cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Local responses to a forest park in western Uganda: alternate narratives on fortress conservation

Most research on attitudes to parks in sub-Saharan Africa has been in savannah regions and areas of low population density. Expulsion, exclusion and the imposition of external control are dominant themes, resulting in negative responses to parks, particularly those that represent hard-edged so-called fortress conservation. Our research in the densely populated area around a mid altitude forest park in western Uganda found an alternate narrative in which, despite its hard-edged fortress features, most people view Kibale National Park favourably. Based on a geographically random sample in two agricultural areas neighbouring the Park, our results indicate that most households felt they benefit from the Park and only a small proportion cited negative impacts. Rather than direct economic returns, the benefits most commonly noted by respondents can be characterized as ecosystem services. Most individual respondents and a large majority of the local political leaders said that the Park should continue to exist. Crop raiding by animals from the Park is a problem in some locations but resource restrictions and expulsion were not widely cited by our respondents. The fact that the large majority of residents migrated to the area after the Park was established may be an important explanatory factor for these responses, and this is also likely to be the case for many other mid altitude tropical forest parks, the demographic and land-use histories of which differ from those around many savannah parks.
Mild Cognitive Impairments Predict Dementia in Nondemented Elderly Patients With Memory Loss

Background: Some elderly individuals exhibit significant memory deficits but do not have dementia because their general intellect is preserved and they have no impairments in everyday activities. These symptoms are often a precursor to Alzheimer disease (AD), but sometimes dementia does not occur, even after many years of observation. There is currently no reliable way to distinguish between these 2 possible outcomes in an individual patient. We hypothesized that clear impairments in at least 1 cognitive domain in addition to memory would help identify those who will progress to AD. Objective: To determine whether nondemented patients with impairments in memory and other domains are more likely than those with memory impairment alone to develop AD. Design and Methods: In a retrospective study, we evaluated 48 nondemented, nondepressed patients with clinical and psychometric evidence of memory impairment who were followed up for 2 or more years. Ageadjusted normative criteria were used to identify whether additional impairments were present in language, attention, motor visuospatial function, and verbal fluency at this initial evaluation. The presence or absence of dementia after 2 years and at the most recent neurological evaluation was compared in subjects with normal scores in all 4 of these cognitive areas apart from memory (M˛) and those with impairment in 1 or more of these areas (M+). Outcomes were adjusted for age, intelligence at initial evaluation, and years of education. Results: Of the 48 nondemented patients with memory loss, 17 met M˛ criteria, leaving 31 in the M+ group. Deficits in block design were the most frequent abnormality other than memory loss. At the 2-year follow-up, 1 M˛ subject (6%) had progressed to AD, whereas 15 (48%) of the M+ group had progressed to AD (P=.003). At the most recent follow-up (mean±SD, 4.0±2.0 years), 4 (24%) of the M˛ patients progressed to AD compared with 24 (77%) of the M+ patients (P,.001). Conclusions: Among nondemented elderly patients, memory loss alone rarely progresses to dementia in the subsequent 2 years. However, the risk of dementia is significantly increased among patients with clear cognitive impairments beyond memory loss. Further study is needed to determine whether patients with impairments limited to memory loss have a distinctive clinical course or pathophysiology.
A realistic variable voltage scheduling model for real-time applications

Voltage scheduling is indispensable for exploiting the benefit of variable voltage processors. Though extensive research has been done in this area, current processor limitations such as transition overhead and voltage level discretization are often considered insignificant and are typically ignored. We show that for hard, real-time applications, disregarding such details can lead to sub-optimal or even invalid results. We propose two algorithms that guarantee valid solutions. The first is a greedy yet simple approach, while the second is more complex but significantly reduces energy consumption under certain conditions. Through experimental results on both real and randomly generated systems, we show the effectiveness of both algorithms, and explore what conditions make it beneficial to use the complex algorithm over the basic one.
Mindfulness and Work-Related Well-Being

In the fast-paced working world in which we live, the worksite is a pragmatic location to teach resiliency building skills that can circumvent the delirious effects of chronic stress. Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) delivered at the work site are becoming increasingly popular and may be provided by occupational stakeholders in an attempt to sustain a healthy workforce [Shonin et al. (Int J Ment Health Addict 12:806–23, 2014)]. Many of these mindfulness programs have been shown through scientific research, to produce both physiological and psychological benefits across various professions, including nurses, physicians, police, firefighters, teachers, lawyers, etc., with the hope of providing positive strategies to maintain positive mental health. Mindfulness concepts and practice provide value at both the individual and organizational levels. Corporate and academic employers are at the forefront of providing innovative stress reduction through mindfulness programming to employees to curtail the potential of counterproductive addictive behaviors linked to chronic stress. Employee absenteeism and presenteeism are discussed, as well as the potential cost savings for employers choosing to implement such innovative programs.
Robust Brain Hyperglycemia during General Anesthesia: Relationships with Metabolic Brain Inhibition and Vasodilation

Glucose is the main energetic substrate for the metabolic activity of brain cells and its proper delivery into the extracellular space is essential for maintaining normal neural functions. Under physiological conditions, glucose continuously enters the extracellular space from arterial blood via gradient-dependent facilitated diffusion governed by the GLUT-1 transporters. Due to this gradient-dependent mechanism, glucose levels rise in the brain after consumption of glucose-containing foods and drinks. Glucose entry is also accelerated due to local neuronal activation and neuro-vascular coupling, resulting in transient hyperglycemia to prevent any metabolic deficit. Here, we explored another mechanism that is activated during general anesthesia and results in significant brain hyperglycemia. By using enzyme-based glucose biosensors we demonstrate that glucose levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) strongly increase after iv injection of Equthesin, a mixture of chloral hydrate and sodium pentobarbital that is often used for general anesthesia in rats. By combining electrochemical recordings with brain, muscle, and skin temperature monitoring, we show that the gradual increase in brain glucose occurring during the development of general anesthesia tightly correlate with decreases in brain-muscle temperature differentials, suggesting that this rise in glucose is related to metabolic inhibition. While the decreased consumption of glucose by brain cells could contribute to the development of hyperglycemia, an exceptionally strong positive correlation (r=0.99) between glucose rise and increases in skin-muscle temperature differentials was also found, suggesting the strong vasodilation of cerebral vessels as the primary mechanism for accelerated entry of glucose into brain tissue. Our present data could explain drastic differences in basal glucose levels found in awake and anesthetized animal preparations. They also suggest that glucose entry into brain tissue could be strongly modulated by pharmacological drugs via drug-induced changes in metabolic activity and the tone of cerebral vessels.
Aerosol corticosteroids for the treatment of asthma.

In an effort to maximize the efficacy of corticosteroid treatment in asthma and minimize the adverse reactions, steroid therapy has evolved to the inhalation route of administration with aerosol compounds having potent topical antiinflammatory activity and minimal systemic effects. Corticosteroids exhibiting these properties that are available in the U.S. include beclomethasone dipropionate, triamcinolone acetonide, and flunisolide. The success or failure of patient response to orally inhaled corticosteroids is often a function of adequate drug delivery rather than the efficacy of the drug itself. Patients who cannot use the inhaler accurately may benefit from the use of a spacer or reservoir device. The three aerosolized corticosteroids have specific pharmacologic differences; however, none of these differences has translated into a clinically significant advantage or disadvantage of one product over the others. These agents should be considered for adjunctive therapy in patients whose asthma is not adequately controlled by beta-agonist bronchodilators, theophylline, or cromolyn sodium.
A Preliminary Investigation of Giant Red Mustard (Brassica juncea) as a Deterrent of Silverleaf Whitefly Oviposition

Different pairs of plants planted in a single pot were tested in the greenhouse for oviposition preference by the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Treatments were: 2 giant red mustard plants (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.), 2 collards (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala), and 1 plant of each species in individual pots. Treatments were exposed to whitefly adults and numbers of eggs laid were counted 6 d later. Numbers of whitefly eggs were significantly lower on the mustard-mustard treatment. Average egg counts were lower on collard plants in the treatment where both host plants were presented simultaneously than in treatments where collards were presented alone. These results suggest the possibility of repellent volatiles in the giant red mustard. To test for repellent effects in the field, an experimental plot was planted with squash (Cucurbita pepo L.), cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata), broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica), collards,...
Abstract 4015: Flavopiridol-induced upregulation of HtrA1 is associated with suppression of its negative transcriptional regulator WT-1 and with enhanced chemosensitivity

We previously identified serine protease HtrA1 as a down-regulated gene in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) that modulates cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity. However, the mechanism by which HtrA1 sensitizes cells to cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity remained unknown. We have shown previously that the pan-cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor flavopiridol (FP) sensitizes cells to cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity; we hypothesized that flavopiridol might therefore modulate the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins. Microarray data indicated that while flavopiridol treatment alone or in combination with cisplatin up-regulated HtrA1 expression by 2-3 fold (providing a means to upregulate HtrA1 expression), treatment with cisplatin alone had no effect. Interestingly, in searching for underlying mechanisms, we noted that WT-1 transcription factor binding elements that is present in HtrA1 promoter is down-regulated by flavopiridol in our microarray studies. Immunoblot analysis revealed that WT-1 is highly expressed in HtrA1-deficient OV167, OV202, PE04 and Ovcar3 cells but not in HtrA1-expressing SKOV3, TOV21G and PE01 cells, suggesting WT-1 negatively regulates HtrA1 expression in EOC. Immunoblot analysis showed FP treatment resulted in down-regulation of WT-1 with a corresponding increase in HtrA1 protein levels in OV202 cells. Additionally, stable down-regulation of WT-1 by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) in OV202 cells increased HtrA1 expression. Conversely, enhanced expression of full length WT-1 isoform in SKOV3 cells downregulated HtrA1 expression. Reporter assay showed that FP treatment upregulated HtrA1 promoter activity in OV202 cells. Reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments showed that WT-1 is specifically recruited to the HtrA1 promoter. Moreover, downregulation of WT-1 expression in OV202 cells increased cisplatin-mediated cytotoxicity as determined by both 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and clonogenic assays – an effect reversed by enhanced expression of HtrA1. Collectively, our studies demonstrate a linkage between the effects of flavopiridol on HtrA1 and its regulatory transcription factor WT-1 that appears in part to explain why flavopiridol has chemosensitizing properties Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4015. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4015
Linguistic Intuitions Revisited

AbstractWhy are linguistic intuitions good evidence for a grammar? In ‘Intuitions in Linguistics’ ([2006a]) and Ignorance of Language ([2006b]), I looked critically at some Chomskian answers and pr...
System Transformation in Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH): Variable Impact on Chronically Ill Patients' Utilization

Background Research connecting patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) with improved quality and reduced utilization is inconsistent, possibly because individual domains of change, and the stage of change, are not incorporated in the research design. The objective of this study was to examine the association between stage and domain of change and patterns of health care utilization. Methods This was a cross-sectional observational study that including 87 Minnesota clinics certified as medical homes. Patients included those receiving management for diabetes or cardiovascular disease with insurance coverage by payers participating in the study. PCMH transformation stage was defined by practice systems in place, with measurements summarized in 5 domains. Health care utilization was measured by total utilization, frequency of outpatient visits and prescriptions, and occurrence of inpatient and emergency department visits. Results PCMH transformation was associated with few changes in utilization, but there were important differences by the underlying domains of change. We demonstrate meaningful differences in the impact of PCMH transformation by diagnosis cohort and comorbidity status of the patient. Conclusions Because the association of health care utilization with PCMH transformation varied by transformation domain and patient diagnosis, practice leaders need to be supported by research incorporating detailed measures of PCMH transformation.
Graph compression: The effect of clusters

This paper investigates the fundamental limits for compressing random graphs. It also discusses the compression of data on graphs. The graphs are assumed to have labelled vertices. The most basic example is the Erdős-Renyi model, which corresponds to the well-understood case of compressing i.i.d. bits. This paper investigates inhomogeneous random graphs that have clusters, or equivalently, block models. These correspond to mixtures of Erdős-Renyi models for which basic tools for i.i.d.-like sources may not apply, capturing a key feature of general network models. It is shown how the fundamental limit of lossless compression for such models takes different forms as the graph gets sparser. The paper also introduces connections between compression and clustering, how each field can impact the other, and how clustering can help for the compression of data on graphs.
The Immune Basis of Narcolepsy: What Is the Evidence?

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurologic sleep disorder. Type 1 narcolepsy (narcolepsy-cataplexy) is associated with the destruction of lateral hypothalamic hypocretin neurons. It is thought that the loss of hypocretin neurons is autoimmune mediated. This is because of the close relationship between type 1 narcolepsy and HLA DQB1∗0602 and the onset of narcolepsy at a young age. Evidence suggests that streptococcal and H1N1 influenza infections (and H1N1 vaccination) may be involved in the pathogenesis of narcolepsy. There are suggestions from genetic and immune studies that the immune system plays a key role in narcolepsy.
Applicability of Benford’s Law to Compliance Assessment of Self-Reported Wastewater Treatment Plant Discharge Data

The United States (U.S.) environmental regulatory system relies heavily on self-reports to assess compliance among regulated facilities. However, the regulatory agencies have expressed concerns regarding the potential for fraud in self-reports and suggested that the likelihood of detection in the federal and state enforcement processes is low. In this paper, we apply Benford’s Law to three years of self-reported discharge parameters from wastewater treatment plant facilities in one U.S. state. We conclude that Benford’s Law alone may not be a reliable method for detecting potential data mishandling for individual facility–parameter combinations, but may provide information about the types of parameters most likely to be fraudulently reported and types of facilities most likely to do so. From a regulatory perspective, this information may help to prioritise potential fraud risks in self reporting and better direct limited resources.
Brain technology: Neurons recorded en masse

A silicon probe that is inserted into the mouse brain can precisely measure the activity of about 200 individual neurons simultaneously. This tool should improve our ability to study functional neuronal circuitry. See Letter p.232 Sensory, motor and cognitive operations involve the coordinated action of large neuronal populations across multiple brain regions. Existing technologies reliably measure activity from a relatively small number of neurons with high spatial and temporal resolution, or from a large volume of neurons with low resolution. Timothy Harris and colleagues describe the design, fabrication and performance of Neuropixels, a silicon probe that can measure well-isolated neural activity from hundreds of neurons. They integrated these probes into a lightweight system that could record activity simultaneously and with high fidelity from hundreds of neurons in awake and freely moving rodents.
A Comparison of Psychology Faculty Teaching at Christian Colleges and Universities during 1972 and 1984

Psychology faculty at Christian colleges and universities responded to a survey assessing their professional backgrounds and current activities and interests. The results of this survey were then c...
Size matters in nanoscale communication.

Exosomes are heterogeneous, nanoscale vesicles that mediate cellular communication. A study now leverages a size separation strategy to identify sub-classes of nanoparticles, revealing a subtype without an encapsulating membrane and variation in vesicle cargo, suggesting that size is not the only driver of heterogeneity.
Cardiovascular Nursing Science Priorities: A Statement From the American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing.

Background The American Heart Association's (AHA) Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN) plays a critical role in advancing the mission of the AHA in the discovery of new scientific knowledge. The aim was to identify priority research topics that would promote and improve cardiovascular (CV) health, provide direction for the education of future nurse scientists, and serve as a resource and catalyst for federal and organizational funding priorities. Methods A Qualtrics survey, which included 3 questions about priorities for CVSN nurse researchers, was sent to the CVSN Leadership Committee and all CVSN Fellows of the AHA (n = 208). Responses to the questions were reviewed for word repetitions, patterns, and concepts and were then organized into thematic areas. The thematic areas were reviewed within small groups at the November (2016) in-person CVSN leadership meeting. Results Seventy-three surveys were completed. Five thematic areas were identified and included (1) developing and testing interventions, (2) assessment and monitoring, (3) precision CV nursing care, (4) translational and implementation science, and (5) big data. Topic areas noted were stroke, research methods, prevention of stroke and CV disease, self-management, and care and health disparities. Conclusion Five thematic areas and 24 topic areas were identified as priorities for CV nursing research. These findings can provide a guide for CV nurse scientists and for federal and foundational funders to use in developing funding initiatives. We believe additional research and discovery in these thematic areas will help reduce the rising global burden of CV disease.
Exploring the Dimensions of Emotional Labor: The Heart of Hochschild’s Work

This study empirically identifies the dimensions and initiates the development of a measure of emotional labor. Phase 1 of this project generated items for an exploratory questionnaire to which a broad sample of service workers responded (N = 358). Analysis revealed two dimensions of emotional labor: emotive effort, a construct never before identified in the emotional labor literature; and emotive dissonance, an acknowledged dimension that is further validated by this study. Several viable antecedent constructs of emotional labor also were identified and incorporated into an emerging model of emotional labor. In Phase 2, revised scales were administered to a second sample of service workers (N = 427) for reliability and validity purposes. Structural equation modeling also was used to establish relationships among emotional labor’s dimensions and various antecedent variables, facilitating development of a model of emotional labor.
SEASONAL VARIATIONS OF HYDROCARBONS IN THE WATER COLUMN OF THE MAFLA LEASE AREA

Abstract A series of 15 stations in the northeast Gulf of Mexico were occupied during summer, fall and winter 1975-76. Samples were collected and analyzed by gas chromatography for dissolved hydrocarbons and those associated with suspended particulate material. Average concentration of total resolved hydrocarbons was 0.4 yg/1 dissolved and 0.3 yg/1 particulate. Concentrations were higher near shore. Unresolved components were present in both dissolved and particulate phases, especially near the Mississippi River and Sound which may be the source of this material. Biogenic hydrocarbons, nC15, nC17, pristane and squalene in the particulate phase may be reflective of in situ biomass. A series of n-alkanes (nC21 to nC32) in both dissolved and particulate phases persisted during all seasons. Squalene was the dominant molecule in the dissolved unsaturated/aromatic fraction at most stations, but was very low in concentration at the offshore stations in the fall. Total dissolved hydrocarbons did not correlate with particulate organic carbon. Total particulate hydrocarbons did not correlate with particulate organic carbon or chlorophyll a (Chi. a ).
Effects of Integrated Polyethylene and Cover Crop Mulch, Conservation Tillage, and Herbicide Application on Weed Control, Yield, and Economic Returns in Watermelon

A 3-yr watermelon experiment was established in fall 2013 to evaluate cover crop, polyethylene mulch, tillage, and herbicide application components for weed control, yield, and profitability. Conservation tillage, either with a cereal rye cover crop alone or integrated with polyethylene mulch, was compared to the standard industry practice of conventional tillage with bedded polyethylene mulch. The study also used a non-bedded conventional tillage system without polyethylene to determine polyethylene and cover crop residue effects. Within each of the four systems, herbicide treatments comprised halosulfuron applied (1) at 26.3 g ai ha-1 PRE, (2) at 26.3 g ai ha-1 POST, or (3) sequentially at 26.3 g ai ha-1 PRE and POST. Each system also had a nontreated control. In addition, clethodim was applied in all plots twice POST at 140 g ai ha-1, except for nontreated in each system. In 2014, polyethylene or cereal rye cover crop effectively controlled tall morningglory, coffee senna, and carpetweed early season in nontreated plots, whereas the integration of the two was effective at controlling common purslane. Tall morningglory and purslane control was insufficient late season regardless of production system and herbicide application. In 2015, polyethylene effectively controlled cutleaf eveningprimrose, sicklepod, and arrowleaf sida early season in nontreated plots. Yellow nutsedge control was insufficient late season regardless of production system and herbicide application. Utilizing sequential halosulfuron applications did not increase weed control over PRE or POST alone in all years. Polyethylene use resulted in yields higher than systems without in all years. Across all 3 yr, net returns were highest for polyethylene mulch systems. The results of this experiment underscore the need for more progress in developing integrated conservation systems for watermelon production. Effective herbicides, low-disturbance cultivation, and/or hand weeding are most likely the key to success in conservation specialty crop systems.Nomenclature: Clethodim; halosulfuron; arrowleaf sida, Sida rhombifolia L.; cereal rye, Secale cerale L.; carpetweed, Mollugo verticillata L.; coffee senna, Senna occidentalis (L.) Link; common purslane, Portulaca oleracea L.; cutleaf eveningprimrose, Oenothera laciniata Hill; large crabgrass, Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.; sicklepod, Senna obtusifolia (L.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby; yellow nutsedge, Cyperus rotundus L.; tall morningglory, Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth; watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai
Concussions: Activity Avoidance and Rest Recommendation

Research surrounding rest recommendations for the concussed population is discussed. Rest is compared with activity avoidance, which is common in several chronic disease and traumatic injury types. The case is made for rest recommendations tailored to each head-injured individual. Research is presented which suggests that activity in the initial stages of concussion recovery may be beneficial in reducing postconcussion symptom duration and severity. Furthermore, a gradual increase in activity may potentially aid in returning to normal daily activity sooner than those who avoid both physical and cognitive activity during the acute stage of a traumatic brain injury. Finally, the current state of rest recommendations is reviewed and anticipated future directions are discussed.
Filial discrepancy and mortality among community-dwelling older adults: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: Adult children play a significant role in ageing parents’ health and well-being. However, the evidence is mixed regarding whether the parent-child relations will affect older adults’ lo...
Performance of Estimators for Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Ordinal Variables with Missing Data

Missing data and ordinal indicators are common in applied research involving latent constructs. Unfortunately, ordinal indicators violate the linearity assumption for conventional CFA that is routi...
An introduction to virtual reality application development: tutorial presentation

Virtual Reality (VR) is an exciting field characterized by applications that provide users with a heightened sense of presence in a virtual environment. Contemporary hardware devices such as the Oculus Rift (www.oculus.com) are making high quality VR experiences possible for a relatively low cost. This tutorial will demonstrate how to develop VR applications for the Oculus Rift using Unity 5 (www.unity3d.com). Attendees will be shown how to create a basic virtual environment with Unity, how to enable users to navigate through the environment, and how to make an application run on the Rift with stereo imaging and head tracking so that users can experience the environment in VR.
Elevated ESR/CRP Ratio Is Associated With Reinfection After Debridement, Antibiotics, and Implant Retention in Chronic Periprosthetic Joint Infections.

ABSTRACT Background Ratios of established inflammatory markers, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), have been used for diagnostic purposes in the surgical field; however, the ESR:CRP ratio (ECR) has not been evaluated as a marker for predicting infection resolution in patients with periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs). This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ECR in predicting postoperative reinfection in patients who underwent debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR). Methods This is a retrospective review of 179 consecutive patients who underwent DAIR revision total joint arthroplasty for PJI. Patients were stratified by acuity of their infection: acute PJI, acute hematogenous PJI, and chronic PJI. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was calculated to evaluate ECR as diagnostic marker for predicting postoperative reinfection in patients who underwent DAIR. Results Statistically significant differences in ECR were found in patients who underwent DAIR revision total joint arthroplasty for chronic infection (1.23 vs 2.33; P = .04). There was no significant difference in ECR in patients who underwent DAIR for acute infection (P = .70) and acute hematogenous infection (P = .56). In patients who underwent DAIR for chronic PJI, ECR demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 75% and 84%, respectively, for the prediction of postoperative reinfection, which was significantly higher than that of ESR (sensitivity, 67%; specificity, 47%; P Conclusion Elevated ECR was associated with an increased reinfection risk in patients who underwent DAIR for chronic PJI, suggesting that preoperative ECR may be a useful predictor to identify patients at increased risk of reinfection after DAIR for chronic PJIs.
Facilitating Stakeholder Participation

Few organizations purposefully design processes for facilitating stakeholder interactions. Doing this requires knowledge of stakeholders who are and who are not likely to participate as well as the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of different participation activities for gathering stakeholders’ preferences. Systematic analysis can lead to tailored opportunities for the facilitation of stakeholder interactions and the development of routines for the transmission of preference information from administrators to decision-makers. The challenges of facilitated interactions are primarily in structuring the process so that the perspectives of nonparticipants are represented and perceptions of undue influence are lowered. By carefully designing a facilitated process for stakeholder interactions, administrators can expand the quantity and quality of stakeholder preference data available for decisions. Then, they can routinely communicate this information to decision-makers. The value expected to be produced by facilitated participation is improvement in the stakeholders’ perception of organizational responsiveness.
Knowledge and risk perception about an Ebola virus outbreak: a comparative study of Ghana and Liberia

New and emerging infectious diseases such as the Ebola virus and the recent coronavirus create ideal conditions for cross-border disease outbreaks. The need to undertake comparative studies across ...
Differences by Practice Year in Numbers of U.S. Female Neurosurgeons.

Objective We sought to determine the proportion and number of female neurosurgeons in the workforce at different stages of practice. Methods The Physician Compare National Downloadable File data set was obtained from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for physicians who indicated “neurosurgery” as their primary specialty. Physician duplicates, physicians with no listed medical school graduation year, and physicians expected to be in residency (graduation years 2013–2019) were removed, yielding 4956 neurosurgeons. Five-year intervals were used to measure the number of male and female neurosurgeons by different stages of their careers. For example, graduates from years 2008–2012 were expected to be in their first 1–5 years of practice. Results There were 405 female (8.2%) and 4551 male (91.8%) neurosurgeons. At 1–5 years of practice, 13.8% (105/760) were women; 6–10 years, 11.5% (94/820) women; 11–15 years, 8.9% (64/720) women; 16–20 years, 8.7% (59/682) women; 21–25 years, 7.4% (46/619) women; 26–30 years, 3.8% (20/520) women; 31–35 years, 3.6% (15/413) women; and 36 years or more, 0.5% women (2/422). The number of female neurosurgeons varied among states, ranging from 0 in Hawaii to 53 in California. The states with the lowest percentage of female neurosurgeons were Hawaii (0%), Oklahoma (3.1%), and Nevada (3.6%). The states with the highest percentage of female neurosurgeons were New Hampshire (20.0%), Vermont (16.7%), and Rhode Island (15.8%). Conclusions The number of practicing female neurosurgeons within the United States is increasing, as shown by the growing percentage of women who are earlier in their surgical careers.
Testing the Motivational Tradeoffs Between Pathogen Avoidance and Status Acquisition

To reduce disease transmission through interpersonal contact, humans have evolved a behavioral immune system that facilitates identification and avoidance of pathogens. One behavioral strategy in response to pathogenic threat is the adoption of interpersonal reticence. However, reticence may impede status acquisition. This program of research tested whether activating pathogen-avoidant motives through priming fosters reticence related to status, namely disinterest in pursuing a group leadership position (Study 1) or disinterest in accepting a group leadership position bestowed onto them (Study 2). Individuals high in germ aversion were particularly interested in pursuing leadership as a form of status, with disease salience unexpectedly heightening status motives among those low in germ aversion. Furthermore, those high in perceived infectability reported reluctance for high-status positions, although disease salience heightened interest in accepting such positions. We contextualize findings by identifying dispositional and situational factors that foster individuals to invoke motivational tradeoffs.
Radiative Transfer Along Rays in Curved Spacetimes

Radiative transfer in curved spacetimes has become increasingly important to understanding high-energy astrophysical phenomena and testing general relativity in the strong field limit. The equations of radiative transfer are physically equivalent to the Boltzmann equation, where the latter has the virtue of being covariant. We show that by a judicious choice of the basis of the phase space, it is generally possible to make the momentum derivatives in the Boltzmann equation vanish along an arbitrary (including nongeodesic) path, thus reducing the problem of radiative transfer along a ray to a path integral in coordinate space.
Chervinsky, Lindsay M. The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution: Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 2020. 416 Pages. $29.95 (hardcover)

As the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention finally turned to framing an executive branch after their exhaustive debates on the legislative branch, the core of the debate turned to ensuring tha...
Rapid and parallel content screening for detecting transformed data exposure

The leak of sensitive data on computer systems poses a serious threat to organizational security. Organizations need to identify the exposure of sensitive data by screening the content in storage and transmission, i.e., to detect sensitive information being stored or transmitted in the clear. However, detecting the exposure of sensitive information is challenging due to data transformation in the content. Transformations (such as insertion, deletion) result in highly unpredictable leak patterns. Existing automata-based string matching algorithms are impractical for detecting transformed data leaks because of its formidable complexity when modeling the required regular expressions. We design two new algorithms for detecting long and inexact data leaks. Our system achieves high detection accuracy in recognizing transformed leaks compared with the state-of-the-art inspection methods. We parallelize our prototype on graphics processing unit and demonstrate the strong scalability of our data leak detection solution analyzing big data.
Large Scale Kernel Regression via Linear Programming

The problem of tolerant data fitting by a nonlinear surface, induced by a kernel-based support vector machine is formulated as a linear program with fewer number of variables than that of other linear programming formulations. A generalization of the linear programming chunking algorithm for arbitrary kernels is implemented for solving problems with very large datasets wherein chunking is performed on both data points and problem variables. The proposed approach tolerates a small error, which is adjusted parametrically, while fitting the given data. This leads to improved fitting of noisy data (over ordinary least error solutions) as demonstrated computationally. Comparative numerical results indicate an average time reduction as high as 26.0% over other formulations, with a maximal time reduction of 79.7%. Additionally, linear programs with as many as 16,000 data points and more than a billion nonzero matrix elements are solved.
Obesity, business and public policy

Contents: Foreword, Former Governor Michael Huckabee Preface 1. Introduction, Zoltan J. Acs and Alan Lyles PART I: CULTURE, OBESITY AND INSTITUTIONS 2. The Spread of Obesity, David B. Audretsch and Dawne DiOrio PART II: OBESITY AND THE INDIVIDUAL 3. The Economics of Childhood Obesity Policy, John Cawley 4. Obesity, Poverty and Diversity: Theoretical and Strategic Challenges, Lenneal J. Henderson 5. The Labor Market Impact of Obesity, John Cawley PART III: OBESITY AND BUSINESS 6. Mixed Messages in Marketing Communications about Food and Obesity, Stephen J. Gould and Fiona Sussan 7. Weight Control, Private Health Insurance and Public Policies, Alan Lyles and Ann Cotten PART IV: OBESITY AND GOVERNMENT 8. The Infrastructure of Obesity, Zoltan J. Acs, Ann Cotten and Kenneth R. Stanton 9. Federal Communication about Obesity in the Dietary Guidelines and Checkoff Programs, Parke E. Wilde 10. Tax Solutions to the External Costs of Obesity, Julie Ann Elston, Kenneth R. Stanton, David T. Levy and Zoltan J. Acs PART V: LESSONS FROM THE PAST 11. Tobacco Control as a Model for Trimming the Obesity Problem, David T. Levy and Marilyn Oblak 12. Perspectives on the Economic and Cultural Effects of Obesity Litigation: Lessons from Pelman v McDonald's, Jose Felipe Anderson PART VI: POLICY CONCLUSIONS 13. A Policy Framework for Confronting Obesity, Zoltan J. Acs, Lenneal J. Henderson, David T. Levy, Alan Lyles and Kenneth R. Stanton Index
The Case for Streaming Multimedia with TCP

In this paper, we revisit and challenge the dogma that TCP is an undesirable choice for streaming multimedia, video in particular. For some time, the common view held that neither TCP nor UDP, the Internet's main transport protocols, are adequate for video applications. UDP's service model doesn't provide enough support to the application while TCP's provides too much. Consequently, numerous research works proposed new transport protocols with alternate service-models as more suitable for video. For example, such service models might provide higher reliability than UDP but not the full-reliability of TCP. More recently, study of Internet dynamics has shown that TCP's stature as the predominant protocol persists. Through some combination of accident and design, TCP's congestion avoidance mechanism seems essential to the Internet's scalability and stability. Research on modeling TCP dynamics in order to effectively define the notion of TCP-friendly congestion avoidance is very active. Meanwhile, proposals for video-oriented transport protocols continue to appear, but they now generally include TCP-friendly congestion avoidance. Our concern is over the marginal benefit of changing TCP's service model, given the presence of congestion avoidance. As a position paper, our contribution will not be in the form of final answers, but our hope is to convince the reader of the merit in reexamining the question: do applications need a replacement for TCP in order to do stream ing video?
Refractory anemia with ring sideroblasts and RARS with thrombocytosis

Disease Overview: Ring sideroblasts (RS) are erythroid precursors with abnormal perinuclear mitochondrial iron accumulation. Two myeloid neoplasms defined by the presence of RS, include refractory anemia with ring sideroblasts (RARS) and RARS with thrombocytosis (RARS-T). Diagnosis: RARS is a lower risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with dysplasia limited to the erythroid lineage, <5% bone marrow (BM) blasts and ≥15% BM RS. RARS-T is a provisional entity in the MDS/MPN (myeloproliferative neoplasm) overlap syndromes, with diagnostic features of RARS, along with a platelet count ≥450 × 10(9)/L and large atypical megakaryocytes similar to those observed in BCR-ABL1 negative MPN. Mutations and Karyotype: Mutations in the SF3B1 gene are seen in ≥80% of patients with RARS and RARS-T, and strongly correlate with the presence of BM RS; RARS-T patients have additional mutations such as, JAK2V617F (∼60%), MPL (<5%), and CALR (<5%). Cytogenetic abnormalities are uncommon in both RARS and RARS-T. Risk stratification: Most patients with RARS are stratified into lower risk groups by the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) for MDS and the revised IPSS. Disease outcome in RARS-T is better than that of RARS, but worse than that of essential thrombocytosis. Both RARS and RARS-T have a low risk of leukemic transformation. Treatment: Anemia and iron overload are complications in both diseases and are managed similar to lower risk MDS. Aspirin therapy is reasonable in RARS-T, especially in the presence of JAK2V617F, but the value of platelet-lowering drugs is uncertain. Case reports of RARS-T therapy with lenalidomide warrant additional studies. Am. J. Hematol. 90:550–559, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The safety and tolerability of beta blockers in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: is the current underutilization of this evidence-based therapy justified?

Introduction: Beta blockers are one of the cornerstones for treatment of Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection fraction (HFRef), yet their use is often limited by adverse effects, either perceived or real. We performed a review of available data using PubMed.gov utilizing beta blocker, heart failure, reduced ejection fraction and safety as key words.Areas covered: Several well designed, large scale randomized clinical trials including CIBS-II (bisoprolol), MERIT-HF (metoprolol succinate), and Copernicus (carvedilol) among others, have been conducted in patients with HFRef and demonstrated an improvement in cardiac mortality and morbidity. Despite the preponderance of data supporting the use of beta blockers for patients HFRef, these medications remain underutilized and/or are often prescribed at lower than recommended dosages. Some of the reluctance to embrace beta blockade may be attributed to concern on the part of both the patient and prescriber about the non-cardiac adverse effects of this class of drug...
The Impact of Independent and Overlapping Board Structures on CEO Compensation, Pay-Performance Sensitivity and Earnings Management

Due to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), new rules that require independent directors on corporate boards and committees are likely to create overlapping board structures (when a director serves on more than one committee). The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of independent and overlapping board structures on CEO compensation, CEO pay-performance sensitivity, and accrual management. Our results support Laux and Laux (2009) that overlapping compensation committees take conservative actions by granting CEOs less equity-based compensation to reduce the monitoring cost of financial reporting. However, contrary to Laux and Laux (2009), we do not find that overlapping compensation committees have any effect on CEO pay-performance sensitivity. Furthermore, our results show that SOX might reduce risk taking because independent compensation committees grant CEOs more cash-based and less equity-based compensation after SOX. In addition, although SOX improves the audit committee’s oversight functions, our findings support Laux and Laux (2009) that overlapping audit committees have an association with accruals management.
Discomfort and Exertion Associated with Prolonged Wear of Respiratory Protection in a Health Care Setting

The nature of discomfort and level of exertion associated with wearing respiratory protection in the health care workplace are not well understood. Although a few studies have assessed these topics in a laboratory setting, little is known about the magnitude of discomfort and the level of exertion experienced by workers while they deliver health care to patients for prolonged periods. The purpose of this study was to determine the magnitude of discomfort and level of exertion experienced by health care workers while wearing respiratory protection for periods up to 8 hr when performing their typical occupational duties. This project was a multiple cross-over field trial of 27 health care workers, aged 24-65, performing their typical, hospital-based occupational duties. Each participant served as his/her own control and wore one of seven respirators or a medical mask for 8 hr (or as long as tolerable) with interposed doffing periods every 2 hr. Self-perceived discomfort and exertion were quantified before each doffing: self-perceived level of discomfort using a visual analog scale, and self-perceived level of exertion using a Borg scale. Overall, and as would be expected, discomfort increased over time with continual respirator use over an 8-hr period. Interestingly, exertion increased only marginally over the same time period. The relatively low level of exertion associated with eight respiratory protective devices, including models commonly used in the U.S. health care workplace, is not likely to substantially influence workers' tolerability or occupational productivity. However, the magnitude of discomfort does appear to increase significantly over time with prolonged wear. These results suggest that respirator-related discomfort, but not exertion, negatively influences respirator tolerance over prolonged periods. Discomfort may also interfere with the occupational duties of workers.
Design issues for vision-based computer interaction systems

Computer Vision and other direct sensing technologies have progressed to the point where we can detect many aspects of a user's activity reliably and in real time. Simply recognizing the activity is not enough, however. If perceptual interaction is going to become a part of the user interface, we must turn our attention to the tasks we wish to perform and methods to effectively perform them.This paper attempts to further our understanding of vision-based interaction by looking at the steps involved in building practical systems, giving examples from several existing systems. We classify the types of tasks well suited to this type of interaction as pointing, control or selection, and discuss interaction techniques for each class. We address the factors affecting the selection of the control action, and various types of control signals that can be extracted from visual input. We present our design for widgets to perform different types of tasks, and techniques, similar to those used with established user interface devices, to give the user the type of control they need to perform the task well. We look at ways to combine individual widgets into Visual Interfaces that allow the user to perform these tasks both concurrently and sequentially.