cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nurse-Led Behavioral Management of Diabetes and Hypertension in Community Practices: A Randomized Trial

Several trials have demonstrated the efficacy of nurse telephone case management for diabetes (DM) and hypertension (HTN) in academic or vertically integrated systems. Little is known about the real-world potency of these interventions. To assess the effectiveness of nurse behavioral management of DM and HTN in community practices among patients with both diseases. The study was designed as a patient-level randomized controlled trial. Participants included adult patients with both type 2 DM and HTN who were receiving care at one of nine community fee-for-service practices. Subjects were required to have inadequately controlled DM (hemoglobin A1c [A1c] ≥ 7.5 %) but could have well-controlled HTN. All patients received a call from a nurse experienced in DM and HTN management once every two months over a period of two years, for a total of 12 calls. Intervention patients received tailored DM- and HTN- focused behavioral content; control patients received non-tailored, non-interactive information regarding health issues unrelated to DM and HTN (e.g., skin cancer prevention). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and A1c were co-primary outcomes, measured at 6, 12, and 24 months; 24 months was the primary time point. Three hundred seventy-seven subjects were enrolled; 193 were randomized to intervention, 184 to control. Subjects were 55 % female and 50 % white; the mean baseline A1c was 9.1 % (SD = 1 %) and mean SBP was 142 mmHg (SD = 20). Eighty-two percent of scheduled interviews were conducted; 69 % of intervention patients and 70 % of control patients reached the 24-month time point. Expressing model estimated differences as (intervention – control), at 24 months, intervention patients had similar A1c [diff = 0.1 %, 95 % CI (−0.3, 0.5), p = 0.51] and SBP [diff = −0.9 mmH g, 95% CI (−5.4, 3.5), p = 0.68] values compared to control patients. Likewise, DBP (diff = 0.4 mmHg, p = 0.76), weight (diff = 0.3 kg, p = 0.80), and physical activity levels (diff = 153 MET-min/week, p = 0.41) were similar between control and intervention patients. Results were also similar at the 6- and 12-month time points. In nine community fee-for-service practices, telephonic nurse case management did not lead to improvement in A1c or SBP. Gains seen in telephonic behavioral self-management interventions in optimal settings may not translate to the wider range of primary care settings.
Compositional changes of douglas fir seeds during germination

Changes in weight, water content, nucleic acids, nucleotides, carbohydrates, lipids, nitrogenous and phosphorus compounds in embryo and gametophyte of Douglas fir seeds (Pseudotsuga menziesii Franco) were studied at 6 stages of germination. Lipids, proteins, and reserve phosphorus compounds in the gametophyte were utilized for the synthesis of carbohydrates, structural components, and soluble compounds in the seedling.The general quantitative metabolic changes that occur during germination of Douglas fir seeds are comparable to those known for angiosperm seeds.
Compact and noncompact solutions for nonlinear dispersive variants of the generalized KdV equation

In this paper we examine three distinct nonlinear dispersive variants of the generalized KdV equation. We study the compact and the noncompact structures for these variants. We also emphasize the fact that purely nonlinear dispersion can cause a deep qualitative change in the genuinely nonlinear phenomenon.
Longitudinal Prediction of Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Adolescent Males from Multiple Risk Domains

The disruptive behavior disorders are among the most prevalent youth psychiatric disorders, and they predict numerous problematic outcomes in adulthood. This study examined multiple domains of risk during early childhood and early adolescence as longitudinal predictors of disruptive behavior disorder diagnoses among adolescent males. Early adolescent risks in the domains of sociodemographic factors, the caregiving context, and youth attributes were examined as mediators of associations between early childhood risks and disruptive behavior disorder diagnoses. Participants were 309 males from a longitudinal study of low-income mothers and their sons. Caregiving and youth risk during early adolescence each predicted the likelihood of receiving a disruptive behavior disorder diagnosis. Furthermore, sociodemographic and caregiving risk during early childhood were indirectly associated with disruptive behavior disorder diagnoses via their association with early adolescent risk. The findings suggest that preventive interventions targeting risk across domains may reduce the prevalence of disruptive behavior disorders.
Stimulus parameters producing response summation

Three rats learned a discrimination in which responses were reinforced on a variable interval schedule in the presence of either a light/tone combination or a no-light/no-tone combination. No responses were reinforced when the stimulus was a combination of light/no tone. These Ss responded at their highest rate when the stimulus was a no-light/tone combination. Another three Ss also learned a discrimination in which responses were reinforced during either a light/tone combination or a no-light/no-tone combination. But these Ss were never reinforced for responding when the stimulus was a combination of no light/ tone. They responded at their highest rates when presented with a combination of light/no tone. The increased response rate during a stimulus that differed from the extinction stimulus along both the light and sound continua is an example of response summation. The stimulus combinations that produced response summation in this study have not previously been used to demonstrate response summation, and they support Weiss’s (1969) explanation of this phenomenon.
Changes in Serum Hormone Levels Associated with Male-Induced Ovulation in Group-Housed Adult Female Mice*

Endocrine changes mediating male-induced estrus were examined in intact female mice which were rendered pseudopregnant by housing in groups. Adult female mice were placed in group cages on the day of estrus, and on day 5 of the ensuing pseudopregnancy, a mature male mouse was placed in the group cage. Animals were killed and serum levels of LH, FSH, PRL, estradiol, and progesterone were assayed over the 72 h after introduction of the male. During the first 24 h of male exposure, progesterone plummeted to basal levels. These events were followed by a gradual rise in serum estradiol, an increase in uterine weight, and an LH surge at 62 h which was followed by ovulation. PRL levels tended to be lower in treated females, but this was not significant. It is postulated that the initial exercise of the male is to destroy the corpus luteum of pseudopregnancy, presumably by suppressing luteal support. The question is raised of whether the male is also necessary to induce the subsequent LH surge or if suppression o...
Use of NBD-cholesterol to identify a minor but NPC1L1-independent cholesterol absorption pathway in mouse intestine.

The importance of Niemann-Pick C1 Like-1 (NPC1L1) protein in intestinal absorption of dietary sterols, including both cholesterol and phytosterols, is well documented. However, the exact mechanism ...
Toward an experimental ecology of human development.

A broader approach to research in hu- j man development is proposed that focuses on the pro- \ gressive accommodation, throughout the life span, between the growing human organism and the changing environments in which it actually lives and grows. \ The latter include not only the immediate settings containing the developing person but also the larger social contexts, both formal and informal, in which these settings are embedded. In terms of method, the approach emphasizes the use of rigorousj^d^igned exp_erjments, both naturalistic and contrived, beginning in the early stages of the research process. The chang- ing relation between person and environment is con- ceived in systems terms. These systems properties are set forth in a series of propositions, each illus- trated by concrete research examples.
The clinical spectrum of cardiac fibroma with diagnostic and surgical considerations: Noninvasive imaging enhances management

A cardiac fibroma was successfully resected from the interventricular septum of a 25-year-old woman. The clinical data were correlated with a review of the data on 144 other patients, thereby providing a clinical profile and management strategy for this type of tumor. Initial manifestations of a fibroma were determined to be congestive heart failure (21%), tachyarrhythmias (13%), and chest pain (3.5%). A majority of patients were asymptomatic (36%) with abnormal physical findings or an abnormal chest roentgenogram. Finding the tumor at autopsy incidentally or on sudden death (23%) indicated the lethal potential. A few (3.5%) of the reports on patients with cardiac fibroma were without clinical data. Noninvasive imaging by echocardiography, computed tomography, and nuclear magnetic resonance improved the diagnosis. Surgical treatment was successful in 53 of the 84 patients for whom it was attempted.
Micro-optic solar concentration and next-generation prototypes

We recently proposed a micro-optic solar concentrator using a two-dimensional array of small-aperture lenses focusing into a planar slab waveguide. By placing mirrors at each lens focus, light collected by the lens array reflects into a common slab waveguide at angles which guide by total internal reflection. Coupled sunlight propagates within the slab until reaching a photovoltaic cell mounted along the edge(s). Simulations of this geometry reveal designs with 89% and 81.9% optical efficiency at 100x and 300x geometric concentrations respectively. The micro-optic concentrator was previously fabricated as a proof-of-concept, but exhibited poor performance due to lens aberrations. Here, we present a 2nd-generation system using a better-suited lens array and achieve >52% measured efficiency. We also discuss performance tradeoffs associated with micro-optic concentration and explore secondary coupler designs as a means to increase both efficiency and concentration.
Unexpected pathologies in pediatric parotid lesions: Management paradigms revisited

Abstract Objectives To present case vignettes of unusual pediatric parotid pathologies and discuss management paradigms in the context of these lesions. Study design Retrospective case series. Setting Free-standing, academic tertiary care pediatric hospital. Methods All patients over the past 18 months undergoing parotidectomy for a parotid mass were reviewed (N = 5). Results Ages ranged from 17 months to 16 years. All presented with a remarkably similar clinical course, consisting of a persistent parotid mass for more than 3 months which was usually painless. Most (4/5 patients) had been treated with antibiotics prior to Otolaryngology consultation. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) was performed on 3 patients and was diagnostic in one. Complete excision of the mass was performed in each child through a parotidectomy approach (3 total, 2 lateral lobe). The final pathology showed metastatic neuroblastoma (17 months old), undifferentiated primitive sarcoma (22 months old), mucoepidermoid carcinoma (11 years old), nodular fasciitis (12 years old), and hyperplastic lymph node (16 years old). The patient with neuroblastoma died from complications of bone marrow transplant. Conclusions The differential diagnosis for a persistent pediatric parotid mass is expansive and differs from that found in the adult population. As this series highlights, in many cases, it is impossible to discern the pathology, or rule out malignancy, based upon the clinical course, imaging, or FNA results. Surgical excision remains the standard for management of these patients and is both diagnostic and therapeutic. Our anecdotal case series highlights the importance of having a low threshold for parotidectomy in these children.
Polymerization and Sickle Cell Disease: A Molecular View

The present molecular-level understanding of polymerization and sickling is reviewed for 2 central questions in sickle hemoglobin pathophysiology, viz., what determines when cells sickle, and what determines when cells get stuck. The description of sickling includes the central aspects of the double nucleation mechanism, as well as recent results on the effects of crowding, with an emphasis on the physiological applicability of this fundamental knowledge. In considering when cells get stuck, new measurements of individual fiber stiffness and the processes of depolymerization are also considered. Finally, a fundamental connection is shown between thermodynamics and rheology.
Against the Existence of Pied-Piping: Evidence from Tlingit

I argue that pied-piping, as traditionally understood, might not exist. I reanalyze classic examples from English and other well-studied languages in light of new data from Tlingit, an understudied and endangered language of Alaska. I argue that the initial appearance of pied-piping in Tlingit is misleading and actually reflects structures where no true pied-piping occurs. I then show that a similar analysis is possible for putative cases of pied-piping in other, well-known languages. Consequently, both the phenomenon of pied-piping and the grammatical mechanisms introduced to derive it might be eliminable from the theory of grammar.
Compositional model checking

A method is described for reducing the complexity of temporal logic model checking in systems composed of many parallel processes. The goal is to check properties of the components of a system and then deduce global properties from these local properties. The main difficulty with this type of approach is that local properties are often not preserved at the global level. The authors present a general framework for using additional interface processes to model the environment for a component. These interface processes are typically much simpler than the full environment of the component. By composing a component with its interface processes and then checking properties of this composition, the authors can guarantee that these properties will be preserved at the global level. They give two example compositional systems based on the logic CTL. >
An approach to analyze and evaluate transmission cost impacts for new generation proposals

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has established a standardized process for interconnecting new generation that should be applied by responsible planning coordinators (ISO/RTO/TO). In a Request for Offer (RFO) of generation valuation and selection process, it is logical to seek for the most cost-effective solution that takes into account generation costs and transmission upgrade costs of all upgraded network elements. This paper describes a reasonable and robust methodology which can be used to assess the impacts of transmission costs in new generation procurement. Unlike previous methods discussed in the energy industry, this approach reflects the physical impact of new generation projects on the MW loading and short-circuit duties of required network upgrades to calculate transmission costs. This methodology can be suitably employed by any load serving entity (LSE) in the NERC region for including transmission costs in the Request For Offer (RFO) overall evaluation process for the procurement of new generation resources.
Robust execution of temporally flexible plans for bipedal walking devices

Robotic wheeled rovers have been successfully controlled by activity execution systems that use plans with temporal flexibility to adapt to disturbances. These systems abstract away the detailed dynamic constraints of the controlled device. To control dynamic, devices, such as agile bipeds, we extend this execution paradigm to incorporate detailed dynamic constraints. Building upon prior work on dispatchable plan execution, we introduce a novel approach to flexible plan execution that achieves robustness by exploiting spatial as well as temporal plan flexibility. To accomplish this, we first transform the high-dimensional system into a set of low dimensional, weakly-coupled systems. Second, to coordinate these systems, we compile a plan into a flow tube description, representing all legal trajectories and their temporal coordination. Finally, the problem of runtime plan dispatching is reduced to maintaining state trajectories in their associated flow tubes. The approach is validated using a high fidelity biped simulation.
Preventing Problem Behaviors in Children with Disabilities

School personnel face daily and continuous challenges in efforts to establish and maintain safe and orderly classroom environments where teachers can teach and students can learn. Prevention strate...
Globalizing communication/journalism, ending fragmentation within philosophy, and analyzing history as life-spans in samsara

This article is an attempt to expand the theoretical, methodological, and historical boundaries of communication/journalism studies to suit the beginning phase of the contemporary Digital Era. Firs...
Elastic Properties and Structure of Interpenetrating Boron Carbide/Aluminum Multiphase Composites

We study the elastic moduli and structure of boron carbide/aluminum (B4C/Al) multiphase composites using rigorous bounding and experimental characterization techniques. We demonstrate that rigorous bounds on the effective moduli are useful in that they can accurately predict (i) the effective elastic moduli, given the phase moduli and volume fractions, or (ii) the phase moduli (volume fractions), given the effective moduli and phase volume fractions (moduli). Using the best available rigorous bounds on the effective elastic moduli of multiphase composites involving volume-fraction information, we are able to predict the bulk and shear moduli of the Al4BC phase, a reaction product that forms during heat treatment. These theoretical predictions are in very good agreement with recent experimental measurements of the moduli of the Al4BC phase. Moreover, we evaluate more-refined bounds involving three-point structural correlation functions by extracting such information from an image of a sample of the B4C/Al composite. Although experimental data for the effective moduli are unavailable for this sample, our predictions of the effective moduli based on three-point bounds should be quite accurate.
Disaster Preparedness and Response as Primary Health Care

The need for search and rescue and medical care following a sudden impact disaster is immediate and often overwhelming. In the past, governments and international organizations have relied on external assistance for these efforts. Because the life expectancy of severely injured and trapped victims is limited, the response must come first from the impact area itself. The preponderance of disaster research demonstrates that the local populace overwhelmingly is responsible for search-and-rescue efforts. Emergency medical care, e.g., that delivered in the first 24 hours to 48 hours after a disaster, also is overwhelmingly from local or regional resources. Outside and, perhaps, even international assistance is required for medium- and long-term response, but is of limited benefit for the “emergency phase.”
Physical Exercise and Cancer-Related Fatigue in Hospitalized Patients: Role of the Clinical Nurse Leader in Implementation of Interventions

BACKGROUND Guidelines suggest that aerobic endurance training and moderate resistance training lessen the effects of cancer-related fatigue (CRF). However, specifics regarding frequency, intensity, and type of physical activity required to alleviate fatigue are less specific. In addition, outcomes of these interventions during the initial stages of active treatment are not well documented. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this article is to review the current evidence-based literature regarding the effects of physical exercise on CRF and the role that the clinical nurse leader (CNL) can play in implementing interventions to address CRF and promote physical exercise to improve patient outcomes. METHODS A literature review of the effect of physical exercise on CRF was conducted using the CINAHL®, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. FINDINGS As leaders in health care, CNLs have the knowledge and skill to take an active role in managing CRF and to develop evidence-based interventions to address fatigue in this patient population. Interventions may include creating and evaluating individualized exercise plans for inpatients with cancer and/or developing educational programs for the inpatient setting that may be continued after discharge and during outpatient treatment.
Normal vascular anatomy of the head of the femur in puppies with emphasis on the inferior retinacular vessels.

This basic study of the normal vascular anatomy of the femoral head in young puppies may lend itself to a more thorough understanding of experimental hip disease in puppies. It is important to recognize the similarities in vascular supply of the hip in puppies and that seen in man. However, a comparison of the species may lead to erroneous conclusions. No clinical assumptions should be made on the basis of studies not anatomically accurate for the species used as an experimental model. Therefore, this study has attempted to enlighten investigators concerning the vascular anatomy of the hip in puppies.
French intervention in Mali: strategic alliances, long-term regional presence?

AbstractThe March 2012 coup in Mali opened the door to expanded territorial occupation in northern Mali by Tuareg separatists and subsequently armed Islamist extremists. French forces intervened at the behest of the interim government in Mali. This article examines how various actors frame the conflict to their advantage. While the Malian government and France are allies, the position of various Tuareg actors shift over time as they strategize and weigh the value of allegiance with the French. Local extremist organizations are labeled as terrorists and are targeted as enemies. This article argues that the conflict has been decontextualized and framed within the ‘war on terror’. France’s decision to intervene and to expand their regional military presence, rather than exit, is legitimized by the framing of their intervention as integral to counterterrorism efforts.
Teaching Evidence-Based Medicine in the Era of Point-of-Care Databases: The Case of the Giant Bladder Stone

In an era where physicians rely on point-of-care databases that provide filtered, pre-appraised, and quickly accessible clinical information by smartphone applications, it is difficult to teach medical students the importance of knowing not only when it is appropriate to search the primary medical literature but also how to do it. This column will describe how librarians at an academic health sciences library use an unusual clinical case to make demonstrations of searching primary medical literature real and meaningful to medical students, and to illustrate vividly the importance of knowing what to do when the answer to a clinical question cannot be found in a point-of-care database.
Triumphal and Tragic Narratives of the War in Asia

Fiftieth anniversaries are unlike other commemorative occasions, especially when they are anniversaries of war. Participants in the events of a half century ago are still alive to tell their emotional personal tales. Their oral histories confront the skepticism and detachment of younger generations who have no memories of the war. Historians with access to materials that were previously inaccessible (or simply ignored) develop new perspectives on the dynamics and significance of what took place. Politicians milk the still palpable human connection between past and present for every possible drop of ideological elixir. History, memory, scholarship, and politics become entangled in intricate ways.1 All this is predictably apparent in this fiftieth anniversary of the conclusion of World War II in Asia. Where the end of the war against Japan is concerned, however, the contemporary commemorations have become unusually contentious, especially in the United States. Why such controversy now, when for all ostensible purposes we are commemorating the Allied victory over an aggressive, atrocious, and fanatical enemy? The answer, of course, lies in the atomic bombs and the fact that victory over Japan entailed incinerating and irradiating men, women, and children with a weapon more terrible than any previously known or imagined. Triumph and tragedy became inseparable. At the same time, in the fires of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the so-called total victory of the United States became fused with a future of inescapable insecurity. The bombs marked both an end and a beginningthe end of an appalling global conflagration in which more than 50 million people were killed and the beginning of the nuclear arms race and a new world in which security was forever a step away and enormous resources had to be diverted to military pursuits. It is a measure of the impoverishment of our present-day political climate in the United States that Americans have been denied a rare opportunity to use the fiftieth anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to reflect more deeply about these
A New Name BCQ Becomes BPCQ

Many of you will have already noticed our new cover when you receive your print copy, or if you are an electronic subscriber, you will have noticed our new logo. This issue of Business and Professional Communication Quarterly inaugurates our new name. We are very excited about this transformation, as it recognizes the multitransand interdisciplinary nature of the fields that now represent business and professional communication. I have reproduced below our revised “Aims and Scope”:
Spatial statistics and Gaussian processes: A beautiful marriage

Abstract Spatial analysis has grown at a remarkable rate over the past two decades. Fueled by sophisticated GIS software and inexpensive and fast computation, collection of data with spatially referenced information has increased. Recognizing that such information can improve data analysis has led to an explosion of modeling and model fitting. The contribution of this paper is to illustrate how Gaussian processes have emerged as, arguably, the most valuable tool in the toolkit for geostatistical modeling. Apart from the simplest versions, geostatistical modeling can be viewed as a hierarchical specification with Gaussian processes introduced appropriately at different levels of the specification. This naturally leads to adopting a Bayesian framework for inference and suitable Gibbs sampling/Markov chain Monte Carlo for model fitting. Here, we review twenty years of modeling work spanning multivariate spatial analysis, gradient analysis, Bayesian nonparametric spatial ideas, directional data, extremes, data fusion, and large spatial and spatio-temporal datasets. We demonstrate that Gaussian processes are the key ingredients in all of this work. Most of the content is focused on modeling with examples being limited due to length constraints for the article. Altogether, we are able to conclude that spatial statistics and Gaussian processes do, indeed, make a beautiful marriage.
Quantitative Analysis of Cancellous Bone Graft Available from the Greater Trochanter

To quantify the amount of cancellous bone graft available from the greater trochanteric region, 20 paired iliac crest-proximal femur specimens were harvested and compared in 10 adult pelvises. A 1.3 x 1.3-cm cortical window was made in the lateral aspect of the proximal femur 2 cm distal from the tip of the greater trochanter. Cancellous bone evacuation was performed by curettage. The extent of harvest was mechanically limited by the medial wall of the trochanter and by curette impingement on the margins of the cortical window. The graft was quantitated after maximal digital compression in a 10-ml syringe and compared with cancellous graft obtained from the paired anterior iliac crest. The average compressed volume of cancellous bone harvested from the greater trochanter was 6.5 ml (range, 4.2-9.6 ml). The average iliac crest cancellous bone volume was 6.0 ml (range, 2.7-8.8 ml). Differences in graft volume between the anterior iliac crest and the trochanter were not statistically significant. The resulting defect in the proximal femur remained isolated to the trochanteric region. In this study, we demonstrate that cancellous bone is available from the greater trochanteric region in an amount similar to that available from the anterior iliac crest. We also show that it is obtainable in a reproducible manner. Our clinical experience of over 100 cases has demonstrated acceptable morbidity associated with this technique. The greater trochanteric region may be used as a secondary source of autogenous cancellous bone graft when specific procedures demand more bone graft than available from the iliac crest alone, or in patients who have had previous iliac crest graft harvest.
Analysis of Lateral Stability of Electrostatic Comb-drive Structure

Electrostatic comb-drive actuators have been widely used in MEMS field.In general,the traveling ranges of comb-drive actuators are limited by the lateral instabilities which cause a sudden snap between the movable comb fingers and the fixed fingers,resulting in functional failure.The lateral stability of the typical electrostatic comb structure was investigated.From theoretical simulations and experimental verifications,it was found that the ratio of lengthwise stiffness to transverse stiffness of the suspensions is a key factor for lateral stability.With increased stiffness ratio,the lateral stability of comb-drive structure is improved.
Evaluation of therapies for hepatitis B virus in the HBV transgenic SCID mouse model

Publisher Summary Hepatitis B virus (HBV) transgenic SCID mice support virus gene expression and replication. Chronic carriers of hepatitis B are at high risk of the developing hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). These diseases carry with them considerable morbidity and mortality. Following adoptive transfer, these mice develop acute and chronic hepatitis. To exploit this system for screening the next generation of antiviral compounds, in the study discussed in this chapter, these mice were treated with nucleoside analogs having known antiviral activities against HBV. The groups of mice were treated for six days. Virus markers reappeared in some mice within a week after the end of therapy. The results validate the HBV transgenic mouse model for screening compounds for activity against HBV in vivo.
Differences in bone quality and strength between Asian and Caucasian young men

This is a cross-sectional study to assess differences in bone quality in young Asian and Caucasian (n = 30/group) men between 25 and 35 years. We found that Asians had smaller bones, thicker and denser cortices, and more plate-like trabeculae, but stiffness did not differ between groups. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess differences in bone quality in young Asian and Caucasian (n = 30/group) men between 25 and 35 years. We measured bone mineral density (BMD) at the spine, total hip (TH), femoral neck (FN), and forearm by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and bone geometry, density, microarchitecture, and mechanical competence at the radius and tibia by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) with application of individual trabecula segmentation (ITS) and trabecular and whole bone finite element analysis (FEA). We measured load-to-strength ratio to account for differences in bone size and height, respectively. We used Wilcoxon rank sum and generalized linear models adjusted for height, weight, and their interaction for comparisons. Asians were 3.9 % shorter and weighed 6.5 % less than Caucasians. In adjusted models: by DXA, there were no significant race-based differences in areal BMD; by HR-pQCT, at the radius, Asians had smaller total and trabecular area (p = 0.003 for both), and denser (p = 0.01) and thicker (p = 0.04) cortices at the radius; by ITS, at the radius Asians, had more plate-like than rod-like trabeculae (PR ratio p = 0.01), greater plate trabecular surface (p = 0.009) and longer rod length (p = 0.002). There were no significant race-based differences in FEA or the load-to-strength ratio. Asians had smaller bones, thicker and denser cortices, and more plate-like trabeculae, but biomechanical estimates of bone strength did not differ between groups. Studies are needed to determine whether these differences persist later in life.
A test of the migration-modulation hypothesis in a non-passerine Neotropical migrant, the Blue-winged Teal Anas discors

Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) initiate southward migration from their North American breeding grounds in late summer, making trans-Gulf flights to overwinter in South America. As such, this species displays a fall migratory pattern unique among North American waterfowl and similar to that of many New World passerines that migrate to and overwinter in the Neotropics. Corticosterone, the major avian hormone of stress and energy regulation, is known to influence migratory physiology in passerines. The migration-modulation hypothesis (MMH), a pattern of corticosterone secretion characterized by an elevated adrenocortical baseline and a reduced adrenocortical response to a standardized stressor, has been documented in several passerine and shorebird species during migration. However, little is known about the adrenocortical response in migratory waterfowl. We sampled Blue-winged Teal during fall (n = 8) and spring migrations (n = 10), and compared their adrenocortical profiles to those of breeding Teal (n = 20). Baseline corticosterone did not differ among groups; however, migrating Teal in both fall and spring had a significantly reduced adrenocortical response. This reduction in the acute adrenocortical response during migration supports the MMH, and suggests the existence of a mechanism similar to that of Neotropical migratory passerines, which is hypothesized to protect flight muscle from the catabolic effects of elevated corticosterone.
THE RELATION OF THE SPLEEN TO BLOOD DESTRUCTION AND REGENERATION AND TO HEMOLYTIC JAUNDICE : VI. THE BLOOD PICTURE AT VARIOUS PERIODS AFTER SPLENECTOMY.

After splenectomy anemia usually develops quickly and reaches its height in from three to six weeks; then with gradual improvement the blood picture approaches the normal after about three to four months, with complete return to normal in five to ten months. Accompanying this is marked leucocytosis reaching its height in twenty-four hours but persisting to a slight degree for several months. Variations, however, may occur, in that the anemia may develop slowly and be of slight degree, or the reparative process may be delayed and up to ten months incomplete. The anemia is, however, inevitable, as is also, later, some degree of repair.
Environmental photochemical fate of selected pharmaceutical compounds in natural and reconstituted Suwannee River water: Role of reactive species in indirect photolysis.

Abstract This study reports the impact of two reactive species, hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen, on the photochemical degradation of three selected pharmaceutical compounds in natural and reconstituted solutions of Suwannee River water. Absolute bimolecular rate constants (M − 1 s − 1 ) were determined for the reaction of hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen with danofloxacin ((6.15 ± 0.11) × 10 9 ; (7.50 ± 0.13) × 10 4 ), fluvastatin ((6.96 ± 0.16) × 10 9 ; (1.64 ± 0.18) × 10 8 ), and paroxetine ((8.65 ± 0.12) × 10 9 , (1.18 ± 0.13) × 10 8 ), respectively. For all three pharmaceutical compounds, the rate constants for reactions with the hydroxyl radical were similar; however, those for singlet oxygen varied by three orders of magnitude. In the waters studied, the steady-state concentration of the hydroxyl radical was on the order of 10 − 17 –10 − 18 M, and for singlet oxygen, 10 − 12 –10 − 14 M. The percent contribution of each species to the degradation of each pharmaceutical in each water matrix was calculated, and several trends were identified enabling a better understanding of the role of these reactive species.
Novel hematological parameters for the evaluation of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms: the immature platelet and reticulocyte fractions

New automated hematology analyzers have led to the availability of novel hematological parameters, including the immature platelet fraction (IPF) and the immature reticulocyte fraction (IRF), both of potential interest in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). We performed a prospective analysis of 217 patients with MPN, including 32 (15%) with essential thrombocythemia (ET), 43 (20%) with polycythemia vera (PV), and 142 (65%) with myelofibrosis (MF); the IPF and IRF were measured by the Sysmex XN analyzer. As compared to patients with ET, both a higher IPF and IRF were observed among patients with PV and MF. Factors associated with high IPF among patients with PV/ET were male sex, thrombocytopenia, and diagnosis of PV; among patients with MF, they were elevated peripheral blasts, low platelet count, JAK2 V617F mutation, and previous therapy. Factors associated with high IRF among patients with PV/ET were low hemoglobin, high reticulocyte count, and PV diagnosis; among patients with MF, they were peripheral blasts and elevated reticulocytes. The IPF and IRF represent novel parameters in patients with MPN with potential relevant clinical implications. Comparison with healthy subjects and those with secondary polycythemia is needed to confirm our preliminary findings.
Abundant carbon in the mantle beneath Hawai‘i

Estimates of the carbon content of Earth’s mantle and magmas vary. Analysis and modelling of gas emissions at Hawai‘i indicate that the amount of carbon in the Hawaiian mantle plume and CO2 in Hawaiian lavas is 40% greater than previously thought.
Functions of PAF in Reproduction and Development: Involvement of PAF in Fetal Lung Maturation and Parturition

The first suggestion that PAF may be involved in the process of reproduction was based on the observation that PAF appeared in human amniotic fluid in association with labor (Billah and Johnston, 1983). Nishihira and colleagues (1984) confirmed these observations and demonstrated that strips of rat myometrium contracted in response to PAF at concentrations similar to those present in amniotic fluid. In addition to the potential role of PAF in parturition, PAF may also be involved in nidation. Recently, O’Neill (1985a,b) suggested that the thrombocytopenia associated with early pregnancy in the mouse may be related to the production of PAF by the fertilized egg. Furthermore, Angle et al. (1985) reported that on the 6th day of pregnancy in the rabbit, the amount of PAF in the endometrium is ten times greater than that in endometrium of nonpregnant rabbits. These observations are suggestive that PAF may be involved in the changes in vascular permeability that are essential for nidation. Thus, it appears that PAF may participate in the various stages of reproduction ranging from implantation of the fertilized egg to the initiation of parturition.
Organizational Antecedents of Nonprofit Engagement in Policy Advocacy: A Meta-Analytical Review:

Policy advocacy by nonprofits has attracted substantial scholarly interest in recent years. Although considerable empirical studies have examined factors influencing nonprofit participation in poli...
A Letter of Dorion Cairns

Like most of his fellow students, Lester Embree was deeply impressed and influenced by his teacher, Dorion Cairns. For this reason I submit as a present for his Festschrift an important letter of Dorion Cairns dealing with Husserl in the light of several of his manuscripts in the Louvain Archives.
Video Disc and Computer-Based Training

Video discs represent the earliest use of optical storage technology. In contrast to CD-ROM and worm disc their primary purpose is to hold analogue rather than digital data, i.e. the signals to generate a PAL 625-line television display. Data is recorded in the form of pits and lands, the length of the pit indicating the voltage of the signal. It is thus feasible to hold 36 minutes of video on a 12-inch disc — one second of colour video in analogue form requires one megabyte of storage, whereas the same information in digital form would require 30 megabytes. Obviously this also affects the speed of reading and display. Compact discs are expected to be the eventual successors of video disc for multi-media systems, but at the time of writing their data transfer rate is too slow for showing good quality video sequences.
OR6 Successful deceased donor kidney transplantation of highly sensitized candidates across positive cross match and strong donor-specific HLA-DP antibodies without desensitization

Aim Over 50% of kidney transplant (Ktx) candidates with 100% CPRA display HLA-DP antibodies, which impair the chances of finding a compatible deceased donor (DD) despite national sharing. Herein, we assessed the impact of donor-specific HLA-DP antibodies (DP-DSA) on Ktx outcome. Methods DD Ktxs performed at UCSF (n = 569) from 2013 to 16 were analyzed. Based on pre-tx DSA status, recipients were divided into 3 groups: DSA −ve (n = 465), non-DP DSA +ve (n = 81), and DP-DSA +ve (n = 23). All recipients received standard immunosuppression, and DP-DSA +ve recipients received additional 1 dose IVIG at day-1 post-tx. Grafts were evaluated by 6 mo protocol biopsies (Bx) and cause Bx. HLA antibodies were tested using single antigen bead assay (One Lambda). Results There were more highly sensitized patients (CPRA > 97%) and well-matched Ktx in DP-DSA +ve group compared to the other 2 groups (Table). All recipients in DSA −ve and non-DP DSA +ve groups had a −ve T and B cell pronase flow-crossmatch (FXM), while 30% (n = 7) of DP-DSA +ve group that had a DP-DSA of >10,000 MFI, displayed a +ve B-FXM (MCS ∼ 200; 120 cutoff). There were no hyper acute rejection episodes in all 3 groups. The DP-DSAs were self-decayed overtime post-tx in all 23 recipients transplanted with pre-formed DP-DSAs (Figure). The Bx findings revealed no significant difference in the rate of antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) or in acute cellular rejection (ACR) between the 3 groups. Two recipients transplanted with DP-DSAs but −ve XMs lost their grafts: one was a 46F re-tx recipient with 100% CPRA, 1/12 HLA-mismatch, DP4 DSA (MFI = 6956), lost due to ACR in 4 months; another was 62 M, 19% CPRA, 7/12 HLA-mismatch, DP1 DSA (MFI = 4165), suffered Polyomavirus nephropathy at 5 months. Conclusions Kidneys can be transplanted across DP-DSAs with no apparent effect on graft survival. This strategy increases the DD Ktx in highly sensitized patients without pre-tx desensitization. The long-term outcome studies are ongoing.
The influence of population characteristics and measurement system on barefoot plantar pressures: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis.

Abstract Background The measurement of plantar pressure distributions during gait can provide insights into the effects of musculoskeletal disease on foot function. A range of hardware, software, and protocols are available for the collection of this type of data, with sometimes disparate and conflicting results reported between individual studies. In this systematic review and meta-regression analysis of dynamic regional peak pressures, we aimed to test if 1) the system used to obtain the pressure measurements and 2) the characteristics of the study populations had a significant effect on the results. Methods A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to identify articles reporting regional peak plantar pressures during barefoot walking. A mixed-effects modeling approach was used to analyze the extracted data. Initially, the effect of the system used to collect the data was tested. Following this, the effect of participant characteristics on the results were analyzed, using moderators of cohort type (defined as the primary health characteristic of the participants), age, sex, and BMI. Results 115 participant groups were included in the analysis. Sufficient cohorts were available to test those that consisted of healthy individuals, and those with diabetes and diabetic neuropathy. Significant differences were found between results reported by studies using different pressure measurement systems in 8 of the 16 regions analyzed. The analysis of participant characteristics revealed a number of significant relationships between regional peak pressures and participant characteristics, including: BMI and midfoot plantar pressures; elevated forefoot pressures as a result of diabetic neuropathy; and sex-differences in regional loading patterns. Conclusions At the level of the literature, we confirmed significant effects of disease status, age, BMI, and sex on regional peak plantar pressures. Researchers and clinicians should be aware that measurements of peak plantar pressure variables obtained from different collection equipment are not directly comparable.
Cross-Cultural Differences in Intrachannel Communications: The United States and India:

Findings of a comparative study of intrachannel communication in marketing channels in the United States and India are presented. Two factors—the cultural environment and the degree of relational-i...
Autism in the Balance: Elevated E-I Ratio as a Homeostatic Stabilization of Synaptic Drive.

In this issue of Neuron, Antoine et al. (2019) find reduced feedforward inhibition in cortical neurons in four genetic mouse models of autism but without evidence of increased spontaneous or sensory-evoked activity.
NON-FLUOROSCOPIC CATHETER ABLATION OF PVC: RESULTS FROM A MULTICENTER STUDY

Radiofrequency catheter ablation (CA) is a proposed treatment for symptomatic refractory premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), as a high burden of PVCs has been shown to worsening of heart failure and to the development of PVC-related cardiomyopathy. Catheter ablation with the use of
An Exploratory Study of Examining Students' Expectations of Training in a Laboratory Class: Factor Analysis of Affective Heuristic Features.

AbstractWhen developing effective training programs, it is important to know students’ expectations of laboratory classes. The authors collected 170 surveys from students in one laboratory class to...
Big Data: A Decade of Energy Characteristics of Single-Family Homes in Florida

Housing in Florida is mainly driven by population growth of between 300,000 and 400,000 people per year, which makes Florida the third largest homebuilding state in the U.S. This high rate of population growth sheds light on the importance of building healthy residential houses that are energy-efficient throughout all of Florida, in all its climate zones. The purpose of this study is to investigate the direction Florida's single-family homes constructed between the years 2009 and 2018 are taking with respect to energy efficiency by analyzing their energy characteristics through big data analysis. Therefore, this study (a) developed a comprehensive literature review of the existing energy-efficient design strategies adopted in Florida. In addition, (b) explained the process of collecting information about materials and design strategies used in single-family houses constructed between the years 2009 and 2018, from energy forms prepared in the framework of the permit application process at every local building permit department in different counties all over Florida. Finally, (c) analyzed the evolution of information collected throughout the years, including but not limited to wall types, ceiling types, ducts' location, windows' features, heating and cooling systems, in the different climate zones of Florida influencing the building performance. The results of this big data analysis indicated that, on the average, single-family homes in Florida tended to get more energy-efficient and sustainable throughout the last decade (2009-2018). This conclusion cannot be totally confirmed unless all economic, environmental, and social aspects of sustainability are also taken into consideration.