cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
We Are What We Repeatedly Do—But in What Context? The Role of Situational Factors in Assessing Personality via Nonverbal Behavior

While the vast majority of assessments designed to measure noncognitive skills rely heavily on self-report, concerns surrounding faking and response bias have led to an increased demand for the development of new and innovative methods by which to measure such traits, particularly in high stakes contexts. The focus of this report is to address one such method—the inference of noncognitive skills, namely personality, through nonverbal behavior—and the role contextual factors may play in influencing the validity of conclusions drawn from its application. Specifically, this report discusses the various ways in which characteristics of the task (e.g., level of cooperation, physical effort) may facilitate or hinder the assessment of personality when personality is being inferred through observable behavior. This discussion is dovetailed by a review of research from the nonverbal assessment and interpersonal task literatures, as well as a synthesis of these literatures to highlight the degree to which situational factors (as manifested through different tasks) influence the assessment of personality via nonverbal behavior. Additionally, the potential value of using noninvasive tools, such as the sociometer, to collect nonverbal behavioral data during these tasks is discussed. The report concludes with a brief commentary on the feasibility of using nonverbal methods to assess noncognitive skills, with a specific focus on the extent to which structuring the context to elicit certain behaviors may influence the validity and robustness of nonverbal responses as a measurement source.
Tooth-Size Discrepancies in Patients Requiring Mandibular Advancement Surgery.

Purpose Numerous studies have shown that tooth size is an important key to ideal occlusion. Bolton (Angle Orthod 28:13, 1958; 48:504, 1962) described a constant ratio between the widths of the upper and lower teeth that must be present to achieve an optimal occlusion. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of Bolton discrepancies in patients with Class II malocclusion scheduled for mandibular advancement surgery. Patients and Methods This study included 126 patients (40 male, 86 female) with Class II malocclusion who had at least a mandibular advancement as part of their surgical treatment. The mesiodistal widths of the 6 anterior maxillary and mandibular teeth were measured on preoperative models using a caliper. The measurements were used to compute the anterior Bolton ratio. Results Seventy-three of 126 patients (57.9%) were found to have an anterior Bolton ratio greater than the Bolton norm, indicating too much lower tooth mass compared with the upper mass or too little upper tooth mass compared with the lower mass. Conclusion Tooth-size discrepancies are common in patients requiring mandibular advancement surgery. This can make it difficult to advance the mandible into a solid Class I relation at the time of surgery. Bolton discrepancies should be considered when planning treatment with presurgical orthodontics. In addition, if necessary, the width of the lower incisors should be decreased or a space distal to the maxillary lateral incisors should be created to allow the establishment of a solid Class I canine occlusion at the time of surgery.
Developing and testing a cost data collection instrument for noncommunicable disease registry planning

Abstract Background This article reports on the methods and framework we have developed to guide economic evaluation of noncommunicable disease registries. Methods We developed a cost data collection instrument, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) International Registry Costing Tool ( IntRegCosting Tool) , based on established economics methods We performed in-depth case studies, site visit interviews, and pilot testing in 11 registries from multiple countries including India, Kenya, Uganda, Colombia, and Barbados to assess the overall quality of the data collected from cancer and cardiovascular registries. Results Overall, the registries were able to use the IntRegCosting Tool to assign operating expenditures to specific activities. We verified that registries were able to provide accurate estimation of labor costs, which is the largest expenditure incurred by registries. We also identified several factors that can influence the cost of registry operations, including size of the geographic area served, data collection approach, local cost of living, presence of rural areas, volume of cases, extent of consolidation of records to cases, and continuity of funding. Conclusion Internal and external registry factors reveal that a single estimate for the cost of registry operations is not feasible; costs will vary on the basis of factors that may be beyond the control of the registries. Some factors, such as data collection approach, can be modified to improve the efficiency of registry operations. These findings will inform both future economic data collection using a web-based tool and cost and cost-effectiveness analyses of registry operations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and other locations with similar characteristics.
Materiales, modelos y mercado de la pintura en Quito, 1550-1650

Basado principalmente en documentacion inedita, este estudio cubre una vasta gama de materiales, asi como modelos artisticos, disponibles para pintores en el mercado local desde comienzos de la Colonia. Incluye tanto grabados como pinturas importadas, sus temas, caracteristicas y precios; los pinceles, soportes, pigmentos, aglutinantes, secantes y otros elementos de confeccion pictorica; asi como las condiciones del mercado en la compraventa de materiales y obras de arte. La evidencia demuestra la riqueza de modelos y materiales, tanto locales como importados, que tuvieron a su alcance los primeros pintores quitenos. ABSTRACT Based mainly on unpublished documents, this study covers a wide range of materials and artistic models, available for painters in the local market since the beginning of the colony. It includes both records like imported paintings, its themes, features and prices; brushes, supports, pigments, binders, blotters and other pictorial making elements; as well as market conditions in the buying/sale of materials and art works. Evidence shows the richness of styles and materials, both local and imported, which the first painters of Quito had reached.
The Query Set Specification Language (QSSL).

Applications require access to multiple information sources and the data of other applications. WSDLbased web services are becoming a popular way of making information sources available on the web and, hence, to applications that need to consume them – often via data integration systems that combine the data of multiple sources. We argue that the function signature paradigm that is used today by web services cannot capture the query capabilities provided by structurally rich and functionally powerful information sources, such as relational databases. We propose the Query Set Specification Language (QSSL) that allows the concise description of sets of parameterized XPath queries. A QSS is embedded in a WSDL specification to form a specialized type of web services, called Data Services. Data Services connect the calls that the source accepts with the underlying schema. QSSL will be enhanced to describe subsets of XQuery expressions beyond XPath ones.
Broad Concepts in Management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a multisystem autoimmune disease with protean manifestation. Although commonly seen in young women, it can affect men as well as elderly patients. Approach to treatment is multidisciplinary, involves defining the extent of organ involvement, and distinguishing between active manifestations and damage. The mainstay of therapy is judicious use of immunosuppressive medications. Long-term follow-up to address morbidity arising from treatment complications, disease damage, and increased cardiovascular risk is essential.
Sport Management Majors’ Perceived Motivators and Barriers to Participation in a College-Sponsored International Experience

This study determined the perceived motivators and barriers of sport management majors to participate in a college-sponsored study abroad experience. An online survey was administered to 180 undergraduate and graduate sport management students from across the United States. The top motivators were (1) overall life experience, (2) the opportunity to live in another country or culture, and (3) resume builder, while the top barriers were (1) finances, (2) missing social time and events on campus, and (3) lack of knowledge about opportunities—relatively consistent with both open-response and rank-order question types. Not highlighted in previous research, open-response questions revealed that “meeting new people and having fun” (6.7%) and “uncomfortable being away from home” (19.4%) were mentioned as a top motivator and barrier, respectively. Most notably, only 2.8% of the sport management student sample had studied abroad. This article discusses implications of these findings, focusing on recommendations for increasing participation in college-sponsored international experiences for sport management students.Subscribe to TPE
Post-hospitalization Treatment Regimen and Readmission for C. difficile Colitis in Medicare Beneficiaries

C. difficile (CDI) has surpassed methicillin-resistant staph aureus as the most common nosocomial infection with recurrence reaching 30% and the elderly being disproportionately affected. We hypothesized that post-discharge antibiotic therapy for continued CDI treatment reduces readmissions. We queried a 5% random sample of Medicare claims (2009–2011 Part A and Part D; n = 864,604) for hospitalizations with primary or secondary diagnosis of CDI. We compared demographics, comorbidities, and post-discharge CDI treatment (no CDI treatment, oral metronidazole only, oral vancomycin only, or both) between patients readmitted with a primary diagnosis of CDI within 90 days and patients not readmitted for any reason using univariate tests of association and multivariable models. Of 7042 patients discharged alive, 945 were readmitted ≤90 days with CDI (13%), while 1953 were not readmitted for any reason (28%). Patients discharged on dual therapy had the highest rates of readmission (50%), followed by no post-discharge CDI treatment (43%), vancomycin only (28%), and metronidazole only (19%). Patients discharged on only metronidazole (OR 0.28) or only vancomycin (OR 0.42) had reduced odds of 90-day readmission compared to patients discharged on no CDI treatment. Patients discharged on dual therapy did not vary in odds of readmission. Thirteen percent of patients discharged with CDI are readmitted within 90 days. Patients discharged with single-drug therapy for CDI had lower readmission rates compared to patients discharged on no ongoing CDI treatment suggesting that short-term monotherapy may be beneficial in inducing eradication and preventing relapse. Half of patients requiring dual therapy required readmission, suggesting patients with symptoms severe enough to warrant discharge on dual therapy may benefit from longer hospitalization.
Identifying personal health experience tweets with deep neural networks

Twitter, as a social media platform, has become an increasingly useful data source for health surveillance studies, and personal health experiences shared on Twitter provide valuable information to the surveillance. Twitter data are known for their irregular usages of languages and informal short texts due to the 140 character limit, and for their noisiness such that majority of the posts are irrelevant to any particular health surveillance. These factors pose challenges in identifying personal health experience tweets from the Twitter data. In this study, we designed deep neural networks with 3 different architectural configurations, and after training them with a corpus of 8,770 annotated tweets, we used them to predict personal experience tweets from a set of 821 annotate tweets. Our results demonstrated a significant amount of improvement in predicting personal health experience tweets by deep neural networks over that by conventional classifiers: 37.5% in accuracy, 31.1% in precision, and 53.6% in recall. We believe that our method can be utilized in various health surveillance studies using Twitter as a data source.
Impact of Bispyribac-sodium Application on Annual Bluegrass Control and Brown Patch Severity in Tall Fescue

Annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) is a problematic weed in tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea (Schreb.) S.J. Darbyshire], with limited options available for postemergence control. Field research was conducted to evaluate bispyribac-sodium application rates (37 or 74 g ai·ha−1) (0.033 or 0.066 lb ai·A−1) and timings (March, April or May) as well as iron supplementation on brown patch (Rhizoctonia solani) severity, annual bluegrass control, and tall fescue quality. In general, applying bispyribac-sodium to tall fescue did not result in significantly more brown patch than in untreated plots in field trials. Applying bispyribac-sodium in March or April resulted in significantly higher annual bluegrass control than applications in May. In greenhouse experiments, bispyribac-sodium at 37 and 74 g ai·ha−1 (0.033 or 0.066 lb ai·A−1) was applied to brown patch-inoculated tall fescue plants. Under conditions of high inoculum and humidity in those greenhouse studies, applications of bispyribac-sodium increased the number...
Dramatic Impact of Dimensionality on the Electrostatics of P-N Junctions and Its Sensing and Switching Applications

Low-dimensional material systems provide a unique set of properties useful for solid-state devices. The building block of these devices is the p-n junction. In this paper, we present a dramatic difference in the electrostatics of p-n junctions in lower dimensional systems, as against the well understood three dimensional (3-D) systems. Reducing the dimensionality increases the depletion width significantly. We propose a novel method to derive analytic equations in 2-D and 1-D that considers the impact of neutral regions. The analytical results show an excellent match with both the experimental measurements and numerical simulations. The square root dependence of the depletion width on the ratio of dielectric constant and doping in 3-D changes to a linear and exponential dependence for 2-D and 1-D, respectively. This higher sensitivity of 1-D p-n junctions to its control parameters can be used toward new sensors. Utilizing the unconventional electrostatics of these low-dimensional junctions for sensing and switching applications has been discussed and a novel sensor is proposed.
Endoluminal high-dose-rate brachytherapy for locally recurrent or persistent esophageal cancer.

Abstract Purpose Management of locally recurrent or persistent esophageal cancer (EC) after standard chemoradiation is challenging. This study updates our experience of treating medically inoperable EC patients with endoluminal high-dose-rate brachytherapy (EHDRBT) including the patients treated with a novel multiballoon channel centering esophageal applicator. Methods and Materials Thirty-three consecutive patients with early-stage primary (n = 7), posttreatment persistent (n = 7), and recurrent (n = 19) EC treated with EHDRBT at our institution were included. Median dose and treatment lengths were 14 Gy (range 10–17.5 Gy) and 6 cm (3.5–9.0 cm), respectively. Endoscopy and biopsy were performed 3 months after EHDRBT and then every 3–6 months thereafter. Results Median followup was 17.4 months (range 5.0–88.3). Grade 1 and 2 toxicities were observed in 13 (44.8%) and 11 (37.9%) patients, respectively. Grade 3 toxicity (tracheoesophageal fistula) was observed in 1 patient who had previously received two courses of external beam radiotherapy as well as a stent insertion. Median overall survival (OS) for entire cohort was 20.9 months, and 1-year OS was 78%. Complete response was achieved in 58.6% of patients with median time to failure and 1-year disease-free survival of 10.3 months (range 5.4–28.2) and 27%, respectively. Conclusions For medically inoperable patients with early-stage primary or local posttreatment residual or recurrent EC, EHDRBT is a well-tolerated treatment option with minimal Grade ≥3 toxicity. Brachytherapy in our hands continues to be a safe treatment option. Although 58.6% of patients achieved a complete response and the OS of this cohort is relatively good, long-term local control and cure remains a challenge.
An Initial Response to the Call for Reframing the History of New Religious Movements

In response to Nova Religio articles by Andreas Pietsch and Sita Steckel, Michael Driedger, and Johannes C. Wolfart calling for a reframing of new religious movements by new religions scholars, agreement is offered that new religions studies will be well served by incorporating insights from scholars of new religious movements and sectarian movements of the late medieval and Reformation eras, as well as by recasting assumptions that associate apocalyptic movements with violence. It is also suggested that a more sophisticated assessment of pluralism in previous centuries and more attention to methodological issues will provide a firmer foundation for current claims of a growing religious diversity in the contemporary world.
Plastic Surgeons' Perceptions of Financial Conflicts of Interest and the Sunshine Act.

Background It is unknown whether recent legislation known as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act has affected plastic surgeons' views of conflicts of interest (COI). The purpose of this study was to evaluate plastic surgeons' beliefs about COI and their comprehension of the government-mandated Sunshine Act. Methods Plastic surgeon members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons were invited to complete an electronic survey. The survey contained 27 questions that assessed respondents' past and future receipt of financial gifts from industry, awareness of the Sunshine Act, and beliefs surrounding the influence of COI on surgical practice. Results A total of 322 individuals completed the survey. A majority had previously accepted gifts from industry (n = 236; 75%) and would accept future gifts (n = 181; 58%). Most respondents believed that COI would affect their colleagues' medical practice (n = 190; 61%) but not their own (n = 165; 51%). A majority was aware of the Sunshine Act (n = 272; 89%) and supported data collection on surgeon COI (n = 224; 73%). A larger proportion of young surgeons believed patients would benefit from knowing their surgeon's COI (P = 0.0366). Surgeons who did not expect COI in the future believed financial COI could affect their own clinical practice (P = 0.0221). Conclusions Most plastic surgeons have a history of accepting industry gifts but refute their influence on personal clinical practice. Surgeon age and anticipation of future COI affected beliefs about the benefits of COI disclosure to patients and the influence of COI on surgical practice.
Developments in U.S. Boards of Directors and the Multiple Roles of Corporate Boards

As corporations have increased in size and complexity so have the demands on their operations, requiring more complex organizational structures. The demands on corporate boards of directors have also changed. These demands require boards to perform a multitude of functions that call for attention to the structure of boards and to their composition and practices. Insufficient changes have been made, however, to accommodate these multiple roles of corporate boards. This paper is about the multiple roles of corporate boards, which are defined as the manager-monitoring, relational and strategic management roles of boards. This paper argues that these roles more accurately describe board functions than the description of board functions as control, service and strategy. In addition, this paper argues that the multiple roles of boards often come into conflict with each other. A recent meta-analysis has found that both insider-dominated boards and outsider-dominated boards are associated with more successful corporations in terms of return on assets. In this paper, I explore a number of alternative explanations for these findings. I offer an interpretation that is based on the multiple conflicting roles of corporate boards. I argue that insider-dominated board perform some roles more effectively than outsider-dominated boards, particularly strategic management. I argue that the advantages of the insider-dominated board in strategic management comes from the advantages of group decision making by peers (fellow executives) which decreases corporate politics and the chance of a dominant CEO becoming convinced of his invincibility. In addition, the quality of decision making is enhanced in ambiguous and uncertain situations when diverse perspectives are shared and this sharing is encouraged when persons are in similar social positions. Outsider-dominated boards perform other functions better than insider-dominated boards, such as manager-monitoring functions, to the extent that the outside directors are truly independent of management. This analysis suggests a number of reforms for corporate boards that will enable them to perform their multiple functions more effectively.
Blarina brevicauda (Greater North American short-tailed shrew)

The specimens, belonging to the subspecies B. b. brevicauda were collected in the immediate vicinity of Kearney, Nebraska, USA. Direct bone marrow preparations were used for the karyotypic analysis. The karyotypes presented here are gifts of Dr. Dennis G. Schall, Kearney State College, Kearney, Nebraska.
Seven school-related disasters: Lessons for policymakers and school personnel

Students are highly dependent on the emergency planning and evacuation decisions made by policymakers and school personnel when disasters occur. The purpose of this study was to examine selected cases of school-related disasters, highlighting how factors of the school context intersected with natural hazards and subsequently affected schoolchildren. Purposeful maximal sampling was used to select school-related disaster cases for their geographical diversity, different instructional contexts, and types of initiating hazards. Among these, seven cases with broad considerations pertaining to educational policy and safe school environments were selected. A within-case analysis was conducted of each case, followed by a cross-case thematic analysis. Six overarching factors were found in the thematic synthesis of the findings. First, school safety practices apply anytime children are under the supervision of school personnel, making knowledge of emergency procedures across multiple types of school settings essential. Second, elements that place schoolchildren at risk also place school personnel at risk. Third, teachers and school administrators need to be well-trained and knowledgeable enough to make independent decisions in emergency situations. Fourth, children must know emergency procedures so they may take independent action, given teachers are also at-risk during disasters. Fifth, most school disasters can be prevented through safe school construction. Finally, it is the responsibility of policymakers to ensure schools are safe learning environments for children. By participating in and advocating for a culture of preparedness, educational policymakers can better protect schoolchildren, as well as school personnel, in disaster situations.
Hand-wrist, knee, and foot-ankle dosimetry and image quality measurements of a novel extremity imaging unit providing CBCT and 2D imaging options

Purpose Radiation dose is a general concern in diagnostic imaging and a special concern for children who are at greater risk from radiation effects. This study evaluates effective doses (E) produced during 2D and volume imaging with a novel cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) based extremity imaging device. The device's compact size and protocol options offer image choices that enhance the potential for reduced dose and improved diagnostics when evaluating sports injuries. Methods Hand-wrist, foot-ankle, and knee phantoms were developed for use with optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters (OSL). Dosimetry of transmission radiographs (2D) and CBCT volumes (3D) was assessed for Standard and lowered dose (Lite) exposure protocols. Effective dose was calculated for child and adult age groups. Image quality was assessed with contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and modulation transfer function (MTF). A figure of merit was calculated as the square of CNR divided by E. Results Standard 2D doses ranged from 0.001-0.06 μSv for adults, 0.001-0.05 μSv for 15-yr olds, 0.003-0.13 μSv for 10-yr olds, and 0.005-0.20 for 5-yr olds. Dose reductions with Lite protocols ranged from 26 to 51%. Standard CBCT doses ranged from 0.3-4.6 μSv for adults, 0.3-4.4 μSv for 15-yr olds, 0.6-9.8 μSv for 10-yr olds, and 1-22.6 μSv for 5-yr olds. For both 2D and 3D a trend of increasing imaging dose with reduced age was present and was statistically significant for children below the age of 10 (P = 0.0009). Lite dose reductions averaged 47%. CNR was statistically reduced in Lite dose scans (P = 0.0384) but was not statistically different using FOM analysis (P = 0.3089). MTF was not significantly affected by the two dose protocols (P = 0.8104). Conclusion CBCT effective doses calculated from anthropomorphic phantom exposures following manufacturer suggested protocols appear to be substantially less than previously reported doses for similar MDCT extremity examinations. In this study, effective dose from 2D radiographic imaging was approximately two orders of magnitude less than CBCT imaging. Doses were on the order of a few minutes to hours of ubiquitous per-capita background dose for 2D imaging and a few hours to days for 3D imaging. Dose significantly increased for children younger than age 10. Lite protocols resulted in substantial dose reductions and can be recommended for children and those examinations where reduced CNR will not affect diagnosis. Flexibility of 2D and 3D imaging options with low-dose protocols make this technology a promising option for radiographic evaluation of the extremities. Efficacy studies are needed to determine when MDCT, CBCT or Digital Radiography are best used for particular diagnostic tasks.
Dedicated education units as a clinical rotation for nursing students: a scoping review protocol.

Review question/objective:The objective of this scoping review is to explore the existing literature regarding student nurse and nursing faculty perceived experiences and outcomes of dedicated education units, to examine and conceptually map the evidence, and to identify any gaps in the literature.
Small business strategic management practices and performance: A configurational approach

Small businesses contribute to society on many fronts: job creation, tax revenues, functional products and services, charitable donations, technological developments, and social contributions to co...
Is Physical Activity a Buffer? Gendered Racial Microaggressions and Anxiety Among African American Women:

The purpose of this study was to explore the relations between gendered racism (i.e., the simultaneous experience of racism and sexism) and anxiety among African American women. The study also test...
Water sustainability using pond-in-pond wastewater treatment system: Case studies

Abstract Wastewater is an easily accessible but highly underutilized resource that could meet irrigation needs while conserving freshwater for future generations and is increasingly recognized as an essential and economical strategy in areas with water scarcity. This paper presents case studies on the Pond-In-Pond (PIP) configuration where PIP is an integration of two types of pond – anaerobic and aerobic – and consists of a deeper inner section entirely submerged within the outer pond. Performance data from existing PIP, or PIP-like systems dated back to 1960s’, were collected and analyzed; and the results from the PIP systems investigated resulted in an average BOD removal of over 80 % with a deviation of less than 10 %. Consequently, the PIP unit alone ensured a level of treatment required for effluent reuse in crop irrigation for typical municipal wastewater with influent BOD in the range of 200–300 mg L−1. Moreover, the combination of PIP with other processes in a treatment system has the capability of treating high-strength wastewater for other uses such as aquaculture, fishery, and others–including stream discharge. The PIP is a potentially viable and sustainable technology for low-cost wastewater treatment especially for reuse purposes due to the savings in capital costs, operations and maintenance costs, and revenue from reclamation of the effluent.
A transitional stem cell state in the lung.

Studies of stem cell behaviour during regeneration have largely focused on understanding how cells make the choice between self-renewal and differentiation. It remains unclear whether cells undergo smooth transitions during differentiation or pause at selective intermediate states. Three studies now explore this question in lung regeneration.
Outcomes following quadriceps tendon repair using transosseous tunnels versus suture anchors: A systematic review.

Abstract Introduction Two major techniques are used to repair complete quadriceps tendon ruptures, transosseous tunnel (TT) and the suture anchor (SA). There are multiple studies comparing the biomechanical outcomes of repairs performed with TT or SA. Our purpose was to compare the clinical outcomes following quadriceps tendon repair using SA and TT fixation techniques. Methods Three major search engines were used with predetermined keyword searches to perform a systematic review of literature. These studies were independently scanned by two reviewers using PRISMA criterion. All included studies had to include at least one of the following outcome measures: range of motion (ROM), Lysholm score, complications, and/or re-ruptures. Results Using three major search engines, 1039 articles were identified. After removing duplicates and screening for inclusion, 49 articles were reviewed. Two independent reviewers searched the studies to meet the inclusion criteria, and eight studies were selected. These eight studies included 156 knees in the TT group and 54 knees in the SA group. The TT group had a significantly better ROM after QT repair (132.5° versus 127.0°, p = 0.02). There was no significant difference in Lysholm scores between the TT group (92.6) and SA group (91.0, p = 0.11). There were significantly more complications in SA groups (9.3% versus 1.3%, p = 0.013), but not a significant difference in re-rupture rate between those undergoing SA vs. TT repair (3.7% versus 0%, p = 0.065). The SA group had a significantly higher age at time of surgery (63.62 vs. 54.32) Conclusion The current study suggests that, following quadriceps tendon rupture, there are no significant differences in functional outcome between TT and SA techniques. Those undergoing TT repair attained a statistically significantly greater final ROM but this difference may not be clinically relevant. There was a statistically significantly higher rate of post-operative complications using SA technique.
Surgical microwave ablation of otherwise non-resectable colorectal cancer liver metastases: Expanding opportunities for long term survival

Abstract Background Colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) are the most common extra-lymphatic metastases in colorectal cancers, however, only 15–20% of these patients are candidates for resection. We reviewed our institutional experience with 135 surgical ablations for unresectable CRLM. Methods Retrospective review of surgically ablated CRLM from 2009 to 2018. Patient-specific variables were obtained from the medical record. Kaplan-Meier modeling was performed for survival analyses. Results We ablated 135 CRLM in 36 patients over 40 procedures. Median age was 52 years and 58% of patients were male. All patients received systemic chemotherapy. The ablation procedure was completed laparoscopically in 68% of procedures. Median number of ablated lesions per patient was 2 (range 1–15). Median maximum diameter of ablated lesions was 1.9 cm (range 0.5–12.2). Median follow up of the study was 28 months. In this time, median disease-free survival was not reached. Of the 135 lesions ablated, the per-lesion recurrence rate was 6/135 (4.4%). Median overall survival was 81 months. Conclusions Surgical ablation of CRLM can provide excellent local control and long-term survival outcomes in patients who may otherwise not be candidates for other liver-directed therapies.
Digital Toolbox Pedagogy: Teaching Students to Utilize Technology in Mediation

In a previous paper, we've discussed the nature of contemporary mediation as technology bereft. We pointed out the challenges this raises to the very viability of the field, https://ssrn.com/abstract=3421097 . After the COVID-19 era has broken down barriers to use of technology in mediation, we expect that mediation will continue to evolve by adopting the use of technology in the (traditional) mediation room. However, the path to doing so is unclear, given that use of technology in mediation up to and including the COVID-19 era has been for conducting mediation online, at a distance. What are its uses and benefits in the mediation room? This question remains to be resolved. In the present article, we address the pedagogical side of this: Assuming that technology can be of help in mediation practice and in the mediation room, its use should be incorporated into mediation education, in academic courses and professional training. What challenges does this proposition face, and how can we overcome them to include this important topic in the field’s educational programs?
Book review of "Bioethics in Action" Cambridge University Press Review of bioethics in action , edited by Françoise Baylis and Alice Dreger , Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, 2019, paper, vii, 177 pp., $29.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-107-54393-5.

Bioethics is a late 20th century field that grew out of philosophy and applied medical ethics. Philosophy transcends disciplinary turfs. Those trained in the history of ethics translate their theor...
Equity Market Fragmentation and Capital Investment Efficiency

This study examines how equity market fragmentation affects firms’ capital investment decisions. Recent empirical research finds that market fragmentation lowers trading costs and thus improves market quality. We examine whether this increase in market quality translates into greater revelatory price efficiency, where stock prices reveal with greater precision information to managers and/or creditors about firms’ investment opportunities. Consistent with this notion, our findings reveal that the association between capital investment and investment opportunities is increasing in market fragmentation. Additional findings suggest that (a) market fragmentation increases revelatory price efficiency at least in part by encouraging information acquisition by equity investors and (b) the more efficient stock prices inform both managers and creditors about firms’ investment opportunities. Inferences based on difference-in-differences and instrumental variable tests are consistent with those based on our primary findings.
Female Consumer's Fit Strategies and Fit Perception of Formalwear Rented Online: Content Analysis

With the advent of Internet technologies, consumers today have extensive opportunities to evaluate products online. Because “consumer reviews, word-of-mouth on the products, could be the most powerful force in the market place” (Silverman, 1997, p. 34), investigating consumer reviews is crucial to understand potential aspects of clothing that consumers may use to evaluate clothing fit. Given that apparel is a highly body-related product, the body-absent online apparel shopping environments is problematic for consumers’ fit problems and sizing inconsistency. Indeed, 62% of women could not find clothing that fit well, and 57% of women did not fit into today’s standard sizes (NPD Group, 2010).
The Dystopian Right of Publicity

Our society frequently describes privacy problems with the dystopian metaphor of George Orwell’s 1984. Understood through the Orwellian metaphor—and particularly the “Big Brother is watching you” maxim—privacy rights are forcefully invaded by the government’s constant surveillance and disclosures of personal information. Yet, privacy’s coined opposite, the right of publicity—“the right of every human being to control the commercial use of his or her identity”—still lacks an appropriate metaphor, making it difficult to conceptualize and thus to regulate effectively. This Article suggests that the problems with a commercially transferable right of publicity can be usefully analogized to another chilling dystopia, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Huxley wrote Brave New World as an expression of the anxiety of losing one’s individual identity in a technology-driven future. In the novel, Huxley envisioned a utilitarian society controlled through technological manipulation, conspicuous consumption, social conditioning, and entertainment addiction. In contrast to Big Brother’s forceful coercion, pacified citizens in the “World State” society willingly participate in their own servitude. Commentators often focus on the fact that litigated publicity cases tend to overprotect celebrities' fame to the detriment of creators' First Amendment rights. The vast majority of publicity rights, however, actually belong to ordinary citizens. The Huxleyan metaphor’s depiction of technological manipulation, social conditioning, and identity loss thus reveals the constant, but constantly overlooked, publicity problem this Article labels the "pleasurable servitude." In effect, by consenting to terms of service on social media, ordinary citizens voluntarily license rights in their identities to internet platforms in exchange for access to the pleasures of digital realities. Through this unregulated mass transfer of publicity rights, social networks strip away their users’ identities and sell them to advertisers as commodities. This Article claims that the pleasurable servitude is a form of surveillance capitalism deserving of regulation by means of “publicity policies” that would function analogously to privacy policies.
Clinician's Guide to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Author Biographies vii Preface xiii PART I: Core Issues 1 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and General Stress Studies 3 Gerald M. Rosen, B. Christopher Frueh, Jon D. Elhai, Anouk L. Grubaugh, and Julian D. Ford 2 Normal Reactions to Adversity or Symptoms of Disorder? 33 Jerome C. Wakefield and Allan V. Horwitz 3 Criterion A: Controversies and Clinical Implications 51 Meaghan L. O Donnell, Mark Creamer, and John Cooper 4 Posttraumatic Memory 77 Elke Geraerts 5 Searching for PTSD's Biological Signature 97 Gerald M. Rosen, Scott O. Lilienfeld, and Scott P. Orr PART II: Clinical Practice 6 Assessing Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Morbidity 119 Jon D. Elhai, Julian D. Ford, and James A. Naifeh 7 Early Intervention in the Aftermath of Trauma 153 Richard Gist and Grant J. Devilly 8 Cognitive Behavioral Treatments for PTSD 177 Elizabeth A. Hembree and Edna B. Foa 9 Treating the Full Range of Posttraumatic Reactions 205 Richard A. Bryant 10 Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Posttraumatic Stress 235 James D. Herbert and Evan M. Forman Afterword: PTSD's Future in the DSM: Implications for Clinical Practice 263 Gerald M. Rosen, B. Christopher Frueh, Scott O. Lilienfeld, Paul R. McHugh, and Robert L. Spitzer Author Index 277 Subject Index 287
Why are Some Agencies Perceived as more Committed to Diversity than Others? An analysis of public-sector diversity climates

AbstractPositive diversity climates are associated with an array of benefits for public organizations. However, it is not clear why some agencies are perceived as more committed to diversity than others. This paper hypothesizes about how group and management characteristics, social identities, and procedural justice may shape perceptions of diversity climate. It then tests these expectations using cross-sectional data drawn from the US federal workforce. It shows that employees’ social identities and perceptions of procedural justice were strong predictors of perceptions of diversity climate. There was less evidence that the representativeness of management and personnel diversity were related to diversity climate.
Periodic breathing and apnea in preterm infants. I. Evidence for hypoventilation possibly due to central respiratory depression

We made 84 studies on 20 "healthy" preterm infants during the first 34 days of life to discover whether infants breathing periodically hypoventilate or hyperventilate and whether the major defect is at the central or peripheral chemoreceptors. Six infants breathed periodically (n = 26) and seven regularly (n = 27) at all times; seven infants breathed periodically (n = 15) or regularly (n = 16) in different studies. In these three groups (periodic, regular, and intermediate), we compared respiratory minute volume and frequency, heart rate, alveolar oxygen tension (PAO2) and alveolar carbon dioxide tension (PACO2) and PO2, PCO2 and pH of arterialized capillary blood, alveolar-capillary differences for PO2 and PCO2, peripheral chemoreceptor sensitivity and CO2 responses. We measured ventilation with a nosepiece and a screen flowmeter. The mean values for the intermediate and periodic groups were similar. There were major differences between the periodic and regular groups. The infants breathing periodically (1) hypoventilated, (2) showed a significant shift of the CO2 response curve to the right with a 22% decrease in slope, and (3) had an increased response to O2. However, the two groups had similar alveolar-capillary PO2 and PCO2 differences. These findings suggest that the major defect is not in the lungs or at the peripheral chemoreceptors but at the respiratory center (or central receptors).
Progressive Taxation And Happiness

This Article explores the optimal level of income redistribution by examining the potential welfare gains from redistributive tax and spending policies. Drawing on recent research on human happiness, this Article argues that while wealthy nations are generally happier than their poorer counterparts, neither national nor individual economic growth appear to have an appreciable impact on the subjective well-being of the citizens of relatively wealthy nations. Significant causes of this finding include the problem of rivalry—that increases in the income of some depress the happiness of others—and the fact that individuals overestimate the degree to which additional consumption will improve their happiness. Studies show the level of inequality in a society also may affect levels of happiness. Ultimately, happiness research is consistent with the strongest justification for adopting a progressive tax structure--income has declining marginal utility thus redistribution can increase total welfare in a society.
Using virtual humans to bootstrap the creation of other virtual humans

Virtual human (VH) experiences are increasingly used for training interpersonal skills such as military leadership, classroom education, and doctor-patient interviews. These diverse applications of conversational VHs have a common and unexplored thread - a significant additional population would be afforded interpersonal skills training if VHs were available to simulate either interaction partner. We propose a computer-assisted approach to generate a virtual medical student from hundreds of interactions between a virtual patient and real medical students. This virtual medical student is then used to train standardized patients - human actors who roleplay the part of patients in practice doctor-patient encounters. Practice with a virtual medical student is expected to lead to greater standardization of roleplay encounters, and more accurate evaluation of medical student competency. We discuss the method for generating VHs from an existing corpus of human-VH interactions and present observations from a pilot experiment to determine the utility of the virtual medical student for training.
Probabilistic Aspects of Time-Varying Harmonics

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Spectral analysis or harmonic analysis Observations Typical harmonic variation signals Harmonic measurement of time-varying signals Characterization of measured data Conclusions References ]]>
Expansion of continuous spectrum operators in terms of eigenprojections

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the expansion of continuous spectrum operators in terms of Eigenprojections. Eigenfunction expansions are at the heart of the picture of quantum mechanics that was developed by Dirac. The idea is to expand states which change with time as they evolve under the Schrodinger equation in terms of those which do not, in the sense that they give the same expectation values for all observables. However, in quantum mechanics, observables in the physical sense correspond to operators in a Hilbert space. The chapter concentrates on the approximation of spectral projections by finitely many Eigenprojections, because once this is done the spectral theorem can be used to do the rest. The approach is self-contained, and involves developing the theory of continuous spectrum Eigenfunctions afresh and paying very careful attention to convergence; in fact, new results on convergence are contained in the chapter. The chapter gives new convergence results, which hold even in situations where no reasonable a priori estimates on the domain of the self-adjoint operator are available; one such situation would be the Laplace-Beltrami operator on a semi-Riemannian manifold.
Regulatory Experience in the US and Its Lessons for European Banking Union

The regulatory system has taken 150 years to develop in the US. Even today it is far from unified with four supervisory "agencies" overseeing banking organizations, i.e., 50 State Regulatory bodies, the OCC, the FDIC and the Federal Reserve, with a wide variety of individual and often overlapping powers such as in examination and supervision. The Euro-zone is at the very start of what will be a long and difficult process and whether unification is achievable across such a diverse set of economies with competing local supervisors and diverse bankruptcy laws remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the US is a useful laboratory to examine the benefits and costs of different approaches to the three "legs" of European bank union, i.e., supervision, deposit insurance and restructuring/resolution.
Animal models for mucopolysaccharidosis disorders and their clinical relevance

UNLABELLED Progress in understanding how a particular genotype produces the phenotype of an inborn error of metabolism, such as a mucopolysaccharidosis, in human patients has been facilitated by the study of animals with mutations in the orthologous genes. These are not just animal models, but true orthologues of the human genetic disease, with defects involving the same evolutionarily conserved genes and the same molecular, biochemical, and anatomic lesions as in human patients. These animals are often domestic species because of the individual medical attention paid to them, particularly dogs and cats. In addition, naturally occurring mouse models have also been found in breeding colonies. Within the last several decades, advances in molecular biology have allowed the production of knockout mouse models of human genetic disease, including the lysosomal storage diseases. The ability to use both inbred strains of a small, prolific species together with larger out-bred animals found because of their disease phenotype provides a powerful combination with which to investigate pathogenesis, develop approaches to therapy, and define biomarkers to evaluate therapeutic success. This has been true for the inborn errors of metabolism and, in particular, the mucopolysaccharidoses. CONCLUSION Animal models of human genetic disease continue to play an important role in understanding the molecular and physiological consequences of lysosomal storage diseases and to provide an opportunity to evaluate the efficacy and safety of therapeutic interventions.