cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is Heart Disease or Cancer the Leading Cause of Death in United States Women

Abstract Purpose This paper compares the mortality burden of heart disease versus cancer among women by age, race, and ethnicity. Methods U.S. death and population data for the years 2000 through 2013 were used to calculate heart disease and cancer death rates. Detailed analyses focused on age (15–19 years old to ≥100 years old) and race and ethnicity (Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and Pacific Islanders (A/PIs), and American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs)). Results Among women aged 15 years and older, there were 289,467 heart disease deaths and 276,716 cancer deaths in 2013. The majority of heart disease deaths (51.6%) occurred among women 85 years or older, compared with 18.9% of female cancer deaths. The age-adjusted death rates (per 100,000 population) were 171 (95% confidence interval [CI], 170–171) for heart disease versus 177 (95% CI, 176–178) for cancer. For all racial and ethnic groups, cancer mortality was significantly higher than heart disease mortality among women younger than 80 years of age. For all ages combined, cancer deaths exceeded heart disease deaths among Hispanics, A/PIs, and AI/ANs. Black non-Hispanic women were the only racial/ethnic group who had a higher age-adjusted death rate for heart disease than for cancer: 224 (95% CI, 222–226) versus 207 (95% CI, 205–209). Conclusions Heart disease remains the leading cause of death among all women combined in the United States by a narrow margin. However, cancer predominantly kills middle-aged and young women, whereas heart disease predominantly kills the very old. New research on the overreporting of heart disease on death certificates for elderly women is needed. National summary statistics obscure the fact that cancer is already the overall leading cause of death for Hispanic women, Asian and Pacific Islander women, and American Indian and Alaska Native women.
Design parameters of the optimum HVDC insulator profile

The discharge characteristics of dc insulators under contaminated conditions are investigated. The multiple-arc model, previously developed, is generalized to analyze the three dimensional case of practical insulator configurations. An empirical formula is introduced to account for the effectiveness of the insulator creepage length by considering the actual arc path from one underrib to another (tip-to-tip). Based on this approach, the effective leakage lengths of various insulator designs are evaluated. The relation between the flashover performance and the parameters of the insulator profile is also analyzed.
Boundaries of Scientific Thought

The scientific revolution, as understood to be the rise of modern science, began in the late Renaissance and took firm hold during the Enlightenment.
Age as a Predictor of Cannabis Use

Abstract This chapter examines current trends in cannabis use across age groups, and the factors associated with use among age group cohorts. Data across European and North American countries consistently show highest past year prevalence of use among persons aged 24 and younger. However, current use as measured by cannabis use in the past 30 days, reveals unique and different age group prevalence across countries (eg, past month use among 25–34 year olds in Belgium exceeds use among people aged 24 or younger). Moreover, among older adults (45–65) in the United States, their past year and past month use are the highest prevalence rates worldwide for this age cohort. Use among older adults reflects aging cohorts where cannabis use is socially normative, and increasing medicinal use of cannabis in the United States. Thus, indicating that using age as a predictor of cannabis use requires (1) time specific qualification for cannabis use (ever used, past year, past month), and (2) cultural context by country.
The use of one-electron quantum numbers to describe polyelectronic systems

Atomic states are rigorously characterized by the total orbital angular momentum and the total spin angular momentum, but chemists persist in the use of electron configurations based on one-electron quantum numbers and simplified rules for predicting ground state configurations. This practice is defended against two lines of criticism, and its use in teaching chemistry is encouraged with the claim that the inductive approach of Mendeleev and the deductive approach initiated by Schrodinger compose the consummate example of that interaction of empirical and rational epistemologies that defines how chemists think.
Symptom severity prediction from neuropsychiatric clinical records: Overview of 2016 CEGS N-GRID shared tasks Track 2

The second track of the CEGS N-GRID 2016 natural language processing shared tasks focused on predicting symptom severity from neuropsychiatric clinical records. For the first time, initial psychiatric evaluation records have been collected, de-identified, annotated and shared with the scientific community. One-hundred-ten researchers organized in twenty-four teams participated in this track and submitted sixty-five system runs for evaluation. The top ten teams each achieved an inverse normalized macro-averaged mean absolute error score over 0.80. The top performing system employed an ensemble of six different machine learning-based classifiers to achieve a score 0.86. The task resulted to be generally easy with the exception of two specific classes of records: records with very few but crucial positive valence signals, and records describing patients predominantly affected by negative rather than positive valence. Those cases proved to be very challenging for most of the systems. Further research is required to consider the task solved. Overall, the results of this track demonstrate the effectiveness of data-driven approaches to the task of symptom severity classification.
Relaxed SiGe Layers with High Ge Content by Compliant Substrates

Relaxed, high Ge content SiGe layers have been realized using stress balance on acompliant borophosphorosilicate glass (BPSG). A 30-nm fully-strained Si 0.7 Ge 0.3 layer wastransferred onto a 1 μm BPSG film by wafer-bonding and Smart-cutρ processes, after which thecontinuous Si 0.7 Ge 0.3 film was patterned into small islands to allow for lateral expansion. Afterthe strain in Si 0.7 Ge 0.3 islands was released by the lateral expansion resulting from the flow of theBPSG, a Si 0.4 Ge 0.6 layer was commensurately deposited under compression. Upon equilibriumafter an annealing, stress balance was formed between the SiGe films, resulting in a larger inplanelattice constant than that of relaxed Si 0.7 Ge 0.3 . With a thiner (6 nm) Si 0.7 Ge 0.3 starting film,an in-plane lattice constant equivalent to fully-relaxed Si 0.45 Ge 0.55 has been obtained.
Oil Prices Influence on Stock Market in Srilanka

This study examined the relationship between oil prices, interest rate, exchange rate and other macroeconomic variables and stock market in Srilanka. Monthly data of oil prices, interest rate, and total oil consumption of the country, exchange rate and stock market indices are modeled into a linear regression model. The secondary data of this research for diesel prices obtained from Petroleum cooperation in Srilanka, data of oil consumption obtained from the ministry of energy, the data of exchange rate and the interest rates obtained from the central bank of Srilanaka. Pearson correlation and regression were used to test the relationship between that both diesel prices and interest rates have significance relationship with stock market in SriIanka. However, when the relationship is positive to the diesel prices, the relationship of the interest rates is negative. The finding also indicated that total oil consumption and the exchange rates are positive relationship with the stock market operation in Srilanka, that finding also indicated that a very strong relationship between diesel prices and exchange rate.
Reversal of Oral Anticoagulants for Intracerebral Hemorrhage Patients: Best Strategies.

In patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), one of the major concerns is ongoing bleeding or ICH expansion. Anticoagulated patients are at higher risk of ongoing expansion and worse outcome. It may be that rapid anticoagulation reversal can reduce the risk of expansion and improve clinical outcome. For those taking coumarins, the best available evidence suggests that intravenous vitamin K combined with four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) is the most rapid and effective regimen to restore hemostasis. For those on dabigatran, the highest quality data available for reversal are for idarucizumab, although it is not yet clear whether patients derive clinical benefit from this reversal. In the absence or failure of idarucizumab, activated prothrombin complex concentrate (aPCC) is recommended. For those on factor Xa inhibitors, the ideal reversal agent is not clear. Many providers use 4F-PCC or aPCC, but more specific agents are in clinical trials and may soon be available. In addition, the half-lives of the non–vitamin K antagonists are relatively short compared with warfarin, and so some patients may not have a clinically relevant coagulopathy at the time of presentation. Overall, the optimal reversal agent, when one is required, is a function of which anticoagulant the patient is taking.
Collaborative Similarity Search Across Multi-party Repositories

The expanding role of online data collection and analytics from a variety of sources in the operation of emerging cyber and cyberphysical systems brings in two crucial issues: (a) collaboration across multiple parties that generate and own parts of the data with only limited access rights to others, and (b) need to efficiently identify suitable patterns in the data in order to drive the decision making. In this paper, we examine such scenarios where we assume that all collected data is organized in form of a database and the relevant patterns are those that concern similarities across the entities represented by the data. An entity of interest is either a physical or logical item with multiple attributes (e.g., a shipped product with price and size as attributes, traffic sensors measuring the volume of traffic and weather conditions at intersections). We assume a that all data regarding the entities is maintained in a standard relational form so that it is possible to describe the queries on it precisely. The similarities are then considered in terms of attribute values. In some cases, the attributes of the entities may themselves be partitioned across parties and thus stored on different nodes. We consider queries in this environment that must comply with access rules across parties and seek entities that are similar to a given entity in terms of their attributes. We propose efficient methods for getting similar entities across multiple attributes when the threshold for similarity may vary across searches. Through extensive experimentation, we show that our mechanism is significantly more efficient than a direct search through the entire dataset.
Granivory from native rodents and competition from an exotic invader strongly and equally limit the establishment of native grasses

Seed predation and resource competition are fundamental biotic filters that affect the assembly of plant communities, yet empirical studies rarely assess their importance relative to one another. Here, we used rodent exclosures and experimental seed additions to compare how rodent granivory and resource competition affected the net establishment of an exotic invader (Bromus tectorum) and two native bunchgrasses (Pseudoroegneria spicata and Elymus elymoides) in the Great Basin Desert, USA. Rodent granivory limited the establishment of both native grasses, but had no significant effect on B. tectorum. Competition from B. tectorum limited the establishment of both native grasses, but neither native grass imposed a significant competitive effect on B. tectorum. Interestingly, we found that rodent granivory and B. tectorum competition limited the establishment of native grasses to the same extent, suggesting that these biotic interactions may impose equally important barriers to the local establishment of P. spicata and E. elymoides. By evaluating the strength of multiple biotic interactions in simultaneous, coordinated experiments, we can understand their relative contributions to community-level patterns.
Dating tidal disruption of globular clusters with Gaia data on their stellar streams

The Gaia mission promises to deliver precision astrometry at an unprecedented level, heralding a new era for discerning the kinematic and spatial coordinates of stars in our Galaxy. Here, we present a new technique for estimating the age of tidally disrupted globular cluster streams using the proper motions and parallaxes of tracer stars. We evolve the collisional dynamics of globular clusters within the evolving potential of a Milky Way-like halo extracted from a cosmological $\Lambda$CDM simulation and analyze the resultant streams as they would be observed by Gaia. The simulations sample a variety of globular cluster orbits, and account for stellar evolution and the gravitational influence of the disk of the Milky Way. We show that a characteristic timescale, obtained from the dispersion of the proper motions and parallaxes of stars within the stream, is a good indicator for the time elapsed since the stream has been freely expanding away due to the tidal disruption of the globular cluster. This timescale, in turn, places a lower limit on the age of the cluster. The age can be deduced from astrometry using a modest number of stars, with the error on this estimate depending on the proximity of the stream and the number of tracer stars used.
Prenatal chromosomal microarray uptake with invasive prenatal diagnosis: How many patients take the leap?

OBJECTIVE Characterize the uptake of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) among women undergoing invasive prenatal diagnosis at a large academic institution over a 4-year time period. METHODS Retrospective database review of women who underwent invasive prenatal diagnosis via chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis. Entries were reviewed for demographic and clinical information. RESULTS Nine hundred forty-six diagnostic procedures were performed at our institution over a 4-year time period including 259 CVS and 687 amniocentesis procedures. Overall, 32% elected CMA, with a significant increase in uptake over time. Women with Medicaid/CHIP insurance were more likely to elect CMA than those with private insurance (OR = 1.59, 95% CI, 1.18-2.14), while multigravida women were less likely than primigravidas to elect CMA (P = 0.003). Women with ultrasound findings were more likely to elect CMA than any other indication. Those with structural abnormalities in multiple systems (OR = 3.75, 95% CI, 1.60-8.79) or abnormalities in a single system (OR = 3.22, 95% CI, 1.47-7.05) were more likely to elect CMA than with any other types of ultrasound findings. CONCLUSION The uptake of CMA significantly increased over a 4-year period at a large academic institution. Women with ultrasound indications, specifically structural abnormalities, are the most likely to elect CMA.
Blood pressure fluctuation and amplitude in normal human subjects

Whole-day ambulatory blood pressure monitoring utilizing a portable non-invasive device (Pressurometer III) was performed in 34 normal subjects undertaking their usual activities at work and at home. To evaluate reproducibility, the monitoring procedure was repeated two to six weeks later in each subject. For all subjects together, the averages of the whole-day systolic or diastolic blood pressures on the two study days were not different from each other. For further analysis, each study day was divided into 12 two-hour periods; within each participant, the highest and lowest two-hour averages for systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and the times at which they occurred, were then identified. For the group as a whole, there were no differences between the two study days in the averages of the highest and lowest blood pressure values; moreover, the averages of the times at which they occurred corresponded closely. The blood pressure amplitudes, defined as the differences between the highest and lowest values during the day for each subject, were also similar on the two study days. Thus, as measured by the highest and lowest points of the circadian blood pressure fluctuations, the whole-day time-blood pressure pattern appears to be reproducible from day to day. Of interest is the fact that the amplitudes correlated closely with the standard deviations (regarded as indices of hour-to-hour variability) of the full 24-hour blood pressure averages, indicating that there might be a relationship between short-term blood pressure changes and the pattern of blood pressure for the day as a whole.
Laparoscopic Management of Urologic Malignancies

Although current laparoscopic techniques are best applied to benign urologic conditions, certain neoplastic urologic conditions are amenable to laparoscopic techniques. These conditions include staging pelvic lymphadenectomy for prostate cancer and testis tumor. Laparoscopic ablative procedures such as nephrectomy and nephroureterectomy for renal cell cancer and upper tract transitional cell carcinomas have been reported. Laparoscopic bladdersparing procedures for selected bladder cancers are also possible.
Total Hip Arthroplasty for the Treatment of Failed Acetabular Fractures

There is an increasing prevalence of older patients with acetabular fractures and high conversion rate of operatively and nonoperatively treated geriatric acetabular fractures to total hip arthroplasty. These cases should be approached as a revision total hip arthroplasty with many similar challenges including previous hardware, scarring, heterotopic ossification, malunion, nonunion, acetabular bone loss, avascular necrosis of the femoral head, and potential occult infection. The patient should undergo a detailed physical examination documenting gait, neurovascular status of the lower extremity, leg-length discrepancy, and previous surgical incisions. Imaging should consist of AP pelvis, AP and lateral of affected hip, Judet radiographs, and CT scan of the pelvis with 3-D reconstruction. Review of preoperative radiographs and CT scan will allow templating and evaluation of the leg-length discrepancy, heterotopic ossification, previous hardware placement, bone stock, and acetabular defects. Prior to surgery it is important to rule out occult infection of previously failed ORIF of acetabular fractures. A complete blood count (CBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) should be obtained. If a high index of suspicion for infection remains, then a hip aspiration should be obtained and sent for cell count with differential and culture. The decision regarding surgical approach is often dictated by surgeon’s preferred approach, previous surgical approach used, retained hardware, location of heterotopic ossification removal, and acetabular defects that need to be addressed. These cases have unique challenges related to optimal acetabular cup fixation and stability often requiring structural bone graft, antiprotrusio cage, jumbo cup with distraction, or combined ORIF. There is a high risk of complications compared to primary total hip arthroplasty including increased risk of dislocation, infection, and heterotopic ossification and decreased survivorship of implants. As a result, total hip arthroplasty after failed acetabular fracture should be performed in specialized centers with adult reconstruction and orthopedic trauma specialists.
Pouch-vaginal fistula

Abstract Pouch-vaginal fistula is a dreaded complication after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis creation and can greatly impact patients’ quality of life. Success rates with surgical closure vary in the literature and there is no single gold standard surgical method for closing the fistula. This is a complex condition that requires detailed history taking and examination. Success may not be always achieved and recurrences are common. Consideration should be given for treating this group of women in specialized centers by expert surgeons.
Digital Transformation: Why Projects Fail, Potential Best Practices and Successful Initiatives

The World Economic Forum predicts that digital transformation initiatives will lead to more than $320 billion of value for the mining and cement industries, a 610 million ton reduction in CO2 emissions, and 1,000 lives saved as worker safety improves.But no one is talking about the fact that most digital transformation initiatives fail before they’re fully implemented. The problem isn’t isolated either: a recent Gartner study showed that across all market segments, 85% of big data projects fail.How can a company ‘go digital’ safely?This paper will examine the main roadblocks encountered in digital transformation projects: From lack of holistic vision and clear definition of corporate digital strategy, to talent deficits, failure to plan for scalability, and internal resistance to change. We will share some simple ideas that work for our customers, provide information about ‘ready-to-implement’ technologies, and help construct a basic roadmap for implementing digital transformation projects.
Ward Just’s Echo House: Implementing Policy/Accepting Others

In this chapter I show how Just’s self-consciousness about his own upper-middle-class status, his reportorial neutrality, and his mainstream liberalism in the tradition of Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Johnson influenced his portrayal of the consultants and fixers who implement policy among the political elite. I focus on how Echo House “sums up” its predecessors, illustrating how the evolution of lobbying and the rise of new media—in this case, television—evolved over the last decades of the twentieth century, giving the upper classes even greater power in the political directorate, and how the ruling elite dealt with the tensions in being open to new members, in this case, women and African Americans.
Comparison of Physical Activity by Lifestyle Between Two Rural Pediatric Population Groups

Background Obesity prevalence is higher among rural populations than urban, including youth. Reduced physical activity levels are associated with childhood obesity. It could be assumed that the obesity disparity between rural and urban children is attributable, in part, to differences in physical activity levels; however, previous research quantifying and comparing physical activity levels between rural and urban youth are mixed. Lifestyle may be more important than geographic location in determining physical activity levels. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare sex and lifestyle group (Hutterite vs. non-Hutterite) differences in physical activity in a free-living, rural pediatric population. Methods Youth (n=58) were instructed to wear accelerometers for seven days. Mean percent time in light, moderate or vigorous activity during waking hours was calculated. Two-way ANOVAs and multiple regression models were used for analyses. Results Percent time in vigorous activity was significantly greater for Hutterite males than Hutterite females, and Hutterite males had greater percent time in vigorous activity and moderate plus vigorous activity than non-Hutterite males. Conclusions There is evidence to support differences in rural lifestyles to be associated with differences in physical activity levels between children living in the same geographic location, particularly among males. Active transportation and having a safe environment for unstructured outdoor play may account for activity and lifestyle differences between the two rural groups.
Scholarship In The Sandbox: Academic Libraries As Laboratories, Forums, And Archives For Student Work: Jackson, Amy S., Pierard, Cindy, and Schadl, Suzanne M. (Eds.). Chicago, IL: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2019, x + 358 pp., $70.00, ISBN 978-0-8389-8953-1

SCHOLARSHIP IN THE SANDBOX: ACADEMIC LIBRARIES AS LABORATORIES, FORUMS, AND ARCHIVES FOR STUDENT WORK. Amy S. Jackson, Cindy Pierard, and Suzanne M. Schadl, (Eds.). Chicago, IL: Association of Coll...
Underwater endoscopic mucosal resection: an alternative treatment for large colorectal polyp removal.

Background Large sessile/flat colonic polyps are traditionally removed by lift polypectomy. Underwater endoscopic mucosal resection (UEMR) is a novel technique where air is suctioned out and replaced by water to decompress the colon so that the flat lesions assumes a more polypoid shape facilitating its removal with the standard snare resection. We report the feasibility and safety in our series of patients utilizing this technique. Methods A retrospective, observational study of all patients who underwent removal of large colonic polyps (>10 mm) over a period of 3 years (January 2012 to January 2015) at a tertiary care center by UEMR were included in the study. Results A total of 102 polyps were removed in 93 adult patients using UEMR. The mean age of patients was 64.7±9.7 years. The average number of polyps per patient was 1.84±1.3 with a range of 1-7. The range of the polyp size was 10 to 60 mm. The mean size of the polyp was 20.4±9.4 mm, median size 26.9±9.4 mm. Ninety-two (90.2%) were removed in piecemeal fashion and ten (9.8%) were removed en bloc. Delayed bleeding occurred in seven (9.7%) patients. Conclusions In this largest series on UEMR, we report the feasibility and safety of this procedure. Future randomized trials comparing this technique versus standard lift polypectomy technique will further elucidate the benefit of one over other.
Observation of weakly damped modes using high resolution measurement of turbulence in a dipole confined plasma

When plasma is confined by a levitated superconducting current ring, the turbulent radial particle flux changes the direction depending upon the gradient of the particle number within tubes of equal magnetic flux [Garnier et al., Phys. Plasmas 24, 012506 (2017)]. When the density profile is highly peaked, the particle flux is outward. When the density profile is less peaked, turbulence drives an inward “particle pinch.” This change in the direction of particle flux coincides with a reversal of the mean toroidal propagation direction of turbulent fluctuations. Previously, only the mean wavenumber of the fluctuations was reported. The mean wavenumber was computed from the ensemble correlation between two probes. Here, the full frequency-wavenumber power spectrum of the saturated turbulence is calculated by applying Capon's “maximum likelihood method” to floating potential measurements from an array of probes. The power spectrum shows that the highest intensity modes are due to unstable entropy modes, and the less intense modes coincide with weakly damped convective cells, which rotate toroidally in the direction opposite to the unstable modes. Because the weakly damped modes make up a significant fraction of the fluctuating power, these measurements imply that saturated turbulence in a dipole-confined plasma involves the excitation of weakly damped rotating convective cells.When plasma is confined by a levitated superconducting current ring, the turbulent radial particle flux changes the direction depending upon the gradient of the particle number within tubes of equal magnetic flux [Garnier et al., Phys. Plasmas 24, 012506 (2017)]. When the density profile is highly peaked, the particle flux is outward. When the density profile is less peaked, turbulence drives an inward “particle pinch.” This change in the direction of particle flux coincides with a reversal of the mean toroidal propagation direction of turbulent fluctuations. Previously, only the mean wavenumber of the fluctuations was reported. The mean wavenumber was computed from the ensemble correlation between two probes. Here, the full frequency-wavenumber power spectrum of the saturated turbulence is calculated by applying Capon's “maximum likelihood method” to floating potential measurements from an array of probes. The power spectrum shows that the highest intensity modes are due to unstable entropy modes, and th...
Influence of Prostaglandin E and Reduction of Renal Arterial Pressure on Renin Release by the Dog Kidney

The influence of PGE1 infusion into the renal artery of dogs n renal hemodynamics and renin release (RR) was examined, with or without simultaneous reduction in renal arterial perfusion pressure. The degree of reduction in renal arterial pressure was such as to remain in the autoregulatory range. PGE1 is a known stimulator of RR. The objective of the experiment was to attempt to determine whether or not PGE1 and reduction of renal arterial pressure (baroreceptor mechanisms) operated by a similar receptor-effector mechanism, or by different mechanisms. Evidence is supplied that supports the former case (similar receptor-effector mechanism).
A study of learning likely data structure properties using machine learning models

Data structure properties are important for many testing and analysis tasks. For example, model checkers use these properties to find program faults. These properties are often written manually which can be error prone and lead to false alarms. This paper presents the results of controlled experiments performed using existing machine learning (ML) models on various data structures. These data structures are dynamic and reside on the program heap. We use ten data structure subjects and ten ML models to evaluate the learnability of data structure properties. The study reveals five key findings. One, most of the ML models perform well in learning data structure properties, but some of the ML models such as quadratic discriminant analysis and Gaussian naive Bayes are not suitable for learning data structure properties. Two, most of the ML models have high performance even when trained on just 1% of data samples. Three, certain data structure properties such as binary heap and red black tree are more learnable than others. Four, there are no significant differences between the learnability of varied-size (i.e., up to a certain size) and fixed-size data structures. Five, there can be significant differences in performance based on the encoding used. These findings show that using machine learning models to learn data structure properties is very promising. We believe that these properties, once learned, can be used to provide a run-time check to see whether a program state at a particular point satisfies the learned property. Learned properties can also be employed in the future to automate static and dynamic analysis, which would enhance software testing and verification techniques.
Towards a Robust Approach to Threshold Voltage Characterization and High Temperature Gate Bias Qualification

The threshold voltage hysteresis seen in SiC MOSFETs complicates the direct use of qualification standards such as AECQ101 for high-temperature gate-bias effects. We review approaches that are appropriate for use in a production environment and can accommodate this effect, comparing their efficacy. Our findings show that in situ hysteresis measurements can be nearly as effective as those made ex situ, and that threshold instability in modern SiC MOSFETs is more performance matter than reliability problem.
Commuter exposure to particulate matter at underground subway stations in Philadelphia

Abstract We present the first report of exposure to particulate matter by commuters at 12 underground subway stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Particle measurements were taken during two springtime periods: March 4 to 9, 2018 and February 1 to April 12, 2019. Particle concentrations were variable across the subway stations and demonstrated high temporal variability (daily and yearly) at the underground subway stations with mean PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations of 54.6 ± 34.1 and 61.6 ± 38.9 μg/m3, respectively in 2018, and 45.1 ± 27.8 and 53.6 ± 32.7 μg/m3, respectively, in 2019. Compared to the mean aboveground street levels, the mean underground subway stations' PM2.5 levels were 5.1 times and 2.6 times higher in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The structure and ventilation system within the subway station likely influenced the variations among the subway stations. Subway stations designed with more direct access to the outside environment showed lower PM concentrations than the station with less direct access. In comparison to off-peak hours, higher levels were found during peak subway hours in 3 of the 6 subway stations for PM2.5, and 5 of the 8 subway stations for PM10. Overall, there is high level of PM exposure for commuters at Philadelphia subway stations. Based on the findings in this study, improvements in station design and preventive control measures are recommended to maximize ventilation and reduce PM exposure for Philadelphia's subway passengers and workers.
Rigor and reproducibility training for first year medical students in research pathways.

In the Spring of 2020, we launched a rigor and reproducibility curriculum for medical students in research training programs. This required class consisted of eight, 2-h sessions, which transitioned to remote learning in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. The class was graded as pass/fail. Flipped classroom techniques, with multiple hands-on exercises, were developed for first-year medical students (MD/PhD [n = 9], Clinical and Translational Research Pathway (CTRP) students [n = 9]). Four focus groups (n = 13 students) and individual interviews with the two instructors were conducted in May 2020. From individual interviews with instructors and focus groups with medical students, the course and its components were favorably reviewed. Students thought the course was novel, important, relevant, and practical-and teaching strategies were effective (e.g., short lectures, interactive small group exercises, and projects). Most students expressed concerns about lack of time for course preparation. Sharper focus and streamlining of preparation work may be required. Pre- and post-student self-assessments of rigor and reproducibility competencies showed average post-scores ranging from high/moderate to strong understanding (n = 11). We conclude that rigor and reproducibility can be taught to first-year medical students in research pathways programs in a highly interactive and remote format. Study Highlights WHAT IS THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON THE TOPIC? The rigor and reproducibility crisis calls for robust training of scientists in best practices for enhancing the research rigor. WHAT QUESTION DID THIS STUDY ADDRESS? We evaluated a curriculum to develop physician-scientists skilled at documenting research workflow from idea generation to publication with reproducibility in mind. WHAT DOES THIS STUDY ADD TO OUR KNOWLEDGE? Highly interactive exercises, coupled with a hands-on replication group project provide a pathway for students to gain competencies important to the improvement of rigor and reproducibility in scientific research. Rigor and reproducibility can be taught in a highly interactive format and using a remote format. HOW MIGHT THIS CHANGE CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY OR TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE? Formal training is needed to raise awareness of the reproducibility crisis and improve the rigor of research conducted. If techniques taught are used, the transparency and reproducibility of clinical and translational science will be improved.
Is less more? Viewpoint on empiric vancomycin therapy of fever and neutropenia after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Fever and neutropenia (FN) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a common complication with an incidence of up to 50% [1]. Prompt initiation of broad-spectrum beta lact...
Molecular dynamics study of melting, diffusion, and sintering of cementite chromia core–shell particles

Abstract For the additive manufacturing of chromium-oxide coated stainless steel powders, the melting, diffusion, sintering behaviors of the cementite phase in the stainless steel during heat treatment can affect the products’ physical and chemical properties, and thus, are worth studying. In this work, we use ReaxFF reactive force-field-based molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the melting, diffusion, and sintering at the molecular level through an atomistic-scale level representation for the cementite with a Cr2O3 coating passivation layer. Additionally, we also compare the Lindemann indices of the Cr2O3 cementite core–shell particle with those of a pure cementite particle of the same size, in order to understand the influence of the chromium-oxide layer on the cementite melting. Results indicate that the Cr2O3 shell layer does not change the melting temperature of the core–shell particle. However, the Cr2O3 shell layer’s oxygen atoms diffuse into the core and increase the impurity level in the Fe3C crystal, destabilizing the cementite structure in the core. We observe that the melting of the core–shell particle starts from the core while, in contrast, the melting of the pure-cementite particle begins from the surface. In addition, a comparison of mean squared displacements of hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), carbon (C), chrome (Cr), and iron (Fe) atoms in the solid (900 K) and liquid (2000 K) phases indicates that the atom mobility in the liquid phase is significantly higher than in the solid phase. H and O atoms in the particle exhibit a higher mobility level than Fe, Cr and C atoms. When the temperature is elevated from 900 K to 2000 K, the O content in the core and C content in the shell rises, while the O content in the shell and C content in the core declines. Furthermore, the sintering simulation shows that there are four stages for the sintering in the liquid phase: the two particles move randomly (Stage 1) until they make the first contact (Stage 2), the shell layers subsequently intermingle (Stage 3), and finally the particle cores fuse (Stage 4). The sintering in the solid phase (900 K) involves the former three stages. However, the temperature of 900 K is not sufficiently high to bring the two particles into Stage 4 during the time scale of our simulations.
Connectedness Capitalism

As an approach to attenuating economic crises and enhancing sustainability in capitalism, the authors in this GDN 2009 keynote commentary present connectedness capitalism. In doing so, they consider social connectedness, purpose connectedness, common ground, right action and other key ideas of connectedness problem solving and negotiation, and apply these to problems in current capitalism.
The Relationship Between Positive Behavior Support and Task Completion in the Elementary School Setting

6 Chapter 1 Introduction 7 Statement of Problem 7 Purpose Statement 8 Research Questions 8 Theoretical Rationale 8 Assumptions 10 Background and Need 11 Summary 12 Chapter 2 Review of the Literature 13 Review of Academic Research 13 On-­‐Task Behavior 13 Self-­‐Management Techniques 16 Task Completion 18 Statistical Information 21 Summary 22 Chapter 3 Method 24 Introduction 24 PBS and Task Completion 4 Ethical Standards 24 Sample and Site 24 Fifth Grade Math Intervention Class 24 Access and Permissions 25 Data Gathering Procedures 25 Data Analysis Approach 26 Chapter 4 Findings 27 Interview with an Expert in Behavioral Approaches 27 Interview with Teachers 28 Themes 32 Description of Site and Individuals 32 Student Pre-­‐Survey 32 Data Collection 34 Data Table 36 Student Post-­‐Survey 36 Chapter 5 Discussion /Analysis 38 Summary of Major Findings 38 Comparison of Findings to the Literature 38 Limitations/Gaps in the Research 39 Implications for Future Research 39 Overall Significance of the Study 39 About the Author 40 References 41 PBS and Task Completion 5 Appendix A: Student Survey Results 44 Pre-­‐Survey 44 Post-­‐Survey 46 Appendix B: Data Collection 47 Appendix C: Sticky Note Template 48 PBS and Task Completion 6
Function and Biodegradation in Soil of Bioplastic Horticultural Containers made of PLA-BioResTM Composites

Container-crops horticultural industries rely almost exclusively on petroleum-based plastic containers for modern production systems. Containers made of these materials fulfill all of the functions required during crop production, and perform better than containers made of clay, peat, and other natural materials, but the source of the plastic materials (fossil carbon), their lack of biodegradability, and their end-of-life disposal (97% end up in landfills) are major obstacles to sustainability. Although function and efficiency are among the most important aspects in determining the best materials for horticultural containers, there is no need for containers to persist in the environment for decades when their useful life cycle is only one month to three years depending on the plant species produced in them.
Interferences in diagnostic biochemical procedures.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the phenomenon of biochemical interference, the role of sample quality on the analysis, and the effect of biological variation in the reported values. Serum or plasma, prepared with various anticoagulants, are used in clinical chemical analysis. The isoenzymes of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase that are determined by electrophoresis on starch gel, but not on agarose, differ according to the anticoagulant used for collecting blood. Many constituents—such as magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and enzymes—are present in the formed elements of blood, in concentrations many times higher than in the surrounding plasma. Thus, the lysis of cells can contaminate the plasma or serum to a measurable amount. The red cells can release material that interferes in the analytical procedure by contributing color to the reaction, as occurs in the biuret determination of protein, or direct interference in a chemical reaction, as in uric acid assays, which depend on phosphotungstate reduction.
Effects of aging on agonist-activated 86Rb efflux in arteries of Fischer 344 rats

Segments of thoracic aorta (DTA), tail artery (TA), and mesenteric artery branches (MAB) were obtained from male Fischer 344 rats at ages of 1, 2, 6, 12, 24, and 30 mo and were used to determine the effects of aging on agonist-activated 86Rb (and 42K) efflux. At all three arterial sites, basal efflux decreased during development (1-6 mo), but no further changes were observed with aging (6-30 mo). The initial efflux response to 10 microM norepinephrine (NE) in the presence of 1 microM propranolol exhibited either no change (DTA) or an increase (TA and MAB) during development (1-6 mo), but all three sites showed a large decrease during aging (6-30 mo). Changes in the steady-state response to NE paralleled changes in the basal efflux at all ages and arterial sites. The initial efflux response to 75 mM K+-physiological salt solution (PSS) for the DTA in the presence of 1 microM phentolamine and 1 microM propranolol decreased during development followed by an increase during aging, whereas for the TA and MAB, there were no significant changes with age. The steady-state efflux response to K+ decreased during development at all three sites but was increased only for the DTA during aging. The steady-state efflux response to K+ was not altered for the TA and MAB during aging. Efflux responses using 42K were qualitatively similar, but rate constants were quantitatively larger than those with 86Rb at all three arterial sites and at all ages.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Triangular Factorization of Structured Hermitian Matrices

Triangular factorization of general N × N Hermitian matrices requires O(N 3) operations. We present a procedure that factors certain structured matrices in O(N 2) operations. The family of structured matrices considered in this paper includes Toeplitz and Hankel matrices, as well as a variety of ‘Toeplitz-like’ and ‘Hankel-like’ matrices (e.g. inverses, sums and products of Toeplitz and Hankel matrices).
Calcineurin activity is required for depolarization-induced, CREB-dependent gene transcription in cortical neurons

Cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) functions as an activity-dependent transcription factor in the nervous system. Increases in intracellular Ca(2+) due to neuronal activity lead to the phosphorylation and subsequent activation of CREB. Although phosphorylation of CREB at Ser-133 is necessary for the stimulation of transcriptional activity, it is not sufficient. Here we demonstrate that in mouse cortical neurons, inhibition of the Ca(2+)-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin by FK506 or cyclosporine A blocks CREB-dependent gene expression induced by depolarization without inhibiting depolarization-induced Ca(2+) influx or CREB Ser-133 phosphorylation. Over-expression of a constitutively-active allele of the transducer of regulated CREB activity could not bypass the requirement for calcineurin activity. Stimulation of a CRE-luciferase reporter gene by depolarization was sensitive to FK506 throughout the entire time course of the transcriptional response, revealing that calcineurin activity is required to maintain CREB-dependent transcription. Stimulation of CRE-luciferase expression by forskolin and 8-Br-cAMP also required calcineurin activity. These results suggest that calcineurin functions as a critical determinant in shaping genome responses to CREB activation in cortical neurons.
Current Status of Gastric Proton Pump Inhibitors in the Treatment of Acid-Peptic Disease

Proton pump inhibitors represent an important advance in the treatment of acid-peptic disease. Omeprazole, the prototype of the drug class, produces a profound and sustained degree of gastric acid suppression. Recent studies confirm earlier reports that omeprazole 20 mg/d is generally more effective than standard histamine2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) dosage regimens in treating duodenal ulcer (DU), gastric ulcer (GU), and erosive esophagitis. Omeprazole tends to accelerate DU and GU healing, especially during the first 2 weeks of treatment, and also accelerates mucosal healing in patients with all grades of esophagitis. Omeprazole is the drug of choice for treating patients with large or refractory ulcers, severe or refractory erosive esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus, and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Maintenance therapy with omeprazole seems to reduce ulcer recurrence and esophagitis, but optimal treatment regimens must be established. Dual therapy with omeprazole and amoxicillin shows encouraging results ...
Emerging methods for post-packaging microbial decontamination of food

Abstract: The increased demand by consumers for fresh-like, safe, nutritious, convenient, and flavorful packaged foods have paved the way for the continuous emergence of novel food processing technologies. Today, the food industry is more diverse, competitive, and efficient than ever. In addition, a number of novel thermal methods including microwave, radiofrequency and infrared heating, and non-thermal methods including high hydrostatic pressure, irradiation and pulsed light technology for processing of packaged foods, are in active research and development in academia, industry and government institutions. This chapter reviews the common approaches used for decontamination of packaged foods with current discussion relating to their mechanisms of microbial control, applications to food, possible process/food/package interactions, and limitations associated with the implementation of these technologies.