cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Inflammation in an Acute on Chronic Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Ultrasound Molecular Imaging.

Ultrasound (US) molecular imaging has shown promise in assessing inflammation in preclinical, murine models of inflammatory bowel disease. These models, however, initiated acute inflammation on previously normal colons, in contrast to patients where acute exacerbations are often in chronically inflamed regions. In this study, we explored the potential of dual P- and E-selectin targeted US imaging for assessing acute inflammation on a murine quiescent chronic inflammatory background.Chronic colitis was induced using three cycles of 4% DSS in male FVB mice. Acute inflammation was initiated 2 weeks after the final DSS cycle through rectal administration of 1% TNBS. Mice at different stages of inflammation were imaged using a small animal ultrasound system following i.v. injection of microbubbles targeted to P- and E-selectin. In vivo imaging results were correlated with ex vivo immunofluorescence and histology.Induction of acute inflammation resulted in an increase in the targeted US signal from 5.5 ± 5.1 arbitrary units (a.u.) at day 0 to 61.0 ± 45.2 a.u. (P < 0.0001) at day 1, 36.3 ± 33.1 a.u. at day 3, returning to levels similar to control at day 5. Immunofluorescence showed significant increase in the percentage of P- and E-selectin positive vessels at day 1 (P-selectin: 21.0 ± 7.1% of vessels; P < 0.05; E-selectin: 16.4 ±3.7%; P < 0.05) compared to day 0 (P-selectin: 10.3 ± 5.7%; E-selectin: 7.3 ± 7.0%).Acute inflammation can be accurately measured in a clinically relevant murine model of chronic IBD using ultrasound molecular imaging with a dual P- and E- selectin-targeted contrast agent.
HBV/HIV coinfection is associated with poorer outcomes in hospitalized patients with HBV or HIV

We examined the impact of HBV/HIV coinfection on outcomes in hospitalized patients compared to those with HBV or HIV monoinfection. Using the 2011 US Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we identified patients who had been hospitalized with HBV or HIV monoinfection or HBV/HIV coinfection using ICD-9-CM codes. We compared liver-related admissions between the three groups. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of in-hospital mortality, length of stay and total charges. A total of 72 584 discharges with HBV monoinfection, 133 880 discharges with HIV monoinfection and 8156 discharges with HBV/HIV coinfection were included. HBV/HIV coinfection was associated with higher mortality compared to HBV monoinfection (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.30-2.15) but not when compared to HIV monoinfection (OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.96-1.54). However, the presence of HBV along with cirrhosis or complications of portal hypertension was associated with three times greater in-hospital mortality in patients with HIV compared to those without these complications (OR 3.00, 95% CI 1.80-5.02). Length of stay and total hospitalization charges were greater in the HBV-/HIV-coinfected group compared to the HBV monoinfection group (+1.53 days, P < 0.001; $17595, P < 0.001) and the HIV monoinfection group (+0.62 days, P = 0.034; $8840, P = 0.005). In conclusion, HBV/HIV coinfection is a risk factor for in-hospital mortality, particularly in liver-related admissions, compared to HBV monoinfection. Overall healthcare utilization from HBV/HIV coinfection is also higher than for either infection alone and higher than the national average for all hospitalizations, thus emphasizing the healthcare burden from these illnesses.
Water-Stable Metal–Organic Framework/Polymer Composites Compatible with Human Hepatocytes

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have demonstrated promise in biomedical applications as vehicles for drug delivery, as well as for the ability of copper-based MOFs to generate nitric oxide (NO) from endogenous S-nitrosothiols (RSNOs). Because NO is a participant in biological processes where it exhibits anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiplatelet activation properties, it has received significant attention for therapeutic purposes. Previous work has shown that the water-stable MOF H3[(Cu4Cl)3–(BTTri)8] (H3BTTri = 1,3,5-tris(1H-1,2,3-triazol-5-yl)benzene), or CuBTTri, produces NO from RSNOs and can be included within a polymeric matrix to form NO-generating materials. While such materials demonstrate potential, the possibility of MOF degradation leading to copper-related toxicity is a concern that must be addressed prior to adapting these materials for biomedical applications. Herein, we present the first cytotoxicity evaluation of an NO-generating CuBTTri/polymer composite material using 3T3-J2 mur...
Impact of Music on Decision Making in Quantitative Tasks.

The goal of this study is to explore which aspects of people’s analytical decision making are affected when exposed to music. To this end, we apply a stochastic sequential model of simple decisions, the drift-diffusion model (DDM), to understand risky decision behavior. Numerous studies have demonstrated that mood can affect emotional and cognitive processing, but the exact nature of the impact music has on decision making in quantitative tasks has not been sufficiently studied. In our experiment, participants decided whether to accept or reject multiple bets with different risk vs. reward ratios while listening to music that was chosen to induce positive or negative mood. Our results indicate that music indeed alters people’s behavior in a surprising way happy music made people make better choices. In other words, it made people more likely to accept good bets and reject bad bets. The DDM decomposition indicated the effect focused primarily on both the caution and the information processing aspects of decision making. To further understand the correspondence between auditory features and decision making, we studied how individual aspects of music affect response patterns. Our results are particularly interesting when compared with recent results regarding the impact of music on emotional processing, as they illustrate that music affects analytical decision making in a fundamentally different way, hinting at a different psychological mechanism that music impacts.
Studies of high field transport in GaN/AlGaN heterostructures

Experimental studies have been performed on the velocity-field characteristic of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. A pulsed voltage input (with a 10 ns pulse width) in combination with a four-point measurement was used in a 50 /spl Omega/ environment to determine the drift velocity of electrons in the two-dimensional electron gas as a function of the applied electric field. These measurements show an apparent saturation velocity near 3.1 /spl times/ 10/sup 7/ cm/s, at a field of 140 kV/cm. A comparison of these studies shows that the experimental velocities are close to previously published simulations based upon Monte Carlo techniques. Local inhomogeneities in the electric field are discussed as possible mechanisms for the slightly lower value of the velocity as compared to the simulation.
BMET-16GAMMA KNIFE STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY FOR BRAIN METASTASES USING ONLY 3 PINS

OBJECTIVE: Removal of a pin during Gamma Knife® stereotactic radiosurgery (GK_SRS) may be necessary to prevent collision and allow for treatment. We investigated outcomes following GK_SRS for treatment of brain metastases using a head frame immobilized to the skull with only 3 pins. MATERIALS/METHODS: Between 2009-2014, we retrospectively reviewed the records of 1,971 patients and identified 20 patients with multiple brain metastases treated with GK_SRS in which 1 anterior pin was removed immediately before treatment of a single posteriorly located lesion. GK_SRS was also delivered to 121 other lesions using the standard 4 pins during the same session, serving as an internal control for comparison. Endpoints included local control, dosimetric parameters, toxicity, and overall survival. Characteristics were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum and Fisher's exact tests. Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The median number of lesions treated per session was 6 (range 2-14). The lesions treated using 3 pins were located in the occipital lobe (n = 14) or cerebellum (n = 6). Median follow-up was 12.3 months. There was one local failure of a control lesion. Lesions treated using 3 pins had a lower prescription isodose line, and gradient index. GK_SRS of a lesion using 3 pins did not cause any clinical toxicities or increase in radiographic edema or hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: Treating posteriorly located brain metastases with GK_SRS using only 3 pins provides excellent local control and no difference in treatment toxicity, making it a safe and reasonable option for lesions that may otherwise not be possible to treat.
FOOD REGULATORY ACTIVITIES

Current regulatory activities at the Food and Drug Administration cluster about several main lines of thrust. (a) More informative labeling. Examples are nutrient labeling, ingredient labeling on standardized foods, percentage declaration of characterizing ingredients, and on new foods, the definition of generic names. (b) Increasing emphasis on effective cooperation between State and Federal authorities. (c) Increased emphasis on food plant inspection. (d) More emphasis on inspection of quality assurance instead of only production. This includes quality assurance procedures applied to plant sanitation. (e) Increased attention to environmental contaminants, such as toxic metals and industrial organic chemicals. (f) Review of the safety of food ingredients with initial emphasis on the GRAS list.
Sustainable wine tourism development in burgeoning regions: lessons from New Jersey and Connecticut

This paper examines wine tourism and economic sustainability at the winery. In addition to the existing literature, two small scales, burgeoning regions (wineries in the states of New Jersey and Connecticut in the USA) are surveyed, analysed and compared to exemplify opportunities in wine tourism sustainability. Results demonstrate that these regions are relatively young, have small properties, experiment with multiple varietals, and often outsource grapes or juice from other regions. Most of their sales are within their respective state and the majority at the winery itself. Given the proximity to major metropolitan areas of New York, Philadelphia and Boston the wineries must often focus on the tourism of wine as the primary economic activity. They are small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and must focus on marketing to entice visitors for cellar door sales. It is through collaborative marketing efforts of wine associations, wine trails, passport programs, and regional heritage branding that wineries in burgeoning regions can thrive. It is no longer just about size, shelf space and terroir. It is through this cooperative quest for long term sustainability - the combination of the unique environmental, economic and cultural features - of these less known rural regions that will allow smaller wineries to survive.
Bayesian group bridge for bi-level variable selection

A Bayesian bi-level variable selection method (BAGB: Bayesian Analysis of Group Bridge) is developed for regularized regression and classification. This new development is motivated by grouped data, where generic variables can be divided into multiple groups, with variables in the same group being mechanistically related or statistically correlated. As an alternative to frequentist group variable selection methods, BAGB incorporates structural information among predictors through a group-wise shrinkage prior. Posterior computation proceeds via an efficient MCMC algorithm. In addition to the usual ease-of-interpretation of hierarchical linear models, the Bayesian formulation produces valid standard errors, a feature that is notably absent in the frequentist framework. Empirical evidence of the attractiveness of the method is illustrated by extensive Monte Carlo simulations and real data analysis. Finally, several extensions of this new approach are presented, providing a unified framework for bi-level variable selection in general models with flexible penalties. A Bayesian bi-level variable selection method is developed for linear models.A data-augmentation scheme is introduced based on a novel mixture representation.Posterior inference is carried out via a computationally efficient MCMC algorithm.Benchmark results indicate superior performance compared to published methods.Simple extensions are discussed for general models with flexible penalties.
A Tetramer Derived from Islet Amyloid Polypeptide.

Aggregation of the islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) to form fibrils and oligomers is important in the progression of type 2 diabetes. This article describes X-ray crystallographic and solution-state NMR studies of peptides derived from residues 11–17 of IAPP that assemble to form tetramers. Incorporation of residues 11–17 of IAPP (RLANFLV) into a macrocyclic β-sheet peptide results in a monomeric peptide that does not self-assemble to form oligomers. Mutation of Arg11 to the uncharged isostere citrulline gives peptide homologues that assemble to form tetramers in both the crystal state and in aqueous solution. The tetramers consist of hydrogen-bonded dimers that sandwich together through hydrophobic interactions. The tetramers share several features with structures reported for IAPP fibrils and demonstrate the importance of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions in the oligomerization of IAPP-derived peptides.
Racial Appearance Bias: Improving Evidence-Based Policies to Address Racial Disparities:

Racial disparities continue in the treatment and outcomes of individuals in an increasingly diverse society. Social psychological research suggests that racial identity–conscious interventions can ...
Recovering Signals with Unknown Sparsity in Multiple Dictionaries

Motivated by the observation that a given signal x may admit sparse representations in multiple dictionaries Ψ d , but with varying levels of sparsity across dictionaries, we propose two new algorithms for signal reconstruction from noisy linear measurements. Our first algorithm extends the well-known basis pursuit denoising algorithm from the L1 regularizer ∥Ψx∥1 to composite regularizers of the form ∑ d λ d ∥Ψ d x∥1 while self-adjusting the regularization weights λ d . Our second algorithm extends the well-known iteratively reweighted L1 algorithm to the same family of composite regularizers. For each algorithm, we provide several interpretations: i) majorization-minimization (MM) applied to a non-convex log-sum-type penalty, ii) MM applied to an approximate l0-type penalty, iii) MM applied to Bayesian MAP inference under a particular hierarchical prior, and iv) variational expectation-maximization (VEM) under a particular prior with deterministic unknown parameters.A detailed numerical study suggests that, when compared to their non-composite counterparts, our composite algorithms yield significantly improvements in accuracy with only modest increases in computational complexity.
Power accounting of plasma discharges in the linear device Proto-MPEX

Plasma material interaction (PMI) studies are crucial to the successful development of future fusion reactors. Prototype Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (Proto-MPEX) is a prototype design for the MPEX, a steady-state linear device being developed to study PMI. The primary purpose of Proto-MPEX is developing the plasma heating source concepts for MPEX. A power accounting study of Proto-MPEX works to identify machine operating parameters that could improve its performance, thereby increasing its PMI research capabilities, potentially impacting the MPEX design concept. To build a comprehensive power balance, an analysis of the helicon region has been performed implementing a diagnostic suite and software modeling to identify mechanisms and locations of heat loss from the main plasma. Of the 106.3 kW of input power, up to 90.5% of the power has been accounted for in the helicon region. When the analysis was extended to encompass the device to its end plates, 49.2% of the input power was accounted for and verified diagnostically. Areas requiring further diagnostic analysis are identified. The required improvements will be implemented in future work. The data acquisition and analysis processes will be streamlined to form a working model for future power balance studies of Proto-MPEX.
A comparative analysis of long-term mortality after carotid endarterectomy and carotid stenting.

Abstract Background The value of carotid intervention is predicated on long-term survival for patients to derive a stroke prevention benefit. Randomized trials report no significant difference in survival after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) vs carotid artery stenting (CAS), whereas observational studies of “real-world” outcomes note that CEA is associated with a survival advantage. Our objective was to examine long-term mortality after CEA vs CAS using a propensity-matched cohort. Methods We studied all patients who underwent CEA or CAS within the Vascular Quality Initiative from 2003 to 2013 (CEA, n = 29,235; CAS, n = 4415). Long-term mortality information was obtained by linking patients in the registry to their respective Medicare claims file. We assessed the long-term rate of mortality for CEA and CAS using Kaplan-Meier estimation. We assessed the crude, adjusted, and propensity-matched (total matched pairs, n = 4261) hazard ratio (HR) of mortality for CEA vs CAS using Cox regression. Results The unadjusted Kaplan-Meier estimated 5-year mortality was 14.0% for CEA and 18.3% for CAS. The crude HR of all-cause mortality for CEA vs CAS was 0.75 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70-0.81), indicating that patients who underwent CEA were 25% less likely to die before those who underwent CAS. This survival advantage persisted after adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidities (adjusted HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.69-0.82). This effect was confirmed on a propensity-matched analysis, with an HR of 0.76 (95% CI, 0.69-0.85). Finally, these findings were robust to subanalyses that stratified patients by presenting symptoms and were more pronounced in symptomatic patients (adjusted HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.61-0.79) than in asymptomatic patients (adjusted HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.71-0.90). Conclusions During the last 15 years, patients who underwent CEA in the Vascular Quality Initiative have a long-term survival advantage over those who underwent CAS in real-world practice. Despite no difference in long-term survival in randomized trials, our observational study demonstrated a survival benefit for CEA that did not diminish with risk adjustment.
Liver Tumors: Neuroendocrine Hepatic Metastases

Historically less aggressive than gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma, thus the term carcinoid. Primary tumor can be from many locations: foregut (lungs, bronchi, and stomach), midgut (small intestine, appendix, and proximal colon), or hindgut (distal colon, rectum). Majority of cell types originate from neural crest during fetal development. Secretory/functional tumors release physiologically active compounds; nonsecretory/non-functional tumors do not. Symptoms frequently related to hormone (peptides, steroids, and neuroamines) production and release.
NOTES ON THE LIFE-CYCLE OF PTYALINCOLA ONDATRAE WOOTTON AND MURRELL (IN PRESS), (BRACHYLAIMIDAE-TREMATODA), INFECTING THE SALIVARY GLANDS OF MUSKRATS

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the life cycle of Ptyalincola ondatrae (Wootton and Murrell), infecting the salivary glands of muskrats. Ptyalincola ondatrae (Wootton and Murrell) lives as adults in the salivary and oral mucous glands of muskrats, Ondatra zibethicus , in the Douglas Lake area of Michigan, United States. Eggs that do not hatch outside of the snail host are infective to the operculate snail, Campeloma decisum . Daily dissection of A. grandis mussels experimentally exposed to several C. decisum snails shedding cercariae indicated that the cercariae are trapped by the labial palps, cast off their tails, and penetrate the labial palps to and through the mantle. Muskrats, from swamp areas known to be free of both the mussel and snail intermediate hosts, were used in infection experiments. Control animals from the same source proved to be negative upon postmortem. Clams were opened for young muskrats, but adult animals readily opened the mussels by holding the shell with the hinge away from them, forcing the lower incisor teeth between the valves.
Randomness + structure = clutter: a procedural object placement generator

Clutter is the random yet structured placement of objects in a room. We describe a procedural clutter generator that achieves believable, varied, and controllable object placement using a hierarchical colored Petri net capable of expressing any computable set of object placement constraints.
Decomposition of T2 for Multivariate Control Chart Interpretation

Cumulative sum (CUSUM) control charts have been widely used for monitoring the process mean. Relatively little attention has been given to the use of CUSUM charts for monitoring the process variance. The properties of CUSUM charts based on the logarithm..
Considérations sur la Législation Italienne en Matière d'Elimination des Déchets

During the last few years the governments of industrialized countries have noted that the national legislation on environmental protection was no longer in conformity with new problems created by the ever increasing production of solid wastes and the need for the disposal thereof to be accomplished in full respect for ecological and energy requirements. In some countries, clauses were added to existant legislation in an attempt to fill the gaps opened by recent developments. In other countries, such as Italy, the legislative bodies preferred to tackle the problem as a whole by drafting ex novo legislation to cover the whole area of refuse control and management. The results achieved by the E.E.C. in this field represent the furrow in which the member states should proceed with their new regulations. Present Italian legislation on solid wastes dates back to 1941 and is totally out of line with contemporary social, economic, and environmental reality. Therefore, the new legislation, before Parliament, will have to be approuved as soon as possible. Regulations issued by a number of Italian Regions and Provinces represent the precursor of what will be embodied in the new law. The major innovations in DDL * N. 1044 are: —acceptance of the E.E.C. principle promoting the recovery of usable matter and energy from wastes, even though the bill merely repeats the general principles without indicating operational features; —division of authority between State, Regions, and Local Communities in keeping with the new institutional system established through regional decentralization, even though it will be necessary to dissipate a certain incompatibility with DPR ** 24.7.1977, N. 616 which transferred administrative functions to local authorities; —specific prescriptions covering special waste categories (industrial, commercial, agricultural, artisanal) by regulations governing their disposal and the costs relative thereto; —analysis of the problem of covering the costs for the collection, transport and disposal of solid refuses in order to balance the budgets of communal services. Law N. 1044 undoubtedly represents a remarkable effort to collate and coordinate the various aspects of the problem of solid refuses in the light of the communitarian philosophy. It should therefore be promptly approuved by Parliament.
Prosthetic joint infection caused by Candida lusitaniae: report of a unique case.

ABSTRACTBackground: Candida prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a rare complication of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The literature regarding its diagnosis and management is scarce.Case summary: W...
From the predictable to the unexpected: kelp forest and benthic invertebrate community dynamics following decades of sea otter expansion.

The recovery of predators has the potential to restore ecosystems and fundamentally alter the services they provide. One iconic example of this is keystone predation by sea otters in the Northeast Pacific. Here, we combine spatial time series of sea otter abundance, canopy kelp area, and benthic invertebrate abundance from Washington State, USA, to examine the shifting consequences of sea otter reintroduction for kelp and kelp forest communities. We leverage the spatial variation in sea otter recovery to understand connections between sea otters and the kelp forest community. Sea otter increases created a pronounced decline in sea otter prey—particularly kelp-grazing sea urchins—and led to an expansion of canopy kelps from the late 1980s until roughly 2000. However, while sea otter and kelp population growth rates were positively correlated prior to 2002, this association disappeared over the last two decades. This disconnect occurred despite surveys showing that sea otter prey have continued to decline. Kelp area trends are decoupled from both sea otter and benthic invertebrate abundance at current densities. Variability in kelp abundance has declined in the most recent 15 years, as it has the synchrony in kelp abundance among sites. Together, these findings suggest that initial nearshore community responses to sea otter population expansion follow predictably from trophic cascade theory, but now, other factors may be as or more important in influencing community dynamics. Thus, the utility of sea otter predation in ecosystem restoration must be considered within the context of complex and shifting environmental conditions.
Experiment: Investigating Feasibility of Coexistence of LTE-U with a Rotating Radar in CBRS Bands

Increasing data traffic demands over wireless spectrum has necessitated spectrum sharing and coexistence between many heterogeneous systems. Citizen Broadband Radio Service band (3550 − 3700 GHz) is touted as one of the key frequency bands, recently opened by regulatory bodies for opportunistic secondary access, to enable improvements in the performance of wireless broadband and cellular systems. It is imperative that a secondary system coexisting with the primary incumbent users in these bands (typically naval radars) should not inflict any deleterious interference on the latter. In this context, this paper explores the feasibility of an LTE communication network coexisting in the same channel with an incumbent naval radar while not causing any impairments to normal radar performance. The broad idea is to have LTE base stations sense the pattern of radar transmissions (period, duration) and accordingly adjust the duty cycle of their transmissions by muting whenever radar transmissions are present. Implementation of LTE with duty cycles (also referred to as LTE-Unlicensed or LTE-U) is done using an open source platform called srsLTE. The setup is implemented in the Orbit testbed at WINLAB using USRP X310s. The set up is also used to study and quantify the impact of different radar transmission parameters on the performance of the coexisting LTE-U system such as attainable downlink throughput and latency. Results from these experiments show that an LTE-U eNodeB can harmoniously coexist with an incumbent radar at close quarters by appropriately muting its own transmissions in order to not detrimentally impact the performance of the latter, but suffers significant impairments in its own performance due to radar interference. This motivates a more careful design of radar waveform to facilitate such close-range coexistence of the LTE network without significant losses in the performance of the latter.
DELIRIUM DETECTION FOR ELIGIBILITY IN A RANDOMIZED TRIAL FOR COGNITIVELY VULNERABLE OLDER ADULTS

Delirium is a risk factor for numerous adverse outcomes, yet little research has focused on detecting delirium in community-dwelling older adults to prevent subsequent delirium and address often co-occurring cognitive impairment and depression. We report on delirium detection approaches to identify eligible participants for an ongoing randomized trial testing a novel in-home care management intervention for older adults with cognitive vulnerability. Community-dwelling older adults in a Medicare Advantage insurance plan are identified with delirium based on ICD-10 codes in medical claims; if they agree to further screening, the FAM-CAM instrument is administered to a family member. Of the first 111 enrolled study participants, while only 9 were initially identified with a delirium ICD-10 code, 24 screened positive for delirium using the FAM-CAM. Among these 24, 14 had co-occurring dementia, and 6 had dementia and depression. Implications of these findings for delirium detection in community-based, cognitively vulnerable older adults are discussed.
Temperature Dependent Analytical DC Model for Wide Bandgap MESFETs

In this paper, an analytical model has been developed to predict DC characteristics of wide bandgap metal semiconductor field effect transistors (MESFETs). The model evaluates potential distribution inside the channel of the device by dividing the Schottky barrier depletion layer into four distinct regions and predicts I - V characteristics both at the room as well as at elevated temperatures. It also considers selfheating effects caused by the high-drain current and predicts negative output conductance, usually exhibited by wide bandgap MESFETs. The validity of the proposed technique is ensured by applying it on GaN and SiC MESFETs. It has been shown that the developed technique offers ~50% and ~37% improved accuracy in predicting the output characteristics of the device at T = 300 K and T = 500 K, respectively, relative to the best reported model. Thus, the proposed technique can be employed in the device modeling software involving high-power MESFETs.
Assessing the Differential Effects of Known and Mystery Rewards in a Preschool-Based Group Contingency:

Group contingencies have been used successfully to modify a variety of behaviors for children with diverse characteristics across multiple settings. However, these interventions have not been applied to increase social interactions (SI) between typically developing children and those with multiple or severe disabilities (MSD). Furthermore, little research has been conducted to examine whether differential outcomes are associated with the type of reward used (known or mystery). The purpose of this study was to examine the differential effects of known versus mystery rewards on the SI of preschool children with and without MSD within an independent group contingency. The findings indicated that although there were no differences in levels of SI between reward types, both were superior to the baseline condition and were viewed as socially valid by classroom teachers and naive raters. In addition, this study was conducted with high methodological quality exceeding that of previous group contingency research c...
State-of-the-science review of leader-follower dyads research

Abstract Despite its importance in multilevel research, the dyad level of analysis has been known as the most poorly understood level. Suggestions have been made recently in terms of levels alignment issues and methodologies to enhance the understanding of dyadic phenomena. Given recent remedies for dyads research and that the leader-follower dyad is generally considered the key dyad in organizations, we conducted a comprehensive review of the current state of leader-follower dyads research to assess what we know and how much we know about leader-follower dyads research conducted at the dyad level. Specifically, we summarized empirical studies that focused on leader-follower dyads that used data collected on the same variables from both dyadic partners. This review involved coding studies of these “pure” leader-follower dyads based on several dyadic theories (e.g., vertical dyad linkage, individualized leadership, leader-member exchange, leader-follower congruence) and multiple analytic methods (e.g., multilevel modeling, polynomial regression, WABA) that dealt with leader-follower dyads directly. Based on the results, this review generated a nomological network of constructs for understanding leader-follower dyads and to provide suggestions for future leader-follower dyads research.
Religación y Gracia en el pensamiento de Xavier Zubiri

We can find in Xavier Zubiri’s work a large reflection on the problem of God and His relationship with the human being. On this article we are looking to show what are the key ideas of this thinking from a zubirian philosophical perspective. We will also try to show how this philosophical thinking can be translated into a theology, which is able to put in relation the Creator with the creature from a dual perspective: the donation of the First and the transformation of the second.
Digital tomosynthesis of the pediatric elbow

Imaging pediatric elbow trauma in the acute setting remains diagnostically challenging given difficult patient positioning, multiple ossification centers of the pediatric elbow, overlapping structures, and complex joint anatomy. Digital tomosynthesis is a technique where the X-ray source travels across a limited arc angle, obtaining a series of low-dose exposures that are in turn digitally reconstructed to produce high in-plane resolution at a relatively low overall radiation dose. Digital tomosynthesis is now more commonly integrated into standard radiographic machines and offers a new and exciting way to assess the pediatric elbow. In this review article we discuss the clinical applications of digital tomosynthesis in pediatric elbow trauma along with challenges related to technique, patient positioning and artifacts.
Physical, chemical and biological dynamics of five temporary dystrophic forest pools in central Mississippi

Five temporary forest pools at Noxubee National WildlifeRefuge,Noxubee Co., Mississippi were surveyed monthly for three yearstogain a better understanding of the dynamics of temporaryaquatichabitats. The objective of this study was to characterize thephysicochemical and biological changes in temporary pools inorderto assess the temporal habitat diversity. These ecosystems,allwithin no more than 4 km of one another, were heterotrophicwith adetrital-based food web derived from allochthonous leaflitter.These pools were chosen because of their close proximity tooneanother, they historically filled and dried seasonally, andtheywere known breeding sites for resident amphibian populations.Only47% of the amphibian cohorts inhabiting the pools appeared tothrive and metamorphose prior to pool desiccation. Successfuldevelopment and dispersal of larvae was variable among poolsandyears. We found that the filling cycles differed amonghabitats andthat physiochemical and biological parameters were highlyvariable.Our data suggest that ephemeral pools in this central piedmontregion of Mississippi are each unique and represent habitatsof lowpredictability for amphibian breeding and success. We concludethatit is erroneous to draw generalizations regarding a ‘typical’temporary pool ecosystem within this region.
Adverse Childhood Experiences Are Associated with Childhood-Onset Arthritis in a National Sample of US Youth: An Analysis of the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health.

Objectives To determine whether there is an association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and childhood-onset arthritis, comparing youth with arthritis to both healthy youth and youth with other acquired chronic physical diseases (OCPD); and to examine whether ACEs are associated with disease-related characteristics among children with arthritis. Study design In a cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health we examined whether ACEs were associated with having arthritis vs either being healthy or having a nonrheumatologic OCPD. ACE scores were categorized as 0, 1, 2-3, ≥4 ACEs. Multinomial logistic regression models examined associations between ACEs and health status while adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and poverty status. Among children with arthritis, associations between ACEs and disease-related characteristics were assessed by Pearson χ2 analyses. Results Compared with children with no ACEs, children with 1, 2-3, and ≥4 ACEs had an increased odds of having arthritis vs being healthy (adjusted OR for ≥4 ACEs, 9.4; 95% CI, 4.0-22.1) and vs OCPD (adjusted OR for ≥4 ACEs, 3.7; 95% CI-1.7, 8.1). Among children with arthritis, ACEs were associated with worse physical impairment. Conclusions Children with higher numbers of ACEs are more likely to have arthritis, when arthritis status is compared either with being healthy or with having OCPD. Further studies are needed to determine the direction of the association between ACEs and childhood arthritis, its impact on disease course, and potential intervention targets that might mitigate these effects.
Evaluation of an American Sign Language co-curricular training for pharmacy students

Abstract Background and purpose With a prevalence of about one million d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HOH) patients that utilize American Sign Language (ASL) and the strong potential for communication barriers to adversely influence patient care outcomes, strategies must be developed to support health care professionals and students in learning to better care for d/Deaf and HOH patients. The primary objective of this project was to implement and assess a co-curricular course focused on helping student pharmacists become more confident and comfortable in communicating with d/Deaf and HOH patients. Educational activity and setting The co-curricular course (ASL for the Pharmacy Professional) consisted of four 90-min classes, each covering different words/phrases and Deaf cultural competence. Students were taught basic ASL including the alphabet, numbers, vocabulary, and sentence structure. Deaf culture and d/Deaf patient interaction was also covered. Students interacted with a Deaf physician over Skype and with d/Deaf and HOH individuals from the local community. Findings Pre- and post-surveys that contained an identical set of questions were administered before and after course completion. Surveys assessed confidence and level of comfort of first- and second-professional year student pharmacists surrounding Deaf culture and interacting with d/Deaf and HOH patients. Following the course, students reported significantly improved confidence in communicating with d/Deaf patients directly and with a translator. Summary Following completion of a co-curricular ASL course, doctor of pharmacy students perceived an increase in confidence in working with d/Deaf and HOH patients. Program logistics were simplified through collaboration with an outside entity.
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure, Gestational Weight Gain, and Postpartum Weight Changes in Project Viva.

Objective: Test the extent to which pregnancy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) concentrations were associated with gestational weight gain and postpartum weight changes.
Transgender-Competence in Social Work Education: The Relationship of School Contexts to Student Affirmation of Gender Expansive People

This study examined the relationship between Master of Social Work program’s (MSW) support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people (LGBT-competence), and social work student’s self-percei...
Optimization and evaluation of fluorescence in situ hybridization chain reaction in cleared fresh-frozen brain tissues

Transcript labeling in intact tissues using in situ hybridization chain reaction has potential to provide vital spatiotemporal information for molecular characterization of heterogeneous neuronal populations. However, large tissue labeling in non-perfused or fresh-frozen rodent and postmortem human samples, which provide more flexible utilization than perfused tissues, is largely unexplored. In the present study, we optimized the combination of in situ hybridization chain reaction in fresh-frozen rodent brains and then evaluated the uniformity of neuronal labeling between two clearing methods, CLARITY and iDISCO+. We found that CLARITY yielded higher signal-to-noise ratios but more limited imaging depth and required longer clearing times, whereas, iDISCO+ resulted in better tissue clearing, greater imaging depth and a more uniform labeling of larger samples. Based on these results, we used iDISCO+-cleared fresh-frozen rodent brains to further validate this combination and map the expression of a few genes of interest pertaining to mood disorders. We then examined the potential of in situ hybridization chain reaction to label transcripts in cleared postmortem human brain tissues. The combination failed to produce adequate mRNA labeling in postmortem human cortical slices but produced visually adequate labeling in the cerebellum tissues. We next, investigated the multiplexing ability of in situ hybridization chain reaction in cleared tissues which revealed inconsistent fluorescence output depending upon the fluorophore conjugated to the hairpins. Finally, we applied our optimized protocol to assess the effect of glucocorticoid receptor overexpression on basal somatostatin expression in the mouse cortex. The constitutive glucocorticoid receptor overexpression resulted in lower number density of somatostatin-expressing neurons compared to wild type. Overall, the combination of in situ hybridization chain reaction with clearing methods, especially iDISCO+, may find broad application in the transcript analysis in rodent studies, but its limited use in postmortem human tissues can be improved by further optimizations.
Bias Against Complex Lung Cancer Surgery.

Abstract Background Lung cancer remains a major public health problem. There remain differences in mortality among socioeconomic and racial groups. Using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery database, we attempted to determine whether there were differences in treatment choices by thoracic surgeons based on patients’ race or insurance. Methods Using data from 2012 to 2017, we analyzed data from 75,774 patients with a diagnosis of lung cancer for whom complete information on race, insurance, or both was available, and who had undergone a pulmonary resection. We categorized 66,614 operations (87.9%) into standard (lobectomy, bilobectomy, or wedge excision) and 9160 (12.1%) into complex (pneumonectomy, sleeve or bronchoplastic resection, segmentectomy, or Pancoast resection) operations. Univariate and multiple variable logistic regression models were used to assess associations with receipt of a complex operation. Results Patients with private insurance had a higher incidence of complex operations (14.4%) compared with patients with government insurance (11.6%) (P Conclusions In this cohort of patients from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery database, White patients and those with private insurance had a higher incidence of complex operations. Many factors affect the decision to proceed with a complex thoracic surgical operation; type of medical insurance and race may represent 2 of them.
Bedtimes, bedtime routines, and children’s sleep across the first 2 years of life

STUDY OBJECTIVES The first objective of this study was to determine whether establishing bedtime routines in the first year of life predicts better sleep outcomes (i.e. longer sleep duration, less nighttime waking, earlier bedtime, shorter sleep latency, fewer sleep problems) across the first 2 years of life. The second objective was to determine whether specific adaptive bedtime activities (e.g. book reading) were associated with sleep outcomes. The third objective was to describe changes in adaptive bedtime activities (hug/kiss caregiver, say goodnight to family) across the first 2 years of life. METHODS Parents of 468 children from the STRONG Kids 2 birth cohort were surveyed about bedtime and bedtime routines, their child's sleep duration, nighttime waking, sleep latency, and sleep problems at 3, 12, 18, and 24 months of age. RESULTS Cross-lagged panel models revealed partial evidence for reciprocal associations between bedtime routine consistency and adaptive bedtime activities and better sleep outcomes over time. Specifically, more bedtime routine consistency predicted less nighttime waking and sleep problems, and more bedtime adaptive activities predicted longer sleep duration and fewer sleep problems. DISCUSSION The findings are discussed from a developmental perspective to highlight how consistency of bedtime routines established as early as 3 months of age may affect sleep outcomes and that the adaptive activities associated with these routines may increase in frequency over the first 2 years of life.
"The Flow that Pushes you": Christocentric Reflections on the Compassion Expressed by African American Youths in Chicago Suffering Profound Disadvantage.

Youth beset by community violence, racism, and deep poverty experience profound suffering, and it is important to learn about their strengths to support them. To that end, we asked African American youths in Chicago what made social services provided to them by the Empowering Counseling Program meaningful to them. Their responses focused on the giving and receiving of compassion. To illuminate these youths’ experiences, this study examines their understandings of compassion in light of scriptural references to compassion. In the Old Testament, compassion is a passionate, personal force and an essential virtue. Yahweh self-defines as the compassionate and merciful one. In the New Testament, compassion is the English translation of three different Greek words: splagchnizomai, eleos, and agape. Splagchnizomai signifies an inner experience of Jesus that compels him to heal, teach, and nourish people. Eleos refers to acts of mercy, a response to human sinfulness exemplified by Jesus’ forgiveness, and is a capacity his followers must fulfill. Agape refers to God’s nature, represented in Jesus, and is a potential in all persons. Themes that the scriptural references and the youths’ data have in common are highlighted. In the narratives of both the youths and Scripture, compassionate responses address suffering and alienation with consolation, forgiveness, care, healing, and reconnection. Acts of compassion are to be extended to strangers as well as to friends and family and should always include respect for the autonomy and choices of others. Both the youths and Scripture regard compassion as a transforming liberation from stigma, social oppression, and terror, a life-giving process that brings hope and joy, and a commitment that endures across relationships and time.
A zone-level occupancy counting system for commercial office spaces using low-resolution time-of-flight sensors

Abstract Understanding the locations of occupants in a commercial built environment is critical for realizing energy savings by delivering lighting, heating, and cooling only where it is needed. In this paper, we present an indoor occupancy counting system using a sparse array of inexpensive, low-resolution, and privacy-preserving time-of-flight sensors. We develop and validate an algorithm for zonal occupancy counting that can deal with multiple people walking underneath the sensors in arbitrary directions, and evaluate the system both in realistic simulations of office spaces and in a real-world installation. We found that our system has an error rate of around 0.4%, resulting in highly accurate person localization and zone counting using only a few sensors per space.
Parra and the Journal of Scientific Exploration

Michael Nahm’s report in this issue of the JSE deftly presents many of the scholarly offenses perpetrated by Alejandro Parra. Some of those not mentioned had to do with Parra’s submissions to the JSE, and I feel it’s important to add those to the record. JSE published a retraction notice earlier this year (Volume 35, Issue 1) and provided examples of Parra’s plagiarism. Moreover, the Journal rejected another paper in which we found substantial plagiarism. But Parra’s boldest effort was his submission, under his own name, of a paper by an Argentinian author, Anna Conforte—in fact, a paper Parra published in his own newsletter. But Parra never indicated that the paper was written by someone else. Several people independently and carefully compared the English submission to the original Spanish. All agreed that Parra apparently simply auto-translated the paper to clumsy English and presented it as his own work.