cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toward a Cybersecurity Curriculum Model for Undergraduate Business Schools: A Survey of AACSB-Accredited Institutions in the United States.

ABSTRACTWith the increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals, the authors examined how business schools are meeting that demand, specifically the core requirements of their cybersecurity curricula related to information systems programs. They examined 518 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business–accredited business schools in the United States and identified 278 schools that offered undergraduate information systems (IS) and information technology (IT) programs, of which 27 had cybersecurity programs. Both the IS 2010 curriculum model and Centers of Academic Excellence knowledge units are used to guide data collection. The top three security-related courses required are IT security, IT risk management/managerial issues, and digital forensics. A descriptive cybersecurity curriculum model is developed based on the results, which can also serve as baselines for future studies on business-school cybersecurity programs.
Shank is a dose-dependent regulator of Cav1 calcium current and CREB target expression

Shank is a post-synaptic scaffolding protein that has many binding partners. Shank mutations and copy number variations (CNVs) are linked to several psychiatric disorders, and to synaptic and behavioral defects in mice. It is not known which Shank binding partners are responsible for these defects. Here we show that the C. elegans SHN-1/Shank binds L-type calcium channels and that increased and decreased shn-1 gene dosage alter L-channel current and activity-induced expression of a CRH-1/CREB transcriptional target (gem-4 Copine), which parallels the effects of human Shank copy number variations (CNVs) on Autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. These results suggest that an important function of Shank proteins is to regulate L-channel current and activity induced gene expression.
The Removal of Thorium from the Surface of a Thoriated Tungsten Filament by Positive Ion Bombardment

Sputtering of thorium from the surface of a thoriated tungsten filament.---The method of measurement depends upon the fact that by suitable thermal treatment a layer of thorium one atom thick can be formed on the surface of the filament and that the electron emission of such a layer at 1500\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} K is ${10}^{5}$ times that of the tungsten and decreases according to known laws with the amount of thorium sputtered off as a result of bombardment by positive ions. The tube used contained, besides the central thoriated filament which was cold during the sputtering, two other filaments used to emit the electrons needed to produce the positive ions by collision. The gas was introduced at a low pressure, 6 bars, and the effect of argon, caesium, helium, hydrogen, neon, and mercury ions as a function of voltage and time was studied. H ions produced no sputtering even up to 600 volts energy. Ar, Cs, Hg and Ne ions all started to sputter the thorium ions at about 50 volts energy. The number of impacting ions of 150 volts energy per sputtered thorium atom varied from 12 for Ar and Cs to 45 for Ne and 7000 for He. The amount of thorium sputtered at first did not increase linearly with the time, and the rate of sputtering was greater when 0.95 of the surface was covered with thorium than when it was completely covered. In explanation, it is suggested that the removal of thorium takes place around the edges of holes or depression in the thorium coating; that for the removal of the first few atoms, two successive impacts on the same thorium atom are necessary; and that the first impact depresses the atom from the surface while at the second impact the ion is reflected from this depressed atom and knocks off one of the surrounding thorium atoms. A computation of the energies involved seems to bear out this theory. In the case of He the sputtering is so slow that a different mechanism must be involved, perhaps radiation, as suggested by Thomson.Penetration of helium positive rays into tungsten.---The occluded helium was recovered by heating to about 1800\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} K, and in some cases the number of helium atoms was found equal to over ten times the number of tungsten atoms in the surface.
Electron Transport Chain Is Biochemically Linked to Pilus Assembly Required for Polymicrobial Interactions and Biofilm Formation in the Gram-Positive Actinobacterium Actinomyces oris.

The Gram-positive actinobacteria Actinomyces spp. are key colonizers in the development of oral biofilms due to the inherent ability of Actinomyces to adhere to receptor polysaccharides on the surface of oral streptococci and host cells. This receptor-dependent bacterial interaction, or coaggregation, requires a unique sortase-catalyzed pilus consisting of the pilus shaft FimA and the coaggregation factor CafA forming the pilus tip. While the essential role of the sortase machine SrtC2 in pilus assembly, biofilm formation, and coaggregation has been established, little is known about trans-acting factors contributing to these processes. We report here a large-scale Tn5 transposon screen for mutants defective in Actinomyces oris coaggregation with Streptococcus oralis We obtained 33 independent clones, 13 of which completely failed to aggregate with S. oralis, and the remainder of which exhibited a range of phenotypes from severely to weakly defective coaggregation. The former had Tn5 insertions in fimA, cafA, or srtC2, as expected; the latter were mapped to genes coding for uncharacterized proteins and various nuo genes encoding the NADH dehydrogenase subunits. Electron microscopy and biochemical analyses of mutants with nonpolar deletions of nuo genes and ubiE, a menaquinone C-methyltransferase-encoding gene downstream of the nuo locus, confirmed the pilus and coaggregation defects. Both nuoA and ubiE mutants were defective in oxidation of MdbA, the major oxidoreductase required for oxidative folding of pilus proteins. Furthermore, supplementation of the ubiE mutant with exogenous menaquinone-4 rescued the cell growth and pilus defects. Altogether, we propose that the A. oris electron transport chain is biochemically linked to pilus assembly via oxidative protein folding.IMPORTANCE The Gram-positive actinobacterium A. oris expresses adhesive pili, or fimbriae, that are essential to biofilm formation and Actinomyces interactions with other bacteria, termed coaggregation. While the critical role of the conserved sortase machine in pilus assembly and the disulfide bond-forming catalyst MdbA in oxidative folding of pilins has been established, little is known about other trans-acting factors involved in these processes. Using a Tn5 transposon screen for mutants defective in coaggregation with Streptococcus oralis, we found that genetic disruption of the NADH dehydrogenase and menaquinone biosynthesis detrimentally alters pilus assembly. Further biochemical characterizations determined that menaquinone is important for reactivation of MdbA. This study supports the notion that the electron transport chain is biochemically linked to pilus assembly in A. oris via oxidative folding of pilin precursors.
Assessing Religious Liberty in a Lockean Society

Alzate applies Locke’s criteria for legitimate government action to three examples of religious liberty in the United States: the government employee (Kim Davis), the employer (Hobby Lobby), and the small business owner (Barronelle Stutzman). The difficulty the United States has had in balancing freedom of religion with political authority and other rights derives from the lack of clear, consistently applied criteria. Application of Locke’s nine criteria reveals that debates over religious liberty in the US for the most part appropriately balance individual rights against other interests. Still, there is room for improvement. The “least restrictive means ” requirement of RFRA legislation unduly restricts legitimate government authority, thereby undermining civil society . Moreover, the practice of exempting some individuals from otherwise neutral laws of general applicability introduces inequality in the rule of law.
Three-dimensional quantum anomalous Hall effect in hyperhoneycomb lattices

We address the role of short-range interactions for spinless fermions in the hyperhoneycomb lattice, a three-dimensional (3D) structure where all sites have a planar trigonal connectivity. For weak interactions, the system is a node-line semimetal. In the presence of strong interactions, we show that the system can be unstable to a 3D quantum anomalous Hall phase with loop currents that break time-reversal symmetry, as in the Haldane model. We find that the low-energy excitations of this state are Weyl fermions connected by surface Fermi arcs. We show that the 3D anomalous Hall conductivity is ${e}^{2}/(\sqrt{3}ah)$, with $a$ the lattice constant.
Thysanoptera Inhabiting Native Terrestrial Orchids in Northern Florida and Southern Georgia

A survey was conducted to identify the thrips species associated with native terrestrial orchids in northern Florida. The above-ground plant structures were sampled when each species was flowering ...
SNR improvement by variation of recording and media parameters for a HAMR exchange coupled composite media

An exchange coupled composite media structure proposed previously seems to address both the issue of Tc variation in FePt as well as poor SNR/User Density during the HAMR process. Here we examine a thinner 3-6 nm structure that is likely easier to fabricate than the previous 13.5 nm thick structure. We find that increasing the damping within the write (superparamagnetic) layer and introducing intergranular exchange within the grains in the write layer are both successful approaches to improve the recorded SNR. Ensemble waveform analysis that allows the breakdown of the total SNR into transition SNR (due to AC noise) and remanence SNR (due to DC noise) helps identify the leading causes for this SNR improvement. Further studies indicate that varying the peak heat spot temperature in the HAMR write process is also a successful approach for improving the recorded SNR. This lends credence to the idea that a thinner composite media may still be used successfully to realize significant enhancements of SNR and th...
Developmental experience with anthropogenic noise hinders adult mate location in an acoustically signalling invertebrate

Phenotypic plasticity facilitates survival and reproduction in rapidly changing and novel environments. Traffic noise spectrally overlaps with (i.e. masks) the sounds used by many acoustically signalling organisms to locate and secure mates. To determine if pre-reproductive exposure to noise improves adult performance in noisy environments, we reared field crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus) in one of three noise environments: masking traffic noise, traffic noise from which frequencies that spectrally overlap with the crickets' song were removed (non-masking), or silence. At reproductive maturity, we tested female mate location ability under one of the same three acoustic conditions. We found that exposure to noise during rearing hindered female location of mates, regardless of the acoustic environment at testing. Females reared in masking noise took 80% longer than females reared in silence to locate a simulated singing male who was less than 1 m away. Impaired mate location ability can be added to a growing list of fitness costs associated with anthropogenic noise, alongside reductions in pairing success, nesting success and offspring survival.
Understanding and Treating Patients in Clinical Psychoanalysis: Lessons from Literature: , by Buechler, S. (2015). London, UK; New York, NY: Routledge, 140 pp., $44.95 (paperback).

Sandra Buechler is a gifted writer and an experienced psychoanalyst whose engaging style draws the reader into her book. Utilizing excerpts from short stories, she illustrates specific characterolo...
Absent Inclusion Polices: Problems Facing Homeless Transgender Youth

Transgender individuals make up a disproportionately high percentage of homeless youth. This is due to conflict with their family, harassment in schools, or negative interactions with child service...
Feasibility of implementing an electronic social support and resource visualization tool for caregivers in a neuro-oncology clinic.

The goals of this study were to assess the feasibility of a web-based application—electronic Social Network Assessment Program (eSNAP)—to automate the capture and visualization of family caregiver social network data of neuro-oncology patients. Caregivers were recruited from a neuro-oncology clinic at an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center. Participants completed baseline questionnaires on a laptop in clinic assessing demographic characteristics. After baseline, participants were randomly assigned to either create a social network visualization using eSNAP (intervention) or to usual care (control) condition. Those who used eSNAP provided likeability/usability data. All participants were asked to complete follow-up questionnaires at 3 and 6 weeks after baseline to determine feasibility of longitudinal study. We recruited 40 caregivers of patients with primary malignant brain tumor to participate in this study. Participants rated eSNAP usability and likeability highly, indicating that eSNAP would help them consider their available social support. At 3 weeks, 90% of participants completed questionnaires and 82.5% completed questionnaires at 6 weeks. There is a need to encourage family caregivers of patients with primary malignant brain tumor to engage their existing social network resources to help alleviate caregiver burden. Our findings suggest that our web-based application to address this issue is feasible to implement with high usability and likeability. This pilot study identified minor changes to the intervention to improve effectiveness and has implications for future research in this understudied population. clinicaltrials.gov, protocol number NCT03026699
Einige geometrische Beziehungen

Der Studierende des Bauingenieurwesens mus sich eine gewisse Kenntnis uber die geometrischen Eigenschaften von Flachen und Linien aneignen. Es moge ihm zunachst der Hinweis an dieser Stelle genugen. Beim weiteren Studium des Buches wird er sich selbst von der Notwendigkeit uberzeugen. Wir werden uns in diesem Kapitel mit folgenden Fragen beschaftigen: 1. Langen von krummen Linien; 2. Inhaltsbestimmungen von Flachen; 3. Schwerpunktsbestimmungen von Flachen; 4. Tragheitsmomente von Flachen, Tragheitsradien, Zentrifugalmomente.
Physical exercise as an oncology nursing intervention to enhance quality of life.

Purpose/objectives To examine how physical exercise can enhance the quality of life (QOL) of people with cancer and to provide general guidelines for incorporating exercise into care plans for these patients. Data sources Published and nonpublished medical, nursing, rehabilitation, and physical exercise literature. Data synthesis Including physical exercise in the care plans of people with cancer can enhance their QOL. The development of an individualized exercise plan for patients with cancer involves screening, assessment, prescription, goal setting, evaluation, and communication. The success of wellness-oriented interventions, such as exercise, can be evaluated with patient diaries, monitoring, and a QOL measurement tool. Conclusions Physical exercise can positively influence all dimensions of life. Nurses must use sound clinical judgment and creativity and collaborate with other healthcare disciplines when prescribing exercise. Established exercise protocols for people with cancer are limited, and further research is needed in this area. Implications for nursing practice Oncology nurses must continue to expand the literature on guidelines and precautions for exercise in oncology populations. Nurses need to use their knowledge of oncology, QOL, and exercise to recommend and encourage the incorporation of physical exercise into the care plans of people with cancer.
Homophobia and the perception of psychological differences

The present research examined the extent to which one’s negative attitudes towards gay individuals influences perceptions of psychological differences between straight and gay groups. Previous rese...
Romiplostim for thrombocytopenia following allogeneic stem cell transplantation: A case series.

Abstract Thrombocytopenia is a relatively common complication following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and is associated with increased bleeding, transfusion requirements, chronic graft-versus-host disease, and all-cause mortality. There are currently no approved treatments outside of supportive transfusions. We report on the outcomes of five patients at our institution who received romiplostim for either primary engraftment failure or secondary failure of platelet recovery following stem cell transplantation. In total, four out of the five patients demonstrated a response to romiplostim, which was defined as seven consecutive days of platelet count >50 × 109/L with transfusion independence, with two ongoing responses (>365 days each) at the conclusion of the study period. Responses to romiplostim were sustained in the absence of significant bone marrow disease, which was found to contribute to recurrent thrombocytopenia. Additionally, romiplostim was well-tolerated overall; one patient developed minimal fibrotic changes on bone marrow biopsy postromiplostim. Although these results are promising, data from randomized clinical trials are needed to fully understand the role of romiplostim after stem cell transplantation.
Microfluidic investigations of crude oil-brine interface elasticity modifications via brine chemistry to enhance oil recovery

Abstract Waterflooding has been widely adopted as an improved oil recovery technique since water is, in general, inexpensive and readily available. More recently, low salinity waterflooding (LSW) has been applied to oil production. LSW has successfully demonstrated higher recovery efficiencies than conventional water flooding, yet the underlying mechanism is still quite unclear. Extensive research has focused upon rock-fluid interactions under low salinity conditions, however very little work has considered interactions between oil and brine and how fluid-fluid interfacial properties are influenced by brine salinity and composition. To fill this gap, we have developed a microfluidic device for multiphase interfacial testing with length scales comparable to the pore scale of oil reservoir rocks. Unlike conventional core flooding tests, fluid-fluid phenomena can be easily visualized within microfluidic devices via optical microscopy. Oil snap-off, a phenomenon that represents a major dispersion mechanism, occurs when crude oil flows through porous media in the reservoir and induces trapping hysteresis, can be investigated within a well-controlled microfluidic flow-focusing geometry. The size of formed droplets is examined as a measure of the resistance to snap-off. It has been previously demonstrated that snap-off events are influenced by brine chemistry, oil composition, and the interaction time between crude oil and brine. Here, we show that asphaltenes in the oil phase contribute directly to the development of the elasticitic film. We also propose the reduction of interfacial elasticity by other polar components, such as naphthenic acids, which counteract asphaltene behavior over different time scales. The contribution of these effects on interfacial elasticity is shown to be mediated by both the composition and concentration of brine and oil.
Measuring Self-Efficacy in Diverse First-Year Engineering Students Exposed to Entrepreneurial Minded Learning

This Innovative Practice Category full paper presents research in which Entrepreneurial Minded Learning (EML) was implemented in introductory engineering classes, as an intervention, to study how EML influences self-efficacy between students of Hispanic and non-Hispanic ethnicities at a Hispanic Serving Institution. The EML tenet is to include the “three C’s” in project-based learning: curiosity, connections, and creating value. A key question is whether EML not only influences student learning but also the students’ confidence in being successful engineers. Much work has been done studying how EML affects learning, yet few studies look into the effect of the mindset on self-efficacy. Moreover, self-efficacy is known to differ depending on a person’s race and ethnicity. We studied three groups: (i) a cohort not exposed to EML; (ii) a cohort exposed to EML design projects lightly guided by a student-mentor; (iii) a cohort exposed to EML design projects heavily guided by faculty and a graduate student. We performed pre and post-surveys to evaluate how strongly students identify as engineers when exposed (or not) to EML. We find that participation in an introductory engineering course itself may have more influence on students’ engineering self-efficacy than the specific level of EML within the course.
Evaluation and Management of Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common diagnosis of the esophagus and stomach. Approximately 30% of patients fail to respond to medical therapy and are considered candidates for anti-reflux surgery. Very few of these patients actually go on to undergo anti-reflux surgery, leading to a “treatment gap” for millions of people with inadequate control of reflux symptoms. Radiofrequency (RF) therapy has been proposed as an alternative treatment for GERD. A transoral catheter system delivers RF energy around the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which is theorized to lead to remodeling of the musculature of the LES. In the short-term and long-term studies, it has shown to improve quality of life scores, reduce PPI use, and decrease incidence of esophageal acid exposure in patients with GERD. It also has been evaluated in patients with previous anti-reflux surgery or bariatric surgery. RF therapy may be beneficial in patients with medically refractory GERD who desire non-surgical approach or in patients with GERD following previous anti-reflux or bariatric surgery.
Direction of Arrival Estimation Method Based on First-Order Differential Microphone Array

In recent years, it is valuable to accurately estimate the direction of arrival (DOA) of sound source signals in noisy environment, especially for small-sized microphone arrays. Therefore, the Capon beamforming method based on small-sized array is an effective solution. However, the DOA estimation accuracy is greatly reduced, when the Capon beamforming algorithm is applied to a small-sized array. In order to improve the DOA estimation accuracy of the traditional Capon algorithm in small-sized arrays, the differential microphone arrays (DMAs) is used as a spatial filter, and the spatial spectrum of the array output signal is calculated by the Capon algorithm. The simulation results show that the proposed method can improves the anti-noise performance of the traditional Capon algorithm and the accuracy of the traditional Capon algorithm in estimating the direction of arrival in small-sized arrays.
Potential of Lipoprotein(a)-Lowering Strategies in Treating Coronary Artery Disease.

High levels of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] are considered causal risk factor of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including aortic stenosis. The 2019 ESC/EAC guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemias recommend to measure Lp(a) at least once in each adult person’s lifetime to identify those with inherited Lp(a) levels > 180 mg/dL (> 430 nmol/L) who may have a cardiovascular risk similar to heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia or in selected patients with a family history of premature CVD and for reclassification in people who are borderline between moderate- and high-risk. Some lipid-lowering agents not specific for Lp(a) have shown to reduce Lp(a) levels (niacin, PCSK9 inhibitors and CETP inhibitors). Prespecified analyses from the FOURIER trial have shown that participants who had reduction in Lp(a) levels with PCSK9 levels had a decreased risk of cardiovascular events. To lower Lp(a), two antisense oligonucleotides are under development targeting apolipoprotein B and apolipoprotein (a). Mipomersen is an oligonucleotide that targets apolipoprotein B, with a potential benefit in reducing Lp(a) by 20–50%. AKCEA-APO(a)-LRX is another antisense oligonucleotide targeting Lp(a) and reducing Lp(a) by 50–80%. A Phase III study with AKCEA-APO(a)-LRX will start in order to evaluate the effect on cardiovascular outcomes.
30-DAY REHOSPITALIZATION FOR NEW ONSET HEART FAILURE AFTER AN INITIAL NON-CARDIOVASCULAR HOSPITALIZATION

Limited data exists describing the characteristics of non-cardiovascular (CV) hospitalizations that are followed by 30-day readmission for the management of new onset HF. We aim to describe the frequency and characteristics of non-CV hospitalizations resulting in 30-day readmissions for the
A Presentist-Friendly Definition of “Endure”

It is a commonplace that things persist, though thinkers disagree over what persistence consist in. Views about time are closely related to views about persistence, though some have questioned the compatibility of certain combinations, such as Jonathan Tallant’s recent argument that presentism is incompatible with all views of persistence, including endurantism. We believe that such arguments can be avoided with neutral definitions of the terms. However, a nearly exhaustive investigation of contemporary literature revealed that, except for two that we could find, all definitions of “persist,” “endure,” and derivatives are incompatible with presentism! And, the exceptions fail to capture endurantist intuitions about endurance. But we believe that present-friendly and intuitive definitions of these concepts can be given. In this paper we offer such definitions. We go on to apply our definitions to two sample cases, showing that if our neutral definitions are used, the arguments in the cases fail.
2 – Chemical deterioration and physical instability of foods and beverages

: Food deterioration and spoilage during storage and distribution are a result of a variety of chemical, biochemical, and/or physical changes. These changes are often the result of product composition, environmental factors, and processing conditions. A variety of measures are available to a food technologist to obviate the deteriorative effects of extended storage on food quality. This chapter gives an overview of these chemical and physical reactions. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting these reactions are summarized. Methods to measure and model these changes are discussed.
Obesity is an Independent Risk Factor for Mortality in Otherwise Healthy Patients After Hepatectomy

Abstract Background Obesity is often associated with comorbidities that limit remnant liver recovery after hepatectomy. The extent to which obesity, in the absence of comorbidities, impacts surgical risk after hepatectomy is unknown. We hypothesized that an obese population without major comorbidities would not be at increased risk of adverse outcomes after hepatectomies. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis identifying patients who underwent hepatectomies from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data set 2005-2017. Outcomes of interest included the following: mortality, any morbidity, critical care complications, and failure to discharge home. Body mass index (BMI) was the primary variable of interest, grouped as ≥35 and Results A total of 36,396 patients were included. There were 13,754 patients in the WOC group and 22,642 in the WC group. Among patients in the WOC group, the adjusted odds of mortality were 2.2 times higher for patients with a BMI ≥35 versus a BMI Conclusions Our hypothesis was refuted by these data. In fact, the adverse effect of obesity was more evident among healthy patients.
The Economic Implications of COVID-19 in the United States

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first reported in Wuhan, China, in 2019 has evolved into a pandemic and public health emergency, leading to extensive fatalities and halting global economies. Older adults have emerged as a critically vulnerable population as earlier data suggests a disproportionately increased incidence of COVID-19 in this population, as well as worse health outcomes. Disease attenuating behaviors such as social distancing has been encouraged and mandated across different countries leading to downstream economic ramifications. This paper seeks to outline the economic implications of COVID-19 in the U.S. (particularly in terms of vocational, retail, and service industries), highlighting the role of nursing homes in disease dissemination. We also discuss potential costs associated with COVID-19 management focusing on the senior population who rely on Medicare benefits for health insurance.
A wider influence: The impact of formal humanitarian otology training on otology‐neurotology fellows

Objectives Long-term commitment to humanitarian surgical outreach requires the opportunity, resources, and time to participate, but perhaps more importantly, it requires a preceding successful outreach experience. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) expects physician trainees to achieve six Core Competencies: patient care, medical knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice. This study investigates the challenges and benefits of a supervised humanitarian experience with a focus on ACGME Core Competencies, future global outreach, and commitment to education. Study design Physician survey and program curriculum review. Methods Participants in a supervised humanitarian educational experience at a single Otology-Neurotology Fellowship Program between the years of 2006 and 2019 were surveyed. Barriers to participation, challenges, benefits, prior and ongoing humanitarian efforts, and education endeavors were discussed. Results Challenges including time away from fellowship, logistical difficulties with Resident Review Committee recognition of operative case volume, and civil unrest were encountered. Benefits within all six ACGME Core Competencies were achieved. International collaboration with local providers, patients, and families with diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds allowed bidirectional education while striving for safe, innovative solutions in resource-poor environments. Conclusions A supervised education experience with a sustainable humanitarian otology program offers Neurotology fellows an early positive experience near the end of their formal training. ACGME Professionalism goals were achieved through building collegial relationships with local otolaryngologists and staff, while fostering a sense of responsibility to assist those in developing nations. Participation correlated with an ongoing commitment to humanitarian efforts and education post-fellowship. Level of evidence 4.
Mice lacking substance P have normal bone modeling but diminished bone formation, increased resorption, and accelerated osteopenia with aging.

Abstract Substance P (SP) is a sensory neuropeptide that is expressed by the neurons innervating bone. There is considerable evidence that SP can regulate bone cell function in vitro, but it is unclear whether SP modulates bone modeling or remodeling in vivo. To answer this question we characterized the bone phenotype of mice with deletion of the Tac1 gene expressing SP. The phenotypes of 2-month-old and 5-month-old SP deficient mice and their wildtype controls were characterized by using μCT imaging, static and dynamic bone histomorphometry, and urinary deoxypyridinoline cross-links (DPD) measurement. No differences in bone phenotypes were observed between the 2 strains at 2 months of age. By 5 months both the wildtype and SP deficient mice had developed cancellous osteopenia, but relative to the wild-type mice the SP deficient mice had significantly greater cancellous bone loss. The SP deficient mice also exhibited decreased bone formation, increased osteoclast number, and increased urinary DPD levels. Cortical defect early repair was delayed in 5-month-old mice lacking SP. Collectively, these findings indicate that SP signaling is not required for bone modeling, but SP signaling reduces age-related osteopenia and accelerates cortical defect reparation, data supporting the hypothesis that SP is an anabolic physiologic regulator of bone metabolism.
Private payer coverage policies for ApoE-e4 genetic testing.

Purpose ApoE-e4 has a well-established connection to late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) and is available clinically. Yet, there have been no analyses of payer coverage policies for ApoE. Our objective was to analyze private payer coverage policies for ApoE genetic testing, examine the rationales, and describe supporting evidence referenced by policies. Methods We searched for policies from the eight largest private payers (by member numbers) covering ApoE testing for late-onset AD. We implemented content analysis methods to evaluate policies for coverage decisions and rationales. Results Seven payers had policies with positions on ApoE testing. Five explicitly state they do not cover ApoE and two apply generic preauthorization criteria. Rationales supporting coverage decisions include: reference to guidelines or national standards, inadequate data supporting testing, characterizing testing as investigational, or that testing would not alter patients' clinical management. Conclusion Seven of the eight largest private payers' coverage policies reflect standards that discourage ApoE testing due to a lack of clinical utility. As the field advances, ApoE testing may have an important clinical role, particularly considering that disease-modifying therapies are under evaluation by the US Food and Drug Administration. These types of field advancements may not be consistent with private payers' policies and may cause payers to reevaluate existing coverage policies.
Examining Pediatric Residency Voting Practices.

OBJECTIVE Voting is one of our civic duties, yet many Americans do not vote, and physician voter participation is even lower than that of the general public. We aimed to explore pediatric residents' attitudes and behaviors in regard to voting and assess the impact of interventions aimed at increasing resident participation. METHODS Pediatric residents were given preelection surveys regarding interest in voting, plans to vote in the November 2016 national election, and barriers to participation. Voting registration, election dates, and registration deadlines were disseminated before the election. Postelection surveys were distributed after the 2016 national election to pediatric residents regarding their voter participation, barriers to voting, and the effectiveness of our interventions. RESULTS Fifty-one residents completed the presurvey and 49 completed the postsurvey (61% and 59% of total residents, respectively). Eighty-nine percent of residents surveyed planned to vote and 83% were registered to vote. The postsurveys indicated that only 69% of responding residents voted in the national election, far fewer than the 89% who planned to vote (z = 2.5, P < 0.05). The most common reasons for not voting were "no time off," "didn't get absentee ballot," and "not registered in state of residence." In total, 19 of 33 (58%) respondents indicated that interventions encouraged them to vote. CONCLUSIONS Intention to vote among participants was higher than voting participation; however, participants in this study voted at higher rates (69%) than the average citizen rates (61.4%). More than half of the residents who did vote indicated that the study interventions encouraged them to vote.
Moderate intensity aerobic exercise during pregnancy and 1‐month infant Morphometry

OBJECTIVE Assess the effects of supervised, prenatal aerobic exercise intervention on 1-month-old neonatal morphometry. METHODS Secondary data analyses of a 24+ week, randomized controlled exercise intervention trial in pregnant women between 2015 and 2018 were performed. Eligibility criteria included pregnant women: <16 weeks of gestation, singleton pregnancy, aged 18-40 years, and body mass index of 18.5-35.00 kg∙m2 . Eligible pregnant women (n = 128) were randomly assigned a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise group (n = 68) or a nonexercising group (n = 60) consisting of light stretching and breathing techniques. Neonatal weight, skinfold thickness, circumferences, and fat-free mass were measured at 1-month of age. Covariates included weight gain, gestational diabetes mellitus, and neonatal sex. ANCOVAs for intention-to-treat (ITT) and per protocol were performed. RESULTS ITT and per protocol analyses included 74 and 56 participants, respectively. Adjusted regression results showed significant between-group differences for neonatal skinfold thickness (ITT: 20.0 mm vs. 22.2 mm; p = .04; per protocol: 19.8 mm vs. 22.3 mm; p = .03) and body fat (per protocol 13.2% vs. 15.1%; p = .05). No between-group differences for weight (p = .36, .25), abdominal (p = .08, .35) and mid-upper arm circumferences (p = .30, .26), or fat-free mass (p = .83, .69). CONCLUSION The study findings suggest that aerobic exercise has a beneficial impact on neonatal skinfold thickness and percent body fat at 1 month of age. Participation in the recommended levels of aerobic exercise (150 min, moderate-intensity per week) throughout the prenatal period may serve as an effective strategy to reduce the risk of overweight or obesity in the early postnatal period.
Racial Distribution and Characterization of Pelvic Organ Prolapse in a Hospital-Based Subspecialty Clinic.

Objectives Prior literature has suggested a decreased prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in Black women. We sought to describe POP rates by race, investigate whether specific types of prolapse differ based on race, and investigate the role of uterine weight and fibroids on POP. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of new patients seen between April 2017 and April 2019 at a tertiary urogynecology clinic. Variables collected included POP quantification, race, age, smoking history, medical history, gravity, parity, vaginal delivery, hysterectomy, fibroids, and uterine weight. χ2 tests were used to compare the proportions of types of POP between Black and non-Black women. Binary and ordinal logistic regression tested the association between types of prolapse and race, adjusting for covariates. Results Nine hundred thirty-six patients were identified by ICD codes, 768 met inclusion criteria. There were 85.3% of the women identified as non-Black and 14.7% identified as Black. There were 39.8% of the Black women that had a fibroid diagnosis compared with 20.8% of non-Black women (P Conclusions Black women had increased body mass index, rates of comorbidities (diabetes and hypertension), higher uterine weight and fibroid size than non-Black women in our study. However, there was no significant difference in POP type based on race.
Hacked transmission: technology and connective activism in Italy: by Alessandra Renzi, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 2020, 257 pp., $27.00 (soft cover), ISBN: 9781517903268

Alessandra Renzi’s Hacked Transmission: Technology and Connective Activism in Italy looks into contemporary Italy’s media culture through a multifaceted analysis of a case study – Telestreet, a 200...
Electrodynamics and Matter

By the beginning of the \(20{\text {th}}\) century the classical physics of analytical mechanics and electrodynamics had been extremely successful in providing an understanding of the universe. There was little expectation that this would change radically as a result of a rather small discovery regarding the parcelling of energy in thermal radiation.
Exploiting Block Structures of KKT Matrices for Efficient Solution of Convex Optimization Problems

Convex optimization solvers are widely used in the embedded systems that require sophisticated optimization algorithms including model predictive control (MPC). In this paper, we aim to reduce the online solve time of such convex optimization solvers so as to reduce the total runtime of the algorithm and make it suitable for real-time convex optimization. We exploit the property of the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) matrix involved in the solution of the problem that only some parts of the matrix change during the solution iterations of the algorithm. Our results show that the proposed method can effectively reduce the runtime of the solvers.
Enterprise Resource Planning Systems: Choosing an ERP System

This chapter examines how firms choose between different ERP systems. Two primary approaches are used to guide ERP choice: requirements analysis and gap analysis. This chapter defines these approaches and examines the advantages and disadvantages of each, and it briefly discusses an alternative approach. In addition, this chapter examines the assumptions behind requirements analysis and gap analysis as well as some limitations of these two processes. Also discussed are two companies that have mitigated these limitations in their evaluation of ERP software by going beyond requirements and gap analyses. Finally, this chapter summarizes the shortcomings of broader evaluation approaches. Requirements Analysis Requirements analysis is a review of system requirements for organizational models, artifacts, and processes (MAPs). In some cases requirements are cataloged as to their importance – for example, required or optional, or ranked (say) from 1 to 3. Requirements are then summarized in a requirements document (request for proposal, or RFP) that is provided to different vendors. The organization uses that set of requirements to judge how well different pieces of software meet their needs. How Many Requirements? Requirements documents can be quite extensive. For example, one company (Firm A) with $40 million in sales produced a document with about 1,000 requirements listed. Timberjack, with over $35 million in sales, listed 1,042 requirements. A much larger and privately held company (Firm B) also had a requirements document with over 1,000 items.
Mayers Bahr, The Unquiet Nisei: An Oral History of the Life of Sue Kunitomi Embrey

“A story that presents courageous individuals who confront powerful forces within or outside themselves with a dignity that reveals the breadth and depth of the human spirit in the face of failure,...
Crowdsensing Under (Soft) Control

Crowdsensing leverages the pervasiveness and power of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to enable ordinary citizens to collect, transport and verify data. Application domains range from environment monitoring, to infrastructure management and social computing. Crowdsensing services' effectiveness is a direct result of their coverage, which is driven by the recruitment and mobility patterns of participants. Due to the typically uneven population distributions of most areas, and the regular mobility patterns of participants, less popular or populated areas suffer from poor coverage. In this paper, we present Crowd Soft Control (CSC), an approach to exert limited control over the actions of participants by leveraging the built-in incentives of location-based gaming and social applications. By pairing crowdsensing with location-based applications, CSC allows sensing services to reuse the incentives of location-based apps to steer the actions of participating users and increase the effectiveness of sensing campaigns. While there are several domains where this intentional movement is useful such as data muling, this paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of CSC applied to crowdsensing. We built a prototype of CSC and integrated it with two location-based applications, and crowdsensing services. Our experimental results demonstrate the low-cost of integration and minimal overhead of CSC.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome. A report of fourteen pediatric cases.

Abstract Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a symptom complex which includes prodromal symptoms followed by severe mucosal, ocular, and cutaneous lesions. Numerous agents have been suggested as possible etiologic factors. The current study reviews fourteen confirmed cases of Stevens-Johnson syndrome in children, with emphasis on possible etiology, type and severity of lesions, distribution, and complications. Implications for dentists are discussed.
Low birth weight in the United States

Pregnancy outcomes in the United States and other developed countries are considerably better than those in many developing countries. However, adverse pregnancy outcomes are generally more common in the United States than in other developed countries. Low-birth-weight infants, born after a preterm birth or secondary to intrauterine growth restriction, account for much of the increased morbidity, mortality, and cost. Wide disparities exist in both preterm birth and growth restriction among different population groups. Poor and black women, for example, have twice the preterm birth rate and higher rates of growth restriction than do most other women. Low birth weight in general is thought to place the infant at greater risk of later adult chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Of interest, maternal thinness is a strong predictor of both preterm birth and fetal growth restriction. However, in the United States, several nutritional interventions, including high-protein diets, caloric supplementation, calcium and iron supplementation, and various other vitamin and mineral supplementations, have not generally reduced preterm birth or growth restriction. Bacterial intrauterine infections play an important role in the etiology of the earliest preterm births, but, at least to date, antibiotic treatment either before labor for risk factors such as bacterial vaginosis or during preterm labor have not consistently reduced the preterm birth rate. Most interventions have failed to reduce preterm birth or growth restriction. The substantial improvement in newborn survival in the United States over the past several decades is mostly due to better access to improved neonatal care for low-birth-weight infants.
Projecting two-axis nanometer scale displacement of microscopic beads onto a quadrant photodetector with a laser beam

A quadrant photodetector has been added onto a custom differential interference contrast microscope to measure two-axis displacement of silica beads with a noise ⩽0.1 nm/√Hz below 150 Hz. A diode-pumped solid-state laser is incorporated to function not only as a light source for displacement detection but also as an optical trap for motility studies of protein motors. This system is designed for studies in which the motility needs to be simultaneously monitored along both axes at nm accuracy.
In search of the mode of action of antidepressants 5-HTP/tyrosine mixtures in depressions

For a long time antidepressants have been considered to act via enhancement of central monoaminergic activity (due to reuptake or MAO inhibition). An alternative hypothesis holds that their action is based on down-regulation of monoaminergic activity (due to decrease in density or sensitivity of certain receptor populations). In this paper the likelihood of both hypotheses is discussed and the conclusion reached that the first one is the most plausible. The following arguments are discussed: (1) the 5-HT precursor 5-HTP, which is transformed to 5-HT in the brain, has antidepressant properties; (2) there are indications that the same holds true for tyrosine, a catecholamine precursor transformed in the brain to DA and NA; and (3) evidence was found that the effects of 5-HTP in depression are potentiated by tyrosine. Since activation rather than suppression of monoaminergic activity seems to be linked to antidepressant activity, it seems likely that the signs of decreased monoamine metabolism that have been demonstrated in certain types of depression are the expression of a primary metabolic deficit rather than a phenomenon secondary to receptor hypersensitivity. Further clinical studies of 5-HT/CA precursor combinations in depression are justified.