cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies on the Epidemiology of Bovine Leukemia

Characteristics of a female bovine population for a 19-county area of Michigan are defined. Cases of bovine leukemia in dairy cattle for this area are reported for the years 1962-65. The reported annual leukemia incidence for female Holstein cattle is 19 per 100,000. Reliable incidence rates could not be computed for the other four dairy breeds, since they comprised only 11 percent (approximately 50,000) of the dairy cattle population. An age-specific incidence graph shows a rather consistent increase in incidence as age advances, reaching 36 cases per 100,000 Holstein animals 8 years of age and over. The evidence indicates that size of herd has an influence on the incidence rate of leukemia--the rate being higher in large herds than in small.
The efficacy of botulinum neurotoxin A for the treatment of complete and partially recovered chronic sixth nerve palsy

Esotropia from chronic sixth nerve palsy or paresis usually requires surgery. Chemodenervation of the antagonist medial rectus muscle, while popular for the treatment of acute sixth nerve palsies and pareses, has not been used extensively for chronic cases. In this study, 22 patients with sixth nerve palsies or partially recovered palsies of greater than 5 months duration were treated with chemodenervation. The etiologies of the sixth nerve palsies were trauma (n = 7), tumor (n = 4), infection/inflammation (n = 3), nerve compression from aneurysm or increased intracranial pressure (n = 4), congenital (n = 1), ischemia (n = 2), and idiopathic (n = 1). The mean preinjection deviation was 41 prism diopters. A total of 38 injections were administered (mean, 1.7 per patient). Each patient received an injection of 2.5 to 7.5 units (mean, 4.1) of botulinum neurotoxin A to the ipsilateral medial rectus muscle. Treatment success was assessed 6 months after the last injection. A course of chemodenervation significantly improved the alignment of 9 of the 22 patients (41%). The mean postinjection deviation was 8 delta. Seven patients (32%) had single binocular vision in primary position restored. These patients had a mean horizontal binocular field of 70 degrees (range, 40 degrees to 100 degrees). Thirteen patients (59%) had only modest improvement and required surgery. The data suggest that injection of botulinum neurotoxin A is a useful treatment for some patients with chronic sixth nerve weakness. A course of chemodenervation therapy compares less favorably with transposition surgery with concomitant neurotoxin injection for the treatment of these difficult problems.
Managing Post-tPA Intracranial Hemorrhage: Time Is Still Brain.

Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) is the most dreaded complication in ischemic stroke patients treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA). Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage is associated with significant morbidity and a mortality rate of approximately 50%. Yet management of this cohort has been based mostly on anecdotal experience. Since its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1996, rtPA has become the standard of care for select patients with acute ischemic stroke. In the October JAMA Neurology issue, Yaghi et al. reported on a retrospective study examining current treatment paradigms for sICH after rtPA administration at 10 U.S. stroke centers. Patients included in the study had to meet the criteria for the Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study (SITS-MOST). Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was defined as the presence of a parenchymal hematoma accounting for more than one third of the infarct volume (parenchymal hematoma type 2) identified on head computed tomography (CT) with at least a 4point increase from the baseline National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, and the secondary outcome was hematoma expansion identified on follow-up CT. Other variables were included in the study to examine if there was any association between in-hospital mortality and hematoma expansion. First data on pretreatment factors were reported. These factors included patient demographics, stroke risk factors, antiplatelet or anticoagulant use before thrombolysis, admission NIHSS, and code status change to comfort care measures. Second were laboratory measures, comprising pretreatment blood glucose level, coagulation laboratory values, and fibrinogen level. Third were imaging features including hematoma volume and the time from initiation of rtPA therapy to sICH diagnosis. Fourth was the treatment modality, ranging from fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate, vitamin K, platelet transfusion, recombinant factor VIIa, aminocaproic acid, and surgical decompressive craniotomy or hematoma evacuation.
Identifying patients at risk from nonalcoholic fatty liver-related hepatocellular carcinomas

Betty & Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, USA Center For Liver Disease, Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, USA *Author for correspondence: Tel.: +1 703 776 2540; Fax: +1 703 776 4386; zobair.younossi@inova.org
The Wax Secreting Glands of Pseudococcus Citri Risso.

Wax secreting glands are found in a large number of insects scattered throughout the various orders. Though the secreted product varies greatly in composition and the uses very diverse yet, so far as known, all wax glands are epidermal in origin and usually more or less closely connected with the exterior. The most noted groups of wax producing insects are the Aphididae and Coccidae. So important is it in some of the Coccidae that very large industries are based upon the product—i. e., lac produced by the lac insects ( Tachardia lacca, Gascardia (Ceroplastes) madagascarensis , etc.). Lac is a resinous product which in the case of the Gascardia product consists of about 28.5% wax and 52.5% resin, while the lac of Tachardia lacca contains 68% resin and only 6% wax. The animal value of the Indian product now exceeds 20,000,000 and a great deal of experimental work is being done in the cultivation and improvement of the lac industry in India.
SiC Epitaxial Growth on Carbon

The possibility of single crystal SiC expitaxial growth on freestanding amorphous carbon films (500–1000 A) as well as thin amorphous carbon layers deposited on mono-crystalline SiC seeds, by conventional physical vapor transport (PVT) technique, is demonstrated. Preliminary experiments indicate that under certain specific growth conditions, 3D SiC single crystals (100–600 A) of different polytypes can be grown on freestanding amorphous carbon layers, with more or less equal probability of formation for each polytype. On the other hand, under low axial temperature gradients (< 30°C/cm), the SiC epitaxial growth on carbon is amorphous in nature. Also, experimental results that demonstrate two-dimensional single crystal SiC epitaxial growth on an amorphous carbon film deposited on mono-crystalline 6H-SiC wafer, is presented. Experiments performed in our laboratory indicate that monocrystalline SiC growth is possible on amorphous carbon layers upto 0.1 μm thickness.
A 3-Year Assessment of the Effects of a Self-Administered Health Risk Assessment on Health Care Utilization, Costs, and Health Risks

Objective:This study examines the effect of taking a health risk assessment (HRA) on health care costs, utilization, and member health risks over a 3-year period.Methods:This retrospective cohort study examined changes utilization, costs, and health risks among a random sample of 500 employees completing an HRA compared with a matched group of 500 employees who did not complete an HRA.Results:The HRA group accessed services more frequently and at a lower overall cost, was more likely to utilize primary care and preventive services after the HRA, and improved on seven out of eight health risk measures.Conclusions:This study demonstrates that significant and sustained improvement in health risks and lower health care costs may be achievable with efforts such as an HRA that seeks to engage employees in health improvement efforts. M any employers offer health and wellness programs (HWPs) to their employees, with the aim of improving health and productivity. An increasing number of employers are offering health promotionprograms,andmoreemployeesaremakinguseofthem. 1,2 Such programs have demonstrated reductions in employee health risks and associated health care costs. 3‐11 Although effective HWPs offer various components, an initial assessment of one’s risk is often a first step in engaging employees, alerting them to their risks and directing their attention to actions they can take to improve their health status. 5‐7,12 In some programs, employees are then offered targeted disease management programs focused on conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 2,7,13‐15 A health risk assessment (HRA), also called a “health risk appraisal” or “personal health assessment”, typically involves the completion of a screening questionnaire and the calculation of a risk score, sometimes including a personalized counseling interaction with an individual (often a health professional) to help interpret the results of the assessment and offer guidance for health improvement. 4,5,7 The HRA may also involve a biometric screening in which measurements are taken of clinical health indicators, such as blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, and blood glucose levels. 7 This study examines the effect of completing an HRA on costs, medical service utilization, and health risk indicators during a 3-year study period. The study was conducted at a large Midwestern university that had its own subsidiary managed health care plan. The self-administered HRA was offered by the university’s health plan as part of a broader HWP that included chronic disease management
The Taxonomy of Neodiprion rugifrons and N. dubiosus (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinoidea: Diprionidae)

Two saw flies of the Neodiprion virginianus complex from Pinus banksiana Lambert in Wisconsin are identified as N. rugifrons Middleton and N. dubiosus Schedl. These species are similar in numerous biological characteristics, but differ in at least 13 morphological and color characters when both the adult females and the immature stages are considered.
The Impact of Gender Stereotypes on Voting for Women Candidates by Level and Type of Office

Previous research has documented that the public often views women candidates through the lens of gender stereotypes. However, as much of this work draws on experimental designs and hypothetical candidates, we have less information about whether and how voters employ stereotypes in the face of real candidates for office. This project examines one important aspect of the impact of stereotypes on the fate of actual women candidates: whether gender stereotypes have a different influence on elections for different levels and types of offices. Previous research suggests that voters are more likely to apply male stereotypes and evaluate candidates differently as the level of office increases and as we consider executive versus legislative office. The research reported here draws on new data that capture voter attitudes and behaviors in real-world elections to test a series of hypotheses related to when and how gender stereotypes affect candidates for the U.S. Congress and governorships. In general, we find little evidence to support claims that voters stereotype women candidates differently when they seek different kinds of offices.
Thyroid dysfunction among HIV infected patients

Background: Thyroid dysfunction is common among patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It presents in different forms and has a multifactorial etiology. Aim: To determine the prevalence and features of thyroid dysfunction among patients infected with HIV. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study of 127 patients infected with HIV aged 19 to 75 years (85% males). Patients with previous diagnoses of endocrine diseases and pregnant women were excluded. Participants responded a questionnaire about symptoms and the evolution of HIV infection. A blood sample was obtained to measure thyroid stimulating hormone, free thyroxin, viral load and CD4 count. Results: Hypothyroidism was found 13 cases, hyperthyroidism in one case and hypothyroxinemia in eight cases. No difference in symptoms was found between patients with or without thyroid dysfunction. No significant differences were observed in CD4 count or the prevalence of co-infection with Hepatitis B virus among patients with thyroid dysfunction. No association between antiretroviral agents and thyroid dysfunction was observed. Conclusions: The thyroid abnormalities found in this group of HIV infected patients were usually asymptomatic. It may be advisable to systematically assess thyroid function in HIV infected patients.
Framing international development education in the post-2015 era: suggestions for scholars and policymakers

The purpose of this article is to build a series of frameworks for understanding social and educational changes that have the potential to inform the preparation of future international development education scholars and practitioners. It begins with a description of the main trends driving contemporary development education. This is followed by a discussion of the post-2015 directions reflected in international educational policy declarations generated by United Nations agencies. The positivist conceptual underpinnings of international educational development trends are identified and linked to their historical roots in the field of comparative and international education, with specific reference to the early work of Rolland Paulston. A framework drawing on functional perspectives is developed to enhance understanding of international education reform and then used to examine international teacher education. A shift from mostly static to a dynamic framework is illustrated with the introduction of a Tai-Ji model. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for international development scholars and practitioners as well as for funding agencies and policymakers seeking to improve educational systems.
SDX architectures: A qualitative analysis

A novel internetworking paradigm, software-defined exchange (SDX), allows multiple independent administrative domains to share computing, storage, and networking resources. Although the term SDX is very recent, the concept has already been used by many distinct disciplines. For example, cloud-computing researchers use it to add network virtualization resources to their inter-clouds, while networking researchers use it to insert SDN technologies into the networking exchange infrastructure. Despite the different uses, the efforts of the various disciplines that share networking resources converge to a single poing enabled by the virtualization and the separation of control and data planes. This paper presents a survey of the most relevant SDX studies from various research areas, focusing on their architectures. The paper defines a taxonomy for the SDX, provides generalized architecture models, and concludes by presenting a qualitative analysis of the architectures that focuses on the scalability, resilience, peering technologies, and deployment of SDX.
Social Media Management : Exploring Facebook Engagement among High-Asset Foundations.

Do foundations effectively use social media to engage stakeholders? Do usage and engagement vary by foundation type? This article has been written to stimulate discussion and research about social media use and user engagement by foundations beyond measuring social media presence. We analyzed Facebook usage and stakeholder engagement for three types of foundations: community, corporate, and independent grant-making foundations. We found that although community foundations are more likely to have a social media presence, corporate and independent foundations are more likely to use Facebook and to effectively engage stakeholders. Findings illuminate the need to understand social media usage and engagement in addition to presence. We discuss potential benefits of social media use and provide practical communication management recommendations for nonprofit practitioners.
Potential for Energy Efficiency Improvement and Barriers

Energy efficiency improvement is one of the most important measures for CO2 emission reduction and energy resource sustainability. There are large differences in energy efficiency among countries in several sectors. The differences are also potential opportunities for energy-saving and CO2 emission reduction. The potential emission reductions in the power, iron and steel, and cement sectors alone are 2.7 GtCO2 per year in total. However, there are various barriers to technology diffusion. The barriers differ based on country, sector, size of company, and other factors. Removing the barriers is important and also presents opportunities for green growth. Barriers are very large in general, and therefore, high carbon prices are needed for deep emission reductions when explicit carbon prices, such as with carbon taxes and emission trading schemes, are adopted. However, the feasibility of introducing high carbon prices is very slim. Removing barriers by bottom-up measures is more useful and acceptable in the real world than a top-down approach, and such measures are expected to reduce emissions substantially.
Abstract WP116: Patterns of Vascular Calcification in Young Patients With Intracranial Stenosis

Introduction: Intravascular calcification is thought to be a marker of atherosclerosis in patients with stenosis and vascular risk factors. Little is known about the utility of quantifying intracra...
ICU Management of the Maxillofacial Surgery Patient

Oral and maxillofacial surgery patients may require assessment for their critical care needs or admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) in the perioperative, postinjury, or other acute care settings. Patients who require the intensive care unit may have anatomical concerns, postoperative challenges related to airway patency, or any combination of concomitant trauma, pathology, or comorbid respiratory failure. In order to manage these acutely ill patients, the ICU should be equipped with advanced adjuvants to airway management, experienced providers, and assertive protocols to manage airways, treat infection, and manage the nonsurgical needs. This chapter will provide the foundation for critical care assessment, treatments, and needs in the maxillofacial surgery population.
Development and application of an exchange assay for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3), an active metabolite of the secosteroid vitamin D, is now generally considered to be a steroid hormone by classical criteria (1). Our recent data indicate that unoccupied 1,25(OH)2D3 receptors are present in crude chromatin fractions under low salt conditions in vitro (2,3). Consequently, quantitation of unoccupied receptor levels in the chick intestinal mucosa is best achieved by assay of the crude chromatin fraction (4). Due to the slow dissociation rate of 1,25(OH)2D3 from its receptor (2), only endogenously unoccupied 1,25(OH)2D3 receptors are detected by this method (incubation with [3H]1,25(OH)2D3 at 4°C for 4 h).
Neutrino Physics at Fermilab

The neutrino program at Fermilab can be best described by giving preliminary results from the three recently finished experiments. These three are: (1) measurement of charmed particle lifetimes, (2) measurement of total neutrino and antineutrino cross sections, and (3) some new limits on neutrino oscillations. All three experiments represent different experimental techniques: emulsions, counter-detectors and bubble chambers. Although there are many more experiments which were conducted as a general neutrino program, these three have a certain unity which addresses the recent new interest in neutrino masses and cosmology.
Bearing Witness: Methods for Researching Oppression and Resistance—A Textbook for Critical Research

This paper forecasts a “fictional” methods textbook for researchers interested in studying social oppression and resistance. The volume moves between historic and contemporary writings on methods, with particular interest in questions of objectivity and subjectivity, history and psychology, relations among units of analysis, expert and construct validity, and the ever-thorny ambition of generalizability. Crafted with inspiration from Kurt Lewin, Carolyn Payton, Ignacio Martin-Baro, and many contemporary critical writers, the book is designed to provoke conversations about social research, asking—For what? With whom? and If not now, when? The essay is written to incite a re-membering, and re-thinking, of critical methods for the social psychological study of oppression and resistance.
European Integration and the Catholic and Protestant Churches

Previous work on religion and public attitudes toward European integration has demonstrated that, in general, European Catholics have favored greater supranational cooperation while Protestants have been more reluctant to sacrifice national sovereignty for closer European ties. The relationship between confessional culture and attitude toward integration holds at the individual level. But does it also hold at the group level? If so, one of the obvious places we should see Catholic support for integration and Protestant reluctance toward European unity is in the behavior of Catholic and Protestant institutions in the postwar period. This paper examines the role of Catholic and Protestant organizations - primarily churches - in postwar European integration. It finds that institutions in both religious traditions demonstrate divisions in their approaches to European integration. The Catholic hierarchy is generally very enthusiastic about efforts to integrate Europe, but some Catholic clerics and lay groups are less supportive because integrated Europe has become secular, materialistic and decadent. Mainline Protestant churches also support European integration, but with much less unity and enthusiasm than their Catholic counterparts. Conservative Protestant churches from Northern Ireland to the Netherlands and Norway remain opposed, sometimes staunchly opposed to integration on the European continent.
The consistency of circadian blood pressure and heart rate patterns over three months in women employed in sedentary office jobs.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the consistency of the circadian patterns of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) variation over a three-month time frame in women employed outside the home. METHODS The subjects were 157 healthy women of varying ethnicity (age = 38.2 ± 8.9) who all worked in similar positions at two major medical centers in New York City. Each wore an ambulatory BP monitor during the course of three mid-week work days approximately one month apart. Hourly BPs and HRs were calculated from 9 am to 6 am the following morning and compared among the three days using anova and t tests. RESULTS The results indicate that there were virtually no differences in the mean hourly levels of any parameter during the waking period across the three days of assessment. However, mean hourly levels of systolic BP significantly declined from 12 pm to 4 am (P < .04, P = .001, P < .001, P = .001, P = .009, respectively) on the third assessment day compared to the first. CONCLUSIONS Because BP and HR respond to environmental demands in an allostatic fashion, the consistency in the waking patterns of BP and HR variation suggest that the patterns of demands on a workday are reasonably stable in this sample of women. The decline in systolic pressures from 12 pm to 4 am over the three assessments may indicate an improving ability to sleep with the monitor over time.
Fewer women aged 35 and older choose serum screening for Down's syndrome: Impact and implications.

ObjectiveTo quantify changes in the proportion of women aged 35 and older choosing serum screening for Down’s syndrome over time and the effect on false positive and detection rates.MethodsFrom Rho...
Factors that hindered care seeking among people with a first diagnosis of psychosis.

Aim Evidence-based treatment can improve psychosis outcomes, but service providers need to understand and address the reasons people experiencing first episode psychosis avoid or delay care seeking. The goal of this study was to identify reasons care seeking might be postponed, from the points of view of patients, caregivers and health care professionals in a large health care delivery system, in the United States, without an early psychosis intervention program. Methods About 22 patients who had received an initial psychosis diagnosis and 10 of their caregivers were interviewed about their experiences and pathways to care. Additionally, 15 administrator or clinician key informants with responsibility for psychosis services were interviewed and asked to describe ways that they thought early psychosis identification and treatment engagement could be improved. All interviews were transcribed, coded and analysed together using thematic analysis. Results Some patients did not perceive their early psychotic experiences as concerning because they were familiar. Among those concerned, the desire to make sense of their experiences and avoid detection or stigma caused some to conceal symptoms or isolate themselves. Caregivers who observed withdrawal often attributed it to typical adolescent behaviour, which led to treatment delays. Legal and privacy protections led to delays among young adults. Conclusions To attract individuals to early psychosis services, outreach and engagement programs should help individuals and caregivers recognize their experiences as opportunities for care, and design and market services that promote sense-making, offer hope and reduce stigma and system-level privacy-related barriers to care engagement.
Au bord de la Seine avec les Goncourt

Plusieurs romans d’Edmond et Jules de Goncourt (En 18.., Charles Demailly, Renee Mauperin, Manette Salomon) proposent de longues et riches descriptions de la Seine, que nous examinons afin d’en degager la poetique commune, tout en relevant quelques exceptions marquantes. Les Goncourt interrompent volontiers la trame narrative d’un roman pour se complaire dans des compositions tout en nuances de couleurs, en effets de lumieres et d’ombres, en contrastes de mouvements et en orchestrations de sons. Sans etre des descriptions de tableaux reels, ces passages sont parfois inspires d’une oeuvre ou d’un peintre en particulier, et trahissent parfois une tentative, de la part des romanciers, de rivaliser avec les artistes qu’ils admirent. Si leur situation geographique varie, ces scenes partagent un ton mixte qui combine la gaite et la melancolie. La Seine et ses bords fonctionnent souvent chez les Goncourt comme un locus amoenus trompeur ou revelateur : s’y deroulent de brefs interludes idylliques et amoureux qui annoncent neanmoins des naufrages imminents. Un ton melancolique teinte aussi maintes mentions de la Seine dans le Journal, surtout sous la plume d’Edmond veuf de son frere.
Follicular cholecystitis: clinicopathologic associations

Follicular cholecystitis (FC) is a relatively rare entity with uncertain causal associations. In this study, we aimed to explore different clinicopathologic associations of FC, and to better characterize the entity. A retrospective review of archival hematoxylin and eosin slides and pertinent clinical information was undertaken for all cholecystectomy cases with a rendered diagnosis of "follicular cholecystitis," from 1991 to 2017. Concurrent conventional chronic cholecystitis (CC) and lymphocytic cholecystitis (LC) were documented. Forty-three consecutive patients were confirmed to have FC. The majority of the patients (88.4%) had at least one other histologic association in the gallbladder (LC, CC, or both). Remarkably, functional distal biliary obstruction (from choledocholithiasis, sclerosing cholangitis, distal biliary strictures, or malignancies of the pancreatic head or ampulla) was found in 76.7% of the patients, irrespective of the presence of other concurrent histologic findings. FC associated with CC was relatively more common in females (61%) and strongly associated with cholelithiasis (70%). However, those without CC were predominantly males (70%) and had a significant association with LC (75%). All four cases of FC without any other histologic associations who had clinical information available showed some form of distal biliary obstruction. FC cases without concurrent LC were often associated with CC (74%). FC is strongly associated with extrahepatic biliary obstruction distal to the gallbladder. Therefore, this finding at routine cholecystectomy may warrant further evaluation to rule out a cause for distal biliary tract obstruction. Additionally, it is commonly associated with other concomitant histologic abnormalities in the gallbladder such as CC and/or LC.
Time-modulated Metasurfaces for Dispersionless Wavefront Engineering of Light

We introduce a dispersionless phase gradient for the light undergoing frequency conversion in a time-modulated metasurface and demonstrate its application for dynamic wavefront engineering of generated frequency harmonics in graphene-based and transparent conducting oxide metasurfaces. © 2019 The Author(s)
Quality of Life Following Major Laparoscopic or Open Pancreatic Resection

This study was designed to compare quality of life (QoL) among patients who underwent open versus laparoscopic pancreatic resection, including distal pancreatectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy, and to identify clinical characteristics that are associated with changes in QoL. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed in patients undergoing pancreatic resection with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary questionnaire preoperatively and 2 weeks, 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. Multilevel regression modeling was used to determine the variability in each QoL domain within the first 2 weeks (postoperative period) and thereafter (recovery period). Among 159 patients, 60.4% underwent open and 39.6% underwent laparoscopic surgery. Physical, functional, hepatobiliary, and total QoL scores decreased in the postoperative period but returned to baseline levels by 6 months postoperatively. Emotional QoL improved from baseline by 2 weeks after surgery (p < 0.001) and social QoL improved from baseline by 3 months after surgery (p < 0.001). Emotional QoL was the only domain where significant differences were observed in QoL in the postoperative and recovery periods between patients who underwent open and laparoscopic pancreatic resection. Controlling for surgical approach, patients who experienced a grade III or IV complication experienced greater declines in physical, functional, hepatobiliary, and total QoL in the postoperative period. The negative impact of complications on QoL resolved by 6 months postoperatively. The impact of pancreatic resection on QoL was comparable between patients who underwent laparoscopic versus open pancreatic resection. Complications were strongly associated with changes in postoperative QoL, suggesting that performing a safe operation is the best approach for optimizing patient reported QoL.
t-Tree and t-Forest: Decision Tree and Random Forest Algorithms Including the Relevance Factor with Applications in Bioinformatics

The increase in popularity of machine learning with its application as a prediction tool in bioinformatics is enabling biologists to save laboratory resources. Decision trees and random forests are non-parametric machine learning algorithms which work by selecting the best features for dividing a dataset at each iteration. Division continues until the entire dataset is classified based on all possible output classes. The selection of the best features, that is, for creating the split point, is based on evaluating a cost function for each feature. One of the most popular cost functions is called the Gini index. In this paper we investigate the use of the relevance of features to the output classes at each division point in addition to the use of the Gini index. The relevance of features for our algorithms, termed t-Tree and t-Forest, is measured using p-values, readily obtained via the t-test and accessible for many bioinformatics problems. We apply our solution to the type IV secretion system (T4SS) effector prediction problem and perform experiments of our proposed algorithms and two variations of them using two different datasets for T4SS effector and non-effector proteins. We show that the use of the t-Tree and t-Forest algorithms results in an increase in classification accuracy as well as an increase in the time needed to build both trees and forests.
Sophie’s Sublime Arithmetica

It is the autumn of 1804. Sophie Germain is twenty-eight, a woman ready to assert her worth as a serious scholar. By her own account, she had been studying the theory of numbers and had built the necessary skills to understand the theorems in Legendre’s Essai sur la theorie des nombres. Now Germain began courting the affirmation of her mathematical efforts from the pre-eminent authority in the purest of mathematical science: Gauss. Three years earlier, Gauss had captivated Germain with a new approach to study “higher arithmetic” or arithmeticae sublimiori, as Gauss called it. This is the branch of mathematics dedicated to the general study of the proper, particular properties of the integers, which now we call number theory.
Abstract TMP28: Aging Predicts Levels of Antiangiogenic Factors and Stroke in Intracranial Atherosclerosis

Introduction: Stroke risk more than doubles each decade after the age of 55. In patients with intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS), the SAMMPRIS study showed that individuals 60 years or older had a...
Challenges and facilitators of hospice decision-making: a retrospective review of family caregivers of home hospice patients in a rural US-Mexico border region-a qualitative study.

Objectives Hospice care (HC) is seen as a comprehensive approach, that enhances quality of end-of-life (EOL) care, for terminally ill patients. Despite its positive aspects, HC enrolment is disproportionate for rural patients, who are less likely to use HC in comparison to their urban counterparts. The purpose of this study was to explore decision-making experiences, related to utilisation of HC programmes from a retrospective perspective, with family caregivers (FCGs) in a rural US–Mexico border region. Design This qualitative study was conducted from May 2017 to January 2018 using semistructured face to face interviews with FCGs. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Setting The HC programme was situated at a local home health agency, located in rural Southern California, USA. Participants Twenty-eight informal FCGs of patients who were actively enrolled in the HC programme agreed to participate in the study. Results Conversation about HC as an option was initiated by home healthcare staff (39.3%), followed by physicians (32.1%). Emerging themes related to challenges in utilisation of HC and decision-making included: (1) communication barriers; (2) lack of knowledge/misperception about HC; (3) emotional difficulties, including fear of losing their patient, doubt and uncertainty about the decision, denial and (4) patients are not ready for HC. Facilitators included: (1) patient’s known EOL wishes; (2) FCG-physician EOL communication; (3) the patient’s deteriorating health and (4) home as the place for death. Conclusions HC patients’ FCGs in this rural region reported a lack of knowledge or misunderstanding of HC. It is recommended that healthcare providers need to actively engage family members in patient’s EOL care planning. Optimal transition to an HC programme can be facilitated when FCGs are informed and have a clear understanding about patients’ medical status along with information about HC.
Antimicrobial Efficacy of Acidified Peroxyacetic Acid Treatments Against Surrogates for Enteric Pathogens on Prerigor Beef

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of pH-adjusted solutions of peroxyacetic acid (PAA) against nonpathogenic Escherichia coli surrogates for Shiga toxin–producing E. coli and Salmonella, inoculated on beef. In both studies, prerigor beef carcass surface tissue (10 × 10 cm pieces) was inoculated (6–7 log colony-forming units [CFU]/cm2) on the adipose side with a 5-strain mixture of E. coli biotype I. In the first study, samples were left untreated (control) or were immersed (10 s) in solutions of PAA (300 parts per million [ppm]) acidified with a sulfuric acid and sodium sulfate blend (SSS) (pH 1.2) or PAA (400 ppm) acidified with acetic acid (2%), citric acid (1%), lactic acid (3.5%), or SSS (pH 1.2 or pH 1.8). In the second study, samples were left untreated or were spray treated (10 s) using a spray cabinet, with water, PAA (350 ppm or 400 ppm), PAA (350 ppm or 400 ppm) acidified with SSS (pH 1.2), or PAA (400 ppm) acidified with acetic acid (2%). All immersion treatments effectively (P < 0.05) reduced inoculated E. coli populations (6.2 log CFU/cm2) by 2.3 to 2.8 log CFU/cm2. When the test solutions were applied by spraying, the water and all PAA-containing treatments lowered inoculated populations (6.4 log CFU/cm2) by 0.4 (P ≥ 0.05) and 1.7–1.9 (P < 0.05) log CFU/cm2, respectively. No (P ≥ 0.05) differences in decontamination efficacy were observed between the 5 PAA-containing spray treatments. Overall, the results showed that PAA and the pH-adjusted PAA treatments were effective in reducing levels of the surrogates for Shiga toxin–producing E. coli and Salmonella. Although no differences in antimicrobial efficacy were noted between the nonacidified and acidified PAA treatments immediately after treatment application, further studies are needed to evaluate how the acidified PAA treatments perform as part of a sequential multi-hurdle decontamination strategy to reduce pathogen contamination on beef carcasses.
High-strength and tunable plasticity in sputtered Al–Cr alloys with multistage phase transformations

Abstract To raise mechanical strength of metallic materials, methods such as grain refinement and amorphization are usually utilized but sacrifice plasticity. Strength and plasticity are largely dictated by dislocation-defect interactions in crystalline materials and by shear banding in metallic glasses, depending significantly on the length scales of microstructural features. Here we report on the evolution of microstructures and multistage phase transformations from micro/nanocrystalline to an entirely amorphous structure, realized by tailoring the composition of Cr in co-sputtered Al100-xCrx (x = 0–25 at%) alloys. The associated Cr segregation caused the formations of different dual-phase nanocomposites. In-situ micromechanical experiments revealed that the flow stress of Al–Cr alloys can reach 2.4 GPa and the deformation behaviors varied drastically with Cr composition. This study established the mechanistic connection between the Cr composition-dependent evolution of microstructure and ultrahigh strength as well as plasticity, and revealed the benefits of building nanocomposites through a multistage phase transformation to improve the plasticity of nanocrystalline and amorphous materials.
Time out! Rethinking surgical safety: more than just a checklist.

Patients are more likely to experience preventable harm during perioperative care than in any other type of healthcare encounter.1 2 For several decades, a hallmark of surgical quality and safety has been the use of checklists to prevent errors (eg, wrong site surgery) and assure that key tasks have been or will be performed. The most widely used approach globally is the Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) recommended by the WHO.3 It is divided into preinduction (or sign in , consisting of seven items performed by anaesthesia and nursing), preincision ( timeout , 10 items performed by the entire team) and postsurgery ( sign out , five items by the entire team).4 5 Most hospitals in the developed world perform the SSC or an equivalent timeout prior to surgical incision. However, preinduction briefings, and postcase debriefings in particular, are much less commonly performed.6 7 There are widely disseminated arguments recommending the use of checklists in healthcare8 but also recognised limitations.9 Checklist-based preincision timeouts appear to improve surgical outcomes in many settings,4 5 yet, in other hospitals, the introduction of the SSC failed to improve outcomes.10 Like all tools or processes intended to improve safety, ineffective implementation will reduce the desired benefits. For example, there is appreciable evidence showing that surgical teams skip or do not meaningfully respond to timeout checklist items.11 12 Even with a robust implementation, effectiveness can be weakened by contextual factors, failure of leadership or deficient safety culture. Despite numerous studies, gaps in the evidence to guide optimal checklist use persist. For example, we do not know whether checklist-based timeouts only decrease the occurrence of the undesirable events targeted by the checklist or, as many hypothesise, whether their use also facilitates teamwork and interprofessional communication. Although there is increasing guidance on …
15–40 GHz and 40–110 GHz Double-Ridge Open-Ended Waveguide Antennas for Ultra-Wideband Medical Imaging Applications

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and measurement of two ultra-wideband doubleridge open-ended waveguide antennas (OEWAs) for emerging high-resolution millimeter-wave (mm-wave) medical imaging applications. The proposed antennas can collectively provide a 95-GHz synthetic imaging bandwidth in the mm-wave regime. The antennas feature the smallest aperture sizes while providing the widest bandwidths amongst all OEWAs reported in the literature. The proposed antennas consist of coaxial to double-ridge waveguide (DRW) transitions and free-space matching sections. Two DRWs with 8:1 single-mode bandwidth in the mm-wave regime are designed. In the transition structures, coaxial flange launchers are connected to the DRWs through customized $50-\Omega$ coaxial lines. To improve the impedance matching while meeting the fabrication requirements, an effective tuning technique is applied to adjust the input impedance of the transitions. Finally, to achieve a smooth transition and a well-matched impedance to the free space while maintaining small aperture sizes, piecewise tapered-ridge matching sections with the same aperture size as that of the designed DRWs are employed. The antennas are fabricated using the computer numerical control (CNC) milling process. Each antenna demonstrates $\left|\mathrm{S}_{11}\right|\lt -10 \mathrm{~dB}$ and stable and symmetric radiation patterns across $15-40 \mathrm{GHz}$ and $40-110 \mathrm{GHz}$ with aperture sizes of $9.47 \times 5.79 \mathrm{~mm}^{2}$ and $3.78 \times 2.27 \mathrm{~mm}^{2}$ , respectively, reporting state-of-the-art results.
The Ontological Necessity of Mood, or Vice Versa

The paper begins by emphasizing the importance of so-called complete philosophical works on ontology to include ideas on mood and emotions, noting the lack of this inclusion in many texts. Next, it uses and dives into Heidegger’s Being & Time, as an example of an ontological work that aptly includes explanations of mood & emotions, or “attunement” in Heideggerian terms. It is also noted the critical difference between Heidegger’s approach to these topics and the approach taken by psychologists and those in similar fields. Finally, the paper concludes by arguing for the importance of Being & Time, Heidegger, and ontological work on mood.
Iowa's Railroads: An Album

Review of: "Iowa's Railroads: An Album," by H. Roger Grant and Don L. Hofsommer, a part of the "Railroads Past & Present Series.
TU‐AB‐BRB‐01: Coverage Evaluation and Probabilistic Treatment Planning as a Margin Alternative

The accepted clinical method to accommodate targeting uncertainties inherent in fractionated external beam radiation therapy is to utilize GTV-to-CTV and CTV-to-PTV margins during the planning process to design a PTV-conformal static dose distribution on the planning image set. Ideally, margins are selected to ensure a high (e.g. >95%) target coverage probability (CP) in spite of inherent inter- and intra-fractional positional variations, tissue motions, and initial contouring uncertainties. Robust optimization techniques, also known as probabilistic treatment planning techniques, explicitly incorporate the dosimetric consequences of targeting uncertainties by including CP evaluation into the planning optimization process along with coverage-based planning objectives. The treatment planner no longer needs to use PTV and/or PRV margins; instead robust optimization utilizes probability distributions of the underlying uncertainties in conjunction with CP-evaluation for the underlying CTVs and OARs to design an optimal treated volume. This symposium will describe CP-evaluation methods as well as various robust planning techniques including use of probability-weighted dose distributions, probability-weighted objective functions, and coverage optimized planning. Methods to compute and display the effect of uncertainties on dose distributions will be presented. The use of robust planning to accommodate inter-fractional setup uncertainties, organ deformation, and contouring uncertainties will be examined as will its use to accommodate intra-fractional organ motion. Clinical examples will be used to inter-compare robust and margin-based planning, highlighting advantages of robust-plans in terms of target and normal tissue coverage. Robust-planning limitations as uncertainties approach zero and as the number of treatment fractions becomes small will be presented, as well as the factors limiting clinical implementation of robust planning. Learning Objectives: 1. To understand robust-planning as a clinical alternative to using margin-based planning. 2. To understand conceptual differences between uncertainty and predictable motion. 3. To understand fundamental limitations of the PTV concept that probabilistic planning can overcome. 4. To understand the major contributing factors to target and normal tissue coverage probability. 5. To understand the similarities and differences of various robust planning techniques 6. To understand the benefits and limitations of robust planning techniques
Quantifying effects of deep and near-surface chemical erosion on cosmogenic nuclides in soils, saprolite, and sediment

Cosmogenic nuclides in rock, soil, and sediment are routinely used to measure denudation rates of catchments and hillslopes. Although it has been shown that these measurements are prone to biases due to chemical erosion in regolith, most studies of cosmogenic nuclides have ignored this potential source of error. Here we quantify the extent to which overlooking effects of chemical erosion introduces bias in interpreting denudation rates from cosmogenic nuclides. We consider two end-member effects: one due to weathering near the surface and the other due to weathering at depth. Near the surface, chemical erosion influences nuclide concentrations in host minerals by enriching (or depleting) them relative to other more (or less) soluble minerals. This increases (or decreases) their residence times relative to the regolith as a whole. At depth, where minerals are shielded from cosmic radiation, chemical erosion causes denudation without influencing cosmogenic nuclide buildup. If this effect is ignored, denudation rates inferred from cosmogenic nuclides will be too low. We derive a general expression, termed the ‘chemical erosion factor’, or CEF, which corrects for biases introduced by both deep and near-surface chemical erosion in regolith. The CEF differs from the ‘quartz enrichment factor’ of previous work in that it can also be applied to relatively soluble minerals, such as olivine. Using data from diverse climatic settings, we calculate CEFs ranging from 1.03 to 1.87 for cosmogenic nuclides in quartz. This implies that ignoring chemical erosion can lead to errors of close to 100% in intensely weathered regolith. CEF is strongly correlated with mean annual precipitation across our sites, reflecting climatic influence on chemical weathering. Our results indicate that quantifying CEFs is crucial in cosmogenic nuclide studies of landscapes where chemical erosion accounts for a significant fraction of the overall denudation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.