cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tunable, Photoreactive Hydrogel System to Probe Synergies between Mechanical and Biomolecular Cues on Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation

The incorporation of the photoreactive molecule benzophenone into polyacrylamide hydrogels, allowing for orthogonal control over spatial incorporation of biomolecules and selective modulation of matrix stiffness, is described. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells were cultured on matrices whose elastic moduli are tuned to ∼5, ∼14, and ∼37 kPa combined with an immobilized growth factor, bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP-2), and their lineage differentiation was determined. BMP-2 was observed to have the most pronounced effect at the intermediate stiffness, while the lowest and highest stiffness hydrogels are directed by elasticity alone. Together, this approach describes a facile platform for fundamental studies of cell fate decisions in the context of both mechanical and biochemical cues and may lead to improved insight and effectiveness of stem cell therapies.
Supramolecular Double-Helix Formation by Diastereoisomeric Conformations of Configurationally Enantiomeric Macrocycles

Solid-state superstructures, resulting from assemblies programmed by homochirality, are attracting considerable attention. In addition, artificial double-helical architectures are being investigated, especially in relation to the ways in which homochiral small molecules can be induced to yield helical forms as a result of chiral induction. Herein, we report the highly specific self-assembly upon crystallization of a double-helical superstructure from an enantiopure macrocyclic dimer which adopts two diastereoisomeric conformations in a molar ratio of 1.5:1 in dimethyl sulfoxide. These two conformational diastereoisomers self-organize—and self-sort—in the crystalline phase in equimolar proportions to form two single-handed helices which are complementary to each other, giving rise to the assembly of a double helix that is stabilized by intermolecular [C–H···O] and π–π stacking interactions. The observed self-sorting phenomenon occurs on going from a mixed-solvent system containing two equilibrating conform...
Carbon molecular sieve structure development and membrane performance relationships

Abstract Characterization techniques beyond microscopy, scattering and spectroscopy approaches are needed to understand and improve sub-angstrom discrimination between penetrants in carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes. Here we use a method based on molecular scale gas diffusion probes to understand relevant membrane properties at the required level of detail. We further use this method to consider hypotheses about the evolution of structure responsible for fundamental properties of CMS materials derived from a high performance CMS precursor polymer, 6FDA:BPDA-DAM. While 6FDA:BPDA-DAM derived CMS membranes display a ∼230% improvement in CO2 permeability when compared to Matrimid® derived CMS formed under the same conditions, the CO2/CH4 diffusional selectivity for these two materials are very similar at 35 and 38.5, respectively. These results indicate a non-trivial connection between CMS precursor material structure and resulting performance. Linking hypotheses about structural changes likely to occur during pyrolysis with the probe data provides insights regarding transformation of the random coil polyimide into ultra-rigid CMS, with exquisite size and shape diffusion selectivity. The results provide a framework for understanding and tuning properties of this special class of materials with important technological advantages in energy-intensive gas separations.
‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’: A Model for Reflective Teaching Practices in Coaching Pedagogy

Coaching should go beyond drills and preparing for the big game. One question many coaches have asked themselves is, “How do I get better?” One way to ensure that future coaches (current students) in sport coaching education are thinking of ways to improve for the future is to teach them to think about the past. This is where reflection comes into play. “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” is a presentation of reflective practices used during a sport pedagogy course to evaluate coaching demonstration.
Potential Output Growth Estimates for Central America and the Dominican Republic

This paper presents estimates of potential output for all Central American economies. Our findings are that potential output growth has declined in recent years in most economies of Central America. Lower capital accumulation and TFP growth are accounting for most of this decline. Apart from Costa Rica, there are no indications of significant economic slack in 2015 in Central America. Looking forward, potential growth in most Central American economies is expected to continue at an average of 4 percent in the medium-term due to structural constraints to capital and employment growth, and low TFP growth. Increasing potential growth, thus, should be a policy priority and structural reforms must be directed at improving business conditions, product and labor markets, and enhancing the capacity for innovation.
Regurgitação Aórtica após Substituição Valvular Aórtica Transcateter: Decepção ou Tempestade em Copo d'Água?

Esses 10 anos de sucesso tiveram grandes inconvenientes, que foram relacionados principalmente ao procedimento e resolvidos, em parte, atraves dos refinamentos da tecnica e dos dispositivos adjuntos. Embora as complicacoes a curto prazo tenham melhorado (< 10%), a mortalidade a longo prazo apos a SVAT nao mudou com o passar do tempo.
From Margin to Center: African American Novels, 1970s– 1990s

Although nearly half of all English departments require a course in Shakespeare for their majors, I would bet that The Color Purple is taught in more English courses today than all of Shakespeare's plays combined. Those who maintain that Alice Walker, though well worth reading, has in comparison with Shakespeare less to show us about people, societies, and the possibilities of language (a highly defensible standard of literary merit) must accustom themselves to being called “elitists” – an accusation beside which even the terms “racist” and “sexist” have paled into blandness. (Clausen 52) As what was popularly termed the culture wars reached their height in the 1970s–1990s, critics and self-styled aesthetes argued that writers whose works engaged civil, women's, lesbian and gay rights, and did so with forms deemed unaesthetic, were incapable of creating a “universal” literature and were eroding academic excellence. In addition to Christopher Clausen, quoted above, Dinesh D'Souza in Illiberal Education (1991) feared that Homer, Aristotle, and Shakespeare were being exiled to make room for Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and Ntozake Shange. William Bennett and Lynne Cheney would join the chorus, bemoaning the eschewing of classic literature for the literature of identity politics. Self-acclaimed protectors of scholarly and artistic rigor were on the defensive against attempts to create a more representative canon. Hershel Parker's assessment of the 1990 edition of the Heath Anthology of American literature shows how readily efforts to broaden conceptions of canonical literature were chastened with the yardstick of literary merit: “The most visible innovations in the Heath anthology are the new selections by writers from racial minorities, especially blacks and Indians – selections where literary merit has plainly not always been the chief criterion” (15). Parker was editor of multiple editions of the Norton Anthology of American Literature . While no one would dispute his right to his assessment, the ready equation of race and artistic inferiority makes one question the unstated values behind standards of literary evaluation.
Neighborhood Environments and Physical Activity: A Longitudinal Study of Adolescents in a Natural Experiment.

Introduction Experimental and quasi-experimental evidence on the relationship between adolescents’ physical activity and their physical activity environments is scarce. This study provides natural experimental evidence using within-person longitudinal variation in physical activity environments resulting from the compulsory re-assignment of military families to new installations, termed permanent changes of station. Methods Adolescents in Army families (N=749) reported usual weekly minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity in 2013–2015. Objective measures of the physical activity environment, including the number of fitness and recreation facilities within 2 miles, were constructed for adolescents’ neighborhoods using GIS methods. In 2017, individual-level fixed-effects models with and without a comparison group estimated the relationship between usual weekly minutes of physical activity and physical activity environments among permanent changes of station movers using within-person variation. Results Increases in opportunities for physical activity were significantly and positively associated with increases in total (p Conclusions The decline in physical activity and alarming obesity levels during adolescence suggest that this age may represent an important opportunity to address the obesity epidemic. This study provides evidence that increasing opportunities for physical activity may be an important pathway to improving their levels of physical activity and, consequently, obesity.
Expanded Kinetic Control for Persistent Micelle Templates with Solvent Selection

The precision control of nanoscale materials remains a challenge for the study of nanostructure–performance relationships. Persistent micelle templates (PMT) are a kinetic-controlled self-assembly approach that decouples pore and wall control. Here, block copolymer surfactants form persistent micelles that maintain constant template size as material precursors are added, despite the shifting equilibrium dimensions. Earlier PMT demonstrations were based upon solvent mixtures where kinetic rates were adjusted with the amount of water cosolvent. This approach is however limited because ever-higher water contents can lead to secondary porosity within the material walls. Herein, we report an improved method to regulate the PMT kinetics via the majority solvent. This enables a new avenue for the expansion of the PMT window to realize templated materials with a greater extent of tunability. In addition, we report a new small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)-based log–log analysis method to independently test the mi...
Achieving Wide Field of View Using Double-Mirror Catadioptric Sensors

For many applications such as surveillance, medical imaging, photography and robot navigation, it is required that the camera have a wide field of view. Traditional approaches to solve this problem include using a rotating camera, stitching images, complex lenses or multiple cameras. We are proposing a catadioptric sensor with a camera-mirror pair for enhancing the field of view. Devices consisting of a reflective surface (catoptrics) and a camera (dioptrics) are called catadioptric sensors. Our single viewpoint double-mirror system formed of a conical mirror coupled with a proper secondary mirror arises as a solution to a nonlinear first order ordinary differential equation. The ordinary differential equations are obtained as geometric solutions to the problem. Our system is designed to image a plane at infinity, without distortion, requiring no digital unwarping. In this work, we are analyzing the family of cones and corresponding secondary mirrors to obtain a correct image and a large field of view.
Universal Composability from Essentially Any Trusted Setup

It is impossible to securely carry out general multi-party computation in arbitrary network contexts like the Internet, unless protocols have access to some trusted setup. In this work we classify the power of such trusted 2-party setup functionalities. We show that nearly every setup is either useless ideal access to the setup is equivalent to having no setup at all or else complete composably secure protocols for all tasks exist in the presence of the setup. We further argue that those setups which are neither complete nor useless are highly unnatural. The main technical contribution in this work is an almost-total characterization of completeness for 2-party setups. Our characterization treats setup functionalities as black-boxes, and therefore is the first work to classify completeness of arbitrary setup functionalitiesi.e., randomized, reactive, and having behavior that depends on the global security parameter.
A 470µW −92.5dBm OOK/FSK Receiver for IEEE 802.11 WiFi LP-WUR

An IEEE 802.11 WiFi LP-WUR receiver in 40nm CMOS technology is presented. The direct down-conversion receiver improves sensitivity by allocating single sidebands above the flicker noise corner for received signals. The receiver demodulates wideband FSK/OOK modulated wake-up messages generated by an 802.11 OFDM WiFi transmitter operating at 5.8GHz. The receiver achieves a sensitivity of −92.5dBm while consuming 470µW in OOK demodulation, and sensitivity of −90dBm while consuming 490µW in FSK demodulation at a BER of 10−3 and data-rate of 62.5kb/s. The radio uses an external clock as external component for baseband demodulation, and frequency calibration.
Childhood and Adolescence Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

While it is estimated that 80% of childhood cancers occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), the non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) of childhood and adolescence are among the five most common pediatric malignancies worldwide. Recent epidemiological data have demonstrated that the incidence of NHL is significantly higher in many regions throughout the LMIC of the world, with the highest incidence found in the equatorial belt of sub-Saharan Africa, where Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is the most common childhood cancer overall. Other distinct epidemiological features of pediatric NHL in LMIC include the relationship of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and malaria to endemic Burkitt lymphoma in Africa, as well as the distinct predominance of EBV-associated T- and NK-cell NHL in Central and South America plus East Asia. This chapter will describe some of the unique patterns of childhood and adolescence NHL in LMIC as well as review clinical data from sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South America. The collective experience of treating pediatric NHL in LMIC highlights the challenges of matching the exceptionally high cure rates achieved in high-income countries amid the limitations in medical resources that persist in LMIC. More precise determinations of the true epidemiology of pediatric NHL in LMIC are needed, as well as adapted treatment protocols that can be safely and effectively delivered across the heterogeneous circumstances worldwide. Improved medical and societal infrastructure and increased multidisciplinary subspecialty expertise are required to bridge the gap between disparate survival outcomes that exist between high income and LMIC. Ultimately, there is a great opportunity to capitalize on the potential for excellent survival outcomes in pediatric NHL and provide curative therapy for all children with NHL across the globe.
90Y-Ibtritumomab as a Single Agent for De Novo or Transformed Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: 90Y-Ibritumomab is approved for use in relapsed/refractory follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), and for transformed lymphoma. It is also being studied in the setting of relapsed diffuse large B cell lymphoma. AIM: To determine response rate and duration, and toxicity of 90Y-ibritumomab in relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell (de novo or transformed) lymphoma (DLBCL). METHODS: Permission for the study was obtained from the Institutional Review Boards of St. Francis Hospital and Harford Hospital, Hartford, CT, respectively. Patients who had received 90Y-ibritumomab for DLBCL were identified. A retrospective chart review was conducted to determine patient and disease characteristics, safety and efficacy of 90Y-ibritumomab. RESULTS: A total of 9 individuals received 90Y-ibritumomab between May, 2004, and November, 2006. Their median age was 71 years (48–90 years) and male:female ratio 4:5. Pathology at initial diagnosis was de novo DLBCL (n=4), and follicular (n=4) or small B cell NHL (n=1). The interval to transformation to DLBCL in the latter 5 patients was a median of 7 years (0.5–10 years). At original diagnosis, 5 patients had B symptoms, 3 had bone marrow involvement, 5 had CD10-positivity, 6 had intermediate high or high risk features, and only one had a cytogenetic abnormality (t14;18;22).The median number of prior treatment regimens was 2 (1–3). Seven had received radiation. The last dose of rituximab was administered a median of 9 months (1 week-18 months) previously. Patients were refractory to (n=4) or relapsed after (n=5) the last treatment (chemotherapy and/or rituximab). The median duration of response to last treatment was 2.5 months (1–12 months). The interval from diagnosis of de novo or transformed DLBCL to treatment with 90Y-ibritumomab was a median of 12.5 months (6–35 months). At the time of treatment with 90Y-ibtitumomab, 3 patients had B symptoms, and 4 had 9 /L was 4 weeks (0–12 weeks), hemoglobin 9 /L 6 weeks (4–12 weeks). Two patients required platelet and red cell transfusion support. The complete and partial response rates were 11% and 11%, respectively. The duration of response in these 2 patients was 24 months (on-going) and 3 months, respectively. The median progression-free and over-all survival following 90Y-ibritumomab was 3 months and 12 months, respectively. The only patient (de novo DLBCL) who achieved a complete response remains disease-free at this time. She had failed two prior chemotherapy regimens combined with rituximab and was not eligible for stem cell transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: 90Y - ibritumomab is well tolerated in patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL but response rates are low and response durations short. Outcome was poor whether or not patients had de novo or transformed DLBCL. 90Y-Ibritumomab cannot be recommended as a single agent in relapsed/refractory patients with DLBCL.
Justice and rule of law failure in Haiti: A view from the Shanties.

Since 1995, significant investments have been made in justice reform initiatives in Haiti. The results, however, have been meager. Drawing upon data from a longitudinal study conducted in Cite Soleil between 2008 and 2011, this article illuminates the short-sightedness of top-down reforms that fail to meet the demands of the population, leaving them to fend for themselves. In the absence of a viable justice system Cite Soleil residents have resorted to alternative, and at times pathological, measures to exact some level of "justice". In this article, we contend that an empirically grounded base of knowledge of the demand side of justice and the promotion of trust-building strategies that engage the active participation of citizens in the country are necessary to enact and sustain justice and rule of law reform. Such an approach will create a venue to channel civil society's demands, build political will and facilitate coordination between stakeholders and Haitian society for self-sustained rule of law institutions and long-term peace building in Haiti.
Value Relevance of Disaggregated Information: An Examination of the Rate and Volume Analysis of Bank Net Interest Income

SYNOPSIS A potentially important form of financial information disaggregation is to segregate the change in an income measure into its underlying performance drivers. In this study, we perform a co...
The Contemporary Context

This chapter assesses Progressive Era designer and social activist Louise Brigham as a progenitor of several strands of contemporary design, including sustainable and recycled-materials design, do-it-yourself design, modular and multifunctional design for apartments, and RTA and kit furniture design. Following an overview of how these areas of design developed over the last hundred years in Europe and the United States, the chapter takes up two examples of recent design projects to interrogate the ways in which contemporary design both reflects and diverges from Brigham’s aesthetic and ethos. Finally, the chapter argues for Brigham as an exemplar of a form of “alternative modernity” that was radical for the unique ways that she took modernist ideas and refracted them through her own version of Progressive Era values.
The print exposure of teacher candidates in relation to their achievement and self-ratings of early reading experiences

This study examined the print exposure of teacher candidates (N = 195) in relation to their GPAs, achievement in reading and writing on the SAT, and their self-ratings of their own early (K to Grade 5) reading experiences. Participants came from undergraduate and Masters programs in varied certification areas and from two different universities. Print exposure measures included author recognition tests for both fiction and nonfiction; a questionnaire about participants’ current voluntary reading habits for books, magazines, newspapers, and digital print media; and favorite authors/books questions. Exploratory factor analysis suggested four factors underlying the different print exposure measures: (1) fiction book reading volume; (2) current magazine and newspaper reading; (3) nonfiction book reading volume and (4) current book reading habits for enjoyment. Only fiction and nonfiction book reading volume related positively to participants’ achievement, in writing as well as reading, and to their early reading experience ratings. A subgroup of participants who had taken a specific reading methods course involving structured language content, and who had positive early reading experience self-ratings, had higher performance in the course than did participants with mixed or negative self-ratings, although the two groups did not differ in overall GPA. Findings support the view that different measures of print exposure tap somewhat different aspects of print exposure, with differing relationships to varied indicators of achievement. Results also support concerns about the reading volume and print exposure of some teacher candidates.
Colorado Mathematical Olympiad: How it Started and What it has Become

The Colorado Mathematical Olympiad. Why did I create it? Who needs it? Who makes it possible? To answer these questions, I have to start with my own story and a critical role mathematical Olympiads played in it.
Utilization of Radiographic Imaging for Infant Hydronephrosis over the First 12 Months of Life.

Purpose The workup and surveillance strategies for infant hydronephrosis (HN) vary, although this could be due to grade-dependent differences in imaging intensity. We aimed to describe the frequency of imaging studies for HN within the first year of life, stratified by initial HN grade, within a large regional healthcare system. Study Design and Data Source. Retrospective cohort using Intermountain Healthcare Data Warehouse. Inclusion criteria: (1) birth between 1/1/2005 and 12/31/2013, (2) CPT code for HN, and (3) ultrasound (U/S) confirmed HN within four months of birth. Data Collection. Grade of HN on initial postnatal U/S; number of HN-associated radiologic studies (renal U/Ss, voiding cystourethrograms (VCUGs), and diuretic renal scans); demographic and medical variables. Primary Outcome. Sum of radiologic studies within the first year of life or prior to pyeloplasty. Statistical Analysis. Multivariate poisson regression to analyze association between the primary outcome and the initial HN grade. Results Of 1,380 subjects (993 males and 387 females), 990 (72%), 230 (17%), and 160 (12%) had mild, moderate, and severe HN, respectively. Compared with those with mild HN, patients with moderate (RR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.42-1.73) and severe (RR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.88-2.32) HN had a significantly higher rate of imaging use over 12 months (or prior to surgery) after controlling for potential confounders. Conclusions In a large regional healthcare system, imaging use for HN is proportional to its initial grade. This suggests that within our system, clinicians treating this condition are using a risk-stratified approach to imaging.
The Effect of a Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement on Immune Function in Healthy Older Adults: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial

Older adults are at increased risk for vitamin and mineral deficiencies that contribute to age-related immune system decline. Several lines of evidence suggest that taking a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement (MVM) could improve immune function in individuals 55 and older. To test this hypothesis, we provided healthy older adults with either an MVM supplement formulated to improve immune function (Redoxon® VI, Singapore) or an identical, inactive placebo control to take daily for 12 weeks. Prior to and after treatment, we measured (1) their blood mineral and vitamin status (i.e., vitamin C, zinc and vitamin D); (2) immune function (i.e., whole blood bacterial killing activity, neutrophil phagocytic activity, and reactive oxygen species production); (3) immune status (salivary IgA and plasma cytokine/chemokine levels); and (4) self-reported health status. MVM supplementation improved vitamin C and zinc status in blood and self-reported health-status without altering measures of immune function or status or vitamin D levels, suggesting that healthy older adults may benefit from MVM supplementation. Further development of functional assays and larger study populations should improve detection of specific changes in immune function after supplementation in healthy older adults. Clinical Trials Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT02876315.
Currents in Contemporary Ethics: Improve Privacy in Research by Eliminating Informed Consent? IOM Report Misses the Mark

The report is based on formal presentations, commissioned and in-vited surveys and papers, a literature review, and deliberations by the Com-mittee on Health Research and the Privacy of Health Information: The HIPAA Privacy Rule. The Commit-tee was charged with addressing the often-expressed concern of research-ers that the Privacy Rule burdens re-search without adequately protecting the privacy interests of patients and subjects.There is much to commend in the report. Among other things, it recom-mends the following: (1) privacy pro-tections should apply to all research regardless of the funding source; (2) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should take steps to harmonize the requirements of the Federal Policy for the Protec-tion of Research Subjects (Common Rule)
Effect of cadmium on nutrients concentration in duckweed: a case of Lemna minor and Lemna gibba

Pollution due to heavy metals in the aquatic environment remains a widespread concern. Heavy metal like cadmium (Cd) is associated with reduced absorption of nutrients, decreased cell growth, chlorosis, and necrosis of roots. In the present study, the effects of varied Cd concentrations on the macro and micronutrients (zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and sodium (Na)) of duckweed plant species namely Lemna minor and Lemna gibba were investigated. Plant nutrients like Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe were increased to 1460 mg/kg, 40 mg/kg, 1276 mg/kg, and 98.3 mg/kg respectively, for L. minor when compared with control and 1621.7 mg/kg, 28.3 mg/kg, 1081.7 mg/kg and 63.3 mg/kg respectively, in case of L. gibba with the increase in treatment time when treated with Cd. Na and K concentrations were found to be decreased with increasing metal concentration and treatment period. Statistical analysis (two-way ANOVA) also confirms the individual effect of metal concentration and treatment interval as well as a combined effect of both factors together on macro and micronutrient concentrations. The effect of Cd stress conditions on the various characteristic functional groups was also assessed with the help of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). FTIR spectra of both control and metal treated plants exhibited minor changes after the phytoremediation process. The study showed that the contents of essential macro and micronutrients (Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe) were not significantly reduced by Cd even at a high concentration in the cultivation medium.
Theory-driven interventions: How social cognition can help

Abstract This chapter reviews the adaption of theories of social cognition to interventions for problematic alcohol use. Social cognitive theories focus on thoughts and feelings individuals have about themselves or others, and there is an established and successful tradition of applying these theories to intervention. We provide a brief primer of key theories, describe how each one has been applied to intervention, and review key findings. We consider both long-standing applications of social cognitive theories (e.g., Social Cognitive Theory) and emergent applications (e.g., Self-Affirmation Theory). We close by discussing implications across theories and suggesting future directions.
Sacroiliac joint arthropathy in adult spinal deformity patients with long constructs to the pelvis

Abstract Objective Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) arthropathy is an increasingly recognized problem in adult spinal deformity patients undergoing long construct surgery. S2-alar-iliac (S2AI) screw instrumentation is thought to reduce morbidity from pelvic fixation in these patients. The goal of this study is to assess the overall incidence of SIJ arthropathy in patients with long constructs to the pelvis as well as compare SIJ outcomes of partially threaded (PT) versus fully threaded (FT) S2AI screws. Methods Data of eligible patients were collected from a prospectively maintained database with retrospective review of electronic records at an academic institution between 2016 and 2019. Results 65 consecutive patients who underwent S2AI screw instrumentation (40 in PT group, 25 in FT group) were enrolled. The rate of postoperative SIJ pain was higher in the PT (52.5 %) compared to FT (32 %) group. There was a significantly shorter time-to-pain development in the PT compared to FT group (11.8 versus 20.1 months, respectively). Of those who developed SIJ pain in the PT group, the pain worsened in 80.9 % versus only 25 % of those in the FT group despite conservative treatment. Cox regression found the PT group more likely to develop SIJ pain at any point during follow-up compared to the FT group ( Hazard Ratio = 7.308 ). SIJ fusion was not detected on imaging of any patient during follow-up. Conclusion FT S2AI screws are associated with better SIJ outcomes compared to PT screws. However, our data suggest that S2AI screw instrumentation is not sufficient to achieve fusion or prevent development of SIJ pain. Concurrent SIJ fusion may be necessary in patients with long constructs to prevent SIJ arthropathy.
What Is the Evidence in Treating Distal Radius Fractures in the Geriatric Population

Distal radius fractures are common in the elderly population, second only to hip fractures in frequency. Historically, these injuries were treated almost exclusively without surgery, but an increase in operative management has occurred with development of volar locked plating in the early 2000s. Functional outcomes are similar between conservative and surgical treatment, but most studies assume low functional demands in older patients. Many elderly individuals today are active and independent. Decision-making in this higher-demand population is difficult. This article provides current evidence to facilitate informed, individualized decision-making when treating distal radius fractures in geriatric patients.
Lost in Translation: Building a Common Language for Regulating Autonomous Weapons

There have been three UN meetings of experts in 2014, 2015, and 2016 to address autonomous weapons systems (AWS), however, little to no progress. In this article, we argue that the fundamental reason for the stalled discussions is the lack of a unifying, technical language for describing and understanding the problems posed by AWS. A unifying, technical language would address two major communications issues facing the discussants of AWS: an inability to identify the sources of the conflict and solutions that have consensus, and an inability to operationalize the regulations that are agreed upon. We propose that the language of cognitive systems engineering can be the unifying technical language to provide initial answers to the four key questions at the UN: (1) How do we define autonomy? Use the requirements for effective function allocation to develop standards for human-AWS interaction and meaningful human control. (2) What amount or quality of human control necessary for lawful use of AWS? Use function allocation’s models and metrics to evaluate human-AWS interaction and enforce meaningful human control standards. (3) What would an accountability framework look like for AWS? Use the models and metrics for evaluating authority-responsibility mismatches in function allocation to address the AWS responsibility gap. (4) How do we review and certify permissible AWS? Use the human-automation issues that have been explored and addressed by function allocation to develop case studies and technical standards for human-AWS interaction.
R 2 U3D: Recurrent Residual 3D U-Net for Lung Segmentation

3D Lung segmentation is essential since it processes the volumetric information of the lungs, removes the unnecessary areas of the scan, and segments the actual area of the lungs in a 3D volume. Recently, the deep learning model, such as U-Net outperforms other network architectures for biomedical image segmentation. In this paper, we propose a novel model, namely, Recurrent Residual 3D U-Net ( R2U3D ), for the 3D lung segmentation task. In particular, the proposed model integrates 3D convolution into the Recurrent Residual Neural Network based on U-Net. It helps learn spatial dependencies in 3D and increases the propagation of 3D volumetric information. The proposed R2U3D network is trained on the publicly available dataset LUNA16 and it achieves state-of-the-art performance on both LUNA16 (testing set) and VESSEL12 dataset. In addition, we show that training the R2U3D model with a smaller number of CT scans, i.e., 100 scans, without applying data augmentation achieves an outstanding result in terms of Soft Dice Similarity Coefficient (Soft-DSC) of 0.9920.
A Decline in Propensity Toward Risk Behaviors Among US Adolescents

Purpose: Over the past two decades, substance use, delinquent behaviors, and promiscuous sexual activity have declined substantially among U.S. adolescents. We aimed to determine the extent to which these trends represent declines in a general propensity to engage in risk behaviors (i.e., declines in a latent factor). Methods: We used Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (1999-2017) (n=147,800) and examined trends in substance use (e.g., alcohol) delinquency (e.g., fighting), and sexual activity (e.g., number of partners). We conducted two types of analyses stratified by grade (9th/10th vs. 11th/12th) and sex: (1) estimation of year-specific prevalence of each behavior and modeled prevalence changes over time; (2) factor analysis and application of alignment methods to determine changes in the mean of the latent factor over time while correcting for measurement non-invariance. Results: A single factor explained 53% (girls 11th/12th grade) to 62% (boys 9th/10th grade) of the variance in risk behaviors. Average relative annual declines in the prevalence of each behavior—except for weapon carrying—ranged from 1-6%. The structure of the latent factor was mostly unchanged over time, with notable exceptions related to differential changes in prevalence for cigarette and cannabis use. Between 1999 and 2017, the mean of the latent factor declined by between 0.54 and 0.73 standard deviations. Conclusions: Results suggest that much of the decline in the prevalence of substance use, delinquent, and sexual behaviors among American youth from 1999-2017 reflect an approximately two-thirds standard deviation decline in the mean of a latent risk behavior factor.
Positive realness and realization of unorthodox impedances

The paper concerns driving point functions with noninterlaced zeros and poles located on the negative real axis. An RLC network can be designed for realization of this type of impedance called unorthodox impedances. The positive realness of these impedances are studied. The determination of residue signs by visual inspection of pole and zero locations is presented. Realizations of double poles alternating with double zeros and triple poles alternating with triple zeros are given. >
On Liberty: Man vs. the State, Milton S. Mayer

(1972). On Liberty: Man vs. the State, Milton S. Mayer. The Philosophy Forum: Vol. 11, No. sup1, pp. 117-123.
Effort-induced thrombosis: Diagnosis with three-dimensional MR venography

A case of Paget–von Schrotter syndrome diagnosed with gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) venography is described. MR enabled a comprehensive evaluation with identification of the thrombus within the left subclavian vein and a hypertrophied anterior scalene muscle as the probable cause of the patient's condition. We describe the MR venography technique used for evaluation of the subclavian vein and the imaging findings in this entity.
Lean methodology improves efficiency in outpatient academic Gynecologic Oncology clinics

Abstract Objectives Patient satisfaction scores may be used as a measure of quality of care, but outpatient scores are significantly and negatively affected by long clinic wait times. Patients in academic Gynecologic Oncology clinic at UVA for chemotherapy visits experience multiple wait times during a complex multipurpose visit. The purpose of this study was to utilize Lean methodology to identify variability in patient flow in order to guide solutions for improvement. Methods A value stream map of our clinic process was created. Patient surveys and clinical timestamps were used to identify which visit components were contributing to delays and to identify process variability. After results were analyzed, a process change was instituted, with the patient surveys then repeated. Results In the first phase, women experienced short wait times for the first appointment, but the average wait time between appointments gradually increased, with a peak mean wait time of 65min (range 38–108) just prior to drug infusion. The total mean wait time (including all visits) was 119min (range 81–154). After instituting process intervention, the overall wait time decreased significantly (82 vs 119min, p =0.001), but was still affected by aspects of the process that were outside of the investigators' control. Conclusions Analyzing patient flow through an academic Gynecologic Oncology clinic can elucidate inefficiencies and guide improvements. Change in process can meaningfully affect overall waiting time. Next steps include instituting a more global change in process, as well as linking results to patient satisfaction scores.
Semantic Data Matching: Principles and Performance

Automated and real-time management of customer relationships requires robust and intelligent data matching across widespread and diverse data sources. Simple string matching algorithms, such as dynamic programming, can handle typographical errors in the data, but are less able to match records that require contextual and experiential knowledge. Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) (Berry et al. ; Deerwester et al. is a machine intelligence technique that can match data based upon higher order structure, and is able to handle difficult problems, such as words that have different meanings but the same spelling, are synonymous, or have multiple meanings. Essentially, the technique matches records based upon context, or mathematically quantifying when terms occur in the same record.
The Role of Thrombospondin-1 in Tumor Progression:

The role of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) in tumor progression is both complex and controversial. It is clear from the literature that the function of TSP-1 in malignancy depends on the presence of other factors and the level of TSP-1 expression in the tumor tissue. High levels of TSP-1 secreted by tumors, which were engineered to overexpress TSP-1, inhibit tumor growth, while anti-sense inhibition of TSP-1 production in certain tumors also inhibits growth. Clearly, the presence of other factors in these experimental systems must be important. The role of TSP-1 in angiogenesis also depends on the levels of TSP-1, the presence and level of angiogenic stimulators such as basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and the localization of TSP-1 in the tissue. Matrix-bound TSP-1 promotes capillary tube formation in the rat aorta model of angiogenesis, while TSP-1 inhibits bFGF- induced angiogenesis in the rat cornea model. The inhibitory effect also depends on the proteolytic state of TSP-1 since the amino terminus promotes angiogenesis in the cornea model, while the remaining 140-kDa fragment inhibits bFGF-induced angiogenesis. Both the stimulatory and inhibitory effects of TSP-1 are likely due to upregulation of matrix-degrading enzymes and their inhibitors. These enzymes are critical for maintaining optimal matrix turnover during angiogenesis. These varied TSP-1-dependent mechanisms offer new targets for the development of anti-angiogenic therapeutics for the treatment of a variety of cancers, as well as other pathologies involving inappropriate angiogenesis such as diabetic retinopathy.
SU-FF-T-59: A Comparison of Forward and Inverse Planned IMRT Treatment of Breast Cancer

Purpose: To compare a forward planning technique with a commercial inverse planning module for breast IMRT treatments. Method and Materials: Currently, our clinic uses the Pinnacle IMRT InvPlan module for left breast IMRTtreatment planning. Before the planning, the treatment volume (TV), the heart and the lungs are contoured on the patient CT scans. The isocenter and two tangential fields are defined in our treatment planning system (TPS), and an IMRT treatment plan was then generated using the inverse planning module. For the purpose of this study, we created forward planned IMRT breast plans with the same isocenter and tangential beams. Beam intensities in the forward plan were modulated by adding “control points” (CP), a special functionality provided by Pinnacle TPS. CP combines multiple tangential beams into a step‐and‐shoot IMRT field with multiple segments. A tangential beam in a forward IMRT breast plan typically consists of one open segment and 4 MLC segments blocking hot spots. A typical inverse IMRT breast plan has 6 to 7 segments in each beam. Isodose distributions and DVH's were compared between the breast IMRT plans generated using the forward planning technique and the inverse planning module. The statistical results were examined for the TV volumes receiving 95%, 100% and 105% of the prescription dose, the lung volume receiving more than 20 Gy and the heart volume receiving more than 30 Gy. Results: Five left breast cases were studied. The DVH's generated from both methods were comparable. It was found that the forward planned breast IMRT plans used fewer segments. The average values for V95, V100 and V105 between forward and inverse planed IMRT breast plans were within 2%. Conclusion: The forward planning technique can generate comparable breast IMRT plans and these plans met the clinical constraints used in our IMRT breast protocol.
The Effect of Taking a Public Speaking Class on One's Writing Abilities

This study investigated the effect of taking a public speaking course on writing skills. It was predicted that completing a public speaking course would improve one's writing skills. A pre-test post-test control group design was employed (N = 678), where approximately one-half of the participants were enrolled in a public speaking class and the remaining were not. Participants wrote a three- to five-page paper at the start of a semester and then a second one about 12 weeks later. Papers were compared using the five dimensions of the American Association of College and Universities written communication VALUE rubric, which include structure, control of syntax, context, content development, and sources and evidence. The results indicate that completing a public speaking class positively impacts writing skills in use of structure and control of syntax. No changes were found in writing skills with regard to context, content development, or sources and evidence.
Three-dimensional structure of multicomponent (Na2O)0.35 [(P2O5)1 ? x(B2O3)x]0.65 glasses by high-energy x-ray diffraction and constrained reverse Monte Carlo simulations

Experimental structure functions for (Na(2)O)(0.35) [(P(2)O(5))(1 - x)(B(2)O(3))(x)](0.65) glasses, where x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0, have been measured by high-energy x-ray diffraction up to wavevectors of 28 A( - 1) to obtain atomic pair distribution functions with high real space resolution. The experimental diffraction data have been used to guide constrained reverse Monte Carlo simulations of the three-dimensional structure of the glasses. The resulting models show that the glasses exhibit a very complex atomic-scale structure that evolves from an assembly of chains of corner shared P(O)(4) tetrahedra for x = 0 to a network of B(O)(4) tetrahedra and planar B(O)(3) units for x = 1. In the glasses of intermediate composition (i.e. 0 < x < 1), P, B and oxygen atoms sit on the vertices of P(O)(4), B(O)(4) and B(O)(3) units mixed in various proportions. Sodium atoms are found to fill up the cavities in between the P/B-oxygen units in a more or less random manner. The new data can provide a firm structural basis for an explanation of the mixed glass former effect where a nonlinear behavior of Na ion conductivity is observed in the (Na(2)O)(0.35) [(P(2)O(5))(1 - x)(B(2)O(3))(x)](0.65) glass system.
Olympic Sacrifice: A Modern Look at an Ancient Tradition

The inspiration for this paper came rather unexpectedly. In February 2006, I made the long trip from my home in Sioux City, Iowa, to Torino, Italy in order to witness the Olympic Winter Games. Barely a month later, I found myself in California at the newly-renovated Getty Villa, home to one of the world's great collections of Greco-Roman antiquities. At the Villa I attended a talk about a Roman mosaic depicting a boxing scene from Virgil's Aeneid. The tiny tiles showed not only two boxers, but a wobbly looking ox. ‘What is wrong with this ox?’ asked the docent. ‘Why is he there at the match?’ The answer, of course, is that he is the prize. And the reason he is wobbly is because the victor has just sacrificed this prize to the gods in thanksgiving, by punching him between the eyes. A light went on in my head; I turned to my husband and whispered, ‘Just like Joey Cheek in Torino.’ My husband smiled indulgently, but my mind was already racing. I realized that by donating his victory bonus to charity, Cheek had tapped into one of the oldest and most venerable traditions in sport: individual sacrifice for the benefit of the larger community. It is a tradition that derives from the religious function of the ancient Olympic Games and it deserves to be revived the modern world.
Aging in Correctional Custody: Setting a Policy Agenda for Older Prisoner Health Care

An exponential rise in the number of older prisoners is creating new and costly challenges for the criminal justice system, state economies, and communities to which older former prisoners return. We convened a meeting of 29 national experts in correctional health care, academic medicine, nursing, and civil rights to identify knowledge gaps and to propose a policy agenda to improve the care of older prisoners. The group identified 9 priority areas to be addressed: definition of the older prisoner, correctional staff training, definition of functional impairment in prison, recognition and assessment of dementia, recognition of the special needs of older women prisoners, geriatric housing units, issues for older adults upon release, medical early release, and prison-based palliative medicine programs.