cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Commentary on Using New Technologies in the Child Maltreatment Field

The articles in this special issue describe how different types of technology can be applied in the child maltreatment field to improve activities. This commentary suggests that though new technology does not necessarily make for better content, it does create exciting new possibilities that creative minds can use to advance the field. The projects described in this issue are examples of such creativity and give a glimpse of the future. However, advances in technology applications do not come without some cost and some loss. Technological approaches may reduce human interaction and result in the loss of its intangible benefits. The commentary suggests that the child maltreatment field appears ripe for broad-based application of technology in three areas: web-based professional training, self-directed interventions and prevention programs, and use of social networking technology. Finally, ideas are proposed for understanding the true cost of developing, implementing, and maintaining technological applications.
Symposium on Decision Problems: On a Decision Method in Restricted Second Order Arithmetic

Publisher Summary In this chapter, SC is a fraction of the restricted second order theory of natural numbers or of the first order theory of real numbers. This chapter discusses the definability in SC and outlines an effective method for deciding the truth of sentences in SC. A congruence of finite rank on words is in congruence with the finite partition of concatenation; a multi-periodic set of words is a union of congruence classes of a congruence of finite rank. These concepts are related to that of a finite automaton and turn out to be the key to an investigation of SC. The results concerning SC may be viewed as an application of the theory of finite automata to logic. In turn, SC arises quite naturally as a condition-language on finite automata or sequential circuits and “sequential calculus” is an appropriate name for SC. The significance of the decision method for SC is that it provides a method for deciding whether or not the input (i)-to-output (u) transformation of a proposed circuit A (i, r, u) satisfies a condition C (i, u) stated in SC.
Basic Theories and Principles of Electrophoresis

The optimal use of any technology requires an understanding of the basic theories and principles that are the foundation for that technology. This knowledge helps the investigator to better appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the technology and is critical in the final interpretation of experimental results.
A new type of DAQ system using fast and gigabit Ethernet networks

We are developing generic Data Acquisition Systems technology for very high data rate experiments using the generic technology available in the commercial world. We feel that it is now possible to have front-end electronics being readout by Ethernet (standard, Fast, Gigabit and Terabit in the next century) and just plug this into the wall network. Why not! Already electric power, telephones and in most laboratories 10 Mbit/sec Ethernet is already part of the wall wiring. We can dream of having buildings wired for Gigabit Ethernet. Then it is possible to just plug all our front-end data spigots into the wall and let the network take care of the delivery of the data.
Evaluation of Static Stretching Procedures for Improvement of Flexibility

Abstract In order to evaluate the static stretching procedures of Hatha Yoga for improvement of flexibility, 57 male college subjects were divided into two groups, one of which trained by static stretching, the other by conventional ballistic methods of stretching for seven 30-min. periods. The subjects were tested before and after the experimental period on Cureton's flexibility tests, involving trunk flexion, trunk extension, and shoulder elevation. Both groups made statistically significant gains at the .01 level of confidence in all three measures. None of the differences in gains between groups were significant at the .05 level of confidence.
Testing the concepts of market mavenism and opinion leadership in China

Market mavenism and opinion leadership are two important consumer influential concepts in the marketing communication literature. This study presents two research questions: (1) are the concepts of market mavenism and opinion leadership valid in the Chinese context? and (2) what are the demographic, psychological, and behavioral differences in predicting market mavenism and opinion leadership? This study extends the consumer influential literature and provides a richer picture of market mavenism and opinion leadership. The results based on the survey sample drawn from 316 Chinese respondents are illuminating: market mavenism and opinion leadership were indeed distinctive yet related concepts. Price-value consciousness, altruism, monochronicity, and income all significantly and positively influenced market mavenism while only price-value consciousness and monochronicity significantly and positively predicted opinion leadership. Altruism and income showed statistically significant difference in explaining market mavenism and opinion leadership.
Concurrent Teaching of Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing

In this paper, we first offer a brief overview of the literature on recent efforts in engineering design education, followed by a discussion of the challenges involved with teaching engineering design at an early stage in the curriculum. We then propose an approach utilizing a multi-track teaching style that allows for concurrent teaching of engineering design, analysis and manufacturing. We provide details of how a traditional sophomore-level introductory design course at Kettering University (formerly GMI Engineering & Management Institute) has been modified over the past five years to face pedagogical challenges and accommodate our ideas on the proposed teaching style. The evolution of the ideas, the philosophy behind them and the effects of their implementation on the course are also discussed. Finally, we address teaching quality control, time and budgetary issues.
Adsorption and Reaction of Furfural and Furfuryl Alcohol on Pd(111): Unique Reaction Pathways for Multifunctional Reagents

Surface chemical reactions of highly functional biomass derivatives such as furans with oxygenated ligands are often considered in terms of the chemistry of their individual functional groups, with little focus on how multifunctionality affects surface chemistry. To probe these effects on functionalized furans, temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to study the thermal chemistry of furfural, C4H3(CHO)O, and furfuryl alcohol, C4H3(CH2OH)O on Pd(111). The TPD results indicate that furfural undergoes decomposition to produce furan, propylene, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen. Furfuryl alcohol forms the same products but also undergoes an unexpected C–O scission process that yields methylfuran and water. Together with DFT calculations, these results indicate that furfuryl alcohol can decompose through a surface furfural intermediate, similar to the reaction pathway observed for simple alcohols such as ethanol. The additional methylfuran pat...
Rejoining of DNA double-strand breaks in Ku80-deficient mouse fibroblasts.

The role of Ku80 in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) was examined in fibroblasts derived from a Ku80 knockout mouse model described by Nussenzweig et al. (Nature 382, 551-555, 1996). Primary fibroblasts from Ku80+/+ and Ku80-/- mice were immortalized by transfection with plasmids containing either the human MYC proto-oncogene or the Simian virus 40 (SV40) T antigen and were used to measure induction and rejoining of DSBs after exposure to ionizing radiation. The number of DSBs in the cells was quantified by either asymmetric field-inversion gel electrophoresis (AFIGE) or clamped homogeneous electrical-field gel electrophoresis (CHEF). The latter method was introduced for a more reliable quantification of repair even when DNA degradation occurs in a fraction of the irradiated cell population during the postirradiation incubation time. The results confirm that Ku80-deficient mouse fibroblasts are sensitive to ionizing radiation and demonstrate that the increased radiosensitivity may result from...
Victim and Suspect Race and the Police Clearance of Sexual Assault

Research testing the sexual stratification hypothesis has reached mixed conclusions about the relationship between victim and offender race and sexual assault case outcomes. Using data from the Nat...
Imaging features of neonatal congenital nasal obstructive disease

Objective:To investigate the imaging features of neonatal congenital nasal obstructive disease.Methods:30 cases of CT findings and 3 cases of MRI findings(including 12 male and 21 female)of neonatal congenital nasal obstruction were retrospective analyzed.Results:In 14 cases with choanal atresia or stenosis,CT demonstrated inward bowing of the posterior maxilla,thickening of the vomer,narrowing or fusion of the posterior choanae with soft-tissue septum.In 9 cases with dacryocystocele,CT demonstrated nasolacrimal duct dilatation,extending to medial canthus and nasal cavity.In 7 cases with pyriform aperture stenosis,CT demonstrated inward bowing of the maxillary spines,narrowing of pyriform aperture and anterior nasal canal with a triangular hard palate.In 1 cases of nasal encephalocele,MRI demonstrated a cystic mass in the left nasal cavity connected to the subarachnoid space.In 2 cases of infantile hemangioma of nasal cavity,MRI demonstrated enhanced soft tissue mass in the nasal cavity.Conclusion:The cause of neonatal nasal obstructive disease varies widely,imaging examination is helpful to accurate diagnosis and timely treatment.
Research on Miss Distance Measurement for Airborne Target

Through an in-depth study of the ranging method based on difference frequency of three types of FM signals of sine wave, triangular wave and saw-tooth wave, it is concluded that the difference frequency spectrum of the three waveforms is continuous. When using sine wave or triangular wave, the periodic irregular area exists in the difference frequency, thus the ranging appears to be fuzzy, whereas if it’s the case of saw-tooth wave, the corresponding difference frequency shows a very strong regularity, which makes the clear ranging. By deducing the general expression of this method, it theoretically proves the continuity of the ranging based on saw-tooth wave difference frequency. In a research into the miss distance measurement of the airborne target, a method to measure the miss distance of a airborne target by the cycle of saw-tooth FM wave is put forward, and a design and implementation is also given of such system.
The Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Digoxin in Children and the Analysis of Influential Factor

Objective:To observe the importance of blood concentration monitoring in more individualized and rationalized administration of Digoxin.Methods:We performed the blood concentration monitoring of Digoxin by using chemiluminescent immunoassay and analyzed the results.Results:Among 161 child patients,there were 79 cases within the effective blood concentration(0.8～2.0 ng/mL),accounted for 49.1%.There were 74 cases below 0.8 ng/mL,accounted for 46.0%,and 8 cases higher than 2.0 ng/mL accounted for 4.9%.Conclusions:We should consider the children's pharmacodynamics,pharmacokinetics,blood concentration monitoring and clinical observation to get the effect,rational and safe result and prevent the drug poisoning of digoxin.
Establishment of SSR-PCR reaction system and primers screening for Eucommia ulmoides

To provide theoretic and technical support for molecular assessment of genetic diversity in germplasm resources of Eucommia ulmoides,simple sequence repeat-polymerase chain reaction(SSR-PCR) system was established through orthogonal test and optimized through single factor experiment.The results showed that the optimal SSR-PCR reaction system was a volume of 10.0 μL containing forward-and reversed-primer(10 μmol.L-1) 0.2 μL,respectively,Taq DNA polymerase(5 U.μL-1) 0.1 μL,dNTP(10 mmol.L-1) 0.2 μL,DNA(5-10 ng.μL-1)1.0 μL,Mg2+(25 mmol.L-1) 0.6 μL,10 × PCR buffer 1.0 μL and HPLC water 6.7 μL.Three SSR polymorphic primer pairs were selected.The results proved the limited transferability of SSR primers between distantly related species,revealed the genetic diversity of E.ulmoides preliminarily,and exhibited the advantages of SSRs for the investigation of genetic diversity.
Hydration Repulsion between Carbohydrate Surfaces Mediated by Temperature and Specific Ions

Stabilizing colloids or nanoparticles in solution involves a fine balance between surface charges, steric repulsion of coating molecules and hydration forces against van der Waals attractions. At high temperature and electrolyte concentrations, the colloidal stability of suspensions usually decreases rapidly. Here, we report a new experimental and simulation discovery that the polysaccharide (dextran) coated nanoparticles show ion-specific colloidal stability at high temperature, where we observed enhanced colloidal stability of nanoparticles in CaCl2 solution but rapid nanoparticle-nanoparticle aggregation in MgCl2 solution. The microscopic mechanism was unveiled in atomistic simulations. The presence of surface bound Ca2+ ions increases the carbohydrate hydration and induces strongly polarized repulsive water structures beyond at least three hydration shells which is farther-reaching than previously assumed. We believe leveraging the binding of strongly hydrated ions to macromolecular surfaces represents a new paradigm in achieving absolute hydration and colloidal stability for a variety of materials, particularly under extreme conditions.
Innovations in Measurement: Visual Analog Scales and Retrospective Pretest Self-Report Designs

The authors discuss limitations of two popular measurement procedures, the Likert scale and conventional pretest-posttest self-report design. Both techniques have limits and yet are often combined, leading to restricted fidelity for measuring change. The authors go on to discuss two innovations in measurement that provide researchers with greater assessment fidelity: Visual analog scales and the retrospective pretest design. Moreover, when used in combination, these innovations measurement techniques provide dramatic increases in the power to detect and quantify change.
Review and Comparative Analysis of US and EU Public Policies Promoting Wood Energy

The comparative analysis shows that both the EU and the USA have a wide range of energy policies that allow flexibility in how targets are met. While the USA has renewable electric power and biofuel targets, EU has targets for renewable energy including heating and electric power and biofuel. The USA uses policy instruments to promote mainly electricity and biofuel. Contrary to policies in the USA, biomass energy policies in the EU emphasize all types of renewable energy output including heating.
Reliability-based topology optimization of uncertain building systems subject to stochastic excitation

Abstract Topology optimization has traditionally been developed in a deterministic setting, notwithstanding the considerable uncertainties that generally affect both the system as well as the excitation. Therefore, the development of methods that are capable of describing the performance of uncertain systems in a fully probabilistic setting would represent an important step forward. In particular, the ability to consider reliability constraints written in terms of first excursion probabilities posed on systems driven by general stochastic excitation would allow a wide variety of important design scenarios to be modeled. This paper is focused on proposing a simulation-centered reliability-based topology optimization framework to this end. In particular, an approach is developed based on defining, from the argumentation of the simulation process, an optimization sub-problem that not only approximately decouples the probabilistic analysis from the optimization loop, but takes a form that can be extremely efficiently solved. By solving a limited sequence of sub-problems, solutions are found that rigorously meet the first excursion constraints of the original problem. A series of case studies are presented illustrating the potential of the proposed framework.
A contemporary evaluation of carotid endarterectomy outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease in the United States.

ObjectivesChronic kidney disease (CKD) has been identified as a significant risk factor for poor post-surgical outcomes. This study was designed to provide a contemporary analysis of carotid endart...
Mobility, citizenship, and “American women on the move” in the 1977 International Women’s Year torch relay

ABSTRACTThis essay examines the 1977 International Women’s Year torch relay from Seneca Falls to Houston to demonstrate the rhetoricity of mobility and theorize running as a mode of public address. The relay used the velocity of running to centralize athleticism and the female athlete as a crucial site for liberal feminist citizenship claims in 1977 in the context of Title IX and the struggle over the Equal Rights Amendment. The runners’ movement through space and place advanced a discursive performance of citizenship as they traversed the South. This analysis reveals mobility as a theoretical framework for rhetorical scholars interested in space, place, citizenship, and social movement.
Correlation of self-reported urologic symptoms with systemic health conditions in minority men

Background: To investigate the correlation between presence and severity of urologic symptoms and self-reported systemic health conditions in minority men. Methods: Questionnaires were distributed at a Men’s Minority Health Fair. Urologic symptoms were assessed with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) and NIH Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Score (CPSI). Each was graded as absent/mild [0], moderate [1] or severe [2] by standard criteria for each and totaled for a urologic score (US). Other questions included age, height/weight and queried heart disease, diabetes, anxiety/stress, sleep apnea and neurologic disease. A systemic score (SS) graded each plus obesity for 6 domains (0–2 for each). Results: A total of 52 men completed the surveys with a mean age of 58.8 (range, 37–76) years. By symptom score criteria, 17 (33%) had 1 urologic condition, 19 (37%) had 2 and 5 (10%) had all 3. Mean total US was 1.9 (range, 0–6) and mean SS was 2.9 (range, 0–10). There was a strong correlation between US and SS (Spearman Rho =0.73, P anxiety > obesity > diabetes > sleep apnea > neurologic. By multivariable analysis, after adjusting for age, each systemic component strongly correlated with the US. The multivariable model with age plus all of the systemic scores predicted US more accurately than with any one of its components alone. Conclusions: Self-reported systemic health conditions correlate strongly with presence and severity of urologic symptoms in minority men.
Drink monitoring for self and others: precollege drinkers and the Bad-Habit-Formation Hypothesis

Background: Past research has demonstrated that precollege alcohol consumption is related to college alcohol consumption. But whether precollege drinking is also related to drinking-related behavio...
Drag Reduction Using Compliant Walls

Compliant coating research is one of those areas which experienced its fair share of triumphs and debacles. For over forty years, the subject has fascinated, frustrated and occasionally gratified scientists and engineers searching for methods to delay laminar-to-turbulence transition, to reduce skin-friction drag in turbulent wall-bounded flows, to quell vibrations, and to suppress flow-induced noise. In its simplest form, the technique is passive, relatively easy to apply to an existing vehicle or device, and perhaps not too expensive. Through the years, however, claims for substantial drag and noise reductions were made, only to be later refuted when the results were more critically examined. There are several important issues with regard to the reliability of available analytical, numerical and experimental results. In this chapter, some of these issues, particularly as they relate to the search for drag-reducing compliant coatings, will be addressed with the objective of elucidating the potential pitfalls to newcomers to the field. Problem formulation with the proper boundary conditions, impossibility of obtaining first-principles analytical solutions when the wall-bounded flow is turbulent, and limitations of existing numerical simulations will be elaborated. The effects of background turbulence in a wind or water tunnel, accurate drag measurements, compliant wall motion, and the geometry and properties of the coatings used will be among the outstanding experimental issues discussed. Attempts will be made to explain some of the seemingly contradictory results available in the open literature.
Stone treatment in children: where we are today?

Objective Stone disease in children differs in pathogenesis, presentation and in treatment from adults. In recent years, big changes on its management have occurred. We reviewed our experience on upper tract urinary calculi in paediatric age. Material and methods Patients observed for upper tract urinary stones from June 2002 to June 2008 were reviewed. Bladder-urethral calculi were excluded. Presenting symptoms had a wide range: macro- or micro-hematuria, recurrent abdominal or flank pain, or non-specific symptoms such as irritability and failure to thrive. Renal and urinary tract ultrasonography, plain abdomen X-ray were performed in case of suggestive symptoms. Spiral CT without contrast was recommended to better define the stone disease. Metabolic evaluation is mandatory for any child presenting history of urinary calculi or nephrocalcinosis. Idiopathic hypercalciuria has been recognized as predominant ethiological factor of paediatric nephrolithiasis, excluding stones correlated with urinary tract malformations (up to 45%). Results In a 6-year period, 232 patients, aged 19 months to 18 years, were treated: 195 children (60.8%), mean age 8.3 years, underwent ESWL. Re-do treatments were 233 (2.3 ESWL/patient), with 77% stone free rate. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) was adopted in 33 patients, mean age 13.4 years, with 2 re-treatments. Stone clearance was 74% after single treatment, increased to 88% by secondary ESWL. Blood transfusion was needed in 7 cases (16%). Retrograde ureterolithotripsy (ULT) was performed in 96 patients presenting ureteral stones, for a total of 99 procedures. Stone free rate was 99%, as 1 pushed up stone required subsequent ESWL. No ureteral perforation or other significant complications occurred. Medical treatment was offered as ancillary therapy or to prevent recurrences, according to the metabolic results and the stone biochemistry. Conclusions Stone treatment in children is changing dramatically, thanks to progressive transfer of procedures from adult patients and recent advances in miniaturized new technologies. Surgical approach to renal and urinary tract stones in childhood was recently moving from open surgical procedures (nephrolithotomy, ureterolithotomy, cystolithotomy), to less invasive procedures, such as ESWL and endoscopic approaches, as ULT and PCNL. Mini-invasive procedures present high efficacy and safety, also in young children, but require appropriate instrumentation and specific experience.
The Thirteenth Chapter

By the monstrous, ugly, and most odious beast rising out of the sea with seven heads and ten horns is meant the universal or whole antichrist, comprehending in him all the wickedness, fury, falsehood, frowardness, deceit, lies, crafts, sleights, subtleties, hypocrisy, tyranny, mischiefs, pride, and all other devilishness of all his malicious members which hath been since the beginning. The exceeding presumption of them that hateth the blessed Lord (saith David), ariseth day by day. Continually thine enemies grow; always they increase and evermore they prosper in this world. Not from the steadfast or sure ground (which are the Lord’s people) ariseth this beast, but out of the wavering sea or from the fickle fellowship and movable multitude of the ungodly, for the wicked sort (after Isaiah) are the raging sea that cannot rest, whose water foameth with the mire and gravel. No peace is among the ungodly (saith the Lord)—no unity, no charity, nor mutual Christian love. It pleased therefore the Holy Ghost to provoke John after his secret vision to describe this mighty antichrist thus in his right colours, according to that he had seen, to the forewarning of Christ’s people.
Examining Workcell Kinematic Chains to Identify Sources of Positioning Degradation

Automated industrial workcells are becoming increasingly complex and varied due to greater accessibility of advanced robotic and sensing technologies. Degradation monitoring and diagnostics must advance to reduce the impact of increased system complexity on troubleshooting faults and failures and to optimize system operations. A new methodology is being developed for the design and implementation of monitoring kinematic chains commonly found in robot workcells. This method will enable the identification of degraded components which contribute to relative positioning accuracy error between moving objects, tools, devices, and other components. The proposed methodology is being developed and tested on a six degree of freedom industrial robot arm workcell use case developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Industrial robot users and integrators can use this method to examine the kinematic chains within their workcells and design a key position monitoring implementation. With the added key position monitoring, degradations can be identified at a designed resolution allowing for enhanced maintenance planning and production control. The methodology will be extended to other manufacturing workcells in the future.
Returning Greek Organizations to Their Founding Principles

Many campuses today are struggling with the problem of what to do with Greek organizations. Should strict standards of behavior be enforced, or should the organizations just be asked to leave? Elon...
Comparison of Different Classifiers to Detect Symptoms of Drowsiness before the Vehicle is in Motion Using a Heartbeat Pulse Bracelet

The drowsiness causes an average of 328,000 crashes per year. Many technologies had been created to avoid this kind of accidents. However, the number of fatalities which involves drowsy drivers still present due to the complexity and ambiguity of this common symptom. Computer vision and some Artificial Intelligence algorithms were implemented to solve the problem while the vehicle is in motion. Many of those have not been implemented in commercial vehicles because the drowsy driver detection with real conditions is not 100% reliable. Adding to this, some other systems review the heart rate variability (HRV) while the person is driving and detects if the driver is falling asleep. However, if the person doesn't use the sensor during driving, this method is not useful. This paper presents a different approach on how drowsy driver problem can be solved before a person starts driving. A heartbeat pulse had been used to measure and calculate the number of hours that a person sleeps per day, the hour of the day and quality of sleep. Then, data were analyzed using different classifiers to decide if the driver is a potential candidate to fall sleep on the road. As a result, a comparison between different classifiers showed that, for solving this particular problem, the best method is the Support Vector Machine classifier with an average of 91.23% of accuracy.
Plant-mediated interactions between a vector and a non-vector herbivore promote the spread of a plant virus

Herbivores that transmit plant pathogens often share hosts with non-vector herbivores. These co-occurring herbivores can affect vector fitness and behaviour through competition and by altering host plant quality. However, few studies have examined how such interactions may both directly and indirectly influence the spread of a plant pathogen. Here, we conducted field and greenhouse trials to assess whether a defoliating herbivore (Sitona lineatus) mediated the spread of a plant pathogen, Pea enation mosaic virus (PEMV), by affecting the fitness and behaviour of Acrythosiphon pisum, the PEMV vector. We observed higher rates of PEMV spread when infectious A. pisum individuals shared hosts with S. lineatus individuals. Using structural equation models, we showed that herbivory from S. lineatus increased A. pisum fitness, which stimulated vector movement and PEMV spread. Moreover, plant susceptibility to PEMV was indirectly enhanced by S. lineatus, which displaced A. pisum individuals to the most susceptible parts of the plant. Subsequent analyses of plant defence genes revealed considerable differences in plant phytohormones associated with anti-herbivore and anti-pathogen defence when S. lineatus was present. Given that vectors interact with non-vector herbivores in natural and managed ecosystems, characterizing how such interactions affect pathogens would greatly enhance our understanding of disease ecology.
Media, Nationalism and Globalization: The Telangana Movement and Indian Politics

This book explores the meanings of nationalism in a post-globalization, postcolonial context. It provides an in-depth understanding of the relationship between marginalized groups, media and politics by a focused study of the Telangana movement in India. Events like the Arab Spring, unrest in Myanmar and Ukraine, and the Brexit, Kurdish and Catalan referendums have proved how catalytic the changing media environment has been in reshaping the nature of resistance and social movements. Based on the author’s ethnographic research, this book examines how marginalized groups engage with the media and their community to participate in political processes. Analyzing public meetings, folk performances, pamphlets and media reports of the Telangana movement, the author reflects on the cultural notions of nationalism and the politics of state formation in the post-colonial context. This volume also evaluates the role of students and intellectuals in contemporary social movements and in uniting the discontents of globalization. Highlighting intersections of performativity, geography and justice, this book examines changing articulations of identity and everyday forms of resistance. It will be useful for students and research scholars interested in media and communication, cultural studies, political sciences, ethnic and minority studies and sociocultural movements in India.
He Said, She Said: Comparing Men’s and Women’s Descriptions of Men’s Partner Violence:

More than one in three women and one in four men in the United States report victimization by intimate partner violence. Women and men often disagree about the frequency or severity of violent acts, and researchers have proposed various reasons for discordant reports. Using daily surveys and qualitative interviews, we compared men's and women's reports about men's partner aggression and examined language they used to describe their experiences. Fifteen heterosexual couples in violent relationships completed an 8-week study that involved daily telephone surveys about violent behaviors and household environment; baseline and end-of-study surveys addressing predictors and outcomes of violence; and qualitative end-of-study interviews to provide perspective about their relationships. Most participants were Latinos with low income. Relationship length was 5.5 years, median. In daily surveys, both partners reported similar frequencies of men's physical violence (4% of days), but men reported more physical violence by women than women did (8% vs. 3% of days). The qualitative analysts compared men's and women's accounts of male-to-female violence and observed gender-specific variations in style of reporting. Men used indirect language to describe their violent behavior, implied definitions of abuse, and justified their aggression. These findings have implications for clinical guidelines to screen and intervene with victims and perpetrators of intimate partner violence in primary care and emergency settings. Future research should focus on perpetrators of violence and examine effective ways for health care providers to identify and manage their care.
A comparison of nanoscale measurements with the theoretical models of real and nominal contact areas

In this study, an experimental method is proposed to measure the real area of contact between an alumina sphere and an Al surface based on the adhesive transfer of the Au film and the scanning elec...
DON’T STRESS THE KIDNEYS: ROLE OF CARDIAC MRI IN DIAGNOSIS OF MIDVENTRICULAR VARIANT OF STRESS CARDIOMYOPATHY

Stress cardiomyopathy is characterized by transient left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in the setting of emotional or physical stress. Typical pattern is apical ballooning (75-80%) with a less common variant characterized by hypokinesis of the mid-LV (10-20%). As it mimics acute coronary syndrome (
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma with early esophageal metastasis: A case report and review of literature

Background Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is an aggressive malignancy with a high propensity to metastasize. Esophageal metastasis manifesting as dysphagia is rarely reported in the literature and has not to our knowledge been reported prior to the appearance of the primary disease. Case summary A patient presented with progressive dysphagia to solids and a persistent earache. Computed tomography of the neck and chest revealed a 3.0 cm × 1.8 cm heterogeneous mass originating from the upper third of the esophagus, necrotic cervical and supraclavicular lymphadenopathy, and bilateral pulmonary nodules. She underwent a core needle biopsy of a right cervical node, which suggested a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of unknown primary. She had an upper endoscopy with biopsy of the esophageal mass suggestive of a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. Positron emission tomography imaging revealed increased uptake in the esophageal mass, cervical, and mediastinal lymph nodes. She was started on folinic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin. Prior to initiation of cycle 8, the patient was found to have a pancreatic body mass that was not present on prior radiographic imaging, confirmed by endoscopic ultrasonography and biopsy to be pancreatic adenocarcinoma. CA19-9 was > 10000 U/mL, suggesting a primary pancreaticobiliary origin. Conclusion Esophageal metastasis diagnosed before primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma is rare. This case highlights the profound metastatic potential of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
An Opportunity to Emphasize Equity, Social Determinants, and Prevention in Primary Care.

The critical role social determinants of health play in shaping physical and mental health across the life span has long been established.[1][1] Upstream factors such as the neighborhood in which one lives, access to affordable and healthy food, access to safe, affordable housing, access to
Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Involving Ophthalmology Trainees.

Abstract Improper informed consent, delayed evaluation, incorrect diagnosis or treatment, trainee inexperience, and improper supervision were the primary allegations in ophthalmic malpractice cases involving trainees.
Advancing the Study of Police Innovation: Toward an Empirical Definition and Classification of Contemporary Police Innovations:

Police innovation is frequently referenced in the policing literature, but it is less frequently defined, applied, or operationalized by scholars. This situation has led to definitional ambiguity a...
Measurement of urinary cobalt as its complex with 2-(5-chloro-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the purpose of anti-doping control.

Cobalt is well known for its ability to stimulate erythropoiesis via stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factors. In sports, this can provide a competitive benefit to athletes, so the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibits the use of cobalt in any form except its cobalamin vitamers. As of now, cobalt in biological fluids is detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), a technique which has very limited availability in anti-doping laboratories. Therefore, a quantitative method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry capable of measuring urinary cobalt in the form of its complex with 2-(5-chloro-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (5-Cl-PADAP) has been developed and validated. A cobalt complex with deuterium-labeled 5-Cl-PADAP was used as internal standard. The method was found linear over the concentration range of 5-500 ng/ml with a combined standard uncertainty less than 10% at 15, 200, and 450 ng/ml. Stability of cobalt ions in urine was investigated over the course of 2 months; the concentration of free Co2+ was observed to decline by approximately 50% but restored upon hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid. Unlike ICP-MS, this method is practically unaffected by the presence of cyanocobalamin as the latter is resistant to acid hydrolysis. Notwithstanding the lack of formalized threshold concentration of cobalt in urine, it is highly desirable that more anti-doping laboratories engage in testing for cobalt levels to better understand the prevalence of cobalt misuse in athletes. Given that cobalt salts are inexpensive and easily obtainable, the risk of such abuse should not be underestimated.
Sarcopenia after induction therapy is associated with reduced survival in patients undergoing esophagectomy for locally-advanced esophageal cancer

Background The impact of sarcopenia on the outcome of esophageal cancer patients remains unknown in North American populations. The current study aims to investigate if sarcopenia at the time of esophagectomy for locally-advanced esophageal cancer (LAEC) is associated with survival. Methods Patients who underwent induction therapy followed by esophagectomy for LAEC between 2010-2018 at a single institution were identified. Exclusion criteria included follow-up less than 90 days and distant metastatic disease at the time of surgery. Demographic, treatment, and outcome data were retrospectively collected. Computed tomography (CT) scans following induction therapy were analyzed to calculate skeletal muscle index (SMI). Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were examined using Kaplan-Meier and Cox Proportional Hazard regression analysis. Results Overall, 52 patients met inclusion criteria with a median BMI of 25 (IQR, 22.4-29.1) kg/m2 and age of 65 (IQR, 57-70) years. Sarcopenia was present in 75% (39/52) of patients at the time of surgery. Sarcopenic patients had a lower median BMI and higher median age when compared to non-sarcopenic patients. There was no difference in gender, race, stage, operative technique, post-operative complications, or hospital length of stay between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients. With a median follow-up of 24.9 months, patients with sarcopenia at the time of esophagectomy had worse OS [median 24.3 (IQR, 9.9-34.5) vs. 50.9 (IQR, 25.6-50.9) months, P=0.0292] and DFS [median 11.7 (IQR, 6.4-25.8) vs. 29.4 (IQR, 12.8-26.7) months, P=0.0387] compared to non-sarcopenic patients. Conclusions Sarcopenia is associated with reduced overall and DFS in patients undergoing esophagectomy for LAEC.
The Utility of Televisits in Patients with Cardiac Amyloidosis during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose In the era of COVID-19, the televisit has become a critical means of providing healthcare for patients unable to attend in-person visits. Transthyretin and light chain amyloidosis are complex diseases, that require frequent and close follow up. The aim of this study was to assess the utility and effectiveness of televisit encounters for patients with cardiac amyloidosis (CA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of consecutive patients with CA who were evaluated by televisit between March and May, 2020, at a large academic medical center. Patient demographics, baseline medications and details of televisit encounters were collected from electronic medical records. Patients were followed for 3 months from their first televisit for medication changes, in-person clinic visits, hospital admissions, and mortality. Results Ninety-eight patients with CA were included. Mean age was 76.5±9.1 yrs and 79 were male (80.6%). The number of televisits per patient is shown in Figure 1a. Over 3-months follow-up, 26 patients (26.5%) were seen for either an in-person clinic visit or right heart catheterization. There were 7 emergency room visits, of which 4 (4.1%) resulted in hospital admission, 1 patient (1.0%) had multiple admissions and no patient died (Figure 1b). None of the hospital admissions occurred within two weeks of a televisit. Hospital admissions were due to heart failure exacerbation, sepsis, acute kidney injury and dehydration secondary to diarrhea. During follow-up, 23 patients (23.5%) had medication adjustments, most commonly changes in diuretic (56.5%) and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (56.5%) doses. Two patients were newly initiated on tafamidis, for treatment of transthyretin CA. Conclusion The use of televisits for the management of patients with CA is feasible, and the low admission rate indicates that televisits are a safe and effective way to manage CA patients in the outpatient setting.
The U.S. Gas Pipeline Transportation Market: An Introductory Guide with Research Questions for the Energy Transition

Natural gas currently represents close to a third of U.S. primary energy consumption and has often been described as a bridge fuel in the context of the ongoing energy transition. As coal plants are retired and the share of variable renewable resources in the U.S. power markets grows, power sector CO2 emissions are declining and gas-fired power plants increasingly relied upon to provide peak and balancing services to complement the variable electricity supply from wind and solar plants. Growth in gas-fired electricity generation in the past decade has made the power sector the largest user of the U.S. interstate gas pipeline network, just ahead of the industrial and building sectors. Nevertheless, future gas demand from these latter two sectors, and from the power sector, is expected to be reduced by policy and regulatory initiatives aimed at electrification of heating loads and economy-wide decarbonization. These developments open up important questions around the role of the U.S. interstate pipeline network in the ongoing energy transition. Such questions include what changes may be needed in the gas transportation markets to provide more flexible gas delivery services to gas-fired generators that provide valuable balancing in the power markets, and how long-term stranded asset risk for gas transportation infrastructure should be managed in the face of electrification and decarbonization. The objective of this paper is to facilitate further research to address these types of questions by outlining the main market features and regulations important for understanding the U.S. gas transportation market.
Review of the Reliability and Validity of the Apgar Score.

Background The Apgar score is the most common score used to quantify neonatal status after birth. It is routinely used in clinical practice and research. However, since its introduction there have been significant changes in peripartum and neonatal management, our understanding of neonatal physiology, and changes in data analysis capabilities. Purpose To assess the Apgar score's reliability and validity in the context of today's clinical and research environments. Method PubMed was searched using the term "Apgar." Just over 22,000 titles were identified. Full-text articles were obtained if they addressed the Apgar score's use, reliability, and validity, or if the score was a primary outcome measure. This was followed by a hand search using the same criteria. The 505 identified articles build the basis for this discussion of the Apgar score's reliability and validity. Findings Multiple positive and negative aspects of the Apgar score's reliability and validity were identified. Some facets needed to evaluate reliability and validity do not seem to have been addressed in the literature. Overall, the identified concerns can introduce bias into outcomes obtained via the use of the Apgar score in both clinical practice and research. Implications for practice The Apgar score is no longer used to determine neonatal management in the delivery room. Implications for research The use of the Apgar score in research may introduce bias into outcomes. As discussed in the Video Abstract, researchers need to address and improve the score's weaknesses or consider developing a new tool better suited to today's research needs. Video abstract available at https://journals.lww.com/advancesinneonatalcare/Pages/videogallery.aspx.
On the Existence and the Structure Pseudo-Equilibrium Manifold

A brief proof of the existence of an equilibrium in incomplete markets is given for regular economies (Theorem 1); a robust example of such economies is provided. Theorem 2 establishes that the manifold Q of global pseudo-equilibria is a fiber bundle with the topological structure of a one- or two-fold covering space of Gk,n, the space of k planes in Rn, where k is the number of assets in the economy and n the number of states of uncertainty. In particular, the pseudo-equilibrium manifold Q is not contractible with incomplete markets. This contrasts with the case of complete markets, where the equilibrium manifold is always contractible.
Proportion of colon cancer risk that might be preventable in a cohort of middle-aged US men

Objective: Diet and lifestyle likely play major roles in colon cancer incidence; however, the proportion of colon cancer risk that might be preventable is unknown. Thus, we estimated the proportion of colon cancer risk among men in the prospective Health Professionals Follow-up Study that might be attributable to a constellation of modifiable risk factors, and thus might be preventable. Methods: We included 47,927 men aged 40–75 years in 1986, among whom we confirmed 411 colon cancer cases from 1986 to 1996. Risk factors considered were obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, early adulthood cigarette smoking, red meat consumption, and low intake of folic acid from supplements. We calculated a risk score that was the sum across the six risk factors of the values of 1 (better exposure) to 5 (worse exposure) corresponding to the exposure category. We entered the risk score into a logistic regression model and estimated the population attributable risk percent (PAR%) using the method of Bruzzi et al. Results: After adjusting for age and family history of colorectal cancer and comparing the risk score for the combined six modifiable colon cancer risk factors at or above the approximate 20th, 10th, or 5th percentiles vs. below, the PAR% increased from 39% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 23–58%), to 48% (95% CI = 25–71%), to 55% (95% CI = 27–80%), respectively. Using a second method in which we used cut-points consistent with general-good health behaviors for each risk factor, comparing men with at least one risk factor to men without any risk factors (3.1% of the men), the PAR% was 71% (95% CI = 33–92%). Conclusion: The findings from this analysis suggest that, if all the members of this cohort of middle-aged US men had a modifiable exposure distribution comparable to the men with low risk scores, a large proportion of colon cancer risk might be avoidable. Additional study is required to determine whether making changes in these six risk factors now would reduce the risk of colorectal neoplasia, or whether the proportion of colon neoplasia that might be avoidable would be similar in populations with different characteristics.