cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three-Dimensional Week-Long Simulations of TOGA COARE Convective Systems Using the MM5 Mesoscale Model

Abstract A three-dimensional nonhydrostatic mesoscale model, the Pennsylvania State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research mesoscale model (MM5), is used to simulate the evolution of convective systems over the intensive flux array (IFA) during the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment, during 19–26 December 1992. The model is driven by a time-varying “IFA mean forcing” based on the average advective tendencies of temperature and moisture over the IFA. The domain-averaged horizontal wind is kept close to the observed IFA mean using Newtonian relaxation. Periodic lateral boundary conditions are imposed. Simulations with three horizontal grid spacings, 2, 15, and 60 km, are conducted. With 15- and 60-km resolution, subgrid-scale cumulus convection is parameterized while mesoscale convective organization is explicitly resolved over a (600 km)2 domain. With 2-km resolution, convection is fully resolved over a (210 km)2 domain. Despite their different horizo...
Vibrational Signals and Mating Behavior of Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

ABSTRACT We report that male Japanese beetles produce substrate-borne vibrational signals during mating. Males produced these signals while mounted on the female, mainly before genital intromission but also during intromission and afterwards during mate guarding. Females thus likely perceive male signals as contact courtship. We also describe new details of male mating behavior, including stroking the female with the forelegs.We discuss the likely function of male signaling and stroking behavior as courtship in the context of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection.
Patients with severe forms of inherited epidermolysis bullosa exhibit decreased lymphokine and monokine production.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with severe forms of inherited epidermolysis bullosa (EB) are deficient in functions governing cellular immunity. Very low levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and interleukin-2 (IL-2) were producedin vitro by PBMC from patients with severe forms of EB (recessive dystrophic and dominant dystrophic) as compared to sex- and age-matched controls. Lymphokine production by PBMC from patients with junctional EB was somewhat greater than that from patients with dystrophic forms of EB but was significantly less than that from controls. The production of interferon-α was not found to be altered in the severe forms of EB. The PBMC from dystrophic types of EB were also deficient in production of tumor necrosis factors (TNF-α and TNF-β). The degree of the reduction in immune functions was directly related to the severity of skin involvement, with recessive dystrophic EB having the lowest level of cytokine production. This reduced production of monokines and lymphokines may be partially responsible for the progression of cutaneous infections to septicemia and for the metastasis of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in patients with severe forms of dystrophic EB.
An optimal hydrogen-bond surrogate for α-helices

Substitution of a main chain i → i + 4 hydrogen bond with a covalent bond can nucleate and stabilize the α-helical conformation in peptides. Herein we describe the potential of different alkene isosteres to mimic intramolecular hydrogen bonds and stabilize α-helices in diverse peptide sequences.
Comparing hemodynamic outcomes of primary total hip arthroplasty patients with autotransfusion drains or no drain.

Background At a Pacific Northwest hospital completing more than 500 total joint procedures annually, operating room and unit orthopaedic nurses questioned the notable differences in the drain and transfusion practices of orthopaedic surgeons performing total hip arthroplasty (THA). The nurses also questioned the hematocrit outcomes of the primary THA patients receiving the different treatments. Purpose The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare hematocrit results of primary THA patients receiving a drain connected to the OrthoPAT autotransfusion device (Group A) or no drain (Group B). Method A chart review was conducted of a total of 74 patient records. Variables such as age, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists scores, estimated blood loss, comorbidities, and serial hematocrit percentages were assessed and analyzed. Results Patients in each group were similarly distributed within the categories of body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologist scores, comorbidities, and estimated blood loss. Analysis of hematocrit results demonstrated no significant difference between the 2 groups. Conclusion This study supports the need for transfusion practice change to reduce allogeneic transfusions and the need to redefine or eliminate the use of the OrthoPAT autotransfusion device in the total joint program.
Polyphasic identification of yeasts in rice wine production

Polyphasic taxonomy techniques,including the sequencing of D1/D2 domain of 26S rRNA encoding gene,single strand conformation polymorphism and physicochemical identification,were applied to identify 18 strains yeast isolated from rice wine production.The results showed that the 18 strains belonged to Saccharomyces cerevisiae,Saccharomycopsis fibuligera and Pichia anomala,respectively.Polyphasic identification could be used for the accurate and fast identification of yeasts in lab and industrial production.It would provide technical support for optimizing production technology and improving quality of rice wine.
Effects of acute changes in canine LV-chamber volume and shape on accuracy of impedance catheter estimates of LV-chamber volume

The accuracy with which a multiple-electrode impedance catheter (IC) tracks instantaneous global, in-situ left ventricular (LV) volumes was tested in 13 anesthetized dogs scanned in the Dynamic Spatial Reconstructor (DSR), a fast volumetric computed tomographic (CT) scanner. All dogs were scanned during control conditions and during an acute hemodynamic intervention. Hypertonic saline calibrations were performed for the IC prior to each DSR scan. In six of the dogs the IC-derived LV end-diastolic volume (Y) correlated with the DSR-derived global LV end-diastolic volume (X) as follows: end-diastolic volume, Y = 1.01X - 9.9, r = 0.812. The IC-derived LV end-diastolic volume, under control conditions, correlated with the DSR-derived truncated (i.e., that region of the LV chamber between the proximal and distal electrodes of the IC catheter) LV end-diastolic volume, Y = 1.00X + 17.4, r = 0.803. Under reduced preload the relation was Y = 1.3X - 15.26, r = 0.911. The segmental volume (between adjacent sensing electrodes on the IC) at the basal portion of the LV correlated poorly (Y = 1.88X + 3.3, r = 0.459 etc.), but correlated better at mid- and more apical LV levels (Y = 0.97X + 2.7, r = 0.762). Correlations between segmental stroke volumes were similar at basal (Y = 1.31X + 1.60, r = 0.815) and mid- and more apical levels (Y = 1.42X + 0.11, r = 0.763). Stroke volume during acute ischemia (two dogs) was Y = 1.33X - 1.41, r = 0.717; during acutely decreased preload (four dogs) it was Y = 1.24X - 2.88, r = 0.572). Thus, the IC tracks the changes in LV-chamber volume throughout a cardiac cycle quite well under a variety of conditions, but accuracy deteriorates as the shape of the LV chamber changes in response to changes in hemodynamic loading or local myocardial ischemia.
The Treatment of Narcotic Addiction

The principles of treatment of narcotic addiction are outlined, with emphasis on the management of withdrawal. Special discussion is given to the substitution of methadone for other opiates before withdrawal. Dangers of barbiturate addiction are discussed.
Estimating Regional Short-Run and Long-Run Price Elasticities of Residential Natural Gas Demand in the U.S.

Demand for natural gas use per residential customer has been declining since the 1980’s. Between 1980 and 2001, weather adjusted natural gas use per consumer in the US declined almost 1 percent on an annual basis. Since 2000 the decline for winter only use has accelerated, decreasing 13.1 percent between 2000 and 2006 for the companies analyzed in this paper. To help Local Distribution Companies and Public Service Commissions predict future declines in use per customer natural gas demand, we estimate the price elasticity of natural gas demand by residential households using a sample of data that covers the recent period of large natural gas price increases. We find that the price elasticity of residential natural gas demand has been constant since the 1990s. We also estimate a 1% decline in use per customer induced by the natural turnover of old equipment that is independent of natural gas price increases.
Compassionate Goals and Affect in Social Situations.

Optimal social interactions can leave people feeling socially connected and at ease, which has clear implications for health and psychological well-being. Yet, not all social interactions leave people feelings at ease and connected. What explains this variability? We draw from the egosystem–ecosystem theory of social motivation (Crocker and Canevello 2008) to suggest that compassionate goals to support others explain some of this variability. We explored the nature of this association across four studies and varying social contexts. Across studies, compassionate goals predicted greater feelings of ease and connection. Results also indicate that a cooperative mindset may be one mechanism underlying this association: Findings suggest a temporal sequence in which compassionate goals lead to cooperative mindsets, which then lead to feeling at ease and connected. Thus, these studies suggest that people’s compassionate goals lead to their sense of interpersonal ease and connection, which may ultimately have implications for their sense of belonging.
Assumptions and Restrictions on the Use of Repeat Sales to Estimate Residential Price Appreciation

The most popular methods to estimate residential price appreciation have been the use of repeat sales with a type of regression without much attention devoted to the assumptions and restrictions on...
Reconsidering Dignity Relationally

I reconsider the concept of dignity in several ways in this article. My primary aim is to move dignity in a more relational direction, drawing on care ethics to do so. After analyzing the power and...
Isoflurane, ketamine-xylazine, and urethane markedly alter breathing even at subtherapeutic doses.

Anesthetics are frequently used in animal research, but their effects on physiological functions in mice have not been well defined. Here we investigated the effects of commonly used anesthetics on...
A source term approach for generation of one-way acoustic waves in the Euler and Navier–Stokes equations

We derive a volumetric source term for the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations that mimics the generation of unidirectional acoustic waves from an arbitrary smooth surface in three-dimensional space. The model is constructed as a linear combination of monopole and dipole sources in the mass, momentum, and energy equations. The singular source distribution on the surface is regularized on a computational grid by convolution with a smeared Dirac delta function. The source is implemented in the Euler equations using a Cartesian-grid finite-volume WENO scheme, and validated by comparing with analytical solution for unidirectional planar and spherical acoustic waves. Using the scheme, we emulate a spherical piezoelectric transducer and a multi-array transducer to simulate focused ultrasound fields in water. The simulated ultrasound fields show favorable agreement with previous experiments.
Recent advances in erythropoietin research.

A humoral regulation of erythropoiesis was proposed by Carnot and Deflandre in 1906 when they demonstrated that plasma from anemic rabbits produced an increase in erythrocyte levels in blood when injected into recipient rabbits [1]. This proposal of a humoral control of erythropoiesis was not substantiated until the work of Hjort in 1936 [2] and Erslev in 1953 in which these investigators found that large volumes of plasma from rabbits following bleeding produced a marked reticulocytosis when injected into recipient animals. This reawakened interest in the search for a hormone which might regulate erythropoiesis and this area of research was placed on a more firm basis with the early experiments by Reissmann et al. [4] in which he found that one member of a parabiotic pair of rats exposed to hypoxia produced bone marrow erythroid hyperplasia in both rats. This implicated a humoral factor which passed from the hypoxic partner to the non-hypoxic partner to stimulate erythropoiesis. This hormone was given the name “erythropoietin” (Epo) by Bonsdorff and Javalisto [5] in 1948. Several investigators were interested in the organ which produces erythropoietin. Jacobson et al. [6] found that bilaterally nephrectomized rats exposed to bleeding or cobalt failed to elevate erythropoietin plasma levels.
Cell division cycle 7 kinase is a negative regulator of cell-mediated collagen degradation.

Although extensive work has delineated many of the mechanisms of extracellular matrix (ECM) production, far less is known about pathways that regulate ECM degradation. This is particularly true of ...
The suppression of star formation on the smallest scales: what role does environment play?

The predominantly ancient stellar populations observed in the lowest-mass galaxies (i.e. ultra-faint dwarfs) suggest that their star formation was suppressed by reionization. Most of the well-studied ultra-faint dwarfs, however, are within the central half of the Milky Way dark matter halo, such that they are consistent with a population that was accreted at early times and thus potentially quenched via environmental processes. To study the potential role of environment in suppressing star formation on the smallest scales, we utilize the Exploring the Local Volume in Simulations (ELVIS) suite of $N$-body simulations to constrain the distribution of infall times for low-mass subhalos likely to host the ultra-faint population. For the ultra-faint satellites of the Milky Way with star-formation histories inferred from $Hubble~Space~Telescope$ imaging, we find that environment is highly unlikely to play a dominant role in quenching their star formation. Even when including the potential effects of pre-processing, there is a $\lesssim 0.1\%$ probability that environmental processes quenched all of the known ultra-faint dwarfs early enough to explain their observed star-formation histories. Instead, we argue for a mass floor in the effectiveness of satellite quenching at roughly $M_{\star} \sim 10^{5}~M_{\odot}$, below which star formation in surviving galaxies is globally suppressed by reionization. We predict a large population of quenched ultra-faint dwarfs in the Local Field ($1 < R/R_{\rm{vir}} < 2$), with as many as $\sim250$ to be discovered by future wide-field imaging surveys.
Decline of Red Spruce in High-Elevation Forests of New York and New England

A high rate of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) mortality has been noted in the Adirondack, Green, and White Mountains of the northeastern United States over the past two decades. Because spruce mortality is greatest at high elevations where the forest is frequently immersed in cloudwater, and because cloudwater contains high levels of acids and other dissolved chemicals, several hypotheses regarding the role of acid deposition in the spruce decline have been formulated. Although several possibilities remain to be tested, at present no clear mechanistic evidence links acid deposition to spruce decline. Several natural stress factors are associated with the timing and severity of spruce mortality and will likely be judged causal agents. Winter damage (desiccation and/or freezing injury) appears to play a major role as an initiating and synchronizing influence. Experiments carried out with red spruce seedlings showed that realistic levels of ozone had an unfavorable effect on winter hardiness and suggested a way in which air pollution might play a role in the decline.
WiPi: A Low-Cost Heterogeneous Wireless Testbed for Next Generation Applications

The high cost of setting up a wireless testbed prevents many institutes from equipping a lab with the required devices, especially in the developing countries. Remotely accessible testbeds provide a solution to this problem by allowing researchers to access the wireless testbeds through the Internet. In this work, we present the design, architecture and evaluation of WiPi: a low-cost remotely-accessible testbed that is built from heterogeneous devices and supports next-generation applications. WiPi efficiently utilizes available off-the-shelf computing nodes, such as standard laptops and Raspberry Pis, to increase the testbed resource utilization. Multiple features including users' isolation, resource pooling, ease of user experience, power efficiency, multiple application domains, efficient disk utilization, and disk protection are implemented as part of the testbed. Evaluation of WiPi using Software Defined Radios as the network interface over a mixed network of laptops and Raspberry Pis show that WiPi can support a different range of wireless networking applications, highlighting its suitability as a low-cost heterogeneous remotely accessible testbed.
Federated Machine Learning for Translational Research.

Translational research (TR) is the harnessing of knowledge from basic science and clinical research to advance healthcare. As a sister discipline, Translational informatics (TI) concerns the application of informatics theories, methods, and frameworks to TR. This research builds upon TR concepts, and aims to bring advances in machine learning (ML) and data analytics for improving clinical decision support. A federated machine learning (FML) architecture is proposed to aggregate multiple sources, and intermediate data analytic processes and products to output high quality knowledge discovery and decision making. The proposed architecture is evaluated for its operational performance based on three propositions, and a case for clinical decision support in the prediction of adult Sepsis is presented. Our research illustrates how IS scholarship may provide valuable contributions to the advancement of TI.
Engaging families through observation and reflection: a collaborative approach to making learning visible

Early childhood education is based on the assertion that young children are better prepared for school and life when educators and parents work together on their behalf. Family engagement is a cent...
Ocean quahogs (Arctica islandica) and Atlantic surfclams (Spisula solidissima) on the Mid-Atlantic Bight continental shelf and Georges Bank: The death assemblage as a recorder of climate change and the reorganization of the continental shelf benthos

Abstract The degree to which evidence of range shifts in shelf biomass dominants, Atlantic surfclams and ocean quahogs, as a function of climate change is examined by comparing the dissimilarity in distribution of the living community and the record of habitation ensconced in the death assemblage. Comparison of the distribution of live animals and dead shells reveals for both species that live animals are rarely found where dead shells were not collected, but dead shells were collected at a substantively larger number of sites than where live animals were found. The geographic footprint resolved by the dead shells was much broader than that of live animals. Extensive spatially-coherent regions exist inshore and offshore of the present-day habitat of occupation where evidence of previous occupation exists. Sites where ocean quahog shells were found without live ocean quahogs included a portion of the continental shelf inshore of the present-day habitable range, an area only habitable under colder climatic conditions than observed today. Surfclam shells were found offshore of the present-day habitable region, in deeper water: additional warming of bottom waters offshore would be necessary for surfclams to occupy the region now occupied solely by dead shells. The death assemblage shows that these biomass dominants have repositioned themselves across the continental shelf during the past and this repositioning certainly is driven by changes in bottom water temperature. Moreover, the distribution of surfclam shells indicates that the death assemblage may provide a possible window into the future, as movement of the present-day population is towards these deeper-water previously-occupied regions. Overall, the death assemblage may provide an important source of information on range shifts sparing the need to carry out extensive and frequent benthic surveys and may permit reconstruction of ongoing shifts in community composition as a product of climate change when adequate survey data are not available.
Coordinate changes in Myosin heavy chain isoform gene expression are selectively associated with alterations in dilated cardiomyopathy phenotype.

BACKGROUND: The most common cause of chronic heart failure in the US is secondary or primary dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The DCM phenotype exhibits changes in the expression of genes that regulate contractile function and pathologic hypertrophy. However, it is unclear if any of these alterations in gene expression are disease producing or modifying. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One approach to providing evidence for cause-effect of a disease-influencing gene is to quantitatively compare changes in phenotype to changes in gene expression by employing serial measurements in a longitudinal experimental design. We investigated the quantitative relationships between changes in gene expression and phenotype n 47 patients with idiopathic DCM. In endomyocardial biopsies at baseline and 6 months later, we measured mRNA expression of genes regulating contractile function (beta-adrenergic receptors, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2) + ATPase, and alpha- and beta-myosin heavy chain isoforms) or associated with pathologic hypertrophy (beta-myosin heavy chain and atrial natriuretic peptide), plus beta-adrenergic receptor protein expression. Left ventricular phenotype was assessed by radionuclide ejection fraction. RESULTS: Improvement in DCM phenotype was directly related to a coordinate increase in alpha- and a decrease in beta-myosin heavy chain mRNA expression. In contrast, modification of phenotype was unrelated to changes in the expression of beta(1)- or beta(2)-adrenergic receptor mRNA or protein, or to the mRNA expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2) + ATPase and atrial natriuretic peptide. CONCLUSION: We conclude that in human DCM, phenotypic modification is selectively associated with myosin heavy chain isoform changes. These data support the hypothesis that myosin heavy chain isoform changes contribute to disease progression in human DCM.
Relational and Spiritual Coping Among Emerging and Young Adult Cancer Survivors

Cancer presents uncertainties for individuals of any age; however, emerging and young adults (EYA) are challenged to cope with developmental tasks in addition to cancer-related stressors. Guided by the double ABC-X model and biopsychosocial-spiritual framework, the current study investigates coping strategies used by this population and the role of psychological resources (perception of parental care/control and spirituality) on their coping ability. Recruited from online social media, 210 EYA cancer survivors self-reported demographic, medical information, and completed the Brief Cope scale. In addition, spirituality reliance, perceived parental care, and parental control were measured and examined in relation to coping ability. While nearly half of participants experienced positive adaptation in relation to multiple stressors, hierarchical multiple regression revealed the developmental nature of coping and indicated that higher spirituality reliance and higher degree of parental care were predictive of adaptive coping among EYA cancer survivors. Content analyses of the open-ended questions confirmed these results. In order to facilitate adaptive coping, attention must be paid to the unique biopsychosocial-spiritual and developmental needs of young cancer survivors while encouraging family support and spirituality reliance as significant tools in coping. Practical recommendations for nursing support and healthcare teams are discussed.
Multi-scale characterizations of colon polyps via computed tomographic colonography

Texture features have played an essential role in the field of medical imaging for computer-aided diagnosis. The gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM)-based texture descriptor has emerged to become one of the most successful feature sets for these applications. This study aims to increase the potential of these features by introducing multi-scale analysis into the construction of GLCM texture descriptor. In this study, we first introduce a new parameter - stride, to explore the definition of GLCM. Then we propose three multi-scaling GLCM models according to its three parameters, (1) learning model by multiple displacements, (2) learning model by multiple strides (LMS), and (3) learning model by multiple angles. These models increase the texture information by introducing more texture patterns and mitigate direction sparsity and dense sampling problems presented in the traditional Haralick model. To further analyze the three parameters, we test the three models by performing classification on a dataset of 63 large polyp masses obtained from computed tomography colonoscopy consisting of 32 adenocarcinomas and 31 benign adenomas. Finally, the proposed methods are compared to several typical GLCM-texture descriptors and one deep learning model. LMS obtains the highest performance and enhances the prediction power to 0.9450 with standard deviation 0.0285 by area under the curve of receiver operating characteristics score which is a significant improvement.
Using clickstream data to measure, understand, and support self-regulated learning in online courses

Abstract The ability to regulate one's own learning is essential for success in online courses. Recent efforts have used clickstream data to create timely, fine-grained, and comprehensive measures of self-regulated learning (SRL) in online courses in an attempt to shed light on the process of SRL and to improve the identification of students who lack SRL skills and are at risk of low achievement. However, key questions remain: to what extent do these clickstream measures correspond to traditional self-reported measures about specific SRL constructs? Do these clickstream measures provide more information than existing self-reported measures in predicting course performance? This study used the clickstream data collected from a learning management system to measure two aspects of SRL: time management and effort regulation. We found that the clickstream measures were significantly associated with students' self-reported time management and effort regulation after the course. In addition, these clickstream measures significantly improved predictions of students' performance in the current and subsequent courses over predictions based on self-reported measures alone. These results provide evidence for the validity of the clickstream measures and guide the use of clickstream data to understand the process of SRL and identify students who might not be well served by taking classes online.
Modeling yield response to crop management using convolutional neural networks

Abstract Predicting crop yield response to management and environmental variables is a crucial step towards nutrient management optimization. With the increase in the amount of data generated by agricultural machinery, more sophisticated models are necessary to get full advantage of such data. In this work, we propose a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to capture relevant spatial structures of different attributes and combine them to model yield response to nutrient and seed rate management. Nine on-farm experiments on corn fields are used to construct a suitable dataset to train and test the CNN model. Four architectures combining input attributes at different stages in the network are evaluated and compared to the most commonly used predictive models. Results show a reduction in the test dataset RMSE up to 68% when compared to multiple linear regression and up to 29% when compared to a random forest. We also demonstrate that higher variability associated with the spatial structure of the data takes the most advantage of this framework.
Chapter 8 – Postcranial Skeleton

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the postcranial skeleton of primates. It is composed of four different structurally and functionally cohesive subunits—the vertebral column and thorax, the shoulder girdle with the forelimbs, the pelvic girdle with the hind limbs, and the postcranial skeletal musculature. The axial skeleton consists of the vertebral column and its correlates, the ribs and sternum. Ribs and sternum join with the vertebrae, making up the thorax or the ribcage. Most central to the body, the vertebral column interlocks with the two limb girdles or appendicular skeleton. The proximal shoulder girdle consists of the shoulder blades, clavicles, and forelimbs. The distal pelvic girdle is made up of the pelvis, that sacrum which is also a part of the vertebral column and the hind limbs. The appendicular skeleton provides the solid framework for active powers that move the primate body, whereas the axial skeleton is the unifying component. The fourth unit of the postcranial skeleton, the muscular system, directly moves the passive skeleton.
Convergent Evolution in Breadth of Two VH6-1-Encoded Influenza Antibody Clonotypes from a Single Donor

Understanding how broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) to influenza hemagglutinin (HA) naturally develop in humans is critical to the design of universal influenza vaccines. Several classes of bnAbs directed to the conserved HA stem were found in multiple individuals, including one encoded by heavy-chain variable domain VH6-1. We describe two genetically similar VH6-1 bnAb clonotypes from the same individual that exhibit different developmental paths toward broad neutralization activity. One clonotype evolved from a germline precursor recognizing influenza group 1 subtypes to gain breadth to group 2 subtypes. The other clonotype recognized group 2 subtypes and developed binding to group 1 subtypes through somatic hypermutation. Crystal structures reveal that the specificity differences are primarily mediated by complementarity-determining region H3 (CDR H3). Thus, while VH6-1 provides a framework for development of HA stem-directed bnAbs, sequence differences in CDR H3 junctional regions during VDJ recombination can alter reactivity and evolutionary pathways toward increased breadth.
Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with adverse maternal outcomes using a United States multistate database cohort, 2007-2014.

Abstract Background Obstructive sleep apnea affects approximately 11% of women of reproductive age, although it is often undetected and untreated. Previous studies suggest an association between obstructive sleep apnea and adverse maternal outcomes. Herein, we aim to better characterize the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and maternal outcomes. Methods Using the State Inpatient Databases, we performed a retrospective analysis of parturients ≥18 years old having inpatient deliveries in Florida, New York, California, Maryland, and Kentucky from 2007 to 2014. Outcomes included maternal pre-existing conditions, in-hospital mortality, maternal-fetal conditions and complications, and hospital length of stay >5 days. Results Our cohort consisted of 6 911 916 parturients of whom 4326 (0.06%) had obstructive sleep apnea. Women with obstructive sleep apnea were more likely to present with pre-existing conditions, such as obesity and pre-pregnancy diabetes. After adjusting for patient- and hospital-level confounders in our multivariate analysis, obstructive sleep apnea status was associated with an increased odds of maternal-fetal conditions and complications, including pre-eclampsia (aOR 2.05, 95% CI 1.87 to 2.26), pulmonary edema (aOR 4.73, 95% CI 2.84 to 7.89), cesarean delivery (aOR 1.96, 95% CI 1.81 to 2.11), early onset delivery (aOR 1.28, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.40), and length of stay >5 days (aOR 2.42, 95% CI 2.21 to 2.65). Obstructive sleep apnea was not significantly associated with a higher risk of in-hospital mortality. Conclusions Pregnant women with obstructive sleep apnea have a significantly higher adjusted risk of adverse maternal outcomes compared with women without obstructive sleep apnea.
An Expressive Jurisprudence of the Establishment Clause

Scholars recognize that government acts are expressive; that is, they affect the social meaning of behavior. Nowhere are the expressive effects of government acts more significant than when they affect an individual's understanding of her ability to practice her religion. When government allows a creche to be placed on public property or provides educational vouchers that are used primarily at religious schools, its acts send signals to the population about what the community and the government prefer. As Justice O'Connor has observed, a religious symbol displayed on government property carries a message that affects one's understanding of him or herself as an insider or outsider, favored or disfavored by the political community. Yet while scholars have recognized that Establishment Clause cases are best understood as analyzing government's expressive acts, they have yet to develop a comprehensive theory of just how government acts actually express particular meanings. Without such a theory, efforts to develop a meaningful Establishment Clause jurisprudence remain unsuccessful. The purpose of this article is to provide such an expressive theory. The article turns to both social and cognitive psychology to develop a model of expressive effects based on the way in which government acts affect beliefs about one's relationship to community or government. This belief-change theory suggests that the primary means by which government acts can affect belief is through the process of inference. When the government places a creche on public property, for example, such an act can lead to reasonable inferences about the religious preferences of both government and the community. Such changes in belief can, in turn, affect the utility of acting in accordance with religious beliefs not preferred by the government or community. By understanding the way in which inference works - in particular the effects of pre-existing beliefs and logical consistency on one's inferential processes - a full expressive theory will be developed. Once the theory is developed, the article applies it to a number of Establishment Clause cases and ultimately, discusses the theory's implications for Establishment Clause jurisprudence. The article will proceed as follows: Section Two will provide a short introduction to existing Establishment Clause jurisprudence to highlight some of the difficulties and shortfalls of the way in which such cases are currently handled. Section Three will provide a detailed model of the expressive theory while Section Four will apply the theory to a number of Establishment Clause cases. Finally, we will discuss the implications of the expressive theory for Establishment Clause jurisprudence in Section Five. It is our hope by the end of the article to have established a different, more comprehensive and intuitively satisfying test of Establishment Clause violations. We hope also to shed some significant light on current problems in existing Establishment Clause jurisprudence along the way.
Total Synthesis of the Spliceosome Modulator Pladienolide B via Asymmetric Alcohol‐Mediated syn‐ and anti‐Diastereoselective Carbonyl Crotylation

The potent spliceosome modulator pladienolide B, which bears 10 stereogenic centers, is prepared in 10 steps (LLS). Asymmetric alcohol-mediated carbonyl crotylations catalyzed by ruthenium and iridium that occur with syn- and anti-diastereoselectivity, respectively, were used to form the C20-C21 and C10-C11 C-C bonds.
“Pay for your choices”: Deconstructing neoliberal choice through free-to-play mobile interactive fiction games:

This article studied the neoliberal ideas of choice and agency manifested in the structures of two interactive fiction or “choose-your-own-adventure” games, Choices: Stories you Play and Episode—Ch...
Near-Surface Dosimetry as a Predictor for Unplanned Surgery or Implant Failure After Post-Mastectomy Radiotherapy.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) Post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) improves survival in appropriately selected patients but is associated with a risk of unplanned surgery (US) and implant loss (IL) due to the impact of radiation on skin integrity, infection risk, contracture, and cosmetic outcome. If reliable dosimetric correlates for these outcomes can be found, optimization during radiation treatment planning may be useful to reduce their occurrence. We hypothesize that near-surface dosimetry predicts for increased US and IL risk. MATERIALS/METHODS Patients who received PMRT at a single institution from 2016-2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic, clinical, and treatment parameters were reviewed. Three structures were retrospectively generated, encompassing the volumes bound by 0-3 mm (SR3), 0-5 mm (SR5), and 5-10 mm (SR10) from the skin surface. Dose volume histograms (DVHs) were exported for analysis. Univariate (UVA) and multivariate analyses (MVA) were used to identify predictors of US and IL among demographic and treatment variables. Dosimetric analysis was performed to determine candidate dose constraints for SR3, SR5, and SR10. Clinical variables included age, smoking history, hypertension, diabetes, body mass index (BMI), menopause status, TNM stages with total and positive lymph nodes as continuous variables, receptor status, margin status, type of lymph node surgery, reconstruction type, mastectomy type, and receipt of chemotherapy, trastuzumab, or hormone therapy. RESULTS Of 126 patients reviewed, 109 were analyzable. Median follow up was 2.3 years. Twenty-five patients (23%) underwent US, 10 (9.2%) of whom experienced IF. Among clinical variables, BMI significantly predicted for US on UVA and MVA. There were no significant predictors of IF per se. Dosimetric analysis in 2 Gy intervals identified V44 Gy < 81% to SR3 (AUC 0.711) or V44 Gy < 83% to SR5 (AUC 0.685) as potentially useful for predicting US. V44 Gy remained a significant predictor of US when included on MVA. There were no significant dosimetric parameters using SR10. CONCLUSION Near-surface dosimetry is useful to predict US following PMRT. V44 Gy < 81% to SR3 should be further explored as a constraint for treatment planning optimization. The absence of significant predictors for IF is likely due to a paucity of events in this cohort.
Tissue-specific sparse deconvolution for brain CT perfusion

Enhancing perfusion maps in low-dose computed tomography perfusion (CTP) for cerebrovascular disease diagnosis is a challenging task, especially for low-contrast tissue categories where infarct core and ischemic penumbra usually occur. Sparse perfusion deconvolution has been recently proposed to effectively improve the image quality and diagnostic accuracy of low-dose perfusion CT by extracting the complementary information from the high-dose perfusion maps to restore the low-dose using a joint spatio-temporal model. However the low-contrast tissue classes where infarct core and ischemic penumbra are likely to occur in cerebral perfusion CT tend to be over-smoothed, leading to loss of essential biomarkers. In this paper, we propose a tissue-specific sparse deconvolution approach to preserve the subtle perfusion information in the low-contrast tissue classes. We first build tissue-specific dictionaries from segmentations of high-dose perfusion maps using online dictionary learning, and then perform deconvolution-based hemodynamic parameters estimation for block-wise tissue segments on the low-dose CTP data. Extensive validation on clinical datasets of patients with cerebrovascular disease demonstrates the superior performance of our proposed method compared to state-of-art, and potentially improve diagnostic accuracy by increasing the differentiation between normal and ischemic tissues in the brain.
Perspectives on Formation and Properties of Semiconductor Interfaces

Recent progress in experimentally and theoretically understanding interfaces at the atomic level suggest that ultimate electronic systems may one day be fabricated on a single integrated chip. If such elements as Si VLSI processors, GaAs/AIAs integrated optoelectronic 10 devices, II-VI superlattice visible displays and high speed III-V processors are to be integrated, interface formation and in situ processing will be required at a level of sophistication well beyond what is available today. In this paper, we review recent developments in interface formation by both MOCVD and MBE. To illustrate the power of our diagnostic methods, the details of epitaxial interface formation on an atomic scale are reviewed for lattice matched systems (Ge/GaAs/AIAs) and epitaxial silicides (Ni/Si2/Si) as well as oxidation of silicon to form Si/SiO2 interfaces. New developments in using lattice mismatched superlattices with strained layers are discussed for CdTe/ZnTe. Additional complications of growing compound semiconductors on elemental substrates (e.g., anti-phase domains) are discussed for GaAs growth on Si(l00).
A microbridge heater for low power gas sensing based on the 3-Omega technique

Abstract The 3-Omega measurement technique was applied to a microbridge heater for the purpose of low power gas sensing. The sensor performance was evaluated for mixtures of CO2, Ar, He and CH4 in N2 in an isothermal chamber where concentrations were precisely controlled by mass flow controllers. A custom 3-Omega conditioning circuit controls the AC heating current and detection of the 3-Omega voltage signal. The amplitude and phase lag, and the in-phase and out-of-phase components of the 3-Omega signal are presented for each case and are related directly to gas concentrations. Advantageously, the phase lag can determine the gas concentration without calibration of an individual gas sensor. Using this technique and our current microbridge thermal conductivity detector (TCD), it is possible to resolve gas concentrations down to 0.07%. The frequency behavior of the 3-Omega signal as it pertains to the thermal environment and sensor sensitivity is discussed. The 3-Omega technique combined with the microbridge is capable of operating with power consumptions that are
Disentangling Religion and Morality: An Analysis of Religiosity in the United States

Religion is considered by many practitioners to form the foundation of morality. However, religiosity varies substantially at the individual and societal level. Understanding this variation from an evolutionary perspective can aid in disentangling religion and morality. This chapter presents a study that sought set to replicate and extend previous findings regarding Norris and Inglehart’s (Sacred and Secular: Religion and Worldwide Politics, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2004) “Secure Society Theory” of religiosity, which states that religiosity varies with the extent to which one feels secure in one’s environment. The relationship between individual perceptions of societal security—as opposed to national indicators—and religiosity has yet to be tested. The study addressed this by analyzing data from the General Social Survey, supplemented by the FBI and the US Census data. Results indicated that the extent to which one feels safe walking around one’s neighborhood at night predicts religiosity, even when crime rate, poverty rate, age, sex, and race are controlled statistically. Additionally, time series analyses of data from 1980 to 2012 provided partial support for Secure Society Theory, with neighborhood fear and poverty predicting future religiosity.
Response of Earth Banks During Earthquakes

The response of earth banks during earthquakes is evaluated by the finite element method of analysis. Both the horizontal and the vertical components of the earthquake motion are considered. Maximum values and time histories of the response values, including accelerations, displacements, stresses and average seismic coefficients, throughout the bank can be obtained by this method. An independent check on the results is also provided. The method is illustrated by evaluating the response of a clay bank on a clay foundation to both the horizontal and the vertical components of a prescribed earthquake motion. Surface accelerations, stresses at selected points and seismic coefficients for Specified wedges are presented. The stability of the slope during the earthquake is assessed, acceleration response spectra along the surface of the bank are calculated and the influence of the vertical component of the earthquake is examined. In addition, the influence of material properties and height of bank on response values is examined.
Adjoint and Importance in Monte Carlo Application

The use of the Monte Carlo method for the study of deep penetration of radiation into and through shields entails the use of sophisticated methods of variance reduction to make such calculations ec...
Spatio-temporal distribution of seismic power for a random absorptive slab in a half space

Energy transfer for a random absorptive slab with finite thickness in a half space is formulated through a multiple scattering series approach. The resulted energy series is monotonous and converges fast for realistic models. Influence of slab thickness and bottom reflection to energy distribution is discussed with numerical calculations. It is shown that the slab bottom leakage tends to reduce the level of energy density and increase the apparent energy decay slope for receivers inside the slab, and therefore push the spatial distribution of energy density close to the single scattering prediction. On the other hand, for thick slabs (thickness greater than absorption length), the deviation from single scattering prediction becomes significant for strong scattering cases, pushing results close to the solutions of infinite medium. Slab bottom reflection tends to trap the scattered energy inside the slab and therefore compensate the effects of finite thickness. Results of numerical experiments using wave propagation matrix method show good agreement with the theory.
Nursing job satisfaction, certification and healthcare-associated infections in critical care

Summary Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between nursing job satisfaction and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in adult critical care. Methods Multilevel modelling was used to examine the relationship between nursing job satisfaction and two HAIs, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). Results Units with nurses that reported satisfaction with organisational policies were associated with a 6.08 decrease in VAP ( p =0.013) and units with nurses reporting favourable perception of task requirements were associated with a 7.02 decrease in VAP (.014). Positive perception of organisational policies was associated with lower rates of CLABSI ( p =0.002). Unexpected findings include a positive relationship between perception of pay and autonomy and CLABSI as well as perception of interactions and VAP. Units with a higher proportion of Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) certified nurses were associated with lower rates of both CLABSI ( p p =0.037). Conclusion This study provides preliminary evidence to support the relationship between nursing job satisfaction and HAIs in critical care, although some relationships were counterintuitive. A secondary finding included significant relationships between CCRN certified nurses and HAIs.