cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantifying the Benefits and Risks of Methylphenidate as Treatment for Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Approximately 6% of school-aged children in the United States are prescribed medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is roughly 1 child in every classroom.1 Psychostimulants, such as methylphenidate, are the most commonly prescribed and have been a first-line medication for ADHD for more than 50 years.2 Establishing the efficacy and safety of methylphenidate in children is of the utmost importance. Meta-analyses, which quantitatively combine and critically evaluate the findings of trials, are important in this endeavor.
Robust and compact geographic/topological structures for routing and information dissemination in wireless sensor networks

This dissertation describes a new approach in organizing hundreds or more of autonomous nodes, each with sensing, computing and wireless communication capabilities. We build geometric and topological structures in a network during a discovery phase. These structures need to be compact enough to be stored at each node, yet robust enough not to be quickly invalidated by radio link dynamics. When nodes' geographic coordinates are known, we use the geometric structures to reduce average route length and to improve load balancing in geographic routing. When nodes' geographic coordinates are unknown, we can use the topological structures in devising hop-count based virtual addressing schemes to name the nodes and to guide routing and information dissemination. First, we study a geometric structure that we call a network hole. We define a network hole to be the region enclosed by a polygonal cycle that connects the nodes where local minima in greedy geographic routing can appear. We propose a distributed algorithm to identify the existence of such holes given nodes' location information and to identify cycles that mark the boundaries of the holes. We prove the correctness of the algorithm. Second, we propose GLIDER, a scheme that uses a two-tier combinatorial structure for network addressing and routing. The algorithm works by first discovering the global topology of the sensor field, partitioning the nodes into connected tiles. A tile is a region where the node placement is sufficiently dense that greedy methods can work well. As a byproduct, we map out the tile adjacency graph, the combinatorial Delaunay graph. The tile adjacency graph is then used for global route planning. We define a local coordinate system where a node's coordinates are measured by its distances to a selection of nearby nodes (landmarks) and propose a distance function for greedy routing within each tile. We prove any point in a continuous plane can be reached by greedy descent on this distance function. Third, we study data-centric information storage and retrieval for large-scale networks when nodes' geographic coordinates are unknown. We show how the combinatorial structures proposed in GLIDER could be used in solving the problem.
Effects of demineralization depth on microtensile bond strength to human dentin

Purpose To evaluate the effect of different phosphoric acid concentrations (10% and 37%) on the microtensile bond strengths (microTBS) of three dentin adhesive systems with different solvents (ethanol, acetone, or none). Materials and methods Eighteen third molars divided into six groups were ground flat to expose superficial dentin, which was polished to 600-grit. The bonding procedure was initiated using either of two phosphoric acid gels (10% and 37%). Three adhesive systems - Single Bond (SB), Prime & Bond NT (NT), and One Coat Bond (OC) - with different solvents (ethanol, acetone, or none, respectively) were used. After adhesive application, a cylinder of composite resin was built up. After 24 h water storage, each tooth was serially sectioned into thin rectangular sections (or "sticks") parallel to the long axis and with a mean cross-sectional area of 0.4 mm2. microTBS were determined using an Instron universal testing machine. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Duncan's test. Results Mean bond strengths ranged from 66.1 MPa for 10%/ H3PO4 and SB to 43.8 MPa for 37% H3PO4 and OC. SB and OC tended to have slightly higher bond strengths when 10% H3PO4 was used. NT with 37% H3PO4 had a significantly higher microTBS (54.6 MPa) than NT with 10% H3PO4 (44.4 MPa). Conclusion Etching dentin with 37% H3PO4 resulted in a significantly higher mean microTBS for the acetone-based adhesive NT. For both the ethanol- and water-based adhesive (SB) and the solvent-free adhesive (OC), acid concentration did not significantly affect bond strength.
American Demographics and the Garrison State

The melting pot is a useful metaphor for the history of immigration into the United States. Each of the successive waves encountered and eventually overcame hostility, gradually assimilating into the American mainstream.
Rethinking Asylum: What is “Persecution”?

The preceding chapters have articulated a political approach to asylum, one that explains why asylum should be reserved for persecuted people. Asylum provides not only protection to the refugee, but also chastises the persecutory state for its misconduct. But to precisely which kinds of harm does the label “persecution” apply? The question is a difficult one. Certain kinds of harm obviously qualify: for example, the murder or torture of political dissidents or ethnic or religious minorities constitute the classic cases of persecution. But beyond this core, which harms does the concept of “persecution” encompass? The UNHCR Handbook, meant to provide interpretive guidance to courts and administrative agencies, begins its discussion of persecution with a striking disclaimer: “There is no universally accepted definition of ‘persecution,’ and various attempts to formulate such a definition have met with little success.” Guy Goodwin-Gill, a prominent commentator, concurs that the definition of persecution has “no coherent or consistent jurisprudence.” American law, in particular, is in disarray. The asylum statute leaves “persecution” undefined, and the agency charged with issuing regulations – now the Department of Homeland Security – has offered little regulatory guidance. The federal courts of appeals, meanwhile, have employed a number of definitions which appear similar on their face but, in fact, vary in subtle ways that can have important implications. The growing acceptance of a humanitarian conception of asylum partly explains the confusion over persecution's meaning.
The fashionable artistic interior

The myth of the artist and the cult of art so permeate nineteenth-century French literature and criticism that Claude Duchet suggests revising the familiar schema for periodizing French studies by century: he places the “paradigme de ‘l'artiste’” between “l'ere des ‘philosophes’ et l'avenement de ‘l'intellectuel’.” The private dwelling becomes an important site on which the nineteenth-century “paradigme de ‘l'artiste’” is played out, for during this period, artistic sensibility is commonly manifested by an appreciation of the “minor” arts of interior furnishing and decor, fueling the popularity of collecting and the bibelot. To launch an inquiry into the relationship of the philosophe or the intellectual to interior decor would be ludicrous; however, many of the writers of the era of the artist take decor very seriously and write about it at length, often dramatizing the sociology of aesthetic judgment in fiction and non-fiction. Issues of class and gender complicate matters: the image of the artist appeals to social groups from whom a mostly male cultural elite strives to distance itself, the bourgeoisie and women. The home interior thus becomes a field of struggle for claims to artistic taste. At the heart of this struggle one finds the bibelot in its various guises – objet d'art, objet de luxe, objet de mode, objet superflu, objet de consommation, objet de desir . The lengthy descriptions of interior decor characteristic of nineteenth-century novels are best understood within the context of both the sociology and the aesthetics of the decorative arts.
Nucleoside Analogue Triphosphates Allosterically Regulate Human Ribonucleotide Reductase and Identify Chemical Determinants That Drive Substrate Specificity

Class I ribonucleotide reductase (RR) maintains balanced pools of deoxyribonucleotide substrates for DNA replication by converting ribonucleoside diphosphates (NDPs) to 2′-deoxyribonucleoside diphosphates (dNDPs). Binding of deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) effectors (ATP/dATP, dGTP, and dTTP) modulates the specificity of class I RR for CDP, UDP, ADP, and GDP substrates. Crystal structures of bacterial and eukaryotic RRs show that dNTP effectors and NDP substrates bind on either side of a flexible nine-amino acid loop (loop 2). Interactions with the effector nucleobase alter loop 2 geometry, resulting in changes in specificity among the four NDP substrates of RR. However, the functional groups proposed to drive specificity remain untested. Here, we use deoxynucleoside analogue triphosphates to determine the nucleobase functional groups that drive human RR (hRR) specificity. The results demonstrate that the 5-methyl, O4, and N3 groups of dTTP contribute to specificity for GDP. The O6 and protonated N1 o...
Current Status of Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device Support

The last decade has witnessed significant advancement in the field of ventricular assist device (VAD) support. Although device options for pediatric patients were previously severely limited because of body size constraints, this frustrating situation has gradually been changing, owing to ongoing device miniaturization. Recognition of the superiority of VAD support compared with conventional extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support has spurred enthusiasm for VAD support in children. In this article, we discuss the current status of pediatric VAD support; where do we stand now and where will we be heading? Because this field is rapidly changing, it is anticipated that this article will provide a general overview of what is currently occurring in the field of pediatric VAD support.
Low-Pressure Hydrogenation of CO2 to CH3OH Using Ni-In-Al/SiO2 Catalyst Synthesized via a Phyllosilicate Precursor

The overall objective of this research is to convert the increasingly concerning CO2 and renewable H2 to highly demanded methanol (CH3OH), which creates a win–win scenario for simultaneous climate change prevention and sustainable economic development. The key to the success of this targeted CO2 utilization technology is the development of low-pressure methanol synthesis catalysts (NiaInbAl/SiO2; a = 0–8.3, b = 0–9.1) by means of a phyllosilicate precursor, allowing for formation of well-dispersed metallic particles with an average diameter of 2.5–3.5 nm. The catalysts were characterized with various methods including ICP-OES, N2 physisorption, XRD, SEM, TEM, TGA, H2 TPR, DRIFTS, and XPS. The performances of the NiaInbAl/SiO2 catalysts and conventional catalyst were compared under various evaluation temperatures at ambient pressure. It was found that catalysts with Ni/In ratios of 0.4–0.7 showed the highest activity. Ni3.5In5.3Al/SiO2 (NIA-0.7) with 15% metal loading was the best among the tested NiaInbAl...
Recent Mathematical Models of Axonal Transport

An axon is a long thin projection of a neuron that allows for rapid electrochemical communications with other cells over long distances. Axonal transport refers to the stochastic, bidirectional movement of organelles and proteins along cytoskeletal polymers inside an axon, powered by molecular motor proteins. The movement from the cell body to the axon terminal is called anterograde transport and the movement in the opposite direction is called retrograde transport. Axonal transport is a vital process for the axon to survive and maintain its regular shape. Mathematical models have been developed to help understand how cargoes are transported inside an axon and how impairment of axonal transport affects cargo distribution. In this chapter, we review recent mathematical models of axonal transport and discuss open problems in this area.
Thoracoscopic Sympathectomy for Refractory Electrical Storm After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

We report a patient with refractory electrical storm after coronary artery bypass grafting who was successfully treated with thoracoscopic sympathectomy. Cardiac arrest with ventricular tachycardia occurred on postoperative day 2, and the patient required emergency support with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Frequent episodes of ventricular tachycardia prevented cardiac recovery and weaning from mechanical circulatory support. A percutaneous left stellate ganglion block initially demonstrated successful prevention of ventricular tachycardia, and definitive sympathetic denervation was achieved by a left thoracoscopic sympathectomy. The patient remained in normal sinus rhythm and gained recovery of baseline ventricular function, permitting successful decannulation and weaning of inotropic support.
A ketogenic diet reduces metabolic syndrome-induced allodynia and promotes peripheral nerve growth in mice.

Current experiments investigated whether a ketogenic diet impacts neuropathy associated with obesity and prediabetes. Mice challenged with a ketogenic diet were compared to mice fed a high-fat diet or a high-fat diet plus exercise. Additionally, an intervention switching to a ketogenic diet following 8 weeks of high-fat diet was performed to compare how a control diet, exercise, or a ketogenic diet affects metabolic syndrome-induced neural complications. When challenged with a ketogenic diet, mice had reduced bodyweight and fat mass compared to high-fat-fed mice, and were similar to exercised, high-fat-fed mice. High-fat-fed, exercised and ketogenic-fed mice had mildly elevated blood glucose; conversely, ketogenic diet-fed mice were unique in having reduced serum insulin levels. Ketogenic diet-fed mice never developed mechanical allodynia contrary to mice fed a high-fat diet. Ketogenic diet fed mice also had increased epidermal axon density compared all other groups. When a ketogenic diet was used as an intervention, a ketogenic diet was unable to reverse high-fat fed-induced metabolic changes but was able to significantly reverse a high-fat diet-induced mechanical allodynia. As an intervention, a ketogenic diet also increased epidermal axon density. In vitro studies revealed increased neurite outgrowth in sensory neurons from mice fed a ketogenic diet and in neurons from normal diet-fed mice given ketone bodies in the culture medium. These results suggest a ketogenic diet can prevent certain complications of prediabetes and provides significant benefits to peripheral axons and sensory dysfunction.
Communication-related responses of ventilated patients

Communication is a function dramatically altered during mechanical ventilation. Despite the large numbers of patients who require mechanical ventilation yearly, little has been done to examine their responses to being unable to speak during critical illness. The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to prospectively examine the communication-related responses of mechanically ventilated patients. Specifically, this study examined the relationships among ventilated patients emotional responses to being unable to speak, their perceived difficulty with communication and selected personal and situational variables: self esteem, severity of illness, race, the number of communication methods used, history of ventilation, reason for ventilation and the number of days ventilated. Interpersonal communication theory and the cognitive theory of emotion (Lazarus, 1966) provided the theoretical background and conceptual framework for the study. A convenience sample of 65 patients ranging in age from 18 to 80 participated in the study. Ventilated patients participated who were alert and oriented, able to communicate in English and ventilated for more than 24 hours. Patients emotional responses to being unable to speak were measured by three subscales of the Emotion Scale (Folkman amp; Lazarus, 1988). Self esteem was measured using the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965). Subjects perceived difficulty with communication and methods of communication were assessed with the investigator-developed Ease of Communication Scale and Methods of Communication Checklist, respectively. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to examine the relationships between the emotional responses of anger, worry and confidence and the personal and situational variables. Self esteem, morbidity and perceived difficulty were significantly associated with patients feelings of anger at being unable to speak. Patients expressed the most anger at being unable to speak who were more acutely ill, perceived more difficulty with communication, and had lower self esteem. Patients perceived difficulty with communication and the number of days ventilated at data collection were significantly related to patients feelings of worry at being unable to speak. The analysis showed that patients who were ventilated longer experienced less worry at being unable to speak, and patients who perceived communication to be the most difficult were the most worried at being unable to speak.
Holcf '11: a definitional domain theory for verifying functional programs

HOLCF is an interactive theorem proving system that uses the mathematics of domain theory to reason about programs written in functional programming languages. This thesis introduces HOLCF '11, a thoroughly revised and extended version of HOLCF that advances the state of the art in program verification: HOLCF '11 can reason about many program definitions that are beyond the scope of other formal proof tools, while providing a high degree of proof automation. The soundness of the system is ensured by adhering to a definitional approach: New constants and types are defined in terms of previous concepts, without introducing new axioms. Major features of HOLCF '11 include two high-level definition packages: the Fixrec package for defining recursive functions, and the Domain package for defining recursive datatypes. Each of these uses the domain-theoretic concept of least fixed points to translate user-supplied recursive specifications into safe low-level definitions. Together, these tools make it easy for users to translate a wide variety of functional programs into the formalism of HOLCF. Theorems generated by the tools also make it easy for users to reason about their programs, with a very high level of confidence in the soundness of the results. As a case study, we present a fully mechanized verification of a model of concurrency based on powerdomains. The formalization depends on many features unique to HOLCF '11, and is the first verification of such a model in a formal proof tool.
Evaluating the dependence of urban pollinators on ornamental, non-native, and ‘weedy’ floral resources

Urban landscapes are often florally rich due to extensive management of cultivated plants around the city. High abundance and diversity of these floral resources has been linked to more abundant and diverse pollinator communities, but little is known about how urban pollinators select from the wide variety of available flowers. This study provides unique insight into urban plant-pollinator interactions by examining how many plant taxa, and which taxa, are visited by pollinators. Over a three-year period, we observed foraging of urban pollinators across 63 neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois (USA). We observed 1815 plant-pollinator interactions between 24 pollinator morpho-types and 106 plant taxa. An additional 57 plant taxa were flowering but not visited by pollinators. On average, each pollinator morpho-type visited 19 plant taxa, and most pollinators showed generalist tendencies. We identified 42 plant taxa that were visited by more pollinator morpho-types than their floral abundance would predict; we call these ‘highly attractive’ plants. In general, perennial and native plants received more pollinator visits than their counterparts, and ornamental plants were visited by more species than unintentional ‘weeds’. However, the two most-visited plant taxa were non-native, perennial weeds. Our results suggest that many flowering plants in cities are not visited by pollinators. Furthermore, the plant-pollinator network could be reduced to only four plant taxa without losing any pollinator morpho-types. To enhance urban pollinator conservation, urban residents can select ornamental plants from our list of ‘highly attractive’ plant taxa, or can allow some of the highly attractive ‘weeds’ to persist in their gardens.
The Washington Heights Uprising of 1992: Dominican Belonging and Urban Policing in New York City:

Situated at the intersection of Latinx postwar migration, community formation, and urban politics, this article explores the Washington Heights uprising of 1992 as a lens through which to historici...
Facilitating Intercultural Development: Preparing Future Engineers for Multidisciplinary Teams and Multicultural Environments

This innovative practice full paper describes an inclusive on–campus intercultural development program that can be applied in engineering learning environments. A major outcome of engineering programs across the nation is to graduate professional engineers who are able to work and communicate effectively in multicultural environments and multidisciplinary teams. Therefore, developing multicultural/intercultural competencies is an important aspect of engineering programs. Generally, study abroad programs are seen as an effective means to develop intercultural/multicultural competence. However, the opportunity to study abroad is often not accessible for all students, particularly those from traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds. This paper describes the design, implementation, and assessment of an on campus intercultural development program, and the outcomes based on quantitative and qualitative data collected from two separate cohorts of engineering students during 2016 and 2017. The program is grounded in a developmental intercultural paradigm – Developmental Model for Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) and Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC) - with an intentional focus on constructs identified on the Intercultural Knowledge & Competence VALUE Rubric. The outcomes and effectiveness are assessed using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and the Attitudes, Skills, and Knowledge Short Scale (ASKS2+). The overall results suggest that by intentionally focusing on the cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of intercultural development, coupled with a developmental approach, it is possible to achieve intercultural
Angola and Mozambique: Similar Histories, Different Outcomes

This chapter looks at two case studies—Angola and Mozambique. Since they are decades old, they may seem like an exercise in ancient history, but it is useful. They demonstrate what UN peacekeepers can achieve, what they can only influence, and what they cannot control. While multidimensional peacekeeping is almost nonexistent at the present time, it seems certain that the UN will be called upon to engage in again in the future. If the civil wars in Yemen, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Somalia, and elsewhere are ever brought to an end, there would likely be calls for peacekeepers to be sent into help make the peace permanent. If peacekeepers are deployed, their chances for success depend in large part on a number of factors particular to each conflict. They include the conflict’s history, what kind of peace there is to keep, how that peace was negotiated, and the intentions and good faith of the parties. But the most important are the resources of the country in question and the roles played by other states, which are difficult to impossible for the UN to control. Mozambique and Angola differed significantly in all of these conflict-specific factors, even though both countries were Portuguese colonies that obtained their independence at the same time and in the same way.
The tail that wags: differences in effective right tail coverage and estimates of wealth inequality

This paper focuses on the sensitivity of survey-based estimates of wealth inequality to the quality of the measurement of the upper tail of the distribution. Using data from the 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), it develops a series of illustrative examples to highlight some of the problems in making comparisons of wealth inequality measures when there are specific defects in the measurement of the upper tail of the distribution. The results presented strongly indicate that in the absence of effective controls on the measurement of the upper tail of the wealth distribution, great caution should be the rule in the interpretation of most commonly used measures of wealth inequality from a given survey, comparison of such measures across the waves of the survey, and perhaps even more strongly, comparison across independently designed and managed surveys. A graphical decomposition of the 2013 SCF wealth distribution provides additional insight into the underlying cause of the sensitivity of the inequality measures. The paper concludes with a brief outline of a research program for improving the ability of surveys to provide more meaningful estimates of inequality measures.
A Portable, Compact Cold Atom Physics Package for Atom Interferometry

In this paper, we report the design, implementation and experimental results of a portable, compact cold Cs atom physics package for atom interferometer experiments. With the physics package, we trapped and deep-cooled Cs atoms to ultracold temperatures of $\lt$ $5 \mu \mathrm{K}$. The deep-cooling method used in this work is relatively simple and effective, with which we obtained controlled temperature adjustment between 5 and $80 \mu \mathrm{K}$. The portability of the physics package makes it suitable for implementing atom interferometry with various interrogation configurations and relative orientations. The system is also good for studies of compact cold atom frequency standards. With the Raman laser and light pulse manipulation system we developed in this work, this portable cold Cs atom physics package is being used for atom interferometer experiments in our laboratory.
Retooling General Motors: Defending an Innovative Use of the Bankruptcy Code to Save America's Auto Industry

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming[.] President Theodore Roosevelt 1
Alan’s approach to research and his colleagues

Our paths crossed many times. Some hallmarks of his research were his focus on topics people were talking about, his finding new sources of data, and his use of new econometric techniques. When we choose what to work on, how to approach it, and how to craft the narrative, we can all learn from Alan. Another way Alan’s memory can be truly honored is for us to realize that there is no reason why economics, a profession known for useful, insightful analysis of the sort that Alan excelled at, cannot also be known for its kindness.
Acute Colonic Diverticulitis and Cirrhosis: Outcomes of Laparoscopic Colectomy Compared with an Open Approach.

Background The impact of cirrhosis on outcomes of acute colonic diverticulitis (ACD) has been studied infrequently. We investigated the effect of cirrhosis on outcomes of surgical patients with ACD treated by either an open or laparoscopic approach. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2012 to 2014. Patients with ACD were stratified into compensated and decompensated cirrhosis for comparisons of demographic characteristics, hospital length of stay, complications, mortality, and cost. Groups were stratified according to surgical treatment: open colectomy and laparoscopic colectomy. A comparative effectiveness analysis of outcomes was performed between the 2 surgical treatments. Univariate comparisons between groups and multivariate regression analysis were performed to identify risk factors for mortality and specific complications. Results Of 1,172,875 patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of ACD during the study period, 1,145 were cirrhotic. The majority were male (59%). There were 660 compensated cirrhotic patients and 485 decompensated cirrhotic patients and all underwent either open (n = 875) or laparoscopic colectomy (n = 270). Consistently, marked increases in mortality, hospital length of stay, and cost were observed in decompensated cirrhotic patients regardless of the type of treatment. Laparoscopic colectomy was accompanied by shorter hospital length of stay, lower costs, and significantly decreased mortality rate compared with open colectomy in compensated and decompensated cirrhotic patients. Conclusions The presence of cirrhosis markedly impacts outcomes in patients with ACD, leading to prolonged hospitalization, higher cost, and increased complications and deaths. Laparoscopic colectomy is associated with better outcomes in patients requiring surgical management, including those with decompensated cirrhosis.
Non-Orthopedic Encounters Increase Opioid Exposure in Joint Osteoarthritis: A Single-Institution Analysis.

Abstract Background There has been little-to-no evidence to support the use of opioid analgesia as a treatment modality for osteoarthritis (OA). Chronic opioid use has been associated with peri-operative and post-operative complications with joint reconstruction. The purpose of this study is to compare opioid-prescribing habits for OA between orthopedic and non-orthopedic physicians to identify encounters that increase opioid exposure. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed on opioid-naive adult patients with outpatient opioid prescriptions for OA at a single academic institution between 2013 and 2018. Patients with prior surgery or opioid prescriptions were excluded. Independent t-tests and analysis of variance were used to compare prescription characteristics among providers. Results A total of 9625 opioid prescriptions were identified. Non-orthopedic providers account for 92% of prescriptions vs 8% by orthopedic surgeons. The greatest number of prescriptions is written by Internal Medicine (37.1%) and Family Medicine physicians (36.0%). Non-orthopedic physicians prescribe a greater number of prescriptions per patient, dosages, and refills (P Conclusion The majority of opioid prescriptions for OA are written by non-orthopedic providers, with higher prescription rates, dosages, and more refills than orthopedic surgeons. OA is a common condition that will benefit from multi-disciplinary awareness to minimize unnecessary opioid exposure and reduce potential complications with joint arthroplasty.
Narcotic-Dependent Patients Derive Equal Benefit from Enhanced Recovery.

Areas of the southeast United States have endemic levels of prescription drug use, diversion, and abuse. Because preoperative narcotics use is associated with increased surgical morbidity and increased readmission rates, there is a compelling need to categorize health outcomes of patients maintaining an active opioid prescription. The purpose of this study is to determine the health outcomes of preoperative narcotic users who undergo colorectal surgery within the enhanced recovery (ER) protocol, a set of multimodal interventions designed to reduce postoperative complications. Five hundred and five colorectal surgery patients were identified within the ER protocol at Carilion Clinic. Opioid dependence was defined as an active prescription for 30 days before surgery. Thirty-day outcome variables were defined by the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. One hundred and one patients were identified as opioid dependent and 404 as opioid naive. Groups were comparable in terms of age at surgery, mean body mass index, and presurgical physical classification. Groups fared similarly with regard to readmission (χ2, P > 0.999), reoperation (χ2, P = 0.869), and average length of stay [t(135) = 1.49, P = 0.137]. These preliminary data show that opioid-dependent patients derive benefit equal to opioid-naive patients within the ER protocol.
Do Obese Patients Present With More Advanced Breast Cancer

BackgroundObesity is a known risk factor for breast cancer development; however, it is unclear whether obesity is associated with more aggressive disease. We sought to determine the relationship be...
Modeling estrogenic activity in streams throughout the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay watersheds

Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), specifically estrogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds, vary in concentration and composition in surface waters under the influence of different landscape sources and landcover gradients. Estrogenic activity in surface waters may lead to adverse effects in aquatic species at both individual and population levels, often observed through the presence of intersex and vitellogenin induction in male fish. In the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, located on the mid-Atlantic coast of the USA, intersex has been observed in several sub-watersheds where previous studies have identified specific landscape sources of EDCs in tandem with observed fish health effects. Previous work in the Potomac River Watershed (PRW), the largest basin within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, was leveraged to build random forest regression models to predict estrogenic activity at unsampled reaches in both the Potomac River and larger Chesapeake Bay Watersheds (CBW). Model outputs including important variables, partial dependence plots, and predicted values of estrogenic activity at unsampled reaches provide insight into drivers of estrogenic activity at different seasons and scales. Using the US Environmental Protection Agency effects-based threshold of 1.0 ng/L 17 β-estradiol equivalents, catchments predicted to exceed this value were categorized as at risk for adverse effects from exposure to estrogenic compounds and evaluated relative to healthy watersheds and recreation access locations throughout the PRW. Results show immediate catchment scale models are more reliable than upstream models, and the best predictive variables differ by season and scale. A small percentage of healthy watersheds (< 13%) and public access sites were classified as at risk using the “Total” (annual) model in the CBW. This study is the first Potomac River Watershed assessment of estrogenic activity, providing a new foundation for future risk assessment and management design efforts, with additional context provided for the entire Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Development and Validation of the Super-Short Form of the Five Factor Machiavellianism Inventory (FFMI-SSF).

Previous findings have showed that existing measures of Machiavellianism often fail to distinguish Machiavellianism from another construct in the Dark Triad (i.e., psychopathy) and do not align wit...
Contrastive Multiple Correspondence Analysis (cMCA): Using Contrastive Learning to Identify Latent Subgroups in Political Parties

Scaling methods have long been utilized to simplify and cluster high-dimensional data. However, the latent spaces derived from these methods are sometimes uninformative or unable to identify significant differences in the data. To tackle this common issue, we adopt an emerging analysis approach called contrastive learning. We contribute to this emerging field by extending its ideas to multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) in order to enable an analysis of data often encountered by social scientists -- namely binary, ordinal, and nominal variables. We demonstrate the utility of contrastive MCA (cMCA) by analyzing three different surveys of voters in Europe, Japan, and the United States. Our results suggest that, first, cMCA can identify substantively important dimensions and divisions among (sub)groups that are overlooked by traditional methods; second, for certain cases, cMCA can still derive latent traits that generalize across and apply to multiple groups in the dataset; finally, when data is high-dimensional and unstructured, cMCA provides objective heuristics, above and beyond the standard results, enabling more complex subgroup analysis.
Stability and Resilience of Transportation Systems: Is a Traffic Jam About to Occur?

Measurement of traffic flow stability and resilience is a critical step toward evaluating the performance of transportation systems and implementing appropriate management strategies. Quantifying changes in the stability and resilience of transportation systems, however, is hampered by the complexity of real traffic dynamics and the diversity of infrastructures. Here, we demonstrate that changes in traffic flow stability and resilience are signaled by generic features, known as early warning signals in the theory of critical slowing down, observed before traffic instabilities occur. This finding is incorporated in an operational data-driven algorithm to evaluate the risk of traffic jams on highways. Theoretical findings and tests on simulated and empirical case studies support the premise of this approach and identify candidate statistical measures that are sensitive to changes in the stability and resilience of transportation systems. Our use of universal measures advances the monitoring capability, prediction and control of complex transportation systems.
Percutaneous Management of Benign Biliary Strictures

Benign biliary strictures are often due to a variety of etiologies, most of which are iatrogenic. Clinical presentation can vary from asymptomatic disease with elevated liver enzymes to obstructive jaundice and recurrent cholangitis. Diagnostic imaging methods, such as ultrasound, multidetector computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging (cholangiopancreatography), are used to identify stricture location, extent, and possible source of biliary obstruction. The management of benign biliary strictures requires a multidisciplinary team approach and include endoscopic, percutaneous, and surgical interventions. Percutaneous biliary interventions provide an alternative diagnostic and therapeutic approach, especially in patients who are not amenable to endoscopic evaluation. This review provides an overview of benign biliary strictures and percutaneous management by interventional radiologists. Diagnostic evaluation with percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography and treatment options, including biliary drainage, balloon dilation, retrievable/biodegradable stents, and other innovative minimally invasive options, are discussed.
Multiscale Modeling of High Field Hole Transport and Excess Noise in Avalanche Amorphous Selenium Layers

Amorphous selenium as a wide-bandgap disordered photoconductive material has achieved deterministic single-carrier hole avalanche gains ~ 1000, while exhibiting a very low excess noise factor. In the range of impact ionization at high electric fields, ‘hot’ hole mobility in amorphous selenium loses its activated behavior and saturates with transport shifted entirely from localized to extended states. This necessitates the need to gain insight into the relaxation dynamics and particle trajectories of the non-equilibrium ‘hot’ holes in extended states. A continuum of electrical and semiconducting properties across allotropic forms of a disordered structure, has been long attributed to a similarity in short-range order. We probed this retainment of short range order between amorphous selenium and trigonal selenium using molecular dynamics simulations, which, allowed us to model the general details of the extended-state hole-phonon interaction in the amorphous phase by modeling the band-transport lattice theory of its crystalline counterpart, trigonal selenium. The energy and phonon band structure along with the density of states and acoustic/optical deformation potentials for trigonal selenium was calculated using density functional theory. The density functional theory calculated hole-phonon coupling parameters were fed into an in-house bulk Monte Carlo algorithm to study high field hole transport in amorphous selenium layers while accounting for disorder in the amorphous phase. This study makes a strong case for the need of a microscopic dynamical model of hole transport in selenium semiconductors.
A Kinetic Study of the Effect of α-d-Galactose, α-d-Mannose, α-d-Glucosamine, N-Acetyl-α-d-glucosamine, and α-d-Ribose Diphosphate on the Activity of Phosphoglucomutase

Abstract The specificity of phosphoglucomutase for various α-d-sugar diphosphates was studied by examining the relative ability of these compounds to activate the dephosphorylated form of the enzyme prepared from rabbit muscle. The rate of the reaction measured spectrophotometrically at 340 mµ with a coupled assay system containing TPN+ and excess d-glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase was linear with time only when the incubation was carried out in the presence of α-d-glucose 1,6-diphosphate. When other sugar diphosphates were used, the rate of disappearance of α-d-glucose 1-phosphate increased with time until a maximum linear rate was attained. The final rate, in each case, was dependent on the concentration of α-d-sugar diphosphate added to the incubation mixture, but it was independent of the order of addition of reactants and the concentration of components of the coupled assay system. The apparent Km values were as follows: α-d-glucose 1,6-diphosphate, 0.1 µm; α-d-mannose 1,6-diphosphate, 3.7 µm; α-d-ribose 1,5-diphosphate, 3.2 µm; α-d-glucosamine 1,6-diphosphate, 11 µm; N-acetyl-α-d-glucosamine 1,6-diphosphate, 1.6 µm; α-d-galactose 1,6-diphosphate, 13 µm. The most effective activator of phosphoglucomutase was α-d-glucose 1,6-diphosphate. The Km values of α-d-galactose 1,6-diphosphate and α-d-glucosamine 1,6-diphosphate, the poorest activators, were about 120-fold greater than that of α-d-glucose 1,6-diphosphate. The maximum velocity varied only 2- to 3-fold when different sugar diphosphates were used to activate the reaction. The following maximum velocities, expressed as micromoles min-1 mg-1, were obtained: α-d-glucose 1,6-diphosphate, 500; α-d-mannose, 1,6-diphosphate, 360; α-d-ribose 1,5-diphosphate, 210; α-d-glucosamine 1,6-diphosphate, 370; N-acetyl-d-glucosamine 1,6-diphosphate, 220; α-d-galactose 1,6-diphosphate, 240. Addition of the appropriate α-d-sugar 1-phosphate or d-sugar 6-phosphate decreased the velocity of the reaction being maintained by either α-d-sugar 1,6-diphosphate or α-d-glucose 1,6-diphosphate. The findings reported are consistent with and support a mechanism in which each of the sugar diphosphates combines with dephosphoenzyme to form a sugar diphosphate-enzyme complex which then further reacts to yield a phosphoenzyme intermediate and free sugar monophosphate.
Serving bilingual patients with aphasia: challenges, foundations, and procedures

Abstract Bilingualism and multilingualism are a common occurrence in today's world. Many bilinguals (speakers of two languages) and multilinguals or polyglots (speakers of more than two languages) in multilingual population centers receive speech therapy for acquired language problems or aphasia as a result of neurological damage. Serving these bilingual and multilingual aphasic patients involves theoretical and clinical challenges for speech therapists. This article proposes a multidisciplinary framework as a strategy to overcome such difficulties. Particularly, the proposed approach, guided by the possible interactions among culture, cognition, and language in adult bilinguals, draws from various disciplines, such as sociolinguistics, neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and ethnopsychology, to formulate procedures that would increase diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic effectiveness with bilingual and multilingual aphasic patients. Because aphasia is considered a social rather than a purely linguistic phenomenon, this approach ultimately aims to enhance linguistic and communicative skills to support social readaptation.
Geometric Phases of the Uhlmann and Sjoqvist et al Types for O(3)-Orbits of n-Level Gibbsian Density Matrices

We accept the implicit challenge of A. Uhlmann in his 1994 paper, "Parallel Lifts and Holonomy along Density Operators: Computable Examples Using O(3)-Orbits," by, in fact, computing the holonomy invariants for rotations of certain n-level Gibbsian density matrices (n = 2,...,11). From these, we derive, by the tracing operation, the associated geometric phases and visibilities, which we analyze and display. We then proceed analogously, implementing the alternative methodology presented by E. Sjoqvist et al in their letter, "Geometric Phases for Mixed States in Interferometry" (Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 2845 [2000]). For the Uhlmann case, we are able to also compute several higher-order invariants. We compare the various geometric phases and visibilities for different values of n, and also directly compare the two forms of analysis. By setting one parameter (a) in the Uhlmann analysis to zero, we find that the so-reduced form of the first-order holonomy invariant is simply equal to (-1)^{n+1} times the holonomy invariant in the Sj\"oqvist et al method. Additional phenomena of interest are reported too.
Equine glaucoma: Where are we now?

Summary The following article discusses the pathophysiology, clinical signs, diagnosis, medical treatment and surgical management of glaucoma in the horse.
An analysis of FQPSK and SOQPSK in frequency selective multipath

The performance of FQPSK and SOQPSK-TG in frequency selective multipath is analyzed in this paper. It is shown that these waveforms, called the advanced range telemetry (ARTM) tier-1 waveforms, behave the same in the presence of multipath interference. In the presence a strong specular multipath reflection with relative amplitude |/spl Gamma/| > 0.5, the phase averaged bit error rate exhibits a floor at approximately 10/sup -2/. When the amplitude |/spl Gamma/| is less than 0.5, the loss in performance relative to the AWGN case is approximately (1 - |/spl Gamma/|)/sup -4//spl radic/(|/spl Gamma/|). The ARTM tier-1 waveforms possess twice the spectral efficiency of PCM/FM, but exhibit a greater loss and higher error floors than PCM/FM for the same multipath conditions and signal-to-noise ratio. Given the bandwidth of the ARTM tier-1 waveforms is half that of PCM/FM, the time-varying multipath interference effects the waveform half the time thus improving the overall link availability.
Core Polarization Effects in Odd A ≈ 80 Nuclei

The nucleus 81Sr provides one of the best examples of the effects of an unpaired nucleon in polarizing the nuclear core. Four different rotational bands can be seen in the level scheme [1–3] of 81Sr, shown in Fig. 1. Each is built upon a different single-particle configuration and each exhibits distinctive properties. The large signature splitting of the strongly decoupled g9/2 Yrast rotational band is consistent with the nearly oblate shape (β2=0.23, γ=-50°) predicted by Woods-Saxon cranking model calculations [1,4]. The measured B(E2) strengths (See Fig. 2) also imply |β2| ≈ 0.22 in this band. The nuclear shape changes substantially after the proton quasiparticle alignment at ℏω ≈ 0.5 MeV. The signature splitting nearly vanishes and ΔJ=1 transitions become strong. A similar band crossing has been seen [5] in 81Kr, and a nearly identical one has recently been reported [6] in 79Kr. Theoretically, the alignment polarizes the core towards a triaxial or more nearly prolate shape with γ ≥ -30°.