Factors related to the severity of research misconduct administrative actions: An analysis of office of research integrity case summaries from 1993 to 2023.

We extracted, coded, and analyzed data from 343 Office of Research Integrity (ORI) case summaries published in the Federal Register and other venues from May 1993 to July 2023 to test hypotheses concerning the relationship between the severity of ORI administrative actions and various demographic and institutional factors. We found that factors indicative of the severity of the respondent's misconduct or a pattern of misbehavior were associated with the severity of ORI administrative actions. Being required by ORI to retract or correct publications and aggravating factors, such as interfering with an investigation, were both positively associated with receiving a funding debarment and with receiving an administrative action longer than three years. Admitting one's guilt and being found to have committed plagiarism (only) were negatively associated with receiving a funding debarment but were neither positively nor negatively associated with receiving an administrative action longer than three years. Other factors, such as the respondent's race/ethnicity, gender, academic position, administrative position, or their institution's NIH funding level or extramural vs. intramural or foreign vs. US status, were neither positively nor negatively associated with the severity of administrative actions. Overall, our findings suggest that ORI has acted fairly when imposing administrative actions on respondents and has followed DHHS guidelines.

Re-entrant lithium local environments and defect driven electrochemistry of Li- and Mn-rich Li-ion battery cathodes.

Direct observations of structure-electrochemical activity relationships continue to be a key challenge in secondary battery research. (6)Li magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is the only structural probe currently available that can quantitatively characterize local lithium environments on the subnanometer scale that dominates the free energy for site occupation in lithium-ion (Li-ion) intercalation materials. In the present study, we use this local probe to gain new insights into the complex electrochemical behavior of activated 0.5(6)Li2MnO3·0.5(6)LiMn(0.5)Ni(0.5)O2, lithium- and manganese-rich transition-metal (TM) oxide intercalation electrodes. We show direct evidence of path-dependent lithium site occupation, correlated to structural reorganization of the metal oxide and the electrochemical hysteresis, during lithium insertion and extraction. We report new (6)Li resonances centered at ∼1600 ppm that are assigned to LiMn6-TM(tet) sites, specifically, a hyperfine shift related to a small fraction of re-entrant tetrahedral TMs (Mn(tet)), located above or below lithium layers, coordinated to LiMn6 units. The intensity of the TM layer lithium sites correlated with tetrahedral TMs loses intensity after cycling, indicating limited reversibility of TM migrations upon cycling. These findings reveal that defect sites, even in dilute concentrations, can have a profound effect on the overall electrochemical behavior.

Assessment of public knowledge about the scope of practice of vascular surgeons.

During the past decade, there has been a sharp increase in the number of vascular procedures performed in the United States. Due to the increase in the size of the aging population, this trend is predicted to continue. Despite this, general public knowledge about vascular surgery appears low. This gap may significantly affect the success of vascular surgery as a specialty. To objectively define knowledge about vascular surgery, we administered a questionnaire to both a sample of the general population and medical students. The Vascular Surgery Knowledge Questionnaire (VSQ), a 58-item multiple choice survey, was designed to assess knowledge about the field of vascular surgery, including types of procedures commonly performed, presenting illnesses, training, and financial compensation. VSQ was tested for reliability and validity. It was administered to a sample of the general population (GP) and first year medical students (MS) via a random digit dial telephone survey and a paper-based survey, respectively. VSQ Score was derived by calculating the percent of questions from the 38-item, non-demographic part of the questionnaire answered correctly and expressed in numerical form. The maximum score possible was 100. Statistical analysis was used to assess differences in VSQ scores. Two hundred GP and 160 MS subjects completed the questionnaire. The mean VSQ score for GP and MS groups was 54 and 67 (P < .01), respectively. Forty-one percent of the GP group received a score of less than 50. Only 50% of the GP and 51% of MS cohorts agreed with the statement that vascular surgeons perform procedures on all blood vessels with the exception of the heart and brain. Just 24% of the GP group agreed with the statement that vascular surgeons treat patients with wounds that do not heal. Finally, only half of the GP group agreed that vascular surgeons treat patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms. The GP cohort significantly underestimated the average length of postgraduate training (five years) to become a vascular surgeon. Level of education, income, and residence in the Western states significantly correlated with higher scores. General population subjects who admitted to knowing a vascular surgeon received similar scores to those who did not (58 vs. 53, P >.05). These findings support our hypothesis that there is a significant knowledge deficit among both the general population and medical students about the field of vascular surgery. This has protean implications for the future of our specialty and public health in the United States.

Spontaneous infrarenal abdominal aortic dissection presenting as claudication: case report and review of the literature.

Spontaneous infrarenal abdominal aortic dissection (SIAAD) is rare. Patients with SIAAD may be asymptomatic or may present with abdominal pain or lower extremity ischemia. We describe a case report of a patient with SIAAD who presented with claudication. We reviewed the English literature on this disorder and specifically evaluated the differences between patients on the basis of their presenting symptoms. Patients who had SIAAD and lower extremity ischemia were more likely to have the dissection process extend into the iliac or femoral artery and were less likely to have an associated abdominal aortic aneurysm. Aortic rupture in the presence of SIAAD was associated with increased risk of death.