cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Informed Consent Preferences for Multiplex Genetic Carrier Screening among a Diverse Population

Multiplex genetic carrier screening is increasingly being integrated into reproductive care. Obtaining informed consent becomes more challenging as the number of screened conditions increases. Implementing a model of generic informed consent may facilitate informed decision-making. Current Wayne State University students and staff were invited to complete a web-based survey by blast email solicitation. Participants were asked to determine which of two generic informed consent scenarios they preferred: a brief versus a detailed consent. They were asked to rank the importance of different informational components in making an informed decision and to provide demographic information. Comparisons between informational preferences, demographic variables and scenario preferences were made. Six hundred ninety three participants completed the survey. When evaluating these generic consents, the majority preferred the more detailed consent (74.5 %), and agreed that it provided enough information to make an informed decision (89.5 %). Those who thought it would be more important to know the severity of the conditions being screened (p = .002) and range of symptoms (p = .000) were more likely to prefer the more detailed consent. There were no significant associations between scenario preferences and demographic variables. A generic consent was perceived to provide sufficient information for informed decision making regarding multiplex carrier screening with most preferring a more detailed version of the consent. Individual attitudes rather than demographic variables influenced preferences regarding the amount of information that should be included in the generic consent. The findings have implications for how clinicians approach providing tailored informed consent.
Estimating absolute glomerular filtration rate in children.

Normal values of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in children are often expressed in a value adjusted to adult ideal body surface area. These values work well for many clinical situations, but in infants and children, especially those with atypical body mass, they may not accurately reflect renal function. Most body composition values in children are expressed in developmentally appropriate ranges. Absolute GFR (ml/min) also changes during childhood increasing rapidly in infancy and then gradually with age and body size. Previously, we developed a bedside equation for estimating GFR (ml/min) in children that accounted for changes with age and body size, and which correlated well with steady-state cold iothalamate GFR (ml/min) measurements: GFR (ml/min) = k*sqrt[(age(months) + 6)*wt (kg)/serum Cr (mg/dl)], where k=0.95 for females and 1.05 for males. In the present study GFR (ml/min) measured by iothalamate infusion was compared by correlation analysis with estimates calculated from the above equation in 566 children. This equation provides clinicians with a simple bedside method to estimate absolute GFR (ml/min).
Functional Electrical Stimulation of Ankle Plantarflexor and Dorsiflexor Muscles: Effects on Poststroke Gait

Background and Purpose— Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a popular poststroke gait rehabilitation intervention. Although stroke causes multijoint gait deficits, FES is commonly used only for the correction of swing-phase foot drop. Ankle plantarflexor muscles play an important role during gait. The aim of the current study was to test the immediate effects of delivering FES to both ankle plantarflexors and dorsiflexors on poststroke gait. Methods— Gait analysis was performed as subjects (N=13) with chronic poststroke hemiparesis walked at their self-selected walking speeds during walking with and without FES. Results— Compared with delivering FES to only the ankle dorsiflexor muscles during the swing phase, delivering FES to both the paretic ankle plantarflexors during terminal stance and dorsiflexors during the swing phase provided the advantage of greater swing-phase knee flexion, greater ankle plantarflexion angle at toe-off, and greater forward propulsion. Although FES of both the dorsiflexo...
Including the load balancing issue in the optimization of multi-way join queries for shared-nothing database computers

The authors determine a plan that makes the execution of an individual query very fast, with minimizing parallel execution time as the objective. This creates a circular dependence: a plan tree is needed for effective resource assignment, which is needed to estimate the parallel execution time, and which in turn is needed for the cost-based search for a good plan tree. A search heuristic that breaks the cycle by constructing the plan tree layer by layer in a bottom-up manner is proposed. To select nodes at the next level, the lower and upper bounds on the execution time for plans consistent with the decisions made so far are estimated and are used to guide the search. A query plan representation for intraoperator and interoperator parallelism, pipelining, and processor and memory assignment is proposed, as is a new approach for estimating the parallel execution time of a plan that considers sum and max of operators working sequentially and in parallel, respectively. >
The associations between park environments and park use in southern US communities.

PURPOSE: To document park use and park and neighborhood environment characteristics in rural communities, and to examine the relationship between park characteristics and park use. METHODS: The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities measured use in 42 target areas across 6 community parks in May 2010 and October 2010. Direct observation instruments were used to assess park and neighborhood environment characteristics. Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between the condition, number of amenities, and number of incivilities in a target area with target area use. FINDINGS: Ninety-seven people were observed across all parks during May 2010 data collection and 116 people during October 2010 data collection. Low park quality index scores and unfavorable neighborhood environment characteristics were observed. There was a significant positive association between number of incivilities in a target area and target area use (OR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.09-3.38; P =.03). CONCLUSIONS: The number of people observed using the parks in this study was low, and it was considerably less than the number observed in other studies. The objective park and neighborhood environment characteristics documented in this study provide a more comprehensive understanding of parks than other studies. Further examining the complex relationship between park and neighborhood environment characteristics and park use is important, as it can inform park administrators and city planners of characteristics that are best able to attract visitors. Language: en
Conflict resolution training programs: Implications for theory and research

Interest in methods of conflict resolution has grown significantly in the last decade (Pruitt and Kressel, 1985). Some of the more prominent developments include the emergence of public sector labor mediation, family and divorce mediation, and judicial and public resource mediation. This interest is also reflected in the number of courses included in the curricula of schools of law and business, graduate programs in sociology and social psychology, and in inter-disciplinary programs focusing on conflict resolution. Additionally, many professionals and lay people in a variety of occupations indicate a strong desire to acquire skills in conflict resolution (Sandole and Sandole-Staroste, 1987). To meet these needs, researchers, theorists, teachers and practitioners in academic and nonacademic settings are holding conferences, conducting research, produc­ ing papers, and offering many types of short courses and training programs with such titles as ''The Craft of Negotiation,'' ''Mediation of Family and Divorce Conflict," and "Methods of Alternative Dispute Resolution." In this article I shall examine four conflict resolution training programs in an attempt to determine to what extent the assumptions, approaches, prin­ ciples and theories underpinning these programs could form the basis of an economical model that could effectively train a variety of people and groups. Is there a set of necessary principles for teaching people how to be con­ flict resolvers? Are there methods of training that encourage the skill develop­ ment of potential conflict resolvers? How should training programs be evaluated? Are criteria being developed for appraising the effectiveness of training? The training programs discussed here-each selected because of its dis­ tinctive purpose-were offered by expert practitioners for experienced as well as would-be negotiators and mediators. My analysis of the training programs is based on observations of and consultations with trainers and participants, and on my own direct participation in the trainings.
Multivariate approach to estimate colour producing agents in Case 2 waters using first-derivative spectrophotometer data

The complex composition and distribution of colour producing agents (CPAs) in turbid aquatic environments such as the Western Basin of Lake Erie (WBLE) presents a challenge to the application of remote sensing data for differentiating among in-water constituents and estimating their concentrations independently. In this study, multivariate procedures are applied to lab-based spectrophotometer data to estimate the concentration of chlorophyll-a and suspended matters in the WBLE. Principal Component Analysis of first-derivative transformed hyper-spectral data from the spectrophotometer extracted three significant spectral components for each cruise, explaining up to 88% of the spectral variability. Spectral matching using reference spectra indicated that two of the extracted patterns represent signatures of in-water constituents that govern the optical properties of the WBLE, namely, cyanobacteria and diatoms associated with green algae. The spectrophotometer data clearly revealed known spectral features as...
A Taxonomy for Objectively Analyzing the Consultation Process

A number of studies have been completed on the requisite skills for effective consultation. Some of the research reflects surveys of professionals to determine skills and their importance, relevance, and/or necessity. Other research has focused on time engaged in various activities, with the implication that time spent in an activity is a reflection of that activity's importance. The current study bridges these two areas of research. It frames an observational system for measuring time engaged in various activities that subsume many specific skills. Because of the methodological limitations of previous research on engaged time, a unique instrument was created to provide a taxonomy for measuring reliably what consultants actually do while engaged in consultation. A case study is reported, with data provided at two levels: student (client) outcome and consultant process, the latter of which is described further in terms of participants, phases, and behavioral activities. Discussion focuses on the need for m...
Resource planning in electricity markets

Two observations are made based on these results. First, from the economics viewpoint, the GENCO ought to make necessary investments for meeting the future demand and securing its financial return over the 15-year horizon. Second, from the reliability viewpoint, certain units must be added to enhance the system reliability, which is the most important aspect of the power system operation. The case studies in general present the effectiveness of the proposed planning approach. The proposed method considers various options such as adding a new unit, retrofitting, or leasing an existing unit for satisfying the prevailing constraints. Meanwhile, the expected profit over the planning horizon provides the planner with additional information on the investment return for certain market price forecasts, which is helpful for the investment decision-making. The salient feature of the proposed method is that it can model GENCOs as independent agents, which could compete in a volatile market for maximizing their profit, while the system security and reliability is guaranteed by the ISO. The proposed plan can be viewed as a trade-off between economy and reliability.
THE RELATIONSHIPS OF THE WRENTIT AS INDICATED BY DNA-DNA HYBRIDIZATION

The relationships of the Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) have been debated since its discovery in 1845. The titmice (Parus), babblers (Timaliini), Old World warblers (Sylviini), bushtits (Psaltriparus), wrens (Troglodytidae), and mockingbirds (Mimini) have been suggested as its closest relatives. Many authors have placed the Wrentit in a monotypic family, Chamaeidae. DNA-DNA hy- bridization comparisons between the homologous nucleotide sequences of the single-copy DNAs of the Wrentit and other passerines indicate that Chamaea is most closely related to the babblers and the Old World warblers, and that the latter two groups are ecotypes of a single, varied, monophyletic assemblage. The Wrentit is annroximatelv eauidistant from the sylviines and the timaliines, but ecologically it is a babbler. _ The Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) occurs in chaparral and other dense, brushy, plant for- mations in western Oregon, California, and northwestern Baja California. The question of its affinities to other passerines has been de- bated since the 1850's. Sibley (1970:57-60) reviewed the taxonomic history of the Wrentit and presented electrophoretic comparisons between its egg white proteins and those of many other oscine taxa. He concluded that the total evidence did not offer a clear choice be- tween the sylviine warblers and the timaliine babblers as the closest relatives of Chamaea and that the question of the "relationships of the wren-tit remains open and further evidence should be presented before the affinities of the wren-tit are considered to have been proved beyond doubt" (p. 60). More recently, Sibley and Ahlquist (1980) concluded that Cha- maea is a babbler. In the present paper we offer additional data showing that the sylviine warblers and timaliine babblers are actually ecotypes of a single varied assemblage and that the Wrentit probably was derived from an Asiatic babbler. METHODS
Opposing effects of expectancy and somatic focus on pain.

High-pain expectancy increases pain and pain-related brain activity, creating a cycle of psychologically maintained pain. Though these effects are robust, little is known about how expectancy works and what psychological processes either support or mitigate its effects. To address this, we independently manipulated pain expectancy and “top-down” attention to the body, and examined their effects on both a performance-based measure of body-focus and heat-induced pain. Multi-level mediation analyses showed that high-pain expectancy substantially increased pain, replicating previous work. However, attention to the body reduced pain, partially suppressing the effects of expectancy. Furthermore, increased body-focus had larger pain-reducing effects when pain expectancy was high, suggesting that attempts to focus on external distractors are counterproductive in this situation. Overall, the results show that attention to the body cannot explain pain-enhancing expectancy effects, and that focusing on sensory/discriminative aspects of pain might be a useful pain-regulation strategy when severe pain is expected.
Bordered complex Hessians

We record some basic facts about bordered complex Hessians and logarithmically plurisubharmonic functions. These enable us to prove that a nonnegative bihomogeneous polynomial is plurisubharmonic if and only if it is log-plurisubharmonic; we give a more general version for twice differentiable bihomogeneous functions. The proof relies on the vanishing of the determinant of the bordered complex Hessian; we go on to find general classes of solutions to the nonlinear PDE given by setting the determinant of a bordered complex Hessian equal to zero.
A revision of the genus Phaeonychium (Brassicaceae)

Phaeonychium consists of six species distributed in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kashmir, Nepal, and Tajikistan. The new combinations P. villosum and P. kashgaricum are proposed. Phaeonychium jafrii is described as new. The limits and relationships of Phaeonychium are discussed.
Sex-for-Crack-Cocaine Exchange, Poor Black Women, and Pregnancy

A sample of 34 poor Black women who exchanged sex for crack was screened to discover if sex-for-crack exchanges resulted in pregnancies. Ethnographic interviews were conducted with women who became pregnant this way. Out of the 34 women, 18 reported sex-for-crack pregnancies, and more than half of that number became pregnant this way more than once. Twenty-nine pregnancies were reported. Only 2 women chose to have abortions. Interview transcripts were analyzed using qualitative data analytical procedures. The following three issues shaped the women's responses to sex-for-crack pregnancies: (a) severity of crack use, (b) religious beliefs, and (c) social organization patterns within poor Black communities. The findings have implications for drug treatment and child welfare policy.
Effects of Parkinson’s disease on optimization and structure of variance in multi-finger tasks

We explored the role of the basal ganglia in two components of multi-finger synergies by testing a group of patients with early-stage Parkinson’s disease and a group of healthy controls. Synergies were defined as co-varied adjustments of commands to individual fingers that reduced variance of the total force and moment of force. The framework of the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis was used to quantify such co-variation patterns, while average performance across repetitive trials (sharing patterns) was analyzed using the analytical inverse optimization (ANIO) approach. The subjects performed four-finger pressing tasks that involved the accurate production of combinations of the total force and total moment of force and also repetitive trials at two selected combinations of the total force and moment. The ANIO approach revealed significantly larger deviations of the experimental data planes from an optimal plane for the patients compared to the control subjects. The synergy indices computed for total force stabilization were significantly higher in the control subjects compared to the patients; this was not true for synergy indices computed for moment of force stabilization. The differences in the synergy indices were due to the larger amount of variance that affected total force in the patients, while the amount of variance that did not affect total force was comparable between the groups. We conclude that the basal ganglia play an important role in both components of synergies reflecting optimization of the sharing patterns and stability of performance with respect to functionally important variables.
Electromagnetic field response of triaxial induction logging tools in 1-D multi-layered anisotropic formations

As thick-layered oil reservoirs are gradually getting exhausted, detection and exploration of thin laminated reservoirs are becoming more and more important. Thin laminated sand-shale layers can be treated as transverse isotropic in bulk, characterized by the horizontal and vertical resistivity. The recently developed triaxial induction tool can detect formation anisotropy. In a traixial tool, three orthogonal transmitter and receiver coils oriented at three directions are used. The formation anisotropy responds to different components of the transmitter–receiver combinations, therefore the tool is able to measure formation resistivities with anisotropy. The measured data must be converted to the formation resistivities by inversion. Since the inversion process requires a repeated computation of the forward modeling, a fast forward modeling is essential to the inversion procedure. In this paper, we presented an 1D analytic method for the efficient simulation of traixial induction tools in multilayered transverse isotropic formations. This work is based on the previous work [1] with appropriate modifications and improvements. The coefficient propagator method is used to obtain the generalized reflection and transmission coefficients in each layer. The fast Hankel transform integration method is implemented to evaluate the highly oscillating integrals of the Bessel functions. The developed code has been verified by comparison with published data and is proved to work stably and accurately for dipping angles up to 89.9o and larger than 90o. For lower dipping angles, we further improve the efficiency of the code by using a modified Gauss-Laguerre quadrature with less sampling points instead of the fast Hankel transform to evaluate the integration without loss of accuracy.
Long-term clinical and angiographic follow-up after coronary stent placement in native coronary arteries

Background— Although coronary stents have been proved effective in reducing clinical cardiac events for up to 3 to 5 years, longer term clinical and angiographic outcomes have not yet been fully clarified. Methods and Results— To evaluate longer term (7 to 11 years) outcome, clinical and angiographic follow-up information was analyzed in 405 patients with successful stenting in native coronary arteries. Primary or secondary stabilization, which was defined as freedom from death, coronary artery bypass grafting, and target lesion-percutaneous coronary intervention (TL-PCI) during the 14 months after the initial procedure or after the last TL-PCI, was achieved in 373 patients (92%) overall. Only 7 patients (1.7%) underwent TL-PCI more than twice. After the initial 14-month period, freedom from TL-PCI reached a plateau at 84.9% to 80.7% over 1 to 8 years. However, quantitative angiographic analysis in 179 lesions revealed a triphasic luminal response characterized by an early restenosis phase until 6 months,...
Initial fixation strength of massive rotator cuff tears: in vitro comparison of single-row suture anchor and transosseous tunnel constructs.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the in vitro repair integrity of massive rotator cuff tears fixed with transosseous tunnel and single–lateral row suture anchor techniques. Methods: A 5 × 2–cm crescent-shaped rotator cuff tear was created in 6 matched pairs of cadaveric shoulders. Paired shoulders were repaired with 3 transosseous tunnels and 6 Mason-Allen sutures or with 3 screw-in suture anchors and 6 simple sutures. The repairs were cyclically loaded at physiologic forces along the respective directions of pull when the arm was in 90° of scapular plane elevation. Gap formation and repair displacements were monitored with digital video imaging at 3 sites for each repair. Results: There was no significant difference between the maximal gapping of the repair constructs. After 4,000 cycles, the mean maximal gapping at any position along the repair was 6.2 ± 2.99 mm in the transosseous tunnel construct and 4.9 ± 1.27 mm in the suture anchor repair construct ( P = .40). Gapping was significantly less in the anterior region when compared with the posterior region of the repair ( P = .015). Conclusions: There is no difference in cyclic loading of transosseous and single-row suture anchor repair techniques. Significantly greater gap formation occurs at the posterior aspect of repairs of massive rotator cuff tears in this in vitro model. Clinical Relevance: Initial fixation strength of single-row suture anchor repairs is equivalent to that of transosseous repairs. Further research is required to determine the unknown clinical significance of increased posterior repair gap formation.
Photochemistry Channels of Merocyanine Encapsulated in Sol-Gel Glasses

Photophysical properties of l-Docosyl-4-(4-hydroxystyryl)pyridiniurn bromide (SB), a merocyanine dye in solution and encapsulated in sol-gel derived glass are investigated at 298 and 77 K. In solution, the absorption spectra of SB display an equilibrium between the quinolinium and benzoid forms. The equilibrium can be shifted to either quinolinium or benzoid form under an acidic or basic condition, respectively. The emission spectra of SB, on the other hand, give not only the quinolinium and benzoid forms but also the quinoid form which emits at 500 nm. The existence of excited state quinoid form of SB is also evident in the excitation spectrum while the emission at 500 nm is monitored. Both in solution and in xerogel, the quinoid form of SB is shown to be photochemically unstable as compared to the benzoid form. It is proposed that the photoexcited quinolinium form of SB is a proton dissociative species which transforms readily to become the quinoid form. The results indicate that photochemistry channels of SB are originated from the quinoid form. Moreover, the benzoid form of SB (photochemically stable) exhibits large hyperpolarizability due to its charge-transfer characteristic, and is a desired molecular form for nonlinear optical (NLO) applications. The material processing techniques for stabilizing the benzoid form of SB in optically transparent sol-gel glasses are illustrated for the first time.
The monitoring and early detection of internet worms

After many Internet-scale worm incidents in recent years, it is clear that a simple self-propagating worm can quickly spread across the Internet and cause severe damage to our society. Facing this great security threat, we need to build an early detection system that can detect the presence of a worm in the Internet as quickly as possible in order to give people accurate early warning information and possible reaction time for counteractions. This paper first presents an Internet worm monitoring system. Then, based on the idea of "detecting the trend, not the burst" of monitored illegitimate traffic, we present a "trend detection" methodology to detect a worm at its early propagation stage by using Kalman filter estimation, which is robust to background noise in the monitored data. In addition, for uniform-scan worms such as Code Red, we can effectively predict the overall vulnerable population size, and estimate accurately how many computers are really infected in the global Internet based on the biased monitored data. For monitoring a nonuniform scan worm, especially a sequential-scan worm such as Blaster, we show that it is crucial for the address space covered by the worm monitoring system to be as distributed as possible.
Middle Passages and Forced Migrations: Liberated Africans in Nineteenth-Century US Camps and Ships

Between 1858 and 1860, Africans liberated by the US Navy from four slave ships near the Cuban coast were detained in Federal custody before being transported for resettlement in Liberia. This article draws on the concept of ‘middle passage’ and ‘forced migration’ to explore the conditions under which the US government seized, detained, and transported Africans rescued from illegal trafficking. Looking at slave trade suppression through the lens of forced migration rather than legal process not only illuminates the traumatic aftermath of the original Middle Passage but also connects the voyages of liberated African shipmates to a broader history of coerced global movement.
MICROSATELLITE DNA VARIATION IN TULE ELK

Abstract California's 22 tule elk (Cervus elaphus nannodes) herds reportedly were founded by the single elk pair remaining in southern California in the 1870s and have been extensively managed during the ensuing 132 years. In our study, the first report of microsatellite variation among tule elk herds, we detected few significant genetic differences among herds. Furthermore, variation at 12 microsatellite loci was extremely limited within tule elk herds. We found large, significant differences between tule elk and both Rocky Mountain (C. e. nelsoni) and Manitoban elk (C. e. manitobensis) at the same 12 microsatellite loci. Tule elk possessed ≤50% of the allelic diversity and heterozygosity found in the other subspecies. Tule elk were fixed at 5 loci at which the other subspecies possessed an average of 4.6 alleles. We observed very large pairwise Fst values and genetic distances between tule elk and both other subspecies, likely due to the very restricted variation in tule elk, rather than the presence of...
Effects of Activating Mutations on EGFR Cellular Protein Turnover and Amino Acid Recycling Determined Using SILAC Mass Spectrometry

Rapid mutations of proteins that are targeted in cancer therapy often lead to drug resistance. Often, the mutation directly affects a drug's binding site, effectively blocking binding of the drug, but these mutations can have other effects such as changing the protein turnover half-life. Utilizing SILAC MS, we measured the cellular turnover rates of an important non-small cell lung cancer target, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Wild-type (WT) EGFR, EGFR with a single activating mutant (Del 746-750 or L858R), and the drug-resistant double mutant (L858R/T790M) EGFR were analyzed. In non-small cell lung cancer cell lines, EGFR turnover rates ranged from 28 hours in A431 cells (WT) to 7.5 hours in the PC-9 cells (Del 746-750 mutant). The measurement of EGFR turnover rate in PC-9 cells dosed with irreversible inhibitors has additional complexity due to inhibitor effects on cell viability and results were reported as a range. Finally, essential amino acid recycling (K and R) was measured in different cell lines. The recycling was different in each cell line, but the overall inclusion of the effect of amino acid recycling on calculating EGFR turnover rates resulted in a 10-20% reduction in rates.
Auditing The Auditors In Medicare And Medicaid

Baker Surgical Supplies, a small company, went bankrupt after it could not repay a significant overpayment charge demanded by Medicare based on a statistical extrapolation of claims of overpayment. The case centered on whether the extrapolation process was justifiable and whether it was properly implemented. This paper provides a description of the extrapolation process used by Medicare and Medicaid and presents the data and sampling procedure offered by Medicare and the statistical arguments offered by Baker. The case demonstrates some potential misuses of statistics in the auditing process. In shedding light on this issue, the analysis in this paper could prove to be instrumental in prompting significant improvements to the auditing process of Medicare and Medicaid.
Prostate Health Index (PHI) Predicts High-stage Pathology in African American Men

Objective To evaluate the association between the Prostate Health Index (PHI) and adverse pathology in a cohort of African American (AA) men undergoing radical prostatectomy. Materials and Methods Eighty AA men with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) of 2-10 ng/mL underwent measurement of PSA, free PSA (fPSA), and p2PSA prior to radical prostatectomy. PHI was calculated as [(p2PSA/fPSA) × (PSA) ½ ]. Biomarker association with pT3 disease was assessed using logistic regression, and covariates were added to a baseline multivariable model including digital rectal examination. Biomarker ability to predict pT3 disease was measured using the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve. Results Sixteen men (20%) demonstrated pT3 disease on final pathology. Mean age, PSA, and %fPSA were similar in men with and without pT3 disease (all P > .05), whereas PHI was significantly greater in men with pT3 disease (mean 57.2 vs 46.6, P = .04). Addition of PHI to the baseline multivariable model improved discriminative ability by 12.9% ( P =. .04) and yielded greater diagnostic accuracy than models, including other individual biomarkers. Conclusion In AA men with PSA of 2-10 ng/mL, PHI was predictive of pT3 prostate cancer and may help to identify men at increased risk of adverse pathology. Additional studies are needed to substantiate these findings and identify appropriate thresholds for clinical use.
Selective Arterial Clamping Versus Hilar Clamping for Minimally Invasive Partial Nephrectomy

Partial nephrectomy has become an accepted treatment of cT1 renal masses as it provides improved long-term renal function compared to radical nephrectomy (Campbell et al. J Urol. 182:1271-9, 2009). Hilar clamping is utilized to help reduce bleeding and improve visibility during tumor resection. However, concern over risk of kidney injury with hilar clamping has led to new techniques to reduce length of warm ischemia time (WIT) during partial nephrectomy. These techniques have progressed over the years starting with early hilar unclamping, controlled hypotension during tumor resection, selective arterial clamping, minimal margin techniques, and off-clamp procedures. Selective arterial clamping has progressed significantly over the years. The main question is what are the exact short- and long-term renal effects from increasing clamp time. Moreover, does it make sense to perform these more time-consuming or more complex procedures if there is no long-term preservation of kidney function? More recent studies have shown no difference in renal function 6 months from surgery when selective arterial clamping or even hilar clamping is employed, although there is short-term improved decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) with selective clamping and off-clamp techniques (Komninos et al. BJU Int. 115:921-8, 2015; Shah et al. 117:293-9, 2015; Kallingal et al. BJU Int. doi: 10.1111/bju.13192, 2015). This paper reviews the progression of total hilar clamping to selective arterial clamping (SAC) and the possible difference its use makes on long-term renal function. SAC may be attempted based on surgeon's decision-making, but may be best used for more complex, larger, more central or hilar tumors and in patients who have renal insufficiency at baseline or a solitary kidney.
Advances in the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection.

Accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) infection is an important component of tuberculosis control programs in many countries. Identification of persons with asymptomatic, or latent, tuberculosis infection allows for treatment of individuals at high risk for progressing to active disease so that the overall burden of tuberculosis disease is diminished. In the United States, targeted testing and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTI) are major components of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's efforts at TB elimination. This review focuses on the comparative utility of tuberculin skin testing and interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) to diagnose LTI. Commercially available IGRAs have superior sensitivity and specificity compared with conventional tuberculin skin testingin some settings (particularly bacille-Calmette Guerin-vaccinated individuals). Also discussed are the performance characteristics of these tests in specific populations, including foreign-born persons from high-prevalence countries, close contacts of actively infected patients, immunocompromised populations, and health care workers.
Mayo Adhesive Probability Score Is Associated With Localized Renal Cell Carcinoma Progression-free Survival.

Objective To assess the association of the Mayo Adhesive Probability (MAP) score and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The MAP score is derived from cross-sectional imaging measurements of perinephric fat thickness and stranding. Materials and Methods We identified 456 patients from a prospective registry who were treated surgically for localized RCC between 2002 and 2014. One reviewer calculated a preoperative MAP score (0-5) for each patient. Kaplan-Meier curves were utilized to estimate PFS. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the association of MAP score with risk of progression univariately and after adjusting for covariates such as age, body mass index (BMI), and size, stage, grade, necrosis scores. Results Patients with higher MAP scores (4-5) were more likely to be male, to be older, to have higher BMI, and to have larger tumors (all P P = .017). Adjustment for BMI did not alter the association (BMI-adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 2.20 [1.07-4.52], P = .032). Of interest, the association with MAP and PFS remains for pT1 RCC patients (n = 287, HR = 3.46 [1.06-11.24], P = .039). Conclusion High MAP scores (4-5) are associated with decreased PFS in patients surgically treated for clinically localized RCC compared with patients with lower MAP scores (0-3). RCC aggressiveness may be associated with perinephric fat thickness and stranding.
Revealing Bismuth Oxide Hollow Nanoparticle Formation by the Kirkendall Effect

We study the formation of bismuth oxide hollow nanoparticles by the Kirkendall effect using liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Rich dynamics of bismuth diffusion through the bismuth oxide shell have been captured in situ. The diffusion coefficient of bismuth through bismuth oxide shell is 3–4 orders of magnitude higher than that of bulk. Observation reveals that defects, temperature, sizes of the particles, and so forth can affect the diffusion of reactive species and modify the kinetics of the hollowing process.
The influence of goal clarity, curiosity, and enjoyment on intention to code

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of goal clarity, curiosity, and enjoyment – dimensions of flow theory – on the intention to write programming code. This research refines and extends previous information systems IS research in two significant ways: first, this research is focused specifically on systems development behaviour; second; this is the first research that isolates specific flow theory constructs associated with systems development behaviour. We used SmartPLS to test our model, as partial least squares is the appropriate statistical methodology for theory building and model testing. Findings are based on survey data from computer IS classes at two different universities. Goal clarity and curiosity independently and significantly contributed to enjoyment when programming, which significantly and positively influenced a future intention to code. Recommendations for practitioners and faculty include testing for curiosity characteristics, providing clear goals, and providing stimuli to pique curiosity.
Confirmation Responses: In-context, Visible, & Predictable Design versus Popup Windows

Protecting users and the systems they use from slips is an open problem, which popup windows have not solved. We propose a new approach to action confirmation or cancellation based on three key design principles: in-context presentation, predictability, and visibility. In an experiment that compared an initial design based on this approach to traditional popup windows, this design reduced execution time without significant increase in slips. Providing information in accord with the proposed principles and application to preventing slips should be explored in future research.
A General Method for Estimating Dynamic Parameters of Spatial Mechanisms

Dynamic equations of motion require a large number of parameters for each element of the system. These can include for each part their mass, location of center of mass, moment of inertia, spring stiffnesses and damping coefficients. This paper presents a technique for estimating these parameters in spatial mechanisms using any joint type, based on measurements of displacements, velocities and accelerations and of external forces and torques, for the purpose of building accurate multibody models of mechanical systems. A form of the equations of spatial motion is derived, which is linear in the dynamic parameters and based on multibody simulation code methodologies. Singular value decomposition is used to find the ‘essential parameter set’, and ‘minimum parameter set’. It is shown that a simulation of a four-bar mechanism (with spherical, universal, and revolute joints) and based on the estimated parameters gives accurate response.
Left Ventricular Endocardial Pacing for Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: Wavefront of the Future?

Over 20 years ago, Cazeau et al. [(1)][1] described a 54-year-old man with left bundle branch block (LBBB) and class IV congestive heart failure who responded remarkably to 4-chamber pacing [(1)][1]. Six weeks of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) delivered by standard right-sided endocardial
Intellectual Skill and the Rylean Regress

In recent work about know how, Rylean regress arguments have largely dropped out of focus. They play little role in the anti-intellectualist arguments of various kinds in the papers collected in Bengson and Moffett (2011). And they are used as something like target practice by intellectualists like Stanley (2011), who uses the first chapter of his book to dispose of them before getting onto the real business. The majority view seems to be that Ginet (1975) basically showed these arguments didn’t work, and it’s time to move onto other considerations for or against intellectualism. I think this isn’t right. In particular, I think Rylean regress arguments can show that some kinds of intellectualism are false, and others are undermined. In particular, I’ll argue that the Rylean regress arguments show that there is such a thing as intellectual skill, and this can’t be identified with propositional knowledge. The position I’m defending is a long way from the strongest kinds of Rylean position that Stanley spends most of his book arguing against. In particular, the view I’m defending is consistent with the following four theses.
The cold driver: Cold stress while driving results in dangerous behavior

Cool vehicle cabin temperatures can induce short-term non-hypothermic cold stress. The current study created a cold condition to examine the impact of cold stress on driving behavior. Forty-four participants drove a high-fidelity driving simulator during a thermal neutral or local torso cooled condition. Participants performed additional tasks to assess attention, psychomotor vigilance, and manual dexterity. Skin temperature was significantly lower in the cold condition while internal temperature was unaffected. Participants who had higher subjective ratings of cold followed lead vehicles closer and started to brake later. Participants in the cold condition followed the lead car 22% (0.82s) closer and started braking 20% (2.35s) later when approaching a stop sign during the car-following task. No change in attention, psychomotor vigilance, or dexterity was observed. The current results suggest that cold environmental conditions can contribute to dangerous driving behaviors. Measures of cold perception were also shown to predict changes in driving behavior.
Music interventions for dental anxiety

Anxiety is a significant issue in the dental care of adults and children. Dental anxiety often leads to avoidance of dental care which may result in significant deterioration of oral and dental health. Non-pharmacological anxiety management interventions such as music listening are increasingly used in dental care. Although efficacy for music's anxiolytic effects has been established for pre-operative anxiety, findings regarding the use of music listening for dental anxiety are inconclusive, especially for children. The use of music for passive distraction may not be adequate for children and highly anxious adults. Instead, interventions offered by a trained music therapist may be needed to optimize music's anxiolytic impact. Music therapy interventions are individualized to the patient's presenting needs and geared at enhancing patients' active engagement in the management of their anxiety. Interventions may include (i) active refocusing of attention, (ii) music-guided deep breathing, (iii) music-assisted relaxation, and (iv) music-guided imagery. In addition, music therapists can teach patients music-based anxiety management skills prior to dental treatments, offer them the opportunity to express emotions related to the upcoming procedure, and help them gain a sense of control and safety. Clinical guidelines for the use of music listening by dental practitioners are offered.
REGULATION OF PHENYLETHANOLAMINE-N-METHYLTRANSFERASE IN CULTURED EXPLANTS OF RAT ADRENAL MEDULLA

The decreased amount of phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT; EC 2.1.1.28) enzyme protein after exposure of rat adrenal medullary explants to epinephrine (epi) is due to a decrease in the rate of synthesis of PNMT.
What is the Relationship of Traumatic Brain Injury to Dementia

There is a long history linking traumatic brain injury (TBI) with the development of dementia. Despite significant reservations, such as recall bias or concluding causality for TBI, a summary of recent research points to several conclusions on the TBI-dementia relationship. 1) Increasing severity of a single moderate-to-severe TBI increases the risk of subsequent Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common type of dementia. 2) Repetitive, often subconcussive, mild TBIs increases the risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative neuropathology. 3) TBI may be a risk factor for other neurodegenerative disorders that can be associated with dementia. 4) TBI appears to lower the age of onset of TBI-related neurocognitive syndromes, potentially adding "TBI cognitive-behavioral features". The literature further indicates several specific risk factors for TBI-associated dementia: 5) any blast or blunt physical force to the head as long as there is violent head displacement; 6) decreased cognitive and/or neuronal reserve and the related variable of older age at TBI; and 7) the presence of apolipoprotein E ɛ4 alleles, a genetic risk factor for AD. Finally, there are neuropathological features relating TBI with neurocognitive syndromes: 8) acute TBI results in amyloid pathology and other neurodegenerative proteinopathies; 9) CTE shares features with neurodegenerative dementias; and 10) TBI results in white matter tract and neural network disruptions. Although further research is needed, these ten findings suggest that dose-dependent effects of violent head displacement in vulnerable brains predispose to dementia; among several potential mechanisms is the propagation of abnormal proteins along damaged white matter networks.
AI, people, and society.

In an essay about his science fiction, Isaac Asimov reflected that “it became very common…to picture robots as dangerous devices that invariably destroyed their creators.” He rejected this view and formulated the “laws of robotics,” aimed at ensuring the safety and benevolence of robotic systems. Asimov's stories about the relationship between people and robots were only a few years old when the phrase “artificial intelligence” (AI) was used for the first time in a 1955 proposal for a study on using computers to “…solve kinds of problems now reserved for humans.” Over the half-century since that study, AI has matured into subdisciplines that have yielded a constellation of methods that enable perception, learning, reasoning, and natural language understanding.
Temperature field measurements of thermal boundary layer and wake of moving hot spheres using interferometry

The methodology used to post-process a raw interferogram of a hot moving sphere falling in an inert nitrogen environment is presented. The steps taken to obtain the temperature field around the hot sphere are explained in detail. These are: (i) noise removal; (ii) phase demodulation; (iii) phase unwrapping; (iv) bias removal; and (v) Abel transform. All the typical features of the flow are revealed such as growth of the thermal boundary layer, shallower temperature gradients were the flow separates, and a hot wake in the recirculation zone. For validation of the methodology, the temperature field is compared against numerical simulations and found to be in excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement all around except at the front and rear stagnation points. The difficulties encountered with resolving these regions are discussed. Overall, interferometry is found to be an excellent tool for resolving thermal flows, including thin regions, such as thermal boundary layers.