cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Commonalities and Differences in the Research on Children’s Effortful Control and Executive Function: A Call for an Integrated Model of Self‐Regulation

Abstract— Effortful control (EC) and executive function (EF) are 2 constructs related to children’s self-regulation that have historically been the subject of research in separate fields, with EC primarily the focus of temperament research and EF the focus of cognitive neuroscience and clinical psychology. This article selectively reviews and compares the EC and EF literature. The review indicates considerable similarities and overlaps in the definitions, core components, and measurement of EC and EF. Differences between the 2 literatures seem to primarily reflect differences in research focus as influenced by each field’s “tradition” rather than “real” differences in EC and EF as developmental constructs. Thus, developing an integrated theory of self-regulation encompassing the EC and EF perspectives is critical for reducing overlap and confusion in future research. The article provides a number of recommendations on how to integrate the theory and methodology of EC and EF in future research for (a) the components and organization of self-regulation, (b) the relation of self-regulation to children’s adaptive functions, (c) the neurological basis of self-regulation and its development, and (d) the development and evaluation of interventions targeting children’s self-regulation.
Policy Feedback for the Refinement of Learned Motion Control on a Mobile Robot

Motion control is fundamental to mobile robots, and the associated challenge in development can be assisted by the incorporation of execution experience to increase policy robustness. In this work, we present an approach that updates a policy learned from demonstration with human teacher feedback. We contribute advice-operators as a feedback form that provides corrections on state-action pairs produced during a learner execution, and Focused Feedback for Mobile Robot Policies (F3MRP) as a framework for providing feedback to rapidly-sampled policies. Both are appropriate for mobile robot motion control domains. We present a general feedback algorithm in which multiple types of feedback, including advice-operators, are provided through the F3MRP framework, and shown to improve policies initially derived from a set of behavior examples. A comparison to providing more behavior examples instead of more feedback finds data to be generated in different areas of the state and action spaces, and feedback to be more effective at improving policy performance while producing smaller datasets.
Women's Fat Talk Can “Kill the Mood” for Men

This study examined men's perceptions of women engaging in “Fat Talk,” a style of conversation that expresses discontent towards one's physical appearance, especially focusing on and criticizing body fat, shape, and weight. Male undergraduates were shown a vignette illustrating a courting scenario wherein the target female's body size was manipulated to be “sexy” and: (a) “lean,” (b) “average,” or (c) “larger.” And to another woman, the men overheard the target female either: (a) self-degrade herself (fat talk) or (b) self-accept herself. As a third independent variable, participants' self esteem was divided into high and low with a median split. Dependent variables included self-created Likert items on his attraction towards the target and perceptions of her health and popularity. Men found the target female to have poorer mental health when he overheard her fat talking versus self-accepting. Further, his desire for a more exclusive committed relationship was stronger when she was described as leaner, especially for the lower self-esteemed men. As a pilot study, this has implications for interventions to decrease women's fat talk and begins research on the dynamic interplay between women's fat talk and heterosexual courtships.
Efficacy of budesonide suspension fluid inhalation in treatment of wheezing in infants

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of budesonide suspension fluid inhalation in treatment of wheezing infants.Methods 103 infants with mild to moderate wheezing were randomly divided into treatment group(n = 50) and control group(n = 53).Patients in treatment group were treated with budesonide suspension fluid inhalation,while those in control group were treated by intravenous injection of methylprednisolone.When wheezing was relieved,patients in treatment group were treated with tapering inhalation,while the control took oral predisone.All the treatment time was two weeks.Patients were followed up every two days during the acute phase and 3th months follow-up,and the efficacy of treatment,the days cough or wheeze disappeared,the average charge,the time of parents missed work and recurrent wheezing cases during followed up were analysed.Results No significant differences were comfirmed in the days with cough or wheeze,the average charge and recurrent cases within three-month follow-up between two groups.(P 0.05).Compared with the control group,the time of parents missed work significantly short(P 0.05) in the treatment group.Conclusion The treatment with budesonide suspension fluid inhalation in wheezing infants is simple,convenientless,with little side effect.
The beta-agonist cimaterol directly enhances chronic protein accretion in skeletal muscle.

Our objective was to determine whether the chronic anabolic effects of beta-adrenergic agonists on skeletal muscle are direct and how long they are maintained. We studied acute (6 h) and chronic (1 to 20 d) effects of cimaterol (CIM) on skeletal muscle metabolism and protein accretion by use of close arterial infusion in the hindlimbs of six young steers. Surgical catheterizations were conducted to allow continuous infusion of CIM (.5 microg/min) or saline into the external iliac artery of contralateral hindlimbs and simultaneous sampling for arteriovenous difference measurements. Hindlimb blood flow and net flux of amino acids, glucose, lactate, and NEFA were determined during a basal period before infusion, at 6 h, and at 1, 3, 7, 14, and 20 d of infusion. Cimaterol infusion acutely stimulated blood flow and caused acute mobilization of nitrogen (alanine), NEFA, and lactate from the treated hindlimb. Cimaterol infusion increased net uptake of amino acids (P < .05) in treated and control hindlimbs after 1 d of CIM infusion, but a progressive increase between 1 and 14 d of infusion was observed only in the treated hindlimbs. Net uptake of total amino acids in the treated hindlimb was increased 50 and 80% (P < .05) at 7 and 14 d, respectively, when compared to the control hindlimb and was increased 260% at d 14 when compared with the basal period. Net amino acid uptake was not different between treated and control hindlimbs by d 20 of CIM infusion. Integration of net tyrosine and phenylalanine uptake over the entire infusion period predicted a 10% difference in skeletal muscle protein mass between treated and control hindlimbs. Semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles in the treated hindlimb contained 9 and 11% greater protein content, respectively (P < .05), at the end of the infusion period. Results provide a quantitative description of the temporal pattern of transient effects of CIM on skeletal muscle metabolism and protein accretion and provide evidence that these are direct effects.
Intelligent discussion on HIV vaccine serves as a small consolation for slow progress. Bicentennial Symposium.

Despite great public interest and desperate need, progress toward a viable human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine remains incredibly slow. Since Merck began its HIV vaccine research in 1985, the pharmaceutical company has yet to produce a vaccine capable of passing Phase II testing. Merck Laboratories President Peter S. Kim recently delivered a speech at Yale University that detailed his company’s previous attempts to create an HIV vaccine and outlined a possible strategy for the future. By Kim’s own admission, Merck will not produce a viable vaccine in the near future. However, the speech served as an important endorsement for HIV vaccine development from a highly respected leader in the pharmaceutical industry, which, historically, has produced drugs aimed at management rather than prevention.
Investigation into the Paleobiology of Dasypus bellus Using Geometric Morphometrics and Variation of the Calcaneus

The extinct taxon Dasypus bellus has long been considered identical to the extant Dasypus novemcinctus osteologically when disregarding allometric differences. In this study, we undertake a preliminary investigation into this extinct taxon and an extant relative D. novemcinctus, by comparing the calcanea of these two dasypodids. Clear osteological differences are observed including a mediolaterally-reduced facet region, an anteriorly-shortened calcaneal head, a reduced peroneal process, and a curved and dorsoventrally-shortened calcaneal foot in D. bellus. Such characters are not allometric and likely correlate to distinct behavioral differences. Specifically, we suggest that D. novemcinctus maintains a more fossorial lifestyle, while the larger D. bellus was likely more terrestrial, with potentially little digging behavior. Such lifestyle differences could not only explain the osteological differences present, but also why fossils of D. bellus have been recovered farther north than the present range of D. novemcinctus. Fossils of Dasypus may need to be re-evaluated to determine how these two taxa relate temporally and geographically, which may have further implications regarding some past interpretations and provide new details on the behavior and potential relationships between these (and other) xenarthrans.
Pyrosequencing Analysis for Breast Cancer DNA Methylome

Unraveling DNA methylation profile of tumor is important for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. Because of the heterogeneity of clinical samples, it is very difficult to get methylation profile of only tumor cells. Laser capture Microdissection (LCM) is giving us a chance to isolate the DNA only from the tumor cells without any stroma cell's DNA contamination. Once we capture the breast tumor cells, we can isolate the genomic DNA which is followed by the bisulfite treatment in which unmethylated cytosines of the CG pairs are converted into uracil; however, methylated cytosine does not go into any chemical change during this reaction. Next, bisulfite treated DNA is used in the regular PCR reaction to get a single band PCR amplicon which will be used as a template for the pyrosequencing. Pyrosequencing is a powerful method to make a quantitative methylation analysis for each specific CG pair.
WE-FG-BRA-03: Oxygen Interplay in Hypofractionated Radiotherapy: A Hidden Opportunity

Purpose: Local oxygen during a radiotherapy fraction has been shown to change over a full range of the oxygen enhancement ratio (OER) during the same time scale as the treatment fraction. Interplay with local oxygen is then likely a concern, especially for hypofractionation. Our experiments that show a strong role for metabolic dynamics suggesting one could manipulate this interplay for more efficacious treatments. Methods: Two published experiments are presented with the same human head and neck cancer cell line (UM-SCC-22B). One is a cell-specific in vitro prompt response to a 10 Gy dose of orthovotage radiation using fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM), benchmarked with a Seahorse assay. The other in vivo study uses autocorrelation analysis with blood oxygen level dependent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI-BOLD) on xenografts. In vivo results are verified with diffuse optics using spectra fitting and photoacoustic measurements. All these measurements are at high time resolution: sampling is one per minute. Results: Interplay happens when the radiosensitivity modulates at the same time scale as the radiation. These results show dynamics at these time scales. 1. The dominant time scale of the acute hypoxia in cell line xenografts is shown to be on the order of minutes to tens of minutes: similar to a metabolic oscillation known as the ‘glycolytic oscillator.’ 2. The radiation dose itself alters metabolism within minutes to tens of minutes also. Conclusion: These results vary with cell type. There is a possibility that special timing and dose levels could be used for radiation. Gating could be used for maximal oxygen during treatment. There is an analogy to the interplay discussions with tumor motion, except that an oxygen interplay could more likely be patient-specific at a more fundamental level.
An Agile Methodology for Reengineering Object-Oriented Software.

Software maintenance is an important phase in the software development life cycle. More than 75% of maintenance efforts are enhancement. Currently, most enhancement projects are carried out in an ad hoc manner, depending on the knowledge and experience of the developers. Software reengineering aims to provide an engineering approach for software enhancements. In this paper, we present an agile reengineering methodology for object-oriented software. The methodology has a quick planning phase followed by a series of iterative reengineering phases. Each iteration consists of three legs: the reverse engineering leg, the reincarnation leg, and the validation leg. Academic and industry experiments show promising results.
Hematopoietic Stem Cells Mediate the Repair of Damaged Endothelium

Recent studies indicate that vascular endothelium is an important component of the hematopoietic niche. As endothelial cells (ECs) are sensitive to radiation-induced damage, we evaluated the potential role of hematopoietic stem cells to enhance EC proliferation and repair. To test this hypothesis, lethally irradiated mice were transplanted with either 200–500 c-kit+, Sca+, lineage- (KSL) cells or an equivalent dose of unfractionated bone marrow (BM) cells (1×106 cells). Control groups included irradiated, non-transplanted, and non-irradiated, non-transplanted mice. Immediately after irradiation, all recipients were maintained on 0.8mg/ml Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) -containing water. Eleven days following irradiation, liver tissue was harvested and the fraction of proliferating BrdU+ ECs in the portal vein was assessed by immunostaining using both light and fluorescence microscopy. In irradiated, non-transplanted mice, 0.95% ± 0.17 SEM of portal vein ECs demonstrated the incorporation of BrdU. Transplantation of KSL cells increased the frequency of proliferating endothelial cells 2.5-fold to 2.5% ± 0.20 (p<0.0006). The transplantation of an equivalent number of unfractionated BM cells further increased the frequency of proliferating ECs by more than 3.5-fold (3.75% ± 0.21; p<0.0005). In non-transplanted, non-irradiated mice, BrdU+ ECs were detected at an intermediate level (2.30% ± 0.24) that is significantly higher than irradiated nontransplant recipients (p<0.006). To gain a better understanding of how hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) influence the label retention capacity of ECs, we performed a BrdU pulse-chase experiment. Lethally irradiated mice were transplanted with 200 KSL cells, allowed 4 weeks for recovery, and then maintained on BrdU drinking water for 4 weeks. Consistent with our findings from the short term experiment described above, significantly more BrdU+ ECs were detected in the portal veins of KSL transplanted mice (15.36% ± 2.07) compared to those in non-transplanted, non-irradiated mice (8.68% ± 0.54; p<0.04) at the start of the chase period. During the first 24 weeks of the washout phase, BrdU+ ECs declined at a greater rate in the KSL recipients than in controls, indicating increased EC turnover. Interestingly, however, in both experimental groups, BrdU retention plateaued at 24 weeks and remained constant through 36 weeks. Taken together, our results indicate that radiation damage suppresses the incorporation of BrdU into ECs compared to steady state conditions and that this suppression can be reversed by the transplantation of either hematopoietic stem cells or unfractionated bone marrow. The extent to which BM derived ECs contribute to the proliferating EC pool will be addressed in future studies.
Challenges in Freeze–Thaw Processing of Bulk Protein Solutions

Freeze-thawing is a common unit operation during the production of protein-based therapeutics. Bulk protein solutions are often stored in frozen state for extended periods, and thawed to room temperature prior to downstream process operations including lyophilization, add-in formulation ingredients step, and fill and finish processes. However, freezing can induce protein denaturation stresses, such as cold denaturation, ice–liquid interfacial denaturation, and cryoconcentration. Many of these stresses are manifested as unfolding, reversible aggregation, and insoluble particle formation, while some can cause loss of structure and therapeutic function. Numerous studies have been attempted to understand and mitigate protein denaturation during freeze-thawing, and thereby provide guidelines for optimization of formulation and process variables. This chapter presents an overview of freeze-thawing-induced stresses, cryopreservation aspects, and containers, associated with manufacturing of bulk protein solutions.
Super-resolution imaging of synaptic and Extra-synaptic AMPA receptors with different-sized fluorescent probes

Forgetting is a common experience in our everyday life. Yet much remains unknown about how we remember, and about why our memories sometimes fail us. The brain contains 80 to 100 billion nerve cells or neurons, which communicate with one another at junctions called synapses. At a synapse, one neuron releases a chemical message, which must diffuse across a small gap, and then activate proteins called receptors on another neuron. If the first neuron activates the second repeatedly, the second cell responds by inserting additional receptors into its membrane at the synapse. This strengthens the connection between the two neurons. Strengthening of synapses is thought to be one of the key mechanisms underlying learning. To confirm this, it would be helpful to be able to monitor the movement and position of individual receptors at synapses. However, the space between the two nerve cells at at synapse, called the synaptic cleft, is no more than 40 nanometers wide. This is about 25 times thinner than a human hair, and too small to be seen with light microscopy. Electron microscopy can visualize synapses, but does not work in living tissue. The only other option is to attach a fluorescent label – either a dye or a man-made crystal called a quantum dot – to a protein found in synapses and monitor the resulting fluorescence. Though the probe must be small enough to pass through the synaptic cleft to do this. Using fluorescence microscopy, researchers have examined the distribution in synapses of proteins called AMPA receptors, which have a key role in memory. Multiple studies have shown groups of AMPA receptors gathered outside synapses. This has led to the suggestion that during learning, AMPA receptors wait outside the synapse until a space becomes available within the synapse’s membrane. However, this has yet to be confirmed directly, in part because conventional fluorescent dyes and quantum dots are too bulky to enter synaptic clefts when bound to a receptor. Lee et al. have now developed a quantum dot that is only 10 nanometers wide and therefore small enough to enter the synaptic cleft with an AMPA receptor attached. These small quantum dots were then used to label AMPA receptors in neurons collected from rats and then grown in a petri dish, which provided a completely new view of synapses. The images show that the majority of AMPA receptors in neurons circulate within confined domains – a little like holding pens – inside the synapse, rather than waiting outside as previously assumed. Labeling the receptors with smaller 4-nanometer-wide fluorescent tags produces a similar picture. Further work is still need to determine how AMPA receptors get into the synapse and contribute to new memories.
Event-triggered H-infinity control for unknown continuous-time linear systems using Q-learning

In this paper we formulate the infinite-horizon game-theoretic problem as an adaptive learning one, so that the optimal performance is guaranteed when the continuous sampling of the state is relaxed by using an event-triggering condition. Then, a Q-learning framework combined with an actor/critic approach approximates the optimal cost, the optimal control, and worst case disturbance without any knowledge of the system model. The overall closed-loop system is modeled as an impulsive system and the asymptotic stability of its equilibrium is proved. A simulation with a numerical example is used to illustrate the results.
Queer game studies

Games, like societies, include rules and rule breakers; but who makes the rules, and what does it mean to break them? These are just some of the questions that editors Bonnie Ruberg and Adrienne Sh...
A Silver Service and a Gold Coin

The published history of a set of silver and gold objects acquired by the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1975 contains an unusual reference to a gold coin, supposedly found with the set but not purchased by the museum. The coin, which is both rare and well dated, ostensibly offers a date and location for the ancient deposition of the silver service. Almost five years of research into the stories of the Getty objects and the coin has revealed important information about these particular items, but it also offers a cautionary example for scholars who might hope to reconstruct the find-spot of antiquities that are likely to have been looted.
Differences in Parkinson's Disease Risk with Caffeine Intake and Postmenopausal Hormone Use

BACKGROUND Caffeine intake has been associated with a lower risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). This association is robust in men, but inconsistent in women due to a possible interaction with post-menopausal hormone (PMH) use. OBJECTIVE To (1) evaluate the association between caffeine intake and PD risk and (2) assess potential effect modification of the association by PMH use among women. METHODS We examined associations between caffeine intake and incident PD risk in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) (N = 121,701 women) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) (N = 51,529 men). Dietary data on coffee and caffeine from other sources were collected every four years using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire for both cohorts. Information on lifestyle and incident PD diagnosis was updated biennially and PD diagnoses were confirmed by medical record review. We estimated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS We documented a total of 1,219 PD cases over the follow-up period. The multivariable-adjusted HR comparing the highest to lowest quintile of caffeine intake was 0.50 (95% CI: 0.37, 0.68; Ptrend<0.0001) in the HPFS. Among women, there was a suggestion of an interaction between coffee intake and PMH use (P = 0.08). In the pooled analyses combining men and women who have never used PMH, the risk of PD was lower as coffee intake increased (Ptrend<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Our results support previous findings that increased caffeine intake may be associated with a decreased PD risk in men and women who have never used PMH.
Racial Change, Racial Threat, and Minority Representation in Cities:

As the racial complexion of cities has shifted over the last 20 years, the struggles for political power have become more complex. Some cities, like Ferguson, Missouri, have seen their Black popula...
Coming out, coming home, coming with: Models of queer sexuality in contemporary China

The authors investigate coming out and coming home as models of queer sexuality for contemporary Chinese queer subjects. Through semi-structured interviews with 13 Chinese queer subjects, the autho...
Cognitive Aging and Long-Term Maintenance of Attentional Improvements Following Meditation Training

Sustained attention is effortful, demanding, and subject to limitations associated with age-related cognitive decline. Researchers have sought to examine whether attentional capacities can be enhanced through directed mental training, with a number of studies now offering evidence that meditation practice may facilitate generalized improvements in this domain. However, the extent to which attentional gains are maintained following periods of dedicated meditation training and how such improvements are moderated by processes of aging have yet to be characterized. In a prior report (Sahdra et al., Emotion 11, 299–312, 2011), we examined attentional performance on a sustained response inhibition task before, during, and after 3-months of full-time meditation. We now extend this prior investigation across additional follow-up assessments occurring up to 7 years after the conclusion of training. Performance improvements observed during periods of intensive practice were partially maintained several years later. Importantly, aging-related decrements in measures of response inhibition accuracy and reaction time variability were moderated by levels of continued meditation practice across the follow-up period. The present study is the first to offer evidence that intensive and continued meditation practice is associated with enduring improvements in sustained attention and response inhibition, with the potential to alter longitudinal trajectories of cognitive change across the lifespan.
Board Member Perceptions of Executive Director Role Behavior and the Implementation of Program Change

In Chapter 5 we reported the results of an investigation of the relationship between executive director role behavior as it was described by the executive director and the implementation of program change. In the present chapter we report on the relationship between executive director role behavior as it is described by influential board members and the implementation of program change.
Wilson Disease in Adults: Clinical Presentations, Diagnosis, and Medical Management

Abstract Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder that impairs production of ceruloplasmin and normal biliary excretion of excess dietary copper, resulting in toxic accumulations in the liver, brain, and other tissues and organs. It occurs globally in all races and ethnicities and may present clinically at any age. Over 600 pathogenic mutations have been detected in the ATP7B gene on chromosome 13 and most patients are compound heterozygotes. Clinical presentations vary widely, and clinicians should include WD in the differential diagnosis of acute and chronic liver diseases, neuropsychiatric diseases, and hemolysis. Diagnostic tests include liver enzymes, serum ceruloplasmin, neurologic exam, and corneal examination for Kayser–Fleischer rings. However, additional testing may be required, including 24-hour urinary copper excretion, hepatic copper concentration, or sequencing of the ATP7B gene. All first-degree relatives should be screened to detect presymptomatic WD. Toxic stores of copper can be removed with chelation therapy or with zinc to inhibit intestinal copper absorption. Liver transplantation is mandatory for patients with acute liver failure, severely decompensated cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma. It is rarely indicated for neurologic disease. The prognosis of medically treated WD patients with early stages of disease and their presymptomatic relatives is excellent.
Chemical and Biochemical Strategies To Explore the Substrate Recognition of O‐GlcNAc‐Cycling Enzymes

The O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification is an essential component in cell regulation. A single pair of human enzymes conducts this modification dynamically on a broad variety of proteins: O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) adds the GlcNAc residue and O-GlcNAcase (OGA) hydrolyzes it. This modification is dysregulated in many diseases, but its exact effect on particular substrates remains unclear. In addition, no apparent sequence motif has been found in the modified proteins, and the factors controlling the substrate specificity of OGT and OGA are largely unknown. In this minireview, we will discuss recent developments in chemical and biochemical methods toward addressing the challenge of OGT and OGA substrate recognition. We hope that the new concepts and knowledge from these studies will promote research in this area to advance understanding of O-GlcNAc regulation in health and disease.
Consumption Monitoring: Coverage, Provision, and Utilization

Abstract Consumption monitoring answers the question “what is the dietary impact of food fortification?” To do this, consumption monitoring jointly estimates fortified food coverage, micronutrient content of fortified food, fortified food intake, and micronutrient intake from fortified food. Coupled with regulatory monitoring, consumption monitoring can indicate readiness to evaluate the impact of food fortification in a country. In practice, coverage is the consumption monitoring indicator most frequently reported for fortified food and for fortified salt, in particular. Few countries have systems in place to regularly gather, analyze, interpret, and report micronutrient content of fortified food, fortified food intake, or micronutrient intake from fortified food. As consumption monitoring is an important component of a food fortification program, its inclusion should be considered when planning and resourcing the program.
Inverted U-shaped relationship between vitamin D and ever-reported eczema in US adults

Background Eczema is a skin condition which affects up to 10% to 20% of people worldwide. Previous literature finds that low vitamin D levels may be a risk factor for eczema, but the association is not clear. Methods We used the cross-sectional data from U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006. Adults were defined as 20 years and older. The association between eczema and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was estimated using multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for patient demographics, lifestyle variables, stress, and medical comorbidities. Restricted cubic spline analyses were performed to explore nonlinear relationship. We also stratified by race. Results A total of 3921 adults were included in the analysis. The prevalence of ever-report of eczema was 7.94% in US adults. Reports of eczema were higher in people with higher socioeconomic status, depressive symptoms, previous history of asthma and hay fever, female, sampled in summer, and nonHispanic white. The logistic regression found higher odds ratio of eczema in vitamin D deficiency group ( 75 nmol/L) (OR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.09-3.01, P = 0.02). The spline analysis found an inverted U-shaped relationship between eczema and serum 25(OH)D level. Eczema risk reached the highest at around 45 nmol/L, with decreasing risk in both directions away from this value. This relationship was absent in nonHispanic black population. Conclusion Vitamin D is associated with reports of eczema in nonHispanic white population, but not in the nonHispanic black population in the United States.
Learning Analytics to Support Teachers’ Assessment of Problem Solving: A Novel Application for Machine Learning and Graph Algorithms

In contrast to well-structured problems which have pre-defined, correct answers, complex real-world problems are often ill-structured problems (ISPs). The open-ended nature of ISPs creates considerable barriers to assess and guide students in forming better solutions, which results in low adoption levels of inquiry-based learning. Students can structure and represent their knowledge for an ISP in the form of knowledge maps or causal maps, which articulate relevant concepts and their causal relations (i.e., antecedents and consequents). Assessing such maps can involve a referent-free evaluation (e.g., to encourage the creation of maps with high density of concepts) or a comparison to an expert map used as reference. This chapter starts with a review of theories and tools to compare a student’s map to the expert map. Previous approaches often compared individual connections (e.g., scoring the number of connections that a student has/misses in contrast with the expert) or general map metrics (e.g., one map is denser than the other). In contrast, the problem of comparing two maps has been studied in network theory and graph theory for several decades, yielding categories of algorithms that are currently underutilized in educational research. This chapter reviews three categories of algorithms (i.e., graph kernel, graph editing distance, graph embedding) in light of their application to assessment and student success. We discuss an implementation of these algorithms through a new set of digital tools, designed to support a community of practice in problem-based instruction.
Report of Closing Discussions

This chapter attempts to summarize some of the general conclusions reached by the Workshop participants. This is a difficult task, and will be approached in two ways: first, by summarizing a number specific viewpoints which were presented during the final hours of the Workshop; and second, by presenting the editor’s own overview of the Workshop which has developed from his role in organising and managing it, and also during the review and editing of the manuseripts included in this book.
Factors associated with serious bacterial infections in infants ≤60 days with hypothermia in the emergency department.

Abstract Background We sought to investigate risk factors for serious bacterial infection (SBI: bacterial meningitis, bacteremia, and urinary tract infection [UTI]) among infants ≤60 days of age presenting to the emergency department (ED) with hypothermia (temperature Methods We performed a single center study over a 12-year period including all patients ≤60 days old with hypothermia, excluding patients who did not receive a blood culture and patients who received antibiotics prior to culture acquisition. The primary outcome was SBI. Secondary outcomes were mortality and herpes simplex infection. We performed multivariable logistic regression to identify risk factors for primary outcomes reporting adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (aOR, 95% CI). Results 360 infants were identified. 10/360 (2.8%) had an SBI. All episodes of SBI occurred in infants ≤28 days of age. Two patients had meningitis, two had meningitis with bacteremia, one had isolated bacteremia, and five had UTI. Associated diagnoses included prematurity (46.9%), hyperbilirubinemia (28.3%) and dehydration (14.7%). In multivariable analysis, presentation at 15–28 days (7.60, 1.81–31.86; p = 0.005) compared to 0–14 days, higher absolute neutrophil count (1.25, 1.04–1.50; p = 0.015) and lower platelet count (0.99, 0.99–1.00; p = 0.046) were associated with SBI. Three patients without SBI died during or soon after their hospitalization. One patient had positive testing for herpes simplex. Conclusion In this cohort of hypothermic infants, 2.8% had a SBI. Age of presentation, ANC, and lower platelet count were associated with serious infections. Hypothermic infants presenting to the ED carry significant morbidity and require prospective study to better risk-stratify this population.
High-frequency oscillatory ventilation: A narrative review.

High-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is a lung-protective strategy that can be utilized in the full spectrum of patient populations ranging from neonatal to adults with acute lung injury. HFOV is often utilized as a rescue strategy when conventional mechanical ventilation (CV) has failed. HFOV uses low tidal volumes and constant mean airway pressures in conjunction with high respiratory rates to provide beneficial effects on oxygenation and ventilation, while eliminating the traumatic "inflate-deflate" cycle imposed by CV. Although statistical evidence supporting HFOV is particularly low, potential benefits for its application in many clinical manifestations still remain. High-frequency oscillation is a safe and effective rescue mode of ventilation for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). All patients who have ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) or are at risk of developing VILI or ARDS would be suitable candidates for HFOV, especially those who have failed conventional mechanical ventilation. This narrative aims to provide a review of HFOV vis-a-vis its indications, contraindications, hazards, parameters to monitoring, patient selection, clinical goals, mechanisms of action, controls for optimizing ventilation and oxygenation, clinical application in ARDS, and a comparison with other modes of mechanical ventilation.
Ab initio study of electron mean free paths and thermoelectric properties of lead telluride

Abstract Last few years have witnessed significant enhancement of thermoelectric figure of merit of lead telluride (PbTe) via nanostructuring. Despite the experimental progress, current understanding of the electron transport in PbTe is based on either band structure calculation using first principles with constant relaxation time approximation or empirical models, both relying on adjustable parameters obtained by fitting experimental data. Here, we report parameter-free first-principles calculation of electron and phonon transport properties of PbTe, including mode-by-mode electron-phonon scattering analysis, leading to detailed information on electron mean free paths and the contributions of electrons and phonons with different mean free paths to thermoelectric transport properties in PbTe. Such information will help to rationalize the use and optimization of nanostructures to achieve high thermoelectric figure of merit.
Attitudes and awareness of suture anchor cost: a survey of shoulder surgeons performing rotator cuff repairs.

Background The cost of health care in the United States accounts for 18% of the nation's gross domestic product and is expected to reach 20% by 2020. Physicians are responsible for 60%-80% of decisions resulting in health care expenditures. Rotator cuff repairs account for $1.2-$1.6 billion in US health care expenditures annually. The purpose of this study is to assess surgeons' cost awareness in the setting of rotator cuff repairs. The hypothesis is that practice environment and training affect cost consciousness and incentivization will lead to more cost-effective choices. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a 21-item survey was distributed via the email list services of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and Arthroscopy Association of North America. Data collected included demographics, variables regarding rotator cuff repair (technique, number of companies used, procedures per month), and knowledge of costs. Results Responses from 345 surgeons in 23 countries were obtained with the majority (89%) being from the United States. Most surgeons were “cost-conscious” (275, 70.7%). Of these surgeons, 62.9% are willing to switch suture anchors brands to reduce overall costs if incentivized. Cost-conscious surgeons were more likely to be fellowship trained in shoulder and elbow (51.81% vs. 38.57%, P = .048), be paid based on productivity (73.53% vs. 61.43%, P = .047), and receive shared profits (85.4% vs. 75%, P = .02). Conclusion The majority of orthopedic surgeons are both cost-conscious and willing to change their practice to reduce costs if incentivized to do so. A better understanding of implant costs combined with incentives may help reduce health care expenditure.
Implementing a Root Cause Analysis Program to Enhance Patient Safety Education in Urology Residency.

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe and assess the implementation and effectiveness of a RCA based program in Urology residency. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education states programs should encourage patient safety (PS) and provide formal PS education. However, data suggests most programs fall short. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) has been established as an effective method for event analysis and PS. METHODS A RCA program was designed to analyze and discuss PS events in our department. This began with an educational session about RCA methodology. Subsequently, teams composed of faculty and residents were charged with selecting an adverse event to present at our monthly PS conference. Over a 6-month period, each team presented a recent complication, event timeline, and fish bone diagram. RESULTS A RCA was completed and presented following adverse outcomes: fascial dehiscence, neonatal urosepsis, superior mesenteric artery ligation, pyelonephritis after ureteroscopy, and surgical site infection. Quantitative peer assessment of the presentations demonstrated aptitude in selecting an appropriate case (mean Likert scale score of 4.8/5), prioritizing important factors (score: 4.85), defining root causes (score: 4.9/5), and proposing solutions (score: 4.65/5). The qualitative feedback assessment noted the value of critical thinking to reduce complications, with the greatest limitation being time constraints. In addition, suggestions for improving the process included inclusion of ancillary staff involvement and selection of topics with modifiable solutions. CONCLUSION RCA can be used as an educational tool for practice-based learning and improvement education. The program was well received and will continue in our department.
SpineCloud: Image analytics for predictive modeling of spine surgery outcomes

Spinal degeneration and deformity present an enormous healthcare burden, with spine surgery among the main treatment modalities. Unfortunately, spine surgery (e.g., lumbar fusion) exhibits broad variability in the quality of outcome, with ~20-40% of patients gaining no benefit in pain or function (“failed back surgery”) and earning criticism that is difficult to reconcile versus rapid growth in frequency and cost over the last decade. Vital to advancing the quality of care in spine surgery are improved clinical decision support (CDS) tools that are accurate, explainable, and actionable: accurate in prediction of outcomes; explainable in terms of the physical / physiological factors underlying the prediction; and actionable within the shared decision process between a surgeon and patient in identifying steps that could improve outcome. This technical note presents an overview of a novel outcome prediction framework for spine surgery (dubbed SpineCloud) that leverages innovative image analytics in combination with explainable prediction models to achieve accurate outcome prediction. Key to the SpineCloud framework are image analysis methods for extraction of high-level quantitative features from multi-modality peri-operative images (CT, MR, and radiography) related to spinal morphology (including bone and soft-tissue features), the surgical construct (including deviation from an ideal reference), and longitudinal change in such features. The inclusion of such image-based features is hypothesized to boost the predictive power of models that conventionally rely on demographic / clinical data alone (e.g., age, gender, BMI, etc.). Preliminary results using gradient boosted decision trees demonstrate that such prediction models are explainable (i.e., why a particular prediction is made), actionable (identifying features that may be addressed by the surgeon and/or patient), and boost predictive accuracy compared to analysis based on demographics alone (e.g., AUC improved by ~25% in preliminary studies). Incorporation of such CDS tools in spine surgery could fundamentally alter and improve the shared decisionmaking process between surgeons and patients by highlighting actionable features to improve selection of therapeutic and rehabilitative pathways.
Afternoon distraction: a high-saturated-fat meal and endotoxemia impact postmeal attention in a randomized crossover trial

BACKGROUND Saturated-fat intake and endotoxemia can impair cognition. However, their acute impact on cognitive performance is unknown. OBJECTIVE This study assessed the impact of 2 high-fat meals and endotoxemia on attention. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized crossover trial, 51 women (n = 32 breast cancer survivors, n = 19 noncancer controls; mean ± SD age: 53 ± 8 y) completed the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and had their blood drawn to assess endotoxemia markers LPS binding protein (LBP), soluble CD14 (sCD14), and the LBP to sCD14 ratio 1 h prior to eating either a high-saturated-fat meal or a high-oleic-sunflower-oil meal. Women again completed the CPT 5 h postmeal. At 1 to 4 wk later, women completed the same protocol but consumed the other meal. RESULTS In adjusted models, women had more difficulty distinguishing target stimuli from distractors after consuming the high-saturated-fat meal than they did after the oleic-sunflower-oil meal (B = 4.44, SE = 1.88, P = 0.02). Women with higher baseline LBP had less consistent response times (B = 0.002, SE = 0.0008, P = 0.04). Those with higher LBP and LBP:sCD14 were less able to sustain their attention throughout the entire CPT, as reflected by their progressively slower (B = 0.002, SE = 0.0006, P = 0.003; and B = 2.43, SE = 0.090, P = 0.008, respectively) and more erratic (B = 0.003, SE = 0.0008, P < 0.0001; and B = 3.29, SE = 1.17, P = 0.006, respectively) response times. Additionally, women with higher baseline LBP or sCD14 were less able to maintain or increase response speeds at higher interstimulus intervals (B = 0.002, SE = 0.0006, P = 0.02; and B = 0.006, SE = 0.003, P = 0.03, respectively), indicating greater difficulty adapting to changing task demands. Significant meal type by LBP and LBP:sCD14 interactions emerged (P < 0.05), such that high LBP and LBP:sCD14 erased between-meal cognitive differences, uniformly impairing performance. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that higher LBP, sCD14, and LBP:sCD14 and saturated-fat intake individually and jointly influence attention. Endotoxemia may override the relative cognitive benefit of healthier oil choices.This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04247763.
Safety of Janus Kinase Inhibitors in Older Patients: A Focus on the Thromboembolic Risk

The Janus kinase (JAK)–signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway is a membrane-to-nucleus signaling cascade that effects activation of gene transcription. JAK inhibitors have demonstrated effectiveness in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. An increased risk of infection, mainly varicella-zoster reactivation, with these new agents is of concern. Comorbid conditions, along with pharmacokinetic variations in drug metabolism in the older population, further increase the risk of adverse outcomes. Newly raised concerns for potential adverse effects such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are essential considerations for clinicians. Older patients are at increased risk because of multiple comorbid conditions and pharmacokinetic changes related to drug metabolism and excretion. Both the US FDA and the European Medicines Agency have issued warnings regarding this risk. These warnings highlight individuals aged > 50 years with concomitant cardiovascular risk factors. Furthermore, the FDA released a black box warning for increased thromboembolic risk associated with JAK inhibitors. As the use of these drugs increases, a solid understanding of adverse effects and risks is critical to those treating older adults.
What is BitChute?: Characterizing the

In this paper, we characterize the content and discourse on BitChute, a social video-hosting platform. Launched in 2017 as an alternative to YouTube, BitChute joins an ecosystem of alternative, low content moderation platforms, including Gab, Voat, Minds, and 4chan. Uniquely, BitChute is the first of these alternative platforms to focus on video content and is growing in popularity. Our analysis reveals several key characteristics of the platform. We find that only a handful of channels receive any engagement, and almost all of those channels contain conspiracies or hate speech. This high rate of hate speech on the platform as a whole, much of which is anti-Semitic, is particularly concerning. Our results suggest that BitChute has a higher rate of hate speech than Gab but less than 4chan. Lastly, we find that while some BitChute content producers have been banned from other platforms, many maintain profiles on mainstream social media platforms, particularly YouTube. This paper contributes a first look at the content and discourse on BitChute and provides a building block for future research on low content moderation platforms.