cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Eddy Influences on Hadley Circulations: Simulations with an Idealized GCM

An idealized GCM is used to investigate how the strength and meridional extent of the Hadley circulation depend on the planet radius, rotation rate, and thermal driving. Over wide parameter ranges, the strength and meridional extent of the Hadley circulation display clear scaling relations with regime transitions, which are not predicted by existing theories of axisymmetric Hadley circulations. For example, the scaling of the strength as a function of the radiative-equilibrium equator-to-pole temperature contrast exhibits a regime transition corresponding to a regime transition in scaling laws of baroclinic eddy fluxes. The scaling of the strength of the cross-equatorial Hadley cell as a function of the latitude of maximum radiative-equilibrium temperature exhibits a regime transition from a regime in which eddy momentum fluxes strongly influence the strength to a regime in which the influence of eddy momentum fluxes is weak. Over a wide range of flow parameters, albeit not always, the Hadley circulation strength is directly related to the eddy momentum flux divergence at the latitude of the streamfunction extremum. Simulations with hemispherically symmetric thermal driving span circulations with local Rossby numbers in the horizontal upper branch of the Hadley circulation between 0.1 and 0.8, indicating that neither nonlinear nearly inviscid theories, valid for Ro → 1, nor linear theories, valid for Ro → 0, of axisymmetric Hadley circulations can be expected to be generally adequate. Nonlinear theories of axisymmetric Hadley circulations may account for aspects of the circulation when the maximum radiative-equilibrium temperature is displaced sufficiently far away from the equator, which results in cross-equatorial Hadley cells with nearly angular momentumconserving upper branches. The dependence of the Hadley circulation on eddy fluxes, which are themselves dependent on extratropical circulation characteristics such as meridional temperature gradients, suggests that tropical circulations depend on the extratropical climate.
Firing rates of motor units during strong dynamic contractions

Muscle behavior is usually studied during isometric contractions but many tasks include contractions that involve changes in muscle length. Our aim was to record motor unit action potentials and surface electromyograms (EMGs) from triceps brachii muscles during rhythmic dynamic contractions (3-s concentric, 3-s eccentric; 40 degrees/s; four subjects) performed at the highest voluntary forces subjects could exert (maximal concentric contraction) and at various submaximal intensities. Mean unit firing rates and surface EMG increased significantly with contraction intensity in both concentric and eccentric contractions, but at each intensity mean concentric values were significantly higher than eccentric values. In contrast, mean unit firing rates and surface EMGs were similar during maximal concentric and maximal isometric contractions. These data suggest muscles were activated maximally during the strongest concentric contractions but submaximally during the strongest eccentric efforts. After estimated eccentric contraction intensity was adjusted using surface EMG data, mean unit firing rates during eccentric contractions were still lower than the concentric values. Thus, protective mechanisms may limit motor unit firing rates during forceful lengthening contractions to minimize damage.
The Lung in Rheumatic Diseases

Lung disease associated with the rheumatic diseases represents a significant challenge both in terms of our understanding of the mechanisms of disease and appropriate treatment. Substantial morbidity and mortality can result when lung disease is not recognized early and even when it is, the risk of respiratory failure and even death are still real possibilities. While our understanding of lung disease is best understood in systemic sclerosis, aggressive and progressive parenchymal lung diseases are well described in both RA and inflammatory myositis and in undifferentiated connective tissue disease with varied pathologic expression, phenotypes, and natural history. Treatments that utilize standard immunosuppression may be beneficial in some patients with inflammatory and fibrotic disease but novel treatments designed and clinical trials performed in patients specifically with lung disease and rheumatic diseases are sorely lacking. In all such patients, a multidisciplinary approach to care involving pulmonologists, rheumatologists, pathologists, and radiologists is critical to better understand and advance our knowledge and care of this challenging group of patients.
Friendship, politics, and Augustine's consolidation of the self

Friendship plays a central role in Augustine's thought. It also played a crucial role in structuring the political and social world of the ancient Greeks. Augustine's treatment of friendship, especially in his Confessions, retains some of the terminology that was central to the Greek account, but it simultaneously transforms friendship, and with it the relationship between individual and community. Augustine's formulation of the inner life is reflected in his transformation of friendship, which loses its inherently social character and political dimension even as it sets the stage for the introduction of political thinking based on the primacy of the individual.
A system for sequential step detection with application to video image processing

A method for detecting the occurrence of an abrupt steplike change in a time sequence of video images is presented. A single-pole recursive high-pass filter cascaded with a moving average filter processes the input data to remove the quiescent background level and accumulate a sustained change in amplitude. The absolute value of the output is compared to a threshold to decide whether a steplike change in signal amplitude has occurred. It is shown that, for a given cutoff frequency of the high-pass filter, an optimal value exists for the number of terms in the moving average. Considerations for implementation of the algorithm on practical image processors are discussed. The results of numerical and laboratory experiments are presented that verify the effectiveness of the method. >
Emerging Links between E2F Control and Mitochondrial Function

The family of E2F transcription factors is the key downstream target of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (pRB), which is frequently inactivated in human cancer. E2F is best known for its role in cell-cycle regulation and triggering apoptosis. However, E2F binds to thousands of genes and, thus, could directly influence a number of biologic processes. Given the plethora of potential E2F targets, the major challenge in the field is to identify specific processes in which E2F plays a functional role and the contexts in which a particular subset of E2F targets dictates a biologic outcome. Recent studies implicated E2F in regulation of expression of mitochondria-associated genes. The loss of such regulation results in severe mitochondrial defects. The consequences become evident during irradiation-induced apoptosis, where E2F-deficient cells are insensitive to cell death despite induction of canonical apoptotic genes. Thus, this novel function of E2F may have a major impact on cell viability, and it is independent of induction of apoptotic genes. Here, we discuss the implications of these findings in cancer biology.
Triphenyl phosphite neuropathy differs from organophosphorus-induced delayed neuropathy in rats.

The topographies of neuropathic damage produced by triphenyl phosphite (TPP) and tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) are contrasted in the present study. Long-Evans, male rats were exposed (sc) to single (0.1 ml kg-1; 1.0 ml kg-1) or multiple (2 X 1.0 ml kg-1; 3 X 1.0 ml kg-1) doses of TPP, and sampled 1-3 weeks after exposure. Additional animals were dosed acutely with TOCP (1160 mg kg-1, p.o.) alone or in combination with multiple doses of TPP (2 X 1 ml kg-1). Functional changes, seen in multiple-dosed TPP-rats included tail-kinking, circling, and ataxia. Neuropathological damage seen in all but the 0.1 ml kg-1 treated animals consisted of degeneration of the ventrolateral and ventral columns of the spinal cord at all levels, and moderate peripheral nerve fibre damage. Medullary brainstem involvement consisted of axonal swellings and fragmented axons in the medial longitudinal fasciculus, the reticular formation, and the inferior cerebellar peduncles. Tissues examined from TOCP-treated rats displayed severe degeneration of the fasciculus gracilis at the cervical level, mild involvement of the dorsolateral columns at the lumbar levels and a sparing of all other cord and brainstem regions. Rats treated with neuropathic doses of both TPP and TOCP showed a composite pattern of degeneration that included damaged sites characteristic of the individual neurotoxicants. These data indicate that the neuropathic profile of TPP differs markedly from the delayed neuropathy (OPIDN) associated with exposure to model organophosphorus compounds such as TOCP.
IDENTIFYING FACTORS FOR STATISTICAL MODELS TO MEASURE HIGHWAY PROJECT DISRUPTIONS

Highway projects are thought to be influenced by many different types of delays. Data collected from twenty-eight Texas highway projects over a two-year period found that utilities conflicts, rain and shortage of materials are the only three significant disruptions. Research also found that most of the disruptions caused production to stop between one to five days while few had stoppages of more than ten days. This paper also found that productivity recovery from different types of delays was different and that learning effects had huge impact on the rate of recovery. The research identified several useful factors that could be used to develop statistical models to estimate delays on reinforced concrete pipes. First, rain related productivity delays could be estimated by differentiating clay content in soil. Second, utilities conflicts could be estimated by differentiating the types of utilities that were involved. Finally, the actions that were taken by the contractors could be used as factors to measure productivity recovery. The overall project delays could be estimated using these factors. These factors were also found to be extremely useful to resolute disputes on time claims due to disruptions.
Electrical remodeling in a canine model of ischemic cardiomyopathy.

The nature of electrical remodeling in a canine model of ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM; induced by repetitive intracoronary microembolizations) that exhibits spontaneous ventricular tachycardia is n...
Radiation Injury After a Nuclear Detonation: Medical Consequences and the Need for Scarce Resources Allocation

A 10-kiloton (kT) nuclear detonation within a US city could expose hundreds of thousands of people to radiation. The Scarce Resources for a Nuclear Detonation Project was undertaken to guide community planning and response in the aftermath of a nuclear detonation, when demand will greatly exceed available resources. This article reviews the pertinent literature on radiation injuries from human exposures and animal models to provide a foundation for the triage and management approaches outlined in this special issue. Whole-body doses >2 Gy can produce clinically significant acute radiation syndrome (ARS), which classically involves the hematologic, gastrointestinal, cutaneous, and cardiovascular/central nervous systems. The severity and presentation of ARS are affected by several factors, including radiation dose and dose rate, interindividual variability in radiation response, type of radiation (eg, gamma alone, gamma plus neutrons), partial-body shielding, and possibly age, sex, and certain preexisting medical conditions. The combination of radiation with trauma, burns, or both (ie, combined injury) confers a worse prognosis than the same dose of radiation alone. Supportive care measures, including fluid support, antibiotics, and possibly myeloid cytokines (eg, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor), can improve the prognosis for some irradiated casualties. Finally, expert guidance and surge capacity for casualties with ARS are available from the Radiation Emergency Medical Management Web site and the Radiation Injury Treatment Network.
Respiratory Illness, β-Agonists, and Risk of Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy The Washington, DC, Dilated Cardiomyopathy Study

An epidemiologic study was carried out to examine the possible role of β-agonists and other respiratory medications in the development of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Associations with respiratory medications, bronchial asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis were examined by comparing newly diagnosed cases (n = 129) ascertained from five Washington, DC, area hospitals for the period 1990-1992 with neighborhood controls (n = 258) identified by using a random digit dialing technique. The cases and controls were matched on sex and 5-year age intervals and were compared in the analysis using conditional logistic regression methods. A statistically significant association was observed between idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and history of emphysema or chronic bronchitis (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 4.4, 95% confidence interval (01)1.6-12.4). The association with bronchial asthma was of borderline significance (adjusted OR = 1.9, 95% Cl 0.9-4.2). Associations were also observed with use of oral β-agonists (adjusted OR = 3.4, 95% CI 1.1-11.0) and β-agonist inhalers or nebulization (adjusted OR = 3.2, 95% CI 1.4-7.1), as well as with use of oral corticosteroids, inhaled corticosteroids or cromolyn, and theophylline medications. A total of 20.0% (23 of 115) of the cases had a reported history of β-agonist inhaler use compared with 6.7% (17 of 254) of the controls. The strength of these associations was diminished when the temporal relation between exposure to β-agonist inhalers or oral preparations and clinical diagnosis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy was taken into account, however, and the associations with duration of β-agonist medication use were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The results of this study suggest, but do not prove, that use of β-agonists has an etiologic role in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Am J Epidemiol 1995 ;142 :395-403.
Bayesian Machine Learning: EEG\/MEG signal processing measurements

Electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalog?raphy (MEG) are the most common noninvasive brain-imaging techniques for monitoring electrical brain activity and inferring brain function. The central goal of EEG/MEG analysis is to extract informative brain spatiotemporal?spectral patterns or to infer functional connectivity between different brain areas, which is directly useful for neuroscience or clinical investigations. Due to its potentially complex nature [such as nonstationarity, high dimensionality, subject variability, and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)], EEG/MEG signal processing poses some great challenges for researchers. These challenges can be addressed in a principled manner via Bayesian machine learning (BML). BML is an emerging field that integrates Bayesian statistics, variational methods, and machine-learning techniques to solve various problems from regression, prediction, outlier detection, feature extraction, and classification. BML has recently gained increasing attention and widespread successes in signal processing and big-data analytics, such as in source reconstruction, compressed sensing, and information fusion. To review recent advances and to foster new research ideas, we provide a tutorial on several important emerging BML research topics in EEG/MEG signal processing and present representative examples in EEG/MEG applications.
Legislative Preferences, Political Parties, and Coalition Unity in Chile

Competition between two stable multi-party coalitions has dominated electoral and legislative politics in post-Pinochet Chile. However, several scholars dispute the argument that a fundamental change has realigned the party system. The point of contention is whether a bipolar pattern has replaced the traditional three-way split (tres tercios) in political competition. These alternative hypotheses about the cohesion of parties and coalitions in the legislative arena can be tested through an analysis of the voting records of Chilean deputies. Coalition membership rather than partisan positions dictate legislative behavior. Therefore, the Chilean electoral coalitions are not merely electoral pacts. Rather, they constitute two distinct policy-based coalitions.
Harvey Cushing's innovative attempt at xenotransplanting a rabbit spinal cord in a patient after resection of a peripheral nerve tumor in 1902.

OBJECTIVE: A review of Harvey Cushing's surgical cases at Johns Hopkins Hospital revealed new information about his early work using nerve xenografts to repair peripheral nerve injuries. METHODS: The Johns Hopkins Hospital surgical records from 1896 to 1912 were reviewed. A single case in which Cushing used a xenograft to repair a peripheral nerve defect was selected for further study. RESULTS: In August 1902, a 23-year-old woman presented with tingling and numbness in her left foot and focal tenderness in the popliteal region. Cushing performed an exploratory operation, revealing an encapsulated tumor originating from the internal popliteal nerve. After resecting the segment of involved nerve, Cushing harvested the spinal cord from a rabbit and used it to span the 18-cm defect. At a 5-month postoperative follow-up, according to Cushing's clinical notes, the patient had partially regained some sensation in her leg and foot. Seven months later, the patient presented with a local tumor recurrence, and her leg was amputated. An examination of the amputated specimen demonstrated that the xenograft was still intact without gross evidence of xenograft rejection. CONCLUSION: Despite its questionable functional success, we report a previously unpublished operative case by Harvey Cushing in which a rabbit spinal cord was transplanted into a human to bridge a sciatic nerve gap. This sheds light on the potential for animal tissue as a source for the treatment of neurological disease in humans.
Pediatric Drug Counseling Telephone Service:Analysis of 542 Cases

OBJECTIVE:To probe into the pediatric drug counseling service and the characteristics of adverse drug reactions (ADR). METHODS:The telephone records of drug consultation from Feb. 2006 to Apr. 2008 in our hospital were statistically analyzed and the problems related to adverse drug reactions were classified. RESULTS:Among the 542 cases of drug consulting telephone records,the top 3 consulting questions were the usage and dosage of drugs (29.15%),recommendation and choice of drugs (13.28%) and drug interactions (10.52%). Of which,41 cases of ADR problems were about the use of antibacterials and Chinese traditional patent drugs. The most common manifestation of ADR was the lesion of digestive system. CONCLUSION:Drug consulting telephone service can not only enhance children patients' medication compliance and promote rational use of drugs but also improve the learning of clinical pharmacists.
Clostridium difficile disease: diagnosis and treatment.

Clostridium difficile is the most common nosocomial pathogen of the gastrointestinal tract. Disease is usually a consequence of antibiotic therapy, but sporadic cases do occur. Cytotoxin assay for toxin B remains the gold standard for confirming diagnosis. Several rapid enzyme immunoassay tests are available, but specificity and sensitivity vary; a negative test may not exclude disease. Oral metronidazole 250 to 500 mg four times a day is the recommended first-line therapy; vancomycin (125 mg four times a day) should be reserved for patients who cannot tolerate metronidazole, who do not respond to this drug, or who should not take it for various reasons (i.e., pregnancy). Recurrent C. difficile disease is a difficult problem. The nonpathogenic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii has been shown in controlled trials to be effective in reducing recurrences when given as an adjunct to standard therapy. Prevention of epidemics relies on careful hand washing and environmental decontamination.
Reactions to the Implantation of an Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Among Psychogenically and Organically Impotent Men

AbstractWe evaluated 17 nondepressed and psychologically stable recipients of an inflatable penile prosthesis who had been either organically or psychogenically impotent and 12 of their sexual partners several months after surgical implantation. The men were evaluated for changes in general psychological adjustment, sexual satisfaction and sexual activity. The partners were assessed separately on similar instruments. Two scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory were found to have potential for initially discriminating organic and psychogenic impotence. The hypothesis that psychogenic recipients would manifest more psychological difficulties and would be less satisfied was only partially supported. While neither group suffered significant disturbance in psychological adjustment a consistent pattern was noted in which psychogenic patients were somewhat less satisfied with the results and experienced more postoperative complications. However, over-all reactions were positive, including incre...
Analytic reconstruction in the treatment of an incest survivor.

In the present article, a case of a woman who was sexually abused as a child and had severe amnesia for the abuse will be presented. Some questions relevant to sexual abuse cases in general are considered as well.
Pump-Probe Spectroscopy, Photon Echoes and Vibrational Wavepackets

Here we develop the concepts of increasing orders of optical polarization, pathways in Liouville space, double-sided Feynman diagrams, and non-linear response functions. We use these ideas to examine effects of excitation of an ensemble of absorbers by one or more short flashes. We discuss a variety of types of pump-probe and photon-echo experiments, two-dimensional electronic and vibrational spectroscopy, and transient gratings. We consider the vibrational wavepackets that can be generated by coherent population of multiple vibrational levels, and we relate these to oscillations of fluorescence, stimulated emission and excited-state absorption after excitation with a short flash. We then show how the concept of time-dependent wavepackets can be used to treat spectroscopic properties of systems with very high densities of vibrational states.
Cyclosporin A inhibits induction of IL-2 receptor alpha chain expression by affecting activation of NF-kB-like factor(s) in cultured human T lymphocytes.

We have examined the effect and potential mechanism of Cyclosporin A (CsA) on the Interleukin-2-receptor alpha chain (IL-2R alpha) expression in human T-lymphocytes. CsA pretreatment of PHA-activated T-cells led to 30-50% decrease in Tac antigen surface expression and a concomitant decrease in the steady state IL-2R alpha mRNA levels. Transacting factors which recognize a kB-like sequence present in the IL-2R alpha chain regulatory region have been suggested to participate in the transcriptional regulation of the IL-2R alpha gene. Using oligonucleotides corresponding to the 5' regulatory region of the IL-2R alpha gene (i.e. 245 to 291 bp upstream of the start codon) and nuclear extract from resting T lymphocytes, we detected two specific bands by gel mobility shift assay. One of these bands is specifically increased after stimulation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and it is inhibited by CsA pretreatment. The same pattern of binding activity has been observed with the tandem repeat of NF-kB binding site present in the enhancer element of the human immunodeficiency virus long terminal repeat (HIV-1 LTR). These data suggest that CsA affects IL-2R receptor alpha chain expression by inhibiting the interaction of transacting factors to kB-like sequences after PHA activation. These findings may be of some relevance for the understanding of the immunosuppressive effects of CsA in normal human T lymphocytes.
Psychophysical and Physiological Aspects of Auditory Temporal Processing in Listeners with Noise-Induced Sensorineural Hearing Loss

One of the most serious changes in hearing that results from acoustic trauma is the deterioration in speech discrimination. However, because of the complex nature of the speech signal, it has been difficult to determine the underlying psychoacoustic and physiological mechanisms that result in poor speech perception. Consequently, many researchers have turned to simpler acoustic stimuli to investigate the performance characteristics of hearing-impaired listeners. The experiments carried out with simple acoustic stimuli have provided a wealth of information on the distortions that occur in intensity discrimination [1–3], loudness growth [4,5], frequency discrimination [6,7], frequency resolution [8,9], and temporal integration [10,11]. One area in which our knowledge has increased considerably over the past 10–15 years is in understanding the changes that occur in frequency selectivity following noise-exposure. Intense noise exposures are known to result in the loss of tuning in the basilar membrane vibration pattern (see Patuzzi this volume) and the frequency response areas of hair cell and single auditory nerve fibers (see Cody and Russell and Liberman et al. this volume). The change in physiological tuning has in turn been reflected in wider psychophysical tuning curves in noise-exposed subjects [9].
A faith of their own : stability and change in the religiosity of America's adolescents

1. Introduction 2. (Re)conceptualizing Religiousity and Spirituality 3. Religious Profiles in Adolescence 4. Correlates and Outcomes of Class Membership 5. Religious Change over Time 6. Understanding Religious Change 7. Conclusion
Bringing Together Reading and Writing: An Experimental Study of Writing Intensive Reading Comprehension in Low‐Performing Urban Elementary Schools

This study examined the hypothesis that assisted writing during reading improves reading comprehension. The hypothesis was derived from sociocognitive and constructivist theory and research and implemented in the form of a curricular intervention called Writing Intensive Reading Comprehension after its main feature of bringing together reading comprehension and writing. The study used instruction with interactive thinksheets to provide sustained, focused, and assisted writing experiences to help students in low-performing urban schools construct understandings of their reading. The study used a cluster randomized trial design. Results support the hypothesis that bringing together reading and writing through instruction using thinksheets produces levels of reading comprehension superior to traditional instruction. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses of pretest and posttest data from 1,062 fourth- and fifth-grade students in 50 classrooms and 10 schools (four 2-year experimental, three 1-year experimental, and three control schools) also revealed greater effects for special education and low-income students in the experimental group. The study also revealed uneven improvement among experimental classrooms with regard to students’ grade level, length of exposure to the intervention, and teachers’ fidelity of implementation. The results imply that the upper grade students with the longer treatment and higher fidelity of implementation benefited more from the intervention. The study extends theory and research on reading–writing connections and suggests additional research and practical applications using assisted writing to improve reading comprehension.
Ultrafast Near‐Infrared Light‐Triggered Intracellular Uncaging to Probe Cell Signaling

The possibility of regulating cell signaling with high spatial and temporal resolution within individual cells and complex cellular networks has important implications in biomedicine. In this report, we demonstrate a general strategy that uses near-infrared tissue-penetrating laser pulses to uncage biomolecules from plasmonic gold-coated liposomes, i.e. plasmonic liposomes, to activate cell signaling in a non-thermal, ultrafast and highly controllable fashion. Near-infrared picosecond laser pulse induces transient nanobubbles around plasmonic liposomes. The mechanical force generated from the collapse of nanobubbles rapidly ejects encapsulated compound within 0.1 ms. We showed that single pulse irradiation triggers the rapid intracellular uncaging of calcein from plasmonic liposomes inside endo-lysosomes. The uncaged calcein then evenly distributes over the entire cytosol and nucleus. Furthermore, we demonstrated the ability to trigger calcium signaling in both an immortalized cell line and primary dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons by intracellular uncaging of inositol triphosphate (IP3), an endogenous cell calcium signaling second messenger. Compared with other uncaging techniques, this ultrafast near-infrared light-driven molecular uncaging method is easily adaptable to deliver a wide range of bioactive molecules with an ultrafast optical switch, enabling new possibilities to investigate signaling pathways within individual cells and cellular networks.
Effects of Turning On and Off Red Light Cameras on Fatal Crashes in Large U.S. Cities

Abstract Introduction This study updates estimates of effects of activating red light cameras and offers a first look at effects of turning them off. Method Among 117 large U.S. cities with more than 200,000 residents in 2014, trends in citywide per capita rates of fatal red light running crashes and of all fatal crashes at signalized intersections were compared between 57 cities that initiated camera programs during 1992–2014 and 33 cities without cameras to examine effects of activating camera programs. Trends also were compared between 19 cities that removed cameras and 31 regionally matched cities with continuous camera programs to evaluate effects of terminating camera programs. Because several cities removed cameras during 2005–2008 and estimated effects might have been confounded by the subsequent economic downturn, primary analyses were limited to the 14 cities that removed cameras during 2010–2014 and 29 regionally matched cities with continuous camera programs. Poisson regression examined the relationship of activating and deactivating cameras with fatal crash rates. Results After controlling for temporal trends in annual fatal crash rates, population density, and unemployment rates, rates of fatal red light running crashes and of all fatal crashes at signalized intersections were 21% and 14% lower, respectively, in cities with cameras after cameras were turned on than would have been expected without cameras; 30% and 16% higher, respectively, in 14 cities that terminated cameras during 2010–2014 after cameras were terminated than expected had cameras remained; and 18% and 8% higher, respectively, in all 19 cities that removed cameras, but not significantly. Conclusions This study adds to the body of evidence that red light cameras can reduce the most serious crashes at signalized intersections, and is the first to demonstrate that removing cameras increases fatal crashes. Practical applications Communities thinking about removing cameras should consider impacts to safety.
Safety and risk assessment for the human superorganism

ABSTRACTThis editorial on safety evaluation and risk assessment for the human superorganism introduces a series of papers arguing for a fundamental shift in how we approach human health risk assessment. In this series emphasis is placed on the risk of infectious disease. Our 21stst century understanding of human biology is that, as holobionts, we possess a majority of microbial cells and genes. In fact, our microbes fundamentally affect our interactions with the external environment, metabolism, physiology, and risk of both pathology and disease. As holobionts, we require our microbial partners for us to be both complete and healthy. Using the 20th century understanding of human biology, we failed to capture the effects of the microbiome in evaluating health risks. But 21st century risk assessments such as those associated with exposure to specific microbial pathogens need to include the human microbiome. Microbiome status will be central in determining the health risks for both individuals and populations.
Responses to including parents in teacher evaluation policy: A critical policy analysis

AbstractThe intersection of development in family and school settings has been well established and education policies have begun to promote ways to bridge the two contexts (i.e. teacher evaluations). For this manuscript, authors focus on how teachers and principals used a state educator evaluation policy to position parents as authorities on education. We utilize a Critical Policy Analysis and provide findings based on a study of 12 districts implementing a new teacher evaluation policy in Connecticut. Directionality of the strategies used to implement the policy surfaced as having implications for how much authority districts and schools granted to parents. These findings yield lessons and questions for teachers regarding practice and how they may be asked to participate in policies that measure its value.
Innovations in Instrumentation for Positron Emission Tomography

PET scanners are sophisticated and highly sensitive biomedical imaging devices that can produce highly quantitative images showing the 3-dimensional distribution of radiotracers inside the body. PET scanners are commonly integrated with x-ray CT or MRI scanners in hybrid devices that can provide both molecular imaging (PET) and anatomical imaging (CT or MRI). Despite decades of development, significant opportunities still exist to make major improvements in the performance of PET systems for a variety of clinical and research tasks. These opportunities stem from new ideas and concepts, as well as a range of enabling technologies and methodologies. In this paper, we review current state of the art in PET instrumentation, detectors and systems, describe the major limitations in PET as currently practiced, and offer our own personal insights into some of the recent and emerging technological innovations that we believe will impact the field. Our focus is on the technical aspects of PET imaging, specifically detectors and system design, and the opportunity and necessity to move closer to PET systems for diagnostic patient use and in vivo biomedical research that truly approach the physical performance limits while remaining mindful of imaging time, radiation dose, and cost. However, other key endeavors, which are not covered here, including innovations in reconstruction and modeling methodology, radiotracer development, and expanding the range of clinical and research applications, also will play an equally important, if not more important, role in defining the future of the field.
Ischemic Stroke Risk in Medicare Beneficiaries with Central Retinal Artery Occlusion: A Retrospective Cohort Study

To determine the incidence of ischemic cerebral stroke in the 6-month periods preceding and following acute central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) among Medicare beneficiaries. A retrospective cohort study with comparison group conducted for calendar year 2013. Patients with CRAO were identified through National Medicare limited inpatient and institutional outpatient datasets for emergency services using ICD-9-CM code for CRAO (362.31). Patients with hip fractures (ICD-9-CM 820–820.9) during the same time period served as controls. Interval incident rates of ischemic stroke were determined from time-coded diagnoses of CRAO and hip fracture (index date zero) to date of principal discharge diagnosis of ischemic stroke (ICD-9-CM 434) recorded in the Medicare inpatient dataset. Risk of stroke was examined by comparing incidence among the two cohorts preceding and following the sentinel events. There were 3338 patients with CRAOs during 2013. The incidence of ischemic stroke peaked the second week following CRAO relative to patients with hip fracture (relative incidence = 33.1 [95% confidence interval 9.8–84.6]). Medicare beneficiaries who present to emergency rooms with CRAO or are hospitalized directly for this condition were at highest risk of ischemic stroke in the first 2 weeks following the ocular diagnosis. Patients with acute CRAO should be promptly evaluated for stroke and stroke prevention.
Adopting a Point of View

This chapter differentiates between a Kantian, teleological way of adopting a point of view and a Humean, non-causal way to do so. After analyzing the pros and cons of both positions, a re-worked and more substantial behaviorist dispositional option is emphasized. The main reason is that, against positions that follow a certain kind of principle in order to adopt a point of view or merely referring to expressivist agreement in attitudes, Modal Perspectivism encourages the adoption of points of view via identifying them with their own coherence, consistency, and explanatory scope.
Job Satisfaction and Burnout Among Nonclinical Workers in a Medical Education Center.

Background and objectives Research into the rates of burnout among nonclinical workers is nonexistent at medical education centers (MECs). The first goal of this study was to explore the prevalence of burnout among nonclinical faculty and staff working at a local MEC. The second goal was to identify predictors of burnout using job satisfaction dimensions-supervision, coworkers, contingency rewards, and nature of work. Methods The study included a convenience sample of 95 nonclinical faculty and staff working at a local MEC. Data from these workers were collected between December 2016 and January 2017. The Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory (AMBI) was used to measure burnout while a modified Spector's Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) was used to measure participants' job satisfaction. The authors correlated the dimensions of the AMBI and JSS. They also conducted multiple regression analysis using the four dimensions of JSS to determine predictors of participant burnout. Results The data showed that 1% of the 95 respondents reported high burnout and 35% reported medium burnout on the scale. Correlation coefficient showed that job satisfaction and burnout strongly and negatively correlated (r[93]=-.66; Pl.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that nature of work (β=-.49) and coworkers (β=-.30) were significant predictors of burnout (R=0.74; F[4, 90]=26.81; Pl.001). Conclusions Nonclinical workers at a local MEC were generally satisfied with their job and showed a moderate degree of burnout. Compared to the general population, our sample reported less burnout.
A Role for Virtual Reality in Planning Endovascular Procedures

Current imaging technologies are capable of acquiring volumetric data, but they are limited by the flat 2-dimensional representation of complex 3-dimensional data. This pictorial report illustrates the potential role of interactive virtual reality (VR) that enables physicians to visualize and interact with image data as if they were real physical objects. Increasing availability of tools that make the VR environment a possibility could potentially be valuable in the interventional radiology suite.
A Biomechanical P.E.E.E.P. Show

With the rapidly expanding capabilities and sophistication of experimental and analytical techniques that can be applied toward biomechanical endeavors, it would appear to be a useful exercise to review current practice and discuss what might be the form and function of future research that could make substantial improvements in the ability to detect and evaluate the potential for automotive impact trauma. To accomplish this, an exercise, dubbed Prognosticative Extensions and Enhancements to Existing Practices; a Biomechanical PEEEP Show into the Future will be pursued and presented It presents the author’s impressions of what are the prevalent injury mechanisms active in each major body region, his technical evaluation of the efficacy of the currently accepted injury criteria being applied to detect and evaluate the consequences of those injury mechanisms, and presents his vision of the form and function of future biomechanical capabilities that could, using both enhanced analytical and experimental research techniques, have the potential for greatly improving both our understanding of impact injuries and our ability to prevent them.
Development and Validation of a Professional Behavior Assessment.

Allied health students must quickly socialize into a professional role as they transition from classroom to clinic. In addition to skill development, students must exhibit a host of professional behaviors that facilitate successful interaction with patients, families, and colleagues. There is a need for a valid, reliable assessment of professional behaviors that contribute to clinical competence. This study reports on the development and validation of a professional behavior assessment for occupational therapy students on a part-time clinical rotation (Level I). The Philadelphia Region Fieldwork Consortium (PRFC) Level I Student Evaluation was developed from an initial survey (n = 75) to generate an item pool, followed by a content review by a panel of experts (n = 5) to establish relevancy, clarity and content validity. This 12-item instrument was administered to 317 occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students. A principal component factor analysis and item analysis was conducted. Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.89, with intra-rater reliability for the 12 items ranging from 0.68 for "written communication" to 0.89 for "observation skills." The PRFC Level I Evaluation demonstrates discriminant validity, with students on their first clinical rotation scoring significantly (p < 0.001) lower than students on their third or fourth rotations, indicating a developmental process of professional socialization.
The Autoxidation of Cholesterol

As an unsaturated lipid, cholesterol is sensitive to air oxidation by free radical processes in the same manner as polyunsaturated fatty acids and their esters. The sensitivity of cholesterol to autoxidation under relatively mild conditions has compromised studies of the sterol throughout the 20th century up to the present time. Studies of the organic chemistry of cholesterol have not been so bothered by autoxidation, but studies of cholesterol metabolism have been greatly troubled by the intrusion of artificial oxidations upon enzymic processes. Now expanding interests in the potential biological activities of cholesterol autoxidation products render it essential that cholesterol autoxidation and its possible occurrence in foods and potential role in endogenous metabolism be fully understood.
Fraud and Corruption in the Healthcare Sector in the United States

There are numerous opportunities to commit fraud and corruption in government entitlement programs in the United States such as Medicare, social security, and unemployment benefit programs because of the complexity of these programs. State, federal, and local government agencies and private service agencies are involved in the administration and operations of the various programs. The oversight of the programs, in terms of having the mechanisms to detect fraud and corruption, is not always extensive enough to prevent the crimes committed by both the suppliers of the services and those who are the recipients of the benefits. In this chapter, fraud and corruption in the healthcare industry, in social security programs, and in government -sponsored programs pertaining to employment and unemployment are explored. The fraudulent activities of individuals receiving benefits, professionals, including doctors and pharmacists, suppliers of medical equipment and artificial body parts, government officials, as well as organized crime groups are explored. The strategies, programs, and techniques that are used by government law enforcement agencies and private investigative agencies to detect and prevent fraud in healthcare and related entitlement programs are described in the chapter.
Participation in Therapeutic Camp: a Valuable Experience for Medical Trainees

Purpose: The benefits of therapeutic camp for children with chronic conditions have been clearly delineated. However, medical trainees’ experiences at therapeutic camp have yet to be explored. This study characterizes pediatric fellows who have participated in therapeutic camp at any point in their training and assesses the impact of the camp experience. Procedures: An anonymous 13-question online survey about therapeutic camps was deployed to medical trainees. Basic demographic and training information was collected, as well as details of the trainees’ therapeutic camp experience. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted using a mixed-methods approach. Findings: A total of 382 pediatric subspecialty trainees participated in this study. While the majority of respondents had never participated in therapeutic camp (261, 68.3%), 97.5% of those who had participated reported a positive experience. Trainees described camp as a time of medical growth (22.9%), a rewarding experience (19.8%), and a means of appreciating children with chronic conditions in a normal atmosphere (11.5%). Many trainees also reported that the experience had an effect on their subspecialty choice; specifically, those who participated in a therapeutic camp were significantly more likely to select a chronic illness subspecialty (X 2 =.92, p=.05). Conclusions: Medical trainees benefit from the therapeutic camp experience. More opportunities should be offered to allow trainees this exposure.
Overview of multidimensional inventories of psychopathology with a focus on the MMPI-2

Abstract The development of personality assessment emerged in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Self-report inventories evolved from behavioral observations and informant rating scales. Various scale construction methods were used to develop self-report inventories to measure normal personality, specific clinical problems like anxiety or depression, or a broader range of mental health problems. This chapter covers four multidimensional measures of psychopathology: the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and its revision, the MMPI-2; the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI); the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventories (MCMI); and the recent MMPI-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF). The MMPI-2, given its wider use, is highlighted. A PsycINFO search from 2003 to 2016 reveals that the MMPI-2 remains the most widely researched inventory (1646 publications). The PAI is the second most researched inventory (880 publications), followed by the MCMI (411 publications), and the MMPI-2-RF (322 publications). A trend of declining research on the MMPI-2 is considered in light of its publisher’s current marketing, research, and development practices.
Ground states of conjugated molecules—XVIII

Abstract The semiempirical SCF MO procedure of Part XII- of this series has been used to calculate relative redox potentials for a series of 25 quinones for which experimental data are available. There is an excellent correlation between the calculated and observed values.
The duration of American-English stop consonants: an overview

An overview is given of the durational characteristics of stop sounds in the readings of three slow and three fast talkers. Differences in percentage of completeness and durational statistics are presented for individual stops and classes of stops, with some contextual constraints taken into account. The data are compared to a number of previous studies of stop duration, with particular regard for the potential utility of durational cues for automatic speech recognition. Some generalizations made in the literature are not supported by these new data.