cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Engineering Values Into Genetic Engineering: A Proposed Analytic Framework for Scientific Social Responsibility

Recent experiments have been used to "edit" genomes of various plant, animal and other species, including humans, with unprecedented precision. Furthermore, editing the Cas9 endonuclease gene with a gene encoding the desired guide RNA into an organism, adjacent to an altered gene, could create a "gene drive" that could spread a trait through an entire population of organisms. These experiments represent advances along a spectrum of technological abilities that genetic engineers have been working on since the advent of recombinant DNA techniques. The scientific and bioethics communities have built substantial literatures about the ethical and policy implications of genetic engineering, especially in the age of bioterrorism. However, recent CRISPr/Cas experiments have triggered a rehashing of previous policy discussions, suggesting that the scientific community requires guidance on how to think about social responsibility. We propose a framework to enable analysis of social responsibility, using two examples of genetic engineering experiments.
Abstract 180: Alcohol Consumption Negatively Competes with Estrogen-Mediated Myocardial Repair in Ovariectomized Mice: Ethanol-Mediated Suppression of Estradiol-Induced Survival Signaling in Endothelial Progenitor Cells

Studies in post-menopausal women and ovariectomized (OVX) animals have suggested a cardio-protective (CP) role of estrogen replacement therapy. However, randomized clinical trials have not confirmed this finding with hormone replacement (HRT). Although HRT initiation and duration might explain part of this disparity, other factors that mask the CP effect of estradiol (E2) require scrutiny. We and others have reported that E2-supplementation (E2sup) with 17β-E2 pellets enhances voluntary alcohol consumption in OVX mice. In this study, we examined the effect that enhanced ethanol consumption with E2sup has on post-infarct myocardial function and repair. E2sup OVX BALB/c mice, consumed significantly more 10% ethanol for 6 weeks compared to those implanted with placebo pellets. Following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), LV functions were consistently depressed in mice consuming ethanol (E2sup+Etoh) compared to mice receiving only E2sup. Additionally, the E2sup+Etoh group also displayed a loss of the improvements in both fibrosis area and capillary density observed in the E2sup mice following AMI. E2sup+Etoh mice also displayed a diminished number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) as compared to the E2sup group. In vitro, exposure of EPCs to ethanol suppressed E2-induced EPC proliferation and survival. At the molecular level, estrogen response element (ERE) DNA binding activity and ERE-dependent reporter gene transcription were markedly repressed in ethanol treated EPCs. Ethanol also attenuated E2-induced eNOS expression and phosphorylation. Furthermore, ethanol blocked E2-induced activation of cell survival signaling pathways, Akt and ERK, and activated the pro-apoptotic JNK signaling via direct association with mixed lineage kinase 3. These data suggest that E2 modulation of alcohol consumption and the ensuing EC dysfunction may negatively compete with the beneficial effects of estrogen on the heart.
Anjali Arondekar. For the Record: On Sexuality and the Colonial Archive in India

The critical challenge is to imagine a practice of archival reading that incites relationships between the seductions of recovery and the occlusions such retrieval mandates. By this I mean to say: ...
Effects of concurrent task demands on language planning in fluent children and adults.

Purpose The aim of the present study was to investigate how children and adults allocate cognitive resources to performing segmental encoding and monitoring in a dual task paradigm and the response patterns of the primary and secondary tasks in the dual task. Methods Participants were 20 children divided equally into two age groups-7 to 11 years, 12 to 15 years, and 10 adults. The primary task required participants to monitor phonemic segments in a picture - written word interference paradigm while silently naming the pictures. The picture and distractor word were the same (replica), related (phoneme onset overlap), or unrelated. The secondary task required participants to make pitch judgments on tones presented at short (330 ms) or long (1130 ms) stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) from picture onset. Results Developmental differences were observed in both response times and percent errors in the primary and secondary tasks. Slower responses to the primary task were evident at the long SOA, related condition. Slower response times to the tone decision task were evident at the short than the long SOA. The findings support the capacity sharing account of dual task performance and suggest that dual task costs during language planning are higher in children than adults.
Ulcerative colitis and colonic cancer: Problems in assessing the diagnostic usefulness of mucosal dysplasia

To assess the association of mucosal dysplasia and colonic cancer in patients with ulcerative colitis and to avoid bias in biopsy interpretation that may have affected results of previous studies, the authors examined coded histology slides from colectomy specimens of 22 patients who had ulcerative colitis and colonic cancer and 22 patients who had ulcerative colitis but no colonic cancer. As expected, it was found that dysplasia occurred contiguous to each cancer. However, at a distance from the cancer (i.e., in histology blocks not containing cancer), some dysplasia was found (low or high grade) in 16/22 cases (73 percent), and high grade dysplasia in 11/22 cases (50 percent). These results suggest that there may be a somewhat weaker association than previously reported between colonic cancer and dysplasia at a distance from the colonic cancer. Further, these results suggest that, in studies of dysplasia, it is important to avoid bias in biopsy interpretation and to describe sampling methods.
Primary nevus of a lymph node.

Large clusters of benign-appearing cells closely resembling nevus cells of the commonplace cutaneous nevocellular nevus were found in the capsule and trabeculae of a submandibular lymph node. Although the patient also had invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, the nevus cells in no way resembled the carcinomatous cells. Clinical and histopathologic evidence from this and other reported cases suggests that proliferation and nevocytic differentiation of aberrant neural crest tissue or Schwannian elements occurred within the fibrous framework of the lymph node. The result is a malformation of neural tissue analogous to a cutaneous nevocellular nevus. Care must be taken to avoid mistaking a primary nevus of a lymph node for a metastatic malignant neoplasm.
Moiré superstructures of graphene on faceted nickel islands.

Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, in combination with density functional theory calculations, we investigated the morphology and electronic structure of monolayer graphene grown on the (111) and (110) facets of three-dimensional nickel islands on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite substrate. We observed graphene domains exhibiting hexagonal and striped moire patterns with periodicities of 22 and 12 A, respectively, on (111) and (110) facets of the Ni islands. Graphene domains are also observed to grow, as single crystals, across adjacent facets and over facet boundaries. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy data indicate that the graphene layers are metallic on both Ni(111) and Ni(110), in agreement with the calculations. We attribute this behavior to a strong hybridization between the d-bands on Ni and the π-bands of carbon. Our findings point to the possibility of preparing large-area epitaxial graphene layers even on polycrystalline Ni substrates.
Inapproximability of NP-complete Problems, Discrete Fourier Analysis, and Geometry

This article gives a survey of recent results that connect three areas in com- puter science and mathematics: (1) (Hardness of) computing approximate solutions to NP-complete problems. (2) Fourier analysis of boolean functions on boolean hypercube. (3) Certain problems in geometry, especially related to isoperimetry and embeddings between metric spaces.
Analysis of delta-globin gene mutations in Greek cypriots

We recently described four delta-globin gene mutations in Greek Cypriots studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and automated fluorescence-based DNA sequence analysis (Blood 78:3298, 1991). Selective restriction enzyme digestion of PCR products facilitated direct mutation detection. Twenty-eight additional samples from unrelated Cypriots with Hb A2 levels ranging from 0.6% to 3.6% were studied by PCR and showed the following: twelve had the delta 27 (ala-->ser) mutation, one was heterozygous for the delta IVS-2 AG-->GG change, and none had either the delta 116 (arg-->cys) or delta 141 (leu-->pro) mutations. The remaining samples were divided into two groups: 11 with borderline normal Hb A2 values that were not pursued; and four with abnormal Hb A2 values. The delta-globin genes from these four samples were sequenced and the same four changes identified in each: a C-->T at -199, a C-->T at codon 4 (thr-->ile), a silent C-->T at codon 97, and an AT deletion at position 722 in IVS-2. The codon 4 change abolishes a Ple I site whereas the codon 97 creates an Nla III site, thus facilitating rapid identification. All four changes are in cis position, suggesting that the -199 C-->T, the C-->T at codon 97, and the AT deletion in IVS-2 are neutral polymorphisms present on the codon 4 (thr-->ile) chromosome. DNA haplotype analysis suggests all five delta-globin gene mutant alleles arose independently on different chromosomal backgrounds.
The Late Cochise Culture in the Sulphur Spring Valley, Southeastern Arizona: Archaeology of the Fairchild Site

ABSTRACTExcavation of the Fairchild site was conducted between August and October, 1970, as part of a contract archaeological project on the Double Adobe-Cochise College Highway right-of-way directed by the Arizona State Museum. The major site component, a transitional Chiricahua-San Pedro stage Cochise culture campsite, appears to have been a base camp inhabited seasonally by small groups of hunter-gatherers. Analyses of stone tools and material sources, and evidence of human paleoenvironmental relations indicate that the prehistoric groups may have moved within a territory including the southern Sulphur Spring Valley and adjacent mountains. No evidence for the practice of agriculture was found. The design of future research in this area should consider these aspects and test them with additional data gathered in the field.
Application of filter arrays to the study of arsenic toxicity and carcinogenesis

Publisher Summary Inorganic arsenic is a known human carcinogen, and it exerts many acute and chronic adverse effects. Epidemiology studies show that chronic arsenic exposure produces tumors of the skin, the bladder, the lung, the liver, the prostate, and the kidney. Environmental arsenic exposure is mainly from consumption of drinking water contaminated with inorganic arsenic but can also result from burning of coal containing high levels of inorganic arsenic. The alterations in gene expression that are linked to arsenic (As) toxicity and carcinogenicity are poorly defined. There are a variety of ways in which As can alter gene expression that can be associated with aberrant cellular phenotypes. Because alterations in gene expression following As exposure that are linked to toxic effects are incompletely understood, microarray technology was utilized to analyze gene expression changes associated with As toxicity and carcinogenesis. Total RNA was extracted from cells transformed by chronic arsenic exposure, mouse livers of acute and chronic arsenic exposure, and liver tumors induced by transplacental arsenic exposure. RNA was then converted to cDNA probes using reverse transcriptase and cDNA synthesis primers.
10 Years of Adult Learning: Content Analysis of an Academic Journal

Academic publications provide insights into a discipline’s history, knowledge base, and research norms, and thus analyzing publication activity provides learning about the field of study. To learn ...
Benefit-cost analysis of watershed conservation on Hawai'i Island

Abstract In landscapes around the world, growing attention is being paid to the link between forest structure and water resources. More clarity is vital for informed decision making, especially as water scarcity continues to increase in many regions across the globe. The objective of this study is to estimate the volume of freshwater yield saved per dollar invested in forest restoration at several sites on Hawai'i Island. Using budget information and publicly available land cover and evapotranspiration data, we find that under baseline conditions—a 3% discount rate and 10% rate of spread for existing non-native plant species—1487 l are saved on average across management sites per dollar invested. In other words, $0.67 in present value terms is required to protect every 1000 l of freshwater over a 50-year time horizon. Annual benefits increase continuously as the avoided loss of freshwater yield rises over time, while conservation costs tend to be front-loaded, as a result of high fence installation and ungulate removal costs. Thus, it is important to consider the long run when comparing the benefits and costs of conservation activities.
An attack-resilient distributed DC optimal power flow algorithm via neighborhood monitoring

Distributed DC optimal power flow (DC-OPF) is vulnerable to malicious cyber attacks due to the absence of a control center. In our previous work, we demonstrated a data integrity attack can manipulate the power dispatch result of distributed DC-OPF by compromising the distributed controller on a bus and modifying the information being sent to the neighboring buses. This vulnerability, in turn, could be exploited by attackers for financial arbitrage in a distributed electricity market. Thus, there is a growing need for attack-resilient control techniques that can fit into the distributed power system framework to ensure the global optimality of the power dispatch result in the presence of unexpected adversaries. In this paper, we proposed a resilient distributed DC-OPF algorithm against data integrity attacks by using a neighborhood monitoring scheme. On one hand, the resilient distributed DC-OPF algorithm is an efficient approach to deal with significant increasing amount of distributed energy resources (DERs) thanks to its flexibility and scalability. On the other hand, its neighborhood monitoring scheme enables its built-in defense to identify the misbehaving distributed controllers relying on each bus's local information and recover the optimal power dispatch from the malicious impact of data integrity attacks.
When using patient-reported outcomes in clinical practice, the measure matters: Results from an RCT.

6519 Background: Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) assess patients' perspectives on the impact of diseases and treatments. There is increasing interest in having patients complete PRO questionnaires and using the data clinically to identify and address patients' issues. There are many different PRO questionnaires, and this study investigated whether one PRO is more appropriate than others for clinical use. Methods: This controlled trial randomly assigned patients to complete 1 of 3 PRO questionnaires: six domains from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), the EORTC QLQ-C30, or the Supportive Care Needs Survey-Short Form (SCNS). Breast or prostate cancer patients, >=21 years old, undergoing treatment, with oncologist visits at least monthly were eligible. Patients completed their assigned PRO questionnaire via computer either in the clinic or via the web prior to their clinic visits for the duration of active treatment. The results were provided to their clinicians for use du...
Microbial Interactions Preventing Fungal Growth on Senescent and Necrotic Aerial Plant Surfaces

Although there is an extensive literature concerning many aspects of phyllosphere microbial ecology, only a small proportion addresses senescent and necrotic aerial plant tissues. But microbial activity on these surfaces is important, in part because the microflora there can interact with microbes on living plant surfaces (see Kohl and Fokkema, 1994; Fokkema, 1993). Furthermore, a consideration of the environment on senescent or non-living plant surfaces can bring forward, through contrast with the living phyllosphere, general principles of microbial ecology and interactions. In another chapter of this volume, Alan Rayner discusses fungal interactions on bark, a non-living layer of aerial tissue in woody plants. In contrast, this chapter addresses senescent and non-living aerial tissues of herbaceous plants — specifically, the physical and nutritional environment of these surfaces as it affects the microbial community, the microbial interactions that can limit the survival or activity of fungi there, and how these effects are relevant to microbial activity in phyllospheres of living plants.
An improved, non-functionalized route to plasmonic nanoparticle based cellular probing through osmolyte mediation (Conference Presentation)

Engineering nanostructured probes for ultra-sensitive detection of specific molecular species, our research seeks to capture the complex changes in cells and tissues that can predict disease progression in an individual. While such nanoparticle-based platforms are rapidly gaining a foothold in cancer diagnostics, one of the most concerning factors is the vulnerability of cells to the interaction with functional nanoparticles thereby raising the specter of systemic toxicity. The nanoparticles end up damaging the cells and disrupting cellular functions thereby impeding their imaging aim. Furthermore, PEGylation, and similar routes, force a tradeoff between desired nanoparticle properties (recognition, uptake, and reduced toxicity) and sensitivity of plasmon-enhanced spectroscopic sensing methods, such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) where the proximal presence of noble metal NP and the organic molecule of interest is key. In this work, we report a trehalose-mediated, non-surface functionalized route for cell-nanoparticle interactions that maintains cell viability while allowing selective interaction of the nanoparticle with the cell surface receptors and subsequent internalization. Through careful electron microscopy of nanoparticle-prostate cancer cells interactions, we elucidated that there exists a dynamic equilibrium between “free” cytosolic diffusion of the nanoparticles and endocytosis through vesicle formation – and trehalose tilts the scale in favor of the latter to mask the toxic effects of the nanoparticles. The precise molecular interpretation of this behavior was further probed through SERS, which directly points towards the protein stabilization properties of trehalose mediation during interaction of the nanoparticles with the plasma membrane components.
Understanding water policy sustainability: A case study in San Francisco and San Jose California

Abstract This research works to create a clearer understanding of sustainability in water policy through an examination of current water policies in San Francisco and San Jose, California. San Francisco was selected because it appears on various lists of as one of the “Most Sustainable US Cities.” San Jose was chosen as a control city based on being similar in demographics, climate, and in the same state, but did not appear on any sustainability lists. A comparison of the sustainability of water policies between the two cities was undertaken based on the traditional pillars of social, economic, and environmental themes highlighted in the literature. The results suggest that, as expected and for the most part, San Francisco has more sustainable policies than San Jose, although there is overlap. The environmental pillar was the least included of the three traditional pillars in each city while economic interests were the most prevalent. San Francisco was only missing two of the twenty-one themes while San Jose was missing ten. This cursory research suggests that to increase sustainability within water policy city agencies, policy writers, and water board members should address these themes in the writing of water policy. The study did not attempt to address the effectiveness of any policies.
Localization of extended quantum objects

A quantum system of particles can exist in a localized phase, exhibiting ergodicity breaking and maintaining forever a local memory of its initial conditions. We generalize this concept to a system of extended objects, such as strings and membranes, arguing that such a system can also exhibit localization in the presence of sufficiently strong disorder (randomness) in the Hamiltonian. We show that localization of large extended objects can be mapped to a lower-dimensional many-body localization problem. For example, motion of a string involves propagation of pointlike signals down its length to keep the different segments in causal contact. For sufficiently strong disorder, all such internal modes will exhibit many-body localization, resulting in the localization of the entire string. The eigenstates of the system can then be constructed perturbatively through a convergent ``string locator expansion.'' We propose a type of out-of-time-order string correlator as a diagnostic of such a string localized phase. Localization of other higher-dimensional objects, such as membranes, can also be studied through a hierarchical construction by mapping onto the localization of lower-dimensional objects. Our arguments are ``asymptotic'' (i.e., valid up to rare regions) but they extend the notion of localization (and localization protected order) to a host of settings where such ideas previously did not apply. These include high-dimensional ferromagnets with domain wall excitations, three-dimensional topological phases with looplike excitations, and three-dimensional type-II superconductors with flux line excitations. In type-II superconductors, localization of flux lines could stabilize superconductivity at energy densities where a normal state would arise in thermal equilibrium.
Hybrid regression test selection

Regression testing is crucial but can be extremely costly. Regression Test Selection (RTS) aims to reduce regression testing cost by only selecting and running the tests that may be affected by code changes. To date, various RTS techniques analyzing at different granularities (e.g., at the basic-block, method, and file levels) have been proposed. RTS techniques working on finer granularities may be more precise in selecting tests, while techniques working on coarser granularities may have lower overhead. According to a recent study, RTS at the file level (FRTS) can have less overall testing time compared with a finer grained technique at the method level, and represents state-of-the-art RTS. In this paper, we present the first hybrid RTS approach, HyRTS, that analyzes at multiple granularities to combine the strengths of traditional RTS techniques at different granularities. We implemented the basic HyRTS technique by combining the method and file granularity RTS. The experimental results on 2707 revisions of 32 projects, totalling over 124 Million LoC, demonstrate that HyRTS outperforms state-of-the-art FRTS significantly in terms of selected test ratio and the offline testing time. We also studied the impacts of each type of method-level changes, and further designed two new HyRTS variants based on the study results. Our additional experiments show that transforming instance method additions/deletions into file-level changes produces an even more effective HyRTS variant that can significantly outperform FRTS in both offline and online testing time.
Effect of Resident Involvement on Morbidity and Mortality Following Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair.

Objective To evaluate the effect of resident involvement in thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). Summary of Background Data Although the influence of resident intraoperative involvement in several types of surgical procedures has been reported, the effect of resident participation in TEVAR is unknown. We evaluated patient outcomes in resident-involved TEVAR procedures. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database was analyzed for TEVAR performed from 2010 to 2012. Current procedural terminology codes were used to identify adult patients (≥18 y) who underwent TEVAR. Patients were grouped into those with and without resident involvement. Descriptive and binomial logistic statistics were used to determine the effect of resident involvement on post-TEVAR outcomes. p values Results A total of 676 patients met inclusion criteria for this study. Of these, 517 (76.5%) had residents involved. Overall mortality was 9.8%, with no significant difference between the 2 groups (p = 0.88). Resident involvement was not a significant predictor of any post-TEVAR complication. Postoperative pneumonia (3.5% vs 6.9%, p = 0.06), prolonged mechanical ventilation (11.8% vs 11.9%, p = 0.96), stroke (2.7% vs 5.7%, p = 0.07), urinary tract infection (3.3% vs 4.4%, p = 0.50), progressive renal insufficiency (1.2% vs 2.5%, p = 0.22), acute renal failure (4.1% vs 5.0%, p = 0.60), cardiac arrest (2.9% vs 5.0%, p = 0.20), myocardial infarction (1.7% vs 1.9%, p = 0.91), deep venous thrombosis (1.7% vs 1.3%, p = 0.67), red blood cells transfusions (29.2% vs 36.5%, p = 0.08), sepsis (2.9% vs 4.4%, p = 0.35), septic shock (1.9% vs 3.8%, p = 0.18), and unplanned reintubation (8.7% vs 9.4%, p = 0.78) were not significantly affected. Additionally, resident involvement did not significantly affect operative time (176.1 ± 122.8 min vs 180.3 ± 119.1 min, p = 0.71) and anesthesia time (282.1 ± 146.6 min vs 278.3 ± 140.5 min, p = 0.78). Conclusions The participation of residents in TEVAR did not significantly affect all 30-day patient outcomes. Resident involvement in TEVAR is safe and should be encouraged. Mini abstract This study evaluated the effect of resident participation on postoperative outcomes of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement (ACS-NSQIP) database. Results showed that resident involvement in TEVAR does not negatively affect patient outcomes.
Analysis of Agent-Based Parallelism for Use in Clustering and Classification Applications

The Multi-Agent Spatial Simulation (MASS) library, which we have developed at University of Washington Bothell, provides the efficiency of agent-based parallelization while abstracting the parallel environment for the agent-based model [1]. It provides a middle layer that only requires the user to contribute code relevant to their project without having to manage the details of parallelization.
Time-Variant, Community-Based, and Home-Cell Community-Based Mobility Model

We describe the time-variant community mobility, community-based mobility, and home-cell community-based mobility model. The TVC model that is a time-variant community mobility model and preserves common mobility characteristics is described. We show how the diverse characteristics of mobile nodes including location visiting preferences and periodical reappearance at the same location accommodated by the TVC model. The CBM model that exploits the social behavior of mobile users is described and we explain that this model shows a gregarious behavior, such that all users in a community tend to follow the first user that moves outside the physical location where the community is located. We have formulated the HCBM model that has extended the CBM with the concept of defining preferential locations in which users tend to spend most of their time. The simulation experimental results of TVC, CBM, and HCBM are provided.
Orphics: Computer Graphics and the Shaping of Time with Color

In view of the unprecedented control and flexibility now offered by computers, the author discusses ideas and techniques for the fluid articulation of color in time and illustrates his concepts with recent work. Parallels with music and mathematics (fractals) are discussed concerning such musical practices as modulation and thematic transformation. The nature of dividual as opposed to individual forms is considered from the point of view of color dynamics and dimensional upgrades. Parallels with music and film are made concerning the nature of thematic dissolves. The emergence of a hypothetical language of light and sound (Orphics) is envisioned.
The Marketing Planning and Implementation Interface: Some Empirical Evidence

Forty managers involved in implementing marketing strategies shed light on the marketing planning-implementation interface. Findings highlight the need to revise current conceptions of the boundaries between the two functions, and for conceptualizing them as an inclusive gestalt. Implications of the findings are discussed, and propositions for future testing generated.
The Site of Noh K'uh, Chiapas, Mexico: A Late Preclassic Settlement in the Mensäbäk Basin

In this report we introduce the site of Noh K'uh, a Late Preclassic (400 BC–AD 250) community in the western frontier of the Maya Lowlands. This new body of data contributes to the study of how complex societies emerged both within the Usumacinta River region and the Maya area overall.
A New Species of Cyanocydia Razowski and Becker, 2012 (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae) from Cuba

Cyanocydia Razowski and Becker, 2012 was described as a monotypic genus to accommodate Cydia eucyanea Walsingham, 1914, from Mexico. Two additional species were recently transferred to the genus: C. costaricensis (Heppner) from Costa Rica and C. salvadorana (Heppner) from El Salvador and Honduras. A fourth species, Cyanocydia cubana Brown, new species, is described and illustrated herein from Cuba. The new species widens the known geographic distribution of the genus from Central America to the northern Caribbean.
Retrospective Analysis of the Effect of Postdischarge Telephone Calls by Hospitalists on Improvement of Patient Satisfaction and Readmission Rates.

Objectives The influence of postdischarge telephone call interventions preventing hospital readmissions is unclear. A novel approach of the discharging hospitalist providing this intervention may improve overall patient satisfaction. Our objective was to assess the impact of postdischarge telephone calls from discharging hospitalists on readmissions and patients' ratings of hospital care and hospitalist communication. Methods Data were retrospectively collected from patients' electronic health records at a 167-bed hospital in Fridley, Minnesota and the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. Patients were 18 years old or older and diagnosed as having nonpsychiatric conditions. Telephone calls were made by the discharging hospitalist to adult patients discharged to home with or without home care services between February 28, 2015 and February 29, 2016. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations of postdischarge telephone calls with global hospital care rating and hospitalist communication from HCAHPS, and 30-day readmission rates from electronic health records. Results Of 4490 eligible patients, 1067 had completed telephone calls (23.8%). The intervention was associated with a statistically significant improvement in the responses to HCAHPS overall hospital rating and HCAHPS doctor communication questions (adjusted odds ratio 1.52, P = 0.04 and adjusted odds ratio 1.56, P = 0.021) that varied by patient age at first admission (P = 0.001 and P = 0.101). With longer inpatient lengths of stay, 30-day readmission rates improved after patients received a postdischarge telephone call, but this outcome was not statistically significant. Conclusions This study revealed that postdischarge telephone calls from discharging hospitalists increased patient satisfaction. Further research is needed to understand the causal relationships among the intervention, 30-day hospital readmission rates, and inpatient length of stay.
Mi Padre: Mexican Immigrant Fathers and Their Children’s Education

In the book Mi Padre: Mexican Immigrant Fathers and their Children’s Education, Sarah Gallo draws from ethnographic methodology and challenges readers to look more closely at parental involvement a...
Optical Sensor-Embedded Pneumatic Artificial Muscle for Position and Force Estimation.

This study presents the design of a pneumatic artificial muscle with integrated soft optical sensing for estimation of muscle contraction length and contraction force. Each optical sensor uses an l...
Electromyogram (EMG) Removal by Adding Sources of EMG (ERASE)-A Novel ICA-Based Algorithm for Removing Myoelectric Artifacts From EEG

Electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings are often contaminated by electromyographic (EMG) artifacts, especially when recording during movement. Existing methods to remove EMG artifacts include independent component analysis (ICA), and other high-order statistical methods. However, these methods can not effectively remove most of EMG artifacts. Here, we proposed a modified ICA model for EMG artifacts removal in the EEG, which is called EMG Removal by Adding Sources of EMG (ERASE). In this new approach, additional channels of real EMG from neck and head muscles (reference artifacts) were added as inputs to ICA in order to "force" the most power from EMG artifacts into a few independent components (ICs). The ICs containing EMG artifacts (the "artifact ICs") were identified and rejected using an automated procedure. ERASE was validated first using both simulated and experimentally-recorded EEG and EMG. Simulation results showed ERASE removed EMG artifacts from EEG significantly more effectively than conventional ICA. Also, it had a low false positive rate and high sensitivity. Subsequently, EEG was collected from 8 healthy participants while they moved their hands to test the realistic efficacy of this approach. Results showed that ERASE successfully removed EMG artifacts (on average, about 75% of EMG artifacts were removed when using real EMGs as reference artifacts) while preserving the expected EEG features related to movement. We also tested the ERASE procedure using simulated EMGs as reference artifacts (about 63% of EMG artifacts removed). Compared to conventional ICA, ERASE removed on average 26% more EMG artifacts from EEG. These findings suggest that ERASE can achieve significant separation of EEG signal and EMG artifacts without a loss of the underlying EEG features. These results indicate that using additional real or simulated EMG sources can increase the effectiveness of ICA in removing EMG artifacts from EEG. Combined with automated artifact IC rejection, ERASE also minimizes potential user bias. Future work will focus on improving ERASE so that it can also be used in real-time applications.
A Train Wreck by Any Other Name

This interesting paper by Sherman and Rivers (in press) seems to have a narrower point (which its authors argue for very explicitly) and a broader point (which they argue for much less explicitly.)...
Informed breeding dispersal following stochastic changes to patch quality in a pond-breeding amphibian.

The unidirectional movement of animals between breeding patches (i.e. breeding dispersal) has profound implications for the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of spatially structured populations. In spatiotemporally variable environments, individuals are expected to adjust their dispersal decisions according to information gathered on the environmental and/or social cues that reflect the fitness prospects in a given breeding patch (i.e. informed dispersal). A paucity of empirical work limited our understanding of the ability of animals to depart from low-quality breeding patches and settle in high-quality breeding patches. We examined the capacity of individuals to respond to stochastic changes in habitat quality via informed breeding dispersal in a pond-breeding amphibian. We conducted a 5-year (2015-2019) capture-recapture study of boreal toads Anaxyrus boreas boreas (n = 1,100) that breed in beaver ponds in western Wyoming, USA. During early spring of 2017, an extreme flooding event destroyed several beaver dams and resulted in the loss of breeding habitat. We used multi-state models to investigate how temporal changes in pond characteristics influenced breeding dispersal, and determine whether movement decisions were in accordance with prospects for reproductive fitness. Boreal toads more often departed from low-quality breeding ponds (without successful metamorphosis) and settled in high-quality breeding ponds (with successful metamorphosis). Movement decisions were context-dependent and associated with pond characteristics altered by beaver dam destruction. Individuals were more likely to depart from shallow ponds with high vegetation cover and settle in deep ponds with low vegetation cover. The probability of metamorphosis was related to the same environmental cues, suggesting that boreal toads assess the fitness prospects of a breeding patch and adjust movement decisions accordingly (i.e. informed breeding dispersal). We demonstrated that stochastic variability in environmental conditions and habitat quality can underpin dispersal behaviour in amphibians. Our study highlighted the mechanistic linkages between habitat change, movement behaviour and prospects for reproductive performance, which is critical for understanding how wild animals respond to rapid environmental change.
Remembering Past Lessons about Structural Racism - Recentering Black Theorists of Health and Society.

Remembering Past Lessons about Structural Racism Though the mounting resolve to address structural racism in U.S. medicine and public health is welcome, the theory and empirical grounding for this ...
Domestic Politics and International Human Rights Tribunals : The Problem of Compliance

International politics has become increasingly legalized over the past fifty years, restructuring the way states interact with each other, international institutions, and their own constituents. The international legalization of human rights now makes it possible for individuals to take human rights claims against their governments at international courts such as the European and Inter-American Courts of Human Rights. This book brings together theories from international law, human rights and international relations to explain the increasingly important phenomenon of states' compliance with human rights tribunals' rulings. It argues that this is an inherently domestic affair. It posits three overarching questions: why do states comply with human rights tribunals' rulings? How does the compliance process unfold and what are the domestic political considerations around compliance? What effect does compliance have on the protection of human rights? The book answers these through a combination of quantitative analyses and in-depth case studies from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Portugal, Russia and the United Kingdom.
Estimating the herd immunity effect of rotavirus vaccine

Abstract Introduction Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of death in children under 5, and an estimated 39% of these deaths are attributable to rotavirus. Currently two live, oral rotavirus vaccines have been introduced on the market; however, the herd immunity effect associated with rotavirus vaccine has not yet been quantified. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to estimate the herd immunity effects associated with rotavirus vaccines. Methods We performed a systematic literature review of articles published between 2008 and 2014 that measured the impact of rotavirus vaccine on severe gastroenteritis (GE) morbidity or mortality. We assessed the quality of published studies using a standard protocol and conducted meta-analyses to estimate the herd immunity effect in children less than one year of age across all years presented in the studies. We conducted these analyses separately for studies reporting a rotavirus-specific GE outcome and those reporting an all-cause GE outcome. Results In studies reporting a rotavirus-specific GE outcome, four of five of which were conducted in the United States, the median herd effect across all study years was 22% [19–25%]. In studies reporting an all-cause GE outcome, all of which were conducted in Latin America, the median herd effect was 24.9% [11–30%]. Conclusions There is evidence that rotavirus vaccination confers a herd immunity effect in children under one year of age in the United States and Latin American countries. Given the high variability in vaccine efficacy across regions, more studies are needed to better examine herd immunity effects in high mortality regions.
Inferences About Avatars: Sexism, Appropriateness, Anthropomorphism, and the Objectification of Female Virtual Representations

This study integrated the computers as social actors CASA framework with objectification theory to predict that traits, such as sexism, influence perceptions of virtual representations as well as attributions of the source and message. Participants N = 397 received a message about dating or job interviews presented by a virtual woman in either context-appropriate or context-inappropriate dress. Causal modeling techniques revealed that participants higher on sexism rated the representations as less human i.e., less anthropomorphic and less credible. Further, perceived appropriateness of clothing and anthropomorphism influenced perceptions of source trust and message clarity. Implications for understanding the role of trait variables such as sexism on perceptions of virtual representations are discussed.
Neural network model reference control of nonlinear systems

D.H. Nguyen and B. Widrow (IEEE Contr. Syst. Mag. vol.10, no.3, April 1990) developed a procedure for training a neural network controller directly from input-output measurements of the nonlinear plant. The problem as posed is representative of designing a regulator control system for nonlinear, but stable, dynamical plants. Difficulties were encountered in attempting to apply the unmodified technique to the benchmark nonlinear control problem of stabilizing an inverted pendulum. A modified procedure for resolving these difficulties that makes use of the model reference control system design principle, common in traditional adaptive control system design, is presented. Very good results were achieved. >
Database courseware with security and integrity constraints

This project to be presented has been funded by the NSF grant entitled Database Courseware: Examples, Lab Exercises, Tests, and Animation # 0089412. Specifically, the project consisted of developing tutorials, exercises and animations to supplement the teaching of fundamental concepts of database systems which are difficult to communicate in sufficient breadth and depth in a single database course. At the same time, very little visual material/animations exist to teach databases (as opposed to algorithms, introductory programming, operating systems, math, etc.). The animations developed complement introductory database texts or DBMS products and consists of three main modules: Database Design, SQL, and Transaction Processing. There are currently over 70 programs including tutorials, animations and other exercises.
The meson propagator in nuclear matter

Abstract We present a formal device for calculation of a meson propagator in infinite nuclear matter, through the calculation of the ground state energy of the system in the presence of external, static meson fields, using a pseudo-Hamiltonian simply related to the actual Hamiltonian. This approach is particularly well adapted for dealing with some effects that are not taken into account at all in multiple scattering approaches, for example, the effects of nuclear forces on the intermediate states which are involved in the meson-single-nucleon scattering. A theorem is proved about limiting conditions under which the charged pion propagator is independent of the nuclear forces. These conditions are nearly enough realized in π-nucleus scattering (sufficiently below the energy of the first resonance) so that we can evaluate the corrections perturbatively. The (virtually unknown) two-body force between the 3-3 resonance and nucleons is shown to be of considerable importance in determining the π-meson propagator.
Global boundary conditions and fast Helmholtz solvers

Electromagnetic scattering from a conducting two-dimensional cylinder is modeled by solving Helmholtz's equation with the far-field radiation boundary condition replaced by a global boundary condition allowing. This allows the boundary condition to be applied very near the scatterer. The discrete problem is solved by a biconjugate gradient algorithm. Incomplete LU decomposition is used as a preconditioning strategy, resulting in very fast convergence. The numerical solution is compared with known solutions and found to converge fasters for ka >
Statistical properties of gene-gene correlations in omics experiments

Abstract In this article, we obtain generic stochastic representations and asymptotic distributions of gene–gene correlations with respect to differential magnitudes, residual correlations, and sample size of experiment. Our results establish theoretical foundation for tight clustering of co-expressed genes.
Noaa's avhrr archive

Abstract The Satellite Data Services Division (SDSD) maintains a digital browse file of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data. The AVHRR instrument is aboard the TIROS‐N series of spacecraft. The instrument has five channels for viewing the earth, two channels are in the visible part of the spectrum and three are in the infrared portion of the spectrum. Selected data from this instrument are converted to digital browse files and loaded on the Image Library and Browse System (1LABS). The ILABS allows SDSD personnel to review data before the digital tapes are sent to satisfy the user's order. It also allows hardcopy images be sent to users. Working in conjunction with the ILABS is the Electronic Catalog System (ECS). The ECS is able to be directly accessed by the user community and it allows the users to find data in their areas of interest. Once the data are found, then that data can be ordered from the SDSD.
A motivation-focused weight loss maintenance program is an effective alternative to a skill-based approach

A motivation-focused weight loss maintenance program is an effective alternative to a skill-based approach
Impacted Shoulders – A Personal Experience

Summary: Failure of the shoulders to follow readily after delivery of the head is a life-threatening emergency for the mother and baby which is occasionally encountered by most obstetricians, and receives scant attention in current obstetric textbooks. This is a record of my personal experience of the condition, including 7 patients in whom a destructive procedure was required.
Lack of interaction between tauroursodeoxycholate and ATP-binding cassette transporter isoform G2 (ABCG2).

Ursodiol (UDCA) is useful for treating several cholestatic hepatic maladies, including intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Its taurine amidate (TUDC), which accumulates in the bile salt pool, could interact with ABCG2 (ATP-binding cassette transporter isoform G2), which is expressed in various tissues including the canalicular membrane of the hepatocyte and in the apical membrane of the placental syncytiotrophoblast. The purpose of this study was to determine the interaction between TUDC and ABCG2. ABCG2 was expressed in Sf9 cells, and ABCG2-mediated ATP-dependent transport was determined in sucrose-fractionated Sf9 membrane vesicles. The transport of estrone 3-sulfate (E1S) into ABCG2-expressing membranes was ATP-dependent and was much greater in membrane vesicles expressing ABCG2 versus the negative control (empty virus lacking the ABCG2 coding region). To determine whether TUDC affects ABCG2-mediated ATP-dependent transport of E1S, transport activity in the presence of TUDC (20−500 μM) was measured....