cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanisation of short rotation forestry

Abstract This paper is split into two distinct parts since it addresses two very different crops grown in North America and Europe. In North America short rotation forestry is being developed principally to generate a feedstock for the wood pulping industry and is typically single stem hardwood plantations grown for 6–10 years before harvest. In Europe by contrast, coppiced willow plantations are being grown as an energy crop and harvested on a 3–4 year cycle. In North America, the industry is being driven by the large pulp producing companies; plantations are designed to fit the local conditions and specialist mechanisation is generally not being used. Rather, the companies are using standard agricultural or forestry practices for planting and husbandry and using the crews which already exist to harvest the crop. This paper describes the type of plantations which are being used and the mechanisation which is being applied. In Europe, the coppice crops are grown commercially in Sweden and will shortly be planted on a commercial scale in the UK. In Sweden, the resulting wood fuel is fed into the many wood fired district heating plants and combined heat and power plants. In the UK, the majority of new planting will be used to fire power generation plants working on the gasification principle. Three plants have been given contracts to generate electricity under a premium price scheme and this could result in the planting of 8,000 ha of coppice. Sweden has lead the development of mechanisation for the crop and two harvesters are now considered to be commercial; they are based on existing machines for harvesting forage and sugar cane. Planters are also at the commercial stage of development and machines for weed control have been tested. This paper covers the machinery developments and discusses issues relevant to the mechanisation of the crop such as: whether to harvest as chips or as whole shoots (sticks), the impact of soil compaction, weed control and plantation layout.
Transfer Effects of Adding Seductive Details to Case-Based Instruction.

Abstract The current research investigates the efficacy of the case-based instructional method for teacher education when seductive details (i.e. interesting but extraneous details) are included or removed. Aspiring teachers ( n = 108) learned about principles of writing effective feedback in a text-based lesson without a description of a classroom case (C control), with a classroom case that contained seductive details (SD group), or with a classroom case that did not contain seductive details (NSD group). All participants then took retention and transfer tests. Results indicated equivalent group performance on retention, but improved performance for the NSD group compared to the SD group on transfer ( d = 0.64). Results encourage the use of cognitive design principles to support meaningful learning when using classroom cases in instruction.
Zinc and Copper Intakes and Their Major Food Sources for Older Adults in the 1994–96 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII)

Zinc and copper are two trace minerals essential for important biochemical functions and necessary for maintaining health throughout life. Several national food surveys revealed marginally to moderately low contents of both nutrients in the typical American diet. Using data from the respondents >/= 60 y old in the 1994-96 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII), we examined average dietary intakes of zinc, copper and relevant dietary factors; primary dietary contributors of zinc and copper; and Zn:Cu ratios of the primary dietary contributors. Data were analyzed with the use of a chi(2) test, Student's t test and multivariate analysis of covariance with Bonferroni correction. The daily zinc intake was 12 +/- 6.4 mg for men and 8.0 +/- 4.0 mg for women (P < 0.05); the daily copper intake was 1.3 +/- 0.7 mg for men and 1.0 +/- 0.5 mg for women (P < 0.05). Foods such as beef, ground beef, legumes, poultry, ready-to-eat and hot cereals, and pork constituted the major sources of zinc. Copper consumption was contributed mainly by legumes, potato and potato products, nuts and seeds, and beef. The less-than-recommended intakes of zinc and copper by the elderly were likely associated with age, low income and less education. The intakes of zinc and copper could be improved by more frequent consumption of food sources rich in these minerals. An inherent limitation of this study was the use of the 24-h dietary recall method, which may underestimate usual dietary intakes. Nonetheless, this study affirms the need for assessment of zinc and copper nutriture in the elderly.
A COMPARISON OF HOME RANGES OF TWO SPECIES OF PEROMYSCUS USING TRAPPING AND RADIOTELEMETRY DATA

We investigated differences between sizes of home ranges using trapping and radiotelemetry data for syntopic Peromyscus boyliiand P. truei. Sizes of home ranges were calculated from the minimum convex polygon of trap locations and radiotelemetry locations and compared between individuals. The 2 estimates of home-range size were significantly correlated, although on an average trapping home ranges were significantly smaller than sizes of radiotelemetry home ranges. Home-range sizes from radiotelemetry were inversely correlated with conspecific density, but home-range sizes from trapping were not. Thus, at low density, radiotelemetry home ranges were significantly larger than trapping home ranges, but at high density there was no difference between radiotelemetry and trapping home ranges. These results indicate that radiotelemetry results in larger estimates of home-range size, particularly at lower densities of conspecifics. The largest size estimates of home ranges were from a combination of radiotelemetry and trapping data.
Molecular determinants for the distinct pH sensitivity of Kir1.1 and Kir4.1 channels.

Kir1.1 (ROMK1) is inhibited by hypercapnia and intracellular acidosis with midpoint pH for channel inhibition (pK a) of ∼6.7. Another close relative, Kir4.1 (BIR10), is also pH sensitive with much ...
Job Mobility and Extramarital Sex in Reform-Era Urban China

The rise of extramarital sex in China is often portrayed as a consequence of a normative shift, that is, the diversification of family and related values that has accompanied the country's move toward a less ideologically controlled society. We argue that the increase in extramarital sex is not only the result of a normative shift but also has been structurally determined by a reorganization of the labor market. We view job mobility, which was strongly discouraged in the prereform era, as a proxy for employee's independence from institutional control over sexual behavior. Using a male sample from the Shanghai Sexual Network Survey (SSNS), a citywide representative survey of Shanghai population aged eighteen to forty-nine, our analysis reveals that male job changers, particularly those whose new jobs are in the market sector, are associated with a significantly higher likelihood of engaging in extramarital sex than those who never change jobs.
Conservation triage or injurious neglect in endangered species recovery

Listing endangered and threatened species under the US Endangered Species Act is presumed to offer a defense against extinction and a solution to achieve recovery of imperiled populations, but only if effective conservation action ensues after listing occurs. The amount of government funding available for species protection and recovery is one of the best predictors of successful recovery; however, government spending is both insufficient and highly disproportionate among groups of species, and there is significant discrepancy between proposed and actualized budgets across species. In light of an increasing list of imperiled species requiring evaluation and protection, an explicit approach to allocating recovery funds is urgently needed. Here I provide a formal decision-theoretic approach focusing on return on investment as an objective and a transparent mechanism to achieve the desired recovery goals. I found that less than 25% of the $1.21 billion/year needed for implementing recovery plans for 1,125 species is actually allocated to recovery. Spending in excess of the recommended recovery budget does not necessarily translate into better conservation outcomes. Rather, elimination of only the budget surplus for “costly yet futile” recovery plans can provide sufficient funding to erase funding deficits for more than 180 species. Triage by budget compression provides better funding for a larger sample of species, and a larger sample of adequately funded recovery plans should produce better outcomes even if by chance. Sharpening our focus on deliberate decision making offers the potential to achieve desired outcomes in avoiding extinction for Endangered Species Act-listed species.
Hybrid, ambiguous, and non-linear? How new is Russia’s ‘new way of war’?

Russia’s recent operations in Ukraine, especially the integrated use of militias, gangsters, information operations, intelligence, and special forces, have created a concern in the West about a ‘ne...
Matrix Isolation Investigation of the Interaction of SiH4 with NH3 and (CH3)3N

Co-deposition of samples of SiH4 and NH3 or the methylamines into argon and nitrogen matrices has led to the first isolation and characterization of 1:1 complexes between these reactants. Several Si−H stretching modes were observed, shifted as a result of complex formation. The Si−H axial stretch, in particular, shifted to lower energy upon complexation, with a shift that increased monotonically with the intrinsic basicity of the amine. The symmetric deformation mode of the complexed NH3 subunit shifted to higher energy, and retained evidence of hindered rotation about its C3 axis in solid argon, but not in solid nitrogen. The shifts of these vibrational modes were in good agreement with previous ab initio calculations, as well as calculations performed here. All of the spectral evidence points to a very weak binding energy in these complexes, in agreement with calculations.
Multiphonon states in 56 136 Ba 80

Low-lying multiphonon states in {sup 136}Ba have been populated with the inelastic neutron scattering reaction. Excitation functions were performed at neutron energies from 2.2 to 3.9 MeV, and {gamma}-ray angular distributions were measured at 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 MeV. Lifetimes have been determined using the Doppler-shift attenuation method, and electromagnetic transition rates have been deduced. The previously assigned 2{sub 1,ms}{sup +} mixed-symmetry state at 2128.9 keV has been confirmed and is not greatly fragmented. For the first time in the N=80 isotones, a 3{sub 2,ms}{sup +} two-phonon mixed-symmetry state is proposed. In addition, the 2{sub 5}{sup +} and the 4{sub 3}{sup +} levels at 2222.7 and 2356.4 keV, respectively, decay with large B(M1) values to the two-phonon 2{sub 2}{sup +} and 4{sub 1}{sup +} states, respectively, which suggests two-phonon mixed-symmetric character. Their excitation energies, however, are not consistent with this interpretation.
Whispering Gallery Mode Based-Micro-Optical Sensor for Electromagnetic Field Detection

In this paper we investigate the electrostriction effect on the whispering gallery modes (WGM) of polymeric microspheres and the feasibility of an WGM-based microsensor for electric field measurements. The electrostriction is the elastic deformation (strain) of a dielectric material under the force exerted by an electrostatic field. The deformation is accompanied by mechanical stress which perturbs the refractive index distribution in the sphere. Both the strain and the stress induce a shift in the WGM of the microsphere. In the present, we develop analytical expressions for the WGM shift due to electrostriction for solid and thin-walled hollow microspheres. Our analysis indicates that measurements of electric fields as small as ~500V/m may be possible using water filled, hollow PDMS micro-spheres. The electric field sensitivities for solid spheres, on the other hand, are significantly smaller. The effect of dielectric constant perturbations in the ambient medium on sphere WGM has also been investigated. A preliminary analysis indicates that changes of the order of ~10 -3 in dielectric constant of the medium surrounding the microsphere can be observed by using a water-filled hollow PDMS sphere.
Chemicals for subterranean termite control: results of long-term tests.

Numerous insecticides have been under study for many years in soils in southern Mississippi for protection against subterranean termite attack. Of these, aldrin, chlordane. dicldrin, and heptachlor applied at various concentrations and rates are still effective after 17 to 21 years.
Quantitative Trait Loci for Water‐Stress Tolerance Traits Localize on Chromosome 9 of Wild Tomato

A wild tomato species (Solanum habrochaites S. Knapp & D.M. Spooner) is tolerant to many abiotic stresses, including limited water, and can serve as a valuable genetic resource for breeding cultivated tomato (S. lycopersicum L.). Previously, we developed and used a set of 18 sub-near-isogenic lines (sub-NILs) containing introgressions from chromosome 9 of S. hab- rochaites to determine the genetic basis of tol- erance to rapid-onset water stress imposed by root chilling. In this study, we used this same set of 18 sub-NILs to investigate the genetic basis of tolerance to slow-onset water stress in the field imposed by restricted irrigation (with full water treatment as control) in replicated experiments for 2 yr in Davis, CA. The sub-NILs were evalu- ated for C isotope discrimination (D 13 C), specific leaf area (SLA), shoot dry weight (SDW), yield, and other horticultural traits. A total of 19 QTL for D 13 C, SLA, SDW, yield, and maturity traits were
The European right to be forgotten: A challenge to the United States Constitution’s First Amendment and to professional public relations ethics

Abstract This paper explains how the European right to be forgotten violates the free flow of information in society, as evidenced by conflicts with the United States Constitution and ethical principles of professional communicators worldwide. As Europe imposes new data protection laws and incorporates the right to be forgotten that promotes censorship through search engine de-linking, United States constitutional law scholars ponder the implications of World Wide Web censorship, while journalists and public relations professionals struggle to understand how accurate transparent communication could occur in an ecosystem that allows for arbitrary information removal and the creation of memory holes. This article explains why the European notion of the right to be forgotten challenges U.S. constitutional law and professional public relations ethics, imperiling the online marketplace of ideas and eroding disclosure of information. The European Data Protection Directive and recent right to be forgotten movements directly conflict with the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment and professional communications ethics codes. The First Amendment of the U.S. Bill of Rights indicates the specific rights of citizens to freedom from government intervention into freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Recent actions by Google to honor European requests to remove data upon request collide with First Amendment theoretical concepts and contemporary constitutional law. Both the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) construct ethical principles for members that call for the active promotion of the free flow of information and the ethical disclosure of information. The European Data Protection Directive’s right to be forgotten silences these core professional communication ethics and more significantly imperils the robust information exchange in a global society, ultimately altering the discourse and debate in democratic countries. This paper addresses the status of the right to be forgotten in the United States and indicates how adopting such a provision in the United States would violate First Amendment theories, as evidenced by the Marketplace of Ideas Theory, the Meiklejohnian Theory, and the Absolutist Theory, and would counter traditional public relations ethics codes, conducted in a context of dialogic ethics that calls for adherence to core values advocating for transparency, disclosure, and free flow of information.
Photonics as an enabler for multifunction electronic warfare capability

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss photonics technologies' role in enabling electronic warfare (EW) capabilities. Photonics technologies are primed to be a disruptive technology, and are ripe for an S-curve jump in the near-term. Closely monitoring emerging technologies in this domain will provide those with the core-competency to effectuate a strategic technological advantage over their competition.
The evolution of division of labor

We use digital evolution to study the division of labor among heterogeneous organisms under multiple levels of selection. Although division of labor is practiced by many social organisms, the labor roles are typically associated with different individual fitness effects. This fitness variation raises the question of why an individual organism would select a less desirable role. For this study, we provide organisms with varying rewards for labor roles and impose a group-level pressure for division of labor. We demonstrate that a group selection pressure acting on a heterogeneous population is sufficient to ensure role diversity regardless of individual selection pressures, be they beneficial or detrimental.
A low-power multi-physiological monitoring processor for stress detection

Personal monitoring systems can offer effective solutions for human health and performance. These systems require sampling and significant processing on multiple streams of physiological signals. The processing typically consists of feature extraction, data fusion, and classification stages that require a large number of digital signal processing and machine learning kernels. In order to be functional, however, the processing architecture needs to be low-power and have a low-area footprint. In this paper we present such a design for a personalized stress monitoring system with a flexible, multi-modal design. Various physiological and behavioral features were explored to maximize detection accuracy with both SVM and KNN machine learning classifiers. Among 17 different features from 5 sensors, heart rate and accelerometer features were found to have the highest classification accuracy to detect stress in the given dataset. While KNN classifier accuracy outperforms by 2%, it requires significantly larger memory and computation compared to the SVM classifier. Therefore, we chose the SVM classifier for hardware implementation. The post-layout implementation results in 130 nm CMOS technology show that the SVM processor occupies 0.2 mm2 and dissipates 20.2 mW at 125 MHz. The proposed processor takes 800 ns to classify each input and consumes 16.2 nJ. The overall classification accuracy of this system is 96%.
Security analysis of an advanced metering infrastructure

Abstract An advanced metering infrastructure is an integrated system of smart meters, communications networks and data management systems designed to support the safe, efficient and reliable distribution of electricity while providing advanced functionality to energy customers. Unfortunately, sophisticated cyber attacks on advanced metering infrastructures are a clear and present danger. The most devastating scenario involves a computer worm that traverses advanced metering infrastructures and permanently disables millions of smart meters. This paper presents a security analysis of an advanced metering infrastructure comprising more than one million smart meters, 100+ data collectors and two meter data management systems. Specifically, it provides detailed evaluations of the attack surface, targets – especially the critical data collectors – and their functionality, and possible attacks and their impacts. The systematic identification of each target and its functionality, and possible attacks and their direct impacts, are essential to understanding the security landscape as well as specifying and prioritizing mitigation efforts as part of a robust risk management program. Although this work is based on an analysis of one large advanced metering infrastructure, strong attempts have been undertaken to extract and articulate the commonalities when describing the attack surface, targets, possible attacks and their impacts. Thus, the results presented in this paper can be used as a foundation upon which the unique aspects of an advanced metering infrastructure can be added to create a robust risk management program geared for the specific deployment.
Maximizing the performance of scientific data transfer by optimizing the interface between parallel file systems and advanced research networks

Abstract The large amount of time spent transferring experimental data in fields such as genomics is hampering the ability of scientists to generate new knowledge. Often, computer hardware is capable of faster transfers but sub-optimal transfer software and configurations are limiting performance. This work seeks to serve as a guide to identifying the optimal configuration for performing genomics data transfers. A wide variety of tests narrow in on the optimal data transfer parameters for parallel data streaming across Internet2 and between two CloudLab clusters loading real genomics data onto a parallel file system. The best throughput was found to occur with a configuration using GridFTP with at least 5 parallel TCP streams with a 16 MiB TCP socket buffer size to transfer to/from 4–8 BeeGFS parallel file system nodes connected by InfiniBand.
What is "normal" intraoperative blood pressure and do deviations from it really affect postoperative outcome?

Despite the widely-presumed importance of blood pressure management during the perioperative period, there is neither a clear answer on the impact of IOH and perioperative outcome nor are there standardized guidelines for the maintenance of intraoperative blood pressure. In fact, the only evidence-based guideline from the American Society of Anesthesiologists for the management of intraoperative blood pressure states that blood pressure should be measured intraoperatively at least at 5-min intervals. It is clear that additional guidelines should be developed. But first we must come to a consensus on the accepted "normal" range of intraoperative blood pressure and its true impact on patient outcomes. Confirmatory data from much larger prospective, randomized controlled studies will be needed to draw more solid conclusions. We agree, however, with the statement that it is ethically and morally not feasible to randomly assign patients to a potentially detrimental intervention that deviates from accepted standards of care[ 14]. In the meantime, should we be reassured by the current study results or should we still be very vigilant regarding the presence of IOH? We also need to know at what threshold and episode duration of IOH there will a clinically relevant effect on patient outcome. These remain very difficult questions to answer. But there should be no doubt that IOH is a very dynamic phenomenon depending on patient characteristics, risk factors, and surgical factors rather than a static phenomenon based on fixed and arbitrarily chosen thresholds. In the end, it can be concluded that perioperative blood pressure is a "risk factor" that is relatively easy to control and its treatment can potentially provide an opportunity to prevent a number of adverse outcomes. This is especially true in high-risk patients and it makes sense to still have a low threshold to treat IOH especially if it persists for a significant amount of time.
Current Concepts in Articular Cartilage

The treatment of articular cartilage (AC) lesions remains controversial. Studies have documented a significant incidence of these defects [1–3]; however, progression of chondral defects and necessity of treatment are widely debated. Certainly, symptomatic, full-thickness AC lesions are challenging to treat. Additionally, there is very little evidencebased medicine that argues for one treatment method over another. However, over the past decade, there has been a tremendous surge of interest in AC. The International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) began in 1997 and has provided a forum to allow clinicians and basic scientists to share expertise and develop ground-breaking concepts. In the past decade, our basic science knowledge has improved exponentially, thus laying the foundation for strategic clinical concepts. With the addition of biological scaffolds and gene therapy techniques, the future holds many promises for patients with a symptomatic AC defect. Since Hunter realized more than 250 years ago that AC is a “troublesome thing and once destroyed, it is not repaired” [4], surgeons have sought for methods to restore or regenerate AC, more properly termed hyaline AC. It is well established that AC has no blood supply and thus cannot “heal” itself. This very simple and basic principle is the sole reason that true hyaline AC has not been replicated. Hunter was correct: once AC is lost, it is gone forever. Partial-thickness chondral defects are generally not symptomatic [5]; however, there is concern for lesion propagation. Full-thickness chondral defects, however, can be symptomatic, and there is evidence that these defects do further degenerate [6, 7]. The purpose of this chapter is to review the basic science
Learning Schemas from Explanations in Practical Electronics

Training materials in practical electronics appear to follow a building blocks approach in which common simple circuits are presented and then combined into more complex circuits. Each circuit is presented in the form of a circuit diagram and an explanation of how the circuit works in terms of a causal chain of events. Such materials suggest that learning electronics consists of learning schemas for the building block circuits; complex circuits can then be understood as combinations of these simpler schematic circuits. The process of learning appears to be based on extracting schemas from the explanations. This report presents human experimental results based on earlier artificial intelligence work in this project. Engineering students learned building block circuits and then learned complex circuits; the time required to understand the explanations and answer questions about the circuit behavior were compared to an AI system that learned from explanations and a model of question-answering. Generally, learning the schematic building block circuits facilitated performance, and the AI system and question-answering model could predict the amount of facilitation. However, the benefit of learning circuit schemas under these conditions was surprisingly mild.
"Good Guys Don't Rape": Greek and Non-Greek College Student Perpetrator Rape Myths

The current study examined sexual assault perpetrator rape myths among college students, and in particular Greek students. Fraternity men are overrepresented among sexual assault perpetrators, while sorority women are at increased risk for victimization of sexual assault. The current study examined Greek-affiliated and non-Greek-affiliated perceptions of perpetrator rape myths among 892 college students; 58% of the sample was Greek-affiliated. Men and Greek-affiliated students reported higher agreement on stereotypes than women and non-Greek-affiliated students regarding perpetrator rape myths. Specifically, fraternity men reported higher stereotypical perceptions compared to all women and non-affiliated men, while there was no difference between sorority and non-affiliated women.
Diffusion in Oriented Lamellar Phases by Pulsed NMR

The bilayer structure (lamellar phase) of lipid-water and soap-water systems is the subject of considerable research because of the known occurrence of bilayer structures in biological membranes. (l) The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) line widths in this phase are very broad due to the incomplete motional averaging of the static dipolar interactions. This has until recently precluded the use of NMR spin echo techniques to measure diffusion because spin echo occurrence requires the removal of the static dipolar interactions. DeVries and Berendsen (2) have shown by optical and NMR measurements that the potassium oleate (KO)-water lamellar phase can be oriented between glass plates with the optical axis (along the hydrocarbon chains) perpendicular to the glass plates. They demonstrated that the line width varied as (3 cos2 Ω - 1) where Ω is the angle between the optical axis and the magnetic field. This provided a conclusive demonstration that the broad lines arise from incompletely averaged dipolar interactions which have residual static interactions along the chain direction. In particular, they noted that “the lines got very narrow at the so-called “magic angle” where Ω = 54o44’ and the term (3 cos2 Ω - 1) (and hence the dipolar interactions) becomes very small.
New species of Memecylon L. and Warneckea gilg (Melastomataceae) from Madagascar and Mayotte

Huit nouvelles especes malgaches de Memecylon L. sont decrites et illustrees (M. acrogenum, M. sejunctum, M. pterocladum, M. xiphophyllum, M. perditum, M. impressivenum, M. interjectum, M. amplifolium) ainsi qu'une nouvelle espece de Warneckea Gilg (W. masoalae). De plus, une nouvelle espece de Mayotte (iles Comores), Memecylon mayottense, est decrite.
A Mathematical Model of the Unsteady Transport of Oxygen to Tissues in the Microcirculation

We are concerned here with the construction of a mathematical simulation model of the supply of oxygen to tissues from the microcirculation. The mathematical model describes the capillary supply to tissue as well as the distribution and consumption of oxygen within tissue.
Utility of intraoral ultrasound in managing oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma: Systematic review.

Objectives/hypothesis Adequate surgical resection of early stage oral tongue cancer provides the best chance at preventing locoregional disease recurrence. Determination of tumor dimensions and margin location is challenging and can lead to inadequate resections with close/positive margins. Ultrasonography has proven its utility in determining the thickness and extent of tongue tumors. Preoperative tumor dimension measurements carry increased significance with the addition of depth of invasion (DOI) to the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system. We report the results of a systematic review of the literature pertaining to the use of ultrasound in the diagnosis and management of oral tongue carcinoma. Methods The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis statement checklist was used to inform the design of this systematic review. All studies that utilized ultrasound in the diagnosis/management of primary carcinoma of the oral tongue were included. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane were reviewed to identify eligible studies. Results Nineteen articles were included in our analysis. Six hundred seventy-eight patients were studied in the articles included. Ultrasound tumor thickness measurements correlate well with those on histopathology and show promise as a predictor of cervical lymph node metastasis. Ultrasound can be safely used intraoperatively for deep margin assessment. Conclusions Ultrasound is useful in the evaluation of oral tongue malignancies. More experience is needed to determine if it is reliable in determining preoperative DOI in light of the role this tumor parameter plays in the eighth edition of the AJCC staging manual. Laryngoscope, 129:662-670, 2019.
Cancer survival in the context of growing hospital participation in Medicare ACOs.

6543Background: Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) represent one of the main policy-level interventions to improve healthcare quality. We investigated the trend of 1) hospital participation in A...
Effect of long term aspirin use on the incidence of prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract Background Previous studies found divergent effects of aspirin use on prostate cancer incidence, potentially due to studies with short durations of aspirin use and insufficient adjustment for screening. Methods A systematic review on the association between aspirin use ≥3 years and incident prostate cancer was performed in accordance with the PRISMA and MOOSE criteria. Results In the cohort studies, aspirin use for at least 3 years was associated with a lower incidence rate of prostate cancer (Odds ratio (OR) 0.88, 95% CI 0.80-0.97). No protective association was established for the case-control studies (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.68–1.23). Subgroup analysis of advanced and aggressive cancers showed a protective association (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.71-0.94 and OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.61-0.97). Conclusion This synthesis of observational studies suggests a potential protective association between long term aspirin use and incident prostate cancer. The current literature is highly heterogenous and suffers from inconsistent aspirin dose definition and measurement.
The Joint Use of RFID and EDI: Implications for Hospital Performance

Hospitals in the United States (U.S.), and the healthcare industry as a whole, are experiencing major transformations that will likely affect every facet of our society. One such example is a federal regulation known as the Value‐based Purchasing (VBP) program, which shifts hospital reimbursements for services rendered away from a fee‐for‐service model to a value‐based model. This change requires hospitals to more accurately track and document resources/assets utilized in the delivery of care, in addition to appropriate health outcomes. Hence, the focus of this study is on assessing the effect of the joint use of RFID and EDI on hospital performance, namely supply chain cost efficiency, personnel expenses, and hospital readmission rates. The findings, based on secondary, longitudinal data on more than 3300 US hospitals spanning eight years, suggest that hospitals bundling RFID and EDI experience an initial decrease in supply chain cost efficiency and increase in personnel expenses, with no immediate impact on readmission rates. However, over time, better supply chain cost efficiency, lower personnel expenses, and a consistent reduction in readmission rates accrue from the long‐term and consistent leveraging of the RFID‐EDI bundle. Thus, the overarching contribution of this study is the elucidation of how and along what measures the bundled leveraging of RFID and EDI improves hospital performance, as well as which measures of hospital performance are time (in)variant. We round out this study with a discussion of our findings, their implications, and offer directions for future research.
Habitat selection by American beaver at multiple spatial scales

Semiaquatic mammals require both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, particularly interfaces between the two habitats. As ecosystem engineers, American beaver (Castor canadensis) consume and fell a great amount of deciduous trees. We tested the prediction that open water and amounts of food resources, including hardwood forests (i.e., deciduous trees as the dominant form of vegetation), herbaceous and woody wetlands, and shrubs, would influence the second-order habitat selection (i.e., placing home ranges on the landscape) by American beaver, whereas the third-order habitat selection of American beaver would be associated with woody wetland and shrub edges. We investigated hierarchical habitat selection by American beaver using location data from very high frequency telemetry. Dirichlet-multinomial models were used to determine the second-order habitat selection at landscape scales. Bayesian spatial resource selection function was used to assess the third-order habitat selection within home ranges. Second-order habitat selection by American beaver was associated with herbaceous wetland, shrubs, hardwood forest, grassland, and woody wetland more than open water bodies at landscape scales. At the third-order scale, American beaver selected herbaceous wetlands as well as the edges of shrubs and woody wetland within established home ranges. Spatial distributions of food resources affected both the second- and third-order habitat selection by American beaver. Herbaceous wetlands were more important habitat components than water bodies in the second- and third-order habitat selection by American beaver. Dirichlet-multinomial distribution models for the second-order habitat selection and Bayesian spatial resource selection functions for the third-order habitat selection do not need pseudo-absence locations, providing alternative approaches to the presence–absence methods for habitat selection by animals.
2- and N6-functionalized adenosine-5'-diphosphate analogs for the inhibition of mortalin.

Our early efforts to find a covalent inhibitor of mortalin, a member of the 70 kD heat shock protein (Hsp70) family, led us to solve the structure of the mortalin nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) in complex with N6-propargyladenosine-5'-diphosphate. The acquired structure emphasizes the ability of the nucleotide-binding pocket to accommodate modified ADP compounds. A library of ADP analogs modified at either the 2- or N6-positions of adenosine was screened against the mortalin-NBD. Competitive inhibition and binding assays of the analogs demonstrate that modifications at the 2- or N6-positions have potential to bind and inhibit mortalin uniquely compared to other Hsp70 homologs, and that modifications at the 2-position confer the greatest selectivity in binding and inhibition of the mortalin-NBD.
Asymmetric Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy for Adult Spinal Deformity with Coronal Imbalance: Complications, Radiographic and Surgical Outcomes

Background Asymmetric pedicle subtraction osteotomy (APSO) can be utilized for adult spinal deformity (ASD) with fixed coronal plane imbalance. There are few reports investigating outcomes following APSO and no series that include multiple revision cases. Objective To detail our surgical technique and experience with APSO. Methods All thoracolumbar ASD cases with a component of fixed, coronal plane deformity who underwent APSO from 2004 to 2016 at one institution were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative and latest follow-up radiographic parameters and data on surgical outcomes and complications were obtained. Results Fourteen patients underwent APSO with mean follow-up of 37-mo. Ten (71.4%) were revision cases. APSO involved a mean 12-levels (range 7-25) and were associated with 3.0 L blood loss (range 1.2-4.5) and 457-min of operative time (range 283-540). Surgical complications were observed in 64.3%, including durotomy (35.7%), pleural injury (14.3%), persistent neurologic deficit (14.3%), rod fracture (7.1%), and painful iliac bolt requiring removal (7.1%). Medical complications were observed in 14.3%, comprising urosepsis and 2 cases of pneumonia. Two 90-d readmissions (14.3%) and 5 reoperations (4 patients, 28.6%) occurred. Mean thoracolumbar curve and coronal vertical axis improved from 31.5 to 16.4 degrees and 7.8 to 2.9 cm, respectively. PI-LL mismatch, mean sagittal vertical axis, and pelvic tilt improved from 40.0 to 27.9-degrees, 10.7 to 3.5-cm, and 34.4 to 28.3-degrees, respectively. Conclusion The APSO, in both a revision and non-revision ASD population, provides excellent restoration of coronal balance-in addition to sagittal and pelvic parameters. Employment of APSO must be balanced with the associated surgical complication rate (64.3%).
Improved clinical outcomes among persons with HIV who quit smoking.

Quitting smoking among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is a priority. However, PLWHA and clinicians working with PLWHA are reluctant to use tobacco use treatments out of concern that smoking cessation can diminish anti-retroviral therapy (ART) adherence and quality of life (QoL) and increase psychiatric symptoms. This secondary analysis from a placebo-controlled varenicline trial for tobacco dependence among PLWHA (N = 179) examined if smoking cessation at the end of treatment (EOT) was associated with changes in ART adherence, QoL, anxiety and depression symptoms, and varenicline side effects. ART adherence was not affected by smoking cessation (p > 0.05), remaining ≥98% for all participants. Across 8 QoL subscales, 7 remained unchanged over time across smokers and abstainers; side effects were not associated with cessation. Controlling for baseline smoking rate, adherence to varenicline/placebo and counseling, and treatment arm, participants who had quit smoking at EOT reported a significant reduction in depression (β = -1.657, 95% CI: -2.893, -0.422, p = .009) and anxiety (β = -1.434, 95% CI: -2.812, -0.56, p = .041) and increased life satisfaction (β = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.21, 3.275, p = .027). When PLWHA quit smoking they may not experience adverse clinical outcomes including ART non-adherence and may experience beneficial psychological effects, supporting the use of FDA-approved smoking cessation treatments among PLWHA.
Abstract P454: Impact of Air Pollution on Subclinical Atherosclerosis Risk in Middle Aged Women With and Without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Objective: To study the association of ambient air pollution and subclinical atherosclerosis (SCA) risk in middle aged women with and without a history polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Background:...
The relationship between organisational justice and police officer attitudes toward misconduct

To address police misconduct, law enforcement agencies traditionally have used deterrence-based methods–in the form of ‘external controls’, which monitor and punish unacceptable behaviour. Some sch...
The Inviscid Limit of Navier–Stokes Equations for Analytic Data on the Half-Space

In their classical work, Sammartino and Caflisch (Commun Math Phys 192(2):433–461, 1998a; Commun Math Phys 192(2):463–491, 1998b) proved the inviscid limit of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations for well-prepared data with analytic regularity in the half-space. Their proof is based on the detailed construction of Prandtl’s boundary layer asymptotic expansions. In this paper, we give a direct proof of the inviscid limit for general analytic data without having to construct Prandtl’s boundary layer correctors. Our analysis makes use of the boundary vorticity formulation and the abstract Cauchy–Kovalevskaya theorem on analytic boundary layer function spaces that capture unbounded vorticity.
A Track Registration Association Technique – Feature Analysis

A recent track-to-track association technique was developed to associate tracks from multiple sensor platforms where position and heading errors were incorporated into the reports. When this issue, known as target registration, is present, standard association routines often result in misassociations or non-associations between the tracks of the same target. This new technique develops a track representation that is invariant in translation errors and insensitive to rotation errors. It has been demonstrated to be effective for registration problems with reasonable heading errors and any translation errors. In this work, the features used in the track representation are analyzed for their effectiveness and sensitivity for various registration error sizes, providing the foundation for the weighting of the features to enhance registration association.
Aorto-iliac peripheral artery disease

Aorto-iliac disease is a common manifestation of atherosclerosis. Individuals with this condition are at heightened cardiovascular risk, and may have limb symptoms ranging from claudication to limb-threatening ischemia. A regimen of medical therapy, risk factor modification, and exercise is first line therapy. Revascularization is reserved for individuals with lifestyle-limiting claudication despite conservative therapy and in those with chronic limb-threatening ischemia. Multiple endovascular therapies are now available that enable even the most complex aorto-iliac lesions to be approached and treated with safe and durable results.
In Search of a Pattern and Algorithmic Code for COVID-19: A Participant Self-Customized Awareness Systems for Diagnostics, Simulation, Tracing and Pattern Matching

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a challenge to our lives and affects us differently under certain circumstances. This project invites and assists participants in developing their awareness systems for COVID-19. The system comes with a set up consisting of standard information and the necessary coding explained to the participant. The findings are open and shared through an honor system. The awareness system consists of four embedded subsystems known as diagnostics systems, simulation, tracing, and pattern-matching systems. The diagnostic system uses inference rules to generate an outcome by diseases with the same symptoms related to COVID-19. The skeleton for the simulation system works as a game, depicting how the virus enters and interacts with the body's cells with different four scenarios such as involved in defeating the body's cell, defeating the virus, neutral coexistence of the virus and enclosure, and at best, turning into a positive virus. At that stage of defeating the body's cell, the virus will replicate itself by an assigned degree with a recursive behavior. The tracing system traces the COVID19 and the participant's health using red, green, and blue (RGB) colors. The combination of RGB creates more than 16 million using 24 bits in binary or hexadecimal. The red color reserves for COVID-19, with 16 shades of red for a symptom with a 16 degree of severity. The pattern-matching system's skeleton provides four databases for asymptomatic, mild, severe, and fatal cases. The digitized information will quickly identify the pattern. One database may compare with another database for similarities or differences.The transfer of learning from one system can flow into another, ultimately resulting in a solution pattern. This project's implication will guide others to initiate their participant system to find a way and formulate a solution.
Accelerated Computation and Tracking of AC Optimal Power Flow Solutions using GPUs

We present a scalable solution method based on an alternating direction method of multipliers and graphics processing units (GPUs) for rapidly computing and tracking a solution of alternating current optimal power flow (ACOPF) problem. Such a fast computation is particularly useful for mitigating the negative impact of frequent load and generation fluctuations on the optimal operation of a large electrical grid. To this end, we decompose a given ACOPF problem by grid components, resulting in a large number of small independent nonlinear nonconvex optimization subproblems. The computation time of these subproblems is significantly accelerated by employing the massive parallel computing capability of GPUs. In addition, the warm-start ability of our method leads to faster convergence, making the method particularly suitable for fast tracking of optimal solutions. We demonstrate the performance of our method on grids having up to 70,000 buses by solving associated optimal power flow problems with both cold start and warm start.