cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-Low Split: Divergent Cognitive Construal Levels Triggered by Digital and Non-digital Platforms

The present research investigated whether digital and non-digital platforms activate differing default levels of cognitive construal. Two initial randomized experiments revealed that individuals who completed the same information processing task on a digital mobile device (a tablet or laptop computer) versus a non-digital platform (a physical print-out) exhibited a lower level of construal, one prioritizing immediate, concrete details over abstract, decontextualized interpretations. This pattern emerged both in digital platform participants' greater preference for concrete versus abstract descriptions of behaviors as well as superior performance on detail-focused items (and inferior performance on inference-focused items) on a reading comprehension assessment. A pair of final studies found that the likelihood of correctly solving a problem-solving task requiring higher-level "gist" processing was: (1) higher for participants who processed the information for task on a non-digital versus digital platform and (2) heightened for digital platform participants who had first completed an activity activating an abstract mindset, compared to (equivalent) performance levels exhibited by participants who had either completed no prior activity or completed an activity activating a concrete mindset.
Encephalopathy and an elevated serum aluminum level in a patient receiving intravesical alum irrigation for severe urinary hemorrhage.

AbstractIntravesical alum irrigation is reported to be an effective and relatively safe means of controlling severe urinary hemorrhage. We describe a patient who experienced severe encephalopathy, metabolic acidosis and unexplained coagulopathy while receiving continuous intravesical alum irrigation. The serum aluminum level was elevated. The probable role of alum absorption from the bladder as the etiology of the encephalopathy and metabolic abnormalities, as well as the pathophysiology of aluminum metabolism are discussed. Guidelines for the use of intravesical alum irrigation in patients at high risk for the development of these abnormalities are proposed.
Hypospadias and maternal exposure to atrazine via drinking water in the National Birth Defects Prevention study

Hypospadias is a relatively common birth defect affecting the male urinary tract. It has been suggested that exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals might increase the risk of hypospadias by interrupting normal urethral development. Using data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, a population-based case-control study, we considered the role of maternal exposure to atrazine, a widely used herbicide and potential endocrine disruptor, via drinking water in the etiology of 2nd and 3rd degree hypospadias. We used data on 343 hypospadias cases and 1,422 male controls in North Carolina, Arkansas, Iowa, and Texas from 1998–2005. Using catchment level stream and groundwater contaminant models from the US Geological Survey, we estimated atrazine concentrations in public water supplies and in private wells. We assigned case and control mothers to public water supplies based on geocoded maternal address during the critical window of exposure for hypospadias (i.e., gestational weeks 6–16). Using maternal questionnaire data about water consumption and drinking water, we estimated a surrogate for total maternal consumption of atrazine via drinking water. We then included additional maternal covariates, including age, race/ethnicity, parity, and plurality, in logistic regression analyses to consider an association between atrazine and hypospadias. When controlling for maternal characteristics, any association between hypospadias and daily maternal atrazine exposure during the critical window of genitourinary development was found to be weak or null (odds ratio for atrazine in drinking water = 1. 00, 95 % CI = 0.97 to 1.03 per 0.04 μg/day increase; odds ratio for maternal consumption = 1.02, 95 % CI = 0.99 to 1.05; per 0.05 μg/day increase). While the association that we observed was weak, our results suggest that additional research into a possible association between atrazine and hypospadias occurrence, using a more sensitive exposure metric, would be useful.
Is Patient Data Better Protected in Competitive Healthcare Markets

We study the effect of hospital market concentration on the quality of patient data protection practices. We use approximately 200 reported data breaches in US hospitals over the period 2006 - 2011 as a measure of the quality of patient data protection practices. We measure market concentration using Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) and estimate our models by exploiting cross-sectional HHI variation. Surprisingly, we find that increased competition is associated with a decline in the quality of patient data protection. Our main result indicates that a 100 point increase in HHI is associated with a 5% decline in the average count of data breach incidents. The results are directionally robust to a number of alternate model specifications. To explain our findings, we posit that hospitals in more competitive markets may be inclined to shift resources to more consumer visible activities from the less consumer visible activity of data protection.
Forest Age Influences In-stream Ecosystem Processes in Northeastern US

A disturbance or natural event in forested streams that alter available light can have potential consequences for nutrient dynamics and primary producers in streams. In this study, we address how functional processes (primary production and nutrient uptake) in stream ecosystems respond to changes in forest canopy structure. We focus on differences in incoming irradiance, nutrient uptake (NO3, NH4, and PO4) and open-channel metabolism seasonally in 13 forested streams that drain forests with different canopy structures (10 to >300 years old) in the northeastern United States. Light irradiance was related to forest age in a U-shaped pattern, with light being the greatest in both young open forests ( 245 years old), whereas the darkest conditions were found in the secondary growth middle-aged forests (80–158 years old). Streams that had adjacent open or old-growth riparian forest had similar conditions with greater standing stock biofilm biomass (chl a), and elevated ER in October compared to streams with middle-aged riparian forests. Compared to all sites, streams with old-growth riparian forest had the greatest in-stream primary production rates (GPP) and elevated background nutrient concentrations, and to a lesser degree, increased nutrient retention and uptake (V f). Streams draining older forests tended to be more productive and retentive than middle-aged forests, likely due to increased light availability and the age and structure of surrounding forest canopies. Middle-aged forests had the least variation in response variables compared to streams in young and old-growth riparian forests, likely a result of uniform canopy conditions. As the structure of widespread middle-aged forests in NE US is altered by loss of specific tree species, climate change, and/or human activity, it will impact in-stream production and nutrient dynamics and may ultimately alter nutrient loading in downstream catchments.
Distribution of TTX-sensitive voltage-gated sodium channels in primary sensory endings of mammalian muscle spindles

The molecular mechanisms underlying mechanosensory signaling responsible for proprioceptive functions are not completely elucidated. This study provides the first evidence that voltage-gated sodium...
The Future of Supply Chain Information Systems: The Open Source Ecosystem

The open source phenomenon has made a significant impression, not only on the software industry, but also on software-intensive organizations in both the public and private sectors. The collaborative model offered by the open source ecosystem can potentially change the collective nature of organizations and is claimed to increase innovation and technology adoption while reducing costs. These potential advantages are influencing how organizations acquire software and are leading to significant adoption of open source products across several domains. In fact, a recent Forrester Research report found that 78% of companies surveyed are running part or all of their operations on open source and 66% use open source to create software applications for their customers. Unfortunately, limited research exists regarding the implications and boundaries of open source technologies employed for supply chain management. For a firm to decide whether or not to pursue open source strategies, the field needs more research that helps us to understand how a firm’s use of open source information systems relate to flexibility, agility, operational performance, and the triple bottom line. In this brief thought piece, we describe the potential for open source software to change the nature of supply chain information systems.
Examining the Construct of Identity and Its Relevance for HRD Theory and Practice or Turning the Lens of Examining Identity Inward upon HR Professionals

This chapter draws the construct of identity into the human resources discourse. It examines identity theory, which is a robust stream of research in Sociology and Organizational Studies, in order to offer ideas about how identity relates to human resource practice. Identity is a multi-level construct that includes individual identity, personal identity, self-concept, and social identity. Each one of these aspects of identity has the potential to enrich what and how we think about human resource and career development practice. This chapter is novel because it interrogates identity from the perspective of the human resource and career development practitioner, rather than identity (mostly considered in the form of demographics, which is one but certainly not all of the ways that this chapter considers identity) from the perspective of the trainee, or employee. In other words, it examines identity of the trainer (or Organization Development (od) consultant, or executive coach, or mentor) rather than identity of the trainee (or employee, or mentee). The chapter presents a framework through which human resource and career development practitioners and scholars can visualize the relationships among and between human resource and career development practices, of human resource and career development practice, modalities (types of delivery), and implications of identity.
Structural Characterization of Atomic Layer Deposited Vanadium Dioxide

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) is a promising smart material particularly appealing for added functionality in both electronic and optical applications. We investigate the structure of VO2 films fabricated using atomic layer deposition (ALD) on c-Al2O3 substrates and the structure of the same VO2 films after an optimized anneal for 2 h at 585 °C in 10–5 Torr O2. Synchrotron-based grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) measurements revealed that the as-deposited ALD VO2 contains small crystalline inclusions of both V2O5 and VO. Ex situ annealing of the ALD VO2 film results in formation of mixed phase VO2 (predominantly M1 with indications of a small amount of M2), with a twinned monoclinic structure that is highly oriented and lattice matched to the c-Al2O3 substrate. Using in situ temperature-dependent measurements, the M1 and M2 components were shown to transition across different temperature ranges, which could account for the hysteretic behavior seen in these VO2 thin films. Additionally, these high-quali...
Why Science Education Mediates the Way We Eat

Neoliberalism is at the heart of the North American food system. This understanding drives food choices that are concomitantly embedded within education and not generally mediated by school. Neoliberalism’s metaphors of competition, individualism, and the economic mindset drive conventional farming practices, which rely heavily on synthetic herbicides and pesticides and inexpensive labor. These metaphors influence how people in North America eat, how food is produced, and how much is wasted. Around the world, many farmers use culturally and environmentally responsible methods of cultivating their produce. These trends are breaking “new ground” in North America with local, organic, responsibly nurtured, fresh, farmers’ market vegetables and fruits. This chapter explores organic market farming culture as a ‘pocket of resistance,’ a place/context for dynamic polysemic knowledge that evolves in social concert with change/adaptability, positionality/relationality, and ecological condition. The curricular trajectory of science education in the farmer’s market is a site for children to investigate whether their cultural traditions and skills serve to protect them from hyperconsumerism or overreliance on the dominant types of produce. What we eat affects how we understand and the way we behave in relation to it. Our eating has the potential to transform school science. This transformation can be an activist force in our society.
Psychology of Human Speechreading

This study reports on various aspects of human visual speech perception, or speechreading A general finding is that visual speech influences the processing of speech sounds. A first question addressed here is whether information provided by seeing the talker’s face and mouth-movements is processed mainly as visuo-spatial or as linguistic information. To investigate this, a series of experiments were carried out in which laterality effects for speechreading are examined using non-static facial images. A second issue focuses on the question which parts of a talker’s face chiefly influence speech perception. Results of experiments in which the amount of visual information was varied are discussed. The third aspect of speechreading is related to language experience. Some studies suggest that the extent to which visual speech information affects the processing of sounds might vary with cultural background. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Interaction of Stone Components with Cells and Tissues

This chapter is a review of the interaction of stone-forming materials with cells and tissues. The evidence for intratubular and interstitial locations of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate is examined; the latter mineral with particular reference to its appearance in Randall’s plaques. The mechanisms of surface adherence and nucleation of crystals are discussed, as well as the evidence for internalization of crystals by renal tubular epithelium and their further processing. The cellular consequences of crystal–cell interaction, specifically stimulation of cell division and initiation of several varieties of cell damage or death, are reviewed. The specificity of crystal–cell interaction is also covered. This includes a discussion of the features of cultured cells responsible for the reported specificity and the molecules expressed on the cell surface responsible for crystal adherence, with particular emphasis on the case of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM). The smaller amount of evidence regarding the above phenomena for other stone forming crystals – uric acid, brushite, and apatite is also reviewed. The issue of whether cell or tissue damage predisposes to stone formation is also covered; particularly the large amount of data on the toxic effects of oxalate, as well as the lesser amount of information available regarding hypercalciuria, hyperphosphaturia, and hyperuricosuria. The chapter concludes with a synthesis of the material into a comprehensive hypothesis for the initiation of stone disease through interaction of stone-forming constituents with cells and tissues.
Policing in divided societies: Officer inclusion, citizen cooperation, and crime prevention:

How does demographic inclusion in domestic security institutions affect security provision in divided societies? Police officers rely on information from citizens to identify problems and allocate ...
A Coupled Compressive Sensing Scheme for Uncoordinated Multiple Access.

This article introduces a novel communication scheme, termed coded compressed sensing, for unsourced multiple-access communication. The proposed divide-and-conquer approach leverages recent advances in compressed sensing and forward error correction to produce a novel uncoordinated access paradigm, along with a computationally efficient decoding algorithm. Within this framework, every active device partitions its data into several sub-blocks and, subsequently, adds redundancy using a systematic linear block code. Compressed sensing techniques are then employed to recover sub-blocks up to a permutation of their order, and the original messages are obtained by stitching fragments together using a tree-based algorithm. The error probability and computational complexity of this access paradigm are characterized. An optimization framework, which exploits the tradeoff between performance and computational complexity, is developed to assign parity-check bits to each sub-block. In addition, two emblematic parity bit allocation strategies are examined and their performances are analyzed in the limit as the number of active users and their corresponding payloads tend to infinity. The number of channel uses needed and the computational complexity associated with these allocation strategies are established for various scaling regimes. Numerical results demonstrate that coded compressed sensing outperforms other existing practical access strategies over a range of operational scenarios.
"Learned": Operating Systems

With operating systems being at the core of computer systems, decades of research and engineering efforts have been put into the development of OSes. To keep pace with the speed of modern hardware and application evolvement, we argue that a different approach should be taken in future OS development. Instead of relying solely on human wisdom, we should also leverage AI and machine learning techniques to automatically "learn" how to build and tune an OS. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges of the "learned" OS approach and makes recommendation for future researchers and practitioners on building such an OS.
Global Sobolev persistence for the fractional Boussinesq equations with zero diffusivity

We address the persistence of regularity for the 2D $\alpha$-fractional Boussinesq equations with positive viscosity and zero diffusivity in general Sobolev spaces, i.e., for $(u_{0}, \rho_{0}) \in W^{s,q}(\mathbb R^2) \times W^{s,q}(\mathbb R^2)$, where $s> 1$ and $q \in (2, \infty)$. We prove that the solution $(u(t), \rho(t))$ exists and belongs to $W^{s,q}(\mathbb R^2) \times W^{s,q}(\mathbb R^2)$ for all positive time $t$ for $q>2$, where $\alpha\in(1,2)$ is arbitrary.
HoneyBadgerMPC and AsynchroMix: Practical Asynchronous MPC and its Application to Anonymous Communication

Multiparty computation as a service (MPSaaS) is a promising approach for building privacy-preserving communication systems. However, in this paper, we argue that existing MPC implementations are inadequate for this application as they do not address fairness, let alone robustness. Even a single malicious server can cause the protocol to abort while seeing the output for itself, which in the context of an anonymous communication service would create a vulnerability to censorship and de-anonymization attacks. To remedy this we propose a new MPC implementation, HoneyBadgerMPC, that combines a robust online phase with an optimistic offline phase that is efficient enough to run continuously alongside the online phase. We use HoneyBadgerMPC to develop an application case study, called AsynchroMix, that provides an anonymous broadcast functionality. AsynchroMix features a novel MPC program that trades off between computation and communication, allowing for low-latency message mixing in varying settings. In a cloud-based distributed benchmark with 100 nodes, we demonstrate mixing a batch of 512 messages in around 20 seconds and up to 4096 messages in around two minutes.
Allocation of COVID-19 Relief Funding to Disproportionately Black Counties.

This study describes correlations between the dollar amount of relief funding authorized by the US Congress to fund prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to reimburse health care entities for lost revenues, and county-level Black population fraction accounting for county COVID-19 burden, comorbidity, and hospital financial health.
Identification of modified peptides using localization-aware open search.

Identification of post-translationally or chemically modified peptides in mass spectrometry-based proteomics experiments is a crucial yet challenging task. We have recently introduced a fragment ion indexing method and the MSFragger search engine to empower an open search strategy for comprehensive analysis of modified peptides. However, this strategy does not consider fragment ions shifted by unknown modifications, preventing modification localization and limiting the sensitivity of the search. Here we present a localization-aware open search method, in which both modification-containing (shifted) and regular fragment ions are indexed and used in scoring. We also implement a fast mass calibration and optimization method, allowing optimization of the mass tolerances and other key search parameters. We demonstrate that MSFragger with mass calibration and localization-aware open search identifies modified peptides with significantly higher sensitivity and accuracy. Comparing MSFragger to other modification-focused tools (pFind3, MetaMorpheus, and TagGraph) shows that MSFragger remains an excellent option for fast, comprehensive, and sensitive searches for modified peptides in shotgun proteomics data. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics is the method of choice for the global mapping of post-translational modifications, but matching and scoring peaks with unknown masses remains challenging. Here, the authors present a refined open search strategy to score all peaks with higher sensitivity and accuracy.
Bedside to bench Alport syndrome research: are human urine‐derived podocytes the answer?†

In a recent issue of The Journal of Pathology, Iampietro et al isolated and characterized several clones of urine-derived podocytes from three patients with Alport syndrome (AS) and proteinuria and one age-matched non-proteinuric control. They reported differential expression of genes involved in cell motility, adhesion, survival, and angiogenesis. The authors found AS podocytes to be less motile and to have significantly higher permeability to albumin compared to control podocytes, highlighting that AS podocytes may retain their phenotype even when losing contact with the glomerular basement membrane. The establishment of urine-derived podocyte cell lines from patients with different genetic forms of AS may represent a valuable and minimally invasive tool to investigate the cellular mechanisms contributing to kidney disease progression in AS and may allow for the establishment of patient-specific drug screening opportunities. © 2020 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lessons from a 30 year follow-up of monozygotic twins with discordant phenotype due to a ring 13 chromosomal mosaicism in one of them

At the 43rd annual meeting of the ASHG in 1993, the senior author reported monozygotic twins with discordant phenotype due to a ring 13 chromosomal mosaic syndrome in one of them. Her major manifestations included: intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), failure to thrive (FTT), delayed developmental milestones/intellectual disability (DDM/ID), left hemihypoplasia of her body with leg length discrepancy, left profound deafness due to inner ear malformation, telecanthus, dental anomalies mainly on the left side, congenital torticollis due to Klippel-Feil anomaly, 13 ribs, scoliosis, dislocation of the left hip, and distinctive left hand and feet. A blood karyotype at age 31/2 was normal. Silver-Russell syndrome was initially suspected; however, at age 4, a karyotype on skin fibroblasts showed a ring 13 chromosomal mosaicism, 46,XX,15s+/46,XX,-13,+r(13),15s+, with a higher frequency on the left side of the body. Since then, we have been involved in the management of this patient for 30 years. This has ultimately allowed us to compare her achievements with her normal monozygotic twin. In this long term follow-up, we want to emphasize the importance of: (a) early recognition of genetic syndromes, especially of mosaicisms, and of early intervention programs, (b) the involvement of different specialists in the management of patients with MCA, and (c) mentioning how familial and socioeconomic issues may limit or enhance the full potential of patients with some genetic disorders.
Perceptions of political party corruption and voting behaviour in Poland

Do perceptions of political party corruption play a significant role in vote choice? More specifically, is intention to vote for a specific party influenced by perceptions of corruption of that party, as well as by perceptions of the degree of corruption of competing parties? To determine whether perceptions of political party corruption matter at all for voters' preferences, we propose a party choice model in which we estimate the influence of perceptions of corruption of each party, net of other variables, on vote intention. We focus on Poland, and use data from the Polish Panel survey, POLPAN, 1988–2008. Our analyses indicate that perceptions of political party corruption have an effect on the decision to participate in elections, on intention to vote for a particular party and on vote choice regardless of which party is chosen. Assessments of party malfeasance matter even when other determinants of the vote are considered.
SCRATCH Trial: An Initiative to Reduce Excess Use of High-Flow Nasal Cannula.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to reduce unnecessary use of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) at lower flow rates through the implementation of a standard daily trial off HFNC at a medium-sized academic center. METHODS: We used an interprofessional quality improvement collaboration to develop and implement interventions to reduce HFNC waste in children aged 1 month to 24 months with bronchiolitis who were admitted to the inpatient ward or ICU. Key interventions included development and implementation of the Simple Cannula/Room Air Trial for Children (SCRATCH Trial), a standard trial off HFNC for eligible infants. Process measures were selected as metrics of use of the newly developed trial. The primary outcome measure was hours of treatment with ≤8 L per minute (LPM) of HFNC. Additional outcome measures included total hours of treatment with HFNC and length of stay. RESULTS: A total of 271 patients were included in this study, 131 in the preimplementation group and 140 in the postimplementation group. The mean hours of treatment below our a priori determined waste line (≤8 LPM of HFNC) decreased from 36.3 to 16.8 hours after SCRATCH Trial implementation, and mean length of stay decreased from 4.1 to 3.0 days. CONCLUSIONS: The SCRATCH Trial was successfully implemented across hospital units, with a significant reduction in hours on ≤8 LPM of flow. Rapid discontinuation of HFNC appears feasible and may be associated with a shorter length of stay.
Existing Historical Balance of Payments: A Survey

The balance-of-payments table as a statistical construct is explained. A comprehensive review of existing balance-of-payments tables covering the years 1790–1939 is presented. The official balance of payments begins in 1919. All earlier tables are generated either by private authors or within the federal government on an ad hoc basis. For the 1790–1918 period, the currently standard table—in Historical Statistics of the United States—was completed in 1960. That table is replete with deficiencies, to be corrected.
“If You Cared About the People, You Would Have Cared About Me”: Constructing Black Trans Allyship in Chasing: Atlanta

In their essay, “From Failure and Allyship to Feminist Solidarities,” Haneen Ghabra and Bernadette Calafell query the importance—indeed inherence—of failure to allyship across difference. The autho...
Optical property recovery with spatially-resolved diffuse reflectance at short source-detector separations using a compact fiber-optic probe

We describe a compact fiber-optic probe (2 mm outside diameter) that utilizes spatially-resolved diffuse reflectance for tissue optical property recovery. Validation was performed in phantoms containing Intralipid 20% as scatterer, and methylene blue (MB), MnTPPS, and/or India ink as absorbers. Over a range of conditions, the reduced scattering coefficient was recovered with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.86-2.7 cm-1 (average error = 3.8%). MB concentration was recovered with RMSE = 0.26-0.52 µM (average error = 15.0%), which did not vary with inclusion of MnTPPS (p=0.65). This system will be utilized to determine optical properties in human abscesses, in order to generate treatment plans for photodynamic therapy.
Vasectomy Reversal or IVF: Analysis of Factors for Success

A subset of men will seek additional fertility options following vasectomy. The two options for a biological child include vasectomy reversal or sperm retrieval with in vitro fertilization (SR/IVF). Vasectomy reversal is technically feasible for many men with post-vasectomy obstruction. In general, reversal provides couples with the most cost-effective option. SR/IVF is an attractive option for some couples, and it should be discussed with all men as an alternative to vasectomy reversal. The provider must be proficient at assessing and helping assimilate a large amount of information about the man, his partner, their preferences, and their financial options. In the end, counseling should guide a couple toward the treatment most likely to result in fertility, while incorporating the personal desires of each specific couple.
Management Accounting and Control in Health Care: An Economics Perspective

Abstract This chapter summarizes empirical archival accounting research in management accounting that is based on economic theory and uses health care settings. Three perspectives are investigated: (1) production cost economics, including cost structure, cost behavior, cost drivers, the design of cost allocation systems, and the appropriate level of cost aggregation; (2) agency theory, including incentives to bias information or shift costs, the relation between benchmark disclosure and cost containment, and issues pertaining to compensation contracts and performance evaluation; and (3) industrial economics, including the effects of competition and mergers on accounting systems and costs, and capital budgeting responses to regulation.
Investigating Change in Adolescent Self-Efficacy of Food Safety through Educational Interventions.

A successfully targeted intervention can influence food safety knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as encourage participants to recognize their own responsibility for safe food handling. This acknowledgement of an individual's responsibility and capacity to address food safety can be understood as self-efficacy of food safety (SEFS). This study investigated the impact of a specific educational intervention, Hands On: Real-World Lessons for Middle School Classrooms, curriculum on SEFS in adolescents and was guided by two research questions: (1) to what extent can an existing food safety curriculum impact students’ SEFS, and (2) to what extent does a relationship exist between changes in self-efficacy and changes in food safety behavior, particularly when controlling for knowledge gains. A total sample of 424 students across 6 states participated in this study. Teachers were trained to implement the Hands On program in their classrooms and then students were administered a pre- and posttest to measure the impact of the program on knowledge, food safety-related behaviors, and SEFS. The data indicated that there is a strong predictive relationship between SEFS and positive behavior change. Additionally, the Hands On program was effective at increasing students’ SEFS.
Traumatic Infratemporal Facial Nerve Injury: Management Rationale for Preservation of Function

A retrospective review of 29 cases of infratemporal facial nerve injuries included 18 temporal bone fractures, 7 gunshot wounds, and 4 iatrogenic complications. Surgical exploration confirmed involvement of the fallopian canal in the perigeniculate region in 14 longitudinal and 3 transverse or mixed fractures of the petrous pyramid. Gunshot and iatrogenic injuries usually occurred within the tympanic and vertical segments of the facial canal and at the stylomastoid foramen. When hearing is salvageable, the middle fossa approach provides the best access to the perigeniculate region of the facial nerve. In the presence of severe sensorineural hearing loss, the transmastold-translabyrinthine approach is the most appropriate for total facial nerve exploration. Grade I to III results can be anticipated in timely decompression of lesions caused by edema or intraneural hemorrhage. Undetectable at the time of surgery, stretch and compression injuries with disruption of the endoneural tubules often lead to subopti...
Efficient search-space pruning for integrated fusion and tiling transformations: Research Articles

Compile-time optimizations involve a number of transformations such as loop permutation, fusion, tiling, array contraction etc. The selection of the appropriate transformation to minimize the execution time is a challenging task. We address this problem in the context of tensor contraction expressions involving arrays too large to fit in main memory. Domain-specific features of the computation are exploited to develop an integrated framework that facilitates the exploration of the entire search space of optimizations. In this paper, we discuss the exploration of the space of loop fusion and tiling transformations in order to minimize the disk I/O cost. These two transformations are integrated and pruning strategies are presented that significantly reduce the number of loop structures to be evaluated for subsequent transformations. The evaluation of the framework using representative contraction expressions from quantum chemistry shows a dramatic reduction in the size of the search space using the strategies presented. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Connecting community engagement and social justice: The case of intercultural communication

As engineering students and practicing engineers increasingly engage communities in their work, the need for community engagement knowledge has increased. Regardless of the community engagement context, successful community engagement is tied to the success of any given project. That linkage raises important questions: how do engineers learn to effectively engage communities? A course in Intercultural Communication addresses that question and builds on the underlying foundation of six engineering-for-social-justice criteria: listening contextually; identifying structural conditions; acknowledging political agency/mobilizing power; increasing opportunities and resources; reducing imposed risks and harms; and enhancing human capabilities. Assessment data from this pilot study suggests that as students also learn important intercultural communication concepts, they begin to transform their understanding of community engagement and social justice.
The Self-Organizing Desk

The self-organizing desk is a system that enhances a physical desk-top with electronic information. It can remember, organize, update, and manipulate the information contained in the documents on a desk. The system consists of a simple robot eye that can survey the desk, a module for smart extraction of information from the images taken by the robot, a module for representing this information in multiple views, and a module that allows a user to interact with this information.
Stress response, adrenal steroid receptor levels and corticosteroid-binding globulin levels — a comparison between Sprague-Dawley, Fischer 344 and Lewis rats

Histocompatible Fischer 344 (F344) and Lewis (LEW) rats provide a comparative model for investigating the interactions between the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. The outbred Sprague-Dawley (SD) is the maternal strain for the inbred F344 and LEW strains. In this study we report large differences in the diurnal and stress corticosterone (CORT) profiles of these three genetically related strains: (1) F344 rats had significantly higher diurnal and stress CORT levels than SD and LEW rats; (2) in the morning, stress CORT levels of SD and F344 rats returned towards basal 1 h after cessation of the stressor, whereas stress CORT levels of LEW rats had not returned to basal by this time; and (3) in the evening, SD and F344 rats showed the expected evening rise in basal CORT levels, whereas LEW rats failed to show this rise. In light of the large differences in CORT levels, we expected to observe strain differences in absolute levels of Type I (mineralocorticoid) and Type II (glucocorticoid) adrenal steroid receptors in neural as well as immune tissue. However, we found no significant strain differences in levels of Type I receptors in the hippocampus, hypothalamus, pituitary, thymus, spleen and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Similarly, we saw no significant strain differences in levels of Type II receptors in most of the tissues surveyed, with the notable exception that LEW rats showed higher Type II binding in the thymus, and SD rats showed small, but significantly higher Type II binding in the hippocampus. We also studied strain differences in levels of corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG). F344 rats expressed significantly higher CBG levels than SD and LEW rats, in plasma, spleen and thymus. Future studies will investigate whether the substantial differences between strains in levels of CORT and CBG, in the context of few strain differences in post-adrenalectomy adrenal steroid receptor levels in neural and immune tissue, translate into differences in receptor occupancy/activation under resting conditions, or following stress.
Common Problem Behaviors of Children and Adolescents in General Education Classrooms in the United States

The majority of incidence and prevalence studies on childhood behavioral problems report the occurrence of mental health disorders under diagnostic categories. A few studies report prevalence of specific behavior problems identified through direct observation, teacher surveys, or analyses of office discipline referrals. However, each possesses limitations that may be informed by data that report the occurrence of specific behavior problems at the classroom level. The rapidly increasing use of multitiered models of prevention and intervention will benefit from data of prevalence of problem behaviors. The purpose of this study was to identify the “most common” problem behaviors in classrooms in the United States as reported by teachers on a broadband rating scale with a demographically representative sample of 3,600 children and adolescents. Results indicate 17 common problem behaviors of children and adolescents, each in four behavioral domains. Interesting findings include behaviors associated with anxiet...
Newer agents available for treatment of stress-related upper gastrointestinal tract mucosal damage

Results of animal studies and human clinical trials assessing the efficacy of newer agents in the treatment of stress-related mucosal damage have been reviewed. Currently available data suggest that prostaglandin treatment is as effective in preventing and treating stress-induced mucosal injury as more established therapeutic modalities, but that the proposed efficacy of somatostatin infusion and tranexamic acid administration is highly suspect. Promising agents yet to be evaluated include omeprazole, allopurinol, and epidermal growth factor.
Developmental predictors of an impulsive-aggressive phenotype.

In hamsters, individual differences in offensive aggression are associated with impulsive choice, leading to the characterization of a distinct impulsive-aggressive phenotype. This study had two goals: to determine the developmental trajectory of the maturation of this phenotype and to address its parental lineage. Interestingly, individuals most aggressive as adults were less likely to attack in early puberty. However, looking at the transition of agonistic behavior from play fighting to adult aggression, impulsive-aggressive individuals were less likely to engage in play fighting attacks and more likely to engage in more mature agonistic behavior. Additionally, parental lineages were compared for the aggressive responses expressed by their adult offspring. Most impulsive-aggressive individuals were offspring of few select males, which were more likely to produce this phenotype, without an association with females or specific litters. These findings identify an abnormal and accelerated development of agonistic behavior in impulsive-aggressive individuals and a likelihood of heritability. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol. Language: en
Perforation associated with barium enema in acute appendicitis

A child with the suspected diagnosis of atypical acute appendicitis underwent a diagnostic barium enema. The study was complicated by perforation with leakage of a large amount of barium into the peritoneal cavity. The complex hospital course that resulted has prompted us to reevaluate the barium enema in the diagnosis of appendicitis and review the literature for contraindications. We conclude that this particular complication is extremely rare and that barium enema still has a part to play in some patients where the clinical diagnosis is uncertain.
Parton distribution functions from large Nc QCD

Abstract In the Bjorken limit, the transverse momenta of partons can be treated perturbatively. The non-perturbative part of the problem of determining Deep Inelastic structure functions becomes then that of solving two dimensional QCD (2DQCD). We show an isomorphism of 2DQCD with a bilocal field theory of hadrons (two dimensional Quantum Hadron Dynamics, 2DQHD). Baryons are topological solitons of this theory. The classical limit of 2DQHD is the large Nc limit of 2DQCD; by solving its equations of motion we can determine the structure function of the baryon. We compare the answer with measurements in neutrino scattering and get good agreement; also we find that the anti-quark content of the baryon is small in the limit of large Nc and small current quark mass.
Testing for qualitative interaction of multiple sources of informative dropout in longitudinal data

Longitudinal studies suffer from patient dropout. The dropout process may be informative if there exists an association between dropout patterns and the rate of change in the response over time. Multiple patterns are plausible in that different causes of dropout might contribute to different patterns. These multiple patterns can be dichotomized into two groups: quantitative and qualitative interaction. Quantitative interaction indicates that each of the multiple sources is biasing the estimate of the rate of change in the same direction, although with differing magnitudes. Alternatively, qualitative interaction results in the multiple sources biasing the estimate of the rate of change in opposing directions. Qualitative interaction is of special concern, since it is less likely to be detected by conventional methods and can lead to highly misleading slope estimates. We explore a test for qualitative interaction based on simultaneous confidence intervals. The test accommodates the realistic situation where...
Structural study of the Sn/Ge interface of highly milled Sn-Ge powders.

Structural changes occurring at the Sn/Ge interface of highly milled Sn-Ge powders were examined using extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (EXAFS). X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry were also used as supporting techniques. Samples of varying compositions were prepared for analysis. Systematic changes in EXAFS and x-ray diffraction are observed with decreasing Sn concentration. These changes are found to be due to the fact that Sn appears in two different states, i.e., the metallic phase and an \ensuremath{\alpha}-Sn/Ge alloy phase several monolayers thick that forms at the Sn/Ge interface. When the Sn concentration is 20 vol % the alloy phase becomes the dominant phase, leaving essentially no Sn in the normal \ensuremath{\beta}-Sn phase. The results can be used to explain previously observed reductions in melting enthalpy and a low-temperature tail in the melting transition. The thermal stability of the alloy above the melting point of bulk Sn accounts for the reduction in melting enthalpy of Sn, and residual small Sn particles are the likely cause for the low-temperature tail in melting.
Dilemmas of Economic Growth

Geo-scientists and economists carry on discussions of central problems of economic growth, including global warming and resource exhaustion, on the basis of sharply diverging assumptions about limits to economic growth. These divergent assumptions can be traced at least to the debate over N. Georgescu-Roegen's work on entropy and economic production. Limited evidence indicates that economic growth sufficient to raise world average productivity to current European standards is at the edge of feasibility in terms of renewable energy. Rosy expectations that information technology can produce a “new” economy not subject to the resource and social limitations of traditional capitalism confuse new methods of appropriation of surplus value as rent with new methods of producing value. While the world economy will almost certainly transform from the small population, low labor productivity, rich fossil fuel-based resource base of the industrial revolution to a large population, high productivity, resource limited pattern, the social relations accompanying this change are far from certain or determined.
Inhibition of NAD(H)/NADP(H) — requiring enzymes by aurintricarboxylic acid

Abstract Aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA), an inhibitor of Ca 2+ -dependent endonuclease activity, is often used to implicate a role for increased intracellular calcium in mechanistic toxicology studies. We report here on the ability of ATA to inhibit the activity of several NAD(H)/NADP(H)-requiring enzymes (purified or cellular homogenates), including lactic dehydrogenase, alcohol dehydrogenase, cytochrome c reductase, ethoxycoumarin o -dealkylase, isocitric dehydrogenase, glutathione reductase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. These results were compared with the ability of ATA to inhibit micrococcal nuclease and rat liver Ca 2+ -dependent endonuclease activity in similar incubations. With the exception of alcohol dehydrogenase, ATA was a potent inhibitor of each of the purified enzymes, with IC 50 s ranging from 0.5 to 82 μM. In cell homogenates, however, ATA was from 10 to 100-fold less potent at inhibiting these enzymes. When exogenous protein was added to purified enzyme incubations, the effect of ATA was similarly diminished. Our results demonstrate that ATA inhibits a wide range of NAD(H)/NADP(H)-requiring enzymes in in vitro incubations using purified enzymes, but that the inhibitory effects are markedly reduced in incubations which more closely resemble a cellular milieu.
The purification and properties of superoxide dismutase from a blue-green alga.

Abstract Soluble extracts of Plectonema boryanum have been shown to contain a single, electrophoretically distinct, superoxide dismutase. The enzyme has been isolated and has been found to be an iron-containing enzyme similar to that described from the periplasm of Escherichia coli . It contains 1 Fe 3+ /mole of enzyme. The molecular weight was approximately 36 500, and the enzyme appeared to be composed of two subunits of equal size joined by non-covalent interactions. ESR data are presented, as are the results of amino acid analysis.
Renal failure with a large bladder calculus related to a foreign body: a case report

Key Clinical Message We encountered a patient with renal failure in the setting of long-standing difficulty urinating, which he previously treated with intermittent self-catheterizations. Imaging showed a large urinary calculus in the bladder. This case illustrates the importance of taking a detailed history and the dramatic long-term effects of bladder calculi.