cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gender‐related instruments as instructional devices in the communication classroom

This paper provides specific ideas for using 19 psychometric instruments selected from the gender‐related research literature for their value as instructional aids in the communication classroom. For each instrument, a summary description is presented (variable[s] measured, sample items, and scoring) suggestions are offered for classroom exercises and discussion; and information is provided on where the instrument may be located. The paper concludes with a number of recommendations and cautions regarding the use of measures as educational tools.
Provincial Laws on the Protection of Women in China A Partial Test of Black’s Theory

Using data extracted from 29 provincial laws on the protection of women in China promulgated during the 1980s, this study tests Black’s (1976) proposition that the quantity of law varies with stratification, morphology, culture, organization, and social control. Analyses yielded little support for Black’s propositions except significant direct relationships between morphology and the quantity of five types of provincial laws. The article concludes with a discussion of alternative explanations for the observed findings and the implications of this research for further studies on the development of law.
An implantable drug delivery system (IDDS) for refractory cancer pain provides sustained pain control, less drug-related toxicity, and possibly better survival compared with comprehensive medical management (CMM)

Background: The randomized clinical trial of implantable drug delivery systems (IDDS) plus comprehensive medical management (CMM) versus CMM alone showed better clinical success at 4 weeks for IDDS patients. This ‘as treated’ analysis assessed if improvements in pain control, drug toxicity and survival were maintained over time. Patients and methods: We compared those who received IDDS with those who did not receive IDDS (non-IDDS). All patients had Visual Analogue Scores (VAS) for pain > _ 5/10 on at least 200 mg morphine or equivalent daily. Results: At 4 weeks, 46 of 52 (88.5%) IDDS patients achieved clinical success compared with 65 of 91 (71.4%; P = 0.02) non-IDDS patients, and more often achieved > _ 20% reduction in both pain VAS and toxicity [35 of 52 (67.3%) versus 33 of 91 patients (36.3%); P = 0.0003]. By 12 weeks, 47 of 57 (82.5%) IDDS patients had clinical success compared with 35 of 45 (77.8%; P = 0.55) nonIDDS patients, and more often had a > 20% reduction in both pain VAS and toxicity [33 of 57 (57.9%) versus 15 of 45 patients (33.3%); P = 0.01]. At 12 weeks the IDDS VAS pain scores decreased from 7.81 to 3.89 (47% reduction) compared with 7.21 to 4.53 for non-IDDS patients (42% reduction; P = 0.23). The 12 week drug toxicity scores for IDDS patients decreased from 6.68 to 2.30 (66% reduction), and for non-IDDS patients from 6.73 to 4.13 (37% reduction; P = 0.01). All individual drug toxicities improved with IDDS at both 4 and 12 weeks. At 6 months, only 32% of the group randomized to CMM and who did not cross over to IDDS were alive, compared with 52% – 59% for patients in those groups who received IDDS. Conclusions: IDDS improved clinical success, reduced pain scores, relieved most toxicity of pain control drugs, and was associated with increased survival for the duration of this 6 month trial.
Time-resolved optical studies of InGaN LED structures grown on semipolar and nonpolar bulk GaN substrates

We present time-resolved photoluminescence on InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum well LEDs grown on nonpolar and semipolar bulk GaN substrates and investigate increasing indium concentrations toward higher power, longer wavelength light emitters.
Leptophobic U(1)'s and the Rb-Rc anomalies

In this paper, we investigate the possibility of explaining both the {ital R}{sub {ital b}} excess and the {ital R}{sub {ital c}} deficit reported by the CERN LEP experiments through {ital Z}-{ital Z}{prime} mixing effects. We have constructed a set of models consistent with a restrictive set of principles: unification of the standard model (SM) gauge couplings, vector-like additional matter, and couplings which are both generation independent and leptophobic. These models are anomaly-free, perturbative up to the GUT scale, and contain realistic mass spectra. Out of this class of models, we find three explicit realizations which fit the LEP data to a far better extent than the unmodified SM or MSSM and satisfy all other phenomenological constraints which we have investigated. One realization, the {eta} model coming from E{sub 6}, is particularly attractive, arising naturally from geometrical compactifications of heterotic string theory. This conclusion depends crucially on the inclusion of a U(1) kinetic mixing term, whose value is correctly predicted by renormalization group running in the E{sub 6} model given one discrete choice of spectra. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
DNA methylation patterns in naïve CD4+ T cells identify epigenetic susceptibility loci for malar rash and discoid rash in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease characterised by heterogeneous clinical manifestations, autoantibody production and epigenetic dysregulation in T cells. We sought to investigate the epigenetic contribution to the development of cutaneous manifestations in SLE. Methods We performed genome-wide DNA methylation analyses in patients with SLE stratified by a history of malar rash, discoid rash or neither cutaneous manifestation, and age, sex and ethnicity matched healthy controls. We characterised differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in naive CD4+ T cells unique to each disease subset, and assessed functional relationships between DMRs using bioinformatic approaches. Results We identified 36 and 37 unique DMRs that contribute to the epigenetic susceptibility to malar rash and discoid rash, respectively. These DMRs were primarily localised to genes mediating cell proliferation and apoptosis. Hypomethylation of MIR886 and TRIM69, and hypermethylation of RNF39 were specific to patients with SLE with a history of malar rash. Hypomethylation of the cytoskeleton-related gene RHOJ was specific to patients with SLE with a history of discoid rash. In addition, discoid rash-specific hypomethylated DMRs were found in genes involved in antigen-processing and presentation such as TAP1 and PSMB8. Network analyses showed that DMRs in patients with SLE with but not without a history of cutaneous manifestations are associated with TAP-dependent processing and major histocompatibility-class I antigen cross-presentation (p=3.66×10−18 in malar rash, and 3.67×10−13 in discoid rash). Conclusions We characterised DNA methylation changes in naive CD4+ T cells specific to malar rash and discoid rash in patients with SLE. These data suggest unique epigenetic susceptibility loci that predispose to or are associated with the development of cutaneous manifestations in SLE.
Near-Perfect Photon Tunneling by Hybridizing Graphene Plasmons and Hyperbolic Modes

Excitation of surface plasmon polaritons helps to increase the near-field heat flux by orders of magnitude beyond the limit governed by Stefan–Boltzmann law. However, the photon tunneling probability is rather low, except for modes satisfying the resonance condition of surface plasmon polaritons. Broadband hyperbolic metamaterials can broaden the frequency region for the enhancement of near-field heat transfer, but can hardly maintain a high tunneling probability for large wavevectors since no resonances are excited to overcome the inherent exponential decay. In this letter, perfect photon tunneling with near-unity probability across broad frequency and k-space region is demonstrated based on the hybridization of graphene plasmons and hyperbolic modes. As a result, the near-field heat transfer coefficient between doped-silicon-nanowire hyperbolic metamaterials can be further improved several fold when covered by a graphene sheet, approaching to a theoretical limit.
Breeding Biology of White-Winged Trumpeters (Psophia leucoptera) in Peru

-I studied the breeding biology of a population of White-winged Trumpeters (Psophia leucoptera) in undisturbed lowland rain forest in Manu National Park, southeastern Peru. At this study site, it was possible to habituate trumpeters to humans, allowing groups to be followed and observed at distances of a few meters for entire days. I found that Whitewinged Trumpeters lived in cooperatively polyandrous groups of 4 to 13 individuals that defended permanent year-round territories. Clutches that averaged three eggs were laid by the dominant female on the floor of elevated cavities in trees. Eggs were incubated for about four weeks, primarily by the group's dominant male and female. Chicks hatched around the end of October at the beginning of the rainy season. If at least one of the brood survived, a subsequent clutch was not laid until the following breeding season. Predation on eggs and chick mortality resulted in an average of 1.6 young per group-year surviving to adulthood. White-winged Trumpeter chicks were precocial and left the nesting cavity the day after they hatched, able to walk and climb. Chicks were dependent on older birds to provide them with all of their food for over three weeks and were still receiving more than one-half of their food from adults at two months. Trumpeters reached sexual maturity at about two years of age, at which time both male and female offspring dispersed from their natal groups. Received 3 June 1993, accepted 24 October 1993. THE FAMILY PSOPHIIDAE (order Gruiformes) includes three species: the White-winged Trumpeter (Psophia leucoptera), the Gray-winged Trumpeter (P. crepitans), and the Green-winged Trumpeter (P. viridis). Little is known about any of the trumpeters, which are hen-sized terrestrial birds found primarily in the rain forests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins (Sibley and Monroe 1990). Published information on the breeding biology of wild trumpeters consists principally of observations that local people offered to turn-of-the-century naturalists, and these reports are anecdotal and frequently con1 Present address: Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40292, USA. tradictory. For example, wild Gray-winged Trumpeters have been reported to nest on the ground, in the branches of trees, in nesting cavities in trees, and in the crowns of palm trees (Schomburgk 1848, Lloyd 1897, Penard and Penard 1908, Beebe and Beebe 1910, Chubb 1916, Beebe et al. 1917). Clutch sizes of 2 to more than 10 white, green or blue eggs have been reported (Lloyd 1897, Penard and Penard 1908, Beebe and Beebe 1910, Chubb 1916, Beebe et al. 1917). Furthermore, it has been suggested that this species nests colonially, with five to six pairs building nests in adjacent trees (Beebe et al. 1917), and that the birds nest communally, with all females in the group laying eggs in a single
Simultaneous vs. successive bilingualism among preschool-aged children: a study of four-year-old Korean–English bilinguals in the USA

ABSTRACTThe current study compares simultaneous vs. successive bilingualism through a mixed-method research design with four four-year-old Korean–English bilingual children who were born and raised in the USA. Two simultaneous bilinguals were exposed to Korean and English from birth, whereas two successive bilinguals were exposed to Korean from birth, but to English between 18 and 24 months. Three direct assessment tasks (i.e. narrative, vocabulary, and syntax tasks) were used to assess children's multiple language domains in both Korean and English. A caregiver report supplemented direct testing. Findings indicate the simultaneous bilinguals often performed better in English than in Korean, whereas the successive bilinguals often scored higher in Korean than in English, but with some exceptions. For instance, one simultaneous bilingual demonstrated high Korean grammar performance even superior to successive bilinguals. Results suggest that simultaneous bilinguals do not necessarily differ from successive...
Metallic yttrium additions to high temperature alloys: Influence on Al2O3 scale properties

In the present study, the effect of adding yttrium to alloys is investigated. The microstructure of the cast Fe-25Cr-4Al-0.5Y alloy used in the study shows that the vttrium is present in different shapes and sizes as the intermetallic phase, (Fe, Cr)4(Al, Y), previously unreported in the literature. Upon oxidation in dry oxygen in the 1100–1200 °C temperature range, a columnar, fine-grained (0.5–1 μm) α-Al2O3 scale is formed which grows predominantly by inward oxygen grain-boundary transport. The intermetallic phase, during incorporation into the oxide scale, is converted into Y3Al5O12, the chromium and iron from the intermetallic diffusing back into the metal matrix. The Y3Al5O12 phase saturates the oxide scale with yttrium, which segregates to oxide grain boundaries. The microstructural features of the oxide scale resemble those of the scale formed on the yttria-dispersed alloy we investigated earlier. The improved adherence of the oxide scale is a consequence of yttrium doping, which facilitates the formation of a fine-grained scale in which oxide growth stresses can be relieved by diffusional plastic flow. Further, yttrium suppresses Al transport in the oxide scale and prevents Al2O3 nucleation within the scale, a process which can generate compressive stresses in the scale. The yttrium doping in the oxide scale is somewhat more efficient when it is present as a dispersoid in the metal.
On the Use of Knitted Antennas and Inductively Coupled RFID Tags for Wearable Applications

Recent advancements in conductive yarns and fabrication technologies offer exciting opportunities to design and knit seamless garments equipped with sensors for biomedical applications. In this paper, we discuss the design and application of a wearable strain sensor, which can be used for biomedical monitoring such as contraction, respiration, or limb movements. The system takes advantage of the intensity variations of the backscattered power (RSSI) from an inductively-coupled RFID tag under physical stretching. First, we describe the antenna design along with the modeling of the sheet impedance, which characterizes the conductive textile. Experimental results with custom fabricated prototypes showed good agreement with the numerical simulation of input impedance and radiation pattern. Finally, the wearable sensor has been applied for infant breathing monitoring using a medical programmable mannequin. A machine learning technique has been developed and applied to post-process the RSSI data, and the results show that breathing and non-breathing patterns can be successfully classified.
Implementation Effect of Tuberculosis Control Project in Pingli County of Shanxi Province

[Objective]To analyze the implementation effect of tuberculosis (TB) control effect in Pingli County of Shanxi Province.[Methods]Information of TB control project during 2002-2008 were summarized and analyzed.[Results]TB prevention and control measures were effective,infrastructure has been strengthened,and the control capability further improved. Registration rate of newly diagnosed was 2.64‰,that reached up to 3‰ after 2004,the referral rate was 95%,total compliance rate was 92.60%. Detection rate of new smear-positive case was up to 42.40/100 000,1304 cases of active TB were all taken into management and treatment. Negative rate of smear-positive patients in 2 or 3 months was 94.12% for 680 cases with initial treatment,was 88.07% for 243 cases with retreatment. Cure rate of smear-positive was 89.7% (610/680) for patients with initial treatment,and 83.13%(202/243) for patients with retreatment. The project funds were well used as well as the matching funds.[Conclusion]TB Control Project results are obvious in Pingli County,it has achieved and exceeded expectations.
Intravenous Hydration and Contrast‐Induced Acute Kidney Injury: Too Much of a Good Thing?

Contrast‐induced acute kidney injury (CI‐AKI), previously referred to as contrast‐induced nephropathy, remains a vexing problem despite extensive research on the topic and recognition of the condition >50 years ago.[1][1] CI‐AKI generally describes a decrease in renal function occurring in
Evolution of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus during sequential pig passages

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) viruses are recognized as possessing a high degree of genetic and antigenic variability. Viral diversity has led to questions regarding the association of virus mutation and persistent infection in the host and raised concerns vis-a-vis protective immunity, the ability of diagnostic assays to detect novel variants, and the possible emergence of virulent strains. The purpose of this study was to describe on-going changes in PRRS virus during replication in pigs under experimental conditions. Animals were inoculated with a plaque-cloned virus derived from VR-2332, the North American PRRS virus prototype. Three independent lines of in vivo replication were maintained for 367 days by pig-to-pig passage of virus at 60 day intervals. A total of 315 plaque-cloned viruses were recovered from 21 pigs over the 367 day observation period and compared to the original plaque-cloned virus by virus neutralization assay, monoclonal antibody analysis, and sequencing of open reading frames (ORFs) lb (replicase), 5 (major envelope protein), and 7 (nucleocapsid) of the genome. Variants were detectable by day 7 post inoculation and multiple variants were present concurrently in every pig sampled over the observation period. Sequence analysis showed ORFs lb and 7 to be highly conserved. In contrast, sequencing of ORF
Food science instruction in undergraduate dietetic education.

To assess the current status of food science instruction in undergraduate dietetic education, a survey was conducted of those persons responsible for teaching this subject in 267 Plan IV and 65 Coordinated Undergraduate Programs. Responses were received from 155 institutions offering a total of 177 programs. Factors examined included the number and academic background of faculty members teaching food science, the structure of the first course in food science, the structure of advanced food science courses required or offered to undergraduate dietetic students, and perceived adequacy of course content. Fifty-eight percent of the respondents had or were candidates for doctoral degrees, and 37% had master’s degrees. The results indicated that although all programs offered a beginning course in food science, the required prerequisites and level of difficulty of subject matter varied. Fifty-three percent of the programs required at least one advanced food science course. More than 95% of both beginning and advanced courses are structured to include both lecture and laboratory. Although a majority of respondents indicated satisfaction with the adequacy of course content currently being offered, many made recommendations for improvements. Other concerns included difficulty in locating textbooks and other suitable instructional materials, isolation from others teaching food science, and a lack of standards for content to be included in basic and advanced courses. J Am Diet Assoc 89:1250-1253, 1989.
Screening for Chronic Kidney Disease

A 55-year-old woman with no history of diabetes mellitus or hypertension asks to be screened for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Her 88-year-old mother has end-stage renal disease and is currently undergoing renal dialysis. The patient says she wants to take all necessary precautions to prevent this from happening to her.
Advances in analyzing RNA diversity in eukaryotic transcriptomes: peering through the Omics lens.

Alternative splicing, polyadenylation, and chemical modifications of RNA generate astonishing complexity within eukaryotic transcriptomes. The last decade has brought numerous advances in sequencing technologies that allow biologists to investigate these phenomena with greater depth and accuracy while reducing time and cost. A commensurate development in biochemical techniques for the enrichment and analysis of different RNA variants has accompanied the advancement of global sequencing analysis platforms. Here, we present a detailed overview of the latest biochemical methods, along with bioinformatics pipelines that have aided in identifying different RNA variants. We also highlight the ongoing developments and challenges associated with RNA variant detection and quantification, including sample heterogeneity and isolation, as well as ‘Omics’ big data handling.
Arterial pseudoaneurysms of the shoulder mimicking other entities: utilization of pulsation artifact on musculoskeletal MR for accurate diagnosis in 2 cases

We present two cases of pseudoaneurysm (PSA) about the shoulder mimicking more common clinical entities—soft tissue neoplasm and septic arthritis—for which biopsy of the mass and joint aspiration were requested respectively. We review the imaging findings of PSA with emphasis on findings in musculoskeletal protocol MRI, including the identification of pulsation artifact in both cases, which was critical to establishing the correct diagnosis. In the proper clinical setting, with imaging findings demonstrating a complex mass or fluid collection, MR images should be scrutinized for the presence of pulsation artifact, which can help diagnose a high-flow vascular lesion and avoid a potentially harmful invasive procedure such as biopsy.
Multiple Myeloma Vaccination Patterns in a Large Health System: A Pilot Study.

Purpose Common reasons for hospitalization and death in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are infections. As patients with MM are living longer and are treated with immunomodulatory drugs, there is a need to immunize against vaccine-preventable diseases and ultimately determine the efficacy of these vaccines. We evaluated vaccination practice patterns in MM patients at our health system using electronic medical records and data analytics. Methods This institutional review board-approved study retrospectively reviewed patients with MM who visited the health system from May 2012 to May 2014. Data collected included demographics, influenza vaccination (FV) and pneumonia vaccination (PV) history, hospitalization episodes and associated costs, and duration of survival. Patients were considered PV-positive if vaccinated within 5 years prior to study. FV was defined as optimal (two FV in 2012-2014), suboptimal (one FV in 2012-2014) or none (in 2012-2014). Results Of 411 MM patients, 55% were male and 85% Caucasian. Nearly 58% received PV in the past 5 years. FV was 15% optimal, 52% suboptimal and 33% none. A total of 444 hospitalizations involving 204 patients were observed over 2-year follow-up. More than $23 million was incurred from hospitalizations in the 2-year study period. There was no statistically significant difference in all-cause hospitalization and overall survival by FV and PV status. Conclusions Despite recommendations of vaccination in multiple myeloma, our cohort had low rates of influenza and pneumonia vaccination. FV and PV status did not show any significant association with additional hospitalization or overall survival in this pilot study. Future prospective studies are needed to ascertain the immunological and clinical efficacy and effectiveness of these vaccines in immunosuppressed patients.
Automatic threshold selection for multi-class open set recognition

Multi-class open set recognition is the problem of supervised classification with additional unknown classes encountered after a model has been trained. An open set classifer often has two core components. The first component is a base classifier which estimates the most likely class of a given example. The second component consists of open set logic which estimates if the example is truly a member of the candidate class. Such a system is operated in a feed-forward fashion. That is, a candidate label is first estimated by the base classifier, and the true membership of the example to the candidate class is estimated afterward. Previous works have developed an iterative threshold selection algorithm for rejecting examples from classes which were not present at training time. In those studies, a Platt-calibrated SVM was used as the base classifier, and the thresholds were applied to class posterior probabilities for rejection. In this work, we investigate the effectiveness of other base classifiers when paired with the threshold selection algorithm and compare their performance with the original SVM solution.
Building Ties that Bind: Hub Firms and Collaborative Capacity in Inter-Organizational Networks

This conceptual paper focuses on the role of central “hub” organizations in inter-organizational networks building Collaborative Capacity (CC), or the ability to engage in inter-organizational systems with collective outcomes (Ostrom, 1999; Bardach, 2001; Hocevar et al., 2006). Within the context of the nonprofit sector, central capacity building “hub” organizations take on orchestrating roles within inter-organizational nonprofit networks by providing channels of communication, knowledge creation, and shared resources for network members. Network, stakeholder, and institutional theory approaches help to explore the influence of hub organizations on increased CC within networks and to examine CC as both an outcome (Ahuja, 2000; Weber, Lovrich, & Gaffney, 2007) as well as a driving force (Hocevar et al. 2006; Weinberg et. al., 2011) of an organizations’ network participation. Within this model, hub firms serve bridging and bonding roles for network participants (Burt, 1997), depending on the level of colla...
Gene expression induced by the platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFR) alpha and beta in childhood medulloblastomas

432 Objective: Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. Survival rates are below 50% in patients with metastatic tumors, and close to 0% in those who relapse with metastatic tumors compared to greater than 80% in patients without tumor metastasis. We previously showed that overexpression of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) correlates with metastatic medulloblastoma. Upon binding to the ligand PDGF, PDGFR, a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), undergoes autophosphorylation which in turn initiates signal transduction through the RAS/MAPK and PI3K-AKT pathways leading to cell proliferation, migration, survival and gene transcription. Methods: To determine whether PDGFR signaling is critical to these processes in medulloblastoma cells, we inhibited the PDGFR expression and activity in Daoy human medulloblastoma cells using three separate methods: 1) small interfering RNA (siRNA) to PDGFR; 2) RTK inhibition of PDGFR with Gleevec; and 3) anti-PDGF neutralizing antibodies, and measured the resultant changes in gene expression and survival following PDGF stimulation. These changes were compared to baseline serum-depleted cells, with and without PDGFR inhibition, stimulated with PDGF. Results: PDGFR-active cells stimulated with PDGF showed enhanced survival and proliferation and exhibited gene expression changes at 24h, as measured by Affymetrix microarray profiling, that were specific to the subtype of ligand (PDGFAA or PDGFBB) used for stimulation. PDGFBB, which activates both the alpha and the beta receptor subtypes, was more potent than the PDGFAA, which only activates the alpha receptor subtype of PDGFR. PDGFBB induced gene expression encoding effectors that primarily regulate signal transduction and cell-cycle control, while PDGFAA enduced gene expression encoding effectors that predominantly affect chemotaxis. Following Gleevec treatment, both PDGFAA and BB up-regulated expression of PI3K and induced Akt phosphorylation in a portion of surviving cells, suggesting a bypass pathway to overcome the effect of PDGFR tyrosine kinase inhibition. PDGF neutralizing antibodies and transient siRNA transfection abrogated the gene expression changes and subsequent survival, indicating that this effect is dependent on the presence of PDGFR and its interaction with PDGF. Conclusion: These results suggest that PDGFR is critical for medulloblastoma survival through a signal transduction mechanism that promotes pro-survival gene transcription. In addition, physical interaction of the receptor in the membrane seems to exert a significant effect on PDGFR-induced gene expression because only siRNA silencing was able to abrogate this PDGFR-induced gene expression. Thus, a fully intact PDGFR appears to be important for maintaining signal transduction, gene expression, survival and migration in medulloblastoma cells.
Accreting Pulsars, Gamma-Ray Bursters and LMXB as High Energy Polarized Sources

We discuss the significance of polarization producing mechanisms in determining the physical conditions in models of neutron star high energy sources, and the possible impact of polarization measurements at high energies in determining the geometry of the emission regions. Current experiments and their capabilities are reviewed. We discuss calculations of the expected polarization from nonmagnetic neutron stars with accretion disks, and the pulse phase dependence of the degree and angle of polarization in magnetized accreting X-ray pulsars. Calculations of the polarization of gamma-ray burst sources and accreting pulsars are presented, with particular attention to the cyclotron line energy range, using relativistic two-photon processes.
Appropriate use criteria for stress echocardiography: Impact of updated criteria on appropriateness ratings, correlation with pre-authorization guidelines, and effect of temporal trends and an educational initiative on utilization

Objectives This study evaluated utilization of stress echocardiography (SE) at our institution, the impact of the updated 2011 appropriate use criteria (AUC) on appropriateness ratings, correlation of AUC to radiology benefits managers' (RBM) pre-certification guidelines and the effect of temporal trends and an AUC-based educational project on appropriateness. Background The AUC for SE have been developed to improve efficiency of utilization and promote optimal patient care. Methods We classified the appropriateness of 209 SEs from 2008 using the original and updated AUC. We also performed pre-authorization determinations on these SEs using the guidelines of 2 RBMs. We then classified and compared the appropriateness of 209 SEs from 2011 using the updated criteria to that of the 2008 cohort. Finally, we rated and compared 111 SEs requested by cardiologists after an educational project to 111 SEs referred before the intervention. Results Overall, nearly one-third of SEs were requested for inappropriate indications. Using 2011 AUC, the original ratings of 52 (25%) studies by AUC 2008 were changed and the number of unclassified SE decreased from 20 (9.6%) to 2 (1%). Correlation between RBM pre-authorization determination and AUC ratings was substantial for the first RBM (κ = 0.625) and fair for the second (κ = 0.358). However, 12.9% and 41.9% of studies classified as appropriate or uncertain by the AUC would not have received pre-authorization according to the guidelines of the first and second RBMs, respectively. Referrals of inappropriate SE did not decrease over time or with an educational intervention. Conclusions The revisions in the updated AUC improve their clinical application by encompassing nearly all indications for SE. The limited correlation between AUC ratings and RBM determinations suggests a need for greater consistency. The large number of SE requested for inappropriate indications at our institution did not decrease with time or education.
Probabilities For Two Properties

Let R(X, B) denote the class of probability functions that are defined on algebra X and that represent rationally permissible degrees of certainty for a person whose total relevant background evidence is B. This paper is concerned with characterizing R(X, B) for the case in whichX is an algebra of propositions involving two properties and B is empty. It proposes necessary conditions for a probability function to be in R(X, B), some of which involve the notion of statistical dependence. The class of probability functions that satisfy these conditions, here denoted PI, includes a class that Carnap once proposed for the same situation. Probability functions in PI violate Carnap's axiom of analogy but, it is argued, that axiom should be rejected. A derivation of Carnap's model by Hesse has limitations that are not present in the derivation of PI given here. Various alternative probability models are considered and rejected.
Book review. Gini, Al (2017). The Importance of Being Funny: Why We Need More Jokes in Our Lives. Lanham, Maryland: Rowan and Littlefield. 141 pp.

Book review Gini, Al (2017). The Importance of Being Funny: Why We Need More Jokes in Our Lives . Lanham, Maryland: Rowan and Littlefield. 141 pp.
Multi-FSR On-Chip Optical Interconnects Using Silicon Nitride AWGR

We demonstrate multi-FSR 10 Gb/s on-chip optical interconnects using an $8\times 8$ Si-LIONS monolithically integrated with a SiN cyclic AWGR and silicon photonic transceiver arrays. © 2019 The Author(s)
Incommensurability and Wide-Ranging Arguments for Steadfastness in Religious Disagreements: Increasingly Popular, But Eventually Complacent

Choo and Pittard recently have presented new attractive incommensurability arguments for remaining steadfast in religious beliefs even when disagreeing with sophisticated disputants. This article responds to the latest iteration of this genre in the work of Choo, and does double duty evaluating more generally the merits of this genre, which is becoming increasingly more popular since originally championed by Alston. Both Choo and Alston argue that it is reasonable to stay steadfast in one’s religious beliefs when there are no commensurable ways of evaluating the disputant’s claims. This paper first describes four views about disagreement that inform Choo’s conclusion, one of which is the incommensurability argument similarly championed by Alston. Incommensurability arguments are attractive, but, when deployed in the most challenging disagreements, ultimately complacent.
Clinical phenotypes of postpartum psychosis

Abstract Postpartum psychosis (PPP) is a rare and serious psychiatric disorder occurring in the early postnatal period. Some consider PPP a distinct clinical entity with characteristic symptoms, such as mood lability, decreased sleep, delusions, disorganized and erratic behavior, and perplexity/confusion. Others consider PPP to encompass any psychotic illness occurring in the postpartum period, such as postpartum depression or an exacerbation of schizophrenia. A personal history of bipolar disorder, as well as a prior episode of PPP, significantly increases the risk of developing PPP. With a high suicide (4%) and infanticide rate (4%), it is a psychiatric emergency and needs prompt evaluation in a monitored setting. Diagnosis involves excluding other forms of organic psychosis such as thyroid disease and infection. There are no validated screening tools, but all women should be screened for a personal and family history of mental illness—especially bipolar disorder and PPP.
Bud Removal Affects Shoot, Root, and Callus Development of Hardwood Populus Cuttings

The inadvertent removal and/or damage of buds during processing and planting of hardwood poplar (Populus spp.) cuttings are a concern because of their potential impact on shoot and root development during establishment. The objective of the current study was to test for differences in shoot dry mass, root dry mass, number of roots, length of the longest root, and callus dry mass among ten poplar clones subjected to three pre-planting bud removal intensities (0%, 50%, 100%). The ten clones and their genomic groups were: DM115 (P. deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh x P. maximowiczii A. Henry); DN34, I45-51 (P. deltoides x P. nigra L.); NC13446, NC13563, NC13649, NC13685, NC13747 [(P. trichocarpa Torr. & Gray x P. deltoides) x P. deltoides]; and NM2, NM6 (P. nigra x P. maximowiczii).
Far Lateral Approach for Malignant, Severely Calcified Cerebellopontine Angle Tumor.

Background The far-lateral approach is an effective skull base technique that provides access to the lower clivus and premedullary area. This approach is also useful for maximal visualization and resection of large posterior fossa tumors with extensive medial extension, especially when aggressive resection is ideal for a malignant tumor in a young patient, or it is technically challenging because of tumor calcification. We demonstrate a microsurgical operative video to describe technical pearls in this difficult situation. Case Presentation A 45-year-old man with history of “hoarseness” for up to two decades was presented with imbalance and mild dysphagia over 3 years. Imaging demonstrated a 55-mm left cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumor extending medially across the midline with severe calcification ( Figs. 1 and 2 ). His neurological examination revealed left facial numbness, complete left facial weakness, left deafness, complete left vocal paralysis, as well as severe left hemibody ataxia. The tumor was resected via a left suboccipital craniotomy with far lateral approach including drilling to the occipital condyle and C1 laminectomy. Initial manipulation of the inferior pole of the tumor resulted in asystole which was managed successfully with glycol pyrolate. Pathology demonstrated IDH-1 wild type, MGMT-methylated glioblastoma. The patient subsequently underwent adjuvant chemoradiation. Conclusion The far-lateral approach is an effective approach for maximal safe resection of a malignant brainstem, cerebellar, and CPA tumor. The link to the video can be found at: https://youtu.be/AIGebJPJEnw .
Alpha-Enolase: Emerging Tumor-Associated Antigen, Cancer Biomarker, and Oncotherapeutic Target

Alpha-enolase, also known as enolase-1 (ENO1), is a glycolytic enzyme that "moonlights" as a plasminogen receptor in the cell surface, particularly in tumors, contributing to cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis. ENO1 also promotes other oncogenic events, including protein-protein interactions that regulate glycolysis, activation of signaling pathways, and resistance to chemotherapy. ENO1 overexpression has been established in a broad range of human cancers and is often associated with poor prognosis. This increased expression is usually accompanied by the generation of anti-ENO1 autoantibodies in some cancer patients, making this protein a tumor associated antigen. These autoantibodies are common in patients with cancer associated retinopathy, where they exert pathogenic effects, and may be triggered by immunodominant peptides within the ENO1 sequence or by posttranslational modifications. ENO1 overexpression in multiple cancer types, localization in the tumor cell surface, and demonstrated targetability make this protein a promising cancer biomarker and therapeutic target. This mini-review summarizes our current knowledge of ENO1 functions in cancer and its growing potential as a cancer biomarker and guide for the development of novel anti-tumor treatments.
Blood Component Therapy

In the United States, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research sets the standards regarding collection of blood components and whole blood. All entities that collect, prepare, store, process or distribute blood products must be registered with the FDA and inspected by them at defined intervals. Many institutions that collect or prepare blood products also get accreditation by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) since this organization sets standards that help maintain quality and safety of blood banking and transfusion practices. Other parts of the world have similar entities.
Predictors of Improvement in Pediatric Chronic Migraine: Results from the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Amitriptyline Trial

Explore predictors of improvement in headache days and migraine-related disability through a secondary analysis of the cognitive-behavioral therapy plus amitriptyline trial in children and adolescents (Clinical Trials Registration Number: NCT00389038). Participants were 135 youth aged 10–17 years old diagnosed with chronic migraine. Predictor variables included group assignment (treatment or control), baseline scores from depression and quality of life measures, and demographic variables. Criterion variables included headache days and migraine-related disability. Higher baseline depression scores were indicative of more days with headache post-treatment regardless of group assignment. Family income at the higher-end of the low-income range was significantly associated with less migraine-related disability regardless of group assignment (Household Income: HINC-01 in The United States Census Bureau. Bureau, U, 2020). Results from this secondary analysis identify depression symptoms and family income as predictors that can impact headache frequency and migraine-related disability. Self-reported symptoms of depression and family income are important factors to consider as part of the biopsychosocial model of care.
Estimating Probabilities of Passing for Examinees With Incomplete Data in Mastery Tests

Administrative problems such as computer malfunction and power outage occasionally lead to missing item scores and hence to incomplete data on mastery tests such as the AP and U.S. Medical Licensin...
High-coverage metabolomics uncovers microbiota-driven biochemical landscape of interorgan transport and gut-brain communication in mice

The mammalian gut harbors a complex and dynamic microbial ecosystem: the microbiota. While emerging studies support that microbiota regulates brain function with a few molecular cues suggested, the overall biochemical landscape of the "microbiota-gut-brain axis" remains largely unclear. Here we use high-coverage metabolomics to comparatively profile feces, blood sera, and cerebral cortical brain tissues of germ-free C57BL/6 mice and their age-matched conventionally raised counterparts. Results revealed for all three matrices metabolomic signatures owing to microbiota, yielding hundreds of identified metabolites including 533 altered for feces, 231 for sera, and 58 for brain with numerous significantly enriched pathways involving aromatic amino acids and neurotransmitters. Multicompartmental comparative analyses single out microbiota-derived metabolites potentially implicated in interorgan transport and the gut-brain axis, as exemplified by indoxyl sulfate and trimethylamine-N-oxide. Gender-specific characteristics of these landscapes are discussed. Our findings may be valuable for future research probing microbial influences on host metabolism and gut-brain communication.
Crossing Under the Hudson: The Story of the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels

Crossing Under the Hudson takes a fresh look at the planning and construction of two key links in the transportation infrastructure of New York and New Jersey--the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels. Writing in an accessible style that incorporates historical accounts with a lively and entertaining approach, Angus Kress Gillespie explores these two monumental works of civil engineering and the public who embraced them. He describes and analyzes the building of the tunnels, introduces readers to the people who worked there--then and now--and places the structures into a meaningful cultural context with the music, art, literature, and motion pictures that these tunnels, engineering marvels of their day, have inspired over the years.Today, when new concerns about global terrorism may trump bouts of simple tunnel tension, Gillespie's Crossing Under the Hudson continues to cast a light at the end of the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels.
45 – Saccharomycodes E.C. Hansen

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on Saccharomycodes genus and its member species. The cells of this species are large, diploid, lemon-shaped (apiculate) or elongate cells, which reproduce by bipolar budding on a very broad base (bud-fission). Pseudomycelium is absent or poorly developed. The spores are spheroidal with an apparently smooth wall and a narrow subequatorial ledge and irregularly spaced surface nodules may be visible. The asci usually contain four spores, occurring in two pairs, and upon germination, members of each pair ordinarily conjugate. In some strains, the spores may germinate without conjugation. The sole member species of this genus is Saccharomycodes ludwigii . The cells of this species, after three days of growth in 5% malt extract at 25° C, may appear as lemon-shaped with blunt tips, sausage-shaped, curved, broad-oval, or elongated with a swelling in the middle. The cells are single or in pairs and sometimes in groups ofthree. The spores of this species are spheroidal and smooth with a narrow subequatorial ledge, which is visible in sections viewed in the electron microscope. In freeze-fracture replicas, the outer surface of the spores shows irregularly spaced nodules. Usually, there are four spores per ascusin two groups of two, although some strains produce two spores per ascus.
Development and validation of a streamlined method designed to detect residues of 62 veterinary drugs in bovine kidney using ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry

In the USA, the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) conducts the National Residue Program designed to monitor veterinary drug and other chemical residues in beef and other slaughtered food animals. Currently, FSIS uses a 7-plate bioassay in the laboratory to screen for antimicrobial drugs in bovine kidneys from those animals tested positive by inspectors in the slaughter establishments. The microbial inhibition bioassay has several limitations in terms of monitoring scope, sensitivity, selectivity, and analysis time. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) has many advantages over the bioassay for this application, and this study was designed to develop, evaluate, and validate a fast UHPLC-MS/MS method for antibiotics and other high-priority veterinary drugs in bovine kidney. Five existing multi-class, multi-residue methods from the literature were tested and compared, and each performed similarly. Experiments with incurred samples demonstrated that a 5-min shake of 2 g homogenized kidney with 10 ml of 4/1 (v/v) acetonitrile/water followed by simultaneous clean-up of the initial extract with 0.5 g C18 and 10 ml hexane gave a fast, simple, and effective sample preparation method for the <10 min UHPLC-MS/MS analysis. An extensive 5-day validation process demonstrated that the final method could be used to acceptably screen for 54 of the 62 drugs tested, and 50 of those met qualitative MS identification criteria. Quantification was not needed in the application, but the method gave ≥ 70% recoveries and ≤ 25% reproducibilities for 30 of the drugs.
The output distribution of fuzzy weighted median filters

Fuzzy weighted median (FWM) filters are developed by utilizing concepts of fuzzy ordering in the weighted median (WM) filters framework and have great advantages over their crisp counterparts. In this paper, two important properties of fuzzy ordering - the element invariant property and order invariant property - are investigated, which shall serve as the theoretical justification of FWM filters. Based on these two properties, we derive the analytical expressions for the output distribution of FWM filters, which provide systematic methods to study the statistical properties of FWM filters.