cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Attitudes toward orthorexia nervosa relative to DSM‐5 eating disorders

Objective A pattern of disordered eating involving a pathological fixation with healthy food consumption, labeled orthorexia nervosa (ON), has recently generated attention; however, research has not yet investigated perceptions of ON-related behaviors. This study examined potential stigmatization of ON, compared with DSM-5 ED diagnoses. Method Participants (N = 505) were randomly assigned to read a vignette depicting a woman with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge-eating disorder (BED), or ON. They then answered questions about the individual depicted in the vignette. A series of MANOVAs investigated whether opinions and beliefs about the person depicted varied as a function of the disorder described in the vignette. Results Individuals with ON were perceived as less likely to “improve with treatment” than individuals with BN, and less likely to “pull themselves together,” than individuals with BED. Individuals with ON and AN were viewed as “hard[er] to talk to” and more of a “danger to others” compared with individuals with BED. ON was viewed as less distressing, less likely to evoke sympathy, and more acceptable than the other disorders. Finally, “poor living choices” were perceived as contributing more substantially to ON. Participants' attributions of various personality characteristics did not differ based on ED diagnosis. Discussion Results suggest that ON is viewed as less severe, more desirable, and more often the result of personal life choices. However, findings also imply that ON is associated with stigma, similar to DSM-5 EDs. These negative attitudes might reinforce ON behaviors, and limit awareness of their potential complications.
Overexpression of Ebola virus envelope GP1 protein

Abstract Ebola virus uses its envelope GP1 and GP2 for viral attachment and entry into host cells. Due to technical difficulty expressing full-length envelope, many structural and functional studies of Ebola envelope protein have been carried out primarily using GP1 lacking its mucin-like domain. As a result, the viral invasion mechanisms involving the mucin-like domain are not fully understood. To elucidate the role of the mucin-like domain of GP1 in Ebola-host attachment and infection and to facilitate vaccine development, we constructed a GP1 expression vector containing the entire attachment region (1–496). Cysteine 53 of GP1, which forms a disulfide bond with GP2, was mutated to serine to avoid potential disulfide bond mispairing. Stable expression clones using codon optimized open reading frame were developed in human 293-H cells with yields reaching ∼25 mg of GP1 protein per liter of spent medium. Purified GP1 was functional and bound to Ebola attachment receptors, DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR. The over-expression and easy purification characteristic of this system has implications in Ebola research and vaccine development. To further understand the differential expression yields between the codon optimized and native GP1, we analyzed the presence of RNA structural motifs in the first 100 nucleotides of translational initiation AUG site. RNA structural prediction showed the codon optimization removed two potential RNA pseudoknot structures. This methodology is also applicable to the expression of other difficult virus envelope proteins.
Consumer knowledge about food production systems and their purchasing behavior

Food purchasing behaviors are influenced by a range of factors, including health and the environmental impact of unique food production systems. There is ambiguity about the exact long-term large-scale impact of systems utilizing organic methods, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and conventional farming methods. There is a great deal of variance in consumer knowledge because of this ambiguity. This study aimed to assess consumers’ familiarity with these food production systems, to understand the perceived environmental impact of each, and to assess how different perceptions impact food purchasing. A survey administered to 123 New Jersey residents revealed large levels of uncertainty about perceived environmental impact of conventional foods (26.0%) and GMOs (26.8%), with a smaller number of people expressing uncertainty about organic food impact (14.6%). Consumers who believed organic food was beneficial allowed these beliefs to impact purchasing more often than those who were unsure (H(3) = 21.417, p < 0.01). Similarly, those who believed GMOs were harmful to the environment allowed this belief to impact purchasing more than those who believed they have a beneficial effect (p < 0.05), believe they have no effect (p < 0.01), or are unsure of the effect (H(3) = 37.476, p < 0.01). Overall, beliefs about organic food production impacted purchasing more frequently than beliefs about GMO food production (p < 0.01). These findings indicate a need for greater consumer education to eliminate uncertainty, as strong beliefs about environmental impact may have the ability to influence consumer purchasing decisions.
Blended Learning and Data Use in Three Technology-Infused Charter Schools

This study examined how the affordances of technologies in the blended learning affected teaching and learning activities. The study used mixed methods to examine whether the blended learning environments provided enhanced access to and more diverse data for teachers and students from which to make educational decisions. The study found that the technologies provided more diverse data to administrators, teachers, and students and allowed for flexible adaptations to virtual and face-to-face learning to meet students’ needs. The blended environments helped to create data cultures within the schools where educators used data to communicate and have an impact on instructional activities.
Divisions, New and Old — Conscience and Religious Freedom at HHS

Divisions, New and Old In creating a Conscience and Religious Freedom Division, leaders of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have framed “conscience” in a one-sided way, making it yet another issue dividing Americans largely along partisan lines.
Etiology of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death in US Competitive Athletes: A 2-Year Prospective Surveillance Study.

Objective To determine the etiology of sudden cardiac arrest and death (SCA/D) in competitive athletes through a prospective national surveillance program. Design Sudden cardiac arrest and death cases in middle school, high school, college, and professional athletes were identified from July 2014 to June 2016 through traditional and social media searches, reporting to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, communication with state and national high school associations, review of the Parent Heart Watch database, and search of student-athlete deaths on the NCAA Resolutions List. Autopsy reports and medical records were reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel to determine the underlying cause. Setting and participants US competitive athletes with SCA/D. Main outcome measures Etiology of SCA/D. Results A total of 179 cases of SCA/D were identified (74 arrests with survival, 105 deaths): average age 16.6 years (range 11-29), 149 (83.2%) men, 94 (52.5%) whites, and 54 (30.2%) African American. One hundred seventeen (65.4%) had an adjudicated diagnosis, including 83 deaths and 34 survivors. The most common etiologies included hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (19, 16.2%), coronary artery anomalies (16, 13.7%), idiopathic left ventricular hypertrophy/possible cardiomyopathy (13, 11.1%), autopsy-negative sudden unexplained death (8, 6.8%), Wolff-Parkinson-White (8, 6.8%), and long QT syndrome (7, 6.0%). Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was more common in male basketball (23.3%), football (25%), and African American athletes (30.3%). An estimated 56.4% of cases would likely demonstrate abnormalities on an electrocardiogram. Conclusions The etiology of SCA/D in competitive athletes involves a wide range of clinical disorders. More robust reporting mechanisms, standardized autopsy protocols, and accurate etiology data are needed to better inform prevention strategies.
ACQUIRED MODELS AND THE MODIFICATION OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

Anthropologists have not traditionally concerned themselves with those epistemological questions concerning their investigative enterprise of which the problem of objectivity is one. While there has been a continuing interest in methodology, the concerns of method have been those which related to the kinds of data to be collected and their relevance to an understanding of particular life ways of particular peoples or social entities. While there is a continuing and increasing concern with the problem of the significance of the data for an understanding of the human condition, there still seems to be no overriding anxiety over the question of objectivity of knowledge in the way in which that has become a significant question for the philosopher of science except, of course, as that question may be translated into one which can deal with the precision with which problems are formulated and data gathered.1
Postoperative Alkaline Reflux Gastritis

1. The syndrome of reflux gastritis is produced by the actions of bile and upper intestinal and pancreatic secretions alone or in combination on an altered gastric mucosa. 2. The triad of epigastric pain unrelieved by antacids, bilious vomiting, and weight loss, particularly after a gastric operation should make one suspect this syndrome. Anemia due to loss of blood and dysphagia occur less frequently. 3. The definitive diagnosis is made by endoscopy. Barium studies are of less value. Acid secretory studies are not diagnostic and are of academic interest. 4. Medical treatment utilizes antacids and cholestyramine alone or together. Good, long-lasting results with these are infrequent. Despite these results, medical treatment should be tried first. 5. Surgical treatment consists of diversion of the biliary and upper intestinal secretions from the stomach and doing a vagotomy with or without a distal gastric resection to prevent a marginal ulcer from developing. 6. The two most popular operations are a Roux-en-Y diversion or interposed peristaltic jejunal limb. The simplicity of the former has made this more popular with most American surgeons. 7. The results of surgery are good to excellent in 75 to 95 per cent of cases. Relief of symptoms, improvement in histologic and secretory studies, and weight gain should be anticipated. 8. Less than optimal results are reported when the surgical diversion has not been total, gastric stasis persists, or other postgastrectomy sequelae accompany reflux gastritis.
The HydroGEN Consortium: Foundational early stage water-splitting research supporting diversification of the domestic hydrogen supply chain

Abstract In the past two years, foundational early-stage materials research through DOE’s HydroGEN Consortium has successfully brought together resources and expertise from industry, academia and the national laboratories to expedite progress in hydrogen production by water-splitting. There is an enormous untapped opportunity to extract hydrogen from water using diverse thermal, chemical and electrochemical process available today at different stages of maturity that can be powered using fossil, nuclear and/or renewable energy. Ongoing development and scale-up of these processes relies on continued scientific and technological innovation, including identification and optimization of new low-cost, high-performance materials for energy conversion, heat transfer, separations, and catalysis. The scientific innovations and accomplishments to date from HydroGEN-supported research are discussed, including impressive results in thermochemistry and photoelectrochemistry, as well as low- and high-temperature electrolysis.
Strategic Enforcement: Results from an Elite Survey Experiment on International Trade Agreements

Central to international cooperation in many issue-areas is enforcement: the act or process of compelling obedience to international agreements by force or persuasion. Whether focused on transaction costs, domestic politics or forces such as structure and culture, most explanations for states’ preferences for institutionalized enforcement mechanisms are anchored in the useful simplifying assumption that decision-makers (and thus bureaucracies and states) have advanced strategic reasoning skills that allow them to anticipate the incentives and actions of other players down long decision trees. That scholarship also usually assumes that decision makers are fairly homogenous in the employment of these skills that affect how they analyze and respond to complex chains of reasoning. Yet there is evidence from behavioral economics and cognitive psychology that people are neither hyper-rational nor homogenous in their strategic reasoning. If policymakers are not in fact all highly (and equally) strategic reasoners, then perhaps the variance in their skills could help explain deviations from international cooperation models and provide new insight into debates over enforcement. We explore how variations in strategic reasoning might affect preferences for cooperation under different enforcement conditions with a series of experiments and surveys on 85 current and former U.S. government officials and U.S. based business strategists working in companies exposed to international policy decisions. Our central finding is that the strategic qualities of the people tasked with actually making international trade cooperation decisions help to explain their preferences for the enforcement design of the agreement. Specifically, as decision makers become more skilled in their ability to reason strategically, they become more indifferent to enforcement when deciding whether or not to join an international trade agreement.
Fully rubbery stretchable electronics, sensors, and smart skins

A general strategy to impart mechanical stretchability to stretchable electronics involves engineering materials into special architectures to accommodate or eliminate the mechanical strain in nonstretchable electronic materials while stretched. We introduce an all solution–processed type of electronics and sensors that are rubbery and intrinsically stretchable as an outcome from all the elastomeric materials in percolated composite formats with P3HT-NFs [poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5- diyl) nanofibrils] and AuNP-AgNW (Au nanoparticles with conformally coated silver nanowires) in PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane). Rubbery sensors, which include strain, pressure, and temperature sensors, show reliable sensing capabilities and are exploited as smart gloves that enable gesture translation and smart skins with temperature sensing capability for robotics. Transistors and their arrays fully based on intrinsically stretchable electronic materials were developed, and they retained electrical performances without substantial loss when subjected to 50% stretching. Fully rubbery integrated electronics and logic gates were developed, and they also functioned reliably upon mechanical stretching. A rubbery active matrix based elastic tactile sensing skin to map physical touch was demonstrated to illustrate one of the applications.
Aggregation in Quenched Systems Interacting through a Short-Range Attractive, Long-Range Repulsive Potential

The morphology and structure factor of a 2D system of particles interacting through a Lennard-Jones potential, modified to include a long-range repulsive component, are described. Of particular interest are those systems quenched from a stabilized colloidal state to temperatures that, in the pure Lennard-Jones system, correspond to the solid-vapor coexistence region. We find that competition between the short-range attractive forces—which cause aggregation—and the long-range repulsion—which acts to keep the particles apart—encourages the formation of space-filling networks. A characteristic peak in the structure factor is observed which moves toward lower wavevectors as the simulation evolves. However, unlike the pure Lennard-Jones system, which when given enough time will completely phase separate, this peak stops moving once a network has formed. The similarities between our simulations and gel formation are discussed.
40Ar/39Ar constraints on the tectonic evolution of the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic accretionary complex of coastal central Chile

Abstract Integrated structural and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronologic analyses of basement rocks exposed along the north-central coast of Chile (~ 33.5°S) allow a reconstruction of a multistage history of magmatism, metamorphism, and deformation since the late Paleozoic. Each phase of ductile deformation documented from the Late Carboniferous-Late Jurassic is inextricably linked to coeval magmatism or melt infiltration. A regionally recognized NW-WNW-striking structural architecture, formed initially in the Late Carboniferous during intrusion of the igneous Santo Domingo Complex, modulated subsequent phases of deformation and magmatism during periods of oblique convergence. All together, the new data document a punctuated history of subduction, arc magmatism, accretion, and segmentation along the proto-Pacific margin of Gondwana and development of the Andean margin. Because the reactivation of NW-striking structures during great earthquakes is recognized regionally, the results of this work are pertinent to a holistic understanding of seismic hazards in suprasubduction zone settings.
Outcome of Pancreatic Cancer Surveillance Among High-Risk Individuals Tested for Germline Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2

Germline mutations in BRCA1/2 are risk factors for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether results of surveillance for PDAC in high risk individuals (HRI) differ between those with and without a pathogenic BRCA1/2 mutation. This prospective study was conducted within the Pancreatic Tumor Registry at a major cancer center. There were 83 HRIs with ≥1 first-degree relative with PDAC who underwent surveillance and testing for pathogenic germline mutations in BRCA1/2 A secondary analysis includes 18 HRIs with known mutations in BRCA1/2 but with weaker family history. HRIs were evaluated over time using magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and endoscopic ultrasound when indicated by MRCP findings. We reviewed imaging results, blinded to mutation status. Demographic information was obtained from interviewer-administered questionnaires. The outcome was the proportion with any pancreatic abnormality identified at initial or follow-up surveillance. Among the 83 HRIs in the main analysis, 48 had a mutation in BRCA1/2 and 35 did not. Overall, 16 of 48 (33%) BRCA1/2-positive and 13 of 35 (37%) BRCA1/2-negative participants had pancreatic abnormalities on imaging; in each group, all but one finding was an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm. Among those with pathogenic mutations but weaker family history, results were similar: 7 of 18 (39%) with pancreatic abnormalities. Results of surveillance for pancreatic abnormalities on imaging are similar regardless of BRCA1/2 mutation status. While the results from this small study need confirmation in other studies, at present there does not appear to be increased yield from targeting individuals with BRCA1/2 mutations for surveillance.
Review Article: Atomic layer deposition of doped ZnO films

This article reviews the process-structure-property relationship in doped ZnO thin films via atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD is an important manufacturing-scalable, layer-by-layer, thin film deposition process that precisely controls dopant type and concentration at the nanoscale. ZnO is an important technological material, which can be doped to modulate structure and composition to tailor a wide variety of optical and electronic properties. ALD doped ZnO is viewed as a transparent conducting oxide for application in solar cells, flexible transparent electronics, and light-emitting diodes. To date, there are 22 elements that have been reported as dopants in ZnO via ALD. This article studies the underlying trends across dopants and establishes generalized relationships for (1) the role of ALD process parameters, (2) the impact of these parameters on the structure of the ZnO matrix, and (3) the impact of dopants on the optical and electrical properties. The article ends with a brief discussion on the limitations of the ALD-based doping scheme, knowledge gaps in the compositional maps, and a perspective on the future of ALD doped ZnO films.This article reviews the process-structure-property relationship in doped ZnO thin films via atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD is an important manufacturing-scalable, layer-by-layer, thin film deposition process that precisely controls dopant type and concentration at the nanoscale. ZnO is an important technological material, which can be doped to modulate structure and composition to tailor a wide variety of optical and electronic properties. ALD doped ZnO is viewed as a transparent conducting oxide for application in solar cells, flexible transparent electronics, and light-emitting diodes. To date, there are 22 elements that have been reported as dopants in ZnO via ALD. This article studies the underlying trends across dopants and establishes generalized relationships for (1) the role of ALD process parameters, (2) the impact of these parameters on the structure of the ZnO matrix, and (3) the impact of dopants on the optical and electrical properties. The article ends with a brief discussion on the lim...
Personal agency and alcohol abstinence self-efficacy among incarcerated women

Incarcerated women with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) have unique treatment needs. Behavior change models emphasize self-efficacy in making changes to alcohol use, but have not been tested in sample...
A Mixed-Methods Approach to Understanding Variation in Social Support Requirements and Implications for Access to Transplantation in the United States:

Social support is a key component of transplantation evaluation in the United States. Social support definitions and evaluation procedures require examination to achieve clear, consistent implementation. We surveyed psychosocial clinicians from the Society for Transplant Social Workers and American Society of Transplant Surgeons about their definitions and evaluation procedures for using social support to determine transplant eligibility. Bivariate statistical analysis was used for quantitative data and content analysis for qualitative data. Among 276 psychosocial clinicians (50.2% response rate), 92% had ruled out patients from transplantation due to inadequate support. Social support definitions varied significantly: 10% of respondents indicated their center lacked a definition. Key domains of social support included informational, emotional, instrumental, motivational, paid support, and the patient's importance to others. Almost half of clinicians (47%) rarely or never requested second opinions when excluding patients due to social support. Confidence and perceived clarity and consistency in center guidelines were significantly associated with informing patients when support contributed to negative wait-listing decisions (P = .001). Clinicians who excluded fewer patients because of social support offered significantly more supportive health care (P = .02). Clearer definitions and more supportive care may reduce the number of patients excluded from transplant candidacy due to inadequate social support.
Investigating the effect of spray included angle on thermally stratified compression ignition with wet ethanol using computational fluid dynamics

Abstract Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling was used in this study to explore the effect of spray included angle in a diesel engine with a re-entrant bowl piston. Previously, it was shown that thermally stratified compression ignition (TSCI) has the ability to control the heat release rate and extend the upper load limit of advanced combustion compared to Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition. TSCI can be achieved using either the direct injection of water into a premixed mixture of air and fuel or using a split direct injection strategy of a water-fuel mixture. The current study focuses on the latter variation of TSCI using wet ethanol as the direct injected water-fuel mixture. The CFD model implemented in CONVERGE with SAGE detailed chemistry solver was first validated using experimental results collected on a single-cylinder research engine. Then, the model was used to simulate different spray included angles to explore the effect of spray included angle on the thermal and equivalence ratio stratification that develops in the cylinder. The spray included angle was varied from 60° to 150° and the results indicate that the broader spray included angles targeted the regions of the cylinder outside of the piston bowl while the narrower angles targeted mostly inside of the piston bowl. Since the charge inside the piston bowl is naturally hotter due to spatial differences in heat transfer losses and the natural thermal stratification that occurs, when the bowl region is targeted, the difference between the temperature inside and outside piston bowl reduces. However, when targeting the region outside of the piston bowl (i.e., the squish region), the natural and forced thermal stratifications work together and the temperature difference between the bowl and squish regions increases. This results in higher thermal stratification for the broader included angles, which results in better control over the heat release rates.
Greenland temperature and precipitation over the last 20 000 years using data assimilation

Abstract. Reconstructions of past temperature and precipitation are fundamental to modeling the Greenland Ice Sheet and assessing its sensitivity to climate. Paleoclimate information is sourced from proxy records and climate-model simulations; however, the former are spatially incomplete while the latter are sensitive to model dynamics and boundary conditions. Efforts to combine these sources of information to reconstruct spatial patterns of Greenland climate over glacial–interglacial cycles have been limited by assumptions of fixed spatial patterns and a restricted use of proxy data. We avoid these limitations by using paleoclimate data assimilation to create independent reconstructions of mean-annual temperature and precipitation for the last 20 000 years. Our method uses oxygen isotope ratios of ice and accumulation rates from long ice-core records and extends this information to all locations across Greenland using spatial relationships derived from a transient climate-model simulation. Standard evaluation metrics for this method show that our results capture climate at locations without ice-core records. Our results differ from previous work in the reconstructed spatial pattern of temperature change during abrupt climate transitions; this indicates a need for additional proxy data and additional transient climate-model simulations. We investigate the relationship between precipitation and temperature, finding that it is frequency dependent and spatially variable, suggesting that thermodynamic scaling methods commonly used in ice-sheet modeling are overly simplistic. Our results demonstrate that paleoclimate data assimilation is a useful tool for reconstructing the spatial and temporal patterns of past climate on timescales relevant to ice sheets.
A PILOT STUDY ON THE VALIDATION OF QT MEASUREMENT WITH A BIOMONITOR 2 IMPLANTABLE LOOP RECORDER

The QT interval is a measurement of electrical depolarization and repolarization time. The gold standard for measuring QT interval is a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). Implantable loop recorders (ILR) such as the Biomonitor2 traditionally have been used to detect arrhythmias but not used to measure
Influenza-related hospitalizations due to acute lower respiratory tract infections in a tertiary care children's hospital in Turkey.

Abstract Background The influenza virus is a significant cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) requiring hospitalization in childhood and leads to severe morbidity and mortality, especially in certain risk groups. Objectives The study aims to evaluate acute LRTI due to influenza in a tertiary care hospital and the risk factors for hospitalization among Turkish children. Study Design Children between 1 month and 18 years of age who were hospitalized at Dr. Behcet Uz Children's Hospital between January 2016 and March 2018 with lower respiratory tract infection that tested positive for influenza by PCR were included. Children with viral coinfections were excluded. Patient files were retrospectively scanned from the hospital computerized system in terms of age, underlying diseases, whether antiviral therapy was used, and length of hospital stay. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS statistical software. Results The study included 131 patients with a median age of 2 years (1 month-15 years). Sixty-seven (51,1%) patients were younger than two years. Influenza A was isolated in 129 patients and B in 2 patients. Fifty-two patients (39,7%) had underlying medical conditions, and the most common one was malignancies (12/52, 23%). This was followed by neurodevelopmental diseases (9/52, 17,3%), prematurity (9/52 patients, 17,3%), primary immunodeficiency (8/52, 15,4%), asthma (7/52, 13,4%), Down syndrome (4/52, 7,7%), chronic renal disease (2/52, 3,8%) and congenital heart diseases (1/52, 1,9%). The mean length of stay (LOS) was 12,3 ± 9,5 days (2-60 days). The LOS was found to be statistically longer (15,2 ± 12,1 days, 3-60 days) in patients with an underlying disease compared to previously healthy patients (10,4 ± 6,7 days, 2-35 days) (p = 0.01). Conclusions Hospitalization due to influenza-related acute LRTI is not an issue only for patients with an underlying medical condition. Vaccination should be considered not only for those with underlying medical conditions but also for healthy children.
Bridging naïve and primed pluripotency.

Pluripotent cells generate all types of cells in the body and have largely been classified dichotomously into two types: naive and primed. Arguing against a binary classification system, a study now discovers a unique transition state between naive and primed pluripotency and describes the signals that control this transition.
“Prop-and-Run” through Media Tone: Institutional Trading Strategies during Corporate Litigation

Institutional investors often own equity blocks of media companies besides industrial firms. When these industrial firms become defendants of corporate litigation, institutions nudge media companies they simultaneously blockhold to provide more lenient coverage of the defendants. Doing so temporarily props up investor sentiment, mitigates negative price impact, and allows institutions extra time to exit positions in troubled defendants – a “prop-and-run” strategy. Dumped shares by institutions are largely absorbed by retail investors. Media boost sentiment by either playing down legal ramifications in question or playing up other positive matters. The strategy is especially prominent among activists, and likely involves institutions’ deliberate and active participation. Ex ante, institutions appear to hold media companies to “save for a rainy day.”
Midlife vulnerability and food insecurity: Findings from low-income adults in the US National Health Interview Survey

Author(s): Miller, Lisa M Soederberg; Tancredi, Daniel J; Kaiser, Lucia L; Tseng, Jeffrey T | Abstract: BackgroundFood insecurity, limited access to adequate food, in adulthood is associated with poor health outcomes that suggest a pattern of accelerated aging. However, little is known about factors that impact food insecurity in midlife which in turn could help to identify potential pathways of accelerated aging.MethodsLow-income adults (n = 17,866; 2014 National Health Interview Survey), ages 18 to 84, completed a 10-item food security module and answered questions regarding health challenges (chronic conditions and functional limitations) and financial worry. We used multinomial logistic regression for complex samples to assess the association of health challenges and financial worry with food insecurity status and determine whether these associations differed by age group, while adjusting for poverty, sex, race/ethnicity, education, family structure, social security, and food assistance.ResultsFood insecurity rates were highest in late- (37.5%) and early- (36.0%) midlife, relative to younger (33.7%) and older (20.2%) age groups and, furthermore, age moderated the relationship between food insecurity and both risk factors (interaction p-values l .05, for both). The effects of poor health were stronger in midlife relative to younger and older ages. Unlike younger and older adults, however, adults in midlife showed high levels of food insecurity regardless of financial worry.ConclusionsFindings suggest that food insecurity in midlife may be more severe than previously thought. Greater efforts are needed to identify those at greatest risk and intervene early to slow premature aging.
Allograft Subsidence Decreases Postoperative Segmental Lordosis With Minimal Effect on Global Alignment Following ACDF

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objective:Studies investigating the impact of interbody subsidence in ACDF suggest a correlation between subsidence and worse radiographic and patient-report...
Community and connectedness in online higher education: a scoping review of the literature

Community and connectedness are important concepts in online higher education. However, researchers debate how they are defined, operationalized, or enacted in practice. A scoping study was conduct...
Comparative economic analysis between LTO and C-ion energy storage system for electric vehicles ultra-fast charger buffering application

Due to the growth of the electric vehicle (EV) market and the extension of EVs battery range, the demand for ultra-fast charging is expected to increase. However, ultra-fast charging causes extreme high peak load demand, going beyond the capabilities of current electric utility infrastructure in many location. A high power energy storage system has the ability to off-set such infrastructure power limitations. On top of providing the energy of an EV battery and peak load demands, the decisive metrics for such system are cost of ownership and longevity. The main contribution of this article is to update a previous developed approach to evaluate the economic plausibility of an energy storage system (ESS) solution for EVs ultra-fast charger buffering application. This approach considers the calendar and cycling aging of the energy storage system, the overall efficiency, OPEX, and CAPEX of the ultra-fast charger, but also the purchasing price of the grid electricity. Furthermore, this approach is used to compare the highest longevity lithium battery technology solution, named LTO, to a new super capacitor solution contender, named C-ion. The findings of this study show that both LTO and C-ion technology may represent a cheaper alternative than refueling a gasoline car.
Patient selection in the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model.

OBJECTIVE To understand whether the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program induces participating hospitals to (1) preferentially select lower risk patients, (2) reduce 90-day episode-of-care costs, (3) improve quality of care, and (4) achieve greater cost reduction during its second year, when downside financial risk was applied. DATA SOURCES We identified beneficiaries of age 65 years or older undergoing hip or knee joint replacement in the 100% sample of Medicare fee-for-service inpatient (Part A) claims from January 1, 2013 to August 31, 2017. Cases were linked to subsequent outpatient, Part B, home health agency, and skilled nursing facility claims, as well as publicly available participation status for CJR. STUDY DESIGN We estimated the effect of CJR for hospitals in the 67 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) selected to participate in CJR (785 hospitals), compared to those in 104 non-CJR MSAs (962 hospitals; maintaining fee-for-service). A difference-in-differences approach was used to detect patient selection, as well as to compare 90-day episode-of-care costs and quality of care between CJR and non-CJR hospitals over the first two performance years. DATA COLLECTION We excluded 172 hospitals from our analysis due to their preexisting BPCI participation. We focused on elective admissions in the main analysis. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS While reductions in 90-day episode-of-care costs were greater among CJR hospitals (-$902, 95% CI: -$1305, -$499), largely driven by a 16.8% (p < 0.01) decline in 90-day spending in skilled nursing facilities, CJR hospitals significantly reduced the 90-day readmission rate (-3.9%; p < 0.05) and preferentially avoided patients aged 85 years or older (-5.9%; p < 0.01) and Black (-7.0%; p < 0.01). Cost reduction was greater in 2017 than in 2016, corresponding to the start of downside risk. CONCLUSIONS Participation in CJR was associated with a modest cost reduction and a reduction in 90-day readmission rates; however, we also observed evidence of preferential avoidance of older patients perceived as being higher risk among CJR hospitals.
Speech Therapy Telepractice Services in Fiji: A Multicultural Experience for Graduate Student Clinicians

Purpose The University of Maine Speech Therapy Telepractice Program provides speech therapy telepractice services to children with communication disorders at the International School Suva (ISS), Fi...
Genetic studies with tumorigenic adenoviruses: III. Recombination in adenovirus type 12

The 18 nonreverting cyt kb adenovirus mutants that fail to propagate in KB-1 cells (Takemori et al., 1969) were used to study recombination of adenovirus type 12 (Ad. 12). Recombinants (cyt+kb+) were produced in a number of crosses with these cyt kb mutants and were detected through passages in KB-1 cells. After plaque purification cyt+ kb+ recombinants were found to have recovered all the cyt+ kb+ properties of the parental virus, i.e., cytopathic effect (CPE), plaque morphology, growth in KB-1 cells, and tumorigenicity. The results further support the hypothesis that cyt gene function is necessary both for the production of cyt+ CPE and for the tumorigenicity of this virus (Takemori et al., 1968, 1969). Since definite evidence of complementation among these mutants could not be obtained, the recombination in cyt kb mutants is probably intragenic. Of the 18 cyt kb mutants, 16 can be distinguished by the results of the pairwise crosses.
Speech Graffiti Habitability: What Do Users Really Say?

The Speech Graffiti interface is designed to be a portable, transparent interface for spoken language interaction with simple machines and information servers. Because it is a subset language, users must learn and adhere to the constraints of the language. We conducted a user study to determine habitability and found that more than 80% of utterances were Speech Graffiti-grammatical, suggesting that the language is acceptably learnable and usable for most users. We also analyzed deviations from grammaticality and found that natural language input accounted for the most deviations from Speech Graffiti. The results will suggest changes to the interface and can also inform design choices in other speech interfaces.
The role of CD4+ T cell subsets in the clearance of Pneumocystis murina pneumonia in mice (MPF6P.734)

Pneumocystis (PC) Pneumonia remains a serious complication in the immuno-compromised host. The host defense against PC is critically dependent upon CD4+ T cells. The role of specific T-cell subsets that mediate host resistance against PC infection remains unclear. We use STAT transcription factor knockout (KO) mice to determine the role of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells in PC infection. After 28 days infection with PC, serum, lung tissue, and mediastinal lymph node (LN) were collected. LN and lung tissue cells were measured for cytokines by ELISpot and intracellular staining. Total lung RNA was measured for PC burden by RT-qPCR. Cytokines were assayed from cell culture supernatant. Anti-PC antibody was measured by ELISA.Stat4, Stat6 single KO, and Stat4/6 double KO mice all were resistant to PC compared to the Rag2/gc KO mice. Stat4 was required for a Th1 response and Stat6 was required for a Th2 response. STAT3fl/fl/CD4Cre+ mice had partial susceptibility of PC. Stat3 expression was required in CD4+ T cells for PC specific Th17 responses. STAT4/6 double KO crossed to STAT3fl/fl/CD4Cre+ (Triple KO) mice were highly susceptible to PC infection compare to single and double KO mice. Individual Stat4 and 6 and double mutants clear PC. STAT3fl/fl/CD4Cre+ conferred partial susceptibility to PC. Triple KO were as susceptible for PC as Rag2/gc KO mice. These data support the hypothesis that PC is a true opportunist and that various T-cell subsets can confer protection against infection.
Parametric versus nonparametric and two-point versus multipoint: controversies in gene mapping

In parametric or model-based linkage analysis (often called LOD score linkage analysis), one assumes that models describing both the trait and marker loci are known without error. This means that one assumes that the allele frequencies, dominance relationships among the alleles, and relationships between genotypes and phenotypes are known without error at both the trait and marker loci. Nonparametric (or model-free or weakly parametric) linkage methods make fewer assumptions about the trait model, although the assumption that the marker locus model(s) is known without error is still in force. These methods of analysis have different strengths and weaknesses that should be taken into account by the analyst when choosing how to analyze linkage data. Parametric linkage analysis is more powerful than nonparametric linkage methods if the genetic model for both trait and marker loci are correctly specified but for complex traits where such correct model specification is difficult, nonparametric methods may be more powerful. Both parametric and nonparametric analyses may be performed between a trait locus and a single marker locus (two-point linkage) or between a trait locus and a map of multiple markers (multipoint linkage). Again, these methods have different strengths and weaknesses that should be understood before embarking upon their use. Multipoint methods give more power to detect linkage than two-point methods as long as the marker order and intermarker distances are correctly specified and assumptions about the trait and marker models are correct, but failures of these assumptions may strongly decrease the power of multipoint methods. Keywords: linkage; LOD score; parametric; nonparametric; multipoint; two-point; single-point; gene mapping
Eosinophil-mediated destruction of Schistosoma mansoni eggs in vitro: II. The role of cytophilic antibody

Abstract Peritoneal exudative eosinophils obtained from Schistosoma mansoni -infected CBA/J mice cause morphological damage to isolated S. mansoni eggs in a 24 hr co-cultivation system in vitro . This egg-destructive activity was complement-independent and was abolished by trypsinization of the cells prior to co-cultivation. Trypsinized cells could be passively sensitized to renewed egg-destructive capacity by preincubation or co-gcultivation with immune sera, containing antibodies against a soluble egg antigenic preparation (SEA). Solid phase absorption of immune sera with SEA coupled to Sepharose 4B lowered the anti-egg antibody titers of these sera and eliminated their ability to sensitize trypsinized eosinophils. Sera from uninfected mice or from mice infected with Trichinella spiralis did not sensitize trypsinized cells. Addition of immune sera to eosinophil-rich cell populations obtained from uninfected mice also enhanced the egg-destructive capacity of these otherwise non-reactive cells. Therefore, eosinophil-mediated destruction of S. mansoni eggs may be directed by cytophilic antigen-specific factors in sera from S. mansoni infected hosts.
Phosphorus linkages in alpha-casein.

RECENTLY, an investigation on the nature of phosphorus bonds in proteins has been initiated in this laboratory. This was stimulated by the observation that a variety of phosphatases will dephosphorylate phosphorus-containing proteins without proteolysis occurring simultaneously. Dephosphorylation, however, takes place only if the phosphate groups are present as monoesters with two ionizable hydroxyls1,2. In addition, the occurrence, in phosphoproteins, of linkages such as those of pyrophosphates, —O—P—O—P—O—, phosphodiesters, —O—P—O— or —N—P—O—, and the presence of these bonds in cyclic arrangements, had to be anticipated. Thus, it should be possible to demonstrate such structural units with the aid of specific enzymes which bring about their transformation into monoesters that are then readily hydrolysed by the action of phosphomonoesterases. The work described here was designed to test these assumptions, and supplies the first experimental evidence for the existence of pyrophosphate bonds in a protein. Moreover, it is shown that α-casein, in addition to phosphomonoesters, also contains some of its phosphorus as pyrophosphate and phosphodiesters.
A Review of “A Beauty That Hurts: Life and Death in Guatemala”

My first introduction to Guatemala was in 1988 when I served as a Peace Corps volunteer working on agroforestry and soil conservation projects in the Eastern Highlands of the country. Like the expe...
MODELS OF VARYING PARAMETRIC FORM IN CASE-REFERENT STUDIES

The analysis of case-referent data can be based on a consideration of case and referent counts in various exposure categories as the realization of a set of binomial processes. After appropriate modeling of the binomial parameters, a joint likelihood function can be formed and maximized to obtain estimates of the parameters constituting the model elements. The procedure has been applied to the problem of additive and multiplicative models of disease incidence rates, as encountered in case-referent studies. Likelihood ratios can be used to compare models with equal numbers of parameters. These ratios do not lead to significance tests, but to estimate of the relative degree of corroboration of different hypotheses by the data at hand.
The Bosnian Muslims in the Second World War: a history

Marko Attila Hoare has produced a tour de force in his three-volume study of the history of national identity in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its role in the creation of the contemporary Bosnian stat...
Anatomical considerations of the venous drainage of the lower extremities: Clinical implications

Abstract The anatomical course, branches, valve distribution, and perforators of the long saphenous vein were described in 59 patients. Altogether, 95 legs were dissected while obtaining the vein for coronary artery bypass procedures. The findings indicated that the first valve is located 12.7 ± 7.1 cm from the ankle, the second 21.1 ± 7.4 cm, and the third 25.4 ± 5.5 cm. The branches are located at 14.2 ± 6.5 cm and the second is 20.4 ± 7.9 cm. The perforators indirectly connected were present at 16.3 ± 6.25 cm and 24.0 ± 2.6 cm. Based on the anatomy of valves, branches, and perforators the areas of vulnerability and disease in the long saphenous system are localized in the area of 12 to 16 and 20 to 25 cm from the ankle. The most probable location of the first branch, perforator, or valve is between 12 to 16 cm from the ankle, probability of 0.70. The valve and the branch distributions of the long saphenous vein on the lower extremities are consistent. The “tier” arrangement of the venous drainage and the supporting role of the membranous fascia were also emphasized. These observations seem to be, in some respect, controversial to the general accepted anatomical descriptions.