cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
We Can't All Have It All: The Economic Limits of Pharmaceutical Innovation.

Sen Susan Collins (R, Me) praised a new proposed rule by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would increase the number of patients with opioid use disorders qualified physicians can treat with buprenorphine, a μ-opioid receptor partial agonist approved for clinical use by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002 (http://1.usa.gov/1XZUhq2). Qualified physicians are those who have received a waiver from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Drug Enforcement Agency to prescribe buprenorphine. In addition, they must possess subspecialty board certification in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry or work in a qualified practice setting.
Non-Neuromuscular Determinants of Intraluminal Urethral Pressure in the Female Baboon: Relative Importance of Vascular and Nonvascular Factors

The female urethral sphincteric mechanism has both neuromuscular and non-neuromuscular components. The latter component has several determinants, including the urethral mucosa, the connective tissue of the urethra and periurethra, and the submucosal vascular bed. This study was designed to characterize the non-neuromuscular component of the urethral pressure profile (UPP) by quantitating the relative contributions of its vascular and non-vascular determinants in four female baboons. Following minimization of the smooth muscle and striated muscle determinants (the neuromuscular component) with halothane and pancuronium bromide, UPPs were performed before and after aortic occlusion. It is concluded that vascular and non-vascular factors contribute nearly equally to the non-neuromuscularly generated portion of intraluminal urethral pressure.
Locking the Borders: Exclusion in the Theory and Practice of Immigration in America

This paper highlights the means for the exclusion of groups deemed undesirable within the Lockean liberal tradition, particularly as the American Federalists modified it. It further explores the co...
Framing Appropriate Accommodations in Terms of Individual Need: Examining the Fit of Four Approaches to Selecting Test Accommodations of English Language Learners

ABSTRACTProviding appropriate test accommodations to most English language learners (ELLs) is important to facilitate meaningful inferences about learning. This study compared teacher large-scale test accommodation recommendations to those from a literature- and practitioner-grounded accommodation selection taxonomy. The taxonomy links student-specific needs, strengths, and schooling experiences to large-scale test accommodation recommendations that differentially minimize barriers of access for students with different profiles. A blind panel of experts rated four sets of recommendations for each of 114 ELLs. Results found the taxonomy was a significantly better fit for distinguishing accommodations by student need than teacher recommendations. Further, the fit of teacher recommendations showed no difference when the teacher used a structured data collection procedure to gather profile information about each of their ELLs and when they did not, and teachers’ recommendations were not found to differ signif...
ID4 regulates transcriptional activity of wild type and mutant p53 via K373 acetylation.

// Derrick J. Morton 1 , Divya Patel 1 , Jugal Joshi 1 , Aisha Hunt 1 , Ashley E. Knowell 2 , Jaideep Chaudhary 1 1 Department of Biology, Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutics Development, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA 30314, USA 2 Department of Bioengineering Sciences, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC 29117, USA Correspondence to: Jaideep Chaudhary, email: jchaudhary@cau.edu Keywords: ID4, bHLH, p53, mutant-p53, tumor suppressor Received: July 22, 2016 Accepted: November 21, 2016 Published: November 29, 2016 ABSTRACT Given that mutated p53 (50% of all human cancers) is over-expressed in many cancers, restoration of mutant p53 to its wild type biological function has been sought after as cancer therapy. The conformational flexibility has allowed to restore the normal biological function of mutant p53 by short peptides and small molecule compounds. Recently, studies have focused on physiological mechanisms such as acetylation of lysine residues to rescue the wild type activity of mutant p53. Using p53 null prostate cancer cell line we show that ID4 dependent acetylation promotes mutant p53 DNA-binding capabilities to its wild type consensus sequence, thus regulating p53-dependent target genes leading to subsequent cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Specifically, by using wild type, mutant (P223L, V274F, R175H, R273H), acetylation mimics (K320Q and K373Q) and non-acetylation mimics (K320R and K373R) of p53, we identify that ID4 promotes acetylation of K373 and to a lesser extent K320, in turn restoring p53-dependent biological activities. Together, our data provides a molecular understanding of ID4 dependent acetylation that suggests a strategy of enhancing p53 acetylation at sites K373 and K320 that may serve as a viable mechanism of physiological restoration of mutant p53 to its wild type biological function.
Quantitative ionization chamber alignment to a water surface: Performance of multiple chambers.

Purpose To experimentally examine the reliability of the gradient chamber alignment point (gCAP) determination method for accurately identifying water surface location with a range of ionization chambers (ICs). Method & Materials Twelve cylindrical ICs were scanned from depth through a water surface into air using a customized high-accuracy scanning system which allows for accurate alignment of the IC with respect to the true water surface. Thirteen other cylindrical ICs and five parallel-plate ICs were scanned using a standard commercially available scanning system. The thirty different ICs used in this study represent twenty-two different IC models. Measurements were taken with different radiation field parameters such as incident photon beam energies and field sizes. The effects of scan direction and water surface tension were also investigated. The depth at which the gradient of the relative ionization was maximized and discontinuous, the gCAP, was found for each curve. Each measured gCAP depth was compared with the theoretically expected gCAP location, the depth at which the submerged IC outer radius (OR) coincides with the water surface. Results When scanning an IC from in water to air, the only parameter that affects the gCAP location is the IC OR. The gCAP location corresponds with the IC central axis positioned at a depth equal to the IC OR within the 0.1 mm measurement scan resolution for all eighteen ICs studied with the commercially available system. Using the customized scanning system, all but three ICs were identified exhibiting a gCAP within the scan resolution, with the other three within 0.25 mm of the expected location. This discrepancy was not observed in the same IC model when using the conventional scanning system. Altering the beam energy from 6-25 MV did not alter the gCAP location, nor did variations in the radiation field size or scan parameters. In-air IC response is proportional to the IC wall thickness. Conclusion The water-to-air scanning method coupled with gCAP analysis identifies the alignment of the IC OR to the water surface within the scanning resolution for all ICs studied. The gCAP method can precisely and reproducibly align the physical center of a given cylindrical IC with the water surface, be applied prospectively or retrospectively, and provides the prospect for automated water surface identification for scanning systems. The gCAP method eliminates the visual subjectivity inherent to current IC-to-water surface alignment techniques, has been validated with a wide variety of commercially available ICs, and should be independent of the scanning system used for data acquisition. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Crowdfunding a “Real-life Superhero”: The construction of worthy bodies in medical campaign narratives,

Abstract While research into crowdfunding in general has been steadily increasing, few studies have looked at how requests are formulated on personal fundraising sites. Through a narrative analysis of 105 medical campaigns on GoFundMe (GFM), we examine the way people appeal to the lived experiences and moral assumptions of members of their own social network in order to request funding. While requests are deeply embedded in the suggested scaffold of the GoFundMe platform, authors depart in codified ways from the strategies recommended by the site. These vernacular departures serve to position people in dire need of assistance as respectable and worthy of help. We argue such self-positioning distracts from the injustices of a free-market medical system that depletes people’s resources and renders them precarious subjects at the mercy of donations from individuals in the same socio-economic boat.
Abstract 221: Sam68 Interacts With mTORC1 and Contributes to Myocardial Hypertrophy

Introduction: The Src-associated in mitosis 68 kDa (Sam68) belongs to the STAR (signal transducer and activator of RNA) family of RNA-binding proteins. Our recent work revealed its critical role in the regulation of adipose thermogenesis. However, whether Sam68 regulates cardiomyocyte biology and heart disease is currently unknown. Methods and Results: Echocardiography analyses were performed in Sam68 -/- mice and WT littermates; the baseline left-ventricular wall thickness (LVPWs and LVPWd), chamber size (LVDs and LVDd), and contractility (LVEF and FS) are similar between the 2 groups of animals. However, after transverse aortic constriction (TAC) for 2 and 4 weeks, Sam68 -/- mice exhibited a significantly lesser increase in LV wall thickness (at 2 and 4 weeks), a closer to normal LV chamber size (at 4 weeks), and a lower heart-weight (HW)/body-weight (BW) ratio (at 4 weeks), as compared to WT controls. Consistently, after continuous administration of angiotensin II (by subcutaneous osmotic minipumps) for 2 weeks, Sam68 -/- mice displayed a similarly ameliorated LV wall thickness, chamber size, and HW/BW ratio. The attenuated hypertrophic responses of Sam68 -/- mice to both TAC and Ang II treatment was supported by a lowered expression of fetal genes (β-myosin heavy chain, atrial and brain natriuretic peptides) in the heart (qRT-PCR) and excitingly, by the decreased activity of mTORC1, as indicated by the lowered levels of phosphorylated S6K1 and 4E-BP1 (Western blotting). The cardiomyocyte-specific role of Sam68 was further confirmed in cultured H9c2 cells with lentivirus-mediated Sam68 knockdown, which confirmed the reduction of mTORC1 activity. Furthermore, co- immunoprecipitation assays revealed that the endogenous Sam68 protein interacts Raptor and mTOR, but not Rictor, in the mTOR complex. Experiments are underway to establish the functional significance of the Sam68-mTOR pathway in cardiac hypertrophy and failure in vivo. Conclusion: Collectively, our data suggest that Sam68 is a novel cofactor of mTORC1. It interacts with Raptor to augment mTOR signaling and contribute to the development of cardiac hypertrophy.
Compact Fragments of Higher Order Logic

Fragments of n th order logic extending L ω are shown to be countably compact and axiomatizable in the ω 1 interpretation under ⋄ ω 1 . A classification of higher order quantifiers with respect to compactness is begun.
Nef Secretion into Extracellular Vesicles or Exosomes Is Conserved across Human and Simian Immunodeficiency Viruses

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) or exosomes have been implicated in the pathophysiology of infections and cancer. The negative regulatory factor (Nef) encoded by simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) plays a critical role in the progression to AIDS and impairs endosomal trafficking. Whether HIV-1 Nef can be loaded into EVs has been the subject of controversy, and nothing is known about the connection between SIV Nef and EVs. We find that both SIV and HIV-1 Nef proteins are present in affinity-purified EVs derived from cultured cells, as well as in EVs from SIV-infected macaques. Nef-positive EVs were functional, i.e., capable of membrane fusion and depositing their content into recipient cells. The EVs were able to transfer Nef into recipient cells. This suggests that Nef readily enters the exosome biogenesis pathway, whereas HIV virions are assembled at the plasma membrane. It suggests a novel mechanism by which lentiviruses can influence uninfected and uninfectable, i.e., CD4-negative, cells.IMPORTANCE Extracellular vesicles (EVs) transfer biologically active materials from one cell to another, either within the adjacent microenvironment or further removed. EVs also package viral RNAs, microRNAs, and proteins, which contributes to the pathophysiology of infection. In this report, we show that both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) incorporate the virus-encoded Nef protein into EVs, including EVs circulating in the blood of SIV-infected macaques and that this presents a novel mechanism of Nef transfer to naive and even otherwise non-infectable cells. Nef is dispensable for viral replication but essential for AIDS progression in vivo Demonstrating that Nef incorporation into EVs is conserved across species implicates EVs as novel mediators of the pathophysiology of HIV. It could help explain the biological effects that HIV has on CD4-negative cells and EVs could become biomarkers of disease progression.
Asymmetric Bilateral Fourth Nerve Palsies: Observations and Considerations

Acquired bilateral superior oblique paralyses are most often caused by antecedent head injuries. The spectrum of bilateral involvement ranges from complete symmetry to such asymmetry that the condi...
The Reflection Competency: Using Narrative in Remediation

Reflection is critical to experiential, lifelong, self-directed learning. The practice of medicine is characterized by complexity, uncertainty, emotional intensity, values conflicts, and ethical challenges. It has been proposed that the capacity to reflect masterfully is required to work effectively in such complex settings. Many physicians eventually master this capacity, most struggle somewhere along the way, and some manifest significant trouble reflecting accurately and efficiently enough to achieve clinical competence. In this chapter, the author reviews conceptual models highlighting the critical nature of reflection and demonstrates through case examples that reflective capacity can be enhanced through structured writing exercises. While narrative exercises have value for most physicians, students who will benefit most from a narrative-based remediation strategy are those who lack insight into their own problems and deficits, especially those who are insensitive to the perspectives of others and or who hold unexamined biases and attitudes that negatively impact clinical competence.
Experiments on Self-Focusing in Laser-Produced Plasmas

Recent investigations of laser induced gas breakdown have revealed a number of phenomena which are compatible with the occurrence of self-focusing at the time of breakdown. Some examples of the effects observed are: 90° scattering of laser light from regions having transverse dimensions as much as an order of magnitude less than the diameter of the focal volume, intense forward scattered radiation at a wavelength close to that of the laser, and plasma filaments of ∿10μ diameter which have been detected by means of high spatial resolution, sub-nanosecond, Schlieren photography and interferometry. In this talk the large amount of experimental evidence for self-focusing is reviewed and a number of possible mechanisms discussed.
FLOCHART: A Solution to the Problem of Block Diagrams

A graphics program has been developed to aid in the creation of block diagrams. Such diagrams are useful as organization charts, process of information flow diagrams, pictographs, and in several other areas. The Monsanto system, “FLOCHART”, allows the user to describe the desired output in a simple, flexible procedural language. The language allows shapes (polygons) to be placed anywhere on the page, and allows them to be of any color, size, or angle. Definitions for shapes ranging from a circle to an ear of corn are stored in libraries which can be enhanced by the user. Shapes can be connected easily. Text is also supported. FLOCHART is a FORTRAN program built around DISSPLA and is running under CMS and MVS. The system has proven to be very easy to learn, yet powerful enough for sophisticated usage.
Behavioral Paradigms to Probe Individual Mouse Differences in Value-Based Decision Making

Value-based decision making relies on distributed neural systems that weigh the benefits of actions against the cost required to obtain a given outcome. Perturbations of these systems are thought to underlie abnormalities in action selection seen across many neuropsychiatric disorders. Genetic tools in mice provide a promising opportunity to explore the cellular components of these systems and their molecular foundations. However, few tasks have been designed that robustly characterize how individual mice integrate differential reward benefits and cost in their selection of actions. Here we present a forced-choice, two-alternative task in which each option is associated with a specific reward outcome, and unique operant contingency. We employed global and individual trial measures to assess the choice patterns and behavioral flexibility of mice in response to differing "choice benefits" (modeled as varying reward magnitude ratios) and different modalities of "choice cost" (modeled as either increasing repetitive motor output to obtain reward or increased delay to reward delivery). We demonstrate that (1) mouse choice is highly sensitive to the relative benefit of outcomes; (2) choice costs are heavily discounted in environments with large discrepancies in relative reward; (3) divergent cost modalities are differentially integrated into action selection; (4) individual mouse sensitivity to reward benefit is correlated with sensitivity to reward costs. These paradigms reveal stable individual animal differences in value-based action selection, thereby providing a foundation for interrogating the neural circuit and molecular pathophysiology of goal-directed dysfunction.
Examining overparenting, socioeconomic status, and parental out-of-school time experience: Does socioeconomic status and out-of-school-time experience matter?

Abstract Overparenting represents a group of well-intended parental behaviors taken to an excessive degree, often resulting in negative socio-emotional outcomes for overparented children. Research examining overparenting and related constructs is quickly developing, but basic constructs remain underexplored, especially among adolescents. In this study, seven hypothesized relations between socioeconomic status (SES), overparenting, parental prior out-of-school-time experience, parental encouragement, and parental anxiety are examined through a structural equation model (SEM) among a sample of 201 parents of youth (aged 11.52 years, SD = 2.44) attending a residential summer camp. Counter to the study hypotheses, the results indicated parents prior out-of-school-time experience had no direct effect on rates of parental anxiety or overparenting but did positively influence parental encouragement levels. As hypothesized parental anxiety had a positive direct effect on overparenting score, but counter to the study hypotheses, overparenting had a positive direct effect on parental encouragement score. Lastly, and contrary to the final two study hypotheses, SES had a negative direct effect on parental anxiety score and a non-significant effect on overparenting score.
Administration of Tumescence in Pediatric Burn Patients Causes Significant Hypertension

The effects of injecting tumescence containing phenylephrine in pediatric burn patients are unknown, but anecdotally our clinicians note a high incidence of hypertension requiring treatment. This study sought to determine whether tumescence with phenylephrine was associated with hypertension requiring treatment in our pediatric burn patients. This was a retrospective cohort study of pediatric burn patients who underwent tangential excision with split-thickness autografting, excision alone, or autografting alone from 2013 to 2017. Records were reviewed for hypertensive episodes, defined as ≥2 consecutive blood pressure readings that were >2 SD above normal. Published intraoperative age- and sex-adjusted standards were used to define reference values. Parametric and nonparametric tests were used when appropriate. In total, 258 operations were evaluated. Mean patient age was 7.6 ± 5.2 years, and 64.7% were male. Patients were predominately white (69.8%). Overall, there was a 62.8% incidence of hypertension. On univariate logistic regression analysis, duration of operation, estimated blood loss, treated TBSA, and weight-adjusted volume of tumescence were significant predictors of intraoperative hypertension (P < .01). On multivariate analysis, weight-adjusted volume of tumescence alone was significantly associated with the presence of hypertension with an odds ratio of 2.0 (95% confidence interval: 1.33-3.04). Of the 162 operations which exhibited at least one episode of significant hypertension, 128 cases (79%) were treated. Intraoperative administration of phenylephrine-containing tumescence in pediatric burn patients is associated with clinically significant hypertension requiring treatment. This practice should be conducted with caution in pediatric burn operations until its clinical implications are defined.
Local Density Approach to Surfaces and Adsorbed Layers

We show that the local density problem for the thin film geometry can be solved with high accuracy by employing our all-electron full-potential linearized augmented-plane-wave (FLAPW) method. This is achieved by removing all shape approximations in the charge density and the potential and by using a highly flexible variational basis set. Its utility even for treating molecules on surfaces is demonstrated for the severe test case of the (nearly) free O2 molecule where the FLAPW method is found to be at least as accurate as state-of-the art localized-basis molecular methods. The high accuracy and precision of the FLAPW approach for metallic surfaces is shown by our finding that for the interpretation of surface sensitive photoemission measurements of the Al-2p core levels both a surface induced core level shift of 120 meV to reduced binding energies and a 38 meV crystal field splitting are important. Based on all-electron local density calculations we explain the lowering of the work function of a transition metal surface [W(001)] upon deposition of a Cs over-layer by a multiple dipole formation. Finally, we demonstrate for a graphite monolayer that local density total energies give excellent descriptions of equilibrium geometries and discuss the overestimation of local-density cohesive energies due to an incomplete treatment of correlation effects in the free atom.
Increased Procoagulant Cell-Derived Microparticles (MP) in Splenectomized Patients with ITP: New Prediisposing Factors for Thrombosis.

INTRODUCTION: Splenectomy has been widely employed in the treatment of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and various other disorders. Increased life threatening infection is well recognized but the long-term safety of splenectomy has not yet been delineated. Splenectomy has been associated with increased incidence of cardiovascular death [Lancet, 1977; 2 (8029):127–9] and ischemic small vessel disease leading to recurrent TIA and cognitive impairment [Thromb Res, 2000; 107: 337–44]. Recent studies have demonstrated that procoagulant MP play an important role in the pathogenesis of thrombosis and cardiovascular complications (JTH, 2005; 3: 884–7). In the present study, we investigated profiles of cell-derived microparticles (MP) and thrombotic events in ITP patients with / without splenectomy. METHODS: Fifty-seven patients meeting diagnostic criteria of ITP were studied. Excluded were those with HIV, viral hepatitis, or lupus anticoagulant. Fifteen had splenectomy (ITPs) while 42 had not (ITPns). The ITPs group comprised 11F, 4M, while ITPns group had 28F, 14M. The 2 groups were comparable in sex, ages and platelet counts. In the latter, 9 failed to undergo remission, having active ITP (ITPs-A) while the other 6 were in remission (ITPs-R) following splenectomy. In the ITPns group, 23 responded poorly to therapies (ITPns-A) while the remaining 19 were in remission (ITPns-R). CBC and platelet counts, blood chemistry and PT, aPTT were measured. Flow-cytometry was employed to assay cell-derived MP from platelets (PMP) by anti-CD41, from leukocytes (LMP) by anti-CD45, from red cells (RMP) by anti-glycophorin, and from endothelial cells (EMP) by anti-CD31+/anti-CD41-. All patients were followed and incidence of thrombotic events was evaluated. RESULTS: Data are summarized in Table 1. Mean values of EMP, LMP, PMP and RMP were all significantly higher except PMP in ITPs compared to ITPns: RMP (p=0.002), EMP (p=0.008), LMP (p=0.03). In addition, aPTT was significantly shortened in ITPs vs ITPns (p=0.0059), as well as in ITPs-A vs. ITPns-A (p=0.0025). In the ITPs-R group, the aPTT was shorter than ITPns-R but did not reach statistical significance. Thrombotic events were recorded in 6 of the 15 ITPs group (40%) but in only 4 of the 42 ITPns (10%), p CONCLUSIONS: (i) Cell-derived MP, which are known to be procoagulant and implicated in the pathogenesis of thrombosis and inflammation, are significantly elevated, (ii) along with significantly shortened aPTT and (iii) thrombotic events were more prevalent in those without spleen compared to those with spleen among ITP patients. These observations support the hypothesis that spleen is the main site of clearance of procoagulant MP, and that accumulation of procoagulant MP may increase risk of thrombotic complications following splenectomy. A larger-scale study is warranted to clarify the long term safety of splenectomy in ITP and other disorders.
9 – ELECTRON TRANSPORT

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses electron transport. The International Union of Biochemistry recognizes four major groups of cytochromes: (1) a, (2) b, (3) c, and (4) d. The basis for separation into groups is the absorption spectrum of the reduced enzyme, which is the result of reduction of the iron porphyrin prosthetic group. Reduced cytochrome enzymes have three characteristic absorption maxima designated α, β, and γ or Soret bands, from the longer to the shorter wavelengths respectively. Cytochromes a have an α-band in the region of 590 mμ, cytochromes b have an α-band in the region of 558mμ, and cytochromes c have an α-band in the region of 550 mμ. It is common practice to further differentiate between cytochromes of any group by subscripts such as cytochrome b1, when spectral properties indicate that a newly discovered cytochrome belongs to the group, but it is different from the other members. There is also a functional correlation with the group designation. Cytochromes a are usually terminal oxidases, that is, their physiological electron acceptor is oxygen and they are the most electropositive of the cytochrome enzymes with an E’0 in the range of +0.3 volts. Cytochromes of the b type have an E’0 near to 0.0 or are slightly electronegative. Cytochromes c function as intermediate electron carriers between b and a with an E’0 of about +0.25 volts. All true cytochrome enzymes are one-electron acceptors as a result of the oxidation and reduction of iron at the center of the prophyrin nucleus.
Scalable build service system with smart scheduling service

Build automation is critical for developers to check if their code compiles, passes all tests and is safe to deploy to the server. Many companies adopt Continuous Integration (CI) services to make sure that the code changes from multiple developers can be safely merged at the head of the project. Internally, CI triggers builds to make sure that the new code change compiles and passes the tests. For any large company which has a monolithic code repository and thousands of developers, it is hard to make sure that all code changes are safe to submit in a timely manner. The reason is that each code change may involve multiple builds, and the company needs to run millions of builds every day to guarantee developers’ productivity. Google is one of those large companies that need a scalable build service to support developers’ work. More than 100,000 code changes are submitted to our repository on average each day, including changes from either human users or automated tools. More than 15 million builds are executed on average each day. In this paper, we first describe an overview of our scalable build service architecture. Then, we discuss more details about how we make build scheduling decisions. Finally, we discuss some experience in the scalability of the build service system and the performance of the build scheduling service.
Carbon Nanotube Fibers for Neural Recording and Stimulation

Recordings and stimulations of neuronal electrical activity is a topic of great interest in neuroscience. Many recording techniques, and even treatment of neurological disorders can benefit from a ...
Living with a Smoker and Multiple Health-Risk Behaviors.

Background Behavioral medicine is showing growing theoretical and applied interest in multiple health-risk behaviors. Compared to engaging in a single health-risk behavior, multiple health-risk behaviors are linked to increased morbidity and mortality. A contextual determinant of multiple risk behaviors may be living with a smoker. Purpose This study investigated the role of living with a smoker in predicting multiple health-risk behaviors compared to a single health-risk behavior, as well as whether these multiple risk behaviors occur across both physical activity and dietary domains. Moreover, the study tested these effects across 3 years in longitudinal and prospective (controlling for health-risk behaviors at baseline) analyses. Methods Participants were 82,644 women (age M = 63.5, standard deviation = 7.36, age range = 49-81) from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. Analyses used multinomial and binary logistic regression. Results Living with a smoker was more strongly associated with multiple health-risk behaviors than with a single health-risk behavior. These multiple risk behaviors occurred across both physical activity and dietary domains. The effects persisted across 3 years in longitudinal and prospective analyses. Living with a smoker, compared to not living with a smoker, increased the odds of multiple health-risk behaviors 82% cross-sectionally and, across 3 years, 94% longitudinally and 57% prospectively. Conclusions These findings integrate research on multiple health-risk behaviors and on living with a smoker and underscore an unrecognized public health risk of tobacco smoking. These results are relevant to household-level interventions integrating smoking-prevention and obesity-prevention efforts.
Concrete Recommendations for Cutting Through Misinformation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Unlike political disinformation, or fake news, health misinformation can quickly lead to changes in behaviors, which is why health communicators can't wait for tech companies to solve the problem 2 For example, research on antivaccination movements shows how celebrities, activists, and discredited physicians gain influence over vaccination policies, while also promoting quackery, misinformation, and conspiracies on social media 3 Although it is difficult to know who has been affected by health misinformation, best strategies to counter it focus on addressing "silent audiences" with direct, careful, and succinct messaging 4 Search engines and social media platforms are struggling to control the groundswell of new attention to COVID-19 and are having difficulty matching the right information to the right person at the right time Public health and health care organizations with already established and functioning Web sites should not register new domains because it is difficult to gain traction within search engines and social media Local television news remains a reliable way to inform many people quickly and locally 5 Local governments and health agencies should set up text messaging systems and SMS (short message service) push notifications, where possible, to reach people outside social media
Barriers to and Enablers of Abortion Provision for Family Physicians Trained in Abortion During Residency.

Context Although some family medicine residency programs include routine opt-out training in early abortion, little is known about abortion provision by trainees after residency graduation. A better understanding of the barriers to and enablers of abortion provision by trained family physicians could improve residency training and shape other interventions to increase abortion provision and access. Methods Twenty-eight U.S. family physicians who had received abortion training during residency were interviewed in 2017, between two and seven years after residency graduation. The doctors, identified using databases of abortion-trained physicians maintained by residency programs, were recruited by e-mail. In phone interviews, they described their postresidency abortion provision experiences. All interviews were transcribed, coded and analyzed using Dedoose, and a social-ecological framework was employed to guide investigation and analysis. Results Although many of the physicians were motivated to provide abortion care, only a minority did so. Barriers to and enablers of abortion provision were found on all levels of the social-ecological model-legal, institutional, social and individual-and included state-specific laws and restrictions on federal funding; religious affiliation or policies prohibiting abortion within particular health systems; mentorship, colleagues' support and the stigma of being an abortion provider; and geographic location, time management and individuals' prioritization of abortion provision. Conclusions Clinical training alone may not be sufficient for family medicine physicians to overcome the barriers to postresidency abortion provision. To increase abortion provision and access, organizations and advocates should work to strengthen enablers of provision, such as strong mentorship and support networks.
Using electronic health records for population health sciences: a case study to evaluate the associations between changes in left ventricular ejection fraction and the built environment.

Objective Electronic health record (EHR) data linked with address-based metrics using geographic information systems (GIS) are emerging data sources in population health studies. This study examined this approach through a case study on the associations between changes in ejection fraction (EF) and the built environment among heart failure (HF) patients. Materials and methods We identified 1287 HF patients with at least 2 left ventricular EF measurements that are minimally 1 year apart. EHR data were obtained at an academic medical center in New York for patients who visited between 2012 and 2017. Longitudinal clinical information was linked with address-based built environment metrics related to transportation, air quality, land use, and accessibility by GIS. The primary outcome is the increase in the severity of EF categories. Statistical analyses were performed using mixed-effects models, including a subgroup analysis of patients who initially had normal EF measurements. Results Previously reported effects from the built environment among HF patients were identified. Increased daily nitrogen dioxide concentration was associated with the outcome while controlling for known HF risk factors including sex, comorbidities, and medication usage. In the subgroup analysis, the outcome was significantly associated with decreased distance to subway stops and increased distance to parks. Conclusions Population health studies using EHR data may drive efficient hypothesis generation and enable novel information technology-based interventions. The availability of more precise outcome measurements and home locations, and frequent collection of individual-level social determinants of health may further drive the use of EHR data in population health studies.
A Radio Detector Array for Cosmic Neutrinos on the Ross Ice Shelf

ARIANNA (The Antarctic Ross Ice Shelf Antenna Neutrino Array) is a proposed large detector for ultrahigh energy (above 1017 eV) astrophysical neutrinos. It will instrument 900 km2 of the 550 m thick Ross Ice Shelf (450 km3 total volume) with radio detectors, to study the origins of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays by searching for the neutrinos produced when these cosmic rays interact with the cosmic microwave background. Over 900 independently operating stations will detect the coherent radio Cherenkov emission produced when astrophysical neutrinos with energy above 1017 eV interact in the Antarctic Ross Ice Shelf. Each station will use 8 log periodic dipole antennas to look for short RF pulses, with the most important frequencies between 80 MHz and 1 GHz. By measuring the pulse polarization and frequency spectrum, the neutrino arrival direction can be determined. In one year of operation, the full array should observe a clear GZK neutrino signal, with different models predicting between 3 and 51 events, depending on the nuclear composition of the cosmic-rays and on the cosmic evolution of their sources.
Quantifying Hierarchical Indicators of Water Distribution Network Structure and Identifying Their Relationships with Surrogate Indicators of Hydraulic Performance

AbstractEnhancing the performance of water distribution networks (WDNs) on a day-to-day basis or under extreme disturbances is an utmost priority for utilities. Previous research has characterized ...
Assessing Handwriting in Preschool-aged Children: Feasibility and Construct Validity of the “Just Write!” Tool

Researchers utilized a prospective cohort study design to explore the feasibility and construct validity of a novel handwriting assessment for preschoolers, the Just Write! (JW), written by the aut...
The Impact of Durvalumab on Local-Regional Control in Stage III NSCLCs Treated With Chemoradiation and on KEAP1-NFE2L2-Mutant Tumors

Abstract Introduction KEAP1-NFE2L2-mutant NSCLCs are chemoradiation resistant and at high risk for local-regional failure (LRF) after concurrent chemoradiation (cCRT). To elucidate the impact of durvalumab on local-regional control, we evaluated LRF in patients with NSCLC treated with cCRT with and without durvalumab. Methods Patients with stage III NSCLC treated with cCRT or cCRT and durvalumab who underwent tumor genomic profiling were evaluated. The incidence of LRF and outcomes of patients with and without KEAP1-NFE2L2-mutant tumors were evaluated. Results We analyzed 120 consecutive patients (cCRT alone, n = 54; cCRT and durvalumab, n = 66). Patients treated with cCRT alone had significantly more LRF events compared with those treated with cCRT and durvalumab, with 12-month LRF incidence of 39% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 24%–54%) and 18% (95% CI: 8%–28%), respectively (p = 0.002). Among patients treated with cCRT alone and cCRT and durvalumab, 20 patients (37%) and 18 patients (27%), respectively, had KEAP1-NFE2L2-mutant tumors. In patients treated with cCRT alone, those with KEAP1-NFE2L2-mutant tumors had worse local-regional control (p = 0.015), and on multivariate analysis, KEAP1-NFE2L2 mutation predicted for LRF (hazard ratio = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.6–9.8, p = 0.003). Nevertheless, patients with and without KEAP1-NFE2L2-mutant tumors had similar LRF outcomes (p = 0.541) when treated with cCRT and durvalumab, and mutational status did not predict for LRF (p = 0.545). Among those with KEAP1-NFE2L2-mutant tumors, cCRT and durvalumab significantly reduced the incidence of LRF compared with cCRT alone: 12-month LRF incidence of 62% (95% CI: 40%–84%) versus 25% (95% CI: 4%–46%), respectively (p = 0.021). Conclusions Durvalumab after cCRT significantly improves local-regional control and reduces LRF in chemoradiation-resistant KEAP1-NFE2L2-mutant NSCLC tumors.
The electrostatic plasma environment of a small airless body under non-aligned plasma flow and UV conditions

Airless bodies interact with a wide variety of plasma environments throughout the solar system. For many objects, incident plasma is nearly co-aligned with solar ultraviolet radiation leading to the development of a positively charged dayside photoelectron sheath and a negatively charged nightside plasma sheath. Other objects, however, are present in environments where the plasma flow and solar UV radiation may not co-align. These environments include, for example, the moons of Mars as they pass through the deflected Martian magnetosheath, and many of the moons of the outer planets, which are embedded in co-rotating planetary magnetospheres. The decoupling of the plasma flow and UV incidence vectors opens up a wide range of possible surface charging and near-object plasma conditions as a function of the relative plasma-UV incidence angle. Here, we report on a series of simulations of the plasma interaction of a small body (effectively smaller than both electron and ion gyroradii) with both flowing plasma and UV radiation for different plasma-UV incidence angles using an electrostatic treecode model. We describe the plasma and electric field environment both on the object surface and in the interaction region surrounding the object, including complex surface charge and electric field distributions, interactions between surface-generated photoelectrons and ambient plasma electrons, and complex potential distributions, all of which vary as a function of the relative plasma flow-UV angle. We also show that in certain conditions, non-monotonic potential structures may exist around such objects, partially similar to those found at Earth's Moon.
Active and Applied Functional RF Metamaterials

The concept of electromagnetic metamaterials, defined here as artificial materials that are designed to obtain specific effective electromagnetic material properties, has revolutionized thinking about wave behavior in materials and the design of complex electromagnetic devices. Although originally conceived in passive form, the concept of electromagnetic metamaterials is applicable to more complicated structures. Why not embed into metamaterials circuit behavior that is more complicated than what one can obtain from linear, time-invariant, passive circuit elements? What kinds of new and interesting and potentially useful behavior can one obtain? These are the fundamental questions that have motivated the research described in this chapter. Our focus here is on the integration of complex functionality into metamaterials using powered and/or nonlinear elements.
The promise of interconnecting problems for enriching students’ experiences in mathematics

The interconnecting problem approach suggests that often one and the same mathematical problem can be used to teach various mathematical topics at different grade levels. How is this approach useful for the development of mathematical ability and the enrichment of mathematical experiences of all students including the gifted ones? What are the benefits for teachers’ and what would teachers need to implement this approach? What directions would further research on these issues take? The paper discusses these and closely related questions. I propose that a long-term study of a progression of mathematical ideas revolved around one interconnecting problem is useful for developing a perception of mathematics as a connected subject for all learners. Having a natural appreciation for linking learned material, mathematically-able students exposed to this approach could develop more comprehensive thinking, applicable in many other problem solving situations, such as multiple-solution tasks. Because the problem’s solutions vary in levels of difficulty, as well as conceptual richness, the approach allows teachers to form a strategic vision through a systematic review of various mathematical topics in connection with one problem. General pedagogical ideas outlined in this paper are supported by discussions of concrete mathematical examples and classroom applications. While individual successful practices of using this approach are known to be taking place, the need for more data collection and interpretation is highlighted.
Heroic Leadership: Effective Islamic Principles and Practices

Based on the escalation of the situation in the Middle East, the most challenging phase is yet in the horizon. These challenges required a new style of leadership that would transform the sense of urgency among corrupt leaders, encouraging them to adapt the previous successful legacy of Islamic leadership in order to increase the effectiveness of their current leadership situations and eventually create a brighter future for the Islamic community. This research is attempting through histographic analysis of the Golden Age of Islam (specifically the Abbasid caliphate) to create a new culture of The Islamic Heroic leadership. This paper concluded five most effective pillars for Islamic heroic leadership that have the potential to improve the leadership style and heroic behaviors of current leaders in the Middle East amidst its ever-changing cultural climate.
Area and luminance of test object as variables in projection perimetry: Clinical studies of photometric dysharmony

Abstract The relationship between area and threshold luminance of the projected test object was measured for the standard background of the Goldmann perimeter, in normal eyes and in eyes with field defects associated with various forms of ocular disease or anomaly. Photometric dysharmony, characterized by a significantly greater increase in threshold for small than for large test objects, was noted in some cases. The findings do not support the hypothesis that photometric dysharmony is produced by retinal edema, since it was absent or slight in all patients with central serous retinopathy and was marked in some patients with achromatopsia. Its absence in congenital night blindness and in pigmentary degeneration of the retina suggests that photometric dysharmony occurs only when there is impairment of the cone receptor mechanism. When it is present, early field defects should be more easily detected by a decrease in size than by a decrease in luminance of the test object.
Measurements of Piezoelectric Constant D33 of Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) Through Use of a Mini Impact Hammer

Lead Zirconate Titanate Oxide (PbZrx Ti1−x O3 or PZT) is a piezoelectric material widely used as sensors and actuators. For microactuators, PZT often appears in the form of thin films to maintain proper aspect ratios. This paper is to present a simple and low-cost method to measure piezoelectric constant d33 of PZT thin films, which is a major challenge encountered in the actuator development. We use an impact hammer with a sharp tip to generate an impulsive force that acts on the PZT film. The impulsive force and the responding voltage are then measured to calculate the piezoelectric constant d33 . The impulsive force has large enough amplitude so that a good signal-to-noise ratio can be maintained. Furthermore, the impulsive force has extremely short duration, so the discharge effect (i.e., the time constant effect) of the PZT circuit can be ignored. Preliminary testing on bulk PZT through this new method leads to two conclusions. Firstly, boundary conditions of the specimen are critical. In particular, the specimen must be securely fastened. Since the impulsive load only acts on a tiny area, loose boundary conditions can introduce spurious results from other piezoelectric constant d31 . Secondly, size of the specimen is critical. Specimen of smaller size leads to more accurate measurements of the piezoelectric constant d33 .Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Review: Women's Health Module

Virginia Commonwealth University has created a set of interactive programs highlighting important issues for geriatric patients. This review evaluates the Women's Health Module. The module provides a virtual patient and addresses screening and prevention as a woman ages and develops new concerns. The program provides immediate learner feedback, with explanatory resources that the learner may explore. It takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete.