cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Numerical studies on high-velocity impact welding: smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE)

Abstract The manufacturing industry often relies on numerical simulations to reduce the number of trial-and-error iterations required during the process development to reduce costs. However, this can be difficult in high strain rate manufacturing processes. For instance, in high-velocity impact welding, extremely high plastic strain regions develop. Thus, a traditional pure Lagrangian analysis is not able to accurately model the process due to excessive element distortion near the contact zone. In this paper, numerical simulations were conducted using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) methods to investigate a high-velocity oblique impact between two metal plates. While the preliminary results show that the two methods were capable of modeling the process, a trade-off between the computational cost and full prediction of the critical process parameters should be considered for industrial applications.
Understanding Regulation’s Macro Effects

Government regulation spawns repercussions within the lives of individuals, specific firms, and entire markets. This proposition seems secure, so much so, in fact, that it is much more than a proposition. In some cases regulation’s influence seeps through small cracks and in others it bashes in the door. Opponents of extensive regulation could cite case after case in which some new regulation or enhanced enforcement of an existing regulation slowed, stopped, fined, jailed, or harassed a landowner, developer, manufacturer, service provider, builder, business owner, or consumer. Proponents of regulation might want to add to such a list of local effects examples where regulatory influence saved lives, reduced injuries and illnesses, and enhanced quality of life.
Parallel Currency Markets and the Monetary Exchange Rate Model: A VECM Application to Turkey Over 1987–1998

This study takes a novel approach to testing the monetary model of exchange rate determination by allowing for distortions from the underground economy to be reflected via inclusion of the parallel exchange rate. Using a VECM methodology, an augmented model is tested and compared to a traditional flexible-price monetary model for Turkey over 1987–1998. While in-sample results are supportive of both models, out-of-sample analysis favors inclusion of the parallel exchange rate. Furthermore, the augmented model beats a random walk with and without drift over to mid-range forecast horizons. These results highlight the need to consider potential market distortions of exchange rate movements.
A Technological Analysis of Projectile Points from a Burial, Amargosa Desert, Nevada

ABSTRACTSalvage excavations of the Barnett Site, Nye County, Nevada, revealed burial pits, hearths, and midden dating to about 1950 B.P. Grave goods from one of the burials included five large obsidian Humboldt Basal Notch points and a bone tool. Analysis of these artifacts leads us to conclude that the points were manufactured shortly before their use as grave goods, specifically for that purpose, and most probably by a single person. The bone tool is most probably the tip of a composite pressure-flaker that could have been used to complete the points.
Undergraduates Learn About Industrial–Organizational Psychology and Human Factors From an Informational Brochure

An informational brochure was created to assist students and faculty unfamiliar with the industrial–organizational (IO) and human factors (HF) disciplines. The brochure highlights the content of these two professions, presents advice for undergraduates to prepare for admission to IO and HF graduate programs, provides sources of IO and HF information, and suggests employability options in IO and HF. To determine if this brochure effectively informed students about these professions, students read either the IO and HF brochure or information about school psychology. Knowledge about IO and HF programs increased significantly after reading the IO and HF brochure. Suggestions for its distribution are offered.
Mammography rates after the 2009 revision to the United States Preventive Services Task Force breast cancer screening recommendation

In 2009, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against routine mammography screening for women aged 40–49 years. This revised recommendation was widely criticized and has sparked off intense debate. The objectives of this study are to examine the impact of the revised recommendation on the proportion of women receiving mammograms and how the effect varied by age. We identified women who had continuous health insurance coverage and who did not have breast cancer between 2008 and 2011 in the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Claims Databases using mammogram procedure codes. Using women aged 50–59 years as a control group, we used a differences-in-differences approach to estimate the impact of the revised recommendation on the proportion of women ages 40–49 years who received at least one mammogram. We also compared the age-specific changes in the proportion of women ages 35–59 years who were screened before and after the release of the revised recommendation. The proportion of women screened among the 40–49 and 50–59 age groups were 58.5 and 62.5%, respectively, between 2008 and 2009, and 56.9 and 62.0%, respectively, between 2010 and 2011. After 2009, the proportion of women screened declined by 1.2 percentage point among women aged 40–49 years (P < 0.01). The proportion of women screened decreased for all ages, and decreases were larger among women closer to the 40-year threshold. The 2009 USPSTF breast cancer recommendation was followed by a small reduction in the proportion of insured women aged 40–49 years who were screened. Reductions were larger among women at the younger end of the age range, who presumably had less prior experience with mammography than women nearing 50.
Appetite self-regulation: Environmental and policy influences on eating behaviors.

Objective Appetite regulation is influenced by the environment, and the environment is shaped by food-related policies. This review summarizes the environment and policy research portion of an NIH Workshop (Bethesda, MD, 2015) titled “Self-Regulation of Appetite—It's Complicated.” Methods In this paper, we begin by making the case for why policy is an important tool in efforts to improve nutrition, and we introduce an ecological framework that illustrates the multiple layers that influence what people eat. We describe the state of the science on how policies influence behavior in several key areas: the federal food programs, schools, child care, food and beverage pricing, marketing to youth, behavioral economics, and changing defaults. Next, we propose novel approaches for multidisciplinary prevention and intervention strategies to promote breastfeeding, and examine interactions between psychology and the environment. Results Policy and environmental change are the most distal influences on individual-level appetite regulation, yet these strategies can reach many people at once by changing the environment in which food choices are made. We note the need for more research to understand compensatory behavior, reactance, and how to effectively change social norms. Conclusions To move forward, we need a more sophisticated understanding of how individual psychological and biological factors interact with the environment and policy influences.
Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Autotransplantation

In selected patients with debilitating pain from chronic pancreatitis, total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation can be beneficial in relieving pain and improving quality of life. Patient selection is key for this radical procedure. Patients with diffuse small duct chronic pancreatitis, those with genetic pancreatitis, and patients who have failed lesser interventions may be candidates. Intraoperative techniques are aimed at minimizing warm ischemic time. Perioperative care is focused on optimizing islet survival and engraftment, including careful blood glucose management and anticoagulation. Recognition of potential procedure-specific complications is essential to ensure good outcomes. Long-term support is ideal for successful management of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, for good islet function, and for best achievement of improved quality of life.
Social embeddedness, formal labor supply, and participation in informal work

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze data from the first-ever national-level study of informal work in the USA to test two prominent points of focus in the literature: how participation in informal work relates to social embeddedness and formal labor supply. This paper also provides a comparative test of the factors associated with exchange-based informal work (i.e. money/barter) vs self-provisioning activities. Design/methodology/approach The study draws on data from a national-level household telephone survey and uses descriptive statistics and logistic regression models. Findings The data show that participation in the informal economy is widespread in the USA. Consistent with theory, it is found that measures of social embeddedness and formal labor supply are much more salient for predicting participation in informal work for money/barter compared to self-provisioning. Originality/value Drawing on unique data from the first national-level household survey of informal work in the USA, this study provides generalizable support for the contention that the informal sector stands as a persistent structural feature in modern society. The results build on the wealth of information produced by qualitative case studies examining informal economic activity as well as a smaller number of regionally targeted surveys to provide important theoretical insights.
α-Synuclein may cross-bridge v-SNARE and acidic phospholipids to facilitate SNARE-dependent vesicle docking.

Misfolded α-synuclein/A-syn is widely recognized as primal cause of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson9s and dementia with Lewy bodies. The normal cellular function of A-syn has however been elusive. There is evidence that A-syn plays a variety of roles in the exocytotic pathway in the neuron, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear. A-syn has been known to interact with negatively charged phospholipids and with vesicle SNARE protein VAMP2 as well. Using single vesicle-vesicle docking/fusion assays, we find that A-syn promotes SNARE-dependent vesicles docking significantly at 2.5 µM. When phosphatidylserine (PS) is removed from t-SNARE-bearing vesicles the docking enhancement by A-syn disappears and A-syn instead acts as an inhibitor for docking. In contrast, subtraction of PS from the v-SNARE-carrying vesicles enhances vesicle docking even further. Moreover, when we truncate the C-terminal 45 residues of A-syn that participates in interacting with VAMP2 the promotion of vesicle docking is abrogated. Thus, the results suggest that the A-syn9s interaction with v-SNARE through its C-terminal tail and its concurrent interaction with PS in trans through its amphipathic N-terminal domain facilitate SNARE complex formation, whereby A-syn aids SNARE-dependent vesicle docking.
Electronic Health Record Transition Considerations

After an initial phase of electronic health record (EHR) solutions for both independent practices and larger health care organizations, we are now entering a period in which transitioning between EHRs is becoming more common. Many of the decisions and implementation processes for an EHR transition are similar to those encountered during the transition from paper records to an EHR. Detailed project planning and management are essential to keep the effort on track and within budget to a successful conclusion. One major difference between the 2 situations is the possibility of migrating patient data by using automation. Understanding the implications of structured and unstructured data to manage the data migration between EHR systems is important to ensure success of the effort. Access to legacy data after the transition for both patient care and release of information to external parties is also critical to understand and manage proactively.
ID: 179: ABIN1 inhibits IL-17 signaling in a feedback manner

The Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) is related to the development of autoimmune diseases as well as to the control of Candida albicans infections. IL-17 triggers signaling by binding to the IL-17 receptor (IL-17R). The IL-17R recruits adaptor proteins activating downstream effector pathways such as NF-κB and MAPK to induce inflammatory gene expression. To identify IL-17 signaling intermediates we screened candidate genes by siRNA knockdown discovering several novel inhibitors. Based on evidence from human genetic studies and the known importance of A20 as an inhibitor of IL-17R signaling we focused on ABIN1, an A20-interacting protein, which has not previously implicated in this pathway. Since many inhibitors work in a feedback manner to block the pathways that induce their expression, we asked whether IL-17R signaling regulates expression of ABIN1. Indeed, mRNA expression of ABIN1 was induced by IL-17A signaling. Upon ABIN1 knockdown, the IL-17-dependent gene Lipocalin2 (Lcn2) showed increased expression, confirming that ABIN1 is an inhibitor of the IL-17R signaling. Consistently, reconstitution of ABIN1-deficient fibroblast with ABIN1 suppressed Lcn2 expression, and IL-17-induced activation of Lcn2 promoter was downregulated when ABIN1 was ectopically expressed in ST2 cells. However, not all IL-17-dependent target genes were regulated by ABIN1. We are currently dissecting the mechanisms by which ABIN1 inhibits IL-17R signaling. Together, these findings suggest an unexpected complexity in the regulation of IL-17-mediated inflammation.
In Vitro Bioactivity of One- and Two-Dimensional Nanoparticle-Incorporated Bone Tissue Engineering Scaffolds.

This study investigates the effect of incorporation of one- or two-dimensional nanoparticles with distinct composition and morphology on the bioactivity of biodegradable, biocompatible polymer matrices. 0.2 wt% multiwalled carbon nanotubes, multiwalled graphene nanoribbons, graphene oxide nanoplatelets (GONPs), molybdenum disulfide nanoplatelets (MSNPs), or tungsten disulfide nanotubes (WSNTs) were uniformly dispersed in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) polymer. PLGA or nanoparticle-incorporated PLGA were then incubated with simulated body fluid (SBF) under physiological conditions for 1, 3, 7, or 14 days. Apatite collection on control and incorporated scaffolds was assessed. All groups showed apatite precipitate on the surface after 1 day of SBF incubation. After 14 days of SBF incubation, scaffolds incorporated with GONPs, MSNPs, or WSNTs showed significantly higher phosphate accumulation compared to PLGA scaffolds. Scaffolds incorporated with GONPs, MSNPs, or WSNTs should be studied in vivo to furt...
Quality assessment for spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) images

Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, a measure of glaucoma progression, can be measured in images acquired by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). The accuracy of RNFL thickness estimation, however, is affected by the quality of the OCT images. In this paper, a new parameter, signal deviation (SD), which is based on the standard deviation of the intensities in OCT images, is introduced for objective assessment of OCT image quality. Two other objective assessment parameters, signal to noise ratio (SNR) and signal strength (SS), are also calculated for each OCT image. The results of the objective assessment are compared with subjective assessment. In the subjective assessment, one OCT expert graded the image quality according to a three-level scale (good, fair, and poor). The OCT B-scan images of the retina from six subjects are evaluated by both objective and subjective assessment. From the comparison, we demonstrate that the objective assessment successfully differentiates between the acceptable quality images (good and fair images) and poor quality OCT images as graded by OCT experts. We evaluate the performance of the objective assessment under different quality assessment parameters and demonstrate that SD is the best at distinguishing between fair and good quality images. The accuracy of RNFL thickness estimation is improved significantly after poor quality OCT images are rejected by automated objective assessment using the SD, SNR, and SS.
Transsynaptic Mapping of Second-Order Taste Neurons in Flies by trans-Tango

Summary Mapping neural circuits across defined synapses is essential for understanding brain function. Here we describe trans -Tango, a technique for anterograde transsynaptic circuit tracing and manipulation. At the core of trans -Tango is a synthetic signaling pathway that is introduced into all neurons in the animal. This pathway converts receptor activation at the cell surface into reporter expression through site-specific proteolysis. Specific labeling is achieved by presenting a tethered ligand at the synapses of genetically defined neurons, thereby activating the pathway in their postsynaptic partners and providing genetic access to these neurons. We first validated trans -Tango in the Drosophila olfactory system and then implemented it in the gustatory system, where projections beyond the first-order receptor neurons are not fully characterized. We identified putative second-order neurons within the sweet circuit that include projection neurons targeting known neuromodulation centers in the brain. These experiments establish trans -Tango as a flexible platform for transsynaptic circuit analysis.
Infrared problem in quantum acoustodynamics at finite temperature

The phonon-assisted sticking rate of slow moving atoms impinging on an elastic membrane at nonzero temperature is studied analytically using a model with linear atom-phonon interactions, valid in the weak-coupling regime. A perturbative expansion of the adsorption rate in the atom-phonon coupling is infrared divergent at zero temperature, and this infrared problem is exacerbated by finite temperature. The use of a coherent-state phonon basis in the calculation, however, yields infrared-finite results even at finite temperature. The sticking probability with the emission of any finite number of phonons is seen explicitly to be exponentially small, and it vanishes as the membrane size grows, a result that was found previously at zero temperature; in contrast to the zero-temperature case, this exponential suppression of the sticking probability persists even with the emission of an infinite number of soft phonons. Explicit closed-form expressions are obtained for the effects of soft-phonon emission at finite temperature on the adsorption rate. For slowly moving atoms, the model predicts that there is zero probability of sticking to a large elastic membrane at nonzero temperature and weak coupling.
Anti-van der Waerden numbers on Graphs.

In this paper arithmetic progressions on the integers and the integers modulo n are extended to graphs. This allows for the definition of the anti-van der Waerden number of a graph. Much of the focus of this paper is on 3-term arithmetic progressions for which general bounds are obtained based on the radius and diameter of a graph. The general bounds are improved for trees and Cartesian products and exact values are determined for some classes of graphs. Larger k-term arithmetic progressions are considered and a connection between the Ramsey number of paths and the anti-van der Waerden number of graphs is established.
Development of a Physiological Frailty Index for the World Trade Center General Responder Cohort.

Responders to the 9/11/2001 WTC attacks were exposed to multiple toxic pollutants. Since 2002, the health of the responder cohort has been continuously tracked by the WTC Health Monitoring Program. However, no assessments have been made of frailty, an important health metric given the current average age of the WTC responder cohort (55 years). In this study, we use laboratory test results and other physiological parameters to construct a physiological frailty index (FI-Lab) for this cohort. The study sample comprised responders aged 40 years or older who completed a health monitoring visit at Mount Sinai Center within the past 5 years. For each subject, FI-Lab was computed as the proportion of 20 physiological parameters (lab tests, pulmonary function, and blood pressure) on which the subject had abnormal values. Using negative binomial regression models, we tested FI-Lab’s association with the SF-12 wellbeing score and various demographic characteristics. FI-Lab showed strong associations with the physical and mental components of the SF-12 as well as age, race, and smoking status. Using a cutoff of 0.25 to define presence of physiological/preclinical frailty, we found frailty prevalence in the study sample to be approximately 12%. This study demonstrates the feasibility of assessing preclinical frailty in the WTC responder cohort.
Demystifying autofluorescence with excitation scanning hyperspectral imaging

Autofluorescence has historically been considered a nuisance in medical imaging. Many endogenous fluorophores, specifically, collagen, elastin, NADH, and FAD, are found throughout the human body. Diagnostically, these signals can be prohibitive since they can outcompete signals introduced for diagnostic purposes. Recent advances in hyperspectral imaging have allowed the acquisition of significantly more data in a shorter time period by scanning the excitation spectra of fluorophores. The reduced acquisition time and increased signal-to-noise ratio allow for separation of significantly more fluorophores than previously possible. Here, we propose to utilize excitation-scanning of autofluorescence to examine tissues and diagnose pathologies. Spectra of autofluorescent molecules were obtained using a custom inverted microscope (TE-2000, Nikon Instruments) with a Xe arc lamp and thin film tunable filter array (VersaChrome, Semrock, Inc.) Scans utilized excitation wavelengths from 360 nm to 550 nm in 5 nm increments. The resultant spectra were used to examine hyperspectral image stacks from various collaborative studies, including an atherosclerotic rat model and a colon cancer study. Hyperspectral images were analyzed with ENVI and custom Matlab scripts including linear spectral unmixing (LSU) and principal component analysis (PCA). Initial results suggest the ability to separate the signals of endogenous fluorophores and measure the relative concentrations of fluorophores among healthy and diseased states of similar tissues. These results suggest pathology-specific changes to endogenous fluorophores can be detected using excitation-scanning hyperspectral imaging. Future work will expand the library of pure molecules and will examine more defined disease states.
Efficiency of Generalized Regular k-point grids

Abstract Most DFT practitioners use regular grids (Monkhorst-Pack, MP) for integrations in the Brillouin zone. Although regular grids are the natural choice and easy to generate, more general grids whose generating vectors are not merely integer divisions of the reciprocal lattice vectors, are usually more efficient (Wisesa et al., 2016). We demonstrate the efficiency of generalized regular (GR) grids compared to Monkhorst-Pack (MP) and simultaneously commensurate (SC) grids. In the case of metals, for total energy accuracies of one meV/atom, GR grids are 60% faster on average than MP grids and 20% faster than SC grids. GR grids also have greater freedom in choosing the k -point density, enabling the practitioner to achieve a target accuracy with the minimum computational cost.
An alternative solution to the H ∞ -optimal control problems

Abstract In this paper we present an alternative solution to the problem min X ϵ H n×n ∞ |A + BXC| ∞ where A, B, rmand C are rational matrices in H n×n ∞ . The solution circumvents the need to extract the matrix inner factors of B and C , providing a multivariable extension of Sarason's H ∞ - interpolation theory [1] to the case of matrix-valued B(s) and C(s) . The result has application to the diagonally-scaled optimization problem int |D(A + BXC)D −1 | ∞ , where the infimum is over D, X ϵ H n×n ∞ , D diagonal.
Online Discriminative Spam Filter Training.

We describe a very simple technique for discriminatively training a spam filter. Our results on the TREC Enron spam corpus would have been the best for the Ham at .1% measure, and second best by the 1-ROCA measure. For the Mr. X corpus, our 1-ROCA measure was a close second best, and third best by the Ham at .1% measure. We use a very simple feature extractor (all words in the subject and headers). Our learning algorithm is also very simple: gradient descent of a logistic regression model.
Caudal mediastinal node lymph flow in sheep after histamine or endotoxin infusions.

To determine whether intrathoracic nonpulmonary structures (caudal mediastinal node or esophagus) are reputed to affect lung lymph dynamics, we studied anesthetized, open-thorax, prone, ventilated ...
The in-hospital burden of hidradenitis suppurativa in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a decade nationwide analysis from 2004 to 2014.

BACKGROUND Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that significantly affects the patient's quality of life. Multiple studies have shown a strong association between HS and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our primary goal was to explore the in-hospital burden of HS on patients with IBD. Our secondary goal was to establish unique baseline characteristics and comorbidities of IBD patients with HS. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database for the years 2004 through 2014. All patients with ICD-9 CM codes for any diagnosis of IBD and HS were included. The primary outcome was the medical and financial burden of HS on patients with IBD. Medical burden was measured by in-hospital morbidity and mortality, and financial burden was measured by resource utilization. RESULTS A total of 3,079,332 admissions with IBD were recorded, of which 4369 had a concomitant diagnosis of HS. IBD-HS patients were significantly younger and mostly African-American females; they were more likely to be smokers, obese, and have diabetes mellitus, depression, and anemia. There was no mortality difference between the IBD-HS and IBD-only groups; nevertheless, there was a higher likelihood of developing sepsis in the IBD-HS cohort (4.9% vs. 2.6%; P < 0.001). Patients with IBD-HS had an increased hospital length of stay (5 vs. 4 days; P < 0.001) and higher total hospitalization costs ($13,272 vs. $12,237; P = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS This large-scale study strengthens the evidence that these two inflammatory conditions are truly associated and establishes their joint effect on overall morbidity, mortality, and resource utilization.
Does Nitrate Reductase Play a Role in Silver Nanoparticle Synthesis? Evidence for NADPH as the Sole Reducing Agent

A leading hypothesis for silver nanoparticle biosynthesis suggests that the enzyme nitrate reductase plays a key role in the process, assisted by the coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phos...
Measuring the Degree of Importance: A Comparison of Two Types of Rating Scales

A study was conducted to determine whether different importance rating scales would produce different results. Two different degree-of-importance scales were used to measure the importance of 12 factors in deciding where to work and 14 factors in deciding where to go to college. One scale, a more traditional scale, measured importance from “extremely important” to “not important.” The other scale, a less traditional scale, asked subjects to indicate the degree of importance only for those factors that subjects felt were at all important. The results showed that with a less traditional scale subjects were more likely to indicate that a factor was not important.
Ultrasonic Acousto-Optical Receivers Based on Optomechanical Resonance and Oscillation

We experimentally demonstrate that radiation pressure based optomechanical interaction in high-Q cavities can be exploited for high sensitivity acousto-optical transduction and direct signal down-conversion in underwater ultrasonic communication links and sensor networks.
A digital forensics framework for smart settings: poster

Users utilize IoT devices and sensors in a co-operative manner to enable the concept of a smart environment. This integration generate data with high forensic value. Nonetheless, current smart app programming platforms do not provide any digital forensics capability to identify, trace, store, and analyze the data produced in these settings. To overcome these limitations, in this poster, we present our ongoing work to introduce a novel digital forensic framework for a smart environment.
Operative vs Nonoperative Treatment for Atraumatic Rotator Cuff Tears: A Trial Protocol for the Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance Rotator cuff disorders remain the most common cause of shoulder pain and are among the most common reasons for patients to seek care in primary and specialty settings. Although operative and nonoperative treatments are offered to patients with atraumatic rotator cuff tears, there is a lack of evidence to support operative vs nonoperative treatment. This paucity of evidence has been highlighted by several professional agencies and experts. Objective To perform a pragmatic randomized clinical trial, the Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff trial, comparing pain and functional outcomes in patients undergoing operative vs nonoperative treatment for atraumatic rotator cuff tears, and assessing heterogeneity of treatment effects by age and tear size. Design, Setting, and Participants Trial protocol of the Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff trial. This pragmatic randomized clinical trial of an estimated 700 patients is adequately powered to accomplish its aims with 488 patients. Primary analysis will be conducted on an intent-to-treat population in the context of a mixed model. The multicenter trial started recruitment in 2018 with a 1-year follow-up duration. Patients aged 50 years or older to younger than 85 years with magnetic resonance imaging–confirmed atraumatic rotator cuff tears that are suitable for either operative or nonoperative treatment will be enrolled. Block randomization will be performed and stratified by site, age, and tear size. Intervention Nonoperative treatment consists of an approximately 3-month standardized physical therapy program, whereas operative treatment consists of rotator cuff surgery followed by approximately 4 months of postoperative rehabilitation. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome is patient-reported Shoulder Pain and Disability Index score, and the secondary outcome is American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Form score measured at 1 year of follow-up. Discussion The Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff trial is ongoing, and 12 sites with more than 40 physicians are currently recruiting patients. Although there is variation by site, as of May 2, 2019, 13% of all patients screened (787 of 6293) were eligible for the trial, and 9% of eligible patients (74 of 787) were recruited. Results of this study may help patients, clinicians, and policy makers assess the comparative effectiveness of operative vs nonoperative treatment for atraumatic rotator cuff tears. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier:NCT03295994
Characterization of a Novel Gain-of-Function Spotted-Leaf Mutant with Enhanced Disease Resistance in Rice

Abstract We here reported the identification and characterization of a novel gain-of-function spotted-leaf 26 (Spl26) mutant from an ethylmethylsulfone (EMS)-induced rice cultivar IR64. Spl26 displayed reddish- brown lesions that firstly appeared on the leaf tips at the early tillering stage and spread gradually downward to cover the whole leaf blades that wilted subsequently. The lesion development was light- dependent under natural conditions. Spl26 exhibited impaired photosynthetic capacity with decreased chlorophyll content and lowered photosynthetic parameters which ultimately led to the poor performance of agronomic traits. Severe cell death occurred in Spl26 in accompany with increased malonaldehyde level and membrane ion leakage rate, elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, altered ROS scavenging activities, increased DNA fragmentation and decreased soluble protein levels. Defense responses were activated in Spl26 with enhanced resistance to rice bacterial blight, up-regulation of defense response genes and altered endogenous hormone levels. The spotted-leaf phenotype is controlled by a single dominant nuclear gene localized to a 305 kb region between RM5490 and InDel42 on the short arm of chromosome 7. The data suggested that Spl26 is a novel gain-of-function spotted-leaf mutant with enhanced bacterial disease resistance and immunity-associated premature leaf senescence and would provide the basis for cloning of the target gene.
Correction to: Evolution of olfactory circuits in insects.

Authors would like to correct the typo found in the fourth sentence of the introduction from “organisional” to “organismal”. The original article has been corrected.
Outcomes of Chronic Turf Toe Repair in Non-athlete Population: A Retrospective Study

Turf toe injuries, though most common in athletes, can also occur in non-athletes. No study exists in the current literature investigating operative outcomes in non-athlete patients with chronic turf toe injury. In this study, we present our outcomes on operatively treated turf toe injuries in non-athletes in the only cohort yet studied. Using ICD-10 codes, we assembled a cohort of 12 patients who underwent operative repair of chronic turf toe injury from January 2012 through January 2018 at the investigating institution. These 12 patients were evaluated to determine demographic information, method of injury, length of time from injury to surgery, clinical and radiologic characteristics of the injury, and operative outcomes including mean preoperative and postoperative VAS (Visual Analog Scale) scores, preoperative and postoperative FFI (Foot Function Index) scores, and postoperative complications. On initial clinical presentation, all 12 patients had local tenderness with associated painful range of motion. Four patients had restricted range of motion, all patients had a positive Lachman test, two had local edema, and eight had hallux valgus deformity. Mean VAS improved from 4.6 (range 2–9) to 1 (range 0–4). Mean FFI improved from 102.5 (range 56–177) to 61.75 (range 23–144). All patients had a negative Lachman test at final follow-up. No patients developed major complications or required revision surgery. Our study is the first to investigate operative outcomes following chronic turf toe injury in non-athlete patients. Based on our study, surgeons and patients can expect significant improvement in overall pain and function following surgery.
Systems Architecture for Real Time Epidemiological Prediction and Control

Emerging contagious diseases create enormous challenges to highly interconnected human societies. Over the next decades, their devastating potential will grow because of pervasive urbanization and globalization, peak populations, aging, climate change, and stresses from uneven development. Progress in computational data sciences provides new opportunities for faster and more effective public health responses but demands new approaches that are inherently statistical and able to learn from diverse streaming data. Here we show how to combine epidemic models with probability theory and Bayesian learning to create statistical frameworks for data assimilation, adaptive prediction and control. Resulting models estimate epidemic parameters in real time, quantifying the comparative success of diverse policies. Given suitable data, these approaches can monitor many small populations in parallel, where socioeconomic agency and causality are more apparent. They naturally generate daily public forecasts and guidance of adaptive behavior to keep outbreaks under control while preserving select socioeconomic activities.
Explaining the anomalous growth of public sector lobbying in the American States, 1997-2007

We examine an anomaly—the rapid increase over the past decade in the number of local public sector organizations lobbying their state governments. After documenting this increase in public sector lobbying from 1997 to 2007, we discuss why this pattern is so theoretically anomalous and then develop several explanations that might account for this puzzle. These candidate explanations—representing attention to both the supply of and demand for lobbying—are then tested using the 1997 and 2007 data. We conclude by considering the implications of our findings for organization ecology theory and for more substantive fears about the diversity of lobbying communities, especially intergovernmental lobbying.
Who Cooperates? Reciprocity and the Causal Effect of Expected Cooperation in Representative Samples

When do societies succeed in providing public goods? Previous research suggests that public goods contributions correlate with expectations about cooperation by others among students and other demographic subgroups. However, we lack knowledge about whether the effect of expected cooperation is causal and a general feature of populations. We fielded representative surveys (N = 8,500) in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States that included a public goods game and a novel between-subjects experiment. The experiment varied expectations about cooperation by others. We find that higher expected cooperation by others causes a significant increase in individual contributions. When classifying contribution schedules, we find that almost 50% of the population employs a conditionally cooperative strategy. These individuals are on average richer, younger, and more educated. Our results help explain the varying success of societal groups in overcoming cooperation problems and assist policymakers in the design of institutions meant to solve social dilemmas.
Trends in mortality among Black and White men with prostate cancer in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania: Race and neighborhood socioeconomic position.

Background Reducing disparities in men with prostate cancer (PCa) that may be caused by racial and socioeconomic differences is a major public health priority. Few reports have studied whether these disparities have changed over time. Methods Men diagnosed with PCa from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2015 were identified from the Massachusetts and Pennsylvania cancer registries. All-cause mortality and PCa and cardiovascular cause-specific mortality were assessed. To estimate neighborhood socioeconomic position (nSEP), a summary score was generated using census tract-level measures of income, wealth, educational attainment, and racial and income segregation. Participants were grouped by diagnosis year (2000-2003, 2004-2007, 2008-2011, or 2012-2015), and changing trends in the mortality rate ratio by race and nSEP were estimated using covariate-adjusted Cox models with follow-up for up to 10 years, until death, or until censoring on January 1, 2018. Results There were 193,883 patients with PCa and 43,661 deaths over 1,404,131 person-years of follow-up. The Black-White adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) from 2000 to 2003 through 2012 to 2015 was stable for all-cause mortality (aHR, 1.14 to 0.97; P for heterogeneity = .42), decreased for PCa-specific mortality (aHR, 1.38 to 0.93; P for heterogeneity = .005), and increased for cardiovascular mortality (aHR, 1.09 to 1.28; P for heterogeneity = .034). The aHR comparing those in the lowest versus the highest nSEP quintile increased significantly for all-cause mortality (aHR, 1.54 to 1.79; P for heterogeneity = .008), but not for PCa-specific mortality (aHR, 1.60 to 1.72; P for heterogeneity = .40) or cardiovascular mortality (aHR, 1.72 to 1.89; P for heterogeneity = .085). Conclusions Although Black-White disparities in prostate mortality declined in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania over the study period, nSEP mortality disparity trends were stagnant or increased, warranting further attention. Lay summary Few reports have examined whether racial and socioeconomic disparities in prostate cancer mortality have widened or narrowed in recent years. Using data from 2 state registries (Massachusetts and Pennsylvania) with differing intensities of government-mandated health insurance, trends in racial and neighborhood socioeconomic disparities were studied among Black and White men diagnosed from 2000 to 2015. Overall, trends in racial disparities were stagnant for all-cause mortality, shrank for prostate mortality, and widened for cardiovascular mortality. Disparities associated with neighborhood socioeconomic status either were stagnant or widened across all mortality end points. In general, disparities were more pronounced in Pennsylvania than in Massachusetts.
Stories about Stories about History: Hayden White, Historiography, and History Education

INTRODUCTION The field of history education is haunted by the specter of skeptical challenges, lurking at every theoretical corner. These challenges often are associated under the fashionable label of “postmodernism,” but in philosophy of history, the important developments date from at least the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the field engaged in the so-called “narrative turn.” The most significant theorist of that turn is Hayden White; to a remarkable extent, his work still serves as the reference point to which subsequent philosophy of history refers.
Fusion of information from biased sensor data by particle filtering

In this paper we address the problem of fusing information from biased sensor-data collected by a sensor network. Under the assumption that the biases of the sensors are nuisance parameters, we propose an algorithm that marginalizes them out from the estimation problem. The algorithm uses particle filtering to obtain the unknown states of the system and Kalman filtering for marginalization of the biases. We apply the proposed algorithm to the problem of target tracking using bearings-only measurements acquired by more than one sensor. The advantage of the considered method over standard particle filtering which does not assume the presence of biases is illustrated through computer simulations.
Experimental studies on the in-plane vibrations and sound radiation in an annular thick disk

A study was conducted to demonstrate experimental investigations on the in-plane vibrations of thick plates with non-uniform boundary conditions. The natural frequencies of an annular disk supported at one point were measured and compared with values measured for free support conditions. The Rayleigh-Ritz method was used to demonstrate the use of boundary characteristic orthogonal polynomials as admissible functions in a three dimensional analysis to obtain the natural frequencies and the associated mode shapes analytically. The free in-plane vibration of the disk was assumed to have sinusoidal variations along the circumferential direction of the disk.
Selective loss of hippocampal granule cells following adrenalectomy: implications for spatial memory

We examined the effects of long-term adrenalectomy (ADX) on hippocampal anatomy and behavioral learning in two spatial memory tasks. We assessed damage throughout the hippocampus by stereological analysis of the dentate gyrus and Ammon's horn. Rats were ADX or sham operated, and then tested in the Morris water maze 12 weeks after surgery, followed by testing on an eight-arm, alternating-baited radial maze at 22 weeks postsurgery. Animals were killed 7 1/2 months after surgery. ADX rats had selective volume reduction in the dentate gyrus with no changes in pyramidal regions CA1, CA2, CA3, or CA4. Dentate gyrus damage in some cases occurred throughout the entire rostrocaudal extent of the hippocampus. Analysis of corticosterone serum levels, serum Na+/K+ ratios, and body weight gain suggested that individual differences in dentate gyrus damage appear to be due to incomplete adrenalectomies or remaining ectopic tissue. ADX rats were able to learn in both the Morris water maze and eight-arm radial maze, even when the dentate gyrus was severely damaged (80% volume reduction). However, in the Morris water maze, the ADX rats' learning rate was significantly slower compared to controls. There was no difference between ADX and controls during reversal in either task. These data indicate that damage to the dentate gyrus following long-term ADX is severe enough to cause learning impairment in selected learning tasks. Such damage is restricted to the dentate gyrus and can occur throughout the rostrocaudal regions of the hippocampus.
Effect of temperature on siderophore production by Candidaalbicans

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of elevated temperature on growth and siderophore production by Candida albicans. The results showed that an increase in incubation temperature from 37 degrees C to 41 degrees C produced a marked decrease in both the rate and quantity of siderophore production. Elevated temperature was unable to suppress growth of C. albicans in either a control culture medium or a deferrated culture medium. A significant suppression of growth compared to the controls was observed in the deferrated media at both 37 degrees C and 41 degrees C. However with time, the growth of cells in the deferrated media showed partial recovery which was followed by an increase in siderophore production. Thus, elevation of temperature to suppress growth and siderophore production by C. albicans appears to be an ineffective host defense mechanism.
Interaction between sphingomyelin and oxysterols contributes to atherosclerosis and sudden death.

Despite major public health efforts, coronary heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States. Oxidized lipids contribute to heart disease both by increasing deposition of calcium on the arterial wall, a major hallmark of atherosclerosis, and by interrupting blood flow, a major contributor to heart attack and sudden death. Oxidized cholesterol (oxysterols) enhances the production of sphingomyelin, a phospholipid found in the cellular membranes of the coronary artery. This increases the sphingomyelin content in the cell membrane, which in turn enhances the interaction between the membrane and ionic calcium (Ca2+), thereby increasing the risk of arterial calcification. Patients undergoing bypass surgery had greater concentrations of oxysterols in their plasma than cardiac catheterized controls with no stenosis, and had five times more sphingomyelin in their arteries than in the artery of the placenta of a newborn. The oxysterols found in the plasma of these patients were also found in the plasma of rabbits that had been fed oxidized cholesterol and in frying fats and powdered egg yolk intended for human consumption. Together these findings suggest that oxysterols found in the diet are absorbed and contribute to arterial calcification. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) further contributes to heart disease by increasing the synthesis of thromboxane in platelets, which increases blood clotting. Cigarette smoke and trans fatty acids, found in partially hydrogenated soybean oil, both inhibit the synthesis of prostacyclin, which inhibits blood clotting. By increasing the ratio of thromboxane to prostacyclin, these factors interact to interrupt blood flow, thereby contributing to heart attack and sudden death. Levels of oxysterols and OxLDL increase primarily as a result of three diet or lifestyle factors: the consumption of oxysterols from commercially fried foods such as fried chicken, fish, and french fries; oxidation of cholesterol in vivo driven by consumption of excess polyunsaturated fatty acids from vegetable oils; and cigarette smoking. Along with the consumption of trans fatty acids from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, these diet and lifestyle factors likely underlie the persistent national burden of heart disease.