cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of didactic lectures on obesity documentation and counseling among internal medicine residents

Background : Screening adult patients for obesity and offering appropriate counseling and treatment for weight loss is recommended. However, many healthcare providers feel ill-equipped to address this topic. Objective : We examined whether didactic presentations lead to increased obesity documentation and counseling among internal medicine (IM) residents. Methods : We reviewed medical records of patients seen at the IM Resident Continuity Clinic during April 2015. Residents were provided feedback at two didactic presentations during May 2015. To examine the effect of this intervention, we repeated medical record review during June 2015. For both reviews, we abstracted patient-specific (i.e., age, body mass index [BMI], race, sex, and number of comorbid diagnoses) and resident-specific (i.e., sex and training level) data as well as evidence of obesity documentation and counseling. We used logistic regression models to examine the effect of intervention on obesity documentation and counseling, adjusting for patient- and resident-specific variables. Results : Of the 278 patients with BMI≥30 kg/m 2 , 139 were seen before and 139 after the intervention. Intervention had no effect on obesity documentation or counseling with or without adjustment for confounding variables (both P >0.05). In adjusted post-hoc analyses, each additional comorbidity increased the odds of obesity documentation by 8% (OR=1.08; 95% CI=1.05–1.11; P <0.001). In addition, as compared to postgraduate year (PGY) 1 residents, PGY-3 residents were 56% (OR=0.44; 95% CI=0.21–0.95; P =0.03) less likely to counsel obese patients. Conclusions : Obesity is inadequately addressed in primary care settings, and didactic presentations were unable to increase obesity documentation or weight loss counseling. Future research to identify effective interventions is needed. Keywords: BMI; weight; intervention; primary care; behavior modification (Published: 25 April 2016) Citation: Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives 2016, 6 : 30931 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/jchimp.v6.30931
Internet-based Marketing Service Innovation and Its Value——Evidence from Sponsored Search Advertising

Sponsored search advertising has become an increasingly prevalent way employed by e-commerce operators.It conducts an empirical study on the mechanism of value genesis of the sponsored search advertisement under the fixed rank with the data from a large online consumer review website.It provides support for the innovation and effectiveness of sponsored search advertising in increasing the sales of the advertisers.Furthermore,the sponsored search advertising method is found to have extended effects on other advertising means at the website.It also discusses the improvement measures of the sponsored search advertising,and provides practical reference for internet based innovation for advertisers.
Study on minitype insecticidal smoke tablet

Objective To develop a minitype insecticidal smoke tablet used in the airtight spots which insecticides spraying was not suitable for use directly.Methods Aaccording to relevant methods of national criterion of China and methods reported in literature.Results The smoke tablet ignition temperature was 168～186℃,combustion temperature was 330～360℃,ratio of smoke formation was above 80%.It could kill fly,mosquito and cockroach quickly and effectively.Conclusion The smoke tablet was safe,simple,convenient and economical.
Rubiacearum Americanarum Magna Hama Pars XXXI: More New Neotropical Species and Morphological Notes for Psychotria (Psychotrieae)

Botanical exploration has documented 11 new species of Psychotria L. (i.e., Psychotria s. str., Psychotria subg. Psychotria: Rubiaceae) in the western Amazon basin and Andes of South America. Psychotria anisophylla C. M. Taylor is found at 200–800 m in Peru and Bolivia and is characterized by its unequally sized leaves, calyptrate stipules, and flowers that are solitary or paired and borne on axillary short-shoots. Psychotria awa C. M. Taylor is found at 100–1325 m along the Colombia–Ecuador border and differs from P. hammelii Dwyer in its planar (non-bulliform) leaves. Psychotria calyptrata C. M. Taylor is found at 1021–2850 m in Bolivia and Peru and differs from P. trichotoma M. Martens & Galeotti in its pubescent smaller leaves, subsessile flowers, and fruits that are not stipitate. Psychotria cochabambana C. M. Taylor is found at 1940–2180 m in central Bolivia and differs from P. cutucuana C. M. Taylor by its longer corollas. Psychotria davidsmithiana C. M. Taylor is found at 1600–2862 m in Peru and Bolivia and differs from P. aristeguietae Steyerm. in its shorter calyx lobes. Psychotria diminuta C. M. Taylor is found at 1600–1800 m in Peru and differs from P. parvifolia Benth. by its subsessile leaves with sacciform domatia, 3-flowered inflorescences, and 5-merous flowers. Psychotria grahamii C. M. Taylor is found at 250–850 m in central Peru and differs from P. juninensis Standl. in its longer calyx limbs. Psychotria maynasana C. M. Taylor is found at 120–170 m in Peru and western Brazil and differs from P. anceps Kunth in its larger fruits. Psychotria ortiziana C. M. Taylor is found at 193–900 m in Peru, western Brazil, and Bolivia and is characterized by its bilobed interpetiolar stipules, leaves with sacciform domatia, rather large corollas, and fruits borne on well-developed stipes. Psychotria pandoana C. M. Taylor is found in at 110–285 m in western Brazil and northern Bolivia and differs from P. pectinata Steyerm. in its broader pubescent leaves without domatia and larger corollas. Also, P. sopkinii C. M. Taylor is found at 1500–2730 m in western Colombia and differs from P. convergens C. M. Taylor by its shorter corollas.
Molecular epidemiologic analysis on new emerged type 3 dengue virus in Guangzhou in 2009

Objective To analyze and trace the infection source the envelope(E) gene of the new emerged type 3 dengue virus in Guangzhou in 2009. Methods Sera were collected from patients infected with local dengue fever. Dengue virus was cultured and isolated by C6/36 cells. The whole length E gene was amplified from the positive specimen by RT-PCR, thereby sequenced and phylogenetic tree drawn by neighbor-joining method. Both data on epidemiologic and molecular studies were processed and analysed. Results 7 strains of type 3 dengue virus were isolated from samples of the 19 patients. E gene of these strains was amplified. The complete E genes of 7 strains belonged to 1479 nucleotides in length, encoding a polyprotein of 493 amino acids. Data from the phylogenetic analysis showed that 09/GZ/1081, 09/GZ/1483 and 09/GZ/10806 strains fell within the Southeast Asia/South Pacific group. 09/GZ/10616, 09/GZ/11144, 09/GZ/11194 while 09/GZ/13105 strains fell within the India group. Conclusion The type 3 dengue virus identified in Guangzhou area in 2009 was imported and could be devided into two genotypes. Key words: Dengue virus; E gene; Phylogenetic tree
Computed Tomography: The Technique and its Use for the Evaluation of Cardiocirculatory Anatomy and Function

Computed tomography has not yet been widely applied to the imaging of cardiac disease. This article presents some of the diagnostic capabilities unique to computed tomography. Current cardiac CT techniques, gated scanning, and the future of cardiac CTmillisecond CT scanning-are considered.
Membranes and Human Health

The complexity of membrane structure and function suggests a wealth of potential targets to alleviate human afflictions. Modified liposomes have been successfully employed to target many drugs to specific diseased cells. These liposomes must retain the drug while avoiding the reticulo-endothelial system (RES). Several types of drug-carrying liposomes include: ‘Stealth’ liposomes, Thermo-liposomes, pH-sensitive liposomes and several targeted liposomes with specific antibodies, lectins, receptors, and vitamins attached to the liposome surface. In addition, dietary fatty acids may substantially affect human health by altering membrane structure and function. At the extremes are the “good” fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and the “bad” fatty acids trans fatty acids (TFAs).
Can multi-slice or navigator-gated R2* MRI replace single-slice breath-hold acquisition for hepatic iron quantification?

Background Liver R2* values calculated from multi-gradient echo (mGRE) magnetic resonance images (MRI) are strongly correlated with hepatic iron concentration (HIC) as shown in several independently derived biopsy calibration studies. These calibrations were established for axial single-slice breath-hold imaging at the location of the portal vein. Scanning in multi-slice mode makes the exam more efficient, since whole-liver coverage can be achieved with two breath-holds and the optimal slice can be selected afterward. Navigator echoes remove the need for breath-holds and allow use in sedated patients.
A Life in Newborn Screening

Newborn screening has revolutionized the diagnosis of many disorders, notably metabolic disorders. Whereas, formerly, a clinical presentation of developmental delay or other features led to the diagnosis, usually too late for optimal treatment, today it is an abnormal finding in newborn screening which leads to the diagnosis and presymptomatic preventative therapy. It is my good fortune to have been involved in newborn screening for virtually all of my 50 years in metabolic disorders—the first 31 years with direct involvement. I have been part of the expansion of newborn screening from the time of the original Guthrie bacterial assays to the addition of tandem mass spectrometry. Newborn screening continues to be a central part of my professional life. This article describes my journey in newborn screening as a metabolic physician and the hallmarks of this journey within the rich history of newborn screening.
Schumpeter's illuminating errors: when he was good, he was very good; when he was wrong he was suggestive

Joseph Schumpeter is unquestionably the unique and leading voice in analysis of innovative entrepreneurship and its guiding role in economic growth. Yet, as is true of any author who undertakes such a pathbreaking task, some of his assertions have not been supported by subsequent analysis or later developments in the real world. However, such errors can be both creative and instructive. That is exactly why this paper focuses on these rare glitches in the Schumpeterian structure: each of them offers us insights that advance our understanding of this subject, which is so critical for the future welfare of society.
An Analytic Framework for Assessing Automobile Sales Loss from Recalls: A Toyota Case Study

Article describes the experimental method of acoustic pressure amplitude-frequency response measurement in resonator of thermoacoustic refrigerator with electromechanical generator of acoustic oscillations. Based on the results obtained the nonlinear mathematical model of thermoacoustic refrigerator with electromechanical generator is synthesized using the statistical methods of construction and evaluation of pairwise dependencies. The resonance frequency identification algorithm for thermoacoustic system parametric optimization is developed using the obtained mathematical model. Experimental verification of the proposed resonance frequency identification algorithm is considered.
Mass spectrometry of intact complexes of benzyl styryl sulfone ON1910Na with albumin using direct serum injection

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 3099 The benzyl styryl sulfone analog (ON1910Na, 473.5 Da) is currently in Phase I clinical trials. The objective was to characterize the intact complexes formed between drug and serum albumin in treated mice and in patients. Molecular masses indicated the number of drug molecules in the complex at various dose levels and sampling times. Serum and plasma were obtained from treated mice with various solid tumors and patients. One μL aliquots were injected directly into the mass spectrometer. Positive electrospray mass spectra were obtained with a triple quadrupole instrument. Molecular masses of the intact drug-albumin complexes were obtained from multiple charged ion patterns, based on the interrupted incremental augmentation of albumin masses, using conventional transformation software. Unbound 1910Na was quantified by selected reaction monitoring (m/z 474 to 216 transition). Complex formation between the drug and albumin commenced immediately upon exposure. The smooth lines of the bell-shaped multiply charged ion patterns of serum albumin became ragged. The molecular masses of the intact complexes and the number of bound drug molecules could be determined from the new peaks. Masses were determined to 0.1%. Data from mouse and human samples were comparable but not the same. Up to 21 drug molecules were bound per albumin molecule depending upon drug dose, quantity of unbound drug, and time of sampling. The number of drug molecules added were discontinuous, suggesting conformational changes permitting certain numbers of drug molecules to bind but excluding others. The technique developed demonstrates that free drug concentration and drug-albumin binding data can be measured directly in untreated serum or plasma, thus avoiding iatrogenic artifacts. (Supported by the T. J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research and by Onconova Therapeutics, Inc.).
The effects of student personality on perceptions of two-source transformational leadership

This paper examines the role of student personality traits on student perceptions of an instructor’s and community partner’s leader behaviours in a service-learning context. Extant literature does ...
Raman Spectroscopy for the Study of Nematic Liquid Crystals

Liquid crystals, primarily as a consequence of their potential electro-optic applications, have attracted considerable scientific interest in the past decade. This interest has extended to a large number of theoretical studies of the structure and properties of liquid crystals, as well as to a variety of spectroscopic techniques which nicely complement the theoretical work.
71 Hydrogenation with Metal Oxide Catalysts

A study of the catalytic properties of the oxides of vanadium and chromium, widely used as dehydrogenation catalysts, has shown that these oxides will catalyze the reaction of hydrogenation. The chemistry, structure, and reaction mechanism of these catalysts have been studied and compared. These studies reveal important similarities and differences in the action of these oxides. Olefins are hydrogenated in the presence of either catalyst at atmospheric pressure. Hydrogenation is accompanied by isomerization. Aromatics can be partially hydrogenated in the presence of vanadia only at superatmospheric pressure. Chromia is inactive under these conditions. Neither substance catalyzes hydrogen disproportionation reaction of cycloolefins. An essential difference was found in the action of these catalysts on alcohols. In the presence of vanadia, alcohols are hydrogenolyzed to the corresponding paraffins. At comparable conditions in the presence of chromia, alcohols undergo a dehydrogenation-condensation reaction with production of ketones. The structure of both catalysts was examined and that of vanadia correlated with the geometrical picture of the catalytic reaction. The kinetics of hydrogenation on chromia are found to follow a mechanism based on a surface reaction between atomically adsorbed hydrogen and propylene molecule.
The Education of Racial and Cultural Minorities in the United States (Continued)

During the last generation, several factors have increased the enrollment of minority students in colleges and universities. Urbanization, changes in the occupational world that require more training, the growth of the middle classes, private efforts, and governmental programs are among those factors. These have collided with a number of forces that we shall be discussing as we examine the changes in the levels and kinds of higher education among Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans.
Bioassays of Flonicamid Against the Common Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) Show No Mortality or Feeding Inhibition after Treatment1

Abstract Flonicamid is a systemic pesticide that inhibits the feeding of certain greenhouse pests and certain hemipteran pests of agricultural crops. In a laboratory study directed at the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.), flonicamid (as Aria®) was evaluated for its ability to either kill or inhibit the feeding of this blood-sucking pest. After flonicamid was applied topically (by spray), as a residual (to bed bug harborages), or fed directly to bed bugs by incorporating the insecticide into the bloodmeal, mortality assessments were made and surviving bed bugs were given the opportunity to feed on untreated blood. At the recommended label rates and at rates that approached the solubility limits of the product in water, it was concluded that this insecticide would be ineffective in a bed bug control program.
Hydrogen peroxide production via a redox reaction of N,N′-dimethyl-2,6-diaza-9,10-anthraquinonediium by addition of bisulfite

We demonstrate that bisulfite can be used for reduction of a highly electrophilic anthraquinone derivative, N,N'-dimethyl-2,6-diaza-9,10-anthraquinonediium (DAAQ), and subsequent autoxidation generates an equivalent of hydrogen peroxide. The mechanism for DAAQ reduction by bisulfite, DAAQ electrochemistry, and use of a simple test strip assay for H2O2, are described.
A Unified Software Framework to Enable Solution of Traffic Assignment Problems at Extreme Scale

We describe a modular software framework for solving user equilibrium traffic assignment problems. The design is based on the formulation of the problem as a variational inequality. Unlike most existing traffic assignment software which focus on specific traffic models, our framework accommodates various traffic models, but also enables using parallel computation in high performance computing environments to speed up large-scale equilibrium calculations. We compare the solutions obtained under several models: static, Merchant-Nemhauser, ‘CTM with instantaneous travel time’, and ‘CTM with actual travel time’, and demonstrate some important differences. We also present results for the Los Angeles Basin network, which demonstrate a 25x speed up for the parallelized static equilibrium calculation compared to the sequential computation.
"Unaccomodated Man": Dismodernism and Disability Justice in King Lear

King Lear' s exploration of what it means to be human has significant Disability Studies implications that have not yet been examined. Through the course of the play, Lear gains awareness of interdependence, bodily vulnerability, and human-animal kinship, and his new worldview unsettles the shared ground of ableism and anthropocentrism. Analyzing three of Lear's significant speeches, I argue that King Lear' s exploration of what it means to be human anticipates Lennard Davis's recent theoretical concept, dismodernism. Both Lear and Gloucester express concern for Poor Tom in ways that link disability to community and social justice. Through considering King Lear in relation to early modern contexts and current Disability Studies theory and activism, I argue that the play is an important site for developing a socially conscious Shakespearean Disability Studies.
Modified Roux-Goldthwait Procedure for Management of Patellar Dislocation in Skeletally Immature Patients with Down Syndrome

Background Patellar instability is a common problem in Down syndrome patients since their childhood. Several treatment have been proposed, but relapses are frequent and not all surgeries are suitable for growing patients. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of a modified Roux-Goldthwait technique, for the management of patellar instability in children with Down syndrome at minimum 5-year followup. Materials and Methods 19 patients (23 knees) affected by Down syndrome surgically treated for patellar dislocation, between 2000 and 2012 were included in this study. The mean age of patients was 9.5 years (range 3.7 - 15 years) and had a Dugdale Grade III, IV, and V patellar dislocation. Trochlear groove dysplasia was present in 15 patients. Each patient was clinically evaluated considering relapse rate, pre- and postoperative range of motion (ROM), Kujala score, and modified Lysholm score. Radiographic examination was performed on standard X-ray considering patellar height, trochlear angle, and patellofemoral congruence angle. Results The mean followup was 134 months (range 62-206 months). No case of relapse of dislocation was registered with an improved ROM (significant for knee extension, P < 0.05). The Kujala score showed significant improvement from a mean preoperative value of 39 ± 6.3 to a mean postoperative value of 92.7 ± 3.4 (P < 0.05) at final followup such as the modified Lysholm score (from mean preoperative 55.6 ± 6.3 to mean postoperative of 94.2 ± 2.6). Radiographs performed at latest followup showed a tendency to normalization of all the parameters considered, with a restored patellofemoral congruence and trochlear groove shape and without signs of osteoarthritis. Conclusion The present study showed that the Roux-Goldthwait procedure is a valid surgical option for the treatment of patellar dislocation in children with Down syndrome.
Railway Transportation Expansion and Resource Coverage Analysis in Nigeria

The Federal Republic of Nigeria has extensive natural resources and significant economic potential, but portions of the population suffer from poverty and lack of access to essential supplies, such as food and vaccines, due to geographic isolation. Railways offer a stable, practical method to transport resources over large distances. Railway infrastructure has also been shown to increase welfare of isolated communities and while the current railway network is limited in structure and technology, renewed government interest provides an opportunity to expand the current Nigerian railway. This paper describes the construction of a data-driven railway development map to increase coverage for the resource of interest, vaccines, to remote areas of Nigeria. A dataset of hundreds of potential city-hubs was evaluated and minimized based on coverage radius. Multiple railway networks were modeled to maximize coverage through both a minimum spanning tree and traveling salesman method while constrained by minimal distance. These models were then refined by applying nominal scoring to the city-hubs. To calculate scores, the significant factors for vaccination coverage were determined on a state-by-state basis by a stepwise regression. The coefficient values of the normalized significant factors were applied to city-hubs through nominal scoring based on their state and population. The expanded network and selected city-hubs were implemented into a geospatial map of Nigeria to provide a data-driven display for recommended railway expansions. The networks were further constrained by topographic obstacles and a forecasting model was developed based on population growth and the expanded railway. The methodology established in this project can be adapted to assist other developing countries facing similar challenges.
AN R-MATRIX APPROACH TO ELECTRON-MOLECULE COLLISIONS

The R-matrix formalism has a long and venerable history. The method was introduced into nuclear physics by Wigner1 and Wigner and Eisenbud2 in the late 1940’s to enable a unified treatment of nuclear reactions dominated by compound state formation. However, there are earlier sources,3–4 which developed quite similar approaches to resonant nuclear reactions. All of these theories utilize the short-range character of the nuclear force to define a reaction zone of finite radius but differ in the mathematical details of the treatment of the wavefunction within that reaction zone. By enclosing the scattering partners within this sphere of radius r = a (the R-matrix surface), where a is chosen to be the range of the nuclear force, it should be possible to characterize the system using energies and wavefunctions computed within the sphere. By matching to the known asymptotic solutions, which in the nuclear problem are simply free waves, one can easily extract the relevant scattering parameters. The connection between the internal and external solutions is provided by the R-matrix, which is a sum over quantities related to the overlap integrals (level widths) of the internal and external wavefunctions evaluated on the surface of the sphere, and the energies of the internal states.5–8 Since the low-energy nuclear scattering problem is dominated by the formation of resonances which can be identified fairly easily with the internal states, the method is a natural one for the parametrization of nuclear cross sections. Thus the R-matrix method becomes a systematic framework for understanding and characterizing large amounts of data in terms of energy levels and widths obtained from experimental measurement. In addition, once these energies and level widths are obtained, the R-matrix provides a vehicle for predicting new results which may be difficult or impossible to obtain from experiment.
Small baseline InSAR time series analysis: Unwrapping error correction and noise reduction

We present a review of small baseline interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) time series analysis with a new processing workflow and software implemented in Python, named MintPy (https://github.com/insarlab/MintPy). The time series analysis is formulated as a weighted least squares inversion. The inversion is unbiased for a fully connected network of interferograms without multiple subsets, such as provided by modern SAR satellites with small orbital tube and short revisit time. In the routine workflow, we first invert the interferogram stack for the raw phase time-series, then correct for the deterministic phase components: the tropospheric delay (using global atmospheric models or the delay-elevation ratio), the topographic residual and/or phase ramp, to obtain the noise-reduced displacement time-series. Next, we estimate the average velocity excluding noisy SAR acquisitions, which are identified using an outlier detection method based on the root mean square of the residual phase. The routine workflow includes three new methods to correct or exclude phase-unwrapping errors for two-dimensional algorithms: (i) the bridging method connecting reliable regions with minimum spanning tree bridges (particularly suitable for islands), (ii) the phase closure method exploiting the conservativeness of the integer ambiguity of interferogram triplets (well suited for highly redundant networks), and (iii) coherence-based network modification to identify and exclude interferograms with remaining coherent phase-unwrapping errors. We apply the routine workflow to the Galapagos volcanoes using Sentinel-1 and ALOS-1 data, assess the qualities of the essential steps in the workflow and compare the results with independent GPS measurements. We discuss the advantages and limitations of temporal coherence as a reliability measure, evaluate the impact of network redundancy on the precision and reliability of the InSAR measurements and its practical implication for interferometric pairs selection. A comparison with another open-source time series analysis software demonstrates the superior performance of the approach implemented in MintPy in challenging scenarios.
Improving Leadership Through Improv

Improvisational theater may seem to be a distant concept from daily meetings, emails and routine tasks, but as we'll “learn through doing” in this session, many connections exist between the two. For example, what do you do when someone gives you a problem that needs an immediate solution? Honing improv skills helps you improve quick thinking, flexibility and collaboration. This session will show and tell how to start improving through improv!
Book Review: Adolescents, Alcohol and Substance Abuse: Reaching Teens Through Brief Interventions. Edited by Peter M. Monti, Suzanne M. Colby, and Tracy A. O'Leary, New York, The Guilford Press, 2001, 350 pp., ISBN 1-57230-658-0 (Hardback)

The book reviewed in this article discusses the use of brief interventions in the treatment of adolescent substance abuse. Topics covered include the developmental context within which adolescent substance use occurs, the use of the harm reduction approach to reduce substance use, current assessment instruments, and the role of cognitive and genetic factors in the etiology of substance abuse. Examples of specific brief interventions with adolescents are described and possible avenues for future transdisciplinary research are explored. This expansive sourcebook will be of value to clinicians and academicians alike.
Improved protein structure refinement guided by deep learning based accuracy estimation

We develop a deep learning framework (DeepAccNet) that estimates per-residue accuracy and residue-residue distance signed error in protein models and uses these predictions to guide Rosetta protein structure refinement. The network uses 3D convolutions to evaluate local atomic environments followed by 2D convolutions to provide their global contexts and outperforms other methods that similarly predict the accuracy of protein structure models. Overall accuracy predictions for X-ray and cryoEM structures in the PDB correlate with their resolution, and the network should be broadly useful for assessing the accuracy of both predicted structure models and experimentally determined structures and identifying specific regions likely to be in error. Incorporation of the accuracy predictions at multiple stages in the Rosetta refinement protocol considerably increased the accuracy of the resulting protein structure models, illustrating how deep learning can improve search for global energy minima of biomolecules.
The somatosensory cortical activity in individuals with cerebral palsy displays an aberrant developmental trajectory

KEY POINTS Individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) have a reduced somatosensory cortical response Somatosensory cortical response strength decreases from adolescence to early adulthood Somatosensory cortical responses in youth with CP are similar to adult controls Individuals with CP may have aberrant maturation of the somatosensory system ABSTRACT: Numerous studies have documented tactile and proprioceptive deficits in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and linked these with weaker somatosensory cortical activity. However, whether such aberrations in somatosensory processing extend and/or progress into adulthood remains poorly understood. In the current study, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate the primary somatosensory responses in a sample of individuals with CP (N = 42; age = 9-28 years) and a cohort of healthy controls (N = 23; age range = 11-23 years). Briefly, transient electrical stimulation was applied to the right tibial nerve, and standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) was used to image the dynamic somatosensory cortical response. We found that the strength of somatosensory cortical activity within the 112-252 ms time window was significantly reduced in the individuals with CP compared with the healthy controls (HC = 286.53 ± 30.51, 95% CI [226.74, 346.32]; CP = 208.30 ± 19.66,CI [169.77, 246.83], P = 0.0126). These results corroborate previous findings of aberrant somatosensory cortical activity in individuals with CP. Our results also suggest that the somatosensory cortical activity tends to become weaker with age, with a similar rate of neurophysiological change in individuals with CP and healthy controls (P = 0.8790). Visualization of regression models fitted to the data imply that youth with CP may have somatosensory cortical activity similar to adult controls. These findings suggest that some individuals with CP exhibit an aberrant developmental trajectory of their somatosensory system.
The impact of seed industry concentration on innovation: a study of US biotech market leaders

Agricultural research drives increases in agricultural productivity, and the number of private agricultural input firms has been declining. The empirical relationship between the number of firms doing applied biotechnology crop research and the amount of research output they produce is investigated in a research profit function model. Increases in seed industry concentration have reduced biotech research intensity in the United States in the 1990s. Concentration and research are simultaneously determined and are influenced by the appropriability of research results and the state of technological opportunity.
Review of fiber optic sensors for corrosion monitoring in reinforced concrete

Abstract Monitoring corrosion in reinforced concrete is critical to assess the health condition of structures at an early stage and enable effective and efficient asset management. Various novel fiber optic sensors have been developed and demonstrated many advantages in monitoring corrosion in reinforced concrete under different conditions. However, currently, there is a gap between sensor technology innovation and engineering practices, and the gap hinders further development and wide applications of fiber optic sensors. This paper reviews representative types of fiber optic sensors for monitoring corrosion in reinforced concrete. The reviewed types of sensors include grating sensors, interferometer sensors, distributed sensors, and reflectometer sensors. For each type of sensors, the reviewed contents include the sensing principle and key features of applications, such as sensor design and installation, sensitivity, resolution, and sensor life. Emphasis is placed on discussing the functions and performance of the sensors in different corrosion stages. Based on the review, technical challenges and future research needs are identified and discussed. This review is expected to advance sensor development and promote effective applications of fiber optic sensors for intelligent structures and asset management.
A Comparative Evaluation of the Fast Optical Pulse Response of Event-based Cameras

Event-based cameras use in-pixel analog processing to respond to changes in illumination (events). Pixels report events asynchronously, enabling very fast response and reduced data volumes compared to conventional frame- based arrays. The asynchronous event reporting circuit timestamps events to 1 microsecond resolution, but latency in the circuit and the serial nature of the output lead to variable latency when many pixels are stimulated simultaneously. To characterize this variability, three iniVation cameras and one Prophesee camera were exposed to single step-function ashes with varying amplitude and diameter. The Median Absolute Deviation of pixel response times ranged between 0 and 6086μs, increasing with the fraction of array exposed. The number of events generated per pixel generally decreased with pixel stimulation percent, with all cameras producing fewer than 59 events per pixel. In three cameras, an increased stimulus amplitude caused an increase in event generation, while the fourth camera generated fewer events with increasing stimulus amplitude, down to 0.32 events per stimulus. The instantaneous event throughput exceeded manufacturer specifications for 3 of 4 cameras, though the average throughput was lower than specified over longer time scales. While individual pixels may be able to accurately detect microsecond-scale change, data bottlenecks may cause missed events or erroneous timestamps.
A Single-Center Retrospective Review of Perioperative Complications and Reoperation Rates Between Open Cranial Vault Remodeling and Distraction Osteogenesis for Unilateral Coronal Craniosynostosis

Background Unilateral coronal craniosynostosis (UCS) is the third most prevalent form of craniosynostosis. Traditional treatment of UCS has been achieved with fronto-orbital advancement and cranial vault remodeling (FOAR), but utilization of cranial distraction osteogenesis (DO) techniques has increased. This study aims to compare perioperative complications and reoperation trends in FOAR versus DO techniques at a single institution. Methods An Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective review was performed from January 1999 to November 2018 at a single institution. Patients were those that have undergone FOAR or DO with an anterior rotational flap technique as previously described. Indications for secondary procedures included: contour deformities, relapse, surgical site infection, and persistent cranial defects. Results Eighty-one patients with UCS were identified, 64 patients underwent FOAR and 17 patients underwent DO. When perioperative characteristics were compared, patients who underwent DO were younger in age, however, there was no significant difference in transfusion requirement or length of stay between patient cohorts. Surgery time was increased in DO patients. When perioperative complications were compared, more intraoperative dural tears were observed in the FOAR cohort. When unplanned reoperation rates were compared, patients who had undergone FOAR had a statistically significant higher reoperation rates at 5 years of follow up. When including routine distractor removal as a reoperation, reoperative rate was increased in the DO cohort. No difference in reoperation rates was noted at 5 years following index operation. Conclusions The safety profile of DO is similar to that of traditional FOAR techniques for treatment of UCS. Longer-term follow-up studies are needed to elucidate whether outcomes are durable, but the unplanned reoperation rate in DO is less than that of FOAR at 5 years and presents several advantages that warrants its use in patients with UCS.
Effects of Warm-Up on Sprint Swimming Performance, Rating of Perceived Exertion, and Blood Lactate Concentration: A Systematic Review.

(1) Background: warm-ups precede physical exertion and has been shown to have positive and negative effects on performance. Positive effects include elevating body temperature, heart rate, and VO2. Negative effects include increasing fatigue and blood lactate concentration. The most effective warm-up format is still unknown, particularly in competitive swimming. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the most beneficial warm-up for maximal performance in sprint swimming events; (2) Methods: a structured search was carried out following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in the PubMed, SportDiscus, and Google Scholar databases until March 2021. Studies with double-blind and randomized designs in which different types of warm-up were compared to each other or an identical placebo condition (no warm-up) were considered. Fourteen published studies were included. The effects of warm-up on sprint swimming performance, rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and blood lactate concentration (La−) were investigated. (3) Results: in half of the studies, swimmers performed significantly better after a regular warm-up; however, the effect of warm-up on performance was small. Warm-ups had a medium to large effect on RPE and a small to medium effect on La−. (4) Conclusions: the findings of this review suggest that warm-ups do influence performance, although the magnitude is small. Future studies are needed in larger populations to clarify whether warm ups improve swim performance, to what extent, and the potential role of variables related to participant characteristics and swimming competitions.
Relative safety of pooled whole blood-derived versus single-donor (apheresis) platelets in the United States: a systematic review of disparate risks.

BACKGROUND: Risks of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs), transfusion-associated sepsis (TAS), and transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) were compared between pooled whole blood–derived (PWBD) and single-donor platelets (PLTs) transfused in the United States. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The literature was searched for estimates of the risk of TTIs and TAS and of the effect on bacterial contamination of PLTs of process improvements, bacterial culture, and surrogate methods to detect bacteria. Seven studies published between January 2005 and December 2008 and comparing bacterial contamination frequency between PWBD and single-donor PLTs after implementing bacterial culture testing of both components were subjected to meta-analysis. The three retrieved studies diagnosing TRALI based on the 2004 consensus definition in settings transfusing both PWBD and single-donor PLTs were not amenable to meta-analysis and were assessed qualitatively. RESULTS: Under a best-case scenario, if 100% (from the current 12.5%) of PLT doses were provided as PWBD PLTs, the number of additional transmissions of human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, bacteria, or a novel pathogen annually could be 1.2, 1.3, 9.0, 105.3, or 69.2 to 252.6, respectively. Compared with single-donor PLTs, US PLT pools of five concentrates have a 5.6-fold higher risk of bacterial contamination (summary odds ratio, 5.58; 95% confidence interval, 2.60-11.98; p < 0.05). The three studies that diagnosed TRALI based on the consensus definition did not demonstrate a difference in risk between PWBD and single-donor PLTs. CONCLUSIONS: TTIs and TAS determine the relative safety of PWBD versus single-donor PLTs. The available limited data do not support a higher risk of TRALI from single-donor (compared with PWBD) PLTs.
Effect of a Self-Locking Drive Mechanism on the Performance of a Flexible Robot Arm

In addressing the control problem of flexible robot arms, the dynamics of drive mechanisms are often neglected. This leads to inaccurate prediction of the actual behavior of the robotic manipulator through digital simulations, and to a deterioration in the performance of the controller when applied to the physical system. The focus of this study is to demonstrate the effects induced by drive mechanisms. This is done by in incorporating the dynamics of a self-locking leadscrew drive mechanism into the dynamic model of a flexible, spherical robotic manipulator. The self-locking condition and Coulomb friction, inherent in this particular type of drive mechanism, are ignored in the design of the arm controller. The rationale is to isolate the impact of drive mechanisms on the performance of the arm controller. The theoretical and experimental results exhibit qualitatively similar behavior and demonstrate the deterioration in the response of the manipulator due to friction in the drive mechanisms. In addition, the effect of the self-locking condition on the coupling between the various degrees of freedom of the robotic manipulator is discussed.
Uncertainty and Computer Models

With the explosion of computing power in recent years, computer models have become important tools for scientists to study the behavior of different phenomena as well as for prediction and decision making. However, there are many sources of uncertainty in computer models that can have significant impact on what is learned from such models. The field of uncertainty quantification, which combines elements from statistics, applied mathematics, and computational science, is emerging to provide tools to better understand, quantify, and mitigate the many uncertainties in computer models, and this article covers some of the key issues and problems facing researchers in this area. Keywords: forward problem; inverse problem; Gaussian process emulator; multimodel ensembles; climate model
γ-Glutamyl Transpeptidase Excretion in Cisplatin-Induced Acute Renal Failure

Cisplatin (cisdiamminedichloroplatinum), an important antineoplastic agent, possesses nephrotoxicity as its major side effect. A mild partially reversible nonologuric form of acute renal failure (ARF) is generally the most common form of nephrotoxicity and occurs in experimental animals following a single dose. γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase (γGT) is an enzyme with maximal activity located in the brush border of proximal renal tubular epithelium. To test the relationship between cisplatin nephrotoxicity and urinary γGT excretion, rats received a single 5.5 mg/kg dose of cisplatin and γGT excretion was evaluated and compared to anatomic and functional damage. Twenty-four hours following cisplatin administration, there was a marked enhancement of urinary γGT excretion, prior to the onset of azotemia. Urinary γGT excretion peaked at day 4, then returned to baseline, and decreased to values below baseline on days 8 through 10. By days 11 through 12, renal function and urinary γGT excretion had returned to normal. The correlation between nephrotoxicity, changes in urinary γGT excretion, and anatomic damage was excellent. Morphologically, increased γGT excretion was associated with loss of microvilli, and the return of urinary γGT excretion to normal correlated with their regeneration. We conclude that cisplatin administration results in increased urinary γGT excretion. This early enhancement, prior to the onset of azotemia, may provide a useful noninvasive marker of early cisplatin nephrotoxicity.
Authorship, research assistants and the ethnographic field:

Ethnography http://eth.sagepub.com/ Authorship, research assistants and the ethnographic field Akhil Gupta Ethnography 2014 15: 394 DOI: 10.1177/1466138114533460 The online version of this article can be found at: http://eth.sagepub.com/content/15/3/394 Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com Additional services and information for Ethnography can be found at: Email Alerts: http://eth.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts Subscriptions: http://eth.sagepub.com/subscriptions Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Permissions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav Citations: http://eth.sagepub.com/content/15/3/394.refs.html >> Version of Record - Aug 20, 2014 What is This? Downloaded from eth.sagepub.com at UCLA on August 30, 2014
Lateral inhomogeneities in the Venus atmosphere - Analysis of thermal infrared maps

The thermal infrared maps of Venus published by Murray, Wildey, and Westphal (1963) and Westphal, Wildey, and Murray (1965) have been analyzed systematically in order to separate the observed intensity into a limb-darkening component and a solar-associated component representing fixed patterns of intensity corotating with the earth and sun, respectively. Interesting new results are obtained for the solar-associated component. Regions near the subsolar point and the poles are not covered in the original maps or in the analysis. The solar-associated pattern of intensity is very nearly symmetric about the equator. In both northern and southern hemispheres, an intensity minimum seems to occur near the morning terminator at middle to high latitudes, slightly beyond the limit of the maps. An intensity maximum occurs on the equator slightly to the east of the antisolar point. Three broad ridges of relatively high intensity radiate away from this point, one pointing to the west along the equator, the others pointing to the northeast and southeast, respectively. The eastward tilt of the latter two ridges may indicate that horizontal exchange is important in maintaining the equatorial maximum of zonal momentum which is associated with the 4-day circulation of the Venus atmosphere.
Dependence of the energy gap in superconductors on position and magnetic field

A review is given of work concerning the decrease of the energy gap in superconductors when a magnetic field is applied. The absence of any observable effect in previous spectroscopic work is explained, and conditions for large effects are outlined. Experimental measurements on thermal conductivity and microwave absorption in films in a magnetic field are described. The results show that in thin films, the gap can be depressed continuously to zero, yielding a second-order phase transition. In thicker films, the gap can be only partially depressed before the transition, and the transition is of first order. These results agree with those obtained theoretically by Douglass from the Ginzburg-Landau-Gor'kov theory, and experimentally, by electron tunnelling. An attempt to generalize the Ginzburg-Landau-Gor'kov theory to cope with thec ase when Ɛ0/kT ≫ I i s then indicated. In thisp henomenological theory, then ormalized gap Ɛ(H)/Ɛ(0) is taken as an order parameter ω, and the free energy is assumed to contain a term in ξ02|∇ω|2, as well as a free energy density f(ω) and magnetic energy x(ω)H2. Some success is found.