making, preparation, relationship with healthcare providers, affirmation of the whole person, post-death care, and supportive services. Significance of results Our data have implications for clinical guidance in assisting family members in the inpatient palliative setting, which often includes patient incapacity for communication and decision making. They suggest the importance of developing corresponding methods to assist families with the tasks involved with life completion, being prepared for a crisis and imminent death, and post-death care. Provider communications and relationships are central to the processes of meeting the clinical needs of family members. Our findings should inform the development of measures to assess family experience.
The electrically small elliptical loop with an oblate spheroidal core

Renewed interest in the use of ferrite-loaded loop antennas in the low part of the HF band (3-30 MHz) led the author to review the available literature (Burgess, R.E., 1946; Wait, J.R., 1953), and to extend the application of quasi-static theory to the definition of frequency bandwidth and efficiency. The spheroidal shape, which leads to closed-form quasi-static solutions for both rotationally symmetric and elliptical loops (Wait), is interesting from a practical standpoint because it can simulate long thin rods (prolate) as well as thin flat disks (oblate). We consider the antenna consisting of an oblate spheroidal core of thickness 2a along the z axis and of maximum diameter 2b excited by an N-turn loop having a pitch, p=2b/N, along the x-axis. For the transmitting case, the turns are treated as separate planar loops, each carrying a current I. Receiving properties follow from reciprocity. Core losses are included.
The physical-environment of street blocks and resident perceptions of crime and disorder: Implications for theory and measurement

There are two purposes to the present study. Our methodological purpose is to develop and test a procedure and instrument for assessing crime- and fear-related features of the urban residential environment. We examine three classes of cues: symbols of social and physical disorder, territorial functioning, and architectural 'defensible space' features. Past research examining the physical environment correlates of fear of crime has relied almost exclusively on subjective perceptions of the environment rather than on independent and objective measures thereof. Our theoretical purpose is to test the 'disorder' thesis of Skogan, and Wilson and Kelling, that actual physical incivilities erode resident's confidence in their neighborhood and lead them to infer that serious local problems, unrelated to the physical environment, are serious. We conducted environmental assessments and resident interviews (n = 412) on 50 blocks in 50 Baltimore neighborhoods. The assessments demonstrated high levels of inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity, controlling for social class. Regression analyses showed that physical incivilities were independently linked to perceptions of social and crime-related problems. The results show that reliable and valid assessment of crime- and fear-related environmental features can be conducted. They also support the central kernel of the Wilson and Kelling, and Skogan thesis, that the actual presence of disorder-related cues engender perceptions of social and crime problems.
Optimizations and extensions for the horn transaction logic programs

My thesis describes optimization techniques and extensions for the Horn Transaction Logic. The Horn Transaction Logic is an extension of the classical logic programming with state updates and it has a SLD-style evaluation algorithm. This SLD-style algorithm enters into infinite loops when computing answers to many recursive programs when they change the underlying state of the knowledge base. We solve this problem by tabling the calls, states and answers in a searchable structure, so that the same call is not re-executed ad infinitum. With these techniques, we can efficiently compute queries to transaction logic programs, and when the underlying programs have the bounded termdepth property, these techniques are guaranteed to terminate. I also present extensions to Transaction Logic, for instance a definite semantics for the existentially quantified values that occur in facts, queries and updates of facts. The applications of these techniques promise great improvements in the uses of transaction logic: statechanging systems, artificial intelligence planning, dynamic constraints on transaction execution, workflow modeling and verification, and systems involving financial transactions.
Optimum multichannel SAR detection of slowly moving targets in the presence of internal clutter motion

The paper deals with the optimum detection of slowly moving targets with multichannel SAR in the presence of internal clutter motion. A double exponential model for the clutter covariance allows both interpretation of the optimum detector and closed form performance analysis to be derived.
PD50-09 HEAVY TESTOSTERONE USE AMONG BODYBUILDERS: AN UNCOMMON COHORT OF ILLICIT SUBSTANCE USERS

Objective: To identify and characterize patterns of use among a contemporary cohort of current anabolicandrogenic steroid (AAS) users. Patients and Methods: An anonymous, self-administered, 49-item questionnaire was posted on message boards of Internet websites popular among AAS users and administered via SurveyMonkey from February 1, 2015, to June 1, 2015. Thirty-seven questions were analyzed for this study. Results: A total of 231 male respondents met the inclusion criteria. Most were white, were older than 25 years, were employed with above average income, and had received a formal education beyond high school. Ninety-three percent began using AAS after the age of 18 years, and 81% reported using 400 mg or more of testosterone per week. Factors associated with longer duration of use (>5 years) included higher incomes (� $75,000, P¼.003), increased testosterone dosages (>600 mg per week, P¼.007), older age (� 35 years, P<.001), being married (P<.001), and being self-employed (P<.001). The Internet was the most common source of testosterone (53%). Ninety-three percent used at least one additional performance-enhancing drug. Seventy-seven percent had routine laboratory tests performed, and 38% reported laboratory abnormalities at some point. Nearly all experienced subjective adverse effects while using and not using testosterone. Fifty-three percent reported use of other illegal substances, most commonly (90%) beginning before AAS initiation. Ten percent had a criminal conviction, 91% of which preceded AAS use. Fifty percent were felonies. Conclusion: The population of AAS users is disparate from that of other drugs of abuse. Laboratory test abnormalities and adverse effects are common and should be taken into account when counseling patients who may be using AASs.
Evolving Frontier : A Review of the Role of Mobile Medical Application Prescribing

Objective: To describe the continuum of medical app prescribing. Data Sources: A review of literature was conducted using PubMed and MEDLINE. Search terms included medical app, prescribing, healthc...
Treating Social Anxiety Disorder with CBT: Impact on Emotion Regulation and Satisfaction with Life

We examined whether cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) would influence the relationship between two distinct forms of emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and satisfaction with life in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD). When compared to healthy adults (n = 42) at baseline (Study 1), patients with SAD (n = 128) reported lesser use of cognitive reappraisal, greater use of expressive suppression, and lower levels of satisfaction with life. In a randomized controlled trial of CBT (n = 40) versus a waitlist control group (n = 32) (Study 2), resulted indicated in the CBT group significant group by time interactions for the use of cognitive reappraisal and satisfaction with life, but not for the use of expressive suppression. Regression analyses in Study 2 provide insight into the predictive value of expressive suppression emotion regulation on post-CBT life satisfaction.
An Existence Theorem for Non-Noetherian Rings

(1970). An Existence Theorem for Non-Noetherian Rings. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 77, No. 6, pp. 621-623.
A New Fuzzy Support Vectors Machine Algorithm

In this paper,an improved fuzzy K neighbors method was used to solve the fuzzy membership,which was got into the fuzzy support vector machine。 Experimen show that the classification results obtained by this method,compared with the classification results returned by support vectors machine algorithm and the fuzzy support vectors machine whose membership was solved only based on distance,has the smallest error,and it is effective in reducing the over learning problem,which proved this method is feasible.
Localization and Interaction of Functional Sites on Antithrombin III. Use of an Anti-Hapten Antibody as a Structural Probe

Immunochemical and spectral techniques have been used to characterize interaction between functional sites on the protease inhibitor, antithrombin III. Site-directed- modification of a single tryptophan in antithrombin with hydroxynitrobenzyl bromide (HNB) eliminates heparin binding to the protein concomitantly with loss of heparin-promoted inactivation of thrombin by antithrombin. The tryptophan involved in heparin binding is located at position 49 in the sequence, near the N-terminus of antithrombin, and an arginine present at position 393, near the C-terminus, is the site of thrombin binding and inactivation. Although these functional sites are remote in primary sequence, what is their relative orientation in the native three-dimensional structure of the protein? How do these sites communicate with each other? Spectral and haptenic properties of HNB were exploited to answer these questions. In activity measurements, antibody binding to HNB at the heparin binding site at trp-49 did not preclude thrombin inactivation by HNB-antithrombin thrombin. Also, anti-HNB antibodies were shown to bind to the HNB-antithrombin-thrombin complex more avidly than HNB-antithrombin alone, indicating structural changes to occur in the region of trp-49 upon thrombin binding. This immunochemical data was confirmed by spectral measurements on the HNB group, which served as an environmentally sensitive extrinsic probe. Upon binding of thrombin to antithrombin, a shift is observed in the visible HNB spectrum which is consistent with increased exposure of the HNB chromophore to aqueous solvent. These results indicate that: (1) the heparin-binding and thrombin-complexing sites are spatially separated on antithrombin, and (2) the functional regions of antithrombin communicate via conformational signals.
Abstract 3833: Restoration of wildtype structure and function of mutant p53 by thiosemicarbozones using a novel zinc metallochaperone based mechanism

NSC319726 (ZMC1) is a small molecule that reactivates mutant p53 by restoration of WT structure and function to the most common p53 missense mutant (p53-R175H). We identified that ZMC1 functions as a zinc-metallochaperone, providing an optimal concentration of zinc to facilitate proper folding of p53 protein, and increasing cellular reactive oxygen species to transactivate the newly conformed p53-R175H (via post-translational modifications). ZMC1 was identified from an in silico screen of the NCI anti-cancer drug screen along with two other thiosemicarbazones (TSCs), NSC319725 and NSC328784. We investigated these TSCs to determine if they could reactivate mutant p53 using a zinc metallochaperone mechanism. We found that indeed these compounds could reactivate mutant p53 by functioning as zinc metallochaperones. In distinction, Triapine the only TSC in clinical development, does not function as a zinc metallochaperone and is not a mutant p53 reactivator. Citation Format: Xin Yu, Adam R. Blanden, Ashley T. Tsang, Saif Zaman, John Gelleran, David Augeri, S. David Kimball, Stewart N. Loh, Darren R. Carpizo. Restoration of wildtype structure and function of mutant p53 by thiosemicarbozones using a novel zinc metallochaperone based mechanism. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3833.
Bandpass ΔΣ ADCs for Wireless Receivers

Design concepts and an example of bandpass Delta-Sigma ADCs for wireless receivers are described. Delta-Sigma ADC design involves a variety of choices in the system design phase, such as lowpass vs. bandpass loop filter or, feedback vs. feedforward architecture. In the first half of the chapter, such system decisions are compared and discussed in the context of wireless communication applications. The latter half of the Chapter describes an example bandpass Delta-Sigma ADC design based on the aforementioned discussions. Circuit implementations and measurement results are disclosed in details.
Micromanipulation of gametes and embryos.

The procedures described in this chapter are applicable to problems of oogenesis, fertilization, and early development. Many important procedures have not been described (e.g., pronuclear exchange). However, nearly every experimental manipulation thus far published for the mouse either directly involves the techniques included here or is closely related to them. Therefore, if all of the skills outlined in this chapter are successfully mastered, it should be possible to adapt that knowledge to most or all known experimental protocols. Successful establishment of micromanipulation is certain to have a significant and lasting positive impact on nearly any research program in mammalian development.
More Analytic Continuation

In this chapter we first study solutions to the differential equation $$\frac{{dy}}{{dt}} = \eta (y,t)$$ where the continuous function η(y, t) is defined for t in the closed interval [0, T] and y in the open interval (c, d). We consider the differential equation relative to an interval (a, b) where c<a<b<d and with the initial condition y(0, x)=x. If we suppose that η,(y, t) is continuously differentiable in y the standard existence and uniqueness theorems guarantee that y(t, x) as a function of x is strictly monotone and continuously differentiable. We write $$y(t,x) = {f_t}(x)$$ and note that this function is defined on (a, b) for all sufficiently small t.
Ordinary Differential Equations

This chapter focuses on ordinary differential equations. Ordinary differential equation problems of mathematical physics fall into two classes: initial value problems and boundary value problems. While it is possible to design numerical methods for initial value problems of great generality, only special boundary value problems can be treated. For both types of problems, finite difference or discrete variable methods lend themselves best to automatic digital computation. A discrete variable method is one in which an approximate solution of the differential equation is sought only at a finite number of points. Homogeneous boundary value problems commonly occur in the description of the fundamental or characteristic frequencies of vibrating strings, beams, membranes, and other structures. A simple example is the vibrating string.
Things in Motion: Object Itineraries in Anthropological Practice (Joyce and Gillespie, eds.)

This work is a book review considering the title Things in Motion: Object Itineraries in Anthropological Practice edited by Rosemary A. Joyce and Susan D. Gillespie.
NF-κB mediated transcription of DARPP-32 prevents Helicobacter pylori-induced cell death.

Gastric cancer remains one of the leading neoplasms and currently ranks third in cancer mortality worldwide.1 Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection, and the subsequent chronic inflammation that the organism induces, is a major risk factor for stomach cancer,2 along with smoking and a diet high in salt and nitrates (http://www.cancer.org/cancer/stomachcancer/detailedguide/stomach-cancer-risk-factors). Within the past several years, the focus on aetiology has shifted from epidemiology to understanding the genomic landscape that occurs during gastric transformation. Specifically, the gastric cancer genome analysis demonstrated that specific molecular signatures classify this cancer into at least four subtypes that can serve as the basis for patient stratification and precision therapies.3 ,4 Prior to whole genome analysis of gastric cancer, analysis of chromosomal abnormalities identified 17q12–21 as the site of DNA amplification in gastric cancer.5 Subsequently, El-Rifai and coworkers identified an expressed sequence tag (EST) that was one of the most frequently amplified genes at 17q12, and when sequenced corresponded to the 3′ untranslated region of the DARPP-32 (dopamine and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein 32 000 Da) locus which encodes a phosphoprotein regulated by dopamine and cAMP.6–8 Overexpression of DARPP-32 in gastric cancer cell lines blocks fatty acid induced apoptosis, demonstrating its antiapoptotic effect.7 DARPP-32 also exists as a splice variant called t-DARPP. This truncated version of the DARPP-32 protein (168 residues) is missing …
How Dentists Read a Technique Article: A Grounded Theory Investigation

Purpose To conduct an empirical investigation using qualitative techniques of the way dentists engage in the process of reading a technique-oriented journal article and what they pay attention to in the process. Materials and Methods Grounded theory was used to identify how dentists read an article describing the fabrication of an interim prosthesis in the esthetic zone. Twenty-one experienced practitioners were videotaped, and their verbatim reflections were coded. The sequence of attending to various features of the paper was noted. Results Ninety-five percent of readers voiced specific, multiple attempts to identify or refine the main purpose of the article as they processed the material. All readers engaged in various activities to navigate through the article, including skipping and backtracking, and none “read” the article straight through. All readers also made repeated observations about the relevance of the technique to their personal practice situation. Eighty percent used some form of “distancing,” whereby the content and value of the article were accepted, but the reader reserved the privilege of not being bound by the results because of technical, sponsorship, or methodological issues that “might be present.” The quality of photographs was accepted as a proxy for the quality of technical work performed. Conclusions Dentists actively customized the reading of a journal article that described a technical procedure. They imposed a non-linear structure for absorbing information and a standard of personal relevance, and, while accepting the results, created reasons for not necessarily having to accept them as applicable. The approach clinicians use in reading a procedural article may be different from the structure writers use in preparing a paper.
DD20: Muskelsprache des Ich (Mai 2006)

„Dein Gesicht spricht Bande!“, sagen wir, wenn jemand sorgenvoll ausschaut, aber finster behauptet, frohlich zu sein. Der will namlich frohlich aussehen! Aber wir durchschauen das doch. Oder? Oh, gerade lachelt mir mein Chef zu. Es bedeutet – ja, was?
Number of Clostridium botulinum Spores in Honey

A dialysis-enrichment culture method for detecting Clostridium botulinum spores in honey is described. The method was used to survey 55 honey samples representative of 53 lots being sold at retail and 186 honey collections from 154 individual producers. Based on finding the organism in at least one of three 25-g test portions of a sample, one type A and one type B positive were found among the retail samples. Type A spores were found in collections of five different producers and type B in those of five others. Five of 13 different lots from one producer were positive for type A spores. One producer sample had both types A and B spores. Maximum most probable number by the five-tube method was seven botulinum spores (upper 95% confidence limit of 17) per 25 g of sample.
Cyberinfrastructure and High-Performance Computing

With the rapid advance in science, technology, and engineering development, high-resolution geospatial data have become increasingly available. One direct result is the increasing volume of the data. Processing big spatial data is both data- and computing-intensive. When the scale of geospatial data and computation is beyond the capacity of PC-based software and tools due to the limited storage, memory, and computing power, concurrency and parallelism over modern cyberinfrastructure are the future directions and challenges in geocomputation in response to the data-driven geography and geographic information science. This article will review the evolving cyberinfrastructure and summarize the major approaches to implementing high-performance geocomputation on the heterogeneous computer architecture and system.
Abstract P51: Aspiration Pneumonia is a Negative Predictor of Post-Stroke Level of Care: Findings From the UTHSC Houston Stroke Registry

Introduction: Aspiration Pneumonia (AsPNA) in acute stroke patients can lead to a three-fold risk in mortality. Treatment of AsPNA requires increased acuity of hospital care for antibiotic therapy and respiratory management. This care is provided at all levels, including Inpatient Rehabilitation (IR), Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) or Sub-acute Care (Sub). There are limited studies assessing the role of AsPNA as an independent predictor of post-stroke disposition. Hypothesis: Low NIHSS is a predictor of higher functional status. We assessed the hypothesis that absence of AsPNA predicts post-stroke disposition to a functional level similar to low NIHSS. Methods: All patients admitted to the UT Stroke Service between January 2004 and October 2009 were included. Stratification occurred for age>65, NIHSS and stroke risk factors. Using multivariate logistic regression, the data was analyzed for differences in post-stroke disposition among patients without aspiration pneumonia. Results: Home vs. Other Level of Care Of 3390 patients, 1668 were discharged home, 1722 to another level of care. Patients without AsPNA are 5.3 times more likely to be discharged home (P = IR vs. SNF Of 1547 patients, 983 patients were discharged to IR, 564 to SNF. Patients without AsPNA are 8.6 times more likely to be discharged to IR (P = SNF vs. Sub Of 739 patients, 564 were discharged to SNF, 175 to Sub. Patients without AsPNA are 5.5 times more likely to be discharged to SNF (P = Conclusions: The absence of AsPNA is an independent predictor of improved post-stroke disposition. Patients with AsPNA have an increased likelihood of post-acute stroke care at a lower functional level, with a correlation stronger than NIHSS. This study is limited by its retrospective nature and unmeasured psychosocial factors related to discharge. Prospective studies on dysphagia screening, dietary modification and respiratory management are needed.
Association of metabolic syndrome and change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores.

Objective: To explore the association between metabolic syndrome and the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores and, secondarily, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data from 1,022 of 1,741 participants of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Exploratory Clinical Trials in Parkinson Disease Long-Term Study 1, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of creatine. Participants were categorized as having or not having metabolic syndrome on the basis of modified criteria from the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. Those who had the same metabolic syndrome status at consecutive annual visits were included. The change in UPDRS and SDMT scores from randomization to 3 years was compared in participants with and without metabolic syndrome. Results: Participants with metabolic syndrome (n = 396) compared to those without (n = 626) were older (mean [SD] 63.9 [8.1] vs 59.9 [9.4] years; p Conclusions: Persons with Parkinson disease meeting modified criteria for metabolic syndrome experienced a greater increase in total UPDRS scores over time, mainly as a result of increases in motor scores, compared to those who did not. Further studies are needed to confirm this finding. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00449865.
"Making Sustainability Sustainable: Interactions, Identity and Community in Specialty Coffee"

This qualitative, inductive study of sustainability in the specialty coffee market examines how the patterns of interactions among actors in a supply chain alter the way sustainability is understoo...
LOOP-DIURETIC USE PRIOR TO TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED MORTALITY

The effect of loop diuretic therapy (LDT) on outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is unknown. This study aims to determine the influence of pre-TAVR LDT use on post-TAVR survival. Subjects undergoing TAVR at a single institution from 6/2008-12/2016 were analyzed. LDT doses
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors: Including Children with Special Needs in Ministry:

Families with children who have special needs often roam from church to church, never finding a true “home.” Parents are typically more interested in locating a supportive group that accepts their ...
Culture environment and the odorous volatile compounds present in pond-raised channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

A headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) coupled with GS-MS method was used to measure volatile compounds in fillets from musty off-flavor, muddy off-flavor, and on-flavor channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), along with water and soil samples from the farm ponds in which the fish had been raised. Two ponds of each type of flavor were selected, and five fish, water, and soil samples were collected from each pond. Linear and multiple linear regression analyses were carried out between/among off-flavor strength and volatile compound contents to investigate their possible correlations. The combination of two strong off-flavor compounds, 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin (GSM), was probably mainly responsible for the musty off-flavor in the catfish fillets, and an odorous alcohol, 1-hexanol, was correlated with muddy off-flavor (p = 0.015). There was a strong correlation between beta-cyclocitral and MIB in a pond that gave musty off-flavor catfish contents (p = 0.006), suggesting that these compounds might be generated by similar cyanobacteria. The contents of GSM, MIB, and beta-cyclocitral were high in the water of ponds that yielded off-flavor fish, indicating that catfish might acquire these compounds from pond water.
Effects of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles on the longitudinal and transverse relaxation of hyperpolarized xenon gas.

Abstract SuperParamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPIONs) are often used in magnetic resonance imaging experiments to enhance Magnetic Resonance (MR) sensitivity and specificity. While the effect of SPIONs on the longitudinal and transverse relaxation time of 1H spins has been well characterized, their effect on highly diffusive spins, like those of hyperpolarized gases, has not. For spins diffusing in linear magnetic field gradients, the behavior of the magnetization is characterized by the relative size of three length scales: the diffusion length, the structural length, and the dephasing length. However, for spins diffusing in non-linear gradients, such as those generated by iron oxide nanoparticles, that is no longer the case, particularly if the diffusing spins experience the non-linearity of the gradient. To this end, 3D Monte Carlo simulations are used to simulate the signal decay and the resulting image contrast of hyperpolarized xenon gas near SPIONs. These simulations reveal that signal loss near SPIONs is dominated by transverse relaxation, with little contribution from T1 relaxation, while simulated image contrast and experiments show that diffusion provides no appreciable sensitivity enhancement to SPIONs.
Clinical status of diethyldithiocarbamate as an immunostimulant

Experimental studies in the laboratory clearly indicate that diethyldithiocarbamate (DSH) is a potent T-cell stimulant. These cells represent one of the body’s main immunological mechanisms of defense against infection. Additionally, they play a crucial role in activating, when necessary, the B-cell antibody-mediated immune defense process. It follows, therefore, that an agent that can bring about their activation has a clear potential for reversing clinically encountered immunodepression.
Test Generation in the Presence of Conflicting Timers

The UD’s and CCNY’s ongoing research to generate conformance tests for the Army network protocol MIL-STD 188–220 addressed test generation when multiple timers are running simultaneously. A test sequence may become unrealizable if there are conflicting conditions based on a protocol’s timers. This problem is handled in the hitherto generated tests by manually expanding a protocol’s extended FSM based on the set of conflicting timers, resulting in test sequences that are far from minimum-length. Similar inconsistencies, but based on arbitrary linear variables, are present in the extended FSMs modeling VHDL specifications. This paper presents an efficient solution to the conflicting timers problem that eliminates the redundancies of manual state expansion. CCNY’ s inconsistency removal algorithms are applied to a new model for testing protocols with multiple timers, in which complex timing dependencies are captured by simple linear expressions. This test generation technique is expected to significantly shorten the test sequences without compromising their fault coverage.
"Triggered trap": nevoid malignant melanoma.

Nevoid malignant melanoma probably represents an early form of nodular malignant melanoma in which there is little proliferation of melanocytes in the epidermis and a dermal proliferation that mimics some features of a compound or intradermal nevus, which is difficult to recognize as being due to malignant melanoma. The lesions can contain either small nevoid cells or larger cells that resemble those in Spitz's nevi. Overall the lesions are symmetrical, have minimal proliferation in the epidermis, and often have dispersion of cells at the base. The lesions with small nevoid cells are particularly difficult to distinguish from common intradermal or compound melanocytic nevi. Reactivity of the intradermal component for HMB-45 antigen, without antigen retrieval, or for Ki-67 antigen can show that the dermal cells have an immature phenotype and, in combination with histological criteria, can support a diagnosis of nevoid malignant melanoma.
Handling new adversaries in wireless ad-hoc networks (transcript of discussion)

I was extremely happy to see this year’s theme. In 2005 I had a talk here about redefining the adversary, and I still believe that that’s a good topic to think about. Let me first say a few words about the adversary, and whoever gets whom I am paraphrasing will win a beer. A system without a definition cannot possibly be insecure, it can only be astonishing, and of course astonishment is a much under-rated security vice.
The fight-or-flight response to the Joneses and inequality

Abstract This paper studies the fight-or-flight ambivalence people show towards the success of the proverbial Joneses. If an agent cares about leisure and his consumption relative to a benchmark set by the Joneses, his preferences display the keeping-up-with-the-Joneses (KUJ) property if an increase in the benchmark urges him to substitute away from leisure into work, allowing him to finance more consumption; the opposite is labeled running-away-from-the-Joneses (RAJ). The long literature, thus far, finds a) if any agent’s behavior displays KUJ (or RAJ), everyone’s will, or b) if an agent displays KUJ (or RAJ) in one portion of the consumption space, so will he everywhere. In an otherwise-standard environment with endowment heterogeneity, we provide conditions under which different agents sharing the same underlying preferences may endogenously respond very differently to the Joneses: while some may choose to keep up, others, possibly their close neighbors, may choose to run away. These choices themselves shape the income distribution, which in turn, determine the identity and fate of the Joneses. The analysis is novel because (a) such fight-or-flight conflict does not arise in existing models of consumption externalities, and (b) it identifies an endogenous mechanism that may dampen or amplify market income inequality arising from innate heterogeneity.
The impact of improved satellite retrievals on estimates of biospheric carbon balance

Abstract. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) is NASA's first satellite dedicated to monitoring CO2 from space and could provide novel insight into CO2 fluxes across the globe. However, one continuing challenge is the development of a robust retrieval algorithm: an estimate of atmospheric CO2 from satellite observations of near-infrared radiation. The OCO-2 retrievals have undergone multiple updates since the satellite's launch, and the retrieval algorithm is now on its ninth version. Some of these retrieval updates, particularly version 8, led to marked changes in the CO2 observations, changes of 0.5 ppm or more. In this study, we evaluate the extent to which current OCO-2 observations can constrain monthly CO2 sources and sinks from the biosphere, and we particularly focus on how this constraint has evolved with improvements to the OCO-2 retrieval algorithm. We find that improvements in the CO2 retrieval are having a potentially transformative effect on satellite-based estimates of the global biospheric carbon balance. The version 7 OCO-2 retrievals formed the basis of early inverse modeling studies using OCO-2 data; these observations are best equipped to constrain the biospheric carbon balance across only continental or hemispheric regions. By contrast, newer versions of the retrieval algorithm yield a far more detailed constraint, and we are able to constrain CO2 budgets for seven global biome-based regions, particularly during the Northern Hemisphere summer when biospheric CO2 uptake is greatest. Improvements to the OCO-2 observations have had the largest impact on glint-mode observations, and we also find the largest improvements in the terrestrial CO2 flux constraint when we include both nadir and glint data.
Gender disparities in head and neck cancer chemotherapy clinical trials participation and treatment

Abstract Objectives To characterize the representation of women in clinical trials directing the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for chemotherapy use in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), as well as the relationship between gender and chemotherapy administration in the definitive treatment of HNSCC in the United States. Methods A review of all HNSCC chemotherapy clinical trials cited by the 2018 NCCN guidelines was performed. Sex-based proportions were compared with the corresponding proportions in the general U.S. population of patients with HNSCC between 1985 and 2015, derived from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. A second analysis using the National Cancer Database (NCDB), identified 63,544 adult patients diagnosed with stages III-IVB HNSCC between 2004 and 2014 and treated with definitive radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of chemotherapy administration. Results While women comprised 26.2% of U.S. patients with HNSCC between 1985 and 2015, they comprised only 17.0% of patients analyzed in U.S. NCCN-cited chemotherapy clinical trials between 1985 and 2017. On multivariable analysis, women had decreased odds of receiving chemotherapy (Odds Ratio [OR]: 0.875; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.821–0.931; p Conclusion Women are underrepresented in HNSCC chemotherapy clinical trials cited by the national guidelines. Additionally, women are less likely than men to receive definitive chemoradiotherapy as oppose to definitive radiotherapy. Reasons for these disparities warrant further investigation as well as re-evaluation of eligibility criteria and enrollment strategies, in order to improve relevance of clinical trials to women with HNSCC.