cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Literacy for the Masses: Integrating Software and Knowledge Reuse for End-User Developers Through Literate Programming

We examine the potential for applying the literate programming approach to end-user development problems in which explicit knowledge capture and sharing is an objective. Research results from the literate programming literature are presented to support this concept, and recent work addressing previously recognized shortcomings of literate programming technology is highlighted. A prototype system and early experiences with an end-user literate programming are briefly described.
Indicators of accuracy for answers to ready reference questions on the internet

The Internet is increasingly being used as a source of reference information. Internet users need to be able to distinguish accurate information from inaccurate information. Toward this end, information professionals have published checklists for evaluating information. However, such checklists can be effective only if the proposed indicators of accuracy really do indicate accuracy. This study implements a technique for testing such indicators of accuracy and uses it to test indicators of accuracy for answers to ready reference questions. Many of the commonly proposed indicators of accuracy (e.g., that the Web site does not contain advertising) were not found to be correlated with accuracy. However, the link structure of the Internet can be used to identify Web sites that are more likely to contain accurate reference information.
Pigeons' tracking of relevant attributes in categorization learning.

Most theories and experimental investigations of discrimination learning and categorization, in both humans and animals, hypothesize that attention must be allocated to the relevant attributes of the training stimuli for learning to occur. Attention has conventionally been inferred after learning has transpired rather than examined while learning is transpiring. We presented pigeons with a visual categorization task in which we monitored their choice accuracy through their responses to different report buttons; critically, we tracked the location of the pigeons’ pecks to both the relevant and irrelevant attributes of the training stimuli using touchscreen technology, in order to find out where the birds may have been attending during the course of categorization learning. Pigeons readily mastered the categorization task; most importantly, as training progressed, they increasingly concentrated their pecks on the relevant features of the category exemplars, suggesting that the birds were tracking the relevant information to solve the task. When either new irrelevant features were introduced (Experiment 1) or when new relevant features were introduced and later the discriminative value of these new relevant features was reversed (Experiment 2), pigeons’ choice accuracy and peck tracking were strongly affected. These results help elucidate the dynamics and interplay of attention and learning; they also suggest that peck tracking can be a suitable measure of the allocation of attention in pigeons, much as eyetracking is deemed to be a suitable measure of attention in humans.
Genetic Ancestry-Smoking Interactions and Lung Function in African Americans: A Cohort Study

Background: Smoking tobacco reduces lung function. African Americans have both lower lung function and decreased metabolism of tobacco smoke compared to European Americans. African ancestry is also associated with lower pulmonary function in African Americans. We aimed to determine whether African ancestry modifies the association between smoking and lung function and its rate of decline in African Americans. Methodology/Principal Findings: We evaluated a prospective ongoing cohort of 1,281 African Americans participating in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study initiated in 1997. We also examined an ongoing prospective cohort initiated in 1985 of 1,223 African Americans in the Coronary Artery Disease in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Pulmonary function and tobacco smoking exposure were measured at baseline and repeatedly over the follow-up period. Individual genetic ancestry proportions were estimated using ancestry informative markers selected to distinguish European and West African ancestry. African Americans with a high proportion of African ancestry had lower baseline forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) per pack-year of smoking (25.7 ml FEV1/ smoking pack-year) compared with smokers with lower African ancestry (24.6 ml in FEV1/ smoking pack-year) (interaction P value =0.17). Longitudinal analyses revealed a suggestive interaction between smoking, and African ancestry on the rate of FEV1 decline in Health ABC and independently replicated in CARDIA.
A computational model for visual selection

We propose a computational model for detecting and localizing instances from an object class in static gray-level images. We divide detection into visual selection and final classification, concentrating on the former: drastically reducing the number of candidate regions that require further, usually more intensive, processing, but with a minimum of computation and missed detections. Bottom-up processing is based on local groupings of edge fragments constrained by loose geometrical relationships. They have no a priori semantic or geometric interpretation. The role of training is to select special groupings that are moderately likely at certain places on the object but rare in the background. We show that the statistics in both populations are stable. The candidate regions are those that contain global arrangements of several local groupings. Whereas our model was not conceived to explain brain functions, it does cohere with evidence about the functions of neurons in V1 and V2, such as responses to coarse ...
The rater reliability of assessments of symptom provocation in patients with low back pain

The primary purpose of this study was to test the inter-rater reliability of assessments by physical therapists using the movement testing protocol from the Movement System Balance (MSB) approach developed by Sahrmann for classification of low back pain. A second purpose was to determine if attendance at a continuing education course improves reliability. A convenience sample of 37 patients with low back pain (mean age = 37.2 SD = 13.6, range = 20 - 63) participated. Each patient was examined by a pair of examiners. One examiner pair had both attended a three day continuing education course and one pair had not. Within each pair of examiners, separate examinations of the same subject were done using 16 movement tests. The examiners made a decision whether the test provoked symptoms and which movement (flexion, extension, or rotation) was the cause. Kappa coefficients and proportionate agreement in positive and negative decisions were calculated. A paired t-test showed no difference between the agreement of the examiner pairs for each movement test based on type of examiner training so the results were combined for the rest of the analysis. The range of kappas statistics for the movement tests (0.02-0.62) indicated 6 of the 16 tests showed satisfactory reliability. The results suggest that that clinicians attending continuing education courses or learning these techniques from printed materials or videos should apply clinical decisions based on these movement tests judiciously.
Structural, Kinetic and Chemical Mechanism of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase-1 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the leading cause of death due to a bacterial infection. The success of the Mtb pathogen has largely been attributed to the nonreplicating, persistence phase of the life cycle, for which the glyoxylate shunt is required. In Escherichia coli, flux through the shunt is controlled by regulation of isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH). In Mtb, the mechanism of regulation is unknown, and currently, there is no mechanistic or structural information about ICDH. We optimized expression and purification to a yield sufficiently high to perform the first detailed kinetic and structural studies of Mtb ICDH-1. A large solvent kinetic isotope effect [(D2O)V = 3.0 ± 0.2, and (D2O)(V/Kisocitrate) = 1.5 ± 0.3] and a smaller primary kinetic isotope effect [(D)V = 1.3 ± 0.1, and (D)(V/K[2R-(2)H]isocitrate) = 1.5 ± 0.2] allowed us to perform the first multiple kinetic isotope effect studies on any ICDH and suggest a chemical mechanism. In this mechanism, protonation of the enolate to form product α-ketoglutarate is the rate-limiting step. We report the first structure of Mtb ICDH-1 to 2.18 A by X-ray crystallography with NADPH and Mn(2+) bound. It is a homodimer in which each subunit has a Rossmann fold, and a common top domain of interlocking β sheets. Mtb ICDH-1 is most structurally similar to the R132H mutant human ICDH found in glioblastomas. Similar to human R132H ICDH, Mtb ICDH-1 also catalyzes the formation of α-hydroxyglutarate. Our data suggest that regulation of Mtb ICDH-1 is novel.
Effect of substituent on dimensionality and properties in divalent metal isophthalate coordination polymers with a conformationally flexible dipyridylamide coligand

Abstract Hydrothermal reaction of divalent metal nitrates and 3-pyridylmethylnicotinamide (3-pmna) with either isophthalic acid (H2iph) or 5-nitroisophthalic acid (H2nip) has afforded a series of four coordination polymer solids that were structurally characterized via single-crystal X-ray crystallography. [Ni(iph)(3-pmna)]n (1) and [Cd(iph)(3-pmna)]n (2) both exhibit a {M2(OCO)2} dimer-based 1-D ribbon topology with metal–metal contacts bridged by both ip and 3-pmna ligands. [Ni(nip)(3-pmna)]n (3) has the same topology as its unsubstituted congener 1, showing a null effect on the part of the nip nitro group. On the other hand [Cd(nip)(3-pmna)]n (4) exhibits a {Cd2O2} dimer-based 2-D (4,4) layer topology, a rare example of the nitro group imposing a higher dimensionality in the resulting coordination polymer. While 2 showed strong blue–violet luminescence, quenching mechanisms due to the nitro group rendered 4 non-luminescent. Thermal properties of these new materials are also investigated.
3D face tracking and expression inference from a 2D sequence using manifold learning

We propose a person-dependent, manifold-based approach for modeling and tracking rigid and nonrigid 3D facial deformations from a monocular video sequence. The rigid and nonrigid motions are analyzed simultaneously in 3D, by automatically fitting and tracking a set of landmarks. We do not represent all nonrigid facial deformations as a simple complex manifold, but instead decompose them on a basis of eight 1D manifolds. Each 1D manifold is learned offline from sequences of labeled expressions, such as smile, surprise, etc. Any expression is then a linear combination of values along these 8 axes, with coefficient representing the level of activation. We experimentally verify that expressions can indeed be represented this way, and that individual manifolds are indeed 1D. The manifold dimensionality estimation, manifold learning, and manifold traversal operation are all implemented in the N-D tensor voting framework. Using simple local operations, this framework gives an estimate of the tangent and normal spaces at every sample, and provides excellent robustness to noise and outliers. The output of our system, besides the tracked landmarks in 3D, is a labeled annotation of the expression. We demonstrate results on a number of challenging sequences.
The Politics of Gentrification The Case of West Town in Chicago

The author examines the local dialectics of power associated with gentrification in the community of West Town in Chicago, discussing the process, contentions resulting from opposite interests, strategies of the major players involved, and the painful and emotional struggles that have resulted from the advance of gentrification. Today, West Town is bitterly split between contending agents of gentrification and resistance. Although the process has not been completed, expectations have placed the community in a difficult position as institutions, businesses, and households feel its impact and wonder about the future. In particular, the role of class, race, and ethnicity in the process of gentrification is examined.
The Role of a Prescription in Anxiety Medication Use, Abuse, and Dependence

Objective: Prescriptions for anxiety medications have increased substantially in recent years. Individuals with anxiety disorders are at risk of nonmedical use of these medications, but information about whether this risk is elevated among patients with a prescription for such medications is lacking. The authors compared risk of nonmedical use in individuals in a national sample with and without a prescription for anxiety medication and identifi ed characteristics associated with nonmedical use. Method: Data were drawn from face-toface surveys of 34,653 adult participants in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. The risk of nonmedical use of prescription anxiety medication and associated drug use disorders was computed for individuals who had or had not ever received a prescription for anxiety medication; among those who had received a prescription, characteristics associated with nonmedical use were analyzed. Results: Prescription of anxiety medication was associated with lifetime and past-year nonmedical use (odds ratios, 1.6 and 1.9, respectively) and lifetime DSM-IV abuse or dependence (odds ratio, 2.6). Among respondents who received a prescription (N=4,294), nonmedical use was associated with male sex, younger age, white race, history of use of illicit drugs, history of other drug use disorders, and history of illegal behaviors. Conclusions: These results indicate that prescription for anxiety medications is associated with nonmedical use of these medications, although the direction of causality cannot be determined in this study. Although anxiety medications have clinical utility, greater clinical attention should be given to the potential for their abuse among patients at particular risk.
Public attitudes toward water management and drought in Texas

Water management in Texas is increasingly salient as the population grows, water supplies continue to be taxed and the planet continues to warm, resulting in more severe, widespread, and frequent droughts in the state. Public support, though, is often essential for governments to enact large-scale projects, like those that may be needed to tackle water management issues. Given the challenges facing the state of Texas, surprisingly few studies explore public attitudes, preferences, and risk assessments about water-related resource allocations. Will the public act to direct or limit the actions of its elected officials on water issues? Is the public ready to consider policies, regulations, and expenditures concerning the potential impacts of increased drought frequency on Texas water resources? We report the results of 2 public opinion surveys of the citizens of Texas that focused on water management and drought issues. We find that the public is willing to support government efforts to manage water, but not if these efforts negatively affect the environment or agriculture.
Hospital Disaster and Evacuation Planning

The world population is becoming increasingly reliant upon nuclear fission for the generation of electric power. In the wake of this activity, there have been two major accidents: Three Mile Island (TMI), near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States, in 1979; and Chernobyl, near Kiev, Ukraine, Soviet Union, in 1986. It is noteworthy that both of these accidents were related to human error and not to malfunction of the emergency back-up systems. So far, nuclear energy production plant accidents have occurred when either the data were misinterpreted or systems misguided by human function.The major problem associated with a nuclear energy generating plant accident is the release of radiation. Even though the medical facilities may not be destroyed physically, they may be rendered useless because of contamination by radiation. Unfortunately, in the event of such an accidental release of radiation, all of the health-care facilities in the area will be contaminated. Therefore, all patients in hospitals and nursing homes will need to be evacuated to facilities outside of the contaminated area and not just relocated within the contaminated area.
Macrophage-targeted photodynamic therapy: scavenger receptor expression and activation state.

Macrophage-targeted photodynamic therapy (PDT) may have applications in the selective killing of cells involved in atherosclerosis, inflammation and tumor. We have previously shown that a conjugate...
Description of a New Species of Catallagia (Siphonaptera: Hystrichopsyllidae: Neopsyllinae)

A new species of flea. Catallagia calisheri . is described from the Deer Mouse. Peromycus maniculatus , captured in the Arctic-Alpine Life Zone. Larimer County, Colorado, Catallagia . primarily a Nearctic genus, now includes 14 species.
Guanine-nucleotide- and adenine-nucleotide-dependent regulation of phospholipase D in electropermeabilized HL-60 granulocytes

Abstract We have characterized the regulation of phospholipase D (PLD) in electropermeabilized HL-60 granulocytes in which endogenous phospholipids were pre-labelled with [3H]oleic acid. Treatment of these permeabilized cells with the non-hydrolysable GTP analogues guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (GTP[S]) and guanosine 5'-[beta gamma-imido]triphosphate induced a sustained (near-linear for up to 60 min) accumulation of phosphatidic acid (PA). In the presence of ethanol a sustained production of phosphatidylethanol (PEt) was also observed. With increasing concentrations of ethanol, PEt formation increased, whereas PA formation declined; this indicated involvement of a PLD-type effector enzyme. The ability of GTP[S] to stimulate this PLD activity was Mg(2+)-dependent and was inhibited by GDP and its non-hydrolysable beta-thio analogue. Ca2+, at concentrations less than or equal to nM, had no effect on the GTP[S]-dependent PLD activity. However, higher concentrations of Ca2+ produced a significant potentiation of this activity. Inclusion of MgATP (greater than or equal to 0.1 mM), but not other nucleoside triphosphates, also induced a large potentiation of GTP[S]-dependent PLD activation. In the absence of guanine nucleotides, MgATP elicited no significant activation of PLD. Significantly, this effect of ATP was not mimicked by adenosine 5'-[beta gamma-methylene]triphosphate, a non-hydrolysable ATP analogue. Rather, this analogue inhibited both basal and ATP-potentiated GTP[S]-dependent PLD activity. This suggests that the ability of ATP to potentiate GTP[S]-dependent PLD activity involves phosphotransferase action rather than simple allosteric effects induced by adenine nucleotide binding. The absolute magnitude of the GTP[S]-dependent PLD activity which could be potentiated by MgATP was decreased by 90% when the permeabilized cells were preincubated for various times before addition of these stimulatory agents. This time-dependent loss of MgATP-induced potentiation was prevented when the permeabilized cells were preincubated in the presence of GTP[S]. These results demonstrate that electropermeabilized HL-60 granulocytes can be used to discriminate synergistic roles for a GTP-binding protein(s) and an ATP-dependent process (kinase?) in the regulation of phospholipase D activity.
Study on antibiotic resistance and molecular characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes from raw meat in Shandong from 2007 to 2009

Objective:To know antibiotic resistance and molecular typing of Listeria monocytogenes from raw meat in Shandong province during 2007-2009.Methods: The antibiotic resistance test on 15 antibiotics was performed by broth microdilution susceptibility test.Molecular typing was realized with pulsed field gel electrophoresis(PFGE).Results: The results of antibiotic resistance test indicated that 14.08% of the isolates were antibiotic resistant.The antibiotic resistance rates of erythromycin,levofloxacin and cotrimoxazole were higher than the others.71 isolates were subtyped into 17 PFGE types which were largely dominated by the type 3.Conclusion: The antibiotic resistance of Listeria monocytogenes from raw meat in Shandong province was serious and the monitoring should be strengthened;the strains were different clones from the same source,but a number of the strains were closely related;the antibiotic resistance test and PFGE can be combined to prevent and control the bacterial infectious diseases.
Dynamic PET simulator via tomographic emission projection for kinetic modeling and parametric image studies

Purpose: To develop and evaluate a fast and simple tool called dpetstep (Dynamic PET Simulator of Tracers via Emission Projection), for dynamic PET simulations as an alternative to Monte Carlo (MC), useful for educational purposes and evaluation of the effects of the clinical environment, postprocessing choices, etc., on dynamic and parametric images. Methods: The tool was developed in matlab using both new and previously reported modules of petstep (PET Simulator of Tracers via Emission Projection). Time activity curves are generated for each voxel of the input parametric image, whereby effects of imaging system blurring, counting noise, scatters, randoms, and attenuation are simulated for each frame. Each frame is then reconstructed into images according to the user specified method, settings, and corrections. Reconstructed images were compared to MC data, and simple Gaussian noised time activity curves (GAUSS). Results: dpetstep was 8000 times faster than MC. Dynamic images from dpetstep had a root mean square error that was within 4% on average of that of MC images, whereas the GAUSS images were within 11%. The average bias in dpetstep and MC images was the same, while GAUSS differed by 3% points. Noise profiles in dpetstep images conformed well to MC images, confirmed visually by scatter plot histograms, and statistically by tumor region of interest histogram comparisons that showed no significant differences (p < 0.01). Compared to GAUSS, dpetstep images and noise properties agreed better with MC. Conclusions: The authors have developed a fast and easy one-stop solution for simulations of dynamic PET and parametric images, and demonstrated that it generates both images and subsequent parametric images with very similar noise properties to those of MC images, in a fraction of the time. They believe dpetstep to be very useful for generating fast, simple, and realistic results, however since it uses simple scatter and random models it may not be suitable for studies investigating these phenomena. dpetstep can be downloaded free of cost from https://github.com/CRossSchmidtlein/dPETSTEP.
“Paintings Fade Like Flowers”: Pigment Analysis and Digital Reconstruction of a Faded Pink Lake Pigment in Vincent van Gogh’s Undergrowth with Two Figures:

Color fading in Vincent van Gogh's Undergrowth with Two Figures was studied chemically to facilitate the creation of a digital reconstruction of fugitive colors . The painting contains a field of white, green, orange, and yellow flowers under a canopy of poplar trees with two central figures-a man and a woman, arms entwined. From Van Gogh's letters, however, it is known that he painted the picture with some pink flowers, which appear to have altered, presumably to white. Raman spectroscopy was applied to microsamples of paint to identify the faded pigment as geranium lake, which in this painting consists of the dye, eosin (2',4',5',7'-tetrabromofluorescein). For the first time, lead(II) sulfate has been specifically identified as the likely inorganic substrate for a geranium lake used by Van Gogh in the last months of his life. Microfocus X-ray fluorescence (MXRF) spectroscopy was subsequently used in situ to analyze the white flowers to identify bromine as a proxy for eosin, thus indicating an original pink coloration. Of the 387 white flowers analyzed, 37.7% contained measurable bromine and were, therefore, originally pink. Several cross-sections from these formerly pink areas were assessed using a combination of visual inspection and microcolorimetry to create a colored mask in Adobe Photoshop to digitally reconstruct a suggestion of the original appearance of the painting with regard to the faded flowers. Additionally, microfadeometry was undertaken for the first time on a painting cross-section sample to understand the actual fading kinetics of the underlying bright pink geranium lake used by Van Gogh. A combination of Raman microspectroscopy, MXRF, and scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) were utilized in situ and on paint microsamples to identify the complete palette used to create Undergrowth with Two Figures.
Abstract 17347: De novo Ceramide Synthesis is Upregulated by Cardiac Ischemia and is Associated With Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis and Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Background: Serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) is the rate-limiting enzyme of de novo ceramide formation.However, ceramides can be produced through various pathways. The role of de novo ceramide synthesis via SPT in cardiac ceramide synthesis in ischemic cardiomyopathy has not been conclusively studied. Hypothesis: Ceramide synthesis via SPT may be linked to myocardial infarction-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cardiac remodeling. Methods: Left coronary artery ligation and sham surgery was performed in C57BL/6J (8 wks, n=69) and Sptlc2 gene deletion mice (8 wks, n=9). Echocardiography confirmed MI-related cardiomyopathy at 2 and 8 wks. Groups of mice were treated either with SPT inhibitor, myriocin (300 ug/kg/d) or placebo for 8 wks. Ceramides were analyzed by LC/MS lipidomics. Sptlc2 (p3xFLAG-CMv7) overexpression in AC16 human cardiomyocyte-like cells was assessed. Results: Post-MI, total cardiac ceramides and certain species increased (total: +19%; C16: +19%; C24: +39%; C24:1: +44%; all p Conclusion: Pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of de novo ceramide synthesis decreases cardiac ceramides and prevents cardiac remodeling post-MI. Increased ceramides induce apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction. Inhibition of ceramide synthesis can be a supplemental therapy for heart failure treatment.
Canopus: A Paradigm Shift Towards Elastic Extreme-Scale Data Analytics on HPC Storage

Scientific simulations on high performance computing (HPC) platforms generate large quantities of data. To bridge the widening gap between compute and I/O, and enable data to be more efficiently stored and analyzed, simulation outputs need to be refactored, reduced, and appropriately mapped to storage tiers. However, a systematic solution to support these steps has been lacking on the current HPC software ecosystem. To that end, this paper develops Canopus, a progressive JPEGlike data management scheme for storing and analyzing big scientific data. It co-designs the data decimation, compression and data storage, taking the hardware characteristics of each storage tier into considerations. With reasonably low overhead, our approach refactors simulation data into a much smaller, reduced-accuracy base dataset, and a series of deltas that is used to augment the accuracy if needed. The base dataset and deltas are compressed and written to multiple storage tiers. Data saved on different tiers can then be selectively retrieved to restore the level of accuracy that satisfies data analytics. Thus, Canopus provides a paradigm shift towards elastic data analytics and enables end users to make trade-offs between analysis speed and accuracy on-the-fly. We evaluate the impact of Canopus on unstructured triangular meshes, a pervasive data model used by scientific modeling and simulations. In particular, we demonstrate the progressive data exploration of Canopus using the “blob detection” use case on the fusion simulation data.
Surgical management of chordomas and chondrosarcomas of the lumbar spine

Abstract Chordomas and chondrosarcomas are rare primary malignant spine tumors. In spite of recent advancements in chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and radiation therapy, surgery remains the gold standard for treatment of these lesions. Specifically, en bloc resection with wide tumor-free margins has better outcomes in terms of duration of disease-free and overall survival than does intralesional resection. Nonetheless, en bloc resections in the spine are technically demanding and highly morbid procedures, particularly in the lumbar spine because of the proximity of the lumbar plexus, great vessels, iliopsoas muscle, bowel, and others. This chapter reviews the operative management of lumbar chordomas and chondrosarcomas, emphasizing the surgical technique to achieve an en bloc resection via spondylectomy.
Non-static spherically symmetric exact solution of the Einstein-Maxwell field equations

We present a class of exact spherically symmetric and non-static solutions of Einstein-Maxwell’s field equations. We have assumed isotropic pressure distribution and have taken ansatz on two of the gravitational potentials. The solutions admit negative pressure. We show that the solutions satisfy physical boundary conditions associated with the Einstein-Maxwell exact solutions. Therefore, these solutions can model physical systems such as moving dark energy stars.
Outcomes After Operative and Nonoperative Treatment of Proximal Hamstring Avulsions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background:No meta-analysis has compared outcomes of operative and nonoperative proximal hamstring avulsion treatment.Purpose:To compare outcomes of operative and nonoperative proximal hamstring av...
Acute Diverticulitis Outcomes in the Acute Care Surgery Model

Background The acute care surgery (ACS) model has been widely implemented, with single institution studies demonstrating improved outcomes but multicenter studies questioning the efficiency. Acute care surgery programs care for sicker and more economically disadvantaged patients. This study compares outcomes between ACS and traditional models in the management of diverticulitis across an entire state. Study Design The Virginia Health Information administrative database for adults discharged with diverticulitis from January 2008 through September 2015, was reviewed. Patient characteristics were analyzed and compared between ACS and traditional models. Outcome differences were compared using logistic regression. Results We reviewed 23,943 admissions, with 2,330 (9.7%) patients cared for in ACS programs. The ACS patients were more likely to be uninsured (10.6% vs 6.8%, p Conclusions Acute care surgery patients present to the hospital with more severe disease, higher rates of medical comorbidities, and lower socioeconomic status. Once patient factors are accounted for, outcomes are equivalent for operative patients in either model. Acute care surgery hospitals provide high quality and efficient care to sicker and more complex patients than traditional programs.
She loves the way you lie: Size-related self-concept and gender in vanity sizing

Abstract This work investigates size-related self-concept (SRSC) – the extent to which apparel size defines one's identity – and its relationship to perceived deception of and purchase intentions toward vanity-sized garments. Through the lens of self-enhancement theory, two studies reveal that SRSC exerts a significant influence on perceived deception and purchase intentions in garment size labeling contexts, moderated by gender. Study 1 indicates that among females, SRSC has no influence on perceived deception when a properly-fitting garment is labeled one size smaller than the consumer's typical size. However, when the garment is the same size as the typical, SRSC has a positive relationship with perceived deception. Study 2 shows that gender moderates the effect of SRSC on perceived deception of as well as purchase intentions toward a vanity-sized garment, such that SRSC positively predicts perceived deception among males but not among females, while SRSC positively predicts purchase intentions among females but not among males. This work contributes the concept and role of SRSC to the vanity sizing context, indicating that SRSC is just as important as gender in the vanity sizing discussion.
Early Conversion from Tacrolimus to Belatacept in a Highly Sensitized Renal Allograft Recipient with Calcineurin Inhibitor-Induced de novo Post-Transplant Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome.

Background Kidney transplantation is the first-line therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease since it offers greater long-term survival and improved quality of life when compared to dialysis. The advent of calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-based maintenance immunosuppression has led to a clinically significant decline in the rate of acute rejection and better short-term graft survival rates. However, these gains have not translated into improvement in long-term graft survival. CNI-related nephrotoxicity and metabolic side effects are thought to be partly responsible for this. Case presentation Here, we report the conversion of a highly sensitized renal transplant recipient with pretransplant donor-specific antibodies from tacrolimus to belatacept within 1 week of transplantation. This substitution was necessitated by the diagnosis of CNI-induced de novo post-transplant hemolytic uremic syndrome. Conclusion Belatacept is a novel costimulation blocker that is devoid of the nephrotoxic properties of CNIs and has been shown to positively impact long-term graft survival and preserve renal allograft function in low-immunologic-risk kidney transplant recipients. Data regarding its use in patients who are broadly sensitized to human leukocyte antigens are scarce, and the increased risk of rejection associated with belatacept has been a deterrent to more widespread use of this immunosuppressive agent. This case serves as an example of a highly sensitized patient that has been successfully converted to a belatacept-based CNI-free regimen.
Parallel Application Performance Prediction Using Analysis Based Models and HPC Simulations

Parallel application performance models provide valuable insight about the performance in real systems. Capable tools providing fast, accurate, and comprehensive prediction and evaluation of high-performance computing (HPC) applications and system architectures have important value. This paper presents PyPassT, an analysis based modeling framework built on static program analysis and integrated simulation of the target HPC architectures. More specifically, the framework analyzes application source code written in C with OpenACC directives and transforms it into an application model describing its computation and communication behavior (including CPU and GPU workloads, memory accesses, and message-passing transactions). The application model is then executed on a simulated HPC architecture for performance analysis. Preliminary experiments demonstrate that the proposed framework can represent the runtime behavior of benchmark applications with good accuracy.
Introduction to Research: A New Course for First-Year Undergraduate Students

Introduction to Research is a 4-credit elective course designed for first-year undergraduate students who have a strong interest in the chemical sciences and scientific research. The rich yet accessible field of gold nanoparticles was the theme connecting a multifaceted teaching/learning experience. In the first unit, students were introduced to the various research topics through searching, reading, discussing, presenting, and writing about primary literature. In the second unit, students carried out synthesis and characterization of spherical gold nanoparticles using prescribed protocols to gain some general knowledge and hands-on skills. Writing a full laboratory report on the laboratory module helped students develop intellectual appreciation of the discipline and greatly enhanced their scientific writing skills. In the last unit, each student pair carried out one research-style project in order to gain a more comprehensive experience with the complex nature of scientific inquiry. Students gained comp...
Dual Algebras and Invariant Subspaces

We will discuss methods for proving invariant space results which were first introduced by Scott Brown for subnormal operators. These methods are now related with the idea of a dual algebra.
POSSIBLE APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS TO VEHICLE DYNAMICS AND CONTROL : A LITERATURE REVIEW

It is a well–known fact that difficulties are generally encountered when mathematical modelling is performed on vehicle systems and subsystems that are inherently non–linear. Conventional modelling techniques - simulation, where non–linearities are approximated by simple mathematical formulas or look–up tables; finite element approximation, where the system is replaced by a linear model if the range of variables is small; and numerical techniques - have been very successful in modelling complex, non–linear systems. Under certain conditions, however, the approximations and hypotheses developed for each of these models fail to reflect the true behaviour of the system. The non–linearity of vehicle system and subsystem is particularly severe when the vehicle is pushed toward its performance limits. The result is that conventional modelling techniques become progressively more accurate. Recent developments in the area of artificial neural networks (ANN) may provide an alternative approach to the modelling of vehicular dynamics, particularly for highly non–linear systems that near their performance limits. The objective of this paper is to direct attention to the possible applications of ANN's to vehicle system dynamics and control. A literature search of work related to the application of ANN's to vehicle systems is presented and an attempt made control propose possible applications of ANN's to vehicle dynamics and control.
Re-evaluating the Utility of Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis in the Critically Ill Patient: A Clinical Scenario-Based Meta-Analysis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE Because recent studies have challenged the efficacy of stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) in the critically ill patient, our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of SUP with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or histamine2 -receptor antagonists (H2 RAs) against placebo, control, no therapy, or enteral nutrition alone in critically ill adults. DESIGN Meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis (TSA) of 34 randomized controlled trials. PATIENTS A total of 3220 critically ill adults who received PPIs or H2 RAs versus placebo, control, no therapy, or enteral nutrition. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS A systematic review was performed using a random effects meta-analysis with TSA according to a predefined protocol. Randomized controlled trials comparing PPIs or H2 RAs with either placebo, control, no therapy, or enteral nutrition alone were identified through a comprehensive search of the literature. Two blinded reviewers independently assessed studies for inclusion, risk of bias, and extracted data using Cochrane Collaborative methodology. The predefined primary outcomes were clinically important, overt, and any (clinically important plus overt) gastrointestinal bleeding. Secondary outcomes included pneumonia, Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD), and mortality. Subgroup analyses were conducted for the primary outcome by PPI or H2 RA use, intensive care unit (ICU) subtype, studies published after early goal-directed therapy (EGDT), the presence of risk factors for stress ulceration, and enteral nutrition use. Of the 34 trials included, 33 were judged as high risk of bias and 1 was judged as low risk. Use of SUP significantly reduced clinically important bleeding (risk ratio [RR] 0.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.37-0.76, p<0.001; I2 = 0%), overt bleeding (RR 0.55, 95% CI 0.39-0.76, p=0.0003; I2 = 53%), and any bleeding (RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.41-0.71, p<0.00001; I2 = 58%). TSA confirmed these findings. No significant differences in pneumonia, CDAD, or mortality were noted. Subgroup analyses revealed significant reductions in clinically important bleeding with SUP in neurosurgical patients (RR 0.37, p<0.05) but not in surgery/trauma or medical ICU patients with risk factors. SUP provided no benefit in studies published after EGDT. SUP significantly reduced clinically important bleeding regardless of the use of enteral nutrition (p<0.05). CONCLUSION This meta-analysis demonstrated that SUP use was associated with significant reductions in bleeding but not mortality. SUP should not be abandoned until large randomized trials demonstrate the futility of this intervention.
Interflag sandstone laminae, a novel sedimentary structure, with implications for Ediacaran paleoenvironments

Abstract Interflag sandstone laminae are thin, silty to sandy, layers between thicker sandstone beds, and a new name for sedimentary structures recently called “shims”, and “microbial mat sandwiches”, from Ediacaran fossil localities of Nilpena, South Australia. They have been regarded as structures unique to Precambrian marine environments, but both the age and environmental associations are reinterpreted in this study. Interflag sandstone laminae from Eocene (Wasatch Formation, Colorado, U.S.A.) and Pennsylvanian (Mansfield Formation, Indiana, U.S.A.) fluvial levees and scroll bars were studied in the field, and by means of petrographic thin sections and granulometry. Climbing translatent ripples and distinct grain size distributions are evidence that interflag sandstone laminae were eolian, whereas intervening flagstones were deposited by fluvial traction currents. Other evidences of exposure to wind include microbial earth textures, shallow cracking structures, zibars, setulfs, root traces, and insect trackways. Other evidences of flagstone deposition in traction currents include intraformational claystone breccias, oscillation and current ripples, and microbial mat textures. Similarly distinct beds can be seen in modern sandy river levees, such as the Murchison River of Western Australia and Green River of Utah (U.S.A.). These observations reveal that interflag laminae are created by exposure and wind-drift, but flagstones are produced by floods. Quartzose flagstones of demonstrable marine origin, with fossil brachiopods and trilobites, have also been examined, but lack interflag sandstone laminae. Interflag sandstone laminae are evidence of alternating flood and wind, only known from fluvial environments, and are further support for the idea that Ediacaran vendobionts from South and central Australia, and Namibia lived on land.
Outcomes of use of electromagnetic guidance with responsive insertion technology (RIT) during colonoscopy: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background and study aims Colonoscopy can be technically challenging and cause discomfort in patients. The integrated Scope Guide assist is built in to show that with its use outcomes are improved during colonoscopy. We aimed to test the usefulness of the Magnetic Scope Guide Assist (ScopeGuide) with respect to cecal intubation time, and other procedural quality outcomes. Patients and methods We conducted a prospective study of outpatients undergoing elective colonoscopy at the endoscopic units of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) from March 2016 to July 2016. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 block design to groups that either had standard colonoscopy or Scope-guided colonoscopy. The primary outcome measure was cecal intubation time (CIT). Secondary outcome measures included use of manual pressure, position changes for cecal intubation and sedation requirements. Results Three hundred patients were randomized to either group; standard (n = 150) vs. Scope-guided (n = 150). The mean CIT was not statistically different for the standard and the Scope-guided groups (4.6 vs. 4.3 minutes; P = 0.46). There were also no statistical differences in frequency of manual pressure applied (16.7 % for Scope-guided vs. 19.1 % for standard; P = 0.65) or position changes (11.4 % for scope guided vs. 8.8 % standard; P = 0.56). Sedation requirements showed lesser use of midazolam (3.9 mg vs. 4.7 mg, P = 0.003) in the Scope-guide group, while there was no significant difference in use of fentanyl (fentanyl – 62.1 mg vs. 68.9 mg, P = 0.09 similar between groups, for Scope-guided vs. standard groups, respectively). Adverse events were similar in both groups. Conclusions In patients undergoing routine elective colonoscopy, use of ScopeGuide by experienced colonoscopists did not improve CIT or affect the frequency of ancillary maneuvers. The benefit of this device during training of endoscopists could be considered for further studies.
Self-Reported Hearing Loss and Nonfatal Fall-Related Injury in a Nationally Representative Sample

Background/objective To evaluate the relationship between self-reported hearing loss and nonfatal fall-related injury in a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling adults living in the United States. Design Cross-sectional analysis of national survey data. Setting National Health Interview Survey (2016). Participants A total of 30 994 community-dwelling adults in the United States, aged 18 years and older. Measurements We evaluated the association between self-reported hearing loss and nonfatal injury resulting from a fall in the previous 3 months. We used multivariate logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and evaluated effect measure modification by age. Results The odds of nonfatal fall-related injury were 1.60 times higher among respondents with hearing loss compared to respondents without hearing loss (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.20-2.12; P = .0012). Results were unchanged when adjusting for demographics (OR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.18-2.15; P = .002). After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, cardiovascular disease, visual impairment, and limitation caused by nervous system/sensory organ conditions and depression, anxiety, or another emotional problem, the OR fell to 1.27 (95% CI = 0.92-1.74; P = .14). In the fully adjusted model, including adjustment for vestibular vertigo, there was little support to link hearing loss and fall-related injury (OR = 1.16; 95% CI = 0.84-1.60; P = .36). Effect modification by age was not observed. Conclusions Self-reported hearing loss may be a clinically useful indicator of increased fall risk, but treatment for hearing loss is unlikely to mitigate this risk, given that there is no independent association between self-reported hearing loss and nonfatal falls after accounting for vestibular function and other potential confounders.
Molecular mechanisms of testosterone action on the testis

Abstract Testosterone is a key hormone in the development and function of the testis. The androgen receptor is expressed in all the somatic cell types of the testis and has important regulatory roles in each. Acting through the mediation of Sertoli cells, testosterone is required for the initiation and support of qualitatively and quantitatively normal spermatogenesis. Significant advances have been made in our understanding of the mechanism by which testosterone acts to support spermatogenesis. Androgen-regulated Sertoli cell genes continue to be identified, and the signaling pathways through which testosterone acts to regulate these genes are being established. This review summarizes recent progress in the mechanism of androgen support of spermatogenesis with emphasis on testosterone action on Sertoli cells.
Does being religious lead to greater self-forgiveness?

Although the existence of an association between religion and self-forgiveness is well documented, the direction of effects and possible causal nature of the relationship is unknown. Two studies we...
Atomically-Thin Photovoltaics: Progress and Prospects

I will present demonstration of unity light absorption in sub-15 nm thick semiconductors and photovoltaic devices with record quantum efficiencies. Ongoing work on application of two-dimensional materials in photovoltaics will be presented.