cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
IR and UV spectroscopy of vapor-phase jet-cooled ionic liquid [emim]+ [Tf2N]-: ion pair structure and photodissociation dynamics.

Small gas-phase clusters (ion pairs) of the ionic liquid [emim]+[Tf2N]− have been generated in a supersonic expansion. Clusters are investigated via UV photofragmentation and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Spectra between 42 000 and 45 000 cm–1 reveal dynamical branching between direct dissociation of the ion pair to the cation and anion and to radical species. The IR spectrum between 2800 and 3200 cm–1 was measured by action spectroscopy. Multiple conformations of the ion pair are found to be present in the molecular beam, leading to broad spectral features, further complicated by hydrogen bonding and Fermi resonances. The measured and theoretical spectra compare well, and the jet-cooled ion pair structures present in the molecular beam are strongly hydrogen bonded “stacked” conformers.
Thermal concomitants and biochemistry of the explosive discharge mechanism of some little known bombardier beetles

The quinonoid defensive spray of 2 carabid beetles of the subfamilies Metriinae and Paussinae is ejected hot (55°C and 65°C), with a heat content of 0.19 and 0.17 cal/mg. Hydroquinone(s) and hydrogen peroxide are identified as precursors of the quinones, indicating that in these lesser known ‘bombardier beetles’ the explosive discharge mechanism is similar to that of the familiar bombardiers of the genusBrachinus (subfamily Carabinae, tribe Brachinini).
Abstract P2-16-14: The Effect of Tetrathiomolybdate (TM) on Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Women at Moderate to High Risk of BC Recurrence

Background: Bone marrow (BM) derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are critical to tumor angiogenesis, are increased in BC patients (pts) and are probably an early marker for paclitaxel response. Copper is required for angiogenesis, and pre-clinical data suggest that TM, a copperdepleting compound, inhibits angiogenesis and maintains tumor dormancy through unknown mechanisms. We sought to measure the effect of TM on BM derived EPCs in pts at high risk of BC recurrence and to evaluate the effect of copper depletion on their absolute number. Methods: This analysis is part of an ongoing phase II study of TM in BC pts at high risk of recurrence defined as any node positive triple negative (TN) BC, Stage III or IV with no evidence of disease (NED). All therapy other than hormonal was completed at least 6 weeks prior to study. Treatment: TM 180 mg daily to achieve a target ceruloplasmin (Cp) level of 5-15 mg/dL (copper depletion), and then 100 mg daily. We monitored levels of EPCs (CD45dim, CD133+, VEGFR2+), CEA, CA15-3, and Cp at baseline and monthly. Imaging studies are done every 6 months (mos). Initial study duration is 24 mos. Extension study for an additional 24 mos in selected pts. Results: 40 pts are enrolled and 566 cycles of TM have been administered. Adjuvant: 28 pts, Stage 4 NED: 12 pts, Triple negative: 11 pts (4 stage 4 NED, 7 Adjuvant). Median age is 51 yrs (range: 29-64). Median number of positive lymph nodes among Stage 2/3 pts is 7 (4-42). Median baseline Cp level is 29 mg/dL (21-47). Among 36 pts who have reached target Cp, the median time to target is 4 wks (2-20 wks). Four pts discontinued treatment before reaching target. The median baseline EPCs is 0.01 cells/ml (0.0-0.286), and the majority of pts’ EPCs were maintained below baseline when Cp levels remained below target (i.e. copper depleted). Toxicity: Grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 15 cycles (2.6%) with 1 pt with febrile neutropenia. One cycle was complicated by Grade 3 anemia. All resolved 5-13 days later with TM held and resumed at a lower dose. No other grade 3/4 toxicity was observed. Six pts were diagnosed with recurrent breast cancer at 1, 2, 2, 9, 10 and 10 mos. An EPC rise preceded an abnormal marker or overt relapse by 3-5 months in 4 of 6 pts (2 pts too early to tell). Conclusions: TM is well tolerated in breast cancer patients. TM might contribute to maintaining EPCs below baseline in pts who are copper depleted. We postulate that the increased EPCs noted in 4 pts with recurrent disease 2-4 months prior to overt relapse could represent the turning on of an angiogenic switch, resulting in an outpouring of BM derived EPCs to the new site of metastasis. Other studies geared toward understanding the mechanism for metastases are underway. The trial continues to accrue. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-16-14.
Nematode fauna in the sulphide-rich brine seep and adjacent bottoms of the East Flower Garden, NW Gulf of Mexico

Nematodes sampled quantitatively in 1980 along a 96-m-long sulphide-rich brine seep gradient system in the NW Gulf of Mexico are characterized and compared with species from bottoms adjacent and beyond the influence of the brine. The age structure indicates permanent living populations within and outside the gradient system. Species composition shows a thiobiotic association and an oxybiotic association of nematodes, and each association is composed of two subgroups with a fifth group of species living in the ecotone. Such a distinction can also be shown in terms of dominance-diversity. The thiobiotic species are regarded as derived from their oxybiotic relatives and not the reverse. Nematodes describe environmental complexity since slenderness of the body correlates with the amount of dissolved sulphide in the environment. Body elongation, i.e. higher proportion of body surface area per unit body volume and shorter body radius, is suggested to be an adaptation to low oxygen tension in the environment as well as an adaptation to epidermal uptake of dissolved organic matter as additional nourishment of thiobiotic species. Analyses of buccal cavity structures and species distribution patterns show resource partitioning among most abundant species and congeneric species. Deposit feeders have a size diversity of buccal cavities similar to that of epistrate feeders and ominivore-predators. Deposit feeding prevails in the thiobios, but not in the oxybios.
Tracking generalized tonic-clonic seizures with a wrist accelerometer linked to an online database.

Abstract Purpose Clinical management of epilepsy and current epilepsy therapy trials rely on paper or electronic diaries often with inaccurate self-reported seizure frequency as the primary outcome. This is the first study addressing the feasibility of detecting and recording generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) through a biosensor linked to an online seizure database. Method A prospective trial was conducted with video-EEG (vEEG) in an epilepsy monitoring unit. Patients wore a wristwatch accelerometer that detected shaking and transmitted events via Bluetooth® to a bedside electronic tablet and then via Wi-Fi to an online portal. The watch recorded the date, time, audio, duration, frequency and amplitude of events. Events logged by the watch and recorded in a bedside paper diary were measured against vEEG, the "gold standard." Results Thirty patients were enrolled and 62 seizures were recorded on vEEG: 31 convulsive and 31 non-convulsive. Twelve patients had a total of 31 convulsive seizures, and of those, 10 patients had 13 GTCS. The watch captured 12/13 (92.3%) GTCS. Watch audio recordings were consistent with seizures in 11/12 (91.6%). Data were successfully transferred to the bedside tablet in 11/12 (91.6%), and to the online database in 10/12 (83.3%) GTCS. The watch recorded 81 false positives, of which 42/81 (51%) were cancelled by the patients. Patients and caregivers verbally reported 15/62 seizures (24.2% sensitivity) but no seizures were recorded on paper logs. Conclusion Automatic detection and recording of GTCS to an online database is feasible and may be more informative than seizure logging in a paper diary.
The Changing Residential Environments of Older People

Publisher Summary A vast literature on the appropriateness of residential environments shows that except for their disdain for institutional settings, older people are open to aging in place in many different residential settings. A large and multidisciplinary literature is now focusing on the aging-in-place capabilities and downsides of older people's residential environments, the potential of different residential transformations, the feasibility of environmental interventions, and the difficulties of achieving residential normalcy in places that are responsible for the care of more vulnerable older people. All these studies agree that judgments concerning older persons aging successfully are increasingly less credible if they do not consider the role played by their place of residence. They also share the belief that their findings can contribute to positive changes. They assume that the residential settings of older people can be changed or modified to achieve better outcomes. This chapter focuses on three broad categories of residential environments: dwelling or home environments; neighborhood and community environments; and the planned residential care environments of assisted-living facilities.
Regulation of mRNA Stability in Yeast

Differences in the decay rates of individual mRNAs can have profound effects on the overall levels of expression of specific genes. Although the potential importance of mRNA stability as a mechanism for regulating gene expression has been recognized (Ross, 1989), the structures and mechanisms involved in the determination of individual mRNA decay rates have yet to be elucidated. Several reports have suggested that the stability of individual mRNAs is related to basic mRNA properties such as size, poly(A) tail length, and translational efficiency (Bernstein and Ross, 1989; Losson and Lacroute, 1979; Santiago et al., 1986). Other experiments fail to reveal any correlation between these variables and the rate of mRNA turnover and suggest that differences in mRNA decay rates may be attributable to specific sequences within unstable mRNAs that promote their recognition by the cellular turnover machinery (Shapiro et al, 1988; Herrick et al, 1990).
Hypertension Treatment and Concern About Falling: Baseline Data from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.

Objectives To determine the extent of concern about falling in older adults with hypertension, whether lower blood pressure (BP) and greater use of antihypertensive medications are associated with greater concern about falling, and whether lower BP has a greater effect on concern about falling in older and more functionally impaired individuals. Design Secondary analysis involving cross-sectional study of baseline characteristics of participants enrolled in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT). Setting Approximately 100 outpatient sites. Participants SPRINT enrollees aged 50 and older (mean age 69) diagnosed with hypertension (N = 2,299). Measurements Concern about falling was determined using the shortened version of the Falls Efficacy Scale International as measured at the baseline examination. Results Mild concern about falling was present in 29.3% of participants and moderate to severe concern in 17.9%. Neither low BP (systolic BP .10). Participants with moderate to severe concern about falling were taking significantly more antihypertensive medications than those with mild or no concern. After adjusting for baseline characteristics, no associations were evident between BP, medications, and concern about falling. Results were similar in older and younger participants; interactions between BP and age and functional status were not significantly associated with concern about falling. Conclusion Although concern about falling is common in older adults with hypertension, it was not found to be associated with low BP or use of more antihypertensive medications in baseline data from SPRINT.
Barriers to Offering Vasectomy at Publicly Funded Family Planning Organizations in Texas

Few publicly funded family planning clinics in the United States offer vasectomy, but little is known about the reasons this method is not more widely available at these sources of care. Between Fe...
To educate engineers or to engineer educators?: Exploring access to engineering careers

Although studies claim increases in underrepresented populations choosing STEM majors, barriers to retention, and higher education degree completion in STEM still exist. This study examined efforts of a prominent technical university to attract and retain urban high school graduates through a tuition scholarship program. We sought to determine the trajectories of recruited urban high school graduates and explored students reasoning behind their choice of STEM majors. Findings revealed unforeseen obstacles prohibiting students from pursuing STEM degrees despite free tuition and other benefits of the diversity recruitment program. Student obstacles included: (i) logistic barriers; (ii) academic resources access; and (iii) social/cultural support. A secondary but related finding was the self-realization of engineering faculty culpability in the attrition they observed. This critical account of race and privilege told by insiders to the engineering discipline speaks directly to the failure of educational institutions to address essential components of the economic and academic segregation which currently exists against a backdrop of reform calls which aim to diversify the engineering workforce. Implications for future research and recruitment efforts are discussed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 9999:XX–XX, 2017
ION TRANSPORT | Overview

Efficient gas exchange in the lungs depends on precise regulation of the amount of fluid in the thin liquid layer lining the alveolar epithelium. Studies in vivo and in isolated lungs have shown that fluid can be transported from the alveolar into the interstitial spaces, and that this process can be inhibited by the addition of amiloride, an Na+ channel inhibitor, to the alveolar space. These results suggested that alveolar epithelial cells are the major sites of Na+ transport and fluid absorption in the adult lung. The alveolar epithelium, which covers more than 99% of the large internal surface area of the lung (100–150 m2 in humans), is composed of two distinct cell types, alveolar type I (T1) and type II (T2) cells. T2 cells, which cover only 2–5% of the internal surface area of the lung, are cuboidal cells that secrete pulmonary surfactant. T2 cells contain ion channels, including several forms of the amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), and a chloride channel, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR). T1 cells are large squamous cells whose thin cytoplasmic extensions cover >95% of the internal surface area of the lung. T1 cells contain functional ENaC, pimozide-sensitive, cyclic nucleotide-gated, nonselective cation channels, and K+ channels, and appear to contain some CFTR. Besides these ion channels, the apical membrane of most airway epithelia contains several different other Cl− channels. The Ca2+-activated Cl-channel (CLCA) is another anion channel at the apical membrane of airway epithelia that responds acutely to increases in intracellular calcium and is involved in transepithelial fluid transport. In some airway cells, there are also volume-regulated Cl-channels (ClC family of channels) that respond to changes in cell volume to alter chloride transport.
Multiplex Substrate Profiling by Mass Spectrometry for Kinases as a Method for Revealing Quantitative Substrate Motifs

The more than 500 protein kinases comprising the human kinome catalyze hundreds of thousands of phosphorylation events to regulate a diversity of cellular functions; however, the extended substrate specificity is still unknown for many of these kinases. We report here a method for quantitatively describing kinase substrate specificity using an unbiased peptide library-based approach with direct measurement of phosphorylation by tandem liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) peptide sequencing (multiplex substrate profiling by mass spectrometry, MSP-MS). This method can be deployed with as low as 10 nM enzyme to determine activity against S/T/Y-containing peptides; additionally, label-free quantitation is used to ascertain catalytic efficiency values for individual peptide substrates in the multiplex assay. Using this approach we developed quantitative motifs for a selection of kinases from each branch of the kinome, with and without known substrates, highlighting the applicability of the method. The sensitivity of this approach is evidenced by its ability to detect phosphorylation events from nanogram quantities of immunoprecipitated material, which allows for wider applicability of this method. To increase the information content of the quantitative kinase motifs, a sublibrary approach was used to expand the testable sequence space within a peptide library of approximately 100 members for CDK1, CDK7, and CDK9. Kinetic analysis of the HIV-1 Tat (transactivator of transcription)-positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) interaction allowed for localization of the P-TEFb phosphorylation site as well as characterization of the stimulatory effect of Tat on P-TEFb catalytic efficiency.
Cities as Lobbyists

Individual cities are active interest groups in lobbying the federal government, and yet the dynamics of this intergovernmental lobbying are poorly understood. We argue that preference incongruence between a city and its parent state government leads to underprovision of public goods, and cities need to appeal to the federal government for additional resources. We provide evidence for this theory using a data set of over 13,800 lobbying disclosures filed by cities with populations over 25,000 between 1999 and 2012. Income inequality and ethnic fragmentation are also highly related to federal lobbying activities. Using an instrumental variables analysis of earmark and Recovery Act grant data, we show that each dollar a city spends on lobbying generates substantial returns.
War and Default

Sovereign borrowing is often used to cover the costs of war. This borrowing, coupled with war’s economic disruptions, strains states’ ability to honor debt promises. Contrary to conventional expect...
Agriculture, Equality, and the Problem of Incorporation

This paper argues for the possibility of ethical agriculture by employing ecological feminist philosophical frameworks in articulating and responding to two important objections. First, the problem of equality expresses the objection that a just, egalitarian relationship is incompatible with the agricultural project of cultivating nonhumans for human consumption. I argue against this seeming incompatibility by reformulating equality as incommensurability; we might think of two entities as equal not because they occupy the same position along a scalar measure of value, but because they ought not be ranked against each other along such a scale. To me it is plausible that a high degree of avoidance of ranking is possible in agricultural practices that are authentically dialogical. I suggest that when practical ranking is unavoidable, then dialogical relationships allow for responsible ranking. Second, the problem of incorporation, expresses the objection that in agricultural contexts, nonhuman beings are defined by reference to the human ends they will serve, and the meaning of such beings is incorporated into human meaning, reflecting a lack of respect for the beings themselves. In response I suggest that defining ourselves in terms of our relationships to the nonhumans that we raise and consume goes a long way toward addressing this problem. I argue that the ecological feminist commitment to an understanding of self as fundamentally ecological and ethically open to communication across species can be meaningfully embedded in our understanding and undertaking of agricultural projects.
Transoral robotic surgery for tonsillar cancer: Addressing the contralateral tonsil.

Background The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence and risk factors for bilateral tonsillar cancers treated with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and to determine the morbidity of the procedure. Methods Patients undergoing TORS for known tonsillar cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Perioperative variables and surgical outcomes were analyzed to determine predictive factors for bilateral disease and morbidity rates. Results Seventy-nine consecutive patients with tonsillar cancers underwent primary TORS radical tonsillectomy. Thirty of these patients also underwent contralateral tonsillectomy. Three patients (10%) were found to have contralateral tonsillar cancers on final pathology. These were not identified on preoperative positron emission tomography (PET)-CT or clinical examination. There were no differences in complications, gastrostomy tube (G-tube) rates, or length of stay (P > .05). Blood loss was 11.5 cc more in the contralateral tonsillectomy group (P = .001). Conclusion All patients undergoing primary TORS for tonsillar cancers should also undergo contralateral tonsillectomy to optimize oncologic outcomes with no increase in morbidity.
State Medicaid Expansions for Parents Led to Increased Coverage and Prenatal Care Utilization among Pregnant Mothers.

Objective To evaluate impacts of state Medicaid expansions for low-income parents on the health insurance coverage, pregnancy intention, and use of prenatal care among mothers who became pregnant. Data sources/study setting Person-level data for women with a live birth from the 1997-2012 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Data collection/extraction methods The sample was restricted to women who were already parents using information on previous live births and combined with information on state Medicaid policies for low-income parents. Study design I used a measure of expanded generosity of state Medicaid eligibility for low-income parents to estimate changes in health insurance, pregnancy intention, and prenatal care for pregnant mothers associated with Medicaid expansion. Principal findings I found an increase in prepregnancy health insurance coverage and coverage during pregnancy among pregnant mothers, as well as earlier initiation of prenatal care, associated with the expansions. Among pregnant mothers with less education, I found an increase in the adequacy of prenatal care utilization. Conclusions Expanded Medicaid coverage for low-income adults has the potential to increase a woman's health insurance coverage prior to pregnancy, as well as her insurance coverage and medical care receipt during pregnancy.
Contributions of immune cell populations in the maintenance, progression, and therapeutic modalities of glioma

Immunotherapies are becoming a promising strategy for malignant disease. Selectively directing host immune responses to target cancerous tissue is a milestone of human health care. The roles of the innate and adaptive immune systems in both cancer progression and elimination are now being realized. Defining the immune cell environment and identifying the contributions of each sub-population of these cells has lead to an understanding of the immunotherapeutic processes, and demonstrated the potential of the immune system to drive cancer shrinkage and sustained immunity against disease. Poorly treated diseases, such as high-grade glioma, suffer from lack of therapeutic efficacy and rapid progression. Immunotherapeutic success in other solid malignancies, such as melanoma, now provides the principals for which this treatment paradigm can be adapted for primary brain cancers. The central nervous system is complex, and relative contributions of immune sub-populations to high grade glioma progression are not fully characterized. Here, we summarize recent research in both animal and humans which add to the knowledge base of how innate and adaptive immune cells contribute to glioma progression, and outline work which has demonstrated their potential to elicit anti-tumorigenic responses. Additionally, we highlight Neuropilin 1, a cell surface receptor protein, describe its signaling functions in the context of immunity, and point to its potential to slow glioma progression.
Social trust model for rating prediction in recommender systems: Effects of similarity, centrality, and social ties

Abstract The success of e-commerce companies is becoming increasingly dependent on product recommender systems which have become powerful tools that personalize the shopping experience for users based on user interests and interactions. Most modern recommender systems concentrate on finding the relevant items for each user based on their interests only, and ignore the social interactions among users. Some recommender systems, rely on the ‘trust’ of users. However in social science, trust, as a human characteristic, is a complex concept with multiple facets which has not been fully explored in recommender systems. In this paper, to model a realistic and accurate recommender system, we address the problem of social trust modeling where trust values are shaped based users characteristics in a social network. We propose a method that can predict rating for personalized recommender systems based on similarity, centrality and social relationships. Compared with traditional collaborative filtering approaches, the advantage of the proposed mechanism is its consideration of social trust values. We use the probabilistic matrix factorization method to predict user rating for products based on user-item rating matrix. Similarity is modeled using a rating-based (i.e., Vector Space Similarity and Pearson Correlation Coefficient) and connection-based similarity measurements. Centrality metrics are quantified using degree, eigen-vector, Katz and PageRank centralities. To validate the proposed trust model, an Epinions dataset is used and the rating prediction scheme is implemented. Comprehensive analysis shows that the proposed trust model based on similarity and centrality metrics provide better rating prediction rather than using binary trust values. Based on the results, we find that the degree centrality is more effective compared to other centralities in rating prediction using the specific dataset. Also trust model based on the connection-based similarity performs better compared to the Vector Space Similarity and Pearson Correlation Coefficient similarities which are rating based. The experimental results on real-world dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed model in further improving the accuracy of rating prediction in social recommender systems.
Relationship between sleep disturbance and self-care in adults with type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder requiring intensive self-care to maintain optimal glycemic control. Sleep disturbance is common in T2D patients and likely impairs glycemic control. Our aim was to examine the relationship between sleep disturbance and self-care in adults with T2D. This study used a correlational design. Sixty-four adults with T2D were recruited. Validated instruments were used to measure self-care, subjective sleep disturbance, and covariates (e.g., diabetes distress, self-efficacy, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness). Over an 8-day period, the ActiGraph-wGT3X was used to measure objective sleep outcomes (e.g., total sleep time and number of awakenings). Bivariate correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. The mean age of the participants was 60.6 (SD 6.8) years (range 50–78), and 51.6% were women. Controlling for covariates, subjective sleep disturbance (β = − 0.26), diabetes distress (β = − 0.39), and daytime sleepiness (β = − 0.21) were strong predictors of diabetes self-care (R2 = 0.51, p < 0.001). When objective sleep parameters were used, the number of awakenings (β = − 0.23) also predicted self-care along with diabetes distress, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness (R2 = 0.57, p < 0.001). Subjective sleep disturbance and frequent nocturnal awakenings are associated with worse diabetes self-care in adults with T2D. Healthcare providers are recommended to include comprehensive sleep assessment at every clinical visit. Diabetes educators may consider including sleep-related education in their diabetes self-management classes and/or counseling sessions.
Lauroxolanes from the marine alga Laurencia majuscula

Abstract Enyne 1 was isolated from the marine red alga Laurencia majuscula , and its structure was elucidated by spectroscopic means. 1 is the first 2,2′- bis -tetrahydrofuran lauroxane to be found as a Laurencia metabolite.
Quadratic and Multidimensional Assignment Problems

In this paper we discuss various aspects regarding nonlinear assignment problems. In particular, we focus on Quadratic Assignment Problems and data association problems which are formulated as Multidimensional Assignment Problems. Computational results with two applications, the turbine balancing problem and multitarget multisensor tracking problem, are presented.
Perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis and prevention of hepatobiliary surgical site infections.

ObjectiveTo characterize the microbiology of hepatobiliary surgical site infections (SSIs) and to explore the relationship between specific antimicrobial prophylaxis regimens and the development of SSIs.DesignRetrospective matched case-control study comparing patient, procedure, and antimicrobial prophylaxis characteristics among patients undergoing a hepatobiliary surgical procedure with and without an SSI.SettingA tertiary referral acute-care facility.MethodsPatients undergoing procedures defined as “BILI” (bile duct, liver, or pancreas surgery) using National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions, excluding those undergoing concomitant liver transplantation, from January 2013 through June 2016 were included in the study population. The SSIs were identified through routine infection control surveillance using NHSN definitions. All patients who developed an SSI were considered cases. Controls were selected randomly matched 2:1 with cases based on fiscal quarter of the procedure. Logistic regression modeling was performed to explore variables associated with SSI, including antimicrobial prophylaxis received.ResultsAmong 975 procedures, 80 (8.2%) resulted in an SSI. Most cases involved an organism nonsusceptible to standard prophylaxis regimens, including cefazolin (68.8%), cefazolin plus metronidazole (61.3%), and ampicillin-sulbactam (52.5%). In a multivariate model, antimicrobial coverage against Enterococcus spp (aOR, 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17–2.04; P=.40) and against Pseudomonas spp (aOR, 2.40; 95% CI, 0.56–10.29; P=.24) were not protective against the development of an SSI. The presence of a documented β-lactam allergy was significantly associated with the development of an SSI (aOR, 3.54; 95% CI, 1.36–9.19; P=.009).ConclusionsAlthough SSIs at the study institution were associated with pathogens nonsusceptible to the most commonly used prophylaxis regimens, broader-spectrum coverage was not associated with a reduction in SSIs.
The Promise and Process of Ethnography: What We Have Learned Studying Gang Members and CPS Kids

Researchers in the social sciences face conflicting pressures to produce work that is both impactful to their field of study and feasible within time and resource constraints. These pressures are particularly acute for junior academics, but they extend throughout the career of professional researchers. Ethnography is an approach to research that cannot only afford many benefits in this regard but also challenges. While ethnography offers a “ground-up” approach that makes innovation more readily available, the commitments required by such an approach are substantial. In this chapter, we detail our individual pathways into fieldwork and qualitative analysis. We then outline some of the lessons we have learned and questions that have emerged after years of ethnographic research with kids in gangs and child protective services. In short, ethnography can make your career awesome but only if you are willing and able to stomach some risks, commit yourself fully, and navigate emerging problems.
Molecular basis of P[6] and P[8] major human rotavirus VP8* domain interactions with histo-blood group antigens

Initial cell attachment of rotavirus (RV) to specific cell surface glycans, which is the essential first step in RV infection, is mediated by the VP8* domain of the spike protein VP4. Recently, human histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) have been identified as ligands or receptors for human RV strains. RV strains in the P[4] and P[8] genotypes of the P[II] genogroup share common recognition of the Lewis b and H type 1 antigens, while P[6], which is one of the other genotypes in P[II], only recognizes the H type 1 antigen. The molecular basis of receptor recognition by the major human P[8] RVs remains unknown due to lack of experimental structural information. Here, we used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) titration experiments and NMR-derived high ambiguity driven docking (HADDOCK) methods to elucidate the molecular basis for P[8] VP8* recognition of the Leb and type 1 HBGAs and for P[6] recognition of H type 1 HBGAs. Unlike P[6] VP8* that recognizes H type 1 HGBAs in a binding surface composed of an α-helix and a β-sheet, referred as “βα binding domain”, the P[8] VP8* binds the type 1 HBGAs requiring the presence of the Lewis epitope in a previously undescribed pocket formed by two β-sheets, referred as “ββ binding domain”. The observation that P[6] and P[8] VP8* domains recognize different glycan structures at distinct binding sites supports the hypothesis that RV evolution is driven, at least in part, by selective pressure driven adaptation to HBGA structural diversity of their natural hosts living in the world. Recognition of the role that HBGAs play in driving RV evolution is essential to understanding RV diversity, host ranges, disease burden and zoonosis and to developing strategies to improve vaccines against RV infections.
Determination of volatile organic contaminants in bulk oils (edible, injectable, and other internal medicinal) by purge-and-trap gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Purge-and-trap gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is evaluated for the quantitation of part-per-billion levels of volatile organic contaminants in bulk vegetable oils. Results using 2 purge techniques (direct purging of the heated oil and purging after dispersing the oil on an aluminum oxide powder) and 2 quantitative methods (standard curve and deuterium-labeled internal standard addition) are reported. Twenty volatile compounds and 8 vegetable oils were investigated. Recovery data and estimated detection limits for each compound are reported for each purge technique. Generally acceptable recoveries (70-130% for more than 90% of the analyte spikes) and acceptable detection levels (approximately 4-10 ppb) were obtained for all compounds using either the external standard curve of the deuterium-isotope-labeled internal standard. The use of a dispersant (such as alumina) for sample purging resulted in poor recoveries of the highly volatile contaminants. 16 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs.
Playing with the medium: Teaching medium theory through an experiential process

ABSTRACTWhile a new medium can enhance communication access by bringing back small group structures or access to local communities, it can also turn communal events such as dining out or drinks wit...
Algal Community Dynamics Within the Savannah River Estuary, Georgia Under Anthropogenic Stress

Estuaries are naturally dynamic ecosystems mixing fresh and marine waters, while consistently varying in depth and discharge due to diurnal tide shifts. Anthropogenic alterations impacting the Savannah River are expected to change the hydrology of the ecosystem and effect algal community structure and composition. The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project began recently with the aim of widening and deepening the river by more than a meter. It is anticipated that tidal height, influx of salt water, and sedimentation rates will be affected, which will disturb algal communities upstream. Baseline data from the Savannah River mudflats were obtained in 2011 as part of a biodiversity assessment. Algal community indices were also examined and related to species alterations in the community. Living algal species were classified as freshwater, marine, or brackish in addition to planktonic, epipelic, and epipsammic. Live diatoms were replaced by filamentous cyanobacteria representatives like Phormidium and green filamentous algae. There was a decrease in abundance of live chain-forming marine plankton species potentially due to sediment accumulation. Species richness within the diatom communities analyzed in clean material decreased (mean = 40 ± 6.6 standard deviation to 26 ± 4.6) and the 95% confidence interval narrowed when before and during dredging was compared. Cymatosira belgica Grunow remained as the dominant species with an average of 38% relative abundance at low tide and 33% relative abundance at high tide. With exposure to dredging and increased sediment deposition diatom communities showed significant change due to potential increase in turbidity and lower light availability.
Estimation of the Scale and Location Parameters of the Extreme Value (Gumbel) Distribution for Large Censored Samples

Simple estimators of the scale and location parameters in large right censored samples are considered. These estimators are based on two contiguous blocks of order statistics. For the Extreme-Value (Gumbel) distribution it is shown how to select the “best blocks” in order to obtain the most efficient estimators within the class studied.
What Is Carceral Feminism

In recent years, critiques of “carceral feminism” have proliferated, objecting to feminist support for punitive policies against sexual and gendered violence that have contributed to mass incarcera...
The Role of Initial Conditions in Post-Great Recession Recovery and Development: Single-County MSAs:

This article studies the impact of initial (circa 2009) socioeconomic conditions on post-Great Recession economic development/recovery. The units observed are 145 single-county metropolitan statist...
High-Rate Printing of Micro/Nanoscale Patterns Using Interfacial Convective Assembly

Printing of electronics has been receiving increasing attention from academia and industry over the recent years. However, commonly used printing techniques have limited resolution of micro- or sub-microscale. Here, a directed-assembly-based printing technique, interfacial convective assembly, is reported, which utilizes a substrate-heating-induced solutal Marangoni convective flow to drive particles toward patterned substrates and then uses van der Waals interactions as well as geometrical confinement to trap the particles in the pattern areas. The influence of various assembly parameters including type of mixing solvent, substrate temperature, particle concentration, and assembly time is investigated. The results show successful assembly of various nanoparticles in patterns of different shapes with a high resolution down to 25 nm. In addition, the assembly only takes a few minutes, which is two orders of magnitude faster than conventional convective assembly. Small-sized (diameter below 5 nm) nanoparticles tend to coalesce during the assembly process and form sintered structures. The fabricated silver nanorods show single-crystal structure with a low resistivity of 8.58 × 10-5 Ω cm. With high versatility, high resolution, and high throughput, the interfacial convective assembly opens remarkable opportunities for printing next generation nanoelectronics and sensors.
Participatory practices at work change attitudes and behavior toward societal authority and justice.

Generalized attitudes toward authority and justice are often conceptualized as individual differences that are resistant to enduring change. However, across two field experiments with Chinese factory workers and American university staff, small adjustments to people’s experience of participation in the workplace shifted these attitudes one month later. Both experiments randomly assigned work groups to a 20-minute participatory meeting once per week for six weeks, in which the supervisor stepped aside and workers discussed problems, ideas, and goals regarding their work (vs. a status quo meeting). Across 97 work groups and 1,924 workers, participatory meetings led workers to be less authoritarian and more critical about societal authority and justice, and to be more willing to participate in political, social, and familial decision-making. These findings provide rare experimental evidence of the theoretical predictions regarding participatory democracy: that local participatory experiences can influence broader democratic attitudes and empowerment. Local participatory experiences can influence broader democratic attitudes and participation. Here, in two field experiments in US and China, the authors find that participatory work meetings led workers to be less authoritarian and more critical about societal authority and justice, and more willing to participate in political and social decision-making.
Searching for qualitatively driven mixed methods research: a citation analysis

Recent work in mixed methods research has called for more emphasis on qualitatively driven mixed methods. We examined the prevalence of qualitatively driven mixed methods through the 20-year history of a key article, “Practical Strategies for Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods” (Morgan in Qual Health Res 8:362–376, 1998). We focused on this article because it has become a widely recognized resource in mixed methods research, and because it gave equal attention to both quantitatively and qualitatively driven mixed methods research. To investigate the development of the mixed methods field since this early article, we analyzed the content of over 200 empirical studies from a variety of disciplines that cited this target article, in order to determine both the extent of qualitatively driven mixed methods research designs and the changes over time in the use of these research designs. A systematic coding of the research designs used in the citing studies showed that the majority of these citations were from studies that used quantitatively rather than qualitatively driven mixed methods, and that this pattern was the same for citing articles between an earlier and later period in time. We conclude by considering some of the reasons why qualitatively driven studies remain relatively rare within the field of mixed methods.
Absolute intensity calibration for carbon‐edge soft X‐ray scattering

Resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSOXS) has become a premier probe to study complex three-dimensional nanostructures in soft matter through combining the robust structural characterization of small-angle scattering with the chemical sensitivity of spectroscopy. This technique borrows many of its analysis methods from alternative small-angle scattering measurements that utilize contrast variation, but thus far RSOXS has been unable to reliably achieve an absolute scattering intensity required for quantitative analysis of domain compositions, volume fraction, or interfacial structure. Here, a novel technique to calibrate RSOXS to an absolute intensity at the carbon absorption edge is introduced. It is shown that the X-ray fluorescence from a thin polymer film can be utilized as an angle-independent scattering standard. Verification of absolute intensity is then accomplished through measuring the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter in a phase-mixed polymer melt. The necessary steps for users to reproduce this intensity calibration in their own experiments to improve the scientific output from RSOXS measurements are discussed.
Multiple Session Early Psychological Interventions for the Prevention of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The Mission of Cochrane Nursing (CN) is to support Cochrane’s work by increasing the use of their library and provide an international evidence base for nurses and related healthcare professionals ...
Impact of TSV and Device Scaling on the Quality of 3D ICs

TSVs have negative effects such as area, delay, and power overhead because of non-negligible TSV area and capacitance. Therefore, obtaining benefits such as wirelength reduction and performance improvement from 3D integration is highly dependent on the TSV size and capacitance. To reduce the negative effects, TSVs have been downscaled and sub-micron TSVs are expected to be commercially available in the near future. Meanwhile, devices have also been downscaled beyond 32 and 22 nm, so future 3D ICs will very likely be built with sub-micron TSVs and advanced device technologies. In this chapter, the impact of TSVs on the quality of today and future 3D ICs is investigated based on GDSII-level layouts.
The linearized disposition index augments understanding of treatment effects in diabetes.

The linearized insulin secretion-sensitivity relationship allows separate evaluation of the secretion-sensitivity slope and of maximal insulin secretion. Here, we demonstrate the application of thi...
Fibromyalgia: Recognition and Management in the Primary Care Office.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition manifested by chronic generalized pain, fatigue, disordered sleep, and cognitive difficulties, persistent for at least 3 months. Other common complaints/conditions include symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, intermittent paresthesias, and various mood disorders. Women are more commonly affected than men. The treatment approach should be individualized and focused on associated mood disorders, sleep, exercise, correction of maladaptive responses to pain, and coping with stress.
Does Lobbying Affect Bill Advancement? Evidence from Three State Legislatures:

Many studies consider the effect of lobbying on the behavior of individual legislators, but few studies demonstrate a relationship between lobbying and the ultimate dispositions of bills by the leg...
Optimal Droop Settings of Smart Inverters

In active distribution grids, smart inverters (SI) can provide grid support functionalities through the control of active and reactive power. However, SIs operate based on droops as per the IEEE-1547; therefore, the dispatch setpoints obtained from the distribution grid optimal power (DOPF) models should lie on SIs’ droops and abide by the IEEE-1547. Moreover, instead of following rule-based methods or arbitrarily selected settings, the SI settings have to be optimally configured in order to enhance the network performance. The objective of this work is to obtain optimal droop settings of SIs using DOPF formulation for Volt-VAr and Volt-Watt grid-support functions. The non-convexity of the DOPF model as well as the inclusion of droops as constraints into the DOPF model makes this a computationally challenging problem to solve. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear programming problem to minimize the total system losses and voltage deviation. The efficacy of the model is validated on the IEEE 123-node feeder with 15 photovoltaic systems. Case studies demonstrate that optimal SI settings can improve grid performance compared to the recommended default settings.
Vertical Mixing on the Bering Sea Shelf

Recent studies of the Bering Sea marginal ice zone have focussed on the heat balance at the ice edge. The role of double-diffusive convection in supplying heat input to the ice is evaluated.
A Theory of Human Memory: Self-Organization and Performance of Sensory-Motor Codes, Maps, and Plans

This article suggests a psychophysiological foundation for cognitive theory, and more generally for goal-oriented or purposive behavior. Of all my articles, this is the one which drives deepest into uncharted territory. I say this partly because new implications of my own concepts and constructions in the article are still crystallizing in my mind.