cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A mammary cancer suppressor gene and its site of action in the rat.

Fifty-day-old female rats of the inbred Osborne-Mendel (OM) and Copenhagen (COP) strains were exposed to a single dose of either of 2 highly effective mammary chemical carcinogens, 7,12-dimethylbenz[ a ] anthracene (DMBA) or 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea (MNU). Female OM rats are highly susceptible to both of these carcinogens developing >5 mammary adenocarcinomas per rat following a single exposure to either chemical. In contrast, female COP rats are completely resistant to both DMBA and MNU mammary cancer induction. Genetic breeding analysis of the F1 and F2 hybrids produced by crossing COP to OM rats demonstrated that the resistance of the female COP rat to DMBA and MNU is due to the presence of a single dominant autosomal allele in the germ line of the COP rat. Transplantation experiments demonstrated that the site of action of this COP gene is within the mammary epithelial cells themselves, not systemically or at the local mammary gland level within nonepithelial mammary cells. The resistance to DMBA-induced mammary carcinogenesis affected by the COP gene does not involve prevention of the initial interaction of DMBA with the mammary epithelial cells, but suppression of the progression of these initiated mammary cells to full cancer. This suppression does not involve paracrine release of diffusible factor(s). This gene does not suppress the development of MNU-induced renal or bladder cancers in the COP female rats. Thus, this newly identified autosomal dominant gene is specifically a mammary cancer suppressor gene. Analysis of the response of female feral rats to DMBA or MNU exposure demonstrates that this mammary cancer suppressor gene is also functional in feral rats. This suggests that this mammary cancer gene is functionally inactivated either by mutation or deletion in the germ line of highly susceptible strains of rats like the OM and inbred Sprague-Dawley rats, but functionally retained in resistant strains like the COP.
Preservation of Femoral Head Blood Circulation with Lovastatin in Steroid Treated Rabbits

To better understand the etiology of steroid-induced osteonecrosis, microangiographs of the femur were made in rabbits receiving either methylprednisolone alone or methylprednisolone plus the lipid clearing agent, lovastatin. Administration of steroid caused a rapid elevation in serum cholesterol. Changes in the vascularity of the femur were evident by three weeks, particularly in the femoral head and neck region. A staging system was developed based on changes in the microangiographic pattern. All rabbits showed progressive deterioration; co-administration of lovastatin delayed the loss of vascularity for a limited period of time. Clinical relevance: Lipid clearing agents may delay the onset of osteonecrosis in patients receiving steroids.
High-speed control of variable reluctance motors with reduced torque ripple

In electronically commutated variable reluctance (VR) motors the the windings of different phases are constantly switched on and off; the turn-on and turn-off delays of the winding currents significantly affect the motor torque ripple in high-speed applications. A mathematical model is presented to describe how the delays influence the output torque of the VR motor. To demonstrate the validity of the model, a three-phase linear VR motor with a fixed-advance commutator was controlled at high speed. Significant reduction of the torque ripple was observed by reducing the motor winding currents while the motor was speeding up. This torque model, together with a simple fixed-advance commutator, makes control of the VR motor with an inexpensive digital processor possible. >
A full scale photometric simulation facility for evaluating the luminous environment in office work applications

A simulation facility and experimental procedures used for the photometric study and evaluation of office lighting design and system applications are described. This facility was developed to obtain quantitative photometric information on how different office lighting systems and design approaches affect the visual quality and comfort within typical work environments. This facility consists of a 40 ft*50 ft*25 ft space with the capability of controlling ceiling height, floor area, and window size, allowing for the controlled simulation and study of ceiling integrated lighting, furniture integrated task lighting and window aperture daylighting systems. Measurement and study capabilities include a luminance scanner that allows the measurement of the absolute luminance of all surfaces within an occupant's field of view, and a data acquisition system that can record data from photometric sensors at various locations. This information is used to determine illuminance levels, luminance ratios, glare, and task contrast at the work station. The authors discuss a range of lighting studies to illustrate the simulation and measurement capabilities associated with the operation of the laboratory. >
Simulation and measurement of vacuum electron hop funnel IV characteristics and energy distribution

Electron hop funnel devices can be used to collect and spatially average electron emission current1 from field emission arrays (FEAs). At high enough operating voltage, the funnels provide unity gain of the injected emission current, and the resulting beams can be more uniform than from typical FEAs. We are using these devices to develop microwave amplifiers using FEAs. In the work described here, hop funnels have been fabricated from Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC), and the electron energy distribution of the hop funnel electron beam, as well as the IV characteristics, have been measured. The data has been compared against simulation using the particle trajectory code Lorentz2. Convergence of the code has been demonstrated for a number of different parameters and, from which, the base parameters were determined and have been used to generate the numerical simulation results for the IV curve and electron energy distribution of the hop funnel exit beam. The results of the simulation and measurement will be used to estimate the maximum secondary electron yield and the corresponding maximum energy of the electron secondary yield curve of LTCC.
A Modified, Sensitive Liquid Chromatographic Method for Measurement of Propranolol with Fluorescence Detection

A simple, sensitive, and rapid fluorometric-high-perform-ance liquid Chromatographic method for quantitating human and animal plasma and blood levels of propranolol has been developed. The procedure, which requires microliter volumes of triethylamine in the mobile phase mixture and microliter volumes of plasma or blood (50–100 μL), may be applied in routine clinical analysis as well as in pharmacokinetic studies using small laboratory animals. A single, selective extraction step precedes the analysis. The limiting concentration that can be detected is 1 ng/mL.
The Origin for Training Effects in Exchange Bias Systems: Frustration and Multiple Anisotropy Axes at the Interface

The interaction of an antiferromagnet with a ferromagnet can establish a unidirectional anisotropy, which is referred to as an exchange bias. This paper presents a numerical simulations based on a simple coherent rotation model, which imply that the initial irreversibilities observed between the first and second hysteresis loop are driven by the symmetry of the antiferromagnet. The availability of more than one easy axis in a high symmetry antiferromagnet can give rise to a spin-flop transition during the first field reversal, after which the antiferromagnetic spins are trapped in a metastable configuration. The calculations show a very pronounced training effect for the case of antiferromagnets with two anisotropy axes, while no training is observed for antiferromagnets with only one anisotropy axis. This explains quite naturally why training effects are only observed for exchange bias systems with high symmetry antiferromagnets, while they are absent for antiferromagnets with uniaxial anisotropy.
A Physically Based Cumulative Damage Formalism

A general cumulative damage methodology is derived from the basic relation specifying crack growth rate (increment) as a power law function of the stress intensity factor. The crack is allowed to grow up to the point at which it becomes unstable, thereby determining the lifetime of the material under the prescribed stress program. The formalism applies for the case of creep to failure under variable stress history as well as for cyclic fatigue to failure under variable stress amplitude history. The formulation is calibrated by the creep rupture lifetimes at constant stress or the fatigue cycle lifetimes at constant stress amplitude. No empirical (non-physical) parameters are involved in the basic formulation;everything is specified in terms of experimentally determined quantities. Several examples are given showing the inadequacy of Linear Cumulative Damage while the present nonlinear damage accumulation method overcomes these deficiencies. The present method is extended to admit probabilistic conditions.
Minimizing the peak-to-average power ratio of OFDM signals via convex optimization

Efficient OFDM transmission has been limited by power amplifier (PA) non-linearity combined with OFDM's high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). We show that minimization of the PAPR of an OFDM signal, subject to constraints on allowable constellation error and out-of-band noise, can be formulated as a convex optimization problem. The globally optimal solution can be calculated with low complexity using known algorithms. A system model is proposed for transmitting OFDM signals with maximum power-efficiency regardless of PA linearity. No change in receiver structure is required. Simulation results are presented for the 802.11a WLAN standard.
A queuing model-based incentive scheme for optimal data transmission in wireless networks with selfish nodes

Data transmission in self-organized multi-hop networks heavily depends on the cooperation among nodes. In many applications, however, the autonomous nodes exhibit selfish behaviors, aiming to optimize their own performance without consideration of other nodes in the network. Although a selfish node is interested in transmitting its own data only, part of its resource has to be traded for the cooperation of other nodes in the network, in order to establish a routing path through them to deliver data to its destination. In this paper, we propose a stimulating mechanism to encourage cooperation among the selfish nodes. Specifically, a credit-based Markov chain model is established to analyze the packet dropping probability, with given total bandwidth, bandwidth allocation, buffer space, and the maximum credit of each node. Based on the Markovian model, bandwidth allocation is optimized so that the dropping probability of a nodepsilas own packets is minimum. It is a main contribution of this work to address the bandwidth constraint, which is a key resource in wireless networks but has been ignored in all existing incentive schemes. Extensive simulations are carried out to evaluate the proposed incentive scheme, and the simulation results show that it can effectively enable cooperation among selfish nodes and minimize overall packet dropping probability.
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS IN MORALITY, RELIGION, AND PARANORMAL BELIEFS

Moral, religious, and paranormal beliefs share some degree of overlap and play important roles in guiding peoples’ behavior. Although partly cultural phenomena, they also have neurobiological components based on functional neuroimaging studies and research in clinical populations. Because all three show relationships to prefrontal system functioning, the current study examined whether they related to executive functions as measured by the Executive Function Inventory in a community sample. As in previous research, religious beliefs related positively to both moral attitudes and paranormal beliefs. Moral attitudes, however, did not relate to paranormal beliefs. Paranormal beliefs related inversely to impulse control and organization, whereas small positive correlations occurred between traditional religious beliefs, impulse control, and empathy. Moral attitudes, on the other hand, showed consistent positive correlations with all executive functions measured, independent of demographic influences. These findings concordantly support that prefrontal systems play a role in morality, religion, and paranormal beliefs.
Network awareness and failure resilience in self-organizing overlay networks

The growth of peer-to-peer applications on the Internet motivates interest in general purpose overlay networks. The construction of overlays connecting a large population of transient nodes poses several challenges. First, connections in the overlays should reflect the underlying network topology, in order to avoid overloading the network and to allow god application performance. Second, connectivity among active nodes of the overlay should be maintained, even in the presence of high failure rates or when a large proportion of nodes are not active. Finally, the cost of using the overlay should be spread evenly among peer nodes for fairness reasons as well as for the sake of application performance. To preserve scalability, we seek solutions to these issues that can be implemented in a fully decentralized manner and rely on local knowledge from each node. In this paper, we propose an algorithm called the localizer which addresses these three key challenges. The localizer refines the overlay in a way that reflects geographic locality so as to reduce network overload. Simultaneously, it helps to evenly balance the number of neighbors of each node in the overlay, thereby sharing the load evenly as well as improving the resilience to random node failures or disconnections. The proposed algorithm is presented and evaluated in the context of an unstructured peer-to-peer overlay network produced using the Scamp protocol. We provide a theoretical analysis of the various aspects of the algorithm. Simulation results based on a realistic network topology model confirm the analysis and demonstrate the localizer efficiency.
Association of Deep-Vein Thrombosis (DVT) With Missed Doses of Prophylactic Antithrombotic Medications in ICU Patients A Case-Control Study

Background: Medications for prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) are routinely prescribed in critically ill patients. Objective: To identify any association between missed doses of VTE prophylaxis medications and acute, in-hospital deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). Methods: Case-control study in hospitalized adult patients at high risk for developing VTE, defined as an ICU length of stay (LOS) of at least 24 hours. Cases were defined as patients with acute DVT during hospitalization, and controls were patients with no documented DVT. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the odds of acute DVT in patients with any missed dose of prophylactic antithrombotic medication. Results: Of 920 patients, 59 (6.4%) experienced an acute, in-hospital DVT. Overall, 64% of patients missed at least 1 dose of VTE prophylaxis medication, and 33% missed more than 3 doses. In the univariate analysis, there was no significant association between any missed dose of prophylaxis medication and acute DVT (odds ratio [...
The Mechanics of the Fibrosed/Remodeled Heart

As discussed above, perturbations in loading conditions can occur as a consequence of pressure overload, volume overload or due to the loss of muscle as following myocardial infarction. Ultimately these pathologies initiate the process of ventricular remodeling which is manifested clinically by changes in size, shape, and contractile function of the heart. Initially, these changes can be considered to be compensatory and adaptive. However, if the abnormal loading is not relieved, ventricular dilatation and loss of diastolic and contractile function ensues. It is clear that the remodeling process has profound effects on the cardiac myocyte and on the extracellular matrix (excess fibrosis) and that these effects are primarily initiated by myocardial strain-stress that is induced by pathologic loading conditions. The geometric and contractile alterations that clinically characterize remodeling are associated with genomic expression, molecular, cellular, and interstitial changes that we are only beginning to understand. However, the advent of technologies such as microchip RNA and protein arrays combined with advances in imaging and biomechanical methodologies should further our understanding of the underlying molecular pathophysiology and altered mechanical behavior of the abnormally remodeled heart.
Detection of Specific DNA Sequences in Somatic Cell Hybrids and DNA Transfectants

One of the methods to study gene expression in mammalian cells is to introduce the desired gene or genes into an appropriate recipient mammalian cell. There are several methods to introduce foreign genes into mammalian cells. These include somatic cell hybridization of whole cells, fusion of whole cells with microkaryoplasts, chromosome transfer, chromatin transfer, and DNA transfer.
Our metrics, ourselves: A hundred years of self-tracking from the weight scale to the wrist wearable device:

The recent proliferation of wearable self-tracking devices intended to regulate and measure the body has brought contingent questions of controlling, accessing and interpreting personal data. Given a socio-technical context in which individuals are no longer the most authoritative source on data about themselves, wearable selftracking technologies reflect the simultaneous commodification and knowledgemaking that occurs between data and bodies. In this article, we look specifically at wearable, self-tracking devices in order to set up an analytical comparison with a key historical predecessor, the weight scale. By taking two distinct cases of self-tracking – wearables and the weight scale – we can situate current discourses of big data within a historical framing of self-measurement and human subjectivity. While the advertising promises of both the weight scale and the wearable device emphasize self-knowledge and control through external measurement, the use of wearable data by multiple agents and institutions results in a lack of control over data by the user. In the production of self-knowledge, the wearable device is also making the user known to others, in a range of ways that can be both skewed and inaccurate.
Bone marrow composition of cholesterol-fed guinea pigs.

SummaryThe anemia produced in guinea pigs by dietary cholesterol led to a stimulation of erythropoietic activity with a proliferation of marrow cells which displaced the fat globules normally occupying the femoral marrow cavity. The triglyceride content decreased to half of its original level while the relative proportion of PL and cholesterol, on a dry, fat-free basis, remained unchanged. The proportion of linoleic acid in the remaining portion of TG decreased. Fractionation of the PL showed changes in their composition, particularly a decrease of the less polar components. The relationship of these changes in marrow to the changes observed in the peripheral blood requires further study.
Plasma Enhanced Glass Surface Modification: Structure and Properties

Soda-lime-silica glasses were treated by an argon plasma, that was generated by an inductively-coupled rf power supply. The surface composition of the treated glasses were profiled using SIMS, and the glass structure was probed using diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy. A Buehler Micromet II (micro hardness tester) was used to measure hardness. The effects of various process parameters such as temperature, gas pressure and treatment time on glass surface composition, structure and properties are discussed. The results show that the surfaces of the treated samples were dealkalized to some depths as great as 0.5 µ. The surface structure of the treated glasses is close to that of pure silica glass and surface hardness is improved after plasma treatment.
Surgical Neuropathology of Focal Epilepsies: Textbook and Atlas

Surgical Neuropathology of Focal Epilepsies: Textbook and Atlas Ingmar Blumcke, Harvey B. Sarnat, and Roland Coras John Libbey Eurotext, Montrouge, France, 2015 157 pages; $99.50 (90.00 €) This is a concise and practical gui-de to the neuropathological diagnosis of epileptogenic lesions. This book would be a particularly valuable addition to the shelf of any neuropathologist faced with evaluation of these often enigmatic lesions. The 157 pages of text contain 70 high-quality figures. The first 81 pages comprise a textbook containing a brief introduction followed by 5 chapters add-ressing the major categories of epileptogenic …
Global Convergence Technique for the Newton Method with Periodic Hessian Evaluation

The problem of globalizing the Newton method when the actual Hessian matrix is not used at every iteration is considered. A stabilization technique is studied that employs a new line search strategy for ensuring the global convergence under mild assumptions. Moreover, an implementable algorithmic scheme is proposed, where the evaluation of the second derivatives is conditioned to the behavior of the algorithm during the minimization process and the local convexity properties of the objective function. This is done in order to obtain a significant computational saving, while keeping acceptable the unavoidable degradation in convergence speed. The numerical results reported indicate that the method described may be employed advantageously in all applications where the computation of the Hessian matrix is highly time consuming.
Using probabilistic generative models for ranking risks of android apps

One of Android's main defense mechanisms against malicious apps is a risk communication mechanism which, before a user installs an app, warns the user about the permissions the app requires, trusting that the user will make the right decision. This approach has been shown to be ineffective as it presents the risk information of each app in a "stand-alone" fashion and in a way that requires too much technical knowledge and time to distill useful information. We introduce the notion of risk scoring and risk ranking for Android apps, to improve risk communication for Android apps, and identify three desiderata for an effective risk scoring scheme. We propose to use probabilistic generative models for risk scoring schemes, and identify several such models, ranging from the simple Naive Bayes, to advanced hierarchical mixture models. Experimental results conducted using real-world datasets show that probabilistic general models significantly outperform existing approaches, and that Naive Bayes models give a promising risk scor- ing approach.
Fatigue of a 2D unitized polymer/ceramic matrix composite at elevated temperature

Abstract Tension-tension fatigue behavior of a 2D unitized polymer/ceramic matrix composite and of a 2D polymer matrix composite (PMC) was studied at elevated temperature. The 2D PMC consisted of polyimide matrix reinforced with 15 plies of carbon fibers woven in an eight harness satin weave (8HSW). The unitized composite consists of a PMC co-cured with a ceramic matrix composite (CMC). The PMC part consisted of the polyimide matrix reinforced with 12 plies of an 8HSW carbon fiber fabric. The CMC part consisted of a zirconia-based ceramic matrix reinforced with 3 plies of an 8HSW quartz fiber fabric. In order to assess the performance and suitability of the two composites for use in aerospace components designed to contain high-temperature environments, mechanical tests were performed under temperature conditions simulating the actual operating conditions. In all elevated temperature tests performed in this work, one side of the test specimen was at 329 °C while the other side was open to ambient laboratory air. The tensile stress-strain behavior of the two composites was investigated and the tensile properties measured for both on-axis (0/90) and off-axis (±45) fiber orientations. Elevated temperature had little effect on the on-axis tensile properties of the two composites. The off-axis tensile strength of the PMC decreased slightly at elevated temperature, while the off-axis strength of the unitized PMC/CMC remained unchanged. Tension-tension fatigue tests were conducted at elevated temperature at a frequency of 1.0 Hz with a ratio of minimum stress to maximum stress of R = 0.05. Fatigue run-out was defined as 2 × 10 5 cycles. Both strain accumulation and modulus evolution during cycling were analyzed for each fatigue test. The PMC exhibited better fatigue resistance than the unitized composite. Specimens that achieved fatigue run-out were subjected to tensile tests to failure to characterize the retained tensile properties. Post-test examination under an optical microscope revealed severe delamination in both the PMC and the unitized PMC/CMC.
On the stability of P-wave tomography at Loma Prieta: A comparison of parameterizations, linear and nonlinear inversions

We investigate the stability of tomographic analysis by comparing the results of two different methods of parameterizing the three-dimensional P -wave velocity variations in the vicinity of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. A block inversion is implemented using 55 by 45 by 10 blocks of 1 km width and varying thickness to a depth of 25 km below the surface. Linear and nonlinear analysis are presented. The nonlinear analysis is achieved by iterating over three-dimensional raytracing and earthquake relocation relative to current three-dimensional models until solutions show only small improvements. A second parameterization is achieved by using cubic B-spline functions to span the space of the model, which is rotated by 46.5°. Nonlinear results are presented with several different starting models illustrating the robustness of the technique to the initial conditions. All the nonlinear results produced essentially the same final model, which was structurally the same as the model obtained by linear analysis using a reasonable starting model.
The intermolecular charge transfer integral as an indicator of future success in organic photovoltaics(Conference Presentation)

In recent years, higher power conversion efficiencies have been measured using "push-pull" or Donor-Acceptor (D-A) type compounds designed to specifically address bandgap and energy level requirements. Yet, a strong prescription is fundamentally lacking that improves materials for the set of all critical properties (including exciton diffusion rate and charge transport/ mobility) that combine to provide optimal performance. We will present our newest theoretical models that simulate the morphology-based spectroscopy for a series of squaraines, compounds representative of the total set of D-A type OPV-targets. The theory will describe how morphological and molecular structure influences i) the absorption spectrum, ii) the excited states and iii) the intermolecular charge transfer integral (ICTI). In particular, the ICTI's role in exciton diffusion and carrier mobility will be explored. Using device data that correlates with the ICTI variation, we will explain how this parameter must be considered in future design of new easily-purified, consistently processable, low-band-gap small molecules targeted for large scale OPV manufacture.
Omega bayron interactions with Lattice QCD

We discuss the interactions of the two-Ω− baryon system in multiple spin channels with lattice QCD. Lattice QCD is the only known technique for calculating low-energy hadronic observables directly from the underlying theory of QCD. In addition to being an interesting hyperonic system in its own right, the two-Ω− system also provides an ideal laboratory for exploring the interactions of multi-baryon systems with minimal dependence on light quark masses. Previous model calculations of the two-Ω− system have obtained conflicting results, which can be resolved by lattice QCD. The lattice calculations are performed using two different volumes with L∼ 2.5 and 3.9 fm at mπ ∼ 390 MeV with a lattice spacing of as ∼ 0.123 fm. Using multiple interpolating operators from a non-displaced source, we present scattering information for two ground state Ω− baryons in both the S=0 and S=2 channels. For S=0, k cotδ is extracted at two volumes, which leads to an extrapolated scattering length of aΩΩ S=0 = 0.16±0.22 fm, indicating a weakly repulsive interaction. Additionally, for S=2, two separate highly repulsive states are observed.
Laboratory transition probabilities for studies of nucleosynthesis of Fe-group elements1

The synthesis of iron (Fe-) group elements was different in the early Galaxy than it is today. Measurements of the relative Fe-group elemental abundances in old metal-poor stars yield information o...
FIE 2016 special session - designing the engineer's way

This special session will introduce participants to our method for supporting integrative learning about key science and math concepts via engineering design challenges. Engineering Teaching Kit (ETKs) are self-contained STEM education standards-based units grounded in the constructivist philosophy of education and the principles of guided inquiry and active learning. An ETK introduces P-12 students to real-world constraints engineers must consider in developing their designs such as budget, cost, time, risk, reliability, safety, and customer needs and demands. Finally, due to their inherent interdisciplinary approach, the use of ETKs also encourages the integration of other subjects in the curriculum, such as history and language arts, into lesson plans, leading to an efficient and reinforcing project-based learning environment.
A joint EMD and Teager-Kaiser energy approach towards normal and nasal speech analysis

Velopharyngeal inadequacy produced in cleft Up and palate (CLP) situations manifests as hypernasality in the underlying speech and utterances. Common methods for the analysis of these utterances are one-third octave band analysis and LPC analysis. The CEEMDAN-2014 algorithm is used to decompose both normal and nasal utterances into underlying intrinsic mode functions and then Teager-Kaiser energy operator-based energy metrics of the IMFs in the lower and high frequency bands are computed. The proposed energy metrics are shown to produce a clear delineation between nasal and normal resonances taken from utterances containing various levels of hypernasality in the American CLP Craniofacial database.
Too Little or Too Much? Women’s Economic Risk Exposure

One common explanation for the marked inequality of wealth by gender is that women take on less risk in the stock market than men do. However, women and men can face additional risks in the labor and housing markets and through business ownership and caregiving responsibilities. In each case, they face potentially substantial losses of income and savings. The fear of losses from exposure to economic risks can lead people to avoid making decisions to protect themselves, for instance, by saving less and shortening their planning horizons. Widespread risk exposure, especially to hard-to-avoid risks in the labor market and through caregiving, can lower people’s savings. This article uses data from the Survey of Consumer Finances to measure and quantify comprehensive risk exposure for single women and single men. Single women stand to lose larger shares of their earnings than men do, largely because of greater caregiving risk exposure. Their increased risk exposure, especially to hard-to-avoid risks, also correlates with lower savings. Employers and policymakers could consider ways to lower the costs associated with hard-to-avoid risks in the labor market and through caregiving as a way of addressing gender wealth inequality.
Prioritizing Measures of Digital Patient Engagement: A Delphi Expert Panel Study

Background: Establishing a validated scale of patient engagement through use of information technology (ie, digital patient engagement) is the first step to understanding its role in health and health care quality, outcomes, and efficient implementation by health care providers and systems. Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and prioritize measures of digital patient engagement based on patients’ use of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s MyHealtheVet (MHV) portal, focusing on the MHV/Blue Button and Secure Messaging functions. Methods: We aligned two models from the information systems and organizational behavior literatures to create a theory-based model of digital patient engagement. On the basis of this model, we conducted ten key informant interviews to identify potential measures from existing VA studies and consolidated the measures. We then conducted three rounds of modified Delphi rating by 12 national eHealth experts via Web-based surveys to prioritize the measures. Results: All 12 experts completed the study’s three rounds of modified Delphi ratings, resulting in two sets of final candidate measures representing digital patient engagement for Secure Messaging (58 measures) and MHV/Blue Button (71 measures). These measure sets map to Donabedian’s three types of quality measures: (1) antecedents (eg, patient demographics); (2) processes (eg, a novel measure of Web-based care quality); and (3) outcomes (eg, patient engagement). Conclusions: This national expert panel study using a modified Delphi technique prioritized candidate measures to assess digital patient engagement through patients’ use of VA’s My HealtheVet portal. The process yielded two robust measures sets prepared for future piloting and validation in surveys among Veterans. [J Med Internet Res 2017;19(5):e182]
Seed Germination of Two Populations of Rhododendron vaseyi: Influence of Light and Temperature

Abstract Seeds of two populations of Rhododendron vaseyi A. Gray (pinkshell azalea) were germinated at 25C (77F) or an 8/16 hr thermoperiod of 30/20C (86/68F) with daily photoperiods at each temperature of 0 (total darkness), ½, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, or 24 hr. Germination was recorded every 3 days for 30 days. Light was required for germination regardless of population or temperature. As photoperiod increased, germination increased. The highest cumulative (30-day) germination percentages were realized at 30/20C with a 24-hr photoperiod; germination percentages for populations 1 and 2 were 45 and 50%, respectively. Temperature and photoperiod requirements for germination did not generally differ between the two populations.
TAVR Thrombosis: A Blurry Snapshot

Subclinical thrombosis of transcatheter aortic valve (TAVR) prostheses has garnered significant attention following serial publications from the Assessment of Transcatheter and Surgical Aortic Biop...
From the Cult of Bolívar to the Cell of Gramsci: Hugo Chávez’s Intellectual Reenactments

It is not important that this movement had its origins in mediocre philosophical works, or at best, in works that were not philosophical masterpieces. What matters is that a new way of conceiving the world and man is born and that this conception is no longer reserved to the great intellectuals, to professional philosophers, but tends rather to become a popular, mass phenomenon.
Assessment of similarity and self-other agreement in dyadic relationships

Many questions within the relationship literature are concerned with the similarity between individuals or the agreement of perceptions. There are a number of different methods used to assess these...
None of our business: A lack of curricular internationalization on the Middle East at small to midsize colleges and universities in New England

ABSTRACTCross-cultural competencies are now specified as critical outcomes in U.S. higher education. Yet an analysis of accredited business programs in New England revealed that students frequently were not required to take courses about the Middle East. The study findings indicate that, for a region of economic and political importance to the United States, a gap exists between the curricular internationalization signaled by accreditation and how accreditors assess this internationalization.
Surgical Management of the Multiple-Ligament Knee Injury

The management of multiligament knee injury is a complex process starting with the adequate identification of the injury. A detailed physical and radiographic examination with a thorough understanding of knee anatomy is crucial to assess all damaged structures: anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, posteromedial corner including the medial collateral ligament, and posterolateral corner including the lateral collateral ligament. Several surgical techniques have been developed throughout the years to adequately address these ligament insufficiencies. In this surgical technique description, we describe a reproducible method for the assessment and surgical management of a knee dislocation (KDIV) injury. Our approach includes using anatomic single-bundle cruciate ligament reconstructions with modified Bosworth technique for medial-side injuries and a combination of Muller popliteal bypass and Larson figure-of-8 techniques for posterolateral corner injuries. The orders of surgical steps is described concisely, and technical controversies such as graft choice, tunnel positioning, and sequence of graft fixation are discussed in detail.
COQ2 nephropathy: a treatable cause of nephrotic syndrome in children.

Nephrotic syndrome can be caused by a subgroup of mitochondrial diseases classified as primary coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency. Pathogenic COQ2 variants are a cause of primary CoQ10 deficiency and present with phenotypes ranging from isolated nephrotic syndrome to fatal multisystem disease. We report three pediatric patients with COQ2 variants presenting with nephrotic syndrome. Two of these patients had normal leukocyte CoQ10 levels prior to treatment. Pathologic findings varied from mesangial sclerosis to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, with all patients having abnormal appearing mitochondria on kidney biopsy. In two of the three patients treated with CoQ10 supplementation, the nephrotic syndrome resolved; and at follow-up, both have normal renal function and stable proteinuria. COQ2 nephropathy should be suspected in patients presenting with nephrotic syndrome, although less common than disease due to mutations in NPHS1, NPHS2, and WT1. The index of suspicion should remain high, and we suggest that providers consider genetic evaluation even in patients with normal leukocyte CoQ10 levels, as levels may be within normal range even with significant clinical disease. Early molecular diagnosis and specific treatment are essential in the management of this severe yet treatable condition.
Primary Care Practice Workplace Social Capital: A Potential Secret Sauce for Improved Staff Well-Being and Patient Experience

Patient experiences with the health-care system are increasingly seen as a vital measure of health-care quality. This study examined whether workplace social capital and employee outcomes are associated with patients' perceptions of care quality across multiple clinic sites in a diverse, urban safety net care setting. Data from clinic staff were collected using paper and pencil surveys and data from patients were collected via a telephone survey. A total of 8392 adult primary care patients and 265 staff (physicians, nurses, allied health, and support staff) were surveyed at 10 community health clinics. The staff survey included brief measures of workplace social capital, burnout, and job satisfaction. The patient-level outcome was patients' overall rating of the quality of care. Factor analysis and reliability analysis were conducted to examine measurement properties of the employee data. Data were aggregated and measures were examined at the clinic site level. Workplace social capital had moderate to strong associations with burnout (r = -0.40, P < .01) and job satisfaction (r = 0.59, P < .01). Mean patient quality of care rating was 8.90 (95% confidence interval: 8.86-8.94) ranging from 8.57 to 9.18 across clinic sites. Pearson correlations with patient-rated care quality were high for workplace social capital (r = 0.88, P = .001), employee burnout (r = -0.74, P < .05), and satisfaction (r = 0.69, P < .05). Patient-perceived clinic quality differences were largely explained by differences in workplace social capital, staff burnout, and satisfaction. Investments in workplace social capital to improve employee satisfaction and reduce burnout may be key to better patient experiences in primary care.
Early features of Kawasaki disease with pyuria in febrile infants younger than 6 months.

Children with Kawasaki disease (KD) and pyuria have been misdiagnosed with urinary tract infection (UTI). We compared clinical and laboratory features at admission between two groups of infants under 6 months of age who showed initial pyuria, to identify the initial clues suggestive of KD. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of children with fever who were under 6 months of age with pyuria, over a 10-year period (2007–2017). We included infants with sterile pyuria who were finally diagnosed with KD and those with UTI. During the period investigated, 12 (9.9%) KD patients with sterile pyuria and 378 infants with UTI were included in this study. Older age (P 68 mm/hr had a ninefold higher odds of KD compared to those with lower ESR levels (odds ratio: 8.963, 95% confidence intervals: 1.936–41.493, P = 0.005), whereas CRP and platelet count could not significantly increase in the odds of KD at a cut-off point. Persistent fever, elevated ESR, and negative urine nitrite test can serve as early clues to suspect KD in febrile infants with pyuria.
Lithium use and risk of fracture: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

This systematic review and meta-analysis summarized the results from nine eligible observational studies. Lithium use was significantly associated with a decrease risk of fractures. The association between lithium use and risk of fracture is uncertain. To date, there have been no meta-analyses that have studied the association between the two. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effect of lithium medication on the risk of fracture. A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, and MEDLINE to include eligible observational studies. Three reviewers conducted the literature search, study selection, study appraisal, and data abstraction independently. Random effects models were used to obtain the overall estimate for meta-analysis. Cochran’s Q and Higgins’ I2 were used to assess heterogeneity. A funnel plot and Egger’s regression test were employed to assess publication bias. Of the 3819 studies that were identified by our search strategy, eight were eligible for the systematic review, while seven of them qualified for the meta-analysis. In studies that reported risk ratio (RR) of fracture as an outcome (five studies [n = 1,134,722]), lithium use was associated with a 20% decrease in risk of fracture (RR = 0.80; 95% CI, 0.73–0.87; p < 0.01). A decreased risk of fracture associated with lithium was also observed in studies that adjusted for previous fractures (RR = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.73–0.89; p < 0.01). The decreased risk of fracture associated with lithium use remained consistent in all the analyses with different inclusion criteria. Neither significant heterogeneity nor significant publication bias was observed. The present systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that lithium use was associated with a significant decreased risk of fracture.
Individual Daily and Seasonal Activity Patterns in Fox Squirrels (Sciurus niger) Quantified by Temperature-Sensitive Data Loggers

Almost all publications on the activity of tree squirrels have reported average patterns for the observed group or population and provided little information about the variability of these patterns in individual animals. As natural selection operates mainly on the level of individual animals, detailed data about the everyday life of single individuals and field data of high complexity are needed. This study provides low disturbance continuous recording of the diurnal/circadian activity cycle of individual fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) in a natural setting, which allowed us to document the intra-individual and inter-individual pattern variation over the seasons. The daily onsets and offsets of activity were inferred from recordings of skin temperature using iButtons attached to the necks of 14 individual squirrels over almost four years resulting in 25 continuous records totaling 1353 days. All squirrels were clearly diurnal but varied greatly in the number of daily activity bouts showing predominantly unimodal and bimodal patterns. Variations in activity patterns were related mostly to the seasons, followed by the inter-individual variability between squirrels. Fox squirrels spent 66-68% of the day in their nests in spring, summer and fall, and 77% in winter. In the same season, individual squirrels exited their nests at about the same time every morning. In summer, they left their nests about 3 hours earlier in the morning than in winter. The timing of first exits was significantly correlated with the number of daily nest exits and total out-of-nest time (ONT), and both variables were significantly correlated with both photoperiod and daily maximum temperature. Squirrels studied simultaneously showed substantial day-to-day variability in both number of daily exits and total ONT that either matched or exceeded the inter-individual variability. Many squirrels left their nests occasionally during the night, while about half occasionally spent entire nights outside an insulated nest. The timing of nest entries and exits, the modality of the activity pattern, the daily proportion of rest, and the occurrence of activity during the typically inactive time of the activity cycle are all aspects of an animal’s activity pattern. They should therefore receive more attention for the characterization of species-specific behavior.
Abstract 207: Molecular Signatures of Sex Differences in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Introduction: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a complex syndrome involving diastolic dysfunction and metabolic disorders. Women are twice as likely to develop HFpEF as com...
Diversity Patterns of Neotropical Ferns: Revisiting Tryon's Centers of Richness and Endemism

Almost fifty years ago Dr. Rolla M. Tryon investigated the patterns of neotropical fern diversity and discovered that sites of exceptional richness and endemism are found in five predominantly montane regions. Here, we revisit these sites with the aid of contemporary methodologies. We integrate phylogenetic, ecological, climatic, and occurrence data to better understand what factors contribute to the patterns of fern diversity throughout the neotropics. With this dataset we are able to reassess Tryon's neotropical hotspots fifty years later and take one step closer to understanding the processes governing the distribution of fern species. We recover six hotspots of neotropical species richness and endemism that closely mirror those delineated by Tryon. Like Tryon, we find that hotspots are found predominantly in montane regions with more climatic space compared to surrounding areas. Patterns of species richness and lineage diversification can largely be explained by the extent of available habitats, especially in association with montane ecosystems. We also show that patterns of species assemblages across the neotropics are largely dictated by distance and elevation. In synthesis, we propose that, in addition to migration and persistence of relictual lineages, patterns of species richness and endemism in the neotropics are driven by in situ speciation in montane regions.