cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protracted results of dose-intensive therapy using cyclophosphamide, carmustine, and continuous infusion etoposide with autologous stem cell support in patients with relapse or refractory Hodgkin's disease: a phase II study from the North American Marrow Transplant Group.

To determine the long-term results of high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell support in relapsed or primary refractory Hcdgkin disease patients. One hundred and thirty-one patients with relapsed or primary refractory Hodgkin's disease were treated with a dose-intensive therapy protocol consisting of etoposide (2400 mg/m2 continuous intravenous infusion) cyclophosphamide (7200 mg/m2 intravenously), and carmustine (3o(Moo mg/m2 intravenously) CBVi. All patients had previously failed conventional chemoradiotherapy. Severe toxicities were related to infectious, hepatic, and pulmonary complications. Fatal, regimen-related tox-icity was 19%; liver and lung dysfunction, as well as infection, were the most frequent problems. Ninety-one (69%) of the patients achieved a complete response (CR) (95% CI = 59% to 75%) after CBVi and autologous stem cell infusion. With a median follow-up of 5.1 years (range 3.0 to 9.5 years), overall and event-free survival are 44% (95% CI = 33% to 47%) and 38% (95% CI = 28% to 46%) respe...
Correction to a paper on modal logic

In a recent paper (here referred to as “IDP”) the writer outlined a decision procedure for Lewis's system S4 of modal logic. One of the clauses in definition 3.1 of IDP requires correction. Clause II of 3.1 (2) should read as follows. II. Some constituent of the form ◊β, of degree n 1 ≤ n , has the value T in Row ( i ), and some constituents of the forms ◊ δ 1 , … ◊ δ h , and ◊ η 1 , …, ◊ η m , all have the value F in Row ( i ) ( h ≥ 0, m ≥ 0, h+m ≥ 1), where β → ( δ 1 ∨ … ∨ δ h ∨ ◊ η 1 ∨ … ∨ ◊ η m ) is an ( n 1 − 1)-tautology of S4. This change is required in order to carry out the proof of Metathcorcm 3.19. In particular, the change guarantees the following. If the expression η of the second paragraph of 3.20 is of degree n − 1, then the antecedent λ of formula ζ on page 210 of IDP is also of degree n − 1; and consequently the formula ζ of 3.19 is of degree n (since ◊λ is a constituent of ζ). (If we fail to make the correction, then it might be the case that both ζ and (3) are of degree n − 1, in which case Row ( i ) would not satisfy clause II as originally stated, contrary to the claim at the end of 3.20.) The proofs for the remaining cases of 3.20 can then be carried out, using the revised clause II, in the way originally indicated. The proof of Metatheorem 3.2 requires only trivial corrections for case 2.
Emerging Applications of Metabolomics in Studying Chemopreventive Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals from diet and herbal medicines are under intensive investigation for their potential use as chemopreventive agents to block and suppress carcinogenesis. Chemical diversity of phytochemicals, together with complex metabolic interactions between phytochemicals and biological system, can overwhelm the capacity of traditional analytical platforms, and thus pose major challenges in studying chemopreventive phytochemicals. Recent progresses in metabolomics have transformed it to become a robust systems biology tool, suitable for examining both chemical and biochemical events that contribute to the cancer prevention activities of plant preparations or their bioactive components. This review aims to discuss the technical platform of metabolomics and its existing and potential applications in chemoprevention research, including identifying bioactive phytochemicals in plant extracts, monitoring phytochemical exposure in humans, elucidating biotransformation pathways of phytochemicals, and characterizing the effects of phytochemicals on endogenous metabolism and cancer metabolism.
Comparison of conceptual designs for 25 kWe advanced Stirling conversion systems for dish electric applications

Two designs that were developed as part of the advanced Stirling conversion system (ASCS) project managed by NASA Lewis Research Center are described. Each design features a free-piston Stirling engine, a liquid metal heat pipe receiver, and a means to provide about 25 kW of electric power to a utility grid while meeting the US Department of Energy's long term performance and cost goals. An independent assessment showed that both designs are manufacturable. >
Guidelines for demonstrating geographical information systems based on participatory development

Abstract The transfer of GIS technology has not met with uniform success in lesser-developed countries. It has been argued that this may be due to many efforts being technology-driven rather than demand-driven. In agricultural development, technology is transferred through a demand-driven participatory approach which incorporates the ultimate recipients of the technology in the design, implementation and evaluation of projects. A project to demonstrate the use of GIS technology for wasteland development in India involving seven Indian research institutes was undertaken by the U.S. Agency for International Development. In the Indian GIS demonstration, technical approaches proposed by each institute were largely technology-driven. To counter this tendency, a set of evaluation criteria or guidelines based on the participatory approach was developed to refine proposals.
Role of Vitamin-K-Dependent Proteins in Bone Metabolism

INTRODUCTION 565 STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF BGP AND MGP ........ .. . .. ........ 566 SUBSTRATE RECOGNITION BY THE VITAMIN-K-DEPENDENT ,},-GLUTAMYL CARBOXYLASE ........ . . 569 THE EFFECT OF WARFARIN ON BGP SyNTHESIS 573 EFFECTS ON BONE OF LONG-TERM TREATMENT WITH WARFARIN PLUS VITAMIN K 576 IMPLICATIONS OF TISSUE DIFFERENCES IN VITAMIN K METABOLISM FOR WARFARIN PROPHYLAXIS 579
An introduction to Markov logic networks and application in video activity analysis

A Markov logic network (MLN) is a compact combination of logic representation of knowledge and probabilistic reasoning in Markov networks. We have seen its applications in different domains, however, few tried to explain or demonstrate the underneath reasons why MLN works. This paper gives an introduction to MLN using examples in the hope to help understand its elegance and booster the application. Application in video activity analysis was designed to demonstrate how MLN can be used in a specific domain, including feature extraction, logic predicate/formula design, and activity recognition through probabilistic reasoning.
Traumatic Cervical Unilateral and Bilateral Facet Dislocations Treated With Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Has a Low Failure Rate

Study Design:Retrospective radiographic and chart review.Objective:To define the rate and associated risk factors of treatment failure of anterior cervical fusion for treatment of cervical facet di...
Sexist language and sexuality

The field of language and sexuality incorporates insights from feminist, queer, linguistic anthropology, and sociolinguistic theories, as well as from the work of many activist groups such as the global SlutWalk movement, which called attention to some of the everyday conditions and restrictions that are often applied to women's bodies and to the continuum of sexist language. While ideas of sexual “deviance” change, the policing of women's sexuality is still widespread, as can be heard in the discourses about girls’ and women's sexuality. For many, online sources increasingly provide information about sexuality, as teens and adults go online to learn about and to have an impact on the discourse and meanings of sexuality. In many countries, language change is happening more quickly because of online discourses that challenge, reclaim, and rename, traditional media often not leading any more but following. In a time of great change, it is clear that language will continue to be used as a means for managing sexuality. Keywords: desire; renaming; sex education; sexist language; sexting; sexual deviance
Management Impacts on Carbon Dynamics in a Sierra Nevada Mixed Conifer Forest.

Forest ecosystems can act as sinks of carbon and thus mitigate anthropogenic carbon emissions. When forests are actively managed, treatments can alter forests carbon dynamics, reducing their sink strength and switching them from sinks to sources of carbon. These effects are generally characterized by fast temporal dynamics. Hence this study monitored for over a decade the impacts of management practices commonly used to reduce fire hazards on the carbon dynamics of mixed-conifer forests in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA. Soil CO2 efflux, carbon pools (i.e. soil carbon, litter, fine roots, tree biomass), and radial tree growth were compared among un-manipulated controls, prescribed fire, thinning, thinning followed by fire, and two clear-cut harvested sites. Soil CO2 efflux was reduced by both fire and harvesting (ca. 15%). Soil carbon content (upper 15 cm) was not significantly changed by harvest or fire treatments. Fine root biomass was reduced by clear-cut harvest (60–70%) but not by fire, and the litter layer was reduced 80% by clear-cut harvest and 40% by fire. Thinning effects on tree growth and biomass were concentrated in the first year after treatments, whereas fire effects persisted over the seven-year post-treatment period. Over this period, tree radial growth was increased (25%) by thinning and reduced (12%) by fire. After seven years, tree biomass returned to pre-treatment levels in both fire and thinning treatments; however, biomass and productivity decreased 30%-40% compared to controls when thinning was combined with fire. The clear-cut treatment had the strongest impact, reducing ecosystem carbon stocks and delaying the capacity for carbon uptake. We conclude that post-treatment carbon dynamics and ecosystem recovery time varied with intensity and type of treatments. Consequently, management practices can be selected to minimize ecosystem carbon losses while increasing future carbon uptake, resilience to high severity fire, and climate related stresses.
A Study of the Air Space Volatiles Present in a Boll Weevil Mass Rearing Facility

The air-space volatiles present in the Robert T. Gast Rearing Laboratory at Mississippi State, Miss., were determined by pulling an air stream through a porous polymer, desorbing the volatiles with pentane, and analyzing them by GLC-MS. The volatiles from the diet, the diet wax, and the insects ( Anthonomus grandis Boheman) were similarly analyzed in an attempt to identify the sources of the volatiles in the air space. A total of 168 compounds was identified from these sources including 35 aliphatic hydrocarbons, 30 aliphatic alcohols, 26 aliphatic carbonyl compounds, 23 aromatic hydrocarbons. 13 aromatic carbonyl compounds. 7 phenols and cresols, 7 gamma -lactones, 6 ethers and furans, 5 aromatic alcohols, 5 heterocyclic compounds, 8 phthalates, and 3 other esters. The low molecular weight alcohols, carbonyl compounds, esters, and a pyrazine present chiefly in the diet volatiles were attributed to microbial contamination. The gamma -lactones were believed derived during the cooking of the diet, and most of the n -alkyl hydrocarbons were derived from the diet wax. The facility mechanical plant was presumably the source of a number of aromatic hydrocarbons that are typical trace constituents of industrial oils. Small amounts of the pheromone alcohols present in boll weevils were found in the rearing facility air-space, but none were found in the insects themselves.
The Uses and Abuses of Registration and Turnout Data: An Analysis of Piven and Cloward's Studies of Nonvoting in America

A large corpus exists detailing the reasons for low turnout in American elections. It is not surprising that scholars disagree over the factors responsible. What should concern us is the extent to which single-factor explanations lead to serious misunderstanding of this phenomenon.Piven and Cloward recently continued their crusade to relax registration statutes (1989: see also 1988a, 1988b). They contend that the most important causes of low turnout are “legal-institutional” features of American politics, especially personal registration laws. They assert that American turnout is lower than in most western democracies and what it had been in this country during the late-nineteenth century because registration laws keep many people, particularly those in the lower social orders, from voting. Eliminate registration, or shift the burden from individual to government, and the low turnout problem will be solved, so Piven and Cloward argue.
Application of Molecular Simulation Techniques to the Study of Factors Affecting the Thin-Film Morphology of Small-Molecule Organic Semiconductors†

We provide a short review of the status of using atomic- or molecular-scale simulations to look at the phenomena associated with growing thin films of small organic semiconductor materials, such as surface diffusion, thin film growth, Ehrlich−Schwoebel step-edge barrier, etc. We offer a summary of the advantages and limitations of existing computational tools (Molecular Dynamics, kinetic Monte Carlo, ab initio methods, etc.) and hint at method development that may help to deepen our understanding of “functional π”-materials. We provide a deeper focus on computational, as well as related experimental, studies of fundamental questions related to the thin-film growth of a representative member of this class of materials, pentacene, on a variety of substrates from insulating oxides to metals, and show results for some other organic semiconductor members of the class, wherever possible.
Prevention of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in humanized mice

Background Ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R) is an inflammatory response to hypoxia that is dependent on antibodies. We have previously shown that the N2 peptide blocks binding of autoreactive antibody to ischemic tissue and reduces I/R injury in rodents. Whether these same antibodies exist and target the same antigen in humans is unknown. In this study, we create a novel “humanized” mice model of intestinal I/R and test the efficacy of N2. Methods Humanized mice were generated by transplanting human lymphocytes into immunodeficient mice. Human T- and B-cell engraftment in the spleen and peritoneum was confirmed using flow cytometry, and circulating human antibody in mouse serum was measured with ELISA. Injury in the small intestine and lung after intestinal I/R was measured in the presence or absence of N2. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess for human antibody deposition in the small intestine. Results Humanized mice engrafted with functional CD20+ B cells generated high circulating serum levels of human antibody. N2 treatment significantly reduced intestinal injury severity scores after I/R (control: 28 ± 1.5, N2: 9.1 ± 3.4; P P Conclusion N2 is an effective therapy for I/R injury in the presence of human immunity, supporting a conserved target of inflammatory attack in human reperfusion injury.
Influence of Seed Aerosol Surface Area and Oxidation Rate on Vapor-Wall Deposition and SOA Mass Yields: A case study with α-pinene Ozonolysis

Laboratory chambers, invaluable in atmospheric chemistry and aerosol formation studies, are subject to particle and vapor wall deposition, processes that need to be accounted for in order to accurately determine secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass yields. Although particle wall deposition is reasonably well understood and usually accounted for, vapor wall deposition is less so. The effects of vapor wall deposition on SOA mass yields in chamber experiments can be constrained experimentally by increasing the seed aerosol surface area to promote the preferential condensation of SOA-forming vapors onto seed aerosol. Here, we study the influence of seed aerosol surface area and oxidation rate on SOA formation in α-pinene ozonolysis. The observations are analyzed using a coupled vapor–particle dynamics model to interpret the roles of gas–particle partitioning (quasi-equilibrium vs. kinetically limited SOA growth) and α-pinene oxidation rate in influencing vapor wall deposition. We find that the SOA growth rate and mass yields are independent of seed surface area within the range of seed surface area concentrations used in this study. This behavior arises when the condensation of SOA-forming vapors is dominated by quasi-equilibrium growth. Faster α-pinene oxidation rates and higher SOA mass yields are observed at increasing O3 concentrations for the same initial α-pinene concentration. When the α-pinene oxidation rate increases relative to vapor wall deposition, rapidly produced SOA-forming oxidation products condense more readily onto seed aerosol particles, resulting in higher SOA mass yields. Our results indicate that the extent to which vapor wall deposition affects SOA mass yields depends on the particular volatility organic compound system and can be mitigated through the use of excess oxidant concentrations.
Surveillance of intestinal nematode infections in Nanjing City from 2008 to 2012

OBJECTIVE To understand the intestinal nematode infection status of Nanjing City, so as to provide the evidence for formulating the preventive strategy and measures. METHODS The eggs of intestinal nematodes were detected by Kato-Katz technique in population and eggs of Enterobius vermicularis were detected in children and low-grade primary school students by the transparent adhesive tape anal swab method. RESULTS The fecal specimens from 45,645 individuals were tested, and of those, 167 were found to be infected with intestinal nematodes. The total infection rate was 0.36%, and the infection rates of Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm, and Trichuris trichiura were 0.18%, 0.03%, and 0.15%, respectively. Totally 43,356 children and low-grade primary school students were surveyed for Enterobius vermicularis infection, and the infection rate was 0.31%. CONCLUSION The prevalence of intestinal nematodes of population is low in Nanjing City. However, we still need to strengthen health education and regular monitoring.
Nanotube/nanorods fabrication of ZnO using atomic layer deposition and the template replication method

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is an important emerging material for the applications in thin film transistors, optoelectronic devices, transparent electrodes and solar cells, in the forms of thin films, tubes, rods, and nano-wires. ZnO can be deposited by pulsed laser deposition, radio-frequency magnetron sputtering, thermal synthesis and atomic layer deposition (ALD). In this study, ZnO thin films were deposited by ALD at low temperature using diethyl zinc (DEZn) and water precursors and were characterized by various techniques. ZnO tubes and rods were obtained using ALD and template replication method.
Risk of cardiovascular disease among patients with sarcoidosis: a population-based retrospective cohort study, 1976-2013.

A higher incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been observed in several chronic inflammatory diseases. However, data on sarcoidosis are limited. In this study, 345 patients with incident sarcoidosis in Olmsted County (Minnesota, USA) during 1976–2013 were identified based on comprehensive medical record review. 345 sex- and age-matched comparators were also identified from the same underlying population. Medical records were individually reviewed for CVD, including coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, cerebrovascular accident, transient ischaemic attack, peripheral arterial disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm. Cox proportional hazards models with adjustment for age, sex, calendar year and cardiovascular risk factors were used to compare the rate of development of CVD between cases and comparators. The prevalence of CVD before the index date was not significantly different between the two groups. Adjusting for age, sex and calendar year, the risk of incident CVD after the index date was significantly elevated among patients with sarcoidosis with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.57 (95% CI 1.15–2.16). Adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors yielded an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.65 (95% CI 1.08–2.53). Significantly increased risk was also observed for several types of CVD, including coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation and cerebrovascular accident. Increased incidence of CVD among patients with sarcoidosis was demonstrated in this population-based cohort, even after controlling for baseline traditional atherosclerotic risk factors. Patients with sarcoidosis have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases
Acute low-dose endotoxin treatment results in improved whole-body glucose homeostasis in mice.

Abstract Background Obese individuals present with an increased inflammatory tone as compared to healthy, normal-weight individuals, which is associated with insulin resistance. One factor hypothesized to contribute to increased inflammation in obese and diabetic states is elevated blood endotoxin levels, a condition known as metabolic endotoxemia. In non-obese and insulin sensitive individuals, circulating endotoxin concentrations fluctuate over the course of the day with elevations in the post-prandial state that return to baseline levels in the post-absorptive state. Evidence suggests that high-fat feeding alters these fluctuations causing endotoxin levels to remain high throughout the day. The effects of alterations in endotoxin levels on glucose metabolism are not clearly understood. Purpose/Procedures The goal of this study was to determine the effects of both short-term and long-term increases in endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) of a low magnitude on the glucose tolerance and insulin signaling in a human primary cell line as well as the effects of short-term endotoxin treatments on glucose homeostasis in a C57/Bl6 mouse model. First, we tested the hypothesis that short-term low-dose endotoxin treatments would augment insulin signaling and glycogen synthesis while long-term treatments would be disruptive in the cell culture model. Second, we examined if these short-term low dose treatments of endotoxin would contribute to similar improvements in whole-body glucose homeostasis in a mouse model. Main findings Contrary to our initial hypothesis, short-term endotoxin treatment had no effect on insulin signaling or glycogen synthesis, however long-term treatment indeed decreased glycogen synthesis ( P P Conclusions This research shows that low-magnitude, short-term changes in LPS can have significant effects on whole body glucose metabolism and this likely occurs through its direct actions on the liver. Additional studies are necessary to understand the mechanisms responsible for altered glucose metabolism in response to low magnitude changes in LPS levels.
Presenilin-1 mutations and Alzheimer’s disease

Mutations in the PSEN1 gene, encoding presenilin-1 (PS1), are the most common cause of familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD). PS1 functions as the catalytic subunit of γ-secretase, an intramembranous protease that cleaves a variety of type 1 transmembrane proteins, notably including the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and Notch. Following prior cleavage by β-secretase, processing of APP by γ-secretase generates β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides of varying lengths. Whereas Aβ40 accounts for ∼90% of Aβ production, the minor Aβ42 product is more hydrophobic and is thought to nucleate Aβ aggregation, leading to amyloid plaque deposition in the AD brain. In PNAS, Sun et al. (1) used an in vitro system to evaluate the effects of 138 pathogenic mutations in PSEN1 on the production of Aβ40 and Aβ42, and their findings provide valuable perspectives on pathogenic mechanisms in AD. The authors’ systematic analysis of mutations affecting all PS1 residues altered in FAD provides an unprecedented perspective on the impact of PSEN1 mutations on Aβ production and γ-secretase activity. The mechanism by which PSEN1 mutations lead to neurodegeneration and dementia in FAD remains hotly debated. Two distinct but not mutually exclusive hypotheses have been proposed to explain how PSEN1 mutations cause FAD (2, 3). The amyloid hypothesis proposed that PSEN1 mutations initiate disease pathogenesis by increasing production of Aβ42 (2). This view was based on initial studies in which small numbers of clinical PSEN1 mutations were found to increase levels of Aβ42 in plasma of FAD patients, transfected cells, and transgenic mice, leading to the notion that PSEN1 mutations triggered FAD pathogenesis by enhancing APP processing and inducing excessive production of Aβ42 (2, 4⇓–6). As inconsistencies with this model subsequently emerged, revision of the amyloid hypothesis shifted the focus to relative rather than absolute increases in Aβ42 production, and the ability … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: jshen{at}rics.bwh.harvard.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
A correlated biochemical and stereological study of periparturient fatty liver in the dairy cow

Liver lipids were estimated in cows eight weeks before and one and eight weeks after calving by two independent procedures. Liver lipid was estimated stereologically in Araldite-embedded sections and using thin layer chromatography and densitometry of the separated lipids. The results obtained by these methods were compared. There were significant increases in the hepatic content (g/kg liver wet weight) of total lipid, triacylglycerol and non-esterified fatty acids one week after calving, with no significant changes in the phospholipid and cholesterol content around calving. The liver lipid composition (g lipid/100 g total lipid) changed one week after calving, with an increased proprotion of triacylglycerol and a decreased proportion of phospholipids and cholesterol. There was no change in the proportion of non-esterified fatty acids. The volume fracton of the hepatocyte occupied by fat droplets increased one week after calving. There was a high correlation between the triacylglycerol content of the liver determined biochemically and the volume fraction of fat droplets lying within the hepatocyte cytoplasm determined stereologically.
Clustering Behavior to Recognize Subjective Beliefs in Human-Agent Teams

Trust is critical to the success of human-agent teams, and a critical antecedents to trust is transparency. To best interact with human teammates, an agent explain itself so that they understand its decision-making process. However, individual differences among human teammates require that the agent dynamically adjust its explanation strategy based on their unobservable subjective beliefs. The agent must therefore recognize its teammates' subjective beliefs relevant to trust-building (e.g., their understanding of the agent's capabilities and process). We leverage a nonparametric method to enable an agent to use its history of prior interactions as a means for recognizing and predicting a new teammate's subjective beliefs. We first gather data combining observable behavior sequences with survey-based observations of typically unobservable perceptions. We then use a nearest-neighbor approach to identify the prior teammates most similar to the new one. We use these neighbors' responses to infer the likelihood of possible beliefs, as in collaborative filtering. The results provide insights into the types of beliefs that are easy (and hard) to infer from purely behavioral observations.
Signal Conductors Over a Perforated Reference Plane

Due to increases in system speed and density, designers are confronted with several practical problems imposed by interconnect structures. In short, miniaturization can force different types of transmission-line discontinuities. Deviations from an ideal transmission line can be thought of as belonging to one of two categories: (1) the signal conductor departs from the reference plane (e.g. package leads, sockets, and connectors); and (2) the reference plane is not continuous (e.g. mesh planes, isolated ground regions, and mul?tiple supply regions)[5.1]. The first category of discontinuities has been well-characterized, and it has been shown that lumped-element models can be used to represent these structures [5.2],[5.3], [5.4]. In this work, a detailed analysis of the effects on signal propagation of reference plane openings is attempted. The intent is to establish which modeling tools and methods can be used to extract equivalent circuits that accurately predict time-domain waveforms in cards, boards, and modules containing reference plane openings. Results to within engineering accuracy are required, with minimum model complexity and analysis time. In Figure 5.1, the cross-section of a srtipline interconnect structure with an opening in the top reference plane is shown. Two electrical test structures have been designed specifically for this work.
Clinical Manifestations of Cushing’s Disease and Cushing’s Syndrome

As indicated in Table 1.1 there are several etiologies of hypercorticism. Many clinical manifestations are common to all groups, although there are some that will enable clinical distinctions to be made among the various subgroups. For this reason, greatest emphasis in this chapter will be placed on the pathophysiology of Cushing’s disease, since the clinical findings associated with this condition are seen in virtually all other causes of Cushing’s syndrome. In addition, consideration will be given to the salient clinical features that distinguish the various subgroups of Cushing’s syndrome from each other and from Cushing’s disease, as well as consideration of other conditions which may have to be differentiated from hypercortisolism per se.
“Would Prefer a Trailer Park to a Large [Religious] Structure”: Suburban Responses to Proposals for Religious Buildings

To worship in the suburbs, religious congregations often have to apply to local governments for zoning and building approval. Examining 40 proposals from religious groups in three Chicago suburbs b...
Underutilization of Nonopioid Pain Medication in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair

Background With increased focus on the opioid crisis, it was our goal to describe rates and risk factors for postoperative use of opioids in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair as well as identify pain modalities that are underutilized. Methods We retrospectively analyzed perioperative analgesic prescriptions for endovascular (EVAR) and open AAA repair between January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2018. Patients’ baseline opioid use, demographics, and medical comorbidities were obtained. The EVAR group was further subdivided into percutaneous (pEVAR) and cutdown (cEVAR) groups. Primary outcomes were postoperative and discharge pain medication prescriptions. Relative rates of opioid prescribing were obtained through the electronic medical record and normalized into morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs). Results Of the 128 patients analyzed in the entire cohort, 21.8% (n = 28) underwent open repair and 78.12% (n = 100) underwent EVAR (46 pEVAR, 54 cEVAR). As expected, open repair had increased postoperative pain reported compared to EVAR (2.67 ± 0.75 vs. 0.96 ± 0.19, P Conclusions This single institutional retrospective study evaluated pain prescription patterns for patients undergoing AAA repair. AAA patients are predominantly treated with opioid pain medications with few adjunctive therapies. Intraoperative epidural and pEVAR may aid in decreasing the total MME used; however, the total number of opioids prescribed is similar for pEVAR and cEVAR despite the difference in approach. Clinicians must consider alternative nonopioid based pain management strategies.
Estimating heterogeneity variances to select a random effects model

Abstract There are many collaborative studies where the reported within-study uncertainty estimates are unreliable but can be considered as lower bounds to the true uncertainties. This work is motivated by such examples; it provides a method to determine the common mean of heterogeneous observations with unknown variances which however allow for the given lower bounds. In this situation, the classical maximum likelihood estimator and the restricted maximum likelihood estimator are derived. These procedures lead to the choice of the random effects model where the unknown heterogeneity variance can depend on the individual study. The Bayes procedures against the noninformative prior restricted on the appropriate parametric subset are recommended for practical use.
Cognitive and Institutional Barriers to New Forms of Cooperation on Environmental Protection: Insights from Project XL and Habitat Conservation Plans

Many perceive the predominantly command-and-control structure of regulatory policy to be overly restrictive and inefficient in achieving our emerging environmental goals. In response, the U.S. government has introduced several voluntary programs to develop innovative, beyond-compliance environmental management solutions through the collaboration between government agencies and regulated entities. Yet, these programs have not gained widespread acceptance. This paper analyzes the cognitive and institutional barriers to that acceptance by looking specifically at two programs ‑ Project XL and Habitat Conservation Plans. These barriers act out of force of habit, creating a resistance to change and a rejection of new forms of regulatory policy. We argue that to create policy change, we must change how individuals think and how institutions guide that thinking.
Migratory corridor linking Atlantic green turtle, Chelonia mydas, nesting site on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea to Ghanaian foraging grounds

This study uses satellite telemetry to track post-nesting movements of endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas) (n = 6) in the Gulf of Guinea. It identifies a migratory corridor linking breeding grounds of Atlantic green turtles nesting on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, to foraging grounds in the coastal waters of Accra, Ghana. Track lengths of 20-198 days were analyzed, for a total of 536 movement days for the six turtles. Migratory pathways and foraging grounds were identified by applying a switching state space model to locational data, which provides daily position estimates to identify shifts between migrating and foraging behavior. Turtles exhibited a combination of coastal and oceanic migrations pathways that ranged from 957 km to 1,131 km. Of the six turtles, five completed their migration and maintained residency at the same foraging ground near the coastal waters of Accra, Ghana until transmission was lost. These five resident turtles inhabit heavily fished waters and are vulnerable to a variety of anthropogenic threats. The identification of these foraging grounds highlights the importance of these coastal waters for the protection of the endangered Atlantic green turtle.
The impact of in-hospital complications on the long-term functional outcome of trauma patients: A multicenter study.

Abstract Background The long-term consequences of in-hospital complications remain largely unknown. We sought to study the effect of complications on the long-term functional outcome of trauma patients. Methods Patients with an Injury Severity Score ≥ 9 admitted to 3, level I trauma centers between 2015 and 2017 were contacted 6 to 12 months postinjury and administered a validated trauma quality-of-life survey, assessing for the presence of any functional limitation. Functional limitation was defined as the inability to perform independently one or more activities of daily living (eg, driving, walking on flat surfaces/upstairs, dressing). Medical records and the trauma registry were reviewed systematically for all patient and injury variables. The occurrence of predefined in-hospital complications (eg, pneumonia, surgical site infection) was recorded. The impact of in-hospital complications on functional limitation was assessed using multivariate logistic regression models. Results Of 1,709 patients, 1,022 completed the study. The mean age was 58 y, 56% were male, 94% had blunt trauma, and the mean Injury Severity Score was 15. A total of 168 patients (16.4%) had a minimum of 1 in-hospital complication and reported significantly more functional limitations in most activities of daily living at 6 to 12 months, compared with those without complications. In multivariable analyses adjusting for confounders, the occurrence of complications was associated with a greater likelihood of functional limitation 6 to 12 months postinjury (odds ratio = 1.82, 95% confidence interval 1.22–2.69, P = .003). Conclusion Trauma patients with in-hospital complications have a worse long-term functional outcome. In addition to prevention of primary complications, more rehabilitation resources should be made available to trauma patients who survive complications.
Validation of The Pill-5: A 5-Item Patient Reported Outcome Measure for Pill Dysphagia

Objectives: Pill dysphagia is common and costly with a significant risk of pill retention, caustic injury, and poor medication compliance. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the validity and reliability of the PILL-5, a self-administered patient reported outcome measure (PROM) to quantify the degree of pill (tablet and capsule) dysphagia. The PILL-5 is a 5-item questionnaire with a maximum symptom score of 20. Methods: The PILL-5 was administered to 190 patients with dysphagia referred for videofluoroscopic esophagography (VFE). Construct validity was assessed by comparing PILL-5 composite scores to delayed barium tablet transit on VFE. Normative data was obtained by administering the instrument to a cohort of healthy community based volunteers. Internal consistency was assessed with the Cronbach alpha. Test/retest reliability was determined by administering the instrument to the same cohort of patients at two time points. Results: The mean PILL-5 was 5.6 (±4.9) for persons with dysphagia and 1.6 (±2.7) for healthy volunteers (p 6 is abnormal (mean + 2 SD). The instrument demonstrated excellent criterion based validity and reliability. The PILL-5 is the first validated patient reported outcome measure for pill dysphagia.
Target output distribution and distribution of bias for statistical model validation given a limited number of test data

Simulation model must be validated with experimental data to correctly predict the outputs of engineered systems before they can be used with confidence. While doing so, pointwise comparison between predicted output by simulation model and experimental data for model verification and validation (VV (2) the reallocated test dataset by a quality checking process and balance sampling leads to better matching to the true output distribution; and (3) the distribution of bias is effectively used to understand the model’s accuracy and model confidence for comparison study.
Account of the martyrs in the provinces of La Florida: by Luis Jerónimo de Oré. Edited and translated by Raquel Chang Rodríguez and Nancy Vogley. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2017, 192 pp. (ISBN 9780826357984)

Raquel Chang-Rodriguez and Nancy Vogeley’s new edition and translation of Father Luis Jeronimo de Ore’s Account of the Martyrs in the Provinces of La Florida is a welcome addition to studies on La ...
Strategies for Sequencing Peptide Mixtures by Selective Blocking

A year following the initial description of the automated protein sequencer (1) William Gray proposed that the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide could be deduced from sequence analysis of complex peptide mixtures produced by several different specific cleavages of that polypeptide, thus avoiding the necessity for fractionation of multiple peptides (2). While this approach is theoretically feasible, it remains impractical because the simultaneous degradation of multiple peptides is required to be uniformly efficient and the yields of all phenylthiohydantoin (PTH) - amino acids quantitative. Although advances in the Edman chemistry itself since that time have been relatively modest, technological advances in instrumentation have fulfilled Gray’s other prediction that automation will be utilized in sequence analysis (2). Although the deduction of sequences from mixture analysis remains risky, approaches which permit the unequivocal sequence of a single peptide in a mixture by specific blocking are desirable in avoiding sometimes arduous purification procedures. Such strategies are particularly useful for the examination of sets of homologous proteins or peptides and for peptides available in limited amounts. Examples of selective blocking includes 1) succinylation to block the amino-terminus of a parent peptide, followed by specific internal cleavage permitting the unique sequence of the deblocked daughter peptide to be determined, 2) selective blocking of contaminating peptides containing amino-terminal glutamine by cyclization in acid. This report reviews two other selective blocking methods: one which spares prolyl-peptides and a second which blocks serine-containing peptides.
Correlation between water source polluted by pesticide and high incidence rate of digestive tract malignant tumor

Objective To analyse correlation between water source polluted by pesticide and high incidence rate of digestive tract malignant tumor in countryside.Methods Seventy-five cases of digestive tract malignant tumor patients from 5 villages of Qingtian in 2009-2011 were selected by systematic sampling method as the cases group,150 cases of digestive tract diseases were matched according to the age and sex as control group,and then carried out a case-control study.The risk degree of drinking water source was judged according to the distance of water intake point to pesticide pollution source and the exposure years.Results Gastric cancer was the main malignant tumor of digestive tract in case group,accounting for 48.00％ (36/75).In all 5 towns,Haixi village had the largest number of people (80.00％,36/45) who drank the pollution water.The rate of patients who drank pollution water in case group was higher than that in control group (41.33％:18.67％,x2=13.28,P＜0.01).The possibility of people who drank pollution water suffering frowm gastrointestinal cancer was 3.07 times higher than that of not drank pollution water (OR=3.07,95％CI:1.66-5.69).Conclusions Drinking pesticide pollution farmland water for long time maybe one of the risk factor for high incidence of malignant tumors. Key words: Tumor; Pesticides; Water pollution; Digestive tract
Hospitalists, Two Decades Later: Which US Hospitals Utilize Them?

Hospitalists, or specialists of hospital medicine, have long been practicing in Canada and Europe. However, it was not until the mid-1990s, when hospitals in the U.S. started widespread adoption of hospitalists. Since then, the number of hospitalists has grown exponentially in the U.S. from a few hundred to over 50,000 in 2016. Prior studies on hospitalists have well documented benefits hospitals gain from adopting this innovative staffing strategy. However, there is a dearth of research documenting predictors of hospitals' adoption of hospitalists. To fill this gap, this longitudinal study (2003-2015) purposes to determine organizational and market characteristics of U.S. hospitals that utilize hospitalists. Our findings indicate that private not-for-profit, system affiliated, teaching, and urban hospitals, and those located in higher per capita income markets have a higher probability of utilizing hospitalists. Additionally, large or medium, profitable hospitals, and those that treat sicker patients have a higher probability of adoption. Finally, hospitals with a high proportion of Medicaid patients have a lower probability of utilizing hospitalists. Our results suggest that hospitals with greater slack resources and those located in munificent counties are more likely to use hospitalists, while their under-resourced counterparts may experience more barriers in adopting this innovative staffing strategy.
Discovering Laws from Observations: A Data-Driven Approach

A variety of complex patterns displayed by animal physiology, microbial communities, biological systems, or even artificial networks such as neural networks can be modeled by mathematical techniques which use non-linear, non-stationary, non-Markovian (i.e., long-range dependence) properties, to name a few. To identify the non-stationary changes over time, the models utilizing partial differential equations (PDEs) work well which track minute changes as well as the driving force. Further, the fractional PDEs have the flexibility of modeling long-range dependence across a sample trajectory. The scale-invariance in the magnitudes, as well as long-range dependence across time in a diffusion process, is captured by having fractional operators for both space and time. In this work, we propose to utilize the fractional PDEs to model sample trajectories and provide an estimation of the associated process with fewer samples. The space-time fractional diffusion process is generalized with the diffusion coefficient as well as drift (or advection) terms, which are domain-specific and tunable. Instead of usual methods to model dynamics of the system, the proposed techniques aim at modeling the minute changes in the dynamical system along with scale-invariance properties as well as long temporal dependence. With the essence of Dynamic Data-Driven Applications Systems (DDDAS), we let the data decide which model to use. We estimate all the parameters of the involved generalized fractional PDE by solving optimization problems minimizing error between empirical and theoretical fractional moments. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in retrieving the parameters, we perform an extensive set of simulations with various parameters’ combinations.
SOM’s Computer Group: Narratives of women in early architectural computing

Cultural narratives of digital technology in architecture rely heavily upon stories of unique, almost always male, genius and often deny the collective intellectual labor of technology’s constructi...
Does Adult Day Service Use Improve Well-Being of Black Caregivers of People Living With Dementia?

Background and Objectives Despite adult day services (ADS) being the most racially diverse home- and community-based service (HCBS), there is a paucity of research that has examined the impact of ADS on well-being measures among Black caregivers of people living with dementia. To address this gap, this study examined the association between the use of ADS and depressive symptoms among Black dementia caregivers. Research Design and Methods Using baseline data from 2 behavioral intervention trials, Advancing Caregiver Training (n = 72) and Care of Persons with Dementia in their Environments (n = 63), we conducted ordinary least squares regression to examine the association between ADS use in the past 6 months and depressive symptoms (n = 135). The dependent variable, depressive symptoms, was assessed by the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. The independent variable was assessed by self-report of ADS use in the past 6 months. Results Nearly 36% of the sample used ADS in the past 6 months. After controlling for caregiver characteristics associated with depression (burden, social support, self-rated health, caregiving relationship status, years caregiving, religious/spiritual coping, and demographic characteristics), caregivers who utilized ADS had a lowered CES-D score (B = -1.97, p = .03) compared to those who did not use ADS. Discussion and Implications Black dementia caregivers who utilized ADS had lower depressive symptoms compared to those who did not utilize ADS. ADS may be a critical HCBS that can provide relief to Black caregivers. Research is needed to examine additional benefits of ADS use among Black caregivers and the policy and programming needed to enhance access to ADS.