cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quality of care for women: where are we now and where are we headed?

The pursuit of solutions to the problem of rising health care costs has given rise to innovations in the organization and financing of medical care. A common thread across many of these innovations is the imposition of limits on choice through the structure of benefit packages, the choice of insurers, the choice of doctors and hospitals, and the availability of treatment alternatives. Limits on choice have raised concerns about quality, particularly the underuse of medically necessary procedures and the availability of qualified providers. Although these quality concerns have been identified within the research community for decades, along with problems related to overuse and errors in medicine, their recognition among purchasers and consumers is more recent. Perhaps the most visible sign of the importance of these concerns is the increased demand for, and provision of information about, quality within a framework that requires accountability for health care spending. This accountability framework has been applied most systematically to managed care organizations, but it eventually will spread throughout the health care system. Measuring quality of care is important because it provides information that helps a variety of decision makers allocate health care dollars most effectively. Three groups of decision makers have been identified as the primary audiences for information about quality: purchasers, consumers, and providers. Purchasers use information to design benefit packages, choose which health insurers to offer employees or beneficiaries, and set premium prices. Consumers use information to select among providers (health plans, hospitals, doctors), to choose a course of treatment, or to ask questions to better understand how to manage their health. Providers use information to improve the delivery of services (eg, by adhering to treatment recommendations) and to set priorities for the development of new programs. Although these decision makers may want different information at different times, there is agreement at most levels within the health care system that measuring and reporting on quality is essential. Despite increased interest in information about quality, relatively little is known about current levels of quality of care in the United States. More is known about preventive services than about the quality of care for acute or chronic diseases. Considerably more is known about the quality of care received by women enrolled in managed care organizations than those © 1999 by the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health Published by Elsevier Science Inc. 1049-3867/99/$20.00 PII S1049-3867(98)00051-6
The design and synthesis of artificial photosynthetic antennas, reaction centres and membranes

Artificial antenna systems and reaction centres synthesized in our laboratory are used to illustrate that structural and thermodynamic factors controlling energy and electron transfer in these constructs can be modified to optimize performance. Artificial reaction centres have been incorporated into liposomal membranes where they convert light energy to vectorial redox potential. This redox potential drives a Mitchellian, quinone-based, proton-transporting redox loop that generates a Deltamu H(+) of ca. 4.4 kcal mol(-1) comprising DeltapH ca. 2.1 and Deltapsi ca. 70 mV. In liposomes containing CF(0)F(1)-ATP synthase, this system drives ATP synthesis against an ATP chemical potential similar to that observed in natural systems.
"We Had a Nice Little Chat" Age and Generational Differences in Mothers' and Daughters' Descriptions of Enjoyable Visits

Mother-daughter relationships are generally characterized by frequent contact and high levels of regard. Yet little is known about what mothers and daughters find enjoyable about their contact. Forty-eight pairs of older mothers (M = 76 years) and their middle-aged daughters (M = 46 years) and 44 pairs of middle-aged mothers (M = 47 years) and their young adult daughters (M = 21 years) (N = 182) described recent enjoyable visits. Younger mothers and daughters emphasized the daughters' entry into adulthood and the strength of their ties as agreeable, whereas older mothers and daughters focused on the larger kin network in describing their enjoyable visits. Some older mothers and daughters also made negative comments, suggesting greater individuation and less idealization of the relationship. Mothers in both age groups appeared to be more invested in the relationships than were their daughters. Implications for the strength of the mother-daughter tie are discussed.
Recommending a platform leveraging strategy based on the homogeneous or heterogeneous nature of a product line

Platform-based product development depends on many factors, including technology, cost, competition, and life cycle considerations. Many companies would benefit from knowing more about the nature of their product families and how they impact platform-based product development. We assert that the development of a product platform and its derivative family of products is also impacted by the homogenous or heterogeneous nature of the products being developed, which has received little attention in previous engineering literature. The current study introduces an original metric for assessing the degree of homogeneity or heterogeneity in a given family: the homogeneity versus heterogeneity ratio (HHR), which works at two levels of abstraction, namely, family and function. This study focuses on the platform leveraging strategy and takes into consideration two other aspects of platform development: the specification of the family and the necessity of differentiation. To support platform design, the HHRfamily and...
Validity and reliability of the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) on the Diabetic type II patients (Thai version)

The Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) has been used to screen for the diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) of diabetic foot in DM type II patient. MNSI are consisting of the questionnaire or subjective (15 items) and objective examination (10 items) parts. The original English version of MNSI has been translated and used in many languages, except Thai. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of MNSI used for screening the diabetic foot in DM patients with and without DPN. The subjective examination part was translated to Thai and back-translated by Languages Center, Khon Kaen University and content validity tested by expert panel. MNSI was used to evaluate the construct validity and the test-retest reliability (Intra-class Correlation Coefficient: ICC) in 100 patients, age between 18-70 years of DM patients with and without DPN from the Diabetic Outpatient Clinic at Srisaket hospital, Srisaket province. Each patient was interviewed and physical examined two times, each time one week apart. Results revealed that both groups showed the high reliability which the ICC greater than 0.90 both subjective and objective examination parts ( P < 0.001). Moreover, the DPN group was reported the mean scores of both subjective and objective examination parts higher than the non-DPN group. These differences were the statistics significant between two groups ( P < 0.001) of both subjective and objective parts of MNSI as 6.2 (95% CI, 5.7-6.6) and 3.0 (95% CI, 2.2-3.7) scores, respectively. In conclusion, MNSI Thai version showed acceptable reliability and validity. It may be used to as a screening test the peripheral neuropathy on DM type II for clinical setting in the future.
Experimental Study of a Multielement Airfoil for Large Wind Turbines

Large wind turbines have thick airfoils at the root section of the wind turbine to support the weight of the blade and structural requirements, and aerodynamic efficiencies are in conflict near the root section of the blades. A four-element multielement airfoil system was tested as a replacement airfoil system for a thick single element airfoil near the root of a 10-MW scale conceptual wind turbine. The system consisted of a main element, two flaps, and a lower strut airfoil element for added structural support, and experiments were performed with the ability to move two flaps to any location relative to a main element. Tests were performed in the University of Illinois low turbulence subsonic wind tunnel with a chord length of approximately 1.5 feet (0.46 m) and a model span of approximately 2.8 feet (0.85 m). Results for the Reynolds number tested indicate that gap size should be no smaller than 2.5% system chord to avoid degradation in performance. A large overhang can adversely affect aerodynamic performance and lead to a loss of lift. Performance decreased if the strut was moved to any location other than the baseline condition. Results indicate that performance of high lift systems is more dependent upon the drag of the system than the high lift aerodynamics.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Organic Photovoltaic Materials: Structure and Dynamics of Oligothiophene

Molecular dynamics simulations using atomistically detailed force fields are reported to investigate the behavior of prototypical conjugated polymers in the presence of a fullerene substrate. Four-membered oligothiophene (4TH) molecules are studied adjacent to a C60 phase in an architecture that is typical of the present generation of organic photovoltaic devices. The simulations focus on the structure, orientation, and conformations that develop in the 4TH phase adjacent to the surface and are compared with bulk systems. Effective conjugation lengths in 4TH chains are shifted to significantly lower values as compared with the bulk. Chain backbone torsional transitions between trans and gauche states are counterintuitively accelerated next to fullerene and are found to be strongly correlated with density fluctuations in the polymer phase. The results demonstrate the role of the substrate in controlling nanoscale morphology of the active material in solar cells and reveal qualitative changes in the tempera...
First needle marrow biopsy to diagnose a systemic illness

![Figure][1] A 28-year-old black man was admitted to Presbyterian Hospital of Pittsburgh, PA, in August of 1959 with fever, hepatomegaly, and pulmonary infiltrates. Tuberculosis was suspected but the sputum examination was negative for acid fast bacilli. Needle biopsy of the posterior iliac
Spectroscopic studies on organometallic compounds—IV: Fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of some perfluorovinyl derivatives of metals and metalloids

Abstract Fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance spectra have been obtained for eleven perfluoro-vinyl derivatives of boron, silicon, germanium, tin, mercury and arsenic. Most of the spectra exhibit unexpected hyperfine structure, suggesting the possibility of long range spin-coupling in these compounds.
Psychophysical study of face identity discrimination in schizophrenia: association with facial morphology.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Identifying individual identities from faces is crucial for social functioning. In schizophrenia, previous studies showed mixed results as to whether face identity discrimination is compromised. How a social category factor (such as gender and race) affects schizophrenia patients’ facial identity discrimination is unclear.Methods: Using psychophysics, we examined perceptual performance on within- and between- category face identity discrimination tasks in patients (n = 51) and controls (n = 31). Face images from each of six pairs of individuals (two White females, two White males, two Black males, two Asian females, one Black male and one White male, and one White female and one White male) were morphed to create additional images along a continuum of dissimilarity in facial morphology.Results: Patients underperformed for five out of the six face pairs (the Black/White male pair was the exception). Perceptual performance was correlated with morphological changes in face images being ...
Magnetic and thermal transport properties of SrFe12O19 permanent magnets with anisotropic grain structure

Abstract Permanent magnets are gaining increasing interest and importance for applications such as generators and motors. Thermal management is a key concern since performance of magnets decreases with temperature. We investigate the magnetic and thermal transport properties of rare earth-free, fine-grained SrFe 12 O 19 magnets produced by the current activated pressure assisted densification. We propose a cooling scheme based on an anisotropic grain structure that can help retain magnetic performance under high temperature conditions. The synthesized magnets have aligned grains such that their magnetic easy axis is perpendicular to their largest surface area to maximize their magnetic performance. The SrFe 12 O 19 magnets have fine grain sizes in the cross-plane direction and substantially larger grain sizes in the in-plane direction. This microstructure results in approximately a factor of two higher thermal conductivity in the in-plane direction, providing an opportunity for effective cooling. The phonons are the dominant heat carriers near room temperature. Temperature and direction dependent thermal conductivity measurements indicate that both Umklapp and grain boundary scattering are important in the in-plane direction, while grain boundary scattering dominates the cross-plane thermal transport. The proposed design strategy should translate well to other material systems and has important implications for thermal management of nanostructured permanent magnets.
X-Chromosome Effects on Attention Networks: Insights from Imaging Resting-State Networks in Turner Syndrome

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is strongly affected by sex, but sex chromosomes' effect on brain attention networks and cognition are difficult to examine in humans. This is due to significant etiologic heterogeneity among diagnosed individuals. In contrast, individuals with Turner syndrome (TS), who have substantially increased risk for ADHD symptoms, share a common genetic risk factor related to the absence of the X-chromosome, thus serving as a more homogeneous genetic model. Resting-state functional MRI was employed to examine differences in attention networks between girls with TS (n = 40) and age- sex- and Tanner-matched controls (n = 33). We compared groups on resting-state functional connectivity measures from data-driven independent components analysis (ICA) and hypothesis-based seed analysis. Using ICA, reduced connectivity was observed in both frontoparietal and dorsal attention networks. Similarly, using seeds in the bilateral intraparietal sulcus (IPS), reduced connectivity was observed between IPS and frontal and cerebellar regions. Finally, we observed a brain-behavior correlation between IPS-cerebellar connectivity and cognitive attention measures. These findings indicate that X-monosomy contributes affects to attention networks and cognitive dysfunction that might increase risk for ADHD. Our findings not only have clinical relevance for girls with TS, but might also serve as a biological marker in future research examining the effects of the intervention that targets attention skills.
The rise of targeted killing

Targeted killings have become a central tactic in the United States' campaigns against militant and terrorist groups in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Both ‘demand’ and ‘supply’ factors explain...
Tree taxa and pyrolysis temperature interact to control pyrogenic organic matter induced native soil organic carbon priming

Abstract Few studies have quantitatively assessed the interacting controls of taxa-specific properties and PyOM production temperature on native soil C (NSC) stabilization/de-stabilization dynamics (i.e. priming effects - PE) because of difficulty in distinctly assessing NSC reactivity apart from added PyOM-C. To quantify PyOM-induced PE, we incubated 13C-enriched jack pine (JP) or red maple (RM) wood and associated 13C-PyOM produced at 200 (PyOM200), 300 (PyOM300), 450 (PyOM450) and 600 (PyOM600) °C in soil from a northern temperate forest (Michigan, U.S.A.) for 10 months. We found that (1) net PE was negative with addition of both wood and PyOM from both taxa, with a 3–40% suppression in mineralization across treatments, (2) RM200, RM450, and RM600 exhibited initial positive PE in the first week of incubation, (3) PyOM300 of both taxa, the temperature associated with initial aromatization and carbohydrate conversion, induced the most negative PE and exhibited the largest increase in soil oxidative enzyme activity in JP300, (4) addition of sucrose to the incubations as labile C, offset negative PE in JP treatments but not in RM treatments and, (5) mean residence times of the fast cycling C pool of NSC were lower (1.4–1.6 d) for RM than for JP (2.9–8.3 d) additions. These results suggest that future changes in tree taxa dominance in fire prone systems could alter soil C stability though introduction of PyOM of distinct, taxa-specific, chemical properties that may be largely controlled by taxa specific temperature thresholds in thermochemical conversion of woody tissues to PyOM.
Electromyography stimulation compared with intraoperative O-arm imaging for evaluating pedicle screw breaches in lumbar spine surgery: a prospective analysis of 1006 screws in 164 patients

Abstract Background context Lumbar pedicle screw placement can be technically challenging. Malpositioned screws occur in up to 15% of patients and could result in radiculopathy or instrumentation failure. Purpose To compare intraoperative electromyography (EMG) and image guidance using an O-arm for identifying pedicle breach during elective lumbar fusion. Study design Prospective observational study. Patient sample All adult patients undergoing elective lumbar spinal fusion operations for degenerative spine disorders (including adjacent segment degeneration, degenerative scoliosis, and symptomatic spondylosis and spondylolisthesis) at a single institution from July 1, 2014, to December 1, 2015, were prospectively tracked. Outcome measures Pedicle breach. Methods Pedicle screws from L2–S1 were placed using C-arm assisted freehand technique. All screws were stimulated with EMG and evaluated using the O-arm intraoperative imaging system. Electromyography data were compared with intraoperative images to assess the accuracy of identifying pedicle breaches. No funding was received for this work. Results One thousand six lumbar pedicles screws were placed from L2 to S1 in 164 consecutive cases. The mean patient age was 59.2 years. Thirty-five breaches (15 lateral and 20 medial) were visualized with O-arm imaging and confirmed by palpation (3.5% of screws placed). Of the breaches, 14 screws stimulated below the 12-mA threshold, nine screws stimulated between 12 and 20 mA, and 12 screws did not generate an EMG response. Forty screws stimulated below a 12-mA threshold but showed no breach on imaging. Using the 12-mA threshold, the sensitivity of EMG was 40%, specificity was 96%, positive predictive value was 26%, and negative predictive value was 98%. All 35 breached screws were corrected during surgery. There were no postoperative symptoms caused by breached screws and no patients required reoperation. Conclusions Our findings indicate that EMG may not be a highly reliable tool in determining an anatomical breach during placement of lumbar pedicle screws. O-arm may be better for detecting either medial or lateral breaches than EMG stimulation if there are concerns about screw placement or for confirmation of placement before leaving the operating room.
fMRI Scanning Methods

The constant challenge in the field of neuroscience is to advance the understanding of working mechanisms of the human brain and of what enacts such complex functions as perception, emotions, and behavior. In areas of clinical psychology, neurophysiology, and neurosciences, the ultimate interest is to describe neuronal functions qualitatively and quantitatively in normal conditions and various disorders, and subsequently apply such knowledge for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
MRSA Case Studies

Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile pathogen associated with diverse clinical presentations. Only recently have the genetic factors underlying the virulence of this bacterial species become understood in a significant way. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains have been extremely important as nosocomial pathogens in health care facilities for more than three decades. Additionally, infections resulting from community-associated MRSA strains have emerged in the last decade and become a public health problem of global proportions. This changing epidemiology has spurred renewed interest in translating knowledge of the molecular determinants of virulence into rational prevention and control strategies. Four case histories are provided (three involving MRSA and one involving a methicillin-sensitive strain of S. aureus) that highlight the diversity of clinical presentations and relative virulence of S. aureus infections in humans. The molecular characterization of clonality and virulence gene profile is compared among the four cases. Significant genetic diversity exists among MRSA and sensitive strains of S. aureus. It is obvious that various combinations of virulence factors contribute to disease manifestations of infected patients.
8 – Feasibility of 3D scaffolds for organs

: The feasibility of using rapid-prototyping techniques to produce 3D tissue is directly tied to the feasibility of creating a 3D support structure that promotes the life-cycle of the cellular component. The material used to fabricate this scaffold, the manner in which the material is assembled, the evolution of the material over time, the biocompatibility or cellular affinity of the material, and the mechanical properties of the material are all degrees-of-freedom that the organ designer must use. Rapid-prototyping techniques provide additional design options to exploit biomaterials to create unique scaffold configurations and co-fabricate cellular and acellular components. The promise of 3D organs is thus linked to managing the material design and assembly process.
Tools to Interfere with NF-κB Activation

The NF-κB-signaling pathway has attracted widespread interest due to its fundamental role in the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses and in the control of cellular proliferation. A number of steps in the NF-κB pathway are potential targets for drug therapy to inhibit the activity of the pathway. In fact, some of the agents that inhibit these steps in the NF-κB pathway are being tested in clinical trials for the treatment of inflammatory disorders and cancer. A better understanding of the regulation of the NF-κB-signaling pathway has also led to a re-evaluation of the function of several conventional anti-inflammatory and anticancer drugs and provided new insights into the regulation of NF-κB. In this chapter, we review recent progress on key steps involved in the control of the NF-κB pathway and agents which interfere with NF-κB activation. The therapeutic potential of these agents in inhibiting the inflammatory response and increasing the efficacy of cancer therapy are also addressed.
An introduction to nonmonotonic logic

"Non-monotonic" logical systems are logics in which the introduction of new axioms can invalidate old theorems. Such logics are very important in modeling the beliefs of active processes which, acting in the presence of incomplete information, must make and subsequently revise predictions in light of new observations. We present the motivation and history of such logics, develop a model theory for one important non-monotonic logic, and prove the completeness of the first-order non-monotonic predicate calculus.
The Information Content of Employee Awards

Abstract Employers often provide awards to employees to induce greater effort. Although a merit award system may increase effort and productivity, it may also produce unintended consequences if it provides new information to the labor market that enables outside employers to differentiate workers more accurately by their effectiveness. In this paper, I present evidence on the signaling effects of merit awards received by school principals in Chicago using regression discontinuity design methods. I find that principals who just exceeded the threshold for a merit award are over twice as likely to exit their school the year after winning compared to principals who fell just short of the award threshold, consistent with the notion that the labor market views the award as a signal of principal effectiveness. Difference-in-differences estimates show that the award program incentives increased achievement, highlighting the importance of program modifications that reduce the loss of more effective school leaders.
Procalcitonin as a Biomarker in Rhinosinusitis: A Systematic Review.

Objectives(1) To describe the existing literature on procalcitonin (PCT) as a biomarker in patients with acute rhinosinusitis (ARS), (2) to analyze outcomes in ARS patients who were treated with PC...
The road to aryl CH⋯anion binding was paved with good intentions: fundamental studies, host design, and historical perspectives in CH hydrogen bonding

Throughout the design and development of supramolecular receptors for anion binding, many different non-covalent anion-binding motifs have been employed. One motif seen in many host–guest systems is the sometimes weaker, ‘non-traditional’ aryl CH hydrogen bond. From June Sutor's discovery of the interaction and its subsequent dismissal by the field in the 1960s to today's use of the aryl CH hydrogen bond in synthetic anion receptors, the path our lab took to begin studying this interaction has been influenced by many other researchers in the field. This feature article highlights the history and properties of the CH hydrogen bond, with a particular focus on aryl CH hydrogen bonds in anion recognition. We highlight select recent developments in the field of anion receptors utilizing aryl CH hydrogen bonds, with an emphasis on how this has influenced the evolution of our approach in designing fundamental studies on CH hydrogen bonding and exploiting this interaction in efforts aimed toward preferential anion binding.
Topical and Systemic Modalities for Chemoprevention of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

Chemoprevention of nonmelanoma skin cancer should be considered in patients likely to develop numerous, invasive, or metastatic nonmelanoma skin cancers. This article reviews the various topical and systemic substances studied as chemopreventive agents.
Conversations About Financial Issues in Routine Oncology Practices: A Multicenter Study.

PURPOSE:To describe the frequency, content, dynamics, and patterns of cost conversations in academic medical oncology across tumor types.PATIENTS AND METHODS:We reviewed 529 audio recordings betwee...
Feasibility of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate as a 1-day surgery

To assess the safety and feasibility of HoLEP as a day-case procedure. We reviewed all consecutive patients who underwent HoLEP at our institution between February 2017 and March 2018. During this time, we began a prospective trial aimed at same-day discharge of specific patients. Baseline and demographic variables, and past medical, past urological, intra-operative and post-operative variables in addition to disposition and readmission data were collected. Bivariate analysis was conducted to compare patients based on the day of discharge and readmission. A multivariable model using multiple-regression analysis was used to assess predictors for early discharge or readmission. There were 179 total HoLEP procedures that were performed during the study period. Forty-seven patients were suitable candidates for same-day discharge. Among this group, 28 (59.5%) patients were successfully discharged home on the same day. Nineteen patients (40.4%) could not be discharged. The most common cause of not to discharge patients was the degree of hematuria without continuous bladder irrigation. Pre-operative prostate volume was different between the two groups (88.4 ± 30.7 cc for discharged patients vs 69.0 ± 30.7 cc for admitted patients, p = 0.033). No other pre-operative differences were identified. There were five readmissions (17.8%) following same-day discharge. Readmitted patients had higher rates of history of urinary tract infection (80% vs 26.2%, p = 0.0304). On multivariable analysis, no statistically significant predictors were identified for early discharge or readmission. Same-day discharge following HoLEP is safe and feasible in well-selected patients.
The electoral implications of politically irrelevant cues under demanding electoral systems

Cognitively demanding electoral systems increase the chance that voters make their choices based on politically irrelevant cues. To illustrate this argument, I analyze the effect of candidate name complexity—a visual cue that contains no politically meaningful information—in Japan, where voters need to write their preferred candidate's name on a blank ballot paper. I find that when electoral systems require voters to weigh a large number of candidates and simultaneously reduce the usefulness of partisan cues, candidates with more complex names tend to receive lower vote shares. By contrast, under less cognitively demanding systems, candidate name complexity has no effect on election outcomes. These findings have important implications for the debate on the “best” electoral system design.
Complete Genome Sequence of Subcluster 5.2 Synechococcus sp. Strain CB0101, Isolated from the Chesapeake Bay.

ABSTRACT Synechococcus sp. strain CB0101 is a model strain for cyanobacteria living in the estuarine environment. It is also a representative member of marine Synechococcus subcluster 5.2. The draft genome sequence of CB0101 was reported in 2014 with 454 sequencing. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of CB0101, obtained with PacBio sequencing. CB0101 contains a specialized array of genes which are involved in sensing, responding to, and persisting in the presence of environmental stress.
Bottom-up biofilm eradication using bacteriophage-loaded magnetic nanocomposites: a computational and experimental study

Biofilms cause a variety of pervasive problems in water treatment, distribution and reuse systems that are difficult to mitigate due to their resistance to disinfectants. We used magnetic phage-nanocomposite conjugates (PNCs) to target bacteria in biofilm inner layers for bottom-up eradication. Polyvalent Podoviridae phages PEB1 (54 nm) or PEB2 (86 nm) were covalently conjugated (via amide bonds) with magnetic colloidal nanoparticle clusters (CNCs) of different sizes (150, 250 or 500 nm). Smaller CNCs with higher density of amino groups loaded phages more efficiently than the largest CNCs (e.g., for PEB1, 60 ± 4, 62 ± 5, and 47 ± 4 phages were loaded per μm2). Smaller PNCs dispersed phages more evenly throughout the biofilm bottom, significantly disrupting the biofilm bottom layer and detaching the biofilm within 6 h. The biofilm removal efficiency was 98.3 ± 1.4% for dual species biofilm (i.e., Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and 92.2 ± 3.1% for multi-species biofilm (i.e., E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and non-hosts Bacillus subtilis and Shewanella oneidensis). Large PNCs caused higher physical disruption but lower corresponding removal efficiencies (i.e., 80.2 ± 3.4% for dual species biofilm and 67.6 ± 3.8% for multi-species biofilm) due to lower horizontal diffusion at the bottom of the biofilm. A semi-empirical numerical model corroborated the higher biofilm removal efficiency with smaller PNCs and inferred that PNC size influences the mode of phage propagation: Small PNCs facilitate biofilm bottom clearance with significant horizontal dispersion while large PNCs mainly enhance vertical propagation. Overall, this study demonstrates the importance of size control to enhance the biofilm eradication capability of PNCs as an alternative or complementary biofilm control strategy.
The Effect of Drifter GPS Errors on Estimates of Submesoscale Vorticity

AbstractDifferential kinematic flow properties (DKP), such as vertical vorticity, have been estimated from surface drifters. However, previous DKP error estimates were a posteriori and did not incl...
Importance of the size and distribution of chemical heterogeneities in the mantle source to the variations of isotope ratios and trace element abundances in mid-ocean ridge basalts

Abstract The size and distribution of chemical heterogeneities in the mantle source affect compositions of basalts erupted on the surface. To understand the effect of size and distribution of heterogeneous mantle source on the variations of isotope ratios and incompatible trace element abundances in mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB), we develop a time-dependent two-porosity ridge model that features disequilibrium melting and channelized melt migration in a truncated triangular melting region. We run numerical simulations for a two-component mantle that consists of the depleted mantle and enriched blobs spanning a range of enriched compositions and sizes. The volume fraction of enriched mantle varies under 10% of the mantle source and the size of the melt production area that contributes to the pooled melt is also treated as a variable. Results show that higher abundance of incompatible trace element in the enriched mantle, larger size of enriched blobs, and narrower melt pooling area produce larger variations of isotope ratios in the pooled melt. We develop an empirical scaling equation that quantifies the fluctuation of isotope ratios as a function of elemental abundance, size and average spacing of enriched heterogeneities in the source, and the width of melt pooling area. The two-standard deviation of 143Nd/144Nd, 176Hf/177Hf, 87Sr/86Sr, and 206Pb/204Pb in global MORB not affected by hotspots can be produced by melting a two-component mantle with 5.2–8.2% enriched heterogeneities of 5.1–6.7 km mean size and 7.0(±1.6), 5.3(±1.2), 2.0(±0.5), and 9.8(±2.2) times higher abundances of Nd, Hf, Sr, and Pb than the depleted mantle, respectively. Incomplete mixing of melts at the base of the lithosphere is likely important for producing the variation of incompatible trace elements in MORB. The melt erupted at the ridge axis may represent an ensemble of the melt pooled from the center of the melt pooling area and melts pooled from local areas away from the ridge axis. The present study underscores the importance of the size and distribution of mantle heterogeneities to the interpretation of isotope ratios and trace element abundances in basalts.
Frontline immunotherapy for NSCLC — the tale of the tail

The CHECKMATE-227 trial of nivolumab and ipilimumab presents a potential new frontline chemotherapy-sparing treatment option for patients with PD-L1-positive non-small-cell lung cancer and perhaps, in the future, also for those with PD-L1-negative disease. Indeed, the true predictive value of PD-L1 as well as tumour mutational burden remains to be determined, as neither biomarker segregates clearly with responsiveness.
Nanoscale Friction of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Self-Assembled Monolayers in Water

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) can reduce friction in boundary lubricated contacts by providing a low shear strength interface for sliding. However, the nanoscale mechanisms underlying low friction on SAMs are still not fully understood, especially in liquid environments in which hydrophobility or hydrophilicity affects friction. To understand this effect, friction of SAMs in water was measured using atomic force microscope experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, where hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity was determined by the terminal group of the alkanethiols. The friction on hydrophilic SAMs was larger than that on hydrophobic SAMs in both experiments and simulations, but this trend could not be explained by the strength of the adhesive force between the tip and the SAMs. Instead, analysis of the contributions of the water and SAMs to the total friction force revealed that the difference between the hydrophobic and hydrophilic SAMs could be explained by interactions between the tip and water during sliding. The much larger tip-water force on hydrophilic SAMs was attributed to a dense layer of water that was displaced during sliding as well as hydrogen bonds that formed between the water molecules and hydrophilic SAMs and were then broken by the tip as it slid, leading to higher friction force.
Coordination-Driven Self-Assembly in Polymer–Inorganic Hybrid Materials†

As the library of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and metal–organic cages (MOCs) continues to grow, their porous, ordered structures are increasingly being applied toward diverse applications that ...
109 Impact of motor vehicle crashes on long-term healthcare utilization

Statement of Purpose The impact of a motor vehicle crash (MVC) on health can have effects beyond injuries treated immediately following the crash. Understanding the long-term effects of an MVC can help develop programs to assist injured persons while having minimal impact on the healthcare system. Methods We probabilistically linked MVC records from 2011 and 2015 to emergency department (ED) and hospital discharge (inpatient) records from 2010 to 2016. To assess the long-term impact of an MVC, ED and inpatient visits up to a year following the data of the crash were considered matches. ED and inpatient visits in the year preceding the crash were also linked to use as a comparison of healthcare utilization before the event. Several confounders were assessed for their impact on post-crash healthcare usage, including age, sex, injury severity, and comorbidities identified on the hospital record at the time of the crash. Results There were 652,486 persons involved in MVCs, of these 68,546 (10.5%) persons linked to an ED or inpatient record associated with their MVC and comprised our study population. A higher percentage of persons had hospital treatment in the year following their crash compared to the year before [19,568 (28.5%) vs. 16,500 (24.1%), McNemar’s p-value Significance of Contributions MVCs have an impact beyond the event itself. Those who are most fragile, such as older persons and those with comorbidities, may be differentially impacted.
Rapid detection of traumatic brain injury.

An optofluidic chip incorporating a surface-enhanced Raman-scattering substrate rapidly detects picomolar concentrations of biomarkers of traumatic brain injury in finger-prick blood samples from patients.
The Ravens Paradox and negative existential judgments about evidence

In this paper, I provide a new argument in support of a concessive response to the Ravens Paradox. The argument I offer stems from Mark Schroeder's Gricean explanation for why existential judgments...
Primary Gastric Choriocarcinoma

Abstract Choriocarcinoma is a rapidly invasive, widely metastatic human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)–producing neoplasm, usually intrauterine and gestational. Primary gastric choriocarcinoma is very rare, and its pathogenesis is still uncertain. We report a case of primary gastric choriocarcinoma associated with adenocarcinoma in a 36-year-old woman. The patient presented with gastrointestinal bleeding and a gastric mass clinically suspicious of gastric adenocarcinoma. Histopathologic evaluation proved the tumor to be a choriocarcinoma, with a minor component of a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. The patient was treated with a standard nongestational choriocarcinoma chemotherapy regimen. An impressive initial response was evidenced by clinical reduction of the tumor volume and drop of the serum β-HCG levels after the first cycle. However, the tumor rapidly recurred in the abdomen and disseminated to the lungs, which were documented by new elevation of serum β-HCG levels and computed tomographic scans...
Permeability Evolution of Fractured Sorptive Geomaterials: A Theoretical Study on Coalbed Methane Reservoir

Fractured sorptive geomaterials (FSG) are ubiquitous in geological systems such as coal, shale and chalk. The solid matrix of FSG can adsorb species in gas or liquid form, the process of which is often accompanied by the deformation and microstructural alternation of the matrix. Such coupling is further obscured by the presence of fracture network, introducing complex fracture–matrix interactions. Predicting the hydromechanical properties of FSG is of particular importance for the production of coalbed methane (CBM) which requires the assessment of coal permeability under varying pressure and stress conditions. This study attempts to investigate the interplay between adsorption, deformation, and permeability evolution of coals. The novel concept of adsorption stress popularized in material science research is adopted here to construct a mechanistic theory describing sorption-induced deformation of coals. The constitutive theory is implemented in a finite element (FE) scheme and then adopted for describing coal matrix in a FE model of coal–fracture system. The model is calibrated for San Juan coals and applied to simulate a typical methane depletion test. It is observed that, depending on the competing effect between desorption-induced fracture opening and poroelastic compaction, the predicted permeability curve may be monotonically increasing (rising type) or decreasing (decline type), or may exhibit reduction first and then increase (rebound type) during gas depletion. Such competition is found to be controlled by the volume ratio, the permeability ratio, and the stiffness ratio between the matrix and the fracture elements. The prediction covers a wide range of permeability data obtained from laboratory tests and field observations.
Depressive Disorders Lead to Increased Complications After Geriatric Hip Fractures

Introduction:Intertrochanteric hip fractures are a common injury treated by orthopedic surgeons and the incidence rate is rising. Preoperative depression is a known risk factor for postoperative co...
Building a replicable and clinically-impactful immunopsychiatry: Methods, phenotyping, and theory integration.

Abstract Immunopsychiatry is a subfield of psychoneuroimmunology that integrates immunological and psychopathological processes with promise for improving the classification, identification, and treatment of psychopathology. Using research on the relationship between inflammation and depression as a running example, this mini-review will discuss three areas of work that should be emphasized in future research to maximize the replicability and clinical impact of the field: 1) methodology with respect to planning data collection and statistical analyses with measurement properties and conceptually important sources of variance in mind, 2) characterizing inflammatory phenotypes of psychopathology, and 3) the integration of inflammatory processes into robust, extant psychosocial theoretical frameworks of psychopathology risk. Consistent, parallel growth in all three areas will ensure immunopsychiatry research is replicable, contributes to understanding of how (and for whom) the immune system is associated with psychiatric symptoms, and increases the flexibility and power of personalized treatment planning.
From the Vendor's Perspective: Exploring the Value Proposition in IT Outsourcing

To date, most research on IT outsourcing concludes that firms decide to outsource IT services because they believe that outside vendors possess production cost advantages. Yet, it is not clear whether vendors can provide production cost advantages, particularly to large firms who may be able to replicate vendors' production cost advantages in house. Mixed outsourcing success in the past decade calls for a closer examination of the IT outsourcing vendor's value proposition. While the client's sourcing decisions and the client-vendor relationship have been examined in IT outsourcing literature, the vendor's perspective has hardly been explored. In this paper we conduct a close examination of vendor strategy and practices in one long-term successful applications management outsourcing engagement. Our analysis indicates that the vendor's efficiency was based on the economic benefits derived from the ability to develop a complementary set of core competencies. This ability, in turn, was based on the centralization of decision rights from a variety and multitude of IT projects controlled by the vendor. The vendor was enticed to share the value with the client through formal and informal relationship management structures. We use the economic concept of complementarity in organizational design, along with prior findings from studies of client-vendor relationships, to explain the IT vendors' value proposition. We further explain how vendors can offer benefits that cannot be readily replicated internally by client firms.
Vegetable oil based rigid foam composites

Rigid polymeric foams reinforced with natural or synthetic fibers constitute a major class of semi-structural composite materials. With the existing emphasis shifting from petroleum-based resources towards renewable resources, and sustainable engineering and materials, the usage of vegetable oils for producing biopolymers and resins through chemical syntheses is ever increasing. For rigid-foam composites, the usage of vegetable-oil-based, polyether- and polyester-urethane resins bring about a predominant renewable fraction. The degree of renewability in rigid foam composites is further increased by the addition of a natural fiber/filler, such as flax fiber or hemp fiber, which with exceptions, always cause increased mechanical performance over their unreinforced foam counter-parts. Production of these rigid foam composites is dependent upon the fiber content and the specific foam type, with reaction injection molding (RIM) and mold casting positioned as leading production methods. Many industrial sectors have been penetrated by rigid foam biocomposites, chiefly marine and construction, but a major market for these materials is the transportation industry, which harnesses the superior mechanical performance, cost-effectiveness, and biorenewability of rigid-foam biocomposites in many underbody applications.
When Huge Is Routine: Scaling Genetic Algorithms and Estimation of Distribution Algorithms via Data-Intensive Computing

Data-intensive computing has emerged as a key player for processing large volumes of data exploiting massive parallelism. Data-intensive computing frameworks have shown that terabytes and petabytes of data can be routinely processed. However, there has been little effort to explore how data-intensive computing can help scale evolutionary computation. In this book chapter we explore how evolutionary computation algorithms can be modeled using two different data-intensive frameworks—Yahoo!’s Hadoop and NCSA’s Meandre. We present a detailed step-by-step description of how three different evolutionary computation algorithms, having different execution profiles, can be translated into the data-intensive computing paradigms. Results show that (1) Hadoop is an excellent choice to push evolutionary computation boundaries on very large problems, and (2) that transparent Meandre linear speedups are possible without changing the underlying data-intensive flow thanks to its inherent parallel processing.