cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Political Economy of FDI in Latin America 1986–2006: A Sector-Specific Approach

This study examines the political determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) across 15 Latin American countries from 1986 to 2006. In contrast to existing scholarship, we focus on the causes of investment by economic sector—primary resources, manufacturing, and services. Additionally, a regional focus on Latin America helps to control for omitted variables by comparing relatively similar countries. We find substantial variation in the causes and characteristics of FDI across sector. Specifically, manufacturing investment is volatile and attracted to less democratic regimes. In contrast, investment in primary resources privileges greater democracy and property rights protection, while FDI in services is associated with public fiscal responsibility. These results yield important theoretical and practical implications for scholars and policymakers throughout the region.
Preparation and Use of Synthetic Liposomes

Liposomes are small spherical bodies prepared from lipids in the laboratory. Their wall consists of a concentric lipid bilayer (or several concentric bilayers) in which the lipid molecules are highly oriented. Liposomes prepared in water will have the lyophilic end of the lipid molecules oriented towards the water phase, in the same way as lipids are oriented in cell membranes. According to Bangham (1968), the liquid crystal or liposome is a preferred phase structure of many biologic lipids in the presence of water or salt solutions.
A Model for Curriculum Evaluation and Revision in Undergraduate Psychology Programs

This article outlines the response of the psychology department at a small liberal arts university to the need for curricular revision. A three-phase process began with the identification of the logic for establishing the new curriculum. Next, a structural model for a new curriculum was developed from information obtained by studying the institutional expectations/constraints, the ideal knowledge/skill base generated by interviewing former students and officials in various postgraduation settings, and the curricula of peer institutions. Four developmental features in the model were delineated and unified by emphasizing method of inquiry as the essential objective for the psychology major. This structural model was then used to specify a hierarchical set of course groups. Implementation of the model is also discussed.
Plasma B Vitamins, Homocysteine, and Their Relation with Bone Loss and Hip Fracture in Elderly Men and Women

Context: Elevated homocysteine is a strong risk factor for osteoporotic fractures among elders, yet it may be a marker for low B-vitamin status. Objective: Our objective was to examine the associations of plasma concentrations of folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and homocysteine with bone loss and hip fracture risk in elderly men and women. Design: This was a longitudinal follow-up study of the Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Setting: Community dwelling residents of Framingham, MA, were included in the study. Participants: A total of 1002 men and women (mean age 75 yr) was included in the study. Main Outcome Measures: Baseline (1987–1989) blood samples were used to categorize participants into plasma B-vitamin (normal, low, deficient) and homocysteine (normal, high) groups. Femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) measured at baseline and 4-yr follow-up was used to calculate annual percent BMD change. Incident hip fracture was assessed from baseline through 2003. Results: Multivariable-adjusted mean bone lo...
Codebook prediction: a nonlinear signal modeling paradigm

A nonlinear generalization of the family of autoregressive signal models is introduced. This generalization can be viewed as an autoregressive model with state-varying parameters. For such signals, minimum mean-square error prediction can be reformulated as an interpolation problem. A novel interpretation of the signal as a codebook for its own prediction leads to an interpolation strategy resembling a predictive counterpart to vector quantization. The applicability of this model is then demonstrated empirically for a variety of signals. >
High-speed Interconnect Simulation Using Particle Swarm Optimization

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is proposed as an efficient algorithm for simulation of high speed interconnects used in today's digital applications. First, a generic methodology is proposed for high speed interconnects simulation using PSO and finally comparisons are made between the performance of PSO compared to traditional optimization techniques used in high-speed serial bus simulation
Behavioral and neuropharmacological characterization of nicotine as a conditional stimulus

In rats, the pharmacological (interoceptive) effects of 0.4 mg/kg nicotine can serve as a conditional stimulus in a Pavlovian conditioning task. Nicotine administration is paired with intermittent access to a liquid sucrose unconditional stimulus; sucrose is withheld on saline sessions. An increase in sucrose receptacle entries (goal tracking) on nicotine sessions indicates conditioning. Rats were trained on a nicotine dose ((-)-1-Methyl-2-(3-pyridyl)pyrrolidine; 0.1, 0.2, or 0.4 mg base/kg, s.c.). Generalization was examined using 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 mg/kg nicotine and saline. Some behavioral effects of nicotine have been attributed to dopamine and glutamate. Accordingly, potential blockade of the nicotine cue via the dopamine system was examined by administering (R)-(+)-7-Chloro-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine hydrochloride (SCH-23390; 0.005, 0.01, and 0.03 mg/kg), 3-Chloro-5-ethyl-N-[[(2S)-1-ethyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)methyl]-6-hydroxy-2-methoxy-benzamide hydrochloride (eticlopride; 0.01, 0.03, 0.1, and 0.3 mg/kg), or N-[(1-Butyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)methyl]-4-cyano-1-methoxy-2-naphthalenecarboxamide (nafadotride; 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1, and 3 mg/kg) before nicotine. 2-Methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine hydrochloride (MPEP; 0.3, 1, and 3 mg/kg) and (5S,10R)-(+)-5-Methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine maleate (MK-801; 0.01, 0.03, 0.1, and 0.2 mg/kg; dizocilpine) were used to examine possible glutamatergic components. Substitution tests were conducted with MPEP and nafadotride. Differential conditioned responding was acquired in the 3 groups. Conditioned responding generally decreased as the nicotine test dose moved away from the training dose; responding increased when 0.4 mg/kg trained rats were tested with 0.2 mg/kg. SCH-23390, eticlopride, nafadotride, and MPEP decreased conditioned responding on nicotine at doses that also decreased chamber activity. In contrast, MK-801 decreased goal tracking on nicotine without decreasing chamber activity, indicating a role for N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in expression of nicotine-evoked conditioned responding.
Hydrogel microrobots actuated by optically generated vapour bubbles

A novel hydrogel microrobot made of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) is reported. This disk-shaped microrobot is optothermally actuated by laser-induced bubbles. A pulsed laser is used to smoothly actuate an 80-μm-diameter bubble microrobot at up to 320 μm s−1. A single microrobot or a pair of microrobots working in cooperation were used to assemble 20-μm-diameter polystyrene beads into different patterns. The microrobots were also used to assemble patterns made of single yeast cells and cell-laden agarose microgels. The patterned yeast cells and cell-laden microgels were cultured, and the cells successfully multiplied.
Gene trees, species trees and Earth history combine to shed light on the evolution of migration in a model avian system

The evolution of migration in birds has fascinated biologists for centuries. In this study, we performed phylogenetic-based analyses of Catharus thrushes, a model genus in the study of avian migration, and their close relatives. For these analyses, we used both mitochondrial and nuclear genes, and the resulting phylogenies were used to trace migratory traits and biogeographic patterns. Our results provide the first robust assessment of relationships within Catharus and relatives and indicate that both mitochondrial and autosomal genes contribute to overall support of the phylogeny. Measures of phylogenetic informativeness indicated that mitochondrial genes provided more signal within Catharus than did nuclear genes, whereas nuclear loci provided more signal for relationships between Catharus and close relatives than did mitochondrial genes. Insertion and deletion events also contributed important support across the phylogeny. Across all taxa included in the study, and for Catharus, possession of long-distance migration is reconstructed as the ancestral condition, and a North American (north of Mexico) ancestral area is inferred. Within Catharus, sedentary behaviour evolved after the first speciation event in the genus and is geographically and temporally correlated with Central American distributions and the final closure of the Central American Seaway. Migratory behaviour subsequently evolved twice in Catharus and is geographically and temporally correlated with a recolonization of North America in the late Pleistocene. By temporally linking speciation events with changes in migratory condition and events in Earth history, we are able to show support for several competing hypotheses relating to the geographic origin of migration.
Appointment of the Editor in Chief

On behalf of APTA's Board of Directors, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Rebecca L Craik, PT, PhD, FAPTA, as editor in chief of Physical Therapy. As many of you know, Dr Craik succeeds the late Jules Rothstein, PT, PhD, FAPTA, Editor in Chief Emeritus, under whose profound leadership Physical Therapy achieved worldwide recognition as the premier physical therapy scientific journal. Today, editors of health care journals must provide bold leadership at a time when readers, authors, and consumers expect rapid dissemination of credible data that can be readily applied. There is no question that Dr Craik has the vision and experience to meet and exceed these …
Mild and Moderate Mental Retardation

The field of mental retardation has perhaps the oldest tradition of any area of psychology. For example, the work of Binet attempted to distinguish the mentally retarded from those without handicaps. The development of the Binet, and, later, the Stanford-Binet IQ tests were among the beginnings of psychometry as we know it today. Furthermore, the IQ test played an important part in the separation of children’s performance in school and thus the creation of special education was closely linked to this movement. Categorization into regular and special classes was largely associated with the IQ test.
CAE-Based Side Curtain Airbag Design

Since its invention in early 1990s, the side curtain airbag has become an important part of the occupant restraint system for side impact and rollover protection. Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) is often used to help side curtain airbag design. Because of the unique characteristics of side curtain airbag systems, the simulation of side curtain airbag systems faces different challenges in comparison to the simulation of driver and passenger airbag systems. The typical side curtain airbag CAE analysis includes, but is not limited to, cushion volume evaluation, cushion coverage review, cushion shrinkage and tension force review, deployment timing review And seam shape and location review. The commonly used uniform pressure airbag models serve the purpose in most cases. But for analysis such as cushion deployment timing evaluation, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) integrated airbag models have to be employed because the uniform pressure airbag models are not able to simulate the deployment time difference among various parts of the airbag cushion. In this paper, most types of the above-mentioned analysis are integrated into a typical side curtain airbag design cycle. Both uniform pressure airbag models and CFD integrated airbag models are used complementarily to help the side curtain airbag design. The CAE-based side curtain airbag design procedure helps to reduce the material cost and time duration of the airbag design process.
Helical plasma striations in liners in the presence of an external axial magnetic field

Awe et al. found on the 20 MA Z machine [Acta Phys. Pol. A 115, 956 (2009)] that applying an externally generated axial magnetic field to an imploding liner leads to a helical pattern in the liner when viewed with soft x-ray radiography ([Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 235005 (2013)] and [Phys. Plasmas 21, 056303 (2014)]). Here, we show that this phenomenon is also observed in extreme ultraviolet self-emission images of 10 mm long cylindrical metal liners having varying diameters and varying wall thicknesses on a 1 MA, 100–200 ns pulsed power generator. The magnetic field in these experiments is created using either twisted return current wires positioned close to the liner, generating a time-varying Bz, or a Helmholtz coil, generating a steady-state Bz.
Attitudes of fundamentalists toward homosexuality.

This study assessed the attitudes of fundamentalist born-again Christians and nonfundamentalists toward homosexuality. Subjects were 151 students. Over-all, fundamentalists were significantly less accepting of homosexuality than nonfundamentalists, and males showed significantly less approval of homosexuality than females. An interaction was also evident, with female fundamentalists approving least of homosexuality and female nonfundamentalists approving most. Male fundamentalists and nonfundamentalists were in between. Implications are discussed.
Statistician, Examine Thyself

(1988). Statistician, Examine Thyself. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 16-18.
Effect of a Multidisciplinary Approach for the Management of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation in the Emergency Department on Hospital Admission Rate and Length of Stay

Management of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the emergency department (ED) is variable because of the absence of universally adopted treatment guidelines. To address potentially preventable hospital admissions and prolonged length of stay, an AF treatment pathway was co-developed by physicians from the cardiac electrophysiology service and the department of emergency medicine at our institution. The impact of this AF pathway on patient outcomes was evaluated with a prospective, observational study conducted in a single tertiary care center from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014. The primary study outcome was the rate of hospital admission. The secondary outcomes were duration of ED visit and inpatient length of stay. The 94 patients treated according to the AF pathway during the study period were less likely to be admitted than the 265 patients who received routine care (16% vs 80%, p 2-fold reduction length of stay for admitted patients.
Growth performance and total-tract nutrient digestion for Holstein heifers limit fed diets high in distillers grains with different forage particle sizes.

ABSTRACT This study evaluated dairy heifer growth performance and total-tract nutrient digestion when fed diets high in distillers dried grains with solubles with different forage particle sizes. An 8-wk randomized complete block design study was conducted using 22 Holstein heifers (123 ± 32 d of age; BW 140 ± 23.5 kg). Treatments were 15% chopped (CHOP) or 15% pelleted (PELL) alfalfa hay on a DM basis. Both diets also contained 30% distillers dried grains with solubles, 53.8% corn silage, and 1.25% mineral mix and were limit fed for DMI at 2.3% of BW. Growth measurements were taken every 2 wk, and jugular blood samples were taken every 4 wk. During wk 8, rumen samples were taken on 2 d via esophageal tubing to evaluate fermentation, and fecal grab samples were collected at 8 times over 3 d and composited by heifer to determine total-tract nutrient digestion. Heifer DMI increased with CHOP, and BW and ADG were similar between treatments. Feed efficiency was less in the CHOP-fed heifers. Frame measurements were similar, with the exceptions of paunch girth, heart girth, and hip width, which were greater for CHOP. The CHOP-fed heifers had less BCS than PELL. Rumen fermentation characteristics were similar; however, rumen pH was greater for PELL. Serum glucose and plasma cholesterol were similar between treatments, but plasma urea nitrogen tended to be greater in heifers fed CHOP. Total-tract digestibility of nutrients was similar between treatments. Results indicate that forage particle size minimally affects utilization of distillers dried grains with solubles by heifers.
High contrast MQW modulators grown by organometallic chemical vaper deposition

We report GaAs/AlGaAs MQW reflection modulators with on/off ratios exceeding 20 to 1, grown by organometallic chemical vapor deposition (OMCVD). This is the first time such high contrast has been reported in an OMCVD grown structure. The contrast ratio is comparable to the best previously reported structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy.1
Regional Economic Voting: THE INCUMBENCY HYPOTHESIS

The Incumbency hypothesis predicts that incumbent parties should enjoy greater electoral success in regions of the country where the economy is performing better than in regions of the country where the economy is performing worse. Of the three standard economic voting hypotheses tested in the book, the empirical support for the Incumbency hypothesis is the weakest. This is not to say that there is no support for the hypothesis, but of the forty-nine incumbent parties that contested the twenty elections examined in this book, we are only confident that economic conditions had the expected effect on the vote for twenty of these parties; in other words, the hypothesis is strongly supported by the data in only slightly more than 40% of the cases. With over half of the cases considered in the study failing to provide support for the Incumbency hypothesis, turning to the conditional economic voting hypotheses to try to provide an explanation for the variation in support for this hypothesis is particularly instructive. In terms of the intuitive conditional hypotheses, neither the East-Central Europe versus Russia nor the Presidential versus Parliamentary distinctions provide much leverage in explaining the variation in empirical support for the Incumbency hypothesis. However, I do find modest levels of support for some of the more theoretically oriented conditional hypotheses. In particular, I find stronger empirical support for the Incumbency hypothesis as the decade progresses and among parties that received a larger percentage of the overall national vote.
Knowledge and Awareness of Sickle Cell Trait Among Young African American Adults

Sickle cell trait (SCT) places individuals at risk of passing an abnormal hemoglobin gene to biological children and is associated with rare but serious complications. The present study sought to examine knowledge of SCT and awareness of personal trait status among 258 young African American adults. Participants were surveyed regarding demographics, medical history, and sources of sickle cell information before completing a trait knowledge questionnaire. Overall, participants possessed significant misinformation about the condition. Women and those who had learned about sickle cell from families displayed higher levels of knowledge. Most participants were uncertain of personal trait status, and many did not wish to be informed of it. Health care providers should be alert that individuals with SCT may be unaware of their condition and potential reproductive and health implications. Screening and reporting procedures should be examined to ensure individuals have access to and control of this vital health information.
Lysine methylation represses p53 activity in teratocarcinoma cancer cells

TP53 (which encodes the p53 protein) is the most frequently mutated gene among all human cancers, whereas tumors that retain the wild-type TP53 gene often use alternative mechanisms to repress the p53 tumor-suppressive function. Testicular teratocarcinoma cells rarely contain mutations in TP53, yet the transcriptional activity of wild-type p53 is compromised, despite its high expression level. Here we report that in the teratocarcinoma cell line NTera2, p53 is subject to lysine methylation at its carboxyl terminus, which has been shown to repress p53's transcriptional activity. We show that reduction of the cognate methyltransferases reactivates p53 and promotes differentiation of the NTera2 cells. Furthermore, reconstitution of methylation-deficient p53 mutants into p53-depleted NTera2 cells results in elevated expression of p53 downstream targets and precocious loss of pluripotent gene expression compared with re-expression of wild-type p53. Our results provide evidence that lysine methylation of endogenous wild-type p53 represses its activity in cancer cells and suggest new therapeutic possibilities of targeting testicular teratocarcinoma.
The classes of local spectral theory

In this paper we consider several classes of operators on a complex Hilbert space which appear in local spectral theory. A complete description, in terms of properties of various parts of the spectrum, is obtained for the operators in the closure and for the operators in the interior of each of these classes.
GUIDED GROWTH THROUGH REDIRECTION OF THE PHYSIS

The purpose of this study is TO describe and illustrate a new method of reversible hemi-physeal tethering utilized for correcting various angular deformities of the extremities. Since hemi-physeal stapling was first introduced by Dr. Blount in 1950, this method has waxed and waned in popularity. Some associated problems include staple migration or breakage necessitating premature revision surgery. The author has devised a new construct comprising a two-hole plate and two screws to achieve gradual correction of deformities while averting the problems of hardware migration or breakage. In a pilot study, 25 children with 40 physeal deformities have been treated since 2001 utilizing the plate method. The children ranged in age from 19 months to 15 years and had a variety of underlying diagnoses. The plate is placed extraperiosteally and is removed upon attaining a neutral mechanical axis. No postoperative immobilization or limitation of weightbearing is required. In all cases short-term follow-up reveals improvement or resolution of deformity without need for osteotomy. Complications have included two early migration of short screws (
Diagnostic Accuracy of B-mode USG and Doppler Scan for Ovarian Lesions.

INTRODUCTION Ultrasonography (USG) is considered as the primary imaging modality for confirmation of ovarian mass and to differentiate them in to benign or malignant. AIM The present study was conducted with the aim to evaluate accuracy of B- mode USG and Doppler scan (Colour Doppler + Spectral Doppler) for ovarian lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS The patients included in the study were from those referred with either palpable adnexal mass or incidentally detected adnexal masses. Total 250 women were evaluated by USG, Doppler scan. Only fifty patients who had true ovarian mass intraoperatively and on histopathology were included in study, rest masses were excluded. Study parameters were morphological indexing on B- Mode USG, flow study, vessel arrangement, and vessel morphology and vessel location in Colour Doppler and resistive index and pulsatility index in spectral Doppler. RESULTS Total 50 women were included in present study. Out of these 46% were pre-menopausal while 54% were menopaused women, 66.7% of post-menopausal women had malignant ovarian masses compared to 8.7% of premenopausal. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of B-Mode USG for ovarian masses were 94.44%, 48.15%, 54.84% and 92.86% respectively, with p-value = 0.007, while sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of Doppler scan were 85%, 90%, 85% and 90% respectively, with p-value = 0.0001. CONCLUSION USG and its different techniques are accepted as the primary imaging modality for early stage diagnosis of an ovarian malignancy. Statistical analysis suggests that Doppler Scan (Colour + Spectral) was more accurate (88%) than B-Mode USG (67%), but author is in view that both of these modalities should be used in conjunction to screen the ovarian lesions.
The acute effects of ankle mobilisations on lower extremity joint kinematics

Abstract Introduction Previous investigations have identified compensatory movement strategies (CMS) within the lower extremity or lumbopelvic complex during closed chain exercises may be associated with a loss of ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM). The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of ankle mobilisations on proximal joint kinematics during a movement task that demands a high amount of ankle dorsiflexion ROM. Methods Eight healthy males (mean (SD) age 25 (4) years) demonstrating side-to-side asymmetry during the weight-bearing lunge test (WBLT) and CMS during the single-leg step-down exercise were accepted for this study. Participants completed five repetitions of a single-leg step-down, both before and after an ankle mobilisation intervention aimed at improving joint athrokinematics. A Vicon motion capture system recorded 3D joint and segment kinematics of the ankle, knee, hip and pelvis. A paired samples t -test was used to identify significant changes of lower extremity joint kinematics during the single-leg step-down, before and after mobilisation. Results Following the mobilisation intervention, statistically significant gains in ankle dorsiflexion ROM were identified during the WBLT [mean difference 2.425 (0.9377) centimeters, t = −7.315, p Conclusion These findings indicate that increases in ankle dorsiflexion ROM do not automatically integrate into functional movement tasks.
521. AAV Immunotherapy Induces Functional Antigen Specific Regulatory T-Cells to a Neuroantigen: A Potential Treatment for MS

Immunotherapy for autoimmune disease aims at restoring a state of tolerance to the self-antigens that propagate disease. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease of the CNS in which leads to demyelination and damage of axons. It is believed that a failure of central and peripheral mechanisms to maintain self-tolerance to auto-aggressive myelin-specific T cells plays a central role in the pathogenesis. It has been demonstrated that antigen (Ag)-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs) have a significant role in modulating autoimmune CNS disease and when used therapeutically, can be highly effective at treating MS. Thus, using AAV liver gene therapy to restore normal Treg function and re-establish immune tolerance to myelin proteins in early onset MS represents a novel treatment strategy for stabilization of disease progression.The development of protocols that directly affect the expansion Ag-specific Treg numbers and/or enhances their function has become a significant focus in the research community. Unfortunately, successful therapeutic use of Tregs has been limited by the lack of safe and effective protocols for isolation and expansion that are suitable for translation. However, hepatic gene transfer with AAV vectors containing liver specific promoters has been shown to produce stable transgene expression and induce a robust antigen-specific immune tolerance to a variety of therapeutic proteins.In a murine model for MS, we have previously demonstrated that liver directed AAV gene therapy represents a novel approach to not only prevent experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) disease, but more importantly, can also abrogate disease progression. The work presented here provides evidence that liver directed AAV gene therapy using the neuroantigen MOG does indeed produce functional Ag-specific Tregs. In a series of experiments, B6FoxP3-GFP mice were injected with AAV8-MOG via the tail vein. After 8 weeks, splenocytes were harvested and analyzed using I-Ab MOG35-55 (MHC II) or control tetramers (provided by NIH Tetramer Core). The results revealed that mice receiving AAV8-MOG did indeed produce Ag-specific Tregs (Fig.1). Functionality was further determined using an in vitro Treg suppression assay. Briefly, CD4+CD25+ Tregs were magnetically sorted and co-cultured with fluorescently labeled MOG-specific TCR+CD4+ cells at varying concentrations and in the presence of MOG35-55 antigen. FACS analysis confirmed that the Mice receiving AAV8-MOG did indeed produce Ag-specific Tregs and that they were functionally suppressive (Fig.2).The work presented here shows that liver directed gene transfer using an AAV vector expressing a neuro-antigen is capable of inducing Ag-specific Tregs that are able to suppress Ag-specific effector CD4 cells. More importantly, this work continues to advance the therapeutic use of AAV for the treatment of auto-immune diseases such as MS. View Large Image | Download PowerPoint SlideView Large Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
Visually guided tube thoracostomy insertion comparison to standard of care in a large animal model

Abstract Introduction Tube thoracostomy (TT) is a lifesaving procedure for a variety of thoracic pathologies. The most commonly utilized method for placement involves open dissection and blind insertion. Image guided placement is commonly utilized but is limited by an inability to see distal placement location. Unfortunately, TT is not without complications. We aim to demonstrate the feasibility of a disposable device to allow for visually directed TT placement compared to the standard of care in a large animal model. Methods Three swine were sequentially orotracheally intubated and anesthetized. TT was conducted utilizing a novel visualization device, tube thoracostomy visual trocar (TTVT) and standard of care (open technique). Position of the TT in the chest cavity were recorded using direct thoracoscopic inspection and radiographic imaging with the operator blinded to results. Complications were evaluated using a validated complication grading system. Standard descriptive statistical analyses were performed. Results Thirty TT were placed, 15 using TTVT technique, 15 using standard of care open technique. All of the TT placed using TTVT were without complication and in optimal position. Conversely, 27% of TT placed using standard of care open technique resulted in complications. Necropsy revealed no injury to intrathoracic organs. Conclusion Visual directed TT placement using TTVT is feasible and non-inferior to the standard of care in a large animal model. This improvement in instrumentation has the potential to greatly improve the safety of TT. Further study in humans is required. Level of evidence Therapeutic Level II.
Spatiotemporal variation in the strength of density dependence: implications for biocontrol of Centaurea solstitialis

Invasive plants often occupy large ranges in the introduced region and consequently, local population dynamics vary in ways that affect the potential for biological control. We used matrix models to describe how density and population growth rate of Centaurea solstitialis varies in time and space. Matrix models were parameterized with data collected over 4 years from invasions at the coast, interior valleys and Sierra Nevada Mountains in California (USA). Asymptotic population growth rates (λ) varied dramatically across all populations and years (0.24–6.45), density varied by an order of magnitude and had a measurable effect on survival and λ in all populations. We used simulations to estimate the degree to which a biocontrol agent would need to reduce plant survival to control the weed. Because seedling survival was dependent on density, an agent that reduced seedling density had the effect of increasing the probability that the remaining plants survived to flowering. Interestingly, this meant that in the highest density populations the plant had the largest compensatory response to agent attack and experienced decline (λ ≤ 1.0) only after heavy losses (≥90%) to the agent. Conversely, in populations where density was so low that it had only a weak effect on survival, the agent was able to control the plant (λ ≤ 1.0) at much lower levels of attack (≤50%). In other words, the impact of a biocontrol agent is predicted to be lower where the plant reaches its highest densities because the surviving plants, now experiencing less intraspecific competition, are more likely to survive to flowering and produce more seeds. This may also be true for other invasive species in which strong density dependent processes are operating. For this reason, prospective agents ought to target density-independence vital rates.
Middle Products Revisited

Kalyan Sanyal was a great student in the Ph.D. program at the University of Rochester in the early 1980s. He was interested in the general phenomenon of international trade in intermediate commodities. At an early stage we had many discussions about where trade should be positioned in the productive spectrum, and our answer was: “In the middle” – some production takes place before trade and some afterwards, hence the “middle products” designation. In this paper I review the major points in our earlier work, and place it in position with what could be considered its pre-cursors and then how, in the past 30 years, economists have taken more seriously the importance of trade in “middle products”, both in terms of new theory about fragmentation and outsourcing and in the mounting evidence that trade in parts and components have shown the most rapid rates of growth. Sanyal’s other work continued this investigation, often with an early use of the “continuum” concept, which has received wide use in more recent research.
Chapter 12 – Resonance Elastic and Inelastic X-ray Scattering Processes for In-situ Investigation of Electrochemical Interfaces

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the resonance elastic and inelastic x-ray scattering processes for the in-situ investigation of electrochemical interfaces. X-ray-in and x-ray-out methods with high-energy and high-brilliance x-rays are some important techniques that can be used for the study of electrochemical interfaces. The most widely used technique is x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). An advantage of the x-ray techniques is that they are highly versatile. They have been powerful in case of both single-crystal electrode interfaces and nano-structured electrochemical interfaces. In addition, they serve as promising tools for the surfaces of nanoparticles. This chapter elaborates on the potential new x-ray applications beyond ordinary XAS. Most techniques are possible only because of third-generation synchrotron x-ray sources. The scattering probability of x-rays at an atom can be enhanced when the photon energy is close to an absorption edge of the atom. This is similar to classical resonance phenomena. The discreteness of electronic energy levels in atoms or molecules is inherently quantum mechanical in nature. A quantum mechanical description of the resonance phenomena has also been reviewed in the chapter.
An Extended-Range Vibration Energy Harvester Based on Internal Resonance

Results are presented for the design and testing of a vibration energy harvesting device that converts ambient mechanical vibration into electricity. The working principal of the device is based upon internal resonance—a nonlinear dynamic response in which vibration modes of a structure can couple when their natural frequency ratios occur as integer multiples. The resulting response enables the harvester to generate power over an extended frequency range in comparison to linear-dynamics-based harvesters when subject to harmonic external excitation. Measurements of displacement and power generated from a prototype demonstrate this behavior. The prototype is also shown to the generated maximum power under random base excitation when the ratio of the first two natural frequencies is closest to 2:1.
Role of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy in Glioblastoma Multiforme.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary malignant cancer of brain, which is extremely aggressive and carries a dreadful prognosis. Current treatment protocol runs around radiotherapy, surgical resection, and temozolomide with median overall survival of around 12–15 months. Due to its heterogeneity and mutational load, immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy can be a promising treatment option for recurrent glioblastoma. Initial phase 1 studies have shown that this therapy is safe without dose-limiting side effects and it also has a better clinical outcome. Therefore, CAR T cell therapy can be a great future tool in our armamentarium to treat advanced GBM. In this article, we have explained the structure, mechanism of action, and rationale of CAR T cell therapy in GBM; we also discussed various antigenic targets and clinical outcome of initial studies of this novel therapy.
Cachexia Index utilization in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

e20642Background: The impact of cancer cachexia in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is significant, however the most meaningful measure of cachexia is unknown. Recently Jafri et al proposed the C...
Investigating Textual Case-Based XAI

This paper demonstrates how case-based reasoning (CBR) can be used for an explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) approach to justify solutions produced by an opaque learning method (i.e., target method), particularly in the context of unstructured textual data. Our general hypothesis is twofold: (1) There exists patterns in the relationship between problems and solutions and there should be data or a body of knowledge that describes how problems and solutions relate; and (2) the identification, manipulation, and learning of such patterns through case features can help create and reuse explanations for solutions produced by the target method. When the target method relies on neural network architectures (e.g., deep learning), the resulting latent space (i.e., word embeddings) becomes useful for finding patterns and semantic relatedness in textual data. In the proposed approach, case problems are input-output pairs from the target method, and case solutions are explanations. We exemplify our approach by explaining recommended citations from Citeomatic - a multi-layer neural-network architecture from the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Citation analysis is the body of knowledge that describes how query documents (i.e., inputs) relate to recommended citations (i.e., outputs). We build cases and similarity assessment to learn features that represent patterns between problems and solutions that can lead to the reuse of corresponding explanations. The illustrative implementation we present becomes an explanation-augmented citation recommender that targets human-computer trust.
Documenting or Operating: Where Is Time Spent in General Surgery Residency?

Objective The utilization of electronic health records (EHR) has become essential in the daily activities of physicians for documentation and as an information source. However, the amount of time spent by residents utilizing the EHR has not been thoroughly evaluated, particularly within surgical specialties. This study aims to analyze EHR usage by general surgery residents and to assess the association between this use and case volume at a single academic institution. Design For general surgery residents in clinical years (CY) 1-5, de-identified login and logout time data between September 2016 and June 2017 were retrospectively extracted from the Epic EHR (Verona, WI). A binary time series was created for each resident to indicate and track over time whether he or she was utilizing the EHR system. Comparisons between categorical variables were performed with Fisher's exact test. Continuous variables were compared using Wilcoxon rank sum test. Longitudinal linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the EHR usage among the surgery residents. The association between EHR time and the number of operative cases logged was evaluated with Pearson's correlation coefficient. Setting This study was performed by the Department of Surgery in conjunction with the Office of Graduate Medical Education at Duke University Health System. Participants All active general surgery residents during the 2016-2017 academic year. Results Thirty-six general surgery residents (28 males, 8 females) spent a median of 2.4 hours per day and 23.7 hours per week using the EHR. CY2 had the highest median usage per week (28.9 hours), while CY3 had the lowest (16.7 hours) but no significant difference based on EHR usage was found among the analyzed CYs (p = 0.164). Residents spent significantly more time logged into the EHR during the week compared to weekends and during the day compared to nights (all p Conclusions In the era of a maximum 80-hour work week, general surgery residents spend a substantial portion, at least 30%, of their time utilizing the EHR. One third of EHR usage by interns occurred outside the scheduled 12-hour shift, demonstrating the difficulties of completing paperwork as part of the scheduled work day. Additionally, the lack of correlation to case logs is likely due to an underestimation of the documentation burden associated with operating, which includes preparatory effort and operative notes. Ultimately, these quantitative EHR usage results will be correlated to burnout prior to implementing programs to improve efficiency and decrease the burden of charting.
Implementing a Palliative Medicine Music Therapy Program: A Quality Improvement Project.

Objectives:Recent evidence suggests that music therapy, a holistic method of care, potentially is beneficial for symptom management. This quality improvement project aimed to evaluate the effect of...
Global adjustment to US disengagement from the world trading system

Abstract US trade policy in the Trump administration is protectionist, raising tariffs outside of WTO rules, threatening trade wars, withdrawing from existing trade agreements, and negotiating new bilateral trade deals rather than free trade agreements. The reaction of the rest of the world has been to support the WTO rules-based trading system and to pursue new and expanded regional trade agreements that do not include the US. The result may be US disengagement from the world trading system, with countries diverting trade around the US. We use a global computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to analyze changes in trade and production patterns for a variety of scenarios, including US trade wars. We find that adjustment to US disengagement is feasible—the changes in trade shares as countries divert trade are modest and achievable, with very little impact on the volume of global trade. If the US engages in trade wars with major partners, the best response for other trade partners is to sit out the trade war, accept higher US tariffs, and gain markets from global trade diversion around the US. Finally, because of indirect effects, widespread tariffs fail to benefit the protected sectors—a fallacy of composition in a protectionist trade policy.
Adaptive Modulation-Coding Scheme for Link Adaptation in Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications Systems (Aeromacs)

The unpredictability caused by random fluctuations of the airport radio channel characteristics, makes the standard approach of using a single modulation scheme that represents an optimum choice under various conditions on an airport surface environment, unrealistic. Same observation maybe made in regards to choosing a channel coding technique. The IEEE 802.16-2009 standard supports a variety of modulation formats and coding schemes. The essence of adaptive modulation coding (AMC) is the selection of appropriate modulation and coding combination to confront the propagation conditions of the airport channel. In this tutorial article, the AeroMACS mandatory modulation schemes, consisting of three square M-ary Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, are characterized. Channel coding process and the mandatory forward error correction scheme, a tail-biting non-systematic non-recursive convolutional code, are briefly described. AMC is the methodology of link adaptation in AeroMACS systems. The role of AMC and link adaptation in AeroMACS networks is in achieving high spectral efficiency while maintaining received signal reliability at an acceptable level, as the airport channel changes in time and frequency. Channel condition information is acquired from the channel quality feedback indicator. AeroMACS standard allows for seven combinations of modulation and coding schemes. The downlink data rate can dynamically change from 0.53 to 14.26 Mbits/s, as the airport channel conditions change.
Measurement of tech anxiety in older and younger adults

Tech anxiety is an established barrier to technology adoption, and recent work suggests it may also impair the development of higher-order digital competencies. Researching this issue requires a reliable measure of tech anxiety. The widely-used Computer Anxiety Rating Scale was developed more than 30 years ago, but computer devices and use have changed dramatically during that time. We developed and tested a new Tech Anxiety Rating Scale (TARS) encompassing a range of modern devices, tasks, and scenarios. One hundred eight older adults and 150 college students completed the TARS and six other surveys related to computer use, anxiety, self-efficacy, proficiency, and attitudes. We present an exploratory factor analysis of the TARS for the combined datasets and separately for the older and younger adults. Overall, the EFA revealed common underlying factors for older and younger adults, suggesting that the TARS is appropriate for use with both populations.
Transoral neck surgery prevents attentional bias towards the neck compared to open neck surgery

OBJECTIVE Measure attentional distraction of neck scars after open neck surgery compared to transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy via a vestibular approach (TOETVA) or transoral endoscopic parathyroidectomy via a vestibular approach (TOEPVA) using eye-tracking technology. METHODS Casual observers viewed facial images of patients who underwent open neck surgery, TOETVA/TOEPVA, or no surgery (controls). An eye-tracking monitor recorded eye fixations in real time. Multivariate Hotelling's analysis followed by post-hypothesis testing compared fixation durations for predefined regions of interest, including the eyes, nose, mouth, neck, and remaining face between open neck surgery patients, transoral neck surgery patients, and controls. RESULTS One hundred forty observers completed the experiment. The majority of their attention was directed towards the central triangle (eyes, nose, mouth). On multivariate analysis, distribution of attention was significantly different on the faces of those who underwent open neck surgery versus TOETVA/TOEPVA (T2 = 43.66; F[32,131] = 14.5389, P < .0001). Observers attended significantly more to the neck (0.20 seconds, P < .0001; 95% CI, 0.13, 0.26 s) and less to the peripheral face (-0.24 seconds, P = .0031; 95% CI, -0.39, -0.08 s) of open neck surgery patients. In patients who followed up months after surgery, significant differences persisted (T2 = 13.97; F[3451] = 4.6377, P = .0033). By contrast, fixation patterns for TOETVA/TOEPVA patients were not significantly different from controls (T2 = 5.59, F[31,186] = 1.8602, P = .1345). Observer race and gender did not significantly affect attention to neck scars. CONCLUSION Scars following open neck surgery draw attention in casual observers. This attentional distraction is prevented in TOETVA/TOEPVA patients due to the absence of a scar, even months after surgery. Moreover, visual processing of TOETVA/TOEPVA patients' faces is similar to that of controls. These data support the effectiveness of transoral neck surgery in giving patients a cosmetic result that does not distract the attention of observers. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE NA Laryngoscope, 130:1603-1608, 2020.