cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shelter dogs, university employees, and lunchtime walks: A pilot study

Background Workplace walking interventions can lead to positive physical and psychological outcomes for employees. For optimal success, however, innovative approaches that appeal to employees are needed. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the physical activity levels and experiences of university staff members who walked shelter dogs during their lunch breaks. Method Participants walked with a dog and a partner for 30 minutes during their lunch break one day a week for four weeks. Accelerometer data was collected during participant walks and interviews conducted post-intervention. Results Quantitative results indicated that participants averaged 24.9±7.4 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (range 12- 37 min) during the walk. Qualitative findings suggested that the incorporation of shelter dogs into a walking intervention encouraged participants to take part in the study and continue each week. Conclusions Both the quantitative and qualitative data from this pilot study support the notion that including shelter dogs into a university-based walking program encouraged physical activity engagement and adherence.
Nike, Colin Kaepernick, and the politicization of sports: Examining perceived organizational motives and public responses

Abstract This study applies arguments from attribution theory to examine the role of perceived motives (values-driven, egoistic-driven, strategic-driven, and stakeholder-driven motives) in developing individuals’ attitudes, positive word-of-mouth (PWOM), and negative word-of-mouth (NWOM) intentions in response to Nike’s 30th Anniversary ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick. This study also examines how perceptions of the appropriateness of the politicization of sports moderate these relationships, as well as individual factors that predict people’s assessments of sports as a politicized event. A survey (N = 373) was conducted to examine how much people’s perceptions of Nike’s motives for engaging in Corporate Social Advocacy (CSA) guided their responses and the degree to which they were likely to engage in actions. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Retrospective Study of Intercalated Disk Defects Associated with Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Atrial Thrombosis, and Heart Failure in BALB/c Mice Deficient in IL4 Receptor α

An increased incidence of dilated cardiomyopathy and atrial thrombosis was noted in a breeding colony of BALB/c mice deficient in IL4 receptor α. The condition affected mice of both sexes and of various ages, and extensive testing (microbiology, serology, histopathology) failed to ascertain the cause. Transmission electron microscopy of heart samples showed structural defects in the myocardial intercalated disks, characterized by unorganized and heavily convoluted arrangement with lower density and less prominent desmosomes and adherens junctions, widening of the intercellular space, myofibrillar lysis adjacent to intercalated disks, occasional sarcomere lysis with marked myofiber degeneration, vacuolation, accumulation of cell debris, and myelin figures. The intercalated disk contains cell adhesion molecules that form cell junctions, allowing contraction coupling of cardiomyocytes and the electrical and mechanical connection between cardiac fibers. Thus, defects at this level result in poor myocardial contraction, intracardiac blood stagnation, and consequently cardiac dilation with clinical signs of heart failure. The background strain or, potentially, the Cre-loxP-mediated recombination system used to create these mice may have contributed to the elevated incidence of cardiomyopathy and atrial thrombosis in this colony. Due to the backcrossing breeding scheme used, we cannot discount the emergence and colonywide dissemination of a spontaneous mutation that affects the intercalated disk. This report underscores the importance of carefully monitoring genetically modified mice colonies for unexpected phenotypes that may result from spontaneous or unintended mutations or enhanced strain background pathology.
Host glycan utilization within the Bacteroidetes Sus-like paradigm

The Bacteroidetes are numerically abundant Gram-negative organisms of the distal human gut with a greatly expanded capacity to degrade complex glycans. A subset of these are adept at scavenging host glycans within this environment, including mucin O-linked glycans, N-linked glycoproteins and highly sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) such as heparin (Hep) and chondroitin sulfate (CS). Several recent biochemical studies have revealed the specific polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) within the model symbiont Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron for the deconstruction of these host glycans. Here we discuss the Sus-like paradigm that defines glycan uptake by the Bacteroidetes and the salient details of the PULs that target heparin/heparan sulfate (HS) and chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate (DS)/hyaluronic acid (HA), respectively, in B. thetaiotaomicron. The ability of the Bacteroidetes to target highly sulfated host glycans is key to their success in the gut environment but can lead to inflammation in susceptible hosts. Therefore, our continued understanding of the molecular strategies employed by these bacteria to scavenge carbohydrate nutrition is likely to lead to novel ways to alter their metabolism to promote host health.
Next game reaction to mispriced betting lines in college football

Although studies show the point spread is a very good predictor of actual score differences in college football, there are a number of games each season where the betting line is not close to the a...
Thyroid Gland Signs

Thyroid eye disease (TED) is the most common extra-thyroidal manifestation of Graves’ disease. TED manifests as photophobia, proptosis, erythema, or conjunctival injection. Other signs suggestive of TED include lid lag, globe lag, lid retraction, and even, in some cases, evidence of optic neuropathy. TED up until recently had very few effective medical therapies. Teprotumumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets the IGF-1 receptor, was recently approved for the treatment of TED.
Resolving the buried starburst in Arp299

We present new 37.7 micron far-infrared imaging of the infrared luminous (L_IR ~ 5.16x10^{11} L_sun) interacting galaxy Arp299 (= IC694 + NGC3690). We show that the 38 micron flux, like the 60 and 100 micron emission, traces the luminosity of star forming galaxies, but at considerably higher spatial resolution. Our data establish that the major star formation activity of the galaxy originates from a point source in its eastern component, IC694, which is inconspicuous in the optical, becoming visible only at the near and mid-infrared. We find that IC694 is two times more luminous than NGC3690, contributing to more than 46% of the total energy output of the system at this wavelength. The spectral energy distribution of the different components of the system clearly shows that IC694, has 6 times the infrared luminosity of M82 and it is the primary source responsible for the bolometric luminosity of Arp299.
Toward a Community Geography Pedagogy: A Focus on Reciprocal Relationships and Reflection

Community geography (CG) pedagogy sits at the intersection of three systematic shifts in higher education: desires to expand engagement with society; the evolution of student-centered, evidence-bas...
Mechanical Interplay Between Transcription Elongation and DNA Supercoiling

During transcription elongation, an RNA polymerase II (RNAP) negatively supercoils (untwists) the DNA upstream and positively supercoils (overtwists) the DNA downstream [1]. The resultant torsional stress in the DNA [2, 3], if not relaxed quickly, can interfere with the RNAP movement [4]. Here, we present a theoretical model incorporating coupling between RNAP translocation and the DNA torsional response which predicts the RNAP velocity profile under DNA stretching and twisting. Using stochastic simulations, we demonstrate long-distance cooperation between multiple RNAPs and show that inhibiting transcription initiation can slow down the already recruited RNAPs, in agreement with recent experimental findings [5]. We predict that the average transcription elongation rate varies non-monotonically with the rate of transcription initiation. We further show that while RNAPs transcribing neighboring genes oriented in tandem can cooperate, those transcribing genes in divergent or convergent orientations can act antagonistically, and that such behavior holds over a large range of intergenic separations. Our model makes testable predictions, providing important insights into the mechanical control of a key cellular process.
Vocal Colour in Blue: Early Twentieth-Century Black Women Singers as Broadway’s Voice Teachers

This essay invokes a line of historical singing lessons that locate blues singers Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters in the lineage of Broadway belters. Contesting the idea that black women who sang the blues and performed on the musical stage in the early twentieth century possessed “untrained” voices—a pervasive narrative that retains currency in present-day voice pedagogy literature—I argue that singing is a sonic citational practice. In the act of producing vocal sound, one implicitly cites the vocal acts of the teacher from whom one has learned the song. And, I suggest, if performance is always “twice-behaved,” then the particular modes of doubleness present in voice point up this citationality, a condition of vocal sound that I name the “twice-heard.” In considering how vocal performances replicate and transmit knowledge, the “voice lesson” serves as a key site for analysis. My experiences as a voice coach and composer in New York City over two decades ground my approach of listening for the body in vocal sound. Foregrounding the perspective and embodied experience of voice practitioners of colour, I critique the myth of the “natural belter” that obscures the lessons Broadway performers have drawn from the blueswomen’s sound.
Comparison of Objective Measurement Methods of Fabric Tensile Properties for 3D Virtual Garment Software

The validation of virtual fitting and drape is yet to be perfected. Experts from industry and academia highlight an inconsistency amongst the fabric measurement methods and significantly varied simulation results of the same fabric between the different software providers. The study's purpose was to compare the principle, testing protocols, and SI unit for tensile and shear properties by employing the three types of fabric testing devices. With unstandardized measurements and calculation principles, a threshold of loadcells, differing dimensions of the fabric specimens, and differing SI units for defining the same property are derived as the relevant factors that impede the convertibility and comparability of fabric properties between the software and devices. Correspondingly, commencing a discussion on raising the world’s standards could be the first step to improve the fidelity and consistency of simulating 3D virtual garments across all the software providers.
Models and Processes to Extract Drug-like Molecules From Natural Language Text.

Researchers worldwide are seeking to repurpose existing drugs or discover new drugs to counter the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A promising source of candidates for such studies is molecules that have been reported in the scientific literature to be drug-like in the context of viral research. However, this literature is too large for human review and features unusual vocabularies for which existing named entity recognition (NER) models are ineffective. We report here on a project that leverages both human and artificial intelligence to detect references to such molecules in free text. We present 1) a iterative model-in-the-loop method that makes judicious use of scarce human expertise in generating training data for a NER model, and 2) the application and evaluation of this method to the problem of identifying drug-like molecules in the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset Challenge (CORD-19) corpus of 198,875 papers. We show that by repeatedly presenting human labelers only with samples for which an evolving NER model is uncertain, our human-machine hybrid pipeline requires only modest amounts of non-expert human labeling time (tens of hours to label 1778 samples) to generate an NER model with an F-1 score of 80.5%-on par with that of non-expert humans-and when applied to CORD'19, identifies 10,912 putative drug-like molecules. This enriched the computational screening team's targets by 3,591 molecules, of which 18 ranked in the top 0.1% of all 6.6 million molecules screened for docking against the 3CLPro protein.
Listening in 2020: A Survey of Adults' Experiences With Pandemic-Related Disruptions

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced lifestyle changes that may negatively impact communication, including the pervasive use of face masks and videoconferencing technology. Here, we examine the effects of age and self-rated hearing on subjective measures of speech understanding via a survey accessed by adults residing in the United States. Method Responses to an online survey were obtained from adults (21 years of age and older) during the summer and fall of 2020. The survey included questions about hearing and speech understanding in a variety of scenarios and different listening conditions, including when communicating with people using face masks in quiet and noisy environments and when using videoconferencing. Results Data from 1,703 surveys were analyzed. In general, the use of face masks led to the perception of poorer speech understanding and greater need for concentration, especially in noisy environments. When responses from all participants were considered, poorer self-rated communication ability was noted as age increased. However, among people who categorized their overall hearing as "Excellent" or "Good," younger adults rated their speech understanding ability in noisy situations as poorer than middle-age or older adults. Among people who rated their overall hearing as "Fair" or "Poor," middle-age adults indicated having more difficulty communicating with people using face masks, as compared with older adults. Examination of open-ended responses suggested that the strategies individuals use when communicating with people wearing face masks vary by age and self-rated hearing. Notably, middle-age and older adults were more likely to report using strategies that could put them at risk (e.g., asking others to remove their face masks). Conclusions Even younger adults with self-perceived good hearing are not immune to communication challenges brought about by face masks. Among individuals with similar degrees of self-rated hearing, the expected increase in communication difficulty with age was not noted among our respondents. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.16528431.
From NAFTA to 9/11: Challenges and Dilemmas Facing Western Canada-U.S. Border Towns

Dramatic economic and security policy changes have occurred along the Canadaâ€"U.S. border as a result of the implementation of the 1989 Canadaâ€"U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement of 1994, and new security measures that were introduced after September 11, 2001. The resulting consequences for western border communities have been profound. This paper examines how the interaction of national and international policies influences activity at the local level and describes mechanisms that are available to small communities as they attempt to adapt and survive in these ever-changing policy environments.
The Motor Nuclei and the Descending Systems

A distinction can be made between the lower sensorimotor apparatuses—the sensory axons, the local circuit interneurons, the motoneurons, and the muscles they innervate—and the descending motor systems that exploit them. Clinical neurologists are especially interested in this distinction because of the differential signs that occur when one or the other is damaged by trauma or an interruption of the arterial blood supply (stroke; see Appendix A). Before we begin a functional analysis of movement control, let’s briefly survey the anatomical organization of the lower motor nuclei and the descending systems.
Total Prostatoseminal Vesiculectomy in the Treatment of Debilitating Perineal Pain

AbstractPersistent perineal pain, unresponsive to antibiotics and analgesia, sufficient to produce an inability to function in any work or social environment is occasionally encountered. A total of 5 such patients underwent total prostatoseminal vesiculectomy: 3 experienced complete relief of the pain and 1 experienced symptomatic relief to the extent that he ranks the residual discomfort as 1 on a scale of 1 to 10. The remaining patient had complete absence of pain for approximately 4 months but thereafter mild, intermittent proximal urethral discomfort developed during voiding. Total prostatoseminal vesiculectomy may be occasionally applicable in the patient disabled by chronic perineal pain. We believe that psychiatric evaluation and concurrence should be a preoperative prerequisite. Accepted for publication December 6, 1991. Supported in part by funds provided by the United States Navy (Dr. H. A. Frazier) and through CURED Endowment and the Barringer Fund, Division of Urology, Duke University Medical ...
Current knowledge on cannabinoids in oral fluid

Oral fluid (OF) is a new biological matrix for clinical and forensic drug testing, offering non-invasive and directly observable sample collection reducing adulteration potential, ease of multiple sample collections, lower biohazard risk during collection, recent exposure identification, and stronger correlation with blood than urine concentrations. Because cannabinoids are usually the most prevalent analytes in illicit drug testing, application of OF drug testing requires sufficient scientific data to support sensitive and specific OF cannabinoid detection. This review presents current knowledge of OF cannabinoids, evaluating pharmacokinetic properties, detection windows, and correlation with other biological matrices and impairment from field applications and controlled drug administration studies. In addition, onsite screening technologies, confirmatory analytical methods, drug stability, and effects of sample collection procedure, adulterants, and passive environmental exposure are reviewed. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol OF concentrations could be >1000 µg/L shortly after smoking, whereas minor cannabinoids are detected at 10-fold and metabolites at 1000-fold lower concentrations. OF research over the past decade demonstrated that appropriate interpretation of test results requires a comprehensive understanding of distinct elimination profiles and detection windows for different cannabinoids, which are influenced by administration route, dose, and drug use history. Thus, each drug testing program should establish cut-off criteria, collection/analysis procedures, and storage conditions tailored to its purposes. Building a scientific basis for OF testing is ongoing, with continuing OF cannabinoids research on passive environmental exposure, drug use history, donor physiological conditions, and oral cavity metabolism needed to better understand mechanisms of cannabinoid OF disposition and expand OF drug testing applicability. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells into Blood

Embryonic stem (ES) cells can be maintained as pluripotent stem cells or induced to differentiate into many different somatic cell types. As ES-derived somatic cells can potentially be used for cell transplantation or cell-based therapy, ES cells have gained much scientific and general public attention. Successful derivation of blood from ES cells for tissue engineering will require a comprehensive understanding of inductive signals and downstream effectors involved in blood lineage development. Ideally, directed differentiation of ES cells into blood and isolation of pure hematopoietic progenitors will enhance our ability to utilize ES-derived blood cells for future clinical applications. The protocols provided in this unit describe methods of maintaining and differentiating mouse ES cells as well as identifying and isolating hematopoietic progenitors by utilizing flow cytometry and progenitor assays.
Chapter 5.1 Five-membered ring systems: Thiophenes & Se, Te analogs

Publisher Summary Major advancements have been made in the chemistry of thiophenes, benzothiophenes, and related fused heterocyclic derivatives. Likewise, large amount of development have been made in the new methods for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of thiophene and benzothiophene. Several reports on various electronic, physical, and electrochemical properties of thiophenes, especially involving polymeric thiophene-containing materials are discussed in this chapter. The unique electronic and physical properties of the thiophene ring make it a useful building block in polymer chemistry. The syntheses of a variety of thiophene-containing oligomers have been reported, many of which demonstrate additional examples of ring substitution chemistry.
MEASUREMENTS OF THERMAL UPDRAFT INTENSITY OVER COMPLEX TERRAIN USING AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS AND A SIMPLE BOUNDARY-LAYER FORECAST MODEL

An examination of boundary-layer meteorological and avian aerodynamic theories sug- gests that soaring birds can be used to measure the magnitude of vertical air motions within the boundary layer. These theories are applied to obtain mixed-layer normalized thermal updraft intensity over both flat and complex terrain from the climb rates of soaring American white pelicans and from diagnostic boundary-layer model-produced estimates of the boundary-layer depth zi and the convective velocity scale w∗. Comparison of the flatland data with the profiles of normalized updraft velocity obtained from previous studies reveals that the pelican-derived measurements of thermal updraft intensity are in close agreement with those obtained using traditional research aircraft and large eddy simulation (LES) in the height range of 0.2 to 0.8 zi . Given the success of this method, the profiles of thermal vertical velocity over the flatland and the nearby mountains are compared. This comparison shows that these profiles are statistically indistinguishable over this height range, indicating that the profile for thermal updraft intensity varies little over this sample of complex terrain. These observations support the findings of a recent LES study that explored the turbulent structure of the boundary layer using a range of terrain specifications. For terrain similar in scale to that encountered in this study, results of the LES suggest that the terrain caused less than an 11% variation in the standard deviation of vertical velocity.
Students’ functioning while studying abroad: The impact of psychological distress and loneliness.

Abstract Previous research has indicated that experiencing stress while traveling abroad is a rather common occurrence. Students studying abroad at Loyola University's Rome Center during the 2004 fall semester and the 2007 spring semester completed surveys, which examined aspects of psychological distress, loneliness, and functioning while abroad. These studies found that students experiencing more psychological distress and more loneliness demonstrated lower levels of functioning while studying abroad and this relationship was found at different time points in the semester. The results of this study should be reviewed by study abroad programs and used to enhance students’ experiences while abroad by providing intercultural training and offering mental health resources for students abroad.
PART I: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF “THE MYTH OF NUCLEAR DETERRENCE”

Several years ago, Ward Wilson presented in this journal a wide-ranging challenge to what every generation of national security scholars and practitioners since the end of World War II has been taught about nuclear weapons. He asserted that nuclear deterrence amounts to far less than its proponents have claimed and provocatively suggested that nuclear deterrence is a myth. Relying upon both empirical and theoretical objections to nuclear deterrence, he concluded that its failures were clear-cut and indisputable, whereas its successes were speculative. Yet in spite of a flourishing trade in scholarly articles, think tank reports, blog posts, and opinion pieces concerning nuclear deterrence, nobody—including nuclear weapons scholars—has ventured more than a limited critique of Wilson's essay. There are, however, serious shortcomings in Wilson's arguments—deficiencies that make his essay an unpersuasive brief against nuclear deterrence. Wilson's thesis could be correct. His arguments, however, are unlikely t...
Determination of 16S ribosomal RNA gene copy number in Streptococcus uberis, S. agalactiae, S. dysgalactiae and S. parauberis

Species-specific oligonucleotide probes and a universal oligonucleotide probe derived from sequences of 16S rRNA were hybridised to chromosomal DNA from Streptococcus agalactiae, S. dysgalactiae, S. parauberis and S. uberis following digestion with EcoRI. Due to the presence of a unique EcoRI site in each 16S rRNA gene, the number of hybridised fragments was indicative of the number of 16S rRNA genes. Southern hybridisation indicated six 16S rRNA genes in ten isolates of S. agalactiae, five genes in ten isolates of S. uberis, five genes in six isolates and six in another isolate of S. dysgalactiae, and six genes in four isolates of S. parauberis. For a fifth isolate of S. parauberis, six 16S rRNA genes were indicated by the universal probe but only five when hybridised to the species-specific probe, indicating sequence variation (microheterogeneity) within the probe target region.
Tunneling at ν T = 1 in quantum Hall bilayers

Interlayer tunneling measurements in the strongly correlated bilayer quantized Hall phase at ν_T = 1 are reported. The maximum, or critical, current for tunneling at ν_T = 1 is shown to be a well-defined global property of the coherent phase, insensitive to extrinsic circuit effects and the precise configuration used to measure it, but also exhibiting a surprising scaling behavior with temperature. Comparisons between the experimentally observed tunneling characteristics and a recent theory are favorable at high temperatures, but not at low temperatures where the tunneling closely resembles the dc Josephson effect. The zero-bias tunneling resistance becomes extremely small at low temperatures, vastly less than that observed at zero magnetic field, but nonetheless remains finite. The temperature dependence of this tunneling resistance is similar to that of the ordinary in-plane resistivity of the quantum Hall phase.
Interleukins 2 and 15 Regulate Ets1 Expression via ERK1/2 and MNK1 in Human Natural Killer Cells

Interleukins (IL)-2 and IL-15 regulate natural killer (NK) cell proliferation, survival, and cytolytic activity. Ets1 is a transcription factor expressed early in NK cell differentiation. Because IL-2Rβ, IL-2Rγ, IL-15, and Ets1 knock-out mice similarly lack NK cells, we explored a molecular connection between IL-2R signaling and Ets1. Here we report the post-transcriptional regulation of Ets1 by IL-2R signaling in human NK cells. IL-2 and IL-15 stimulation leads to increased Ets1 protein levels with no significant change in mRNA levels. Pulse and pulse-chase experiments show that IL-2 stimulation results in both a marked increase in the nascent translation of Ets1 and an increased protein half-life. Pharmacological inhibition of MEK specifically blocks IL-2- and IL-15-induced translation, whereas p38, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and mTOR inhibitors had no effect on Ets1 levels. Fli1, an Ets family member, exhibited a different mechanism of regulation, illustrating the specificity of IL-2R β and γ subunit signaling on the regulation of Ets1 expression. Expression of a dominant negative form of MNK1, a regulator of the translation initiation factor eIF4E, blocks the expression of Ets1 as do the dominant negative forms of the common IL-2R β and γ chains. Expression of Ets1 is regulated similarly in normal peripheral human NK cells. Taken together, our findings provide a direct link between IL-2R subunit signaling and Ets1 expression and helps to explain the interdependence of the IL-2R subunits and Ets1 for NK cell development and function.
The Costs of Using E-Diesel to Reduce Emissions from Agricultural Machinery

ABSTRACT E-Diesel is an alternative diesel fuel developed to lower emissions and meet more stringent regulatory standards in the future. It is a diesel blend composed of ethanol, standard #2 diesel, and a fuel additive which prevents separation of the ethanol and diesel while also providing beneficial lubricity and ignition attributes. This paper examines the on-farm economic costs of using E-diesel in agricultural machinery, based on data collected from an on-farm experimental program. Results show that E-Diesel use in agricultural machinery may increase an individual farm's cost of production by a range of $0.30 to $1.78 per hectare due to the higher fuel consumption and its higher estimated price. Nevertheless, E-diesel is found to be cost competitive with other emission reducing alternatives such as exhaust control technologies and biodiesel. Furthermore, corn producers can potentially recover the higher costs if E-Diesel is further utilized in both off-road and on-road markets, which may then expand ...
Handling Very Large Lecture Courses: Keeping the Wheels on the Bus III (Abstract Only)

As classes grow beyond hundreds or even a thousand students, instructors must come to grapple with handling course logistics at scale. Otherwise mundane tasks can no longer be handled in an ad hoc way, and standard course design challenges become more acute. Just to name a few issues, the instructor might have to contend with: Providing timely effective feedback to students, exam scheduling, recruiting and managing a teaching staff that consists of dozens of people, ensuring consistency of grading, identifying and providing interventions for struggling students, providing a consistent policy for makeup work, and creating many types of course content (e.g. lab, HW, discussion section) that allows for an efficient path to mastery for each student regardless of diverse backgrounds and ability. If you have good ideas for handling these issues you'd like to share, or just want to learn what others are doing, come join us! Discussion will ideally include staffing techniques, technologies (including automated assessments), and ways of developing course content. A master list of such tips, as well as a retrospective summary, will be compiled and provided to the SIGCSE community at http://tinyurl.com/wotb2017.
The use of control groups in evaluating regional economic policy

Abstract A major difficulty in measuring the impact of regional policy is the identification of what would have happened in the absence of the policy. Regional science may benefit from the use of quasi-experimental approaches. The specific method presented here combines the concept of control groups with the widely used shift-share framework for evaluating regional policy. Control areas are selected on the basis of their similarity to the aided region in the pre-policy period. The resulting method is sensitive to changing cyclical conditions and other exogeneous factors and traces out the time pattern of impacts.
Common postoperative pulmonary complications after hysterectomy for benign indications

Objective The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications after hysterectomy for benign indications. Study Design This was a retrospective cohort study of all women who underwent hysterectomy for benign indications at the Cleveland Clinic from Jan. 1, 2001, to Dec. 31, 2009. Exclusion criteria incorporated patients who underwent hysterectomy for premalignant or malignant conditions. Pulmonary complications were defined as postoperative pneumonia, respiratory failure, atelectasis, and pneumothorax based on International Classification of Diseases , Ninth Revision, codes. Results In the 9-year study period, 3226 women underwent hysterectomy for benign indications (abdominal, 38.4%; vaginal, 39.3%; laparoscopic, 22.3%). Ten of the 3226 women (0.3%; 95% confidence interval, 0.17–0.57%) who underwent hysterectomy were identified with postoperative pulmonary complications. Among the different types of hysterectomy, the incidence of pulmonary complications was not different (total abdominal hysterectomy, 0.9%; vaginal hysterectomy, 0.12%; laparoscopic hysterectomy, 0.9%; P = .8). Conclusion The incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications after hysterectomy for benign indications is low.
A signal processing method for improving the accuracy of MEMS gyroscopes

A technique is proposed whereby MEMS gyroscopes can be used to make accurate angular rate measurements. In this technique, signal processing techniques are used to combine the relatively inaccurate outputs of a large number of MEMS gyroscopes into a single accurate output without requiring an excessive amount of computation. First, averaging is used to combine sets of gyroscope outputs so that the effect of additive noises and noise due to parameter uncertainties is reduced. The several outputs thus formed are then combined into a single output by a dynamic element matching technique which essentially combines the noises due to random bias, white noise, and noise due to parameter uncertainties into a single measurement noise. The single output from the dynamic element matching process is sent to an extended Kalman filter for final processing. Each step of the process decreases the noise magnitudes or their effect on the accuracy of the gyroscopes; and therefore for an appropriate number of gyroscopes, a desired accuracy should be achievable. The system designer should also be able to control such additional design factors such as multiple signal `fan-in' and reliability. The technique presented in this paper is new and additional work is on-going to determine its practical value.
An established porcine model for animate training in diagnostic and therapeutic ERCP.

Traditionally, training in ERCP has consisted of texts and atlases, videotape presentations, didactic presentations, and li~e demonstrations. Recenlly, attempts have been made to develop simulators to provide additional practical experience. Simulators may actually be able to provide significant psychomotor conditioning and shorten the learning curve; however. current s imulators stiU fall short of true real·time realistic simulation, and provide only a .limited variety of clinical situations (8-12).
Subject indicators to present the nature and limit of environmental studies in US graduate schools

The purpose of this paper is to examine subjects to show the nature and limit of interdisciplinary communication in existing environmental programmes in US graduate schools. Ultimately, this analysis may provide more effective communication with the general public. Following comparative historical reviews of both the sciences and the human activity for environmental protection, and a content analysis of empirical documents used by the public, a mushroom computer model has been produced. This model is based on organizational behaviour theory and contains the following 15 subjects which were originally introduced before the lack of communication resulting from ‘curriculum failure’ in the 19th century: philosophy, politics, economics, architecture, sociology, biology, medicine, agriculture, ecology, public health, mathematics, physics, chemistry, geology, statistics. The subjects should foster effective communication with the general public, leading to more effective environmental protection.
EGFR Tyrosine 845 Phosphorylation-Dependent Proliferation and Transformation of Breast Cancer Cells Require Activation of p38 MAPK

Phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on tyrosine 845 by c-Src has been shown to be important for cell proliferation and migration in several model systems. This cross talk between EGFR and Src family kinases (SFKs) is one mechanism for resistance to EGFR inhibitors both in cell models and in the clinic. Here, we show that phosphorylation of tyrosine 845 on EGFR is required for proliferation and transformation using several cell models of breast cancer. Overexpression of EGFR-Y845F or treating cells with the SFK inhibitor dasatinib abrogated tyrosine 845 phosphorylation, yet had little to no effect on other EGFR phosphorylation sites or EGFR kinase activity. Abrogation of Y845 phosphorylation inhibited cell proliferation and transformation, even though extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and Akt remained active under these conditions. Importantly, cotransfection of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase 3 and p38 MAPK restored cell proliferation in the absence of EGFR tyrosine 845 phosphorylation. Taken together, these data demonstrate a novel role for p38 MAPK signaling downstream of EGFR tyrosine 845 phosphorylation in the regulation of breast cancer cell proliferation and transformation and implicate SFK inhibitors as a potential therapeutic mechanism for overcoming EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance in breast cancer.
Experience and the Justification of Religious Belief

Perhaps you have heard the story of the philosopher who fell off the edge of a cliff and was hanging by the limb of a tree. After calling for help for some time he heard a voice from the heavens saying, ‘I am here’. The philosopher explained his dilemma and then asked, ‘Can you help me?’ The voice replied, ‘Do you believe in me?’, to which the philosopher without hesitation, given the circumstances, said, ‘Yes, of course’. The voice came back, ‘Then, let go.’ There was silence and some moments passed before the philosopher somewhat meekly replied, ‘Lord, I know that this is not the best time and place for a discussion but you know how philosophers are, and you do seem to be asking a good bit of me. I know that many of your followers in recent times would agree that I should let go, but I have this feeling that they may be confusing the doctrine of salvation by faith alone with an epistemological doctrine that faith is a commitment that requires no justification. Could we talk about this? And, in the meantime, I hope you will not be offended if I ask, Is there anyone else up there?’
Strength and Aging: An Exploratory Study

Strength measurements were administered to 52 men ranging in age from 42 to 83 years, who were then randomly assigned within their respective age group to either the Isometric-training Group (ITG) or to the Control-exercise Group (CEG). At the conclusion of a six-week training program all initial measurements were again administered. No significant differences were found in (1) strength trainability by age group, and (2) in strength trainability by muscle group when the upper-extremity-strength ratios were compared with the lower-extremity-strength ratios. When the initial and final strength scores of the ITG were subjected to a t test for correlated samples, the findings included: (1) the four age groups of the ITG experienced statistically significant gains in strength for six of the eight strength measurements, and (2) as age increased, strength trainability appeared to decrease.
Use of captions and other collateral text in understanding photographs

This research explores the interaction of textual and photographic information in image understanding. Specifically, it presents a computational model whereby textual captions are used as collateral information in the interpretation of the corresponding photographs. The final understanding of the picture and caption reflects a consolidation of the information obtained from each of the two sources and can thus be used in intelligent information retrieval tasks. The problem of building a general-purpose computer vision system without a priori knowledge is very difficult at best. The concept of using collateral information in scene understanding has been explored in systems that use general scene context in the task of object identification. The work described here extends this notion by incorporating picture specific information. A multi-stage system PICTION which uses captions to identify humans in an accompanying photograph is described. This provides a computationally less expensive alternative to traditional methods of face recognition. A key component of the system is the utilisation of spatial and characteristic constraints (derived from the caption) in labeling face candidates (generated by a face locator).
Stimulation of bovine sperm motility and respiration by the triazine dye cibacron blue F3GA

Bovine sperm motility and respiration were stimulated by the triazine dye Cibacron Blue F3GA (CB), which may operate as a nucleotide mimic. CB stimulation of respiration was half-maximal at about 35 μM and respiration reached maximal levels about 1.5 minutes after CB addition. Respiratory stimulation was preceded by a transient increase in cytosolic cAMP. Sperm cAMP titers were elevated from 5 to 10 pmoles/108 cells within 30 seconds of CB addition, but rapidly dropped to a stable level of about 7.5 pmoles/108 cells. CB was a potent inhibitor of sperm membrane adenylyl cyclase and inhibited respiration in permeabilized cells. Taken together, the data indicated that CB stimulation was not manifested via the cytosol. In addition, a nonpermeant blue dextran preparation synthesized with CB also stimulated sperm respiration and motility. CB inhibited sperm membrane phosphodiesterase activity, suggesting that the transient pulse of cAMP resulted from CB interaction with this enzyme in the sperm membrane. © 1995 wiley-Liss, Inc.
Selected mission architectures for the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF): large, medium, and small

Four teams incorporating scientists and engineers from more than 50 universities and 20 engineering firms have assessed techniques for detecting and characterizing terrestrial planets orbiting nearby stars. The primary conclusion from the effort of the past two years is that with suitable technology investment starting now, a mission to detect terrestrial planets around 150 nearby stars could be launched within a decade. Missions of smaller scale could carry out more modest programs capable of detecting and characterizing gas giant planets around tens of stars and of detecting terrestrial planets around the nearest stars.
The emulsion polymerization of 2,3‐dimethylbutadiene‐1,3

A study has been carried out on the kinetics of the emulsion polymerization of 2,3-dimethylbutadiene-1,3. The kinetic treatment of Smith and Ewart was applied for the direct determination of the absolute propagation rate constant kp. The following expression was obtained: kp = 8.9 × 107 exp {−9000/RT} liter/mole/sec. A previously developed treatment was applied to the determination of the relative and absolute crosslinking rates of 2,3-dimethylbutadiene-1,3. The results led to the following expression for the absolute crosslinking rate constant kx: kx = 3.0 × 106 exp {−14400/RT} liter/mole/sec. A comparison of these rate constants was made for the three dienes, viz., butadiene, isoprene, and dimethylbutadiene. The propagation rate constants were found to vary only by a factor of 2–3. However, the crosslinking rates were found to decrease considerably in going from butadiene to isoprene to dimethylbutadiene. This was attributed, mainly, to the decreased side-vinyl content of the latter two monomers, compared to butadiene, as well as to the steric hindrance imposed by the presence of the methyl group.
A computer-controlled anesthetic delivery system in a periodontal practice: patient satisfaction and acceptance.

Background Many dental patients are fearful about receiving intraoral injections of local anesthetic. In fact, many patients cite injections as their primary reason for avoiding dental treatment. In late 1997, however, a computerized local anesthetic delivery system was introduced to address the problems of pain and anxiety associated with these injections. The author initiated a year-long assessment study in which patients evaluated and rated injections administered with the computerized device as compared with previously administered standard injections. Methods One hundred and fifty randomly selected patients received local anesthesia delivered via the computer-controlled anesthetic delivery system. All patients had at some time received standard injections during treatment at the practice. Different types of injections were administered to all quadrants, enabling the researcher to qualify results according to injection type and location. Patient responses were recorded and evaluated to assess the levels of anxiety and pain associated with the computer-driven system. Results Overall, 71.4% of patients reported the experience to be superlative, positive, or somewhat positive. Results indicated that the system was highly preferred to traditional injection techniques, regardless of the arch and quadrant receiving the injection. Several factors may have contributed to this preference, including increased patient comfort, the nonthreatening appearance of the instrument, and the lack of residual facial numbness commonly associated with oral anesthetic injections. Clinical significance By removing the discomfort associated with the dental injection, which is a common source of patient anxiety, use of the computer-controlled anesthetic delivery system may encourage patient acceptance of recommended periodontal treatment modalities.
Electron crystallography in surface structure analysis

Surface structure analysis is an important area of research, and in recent years notable advances have been made in this field, both in improved techniques for studying surfaces and in methods of analyzing them. This review aims to summarize the techniques available, particularly those relating to electron microscopy, and also to outline one of the newest areas of development, the application of direct methods to surface structure analysis. Microsc. Res. Tech. 46:160–177, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Normal photoelectron diffraction of the Se 3d level in Se overlayers on Ni(100)

Modulations of up to a factor of 2 were observed in the Se $3d$ photoelectron intensity normal to the surface, for selenium overlayers on Ni(100), as the photon energy was varied from 90 to 240 eV. Excellent agreement of peak energies with predictions by Tong and Li was obtained for both the $c(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2)$ and $p(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2)$ structures, using the hollow-site geometry. Normal photoelectron diffraction appears to have promise as a surface structural method.