cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Acquisition of Morphology: Learning the Contribution of Suffixes to the Meanings of Derivatives

This study explored the development of students' knowledge of the meanings of 10 common English suffixes. A test was constructed to assess students' knowledge of the contribution of suffixes to the meanings of derivatives. Students were asked to choose which of several sentences correctly used a suffixed word. The suffixed words consisted of novel combinations of familiar stems and suffixes (e.g., butterless). Students were also tested on parallel items using familiar nonsuffixed words. The test was administered to 630 fourth-grade, seventh-grade, and high school students. Knowledge of the meanings of common English suffixes was found to undergo significant development between fourth grade and high school. Even in high school, however, there were some students who showed little knowledge of the meanings of these suffixes. The test identified students who have particular difficulties with English suffixes, and thus it has potential as a diagnostic tool.
SEARCH FOR BELIEFS TO LIVE BY CONSISTENT WITH SCIENCE

. Instead of separating religion and science into “mutually incompatible realms,” the new macromental paradigm of behavioral science permits integration of the two within a single consistent worldview. A new form of causal determinism combines conventional “bottom-up” with emergent “top-down” causation. Traditional materialist tenets are overturned, along with the science-values dichotomy, clearing the way for a science-based value/belief system. Intrinsic ethicomoral directives emerge in which a revised sense of the sacred would help protect the evolving quality of the biosphere, and the rights and welfare of future generations. Subsequent versions of today's changing worldview raise questions of which interpretation to believe. An analysis of “New Age” thinking is called for, and a brief attempt at such analysis is included.
Fault behavior dictionary for simulation of device-level transients

The paper presents a methodology for the simulation of massive number of device-level transient faults. Fault injection locations and the gate around those locations are extracted and evaluated with SPICE. The extracted sub-circuits are exercised exhaustively while fault-injections are performed. Faulty behavior at the outputs of each sub-circuit is recorded in a dictionary, along with the associated input vector, fault-injection time, and location. The recorded logical errors are injected concurrent transient simulator is developed to allow simultaneous evaluation of a massive number of fault-injections, in a single simulation pass. The methodology is illustrated by a case study of MC68000 microprocessor.
Suitability of Selected Plants to the Bean Plataspid, Megacopta cribriaria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) in No-Choice Tests

Bean plataspid, Megacopta cribraria (F.) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae), was first reported in northeastern Georgia in the fall of 2009 (Eger et al. 2010), and since then has spread throughout Georgia and into North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Mississippi and Florida (Roberts 2011; Suiter et al. 2010a, 2010b; http://www. kudzubug.org/distribution_map.cfm; Medal et al. 2013). This plant-feeding insect is related to the stink bugs (Pentatomidae). Like other pentatomoids, bean plataspids emit a strong defensive odor when disturbed. In its native Asia, one of the M. cribraria’s preferred host is kudzu, Pueraria montana Lour (Merr.) variety lobata (Willd.) (Fabales: Fabaceae). Megacopta cribraria is also an agricultural pest of soybean, Glycine max Merrill, and other legume plants and various fruit trees (Li et al. 2001; Wang et al. 2004; Eger et al. 2010). In the infested areas of the U.S.A., M. cribraria is commonly found feeding on the invasive kudzu plant (Ruberson et al. 2012; Zhang et al. 2012). Additionally, it was reported feeding on caged fig trees, Ficus carica L., in a study in Auburn, Alabama (Hu & Carroll 2012). The host range of M. cribraria will probably continue to expand as the insect disperses long distances, mainly by transportation routes into the northeastern and western USA. This new non-native invader may have the potential to cause large crop losses (USDAAPHIS 2010). Adult Megacopta cribraria collected in May of 2012 in Alachua County, Florida, (N: 29.639686° W: -82.399092°) were brought to the laboratory of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry in Gainesville for host-specificity tests with sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck; Sapindales: Rutaceae) seedlings and 11 legume plant species (Fabaceae) commonly found in Florida (Table 1). Host-specificity studies were conducted in a greenhouse during Jul-Oct 2012. A completely randomized design with 5 replications was used. Treatments consisted of single potted plants (30-40 cm height) in vegetative stage in Plexiglas cages. Three pairs of field-collected M. cribraria adults were placed into each cage. Cages were made of clear plastic Plexiglass cylinders (15 cm diam, 50-60 cm height). Mesh screening covered the top and 6 holes each 5 cm diam located in pairs at the bottom, middle, and upper parts of the cylinder to allow for air circulation. Test plants were grown from seeds in 3.8 L pots with a mixture of 2 parts
Host defenses in murine malaria: characteristics of protracted states of immunity to Plasmodium berghei.

Abstract Vaccination of 8-week-old B6D2 (C57BL/6 x DBA/2) mice with Formalin-killed asexual erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium berghei provided a capacity to survive challenge with lethal P. berghei for more than 542 days. Although long-lived, this immunity did not provide a capacity to immediately neutralize parasites in a challenge; significant levels of erythrocytic infection occurred transiently after each challenge. The quality of long-lived immunity was not enhanced by an injection of live parasites 2 weeks after the last injection of killed antigen. The results suggest that it will be difficult to design a vaccination regimen which will provide long-lived protection from overt erythrocytic-stage infection.
Identifying Appropriate Compensation Types for Service Failures: A Meta-Analytic and Experimental Analysis

This article examines how compensation type and failure type explain the recovery effect of compensation, using a meta-analysis (Study 1) and an experiment (Study 2). Drawing on resource exchange t...
Complete enumeration of elementary flux modes through scalable demand-based subnetwork definition

Motivation: Elementary flux mode analysis (EFMA) decomposes complex metabolic network models into tractable biochemical pathways, which have been used for rational design and analysis of metabolic and regulatory networks. However, application of EFMA has often been limited to targeted or simplified metabolic network representations due to computational demands of the method. Results: Division of biological networks into subnetworks enables the complete enumeration of elementary flux modes (EFMs) for metabolic models of a broad range of complexities, including genome-scale. Here, subnetworks are defined using serial dichotomous suppression and enforcement of flux through model reactions. Rules for selecting appropriate reactions to generate subnetworks are proposed and tested; three test cases, including both prokaryotic and eukaryotic network models, verify the efficacy of these rules and demonstrate completeness and reproducibility of EFM enumeration. Division of models into subnetworks is demand-based and automated; computationally intractable subnetworks are further divided until the entire solution space is enumerated. To demonstrate the strategy’s scalability, the splitting algorithm was implemented using an EFMA software package (EFMTool) and Windows PowerShell on a 50 node Microsoft high performance computing cluster. Enumeration of the EFMs in a genome-scale metabolic model of a diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, identified ~2 billion EFMs. The output represents an order of magnitude increase in EFMs computed compared with other published algorithms and demonstrates a scalable framework for EFMA of most systems. Availability and implementation: http://www.chbe.montana.edu/RossC. Contact: ude.anatnom.cre@cssor or ude.anatnom.cre@tnuh.rehpotsirk Supplementary Information: Supplemental materials are available at Bioinformatics online.
LHX3 transcription factor mutations associated with combined pituitary hormone deficiency impair the activation of pituitary target genes

The Lhx3 LIM homeodomain transcription factor is critical for pituitary gland formation and specification of the anterior pituitary hormone-secreting cell types. Two mutations in LHX3, a missense mutation changing a tyrosine to a cysteine and an intragenic deletion that results in a truncated protein lacking the DNA-binding homeodomain, have been identified in humans. These mutations were identified in patients with retarded growth and combined pituitary hormone deficiency and also abnormal neck and cervical spine development. For both the LHX3a and LHX3b isoforms, we compared the ability of wild type and mutant LHX3 proteins to trans-activate pituitary genes, bind DNA recognition elements, and interact with partner proteins. The tyrosine missense mutation inhibits the ability of LHX3 to induce transcription from selected target genes but does not prevent DNA binding and interaction with partner proteins such as NLI and Pit-1. Mutant LHX3 proteins lacking a homeodomain do not bind DNA and do not induce transcription from pituitary genes. These studies demonstrate that mutations in the LHX3 isoforms impair their gene regulatory functions and support the hypothesis that defects in the LHX3 gene cause complex pituitary disease in humans.
Why Are Antibiotics Prescribed for Patients With Acute Bronchitis? A Postintervention Analysis

Background: Despite the findings in controlled trials that antibiotics provide limited benefit in the treatment of acute bronchitis, physicians frequently prescribe antibiotics for acute bronchitis. The aim of this study was to detennine whether certain patient or provider characteristics could predict antibi­ otic use for acute bronchitis in a system where antibiotic use had already been substantially reduced through quality-improvement efforts. Methods: A retrospective chart review was perfonned in an academic family medicine training center that had previously instituted a quality-improvement project to reduce antibiotic prescribing for acute bronchitis. Patients who had acute bronchitis diagnosed during an 18-month period and who had no other secondary diagnosis for respiratory distress or a condition that would justify antibiotics were selected from a computerized-record database and included in the study (n = 135). Charts were reviewed to document patient symptoms, physical findings, provider and patient characteristics, and treatment. Results: Thirty-five (26%) patients received antibiotics for their acute bronchitis. Adults were more likely to receive antibiotics than children (34% vs 3%, P < .(01). Analysis of 20 different symptoms and physical findings showed that symptoms and signs were poor predictors of antibiotic use. likewise, no significant differences were found based on prescribing habits of individual providers or provider level of training. Conclusion: In a setting where antibiotic use for acute bronchitis had been decreased through an ongoing quality-improvement effort, it did not appear that providers selectively used antibiotics for patients with certain symptoms or signs. Other factors, such as nonclinical cues, might drive antibiotic prescribing even after clinical variation is suppressed. (J Am Board Fam Pract 2000;13:398-402.) Injudicious antibiotic use for respiratory tract in­ fections has been recognized as a major health problem and associated with the development of multiple-drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae.1- 3 One common respiratory condition for which an­ tibiotics are frequently prescribed is acute bronchi­ tis. 4 Antibiotic use for acute bronchitis is common despite several studies that suggest antibiotics are of little to no benefit in the treatment of acute bron­ chitis. 5- 7 In fact, a recent study examining antibi­
“Not Quite Teaching for Real:” Preservice Secondary English Teachers’ Use of Technology in the Field following the Completion of an Instructional Technology Methods Course

AbstractThis qualitative study examines the ways in which graduate preservice secondary English teachers integrate technology into their practice during the semester immediately following a content-specific course in methods of teaching with technology. Findings indicate the necessity of establishing connections between introductory coursework and subsequent methods courses. If the programs aim at producing technology-using teachers, then teachers must be equipped with hands-on experiences and critical examination of instructional models offered. Faculty must move from talking about technology to modeling effective teaching with technology. Similarly, if preservice teachers are expected to integrate technology into their fieldwork, they must be placed with supportive cooperating instructors who will provide the instructional autonomy needed to investigate new uses of new tools.
Toward Maximizing the Success Rates of Human Islet Isolation: Influence of Donor and Isolation Factors:

In order to make islet transplantation a therapeutic option for patients with diabetes there is an urgent need for more efficient islet cell processing to maximize islet recovery. Improved donor management, organ recovery techniques, implementation of more stringent donor criteria, and improved islet cell processing techniques may contribute to enhance organ utilization for transplantation. We have analyzed the effects of donor and islet processing factors on the success rate of human islet cell processing for transplantation performed at a single islet cell processing center. Islet isolation outcomes improved when vasopressors, and in particular pitressin, and steroids were used for the management of multiorgan donors. Higher islet yields were obtained from adult male donors, BMI >25 kg/m2, adequate glycemic control during hospital stay, and when the pancreas was retrieved by a local surgical team. Successful isolations were obtained in 58% of the cases when > or = 4 donor criteria were met, and even higher success rates (69%) were observed when considering > or = 5 criteria. Our data suggest that a sequential, integrated approach is highly desirable to improve the success rate of islet cell processing.
MSC Therapeutics in Chronic Inflammation

The utilization of mesenchymal stem cells (also known as mesenchymal stromal cells, or MSCs) as a cell-based therapy for diseases that have ongoing inflammatory damage has become increasingly available. Our understanding of the cell biology of MSCs is still incomplete. However, as a result of increasing numbers of pre-clinical and clinical studies, general themes are emerging. The capacity of MSCs to reduce disease burden is largely associated with their ability to modulate the activity of the host immune responses rather than to contribute directly to tissue regeneration. As a result, they have significant potential in the treatment of chronic inflammatory disease regardless of the affected tissue. For example, MSC based therapies have been developed in the context of diseases as diverse as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Here we discuss some of the principles that link these conditions, and the aspects of MSC biology that contribute to their use as a therapy for chronic inflammatory conditions.
Control of European Brown Snail in Citrus Groves in Southern California with Guthion and Metaldehyde Sprays

Metaldehyde and Guthion® ( O, O -dimethyl S -(4-oxo-1,2,3-benzotriazin-3-(4H)-ylmethyl)phosphorodithioate) sprays were evaluated in field tests for their control of European brown snail ( Helix aspersa Muller) on citrus in southern California. Metaldehyde, at higher dosages, was effective against snails infesting lemons. There was no measurable difference between snail mortality from metaldehyde wettable powder and that from aqueous suspension treatments when compared on the basis of metaldehyde equivalents. Against snails infesting Valencia oranges metaldehyde was only partially effective. The dense foliage of Valencia orange trees appeared to protect the snails falling beneath the trees from the desiccating influence of sun and wind, with the result that many snails recovered from the effects of the metaldehyde treatment. Guthion was highly effective against snails infesting both Valencia oranges and lemons. Among snails infesting Valencia oranges, mortality rates obtained with Guthion were comparable with those obtained with a standard treatment of tartar emetic and sugar. Among snails infesting lemons, mortality rates in Guthion plots were superior to those obtained in plots treated with proprietary bait composed of tricalcium arsenate, metaldehyde, and bran. Because of its demonstrated effectiveness, Guthion appears to be a promising molluscacide. Its use on citrus for other purposes or as an additive to other combined materials used in citrus spray treatments applied during periods of high snail activity would provide adequate snail control without involving prohibitive costs.
Similarity of Ghetto and Nonghetto Food Costs

Recent findings by researchers such as Caplovitz [2] and Sturdivant [5] have indicated that the poor pay more. Other studies, such as that by Goodman [3] and the Bureau of Labor Statistics [6], have indicated that the poor may not pay more. Similarly, this article attacks one of the major issues with which Americans are currently concerned, i.e., Do the poor pay more? The Caplovitz and Sturdivant studies focus on durable goods prices. The Goodman and BLS studies are primarily about food prices. This study resembles the last in that it investigates the cost of food. However, although each of the studies just cited represents an investigation of a rather limited selection of items (which in one case could have distorted the findings), the selection priced here is more comprehensive.
The Case of Rivera Elementary School The Politics of Collaboration

This case involves a struggle for control among differently situated leaders—district- and building-level administrators, teachers, parents and community members, and university partners—seeking to...
Effect of Epinephrine on Blood Count and on Hematocrit Value.

SummaryInjections of epinephrine were found to produce the following reactions in patients with and without diseases of the blood-forming tissues, from whom samples of capillary or venous blood were withdrawn: 1. Tenderness over the spleen and long bones occurred in some of the patients who had diseases of the blood-forming tissues. 2. There was an increase in the erythrocyte and leukocyte counts regardless of whether or not the spleen was present. 3. The lymphocytes were the first blood-cells to increase in numbers following injection. 4. Immature cell-forms did not appear in numbers sufficient to indicate stimulation of the bone-marrow. 5. The hematocrit values were increased. 6. The mean corpuscular volume varied too greatly to be of significance. (The calculation of the mean corpuscular volume is at best only an approximation.) 7. The fragility of erythrocytes was not altered. 8. When added in vitro to whole blood, epinephrine did not produce significant changes. The results of these experiments are c...
Crystallization of Zr41Ti14Cu12Ni10Be23

Crystallization of the undercooled bulk metallic glass forming Zr 41 Ti 14 Cu 12 Ni 10 Be 23 melt is investigated. Isothermal crystallization studies are performed between the liquidus and the glass transition temperature and a time-temperature-transformation diagram is determined. The various solidification products of samples solidified from different levels of undercooling are examined by electron microprobe. The investigations reveal the morphology and typical length scale of the microstructure as well as the primarily solidified phases after crystallizing at different degrees of undercooling. The typical length scale, the size to which one nucleation event grows, decreases continuously with increasing supercooling over 5 orders of magnitude. The number density of nuclei during primary crystallization is estimated from the microstructure. Repeated isothermal undercooling experiments are performed to investigate the scattering of the time to reach crystallization. These results suggest that at low undercooling crystallization takes place by a classical nucleation and growth mechanism. At high undercooling a diffusion controlled mechanism can explain the results. In addition, constant heating and cooling experiments are performed. Crystallization is found to be history dependent in this system. A rate of about 1 K/s is sufficient to suppress crystallization of the melt upon cooling from the equilibrium is nore liquid. During heating of amorphous samples, in contrast, a rate of about 200 K/s is necessary to avoid delectable crystallization. The crystallization temperature upon reheating depends on the minimum temperature to which the liquid was cooled prior to reheating as well as on the cooling rate by which the liquid was cooled into the amorphous state.
Centrifugal Method of Determining Red Cell Deformability

A recently developed technique for deforming red blood cells (RBC) in which they are centrifuged through buffer and into a glutaraldehyde solution was evaluated as a method of assessing cellular deformability (i.e., the ability of the entire RBC to form a new configuration). To accomplish this, RBC populations of differing cellular deformability were tested, using three generally accepted techniques to obtain these differences: partial fixation with low concentrations of glutaraldehyde, density fractionation, and suspension of RBC in nonisotonic media. Our results indicate that at a constant deforming force the mean deformed length of the RBC decreased under conditions where cellular deformability is known to decrease, thus suggesting the usefulness of this centrifugal method for the estimation of this cellular property.
Early Pliocene horses from late Pleistocene fluvial deposits, Gulf Coastal Plain, South Texas

Isolated teeth and post-cranial elements of fossil vertebrates were recovered from sand and gravel pits in valley fill and terrace deposits along the Nueces River in San Patricio and Nueces Counties, Texas. A log from the valley fill deposit has been radiocarbon dated at 13,230 ± 110 BP. The fauna is mixed and comprises typical late Pleistocene taxa and relatively abundant remains of early Pliocene (latest Hemphillian) horses. The latter group includes Astrohippus albidens (Mooser), Nannippus spp., Neohipparion eurystyle (Cope), and a derived species of either Calippus or Pseudhipparion. Many of these specimens show little or no evidence of abrasion, in spite of the fact that they may have been transported at least 12–25 km. The source beds for these early Pliocene horses are unknown, but the fossils were probably eroded from older, updip sediments of the upper Goliad Formation during a low stand of sea level at the end of the Pleistocene and deposited during the late Wisconsinan.
Effects of subchronic injection of dizocilpine during adolescence on prepulse inhibition and glucose tolerance of mice in adulthood

Objective T o investigate the effects of the subchronic injection of dizocilpine( M K-801) during adolescence on prepulse inhibition( PPI) and glucose tolerance of mice in adulthood. Methods T wenty mice in adolescence were randomly divided into the control group( n = 10) and model group( n = 10). After birth for30- 43 d, mice of two groups were injected with saline of 0. 9%( 4 mL /kg) and M K-801( 0. 6 mg /kg)respectively once a day for two weeks. Food intake and body weight were measured each week. O pen field test,PPI test, and glucose tolerance test( GT T) were performed in adulthood of mice( 70- 80 d after birth).Results T he PPI of mice of the model group at prepulse of 79 dB intensity was significantly lower than that of the control group( P 0. 05), suggesting that M K-801 successfully induced schizophrenia-like behavior of mice.Body weights of mice of the model group were significantly lower than those of the control group( P 0. 05).Results of GT T showed that plasma glucose levels of mice of the model group were significantly higher than those of the control group at 90 min and 120 min after glucose injections( P 0. 001,P 0. 01), suggesting that abnormal glucose tolerance appeared in M K-801 induced schizophrenia-like mice. T he differences of food intake and locomotor activities in open field tests of mice of the model group and control group were not statistically significant( P 0. 05). Conclusion T he subchronic injection of M K-801 during adolescence can induce the impairment of PPI and abnormal glucose tolerance of mice in adulthood.
On the Usage of Kappa to Evaluate Agreement on Coding Tasks

In recent years, the Kappa coefficient of agreement has become the de facto standard to evaluate intercoder agreement in the discourse and dialogue processing community. Together with the adoption of this standard, researchers have adopted one specific scale to evaluate Kappa values, the one proposed in (Krippendorff, 1980). In this position paper, I highlight some issues that should be taken into account when evaluating Kappa values. Finally, I speculate on whether Kappa could be used as a measure to evaluate a system’s performance.
Of mice, fishermen, and food

A non-linear science career: how I started in terrestrial ecology working on rodents, moved on to fisheries management, and ended up comparing the environmental impacts of fishing to farming. I was drawn to fisheries because there was a real need for science and the kind of analysis I did to help solve real world problems. I was very fortunate that the advent of major computing power and the demand for fisheries management driven by the declaration of 200mile exclusive economic zones coincided with my completing the PhD. A career formed by good fortune, meeting and working with excellent colleagues, and random events at just the right time. My advice to young scientists in the field is to build collaborations, both with other scientists but also with the managers of the fisheries. Get your hands dirty in real problems, but always remembering the importance of fisheries to the food security of some of the poorest people of the world. What you do really matters.
Biomineralization of U(VI) phosphate promoted by microbially-mediated phytate hydrolysis in contaminated soils

Abstract The bioreduction of uranium may immobilize a significant fraction of this toxic contaminant in reduced environments at circumneutral pH. In oxic and low pH environments, however, the low solubility of U(VI)-phosphate minerals also makes them good candidates for the immobilization of U(VI) in the solid phase. As inorganic phosphate is generally scarce in soils, the biomineralization of U(VI)-phosphate minerals via microbially-mediated organophosphate hydrolysis may represent the main immobilization process of uranium in these environments. In this study, contaminated sediments were incubated aerobically in two pH conditions to examine whether phytate, a naturally-occurring and abundant organophosphate in soils, could represent a potential phosphorous source to promote U(VI)-phosphate biomineralization by natural microbial communities. While phytate hydrolysis was not evident at pH 7.0, nearly complete hydrolysis was observed both with and without electron donor at pH 5.5, suggesting indigenous microorganisms express acidic phytases in these sediments. While the rate of hydrolysis of phytate generally increased in the presence of uranium, the net rate of inorganic phosphate production in solution was decreased and inositol phosphate intermediates were generated in contrast to similar incubations conducted without uranium. These findings suggest uranium stress enhanced the phytate-metabolism of the microbial community, while simultaneously inhibiting phosphatase production and/or activity by the indigenous population. Finally, phytate hydrolysis drastically decreased uranium solubility, likely due to formation of ternary sorption complexes, U(VI)-phytate precipitates, and U(VI)-phosphate minerals. Overall, the results of this study provide evidence for the ability of natural microbial communities to liberate phosphate from phytate in acidic sediments, possibly as a detoxification mechanism, and demonstrate the potential utility of phytate-promoted uranium immobilization in subsurface environments. These processes should be investigated in more detail with pure cultures isolated from these sediments.
Where Wounded Knee Meets Wounded Knees: Skate parks and Native American youth:

As contemporary peoples, Native Americans exist within multifaceted realities and participate in many everyday popular pleasures. One pleasure prominent in the lives of many young Native Americans ...
Utilization of perioperative systemic chemotherapy in upper tract urothelial carcinoma

Abstract Introduction Evidence for the use of perioperative chemotherapy (PC) in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is largely derived from level I evidence for invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB). There has been an increase in PC for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder, as it has disseminated into clinical practice. Therefore, we sought to not only analyze trends in the utilization of PC in UTUC, but also assess factors associated with its use in a large cancer registry database. Methods The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with UTUC who underwent extirpative surgery from 2004 to 2013. Predictors of receiving PC were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Temporal trends in the utilization of PC were also analyzed using a general analysis of variance linear model. Results From 2004 to 2013, there was significant increase in PC for UTUC from 9.6% to 13.8% (P = 0.0003). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy increased from 0.7% to 2.1% (P = 0.0018), whereas adjuvant chemotherapy remained relatively stable at 11.3%. Significant predictors of receiving PC on multivariate analysis were private insurance, ureter as the primary site, poorly differentiated and undifferentiated grade, lymphovascular invasion, positive margins, clinical T3 or T4 disease, nodal metastasis, and reporting from an academic research program. Patients who were≥70 years old,>50 miles to treatment center, had tumor in the kidney, or had an increased Charlson-Deyo Score were significantly less likely to receive PC. Conclusions Over the time period studied, there has been an increase in the use of PC, primarily from increased administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Its use is mostly associated with advanced pathologic characteristics. The study also highlights key demographic and socioeconomic differences that can help identify barriers to receiving PC and aid in making improvements in delivery of health care to patients with UTUC.
Benchmarking an unstructured grid sediment model in an energetic estuary

Abstract A sediment model coupled to the hydrodynamic model SELFE is validated against a benchmark combining a set of idealized tests and an application to a field-data rich energetic estuary. After sensitivity studies, model results for the idealized tests largely agree with previously reported results from other models in addition to analytical, semi-analytical, or laboratory results. Results of suspended sediment in an open channel test with fixed bottom are sensitive to turbulence closure and treatment for hydrodynamic bottom boundary. Results for the migration of a trench are very sensitive to critical stress and erosion rate, but largely insensitive to turbulence closure. The model is able to qualitatively represent sediment dynamics associated with estuarine turbidity maxima in an idealized estuary. Applied to the Columbia River estuary, the model qualitatively captures sediment dynamics observed by fixed stations and shipborne profiles. Representation of the vertical structure of suspended sediment degrades when stratification is underpredicted. Across all tests, skill metrics of suspended sediments lag those of hydrodynamics even when qualitatively representing dynamics. The benchmark is fully documented in an openly available repository to encourage unambiguous comparisons against other models.
Modeling and computation of nonlinear rotating polymeric jets during forcespinning process

Abstract In the usual forcespinning (FS) process, a meso-scale fluid jet is forced through an orifice of a rotating spinneret, where the ambient fluid is air. This leads to the formation of a jet with a curved centerline. In this study we make use of a phenomenological viscosity model for polymeric fluid to investigate the properties of nonlinear polymeric fiber jets during FS process. We apply multi-scale and perturbation techniques to determine the governing modeling systems for such nonlinear rotating jets and their stabilities. First, we calculate numerically the expressions for the leading order nonlinear steady solutions for the jet quantities such as radius, speed, stretching rate, strain rate and trajectory versus arc length, and we determine, in particular, these quantities for different values of the parameters that represent effects due to rotation, viscosity and relaxation time. Next, we calculate the stability of the nonlinear jet versus different types of perturbations. We find that the nonlinear fiber jet flow can be stable in most cases and uncover conditions for which fiber radius reduces and the jet speed or stretching rate increases.
Correction to: Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Bone Metastases: Incidence, Prognostic Significance, and Management—Single-Center Experience

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake in the Author group section. Author first names and family names were interchanged.
Treating laryngopharyngeal reflux: Evaluation of an anti-reflux program with comparison to medications.

Abstract Objective To determine if an anti-reflux induction program relieves laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) symptoms more effectively than medication and behavioral changes alone. Study design Retrospective study. Setting Tertiary care academic center. Subjects and methods A database was populated with patients treated for LPR. Patients were included in the study group if they completed a two-week anti-reflux program (diet, alkaline water, medications, behavioral modifications). Patients were included in the control group if they completed anti-reflux medications and behavioral modifications only. Patients completed the voice handicap index (VHI), reflux symptom index (RSI), cough severity index (CSI), dyspnea index (DI) and eating assessment tool (EAT-10) surveys and underwent laryngoscopy for examination and reflux finding score (RFS) quantification. Results Of 105 study group patients, 96 (91%) reported subjective improvement in their LPR symptoms after an average 32-day first follow-up and their RSI and CSI scores improved significantly. No significant differences were found in VHI, DI, or EAT-10 scores. Fifteen study patients who had previously failed adequate high-dose medication trials reported improvement and their CSI and EAT-10 scores improved significantly. Ninety-five percent of patients with a chief complaint of cough reported improvement and their CSI scores improved significantly from 12.3 to 8.2. Among 81 controls, only 39 (48%) patients reported improvement after an average 62-day first follow-up. Their RSI scores did not significantly change. Conclusion The anti-reflux program yielded rapid and substantial results for a large cohort of patients with LPR. It compared favorably with medication and behavioral modification alone. It was effective in improving cough and treating patients who had previously failed medications alone.
Justin A. Zivin, MD, PhD: August 17, 1946–February 17, 2018

Justin Zivin was one of the most imaginative investigators in our field. Although his work was synonymous with r-tPA (recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator) for acute stroke, few working in nonendovascular therapy today know his true contributions. In 1985, Justin published in Science the first unequivocal demonstration that thrombolysis with r-tPA improved neurological outcomes.1 Before that, and for many years afterward, stroke model efficacy equaled recanalization—artery blocked, artery open. By quantifying meaningful functional recovery, Justin challenged contemporary dogma, proving that subjects benefited from thrombolysis after stroke. In other words, successful arteriographic response (recanalization) did not substitute for the documented behavioral benefit. His work unarguably provided the key foundation for the later successful human trials in thrombolysis. Justin A. Zivin Further, and far more importantly, Justin’s Science article influenced subsequent work profoundly. He was aware that to obtain regulatory approval for drug development required demonstration of efficacy, usually measured with a clinically meaningful end point, such as mortality. As a student in a stroke laboratory in 1985, I was thinking that stroke therapy could be assessed with easy-to-measure end points, such as stroke size or recanalization rates. I was struggling to perfect an intra-arterial embolus model when Justin and I first met—he was moving to the University of California, San Diego and I was to be his Fellow. Our interaction in those first few months set the modus operandi for the ensuing 30+ years. First, he patiently and courteously explained why my model was misguided, even though it reflected the state of the art in stroke modeling at the time. Then, he gave me his article to read, saying very little other than that if I understood it, I would be welcome in his group. Thankfully, when …
Nonlinear Problems Via Boundary Element Methods

It is known that boundary clement methods (BEMs) are generally methods for linear differential equations. The essence of the method hinges on the existence of fundamental solutions (or more generally parametriccs) of the associated linear differential operators. Nevertheless, there are various nonlinear problems to which BEMs are applicable from both theoretical and computational points of view. The purpose of this paper is explore the applicability of the BEM approaches to nonlinear boundary-value problems in mechanics, and to discuss their basic common features through a collection of simple model problems. We hope that these discussions may share some light and provide systematic guidelines for newcomers to the field.
Melanoma: Historical Context

We are in the midst of a therapeutic revolution for patients with melanoma. This chapter reviews several topics on melanoma from epidemiologic trends, to the evolution of the surgical approach, to adjuvant treatment of melanoma, and also reviews various systemic therapies for metastatic melanoma. Each component of this chapter describes advances from a historical perspective, beginning with the first descriptions of melanoma in the literature, to the discovery of activating B-raf mutations in melanoma, and concluding with the current immune and targeted based therapies for advanced melanoma. It serves as a segue to the more detailed therapies and advances in the ensuing chapters.
An Efficient Module Detection Algorithm for Large-Scale Complex Networks

The module detection problem for large-scale complex networks has attracted attention to understand the interactions of nodes as well as the underlying network property. Since the concept of modularity is created to quantify the module property in a network, numerous efforts have been focused on solving the module detection problem via maximizing the modularity of a network. However, due to the NP-complete nature of the modularity maximization problem, existing algorithms, ranging from heuristic methods to greedy algorithms, are computationally demanding. Accordingly, we first reformulate the network module detection problem as Mixed Integer Quadratic Programming (MIQP) problem. Subsequently, an efficient and memory-saving algorithm based on inexact Augmented Lagrangian Method (ALM) is developed to solve MIQPs. By exploiting the special structure and sparsity of the problem settings, simplified and closed form solutions are obtained for subproblems of the inexact ALM. Simulation results from the proposed algorithm and the greedy algorithm using real-world databases are presented.
From Tolerating Anemia to Treating Anemia

Roubinian and colleagues reported that parallel to a decrease in red blood cell transfusions, the prevalence of anemia at hospital discharge and at 6 months increased from 2010 to 2014 without a co...
Connecting Diffusion MRI to Skeletal Muscle Microstructure: Leveraging Meta-Models and GPU-acceleration

Due to its non-invasive nature, diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI) has shown promise as a method to quantify skeletal muscle's microstructure; however, connecting the dMRI signal of muscle to the underlying microstructure is difficult. Numerical models of dMRI can parameterize this relationship, but the associated computational expense has prohibited extensive use. Here, efficient numerical methods are presented to address this problem. In particular, a meta-model representation of a lattice Boltzmann model of dMRI is formulated and shown to be both accurate and several orders of magnitude faster to evaluate. It is also demonstrated how such a meta-model can help inform dMRI pulse profile selection in encoding microstructural information into the dMRI signal. Additionally, histologically-informed simulations are performed, allowing comparison of the numerical model's simplified parameterization with the more complex topology of skeletal muscle. Finally, an efficient inversion method is proposed to infer microstructural parameters of muscle from dMRI signal using a GPU-accelerated numerical model. The inversion method is able to infer microstructural parameters from dMRI signal when the underlying geometry matches the numerical model's, however, the simplified numerical model does not agree with simulations of more complex muscle tissue.
Colloquium: Neutrino detectors as tools for nuclear security

In 1930, Wolfgang Pauli proposed that conservation of energy and momentum in beta decay required the existence of a new particle: the neutrino. Since then experimental methods have matured to the point that neutrino detection now has an important practical application, namely, enhancing nuclear security. In this Colloquium the challenges and advances in the field of neutrino detection and their use in national security are discussed.
Assessing Alternative Approaches for Conveying Automated Vehicle “Intentions”

Research suggests the general public has inherent distrust in highly automated vehicles (HAV), typically stemming from a lack of vehicle system transparency while in motion (e.g., the user not being informed how the car will react in the upcoming scene) and not having an effective way to control the vehicle in the event of a system failure. To better understand user trust and perceptions of comfort and safety while riding in an HAV, this study evaluated in-situ human-machine interface (HMI) systems (visual, auditory, and mixed-modal) to relay vehicle “intentions” (e.g., the vehicle's response to roadway stimuli) to the user. A considerable link was found between HMI modality and users’ reported levels of comfort, safety, and trust during experimentation. In addition, several key behavioral traits are identified as factors that contributed to users’ baseline comfort levels with the HAV. Moving forward, it will be necessary for HAV systems to keep users in-the-loop in an effort to increase system transparency and overall understanding. Vehicle feedback should consistently and accurately represent the driving landscape and clearly communicate vehicle system state to users.
Effect of subcutaneous closure technique on incisional complications and postoperative pain in cats undergoing midline celiotomy: A randomized, blinded, controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of three methods of subcutaneous tissue closure on postoperative incisional complications and pain in cats. STUDY DESIGN: Single‐center, randomized, blinded, controlled trial conducted in a veterinary teaching hospital. ANIMALS: Two hundred ninety‐seven cats undergoing midline celiotomy for ovariohysterectomy (n = 280) or other abdominal procedure (n = 17). METHODS: Cats (n = 297) were assigned to one of three subcutaneous closure methods: simple continuous apposition with tacking to the rectus fascia (n = 108, quilting [Q] group); simple continuous apposition (SC; n = 94); no subcutaneous closure (NC; n = 95). Primary outcomes were incidence of seroma formation, postoperative pain, and surgical site infection or dehiscence. Active follow‐up was obtained at 10 and 30 days postoperatively. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics did not differ between groups. Seroma was less common in the Q group (13.0%) than in the NC (27.3%) and SC (25.9%) groups (P = .03). Compared with the other two groups, the relative risk of seroma formation in the Q group was 0.49 (95% CI = 0.28‐0.86, P = .01). Median mechanical pain thresholds were higher (indicating greater comfort) in cats with subcutaneous sutures (Q and SC = 1.23 [interquartile range (IQR), 0.2‐2.6 N], NC = 0.83 [IQR, 0‐1.87 N], P = .04) on the day after surgery. CONCLUSION: Closing subcutaneous tissues with a quilting closure pattern reduced seroma formation in cats undergoing celiotomy. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Placing a quilting suture pattern in the subcutaneous tissues after celiotomy is a simple low‐cost measure that reduces seromas in cats. Abstaining from subcutaneous closure cannot be recommended because of increased seroma formation and pain.
Staying under the radar: constraints on labour agency of pineapple plantation workers in Costa Rica?

Plantation workers have seemingly little opportunities for labour agency, defined as the worker's ability to act and improve their conditions. In response to a call for a better understanding of the horizontal dimension shaping labour agency, this article questions what local factors determine the worker's ability to act by analysing the institutional constraints embedded in the national context through a mixed methods approach. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data is used to understand what shapes and constrains the potential for labour agency in the case of plantation workers in the pineapple sector of Costa Rica. We provide new empirical evidence of the relation between the local opportunity structure-proxied by perceived job security and union awareness-and labour agency in terms of a worker's intention to choose forthright (voice), evasive (exit) or repressed (loyalty) actions. The model results indicate that a lack of job security and a lack of union awareness significantly reduce the likelihood to use forthright actions (such as voicing concerns, striking or joining a union) compared to evasive (such as leaving the job) or repressed actions (such as doing nothing). In addition, the qualitative analysis of the local opportunity structure identifies four institutional constraints: weak employment protection, vulnerability of migrant workers, limited workers' representation and insufficient labour law enforcement. Besides overcoming these institutional constraints, empowering workers to make their voices heard also requires awareness raising about their collective bargaining rights and more job security.
Obtaining Health Care as an International Retiree Living in Cuenca, Ecuador and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Because of their age, retirees often have chronic illnesses, use health care services frequently, and consequently consider health care access a greater priority than do younger persons. Therefore, we anticipated that the availability of quality health care would be important to international retirees who are living abroad in Latin America.