cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SUP-17, a Caenorhabditis elegans ADAM protein related to Drosophila KUZBANIAN, and its role in LIN-12/NOTCH signalling

LIN-12/NOTCH proteins mediate cell-cell interactions that specify cell fates. Previous work suggested that sup-17 facilitates lin-12 signalling in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here, we show that sup-17 encodes a member of the ADAM family of metalloproteases. SUP-17 is highly similar to Drosophila KUZBANIAN, which functions in Drosophila neurogenesis, and the vertebrate ADAM10 protein. Furthermore, we show by genetic analysis that the extracellular domain of LIN-12 appears to be necessary for sup-17 to facilitate lin-12 signalling and that sup-17 does not act downstream of lin-12. Finally, we show by cell ablation experiments that sup-17 can act cell autonomously to facilitate lin-12 activity. We discuss the implications of our observations for LIN-12/NOTCH signalling and how our results complement and extend results obtained from genetic analysis of kuz in Drosophila.
Doing Well in a Job Interview

Investigate before you go. Express only compliments about the job. Do not ­negotiate before the job is offered. Do not accept or decline immediately, Analyze.
Abstract W P81: Intracranial Aneurysms and Their Relationship to Circle of Willis Variations: A Retrospective Analysis of Patients in a University Hospital

Background: Cerebral aneurysms, their rupture and resultant neurological sequelae are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Multiple studies have analyzed the etiology of cerebral aneurysms including hemodynamic and congenital factors. Since the arterial supply of the brain develops entirely from the third pharyngeal arch and the dorsal aorta, any insult to the developing vascular system increases the probability of development of variations, including aneurysms. Purpose: To identify the association of arterial variations with aneurysms. Methods: A total of 83 patients with 106 intracranial aneurysms diagnosed by cerebral angiography from January 2011 to July 2014 were analyzed for variations in the intracranial vasculature. The type and laterality of the vascular variants in relation to the aneurysms were also examined. Results: On evaluation of the aneurysms, 65 (61.3 %) had associated variations in the intracranial vasculature. Among these, 51 (78.5 %) had variations ipsilateral to the aneurysm. 90 (84.9%) were in the anterior circulation. 52 patients (62.7%) were female. Various vascular variations including hypoplasia of posterior communicating (P-Comm) artery (56.5 %), variant anterior cerebral (ACA) artery (17.39%), fetal type posterior cerebral (PCA) artery (21.7%), fenestration of vertebral artery (1.4%), superior cerebellar artery duplication (1.4%) and arteriovenous malformations were noted. Fetal type PCAs were significantly more common in patients with anterior communicating (A-comm) (p-value <0.0115) and P-Comm A aneurysms (p-value <0.0131). Also, variations of A1 segment of ACA were significantly more common in A-Comm aneurysms (p-value <0.0013). Conclusions: The distribution of aneurysms in the intracranial vasculature in our study is comparable to previous literature. Among the arterial variations we found that fetal type PCAs are significantly common among A-Comm and P-Comm aneurysms. Also, variations in the A1 segment of ACAs were commonly associated with A-Comm aneurysms. Although further conformation of these associations is required with a prospective randomized control trial, if established, screening for these variations could help in primary prevention and early treatment of these aneurysms.
Spectroscopic imaging of buried layers in 2+1D via tabletop ptychography with high-harmonic EUV illumination

We use EUV coherent microscopy to obtain high-resolution images of buried interfaces, with chemical specificity, in 2+1 dimensions. We perform reflection mode, ptychographic, coherent diffractive imaging with tabletop EUV light, at 29nm, produced by high harmonic generation. Our damascene-style samples consist of copper structures inlaid in SiO2, polished nearly flat with chemical mechanical polishing. We obtain images of both an unaltered damascene as well as one buried below a 100nm thick layer of evaporated aluminum. The aluminum is opaque to visible light and thick enough that neither optical microscopy, SEM, nor AFM can access the buried interface. EUV microscopy is able to image the buried structures, non-destructively, in conditions where other techniques cannot.
Setting the boundary of an interorganizational network : An application

ABSTRACT A method for setting the boundary of an interorganizational network is described. This method is then applied to an interorganizational network for disaster services. The results show that the method was successful at identifying a larger and more varied network membership than would have been identified using other methods. Further research should apply the method to various types of service networks in various settings.
Glucose utilization and lactate production by leucocytes of patients with diabetes mellitus.

SummaryGlucose utilization and lactate production have been measured in suspensions of leucocytes in plasma from normal human subjects and from patients with diabetes mellitus. The rate of glucose utilization was significantly lower in leucocytes from severe diabetics than in leucocytes from normal human subjects. Lactate production did not differ significantly between normal and diabetic subjects. In more than three-fourths of the experiments on diabetics and about one-half the experiments on normal subjects, glucose utilization by leucocytes was increased by insulin in vitro.Lactate production was not increased when insulin was added in vitro.
Quality Assurance in Analytical Toxicology

There is a natural tendency to think that clinical toxicology tests appropriate for use in a hospital emergency room will be "quick and di r ty" qualitative tests and not subject to the usual rigorous quality assurance procedures practiced in the clinical laboratory. I would submit, however, that no matter how " q u i c k " or how "d i r t y " the test, the result is of little use to the clinician unless the reliability is known in terms of specificity, accuracy, and precision. There are no absolute standards of quality nor statistics reflecting accuracy and precision that can be given as dogma applicable in every emergency room. The analyst must know the limitation of the test and must have available a reference or confirmatory method in the clinical lab that has carefully documented analytical specifications, such as sensitivity limit, specificity, accuracy, and precision. The following comments are, therefore, made in the form of practical principles and recommendations that approach the comprehensive, but parts can be selected for appropriate application in either the emergency room setting or the clinical toxicology lab, or both. It is of the utmost importance for any analytical toxicology laboratory to have a rational program for the use of standards, reference materials and controls if qualitative and quantitative statistical quality assurance is used to support the authentication of analytical data.
Combined Mueller matrix polarimetry and polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography for characterization of birefringent samples

Mueller matrix polarimetry allows for characterization of fundamental polarization properties of a medium. Combined with PSOCT explanations for what accounts for different properties may be better explained and correlated.
The People's Government: Building a Stable Democracy

In a republican nation whose citizens are to be led by reason and persuasion and not by force, the art of reasoning becomes of first importance. – Thomas Jefferson Every construction project needs the right materials, and converting an authoritarian regime into a stable democracy is no exception. What is needed to build a democracy? As with any undertaking, there is some flexibility in the details. Not everything mentioned in this chapter is necessary, although the more of the right stuff the better. Whether designing a free or liberal democracy, the fundamentals are the same. Building a stable democracy requires a sophisticated understanding of politics, history, economics, sociology, psychology, architecture, social engineering, and alchemy. After discussing the main paths by which authoritarian regimes democratize, the rest of the chapter is organized according to three levels of analysis: individual, societal, and institutional requirements. PATHS OF DEMOCRATIZATION How do authoritarian polities become democratic? Political scientist Samuel Huntington identified three major pathways: evolutionary, cyclical, and dialectical. The evolutionary path refers to the gradual, organic development of democratic habits and institutions over time. It is sometimes called linear development , although in practice it is rarely a straight line, and democracy might be a long time coming. This slow-and-steady approach, however, is most likely to yield long-term stability. Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom are leading examples of evolutionary democracies.
Operation behavior and lightning resistibility of optical fiber composite overhead ground wires (OPGW)

Recently,broken strands of OPGW occurred after lightning stroke on some high voltage power lines. The preliminary survey of the operation behavior of OPGW in 25 provinces and 5 metropolises in China were conducted. According to the survey and analyses, the reasons for broken strands resulted from lightning stroke were considered to be insufficient melting point of aluminum-alloy, insufficient outer diameter of OPGW strands, insufficient lightning resistibility level (200 C) in strong lightning activity area and the quality problem of products. It is pointed out that the power supply needs to be cut off to repair broken strands, the relaxed strands are apt to approach live phase conductors that might cause single or multi phase short circuit, which will imperil the safe operation of power network. Moreover, several points of view are discussed such as whether the more OPGW laid the better, whether the widespread adoption of OPGW on 110 kV lines is reasonable and some wrong conceptions (such as lightning always hit OPGW instead of the parallel ground wire, whether OPGW is prone to be hit by lightning is related to the different way of tower grounding) and etc. The suggestions on improving the lightning resistibility of OPGW from three aspects are put forward in the paper.
Contemporary permanent tooth dimensions, with comparisons to G.V. Black's data.

The tooth dimensions most commonly cited in the dental literature are those published by the famous restorative dentist G. V. Black late in the 19th century. We report here on the crown dimensions of a large series of contemporary North American Whites and show that Black's values differ significantly from modern values, but not in any consistent or predictable fashion. Black supplied no information about the nature of his sample. We suggest that it may be time to replace Black's data with modern tooth size standards.
[5-Fluorouracil, tegafur, and uracil concentrations in serum and tissue of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after UFT administration].

UNLABELLED UFT is a preparation consisting of tegafur and uracil at the molar ratio 1 : 4. In 22 resected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the concentrations of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), tegafur and uracil were estimated in the serum, liver and cancer tissues after oral administration of UFT (tegafur, 300mg) before operation. The concentrations of 5-FU, tegafur and uracil in the serum were highest at 2 hours, and reduced thereafter. The maximum 5-FU level was 0.040 +/- 0.034 microgram/ml. The concentrations of 5-FU in the cancer tissue were 0.101 +/- 0.070 microgram/g in all patients, 0.085 +/- 0.050 microgram/g in cirrhotic patients and 0.144 +/- 0.105 microgram/g in non-cirrhotic patients. These concentrations were significantly higher than those in the liver tissue. In 10 out of 13 patients, 5-FU concentrations was higher than 0.056 microgram/g which was reported as minimum effective concentration. CONCLUSION the concentration of 5-FU after oral administration of UFT prior to resection of HCC was estimated in the serum, liver and cancer tissues. The concentration of 5-FU in cancer tissues was satisfactorily higher regardless of cirrhotic or non-cirrhotic conditions UFT seemed to be a safe and useful drug since tissue 5-FU concentration was higher than those in the serum and liver.
Medication Reconciliation Error

Literature suggests medication errors occur during care transition points such as hospital admission, transfer, and discharge due to multiple changes in medication regimens and inadequate communication among physicians, nurses, and pharmacists. Some of these errors result in serious harm as a result of omitted and incorrect medications, wrong medication dosage, and incorrect dosing frequency. Medication reconciliation is one the most important safety practices to reduce medication errors during these care transitions. There are five essential steps to medication reconciliation: determining a current list of medications, developing a listing of medications to be prescribed, comparing the two lists, making clinical decisions based on the two lists, and finalizing and communicating the list of medications to the patient and other clinicians. This chapter provides a case-based approach to understanding the root cause of and solutions to preventing medication reconciliation errors. In addition, key “take home” points provide the reader with a mental “toolkit” to prevent medication reconciliation errors. Throughout this chapter, suggestions for improving safety in the medication reconciliation process are provided that can be applied to any healthcare setting.
Epigenetic Regulation of Genomic Imprinting.

Imprinted genes are expressed from a single parental allele and are typically found in clusters throughout the mammalian genome. We have focused our efforts on the paternally expressed Igf2 and maternally expressed H19 genes. The opposite imprinting of these adjacent genes is mediated through shared 3’ enhancers and a 2 kb imprinting control region (ICR). The ICR is hypermethylated on the paternal allele, where it mediates repression of H19. On the maternal allele, the ICR serves as a CTCF-dependent insulator, which allows exclusive access of H19 to the 3’ shared enhancers. Gain of maternal methylation and loss of paternal hypermethylation of the ICR are associated with the human growth disorders Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome and SilverRussell Syndrome, respectively. Using gene targeting approaches, we have generated mouse lines that model the epigenetic mutations in these human syndromes. We have also studied the cis-acting sequences and trans-acting factors that mediate imprinting at this locus as well as other imprinted loci in mice. In all of these experiments, we have observed tissue-specific effects in loss of imprinted gene regulation. Moreover, we have also described various environmental insults that result in loss of imprinting in a mouse model system.
Association between polymorphisms in genes encoding various receptors, transporters, and enzymes and alcohol/drug addiction

Polymorphisms of genes encoding several enzymes responsible for cocaine metabolism may contribute to risk of cocaine addiction. Similarly, polymorphisms of genes encoding dopamine receptors and dopamine transporters may also increase risk of cocaine addiction. However, there are contradictory reports in the medical literature regarding challenging the belief that cocaine addiction has a hereditary link. Furthermore, polymorphisms of genes affecting metabolism, tolerability, and response of various opioids may be linked to opiate addiction especially polymorphism of genes encoding opiate receptors. For marijuana, genes encoding cannabinoid receptors play an important role in developing tolerance to marijuana as well as addiction. Pharmacogenomics of metabolism of drugs used for addiction treatment play a vital role in the success or failure of drug therapy in addiction treatment.
Observation of an Extremely Large-Density Heliospheric Plasma Sheet Compressed by an Interplanetary Shock at 1 AU

At 11:46 UT on 9 September 2011, the Wind spacecraft encountered an interplanetary (IP) fast-forward shock. The shock was followed almost immediately by a short-duration (∼ 35 minutes) extremely dense pulse (with a peak ∼ 94 cm−3). The pulse induced an extremely large positive impulse (SYM-H = 74 nT and Dst = 48 nT) on the ground. A close examination of other in situ parameters from Wind shows that the density pulse was associated with i) a spike in the plasma $\upbeta$ (ratio of thermal to magnetic pressure), ii) multiple sign changes in the azimuthal component of the magnetic field ( $B_{\phi}$ ), iii) a depressed magnetic field magnitude, iv) a small radial component of the magnetic field, and v) a large (> 90°) change in the suprathermal (∼ 255 eV) electron pitch angle across the density pulse. We conclude that the density pulse is associated with the heliospheric plasma sheet (HPS). The thickness of the HPS is estimated to be ${\sim}\,8.2\times10^{5}\ \mbox{km}$ . The HPS density peak is about five times the value of a medium-sized density peak inside the HPS (∼ 18 cm−3) at 1 AU. Our global three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation results (Wu et al. in J. Geophys. Res. 212, 1839, 2016) suggest that the extremely large density pulse may be the result of the compression of the HPS by an IP shock crossing or an interaction between an interplanetary shock and a corotating interaction region.
Human-centered recognition of children's touchscreen gestures

Touchscreen gestures are an important method of interaction for both children and adults. Automated recognition algorithms are able to recognize adults’ gestures quite well, but recognition rates for children are much lower. My PhD thesis focuses on analyzing children’s touchscreen gestures and using the information gained to develop new, child-centered recognition approaches that can recognize children’s gestures with higher accuracy than existing algorithms. This paper describes past and ongoing work toward this end and outlines the next steps in my PhD work.
Shear Strength of Square Graphene Nanoribbons beyond Wrinkling

Atomistic modeling of armchair and zigzag graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) has been performed to investigate the post-wrinkling behavior under in-plane (x–y) shear deformation. Simulations were performed at 300 K for square GNRs with size ranging from 2.5 nm to 20 nm. Shear stresses led only to diagonal tension, and wrinkling was not accompanied by any diagonal compressive force. Once the diagonal tension reached its ultimate elastic level, three major stress-relaxing phenomena were observed. The type of stress-relaxing phenomenon involved greatly affected the mechanical behavior in terms of the slope of the stress–strain diagram beyond the elastic range. The results showed that the average slope of the stress–strain relation beyond the ultimate elastic stress decreased with the increase of the GNR size. Moreover, the slope of the shear stress–strain curve beyond the ultimate elastic stress was always greater for armchair than for zigzag GNRs. GNRs can sustain very high plastic shear strains beyond 100% before failure. The ultimate elastic stress can range from 20 GPa to 50 GPa, occurring at shear strain ranging from 52% to 19%. The ultimate elastic stress and strain were inversely proportional to the size of the GNR with a power factor ranging from 0.261 for armchair GNRs to 0.354 for zigzag GNRs due to the decrease in the effective width for diagonal tension.
Real-Time Energy Audit of Built Environments: Simultaneous Localization and Thermal Mapping

AbstractLeveraging thermography for managing built environments has become prevalent as a robust tool for detecting, analyzing, and reporting their performance in a nondestructive manner. Despite m...
A framework, tools, and methodology for the visualization of parallel and distributed systems

Writing parallel programs is a complex task. Visualization can help programmers develop intuition about the execution of these programs by taking advantage of our natural abilities to track moving objects, detect patterns, and spot anomalies in these patterns. Displays that exploit these abilities can help viewers gain insight into the correctness and efficiency of the program under study. Further, the most effective displays are those that closely match the programmer's mental model of the computation. Time and event order are critical factors in effective displays of concurrent computations. Altering these parameters can significantly affect the appearance of the display and the degree to which the display matches the user's mental model, thus affecting the amount and type of information absorbed by the viewer. We have created a framework, tools, and methodology to support the visualization of parallel and distributed programs under a variety of temporal orderings. These alternate orderings provide the user with a number of temporal perspectives on the computation, enabling additional insight into the particular execution under study and other feasible executions of the same program. A central element of this work is the Animation Choreographer, a graphical, interactive tool that allows users to specify the order in which events should be displayed, and to view and manipulate a graphical representation of this ordering.
Controversial Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that share overlapping diagnostic criteria ranging in symptom severity. Currently, diagnoses of ASD are based on a triad of observable behaviors including impairments in communication, impairments in socialization, and repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. And, while the prevalence of the disorders comprising the spectrum continues to be on the rise (Rice et al. in Disabil Health J 3:186–201, 2010; Sun and Allison in Res Autism Spect Dis 4:156–167, 2010), the etiology of ASD remains relatively unknown. More concerning for parents of children diagnosed with an ASD is that there is no known cure. As a result, parents are desperate to implement any treatments that have reported effectiveness (Elder et al. in J Autism Dev Disord 36:413–420, 2006), even if reports are anecdotal.
Early Nonresponse to Fluoxetine as a Predictor of Poor 8-Week Outcome

Objective: The purpose ofthis study was to quantify the proportion ofpatients who show no response to a fixed dose offluoxetine after 2, 4, and 6 weeks oftreatment and then respond by week 8. Method: In an open trial, 143 outpatients who met DSM-III-R criteria for major depressive disorder were treated with a regimen of fluoxetine, 20 mg/day. The authors analyzed the proportion ofpatients who had less than a 20% decrease from baseline in their scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression after 2, 4, and 6 weeks and who went on to have a 50% or greater reduction by week 8. A last-observation-carried-forward strategy was used to calculate conditional probabilities of 8-week response. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to estimate probabilities of response at week 8 given degrees of response at week 2. Results: Eighty-two subjects (57.3%) who started the trial responded by week 8. Of those subjects who showed no improvement at weeks 2, 4, and 6, the proportions of responders at week 8 were 36.4%, 1 8.9%, and 6.5%, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of 8-week response given nonresponse at week 2 was 0.45. Conclusions: The proportion ofpatients with no response to antidepressant treatment by 4 or 6 weeks who responded by week 8 was substantially less than that for subjects who had at least a partial response. Nonresponse as early as week 2 predicted 8-week outcome. (AmJ Psychiatry 1995; 152:1500-1503)
Prevention and prevarication: the fits and starts of prevention in the USA

Crime prevention and its discourse in the USA has been a series of fits and starts since at least the late 1990s. There continues to exist an absence of any driving force giving direction to a true prevention movement. Most major initiatives that could be considered “prevention” tend to be gut level responses by criminal justice system actors to address existing offending (tertiary prevention) rather than identifying emerging opportunities or prospective problems and developing/initiating true primary or secondary preventive actions. When attempts are made to eliminate initial acts or opportunities to act, there is a marked lack of follow through, leaving only halfhearted attempts. This article attempts to illustrate this failure and the reasons for the failure, and makes suggestions for improving primary and secondary prevention in the future.
Influence of Grain Size and Interfaces on Photo-Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells

We report on the photo-stability of perovskite solar cells prepared using solution growth and vapor phase growth. The cells prepared using solution growth had varying grain sizes achieved by using solvent annealing techniques. The cells deposited using co-evaporation were prepared at varying substrate temperatures. All the cells were exposed for 100 hours to varying degrees of intensity of light inside an environmental chamber filled with high purity nitrogen and thus was devoid of moisture and oxygen. It was found that the cells with larger grains had a significantly lower photo-degradation than cells with smaller grains. It was also found that vapor deposited cells, in general, had less photo-degradation than solution-grown cells with similar grain sizes. The photo-degradation is ascribed to the generation of ions by light during the degradation process. A measurement of ion density reveals that the short circuit current during degradation, and even before degradation, is inversely correlated to the measured ion density. The measurement of degradation at varying light intensities shows a light-induced annealing behavior similar to what is found in a-Si, leading to saturation in photo-degradation. It was also found that the interfaces have a profound influence on photo-degradation, with cells deposited on organic interfaces suffering significantly more degradation than cells deposited on inorganic interfaces.
Prediagnostic Leukocyte Telomere Length and Pancreatic Cancer Survival.

Background: Leukocyte telomere length has been associated with risk of subsequent pancreatic cancer. Few prospective studies have evaluated the association of prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length with pancreatic cancer survival. Methods: We prospectively examined the association of prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length with overall survival (OS) time among 423 participants diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma between 1984 and 2008 within the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, Nurses9 Health Study, Physicians9 Health Study, and Women9s Health Initiative. We measured prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length in banked blood samples using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for OS with adjustment for potential confounders. We also evaluated 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase) locus. Results: Shorter prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length was associated with reduced OS among patients with pancreatic cancer (Ptrend = 0.04). The multivariable-adjusted HR for OS comparing the lowest to highest quintiles of leukocyte telomere length was 1.39 (95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.93), corresponding to a 3-month difference in median OS time. In an analysis excluding cases with blood collected within two years of cancer diagnosis, the association was moderately stronger (HR, 1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-2.21; comparing the lowest to highest quintiles; Ptrend = 0.01). No prognostic association or effect modification for the prognostic association of prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length was noted in relation to the studied SNPs. Conclusions: Prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length was associated with pancreatic cancer survival. Impact: Prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length can be a prognostic biomarker in pancreatic cancer.
Ancient Maya wetland fields revealed under tropical forest canopy from laser scanning and multiproxy evidence.

We report on a large area of ancient Maya wetland field systems in Belize, Central America, based on airborne lidar survey coupled with multiple proxies and radiocarbon dates that reveal ancient field uses and chronology. The lidar survey indicated four main areas of wetland complexes, including the Birds of Paradise wetland field complex that is five times larger than earlier remote and ground survey had indicated, and revealed a previously unknown wetland field complex that is even larger. The field systems date mainly to the Maya Late and Terminal Classic (∼1,400–1,000 y ago), but with evidence from as early as the Late Preclassic (∼1,800 y ago) and as late as the Early Postclassic (∼900 y ago). Previous study showed that these were polycultural systems that grew typical ancient Maya crops including maize, arrowroot, squash, avocado, and other fruits and harvested fauna. The wetland fields were active at a time of population expansion, landscape alteration, and droughts and could have been adaptations to all of these major shifts in Maya civilization. These wetland-farming systems add to the evidence for early and extensive human impacts on the global tropics. Broader evidence suggests a wide distribution of wetland agroecosystems across the Maya Lowlands and Americas, and we hypothesize the increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane from burning, preparing, and maintaining these field systems contributed to the Early Anthropocene.
Association of daily copayments with use of hospital care among medicare advantage enrollees.

While the traditional Medicare program imposes a deductible for hospital admissions, many Medicare Advantage plans have instituted per-diem copayments for hospital care. Little evidence exists about the effects of changes in cost-sharing for hospital care among the elderly. Changing inpatient benefits from a deductible to a per diem may benefit enrollees with shorter lengths of stay, but adversely affect the out-of-pocket burden for hospitalized enrollees with longer lengths of stay. We used a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences study to compare longitudinal changes in proportion hospitalized, inpatient admissions and days per 100 enrollees, and hospital length of stay between enrollees in MA plans that changed inpatient benefit from deductible at admission to per diem, intervention plans, and enrollees in matched control plans – similar plans that maintained inpatient deductibles. The study population included 423,634 unique beneficiaries enrolled in 23 intervention plans and 36 matched control plans in the 2007–2010 period. The imposition of per-diem copayments were associated with adjusted declines of 1.3 admissions/100 enrollees (95% CI − 1.8 to − 0.9), 6.9 inpatient days/100 enrollees (95% CI − 10.1 to − 3.8) and 0.7 percentage points in the probability of hospital admission (95% CI − 1.0 to − 0.4), with no significant change in adjusted length of stay in intervention plans relative to control plans. For persons with 2 or more hospitalizations in the year prior to the cost-sharing change, adjusted declines were 3.5 admissions/100 (95% CI − 8.4 to 1.4), 31.1 days/100 (95% CI − 75.2 to 13.0) and 2.2 percentage points in the probability of hospitalization (95% CI − 3.8 to − 0.6) in intervention plans relative to control plans. Instituting per-diem copayments was associated with reductions in number of admissions and hospital stays, but not length of stay once admitted. Effects of inpatient cost-sharing changes were magnified for persons with greater baseline use of hospital care.
A reappraisal of contemporary homelessness policy: the new role for transitional housing programmes

In the U.S. as in many other countries around the world, Permanent Housing (PH) policy based on Housing First (HF) principles has become increasingly important in recent years in tackling homelessn...
CHAPTER 12 – Categorical Data

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with the problems concerned with categorical or count data.—that is, the variables of interest are usually nominal in scale and the measurement of interest is the frequency of occurrence. It presents the analysis of contingency tables and introduces the loglinear model to analyze categorical data. Loglinear modeling allows for more flexibility in the analysis of contingency tables and allows for analyses with more than two categorical variables. For a single category, it is demonstrated that the questions of goodness of fit could be answered by the use of the χ2 distribution. This test is used to determine whether sample frequencies associated with categories of the variable agree with the expectations according to the null hypothesis. This test could also be used to determine whether the sample values fit a prescribed probability distribution such as the normal distribution. When observations are made on two variables, frequencies associated with the cells of the contingency table formed by cross-tabulating observations are measured. If the data represented independent samples from more than one population, the test is referred as a test of homogeneity. The chapter
Fabrication of Injectable Micro-Scale Opto- Electronically Transduced Electrodes (MOTEs) for Physiological Monitoring

In vivo, chronic neural recording is critical to understand the nervous system, while a tetherless, miniaturized recording unit can render such recording minimally invasive. We present a tetherless, injectable micro-scale opto-electronically transduced electrode (MOTE) that is $\sim 60~\mu \text{m}\,\,\times 30~\mu \text{m}\,\,\times 330~\mu \text{m}$ , the smallest neural recording unit to date. The MOTE consists of an AlGaAs micro-scale light emitting diode ( $\mu $ LED) heterogeneously integrated on top of conventional 180nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) circuit. The MOTE combines the merits of optics (AlGaAs $\mu $ LED for power and data uplink), and of electronics (CMOS for signal amplification and encoding). The optical powering and communication enable the extreme scaling while the electrical circuits provide a high temporal resolution ( $ ). This paper elaborates on the heterogeneous integration in MOTEs, a topic that has been touted without much demonstration on feasibility or scalability. Based on photolithography, we demonstrate how to build heterogenous systems that are scalable as well as biologically stable– the MOTEs can function in saline water for more than six months, and in a mouse brain for two months (and counting). We also present handling/insertion techniques for users (i.e. biologists) to deploy MOTEs with little or no extra training. [2020-0080]
A gradient optimization toolbox for general purpose time-optimal MRI gradient waveform design

Purpose To introduce and demonstrate a software library for time-optimal gradient waveform optimization with a wide range of applications. The software enables direct on-the-fly gradient waveform design on the scanner hardware for multiple vendors. Methods The open-source gradient optimization (GrOpt) toolbox was implemented in C with both Matlab and Python wrappers. The toolbox enables gradient waveforms to be generated based on a set of constraints that define the features and encodings for a given acquisition. The GrOpt optimization routine is based on the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). Additional constraints enable error corrections to be added, or patient comfort and safety to be adressed. A range of applications and compute speed metrics are analyzed. Finally, the method is implemented and tested on scanners from different vendors. Results Time-optimal gradient waveforms for different pulse sequences and the constraints that define them are shown. Additionally, the ability to add, arbitrary motion (gradient moment) compensation or limit peripheral nerve stimulation is demonstrated. There exists a trade-off between computation time and gradient raster time, but it was observed that acceptable gradient waveforms could be generated in 1-40 ms. Gradient waveforms generated and run on the different scanners were functionally equivalent, and the images were comparable. Conclusions GrOpt is an open source toolbox that enables on-the-fly optimization of gradient waveform design, subject to a set of defined constraints. GrOpt was presented for a range of imaging applications, analyzed in terms of computational complexity, and implemented to run on the scanner for a multi-vendor demonstration.
Quantitative Analysis of the Impact of Inter-Line Conveyor Capacity for Throughput of Manufacturing Systems

The objective of this study is to identify the impact of an inter-line conveyor on the throughput performance of manufacturing systems and determine the capacity of an inter-line conveyor to improvise productivity. First, manufacturing system for an automotive assembly line is modeled by adopting the methodology of two lines with an inter-line conveyor system. A quantitative analysis of an inter-line conveyor capacity is carried out under different conditions and capacities using discrete event simulation (DES). The initial results are obtained to justify the purpose of an inter-line conveyor followed by introducing a random failure of a station for the duration of 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and catastrophic breakdown of two hours at upstream and downstream line separately. The case study outcomes show that, 20 unit is an optimum capacity resulting in improved productivity. The findings of the different stoppage and catastrophic breakdown study show the buffering of an inter-line conveyor may serve as a new approach and guideline to the buffer stack design and scheduling maintenance.
Another Look at the Role of the Industrial Structure of Markets for International Diversification Strategies

Abstract This paper re-examines the extent to which gains from international diversification are due to differences in industrial structure across countries. Recent papers by Roll (1992) , Journal of Finance 47, 3–42 and Heston and Rouwenhorst (1994) , Journal of Financial Economics 36, 3–27 investigate this issue and find conflicting evidence. Using a new database, the Dow Jones World Stock Index, with coverage in 25 countries and over 66 industry classifications, we decompose comprehensively both country and industrial sources of variation. We confirm that little of the variation in country index returns can be explained by their industrial composition. We also uncover differences in the proportion of variation in industry index returns that is captured by country and industry factors and discuss the implications for global diversification strategies.
Draft metagenomes of endolithic cyanobacteria and co-habitants from hyper-arid deserts

Cyanobacteria are essential to microbial communities inhabiting translucent rocks in hyper-arid deserts. Metagenomic studies revealed unique adaptations of these cyanobacteria but validation of the corresponding metabolic pathways remained challenging without access to isolates. Here we present high-quality metagenome assembled genomes for cyanobacteria, and their heterotrophic companions, isolated from endolithic substrates.
BACTEREMIA IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH VENTILATOR ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA

Introduction The objective of this study was to compare bacteremic and non-bacteremic ventilator associated pneumonia (B-VAP and NB-VAP) in terms of risk factors, organisms and outcomes. Methods A retrospective, single center, observational, cohort study was performed in a pediatric intensive care unit. All patients, requiring mechanical ventilation, and identified as having VAP in a 4-year prospective surveillance database (2004–2007) were included. Criteria of the CDC were used for the diagnosis of B-VAP and NB-VAP. The two groups were compared in terms of risk factors, organisms and outcomes. Results During the study period, 39 patients developed 40 episodes of VAP, accounting for an incidence rate of 3.5 per 100 admissions and a density incidence rate of 3.2 per 1000 patient-days. B-VAP was documented in 11 patients (27.5%) of the 40 microbiologically confirmed VAP episodes. B-VAP occurred later than NB-VAP (18.5±15.9 vs 8.4±3.5 days; p = 0.002). There was no difference between the two groups concerning the use of antibiotherapy, invasive procedures and sedation. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, involved in 27.2% of bacteremic episodes and 31% of non-bacteremic episodes, was the most common organism causing VAP in the two groups. The mortality rate was higher in the Bacteremic group (63.6% vs 20.7%; p = 0.02). The estimated relative risk of death for bacteremic cases was 3.6 (95% CI 1.3 to 10.2). Conclusion B-VAP occurred later during intensive care unit stay, was often caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and was associated with increased intensive care unit mortality.
Mitochondrial-derived compartments facilitate cellular adaptation to amino acid stress

Amino acids are essential building blocks of life. However, increasing evidence suggests that elevated amino acids cause cellular toxicity associated with numerous metabolic disorders. How cells cope with elevated amino acids remains poorly understood. Here, we show that a previously identified cellular structure, the mitochondrial-derived compartment (MDC), functions to protect cells from amino acid stress. In response to amino acid elevation, MDCs are generated from mitochondria, where they selectively sequester and deplete SLC25A nutrient carriers and their associated import receptor Tom70 from the organelle. Generation of MDCs promotes amino acid catabolism, and their formation occurs simultaneously with transporter removal at the plasma membrane via the multivesicular body (MVB) pathway. The combined loss of vacuolar amino acid storage, MVBs, and MDCs renders cells sensitive to high amino acid stress. Thus, we propose that MDCs operate as part of a coordinated cell network that facilitates amino acid homeostasis through post-translational nutrient transporter remodeling.
Does Innovation Explain the Skewness of Stock Returns

This paper investigates the impact of firm-level innovation on the skewness of stock returns. Using data on a broad sample of equities from the major US stock exchanges, we find that innovative companies exhibit strong positive skewness. Our results are robust to both input and output measures of innovation as we find that increases in both firm-level research and development expenditure (R&D), as well as the number of patents, are positively associated with future stock return skewness. Our results hold using both systematic and idiosyncratic measures of skewness while controlling for various stock characteristics, time, and industry-fixed effects.
Host-cue information processing by foraging jewel wasps: response-bias tracking of expected host encounter rates, not modified profitabilities

Three hundred forty female jewel wasps were reared as larvae on blowfly pupae and then separately exposed as adults to varying numbers and combinations of previously parasitized and unparasitized housefly pupae. Each adult was tested with 6 fresh housefly pupae. Only foraging experience on unparasitized housefly pupae increased host acceptance for subsequent housefly pupae, producing curvilinear and convex host-acceptance functions; foraging experience on preparasitized housefly pupae had no effect upon subsequent host acceptance. Labile host- acceptance thresholds are thus adjusted by foraging experience to track local unparasitized host abundances for different species by modulating host-species cue response biases. These presum- ably kairomonal response biases were found to be sensitive to psychophysical “subjective proba- bilities of stimulus presentation,” representing expected unparasitized host-species encounter rates, not altered “payoff matrices” of “observer decision outcomes,” representing modified host- species profitabilities.
Dielectric spectroscopy of colloidal suspensions : I. The dielectric spectrometer

Abstract Four-electrode signal-processing techniques have a number of advantages over conventional bridge techniques in dielectric spectroscopy, but are not widely used because complex electronic circuits are required. A new design for a dielectric spectrometer of this type which circumvents these problems is described here. The device has been tested using electrical networks, pure electrolytes, and dilute colloidal suspensions. In experiments with a dilute, amphoteric latex, large suspension dielectric constants are found.
Demographic, cultural, and economic predictors of perceived ethicality of negotiation behavior

Abstract This study examined the effects of demographic factors (gender, age), culture, and economic conditions on the perceived appropriateness and likelihood of using five categories of negotiation behavior by respondents from nine countries drawn from North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The results indicate that gender and age effects reported in prior studies of North American samples also were present across this broader array of countries. In addition, each of Hofstede's cultural dimensions along with one economic factor (GDP per capita) predicted variance in perceived appropriateness or likely use of one or more of the five categories of behavior. The implications of these results for practitioners and future research are discussed.
The Intrinsic Relationship Between Flares and Eruption of Filament Currents

In this study, we have employed the data from four flares with filament eruptions given by Kahler et al. (1988) to deduce the filament current and total energy as functions of time according to the Kuperus-Raadu filament model (1974). From these results, we found that the impulsive phase of these four flares is at the maximum of the total energy contained in the filament, which shows that the total energy of the filament decreases at the initiation of the impulsive phase of the flare. The amount of the filament energy decreases as required by the flare energy. Further, we discovered that the importance of the X-ray flare is proportional to the rate of the increase of the total energy prior to the filament eruption. On the basis of these results, we concluded that there is an intimate relationship between the flare and eruptive filament quantitatively.
A Review of “Vulnerable India: A Geographical Study of Disasters”

Once viewed as acts of nature caused only by geophysical events, natural disasters are now widely considered to be socially constructed. Despite technological advances in disaster preparedness and ...
When Beef Was King. Or Why Do Colombians Eat so Little Pork?: o consumo da carne na Colômbia

This article seeks to understand why Colombians, compared to many other Latin Americans, have traditionally eaten so much more beef than pork. The article first pointstothe development of a culinary tradition thatfavored beef. The bulkof the argument, though, centers on the fact that, historically, beef has been substantially cheaper than pork. This price difference, in turn, is rooted in the low productivity of Colombian agriculture, which made corn, often used to fatten hogs, expensive. Additional factors that favored beef include a receding agrarian frontier, a small hog population, the various advantages of cattle, a conflictridden history of land monopolization, and the influence of lard imports and the subsequent development of a vegetable oil industry.