cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tough Love, Intergenerational Altruism, and Worldviews

This paper discusses the tough love model of intergenerational altruism we developed and some of on-going empirical research on tough love behavior in survey data collected in Japan and United States. The tough love model modifies the Barro-Becker standard altruism model in two ways. First, the child’s discount factor is endogenously determined, so that low consumption at young age leads to a higher discount factor later in her life. Second, the parent evaluates the child’s lifetime utility with a constant high discount factor. The tough love model predicts that transfers from the parent will fall when the child’s discount factor falls. This is in contrast with the predictions of the standard altruism model that transfers from parents are independent of exogenous changes in the child’s discount factor. In the empirical work, the hypothesis that parents’ tough love behavior is affected by their worldviews is investigated.
We're in This Together: Intentional Design of Social Relationships with AIED Systems.

Students’ relationships with their peers, teachers, and communities influence the ways in which they approach learning activities and the degree to which they benefit from them. Learning technologies, ranging from humanoid robots to text-based prompts on a computer screen, have a similar social influence on students. We envision a future in which AIED systems adaptively create social relationships with their learners in addition to modeling student learning and providing adaptive cognitive support. By deliberate design of the relationships between learners and systems, the systems can have maximal impact on student learning and engagement. This deliberate design would include careful consideration of the type of learning technology and its channels of communication with the learner, the broader context of the interaction, and the history of the relationship between the student and the learning technology. To achieve this vision, as a field, we will need to build understanding of how relationships form in human-technology settings, and how educational technologies should be advanced to support the assessment and monitoring of meaningful relationship factors over time.
Rethinking Tax Nexus and Apportionment: Voice, Exit and the Dormant Commerce Clause

The dormant Commerce Clause concept of tax nexus is best understood as a rough, but serviceable, proxy for the taxpayer's standing in the political process. This perspective leads me to defend Quill Corporation v. North Dakota and the much maligned physical presence test for tax nexus. As a matter of legislative policy, the critics of this test may be correct. However, as a matter of constitutional law, the courts should adhere to an expanded physical presence standard as Congress crafts for the long term broader nexus rules based on economic presence. Taxation is an inherently and irreducibly political matter. An expanded notion of physical presence is a rough, but serviceable, proxy for taxpayers' practical abilities to protect themselves in the political process of the taxing state. A physical presence test for tax nexus thereby protects, albeit imperfectly, against the modern version of taxation without effective representation. In similar fashion, the dormant Commerce Clause rule of tax apportionment serves four functions. First, apportionment constrains a state from exporting taxes by targeting immobile taxpayers who lack practical exit options to leave the state. Second, apportionment minimizes the out-of-state disruption stemming from taxpayer exit, by ameliorating the mobile taxpayer's need to depart the taxing jurisdiction. Third, the constitutional principle of apportionment, by minimizing interstate actors' state tax burdens, encourages entry by such actors and thus facilitates the interstate mobility of persons and capital. Finally, by curtailing the exit of the most tax-sensitive persons, apportionment bolsters the voices for tax-restraint within the taxing state's political process.
Imaging Hernias of the Abdominal Wall

The diagnosis of abdominal wall hernia is usually made on physical examination by the palpation of a peritoneal impulse on coughing or the detection of a reducible or changeable mass. When the diagnosis of hernia is certain and the symptoms and physical examination correlate, there is no need for an imaging study to confirm the hernia. Many patients, however, present with symptoms that are either nonspecific or are suggestive of hernia but are unaccompanied by physical signs indicating the presence of a hernia. These patients are referred for an imaging study.
A Correction to the Yawing Moment Due to Ailerons for Circular Wind Tunnels

THE yawing effects of the unsymmetrical vortex system caused by deflected ailerons are known to be modified by the presence of wind-tunnel walls. This modification has been calculated by Koning and van der Maas for the case of a single aileron extending to the tip of the wing. The present calculation differs from that of Koning and van der Maas in the following respects: (1) The ailerons may be set in from the tips. (2) The modification for the case where two ailerons are deflected is determined. (3) Suitable non-dimensional parameters are found by means of which the results can be presented in an easily useable form. The following symbols are used :
Adolphe Adam: An Essay and Bibliography (Music Mini-Perspectives; no. 15)

An essay and bibliography on Adolphe Adam, one of the more prominent French composers of the first half of the nineteenth century, is presented.
Predicting broad-scale carbon loss and recovery in managed tropical forests

1University of Florida, Department of Biology, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA 2University of Florida, School of Forest Resources & Conservation, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA *Author for correspondence: Tel.: +1 352 328 9945; E-mail: mark.vanderwel@ufl.edu
A Folsom Structure in the Colorado Mountains

Recent block excavations at the Mountaineer site near Gunnison, Colorado, have yielded an unusual assemblage of Folsom artifacts and features, including a prehistoric structure. The stone assemblage from this excavation is composed of 35,478 pieces. The tools are typical Folsom style, but, like the debitage, they are mainly of local material. Faunal material shows some processing of large mammals, including bison. The findings at Mountaineer evince additional variability in early Paleoindian adaptations beyond that ascribed by the familiar model of Folsom settlement.
Weighing in on NBC's the Biggest Loser, Governmentality and Self-Concept on the Scale

Previous analyses (i.e., Bernstein & St. John, 2006; Sender & Sullivan, 2008) of the television show The Biggest Loser have detailed its negative presentation of the obese body, potential consequences for viewers, and its role as a technology of governmentality. However, there has been little exploration of how audience members conceptualize and enact the messages communicated in the show within these intricate frameworks. The current research used information from semistructured interviews with 40 dedicated viewers to capture the salient meanings they ascribed to The Biggest Loser within the themes of governmentality and self-concept. Overall, the group experienced the program as a transformative, entertaining, and inspirational event that produced little change in their exercise behavior. Thus, the role of reality television in creating healthy behavior change is potentially limited.
Spectroscopic ellipsometry studies of 3-stage deposition of CuIn1-xGaxSe2 on Mo-coated glass and stainless steel substrates

Abstract In order to achieve proper process monitoring and control for the deposition of thin film photovoltaic absorbers, for example CuIn1 − xGaxSe2 (CIGS), optical techniques such as spectroscopic reflectometry and polarimetry are advantageous because they can be set up in an unobtrusive manner in the manufacturing line, and collect data in-line and in-situ. The use of these techniques requires accurate optical models that correctly represent the properties of the layers being deposited. In this study, spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) has been applied for the characterization of each individual stage of CIGS layers deposited using the three-stage co-evaporation process. Dielectric functions have been determined for the energy range between 0.7 eV and 5.1 eV. As the layers' thicknesses are in the order of 2.5 μm, thickness non-uniformity along with surface roughness has been included in the analysis. A high similarity between the optical models developed for CIGS on glass and on stainless steel substrate was observed. Critical-point line-shape analysis was used in this study to determine the critical point energies of the CIGS based layers. These results can assist in the development of optical process-control tools for the manufacturing of photovoltaic absorbers, increasing the uptime and yield of the production line.
Early Paralysis for the Management of ARDS

The use of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) early in the development of ARDS has been a strategy of interest for many years. The use of NMBAs with a concomitant deep sedation strategy can increase oxygenation and possibly decrease mortality when used in the early stages of ARDS. The mechanism by which this occurs is unclear but probably involves a combination of factors, such as improving patient-ventilator synchrony, decreasing oxygen consumption, and decreasing the systemic inflammatory response associated with ARDS. The use of NMBA and deep sedation for these patients is not without consequence. This discussion describes the rationale and evidence behind the use of NMBAs in the setting of ARDS.
Effects of local geology on ground motion near San Francisco Bay

abstract Measurements of ground motion generated by nuclear explosions in Nevada were made for 37 locations near San Francisco Bay, California. The results were compared with the San Francisco 1906 earthquake intensities and the strong-motion recordings of the San Francisco earthquake of March 22, 1957. The recordings show marked amplitude variations which are related consistently to the geologic setting of the recording site. For sites underlain by a layer of younger bay mud or artificial fill, maximum horizontal ground velocities generally increased with thickness of the layer and were as much as ten times greater than those recorded on nearby bedrock. The maximum vertical velocities for these sites were between 1 and 3.5 times greater. Spectral amplification curves clearly define a “dominant ground period” of about 1 second for sites underlain by younger bay mud. For sites underlain by older, more consolidated sediments, no clearly defined “dominant ground period” was found. Maximum ground velocities for the older bay sediment sites were about twice those recorded on bedrock. Consistent correlations of the results from the nuclear recordings with the 1906 earthquake intensities and the spectral amplification curves for the 1957 earthquake suggest that areas of high amplification determined from small ground motions may also be areas of high intensity in future earthquakes.
Cryoprecipitate-topical thrombin glue: initial experience in patients undergoing cardiac operations

The use of fibrin glues as topical hemostatic agents is reported in the European literature. We have composed an analogous compound in our operating rooms using cryoprecipitate and topical thrombin (1000 units/ml) in equal volumes applied directly to the bleeding site. We have used cryoprecipitate-topical thrombin glue in 26 patients undergoing cardiac operations. Severe bleeding not responding to usual methods of control was encountered during or after coronary artery bypass (n = 17), valve replacement (n = 3), bypass plus valve replacement (n = 5), or repair of postinfarction ventricular septal defect (n = 1). Five patients were operated on emergently and four were undergoing their second cardiac operation. The glue was used in four patients while on bypass and fully heparinized and in 17 patients who continued to bleed after separation from bypass and administration of protamine. Hemostasis was achieved in all patients and none required reexploration for bleeding. In five patients undergoing reexploration for postoperative hemorrhage (none having received cryoprecipitate-topical thrombin glue during the initial operation), the glue provided hemostasis when other measures failed, and no additional reexplorations were needed. No patient exhibited hypersensitivity, fibrinolysis, or coagulopathy following the use of this glue. In 16 patients followed for 9 to 12 months postoperatively, no hepatitis has occurred. The highly concentrated fibrinogen in cryoprecipitate is activated by thrombin to form fibrin and bring about rapid hemostasis. Cryoprecipitate-topical thrombin glue is a readily available, reliable, and inexpensive topical hemostatic agent in the patient undergoing a cardiac operation.
Suturing and knot tying in laparoscopy.

Laparoscopic surgery is rapidly evolving to encompass most traditional abdominal operations. Many mechanical devices are being developed to facilitate laparoscopic tissue approximation. It is imperative for the surgeon, however, to learn, practice, and master laparoscopic techniques for suturing and knot tying. The principles and basics of these techniques are described and illustrated. It is only by applying these classic skills for tissue approximation that the laparoscopic surgeon will be able to ensure maximal adaptability and clinical safety during operative procedures.
Interrupt Processing and Process Scheduling

Chapter 8 covers interrupt processing and process scheduling. It describes the PC’s interrupts hardware, interrupts processing sequence and process kernel mode stack for interrupts processing. It incorporates PC’s timer into the MTX kernel, demonstrates timer-based process switching and implements timer service functions. Then it discusses process scheduling in time-shared systems. It explains the goals, policies and algorithms of process scheduling in general, and it describes process scheduling in Unix and Linux in detail. It implements several different process scheduling algorithms in MTX and compares their effects on the system performance.
The Use of Nonhuman Primates in Cardiovascular Safety Assessment

The nonhuman primate (NHP) has become particularly important in drug discovery research and development both in terms of safety and efficacy evaluation. Often, NHPs represent the most appropriate species for drug development and research because of their phylogenic relationship to humans or other key attributes such as pharmacokinetics. Understanding the potential for novel drugs to interact with and affect the cardiovascular system remains an important safety issue in drug development. This chapter reviews the basics of the NHP cardiovascular system, including a brief review of normal cardiovascular physiology. The multiple models used to assess cardiovascular structure and function in the NHP, primarily in safety assessment, are summarized. Advanced or emerging technologies available to monitor the cardiovascular system are identified when appropriate. The overall goal is to provide the reader with an overview of the tools and models available to successfully analyze the cardiovascular system of the NHP.
Realism, and the Case of Rival Theories without Observable Differences

Rationality and truth: two themes realists easily turn into mad fire. In ‘real science’ rational theory choice proceeds largely in an eliminativist fashion, helped by basic logic and a battery of learned criteria for choosing between competing theories. Evaluations of this kind can be, however, notoriously treacherous: A rational verdict may turn out to favor a false belief. Truth ascription, expected to be less contextual than rational evaluation, is a more ambitious affair still. The existence of an initial tension between the issues of rational scientific change and the search for truth is thus hard to deny.
INTEGRATED METHODOLOGIES FOR A NEW RECONSTRUCTIVE PROPOSAL OF THE AMPHITHEATRE OF CATANIA

The roman amphitheatre of Catania stands in a very complex and interesting area where settlement dynamics and transformations have profoundly marked its urban landscape. Over the centuries, the urban and architectural histories together with the formation of the archaeological deposits have led to the complete obliteration of the monument and restricted knowledge of its plan and architectural development. Therefore, it constitutes an interesting context in which to experiment methods and techniques for architectural representation and the three-dimensional reconstruction of the monument.
An Approximate Cramer–Rao Lower Bound for Multiple LFMCW Signals

In this paper we focus on deriving an approximate Cramer–Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the parameters of a multicomponent linear frequency modulated continuous wave (LFMCW) signal corrupted by complex additive white Gaussian noise. The approximation is necessary due to the discontinuities inherent in the mathematical model of the instantaneous phase of each LFMCW signal model. By comparing our approximate bound to a simulation of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of the LFMCW parameters, we confirm our analysis. In general, the CRLB is a useful tool for feasibility studies or in evaluating the degree of suboptimality that non-MLE methods exhibit. For passive detection and estimation of LFMCW signals, the Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test and the associated MLE are difficult to implement in practice, primarily due to their large computational requirements. So, lower bounds on performance, such as those provided by the CRLB, are necessary to evaluate suboptimal methods that are more suited for practical implementations.
Morbid Anxiety: Identification and Treatment

Due to their prevalence, chronicity, and poorly understood pathophysiology, anxiety disorders remain an important public health problem. Despite clear diagnostic guidelines and the availability of excellent evidence-based treatments, most anxiety patients remain underrecognized and inadequately treated. This clinical synthesis highlights changes to anxiety disorder diagnosis that became effective with DSM-5. The article also provides some clinical perspective on clarifying differential diagnostic problems and building an alliance with the anxious patient. The quality and strength of the evidence base for current anxiolytic medications options (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, benzodiazepines, and other agents), antianxiety psychotherapies (cognitive-behavioral therapy and brief dynamic therapies), and combination treatments are discussed. A brief update on newer treatment strategies, such as cognitive enhancement, complementary therapies, and neuromodu...
Optimal Decision Making with CP-nets and PCP-nets

Probabilistic conditional preference networks (PCP-nets) are a generalization of CP-nets for compactly representing preferences over multi-attribute domains. We introduce the notion of a loss function whose inputs are a CP-net and an outcome. We focus on the optimal decision-making problem for acyclic and cyclic CP-nets and PCP-nets. Our motivations are three-fold: (1) our framework naturally extends to allow reasoning on cyclic CP-nets and PCP-nets for full generality, (2) in the multi-agent setting, we place no restriction on agents' preferences structure and voting rules under our framework have desirable axiomatic properties, (3) we generalize several previous approaches to finding the optimum outcome in individual and multi-agent contexts. We characterize the computational complexity of computing the loss of a given outcome and computing the outcomes with minimum loss for three natural loss functions: 0-1 loss, neighborhood loss, and global loss. While the optimal decision is NP-hard to compute for many cases, we give a polynomial-time algorithm for computing the optimal decision for tree-structured PCP-nets and profiles of CP-net preferences with a shared dependency structure, w.r.t. neighborhood loss function.
Validity: Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Substance Abuse Research

Validity refers to the degree to which evidence and theory support interpretations from a given measurement device. Validity is the most important aspect of measurement in all areas of science. In substance abuse research, validity is sometimes misunderstood and inconsistent with modern validity theory. This chapter provides an overview of modern validity theory. It also highlights conceptual and methodological issues that are important to improving the quality of measures in substance abuse research.
A comparative effectiveness study of two culturally competent models of diabetes self-management programming for Latinos from low-income households

Diabetes risk is extremely high for Latinos from low-income households. Health guidelines recommend that individuals learn strategies to self-manage their diabetes, but getting people to adopt required lifestyle changes is challenging and many people are not able to prevent their pre-diabetes from escalating or effectively control their diabetes. Systematic reviews show that culturally competent self-management programs can significantly improve diabetes outcomes and different models for culturally competent programming have been developed. This patient-engaged study will compare the effectiveness of two distinct evidence-based models for culturally competent diabetes health promotion at two sites that serve a large Latino patient population from low-income households: 1) The Diabetes Self-Management Support Empowerment Model, an educational session approach, and 2) The Chronic Care Model, a holistic community-based program. Data collection will involve interviews, focus groups, surveys and assessments of each program; and testing of patient participants for A1c, depression, Body Mass Index (BMI), and chronic stress with hair cortisol levels. We will recruit a total of 240 patient-social support pairs: Patients will be adults (men and women over the age of 18) who: 1.) Enter one of the two diabetes programs during the study; 2.) Self-identify as “Latino;” 3.) Are able to identify a social support person or key member of their social network who also agrees to participate with them; 4.) Are not pregnant (participants who become pregnant during the study will be excluded); and 5.) Have household income 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) or below. Social supports will be adults who are identified by the patient participants. PRIMARY OUTCOME: Improved capacity for diabetes self-management measured through improvements in diabetes knowledge and diabetes-related patient activation. SECONDARY OUTCOME: Successful diabetes self-management as measured by improvements in A1c, depression scale scores, BMI, and circulating levels of cortisol to determine chronic stress. Our hypothesis is that the program model that interfaces most synergistically with patients’ culture and everyday life circumstances will have the best diabetes health outcomes. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov on December 16, 2016 (Registration # NCT03004664 ).
Epidemiology of Environmental Chemical Contaminants in Breast Milk

Human beings are exposed to a wide variety of synthetic and natural chemicals, but acute illnesses due to exposures to most environmental pollutants are unusual. Most of the environmental chemicals to which human beings are exposed are metabolized or excreted, but some are persistent. They are stored in depot tissues such as bone or fat, depending on solubility and other factors. In terms of breast milk contamination, the best studied chemicals are those that are persistent and fat soluble, and thus appear in breast milk at a higher concentration than in serum—milk has about 8 times the fat of serum. The most familiar of these chemicals are the insecticide DDT and the family of the industrial chemicals, the poly-chlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. Both of these chemicals are extremely widespread in the environment, exposure to them is essentially universal, and they have been detected repeatedly in the fat of adipose or breast milk samples throughout the world. There is little evidence that these agents cause disease at the levels they have been found in the general population; in fact, few surveys have even attempted to measure morbidity. Besides PCBs and DDT, there are several other fat soluble, persistent chemicals that are close to endemic in their degree of exposure prevalence—they are pesticides, such as dieldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, and benzene hexachloride (BHC).
Structure assembly by a heterogeneous team of robots using state estimation, generalized joints, and mobile parallel manipulators

Autonomous robotic assembly by mobile field robots has seen significant advances in recent decades, yet practicality remains elusive. Identified challenges include better use of state estimation to and reasoning with uncertainty, spreading out tasks to specialized robots, and implementing representative joining methods. This paper proposes replacing 1) self-correcting mechanical linkages with generalized joints for improved applicability, 2) assembly serial manipulators with parallel manipulators for higher precision and stability, and 3) all-in-one robots with a heterogeneous team of specialized robots for agent simplicity. This paper then describes a general assembly algorithm utilizing state estimation. Finally, these concepts are tested in the context of solar array assembly, requiring a team of robots to assemble, bond, and deploy a set of solar panel mockups to a backbone truss to an accuracy not built into the parts. This paper presents the results of these tests.
Placing Mathematics Teachers’ Content Training in the Broader Context in the USA

This chapter discusses several contextual factors that shape teachers’ and students’ opportunities to learn mathematics. Among these contextual factors are the US cultural perspectives on mathematics teaching and learning, the US K-12 school system institutional design and the associated challenges involved in changing core practices, and the impact of the accountability system (such as NCLB or Common Core Standards). These contextual factors to a great extent provide an insight into understanding the challenges involved in improving the teaching and learning conditions for mathematics and heighten the need for higher education institutions to step up and offer future mathematics teachers the proper mathematics courses needed for teaching K-12 students.
Effects of Combined Estradiol-Sulpiride Treatment and Follicle Ablation on Vernal Transition in Mares: Evaluation of Plasma and Follicular Fluid Hormones and Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Gene Expression.

Abstract This experiment assessed the hormonal production, secretory aspects, and changes in luteinizing hormone (LH) receptor gene expression of early induced ovulatory-sized follicles relative to the first ovulatory-sized follicles occurring naturally in the spring. Anovulatory mares were treated on January 21 with (1) 50 mg of estradiol cypionate (ECP, n = 8) alone or (2) with ECP followed by two 3-g sulpiride injections (n = 8), 5 and 12 days later. Half of each group also received complete follicle ablation via transvaginal aspiration before ECP treatment. Ovaries were scanned regularly until detection of a 32–35 mm follicle; follicular fluid was recovered via aspiration for analysis of hormonal concentrations. Blood was collected regularly to characterize plasma prolactin, LH, follicle stimulating hormone, progesterone, and estradiol concentrations. Mean date to first 35-mm follicle was earlier (P
Obtaining Reliable Human Ratings of Valence, Arousal, and Dominance for 20,000 English Words

Words play a central role in language and thought. Factor analysis studies have shown that the primary dimensions of meaning are valence, arousal, and dominance (VAD). We present the NRC VAD Lexicon, which has human ratings of valence, arousal, and dominance for more than 20,000 English words. We use Best–Worst Scaling to obtain fine-grained scores and address issues of annotation consistency that plague traditional rating scale methods of annotation. We show that the ratings obtained are vastly more reliable than those in existing lexicons. We also show that there exist statistically significant differences in the shared understanding of valence, arousal, and dominance across demographic variables such as age, gender, and personality.
Intrauterine Influences Related to the 2–5 Postnatal Years’ Growth Period

Human life begins at conception and not at birth. Hence the need for an increase in research and observation concerning intrauterine growth. The factors influencing fetal growth are clearly interrelated and complex. In particular the factor of materno-fetal nutrition is in need of much study together with an unravelling of the many puzzles involved. The all important theme in fetal growth is postnatal outcome for the fetus. In normal fetal and postnatal growth there is a confounding genetic factor that needs addressing and that can make interpretation of early growth data difficult. This factor is responsible for individual infants, in the first 18 months to 2 years of postnatal life, to seek their own genetic target curve of growth while throwing off perinatal influences on growth. Lessons may be learned by following the growth of infants of low birthweight, divided into those who are preterm, or smallfor-gestational age. Longitudinal fetal growth curves can be created with ultra-sonography appropriate for fullterm infants and the above infants of low birthweight. With concomitant studies of early factors involved before and after birth, a contribution can be made, and solutions to the many problems associated with early growth would lead to a remarkable betterment of child health worldwide.
Mechanism and significance of astrocytic Ca2+ signaling

Astrocytes are remarkably multifunctional cells. One of their main tasks is to rapidly scavenge transmitters released during synaptic activity. Astrocytes also express neurotransmitter receptors and respond to neuronal activity by increases in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca i 2+ ]). In turn, stimulated astrocytes release glutamate, which by both pre- and post- synaptic mechanisms modulates synaptic strength. The ability of astrocytes to sense neuronal activity and respond by increases in [Ca i 2+ ], has been a topic of intense research for the last few years. Here we review the mechanisms of astrocytic Ca2+ signaling.
Special Models for Animation

Chapter 12 covers some special modeling techniques that are often used in computer animation: implicit surfaces, L-systems, and subdivision surfaces.
Optimal Airspeeds for Scheduled Electric Aircraft Operations

The potential for reductions in emissions, energy costs, and maintenance costs has led to interest in battery-electric propulsion for small aircraft. However, the low specific energy of current bat...
Clinical-Mediator Correlations of Multiple Organ Failure and Preventive/Therapeutic Strategies: To Block, Stimulate, or Replace? That is the Question

Much has been learned about the factors, relationships, and mediators involved in multiple organ failure (MOF). In spite of this knowledge and better support of organ function, MOF remains a problem with high morbidity and mortality. We know that the mechanisms and mediators of an inflammatory response so necessary for survival after injury may initiate MOF. The questions now are: (a) Can we safely block parts of an inflammatory response?, (b) Is there failure of host defense or an excessive or uncontrolled host defense response, or both?, (c) Of what importance are the normal mechanisms of control of inflammation? (d) Is there benefit from stimulation of host defense and the use of growth factors? Much needs to be learned to answeer these questions. In the meanwhile, prevention of MOF is the key to better results.
The Effect of Microfluidic Geometry on Myoblast Migration.

In vitro systems comprised of wells interconnected by microchannels have emerged as a platform for the study of cell migration or multicellular models. In the present study, we systematically evaluated the effect of microchannel width on spontaneous myoblast migration across these microchannels—from the proximal to the distal chamber. Myoblast migration was examined in microfluidic devices with varying microchannel widths of 1.5–20 µm, and in chips with uniform microchannel widths over time spans that are relevant for myoblast-to-myofiber differentiation in vitro. We found that the likelihood of spontaneous myoblast migration was microchannel width dependent and that a width of 3 µm was necessary to limit spontaneous migration below 5% of cells in the seeded well after 48 h. These results inform the future design of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannel-based co-culture platforms as well as future in vitro studies of myoblast migration.
Location of Death and End-of-Life Characteristics of Young Adults with Cancer Treated at a Pediatric Hospital.

Background: Location of death (LOD) is an important aspect of end-of-life (EOL) care. Adolescents and young adults (YAs) with pediatric malignancies are increasingly treated in pediatric institutions. YAs, generally defined as 18-39 years old, deserve specific attention because adults have unique developmental and social considerations compared with younger patients. Objective: The goal of this retrospective cohort study was to understand the effect of treatment by a pediatric oncology program on EOL experiences for YAs. Specifically, we examined LOD, hospice, and palliative care (PC) involvement in a cohort of YAs who died of cancer in a large, quaternary care pediatric hospital. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients ≥18 years of age, who died of cancer between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2017. Standardized data were abstracted from the institutional cancer registry and the electronic medical record. Results: YAs in this cohort more commonly died in the hospital (54.9%). Lack of hospice involvement and the presence of a documented do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order were significantly associated with inpatient death. The majority of patients had long-standing PC involvement (95.8%, median 318 days), a DNR order (78.9%), and had enrolled in hospice care (60.6%) before death. Conclusions: These results suggest that a significant proportion of YAs with cancer remain inpatient for EOL care. Pediatric oncologists and PC teams may benefit from additional training in the unique psychosocial needs of YAs to optimize EOL care for these older patients.
Primary Care Quality Improvement Metrics and National Committee on Quality Assurance Medical Home Recognition for Children With Medical Complexity.

The Complex Care Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center developed and implemented a set of evidence-based clinical process measures of immunization delivery, preventive and chronic condition laboratory screening, and behavioral health medication surveillance for use in the primary care setting. Methods Improvement activities focused on 4 measures across 4 domains mandated by the National Committee on Quality Assurance for patient-centered medical home recognition. Interventions were implemented in phases from January 2017 to October 2018. The goal was the improvement in immunizations, preventive lead screening, vitamin D testing in chronic conditions, and behavioral health medication surveillance. Preventative lipid screening in the entire population and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels in patients with Down syndrome were also measured. Results The offering and the completion of an immunization bundle increased from a mean of 61.0% to a mean of 83.7% of patients. Eligible patients with documented lead surveillance increased from 61.2% to 96.5%. Patients with documented 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels increased from 72.2% to 87.8%. The percentage of patients metabolically monitored while taking an atypical antipsychotic continued at 92.0%. Conclusions Using quality improvement education, data measurement/feedback, electronic medical record optimization/decision support, and care gap identification with planned care, the Complex Care Center demonstrated improved reliability in needed immunization delivery and laboratory screenings for a heterogeneous primary care population of children with medical complexity. As the numbers of children with medical complexity rise, so does the importance of reliable processes and relevant measures for quality in their unique care delivery systems.
The value and direction of innovation

This paper considers the allocation of innovators between two research lines that differ in their values of innovation and their probabilities of discovery. Innovators choose a research line to maximize their expected utility, and the high value research line may attract more or fewer innovators than the low value research line, depending on the difficulty of discovery. The equilibrium allocation is not efficient, as innovators ignore the effects of their choice of research lines on other innovators.
Peer-Mediated Augmentative and Alternative Communication Interventions for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Limited to No Spoken Communication

Purpose Increasingly, research has identified effective approaches to improve communication and social engagement of preschool-age children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with limited spoken c...
Examination of the links between functions of aggression and risk for e-cigarette use among middle school-age youth: a comparison with risk for alcohol use

Background: Extant literature suggests that associations between aggression and substance use differ based on proactive and reactive functions of aggression and the specific substance use outcomes ...
Leveraging the UMLS As a Data Standard for Rare Disease Data Normalization and Harmonization.

Objective In this study, we aimed to evaluate the capability of the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) as one data standard to support data normalization and harmonization of datasets that have been developed for rare diseases. Through analysis of data mappings between multiple rare disease resources and the UMLS, we propose suggested extensions of the UMLS that will enable its adoption as a global standard in rare disease. Methods We analyzed data mappings between the UMLS and existing datasets on over 7,000 rare diseases that were retrieved from four publicly accessible resources: Genetic And Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD), Orphanet, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Men (OMIM), and the Monarch Disease Ontology (MONDO). Two types of disease mappings were assessed, (1) curated mappings extracted from those four resources; and (2) established mappings generated by querying the rare disease-based integrative knowledge graph developed in the previous study. Results We found that 100% of OMIM concepts, and over 50% of concepts from GARD, MONDO, and Orphanet were normalized by the UMLS and accurately categorized into the appropriate UMLS semantic groups. We analyzed 58,636 UMLS mappings, which resulted in 3,876 UMLS concepts across these resources. Manual evaluation of a random set of 500 UMLS mappings demonstrated a high level of accuracy (99%) of developing those mappings, which consisted of 414 mappings of synonyms (82.8%), 76 are subtypes (15.2%), and five are siblings (1%). Conclusion The mapping results illustrated in this study that the UMLS was able to accurately represent rare disease concepts, and their associated information, such as genes and phenotypes, and can effectively be used to support data harmonization across existing resources developed on collecting rare disease data. We recommend the adoption of the UMLS as a data standard for rare disease to enable the existing rare disease datasets to support future applications in a clinical and community settings.
The Business Records Exception to the Hearsay Rule - New is Not Necessarily Better

Courts are rarely careful or analytical when dealing with the business records exception. They seem to gloss over difficulties that would arise from a more faithful application of the exception's requirements and intuitively admit documents they deem trustworthy. As a result, courts have injected a degree of confusion into an area that should be relatively clear. To eliminate this confusion, courts should not only spell out the criteria that must be met in order to satisfy each foundation requirement, but they should be more analytical and precise in applying them.
Causes of the gender divide within entrepreneurship ecosystems

Knowledge about connections within a local economic system holds implication for understanding the ways in which individuals and categories of entrepreneurs access the system itself and resources p...
High Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Eight Months After Introduction in Nairobi, Kenya (preprint)

Background: The lower-than-expected COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in Africa has been attributed to multiple factors, including weak surveillance. We set out to estimate the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infections eight months into the epidemic in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods: We conducted a population based cross-sectional survey using multi-stage random sampling to select households within Nairobi in November 2020. Sera from consenting household members were tested for IgM and IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. Seroprevalence was estimated after adjusting for population structure and test performance. Risk factors were determined using logistic regression and Infection fatality ratios (IFRs) calculated by comparing our estimates to reported cases and deaths. Findings: Of 1,164 individuals from 527 households tested, the adjusted seroprevalence was 34·7% (95%CI 31·8-37·6), indicating that approximately 1·5 million Nairobi residents had been infected. Some 261 (49·5%) households had at least one positive participant, and positivity rates increased in more densely populated areas (spearman’s r=0·63; p=0·009). Individuals aged 20-59 years had up to 2-fold higher seropositivity when compared to those aged 0-9 years or ≥60 years. The IFR was 40 per 100,000 infections, with individuals ≥40 years old having higher IFRs. Interpretation: Over one third of Nairobi residents in half of the households were infected by November 2020, indicating extensive transmission in the city, comparable to countries reporting more severe forms of the pandemic. However, the IFR was >10-fold lower than that reported in Europe and the United States, supporting the perceived low morbidity and mortality in sub–Saharan Africa. Funding Statement: Funding was provided by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant number U01AI151799, through the Centre for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases – East and Central Africa (CREID-ECA). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests Ethics Approval Statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Kenya Medical Research Institute Scientific and Ethical Review Committee (number SSC 4098), National Commission for Science Technology and Innovation (number 827570), U.S. CDC (number CGH-ET-4/12/21-f3b82), and a reliance approval provided by Washington State University Institutional Review Board based on in-country ethical reviews as provided for in Code of Federal Regulations (45 C.F.R part 46 and 21 C.F.R. part 56). Administrative approval was provided by the Kenya MoH and Nairobi City County administration. All participants provided written consent prior to enrollment.
Detecting Coverage Boundary Nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks

The objective of this paper is to provide a distributed protocol that allows individual sensor nodes to identify themselves as being located on the coverage boundary, which is required in a number of functionalities at both the network and application levels. We develop a deterministic method for boundary node detection based on localized Voronoi polygons, the technique originated from the computational geometry. The advantages of our method are: it is a deterministic one that can be applied to any arbitrarily deployed sensor network, it is truly localized, only need one-hop neighbors’ information, which guarantees the scalability and energy efficiency of the detection algorithms and it requires only a limited number of simple local computations. We also provide mathematical as well as experimental evidence for the correctness and efficiency of this method.
Chemokine expression by human keratinocyte cell lines after activation of Toll‐like receptors

Keratinocytes in the skin play an important role in innate immune responses by secreting chemokines. This study aimed to determine if keratinocyte cell lines can be used for studies of innate immune mechanisms. Human primary keratinocytes and the HaCaT, CCD 1106 KERTr (KERTr) and HEK001 cell lines were treated with a panel of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-ligands. Expression of IL-8, CCL20, CXCL9 and CXCL10 was determined. All three cell lines expressed TLR1-6 and TLR9. KERTr cells responded to the same TLR-ligands as primary keratinocytes. Overall HEK001 responded similarly, but appeared to be relatively more sensitive to flagellin. This was in agreement with increased expression of TLR5. The expression profiles were most distinct in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, our data confirm and extend previously reported TLR7 and TLR8 independent IL-8 secretion by keratinocytes after Imiquimod treatment. The different cell lines represent complementary tools for molecular studies of innate immunity of the skin.
Relationship between the pivot shift and Lachman tests: a cadaver study.

Background: While the Lachman and pivot shift tests have been used clinically for decades to assess the anterior cruciate ligament, the relationship between the two has undergone limited experimental study. The goal of this study was to evaluate biomechanical relationships between the Lachman and pivot shift tests in anterior cruciate ligament-deficient and reconstructed knees. Methods: Knee kinematics during simulated pivot-shift testing and anteroposterior knee laxities were measured in seventeen knees in the intact condition, in the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient condition, and after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Pivot shift magnitude was plotted against laxity for all knees with the grafts unfixed (the cruciate ligament-deficient condition). The grafts were then tensioned to match the laxities of the intact knees, and the change in pivot shift magnitude was plotted versus the change in laxity for all knees. In a separate series of tests for individual specimens, pivot shift magnitude was plotted versus laxity for each knee by incrementally loosening the anterior cruciate ligament graft. Results: Linear correlations between pivot shift magnitude and absolute laxity for anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees were weak. When the unfixed grafts were tensioned to match anteroposterior laxities of the intact knees, changes in pivot shift were better correlated with corresponding changes in anteroposterior laxity (r2 = 0.53 for tibial rotation and 0.73 for lateral tibial plateau displacement). When graft fixation was progressively loosened for each reconstructed knee, pivot shift magnitude increased linearly from the laxity of the intact knee up to an end point of the linear range, at which point the slope decreased abruptly. Between this end point and the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient condition, further increases in pivot shift were relatively small. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the magnitude of laxity of an injured knee, when considered alone, may not accurately predict the magnitude of the pivot shift, but the difference in laxity between the injured knee and the normal knee (the injured-normal difference) could be a good clinical predictor of the injured-normal difference in the pivot shift. We demonstrated that an insufficiently tensioned anterior cruciate ligament graft could substantially reduce anterior laxity, while leaving the pivot shift evaluation virtually unchanged. Clinical Relevance: This study provides a baseline reference for future in vivo instrumented pivot shift studies of patients before and after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.