cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The MELD system for liver allocation: Implications for patients and payors

Disease (PELD) system for the allocation of cadaveric liver organs in the US represents a dramatic change in organ allocation policy. Previous allocation algorithms used a categorical stratification system, in which candidates were ranked by the length of time waiting within these strata. This resulted in the ranking of patients by time waiting on the list, not by their need for a transplant. Moreover, these previous systems had not been validated for their accuracy in predicting the severity of liver disease and did not meet the needs of the enlarging population of appropriate candidates with end-stage liver disease. The MELD was identified as a potentially more accurate measure of liver disease, and a new plan for liver allocation incorporating the MELD score and virtually eliminating waiting time was devised. Several diagnoses for which liver transplantation is indicated were identified as not being served by the MELD system, so alternative mechanisms were developed for these cases. The new allocation system went into effect on February 27, 2002. One year after implementation, there was a statistically significant increase in the number of cadaveric transplants and a slight reduction in the number of waiting list deaths compared with the previous system in the year prior to MELD. As the system evolves and improvements are made, patients have a much more objective measure of the severity of their liver disease, which is comparable regardless of the geographic location or physician. This change to a mathematically-based system that defines the risk of death represents a change in the way patients and caregivers will think about the liver transplant list. In addition, payors now have a much more objective measure of the severity of illness and can more accurately risk-adjust their comparisons of centers and patients. The new system directs organs to sicker patients, and waiting candidates are likely to experience significant declines in their quality of life while waiting. In addition, because this new policy will result in more severely ill patients receiving transplants, the costs of care are likely to increase, although preliminary results suggest that survival rates have not changed. The change to this new, more evidence-based system is a significant paradigm shift in organ allocation policy. Patients, caregivers, and payors should also be prepared for continuous evolution of the system as more data become available.
Reasons for Electronic Cigarette Experimentation and Discontinuation Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Introduction: Understanding why young people try and stop electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is critical to inform e-cigarette regulatory efforts.
Formal Learning Theory in Context

Publisher Summary Formal learning theory has a potential descriptive role in characterizing inductive practice. It does not essentially resolve the matter, but facilitates the articulation of the issue, preparing the way for subsequent clarification. The formal learning theory connects the classes of inductive strategies to the empirical problems for which they are adapted. This chapter reviews the formal learning theory and compares it to the statistical theory of confidence intervals. The theory of confidence intervals shares with the formal learning theory the goal of revealing a hidden reality on the basis of data that do not deductively imply the correct answer. The formal learning theory helps to evaluate policies for accepting hypotheses. It does not designate a uniquely best strategy, but seems relevant to the orderly adoption of hypotheses. Essentially, the formal learning theory justifies the choice of hypothesis by situating it in a strategy with good long-term prospects.
Water-Proofing Properties of Cuticular Lipids'

SYNOPSIS. Epicuticular lipids play a critical role in allowing arthropods to thrive in terrestrial environments, by reducing transpiration of water through the cuticle. These lipids consist of a diverse array of compounds, especiaUy long-chain hydrocarbons. Rates of water loss are correlated with hydrocarbon structural features, including chain length, unsaturation and methyl-branching. The water-proofing abilities of cuticular lipids appear to depend largely on their physical properties. In most arthropods, rates of water loss increase rapidly above a “transition” temperature. A widely accepted model proposes that this transition is due to melting of the surface lipids to a fluid, permeable state. Evidence for this hypothesis has primarily been correlative, due to experimental limitations. Recent technical advances in lipid biophysics and water loss measurements have made it possible to test the lipid melting model more directly. Experiments using model cuticles, in vitro preparations and intact arthropods support the idea that the phase behavior of cuticular lipids is a major factor determining cuticular permeability.
Sweets, sweetened beverages, and risk of pancreatic cancer in a large population-based case-control study.

Objective We examined the associations between sweets, sweetened and unsweetened beverages, and sugars and pancreatic cancer risk.
Liquid: A Detection-Resistant Covert Timing Channel Based on IPD Shaping

Abstract Covert timing channels provide a way to surreptitiously leak information from an entity in a higher-security level to an entity in a lower level. The difficulty of detecting or eliminating such channels makes them a desirable choice for adversaries that value stealth over throughput. When one considers the possibility of such channels transmitting information across network boundaries, the threat becomes even more acute. A promising technique for detecting covert timing channels focuses on using entropy-based tests. This method is able to reliably detect known covert timing channels by using a combination of entropy and conditional entropy to detect anomalies in shape and regularity, respectively. This dual approach is intended to make entropy-based detection robust against both current and future channels. In this work, we show that entropy-based detection can be defeated by a channel that intelligently and adaptively manipulates the metrics used for detection. Specifically, we propose a new passive covert channel that uses a portion of the inter-packet delays in a compromised stream to smooth out the shape distortions detected by the entropy test. As a passive channel, it is not as prone to regularity-based detection as previously proposed active channels. We introduce a model for analyzing the effect of our techniques on the entropy of the channel and empirically investigate the accuracy of the model. In network experiments and simulation, we validate this model and demonstrate that the proposed channel successfully evades entropy-based detection and other known tests while maintaining reasonable throughput.
Role of directional wireless communication in vehicular networks

Enabling safety in vehicles is an ongoing challenge for the automotive sector. One approach towards enhancing safety is to increase knowledge within a vehicle of the actions of vehicles in the vicinity. Increased awareness is essential for activating the safety systems to take evasive or precautionary actions in the event of an incident. Wireless radio communication has emerged as a key enabler for exchanging safety information. Several initiatives across the world have considered various radio communication technologies to implement safety communication. However, there are significant constraints to utilizing wireless radio communication. In this article, we discuss briefly the challenges in enabling safety communication with wireless radio in the context of vehicular networks. We introduce the on-going work in utilizing free space optical communications as an enabler for inter-vehicle safety communication. As a first step, we compare with the current 802.11 standard implementation for achievable performance. Given that the two technologies are inherently different, directional versus omni-directional, we seek to identify the scenarios where each technology is best suited. Particularly, we compare packet delivery ratio (PDR), throughput and average packet delay of the two enabling technologies, under assumptions, in the context of increasing vehicle traffic density. Our results demonstrate that a directional technology such as free-space optics is less susceptible to contention scenarios. As a result, the performance in high density scenarios is better than that can be achieved from using omni-directional long-range technologies such as 802.11.
Breeding software test cases with genetic algorithms

Faulty software is usually costly and possibly life threatening as software becomes an increasingly critical component in a wide variety of systems. Thorough software testing by both developers and dedicated quality assurance staff is one way to uncover flaws. Automated test generation techniques can be used to augment the process, free of the cognitive biases that have been found in human testers. This paper focuses on breeding software test cases using genetic algorithms as part of a software testing cycle. An evolving fitness function that relies on a fossil record of organisms results in interesting search behaviours, based on the concepts of novelty, proximity, and severity. A case study that uses a simple, but widely studied program is used to illustrate the approach. Several visualization techniques are also introduced to analyze particular fossil records, as well as the overall search process.
Particle Size Effects for Oxygen Reduction on Highly Dispersed Platinum in Acid Electrolytes

The particle size effect for oxygen reduction kinetics on highly dispersed Pt particles in acid electrolytes are discussed. It is suggested that the change in the fraction of surface atoms on the (100) and (111) crystal faces of Pt particles, which are assumed to be cubo‐octahedral structures, can be correlated to the mass activity (A/g Pt) and specific activity (μA/cm2 Pt) of highly dispersed Pt electrocatalysts. The maximum in mass activity that is observed at ~3.5 nm in several studies is attributed to the maximum in the surface fraction of Pt atoms on the (100) and (111) crystal faces, which results from the change in surface coordination number with a change in the average particle size. The reduction of oxygen on supported Pt particles in acid electrolytes is classified as a demanding or structure‐sensitive reaction; the specific activity increases with an increase in particle size.
Influence of Meniscectomy and Meniscus Replacement on the Stress Distribution in Human Knee Joint

Studying the mechanics of the knee joint has direct implications in understanding the state of human health and disease and can aid in treatment of injuries. In this work, we developed an axisymmetric model of the human knee joint using finite element method, which consisted of separate parts representing tibia, meniscus and femoral, and tibial articular cartilages. The articular cartilages were modeled as three separate layers with different material characteristics: top superficial layer, middle layer, and calcified layer. The biphasic characteristic of both meniscus and cartilage layers were included in the computational model. The developed model was employed to investigate several aspects of mechanical response of the knee joint under external loading associated with the standing posture. Specifically, we studied the role of the material characteristic of the articular cartilage and meniscus on the distribution of the shear stresses in the healthy knee joint and the knee joint after meniscectomy. We further employed the proposed computational model to study the mechanics of the knee joint with an artificial meniscus. Our calculations suggested an optimal elastic modulus of about 110 MPa for the artificial meniscus which was modeled as a linear isotropic material. The suggested optimum stiffness of the artificial meniscus corresponds to the stiffness of the physiological meniscus in the circumferential direction.
Carbon dioxide exchange and growth of a pine plantation

Abstract The exchange of materials between the atmosphere and terrestrial ecosystems is important to an understanding of the cycling of essential elements, the deposition of materials from the atmosphere and the entrance of pollutants into the forest ecosystems. This paper reports the results of measurements of carbon dioxide exchange in a vigorously growing pine plantation. Measurement data were incorporated into a model used to estimate annual carbon dioxide exchange. The measured annual biomass accumulation in the same plantation was used to determine a carbon dioxide to biomass conversion efficiency. Carbon dioxide exchange was 10.5 t/ha and biomass accumulation was 4.5 t/ha. The conversion efficiency of carbon dioxide to biomass is about 25% less than the theoretical chemical conversion efficiency. Considering the possible errors in both the estimates, this is very good agreement.
Video entity resolution: Applying ER techniques for Smart Video Surveillance

Smart Video Surveillance (SVS) applications enhance situational awareness by allowing domain analysts to focus on the events of higher priority. This in turn leads to improved decision making, allows for better resource management, and helps to reduce information overload. SVS approaches operate by trying to extract and interpret higher “semantic” level events that occur in video. On of the key challenges of Smart Video Surveillance is that of person identification where the task is for each subject that occur in a video shot to identify the person it corresponds to. The problem of person identification is very complex in the resource constrained environments where transmission delay, bandwidth restriction, and packet loss may prevent the capture of high quality data. In this paper we connect the problem of person identification in video data with the problem of entity resolution that is common in textual data. Specifically, we show how the PI problem can be successfully resolved using a graph-based entity resolution framework called RelDC that leverages relationships among various entities for disambiguation. We apply the proposed solution to a dataset consisting of several weeks of surveillance videos. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our approach even with low quality video data.
Dynamic updating for sparse time varying signals

Many signal processing applications revolve around finding a sparse solution to a (often underdetermined) system of linear equations. Recent results in compressive sensing (CS) have shown that when the signal we are trying to acquire is sparse and the measurements are incoherent, the signal can be reconstructed reliably from an incomplete set of measurements. However, the signal recovery is an involved process, usually requiring the solution of an l 1 minimization program. In this paper we discuss the problem of estimating a time-varying sparse signal from a series of linear measurements. We propose an efficient way to dynamically update the solution to two types of l 1 problems when the underlying signal changes. The proposed dynamic update scheme is based on homotopy continuation, which systematically breaks down the solution update into a small number of linear steps. The computational cost for each step is just a few matrix-vector multiplications.
Improved Performance of Turkey Hens from the Addition of Dietary Fat

An experiment was conducted to determine the influence of added fat on the performance of large turkey hens. The addition of 4% animal fat to the diet significantly increased energy consumption and increased egg production. A numerical decrease in feed consumption and significant increase in egg production were obtained by increasing added fat from 4 to 8%. Added fat did not influence specific gravity or fertility and hatchability of fertile eggs.
The idea trap: the political economy of growth divergence

The paper develops an economic–political model to explain why the convergence hypothesis fails even though good economic policies seem to be a sufficient condition for strong economic growth (Sachs, J., Warner, A., 1995a. Economic convergence and economic policies. NBER Working Paper No. 5039. National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA.). The model has three variables: growth, policy, and ideas, which take on discrete values ‘‘good’’, ‘‘mediocre’’, or ‘‘bad’’. Positive feedback from growth to ideas gives rise to multiple equilibria. In one, the ‘‘idea trap’’, bad growth, bad policy, and bad ideas mutually support each other; better policies would work, but are endogenously unlikely to be tried. The paper then illustrates the model’s empirical plausibility by reinterpreting some otherwise puzzling historical episodes. D 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Sex Roles and Personality Correlates

A list of 1, 000 names, stratified by sex and socioeconomic status, was randomly chosen from the population of a university community. A questionnaire packet consisting of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, and the Personal Orientation Inventory was mailed to those people who indicated a willingness to participate in the study. Analysis of the data revealed a strong positive relationship between androgyny as measured by the BSRI and the two measures of psychological health. The Results were taken to support the hypothesis that the availability of multiple soles to an individual was related to that person's skill in social behavior and to the larger context of healthy personality.
Intrusion-detection for incident-response, using a military battlefield-intelligence process

Abstract A network device is considered compromised when one of its security mechanisms is defeated by an attacker. For many networks, an attacker can compromise many devices before being discovered. However, investigating devices for compromise is costly and time-consuming, making it difficult to investigate all, or even most, of a network's devices. Further, investigation can yield false-negative results. This paper describes an intrusion–detection (ID) technique for incident-response. During an attack, the attacker reveals information about himself and about network vulnerabilities. This information can be used to identify the network's likely compromised devices (LCDs). Knowledge of LCDs is useful when limited resources allow only some of the network's devices to be investigated. During an on-going attack, knowledge of LCDs is also useful for tactical planning. The ID technique is based on the US military's battlefield-intelligence process. Models are constructed of the network, as the battlespace. Also, models are constructed of the attacker’s capabilities, intentions, and courses-of-action. The Economics of Crime, a theory which explains criminal behavior, is used to model the attacker's courses-of-action. The models of the network and the attacker are used to identify the devices most likely to be compromised.
Corporate Reputation And Earnings Quality

Investor confidence and the quality of reported information are primary issues in our current financial reporting environment as a result of recent scandals and financial crises. Assessing the quality of reported financial information is an important issue for investors. Can investors use corporate reputation to assess earnings quality? This paper examines the association between corporate reputation and earnings quality. We use a public measure – “America’s Most Admired Companies” – as a proxy for corporate reputation. These firms are considered to possess superior reputation. A cross-sectional accruals-based measure proxies for earnings quality. We compare the firms listed on America’s Most Admired Companies of 2006 to a sample of control firms and find that sample firms have higher earnings quality than control firms. Our results should be of interest to managers who engage in behavior leading to or maintaining a positive corporate reputation, and to financial analysts who conduct research on the impact of corporate reputation on earnings quality. Moreover, our study can increase individual investors’ confidence in assessing the earnings quality of companies with a superior reputation.
A Linear Theory for Jet Streak Formation Due to Zonal Momentum Forcing in a Stably Stratified Atmosphere

Abstract A perturbation potential vorticity (PV) theory is developed to investigate the three-dimensional, time-dependent, linear geostrophic adjustment of a stably stratified, Boussinesq atmosphere that is disturbed from (i) quiescent equilibrium due to a localized, unbalanced, zonal wind anomaly and (ii) geostrophic equilibrium of the uniform zonal flow due to an isolated couplet of acceleration–deceleration forcing. This prescribed zonal momentum forcing propagates downstream at a speed c that is less than the basic-state zonal flow speed U and physically represents the parameterized effects of nonlinear inertial advection. Transient, dispersive inertia–gravity waves in all fields are essentially removed during the early stage of the response associated with the initial value problem. The steady-state equilibrium that conserves the initial perturbation PV is a localized, geostrophic zonal jet with meridionally confluent (diffluent) flow in its entrance (exit) region. This jet is supported by a couplet ...
Usefulness of Accounting Earnings, Residual Income, and Eva?: A Value-Relevance Perspective

Motivated by the popular press, hailing of Economic Value Added (EVA) as the best performance measure of a company's value creation, this study examines the value relevance of three profitability measures: operating income (OI), residual income (RI), and EVA. Based on a formal valuation model of stock returns developed by Easton and Harris (1991), we find that all three profitability measures have information content in terms of value-relevance. However, contrary to the claim of EVA advocates, our evidence does not support the assertion that EVA is the best measure for valuation purpose. In contrast, the OI regressions tend to show higher R-squares than the RI regressions which in turn have higher R-squares than the EVA regressions, although the differences are statistically insignificant.
Renal applications of dual-energy CT

Dual-energy CT is being increasingly used for abdominal imaging due to its incremental benefit of material characterization without significant increase in radiation dose. Knowledge of the different dual-energy CT acquisition techniques and image processing algorithms is essential to optimize imaging protocols and understand potential limitations while using dual-energy CT renal imaging such as urinary calculi characterization, assessment of renal masses and in CT urography. This review article provides an overview of the current dual-energy CT techniques and use of dual-energy CT in renal imaging.
Tumor grade and chemotherapy response in endometrioid endometrial cancer

The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between tumor grade and response to chemotherapy in patients with endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma. Patients with advanced or recurrent endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma of known tumor grade who received at least 3 cycles of chemotherapy were retrospectively identified at three institutions. RECIST 1.1 criteria were used to assess response to neoadjuvant, postoperative or salvage chemotherapy. Chi-square testing was used to evaluate the association between tumor grade and chemotherapy response. Ninety-one patients met inclusion criteria: 13 with grade 1, 29 with grade 2 and 49 with grade 3 tumors. Eighty-four percent of patients received chemotherapy for recurrence, 12% for postoperative residual disease, and 4% in the neoadjuvant setting. The majority (85%) received carboplatin and paclitaxel. Forty-six percent (6/13) of grade 1, 72% (21/29) of grade 2 and 43% (21/49) of grade 3 tumors achieved an objective response. Grade 2 tumors were more likely to respond to chemotherapy compared to grade 3 tumors (72% vs. 43%, p = 0.02; Table 2), and specifically more likely to respond to carboplatin/paclitaxel (72% vs. 41%, p = 0.016). Median progression-free survival for patients receiving chemotherapy for recurrence or progression was 9 months for grade 1, 8 months for grade 2, and 5 months for grade 3 tumors. Similar results between grade and treatment response were apparent in the subset of 37 patients with a recently re-assigned tumor grade (G2 88% vs. G3 44%, p = 0.032). In this series of endometrioid endometrial cancers, grade 2 tumors had the best measurable response to chemotherapy.
Misleading Evidence and the Dogmatism Puzzle

ABSTRACTAccording to the Dogmatism Puzzle presented by Gilbert Harman, knowledge induces dogmatism because, if one knows that p, one knows that any evidence against p is misleading and therefore one can ignore it when gaining the evidence in the future. I try to offer a new solution to the puzzle by explaining why the principle is false that evidence known to be misleading can be ignored. I argue that knowing that some evidence is misleading doesn't always damage the credential of the evidence, and therefore it doesn't always entitle one to ignore it. I also explain in what kind of cases and to what degree such knowledge allows one to ignore evidence. Hopefully, through the discussion, we can not only understand better where the dogmatism puzzle goes wrong, but also understand better in what sense rational believers should rely on their evidence and when they can ignore it.
An evaluation of invasive fungal sinusitis outcomes with subsite analysis and use of frozen section analysis.

Background Invasive fungal sinusitis (IFS) is an aggressive mycosis of the nasal cavity with frequent extension to adjacent structures. Occurring more commonly in immunocompromised individuals, prognosis is typically poor despite aggressive treatment. This study aims to examine postoperative outcomes and survival of a cohort of fungal sinusitis patients at an academic center, as well as identify causes of death in IFS patients. Methods This study was a retrospective chart review of patient charts and departmental records, yielding patient demographics, medical and surgical treatments, pathology records, and outcomes data. Results Twenty-seven patients were identified from departmental records between 1998 and 2014. Twenty-one patients presented with Mucor infections, whereas the remaining 6 patients had Aspergillus. All patients were immunocompromised: diabetes (n = 14) and hematologic malignancy (n = 13). Three patients had multiple causes of immunosuppression. Most commonly involved subsites were the maxillary, ethmoid, and sphenoid sinuses. Nasal septum involvement was independently associated with mortality (p < 0.01). Overall mortality was 57.7% within 1 year, although 66.7% of fatalities occurred within 1 month of diagnosis. Conclusion Overall survival for IFS remains poor. Widespread disease and nasal septum involvement were associated with a negative clinical course. Early identification and aggressive surgical and antifungal therapy is warranted. Even despite intense therapy, comorbid conditions and drug toxicity increase mortality and complicate the clinical course.
No filters, no fridges: a method for preservation of water samples for eDNA analysis

Advancements in the detection of environmental DNA (eDNA) for detecting species of interest will likely allow for expanded use of these techniques in the field. One obstacle that continues to hinder applications in the field is the requirement of a cold chain of storage for water samples containing eDNA. While eDNA has been successfully preserved using Longmire’s lysis buffer applied to filters, it has yet to be tried with freshwater samples collected for eDNA detection of an invasive species. We tested the utility of Longmire’s solution (100 mM Tris, 100 mM EDTA, 10 mM NaCl, 0.5 % SDS, 0.2 % sodium azide) as an additive to freshwater samples for preservation of eDNA. Environmental DNA was effectively preserved in 15 mL water samples with Longmire’s solution added; eDNA positive detection was comparable to freezing the samples at −80 °C and occurred out to 56 days at the highest concentration (5 mL Longmire’s solution: 15 mL sample water). Medium and low concentrations of Longmire’s solution added to 15 mL of sample water generally preserved eDNA out to 56 days but not as well as did freezing or application of the highest concentration of Longmire’s lysis buffer. Treatment and degradation time had a significant effect on average DNA concentration of samples, although not the interaction of treatment and time. Perfect detection occurred out to 56 days with the high Longmire’s treatment group but DNA concentration was significantly lower at this time point compared to 28 days. We conclude that Longmire’s lysis buffer is a viable alternative to cold chain storage that can simplify the collection of eDNA by eliminating the need for filtering and allow more time for sample collection when added at our highest concentration (1 part Longmire’s:3 parts water sample), which could translate to an increase in the chances of detecting a rare or elusive species.
Measurement of the positronium 1 3 S 1 -2 3 S 1 interval by continuous-wave two-photon excitation

Positronium is the quasi-stable bound system consisting of an electron and its anti-particle, the positron. Its energy levels can be explained to a high degree of accuracy by the electromagnetic interaction, affording an ideal test of the quantum electrodynamic (QED) theory of bound systems. In this pursuit, we have measured the 13S1–23S1 interval in positronium by Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy to be (1 233 607 216.4 ± 3.2 MHz). We use continuous-wave (cw) excitation to eliminate the problems inherent in pulsed laser measurements of nonlinear transitions. Positronium atoms (Ps) generated in vacuum are excited to the 25 state by using cw laser light built up to 2.5 kW circulating power in a resonant Fabry-Perot cavity. The excited- state atoms are photoionized by using a pulsed laser at 532 nm, and the liberated positrons are counted as the cw laser is tuned relative to a reference line in telluriun (Te2) molecular vapor.
Probing Selection Mechanism of the Most Favorable Conformation of a Dipeptide in Chaotropic and Kosmotropic Solution.

Chaotropes like urea and guanidinium chloride (GdmCl) tend to destabilize, and kosmotropes like proline tend to stabilize folded structures of peptides and proteins. Here, we combine fluorescence anisotropy decay measurements and molecular dynamics simulations to gain a microscopic understanding of the molecular mechanism for shifting conformational preferences in aqueous, GdmCl, urea, and proline solutions of a simple model dipeptide, N-acetyl-tryptophan-amide (NATA). Measured anisotropy decay of NATA as a function of temperature, pH, and cosolvent concentrations showed reorientations moderately slower in GdmCl and urea and substantially slower in proline compared to those of aqueous environment. A small change in pH significantly slows orientation time in water and GdmCl and less markedly in urea. Computationally, we use molecular dynamics with dihedral restraints to separately analyze the motions and interactions of the representative NATA conformers in the four different solvent environments. This nov...
Ground-Level Rainfall Variation in Jefferson County, Kentucky

AbstractIn urban hydrology, accurate temporal and spatial rainfall observations are a key factor for managing urban hydrologic systems and stormwater runoff, particularly in the current era of higher variability in recent rainfall events. To study this issue, rain gauge data from a ground-based rainfall measurement network operated by the local stormwater management agency, Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), in Jefferson County, Kentucky is evaluated. Rainfall spatial characteristics are evaluated through correlation spectrum by distance indicating a spatial rainfall variation concave relationship. The correlations at a 5-km distance are [0.63, 0.74, 0.80, and 0.86] for temporal resolutions of (15 min, 30 min, 1 h, and 3 h), respectively. A decreasing correlation with increased rainfall intensity is observed at temporal resolutions less than 1 h, and correlation increases at higher rainfall intensities and temporal resolution coarser than 1 h. This case study provides a context for the use of recent histo...
External Fixation and Percutaneous Pinning for Distal Radius Fractures

Distal radius fractures are the second most common fracture seen in the Emergency Department. Many patients may be treated nonoperatively, with closed reduction and immobilization. For those patients in whom satisfactory reduction cannot be achieved, a number of surgical options exist. External fixation is a valuable and effective option in certain patients. Specific indications include: intra- and extra-articular dorsally angulated fractures that fail closed reduction, severely comminuted fractures, open fractures, and fracture-dislocations of the wrist. Favorable outcomes have been reported. Specifically, percutaneous pinning in addition to external fixation yields better outcomes than fixation alone. Several studies comparing external fixation and volar plating have shown no significant differences in pain, grip strength, or range of motion. Technical pearls and pitfalls are described here, as proper technique and consideration of the principles of external fixation are necessary.
Review: In type 2 diabetes, adding dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors to sulphonylureas increases hypoglycemia

Source Citation Salvo F, Moore N, Arnaud M, et al. Addition of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors to sulphonylureas and risk of hypoglycaemia: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2016;353:i223...
The Role of the Transcription Factor Foxo3 in Hearing Maintenance: Informed Speculation on a New Player in the Cochlea

Molecular genetics has proven to be a powerful approach for understanding early-onset hearing loss. Recent work in late-onset hearing loss uses mouse genetics to identify molecular mechanisms that promote the maintenance of hearing. One such gene, Foxo3, is ontologically involved in preserving mitochondrial function. Significant evidence exists to support the idea that mitochondrial dysfunction is correlated with and can be causal for hearing loss. Foxo3 is also ontologically implicated in driving the circadian cycle, which has recently been shown to influence the molecular response to noise damage. In this review, the molecular framework connecting these cellular processes is discussed in relation to the cellular pathologies observed in human specimens of late-onset hearing loss. In bringing these observations together, the possibility arises that distinct molecular mechanisms work in multiple cell types to preserve hearing. This diversity offers great opportunities to understand and manipulate genetic processes for therapeutic gain.
“Meet the New Boss. Same as the Old Boss:” A Commentary on Williams, Wormith, Bonta, and Sitarenios (2017)

This commentary on Williams et al. (2017) focuses on an additional and equally important issue not addressed in their critique: inter-rater reliability --particularly reliability in field settings....
Factors That Contribute to College Success for Students With Learning Disabilities

Using structural equation modeling, the study tested a theoretical model linking family background, student attributes, and college success. The sample consisted of 346 students with learning disab...
Intangibles: The Impaired Accounting Challenge

This paper examines the issue of perceived value generated by the assignment of financial value to intangibles in financial reporting. In particular, values assigned to goodwill and other intangibles in mergers and acquisitions are examined, and the impact of such intangible valuations as a potential misperception/misdirection as to true underlying entity value is examined.
Blood pressure parameters are associated with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in chronic kidney disease

Previous observational studies reported J or U-shaped associations between blood pressure parameters and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Here we examined the associations of different blood pressure levels with various causes of death in a CKD population that included patients with eGFR 15-59 ml/min/1.73 m 2 with underlying hypertension receiving at least one antihypertensive agent. We obtained data on date and cause of death from State Department of Health mortality files and classified deaths into three categories: cardiovascular, malignancy-related, and non-cardiovascular/non-malignancy related. Cox models were fitted for overall mortality, and separate competing risk regression models for each major cause of death category, to evaluate their associations with various systolic and diastolic blood pressures. During a median follow-up of 3.9 years, 13,332 of 45,412 patients died. Systolic blood pressures under 100, 100-109, 110-119, and over 150 ( vs. 130-139 mm Hg) were associated with higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Systolic blood pressures under 100 mm Hg and 100-109 were associated with higher non-cardiovascular/non-malignancy related mortality. Diastolic blood pressures under 50 and 50-59 (vs. 70-79 mm Hg) were associated with higher all-cause and non-cardiovascular/non-malignancy-related mortality while diastolic blood pressures over 90 mm Hg was associated with higher cardiovascular but lower non-cardiovascular/non-malignancy related mortality. Thus, in a non-dialysis dependent CKD population, systolic blood pressures under 110 and over 150 mm Hg were associated with cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular/non-malignancy related deaths. However, diastolic blood pressure under 60 mm Hg was associated in contrast with all-cause mortality and non-cardiovascular/non-malignancy-related deaths.
“Knowledge, recommendation, and beliefs of e-cigarettes among physicians involved in tobacco cessation: A qualitative study”

Physicians are rated the most trustworthy source of information for smokers and thus play an increasing role in disseminating information on e-cigarettes to patients. Therefore, it is important to understand what is currently being communicated about e-cigarettes between physicians and patients. This study explored the knowledge, beliefs, communication, and recommendation of e-cigarettes among physicians of various specialties. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in early 2016 with 35 physicians across five different specialties. Interviews were transcribed and coded for the following deductive themes: (1) tobacco cessation recommendation practices, (2) knowledge of e-cigarettes, (3) communication of e-cigarettes with patients, (4) recommendation of e-cigarettes, and (5) general beliefs about e-cigarettes. Physicians across all specialties reported having conversations with patients about e-cigarettes. Conversations were generally prompted by the patient inquiring about e-cigarettes as a cessation method. Overall, physicians felt there was a lack of information on the efficacy and long term health effects but despite lack of evidence, generally did not discourage patients from trying e-cigarettes as a cessation device. Although physicians did not currently recommend e-cigarettes over traditional cessation methods, they were open to recommending e-cigarettes in the future if adequate data became available suggesting effectiveness. Patients are inquiring about e-cigarettes with physicians across various specialties. Future research should continue to study physicians' perceptions/practices given their potential to impact patient behavior and the possibility that such perceptions may change over time in response to the evidence-base on e-cigarettes.
A Collaborative Approach to Identifying Social Media Markers of Schizophrenia by Employing Machine Learning and Clinical Appraisals

Background: Linguistic analysis of publicly available Twitter feeds have achieved success in differentiating individuals who self-disclose online as having schizophrenia from healthy controls. To date, limited efforts have included expert input to evaluate the authenticity of diagnostic self-disclosures. Objective: This study aims to move from noisy self-reports of schizophrenia on social media to more accurate identification of diagnoses by exploring a human-machine partnered approach, wherein computational linguistic analysis of shared content is combined with clinical appraisals. Methods: Twitter timeline data, extracted from 671 users with self-disclosed diagnoses of schizophrenia, was appraised for authenticity by expert clinicians. Data from disclosures deemed true were used to build a classifier aiming to distinguish users with schizophrenia from healthy controls. Results from the classifier were compared to expert appraisals on new, unseen Twitter users. Results: Significant linguistic differences were identified in the schizophrenia group including greater use of interpersonal pronouns (P<.001), decreased emphasis on friendship (P<.001), and greater emphasis on biological processes (P<.001). The resulting classifier distinguished users with disclosures of schizophrenia deemed genuine from control users with a mean accuracy of 88% using linguistic data alone. Compared to clinicians on new, unseen users, the classifier’s precision, recall, and accuracy measures were 0.27, 0.77, and 0.59, respectively. Conclusions: These data reinforce the need for ongoing collaborations integrating expertise from multiple fields to strengthen our ability to accurately identify and effectively engage individuals with mental illness online. These collaborations are crucial to overcome some of mental illnesses’ biggest challenges by using digital technology.
A PTAS for Three-Edge-Connected Survivable Network Design in Planar Graphs

We consider the problem of finding the minimum-weight subgraph that satisfies given connectivity requirements. Specifically, given a requirement r in {0, 1, 2, 3} for every vertex, we seek the minimum-weight subgraph that contains, for every pair of vertices u and v, at least min{r(v), r(u)} edge-disjoint u-to-v paths. We give a polynomial-time approximation scheme (PTAS) for this problem when the input graph is planar and the subgraph may use multiple copies of any given edge (paying for each edge separately). This generalizes an earlier result for r in {0, 1, 2}. In order to achieve this PTAS, we prove some properties of triconnected planar graphs that may be of independent interest.
Fabrication of Functionally Graded Ti and γ-TiAl by Laser Metal Deposition

TiAl alloys have become a popular choice in the aerospace and automotive industries, owing to their high specific yield strength, specific modulus, and oxidation resistance over titanium alloys and Ni-based super alloys at elevated temperatures. Although laser metal deposition (LMD) techniques have been available for manufacturing metal alloys for a decade, limited research has been focused on joining intermetallic materials with dissimilar materials using LMD. Here, LMD was used to join titanium aluminide Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb and commercially pure titanium with an innovative transition path. The theorized transition was implemented by fabricating functionally graded material (FGM). Porosity- and crack-free deposits were successfully fabricated. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy analysis revealed the final composition was very close to the design composition. X-ray diffraction showed the expected phases were formed. The Vickers hardness, ultimate tensile strength, and coefficient of thermal expansion were evaluated to characterize the FGM’s mechanical and physical properties. The properties of the material were comparable to those of as-cast material as reported in the literature .
The Effect of Expectancy Violations and Audit Partner Tenure on Client Managers’ Negotiation Positions

During the interactive process of issue resolution, client managers may develop expectations about the auditor’s position. We examine the effect that expectancy violations have on managers’ pre-negotiation positions, and how audit partner tenure can moderate this effect. Through a series of experiments, we find that, when the partner’s proposed adjustment is within the client’s original expectations, managers offer greater concessions to a recurring partner than to a newly rotated partner. However, within partner conditions, client managers react to expectancy violations in very different ways. Managers react more severely when a recurring partner violates expectations, offering lower negotiation concessions than when there is no violation. In contrast, managers tend to ignore violations committed by a newly rotated partner in an effort to “keep the peace” and allow the relationship an opportunity to develop. Further, we find support for a practical intervention to repair damage from expectancy violations committed by recurring partners.
Studying Engineering Design Learning: Four Verbal Protocol Studies

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses specifically on the use of verbal protocol analysis (VPA) to characterize the design learning and knowing of students in engineering schools. Verbal protocol analysis is a rigorous methodology used to document and understand the processes associated with cognitive activities, such as design. The four verbal protocol studies presented here provide insights into engineering student design processes. These studies, and others like them, can form a strong research foundation for improving design learning in the engineering curriculum. The VPA methodology is applied to the study of engineering student design processes and the results of each of the four studies have been summarized in the chapter. A synthesis of the overall results is discussed and some ideas about the implications of the results for engineering design education are presented. In the last decade, engineering design has become a central topic in discussions of engineering education reform, leading to a strong need to understand the processes of engineering student designers. The assumption behind verbal-protocol analysis is that as long as the subject is simply talking about what they are doing, the talking does not significantly change the approach they use to perform the activity. The implementation of verbal protocol analysis can be time-consuming, and the results challenging to interpret. However, the process of verbal-protocol analysis research is relatively straightforward.
Abstract 20395: High Incidence of Elevated Panel Reactive Antibodies in Patients Supported with HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Background: A high prevalence of panel reactive antibodies (PRA) has been described in patients supported with pulsatile HeartMate I left ventricular assist devices (LVAD). Elevated PRA negatively impact wait times and transplantation outcomes. We examined changes in PRA profiles of patients supported with continuous flow HeartMate II (HMII) LVADs. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of prospectively collected immunology data on all patients supported with HMII LVADs from January 2004 to June 2010 at our center. Pre-transplant PRA levels >10% and any detectable PRA after transplant defined “sensitization.” Results: Data for 80 HMII patients were analyzed. Of these, 11.6% were sensitized prior to implant, and 32.0% were newly sensitized during device support. Patient sex, age, and duration of support were major risk factors for PRA development: pre-LVAD, 5 of 19 female and 3 of 50 male patients had PRA>10% (p-value=0.019). During LVAD support, 13 of 18 female (72%) and 11 of 57 (19.3%) male patients developed PRA>10% (p-value Conclusions: Allosensitization occurs in a significant number of patients supported with HMII LVADs, and is associated with longer LVAD support duration, younger age, and female gender. Age and gender should be taken into consideration when evaluating risk/benefit profiles of LVAD as bridge to transplantation.