cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strengthening the academic base of general pediatrics fellowship programs: a national program and curriculum development project.

Objective.—To improve academic general pediatrics (AGP) fellowship programs by 1) developing curriculum guidelines and program standards and 2) creating a process for program review and consultation that might later be used for accreditation of AGP fellowship programs. Methods.—This project of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association (APA) created 4 documents: AGP fellowship program requirements, core curriculum, educational goals and objectives, and a standardized form to describe required program characteristics. Site visits were conducted at 7 volunteer AGP fellowship programs, selected for diversity of content, structure, and location. Evaluations were conducted using a uniform checklist of requirements that combined numerical ratings with a written evaluation summary.Feedbackfromprogramsonthereviewprocessenabled refinement of the documents. Results.—The site visits revealed great variety in emphasis among the 7 programs. In general, faculty were dedicated and capable, and programs showed considerable educational strengths. Typical problems were lack of integration of the program within departmental structures, overburdened faculty, and uncertain funding. Many programs demonstrated suboptimal curriculum planning and weak evaluation methods. Most program leaders felt that the project materials helped to improve the quality of their programs, and 5 of 7 programs expressed willingness to be involved in formal accreditation review in the future. Conclusions.—AGP fellowshipprograms that volunteeredforpiloting of an accreditation process were diverse and vital, with rich educational offerings despite a lack of optimal curriculum structure, minimal evaluation, limited faculty resources, and tenuous funding. An APA accreditation process appears to be feasible and may enhance AGP fellowship programs.
A demerit system for binomial distributed defects applied to medication error severity data

In this article we introduce a demerit system for generally m defect classes based on the assumption that total demerits has the binomial distribution. Then we derive general expressions for error probabilities Type I and Type II that would make possible economic design. We assume the binomial distribution assumption is reasonable for medication error severity data, and our new demerit system seems to provide an appropriate monitor.
Radiotherapy-Induced Malignancies: Review of Clinical Features, Pathobiology, and Evolving Approaches for Mitigating Risk

One of the most significant effects of radiation therapy on normal tissues is mutagenesis, which is the basis for radiation-induced malignancies. Radiation-induced malignancies are late complications arising after radiotherapy, increasing in frequency among survivors of both pediatric and adult cancers. Genetic backgrounds harboring germline mutations in tumor suppressor genes are recognized risk factors. Some success has been found with using genome wide association studies to identify germline polymorphisms associated with susceptibility. The insights generated by genetics, epidemiology, and the development of experimental models are defining potential strategies to offer to individuals at risk for radiation-induced malignancies. Concurrent technological efforts are developing novel radiotherapy delivery to reduce irradiation of normal tissues, and thereby, to mitigate the risk of radiation-induced malignancies. The goal of this review is to discuss epidemiologic, modeling, and radiotherapy delivery data, where these lines of research intersect and their potential impact on patient care.
Firm and Industry Evolution and Entrepreneurship (FIVE Project): Data Overview

Researchers in economics, management, and sociology have collected individual industry historical data that include all of the firms in the industry beginning from industry birth. The FIVE Project has obtained preliminary commitments from more than ten individuals to make approximately forty-five industry data sets freely available. Download the slides at: http://papers.ssrn.com/paper=1028022 Download the audio file at: http://papers.ssrn.com/paper=1029762
Apparatus to measure the vapor pressure of slowly decomposing compounds from 1 Pa to 10 5 Pa.

This article describes an apparatus and method for measuring vapor pressures in the range from 1 Pa to 105 Pa. Its three distinctive elements are : (1) the static pressure measurements were made with only a small temperature difference between the vapor and the condensed phase, (2) the sample was degassed in situ, and (3) the temperature range extended up to 200 °C. The apparatus was designed to measure metal-organic precursors, which often are toxic, pyrophoric, or unstable. Vapor pressures are presented for naphthalene, ferrocene, diethyl phthalate, and TEMAH (tetrakisethylmethylaminohafnium). Also presented are data for the temperature-dependent decomposition rate of TEMAH.
New or Little Known Lignicolous Aphyllophorales (Basidiomycotina) from Southeastern United States

SUtMMARY Eleven species of Corticiaceae and Steccherinaceae (Aphyllophorales) are described and illustrated. IThe new species pioposed are Amphinema arachispora, Hyphodontia comptopsis, Hyphodontia lanata, Lazulinospora cinnamomea, Mycoacia meridionalis, Phanerochaete insolita, Scytinostromella fallax, Steccherinum tenue, and Steccherimum vagum. Botryohypochnus chordulatus is presented as a new combination, and Hyphoderma echinocystis is reported for the first time fiom North America. Cultural characters are provided for four species. Mycoacia meridionalis is shown to be heterothallic and bipolar. Since they were treated by Burt (1914-1923), little attention has been accorded the effused Aphyllophorales of the southeastern United States. Schweinitz (1822) reported on many of these fungi and described numerous new species. Berkeley, using specimens supplied by Curtis and Ravenel, published descriptions of known as well as new species of the effused Aphyllophorales in the mid to late 19th Century. Overholts (1938) described a number of new species, but with the exception of Burt's treatments the Basidiomycetes of the Southeast have received little recent attention. As a result the flora of these fungi is today poorly known and descriptions of the species are often inadequate for identification purposes. It is the purpose of this paper to further elucidate the flora of the Southeast. During the past decade, the first author has made many collections of such fungi throughout the Southeast. Among them were a number of new species, new records, or rarely encountered species. Some of these are treated in this paper.
Contralateral interhemispheric approach to deep-seated cavernous malformations: surgical considerations and clinical outcomes in 31 consecutive cases.

BACKGROUND Deep-seated periventricular cavernous malformations of the basal ganglia or thalamus can be approached via an interhemispheric craniotomy. OBJECTIVE To determine surgical efficacy and clinical outcomes of the contralateral interhemispheric approach. METHODS Retrospective chart review was performed on patients undergoing an interhemispheric approach for the resection of deep-seated cavernous malformation by the senior author (R.F.S.) between 2005 and 2013. Demographic data and clinical outcomes were reviewed. Pre- and postoperative imaging were analyzed for lesion location, size, associated venous anomaly, proximity to ventricle, and presence of residual. RESULTS Twenty-one patients underwent a contralateral interhemispheric-transventricular approach, 7 patients had a contralateral interhemispheric-transcingulate approach and 3 patients had a contralateral interhemispheric-transchoroidal approach. Mean age was 40.1 years, and the majority were female (58.1%). Mean maximum cavernoma diameter was 1.97 cm, and 43.8% reached the surface of the ventricle. Average follow-up was 8.9 months, with complete resection achieved in 96.8% of patients. At last follow-up, 61.3% of patients remained stable and 29.0% had improved. Of the patients, 6.5% experienced transient weakness that resolved at last follow-up, and 1 patient (3.2%) had short-term memory problems. There were no surgical mortalities. CONCLUSION The contralateral interhemispheric approach is a safe, clinically well tolerated, and surgically efficacious approach to deep-seated cavernomas.
DO COMMON CARRIAGE, SPECIAL INFRASTRUCTURE, AND GENERAL PURPOSE TECHNOLOGY RATIONALES JUSTIFY REGULATING COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS?

We address whether regulation of communications networks remains warranted. We use the concepts of public utility, common carrier, special infrastructure, and general purpose technologies to analyze this question, as such concepts typically are invoked as foundations for continued regulation of communications networks. We examine the historical development of the public utility and common carrier concepts and find that the essential features of these constructs largely do not fit communications networks today and for the foreseeable future. More recent frameworks for economic regulation also do not fit. Communications networks are not special infrastructure because they do not exhibit zero marginal costs over an appreciable range of demand and do not exhibit a differentiating amount of social demand. Communications networks appear to satisfy the conditions for general purpose technologies, but the features of these technologies that would compel economic regulation, primarily the presence of significant externalities, are lacking.
The Myth of Rescue Reversal in "Can't Intubate, Can't Ventilate" Scenarios

BACKGROUND:An unanticipated difficult airway during induction of anesthesia can be a vexing problem. In the setting of can’t intubate, can’t ventilate (CICV), rapid recovery of spontaneous ventilation is a reasonable goal. The urgency of restoring ventilation is a function of how quickly a patient’s
Women in Academia

Chinese-born women scientists and engineers in the U.S. are influenced by both Chinese and American academia, which each have their own history and cultural traditions. This section provides historical, societal, academic, and cultural context regarding the experiences of women students, including Chinese-born women, in both Chinese and American academia.
Introduction and Organization

This book is about the migration of West African women to the United States. It recognizes the importance of previous theoretical paradigms (such as the push-pull model of migration and the world systems perspective), but also goes beyond these approaches by incorporating aspects of nationality, culture, normative systems, and the institutional processes that immigrants forge to anchor their immigrant experiences and lived realities in the host society. The aim is to portray the social, economic, and cultural processes by which the women create and give meanings and contents to their diaspora experiences in the United States.
The Damage Cascade

In our discussion of cascade development, no consideration was given to the spatial arrangement of displaced atoms. We assumed that every Frenkel pair created was preserved and that no annihilation occurred. However, the spatial arrangement of these Frenkel pairs is crucial in determining the number that survive annihilation or immobilization by clustering. In order to understand what the damaged region looks like, we need to know whether the displacements are concentrated or distributed. A helpful tool in this regard is the mean free path for displacement collisions, i.e., collisions in which the energy transferred is greater than E d. This will tell us how far apart the displacements occur and hence the separation distance between Frenkel pairs.
Magnetic resonance imaging of muscle electroporation injury

Low frequency electrical currents traversing the body during electrical shock can produce tissue damage by effects of electrical forces on cellular organelles and proteins as well as by Joule heating beyond thermotolerance. Treatment for these different injuries are quite distinct. Therefore, it is important to accurately diagnose the form of injury. Here we discuss the use of MRI for this purpose.
Negative Regulation of Cell Cycle Kinetics of Human Hematopoietic Cells by the Transcription Factor Dmtf1.

Abstract Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are predominantly quiescent with only a small number entering active phases of cell cycle at any time point. With such tightly regulated cell cycle kinetics, HSCs ensure preservation of the stem cell pool. Many cell cycle-related proteins, mainly tumor suppressor genes, are involved in maintenance of HSCs quiescence. Dmtf1 (Cyclin D-binding Myb-like Protein1) is a transcription factor that negatively regulates cell cycle by inducing Arf expression, and its deletion has been reported in some leukemias (Bodner SM et al, 1999). As there is no information regarding the role of Dmtf1 in hematopoiesis, we examined the impact of Dmtf1 on regulating cell cycle kinetics of hematopoietic progenitor cells. Dmtf1 mRNA was expressed in human granulocytes, lymphocytes, CD34+ cells, and in murine Sca1+lin-CD117+ (KSL) cells. Using retroviral vectors (MIEG3/IRES-GFP), we first investigated cell cycle progression in 293 cells transduced with four different constructs; GFP only control vector (−), wild type Dmtf1 (WT), and two dominant negative mutants expressing a point mutation (K319E) or a deleted myb-like repeat box (dMHR). A total of 36.0% of sorted and cultured GFP+ control (−) cells were in S/G2+M 24hr after initiation of culture. Whereas 30.8% of cells expressing (WT) were in S/G2+M at the same time point, expression of the two dominant negative mutants K319E and dMHR induced 46.6% and 45.5% of the cells into S/G2+M, respectively suggesting that loss of Dmtf1 activity results in rapid cell proliferation. Interestingly, a 2.5-fold increase in the ecxpression of Arf and p21 mesured by qPCR was detected in cells transduced with WT only whereas other transduced cells did not show any change in expression of both Arf and p21. The impact of these constructs was then evaluated in cord blood cells using CFU assays. Cord blood CD34+ cells were transduced with the four vectors mentioned above and GFP+ cells were subsequently sorted and cultured. Both K319E and dMHR induced a 25% increase in the number of clonogenic progenitors relative to (−) while a modest decrease of 10% in colony numbers was detected in the WT group. Cells cycle analysis of these cells is currently under investigation. These results demonstrate that Dmtf1 acts as a negative regulator of cell cycle control in hematopoietic cells and suggests that it may play a role in the maintenance of HSC quiescence.
A Defense Defended

Vigorous criticism often brings clarity to what is at issue. The thirteen commentators have made important contributions in that regard and are owed a debt of gratitude. Perhaps the most common obj...
Sequencing the genomic regions flanking S-linked PvGLO sequences confirms the presence of two GLO loci, one of which lies adjacent to the style-length determinant gene CYP734A50

Primula vulgaris contains two GLOBOSA loci, one located adjacent to the style length determinant gene CYP734A50 which lies within the S -locus. Using a combination of BAC walking and PacBio sequencing, we have sequenced two substantial genomic contigs in and around the S-locus of Primula vulgaris. Using these data, we were able to demonstrate that two alleles of PvGlo P as well as PvGlo T can be present in the genome of a single plant, providing empirical evidence that these two forms of the MADS-box gene GLOBOSA are separate loci and not allelic as previously reported. We propose they should be renamed PvGLO1 and PvGLO2. BAC contigs extending from each GLOBOSA locus were identified and fully sequenced. No homologous genes were found between the contigs other than the GLOBOSA genes themselves, consistent with their identity as separate loci. Exons of the recently identified style-length determinant gene CYP734A50 were identified on one end of the contig containing PvGLO2 and these genes are adjacent in the genome, suggesting that PvGLO2 lies either within or at least very close to the S-locus. Current evidence suggests that both CYP734A50 and GLO2 are specific to the S-morph mating type and are hemizygous rather than heterozygous in the Primula genome. This finding contrasts classical models of the HSI locus, which propose that components of the S-locus are allelic, suggesting that these models may need to be reconsidered.
Selected Micronutrients and the Metabolic Basis for Their Support of Endothelial Health and Erectile Function

Nutrition supplies constituents that naturally occur in minute quantities that both feed cells and stabilize their inner and surrounding environment, as well as supplying constituents crucial to enzyme function in metabolic processes. The biochemical milieu of endothelial cells is dependent, as it is in all living cells, on micronutrients, and studying the availability and concentration of selected micronutrients provides a window into endothelial cell function. This chapter begins by examining several common micronutrients; chromium and cinnamon were chosen because they are central to insulin resistance (IR), a hazard to endothelium health. The chapter ends by re-examining the homocysteine/atherosclerosis controversy and the vitamin D/atherosclerosis controversy of interest in connection with endothelium function.
P 34 Does performance of mean arterial blood pressure for the screening of preeclampsia improve after controlling for the use of anti-hypertensive medication?

Question Mean arterial pressure (MAP) is a useful biomarker for the screening of preeclampsia (PE). However, MAP, a function of cardiac output and peripheral resistance, is dependent on other maternal characteristics and, for its effective use in screening, these need to be taken into account. One such characteristic is the use of anti-hypertensive medication. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of the use of anti-hypertensive medication on the performance of MAP as a screening tool for PE in pregnant women with chronic hypertension or a history of gestational hypertension. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on women with chronic hypertension (N = 478) and normotensive women with a history of gestational hypertension (N = 511) who booked with the Antenatal Hypertension Clinic, Kings College Hospital, London, between 2009–2016. Blood pressure was measured repeatedly antenatally using an automated device validated for use in pregnancy and PE. The more updated International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy (ISSHP)-2014 definition of PE was used. We constructed probit Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves (ROC) models to determine the predictive capacity of MAP in women taking anti-hypertensive medication and in those who were not. Wald tests of the null hypothesis that the two ROC curves are equal at different false-positive rates were performed. Age and medication use were taken into account in the comparisons. Results The area under the curves (AUC) for the prediction of PE (p = Conclusion The ability of MAP to predict PE and renal dysfunction is significantly improved by controlling for the use of anti-hypertensive medication in a high-risk pregnant population.
Do Methods Matter in Global Leadership Development? Testing the Global Leadership Development Ecosystem Conceptual Model:

As world communication, technology, and trade become increasingly integrated through globalization, multinational corporations seek employees with global leadership skills. However, the demand for these skills currently outweighs the supply. Given the rarity of globally ready leaders, global competency development should be emphasized in business education programs. Global leadership competence requires moving beyond the cognitive domain of learning to create socially responsible and culturally connected global leaders. This requires greater attention to understanding the impact of specific learning methods, the dynamics between them, and their effect on intended outcomes. A new conceptual model, the Global Leadership Development Ecosystem, was introduced in this study to test the impact of learning methods in developing global leadership competencies. It was based on four theories of learning including cognitive, social, experiential, and humanist. This study quantitatively tested the model using PASW st...
Entanglement studies of resonating valence bonds on the frustrated square lattice

We study a short-range resonating valence bond (RVB) wave function with diagonal links on the square lattice that permits sign-problem free wave function Monte Carlo studies. Special attention is given to entanglement properties, in particular, the study of minimum entropy states (MES) according to the method of Zhang et al. [Phys. Rev. B 85, 235151 (2012)]. We provide evidence that the MES associated with the RVB wave functions can be lifted from an associated quantum dimer picture of these wave functions, where MES states are certain linear combinations of eigenstates of a 't Hooft ``magnetic loop''-type operator. From this identification, we calculate a value consistent with $ln(2)$ for the topological entanglement entropy directly for the RVB states via wave function Monte Carlo. This corroborates the ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ nature of the RVB states. We furthermore define and elaborate on the concept of a ``pre-Kasteleyn'' orientation that may be useful for the study of lattices with nonplanar topology in general.
Internet of the body and cognitive companion: Enabling high-quality monitoring of patients at home

Wearables that continuously acquire vital and other medically relevant parameters facilitate treatment optimizations for individual patients and reduce the duration of hospitalizations — thus improving the patients' quality of life. To accomplish this, we demonstrate a scalable architecture that connects wearables through a hub to the cloud, combines edge and cloud computing to provide optimal user interaction, and allows analytics on multi-stream data from those connected devices.
Acquired Elastotic Hemangioma: Case Series and Comprehensive Literature Review

Background Acquired elastotic hemangioma is a benign vascular proliferation that typically presents as an asymptomatic red plaque on a sun-exposed site of an adult. Material and Methods The PubMed database was used to search the following words: acquired, angioma, arm, basal, carcinoma, cell, elastosis, elastotic, exposed, forearm, hemangioma, solar, sun, and vascular. The relevant papers and reference cited generated by the search were reviewed. The features from a case series of 11 patients with acquired elastotic hemangioma are presented. In addition, a comprehensive review of the characteristics of this unique hemangioma-not only in our 11 patients but also in the previously reported 34 individuals with this lesion-is provided. Results Acquired elastotic hemangioma, reported in 45 patients (24 women and 21 men), typically appeared as an asymptomatic solitary red plaque in sun-exposed areas-most commonly the forearm--of adults aged 50 years or older. The pathology shows a proliferation of vascular channels-surrounded and intertwined by intense solar elastosis--in the upper dermis, located parallel to the overlying epidermis, and separated from it by a zone of normal-appearing superficial papillary dermis. There was extensive solar elastosis surrounding and between the new blood vessels; some of the endothelial cells protrude (in a hob-nail pattern) into the vessel lumen. The clinical differential diagnosis includes basal cell carcinoma and the pathologic differential diagnosis includes other benign, malignant, and reactive vascular lesions. Ultraviolet radiation may contribute to the pathogenesis of this hemangioma since it occurs on sun-exposed sites. There was no recurrence of the lesion following either excision or observation. Conclusions The possibility of acquired elastotic hemangioma should be considered by clinicians when they encounter an older individual with a new red plaque on a sun-exposed site that clinically appears to be a superficial basal cell carcinoma.
Mobility, gait, balance, and falls

Gait and balance disorders are common causes of injury, disability, and diminished quality of life. A major consequence of gait and balance impairment is falls. There are many causes and risk factors for gait and balance disorders as well as falls. Some of these are potentially modifiable risk factors. Specific urologic conditions such as urinary incontinence and nocturia have been associated with the risk of falling. This chapter reviews the incidence and risk factors for gait impairment and falls in older adults as well as the assessment of gait and balance and evidence-based interventions to reduce the risk of falls.
Does Law Matter in China? An Empirical Study of a Limiting Case

Does law matter in China? According to previous studies, a Chinese law matters in the sense of having measurable effects if it serves vital state interests, is enforced by powerful agencies, and is clear and specific in its statutory language. From all the statutes enacted or amended since 1995, I find one that satisfies all these conditions — the Law on the Protection of Oil and Natural Gas Pipelines. Empirical analysis of the statute’s implementation, however, produces puzzling results. The statute serves core state interests. It is enforced by arguably the most powerful government agencies in China, and the statutory language is clear and specific. Yet, the enforcement of the law shows no impact on the safety of the oil pipelines. Solving this empirical puzzle requires a new theoretical perspective. Because of the weak judiciary and the fragmented state structure in China, legislation and subsequent implementation of a formal rule turns on the power distribution of the implicated parties. A statute therefore may be a mere codification of the status quo that reflects the existing power distribution: hence, the lack of measurable effects of the formal legal change. The findings of this study contribute to the literatures on lawmaking and law enforcement in China, and criminal law and punishment, especially the use of capital punishment.
A supervised iterative approach to 3D microstructure reconstruction from acquired tomographic data of heterogeneous fibrous systems

Abstract The recent ubiquitous utilization of short fiber reinforced composites (SFRCs) in applications that require complex shape conforming, light-weight materials with good strength properties, calls for in-depth studies to understand the underpinning physics behind SFRCs response to load and consequently damage. Since the accuracy of such studies is contingent on successful sub-volume characterization, the intricate sub-volume architecture of SFRCs requires conscientious methodology that addresses complex morphologies like fiber cross-overs, which is by no means a trivial endeavor. This paper proposes a novel framework that hinges on the synergy between robust 2D segmentation and 3D volume reconstruction techniques to faithfully reconstruct the fiber architecture of 3D X-ray tomograms of SFRCs. The implications of this framework not only include a platform that fully characterizes the complex sub-volume, but also provides a convenient means of incorporating tracking algorithms necessary for the in-situ characterization of the reconstructed fibers, if desired.
Can Islam Transform Liberalism

ABSTRACTThis article assesses theoretical frameworks used to address tensions between liberalism and Islam. It analyzes three general approaches to negotiating those tensions, and it outlines a fou...
Comparing U-Net convolutional network with mask R-CNN in the performances of pomegranate tree canopy segmentation

In the last decade, technologies of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and small imaging sensors have achieved a significant improvement in terms of equipment cost, operation cost and image quality. These low-cost platforms provide flexible access to high resolution visible and multispectral images. As a result, many studies have been conducted regarding the applications in precision agriculture, such as water stress detection, nutrient status detection, yield prediction, etc. Different from traditional satellite low-resolution images, high-resolution UAVbased images allow much more freedom in image post-processing. For example, the very first procedure in post-processing is pixel classification, or image segmentation for extracting region of interest(ROI). With the very high resolution, it becomes possible to classify pixels from a UAV-based image, yet it is still a challenge to conduct pixel classification using traditional remote sensing features such as vegetation indices (VIs), especially considering various changes during the growing season such as light intensity, crop size, crop color etc. Thanks to the development of deep learning technologies, it provides a general framework to solve this problem. In this study, we proposed to use deep learning methods to conduct image segmentation. We created our data set of pomegranate trees by flying an off-shelf commercial camera at 30 meters above the ground around noon, during the whole growing season from the beginning of April to the middle of October 2017. We then trained and tested two convolutional network based methods U-Net and Mask R-CNN using this data set. Finally, we compared their performances with our dataset aerial images of pomegranate trees. [Tiebiao- add a sentence to summarize the findings and their implications to precision agriculture]
Abstract P210: Blood Pressure Medication Adherence Among Medicare Beneficiaries, Causes and Consequences

Introduction: Medication non-adherence is a major healthcare barrier, especially among diseases which are largely asymptomatic such as hypertension. The impact of poor medication adherence ranges f...
20th International Workshop on Data Mining in Bioinformatics (BIOKDD 2021)

The goal of the 20th International Workshop on Data Mining in Bioinformatics (BIOKDD 2021) is to encourage KDD researchers to tackle the numerous problems and challenges in Bioinformatics using Data Mining technologies. Based on the organizers' expertise and the BIOKDD communities, BIOKDD 2021 features the theme of "Artificial Intelligence in Medicine". This topic focuses on the use of machine learning and data mining techniques for the analysis of large amounts of heterogeneous, complex, biological and medical data, with a particular focus on deep learning methods that have seen rapid advance and wider adoption in Bioinformatics (e.g., DeepVariant, AlphaFold 2). We also particularly welcome COVID-19 related research. The key goal is to accelerate the convergence between Data Mining and Bioinformatics communities to expedite discoveries in basic biology, medicine and healthcare.
Preoperative breast MRI features associated with positive or close margins in breast-conserving surgery.

Abstract Purpose To determine preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features associated with positive or close margins in patients with breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving surgery (BCS). Materials and methods A retrospective review identified 249 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) who underwent preoperative MRI and BCS as a primary procedure between 2008 and 2010. The MR images were reviewed for descriptions of findings with no new interpretations made. Margins were defined as positive (tumor touching the inked specimen margin), close ( Results Of the 249 patients, 83 (33.3%) had positive or close margins and 166 (66.7%) had negative margins on the initial BCS specimen. Multivariate analysis showed that multifocal disease (odds ratio, 4.8; 95% CI, 1.9–12.2; p = 0.001), nonmass enhancement lesion (odds ratio, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.5–6.2, p = 0.003), greater background parenchymal enhancement (odds ratio, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1–5.6; p = 0.023), larger lesion size (odds ratio, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.0–1.7, p = 0.032), and presence of ductal carcinoma in situ on needle biopsy (odds ratio, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3–4.6; p = 0.008) were independent predictors of positive or close margins. Conclusions Multifocal disease, nonmass enhancement lesion, or greater background parenchymal enhancement on preoperative breast MRI were significantly associated with positive or close margins. Identifying these MRI features before surgery can be helpful to reduce the reoperation rate in BCS.
Quantile forecasting and data-driven inventory management under nonstationary demand

Abstract In this paper, a single-step framework for predicting quantiles of time series is presented. Subsequently, we propose that this technique can be adopted as a data-driven approach to determine stock levels in the environment of newsvendor problem and its multi-period extension. Theoretical and empirical findings suggest that our method is effective at modeling both weakly stationary and some nonstationary time series. On both simulated and real-world datasets, the proposed approach outperforms existing statistical methods and yields good newsvendor solutions.
Daily luteal serum and urinary hormone profiles in the menopause transition: Study of Women's Health Across the Nation.

Objective To further characterize the endocrinology of the menopause transition, we sought to determine: whether relationships between urine and serum hormones are maintained as women enter their sixth decade; whether a single luteal phase serum progesterone (P) is reflective of integrated-luteal urinary pregnanediol glucuronide (uPdg); and whether serum P, like luteal uPdg, declines as women approach their final menses (FMP). Methods The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Daily Hormone Study's (DHS) is a community-based observational study. A subset of participants underwent a timed, luteal blood draw planned for cycle days 16 to 24 during the same month of DHS collection. Serum-luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol and P, and urine LH, FSH, estrone conjugates (E1c), and daily and integrated luteal uPdg were measured in 268 samples from 170 women. Serum/urine hormone associations were determined using Pearson's correlation and linear regression, adjusted for concurrent age, body mass index, smoking status, and race/ethnicity. Results Pearson's r ranged from 0.573 (for LH) to 0.843 (for FSH) for serum/urine correlations. Integrated luteal uPdg weakly correlated with serum P (Pearson's r = 0.26, P = 0.004) and explained 7% of the variability in serum P in adjusted linear regression (total R 0.09, P = 0.002). Serum P demonstrated a marginally significant decline with approaching FMP in adjusted analysis (P = 0.04). Conclusions Urine and serum hormones maintain a close relationship in women into their sixth decade of life. Serum luteal P was weakly reflective of luteal Pdg excretion.
Comparison of survival for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) between premenopausal and postmenopausal women: An analysis of the National Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Database

7038 Background: Estrogen signaling has been implicated in lung cancer formation and progression by pre-clinical studies. Estrogen receptor (ER) Beta is overexpressed in NSCLC. To understand the cl...
Procedures for Measuring Excreted and Ingested Calories to Assess Nutrient Absorption Using Bomb Calorimetry

OBJECTIVE With the upsurge in interest in the gut microbiome, complete and accurate measurement of ingested calories and calories lost through excreted stool is crucial for assessing the effect of the microbiota on nutrient absorption. METHODS Measurement of ingested and excreted calories was conducted over 3 days. Meals were made in duplicate: one was given to the participant, and one was used for the measurement of calories. Stool was marked by nonabsorbable dye ingested prior to and at the end of each 3-day diet period and was collected for caloric assessment from the appearance of the first dye marker until the appearance of the second dye marker. RESULTS Stool calories per gram for pellets were 4.91 ± 0.06 kcal/g. The mean stool calorie loss as a percentage of ingested calories was 7.3% ± 1.6% (range, 6.6%-8.5%). The stool measurement of kilocalories per gram was not associated with the total measured stool calories or with stool weight (P = 0.2 and P = 0.2, respectively) over the 3-day period. However, the weight of stool samples during each dietary intervention was positively associated with the calorie loss in stool (r = 0.58, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Our methods provide a direct measure of ingested calories and stool calories needed to accurately assess relative stool calorie loss as a measure of nutrient absorption. The weight of stool samples across the marked diet period is crucial to determining total stool calories.
Generator Contract and Transmission Investment Options in Nigeria: Cost and Security Implications

Contractual arrangements with generating plants in Nigeria have lead to improved power generation facilities, but also new constraints. It is important to select operational stances and future investments that provide flow pattern flexibility that continues to widen options for generating parties in the bulk electricity trading pool, and accommodate different unit commitment patterns. This paper confirms and quantifies that there are mild negative consequences for hourly cost and security due to take-or-pay contracts, using a security constrained optimal power flow. It then applies an optimal transmission expansion methodology to determine transmission asset investments may improve power system security in Nigeria, rather than reducing the total level of power delivered. Several candidate lines are proposed based on the intersection of optimal line choices for separate contingencies.
Second victim experiences of nurses in obstetrics and gynaecology: A Second Victim Experience and Support Tool Survey.

Aim (s) To investigate second victim experiences and supportive resources for nurses in obstetrics and gynaecology. Background Nurses are at risk of developing second victim experiences after exposure to work related events. Methods Nurses at a single institution were invited to participate in an anonymous survey that included the validated Second Victim Experience and Support Tool to assess symptoms related to second victim experiences and current and desired supportive resources. Results Of 310 nurses, 115 (37.1%) completed the survey; 74.8% had not heard of the term 'second victim'. Overall, 47.8% reported feeling like a second victim during their career and 19.1% over the previous 12 months. As a result of a second victim experience, 18.4% experienced psychological distress, 14.3% turnover intentions, 13.0% decreased professional self-efficacy, and 12.2% felt that institutional support was poor. Both clinical and non-clinical events were reported as possible triggers for second victim experiences. Peer support was the most desired form of support as reported by 95.5%. Conclusion(s) Nurses in obstetrics and gynaecology face clinical and non-clinical situations that lead to potential second victim experiences. Implications for nursing management The second victim experiences of nurses should be acknowledged, and resources should be implemented to navigate it. Educational opportunities and peer supportive interventions specific to second victim experiences should be encouraged.
Technical note: A technique to mount Sarcophagidae and Calliphoridae (Diptera) larvae for forensic identification using geometric morphometrics.

Abstract Geometric morphometric analyses use landmark coordinates from images of specific areas on specimens. Therefore, to minimize differences arising from human preparation, preparation of the specimen is crucial. The application of geometric morphometrics has been used in entomology for identifying adult dipteran species, however, applying this technique to larval specimens requires the production of standard protocols which would allow specimens to be compared equally. This proposed protocol consists of a two-step process: 1. using 15% potassium hydroxide (KOH) to clear the specimen, followed by rinsing the specimen with 80% ethanol; 2. removal and spreading of the mouthhooks on a slide for imaging and analysis. The goal of this work is to standardize specimen preparation, which would reduce human error and facilitate use of geometric morphometrics to identify dipteran larvae.
Formal Rules in Institutional Transitions: An Examination Based on the Meiji Restoration and the Xinhai Revolution

This paper focuses on the roles of formal rules (laws) in institutional emergence, sustenance, crisis, and transition based on an examination of the Meiji Restoration and the Xinhai Revolution. It describes how formal rules in the polities of Qing China and Tokugawa Japan were enforced, supplemented, or modified by the strategic interactions among the ruler, the intermediate organizations, and the peasantry. It then discusses how the strategic complementarities between the ruler and the intermediate organizations were transformed into strategic rivalries in response to changes in the economic and foreign environments, resulting in the demise of dynastic rule in each country. The post-transition constitutional design was affected by the ways in which the strategic reconfigurations had led to the demise of the dynastic rulers. This historical narrative suggests that formal rules per se do not necessarily create institutions in the sense of an integral pattern and process of social behaviour and ideas. A formal rule can function as a substantive form of an institutional process if, and only if, it mediates between a recursive state of strategic interactions among agents and individual belief formation in order to sustain the social order.
A 16 pJ/bit 0.1-15Mbps Compressive Sensing IC with on-chip DWT Sparsifier for Audio Signals

The emergence of Audio-based Augmented Reality has been calling for increasing data-rates for audio signals, with significant reduction in power to enable extremely energy-constrained sensor nodes. Typically, the communication power dominates sensing and computing power in a node [1]. For highly energy constrained scenarios, compressive sensing (CS) have been demonstrated (Fig. 1), where samples are first compressed at the sensor to contain the same information in a smaller number of samples, before transmitting to a receiver, where the signal is reconstructed. Previous CS works [2]–[5] have focused entirely on “sparse” physiological signals, operating in low speed regime. This work illustrates the first CS design, enabled with a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) sparsifier for catering to non-sparse signals such as high definition audio. Audio recording and playback are quite sensitive to quality, thereby requiring audio codecs, such as. aac, for efficient compression and decompression of audio streams, which usually consume power in the order of mW [6]. Audio inferencing operated in intelligent assistants are more tolerant to input quality, functioning effectively when the Perceptual Evaluation of Audio Quality Mean Opinion Score (PAEQ MOS) [7], an ITU-R standard objective metric for characterizing perceived audio quality, exceeds 1.5. CS presents an opportunity to achieve >10X reduction in transmitted audio data with orders of magnitude lower power, as compared to codecs. The design is implemented in 65 nm CMOS and consumes 238 uW power at 0.65 V and 15 Mbps.
A Relational-Database Methodology for Incorporating Consciousness into AI Agents

Consciousness is key to Artificial General Intelligence. It is currently unclear what is consciousness and we expect that by the time it is understood, there will probably be millions of man-years ...
Learning from the Past? Sovereign Space and Recreating Self-Reliance in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia

Kosrae, the smallest state in FSM, avoided COVID-19 as FSM quickly enforced border closures. Many islanders believed that the health risk of Kosraeans being repatriated was too great, after earlier experiences of population decline from European diseases. Enforced localisation created a space for Kosraeans to reconsider where globalisation was desirable or detrimental. Kosraeans exerted agency and territorial sovereignty to prevent the incursion of the pandemic and selectively maintained connections with the USA (for Compact of Free Association funding), financial support from other countries (notably China), and the continued flow of remittances. Although interest in local lifeways and heritage increased, with support for practices that would increase self-reliance, with agriculture and fisheries promoted, commodity imports remained valued and radical restructuring was thwarted by continuity and inertia.
Probing the Yeast Phase-Specific Expression of the CBP1 Gene in Histoplasma capsulatum

Histoplasma capsulatum is a pathogenic fungus that exists in two distinct forms. The saprophytic mycelial phase inhabits moist soil environments; once inhaled, hyphae and conidia convert to a unicellular yeast phase that is capable of parasitizing macrophage phagolysosomes. Yeasts cultures, but not mycelial cultures, release large quantities of a calcium-binding protein (CBP) which may be important in calcium acquisition during intracellular parasitism. In this study, we show that the gene encoding CBP (CBP1) is transcriptionally regulated. To identify promoter sequences that are important for yeast phase-specific activity, we created a series of fusions between successively truncated CBP1 5' untranslated regulatory sequences and the Escherichia coli lacZ gene. The fusions were constructed on a telomeric shuttle plasmid that can replicate autonomously in the fungus. By assaying for beta-galactosidase activity from H. capsulatum transformants, we identified a 102-bp region that mediates promoter activation and yeast phase promoter activity. Base pair substitution analysis suggests that the sequences between 839 and 877 bp upstream of the start codon are the most important for this positive regulation.
Experimental measure of retinal impact force resulting from intraocular foreign body dropped onto retina through media of differing viscosity.

Background To evaluate and compare the perfluorocarbon liquid, silicone oil, and viscoelastic against standard saline, in their ability to dampen the impact force of a foreign body, dropped within the eye. In an experimental surgical model in where cohesive and adhesive forces of the substances are not enough to float heavy-than-water foreign bodies. Methods A model of ophthalmic surgery was constructed. A BB pellet was dropped from 24 mm onto a force transducer through four different fluids: balanced salt solution, perfluoro-n-octane, viscoelastic, and silicone oil. The impact energy (force) for each case was measured and recorded by the force transducer. The mean force of impact for each fluid was compared using the Student t-test. Results Silicone oil resulted in the lowest force of impact. Both silicone oil and viscoelastic dampened the impact an order of magnitude more than perfluoro-n-octane and balanced salt solution. Conclusions Silicone oil and viscoelastic cushioned the force from a dropped BB. They may be useful adjuncts to prevent iatrogenic retinal injury during vitrectomy for intraocular foreign body removal.
Measurement of linear-response Coulomb drag in insulating a-Si1−xNbx bilayer systems

Abstract We report observations of the Coulomb drag effect between insulating a- Si1−xNbx films. We find that a linear-response transresistivity ( ρ d ) can only be realized over a limited range of experimental parameters. We observe an anomalous decrease in the single layer resistance and transresistance at low temperatures ( T 3 K ) due to an additional non-linear response coupling, which is in need of further investigation. In this manuscript, we focus on the behaviour at not too low temperatures ( 3 K T 15 K ) , where the intralayer transport is unperturbed by the bilayer geometry, and the temperature dependence of ρ d is qualitatively consistent with the layers being Efros–Shklovskii-type (as opposed to Mott-type) Anderson insulators. This is in agreement with past studies on the low energy transport in insulating a- Si1−xNbx. We show that functionally the temperature dependence in this regime is consistent with the layers having a 3-d density of states. Comparison to single-layer samples shows that the effective layer thickness is indeed increased in the bilayer geometry.