cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prospective Study of Factors Predicting Adherence to Surveillance Mammography in Women Treated for Breast Cancer

Purpose This prospective study examined the factors that predicted sustained adherence to surveillance mammography in women treated for breast cancer. Methods Breast cancer survivors (N 204) who were undergoing surveillance mammography completed questionnaires assessing mammography-related anticipatory anxiety, persistent breast pain, mammography pain, and catastrophic thoughts about mammography pain. Adherence to mammography in the following year was assessed. Results In the year after study entry, 84.8% of women (n 173) returned for a subsequent mammogram. Unadjusted associations showed that younger age, shorter period of time since surgery, and having upper extremity lymphedema were associated with lower mammography adherence. Forty percent of women reported moderate to high levels of mammography pain (score of 5o n a0 to 10 scale). Although mammography pain was not associated with adherence, higher levels of mammography-related anxiety and pain catastrophizing were associated with not returning for a mammogram (P .05). The impact of anxiety on mammography use was mediated by pain catastrophizing (indirect effect, P .05). Conclusion Findings suggest that women who are younger, closer to the time of surgery, or have upper extremity lymphedema may be less likely to undergo repeated mammograms. It may be important for health professionals to remind selected patients directly that some women avoid repeat mammography and to re-emphasize the value of mammography for women with a history of breast cancer. Teaching women behavioral techniques (eg, redirecting attention) or providing medication for reducing anxiety could be considered for women with high levels of anxiety or catastrophic thoughts related to mammography.
Multi-Area Generation Adequacy Planning Using Stochastic Programming

This paper proposes a mixed-integer stochastic programming approach to the solution of generation expansion planning problem. Generation and transmission line expansion planning including system reliability considerations is considered a challenging problem. The optimal solution is expected to yield a favorable trade off between system reliability and cost. This helps guide the development of additional generation capacity that is optimal with respect to cost and reliability. The problem is stochastic due to random uncertainties in area generation, transmission lines, and area loads. The problem is formulated as a two-stage recourse model. Reliability index used in this problem is expected cost of load loss. The objective is to minimize the expansion cost in the first stage and the expected loss of load cost in the second stage. The problem is then solved by L-shaped algorithm. The method is illustrated by application to a three-area power system
Illicit Use of Opioids: Is OxyContin® a “Gateway Drug”?

This study examines whether individuals who engage in illicit, non-medical use of OxyContin® are distinguishable from other non-medical users of opioids and whether OxyContin serves as a “gateway” ...
Disability and Family Burden in Obsessive—Compulsive Disorder:

This paper reviews 2 aspects of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): impairment in functioning and family burden associated with OCD. Impairment is evident from epidemiological and clinical studies in several areas, particularly in occupational and social maladjustment. Clinic outpatients show a range of impairment associated with OCD, while hospitalized patients exhibit consistently severe disabilities that rival those of patients with schizophrenia. Although behaviourally and medication-treated patients improve in adjustment levels, there is some evidence of persistent impairment, particularly in social and work functioning. Several studies support extensive family involvement and accommodation of OCD symptoms, as well as the considerable burden placed on families who reduce their social activities and increase their isolation and distress. Findings are equivocal regarding OCD and marital distress. Predictors of treatment outcome do not include marital dissatisfaction, but may include expressed anger and criticism. With regard to treatment, family support groups are popular but untested interventions, and family-assisted individual and group behaviour therapy have demonstrated good outcomes in limited trials.
Bioavailability and desorption characteristics of aged, nonextractable atrazine in soil

The bioavailability and desorption characteristics of nonextractable soil-aged atrazine were investigated to examine the significance of this potentially large contaminant fraction in agricultural soils. Radiolabeled atrazine-applied soil was aged for 3 months and then extracted by one of three methods—methanol-water (4: 1) at 75°C, acetone, and artificial soil water—representing a range of extraction efficiencies. Viable microcosms were constructed with the dried, extracted soil to compare rates and extents of microbially facilitated release and mineralization with desorption rates in sterile microcosms. The most rigorously extracted soil exhibited slow desorption over a 90-d period, but the other soil treatments showed continued slow sorption after reaching an initial maximum desorption concentration within 1 to 5 d. No microbially facilitated release of the nonextractable atrazine was detected for any of the treatments. Rates of ring-and chain-labeled atrazine mineralization declined with decreasing extractability of the soilassociated atrazine fraction. However, the extent of biodegradation (less than 2% of the total atrazine for all extracted soil treatments) was less than the extent of abiotic desorption. Mass-balance calculations suggest that all biodegradation occurred in the dissolved phase.
Activation of the arousal response can impair performance on a simple motor task.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of arousal in men and women on the moment-to-moment performance of a simple motor task. We examined the control of a precision task in the pres...
How Many Gays Are There? It Depends

Since the time of Laud Humphreys’ Tearoom Trade and his investigation of “covert deviants,” homosexuality has achieved both public and scientific visibility. Once considered by scientists to be a legal, moral, and mental abnormality, homosexuality is currently perceived by many scholars and youth as merely statistically deviant. This is not to deny that some portion of the US population still believes that same-sex sexuality is a religious and psychological aberration. It is the statistical and not the psychological health question that I address in this chapter: How many gays are there? In other contexts I explore whether the answer to this question matters in select (primarily clinical) domains (Savin-Williams, 2006) . Early gay scholars answered the “how many” question based on a misreading of Kinsey’s findings (Kinsey, Pomeroy, & Martin, 1948 ; Kinsey, Pomeroy, Martin, & Gebhard, 1953) , proclaiming, “10%!” Recently, sexologists have more prudently proposed a lower fraction, less than 1 in 25 (Diamond, 1993) . A questionnaire study of US and Canadian college students concluded that findings did not “by all reasonable criteria” support suggestions that 10% of young adults identify as nonheterosexual. “Instead, our findings were much closer to estimates [citations] of less than 4% of males (and less than 2% of females) being predominantly non-heterosexual” (Ellis, Robb, & Burke, 2005 , p. 578). Essentially neglected in previous prevalence research are the critical, inherently logical prior questions, “Who’s gay?” and “How much gayness is necessary to be gay?” I argue that estimates of the statistical standing of nonheterosexual orientation groups must first decide how relevant populations are defined. Because of dramatic changes in recent cohorts regarding the openness and possibility of nonheterosexuality (Savin-Williams, 2005) , my focus, except where otherwise noted, is on data collected from adolescents and young adults growing up during the past two decades.
Heteroscedastic Methods for Performing All Pairwise Comparisons of Regression Lines Associated With J Independent Groups

Abstract. The paper compares methods that allow both within group and between group heteroscedasticity when performing all pairwise comparisons of the least squares lines associated with J independent groups. The methods are based on simple extension of results derived by Johansen (1980) and Welch (1938) in conjunction with the HC3 and HC4 estimators. The probability of one or more Type I errors is controlled using the improvement on the Bonferroni method derived by Hochberg (1988). Results are illustrated using data from the Well Elderly 2 study, which motivated this paper.
Organizational Learning during IT Outsourcing: Evidence from EMR Implementations

This paper examines factors affecting organizational learning rates for outsourced EMR implementations in a quasi-experimentally chosen group of New York nursing homes. We combine detailed support request data collected by the EMR vendor in charge of implementing the systems with survey responses on work practices from 962 employees in the fifteen selected nursing homes. The vendor classified the tickets into “implementation problems”, associated with errors in the software provided by the vendor, and “usage problems” caused by incorrect usage of the new systems by the nursing home employees. We find that both types of support requests declined over time at a diminishing rate. Implementation issues declined with total vendor experience, and declined anew with the vendor’s experience in each new client implementation. Client-side work practices promoting employee discretion, teamwork, skill development, and information sharing accelerated the decline in usage problems. Over the entire implementation period, a one standard deviation higher work practices measure was associated with 10% fewer tickets arising from incorrect employee usage.
The Inclusion Effect and Category-Based Induction: Theory and Application to Brand Categories

This article investigates inferences between elements in brand categories using an argument strength research paradigm. In 3 laboratory studies of brand categories, we found that consumers often generalize possession of an attribute from a specific category (e.g., Sony televisions) to a more general category (e.g., all Sony products) more readily than they generalize the attribute from the specific category (e.g., Sony televisions) to another specific category (e.g., Sony bicycles)—a counternormative phenomenon called the inclusion effect . Consistent with the category induction model of Osherson, Smith, Wilkie, Lopez, and Shafir (1990), the similarity between the premise and conclusion categories (e.g., televisions and bicycles) was a strong predictor of argument strength judgments. We also found that the inclusion effect was attenuated when the specific conclusion category increased in its typicality to the general category (e.g., Sony cameras vs. Sony bicycles). Presenting the general conclusion argument immediately followed by the specific conclusion argument (as opposed to presenting each argument alone) seemed to accentuate the inclusion effect, despite our expectation that increased salience of the judgmental inconsistencies (that lead to the counternormative reasoning) would reduce the effect. Although several rival explanations of the inclusion effect (including a conversational norms explanation) were ruled out, a conclusion plausibility explanation also appeared to account for some of the results.
When Markets and Gambling Converge

While evangelicals' stance toward markets has a rather libertarian tone, there is nary a whiff of libertarianism when it comes to gambling. Evangelicals have been the principal opponents of the lotteries nearly every state has put in place in the past three decades. Evangelicals also have actively opposed other efforts to expand legalized gambling, such as the recent movement to add slot machines to racetracks. The tension, of course, is that markets are not all that easy to differentiate from gambling. Although there are important distinctions, large numbers of investors are, at bottom, betting on uncertain outcomes in much the same way as gamblers who patronize casinos or buy lottery tickets. When we get to day-trading, moreover - that is, traders who rapidly buy and sell stocks, and generally close out all of their positions by the end of the day - we are looking at gambling, pure and simple. My suggestion that markets look a lot like gambling is not a novel idea. It also is not particularly surprising that evangelical Christians are hostile to gambling, much as their forbears were. Somewhat less clear is why evangelicals so fervently defend free markets. To understand the longstanding link between evangelicals and market-based economics, it is necessary to begin by briefly exploring attitudes toward gambling and the market economy in the early years of the Republic. After exploring the sometimes complicated early perspectives - gambling was generally condemned, but lotteries were used to finance churches and other institutions - the essay argues that evangelicals have been more willing to "renegotiate" their stance toward market developments (such as futures contracts) than toward traditional forms of gambling. The essay argues that evangelicals have sometimes expected too much from the law - from legal intervention - when it comes to racetrack slots and Internet gambling, and too little in the world that gave us Enron and WorldCom. The common theme is the question of what can - and can't - the law do well.
Localization of abnormal parathyroid tissue with use of technetium-99m-sestamibi.

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the efficacy of “double-phase” technetium-99m-sestamibi scanning in the localization of abnormal parathyroid tissue in patients with hyperparathyroidism. Methods We present a prospective review of patients with hyperparathyroidism seen at a university teaching hospital between June 1994 and May 1997. Twenty-four patients entered into the study underwent preoperative localization with double-phase technetium-99m-sestamibi. The nuclear medicine results were compared with the operative findings. Results The Tc-99m-sestamibi scan correctly identified the location of single parathyroid adenomas in 22 patients (100%). Of the other two patients, both with diffuse parathyroid hyperplasia, one had a negative sestamibi scan and one had only the two inferior parathyroid glands localized on the sestamibi scan. One patient with recurrent hypercalcemia, who previously underwent total parathyroidectomy and parathyroid autotransplantation into the left forearm, had activity localized to that forearm but not to the neck. Subsequently, hyperplastic parathyroid tissue was successfully removed from the transplantation site. Another patient, who had previously undergone two unsuccessful surgical explorations prompted by hyperparathyroidism, had sestamibi localization of an adenoma inferior and medial to the right submandibular gland. The third surgical exploration disclosed a large adenoma medial to the carotid artery, just below the angle of the jaw. In two elderly, debilitated women with positive scans, adenomas were removed with use of local anesthesia. Of 22 patients in whom long-term follow-up was available, 21 remained normocalcemic for a mean period of 11.4 ± 1.7 months postoperatively. One patient in whom hyperplastic parathyroid tissue had been removed from the left forearm had recurrence of hypercalcemia 1 year after operation. Conclusion Technetium-99m-sestamibi scanning is a reliable method for identifying parathyroid adenomas but not as helpful in localizing hyperplastic parathyroid glands. The precise localization of an adenoma simplifies surgical exploration and in selected patients may allow excision of the adenoma under local anesthesia. Tc-99m- sestamibi scanning has become the preferred method for noninvasive localization of abnormal parathyroid glands. (Endocr Pract. 1998;4:184-189)
Analysis on Detecting HIV - 1 Antibody in Urine from Blood Donorsby ELISA in Jiaozuo

Objective To detect the trustworthiness of HIV - 1 antibody in the urine specimens. Methods The urine samples from 400 blood donors in 3 countries in Jiaozuo were collected and the HIV - 1 antibodies in the samples of them were screened by urine ELISA kits. Results Among 400 urine samples, 2 showed positive reaction. The positive rate of HIV - 1 antibody screened by urine ELISA kits was 0.050 % . Conclusions The urine ELISA kit, which screened HIV - 1 antibody of urine is convenient and feasible. It is proposed that urine ELISA may be introduced in many fields.
Study of the mechanism on the ischemia postconditioning for the protection of the skin flap

Objective The ischemia postconditioning is widely used for the protection of the heart,kidney,a further study is done to explore the protection of the ischemia postconditioning on the skin flap.Methods The adult newzlend rabbits are divided into 3 group.A group is provided with ischemia postconiditoning;B group is provided with A2A inhibitor SCH58261 plus ischemia postconditioning.C group is provided with direct ischemia with microvascular clamp.The study includes neutrophil cell infiltration,content of MPO and the survival of skin flap.Conclusion The rabbits all survived.No difference existed between B and C group about neutrophil count and content of MPO(P0.005).No difference was found about the skin flap survival.But about the above three parameters,A group was found to have significance between B and C group.Conclusion Ischemia postconditioning can protect the skin flap which may be attributed to the role of the A2A receptor.
Tiered spectrum sharing and price competition

The traditional approach of clearing and reallocating wireless spectrum is becoming increasingly difficult. This has led to much interest in new approaches for sharing spectrum among different users, including the three-tiered model currently being developed for the 3.5 GHz band. In this model, commercial service providers (SPs) are allowed to access government spectrum in one of two tiers: a Priority Access (PA) tier in which a SP holds a license giving it priority to use an available channel and a Generalized Authorized Access (GAA) tier, which does not require a license but requires its users to not interfere with PA users. The proposed rules for 3.5 GHz allow for a mix of these licensing schemes on different channels within the band. In this paper we seek to understand how these different tiered sharing effect the price competition among SPs for customers and the resulting economic welfare.
The lottery of life and moral desert: An empirical investigation

AbstractAs John Rawls makes clear in A Theory of Justice, there is a popular and influential strand of political thought for which brute luck – that is, being lucky (or unlucky) in the so-called “lottery of life” – ought to have no place in a theory of distributive justice. Yet the debate about luck, desert, and fairness in contemporary political philosophy has recently been rekindled by a handful of philosophers who claim that desert should play a bigger role in theories of distributive justice. In the present paper, we present the results of our attempts to fill in some of the missing empirical details of this debate. Our findings provide some preliminary evidence that, contrary to what most contemporary political philosophers have assumed, people are not as worried by natural luck as previously thought. Instead, people’s worries seem to be focused exclusively on inequalities generated by social luck.
Secondary school leader perceptions about the inclusion of queer materials in the school course curricula

ABSTRACTThe US school system is dominated by heteronormativity in the formal curriculum that gives preference to binary conceptions of sexuality. School leaders play a role in supporting or disrupting school policies facilitating or inhibiting curricular inclusion of queer content in course materials and an instructional pedagogy that promotes an equitable and inclusive educational process. Using a qualitative design and phenomenographic data analysis method, the purpose of the study was to use a queer/curriculum theory lens to explore secondary level school leaders’ perceptions about their experiences with the inclusion of queer related content in the course curricula in their schools. The sample included seven secondary level educational leaders from schools in a northeastern state in the USA. Using a qualitative design and phenomenographic data analysis methods of in-depth interviews, five categories of description of leader perceptions were identified: (1) lack of inclusion of queer content in formal ...
A variable supply model for distributing deductions

Multiple processors can be used to speed up a backward-chaining deduction by distributing or-parallel deductions. However, the actual speedup obtained is strongly dependent on the amount of communication required for the task allocation strategy. A Variable Supply Model (VSM) is presented for multiple processors with replicated databases on a broadcast network. The term model refers to the set of procedures and messages required to perform the computation. VSM allows an infinite class of strategies with varying amounts of communication. The utility of VSM lies in the easy and powerful way it provides for selecung a strategy that works satisfactorily given certain communication constraints. All strategies in VSM use a dynamic task supply protocol (ESP) that works better than other supply protocols described in the literature.
Auditory system target engagement during plasticity-based interventions in schizophrenia: a focus on modulation of N-methyl-d-aspartate-type glutamate receptor function

Cognitive deficits are predictive of long-term social and occupational functional deficits in schizophrenia but are currently without gold-standard treatments. In particular, augmentation of auditory cortical neuroplasticity may represent a rate-limiting first step before addressing higher-order cognitive deficits. We review the rationale for N-methyl-d-aspartate-type glutamate receptor (NMDAR) modulators as treatments for auditory plasticity deficits in schizophrenia, along with potential serum and electroencephalographic target engagement biomarkers for NMDAR function. Several recently published NMDAR-modulating treatment studies are covered, involving D-serine, memantine, and transcranial direct current stimulation. While all three interventions appear to modulate auditory plasticity, direct agonists (D-serine) appear to have the largest and most consistent effects on plasticity, at least acutely. We hypothesize that there may be synergistic effects of combining procognitive NMDAR-modulating approaches with auditory cortical neuroplasticity cognitive training interventions. Future studies should assess biomarkers for target engagement and patient stratification, along with head-to-head studies comparing putative interventions and potential long-term versus acute effects.
Clarifying conditional calculations with ‘Jolly Roger’

The dice game ‘Jolly Roger’ may be played with 5 regular dice or 5 special ‘Jolly Roger’ dice. A ‘Jolly Roger die is a regular die in which the 1 spot is replaced by a skull and crossbones (i.e. replaced by a ‘Jolly Roger’). Play cycles through the players 5 times so that each player has 5 turns in the game. Each turn consists of 3 rolls of the 5 dice. On a particular roll of the 5 dice a player ( pirate ) can score points ( capture cargo ) only when some ‘Jolly Rogers’ appear face up. According to Koplow Games (1993): “For each ‘Jolly Roger’ that appears on a roll of the dice, the player can capture one other die and score its points. If three ‘Jolly Rogers’ are rolled, then only the points on the remaining two dice can be scored. If five ‘Jolly Rogers’ are rolled, no points are scored, as the pirate fleet has scared away all cargo ships.”
Timing and Number of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas in Transplant Recipients.

This cohort study of 3652 recipients of solid organ transplants examines the timing and number of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas that developed after transplantation.
Measurement of neutrons down to 200 keV with pulse shape discrimination using an EJ-301 liquid scintillator

Abstract Pulse shape discrimination is a method commonly used to separate gamma and neutron signals in liquid scintillation detectors. The method works well for neutrons above 500 keV, but as the energy deposited in the detector decreases, so does the effectiveness. In order to utilize pulse shape discrimination capabilities at lower energies, a 1.27 cm thick EJ-301 detector operated at a bias voltage of 2200 V has been used. The detector has been shown to have an average misclassification of 0.5% of gamma pulses over the total energy range from 35 keVee to 400 keVee, and 2.0% in the most sensitive region from 35 keVee to 45 keVee. A measurement performed using the time-of-flight method at the Gaerttner Linear Accelerator Facility at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has shown that with the pulse shape discrimination method, this detector can detect and characterize neutron pulses down to 200 keV.
Shaping Creative Research in New Media (Keynote Address)

Improvisation - the drive to make something out of something else - is fundamental to the human experience. All traditional objects of expression - writing, filmmaking, musical expression, theater, and even human conversation - present some trace of the process through which it came into exist. The very vitality of the expression is intimately connected with its passage; inspiration touched by structure, transformed and realized in a palpable entity. This trace reveals the human bricolleur who struggles or plays, attempts control until resigned, accepts the fragile state and relinquishes the entity out to the world. This talk presents research case studies to explore improvisation and bricollage as forces which can help grow context while driving researchers to unexpected but powerful new explorations.
Three-dimensional maneuvering and control of flexible robots

This paper develops a general approach to the three-dimensional maneuver and vibration control of a robot in the form of a chain of flexible links. The equations for the rigid-body maneuvering motions are derived by means of Lagrange equations in terms of quasi-coordinates and the equations for the elastic deformations by means of ordinary Lagrange equations. The equations of motion are derived for the full system simultaneously, using recursive equations to relate the motions of a given link to the motions of the preceding links in the chain. The maneuver is carried out by means of joint torques and the vibration is suppressed by means of point actuators dispersed throughout the links. The controls are designed by the Liapunov direct method. A numerical example demonstrates the theoretical developments.
The piglet acute diarrhea model for evaluating efficacy of treatment and control of cryptosporidiosis.

Cryptosporidium spp. are ranked as the second leading pathogens causing life-threatening diarrhea in children under 2 years of age. Although Cryptosporidium hominis causes three quarters of the cas...
Calibrating the tilted scale: (re)constructing fairness in fair wage discourse

ABSTRACTGuided by the practical question, ‘What is a fair wage?’, this paper takes a culture-centered approach to the discursive construction of a fair wage in the context of industrialized labor. Specifically, this study juxtaposes discursive constructions within (a) corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications concerning wage policies and practices and (b) industrial workers’ narratives about their experiences with wages. Thus, I demonstrate a mutually constitutive process in which the meaning of ‘fair wage’ results from and reifies the structures of supply chain labor. Specifically, I explore how wage fairness is understood in the context of legal and government mandates, international organizations’ recommendations, and the issue of labor sustainability. The culture-centered emphasis of the study explores the possibility of bringing alternative voices to mainstream articulations of labor rights.
TROPOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND COMPOSITION | Biogenic Hydrocarbons

All living organisms produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including some that are emitted into the atmosphere where they have a significant impact on the chemical composition of the atmosphere including constituents, such as organic aerosol and ozone, that influence climate. These emissions respond to climate and land cover change, and there may be complex interactions with important climate change implications. Many VOCs are found in living organisms but relatively few are emitted at substantial rates, primarily from vegetation foliage. These include terpenoids (e.g., isoprene), hydrocarbons (e.g., ethene), and oxygenated VOCs (e.g. methanol). Some biogenic VOC emissions also have important ecological roles.
Optimized Decision Making for Power Grid Safety Correction Based on Sub-regional Load Control

In the case of large-scale power loss fault in the operation of UHV AC-DC hybrid power grid, it is impossible to adjust the grid correction control problem by the unit output adjustment. Fully utilize the adjustable capacity of the load control to achieve safety correction control to meet the load control aid decision-making requirements of existing dispatching system. According to the characteristics of the dispatching system in accordance with the sub-regional load as the target of unified implementation of load control, this paper proposes a safety correction optimized aid decision-making calculation method based on sub-regional load control, with the sub-regional load as the control object and the minimum sub-regional load as the target. Consider the system power flow constraint, the sub-regional controllable load constraint and the key monitoring section safety constraints, the continuous power flow method and the line planning method are combined to solve the problem. The proposed method has the characteristics of simple model, easy solution and good convergence. It shows the effectiveness of the proposed method in the actual power grid.1
Electrocardiographic evidence of ischemia in a young male with anomalous origin of a coronary artery from the opposite sinus

Abstract Congenital coronary artery anomalies are a well-known cause of life-threatening syncope, but usually present with either cardiac arrest, or after resolution of the episode. We discuss a young man with exertional syncope, who upon evaluation in the field, had electrocardiographic evidence of severe but transient myocardial ischemia. This case provides rare insight into the pathophysiology of sudden cardiac death in patients with anomalous left coronary artery from the right aortic sinus.
Skin antiseptics in healthcare facilities: is a targeted approach necessary?

Skin antisepsis occurs in every healthcare environment. From basic hand hygiene, to antiseptic bathing and pre surgical care with alcohol/chlorhexidine, use of antimicrobial agents to reduce the skin microflora has skyrocketed in the past several years. Although used in hopes of reducing the likelihood of infection in patients, many products have been identified as the source of infection in several outbreaks, sometimes due to the nonsterile nature of the many readily available antiseptics. Intrinsic contamination of antiseptics during the manufacturing process is common. In fact, since the majority of these products are sold as nonsterile, they are allowed some level of microbial contamination based on the United States Pharmacopeia documents 61 and 62. Unfortunately, sometimes this contamination is with microorganisms resistant to the antiseptic and/or with those pathogenic to humans. In this scenario, healthcare-associated infections may occur, leaving the patient at higher risk of mortality and increasing costs of care substantially. Although antibiotic stewardship programs throughout the world suggest targeting use of antibiotics to limit resistance, few healthcare environments include other antimicrobial agents (such as antiseptics) in their programs. Due to the potential for contamination with pathogenic organisms and the increased likelihood of selecting for resistant organisms with widespread use of broad-spectrum agents with non-specific mechanisms of action, a discussion around including skin antiseptics in stewardship programs is necessary, particularly those labeled as nonsterile. At minimum, debating the pros and cons of targeting use of daily antiseptic bathing in hospitalized patients should occur. Through mindfully incorporating any antimicrobial agent, sterile or not, into our repertoire of anti-infectives, we can save patient lives, reduce infection, and save costs.
Early clinical experience with varian halcyon V2 linear accelerator: Dual-isocenter IMRT planning and delivery with portal dosimetry for gynecological cancer treatments.

Purpose Varian Halcyon linear accelerator version 2 (The Halcyon 2.0) was recently released with new upgraded features. The aim of this study was to report our clinical experience with Halcyon 2.0 for a dual-isocenter intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning and delivery for gynecological cancer patients and examine the feasibility of in vivo portal dosimetry. Methods Twelve gynecological cancer patients were treated with extended-field IMRT technique using two isocenters on Halcyon 2.0 to treat pelvis and pelvic/or para-aortic nodes region. The prescription dose was 45 Gy in 25 fractions (fxs) with simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) dose of 55 or 57.5 Gy in 25 fxs to involved nodes. All treatment plans, pretreatment patient-specific QA and treatment delivery records including daily in vivo portal dosimetry were retrospectively reviewed. For in vivo daily portal dosimetry analysis, each fraction was compared to the reference baseline (1st fraction) using gamma analysis criteria of 4 %/4 mm with 90% of total pixels in the portal image planar dose. Results All 12 extended-field IMRT plans met the planning criteria and delivered as planned (a total of 300 fractions). Conformity Index (CI) for the primary target was achieved with the range of 0.99-1.14. For organs at risks, most were well within the dose volume criteria. Treatment delivery time was from 5.0 to 6.5 min. Interfractional in vivo dose variation exceeded gamma analysis threshold for 8 fractions out of total 300 (2.7%). These eight fractions were found to have a relatively large difference in small bowel filling and SSD change at the isocenter compared to the baseline. Conclusion Halcyon 2.0 is effective to create complex extended-field IMRT plans using two isocenters with efficient delivery. Also Halcyon in vivo dosimetry is feasible for daily treatment monitoring for organ motion, internal or external anatomy, and body weight which could further lead to adaptive radiation therapy.
Femoral Thrombectomy and Thromboembolectomy

This chapter discusses technical aspects of femoral thrombectomy and thromboembolectomy, including instrumentation and equipment, patient positioning, and surgical steps. The authors also offer pearls and pitfalls.
Galvanic disciplines: the boundaries, objects, and identities of experimental science in the era of romanticism.

Le galvanisme est percu en Allemagne comme un phenomene chimique, intimement lie a l'evolution de l'interet de l'electricite en medecine. Il fait le lien entre ce qui est organique et inorganique, montre que la physique est une science experimentale, et revele de nombreux obstacles entre la recherche galvanique et la physiologie
How much of the future mortality toll of smoking can be avoided

Objective To determine how much future smoking-related mortality in the USA can be prevented, recognising that some of that future mortality results from past smoking. Methods Employing a dynamic population simulation model, we estimate smoking’s expected mortality burden in the USA, measured as life-years lost (LYL), in a status-quo scenario run from 2018 through 2100. We then estimate LYL attributable to past smoking assuming that all smoking ceases at the end of 2017. We calculate the potential avoidable LYL, which we call the maximum potential reduction in premature mortality (MPRPM), as the difference between the two. We use data from the US Census Bureau, National Vital Statistics Reports, the National Health Interview Survey and Cancer Prevention Study II. Results Under status-quo assumptions, smoking will claim 305 million LYL in the US from 2018 to 2100. If all smoking ceased at the end of 2017, past smoking would be responsible for 191.8 million LYL. Thus, avoidable LYL by 2100—the MPRPM—would be 113.2 million, 37% of the expected toll of smoking. A sensitivity analysis finds that were the annual smoking initiation rate 3% instead of 7.8%, the MPRPM would be 13-14% lower. Were the annual permanent smoking cessation rate twice our status-quo estimate of 4.35%, the MPRPM would be 38-39% lower. Conclusions Public health can address only the future toll of future smoking. Smoking’s MPRPM is the reduction in the mortality burden of smoking that tobacco control can strive to achieve.
Storm-Induced Dynamics of Particulate Organic Carbon in Clear Creek, Iowa: An Intensively Managed Landscape Critical Zone Observatory Story

Rivers integrate and transport particulate organic carbon (POC) from multiple sources with varied diagenetic histories. A significant amount of POC is delivered to rivers during storm events, but the sources and fates of the mobilized material are often unclear. To gauge the relative contributions of variability of different input sources, this study uses a biomarker approach that broadly characterizes organic matter on the molecular level. Suspended sediment was collected during a storm in October 2015 at three nested sampling locations along Clear Creek in Iowa, U.S.A. Supplemented with bulk elemental and C-isotopic measurements, biomarker analyses were obtained to identify changes in the sources and the diagenetic state of the POC. Fatty acid-rich organic matter was attributed to the mobilization of algal mats in the stream channel at the early stage of the storm as precipitation initiated and water velocities began to increase. A significant contribution of lignin-rich material occurred at peak precipitation and elevated discharge signifying erosion from row crop field surfaces and bank soil sources. Tracers of oxidized lignin and soil organic matter suggested that this was a partially time-resolved mixture of fresh and degraded material derived. Storm-induced variations of biomarkers were observed at the three sampling stations located throughout the watershed. The mixing patterns became more complex as the storm pulse moved downstream due to the additive contributions of multiple tributaries and the hypothesized increasing relative importance of alluvial bank erosion. The increase is attributed to a systematic transition in basin geomorphology from a V-shape in the upper reach to a wider box-shaped valley in the lower reach. Even though standing crop biomarker concentration measurements revealed a diversity of sources over time, the complex mixture of POC associated with peak discharge dominated the flux of material downstream. This study highlights the complexity of storm-initiated C-transport and the need for high spaciotemporal resolution broad spectrum tracer studies in the future.
Cybersecurity assurance in the emerging manufacturing-as-a-service (MaaS) paradigm: A lesson from the video streaming industry

The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak has incapacitated physical supply chains of various industrial sectors This has been a call for attention to rethinking innovative methods to improve supply chain resilience Emerging manufacturing technologies like additive/hybrid manufacturing are enabling small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to transform into cybermanufacturing kiosks that deliver manufacturing-as-a-service by digitizing much of the manufacturing workflow (design, communication, and manufacturing) This transformation is causing a paradigm shift in which major producers and original equipment manufacturers can outsource manufacturing of components to distributed SMEs located near the point of need The increasing reliance on a digital thread would reduce the burden of resiliency required from the physical supply chains Although digital threads are reducing the burden on the physical supply chains, they introduce a new class of cyber-resilience requirements, chiefly in ensuring the integrity of the designs and other intellectual properties shared across the digital thread A novel design-sharing scheme for the digital thread based on video streaming is introduced herein to address the issue of IP theft and tampering The potential of design-sharing schemes for the improvement of the cyberresilience of digital supply chains is discussed Copyright © 2020 by ASTM International
Transit to parks: An environmental justice study of transit access to large parks in the U.S. West

Abstract Large parks—including regional parks, state parks, and national forests and parks—have particular health, social, and environmental benefits. Thus, promoting equal access to large parks is increasingly becoming a goal of environmental justice activists, planners, and policymakers. Disadvantaged populations (e.g., low-income people of color) have worse walking access to large parks than more privileged groups and might rely on public transportation to access such parks. But empirical studies on whether access to large parks via public transit is justly distributed are lacking. In this paper, we examine the relationship between a novel measure of public transit access to large parks (the T2P index) and neighborhood-level disadvantage (income, race/ethnicity, and age). Using network analysis with public transit feed data and park location data, we calculate the T2P index for every census block group in the 15 largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the U.S. West. We find some evidence of environmental injustice. A spatial filtering model shows that T2P access increases when a neighborhood has a larger share of non-Hispanic Whites and a smaller share of older adults, but that median household income is not associated with T2P in the entire sample. We also find that some regions present significant environmental injustices in T2P whereas others have fewer to no injustices. Transit agencies and park planners could use our T2P index and findings to prioritize transit investment for disadvantaged populations and promote healthy living.
Effects of cannabis use on alcohol consumption in a sample of treatment-engaged heavy drinkers in Colorado.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Cannabis is commonly used among people who drink alcohol, but evidence suggests a nuanced relationship between alcohol consumption and cannabis use. In particular, among individuals undergoing alcohol treatment the impact of cannabis on alcohol intake may depend upon cannabis use frequency. We aimed to test the effects of within-day cannabis use on total drinks consumed and likelihood of binge drinking on a given day among all participants and compare these relationships between males and females and between individuals who reported infrequent and frequent cannabis use. DESIGN This observational study is a substudy of a larger randomized controlled trial (RCT). Individuals were included from the RCT if they reported any cannabis use and were divided into groups based on cannabis use patterns. Alcohol use was compared within and between groups. SETTING Individuals were recruited from 2016 to 2020 from community and university settings in Denver and Boulder, CO, USA. PARTICIPANTS Of the 182 individuals enrolled in the RCT, 96 cannabis-using subjects were included in these analyses. MEASUREMENTS Subjects completed a time-line follow-back (TLFB) at baseline, 4, 8 (end of treatment) and 20 weeks. Daily data on alcohol and cannabis use from the TLFB at all time-points were analyzed. FINDINGS Across the sample (n = 96), individuals drank approximately 29% fewer drinks [95% confidence interval (CI) = 18-39%, P < 0.001] and were 2.06 times (95% CI =1.37-3.08, P < 0.001) less likely to have a binge-drinking episode on days that cannabis was used compared with days that cannabis was not used. These patterns were observed in males, females and the infrequent and frequent cannabis use groups. Findings were inconclusive regarding differences in the association between cannabis use and alcohol outcomes when comparing males and females and when comparing infrequent and frequent cannabis use groups. CONCLUSIONS Heavy drinkers engaged in treatment to reduce their alcohol consumption who also use cannabis appear to increase their cannabis use on days when they reduce their alcohol consumption.
Abstract 2376: Diagnostic and predictive biomarkers of radiation pneumonitis

Increased rates of treatment failure in lung cancer patients necessitate treatment with high doses of radiation, which often cause toxicities. However, normal tissue injury in lung may manifest as acute toxicities or as delayed radiation pneumonitis. Identification of early indicators of delayed toxicities will allow timely management and mitigation. In present study, using mouse model, we identified a set of circulating microRNAs as biomarkers that potentially allow early detection of radiation induced lung injury such as inflammation and pneumonitis. Longitudinal analysis of serum samples collected from mice exposed to whole thorax lung irradiation (WTLI) allowed discovery of a panel of evolutionary conserved miRNAs that are potential predictors of radiation pneumonitis. Among these, miR21 and miR29a, miR130a, and miR19a were found peaked between 2-4 weeks after radiation, while miR146a exhibited a peculiar biphasic expression. Some of these changes were found to be associated with concomitant changes in anti- and pro-inflammatory serum cytokines. Several of the biomarkers identified in WTLI model, showed overlapping response in a bleomycin mouse model of acute lung injury. We further tested the translational utility of these biomarkers in single drop blood collected from mice using a validated internal normalizer, miR23a (Yadav et al., Science Translational Medicine, 2020, PMID: 32669422). The response noted for several of the candidate biomarkers identified in mouse model are conserved in specimens collected from human patients who received radiation therapy. In conclusion, our study has identified a panel of microRNA biomarkers with potential to develop as early predictor of pulmonary toxicities in patients receiving therapeutic radiation, and in victims of radiation accidents for timely mitigation. Citation Format: Marshleen Yadav, Joseph Liu, Zahida Qamri, Naduparambil K. Jacob. Diagnostic and predictive biomarkers of radiation pneumonitis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2376.