cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Commutativity analysis for software parallelization: letting program transformations see the big picture

Extracting performance from many-core architectures requires software engineers to create multi-threaded applications, which significantly complicates the already daunting task of software development. One solution to this problem is automatic compile-time parallelization, which can ease the burden on software developers in many situations. Clearly, automatic parallelization in its present form is not suitable for many application domains and new compiler analyses are needed address its shortcomings.In this paper, we present one such analysis: a new approach for detecting commutative functions. Commutative functions are sections of code that can be executed in any order without affecting the outcome of the application, e.g., inserting elements into a set. Previous research on this topic had one significant limitation, in that the results of a commutative functions must produce identical memory layouts. This prevented previous techniques from detecting functions like malloc, which may return different pointers depending on the order in which it is called, but these differing results do not affect the overall output of the application. Our new commutativity analysis correctly identify these situations to better facilitate automatic parallelization. We demonstrate that this analysis can automatically extract significant amounts of parallelism from many applications, and where it is ineffective it can provide software developers a useful list of functions that may be commutative provided semantic program changes that are not automatable.
An empirical test of a stage of growth progression model

This paper presents a stage of growth model for technology based new ventures TBNVs. TBNVs are postulated to evolve through four discrete stages of growth-Conception and Development, Commercialization, Growth, and Stability. Based on a longitudinal sample of 71 ventures in the computer and electronics industries, the hypothesis that TBNVs progress according to this model is tested using the del procedure for prediction analysis of cross-classification tables. The hypotheses are supported, although not all firms progressed as expected. These results suggest that some variation in interstage transition patterns are due to a progression imperative.
Multiplexed Diode-Laser Absorption Sensors for Aeropropulsion Flows

Diode-laser sensors based on absorption spectroscopy techniques have been developed for characterizing both reactants and products in aeropropulsion flows. We have demonstrated the sensors in pulse detonation engines (PDEs) operating on liquid-JP-10 and gaseous-C 2H4 fuels in air and oxygen. The measured properties include unburned and burned gas species concentrations, unburned and burned gas temperature, and burned gas velocity. The information provided by the sensors has been used to verify computational detonation models, thus advancing pulse detonation engine development. Because they provide critical flow properties that have been generally unavailable to aeropropulsion researchers, the sensors are expected to enable novel combustion control schemes.
Synthesis, isomerization, and polymerization of mixed phosphoranimines

A series of phosphites were prepared bearing various combinations of phenoxy, methoxy, and trifluoroethoxy substituents. (PhO)3P, (CF3CH2O)(PhO)2P, (CF3CH2O)2(PhO)P, and (CH3OCH2CH2O)(PhO)2P were polymerized during the course of the Staudinger reaction with azidotrimethylsilane to form low molecular weight polyphosphazenes. Similar reactions with (CH3O)(CF3CH2O)2P, (CH3O)(PhO)2P, (CH3O)2(CF3CH2O)P, (CH3O)2(PhO)P, and (CH3O)3P produced the desired phosphoranimine as well as the corresponding phosphoramidate isomer. Studies were performed on these systems in order to understand the nature of this isomerization. (CH3O)(PhO)2P (DOUBLE BOND) N (SINGLE BOND) Si(CH3)3 and (CH3O)2(PhO)P (DOUBLE BOND) N (SINGLE BOND) Si(CH3)3 polymerize at temperatures above 150°C. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Behavior Domains in Theory and in Practice

The concept of a behavior domain is a reasonable and essential foundation for psychometric work based on true score theory, the linear model of common factor analysis, and the nonlinear models of item response theory. Investigators applying these models to test data generally treat the true scores or factors or traits as abstractive psychological attributes: common properties of the items, possibly with some inconsistency between their practice and their theoretical statements. A countably infinite item domain defines an attribute uniquely, and a function of the domain item scores gives an identified measure of it, to be estimated from a finite set of item scores, with a defined error of measurement. In test development the investigator must consider and justify the assumption that an item domain exists for the specific measurement application and is large enough to be treated as infinite for that application.
Primidone Therapy for Essential Vocal Tremor

Importance Essential vocal tremor is difficult to treat. An effective pharmacologic treatment could allow patients to avoid or decrease the frequency or dosage of botulinum neurotoxin injections. Objective To evaluate the efficacy of primidone in the treatment of essential vocal tremor. Design, Setting, and Participants Medical records of all patients with a primary or secondary diagnosis of laryngeal spasm or essential tremor treated with primidone between June 1, 2012, and March 21, 2014, at a tertiary care medical center were reviewed. Data analysis occurred in April 2014. Main Outcomes and Measures Duration of therapy, improvement of symptoms, and whether the patient subsequently initiated botulinum neurotoxin therapy. Results All 30 patients were female (mean [SD] age, 71.9 [11.8] years). Mean (SD) therapy duration was 5.25 (7.22) months. Nine patients (30%) had other vocal conditions (4 had coexisting spasmodic dysphonia, 4 had laryngopharyngeal reflux disease, and 1 had muscle tension dysphonia). Twelve (40%) had previously undergone treatment. Fourteen of 26 patients (54%) reported an improvement in their vocal symptoms, and 16 of 29 (55%) did not discontinue primidone therapy. Twenty-two of 30 patients (73%) experienced adverse effects. Therapy was discontinued by 11 of 21 patients (52%) who experienced adverse effects and 2 of 8 patients (25%) who did not report adverse effects ( P = .24) (1 patient who had adverse effects was missing data on discontinuation of therapy). Sixteen patients (53%) subsequently initiated botulinum toxin therapy, including 5 of 14 patients (36%) who reported clinical improvement with primidone therapy and 7 of 12 patients (58%) who did not report improvement ( P = .43). Conclusions and Relevance Primidone therapy was an effective pharmacologic treatment for essential vocal tremor in 14 of 26 patients in this case series, providing an alternative to botulinum neurotoxin therapy.
Gender differences in preferences for taking risk in college applications

Abstract College admissions in Turkey are based entirely on nationwide standardized test scores and standardized high school GPAs. Using detailed administrative data from the centralized system, I study the impact of gender differences in preferences on the allocation of students to colleges. Controlling for test score, high school GPA, and high school attended, I find that females are more likely to apply to lower-ranking universities, whereas males set a higher bar, revealing a higher option value for retaking the test and applying again next year. These differences in willingness to be unassigned are also found to have implications for major choices.
Applying public health lessons to protect river health

Revealing, and indeed exacerbating, the globe's present water crisis is the failing ecological health of rivers. Those who would protect and restore river health can learn important lessons from humanity's continual fight against disease. We discuss four of these lessons, including their applicability to river issues: (1) recognize and respond to changing challenges, (2) avoid unintended consequences, (3) employ both cure and prevention, and (4) take a systematic approach. The overarching message from human health science is that we need to view human actions and their consequences for river health in an integrated way. In an effort to construct such a view of river degradation, we suggest that human actions jeopardize river health in five major ways : (1) altering physical habitat, (2) modifying seasonal flow of water, (3) changing the food base of the system, (4) changing interactions within the river biota, and (5) polluting with chemical contaminants. Another key lesson of human health science is the need for a commonly understood and robust measure of river condition, or health. Biological monitoring and assessment using the index of biological integrity for Japanese streams (IBI-J) provides a rigorous measure of river condition as well as guidance on the causes of river degradation. Examples of the index's use in Japan illustrate the importance of various stressors responsible for degradation, such as amount and types of effluent, proximity of dams and other structural alterations, and riparian condition. They also show the dangers of management driven solely by narrow water quality measures such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). We conclude that biological measures are important because they provide a strong scientific framework to inform the largely cultural process of deciding how humans treat rivers.
Achieving Synergy with a Potential Photocatalytic Z-Scheme: Synthesis and Evaluation of Nitrogen-Doped TiO2/SnO2 Composites

Nitrogen-doped titania (N-TiO2)/tin oxide (SnO2) composites were synthesized and evaluated as photocatalysts for the first time. These composites represent a potential new class of Z-scheme photocatalysts wherein the enhanced light absorption properties of N-TiO2 are anticipated to couple with the observed benefits of composite TiO2/SnO2 systems. The N-TiO2/SnO2 composites were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N2-adsorption, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that composites with low SnO2 content display enhanced photocatalytic properties under visible light irradiation when compared to standards: TiO2, N-TiO2, SnO2, and TiO2/SnO2 composites. This enhancement is attributed to a synergistic effect between the two composite components and changes in the textural properties of the materials upon composite formation. Significantly, the enhanced p...
Super-Resolution Structured Pump–Probe Microscopy

Imaging excited-state dynamics in complex materials provides an important avenue for understanding the role played by micro- and nanoscale structural and compositional heterogeneity in the performance of active electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here, we develop structured pump–probe microscopy (SPPM), a subdiffraction-limited, time-resolved microscopy that incorporates a focused diffraction-limited probe field together with a spatially modulated pump excitation field. We apply the technique to study free carrier dynamics in silicon nanowires, demonstrating far-field ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopy with a 114 nm point-spread function while remaining in the perturbative excitation regime. We predict SPPM will provide an accessible approach for characterizing the ultrafast dynamics of subwavelength regions in complex materials systems.
Frequency-diverse microwave imaging using planar Mills-Cross cavity apertures

We demonstrate a frequency diverse, multistatic microwave imaging system based on a set of transmit and receive, radiating, planar cavity apertures. The cavities consist of double-sided, copper-clad circuit boards, with a series of circular radiating irises patterned into the upper conducting plate. The iris arrangement is such that for any given transmitting and receiving aperture pair, a Mills-Cross pattern is formed from the overlapped patterns. The Mills-Cross distribution provides optimum coverage of the imaging scene in the spatial Fourier domain (k-space). The Mills-Cross configuration of the apertures produces measurement modes that are diverse and consistent with the computational imaging approach used for frequency-diverse apertures, yet significantly minimizes the redundancy of information received from the scene. We present a detailed analysis of the Mills-Cross aperture design, with numerical simulations that predict the performance of the apertures as part of an imaging system. Images reconstructed using fabricated apertures are presented, confirming the anticipated performance.
Paradoxical Motor Recovery From a First Stroke After Induction of a Second Stroke: Reopening a Postischemic Sensitive Period

Background and objective. Prior studies have suggested that after stroke there is a time-limited period of increased responsiveness to training as a result of heightened plasticity—a sensitive period thought to be induced by ischemia itself. Using a mouse model, we have previously shown that most training-associated recovery after a caudal forelimb area (CFA) stroke occurs in the first week and is attributable to reorganization in a medial premotor area (AGm). The existence of a stroke-induced sensitive period leads to the counterintuitive prediction that a second stroke should reopen this window and promote full recovery from the first stroke. To test this prediction, we induced a second stroke in the AGm of mice with incomplete recovery after a first stroke in CFA. Methods. Mice were trained to perform a skilled prehension (reach-to-grasp) task to an asymptotic level of performance, after which they underwent photocoagulation-induced stroke in CFA. After a 7-day poststroke delay, the mice were then retr...
Spatial Analysis of the Relationship Between Levels of Service Provided by Public Transit and Areas of High Demand in Jefferson County, Kentucky

abstractThe responsibility of public transit systems is to provide a mode of transport to individuals who in most cases represent the minority and low-income classes as well was the elderly. Previous studies on the matter have shown unequal distributions of service across different areas, usually to the disadvantage of these vulnerable groups. The goal of this research was to study the relationship between transit system service levels and areas of need in Jefferson County, Kentucky, aiming to identify spatial gaps in public transport provision for people and areas of social disadvantage. A supply index to measure service level was constructed for each census tract, based on the share of the tract within access distance (400 m) to bus stops and route frequencies. A transit needs index was created using socioeconomic and locational variables. Spatial distribution and patterns of public transit supply and needs measures were examined. A needs-gap analysis was performed, particularly focusing on census tract...
Design and application of a 1200V ultra-fast integrated Silicon Carbide MOSFET module

With the commercial introduction of wide bandgap power devices such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) in the last few years, the high power and high frequency power electronics applications have gained more attention. The fast switching speed and high temperature features of SiC MOSFET break the limit of the traditional silicon MOSFET. However, the EMI problem under high dI/dt and dV/dt is an unneglectable problem. The overshoot and oscillation on drain-source voltage and gating signal could cause breakdown of the switches. This paper proposes a 1200V integrated SiC MOSFET module. With the ultra-fast gate driver integrated with the SiC MOSFET, the parasitic inductance and capacitance could be reduced dramatically, which accordingly suppress the EMI problem caused by the parasitic parameters. Thus zero gate resistance could be adopted in the module to further increase the switching speed. The switching performance of the integrated SiC module is shown better than the discrete package device. The switching loss of the SiC MOSFET module is measured by the inverter level measurement and composition method. Zero switching loss could be achieved when the drain current is lower than a critical value. The module has been tested at 1.5MHz and 3.38MHz switching frequency to prove its high speed capability. For isolated topology applications, the impact of high frequency on the power density and efficiency is discussed in this paper.
Intellectual and academic characteristics of fourth grade gifted and pseudogifted students.

A group of 32 gifted boys and girls was compared with a group of 32 pseudogifted boys and girls (students misdiagnosed as gifted by their teachers) on the basis of WISC subtest scores and teacher m...
Kinetics of the transesterification of non-edible Thevetia peruviana seed oil with dimethyl carbonate catalyzed by potassium methoxide

Abstract Currently, fossil fuels are used in diesel engines and are essential in industrialized areas. However, the use of petroleum-based diesel increases environmental pollution. To solve this worldwide problem, transesterified vegetable oil grown in set-aside land can serve as a renewable energy resource. In this study, the kinetic transesterification of Thevetia peruviana oil with dimethyl carbonate (DMC) (molar ratio 1:4) was investigated. The experiments were conducted by varying the kinetic parameters, such as the amount of the prepared CH 3 OK alkali catalyst, stirring rate, reaction temperature and time, to determine the optimal kinetic conditions. The transesterification of T. peruviana oil to DMC-esters (DMC-TP-BioDs) proceeds by a first-order mechanism. The corresponding values of the activation energies and rate constants were determined. The maximum yield of 97.50% was obtained for the transesterification of T. peruviana oil within 90 min at 85 °C at an agitation speed of 200 rpm.
Robotic-Assisted Gait Training in Children with Cerebral Palsy in Clinical Practice

This study aimed to assess the outcomes of robotic-assisted gait training (RGT) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) in real clinical practice. Data collected from children with CP undergoing RGT-based intervention using the Lokomat® system was retrospectively reviewed. Results for walking speed (ten-meter walk test) and walking endurance (six-minute walk test) before and after the RGT interventions were evaluated. 51 subjects completed 69 RGT interventions (i.e. sets of training sessions). 34 subjects completed 1 intervention; 16 subjects completed 2 interventions; 1 subject completed 3 interventions. 17 interventions were associated with evaluations of walking speed. 35 interventions were associated with evaluations of walking endurance. Significant differences were observed pre-training vs. post-training for both walking speed (1.29±0.51 vs. 1.43±0.48 m/s, p<0.01) and walking endurance (238±120 vs. 273±122 meters, p<0.01). RGT in children with CP results in improvements in walking speed and walking endurance.
I'd Rather be a Hammer than a Nail

Cross-disciplinary connections and collaborations that place Computer Science (CS) in a real world context is a skill required of our graduates. Collaboration between disciplines implies building diverse teams that function in a real world context. Ultra mobile platforms and open source components provide us with an opportunity to connect to other disciplines and refashion our curriculum. In addition to focusing on the CS core, students may again see the connection between CS and getting useful things done. In this paper we will share a set of evolutionary changes to modernize our approach to CS.
Scientific facts behind creatine monohydrate as sport nutrition supplement.

Currently, strong efforts are being made toward demonstrating possible risks of using pure creatine monohydrate (Cr.H 2 O). In this article, scientific facts and considerations are presented, which support such concern. A further attempt is made to pursue the concept of possible risks of uncontrolled supplementation in athletes with pure Cr.H 2 O. The problem is viewed from the scientific evidence that a highly conservative mechanism of homeostatic feed-back inhibitory self-regulation of Cr biosynthesis in the body has been evolutionary developed. It is shown that numerous features characteristic to Cr biosynthesis, metabolism, and regulation allow to interpret its stimulatory action in the body as endocrine hormone-like. Based on this assumption, a practical approach for detecting altered links in Cr metabolism and biosynthesis under conditions of pure Cr.H 2 O overdosing, is suggested. Strategic considerations regarding early diagnosis, prognosis, and correction of the downregulated endogenous Cr biosynthesis in athletes on continuous pure Cr.H 2 O supplementation, are discussed. As a high efficient and safe alternative to pure Cr.H 2 O, a complex nutrition supplement formula for elite athletes is proposed, which exploits natural alpha-ketoglutarate as a vehicle for delivering exogenous low molecular biologically-active compounds, including Cr.
Pain brings no gain

O'Mara determines whether the use of torture gets the truth. The purpose of a modern interrogation is to get reliable, replicable and verifiable information. Professional interrogators say torture is the worst possible method for this. Neuroscience agrees. Imposing extremes of pain, anxiety, hunger, sleep deprivation and the threat of drowning does not enhance Interrogation. It degrades it. They shouldn't be surprised. Behind the wheel of a car, mild states of sleep deprivation are as risky as drink-driving. Reactions slow, judgment is impaired, and recollection is damaged,
Teaching Ethics in a Statistics Curriculum with a Cross-Cultural Emphasis

Like most professional disciplines, the ASA has adopted ethical guidelines for its practitioners. To promote these guidelines, as well as to meet governmental and institutional mandates, U.S. unive...
Palaeofloods and global change

A great weakness of various intenational scientific initiatives global change, earth system science and related hydrological assessment of flood hazards is their overemphasis on prediction from idealized conceptual models. The latter are abstract constructs made possible by rapidly increasing computer power but predicated upon often unverified and sometimes unverifiable assumptions. It is now realized that abrupt climate change and extreme events pose more of a global change hazard than do the mean climate phenomena predicted by global climate models (GCMs). For 20 years there has been an overemphasis on developing these models as the principal tool for dealing with threats to habitability of the planet. In contrast to unverified predictions of the future given by GCMs, palaeoflood data provide evidence of Real-Work cataclysms that people can understand sufficiently to alter their perceptions of hazards, thereby stimulating appropriate action toward mitigation. This issue is particularly important in the world's tropical monsoon areas, which are prone to especially extreme floods and high variability in their magnitude and frequency. These areas, which are inhabited by half of the Earth's human population, also have excellent sources of palaeoflood information, which comprise a natural archive that can appropriately stimulate productive hazard reduction.
Egocentric Landmark-Based Indoor Guidance System for the Visually Impaired

In this paper, we introduce an egocentric landmark-based guidance system that enables visually impaired users to interact with indoor environments. The user who wears Google Glasses will capture his surroundings within his field of view. Using this information, we provide the user an accurate landmark-based description of the environment including his relative distance and orientation to each landmark. To achieve this functionality, we developed a near real time accurate vision based localization algorithm. Since the users are visually impaired our algorithm accounts for captured images using Google Glasses that have severe blurriness, motion blurriness, low illumination intensity and crowd obstruction. We tested the algorithm performance in a 12,000 ft2 open indoor environment. When we have mint query images our algorithm obtains mean location accuracy within 5ft., mean orientation accuracy less than 2 degrees and reliability above 88%. After applying deformation effects to the query images such blurriness, motion blurriness and illumination changes, we observe that the reliability is above 75%.
Fabricating PLGA microparticles with high loads of the small molecule antioxidant N-acetylcysteine that rescue oligodendrocyte progenitor cells from oxidative stress.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), encompassing all oxygen radical or non-radical oxidizing agents, play key roles in disease progression. Controlled delivery of antioxidants is therapeutically relevant in such oxidant-stressed environments. Encapsulating small hydrophilic molecules into hydrophobic polymer microparticles via traditional emulsion methods has long been a challenge due to rapid mass transport of small molecules out of particle pores. We have developed a simple alteration to the existing water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) drug encapsulation method that dramatically improves loading efficiency: doping external water phases with drug to mitigate drug diffusion out of the particle during fabrication. PLGA microparticles with diameters ranging from 0.6 to 0.9 micrometers were fabricated, encapsulating high loads of 0.6-0.9 µm diameter PLGA microparticles were fabricated, encapsulating high loads of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and released active, ROS-scavenging NAC for up to 5 weeks. Encapsulation efficiencies, normalized to the theoretical load of traditional encapsulation without doping, ranged from 96% to 400%, indicating that NAC-loaded external water phases not only prevented drug loss due to diffusion, but also doped the particles with additional drug. Antioxidant-doped particles positively affected the metabolism of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) under H2 O2 -mediated oxidative stress when administered both before (protection) or after (rescue) injury. Antioxidant doped particles improved outcomes of OPCs experiencing multiple doses of H2 O2 by increasing the intracellular glutathione content and preserving cellular viability relative to the injury control. Furthermore, antioxidant-doped particles preserve cell number, number of process extensions, cytoskeletal morphology, and nuclear size of H2 O2 -stressed OPCs relative to the injury control. These NAC-doped particles have the potential to provide temporally-controlled antioxidant therapy in neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS) that are characterized by continuous oxidative stress.
Intrathyroidal carotid artery and nonrecurring right recurrent laryngeal nerve: A case report.

Background When performing thyroidectomy, knowledge of normal anatomy and variants is vital to avoid injuring nearby structures. Typically, the bilateral carotids course posterolateral to the thyroid gland. We describe a rare variant of an intrathyroidal carotid artery, not previously described in the literature. Methods A 23-year-old woman with a strong family history of thyroid cancer presented with a left thyroid nodule, and a fine-needle aspiration biopsy revealing papillary thyroid carcinoma. She underwent total thyroidectomy. Results Intraoperatively, the carotid was found coursing centrally through the right lobe parenchyma, associated with an ipsilateral nonrecurrent recurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN) entering the cricothyroid joint superolaterally. Conclusion This is, to our knowledge, the first report of such an anatomic variant in the medical literature. Aberrant carotid artery anatomy may potentially cause life-threatening surgical complications and should be considered preoperatively. Furthermore, recognition of concurrent recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) anomalies with vascular variations allows identification of nonrecurrent nerves.
Nested quadratic programming-based controller for pipeline robots

This paper considers a problem of controlling an pipeline walking robot. The proposed control system design uses a nested quadratic programming-based controller (NQPC). This controller enables control operations taking into account both equality and inequality of mechanical constraints and bounds influencing control values (i.e. motor torques). The proposed controller has a nested structure: it uses an inner layer controller to produce reference values for control actions and then adjusts those using data about system's dynamics, constraints and bounds. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is confirmed by simulation of a ten-link planar pipeline robot.
Facilitating markets and mitigation: A systematic review of early-action incentives in the U.S.

Abstract Early action refers to activities undertaken prior to a regulatory program or generation of services prior to mitigation of impacts elsewhere. In U.S. environmental markets, early action could reduce lags in environmental performance, improve outcomes, and encourage innovation in mitigation approaches. Multiple tools have emerged for encouraging early action in environmental markets. Several tools have also been deployed in markets, providing valuable insight into their function. This paper presents a systematic review of early action tools and describes their use in wetland and stream mitigation, species and habitat banking, greenhouse gas mitigation, and water quality trading. It finds that incentives necessary to motivate sellers differ from those motivating buyers. The tool or approach best suited to encourage early action also varies as conditions change. Anecdotal evidence suggests the potential for benefits to accrue from early action, but additional data are needed to inform the use of specific tools.
Estimates of Side Effects Counseling in Family Planning Using Three Data Sources: Implications for Monitoring and Survey Design

With growing attention to monitoring and improving quality of care, it is critical to have evidence-based recommendations to measure quality of care indicators and guidelines to interpret estimates from different data sources. This study facilitates methodological discussion regarding measurement of counseling for side effects in family planning, a critical component of quality. The study assesses and compares estimates of side effects counseling based on three data sources. Data came from nationally representative facility and household surveys, Service Provision Assessments, and Demographic and Health Surveys in four countries. The level of side effects counseling was unacceptably low and varied systematically by data source. Compared to observation data in the facility survey, exit interview data from the survey overestimated the level substantially, and its reporting had poor predictive value. Estimates from household surveys were comparable with the observation-based estimates applying the minimum definition of counseling. In monitoring quality of care, data sources should be carefully reviewed, and estimates may need to be adjusted if the sources are inconsistent.
Creating a Geriatrics Curriculum in a Continuing Care Retirement Community

Introduction The new Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) guidelines for family medicine residencies increased training requirements for caring for older adults. These guidelines prompted changes to the current geriatrics curriculum at the Trident/Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Family Medicine Residency Program. Changes to the training requirements and the residency geriatric experiences reflect an increasingly aging population and many unmet needs in caring for older adults. Methods To meet accreditation requirements and the needs of our population, the residency program established a new partnership with a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) and hired another provider to coordinate the curriculum. Changes to the curriculum included more time spent in our CCRC, better longitudinal patient visit continuity, a coordinated interprofessional didactic curriculum, more elective opportunities in geriatrics, and online pharmacotherapy quizzes. The curriculum was assessed with a validated 10-question pre/postresident survey. Results Resident responses revealed increased comfort in caring for a geriatric population, increased desire to focus on geriatrics in their medical career, and increased participation in the geriatrics track. Conclusions With changes in ACGME requirements, family medicine residency programs must develop a comprehensive curriculum to care for an increasing elderly population. The Trident/MUSC Family Medicine Residency provides a model curriculum for other programs seeking to improve training for their residents and meet these requirements.
The Relationship of Service Providers’ Perceptions of Service Climate to Guest Satisfaction, Return Intentions, and Firm Performance:

In this article, we replicate and extend the guest–server exchange (GSX) model to include guest return intentions as a mediator between guest satisfaction and unit-level sales. With the extended mo...
Prospectively Isolated Tetraspanin + Neoblasts Are Adult Pluripotent Stem Cells Underlying Planaria Regeneration

Proliferating cells known as neoblasts include pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) that sustain tissue homeostasis and regeneration of lost body parts in planarians. However, the lack of markers to prospectively identify and isolate these adult PSCs has significantly hampered their characterization. We used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-cell transplantation to address this long-standing issue. Large-scale scRNA-seq of sorted neoblasts unveiled a novel subtype of neoblast (Nb2) characterized by high levels of PIWI-1 mRNA and protein and marked by a conserved cell-surface protein-coding gene, tetraspanin 1 (tspan-1). tspan-1-positive cells survived sub-lethal irradiation, underwent clonal expansion to repopulate whole animals, and when purified with an anti-TSPAN-1 antibody, rescued the viability of lethally irradiated animals after single-cell transplantation. The first prospective isolation of an adult PSC bridges a conceptual dichotomy between functionally and molecularly defined neoblasts, shedding light on mechanisms governing in vivo pluripotency and a source of regeneration in animals. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
Short and long distance interplay in inclusive B → Xdγ decay

Abstract We analyze the short and long distance contributions to inclusive B → Xdγ decay, paying particular attention to the dependence on the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa parameter Vtd. We discuss penguin diagrams with internal u and c quarks in the framework of the effective field theory. We also estimate the size of possible long range contributions by using vector meson dominance.
Assessment of Prevention Efforts: A Focus on Alcohol-Related Community Damage

Since 1970 and the passage of a national alcoholism law (PL 91-616) and the creation of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) there has been a flurry of research activity and program development concerned with the prevention of alcohol-related problems (USDHEW, 1971, 1974, 1978, 1981). However, the question of how to measure the incidence of alcoholism and alcohol abuse in a given community has been a serious omission among published reports in the field (Staulcup, Kenward, and Frigo, 1979). Selden Bacon, an internationally recognized expert in studies on alcohol, writes that for “the past 78 years there have been many claims for prevention programs but few people can think of even one such attempt which can provide the slightest evidence that such a prevention in fact incurred” (Bacon, 1978, p. 1143).
Pin1 Modulation in Physiological Status and Neurodegeneration. Any Contribution to the Pathogenesis of Type 3 Diabetes

Prolyl isomerases (Peptidylprolyl isomerase, PPIases) are enzymes that catalyze the isomerization between the cis/trans Pro conformations. Three subclasses belong to the class: FKBP (FK506 binding protein family), Cyclophilin and Parvulin family (Pin1 and Par14). Among Prolyl isomerases, Pin1 presents as distinctive feature, the ability of binding to the motif pSer/pThr-Pro that is phosphorylated by kinases. Modulation of Pin1 is implicated in cellular processes such as mitosis, differentiation and metabolism: The enzyme is dysregulated in many diverse pathological conditions, i.e., cancer progression, neurodegenerative (i.e., Alzheimer’s diseases, AD) and metabolic disorders (i.e., type 2 diabetes, T2D). Indeed, Pin1 KO mice develop a complex phenotype of premature aging, cognitive impairment in elderly mice and neuronal degeneration resembling that of the AD in humans. In addition, since the molecule modulates glucose homeostasis in the brain and peripherally, Pin1 KO mice are resistant to diet-induced obesity, insulin resistance, peripheral glucose intolerance and diabetic vascular dysfunction. In this review, we revise first critically the role of Pin1 in neuronal development and differentiation and then focus on the in vivo studies that demonstrate its pivotal role in neurodegenerative processes and glucose homeostasis. We discuss evidence that enables us to speculate about the role of Pin1 as molecular link in the pathogenesis of type 3 diabetes i.e., the clinical association of dementia/AD and T2D.
Successes and challenges for preventing measles, mumps and rubella by vaccination

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine has an outstanding safety record and is highly efficacious. High coverage with MMR has led to the elimination of endemic measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome in the US. The biggest challenges to global measles and rubella control and elimination are insufficient vaccination coverage globally and increasing hesitancy. Despite high two dose coverage rates, mumps has made a resurgence in the US and other countries. Mumps outbreaks have occurred primarily in close contact, high-density settings and most cases had received a second dose 10 or more years previously. Waning humoral immunity and antigenic variation of circulating wild-type mumps strains may play a role in the mumps resurgence.
Nutritive value and fermentation characteristics of round-baled alfalfa–orchardgrass forages ensiled at various moisture concentrations with or without baler cutting engagement

ABSTRACT Objective The objectives of this research were to compare the silage fermentation characteristics and nutritive value of cut and uncut alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)–orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) baled silages packaged at moisture concentrations ranging between 40 and 70%. Materials and Methods Thirty-one 1.2 × 1.2 m round bales made from an alfalfa–orchardgrass stand (56.5% alfalfa; 42.7% orchardgrass) were baled either cut or uncut over 4 bale groupings (67.5, 61.5, 51.1, and 45.8% moisture). The cutting mechanism within the baler was configured with 15 knives spaced at ~7.5 cm. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with 4 replications (field blocks); we evaluated a 4 moisture groupings × 2 particle lengths (cut or uncut) factorial arrangement of treatments. Results and Discussion Cutter engagement increased initial wet bale weights (668 vs. 641 kg; P = 0.003) but had no effect on nutritive value (P ≥ 0.104). Final silage pH was best related to initial bale moisture with a linear regression model for both cut (Y = −0.031x + 7.50; R2 = 0.847) and uncut (Y = −0.033x + 7.74; R2 = 0.869) silages. The cumulative effects of improved fermentation for cut forages represented pH declines of about 0.10 to 0.16 pH units over initial bale moistures ranging from 40 to 70%. Implications and Applications Bale moisture had a greater effect on fermentation than the use of bale-cutting systems. The modest fermentation improvements observed in cut bales suggest only limited potential for improved silage fermentation on that basis.
Targeting RNA with Small Molecules To Capture Opportunities at the Intersection of Chemistry, Biology, and Medicine.

The biology of healthy and disease-affected cells is often mediated by RNA structures, desirable targets for small molecule chemical probes and lead medicines. Although structured regions are found throughout the transcriptome, some even with demonstrated functionality, human RNAs are considered recalcitrant to small molecule targeting. However, targeting structured regions with small molecules provides an important alternative to oligonucleotides that target sequence. In this Perspective, we describe challenges and progress in developing small molecules interacting with RNA (SMIRNAs) to capture their significant opportunities at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and medicine. Key to establishing a new paradigm in chemical biology and medicine is the development of methods to obtain, preferably by design, bioactive compounds that modulate RNA targets and companion methods that validate their direct effects in cells and pre-clinical models. While difficult, demonstration of direct target engagement i...
Surgical or Non-surgical Treatment for Advanced Oral Cavity Cancer

Surgery remains the standard of care for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma despite advances in organ preservation for other head and neck cancer subsites. This chapter seeks to elucidate the efficacy between surgical and non-surgical options for the treatment of advanced stage oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. The PubMed and MEDLINE databases were searched for relevant articles pertaining to this topic. The results were limited to English only and the oldest article included was from 2009. One randomized controlled trial and two large database retrospective reviews were included. All three of these articles favored surgical resection and adjuvant therapy over definitive chemoradiotherapy based on improved overall survival and/or disease-specific survival with surgery. Five retrospective cohort studies were included with mixed results. Two of these studies found both interventions were equivalent in regards to overall survival, while one retrospective cohort study showed equivalent overall survival but improved locoregional control with surgery. Two retrospective cohort studies favor surgery based on higher progression-free survival and overall survival results. Overall the data show that patients with advanced stage oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma should be treated with surgical resection and appropriate adjuvant therapy.
Testing the relativistic Doppler boost hypothesis for the binary candidate quasar PG1302-102 with multiband Swift data

The bright quasar PG1302-102 has been identified as a candidate supermassive black hole binary from its near-sinusoidal optical variability. While the significance of its optical periodicity has been debated due to the stochastic variability of quasars, its multiwavelength variability in the ultraviolet (UV) and optical bands is consistent with relativistic Doppler boost caused by the orbital motion in a binary. However, this conclusion was based previously on sparse UV data that were not taken simultaneously with the optical data. Here, we report simultaneous follow-up observations of PG1302-102 with the Ultraviolet Optical Telescope on the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory in six optical + UV bands. The additional nine Swift observations produce light curves roughly consistent with the trend under the Doppler boost hypothesis, which predicts that UV variability should track the optical, but with a ∼2.2 times higher amplitude. We perform a statistical analysis to quantitatively test this hypothesis. We find that the data are consistent with the Doppler boost hypothesis when we compare the the amplitudes in optical B-band and UV light curves. However, the ratio of UV to V-band variability is larger than expected and is consistent with the Doppler model, only if either the UV/optical spectral slopes vary, the stochastic variability makes a large contribution in the UV, or the sparse new optical data underestimate the true optical variability. We have evidence for the latter from comparison with the optical light curve from All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae. Additionally, the simultaneous analysis of all four bands strongly disfavours the Doppler boost model whenever Swift V band is involved. Additional, simultaneous optical + UV observations tracing out another cycle of the 5.2-yr proposed periodicity should lead to a definitive conclusion.
Potential release of legacy nitrogen from soil surrounding onsite wastewater leaching pools.

Abstract This study examined whether the accumulation of nitrogen (legacy nitrogen) within and surrounding leaching pools for onsite wastewater treatment may act as a source of nitrogen contamination to groundwater upon changes to the quantity and/or composition of the influent to the pool. In this study, one concrete leaching pool with neutral pH (A, pH 6.9) and one leaching pool after acid washing (B, pH 3.7) were selected to examine the quantity and composition of legacy nitrogen in the surrounding soil, as well as evaluate the potential release of this nitrogen under two environmentally relevant leaching scenarios: (i) the concrete leaching pool serves as the final discharge unit for aerobic treatment unit (ATU) effluent; (ii) extreme weather events (flash flood/heavy rains) act to increase the quantity and dilute the composition of flow to the pool. Core sample analysis showed that organic nitrogen accounts for the majority (97.3–99.7%) of the total nitrogen (TN) at site A (4.1 ± 0.6 mg N/g soil) and site B (3.0 ± 0.4 mg N/g soil); while ammonium was the major form of inorganic nitrogen present at the sites. The TN accumulated under the two leaching pools was equivalent to approximately 17–39 days of nitrogen loading to the system. pH had a significant impact on the mass of TN leached from the soil, while no significant difference in leached TN was observed for the two leaching scenarios. The amount of TN leached from the soil matrix was not affected by the flow rate (18.6 mL/d in scenario i vs. 547.2 mL/d in scenario ii) or flow pattern (intermittent dosing vs. continuous flow). The quantity of TN leached from soils in both scenario (i) and (ii) was low and accounted for 2.6–8.9% of the total nitrogen in the soil.
Second-order nonlinear optical materials for efficient generation and amplification of temporally-coherent and narrow-linewidth terahertz waves

We have considered forward and backward optical parametric oscillation and amplification, and difference-frequency generation for efficiently generating and amplifying terahertz waves in several second-order nonlinear optical materials. We have used a single crystal of CdSe as an example. We have also investigated GaSe, periodically-poled LiNbO3 and LiTaO3, and diffusion-bonded-stacked GaAs and GaP plates. The advantage of using birefringence in CdSe and GaSe is tunability of the output terahertz frequency. Furthermore, both CdSe and GaSe can be used to achieve the backward parametric oscillation without any cavity. On the other hand, in periodically-poled LiNbO3 and LiTaO3, one can take advantage of large diagonal elements of second-order nonlinear susceptibility tensor. In the diffusion-bonded-stacked GaAs and GaP plates, quasi-phase matching can be achieved by alternatively rotating the plates. We have shown that it is feasible to achieve forward optical parametric oscillation in the THz domain using these plates. The advantage of using coherent parametric processes is possibility of efficiently generating and amplifying temporally-coherent and narrow-linewidth terahertz waves. Compared with a noncollinear configuration, by using the parallel wave propagation configurations, the conversion efficiency can be higher because of longer effective interaction length among all the waves.