cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hamiltonian Differential Equations and the N-Body Problem

This chapter introduces the concept of a Hamiltonian system of ordinary differential equations, sets forth basic notation, reviews some basic facts about the solutions of differential equations, and gives several examples in detail. The primary example is the gravitational N-body problem, which is given a sizable introduction.
Diabetes, Lower-Extremity Amputation, and Death

OBJECTIVE The goal of the study was to determine whether complications of diabetes well-known to be associated with death such as cardiovascular disease and renal failure fully explain the higher rate of death in those who have undergone a lower-extremity amputation (LEA). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a longitudinal cohort study of patients cared for in the Health Improvement Network. Our primary exposure was LEA and outcome was all-cause death. Our “risk factor variables” included a history of cardiovascular disease (a history of myocardial infarctions, cerebrovascular accident, and peripheral vascular disease/arterial insufficiency), Charlson index, and a history of chronic kidney disease. We estimated the effect of LEA on death using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS The hazard ratio (HR) for death after an LEA was 3.02 (95% CI 2.90, 3.14). The fully adjusted (all risk factor variables) LEA HR was diminished only by ∼22% to 2.37 (2.27, 2.48). Furthermore, LEA had an area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) of 0.51, which is poorly predictive, and the fully adjusted model had an AUC of 0.77, which is better but not strongly predictive. Sensitivity analysis revealed that it is unlikely that there exists an unmeasured confounder that can fully explain the association of LEA with death. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with diabetes and an LEA are more likely to die at any given point in time than those who have diabetes but no LEA. While some of this variation can be explained by known complications of diabetes, there remains a large amount of unexplained variation.
Gamma Radiolysis of Aqueous Media and Its Effects on the Leaching Processes of Nuclear Waste Disposal Materials

AbstractThe effect of the presence of moderate gamma doses (6×104 Gy) on the leaching of glassy and ceramic waste forms has been investigated. It is found that the leach rates are enhanced by <50% in the case of alumina-free glasses, by a factor of 3 to 4 in the case of glasses that contain 5 to 8% Al2O3, and by a factor of 20 to 100 in the case of SYNROC-D (20% A32O3). Buffer studies show the enhancement to be almost entirely due to a decrease in pH, and the composition dependence of the enhancement factor is interpreted in terms of the sharp rise in both alumina solubility and leach rates of alumina-containing materials with increasing acidity. The radiation-induced pH decrease is partially due to the formation of nitric acid but formic and oxalic acid are also observed to be produced. The concentration of carboxylic acids is as large as that of HNO3. A mechanism is proposed that assumes HNO3 is produced due to the oxidation of dissolved nitrogen, while formic and oxalic acids result from the reduction ...
Neuroimagery and the Jury

Technological advances in the field of neuroscience have raised concerns in both the academic and legal communities pertaining to how people evaluate this type of evidence. Neuroimages, such as those produced by MRI and fMRI scanners, provide sophisticated, tangible representations of otherwise complex and abstract physiological processes; as such, inexpert viewers may find this type of visual aid particularly alluring when offered as support for a particular scientific claim. It was thus feared that the public, including jurors, may find neuroimages to be particularly persuasive forms of evidence, thereby impeding their ability to make unbiased decisions.
International field experiences promote professional development for sustainability leaders

Purpose – This paper aims to describe, explain and evaluate a graduate education program that provides international project experiences and builds competencies related to collaborative problem-solving, cultural capacity to work globally and sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative analysis of survey data from 28 students supplemented by observation and interviews conducted before, during and after a multi-week project and a ten-day trip to China in 2014. Supplemental data and contextual information were provided by a series of related projects and trips led by the authors in other cultural contexts including Brazil, China, India, South Africa and Turkey. Findings – Six pedagogic practices were perceived as effective by students and generate learning outcomes desired by faculty: authentic problems, learning cycles, shared inquiry, transdisciplinarity, exploration and engagement. Practical implications – The pedagogy was effective, especially the engagement pedagogy in which stude...
The enantioselective synthesis and biological evaluation of chimeric promysalin analogs facilitated by diverted total synthesis.

The enantioselective synthesis and biological evaluation of chimeric promysalin analogs facilitated by diverted total synthesis
The Relevance of Difference: Personal Reflections on the Role of Diversity

This symposium paper examines issues related to equal protection and diversity in higher education, with a focus on the pending U.S. Supreme Court case of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.
Analysis and use of several generalized ℋ(∞ mixed sensitivity frameworks for stable multivariable plants subject to simultaneous output and input loop breaking specifications

In this paper, we present and examine three generalized mixed-sensitivity control design frameworks for linear time invariant (LTI) plants for trading off properties at distinct multivariable loop-breaking points, while being able to handle a broad class of closed loop (e.g. ℋ(∞, ℋ2, frequency- and time domain) specifications. Multiobjective tradeoff paradigms are developed and analysed for ill-conditioned plants having large relative gain array entries - plants that have received considerable attention in the literature without yielding a direct systematic design methodology. We provide insight into the effectiveness of each approach and discuss the trading-off of properties at distinct loop-breaking points. This is done by exploiting the Youla-Jabr-Bongiorno-Kucera-Zames (YJBKZ) parameterization, the resulting convexification, and efficient state-of-the-art convex solvers that can be applied to smooth as well as non-differentiable problems. Moreover, we also show how our approach can be applied to multivariable infinite-dimensional plants. Specifically, by using finite dimensional approximants that converge in the uniform topology, we obtain near-optimal finite dimensional controllers for the infinite dimensional plant. Illustrative examples are provided for a thermal PDE and a retarded time delay system.
Incontinence after lateral internal sphincterotomy: anatomic and functional evaluation.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the anatomic and functional consequences of lateral internal sphincterotomy in patients who developed anal incontinence and in matched controls. METHODS: The study includes 13 patients with anal incontinence after lateral internal sphincterotomy and 13 controls who underwent the same operation and were continent and satisfied with the results of the procedure. Patients underwent clinical evaluation, anorectal manometry, pudendal nerve terminal motor latency testing, and endoanal ultrasonography. RESULTS: Sphincterotomies were longer in incontinent patients (75vs. 57 percent), but the resting pressure and length of the high-pressure zone were not different between groups. Surprisingly, maximum voluntary contraction was higher in incontinent patients than in continent controls (136vs. 100 mmHg). Rectal sensation and pudendal nerve terminal motor latency were similar in both groups. The defect in the internal sphincter was wider in incontinent patients than in continent controls (17.3vs. 14.4 mm), but these differences were not statistically significant. The thickness of the internal sphincter measured by endoanal ultrasound was identical in both groups, but the external sphincter was thinner in incontinent patients both at the site of the sphincterotomy (6.8vs. 8.1 mm) and in the posterior midline (7.1vs. 8.6 mm). CONCLUSIONS: Anal incontinence after lateral internal sphincterotomy is directly related to the length of the sphincterotomy. Whether secondary to preoperative sphincter abnormality or the result of lateral internal sphincterotomy, the external sphincter is thinner in incontinent patients than in continent controls.
Brain γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) detection in vivo with the J‐editing 1H MRS technique: a comprehensive methodological evaluation of sensitivity enhancement, macromolecule contamination and test–retest reliability

Abnormalities in brain γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) have been implicated in various neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders. However, in vivo GABA detection by (1) H MRS presents significant challenges arising from the low brain concentration, overlap by much stronger resonances and contamination by mobile macromolecule (MM) signals. This study addresses these impediments to reliable brain GABA detection with the J-editing difference technique on a 3-T MR system in healthy human subjects by: (i) assessing the sensitivity gains attainable with an eight-channel phased-array head coil; (ii) determining the magnitude and anatomic variation of the contamination of GABA by MM; and (iii) estimating the test-retest reliability of the measurement of GABA with this method. Sensitivity gains and test-retest reliability were examined in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), whereas MM levels were compared across three cortical regions: DLPFC, the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and the occipital cortex (OCC). A three-fold higher GABA detection sensitivity was attained with the eight-channel head coil compared with the standard single-channel head coil in DLPFC. Despite significant anatomical variation in GABA + MM and MM across the three brain regions (p < 0.05), the contribution of MM to GABA + MM was relatively stable across the three voxels, ranging from 41% to 49%, a non-significant regional variation (p = 0.58). The test-retest reliability of GABA measurement, expressed as either the ratio to voxel tissue water (W) or to total creatine, was found to be very high for both the single-channel coil and the eight-channel phased-array coil. For the eight-channel coil, for example, Pearson's correlation coefficient of test vs. retest for GABA/W was 0.98 (R(2) = 0.96, p = 0.0007), the percentage coefficient of variation (CV) was 1.25% and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.98. Similar reliability was also found for the co-edited resonance of combined glutamate and glutamine (Glx) for both coils. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Special Radiographic Findings of Perforation of Gastrointestinal Tract in Neonate

Objective To evaluate special radiographic findings of perforation of gastrointestinal tract in neonate. Materials and methods Radiographic findings in 56 Neonate with perforation of gastrointestinal tract confirmed by pathology were reviewed retrospectively. Results Free air under diaphragm was identified in 39 cases, and no free air was found in 17 cases. Special radiographic signs were showed including crescentic sign in 5 cases, string sign in 2 cases, false cyst sign in 6 cases, omental bursa pneumatosis sign in 1 case, football sign in 19 cases, falciform ligament sign in 12 cases, pencil-drawing sign in 2 cases, absence of gastric bulb in 11 cases, air-containing bowel wall sign in 8 cases, wood-comb sign in 2 cases, feces-air mixture sign in 2 cases, fluid in the peritoneal cavity sign in 26 cases, increased distance between the bowel loops sign in 22 cases, and triangle pneumatosis sign in 9 cases. Conclusion Special radiographic signs of perforation of gastrointestinal tract in neonate might contribute to early diagnosis.
Dissolution of Cystine Ureteral Calculus by Irrigation with Tromethamine

AbstractAn alternative to surgical intervention in cases of symptomatic cystine calculi is presented. A large obstructing ureteral calculus in a patient who had undergone 4 prior lithotomies was dissolved during a 5-day period by irrigation via a ureteral catheter with tromethamine-E, an alkaline organic amine intravenous solution.
Hunger Pains: Stimulating the Appetite of the Immune System for Cancer

In this issue, Pietrocola et al. and Di Biase et al. independently demonstrate that caloric restriction from fasting and pharmacologic inhibition results in an enhanced immunogenic response leading to reduced tumor growth. These two studies provide an exciting connection between the emerging fields of cancer and immune metabolism.
A Historical Assessment of the World's First Business Improvement Area (BIA): The Case of Toronto's Bloor West Village

Over 60,000 Business Improvement Areas (BIAs)1 exist worldwide. Generally, BIAs seek to revitalize their shopping districts, fi nance services, and improve and promote their area. Th e fi rst BIA started in Toronto’s Bloor West Village in 1970 and its model is now employed worldwide. Despite the global popularity of BIAs, there is controversy about what they can achieve. Some boosters argue that BIAs can revitalize urban streetscapes and allow small retailers to compete with urban malls. Opponents disagree and allege that BIAs are an unnecessary burden on small businesses because they achieve few tangible results. Amidst this controversy, this paper analyzes the eff ects of longest-running BIA to help resolve some of these questions. After offering a history of the creation of the Bloor West Village BIA, this paper assesses the impact of the Bloor West Village BIA over a 35 year period and suggests some of the limitations of long-term studies of BIAs.
An analysis of electronic cigarette and cigarette advertising in US women's magazines

Background: Traditional cigarette advertising has existed in the US for over 200 years. Studies suggest that advertising has an impact on the initiation and maintenance of smoking behaviors. In recent years, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) emerged on the market as an alternative to the traditional tobacco cigarette. The purpose of this study was to describe advertisements in popular US magazines marketed to women for cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Methods: This study involved analyzing 99 issues of 14 popular US magazines marketed to women. Results: Compared to advertisements for traditional cigarettes, advertisements for e-cigarettes were more often found in magazines geared toward the 31-40-year-old audience (76.5% vs. 53.1%, P = 0.011) whereas traditional cigarette advertisements were nearly equally distributed among women 31-40 and ≥40 years. More than three-quarters of the e-cigarette advertisements presented in magazines aimed at the higher median income households compared to a balanced distribution by income for traditional cigarettes (P = 0.033). Conclusions: Future studies should focus on specific marketing tactics used to promote e-cigarette use as this product increases in popularity, especially among young women smokers.
Beyond Dustbowl Empiricism: The Need for Theory in Recidivism Prediction Research and Its Potential Realization in Causal Mediation Analysis

In this article, I argue that for risk/recidivism research to achieve its full potential, it must continue to grow beyond its empirical roots, a process that began more than 20 years ago. The theor...
Social Interactions Across Media: Interpersonal Communication on the Internet, Telephone and Face-to-Face

Two studies compared college students’ interpersonal interaction online, face-to-face, and on the telephone. A communication diary assessed the relative amount of social interactions college students conducted online compared to face-to-face conversation and telephone calls. Results indicated that while the internet was integrated into college students’ social lives, face-to-face communication remained the dominant mode of interaction. Participants reported using the internet as often as the telephone. A survey compared reported use of the internet within local and long distance social circles to the use of other media within those circles, and examined participants’ most recent significant social interactions conducted across media in terms of purposes, contexts, and quality. Internet interaction was perceived as high in quality, but slightly lower than other media. Results were compared to previous conceptualizations of the roles of internet in one’s social life.
Recognizing text in historical maps using maps from multiple time periods

Recognizing text in historical maps is inherently difficult due to input challenges such as artifacts interfering with the text or an unpredictable rotation and orientation of the text. This paper discusses our algorithm that overcomes the limitations of the input by adding extra input consisting of multiple layers of images of the same map area but across different time periods and names of geographic entities in the United Kingdom collected from OpenStreetMap. Using our algorithm, compared to Strabo, a state-of-the-art text recognition software on maps, we obtain a 153% improvement in precision, a 31% improvement in recall, and a 75% improvement in F-score for word recognition on maps.
A Small-Scale Testbed for Large-Scale Reliable Computing

High performance computing (HPC) systems frequently suffer errors and failures from hardware components that negatively impact the performance of jobs run on these systems. We analyzed system logs from two HPC systems at Purdue University and created statistical models for memory and hard disk errors. We created a small-scale error injection testbed—using a customized QEMU build, libvirt, and Python—that could be used by HPC application programmers to test and debug their programs in a faulty environment so that programmers can write more robust and resilient programs before deploying them on an actual HPC system.
The Post-intensive Care Syndrome

Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) is defined as newly recognized or worsening impairment in one or more of the following domains after critical illness: cognitive function, mental health, and physical function. These impairments frequently persist and can impact health-related quality of life after critical illness. In this chapter, we provide an illustrative case, and then we detail the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and prevention and management strategies related to PICS. Last, we explore controversial aspects of PICS management that require further study.
A Collective Memory of Injustice: Reclaiming Hawaiʻi's Crown Lands Trust in Response to Judge James S. Burns

This article interrogates the battle over the collective memory of injustice surrounding important events in Hawaiʻi’s history leading up to the 1893 illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and other wrongs committed against Native Hawaiians, as well as their implications for indigenous rights and justice struggles in Hawaiʻi. It underscores the importance of collective memory and addresses specific inaccuracies about Native Hawaiian entitlements to ancestral lands. It also deconstructs how Burns’ (the first article’s author) conflicting and erroneous framing of historical events undermines the legal basis for Native Hawaiian reparative action.
Influence of Variety and Location of Growth on Resulting Bramble Dried Leaf Volatiles

SUMMARY Leaves from named cultivars of red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) and black raspberry (R. occidentalis) from plants grown both in the field and in a greenhouse environment were harvested, air dried and extracted in a Likens-Nickerson apparatus. The resulting volatiles were analyzed by GC/MS. With red raspberry, 20 peaks were noted for the field grown sample while only 10 peaks were observed with the greenhouse sample. In both red raspberry samples, the major volatile components were 1-octene-3-ol, geraniol and linalool. With field grown red raspberry, decanal was also a major component while no decanal was detected in the greenhouse grown sample. With the black raspberry samples, 20 compounds were observed in each with the major volatiles being (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, l-octene-3-ol and geraniol.
Efficient Upper-Excited State Fluorescence in an Organic Hyperbolic Metamaterial.

Upper-excited state emission is not usually observed from molecules owing to competition with much faster nonradiative relaxation pathways; however, it can be made more efficient by modifying the photonic density of states to enhance the radiative decay rate. Here, we show that embedding the small molecule zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) in a hyperbolic metamaterial enables an ∼18-fold increase in fluorescence intensity from the second singlet excited state (S2) relative to that from the lowest singlet excited state (S1). By varying the number of periods in the HMM stack, we are able to systematically tune the ZnTPP fluorescence spectrum from red (dominated by emission from S1) to blue (dominated by emission from S2) with an instrument-limited decay lifetime <10 ps. Our results are consistent with a broadband Purcell enhancement in the radiative rate of both transitions predicted via transfer matrix modeling and point to a general opportunity to harness upper-excited states for spectrally tunable, ultra...
Emotion information visualization through learning of 3D morphable face model

Analysis and visualization of human facial expressions and its applications are useful but challenging. This paper presents a novel approach to analyze the facial expressions from images through learning of a 3D morphable face model and a quantitative information visualization scheme for exploring this type of visual data. More specifically, a 3D face database with various facial expressions is employed to build a nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) part-based morphable 3D face model. From an input image, a 3D face with expression can be reconstructed iteratively by using the NMF morphable 3D face model as a priori knowledge, from which basis parameters and a displacement map are extracted as features for facial emotion analysis and visualization. Based upon the features, two support vector regressions are trained to determine the fuzzy valence–arousal (VA) values to quantify the emotions. The continuously changing emotion status can be intuitively analyzed by visualizing the VA values in VA space. Our emotion analysis and visualization system, based on 3D NMF morphable face model, detect expressions robustly from various head poses, face sizes and lighting conditions and is fully automatic to compute the VA values from images or a sequence of video with various facial expressions. To evaluate our novel method, we test our system on publicly available databases and evaluate the emotion analysis and visualization results. We also apply our method to quantifying emotion changes during motivational interviews. These experiments and applications demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of our method.
The Role of Inflammation and Blood Cells in Wound Healing

Successful wound healing is a complex and elegant process, involving multiple cell types, hundreds of growth factors, and the time-dependent expression of thousands of genes. A basic understanding of this process will allow us to compare successful wound healing with the ineffective wound healing seen even after suture repair of the ACL. Comparing the two processes will allow us to determine where the problems lie in ACL healing so that we can come up with novel ways to improve healing. A review of the major phases of wound healing and key cell types involved in each phase is presented in this chapter.
Patients With H pylori–Independent MALT Lymphoma Are Curable With Radiotherapy

After more than two decades of successful laboratory and clinical research, the "new" entity of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is reaching a noble maturity. Large series have demonstrated that most patients diagnosed with MALT lymphoma will be cured with relatively gentle and safe therapies, and evidence-based algorithms guide treatment with relatively minor controversies. The authors of this concise and practical review are well recognized for their important contributions to our current understanding of the disease. Their state-of-the-art review lucidly highlights the pathological, biological, and genetic information that has been
Dynamic Depolarized Light Scattering

Most photon correlation experiments, as may be determined from a perusal of the articles in this book, measure time correlation functions of the polarized scattered light. The depolarized scattered light is, however, a rich source of dynamic and structural information which is often not readily obtainable by other techniques. The major reason for this relative neglect of the depolarized scattering is that depolarized signals are often much less intense than polarized signals and are thus often obscured by interfering signals due to optical imperfections in lenses and cells, multiple scattering, polarizer leakage, and solvent scattering. In addition, as will be described in somewhat more detail below, the depolarized time correlation functions often decay on a fast time scale (a few microseconds), rendering photon correlation difficult because of phototube afterpulsing and the signal-to-noise problems encountered when the scattered signals display a small number of photons per correlation time. Of course, correlation functions which decay on the nanosecond or faster time scales may usually be obtained by measuring the spectral distribution of the scattered light intensity using a Fabry-Perot interferometer as a monochromator. A troublesome regime occurs in the region approximately between 0.05 and 1 /μsec where both Fabry-Perot interferometry and photon correlation are difficult.
Empirical Evidence: Input Ratios and International Trade

Our final chapter on the empirical evidence for XE theory will be concerned with the firm’s use of capital and labor and the effects of international trade—exports and protection from foreign competition—on X-efficiency. Data from these studies cover numerous countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Ghana, Great Britain, India, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sweden, Tanzania, and Thailand.
Sampling Interval Analysis and CDF Generation for Grain-Scale Gravel Bed Topography

AbstractIn river hydraulics, there is a continuing need for characterizing bed elevations to arrive at quantitative roughness measures that can be used in flow depth calculations and for improved p...
Fragile States, Corruption, and Crime

This chapter focuses on the global superstructure and states that facilitate demand and supply. Looking specifically at weak and fragile states of the international system, the chapter illustrates the role of corruption, underdevelopment, and political/institutional weakness that enable global crime and violence. Some fragile states produce the goods and services (e.g., drugs) that are then marketed and ultimately sold to other countries. This means the United States and states of the European Union are the target of illicit suppliers; and as long as people in those states demand those goods, organized criminal networks will thrive. The chapter encourages more coordination through already established regimes like Interpol.
Deep supervised learning to estimate true rough line images from SEM images

We use deep supervised learning for the Poisson denoising of low-dose scanning electron microscope (SEM) images as a step in the estimation of line edge roughness (LER) and line width roughness (LWR). Our denoising algorithm applies a deep convolutional neural network called SEMNet with 17 convolutional, 16 batch-normalization and 16 dropout layers to noisy images. We trained and tested SEMNet with a dataset of 100800 simulated SEM rough line images constructed by means of the Thorsos method and the ARTIMAGEN library developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. SEMNet achieved considerable improvements in peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) as well as the best LER/LWR estimation accuracy compared with standard image denoisers.
What Does Deep Learning See? Insights From a Classifier Trained to Predict Contrast Enhancement Phase From CT Images.

OBJECTIVE. Deep learning has shown great promise for improving medical image classification tasks. However, knowing what aspects of an image the deep learning system uses or, in a manner of speakin...
Development of professional networks among environmental educators

ABSTRACTProfessional development programs provide an opportunity for environmental educators to develop networks to exchange ideas and practices in professional learning communities. This study investigated how diverse educators develop professional networks for exchanging information through online and face-to-face professional development activities. We conducted surveys and social network analysis of three professional learning communities including a state consortium with mostly face-to-face activities, an online-only learning community, and a fellowship program with both face-to-face activities and online interaction. We then used exponential random graph models to examine factors that influenced professional network formation in each community. The results showed that professional development activities including face-to-face meetings and Facebook interactions, and collaborative projects such as co-authoring book chapters, had positive effects on the likelihood of network formation. Results suggest ...
Severe Hypertension After Cardiac Transplantation

The development of hypertension after cardiac transplantation is considered one of its most common comorbidities; it occurs early after transplant and can be difficult to manage. The development of hypertensive urgency or emergency perioperatively warrants expeditious assessment and management in an effort to evade the sequelae of uncontrolled acute postoperative hypertension. Such sequelae may include hemorrhage, disruption of vascular or cardiac suture lines, failure of anastomoses, cardiac arrhythmia, hyperperfusion syndrome, cerebral edema or ischemia, bleeding at the surgical site, and end organ damage. Blood pressure should be monitored continuously and short-acting intravenous antihypertensive agents should be administered to target a MAP generally within ±20% of the patient’s baseline value once alternative causes for postoperative hypertension are mitigated. An intravenous calcium channel blocker such as nicardipine or clevidipine or sodium nitroprusside with or without nitroglycerin can safely and effectively lower MAP to the desired range. The use of intravenous fenoldopam is a reasonable alternative in patients with or at risk for renal dysfunction.
Small Firms, Bigger Changes: Health Insurance Coverage Take-up Rates in Small Firms after the ACA

Measuring the impact of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) on employer-sponsored health insurance is essential in an era of constant changes to health policy. Using data from the Kaiser Family F...
Lessons Learned from Journey Mapping in Health Care

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Human Factors Engineering team recognizes the value of journey maps as a means for communication among stakeholder groups and develops maps to showcase the exper...
Use of endotypes, phenotypes, and inflammatory markers to guide treatment decisions in chronic rhinosinusitis

Abstract Objective With the advent of new treatment options for Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS) comes the ability for physicians to provide more individualized patient care. Physicians are now tasked with identifying who may be the best candidate for a particular therapy. In this review, existing biomarkers and potentially new methods that could guide treatment choices in CRS patients will be discussed. Data Sources Published literature obtained through PubMed searches. Study Selection Studies relevant to inflammatory endotypes, phenotypes, and biomarkers in CRS were included. Results Currently, there are no clinically validated tools that determine the best therapeutic modality for CRS patients with or without nasal polyps (CRSwNP or CRSsNP). Patients with CRS can be classified into three endotypes based on the presence of type 1, type 2, or type 3 inflammation. CRS endotypes can be influenced by age and geographic location. Clinical application however may be limited since endotyping current requires basic research laboratory support. Clinical symptoms may also predict inflammatory endotypes with smell loss being indicative of type 2 inflammation. Numbers of tissue and/or peripheral eosinophils as well as levels of IgE may predict disease severity in CRSwNP but not necessarily treatment responses. Unique clinical phenotypes or biomarkers are especially lacking that predict type 1 or type 3 inflammation in CRSwNP or type 1, type 2, or type 3 inflammation in CRSsNP. Conclusion While significant progress has been made in characterizing endotypes, phenotypes, and biomarkers in CRS, additional studies are needed to determine if and how these factors could assist physicians in providing more individualized clinical care.
Below-Knee Amputation Resulting from an Arterial Thrombosis from Tourniquet Use in a Patient with Undiagnosed Factor V Leiden: A Case Report.

CASE A 38-year-old woman presented with previously undiagnosed factor V Leiden (FVL), who suffered a complete superficial femoral arterial thrombosis after tourniquet use during the surgical repair of one of her bilateral tibial plafond fractures. This patient's injury eventually resulted in a below-knee amputation. CONCLUSION We recommend expanding hypercoagulable screening on patients with risk factors based on a detailed history and physical examination. We also recommend limiting or negating tourniquet use in patients with FVL or other hypercoagulable disorders.
Changes in satellite retrievals of atmospheric composition over eastern China during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns

Abstract. We examined daily Level-3 satellite retrievals of AIRS CO, OMI SO2 and NO2, and MODIS AOD over eastern China to understand how COVID-19 lockdowns affected atmospheric composition, taking into account trends that have occurred since 2005. Over central east China during the January 23–April 8 lockdown window, CO in 2020 was 12 % lower than the 2005–2019 mean, but only 2 % lower than what would be expected given the decreasing CO trend over that period. Similarly for AOD, 2020 was 30 % lower than the 2011–2019 mean, but not distinct from what would be expected from the trend. NO2 in 2020 was 43 % lower than the 2011–2019 mean, but only 17 % lower than what would be expected given the trend over that period. Over southern China, 2020 NO2 was not significantly different from anticipated, and CO and AOD were significantly higher that what would be expected, which we suggest was partly because of an active fire season in neighbouring countries. Over east central and southern China, SO2 was higher than expected, but the magnitude depended strongly on how daily regional values were calculated from individual retrievals. Future work over China, or other regions, needs to take these trends into account in order to separate the effects of COVID-19 on air quality from recent trends, or from variability in other sources.
Values in economics: a recent revival with a twist

This article reviews the relatively recent trend in economic methodology that consists in bringing insights from the debate in philosophy of science on values in science in order to analyse value-l...
Patent foramen ovale closure for secondary prevention of cryptogenic stroke.

Introduction: A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is highly prevalent among the adult population. It allows shunting of blood through the inter-atrial septum and has been associated with cryptogenic strok...
Association of early initiation of dialysis with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: A propensity score weighted analysis of the United States Renal Data System.

BACKGROUND Early initiation of maintenance hemodialysis has been associated with excess mortality in some studies, but the effects on cardiovascular (CV) mortality has not been studied. Moreover, whether the increased mortality is due to co-morbidities or early initiation of dialysis is unclear. We used a propensity score weighted analysis of the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) to examine how the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at initiation of dialysis affects total and CV mortality. METHODS Association between tertiles of eGFR at initiation of hemodialysis and all-cause and CV mortality were assessed in 676,196 adult patients who initiated hemodialysis between 2006 and 2014, using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) weighted multivariable regression models. RESULTS The intermediate (eGFR 8.7 to <13.0 mL/min) and early start groups (eGFR ≥13.0 mL/min) had a 42% and 93% increased all-cause mortality, respectively compared to late (eGFR < 8.7), start group (unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.42; 95% CI, 1.41-1.43 and HR = 1.93; 95%CI, 1.91-1.94, respectively). This association was attenuated but remained significant in propensity weighted multivariable analysis (adjusted HR = 1.13; 95%CI, 1.12-1.14 for intermediate and HR = 1.37; 95%CI, 1.36-1.39, for early start, respectively). The CV mortality was similarly increased (adjusted HR = 1.08; 95%CI, 1.07-1.10 and HR = 1.23; 95%CI, 1.21-1.24, for intermediate and early start, respectively). In patients with cystic kidney disease, all-cause mortality was increased with early start, but there were no differences in CV mortality between groups. CONCLUSIONS Early initiation of dialysis is associated with increased all-cause and CV mortality. Our observations support delaying hemodialysis according to the eGFR values.
Isolation, expansion, differentiation, and histological processing of human nasal epithelial cells.

Summary This protocol is intended as a guide for implementing or refining the usage of the air-liquid interface (ALI) model system to generate airway mucociliary tissue in vitro. We present a streamlined protocol for isolating the stem cells from inferior nasal turbinates of donors, allowing for a simple and low-cost supply of primary cells for research. We also provide our detailed protocols for ALI tissue processing and immunofluorescence to aid in the standardization of these techniques between research groups. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Hussain et al., (2014) Yang et al., (2016) Im et al., (2019) .
Ethologically relevant repeated acute social stress induces maternal neglect in the lactating female mouse.

Psychosocial stress is a top predictor of peripartum mood disorders in human mothers. In the present study, we developed a novel paradigm testing the effects of direct and vicarious social stress on maternal and mood-related behaviors in B6 mice. Using a novel housing paradigm, we examined the extent to which postpartum dams withdrew from litters following psychosocial stress. Repeated acute direct social stress involved exposing dams to a virgin male mouse for 7 min/day on postpartum days 5-7 during a brief (15-min) mother-pup separation. To remove the effects of direct stress, the vicarious social stress dams were housed in the same vivarium as direct social stressed dams, but without direct exposure to intruders. Control dams were given mock intruder exposure and housed in a separate vivarium room containing breeding mice. All dams experienced pup separation, and maternal care was investigated upon reunion. Direct and vicarious social stress induced significant deficits in maternal care and increased maternal anxiety relative to controls. Although vicarious stress effects were more likely to occur on days when there was acute stress exposure, direct stress sustained maternal deficits 24 h after the final stressor. Together, these data suggest psychosocial stress induces aberrant maternal phenotypes in mice.
Reason-Giving and Rent-Seeking

Political theorists and legal scholars have long regarded the practice of reason-giving as core to democratic and legal enterprises. Democratic theorists, for instance, contend that public reason-giving is essential to the deliberative process through which we form a self-regulating political community, constraining debate and public actions to be relatively other-regarding. If this claim is right, in theory reason-giving should reduce the incentives to engage in rent-seeking. Here, I establish this relationship conceptually and examine it empirically by studying a unique reform to reason-giving requirements in federal procurement. I find that requiring public officials to offer reasons for their actions is associated with less overall rent-seeking, as measured by campaign contributions—decreasing both the amount of money contributed to campaigns as well as the apparent sophistication of campaign contribution strategies.
Immune cell infiltrates and prognosis in localized prostate cancer

Multiple lines of evidence indicate that quantification of immune cell infiltrates in primary prostate cancer can predict outcomes after radical prostatectomy, including biochemical recurrence, metastasis, and death from prostate cancer. In a recent issue of The Journal of Pathology, Andersen et al explored the predictive value of cancer tissue infiltration of seven immune cell types (mast cells, M1 macrophages, M2 macrophages, B cells, T helper cells, cytotoxic T cells, and regulatory T cells) in association with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy. In addition to reporting a potential association between cancer-infiltrating regulatory T cells and M1 and M2 macrophages and biochemical recurrence, the study also highlighted the use of multiplex digital pathology analyses to assess adverse predictors of prostate cancer outcomes. © 2021 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Discrete-Event Simulation

A discrete-event simulation (DES) is characterized by discrete changes in the sim-ulation’s state as the simulation evolves over time. Examples of systems that might be evaluated using DES include: queueing systems, such as a bank service counter, where customers arrive occasionally and may wait in lines for service; manufacturing systems, where parts are processed in various sequences at differ-ent stations; and inventory systems, where random quantities of a certain product are purchased by customers each day at a store, which in turn may cause additional actions along the product supply chain. These systems are driven by various events that occur at discrete times and change the state of the simulation. Event times correspond to, for example: customer arrivals, customer departures from a server or from the system, machine breakdowns, and even an “end-of-simulation” event. In this chapter, we will give a high-level description of how a DES works, followed by a running example illustrating the salient concepts, and then a brief discussion of specialty DES software.
How A Neurologically Integrated Approach Which Teaches Sound-Symbol Correspondence and Legible Letter Formations Impacts At-Risk First Graders

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The publisher's official version is available at: http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ942830.pdf
The New Law School: Teaching Students to Practice Like Lawyers

The twenty-first century has ushered in a new era for legal education. Rapid advances in technology, a decline in law school applicants, and outsourcing at law firms has changed the way law is practiced and legal services are delivered. Members of the bench and bar have criticized law graduates for lacking the essential skills needed to practice law, and clients are refusing to pay for hours billed by new associates. To make matters worse, graduates are no longer entering a profession where employment opportunities are plentiful and on-the-job training is provided.In response, law schools across the United States have been forced to re-examine their programs of legal education. Some have made fundamental curricular changes and vowed to produce “practice ready” graduates who can competently practice law from the outset of their careers. In fact, the most common phrase that reverberates throughout the legal academy – the new “it” factor in legal education – is “experiential learning.” Indeed, law schools are almost tripping over themselves to claim that they are more “experiential” than others. Ironically, as law schools have boasted about their practice-ready curriculums and touted their clinical offerings, externship placements, and simulation courses, the criticism of graduates’ practice readiness has increased, not decreased. The problem is that few law schools have defined what experiential learning means, and hardly any are being “experiential” in the way that will actually produce practice-ready graduates. More clinics, externships, and simulations are beneficial, but the truth is that they will not make students “practice ready” in a meaningful sense because law schools continue to ignore the core problem with legal education: the curriculum does not devote sufficient time or credits to developing outstanding legal writers. Make no mistake: legal writing is the most important skill that lawyers need to practice law competently, and is the essence of what it means to be experiential. Indeed, the criticism that lawyers and judges hurl at new graduates is not because students have not participated in enough oral arguments or simulated depositions. It is because many graduates cannot write persuasively in a variety of real world contexts. In fact, many have never even seen the documents they will encounter in law practice, much less actually drafted, for example, a motion to dismiss or a set of interrogatories. Thus, law schools that do not adequately focus on developing outstanding legal writers are not experiential, no matter how many clinics or field placements they offer. Currently, law schools are failing in this regard, and offering, on average, less than six credits of required legal writing. Experiential Legal Writing: The New Approach to Practicing Like a Lawyer, proposes a groundbreaking curriculum that trains students to think, write, and practice like lawyers.
Relationship of 6-n-Propylthiouracil (PROP) Taste Sensitivity to Alcohol and Caffeine Intakes among Ethnically Diverse College Students

Background: It has been suggested that greater taste sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) influences the oral sensation of alcohol and caffeine and serves as a deterrent to alcohol and caffeine consumption. Objective: This study was conducted to examine the relationship of PROP taste sensitivity to alcohol and caffeine intakes among ethnically diverse college students. Methods: The sample included 360 college students (164 males; 72 African Americans, 80 Caucasians, 73 Hispanics, 135 Asians; Age: Mean±SE=23.4±0.3yr) living in the New York City area. Subjects were classified as PROP non-tasters and tasters using the PROP filter paper method and the general Labeled Magnitude scale. Their daily alcohol and caffeine intakes were assessed using a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Results: The proportion of PROP non-tasters in this study was 29%. PROP non-tasters had significantly higher daily alcohol intake (Mean±SE, 3.8±0.6 vs. 2.2±0.2 [g]; P=0.007) and caffeine intake(116.5±9.9 vs. 83.1±5.4 [mg];P=0.002) t...