cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
State Payer Mandates to Cover Care in US Oncology Trials: Do Science and Ethics Matter?

Results Twenty-six states mandated coverage. Four states (15%) required scientific peer review for all studies. For 20 states (80%), an approved investigational new drug qualified as scientific review. In 10 states (38%), institutional review board (IRB) approval could replace scientific review. Twenty-four states (92%) permitted trials without academic medical connection. All states covered privately insured patients; seven (27%) included government and Medicaid patients. Fourteen states (54%) covered phase I to phase IV trials. Sixteen states (62%) covered treatment trials only; one (4%) covered prevention, detection, treatment, and palliation. Thirteen states (50%) covered research-related injuries. Only seven states (27%) required IRB approval. Three states (12%) required commensurate risks and benefits; 23 (88%) had no standard. Eight states (31%) required clinical equipoise with standard care; eight (31%) had no standard; and remaining states (46%) had unique standards. Two states (8%) addressed publication or registries. Conclusions Most states did not demand independent scientific review, IRB review, or basic ethical features of high-quality trials; provided partial coverage; omitted prevention, detection, and palliation research; and omitted mandated coverage for research-related injuries. Few required evaluation, independence in publication, or posting trial results. Further research on the impact of diverse state choices would improve policy making.
Analysis of signaling pathways in human T-cells using Bayesian network modeling of single cell data

We perform network inference ('reverse-engineering') on phospho-specific multi-dimensional flow cytometry measurements of signaling molecules in human T cells using Bayesian networks. Inferred networks are found to have good agreement with known pathways derived from the literature.
An x‐ray study of partially benzylated cotton cellulose

An X-ray study has been made of partially benzylated cellulose obtained from mercerized cotton yarn, in accordance with a recently developed technique. This study reports the formation of a new crystal lattice for benzylcellulose with a degree of substitution less than 1. This new lattice is indicative of a considerable distension of the original cellulose II unit cell present in the mercerized yarn. Attempts to benzylate ramie fibers under the same conditions resulted in destruction of the fibrous structure by the treatment. Application of heat and tension were found to cause considerable improvement in crystallinity and degree of crystallite orientation of the benzylated cotton. Application of pressure in preparing the sample for X-ray analysis in the usual manner was found to affects the X-ray diffraction pattern, due possibly to distortion of the greatly distended (101) interplanar spacing.
The significance of bcr-abl molecular detection in chronic myeloid leukemia patients “late,” 18 months or more after transplantation

The bcr-abl chimeric messenger RNA is frequently detected in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients after bone marrow transplantation. It was previously reported that the relapse risk of bcr-abl detection 6 to 12 months after transplantation was greater than 40%. This risk decreased as the time between transplantation and detection increased. To further define the relapse risk associated with bcr-abl molecular detection in "late" CML survivors, 379 consecutive CML patients alive at 18 months after transplantation or later were studied. Ninety of 379 patients (24%) had at least one positive bcr-abl test 18 months after transplantation or later; 13 of 90 bcr-abl-positive patients (14%) and 3 of 289 bcr-abl-negative patients (1.0%) relapsed. The median time from bcr-abl detection to relapse was 916 days (range, 251-2654 days). The hazard ratio of relapse associated with bcr-abl detection was 19.2 (P <.0001). The stage of disease, chronic graft-versus-host disease, and the donor type did not alter the association between bcr-abl and relapse. Quantification of bcr-abl was performed on 344 samples from 85 bcr-abl-positive patients by means of a real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay. The median bcr-abl change of patients who relapsed was significantly greater than those that remained in remission (P =.002). The median bcr-abl level at relapse was 40 443 bcr-abl copies per microg RNA (range, 960-299 552). Of 73 bcr-abl-positive patients who failed to relapse, 69% had only one positive test at a median of 24 copies bcr-abl per microg RNA. The detection of bcr-abl is common following transplantation. The prognostic significance of a qualitative bcr-abl can be refined by quantitative assays and thus may target patients who would benefit from early intervention.
Clinical implications of PRAME gene expression in childhood acute myeloid leukemia

Abstract The expression of the PRAME gene (preferentially expressed antigen of melanoma) was measured by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in 50 children with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML), three samples of CD34 + stem cells, six bone marrow samples, and 10 peripheral blood samples of healthy donors, as well as three AML cell-lines (KG-1, U937, and HL-60). Eight patients were also analyzed in relapse. Contrary to previous reports, we could show that the PRAME gene is expressed by CD34 + stem cells. This might constitute a problem in using PRAME for tumor immunotherapy. Overexpression of PRAME was found in 62% (n=31) of our patients. The rates of overall and disease-free survival in this group were higher than in patients with no or low expression ( P P P PRAME is an indicator of favorable prognosis and could be a useful tool for monitoring minimal residual disease in childhood AML.
Analysis of Human Auricular Cartilage to Guide Tissue-Engineered Nanofiber-Based Chondrogenesis Implications for Microtia Reconstruction

Objective. Nanofiber-supported, in vitro-generated cartilage may represent an optimal starting material for the develop- ment of a cartilage implant for use in microtia reconstruc- tion. To do so, the authors aim to first characterize the molecular composition of endogenous auricular cartilage and determine if human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) can be differentiated into cartilage in vitro. Study Design. Prospective, controlled. Setting. Academic research laboratory. Subjects and Methods. Human ear cartilage from normal adults, pediatric patients with microtia, and pediatric patients with pre- auricular appendages (n = 2) was analyzed for collagens I, II, and X and elastin expression. In parallel, hUCMSCs were cultured on either polycaprolactone (PCL) or D, L-lactide-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanofiber scaffolds for 21 days under chondrogenic con- ditions. Cells were harvested for histologic, biochemical, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Control cells were grown under both chondrogenic and nonchondrogenic conditions in the absence of nanofiber scaffolds. Results. Histological analysis of human ear cartilage revealed similar levels and distribution of collagens I and X and elas- tin. Collagen II was not highly expressed in the microtia samples. hUCMSC cultures stained positively for glycosami- nosglycans (GAG) and sulfated proteoglycans. Compared to control cells, hUCMSCs grown on PLGA nanofiber scaffolds had a higher differentiation index (P.012) and higher levels of collagen X mRNA expression (P.006). Conclusion. These data provide information regarding the composition of endogenous ear cartilage and suggest that hUCMSCs grown on PLGA nanofiber scaffolds may repre- sent an optimal starting material for the development of a cartilage implant for use in microtia reconstruction.
Fourier transform analysis

The paper is a study of the properties of Fourier transforms and examples of applications to various radio problems. Exponential and trigonometrical expressions of the Fourier transforms are given and the conditions of Validity indicated. The exponential form is a short-hand very useful in nearly all applications provided that the meaning of the symbols is clearly understood. A new notation to designate Fourier transforms is used throughout the paper. The applications of Fourier transforms to radio problems are classified into two main categories: direct application and more advanced applications. In the first category enter all problems where it is required to know the Fourier transform of a function or, inversely, a function whose Fourier transform is already known. Since the Fourier transform of a function represents its frequency and phase characteristics, it can be applied to the study of the frequency spectrum and phase characteristics of electric signals. Frequency spectra of many typical signals such as square, triangular and other types of pulses, sinusoidal signals and modulated carrier, are given. The relation between the shape of the signal and its frequency spectrum is studied, and it is shown that a convenient shape avoids a large radiated band-width. The inverse problem: to calculate a function whose Fourier transform is known, comes naturally in the study of transmission of signals through networks. It is first shown that the response of a network to a sharp impulse applied at the input is a signal whose Fourier transform represents the frequency and phase characteristics of the network. It is also a characteristic of the network itself and can be used to determine the distortion produced on a signal by transmission through the network. The impulse responses of typical networks are given. The networks are divided into three classes: networks with sharp cut-off, with progressive linear cut-off, and with any frequency and phase characteristics. In the
Abstract 202: Association Between Implantable Ventricular Assist Device Receipt at Medicare Destination Therapy Centers and Mortality: An Instrumental Variable Analysis

Background: Comparing the effectiveness of contemporary implantable ventricular assist devices (VAD) with medical therapy using observational data is challenging because of treatment selection bias. Objective: To use instrumental variable analysis to examine 1-year mortality of elderly Medicare beneficiaries with advanced heart failure receiving contemporary implantable VADs compared with conservative management. Methods: We identified the first hospitalization for heart failure for at least 14 days between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011, among all Medicare beneficiaries 65 to 80 years of age, as well as receipt of an implantable VAD during that hospitalization. We estimated risk-adjusted differences in 1-year mortality for VAD versus medical therapy using a 2-stage least squares instrumental variable analysis method. The date that a hospital was certified by Medicare to implant VADs as permanent circulatory support (“destination therapy facility”) was used as an instrument for VAD receipt, since this variable directly influences the use of VAD therapy. Patients were censored at the date of heart transplantation or death, or at the end of the study period. Results: Of 33,483 beneficiaries hospitalized, 827 (2.5%) underwent VAD implantation at 104 hospitals, 30 of which became destination therapy centers between 2009 and 2011. Among VAD recipients, 71 (8.5%) proceeded to heart transplantation. Unadjusted 1-year mortality rates were 26.5% for VAD versus 51.9% for medical therapy (risk difference,-25.4%; P < 0.001). The adjusted risk difference was -23.6% (95% CI -27.0% to -20.1%, P < 0.001). Using instrumental variable analysis, VAD receipt was associated with a significantly larger decrease in 1-year mortality (risk difference, -40.6%, 95% CI -52.2% to -29.0%; P < 0.001). Conclusions: When confounding was controlled with instrumental variable analysis, VAD implantation among elderly Medicare beneficiaries, on the margin, was associated with a 41% reduction in 1-year mortality compared with medical therapy, consistent with randomized trial results. Use of a hospital’s “destination therapy” certification date as an instrumental variable may facilitate future comparative effectiveness analyses of VAD therapy.
"Swinging for the Fences: Novel Business Models, Radical Innovations, and Technology Ventures"

Resource-based logic contends that firm performance is a product of superior resource endowments. Yet, many firms initiate operations with significant resource constraints and still generate superi...
Treatment of alcoholic organic brain syndrome with the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluvoxamine: a preliminary study.

The chronic effects of fluvoxamine (200 mg per day for 4 weeks) were studied in ten alcoholic organic brain syndrome patients in a double-blind cross-over design. Complete neuropsychological evaluation was performed as well as measurement of neurochemical changes in CSF. Fluvoxamine produced a small but significant improvement in memory performance. An analysis of fluvoxamine minus placebo difference scores showed a significant correlation between memory functioning and CSF 5HIAA levels. Alcohol amnestic syndrome patients who had the highest blood levels of fluvoxamine demonstrated the largest changes in CSF 5HIAA and improvement in memory performance under fluvoxamine. These findings implicate a role of serotonergic mechanisms in alcoholic organic brain syndrome and suggest that with individual titration of the drug dose, fluvoxamine might be a clincally useful agent in the treatment of this syndrome.
Distribution of Electromagnetic Pollution in Driver Compartment of Electric Locomotive after Rail Speed Elevated

[Objective] To examine the intensity changes in electric field and magnetic field in driver compartment after rail speed increase and the electrification reform of locomotives. [Methods] The observation group was composed of three electric locomotive models running Lanzhou-Jiangyuguan Pass route, while the control group was composed of three diesel locomotive models running Jiangyuguan Pass-Liuyuan route. Totally 11 sampling sites in driver compartments were selected to monitor and record electric and magnetic field intensities. At least three trains were monitored per locomotive model and each train was measured at least three by combinations of location, speed, and operation condition. All measurement and evaluation were performed according to the Health standard for electric field in the work environment(GB 16203-1996) and Limits and test methods for exposure to electromagnetic field(draft). [Results] The qualification rates of electromagnetic radiation at the key positions such as the head of drivers were all 100% in the selected compartments. The difference in electric field intensity between the electric locomotives and the diesel locomotives was significant statistically(H=0, P 0.01), and the intensity of magnetic field in the electric locomotives was also higher than that in the diesel locomotives(H=0, P 0.001). A strong positive correlation was found between the intensity of magnetic field and the traction power of locomotive(r=0.9401, P 0.005), and mainly concentrated around the steel structure of the compartments, but such correlation was relatively lower at the key positions such as the head of drivers(P 0.01). [Conclusion] The intensity values of electromagnetic field at the key positions of drivers of electric locomotives are lower than the relevant national occupational limits or the limits derived from the draft. The intensity of electromagnetic field in driver compartments of electric locomotives are mainly affected by overhead lines, surface electrostatic field from running trains at high speed, and electromagnetic field from the electrical equipment of locomotives. That locomotives running at waved speeds and being "powered"frequently could increase the intensity of electromagnetic field in driver compartments.
Abstract 2503: NQO1's role in maintaining the cancer stem cell phenotype in NSCLC

NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) is a phase II detoxifying enzyme responsible for quinone reduction, where it scavenges quinone induced reactive oxygen species. In recent studies, NQO1 has been investigated as a possible drug target due to its overexpression in a number of solid tumors. To this end, treatment with the quinone-analog drug, β-lapachone (ARQ-761), has progressed to Phase II clinical trials. In an effort to better understand the necessity of NQO1 in the overall lifecycle of cancer, our earlier work demonstrated that NQO1 played a vital role in a number of tumorigenic processes including anoikis resistance, and most interestingly alteration of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity. Given that ALDH is a widely reported cancer stem cell marker, and loss of NQO1 leads to a decrease in ALDH activity, we have begun to investigate the effect of NQO1 expression on the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stem cell population. Here, we present data that demonstrates NQO1 is vital to tumorsphere formation as demonstrated by decreased spheroid formation following NQO1 knocked down with shRNA. We also show that NQO1 appears to be necessary for cancer stem cell renewal as illustrated by decreased serial tumorsphere formation. In addition to these aforementioned data, in extreme limited dilution assays we demonstrate a reduced cancer stem cell frequency in NQO1 knockdown cells as compared to controls. Interestingly, in NQO1 knockdown populations, those cells that do form spheres show a remarkable re-expression of NQO1 as well as a rescue of ALDH activity, further supporting NQO19s role in tumorsphere formation and stem cell maintenance. Future work on this project will involve use of the CRISPR-Cas9 system to generate NQO1 knockout cell lines, drug resistance studies, cancer stem cell marker validation, and in vivo limited dilution assays to definitively demonstrate NQO19s necessity in maintaining the NSCLC stem cell population. Citation Format: Brian Madajewski, Erik A. Bey. NQO19s role in maintaining the cancer stem cell phenotype in NSCLC. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2503.
Strafing, Spats, and Skirmishes: Social Dynamics of Negative Campaigning on Twitter

What drives candidates to “go negative” and — in the case of multiple candidates — against whom? Using a unique dataset consisting of all tweets made by the seventeen Republican presidential candidates in the 2016 contest, we assess predictors of negative affect in online interactions with other candidates. Twitter is a free platform, and candidates therefore face no resource limitations when using Twitter; this makes Twitter a wellspring of information about the sort of campaigning candidates might do given unlimited resources. We find that tweet negativity within the network increases as the election approaches. In virtually none of the candidate pairs characterized by asymmetric negativity are attacks waged by a higher-status on a lower-status candidate. We also find support for the idea that tightening competition leads to increased negativity among all candidates (even and especially among frontrunners). Finally, we demonstrate that overall inter-candidate tweeting intensifies as the field narrows, with tweets per dyad per week increasing by orders of magnitude at each stage of the race.
Long-Term Outcome After Catheter Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia in Patients With Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Background— Catheter ablation (CA) of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy can be challenging because of the complexity of underlying substrates. We sought to determine the long-term outcomes of endocardial and adjuvant epicardial CA in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. Methods and Results— We examined 282 consecutive patients (aged 59±15 years, 80% males) with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy who underwent CA. Ablation was guided by activation/entrainment mapping for tolerated VT and pacemapping/targeting of abnormal electrograms for unmappable VT. Adjuvant epicardial ablation was performed for recurrent VT or persistent inducibility after endocardial–only ablation. Epicardial ablation was performed in 90 (32%) patients. Before ablation, patients failed a median of 2 antiarrhythmic drugs), including amiodarone, in 166 (59%) patients. The median follow-up after the last procedure was 48 (19–67) months. Overall, VT-free survival was 69% at 60-month follow-up. Transplant-free survival was 76% and 68% at 60- and 120-month follow-up, respectively. Among the 58 (21%) patients with VT recurrence, CA still resulted in a significant reduction of VT burden, with 31 (53%) patients having only isolated (1–3) VT episodes in 12 (4–35) months after the procedure. At the last follow-up, 128 (45%) patients were only on β-blockers or no treatment, 41 (15%) were on sotalol or class I antiarrhythmic drugs, and 62 (22%) were on amiodarone. Conclusions— In patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy and VT, endocardial and adjuvant epicardial CA is effective in achieving long-term VT freedom in 69% of cases, with a substantial improvement in VT burden in many of the remaining patients.
Journeys Through Feminist Psychological Science: Lessons Learned and a Look to What Lies Ahead

This volume sought to highlight not only the ways in which feminist psychological science can move us beyond a simple focus on gender differences, but also the best practices currently in use by feminist scholars. In our conclusion, we consider some important lessons learned from this volume and from a survey of the landscape of feminist psychological science today. We will also offer some thoughts about ways in which feminist psychology can move forward—as it is already doing—and continue to shape how we investigate, understand, and work to address pressing social issues, both within the academy and beyond its borders.
Automated error prediction for approximate sequential circuits

Synthesis tools for approximate sequential circuits require the ability to quickly, efficiently, and automatically characterize and bound the errors produced by the circuits. Previous approaches to characterize errors in approximate sequential circuits have been based on simulations spanning all cycles of a sequential computation. These approaches, however, are not scalable and only accommodate small circuit modules and short computation times. In this paper, we observe that the statistical properties of errors in many approximate sequential circuits follow patterns that can be easily learned. Therefore, statistical error characteristics of these approximate sequential circuits can be predicted with high accuracy using only a few cycles of characterization data. Based on this novel observation, we propose a methodology for predicting error statistics in approximate sequential circuits that is accurate, fully automated, and has significantly lower overhead than prior approaches. Our methodology is robust to changes in predicted error metrics, circuit input distributions, and types of approximate hardware modules used in approximate circuits. We demonstrate the accuracy and scalability of our approach over a range of sequential circuits. On average, prediction inaccuracy is less than 2% and error characterization time is reduced by 99% compared to a simulation-based approach.
Benefits of 3D immersion for virtual colonoscopy

Virtual Colonoscopy (VC) is a non-invasive clinical procedure that detects colon cancer in humans. VC seeks to supplement and improve the compliance rates for diagnosed patients, since the traditional optical colonoscopy is more painful, and less effective for cancer detection. In this paper, we discuss the benefits of using a 3D immersive user interface for VC. We discuss various design choices that we can make for such a design, leveraging the effects of the various combinations of virtual reality (VR) system components, as in previous VR empirical studies.
Nonlinear Time-Frequency Control of Electromagnetic Solenoid Valve

The main objective of this study is to prove that an electromagnetic solenoid valve can be controlled accurately and have a rapid response time while not having to linearize the system. An electromagnetic solenoid valve can neither be slow nor have large amounts of error due to the small distances between the pressure ports and the accuracy of the system they are used to control. The valve modeled for this study was an automotive transmission solenoid valve. The solenoid valve has three ports: supply, exhaust, and controlled pressure. For simplification, this model only considers moving the spool to a specific port location, which will be user specified. The controller used for this system was a nonlinear time-frequency controller that uses Daubechies-3 wavelets for signal transformation. Once, the controller was optimized it was able to control the system accurately and with a rapid response time. The system is able to reach the desired input and maintain zero error in two tenths of a second with out greatly over shooting the desired input. Overall, this system is physically possible to control the way the simulation predicts because all of the parameters used in the simulation are from a real solenoid valve.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Preclinical and Clinical Evidence on Ipsilateral Corticospinal Projections: Implication for Motor Recovery

Motor impairment is the most common complication after stroke, and recovery of motor function has been shown to be dependent on the extent of lesion in the ipsilesional corticospinal tract (iCST) and activity within ipsilesional primary and secondary motor cortices. However, work from neuroimaging research has suggested a role of the contralesional hemisphere in promoting recovery after stroke potentially through the ipsilateral uncrossed CST fibers descending to ipsilateral spinal segments. These ipsilateral fibers, sometimes referred to as “latent” projections, are thought to contribute to motor recovery independent of the crossed CST. The aim of this paper is to evaluate using cumulative evidence from animal models and human patients on whether an uncrossed CST component is present in mammals and conserved through primates and humans, and whether iCST fibers have a functional role in hemiparetic/hemiplegic human conditions. This review highlights that an ipsilateral uncrossed CST exists in human during development, but the evidence on a functionally relevant iCST component in adult humans is still elusive. In addition, this review argues that whereas activity within the ipsilesional cortex is essential for enhancing motor recovery after stroke, the role of iCST projections specifically is still controversial. Finally, conclusions from current literature emphasize the importance of activity in the ipsilesional cortex and the integrity of crossed CST fibers as major determinants of motor recovery after brain injury.
Pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectroscopy and pipe combustor analysis of the ignition and mass regression characteristics of a sulfur doped polysulfide ramjet fuel

Abstract The autoignition and low pressure combustion characteristics of five candidate polysulfide (LP-33) based ramjet solid fuel formulations are evaluated using pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectroscopy and a subscale pipe combustor. The polysulfide based fuels are oxidatively cured using p-quinone dioxime and manganese dioxide. The fuel formulations differ by the amount of elemental sulfur that is added to alter the decomposition temperature, mass burning rate, and to modify the mass fraction of low ignition temperature sulfur based decomposition gasses. The objectives of this research are to demonstrate that the autoignition temperature and the mass regression rate of the candidate fuels can be tailored as function of the sulfur doping fraction. The results of the analysis show that the mass fraction of low autoignition temperature decomposition gasses that include carbon disulfide and hydrogen disulfide increase as the mass fraction of elemental sulfur increases in the fuel formulation. Pipe combustor test results demonstrate repeatable autoignition temperatures less than 400 °C at ambient pressure for all formulations. The results also show that the primary effect of sulfur doping is to lower the mass burning rate of the fuel in direct correlation to the Shore-A hardness of the material which increases the time to ignition with no appreciable change to the mean autoignition temperature.
Religiously-Motivated Sexual Orientation Change: A Follow-Up Study:

One year after an initial study, follow-up research was conducted on 140 individuals attempting to change their homosexual orientation due to their religious beliefs. The follow-up participants (10...
Desperate Fortunes: Latina Warehouse Workers in the “Matrix of Domination”:

Much recent labor research has highlighted the increasing reliance on contingent employment. We apply intersectionality theory and Collins’s concept of the “matrix of domination” to data from focus...
Nanoindentation of Amorphous and Nanostructured Polymers

We present a detailed nanoindentation study of micron-scale thin films of polystyrene (PS), poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), a metal-centered PMMA-Ruthenium block copolymer, and a PS-poly(ethylene-propylene) (PS-PEP) block copolymer with lamellar morphology. The results show that size-dependence is most readily noticeable for the lamellar PS-PEP film, indicating that the nanoidentation approach has sufficient sensitivity to capture scale dependence on scales in the range of tens of nanometers. The less pronounced scale-dependence (or lack thereof) in the other films is discussed in the context of identifying the physical length-scale of elementary processes of plastic deformation. The results indicate that the upper limit on the size of plastic shear zones in amorphous polymers is approximately 1200-9600 nm 3 (i.e. a sphere with a diameter in the range of 20-40 nm).
HIV and Associated Infections in the Intensive Care Unit: Perspectives from North America

Asia and Africa have experienced a degree of devastation from human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) not encountered within the United States. Still, in the setting of an estimated 40 million people living with AIDS worldwide, the United States has approximately 900,000 cases since 1981. At the end of 2001, a reported 43,158 people were living with AIDS in the United States (1,2).
Applications of differentiation arithmetic

Abstract The complexity of computing an n-term Taylor polynomial using differentiation arithmetic is O(n2) compared with the exponentially growing complexity of expressions computed using symbolic differentiation. Differentiation arithmetic computes high order derivatives accurately compared with the notorious instability of numeric differentiation. Why does the topic of differentiation arithmetic arise so often in the context of interval algorithms? Point algorithms for Newton's method, optimization, numerical quadrature, etc., and interval algorithms for calculating function values, quadrature, solving ordinary differential equations, optimization, etc. require the accurate, efficient calculation of derivatives. Differentiation arithmetic meets this need. What is differentiation arithmetic? Differentiation arithmetic is a technique for computing derivatives of a function using recurrence relations; it is neither symbolic nor numeric. For example, let f(x) = 1 + x 2 / e x We parse the expression into its primitive operations (square, add, square root, exponentiate, divide). For each operation, a procedure is called which computes derivatives accurately and efficiently using recurrence relations derived from the familiar rules of calculus. How is differentiation arithmetic applied? We illustrate the use of differentiation arithmetic for calculating interval bounds for ranges of functions and for validated numerical quadrature.
Structural Relaxation in Fluoride Glasses

Structural relaxation studies during annealing of a series of ZrF4-based glasses below the glass transition temperature have been carried out. Indications are that no property changes due to structural relaxation are likely to occur at ambient temperature over periods of tens of years. Some of the lower Tg glasses, however, did exhibit detectable structural relaxation on annealing at temperatures as low as 100°C over roughly a one year time period.
Impact of Colonoscopy Bowel Preparation Quality on Follow-up Interval Recommendations for Average-risk Patients With Normal Screening Colonoscopies: Data From the New Hampshire Colonoscopy Registry.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS National guidelines for colonoscopy screening and surveillance assume adequate bowel preparation. We used New Hampshire Colonoscopy Registry (NHCR) data to investigate the influence of bowel preparation quality on endoscopist recommendations for follow-up intervals in average-risk patients following normal screening colonoscopies. METHODS The analysis included 9170 normal screening colonoscopies performed on average risk individuals aged 50 and above between February 2005 and September 2013. The NHCR Procedure Form instructs endoscopists to score based on the worst prepped segment after clearing all colon segments, using the following categories: excellent (essentially 100% visualization), good (very unlikely to impair visualization), fair (possibly impairing visualization), and poor (definitely impairing visualization). We categorized examinations into 3 preparation groups: optimal (excellent/good) (n=8453), fair (n=598), and poor (n=119). Recommendations other than 10 years for examinations with optimal preparation, and >1 year for examinations with poor preparation, were considered nonadherent. RESULTS Of all examinations, 6.2% overall received nonadherent recommendations, including 5% of examinations with optimal preparation and 89.9% of examinations with poor preparation. Of normal examinations with fair preparation, 20.7% of recommendations were for an interval <10 years. Among those examinations with fair preparation, shorter-interval recommendations were associated with female sex, former/nonsmokers, and endoscopists with adenoma detection rate ≥20%. CONCLUSIONS In 8453 colonoscopies with optimal preparations, most recommendations (95%) were guideline-adherent. No guideline recommendation currently exists for fair preparation, but in this investigation into community practice, the majority of the fair preparation group received 10-year follow-up recommendations. A strikingly high proportion of examinations with poor preparation received a follow-up recommendation greater than the 1-year guideline recommendation. Provider education is needed to ensure that patients with poor bowel preparation are followed appropriately to reduce the risk of missing important lesions.
Modeling binary responses with stochastic covariates

AbstractIn a traditional binary regression model, covariates are assumed to be fixed by design. In practice, however, they are most likely to be stochastic and non-normally distributed. We develop modified maximum likelihood estimators for such situations. We show that these estimators are more efficient than the traditional binary regression estimators and robust to data anomalies. We illustrate our results using a real life example.
The Staff Officer's Paintbrush: The Art of Advising Commanders

This brief essay offers several frameworks that allow military staff officers to more faithfully, clearly, and professionally serve as subject-matter expert agents and advisors to their principals.
Use of real-world evidence from healthcare utilization data to evaluate drug safety during pregnancy

Purpose Because preapproval clinical trials typically exclude pregnant women, the evidence on drug safety during pregnancy required to inform drug labeling must come from postapproval controlled observational studies. Common designs have included pregnancy registries and case-control studies. Recently, pregnancy cohorts nested within healthcare utilization databases are increasingly being used. Despite clear advantages, these databases share some important limitations that may threaten the validity of studies emerging from them. Methods This paper describes the distinctive methodological aspects of conducting drug safety studies in healthcare utilization databases with special emphasis on design and analytic approaches to minimize biases. Results We describe considerations for study design, cohort definition, and follow-up. We then address issues related to exposure ascertainment based on prescription fills, including the importance of the etiologically relevant window and of properly accounting for preterm births. This is followed by a discussion of advantages and challenges when ascertaining maternal and infant outcomes based on secondary data. We then explore useful approaches to address confounding within the context of pregnancy research and of the potential for selection bias when restricting the cohort to live births. Finally, we consider issues related to external validity and statistical significance. The examples are mainly drawn from a pregnancy cohort nested in the Medicaid Analytic Extract. Conclusions The approaches presented provide guidance regarding the important methodological considerations that need to be attended to in order to generate valid, minimally biased risk when using large healthcare utilization databases for drug safety surveillance in pregnancy.
Formalin Versus Bouin Solution for Testis Biopsies: Which Is the Better Fixative?

Purpose:Some resources recommended Bouin solution for the fixation of testis biopsy specimens. We compared the histologic quality of rat testicular tissue using buffered formalin and Bouin solution...
Distributed Sensor Networks Based Shallow Subsurface Imaging and Infrastructure Monitoring

Distributed sensor networks can be used as passive seismic sensors to image and monitor subsurface and underground activities. Passive seismic surface-wave imaging adopts background ambient sounds from a far-field energy source. Because high frequency components decay a lot between the neighboring stations, conventional sparse sensor networks cannot image small-scale and shallow objects. In this article, we propose to use local seismic spatial autocorrelation coefficients, obtained by the combinations of independent dense sensor network measurements and pre-processed readings of its neighbor(s), to perform real-time collaborative imaging of the shallow subsurface objects. First, we derive the high-frequency spectral coefficient based shallow subsurface imaging method. Then, we apply the proposed approach to image a shallowly buried pipeline and obtain promising results. Furthermore, based on a time-lapse manner, the water leakage from the buried pipeline can also be detected using distributed computations between sensors. Comparisons and analysis of field deployments are made to validate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed method.
Effect of Tacrolimus Metabolism Rate on Renal Func-tion Among Hispanic Kidney Transplant Recipients

Acute Pneumonia, Emphasis, Antibiotic-Resistant, Therapeutic, Stereotypes, Vascular Membranes, Blood Pressure, Pulmonary Vessels...
Challenges and Successes of Pregnancy Assistance Fund Programs Supporting Young Fathers.

Introduction Since 2010, the Office of Population Affairs (formerly the Office of Adolescent Health) has offered funding to support expectant and parenting youth through the Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF). PAF grantees typically focus on serving young mothers, so programs serving young fathers are more limited. Methods Based on a purposive sample of nine past and current PAF grantees that serve young fathers, this study describes the overall program designs, provides a detailed view of the challenges to serving young fathers, and identifies key strategies for successful father engagement. Results Across grantees, program components were largely the same for both young fathers and mothers. Recruitment and engagement were the most commonly cited challenges to young fathers' participation in the PAF-funded programs. Discussion Successful strategies for serving young fathers included recruiting from places that fathers naturally frequent, creating program space welcoming to fathers, and hiring staff who understand the experiences of young fathers.
The Frankfurt School and Its Aftermath

In this chapter, I outline some theoretical considerations and basic concepts that guide my research. One of the major influences on studies of media has been the work of the early Frankfurt School. Max Horkheimer and Theodore Adorno held that mass media and popular culture under the conditions of late capitalism were repressive and only served to support an order of domination. Late capitalism had contained conflict and dissent including popular culture. Forms of mass and popular entertainment like music, radio, and later television were inherently conformist.
Metal Oxide Nanoparticle Toxicity in Aquatic Organisms: An Overview of Methods and Mechanisms

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been variously used in the areas of agriculture, biomedicine, nanotechnology, human health, and biological applications. The potential human and animal exposures to NPs are increasing as the range of consumer products containing engineered NPs increases over time. Thus, there has been a surge in research focusing on the interactions and toxicity of NPs with living organisms. The toxicity of metallic nanoparticles such as Ag has been extensively studied in bacterial cell studies. However, one of the most widely used nanomaterials includes metal oxide NPs. Metal oxide NPs are generally utilized for their semiconductor properties. NPs such as TiO2, ZnO, and CuO have been used in different applications including photocatalysis, energy storage, and biomedical applications. This chapter focuses on the interactions of TiO2, ZnO, and CuO NPs and their adverse effects on live organisms and cells. Special emphasis is given in this chapter to discuss recent results reported on the interactions of algal cells: Diatoms/plankton species, bivalve species, fish species. Some studies on the exposure of human cell lines and mammalian models are also included. The common effects of metal oxide nanoparticles exhibited across the species of organisms include, predominately, oxidative stress and decreased cellular viability. To gain a comprehensive picture of NP toxicity, the identification of surfactant toxicity is important, as many of the stabilizing agents used in NP synthesis are highly toxic. Finally, the stability of the NPs is important to the discussion of NP toxicity. Stability of NPs and NP toxicity can be seen as the toxicological differences in the phases of TiO2. Rutile is the most thermodynamically stable form of TiO2 and is less toxic than the anatase form of TiO2. As well, CuO and ZnO NPs are sparingly soluble in aqueous solution, which can generate Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions in solution. Both Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions are toxic and complicate the interpretations of CuO and ZnO NP toxicity.
How Should We Organize Care for Patients With Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Comorbidities? A Multisite Qualitative Study of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Care in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

Background With human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) now managed as a chronic disease, health care has had to change and expand to include management of other critical comorbidities. We sought to understand how variation in the organization, structure and processes of HIV and comorbidity care, based on patient-centered medical home (PCMH) principles, was related to care quality for Veterans with HIV. Research design Qualitative site visits were conducted at a purposive sample of 8 Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, varying in care quality and outcomes for HIV and common comorbidities. Site visits entailed conduct of patient interviews (n=60); HIV care team interviews (n=60); direct observation of clinic processes and team interactions (n=22); and direct observations of patient-provider clinical encounters (n=45). Data were analyzed using a priori and emergent codes, construction of site syntheses and comparing sites with varying levels of quality. Results Sites highest and lowest in both HIV and comorbidity care quality demonstrated clear differences in provision of PCMH-principled care. The highest site provided greater team-based, comprehensive, patient-centered, and data-driven care and engaged in continuous improvement. Sites with higher HIV care quality attended more to psychosocial needs. Sites that had consistent processes for comorbidity care, whether in HIV or primary care clinics, had higher quality of comorbidity care. Conclusions Provision of high-quality HIV care and high-quality co-morbidity care require different care structures and processes. Provision of both requires a focus on providing care aligned with PCMH principles, integrating psychosocial needs into care, and establishing explicit consistent approaches to comorbidity management.
Is Novel Research Worth Doing? Evidence from Journal Peer Review

Scientific institutions like journals and funding agencies often express desire for novel ideas, but there are long-standing concerns that in practice they favor conservative ones. Here, we examine the association between novelty and acceptance among 21,406 manuscripts submitted between 2013-2018 to one field-leading and one middle-tier life sciences journal. Measuring the novelty of submissions as atypical combinations of journals in their reference lists, we find no evidence of conservatism. Instead, at the top journal, submissions in the top quintile of novelty are 18.5 percentage points more likely than bottom quintile ones to get accepted, while the middle-tier journal shows no systematic favor for or against novel submissions. Separating plausible mechanisms into supply-side (characteristics of the submission pool) and demand-side (judgements by editors and reviewers) shows the importance of the latter, and particularly editor discretion. On the supply-side, novelty is not strongly associated with submissions’ risk or reward, measured with citations. On the demand-side, at the top journal peer reviewers do not select for or against novelty, while editors select strongly for novelty, even conditional on quality. In further support of editor discretion, different editors show different novelty responses to the manuscripts that happened to be reviewed by both journals. Overall, the findings show that journal peer review, particularly at the top, incentivizes novel work.