cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of compact X-ray lasers and their applications

Summary form only given. Compact, kJ, Nd-glass lasers which can be used to pump all of the current Ne-like and Ni-like X-ray lasers produced at Livermore's Nova 2 Beam Laser Facility are being designed. The author discusses the output characteristics of current X-ray lasers as well as those one can produce with a classroom-sized pump laser that will ultimately be available for 1-2 M$ per unit. These new technology pump lasers represent a vast improvement in efficiency, expense and practicality over the use of large ICF (inertial confinement fusion) facilities. This means that the X-ray laser can begin to be used for scientific applications where 10/sup 13-15/ ph/pulse of 5 /spl times/ 10/sup -5/ bandwidth X-ray sources are needed. One may also be able to produce high-average-power units which can be compete with the largest synchrotrons in terms of time-averaged photon yield.
Si interlayer passivation on germanium MOS capacitors with high-/spl kappa/ dielectric and metal gate

We have demonstrated the advantages of silicon interlayer passivation on germanium MOS devices, with CVD HfO/sub 2/ as the high-/spl kappa/ dielectric and PVD TaN as the gate electrode. A silicon interlayer between a germanium substrate and a high-/spl kappa/ dielectric, deposited using SiH/sub 4/ gas at 580/spl deg/C, significantly improved the electrical characteristics of germanium devices in terms of low D/sub it/ (7/spl times/10/sup 10//cm/sup 2/-eV), less C- V hysteresis and frequency dispersion. Low leakage current density of 5/spl times/10/sup -7/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 1 V bias with EOT of 12.4 /spl Aring/ was achieved. Post-metallization annealing caused continuing V/sub fb/ positive shift and J/sub g/ increase with increased annealing temperature, which was possibly attributed to Ge diffusion into the dielectric during annealing.
Safe and Successful Implementation of CPOE for Chemotherapy at a Children's Cancer Center

Computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) for medications has been implemented in only approximately 1 in 6 United States hospitals, with CPOE for chemotherapy lagging behind that for nonchemotherapy medications. The high risks associated with chemotherapy combined with other aspects of cancer care present unique challenges for the safe and appropriate use of CPOE. This article describes the process for safe and successful implementation of CPOE for chemotherapy at a children's cancer center. A core principle throughout the development and implementation of this system was that it must be as safe (and eventually safer) as existing paper systems and processes. The history of requiring standardized, regimen-specific, preprinted paper order forms served as the foundation for safe implementation of CPOE for chemotherapy. Extensive use of electronic order sets with advanced functionality; formal process redesign and system analysis; automated clinical decision support; and a phased implementation approach were essential strategies for safe implementation of CPOE. With careful planning and adequate resources, CPOE for chemotherapy can be safely implemented.
The Frequency, Characteristics, and Outcomes Among Cancer Patients With Delirium Admitted to an Acute Palliative Care Unit

Background. Delirium is a common neuropsychiatric condition seen in patients with severe illness, such as advanced cancer. Few published studies are available of the frequency, course, and outcomes of standardized management of delirium in advanced cancer patients admitted to acute palliative care unit (APCU). In this study, we examined the frequency,characteristics,andoutcomesofdeliriuminpatients with advanced canceradmitted to an APCU. Methods. Medical records of 609 consecutive patients admitted to the APCU from January 2011 through December 2011 were reviewed. Data on patients’ demographics; Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS) score; palliative care specialist (PCS) diagnosis of delirium; delirium etiology, subtype, and reversibility; late development of delirium; and discharge outcome were collected. Delirium was diagnosed with MDAS score $7 and by a PCS using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition, Text Revision criteria. All patients admitted to the APCU received standardized assessments and management of delirium per best practice guidelines in delirium management. Results. Of556patientsintheAPCU,323(58%)hadadiagnosis of delirium. Of these, 229 (71%) had a delirium diagnosis on admissionand94(29%)developeddeliriumafteradmissionto the APCU.Delirium reversedin 85 of 323episodes (26%). Half of patients with delirium (n 5 162) died. Patients with the diagnosisofdeliriumhada lowermedianoverallsurvival than thosewithoutdelirium.Patientswhodevelopeddeliriumafter admission to the APCU had poorer survival (p # .0001) and alowerrateofdeliriumreversal(p5.03)comparedwiththose admitted with delirium. Conclusion. More than half of the patients admitted to the APCU had delirium. Reversibility occurred in almost one-third of cases. Diagnosis of delirium was associated with poorer survival.The Oncologist 2015;20:1425–1431 ImplicationsforPractice:Deliriumisthemostcommonneuropsychiatricconditioninpatientswithseveremedicalillnessandthose at the end of life. It can be a source of distress for patients, their families, and the medical team.When missed, or if symptoms are misinterpreted, delirium may also lead to unnecessary interventions.This underlines the importance of diagnosis and detection of deliriumin populationsthatare atincreasedrisk.This study hasimportantimplications inpractice,asitcan assistclinicians inmaking decisions regarding other medical interventions, advance care planning, and communicating with families relating to end-of-life issues.
Kinetics of Plasma-Assisted Oxidation and Ignition below Self-Ignition Threshold

Precise control of the direction of energy deposition in the plasma is possible for a relatively short time period when the multiplication of electrons (above the breakdown threshold) or recombination (below the threshold) do not have enough time to change the electron concentration and plasma conductivity significantly. When the plasma conductivity is not very high, it is possible to maintain a desired value of E/n in the inter-electrode gap. This approach, together in combination with a short high-voltage pulse and constant bias, allows for the selective and extremely nonequilibrium excitation of the gas. The duration of the critical high-voltage pulse depends on the gas parameters (density, composition), but for the practically important range of parameters, it is restricted to few nanoseconds. Present work demonstrates the influence of vibrational excitation on the oxidation and ignition kinetics below self-ignition threshold. It was shown that vibrational excitation of nitrogen leads to HO2 decomposition and dramatic extension of the flammability limits to low temperature region.
Lesbian Living Spaces: Multiple Meanings of Home

SUMMARY This paper is an exploration of lesbian living spaces, focusing on the diverse experiences and meanings of home and neighborhood in lesbian communities. These issues are developed from interviews conducted with lesbians in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Lesbian communities are heterogeneous, made up of individuals who might share a common sexual identity, but differ in their race, class, religious, or ethnic identity. Thus, lesbian living spaces have multiple meanings for the individuals and communities who create and live in them. In so far as these spaces are sites of identity formation and spaces in which some lesbians contest dominant cultural norms, they are places of liberation. But because they are sometimes simultaneously places where lesbians encounter harassment and discrimination, they are places of oppression. I will argue that these contradictory meanings make it impossible to define these living spaces as absolutely ‘public’ or ‘private’ spaces.
Unimolecular Processes and Vibrational Energy Randomization

Intramolecular vibrational energy transfer is the subject of much current experimental and theoretical research. Some aspects of this problem are reviewed in this talk, together with a few new additions. Inasmuch as extensive references have been given in a recent review,1 they are omitted in this extended abstract in the interests of brevity. Topics discussed include (1) experimental work, (2) some theoretical concepts on “regular” and “chaotic” motion in the classical and quantum mechanics of anharmonic systems, and (3) the question of whether experiments can distinguish regular from chaotic behavior. By way of introduction we begin first with a review of the unimolecular rate constant, of reactions occurring in the gas phase.
Metalloporphines: Dimers and Trimers

Procedures for the purification and subsequent crystallization of the slightly soluble four-coordinate metallporphines, the simplest possible porphyrin derivatives, are described. Crystals of the porphine derivatives of cobalt(II), copper(II), platinum(II), and two polymorphs of zinc(II) were obtained. Analysis of the crystal and molecular structures shows that all except the platinum(II) derivative form an unusual trimeric species in the solid state. The isomorphous cobalt(II), copper(II), and one zinc(II) polymorph pack in the unit cell to form dimers as well as the trimers. Interplanar spacings between porphine rings are similar in both the dimers and trimers and range between 3.24 and 3.37 A. Porphine rings are strongly overlapped with lateral shifts between ring centers in both the dimers and trimers with values between 1.52 and 1.70 A or in Category S as originally defined by Scheidt and Lee. Periodic trends in the M–Np bond distances parallel those observed previously for tetraphenyl- and octaethyl...
Studio Improv as Compositional Process Through Case Studies of Ghanaian Hiplife and Afrobeats

This study is an examination of the music and working practices of three Ghanaian music producers, Appietus and DJ Breezy—as in much non-Western music, the definitions of composition and improvisation continuously disrupt each other. The studio highlights this blending of processes where the hardware and software can form both the instruments and compositional tools. Hip-hop and electronic dance music rely heavily on improvisation through studio techniques that are idiomatic to the genre, including sampling, sequencing and looping new musical ideas or material from an existing recording. Text and rhythm in Hip-hop are well documented but compositional process involving harmonic and melodic analysis, as well as close sonic study of new production techniques are often overlooked. The music of minority composers of new genres is under represented in scholarship. Therefore, this article focuses to a greater extent on musical analysis and studio, improvisation and compositional processes, with supporting observations on broader cultural context. The methodological approach in this article centers on transcriptions and music analysis, as well as research through interviews with the producers in Accra, Ghana. This blending of interview material and musical analysis (through transcription, reduction and ecological acoustics) examines distinct threads of Ghanaian and international music styles, their paths through different formal and informal networks of education and the environmental affects on their process. An analysis of these producers’ processes requires looking at both musical elements as well as the resources of education and environment, changing the way that we read these contexts by foregrounding the music itself. A brief history of Ghanaian music, from pre-independence to contemporary electronic dance music, including contemporary hiplife and afrobeats, is followed by case studies. In the case of Appietus’ music, transcriptions show Ghana’s unique highlife harmony and its idiomatic harmonic tendencies, whilst interview material on his process shows his unique methods of vocalization in combination with production tools that are informed by local formal and informal educational networks and the Internet. DJ Breezy’s vertically sparse, minimalist Hip-hop influenced afrobeats No. 1 hit, ‘Tonga,’ is analysed using ecological acoustics. In order to focus this paper, I argue that firstly, we rethink the relationship between improvisation and composition through the work of these producers, secondly, that we cannot analyze the music of these producers outside of context, we need to change the way in which we read the context, and thirdly, that we stop using a type of ethnography that exacerbates essentialism.
Health literacy and internet- and mobile app-based health services: a systematic review of the literature

As information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly used to support and deliver health care, access to Internet-based health services is enabling consumers to play an active role in their own health care. Today, this requires consumers to have a certain degree of health literacy within the context of e-health. To understand the extent to which existing studies have addressed health literacy within the context of Internet-based services, we conducted a systematic review of the literature. We performed four rounds of selection to identify relevant publications: database selection, keyword search, screening titles and abstracts, and screening the full text. This process produced a final sample of 42 publications. The findings from our review provide insights into how health literacy has been, and should be, addressed in the e-health era.
The Use of Mesh in Emergent Ventral Hernia Repair: Effects on Early Patient Morbidity and Mortality.

The long-term recurrence rate of ventral hernia repair is 20–50 %, with a higher rate of recurrence in cases that do not use mesh. Previous teachings have cautioned against the use of mesh in contaminated wounds. Therefore, emergent ventral hernia repair is often performed without the use of mesh. Our aim is to determine if mesh is used in these cases and its effect on 30-day wound-related morbidity using the American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Program database. All emergency ventral hernia repairs performed from 2005 to 2013 were identified. The effect of mesh on postoperative morbidity and mortality was investigated. Significance was defined as p < 0.05. A total of 2449 patients met inclusion criteria. The use of mesh was associated with a significantly longer operative time for all wound classes and increased risk of return to the operating room in contaminated cases. Patients who returned to the operating room did not return to the OR for mesh or hernia-related complications. Emergency ventral hernia repair with mesh can be safely performed without an increase in wound-related or additional 30-day patient morbidity or mortality. Additional studies are needed to determine the long-term outcomes of mesh utilization in this cohort.
Minimally invasive follicular thyroid cancer: treat as a benign or malignant lesion?

Abstract Background Follicular thyroid cancer is the second most common thyroid cancer, accounting for 10%-15% of all cases. Follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTCs) can be classified into two subtypes: classic (C), which exhibit both vascular and capsular invasion and minimally invasive (MI), which only has limited capsular invasion. Both types, like most well-differentiated thyroid cancers, are traditionally treated the same: a completion thyroidectomy usually followed by radioiodine ablation. We hypothesize that MI-FTC may behave more like a benign follicular adenoma rather than C-FTC and may not require total thyroidectomy and radioiodine. Methods A prospective thyroid database was screened for patients with follicular cell tumors. Data on recurrence rates, disease-free survival, and requirement for follow-up surgery and/or radioiodine were compared. Disease-free survival was determined by the Kaplan–Meier method. Analysis of variance and chi-square test were used to evaluate other factors. Results In total, there were 419 benign adenomas (87%), 21 MI-FTCs (4.5%), and 41 C-FTCs (8.5%). Patients with adenomas were younger ( P = 0.035) and were more likely to be female ( P = 0.001). Importantly, the 16-y disease-free survival was 100% in the adenoma group, 100% in the MI-FTC group, and 36.6% in the C-FTC group ( P Conclusions MI-FTCs behave similar to adenomas with 100% disease-free survival with up to 16 y of follow-up. These data suggest MI-FTCs could be potentially treated by thyroid lobectomy alone like follicular adenomas and perhaps should be classified as a distinct clinical entity.
New primitive covering numbers and their properties

Abstract A covering number is a positive integer L such that a covering system of the integers can be constructed with distinct moduli that are divisors d > 1 of L . If no proper divisor of L is a covering number, then L is called primitive . In 2007, Zhi-Wei Sun gave sufficient conditions for the existence of infinitely many covering numbers, and he conjectured that these conditions were also necessary for a covering number to be primitive. Recently, the second author and Daniel White have shown that Sun's conjecture is false by finding infinitely many counterexamples. In this article, we give necessary and sufficient conditions for certain positive integers to be primitive covering numbers. We use these results to answer a question of Sun, and to prove the existence of infinitely many previously-unknown primitive covering numbers. We also show, for each of these new primitive covering numbers L , that a covering can be constructed with distinct moduli using only a proper subset of the divisors d > 1 of L as moduli.
On the advantage of network coding for improving network throughput

Given a data network with link capacities, we consider the throughput of the network for a multicast session involving a source node and a given set of terminals. It is known that network coding can improve the throughput of the network. We study the coding advantage, i.e. the ratio of the throughput using network coding to that without using network coding. We show that the maximum coding advantage for a given network is equal to the integrality gap of certain linear programming (LP) formulations for a Steiner tree. This holds for both directed as well as undirected networks. For directed networks, the coding advantage is equal to the integrality gap of the directed Steiner tree LP formulation; for undirected networks, the coding advantage is equal to the integrality gap of the bidirected cut LP formulation for the Steiner tree. This relates the coding advantage to well studied notions in combinatorial optimization. Further, this connection improves the known bounds on the coding advantage for both undirected as well directed networks.
Cross Border Adjustability Reforms: Information Exchange and Global Value Chains

Even though the digital economy may appear to contribute to challenges and risks faced by tax authorities in combatting practices related to Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), it is also important to acknowledge its contribution towards enhancing global value chains. Challenges presented by the digital economy for policy makers, according to the OECD (2015:5), particularly relate to nexus, data, and characterization for direct tax purposes - which are often considered to overlap with each other – as well as challenges for value added tax (VAT) collection, particularly where goods, services and intangibles are acquired by private consumers from suppliers abroad. Several studies highlighted by Kasemsap (2016) have not only revealed the positive relationship which exists between e business utilization and organizational performance (Zhu & Kraemer, 2005), as well as identified the relationship which exists between e-business technologies and organizational performance (Hsu, 2013), but also confirmed that competitive advantage in the transport and logistics sector, effectively creates value chains enhanced by e business (Marchet, Perego & Perotti, 2009). Further, Kasemsap (2016) adds that the goal of B2B e business is to provide IT support for supply chain collaboration, improving resource use efficiency and reducing supply chain uncertainty (Kumar & van Dissel, 1996) – and that through the facilitation of shared knowledge between supply chain partners, B2B e business is able to encourage manufacturing firms to respond effectively to customer demand, achieve higher customer satisfaction and loyalty – resulting in long term financial performance (Rai et al, 2006). E business’ contribution to the value chain through the provision of availability of more current information regarding orders shared with suppliers is also considered to reduce inventory levels as well as increasing profitability (Kasemsap, 2016). As well as contributing to the literature on how the digital economy helps to enhance global value chains – hence contributing to the facilitation of exchange and information – a major issue being addressed and confronted by tax authorities and policy makers, this chapter also highlights why the need for multilateral agreements which facilitate greater exchange of information, is becoming all the more apparent. As highlighted by the OECD (2015:33), early access to timely, comprehensive and relevant information on aggressive tax planning strategies provides the opportunity to quickly respond to tax risks through informed risk assessment, audits, or changes to legislation or regulations.
Parameter Identification for a Scalar Linear System with Fractional Brownian Motion

Abstract In this paper, a family of estimators for an unknown parameter in the drift term of a scalar linear stochastic differential equation is given. The linear stochastic differential equation has a Brownian motion replaced by a fractional Brownian motion with the Hurst parameter in the interval (1/2,1). Such a fractional Brownian motion is not a semimartingale, so a different stochastic calculus and some different methods for the analysis of the estimators are required. The estimators are obtained by the formal use of the least squares estimators for the case of Brownian motion. It is shown that this family of estimators is strongly consistent
Zooming Out: Solidarity in the Moral Imagination of Genetic Counseling

Prenatal genetic testing allows potential parents to screen for and diagnose an ever-increasing number of conditions. However, because there is no treatment for the majority of currently detectable conditions, the information from testing opens the door to selective termination, which some in the disability community consider morally problematic. The genetic counseling profession has responded to the disability critique of prenatal testing by working to decrease biased language and attitudes among genetic counselors so that clients can make genuinely autonomous reproductive decisions. However, I argue that an important dimension of the moral issue is lost when framed primarily in terms of autonomy and reproductive choice. Looking to the relational underpinnings of autonomy in solidarity may shed greater light on the tension between the disability community and the genetic counseling profession. I consider the role of the concept of solidarity for explaining past responses to the disability critique of prenatal testing and for imagining a future response grounded in historical memory.
Do Changes in Post-acute Care Use at Hospitals Participating in an Accountable Care Organization Spillover to All Medicare Beneficiaries?

While early evidence suggests that Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) may reduce post-acute care (PAC) utilization for attributed beneficiaries, whether these effects spill over to all beneficiaries admitted to hospitals participating in ACOs stray is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether changes in PAC use and Medicare spending spill over to all beneficiaries admitted to hospitals participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). Observational study using a difference-in-differences design comparing changes in PAC utilization and spending among beneficiaries admitted to ACO-participating hospitals before and after the start of the ACO contracts, compared to those admitted to non-ACO hospitals. A total of 233 hospitals participate in MSSP ACOs and 3103 non-ACO hospitals. A national sample of 11,683,573 Medicare beneficiaries experiencing 26,503,086 hospital admissions from 2010 to 2013. Admission to a hospital participating in an MSSP ACO. The probability of discharge and Medicare payments to inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF), skilled nursing facilities (SNF), and home health agencies (HHA). For beneficiaries admitted to hospitals that joined an ACO, the likelihood of being discharged to PAC did not change after the hospital joined the ACO compared with non-ACO hospitals over the same period (differential change in probability of discharge to any PAC was 0.000 (P = 0.89), SNF was 0.000 (P = 0.73), IRF was 0.000 (P = 0.96), and HHA was 0.001 (P = 0.57)). Payments reduced significantly for PAC overall (− $130.41, P = 0.03), but not for any individual PAC type alone. These results were consistent in samples that were conditional on discharge to any PAC, across conditions with high PAC use nationally, and among ACO-participating hospitals that also had a PAC participant. Hospital participation in an ACO did not result in spillovers in PAC utilization or payments to all beneficiaries, even when considering high PAC-use conditions and ACO hospitals that also have an ACO-participating PAC.
‘Who’s Afraid of ISIS?’ Security doxa and the doxa of insecurity

In theories of praxis, doxa are commonly understood as predispositives to judgment. They cannot be apprehended directly but must be derived from the insufficiencies of the most commonplace assertio...
Early Primate Brain Evolution

In attempting to understand the evolutionary development of the primate brain, we might ultimately wish to identify evolutionary changes (both quantitative and organizational) in the brain during the course of primate evolution and answer questions about adaptive significance and selection pressures involved. How far can the current evidence go toward providing such an understanding? Two main bodies of evidence currently available come from the study of the brains of living primates (comparative neurobiology) and from the study of fossil endocranial casts (paleoneurology). In this paper I will focus on what the fossil record currently can tell us about brain evolution in early prosimian primates.
Bayesian Classification of Triage Diagnoses for the Early Detection of Epidemics

The distribution of illnesses reported by emergency departments from hospitals in a region under surveillance is particularly informative for the early detection of epidemics. The most direct source of data for construction of such a distribution is the final diagnoses of patients being seen in the emergency departments, but the delay in their availability impinges on the requirement that detection be timely. Free-text descriptions of patients’ symptoms, called triage diagnoses, and ICD-9 values that encode the symptoms are entered when patients are admitted and, consequently, are timelier sources of data. An experiment to evaluate the accuracy of Bayesian classification of triage diagnoses into syndromes (i.e., illness categories) was performed, resulting in areas under the ROC curve (AUC) between .80 and .97 for the various syndromes. The classification accuracies using triage diagnoses surpass the classification accuracies using ICD-9 codes reported by previous studies. Triage diagnoses, therefore, are a more accurate source of data than ICD-9 codes for the early detection of epidemics.
Scalable information flow mining in networks

The problem of understanding user activities and their patterns of communication is extremely important in social and collaboration networks. This can be achieved by tracking the dominant content flow trends and their interactions between users in the network. Our approach tracks all possible paths of information flow using its network structure, content propagated and the time of propagation. We also show that the complexity class of this problem is #P-complete. Because most social networks have many activities and interactions, it is inevitable the proposed method will be computationally intensive. Therefore, we propose an efficient method for mining information flow patterns, especially in large networks, using distributed vertex-centric computational models. We use the Gather-Apply-Scatter (GAS) paradigm to implement our approach. We experimentally show that our approach achieves over three orders of magnitude advantage over the state-of-the-art, with an increasing advantage with a greater number of cores. We also study the effectiveness of the discovered content flow patterns by using it in the context of an influence analysis application.
Introduction to Diagnosis and Assessment of Autism

With our superabundance of tests, scales, and questionnaires evaluating and reducing to numbers our performance in every sphere of life from school and work to sex, evaluation has come under attack in many quarters. On the other hand, our 20+ years of experience in the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped CHildren (TEACCH) program has taught us that careful and appropriate evaluation can be crucial components of our intervention programs for autistic youngsters and their families. We therefore considered it especially important and worthwhile to devote our sixth volume in this series on autism to diagnosis and assessment and to distinguish some common misunderstandings and misuses of diagnosis and assessment from valid and needed evaluation, especially with such complex disorders as autism.
Cosmetic and Functional Outcomes of Second Intention Healing for Mohs Defects of the Lips.

BACKGROUND The lips are a common location for skin cancer and thus for Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS). There are few studies looking at second intention healing of Mohs defects of the lips, and none have used a scar assessment scale. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the acceptability of second intention healing of the vermilion lips following MMS using a patient questionnaire and the Patient and Observer Assessment Scale (POSAS). METHODS Eligible patients were found through chart review. A patient questionnaire and the patient scale of the POSAS were performed over the phone. For patients who were able to come to clinic, the observer scale of the POSAS was performed. RESULTS Forty-seven phone interviews and 21 clinic assessments were performed. Overall, patients noted excellent functional outcomes, and good to excellent cosmetic outcomes, and were satisfied with healing time. There was not a significant difference between the patient and observer total scores (p = .63) or overall scores (p = .59). CONCLUSION Second intention healing can have satisfactory functional and cosmetic outcomes and healing times with few complications and should be considered for surgical defects on the vermilion lips as large as 2.8 cm even when there is involvement of the cutaneous lip and muscular layer.
A central limit theorem for correlated variables with limited normal or gamma distributions

Non-negative limited normal or gamma distributed random variables are commonly used to model physical phenomenon such as the concentration of compounds within gaseous clouds. This paper demonstrate...
Listening to Those with Lived Experience

The voices of people with lived experience of emotional distress, mental differences, and/or psychiatric treatment are often excluded from traditional psychiatric research and literature. This chapter will highlight the importance of not only including but centering those perspectives, with a focus on perspectives that aim to redefine and reclaim the traits, characteristics, experiences, and phenomena categorized as “mental illness.” Specifically, the author will introduce the Mad Pride movement and neurodiversity paradigm, two frameworks that recognize the value and meaning of the traits commonly perceived as symptoms of mental disorders. Both Mad Pride and neurodiversity posit that these traits are not indicators of pathology or disease but rather forms of diversity and parts of the human experience.
UNIT 10.8 Detection of Proteins on Blot Membranes

Staining of blot membranes enables the visualization of bound proteins. Proteins are usually transferred to blot membranes by electroblotting, by direct spotting of protein solutions, or by contact blots. Staining allows the efficiency of transfer to the membrane to be monitored. This unit describes protocols for staining proteins after electroblotting from polyacrylamide gels to blot membranes such as polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), nitrocellulose, or nylon membranes. The same methods can be used if proteins are directly spotted, either manually or using robotics. Protocols are included for seven general protein stains (amido black, Coomassie blue, Ponceau S, colloidal gold, colloidal silver, India ink, and MemCode) and three fluorescent protein stains (fluorescamine, IAEDANS, and SYPRO Ruby). Also included is an in-depth discussion of the different blot membrane types and the compatibility of different protein stains with downstream applications, such as immunoblotting or N-terminal Edman sequencing. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: electroblots; electrotransfer efficiency; membrane stain; protein stain
Nissen Fundoplication for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

In a prospective study, the Nissen fundoplication was shown to be superior to both the Belsey and Hill procedure in the control of reflux symptoms and in the restoration of distal esophageal sphincter competence [2]. Despite these excellent early results, concern was expressed regarding the durability and long-term side effects of this operation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of 100 consecutive primary Nissen fundoplication procedures performed and followed by the same surgeon over a 13-year period. The findings advanced our understanding of the criteria for patient selection, the technique of constructing the fundoplication, and the durability of the Nissen procedure.
Urban teacher challenges: What they are and what we can learn from them

Abstract Teachers in urban schools confront significant and unique workplace challenges which put them at high risk for chronic stress, burnout, and attrition when unaddressed via training or support. The current mixed methods study investigated the challenging classroom situations reported by 164 predominantly White and female urban teachers in the United States, the prevalence of these challenges, and factors that predicted their prevalence. Results revealed the most prevalent types of teacher challenges were student misbehavior, aggressive student behavior, student motivation, lack of effective consequences, and behavioral health problems. Approximately half of teachers reported aggressive student behavior as a challenge and a majority related multiple challenges in the situations they confronted. Additionally, classroom discipline-related concern and middle school grade level taught predicted, respectively, a greater likelihood of challenges pertaining to student misbehavior and lack of effective consequences, and student motivation and behavioral health problems. These findings suggest that urban teachers find multiple aspects of student behavior challenging, commonly experience extreme student behavior, and that various factors impact the presence of these challenges. Implications for how to best support teachers on an individual, classroom, and organizational-level are discussed.
Changes in cigar sales following implementation of a local policy restricting sales of flavoured non-cigarette tobacco products

Introduction On 3 January, 2013, the city of Providence, Rhode Island, began enforcing a restriction on the retail sale of all non-cigarette tobacco products with a characterising flavour other than tobacco, menthol, mint or wintergreen. We assessed the policy impact on cigar sales—which comprise 95% of flavoured non-cigarette tobacco products sold through conventional tobacco retail outlets (eg, convenience stores, supermarkets) in Providence—over time and in comparison to the rest of the state (ROS). Methods Weekly retail scanner sales data were obtained for January 2012 to December 2016. Cigar sales were categorised into products labelled with explicit-flavour (eg, Cherry) or concept-flavour (eg, Jazz) names. Regression models assessed changes in prepolicy and postpolicy sales in Providence and ROS. Results Average weekly unit sales of flavoured cigars decreased prepolicy to postpolicy by 51% in Providence, while sales increased by 10% in ROS (both p Conclusions The Providence policy had a city-specific impact on retail sales of flavoured cigars, which was attenuated by an increase in sales of concept flavour-named cigars. Products with concept-flavour names may avoid enforcement agency detection, and their continued sale undermines the intent of the policy.
High-yield, automated intracellular electrophysiology in retinal pigment epithelia.

Abstract Background Recent advancements with induced pluripotent stem cell-derived (iPSC) retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) have made disease modeling and cell therapy for macular degeneration feasible. However, current techniques for intracellular electrophysiology – used to validate epithelial function – are painstaking and require manual skill; limiting experimental throughput. New Method A five-stage algorithm, leveraging advances in automated patch clamping, systematically derived and optimized, improves yield and reduces skill when compared to conventional, manual techniques. Results The automated algorithm improves yield per attempt from 17% (manually, n = 23) to 22% (automated, n = 120) (chi-squared, p = 0.004). Specifically for RPE, depressing the local cell membrane by 6 μm and electroporating (buzzing) just prior to this depth (5 μm) maximized yield. Comparison with Existing Method Conventionally, intracellular epithelial electrophysiology is performed by manually lowering a pipette with a micromanipulator, blindly, towards a monolayer of cells and spontaneously stopping when the magnitude of the instantaneous measured membrane potential decreased below a predetermined threshold. The new method automatically measures the pipette tip resistance during the descent, detects the cell surface, indents the cell membrane, and briefly buzzes to electroporate the membrane while descending, overall achieving a higher yield than conventional methods. Conclusions This paper presents an algorithm for high-yield, automated intracellular electrophysiology in epithelia; optimized for human RPE. Automation reduces required user skill and training while, simultaneously, improving yield. This algorithm could enable large-scale exploration of drug toxicity and physiological function verification for numerous kinds of epithelia.
THE DIGITAL ERA HAS CHANGED MARKETING: A GUIDE TO USING INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS AND EXPLORATION OF STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF EFFECTIVENESS

The digital era has changed marketing dramatically and marketing jobs have shifted as well. Thus, marketing faculty face a difficult challenge in preparing students for the marketplace. Industry ce...
Digital Democracy: Episode IV—A New Hopea: How a Corporation for Public Software Could Transform Digital Engagement for Government and Civil Society

Although successive generations of digital technology have become increasingly powerful in the past 20 years, digital democracy has yet to realize its potential for deliberative transformation. The undemocratic exploitation of massive social media systems continued this trend, but it only worsened an existing problem of modern democracies, which were already struggling to develop deliberative infrastructure independent of digital technologies. There have been many creative conceptions of civic tech, but implementation has lagged behind innovation. This article argues for implementing one such vision of digital democracy through the establishment of a public corporation. Modeled on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the United States, this entity would foster the creation of new digital technology by providing a stable source of funding to nonprofit technologists, interest groups, civic organizations, government, researchers, private companies, and the public. Funded entities would produce and maintain software infrastructure for public benefit. The concluding sections identify what circumstances might create and sustain such an entity.
Quantifying bone marrow fat using standard T1-weighted magnetic resonance images in children with typical development and in children with cerebral palsy.

Excess bone marrow adiposity may have a negative effect on bone growth and development. The aim of this study was to determine whether a procedure using standard T1-weighted magnetic resonance images provides an accurate estimate of bone marrow fat in children with typical development and in children with mild spastic cerebral palsy (CP; n = 15/group; 4–11 y). Magnetic resonance imaging was used to acquire T1-weighted images. It was also used to acquire fat and water images using an iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation (IDEAL) technique. Bone marrow fat volume and fat fraction in the middle-third of the tibia were determined using the standard T1-weighted images (BMFVT1 and BMFFT1, respectively) and the fat and water images (BMFVIDEAL and BMFFIDEAL, respectively). In both groups, BMFVT1 was highly correlated with (both r > 0.99, p 0.05) BMFVIDEAL. In both groups, BMFFT1 was moderately correlated with (both r = 0.71, p 0.05) BMFFIDEAL. There was no group difference in BMFVT1 or BMFVIDEAL (both p > 0.05). BMFFIDEAL was higher in children with CP (p 0.05). We conclude that a procedure using standard T1-weighted magnetic resonance images can produce estimates of bone marrow fat volume similar to estimates from the IDEAL technique in children. However, it is less sensitive to variation in the bone marrow fat fraction.
20 – Rhabdomyosarcoma and other soft-tissue sarcomas

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the epidemiology, pathologic classification, genetics, clinical features, diagnostic evaluation, staging, and treatments of Rhabdomyosarcoma. It is a tumor of striated muscle, most common pediatric soft-tissue sarcoma, and is the third common solid tumor. The histologic subtypes with reference to their frequency, morphology, site of origin, and age distribution are also discussed. Specific assays may be necessary to aid in the differential diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma from the other small round cell tumors. These assays include: electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry, and cytogenetics. The disease may occur in any anatomic location of the body where there is skeletal muscle, as well as in sites where no skeletal muscle is found. The most frequent sign is a mass. Specific clinical manifestations vary with the site of origin of the primary lesion; thereby, head and neck primary tumor is important clinical feature of parameningeal. The diagnostic evaluation of the primary tumor and the extent of metastatic disease consist of the following: complete history, physical examination, complete blood count, urinalysis, serum electrolytes, blood urea nitrogen, and magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography of primary lesion. Local control is accomplished using surgery or radiotherapy. Systemic control is accomplished with chemotherapy. Patients with localized disease require systemic therapy to eradicate micrometastatic disease typically present at diagnosis.
Abstract TP215: Machine Learning Analysis of Gene Expression Data and Predictive Stroke Outcomes in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose: The ability to predict ischemic stroke outcomes in the first day of admission could be vital for patient counseling, rehabilitation, and care planning. The Blood and Clot Th...
EUS and EUS-guided FNA/core biopsies in the evaluation of subepithelial lesions of the lower gastrointestinal tract: 10-year experience.

Background and Objective: The widespread use of colonoscopy has led to an increasing number of subepithelial lesions (SELs) being detected in the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This study aimed to analyze the utility of EUS and its role in the management of lower GI SELs. Patients and Methods: Records of all patients who were referred for lower EUS evaluation of a SEL at a tertiary center between 2007 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed after IRB approval. Data collection included patient/lesion characteristics, technical details of procedure, and pathology results. Results: A total of 47 patients underwent EUS examinations for the evaluation of 49 suspected SEL in the lower GI tract (2 patients had 2 SELs each). Out of the 49 suspected lesions, the most frequent location was in the rectum (30/49, 61.2%). EUS showed extraluminal compression in 2 cases (2/49, 4.1%) and intraluminal lesions were identified in 40 cases (40/49, 81.6%). In 7 patients (7/49, 14.3%), no lesion could be identified by EUS. Twenty (20/49, 40.8%) SELs were malignant or had malignant potential. Twenty-six EUS-guided fine-needle aspirations (FNAs) and 14 EUS-core biopsies were performed. EUS-FNA alone was able to correctly diagnose 15/26 (57.7%) of the lower SELs. When EUS-guided fine needle biopsies (FNB) were performed during the same procedure, the final diagnosis was confirmed in 21/26 (80.8%) cases. There was only one procedure-related complication caused by use of narcotics. Conclusion: EUS-guided FNA/FNB are feasible and safe techniques for assessing lower GI SELs and provide valuable information regarding lesion characteristics and their malignant potential with high diagnostic accuracy.
Recovery After Adenotonsillectomy—Do Steroids Help? Outcomes From a Randomized Controlled Trial:

ObjectivesThe primary objective was to compare pain control following adenotonsillectomy (AT) in children with and without a single postoperative dose of oral dexamethasone in addition to standard ...
Integrated approach to drug nomenclature

Abstract The innovation-driven advancements in contemporary science and clinical practice have led to the proliferation of small molecule and macromolecule drugs (biologics) that cannot be characterized unequivocally. This poses a lot of challenges to drug nomenclature systems. Also, the confusion and potential medication errors caused by the multiple proprietary and nonproprietary names of drugs across many countries and between manufacturers are high orders of global concern. Frantic efforts have been made by the World Health Organization (WHO), Food Drug and Administration (FDA), United States Pharmacopeia (USP), United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council, British Approved Names (BAN), British Pharmacopeia (BP), Australian Approved Names (AAN), Japanese Accepted Names (JAN), etc. to develop and implement drug nomenclature programs and policies in their respective countries as well as trans-regional harmonization of nonproprietary names of drugs. However, it has been a great challenge to achieve unified internationally acceptable nonproprietary names of drugs across all countries. The regulatory complexities and regional variations in drug nomenclature as well as potentially confusing names of drugs, such as look-alike and sound-alike, are potential risks for medication errors that could cause serious harm to the patients. This chapter reviews the principles, classifications, global trends, current challenges, and future advancements in global nomenclature of medicinal products. It is envisioned that a patient-centered integrated global nomenclature system and transdisciplinary partnership would foster a pathway to global unity in the diversity of drug nomenclature system where the key stakeholders will engage with each other in the best interest of the patient. This would allow identification, dissemination, and integration of best practices and opportunities for deeper collaboration across the regulatory agencies, practitioners, patients, and drug manufacturers.
The Second Calling

The Second Calling is a novel about a small rural community in southern Spain, called Bethany House, in which persons with various intellectual and physical disabilities live together with “assista...