cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Department of the Army Social Work Service Management Information System (family advocacy)

The Social Work Service Management Information System (SWSMIS) is an automated clinical case record and case management system for the Department of the Army and the US Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) Family Advocacy Program (FAP). Development is ongoing at the European Medical Command (ERMC) and moved to the continental United States (CONUS) in August 1998. If accepted by the US Air Force and Navy for consideration by these services, SWSMIS will become a tri-service database. SWSMIS will increase efficiency, minimize rework and improve the quality of patient care in the Family Advocacy, Social Work Service and Medical Social Work programs. It will reside at the Social Work Service within its medical treatment facilities (MTFs). Critical paths for reporting and notification exist to allow clinical providers to focus on patient care while meeting the highly regulated standards for reporting and documenting that are inherent to the family advocacy and social work business environment. SWSMIS will also reduce variation in patient care, maximize the use of resources in service delivery, measure the effectiveness of treatment against patient outcomes, increase the defensibility of clinical and case management methods, challenge anecdotal methods for determining standards of care, and offer solid data on clinical profiles and best-practice methods. It runs on provider workstations linked to an Informix database on a clinic-wide Windows NT 4.0 server in a Windows 95 environment, and meets C2 security accreditation requirements.
Patient reported interpersonal processes of care and perceived social position: the Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE).

Abstract Objective A patient's sense of his/her standing in the social hierarchy may impact interpersonal processes of care (IPC) within the patient–provider encounter. We investigated the association of perceived social position with patient-reported IPC. Methods We used survey data from the Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE), studying 11,105 insured patients with diabetes cared for in an integrated healthcare delivery system. Perceived social position was based on the MacArthur subjective social status ladder. Patient-reported IPC was based on a combined scale adapted from the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study provider communication subscale and the Trust in Physicians scale. Results Lower perceived social position was associated with poorer reported IPC ( p Conclusion Beyond objective measures of SES, patients’ sense of where they fall in the social hierarchy may represent a pathway between social position and patient satisfaction with the quality of patient–provider communication in chronic disease. Practice implications Interventions to address disparities in communication in primary care should incorporate notions of patients’ social position.
Multiplet splitting patterns exhibited by the first row transition metal oxides in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Abstract High resolution photoelectron spectra from transition metal ions in TiO2, V2O5, VO2, V2O3, MnO, Mn2O3, MnO2, Cr2O3, FeO, CoO, NiO, CuO, Cu2O, FeSrO3, and Cu doped CaTiO3 were re-examined using a constrained curve fitting approach. Effective fits of the multiplet splitting present could be attained for the oxides with unfilled 3d bands if multiple final states were assumed. The type of transitions implied, also suggest the classification of these oxides during core level photoelectron emission as either; Mott–Hubbard (V2O5, VO2, V2O3, Cr2O3, and FeO), intermediate (MnO, Mn2O3, and MnO2) or charge transfer type compounds (FeSrO3, CoO, NiO, CuO and Cu doped CaTiO3). These transitions along with relationships defining the splitting energy with respect to the total spin and binding energy are discussed.
Head and Neck Cancer: Present Status and Future Prospects of Adjuvant Chemotherapy

For more than 15 years, active clinical research and continuing efforts in the field of CT in head and neck cancer have produced a modest but definite progress and achievements in this disease. We are a long way away from producing more definitive and acceptable results and higher cure rates in this disease. The achievements of systemic CT in patients with head and neck cancers are summarized in this review. Continuing efforts and investigation are needed to study the efficacy of systemic CT in patients with resectable head and neck cancer. We are continuing to investigate the best timing and sequence of CT as part of CMT and then the efficacy of such treatment in patients with resectable cancer. Efforts are underway to improve on the results in patients with NPC and patients with unresectable disease with the use of chemotherapy as part of CMT. Efforts are also underway to consolidate and improve on the results obtained with systemic CT to preserve laryngeal function. We strongly believe that with continuation of these serious efforts further achievement and impact can be obtained with systemic CT as part of other modalities in these patients.
Systematic review of postural control and lateral ankle instability, part II: is balance training clinically effective?

Abstract Objective: To answer the following clinical questions: (1) Can prophylactic balance and coordination training reduce the risk of sustaining a lateral ankle sprain? (2) Can balance and coor...
Rheology of unsaturated polyester resins. II. Thickening behavior of unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins

The rheological properties of mixtures of unsaturated polyester resin and viscosity thickener were determined as thickening progressed. Two commercially available resins were used: (1) general purpose unsaturated polyester resin (Ashland Chemical, Aropol 7030), and (2) vinyl ester resin (Dow Chemical, XD-7608.05). As thickening agent, a magnesium oxide (MgO) paste dispersed in styrene monomer was used. No fillers, pigments, or other additives were used. During thickening, the following measurements were also made: (1) acid number by titration and (2) molecular weights by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). For the Ashland Chemical polyester resin, it was found that, over a period of 300 h, the titration method indicated that the number-average molecular weight (Mn) increased by a factor of 2 and the weight-average molecular weight (Mw) increased by a factor of 3. The GPC measurements, however, showed that Mn increased very little whereas Mw increased by a factor of about 2. Over the same period, the viscosity of the Ashland Chemical polyester resin increased from 0.9 N·s/m2 (9 P) to 104 N·s/m2 (105 P), and the viscosity of the Dow Chemical vinyl ester resin increased from 0.7 N·s/m2 (7 P) to 2 × 103 N·s/m2 (2 × 104 P). Such a large increase in viscosity cannot be explained by the existing molecular theory, in view of the fact that the molecular weights increased relatively little. We speculate that the exceedingly large increase in viscosity during thickening is attributable primarily to ionic associations between the carboxylic anions and the magnesium ions, rather than to the formation of chain branching suggested in the literature. It was found further that mixtures of polyester resins and viscosity thickener exhibit normal stress effects, increasing with thickening time and following the behavior of a second-order fluid when the first normal stress difference was plotted against shear rate. Interestingly enough, however, plots of first normal stress difference vs. shear stress yield a correlation which becomes independent of thickening time. An explanation is offered to the correlation obtained.
Point of view office property performance in live-work-play places

This analysis of central business districts (CBDs) and their suburban areas was inspired by the analysis of 24-hour cities by Kelly, Adair, McGreal, and Roulac (2013). The 44 cities are drawn from ...
On the Nonanalytic Equation of State for Propane

An equation of state has been structured specifically to be consistent with the known behavior of specific heats [1,7]. It originates on a given, liquid-vapor coexistence boundary, described by equations for the vapor pressures and for the orthobaric densities. Accurate data for these physical properties are essential.
Roof Cover Impact on Cooling Energy Use of Office Buildings

This paper analyzes the impact of roof covers on office building energy use for representative US climate zones. In particular, the study presented in the paper investigates the potential annual cooling energy use savings that roof covers could provide using whole-building simulation analysis to evaluate the performance of a 2-story office building in five US locations. Three parameters of the roof covers including their size, height, and transmittance, are considered in the analysis. The simulation results indicate that while roof covers had similar affects on buildings in all climate zones, their impact in reducing cooling energy usage is different and is more pronounced in cooler climates. Specifically, roof covers could potentially achieve cooling energy savings of up to: 25% in Houston, 33% in Atlanta, 31% in Nashville, 38% in Chicago, and 41% in Madison. Based on the detailed simulation analysis results, a simplified calculation model is developed to help the estimation of cooling energy savings as a function of the roof cover size, height, and transmittance.© 2014 ASME
A Silver-glass Micro-electrode for Use in a Micromanipulator:

In an investigation of the neuro-motor mechanism of small blood vessels,1 the author needed to make micro-electrodes for the stimulation of small nerve fibers. The non-polarizable type (micro-salt-bridge), described by Ettisch and Peterfi,2 Taylor,3 Gelfan,4 and Field,5 was not necessary. Various polarizable types described in the literature were found to be inadequate. The platinum-quartz micro-electrode, devised by Taylor3 and used by Pratt and Reid6 and by Steiman7 for the study of single muscle fibers, proved to be expensive, required an oxygen flame to draw, and broke easily. The micro-electrode described by Sen8 may be produced in quantity by the deposition of metallic platinum, gold, or silver on the surface of quartz or glass micro-needles, using Brashear's method for silvering glass or the method of sputtering with a high voltage discharge in a vacuum. Electrodes of this type had to be insulated individually by the application of shellac with a small brush. It was found that the insulation did no...
Effects of Food Perishability, Distance, and Competitors on Caching Behavior by Eastern Woodrats

Four experiments were performed to determine whether eastern woodrats ( Neotoma floridana ) differentially consumed and cached perishable and persistent food under different sets of conditions. We predicted that adding the factors of distance and competition to perishability would change the way in which foods were selected. In experiment 1, woodrats differentially consumed more-perishable fresh apple slices, whereas in experiment 2 they differentially cached less-perishable dry apple slices. In experiment 3, when given the choice between fresh and dry slices at locations both nearby and distant from their cache sites, woodrats cached nearby dry items before nearby fresh items or fresh and dry items from the distant location. Experiment 4 revealed that presence of a putative conspecific competitor shifted behavior toward securing nearby dry and distant dry items before fresh items from either distance. Results of the order in which items were eaten and cached in experiments 1 and 2 are consistent with predictions concerning trade-offs of the cost of food with respect to perishability. Results of experiment 3 were in partial agreement with predictions concerning the order of acquisition when perishability and distance were considered. Results of experiment 4 were not in agreement with predictions when perishability, distance, and competition were considered.
Pulmonary Vein Stenosis in Neonates with Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

Objectives Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a rare, often lethal anomaly associated with poor outcomes. Given the association between bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and cardiovascular complications, we tested the hypotheses that (1) a subgroup of neonates with severe BPD develop PVS (BPD-PVS) and have worse outcomes than do neonates with severe BPD alone (BPD); (2) among a cohort of neonates with severe BPD-associated pulmonary hypertension (BPD-PH), PVS is an additional risk factor for adverse outcomes and mortality. Study Design We performed a retrospective review of neonates with severe BPD, based on the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) criteria, at our institution between June 1, 2009, and June 30, 2013. PVS was determined based on serial review of echocardiograms performed during their hospitalization. Neonates with congenital heart disease or chromosomal anomalies were excluded. Results Of 213 patients with severe BPD, 10 (4.7%) were found to have PVS (BPD-PVS). Neonates with BPD-PVS had lower birth weight (634 ± 178 vs. 767 ± 165 g; p Conclusions Compared with neonates with severe BPD alone, those with acquired PVS are at increased risk for worse outcomes, including higher mortality. Evidence-based recommendations regarding screening protocols and surveillance are needed in this high-risk subgroup of BPD neonates.
Two-Stage Urethroplasty for Urethral Stricture Disease

Of 97 patients who underwent first-stage urethroplasty 23 per cent required at least 1 revision. Sixty-seven patients underwent second-stage reconstruction with a 90 per cent success rate. The various factors influencing the outcome of 2-stage urethroplasty procedures are analyzed critically.
Professional Writing in the English Classroom: Designing a High School or Middle School Course (or Unit) in Professional Writing

The article offers information on the development of professional writing course in English middle school or high school classroom. It mentions that a good syllabus not only provide answers to basic questions, but also to questions that Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins have pertained to as the essential questions. It notes that students learn from writing activities and assessments including how to write in genres, evaluate the settings of professional tools, and manage their writing processes.
Towards distributed ensemble clustering for networked sensing systems: a novel geometric approach

Given a set of different clustering solutions to a unified dataset, ensemble clustering is to aggregate them to yield a more accurate and robust solution. In recent years, ensemble clustering has been extensively studied and successfully applied to many areas. In this paper, we study a new variant of ensemble clustering, distributed ensemble clustering, motivated by the proliferation of networked sensing systems where communication is enabled between only connected nodes. Our goal is to aggregate the clustering solutions produced by the sensor nodes that observe the same set of objects. Different from traditional ensemble clustering problems, distributed ensemble clustering aims to achieve not only accurate clustering results, but also low communication cost among the nodes. To this end, we build a novel geometric optimization model that can be efficiently solved with theoretical quality guarantee. The proposed approach, bearing nice geometric properties, can be easily adapted to distributed settings without any sacrifice of clustering quality, and facilitates a dimension reduction procedure which can significantly reduce the communication complexity. We validate our approach on two benchmark datasets. Experimental results suggest that our approach can efficiently solve the distributed ensemble clustering problem, and outperform the baselines on both clustering accuracy and communication cost.
Plasmodium AdoMetDC/ODC bifunctional enzyme is essential for male sexual stage development and mosquito transmission.

ABSTRACT Polyamines are positively-charged organic molecules that are important for cellular growth and division. Polyamines and their synthesizing enzymes are particularly abundant in rapidly proliferating eukaryotic cells such as parasitic protozoa and cancer cells. Polyamine biosynthesis inhibitors, such as Elfornithine, are now being considered for cancer prevention and have been used effectively against Trypanosoma brucei . Inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis have caused growth arrest of Plasmodium falciparum blood stages in vitro, but in P. berghei only partial inhibition has been observed. While polyamine biosynthesis enzymes are characterized and conserved in Plasmodium spp., little is known on the biological roles of these enzymes inside malaria parasite hosts. The bifunctional polyamine biosynthesis enzyme S -adenosyl methionine decarboxylase/ornithine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC/ODC) was targeted for deletion in P. yoelii . Deletion of AdoMetDC/ODC significantly reduced blood stage parasitemia but Anopheles transmission was completely blocked. We showed that male gametocytogenesis and male gamete exflagellation were abolished and consequently no ookinetes or oocyst sporozoites could be generated from adometdc/odc(–) parasites. Supplementation of putrescine and spermidine did not rescue the defective phenotypes of male gametocytes and gametes of the knockout parasites. These results highlight the crucial role of polyamine homeostasis in the development and functions of Plasmodium erythrocytic stages in the blood and in the mosquito vector and validate polyamine biosynthesis pathway enzymes as drug targeting candidates for malaria parasite transmission blocking.
Deep History, Evolutionary History, and Animals in the Anthropocene

How do we write a history of animals in the Anthropocene? In the past decade, there have been several attempts to bring biological thought into historical writing. One, ‘deep history’ as advocated by Daniel Lord Smail, aims to push the beginnings of human history back into the Pleistocene, long before the advent of written documents. In another, environmental historian Edmund Russell advocates the study of co-evolution (of humans and other living things) to explain particular historical events. Neither of these approaches specifically comments on animals. This essay examines these approaches and others to develop a new historical discourse that de-centers humans and incorporates both human and non-human animals. Such a history will help to recapture the original moral aims of historical practice.
Planters, merchants, and slaves: plantation societies in British America, 1650–1820

In this thought-provoking volume, Trevor Burnard examines ‘the large integrated plantation and the plantation system’ (1) in three areas of British America: the Chesapeake colonies of Virginia and ...
TOLLAN TEOTIHUACAN Multiethnic Mosaics, Corporate Interaction, and Social Complexity in Mesoamerica

Despite its longstanding preeminence as one of the earliest, largest, and most complex urban centers of highland Mexico, Teotihuacan’s pan-regional impact on Mesoamerica remains the subject of intense debate and conflicting models centering on the rise of social complexity in the American hemisphere. As such, this study sought to address the interplay and operationalization of resource concentration, multiethnic mosaics, and corporate interaction and inter-elite conflict within and beyond the context of the preindustrial metropolis of Teotihuacan. Findings from this review predictably indicated that the ancient highland polity was borne of but one of a host of Late Formative compound chiefdoms situated in the Basin of Mexico, albeit on a semiarid plain that necessitated the formation of an incipient managerial elite devoted to the management of the region’s hydraulic resources. While water management per se may be construed an initial stimulus to the formation of sociopolitical complexity in the highlands, we contend this fact alone did not distinguish Teotihuacan, or for that matter, render it a competitive advantage over other early polities of the region. Its uniqueness, we argue, was borne of (a) its strategic location proximate to both major obsidian deposits and a highland transport network to the Gulf lowlands, (b) a pattern of recurrent demographic restructuring occasioned by the cataclysmic eruptions of Popocatepetl, Malinche, and Xitle, (c) the formation of multiethnic mosaics and foreign enclaves both within and beyond the metropolis as a result of the two foregoing conditions, and by extension, (d) the emergence of multiethnic corporate groups dedicated to commerce and industry centered on Teotihuacan. In an effort to fully interrogate the extant evidence for the evolution of social complexity in the Basin of Mexico, we extended the analysis to those findings bearing on the troubled times of the Late Middle Classic/Epiclassic decline, collapse, and destruction of the ancient metropolis and its far-flung outposts. In the final analysis, our review of that evidence bearing on the question of what ultimately became of Teotihuacan in the wake of its disintegration reveals a pattern of escalating internal conflict, militarization, and a balkanization and recapitulation of the constituent multiethnic mosaics that defined the cosmopolitan and multicultural origins of the metropolis from the outset.
Nanotoxicity of graphene

Nanosafety of nanomaterials has been a major concern while exploiting their fascinating properties for real-life applications. Potential toxicity of nanomaterials has been measured in cell and animal models using protocols from molecular toxicology. This chapter begins with background information on nanotoxicity assays, their strengths and drawbacks, and certain recommendations that might be helpful for more critical evaluation of the data. Biological assays used to assess the potential toxicity of nanoparticles, from cell viability to mutations are described in this section, and designed specifically for readers who may not be too familiar with biological assay protocols. An overview of graphene and graphene oxide toxicity in cell and animal models with two opposite opinions among graphene researchers are presented. Our toxicity study on graphene produced via liquid-phase exfoliation in animal sera showing low toxicity of graphene sheets to cells and Caenorhabditis elegans (worm) models . Graphene toxicity studies are expected to progress because they have a greater probability of being part of devices we rely on in everyday life. Careful examination of graphene toxicity at realistic dosage levels, in multiple organisms and animals is vital for designing health and occupational safety standards for this wonder material.
The application of machine learning to evaluate the adequacy of information in radiology orders

Background: Adequate clinical information provided with radiology orders is important for an accurate interpretation of imaging studies. Nonetheless, high percentage of radiology orders lack adequate information. Assessment of the adequacy of the information associated with radiology orders could be achieved manually. However, manual assessment is costly and inefficient. Novel approaches using machine learning and text mining to assess the adequacy of radiology order information could reduce the costs and improve efficiency. We aimed to test the application of machine learning algorithms to identify radiology orders with adequate/inadequate information. Methods: We extracted 1,967 electronic chest computed tomography (CT) orders at an academic tertiary hospital during January 2014, and manually classified them into containing adequate or inadequate information based on the American College of Radiology guidelines. We used text mining (text parsing and vectorization) and machine learning (Naive Bayes, Support Vector Machines and Decision Tree classifiers) to automate order adequacy classification, and evaluated the system performance against the manual review. Results: Surprisingly, only 30.6% of orders had adequate information when evaluated manually. Non-resident physicians provided the least number of adequate order information (26.7%). Classifiers achieved high classification accuracy. Naive Bayes classifier performed slightly better overall (Accuracy= .9) than Support Vector Machines (Accuracy= .89) and Decision Trees (J48, Accuracy= .85). Conclusions: High percentage of orders lack adequate information in chest CT. Machine learning classifiers could be utilized to assess the adequacy of radiology order information.
Potato Cultivar and Seed Type Affect the Development of Systemic Potato virus Y (PVY N-Wi ) Infection

Potato virus Y (PVY) infection is one of the greatest challenges to seed potato production in the United States. To determine how cultivar and seed type affect the development of systemic PVY infection, Russet Burbank and Russet Norkotah Colorado 3 cultivars were grown from two types of pre-nuclear seed (i.e., plantlets and minitubers) and Generation 3 (G3) tubers and challenged with PVY strain Wilga (PVYN-Wi). Systemic PVY infection was measured by assaying spread of virus from the inoculation site to upper non-inoculated leaves. The Burbank cultivar had a lower incidence of systemic PVY infection compared to the incidence of systemic PVY that developed in the Colorado 3 cultivar. Furthermore, Burbank plants grown from G3 tubers had a lower incidence of systemic PVY infection, as compared to Burbank plants grown from plantlets. Together our results indicate that both cultivar and seed type affect the development of systemic PVYN-Wi infections post-inoculation.
Erythropoietin to Enhance Recovery of Erectile Function in Men Following Radical Prostatectomy: The ERECT Trial

Erythropoietin receptors have been localized to human penile tissue and periprostatic neurovascular bundles. ERECT is a placebo-controlled, phase 2, randomized trial assessing the effect of erythropoietin on recovery of erectile function for men undergoing radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer.
Centering contraception: postpartum contraceptive choices of women enrolled in Centering group prenatal care versus traditional prenatal care

Objective To assess postpartum contraceptive choices of women participating in group versus traditional prenatal care. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study assessing postpartum contraceptive choices of women participating in group versus traditional prenatal care. Patients were derived from a database of all deliveries from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2014 at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, USA. Within this database, group prenatal care patients were identified and a two-to-one matched set of similar traditional prenatal care patients was created. Contraceptive methods utilised by these women were ascertained via chart review. The proportion of women using each method in each care model was calculated. Multinomial logistic regression was carried out for statistical analysis. Results Included in the final analysis were 867 patients: 289 group and 587 traditional prenatal care participants. Groups were similar in selection of sterilisation, condoms, injection, and other short-acting hormonal contraceptive methods (a composite of patch, vaginal ring, and pills). Group prenatal care patients were more likely to utilise contraception postpartum (as measured by use of no method with AOR 0.50, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.78, P=0.002), particularly long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.40, P=0.005). This difference was most pronounced for women aged 20–24 years (AOR 1.98, 95% CI 1.10 to 3.56). Conclusion Participation in group prenatal care as opposed to traditional prenatal care increases use of postpartum contraception and increases uptake of LARCs. The association of group prenatal care participation with LARC use is particularly apparent for women aged 20–24 years.
Five-Year Suicidal Ideation Trajectories Among Women Receiving or Being Denied an Abortion

Objective:The aim of this study was to assess the effects of receiving compared with being denied an abortion on women’s experiences of suicidal ideation over 5 years.Method:The authors recruited 9...
Teachers' Working Conditions and the Unmet Promise of Technology

I consider the promise of computer-facilitated technologies for enriching the practice of teaching art. Selected art education writings highlight the potential of computer technologies for K-12 art education. In search of an understanding of K-12 teachers' experiences and perceptions about technology utilization, I examine aspects of teachers' widely varying technology working conditions. Research on technology and other staff development initiatives are then shared as they inform my own inquiries. In conclusion, I offer recommendations for those interested in facilitating teacher utilization of current and emerging technologies.
Olfaction metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors and neural networks

Primitive mobile life forms, and the mobile cells of higher animals, derive their motivation and direct their navigation by chemical senses. In the simplest cases these creatures are hard-wired to swim toward nutrient concentration gradients, and to swim against irritant concentration gradients. The vestiges in humans of the sometimes extremely sensitive, selective, and differential chemical senses of primitive forms are taste, our ability to detect and identify four classes of chemicals in water solution on our tongues, and smell or olfaction, our ability to detect and identify many gases, vapors, and complex mixtures in the air passing through our noses.
Determining Tare in Net Weight Acceptance Sampling

This paper discusses the effect of tare variability on a stationary lot acceptance sampling procedure for net weights. The author suggests a general tare procedure that takes into account the relative variability of tare and contents...
Co-contaminant effects on 1,4-dioxane biodegradation in packed soil column flow-through systems.

Abstract Biodegradation of 1,4-dioxane was examined in packed quartz and soil column flow-through systems. The inhibitory effects of co-contaminants, specifically trichloroethene (TCE), 1,1-dichloroethene (1,1-DCE), and copper (Cu2+) ions, were investigated in the columns either with or without bioaugmentation with a 1,4-dioxane degrading bacterium Pseudonocardia dioxanivorans CB1190. Results indicate that CB1190 cells readily grew and colonized in the columns, leading to significant degradation of 1,4-dioxane under oxic conditions. Degradation of 1,4-dioxane was also observed in the native soil (without bioaugmentation), which had been previously subjected to enhanced reductive dechlorination treatment for co-contaminants TCE and 1,1-DCE. Bioaugmentation of the soil with CB1190 resulted in nearly complete degradation at influent concentrations of 3–10 mg L−1 1,4-dioxane and a residence reaction time of 40–80 h, but the presence of co-contaminants, 1,1-DCE and Cu2+ ions (up to 10 mg L−1), partially inhibited 1,4-dioxane degradation in the untreated and bioaugmented soil columns. However, the inhibitory effects were much less severe in the column flow-through systems than those previously observed in planktonic cultures, which showed near complete inhibition at the same co-contaminant concentrations. These observations demonstrate a low susceptibility of soil microbes to the toxicity of 1,1-DCE and Cu2+ in packed soil flow-through systems, and thus have important implications for predicting biodegradation potential and developing sustainable, cost-effective technologies for in situ remediation of 1,4-dioxane contaminated soils and groundwater.
Association Between Surgical Trainee Daytime Sleepiness and Intraoperative Technical Skill When Performing Septoplasty.

ImportanceDaytime sleepiness in surgical trainees can impair intraoperative technical skill and thus affect their learning and pose a risk to patient safety. ObjectiveTo determine the association b...
Hypoxic Preconditioning Enhances Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Survival in a Low Oxygen and Nutrient-Limited 3D Microenvironment.

ObjectiveSkeletal tissues such as intervertebral disc and articular cartilage possess limited innate potential to regenerate, in part due to their avascularity and low cell density. Despite recent ...
Psychometric evaluation of the Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plan disenrollment reasons survey.

OBJECTIVES To develop and assess the reliability and validity of composite measures of reasons for disenrollment from Medicare Advantage (MA) and prescription drug plans (PDPs). DATA SOURCE Medicare beneficiaries who responded to the Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Disenrollment Reasons Survey. STUDY DESIGN Separate multilevel factor analyses of MA and PDP data suggested groupings of survey items to form composite measures, for which internal consistency and interunit reliability were estimated. The association of each composite with an overall plan rating was examined to evaluate criterion validity. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Five composites were identified: financial reasons for disenrollment; problems with prescription drug benefits and coverage; problems getting information and help from the plan; problems getting needed care, coverage, and cost information; and problems with coverage of doctors and hospitals. Beneficiary-level internal consistency reliability exceeded 0.70 for all but one composite (financial reasons); plan-level internal consistency reliability exceeded 0.80 for all composites; average interunit reliability for plans with ≥ 30 survey completes exceeded 0.75 for 3 of 5 composites. As expected, greater endorsement of reasons for disenrollment was associated with lower overall plan ratings. CONCLUSIONS The Disenrollment Reasons Survey provides a reliable and valid assessment of beneficiaries' reasons for leaving their plans. Multiple reasons for disenrollment may indicate especially poor experiences.
Quantization of Lie bialgebras, II

In the paper [Dr3] V. Drinfeld formulated a number of problems in quantum group theory. In particular, he raised the question about the existence of a quantization for Lie bialgebras, which arose from the problem of quantization of Poisson Lie groups. When the paper [KL] appeared Drinfeld asked whether the methods of [KL] could be useful for the problem of quantization of Lie bialgebras. This paper gives a positive answer to a number of Drinfeld's questions, using the methods and ideas of [KL]. In particular, we show the existence of a quantization for Lie bialgebras. The universality and functoriality properties of this quantization will be discussed in the second paper of this series. We plan to provide positive answers to most of the remaining questions in [Dr3] in the following papers of this series.
A Note on Randomly Colored Matchings in Random Bipartite Graphs

We are given a bipartite graph that contains at least one perfect matching and where each edge is colored from a set \(Q=\left \{c_1,c_2,\ldots ,c_q\right \}\). Let \(Q_i=\left \{e\in E(G):c(e)=c_i\right \}\), where c(e) denotes the color of e. The perfect matching color profile mcp(G) is defined to be the set of vectors (m1, m2, …, mq) ∈ [n]q such that there exists a perfect matching M such that |M ∩ Qi| = mi. We give bounds on the matching color profile for a randomly colored random bipartite graph.
A burden or a tool? Rationalizing public housing provision in Chinese cities

Public housing, a crucial component of the welfare state, is often viewed as an economic burden. We confront this conventional view and provide an alternative understanding of public housing in mix...
Molecular genetic overlap between posttraumatic stress disorder and sleep phenotypes

Study objectives Sleep problems are common, serving as both a predictor and symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with these bidirectional relationships well established in the literature. While both sleep phenotypes and PTSD are moderately heritable, there has been a paucity of investigation into potential genetic overlap between sleep and PTSD. Here, we estimate genetic correlations between multiple sleep phenotypes (including insomnia symptoms, sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, and chronotype) and PTSD, using results from the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) to date of PTSD, as well as publicly available GWAS results for sleep phenotypes within UK Biobank data (23 variations, encompassing four main phenotypes). Methods Genetic correlations were estimated utilizing linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC), an approach that uses GWAS summary statistics to compute genetic correlations across traits, and Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted to follow up on significant correlations. Results Significant, moderate genetic correlations were found between insomnia symptoms (rg range 0.36-0.49), oversleeping (rg range 0.32-0.44), undersleeping (rg range 0.48-0.49), and PTSD. In contrast, there were mixed results for continuous sleep duration and daytime sleepiness phenotypes, and chronotype was not correlated with PTSD. MR analyses did not provide evidence for casual effects of sleep phenotypes on PTSD. Conclusion Sleep phenotypes, particularly insomnia symptoms and extremes of sleep duration, have shared genetic etiology with PTSD, but causal relationships were not identified. This highlights the importance of further investigation into the overlapping influences on these phenotypes as sample sizes increase and new methods to investigate directionality and causality become available.
Patient barriers to cancer clinical trial participation and navigator activities to assist

Clinical research is vital to the discovery of new cancer treatments that can enhance health and prolong life for cancer patients, but breakthroughs in cancer treatment are limited by challenges recruiting patients into cancer clinical trials (CT). Only 3-5% of cancer patients in the United States participate in a cancer CT and there are disparities in CT participation by age, race and gender. Strategies such as patient navigation, which is designed to provide patients with education and practical support, may help to overcome challenges of CT recruitment. The current study evaluated an intervention in which lay navigators were utilized to provide patient education and practical support for helping patients overcome barriers to CT participation and related clinical care. A patient barrier checklist was utilized to record patient barriers to CT participation and care, actions taken by navigators to assist patients with these barriers, and whether or not these barriers could be overcome. Forty patients received patient navigation services. The most common barriers faced by navigated patients were fear (n=9), issues communicating with medical personnel (n=9), insurance issues (n=8), transportation difficulties (n=6) and perceptions about providers and treatment (n=4). The most common activities undertaken by navigators were making referrals and contacts on behalf of patients (e.g., support services, family, clinicians; n=25). Navigators also made arrangement for transportation, financial, medication and equipment services for patients (n=11) and proactively navigated patients (n=8). Barriers that were not overcome for two or more patients included insurance issues, lack of temporary housing resources for patients in treatment and assistance with household bills. The wide array of patient barriers to CT participation and navigator assistance documented in this study supports the CT navigator role in facilitating quality care.
Comprehensive Case Review of a Diabetic Patient With Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia:

Vascular technologists can play a comprehensive role in the management of complex chronic limb-threatening ischemia diabetic patients. This includes preoperative planning, intraoperative real-time ...
Effect of Counterflowing Jet on Supersonic Slender-Body Configurations: A Numerical Study

Previous studies have demonstrated that the use of counterflowing supersonic jets operating in the long penetration mode (LPM), directed from the nose of blunt bodies against a supersonic/hypersoni...
Incidence and risk factors of kidney allograft loss due to BK nephropathy in the pediatric population: A retrospective analysis of the UNOS/OPTN database

Background BK virus infection can lead to graft dysfunction and loss in kidney transplant recipients. Risk factors for BKV and BKVN have been inadequately studied in children. Here, we evaluate the incidence and risk factors of allograft loss due to BKVN in the pediatric population of the UNOS data set. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of the UNOS database and identified all pediatric recipients of kidney transplantation between 2000 and 2018. We compared donor and recipient characteristics, including cause of ESRD, among patients who lost their graft due to BKVN or other causes, and those with functioning allograft. Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox regression analysis were performed to evaluate the risk factors. Results A total of 66 patients (0.47%) suffered graft failure from BKVN. Older age, male gender, HLA mismatch, and rejection at 1 year were significantly associated with BKVN graft failure, compared to recipients with functioning allograft. In comparison with graft loss due to other causes, male gender, higher HLA mismatch, rejection in 1st year and tacrolimus use at discharge were significantly associated with BKVN graft loss. Recipients who received mycophenolate at time of discharge were at reduced risk for BKVN graft failure. Compared to graft failure from other causes, BKVN graft failure had shorter death censored graft survival [P = .001]. ESRD due to urologic causes and Alport syndrome had higher rate of BKVN graft failure. Conclusion Incidence of graft loss from BKVN in the pediatric population was 10.2 per 10 000 patient-years in this study. BKVN is associated with early allograft failure in the pediatric population, compared to other causes of graft loss. Male gender, HLA mismatch, rejection in 1st year, and urological cause of ESRD are risk factors for graft failure from BKVN in children.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership: Asia Trade Connectedness

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) of November 15, 2020 is a major economic business architectural framework. The central focus of RCEP is tariff reduction among the fifteen maj...
First saturation correction in high energy proton-nucleus collisions: Part III. Ensemble averaging

In high energy proton-nucleus collisions, the gluon saturation effects from the nucleus are fully incorporated into the light-like Wilson lines. The gluon saturation effects from the proton, which are anticipated to be important either in the extreme high energy limit or towards the dense-dense (nucleus-nucleus) collision regimes, have been studied perturbatively within the Color Glass Condensate effective theory in previous papers of this series. A configuration-by-configuration expression for the single inclusive semi-hard gluon production including the first saturation correction was obtained. In this paper, we perform ensemble averaging in the McLerran-Venugopalan model and the Dipole Approximation. We find that, in the saturation correction, the effects of the initial state interactions are negligible while the final state interactions play most important role and give a positive-valued contribution to the semi-hard gluon spectrum. Furthermore, we show that the single gluon spectrum scales approximately $1/k_{\perp}^{4}$ at small $k_{\perp}$, suggesting that a resummation of higher order saturation corrections is required to regulate the infrared region of the gluon spectrum.
Airborne Remote Observations of L-Band Radio Frequency Interference and Implications for Satellite Missions

Passive remote sensing of the Earth s surface and atmosphere from space has significant importance in operational and research environmental studies, in particular for the scientific understanding, monitoring and prediction of climate change and its impacts. Passive remote sensing requires the measurement of naturally occurring radiations, usually of very low power levels, which contain essential information on the physical process under investigation. As such, these sensed radio frequency bands are a unique natural resource enabling space borne passive sensing of the atmosphere and the Earth s surface that deserves adequate allocation to the Earth Exploration Satellite Service and absolute protection from interference. Unfortunately, radio frequency interference (RFI) is an increasing problem for Earth remote sensing, particularly for passive observations of natural emissions. Because these natural signals tend to be very weak, even low levels of interference received by a passive sensor may degrade the fidelity of scientific data. The characteristics of RFI (low-level interference and radar-pulse noise) are not well known because there has been no systematic surveillance, spectrum inventory or mapping of RFI. While conducting a flight experiment over central Tennessee in May 2010, RFI, a concern for any instrument operating in the passive L band frequency, was observed across 16 subbands between 1402-1427 MHz. Such a survey provides rare characterization data from which to further develop mitigation technologies as well as to identify bandwidths to avoid in future sensor formulation.
New beam-steering algorithms using DELSA for frequency hopping systems

We propose a novel, blind and robust algorithm, DELSA (R.D. Balakrishnan, et al.), to estimate the azimuthal direction-of-arrival (DOA) of sources impinging an array of antennas. Subsequently, we develop two new beam-steering algorithm for a typical frequency hopping (FH) system (D. Torrieri, et al. 1999). We treat the DOA estimation as an inverse problem of estimating a set of parameters {/spl phi//sub i/} which explains the received signal for a suitable physical model. We specify a highly underdetermined linear system as the physical model and solve the resulting least squares problem using the well-known Conjugate Gradients (CG) iterations on the normal equations (NE). Unlike DOA estimation methods such as MUSIC (R.O. Schmidt, 1986), our method does not require any a priori information concerning the number of sources for the algorithm to perform. It is also independent of the type of modulation employed (R. D. Balakrishnan, et al.). Simulation results indicate that our method is robust in the regimes of friendly interferences and low signal-to-noise-ratios (SNRs) of the desired source.
Do Pills Poison Operating Performance

Contrary to arguments that poison pills degrade firm performance, we find that operating performance generally improves during the five-year period after pill adoption. Performance improvements are present in a wide range of firms, and are independent of board structure, year of adoption, and whether the firm is R&D intensive. Furthermore, the stock price reaction to announcements of pill adoptions is positively related to subsequent improvements in earnings before interest and taxes, suggesting that investors anticipate the improvements. Combined with the evidence from Comment and Schwert (1995), that the presence of a poison pill does not reduce takeover probabilities or premiums, the evidence in this paper undermines the widely held view that poison pills have systematically negative effects on firm value and performance.