cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Choice of Route Networks by Market Pairs: Do Jet Fuel Prices and Airspace Design Matter? *

In this paper, we examined airlines and other users’ route choice behaviors in the national airspace system of the United States. A binary logit regression model was used to determine the choice of routes by the users employing instrumental flight rules. By categorizing routes into two types – over land and over water – and using a sample of almost 98,500 observations from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS), we found that operational characteristics, such as distance, commercial flights, and altitudes of the flights, are important variables. Inflationary environment, caused by sectoral jet fuel prices and overall economy-wide prices, leads to the choice of over water routes. Busier months as well as peakier times of the day tend to lead to the choice of over water routes. Finally, airspace redesign tends to make over water routes more attractive vis-a-vis over land routes.
Managing Resource Flows within MNCs:The Contingent Role of Expatriates in Foreign Subsidiaries

Despite long-standing arguments about the benefits multinational corporations (MNCs) can achieve from sharing and transferring their resources across borders, there has been much less examination o...
DISTORTED-WAVE ANALYSIS OF CHARGE ASYMMETRY EFFECTS IN THE REACTION d($alpha$,t)$sup 3$He.

The fore-aft asymmetry of the angular distribution for the reaction $d(\ensuremath{\alpha},t)^{3}\mathrm{He}$ at 82 MeV is compared with the result of a simple distorted-wave Born-approximation calculation. We find that if Coulomb effects are included, the general features of the asymmetry can be reproduced.
On the Relationship between Science and Technology of Internet,Intellectual Property Law and Competition Law——With the Reference of German Hyperlink Judgment

The hyperlink is the core of the science and technology of internet.Without the hyperlink,the performance of internet would be reduced sharply.However,the utilization of hyperlink might produce unfair competition.The unfair competition of business activities conducted on internet is not permitted by competition law.With the reference of German hyperlink judgment,this paper discusses the types and specific causes of possible violation related to hypelink.
Large Capacity Separation of Cells in a Reorienting Zonal Rotor

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses separation of cells by a zonal motor. This same rotor and closely related rotors have also been used to isolate subcellular particles such as nuclei, mitochondria, lysosomes, and microsomes from rat liver, nuclei from calf thymus, renin-containing granules from rabbit renal cortex, and virus particles. The chief advantage of the TZ-28 reorienting gradient rotor is its large capacity. The TZ-28 rotor does yield significantly purer rapidly sedimenting cells and gives improved recoveries of cells, especially rapidly sedimenting cells, over the isokinetic gradient. If the desired cells are rapidly sedimenting and are present in only small numbers, the TZ-28 rotor may in this case yield significantly more cells that are more highly purified from a small sample than would be possible from several isokinetic gradients. The TZ-28 reorienting gradient zonal rotor is an effective means for rapidly separating and purifying large quantities of viable cells by gradient sedimentation. Because gradient sedimentation is dependent on either differences in density and/or differences in rates of sedimentation, cells to be separated must differ from each other in one of these physical properties. The absence of rotating- and static-seals makes the equipment easy to use and less costly than rotors with seals. The viability of cells purified in this rotor appears unimpaired, in contrast to the viability of cells purified in some kinds of zonal rotors.
Bézier Curve Topics

This chapter discusses a Bezier curve of degree n . Degree elevation has important application in surface design. For several algorithms that produce surfaces from curve input, it is necessary that these curves be of the same degree. Using degree elevation, one may achieve this by raising the degree of all input curves to one of the highest degree. Another application lies in the area of data transfer among different CAD/CAM or graphics systems. Degree elevation can be viewed as a process that introduces redundancy; a curve is described by more information than is actually necessary. Parametric Bezier curves are composed of coordinate functions—each component is a Bezier function. For two-dimensional curves, this can be used to construct the cross plot of a curve. A cross plot can be a very helpful tool for the investigation not only of Bezier curves, but of general two-dimensional curves.
The Role of Debt Analyst Reports for Firms in Financial Distress

I examine the role of sell-side debt analyst reports in the corporate bond market for financially distressed firms. Debt analysts are not subject to the same conflict-of-interest regulations as equity analysts, and for this reason it is an open question whether the primary function of debt analysts lies in reducing information asymmetry between investors and firm managers in public debt markets or in marketing their investment bank and underwriting clients. I find that the majority of debt analyst reports (57.8%) piggyback on corporate news announcements (i.e., reiterate the information conveyed by other sources) and contain little new information, and the accuracy of the information in their reports is affected by investment banking conflicts of interest. While I find that debt analysts’ bankruptcy and covenant violation predictions are incrementally informative to corporate bond investors, such predictions constitute a small subset of the overall sample.
Introduction of an EMG-Controlled Game to Facilitate Hand Rehabilitation After Stroke

Stroke survivors often have difficulty creating the proper muscle activation patterns to perform functional tasks. We have developed an electromyographically (EMG)-controlled game to assist stroke survivors in rehabilitating activation patterns. Players must produce specific EMG patterns in order to move a cursor throughout a computer screen. We ran a pilot study with neurologically intact subjects playing the game on three separate days. Significant carryover in improvement of activation was seen from one day to the next.
High-Speed DIC on Flat Panels Subjected to Ballistic Impacts

Over the past several years, Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) has developed and applied DIC to measure back-face deflection and strain response on hundreds of flat panel test articles subjected to ballistic impacts from both small arms fire and bird-strike. The data collected has been used to develop new composite panel layups and validate material models to a level that no previous measurement technique was able to achieve. Getting consistent, high-quality DIC data during a ballistic impact test, however, presents some unique challenges not present in lower-rate testing methods. Proper pattern application techniques to avoid spalling during impact and protection of the expensive stereo high-speed camera pair must be considered and are addressed here. For small arms tests, the required image exposure time to avoid motion blur is on the order of 1 μs, requiring appropriate illumination methods. Bird strike presents a separate set of challenges including an outdoor environment, larger measurement area, and biohazard. The methods used to address these will also be presented. Materials tested include metals, transparent plastics, and composites including carbon, aramid, and polyethylene. Target sizes range from 6 × 6 to 36 × 36 in. and data rates from 10,000 to 50,000 Hz. Comparison of the DIC data with traditional measurement techniques such as strain gauges and calipers was also made. Agreement proved to be good, prompting the most recent series of tests to be run with DIC as the exclusive data collection method.
Endoscopy with Biopsy for Esophagitis

Endoscopy of the whole upper GI tract (esophagus, stomach, and duodenum) with multiple biopsies is the investigation of choice in the evaluation of infants and children with symptoms suggestive of esophagitis [1, 2]. From the technical and technique aspects, useful texts to refer to are available for pediatric-specific endoscopy nowadays [3, 4]. Endoscopy should be performed only by experienced and qualified pediatric endoscopists trained in endoscopy in infants and children, with appropriate back up from pediatric anesthesiologists, and most importantly pediatric GI histopathologists. Technology now allows us to perform esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in even the smallest infants using 5.5 mm diameter instruments [5, 6]. EGD and biopsy, however, are useful only if it will lead to alteration in diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis, and useful position papers for the individual and conjoint North American and European Pediatric Gastroenterology Societies have been published on reflux and esophagitis, including the place of endoscopy in management of these conditions [2, 7–11]. Short general anesthetic is preferable to IV sedation for the procedure for reasons of safety, ease, and success of a complete and comprehensive study [12], although, with an anesthesiologist present, short-acting agents such as propofol can be used.
The NCK and ABI adaptor genes in catfish and their involvement in ESC disease response.

Adaptor proteins non-catalytic region of tyrosine kinase (NCK) and Abelson interactor (ABI) are crucial for disease response. NCK1 was identified to be a candidate gene for enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC) disease resistance, and was speculated to play similar roles during ESC and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) pathogenicity. ABI1 was reported as a positional candidate gene for bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) resistance in rainbow trout. In this study, three NCK genes and six ABI genes were identified in the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) genome and blue catfish (I. furcatus) transcriptome, and annotated by domain structures, phylogenetic and syntenic analyses. Their expression patterns were examined in the intestine and liver of catfish after challenge with Edwardsiella ictaluri. In the intestine, NCK1, ABI2a, ABI2b, ABI3a were differentially expressed after E. ictaluri infection. In the liver, NCK2a, NCK2b, ABI1b, ABI2a, ABI2b were significantly upregulated in ESC susceptible fish. In general, the NCK and ABI genes, with exception of ABI3a gene and NCK1 gene, were expressed at higher levels in susceptible fish after infection than in control fish, but were expressed at lower levels in resistant fish than in the control fish. Taken together, these results support the notion that NCK and ABI genes are involved in disease processes facilitating pathogenesis of the E. ictaluri bacteria.
On the biomechanical analysis of the calories expended in a straight boxing jab

Boxing and related sports activities have become a standard workout regime at many fitness studios worldwide. Oftentimes, people are interested in the calories expended during these workouts. This note focuses on determining the calories in a boxer's jab, using kinematic vector-loop relations and basic work-energy principles. Numerical simulations are undertaken to illustrate the basic model. Multi-limb extensions of the model are also discussed.
Role of Biotechnology in Animal Production Systems in Hot Climates

Developments in the biological sciences in the last three decades have revolutionized mankind's ability to manipulate the genetics, cell biology and physiology of biological organisms. These techniques, collectively termed biotechnology, create the opportunity for modifying domestic animals in ways that markedly increase the efficiency of production. Among the procedures being developed for animal production systems are marker-assisted selection of specific alleles of a gene that are associated with high production, production of transgenic animals , super ovulation and embryo transfer, in vitro fertilization, embryo sexing and cloning, production of large amounts of previously-rare proteins through use of genetically -engineered bacteria or other cells, and identification of new biologically-active molecules as potential regulators of animal function. To date, most uses of biotechnology have concentrated on problems of general relevance to animal agriculture rather than specific problems related to livestock production in hot climates. However, it is likely that biotechnology will be used for this latter purpose also. Strategies to increase disease resistance using marker-assisted selection, production of transgenic animals expressing viral proteins, and recombinant cytokines to enhance immune function should prove useful to reducing the incidence and seventy of various tropical diseases. Additionally, there are methods to reduce effects of heat stress on oestrus detection and establishment of pregnancy. These include remote sensing of oestrus, ovulation synchronization systems and embryo transfer. More research regarding the physiological processes determining heat tolerance and of the pathways through which heat stress alters physiological function will be required before molecular biology techniques can be used to reduce the adverse effects of heat stress on animal production.
Controlling a meandering wake: Insights from full-information control

In this paper we design and analyze a full-information H ∞ controller to in order to reduce the wake meandering behind a wind turbine. The low frequency instability that causes wake meandering can cause unsteady mechanical loads on the downstream turbines resulting in early onset of material fatigue. Controlling the wake meandering in a wind farm can therefore reduce maintenance costs. The control design and analysis in this paper proceeds in two steps. First, a linear reduced order model of the turbine is obtained using snapshots from a higher-order nonlinear 2D actuator-disk model. A full-information H ∞ controller is then designed for the reduced order model assuming access to the entire flow field and disturbance input. The control performance is evaluated by simulations on the higher-order nonlinear model. The full-information controller can not be implemented in practice. However, it can provide insight into control design for wind farms such as identifying desirable locations to measure the downstream flow.
Closing Poverty-Based Excellence Gaps: Conceptual, Measurement, and Educational Issues:

The number of economically vulnerable students in the United States is large and growing. In this article, we examine income-based excellence gaps and describe recent controversies in the definition and measurement of poverty, with an eye toward their application to gifted education and meeting the needs of talented, economically vulnerable students. Regardless of how poverty is conceptualized, evidence suggests that U.S. childhood poverty rates are indeed high, both in absolute terms and relative to other countries, and that income-related achievement disparities are similarly large. Recommendations are included for interventions to close persistent poverty excellence gaps, including frontloading, broadened understanding of opportunity, universal screening using local norms, improved educator preparation and support, state K-12 accountability systems that reward schools for closing excellence gaps, widespread use of ability grouping, and selective use of psychosocial interventions at the college level.
Sexual Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior: A Cross Cultural Study of American and Israeli Women

This study was designed to explore differences between Israeli and American Jewish women concerning their sexual knowledge, attitudes and behavior. A total of 180 female social work students, 90 Am...
The Emergence of Communities and Their Leaders on Twitter Following an Extreme Event

Twitter is presently utilized as a channel of communication and information dissemination. At present, government and non-government emergency management organizations utilize Twitter to disseminate emergency relevant information. However, these organizations have limited ability to evaluate the Twitter communication in order to discover communication patterns, key players, and messages that are being propagated through Twitter regarding the event. More importantly there is a general lack of knowledge of who are the individuals or organizations that disseminate warning information, provide confirmations of an event and associated actions, and urge others to take action. This paper presents results of the analysis of two events—2011 Japan Tsunami and 2012 Hurricane Sandy. These results provide an insight into understanding human behavior, collectively as part of virtual communities on Twitter and individually as leaders and members of those communities. Specifically, their behavior is evaluated in terms of obtaining and propagating warning information, seeking and obtaining additional information and confirmations, and taking the prescribed action. The analysis will employ a methodology that shows how Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Social Network Analysis (SNA) can be integrated to provide these results. This methodology allows to extract actionable Twitter messages, construct actionable network, find actionable communities and their leaders, and determine the behaviors of the community members and their leaders. Moreover, the methodology identifies specific roles of the community leaders. Such roles include dispensing unique/new emergency relevant information, providing confirmations to the members of the communities, and urging them to take the prescribed action. The results show that the government agencies had limited participation on Twitter during 2011 Japan Tsunami compared to an extensive participation during 2012 Hurricane Sandy. The behavior of Twitter users during both events was consistent with the issuance of actionable information (i.e. warnings). The findings suggest higher cohesion among the virtual community members during 2011 Japan Tsunami than during 2012 Hurricane Sandy event. However, during both events members displayed an agreement on required protective action (i.e. if some members were propagating messages to take action the other members were taking action). Additionally, higher differentiation of leadership roles was demonstrated during 2012 Hurricane Sandy with stronger presence of official sources in leadership roles.
A seven-center examination of the relationship between monthly volume and mortality in trauma: a hypothesis-generating study.

The relationship between trauma volumes and patient outcomes continues to be controversial, with limited data available regarding the effect of month-to-month trauma volume variability on clinical results. This study examines the relationship between monthly trauma volume variations and patient mortality at seven Level I Trauma Centers located in the Eastern United States. We hypothesized that higher monthly trauma volumes may be associated with lower corresponding mortality. Monthly patient volume data were collected from seven Level I Trauma Centers. Additional information retrieved included monthly mortality, demographics, mean monthly injury severity (ISS), and trauma mechanism (blunt versus penetrating). Mortality was utilized as the primary study outcome. Statistical corrections for mean age, gender distribution, ISS, and mechanism of injury were made using analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA). Center-specific, annually-adjusted median monthly volumes (CSAA-MMV) were calculated to standardize patient volume differences across participating institutions. Statistical significance was set at α 400 (mortality 2.9%, p < 0.01). To account for differences in monthly volumes between centers, as well as for temporal bias associated with potential differences over the entire study duration period, data were normalized using CSAA-MMV as a standardized reference point. Monthly volumes ≤ 33% of the CSAA-MMV were associated with adjusted mortality of 5.0% whereas monthly volumes ≥ 134% CSAA-MMV were associated with adjusted mortality of 2.7% (p < 0.01). This hypothesis-generating study suggests that greater monthly trauma volumes appear to be associated with lower mortality. In addition, our data also suggest that across all participating centers mortality may be a function of relative month-to-month volume variation. When normalized to institution-specific, annually-adjusted “median” monthly trauma contacts, we show that months with patient volumes ≤ 33% median may be associated with subtly but not negligibly (1.4–2.3%) higher mortality than months with patient volumes ≥ 134% median.
Two-hundred year record of increasing growth rates for ocean quahogs (Arctica islandica) from the northwestern Atlantic Ocean

Abstract Ocean quahogs [ Arctica islandica (Linnaeus, 1769)] are the longest-lived, non-colonial animal known today, with a maximum life span exceeding 500 years. Ocean quahogs are a commercially important bivalve, inhabiting the continental shelf of the North Atlantic basin. We examined growth rates of ocean quahogs that were fully recruited to the commercial fishery (>80-mm shell length) from four sites covering the range of the stock along the east coast of the U.S. through analysis of annual growth lines in the hinge plate. Both geographic and temporal differences (on a scale of decadal or longer) in growth rates exist throughout the range of the stock. The age at which animals reached 60, 80, and 90 mm decreased significantly, and average growth rates to 60, 80, and 90 mm increased significantly with birth year at a New Jersey and a Long Island site, both located in the southwestern portion of the stock, since the late 1700s/early 1800s, likely in response to increasing bottom water temperatures. That is, growth rates vary temporally with birth date at the southwestern sites, with younger animals growing at a much faster rate in recent decades than those born many decades previously, whereas at the northern sites off southern New England and on Georges Bank, changes in growth rates through time are limited to older adult animals or absent altogether. Thus, at the southern portion of the range, variation in growth rate over time exists in all phases of ocean quahog life, whereas on Georges Bank, little evidence exists for any differential in growth rate over the last ~200 years. The fact that ocean quahogs record the rise in ocean temperatures after the Little Ice Age in the Mid-Atlantic Bight southeast of southern New England, yet demonstrate little evidence of such a rise in the southern New England and Georges Bank region, would suggest a differential response of ocean circulation and its control of bottom water temperature between the northern and southern portions of the Mid-Atlantic Bight over the last 200+ years.
Strict-Feedforward Systems

The similarity in name between forward-complete and strict-feedforward systems is a pure coincidence. For forward-complete systems, “forward” refers to the direction of time. Such systems have finite solutions for all finite positive time. With feed forward systems, the word “forward” refers to the absence of feedback in the structure of the system. The system consists of a particular cascade of scalar systems.
Trojan Elements in the Old French Roman de Thèbes

The OF Roman de Thebes and the OF Roman de Troie emerge virtually simultaneously and in the same place during the twelfth century. The two poems more often than not appear in the same manuscripts together, and, as manuscript evidence suggests, twelfth-century readers perceived a causal relationship between the events at Thebes and the later disaster at Troy. Troy and its outcome provided a vital framework for understanding the siege of Thebes. This accounts for the numerous echoes of the Trojan war in the Roman de Thebes, including the appearance of personnel from the Trojan conflict among the ranks at Thebes, the enlistment of those personnel into the opposing sides that we later encounter at Troy, the re-configuration of the armies of Eteocles and Polynices into "Greeks" and Thebans (anticipating the future conflict between Greeks and Trojans), and the alteration of the terrain and aspect of the final battle so that it resembles the siege of Troy. Most interesting, however, is the outcome of this conflict, for in the Roman de Thebes, the "Greeks" are the victors over the Thebans whose ranks include Trojans. I argue that, among other things, the Thebes poet attempts to re-fight the Trojan war, inverting the winners and losers, and that we can account for this inversion by looking to poem's historical and political milieu within the Angevin empire.
Characteristics and Predictors for Secondary Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome in Ewing and Osteosarcoma Survivors

Purpose Long-term survivors of Ewing sarcoma (ES) and osteosarcoma may be at risk for therapy-related acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (t-AL/MDS). Methods and Materials We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathologic characteristics of 1071 patients with osteosarcoma (n = 757) and ES (n = 314) who were treated between 1985 and 2014. Multivariable competing risk analysis was used to analyze predictors of t-AL/MDS, including a radiation dose (≥55.8 Gy vs Results The median follow-up for surviving patients was 97 months (range, 0.03-380). Twenty patients developed t-AL/MDS, all of whom received chemotherapy and 15 of whom were treated with radiation therapy. Radiation therapy to ≥55.8 Gy was associated with development of t-AL/MDS (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-6.80; P = .015), and there was a significant radiation dose × disease site interaction term (adjusted hazard ratio, 6.70; 95% CI, 2.71-16.53; Pinteraction Conclusions Patients with osteosarcoma and ES receiving ≥55.8 Gy of radiation therapy to the pelvis or spine appear to be at increased risk for t-AL/MDS. Treatment with high cumulative doses of chemotherapy may further augment this risk.
A Systematic Approach to Comfort Care Transitions in the Emergency Department.

Abstract Background Approximately 25–30% of Americans die within hospitals. An increasingly geriatric and chronically ill population arrive at emergency departments (EDs) for their terminal presentation. Many patients will not choose, nor are EDs obligated to deliver, futile care. Instead, aggressive comfort care may alleviate patient, family, and clinician distress. Objectives To discuss best practice through a systematic approach to comfort care transitions for the dying ED patient. Methods Authors utilized a structured literature search conducted via PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, and CINAHL databases, including studies from 1998 onward focusing on symptom palliation and coordination of care for acutely dying patients. Discussion Comfort care begins with the language used to introduce the transition. Frame choices to avoid creating feelings of familial abandonment. Prognostication in the dying process helps guide treatment planning and stewarding families. Symptom management in the actively dying patient involves diligent titration of medications as well as thoughtful ordering in de-escalation of life-support modalities. Compassionate extubation necessitates anticipation of postextubation dyspnea or airway loss, and therefore may require step-wise weaning of pulmonary support. Suffering at the end of life for patients and families is multidimensional, and is best approached with an interdisciplinary effort involving clinicians, social work, and chaplaincy. Conclusion Comfort care deaths are a daily occurrence in the ED. A systematic approach to these transitions ensures optimal care for patients in their final hours and families’ experience of these events.
Machine Learning Diagnosis of Peritonsillar Abscess

Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is a difficult diagnosis to make clinically, with clinical examination of even otolaryngologists showing poor sensitivity and specificity. Machine learning is a form of artificial intelligence that "learns" from data to make predictions. We developed a machine learning classifier to predict the diagnosis of PTA based on patient symptoms. We retrospectively collected clinical data and symptomatology from 916 patients who underwent attempted needle aspiration for PTA. Machine learning classifiers were trained on a subset of the data to predict the presence or absence of purulence on attempted aspiration. The performance of the model was evaluated on a holdout set. The accuracy of the top-performing algorithm, the artificial neural network, was 72.3%. Artificial neural networks can use patient symptoms to exceed human ability to predict PTA in patients with clinical suspicion for PTA. Similar models can assist medical decision making for clinicians who have suspicion of PTA.
Molecular dynamics simulation study of the α- And β-relaxation processes in a realistic model polymer

Molecular dynamics simulations of a melt of freely rotating chains of 1,4-polybutadiene (FRC-PBD) have been performed over a wide range of temperature. Removal of the dihedral barriers in FRC-PBD allows for complete resolution of the Johari-Goldstein $\ensuremath{\beta}$ process from the primary $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ process in the simulation time window. We find that relaxation in the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ regime occurs as the result of large-angle excursions of all backbone dihedrals. While during the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ process each dihedral visits all available states, the complete relaxation of torsional autocorrelation function ($\ensuremath{\alpha}$ process) occurs only when the polymer matrix shows significant motion and each dihedral populates all states with equilibrium probability.
Development of toolkits for detecting dental caries and caries experience among children using self-report and parent report.

Author(s): Marcus, Marvin; Xiong, Di; Wang, Yan; Maida, Carl A; Hays, Ron D; Coulter, Ian D; Spolsky, Vladimir W; Lee, Steve Y; Shen, Jie; Crall, James J; Liu, Honghu | Abstract: ObjectivesTo develop child- and parent-reported toolkits for active caries and caries experience in children and adolescents, ages 8-17.MethodsA sample of 398 child/parent dyads recruited from 12 dental practices in Los Angeles County completed a computer-assisted survey that assessed oral health perceptions. In addition, children received a dental examination that identified the presence or absence of active caries and caries experience. A Multiple Adaptive Regression Splines model was used to identify a subset of survey items associated with active caries and caries experience. The splines and coefficients were refined by generalized cross-validation. Sensitivity and specificity for both dependent variables were evaluated.ResultsEleven child self-reported items were identified that had sensitivity of 0.82 and specificity of 0.45 relative to active caries. Twelve parent-reported items had a sensitivity of 0.86 and specificity of 0.50. Seven child self-reported items had a sensitivity of 0.86 and specificity of 0.34, and 11 parent-reported items had a sensitivity of 0.86 and specificity of 0.47 for caries experience.ConclusionsThe survey items identified here are useful in distinguishing children with and without active caries and with and without caries experience. This research presents a path towards using children's and their parents' reports about oral health to screen for clinically determined caries and caries exposure. The items identified in this study can be useful when clinical information is unavailable.
Synthesis and Fundamental Studies of Si-Compatible (Si)GeSn and GeSn Mid-IR Systems with Ultrahigh Sn Contents

A unique class of crystalline Ge1–ySny alloys with ultrahigh Sn concentrations reaching 33% as well as Si-doped analogues have been synthesized directly on large-area Si wafers by chemical vapor de...
The power of writing about procrastination: journaling as a tool for change

Procrastination is a common source of academic struggles among college students. Prior research suggests that procrastination tendencies are amenable to change, but the mechanisms behind successful...
Biomarkers of abnormally invasive placenta.

Abstract Introduction Abnormally invasive placenta (AIP, aka placenta accreta spectrum; PAS) is an increasingly common pregnancy pathology, which, despite significant morbidity risk to the mother, is often undiagnosed prior to delivery. We tested several potential biomarkers in plasma from PAS mothers to determine whether any were sufficiently robust for a formal, diagnostic accuracy study. Methods We examined hyperglycosylated hCG (h-hCG), decorin and IL-8, based on biological plausibility and literature indications that they might be altered in PAS. These analytes were assayed by ELISA in maternal plasma from five groups, comprising (1) normal term controls, (2) placenta previa controls, and cases of (3) placenta increta/percreta without placenta previa, (4) placenta previa increta/percreta and (5) placenta previa accreta. Results There were no differences in h-hCG, s-hCG or the h-hCG/s-hCG ratio between the groups. Mean decorin levels were increased in previa controls (Group 2) compared to the other groups, but there was substantial overlap between the individual values. While an initial multiplex assay showed a greater value for IL-8 in the placenta previa increta/percreta group (Group 4) compared to placenta previa controls (Group 2), the subsequent validation ELISA for IL-8 showed no differences between the groups. Discussion We conclude that the absence of differences and the extent of overlap between cases and controls does not justify further assessment of these biomarkers.
Drones for Good: How to Bring Sociotechnical Thinking into the Classroom

Abstract What in the world is a social scientist doing collaborating with an engineer, and an engineer with a sociologist, and together on a book about drones and sociotechnical thinking in the cla...
Empty calories? A fragment on LIS white papers and the political sociology of LIS elites

Abstract White papers – reports conveying research or recommendations on a complex issue – arrive in the inboxes of academic librarians, along with an obligation to monitor them if they can help one's library or university. They seem to invariably disappoint, the written equivalent of empty calories. This paper asks: is this true? If so, how so? And why? To answer, a selection method produced a modest subset of current, topical white papers to analyze – hence this article as a fragment on recent, topical white papers. A simple discourse analysis was performed to find if there was a broad pattern the documents followed, and if a more analysis was required. A clue as to why this pattern prevailed came from criticisms of prognostications about the current pandemic (as of this writing), leading to a return to the reports: who authored them, and how they are situated in political-sociological terms in LIS discourse? The concluding findings fit with earlier analyses, suggesting much about prestige in LIS and how that is maintained, how practices are (and are not) formulated – and what that has to do with the white papers.
Measurements of an Effective Longitudinal Coherence Length in Transmission Small Angle X-ray Scatterings

The notion of an effective longitudinal coherence length with its value much greater than λ2/(2Δλ) has been adopted in small-angle X-ray scattering communities for years, where λ and Δλ denote the incident wavelength and its spread, respectively. Often the implications of the effective longitudinal coherence length do not even enter considerations in the designing and data treatment of small-angle scattering experiments. In this work, conventional transmission small-angle X-ray scattering (tSAXS) was performed to reveal a clear angular dependence on effective longitudinal coherence length. The measured values of effective longitudinal coherence length can be as high as one millimeter, whereas the value of calculated λ2/(2Δλ) is in nanometers.
Knowledge Spillover and Positive Environmental Externality in Agricultural Decision Making under Performance-Based Payment Programs

Agricultural activities have imposed significant impacts on water resources, leading to hypoxic zones and harmful algal blooms all over the world. Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and individuals have been making various efforts to reduce this non-point source pollution. Among those efforts, even the more cost-effective examples of performance-based environmental payment programs generally have low participation rates. We investigate the effects of externalities in farmers’ decisions on neighboring farms, incorporating both a knowledge spillover effect and a positive environmental outcome externality of farmers’ best-management practice (BMP) adoption decisions. Our focus is on how these effects may influence the outcome of performance-based payment programs and how policy makers might recognize these effects in the design of cost-effective policies to promote program participation and BMP adoption. Rather than imposing an assumption of profit-maximization or forward-looking behavior, we allow outcomes to emerge from interactions among neighboring farmers. We recommend cost-effective policies across communities depending on their composition. It is more cost-effective to target communities with fewer innovators and/or target the programs towards the least-innovative individuals.
Reviewer, essay, and reviewing-process characteristics that predict errors in web-based peer review

Abstract Accuracy of peer review continues to be a concern for instructors in implementing computer-supported peer review in their instructional practices. A large body of literature has descriptively documented overall levels of reliability and validity of peer review and which factors across different peer review implementations impact overall reliability and validity of peer review (e.g., use of rubrics, education level, training). However, few studies have examined what factors within a peer review implementation contribute to review accuracy of individual reviews and knowledge about these factors could shape new interventions to avoid or remediate errors in particular reviews. In the current study, we tested a three-level framework (reviewer, essay, and reviewing process) for predicting the location of peer review errors. Further, we examined what factors within each level are predictive of two different types of review errors: severity and leniency. Leveraging a large dataset from an Advanced Placement English and Composite course implementing a common assignment with web-based peer review across 10 high schools, we found support for all levels in the framework and the importance of separating severity and leniency errors: review comment length predicted both severe and lenient errors but in opposite directions: longer comments are more likely to be associated with severe errors and less likely to be associated with lenient errors; review disagreement, reviewer ability and average sentence length of comments predicted severe errors; and essay quality predicted lenient errors. Implications for the development of new web-based tools for supporting peer-review are discussed.
Theoretische Leitplanken und konzeptionelle Dimensionen von Privatheit

Erster Schritt auf dem Weg zu einer Soziologie des Privaten in der fortgeschrittenen Moderne ist die Entwicklung einer Theoriearchitektur aus bestehenden Ansatzen und Beitragen, die fur eine Soziologie des Privaten fruchtbar gemacht werden konnen. Damit wird gleichsam der ‚Theoriestand‘ zu Privatheit aufgearbeitet, was in diesem Kapitel erfolgen soll. Denn obwohl es weder eine allgemeine soziologische Definition oder uberzeugende konzeptionelle Begriffsbestimmung von Privatheit gibt und erst recht keine Theorie des Privaten, gibt es verschiedene Perspektiven und Ansatze, mit denen man das Private theoretisch in den Blick nehmen kann.
The impact of menthol cigarette use on quit attempts and abstinence among smokers with opioid use disorder.

Abstract An exceedingly high proportion of persons with opioid use disorder (OUD) smoke cigarettes. Smokers with OUD face multiple barriers to smoking cessation. While menthol cigarette use has been associated with low cessation rates, research has not explored the impact of menthol cigarette use on tobacco use outcomes among smokers with OUD. Participants were current smokers, in methadone treatment for OUD, participating in randomized controlled trials of smoking cessation therapies. We examined the use of menthol cigarettes, and the association between menthol cigarette use and achieving 24-hour quit attempts and seven-day point prevalence abstinence. Of 268 participants, 237 (88.4%) reported menthol use. A similar proportion of menthol and non-menthol smokers achieved a 24-hour quit attempt (83.1% vs. 83.8%, p = 0.92). Though fewer menthol smokers (vs. non-menthol smokers) achieved abstinence (12.7% vs. 22.6%), this did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.14). In this sample of smokers with OUD, menthol smoking was nearly ubiquitous. Menthol smoking was not associated with differences in quit attempts, but was associated with differences in cessation that were not statistically significant. Menthol smoking may contribute to the challenges in achieving abstinence among smokers with OUD.
Equity, Law, and the Seventh Amendment

The Seventh Amendment requires that the civil jury trial right be “preserved” in “Suits at common law.” Those bits of constitutional text have long set the justices on a path of historical reconstruction. For roughly two centuries, the Supreme Court has determined the scope of the civil jury trial right in contemporary federal courts by reference to historic English courts. But no one is happy with the current test. In one widely used variant, it requires an inquiry into analogous 1791 actions, followed by an inquiry into the legal or equitable provenance of the remedy sought, and then a weighing that favors the second of these two incommensurable inquiries. The test is anachronistic and internally incoherent, and it leads to anomalous results. This Article critiques the current approach and offers a new test for the scope of the Seventh Amendment civil jury trial right. This test would presume a civil jury trial right, but with three categorical exceptions—one for claims developed in equity, another for remedies developed in equity, and a third for case-aggregating devices developed in equity (e.g., the class action). The historical inquiry that is required would be somewhat stylized. But it is more manageable than the current approach, and it would allow judges to determine the scope of the civil jury trial right with greater predictability and accuracy. Beyond addressing the scope of the Seventh Amendment right, this analysis also has implications for incorporation—should the states remain free to decide whether to retain a distinction between law and equity in their own courts?
Deep image restoration for infrared photothermal heterodyne imaging

Infrared photothermal heterodyne imaging (IR-PHI) is an all-optical table top approach that enables super-resolution mid-infrared microscopy and spectroscopy. The underlying principle behind IR-PHI is the detection of photothermal changes to specimens induced by their absorption of infrared radiation. Because detection of resulting refractive index and scattering cross section changes is done using a visible (probe) laser, IR-PHI exhibits a spatial resolution of ∼300 nm. This is significantly below the mid-infrared diffraction limit and is unlike conventional infrared absorption microscopy where spatial resolution is of order ∼5μm. Despite having achieved mid-infrared super-resolution, IR-PHI’s spatial resolution is ultimately limited by the visible probe laser’s diffraction limit. This hinders immediate application to studying samples residing in spatially congested environments. To circumvent this, we demonstrate further enhancements to IR-PHI’s spatial resolution using a deep learning network that addresses the Abbe diffraction limit as well as background artifacts, introduced by experimental raster scanning. What results is a twofold improvement in feature resolution from 300 to ∼150 nm.
Entropies of Activation and Mechanisms of Reactions in Solution

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on entropies of activation and mechanisms of reactions in solution. Entropy of activation is implied in the transition state theory. An underlying principle of the theory is that there exists along the reaction path of any reaction a state of critical energy, the minimum energy of which must be supplied to the reactants in order to cause reaction to occur. This state is termed the transition state or activated complex, and the basic Eyring proposal is that it can be treated as a normal molecule with respect to its thermodynamic properties. Determination of both the energy (and enthalpy) of activation and the entropy of activation involves measurement of the temperature coefficient of the rate constant. Although possessing certain inherent limitations, transition state theory seems adequate to permit the quantitative computation of kinetic parameters from first principles. Practical application of the theory is impeded by incomplete information about the molecular properties of the activated complex and, for reactions in solution, the lack of a quantitative description of molecular interactions in condensed phases. Because transition state theory is essentially an equilibrium theory, one basis for comparison is thermodynamic data for solution equilibria. From the inception of transition state theory, entropies of activation are from the twin aspects of molecular structure and reaction mechanism in this chapter.
The Pharmacological Approach to the Study of the Mechanisms Regulating Acth Secretion

The common association of sympathoadrenal and pituitary adrenocortical activity in stress has suggested that catecholamines play a special role in regulating ACTH secretion. Several theories have been proposed through the years to explain this relationship. These included (a) Long’s concept (1952) that emotional stimuli activate the hypothalamus which in turn stimulates the adrenal medulla via the spinal cord and splanchnic nerves, and the subsequently released epinephrine stimulates the release of ACTH; (b) Fortier et al.’s (1957) classification of emotional (epinephrine mediated) versus systemic stresses; (c) Smelik’s (1959) suggestion that “neurotropic” stresses result in the release of epinephrine from the adrenal medulla which would in turn activate “hypothalamic nervous pathways leading to the neurohypophysis; and (d) involvement of hypothalamic norepinephrine in the regulation of pituitary function (Vogt, 1954; Carlsson et al., 1962; Vernikos-Danellis, 1965). There is almost as much evidence for, as against any one of these theories and the vast number of reports in the literature using indiscriminately various psychodepressants and psychic energizers to “elucidate” the involvement of catecholamines in pituitary ACTH secretion have merely added to the confusion. This is brought out nicely in the review by De Wied (1967) on the effects of chlorpromazine on endocrine function.
Simulation development of a forward sensor-enhanced low-altitude guidance system

The requirement to operate aircraft at low-altitude near the terrain is common in the military community and essential for helicopters. The risk and crew workload in this flight regime is severe, with navigation, guidance, and obstacle avoidance demanding high attention, A guidance system relying on digitized terrain elevation maps has been developed that employs airborne navigation, mission requirements, aircraft performance limits, and radar altimeter returns to generate a valley-seeking, low-altitude trajectory between waypoints for display to the pilot. This system has been flight demonstrated to 150 ft above ground level attitude, and is primarily limited by the ability of the pilot to perform obstacle detection and avoidance. In this study, a wide field of view forward sensor has been modeled and incorporated in the guidance system for the purpose of relieving the pilot of the obstacle avoidance duty. The results of a piloted, motion-based simulation of this enhanced low-altitude guidance system is presented. Simulated flights to 50 ft altitude in the presence of obstacles were demonstrated while maintaining situational awareness and close tracking of the guidance trajectory. >