cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Men's defense of their prototypicality undermines the success of women in STEM initiatives

Abstract Two studies tested the prediction that men in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math; students in Study 1; professionals in Study 2), who believed that initiatives to increase women's representation in these fields were effective would experience prototypicality threat (men's concern that they would no longer be the gender group that best represents what it means to be a member of the STEM community). Among those who believed it is legitimate for men to represent STEM, men's prototypicality threat mediated the relationship between perceptions that more women were entering their field and resistance toward this change (i.e., opposing women in STEM initiatives, wanting women to conform to the field's traditional norms, and expressing exclusionary intentions toward women peers). The opposite pattern was observed among those who rejected the idea that men's claim to represent STEM was legitimate. This work highlights how diversity initiatives in STEM, if successful, can be undermined by triggering prototypicality threat among men.
Asymptomatic malignant pleural effusion: to observe or to manage.

The malignant pleural effusion (MPE) incidence in the United States is estimated to be more than 150,000 cases annually (1). Most of the MPEs are symptomatic and commonly present with dyspnea, dry cough, dull chest pain and constitutional symptoms (2). While there is a fair amount of data about symptomatic MPEs, including epidemiology, clinical presentation and treatment options, the management of asymptomatic MPEs is mostly through observation (3,4).
Brewing Green: Sustainability in the Craft Beer Movement

This chapter provides an overview of how sustainability is conceptualized and practiced in the US craft brewing industry. Drawing on interviews with the sustainability coordinators from widely recognized “green” craft breweries, Jones paints a picture of companies that consistently practice sustainable behaviors but who are reluctant to communicate their environmental accomplishments to the broader public. While five major factors contribute to this unusual behavior, the complicated relationship between craft brewers and the dominant US beer producers plays a substantial role. The chapter concludes by noting that the increasingly popular adoption and practice of corporate sustainability (CS) by craft brewers may inadvertently result in a McDonaldization of the more traditional notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as the dominant model for pursuing business ethics.
Inelastic Behavior of Hybrid Coupled Walls

The seismic behavior and design of hybrid coupled shear walls is discussed. A prototype system is designed according to current specifications then analyzed using the finite element approach according to criteria in FEMA-273 (1). The performance of the system and its individual components is evaluated and seismic design provisions are assessed.
Development and Validity of a Silicone Renal Tumor Model for Robotic Partial Nephrectomy Training.

Objective To provide a training tool to address the technical challenges of robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, we created silicone renal tumor models using 3-dimensional printed molds of a patient's kidney with a mass. In this study, we assessed the face, content, and construct validity of these models. Materials and Methods Surgeons of different training levels completed 4 simulations on silicone renal tumor models. Participants were surveyed on the usefulness and realism of the model as a training tool. Performance was measured using operation-specific metrics, self-reported operative demands (NASA Task Load Index [NASA TLX]), and blinded expert assessment (Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Surgeons [GEARS]). Results Twenty-four participants included attending urologists, endourology fellows, urology residents, and medical students. Post-training surveys of expert participants yielded mean results of 79.2 on the realism of the model's overall feel and 90.2 on the model's overall usefulness for training. Renal artery clamp times and GEARS scores were significantly better in surgeons further in training (P ≤.005 and P ≤.025). Renal artery clamp times, preserved renal parenchyma, positive margins, NASA TLX, and GEARS scores were all found to improve across trials (P Conclusion Face, content, and construct validity were demonstrated in the use of a silicone renal tumor model in a cohort of surgeons of different training levels. Expert participants deemed the model useful and realistic. Surgeons of higher training levels performed better than less experienced surgeons in various study metrics, and improvements within individuals were observed over sequential trials. Future studies should aim to assess model predictive validity, namely, the association between model performance improvements and improvements in live surgery.
Hospital Variation in Risk-Adjusted Pediatric Sepsis Mortality.

Objectives With continued attention to pediatric sepsis at both the clinical and policy levels, it is important to understand the quality of hospitals in terms of their pediatric sepsis mortality. We sought to develop a method to evaluate hospital pediatric sepsis performance using 30-day risk-adjusted mortality and to assess hospital variation in risk-adjusted sepsis mortality in a large state-wide sample. Design Retrospective cohort study using administrative claims data. Settings Acute care hospitals in the state of Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2013. Patients Patients between the ages of 0-19 years admitted to a hospital with sepsis defined using validated International Classification of Diseases, Ninth revision, Clinical Modification, diagnosis and procedure codes. Interventions None. Measurements and main results During the study period, there were 9,013 pediatric sepsis encounters in 153 hospitals. After excluding repeat visits and hospitals with annual patient volumes too small to reliably assess hospital performance, there were 6,468 unique encounters in 24 hospitals. The overall unadjusted mortality rate was 6.5% (range across all hospitals: 1.5-11.9%). The median number of pediatric sepsis cases per hospital was 67 (range across all hospitals: 30-1,858). A hierarchical logistic regression model for 30-day risk-adjusted mortality controlling for patient age, gender, emergency department admission, infection source, presence of organ dysfunction at admission, and presence of chronic complex conditions showed good discrimination (C-statistic = 0.80) and calibration (slope and intercept of calibration plot: 0.95 and -0.01, respectively). The hospital-specific risk-adjusted mortality rates calculated from this model varied minimally, ranging from 6.0% to 7.4%. Conclusions Although a risk-adjustment model for 30-day pediatric sepsis mortality had good performance characteristics, the use of risk-adjusted mortality rates as a hospital quality measure in pediatric sepsis is not useful due to the low volume of cases at most hospitals. Novel metrics to evaluate the quality of pediatric sepsis care are needed.
Outcomes in real-world practice are different than cooperative trial for elderly patients with early breast cancer treated with adjuvant radiation therapy

Abstract Background The Cancer and Leukemia Group B 9,343 demonstrated that postoperative radiation can be safely omitted in women ≥70 years who underwent breast-conserving therapy for clinical stage I (T1N0M0) estrogen receptor positive breast cancer treated with antihormonal therapy. Whether such results are observed in real-world population is unknown. In this hospital-based data, we report the survival outcomes of patients who received adjuvant radiation therapy versus those who did not. Methods Using the National Cancer Data Base, we evaluated a cohort of 47,358 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer between 2004 and 2011 who underwent a lumpectomy and antihormonal therapy with the following criteria: age ≥70 years, clinical stage I, estrogen receptor positive, and negative margins. Patients were stratified into 2 groups: (1) radiation therapy and (2) no radiation therapy. Propensity score matching was used to compensate for differences in demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients. Univariate and multivariable survival analysis were employed to determine factors associated with overall survival. Results The 5-year overall survival after propensity score matching was 87.2% for radiation therapy and 79.4% for no radiation therapy (P Conclusion Patients who received radiation therapy had better survival outcomes than those who did not, revealing discordance between results of randomized trials and real-world setting.
Squatting for Survival: Precarious Housing in a Declining U.S. City

Despite severely depressed property markets, housing in declining U.S. cities can be surprisingly unaffordable for poor residents. Yet the characteristics of decline, such as abundant vacant proper...
Amphotericin B Toxicity for Epithelial Cells

One of the major goals of the studies of nephrotoxic agents is to determine where exactly a given drug acts. Does it act on the cell membrane and, if so, does it act on the lipid part of the membrane or on some specific transport site or receptor? It has been suggested (see Chapter 3, this volume) that the heavy metal uranyl nitrate may act on the sodium channels of the luminal membrane of the turtle bladder, and that the target structures for the aminoglycosides appear to be intracellular organelles, i.e., lysosomes, in the proximal tubular cells. In most instances, the precise sequence of events leading to injury and functional impairment remains unknown.
C5 Nerve root palsies following cervical spine surgery: A review

Background Cervical C5 nerve root palsies may occur in between 0% and 30% of routine anterior or posterior cervical spine operations. They are largely attributed to traction injuries/increased cord migration following anterior/posterior decompressions. Of interest, almost all studies cite spontaneous resolution of these deficits without surgery with 3-24 postoperative months. Methods Different studies cite various frequencies for C5 root palsies following anterior or posterior cervical spine surgery. In their combined anterior/posterior series involving C4-C5 level decompressions, Libelski et al. cited up to a 12% incidence of C5 palsies. In Gu et al. series, C5 root palsies occurred in 3.1% of double-door laminoplasty, 4.5% of open-door laminoplasty, and 11.3% of laminectomy. Miller et al. observed an intermediate 6.9% frequency of C5 palsies followed by posterior cervical decompressions and fusions (PCDF). Results Gu et al. also identified multiple risk factors for developing C5 palsies following posterior surgery; male gender, ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), narrower foramina, laminectomy, and marked dorsal spinal cord drift. Miller et al. also identified an average $1918 increased cost for physical/occupational therapy for patients with C5 palsies. Conclusions The incidence of C5 root deficits for anterior/posterior cervical surgery at C4-C5 was 12% in one series, and ranged up to 11.3% for laminectomies, while others cited 0-30%. Although identification of preoperative risk factors for C5 root deficits may help educate patients regarding these risks, there is no clear method for their avoidance at this time.
Team-based care: an expanded medical assistant role - enhanced rooming and visit assistance.

Primary care practices face significant challenges as they pursue the Quadruple Aim. Redistributing care across the interprofessional primary care team by expanding the role of the medical assistan...
From Framework to Theory

The instant book is grounded on a framework for studying the content of law in a society that is democratically governed and structurally complex, but the framework applies only to law that has a bearing on activities that are (1) social in character and (2) important to the society. This chapter begins by explicating both (1) and (2) so that social activities are empirically distinguishable from nonsocial activities and societally important activities are empirically distinguishable from societally unimportant activities. Findings from quantitative research are then used to formulate theorems that identify the impact of particular society-level agents on doctrines of law and that can thereby account for between-society differences, as well as within-society changes, in the content of law on activities covered by the framework. Theorems are developed for five agents: culture, knowledge, social disorder, societal fragmentation, and population structure. The chapter concludes by underscoring the powerful effect that macrosociological agents have on the content of law: In a set of seven studies, an average of just four explanatory variables correctly anticipated state law doctrines in four-fifths of U.S. states.
Large Intermediates in Hydrazine Decomposition: A Theoretical Study of the N3H5 and N4H6 Potential Energy Surfaces.

Large complex formation involved in the thermal decomposition of hydrazine (N2H4) is studied using transition state theory-based theoretical kinetics. A comprehensive analysis of the N3H5 and N4H6 ...
Tackling key challenges around learning in environmental governance

Environmental and ecological systems, along with the social, technological, and institutional systems that shape them, are complex, dynamic, interactive, and continually evolving. To effectively go...
Implications of indoor microbial ecology and evolution on antibiotic resistance.

The indoor environment is an important source of microbial exposures for its human occupants. While we naturally want to favor positive health outcomes, built environment design and operation may counter-intuitively favor negative health outcomes, particularly with regard to antibiotic resistance. Indoor environments contain microbes from both human and non-human origins, providing a unique venue for microbial interactions, including horizontal gene transfer. Furthermore, stressors present in the built environment could favor the exchange of genetic material in general and the retention of antibiotic resistance genes in particular. Intrinsic and acquired antibiotic resistance both pose a potential threat to human health; these phenomena need to be considered and controlled separately. The presence of both environmental and human-associated microbes, along with their associated antibiotic resistance genes, in the face of stressors, including antimicrobial chemicals, creates a unique opportunity for the undesirable spread of antibiotic resistance. In this review, we summarize studies and findings related to various interactions between human-associated bacteria, environmental bacteria, and built environment conditions, and particularly their relation to antibiotic resistance, aiming to guide “healthy” building design.
Rural Bioethics: The Alaska Context.

With by far the lowest population density in the United States, myriad challenges attach to healthcare delivery in Alaska. In the “Size, Population, and (In)Accessibility” section, we characterize this geographic context, including how it is exacerbated by lack of infrastructure. In the “Distributing Healthcare” section, we turn to healthcare economics and staffing, showing how these bear on delivery—and are exacerbated by geography. In the “Health Care in Rural Alaska” section, we turn to rural care, exploring in more depth what healthcare delivery looks like outside of Alaska’s major cities. This discussion continues in the “Alaska’s Native Villages” section, which specifically analyzes healthcare in Alaska’s indigenous villages, some of the smallest and most isolated communities in the United States. Though many of the ways we could improve Alaskan health care for Alaskan residents are limited by its unique features, the “Justice and Healthcare Delivery” and “Technology and Telemedicine” sections consider ways in which certain policies and technology—including telemedicine—could mitigate the challenges developed in previous sections.
Temperature synchronization across parallel microchannels during flow boiling

Abstract Microchannel evaporators are capable of removing large heat fluxes by taking advantage of the latent heat of phase-change. However, flow maldistribution in the parallel channels of the evaporator can cause a considerable variation in the cooling performance of each channel. Such variations in performance are undesirable and present a significant challenge to implement this strategy effectively. To address this issue, we analyze the fluid flow and heat transfer taking place in an evaporator consisting of two parallel channels. The computational model presented in this study quantifies the effect of thermal and flow coupling between the channels. The experiments characterize the performance of the evaporators with channels that are either thermally-coupled or thermally-decoupled. Our experiments and model indicate that flow oscillations with sufficient amplitude can aid in synchronizing the temperature across the channels that are thermally-coupled, flow-coupled, or both. Hence, with the simple strategy of allowing controllable flow oscillations, the performance of microchannel evaporators can be improved by mitigating flow maldistribution.
On first-order hyperbolic partial differential equations with two internal variables modeling population dynamics of two physiological structures

In this paper we develop fundamental theories for a scalar first-order hyperbolic partial differential equation with two internal variables which models single-species population dynamics with two physiological structures such as age–age, age–maturation, age–size, and age–stage. Classical techniques of treating structured models with a single internal variable are generalized to study the double physiologically structured model. First, the semigroup is defined based on the solutions and its infinitesimal generator is determined. Then, the compactness of solution trajectories is established. Finally, spectrum theory is employed to investigate stability of the zero steady state and asynchronous exponential growth of solutions is studied when the zero steady state is unstable.
Examining the relationship between nutrition, quality of life, and depression in hemodialysis patients

Lifestyle changes associated with end-stage renal disease may be a factor in depression and quality of life (QOL) for patients receiving hemodialysis. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between nutritional status, QOL, and depression in 124 hemodialysis patients. Nutritional markers included serum albumin, normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR), body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and daily protein intake. Physical and Mental dimension scores of the Kidney Disease QOL-Short Form (KDQOL-SF), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression (CESD) survey were used to measure QOL and depression, respectively. Data were analyzed using regression analyses. Measures of effect size were used for interpretation. Nutritional status indicators explained a moderate amount of the variability of the Physical dimension of QOL (crude R2 = .14, covariate-adjusted ΔR2 = .06) but had weak explanatory ability for the Mental dimension of QOL (crude R2 = .05, covariate-adjusted ΔR2 = .02) and CESD (crude R2 = .02, covariate-adjusted ΔR2 = .005). Additional findings suggested the presence of non-linear relationships between protein intake and both the Physical and Mental QOL dimension scores. Longer dialysis vintage was also correlated with lower psychosocial patient outcomes. While nutritional status is an important element in predicting hemodialysis patient outcomes, its relationship to depression and QOL, in this sample, demonstrated only moderate explanatory ability. However, dialysis vintage and level of education had a significant relationship with depression and QOL. These findings suggest that patients with longer dialysis vintage and limited health literacy require unique plans of care. Future studies aimed at understanding the interrelationships between non-modifiable patient characteristics and psychosocial outcomes are imperative.
Stable bone density in adolescents with severe growth hormone deficiency after six months off rhGH.

Abstract Objective Severe growth hormone deficiency causes lean body mass loss in male adolescents and increased fat mass in both sexes. The changes appear after a 6 month GH pause. Aim The aim was to examine bone density and structure changes in adolescents with severe GHD during a 6-month rhGH treatment interruption. Patients and methods In total, 113 adolescents (20 females) paused rhGH treatment for 6 months at near-final height, and they were retested with arginine-GHRH challenge and basal IGF-1. Severe GHD was diagnosed in 19 individuals (5 females, GH peak Results In severe adolescent GHD (sGHD) patients, trabecular density (mg/cm3) decreased from 214 to 202 (p Conclusion During a 6-month pause of rhGH treatment, the bone structure and density of adolescents with sGHD did not show changes implying harm. Routine retesting of adolescents, including 6 months without GH, is unlikely to be detrimental to the bone.
Clinical Characteristics, Ultrasonographic Findings, and Treatment of Pediatric Transverse Testicular Ectopia: A 10-Year Retrospective Review.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical data, ultrasonic features, treatment, and long-term outcome of transverse testicular ectopia (TTE) in children. METHODS Children with TTE were enrolled in the study between November 2009 and August 2019 in Shenzhen Children's Hospital in China. Clinical information, including demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, TTE-associated anomalies, ultrasonographic findings, and surgical procedures, were collected from all patients. Patients were re-evaluated at the end of 4 weeks and 6 months after the operation. RESULTS A total of 16 cases were enrolled and underwent surgeries, all patients had undescended testis with contralateral inguinal hernia. The ultrasonic findings showed two testicles in 15 cases and no testes in 1 case. Mullerian ducts remnants were found by laparoscopy in 6 cases or by ultrasound in one case. Sixteen cases were treated with laparoscopy orchidopexy or laparoscopy assisted trans-septal orchidopexy-inguinal exploration. After surgery, 16 patients had both testicles in an orthotopic position and with equal size, with normal blood flow. CONCLUSION TTE should be suspected in patients with nonpalpable undescended testis and contralateral inguinal hernia. The contralateral processus vaginalis sac occurs in all cases of TTE. Ultrasonography is essential for an early diagnosis of TTE. Laparoscopy-assisted surgery is safe, effective, and minimally invasive therapy for TTE.
Disciplinary marginalization and sociopolitics: the U.S. PETE pre-tenure experience

Limited research in the context of physical education teacher education has examined faculty members’ preparation for the teaching aspect of the faculty role, particularly using longitudinal method...
Cesàro matrix and (1, 1; r)-convex sequences

This paper deals with (1, 1; r)-convexity of sequences. First, we prove several results on the sets of (1, 1; r)-convex sequences for various values of r. Then we show that the Cesaro matrix does not preserve (1, 1; r)-convexity of sequences for any $$r\ge 2$$ .
Retrieving At-one-ment in the English Soteriological Tradition:

This article examines the use of the word atonement in biblical-theological discourse in the English language and early English translations of the Bible. It traces the word’s origin and developmen...
T lymphocyte stress response: II. Protection of translation and DNA replication against some forms of stress by prior hyperthermic stress

Abstract We have compared the effects of a mild heat shock and febrile temperatures on heat-shock protein (hsp) synthesis and development of stress tolerance in T lymphocytes. Our previous studies demonstrated that febrile temperatures (⩽41 °C) induced the synthesis of hsp110, hsp90, and the constitutive or cognate form of hsp70 (hscp70); a weak induction of the strongly stress-induced hsp70 was also observed. In the studies reported herein, we demonstrate that a mild heat shock (42.5 °C) reverses this ratio; that is, hsp70 and not hscp70 is the predominate member of this family synthesized at this temperature. Modest heat shock also enhanced the synthesis of hsp110 and hsp90. In order to assess the relationship between hsp synthesis and the acquisition of thermotolerance, purified T cells were first incubated at 42.5 °C (induction temperature) and then subsequently subjected to a severe heat-shock challenge (45 °C, 30 min). T cells first incubated at a mild heat-shock temperature were capable of total protein synthesis at a more rapid rate following a severe heat shock than control cells (induction temperature 37 °C). This phenomenon, which has been previously termed translational tolerance, did not develop in cells incubated at the febrile temperature (induction temperature 41 °C). Protection of translation also extended to immunologically relevant proteins such as interleukin-2 and the interleukin-2 receptor. Because clonal expansion is a critical event during an immune response, the effects of hyperthermic stress on DNA replication (mitogen-induced T cell proliferation) was also evaluated in thermotolerant T cells. DNA synthesis in control cells (induction temperature 37 °C) was severely inhibited following heat-shock challenge at 44 °C or 45 °C; in contrast, T cells preincubated at 42.5 °C rapidly recovered their DNA synthetic capacity. T cells preincubated at a febrile temperature were moderately protected against hyperthermic stress. The acquisition of thermotolerance was also associated with enhanced resistance to chemical (ethanol)-induced stress but not to heavy metal toxicity (cadmium) or dexamethasone-induced immunosuppression. These studies suggest that prior hsp synthesis may protect immune function against some forms of stress (e.g., febrile episode) but would be ineffective against others such as elevated glucocorticoid levels which normally occur during an immune response.
Geography and international relations theorizing: their implications for China

Factors relating to geography have figured prominently in the works of various international relations theorists, and students of international relations have been increasingly drawn to analyzing the likely consequences of China’s recent rise for the future peace and prosperity of East Asia and beyond. This essay has two objectives: it presents and explains those geographic variables with an important role in international relations theories, and it draws out the implications of these general formulations for the specific case of China.
Morphable Models for the Analysis and Synthesis of Complex Motion Patterns

The linear combination of prototypical views provides a powerful approach for the recognition and the synthesis of images of stationary three-dimensional objects. In this article, we present initial results that demonstrate that similar ideas can be developed for the recognition and synthesis of complex motion patterns. We present a technique that permits to represent complex motion or action patterns by linear combinations of a small number of prototypical image sequences. We demonstrate the applicability of this new approach for the synthesis and analysis of biological motion using simulated and real video data from different locomotion patterns. Our results show that complex motion patterns are embedded in pattern spaces with a defined topological structure, which can be uncovered with our methods. The underlying pattern space seems to have locally, but not globally, the properties of a linear vector space. We show how the knowledge about the topology of the pattern space can be exploited during pattern recognition. Our method may provide a new interesting approach for the analysis and synthesis of video sequences and complex movements.
Spatial Variation of Seismic Ground Motions: Modeling and Engineering Applications

Introduction Stochastic estimation of spatial variability Basic definitions Stochastic processes Bi-variate stochastic processes Coherency Multi-variate stochastic processes and stochastic fields Parametric modeling of spatial variability Parametric power spectral densities Early studies on spatial variability Dependence of coherency on physical parameters Parametric coherencymodeling Parametric cross spectrum modeling Physical characterization of spatial variability Frequency-wavenumber (F-K) spectra Amplitude and phase variability Seismic ground-surface strains Semi-empirical estimation of the propagation velocity Estimation of the surface strain field Accuracy of single-station strain estimation Incoherence vs propagation effects in surface strains Displacement gradient estimation from array data Considerations in the estimation of seismic ground strains Random vibrations for multi-support excitations Introduction to random vibrations Discrete-parameter systems Distributed-parameter systems Analysis of rms lifeline response Additional random vibration considerations Simulations of spatially variable ground motions Simulation of random processes Simulation of random fields Simulation ofmulti-variate stochastic vector processes Conditionally simulated ground motions Conditional simulation of random processes Processing of simulated acceleration time series Example applications Engineering Applications Large, mat, rigid foundations Dams Suspension and cable-stayed bridges Highway bridges Some concluding remarks References
Institutional Readiness and Small to Medium‐Sized Enterprise Alliance Formation

The focus of this study, in contrast to research that explores the strategic choice by small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) to form strategic alliances, is a characterization of the institution...
Judicial Influence on Academic Decision-Making: A Study of Tenure Denial Litigation Cases in which Higher Education Institutions Did Not Wholly Prevail

This study examined judicial influence on academic decision-making by identifying factors in the tenure process that have induced courts to rule against higher education institutions in litigation stemming from tenure denials. Many interdisciplinary legal and educational studies have been conducted pertaining to tenure related litigation using qualitative, quantitative, and legal research methodologies. Empirical studies have been directed at varied issues, such as the peer review process; specific claims, such as discrimination; types of institutions; or time periods. Much of this scholarship has noted the importance of judicial deference to decisions made in academia. Unique to this study was the application of dual conceptual frameworks of shared governance and judicial deference as to decisions made in the academic tenure denial process. The study was also unique in that it was limited to tenure litigation cases in which institutions did not wholly prevail.Included in the study were published judicial opinions from the period of 1972 to 2011 from the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeal, and states’ highest appellate courts. The study sought to determine first, the policies and procedures employed in public and private colleges and universities that have contributed to federal and state appellate courts’ unfavorable rulings against institutions in tenure denial litigation; second, the remedies granted to faculty plaintiffs who prevail in tenure denial litigation; and finally, the steps that colleges and universities can take to minimize and mitigate tenure denial litigation.Complementary legal and qualitative research methods yielded evidence that courts were highly deferential to academic decision-making and that courts ruled against institutions’ tenure decisions when the decisions were contrary to law. Courts granted legal and equitable remedies when institutions infringed upon a professor’s rights, discriminated against a professor, or breached a contract with a professor. Based on the analysis of case law, this study proposed steps that institutions could take to avoid or mitigate tenure denial litigation. By gaining a better understanding of potential flaws in the tenure process and why courts have substituted judicial decisions for those of institutional decisions, this study contributes to our understanding as to how to decrease the influence of the courts on decisions made in academia.
Sympathetic nerves modify mitochondrial and capillary growth in normotensive and hypertensive rats

Abstract We tested the hypothesis that sympathetic nerves influence cardiocyte organelle volumes and capillarity in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with long-standing hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy. SHR and their normotensive, Wistar Kyoto (WKY), controls were treated with 6-hydroxydopamine from birth to prevent the establishment of the sympathetic nervous system. To determine whether β adrenergic receptors were the major pathway of sympathetic influence, another group of SHR and WKY were chronically treated from weaning with the β 1 adrenergic antagonist, metoprolol. In SHR sympathectomy failed to alter, while metoprolol attenuated, hypertension. Stereological analyses of perfuse-fixed hearts showed that in both SHR and WKY mitochondria/myofibrils volume ratio was increased by long-term sympathectomy, mainly by limiting mitochondrial volume density, even though this intervention failed to alter left ventricular mass. In contrast, long-term β 1 blockade attenuated hypertrophy in SHR but had no effect on mitochondria/myofibrils volume ratio. Capillary numerical density was increased significantly in sympathectomized SHR and WKY. However, despite this increase, capillary volume density was similar in control and sympathectomized rats, since capillary diameter was less in the latter. Metoprolol-treated SHR showed a trend toward higher capillary numerical densities consistent with their attenuation of hypertrophy. These findings indicate that sympathetic nerves, either directly or indirectly, inhibit cardiocyte mitochondrial growth and capillary proliferation during both normal and pressure-overload induced cardiac enlargement.
Mini-constitutive finite element model for plastic response of unidirectional fiber composites

Abstract A micromechanical finite element model to compute the overall instantaneous stiffness of fiber-reinforced composites in elastoplastic response is presented. This model is applicable to a periodic diamond array of elastic circular fibers embedded in an elastic-plastic matrix subjected to a plane stress loading. This model enforces symmetry and anti-symmetry conditions isolating the smallest unit cell and should greatly increase the speed of doing “built-in” micromechanics within a larger finite element program, because of the small number of degrees of freedom (12–14 DOF). At this stage of development, effective properties of a composite with a nearly incompressible matrix are presented to assess the model's plasticity performance. Comparison with a fine grid finite element solution shows very good results and demonstrates the effectiveness of the mini-model presented.
Flexible optitrode for localized light delivery and electrical recording

We present two innovative design concepts of integrated flexible neural probe for deep brain optical stimulation and electrical recording, termed as “optitrode”. In the first one, a hybrid annular light pipe is built around a tetrode by V-groove guided capillary assembly (VGCA), by which a single or multiple microwires can be packaged inside the light pipe with high precision. In the second design, thin-film microelectrodes and wires are patterned on an optical fiber by proximity ion beam lithography. These designs address a major limitation on the length-to-diameter ratio, achieving > 500 (>5 cm long, <100 μm diameter). The highly flexible nature of optitrode could be critical for minimally-invasive implantation as well as long-term operation.
Posterior segment complications in patients with hepatitis C treated with interferon and ribavirin

Abstract Purpose To determine the incidence and type of posterior segment complications associated with the use of interferon alpha 2b and ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Design A prospective noncomparative case series. Participants Forty-two patients (84 eyes). Methods Patients with chronic hepatitis C were evaluated for ocular changes while being treated with interferon alpha 2b and ribavirin. Patients were followed with sequential ocular examinations for 4 to 20 months. Main outcome measures Occurrence of posterior segment complications while on interferon and ribavirin therapy. Results Twenty-seven patients developed retinopathy. The retinopathy consisted of single-to-multiple cotton-wool spots and retinal hemorrhage and was transient in all cases. An additional patient (age 46) presented with asymptomatic disc edema and hemorrhage. One other individual developed a symptomatic permanent monocular visual field defect. Therapy was discontinued in three patients because of severe posterior segment pathology. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that a high incidence of retinopathy is associated with the treatment of hepatitis C using interferon and ribavirin, but that this form of retinopathy is relatively benign. Regular ophthalmic monitoring should be performed in patients undergoing this treatment.
Effect of fiber orientation on the fracture toughness of brittle matrix composites

The effective fracture toughness of brittle matrix materials can be increased through the addition of short, poorly bonded fibers which bridge the growing crack. The orientation distribution of the fibers is likely to be biased, and not in an ideal random or aligned state. A micromechanical model is formulated for the postcracking behavior using the force-displacement relation for an arbitrary fiber bridging a crack, the fiber orientation density function, and the fiber location density function. This model is then used to determine an effective traction law for the bridging fibers, as well as the steady state bridging toughness increment. In most cases, the results may be placed in the form of a product of the aligned fiber results times a modifying integrated orientation factor. The frictional shear stress on fiber pull-out is allowed to vary during pull-out, modeling the effects of matrix breakdown, fiber surface smoothing or wear debris accumulation. Results are presented for a variety of representative planar and three-dimensional fiber orientation states.
Measurement of human urinary organophosphate pesticide metabolites by automated solid-phase extraction, post extraction derivatization, and gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract Organophosphorus (OP) pesticides are among the most widely used pesticides in the United States. Human exposure to these pesticides may occur from their use on crops in agriculture and for pest control in residential settings. Most of the OP pesticides used in the United States are metabolized to up to three of six common urinary dialkyl phosphate metabolites. Quantification of these metabolites provides information on cumulative exposure to most OP pesticides. To accurately quantify OP pesticide metabolites in human urine, we developed a simple, highly sensitive, analytic method involving automated solid-phase extraction (SPE) of human urine, followed by post-extraction derivatization of the organophosphorus metabolites with 1-chloro-3-iodopropane, and analysis by isotope dilution gas–chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The styrene-divinyl benzene polymer-based SPE cartridges yielded good SPE recoveries of the metabolites because of their enhanced non-polar interactions. This method is less labor-intensive, more time-efficient, and reproducible than previously reported methods. Automation of the SPE allowed unattended extraction of urine samples, and hence, increased the sample throughput and reduced the inter- and intra-day variations. The method limits of detection were excellent for all analytes ranging from 50 pg/ml to 170 pg/ml. Relative standard deviations ranged from 2% to 12%.
Prospective study of bone, indium-111-labeled white blood cell, and gallium-67 scanning for the evaluation of osteomyelitis in the diabetic foot.

Twenty-two adult diabetic patients with clinical suspicion of foot and/or ankle infection were prospectively evaluated using radiography, technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate bone scanning (99Tc), indium-111-labeled leukocyte scanning (111In), and gallium-67 scanning (67Ga) to determine the presence of clinically suspected osteomyelitis.Biopsy for culture and histology was performed in 16 patients. The diagnosis of osteomyelitis was confirmed by biopsy in 12 patients. The remaining 10 patients had no evidence of osteomyelitis with long-term follow-up. 99mTc was snown to be of limited valued when used alone in these patients with peripheral neuropathy. 67Ga, either alone or in combination with 99mTc bone scanning, was of little diagnostic value and gave no additional information that was not available from 111In.The combination of three-phase 99mTc and 111In had the highest diagnostic efficacy (100% sensitivity, 80% specificity, and 91% accuracy), followed closely by 111In alone (100% sensitivity, 70% sp...
Dehalogenation of organic compounds. 4. Dechlorination of pentachlorophenol and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene with transition metal-promoted alkoxyborohydrides

Abstract Metal-promoted NaBH4 and NaBH2(OCH2CH2OCH3)2 dechlorinations were carried out on the aromatic chloro compounds pentachlorophenol and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene. The best results were obtained by dropwise addition of NiCl2 in solution to NaBH2(OCH2CH2OCH3)2 and the substrate in THF solutions.
A Beta‐Mixture Model for Assessing Genetic Population Structure

An important fraction of recently generated molecular data is dominant markers. They contain substantial information about genetic variation but dominance makes it impossible to apply standard techniques to calculate measures of genetic differentiation, such as F-statistics. In this article, we propose a new Bayesian beta-mixture model that more accurately describes the genetic structure from dominant markers and estimates multiple F(ST) s from the sample. The model also has important application for codominant markers and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data. The number of F(ST) is assumed unknown beforehand and follows a random distribution. The reversible jump algorithm is used to estimate the unknown number of multiple F(ST) s. We evaluate the performance of three split proposals and the overall performance of the proposed model based on simulated dominant marker data. The model could reliably identify and estimate a spectrum of degrees of genetic differentiation present in multiple loci. The estimates of F(ST) s also incorporate uncertainty about the magnitude of within-population inbreeding coefficient. We illustrate the method with two examples, one using dominant marker data from a rare orchid and the other using codominant marker data from human populations.
Outcomes After Esophagectomy in Patients With Prior Antireflux or Hiatal Hernia Surgery

Background Esophagectomy is indicated occasionally for the treatment of patients with refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or recurrent hiatus hernia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of previous gastroesophageal operations on outcomes after esophagectomy for recurrent GERD or hiatus hernia. Methods Using a prospectively accumulated database, a retrospective review was performed to identify patients undergoing esophagectomy for complicated GERD or hiatus hernia. Mortality, perioperative and functional outcomes, and need for reoperation were evaluated, assessing esophagectomy patients who had undergone prior operations for GERD or hiatus hernia. Results Of 258 patients with GERD or hiatus hernia undergoing esophagectomy, 104 had undergone a previous operation, with a median interval to esophagectomy of 28 months. Transhiatal resection was accomplished in fewer patients undergoing reoperation (87 of 104 versus 151 of 154; p p p Conclusions Esophagectomy in patients who have undergone prior operations for either GERD or hiatus hernia can be accomplished without thoracotomy and with satisfactory intermediate-term quality of life. Such patients should be evaluated and prepared for the use of alternative conduits should the remobilized stomach prove to be an unsatisfactory esophageal substitute at the time of esophagectomy.
Tetraalkylphosphonium Polyoxometalate Ionic Liquids: Novel, Organic−Inorganic Hybrid Materials†

Pairing of a Keggin or Lindqvist polyoxometalate (POM) anion with an appropriate tetraalkylphosphonium cation is shown to yield the first members of a new family of ionic liquids (ILs). Detailed characterization of one of them, an ambient-temperature “liquid POM” comprising the Lindqvist salt of the trihexyl(tetradecyl) phosphonium cation, by voltammetry, viscometry, conductimetry, and thermal analysis indicates that it exhibits conductivity and viscosity comparable to those of the one previously described inorganic−organic POM-IL hybrid but with substantially improved thermal stability.
New developments in the synthesis of lower fluorinated pyridines via diazotization-fluorination of aminopyridines in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride

Abstract The isolation and stabilization of elusive 4-fluoropyridine as the hydrochloride salt (54% yield) from fluorodediazoniation of 4-aminopyridine in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF) is described. Unlike the low yields (0–13%) recently reported from the chlorodediazoniation of 2,6-diaminopyridine and 3-halo-2,6-diaminopyridine, fluorodediazoniation gave high yields (49–62%) of the corresponding 2,6-difluoropyridines. In contrast, benzene analogs, i.e. m -phenylenediamine and 4-chloro- m -phenylenediamine, form only tars under similar fluorination conditions. Vicinal aminohalopyridines, e.g. 3-amino-2-chloropyridine and 2-amino-3,5-dichloropyridine give the corresponding fluorohalopyridine in 49–89% yield. Again, the benzene analogs, i.e. o -chloroaniline and 2,4-dichloroaniline, resist fluorination.
Clinical and molecular studies in full trisomy 22: Further delineation of the phenotype and review of the literature. Reply to Dr. Robinson and Dr. Kalousek

This {open_quotes}Letter to the Editor{close_quotes} responds to the comments by Dr. Robinson and Dr. Kalousek regarding the implications of meiotic versus somatic chromosomal aberrations. The survival time of the patient may depend on the detection of mosicism; the discussion of the existence of full trisomy 22 remains controversial. 2 refs.
Radiative capture estimates via analytic continuation of elastic-scattering data, and the solar-neutrino problem

Measurements of sigma/sub ..gamma../ for /sup 3/He(..cap alpha..,..gamma..) /sup 7/Be, central to the solar ..nu.. problem, disagree. In a direct capture model, the normalization constants N/sub 3/2/ and N/sub 1/2/ of the P/sub 3/2/ and P/sub 1/2/ bound state wave functions of /sup 7/Be at large /sup 3/He-..cap alpha.. separations determine are given by (simpler) measurements of sigmasub..gamma.. at a higher energy E, or, as here, by analytic continuation of the sup3He-..cap alpha.. psub3/2 and psub1/2 phase shifts, delta(E). The method has been successfully tested on calculations of Tang et al. Better measurements of delta(E) are called for.
Lack of association between oestrogen receptor polymorphisms and change in bone mineral density with tamoxifen therapy.

Lack of association between oestrogen receptor polymorphisms and change in bone mineral density with tamoxifen therapy
A general overview of some Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques for materials characterization

A brief overview is provided on three common methods of nondestructive evaluation (NDE), Ultrasonic Testing (UT), Radiographic Testing (RT) and Eddy Current (EC). These methods vary in the physics applied to the testing or evaluation process while specific techniques vary in the way each method may be applied. Understanding the physics behind each method and constraints of each technique helps us understand the capabilities and limitations of the inspection. Recognizing the capabilities and limitation of these NDE Techniques helps us properly design the inspection, collect and process data and draw appropriate conclusions.