cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical activity, body fat, and serum C-reactive protein in postmenopausal women with and without hormone replacement.

The objective was to determine whether higher physical activity is associated with lower serum C-reactive protein (CRP), independent of oral hormone replacement therapy (HRT) status and body fatness, in 133 postmenopausal women using a cross-sectional exploratory design at a university research laboratory. The subjects were 133 postmenopausal women, age 50-73 years, with no evidence of coronary artery disease or diabetes. The main outcome measures were: serum CRP, physical activity as measured by Stanford 7-day activity recall, body fat (both total and regional) as measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and anthropometry (waist and hip circumference). Secondary outcome measures included fasting plasma glucose and insulin as well as fasting serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Higher physical activity energy expenditures were significantly associated with lower serum CRP levels (r = -0.18, P = 0.041), independent of oral HRT use, age, smoking behavior, alcohol consumption, aspirin use, and statin use. However, in the complete multivariate model, which included body fat, older ages (P = 0.047), greater trunk fat masses (P < 0.001), any oral HRT use (P < 0.001), and unopposed oral estrogen use (P = 0.012) were the sole independent predictors of higher serum CRP levels. The complete multivariate model accounted for 58% of the variance in serum CRP. We conclude that the association between higher physical activity and lower serum CRP levels is dependent on the lower body fat of the more active women, yet independent of oral HRT use. Future intervention trials should determine whether diet- and exercise-related reductions in body fat may be effective ways to diminish the proinflammatory effects of oral HRT in postmenopausal women.
Utilization of a Graphite Foam Radiator on a Natural Gas Engine-Driven Heat Pump

A natural gas engine-driven heat pump was outfitted with a graphite foam radiator to demonstrate its thermal efficiency and compare it with that of a conventional radiator. A sequence of tests was performed with the graphite foam radiator operating in series with the standard aluminum radiator. Most aluminum air-to-water radiators exhibit an overall heat transfer coefficient up to 100 W/(m2 ·K). Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that a graphite foam radiator can achieve an overall heat transfer coefficient up to an order of magnitude larger. The mesophase pitch derived graphite foam is a material that offers excellent thermal management capability. The foam has an accessible surface area of 4 m2 /g and an open cell structure with graphitic ligaments aligned parallel to the cell walls, giving it an overall bulk thermal conductivity of up to 175 W/(m·K). The bulk thermal conductivity of aluminum is 180 W/(m·K). The density of the graphite foam is a fifth of that of aluminum and its thermal diffusivity is three times greater than aluminum. These properties allow the graphite foam to be utilized in radiator, or any other heat exchanger, designs that are more efficient than conventional radiators. A graphite foam radiator designed to reject a given amount of heat will be smaller in size, weigh less, require less cooling air, and be quicker at removing heat than a conventional aluminum radiator.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Local structure and triplet energy migration in p-dichlorobenzene-p-dibromobenzene solid solutions

Studies of the first triplet absorption and emission spectra of p-dichlorobenzene-p-dibromobenzene (DCB-DBB) mixed crystals agree generally with the data, indicating that this system forms solid solutions. However, the spectral properties are found to be very different from that of isotopically mixed crystals of comparable concentrations. The singlet-triplet absorption spectra of the DCB-DBB mixtures are generally broad and not amenable to detailed analysis indicating significant site dependent perturbations of the DCB and DBB triplet energies. Energy migration enhances emission from the lower energy sites and in consequence a red shift in the position of the emission (0,0) is observed, which is a maximum at equimolar concentrations. The emission bands are generally much broader than found for isotopically mixed crystals, indicating that the many types of sites in the DCB-DBB system remained uncoupled. This is a direct consequence of exciton trapping by inhomogeneous energy broadening caused by the site e...
Estimation in partially linear models and numerical comparisons

Partially linear models with local kernel regression are popular nonparametric techniques. However, bandwidth selection in the models is a puzzling topic that has been addressed in the literature with the use of undersmoothing and regular smoothing. In an attempt to address the strategy of bandwidth selection, we review profile-kernel based and backfitting methods for partially linear models, and justify why undersmoothing is necessary for backfitting method and why the ''optimal'' bandwidth works out for profile-kernel based method. We suggest a general computation strategy for estimating nonparametric function. We also employ the penalized spline method for partially linear models and conduct intensive simulation experiments to explore the numerical performance of the penalized spline method, profile and backfitting methods. A real dataset is analyzed with the three methods.
Dual QCD: A review

Abstract We review the attempts to use dual (electric) vector potentials rather than the standard magnetic vector potentials to describe QCD, particularly in the infrared regime. The use of dual potentials is motivated by the fact that in classical electrodynamics, in a medium with a dielectric constant vanishing at small momenta (as is believed to be the case in QCD), electric potentials provide a far more convenient language than do magnetic potentials. To begin with, we outline attempts to construct the QCD Lagrangian in terms of dual potentials and describe the various possibilities, their shortcomings and advantages, which so far exist. We then proceed to use the most attractive (albeit consistent as a field theory only at the tree leve l) of these Lagrangians in a number of applications. We show that it describes a non-Abelian dual superconductor (so that it automatically confines color), derive the static quark-antiquark potential, and various temperature dependent effects, such as deconfinement and chiral symmetry breaking.
The Physiology of Political Participation

Political involvement varies markedly across people. Traditional explanations for this variation tend to rely on demographic variables and self-reported, overtly political concepts. In this article, we expand the range of possible explanatory variables by hypothesizing that a correlation exists between political involvement and physiological predispositions. We measure physiology by computing the degree to which electrodermal activity changes on average when a participant sequentially views a full range of differentially valenced stimuli. Our findings indicate that individuals with higher electrodermal responsiveness are also more likely to participate actively in politics. This relationship holds even after the effects of traditional demographic variables are taken into account, suggesting that physiological responsiveness independently contributes to a fuller understanding of the underlying sources of variation in political involvement.
Fundamental and subharmonic excitation for an oscillator with several tunneling diodes in series

Connecting several tunneling diodes in series shows promise as a method for increasing the output power of these devices as millimeter-wave oscillators. However, due to the negative differential resistance (NDR) region in the dc I-V curve of a single tunneling diode, a circuit using several devices connected in series, and biased simultaneously in the NDR region, is dc unstable. Because of this instability, an oscillator with several tunneling diodes in series has a demanding excitation condition. Excitation using an externally applied RF signal is one approach to solving this problem. This is experimentally demonstrated using an RF source, both with frequency close to as well as with frequency considerably lower than the oscillation frequency. Excitation by an RF source with a frequency as low as one-sixth of the oscillation frequency was demonstrated in a proof-of-principle experiment at 2 GHz, for an oscillator with two tunnel diodes connected in series. Strong harmonics of the oscillation signal were generated as a result of the highly nonlinear dc I-V curve of the tunnel diode and a large signal oscillator design. Third harmonic output power comparable to that of the fundamental was observed in one oscillator circuit. If submillimeter wave resonant-tunneling diodes (RTD's) are used instead of tunnel diodes, this harmonic output may be-useful for generating signals at frequencies well into the terahertz range. >
Imaging with biomolecular ions generated by massive cluster impact in a time-of-flight secondary ion microscope

RATIONALE Imaging mass spectrometry can allow the correlation of molecular identification and spatial organization in biological samples. A useful technique would rapidly generate, from untreated samples, images of lipids, peptides and small proteins with intracellular spatial resolution. We describe the use of massive, highly charged glycerol cluster impact to produce images using ionized, intact biomolecules, with few-micrometer lateral resolution and few-minute acquisition times. METHODS An electrospray primary ion source generating massive clusters of electrolyte-doped glycerol was coupled with a microscope-imaging time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer. A continuous stream of primary cluster ions ejected secondary ions from the sample surface. The secondary ion stream was pulsed in the secondary column and either time-of-flight mass spectra or mass-selected ion images were projected onto a position-sensitive ion detector. The image acquisition times were a few minutes. RESULTS Ionized intact molecules of some common lipids, peptides and small proteins have been detected. A lateral image resolution of ~3 µm has been measured for a bradykinin ion image. CONCLUSIONS Massive cluster impact (MCI) combined with microscope-mode ion imaging allows rapid imaging using ionized intact biomolecules, with a lateral resolution acceptable for applications with biological samples. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Parent and self‐ratings of executive function in adolescents with specific language impairment

Background: There is accumulating evidence that adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI) have impairments in domains beyond formal language that may affect academic and social outcomes. The findings of previous studies as well as parent reports of behavioural concerns suggest that they lag behind peers in functions such as self‐regulation of verbal behaviour and strategic language use suggesting that executive function may be a potential domain worthy of study in adolescents with SLI. The evaluation of executive functions in daily living could provide critical information for intervention for adolescents with SLI, and also inform studies of the relationship between language and executive functioning in a developing system.Aims: To compare ratings of executive function in adolescents with specific language impairment to those of their parents and typically developing peers.Methods & Procedures: This study examined parent and self‐ratings of executive function in adolescents with SLI and typicall...
An experimental simulation of multi-site software development

Effective communication and coordination across multiple sites is extremely important for global software development. An experimental simulation that mimics an interdependent software division working across multiple locations was designed to study this phenomenon. Six experiments were run, each with participants divided into four or five sites depending on the availability of participants. We found that simulated workers at the same sites formed strong in-groups and were able to enlist help from their collocated colleagues at a much higher rate than from remote colleagues. These strong local in-groups inhibited cross-site collaboration. Remote workers had particular difficulty coordinating work with in-group members. However, certain isolated participants did perform well by being proactive in communication and reminding collaborators of reciprocal relationships. Future uses of this simulation will test different interventions such as instant messaging, calendaring, and traveling, which may help overcome the challenges of global software development and inform the design of future collaboration technologies.
Partitioning of polynomial tasks: test generation, an example

The circumstances under which a partitioning of a task with a polynomial complexity will result in an overall reduction of its execution time are analyzed. It is assumed that the task executor is sequential in nature, namely it can execute only one task at a time. Since partitioning of a task into smaller subtasks will, most probably, result in subtask overlap, there is a risk that a given partitioning scheme will yield an increase in its overall execution time. Formulas are derived to test the effectiveness of any proposed partitioning scheme. In the case of multiple partitioning options, the best one can be easily obtained. One of the possible tasks that this analysis is applicable to is the test generation of digital circuits with a uniprocessor. >
Analysis of Scenes Containing Multiple Non-Polyhedral 3D Objects

Recognition of generic three-dimensional objects remains an unsolved problem. Scenes containing multiple nonpolyhedral 3D objects are particularly challenging. Conventional object models based on straight line segments and junctions are not suitable for this task. We have developed an appearanced-based 3D object model in which an object is represented by the features that can be most reliably detected in a training set of real images. For industrial objects with both flat and curved surfaces, holes, and threads, a set of useful features has been derived; and a recognition system utilizing these features and their interrelationships is being developed. The recognition system uses small relational subgraphs of features to index the database of models and to retrieve the appropriate 3D models in a hypothesize- and-test matching algorithm. This paper describes the new models, the matching algorithm, and our preliminary results.
Situated Motives of Lay Participants in Community Collaboratives for Children’s Mental Health

Publicly funded programs in many industrialized countries increasingly require the participation of citizens. In this article, I explore the "situated motives" of family members who participated alongside professionals in implementing children's mental health programs in two communities in the United States. I conducted in-depth interviews with family members and observed monthly meetings of Community Collaboratives to assess how family members understood their participation. The inductive data analysis demonstrates that family members participated (a) as a therapeutic outlet, (b) to pay it forward, (c) to gain new skills, (d) to have a voice, and/or (e) to empower the community. I then use Giddens' concepts of "life politics" and "emancipatory politics" to explore how these accounts variously reflected lay members' orientations as consumers, empowered individuals, and/or citizen advocates. In the absence of articulated and specific objectives for family participation, these "situated motives" were salient and had implications for how policy was implemented.
Pedestrian injuries in children: who is most at risk?

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluates the demographics of paediatric pedestrian injuries with the aim of identifying the group of children who is most vulnerable and the risk factors for major trauma (MT). METHODS: Data was extracted from the integrated trauma system of a regional paediatric referral hospital. All paediatric cases involving road traffic accidents from January 2011 to December 2013 were studied. Demographics, injury mechanism, treatment and outcome were evaluated. Patients were categorised as MT or non-MT (NMT) based on their Injury Severity Score, admission to the intensive care unit, type of surgery (e.g. life/limb-saving) and death. Data analysis was done using nonparametric tests and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: A total of 261 children were admitted for pedestrian injuries during the study period. The median age was ten years (range 14 months-16 years) and the median weight was 42.4 (range 8.6-93.7) kg. Half (i.e. 50.2%) of the children were primary-schoolers. The majority of the accidents occurred on roads (i.e. 83.1%), between 12 pm and 6 pm (i.e. 52.8%). Among the 261 children, 177 (67.8%) were unaccompanied by an adult at the time of the accident; 17 (6.5%) children sustained MT, while 244 (93.5%) suffered NMT. MT patients were more likely to have lost consciousness (p CONCLUSION: Most paediatric pedestrian injuries involved primary-schoolers walking home from school unaccompanied by adults. This information should inform future road safety campaigns. Being flung and loss of consciousness predicted MT in children who sustained pedestrian injuries. Keywords: SR2S Language: en
Physiological and morphological characterization of ganglion cells in the salamander retina

Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) integrate visual information from the retina and transmit collective signals to the brain. A systematic investigation of functional and morphological characteristics of various types of RGCs is important to comprehensively understand how the visual system encodes and transmits information via various RGC pathways. This study evaluated both physiological and morphological properties of 67 RGCs in dark-adapted flat-mounted salamander retina by examining light-evoked cation and chloride current responses via voltage-clamp recordings and visualizing morphology by Lucifer yellow fluorescence with a confocal microscope. Six groups of RGCs were described: asymmetrical ON-OFF RGCs, symmetrical ON RGCs, OFF RGCs, and narrow-, medium- and wide-field ON-OFF RGCs. Dendritic field diameters of RGCs ranged 102-490 μm: narrow field ( 300 μm, 24%). Dendritic ramification patterns of RGCs agree with the sublamina A/B rule. 34% of RGCs were monostratified, 24% bistratified and 42% diffusely stratified. 70% of ON RGCs and OFF RGCs were monostratified. Wide-field RGCs were diffusely stratified. 82% of RGCs generated light-evoked ON-OFF responses, while 11% generated ON responses and 7% OFF responses. Response sensitivity analysis suggested that some RGCs obtained separated rod/cone bipolar cell inputs whereas others obtained mixed bipolar cell inputs. 25% of neurons in the RGC layer were displaced amacrine cells. Although more types may be defined by more refined classification criteria, this report is to incorporate more physiological properties into RGC classification.
Epidermal growth factor stimulates ornithine decarboxylase activity in the digestive tract of mouse.

SummaryThis study examined the effect of EGF (6 μg g-1 body wt, subcutaneously) on OD concentration in stomach, duodenum, midgut and colon, as well as a control tissue, heart, in 8-day-old mice. The animals were killed 4 hr after either EGF or control water injections. OD activity, expressed as picomoles of 14CO2 liberated from 1-[14C]l-ornithine per mg wet weight tissue, was significantly higher in the animals given EGF than in controls in the stomach (EGF 29.9 ± 6.8; control 9.9 ± 3.6, P < .05) and the duodenum (EGF 51.7 ± 16.9; control 6.5 ± 4.3, P < .05) but not in the midgut, colon or heart. It is concluded that epidermal growth factor stimulated ornithine decarboxylase activity in the stomach and duodenum of neonatal mice suggesting a possible role for EGF (or urogastrone) in mucosal repair and defense in these tissues.
Investigation on the Impact of Parents' Cognitive Level of Antibiotics on Selfdirected Use of Antibiotics in Pupils

Objective To investigate the influence of parents' cognitive level of antibiotics on independent use of antibiotics among pupils. Methods Self-designed questionnaires were used to survey the cognitive degree of antibiotics among 539 pupils' parents in a primary school in Guangming New District,Shenzhen.Finally,509 valid questionnaires were received.The results were statistically analyzed by SPSS17.0 software. Results The cognitive degrees of antibiotics in the surveyed parents were lower.The correct answer rates of 5 questions about antibiotics were all less than 50%,and the unawareness rates were relatively higher.Among the parents with correct recognition of antibiotics,the self-directed medication rate was lower than the doctor-dependent medication rate.The higher the educational backgrounds of the parents,the higher the correct answer rate.Home-reserving antibiotics(β=0.425,OR=1.529) was the risk factor for parents using antibiotics independently.Parental age(β=-0.215,OR=0.807) and medical professional of the family(β=0.556,OR=1.744) were the protective factors. Conclusion There were serious problems in the cognitive behaviors of pupils' parents about antibiotic use.It is necessary to carry out effective publicity and education for rational drug use.
Prediction of plasma lipids in a cross-sectional sample of young women.

We studied 60 premenopausal women to identify the best predictors of plasma lipid levels. Eligible subjects gave one venous blood sample during menstruation, kept a 3-day food record, completed a demographic questionnaire, had their height and weight measured, and participated in a standardized physical activity interview. Dietary constituents, anthropometric measures, serum progesterone and estradiol concentrations, and leisure-time activity level were then examined for relationships to plasma lipids. Pearson correlations revealed associations among diet, adiposity, alcohol intake, and plasma lipids. Saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake was positively related to plasma total cholesterol, low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Height and weight were significantly related to total triglycerides. Furthermore, in the multivariate analyses, dietary constituents and height or body weight explained more of the variance in plasma lipids than did physical activity level or sex hormones. The final models for each lipid are as follows: for plasma total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, SFA intake was the only significant predictor; for HDL cholesterol, refined carbohydrate and SFA intake; and for total plasma triglycerides, body weight and crude fiber intake.
The use of bacillus Calmette-Guerin in the therapy of bladder carcinoma in situ.

AbstractIntravesical instillations of Tice strain bacillus Calmette-Guerin were given to 33 patients with biopsy proved carcinoma in situ. An induction phase consisting of 12 weekly instillations was followed by a maintenance phase of instillations bimonthly for 3 months and then monthly for 18 months.A total of 6 patients did not complete the induction phase because of adverse reactions but 4 were rendered free of tumor and have had no recurrence. Of the remaining 27 patients 18 became free of tumor after 12 weeks of therapy (3 had recurrences during the maintenance period), 6 after 18 weeks (with 1 recurrence) and 3 after 24 weeks. Thus, 31 of 33 patients (94 per cent) were rendered free of carcinoma in situ. There were 4 recurrences in these patients (13 per cent). The 27 patients who have remained free of disease have been followed for 1.75 to 8.5 years, with an average of 5.25 years.Side effects, principally bladder irritability, were a problem early in the study. With the use of isoniazid, nonsteroi...
Optimization---Based modeling with applications to transport: part 1. abstract formulation

This paper is the first of three related articles, which develop and demonstrate a new, optimization---based framework for computational modeling. The framework uses optimization and control ideas to assemble and decompose multiphysics operators and to preserve their fundamental physical properties in the discretization process. An optimization---based monotone, linearity preserving algorithm for transport (OBT) demonstrates the scope of the framework. The second and the third parts of this work focus on the formulation of efficient optimization algorithms for the solution of the OBT problem, and computational studies of its accuracy and efficacy.
Ultrafast transient absorption at the Germanium M 4,5 -edge to measure electron and hole dynamics

Extreme ultraviolet (XUV) transient absorption at the germanium M 4,5 -edge simultaneously measures electron and hole dynamics over 1.5 ps with few-femtosecond resolution. In the analysis, time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) will be compared with experimental data.
Formal methods in the design of Ada 9X

Several advisory groups have been established to provide suggestions and criticism to the Ada 9X Mapping Revision Team, the small design team that is revising the definition of the Ada programming language. One such group, the Language Precision Team, based its criticisms on attempts to construct formal mathematical models of the design. This paper reports on the first phase of that work. >
Teachers’ nascent praxes of care: potentially decolonizing approaches to school violence in Trinidad

AbstractZero tolerance, punitive, and more negative peace-oriented approaches dominate school violence interventions, despite research indicating that comprehensive approaches are more sustainable. In this article, I use data from a longitudinal case study at a Trinidadian secondary school to focus on the role of teachers and their impact on school violence; I show that institutional constraints are not fully deterministic, as teachers sometimes deploy their agency to efficacious ends. In combining Noddings’ postulations on care and Freire’s notions of praxis as a symbiosis of reflection and action, I explicate the nascent praxes of care of six teachers at this school, as they strive for more positive peace-oriented approaches to school violence. I characterize these praxes as nascent because they are not fully interrogative of the structural violence of the entire system. However, I do argue that these nascent praxes possess decolonizing and transgressive potentiality in the face of a logic of colonialit...
Parallel Construction of the WRF Pleim-Xiu Land Surface Scheme With Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) Architecture

The weather research and forecast model (WRF), a simulation model, is built for the needs of both research and operational weather forecast and research in atmospheric science. The land-surface model (LSM), which describes one physical process in atmosphere, supplies the heat and moisture fluxes over land points and sea-ice points. Among several schemes of LSM that have been developed and incorporated into WRF, Pleim-Xiu (PX) scheme is one popular scheme in LSM. Processing the WRF simulation codes for weather prediction has acquired the benefits of dramatically increasing computing power with the advent of large-scale parallelism. Several merits such as vectorization essence, efficient parallelization, and multiprocessor computer structure of Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture allow us to accelerate the computation performance of the modeling code of the PX scheme. This paper demonstrates that our results of the optimized MIC-based PX scheme executing on Xeon Phi coprocessor 7120P enhances the computing performance by 2.3× and 11.7×, respectively, in comparison to the initial CPU-based code running on one CPU socket (eight cores) and on one single CPU core with Intel Xeon E5-2670.
Cytoplasmic Motifs in the Nipah Virus Fusion Protein Modulate Virus Particle Assembly and Egress.

ABSTRACT Nipah virus (NiV), a paramyxovirus in the genus Henipavirus, has a mortality rate in humans of approximately 75%. While several studies have begun our understanding of NiV particle formation, the mechanism of this process remains to be fully elucidated. For many paramyxoviruses, M proteins drive viral assembly and egress; however, some paramyxoviral glycoproteins have been reported as important or essential in budding. For NiV the matrix protein (M), the fusion glycoprotein (F) and, to a much lesser extent, the attachment glycoprotein (G) autonomously induce the formation of virus-like particles (VLPs). However, functional interactions between these proteins during assembly and egress remain to be fully understood. Moreover, if the F-driven formation of VLPs occurs through interactions with host cell machinery, the cytoplasmic tail (CT) of F is a likely interactive domain. Therefore, we analyzed NiV F CT deletion and alanine mutants and report that several but not all regions of the F CT are necessary for efficient VLP formation. Two of these regions contain YXXO or dityrosine motifs previously shown to interact with cellular machinery involved in F endocytosis and transport. Importantly, our results showed that F-driven, M-driven, and M/F-driven viral particle formation enhanced the recruitment of G into VLPs. By identifying key motifs, specific residues, and functional viral protein interactions important for VLP formation, we improve our understanding of the viral assembly/egress process and point to potential interactions with host cell machinery. IMPORTANCE Henipaviruses can cause deadly infections of medical, veterinary, and agricultural importance. With recent discoveries of new henipa-like viruses, understanding the mechanisms by which these viruses reproduce is paramount. We have focused this study on identifying the functional interactions of three Nipah virus proteins during viral assembly and particularly on the role of one of these proteins, the fusion glycoprotein, in the incorporation of other viral proteins into viral particles. By identifying several regions in the fusion glycoprotein that drive viral assembly, we further our understanding of how these viruses assemble and egress from infected cells. The results presented will likely be useful toward designing treatments targeting this aspect of the viral life cycle and for the production of new viral particle-based vaccines.
Identifying and Addressing Astronomy Misconceptions in the Classroom

Students come into our classrooms with many misconceptions about science in general and astronomy in particular (see numerous papers and references in Novak, 1993 and Pfundt & Duit 1993). These beliefs evolve from a variety of sources throughout childhood and adolescence (Comins, 1993a, 1993b, 1995). I have found that directly addressing these incorrect beliefs in the context of their origins helps my students replace them with correct knowledge. By understanding the origins of their misconceptions students can screen information more effectively, i.e., they learn to think more critically. My purpose in this paper is to briefly identify origins of misconceptions and classroom techniques for replacing them.
Abiotic factors influence the dynamics of marine habitat use by a highly mobile “freshwater” top predator

Cross-ecosystem movements of mobile consumers are a primary mechanism by which energy and nutrients are exchanged between disparate ecosystems. While factors influencing variation in bottom–up subsidies between ecosystems have been well studied, much less is known regarding how biotic and abiotic factors influence the dynamics of mobile consumer-driven connectivity. In a literature survey, we found only 14% of studies examined factors contributing to variation in cross-ecosystem marine foraging by freshwater-adapted consumers. Here, we examine the relationships between abiotic factors and cross-ecosystem movements of a highly mobile freshwater-adapted top predator, Alligator mississippiensis (American alligator). As alligators lack physiological adaptations to survive in marine environments, we predict this linkage would be affected by factors that modify the ability to cope with high salinities. Our results reveal that multiple abiotic factors (e.g., relative humidity, temperature, total precipitation) are key explanatory variables of the duration of cross-ecosystem foraging trips by alligators, and that the absence of salt glands does not preclude them from performing long forays into marine environments. More broadly, our results expand our understanding of mobile consumer-driven ecosystem connectivity at the land–sea interface by demonstrating connectivity is highest when physical stressors are relaxed, and access to and availability of resources are maximized.
Choroidal infarction following ophthalmic artery chemotherapy.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genetic mutations and intra-procedural inhaled nitrous oxide (N2O) independently increase blood levels of homocysteine, a compound associated with thrombosis. Patients with MTHFR mutations who also receive N2O during ophthalmic artery chemotherapy (OAC) for retinoblastoma may have a heightened thrombotic risk. Single-center retrospective review of pediatric patients with advanced retinoblastoma who received OAC and developed choroidal infarcts. Four retinoblastoma patients with advanced intraocular disease (2 males, 2 females: 13–58 months) experienced choroidal infarcts within the one-month period after OAC, in which procedural N2O induction was used (duration between 21 and 58 min). All 4 patients had MTHFR (chromosome 1p, position 36.22) genetic abnormalities: one was homozygous for the C677T mutation, one was C677T heterozygous, one was A1298C heterozygous, and one was heterozygous for both C677T and A1298C. In all 4 patients, indirect ophthalmoscopy and fundus photography showed marked disturbance of the retinal pigment epithelium and optical coherence tomography (OCT) confirmed thinning of the choroid. Follow-up time ranged from 15 to 46 months (median 21 months). Choroidal infarction in eyes treated with OAC developed in children who were both deficient in at least one working allele of the MTHFR gene (heterozygous or homozygous) and received N2O induction during OAC.
Migraine Prophylaxis and Acute Treatment Patterns Among Commercially Insured Patients in the United States

Objectives To describe prophylactic and acute medication treatment patterns, including timing, medication type, and duration of use in migraine patients initiating prophylaxis. Background Patients with migraine can be treated with acute and prophylactic therapies. Current treatment options for migraine prophylaxis are associated with poor tolerability and low adherence and persistence. Methods This retrospective cohort study used the Truven Health Analytics MarketScan® Research Databases to identify adults in the United States with a migraine diagnosis who initiated migraine prophylactic medication (index event) between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2011. Prescribed prophylactic medications evaluated included topiramate, beta-blockers, and tricyclic antidepressants. Patients were required to have 12 months of pre- and post-index continuous enrollment. Patient characteristics, migraine-specific prescribed prophylactic treatment patterns (including gaps in therapy, treatment switches, and additions of index medications), and prescribed acute medication utilization were assessed. Results The study population comprised 107,122 patients, with 52,275 (49%) initiating topiramate, 22,658 (21%) initiating beta-blockers, and 32,189 (30%) initiating tricyclic antidepressants. Mean (SD) age was 41 (12) years and 83% were female. Persistence with migraine prophylactic medication was low; 81% of patients had gaps of >90 days in their migraine prophylaxis in the first year. The gap in therapy occurred early in treatment (mean, 95 days), and only 10% of patients restarted prophylactic therapy within that year. Switching from index medication to another prophylactic medication or adding prophylaxis was uncommon (13% and 5%, respectively). One year after initiating prophylaxis, 65% of patients were not receiving any prophylactic therapies. Most patients initiating migraine prophylaxis also utilized acute treatments (81%); opioid use was more frequent than triptan use (53% vs 48%) and was common (40%) among patients without other chronic pain conditions (eg, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and lower back pain). Conclusion Patients with migraine who initiated prophylactic therapy had poor persistence with early gaps in therapy, were unlikely to switch prophylactic treatments, and most discontinued prophylaxis by the end of the first year.
An exploratory study on inclusion of visual representations of thermodynamics-related problems

Engineering students conceptualize problems in diverse ways depending how the problems are presented. In this study, we investigate how different representations of problems, such as with images and sketches versus traditional word description of problems, allow students to recall information. Some students experience difficulties visualizing a concept when given a word problem while others do not have the same difficulty. A plausible explanation is that students who have less difficulties may be more creative problem solvers or have a better understanding of the material. Data for this study was taken from 132 students enrolled in an introductory thermodynamics course in a large Midwestern university. Half of the participants (n=65) were asked to recognize applications of Laws of Thermodynamics in comparison to the other half (n=67) who were presented with images and asked to identify which Law of Thermodynamics was being depicted. We hypothesized that a higher percentage of students presented with only the images would answer correctly questions of the Laws of Thermodynamics compared to the students who were presented with a standard text description of the problems and asked to answer the questions. The results did not corroborate with our hypothesis. Findings revealed nearly identical performance. In this exploratory study, we discuss outcomes in terms of the underlying links between students' abilities to recall information and the potential of visual representations to enhance learning of thermodynamics-related concepts.
Rest-activity rhythm profiles associated with manic-hypomanic and depressive symptoms

Abstract Rest-activity rhythm (RAR) disturbances are associated with mood disorders. But there remains a need to identify the particular RAR profiles associated with psychiatric symptom dimensions. Establishing such profiles would support the development of tools that track the 24-h sleep-wake phenotypes signaling clinical heterogeneity. We used data-driven clustering to identify RAR profiles in 145 adults aged 36–82 years (mean = 60, standard deviation = 9). Then we evaluated psychiatric symptom dimensions (including positive and negative affect, depressive, manic-hypomanic, panic-agoraphobic, and substance use symptoms) associated with these empirically-derived RAR profiles. Clustering identified three sub-groups characterized, on average, by: (1) earlier and more robust RARs (“earlier/robust,” n = 55, 38%); (2) later and irregular RARs (“later/irregular,” n = 31, 21%); and (3) later RARs and a narrower active period (“later/narrower,” n = 59, 41%). Compared with the “earlier/robust” group: the “later/irregular” group had higher levels of lifetime manic-hypomanic symptoms (β (standard error) = 0.80 (0.22) higher standardized symptom units, p = 0.0004) and lifetime depression symptoms (β (standard error) = 0.73 (0.21) higher standardized symptom units, p = 0.0009); the “later/narrower” group had more lifetime depression symptoms (β (standard error) = 0.48 (0.18) higher standardized symptom units, p = 0.0076). These associations persisted after adjustments for sleep continuity and duration, suggesting that RARs are distinct behavioral correlates of clinical heterogeneity. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm whether RAR characteristics contribute to the risk of manic and/or depressive episodes, and whether they reflect the consequences of psychiatric disturbance (e.g., on quality of life or disability). Opportunities to monitor or intervene on objectively-assessed RARs could facilitate better mental health related outcomes.
Challenging Group Support Systems Research: The Case for Strategic Decision Making

Strategic decision making (SDM) often occurs in groups that can benefit from the use of group support systems (GSS). However, no comprehensive review of this logical intersection has been made. We explore this intersection by viewing GSS research through the lens of SDM. First, SDM is broadly characterized and a model of GSS-mediated SDM is produced. Second, we review empirical GSS research linking these findings to the characteristics of SDM. We conclude that GSS research has not produced sufficient knowledge about group history, heterogeneity, member experience, task type, time pressure, technology or tool effects, and decision consensus for a favorable evaluation of SDM in GSS groups. SDM in GSS groups challenges researchers to study the effects of group processes such as those just mentioned in a context that involves ongoing and established groups, political activity, and a multiplicity of tasks.
Interchanging Dependent and Independent Variables

This chapter focuses on the method of interchanging dependent and independent variables applicable to ordinary differential equations. This application yields a reformulation of the original equation. The idea behind use of interchanging dependent and independent variable is that sometimes, it is easier to solve an ordinary differential equation by interchanging the role of the dependent variable with the role of the independent variable. If this technique works, then the solution is given implicitly by x = x ( y ) instead of the usual y = y ( x ). The chapter highlights that for the given equation dy / dx = f ( x , y ) to solve, it might be easier to solve the equivalent equation dx / dy = 1/ f ( x , y ). This method can also be used for ordinary differential equations with an order greater than 1. When this method is applied to partial differential equations (and not ordinary differential equations), it is called the hodograph transformation.
Grid-based Image Registration

We introduce and discuss preliminary experience with an application that has vast potential to exploit the Grid for social benefit and offers interesting resource assessment and allocation challenges, having real-time aspects: image registration. Image registration is generally formulated as an optimization problem that satisfies constraints, such as coordinate displacements that are affine or volumepreserving or that obey the laws of elasticity. Three-dimensional registration of high-resolution images is computationally complex and justifies parallel implementation. In turn, ensembles of registration tasks exploit concurrency in the simpler sense of job farming.
A partially observable Markov chain framework to estimate overdiagnosis risk in breast cancer screening: Incorporating uncertainty in patients adherence behaviors

Abstract Overdiagnosis is the diagnosis of a medical condition that would never have caused any symptoms or problems in a patient’s lifetime if left undetected. Although overdiagnosis is known to be the major risk inherent in mammography screening; currently there is no way to distinguish between overdiagnosed cancers and the ones that would cause problems over a patient’s lifetime. Therefore, the extent of overdiagnosis risk must be estimated indirectly. This and the limitations in previous studies on quantification of overdiagnosis cause a wide variation in the estimation of this risk. In this study, we develop a stochastic framework, which eliminates some of the limitations of the previous studies, to estimate various measures of overdiagnosis. We introduce different measures of overdiagnosis risk including age and stage-specific overdiagnosis risks, as well as the lifetime overdiagnosis risk. Moreover, overdiagnosis risk significantly depends on a patient’s compliance with screening recommendations. Specifically, we develop two partially observable Markov chains to quantify the risks associated with various screening policies while considering the uncertainty in a patient’s adherence behavior. Our results show that overdiagnosis risk is a function of a patient’s age at diagnosis, as well as the number, frequency, and distribution of screening tests over a patient’s lifetime. Further, the results suggest that detecting breast cancer in early stages poses a higher risk of overdiagnosis than detection in advanced stages. A harm-benefit analysis is also performed to compare the overdiagnosis risk with the benefits that breast cancer screening provides. Our results show that, although overdiagnosis rate is relatively high in breast cancer screening, the benefits of breast cancer mammography screening outweigh the overdiagnosis risk.
Embracing Uncertainty

Sources of uncertainty abound. Noisy sensor data. Machine learning methods. Hardware and software failures. The physical world. Human behavior. In the past, computer science handled uncertainty by abstracting it away or avoiding it. In the future, instead, computer science needs to embrace uncertainty as a first-class entity. How do we represent uncertainty in our computational models? Probabilities. Thus, we need to make sure that every computer science student learns probability and statistics. Data science, where data drives discovery and decision-making in all fields of study, underscores the importance of having a command of probability and statistics. At the heart of data science is data analytics whose methods such as machine learning rely on probabilistic and statistical reasoning. And since data serve as the currency of any data analytics workflow, explicit representation of probability distributions can help us calculate the degrees of uncertainty throughout a flow. Programming and software engineering courses will need to elevate the status of such data flows to that given to algorithms, data structures, and modular design. In this talk I will discuss the implications of embracing uncertainty on undergraduate computer science curricula.
Learning From Students, Teachers, and Schools: Field-Based Teacher Education for Emergent Bilingual Learners:

Today’s schools are more culturally and linguistically diverse than ever before, prompting the need for teachers with the requisite expertise for work with emergent bilingual learners. As students ...