cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparisons of Health Care Utilization Outcomes in Children With Asthma Enrolled in Private Insurance Plans Versus Medicaid

Abstract Objectives Very few studies have captured the differences in the outcomes of pediatric patients based on the patients’ type of health insurance plan. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to examine the impact of the type of health insurance plan (public insurance vs. private insurance) on outcomes (health care utilization and medication adherence) in children with asthma. Methods This retrospective cohort study analyzed Medicaid/commercial data from eight states licensed under Thomson Medstat. Subjects were 11,027 children with asthma (6435 enrolled in Medicaid and 4592 enrolled in a commercial health maintenance organization) who newly started asthma pharmacotherapy and were followed up for 12 months before and after the index anti-asthmatic medication fill. Data on health care utilization and medication adherence were examined to compare health care utilization–based outcomes. Quantile regression analysis was used to study medication adherence, and Poisson regression was used to determine health care utilization. Results Patients with a private insurance plan had significantly higher medication adherence rates ( p p Conclusion Children with asthma who are enrolled in Medicaid receive fairly comprehensive coverage of medical services, and thus further research is needed to determine the reasons for poor health care utilization–related outcomes in this population.
Glass: an old material for the future of manufacturing

Traditional assembly line manufacturing is speculative, costly and environmentally unsustainable. It is speculative because it commits substantial resources—energy, materials, shipping, handling, stocking and displaying—without a guaranteed sale. It is costly because each of these resources—material, process, people and place—involves expense not encountered when a product is manufactured at the time of sale. It is environmentally unsustainable because, no matter how much recycling is done, not using the resources unless actually needed is always a better path. Three-dimensional printing is currently of great commercial interest as it can be employed to manufacture parts on-demand economically and without the significant cost & environmental downsides, i.e. inventory and waste, associated with traditional manufacturing processes. Herein, we describe the formulation of a novel water-based material which can be used in a traditional 3D printer extrusion process to create optically transparent glass-based objects. Such objects have a wide range of applications including, but not wholly limited to: security printing using color & coating effects, protective films and coatings, electronic codes readable by smartphones, tablets or touch screens. Additional all glass objects traditionally manufactured by the so called kiln glass method can be generated by this type of 3D printing making it interesting for the high end market of art objects.
Comment on the case for considering quality of life in addiction research and clinical practice.

In making the case for considering quality-of-life outcomes in the treatment of addiction (Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, July 2011 [1]), Dr. Alexandre Laudet argues that "reduced substance abuse is not in itself an adequate criterion for recovery [p. 49]." In this respect, however, management of drug dependence is no different than the almost universal approach to assessing care of all other chronic medical conditions. For example, in treating patients with diabetes or hypertension, the overwhelming (usually exclusive) focus is on the maintenance of blood sugar and blood pressure levels; in the treatment of epilepsy, efficacy is a function of the elimination or reduction in frequency of seizures. It is difficult to argue with Dr. Laudet's view that it would be appropriate and useful to ask substance abuse patients, "Overall, how satisfied are you with your life?", but how often is this question posed by clinicians treating other chronic medical ailments? Paradoxically, providers of substance abuse treatment demonstrate both too much and too little focus on quality-of-life parameters. Thus, with regard to medication-assisted treatment, most programs set criteria for "termination" based on attendance, adherence to counseling schedules, and urine toxicology results, and they apply these criteria rigidly, with no regard whatsoever as to how favorably the patient judges her or his improved overall condition. Other programs, however, make demands on patients that far transcend the primary problem they treat--drug dependence--and in some cases even discharge patients who fail to find employment within a specified period of time, even when illicit drug use has ceased altogether [2]. The best approach would seem to be to apply to addiction treatment precisely the same perspectives and practices, good and bad, as are commonplace in the care of all other chronic ailments.
Pharmacokinetics of 18F-labeled trovafloxacin in normal and Escherichia coli-infected rats and rabbits studied with positron emission tomography.

Objective: To measure tissue pharmacokinetics of trovafloxacin (CP 99,219) in normal and infected animals by both direct tissue radioactivity measurements and positron emission tomography (PET). Methods: Concentrations of [ 18 F]trovafloxacin were measured in normal and infected rats ( n = 6/group), at 10, 30, 60, and 120 min after injection, by radioactivity measurements. In normal rabbits ( n = 4) and rabbits with Escherichia coli thigh infection ( n = 4), tissue concentrations of drug were measured over 2 h with PET. After acquiring the final images, the rabbits were killed and tissue concentrations measured with PET were compared to the results of direct tissue radioactivity measurements. Results: In both species, there was rapid distribution of [ 18 F] trovafloxacin in most peripheral organs. Peak concentrations of more than five times the MIC 90 of most Enterobacteriaceae and anaerobes (>100-fold for most organisms) were achieved in all tissues and remained above this level for >2 h. Particularly high peak concentrations were achieved in the kidney (>75 μg/g), liver (>100 μg/g), blood (>40 μg/g), and lung (>10 μg/g). Even though the concentration of trovafloxacin in infected muscle was reduced ( p 4 μg/g and tissue levels remained above 2 μg/g for more than 2 h. Due to the lower concentrations that were achieved in the brain (peak ~5 μg/g), it is expected that trovafloxacin will have limited central nervous system toxicity. Conclusion: PET with [ 18 F] trovafloxacin is a useful technique for non-invasive measurements of tissue pharmacokinetics.
Robustness to non-normality and autocorrelation of individuals control charts

This paper studies the effects of non-normality and autocorrelation on the performances of various individuals control charts for monitoring the process mean and/or variance. The traditional Shewhart X chart and moving range (MR) chart are investigated as well as several types of exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) charts and combinations of control charts involving these EWMA charts. It is shown that the combination of the X and MR charts will not detect small and moderate parameter shifts as fast as combinations involving the EWMA charts, and that the performana of the X and MR charts is very sensitive to the normality assumption. It is also shown that certain combinations of EWMA charts can be designed to be robust to non-normality and very effective at detecting small and moderate shifts in the process mean and/or variance. Although autocorrelation can have a significant effect on the in-control performances of these combinations of EWMA charts, their relative out-of-control performances unde...
Discrete Analysis (Matrix Models)

Increasingly applied in conservation and invasion biology, as well as human demography, matrix models are used to estimate rates of population growth and identify demographic rates that strongly affect population growth. Keywords: population growth; structured populations; conservation; sensitivity and elasticity; eigenvalues
Our Lives: Collaboration, Native Voice, and the Making of the National Museum of the American Indian (Shannon)

This work is a book review considering the title Our Lives: Collaboration, Native Voice, and the Making of the National Museum of the American Indian by Jennifer A. Shannon.
Post-exercise elevations in sympathetic nerve activity and baroreflex function in normotensive rabbits.

We tested the hypothesis that a single bout of dynamic exercise reduces post-exercise arterial pressure, heart rate, and renal sympathetic nerve activity and attenuates the arterial baroreflex control of heart rate and renal sympathetic nerve activity in normotensive New Zealand White rabbits. Animals were chronically instrumented with right jugular venous and left femoral arterial catheters, and electrodes around the renal sympathetic nerve. Arterial pressure, heart rate, and renal sympathetic nerve activity were recorded for two hours pre-exercise and two hours after a single bout of treadmill exercise (post-exercise). Post-exercise heart rate, arterial pressure, and renal sympathetic nerve activity were elevated above pre-exercise values (71±3 bpm, 13±1 mmHg, and 80±21%, respectively). These data demonstrate that normotensive rabbits do not exhibit post-exercise hypotension, due in part to elevations in sympathetic nerve activity. In addition, arterial baroreflex regulation of heart rate and renal symp...
Re-Operationalizing Established Groups in Brainstorming: Validating Osborn's Claims.

Since the introduction of brainstorming as an idea-generation technique to address organizational problems, researchers have struggled to replicate some of the claims around the technique. One major concern has been the differences in the number of ideas generated between established groups as found in industry versus the non-established groups used in the laboratory. The impact of group establishment on idea quality has also been an area of interest. This study addresses these issues by using a more in-depth induction to establish groups and testing some discrepancies in the relationship between idea quality and idea quantity using 42 three-person brainstorming groups. Results indicate that brainstorming groups, given an adequate amount of time (10 weeks) to become established, did generate more ideas and higher quality ideas than non-established groups. Also, a relationship between idea quality and idea quantity was found. Further discussion of results and implications follows.
The Welfare Impacts of Commodity Price Volatility: Reply

It was with delight that we read McBride's comment on our work (Bellemare, Barrett, and Just 2013), first because we welcome more light on a topic on which we spent almost seven years before the AJAE accepted it for publication, and second because a dialogue such as this one is, in our view, part and parcel of what makes the research endeavor worthwhile. In this response to McBride's comment, we bring further light to this topic by discussing the difference between willingness to pay (WTP) as a proportion of income calculated at mean income versus mean WTP as a proportion of income. We then discuss the necessary limitations imposed on researchers doing work of the nature of that done in Bellemare, Barrett, and Just (2013) by the use of observational data. We conclude by briefly discussing potential solutions to those limitations.
Contact of Rubber Wedges with a Flat Rigid Surface

Abstract Contact widths have been measured for long rubber wedges, with wedge angles ranging from 60° to 115°, pressed against a smooth, flat, rigid surface. The contact width grew rapidly at first to about 50 µm, and then more slowly, in proportion to the applied load. Thus, the mean contact pressure in the early stages of contact was small, about 5 to 10% of Young's modulus, E. It then became substantially constant at about 65% of E for a wide range of applied loads, up to about 300 N/m. Approximately the same results were obtained from FEM calculations for incompressible linearly elastic wedges with slightly rounded tips. The contact width at a given load increased slightly when the wedge was held at an angle to the vertical, up to a tilt angle of about 20°. Above this tilt angle, only one side of the wedge came into contact, and the contact width increased significantly; the mean contact pressure falling to about 0.2 E at a tilt angle of 30°.
Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness against Antigenically Drifted Influenza Higher than Expected in Hospitalized Adults: 2014-2015

Background. In the United States (US) the 2014–2015 influenza season was severe, with widespread circulation of influenza A (H3N2) viruses that were antigenically drifted from the vaccine virus. We assessed influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) against influenza illness requiring hospitalization during the 2014–2015 season; low VE was anticipated due to circulation of drifted viruses. Method. Adults hospitalized at two hospitals in Southeast Michigan for treatment of acute respiratory illnesses, broadly defined by admission diagnoses, of ≤10 days duration were prospectively enrolled. Throat and nasal swab specimens were collected, combined, and tested for influenza by RT-PCR. Patients were considered vaccinated if receipt of influenza vaccine ≥14 days prior to illness onset was documented in medical records or state registry, or self-reported at enrollment with plausible location and timing of vaccination. VE was estimated by comparing the vaccination status of those who tested positive for influenza with those who tested negative and calculated as 100 × (1-odds ratio) in logistic regression models; models were adjusted for age, sex, hospital, calendar time, time from illness onset to specimen collection, frailty score, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Result. Among 642 patients included in the analysis, 430 (67%) were considered vaccinated, 345 (54%) were female, 228 (36%) were age ≥65 years, and 92% had CCI > 0 indicating ≥1 comorbid condition. One hundred sixteen (18%) patients tested positive for influenza, including 98 (84%) influenza A (H3N2), 9 (8%) influenza A that was not subtyped, and 9 (8%) influenza B Yamagata; 88% of influenza A (H3N2) viruses tested by pyrosequencing belonged to the drifted 3C.2a genetic group. Adjusted VE was 45% (95% CI: 10 to 67) against all influenza, 44% (95% CI: 4 to 68) against A(H3N2) and 82% (95% CI: −7 to 97) against B Yamagata. Adjusted VE against all influenza was 41% (95% CI: −6 to 67) for those <65 years of age and 56% (95% CI: −11 to 83) for those ≥65. Conclusion. VE estimates appear higher than interim reports from US studies in ambulatory care settings in a year with mismatched vaccine and circulating viruses. Influenza vaccine may have been more effective in preventing severe illness requiring hospitalization; sensitivity analyses are in progress to assess the robustness of estimates. Disclosures. S. E. Ohmit, Sanofi Pasteur: Grant Investigator, Research grant; E. T. Martin, Pfizer: Grant Investigator, Grant recipient; L. Lamerato, pfizer: Investigator, Research support
The Offshore Accords and Hibernia's Impact on the Newfoundland Treasury

The provincial governments of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia have each signed an accord with the Government of Canada to manage and share revenues from the development of their respective offhsore oil and gas fields. Negotiated provisions for offsetting equalization payments were an important component of each of these accords. This paper analyzes how effective these offset provisions might be in sheltering offshore oil revenue derived from the Hibernia project under various oil price scenarios. Both mathematical and simulation analyses demonstrate that the provisions negotiated by Nova Scotia shelter significantly more revenue than those of Newfoundland.
Polarization dependent particle dynamics in simple traps

Optical trapping has proved to be a valuable research tool in a wide range of fields including physics, chemistry, biological and materials science. The ability to precisely localize individual colloidal particles in a three-dimensional location has been highly useful for understanding soft matter phenomena and inter-particle interactions. It also holds great promise for nanoscale fabrication and ultra-sensitive sensing by enabling precise positioning of specific material building blocks. In this presentation we discuss our research on the effect of the polarization state of the incident laser on the trapping of nanoscale particles. The polarization of the incident light has a pronounced effect on particle behavior even for the simple case of two plasmonic silver nano-particles in a Gaussian trap,. When the incident light is linearly polarized, the particles form an optically induced dimer that is stably oriented along the direction of polarization. However, nanoparticle dimers and trimmers exhibit structural instabilities and novel dynamics when trapped with focused beams of circularly polarized light. The observed dynamics suggest electrodynamic and hydrodynamic coupling. We explore the electrodynamic phenomena experimentally and theoretically and discuss further examples of polarization controlled trapping.
A direct synthesis of atractylodinol, a potent inhibitor of PRRSV, and its biological evaluation

Abstract A direct synthesis of atractylodinol from 2-furylbutenyne and bromoacetylene 6 is reported. Both compounds 1 and 8 showed greater than 99% virus inhibition.
Two-Photon Absorbing Materials and Two-Photon-Induced Chemistry

Two-photon absorption, the process by which an excited molecule or material is produced by the simultaneousabsorption of two photons, has been studied extensively in recent years, from both fundamental and applicationpoints of view. On one side, the field has been expanded with the measurement of two-photon absorptionspectra and cross sections for a wide range of conjugated molecules. In this contribution, we willreview the two-photon properties of some of these classes of materials, and we will discuss structure/propertyrelationships that have been developed from these investigations. On the other side, two-photon absorptionhas been exploited as a means to activate a variety of chemical and physical processes with sub-diffraction–limitedresolution, because three-dimensional spatial confinement of the excitation volume in a material irradiatedby a tightly focused laser beam can be achieved via two-photon or, more generally, multi-photon absorptionprocesses. This characteristic has led to applications in a number of technological fields, such asmicrofabrication and laser scanning fluorescence microscopy. Here, we will survey material systems thathave been developed to activate radical or cationic polymerization reactions, deprotection of functionalgroups, and singlet oxygen generation via two-photon excitation of one of the components in the system.
Rescuing Suboptimal Patient-Reported Outcome Instrument Data in Clinical Trials: A New Strategy

Background: Psychometric instruments such as the Repeated Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) are commonly used under conditions for which they were not developed or validated. They may then generate troublesome data that could conceal potential findings. Methods: Based on a previously published refinement of the RBANS, we reanalyzed the data on 303 patients from two National Institutes of Health (NIH) trails in Parkinson’s disease and contrasted the results using the original versus refined scores. Results: Findings from the original RBANS scores were inconsistent; however, use of the refined scores produced potential findings that were in agreement with independent reports. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that, for negative trials using instrument scores as primary outcomes, it is possible to rescue potential findings. The key to this new strategy is to validate and refine the instrument for the specific disease and conditions under study and then to reanalyze the data. This study offers a demonstration of this new strategy for general approaches.
A Helly theorem for an enlarged class of orthogonally starshaped sets in $$\mathbb {R}^d$$ R d

Consider a finite family $$\mathcal {C}$$ of distinct boxes in $$\mathbb {R}^d$$ , with G the intersection graph of $$\mathcal {C}$$ and with $$S \equiv \cup \{C : C \, \hbox {in} \, \mathcal {C}\}$$ . Assume that G is connected and, for each block B of G, assume that the corresponding members of $$\mathcal {C}$$ have a staircase convex union D(B). When this occurs, we say that the orthogonal polytope S has suitable properties. Now let $$\mathbf{S}$$ be a finite family of orthogonal polytopes such that, for every nonempty subfamily $$\mathbf{S}^{'}$$ of $$\mathbf{S}$$ , the corresponding intersection $$S^{'} \equiv \cap \{S : S \, \hbox {in} \, \mathbf{S}^{'} \}$$ (if nonempty) has suitable properties and preserves transitions between certain D(B) sets. If every $$d +1$$ (not necessarily distinct) members of $$\mathbf{S}$$ meet in a (nonempty) staircase starshaped set, then $$S_0 \equiv \cap \{S : S \, \hbox {in} \, \mathbf{S} \}$$ is nonempty and staircase starshaped as well.
Tipping the Scales of Survival: The Role of BLyS in B-Cell Malignancies

Some of the genetic changes that lead to B-cell transformation, such as chromosomal rearrangements, have been discovered, but many of the other contributing mechanistic details underlying transformation events are not yet known. It is clear, however, that dysregulation of the balance between cell proliferation and programmed cell death is a central feature. While many factors have been shown to regulate the normal balance of B-cell growth and apoptosis, one molecule in particular, BLyS, has been recently shown to play a central role in regulating B-cell homeostasis. The similarities between BLyS transgenic mice and B-cell malignancies, e.g., elevated Bcl-2 levels, apoptosis resistance, and prevalence of autoimmune disorders, begged the question of whether or not BLyS was involved in the pathogenesis of B-cell malignancies. In this chapter, we will review and discuss the effects of BLyS on the growth and survival of B cells from patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, and Hodgkin lymphoma. Additionally, we will discuss the clinical relevance and regulatory control of BLyS expression in B-cell malignancies.
Saturday, August 14, 2010—Lafayette, IN

Karyn woke having slept all night on the deck, two stories up from the ground. She had considered jumping (she foresaw a broken ankle in that future), climbing the water spout (she predicted a broken neck in that scenario), screaming for help (too embarrassing), and calling upon the assistance of a neighbor (female preferably), but no maternal looking woman had come by.
Side-Chain Sequence Enabled Regioisomeric Acceptors for Conjugated Polymers

Side-chain sequence enabled regioisomeric acceptors, bearing different side-chain sequences on the same conjugated backbone, are herein reported. Two regioregular polymers PTBI-1 and PTBI-2 and one regiorandom polymer PTBI-3 were synthesized from these two regioisomeric acceptors for a comparative study. UV–vis–NIR absorption spectroscopy and electrochemical study confirmed similar frontier molecular orbital levels of the three polymers in their solid state. More intriguingly, absorption profiles suggest that the sequence of side chains greatly governs the aggregation behaviors. Furthermore, the PTBI-2 film shows larger ordered domains than PTBI-1 and PTBI-3 films, as supported by AFM and GIWAXS measurements. As a result, PTBI-2-based FET devices achieved an average hole mobility of 1.37 cm2 V–1 s–1, much higher than the two polymers with other side-chain sequences. The regiorandom PTBI-3 exhibited the lowest average hole mobility of 0.27 cm2 V–1 s–1. This study highlights the significant impact of side-c...
PhasorSec: Protocol Security Filters for Wide Area Measurement Systems

The addition of synchrophasors to the power grid to improve observability comes at the cost of an increased attack surface: the wide area measurement system. A common source of zero-days, that can be used to exploit the system, is improper input validation. The strict availability and timing requirements of the grid make it critical that input validation be done right and in a timely fashion. PhasorSec is a hardened security filter for the synchrophasor communication protocol, C37.118. PhasorSec is built using language theoretic principles which treat all input as a language with a specific grammar that defines what input must be accepted. An open-source version of the prototype is provided and evaluation in terms of CPU-time show that it is possible to meet the strict latency requirements. Experiments also demonstrate its effectiveness against the state-of-the-art AFL fuzzer.
The use of low cost, abundant, homopolymers for engineering degradable polymer blends: Compatibilization of poly(lactic acid)/Styrenics using poly(methyl methacrylate)

Abstract Using known parameters for the surface and interfacial tension, the work of adhesion of PMMA with PLA and styrenic polymers has been calculated. The results indicated that PMMA, an abundant and economical homopolymer, could serve as an effective compatibilizer, rivaling complex and costly block copolymers for PLA/styrenic blends. Blends of PLA with either SAN or ABS were produced with added 1%–10% PMMA. Tensile and impact toughness data show that the blends display properties comparable to those of PP with only 4% added PMMA. Deuterated-secondary ion mass spectrometry (DSIMS) performed with deuterated PMMA indicated that this corresponded to the formation of an interfacial layer approximately 2Rg thick, as the optimal thickness for integrating two polymers, without the formation of a third brittle layer. Blends with ABS showed an increase of nearly 300% in impact toughness compared to that for polymer containing no PMMA, while blends with SAN formed ideal extruded filaments, which produced 3-D printed structures at least 58% stronger and more ductile than molded PS.
Tumor cell-organized fibronectin maintenance of a dormant breast cancer population

Tumors can undergo long periods of dormancy, with cancer cells entering a largely quiescent, nonproliferative state before reactivation and outgrowth. To understand the role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in regulating tumor dormancy, we created an in vitro cell culture system with carefully controlled ECM substrates to observe entrance into and exit from dormancy with live imaging. We saw that cell populations capable of surviving entrance into long-term dormancy were heterogeneous, containing quiescent, cell cycle–arrested, and actively proliferating cells. Cell populations capable of entering dormancy formed an organized, fibrillar fibronectin matrix via αvβ3 and α5β1 integrin adhesion, ROCK-generated tension, and TGFβ2 stimulation, and cancer cell outgrowth after dormancy required MMP-2–mediated fibronectin degradation. We propose this approach as a useful, in vitro method to study factors important in regulating dormancy, and we used it here to elucidate a role for fibronectin deposition and MMP activation.
Dual-slope method for focal depth sensitivity enhancement in near-infrared spectroscopy

We propose to use frequency-domain near-infrared spectroscopy data in combination with a special arrangement of two sources and two detectors, to achieve stronger and more spatially confined sensitivity to deeper tissue than using single-distance data.
Longitudinal Patterns of Pain Reporting Among Community-dwelling Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to identify and describe long-term trajectories of bothersome pain and activity-limiting pain in a population-based sample of older adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 6783 community-dwelling participants using 6 years of longitudinal data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). NHATS is a cohort of older adults that is representative of Medicare Beneficiaries aged 65 years and older. NHATS data collection began in 2011, and demographic and health data are collected annually through in-person interviews. Participants were asked if they had bothersome pain and activity-limiting pain in the past month. We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify longitudinal patterns of bothersome pain and activity-limiting pain over 6 years. We used weighted, multinomial logistic regression to examine associations with each trajectory. RESULTS The cohort was 57% female, 68% white, and 58% were 75 years and older. Four trajectories were identified for the probability of bothersome pain: persistently high (n=1901, 35%), increasing (n=898, 17%), decreasing (n=917, 17%), and low (n=1735, 32%). Similar trajectories were identified for activity-limiting pain: persistently high (n=721, 13%), increasing (n=812, 15%), decreasing (n=677, 12%), and low (n=3241, 60%). The persistently high bothersome and activity-limiting pain groups had worse health characteristics, were more likely to have fallen in the past year, and had slower gait speed and worse physical capacity compared with the low groups. DISCUSSION Approximately one half of older adults had a high or increasing probability of long-term bothersome pain, and over one quarter had a high or increasing probability of long-term activity-limiting pain.
Time Trends in Opioid Use Disorder Hospitalizations in Gout, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Osteoarthritis, and Low Back Pain.

Objective To examine opioid use disorder (OUD)-related hospitalizations and associated healthcare utilization outcomes in people with five common musculoskeletal diseases. Methods We used the U.S. National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data from 1998-2014 to examine the rates of OUD-hospitalizations (per 100,000 NIS claims overall), time-trends and outcomes in five, common rheumatic diseases, gout, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis (OA), and low back pain (LBP). Results OUD-hospitalization rate per 100,000 total NIS claims in 1998-2000 versus 2015-2016 (and increase) were as follows: gout, 0.05 versus 1.88 (36-fold); OA, 0.68 versus 10.22 (14-fold); fibromyalgia, 0.53 versus 6.98 (12-fold); RA, 0.30 versus 3.16 (9.5-fold); and LBP, 1.17 versus 7.64 (5.5-fold). The median hospital charges and hospital stays for OUD-hospitalizations were: gout, $18,363 and 2.5 days; RA, $26,639 and 2.4 days; fibromyalgia, $15,772 and 2.1 days; OA, $17,398 and 2.4 days; and LBP, $22,794 and 2 days. In-hospital mortality rates ranged 0.9% for LBP versus 1.7% for gout with OUD-hospitalizations. Compared to the those without each musculoskeletal disorder, age, sex, race and insurance payer adjusted total hospital charges (inflation-adjusted) for OUD-hospitalizations with each rheumatic disease were: gout, $697 higher; OA, $4,759 lower; fibromyalgia, $2,082 lower; RA, $1,258 lower; and LBP, $4,944 lower. Conclusion OUD-hospitalizations increased in all 5 musculoskeletal diseases studied, but the rate of increase differed. Awareness of these OUD-hospitalization trends in 5 musculoskeletal diseases among providers, policy-makers and patients is important. Development and implementation of interventions, policies and practices to potentially reduce OUD-associated impact in people with rheumatic diseases is needed.
Mapworks survey for student retention: who declines to respond?

Surveys of students are among the primary data sources for research in higher education. Student surveys suffer from increasing level of non-response. This paper investigated the demographic factors that have contributed to non-responses in Mapworks student survey. The study utilised t-test and logistic regression to analyse the data collected from undergraduate students. The findings showed that high school GPA, gender, campus residency, race/ethnicity were significant predictors of survey non-response, and there were significant differences between respondents and non-respondents. Implications for academic administrators were discussed.
A Significant Population of Candidate New Members of the ρ Ophiuchi Cluster

We present a general method for identifying the pre-main-sequence population of any star-forming region, unbiased with respect to the presence or absence of disks, in contrast to samples selected primarily via their mid-infrared emission from Spitzer surveys. We have applied this technique to a new, deep, wide-field, near-infrared imaging survey of the ρ Ophiuchi cloud core to search for candidate low-mass members. In conjunction with published Spitzer IRAC photometry and least-squares fits of model spectra (COND, DUSTY, NextGen, and blackbody) to the observed spectral energy distributions, we have identified 948 candidate cloud members within our 90% completeness limits of J = 20.0, H = 20.0, and Ks = 18.50. This population represents a factor of ~3 increase in the number of known young stellar objects in the ρ Ophiuchi cloud. A large fraction of the candidate cluster members (81% ± 3%) exhibit infrared excess emission consistent with the presence of disks, thus strengthening the possibility of their being bona fide cloud members. Spectroscopic follow-up will confirm the nature of individual objects, better constrain their parameters, and allow an initial mass function to be derived.
Do You Know Where You Are? Bringing Indigenous Teaching Methods into the Classroom:

Within sociological literature, Indigenous Studies and settler colonial theoretical frameworks are beginning to be regarded with greater respect and consideration. Yet, the discipline still struggl...
Say Cheese: Facial Recognition Technology in a Post-Carpenter World

In 2018, the Supreme Court handed down its long-awaited decision in Carpenter v. United States. The Court held that the collection of cell-site location information was a violation of the Fourth Amendment. Not because of how police accessed the information but because of what the information revealed. The Court’s decision has fundamentally changed Fourth Amendment analysis and its impact will reach other digital-age technologies, including facial recognition technology. This Article argues that, in light of Carpenter, certain police uses of facial recognition technology are unconstitutional. Furthermore, old doctrines are no longer useful to consider Fourth Amendment issues in an age of rapidly advancing technology and the changing nature of society’s relationship with technology. Therefore, Carpenter has announced a new analytical framework—the Carpenter Test—through which courts can determine, in advance of any search using facial recognition technology, whether the search requires a warrant. This new framework will balance the threats posed by facial recognition technology with the benefits the technology offers to police.
Machine Learning Models for Predicting Neonatal Mortality: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION Approximately 7,000 newborns die every day, accounting for almost half of child deaths under 5 years of age. Deciphering which neonates are at increased risk for mortality can have an important global impact. As such, integrating high computational technology (e.g., artificial intelligence [AI]) may help identify the early and potentially modifiable predictors of neonatal mortality. Therefore, the objective of this study was to collate, critically appraise, and analyze neonatal prediction studies that included AI. METHODS A literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane, OVID, and Google Scholar. We included studies that used AI (e.g., machine learning (ML) and deep learning) to formulate prediction models for neonatal death. We excluded small studies (n < 500 individuals) and studies using only antenatal factors to predict mortality. Two independent investigators screened all articles for inclusion. The data collection consisted of study design, number of models, features used per model, feature importance, internal and/or external validation, and calibration analysis. Our primary outcome was the average area under the receiving characteristic curve (AUC) or sensitivity and specificity for all models included in each study. RESULTS Of 434 articles, 11 studies were included. The total number of participants was 1.26 M with gestational ages ranging from 22 weeks to term. Number of features ranged from 3 to 66 with timing of prediction as early as 5 min of life to a maximum of 7 days of age. The average number of models per study was 4, with neural network, random forest, and logistic regression comprising the most used models (58.3%). Five studies (45.5%) reported calibration plots and 2 (18.2%) conducted external validation. Eight studies reported results by AUC and 5 studies reported the sensitivity and specificity. The AUC varied from 58.3% to 97.0%. The mean sensitivities ranged from 63% to 80% and specificities from 78% to 99%. The best overall model was linear discriminant analysis, but it also had a high number of features (n = 17). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION ML models can accurately predict death in neonates. This analysis demonstrates the most commonly used predictors and metrics for AI prediction models for neonatal mortality. Future studies should focus on external validation, calibration, as well as deployment of applications that can be readily accessible to health-care providers.
What hath Weinberg wrought? Reflections on what Weinberg's papers on 'Nuclear Forces from Chiral Lagrangians' did and did not accomplish

I discuss selected legacies of Weinberg's application of chiral Lagrangians to nuclear physics: (1) the use of the chiral expansion to organize the interaction of pions and photons with a nucleus; (2) the much-debated question of why and how the potential derived from a chiral Lagrangian should be inserted in the Schrodinger equation; (3) the emergence of "pionless EFT" as a tool for diagnosing universal correlations that are present in quantum few-body systems of very different sizes, and, perhaps most important of all, (4) an epistemological shift in what is expected of a nuclear-physics calculation.
Enacting Oblivion

After periods of major political change, incoming regimes have often declared “acts of oblivion” in which courts and sometimes citizens are commanded to forget what happened under the preceding regime. But how are courts and citizens supposed to obey this command? Must they not remember what it is they are commanded to forget? If so, obedience is only possible at the price of disobedience. This paper suggests this paradox raises important issues about the concept of memory. It argues that in order to understand acts of oblivion we need to distinguish between two aspects of memory: the cognitive, concerned with the transmission of information, and the conative, concerned with the transmission of will and affect. This distinction provides a way of avoiding the more overtly paradoxical features of acts of oblivion. However, there remain significant difficulties facing the political project of forgetting.
Feasibility of Bilinear Mechanical Characterization of the Abdominal Aorta in a Hypertensive Mouse Model.

Abstract A change in elastin and collagen content is indicative of damage caused by hypertension, which changes the non-linear behavior of the vessel wall. This study was aimed at investigating the feasibility of monitoring the non-linear material behavior in an angiotensin II hypertensive mice model. Aortas from 13 hypertensive mice were imaged with pulse wave imaging (PWI) over 4 wk using a 40-MHz linear array. The pulse wave velocity was estimated using two wave features: (i) the maximum axial acceleration of the foot ( PW V dia ) and (ii) the maximum axial acceleration of the dicrotic notch ( PW V end − sys ). The Bramwell–Hill equation was used to derive the compliance at diastolic and end-systolic pressure. This study determined the potential of PWI in a hypertensive mouse model to image and quantify the non-linear material behavior in vivo. End-systolic compliance could differentiate between the sham and angiotensin II groups, whereas diastolic compliance could not, indicating that PWI can detect early collagen-dominated remodeling.
Usability and performance validation of an ultra-lightweight and versatile untethered robotic ankle exoskeleton.

BACKGROUND Ankle exoskeletons can improve walking mechanics and energetics, but few untethered devices have demonstrated improved performance and usability across a wide range of users and terrains. Our goal was to design and validate a lightweight untethered ankle exoskeleton that was effective across moderate-to-high intensity ambulation in children through adults with and without walking impairment. METHODS Following benchtop validation of custom hardware, we assessed the group-level improvements in walking economy while wearing the device in a diverse unimpaired cohort (n = 6, body mass = 42-92 kg). We also conducted a maximal exertion experiment on a stair stepping machine in a small cohort of individuals with cerebral palsy (CP, n = 5, age = 11-33 years, GMFCS I-III, body mass = 40-71 kg). Device usability metrics (device don and setup times and System Usability Score) were assessed in both cohorts. RESULTS There was a 9.9 ± 2.6% (p = 0.012, range = 0-18%) reduction in metabolic power during exoskeleton-assisted inclined walking compared to no device in the unimpaired cohort. The cohort with CP was able to ascend 38.4 ± 23.6% (p = 0.013, range = 3-132%) more floors compared to no device without increasing metabolic power (p = 0.49) or perceived exertion (p = 0.50). Users with CP had mean device don and setup times of 3.5 ± 0.7 min and 28 ± 6 s, respectively. Unimpaired users had a mean don time of 1.5 ± 0.2 min and setup time of 14 ± 1 s. The average exoskeleton score on the System Usability Scale was 81.8 ± 8.4 ("excellent"). CONCLUSIONS Our battery-powered ankle exoskeleton was easy to use for our participants, with initial evidence supporting effectiveness across different terrains for unimpaired adults, and children and adults with CP. Trial registration Prospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04119063) on October 8, 2019.
Fractal Geometry in the Late Work of Frank Lloyd Wright: The Palmer House

That Nature was Frank Lloyd Wright’s deity is well known, but recent scholarship has also stressed the importance of Wright’s feeling for geometry. Anthony Alofsin has pointed out the impact of Wright’s contact with the geometric forms of the Vienna Secession. Referring to Wright’s use of the rectilinear grid, Narciso Menocal writes that it “…was contingent on his conception of the universe as a geometric entity that architecture mirrors”. Whether or not Wright was aware of such concepts as the Golden Mean and the Fibonacci series is a moot point. Wright used nature as the basis of his geometrical abstraction. His objective was to conventionalize the geometry which he found in Nature, and his method was to adopt the abstract simplification which he found so well expressed in the Japanese print. Therefore, it is not too shocking perhaps that in this quest his work should foreshadow the new mathematics of nature first put forth by Benoit Mandelbrot: fractal geometry.
Acute length adaptation and adjustable preload in the human detrusor

Aims The biomechanical properties of length adaptation and adjustable preload have been previously identified in detrusor smooth muscle in animal models. This in vitro study aims to show that human detrusor smooth muscle exhibits length adaptation and adjustable preload tension which could play an important role in both overactive bladder and detrusor underactivity. Methods In order to demonstrate length adaptation, human detrusor smooth muscle strips are stretched and contracted beyond an optimum length and then contracted three times at the previous optimum length to determine if maximum active tension could be re-established. To demonstrate adjustable preload (Tap), human detrusor smooth muscle strips are subjected to a pre-defined loading–unloading (strain softening) sequence to reduce preload. Then, tissues are contracted and the sequence is repeated to determine if this active process restored preload. Results Nine patients (average age, 62) provide tissue: 89% are men with urothelial carcinoma and a minority (22%) also have neurogenic bladder dysfunction. In the length adaptation protocol, contractions show progressive increases in active tension (P < 0.05). In the Tap protocol, a significant amount of preload is lost to strain softening (P < 0.05) and is restored after active contraction (P = 0.50). Exposure to the rho-kinase inhibitor, H-1152, prevents the restoration of preload (P < 0.05). Conclusions This study demonstrates that human detrusor smooth muscle displays both length adaptation and Tap. Furthermore, Tap may be regulatable through a rho-kinase pathway. These biomechanical processes may be important in the pathophysiology of both overactive bladder and detrusor underactivity. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Room-temperature continuous-wave operation of type-I GaSb-based lasers at 3.1 μm

Type-I interband lasers on GaSb were grown by molecular beam epitaxy using 16 nm InGaAsSb compressively-strained quantum wells (QWs) with 30 nm AlInGaAsSb quinary barriers for improved hole confinement. The 3QW active regions were embedded in standard AlGaAsSb waveguides to limit the thickness of quinary material owing to its low growth temperature requirements. In continuous-wave operation, a typical ridge waveguide laser (width 10 μm, length 1214 μm) produced 6 mW total output power at 20°C with a threshold current of 140 mA. The temperature sensitivity of the devices remains a challenge, as evidenced by the dramatically improved performance at 0°C (16 mW total output power, threshold current 74 mA).
On Clausal Equivalence and Hull Inclusion

This paper is concerned with threee closely related problems, viz., checking boolean equivalence of CNF formulas, deciding hull inclusion (linear and integer) in certain polyhedral families and determining the satisfiability of CNF formulas. With the exception of linear hull inclusion, these problems are provably “hard” in that there are instances of these problems that are complete for classes, which are not known to be tractable. In the case of satisfiability testing, we design a simple randomized algorithm for the problem of checking whether a Q2CNF formula has a model.
A transport mutant of pea ( Pisum sativum ) for the study of iron absorption in higher plant roots

Investigations have been conducted on a single-gene pea (Pisum sativum L.) mutant which accumulates toxic Fe levels in its older leaves (>1.0% dry weight Fe). Root-associated Fe reductase activity and Fe absorption were determined in +Fe- and −Fe-grown mutant (E107) and normal (’Sparkle’) pea genotypes to elucidate the physiological differences which cause excess Fe accumulation in the mutant. Iron influx in roots of E107 (+/−Fe-grown) or -Fe-grown Sparkle was about four-fold higher than that measured in +Fe-Sparkle. Compared to +Fe-grown Sparkle, roots of the other three growth types also exhibited a greater root-associated reductase activity (4–6 fold higher). The physiological similarities of +Fe-grown E107 with the Fe-deficient E107 or Sparkle, suggest that the E107 mutant functions as a positively induced Fe-deficient dicotyledonous plant.