cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Re-examining ethical obligations in the intensive care unit: HIV disclosure to surrogates

Physicians treating newly incapacitated patients often must help navigate surrogate decision-makers through a difficult course of treatment decisions, while safeguarding the patient's autonomy. We offer guidance for intensive care physicians who must frequently address the difficult questions concerning disclosure of confidential information to surrogates. Three clinical vignettes will highlight the ethical challenges to physician disclosure of a critically ill patient's HIV status. Two key distinctions are offered that influence the propriety of disclosure: first, whether HIV infection represents a 'primary cause' for the patient's critical illness; and second, whether the surrogate may be harmed by failure to disclose HIV status. This balanced consideration of the direct duties of physicians to patients, and their indirect duties to surrogates and third-party contacts, may be used as a framework for considering other ethical obligations in the intensive care unit. We also provide a tabulation of individual US state laws relevant to disclosure of HIV status.
Characterization of aortic microstructure with ultrasound: implications for mechanisms of aortic function and dissection

Specific ultrasonic tissue characterization parameters were correlated with the three-dimensional architecture and material properties (density, compressibility, size, and orientation) of aortic elastic elements at the microscopic level. The medial layer of 10 samples of normal canine aorta were insonified in vitro utilizing acoustic microscopy from 30 to 44 MHz. The following quantitative indexes exhibited substantial anisotropic elastic behavior in radial (R), circumferential (C), and longitudinal (L) directions: backscatter coefficient (R:0.9/spl plusmn/0.2; C:0.008/spl plusmn/0.0008; L:0.0077/spl plusmn/0.0008 sr/sup -1/ cm/sup -1/); frequency dependence of backscatter (R:3.3; C:1.4; L:1.5); attenuation coefficients (R:105/spl plusmn/22; L:135/spl plusmn/13; C:131/spl plusmn/14 dB/cm). Thus, the ultrasonic indexes are anisotropic: equivalent in the C and L directions, but markedly different in the R direction. These data are indicative of an aortic microstructure that interacts with ultrasonic waves as thin sheet-like elastic layers instead of independent elastin fibers. This specific sheet-like organization of elastin microfibers may function to limit shear injury to concentric aortic lamellae and prevent aortic dissection. The marked anisotropic behavior of normal aortas suggests that ultrasound may be useful for nondestructive characterization of vascular integrity.
Rating the strength of scientific evidence: relevance for quality improvement programs

Objectives. To summarize an extensive review of systems for grading the quality of research articles and rating the strength of bodies of evidence, and to highlight for health professionals and decision-makers concerned with quality measurement and improvement the available ‘best practices’ tools by which these steps can be accomplished. Design. Drawing on an extensive review of checklists, questionnaires, and other tools in the Weld of evidence-based practice, this paper discusses clinical, management, and policy rationales for rating strength of evidence in a quality improvement context, and documents best practices methods for these tasks. Results. After review of 121 systems for grading the quality of articles, 19 systems, mostly study design speciWc, met a priori scientiWc standards for grading systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and diagnostic tests; eight systems (of 40 reviewed) met similar standards for rating the overall strength of evidence. All can be used as is or adapted for particular types of evidence reports or systematic reviews. Conclusions. Formally grading study quality and rating overall strength of evidence, using sound instruments and procedures, can produce reasonable levels of conWdence about the science base for parts of quality improvement programs. With such information, health care professionals and administrators concerned with quality improvement can understand better the level of science (versus only clinical consensus or opinion) that supports practice guidelines, review criteria, and assessments that feed into quality assurance and improvement programs. New systems are appearing and research is needed to conWrm the conceptual and practical underpinnings of these grading and rating systems, but the need for those developing systematic reviews, practice guidelines, and quality or audit criteria to understand and undertake these steps is becoming increasingly clear.
A temporal evolutionary object-oriented data model for medical image management

The authors present a temporal evolutionary object-oriented data model (TEDM) for modeling medical images. The intelligent medical image management system (IMIS) lies on top of a picture archive and communication system (PACS) infrastructure. The IMIS can retrieve medical images (e.g. X-rays, computed tomography scans, magnetic resonance scans, etc.) by image features and contents rather than by traditional artificial keys such as a patient hospital identification number. As a result, solutions to queries which associate the radiographic findings of an image, the disease pathology and the categorical patient subpopulation can be obtained. The proposed model and language constructs can also be applied to other domains that exemplify the evolutionary transformations of objects, such as modeling the growth of brain tumors. >
Immune tolerance induction for the eradication of inhibitors in patients with hemophilia A.

Background: Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the formation of alloantibodies that bind to functional domains on the Factor VIII (FVIII) molecule and inhibit its function. Patients with hemophilia A who develop high-titer inhibitors are at increased risk for serious hemorrhage and disability, particularly arthropathy, because bleeding events do not respond to standard therapy. Immune tolerance induction (ITI) is usually attempted to eradicate newly diagnosed inhibitors, restore replacement FVIII pharmacokinetics, and improve bleed management and quality of life. Objective: This paper summarizes regimens used for ITI, predictors of success and failure, and adjunctive therapies for patients failing ITI therapy. Methods: This is a systematic review of published reports on ITI regimens, data from registries capturing response rates and predictors of success, and reports of adjunctive treatments used to enhance ITI therapy. Results/conclusion: Many issues remain unresolved, chief among them ...
Distributed voting for fault-tolerant nanoscale systems

In this paper, we propose a distributed voting strategy to design a robust NMR system. We show that using inexpensive current-based drivers and buffers, we can completely eliminate the centralized voter unit and do the majority voting among N modules in a distributed fashion. Our strategy achieves high reliability that is vital for future nano systems in which high defect rate is expected. Experimental results are also reported to verify the concept, clarify the design procedure and measure the system's reliability.
Nanoscale Fluorescence Microscopy Using Carbon Nanotubes

We demonstrate the first reported use of single-walled carbon nanotubes as nano-optical probes in apertureless near-field fluorescence microscopy. We show that, in contrast to silicon probes, carbon nanotubes always cause strong fluorescence quenching when used to image dye-doped polystyrene spheres and Cd-Se quantum dots. For quantum dots, the carbon nanotubes induce very strong near-field contrast with a spatial resolution of 20 nm. Images of dye-doped spheres exhibit crescent-shaped artifacts caused by distortions in the surface water layer found in ambient conditions.
Satisfied? Institutional Determinants of Citizen Evaluations of Democracy

Based on theories about party and electoral systems provided by Downs (1957), Anderson and Guillory (1997), and Duverger (1984), we examine the relationship between citizen satisfaction with democracy and the institutional context in which democratic participation takes place. Using a multi-level design that controls for both institutional-level and individual-level differences, we find that as the number of political parties increases, citizen satisfaction with democracy first decreases and then increases. This result holds regardless of whether or not one supported the ruling government in the previous election, undermining previous research that contends that “winner” or “loser” status leads to diverging evaluations of democratic structures, even when controlling for economic evaluations. Additionally, we find that satisfaction with democracy is significantly lower in large district proportional representation (PR) systems relative to single-member district systems and when the difference between votes and legislative seat-shares is high. This finding suggests that we ought to reconsider the theoretical interaction between representativeness and effective governance as well as the democratic process versus the outcomes of elections.
State-specific reaction probabilities from a DVR-ABC Green function

Seideman and Miller have recently introduced a direct, &cient method for calculating cumulative reaction probabilities by using a discrete variable representation to represent the Green function and absorbing boundary conditions to enfonx the outgoing wave boundary conditions. It is shown that this method for representing the Green function can also be used to calculate state specific reaction probabilities. Application to the collinear reaction HC H,-+H*+H demonstrates that the method is an efficient way to calculate state-to-state and partially state-resolved reaction probabilities. In addition, distorted waves are useful in reducing the size of the DVR basis. 1. Introdnctlon In two recent papers [l-3] Seideman and Miller have shown that the cumulative reaction probability N(E) for a chemical reaction, which is defined by (la)
The Effect of Insurance Type on Patient Access to Knee Arthroplasty and Revision under the Affordable Care Act

This study evaluated access to knee arthroplasty and revision in 8 geographically representative states. Patients with Medicaid were significantly less likely to receive an appointment compared to patients with Medicare or BlueCross. However, patients with Medicaid had increased success at making an appointment in states with expanded Medicaid eligibility (37.7% vs 22.8%, P=0.011 for replacement, 42.6% vs 26.9%, P=0.091 for revision), although they experienced longer waiting periods (31.5 days vs 21.1 days, P=0.054 for replacement, 45.5 days vs 22.5 days, P=0.06 for revision). Higher Medicaid reimbursement also had a direct correlation with appointment success rate for Medicaid patients (OR=1.232, P=0.001 for replacement, OR=1.314, P=0.014 for revision).
The MIMO Discrete-Time Convergent Approximation of the Optimal Recursive Parameter Estimator

A new discrete-time recursive parameter estimation algorithm is derived for a general multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) stochastic system that is bilinear in state and parameters. In contrast to the extended Kalman filter (EKF) for this system, the new algorithm can identify noise covariances and can be proven globally convergent. However, the new algorithm must also update approximations to third order moments, and so is more complicated than the EKF.
Hypnosis in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: an isomorphic intervention.

Abstract Despite frequent use of hypnosis for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), literature on each has developed relatively independently. However, the two may be linked through the construct of dissociation which explains the efficacy of hypnosis in treating PTSD. Furthermore, intrusive and denial clusterings of PTSD symptoms respond to different types of hypnotic interventions, allowing more systematic planning of psychotherapy for PTSD. Four case studies illustrate these classes of interventions.
Desire to Institutionalize a Relative With Dementia: Quality of Premorbid Relationship and Caregiver Gender

The quality of the relationship between individuals with dementia and their family caregivers has an impact on important clinical outcomes for both. It is unclear, however, how quality of relationship (QoR) affects caregivers' desire to place their relative in a nursing home. We examined the association of QoR with caregivers' desire to institutionalize (DTI), using a sample of 237 male and female caregivers of community-dwelling individuals with dementia. Findings revealed an interaction between QoR and caregiver gender, with stronger DTI significantly associated with lower QoR for male but not female caregivers. Health care providers should recognize poor QoR as a risk factor for institutionalization, especially among male caregivers.
Tuning magnetoresistance between positive and negative values in organic semiconductors.

Magnetic-field-dependent injection current, namely magnetoresistance, is readily observable in organic semiconductor devices. This provides a non-contact approach to tune organic optoelectronic properties by using a magnetic field. Here, we demonstrate that this magnetoresistance can be changed between positive and negative values by adjusting the dissociation and charge reaction in excited states through changing the bipolar charge injection in organic light-emitting diodes. This finding reveals that the magnetic-field-dependent generation of secondary charge carriers from the dissociation and charge reaction affects the injection current by forming further space charges at the organic–electrode interfaces and therefore accounts for the tunable magnetoresistance. Furthermore, the dissociation and charge reaction have opposite dependences on magnetic field in the generation of secondary charge carriers, consequently leading to negative and positive magnetoresistance, respectively. As a result, adjusting the dissociation and charge reaction in excited states provides a convenient pathway to tune the magnetoresistance in organic semiconductors.
Compensator transducer increases ease, accuracy, and rapidity of measuring changes in specimen birefringence with polarization microscopy

An instrument has been designed to improve substantially the efficiency and convenience of measuring specimen birefringence retardation (BR) with a conventional Brace-Kohler compensator. The design is based on the precise transduction of the angular position of the compensator's Vernier dial to an easily visible red-illuminated display on a digital voltmeter. The instrument display is accurate to within 0.1 degrees over a range of +/-25 degrees in the compensator vernier dial position which is similar to the precision obtainable with an ordinary vernier and the Brace-Kohler method of measuring BR of biological specimens. For convenience in data reduction the display can also be read directly in nanometre units, with a similar precision for specimen BR in the range of 5 nm or less which is typical of birefringent fine structures in living cells.
The impact and treatment of the Gibbs phenomenon in immersed boundary method simulations of momentum and scalar transport

Spectral discretization of quantities exhibiting abrupt shifts results in oscillations, or "ringing", known as the Gibbs phenomenon. When spectral discretization is used to evaluate spatial gradients during numerical integration of the transport equations governing turbulent fluid flows, these oscillations can contaminate various flow quantities. A particularly relevant application where the emergence of Gibbs phenomenon is a well-recognized weakness is in the context of simulations using the immersed boundary method. In this paper, we examine the effect of the Gibbs phenomenon in such simulations in detail, and we propose a computationally efficient smoothing treatment to reduce the associated oscillations. The effectiveness of this treatment is demonstrated in a priori tests on functions with abrupt shifts, and in a posteriori tests in wall-modeled large-eddy simulations of incompressible flow and passive scalar transport over solid bluff bodies. Furthermore, the large eddy simulation results indicate that the Gibbs phenomenon's impacts are significantly more detrimental to the computations of the subgrid-scale quantities and of scalar transport close to the solid interface, as compared to their impact on computations involving the resolved velocity field.
Large area wireless power via a planar array of coupled resonators

A method of enabling efficient wireless power delivery for a mobile receiver in a 3-D space is proposed. A reconfigurable planar array of coupled resonator (relay) coils is designed, and a method of choosing the optimal array configuration for a particular receiver position is proposed. Experimental results are obtained with a PCB implementation of the proposed planar relay array system operating near 13.56 MHz. Coverage improvements over conventional planar relay arrays are demonstrated.
Importance of Axial Compression Verification to Correct Interpretation of Axial-Shear Strain Elastograms in Breast Lesions

We have recently shown that the appearance of Axial-Shear Strain Elastograms (ASSEs) for the case of loosely-bonded, elliptical inclusions (like fibroadenomas in the breast) is unique and therefore has the potential to distinguish benign fibroadenomas from malignant tumors in the breast. The ASSEs were obtained using quasi-static axial compressions, in a like manner as in normal axial-strain elastography. However, strict axial compression is achieved most often only by computer-controlled acquisitions and not by more practical freehand acquisitions. In a freehand acquisition, the frame sequence may contain several frames that do not experience strict axial compression but may also experience rotation or shear deformations. In this paper, we demonstrate the importance of accounting for the type of deformation applied to a target tissue for the correct interpretation of the resulting ASSEs. Using freehand acquired in vivo examples, we show that such a frame experiencing rotation or shear deformations results in ASSEs that may potentially be misinterpreted. This may be far more detrimental compared to the corresponding axial elastogram frames that may only suffer from inferior image quality in terms of contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Further, we show that we may be able to eliminate these frames from a sequence of freehand acquired in vivo breast lesion data by implementing a special filtering scheme, thus significantly improving the reliability of the remaining ASSE frames. This work further suggests that under freehand conditions, frames have to be checked for the presence of undesirable deformations.
The microtubule cross-linker Feo controls the midzone stability, motor composition, and elongation of the anaphase B spindle in Drosophila embryos

Chromosome segregation during anaphase depends on chromosome-to-pole motility and pole-to-pole separation. We propose that in Drosophila embryos, the latter process (anaphase B) depends on a persistent kinesin-5-generated interpolar (ip) microtubule (MT) sliding filament mechanism that "engages" to push apart the spindle poles when poleward flux is turned off. Here we investigated the contribution of the midzonal, antiparallel MT-cross-linking nonmotor MAP, Feo, to this "slide-and-flux-or-elongate" mechanism. Whereas Feo homologues in other systems enhance the midzone localization of the MT-MT cross-linking motors kinesin-4, -5 and -6, the midzone localization of these motors is respectively enhanced, reduced, and unaffected by Feo. Strikingly, kinesin-5 localizes all along ipMTs of the anaphase B spindle in the presence of Feo, including at the midzone, but the antibody-induced dissociation of Feo increases kinesin-5 association with the midzone, which becomes abnormally narrow, leading to impaired anaphase B and incomplete chromosome segregation. Thus, although Feo and kinesin-5 both preferentially cross-link MTs into antiparallel polarity patterns, kinesin-5 cannot substitute for loss of Feo function. We propose that Feo controls the organization, stability, and motor composition of antiparallel ipMTs at the midzone, thereby facilitating the kinesin-5-driven sliding filament mechanism underlying proper anaphase B spindle elongation and chromosome segregation.
Management in Perspective Effective LRP Requires Action

Long-range planning done on a “seat of the pants” basis by executives who sharpen their assessments of the future by discussions with other managers is becoming less reliable as the environment bec...
Pathologic findings in adenosine deaminase deficient-severe combined immunodeficiency. II. Thymus, spleen, lymph node, and gastrointestinal tract lymphoid tissue alterations

Eight autopsies of patients with adenosine deaminase deficient-severe combined immunodeficiency disease (ADA-SCID) were reviewed with special emphasis on the lymphoid tissues. The thymus histology in five cases was remarkably uniform, whether or not prior ADA enzyme replacement or immunologic reconstitution therapy had been administered. Lymph nodes and spleens in all cases examined showed a residual nonlymphoid architectural framework corresponding to usual T and B cell zones found in normals. The development of an extranodal, monoclonal IgA lambda B cell immunoblastic lymphoma as a terminal event in one patient after several years of successful ADA enzyme replacement therapy through multiple red blood cell transfusions is described. In another patient with long-term ADA enzyme replacement, a terminal autoimmune hemolytic anemia developed. Autopsy revealed severe deposits of iron in the B cell zones of the lymph nodes, which is an unusual location. In addition, iron deposits outlined the splenic trabeculae, as well as the ring fibers and bridging fibers of the splenic sinuses.
O+ ion conic and plasma sheet dynamics observed by Van Allen Probe satellites during the 1 June 2013 magnetic storm

The Van Allen Probe satellites were near apogee in the late evening local time sector during the 1 June 2013 magnetic storm's main phase. About an hour after crossing the ring current's nose structure into the plasma sheet, the satellites encountered a quasiperiodic sequence of 0.08-3keV O+ ions. Pitch angle distributions of this population consistently peaked nearly antiparallel to the local magnetic field. We interpret this population as O+ conics originating in the northern ionosphere. Sequences began as fairly steady state conic fluxes with energies in the 80 to 100eV range. Over about a half hour buildup phase, O+ energies peaked near 1keV. During subsequent release phases lasting 20min, O+ energies returned to low-energy starting points. We argue these observations reflect repeated formations and dissolutions of downward, magnetically aligned electric fields (epsilon(||)) layers trapping O+ conics between mirror points within heating layers below and electrostatic barriers above. Nearly identical variations were observed at the locations of both satellites during 9 of these 13 conic cycles. Phase differences between cycles were observed at both spacecraft during the remaining events. Most buildup to release phase transitions coincided with AL index minima. However, in situ magnetometer measurements indicate only weak dipolarizations of tail-like magnetic fields. The lack of field-aligned reflected O+ and tail-like magnetic fields suggest that both ionospheres may be active. However, Southern Hemisphere origin conics cannot be observed since they would be isotropized and accelerated during neutral sheet crossings.
RETURN TO HITTING: AN INTERVAL HITTING PROGRESSION AND OVERVIEW OF HITTING MECHANICS FOLLOWING INJURY

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Participation in baseball is prevalent across all age groups. Baseball injuries are common and can impact a player's ability to participate. An injury to any region can influence the player's ability to swing the bat. As a part of the athlete's rehabilitation, a sports-specific program should be implemented re-introducing the hitting cycle that addresses proper biomechanics as well as providing a progressive atmosphere to return to hitting. Although there are several return to throwing progression programs in the literature, to the author's knowledge no published hitting progression programs exist. Thus, the purpose of this clinical commentary is to propose a progressive return to hitting program that emphasizes proper mechanics for ballplayers who have sustained an injury. DESCRIPTION OF TOPIC This return to hitting program describes in detail the phases of the baseball hitting cycle. Proper biomechanical information is provided on each phase that can be used to assist the clinician in injury prevention. This article gives the healthcare professional guidance for assessment for appropriate readiness for return to sport using impairment measures, patient-report measures, and physical performance measures. The purpose of this hitting progression is to provide a safe, gradual increase in hitting intensity by moving from a fixed position to soft toss and finally to increasing pitch velocity. DISCUSSION This interval hitting program guides the clinician from when the patient is ready to begin hitting through a full return to sport. Use of appropriate hitting mechanics must be ensured during rehabilitation to avoid compensation. Similar to the return to throwing programs that exist, this interval hitting progression program can provide a framework to quantify progression and reduce the chance of re-injury from occurring during the return to sport phase of rehab. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level 5.
Mobile Instruments Made Easy: Creating Musical Mobile Apps with LIBPD and iOS, No Experience Necessary

The quirks of programming native iOS applications can be daunting, especially to someone not already familiar with other text based programming languages. Fortunately, recent developments in Apple’s Xcode IDE, along with the open-source Pure Data wrapper, LIBPD, enable the process of creating an iOS native, standalone, musical mobile app to be quite accessible. Basic implementation of LIBPD for iOS can be reduced to a series of 10 simple and accessible steps requiring no actual knowledge of objective-c or the LIBPD library itself, and requires no previous coding experience, text-based or otherwise. In addition, the dragand-drop feature of Xcode’s Storyboards allows the design and programming of a native user interface to also be reduced to simple and accessible step-by-step instructions. This is not just limited to buttons and sliders, but also includes the drag-and-drop creation of typical touch screen gestures. Presently, this process will be outlined and explained, and its current and potential uses described.
Drawing Borders in the Middle East after the Great War: Political Geography and ‘Subject Peoples’

Abstract“Subject Peoples” arrived in the language of peacemaking after the Great War primarily as a way to understand post-imperial peoples of Central and Eastern Europe. As applied to the peoples of the former Ottoman Empire, however, peoples were categorized and assigned political characteristics according to specific schools of national political geography. British, French and American political geographers demarcated the ways thinking about the peoples of the Middle East that resonated throughout the century that followed.
Calcium Signals Regulate Neurotransmitter Phenotype

Keywords: Calcium spike; Homeostasis; Neuronal activity; Neurotransmitter phenotype; Plasticity; Transmitter specification.
The Problems of Definition

A major problem regarding Lawrence criticism relating to the authoritarian personality and to fascism, is a lack of authoritative definition of the terminology. What constitutes an authoritarian? What does the word “fascism” really mean? Does fascism consist of the historical factors leading to the development of the movement, the methodology or actual practice of fascism, the ideology of fascism as a political program, or the psychological make-up of the fascist mass — or of the fascist individual? Some critics have adopted a very narrow definition, often resulting in political condemnation of much of Lawrence’s art. Others have defined fascism so nebulously that it becomes a simple matter to distinguish “art” from “politics” and thus exonerate Lawrence of virtually any charge. It is especially difficult to define aesthetics in relation to a fascist perspective, unless we clearly understand what the term itself means.
Induced cytological aberrancies in basidiocarp morphology of Schizophyllum commune Fr.

Compatible strains of Schizophyllum commune Fr. were grown on a minimal medium with adjustments in the CO2 level and the carbon source. Acetate with glucose initiated reduced stipes and pilei of fruit-bodies, and changed lamellar cell structure. Sealed growth chambers increased CO2 levels and inhibited basidiocarp formation while growth of dense hyphal aggregates in the dikaryotic mycelium was stimulated.
Temperature response and thermoluminescence of SrI 2 :Eu 2+ single crystals

Single crystal of strontium iodide doped with 1% europium (SrI 2 : 1% Eu2+) was grown by Vertical Gradient Freeze technique. Temperature response and thermoluminescence glow curves of SrI 2 : 1% Eu2+ were studied. UV excitation spectrum of SrI 2 : 1%Eu2+ at 298 K shows a broad excitation peak at 367 nm. At ∼ 24 K, additional excitation peaks appear in the range of 265 nm and 285 nm. UV excited emission spectra were measured as a function of temperature. Results indicates the thermal quenching of Eu emission starts from ∼ 400 K. The thermoluminescence curve indicates the elimination of the charge trap at 50 K may significantly expedite the scintillation process thus decrease the scintillation decay time of SrI 2 :Eu
Social marketing approaches to nutrition and physical activity interventions in early care and education centres: a systematic review.

SummaryIntroduction Social marketing is a promising planning approach for influencing voluntary lifestyle behaviours, but its application to nutrition and physical activity interventions in the early care and education setting remains unknown. Methods PubMed, ISI Web of Science, PsycInfo and the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health were systematically searched to identify interventions targeting nutrition and/or physical activity behaviours of children enrolled in early care centres between 1994 and 2016. Content analysis methods were used to capture information reflecting eight social marketing benchmark criteria. Results The review included 135 articles representing 77 interventions. Two interventions incorporated all eight benchmark criteria, but the majority included fewer than four. Each intervention included behaviour and methods mix criteria, and more than half identified audience segments. Only one-third of interventions incorporated customer orientation, theory, exchange and insight. Only six interventions addressed competing behaviours. We did not find statistical significance for the effectiveness of interventions on child-level diet, physical activity or anthropometric outcomes based on the number of benchmark criteria used. Conclusion This review highlights opportunities to apply social marketing to obesity prevention interventions in early care centres. Social marketing could be an important strategy for early childhood obesity prevention efforts, and future research investigations into its effects are warranted.
The Genomic Prediction of Disease: Example of type 2 diabetes (T2D)

Application of concepts from information theory have revealed new features of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) organization. These features lead to effective classifiers by which to distinguish genomic sequences of contrasting phenotypes; as in case/control cohorts. When applied to a disease/control database, a disease classifier results; a parallel analysis leads to the determination of a wellness classifier. The classifiers have non-intersecting loci, and each involves roughly 100 alleles. The effectiveness of this framework is illustrated by application to adult onset, type 2, diabetes (T2D), as represented in the Wellcome Trust (WT) Case/Control database. Simultaneous use of the two classifiers on the WT database leads to successful prediction of disease versus wellness; to the extent that near certain genomic forecasting is achieved. This framework gives a resolution to the oft posed uncertainty: "Where is the missing heritability?" Application of both classifiers on two additional T2D databases produced informative consequences. A fully independent, compelling, confirmation of the present results is obtained by means of the machine learning algorithm, Random Forests. The analytical model presented here is generalizable to other diseases.
New Evidence for the Benefit of Prostate-specific Antigen Screening: Data From 400,887 Kaiser Permanente Patients.

Objective To investigate whether prostate cancer screening with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is beneficial in reducing prostate cancer mortality, and to determine optimal screening intervals and age groups to be screened. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of 400,887 men under age 80, with no history of prostate cancer, who had PSA testing at Kaiser Permanente Northern California in the 5 calendar years 1998-2002, and were followed up for 12-16 years. Subjects were stratified into 6 groups based on the screening interval, and into 7 groups based on age. Prostate cancer mortality rates for each of the 42 subgroups were calculated and compared. Results The data show that yearly PSA screening is beneficial, reducing prostate cancer deaths by 64% for men aged 55-75 years (95% confidence interval 50-78%, P Conclusion Yearly PSA screening is highly effective in reducing both prostate cancer mortality and all-cause mortality in men with prostate cancer, and when combined with active surveillance to prevent overtreatment, lends support for PSA screening for men in good health aged 55-75.
An elementary proof of Fediĭ’s theorem and extensions

We present an elementary, L 2, proof of Fediĭ’s theorem on arbitrary (e.g., infinite order) degeneracy and extensions. In particular, the proof allows and shows C ∞, Gevrey, and real analytic hypoellipticity, and allows the coefficents to depend on the remaining variable as well.
Specifying in OBJ, Verifying in REVE and Some Ideas about Time

It is widely recognised that formal specification and verification plays an important role in the design and construction of both software and hardware systems. In this paper we investigate the applicability of the OBJ specification language and the REVE theorem prover, both of which have been traditionally used in connection with software development, as tools for the specification and verification of digital systems. We therefore identify the aspects of these systems which are relevant to hardware development. In particular, we are concerned with optimising proofs in REVE and specifying behaviour of circuits through time.
Surface Infrared Spectroscopy

Infrared spectroscopy traditionally involved determination of the electromagnetic radiation absorbed by an organic compound as a function of the wavelength of radiation transmitted through the entire sample thickness. The infrared region of electromagnetic radiation includes wavelengths from 7.8 × 10-5 to 1 × 10-1 cm, although the mid-infrared region generally studied includes wavelengths from 2.5 × 10-4 to 5 × 10-3 cm.
Design and Analysis of Line Start Synchronous Reluctance Motor with Dual Saliency

This paper presents a design for a line start Synchronous Reluctance Motor (SynRM) capable of operating in two different synchronous speeds. The proposed design is based on variable pole numbers for the stator and the rotor. To accommodate the stator with variable pole numbers, the stator winding consists of two sets of independent windings to switch the operating pole number for low and high speed regions. Likewise, the rotor is especially designed to create two different reluctance pole numbers to match with the operating stator pole numbers. The proposed design enables the motor to operate as a SynRM at two different operating speeds without requiring a drive unit. To verify the performance of the proposed design, the motor is analyzed in steady state and transient domain using 3-D Finite Element Analysis (FEA).
Gastrointestinal Microbiota Disruption and Risk of Colonization With Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Intensive Care Unit Patients.

BACKGROUND Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and CRPA colonization puts patients at increased risk of CRPA infection. Prior studies have not examined relationships between the microbiota, medications, and CRPA colonization acquisition. METHODS Data and perirectal swabs were obtained from a cohort of ICU patients at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Patients (N = 109) were classified into 3 groups by CRPA colonization-acquisition status and antimicrobial exposure. We conducted 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing of an ICU admission swab and ≥1 additional swab and evaluated associations between patient characteristics, medications, the gastrointestinal microbiota, and CRPA colonization acquisition. RESULTS ICU patients had low levels of diversity and high relative abundances of pathobionts. Piperacillin-tazobactam was prescribed more frequently to patients with CRPA colonization acquisition than those without. Piperacillin-tazobactam was associated with low abundance of potentially protective taxa (eg, Lactobacillus and Clostridiales) and increased risk of Enterococcus domination (odds ratio [OR], 5.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.03-14.92). Opioids were associated with dysbiosis in patients who did not receive antibiotics; potentially protective Blautia and Lactobacillus were higher in patients who did not receive opioids. Several correlated taxa, identified at ICU admission, were associated with lower risk of CRPA colonization acquisition (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, .38-.87). CONCLUSIONS Antibiotics differed in their impact on the microbiota, with piperacillin-tazobactam being particularly damaging. Certain bacterial taxa (eg, Clostridiales) were negatively associated with CRPA colonization acquisition. These taxa may be markers of risk for CRPA colonization acquisition and/or serve a protective role.
Sindrome de temblor y ataxia asociado al X fragil: presentacion clinica, patologia y tratamiento

The fragile X associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with the repetition of CGG triplets (55-200 CGG repetitions) in the FMR1 gene. The premutation of the FMR1 gene, contrasting with the full mutation (more than 200 CGG repetitions), presents an increased production of messenger and a similar or slightly decreased production of FMRP protein. FXTAS affects 40% of men and 16% of women carriers of the premutation. It presents with a wide constellation of neurological signs such as intention tremor, cerebellar ataxia, parkinsonism, executive function deficits, peripheral neuropathy and cognitive decline leading to dementia among others. In this review, we present what is currently known about the molecular mechanism, the radiological findings and the pathology, as well as the complexity of the diagnosis and management of FXTAS.
A Call for Amicus Briefs as a Means to Influence Special Education Policy: Lessons Learned From Endrew F.:

Given the legal nature of special education, a particularly promising avenue for infusing research into practice is through court cases. Recent work has illuminated the influence of amicus briefs i...
A comparison of statistical and machine learning methods for creating national daily maps of ambient PM2.5 concentration

A typical challenge in air pollution epidemiology is to perform detailed exposure assessment for individuals for which health data are available. To address this problem, in the last few years, substantial research efforts have been placed in developing statistical methods or machine learning techniques to generate estimates of air pollution at fine spatial and temporal scales (daily, usually) with complete coverage. However, it is not clear how much the predicted exposures yielded by the various methods differ, and which method generates more reliable estimates. In this paper, we aim to address this gap by evaluating a variety of exposure modeling approaches, comparing their predictive performance. Using PM2.5 in year 2011 over the continental U.S. as a case study, we generate national maps of ambient PM2.5 concentration using: (i) ordinary least squares and inverse distance weighting; (ii) kriging; (iii) statistical downscaling models, that is, spatial statistical models that use the information contained in air quality model outputs; (iv) land use regression, that is, linear regression modeling approaches that leverage the information in Geographical Information System (GIS) covariates; and (v) machine learning methods, such as neural networks, random forests and support vector regression. We examine the various methods' predictive performance via cross-validation using Root Mean Squared Error, Mean Absolute Deviation, Pearson correlation, and Mean Spatial Pearson Correlation. Additionally, we evaluated whether factors such as, season, urbanicty, and levels of PM2.5 concentration (low, medium or high) affected the performance of the different methods. Overall, statistical methods that explicitly modeled the spatial correlation, e.g. universal kriging and the downscaler model, outperform all the other exposure assessment approaches regardless of season, urbanicity and PM2.5 concentration level. We posit that the better predictive performance of spatial statistical models over machine learning methods is due to the fact that they explicitly account for spatial dependence, thus borrowing information from neighboring observations. In light of our findings, we suggest that future exposure assessment methods for regional PM2.5 incorporate information from neighboring sites when deriving predictions at unsampled locations or attempt to account for spatial dependence.
Deep soil inventories reveal that impacts of cover crops and compost on soil carbon sequestration differ in surface and subsurface soils.

Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) via organic inputs is a key strategy for increasing long-term soil C storage and improving the climate change mitigation and adaptation potential of agricultural systems. A long-term trial in California's Mediterranean climate revealed impacts of management on SOC in maize-tomato and wheat-fallow cropping systems. SOC was measured at the initiation of the experiment and at year 19, at five depth increments down to 2 m, taking into account changes in bulk density. Across the entire 2 m profile, SOC in the wheat-fallow systems did not change with the addition of N fertilizer, winter cover crops (WCC), or irrigation alone and decreased by 5.6% with no inputs. There was some evidence of soil C gains at depth with both N fertilizer and irrigation, though high variation precluded detection of significant changes. In maize-tomato rotations, SOC increased by 12.6% (21.8 Mg C/ha) with both WCC and composted poultry manure inputs, across the 2 m profile. The addition of WCC to a conventionally managed system increased SOC stocks by 3.5% (1.44 Mg C/ha) in the 0-30 cm layer, but decreased by 10.8% (14.86 Mg C/ha) in the 30-200 cm layer, resulting in overall losses of 13.4 Mg C/ha. If we only measured soil C in the top 30 cm, we would have assumed an increase in total soil C increased with WCC alone, whereas in reality significant losses in SOC occurred when considering the 2 m soil profile. Ignoring the subsoil carbon dynamics in deeper layers of soil fails to recognize potential opportunities for soil C sequestration, and may lead to false conclusions about the impact of management practices on C sequestration.
Creating an undergraduate computing sequence focused on enterprise resource planning (ERP)

In 2008, the East Tennessee State University Department of Computer and Information Sciences began the process of incorporating courses in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) into undergraduate computing programs. As a part of the exploration and implementation process, a Taskforce was formed that brought together faculty and industry experts for curriculum and strategic planning. The end result of this multi-year process was the creation of a core set of three ERP courses covering fundamental through advanced topics.
Research Methods for Education With Technology: Four Concerns, Examples, and Recommendations

The success of education with technology research is in part because the field draws upon theories and methods from multiple disciplines. However, drawing upon multiple disciplines has drawbacks because sometimes the methodological expertise of each discipline is not applied when researchers conduct studies outside of their research training. The focus here is on research using methods drawn largely from psychology, for example, evaluating the impact of different systems on how students perform. The methodological concerns discussed are: low power; not using multilevel modeling; dichotomization; and inaccurate reporting of the numeric statistics. Examples are drawn from a recent set of proceedings. Recommendations, which are applicable throughout the social sciences, are made for each of these.
Pan-cancer analysis and applications

Abstract Extensive research has been done to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of cancer occurrence and progression. However, most of the studies are conducted independently on smaller sample sizes thereby limiting the essence of information that needs to come out of such studies. The International Cancer Genome Consortium hence made a group of researchers conducting such cancer analysis across various tumor types in order to generate a pan-cancer atlas. Data generated through these projects will enable in understanding the molecular aspects of cancer occurrence and further help in cancer prevention and designing cancer therapeutics. This chapter reviews information about the pan-cancer project and its key findings.
Panopticon Reborn: Social Credit as Regulation for the Algorithmic Age

Technology scholars, policy-makers, and executives in Europe and the United States disagree violently about what the digitally connected world should look like. They agree on what it shouldn’t: the Orwellian panopticon of China’s Social Credit System (SCS). SCS is a government-led initiative to promote data-driven compliance with law and social values, using databases, analytics, blacklists, and software applications. In the West, it is widely viewed as a diabolical effort to crush any spark of resistance to the dictates of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its corporate emissaries. This picture is, if not wholly incorrect, decidedly incomplete. SCS is the world’s most advanced prototype of a regime of algorithmic regulation. It is a sophisticated and comprehensive effort not only to expand algorithmic control, but also to restrain it. Understanding China’s system is crucial for resolving the great challenges we face in the emerging era of relentless data aggregation, ubiquitous analytics, and algorithmic control.
Between Proteus and Prometheus, between Apollo and Athena: Devising an Appropriate Flexibility Strategy

This paper seeks to integrate and reconceptualize miscellaneous research on flexibility in various business fields and disciplines in order to to lay out new flexibility theory. To that end, it locates opposite approaches toward flexibility on the responsiveness-resourcefulness matrix and investigates the merits and shortcomings of flexibility aspects as their building blocks. Unveiling a system of interrelated categories underlying flexibility structure, this paper contends that companies should methodically device a flexibility strategy fitting their environment and unique capabilities in order to create a competitive advantage.