cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Single versus multiple access video-assisted thoracic surgery in the treatment of malignant pleural effusion.

Talc pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a procedure which, undoubtedly, is useful in the approach to advanced stage cancer patients whose quality of life is severely impaired by this clinical occurrence. In this setting, we really appreciate the report from Stefani and co-workers [1] that, even within the limits of a prospective nonrandomized trial, gives a clear and evidence-based rationale to support talc poudrage for MPE per se and suggests some valuable criteria to support the decision-making process towards the indication for a videothoracoscopic procedure (thoracoscopic talc poudrage—TP) or a bedside one (talc slurry—TS). We now had time to evaluate retrospectively our experience with 317 patients with MPE who, in the period from January 1995 to December 2006, underwent TP. In the same period, 76 patients underwent bedside TS, due to very poor clinical conditions. The comparison of these two groups in terms of efficacy (successful pleurodesis within 90 days from procedure) largely confirms the authors’ conclusion that TP is better than TS (87.5% vs 72.3%, p < 0.01). Unlike the figures reported in [1], the incidence of post-procedural pain was different, but not significantly, in the two groups. Herein we would like to report our results when a single access thoracoscopic procedure is compared with a multiple accesses procedure (two or more). Of the 317 patients, in fact, 187 underwent a single access procedure (group A) in which a 5 mm camera was introduced in the same port (12 mm) along with instruments for suction, pleurolysisbiopsy and poudrage (pneumatically atomized talc — 6 g — through a soft silicone tube); a single chest drain, 28 Fr, was inserted through the same hole. The remaining 130 cases underwent a standard, multiple accesses procedure (group B). Morbidity and mortality (30-day procedure related, nil in both groups) did not differ between the two groups. Analgesic drug administration (elastomeric pump for continuous infusion of 20 mg morphine plus 150 mg ketorolac at 2 ml/h/48 h) was discontinued after 48 h in 81% of the patients in group A and in 61% in group B (p = 0.0001). No statistical differences in terms of procedure efficacy (endpoint: MPE recurrence) were found between the two groups. Our results strongly support the value of TP in the treatment of MPE as reported in [1]. We would really appreciate the authors’ reflection and reaction in considering and discussing a single approach for TP.
Reference Sources in City Planning in the United States

An extensive, cross-disciplinary literature has developed in city planning since its emergence as a profession over seventy years ago. This article surveys reference sources that serve as access points to the literature on the physical aspects of city planning in the United States. Comprehensive bibliographies, historical and biographical works, and the publications of professional organizations are covered in the context of the historical development of this literature. Currently available city planning research tools and sources for the special topics of cities, housing, and historic preservation are also discussed.
Queueing behavior of the Gilbert-Elliott channel: BCH codes and Poisson arrivals

This paper considers the queueing performance of a communication system that transmits BCH-coded data over the correlated-error channel first studied by Gilbert and Elliott in the 1960s. For some arrival processes, one can join the queue length and channel state so that the pair forms a Markov chain; this provides a powerful tool to analyze the tail probability of the queue. For Bernoulli packet arrivals, this approach works but does not allow for fair comparisons between different block-length codes. In this paper, a Poisson arrival model is assumed in order to make fair comparisons between codes with arbitrary block length and code rate. This enables one to optimize code parameters for delay-sensitive communication systems over time-varying channels. Finally, the analysis is supported through a Monte Carlo simulation.
The Impact of Asthma Health Education for Parents of Children Attending Head Start Centers

Parents of children who attend Head Start Centers are key participants in the health promotion and care of their own children. This non-randomized, longitudinal study aimed to test the effectiveness of an educational intervention based on the asthma and healthy homes curriculum targeting parents of Head Start children with or without an asthma diagnosis. One hundred and fifteen parents of children in Head Start Centers received an educational intervention at their corresponding sites, additionally pre- and post-test surveys were administered to measure educational intervention outcomes. A follow-up survey was conducted 6 months after the educational intervention was offered. Results showed a statistically significant increase in asthma and healthy home-knowledge (p < 0.001) in several areas. At 6 months post-intervention (54.4 %) (61 participants) were contacted and 98.4 % of made changes in their households as a result of their training. This study suggests that education can improve knowledge and change behaviors for the well-being of the residents of that household.
Rocky Shore Golf Links: Donald Andrews

For Douglas Peterson and his two 10-year-old golf partners, it had been a memorable round at a world-class course with a caddy who contributed greatly to their enjoyment. For caddy Donald Andrews, the round was among the most challenging, physically and mentally, in which he had participated. As the group walked up the 18th fairway, Peterson reflected on the the size of an appropriate tip for the caddy while Andrews wondered how he might influence the size of the tip.
Asymptotically optimal probes for noisy interferometry via quantum annealing to criticality

Quantum annealing is explored as a resource for quantum information beyond solution of classical combinatorial problems. Envisaged as a generator of robust interferometric probes, we examine a Hamiltonian of $N\ensuremath{\gg}1$ uniformly coupled spins subject to a transverse magnetic field. The discrete many-body problem is mapped onto dynamics of a single one-dimensional particle in a continuous potential. This reveals all the qualitative features of the ground state beyond typical mean-field or large classical spin models. It illustrates explicitly a graceful warping from an entangled unimodal to bimodal ground state in the phase transition region. The transitional ``Goldilocks'' probe has a component distribution of width ${N}^{2/3}$ and exhibits characteristics for enhanced phase estimation in a decoherent environment. In the presence of realistic local noise and collective dephasing, we find this probe state asymptotically saturates ultimate precision bounds calculated previously. By reducing the transverse field adiabatically, the Goldilocks probe is prepared in advance of the minimum gap bottleneck, allowing the annealing schedule to be terminated ``early.'' Adiabatic time complexity of probe preparation is shown to be linear in $N$.
Snapshot of Teleretinal Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy at the West Los Angeles Medical Center.

Abstract Introduction: The West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center is a large urban facility with a robust teleretinal screening program in primary care clinic, established in 2006. The purpose of this article is to provide a snapshot of teleretinal screening at this site. Methods: Diabetic patients from 2012 were analyzed with a prospective cohort study. Demographic information, results of teleretinal screening, referral to eye clinic, and loss to follow-up (defined as no eye care within 2 years) were collected. Results: Of 516 patients with diabetes screened with teleretinal imaging, 120 patient charts were reviewed for data analysis. Teleretinal imaging diagnosed 15% (18/120) of patients with varying stages of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR). Of patients screened, 55.8% (67/120) of the patients were referred to an eye clinic for further ophthalmic evaluation. Nondiabetic retinopathy reasons for eye clinic referral included glaucoma suspect (13.3%, 16/120) and age-related macular deg...
“OPT”: A Linear Program for Formulation of Diets at Minimal Cost

Abstract A flexible, interactive linear program is described for minimal cost diet formulation on “personal” microcomputers. The program, “OPT”, is designed for use in poultry teaching programs or research projects and is coded in commonly used BASIC, or BASIC and FORTRAN. An extensive data file, based on the NRC table (NRC, 1977), is stored with the program, allowing the user to select the desired foodstuffs (ingredients) and nutrient constraints from a displayed menu. Any of three constraint types–equal, less than or equal, or greater than or equal– can be placed on any nutrient in the file. Paired inequalities can be used if ranging of nutrient levels is desired. Additionally, nutrients or ingredients not in the stored data file can be added from the keyboard during problem execution. The program output includes verification of all input data (if desired), cost of the optimal diet, each included ingredient's contribution to the diet, and sensitivity analyses of constraint levels, included and nonincluded ingredients. A utility program can be chained to OPT to give a complete nutritional analysis of the optimal diet. This utility program, “DIET”, can also operate independently of OPT, allowing the user to calculate the nutritional analysis of any ration.
Poliomyelitis viruses in tissue culture. IV. Protein-free nutrient media in stationary and roller tube cultures.

SummaryPoliomyelitis virus may be propagated in test tube, plasma-clot cultures of monkey testicular tissue in the absence of protein in the fluid phase of the nutrient medium. The tubes may be held stationary with the fragments submerged under a thin layer of medium, or they may be turned in a roller drum. The medium used contained lactalbumin enzymatic hydrolysate, serum ultrafiltrate, and balanced salt solution. With such a medium, fibroblasts grow out within 4 days after the cultures are made, and are then suitable for use in virus titrations and neutralization tests in which the presence of virus is indicated by its cytopathogenic effect on the fibroblasts. Also such cultures continue to produce virus for a period of about four weeks, long after the degeneration of the fibroblasts.
Phosphate-Catalyzed Degradation of d-Glucosone in Aqueous Solution Is Accompanied by C1–C2 Transposition

Pathways in the degradation of the C6 1,2-dicarbonyl sugar (osone) d-glucosone 2 (d-arabino-hexos-2-ulose) in aqueous phosphate buffer at pH 7.5 and 37 °C have been investigated by 13C and 1H NMR spectroscopy with the use of singly and doubly 13C-labeled isotopomers of 2. Unlike its 3-deoxy analogue, 3-deoxy-d-glucosone (3-deoxy-d-erythro-hexos-2-ulose) (1), 2 does not degrade via a 1,2-hydrogen shift mechanism but instead initially undergoes C1–C2 bond cleavage to yield d-ribulose 3 and formate. The latter bond cleavage occurs via a 1,3-dicarbonyl intermediate initially produced by enolization at C3 of 2. However, a careful monitoring of the fates of the sketetal carbons of 2 during its conversion to 3 revealed unexpectedly that C1–C2 bond cleavage is accompanied by C1–C2 transposition in about 1 out of every 10 transformations. Furthermore, the degradation of 2 is catalyzed by inorganic phosphate (Pi), and by the Pi-surrogate, arsenate. C1–C2 transposition was also observed during the degradation of the...
Colloquium : Modeling the dynamics of multicellular systems: Application to tissue engineering

Tissue engineering is a rapidly evolving discipline that aims at building functional tissues to improve or replace damaged ones. To be successful in such an endeavor, ideally, the engineering of tissues should be based on the principles of developmental biology. Recent progress in developmental biology suggests that the formation of tissues from the composing cells is often guided by physical laws. Here a comprehensive computational-theoretical formalism is presented that is based on experimental input and incorporates biomechanical principles of developmental biology. The formalism is described and it is shown that it correctly reproduces and predicts the quantitative characteristics of the fundamental early developmental process of tissue fusion. Based on this finding, the formalism is then used toward the optimization of the fabrication of tubular multicellular constructs, such as a vascular graft, by bioprinting, a novel tissue engineering technology.
Toward defect-free fabrication of extreme ultraviolet photomasks

Defect-free fabrication of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) masks relies on the appropriate detection of native defects and subsequent strategies for their elimination. Commercial unavailability of actinic mask-blank inspection systems motivates the identification of an optical inspection methodology most suitable for finding relevant EUV blank defects. Studies showed that 193-nm wavelength inspection found the greatest number of printable defects as compared with rival higher-wavelength systems, establishing deep ultraviolet inspections as the blank defectivity baseline for subsequent mitigation strategies. Next, defect avoidance via pattern shifting was explored using representative 7-nm node metal/contact layer designs and 193-nm mask-blank inspection results. It was found that a significant percentage of native defects could be avoided only when the design was limited to active patterns (i.e., layouts without dummy fill). Total pattern-defect overlap remained ≤5 when metal layer blanks were chosen from the top 35% least defective substrates, while the majority of blanks remained suitable for contacts layers due to a lower active pattern density. Finally, nanomachining was used to address remaining native/multilayer defects. Native catastrophic defects were shown to recover 40% to 70% of target critical dimension after nanomachining, demonstrating the enormous potential for compensating multilayer defects.
The Effects of Urbanization on the Siting and Expansion of Livestock Facilities in Illinois Under Proposed Legislation: A Spatial Analysis1

Abstract Across the country, setback restrictions that require livestock facilities to be located away from neighboring residences and populated areas are making the siting or expansion of operations a growing challenge for livestock producers. In this study, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology was utilized to examine the impact of increasingly restrictive legislation on the availability of land for the siting or expansion of confined livestock operations. Georeferenced data from two southern Illinois counties were analyzed to quantify the effects of a proposed amendment to the Illinois Livestock Management Facilities Act that would increase the setback distances required between confined livestock operations and populated areas. The results of this study demonstrate that increases in setback distances can greatly reduce the availability of rural land for the siting of livestock facilities, even in rural counties with low population densities. In Franklin County, Illinois, a proposed 3.2-km setback distance would remove 70% of rural land from availability for livestock facilities siting. This loss would be experienced even though only 4.2% of the county is urbanized. Results also suggest that the land-use impacts from siting legislation may be reduced when urban development is clustered rather than scattered across the landscape.
Lateral actuation of an organic droplet on conjugated polymer electrodes via imbalanced interfacial tensions

This paper presents a new mechanism for the controlled lateral actuation of organic droplets on dodecylbenzenesulfonate-doped polypyrrole (PPy(DBS)) electrodes at low voltages (∼0.9 V) in an aqueous environment. The droplet actuation is based on the tunable surface wetting properties of the polymer electrodes induced by electrochemical redox reactions. The contact angle of a dichloromethane (DCM) droplet on the PPy(DBS) surface switches between ∼119° upon oxidation (0.6 V) and ∼150° upon reduction (−0.9 V) in 0.1 M NaNO3 solution. The droplet placed across the reduced and oxidized PPy(DBS) electrodes experiences imbalanced interfacial tensions, which prompt the actuation of the droplet from the reduced electrode to the oxidized electrode. The lateral actuation of DCM droplets on two PPy(DBS) electrodes is demonstrated, and the actuation process is studied. The driving force due to the imbalanced interfacial tensions is estimated to be approximately 10−7 N for a 6 μL droplet.
Priming effect of benthic gastropod mucus on sedimentary organic matter remineralization

Mucous gels are produced by benthic animals rapidly and in copious amounts, and consequently they are a possible priming substrate whose addition in modest amounts may affect sedimentary organic matter (SOM) remineralization. The priming effect of benthic infaunal mucus was tested using mucus of the common gastropod Neverita duplicata as model substrate. Its composition is typical of marine molluscan mucus, consisting primarily of water (> 96% by weight). Salt-free dry weight constitutes 0.7% of total mucus. Relationships between C, N, and S content show the presence of N-free and S-free fractions, indicative of mucopolysaccharides, that account for approximately half of the total C present. The C/N ratios of the N-containing fraction (6.1 and 8.75 for pedal and hypobranchial mucus, respectively) are indicative of a carbohydrate-protein complex. Relatively low C/S ratios for the S-containing fraction (21.8 and 10.5 for pedal and hypobranchial mucus, respectively) and positive staining with Alcian Blue dye are indicative of S-ester and alkyl- SO42− groups bridging mucopolysaccharide and glycoprotein components. Anaerobic incubations of pedal mucus, sediment, and mucus-sediment mixture resulted in the generation of ΣCO2 and NH4+ at ratios lower than substrate C/N ratios, indicating the preferential decomposition of N-rich components. Production rates of ΣCO2 and NH4+ in mucus-sediment incubations are higher, by 9% ± 16% and 29% ± 11%, respectively, than those predicted from linear addition of mucus-only and sediment-only rates. The accelerated remineralization rate of N in the presence of modest mucus contribution suggests that benthic mucus addition can affect SOM remineralization processes through a “priming” effect.
The Rise and Fall of ‘Political Development’

Is “political development” one word or two? “What a trivial question,” you may think, “who cares, and what difference does it make?” The answer is that if it is one word, we can define it, and this will affect how we use it in the study of political behavior. But if it is two words, a phrase, then we should define each component word, “political” and “development,” and the whole point of this essay dissolves.1
Public Perception of Telemedicine and Surgical Telementoring in the Pediatric Population: Results of a Parental Survey.

Abstract Introduction: Telemedicine and surgical telementoring strive to provide equal access to specialized healthcare, regardless of patient location. It also aims to provide providers in remote locations real-time, second opinions from more experienced physicians who are otherwise not readily available. The goal of this study is to gauge the public perception of this technology in the pediatric population. Methods: Patient families in our pediatric surgery and gastroenterology clinics were asked to complete a seven-question survey after being shown a 1-minute video describing telemedicine and surgical telementoring. Results: A total of 129 people were surveyed. Among respondents, 89% were amenable to telemedicine for routine physician visit, 70% said “yes” for a postoperative visit, and 67% agreed to telemedicine and telementoring as a way to be evaluated by a specialist. Regarding surgical telementoring, 49% would consider it for their child, 58% would consider it for themselves, and 10% said “yes” fo...
Two Perspectives on Spiritual Dryness: Spiritual Desertion and the Dark Night of the Soul:

St. John of the Cross’ work, The Dark Night of the Soul, and Joseph Symonds’ work, The Case and Cure of a Deserted Soul, offer two compelling treatments on the subject of spiritual dryness. Moreove...
An Empirical Test of How Events Turn the Cognitive Gears of Trust

This study empirically tests a social psychology-based Information Processing Model (IPM) that explains how events may change trust over time based on three cognitive mechanisms or “gears”: attention, attribution, and judgment. We briefly describe the IPM, and then empirically validate its assumptions and extensions. The IPM is contrasted with the incremental growth model (IGM) of trust change. We find more support for the IPM than the IGM.
Risk assessment and juvenile resentencing: A critical analysis

Recent United States Supreme Court decisions in Miller v. Alabama (2012) and Montgomery v. Louisiana (2016) have created the need to resentence individuals who received a sentence of mandatory life without parole (LWOP) for offenses committed when they were younger than 18 years old. Neither of these decisions explicitly cite reoffense risk as a sentencing criterion, but a careful reading of the reasoning in these cases suggests that such a risk should be among the considerations addressed by resentencing courts. If so, important theoretical and scientific questions are raised about the nature of risk assessment tools, in particular the distinction between static and dynamic risk factors. Additionally, the novelty of LWOP resentencing raises further questions about the applicability of these tools to individuals who have been incarcerated for long periods of time. We address these questions, call for additional research on dynamic risk factors, and offer recommendations for professionals involved in these types of assessments.
What have we learnt from studies on the association between urbanisation and asthma prevalence

The world’s urban population is growing rapidly. In 1950, only 751 million individuals resided in urban areas whereas by 2018 this had increased to 4.2 billion, with 828 million estimated to be living in urban slums.1 2 Current projections show that urbanisation could add 2.5 billion people to urban settings by 2050, a figure which translates to approximately two-thirds of the global population.1 The pace of urbanisation presents important challenges to development for many cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America, where much of this expansion is unplanned or poorly planned, and exacerbates socioeconomic disparities and unsanitary conditions.3 Slum environments bear the largest burden of inadequate urban infrastructure, which in turn results in a confluence of distal and proximal causes of human disease. A better understanding of risk factors related to urbanisation can help to prevent or treat common chronic diseases like asthma. Multiple studies have linked asthma outcomes to increased urbanisation. Approximately 14% of children worldwide experience asthma symptoms each year, making it the most common chronic disease in childhood.4 In this issue of Thorax , Rodriguez et al 5 conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological …
Barriers to palliative and hospice care utilization in older adults with cancer: A systematic review

The number of older adults with cancer and the need for palliative care among this population is increasing in the United States. The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize the evidence on the barriers to palliative and hospice care utilization in older adults with cancer. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases (from inception to 2018) in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Research articles that examined palliative or hospice care utilization in older adults with cancer were included in this review. Fineout-Overholt's Level of Evidence was used for quality appraisal. A total of 19 studies were synthesized in this review. Barriers to palliative and hospice care utilization were categorized into socio-demographic barriers, provider-related barriers, and health insurance-related barriers. Findings revealed that male, racial minority, unmarried individuals, individuals with low socio-economic status or residing in rural areas, and fee-for-service enrollees were less likely to use palliative or hospice care. Lack of communication with care providers is also a barrier of using palliative or hospice care. The factors identified in this review provide guidance on identification of high-risk population and intervention development to facilitate the use of palliative and hospice care in older adults with cancer. Larger prospective studies on this topic are needed to address this critical issue.
Human Innate Immune Cells Respond Differentially to Poly-γ-Glutamic Acid Polymers from Bacillus anthracis and Nonpathogenic Bacillus Species.

The poly-γ-glutamic acid (PGA) capsule produced by Bacillus anthracis is composed entirely of d-isomer glutamic acid, whereas nonpathogenic Bacillus species produce mixed d-, l-isomer PGAs. To determine if B. anthracis PGA confers a pathogenic advantage over other PGAs, we compared the responses of human innate immune cells to B. anthracis PGA and PGAs from nonpathogenic B. subtilis subsp. chungkookjang and B. licheniformis. Monocytes and immature dendritic cells (iDCs) responded differentially to the PGAs, with B. anthracis PGA being least stimulatory and B. licheniformis PGA most stimulatory. All three elicited IL-8 and IL-6 from monocytes, but B. subtilis PGA also elicited IL-10 and TNF-α, whereas B. licheniformis PGA elicited all those plus IL-1β. Similarly, all three PGAs elicited IL-8 from iDCs, but B. subtilis PGA also elicited IL-6, and B. licheniformis PGA elicited those plus IL-12p70, IL-10, IL-1β, and TNF-α. Only B. licheniformis PGA induced dendritic cell maturation. TLR assays also yielded differential results. B. subtilis PGA and B. licheniformis PGA both elicited more TLR2 signal than B. anthracis PGA, but only responses to B. subtilis PGA were affected by a TLR6 neutralizing Ab. B. licheniformis PGA elicited more TLR4 signal than B. anthracis PGA, whereas B. subtilis PGA elicited none. B. anthracis PGA persisted longer in high m.w. form in monocyte and iDC cultures than the other PGAs. Reducing the m.w. of B. anthracis PGA reduced monocytes’ cytokine responses. We conclude that B. anthracis PGA is recognized less effectively by innate immune cells than PGAs from nonpathogenic Bacillus species, resulting in failure to induce a robust host response, which may contribute to anthrax pathogenesis.
Split Personalities: Tax Law and Critical Race Theory

Unmasking racial and ethnic issues in the federal tax laws is a difficult and arduous task. Very few scholars have attempted to publish in this area. I understand why that phenomenon has occurred. First, tax law has a myth about it that suggests that it is different than other areas of the law. My tax colleague at Cincinnati, Professor Paul Caron, has eloquently referred to this phenomenon as "tax myopia," and observed that there are "serious consequences caused by the...myth that tax law is somehow different from other areas of the law."' One such consequence is perpetuating the myth that tax law is neutral and objective. To the extent that tax law is assumed to be different, it is not examined the way other areas of the law have been examined through racial and ethnic lenses. To the extent that tax law is assumed to be different, any disparate impact based upon race or ethnicity will continue unabated. My scholarship is dedicated to forever eradicating the belief that tax law is somehow different, that it has no differing impact based upon race, ethnicity, or any other characteristic.
TEASING PEOPLE INTO HEALTH? SAMI CARTOONS, INDIGENOUS HUMOUR, AND PROVOCATIVE THERAPY

Maren Uthaug's razor-sharp and self-deprecating cartoons reflect Sami people in a seemingly offensive way, addressing sensitive Indigenous issues such as cultural disorientation, racism, suicide, and addiction in an outspoken way. However, it was Sami people – Uthaug's relatives – who asked for and successfully published these cartoons. Why do Sami people request cartoons like these? Outlining some relevant aspects of highly divergent Western Comics Studies, the analysis and interpretation of selected cartoons is an opportunity to compare Uthaug's provocative strategies to the functions of humour in First Nations literature. Accordingly, the paper focuses on Indigenous humour as a means of emotional and social healing in the processes of decolonization and reconciliation and, additionally, adopts Frank Farrelly's concept of provocative therapy which is defined as a way of teasing people into health. Relying on Native American Terry Tafoya's (Taos Pueblo) description of Farrelly as a kind of medicine man, the paper asks whether also Uthaug acts as a cartoon-drawing Chiffoneti, a blend of priest, healer, and trickster regarding Indigenous and non-Indigenous readers.
Parallel Fractional Hot Deck Imputation and Variance Estimation for Big Incomplete Data Curing

The fractional hot-deck imputation (FHDI) is a general-purpose, assumption-free imputation method for handling multivariate missing data by filling each missing item with multiple observed values without resorting to artificially created values. The corresponding R package FHDI \cite{Im:2018} holds generality and efficiency, but it is not adequate for tackling big incomplete data due to the requirement of excessive memory and long running time. As a first step to tackle big incomplete data by leveraging the FHDI, we developed a new version of a parallel fractional hot-deck imputation (named as P-FHDI) program suitable for curing large incomplete datasets. Results show a favorable speedup when the P-FHDI is applied to big datasets with up to millions of instances or 10,000 of variables. This paper explains the detailed parallel algorithms of the P-FHDI for large instances (big-n) or high-dimensionality (big-p) datasets and confirms the favorable scalability. The proposed program inherits all the advantages of the serial FHDI and enables a parallel variance estimation, which will benefit a broad audience in science and engineering.
Minimizing Errors in Measured Yields of Particle-Phase Products Formed in Environmental Chamber Reactions: Revisiting the Yields of β-Hydroxynitrates Formed from 1-Alkene + OH/NOx Reactions

Environmental chamber studies are widely used for measuring the yields of reaction products and secondary organic aerosol formed from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds, information that c...
Assessing cataract formation ex vivo with phase decorrelation OCT

Changes in the protein aggregation within the ocular lens may be responsible for both presbyopia and cataracts. Treatments for these conditions are under development, but are likely to be most effective when administered early in the disease. Therefore, a technique compatible with in vivo use which could detect early changes in aggregations is desired. Here, we assess if phase-decorrelation OCT may be sensitive to cold-induced protein aggregation in ex vivo porcine lenses. A major challenge of this approach is the relatively weak scattering signal obtained from the lens nucleus while the lens is in situ. We observed a substantial increase in decorrelation time as the cold cataract reversed. Backscatter intensity also decreased as the cold cataract reversed, as expected. However, compared to backscatter intensity, decorrelation is better correlated with cataract reversal.
Long-Time Asymptotics for the Focusing Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation with Nonzero Boundary Conditions in the Presence of a Discrete Spectrum

The long-time asymptotic behavior of solutions to the focusing nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) equation on the line with symmetric, nonzero boundary conditions at infinity is studied in the case of initial conditions that allow for the presence of discrete spectrum. The results of the analysis provide the first rigorous characterization of the nonlinear interactions between solitons and the coherent oscillating structures produced by localized perturbations in a modulationally unstable medium. The study makes crucial use of the inverse scattering transform for the focusing NLS equation with nonzero boundary conditions, as well as of the nonlinear steepest descent method of Deift and Zhou for oscillatory Riemann–Hilbert problems. Previously, it was shown that in the absence of discrete spectrum the xt-plane decomposes asymptotically in time into two types of regions: a left far-field region and a right far-field region, where to leading order the solution equals the condition at infinity up to a phase shift, and a central region where the asymptotic behavior is described by slowly modulated periodic oscillations. Here, it is shown that in the presence of a conjugate pair of discrete eigenvalues in the spectrum a similar coherent oscillatory structure emerges but, in addition, three different interaction outcomes can arise depending on the precise location of the eigenvalues: (i) soliton transmission, (ii) soliton trapping, and (iii) a mixed regime in which the soliton transmission or trapping is accompanied by the formation of an additional, nondispersive localized structure akin to a soliton-generated wake. The soliton-induced position and phase shifts of the oscillatory structure are computed, and the analytical results are validated by a set of accurate numerical simulations.
Cesarean deliveries are decreasing in the United States with increased midwife deliveries

Abstract AJOG at a Glance: A. Conducted to evaluate cesarean delivery rate trends among the group of patients most likely to encounter midwifery care in the United States. B. Midwife deliveries are increasing in the hospital setting in the United States. Cesarean delivery rate is decreasing in the United States among low risk patients. C. Supports the existing evidence that incorporation of midwifery care in the United States hospital setting has potential to lower the cesarean delivery rate among low-risk patients.
Physical activity status and quality of life in patients with epilepsy - Survey from level four epilepsy monitoring units.

Abstract Purpose People with epilepsy (PWE) tend to have sedentary lifestyles which may predispose them to a lower perceived quality of life (QOL). Moreover, the relationship between physical activity (PA) and QOL in populations of PWE with high disease burden has been under-studied. The goal of this study was to evaluate PA level and its impact on health-related QOL in PWE who were admitted to Level-4 epilepsy monitoring units (EMU). Methods In this prospective observational study, 200 patients from two EMUs in Dallas, Texas completed the following standard surveys: Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA), the Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QOLIE-31), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) questionnaire. Information on self-reported epilepsy history, severity of disease, and socioeconomic status were also collected. The diagnosis of epilepsy was confirmed by video-EEG monitoring. Results Among the 200 who completed the survey, 113 had a diagnosis of epilepsy and 109 of them completed the RAPA. Ninety-two (84 %) of these PWE reported a sedentary level of physical activity (RAPA Conclusion The majority of PWE in this survey reported sedentary lifestyles despite most of them being young to middle-aged adults. Higher PA level was associated with fewer self-reported mood symptoms and higher QOL. In conjunction with the literature, these results suggest that PWE with a wide range of disease burden should be encouraged to participate in regular exercise to potentially improve QOL.
The Volatility of Low Rates

Traditional, fixed-income risk models are based on the assumption that bond risk is directly proportional to the interest rate, i.e. that the interest-rate distribution is "log-normal." Two corollaries would then follow. Firstly, nominal interest rates could never be negative. Furthermore, bond volatility vanishes when interest rates approach zero. These conclusions are obviously wrong, if we observe the debt situation in a country such as Germany. Should we then infer that the traditional way to model fixed income is no longer valid? Our study, based on bond-data back tests, covering 40 years that encompass both periods of low rates and of high inflation, demonstrates that the traditional approach still applies. When interest rates are low, the bond risk is proportional to the rate, increased by 1%. As an example, when interest rates shift from 1% to 0%, the bond risk is divided by 2, instead of becoming null. The second conclusion is that the interest rate volatility behaves as if the absolute minimum level for a rate was not zero, but -1%.
Assessing the association between area deprivation index on COVID-19 prevalence: a contrast between rural and urban U.S. jurisdictions

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted communities differentially, with poorer and minority populations being more adversely affected. Prior rural health research suggests such disparities may be exacerbated during the pandemic and in remote parts of the U.S. Objectives To understand the spread and impact of COVID-19 across the U.S., county level data for confirmed cases of COVID-19 were examined by Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and Metropolitan vs. Nonmetropolitan designations from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). These designations were the basis for making comparisons between Urban and Rural jurisdictions. Method Kendall's Tau-B was used to compare effect sizes between jurisdictions on select ADI composites and well researched social determinants of health (SDH). Spearman coefficients and stratified Poisson modeling was used to explore the association between ADI and COVID-19 prevalence in the context of county designation. Results Results show that the relationship between area deprivation and COVID-19 prevalence was positive and higher for rural counties, when compared to urban ones. Family income, property value and educational attainment were among the ADI component measures most correlated with prevalence, but this too differed between county type. Conclusions Though most Americans live in Metropolitan Areas, rural communities were found to be associated with a stronger relationship between deprivation and COVID-19 prevalence. Models predicting COVID-19 prevalence by ADI and county type reinforced this observation and may inform health policy decisions.
Generalizable Compositional Features Influencing the Proteostatic Fates of Polar Low-Complexity Domains

Protein aggregation is associated with a growing list of human diseases. A substantial fraction of proteins in eukaryotic proteomes constitutes a proteostasis network—a collection of proteins that work together to maintain properly folded proteins. One of the overarching functions of the proteostasis network is the prevention or reversal of protein aggregation. How proteins aggregate in spite of the anti-aggregation activity of the proteostasis machinery is incompletely understood. Exposed hydrophobic patches can trigger degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system, a key branch of the proteostasis network. However, in a recent study, we found that model glycine (G)-rich or glutamine/asparagine (Q/N)-rich prion-like domains differ in their susceptibility to detection and degradation by this system. Here, we expand upon this work by examining whether the features controlling the degradation of our model prion-like domains generalize broadly to G-rich and Q/N-rich domains. Experimentally, native yeast G-rich domains in isolation are sensitive to the degradation-promoting effects of hydrophobic residues, whereas native Q/N-rich domains completely resist these effects and tend to aggregate instead. Bioinformatic analyses indicate that native G-rich domains from yeast and humans tend to avoid degradation-promoting features, suggesting that the proteostasis network may act as a form of selection at the molecular level that constrains the sequence space accessible to G-rich domains. However, the sensitivity or resistance of G-rich and Q/N-rich domains, respectively, was not always preserved in their native protein contexts, highlighting that proteins can evolve other sequence features to overcome the intrinsic sensitivity of some LCDs to degradation.
Implications of sample treatment on characterization of the riverine environmental metabolome

High-resolution mass spectrometry techniques are widely used in the environmental sciences to characterize natural organic matter and, when utilizing these instruments, researchers must make multiple decisions regarding sample pre-treatment and the instrument ionization mode. To identify how these choices alter organic matter characterization and resulting conclusions, we analyzed a collection of 17 riverine samples from East River, CO (USA) under four PPL-based Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) treatment and electrospray ionization polarity (e.g., positive and negative) combinations: SPE (+), SPE (-), non-SPE (-), and non-SPE (+). The greatest number of formula assignments were achieved with SPE-treated samples due to the removal of compounds that could interfere with ionization. Furthermore, the SPE (-) treatment captured the most formulas across the widest chemical compound diversity. In addition to a reduced number of assigned formulas, the non-SPE datasets resulted in altered thermodynamic interpretations that could cascade into incomplete assumptions about the availability of organic matter pools for microbial heterotrophic respiration. Thus, we infer that the SPE (-) treatment is the best single method for characterizing environmental organic matter pools unless the focus is on lipid-like compounds, in which case we recommend a combination of SPE (-) and SPE (+) to adequately characterize these molecules. SynopsisWe provide data-driven sample treatment and ionization mode recommendations to researchers who aim to use high-resolution mass spectrometry to characterize environmental organic matter. Abstract Art O_FIG_DISPLAY_L [Figure 1] M_FIG_DISPLAY C_FIG_DISPLAY
“If You’re Not at the Table, You’re on the Menu”: Learning to Participate in Policy Advocacy as a Teacher Educator

Scholars have long urged teacher educators to engage in policy advocacy and to respond to mounting attacks on the teacher education field. Prior research has shown that teacher educators feel large...
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS AND REGULATION OF in Vitro FERTILIZATION

Recent events in England, which witnessed the birth of the world’s first “test tube” baby, or baby conceived by means of in vitro fertilization (IVF), have elevated the serious medical, ethical, and legal issues surrounding this biomedical advance into the public forum.1 Questions arise such as whether IVF is a nonhuman form of reproduction and is therefore immoral as a dehumanizing process; whether IVF is unethical and illegal experimentation with human beings; whether the state of science involved in IVF has not reached the point to warrant the participation of human beings; whether the potential danger of IVF children being born with physical abnormalities can be resolved; whether the law will create obstacles to the development of the process and/or to the individuals involved in it.
Clinical Scenario: Rapidly Growing, High Volume, Low-Grade Ta Tumor

Approximately half of all newly diagnosed cases of bladder cancer are non-muscle-invasive tumors confined to the urothelial lining of the bladder (Ta). The vast majority of these (>90 %) will be low grade. Although these tumors carry a low risk of progression to invasion (5–10 %) and an even lower risk of death (1–5 %), they have a very high likelihood of recurrence (50–70 %). Patients with large volume and rapidly recurring low-grade Ta bladder cancer present a significant treatment challenge for the urologist. Intravesical chemotherapy has been shown to decrease the recurrence rate of these tumors, though the optimal agent, dose and treatment schedule has not been determined. Intravesical BCG can be used if intravesical chemotherapy is not successful, or in cases where the risk of recurrence is high. However, BCG has a significantly higher rate of local and systemic toxicity. Other chemotherapeutic agents are currently being investigated as intravesical therapies. Active surveillance with frequent office cystoscopy and fulguration of any small recurrences is also an option. In rare instances, patients who undergo grade or stage progression or those who fail to respond to the above treatments may ultimately require radical cystectomy.
PAIRWISE COMPARISON OF CHESS OPENING VARIATIONS

It is demonstrated that a methodology previously described for comparing a number of different test openings with a neutral and perfect opening may also be used to make pairwise comparisons of alternate continuation lines of any chess opening. Such comparisons show, for example, that Accelerated Dragon variations initiated by black are not robust because they depend on white's cooperation. Rather than these specific findings, however, the real purpose of this paper is to further refine, validate, and demonstrate an objective methodology for evaluating the relative merit of chess openings, a subject of great interest to chess players at all levels of play. 1 . This paper is the fourth of a series in a study undertaken to develop a generally applicable methodology for the objective evaluation of chess openings. The proposed methodology uses controlled experiments with chess engines to compare chess openings. In a previous paper, a dual engine experimental design (DED) was used to evaluate a selected set of queen's pawn openings (Munshi, Comparing Chess Openings Part 3, 2014). The dual engine test is more comprehensive than single engine analysis because a greater number of opening variations are explored and the test is therefore more thorough (Munshi, Comparing Chess Openings, 2014). In this paper we describe and demonstrate a further application of the DED methodology by showing that it may be used to make pairwise comparisons 2 of two alternative continuation lines of any chess opening without the need to identify a neutral and perfect opening as a standard. For example, in the Yugoslav Attack should white play 9.Bc4 or castle queenside instead? In all such cases, pairwise comparisons may be used to determine whether one of the two variations being compared offers a statistically higher probability of winning ceteris paribus.
Second interpolation in fuzzy control

New approaches are required to develop effective fuzzy controllers. We present an "interpolation" approach, which solves some difficulties of the current approach. Our controller gives practically the same precision as a Mamdani controller for a wide range of one- and two-dimensional state spaces. This interpolation approach eliminates the following heuristic elements of a Mamdani controller: (ii) defuzzification with the center of gravity, (ii) tuning of antecedent and consequent membership functions by "blind" optimization and (iii) min and max operations for logical connectives. We show that the alternative interpolation is a universal approximator like a Mamdani controller itself. The deviation between Mamdani and our interpolation is /spl les/5.05% of the fuzzy set's support for a two-dimensional case and /spl les/2.07% for a one dimensional case. The alternative interpolation is much simpler than a Mamdani controller. It decreases runtime and simplifies controller hardware design.