cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Host acceptance behavior of pear psylla (Homoptera psyllidae) affected by plant species, host deprivation, habituation, and eggload

The interactive effects of plant species, host deprivation (amount of time deprived of the host), and mature egg complement (eggload) on host acceptance activities of pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyricola Foerster, were monitored in laboratory bioassays. Plant species included a natural host, ‘Bartlett’ pear, Pyrus communis; an Asian pear, P. calleryana, currently of use in breeding programs; and the nonhost apple, Malus domestica . Plan species differed primarily in their effects on oviposition-related activities; settling-probing activity was similar among species. Increased duration of host deprivation resulted in increased time spent in oviposition activities, egg-laying rates, and eggload; fraction of oviposition-related activities that failed to result in an egg being deposited decreased with increasing deprivation. Largest differences among plant species in their effects on oviposition activities occurred at the longest deprivation level. On ‘Bartlett’ pear, oviposition activity and probability of oviposition increased with increasing eggload, whereas settling-probing activity decreased. On the Asian pear, significant relationships between eggload and activity were noted only at one deprivation level; the patterns were similar to those on ‘Bartlett’ pear. On apple, settling-probing activity decreased with increasing eggload at a single deprivation level. On all plant species, oviposition activities increased with time spent in contact with the leaf; for nonhosts, this result suggests that psylla habituated to novel species. First-order transitions between pairs of behaviors were quantified. Psylla rarely initiated oviposition activities immediately upon leaf contact. Rather, oviposition activities tended to be preceded by settling-probing activity. We interpret these results as evidence that plant cues received on initial contact were insufficient to release oviposition activity but that plant cues received during settling-probing activity released oviposition activities. Oviposition activity on P. calleryana and apple was ended before egg deposition with higher frequency than on ‘Bartlett’ pear. This result suggests that plant cues received during oviposition activities affected ultimately whether the egg was deposited.
Irina Mukhina, Women and the birth of Russian capitalism: a history of the shuttle trade

Historian Irina Mukhina has written a slender volume detailing early post-Soviet Russia’s “shuttle trade”, in which traders, overwhelmingly female, travelled to the near abroad and returned home to...
Comparison of Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Boswellin

Boswellia serrata resins have long history in medicine. However, the recent commercial samples are rarely tested. The aim of this report was to directly compare four different commercial samples of boswellin. Our study confirmed the anti-inflammatory effects of boswellin. However, as only one of the four samples tested showed significant effects, it seems that highly active boswellin extracts represent precisely isolated and well-characterized boswellic acid, and not the crude boswellin offered commercially. Journal of Nature and Science (JNSCI), 2(1):e172, 2016
Prostate Specific Antigen in the Management of Patients with Localized Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate Treated with Primary Radiation Therapy

AbstractThe records of 143 patients treated at 5 institutions with external beam megavoltage irradiation for localized prostatic cancer were reviewed to evaluate post-treatment changes in prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the context of subsequent events. Complete responders were defined as patients clinically well with normal PSA, clinical failures were patients with documented local tumor recurrence or distant metastases and chemical failures were patients clinically well but with a PSA level above the upper limits of normal. Correlations with pre-treatment PSA values were also made for the 50 of 143 patients for whom pre-treatment PSA data were available. Median patient followup was 27 months (range 18 to 91 months). The data were analyzed with parametric and nonparametric univariate and multivariate statistical procedures.Pre-treatment PSA levels increased with increasing tumor stage (p = 0.004) but not with increasing summed Gleason pattern scores (p = 0.15). The probability of remaining a complete ...
Convergence Results of Galerkin Optimal Control with Legendre Test Function

Abstract A Galerkin-based family of numerical formulations is presented for solving nonlinear optimal control problems. This paper introduces a family of direct methods that calculate optimal trajectories by discretizing the system dynamics using Galerkin numerical techniques and approximate the cost function with Gaussian quadrature. In this numerical approach, the analysis is based on L 2 -norms. An important result in the theoretical foundation is that the feasibility and consistency theorems are proved for problems with piecewise continuous controls. Galerkin methods may be formulated in a number of ways that allow for eficiency and/or improved accuracy while solving a wide range of optimal control problems with a variety of state and control constraints. Numerical formulations using Legendre test functions are derived. One formulation allows for a weak enforcement of boundary conditions, which imposes end conditions only up to the accuracy of the numerical approximation itself. Finally, a numerical example is shown to demonstrate the exponential convergence of Galerkin optimal control.
Firefly: embracing future web technologies

At IPAC/Caltech, we have developed the Firefly web archive and visualization system. Used in production for the last eight years in many missions, Firefly gives the scientist significant capabilities to study data. Firefly provided the first completely web based FITS viewer as well as a growing set of tabular and plotting visualizers. Further, it will be used for the science user interface of the LSST telescope which goes online in 2021. Firefly must meet the needs of archive access and visualization for the 2021 LSST telescope and must serve astronomers beyond the year 2030. Recently, our team has faced the fact that the technology behind Firefly software was becoming obsolete. We were searching for ways to utilize the current breakthroughs in maintaining stability, testability, speed, and reliability of large web applications, which Firefly exemplifies. In the last year, we have ported the Firefly to cutting edge web technologies. Embarking on this massive overhaul is no small feat to say the least. Choosing the technologies that will maintain a forward trajectory in a future development project is always hard and often overwhelming. When a team must port 150,000 lines of code for a production-level product there is little room to make poor choices. This paper will give an overview of the most modern web technologies and lessons learned in our conversion from GWT based system to React/Redux based system.
Video-EEG Study of Seizure Prevalence in Comatose PICU Patients

The prevalence of epileptic seizures (clinical and subclinical) in 100 consecutive comatose children aged 2 months to 17 years in the pediatric ICU was determined using continuous video-EEG (v-EEE) monitoring, in a prospective study at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
Design, analysis and experiment of a permanent magnet brushless DC motor for electric impact wrench

This paper presents analysis design and optimization of 0.4kW maximum power permanent magnet brushless DC motor for electric impact wrench. The key point of this paper is to design a most suitable BLDC for electric impact wrench which satisfies all industry requirements. In order to satisfy load capability, lifetime, low cost, fast bolting time and easy industrial mass production > theory analysis about key points of motor design is discussed. Simulation and experimental verification of the prototype are analyzed and compared in detail. Fan is used in the design as cooling and thermal analysis is given to simulate the temperature rise of all parts of motor. An electromagnetic field analysis using MATLAB and MAXWELL 2D FEM analysis is used in the design to get high power density and efficiency. Experiment results are obtained to verify the design.
A climatology of atmospheric river interactions with the southeastern United States coastline

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are narrow and elongated bands of anomalous water vapour transport that have been widely studied due to their notable influence on regional weather patterns, surface hydrology, and the global water cycle. Although ARs produce a relatively large proportion of the annual precipitation in the southeastern quadrant of the United States, a detailed climatological analysis of Southeastern atmospheric rivers (SE-ARs) has not been conducted. In this study, a climatology of SE-AR coastal interactions from 1979 to 2014 was constructed from a global AR data set to examine the spatiotemporal characteristics of SE-ARs as well as the importance of synoptic-scale and low-frequency modes of climate variability in modulating their frequency. The climatology revealed that SE-ARs were most prevalent during the cold season, with the majority of these wintertime coastal interactions occurring predominately in the Gulf of Mexico. The synoptic-scale and low-frequency modes of climate variability favourable for SE-AR development differed depending on the season and sub-region of the Southeast considered. More specifically, a dipole effect was discovered, as conditions conducive for SE-AR coastal interactions along the western Gulf generally inhibited SE-AR interactions with the Florida Peninsula and vice versa. Overall, a better understanding of the seasonality of SE-ARs as well as the synoptic-scale and low-frequency modes of climate variability that encourage their development could lead to improved forecasting and community awareness of the devastating AR-related flood events that occur throughout the Southeast.
Advocacy Issues: School Discipline and Expulsion

Sara was 7 years old when I received a call from her mom. It seems Sara had been receiving home-bound instruction for the previous 6 months as a result of disciplinary action taken in response to her classroom behaviors. These behaviors included: wetting herself; throwing objects; property destruction; removing socks, shoes, and other clothing; engaging in self-injurious behavior (SIB); and demonstrating aggressive behavior toward her classmates. In the meantime, the school was seeking an appropriate alternate placement. Sara’s parents felt that the placement that was identifi ed and recommended was not at all suitable for their daughter. Mom had appealed the decision and called to ask if I could assist her, as an expert in PWS, in formally assessing the proposed alternative and make recommendations to the district as to the most appropriate placement. At this point, the family had engaged a lawyer with whom I began to work. Sam was 14 years old when I received a call from his school. He had been receiving home-bound instruction for the previous 6 months following several acts of aggression toward school personnel and attempting to leave school grounds. The school had made a few recommendations which were unacceptable to Sam’s parents. The next step was mediation or a due process hearing. In an effort to avoid that and to maintain a good working relationship, Sam’s parents agreed to have the school engage me as an expert in PWS to review the options presented and make recommendations for an appropriate educational program.
Frequent subtree mining on the automata processor: challenges and opportunities

Frequency counting of complex patterns such as subtrees is more challenging than for simple itemsets and sequences, as the number of possible candidate patterns in a tree is much higher than one-dimensional data structures, with dramatically higher processing times. In this paper, we propose a new and scalable solution for frequent subtree mining (FTM) on the Automata Processor (AP), a new and highly parallel accelerator architecture. We present a multi-stage pruning framework on the AP, called AP-FTM, to reduce the search space of FTM candidates. This achieves up to 353X speedup at the cost of a small reduction in accuracy, on four real-world and synthetic datasets, when compared with PatternMatcher, a practical and exact CPU solution. To provide a fully accurate and still scalable solution, we propose a hybrid method to combine AP-FTM with a CPU exact-matching approach, and achieve up to 262X speedup over PatternMatcher on a challenging database. We also develop a GPU algorithm for FTM, but show that the AP also outperforms this. The results on a synthetic database show the AP advantage grows further with larger datasets.
SORPTION AND DIFFUSION SELECTIVITY OF METHANOL/WATER MIXTURES IN NAFION

During the past 40 years membranes have gained large importance, particularly in separations, actuators, and fuel cells. Their advantage being the ability to control solute flux through the membrane, particularly rapid transport of one component with the exclusion of other components. In multicomponent transport through a polymer membrane, the ratio of fluxes is termed selectivity and can be caused by differences in sorption and diffusion. The former is attributed to thermodynamic interactions, while the latter is considered transport effects. This solution-diffusion mechanism was developed in the 1940s. Around 1950, ion-exchange resins were developed, allowing far greater selectivity than is possible solely from chemical interactions. Ion-exchange resins are the precursors of polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) used in fuel cells. Nafion is a PEM made by DuPont, consisting of a perfluorinated backbone with perfluoroether side chains that terminate in a sulfonic acid group. Nafion is widely used as a PEM in fuel cells. This work will focus on its use in the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), which has several benefits, such as the ability to produce energy with a renewable fuel. Also, because the DMFC is simple, converting chemical energy directly into electricity, it has the potential for high efficiency and high power density, which is ideal for portable power applications. However, an important problem called fuel crossover hinders current DMFCs running with Nafion as the PEM. Fuel crossover occurs because methanol is able to swell and pass through Nafion. In swelling the membrane, the mechanical properties are decreased and the crossover rate (methanol flux) is increased. Methanol not only
Explaining Civil Society Development: A Social Origins Approach

Acknowledgments 1. Introduction, by Lester M. Salamon Part One by Lester M. Salamon, S. Wojciech Sokolowski, and Megan A. Haddock 2. What Is to Be Explained? 3. Explaining Civil Society Development I 4. Explaining Civil Society Development II 5. Testing the Social Origins Theory 6. Conclusion and Implications Part Two 7. Switzerland, by Bernd Helmig, Markus Gmur, Georg von Schnurbein, Bernard Degen, Michael Nollert, and Christoph Baerlocher 8. New Zealand 9. Australia 10. The Netherlands 11. Chile, by Ignacio Irarrazaval 12. Austria, by Michaela Neumayr, Ulrike Schneider, Michael Meyer, and Astrid Pennerstorfer 13. Denmark, by Thomas P. Boje, Bjarne Ibsen, Torben Fridberg, and Ulla Habermann 14. Russia, by Irina Mersianova and Olga Kononykhina 15. Mexico, by Jorge V. Villalobos, Lorena Cortes Vazquez, and Cynthia Martinez 16. Portugal, by Raquel Campos Franco Appendix A Appendix B Bibliography About the Authors List of Contributors Core Staff, Local Associates, Advisors, and Sponsors, 1991-2016 Index
The effect of electrostatic and gravity force on offset wire inside tube

Abstract In a straw-tube detector, a wire that is offset with respect to the tube axis experiences a Coulomb force when high voltage is applied between the anode wire and the tube. This force results in a shifting of the wire and straw, in addition to the gravitational sag, and is a function of the tube and wire radius, initial offset, high voltage, tension and length. The presence of such effects is well known, but the precise magnitude of the shift for the anode wires under conditions of detector operation have not been previously documented with measurable confidence. In this work, we provide the first systematic measurements for the wire shift in straw-tube detectors due to gravity and the electrostatic force using an x-ray scanner developed for the Mu2e experiment. The data are compared to the solutions of the differential equations governing the system, and we find a good match between the two. The solutions can predict the final wire and straw positions from the initial positions measured without the high voltage, and the final wire and straw positions can then be used as an input to the track reconstruction software to improve the track position resolution.
Increase in viability due to the accumulation of X chromosome mutations in Drosophila melanogaster males

To increase our understanding of the role of new X-chromosome mutations in adaptive evolution, single-X Drosophila melanogaster males were mated with attached-X chromosome females, allowing the male X chromosome to accumulate mutations over 28 generations. Contrary to our hypothesis that male viability would decrease over time, due to the accumulation and expression of X-linked recessive deleterious mutations in hemizygous males, viability significantly increased. This increase may be attributed to germinal selection and to new X-linked beneficial or compensatory mutations, possibly supporting the faster-X hypothesis.
Management Strategies for Elderly Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most commonly occurring form of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), accounting for approximately one-third of adult lymphomas. There was an unprecedented rise in NHL incidence (3–4% per year) from the 1970s to the mid-1990s, comparable only to the rise in skin cancers1. It is estimated that there will be 70,140 new cases in 2012, making NHL the 7th most common cancer2. Though there appears to be a stabilization in the incidence of lymphoma since the late 1990s for young patients, this does not appear to be true for elderly patients, the majority of whom present over the age of 653,4. The median age of the world’s population is increasing, with the proportion of the United States (US) population aged ≥ 65 years projected to increase from 12.4% in 2000 to 19.6% in 20305. It is expected that the prevalence of NHL will increase with the aging population and it is well recognized that this patient population would benefit from the most appropriate modern therapy. Though heterogeneous, DLBCL has an aggressive natural history with a median survival of one year in untreated patients6. In the majority of studies conducted before 2000, older patients were systematically considered to be poor candidates for standard therapy and were treated with low-dose regimens7,8. The dilemma in managing elderly patients is that with aggressive treatment DLBCL is curable for the majority of patients, however, providing adequate therapy to this patient population can be complicated by co-morbid conditions, decreased drug metabolism, and worse performance status when compared to younger patients. Herein, we examine emerging trends on the clinical management and biology of DLBCL in the elderly patient population and explore findings from recent meetings and publications that will aid in further defining our management of this disease.
The Bargmann isometry and Gabor-Daubechies wavelet localization operators

I consider the relationship between Berezin-Toeplitz operators Tφ and the Gabor-Daubechies wavelet localization operators L φ w . For Gaussian“window” wo, it is easy to check that \( \beta L_{\varphi }^{{{{w}_{0}}}}{{\beta }^{{ - 1}}} = {{T}_{\varphi }} \), with β the Bargmann isometry. For more general w, and some interesting classes of “symbols” φ, I discuss some new equivalences of the form \(\beta L_\varphi ^w{\beta ^{ - 1}} = {T_{\left( {I + D} \right)\varphi ,}} \) where D = D(w) is a constant-coefficient linear differential operator with constant term 0. One consequence is that there is a φ of modulus one with L φ w1 =0 a for w1 normalized Hermite function with polynomial part of degree one. A detailed discussion of the Bargmann isometry is provided. Proof sketches of new results are provided with details to appear elsewhere.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Ada: Integrating AI with Mainstream Software Engineering

Abstract : In this report we discuss in detail pragmatic problems posed by the integration of Al with conventional software engineering, and within the framework of current Ada technology. A major objective of this work has been to begin to bridge the gap between the Ada and Al software cultures. The report summarizes survey results from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) special Interest Group for Ada (SlGAda) Al Working Group (AIWG), highlighting lessons learned and sample applications. An interesting observation is that a large percentage of Al code is procedural by nature and that better productivity rates are achieved by using Ada; also, efficiency is much better when compared to traditional Al languages. Although we show favorable results on the use of Ada technology for the implementation of Al software, a total integration remains difficult at the conceptual level. There are some impediments to a completely satisfactory solution, but only a few restrictions are more intrinsically related to the current Ada standard (Ada83); these, however, are being dealt with in the next revision known as Ada9X.
Leader Possible Selves: A New Motivational Construct to Considerin College Student Leader Development?

Using Avolio and Vogelgesang’s (2011) Leader Possible Selves (LPSs) model as a guide, this research further defines LPS, explores predictors of LPS in college students, and determines if LPS is associated with development of the leader self-concept via participation in college leadership development opportunities. We tested hypotheses derived from the model using three secondary databases. Previous leadership experience and psycho-social development predicted LPS in all three studies. LPS was associated with leadership development in all three studies. This research suggests that LPS should be included in research geared towards understanding leadership development.
Autism Spectrum Disorder and Family Functioning: A Therapist’s Perspective

With two decades of experience diagnosing and providing intervention support for families and their children on the autism spectrum, I (Dr. Susannah Poe) have had the privilege of working with families and learning how an autism diagnosis can impact the entire family. This chapter opens with an exploration into three diverse stages of readiness parents arrive with when obtaining an autism diagnosis (i.e., prepared, apprehensive, and unaware) as well as advice on how to best support and empower each family. Following a diagnosis, families with a child on the autism spectrum must alter expectations and formulate a new understanding of “normal.” Families entering into this new normal must reconcile with their child’s autism diagnosis, navigate confusing service systems, provide constant care and supervision for their child, cope with unwelcoming communities, and face financial difficulties. Providers should be aware of the diverse challenges families with children on the autism spectrum may encounter and be prepared to give them guidance and support. With the right support and guidance, these families become skilled caregivers, expert advocates, and community builders—enabling them to provide support for their child as well as other families.
China Electricity Generation Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity in 2030: Implications for Electric Vehicles.

Electrification of transportation offers clear national energy security benefits but unclear climate benefits. With the current heterogeneity of grid electricity mix in China, greenhouse gas (GHG) ...
Representation dependence in probabilistic inference

Non-deductive reasoning systems are often representation dependent, representing the same situation in two different ways may cause such a system to return two different answers. This is generally viewed as a significant problem. For example, the principle of maximum entropy has been subjected to much criticism due to its representation dependence. There has, however, been almost no work investigating representation dependence. In this paper, we formalize this notion and show that it is not a problem specific to maximum entropy. In fact, we show that any probabilistic inference system that sanctions certain important patterns of reasoning, such as a minimal default assumption of independence, must suffer from representation dependence. We then show that invariance under a restricted class of representation changes can form a reasonable compromise between representation independence and other desiderata.
ACM Taskforce Efforts on Computing Competencies for Undergraduate Data Science Curricula

The ACM Data Science Taskforce was established in 2017 by the ACM Education Council and tasked with articulating the role of computing discipline-specific contributions to the emerging field of data science. This taskforce is seeking to define what the computing contributions are to this multidisciplinary field, in order to provide guidance for computer science or similar departments offering data science programs of study at the undergraduate level. This panel session will provide an update of the work of the ACM Data Science Taskforce and will engage the ITiCSE international community in this effort. Panelists are members of the taskforce and will report on version 2 of a draft report released Fall 2019, and the activities to-date, including a summary of data science curricular efforts, as well as the current articulation of computing competencies. This session should be of interest to all conference attendees, but especially faculty developing bachelors-level curricula in Data Science.
PROJECTIONS OF DESIRE AND DESIGN IN EARLY MODERN CARIBBEAN MAPS

Iconic early European maps of the Caribbean depict neatly parcelled plantations, sugar mills, towns, and fortifications juxtaposed against untamed interiors sketched with runaway slaves and Indigenous toponyms. These extra-geographical symbols of racial and spatial meaning projected desire and design to powerful audiences. Abstractions about material life influenced colonial perceptions and actions upon a space, often to deleterious effects for the Indigenous and African people who were abused in tandem with the region's flora and fauna. The scientific revolution curbed these proscriptive and descriptive ‘thick-mapped’ features that offer historians an underexplored record of early colonial Caribbean life beyond the geographically descriptive. Before this shift from mystery to mastery, the early correlation of colonization and cartography in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries provides a fascinating glimpse into the process of creating the Americas. This article offers ideas for deconstructing old maps as new sources for historians of the early Atlantic World. As digital readers may explore through the roughly fifty maps linked via the footnotes, their informative spectacle naturalized colonialism upon lived and imagined race and space, created an exoticized, commodified Caribbean, and facilitated wealth extraction projects of competing empires made profitable by African labour on Indigenous land.
The Making of ‘Ideal’ Electrical and Computer Engineers: A Departmental Document Analysis

This article uses document analysis to explore departmental messaging about electrical and computer engineering identity development for undergraduate students at an American research university in...
Public Support for Policies to Reduce School Shootings: A Moral-Altruistic Model:

Objectives:The recurring mass murder of students in schools has sparked an intense debate about how best to increase school safety. Because public opinion weighs heavily in this debate, we examine ...
"Under Color of Law”? Rogue Officials and the Real State Action Problem

It is black letter law that violations of section one of the Fourteenth Amendment can only be committed by “the state.” For it is “the state” that the amendment commands not to abridge privileges or immunities of citizens, deprive persons of life, liberty, and property without due process of law, or deny persons equal protection of the law. And this prompts the question, how do we know when the state has acted? One way the state acts is by legislating, by enacting rules of conduct. Lawmaking is a paradigmatically state action. This state also acts by enforcing or implementing the laws that have been enacted, and by adjudicating disputes that arise under those laws. In such cases, the state acts through its agents--police, prosecutors, judges, and, indeed, all other public employees. But what if one of these agents of the state acts, not in pursuance of the state’s laws, but in contravention of those laws? Is this agent still acting as “the state”? Can such an agent violate the Fourteenth Amendment when, at the same time, he is acting contrary to the law of his state? That is the question I mean to raise in this article. I mean to raise it despite the fact that the Supreme Court has answered it--although its more recent answer contradicts an answer it gave previously.
Multiple Cerebrovascular Insults in Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum.

Abstract Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a rare systemic genetic disorder and an uncommon cause of ischaemic and haemorrhagic strokes. Its rarity and variable presentation may delay recognition and diagnosis of the primary disorder or associated conditions. Here, we describe a patient of European ancestry diagnosed with PXE in her 20s who presented in her 50s with a haemorrhagic stroke. Subsequent workup additionally revealed clinically silent ischaemic cerebral infarcts, critical stenosis of the right internal carotid artery and intracranial vasculopathy. Though she had some typical vascular risk factors, they were well-controlled. Antiplatelet therapy has traditionally been avoided in PXE due to increased risk of GI (and potentially retinal and cerebral) haemorrhage, but the medical team opted to start aspirin for secondary stroke prevention because she had no history of GI or retinal bleed, and her risk of ischaemic stroke was considered unacceptably high compared with that of clinically significant haemorrhage. Judicious use of antiplatelet therapy may be relatively safe in carefully selected patients. Anticipatory surveillance and management of the numerous manifestations of this potentially debilitating disorder are also important to preserve function and quality of life.
Does Body Mass Index Impact the Outcome of Stroke Patients Who Received Intravenous Thrombolysis

BACKGROUND We sought to investigate the effect of obesity and BMI on functional outcome and rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) in a large sample of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treated with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). METHODS In a single-center retrospective, but prospectively collected data, study of patients with AIS treated with IVT in a 10-year period, patients were placed into groups based on their BMI defined as underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m2), or obese (<30 kg/m2). The rate of sICH and discharge modified Rankin Scale (mRS) were compared between the groups using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS In a total of 834 patients who received IVT for AIS during a 10-year period, 224 (27.0%) were obese. Obese patients did not have a higher rate of sICH after IVT for AIS on the unadjusted or adjusted analysis (adjusted OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.48-1.88). We did not find an association between obesity and poor functional outcome at discharge (adjusted OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.53-1.09). CONCLUSIONS After adjusting for confounding factors such as age, baseline National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and comorbidities, obesity was not associated with an unfavorable functional outcome at discharge nor with a higher risk of sICH in patients with AIS treated with IVT.
National trends in clinical and pathologic staging for upper tract urothelial carcinoma: Implications for neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Abstract Introduction With growing support of perioperative chemotherapy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), current biopsy methods are challenging, and little is known as to the degree to which patients would appropriately receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) from biopsy alone. Herein, we sought to assess the rates of appropriate clinical use of NAC and identify clinicopathologic factors associated with aggressive UTUC amongst patients undergoing radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for clinically localized disease. Methods From 2004 to 2013, we identified all treatment naive patients diagnosed with clinically localized, high grade UTUC (cTa-4Nx) who underwent RNU from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Pathologic criteria for NAC (pT2-4N0,x; pTanyN1) from RNU represented the primary outcome. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were utilized to identify covariates associated with primary outcome to determine appropriate use of NAC. Results During the study interval, 5,362 patients were diagnosed with clinically localized UTUC and underwent RNU. Overall, 49.1% of patients presented with an unknown primary tumor stage (Tx) and 24.5% had invasive UTUC from biopsy. On multivariable analysis, upper tract tumor size was associated with invasive UTUC eligible for NAC (all P Conclusion Significant uncertainty persists in assigning primary upper tract tumor depth and represents a key barrier to widespread implementation of NAC for patients with high grade UTUC. Further research is needed to more accurately determine clinical criteria to identify patients for NAC.
Identifying the effective components of a standardized labor induction protocol: secondary analysis of a randomized, controlled trial.

Standardized labor induction protocols utilizing evidence-based active management practices are associated with improved obstetric outcomes. However, these protocols are complex and include multipl...
A User's Guide to BPM6-Based BOP and IIP Accounts

This note presents a short description of BPM6-based balance of payments (BOP) and international investment position (IIP) data. It works through examples using data for the United States and Mexico while providing guidance for understanding the data of just about any country. Excerpt UVA-GEM-0154 Rev. Jan. 7, 2021 A User's Guide to BPM6-Based BOP and IIP Accounts This note presents a short description of balance of payments (BOP) and international investment position (IIP) data. It refers to data for the United States and Mexico, but given that there are worldwide standards for countries that report BOP and IIP, it provides guidance for understanding the data of just about any country. The BOP accounts record international transactions (flows within a period of time), whereas the IIP records financial positions (stocks accumulated over time, reported as end-of-period values). In theory, there should be a straightforward link between the two. The BOP concerns the current account (trade in goods and services, plus remittance flows and income streams from international positions) and the transactions that finance it. The financing transactions the so-called capital flows result in cross-border positions in equities, debt, and other investment vehicles, and those positions are what make up the IIP. The position (or IIP) from year to year should evolve according to flows recorded in the BOP plus valuation changes (due to price and exchange rate movements). Individual countries publish their own BOP and IIP data, but the easiest place to find the data is in various International Monetary Fund (IMF) databases available at . The IMF not only brings together BOP and IIP data for more than 100 countries, but it also ensures consistency in the presentation of the data and creates global standards for BOP and IIP reporting. IMF guidelines change infrequently; when they do, countries try (to various degrees) to restructure data collection systems so that data can be produced according to the current set of global guidelines. This note is based on the current set of guidelines, which were codified in the sixth edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6), which was released in November 2013. . . .
The need for a standardized conceptual term to describe invalidation of patient symptoms.

In this paper, I comment on a growing literature documenting that many patients perceive their symptoms have been dismissed, ignored, not taken seriously, not believed, etc. (i.e. invalidated) by h...
Multilingual BERT Post-Pretraining Alignment.

We propose a simple method to align multilingual contextual embeddings as a post-pretraining step for improved cross-lingual transferability of the pretrained language models. Using parallel data, our method aligns embeddings on the word level through the recently proposed Translation Language Modeling objective as well as on the sentence level via contrastive learning and random input shuffling. We also perform sentence-level code-switching with English when finetuning on downstream tasks. On XNLI, our best model (initialized from mBERT) improves over mBERT by 4.7% in the zero-shot setting and achieves comparable result to XLM for translate-train while using less than 18% of the same parallel data and 31% fewer model parameters. On MLQA, our model outperforms XLM-R_Base, which has 57% more parameters than ours.
FACTORS INFLUENCING CAREER DECISIONS AND SATISFACTION AMONG NEWLY PRACTICING OPHTHALMOLOGISTS.

ABSTRACT Purpose To describe the career choices of newly practicing ophthalmologists and explore factors influencing career decisions and satisfaction. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from an electronic survey of ophthalmologists who completed training within the prior 5 years. The survey included questions about demographic information, medical education, current practice, factors affecting career choices, and career satisfaction. Statistical comparisons were made based on gender, type of practice, subspecialty training, and practice area. Results Surveys were completed by 696 (32%) newly practicing ophthalmologists, including 276 (40%) women, 179 (29%) academicians, and 465 (67%) subspecialists. A higher proportion of female respondents entered academics than male respondents (36% vs 26%, P = .009). Female and male respondents pursued fellowship training with similar frequency (64% vs 68%, P = .32), but men were more likely to seek vitreoretinal fellowships (30% vs 11%, P Conclusions The career choices of newly practicing ophthalmologists differ based on gender, type of practice, subspecialty training, and practice area. Many factors affect career decisions, and they have varying influence on subgroups within ophthalmology. Ophthalmologists have high levels of career satisfaction. This information may prove useful when developing workforce strategies to meet future eye care needs.
The Role of the Central Histaminergic System in Behavioral State Control.

Histamine is a small monoamine signaling molecule that plays a role in many peripheral and central physiological processes, including the regulation of wakefulness. The tuberomammillary nucleus is the sole neuronal source of histamine in the brain, and histamine neurons are thought to promote wakefulness and vigilance maintenance – under certain environmental and/or behavioral contexts – through their diffuse innervation of the cortex and other wake-promoting brain circuits. Histamine neurons also contain a number of other putative neurotransmitters, although the functional role of these co-transmitters remains incompletely understood. Within the brain histamine operates through three receptor subtypes that are located on pre- and post-synaptic membranes. Some histamine receptors exhibit constitutive activity, and hence exist in an activated state even in the absence of histamine. Newer medications used to reduce sleepiness in narcolepsy patients in fact enhance histamine signaling by blunting the constitutive activity of these histamine receptors. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the central histamine system with an emphasis on its role in behavioral state regulation and how drugs targeting histamine receptors are used clinically to treat a wide range of sleep-wake disorders.
Utility of Cyst Fluid Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Differentiating Mucinous and Non-mucinous Pancreatic Cysts: An Updated Meta-Analysis.

Mucinous pancreatic cysts are considered premalignant and managed differently compared to benign pancreatic cystic lesions. The aim of this updated meta-analysis is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of cyst carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in differentiating between mucinous and non-mucinous pancreatic cysts. Studies comparing the diagnostic accuracy of CEA (cutoff level of 192 ng/mL) in differentiating between mucinous and non-mucinous pancreatic cysts were searched in Medline, Ovid journals, Medline nonindexed citations, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Systematic Reviews. Pooled estimates of diagnostic precision were calculated using random and fixed effects models. Initial search identified 526 reference articles, of these 34 relevant articles were selected and reviewed. Data were extracted from 15 studies (n = 2063) which met the inclusion criteria. The pancreatic cystic fluid CEA level at a 192 ng/mL cutoff value had pooled specificity of 88.6% (95% CI 85.9–90.9) and pooled sensitivity was found to be 60.4% (95% CI 57.7–62.9). The pooled positive likelihood ratio was 4.5 (95% CI 2.9–6.9) and the pooled negative likelihood ratio was 0.45 (95% CI 0.38–0.52). The pooled diagnostic odds ratio, the odds of having mucinous cyst with elevated CEA, was 11.4 (95% CI 6.9–18.7). The P for chi-squared heterogeneity for all the pooled accuracy estimates was > 0.10. This meta-analysis suggests that the cyst fluid CEA level at a 192 ng/mL cutoff value is highly specific in the diagnosis of mucinous cystic lesions with reasonable sensitivity.
Qualitative Health Research - A Beginner's Guide

Qualitative Research in Health: An Introduction by Carol Grbich is a research text for beginners in qualitative health research. Grbich explicitly and simply introduces the new researcher to the theoretical issues, concepts, methodologies, processes, techniques, approaches, and debates in qualitative research, with a specific focus on the health sciences. Her easily-readable text gives new researchers an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of each qualitative method. Key Words: Qualitative Research, Health, and Qualitative Methods The application of qualitative research methods has grown rapidly over the years in various health disciplines. Many researchers in health sciences continue to adopt this newer research design in their investigations. Carol Grbich’s (2009) book, Qualitative Research in Health: An Introduction, offers a practical, comprehensive, and introductory guide in qualitative health research for beginners. To prepare new users to better understand the application of methods and techniques in health care, she introduces the qualitative methods within historical and ideological contexts. Grbich’s presentation style of the various methods is impartial. She writes in such a way that readers can appreciate the dynamic nature of qualitative research. Each health researcher, based on his/her own ability and expertise, can use this impartial presentation to consider the changing nature of techniques and debates within qualitative inquiry. Her 312-page book, consisting of 11 chapters, is divided into four parts: Theory and Design; Techniques of Data Collection; Methodological Approaches; and Interpretation, Analysis, and Presentation of Data, respectively. Part 1, Theory and Design, has three chapters that emphasize historical perspectives, definitions, quantitative-qualitative debates, use of the theoretical perspective in qualitative research, and ethical issues. In Chapter 1, Grbich (2009) references and discusses several approaches to definitions, historical trends, and a contemporary orientation in health research. She hopes that the brief history of quantitative-qualitative research provides sufficient background information so that a beginner would be able to formulate some answers to the question, “What is qualitative research” (p. 24)? In Chapter 2, “Theory in Research: Approaches to the Use of Theoretical Perspectives” (p. 26), Grbich looks at various approaches used for conceptual frameworks in qualitative research, including “driven; generating; postmodern/poststructural and feminist” (p. 29). Grbich emphasizes that although a feminist perspective is not a theory as such, it is included because of its valuable contribution to research approaches and its influence on thought within the health field. In Chapter 3, “Research Design Issues,” she investigates historical debates and dilemmas currently surrounding research design. Grbich sums up the usual major issues that affect research design and concludes that “the issues of ‘objectivity,’ ‘subjectivity,’ ‘validity,’ ‘reliability,’ ‘generalisability,’ ‘sampling’ and the ethics and accountability involved in
The Search for the Higgs Boson

In 2000, intriguing indications of the direct production of a Higgs boson were reported by CERN researchers. This particle is important because it is the manifestation of the energy field thought to endow most elementary particles with mass. In their Perspective, [ Riordan et al. ][1] discuss the experiments performed to date to catch a glimpse of this elusive particle and determine its mass. Future experiments will access even higher energies than today's particle accelerators and should finally settle the questions of its existence and mass. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/291/5502/259
A model‐based evaluation of woody plant encroachment effects on coupled carbon and water cycles

[1] The conversion of grasslands to shrublands by woody plant encroachment is a common occurrence in arid and semi-arid regions that can have significant effects on ecosystem hydrology and biogeochemistry, including changes in soil organic carbon stocks. The mechanisms determining the direction and magnitude of soil carbon change due to encroachment are unknown but appear to depend on factors that vary along a gradient of mean annual precipitation. We present a model of coupled steady-state soil moisture and carbon dynamics that accounts for the effects of structural heterogeneity at the scale of vegetation patches by representing the local effects of root systems and canopies. We applied the model to paired grasslands and woody encroachment-produced shrublands spanning a climate gradient in the American Southwest, and model results were consistent with measured values. Modeled transpiration, which was used to determine productivity, was 5%–57% greater in shrublands, with the greatest difference occurring where the relative difference in leaf area index between grass and shrub patches was small and vegetation density was low. Patterns of soil carbon abundance were mainly driven by patterns of productivity, but decomposition rates were also affected by vegetation structure. Woody encroachment increases heterogeneity in soil carbon decomposition rates and has the net effect of increasing soil carbon residence times by 3.6–4.9 years. Our model represents an important step toward a mechanistic and quantitative understanding of the effect of vegetation structure on soil moisture and carbon dynamics and highlights the need for a better description of belowground vegetation structure in ecosystem models.