cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategic Capacity Management With Modular Manufacturing And Outsourcing: A Case Study

This paper proposes that downsizing an industrial manufacturer’s capacity is a cost-effective strategy to reduce the cost of conversion while ensuring that adequate capacity is available to meet its business strategy requirements. A case study of a U.S. manufacturer of motors and other mechanical drive systems illustrates a proposed reduction in capacity that utilizes the development and implementation of a cost model to determine the best alternatives for a company whose capacity is not synchronized with its business strategy. The cost model for each alternative is investigated and compared against the ‘Do nothing’ alternative, using net present value and cash flow analysis to build a case for the most effective course of action. The findings show the benefits of merging manufacturing by separating people, non-people, and fixed costs by facility, product line and product. In addition, the paper also illustrates the benefits of modular manufacturing and outsourcing as a way to further improve costs after the reduction of capacity.
Optical nonlinearities in multiresonator systems

Multiresonator systems are treated as optical filters, producing either auto-regressive (AR) or auto-regressive moving-average (ARMA) responses, depending on whether or not the filter possesses a zero in its transfer function. In this paper, we present some results on a multiresonator systems to produce nonlinear phase shift.
Computing oxygen-enhanced ventilation maps using correlation analysis.

Correlation maps of oxygen-enhanced ventilation were obtained in nine healthy volunteers using complete and selected image series. The complete series included all images acquired with the subjects alternately inhaling room air and 100% oxygen. The selected series were the subsets of the complete series and included only co-registered images that showed matched diaphragmatic position at maximal expiration. Cross-correlation was computed between the time response function of each pixel and the input function representing the alternation between periods of room air and 100% oxygen inhalation. The confidence level for the correlation analysis was set to 0.01. Pulmonary parenchymal anatomy was consistently reproduced throughout the lung, even in anterior slices where published data have reported correlation problems. The overall average correlation coefficient was 0.66 ± 0.07 for the complete series and 0.75 ± 0.08 for the selected series. It was concluded that correlation analysis could be used to reconstruct qualitative oxygen-enhanced ventilation maps. Magn Reson Med 49:591–594, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Reduction of Human Defensin 5 Affords a High-Affinity Zinc-Chelating Peptide

Human defensin 5 (HD5) is a 32-residue cysteine-rich host-defense peptide that exhibits three disulfide bonds in the oxidized form (HD5ox). It is abundant in small intestinal Paneth cells, which release HD5 into the intestinal lumen and house a labile Zn(II) store of unknown function. Here, we consider the redox properties of HD5 and report that the reduced form, HD5red, is a metal-ion chelator. HD5 has a midpoint potential of −257 mV at pH 7.0. HD5red utilizes its cysteine residues to coordinate one equivalent of Zn(II) with an apparent Kd1 value in the midpicomolar range. Zn(II) or Cd(II) binding perturbs the oxidative folding pathway of HD5red to HD5ox. Whereas HD5red is highly susceptible to proteolytic degradation, the Zn(II)-bound form displays resistance to hydrolytic breakdown by trypsin and other proteases. The ability of a reduced defensin peptide to coordinate Zn(II) provides a putative mechanism for how these peptides persist in vivo.
Interactive analysis of large cancer copy number studies with Copy Number Explorer

Summary: Copy number abnormalities (CNAs) such as somatically-acquired chromosomal deletions and duplications drive the development of cancer. As individual tumor genomes can contain tens or even hundreds of large and/or focal CNAs, a major difficulty is differentiating between important, recurrent pathogenic changes and benign changes unrelated to the subject’s phenotype. Here we present Copy Number Explorer, an interactive tool for mining large copy number datasets. Copy Number Explorer facilitates rapid visual and statistical identification of recurrent regions of gain or loss, identifies the genes most likely to drive CNA formation using the cghMCR method and identifies recurrently broken genes that may be disrupted or fused. The software also allows users to identify recurrent CNA regions that may be associated with differential survival. Availability and Implementation: Copy Number Explorer is available under the GNU public license (GPL-3). Source code is available at: https://sourceforge.net/projects/copynumberexplorer/ Contact: ude.yrome@namwen.ttocs
Some fluorinated liquid dielectrics

MANY FLUORINATED LIQUIDS have been made which are of potential interest to electrical engineers. They make available, for the first time, a group of properties not found in any presently used liquid dielectric. They are stable to high temperatures, water and chemical attack, are nonflammable and nonexplosive. Low power factor and low conductivity are characteristic. Advantage also can be taken of the volatile character of these materials. This results from the relatively low range of boiling points (56 to 178 degrees centigrade) found in the compounds which have been studied for electrical uses and the more volatile nature of fluorocarbons in general. This can be put to use in obtaining high vapor densities at relatively low temperatures thereby effecting such improvements as increasing the dielectric strength in the vapor phase. A high natural convection modulus also results which can give improved heat transfer from autoconvection. Good arc-extinguishing properties and low carbon formation from arcing also are found.
Silica-Ceria Hybrid Nanostructures

A new hybrid material system that consists of ceria attached silica nanoparticles has been developed. Because of the versatile properties of silica and antioxidant properties of ceria nanoparticles, this material system is ideally suited for biomedical applications. The silica particles of size ∼50nm were synthesized by the Stober synthesis method and ceria nanoparticles of size ∼2-3nm was attached to the silica surface using a hetrocoagulation method. The presence of silanol groups on the surface of silica particles mediated homogenous nucleation of ceria which were attached to silica surface by Si-O-Ce bonding. The formations of silica-ceria hybrid nanostructures were characterized by X-photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The HRTEM image confirms the formation of individual crystallites of ceria nanoparticles attached to the silica surface. The XPS analysis indicates that ceria nanoparticles are chemically bonded to surface of silica and possess mixture of +3 and +4 chemical states.
Model-free free energy for voltage-gated channels

Models have a habit of clinging to the boot-soles of ion channel biophysicists. Our primary electrophysiological recordings displayed in the Results section almost always presage a Discussion section replete with multistate schemes: gating models, conduction models, hidden Markov models,
Eosinophil Cysteinyl Leukotriene Synthesis Mediated by Exogenous Secreted Phospholipase A2 Group X

Secreted phospholipase A2 group X (sPLA2-X) has recently been identified in the airways of patients with asthma and may participate in cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT; C4, D4, and E4) synthesis. We examined CysLT synthesis and arachidonic acid (AA) and lysophospholipid release by eosinophils mediated by recombinant human sPLA2-X. We found that recombinant sPLA2-X caused marked AA release and a rapid onset of CysLT synthesis in human eosinophils that was blocked by a selective sPLA2-X inhibitor. Exogenous sPLA2-X released lysophospholipid species that arise from phospholipids enriched in AA in eosinophils, including phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylethanolamine as well as plasmenyl phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. CysLT synthesis mediated by sPLA2-X but not AA release could be suppressed by inhibition of cPLA2α. Exogenous sPLA2-X initiated Ser505 phosphorylation of cPLA2α, an intracellular Ca2+ flux, and translocation of cPLA2α and 5-lipoxygenase in eosinophils. Synthesis of CysLTs in response to sPLA2-X or lysophosphatidylcholine was inhibited by p38 or JNK inhibitors but not by a MEK 1/2 inhibitor. A further increase in CysLT synthesis was induced by the addition of sPLA2-X to eosinophils under conditions of N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-mediated cPLA2α activation. These results indicate that sPLA2-X participates in AA and lysophospholipid release, resulting in CysLT synthesis in eosinophils through a mechanism involving p38 and JNK MAPK, cPLA2α, and 5-lipoxygenase activation and resulting in the amplification of CysLT synthesis during cPLA2α activation. Transactivation of eosinophils by sPLA2-X may be an important mechanism leading to CysLT formation in the airways of patients with asthma.
Limiting the emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae : Influence of patient population characteristics on the response to antimicrobial formulary interventions

BACKGROUND: Effective methods to control the emergence of extended-spectrum beta -lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species (ESBL-EK) remain unclear. Variations in the patient populations at different hospitals may influence the effect of antimicrobial formulary interventions. METHODS: To examine variations across hospitals in the response to antimicrobial interventions (ie, restriction of ceftazidime and ceftriaxone) designed to curb the spread of ESBL-EK, we conducted a 5-year quasi-experimental study. This study was conducted at 2 hospitals within the same health system: Hospital A is a 625-bed academic medical center, and Hospital B is a 344-bed urban community hospital. All adult patients with a healthcare-acquired clinical culture of ESBL-EK from July 1, 1997 through December 31, 2002 were included. RESULTS: After the interventions, the use of ceftriaxone decreased by 86% at Hospital A and by 95% at Hospital B, whereas the use of ceftazidime decreased by 95% at Hospital A and by 97% at Hospital B. The prevalence of ESBL-EK at Hospital A decreased by 45% (P < .001), compared with a 22% decrease at Hospital B (P = .36). The following variables were significantly more common among ESBL-EK-infected patients at Hospital B: residence in a long-term care facility (adjusted odds ratio, 3.77 [95% confidence interval, 1.70-8.37]), advanced age (adjusted odds ratio, 1.04 [95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.06]), and presence of a decubitus ulcer (adjusted odds ratio, 4.13 [95% confidence interval, 1.97-8.65]). CONCLUSIONS: The effect of antimicrobial formulary interventions intended to curb emergence of ESBL-EK may differ substantially across institutions, perhaps as a result of differences in patient populations. Variability in the epidemiological profiles of ESBL-EK isolates at different hospitals must be considered when designing interventions to respond to these pathogens.
More Efficient Capture of Bacteria on Nanostructured Materials

Nanobiotechnology is a growing area of research, primarily due to the potentially numerous applications of new synthetic nanomaterials in engineering/science. Although various definitions have been given to the word “nanomaterials” by many different experts, the commonly accepted one refers nanomaterials as those materials which possess grains, particles, fibers, or other constituent components that have one dimension specifically less than 100 nm. In biological applications, most of the research to date has focused on the interactions between mammalian cells and synthetic nanophase surfaces for the creation of better tissue engineering materials. Although mammalian cells have shown a definite positive response to nanophase materials, the evidence for bacteria interactions with nanophase materials remains for the most part a mystery. For this reason, this study determined the capture of a model bacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens) on nanophase compared to conventional grain size alumina. Results provided the first evidence of increased capture of Pseudomonas fluorescens on alumina with nanometer compared to conventional grain sizes. Although not measured at the atomic scale, similar chemistry, crystallinity, crystal phase, and porosity was observed between nanophase and conventional alumina. For this reason, a major material property difference between nanophase and conventional alumina was reduced grain size (and perhaps associated changes in charge density) which led to increased bacteria capture and the design of better environmental filters.
Alfalfa: distributed graph reduction on a hypercube multiprocessor

Alfalfa is implementation of a functional language on the Intel iPSC multiprocessor. It is based on a heterogeneous abstract machine model consisting of both graph reduction and stack oriented execution. Alfalfa consists of two major components, a compiler and a run-time system. The source language, Alfl, contains no constructs that allow the programmer to specify parallelism or synchronization and thus it is the task of the compiler to detect the exploitable parallelism in a program. The run-time system supports dynamic scheduling, interprocessor communication, and storage management. A number of statistics gathered during execution are presented.
Effect of a Reactive Oxygen Species–Generating System for Control of Airborne Microorganisms in a Meat-Processing Environment†

The effectiveness of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating AirOcare equipment on the reduction of airborne bacteria in a meat-processing environment was determined. Serratia marcescens and lactic acid bacteria (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and Lactobacillus plantarum) were used to artificially contaminate the air via a six-jet Collison nebulizer. Air in the meat-processing room was sampled immediately after aerosol generation and at various predetermined times at multiple locations by using a Staplex 6 stage air sampler. Approximately a 4-log reduction of the aerial S. marcescens population was observed within 2 h of treatment (P < 0.05) compared to a 1-log reduction in control samples. The S. marcescens populations reduced further by approximately 4.5 log after 24 h of exposure to ROS treatment. Approximately 3-log CFU/m3 reductions in lactic acid bacteria were observed following 2-h ROS exposure. Further ROS exposure reduced lactic acid bacteria in the air; however, the difference in their survival after 24 h of exposure was not significantly different from that observed with the control treatment. S. marcescens bacteria were more sensitive to ROS treatment than the lactic acid bacteria. These findings reveal that ROS treatment using the AirOcare unit significantly reduces airborne S. marcescens and lactic acid bacteria in meat-processing environments within 2 h.
Stage migration vs immunology: The lymph node count story in colon cancer

Lymph node staging is of crucial importance for the therapy stratification and prognosis estimation in colon cancer. Beside the detection of metastases, the number of harvested lymph nodes itself has prognostic relevance in stage II/III cancers. A stage migration effect caused by missed lymph node metastases has been postulated as most likely explanation for that. In order to avoid false negative node staging reporting of at least 12 lymph nodes is recommended. However, this threshold is met only in a minority of cases in daily practice. Due to quality initiatives the situation has improved in the past. This, however, had no influence on staging in several studies. While the numbers of evaluated lymph nodes increased continuously during the last decades the rate of node positive cases remained relatively constant. This fact together with other indications raised doubts that understaging is indeed the correct explanation for the prognostic impact of lymph node harvest. Several authors assume that immune response could play a major role in this context influencing both the lymph node detectability and the tumor’s behavior. Further studies addressing this issue are need. Based on the findings the recommendations concerning minimal lymph node numbers and adjuvant chemotherapy should be reconsidered.
Addressing Class Imbalance for Improved Recognition of Implicit Discourse Relations

In this paper we address the problem of skewed class distribution in implicit discourse relation recognition. We examine the performance of classifiers for both binary classification predicting if a particular relation holds or not and for multi-class prediction. We review prior work to point out that the problem has been addressed differently for the binary and multi-class problems. We demonstrate that adopting a unified approach can significantly improve the performance of multi-class prediction. We also propose an approach that makes better use of the full annotations in the training set when downsampling is used. We report significant absolute improvements in performance in multi-class prediction, as well as significant improvement of binary classifiers for detecting the presence of implicit Temporal, Comparison and Contingency relations.
From 'Che' to China: Labor and Authoritarianism in the New Global Economy

The book "From ‘Che’ to China: Labor and Authoritarianism in the New Global Economy" argues that globalization is not a progressive force that is giving rise to a new democratic capitalism. In fact, authoritarianism, in part influenced by neo-stalinist regimes and their intellectual architects such as ‘Che’ Guevara, remains an important political force and the new global capitalism itself is contributing to its persistence. In particular, the labor organization is now seen by authoritarian regimes as a source of power and control over the general population. To realize the democratic potential in the globalization process, a new autonomous labor movement responsible to its rank and file members must emerge. This requires an intellectual break with the consensus view that capitalism can safely accommodate healthy trade unions in a stable world order. Available at Amazon.com
Fractures of the distal radius and ulna: Metaphyseal and physeal injuries

Fractures of the distal radius account for 80 percent of pediatric forearm fractures. The rapid growth of the distal radial physis and the on-going transformation of the metaphysic explain the propensity for fractures in this location and the potential for fracture remodeling. Fractures of the distal ulna are less common and usually occur in conjunction with fractures of the distal radius. In general both injuries can be managed by closed treatment and casting. Indications for skeletal fixation and/or open reduction are discussed. Complications are infrequent but not insignificant and usually treatable with early recognition and appropriate intervention.
Wettability Alteration of a Heavy Oil/Brine/Carbonate System with Temperature

The wettability of reservoir rock is a crucial factor controlling displacement efficiency and ultimate oil recovery. In this study, the wettability of carbonate reservoir rocks as a function of temperature has been studied by measuring the Amott index to water using an X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner. The cores for the Amott test were carefully prepared and aged at reservoir conditions to achieve restoration of reservoir wettability. The reservoir cores contain dolomite and chert based on the results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The porosity, permeability, and saturation profiles were measured with a core-flooding system and an X-ray CT scanner. The wettability test was carried out at reservoir temperature (70–80 °C) and elevated temperatures (130 °C, 170 °C). The rock components were dissolved at elevated temperature (170 °C) and resulted in a slight increase of porosity and absolute permeability. Also, OOIP and Amott water inde...
Determination of monobromocetic acid dibromoacetic acid and bromate in drinking water by ion chromatography

Objective:To establish an ion chromatographic method for simultaneous determination of bromate,monobromocetic acid and dibromoacetic acid in drinking water.Methods:The separation was carried on IonPAC AS11 analytical column with isocratic eluent of 0～45 mmol/L KOH and flow rate of 1.0 ml/ min and detected by suppressed conductivity detector.Results: The method had good linear correlation(r≥0.9990) and precision(RSD 5.0%).The average recoveries were 87.0%～101.0% and the detection limits were in the range of 0.006 μg/ml～0.025 μg/ml.Conclusion: The method is simple,quick,sensitive and precise,and is suitable for the analysis of monobromocetic acid,dibromoacetic acid and bromate in drinking water.
Practical Concerns in Multitasking on the Cray X-MP

Multitasking and vectorization are both optimizations which exploit program and machine parallelism. Many of the goals for obtaining increased performance through multitasking are identical to those for vectorization, only the terminology and underlying structures are changed. High performance on the CRAY X-MP is achieved by addressing familiar concerns in a new setting. Practical objectives in programming as well as limitations in performance are described for a multitasking environment.
Alcohol use among Hispanic college students along the US/Mexico border.

ABSTRACTBackground: The trend of alcohol use among college students has been shown to vary by ethnicity and has been linked to acculturation among Hispanics. Consistent findings indicate that males consume alcohol more frequently and in greater quantities compared to females. Objectives: This study investigated the drinking habits of Hispanic college students living in the border region of South Texas. The study evaluated the influence of acculturation on alcohol consumption among Hispanic males and females. Methods: Two hundred and ninety-six Hispanic students participated in this study. The participants reported their drinking behaviors over the past 30 days and completed a measure of acculturation. Results: Fifty-nine percent of the participants reported consuming alcohol in the past 30 days with more males than females reporting alcohol consumption. Logistic regression analysis indicated that age and gender, and not acculturation or enculturation, predicted drinking in the last 30 days. Among drinkers...
Chromosome and Linear Plasmid Sequences of a 2015 Human Isolate of the Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever Spirochete, Borrelia turicatae.

ABSTRACT The sequences of the complete linear chromosome and 7 linear plasmids of the relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia turicatae are presented in this report. The 925,547 bp of chromosome and 380,211 bp of plasmid sequence were predicted to contain a total of 1,131 open reading frames, with an average G+C content of 29.7%.
Runaway and Homeless Youth Interventions

This chapter evaluates the effectiveness of primary and secondary intervention approaches in responding to runaway and homeless young people. Primary prevention approaches seek to prevent homelessness and runaway behaviors and other adverse behavioral consequences among youth in the general community. Primary prevention can use a youth development model that has been effective in helping youth with a variety of problems. Secondary prevention targets young people who have run away or become homeless. Investigators and practitioners believe that these secondary intervention approaches should be comprehensive and customized to the needs of the runaway and homeless young people. These interventions should also address the street youth’s criminal/delinquent activities, school truancy, substance abuse, risks for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including human immune virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and other mental health, social, and behavioral problems. Program outcomes such as reducing rates of runaway/homeless behavior, improving psychosocial functioning, reducing HIV risk behaviors, and strengthening family relationships are analyzed.
Evaluation and Treatment of Soft Tissue Overuse Injuries

Soft tissue overuse injuries are common among athletes who participate in endurance sports and other running activities. They occur along a continuum of severity from mild inflammation to complete tendon rupture. Overuse and improper loading of tendons and muscles may damage soft tissues and cause breakdown or degeneration of the microstructure. The etiology of soft tissue breakdown is often multifactorial, but what is certain is that inadequate repair of this breakdown initiates the process of tendinosis. Diagnostic imaging and treatment protocols should be individualized to athlete’s level of participation, the causative activity, the anatomical site, and the severity of the injury. A team approach to the treatment of soft tissue overuse injuries should be taken in treating these injuries to achieve optimal outcomes and minimize time lost from sports participation.
Assessing Gaseous Hydrogen Assisted Fatigue Crack Growth Susceptibility of Pipeline Steel Weld Fusion Zones and Heat Affected Zones.

The objective of this work was twofold: (1) measure reliable fatigue crack growth relationships for X65 steel and its girth weld in high-pressure hydrogen gas to enable structural integrity assessments of hydrogen pipelines, and (2) evaluate the hydrogen accelerated fatigue crack growth susceptibility of the weld fusion zone and heat-affected zone relative to the base metal. Fatigue crack growth relationships (da/dN versus ΔK) were measured for girth welded X65 pipeline steel in high pressure hydrogen gas (21 MPa) and in air. Hydrogen assisted fatigue crack growth was observed for the base metal (BM), fusion zone (FZ), and heat-affected zone (HAZ), and was manifested through crack growth rates reaching nearly an order of magnitude acceleration over rates in air. At higher ΔK values, crack growth rates of BM, FZ, and HAZ were coincident; however, at lower ΔK, the fatigue crack growth relationships exhibited some divergence with the fusion zone having the highest crack growth rates. These relative fatigue crack growth rates in the BM, FZ, and HAZ were provisional, however, since both crack closure and residual stress contributed to the crack-tip driving force in specimens extracted from the HAZ. Despite the relatively high applied R-ratio (R = 0.5), crack closure was detected in the heat affected zone tests, in contrast to the absence of crack closure in the base metal tests. Crack closure corrections were performed using the adjusted compliance ratio method and the effect of residual stress on Kmax was determined by the crack-compliance method. Crack-tip driving forces that account for closure and residual stress effects were quantified as a weighted function of ΔK and Kmax (i.e., Knorm), and the resulting da/dN versus Knorm relationships showed that the HAZ exhibited higher hydrogen accelerated fatigue crack growth rates than the BM at lower Knorm values.
A Word About Graphs

In mathematics, it is sometimes possible to derive something out of seemingly nothing, as the following problem illustrates.
Reducing the Prison Population: Evidence from Pennsylvania

Four decades of rapid growth in the US incarceration rate has met with bipartisan support for reforming sentencing policies and calls to reduce the prison population. However, there is little consensus on how to achieve the reductions suggested. In this paper we project how the Pennsylvania prison population and age demographics may change through 2054 as a result of alternative sentencing policies. One consequence of the prison population growth in recent years has been the aging of those incarcerated and these increasingly older populations strain correctional resources for healthcare and other needs. Our study finds reducing the prison population requires significant changes to the number of people sentenced to prison along with reducing the sentence length of those incarcerated. In particular, to reduce the prison population by a meaningful amount, we will have to reduce admissions to prison to 1980 rates and the sentence lengths for violent offenders to those seen in 1990. A focus on drug and low-level offenses will do little to change the population in the long run.
Endothelium-Derived Microvesicles Alter Permeability of Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Monolayers

The disruption of the cerebral microvascular endothelium and increases in capillary permeability are characteristic of many brain pathologies, including Alzheimer’s disease, small vessel disease, i...
Robust classification of contact orientation between tissue and an integrated spectroscopy and radiofrequency ablation catheter

Using light-based catheters for radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapies grants the ability to accurately derive tissue properties such as lesion depth and overtreatment from spectroscopic information. However, this information is heavily reliant on contact quality with the treatment area and the orientation of the catheter. Thus to improve assessments of tissue properties, this work utilizes Bayesian modelling to classify whether the catheter is indeed in proper contact with the tissue. Initially in-laboratory experiments were conducted with ten fresh swine hearts submerged in blood. A total of 1555 unique near infrared spectra were collected from a spectrometer using a light-based catheter and manually tagged as “full perpendicular contact,” “angled contact,” and “no contact,” between the catheter and heart tissue. Three features were prominent in all spectra for distinguishing purposes: area underneath the spectra, an intensity “valley” between 730 nm and 800 nm, along with the slope between 850 nm and 1150 nm. A classifier featuring bootstrapping, adaboost, and k-means techniques was thus created and achieved a 96.05% accuracy in classifying full contact, 98.33% accuracy in classifying angled contact, and 100% accuracy in classifying no contact.
Student vs. faculty perspectives on quality instruction: Gender bias, “hotness,” and “easiness” in evaluating teaching

ABSTRACTThis article systematically examines differences between student and faculty perspectives on quality instruction, using local data for a regional university's college of business matched to RateMyProfessors.com evaluations. Particular attention is focused on gender bias, “hotness,” and “easiness.” In addition to documenting a student bias or preference in favor of male faculty, this article also shows how students and faculty have different views of “easiness” and “hotness.” For this college, students value “easiness” while faculty penalize it; however “hotness” has no measurable effect on faculty in this study.
Increasing the Size of the Pie: The Impact of Crowding on Nonprofit Sector Resources

The number of nonprofit organizations is rapidly increasing, which has led nonprofit practitioners to complain of funding scarcity, nonprofit scholars to closely study nonprofit competition, and policymakers to consider increasing nonprofit barriers to entry. Underlying each of these perspectives is an assumption of limited financial resources. We empirically examine this assumption using county-level panel data on nonprofit human services organizations from the National Center for Charitable Statistics. Contrary to the limited resources assumption, our fixed-effects models show that increasing nonprofit density, at its current levels, has the effect of increasing sector financial resources in each county. We suggest that these findings prompt a tradeoff for policymakers. A sector with free market entry results in a nonprofit sector with more, smaller nonprofits, but such a sector may have the capacity to serve more people because it has more total sector financial resources. Conversely, a sector with higher barriers to entry would translate to a sector with fewer, larger nonprofits with less overall capacity due to fewer sector financial resources.
Unsupervised gene expression analyses identify IPF-severity correlated signatures, associated genes and biomarkers

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal fibrotic lung disease occurring predominantly in middle-aged and older adults. The traditional diagnostic classification of IPF is based on clinical, radiological, and histopathological features. However, the considerable heterogeneity in IPF presentation suggests that differences in gene expression profiles can help to characterize and distinguish disease severity. We used data-driven unsupervised clustering analysis, combined with a knowledge-based approach to identify and characterize IPF subgroups. Using transcriptional profiles on lung tissue from 131 patients with IPF/UIP and 12 non-diseased controls, we identified six subgroups of IPF that generally correlated with the disease severity and lung function decline. Network-informed clustering identified the most severe subgroup of IPF that was enriched with genes regulating inflammatory processes, blood pressure and branching morphogenesis of the lung. The differentially expressed genes in six subgroups of IPF compared to healthy control include transcripts of extracellular matrix, epithelial-mesenchymal cell cross-talk, calcium ion homeostasis, and oxygen transport. Further, we compiled differentially expressed gene signatures to identify unique gene clusters that can segregate IPF from normal, and severe from mild IPF. Additional validations of these signatures were carried out in three independent cohorts of IPF/UIP. Finally, using knowledge-based approaches, we identified several novel candidate genes which may also serve as potential biomarkers of IPF. Discovery of unique and redundant gene signatures for subgroups in IPF can be greatly facilitated through unsupervised clustering. Findings derived from such gene signatures may provide insights into pathogenesis of IPF and facilitate the development of clinically useful biomarkers.
Co-delivery of human cancer-testis antigens with adjuvant in protein nanoparticles induces higher cell-mediated immune responses

Nanoparticles have attracted considerable interest as cancer vaccine delivery vehicles for inducing sufficient CD8+ T cell-mediated immune responses to overcome the low immunogenicity of the tumor microenvironment. Our studies described here are the first to examine the effects of clinically-tested human cancer-testis (CT) peptide epitopes within a synthetic nanoparticle. Specifically, we focused on two significant clinical CT targets, the HLA-A2 restricted epitopes of NY-ESO-1 and MAGE-A3, using a viral-mimetic packaging strategy. Our data shows that simultaneous delivery of a NY-ESO-1 epitope (SLLMWITQV) and CpG using the E2 subunit assembly of pyruvate dehydrogenase (E2 nanoparticle), resulted in a 25-fold increase in specific IFN-γ secretion in HLA-A2 transgenic mice. This translated to a 15-fold increase in lytic activity toward target cancer cells expressing the antigen. Immunization with a MAGE-A3 epitope (FLWGPRALV) delivered with CpG in E2 nanoparticles yielded an increase in specific IFN-γ secretion and cell lysis by 6-fold and 9-fold, respectively. Furthermore, combined delivery of NY-ESO-1 and MAGE-A3 antigens in E2 nanoparticles yielded an additive effect that increased lytic activity towards cells bearing NY-ESO-1+ and MAGE-A3+. Our investigations demonstrate that formulation of CT antigens within a nanoparticle can significantly enhance antigen-specific cell-mediated responses, and the combination of the two antigens in a vaccine can preserve the increased individual responses that are observed for each antigen alone.
Experiential and Social Learning in Firms: The Case of Hydraulic Fracturing in the Bakken Shale

Learning how to utilize new technologies is a key step in innovation, yet little is known about how rms actually learn. This paper examines rms’ learning behavior using data on their operational choices, prots, and information sets. I study companies using hydraulic fracturing in North Dakota’s Bakken Shale formation, where rms must learn the relationship between fracking input use and oil production. Using a new dataset that covers every well since the introduction of fracking to this formation, I nd that rms made more protable
Chronic Anterior Uveitis in Children: Psychosocial Challenges for Patients and Their Families

Purpose To describe issues of concern to children with chronic anterior uveitis; to consider the psychological impact of chronic anterior uveitis on children's lives; and to understand the effect of a child's chronic illness on other family members. Design Expert commentary. Methods Author experiences were supplemented by a review of pertinent medical literature and by consideration of content from semi-structured, separate patient and parent interviews. Results Vision loss and the fear of blindness are not the only stressors for children with chronic anterior uveitis and their families; of additional concern are the burdens of examinations and treatment regimens, as well as drug toxicities. Children with chronic anterior uveitis experience medical, academic, interpersonal, psychological, and developmental challenges. The impact of disease extends to other members of a patient's family as well; parents experience challenges in similar domains. Problems with adherence to medical regimens are common. Both the disease and its treatment affect quality of life, and can interfere with successful management of disease and transition to autonomy in adulthood, as reported for other chronic conditions. Coping processes vary greatly between different families. Conclusions Eye examinations and the rigors of long-term treatment often influence the psychosocial health of patients and families; physicians who are aware of these issues can help patients and families cope with chronic illness and may improve outcomes. Further psychosocial research to understand the experiences of children dealing with chronic anterior uveitis is warranted; this commentary can serve as a foundation for development of age- and disease-specific research questions.
TaSaT: Thermal-Aware Scheduling and Tuning Algorithm for Heterogeneous and Configurable Embedded Systems

Heterogeneous and configurable systems (HaCS) have been widely used to meet stringent runtime performance and energy constraints in embedded systems. However, no prior work has addressed the emerging runtime thermal constraints in these systems. To leverage HaCS' capabilities to meet thermal constraints, in addition to performance and energy constraints, we propose TaSaT, a Thermal-aware Scheduling and Tuning algorithm for HaCS. TaSaT reduces HaCS temperature while meeting performance and energy constraints during runtime, without a priori knowledge of applications.
Precursors of Period Doubling Instabilities

Period doubling is a common instability observed in systems displaying time periodic behavior. The period doubling cascade — an infinite sequence of these instabilities occurring over a finite parameter range — is probably the most familiar “route to chaos” [1,2]. Of course, a period doubling need not signal an infinite set of bifurcations: the interest in them goes far beyond the possibility of chaotic dynamics. Superconducting nonlinear circuits [3], convective fluid layers [4,5], and periodically stimulated chicken cardiac cells [6] are among the physical systems observed to display period doubling instabilities.
Interferon-γ and Class II Antigen Expression on Enterocytes

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on interferon-γ and class II antigen expression on enterocytes. The mucosal immune system is unique in its requirement to continuously coexist with the external environment. This is most evident in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, where dietary antigens, bacteria, and viruses are a constant presence. The intestine has adapted to this assault by developing properties encompassing immune and nonimmune exclusion, secreting immunoglobulin A (IgA) into the lumen, trapping macromolecules and organisms within the mucous barrier, and displaying a tight physical barrier—epithelial cells, tight junctions—to invasion. However, antigens gain access to the underlying lamina propria and Peyer's patches so that active immune responses may occur. IFN-γ enhances the expression of both class I and class II molecules, improving the chances and number of interactions with the T-cell receptor (TcR). IFN-γ not only results in the enhanced expression of a number of surface molecules—Fc receptors, complement receptors—that are key components of the antigen-presenting cells (APCs) phagocytic potential but also augments the phagocytic capacity of these cells as well.
Gender as a Core Value in Teaching Constitutional Law

This essay was part of a symposium sponsored by the AALS Section on Women, entitled Gender as a Core Teaching Value. In this piece, Professor Hanna discusses the importance of highlighting gender in Constitutional Law courses, not just on 'equal protection day" but throughout the curriculum. To that end, she provides concrete ideas and examples about how to help students discuss issues of gender in a variety of cases and contexts.
Behavior Change Strategies for Increasing Exercise in Diabetes

Diabetes is associated with a variety of adverse health conditions including cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Sedentary activity is a primary contributor to the rapidly escalating prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes in the United States, and a majority of US adults are not meeting recommended guidelines for exercise. This chapter reviews the available research regarding the influence of daily lifestyle activity and structured exercise on health improvement for persons with diabetes. A number of behavioral prescription recommendations are derived from this literature, and the benefit of utilizing behavioral modification techniques in the development and maintenance of increased exercise efforts is discussed. Examples for using specific behavioral techniques in exercise are provided and environmental challenges to creating large-scale behavioral interventions to promote increases in the public’s activity level are reviewed.
Modelling the metabolism: allometric relationships between total daily energy expenditure, body mass, and height.

Accurately predicting energy requirements form a critical component for initializing dynamic mathematical models of metabolism. The majority of such existing estimates rely on linear regression models that predict total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) from age, gender, height, and body mass, however, there is evidence these predictors obey a power function. Baseline, free-living TDEE measured by doubly labeled water (DLW) in 20 studies with no overlapping subjects were obtained from the core lab at the University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (N = 2501 adults, 628 males, 1873 females). Linear regression models of log-transformed equations of the form: $${\rm{TDEE}} = \alpha _1M^{\beta _1}H^{\beta _2}$$ TDEE = α 1 M β 1 H β 2 and $${\rm{TDEE}} = {\rm{ln}}\left( {\alpha _1M^{\beta _1 + \gamma _1{\rm{Sex}}}H^{\beta _2 + \gamma _2{\rm{Sex}}}} \right)$$ TDEE = ln α 1 M β 1 + γ 1 Sex H β 2 + γ 2 Sex were developed to determine the values of the exponents of body mass (M (kg)) and height (H (cm)) along with a gender effect (Sex). A nonlinear curve fit was performed to develop a power model that also includes age $${\rm{TDEE}} = \alpha _1M^{\beta _1}H^{\beta _2} + \alpha _2{\mathrm{Age}}$$ TDEE = α 1 M β 1 H β 2 + α 2 Age . The power for body mass, β1 = 0.45 and the power for height was β2 = 1.52 in the database with both genders combined. Adding gender reduced these to β1 = 0.43 and β2 = 1.04. All terms were significant (p < 0.01) except for height when including gender. The powers for height in the additive gender-specific models were both closer to 1 and the power for body mass was similar across all models ranging between 0.41 and 0.57. A nonlinear scaling relationship was found to hold for body mass and needs to be considered when adjusting TDEE for body mass or predicting human energy requirements as a function of body mass especially in individuals with obesity.
Condensed Tannins as a Source of Novel Biocides

The condensed tannins are natural preservatives of lignocellulosic materials. They are commonly found in high concentrations in many external protective plant tissues like seedcoats and bark as well as in the heartwood of some tree species. Condensed tannins have traditionally been used in many areas of the world as preservatives for fishing nets, twines, and fabrics. More modern applications that have been investigated are food and wood preservatives, with especially good results achieved for the latter. Treatment with a procyanidin/copper(II) chelate yielded wood blocks with greater resistance to decay by Coriolus versicolor than pentachlorophenol when evaluated in a standard ASTM soil-block test. Condensed tannins can also be reacted directly with the wood to give it decay resistance and dimensional stability similar to a naturally durable wood. It is also possible to synthesize flavonoids with antimicrobial activity by thiolysis of procyanidins and ketalization of catechin. The structure-activity relations of these semisynthetic flavonoids have provided information on the mode of action of flavonoid phytoalexins.
Synthetic Validity: The J-Coefficient

This chapter discusses problems associated with statistical regression and validation that are numerous and sometimes virtually unsolvable. Major problems of this kind include the following: (1) obtaining a sufficiently large sample of subjects to satisfy the statistical requirements; (2) obtaining a truly satisfactory criterion measure that encompasses all aspects of success, is not biased, and is obtainable for subjects available; and (3) delay beyond deadlines necessary for action. These problems are exaggerated and multiplied when a small research staff is faced with a very large number of jobs and with many new jobs that as yet have no incumbents. Such conditions are most apt to exist in the military, large industries, and civil service organizations. Recent court rulings demanding that tests and other selection instruments have proven validity have made the solution of such problems more imperative than in the past. The concept of synthetic validity is not a new one. Face validity, which holds that the selection instruments are considered pertinent to the job by applicants who are to take the test, has been around for several decades. Expert validity, which holds that experts should consider test materials to be relevant, has also been used for decades in the selection of items for achievement tests. Recently, there has been considerable interest in construct validity that places emphasis on logical relationships of criteria as direct operational definitions of the construct to be measured.
Flexible classification with spatial quantile comparison and novel statistical features applied to spent nuclear fuel analysis

Multivariate classification algorithms are a common tool in contemporary data science that have begun to be applied to nuclear forensic analyses. Using a multivariate generalization of quantile–quantile plots for comparing unknown statistical distributions, a new model-free multivariate classifier called the Quantile–Quantile Comparator has been developed and tested on the analysis of simulated irradiated nuclear fuel. A method to estimate the sample-specific probability of having made an incorrect classification decision by analyzing the distribution of quantile comparisons has been developed, and methods have been developed to analyze the partition of the known data library used to analyze unknown data. By analyzing this partition, the analyst may identify classes that are likely to be confused, identify test data that are inconsistent with the data library and return a “None-of-the-Above” classification decision, and optimize the class boundaries. In this paper, the development of these capabilities is described, and a case study using real experimental assay data collected from nuclear fuel extracted from the newly-released Spent Fuel Isotopic Composition Database to demonstrate the efficacy of these capabilities is presented.