cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Illegal Harvest on Recreational Fisheries

Abstract The degree of compliance with a fishing regulation can have a significant impact on the regulation's effectiveness. In this paper, we use a yield-per-recruit simulation model to evaluate the effect of poaching on legal harvest in sport fisheries. Two types of illegal harvest were considered: harvest of fish below the legal size limit and harvest of fish from catch-and-release fisheries. The results depict the degree of reduction in legal harvest in minimum-size fisheries with 0-100% (in 10% increments) illegal harvest. For brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis, the reduction in legal harvest ranged from 11% at 10% illegal harvest to 72% at 100% illegal harvest; these reductions ranged from 10 to 66% for northern pike Esox lucius, 8 to 57% for brown trout Salmo trutta, and 2 to 22% for largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides. In catch-and-release fisheries, illegal harvest reduces the number offish caught and released. Most ofthe benefits ofcatch-and-release regulations, in terms of increased numbers an...
Diagnosis of hemolysis and device thrombosis with lactate dehydrogenase during left ventricular assist device support

Diagnosis of hemolysis and device thrombosis with lactate dehydrogenase during left ventricular assist device support Palak Shah, MD, MS, Vivek M. Mehta, BS, Jennifer A. Cowger, MD, Keith D. Aaronson, MD, MS, and Francis D. Pagani, MD, PhD From the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine; College of Literature, Science and Arts; and the Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Using Large Arrays for SNR Improvement on Receiver Limited MRI Systems

Large arrays of RF coils with 16 or more channels are becoming commercially available. However, most MR scanners have eight or fewer receiver channels. In order for these scanners to achieve the SNR benefits of these large arrays, the signals from the array elements must be combined. In this paper, strategies for combining the array elements into 8 or fewer channels are discussed and an analysis of the expected SNR improvement is presented. We expect these results to scale to cases such as 32 channels with 128 array elements
Comparison of Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis Levels in Crops of Fed or Fasted Infected Hens

Abstract Long-term feed withdrawal has been shown to increase ileocecal intestinal colonization and fecal shedding of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in challenged hens. Less information is available regarding effects of fasting on crop colonization. Two trials were conducted to compare effects of 14-day feed withdrawal vs. full feed on crop colonization in hens challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis. The levels of Salmonella Enteritidis in the crops of fasted hens were significantly higher than in nonfasted hens on days 3 and 10 and days 3, 9, and 16 postinfection (PI) in trials 1 and 2, respectively. Fecal shedding of Salmonella Enteritidis was significantly increased in the fasted hens on day 10 PI in trial 1. Analysis of crop IgA anti–Salmonella Enteritidis lipopolysaccharide levels in crop lavage samples of hens in trial 1 revealed a humoral response PI in both treatment groups with no significant differences, although peak response for fasted hens occurred 1 wk later. Histologic evaluation o...
Molecular Diagnosis and Epidemiology of Rabies

Rabies virus diagnostic and typing methods differ among which virus populations can be detected and segregated. Lyssavirus genera may differ so greatly that serological testing alone may be sufficient to differentiate between them. Unique monoclonal antibody patterns among rabies viruses have also been used effectively for many of the terrestrial animal reservoirs for rabies in the USA. However, genetic typing, especially nucleotide sequence analysis, allows the most precise method to distinguish virus type and permits the greatest utility in molecular epidemiology studies.
First trimester pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and birth weight

Abstract Objective To evaluate first trimester pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and birth weight percentile. Study design Included were women who underwent first trimester prenatal screening through the California Prenatal Screening Program with expected dates of delivery between August 2009 and December 2010, linked birth certificate and hospital discharge records, known birth weight, and no chromosomal abnormality (n = 134.105). PAPP-A results were reported as multiples of the median. The frequency of small or large for gestational age (SGA, ≤10%; LGA, ≥90%) versus appropriately grown for gestational age birth was examined by PAPP-A percentile. Patterns were studied by gestational age at delivery. Relative risks (RRs) and their 95% confidence intervals were adjusted for race/ethnicity. Results Women with PAPP-A ≤10th percentile and an infant born after 32 weeks were increasingly more likely to have an SGA infant (adjRRs 1.5–4.6) as the PAPP-A percentile declined, and were increasingly less like to have an LGA infant born at term (adjRRs 0.5–0.7) compared to women with PAPP-A measurement >10th to Conclusion Women with PAPP-A ≤10th percentile are more likely to have an SGA infant at all gestational ages. PAPP-A ≥90th percentile is protective against SGA and is associated with an increased risk of LGA for infants born after 32 weeks gestation.
Seed storage practices and problems for cool season food legumes

The inherently good storage characteristics of seeds of the cool season food legumes, and the relatively cool and/or dry climates in which these crops are widely grown, are probably the principal reasons why storage problems are less frequent and less severe than is often the case with seeds of the warm season legumes (e.g. soyabean and groundnut) and grain crops. Those seed storage problems that do arise are most often related to seed immaturity, or to physiological and physical damage sustained during harvest and threshing or, especially, to insect attack. In most production regions, the storability of seeds of the cool season food legumes could be substantially improved by implementation of sound quality assurance and control procedures.
Surgery for Localized Pancreatic Cancer: The Trend Is Not Improving.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to examine the trend in the use of surgery for localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma for the past 2 decades using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. METHODS We identified a cohort of patients who received a diagnosis of localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma between 1988 and 2010 in the United States. Univariate and multivariate methods were used to determine factors associated with not receiving surgery. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was used to determine factors associated with survival. RESULTS Of 6742 patients with a diagnosis of localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma, 1715 patients (25.4%) underwent surgery. There was no significant change in use of surgery over time. Patients were less likely to undergo surgery if they were older than 50 years, black, unmarried, and located outside the East and had pancreatic head or body lesions, higher tumor grades, or tumor size greater than 2 cm (P < 0.0001). Receiving surgery had the most significant impact on the hazard of disease-specific death (hazards ratio, 1.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.29-1.53; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS In contrast to recent studies that suggest an increasing use of surgery, the present study demonstrates that there has been no change in the rate of use of surgery in patients with localized pancreatic disease.
Synthesis of “Necklace” Polymers by Chain-Walking Polymerization

We report an efficient catalytic synthesis of “necklace” polymers, polyethylene (PE) denpols, utilizing the chain-walking polymerization (CWP). The approach is based on the design of a linear multivalent chain-walking catalyst that can initiate hyperbranched polymerization of ethylene for in situ formation of multiple dendritic PEs covalently tethered to the linear polymer backbone. The simplicity and efficiency of this approach makes it promising for facile preparation of large soluble nanostructures for various potential applications.
Social Security in Chile

is necessary to analyze and re-evaluate the relative importance of Federal financial assistance to the various age groups in the population and to give particular attention to the more equitable treatment of mothers and children dependent upon public assistance as compared with the aged and other special groups. Thus evaluative studies of aid to dependent children shou]d be approached not only in terms of accomplishments to date but also in terms of charting the type of continuing program withich we want for children in these United States.
Hemlock: A Forest Giant on the Edge

Hemlock: A Forest Giant on the Edge. Edited by David R. Foster, with scientific collaborators Benjamin Baiser, Audrey Barker Plotkin, Anthony D'amato, Aaron Ellison, David Foster, David Orwig, Wyat...
Hospitalized Infection as a Trigger for Acute Ischemic Stroke: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Background and Purpose— Acute triggers for ischemic stroke, which may include infection, are understudied, as is whether background cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk modifies such triggering. We hypothesized that infection increases acute stroke risk, especially among those with low CVD risk. Methods— Hospitalized strokes and infections were identified in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort. A case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression were used to compare hospitalized infections among patients with stroke (14, 30, 42, and 90 days before stroke) with corresponding control periods 1 year and 2 years before stroke. Background CVD risk was assessed at both visit 1 and the visit most proximal to stroke, with risk dichotomized at the median. Results— A total of 1008 adjudicated incident ischemic strokes were included. Compared with control periods, hospitalized infection was more common within 2 weeks before stroke (14-day odds ratio [OR], 7.7; 95% CI, 2.1–27.3); the strength of association declined with increasing time in the exposure window before stroke (30-day OR, 5.7 [95% CI, 2.3–14.3]; 42-day OR, 4.5 [95% CI, 2.0–10.2]; and 90-day OR, 3.6 [95% CI, 2.1–6.5]). Stroke risk was higher among those with low compared with high CVD risk, with this interaction reaching statistical significance for some exposure periods. Conclusions— These results support the hypothesis that hospitalized infection is a trigger of ischemic stroke and may explain some cryptogenic strokes. Infection control efforts may prevent strokes. CVD preventive therapies may prevent strokes if used in the peri-infection period, but clinical trials are needed.
Developments of Ultrahigh Frequency Soft Hexagonal Ferrite and Composite Ferrite Materials

Based on papers of the ICF10 (10th International Conference on Ferrites,2008.10.10),the 13th National Magnetics Conference (2008.10.31) and some specialization conferences on magnetic materials,recent developments of soft ferrites operated at ultrahigh frequency including hexagonal ferrites and composed ferrites materials are introduced and summarized,in respective of research.
The Study of Cultural Technology for High Yield of 'Jijing 88',a High Quality Super Rice Variety

Adopting the orthogonal-gyrating-regress design,5 factors in the culture of high quality super rice variety 'Jijing 88' were studied.The results showed that:(1)'Jijing 88' could produce high and steady crop,the average yield was 9 101.4 kg/hm2.If it was properly cultivated,the highest yield of 1 1269.1 kg/hm2 can be reached.(2) The order of effect of cultural factors on the yield of 'Jijing 88' was: Nitrogen applicationthe way of rice seedling transplantPhosphorus applicationnumber of rice seedling transplantedPotassium application.Among these factors,Nitrogen application is the most important to yield.(3) If the yield of'Jijing 88' reaches over 10 000 kg/hm2,it must be cultivated in such ways as follows: 220～228.0 kg/hm2 of Nitrogen,102.0～111.5 kg/hm2 of Phosphorus and 28.5～38.7 kg/hm2 of Potassium applied,rice seedling transplanted at density of 30×13.6～14.8 cm,5.1～5.8 seedlings per hold.
Analysis of Changes in Nucleosome Conformation Using Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer

ATP-dependent nucleosome-remodeling motors use the energy of ATP to alter the accessibility of the underlying DNA. Understanding how these motors alter nucleosome structure can be aided by following changes in histone-DNA contacts in real time. Here, we describe a fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based approach that enables visualization of such changes.
From the Police Precinct to Your Neighbor's Coffee Table: Limiting Public Dissemination of Mug Shots During an Ongoing Criminal Proceeding Under the Freedom of Information Act

The Freedom of Information Act provides for public access to government agency records. Agencies have discretion, however, to withhold any information that falls under one of the Act’s exemptions, including, in some instances, private individual records. While the Supreme Court has recognized that criminal detainees have a privacy interest in restricted dissemination of their criminal records, it has yet to rule on whether the same privacy interest exists in mug shots. Currently, there is a circuit split over this issue. This Note analyzes the split in light of the purpose and history of the Freedom of Information Act, and argues that future courts that entertain the issue should adopt the reasoning employed by the Tenth Circuit — namely, recognizing a privacy right in detainees’ mug shots in ongoing criminal proceedings. The Supreme Court has already recognized the detrimental and lasting stigma on the not-yet convicted detainee. In holding that such a privacy interest exists, the Court will maintain consistency in tending towards increased privacy protection under the Act, minimize negative stigma, and still adhere to the Act’s purpose.
Diversification Potential from Real Estate Companies in Emerging Capital Markets

Executive Summary. This study uses the Emerging Markets Data Base from the International Finance Corporation to examine emerging market real estate as an asset class using data on companies classif...
The mars reconnaissance orbiter mission: 10 Years of exploration from Mars orbit

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) entered Mars orbit on March 10, 2006. After five months of aerobraking, a series of propulsive maneuvers were used to establish the desired low-altitude science orbit. The spacecraft has been on station in its 255 × 320 km, sun-synchronous (∼3 am-pm), primary science orbit since September 2006 performing both scientific and Mars programmatic support functions. This paper will provide a summary of the major achievements of the mission to date and the major flight activities planned for the remainder of its third Extended Mission (EM3). Some of the major flight challenges the flight team has faced are also discussed.
Orthogonal Multiband CAP Modulation Based on Offset-QAM and Advanced Filter Design in Spectral Efficient MMW RoF Systems

In this study, to the first time, we demonstrate an offset-QAM carrier-less amplitude and phase modulation (OQAM-CAP) technique for spectral efficient multi-user radio-over-fiber systems. In comparison with traditional QAM-based CAP modulation schemes, the digital filter for each channel in OQAM-CAP can be adaptively redesigned to obtain either higher spectral efficiency or lower computational complexity. Two kinds of digital filters, namely, square-root raised-cosine (SRRC) filters and isotropic orthogonal transform algorithm (IOTA)-based filters, are studied and applied to shape the frequency window of each channel in CAP systems. We compared the performances among SRRC-OQAM CAP, IOTA-OQAM CAP, and traditional SRRC-QAM CAP. It is experimentally demonstrated that SRRC-OQAM-CAP can achieve higher spectral efficiency, IOTA-OQAM-CAP can obtain higher computational efficiency, and SRRC-QAM-CAP can be used in uplink transmission with lower interchannel interference. Bidirectional experiments are conducted with around 2-GHz nine aggregated channels on 60-GHz optical millimeter wave. Less than 7% error vector magnitudes are realized over 15-km standard single-mode fiber and 1.5-m wireless channel.
Mn5: high-spin structures and energetics

We characterize the geometry and electronic structure of isomers of the five atom Manganese cluster for its highest spin state, multiplicity 26. DFT calculations with various functionals and basis sets. The lowest energy form is either a D3h symmetric trigonal bipyramid or disphenoid C2v structure which can be considered a distorted trigonal bipyramid. The regular pentagon (D5h) is higher in energy but occupies a shallow relative minimum on the potential surface. The lowest energy square pyramid (C4v) is a saddle point; it spontaneously rearranges to the bisphenoid structure or the trigonal bipyramid very similar in energy. Analysis of the wave functions shows that the clusters can be considered distinct and weakly bound atoms with stabilization derived from interatomic charge-transfer interactions. Dispersion attraction seem to play a lesser role. The clusters have moderate static polarizabilities α but large first hyperpolarizabilities β, comparable with the reference system para-nitro aniline. Dynamic polarizabilities for an exciting frequency of 0.1 atomic units (wavelength 450 nm) are higher still.
Erratum to: Serum cystatin C levels in children with sickle cell disease

In the introduction, the expanded form of CSSCD should read Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (CSSCD) and not Comprehensive Study of Sickle Cell Disease.
Surgeon Training and the Learning Curve

The investigator’s learning curve for an interventional procedure needs to be assessed prior to participation in a clinical trial. This can be done through personal assessment, simulation, or videotaping. The investigator needs to get beyond the learning phase and as close to the experienced phase as possible to avoid exposing patients to unnecessary risks or compromising the results of the study. Frequent auditing and monitoring of the procedures need to be undertaken throughout the trial to ensure compliance with standardization and ensure the safety of the patients.
V-Y Advancement Flap for Defects of the Lid–Cheek Junction

We report a series of 10 patients who underwent inferolaterally based V-Y advancement flaps for reconstruction of defects involving the lower eyelid and infraorbital cheek junction. Defects ranged from 1.7 to 2.9 cm in largest diameter, and patients ranged from 59 to 84 years of age. All patients had excellent functional and cosmetic outcomes without subsequent surgical or laser revision. There were no instances of flap necrosis, hematoma, or ectropion. Vertically oriented V-Y flaps are often underused in this setting largely due to the perceived increase risk of ectropion. We describe a modification of the flap with lateral orientation that both diminishes the downward tension vector, which threatens ectropion, and conceals incision scars within resting tension lines, providing superior functional and aesthetic outcomes. Our series demonstrates that a properly designed and well-executed inferiorly based V-Y advancement flap can be used as a safe reconstructive modality for defects involving the lid–cheek junction.
India: 2016 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for India

This paper discusses outlook and risk related to the economic development of India. The Indian economy is on a recovery path, supported by a large terms of trade gain (about 2½ percent of GDP) and reduced external vulnerabilities, though downside risks remain. Important economic and structural reforms have been initiated, but further reforms are needed to boost India’s growth potential. Notwithstanding the cyclical pickup, medium-term growth continues to be constrained by supply-side bottlenecks and weaknesses in the corporate and banking sectors. Past fund advice and the authorities’ macroeconomic policies have been broadly aligned, but progress on structural reforms has been partial.
Using a Crew Resource Management Framework to Develop Human-Autonomy Teaming Measures

Recent developments in technology have permitted an increased use of autonomy. To work best with humans, autonomy should have the qualities of a good team member. But how can these qualities be measured? One way is to use similar measures to those used to measure good teams with human members. For example, the Non-Technical Skills (NOTECHS) framework measures Crew Resource Management (CRM) skills that allow pilots to work together as a team. The framework consists of skill categories, elements of those categories, and behavioral markers that demonstrate good or poor performance in the elements. This paper introduces CMSD (Cooperation/Management/Situation Awareness/Decision Making), a measurement system based on NOTECHS and other widely-used skill level systems, which provides quantitative measures of Human-Autonomy Teaming (HAT).
Inflammatory Signaling Pathways in Preleukemic and Leukemic Stem Cells

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are a rare subset of bone marrow cells that usually exist in a quiescent state, only entering the cell cycle to replenish the blood compartment, thereby limiting the potential for errors in replication. Inflammatory signals that are released in response to environmental stressors, such as infection, trigger active cycling of HSCs. These inflammatory signals can also directly induce HSCs to release cytokines into the bone marrow environment, promoting myeloid differentiation. After stress myelopoiesis is triggered, HSCs require intracellular signaling programs to deactivate this response and return to steady state. Prolonged or excessive exposure to inflammatory cytokines, such as in prolonged infection or in chronic rheumatologic conditions, can lead to continued HSC cycling and eventual HSC loss. This promotes bone marrow failure, and can precipitate preleukemic states or leukemia through the acquisition of genetic and epigenetic changes in HSCs. This can occur through the initiation of clonal hematopoiesis, followed by the emergence preleukemic stem cells (pre-LSCs). In this review, we describe the roles of multiple inflammatory signaling pathways in the generation of pre-LSCs and in progression to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), myeloproliferative neoplasms, and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In AML, activation of some inflammatory signaling pathways can promote the cycling and differentiation of LSCs, and this can be exploited therapeutically. We also discuss the therapeutic potential of modulating inflammatory signaling for the treatment of myeloid malignancies.
Isotopic Characterization and Identification of Recycled Components

It has been 23 years since the oceanic mantle was first shown to be isotopically heterogeneous (Gast, Tilton & Hedge, 1964). The richness and diversity of this heterogeneous character has been expanded over the intervening years with the application of new isotopic tracer systems (Nd, Hf, He, Xe) to volcanic rocks from most of the oceanic islands. Currently, this isotopic heterogeneity can be embraced as mixtures between four or five fairly distinct isotopic components (DMM: depleted MORB mantle; HIMU: a high U/Pb component; and two enriched components, EMI and EMII; Zindler and Hart, 1986). The DMM component comprises the upper mantle, and has been depleted over geologic time by processes associated with extraction of continental crust. This is the only mantle reservoir for which a location and evolutionary process are well established. Chase (1981) and Hofmann & White (1982) proposed that subducted oceanic crust ± sediment would acquire significant isotopic heterogeneity while aging in the mantle, and that recycling of this material could provide some of the isotopic diversity observed in oceanic basalts.
Effect of progesterone on renal sodium handling in man: relation to aldosterone excretion and plasma renin activity.

1. The effect of progesterone on renal haemodynamics and intrarenal sodium handling was evaluated in thirteen normal men on a constant diet. Clearances were measured during maximal water diuresis and again 4–7 days later, this time 3 h after progesterone was given intramuscularly. Seven additional studies were performed 3 days after progesterone administration. Another four tests were performed on volunteers who had manifested renal ‘escape’ from the sodium-retaining effect of deoxycorticosterone acetate. 2. In acute progesterone studies glomerular filtration rate was unchanged, whereas effective renal plasma flow increased, so that filtration fraction decreased significantly. A similar increase in urinary sodium occurred whether subjects received a low or high sodium diet. Indices which related to the distal delivery of filtrate (fractional urine flow and the sum of fractional free water and sodium clearances) increased significantly in both groups. The progesterone-induced increase in sodium excretion was not related to changes in plasma renin activity, renin substrate or urinary aldosterone. After 3 days of progesterone, the increase of sodium excretion was less than in the acute studies and urinary aldosterone increased two- to four-fold. Progesterone failed to produce an acute increase in urinary sodium in subjects hyperexpanded by administration of exogenous mineralocorticoids. 3. Results suggest that the acute natriuretic action of progesterone is in part independent of aldosterone inhibition and that progesterone may inhibit sodium reabsorption at proximal as well as distal sites in the nephron.
Indwelling urethral versus suprapubic catheters in nursing home residents: determining the safest option for long-term use.

Summary Background The incidence of infectious complications has not been previously compared for two types of common urinary catheters used in the long-term care setting: indwelling urethral catheters and suprapubic catheters. Aim To compare catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rates and multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) colonization between nursing home residents with indwelling urethral and suprapubic catheters. Methods Participants included 418 nursing home residents with an indwelling device enrolled in a previously published prospective targeted infection prevention study conducted between 2010 and 2013. Resident age, gender, function, comorbidities, and information on infections, antibiotic use, and recent hospitalizations were obtained at study enrolment, day 14, and every 30 days thereafter for up to one year. Microbiological samples were obtained from several anatomic sites at each visit. Cox proportional hazard models were adjusted for facility-level clustering and other covariates. Findings In all, 208 study participants had an indwelling urinary catheter, contributing 21,700 device-days; 173 (83%) with a urethral catheter, 35 (17%) with a suprapubic catheter. After covariate adjustment, the suprapubic group had a lower incidence of CAUTI (6.6 vs 8.8 per 1000 device-days; P = 0.05), were half as likely to be hospitalized (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.46; P Conclusion Residents with a suprapubic catheter may have fewer CAUTIs, less hospitalization and less antibiotic use, but are more likely colonized with MDROs.
Creation of Small Skeletal Models in Kinetic Model Reductions

This paper outlines updates made to a method for chemical kinetic model reduction for use in computational fluid dynamics simulations. Specifically, this method uses a time-integrated flux-based al...
Predicting NFRs in Agile Software Engineering

Non-Functional requirements (NFRs) are overlooked where as Functional Requirements (FRs) take the center stage in developing agile software. Research has shown that ignoring NFRs can have negative impact on the software and could potentially cost more to fix at later stages. This research extends the CEP methodology to predict NFRs in next iterations of agile software development. Research in other fields have shown that historical data can be beneficial in the long run. This research shows that using the data available can be beneficial for the next iteration of software development. A simple decision tree was utilized to predict future NFRs based on past data. There are multiple occurrence of a set of NFRs, and security was the most occurrence of NFRs.
Varieties of Informal Work in Comparative Perspective

In this All Academy Thematic symposium session, we outline some of the different ways in which informal work—which occurs both in the informal and formal sectors—has been conceptualized in the lite...
The Direct Oral Anticoagulants Apixaban, Rivaroxaban, and Edoxaban

Traditionally, anticoagulant therapy has been conducted through the administration of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) and parenteral alternatives. Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) such as apixaban, rivaroxaban and edoxaban provide the convenience of the VKA in that they are administered orally yet they lack many of the disadvantages associated with VKA therapy. Unlike VKAs, measuring DOAC levels is usually unnecessary. However, there are instances with plasma concentrations should be determined. The chromogenic anti-Xa assay is the best linear quantitative assay that is easily accessible to most clinical laboratories for this purpose. However, since the calibrators and controls for apixaban, rivaroxaban and edoxaban are awaiting Federal Drug Administration (FDA) clearance, measurement may have to be performed using the Prothrombin Time assay that lacks the sensitivity of the chromogenic anti-Xa. Results should be periodically verified using liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry which is the reference method for measuring DOAC levels in plasma. ABBREVIATIONS:AF-atrial fibrillation, DOAC – direct oral anticoagulant, DVT – deep vein thrombosis, FDA – Food and Drug Administration, HPLC – high performance liquid chromatography, LMWH – low molecular weight heparin, PE – pulmonary embolism, PT – prothrombin time, UFH – unfractionated heparin, UPLC – ultra-performance liquid chromatography, VKA – vitamin K antagonist, VTE – venous thromboembolism
Alcohol consumption and incident diabetes: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prospective association between baseline and 9 year change in alcohol consumption and long-term risk of diabetes and whether these associations might be modified by sex and/or BMI. We conducted a prospective analysis of 12,042 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study participants without prevalent diabetes (55% women, 78% white, mean age 54 years). Alcohol consumption was assessed at visit 1 (1987–1989) and visit 4 (1996–1998). We used Cox models to estimate hazard ratios for diabetes risk by baseline drinking categories and change in alcohol consumption, stratified by sex and obesity status. During a median follow-up of 21 years, there were 3795 incident cases of diabetes. Among women, consuming 8–14 drinks/week was associated with a significantly lower risk of diabetes (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.58, 0.96) compared with current drinkers consuming ≤1 drink/week. Among men, consuming 8–14 drinks/week was associated with a borderline significant lower risk of diabetes (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.70, 1.00) and consuming >14 drinks/week was associated with a significantly lower risk of diabetes (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.67, 0.97) (pinteraction < 0.01 for sex). For both sexes, among current drinkers, there was a significant decreasing trend in diabetes risk as the alcohol consumption increased. The association was modified by BMI (pinteraction = 0.042 for women, pinteraction < 0.001 for men). In women, the inverse association was only seen among overweight and obese participants. In men, the inverse association was more pronounced among obese participants. On average, drinking status did not change substantially over the 9 year period. For men with alcohol intake ≥7 drinks/week at baseline, decreasing alcohol intake was associated with higher risk of diabetes (HR per daily drink decrease 1.12, 95% CI 1.02, 1.23). In this community-based population, there was an inverse association between alcohol consumption and diabetes risk. The amount of the alcohol consumption associated with lower risk was different in women and men, and the association was more pronounced among participants with higher BMI.
Standardization of Temporal Bone CT Planes across a Multisite Academic Institution

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Variable head positioning in the CT gantry results in variable and inconsistent temporal bone imaging planes. Our aim was to evaluate whether an automated postprocessing algorithm or an educational intervention with postprocessing by a technologist could result in consistent temporal bone image reformations into planes referenced to the lateral semicircular canal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Instructions to reformat small-FOV images in planes referenced to the lateral semicircular canal were posted at 12 CT scanner consoles and e-mailed to 65 CT technologists at a single multisite institution. Automated reformatted images were also produced. The angles between the technologist- and automated-reformatted axial image planes and lateral semicircular canal planes were measured. Group differences were calculated with Mann-Whitney–Wilcoxon tests. Differences in homogeneity of variances were calculated with Fligner-Killeen tests. RESULTS: Two hundred ten temporal bones were imaged in 4 months following the intervention. Reformats by technologists were accurate in 87% of the axial and 81% of the coronal planes, with a trend toward improvement with time. Eighty percent of incorrectly reformatted images occurred at off-site, inpatient, and emergency department scanners. The error angle was significantly lower for technologist-reformatted images (median, 4.9°) than for acquisition plane images (median, 14.6°; P = 3 × 10−14) or automated-reformatted images (median, 13.8°; P = 9 × 10−13). The angle error variance was significantly more homogeneous for technologist-reformatted images (P = 3 × 10−8) and automated-reformatted images (P = 1 × 10−5) than for acquisition plane images. CONCLUSIONS: Both technologist and automated reformatting of temporal bone images resulted in significantly less imaging plane variance compared with images reformatted in the acquisition plane, but reformatting by technologists remains necessary at our institution given our preference for standardized planes referencing the lateral semicircular canals.
Relationship of Prolonged Acoustic Startle Latency to Diagnosis and Biotype in the Bipolar-Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes (B-SNIP) Cohort

Abstract Background Latency of the acoustic startle reflex is the time from presentation of the startling stimulus until the response and provides an index of neural processing speed. Latency is prolonged in schizophrenia, is 90% heritable, and predicts conversion to schizophrenia in a high-risk population. The Bipolar-Schizophrenia Network for Intermediate Phenotypes (B–SNIP) consortium investigates neurobiological features found in psychotic disorders spanning diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia (SCZ), schizoaffective disorder (SAD), and psychotic bipolar disorder (BP). We investigated whether differences in startle latency and prepulse inhibition (PPI) occur in probands, their first-degree relatives, and neurobiologically defined subgroups of the probands (Biotypes). Methods 1143 subjects were included from the B–SNIP cohort: 143 with SCZ, 178 SCZ relatives (SCZ-Fam), 123 with SAD, 152 SAD relatives (SAD-Fam), 138 BP, 183 BP relatives (BP-Fam), and 226 controls (CON). A Biopac system recorded the eyeblink component of the startle reflex during startle testing. Results Latency differed by diagnosis (F(3,620) = 5.10, p = 0.002): SCZ, SAD, and BP probands had slower latency than CON, with relatives intermediate. Biotypes 1 and 2 had slower latency than CON (p Conclusion Startle latency is prolonged in psychotic disorders that cross traditional diagnostic categories. These data suggest a genetic difference between biotypes that span across clinically defined diagnoses.
Measuring Illegal and Legal Corruption in American States: Some Results from the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics Corruption in America Survey

Using data from the "Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics Corruption in America Survey", we construct indices measuring two specific forms of corruption across American states: illegal and legal. We define illegal corruption as the private gains in the form of cash or gifts by a government official, in exchange for providing specific benefits to private individuals or groups, and legal corruption as the political gains in the form of campaign contributions or endorsements by a government official, in exchange for providing specific benefits to private individuals or groups, be it by explicit or implicit understanding. We then put our indices to work and investigate why some states are more corrupt than the others. In addition to demographic and economic variables we also investigate how political participation effects corruption depending on how well it is covered by the media. Our results suggest that we have a lot to learn about the politics of corruption control.
Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients With Cirrhosis—Etiology and Outcomes

ABSTRACT Background Lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) is a common clinical problem, and may be more prevalent among patients with cirrhosis, especially in the setting of portal hypertension and coagulopathy. However, there is extremely little data available on the subject of LGIB in patients with cirrhosis. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to better understand the etiology and outcomes of cirrhotic patients hospitalized with LGIB. Materials and Methods We analyzed 3,735 cirrhotic patients admitted to the Medical University of South Carolina between January 2011 and September 2018, and identified patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of hematochezia or bright red blood per rectum. Results Thirty patients with cirrhosis and LGIB were included in the cohort. The mean age was 56 ± 13 years, with 30% women. The mean model of end stage liver disease score was 22, and Child-Pugh (CP) scores were C: 41%, B: 33% and A: 26%. The mean Charlson Comorbidity Index was 5.6. Twenty-four (80%) patients had a clinical decompensating event (hepatic encephalopathy, ascites, esophageal varices); the mean hepatic venous pressure gradient was 14.1 mm Hg (n = 8). In 33% of patients, LGIB was considered significant bleeding that necessitated blood transfusion. The most common cause of LGIB was hemorrhoids (11 patients, 37%), followed by portal hypertensive enteropathy or colopathy (7 patients, 23%). Hemoglobin levels on admission were lower in patients with CP B/C cirrhosis than in those with CP A (P Conclusions Despite being uncommon, LGIB in cirrhotic patients is associated with a high mortality rate.
Data Duality of Crash Intensity Values

In this chapter a methodology is presented with the help of which an evaluation of the data quality of the CI values can be carried out. The aim is to make a statement as to whether the available data can be used to create an application that is suitable to meet the requirements on an algorithm which can be used to reach a decision on the firing time. For this purpose, a methodology of multivariate statistics is used to assess whether the data allow sufficient selectivity between NoFire / Misuse and Fire load cases.
Warmer nights offer no respite for a defensive mutualism

Ecologically relevant symbioses are widespread in terrestrial arthropods but based on recent findings these specialized interactions are likely to be especially vulnerable to climate warming. Importantly, empirical data and climate models indicate that warming is occurring asynchronously, with night-time temperatures increasing faster than daytime temperatures. Daytime (DTW) and night-time warming (NTW) may impact ectothermic animals and their interactions differently as DTW results in greater daily temperature variation and moves organisms nearer to their thermal limits, while NTW avoids thermal limits and may relieve constraints of cooler night-time temperatures; a nuance that has largely been ignored in the literature. In laboratory experiments, we investigated how the timing of warming influences a widespread defensive mutualism involving the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, and its heritable symbiont, Hamiltonella defensa, which protects against an important natural enemy, the parasitic wasp Aphidius ervi. Three aphid sublines were experimentally created from single aphid genotype susceptible to A. ervi: one line infected with a highly protective H. defensa strain, one infected with a moderately protective strain and one without any facultative symbiont. We examined aphid fitness in the presence and absence of parasitoids and when exposed to an average 2.5°C increase occurring across three warming scenarios (night-time vs. daytime vs. uniform) relative to no-warming controls. An increase of 2.5°C, as predicted to occur by the IPCC before 2100, was sufficient to disable the aphid defensive mutualism regardless of the timing of warming; a surprising result given that the daily maxima for control and NTW scenarios were identical. We also found that warming negatively impacted (a) symbiont-mediated interactions between host and parasitoid more than symbiont-free ones; (b) species interactions (host-parasitoid) more than each participant independently and (c) aphids more than parasitoids even though higher trophic levels are generally predicted to be more affected by warming. Here we show that 2.5°C warming, regardless of timing, negatively impacted a common microbe-mediated defensive mutualism. While this was a laboratory-based study, results suggest that temperature increases predicted in the near-term may disrupt the many ecological symbioses present in terrestrial ecosystems.
Distributional Changes in U.S. Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Purchases, 2002-2014

Introduction U.S. policy actions focus on reducing sugar-sweetened beverage purchases. Yet, there are no studies on trends in overall purchase distribution and how it has changed by key subpopulations. This study examined changes in distributions of total sugar-sweetened beverage purchases and its major subtypes (regular carbonated soft drinks and fruit/sports/energy drinks) in 2002–2014 and distinguished among low, moderate, and high purchasers. Methods Longitudinal data on sugar-sweetened beverage purchases of U.S. households from the 2002–2014 Nielsen Homescan Panel were used. Sugar-sweetened beverages were defined as all caloric non-alcoholic beverages containing added sugars. Longitudinal quantile regression model examined trends across distributions (from quantile 25 to 95) of purchases (measured in kcal/day/capita), while accounting for households’ unobserved differences. All statistical analyses were conducted in 2019. Results All households across the total purchase distribution significantly reduced their purchases. High purchasers made less proportional reductions than low purchasers (e.g., 35% at 95th quantile vs 62% at 25th quantile). However, the smaller relative reductions among higher purchasers translated into larger absolute decreases (e.g., 134 kcal/day/capita at 95th quantile vs 23 kcal/day/capita at 25th quantile). Similar patterns in heterogeneity were observed across sugar-sweetened beverage subtype distributions and among racial/ethnic and income groups. In addition, there were significant racial/ethnic and income disparities in total sugar-sweetened beverage purchases in 2002–2003. Although racial/ethnic disparities among higher purchasers improved, income disparity patterns at all purchase levels persisted into 2013–2014. Conclusions From 2002‒2003 to 2013–2014, U.S. households at all purchase levels made meaningful reductions in sugar-sweetened beverage purchases in both absolute and relative terms. Furthermore, racial/ethnic disparities in total sugar-sweetened beverage purchases narrowed, but income disparity patterns persisted.
Community outreach and integration of breast radiologists

Abstract With the increased emphasis on patient experience and shift toward patient- and family-centered care in health care, balancing the daily practice of radiology and devoting time to community outreach and engagement can seem challenging. We describe various methods of community outreach and integration attainable by breast imagers and how these can be used to develop relations with patients and providers, improve patient access, and inspire future breast imagers. Engagement in community outreach by the breast imager can positively impact breast radiologists, their radiology groups, and patients.
Robustly Learning any Clusterable Mixture of Gaussians.

We study the efficient learnability of high-dimensional Gaussian mixtures in the outlier-robust setting, where a small constant fraction of the data is adversarially corrupted. We resolve the polynomial learnability of this problem when the components are pairwise separated in total variation distance. Specifically, we provide an algorithm that, for any constant number of components $k$, runs in polynomial time and learns the components of an $\epsilon$-corrupted $k$-mixture within information theoretically near-optimal error of $\tilde{O}(\epsilon)$, under the assumption that the overlap between any pair of components $P_i, P_j$ (i.e., the quantity $1-TV(P_i, P_j)$) is bounded by $\mathrm{poly}(\epsilon)$. Our separation condition is the qualitatively weakest assumption under which accurate clustering of the samples is possible. In particular, it allows for components with arbitrary covariances and for components with identical means, as long as their covariances differ sufficiently. Ours is the first polynomial time algorithm for this problem, even for $k=2$. Our algorithm follows the Sum-of-Squares based proofs to algorithms approach. Our main technical contribution is a new robust identifiability proof of clusters from a Gaussian mixture, which can be captured by the constant-degree Sum of Squares proof system. The key ingredients of this proof are a novel use of SoS-certifiable anti-concentration and a new characterization of pairs of Gaussians with small (dimension-independent) overlap in terms of their parameter distance.
Bridging the Collaboration Gap: Real-time Identification of Clinical Specimens for Biomedical Research.

Introduction: Biomedical and translational research often relies on the evaluation of patients or specimens that meet specific clinical or laboratory criteria. The typical approach used to identify biospecimens is a manual, retrospective process that exists outside the clinical workflow. This often makes biospecimen collection cost prohibitive and prevents the collection of analytes with short stability times. Emerging data architectures offer novel approaches to enhance specimen-identification practices. To this end, we present a new tool that can be deployed in a real-time environment to automate the identification and notification of available biospecimens for biomedical research. Methods: Real-time clinical and laboratory data from Cloverleaf (Infor, NY, NY) were acquired within our computational health platform, which is built on open-source applications. Study-specific filters were developed in NiFi (Apache Software Foundation, Wakefield, MA, USA) to identify the study-appropriate specimens in real time. Specimen metadata were stored in Elasticsearch (Elastic N. V., Mountain View, CA, USA) for visualization and automated alerting. Results: Between June 2018 and December 2018, we identified 2992 unique specimens belonging to 2815 unique patients, split between two different use cases. Based on laboratory policy for specimen retention and study-specific stability requirements, secure E-mail notifications were sent to investigators to automatically notify of availability. The assessment of throughput on commodity hardware demonstrates the ability to scale to approximately 2000 results per second. Conclusion: This work demonstrates that real-world clinical data can be analyzed in real time to increase the efficiency of biospecimen identification with minimal overhead for the clinical laboratory. Future work will integrate additional data types, including the analysis of unstructured data, to enable more complex cases and biospecimen identification.