cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
IATROGENIC NERVE INJURIES

Iatrogenic nerve injuries undoubtedly have occurred since antiquity, beginning soon after the treatment of human injuries and afflictions evolved into a profession. It is inconceivable, for example, that during the Hippocrates era many brachial plexus injuries did not result from the violent methods used to reduce shoulder dislocations. 13 Nonetheless, little information is accessible concerning their (1) overall incidence among peripheral nervous system (PNS) lesions and (2) relative incidence among the general category of iatrogenic disorders. The fragmentary data available, however, suggest that these lesions occur in more than minuscule numbers. Thus, among 2000 patients who had major peripheral nerve injuries seen at two hospitals in England over a 7–year period, nearly 200 (10%) were "the result of medical treatment." 7 In regard to brachial plexopathies, for which there are some comparative data, in two large series 7.4% and 9.5% were iatrogenic in nature. 62,81 Iatrogenic PNS injuries are not the province of any particular medical specialty. Although the majority occur perioperatively and therefore are attributed to surgeons and anesthesiologists, the members of almost every clinical specialty are at risk to some degree. Lesions of this nature, for example, can result from the insertion of needles and cannulas for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, the administration of anticoagulation medication, and the use of radiotherapy, to name a few of the many potential causes. 10 Because so many different PNS structures can be injured iatrogenically and in a multitude of manners, no attempt is made in this article to discuss all of them. Instead, several of the more commonly encountered iatrogenic PNS lesions and their principle causes are reviewed.
Prediction and Biochemical Demonstration of a Catabolic Pathway for the Osmoprotectant Proline Betaine

ABSTRACT Through the use of genetic, enzymatic, metabolomic, and structural analyses, we have discovered the catabolic pathway for proline betaine, an osmoprotectant, in Paracoccus denitrificans and Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Genetic and enzymatic analyses showed that several of the key enzymes of the hydroxyproline betaine degradation pathway also function in proline betaine degradation. Metabolomic analyses detected each of the metabolic intermediates of the pathway. The proline betaine catabolic pathway was repressed by osmotic stress and cold stress, and a regulatory transcription factor was identified. We also report crystal structure complexes of the P. denitrificans HpbD hydroxyproline betaine epimerase/proline betaine racemase with l-proline betaine and cis -hydroxyproline betaine. IMPORTANCE At least half of the extant protein annotations are incorrect, and the errors propagate as the number of genome sequences increases exponentially. A large-scale, multidisciplinary sequence- and structure-based strategy for functional assignment of bacterial enzymes of unknown function has demonstrated the pathway for catabolism of the osmoprotectant proline betaine.
Bipolar Radiofrequency for Facial Rejuvenation

Combined approaches using light and radiofrequency represent an innovative approach to whole body rejuvenation. Synergistic results using combined modalities are a major advantage of this technology. In addition, by using lower levels of light energy, darker skin phenotypes can be treated with a lower risk for pigment dyschromia and scarring.
Grading Rubrics for Engineering Presentations and Reports

Rubrics for grading technical presentations and reports are presented. The rubrics are easy to use because the skills are judged as met standard or did not meet standard (check or minus; pass or fail). Each standard is detailed and presented with a strategy to recognize its successful completion.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Rapid and efficient mixing in a slip-driven three-dimensional flow in a rectangular channel

A method for generating mixing in an electroosmotic flow of an electrolytic solution in a three-dimensional channel is proposed. When the width-to-height aspect ratio of the channel cross-section is large, mixing of a blob of a solute in a slip-driven three-dimensional flow in a rectangular channel can be used to model and assess the effectiveness of this method. It is demonstrated through numerical simulations that under certain operating conditions, rapid and efficient mixing can be achieved. Future investigation will include the solution of the exact equations and experimentation.
The impact of lossy compression on the output of supervised and unsupervised classification products

The quantity of data generated by remote sensing platforms is increasing at a significant rate. Several countries have now their own remote sensing satellites, and commercial groups plan to have sensors that provide data to a wider market. In addition to the growing number of data providers, technological advances resulted in new remote sensing systems that generate data with higher spectral, spatial and radiometric resolutions that translate into larger data sets. Although some of these developments are justified by improved results in special purpose remote sensing applications, they contribute to the data management problem. This paper analyzes the nature of the information base included in remote sensing imagery and the impact of compression techniques on the effectiveness in user applications.
The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on erectile function recovery in a rat cavernous nerve injury model

ABSTRACT Introduction Cavernosal oxygenation appears to be important for preservation of erectile tissue health. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown to improve tissue oxygenation and has neuromodulatory effects. Aim This study was designed to define the effects of HBOT on erectile function (EF) and cavernosal tissue in the rat cavernous nerve (CN) injury model. Methods Four groups of Sprague-Dawley rats were studied: rats with bilateral CN crush, HBOT treated (Crush+/HBOT+); bilateral CN-crush/no HBOT (C+/H−); no crush/no HBOT (C−/H−); and no crush/HBOT (C−/H+). HBOT was delivered daily for 90 minutes at three atmospheres for 10 days commencing the day of CN crush. Main Outcome Measures Ten days after CN injury, the animals underwent CN stimulation measuring the maximal intracavernosal pressure/mean arterial pressure (ICP/MAP) ratios. Corporal tissue was harvested pre-sacrifice, and immunohistochemically stained for nerve growth factor (NGF), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and cluster of differentiation molecule (CD31). Histologic analysis was performed for Masson's trichrome to assess the smooth muscle–collagen ratio. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase Biotin-dUTP Nick End Labeling assay was used to define apoptotic indices (AIs). Results The C+/H− group had significantly lower ICP/MAP ratios compared with C−/H− rats, (31% vs. 70%, P P = 0.005). NGF and eNOS staining densities were higher in C+/H+ rats compared with C+/H− rats ( P P P Conclusion HBOT following a CN injury improved EF preservation in this model, supporting the cavernosal oxygenation concept as protective mechanism for EF. The effects appear to be mediated via preservation of neurotrophic and endothelial factor expression. Muller A, Tal R, Donohue JF, Akin-Olugbade Y, Kobylarz K, Paduch D, Cutter SC, Mehrara BJ, Scardino PT, and Mulhall JP. The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on erectile function recovery in a rat cavernous nerve injury model
Computational procedure for simulating the contact/impact response in flexible multibody systems

Abstract A computational procedure for simulating the contact/impact response in flexible multibody systems is presented. The multibody system is discretized by using beam and shell finite element models. The conservation of momentum and restitution equations are used as local velocity constraints to determine the ‘post-impact’ velocities of the impacting nodes. In case a node impacts an element edge, the impact effect is distributed to the element nodes by using the element shape functions. Two restitution parameters—one in the normal impact direction and the other in the tangential impact directions—can be used to model friction. Two numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the procedure.
LCZ696 (Sacubitril/Valsartan): Can We Predict Who Will Benefit?∗

The recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of LCZ696, a combination of sacubitril and valsartan, has generated palpable excitement among heart failure (HF) clinicians [(1)][1]. Several lines of evidence have pointed to the potential benefits of drugs combining renin-angiotensin-
Decision Style in a Clinical Reasoning Corpus

The dual process model (Evans, 2008) posits two types of decision-making, which may be ordered on a continuum from intuitive to analytical (Hammond, 1981). This work uses a dataset of narrated image-based clinical reasoning, collected from physicians as they diagnosed dermatological cases presented as images. Two annotators with training in cognitive psychology assigned each narrative a rating on a four-point decision scale, from intuitive to analytical. This work discusses the annotation study, and makes contributions for resource creation methodology and analysis in the clinical domain.
Finite Difference Methods for the Weak Solutions of the Kolmogorov Equations for the Density of Diffusions and Conditional Diffusions

The problem of obtaining numerical solutions to the Fokker-Plank equation for the density of a diffusion, and for conditional density (with “white noise” corrupted observations) is treated. We assume the diffusion coefficients to be bounded and uniformly continuous, and that the diffusion has a unique solution in the sense of multivariate distributions. These equations usually have only weak sense solutions. But we show that, if the finite difference approximations are chosen in a natural way, then the finite difference solutions to the formal adjoints yield a sequence of approximations which converges weakly to the weak sense solution to the Fokker-Plank equation or to the “conditional” equation as the difference intervals go to zero.
Aesthetic Semiosis of the Visual Object

In this paper I will explore the ways in which rational formulations can approach the “visual universe” and confront it in relation to the aesthetical domain. I will consider visual objects as semiotic entities in order to handle them as sign-functions (not only terminology, but many of the ideas of this essay were based on the work of Umberto Eco). Furthermore, I will take into account the form in which these sign-functions are coded and the rationalization of this process in connection with the sets of rules that are provided by different aesthetic codes.
HIGH TENACITY AROMATIC FIBERS FROM RANDOM COPOLYAMIDES CONTAINING CHLORO-p-PHENYLENE TEREPHTHALAMIDE AS ONE COMPONENT

Several random copolyamides were synthesized from chloro-p-phenylenediamine, terephthaloyl chloride and other comonomers, using N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP) as polymerization solvent. The copolyamides were wet-spun and heat-drawn. Only copolymers with 4, 4′-diaminodiphenylether or 1, 4-bis (p-aminophenoxy) benzene (each 30_??_40mole%) yielded fibers having a tenacity of 20g/d or more. Initial moduli of these fibers were 430_??_570g/d depending on the comonomer content. Another random copolymers composed of p-phenylene (35_??_45mole%)-, chloro-p-phenylene (20_??_35mole%) and 4, 4′-oxydiphenylene (30_??_40mole%) terephthalamide were soluble in NMP and they also gave fibers with similar high tenacity and initial modulus. Flex fatigue endurances of these fibers were somewhat superior to that of Kevlar®, but their tenacities retained at elevated temperatures were rather inferior.
TYPE A-B BEHAVIOR AND INCIDENCE OF INFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

To further test the hypothesis that Type A behavior is associated with a variety of stress-linked diseases, 280 university students responded to the Jenkins Activity Survey and the question “Have you ever had infectious mononucleosis?”. Compared to the Type B students in this group, the Type A students were 3.75 times more likely to report that they had experienced infectious mononucleosis.
Comment: Implications of non-moyamoya vessel formation in MCA steno-occlusive disease.

Xu et al.1 should be commended for their study that assesses the importance of middle cerebral artery (MCA) “deep tiny flow voids” (DTFV) on high-resolution MRI in patients with steno-occlusive disease. The incidence of DTFV increased with the degree of MCA stenosis and was more common in asymptomatic patients. Obvious flow voids in the basal ganglia region were observed in 57% of patients with moyamoya disease but no patients with DTFV.
Organizational resource assembly in technology ventures

This dissertation addresses the assembly of organizational resources by technology ventures. We study how innovative firms acquire human and financial capital and then organize those resources, and how public policy affects that capability. In the first chapter, we study the role of information in organizational decision-making for the financing of entrepreneurial ventures. We formally model a decentralized set of agents who vote strategically to allocate resources to a project with unknown outcome; they can each acquire costly information to improve their decision quality. We test our predictions in the setting of venture capital, where partners make their own angel investments outside of their employer. We find that the venture capital partners, acting independently, make riskier investments into younger firms with less educated and younger founding teams, but these investments perform better on some metrics even when controlling for investment size and stage. Geographic distance and liquidity constraints increase the probability the investment is taken up by a partner and not the VC. In the second chapter, we evaluate the impact of skilled immigration on U.S. innovation by exploiting a random lottery in the H-1B visa program. Proponents argue that immigration allows firms to access technical skills and promote innovation, while opponents argue that firms substitute domestic labor for cheaper but equally or less skilled foreign labor. We find that winning an H-1B immigrant does not significantly increase patent applications or grants at the firm level, and there is pervasive use of the program in industries where patenting is not the main value-appropriation strategy. In the third chapter, we study how a firm should organize the diversity of technical experience, contained within its pool of inventive human capital, for firm-level innovation. Using a sample of biotechnology start-ups, we examine the implications of alternate firm-level design regimes, drawing on both a firm-year panel structure and an inventor-year difference-in-differences empirical approach. Organizing a firm's human capital with greater across-team diversity yields increased firm-level innovation benefits as compared to organizing with greater within-team diversity. The benefits of across-team diversity stem mainly from the influence of that regime on team stability.
ELECTROCHEMICAL AND ELECTRIC-FIELD EFFECTS AT DISPERSIONS OF ZEOLITES

Application of dc voltages (< 100 V) to aqueous dispersions of native zeolites and zeolites modified with known molecular catalysts permits chemical reactivities either not observed in the absence of the electrifying force or observed at much slower rates. Although zeolites are not routinely used for aqueous-phase catalysis, the use of electric fields or potentials applied to zeolite suspensions affects the rate of the exchange of alkali ion in the zeolite for aqueous phase protons generated by the autoprotolysis of water. The kinetics for this process depend on the nature of the charge-compensating cation in the zeolite and the magnitude of the applied electric field.
Acute Kidney Injury: Definitions, Incidence, Diagnosis, and Outcome

Surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensivists, radiologists, interventional cardiologists, and nephrologists, among others, are keenly interested in preserving renal function in patients undergoing surgical interventions or other procedures, as well as in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The well-known strong association between acute kidney injury (AKI) and its sequel, chronic kidney disease (CKD) with mortality and with severe cardiac and other organ morbidity [1–5], makes practitioners even more mindful of kidney function in these patients. No effective new therapy for AKI has been introduced so far; thus better avenues for progress may be novel diagnostic tests and a clearer understanding of the factors associated with the development of AKI in both surgical and critically ill patients and how to prevent it.
CHAPTER 10 – DEPENDENT VIRUS TRANSMISSION FROM MIXED INFECTIONS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the dependent virus transmission from mixed infections. Dependent transmission appears to be a unique feature of aphid–plant–virus relationships. This unique feature of aphid transmission of plant viruses is a significant aspect of the virus-vector picture for at least three major reasons: (1) all three kinds of aphid–virus relationships, nonpersistent, semipersistent, and persistent contain examples of the dependent transmission phenomenon, (2) the examples include many crops and a variety of aphid species, and the phenomenon is widespread among aphid-transmitted viruses, and (3) studies of the systems have produced contributions to both basic and applied aspects of virus transmission by aphids. Current knowledge of mechanisms for dependent transmission suggests that explanations for the phenomenon are quite different for the nonpersistent and semipersistent systems than for the persistent ones. For most nonpersistent and semipersistent systems, dependent transmissions occur not only following aphid acquisition probing on doubly-infected plants but also following sequential probing on plants infected by the helper virus before acquisition of the dependent virus. Action of some accessory factor seems to be involved. In contrast, dependent transmission of the persistent viruses seems to occur only when aphids feed on the doubly-infected plant.
A Fuzzy Mean-Shift Approach to Lidar Waveform Decomposition

Waveform decomposition is a common step for exploitation of full-waveform lidar data. Much effort has been focused on designing algorithms based on the assumption that the returned waveforms follow a Gaussian mixture model where each component is a Gaussian. However, many real examples show that the waveform components can be neither Gaussian nor symmetric even when the emitted signal is Gaussian or symmetric. This paper proposes a nonparametric mixture model to represent lidar waveforms without any constraints on the shape of the waveform components. A fuzzy mean-shift algorithm is then developed to decompose the waveforms. This approach has the following properties: 1) It does not assume that the waveforms follow any parametric or functional distributions; 2) the waveform decomposition is treated as a fuzzy data clustering problem and the number of components is determined during the time of decomposition; and 3) neither peak selection nor noise floor filtering prior to the decomposition is needed. Experiments are conducted on a dataset collected over a dense forest area where significant skewed waveforms are demonstrated. As the result of the waveform decomposition, a highly dense point cloud is generated, followed by a subsequent filtering step to create a fine digital elevation model. Compared with the conventional expectation–maximization method, the fuzzy mean-shift approach yielded practically comparable and similar results. However, it is about three times faster and tends to lead to slightly fewer artifacts in the resultant digital elevation model.
Valley Trion Dynamics in Monolayer MoSe2

We report an ultrafast two-color pump-probe experiment measuring transient differential reflection of trions in monolayer MoSe2. We explain our results using a model based on a set of rate equations.
Shifting the Focus of Preclinical, Murine Atherosclerosis Studies From Prevention to Late-Stage Intervention.

Could improving the design of preclinical murine atherosclerosis studies help increase the success rate of cardiovascular clinical trials? In this Viewpoint, the authors advocate for a change from prevention to intervention study designs and rigorous lesion analyses that they argue will enhance the translational potential of murine atherosclerosis studies. Clinical management of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) has made great progress by reducing risk factors like low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. However, late-stage events associated with coronary atherosclerosis including myocardial infarction still account for ≈16% of worldwide mortality and are forecasted to increase in prevalence.1 These events arise from 3 main processes: plaque rupture, plaque erosion, and shedding of calcific nodules. Plaque rupture accounts for the majority of CAD and typically occurs in vulnerable atherosclerotic lesions termed thin-capped fibroatheromas,2 characterized by thin fibrous caps (<65 µm) with high numbers of CD68+ macrophages relative to Acta2+ smooth muscle cells (SMC), large lipid-rich necrotic cores, and often evidence of intraplaque hemorrhage. Much of the difficulty in therapeutically targeting atherosclerosis can be attributed to (1) the nearly ubiquitous prevalence of atherosclerosis development; (2) the slow, clinically-silent progression but acute and often catastrophic presentation of symptoms; and (3) most importantly, the difficulty in identifying patients at high risk for plaque rupture or erosion and subsequent cardiovascular events. Therefore, clinical trials seeking to investigate novel CAD therapies are forced to enroll thousands of patients who already have manifestations of advanced CAD and spend hundreds of millions of dollars to conduct adequately powered phase III clinical trials to rigorously test therapeutic efficacy. And yet, cardiovascular disease trials have one of the lowest success rates of the major medical fields.3 Perhaps, the lack of success can, in part, be attributed to suboptimal design of preclinical studies, which commonly …
Comparison between an exclusive in vitro–produced embryo transfer system and artificial insemination for genetic, technical, and financial herd performance

The objective of this study was to implement an in vitro-produced embryo transfer (IVP-ET) system in an existing stochastic dynamic dairy simulation model with multitrait genetics to evaluate the genetic, technical, and financial performance of a dairy herd implementing an exclusive IVP-ET or artificial insemination (AI) system. In the AI system, sexed semen was used on the genetically best heifers only. In the IVP-ET system, all of the animals in the herd were impregnated with female sexed embryos created through in vitro fertilization of oocytes collected from animals of superior genetics for different traits of interest. Each donor was assumed to yield on average 4.25 transferable embryos per collection. The remaining animals in the herd were used as recipients and received either a fresh embryo or a frozen embryo when fresh embryos were not available. Selection of donors was random or based on the greatest estimated breeding value (EBV) of lifetime net merit (NM$), milk yield, or daughter pregnancy rate. For both the IVP-ET and AI systems, culling of surplus heifer calves not needed to replace culled cows was based on the lowest EBV for the same traits. A herd of 1,000 milking cows was simulated 15 yr over time after the start of the IVP-ET system. The default cost to produce and transfer 1 embryo was set at $165. Prices of fresh embryos at which an exclusive IVP-ET system financially breaks even with the comparable AI system in yr 15 and for an investment period of 15 yr were also estimated. More surplus heifer calves were sold from the IVP-ET systems than from the comparable AI systems. The surplus calves from the IVP-ET systems were also genetically superior to the surplus calves from the comparable AI systems, which might be reflected in their market value as a premium price. The most profitable scenario among the 4 IVP-ET scenarios in yr 15 was the one in which NM$ was maximized in the herd. This scenario had an additional profit of $8/cow compared with a similar AI scenario that maximized NM$, provided that surplus heifer calves could be sold at a premium price based on the superiority of the EBV of NM$. For the IVP-ET system to be at least as profitable as the comparable AI system during a 15-yr investment period, the surplus calves from the IVP-ET system needed to be sold at the premium prices. The break-even price of fresh embryos was estimated to be $84 for the exclusive IVP-ET system. This resulted in the same profit as the AI system, which maximized NM$ for a 15-yr investment period and in which heifer calves were sold at a premium price.
Scanning Electron Microscopy and Compositional Analysis

In an SEM the image is formed in a cathode ray tube synchronized with an electron probe as it scans the surface of an object.(1) The resulting signals are secondary electrons, backscattered electrons, characteristic X rays, Auger electrons, and photons of various energies.
Robotic Thymectomy Is Feasible for Large Thymomas: A Propensity-Matched Comparison.

Background Robotic-assisted thymectomy (RAT) is increasingly performed for resection of thymomas. Its application for large tumors remains controversial. In this study, we evaluated the safety and feasibility of RAT for large thymomas in comparison with transsternal thymectomy (ST). Methods A single institution database was reviewed for patients who underwent RAT for thymoma of 4 cm or larger between 2004 and 2016. Propensity scores were applied to match RAT with ST patients, based on age, sex, tumor size, and Masaoka stage. Perioperative outcomes were compared. Results Twenty patients (15 women and 5 men, median age 59 years) underwent RAT for a large thymoma (median size 6.0 cm). A right-sided approach was used in 14 patients (70%). A control group of 34 ST patients (median size 6.7 cm) had similar Masaoka staging ( p = 0.64). Combined resection of adjacent structures, including pericardium, lung, and phrenic nerve, were frequently performed in both groups (50% RAT versus 47% ST, p = 0.83). RAT patients had lower blood loss (25 mL versus 150 mL, p = 0.001), were more frequently managed with a single chest tube (85% versus 56%, p = 0.027), and had a shorter median length of stay (3 days versus 4 days, p = 0.034). There were no perioperative deaths and no major vascular injuries. Three RAT patients (15%) were converted to open approach. Overall complication rates were similar between RAT and ST patients (15% versus 24%, p = 0.45). No difference was seen in R0 resection rates (90% versus 85%, p = 0.62). Conclusions RAT can be performed safely and effectively in a radical fashion for large thymomas. Future studies are necessary to determine long-term oncologic outcomes.
The indefinite period traveling salesman problem

Abstract We propose an indefinite period traveling salesman problem (TSP), in which customer nodes need to be visited an unknown multiple or infinite number of times but cannot be visited more than once in the same trip. The optimal solution seeks a visiting strategy for the long run including the routing and planning horizon decisions. We show that an optimal solution may be a set of routes in which a given customer is grouped with a number of different subsets of customers rather than simply repeated TSP or multiple TSP optimal routes. The problem is proven to be NP-hard, and important properties are explored theoretically. We propose exact as well as heuristic procedures for solving this problem. Our computational experiments show that the proposed heuristic produces high quality solutions for problems with certain sizes, and that the proposed exact algorithm can be implemented within a practical time tolerance. The numerical results demonstrate the importance of this problem for cost reduction in practice and the concerns about scheduling solution tours have been discussed for practical implementation.
Systems Matching and Topographic Maps: The Branch-Arrow Model (BAM)

This paper presents BAM (the Branch-Arrow Model), a new model of the development of the retino-tectal topographic mapping to test the limits of system-matching principles in forming such maps. The updating process employed by BAM is distributed in nature and depends upon interactions between branches of retinal fibres, and between the branches and the boundaries of the tectum and of grafts. Results of computer simulation of the model are related to experimental data obtained from tectal and retinal graft and lesion studies and comparisons are also made with other models. Although the model accords well with most of the data, we shall present evidence that indicates the need for an additional mechanism, interaction between the branches and the tectal surface. A model of this kind, the Extended Branch Arrow Model (XBAM), will be described in a sequel.
Comparing Objective Measures of Adherence to HIV Antiretroviral Therapy: Electronic Medication Monitors and Unannounced Pill Counts

We compared electronic medication monitoring and electronic monitoring adjusted by interview with an unannounced pill-count adherence measure, in a cross-sectional analysis (n = 42). We used the following measures (a) electronic monitored doses (EMD: # medication monitor openings/# doses prescribed), (b) adjusted electronically monitored doses (AEMD: EMD adjusted by the number of extra openings and extra doses removed), (c) percentage of days dose taken (PDDT: % days the medication monitor was opened at least once, and (d) unannounced pill count (PC). The results showed that AEMD, EMD, and PDDT were significantly associated with PC adherence. AEMD explained 83% of the variation in PC adherence, EMD 49%, and PDDT 58%. EMD adherence was significantly lower than PC adherence (p = .02). Electronic medication monitoring measures were closely related to PC adherence. AEMD was more closely associated than EMD or PDDT. EMD may underestimate adherence due to the removal of multiple doses from the bottle at one time.
Identification of Pollution Sources Via Neural Networks

Neural networks are already used in watershed management to forecast, predict, and control water supplies, but to date have not been widely used to predict, control, or improve water quality. Yet, neural network based models can be applied to identify the presence of potentially hazardous, pathogen laden, agricultural runoff in receiving waters. This is an entirely novel approach for analysis of water quality indicators that, when expanded beyond source identification, may lead to development of new watershed monitoring and management paradigms.
Annals for Hospitalists Inpatient Notes - Bedrest Is Toxic—Why Mobility Matters in the Hospital

A robust literature has found that bedrest leads to functional decline in hospitalized patients. In particular, persons aged 65 years or older are at substantial risk: approximately 1 in 3 have fun...
Preoperative and Histological Predictors of Recurrence and Survival in Atypical Meningioma After Initial Gross Total Resection.

Objective Atypical (World Health Organization grade II) meningiomas (AMs) have been associated with a substantial risk of recurrence even after complete, gross total resection (GTR). The present study evaluated the clinical and AM tumor histopathological features that might predict for the risk of recurrence and survival within this patient population. Methods The data from 72 consecutive patients who had undergone primary GTR for AM from 2007 to 2016 and corresponding tumor specimens at a single institution were reviewed. The preoperative patient and tumor characteristics were correlated with the postresection outcomes, including recurrence and 1-year survival. Cox regression models on recurrence-free survival (RFS) and Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were performed. Results The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year RFS estimates for the AM cohort were 100.0%, 82.4%, and 78.1% after resection, respectively. A high mitotic index was an independent predictor of RFS on Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio, 1.26; P = 0.008), and the tumor volume showed a trend toward a significant association (hazard ratio, 0.93; P = 0.079). Patient age and the mitotic index were significantly associated with 1-year mortality (odds ratio, 1.11 and 1.36, respectively; P = 0.028 and P = 0.045, respectively). Conclusions AM tumors with a high proliferative index showed an increased likelihood of recurrence and short-term survival even after complete GTR. A smaller tumor volume might also have contributed to an increased risk of recurrence for patients with AM. Although other histopathological features were not linked to recurrence or mortality for patients with AM, the biopsy findings can indicate key predictive information, and further molecular analysis might reveal additional prognostic markers.
An All-Passive Emulated Ripple Control Technique for Constant-On-Time Buck Converters in CCM

An all-passive Emulated Ripple Control (ERC) technique is proposed to ensure the stability of buck converters operating in Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM) with Constant-On-Time (COT) controllers. The proposed technique eliminates the poor DC load regulation limitation associated with conventional ERC control techniques, and reduces the variable DC offset associated with COT controllers in general. This is accomplished without compromising the converter's stability or speed, and without requiring additional error amplifiers or comparators. Thus, quiescent current and silicon area can be significantly reduced. Simulation results show that the DC load regulation using the proposed ERC technique is improved from 100 mV/A to 78 μV/A, and the maximum output voltage offset is reduced from 89.5 mV to 0.82 mV compared to conventional ERC implementations.
Dose-Dependent Changes of Chemical Attributes in Irradiated Sausages

To determine the effects of irradiation on the chemical attributes of sausages, TBARS values, volatile compounds, gas compounds, and hydrocarbons of vacuum-packaged sausages were analyzed during 60 d of refrigerated storage. A sulfur-containing volatile compound (dimethyl disulfide), a gas compound (methane), and radiation-induced hydrocarbons (1-tetradecene, pentadecane, heptadecane, 8-heptadecene, eicosane, 1, 7-hexadecadiene, hexadecane) were mainly detected in irradiated sausages, and the concentrations of the compounds were irradiation dosedependent. Especially methane and a few hydrocarbons were detected only in irradiated sausages and their amounts were dose-dependent. On the other hand, TBARS values, other off-odor volatiles (carbon disulfide, hexanal), and gas compounds (carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide) were found both in irradiated and nonirradiated sausages. Therefore, it is suggested that irradiation-induced hydrocarbons (1-tetradecene, pentadecane, heptadecane, 8-heptadecene, eicosane, 1, 7-hexadecadiene, hexadecane), dimethyl disulfide, and methane can be used as markers for irradiated sausages.
High-throughput screening of environmental polysaccharide-degrading bacteria using biomass containment and complex insoluble substrates.

Carbohydrate degradation by microbes plays an important role in global nutrient cycling, human nutrition, and biotechnological applications. Studies that focus on the degradation of complex recalcitrant polysaccharides are challenging because of the insolubility of these substrates as found in their natural contexts. Specifically, current methods to examine carbohydrate-based biomass degradation using bacterial strains or purified enzymes are not compatible with high-throughput screening using complex insoluble materials. In this report, we developed a small 3D printed filter device that fits inside a microplate well that allows for the free movement of bacterial cells, media, and enzymes while containing insoluble biomass. These devices do not interfere with standard microplate readers and can be used for both short- (24–48 h) and long-duration (> 100 h) experiments using complex insoluble substrates. These devices were used to quantitatively screen in a high-throughput manner environmental isolates for their ability to grow using lignocellulose or rice grains as a sole nutrient source. Additionally, we determined that the microplate-based containment devices are compatible with existing enzymatic assays to measure activity against insoluble biomass. Overall, these microplate containment devices provide a platform to study the degradation of complex insoluble materials in a high-throughput manner and have the potential to help uncover ecologically important aspects of bacterial metabolism as well as to accelerate biotechnological innovation.
Is family functioning stable and consistent over time and stakeholders? A comparison of adolescents’ and caregivers’ views

Abstract Family functioning is a key construct in research and practice involving children and youth. Given that multi-informant assessment of this construct is considered a best practice in research and clinical settings, ensuring measurement invariance of family functioning instruments is an important consideration for family science scholars and practitioners who increasingly use multiple groups or longitudinal designs in investigating family dynamics. Yet, studies involving family functioning provide limited reports of psychometric properties of key or contextual measures. This study used multigroup confirmatory factor analyses to examine measurement invariance of a short version of the McMaster Family Assessment device using data from caregivers (N = 479) and adolescents (N = 571) collected at two periods four years apart. Results revealed that configural and metric invariance of a short version of the family functioning measure hold both across groups (caregivers and adolescents) and time, thus providing the foundation for using this instrument to assess family functioning with different populations and at different time periods. However, evidence of only partial scalar invariance indicated that group comparisons might be biased. The article concludes with implications for family science scholars and practitioners, including caution in using mean scores to compare perceptions of family functioning across different populations, such as caregivers and adolescents.
Prospective multi-institutional evaluation of pathologist assessment of PD-L1 assays for patient selection in triple negative breast cancer

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the PD-L1 immunohistochemical assay, SP142, as a companion test to determine eligibility for atezolizumab therapy in patients with advanced triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) but data in lung cancer studies suggest the assay suffers from poor reproducibility. We sought to evaluate reproducibility and concordance in PD-L1 scoring across multiple pathologists. Full TNBC sections were stained with SP142 and SP263 assays and interpreted for percentage (%) immune cell (IC) staining by 19 pathologists from 14 academic institutions. Proportion of PD-L1 positive cases (defined as ≥1% IC) was determined for each assay as well as concordance across observers. We utilized a new method we call Observers Needed to Evaluate Subjective Tests (ONEST) to determine the minimum number of evaluators needed to estimate concordance between large numbers of readers, as occurs in the real-world setting. PD-L1 was interpreted as positive with the SP142 assay in an average 58% of cases compared with 78% with SP263 (p < 0.0001). IC positive continuous scores ranged from 1 to 95% (mean = 20%) and 1 to 90% (mean = 10%) for SP263 and SP142, respectively. With SP142, 26 cases (38%) showed complete two category (<1% vs. ≥1%) concordance; with SP263, 38 cases (50%) showed complete agreement. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for two category scoring of SP263 and SP142 was 0.513 and 0.560. ONEST plots showed decreasing overall percent agreement (OPA) as observer number increased, reaching a low plateau of 0.46 at ten observers for SP263 and 0.41 at eight observers for SP142. IC scoring with both assays showed poor reproducibility across multiple pathologists with ONEST analysis suggesting more than half of pathologists will disagree about IC scores. This could lead to many patients either receiving atezolizumab when they are unlikely to benefit, or not receiving atezolizumab when they may benefit.
The Chromosome 13 Conundrum in Multiple Myeloma.

Summary: In this issue of Blood Cancer Discovery, Chesi and colleagues have performed a series of mouse experiments, combined with patient sample analysis, to delineate the role of del(13) in multiple myeloma. They identify loss of the miRNA cluster MIR15A/16-1 as critical for myelomagenesis and progression of disease. See related article by Chesi et al., p. 68.
Treatment of Cutaneous Melanoma of the Head and Neck With Wide Local Excision Versus Mohs.

OBJECTIVES Determine if Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is associated with improved overall survival compared to wide local excision (WLE) when treating cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck (CMHN) and to report the proportion of patients treated with MMS versus WLE who also underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). METHODS Retrospective cohort study of the National Cancer Database (NCDB) analyzing the overall survival of patients diagnosed with T1 to T4 CMHN between 2004 and 2016 who were treated with either WLE or MMS. RESULTS On multivariable analysis, treatment with WLE versus MMS was not significantly associated with overall survival (HR, 1.094; 95% CI, 0.997-1.201). On multivariable analysis, lower Charlson-Deyo score (HR, 0.489; 95% CI, 0.427-0.560), negative margins (HR, 0.754; 95% CI, 0.705-0.807), and N0 classification (HR 0.698; 95% CI, 0.668-0.730) were associated with improved overall survival. Seventy-seven percent of patients treated with MMS did not undergo SLNB, while 45% of patients treated with WLE did not undergo SLNB (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS No difference in overall survival between MMS and WLE when treating CMHN. Patients treated with MMS were significantly less likely to undergo SLNB, suggesting an opportunity for enhancement of multidisciplinary care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 131:2490-2496, 2021.
Asynchronous One-Level and Two-Level Domain Decomposition Solvers

Multilevel methods such as multigrid and domain decomposition are among the most efficient and scalable solvers developed to date. Adapting them to the next generation of supercomputers and improving their performance and scalability is crucial for exascale computing and beyond.
Women and Protest: Introduction

The Women’s March on Washington in 2017, organized in protest of the 2016 election of the American president Donald Trump, spawned a worldwide movement. Two years later, women in more than thirty c...
Physical activity strategies in low-resource elementary schools: Why and how are they prioritized?

Abstract Most US children do not achieve the recommended daily 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA). Schools are ideal settings to promote PA given their reach to large child populations, including students with less resources and limited access to PA opportunities. Although limited in numbers, schools that offer enough PA strategies can provide insights to increase PA in these settings. However, few studies have examined why and how these schools successfully prioritize PA strategies, particularly schools serving socioeconomically disadvantaged student populations. This qualitative study of low-resource, PA-supportive schools was conducted during 2017–2018 to obtain in-depth information about why and how schools make decisions to prioritize and implement PA strategies. Forty-two study participants in 17 states plus Washington DC were recruited. Content analysis revealed the following themes: (1) Schools prioritize PA because it helps advance learning and health goals; (2) Policies and standards for PA/PE reinforce the importance of PA; (3) A culture of learning and health advances decisions to offer PA; (4) Advocates play a key role in generating support to integrate PA; (5) Stakeholder buy-in enables decisions to offer PA opportunities; (6) Collaboration focused on PA specifically can facilitate decisions to increase PA strategies; and (7) Funding and resources drive decisions to put PA strategies into practice. The study findings offer insights that may be useful in efforts to increase access to PA opportunities in low-resource elementary schools.
Disparities in the Surgical Treatment of Adult Spine Diseases: A Systematic Review.

ABSTRACT Introduction Our goal was to systematically review the current literature on racial/ethnic, insurance, and socioeconomic disparities in adult spine surgery in the United States and analyze potential areas for improvement. Methods We conducted a database search of literature published between January 1990 and July 2020 using PRISMA guidelines for all studies investigating a disparity in any aspect of adult spine surgery care was analyzed based on race/ethnicity, insurance status/payer, or socioeconomic status (SES). Results Out of 2,679 articles identified through database searching, 775 were identified for full-text independent review by 3 authors, from which a final list of 60 included studies were analyzedForty-three studies analyzed disparities based on patient race/ethnicity, 32 based on insurance status, and 8 based on SES. Five studies assessed disparities in access to care, 15 examined surgical treatment, 35 investigated in-hospital outcomes, and 25 explored after-discharge outcomes. Minority patients were less likely to undergo surgery, but more likely to receive surgery from a low-volume provider and experience postoperative complications. White and privately insured patients generally had shorter hospital length of stay, were more likely to undergo favorable/routine discharge, and had lower rates of in-hospital mortality. Post-discharge, white patients reported better outcomes than black patients. Thirty-three papers (55%) reported no disparities within at least one examined metric. Conclusion This comprehensive systematic review underscores ongoing potential for healthcare disparities among adult patients in the field of spinal surgery. We demonstrate a need for continued efforts to promote equity and cultural competency within the field of neurological surgery.
The Treatment of Reves 'Notes' and Other 'Securities' Under State Blue Sky Laws

State and federal courts have long struggled with the issue of what constitutes a security. Despite the similarities of state and federal statutory language and the Uniform Securities Act’s interpretive policy, state and federal precedents are hardly interchangeable. Yet, from the genesis of the dual regulatory system, first federal and then state courts have looked to the other for precedential assistance. In the landmark United States Supreme Court decision SEC v. W.J. Howey Co., the Court acknowledged the state source for the federal definition of the catchall term “investment contract.” Additionally, state appellate courts recently followed the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Reves v. Ernst & Young in determining whether the promissory notes at issue were statutory “securities” or, alternatively, “non-securities.” The article addresses the Reves concept of a promissory note as a security and the first trilogy of opinions representing Reves’ state level progeny.