cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The sedimentary record of climatic and anthropogenic influence on the Patuxent estuary and Chesapeake Bay ecosystems

Ecological and paleoecological studies from the Patuxent River mouth reveal dynamic variations in benthic ostracode assemblages over the past 600 years due to climatic and anthropogenic factors. Prior to the late 20th century, centennial-scale changes in species dominance were influenced by climatic and hydrological factors that primarily affected salinity and at times led to oxygen depletion. Decadal-scale droughts also occurred resulting in higher salinities and migration of ostracode species from the deep chanel (Loxoconcha sp.,Cytheromorpha newportensis) into shallower water along the flanks of the bay. During the 19th century the abundance ofLeptocythere nikraveshae andPerissocytheridea brachyforma suggest increased turbidity and decreased salinity. Unprecedented changes in benthic ostracodes at the Patuxent mouth and in the deep channel of the bay occurred after the 1960s whenCythermorpha curta became the dominant species, reflecting seasonal anoxia. The change in benthic assemblages coicided with the appearance of deformities in foraminifers. A combination of increased nitrate loading due to greater fertilize use and increased fresh-water flow explains this shift. A review of the geochemical and paleoecological evidence for dissolved oxygen indicates that seasonal oxygen depletion in the main channel of Chesapeake Bay varies over centennial and decadal timescales. Prior to 1700 AD, a relatively wet climate and high freshwater runoff led to oxygen depletion but rarely anoxia. Between 1700 and 1700, progressive eutrophication occurred related to land clearance and increased sedimentation, but this was superimposed on the oscillatory pattern of oxygen depleton most likely driven by climatological and hydrological factors. It also seems probable that the four-to five-fold increase in sedimentation due to agricultural and timber activity could have contributed to an increased natural nutrient load, likely fueling the early periods (1700–1900) of hypoxia prior to widespread fertilizer use. Twentieth-century anoxia worsened in the late 1930s–1940s and again around 1970, reaching unprecedented levels in the past few decades. Decadal and interannual variability in oxygen depletion even in the 20th century is still strongly influenced by climatic processes influencing precipitation and freshwater runoff.
Insulin-independent, MAPK-dependent stimulation of NKCC activity in skeletal muscle.

Na+-K+-Cl−cotransporter (NKCC) activity in quiescent skeletal muscle is modest. However, ex vivo stimulation of muscle for as little as 18 contractions (1 min, 0.3 Hz) dramatically increased the ac...
Association Between Younger Age and Targetable Genomic Alterations and Prognosis in Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Importance Non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) diagnosed in young patients is rare, and the genomics and clinical characteristics of this disease are poorly understood. In contrast, the diagnosis of other cancers at a young age has been demonstrated to define unique disease biology. Herein, we report on the association of young age with targetable genomic alterations and prognosis in a cohort of 2237 patients with NSCLC. Objective To determine the relationship between young age at diagnosis and the presence of a potentially targetable genomic alteration, disease prognosis, and natural history. Design, Setting, and Participants A cohort of all 2237 patients with NSCLC who were genotyped at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute between January 2002 and December 2014 were identified. Tumor genotype, patient characteristics, and clinical outcomes were collected and studied at a National Cancer Institute–designated comprehensive cancer center. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between age and mutation status, and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were fitted for survival analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures The frequency of targetable genomic alterations by defined age categories as well as the association of these age groups with survival. Age categories used in this analysis were younger than 40, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, and 70 years or older. Results A cohort of 2237 patients with NSCLC was studied. Of the 2237 participants, 1939 (87%) had histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma, 269 (12%) had NSCLC not otherwise specified, and 29 (1%) had squamous histologic findings; 1396 (63%) had either stage IIIB or IV cancers; and median (range) age was 62 (20-95) years. We found that gene mutations for EGFR ( P = .02) and ALK ( P ERBB2 ( P = .15) and ROS1 ( P = .10) but not BRAF V600E ( P = .43). Among patients tested for all 5 targetable genomic alterations (n = 1325), younger age was associated with an increased frequency of a targetable genotype ( P Conclusions and Relevance Younger age is associated with an increased likelihood of harboring a targetable genotype and is an underappreciated clinical biomarker in NSCLC. The survival of young patients with NCSLC is unexpectedly poor compared with other age groups, suggesting more aggressive disease biology. These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive genotyping, including next-generation sequencing, in younger patients with lung cancer.
Smoking, Secondhand Smoke, and Cardiovascular Disease

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable cardiovascular disease (CVD). Epidemiologic and biologic evidence consistently demonstrates that smokers have an increased risk of CVD compared to nonsmokers. Both cardiac and extracardiac CVDs are more prevalent among smokers. Secondhand smoke is an important cause of CVD in nonsmokers. Secondhand smoke increases the risk of CVD by at least 30%, and given that a large part of the population is still breathing secondhand smoke, it is vital to counsel patients to avoid secondhand smoke exposure. The effects of tobacco smoke on the cardiovascular system accrue over a short period of time and are synergistic with other established cardiovascular risk factors. Tobacco smoke affects the cardiovascular system within minutes of exposure. Smokers and nonsmokers should be aware of this fact. Smokers should be encouraged to quit, and nonsmokers should fight for smoke-free environments. Every smoker should be encouraged to quit and every patient should be informed about the harmful effects of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. Smoking cessation has been proven to decrease mortality, regardless of age at quitting or disease stage. Several pharmacologic agents are now available to help patients quit. Pharmacotherapy is more likely to be effective if complemented with behavioral counseling. Secondhand smoke counseling will increase the likelihood of quitting for a smoker and encourage nonsmokers to advocate for smoke-free environments. At the very least, physicians should refer smokers to a quit line. Options should be discussed with the patient and behavioral treatment should be encouraged as it increases the likelihood of success. Smoking cessation is also effective in reducing CVD mortality. The excess risk of myocardial infarction (MI) is reduced by 50% within 1 year of quitting. Physicians should become tobacco control activists. A comprehensive tobacco control program, that includes taxation, smoke-free environments, and exposing the tobacco industry, has been shown to be effective in decreasing smoking prevalence and cardiovascular disease mortality. Physicians should become actively involved in the fight against tobacco. The mechanisms by which tobacco smoke leads to CVD include platelet activation, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, altered lipid levels and metabolism, and hemodynamic effects. These effects interact with each other and are synergistic with other established CVD risk factors (e.g., obesity, diabetes). Some of these effects occur soon after exposure has happened; as little as half an hour of SHS exposure leads to platelet and endothelial dysfunction. A comprehensive tobacco control program reduces CVD mortality. Smoke-free environments are among the most effective measures to reduce CVD mortality. In addition to protecting nonsmokers from secondhand smoke, these environments make it easier for smokers to cut down or quit. Physicians should become active tobacco control advocates.
Advanced Engine Designs and Concepts Beyond the Geared Turbofan

The fundamental aircraft engine performance design drivers of propulsive efficiency, cycle thermal efficiency, and engine thrust to weight, along with underlying operational considerations of safety, reliability, and cost, have produced today's state-of-the-art high bypass ratio turbofan found on virtually all commercial aircraft. These same engine performance parameters will continue to drive future aircraft propulsion system design, but will likely require significant changes in engine architecture and engine/airframe integration. Concepts such as the open rotor, distributed propulsion, electric and hybrid gas turbine/electric propulsion, and boundary layer ingestion could significantly alter the way future aircraft appear to the average passenger. Less visibly, alternate engine thermodynamic cycles, such as pressure gain combustion, alternative fuels, and real-time engine health and performance monitoring may also work to improve engine performance. This chapter examines the role that various advanced propulsion concepts may have in continuing the steady improvement in aircraft propulsion performance that has taken place over the last 100+ years and how these concepts can contribute to reducing the environmental impact of aviation. Keywords: boundary layer ingestion; detonation; distributed propulsion; electric propulsion; gas turbine; intercooling; jet engine; open rotor; precooling; pressure gain combustion; propulsion; propulsive efficiency; pulsed combustion; recuperation; smart engines; thermal efficiency; turbofan; turbojet; turboprop
Engineered Zinc Finger Nucleases for Targeted Genome Editing

Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) are artificial proteins consisting of engineered zinc finger proteins fused to the FokI endonuclease domain. These nucleases bind to specific DNA recognition sites and introduce double-strand breaks (DSBs). Repair of these DSBs by normal cellular processes can be exploited to either disrupt genes or significantly increase the frequency of homologous recombination with a user-defined repair template. Several platforms have been developed that enable engineering of zinc finger proteins that bind with high affinity and specificity to 9–18 bp target DNA sequences. ZFNs have already been used in basic research, most prominently with the development of methods to efficiently modify various model organisms and cell lines.
Booming Enrollments: Survey Data

The main goal of this panel is to share survey data being collected on booming enrollments in computer science. Survey data are being collected from two source types: institutions and students. The institution data are being collected through both the CRA Taulbee Survey, which represents computer science departments in North America with doctoral degrees, and the ACM NDC Survey, which represents computer science departments at U.S. 4-year and master's universities and colleges. The student data are being collected via the Data Buddies Project, run by the CRA's Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline. The institution data will allow us to answer questions such as "what 'boom' are institutions seeing and how are different types of institutions responding to this boom?" The student data will allow us to answer questions such as "why are students suddenly eager for our classes?". The survey data will help us understand (1) the intensity of the "boom" at different types of institutions, (2) how institutions are responding to the increasing demand for computing education, and (3) whether the current enrollment "boom" represents the "third bubble" or whether it is here to stay. The data will also allow us to ask questions that attempt to understand the impact of the boom on underrepresented students. Data collection is ongoing; we will present results "hot off the presses".
The Cayley-Hamilton Theorem

(1975). The Cayley-Hamilton Theorem. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 82, No. 4, pp. 390-391.
The effect of chronic sodium loading and sodium restriction on plasma and renal concentrations of prostaglandin A in normal Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive Aoki rats.

1. In normal and hypertensive rats prostaglandin A (PGA) in plasma and kidney increased on low sodium intake and decreased on high sodium intake. 2. Plasma and renal concentrations of PGA were higher in spontaneously hypertensive rats than in normal Wistar rats in each dietary group.
Records of Japanese Crane-Flies (Diptera)

The crane-fly fauna of Japan is a very interesting one but much remains to be ascertained before we can possess a clear conception of the actual faunal constituents of the islands. The published records are grievously incomplete and comparatively few extensive collections have been made. Some years ago (Canadian Entomologist, July, 1913,—July, 1914) the writer published a series of six papers on this subject. Since that time additional material has come to hand principally through the kindness of Dr. Akio Nohira and Dr. T. Miyake and the more interesting records included in this material are given herewith to supplement our knowledge of distribution. A few Limnobiiae are redescribed in order to make their descriptions more available to American students, the original descriptions having been published in Japan in a publication not readily accessible to all students.
Understanding the Process of Contextualization

The literature on culture and education points to the importance of using students’ cultural knowledge in the teaching and learning process. While the theory of culturally relevant education has expanded in the last several decades, the practical implementation continues to lag far behind. This disparity points to the lack of tools and other resources available to assist teachers with implementation. By examining the practice of six teachers who scored high on a rubric measuring Contextualization, this pedagogical strategy was articulated into a three-step process. The findings indicate that the role of the teacher in guiding students through tasks that require cognitive processing has been missing from our understanding of this strategy. This study advances the practice of using culture in teaching by operationalizing how to use students’ cultural experiences to make academic connections.
Modulation of Opioid Analgesic Reward by Inflammatory Agents

Abstract Opioid analgesics remain excellent treatments for pain, but abuse of opioid painkillers is a significant liability to their clinical use. Curiously, chronic pain decreases the efficacy and reinforcing properties of opioid agonists through a mechanism that is poorly understood. Paradoxically, the recovery from pain may correspond with a potentiation of the rewarding effects of opioids, significantly increasing the risk of prescription opioid medication abuse and relapse to drug-seeking behavior. Unfortunately, the neurobiological mechanisms by which pain and the immune system may either protect or predispose patients to opioid abuse and relapse remain unclear. This chapter focuses on the effects of two inflammatory agents released in response to noxious stimuli, interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α, and reviews evidence that these two cytokines may both suppress and enhance the rewarding effects of morphine over time via activation of distinct signal transduction pathways and release of inflammatory mediators.
Categorical regularization: Discussion of article by Tutz and Gertheiss

This is a discussion of the article ’Regularized Regression for Categorical Data’ by Tutz and Gertheiss. As part of the discussion, I raise some questions that may suggest future research work.
Gas-Liquid Flows in Microchemical Systems

We describe flow visualization of gas-liquid flows in microchemical systems. The observations are summaries of new flow regime diagrams that provide new insight into the nature of flows (e.g., bubbly, slug, and channeling) and serve to guide the systematic design of gas-liquid microsystems. A case study of a dual-channel fluorination reactor illustrates the use of the flow regime understanding in establishing operating limits and the systematical design of multichannel devices.
Stability of discrete-time networked control systems under denial of service attacks

This paper presents stability analysis for linear discrete time networked control systems under denial of service (DoS) attacks. Packet loss due to DoS is modeled using an i.i.d Bernoulli random process such that when a packet is dropped, the controller uses the most recent successfully transmitted packet for control. Stability criteria and a network reliability threshold for stability are established. Two examples, an unstable oscillator and an inverted pendulum system, are presented to demonstrate stability and instability based on the network reliability caused by DoS attacks.
A Foucauldian Foray into the New Genetics

A Foucauldian assessment of the common presumption that genetic information is potent and thus oppressive demonstrates that the concern may be misplaced. Foucault's concept of “technologies of self” reveals that genetic power originates not only from the potency of genetic information but from the penchant of individuals to victimize themselves in the name of optimal health, enhanced intelligence, perfect babies, or would-be immortality. Rather than seeking liberation from the power of the new genetics, Foucault's reinterpretation of the ancient understanding of concern for the self offers the possibility to avoid control by the scientific discourse. His ethical response calls for resistance rather than opposition and places responsibility for resistance in the hands of the subject. Characteristically, he avoids a generalizable form of morality but clarifies that resistance includes acknowledging the human appetite for perfection and subordinating science to ethical and aesthetic matters.
A Woodland Biface Cache from the Ranch Dash 3 Site, 47-MO-828, Monroe County, Wisconsin

Archaeological investigations during the 2014 field season at the Fort McCoy military installation in Wisconsin encountered a lithic artifact cache at the Ranch Dash 3 site (47-MO-828). Radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples collected from direct association with the feature returned dates associated with the transition from the Early Woodland period into the Early Middle Woodland period. The Ranch Dash 3 cache was recovered in the course of a controlled professional investigation, and while these blanks may have been cached for future biface production, they were most likely left behind because they were not of sufficient quality to merit further transport.
Gordimer’s Pathologies

This article explores significant patterns in Nadine Gordimer’s fiction through a focus on the concept of pathology. The idea is to trace how some of the characteristic pathologies in her work are generated and structured. By way of conceptual clarification, some of the claims and liabilities of surface reading are evaluated. The key here is to understand a transactional relationship between ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ readings, particularly in the differential space of the boundary that Gordimer’s work inhabits. Partly this generates dynamics that apply to her characters, but also to her fiction in general: pathology is not only its subject, but also what it is subject to. In this vein, the article traces other patterns – for instance, a mobile dialectic across the course of Gordimer’s career between vertical and horizontal versions of the uncanny. This has implications not only for the transition from the apartheid to post-apartheid periods in South Africa, but also to more globalised settings.
Hormonal treatment (HT) and late recurrence in early-stage breast cancer (BC) patients.

563 Background: BC patients who are disease free after 5 years (Y) of diagnosis still remain at risk of developing a late recurrence. We assessed the effect of HT on the risk of late recurrence in ...
Truck freight demand elasticity with respect to tolls in New York State

Abstract Road pricing is an important travel demand management strategy and its effects on transportation system has been widely investigated. Toll elasticity has been derived in the existing literature to characterize its effect on travel demand all around the world. However, very few studies have comprehensively analyzed the effect of tolls on freight transportation, which plays an increasingly important role in social and economic activities. To enrich the understanding of freight travel demand, this study conducted a stated preference survey on freight carriers who routinely use toll facilities. A regression model about freight carriers’ stated reduction in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on toll roads is then developed. The elasticity value is derived and compared with values in existing literature. Based on the calibrated model, the VMT change in response to hypothetical toll price increases is simulated for New York State. The simulation results reveal important insights that will help policy makers design ideal freight demand management strategies.
Exertion and pain do not alter coordination variability in runners with iliotibial band syndrome.

Abstract Background Iliotibial band syndrome is a common overuse running injury which results in altered mechanics. While injuries alter discrete mechanics, they may also cause a change in coordination variability, the stride-to-stride organization of runners' movement patterns. Uninjured and injured runners may experience a change in coordination variability during a run to exertion due to fatigue, pain, or a combination of these factors. The aim of the current study was to determine if runners with iliotibial band syndrome and uninjured runners display different segment coordination variability across the course of a run to exertion. Methods 3D kinematics were collected as 13 uninjured runners and 12 runners with iliotibial band syndrome ran on a treadmill. A modified vector coding technique was used to calculate coordination variability during stance for segment couples of interest. Coordination variability was compared between uninjured and injured runners at the beginning and end of the run. The influence of pain on coordination variability was also examined. Findings There were no differences in coordination variability at the beginning or end of the run between uninjured runners and those with iliotibial band syndrome. The change in coordination variability due to the run was not different between uninjured runners, injured runners who experienced no change in pain, and injured runners who did experience a change in pain. Interpretation Runners do not constrain the patterns of segment motion they use in response to exertion nor does it appear that occurrence of pain during running results in a differential change in coordination variability.
Red blood cells in thrombosis

Red blood cells (RBCs) have historically been considered passive bystanders in thrombosis. However, clinical and epidemiological studies have associated quantitative and qualitative abnormalities in RBCs, including altered hematocrit, sickle cell disease, thalassemia, hemolytic anemias, and malaria, with both arterial and venous thrombosis. A growing body of mechanistic studies suggests that RBCs can promote thrombus formation and enhance thrombus stability. These findings suggest that RBCs may contribute to thrombosis pathophysiology and reveal potential strategies for therapeutically targeting RBCs to reduce thrombosis.
The use of personal digital assistants in the health sciences: results of a survey

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine how personal digital assistants (PDAs) are used on an academic health sciences campus to define the level of training and support the library can provide to the students and faculty. Method: A Web-based questionnaire was developed. A total of 1,538 health sciences faculty and residents were sent an email message requesting participation. Data from the returned surveys were analyzed with SPSS. Results: Sixty-one percent of survey respondents used PDAs. The address book, date book, and calculator were the most common uses reported for PDAs. Residents also reported a high use of drug databases on their PDAs. Most survey respondents indicated they would like to learn more about clinical resources for PDAs. Conclusions: Many opportunities exist for librarians to provide training and support for PDAs, in addition to evaluation and promotion of clinical software for PDAs.
Measuring the Significance of Spatiotemporal Co-Occurrences

Spatiotemporal co-occurrences are the appearances of spatial and temporal overlap relationships among trajectory-based spatiotemporal instances with region-based geometric representations. Assessing the significance of spatiotemporal co-occurrences plays an important role in the spatiotemporal frequent pattern mining applications of moving region objects. A spatiotemporal version of the popular Jaccard measure has been used for measuring the strength of spatiotemporal co-occurrences. We will demonstrate the shortcomings of the Jaccard (J) measure when it is used for assessing the significance of co-occurrences among spatiotemporal instances with highly different spatiotemporal evolution characteristics. We will present two extended novel measures (J+ and Ja) that address the problems linked to the J measure. Our work includes algorithms for the significance measure calculations, the proofs and explanations about the key properties of measures, and a detailed experimental evaluation section. Our experiments include in-depth relevancy and running time analyses demonstrating the suitability of our proposed measures for spatiotemporal frequent pattern mining algorithms.
A Systematic Study on the Structural and Optical Properties of Vertically Aligned Zinc Oxide Nanorods Grown by High Pressure Assisted Pulsed Laser Deposition Technique

In this study, we synthesize high quality vertically aligned ZnO (VAZO) nanorods on silicon, sapphire, and indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates by using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique at high growth pressure (0.3 Torr). Systematic changes in structural and optical properties of VAZO nanorods are studied by varying the substrate temperature (500–600 °C) and number of pulsed laser shots during the deposition. ZnO nanoparticles deposited at high pressure act as nucleation sites, eliminating requirement of catalyst to fabricate VAZO nanorods. Two sharp ZnO peaks with high intensity correspond to the (0002) and (0004) planes in X-ray diffraction pattern confirm the growth of ZnO nanorods, oriented along the c-axis. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images indicate a regular arrangement of vertically aligned hexagonal closed pack nano-structures of ZnO. The vertical alignment of ZnO nanorods is also supported by the presence of E2 (high) and A1 (LO) modes in Raman spectra. We can tune the diameter of VAZO nanorods by changing growth temperature and annealing environments. Photoluminescence spectroscopy illustrates reduction in defect level peak intensities with increase in diameter of VAZO nanorods. This study signifies that high pressure PLD technique can be used more efficiently for controlled and efficient growth of VAZO nanorods on different substrates.
Student Perceptions of an Online Model for Library Orientation in Agriculture and Related Disciplines

ABSTRACTOrienting students to the library, its resources, and its services is a core function of many academic librarians working in public services roles. Librarians often spend considerable time and effort developing face-to-face or online library orientation activities. Many studies have addressed the effectiveness of library orientations on student learning, yet less is known about students' attitudes toward and opinions of these orientations. This study investigated student perceptions and opinions of an online library orientation for agriculture and related disciplines. Our results indicate that students recognize the value of the online library orientation as an important part of their student experience.
Genotype-Hormone Interactions

I once heard Frank Beach tell Ethel Tobach, one of the editors of The Biopsychology of Development, that if he had had more time he could of written a shorter chapter. The chapter in question was Beach’s famous “Ramstergig” paper. There Beach noted that while the Ramstergig followed precisely certain current theories concerning the action of gonadal hormones, the rat, hamster, and guinea pig did not. In a recent paper (McGill, 1977), I carried Beach’s analysis a step further and discussed instances in which “species differences” could in fact be duplicated when genotype was varied within a particular species. My purpose at present is to enlarge upon that theme by describing specific experiments that show that different genotypes within a species differ in such items as hormonal induction of receptivity in females and retention of sexual behavior after castration in males. I shall also discuss the response of certain castrated males to the injection of different amounts of steroid hormones, although in this case within-species differences have not as yet been documented. If the chapter appears to be short, it is not because I had plenty of time to write it, but rather because there is relatively little work that has been done to date in the area of within-species genotype-hormone interactions. Thus the chapter closes with some speculations as to what future research may bring.
The Kinetic Properties of Ribulosebisphosphate Carboxylase

By a combination of isotope effects, chemical quench, and multinuclear NMR experiments, a coherent picture of the kinetic and chemical mechanism of ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase has emerged. The enzyme has a modified TheorellChance mechanism, in which CO2 adds directly to the C-2 carbanion of ribulose bisphosphate. The C-2 carbanion of ribulose bisphosphate is discrete from the ene-diol intermediate, that eliminates the C-1 phosphate on chemical quench. Tautomerization of the ene-diol to the C-2 carbanion is substantially faster than the formation of this intermediate by abstraction of the C-3 proton of ribulose bisphosphate under normal conditions of saturating CO2. The proton abstracted from C-3 of substrate is conserved and is involved in the subsequent hydration and cleavage of the 6-carbon intermediate, 2-carboxy-3-oxo-D-arabinitol bisphosphate to two molecules of 3-phosphoglycerate.
Mechanisms of Brain Morphogenesis

In structures with obvious mechanical function, like the heart and bone, the relationship of mechanical forces to growth and development has been well studied. In contrast, other than the problem of neurulation, the developmental mechanisms in the nervous system have received relatively little attention. In this review we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the physical mechanisms of morphogenesis during brain development. Specifically, we focus on two processes: formation of the primary brain vesicles and folding of the cerebral cortex.
Developing a Marker of Ischemia

Assessment of the patient with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has remained challenging despite the growing armamentarium of both diagnostic and prognostic tests. Inadvertent discharge of patients thought to be at low risk of ischemia but later found to have an ACS remains unacceptably high. Present tools (history, clinical examination, electrocardiogram, and biomarkers of necrosis) are not optimally sensitive for the identification of patients with unstable angina. Technetium-based myocardial perfusion imaging is sensitive and specific and provides proof of principle that myocardial ischemia is both detectable and actionable. However, this technology is expensive and requires significant technical expertise. Biochemical tests have historically proven to be fast, accurate, simple to perform, relatively easy to interpret, and inexpensive. All of these characteristics provide a strong argument toward development of biochemical markers of myocardial ischemia. Nevertheless, there are many challenges to this effort. The physiology is complex, and it is complicated by the issues of chronicity, timing, and severity. The absence of a “gold standard” for diagnosis of unstable angina makes comparative analyses difficult to interpret. However, if successful, the potential payback is tremendous in terms of improved clinical management and outcomes.
Exploring Alternative Methods for Error Attribution in Learning Curves Analysis in Intelligent Tutoring Systems

It is becoming a standard technique to use learning curves as part of evaluation of intelligent tutoring systems [1,2,3], but such learning curves require a method for attributing errors. That is, the method must determine for each error a student makes what “knowledge component” in the student model is to blame. To this point, alternative methods for error attribution have not been systematically investigated. We implemented four alternative methods for error attribution --two temporal heuristics and two location-temporal heuristics. We employed two evaluation standards --a statistical standard for measuring model fit and parsimony and the Kappa technique for measuring inter-observer reliability. We looked to see which method better met the “learning-curve standard” that is, led to better prediction of students' changes in error rate over time. Second, we asked if the codes generated by the methods better met the “human-match standard”, that is, were they like error attributions made by human coders. Both evaluation standards led to better results for the location-temporal heuristic methods than the temporal heuristic methods. Interestingly, we found that two of the methods proposed were better at error attribution, according to the learning curve standard, than the original cognitive model of the intelligent tutoring system. Overall, these results suggest that the heuristics proposed and implemented in this paper can generally aid learning curve analysis and perhaps, more generally, the design of student models
Measurement of T1e, T1N, T1HE, T2e, and T2HE by Pulse EPR at X-Band for Nitroxides at Concentrations Relevant to Solution DNP

Relaxation times were measured at X-band (9.5 GHz) at concentrations up to 20.8 mM for two nitroxides that are widely used in Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) experiments. Carboxy proxyl (CP, 3-carboxy-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-1-pyrrolidinyloxy) in water and tempol (TP, 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl) in toluene have been studied with oxygen removed. For comparison, solutions of CP were also studied in air-saturated solution, which is the typical preparation for ODNP experiments. T2 and T2HE (HE = Heisenberg exchange) were measured by electron spin echo. The spin magnetization recovery time constant from inversion recovery experiments, which we denote as T1e*, includes contributions from T1e and T1HE. In the absence of oxygen, values of T1e* for both radicals decrease with increasing concentration up to ~ 1 mM, then increase again towards 10 mM. The concentration dependence results from changes in the relative contributions from T1e and T1HE. In air-saturated solutions of CP T1e* decreases with concentration to about 200 ns at 1 mM, and then remains independent of further concentration increases. T1e and T1N were also measured with a digital saturation recovery spectrometer. Using the combined results from spin echo, inversion recovery, and saturation recovery we could extract the values of T1e, T1HE, T1N, T2e, and T2HE for both radicals in this fast tumbling regime.
Recruiting a Circle of Friends

Upon arriving at Balgrist, and assuming his role as chief resident, Muller was eager to share the Osteosynthesis experience he had gained in Fribourg over the prior 2 years. His first lecture there was held in Winterthur for the hospital surgeons and residents. A second lecture was given at the Balgrist Clinic, with Muller inviting a number of chief residents from regional hospitals, including the chief resident for general surgery at the Zurich University Hospital. Muller shared his experience about visiting Danis, passed around his book, and talked about his surgical experiences prior to joining Balgrist. In his words, he showed them “fantastic cases” to demonstrate the then new concept of absolute stability with compression, combined with early mobility of the affected limbs. Muller was astounded to find his audience unimpressed. Worse, even those who he could motivate to visit Danis in person came away with a kind of “we found nothing to learn” reaction.
Control Self-Assessment and Costs of Compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404

ABSTRACT Control self-assessment (CSA) represents the practice of making operational-level managers responsible for internal control monitoring. We investigate the association between the use of CS...
Antitrust implications of patent settlements involving reverse payments: Defending a rebuttable presumption of illegality in light of some recent scholarship

* Professor of Law and Director of the Intellectual Property Program, University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law. I would like to thank, for their comments and criticism, William Adkinson, Daniel Crane, Lyrissa Lidsky, Lars Noah, and other colleagues who attended a faculty workshop at the University of Florida at which I presented an earlier version of this paper. Any errors that remain are mine. 1 See Roger D. Blair 8c Thomas F. Cotter, Are Settlements of Patent Disputes Illegal Per Sel 47 Antitrust Bull. 491, 517-20 (2002); Thomas F. Cotter, Refining the "Presumptive Illegality " Approach to Settlements of Patent Disputes Involving Reverse Payments: A Commentary on Hovenkamp, Janis a? Lemley, 87 Minn. L. Rev. 1789 (2003). For other discussions, see David A. Balto, Pharmaceutical Patent Settlements: The Antitrust Risks, 708 PLI/Pat 89 (JuneJuly 2002); Joseph F. Brodley & Maureen O'Rourke, Preliminary Views: Patent Settlement Agreements, 16 Antitrust 53 (2002); Yee Wah Chin & Thomas G. Krattenmaker, Antitrust Update, 2 Mergers & Acquisitions TaxJ. 30, 37-38 (2001); Daniel A. Crane, Exit Payments in Settlement of Patent Infringement Lawsuits: Antitrust Rules and Economic Applications, 54 Fla. L. Rev. 747, 752 (2002); Richard J. Gilbert 8c Willard K. Tom, Is Innovation King at the Antitrust Agencies? The Intellectual Property Guidelines Five Years Later, 69 Antitrust L.J. 43, 74-79 (2001); Herbert Hovenkamp et al., Anticompetitive Settlement of Intellectual Property Disputes, 87 Minn. L. Rev. 1719 (2003); Jonathan M. Lave, Responding to Patent Litigation Settlements: Does the FTC Have It Right Yeti, 64 U. Pitt. L. Rev. 201 (2002); Thomas B. Leary, Antitrust Issues in the Settlement of Pharmaceutical Patent Disputes, Prepared Remarks Before the Sixth Annual Health Care Antitrust Forum, Northwestern University School of Law, Nov. 3, 2000, available at www.ftc.gov/ speeches/leary/learypharma.htm; Thomas B. Leary, Antitrust Issues in the Settlement of Pharmaceutical Patent Disputes Part II, 34 J. Health L. 657 (2001); Kevin D. McDonald, Patent Settlements and Payments that Flow the "Wrong" Way: The Early History of a Bad Idea, 15 Antitrust Health Care Chron. (ABA Section of Antitrust Law Newsletter) 2, 12-13 (2002); M. Howard Morse, Settlement of Intellectual Property Disputes in the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industries: Antitrust Rules, 10 Geo. Mason L. Rev. 359 (2002); Maureen A. O'Rourke & Joseph F. Brodley, An Incentives Approach to Patent Settlements: A Commentary on Hovenkamp, Janis & Lemley, 87 Minn. L. Rev. 1767 (2003); Carl Shapiro, Antitrust Limits to Patent Settlements, 34 RAND
Femtosecond optical imaging of nanostructures using ultrafast ultramicroscopy (Conference Presentation)

Imaging transient dynamics of materials and light-matter interaction at the nanoscale is of great interest to the study of condensed phase dynamics and to the field of nano-photonics. However, optical interrogation of the ultrafast dynamics of nanostructures has not been demonstrated as they are diffraction limited. Furthermore, optical methods are limited due to the low scattering of nanostructures and the strong background reflection. Accordingly, The ultrafast imaging of laser induced nanostructure melting was demonstrated via femtosecond x-ray diffraction imaging which provided relatively high temporal (~10 ps) and high spatial (~10 nm) resolution. However, this technique suffers from the inherent difficulty of using a femtosecond X-ray laser source and the damaging nature of the femtosecond X-ray laser probe required for single-shot imaging. Consequently, X-ray pump-probe imaging was never used to image the re-solidification dynamics of surface structures. On the other hand, cryo-electron microscopy achieved sub-nanometer resolution for single particles, however, it requires experiments to be performed in vacuum with highly specialized and costly instrumentation. Here, we we employ a time-resolved variant of ultramicroscopy that we recently developed to study the ultrafast dynamics of laser ablated surfaces. The technique is non-destructive and allows us to compare the transient image with the initial/final image. Accordingly, we determine the characteristic times for melting and re-solidification of nanostructures using optical wavelengths. We also study the formation and melting of Si nanostructures and image, for the first time, the process of non-thermal melting which occurs on the sub-picosecond time scale.
DyNet-LCCA: a simulation framework for dynamic network-level life- cycle cost analysis in evolving infrastructure systems

Civil infrastructure systems transform over the long-term due to complex interactions among socio-environmental stressors, degradation of physical networks, and decision-making processes of infrast...
Evaluating blood–brain barrier permeability in a rat model of type 2 diabetes

This is an exploratory study using a novel imaging modality, quantitative ultrashort time-to-echo, contrast enhanced (QUTE-CE) magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate the permeability of the blood–brain barrier in a rat model of type 2 diabetes with the presumption that small vessel disease is a contributing factor to neuropathology in diabetes. The BBZDR/Wor rat, a model of type 2 diabetes, and age-matched controls were studied for changes in blood–brain barrier permeability. QUTE-CE, a quantitative vascular biomarker, generated angiographic images with over 500,000 voxels that were registered to a 3D MRI rat brain atlas providing site-specific information on blood–brain barrier permeability in 173 different brain areas. In this model of diabetes, without the support of insulin treatment, there was global capillary pathology with over 84% of the brain showing a significant increase in blood–brain barrier permeability over wild-type controls. Areas of the cerebellum and midbrain dopaminergic system were not significantly affected. Small vessel disease as assessed by permeability in the blood–brain barrier in type 2 diabetes is pervasive and includes much of the brain. The increase in blood–brain barrier permeability is a likely contributing factor to diabetic encephalopathy and dementia.
Auto-predication of critical branches

Advancements in branch predictors have allowed modern processors to aggressively speculate and gain significant performance with every generation of increasing out-of-order depth and width. Unfortunately, there are branches that are still hard-to-predict (H2P) and mis-speculation on these branches is severely limiting the performance scalability of future processors. One potential solution to mitigate this problem is to predicate branches by substituting control dependencies with data dependencies. Predication is very costly for performance as it inhibits instruction level parallelism. To overcome this limitation, prior works selectively applied predication at run-time on H2P branches that have low confidence of branch prediction. However, these schemes do not fully comprehend the delicate trade-offs involved in suppressing speculation and can suffer from performance degradation on certain workloads. Additionally, they need significant changes not just to the hardware but also to the compiler and the instruction set architecture, rendering their implementation complex and challenging. In this paper, by analyzing the fundamental trade-offs between branch prediction and predication, we propose Auto-Predication of Critical Branches (ACB) --- an end-to-end hardware-based solution that intelligently disables speculation only on branches that are critical for performance. Unlike existing approaches, ACB uses a sophisticated performance monitoring mechanism to gauge the effectiveness of dynamic predication, and hence does not suffer from performance inversions. Our simulation results show that, with just 386 bytes of additional hardware and no software support, ACB delivers 8% performance gain over a baseline similar to the Skylake processor. We also show that ACB reduces pipeline flushes because of mis-speculations by 22%, thus effectively helping both power and performance.
Does Participation in Simulations Improve NBRC Score, Increase Confidence, and Enhance Critical Thinking Skills for Respiratory Care Students?

Background: Using simulations as a teaching method for respiratory care students is a growing trend among respiratory care programs. The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not students who participate in simulations during their time in a respiratory program have improved test scores and pass rates, increase confidence, and enhance critical thinking skills. The graduates who participated in simulations underwent a change from the traditional teaching method to a flipped classroom style of teaching. Additionally, these same graduates took the NBRC exam which was updated in 2015. Methods: A 10 question survey was sent to graduates from the years 2012 through 2017 of a respiratory care program. The graduates from the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 were not actively involved in simulations as part of the education. The graduates from years 2015, 2016 and 2017 were scheduled multiple simulation days each semester as part of the clinic course. The graduates from the classes that were involved in simulations were asked if they believed participation in simulations increased confidence, as well as critical thinking skills, while the graduates that were not involved in simulations were asked if they felt simulations would have increased confidence and critical thinking skills. Additionally, information was obtained from the NBRC regarding graduates from this program that graduated in the years stated above. Information assessed included year graduated and graduates’ credentials. Results: Survey results revealed graduates who participated in simulations felt it increased their confidence as well as critical thinking skills; whereas the graduates who did not participate in simulations felt that participating would have increased their confidence and critical thinking skills. The NBRC results revealed the following information: of the graduates that participated in simulations, 21% are CRT, 61% are RRT and 18% are not credentialed. Of the graduates that did not participate, 23% are CRT, 54% obtained the RRT credentials and 23% are not credentialed. Conclusions: The use of simulations as a teaching tool in respiratory care programs, not only improves NBRC exam pass rates, but also increases confidence and critical thinking skills in respiratory care students.