Transitioning an In-Person Survey of Older Adults to Multi-Mode Data Collection.

Objectives: The first three rounds of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) were in-person. Preparing for Round Four (R4), NSHAP began developing ways to collect complex questionnaire and biomeasure data remotely. R4 was scheduled to begin in 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, NSHAP delayed R4 data collection and instead conducted a study on respondents' experiences during the pandemic, as well as pretests to strengthen NSHAP's remote data collection capability.

Design, Construction, and Test of Compact, Distributed-Charge, X-Band Accelerator Systems that Enable Image-Guided, VHEE FLASH Radiotherapy.

The design and optimization of laser-Compton x-ray systems based on compact distributed charge accelerator structures can enable micron-scale imaging of disease and the concomitant production of beams of Very High Energy Electrons (VHEEs) capable of producing FLASH-relevant dose rates. The physics of laser-Compton x-ray scattering ensures that the scattered x-rays follow exactly the trajectory of the incident electrons, thus providing a route to image-guided, VHEE FLASH radiotherapy. The keys to a compact architecture capable of producing both laser-Compton x-rays and VHEEs are the use of X-band RF accelerator structures which have been demonstrated to operate with over 100 MeV/m acceleration gradients.

Clearance rates of sand-burrowed and laterally pressed unburrowed Pismo clam Tivela stultorum (Mawe 1823) in a laboratory open-flow system.

Pismo clam extraction is currently banned in Mexico to help the recovery of natural populations. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to gain insight on its basic biology and husbandry protocols. Growth and clearance rate (CR) of sand-burrowed and sediment-free, laterally pressed adult Pismo clams were quantified in the laboratory as a function of burrowing condition, flow, temperature, and microalgal concentration using open-flow chambers.

Synthetic GM1 improves motor and memory dysfunctions in mice with monoallelic or biallelic disruption of GM3 synthase.

This study attempts to answer the question of whether mice with biallelic and monoallelic disruption of the St3gal5 (GM3 synthase) gene might benefit from GM1 replacement therapy. The GM3 produced by this sialyltransferase gives rise to downstream GD3 and the ganglio-series of gangliosides. The latter includes the a-series (GM1 + GD1a), which has proved most essential for neuron survival and function (especially GM1, for which GD1a provides a reserve pool).

Demographic, social, and behavioral correlates of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in a representative, population-based study of Minnesota residents.

Background: Monitoring COVID-19 infection risk in the general population is a public health priority. Few studies have measured seropositivity using representative, probability samples. The present study measured seropositivity in a representative population of Minnesota residents prior to vaccines and assess the characteristics, behaviors, and beliefs of the population at the outset of the pandemic and their association with subsequent infection.

Multivariate Models to Diagnose Early Referral-Warranted Retinopathy of Prematurity With Handheld Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to create multivariate models predicting early referral-warranted retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) using non-contact handheld spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and demographic data.

Methods: Between July 2015 and February 2018, infants ≤1500 grams birth weight or ≤30 weeks gestational age from 2 academic neonatal intensive care units were eligible for this study. Infants were excluded if they were too unstable to participate in ophthalmologic examination (2), had inadequate image quality (20), or received prior ROP treatment (2).

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in a Population-Based Study of Minnesota Residents.

COVID-19 continues to be a public health concern in the United States. Although safe and effective vaccines have been developed, a significant proportion of the US population has not received a COVID-19 vaccine. This cross-sectional study aimed to describe the demographics and behaviors of Minnesota adults who have not received the primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine, or the booster shot using data from the Minnesota COVID-19 Antibody Study (MCAS) collected through a population-based sample between September and December 2021.

Early life experience influences dispersal in coyotes ().

Natal dispersal plays an important role in connecting individual animal behavior with ecological processes at all levels of biological organization. As urban environments are rapidly increasing in extent and intensity, understanding how urbanization influences these long distance movements is critical for predicting the persistence of species and communities. There is considerable variation in the movement responses of individuals within a species, some of which is attributed to behavioral plasticity which interacts with experience to produce interindividual differences in behavior.

Dome-shaped macula in premature infants visualized by handheld spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.

Purpose: To describe dome-shaped macula and associated clinical findings in premature infants.

Methods: This prospective, observational cohort study included a consecutive sample of premature infants screened for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) with 9-month follow-up. Handheld spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was performed at the time of ROP screening.

Hospital Employment Of Physicians In Massachusetts Is Associated With Inappropriate Diagnostic Imaging.

The transition among many US physicians from independent practice to hospital employment has raised concerns about whether employed physicians will be more inclined to refer patients for hospital-based services that are unnecessary or inappropriate. Using claims data for 2009-16, we conducted a difference-in-differences analysis to investigate whether this form of hospital-physician integration is associated with inappropriate referrals for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a widely used mode of diagnostic imaging, for three common medical conditions: lower back pain, knee pain, and shoulder pain. Study findings indicate that the odds of a patient receiving an inappropriate MRI referral increased by more than 20 percent after a physician transitioned to hospital employment.

Progression From Soft Lens to Piggyback Soft-Scleral Contact Lens System to Facilitate Scleral Lens Use in a Pediatric Patient.

Traumatic injury in the pediatric population often results in significant refractive errors that if left untreated can lead to amblyopia. Scleral contact lenses (ScCLs) have recently gained popularity in this population for efficacy in treatment of significant refractive errors, including irregularity astigmatism and corneal abnormalities. Scleral contact lens intolerance may limit the ability of practitioners to use this modality.

Late Hip Dysplasia After Normal Ultrasound in Breech Babies: Implications on Surveillance Recommendations.

Background: There is significant controversy in the literature over rates of late-developing dysplasia following normal screening ultrasound in breech babies, with reported rates varying from 7% to 29%. The purpose of this study is to investigate the rates of radiographic dysplasia in breech babies after a normal ultrasound with a minimum of 1 year of radiographic follow-up.

Methods: This study was an institutional review board-approved prospective study of all patients referred by their pediatrician for concern for developmental dysplasia of the hip between July 2008 and August 2014.

Effectiveness of a Modular Cognitive-Behavioral Skills Curriculum in High-Risk Justice-Involved Youth.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a flexible modular cognitive-behavioral theory (CBT) skills curriculum delivered by paraprofessionals in a community organization targeting high-risk justice-involved youth. Programmatic data were collected from 980 high-risk young men (Mage, 21.12; SD, 2.

Vitreous Findings by Handheld Spectral-Domain OCT Correlate with Retinopathy of Prematurity Severity.

Purpose: To evaluate the association between retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and vitreous findings in premature infants detected by handheld spectral-domain (SD) OCT.

Design: Prospective, observational cohort study.

Participants: Consecutive sample of 92 premature infants requiring ROP screening at 2 academic neonatal intensive care units between July 2015 and March 2018.

Correction to: Effects of Physician Experience, Specialty Training, and Self-referral on Inappropriate Diagnostic Imaging.

There were some errors in the variables in this paper.

On the relations between focus, experience, and hospital performance.

Background: In the United States, a long-standing debate has existed over advantages/disadvantages of general versus specialty hospitals. A recent stream of research has investigated whether general hospitals accrue performance benefits from a focus strategy; a strategy of specializing in certain clinical conditions while remaining a multiproduct firm. In contrast, a substantial and long-standing body of research on hospitals has been concerned with the absolute volume of cases in a service area as an indication of experience based largely on the idea that absolute volume confers learning opportunities.

Surgical outcomes of Glaucoma associated with Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome.

Background: The surgical management of glaucoma associated with Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome (ARS) is poorly described in the literature. The goal of this study is to compare the effectiveness of various glaucoma surgeries on intraocular pressure (IOP) management in ARS.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study at a university hospital-based practice of patients diagnosed with ARS between 1973 and 2018.

Effects of Physician Experience, Specialty Training, and Self-referral on Inappropriate Diagnostic Imaging.

Background: Although previous research has demonstrated high rates of inappropriate diagnostic imaging, the potential influence of several physician-level characteristics is not well established.

Objective: To examine the influence of three types of physician characteristics on inappropriate imaging: experience, specialty training, and self-referral.

Design: A retrospective analysis of over 70,000 MRI claims submitted for commercially insured individuals.

Hospital Readmissions to Nonindex Hospitals: Patterns and Determinants Following the Medicare Readmission Reduction Penalty Program.

Objective: To examine patterns and determinants of nonindex readmissions for Medicare as well as non-Medicare patients both before and immediately after the adoption of Medicare's Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) in 2012. Nonindex readmissions are readmissions to hospitals that are different from the one from which the patient was discharged.

Methods: Observational analysis of statewide database from California comprising patient-level discharge reports.

Impact of ACA Medicaid Expansion on Hospitals' Financial Status.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's insurance reforms were expected to have significant and positive implications for hospital finances. In particular, state expansion of Medicaid programs held the promise of reducing hospitals' uncompensated care costs as a result of expanding health insurance to many previously uninsured individuals. Recent research indicates that in the early phases of Medicaid expansion, many hospitals did experience a substantial decline in uncompensated care costs.

Magnitude and financial implications of inappropriate diagnostic imaging for three common clinical conditions.

Objective: To quantify the level of adherence to imaging guidelines for three common clinical indications for a commercially insured population.

Design: Retrospective analysis of administrative claims data for commercially insured individuals with diagnostic imaging claims (MRI and X-ray) for either uncomplicated low back pain, non-traumatic knee pain or non-traumatic shoulder pain.

Setting: The State of Massachusetts for 2010 and 2013.

Treatment Patterns and Outcomes of Stable Hips in Infants With Ultrasonic Dysplasia.

Introduction: No clear practice guideline exists for the management of stable hip with ultrasonic dysplasia (UD). This study assessed the treatment patterns for stable UD and determined the outcomes of Pavlik harness (PH) treatment or observation (OB).

Methods: This is a prospective study of 80 infants (107 hips) aged ≤12 weeks at presentation diagnosed with stable UD.

Does sexual conflict increase juvenile survival by reducing cannibalism?

To test the hypothesis that male harassment of females reduces adult female time spent on the water foraging (water use), and thus cannibalism by adult females on juveniles, we manipulated heterospecific prey availability, and social context in adult water striders and measured their effects on: 1) cannibalism of juveniles, 2) activity of adults and 3) habitat use of adults and juveniles. Cannibalism rarely occurred with alternative prey present, but was common without alternative prey. Without alternative prey, females cannibalized much more than males, but contrary to predictions, male presence did not reduce cannibalism rates.