cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incorporating Evidence-Based Practice for Skin-to-Skin Care in the Operating Room to Increase in-Hospital Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates

Poster Presentation Objective To initiate skin‐to‐skin contact in the operating room after cesarean birth. Design Nurse‐ led quality improvement project based on the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) model. Sample UC Davis Medical Center has a cesarean rate of 30% and this rate was targeted for change. Prior to project implementation, skin‐to‐skin care was initiated in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) sometimes an hour or more following birth. Our proposal was to initiate skin‐to‐skin care in the operating room. Initially low‐risk women with scheduled cesareans at greater than 39 weeks gestation were included, but the practice was expanded to include mothers of stable neonates who were at least 37‐weeks gestational age. Mothers with gestational diabetes were included. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed to evaluate the rates of in‐hospital exclusive breastfeeding for neonates born via cesarean. Implementation Strategies Staff education was provided to address concerns and elicit support from key stakeholders. Mothers identified as candidates were provided with education about the benefits of skin‐to‐skin care, and consent was obtained. After an initial assessment by the NICU team at fewer than 10 minutes, the diapered neonate was placed directly on the bare chest of the mother in a transverse position. The neonate remained skin‐to‐skin until skin closure or request of cessation by mother. Limiting factors included unstable neonates, instability of mother, and mother's lack of interest in doing skin‐to‐skin contact. Results A baseline was established with a sample size of 33 neonates; 33% were exclusively breastfeeding at discharge. Subsequent chart reviews at 12 months (n = 33) and 18 months (n = 26) after implementation showed an increase in exclusive breastfeeding rates at discharge to 53% and 69% respectively. Conclusion/Implications for Nursing Practice Improving the rates of exclusive breastfeeding has become a national health priority. Through an interdisciplinary collaborative model, the practice of skin‐to‐skin care in the operating room can be achieved and help to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates.
Ion Bombardment Improvement on Thermoelectric Properties of Multilayered Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

In order to keep the stoichemistry of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 so as to keep the electrical and thermal conductivity advantage of the layered structure of bulk Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 in each period of the superlattice, magnetron sputtering, which is operated at relatively low temperature, was used to deposit multiplayer Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 thermoelectric superlattice device. The two guns in our magnetron sputtering device is oriented at a certain angle to get off-axis plasma plume, which will form lattice with preferential orientation for electrical conductivity in each layer. The super lattice was then bombarded by MeV Si ions with different fluence in order to form nanoscale cluster quantum dot-like structures. In addition to the effect of quantum well confinement of the phonon transmission, the nanoscale clusters produced by the bombardment of ion beam further adversely affect the thermal conductivity. The defect and disorder in the lattice caused by bombardment and the grain boundary of these nanoscale clusters increase the scattering of phonon and increase the chance of the inelastic interaction of phonon and the annihilation of phonon, this limits phonon mean free path. Phonons are chiefly absorbed and dissipated along the lattice, therefore reduces the cross plane thermal conductivity, The increases of the electron density of state in the miniband of nanoscale cluster quantum dot-like structure formed by bombardment also increases Seebeck coefficient, and the electrical conductivity. Eventually, the thermo-electric figure of merit of superlattice films increases.
Durable Goods Lease Contracts and Used-Goods Market Behavior: An Experimental Study

Leasing has become an increasingly prominent way for consumers to acquire durable goods such as automobiles. How markets respond to changes in lease contracts has enormous implications to producers such as Ford Motor Company. In this paper, an experimental model was developed to study the interaction between lease contracts that embed an option to purchase and an underlying used-goods market. Experiments with subjects playing roles of heterogeneous consumers have confirmed many salient features predicted by the theoretical model. These features include the segmentation of subjects into classes of behavior, and directional response to pricing in the used-good market to the provision in lease contracts.
Current Approaches and Challenges in Managing and Monitoring Treatment Response in Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among gynecologic malignancies. Treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer remains a challenge despite advances in surgical and chemotherapeutic options. A goal of many providers is to detect recurrences as early as possible and initiate treatment though there is controversy as to whether this impacts outcome. Elevations in CA125 and radiological findings may precede symptoms of recurrence by several months. While detection of recurrences by physical exam alone is unusual, a thorough exam in conjunction with reported symptoms and elevated CA125 is sufficient to detect 80-90% of recurrences. A spiral CT scan may be used to confirm recurrence in the setting of asymptomatic CA125 elevation and a PET/CT can yield additional insight if the CT is inconclusive. Initiating chemotherapy prior to the development of symptoms, even in the setting of elevated CA125, does not impact overall survival primarily because the efficacy of available treatments in the recurrent setting is poor. More information about tumor biology and ways to predict which patients will benefit from available treatment options is required. Consequently, the approach to post-treatment surveillance should be individualized taking into account the clinical benefit of the second-line therapy, versus the costs and morbidity of the surveillance method.
Dissemination and Implementation of Evidence–Based Practices: Training and Consultation as Implementation Strategies

To provide effective treatment for individuals with mental health needs, there is a movement to deploy evidence-based practices (EBPs) developed in research settings into community settings. Training clinicians in EBPs is often used as the primary implementation strategy in these efforts, despite evidence suggesting that training alone does not change therapist behavior. A promising implementation strategy that can be combined with training is consultation, or ongoing support. This paper reviews the literature on consultation following initial training. A model of consultation is presented as well as preliminary findings regarding effective consultation techniques. Future directions are offered.
The relationship between interannual and long-term cloud feedbacks

The analyses of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 simulations suggest that climate models with more positive cloud feedback in response to interannual climate fluctuations also have more positive cloud feedback in response to long-term global warming. Ensemble mean vertical profiles of cloud change in response to interannual and long-term surface warming are similar, and the ensemble mean cloud feedback is positive on both timescales. However, the average long-term cloud feedback is smaller than the interannual cloud feedback, likely due to differences in surface warming pattern on the two timescales. Low cloud cover (LCC) change in response to interannual and long-term global surface warming is found to be well correlated across models and explains over half of the covariance between interannual and long-term cloud feedback. In conclusion, the intermodel correlation of LCC across timescales likely results from model-specific sensitivities of LCC to sea surface warming.
The Ontology of Next Generation Smart Classrooms

Fast proliferation of various types of smart devices, smart systems, and smart technologies provides academic institutions, students and learners with enormous opportunities in terms of new approaches to learning technologies, education, learning processes and strategies, corporate training, user’s personal productivity and efficiency, and faster and better quality of services provided. This paper presents the developed ontology of Smart Classroom systems - it helps to understand and analyze current smart classroom systems, and identify features, hardware, software, services, pedagogy, teaching and learning-related activities of the next generation Smart Classroom systems.
Non-radioactive In Situ RNA Hybridisation Using Digoxigenin and an Application for Co-localisation Studies with Radioisotopes

Publisher Summary In situ hybridization technology is a tool to localize nucleic acid molecules in plant and animal cells. Several reviews and comparison studies have outlined the general methods. The two main approaches involve either radioactive or nonradioactive-labeled probes. The choice of which procedure to use is usually a compromise decision weighing the good and bad characteristics of each. The use of radioactive probes is increasingly more bothersome because of the monitoring equipment, special procedures, and the expense of handling, storage, and waste disposal. Radioactive procedures will probably never be abandoned completely, but when starting an in situ study for the first time, nonradioactive methods should probably be considered carefully as a first approach. The most widely used nonradioactive methods use probes labeled with biotin or digoxigenin. Both methods are safe and stable, but neither is considered to have the high sensitivity of radioactive probes.
Studies of the Hemopoietic Microenvironment. I. Changes in the Microvascular System and Stroma During Erythropoietic Regeneration and Suppression in the Spleens of CF1 Mice

Specific alterations in the microvascular and connective tissue compartments of the hemopoietic microenvironment have been examined during erythropoietic regeneration and suppression in the murine spleen and bone marrow using in vivo microscopic and histochemical methods. The results have confirmed the concept of specific hemopoietic microenvironments and have demonstrated specific alterations in the microenvironment during erythropoietic stimulation and repression. Elevated erythropoiesis in the splenic red pulp is accompanied by an elevation in blood flow through the microvascular system. Both the linear velocity of flow and the number of sinusoids with blood flow in them increased significantly. In contrast, erythropoietic repression was accompanied by a decreased linear velocity of blood flow, as well as a marked increase in the amount of blood being stored in the splenic sinusoids. This also was the picture when diffuse granulopoiesis was present in the red pulp, or when granuloid or undifferentiated colonies were present. The chemical composition of the stroma in the spleen and bone marrow also varied during states of hemopoietic activity and, in addition, there were differences in the composition of the stroma between these two organs. In both organs, foci of early proliferating cells were enveloped by a coating of sulfated acid mucopolysaccharide. This coat persisted on cells in later stages of granulopoiesis but not on cells in the later stages of erythropoiesis. The latter were enveloped with a coating of neutral mucopolysaccharide. A tentative hypothesis to explain the mechanisms involved in producing these changes is discussed.
Don't Throw Out Fetal-Diagnostic Innovation with the Bathwater: Why Ariosa v. Sequenom Is an Ideal Vehicle for Constructing a Sound Patent-Eligibility Framework

Over the past five years, the U.S. Supreme Court has reinvigorated patentable subject-matter limitations, issuing four significant decisions after nearly three dormant decades. These decisions reflect justifiable concerns about the patenting of abstract business methods and laws of nature. Just as importantly, they reveal internal inconsistencies and confusion about the scope of patentable subject matter and tension with the centuries-old fabric of patent-eligibility jurisprudence. As Justice Breyer remarked at the oral argument in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int’l (2014), the Mayo (2012) decision did no more than “sketch an outer shell of the content” of the patent-eligibility test, leaving much of the substance to be developed by the patent bar in conjunction with the Federal Circuit.The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Ariosa v. Sequenom uncritically accepts an expansive reading of Mayo that conflicts with insights from Myriad and Alice, thereby jeopardizing patent protection for diagnostic testing and other vital fields of biomedical research and possibly others. This amicus brief urges the Federal Circuit to grant en banc review in Ariosa v. Sequenom to ventilate critical issues left unanswered by the Supreme Court’s patent-eligibility decisions. Although some language in Mayo could be interpreted to set forth unconventional or inventive application as a possible test for patent-eligibility, Mayo suggests two other possibilities for an “inventive concept”: non-preemptive application; and non-generic application – that is, more than a statement of a natural law coupled with an instruction to apply it. While the panel was correct to perceive that Mayo describes preemption as the underlying justification for the patent-eligibility doctrine, not the operative test, we believe that the panel was incorrect to conclude that Mayo dictates unconventional or inventive application.
Compositional equivalence of DAS-444Ø6-6 (AAD-12 + 2mEPSPS + PAT) herbicide-tolerant soybean and nontransgenic soybean.

Soybeans from transgenic event DAS-444O6-6 are the first to express three proteins that provide tolerance to broad-spectrum herbicides. DAS-444O6-6 soybean expresses the aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase-12 (AAD-12) enzyme from the soil bacterium Delftia acidovorans , which provides tolerance to the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D); the double-mutant 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (2mEPSPS) enzyme encoded by a modified version of the epsps gene from maize ( Zea mays ), which provides tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate; and the phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT) enzyme from Streptomyces viridochromogenes , which provides tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate. The purpose of this study was to determine if the nutrient and antinutrient composition of forage and grain from DAS-444O6-6 soybean are similar to those of nontransgenic soybean. Forage was analyzed for proximates, fiber, and minerals; grain analyses further included vitamins, amino acid and fatty acid profiles, and antinutrients and bioactive components (lectin, phytic acid, raffinose, stachyose, trypsin inhibitor, and isoflavones). Results indicate that DAS-444O6-6 soybean is compositionally equivalent to nontransgenic soybean. Findings are consistent with similar studies for other input traits, as endogenous plant metabolic pathways that influence composition are expected to be less affected by transgenesis compared with traditional plant-breeding methods.
Range-Related Differences in Growth of Deer Reflected in Skeletal Ratios

The skeletal ratio femur/hind foot was employed to identify growth differences existing between two island populations of deer ( Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis ) in southeast Alaska. Skeletal ratios are a more reliable measure of growth differences than measurements of body weight or length because the skeleton can be measured more accurately. Also, the differential growth of skeletal parts reflects physiological age essentially independently of body size; therefore, the skeletal ratio is not as greatly influenced by genetic differences as are measurements of body weight and length. The deer populations on the islands studied show growth differences which are apparently attributable to differing levels in their annual nutrition. The use of the femur/hind foot ratio supports the thesis that these growth differences are of nutritional rather than genetic origin.
Strained-Germanium Nanostructures for Infrared Photonics

The controlled application of strain in crystalline semiconductors can be used to modify their basic physical properties to enhance performance in electronic and photonic device applications. In germanium, tensile strain can even be used to change the nature of the fundamental energy band gap from indirect to direct, thereby dramatically increasing the interband radiative efficiency and allowing population inversion and optical gain. For biaxial tension, the required strain levels (around 2%) are physically accessible but necessitate the use of very thin crystals. A particularly promising materials platform in this respect is provided by Ge nanomembranes, that is, single-crystal sheets with nanoscale thicknesses that are either completely released from or partially suspended over their native substrates. Using this approach, Ge tensilely strained beyond the expected threshold for direct-band gap behavior has recently been demonstrated, together with strong strain-enhanced photoluminescence and evidence of...
Conjugately embedding of the adding machine into topological dynamical systems:A necessary and sufficient condition

Aim To investigate the dynamical behavior and complexity of topological dynamical systems.Methods The adding machine is embedded into topological dynamical systems to explore various dynamical properties of these systems.Results A necessary and sufficient condition is established for the existence of a subsystem in the given topological dynamical system that is conjugate(resp.,semi-conjugate) to the adding achine.Conclusion Parallel to embedding the symbolic system into a given system,embedding the adding machine into the given system provides an alternative approach for exploring dynamical complexity of the given system.
The Politics, Roles, and Future of Professional Societies

ABSTRACTThis article analyzes various issues related to a professional society’s having greater influence on governmental, societal, and global issues. Analysis of association/society missions and goals, support for enhanced connections with other groups and collaboration to other disciplines through scholarly research projects, plus greater relevance and impact of scholarly inquiry on societal and global issues is presented. However, association/society influence is marginalized unless there is enhanced support by university leadership and faculty of a new or expanded view of scholarly inquiry. One possibility in gaining support or recognition by colleagues, government, community, and society is through a name change that reflects expanded mission and goals, plus a grants program which identifies with Boyer’s model of expanded academic scholarship and impact.
AP-1 transcriptional activity requires both T-cell receptor-mediated and co-stimulatory signals in primary T lymphocytes

The transcription factor AP-1 contributes significantly to the regulation of interleukin-2 gene transcription during T-cell activation and may play a role in thymocyte development. To study the regulation of AP-1 transcriptional activity in primary T-cells, reporter transgenic mice were generated that express luciferase gene under the control of AP-1 binding sites. Here, we demonstrate that while protein kinase C activation is sufficient to induce DNA-binding activity, an additional intracellular calcium increase is required to induce transcriptional activity of AP-1 in primary mouse T-cells. Furthermore, transcriptional, but not DNA-binding, activity of AP-1 is cyclosporin sensitive and requires tyrosine phosphorylation. This dissociation between DNA-binding and transcriptional activity is likely due, at least partially, to post-translational modifications of the AP-1 complex required for transcriptional activity. Moreover, in addition to these two signals delivered by ligand binding to the T-cell receptor (TcR) AP-1 transcriptional activity absolutely requires the presence of a co-stimulatory signal that can be mediated by the interaction of CD28 with its ligands B7-1 and B7-2. Thus, TcR-mediated and co-stimulatory signals required for T-cell activation appear to be integrated, in part, at the level of the regulation of transcriptional activity of AP-1.
Acoustical characteristics of sentential focus: narrow vs. broad and single vs. dual focus environments.

Acoustical analyses of speech production were conducted to determine the effects of two types of sentence focus distinction on intonational attributes of fundamental voice frequency (Fo) and durati...
Mapping the Tres Zapotes Polity: The Effectiveness of Lidar in Tropical Alluvial Settings

Seasonal wetlands and exuberant crop growth present challenges to systematic archaeological survey in alluvial settings, particularly in the tropical lowlands. Lidar can reduce the time and cost required to survey such areas by allowing targeting of elevated features not buried under recent alluvium, but demographic interpretation requires estimating post-abandonment alluvial depths. The broad alluvial plain between the Papaloapan delta and the Tuxtla Mountains in southern Veracruz, Mexico, offers a valuable case study, featuring seasonally inundated marshes, lakes, and vast fields of sugar cane, a crop infamously obstructive to lidar mapping. Undertaken to reconstruct demographic and organizational change in the Tres Zapotes polity, this study evaluates the benefits and limitations of lidar for archaeological survey in tropical alluvial settings based on overlap between lidar and systematic pedestrian survey and estimates of alluvial depth obtained by auger testing and underscores the importance of timing for lidar mapping in sugar cane.
The Automated Pyruvate Method as a Quality Test for Grade A Milk.

Concentrations of pyruvate in Grade A raw and pasteurized milks were determined by an automated procedure. The method was sensitive to 0.1 mg of pyruvate per liter and the coefficient of variation of the method was 1.6% for a sample of milk containing 3 mg/1. Since about twice as much pyruvate was produced in samples incubated 24 h at 20 C compared with 15 C, the higher temperature is suggested for the pyruvate difference test (ΔP); however, psychrotrophs would more likely be detected with an incubation temperature of 15 C. Pyruvate difference tests of pure cultures in steamed milk distinguished between concentrations approximating 102 and 103 Pseudomonas fragi , 103 and 104 Pseudomonas fluorescens , and between 104 and 105 Escherichia coli , Streptococcus faecalis , Lactobacillus acidophilus and Micrococcus luteus , but did not distinguish between 104 and 105 initial concentrations of six other gram-positive bacteria and Salmonella typhi . Both the initial pyruvate (IP) concentration and the ΔP in raw milk were correlated with the logarithm of the Wisconsin Mastitis Test score, suggesting that somatic cells contribute to pyruvate content. Correlations of IP and ΔP with Standard Plate Counts of raw and pasteurized milks were low or insignificant and only with raw milk from normal quarters was there a significant correlation of IP and ΔP with initial Psychrotrophic Plate Counts (PPC). Rates of pyruvate production by pure cultures in steamed milk and by the mixed natural flora of pasteurized milk were consistent with rates of growth. However, certain psychrotrophic bacteria reduced the concentration of pyruvate to undetectable levels after producing 10 or more mg/1. Suggestions are made regarding applicability of the test in controlling keeping quality of pasteurized milk and in receiving of bulk raw milk.
Focused Electron Beam Induced Deposition of Copper with High Resolution and Purity from Aqueous Solutions

Electron-beam induced deposition of high-purity copper nanostructures is desirable for nanoscale rapid prototyping, interconnection of chemically synthesized structures, and integrated circuit editing. However, metalorganic, gas-phase precursors for copper introduce high levels of carbon contamination. Here we demonstrate electron beam induced deposition of high-purity copper nanostructures from aqueous solutions of copper sulfate. The addition of sulfuric acid eliminates oxygen contamination from the deposit and produces a deposit with ~95 at% copper. The addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), Triton X-100, or polyethylene glycole (PEG) improves pattern resolution and controls deposit morphology but leads to slightly reduced purity. High resolution nested lines with a 100 nm pitch are obtained from CuSO4–H2SO4–SDS–H2O. Higher aspect ratios (~1:1) with reduced line edge roughness and unintended deposition are obtained from CuSO4–H2SO4–PEG–H2O. Evidence for radiation-chemical deposition mechanisms was observed, including deposition efficiency as high as 1.4 primary electrons/Cu atom.
On the representation of capsizing in iceberg models

Abstract Although iceberg models have been used for decades, they have received far more widespread attention in recent years, due in part to efforts to explicitly represent icebergs in climate models. This calls for increased scrutiny of all aspects of typical iceberg models. An important component of iceberg models is the representation of iceberg capsizing, or rolling. Rolling occurs spontaneously when the ratio of iceberg width to height falls below a critical threshold. Here we examine previously proposed representations of this threshold, and we find that there have been crucial flaws in the representation of rolling in many modeling studies to date. We correct these errors and identify an accurate model representation of iceberg rolling. Next, we assess how iceberg rolling influences simulation results in a hierarchy of models. Rolling is found to substantially prolong the lifespan of individual icebergs and allow them to drift farther offshore. However, rolling occurs only after large icebergs have lost most of their initial volume, and it thus has a relatively small impact on the large-scale freshwater distribution in comprehensive model simulations. The results suggest that accurate representations of iceberg rolling may be of particular importance for operational forecast models of iceberg drift, as well as for regional changes in high-resolution climate model simulations.
Unicystic Ameloblastoma Revisited: Comparison of Massachusetts General Hospital Outcomes With Original Robinson and Martinez Report.

Purpose Robinson and Martinez established unicystic ameloblastoma (UA) as a distinct pathologic entity in 1977. Using their original description, the aims of this study were to compare the clinical presentation and outcomes of UA treated at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) with outcomes reported in the original article. Patients and Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of MGH patients treated for UA during a 15-year period. Patients were included if they had a confirmed clinical and histologic diagnosis of UA. The primary predictor variable was the source of the study sample (MGH vs Robinson and Martinez). Secondary variables included age, gender, radiographic appearance, treatment, and histologic subtype. The primary outcome variable was the number of recurrences over time comparing the 2 groups. Results There were 19 patients (10 female and 9 male patients) in the MGH group and 20 patients (10 female and 10 male patients) in the Robinson and Martinez study. The lesions were predominantly unilocular (13 in MGH group and 19 in Robinson and Martinez group), located in the mandible (18 in MGH group and 20 in Robinson and Martinez group), and tooth associated (12 in MGH group and 14 in Robinson and Martinez group). No statistically significant demographic differences were noted between the 2 groups. In the MGH group, 13 cases (68%) exhibited mural or intramural ameloblastic epithelium, 4 (21%) were luminal or intraluminal, and 2 were unknown. However, histologic configuration was not reported in the Robinson and Martinez group. MGH patients were treated by enucleation (n = 7, 37%) or resection (n = 12, 63%) compared with enucleation in 100% cases in the Robinson and Martinez group. Overall, the disease-free survival rate was higher in the Robinson and Martinez group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = .089). Within the MGH group, 100% of recurrences occurred in patients with mural invasion treated by enucleation. Conclusions The results of this study support UA as a distinct entity based on demographic, clinical, and radiographic criteria. Outcomes in the MGH group were influenced by the degree of ameloblastic epithelial invasion and suggest that this variable should be considered when planning treatment.
Why would apparent κ linearly change with O/C? Assessing the role of volatility, solubility, and surface activity of organic aerosols

ABSTRACTCorrelations between O/C and cloud condensation nucleus activity, represented by κ, are a computationally efficient approach to estimate the impact of aerosol aging on cloud formation and c...
Punishment of Variable Ratio Maintained Behavior

Continuous punishment of behavior maintained by a variable ratio schedule resulted in disruption of responding confined primarily to the early portions of a session. Recovery of responding was noted during a daily session and over the punishment sessions. With the removal of the punishment contingency, over-all response rates increased above the punishment rates.
Anatomy of a gamma-ray burst

Linearly polarized optical emission from a gamma-ray burst reveals the presence of a large-scale distorted magnetic field in the heart of this powerful cosmic explosion.
Nonlinear Lyapunov Stability Analysis of Seven Models of a DC/AC Droop Controlled Inverter Connected to an Infinite Bus

The transient stability of inverter-based microgrids is important given the low inertia of microgrids especially in islanded mode. However, as a prerequisite to understanding transient stability of such microgrids, the transient stability of individual inverters requires further analysis. To address inverter stability, this paper presents the 13th-order nonlinear model of a dc/ac droop controlled inverter connected to an infinite bus. The singular perturbation method was used to decompose the nonlinear model into 11th, 9th, 7th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st-order models. The aim of the study is to understand the accuracy and validity of the reduced order models in replicating the performance of the full order nonlinear model. The performance of each model is investigated using two different tools, time domain simulations and Lyapunov functions for the estimation of the domain of attraction. The work aims to present the best model to use for time domain simulations and domain of attraction estimation. Results show that certain reduced order models are capable of accurately reproducing the performance of the full order model while others can be used to gain insights into those areas of study. This will enable future studies to save computational effort and produce the most accurate results according to the needs of the study being performed.
Narrative Medicine in the Context of Community-Based Practice

Narrative medicine begins with a simple but important idea. That is, individuals and groups invent stories that give meaning and purpose to their lives (Charon 2006). These narratives, according to Charon, should be the focus of medical interventions, if these services are going to have any relevance. The basic theme is that these storylines are key to grasping how illness is understood, including the proper design of any remedies.
Social Inequality and Schooling

Despite decades of school reforms intended to equalize educational opportunities, social inequalities in education persist. Throughout the modern world, youth from privileged families tend to perform better in school and secure more advanced educational credentials. School expansion has not reduced the association between family background and educational attainment; rather, it has pushed the most consequential sorting to higher levels of the educational system. Both between-school inequalities in resources and within-school inequalities in educational opportunities produce class and status inequalities in educational outcomes. Finally, no modern society has yet succeeded in preventing families from using family resources to gain educational advantage for their children.
B Cell Development in Mammals

B cells and their antibody-secreting progeny represent one of several differentiation pathways that hemopoietic stem cells (HSC) may enter (8,23). While B cells in birds are generated in the hindgut bursa of Fabricus, mammalian B cells are generated in hemopoietic tissues along with other blood cell lineages (28,29,34). Mammalian B cells appear first in embryonic liver and then the spleen when hemopoiesis is centered in these organs (29). Later in development, they are produced in the bone marrow (28,29,34).
Specificity in DNA uptake by gonococci

Factors involved in the specificity of plasmid DNA uptake by competent gonococci were examined. Modification did not affect uptake, nor did plasmid conformation (linearized vs. circular). A 700 bp fragment from a 4.2 kb gonococcal cryptic plasmid was cloned into pLES2, a gonococcal-E. coli shuttle vector; the 700 bp fragment was taken up into a DNasel-resistant state in preference to the vector fragment. A second fragment of 360 bp also was taken up preferentially from Ddel fragments of the cryptic plasmid pFAl. These fragments share a 10 bp sequence (5’ GATGCTCTGT 3’), which is found on the cryptic plasmid only on fragments that were taken up readily. This 10’mer was synthesized and cloned into a derivative of pBR322; presence of the 10’mer did not appreciably affect uptake of pBR322. We conclude that DNA structure undoubtedly affects recognition and/or uptake by gonococci, but the 10’mer is not sufficient to explain the specificity.
The Joint Ministry of Priests and Prophets

There is good reason to believe that the higher Israelite clergy, the “priests,” consisted of two orders, kohen and navi’ who exercised a joint ministry before Yahweh (see B.W. Anderson 1975, p. 230). Kohen is usually translated as “priest” while navi is rendered “prophet” but literally means “mouth” or “spokesman” (Orlinsky 1974, p. 59). The Levites were (or became) a minor priestly order, subordinate to the higher clergy or to the king.1
The Effect on Network Flows-Based Features and Training Set Size on Malware Detection

Although network flows have been used in areas such as network traffic analysis and botnet detection, not many works have used network flows-based features for malware detection. This paper is focused on malware detection based on using features extracted from the network traffic and system logs. We evaluated the performance of four supervised machine learning algorithms (i.e., J48, Random Forest, Naive Bayes, and PART) for malware detection and identified the best learner. Furthermore, we used feature selection based on information gain to identify the smallest number of features needed for classification. In addition, we experimented with training sets of different sizes. The main findings include: (1) Adding network flows-based features improved significantly the performance of malware detection. (2) J48 and PART were the best performing learners, with the highest F-score and G-score values. (3) Using J48, the top five features ranked by information gain attained the same performance as when using all 88 features. In the case of PART, the top fourteen features ranked by information gain led to the same performance as when all 88 features were used. None of the system logs-based features were included in these two models. (4) The classification performance when training on 75% of the data was comparable to training on 90% of the data. As little as 25% of the data can be used for training at an expense of somewhat higher, but not very significant performance degradation (i.e., less than 7% for F-score and 6% for G-score compared to when 90% of the data were used for training).
Regulatory Issues and Recommendations Associated with Use of High Resolution Drone Detect & Avoid (D&A) Including for 5G Applications

This paper discusses some key issues and operational characteristics of a commercial drone based D&A, and makes recommendations in regards to future spectral opportunities and regulatory framework that meet the technical performance needs of high resolution Detect & Avoid (D&A) function for small UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle).
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Hearing Care Services: What Is It Worth to Medicare?

OBJECTIVE Hearing care services for older adults with hearing aids are underutilized and are not covered by the Medicare program. Little information exists to the value of hearing care services for older adults with hearing aids. The objective of this analysis is to estimate the potential costs and benefits to the Medicare program of covering hearing care services. DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis using propensity score matching methods to create balanced and comparable groups. We conducted a 1:1 match of older Medicare beneficiaries with hearing aids who self-reported use of hearing care services in the previous 12 months to those with hearing aids who did not use hearing care services. Groups were balanced on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics as well as health status, functional impairment, and trouble hearing. We compared average total Medicare spending per person between matched groups, as well as by service type. SETTING Nationally representative survey of Medicare beneficiaries in the United States (Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey) 2013. PARTICIPANTS Study participants were limited to those in the survey who reported using hearing aids in 2013 (n = 1120). RESULTS Average annual Medicare spending was $8196 (95% confidence interval [CI] = $6670-$9723) among Medicare beneficiaries who used hearing care services and $10,709 (95% CI = $8878-$12,541) among matched controls who did not use hearing care services. Total spending per person was $2513 (95% CI = $150-$4876) higher among those who did not use hearing care services, with spending differences driven mostly by higher-skilled nursing facility (difference = $825; 95% CI = $193-$1455) and home health (difference = $287; 95% CI = $7-$568) spending among matched controls. CONCLUSION Utilization of hearing care services among older adults with hearing aids is associated with reduced Medicare spending. Increasing access to hearing care services among Medicare beneficiaries with hearing aids may provide value to the healthcare system and net savings to the Medicare program. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:784-789, 2019.
Statistics at FDA: Reflections on the Past Six Years

A year after joining the FDA in 2011 as Director of the Office of Biostatistics in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), I prepared a talk, and later a publication, on the role of sta...
Composition-Controlled Synthesis of Bimetallic PdPt Nanoparticles and Their Electro-oxidation of Methanol

PdPt alloy nanoparticles (NPs) are promising catalysts for various chemical reactions because of the presence of powerful catalytic components of Pt and Pd on the surface of one nanostructure. In this paper, we report a facile synthesis of polyhedral PdPt alloy NPs via coreduction of Pd(acac)2 (acac = acetylacetonate) and Pt(acac)2 with morpholine borane in oleylamine at 90 and 180 °C. In the synthesis, the molar ratio of the two metal precursors added in the reaction mixture was carried over to the final PdPt NP product, and compositions of the PdPt NPs were readily tuned from Pd88Pt12 to Pd34Pt66. These PdPt NPs show the composition-dependent catalytic activity for methanol oxidation, with NPs in 40–60 atomic % Pt exhibiting the superior activity and durability.
New directions for improving the prediction, prevention, and treatment of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among hospital patients

Each year in the United States, suicidal thoughts and behaviors lead to >15 million visits to emergency departments and stays in psychiatric inpatient units. We describe three key areas where advances are needed: (1) more accurate detection of patients at risk for suicide in hospital settings, (2) better use of time and resources with patients while in the hospital, and (3) identifying patients who are at the highest risk for suicide when their risk is at its highest. In this introduction to the special issue, we provide describe how the papers in this issue make needed advances regarding these three topics and outline directions for future suicide research in hospital settings.
The efficiency of large(r) endowments: the optimal endowment is bigger than you might think

This study argues that endowments can be efficient, both for a finite-lived and infinitely-lived agent. When the lost utility from forgone consumption is less than the discounted utility brought by...
Sterilization of Drug-Loaded Composite Coatings for Implantable Glucose Biosensors:

Background:An anti-inflammatory drug-loaded composite coating (dexamethasone-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) [PLGA] microspheres/polyvinyl alcohol [PVA] hydrogel) was previously developed to ...
LRRK2 regulation of immune-pathways and inflammatory disease

Mutations in the leucine-rich-repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene are associated with familial and sporadic cases of Parkinson's disease but are also found in immune-related disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, tuberculosis and leprosy. LRRK2 is highly expressed in immune cells and has been functionally linked to pathways pertinent to immune cell function, such as cytokine release, autophagy and phagocytosis. Here, we examine the current understanding of the role of LRRK2 kinase activity in pathway regulation in immune cells, drawing upon data from multiple diseases associated with LRRK2 to highlight the pleiotropic effects of LRRK2 in different cell types. We discuss the role of the bona fide LRRK2 substrate, Rab GTPases, in LRRK2 pathway regulation as well as downstream events in the autophagy and inflammatory pathways.
National trends in utilization and outcomes of extracorporeal support for in- and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Abstract Introduction Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) has shown promise in the management of cardiac arrest. The purpose of this study was to examine temporal trends and predictors of ECLS utilization and survival to discharge among inpatients with cardiac arrest in the United States. Methods All patients admitted after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and those who experienced in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) from 2005 to 2014 were identified in the National Inpatient Sample. Patients carrying a pregnancy as well as those with do-not-resuscitate orders or trauma-related diagnoses were excluded. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of ECLS utilization and survival to discharge. Results An estimated 1,624,827 patients were identified. During the study period, use of ECLS increased from 77 to 564 per 100,000 arrests for OHCA, and 60 to 632 per 100,000 arrests for IHCA. Survival among patients on ECLS for OHCA and IHCA increased from 34.2% to 54.2% and from 4.7% to 19.2%, respectively. Age, year of arrest, cardiac rhythm, and the presence of a potentially reversible etiology including myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism, were predictive of ECLS utilization. Among patients placed on ECLS, age, rhythm at arrest, and location of arrest were predictive of survival to discharge. Conclusions Mortality after cardiac arrest for those on ECLS has substantially decreased. Younger age, shockable rhythm, and out-of-hospital arrest location were predictive of survival or utilization. As ECLS use increases, it is critical to define selection criteria that maximize the benefits of ECLS.
Food Insecurity and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Among WIC-Enrolled Families in the First 1,000 Days.

Abstract Objective Determine the association between household food insecurity and habitual sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption among Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)–enrolled families during the first 1,000 days. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of pregnant women and mothers of infants aged under 2 years in the WIC was performed. Families recruited sequentially at consecutive visits completed food insecurity and beverage intake questionnaires; estimated logistic regression models controlled for sociodemographic characteristics. Results Of 394 Hispanic/Latino mothers and 281 infants, 63% had household food insecurity. Food insecurity significantly increased odds of habitual maternal (unadjusted odds ratio (OR), 2.39; 95% CI, 1.27–4.47; P = .01) and infant SSB consumption (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.15–3.65; P = .02), and the relationship was not attenuated by maternal age, education, or foreign-born status. Conclusions and Implications Food insecurity increased odds of habitual SSB consumption in WIC families. Interventions to curb SSB consumption among WIC-enrolled families in the first 1,000 days in the context of household food insecurity are needed.
Forecasting real‐time economic activity using house prices and credit conditions

Using real‐time data from 1985:Q1 to 2017:Q3 and simple vector autoregression (VAR) models, we show that there is a substantial payoff in combining credit supply indicators with house prices for forecasting real economic activity in the USA. Consistent with the findings in the literature, we show that the forecasts from a bivariate VAR model of real activity and credit conditions dominate the forecasts from a univariate model of real activity. The most interesting finding of the paper is that once real house price growth is added to the bivariate VAR model of real activity and credit conditions, the forecasting performance improves significantly. The forecasts from the model that contains credit supply indicator and real house price growth are also competitive with the forecasts of the Survey of Professional Forecasters. These results provide further evidence in support of the recent theoretical and empirical research on the dynamic relationship between housing market and credit conditions and its role in explaining real economic activity fluctuations in the USA.
Anyone Can Do YouTube, but Not Everyone Can Do Public Access: Urban Politics, Production Tools, and a Communications Infrastructure to Call Home:

Scholars have recognized how new information and communication technologies (ICTs) have reduced and transformed barriers to producing and circulating community-based media. Yet community media proj...
Improving the Quality of Visualization Dashboards in Critical Care: A Mixed-Methods Study:

Intensive care units (ICUs) lack both standardized performance indicators to better understand the effectiveness of interventions and uniform platforms to present these indicators. The goal of this study was to identify ICU metrics meaningful to stakeholders to help guide the development of a local visualization dashboard. Individual ICU directors were interviewed to collate their input on metrics important to their units. These qualitative data were used to develop a dashboard draft, after which the authors surveyed 20 stakeholders from different hospital departments for feedback on its content and structure. The varied survey results reinforced the inherent difficulties of adapting previously developed measurement tools while also selecting ICU performance measures that are simultaneously widely accepted yet relevant to local practice. These results also call attention to the importance of interdisciplinary input in quality dashboard development, thereby enabling more successful implementation and utilization for ICU quality improvement.
Quantum Enhancement of Optical Measurements using Four-Wave Mixing in Rb Vapor

Using four-wave mixing in hot Rb vapor, we demonstrate the production of two-mode intensity squeezing between beams with significantly different optical angular momenta and an all-optical polarization-based truncated SU(1, 1) interferometer for all-optical quantum-enhanced imaging and sensing.