cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Constructing post-surgical discharge instructions through a Delphi consensus methodology

Abstract Objective Patient education materials are a crucial part of physician-patient communication. We hypothesize that available discharge instructions are difficult to read and fail to address necessary topics. Our objective is to evaluate readability and content of surgical discharge instructions using thyroidectomy to develop standardized discharge materials. Methods Thyroidectomy discharge materials were analyzed for readability and assessed for content. Fifteen endocrine surgeons participated in a modified Delphi consensus panel to select necessary topics. Using readability best practices, we created standardized discharge instructions which included all selected topics. Results The panel evaluated 40 topics, selected 23, deemed 4 inappropriate, consolidated 5, and did not reach consensus on 8 topics after 4 rounds. The evaluated instructions’ reading levels ranged from grade 6.5 to 13.2; none contained all consensus topics. Conclusion Current post surgical thyroidectomy discharge instructions are more difficult to read than recommended by literacy standards and omit consensus warning signs of major complications. Our easy-to-read discharge instructions cover pertinent topics and may enhance patient education. Delphi methodology is useful for developing post-surgical instructions. Practice implications Patient education materials need appropriate readability levels and content. We recommend the Delphi method to select content using consensus expert opinion whenever higher level data is lacking.
Ubiquitous Life Cycle Assessment (U-LCA): A Proposed Concept for Environmental and Social Impact Assessment of Industry 4.0

Abstract Smart manufacturing in an Industry 4.0 setting requires developing unique infrastructures for sensing, wired and wireless communications, cyber-space computations and information tracking. While an exponential growth in smart infrastructures may impose drastic burdens on the environment, the conventional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) techniques are incapable of quantifying such impacts. Therefore, there is a gap between advances in the manufacturing domain and the environmental assessment field. The capabilities offered by smart manufacturing can be applied to LCA with the aim of providing advanced impact assessment, and decision-making mechanisms that match the needs of its manufacturing counterpart.
Non-Equilibrium Steady States of Ising Systems

We examine the results of some recent simulations concerning the critical behavior in the nonequilibrium steady states (NESS) of various Ising systems. Unlike equilibrium systems, where the static properties are independent of the dynamics, the behavior of nonequilibrium systems depends crucially on the dynamics. Various NESS Ising models, having both conserved and non-conserved dynamics, are considered. Their phase diagrams and the universality classes of their critical properties are discussed.
Distinguishing T-cell Large Granular Lymphocytic Leukemia from Reactive Conditions: Laboratory Tools and Challenges in Their Use

This article focuses on the challenges of diagnosing T-cell large granular leukemia and distinguishing it from benign reactive conditions, as well as more aggressive neoplasms of cytotoxic lymphocytes. No single laboratory method is sufficient to make the diagnosis, but instead a combination of flow cytometry, genetic studies, and bone marrow immunohistochemistry must be used.
Cytochemical Staining Reactions for Enzymes in Cytoplasmic Organelles

Recent reports on the use of lead precipitating procedures for localizing intracellular phosphatases and criticism of these procedures (see (1) and (2) for the most recent interchange of views) have left undiminished the value of using the following phosphatases as cytochemical “markers” for light and electron microscopy (3, 4): plasma membrane — nucleoside phosphatases (e.g., Mn++ — and Mg++-stimulated “ATPase”, 5’-nucleotidase, Co++-stimulated CMPase, etc.); endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of liver, kidney, endocrine-secreting cells, etc. -- a nucleoside diphosphatase (NDPase) that hydrolyzes IDP, UDP, GDP (also TPP) but not CDP or ADP (5, 6); Golgi apparatus -- NDPase, thiamine pyrophosphatase (TTPase) (see 6)); Golgi-endoplasmic reticulumlysosome (GERL) -- acid phosphatase; and lysosomes -- acid phosphatase. Optimal oxidation at high pH and relatively high H2O2 concentration of diaminobenzidine may be used to “mark” peroxisomes because of their high catalase content (7, 8). Mitochondria oxidize diaminobenzidine optimally at low pH and low H2O2 concentration (7).
Predictive analytics for fog computing using machine learning and GENI

Fog computing is a rapidly emerging paradigm concerned with providing energy- and latency-aware solutions to users by moving computing and storage capabilities closer to end users via fog networks. A major challenge associated with such a goal is ensuring that forecasts about network quality are not only accurate but also have small operational overhead. Machine Learning is a popular approach that has been used to model network parameters of interest. However, due to the small amount of public datasets and testbeds available, designing reproducible models becomes cumbersome and more likely to under-perform during deployment. For these reasons, we seek to design an exploratory testbed for benchmarking the forecasting strength of a suite of supervised learning models aimed at inferring network quality estimates. To create a realistic fog computing sandbox, we deployed an image processing ensemble of services in the GENI infrastructure. The nodes in GENI have varying hardware specifications for the purpose of generating compute-intensive workloads on heterogeneous systems. Our experimental results suggest that machine learning can be used to accurately model important network quality parameters and outperforms traditional techniques. Moreover, our results indicate that the training and prediction times for each model is suitable for deployment in latency-sensitive environments.
Aggregated distance metric learning (ADM) for image classification in presence of limited training data

The focus of image classification through supervised distance metric learning is to find an appropriate measure of similarity between images. Although this approach is effective in the presence of large amounts of training data, classification accuracy will deteriorate when the number of training samples is small, which, unfortunately, is often the situation in several medical applications. We present a novel image classification method called aggregated distance metric (ADM) learning for situations where the training image data are limited. Our approach is novel in that it combines the merits of boosted distance metric learning (BDM, a recently published learning scheme) and bagging theory. This approach involves selecting several sub-sets of the original training data to form a number of new training sets and then performing BDM on each of these training sub-sets. The distance metrics learned from each of the training sets are then combined for image classification. We present a theoretical proof of the superiority of classification by ADM over BDM. Using both clinical (X-ray) and non-clinical (toy car) images in our experiments (with altogether 10 sets of different parameters) and image classification accuracy as the measure, our method is shown to be more accurate than BDM and the traditional bagging strategy.
Grasping the Past to Inform the Present

Understanding the present often involves a grasp of the past. Our present concern about the inadequate academic achievement of many American youth focuses upon their race, poverty, temperament, teachers, family, and culture. Today, we hold the institution that encompasses them all, their schools, largely responsible for their poor performance. Has this always been so, and if not, why blame schools now?
An 11-year analysis of peripheral nerve injuries in high school sports

Introduction: Sports surveillance databases provide valuable information regarding common ailments, yet fewer studies have focused on more rare peripheral nerve injuries. Our objective was to chara...
Flame-Retardant Polyamide 6/Carbon Nanotube Nanofibers: Processing and Characterization:

Polyamide 6 (PA6) was melt-blended with an intumescent flame retardant (FR), multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), and nanoclay particles to produce multi-component FR-PA6 nanocomposites. FR-PA6 nan...
The trouble with surrogates in environmental risk assessment: a daphniid case study.

The use of indicator species to test for environmental stability and functioning is a widespread practice. In aquatic systems, several daphniids (Cladocera: Daphniidae) are commonly used as indicator species; registration of new pesticides are mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency to be accompanied by daphniid toxicity data. This reliance upon a few species to infer ecosystem health and function assumes similar responses to toxicants across species with potentially very different life histories and susceptibility. Incorporating lab-derived life-history data into a simple mathematical model, we explore the reliability of three different daphniid species as surrogates for each other by comparing their responses to reductions in survivorship and fecundity after simulated exposure to toxicants. Our results demonstrate that daphniid species’ responses to toxicant exposure render them poor surrogates for one another, highlighting that caution should be exercised in using a surrogate approach to the use of indicator species in risk assessment.
Cathode Material Composed of Manganese Cobalt Hexacyanoferrate Nanoparticles for Aqueous Zinc Ion Intercalation Batteries

To accommodate the global shift towards increased energy production from renewable sources, further advancements in storage technology are needed to mitigate the intermittent nature of wind and solar. Aqueous zinc ion intercalation batteries (ZIBs) offer an inexpensive and safe alternative to the traditional lithium ion battery (LIB), making them a prime candidate for large scale storage. Metal hexacyanoferrates have been shown to be suitable cathode materials for ZIBs, allowing for the reversible insertion/extraction of the doubly charged zinc ion. In this work, we report on the performance of a cathode material composed of mixed manganese-cobalt hexacyanoferrate nanoparticles for a rechargeable ZIB. The cathode exhibits a reversibly capacity of 111 mAh/g at 25 mA/g and good capacity retention after extended cycling at 100 rnA/g. X-ray diffraction and SEM imaging reveal nanoparticles with a rhombohedral structure and sizes on the order of 20 - 60 nm. The combination of the nontoxic hexacyanoferrate cathode, with the aqueous zinc ion electrolyte offers a promising system for large scale energy storage.
Synthesis and characterization of polarized novel 0–3 Terfenol-D/PVDF-TrFE composites

Abstract Conductive metallic particulate inclusions in electroactive polymer matrix composites have been widely studied for enhanced sensitivity applicable to sensors, energy harvesters, electromechanical actuators, and high charge storage capacitors. If the metallic particulates exhibit magnetostrictive properties, the domain of applications expands due to the direct and converse coupling between electric displacement and magnetization. In this paper, the synthesis of a composite material consisting of giant magnetostrictive alloy particulates, Terfenol-D, embedded into an electroactive polymer matrix, PVDF-TrFE is discussed. The experimental protocol to elucidate the ferroelectric, dielectric, and piezoelectric properties of the novel composite is also reported. It was observed that the ferroelectric polarization was improved with a small weight fraction of Terfenol-D particles, but it was hindered when more weight fraction of the particles was added. Nonetheless, the permittivity of the composite rapidly increased with the addition of more Terfenol-D particles, which was attributed to the reduction in the polarization of the PVDF-TrFE matrix. Finally, a notable phase delay was observed in the piezoelectric strain in response to a high-frequency electric field, such a delay was directly proportionally to the addition of Terfenol-D particles.
Reduction of a Tetrafluoroterephthalonitrile‐β‐Cyclodextrin Polymer to Remove Anionic Micropollutants and Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances from Water

Organic micropollutants (MPs) are anthropogenic substances that contaminate water resources at trace concentrations. Many MPs, including per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs), have come under increased scrutiny because of their environmental persistence and association with various health problems. A β-cyclodextrin polymer linked with tetrafluoroterephthalonitrile (TFN-CDP) has high affinity for cationic and many neutral MPs from contaminated water because of anionic groups incorporated during the polymerization. But TFN-CDP does not bind many anionic MPs strongly, including anionic PFASs. To address this shortcoming, we reduced the nitrile groups in TFN-CDP to primary amines, which reverses its affinity towards charged MPs. TFN-CDP exhibits adsorption distribution coefficients (log KD values) of 2-3 for cationic MPs and -0.5-1.5 for anionic MPs, whereas the reduced TFN-CDP exhibits log KD values of -0.5-1.5 for cationic MPs and 2-4 for anionic MPs, with especially high affinity towards anionic PFASs. Kinetic studies of the removal of 10 anionic PFASs at environmentally relevant concentrations showed 80-98 % removal of all contaminants after 30 min and was superior to commercial granular activated carbon. These findings demonstrate the scope and tunability of CD-based adsorbents derived from a single polymerization and the promise of novel adsorbents constructed from molecular receptors.
Emerging evidence of occipital nerve compression in unremitting head and neck pain

Unremitting head and neck pain (UHNP) is a commonly encountered phenomenon in Headache Medicine and may be seen in the setting of many well-defined headache types. The prevalence of UHNP is not clear, and establishing the presence of UHNP may require careful questioning at repeated patient visits. The cause of UHNP in some patients may be compression of the lesser and greater occipital nerves by the posterior cervical muscles and their fascial attachments at the occipital ridge with subsequent local perineural inflammation. The resulting pain is typically in the sub-occipital and occipital location, and, via anatomic connections between extracranial and intracranial nerves, may radiate frontally to trigeminal-innervated areas of the head. Migraine-like features of photophobia and nausea may occur with frontal radiation. Occipital allodynia is common, as is spasm of the cervical muscles. Patients with UHNP may comprise a subgroup of Chronic Migraine, as well as of Chronic Tension-Type Headache, New Daily Persistent Headache and Cervicogenic Headache. Centrally acting membrane-stabilizing agents, which are often ineffective for CM, are similarly generally ineffective for UHNP. Extracranially-directed treatments such as occipital nerve blocks, cervical trigger point injections, botulinum toxin and monoclonal antibodies directed at calcitonin gene related peptide, which act primarily in the periphery, may provide more substantial relief for UHNP; additionally, decompression of the occipital nerves from muscular and fascial compression is effective for some patients, and may result in enduring pain relief. Further study is needed to determine the prevalence of UHNP, and to understand the role of occipital nerve compression in UHNP and of occipital nerve decompression surgery in chronic head and neck pain.
Full Wave Simulations of Vegetation/Trees Using 3D Vector Cylindrical Wave Expansions In Foldy-Lax Multiple Scattering Equations

In this paper, we develop a method for full wave simulations of vegetation/trees based on the scattered field formulation of Foldy-Lax multiple scattering equation (FL). The 3D vector cylindrical wave expansions are used because the trees are compactly enclosed by the infinite cylindrical surfaces without overlap. For cylindrical scatterers such as tree trunks, Infinite Cylinder Approximation is used to calculate the T matrix. Vector translation addition theorem of cylindrical waves is used and the FL is solved iteratively. Solving FL is equivalent to solving Maxwell equations and all the interactions and multiple scatterings among the scatterers are considered. The correctness of the method is verified by HFSS and the method is applicable for large problems such as full wave simulations of forests.
The Inner Landscape of Senior Leaders--Preparing to Lead Campus Healing.

Senior administrators are often called upon to respond to hurtful incidents on campus. Effective response involves managing many aspects of campus reaction, including addressing the emotional condi...
Case 6-2020: A 34-Year-Old Woman with Hyperglycemia

A Woman with Hyperglycemia A 34-year-old woman was evaluated for hyperglycemia. Nine years earlier, she had had an elevated glucose level, and subsequently, diabetes was diagnosed during her four p...
Amlodipine causing symptomatic bradycardia in a healthy 71-year-old male

Amlodipine is a calcium channel blocker that is well known to be vasoselective, thereby having minimal effects in cardiac tissue. However, recent literature have reported cases of symptomatic bradycardia associated with amlodipine use. We present a case of an otherwise healthy 71-year-old male who was found to have symptomatic bradycardia while taking amlodipine. He underwent comprehensive evaluation including an exercise stress echocardiogram during which he demonstrated chronotropic competence. Amlodipine was discontinued with return of his heart rate to baseline levels after 24 hours. There is a very low reported incidence of amlodipine-induced bradycardia (0.89% of cases). Despite its infrequency, it is important to recognize amlodipine-induced bradycardia as simply discontinuing the drug will lead to complete resolution of symptoms. Failure to recognize this side effect may lead to unnecessary healthcare costs and negatively impact patient outcomes.
Deep learning-based ultrasonic array imaging for small defect characterization (Conference Presentation)

We present an ultrasonic array imaging approach based on deep learning to characterize structural defects. The proposed deep learning-based approach takes a raw ultrasonic defect image as an input and gives an output of a quantitative defect image. The test results obtained using finite element (FE) simulation and experimental data demonstrate that the fine structural features defects are successfully restored and visualized by the proposed deep learning approach.
Chapter 86 – Multiple Myeloma

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on multiple myeloma, of which no causes have been clearly established. Among those that have been suggested, with substantial inconsistency between studies, are chronic antigenic stimulation, ionizing radiation, pesticide and/or other agricultural exposures, and, among women, repeated use of black hair dyes. Genetic determinants are suggested by the large ethnic differences in risk. Myeloma occurs with roughly the same frequency in Los Angeles as it does elsewhere, and is somewhat more common among men than among women. The malignancy is much more common among African-Americans and much less common among Asian-Americans than among whites or Latinos. Rates have gradually increased over the period in the county as a whole. Among the residents of high-risk census tracts, however, they temporarily increased at a more rapid rate and then became stable. Although high-risk census tracts are distributed widely throughout the county, there is a notable concentration of census tracts, some of which are contiguous, in the heavily African-American regions of South Central Los Angeles and Baldwin Hills. The geographic pattern is notable because it includes a number of census tracts in Baldwin Hills, a community that is predominately African-American, but is not of lower social class. Although infections and other reasons for this high incidence have been postulated, a more likely explanation is that of genetic susceptibility.
Attenuation analysis of flexural modes with absorbent lined flanges and different edge conditions

The analysis of fluid-structure coupled waveforms and the attenuation of these waveforms in a flexible waveguide is carried out. The physical configuration contains an expansion chamber connected by an extended inlet/outlet by means of vertical lined flanges. The governing boundary value problem is solved by using Mode-Matching (MM) technique. The associated eigen expansions of field potentials include non-orthogonal eigenfunctions and the related eigen-sub-systems are classified in the non-Sturm Liouville category, whereby the use of generalized orthogonal characteristics has ensured the point-wise convergence of solution. The low frequency approximation (LFA) which relies on the limited propagating modes is developed and is compared with MM solution. In the low frequency regime, a good agreement between MM and LFA results is found. Furthermore, the numerical experiments are performed to analyze the effects of absorbent linings and edge conditions on the attenuation of flexural modes. The guiding structure is exited with the structure-borne mode incident as well as the fluid-borne mode incident. It is found that the use of edge conditions and the absorbent linings significantly affect the attenuation of structure-borne mode and fluid-borne mode, respectively.
Constraints on Dark Energy from Supernovae, Gamma Ray Bursts, Acoustic Oscillations, Nucleosynthesis and Large Scale Structure and the Hubble constant

The luminosity distance vs. redshift law is now measured using supernovae and gamma ray bursts, and the angular size distance is measured at the surface of last scattering by the CMB and at z = 0.35 by baryon acoustic oscillations. In this paper this data is fit to models for the equation of state with w = -1, w = const, and w(z) = w_0+w_a(1-a). The last model is poorly constrained by the distance data, leading to unphysical solutions where the dark energy dominates at early times unless the large scale structure and acoustic scale constraints are modified to allow for early time dark energy effects. A flat LambdaCDM model is consistent with all the data.
Implications for Regional Science of the “Rebuilding Macroeconomic Theory Project”:

The inability of macroeconomists to anticipate the Global Financial Crisis or reproduce it in their models has led to an important stock-taking of deficiencies in, and necessary modifications to, t...
Ice Skating and Stinky Foods: Notes from the Hong Kong Underground, 2018–2019

This chapter paints a personal and affective panorama of the Hong Kong underground. In the context of Hong Kong, music making is described as the making of radically contextual musical instruments and as an escape from anonymizing global forces. It paves the way for subsequent historical accounts of underground music in Hong Kong.
Hope, Fear, and Consumer Behavioral Change amid COVID-19: Application of Protection Motivation Theory

Using protection motivation theory (PMT), this study investigates the influence of cognitive assessment and affective response on customers' behavioral intention amid COVID-19 in the context of restaurants. More specifically, this research draws attention to (1) the influence of protection motivation (i.e., perceived vulnerability, perceived severity, maladaptive reward, response efficacy, self-efficacy, response cost) on hope and fear, (2) hope and fear as mediators between protection motivation and behavioral intention, and (3) diverse customer behavioral intentions that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., health-focused behavior, conscious consumption, and the supporting of local businesses and products). A total of 473 completed responses were obtained through an online survey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized relationships. The research model proposed in the study successfully explained the process in which individuals commit to hygienic behaviors, prioritize local restaurants, and engage in conscious consumption under the threat of COVID-19. The proposed model can be utilized in examining consumer behaviors in the hospitality industry, especially in the COVID-19 era.
Rethinking Salt Supply Chains: Cost and Emissions Analysis for Coproduction of Salt and Fresh Water from U.S. Seawater

Is it feasible to build desalination plants for the coproduction of salt and fresh water from U.S. seawater that could lead to a restructuring of supply chains for salt imports? As it is predicted ...
The European Defense Procurement Directive: An American Perspective

On August 21, the new European directive on defense and security procurement, Directive 2009/81/EC, entered into force. See, e.g.,EU Adopts New Defense and Security Procurement Directive, 6 IGC ¶ 65. Previously, most European defense procurement was considered exempt from the European procurement directives that have harmonized procurement, with greater transparency and competition, across Europe. Under the new defense directive, all but the most sensitive defense and security procurements in Europe will have to be conducted under rules consistent with the new directive.From an American vantage point, however, it is not yet clear how the new directive will be implemented. If the defense directive merely brings new competition and transparency to the European procurement markets, the directive will be a welcome improvement in what was traditionally a closed and uncompetitive market. But if, in practice, the directive is used as an excuse to discriminate against U.S. exporters - or if it is perceived as a tool of discrimination - the directive threatens to trigger serious trade frictions in the transatlantic defense markets.
The Delta Variant Had Negligible Impact on COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness in the USA

The SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was initially identified in India in December 2020. Due to its high transmissibility, its prevalence in the U.S.A. grew from a near-zero baseline in early May 2021 to nearly 100% by late August 2021, according to CDC tracking. We accessed openly available data sources from the public health authorities of seven U.S. states, five U.S. counties, and the District of Columbia on RT-PCR COVID-19 tests split by the COVID-19 vaccination status of individuals tested during this period. Together, these time series enable estimation and tracking of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE∗) (against RT-PCR diagnosed infection) concurrently with the growth of Delta variant prevalence in those locations. Our analyses reveal that in each locality the VE∗ for the combined set of all three US vaccines remained relatively stable and quite well-performing, despite the dramatic concurrent rise of Delta variant prevalence. We conclude that the Delta variant does not significantly evade vaccine-induced immunity. The variations in our measured VE∗ appear to be driven by demographic factors affecting the composition of the vaccinated cohorts, particularly as pertains to age distribution. We report that the measured VE∗, aggregated across the collected sites, began at a value of about 0.9 in mid-May, declined to about 0.76 by mid-July, and recovered to about 0.9 by mid-September. Summary We estimated local COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness using RT-PCR COVID-19 test data broken out by vaccination status from select localities in the U.S.A. between 15 May and 15 September 2021 while the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was ascending from essentially zero prevalence to total dominance of the genome, and showed that the rise of the Delta variant had negligible effect on vaccine effectiveness.
A Novel Adaptation of Information Extraction Algorithm to Process Natural Text Descriptions of Pedestrian Encounters

Complete understanding of pedestrian behavior still poses challenges to current automated driving technologies. This study introduces a knowledge extraction framework to better understand the human perception of pedestrian crossing behavior from the ego-vehicle perspective. Using manually annotated explanatory texts, we train an information extraction algorithm to map the unstructured descriptive text into structured data. Evaluation of the algorithm confirms a good performance in most of the key feature categories. This model can identify and extract vital cues from pedestrian encounter descriptions, which can assist in analyzing human decision-making processes to estimate the pedestrians' situational crossing intent. The knowledge extracted from such structured text data can help to holistically study interconnection among the human-used factors which is crucial for modeling pedestrian behavior.
The Supreme Court, Arbitrability and Collective Bargaining

IN THREE significant cases decided last term, the Supreme Court considered for the first time an old and slippery problem-the proper judicial approach to disputes concerning the jurisdiction of arbitrators under collective bargaining agreements. These cases arose under Section 301 of the LMRA,1 which in Lincoln Mills2 had been interpreted as a mandate to federal courts to give specific enforcement to agreements for grievance-arbitration and to fashion a body of substantive law for all actions under that section for breach of labor agreements. In two of the cases,3 the union had sought to compel arbitration by an unwilling employer; in the third,4 enforcement of an arbitration award. In each of the cases, the Court, reversing the judgment below, sustained the arbitrator's competence.5 The Court used these cases as
Foreign Object Damage and Fatigue Interaction in Unidirectional Boron/Aluminum-6061

An experimental program was conducted to study the effects of foreign object damage (FOD) on the bending fatigue characteristics of a composite material, unidirectional boron/aluminum-6061. Fatigue curves were generated for a control group and each of four levels of FOD. The composite was further characterized by static tensile and nondestructive tests. All tests were carried out at room temperature. A similar damage and fatigue experiment was done for a titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V, to provide baseline data with which to compare the composite. It was concluded that the composite suffers a greater percentage reduction in fatigue strength than does Ti-6Al-4V for a given impact energy.
Helping People Choose Jobs: A History of the Guidance Profession

This chapter considers the history of the vocational and career guidance profession, in particular the origins and development of its four main methods for helping people make educational and occupational choices. These are youth mentoring for agricultural communities, vocational guidance for industrial cities, career counselling for corporate societies, and self-construction within an information society. The author suggests that social change generated by information technology and economic globalisation, requires the profession of vocational guidance to reconsider the relevance of its theoretical models and techniques. Its reinvention to concentrate on self-construction within an information society demonstrates its determination to remain relevant and useful in contemporary society.
Ornithine Decarboxylase Induction during G1 Progression of Normal and Rous Sarcoma Virus-transformed cells

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) induction during G1 phase of the cell cycle was compared in Rat-1 fibroblasts and in Rat-1 fibroblasts transformed by the B77 wild-type Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) and by the thermosensitive mutant LA24/RSV. In Rat-1 cells, maximal enzyme activity detectable at mid G1 declined to basal levels by G1-S. The ODC increase was inhibited by actinomycin D and cycloheximide and was dependent on the addition of serum growth factors. Rat-1 (B77 wild-type RSV) cells expressed a greater amount of enzyme activity after serum stimulation, and the maximal level of enzyme activity detectable at mid G1 declined only 50% so that elevated ODC was maintained during G1-S transition. The enzyme increase in the transformed cell line was not dependent on serum growth factors. Fresh medium addition alone induced enzyme activity. Induction in the presence or absence of serum required both RNA and protein synthesis. ODC induction in the transformed cells was less sensitive to repression by exogenous putrescine addition. A 100-fold greater concentration of the diamine was required to produce comparable inhibition in the Rat-1 (B77 wild-type RSV) as compared to the Rat-1 cell. These alterations in the characteristics of ODC expression were found to be a consequence of the transforming function of RSV in the Rat-1 cell line transformed by the thermosensitive viral mutant LA24. In response to serum stimulation at the nonpermissive temperature (39°), Rat-1 (thermosensitive mutant LA24/RSV) cells displayed a discrete G1-phase ODC induction while those cells maintained at the permissive temperature (35°) exhibited a greater and prolonged ODC induction in G1 and S phases. A shift from 39 to 35° in the absence of any medium or serum addition stimulated the induction of ODC expressed in a transformed phenotypic manner. Greater concentrations of exogenous putrescine were required to repress the induction of ODC at 35 than at 39°. Alterations in ODC regulation, therefore, may be inherent to the neoplastic phenotypic change.
EVALUATION OF TEXTURE CHANGES DUE TO COMPOSITIONAL DIFFERENCES USING ORAL PROCESSING

Replacement of ingredients or reformulating existing products can significantly change textural characteristics. Our aim was to investigate the effects of sensory input from different textures on adaptation of the chewing pattern. Jaw muscle activity and kinematic measures of mastication were collected by electromyography and a three-dimensional jaw tracking system during chewing of Cheddar cheeses (varying fat content) and caramels (two levels of total fat and sweetened condensed milk). Reducing fat in cheese is associated with increased sensory firmness, springiness and decreased cohesiveness. Oral processing adjusted to decreased fat content with increased closing muscle (temporalis and masseter) activity, a shorter cycle duration and increased power stroke time. Increased adhesiveness in caramels was associated with increased closing and opening muscle activity, longer cycle duration and increased jaw movement. It was shown that changes in composition that produced changes in sensory texture change oral processing parameters of muscle activity and jaw movement. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Understanding the mechanisms of texture perception is essential when tailoring food to meet nutritional needs, while maintaining an acceptable level of quality. Textural characteristics change when ingredients are replaced or products are reformulated. In particular, the textures of low-fat or low-calorie products are perceived by consumers to be less pleasing compared with those of traditional foods. Understanding how oral processing is altered in response to changes in texture provides information on the physiology of texture perception that complements sensory analysis and mechanical tests. The aim of this study was to understand how the masticatory sequence adapts to textural variations in cheese and caramel of differing compositions. This information will enhance the understanding of the relationship between food structure and texture perception.
Weak Pion and Photon Production off Nucleons in a Chiral Effective Field Theory

Neutrino-induced pion and photon production from nucleons and nuclei are important for the interpretation of neutrino-oscillation experiments, and these processes are potential backgrounds in the MiniBooNE experiment (A. A. Aquilar-Arevalo et al. (MiniBooNE Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 032301 (2008)). Pion and photon production are investigated at intermediate energies, where theresonance becomes important. The Lore ntz-covariant e୥ctiveeld theory contains nucleons, pions, Deltas, isoscalar scalar (�) and vector (!) �elds, and isovector vector (�) �elds. The lagrangian exhibits a nonlinear realization of (approximate) SU(2)L SU(2)R chiral symmetry and incorporates vector meson dominance. Power counting for vertices and Feynman diagrams involving theis explained. Because of the built-in symmetries, the vector currents are automatically conserved, and the axial-vector currents satisfy PCAC. The irrelevance of so-called oଭshellcouplings and the structure of the dressedpropag ator, which has a pole only in the spin-3/2 channel, are discussed. To calibrate the axial-vector transition current (N $ �), pion production from the nucleon is used as a benchmark and compared to bubble-chamber data from Argonne and Brookhaven National Laboratories. At low energies, the convergence of our power- counting scheme is investigated, and next-to-leading-order tree-level corrections are found to be very small.
Neural network models for rule-based reasoning

Neural network (connectionist) models of rule-based reasoning are investigated, and it is shown that while such models usually carry out reasoning in exactly the same way as symbolic systems, they have more to offer in terms of commonsense reasoning. A connectionist architecture for commonsense reasoning, CONSYDERR, is proposed to account for commonsense reasoning patterns and to remedy the brittleness problem in traditional rule-based systems. A dual representational scheme is devised, utilizing both localist and distributed representations and exploring the synergy resulting from the interaction between the two. CONSYDERR is therefore capable of accounting for many difficult patterns in commonsense reasoning. It is concluded that connectionist models of reasoning are not just implementations of their symbolic counterparts, but better computational models of commonsense reasoning. >
Templated Grain Growth of 〈001〉-Textured 0.675Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.325PbTiO3 Piezoelectric Ceramics for Magnetic Field Sensors

〈001〉-textured 0.675Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.325PbTiO3 (PMN–32.5PT) ceramics were synthesized through templated grain growth method using BaTiO3 (BT) platelets as templates. A systematic investigation was conducted on delineating the texture development and microstructure evolution as a function of heat-treatment conditions. It was found that BT has very good stability in PbO-rich PMN–PT environment. A high texture degree of 90% was achieved using 5 vol% BT. Dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties were measured to understand the influence of sintering time, texture degree, and BT heterogeneity on the electrical characteristics. It was found that with increasing sintering time and texture degree, the piezoelectric constant d33 increases while the dielectric constant decreases, resulting in about 50% improvement of g33 as compared with random ceramics. Unipolar strain-field measurements of textured ceramics exhibited 0.27% strain at 30 kV/cm. The changes in large-signal response of textured ceramics were more obvious than small-signal measurement, indicating that 〈001〉 crystallographic texture enhances the piezoelectric response due to favorable domain configuration. Using the textured sample, a magnetoelectric laminate was fabricated and characterized for low magnetic-field sensitivity.
A Service Learning Project: Disability, Access and Health Care

Last summer, I was thinking about a public service project for my disability discrimination law course. I teach the course in fall, and try to incorporate a project each year. At the same time, I was working on a project looking at barriers to health care for people with disabilities. Some of the barriers are well known, such as lower average incomes, disproportionate poverty, and issues with insurance coverage, to name just a few. I was looking at barriers of a different type, however: those posed by physically inaccessible facilities and equipment. This was a new area for me. Like many health law professors, I had focused on the more familiar issues of disability in employment, insurance coverage, and medical decision-making. I needed to learn more about accessibility requirements and the removal of architectural barriers under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and how these apply to the delivery of health care.I wanted a project that would reflect and reinforce knowledge of the doctrinal issues surrounding the requirements of physical access and barrier removal under the ADA. I also wanted students to develop lawyering and advocacy skills, such as working in teams, consulting effectively with experts, gathering evidence and documenting a case, problem-solving through local and administrative processes, framing effective written requests, and making connections in the community. I hoped it would provide a meaningful context for exploring issues and tensions underlying disability law and the disability rights movement. People with disabilities have experienced a history of thoughtlessness and indifference by non-disabled people. A project could provide an opportunity for students to notice and address an issue of importance to people with disabilities, and to foster a sense of engagement and responsibility central to civic professionalism. And, yes, I wanted those curbs cut. Thanks to the enthusiasm of my students and the support of several people in the community, the project exceeded my expectations on almost every level.In this “Teaching Health Law” column for the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, I describe the project - including its goals, design, process, and outcomes - as well as its application to health care access issues.
Are Reported Mutual Fund Yields Useful? An Analysis of Municipal Bond Funds

Bond funds report both a distribution yield and a SEC yield, which are roughly analogous to the current yield and yield to maturity on an individual bond. We analyze the quarterly yields reported by municipal bond funds from September 1993 to September 2009. Despite substantial variation in the reported yields, we find that the yields provide no information concerning the future risk adjusted performance of the funds. We do find that the yield gap, defined as the difference between the distribution and SEC yield, does serve as a reliable predictor of the funds that will have the worst future risk adjusted performance. However, we find no evidence that investors use this information to avoid selecting poorer performing funds.
Momentum Transfer and Viscosity from Proton-Hydrogen Collisions Relevant to Shocks and Other Astrophysical Environments

The momentum transfer and viscosity cross sections for proton-hydrogen collisions are computed in the velocity range of ~200-20,000 km s−1 relevant to a wide range of astrophysical environments such as supernova remnant shocks, solar wind, winds within young stellar objects or accretion disks, and interstellar protons interacting with the heliosphere. A variety of theoretical approaches are used to arrive at a best estimate of these cross sections in this velocity range that smoothly connect with very accurate results previously computed for lower velocities. Contributions to the momentum transfer and viscosity cross sections from both elastic scattering and charge transfer are included.
Quality Time: A simple online technique for quantifying multicore execution efficiency

In order to increase utilization, multicore processors share memory resources among an increasing number of cores. This sharing leads to memory interference, which in turn leads to a non-uniform degradation in the execution of concurrent applications, even in the presence of fairness mechanisms. Many utilities rely on application CPU Time both for measuring resource usage and inferring application progress. These utilities are therefore directly affected by the distorting effects of multicore interference on the representativeness of CPU Time as a proxy for progress. This makes reasoning about myriad properties from fairness, to QoS, to throughput optimality very difficult in consolidated environments, such as IaaS. We introduce the notion of Quality Time, which provides a measure of application progress analogous to CPU Time's measure of resource usage, and we propose a simple online sampling-based technique to approximate Quality Time with high accuracy. We have implemented three user-space tools called Qtime, Qtop, and Qplacer. Qtime can attach to an application to calculate its Quality Time online, Qtop is a dashboard that monitors the Quality Times of all applications on the system, and Qplacer leverages Quality Time information to find better application placements and improve overall system quality. With Quality Time, we are able to reduce the error in inferring execution efficiency from 150.3% to 25.1% in the worst case and from 30.0% to 7.5% on average. Qplacer can increase average system throughput by 3.2% when compared to static application placement.
Ethanol administration fails to produce hypoglycemia in fasted chickens (Gallus domesticus).

1. 1. Chickens weighing approx. 1500g were fasted 64 hr and then continuously infused with [6-3H]glucose to determine effects of ethanol on plasma glucose concentrations and on rates of glucose turnover. 2. 2. Ethanol infusions (222 or 444μmol/min × kg−1 body weight) did not cause hypoglycemia although the high dose infusion slightly decreased the rate of glucose turnover. 3. 3. Metabolite ratios measured in livers of chickens infused with the high dose of ethanol indicated that the hepatic cytosolic redox state was relatively unchanged. 4. 4. Chickens have an unusual resistance to ethanol-induced hypoglycemia.
Studies on the transformation of rat embryo cells of low passage by carcinogenic fluorenylhydroxamic acids and their acetate esters.

Rat embryo cells of low passage subjected to a single treatment with certain carcinogenic fluorenylhydroxamic acids and their respective acetate esters showed signs of transformation in vitro, such as changes in phenotype, growth in soft agar and agglutination with concanavalin. A. In addition, certain changes in karyotype and loss of diploidy were observed. There was no evidence, either by electron microscopy or by assay of RNA-dependent DNA polymerase, for the presence of virus. None of these cell lines produced tumors after inoculation into the isologous host. The results of this study lead us to suggest that malignant transformation is a multistep process and that certain criteria of transformation of rat embryo cells are associated with the initial stage(s) in which the cells are transformed without being tumorigenic. The ultimate test for malignant transformation of rat embryo cells remains the production of tumors in a susceptible host after inoculation of treated cells.
A study of mobile device utilization

Mobile devices are becoming more powerful and versatile than ever, calling for better embedded processors. Following the trend in desktop CPUs, microprocessor vendors are trying to meet such needs by increasing the number of cores in mobile device SoCs. However, increasing the number does not translate proportionally into performance gain and power reduction. In the past, studies have shown that there exists little parallelism to be exploited by a multi-core processor in desktop platform applications, and many cores sit idle during runtime. In this paper, we investigate whether the same is true for current mobile applications. We analyze the behavior of a broad range of commonly used mobile applications on real devices. We measure their Thread Level Parallelism (TLP), which is the machine utilization over the non-idle runtime. Our results demonstrate that mobile applications are utilizing less than 2 cores on average, even with background applications running concurrently. We observe a diminishing return on TLP with increasing the number of cores, and low TLP even with heavy-load scenarios. These studies suggest that having many powerful cores is over-provisioning. Further analysis of TLP behavior and big-little core energy efficiency suggests that current mobile workloads can benefit from an architecture that has the flexibility to accommodate both high performance and good energy-efficiency for different application phases.