cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Myocardial perfusion reserve in adults with cyanotic congenital heart disease

In patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD), a right-to-left shunt results in systemic hypoxemia. Systemic hypoxemia incites a compensatory erythrocytosis, which increases whole blood...
Curbing Ebola infections among healthcare workers in West Africa: unconventional strategies needed

One of the tragedies of the current ongoing West African Ebola virus outbreak is the large number of healthcare workers (HCWs) who have been infected with the disease. As of October 31, 2014, there were 523 cases of infection among HCWs, and 269 have died. It is well known that infected HCWs may also initiate or propagate nosocomial outbreaks such that disease transmission is amplified. The sad fact is that the unfortunate HCW infections and deaths are largely preventable. However, this tragic misfortune presents an opportunity.
Mechanical design of an infrared imaging system for DIII-D

Two infrared imaging units have been designed to monitor temperature changes on the protective armor tile inside the DIII-D vacuum vessel. Each imaging unit includes an optical system (lenses, mirrors, and infrared camera), a support structure, and a magnetic-shield enclosure. Each optical system requires a 45 degrees field of view to monitor a large area within the vacuum vessel. The quality of the image produced by the infrared camera is very sensitive to mechanical vibrations. A rigid support structure has been designed to minimize the motion of the optical system and camera image during a plasma experiment. The vibration characteristics of an existing DIII-D imaging-unit support structure were measured. The structural properties of the proposed imaging-unit supports were then determined using CAD/CAM modeling and finite-element analysis and were modified until their stiffnesses matched or exceeded the stiffness of the existing structure. This method eliminated a detailed static and dynamic analysis of all the forces acting on the proposed structures. >
Cybervetting, Online Information, and Personnel Selection New Transparency Expectations and the Emergence of a Digital Social Contract

This study examines employers’ and workers’ sensemaking about cybervetting—employers’ use of online information for personnel selection. Analysis of 89 employer and applicant interviews suggest a s...
Recruiters, advertising, and navy enlistments

Abstract : The relation between Navy enlistments by high school graduates in 1971-1977 and the number of recruiters and level of advertising expenditures is analyzed. Allowance is made for changes in economic and demographic factors and Navy goals and policies. A prediction test is made with data from 1978. Both recruiter and advertising are shown to increase enlistments, but there are important differences in their effects. (Author)
A multivariate analysis of weight-loss behavior.

This study used a theoretical framework with multiple variables in multivariate analyses (factor, multiple regression, and path analyses) to investigate the sociopsychological predictors of weight ...
SONG TYPES AND VARIATION IN INSULAR POPULATIONS OF LINCOLN'S SPARROW (MELOSPIZA LINCOLNII), AND COMPARISONS WITH OTHER MELOSPIZA

Abstract In contrast to the Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) and Song Sparrow (M. melodia), vocal studies of the congeneric Lincoln's Sparrow (M. lincolnii) are essentially lacking. To provide comparative data on song variation in this species, we obtained and analyzed recordings from 58 males (4,537 songs) breeding in montane meadows of the Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino Mountains, California. Males sang from one to six song types, and repertoire size averaged 3.7 types. No two males shared an identical song type. Males varied their types by changing the number of repetitions of a syllable or by adding, deleting, or substituting one or more syllables (i.e. by changing syllable composition). The number of variants, identified on the basis of differences in syllable composition, averaged 2.6 per song type (range 1 to 12). Individual variability was highest in the terminal elements of the song. Production of variants appears to be a process of “open-ended improvisation” of song types. Similarity of son...
Exploration of Counselor Self-Efficacy Across Academic Training

This study investigated counselor self-efficacy and anxiety among psychology students at different levels of training. All participants, including undergraduate and graduate students, completed a set of questionnaires covering topics ranging from clinical experience to feelings encountered during counseling sessions (for example, anxiety and confidence). We compared students across various levels of training and computed a multivariate analysis of variance, with dependent variables measuring self-efficacy, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and general happiness. Results indicated curvilinear relationships across level of training for self-efficacy and anxiety about seeing clients. These findings, as well as possible theoretical underpinnings, have important implications for supervision and training.
Drugs that target catecholaminergic receptors

Several small catecholaminergic (CA) nuclei in the midbrain contain neurons project to broad areas of the diencephalon and telencephalon. These neurons using the neurotransmitters, dopamine (DA) and norepinepherine (NE) play important roles in a wide variety of neurobehavioral functions including cognition. DA neurons from the substantia nigra (SN) prject primarily to the striatum, while DA neurons from the nearby ventral tegmental area (VTA) project more broadly to the nucleus accumbens, thalamus, hippocampus and frontal cortex. NE neurons from the locus coeruleus (LC) project to broad areas of the cortex, limbic system and thalamus. These projections serve as the basis of CA involvement in cognitive function particularly in aspects of the relationship of arousal and attention to salient sensory cues [1]. CA neurons and their post-synaptic receptors are targets for therapeutic treatments for a variety of cognitive disorders [2].
Firefighters as distributors of workplace safety and health information to small businesses.

Abstract Background Small businesses bear a large burden of injury and death, and are difficult to reach with occupational safety and health (OSH) information. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed a pilot study testing the feasibility of fire departments disseminating OSH information to small businesses during fire inspections. Methods Two sets of postcards were developed with unique, trackable URLs for the NIOSH Small Business Resource Guide. One set was distributed by firefighters, the other was mailed to small businesses. Participating inspectors were met with to discuss their experience. Results Neither distribution method resulted in a substantial number of site visits. Inspectors believed distributing postcards was an easy addition to their duties, and saw value in safety information. Conclusions There are barriers beyond awareness of availability that prevent small business owners from seeking OSH information. Research should focus on identifying barriers and developing better OSH information diffusion mechanisms.
Unimolecular dissociation dynamics of vibrationally activated CH3CHOO Criegee intermediates to OH radical products

The hydroxyl radical is an important atmospheric oxidant, and a significant source of its production occurs through alkene ozonolysis. This takes place via a cycloaddition reaction and subsequent fragmentation to form an energized carbonyl oxide (for example, CH3CHOO), known as a Criegee intermediate, which can then either react with another atmospheric species or decay and, in doing so, produce the hydroxyl radical. Here, we examine the dissociation dynamics of a prototypical Criegee intermediate by characterizing the translational and internal energy distributions of the OH radical products, which reflect critical configurations along the reaction pathway. Experimentally, the kinetic energy release to OH products is ascertained through velocity map imaging. Theoretically, quasi-classical trajectories are performed on a new full-dimensional, ab initio potential energy surface. Both experiment and theory show that most of the available energy flows into internal excitation of the vinoxy products. The isotropic angular distribution of OH fragments indicates that dissociation occurs in ≥2 ps, in agreement with theory. An important source of atmospheric hydroxyl radicals is from the dissociation of Criegee intermediates produced in alkene ozonolysis reactions. The dissociation dynamics of the prototypical CH3CHOO Criegee intermediate have now been determined. Complementary experimental and theoretical studies were carried out and the translational and internal energy distributions of the OH radical products were characterized.
Air-drying beds reduce the quantities of antibiotic resistance genes and class 1 integrons in residual municipal wastewater solids.

This study investigated whether air-drying beds reduce antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) concentrations in residual municipal wastewater solids. Three laboratory-scale drying beds were operated for ...
Management of the Electrical Storm in Patients with ICD

Current definition of electrical storm (ES) is the occurrence of three or more episodes of sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) within 24 h requiring appropriate medical intervention. The same definition applies in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) carriers in which ES is defined by three or more appropriate and separate (at least 5 min) device interventions in 24 h, either with antitachycardia pacing (ATP) or shock [1].
Cyclostationary-based detection of steady-state visually evoked potential signals recorded from EEG

Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) are a class of signals obtained from the electroencephalogram (EEG) that are used in conjunction with brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Inducing SSVEP signals requires flickering lights as stimuli, typically in the range of 5–45 Hz. However, due to low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), SSVEP signals generated in certain frequency ranges can be difficult to detect. This paper studies cyclostationary-based detection for SSVEPs, which is a popular method for signal detection in low SNR environments, but whose application in the context of BCI systems has received only limited attention in the BCI research community. The results presented in the paper demonstrate that cyclostationary-based detection of SSVEP using spectral correlation density (SCD) performs as well as canonical correlation analysis (CCA), which is the most widely used method of SSVEP classification.
The new vegetarians: the natural high?

Health and other rationales of young vegetarian adults and affiliation with various groups are reported.
On Peer Review

Purpose This letter briefly reviews ideas about the purpose and benefits of peer review and reaches some idealistic conclusions about the process. Method The author uses both literature review and ...
Heidegger on Ontotheology: Understanding Ontotheology as the Basis for Heidegger's Critique of Technology

INTRODUCTION: FROM ONTOTHEOLOGY TO TECHNOLOGY In Chapter 1, in our reconstructions of Heidegger's understanding of metaphysics as ontotheology (§1) and of ontotheology as the substructural scaffolding of historical intelligibility (§2), it became clear that Heidegger holds Nietzsche's “unthought” metaphysics responsible for our nihilistic “technological” understanding of the being of entities and its devastating historical consequences. Two crucial details of Heidegger's reading merit particular emphasis in this regard: First, that Nietzsche understands the being of entities ontotheologically, as eternally recurring will-to-power (that is, in short, as sheer “will-to-will”), forces coming together and breaking apart with no end other than the self-augmentation by which these underlying forces perpetuate themselves. Second, that it is precisely this ontologically reductive understanding of the being of entities that encourages us late moderns implicitly to understand, and so generally to treat, all the entities with which we deal, ourselves included, as intrinsically meaningless Bestand , mere “resources” standing by to be optimized, ordered, and enhanced with maximal efficiency. We will return to explore these details of Heidegger's view shortly, but it should be clear from this outline that Heidegger's critique of our contemporary age of “enframing” follows directly from his particular understanding of metaphysics as ontotheology . Amazingly, this basic hermeneutic connection has never adequately been recognized and taken into account, although Heidegger's “critique of technology” is one of the most widely discussed aspects of his later thought.
A novel algorithm for monitoring reservoirs under all‐weather conditions at a high temporal resolution through passive microwave remote sensing

Flood mitigation in developing countries has been hindered by a lack of near real-time reservoir storage information at high temporal resolution. By leveraging satellite passive microwave observations over a reservoir and its vicinity, we present a globally applicable new algorithm to estimate reservoir storage under all-weather conditions at a 4 day time step. A weighted horizontal ratio (WHR) based on the brightness temperatures at 36.5 GHz is introduced, with its coefficients calibrated against an area training data set over each reservoir. Using a predetermined area-elevation (A-H) relationship, these coefficients are then applied to the microwave data to calculate the storage. Validation results over four reservoirs in South Asia indicate that the microwave-based storage estimations (after noise reduction) perform well (with coefficients of determination ranging from 0.41 to 0.74). This is the first time that passive microwave observations are fused with other satellite data for quantifying the storage of individual reservoirs.
The Contribution of Ototoxic Medications to Hearing Loss Among Older Adults.

Author(s): Joo, Yoonmee | Advisor(s): Wallhagen, Margaret | Abstract: Background: Age-related hearing loss effects negatively on an individual’s physical, psychosocial, and social status. Hearing loss may be accelerated in patients taking ototoxic medications. Given the high prevalence of hearing loss, drug-related ototoxicity among older adults may be a critical public health problem.Objectives: The aims of this dissertation were: 1) to identify risk factors of age-related hearing loss from a literature review; 2) to explore the prevalence of ototoxic medication use and the associated factors for ototoxic medication use; 3) to investigate the association of ototoxic medication use with incidence and progression of hearing loss.Methods: A search of the literature on risk factors for age-related hearing loss was performed using the electronic PubMed database. The research data were extracted from the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study datasets. The cohort was examined in 1993-1995 (n = 3753), 1998-2000 (n = 2800), and 2003-2005 (n = 2395) in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Medication use was obtained from the standardized questionnaire that was administered by the examiners. Hearing loss was defined as a pure tone average at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz greater than 25 dB HL in either ear. Results: The Literature review revealed that the most consistently strong risk factors for age-related hearing loss across the studies were genetics, current smoking, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity. The prevalence of any ototoxic medication use increased from 84% to 91% over the 10-year follow-up period. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, and diuretics were common ototoxic medications taken by older adults. Hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and history of smoking were associated with ototoxic medication use. Participants who took loop diuretics had a high incidence of hearing loss for 10 years. Participants who took NSAIDs or a loop diuretic had worse progression of hearing loss over 10 years. Also, the use of concomitant ototoxic medications was associated with the incidence and severity of hearing loss.Conclusion: Ototoxicity may interact with aging leading to a more severe hearing loss than that associated with age alone. The findings suggest that ototoxic medications should be considered a potentially modifiable contributor to age-related hearing loss.
Acquired mutations associated with ibrutinib resistance in Waldenström macroglobulinemia.

Ibrutinib produces high response rates and durable remissions in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) that are impacted by MYD88 and CXCR4WHIM mutations. Disease progression can develop on ibrutinib, although the molecular basis remains to be clarified. We sequenced sorted CD19+ lymphoplasmacytic cells from 6 WM patients who progressed after achieving major responses on ibrutinib using Sanger, TA cloning and sequencing, and highly sensitive and allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR) assays that we developed for Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) mutations. AS-PCR assays were used to screen patients with and without progressive disease on ibrutinib, and ibrutinib-naive disease. Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to validate AS-PCR findings, assess for other BTK mutations, and other targets in B-cell receptor and MYD88 signaling. Among the 6 progressing patients, 3 had BTKCys481 variants that included BTKCys481Ser(c.1635G>C and c.1634T>A) and BTKCys481Arg(c.1634T>C) Two of these patients had multiple BTK mutations. Screening of 38 additional patients on ibrutinib without clinical progression identified BTKCys481 mutations in 2 (5.1%) individuals, both of whom subsequently progressed. BTKCys481 mutations were not detected in baseline samples or in 100 ibrutinib-naive WM patients. Using mutated MYD88 as a tumor marker, BTKCys481 mutations were subclonal, with a highly variable clonal distribution. Targeted deep-sequencing confirmed AS-PCR findings, and identified an additional BTKCys481Tyr(c.1634G>A) mutation in the 2 patients with multiple other BTKCys481 mutations, as well as CARD11Leu878Phe(c.2632C>T) and PLCγ2Tyr495His(c.1483T>C) mutations. Four of the 5 patients with BTKC481 variants were CXCR4 mutated. BTKCys481 mutations are common in WM patients with clinical progression on ibrutinib, and are associated with mutated CXCR4.
Neuromuscular Disorders and the Role of the Clinical Electrophysiologist

Cardiac involvement is common and may be the presenting or predominant manifestation in a variety of neuromuscular disorders, most notably the inherited muscle disorders, or muscular dystrophies. Cardiac manifestations of the neuromuscular disorders result from pathological involvement of the myocardium and the cardiac conduction system, with resulting cardiomyopathy or rhythm disturbances including supraventricular arrhythmias, life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. Many of these neuromuscular disorders are rare and may be unrecognized by even experienced specialists in internal and cardiovascular medicine. Furthermore, the initial cardiac manifestations in these patients are often asymptomatic. The goal of this investigation is to review the scope of cardiac conduction defects and rhythm disturbances in these disorders and to propose some practical recommendations for arrhythmia monitoring and management of these patients.
A Baseball Statistics Course

An introductory statistics course is described that is entirely taught from a baseball perspective. Topics in data analysis, including methods for one batch, comparison of batches, and relationship...
Quantifying the Sensitivity of Sea Level Change in Coastal Localities to the Geometry of Polar Ice Mass Flux

AbstractIt has been known for over a century that the melting of individual ice sheets and glaciers drives distinct geographic patterns, or fingerprints, of sea level change, and recent studies have highlighted the implications of this variability for hazard assessment and inferences of meltwater sources. These studies have computed fingerprints using simplified melt geometries; however, a more generalized treatment would be advantageous when assessing or projecting sea level hazards in the face of quickly evolving patterns of ice mass flux. In this paper the usual fingerprint approach is inverted to compute site-specific sensitivity kernels for a global database of coastal localities. These kernels provide a mapping between geographically variable mass flux across each ice sheet and glacier and the associated static sea level change at a given site. Kernels are highlighted for a subset of sites associated with melting from Greenland, Antarctica, and the Alaska–Yukon–British Columbia glacier system. The l...
Influences of Dietary Added Sugar Consumption on Striatal Food-Cue Reactivity and Postprandial GLP-1 Response.

Sugar consumption in the United States exceeds recommendations from the American Heart Association. Overconsumption of sugar is linked to risk for obesity and metabolic disease. Animal studies suggest that high sugar diets alter functions in brain regions associated with reward processing, including the dorsal and ventral striatum. Human neuroimaging studies have shown that these regions are responsive to food cues, and that the gut-derived satiety hormones, glucagon-like polypeptide-1 (GLP-1), and Peptide YY (PYY), suppress striatal food cue responsivity. We aimed to determine the associations between dietary added sugar intake, striatal responsivity to food cues, and post-prandial GLP-1 and PYY levels. Twenty-two lean volunteers underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan during which they viewed pictures of food and non-food items after a 12-hour fast. Prior to scanning, participants consumed a glucose drink. A subset of 19 participants underwent an additional fMRI session in which they consumed water as a control condition. Blood was sampled for GLP-1 and PYY levels and hunger ratings were assessed before and ~75 minutes after drink consumption. In-person 24-hour dietary recalls were collected from each participant on 3 to 6 separate occasions over a two-month period. Average percent calories from added sugar was calculated using information from 24-hour dietary recalls. A region-of-interest analysis was performed to compare the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response to food vs. non-food cues in the bilateral dorsal striatum (caudate/putamen) and ventral striatum (nucleus accumbens). The relationships between added sugar, striatal responses, and hormone changes after drink consumption were assessed using Spearman’s correlations. We observed a positive correlation between added sugar intake and BOLD response to food cues in the dorsal striatum and a similar trend in the nucleus accumbens after glucose, but not water, consumption. Added sugar intake was negatively associated with GLP-1 response to glucose. Post-hoc analysis revealed a negative correlation between GLP-1 response to glucose and BOLD response to food cues in the dorsal striatum. Our findings suggest that habitual added sugar intake is related to increased striatal response to food cues and decreased GLP-1 release following glucose intake, which could contribute to susceptibility to overeating.
Replacement of nephrostomy tube using ureteroscopes.

AbstractReplacement of a percutaneous nephrostomy tube can be a difficult task. The often time-consuming procedure involves replacement of a guide wire blindly or under fluoroscopic control, or by using ultrasound after decompression of hydronephrosis. A rigid 8.5F ureteroscope was used successfully to replace nephrostomy tubes in 3 patients with obstructive uropathy secondary to prostate carcinoma and in 1 with an ileoureteral anastomotic leak following radical cystectomy.
Racial Disparity, Depression, and Birth Outcomes Among Pregnant Teens.

Objectives To examine the risk of premature delivery (PD) and small for gestational age (SGA) among pregnant teens with depressive disorders (DD), and the impact of race/ethnicity on these birth outcomes. Design/Methods We examined the hospital discharge records of pregnant mothers between the age of 13–18 year old who gave birth in the years 1994, 2000, 2006, and 2012 in the National Inpatient Sample database. We calculated the risk for PD and SGA among pregnant teens with and without DD in the overall population and within each race/ethnicity. Results Weighted sample included 1,023,586 pregnant teenage women. Prevalence of DD among teens was 0.93%, with a significantly increasing trend from 0.29% in 1994 to 2.01% in 2012 (p < 0.001). Declining trend was observed in the proportion of pregnant younger teens from 1994 to 2012. Prevalence of depression among teenage mothers was highest among Caucasians compared to other races. Prevalence of SGA among pregnant teens was 2.23% that significantly increased from 1.63% in 1994 to 3.44% in 2012 (p < 0.001). African American teens with DD had decreased risk for PD compared to AA without DD (OR 0.70; CI 0.57 − 0.387, p < 0.001). Hispanic teens with DD had increased risk for SGA compared to Hispanics without DD (adjusted OR 1.53; CI 1.10–2.13, p < 0.001). Conclusions for Practice There is an increasing trend for diagnosing DD among pregnant teens. Less young teenage girls are giving birth in recent years. The impact of DD on PD and SGA differs according to race. More studies are warranted to examine underlining factors responsible for these findings.
Force and Geometry in Newton's Principia. By François De Gandt

(1998). Force and Geometry in Newton's Principia. By Francois De Gandt. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 105, No. 4, pp. 386-392.
Targeting protein kinase C: A novel paradigm for heart failure therapy

Abstract Heart failure continues to be a disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality in both children and adults. Guidelines exist for the recommended management of heart failure in both populations. Many of these therapies are targeted at the neurohormonal response that occurs in heart failure. Although recent additions have been made to the guidelines for the use of novel oral therapies in heart failure, the impact of these therapies in real-world practice remains to be seen. There are additional targets in heart failure that have been unexplored in clinical studies. One such target is the protein kinase C family of proteins which have deleterious effects in the setting of heart failure. Herein, we will explain the rationale for targeting these proteins and discuss an ongoing clinical trial to assess for safety and efficacy of a drug that directly inhibits some of the isozymes of the protein kinase C family, protein kinase C α and β.
Correction to: Emplaced social vulnerability to technological disasters: Southeast Louisiana and the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill

The original version of this article inadvertently did not include the following Acknowledgement of funding
Exciton photoluminescence and benign defect complex formation in zinc tin nitride

Emerging photovoltaic materials need to prove their viability by demonstrating excellent electronic properties. In ternary and multinary semiconductors, disorder and off-stoichiometry often cause defects that limit the potential for high-efficiency solar cells. Here we report on Zn-rich ZnSnN2 (Zn/(Zn + Sn) = 0.67) photoluminescence, high-resolution X-ray diffraction, and electronic structure calculations based on Monte-Carlo structural models. The mutual compensation of Zn excess and O incorporation affords a desirable reduction of the otherwise degenerate n-type doping, but also leads to a strongly off-stoichiometric and disordered atomic structure. It is therefore remarkable that we observe only near-edge photoluminescence from well-resolved excitons and shallow donors and acceptors. Based on first principles calculations, this result is explained by the mutual passivation of ZnSn and ON defects that renders both electronically benign. The calculated bandgaps range between 1.4 and 1.8 eV, depending on the degree of non-equilibrium disorder. The experimentally determined value of 1.5 eV in post-deposition annealed samples falls within this interval, indicating that further bandgap engineering by disorder control should be feasible via appropriate annealing protocols.
Conclusion: Diversity in the Future

Discrimination on the basis of race, in the United States and elsewhere, is a tenacious social pathology that has plagued Western civilization. It is among the most potent topics for public discussion, in particular among interracial audiences. Most scholars trace the origins of discrimination to the Atlantic slave trade and European colonization. Subsequently, African-Americans are cast as victims and Euro-Americans by way of the slave trade as the perpetrators of African-American victimization. Eventually such victimization spread to other non-European, non-biracial, male, gay, and lesbian immigrant populations, whose demographic status located them on the periphery of the Western power structure. However, the origin of racial and other forms of discrimination is much more extensive than the Western power structure, which historically Western scholars in particular have been unwilling to acknowledge.
Theories of the Emergence of States

Traditionally, the early societies whose natures shed light on the facts of state emergence have been studied by social scientists other than economists.1 In fact, the economic theory of markets provides a number of insights into the emergence of states.
Transcatheter Closure of Atrial-Septal Defects Using the Amplatzer Devices

An atrial-septal defect (ASD) is defined as an opening or defect in the atrial septum, between the right and left atrium. It excludes the patent foramen ovale. Four types of ASDs are recognized with distinct anatomic and embryological differences: 1. Primum defects arise from abnormal atrial-septal tissue development from the endocardial cushions. 2. Secundum result from defects in the septum primum with incomplete overlap of septum secundum. 3. Sinus venosus (superior vena cava type and inferior vena cava type) are defects in the part of the atrial septum that develops from the embryonic sinus venosus. 4. Coronary sinus septal defect is a defect in septation between the coronary sinus and the left atrium (LA).
SysML to discrete-event simulation to analyze electronic assembly systems

Discrete-event simulation (DES) is used to evaluate alternative resource configurations and production operation plans and schedules in the manufacturing environment. However, benefits from using simulation to guide these decisions has to be weighed against the time and cost usually required to create and exercise the simulations. Where such decisions are taken frequently, a common practice is to create a simulator which accommodates the typical production alternatives, and link it to an Excel-database for specifying the scenario and displaying the simulation results. This is an effective approach when the simulator can be reused with sufficient frequency, but it suffers from several deficiencies. It can be difficult to maintain the simulator in conformance with the actual production capabilities (changing products, changing processes, etc). Knowledge about the production process is captured in the simulator and in the Excel-database, neither of which is a particularly effective knowledge sharing platform. We propose an alternative model-driven approach that automates the creation of DES models from SysML models specified using domain-specific semantics. Our approach enables domain stakeholders to define the problem in its own terms, and eliminates manual simulation model coding. In an industrial case study, we have used Arena™ as the DES platform and created a domain specific language (DSL) for electronics assembly. Not only is knowledge about production captured in a form that is accessible by all the stakeholders, the time and cost for simulation analysis is reduced by an order of magnitude.
Developing a drought-monitoring index for the contiguous US using SMAP

Abstract. Since April 2015, NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission has monitored near-surface soil moisture, mapping the globe (between 85.044 ∘ N/S) using an L-band (1.4 GHz) microwave radiometer in 2–3 days depending on location. Of particular interest to SMAP-based agricultural applications is a monitoring product that assesses the SMAP near-surface soil moisture in terms of probability percentiles for dry and wet conditions. However, the short SMAP record length poses a statistical challenge for meaningful assessment of its indices. This study presents initial insights about using SMAP for monitoring drought and pluvial regions with a first application over the contiguous United States (CONUS). SMAP soil moisture data from April 2015 to December 2017 at both near-surface (5 cm) SPL3SMP, or Level 3, at ∼36 km resolution, and root-zone SPL4SMAU, or Level 4, at ∼9 km resolution, were fitted to beta distributions and were used to construct probability distributions for warm (May–October) and cold (November–April) seasons. To assess the data adequacy and have confidence in using short-term SMAP for a drought index estimate, we analyzed individual grids by defining two filters and a combination of them, which could separate the 5815 grids covering CONUS into passed and failed grids. The two filters were (1) the Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) test for beta-fitted long-term and the short-term variable infiltration capacity (VIC) land surface model (LSM) with 95 % confidence and (2) good correlation ( ≥0.4 ) between beta-fitted VIC and beta-fitted SPL3SMP. To evaluate which filter is the best, we defined a mean distance (MD) metric, assuming a VIC index at 36 km resolution as the ground truth. For both warm and cold seasons, the union of the filters – which also gives the best coverage of the grids throughout CONUS – was chosen to be the most reliable filter. We visually compared our SMAP-based drought index maps with metrics such as the U.S. Drought Monitor (from D0–D4), 1-month Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) and near-surface VIC from Princeton University. The root-zone drought index maps were shown to be similar to those produced by the root-zone VIC, 3-month SPI, and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). This study is a step forward towards building a national and international soil moisture monitoring system without which quantitative measures of drought and pluvial conditions will remain difficult to judge.
State rurality does not increase risk of prostate cancer death.

119Background: Prostate cancer is the third most common cancer among men. PSA based screening for prostate cancer was introduced in the 1980s and resulted in a significant decline in prostate cance...
Revisión de artículos de autores chilenos

En esta seccion se revisan articulos publicados por autores nacionales en el area de la ensenanza de las ciencias.
Predicting species distributions: unifying model selection and scale optimization for multi-scale occupancy models

Geographic distributions are a basic component of a species’ ecology, and predicting distributions is a fundamental task of conservation and resource management. Reliable prediction depends on identification of appropriate scales of effect for environmental data, and scale‐optimization techniques are thus desirable to identify optimal scales for predictor variables. Recent statistical developments have also advanced methods of model selection based explicitly on predictive ability, which differ from commonly used methods that regulate model structures via anticipated predictive performance. Such methods are beginning to permeate into species distribution models (SDMs), yet there remains no consensus methodology for developing optimally predictive multi‐scale SDMs when covariate data are collected over a range of scales. Thus, we compared the performance of common approaches for scale optimization and model selection in terms of their ability to produce optimally predictive multi‐scale Bayesian occupancy models for predicting a species distribution, using models of the breeding distribution for King Rails (Rallus elegans) as a case study. Our results demonstrate sizable gains in predictive performance for hierarchical occupancy models selected via their ability to predict out‐of‐sample data using the logarithmic scoring rule, as compared to models selected using information criteria (deviance information criteria [DIC] and Watanabe information criteria [WAIC]). Information criteria commonly selected individual covariates, as well as scales of effect for those covariates, with suboptimal predictive performance. Performance of models selected using the logarithmic scoring rule was also robust across the method of scale optimization, which was not true for models selected using DIC and WAIC. Thus, we demonstrate empirical benefits of study designs and statistical tools that enable covariate and scale selection based explicitly on predictive ability. Our results also imply that more careful consideration of what constitutes an optimal scale is warranted in many ecological applications, as the meaning of optimal is not independent of the technique used for scale selection.
Fluorescence Lifetime-Based Tumor Contrast Enhancement Using an EGFR Antibody-Labeled Near-Infrared Fluorophore.

Purpose: Imaging techniques for highly specific detection of cancer cells in vivo can have applications ranging from preclinical drug discovery studies to clinical cancer diagnosis and surgical therapy. Although fluorescence imaging using cancer-targeted antibodies has shown promise, nonspecific probe accumulation in tissue results in significant background fluorescence, reducing detection sensitivity using traditional intensity–based continuous-wave (CW) fluorescence imaging. Here we demonstrate that fluorescence lifetime (FLT) imaging can provide significant tumor contrast enhancement over CW intensity in preclinical models of human breast cancer. Experimental Design: Mice bearing MDA-MB-231 tumors were injected with anti-EGFR antibody conjugated to the fluorescent dye IRDye 800CW (anti-EGFR-800). Time domain fluorescence imaging was performed in vivo and in situ up to 48 hours after dye injection. Results: Mice injected with anti-EGFR-800 showed a significantly longer FLT (0.7 ± 0.03 ns) compared with the FLT of nonspecific probe uptake in liver (0.63 ± 0.05 ns), providing a dramatic improvement in sensitivity and specificity compared with CW intensity. IgG antibody–conjugated IRDye 800CW did not show an increased FLT compared with normal tissue, suggesting that the FLT increase of anti-EGFR-800 in tumors was associated with receptor expression. Using serial surgery, we show that FLT allows the detection of smaller residual tumors in the surgical bed than possible using CW intensity. Conclusions: Our data suggest that FLT can significantly enhance tumor contrast using fluorescently labeled antibodies, thereby accelerating the efficient clinical application of these probes for margin assessment in image-guided surgery and for highly specific detection of tumor receptors in vivo.
Tools You'll Have for the Rest of Your Life: A Qualitative Evaluation of a Fitness and Vocational Training Program for Substance Use Recovery.

Introduction: Substance use disorder (SUD) is a problem within the United States and warrants attention. Despite growing concerns, there exists a research-to-practice gap in the implementation of e...
Vascular Landmark-Based Method for Highly Reproducible Measurement of Left Atrial Appendage Volume in Computed Tomography

Background: Modern computed tomographic scanning can produce 4-dimensional images of the left atrial appendage (LAA). LAA function and morphology can then be measured, to plan interventions such as...
Developing Aids to Assist Acute Stroke Diagnosis

The only known therapy for stroke, a major leading cause of death and disability, has to be administered within 3 hours of the onset of symptoms for it to be effective. Accurately diagnosing a stroke as soon as possible after it occurs is difficult as it requires a subjective evaluation by a clinician in a hospital. With the narrow time window required for diagnosis, stroke evaluation would benefit from being aided by computational approaches that identify and quantify stroke symptoms in an efficient way. Here, we propose the design of a novel interface that provides clinicians with visualizations of the results of a machine learning-based technological aid for stroke diagnosis. To effectively support clinicians in determining stroke type, the proposed approach allows them to compare their own manual stroke evaluation with the results of the diagnostic system. By developing and evaluating our prototypes with neurologists, we explore how to best integrate technological aids into busy hospital workflows without burdening clinicians or biasing their decision making processes. We found that properly balancing the predictions of humans with that of technology is key to promoting the adoption of the latter in hospitals.
Healthy lifestyle and the risk of Alzheimer dementia: Findings from 2 longitudinal studies.

Objective To quantify the impact of a healthy lifestyle on the risk of Alzheimer dementia. Methods Using data from the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP; n = 1,845) and the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP; n = 920), we defined a healthy lifestyle score on the basis of nonsmoking, ≥150 min/wk moderate/vigorous-intensity physical activity, light to moderate alcohol consumption, high-quality Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet (upper 40%), and engagement in late-life cognitive activities (upper 40%), giving an overall score ranging from 0 to 5. Cox proportional hazard models were used for each cohort to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the lifestyle score with Alzheimer dementia, and a random-effect meta-analysis was used to pool the results. Results During a median follow-up of 5.8 years in CHAP and 6.0 years in MAP, 379 and 229 participants, respectively, had incident Alzheimer dementia. In multivariable-adjusted models, the pooled HR (95% CI) of Alzheimer dementia across 2 cohorts was 0.73 (95% CI 0.66–0.80) per each additional healthy lifestyle factor. Compared to participants with 0 to 1 healthy lifestyle factor, the risk of Alzheimer dementia was 37% lower (pooled HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.47–0.84) in those with 2 to 3 healthy lifestyle factors and 60% lower (pooled HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.28–0.56) in those with 4 to 5 healthy lifestyle factors. Conclusion A healthy lifestyle as a composite score is associated with a substantially lower risk of Alzheimer9s dementia.
Reduction in Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections Using Unit Based Champions

Background Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are a common Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) with the majority of infections occurring after the insertion of a urinary catheter. Urinary catheters are frequently used during inpatient stays, although convenient the catheters are uncomfortable and sometimes unnecessary. There is significant morbidity and cost associated with CAUTIs. Methods In 2016, 93 CAUTIs were reported into the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). This number was deemed to be unacceptable by the facility. A CAUTI team was assembled with leaders from Infection Prevention, Nursing, and Performance Improvement. The objective was to develop a sustainable system to reduce CAUTIs that could be implemented across all services at the facility. The CAUTI team developed Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Timebound (SMART) Aims to reduce the number of CAUTIs. Unit based champions were selected from all 26 units and weekly meetings were held to discuss data, goals, and to educate on CAUTI reduction methods. The following initiatives were implemented: daily review of all catheters, introduction of an external female catheter, development of a bladder scanning protocol, weekly audits of units, and reviews of all CAUTIs. Results In 2016, 96 CAUTIs were reported into NHSN. In the first three quarters of 2019, 36 CAUTIs were reported into NHSN. There has also been a significant reduction in urinary catheter days. In 2016, 35,694 catheter days were entered into NHSN. In the first three quarters of 2019, 19,936 catheter days were entered into NHSN. Conclusions The reduction in CAUTIs at the facility was statistically significant. The reduction in catheter days was also statistically significant. The unit based champions became engaged in the CAUTI reduction initiatives and the culture of the facility began to change. The ultimate goal is zero CAUTIs and it is a possibility with engaged unit champions that became the driving force behind this initiative.
Acute neurotrophic keratitis with trigeminal trophic syndrome after craniotomy

We report the case of a child who, shortly after undergoing suboccipital craniotomy for resection of a medullary cavernoma, developed corneal and conjunctival epithelial breakdown of the right eye with ipsilateral facial hypoesthesia as well as erosions and crusting of the eyelids, nostril, and lips on the right side. This combination of findings likely results from acute injury to the ipsilateral trigeminal ganglion, leading to acute neurotrophic keratitis and trigeminal trophic syndrome.
An organizing feature of bumble bee life history: worker emergence promotes queen reproduction and survival in young nests

Bumble bee queens initiate nests solitarily and transition to living socially once they successfully rear their first cohort of offspring. Bumble bees are disproportionately important for early season pollination, and many populations are experiencing dramatic declines. In this system, the onset of the social stage is critical for nest survival, yet the mechanisms that facilitate this transition remain understudied. Further, the majority of conservation efforts target the social stage of the bumble bee life cycle and do not address the solitary founding stage. We experimentally manipulated the timing of worker emergence in young nests of bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) queens to determine whether and how queen fecundity and survival are impacted by the emergence of workers in the nest. We found that queens with workers added to the nest exhibit increased ovary activation, accelerated egg laying, elevated juvenile hormone (JH) titres and also lower mortality relative to solitary queens. We also show that JH is more strongly impacted by the social environment than associated with queen reproductive state, suggesting that this key regulator of insect reproduction has expanded its function in bumble bees to also influence social organization. We further demonstrate that these effects are independent of queen social history, suggesting that this underlying mechanism promoting queen fecundity is reversible and short lived. Synchronization between queen reproductive status and emergence of workers in the nest may ultimately increase the likelihood of early nesting success in social systems with solitary nest founding. Given that bumble bee workers regulate queen physiology as we have demonstrated, the timing of early worker emergence in the nest likely impacts queen fitness, colony developmental trajectories and ultimately nesting success. Collectively, our findings underline the importance of conservation interventions for bumble bees that support the early nesting period and facilitate the production and maintenance of workers in young nests.