cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 3056: Mitochondrial DNA copy number and risk of second primary tumors in long-term breast cancer survivors

Background. Mitochondria is constantly exposed to reactive oxygen species (ROS), an important factor in carcinogenesis. Altered mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in peripheral blood has been associated with increased risks of several cancers, including breast cancer. However, the association of mtDNA copy number with clinical outcomes of breast cancer has not been reported. This study aimed to assess the association of mtDNA copy number with second primary tumors (SPT) in long-term breast cancer survivors. Methods. We measured mtDNA by quantitative PCR in patients in 68 long-term breast cancer survivors with SPT, 100 long-term breast cancer survivors without SPT and 97 newly diagnosed breast cancer cases. Cases with and without SPT were matched by years since diagnosis, age at time of sample collection and race. Differences between mtDNA copy number among groups were analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Results. MtDNA copy number was significantly higher in long-term breast cancer survivors (either with SPT or not SPT) compared with newly diagnosed breast cancer patients (Mean (SD), 1.03 ± 0.25 vs 0.95 ± 0.27; p = 0.005). We did not observe significant differences of mtDNA copy number between long-term survivors with SPT and without SPT. However, in stratified analyses by epidemiological and clinical variables, we observed lower mtDNA copy number in HER2-positive long-term survivors with SPT than those without SPT (0.84 ± 0.13 vs 1.27 ± 0.44; p = 0.010) and in pre-menopause long-term survivors with SPT than those without SPT (0.95 ± 0.20 vs 1.06 ± 0.22; p = 0.034). A borderline significance of mtDNA copy number between SPT and non-SPT ER-negative long-term survivors was also noted (0.90 ± 0.17 vs 1.18 ± 0.41, p = 0.056). Conclusion. Higher mtDNA copy number was found in long-term breast cancer survivors compared to newly diagnosed cases. There were significant associations between lower mtDNA copy number and SPT in long-term breast cancer survivors who are HER2+ or are pre-menopause. These results indicate a role of mtDNA copy number in long-term breast cancer survivorship. Citation Format: Miguel Santibanez, Alma Rodriguez, Michelle A. Hildebrandt, David W. Chang, Xifeng Wu. Mitochondrial DNA copy number and risk of second primary tumors in long-term breast cancer survivors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3056. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3056
A Comparison of Three Ion Sensing Circuits in a Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Engine

The use of a spark plug ion sensor to detect combustion timing in a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine is a technique that could alleviate the need for pressure transducers, a more expensive alternative. One disadvantage of this approach is the difficulty in obtaining a strong signal at lower equivalence ratios. This article addresses and compares three ion sensing circuitries, namely a voltage follower, a notch filter circuit that removes the 60-Hz wall noise, and a notch filter whose output is coupled to a custom-built “integrator” circuit. The circuit optimizations are aimed at improving signal strength and reliability. The ion signal present in the combustion chamber is experimentally investigated in a 1.9-L Volkswagen engine, modified for HCCI operation and fueled with gasoline. Experiments are conducted across different intake temperatures, pressures, and equivalence ratios. It was found that the custom-built circuit provided the best ion signal strength and reliability.
An Economical and SLO-Guaranteed Cloud Storage Service Across Multiple Cloud Service Providers

It is important for cloud service brokers to provide a multi-cloud storage service to minimize their payment cost to cloud service providers (CSPs) while providing service level objective (SLO) guarantee to their customers. Many multi-cloud storage services have been proposed or payment cost minimization or SLO guarantee. However, no previous works fully leverage the current cloud pricing policies (such as resource reservation pricing) to reduce the payment cost. Also, few works achieve both cost minimization and SLO guarantee. In this paper, we propose a multi-cloud Economical and SLO-guaranteed Storage Service ( $ES^3$ ), which determines data allocation and resource reservation schedules with payment cost minimization and SLO guarantee. $ES^3$ incorporates (1) a coordinated data allocation and resource reservation method, which allocates each data item to a datacenter and determines the resource reservation amount on datacenters by leveraging all the pricing policies; (2) a genetic algorithm based data allocation adjustment method, which reduce data Get/Put rate variance in each datacenter to maximize the reservation benefit. We also propose several algorithms to enhance the cost efficient and SLO guarantee performance of $ES^3$ including i) dynamic request redirection, ii) grouped Gets for cost reduction, iii) lazy update for cost-efficient Puts, and iv) concurrent requests for rigid Get SLO guarantee. Our trace-driven experiments on a supercomputing cluster and on real clouds (i.e., Amazon S3, Windows Azure Storage and Google Cloud Storage) show the superior performance of $ES^3$ in payment cost minimization and SLO guarantee in comparison with previous methods.
The Longitudinal Discharge Planning and Treatment Model (LDPTM): Part 1

This paper describes a longitudinally based discharge planning and treatment model. The model proposes to develop linkages between inpatient and community mental health providers during the early stages of hospitalization. The goal is to put the client's need first to ensure a smooth transition from the structure of the inpatient ward to the community, while maintaining continuity of care and reducing potential re-admissions to the hospital. The barriers that prevent such an adoption and implementation of such a system are discussed. Both clinical and policy issues are examined. Part 1 focuses on the background of case management and discharge planning and provides a critique of case management models (Belcher & DeForge, 2005). Part 2 presents and describes the components of the longitudinally based discharge planning and treatment model (LDPTM) (DeForge & Belcher, 2005).
POSE: Prediction-Based Opportunistic Sensing for Energy Efficiency in Sensor Networks Using Distributed Supervisors

This paper presents a distributed supervisory control algorithm that enables opportunistic sensing for energy-efficient target tracking in a sensor network. The algorithm called Prediction-based Opportunistic Sensing (POSE), is a distributed node-level energy management approach for minimizing energy usage. Distributed sensor nodes in the POSE network self-adapt to target trajectories by enabling high power consuming devices when they predict that a target is arriving in their coverage area, while enabling low power consuming devices when the target is absent. Each node has a Probabilistic Finite State Automaton which acts as a supervisor to dynamically control its various sensing and communication devices based on target’s predicted position. The POSE algorithm is validated by extensive Monte Carlo simulations and compared with random scheduling schemes. The results show that the POSE algorithm provides significant energy savings while also improving track estimation via fusion-driven state initialization.
Reconfigurable manufacturing systems: Principles, design, and future trends

Reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMSs), which possess the advantages of both dedicated serial lines and flexible manufacturing systems, were introduced in the mid-1990s to address the challenges initiated by globalization. The principal goal of an RMS is to enhance the responsiveness of manufacturing systems to unforeseen changes in product demand. RMSs are costeffective because they boost productivity, and increase the lifetime of the manufacturing system. Because of the many streams in which a product may be produced on an RMS, maintaining product precision in an RMS is a challenge. But the experience with RMS in the last 20 years indicates that product quality can be definitely maintained by inserting in-line inspection stations. In this paper, we formulate the design and operational principles for RMSs, and provide a state-of-the-art review of the design and operations methodologies of RMSs according to these principles. Finally, we propose future research directions, and deliberate on how recent intelligent manufacturing technologies may advance the design and operations of RMSs.
The continuing evolution of the Journal of Neurophysiology: 2018 update.

The Journal of Neurophysiology continues to evolve to meet the needs of its authors and readers. This article summarizes recent changes intended to improve our evaluation and communication of neuro...
DESIGN OPTIMIZATION OF SOLENOID OPERATED DIESEL INJECTORS FOR GASEOUS FUELS

The design of a solenoid operated diesel injector for gaseous fuels is modified to incorporate a much smaller actuator. To achieve fast dynamic response of the new injector, a novel switching circuit is designed that incorporates a capacitor to control the electric current through the solenoid coil. The mathematical model of the injector needle motion and solenoid force generation during a transient process is established. A multiobjective optimization technique is applied to the simulation model to select values for the design parameters that result in an injector with optimum dynamic performance.
Their Dialectics and Ours

This paper chronicles a “missed connection” between the young Herbert Marcuse and his American contemporary, the philosopher Sidney Hook, and finds an unexpected complementarity in their efforts to reinvigorate the Marxist tradition against the backdrop of Stalinism. It examines the two philosophers’ first exchange in the early 1940s, by which time Hook had abandoned both his political and intellectual radicalism. Finally, it shows that the terms of Hook’s objection to Marcuse’s critical theory prefigured the tradtional left’s resistance to Marxist-humanism following the dissemination of Marx’s early manuscripts two decades later.
PrefixSolve: efficiently solving multi-source multi-destination path queries on RDF graphs by sharing suffix computations

Uncovering the "nature" of the connections between a set of entities e.g. passengers on a flight and organizations on a watchlist can be viewed as a Multi-Source Multi-Destination (MSMD) Path Query problem on labeled graph data models such as RDF. Using existing graph-navigational path finding techniques to solve MSMD problems will require queries to be decomposed into multiple single-source or destination path subqueries, each of which is solved independently. Navigational techniques on disk-resident graphs typically generate very poor I/O access patterns for large, disk-resident graphs and for MSMD path queries, such poor access patterns may be repeated if common graph exploration steps exist across subqueries. In this paper, we propose an optimization technique for general MSMD path queries that generalizes an efficient algebraic approach for solving a variety of single-source path problems. The generalization enables holistic evaluation of MSMD path queries without the need for query decomposition. We present a conceptual framework for sharing computation in the algebraic framework that is based on "suffix equivalence". Suffix equivalence amongst subqueries captures the fact that multiple subqueries with different prefixes can share a suffix and as such share the computation of shared suffixes, which allows prefix path computations to share common suffix path computations. This approach offers orders of magnitude better performance than current existing techniques as demonstrated by a comprehensive experimental evaluation over real and synthetic datasets.
Activated platelets induce endothelial secretion of interleukin-8 in vitro via an interleukin-1-mediated event

Migration of neutrophils through endothelial cells (EC) and induction of cytokine secretion are two well-documented events during the inflammatory reaction. The inflammatory, chemotactic cytokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) is secreted by EC in response to IL-1 stimulation. In this study, we show that platelets activated with either adenosine- 5'-diphosphate or epinephrine induce IL-8 secretion by EC. This stimulatory activity was found to be associated with sedimented platelets after activation. Blockade of IL-1 receptors on EC with IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) decreased the stimulatory effect of whole activated platelet preparations by 59% (P < .05). Similarly, IL-1Ra pretreatment of EC reduced the stimulatory effect of sedimented activated platelets by 60% (P < .01). In addition, we treated human blood donors with 750 mg of oral aspirin, and evaluated the stimulatory effect of epinephrine-activated platelets on IL-8 secretion by EC. IL-8 synthesis after aspirin ingestion was inhibited by 90% (P < .01) as compared with the preaspirin stimulation. These observations show that activated platelets induce IL-8 secretion via membrane-associated IL-1 activity, and provide a novel relationship between coagulation and inflammation that could be relevant to several diseases.
Correlates of occasional cigarette and marijuana use: are teens harm reducing?

Abstract This paper examines characteristics that distinguish heavy and occasional cigarette and marijuana use among U.S. high school seniors. High school seniors who completed the 1994 Monitoring the Future survey ( N = 15,929) were classified as nonusers, occasional users, and heavy users of cigarettes and marijuana. Level of use was examined with regard to degree of perceived risk of regular use, perceived risk of occasional use as well as several psychosocial factors previously shown to be associated with use (e.g., peer use, close friends’ approval of use, and self-esteem). Involvement with other drugs and high-risk behaviors across levels of use was also examined. Heavy users of cigarettes or marijuana reported significantly lower perceived risk of regular use of each substance compared to occasional users. Heavy and occasional users did not generally differ with regard to perceived risk of occasional use. Compared to heavy users, occasional cigarette or marijuana users reported significantly lower rates of illicit drug use, heavy alcohol use, and high-risk driving behaviors as well as fewer problem behaviors and higher grades. Some adolescents may moderate their cigarette and marijuana use to minimize harmful effects they associate with heavier use (i.e., they may be practicing harm reduction). Additional research is needed to better understand controlled substance use, and incorporate this information into prevention and cessation programs.
Dynamics of squirrel monkey linear vestibuloocular reflex and interactions with fixation distance.

Telford, Laura, Scott H. Seidman, and Gary D. Paige. Dynamics of squirrel monkey linear vestibuloocular reflex and interactions with fixation distance. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 1775–1790, 1997. Horizon...
Optical Control of Biomimetic Nanoparticle Catalysts Based upon the Metal Component

Nanoparticle catalysts provide an intriguing route to achieving sustainable reactivity. Recent evidence has suggested that both the underlying metallic core and the passivating ligand layer can be ...
Responses of Overwintering Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) to Dead Conspecifics

Overwintering brown marmorated stink bugs (Halyomorpha halys) (Stal) are a notable domestic nuisance. In addition to disruptive activity, dead individuals remain in homes, sometimes in large numbers. To better understand the effects of these remains on overwintering behavior, adult H. halys were subjected to several experiments to test their responses to dead conspecifics. In non-tactile tests of individuals exposed to groups of dead conspecifics, H. halys did not respond to 1-yr-old desiccated dead conspecifics, but avoided corpses that were freshly killed. In tactile tests of individuals exposed to groups of dead conspecifics, H. halys joined those corpse aggregations significantly more often than not, and preferred corpses to cotton when given a choice. In tests of exposure of overwintering individuals to fresh dead conspecifics over the course of a winter, no necrophagy or evidence of survival advantage was observed, but overall females had higher survival rates than males.
Electrical and ultrasonic neuromodulation for enhanced military performance, health, and gaming (Conference Presentation)

Advances in medical device engineering, as well as our continuously increasing understanding of brain function, has increased the safety, reliability, and efficacy of neuromodulation methods for regulating human behavior over the past couple decades. Clinical neuromodulation devices are becoming frequently used for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders. Most clinical methods however rely on surgically implanted electrodes, such as those incorporated by deep-brain stimulation systems to treat Parkinson’s disease. Several different methods of noninvasive neuromodulation also exist and have been used to alter brain activity for research applications or to treat some nervous systems disorders. Some noninvasive methods involve delivering electrical currents or electromagnetic pulses to specific peripheral nerves or brain targets in order to modulate nervous system activity. Other more recently developed methods use focused ultrasound to noninvasively modulate human brain circuits or nerves at high spatiotemporal resolutions. Beyond the utility of restoring loss of function in therapeutic embodiments, these safety benchmarks have encouraged the widespread investigation of several different types of neuromodulation methods for their potential to increase gains in the performance and function of healthy individuals. Noninvasive neuromodulation has been shown to enhance brain plasticity and physical performance, accelerate learning, increase attention, and improve sleep. Additive gains have been shown when combining neuromodulation devices with biosensors and virtual immersion gaming systems as human computer interfaces. An overview of how electrical and ultrasonic neuromodulation methods embodied as human computer interfaces are being developed for enhancing the performance of military operators and defense personnel is provided in the present paper.
Acoustic validation of military aircraft noise models

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1970 established the requirement to assess noise impacts from aircraft operations on the community surrounding military bases. A process for measuring and modeling aircraft noise sources and their propagation to ground locations was developed in response. The NOISEMAP suite of software programs produces noise footprints of yearly average impacts due to all flights that occur to and from an airbase. Through NOISEMAP’s decades of evolution, it retains the same fundamental measurement/modeling architecture and remains the approved model for environmental impact studies for aircraft within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). However, new advanced source and propagation models exist, which result in lower uncertainties and the calculation of additional useful noise impact metrics. No clear path exists to allow the use of these models for DoD environmental impact studies. This work presents a scientific validation experiment for aircraft overflight source/propagation models, focusing on suitability for use in a NEPA environmental impact study. The experiment relies on high-fidelity data collected during controlled overflight acoustic measurements of real aircraft and provides a quantitative benchmark for the evaluation of future models.
The antibacterial effect of sonication and its potential medical application.

Introduction : Recent applications of ultrasonic probes include cataract removal and tennis elbow treatment. Early data support the use of ultrasonic probe debridement in the treatment of recalcitrant diabetic foot ulcers. No data are available concerning the potential antibacterial properties of the clinical grade, lower energy ultrasound probes. We investigated the effect of a clinically available ultrasonic debridement probe with respect to bacterial viability.Methods : A commercially available Tenex sonication machine with a Tx1 probe was used for this study. Three bacterial strains, aerobic and anaerobic, were investigated, G-negative (Porphyromonas gingivalis ) and G-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus gordonii ). These bacteria were cultured and tested with sonication for varying lengths of time (10, 30, 60, and 120 s). The tested bacterial samples were plated, the number of colonies on each plate counted, and the anti-bacterial effect was calculated. Statistical analysis was conducted using a one-way analysis of variance.Results : Sonication exhibited a significant time-dependent antibacterial effect. Statistically significant anti-bacterial effect was observed in all three species tested. When comparing the kill rate between the control and 120 s of sonication; S. gordonii had a 34% kill rate, S. aureus had a 60% kill rate, and P. gingivalis had a 64% kill rate. When comparing control to all of the time intervals tested, S. aureus kill rate was statistically significant at all times, S. gordonii was statistically significant at all times above 10 s, and P. gingivalis was only statistically significant at 120 s.Conclusion : This study demonstrates that a clinically available ultrasonic probe has an antibacterial effect against a wide spectrum of gram-positive, gram-negative, aerobic and anaerobic bacterial species. This may partially explain the dramatic healing of long-standing recalcitrant diabetic ulcers debrided with this device and may have a place in treating pathologies with bacterial mechanisms.
Nodal and planar cell polarity signaling cooperate to regulate zebrafish convergence and extension gastrulation movements.

During vertebrate gastrulation, convergence and extension (C and E) of the primary anteroposterior (AP) embryonic axis is driven by polarized mediolateral (ML) cell intercalations and is influenced by AP axial patterning. Nodal signaling is essential for patterning of the AP axis while planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling polarizes cells with respect to this axis, but how these two signaling systems interact during C and E is unclear. We find that the neuroectoderm of Nodal-deficient zebrafish gastrulae exhibits reduced C and E cell behaviors, which require Nodal signaling in both cell- and non-autonomous fashions. PCP signaling is partially active in Nodal-deficient embryos and its inhibition exacerbates their C and E defects. Within otherwise naive zebrafish blastoderm explants, however, Nodal induces C and E in a largely PCP-dependent manner, arguing that Nodal acts both upstream of and in parallel with PCP during gastrulation to regulate embryonic axis extension cooperatively.
"It Gave Me Hope" Experiences of Diverse Safety Net Patients in a Group Acupuncture Intervention for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Purpose: To explore the experiences of living with painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) and with a group acupuncture intervention in a sample of low-income, diverse patients. Methods: We conducted a randomized clinical trial of a 12-week group acupuncture intervention for PDN. Data included validated measures of patient-reported outcomes, including pain and quality of life (QOL), as well as semistructured qualitative interviews about participants' experiences with PDN and the intervention. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed using an inductive thematic framework. Results: We recruited 40 participants from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds from a public hospital and conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with a subset of 17 participants. Participants randomized to acupuncture experienced greater decreases in pain compared with usual care as well as improved QOL. In interviews, they described a myriad of socioeconomic and personal life stressors that compounded the significant suffering and disability brought on by PDN. Those who received acupuncture were able to decrease reliance on pain medication, improve their sleep and daily function, reduce stress, and engage more with their own self-care. They noted that the acupuncture intervention also gave them hope in the face of their chronic disease. Conclusion: Acupuncture is a valuable adjunct treatment for low-income and marginalized populations with PDN. In addition to reducing pain and improving QOL, acupuncture may offer powerful benefits by increasing patient activation and hope.
Helicity-dependent extension of the McLerran-Venugopalan model

Abstract We construct a generalization of the McLerran–Venugopalan (MV) model including helicity effects for a longitudinally polarized target (a proton or a large nucleus). The extended MV model can serve as the initial condition for the helicity generalization of the JIMWLK evolution equation constructed in our previous paper, as well as for calculation of helicity-dependent observables in the quasi-classical approximation to QCD.
Guided Mindfulness: Using Expert Schemas to Evaluate Complex Skill Acquisition

This paper presents qualitative data regarding the experiential learning process, including how this process can be enhanced through an individualized learning approach we refer to as Guided Mindfulness (GM). GM works as a facilitating mechanism where specific self-regulated learning opportunities are a) identified as learning events, b) reflected on, and probing questions on the event are c) asked to heighten experiential learning. Specifically, frequent experiential learners (FELs) were interviewed regarding their learning process, comparing that process between expert and novices and providing preliminary identification of the differences between expert and novice schemas. Finally, the five GM intervening processes (i.e., situational awareness, self-awareness, social awareness, sensemaking, simulation) were mapped into each of these stages. Future directions are proposed regarding understanding these expert schemas more thoroughly and applying this understanding across cultures.
Breastfeeding and Maternal Age-Related Cataract in the U.S. Population

An estimated 38 million and 50 million individuals will have cataract in the U.S. alone by 2030 and 2050, respectively. Breastfeeding is known to improve a number of health outcomes in both breastf...
Thermodynamics of energy magnetization

We construct the thermodynamics of energy magnetization in the presence of gravitomagnetic field. We show that the free energy must be modified to account for the modification of the energy current operator in the presence of a confining potential. The explicit expression of the energy magnetization is derived for a periodic system, and the Streda formula for the thermal Hall conductivity is rigorously established. We demonstrate our theory of the energy magnetization and the Streda formula in a Chern insulator.
How Literate Responses to Technical Communication Can Promote Practical Responses to Environmental Change

UX research applied to technical communication about a largescale sustainable energy project shows that an embodied understanding of the environment prevails in the general population, pointing toward more effective methods for communicating scientific and policy information.
Browser Security: Lessons from Google Chrome: Google Chrome developers focused on three key problems to shield the browser from attacks.

The Web has become one of the primary ways people interact with their computers, connecting people with a diverse landscape of content, services, and applications. Users can find new and interesting content on the Web easily, but this presents a security challenge: malicious Web-site operators can attack users through their Web browsers. Browsers face the challenge of keeping their users safe while providing a rich platform for Web applications.
Effect of Interfacial Thermal Resistance in a Thermal Cloak

When heat transfers through the interface between two different materials, it will encounter an interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) that makes the temperature discontinuous. This effect has been totally ignored so far in the research on a thermal cloak, in particular when the thermal cloak is built with multilayer structures. In this paper, we investigate the effect of ITR on the performance of a thermal cloak by both an analytical method and a numerical method. Our results show that the existence of ITR will distort the external field and thus destroy the cloak. Moreover, we find that the effect of ITR can be quantified by a parameter called the ``characteristic length.''
Harnessing the Computing Continuum for Urgent Science

Urgent science describes time-critical, data-driven scientific work-flows that can leverage distributed data sources in a timely way to facilitate important decision making. While our capacity for generating data is expanding dramatically, our ability to manage, analyze, and transform this data into knowledge in a timely manner has not kept pace. This paper explores how the computing continuum, spanning resources at the edges, in the core, and in-between, can be harnessed to support urgent science and discusses associated research challenges. Using an Early Earthquake Warning (EEW) workflow, which combines data streams from geo-distributed seismometers and high-precision GPS stations to detect large ground motions, as a driver, we propose a system stack that can enable the fluid integration of distributed analytics across a dynamic infrastructure spanning the computing continuum.
Pharmacotherapy in covid 19: Potential impact of targeting the complement system

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has claimed over one million lives worldwide since December 2019. The complement system, while a first-line immune defense against invading pathogens, has off-target effects that lead to increases in inflammation, tissue damage, and thrombosis; these are common, life-threatening complications seen in patients with COVID-19. This review explores the potential impact of complement activation in COVID-19 and possible treatments targeting the complement system.
Achieving Population Health Impacts Through Health Promotion Programs Offered by Community-based Organizations

Background Evidence-based health promotion programs can help older adults manage chronic conditions and address behavioral risk factors, and translating these interventions to population-scale impact depends on reaching people outside of clinical settings. Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) have emerged as important delivery sites for health promotion programs, but the impacts of their expanded role in delivering these interventions remain unknown. Objective The objective of this study was to test whether evidence-based health promotion programs implemented by AAAs from 2008 to 2016 influenced health care use and spending by older adults and to examine how agencies' organizational capacity for implementation influenced these population-level impacts. Research design We used panel regression models to examine how the expansion of health promotion programs offered by AAAs over the course of 2008-2016 was associated with a change in health care use and spending by older adults in counties served by the AAAs. We examined impact separately for high capacity and low capacity agencies. Results Across the full sample of AAAs, beginning to offer any health promotion program in the AAA was associated a with 0.94% percentage point reduction in potentially avoidable nursing home use in counties covered by the AAA (95% confidence interval=-1.58, -0.29), equivalent to a 6.5% change. Expanding the breadth of programs offered by the AAA was also associated with a significant reduction in potentially avoidable nursing home use. Stratified analysis showed that reductions in potentially avoidable nursing home use were evident only in places where the AAA had high implementation capacity. Expansion of health promotion programs offered by AAAs was not associated with the change in county-level hospital readmission rates, ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations, or Medicare spending per beneficiary. Conclusions AAAs are an example of community-based organizations that can contribute to health care policy goals such as cost containment. Organizational development support may be needed to extend their ability to effect change in more regions of the country.
Correction to: Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Presentation and Outcomes in Colorectal Peritoneal Metastases Following Cytoreduction and Chemoperfusion: Persistent Inequalities in Outcomes at a High-Volume Center.

Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (CRS HIPEC) can offer significant survival advantage for select patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases (CRPM). Low socioeconomic status (SES) is implicated in disparities in access to care. We analyze the impact of SES on postoperative outcomes and survival at a high-volume tertiary CRS HIPEC center. We conducted a retrospective cohort study examining patients who underwent CRS HIPEC for CRPM from 2000 to 2018. Patients were grouped according to SES. Baseline characteristics, perioperative outcomes, and survival were examined between groups. A total of 226 patients were analyzed, 107 (47%) low-SES and 119 (53%) high-SES patients. High-SES patients were younger (52 vs. 58 years, p = 0.01) and more likely to be White (95.0% vs. 91.6%, p = 0.06) and privately insured (83% vs. 57%, p < 0.001). They traveled significantly further for treatment and had lower burden of comorbidities and frailty (p = 0.01). Low-SES patients more often presented with synchronous peritoneal metastases (48% vs. 35%, p = 0.05). Following CRS HIPEC, low-SES patients had longer length of stay and higher burden of postoperative complications, 90-day readmission, and 30-day mortality. Median overall survival following CRS HIPEC was worse for low-SES patients (17.8 vs. 32.4 months, p = 0.02). This disparity persisted on multivariate survival analysis (low SES: HR = 1.46, p = 0.03). Despite improving therapies for CRPM, low-SES patients remain at a significant disadvantage. Even patients who overcome barriers to care experience worse short- and long-term outcomes. Improving access and addressing these disparities is crucial to ensure equitable outcomes and improve patient care.
COVID Snapshot: How Medical Libraries and Staff Adapt to Deliver Services during a Pandemic

This article is a snapshot in time of how the COVID pandemic has affected hospital and academic librarians. This story tells how health sciences and hospital libraries have adjusted and continue to...
Assessment and Management of Delirium in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Review

Many critically ill patients suffer from delirium which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. There is a paucity of data about the incidence, symptoms, or treatment of delirium in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Risk factors for delirium are common in the PICU including central nervous system immaturity, developmental delay, mechanical ventilation, and use of anticholinergic agents, corticosteroids, vasopressors, opioids, or benzodiazepines. Hypoactive delirium is the most common subtype in pediatric patients; however, hyperactive delirium has also been reported. Various screening tools are validated in the pediatric population, with the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD) applicable to the largest age range and able to detect signs and symptoms consistent with both hypo- and hyperactive delirium. Treatment of delirium should always include identification and reversal of the underlying etiology, reserving pharmacologic management for those patients without symptom resolution, or with significant impact to medical care. Atypical antipsychotics (olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone) should be used first-line in patients requiring pharmacologic treatment owing to their apparent efficacy and low incidence of reported adverse effects. The choice of atypical antipsychotic should be based on adverse effect profile, available dosage forms, and consideration of medication interactions. Intravenous haloperidol may be a potential treatment option in patients unable to tolerate oral medications and with significant symptoms. However, given the high incidence of serious adverse effects with intravenous haloperidol, routine use should be avoided. Dexmedetomidine should be used when sedation is needed and when clinically appropriate, given the positive impact on delirium. Additional well-designed trials assessing screening and treatment of PICU delirium are needed.
Extractive thin-film composite membranes for the isotopic screening of plutonium in water

Abstract Isotopic determination of trace-level Pu in water requires time-consuming concentration and sample preparation steps, and the samples routinely must be prepared off-site from the contamination source. An analytical method that combines on-site Pu concentration with spectroscopic screening would be a valuable tool for environmental monitoring and nuclear forensics. This contribution describes the development of extractive polymer thin-film composite (e-TFC) membranes for the rapid concentration and isotopic determination of Pu from water. The e-TFC membranes were prepared by spin coating Pu-extractive copolymers on the surface of an ultrafiltration membrane. The copolymers were synthesized from methyl methacrylate or 4-methylstyrene and a Pu-reactive monomer. Three Pu-reactive monomers were evaluated for their ability to create copolymers that were suitable for casting and capable of extracting Pu from water at trace levels. Copolymers containing 5% (w/w) ethylene glycol methacrylate phosphate (EGMP) had distribution coefficients of 92.7 ± 18.5 L/kg for 242Pu at pH 6.8. e-TFC membranes prepared with an EGMP-based copolymer active layer were effective for concentrating 242Pu from a 4.53 Bq/mL (1.26 × 10−8 M) solution at pH 6.8. The resulting alpha spectra of Pu-loaded e-TFC membranes achieved energy resolutions (full-width at half-maximum, FWHM) of 71.7 ± 8.7 keV, allowing for the isotopic discrimination of 242Pu from 238Pu/241Am also present in the solution.
Alkylation of monomeric, dimeric, and polymeric lignin models through carbon-hydrogen activation using Ru-catalyzed Murai reaction

Abstract In this study, we have assessed directed carbon-hydrogen activation (CHA) for alkylation of monomeric, dimeric, and polymeric lignin models using Murai's catalyst [RuH2(CO)(PPh3)3]. Based on related work from our laboratory showing that isolated organosolv lignin bears benzylic directing groups ideal for CHA reactions, this approach could offer new methodology for the valorization of biorefinery lignin. Monomeric and dimeric models bearing a keto group at the benzylic position undergo Ru-catalyzed alkylation in good to excellent yield. Similarly, models bearing a benzylic OH group also undergo alkylation via a tandem oxidation/alkylation process enabled by the Ru catalyst. Polymeric models show low levels of functionalization as a result of the poor solubility of the starting polymer. With unsymmetrical models, functionalization occurs first at the least sterically hindered ortho-site, but a subsequent alkylation, leading to disubstituted products can occur at the more sterically hindered site, leading to hexasubstituted arenes. The reaction shows sensitivity to free phenolic OH groups, which appears to reduce the yield in some reactions, and is also a contributing factor to the low yields observed with polymeric lignin models. Combining CHA methodology with lignin isolation technology able to introduce appropriate directing groups for catalytic functionalization will form the basis for improved conversion of lignin to high value chemical products.
Identification and assay of platelet-derived growth factor-binding proteins.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on characteristics of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-binding proteins and factors that affect PDGF-binding protein complexes, identification of specific binding proteins by various assays, and limitations in the analysis of the functional role of these binding proteins. PDGF is a potent mitogen for connective tissue cells, which was discovered because of the ability of platelets to reconstitute the mitogenic activity of whole blood serum lacking in serum derived from cell-free plasma. Release of PDGF and other mitogens from platelet α-granules is dependent on platelet activation, and it has been postulated that focal release of PDGF at sites of injury may play a physiological role in wound healing and tissue repair and a pathological role in the formation of lesions of atherosclerosis characterized by smooth muscle cell proliferation. The possible importance of focal release of PDGF and local PDGF concentrations at the site of release is suggested by in vivo clearance studies with purified and 125 I-labeled PDGF.
Private Information in Sequential Common-Value Auctions

We study an infinitely-repeated ?rst-price auction with common values. Initially, bid- ders receive independent private signals about the objects' value, which itself does not change over time. Learning occurs only through observation of the bids. Under one-sided incomplete information, this information is eventually revealed and the seller extracts es- sentially the entire rent (for large discount factors). Both players?payo¤s tend to zero as the discount factor tends to one. However, the uninformed bidder does relatively better than the informed bidder. We discuss the case of two-sided incomplete information, and argue that, under a Markovian re?nement, the outcome is pooling: information is revealed only insofar as it does not affect prices. Bidders submit a common, low bid in the tradition of collusion without conspiracy.
Identification and characterization of a pituitary corticotropin-releasing factor binding protein by chemical cross-linking

A corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) binding protein has been identified based on the chemical cross-linking of ovine [Nle21,m-125I-Tyr32]CRF (125I-oCRF) to bovine anterior pituitary membranes using disuccinimidyl suberate (DSS). The apparent molecular weight of the cross-linked complex determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by autoradiography was approximately 75,000 and was slightly decreased in its nonreduced state, suggesting the presence of intramolecular disulfide bonds. Subtracting the molecular weight of 125I-oCRF, the binding protein appeared to have a molecular weight of approximately 70,000. The cross-linking was specific since an excess (1 microM) of an unrelated peptide (insulin) did not affect the appearance of the Mr 75,000 band. The concentration of CRF required to inhibit cross-linking by 50% was found to be similar to that determined for bovine pituitary CRF receptors by radioreceptor assay. The nonhydrolyzable GTP analogue 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate dose dependently inhibited the cross-linking of 125I-oCRF to the Mr 70,000 protein. 50 nM of the inactive CRF analogue, [Ala14]oCRF, had no effect on the cross-linking, an observation which is consistent with this compound's low potencies in bioassays and radioreceptor assays. These results strongly suggest that this Mr 70,000 protein is the biological bovine anterior pituitary CRF receptor.
Classificação de populacões de milho quanto a eficiência e resposta ao uso de fósforo em solos naturais de cerrado

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi selecionar genotipos mais eficientes na absorcao e utilizacao de fosforo em solos naturais de cerrado. O ensaio foi constituido de quarenta e cinco tratamentos e foi conduzido na area Experimental da Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Campus Universitario de Gurupi. Para simular ambientes com baixo e alto nivel de fosforo, foram utilizadas doses de 25 e 113 kg ha-1 de P2O5 no plantio, respectivamente. Para identificar os cultivares adequados aos ambientes, utilizou-se a metodologia proposta por Fageria e Kluthcouski (1980), que sugerem a classificacao dos cultivares quanto a eficiencia no uso e resposta a aplicacao do fosforo. Concluiu-se que os genotipos eficientes na absorcao e utilizacao de fosforo e responsivos ao incremento de P foram UFVM77-0389, UFVM77-0365, UFVM77-0319, UFVM77-0329, UFVM77-0331 e UFVM77-0343.
HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOINDUCTIVE IMAGING

Photoinductive imaging is an implementation of thermal wave imaging with eddy current detection. Because the principles and equipment of photoinductive imaging have been covered in detail in prior volumes of this series [1,2,3], the emphasis here will be on the images that can be produced, with only a brief introduction to the principles. Gas cell detection, which is used for comparison with the photoinductive images, has also been covered in detail elsewhere [4].
A Unified Long-Term Memory System

Memory-based reasoning systems are a class of reasoners that derive solutions to new problems based on past experiences. Such reasoners use a long-term memory (LTM) to act as a knowledge base of these past experiences, which may be represented by such things as specific events (i.e. cases), plans, scripts, etc. This paper describes a Unified Long-Term Memory (ULTM) system, which is a dynamic, conceptual memory that was designed to be a general LTM capable of simultaneously supporting multiple intentional reasoning systems. Through a unique mixture of content-independent and domain-specific mechanisms, the ULTM is able to flexibly provide reasoners accurate and timely storage and recall of episodic memory structures. In addition, the ULTM provides support for recognizing opportunities to satisfy suspended goals, allowing reasoning systems to better cope with the unpredictability of dynamic real-world domains by helping them take advantage of unexpected events.
The pathway of allosteric control as revealed by hemoglobin intermediate states.

The energetics of hemoglobin cooperativity has been analyzed through the use of stable, partially-ligated intermediates. These studies revealed that the two dimeric halves of the tetramer are autonomous, leading to a Symmetry Rule that governs the relationship between ligand-binding and the T-->R quaternary switch: the R structure is favored over T only when ligands are bound to both dimers within the tetramer. A major feature of the Symmetry Rule mechanism is the generation of cooperative free energy by tertiary conformational constraints, which are formed within one dimeric half of the T-tetramer and released during the quaternary structure change to R. These rules of tertiary and quaternary molecular switching also govern the roles of the heterotropic allosteric effectors (e.g. Bohr protons).
Differentiating Skill and Luck in Financial Markets with Streaks

Determining whether an individual money manager’s success encompasses any skill is a difficult task. Long financial streaks – successive years in which fund managers are able to outperform the S&P 500 index – can provide new insight into determining whether differential skill plays a role in investors’ returns. Using a data set of the returns of approximately 5,500 different mutual funds from 1962-2008, we obtained an empirical record of financial streaks. We compared the empirical streaks to 10,000 realizations of a null model in which skill plays no role. We find that the empirical record has significantly more streaks than expected based on the null model. This difference implies differential skill among investors, with some funds having a higher likelihood of beating the market from year to year and collectively increasing the number of long financial streaks above the statistically expected amount based on randomness alone. In addition, adding a skill component to the null model generated an outcome that closely fit the empirical results.