cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Building a Culture of Patient Safety by Eliminating Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Hospital acquired infections can be eliminated with determination as opposed to resources. Hospital acquired infections are costing hospitals and society millions of dollars. Central line associated blood stream infections (CLABs) are most common in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. Nationally, 80,000 CLABs occur in ICUs per year, with a mortality rate of 18%. One CLAB can add 14 days to a patient's length of stay and result in an additional $40,000 in costs. Hospitals routinely absorb the majority of costs incurred in the care of patients with CLABs. Evidence based patient care practices, called “bundles,” that have been designed to improve patient safety and reduce adverse patient outcomes such as CLABs are not being used consistently by healthcare organizations. METHODS: A multidisciplinary CLABs team was formed to prevent CLABs, CLABs related deaths and ensure implementation of a “Central Line Bundle” in all patients requiring a central line. Interventions included: physician and nurse reeducation and recertification on central line insertion and maintenance, standardization of practices to ensure maximal utilization of barrier precautions, skin prep with chlorhexidine and placement in the subclavian site. Practices were monitored by Nursing who were empowered to ask and stop persons who did not follow appropriate practices. A daily review of line necessity was done as well as a root cause analysis performed in real time for every CLAB. A central line insertion kit was developed to include all necessary barrier precaution, insertion and maintenance components. Data were reported back to end users on a regular basis. RESULTS: A significant reduction in CLABs was noted. Within 90 days, the ICU CLABs rate decreased from 8.5 to 0.0 per 1,000 line days. There have been no CLABs for over five months. Compliance with the “Central Line Bundle” increased from 70% to 100%. Hand hygiene compliance increased from 85% to 100%. Daily review of line necessity resulted in a 15% decrease in central line days. Costs avoided in the elimination of CLABs was nearly $500,000. CONCLUSIONS: CLABs were eliminated with limited additional resources. The use and monitoring of evidence based patient care practices or “bundles” with reporting back of data to end users resulted in the rapid and sustained elimination of CLABs. These efforts can easily be adapted for areas outside of the ICU where central lines are inserted.
What is Aural Rehabilitation

Aural rehabilitation is often described as an add-on to the services that we as professionals in the field of audiology provide on behalf of our patients. We too often find ourselves in a position of attempting to persuade our patients to participate in a service that we feel would be of benefit to them. But then, not wanting to pay extra for another service on top of the cost of the diagnostic services, and perhaps the purchase of expensive hearing aids, our patients may refuse to accept what they consider to be an additional costly service [1-3].
Three-dimensional spatial patterns of trace gas concentrations in baseflow-dominated agricultural streams: implications for surface–ground water interactions and biogeochemistry

Small streams that drain agricultural landscapes have come under close scrutiny as potentially significant indirect sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere. By exploring the stream-ground water connection in three dimensional space (horizontally and vertically beneath the stream channel, and longitudinally along the stream corridor) our results show (1) ground water can be a significant source of greenhouse gases to streams draining agricultural watersheds with concentrations in excess of atmospheric equilibrium by 221 μmol C L−1 carbon dioxide, 0.64 μmol C L−1 methane, and 0.65 μmol N L−1 nitrous oxide (N2O); (2) changes in the stream-ground water connection can create seemingly erratic patterns in GHG concentrations over short longitudinal distances (order of meters); (3) soil-stream interfaces are hotspots for denitrification and methanogenesis; however, no significant N2O production was observed at such an interface under a riparian forest; and (4) nitrate (NO3 −) and N2O can be preserved as electron acceptors in oxic ground waters draining agriculture landscapes; hence, soil nitrification was the major source of N2O to stream water, with a legacy in ground water dating back to the 1960s; N2O tracked the seepage of NO3 − into surface waters. In this study, we demonstrate the utility of detailed measurements of multiple trace gases towards revealing spatial and temporal patterns of surface–ground water interactions and biogeochemistry across several small baseflow-dominated stream ecosystems in central Wisconsin, USA.
Spreading depression and interhemispheric transfer of an avoidance response

By the use of spreading cortical depression, an avoidance response was established in a single hemisphere in 10 rats. The interhemispheric transfer of this response could be demonstrated in 50% of the Ss following a single conditioning trial with both cortical hemispheres functional. Transfer of the response was not dependent upon the S receiving shock during this 1 trial.
Critical Experiential Pedagogy: Sociology and the Crisis in Higher Education

Higher education is in crisis, especially in the public sector. Over the past few years, tuition at state universities across the country has increased dramatically, their budgets have been slashed and federal funding for need-based financial aid has been reduced. The results are increased class sizes, fewer course offerings, more adjunct faculty and fewer working-class students at public colleges and universities. In Massachusetts, where we teach, these trends are particularly pronounced. In this paper, we describe “Crisis in Higher Education,” a critical experiential course we offered to raise student awareness about the crisis and to encourage them to work for change on our campus. This course is an example of critical experiential education because it integrates classroom learning with political activism. This article describes the context and rationale for teaching the course, reports on students’ responses to its form and content, and discusses what we learned from this experience.
Cognitive and social cognitive predictors of change in objective versus subjective quality-of-life in rehabilitation for schizophrenia

A small but growing body of work has studied the role of cognitive skills in predicting response to integrated programs of rehabilitation in schizophrenia. No studies however, have directly compared the roles and interrelationships of cognition, social cognition and other disease factors in predicting improvements in the separate domains of objective quality-of-life (QOL) and subjective satisfaction with life (SWL) in response to rehabilitation in schizophrenia. Forty-four outpatients with schizophrenia were administered measures of cognition, social cognition, and symptoms at entry to a psychosocial and cognitive rehabilitation program. Change in objective QOL and subjective SWL before and after treatment were measured as outcome variables. Cognitive measures of verbal memory and social cognitive measures of facial affect recognition were linked to improvements in objective QOL, while verbal memory and crystallized verbal skill was linked to improvements in SWL. Facial affect recognition partially mediated the relationship between verbal memory and improvements in objective QOL. The implications of these findings for understanding interrelationships between cognition and social cognition and their role in predicting change in different domains of outcome as a function of behavioral treatment are discussed.
The Aging of Solder Standards

Standards, used for process control, x-ray fluorescent analysis of solder, age in a manner which changes their analytical values. If uncontrolled, erroneous analyses result when newly prepared samples are analyzed using aged standards. This error can be as much as 1 wt% after eight months aging. The change in the standards is metallurgical and has an effect analogous to that of particle size on the x-ray intensities from the standards.
Differentiation of adult stem cells into smooth muscle for vascular tissue engineering.

Background Herein we evaluate the potential of adipose-derived stem cells (ASC) to differentiate into smooth muscle cells (SMC) and their potential for use in a tissue-engineered vascular graft. Materials and Methods We isolated ASC (CD13 + 29 + 90 + ) from the peri-umbilical adipose tissue of patients undergoing vascular surgery, and cultured them in media containing angiotensin II (AngII), sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC), or transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGFβ1) for up to 3 weeks. SMC differentiation was assessed by (1) expression of early (calponin, caldesmon) and late (myosin heavy chain, MHC) SMC markers by RT-PCR, qPCR and Western blot, and (2) contraction upon plating on collagen gel. Differentiated ASCs were seeded onto a vascular graft (decellularized saphenous vein) within a bioreactor, and cell attachment was determined using confocal microscopy. Results Prior to differentiation, ASC expressed low levels of all three molecular markers. After culture in each differentiating medium, the extent of up-regulation of calponin, caldesmon, and MHC was variable across all cell lines. After seeding onto collagen gel, ASCs differentiated in SPC and TGFβ1 exhibit contractile properties, similar to smooth muscle cell controls. Differentiated stem cells adhered and proliferated on the vascular graft. Conclusion These data suggest that human adipose-derived stem cells (1) exhibit variable expression of SMC molecular markers after differentiation, (2) exhibit a contractile phenotype after differentiation with SPC and TGFβ1, and (3) proliferate on a vascular graft scaffold. Thus, ASCs are potentially useful in the construction of autologous arteries.
Clinical trials in stem cell transplantation: guidelines for scientific and ethical review.

Background Transplantation of cells derived through the manipulation of pluripotent stem cells may involve great uncertainty and the possibility of serious risks.Purpose To develop guidelines for the ethical conduct of clinical trials using such stem cells.Methods Review of literature on clinical trials ethics and clinical applications of stem cells; critical deliberation on potential guidelines.Results Such transplantation should be allowed in clinical practice only after clinical trials demonstrate efficacy and safety. These clinical trials should follow ethical principles that guide all clinical research. Additional requirements to strengthen trial design, coordinate scientific and ethics review, verify that participants understand key features of the trial, and ensure publication of findings are also warranted because of the highly innovative nature of the intervention, limited experience in humans, and the high hopes of patients who have no alternative effective treatments.Limitations These recommend...
A Neyman-Pearson approach to statistical learning

The Neyman-Pearson (NP) approach to hypothesis testing is useful in situations where different types of error have different consequences or a priori probabilities are unknown. For any /spl alpha/>0, the NP lemma specifies the most powerful test of size /spl alpha/, but assumes the distributions for each hypothesis are known or (in some cases) the likelihood ratio is monotonic in an unknown parameter. This paper investigates an extension of NP theory to situations in which one has no knowledge of the underlying distributions except for a collection of independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) training examples from each hypothesis. Building on a "fundamental lemma" of Cannon et al., we demonstrate that several concepts from statistical learning theory have counterparts in the NP context. Specifically, we consider constrained versions of empirical risk minimization (NP-ERM) and structural risk minimization (NP-SRM), and prove performance guarantees for both. General conditions are given under which NP-SRM leads to strong universal consistency. We also apply NP-SRM to (dyadic) decision trees to derive rates of convergence. Finally, we present explicit algorithms to implement NP-SRM for histograms and dyadic decision trees.
Interactions of molecules with nucleic acids. VII. Intercalation and T·A specificity of daunomycin in DNA

Intercalation complexes of daunomicin(+1) with tetramer duplexes in DNA are studied with the theoretically determined intercalation sites (I, −0.4), (II, −0.4), and (III, −1.4). These sites occur with base pairs separated by 6.76 A for helical angles of 26°, 22°, and 8° about the intercalation site. Site I is preferred, and this is in agreement with experimental unwinding angles. Optimum binding positions and conformations are established, and these are in agreement with experimental results from crystal structures. A systematic procedure is devised to study base-pair and base-sequence specificity, which results in the demonstration that the most stable sequences are mainly BP1, T·A, DAUN, A·T, BP4 and BP1, T·A, DAUN, G·C, BP4, i.e., with the TpA and CpG (pyrimidine)p(purine) sequences about the intercalation site. These 32 possible sequences are found among the 40 most stable complexes. These theoretical calculations of intercalation complexes with daunomicin(+1) provide the first example in which a drug specifically selects the base pair T·A and prefers it in a particular sequence about the intercalation site. This specificity is in agreement with some experimental results. Problems associated with the interpretation of specificity are discussed in terms of the base, base-pair, and base-sequence resulting from the DNA site and the DNA–drug interactions. T·A specificity is rationalized by noting that the 2′deoxyribo-5′-monophosphate backbone attached to A is slightly more negative than that on the other nucleotides. Hence, a preference exists for binding to the protonated daunosamine (+1) groups. Stereographic projections of daunomycinone and daunomycin(+1) in a bond model and in a space-filling model with steric contours illustrate the results.
ACC 2012 tutorial session: An introduction to hedged-like stock trading from a control theoretic point of view

The topics in this tutorial relate to a new line of research involving the use of control-theoretic tools in stock trading. No significant knowledge of stock trading will be assumed. Our goal is to demonstrate how feedback-based methods can be used to protect an individual stock or portfolio using trading algorithms and diversification concepts. A major theme of the session will be to contrast the predictive models and associated methods of classical finance with new reactive approaches that emphasize the attractive properties of feedback control. In this vein, classical predictive theory including Markowitz portfolio optimization, Merton's model and pairs trading will be presented alongside the newer feedback-centered paradigm that utilizes concepts such as idealized market models, Simultaneous Long-Short (SLS) strategies and market neutralization.
Bleeding Time and Other Laboratory Tests To Monitor the Safety and Efficacy of Thrombolytic Therapy

Widespread use of thrombolytic agents in a variety of settings has highlighted the need for measures of safety and efficacy. Previously used laboratory parameters, such as decreasing levels of fibrinogen and increasing levels of fibrin(ogen) degradation products (FDPs), have failed to correlate consistently with hemorrhagic events and have not yet been useful in predicting patients at risk for bleeding. Although the bleeding time (BT) has been considered primarily to reflect platelet function, it also reflects the interaction of platelets with vessel wall and coagulation pathways. Recently, the BT has been considered as a potential predictor of clinical bleeding during thrombolysis. The BT, as a measure of in vivo hemostatic competence, may be particularly well-suited for this application. Serial BTs during thrombolytic therapy may provide valuable information regarding safety and efficacy, but further studies are needed to confirm preliminary findings.
Spring Migration of Mallards from Arkansas as Determined by Satellite Telemetry

We used satellite telemetry to document spring migration phenology, routes, stopover regions, and nesting sites of mallards Anas platyrhynchos marked in Arkansas during the winters of 2004–2007. Of the 143 marked mallards that migrated from Arkansas, they did so, on average, by mid-March. Mallards flew over the Missouri Ozarks and 42% made an initial stopover in Missouri, where they used areas that had larger rivers (Mississippi River, Missouri River) embedded in an agricultural landscape. From this stopover region they either migrated directly to the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) or they migrated north to Minnesota where they either moved next to the PPR or to the north and east of the PPR. For those mallards (83%) that stopped for .1 d before entering the PPR, the average length at each stop was 12 d (SE = 0.90 d, range = 2–54 d). Mallards made more stopovers, made shorter migration movements, and took longer to move to the PPR in wetter than drier years. Mallards arrived in the PPR earlier in 2006 (x = 30 March, SE = 2.18 d) than in 2005 (x =7 April, SE = 2.30 d). Females nested across nine Bird Conservation Regions. Nesting occurred most frequently in South Dakota (n = 9). The average date when females nested was 19 April (SE = 2.44 d, range = 12 March–26 May). Because many mallards headed for the large river corridors in Missouri for their first stopover, this region is an important spring migration stopover of continental importance to mallards and might be considered a focal area for conservation.
Factors which affect superoxide anion release from rat alveolar macrophages.

In order to investigate some of the characteristics of superoxide anion release from alveolar macrophages, the effects of substances known to influence superoxide release from polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) were studied in rat alveolar macrophages. There is a relatively small, but constant, amount of superoxide released from alveolar macrophages at rest. The amount released increases 5- to 6-fold and becomes maximal in about 20-30 min following exposure to unopsonized zymosan particles. The rate of superoxide release is maximal only 2 min after exposure of the cells to particles, i.e., long before particle uptake is complete. In addition to particles, release of superoxide anion can be stimulated by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). Lectins and chemotactic factors, which stimulate release in PMN, have little or no effect in alveolar macrophages. Superoxide release during exposure to zymosan appears to be dependent upon extracellular Ca+ +. Also, the release mechanism can be affected by the additi...
Effects of Participant Ethnicity, Target Physiognomy, and Target Gender on College Students' Judgments of Cheating.

History and some research suggest that the degree of prejudice by Whites as well as within the African American community is related to the extent of African physical characteristics and the gender of the target. The goal of our experiment was to determine if White and non-White males and females would judge targets differently based on the target’s physiognomy and gender. Participants were divided into eight groups, each judging photographs depicting a different level of target physiognomy and gender (European, mixed, moderately African, and extremely African males and females) following presentation of a false scenario about the target’s having been caught cheating. Although Whites’ratings did not differ according to target physiognomy, non-Whites favored more African targets.
Comparison of categorical alcohol dependence versus a dimensional measure for predicting weekly alcohol use in heavy drinkers

Background The DSM specifies categorical criteria for psychiatric disorders. In contrast, a dimensional approach considers variability in symptom severity and can significantly improve statistical power. The current study tested whether a categorical, DSM-defined diagnosis of Alcohol Dependence (AD) was a better fit than a dimensional dependence measure for predicting change in alcohol consumption among heavy drinkers following a brief alcohol intervention (BI). DSM-IV and DSM-5 alcohol use disorder (AUD) measures were also evaluated.
Nanoporous sorbent material as an oral phosphate binder and for aqueous phosphate, chromate, and arsenate removal.

Phosphate removal is both biologically and environmentally important. Biologically, hyperphosphatemia is a critical condition in end-stage chronic kidney disease patients. Patients with hyperphosphatemia are treated long-term with oral phosphate binders to prevent phosphate absorption to the body by capturing phosphate in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract followed by fecal excretion. Environmentally, phosphate levels in natural water resources must be regulated according to limits set forth by the US Environmental Protection Agency. By utilizing nanotechnology and ligand design, we developed a new material to overcome limitations of traditional sorbent materials such as low phosphate binding capacity, slow binding kinetics, and negative interference by other anions. A phosphate binder based on ironethylenediamine on nanoporous silica (Fe-EDA-SAMMS) has been optimized for substrates and Fe(III) deposition methods. The Fe-EDA-SAMMS material had a 4-fold increase in phosphate binding capacity and a broader operating pH window compared to other reports. The material had a faster phosphate binding rate and was significantly less affected by other anions than Sevelamer HCl, the gold standard oral phosphate binder, and AG® 1-X8, a commercially available anion exchanger. It had less cytotoxicity to Caco-2 cells than lanthanum carbonate, another prescribed oral phosphate binder. The Fe-EDA-SAMMS also had high capacity for arsenate and chromate, two of the most toxic anions in natural water.
Brain Noradrenergic Receptors in Major Depression and Schizophrenia

The binding of [125I]p-iodoclonidine to alpha-2, and/or [125I]iodopindolol to beta-1 and beta-2 adrenoceptors was measured in right prefrontal cortex (Brodmann's area 10) and right hippocampus from subjects with DSM-III-R diagnoses of major depression (n = 15) or schizophrenia (n = 8) as well as from control subjects (n = 20). No significant differences between study groups were observed in binding to alpha-2 adrenoceptors in any of the six layers of prefrontal cortex or in any of the hippocampal fields. Likewise, there were no significant differences in beta-1 or beta-2 adrenoceptor binding in any of the hippocampal fields between control and major depressive subjects. In contrast, binding to beta-1 adrenoceptors, but not beta-2 adrenoceptors, was significantly lower (-13 to -27%) in most hippocampal fields of schizophrenic subjects as compared to control subjects or to major depressives. Alterations in beta-1 adrenoceptor binding in the hippocampus of schizophrenics provide further evidence for a role of central noradrenergic neurons in the neurochemical pathology of schizophrenia.
On persistent homotopy, knotted complexes and the Alexander module

In this paper techniques from persistent homology are generalized to homotopy groups and to algebraic invariants from knot theory. We define the persistent Alexander module, which can be used to detect knotting in a complex and determine when the knotting changes when viewed from different scales. Algorithms that use the persistent Alexander module are also presented and applied to examples including protein structures. While the basic definition of persistent homotopy is known, this is the first work to use it successfully for computations.
Immunochemical characterization of three components of the hemidesmosome and their expression in cultured epithelial cells

Treatment of bovine tongue mucosa with 1 M KCl induced a split in the lamina densa of the basement membrane zone (BMZ). The epithelium was then separated from the underlying connective tissue. Electron microscopic analysis of the stripped epithelium revealed that hemidesmosomes and their associated intermediate filaments (IF) remain along the basal surface of the epithelium. This surface was solubilized in an SDS/urea-containing buffer. Characterization of components of this protein mixture was undertaken using human autoantibodies from bullous pemphigoid (BP) patients that have been shown to recognize hemidesmosomal plaque elements (Mutasim, D. F., Y. Takahashi, R. S. Labib, G. J. Anhalt, H. P. Patel, and L. A. Diaz. 1985. J. Invest. Dermatol. 84:47-53) and by production of mAbs. Affinity-purified autoantibodies directed against 180- and 240-kD polypeptides present in the protein preparation generated strong immunofluorescence staining patterns along the BMZ of bovine tongue mucosa. Furthermore, immunogold localization revealed that these two polypeptides are associated with the hemidesmosomal plaque. A mAb preparation directed against a 125-kD polypeptide present in this same protein mixture lamina lucida side of the hemidesmosome. Autoantibodies in BP serum samples, affinity-purified 180-kD autoantibodies and the mAb preparation generated a punctate stain along the substratum attached surface of epithelial cells maintained on glass substrata for approximately 1 wk. The spots appeared to be associated with bundles of IF in cultured mouse keratinocytes. These monospecific antibody probes should prove invaluable for the study of hemidesmosome structure, assembly, and function.
Body sensor networks for driver distraction identification

Cars have become a part of almost everyonepsilas life taking people from one place to another. In such a fast paced mode of transport, there are a variety of ways in which drivers can get distracted while driving. Getting stuck in a traffic jam, doing other tasks simultaneously while driving- for example drinking, reading, talking over the mobile phone are various forms of distractions. Early detection of driver distraction can reduce the number of accidents. This paper describes the initial analysis of a system for detecting driver distractions using data from the controller area network (CAN) and motion sensor (accelerometer and gyroscope). The paper mainly focuses on distractions perceivable with leg and head movements of the driver. The data from these expressive parts of the driver yield a high accuracy of distraction detection of over 90%. With such high accuracies, reliable systems could be built to have early warning or corrective mechanisms which would avoid or reduce the intensity of accidents caused due to driver distractions.
Position sensing with non-uniform electrode designs on high-resistivity silicon

The fabrication and operation of position-sensitive silicon detectors is reported. P-type high-resistivity silicon (>10 kOmega-cm) of thickness 550 mum is used as the substrate on which non-uniform anode patterns are formed. An aluminum-semiconductor architecture is used to form a rectifying junction, which can serve as a means by which single-sided non-uniform position sensing devices are rapidly developed. The junction properties are found to be highly sensitive to microscopic variations in the interface characteristics which, in a macroscopic device, can lead to resolution loss. The signal readout and the processing of non-uniform electrode patterns is also discussed.
A Microprocessor-Oriented Algorithm for Adaptive Equalization

Adaptive equalization based on a transversal filter is extremely important for reliable data transmission over the voiceband telephone lines. Unfortunately, implementation of rapidly converging and small residual distortion algorithms on the standard MOS microprocessors or standard-cell MOS VLSI chips is difficult because of their mathematical complexity. In this paper, an adaptive equalization algorithm is proposed which is suitable for cost-effective implementation on MOS microprocessors and standard-cell MOS VLSI chips. It is based on the same principle of delayed decision that was used successfully in delta modulation. It involves no multiplications or analog-to-digital conversion, but is relatively fast and provides a relatively low residual distortion. The proposed algorithm is simulated in both noise-free and noisy environments and is compared to two well-known classical algorithms.
Interaction of a screw dislocation with a crack in an anisotropic body

The stress field, image force, and shielding effect of a screw dislocation in the vicinity of a Mode III crack were formulated for both semi-infinite and finite length cracks. The results show that there is an abnormal stress component, ŝ31, on the crack plane. This leads to a nonzero image force along the axis perpendicular to the crack plane when the dislocation is located on the crack plane. However, the abnormal stress component and image force disappear for orthotropic and isotropic media. The image force along a slip plane has the same expression as in isotropic media with an effective shear modulus. Generally the shielding effects are the same as in isotropic media. The anisotropy changes only the magnitude of the shielding effects. The case of multiple dislocations is also discussed.
Dietary Intakes and Nutritional Issues in Neurologically Impaired Children

Neurologically impaired (NI) children are at increased risk of malnutrition due to several nutritional and non-nutritional factors. Among the nutritional factors, insufficient dietary intake as a consequence of feeding difficulties is one of the main issues. Feeding problems are frequently secondary to oropharyngeal dysphagia, which usually correlates with the severity of motor impairment and presents in around 90% of preschool children with cerebral palsy (CP) during the first year of life. Other nutritional factors are represented by excessive nutrient losses, often subsequent to gastroesophageal reflux and altered energy metabolism. Among the non-nutritional factors, the type and severity of neurological impairment, ambulatory status, the degree of cognitive impairment, and use of entiepileptic medication altogether concur to determination of nutritional status. With the present review, the current literature is discussed and a practical approach for nutritional assessment in NI children is proposed. Early identification and intervention of nutritional issues of NI children with a multidisciplinary approach is crucial to improve the overall health and quality of life of these complex children.
Using remote sensing to detect weed infestations in Glycine max

Abstract The objective of this research was to evaluate the accuracy of remote sensing for detecting weed infestation levels during early-season Glycine max production. Weed population estimates were collected from two G. max fields approximately 8 wk after planting during summer 1998. Seedling weed populations were sampled using a regular grid coordinate system on a 10- by 10-m grid. Two days later, multispectral digital images of the fields were recorded. Generally, infestations of Senna obtusifolia, Ipomoea lacunosa, and Solanum carolinense could be detected with remote sensing with at least 75% accuracy. Threshold populations of 10 or more S. obtusifolia or I. lacunosa plants m−2 were generally classified with at least 85% accuracy. Discriminant analysis functions formed for detecting weed populations in one field were at least 73% accurate in identifying S. obtusifolia and I. lacunosa infestations in independently collected data from another field. Due to highly variable soil conditions and their eff...
Timing and safety of angioplasty during carotid artery stenting

Today, carotid endarterectomy (CEA) remains the gold standard treatment of carotid artery stenosis. Over six decades, CEA evolved to effectively eliminate one of the major sources of embolization t...
Model Predictive Control with Ellipsoid Obstacle Constraints for Spacecraft Rendezvous

Abstract The problem of spacecraft rendezvous with obstacle avoidance constraints is explored. A Model Predictive Control (MPC) approach is used to compute an optimal control strategy for a chaser attempting to rendezvous with a target spacecraft in Earth orbit. Given obstructions to the baseline optimal trajectory, such as orbital debris or other spacecraft, MPC attempts to update the trajectory in real time such that it evades these obstacles. In this work, obstacles are approximated or bounded by ellipsoids to both enable straightforward constraint evaluation and better represent statistical knowledge of the obstacle's position. A nonlinear optimization method, Sequential Quadratic Programming, is able to solve this quadratic optimal control problem with nonlinear obstacle avoidance constraints. Specifically, the cases of multiple and moving obstacles are handled well with this approach due to the flexibility of the nonlinear constraint formulation. Implementation of this algorithm and results from a MATLAB-based simulation are discussed. This ellipsoid constraint approach is compared to a previous method involving a convex, rotating hyperplane constraint. The nonlinear programming approach presented is more computationally expensive than previous methods seen in the literature, but shows markedly improved results in a few key areas.
Finding the Key Drivers of Oil Production Through SAS Data Integration and Analysis

Summary The Exploration and Strategic Services (E&SS) Analytics team assisted in the identification of the key geologic and engineering parameters associated with higher 90 day cumulative oil production for Devon operated horizontal wells in the Woodford Shale in Oklahoma. The project deliverables were a list of effective parameters, their effective ranges, and optimal combinations. Achieving this goal required the collaboration of geoscientists, engineers, technicians, and analytics professionals. Innovative solutions were developed for data capture, data integration, and data visualization. The E&SS Analytics team used Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) Enterprise Guide for data integration and preliminary analysis and SAS Enterprise Miner for the creation of predictive models. In addition to the SAS software, we also implemented a modified version of SAS data analysis workflow, Q-S.E.M.M.A.-P. The newly integrated data was distributed to the team via a Spotfire project. Predictive models were developed as an addendum to the original scope of the project. The data analysis techniques for this projects included univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis, outlier detection, Spearman correlation analysis, multi-collinearity detection and resolution, and statistical t-Tests. The predictive models under evaluation included decision trees, gradient boosting decision trees, neural networks, and stepwise multiple logistic regression.
Materiality, regimes of value, and the politics of craft production, exchange, and consumption: A case of lime plaster at Teotihuacan, Mexico

Abstract Political economy has provided a broad framework for the study of power relations in early complex societies, but its top-down approaches have limitations for understanding the simultaneous formation of unequal and equal social relations. Through the conception of power as heterogeneous, contradictory, and multidimensional, this study addresses how inequality and equality are constituted through production, exchange, and consumption of material objects. Recent material culture studies grounded in practice theories highlight material objects as both medium and consequence of social practice and negotiation. Such a conception of material culture leads us to explore consumption as a key theoretical and methodological concept to understand the relationship between material culture patterns and social reproduction and transformation. This study explores how consumer demand is created by examining the process of the creation and transformation of the regimes of value, which allows to address the entanglement of material properties, multiple agencies, and the acts of production, exchange, and consumption. A case study from Teotihuacan documents archaeological evidence of changing distribution, direct evidence of production, and material characterization of lime plaster and demonstrates how changing social relations were embodied by production, exchange, and consumption of lime plaster.
Research progress on novel conjugated functional materials-hyperbranched polymer

Based on the excellent nonlinear optical properties of hyperbranched conjugated polymer, those polymers are attracting more and more attention as functional polymer materials. In this paper, different kinds of hyperbranched conjugated polymer such as hyperbranched poly (phenylenevinylene), hyperbranched poly (β,β-dibromo-4-ethynylstyrene), hyperbranched polyarylenes, hyperbranched non-linear polymers and hyperbranched coumarin -containing polymers were introduced. The synthesis methods of those polymer and its photophysical properties were also discussed in this paper.
Cavern Parameter Calculation in Image Dissection Method Based on Luv Chromatic Coordinate

In consideration of the difficulties in cavern parameter quantitative calculation in imaging logging explanation, a method of image dissection based on Luv chromatic coordinate is proposed for the quantitative calculation of correlative parameters of cavern area and surface porosity. Integral target region of calculated cavern is obtained by using the method, which could be used to calculate the parameters of cavern area and surface porosity easily.
Effect of treatment of lower urinary tract dysfunction on occurrence of urinary tract infections in children with vesicoureteral reflux

Correlation between lower urinary tract dysfunction, urinary tract infection (UTI) and vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is complex and well known. The impact of lower urinary tract dysfunction treatment on frequency of UTI in children with VUR was assessed in our study. Lower urinary tract dysfunction was diagnosed in 32 girls and 4 boys; 19 (53%) of them had VUR in 24 kidney units. All patients were on chemo-prophylaxis and were advised how to restore regular voiding and assume normal posture, in order to reach an optimal relaxation of the pelvic floor during voiding. Eight patients (42%) with signs of hyperactive bladder and/or small bladder capacity were administered anticholinergic-oxybutynin (0.2 mg/kg of body weight). Eleven patients (58%) with sign of bladder-sphincter dysfunction and/or residual urine volume over 20% were treated by alfa-blocker-alfuzosin (0.1 mg/kg of body weight). Four children with constipation were advised to use fiber-rich diet. During 12-mount follow-up, none had febrile UTI, and 7 (37%) had 1 to 3 UTI without temperature. In conclusion, conservative treatment of VUR should include chemo-prophylaxes, lower urinary tract dysfunction treatment, and treatment of constipation, what was confirmed by our study as well.
Impact of a family medicine resident wellness curriculum: a feasibility study

Background : Up to 60% of practicing physicians report symptoms of burnout, which often peak during residency. Residency is also a relevant time for habits of self-care and resiliency to be emphasized. A growing literature underscores the importance of this; however, evidence about effective burnout prevention curriculum during residency remains limited. Objectives : The purpose of this project is to evaluate the impact of a new, 1-month wellness curriculum for 12 second-year family medicine residents on burnout, empathy, stress, and self-compassion. Methods : The pilot program, introduced during a new rotation emphasizing competencies around leadership, focused on teaching skills to cultivate mindfulness and self-compassion in order to enhance empathy and reduce stress. Pre-assessments and 3-month follow-up assessments on measures of burnout, empathy, self-compassion, and perceived stress were collected to evaluate the impact of the curriculum. It was hypothesized that this curriculum would enhance empathy and self-compassion as well as reduce stress and burnout among family medicine residents. Results : Descriptive statistics revealed positive trends on the mean scores of all the measures, particularly the Mindfulness Scale of the Self-Compassion Inventory and the Jefferson Empathy Scale. However, the small sample size and lack of sufficient power to detect meaningful differences limited the use of inferential statistics. Conclusions : This feasibility study demonstrates how a residency wellness curriculum can be developed, implemented, and evaluated with promising results, including high participant satisfaction. Keywords: physician wellness; burnout prevention; residency education (Published: 8 June 2016) Citation: Med Educ Online 2016, 21: 30648 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/meo.v21.30648
Differences in Short- and Long-Term Outcomes Among Older Patients With ST-Elevation Versus Non–ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction With Angiographically Proven Coronary Artery Disease

Background— Among older patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI), it remains uncertain whether there is a time-dependent difference in the risk of recurrent mortality and nonfatal cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events for those with ST-segment–elevation MI (STEMI) compared with those with non–ST-segment–elevation MI. Methods and Results— Older patients ≥65 years with acute MI and significant coronary artery disease identified with coronary angiography from the ACTION Registry-GWTG (Get With the Guidelines) were linked to Medicare claims data from 2007 to 2010. We examined the unadjusted cumulative incidence of each outcome studied from hospital discharge through 2 years with log-rank tests and then performed a piece-wise proportional hazards modeling with 2 time periods: discharge to 90 days and 90 days to 2 years. Among the 46 199 patients linked with Medicare data, 17 287 (37.4%) presented with STEMI. Through 2 years, the unadjusted cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality (16.0% versus 19.8%; P <0.001) and the composite outcome (21.9% versus 27.9%; P <0.001) was lower for STEMI patients. Within the first 90 days, unadjusted rates of mortality (5.5% versus 5.3%) and the composite outcome (7.9% versus 8.1%) were similar but diverged from 90 days to 2 years (mortality, 11.1% versus 15.4%; P <0.001; composite outcome, 15.2% versus 21.5%; P <0.001). After multivariable adjustment, the adjusted risks of mortality and the composite outcome through 90 days were higher for STEMI patients, whereas risks of mortality and the composite outcome were attenuated from 90 days through 2 years. Conclusions— Among older acute MI patients with angiographically confirmed coronary artery disease discharged alive, STEMI patients (compared with non–ST-segment–elevation MI patients) were found to have a lower frequency of unadjusted postdischarge mortality and composite cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes through 2 years after hospital discharge. This analysis provides unique insight into differential short- and long-term risks of ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes by MI classification among older MI patients with confirmed coronary artery disease surviving to hospital discharge.
Claiming the Bicycle: Women, Rhetoric, and Technology in Nineteenth-Century America, Sarah Hallenbeck

Susan B. Anthony once proclaimed that the bicycle did “more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world” (168). Sarah Hallenbeck’s Claiming the Bicycle: Women, Rhetoric, and Techn...
"Disability and Salary Equality: The Influence of Education, Gender and Race"

Research suggests that people with disabilities continue to face barriers to equal employment opportunities. While education has been identified as an important equalizer, the relationship between ...
Women and Trade Unions in Eleven Industrialized Countries

(1985). Women and Trade Unions in Eleven Industrialized Countries. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 577-581.
Breastfeeding Promotion, Formula Marketing and the Role of Health Professionals

This chapter examines the tug-of-war between health professionals, breastfeeding promotion and infant formula corporations. Foss (with Dr. Reyna Gordon) examined one town’s breastfeeding resources, determining that while La Leche League and the local Women’s, Infants and Children (WIC) office offered lactation support, local clinics lacked breastfeeding materials not sponsored by formula brands. Next, Foss applies the Health Belief Model to examine the varied success of national and international breastfeeding campaigns. The detrimental influence of formula marketing is presented, along with resistance, namely the Nestle boycott and the WHO International Code of Marketing for Breastmilk Substitutes. The mixed success of breastfeeding campaigns, combined with the devastating impact of commercial formula promotion, demonstrate the need for marketing restrictions and other societal commitments to support breastfeeding.
Effects of immediate post-operative pain medication on length of hospital stay: does it make a difference?

Background: Patient reported outcomes and length of hospital stay (LOS) are being used as a proxy for hospital care. An extra day of hospitalization costs thousands of health care dollars. The choice of intraoperative pain medications has been associated with decreased pain scores in other surgical subspecialties. However, the effects of immediate post-operative patient-controlled analgesics (PCA)/intravenous (IV) pain medication on patient care are not well understood in spine surgery. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of different immediate post-operative pain medications on post-operative complications profile, LOS, and patient reported outcomes (PROs) after elective spine surgery. Methods: The medical records of 230 patients (morphine: n=98, fentanyl: n=61, hydromorphone: n=71) undergoing elective spine surgery at a major academic medical center were reviewed. Patients were categorized by the immediate post-operative pain medication they were on, with the most common medications being PCA/IV morphine, fentanyl, and hydromorphone. Patient demographics, comorbidities, and post-operative complication rates were collected. All patients had retrospectively collected outcomes measures and a minimum of 6-month follow up. Patient reported outcomes instruments [Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), SF-36 and Neck/Back/Leg-Pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS-NP/BP/LP)] were completed before surgery, then at 3- and 6-month after surgery. Results: Baseline characteristics were similar in all cohorts. Operative variables were also similar in all cohorts, with no difference in operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), or fusion levels. Complication rates were similar between cohorts, with the fentanyl-cohort having an increased percentage of urinary tract infection (UTI) than the morphine and hydromorphone cohorts (16.39% vs . 5.15% vs . 5.63%, P=0.0277). The morphine-cohort had a decreased LOS than the fentanyl and hydromorphone cohorts (4.18 vs . 5.56 vs . 5.69 days, P=0.0376). There was a significant difference in the number of feet first ambulated by the patient post-operatively for the morphine and hydromorphone cohorts than the fentanyl-cohort (morphine: 118.44±18.15 vs . fentanyl: 59.26±20.78 vs . hydromorphone: 125.91±19.85, P=0.0420). There was no significant differences in 30-day hospital readmission rates between the cohorts, morphine-cohort did trend lower than the other cohorts (morphine: 5.10 vs . fentanyl: 11.48 vs . hydromorphone: 11.27, P=0.2492). There were no significant differences in PROs between the two cohorts in ODI, SF-36, and VAS-NP/BP/LP at baseline, 3- and 6-month. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that the choice of immediate post-operative pain medication can make a difference in the hospital course for patients. Identifying these types of factors might help increase patient care and reduce health care costs.