cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation of Doppler Spectra of Sea Backscatter Through Large-Scale Monte Carlo Simulations: Direct Numerical Solution And Approximate Models

The study simulates and analyses backscattering of a time-harmonic (continuous-wave) X-band signal from evolving ocean-like surfaces in the 2D space. For the same surface realization, the scattered field is evaluated using the direct numerical solution of a first-principles boundary integral equation, and with two approximate models: the coherent Two-Scale Model (CTSM) and the second-order Small Slope Approximation (SSA2). Large Monte Carlo ensembles are built up to evaluate well-averaged Doppler spectra. The investigation focuses on the two spectral parameters: centroid and width, with alternative definitions for the latter being discussed. A broad and finely sampled range of incidence angles is considered, providing a comprehensive and detailed view at the behavior of these quantities from nadir to low grazing. Using the same set of surfaces when calculating backscattered fields according to the exact and approximate methods provides a rigorous test for the accuracy of the chosen scattering models. The reported high-quality data from direct numerical simulations can serve as a benchmark for other scattering formulations.
Follicular Lymphoma Diagnosed in Warthin Tumor: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Warthin tumor is one of the most common benign salivary gland tumors. It is unusual and difficult to diagnose follicular lymphoma within the lymphoid tissue of Warthin tumor. We present a rare case of a 69-year-old man with systemic follicular lymphoma initially diagnosed in a Warthin tumor. Lymphomas occurring within Warthin tumors are rare, however, follicular lymphoma is most commonly reported. Because these patients require further treatment depending on the stage of a disease, it is important for a pathologist to review the histology of Warthin tumors diligently to identify occult lymphomas.
Vulnerabilities to antiepileptic drug (AED) side effects in youth with epilepsy.

Abstract Objective The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between sociodemographic, seizure-related, behavioral health, and antiepileptic drug (AED) adverse effect variables. The aim of this study was to examine whether there were significant differences on AED adverse effects between youth with normative and subclinical/clinical depressive and/or anxiety symptoms. Methods As part of a larger multisite validation study, 231 youth age 5 to 18 years diagnosed with epilepsy and their caregivers were recruited to participate for the current study. Youth ages 8 and older and caregivers of all youth completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2). Caregivers also completed the Pediatric Epilepsy Side Effects Questionnaire (PESQ) and a Background Questionnaire. Medical chart review provided information regarding epilepsy diagnosis and treatment. Results No differences were observed in the mean scores on AED adverse effects between the group with subclinical/clinical BASC-2 Depressive symptoms and those with average/low depressive symptoms. In contrast, the proportion of youth with subclinical/clinical versus average/low depressive symptoms via caregiver report was significantly different for the cognitive, behavioral, general neurological, and total scale of the PESQ. There was also a larger proportion of youth with self-reported subclinical/clinical depressive symptoms who experienced general neurological adverse effects compared with youth with average/low depressive symptoms who experienced general neurological adverse effects. Findings were consistent for anxiety symptoms. Significance Identifying potentially modifiable behavioral health symptoms that exacerbate the expression of AED adverse effects could provide alternative solutions for improved AED tolerability to achieve optimum treatment outcomes.
A Patient-Centered Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Educational Intervention Improves HBV Care Among Underserved Safety-Net Populations.

GOALS To evaluate the impact of a prospective patient-centered hepatitis B virus (HBV) educational intervention on improving HBV care. BACKGROUND Improving patients' HBV knowledge has the potential to improve adherence to HBV monitoring and management, particularly among underserved safety-net populations. METHODS Consecutive chronic HBV adults at a single-center safety-net liver clinic were recruited from July 2017 to July 2018 to evaluate the impact of an in-person, language concordant formal HBV educational intervention on improvements in HBV knowledge and HBV management: appropriate HBV clinic follow-up (≥1 visit/year), HBV laboratory monitoring (≥1 HBV viral load and alanine aminotransferase test/year), hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance (≥1 liver imaging test/year among eligible patients), and HBV treatment among treatment eligible patients. HBV knowledge and management were assessed before and after the intervention and compared with age-matched and sex-matched HBV controls who did not receive an education. RESULTS Among 102 patients with chronic HBV (54.9% men; mean age, 52.0±13.8), HBV education improved HBV knowledge scores by 25% (P<0.001), HBV clinic follow-up from 25.5% to 81.4% (P<0.001), HBV laboratory monitoring from 62.8% to 77.5% (P=0.02), and appropriate HBV treatment from 71.5% to 98.5% (P<0.001). Compared with 102 HBV controls, receiving HBV education was associated with higher rates of HBV clinic follow-up (81.4% vs. 39.2%; odds ratio, 7.02; 95% confidence interval, 3.64-13.56; P<0.001) and appropriate HBV laboratory monitoring (77.5% vs. 42.2%; odds ratio, 4.94, 95% confidence interval, 2.64-9.24; P<0.001). CONCLUSION A formal, in-person, language concordant educational intervention leads to significant improvements in HBV knowledge, resulting in improved HBV monitoring and appropriate HBV treatment.
Is Mobile Addiction a Unique Addiction: Findings from an International Sample of University Students

This research explores whether addictions around mobile phones should be treated more as a physiological or a psychological problem. A new survey about mobile addiction and time use (MATU), constructed from several studies, tests to what degree time use on mobile phones (a physiological cause) is correlated with four behavioral factors predicting proneness to addiction, respectively one physiological problem and three psychological problems: sensation seeking, impulsiveness, anxiety, and hopelessness. Equally, an index on how strongly students interpret that they have a mobile addiction problem was tested for whether it was correlated to the same four factors. A sample of 1219 students was drawn from four universities, three in the USA and one in South Korea. Correlations between six indexes were analyzed. Students who think they have a “mobile phone time use problem” do not report high (physiological) sensation seeking at all (0.18, p < 0.01) yet have higher correlations only with three psychological problems: impulsiveness (0.64, p < 0.01), hopelessness (0.47, p < 0.01), and anxiety (0.31, p < 0.01). On the other hand, the exact inverse occurs among actual sensation seekers with high time use (0.85, p < 0.01) who lack high correlations with three psychological problems (each below 0.15, p < .01). The pattern held across four different universities and two countries with minimal variations. Mobile addictions appear to be two different types of individualized problems instead of one: physiological problems for some (without major psychological problems) and psychological problems for others (without high time use). This research may help influence policy to target different individual problems in mobile addiction.
Systematic review and meta-analysis comparing cognitive vs. image-guided fusion prostate biopsy for the detection of prostate cancer

Abstract Objective To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing overall prostate cancer detection rate and clinically-significant prostate cancer detection rate between MRI-ultrasound image guided fusion biopsy (MRI-US FB) and cognitive biopsy (CB). Methods A systematic review of Pubmed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane library databases was performed. Identified studies were assessed for clinical relevance and excluded based on a set of predefined criteria. Final articles included in the analysis comprised only prospective trials that compared CB vs. MRI-US FB in men with MRI-identifiable lesions (Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System score 2+). Articles were reviewed for patient demographics, MRI protocol, and rates of overall and clinically significant prostate cancer detection by both modalities. Results Nine studies were analyzed. A composite 1,714 men with mean age 64.6 years and mean PSA 8.2 ng/dL were reviewed. When comparing FB to CB, the odds ratio for overall and for clinically significant prostate cancer detection was 1.11 (95%CI 0.91–1.36, P = 0.30) and 1.13 (95%CI 0.89–1.44, P = 0.32), respectively. Heterogeneity among the studies was moderate but not significant for either overall (X2 = 14.67; I2 = 45%; P = 0.07) or clinically significant prostate cancer detection (X2 = 11.81; I2 = 49%; P = 0.07). Conclusion MRI-US FB demonstrates a trend toward improved rates of prostate cancer detection compared to CB, although this is not statistically significant. Further comparative studies may help to further elucidate whether one of these modalities is superior over the other.
Reflections on Refugees During the COVID-19 Pandemic

As the world faces a growing refugee crisis, adult learning professionals must consider the implications of their work within the context of an increasingly complex and uncertain world.
Renewable Sources of Electricity: Where Excess Capacity Is Built-In

As renewable sources of electricity have expanded, production capacity utilization has gradually decreased.
Professional language use by alumni of the Harvard Medical School Medical Language Program

Despite the growing number of patients with limited English proficiency in the United States, not all medical schools offer medical language courses to train future physicians in practicing language-concordant care. Little is known about the long-term use of non-English languages among physicians who took language courses in medical school. We conducted a cross-sectional study to characterize the professional language use of Harvard Medical School (HMS) alumni who took a medical language course at HMS and identify opportunities to improve the HMS Medical Language Program. Between October and November 2019, we sent an electronic survey to 803 HMS alumni who took a medical language course at HMS between 1991 and 2019 and collected responses. The survey had questions about the language courses and language use in the professional setting. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics and McNemar’s test for comparing proportions with paired data. The study was determined not to constitute human subjects research. The response rate was 26% (206/803). More than half of respondents (n = 118, 57%) cited their desire to use the language in their future careers as the motivation for taking the language courses. Twenty-eight (14%) respondents indicated a change from not proficient before taking the course to proficient at the time of survey whereas only one (0.5%) respondent changed from proficient to not proficient (McNemar’s p-value < 0.0001). Respondents (n = 113, 56%) reported that clinical electives abroad influenced their cultural understanding of the local in-country population and their language proficiency. Only 13% (n = 27) of respondents have worked in a setting that required formal assessments of non-English language proficiency. HMS alumni of the Medical Language Program reported improved language proficiency after the medical language courses’ conclusion, suggesting that the courses may catalyze long-term language learning. We found that a majority of respondents reported that the medical language courses influenced their desire to work with individuals who spoke the language of the courses they took. Medical language courses may equip physicians to practice language-concordant care in their careers.
Examining the policies of paroling authorities in the United States to support evidence-based practices:

While much research in community corrections examines ways in which direct supervision can reduce recidivism, less is known about the role of paroling authorities in using or supporting evidence-ba...
Comparing the Ability of Regression Modeling and Bayesian Additive Regression Trees to Predict Costs in a Responsive Survey Design Context

Responsive survey designs rely upon incoming data from the field data collection to optimize cost and quality tradeoffs. In order to make these decisions in real-time, survey managers rely upon monitoring tools that generate proxy indicators for cost and quality. There is a developing literature on proxy indicators for the risk of nonresponse bias. However, there is very little research on proxy indicators for costs and almost none aimed at predicting costs under alternative design strategies. Predictions of survey costs and proxy error indicators can be used to optimize survey designs in real time. Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, we evaluate alternative modeling strategies aimed at predicting survey costs (specifically, interviewer hours). The models include multilevel regression (with random interviewer effects) and Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART).
Progressive Thinning of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer and Ganglion Cell-Inner Plexiform Layer in Glaucoma Eyes with Disc Hemorrhage.

Purpose To evaluate the thinning of the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) and macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) in primary open-angle glaucoma eyes with and without a history of disc hemorrhage (DH). Design Observational cohort study. Participants Thirty-nine 39 eyes (34 participants) with DH and 117 eyes (104 participants) without DH from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study and the African Decent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study. Methods Participants had at least 1.5 years of follow-up, with a minimum of 3 visits with biannual spectral-domain OCT cpRNFL and mGCIPL thickness measurements and visual fields (VFs). The rates of cpRNFL and mGCIPL thinning were calculated using mixed-effects models. The dynamic range-based normalized rates of cpRNFL and mGCIPL thinning were calculated and compared between the DH and non-DH groups. Main Outcome Measures Rates of cpRNFL and mGCIPL thinning. Results The rate of mGCIPL thinning was significantly faster in the DH group compared with the non-DH group (–0.62 μm/year vs. –0.38 μm/year; P = 0.024). The rate of cpRNFL thinning in the DH quadrant and rate of mGCIPL thinning in the inferotemporal sector in the DH group were faster than the corresponding regions in the non-DH group after adjusting for intraocular pressure (–1.33 μm/year vs. –0.58 μm/year; P = 0.053) and race (–0.82 μm/year vs. –0.44 μm/year; P = 0.048). In the DH group, percent rate of loss was significantly faster for the mGCIPL than the cpRNFL (–1.59 %/year vs. –1.31 %/year; P = 0.046). Rates of mGCIPL thinning were associated weakly with mean deviation slope, VF index slope, and guided progression analysis (GPA). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for VF progression were 0.75 for mGCIPL and 0.56 for cpRNFL in the DH group. Conclusions The rate of mGCIPL and cpRNFL thinning was faster in DH eyes than non-DH eyes. Compared with cpRNFL, mGCIPL showed higher proportional rates of thinning and greater association with functional progression. In addition to cpRNFL, clinicians should consider incorporating mGCIPL imaging to monitor glaucoma progression, especially in glaucoma eyes with DH.
A systematic review of the factors influencing microbial colonization of the preterm infant gut.

Prematurity coupled with the necessary clinical management of preterm (PT) infants introduces multiple factors that can interfere with microbial colonization. This study aimed to review the perinat...
Does the Tripartite Influence Model of Body Image and Eating Pathology Function Similarly Across Racial/Ethnic Groups of White, Black, Latina, and Asian Women?

The tripartite influence model suggests that appearance pressures from family, peers, and the media contribute to thin-ideal internalization, which leads to increased body dissatisfaction and subsequent eating disorder pathology. The tripartite influence model was initially developed and tested among primarily White samples, and emerging research suggests racial/ethnic differences in mean levels of particular model constructs. Consequently, the model's appropriateness for understanding eating disorder risk in racial/ethnic minorities warrants investigation to determine its usefulness in explicating eating disorder risk in diverse populations. Participants in the current study were White (n = 1167), Black (n = 212), Latina (n = 203), and Asian (n = 176) women from five geographically disparate college campuses in the United States. Participants completed the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire - Appearance Evaluation Subscale, and the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire. Analysis of variance was used to compare mean levels of each construct across racial/ethnic groups. Multigroup structural equation modeling was used to assess the appropriateness of the tripartite influence model for each racial/ethnic group, and to examine differences in the strength of the model pathways across groups. There were significant mean level differences across groups for most model constructs. However, results indicated similar model fit across racial/ethnic groups, with few differences in the strength of model pathways. Findings suggest that although some groups report lower levels of proposed risk factors, the sociocultural risk processes for eating pathology identified through the tripartite influence model are similar across racial/ethnic groups of young adult women. Such information can be used to inform culturally-sensitive interventions.
Social vulnerability and clinical trial access for older adults with myeloma in North Carolina.

e18540Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a disease of aging, associated with one of the greatest black-white disparities in incidence and mortality among all US cancer types. Clinical trials prov...
Association of prenatal exposure to phthalates with measures of cognition in 4.5-month-old infants

Background: Phthalates are endocrine disrupting chemicals found in consumer products. Previous studies reported associations of prenatal phthalate exposure with adverse child neurodevelopment, but ...
Understanding Greed and Wrongness

Due to its history, the word ‘greed’ is often understood as denoting an inherently wrongful act or disposition. This consensus undoubtedly stems from the almost unanimous condemnation greed has received from all societies throughout recorded history. However, in recent years there have been new advocates of greedy action, arguing that greed can, in fact, be good. Due to this recent clash over what it means to be greedy and whether or not it is permissible, our normative appraisal of greed has come into question. In this paper, I offer an alternative conceptual analysis of greed. This new understanding of greed, which builds off Adam Smith’s theory of moral sentiments, will both make sense of the recent advocacy of greedy action as well as the condemnation it has received from almost all known societies.
Prenatal exposure to an environmentally relevant phthalate mixture alters ovarian steroidogenesis and folliculogenesis in the F1 generation of adult female mice.

Abstract Phthalates are a family of chemicals that can be found in plastic and personal care products used by consumers every day and they are known endocrine disrupting chemicals that can disrupt female reproduction. In previous studies, an environmentally relevant phthalate mixture was shown to affect female reproduction in a transgenerational manner. However, limited information was available on the effect of phthalate mixtures on ovarian steroidogenesis and folliculogenesis. Ovarian steroidogenesis is important for producing hormones needed for reproduction and ovarian regulation, and folliculogenesis is essential for the development of ovarian follicles and successful fertility. Thus, this study tested the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to an environmentally relevant phthalate mixture adversely affects ovarian steroidogenesis and folliculogenesis in the F1 generation of adult female mice. Pregnant dams (F0 generation) were orally dosed with vehicle control or a phthalate mixture (20 μg/kg/day-500 mg/kg/day) daily from gestational day 10 to birth, and the adult F1 females were the offspring of the dosed dams. The ovaries of the F1 generation were collected at postnatal day 60. One ovary was used for histological examination of the numbers and percent of different follicle types. The other ovary was used to measure expression of theca and granulosa cell enzymes. Additionally, sera were collected for measuring hormone levels. The results indicate that prenatal exposure to the phthalate mixture decreases hormone levels and gene expression, alters the transitioning of follicle types, and leads to a higher incidence of atresia in the F1 generation offspring.
Protein Sorting in the Secretory System of Plant Cells

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the protein sorting in the secretory system of plant cells. Each organelle of the eukaryotic cell contains a distinct set of proteins that determines the structure and biochemical activities of that organelle. There are true sorting signals that direct proteins along branched pathways such as that encountered at the trans-Golgi network (TGN), where the pathways of constitutive and regulated secretory proteins, proteins destined for different domains of polar cells, and proteins destined for the lytic compartment diverge after having shared a common route through the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi apparatus. The positive targeting information is carried by the primary translation product. The transport competence of proteins in the secretory pathway is also dependent on protein conformation. The ER is the site of the initial steps of N-linked glycosylation, and of protein folding and oligomerization. If these steps are blocked by mutations, drug treatment, or synthesis of single polypeptides from heteromeric proteins, the misassembled, malfolded proteins may fail to exit the ER.
Studying Housework Across Nations

Long motivated by microlevel paradigms, the study of housework has been revitalized by research emphasizing macrolevel influences. Common trends and persistent differences across the developed world underscore the importance of country context. Gender specialization, gender equality, and socioeconomic (in)equality are cultural and structural domains that channel domestic behavior in predictable directions. By demonstrating the country-to-country differences in the causes and consequences of domestic arrangements, this research points to 5 questions that set a course for studies of housework in comparative context.
NIH grant awards as a metric of clinical and translational research training effectiveness.

The number of clinical research training programs has increased over the past 5–10 years, but few studies have quantitatively evaluated the effectiveness of these programs. The goal of this study was to evaluate the clinical and translational research training program at the University of Cincinnati by comparing the number of National Institutes of Health grants awarded to pediatric fellows who graduated from the MS degree program between 1995 and 2013 versus fellows who did not pursue an MS degree. Among 394 pediatric fellows, 16 of 81 (20%) MS alumni were awarded at least one NIH grant, as compared with 28 of 313 (9%) fellows who did not obtain an MS degree (p < 0.02). In multivariable analysis, MS alumni were more than three times as likely to have received at least one grant than were non-MS fellows (OR = 3.5, 95% CI [1.7–7.2]; C-statistic = 0.71) and MS alumni were more likely to obtain at least one K-series (OR = 4.1, 95% CI [1.6–10.2]; C-statistic = 0.74), M-series (OR = 11.8, 95% CI [3.4–41.4]; C-statistic = 0.81), or R-series (OR = 10.1, 95% CI [2.4–42.8]; C-statistic = 0.74) grant than were non-MS fellows. These findings suggest that graduate training in clinical and translational research prepares graduates for the highly competitive field of clinical and translational research.
Chapter 5 Quantitative Phase Imaging of Nanoscale Cell Structure and Dynamics

Abstract Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) of live cells has received significant scientific interest over the past decade or so, mainly because it offers structure and dynamics information at the nanometer scale in a completely noninvasive manner. We present recent developments of QPI technology both for full‐field and point measurements. Their applications are classified into static and dynamic according to their temporal selectivity. Several promising prospects are discussed in the summary section.
Effects of Vitamin B-6 Deficiency on Selenium Metabolism in the Rat

Rats were fed for 23 d diets adequate or deficient in vitamin B-6 and containing selenium as either sodium selenite, selenocysteine (SeCys) or selenomethionine (SeMet). They were then injected with 75Se of the same chemical form and killed 2 d later. Tissue deposition of stable and radiotracer selenium and the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) were used to assess selenium utilization. Erythrocyte levels of selenium and GSHPx were lower in vitamin B-6--deficient animals for all forms of selenium; however, 75Se deposition in erythrocytes was not affected by vitamin B-6 status. The activities of cystathionine lyase, aspartate aminotransferase and selenocysteine lyase were lower in livers of vitamin B-6--deficient rats than in vitamin B-6--supplemented rats. The proportion of liver and kidney 75Se soluble in 5% trichloroacetic acid and 0.1 M 2-mercaptoethanol was consistently lower in vitamin B-6--deficient animals, but cation-exchange chromatography of tissue extracts did not identify a specific low-molecular-weight species. Tissue retention of 75Se provided as SeMet was increased in vitamin B-6--deficient animals, but the proportion of 75Se retained in muscle and liver as SeCys was significantly reduced. These findings suggest that the conversion of SeMet to a form available for GSHPx synthesis is reduced by vitamin B-6 deficiency.
Junctions as organizing centers in epithelial cells? A fly perspective.

Junctions isolate the apical from the basal–lateral surfaces and are required for the polarization of epithelial cells. Genetics of junction formation in Drosophila has identified numerous transmembrane and scaffolding proteins that assemble in membrane-associated complexes. This review focuses on recent findings suggesting that junctions are autonomous organizing centers for the establishment and maintenance of apical-basal polarity in epithelial cells as well as other polarized processes such as the orientation of the division apparatus.
Risk Reduction and Cost Synergy in Mergers and Acquisitions via Supply Chain Network Integration

The economic and financial collapse of 2008 and 2009 due to the credit crisis in the U.S. with global ramifications impacted dramatically the landscape for mergers and acquisitions (M&As). It is anticipated that, if there is a new merger wave, then a larger percentage of M&A deals will be more strategic than those in the wave that ended prior to this crisis, with special attention given to the increasingly risk-averse environment. In addition, it is expected that firms will seek to take advantage of existing strengths, be they in a particular region or in terms of distribution networks. This paper provides a methodological framework to enable decision-makers involved in M&As to quantify the potential gains through supply chain network integration in terms of risk reduction and cost synergy. In particular, we develop new pre-merger and post-merger network models that capture the economic activities of firms who seek to determine their expected total cost and risk-minimizing product flows subject to demand satisfaction. We utilize a mean1
Characterization of synthetic medium antigens of Micropolyspora faeni and Thermoactinomyces candidus

Abstract A synthetic (Syn) medium was developed for growth of Micropolyspora faeni and Thermoactinomyces candidus , and optimum conditions for culture filtrate antigen production were found to be 3 days for T. candidus and 9 to 12 days for M. faeni . Appearance of proteolytic activity in the culture fluid supernatant coincided with a decrease in precipitating antigen content, protein content, and number of proteins on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), probably as a result of proteolysis. The results suggest that protein content, number of protein bands on PAGE, and proteolytic activity are predictive of precipitating antigen content. Antigens prepared in Syn medium were compared to those produced by the double-dialysis procedure and found to contain adequate amounts of antigenic material of sufficient quality to warrant clinical studies of their usefulness in the diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
Meeting our students where they live through Distance Education: Designing, implementing and teaching online library research classes

Well-developed research skills are essential to our student’s educational success. For a generation that will create more information than was created by all those who came before them access to information is not an issue, at least for those on the access side of the digital divide. However as that wealth of information grows so does the need for the skill sets that allows one to pull the drops of needed information from the ocean that they have available to search. Students, who have not known a world without Google, smart phones, and abundant wireless internet access, often feel their research skills are good enough but usually fail, not in the search for information, but in the ability to determine what the best information is and how to find it most efficiently. Online library research classes are one of the best methods we have for providing our students with the skills they need to succeed. Designing, implementing, and teaching library research classes allows librarians to communicate research skills that meet our students at their point of need. This paper will provide an examination of the benefits for our students, libraries and faculty in providing these classes, an overview on how they can be structured to meet the information literacy needs of any student and basic information on how to create library research classes at any institution of higher education.
Abstract B246: Overcoming cancer resistance to death receptor targeted therapies.

Multiple clinical trials are underway to evaluate the antitumor activity of a new class of protein products that target the cell surface death receptors (DRs) 4 and 5. These include the recombinant human TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) and agonistic antibodies specific to DR4 or DR5. The early-phase clinical data is encouraging in suggesting a tolerated safety profile for these products. However, there is a major concern about the occurrence of drug resistance that has been seen in a large number of human cancer cell lines and primary tumors. There are unmet needs in the development of DR-targeted therapies, in terms of both the ability to predict a tumor response and the selection of combinational drugs for overcoming the resistance towards a better clinical efficacy. Our laboratory investigates cell death and cell survival mechanisms involved in cancer drug action and resistance. Over the past eight years, we have made significant findings on the molecular determinants of TRAIL resistance. We have shown that deficiency of DR4 and/or DR5 on surface membrane is a critical mechanism of cancer cell resistance to the targeted therapies. In some cancer cells, the two receptors are found to be not properly expressed on surface membrane and, instead, are mislocalized in intracellular compartments. We provide evidence for novel mechanisms of DR surface deficiency, which involve deregulation of endocytosis and autophagy pathways in the TRAIL-resistant cells. These data could help identify biomarkers for predication of a tumor response and novel molecular targets for combination drugs to overcome or bypass the resistance mechanisms. This presentation will give an update of the relevant clinical trails and our research findings on DR-targeted therapies. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):B246. Citation Format: Baolin Zhang, Junjie Chen, Xu Di, Yaqin Zhang. Overcoming cancer resistance to death receptor targeted therapies. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B246.
The Role of the Tropical Super Greenhouse Effect in Heating the Ocean Surface

Measurements made by a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroradiometer operating in the middle infrared (5 to 20 micrometers, with a spectral resolution of one inverse centimeter) imply that there is an anomalously large greenhouse effect over equatorial oceans that is caused by water vapor. As sea-surface temperature increased from 297 to 303 degrees kelvin, the net infrared cooling at the surface decreased by 30 to 50 watts per square meter. Thus, according to the FTIR data, the super greenhouse effect that had been inferred from satellite measurements contributes directly to radiative heating of the sea surface. The data demonstrate that most of this heating occurs in the middle infrared by means of the continuum emission window of water vapor and that tropical deep convection contributes substantially to this super greenhouse effect.
Towards an understanding of ECE students' Use of online homework help forums

Online discussion forums have emerged as a popular Web application to build and support online communities for numerous engineering interest areas and practice. However, a review of engineering education literature reveals scant research on the use of online discussion forums for engineering learning beyond the classroom. This study addresses this gap in knowledge through a study of the “Homework Help” section on AllAboutCircuits.com to examine what students sought help for and for what purpose. We downloaded over 6,000 discussion messages spanning over 8 years and extracted the textual data with a Python program. Instead of analyzing the data through manual means, we utilized the Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK) to capture textual patterns and leverage a topic modeling approach, Latent Dirichlet Allocation, to identify connected clusters of words. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) analysis was also used to determine how often students use words associated with cognitive processes. We found that the homework help section of informal online discussion forums cater to students seeking help on fundamental ECE topics. Our findings also suggest that online discussion forums are supportive learning environments, as students freely engage in meaningful inquiries and social interactions with other learners.
Uncertainty principles of the short-time Fourier transform

We show that there are a number of uncertainty principles for the short-time Fourier transform and spectrogram. Explicit expressions are derived and examples given. Also, we generalize the concept of the short-time Fourier transform to arbitrary variables.
Technical efficiency estimates of Cherokee agriculture: A pre- and post-removal analysis

Abstract Although there is a large literature on the pre-removal Cherokee acculturation during the early nineteenth century there are no estimates of the technical efficiency of Cherokee agriculture. In this paper two sets of nineteenth century farming data on Cherokee households are used to estimate Shephard output distance functions and to model the determinants of Cherokee technical efficiency. Controlling for farm size, spatial heterogeneity, market orientation, and experience, technical efficiency was between 7% and 9% greater in mixed-blooded households than in full-blooded households. However, using pooled time series data of post-removal Cherokee farm households in North Carolina, Cherokee technical efficiency ranged from 0% to 4% less than the efficiency of their neighboring white farmers.
Nursing faculty and student experiences with information literacy: A pilot study

Background : A nursing workforce equipped with information literacy skills is vital to patient care delivery based on evidence. Nursing faculty must educate and prepare nursing students at all levels with these skills. Information literacy skills development is nursing programs is often addressed irregularly and in many cases libraries are charged with teaching these skills. This manuscript described the information literacy experiences of nursing students and faculty at a teaching university in the Southeastern United States. Research questions include 1) What do nursing faculty and nursing students know about using online information sources? 2) Do nursing faculty and nursing students use reliable online information sources on a regular basis? and 3) What types of technology do nursing faculty and students encounter and use in the classroom and clinical setting? Methods: A descriptive study was conducted to determine nursing faculty and nursing students’ experiences involving information literacy in the classroom and clinical setting. All nursing students and faculty were invited to participate and were provided with details about the study purpose and survey via email. Participation was strictly anonymous and voluntary. Data collection was conducted using an online survey that consisted of 20 multiple choice questions, 6 of which contained follow-up questions. Results: Sixty-six participants responded to the online survey. Fifteen (22.8%) were faculty and fifty-one (77.3%) were students. Data analysis reveals that most participants rate information literacy abilities that correlated with patient care as very valuable (59%, n = 39) or valuable (41%, n = 26). Additional results including participants’ responses to questions regarding information informing nursing practice, personal computer and information literacy skills, and barriers to accessing evidence-based information in the clinical setting were reported. Conclusions: Healthcare providers recognize the need for information literacy skills in the clinical setting but often lack the skills associated with locating, accessing, evaluating, and applying information needed for evidence-based practice. By understanding nursing faculty and students’ experiences with information literacy, learning activities can be designed and implemented that meet the needs of the study population.
Sarcoptic Mange in Red Foxes and Coyotes of Wisconsin

During the fall and winter of 1967–68 an outbreak of sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabei) occurred in Wisconsin among red foxes (Vulpes fulva) and coyotes (Canis latrans). Infected animals were usually partially hairless, listless, and emaciated. Skin lesions were characteristically thickened, dry, and crusted; the disease sometimes caused death. Mange occurred in the major fox and coyote ranges of the state and apparently affected fox population numbers.
Hydrodynamics of fluidization: Prediction of wall to bed heat transfer coefficients

A computer model for a hot fluidized bed was developed. The large heat transfer coefficients characteristic of fluidized beds were computed without an enhancement of heat transfer by turbulence. They agreed with measurements reported by Ozkaynak and Chen (1980) within the accuracy of estimated thermal conductivity of solids.
Testing Hypotheses about Other People Strategies of Verification and Falsification

Male and female participants formulated question-asking strategies to test hypotheses about the personalities of other people. For some participants, the hypothesis-testing task was defined explicitly as a falsification task (i.e., assessing the extent to which the hypothesis was not true). For other participants, the hypothesis-testing task was defined explicitly as a verification task (i.e., assessing the extent to which the hypothesis was true). Participants performed the falsification task by preferentially soliciting behavioral evidence that would disconfirm the hypothesis. Participants performed the verification task by preferentially soliciting behavioral evidence that would confirm the hypothesis. Implications for understanding hypothesis-testing processes are discussed.
Immune complex effects on glomerular eicosanoid production and renal hemodynamics.

Immune complex effects on glomerular eicosanoid production and renal hemodynamics. We examined the effect of glomerular immune complex (IC) deposition on glomerular eicosanoid synthesis and the role of the eicosanoids in glomerular pathophysiology. Rats received daily 10mg i.v. injections of native bovine gamma–globulin (NBGG) or cationic bovine gamma–globulin (CBGG) for 21 days; age–matched controls were maintained. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy showed mesangial deposits of IC in the NBGG group and capillary wall deposits in the CBGG group, without light or electron microscopic evidence of leukocyte infiltration. One week after the last antigen dose, GFR was similar in all three groups, but RPF increased in the rats given CBGG; (8.37 ± 0.90 vs. control 5.54 ± 0.56 ml/min, P 2 (PGE 2 ) and thromboxane B 2 (TxB 2 ) was normal in animals that received NBGG. Rats given CBGG had increased glomerular production of PGE 2 , (2.23 ± 0.37 vs. control 1.03 ± 0.16 ng/mg glomerular dry wt, P 2 (3.12 ± 0.50 vs. control 0.48 ± 0.07 ng/mg glomerular dry wt, P 2 synthesis, r=0.82, P=0.01. Acute administration of the TxA 2 synthesis inhibitor, UK-38,485, and a TxA 2 receptor antagonist, EP-092, to rats given CBGG did not affect GFR or RPF. The cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin, reduced both GFR and RPF by up to 40% in CBGG-immunized rats. Oral administration of UK-38,485 for six days to nephrotic rats did not result in a statistically significant reduction of proteinuria despite 85% inhibition of glomerular TxB 2 . We conclude that cationic antigen induces a glomerular disease pathologically similar to membranous nephropathy. The increment of RPF is most probably due to increased glomerular PGE 2 . The increased TxA 2 has no effect on glomerular hemodynamics and probably is not a component in the pathogenesis of proteinuria.
X-ray crystal structures of the S229A mutant and wild-type MurB in the presence of the substrate enolpyruvyl-UDP-N-acetylglucosamine at 1.8-A resolution

MurB catalyzes the second committed step in the synthesis of peptidoglycan, a key component of the bacterial cell wall. The crystal structures of both a S229A mutant and wild-type MurB in the presence of the substrate enolpyruvyl-UDP-N-acetylglucosamine were solved and refined at 1.8 A resolution. The single point mutation of residue 229 from serine to alanine eliminated a hydroxyl group which has previously been proposed to play a critical role as a proton donor during the second half-reaction of MurB, namely, reoxidation of FADH2 and reduction of the enolpyruvyl substrate. The mutation also resulted in the loss of the water molecule-hydrogen bonded to the serine hydroxyl in the wild-type structure changing the hydrogen-bonding network with in the active site. Comparison of the wild-type and S229A mutant structures confirms that the dramatic kinetic defect of an approximately 10(7)-fold decrease observed for the Ser 229 Ala mutant in the second half-reaction [Benson, T.E., Walsh, C.T., & Massey, V. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 796-805] is a direct result of the loss of the serine hydroxyl moiety rather than other nonspecific active-site changes or general structural defects.
The Democratic Peace Through the Lens of Culture, 1820–1989

This article examines the extent to which cultural similarity vitiates the relationship between joint democracy and the incidence of interstate war. Previous empirical findings which suggest that cultural/normative explanations of the democratic peace are more robust than institutional/structural ones invite an analysis of the impact of broader cultural factors on the relationship between joint democracy and war involvement. The author suggests several ways that cultural factors might mitigate the democratic peace phenomenon and conducts a multivariate logistic analysis of state dyads from 1820 to 1989 to test the main query. Of the cultural variables, religious similarity within dyads is associated with a decreased likelihood of war onset, while both ethnic and linguistic similarity have the opposite effect. Democratic dyads, on average, have higher religious similarity levels than nondemocratic dyads, which, ostensibly, might play a role in reducing conflict within democratic dyads. However, the findings clearly demonstrate that although cultural factors are significant correlates of war they do not vitiate the impact of joint democracy on war. It appears that where a pair of states share a common democratic political culture it exerts a conflict dampening impact that overrides ethnic, linguistic, or religious factors.
Assessing Success on the Uniform CPA Exam: A Logit Approach.

Abstract In this study, the authors surveyed Indiana certified public accountant (CPA) candidates to investigate factors that may determine the likelihood of passing the Uniform CPA Exam. The authors used a logit model to test the likelihood of success in the exam as a function of factors such as undergraduate grade point average (GPA), credit hours, high school GPA, high school class size, age, high school rank, educational level, type of preparation, nature of experience, gender, and race. By and large, a full model and the models resulting from forward and backward stepwise selection indicated that undergraduate GPA, age, private accounting experience, and gender are significant determinants in success in the CPA exam.
Hemispherical Emittance of a Semitransparent Fiber Coated With a Submicron Absorbing Film

This study presents a model to predict the directional and hemispherical emittance of a fiber coated with up to 2 μm film. The fiber is composed of semitransparent media with a small extinction coefficient. Transmittance and reflectance of the thin film is calculated based on the flat thin film assumption, because the thickness of the film is much less than the fiber radius, and the curvature can be neglected. Predicted emittance from wave optics is compared to geometric optics for modeling radiative transfer in thin film. Steep changes in emittance are predicted by wave optics for films that are nanometers thick. This effect was not observed from geometric optics analysis. Effects of film and fiber substrate optical properties are also studied.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Tensile Behavior of Slack Fiber Bundles—Theory and Application to HVI Testing

A statistical model for the tensile behavior of a bundle of slack fibers is developed in terms of its constituent single fiber properties. A large amount of data on single fiber tensile properties is obtained by a Mantis® tester. Application of this theory to HVI tensile test results shows much better agreement than other models developed earlier for bundles of straight, equal length fibers.
Hamiltonian formulations of chemical kinetics

We present a Hamiltonian approach to phenomenological chemical kinetics. The genesis of this approach resides in the definition of an intrinsic reaction coordinate space in which each distinct reaction coordinate corresponds to a distinct chemical reaction. The Gibbs function is then used to generate a variational principle which, in turn, leads to a set of Euler-Lagrange equations. The form of the Euler-Lagrange equations in reaction coordinate space permits the identification of the Gibbs function as a Langrangian, and a Legendre transformation of the Gibbs function results in a reaction Hamiltonian. Hamiltonians for two simple chemical reactions are presented, and the results of the present approach are shown to be consistent with phenomenological chemical kinetics.