cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stabilized Li3N for efficient battery cathode prelithiation

Abstract Li3N can deliver more than 10 times the theoretical capacity of existing cathode materials and can serve as an excellent cathode prelithiation additive to offset the initial lithium loss in lithium-ion batteries. However, Li3N has intrinsic problems of poor environmental and chemical stability in battery electrode processing environments due to its reactivity with moisture in ambient conditions and incompatibility with solvents used for battery slurry mixing. Herein, we report a facile route to prepare a surface-passivated Li3N material by the reaction of lithium metal with nitrogen followed by an annealing process. A dense surface passivation layer consisting of crystalline Li2O and Li2CO3 isolates the active composition of materials from air and thus enables good stability of Li3N particles in ambient conditions. The as-prepared Li3N powder is processable by slurry coating for electrode fabrication using a low-polarity solvent. The Li3N is verified to work as a secondary lithium source to offset the initial capacity loss at the anode using a Li3N/graphite cell configuration. A high “donor” lithium-ion specific capacity of 1761 mAh/g is achieved for a pristine Li3N electrode. When Li3N is included into cathodes, including LiCoO2 (LCO), LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NCM) and LiFePO4 (LFP), the hybrid electrodes can be baked and calendared in ambient conditions, and, as expected, high prelithiation efficiency is achieved. As a typical example, with a 2.5% Li3N additive, a LCO electrode delivers a 51 mAh/g higher capacity than that of the pristine LCO electrode in the first charge process and shows stable cycling behavior. The good stability and high prelithiation efficiency of the Li3N powder enable its potential application in high-performance lithium-ion batteries.
Dielectric processes in heavy oils II. effects of plasticizers on the glass transition

We showed in a previous report (1) that the dielectric response of heavy residual petroleum streams appears very similar to that of polar polymers. At ambient temperatures, the dispersion in the dielectric permittivity and the appearance of dielectric loss occur in the audio frequency range, the data can be presented as a Cole-Cole plot, and the enthalpy of relaxation can be calculated. This is somewhat unexpected because these fluids contain a complicated mixture of molecules, and there is no obvious repeat dipole unit as in a polymer; an averaging process may be taking place.
Public relations message strategies and public diplomacy 2.0: An empirical analysis using Central-Eastern European and Western Embassy Twitter accounts

This study examined 41 embassy Twitter accounts representing Central-Eastern European and Western countries. Western embassies were more likely to have Twitter accounts and demonstrated more average followers, but a CEE account (the Polish embassy in the United States) had the highest influencer score. A content analysis of 482 tweets brought together relevant literature from public diplomacy and public relations scholarship. A significant association was found between the diplomatic approaches and public relations message strategies, thus identifying a relationship between disciplines that are frequently considered separately. With regard to public diplomacy strategies, Western embassies engaged primarily in advocacy, whereas CEE embassies engaged primarily in cultural diplomacy. Listening was the least likely approach to be taken by both Western and CEE embassy accounts. With regard to public relations strategies, Western and CEE embassy Twitter accounts primarily engaged in message strategies aimed at information sharing (versus facilitative, persuasive, cooperative, etc.). Overall, analyses indicated that embassy Twitter accounts primarily engaged in approaches that may lack strategy, despite their purpose being diplomatic communication. This research provides a basis for predictive, best practices research and recommendations that merge disciplines.
Porcine Parainfluenza Virus Type 1 (PPIV-1) in U.S. Swine: Summary of Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Data

Porcine Parainfluenza-1 (PPIV-1) is a Paramyxovirus inthe genus Respirovirus. To evaluatethe frequency of detection of PPIV-1 on farms in the United States, theIowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ISU VDL) conducted an analysis of clinical samples submitted from Spring toFall 2016.Thirty-four percent of diagnostic samples tested both prospectively (70/204) and retrospectively (472/1385) were positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which suggests PPIV-1 is widespread.
Cuáles son las causas de corrupción alrededor del mundo

The present study brieny analyzes the causes and effects of corruption between individuals (apples), organizations (barrels) and systems (cases), their interaction between each other and how systems affect organizations and individuals and vice versa. Which one corrupts the other is still unclear and there is still no empirical evidence about the subject. Corruption is not only about greed, power and search for unearned money, but bad behavior tends to corrupt other people, organizations and systems as well. Inspite all international systems and local organizational efforts to eliminate corruption, individuals still need to be aware about oorruption tentacles and its ramifications.
Scleral Thinning after Transscleral Biopsy for Uveal Melanoma Using Lamellar Scleral Flap.

Purpose The purpose of the study is to describe the clinical history and histopathologic findings of three cases of scleral thinning after lamellar scleral flap, including one case with confirmed extraocular tumor extension. Methods The medical records and pathology specimens of three patients with scleral thinning after biopsy and plaque brachytherapy and lamellar scleral flap performed during a transscleral biopsy were reviewed. Results The first two patients developed scleral thinning and visible pigmentation, but had tumors that were regressing in size on ultrasound. The two patients were followed by serial observation. The third patient exhibited scleral thinning and evidence of tumor growth on ultrasound, raising the suspicion for extraocular tumor extension. Histopathologic examination of the enucleated eye confirmed extrascleral tumor extension and showed necrotic and intact melanoma with associated pigmented macrophages. Conclusions Patients with scleral flaps created for biopsy of uveal melanoma are at risk for scleral thinning and extrascleral extension of tumor recurrence through the flap.
Research on hearing-aid self-adjustment by adults

The purpose of the work is to develop a protocol for user self-adjustment of hearing aids and to determine its efficacy and candidacy. An initial study involved 26 adults with hearing loss. Control of overall volume, high-frequency boost, and low-frequency cut employed prerecorded and preprocessed sentence stimuli. Participants took a speech-perception test after an initial self-adjustment and then had the opportunity to repeat the adjustment. The final self-selected outputs were not significantly different from those prescribed by a widely used threshold-based method (NAL-NL2)—regardless of prior hearing-aid experience. All but one participant attained a speech-intelligibility index of 60%. Previous users of hearing aids, however, did not meet this criterion until after taking the speech-perception test. This work is continuing with the UCSD Open-source Speech-processing Platform which provides real-time, six-band, processing of microphone input from ear-level transducer assemblies. This system provides a more realistic participant experience, finer control of level and spectrum, and places no limits on the speech materials used for self-adjustment and outcome assessment. Ongoing work investigates the need for the speech-perception test as part of the self-adjustment protocol and the importance of the level and spectrum from which users make their initial adjustments.The purpose of the work is to develop a protocol for user self-adjustment of hearing aids and to determine its efficacy and candidacy. An initial study involved 26 adults with hearing loss. Control of overall volume, high-frequency boost, and low-frequency cut employed prerecorded and preprocessed sentence stimuli. Participants took a speech-perception test after an initial self-adjustment and then had the opportunity to repeat the adjustment. The final self-selected outputs were not significantly different from those prescribed by a widely used threshold-based method (NAL-NL2)—regardless of prior hearing-aid experience. All but one participant attained a speech-intelligibility index of 60%. Previous users of hearing aids, however, did not meet this criterion until after taking the speech-perception test. This work is continuing with the UCSD Open-source Speech-processing Platform which provides real-time, six-band, processing of microphone input from ear-level transducer assemblies. This system provides ...
Thickness Effects in X-Ray Absorption Measurements

The most common source of error in an x-ray absorption measurement is the thickness effect. It is caused by the detection of x rays which are not absorbed by the sample in the usual fashion. The primary cause is leakage of x rays around or through the sample. Leakage can be due to an inhomogeneous sample (e.g. cracks or pinholes), radiation scattered around the sample, or a sample smaller than the beam. Another type of leakage present even for an ideal sample is contamination of the incident beam by other energies. In all of these cases the leakage signal is not affected by the absorption changes in the XANES or EXAFS structure and thus reduces the measured structure.
Generalized K -Harmonic Means - Dynamic Weighting of Data in Unsupervised Learning.

We propose a new class of center-based iterative clustering algorithms, K-Harmonic Means (KHMp), which is essentially insensitive to the initialization of the centers, demonstrated through many experiments. The insensitivity to initialization is attributed to a dynamic weighting function, which increases the importance of the data points that are far from any centers in the next iteration. The dependency of the K-Means’ and EM’s performance on the initialization of the centers has been a major problem. Many have tried to generate good initializations to solve the sensitivity problem. KHMp addresses the intrinsic problem by replacing the minimum distance from a data point to the centers, used in K-Means, by the Harmonic Averages of the distances from the data point to all centers. KHMp significantly improves the quality of clustering results comparing with both K-Means and EM. The KHMp algorithms have been implemented in both sequential and parallel languages and tested on hundreds of randomly generated datasets with different data distribution and clustering characteristics.
Continuous Learning in Organizations: Individual, Group, and Organizational Perspectives

There is already considerable literature on learning at the individual level and a growing body of literature on group and organizational learning. But to date, there has been little attempt to bring these literatures together and link learning at all three levels. Continuous Learning in Organizations targets learning at each of the three levels and demonstrates how processes at one level impacts learning at other levels. At the heart of the work is the idea that individuals, groups, and organizations are living systems with internal learning mechanisms that can be activated and supported or stymied and thwarted. Once activated, systems can learn adaptively by reacting to a change in the environment; they can learn by generating new knowledge and conditions; and/or they can transform by creating and applying frame-breaking ideas and bringing about radically new conditions. Individuals, groups, and organizations are nested within each other forming an increasingly complex hierarchy of intertwined systems. From this point of view, the book describes the interactions between the levels and how developmental processes at one level affect learning at other levels.The text appeals to both the scientist and professionals alike in the fields of human resource development, training, management and executive education, coaching, and organization change and development. It is also for executives who establish directions for learning and need to convince others that continuous learning is the key to on-going success of their enterprise.
Measuring Literacy, Attitudes, and Capacities to Solve Societal Problems

Effective assessments offer more than just a measurement of learning. When sequenced and aligned to evidence-based curriculum, assessments can facilitate learning and inform instruction. The Interdisciplinary Teaching about Earth for a Sustainable Future (InTeGrate) project viewed assessment as a core strategy of the curriculum being developed. InTeGrate used a community-based approach to assessment. An assessment team engaged with materials development teams to facilitate module and course assessment design, developed common instruments to assess student learning, analyzed student data from pilot tests to inform curriculum revisions, and used the findings to fine-tune assessment instruments and to shed light on opportunities for faculty development within the geoscience education community. The community approach ensured high-quality curricula and assessments and strategies to investigate learning at the module, course, and project level. Perhaps more importantly, the approach increased the capacity of the geoscience education community by harnessing the expertise from within the community to promote a culture of evaluative thinking.
Risk assessment of aflatoxin-related liver cancer in Bangladesh

Aflatoxins are mycotoxins (fungal toxins) produced by Aspergillus species in variety of food commodities. Consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated food can cause adverse health effects, including liver cancer. Aflatoxin exposure is usually higher in hot and humid countries. Previous biomarker-based studies have indicated significant exposure to aflatoxins among the Bangladeshi population. Recently, high aflatoxin levels were reported in dates, which are consumed in large quantities during the month of Ramadan in Bangladesh and other Muslim countries. Bangladesh has recently enacted aflatoxin regulation in foods. In this study, we determined the risk of aflatoxin-related liver cancer among the Bangladeshi population based on the average dietary intakes of different aflatoxin contaminated foods, accounting for the synergistic impacts of aflatoxin with chronic hepatitis B viral infection in inducing cancer. We also determined whether the new aflatoxin regulations in Bangladesh could significantly reduce the risk of liver cancer. The mean number of cancer cases per year caused by dietary aflatoxin exposure in Bangladesh was estimated at about 1311, or 43.9% of the total annual liver cancer cases in Bangladesh. The new aflatoxin regulations do not appear likely to significantly reduce the risk of liver cancer in the country.
Can a List Experiment Improve Validity of Abortion Measurement

Although induced abortion is common, measurement issues have long made this area of research challenging. The current analysis applies an indirect method known as the list experiment to try to improve survey-based measurement of induced abortion. We added a double list experiment to a population-based survey of reproductive age women in Rajasthan, India and compared resulting abortion estimates to those we obtained via direct questioning in the same sample. We then evaluated list experiment assumptions. The final sample completing the survey consisted of 6,035 women. Overall, 1.8 percent of the women reported a past abortion via the list experiment questions, whereas 3.5 percent reported an abortion via the direct questions, and this difference was statistically significant. As such, the list experiment failed to produce more valid estimates of this sensitive behavior on a population-based survey of reproductive age women in Rajasthan, India. One explanation for the poor list experiment performance is our finding that key assumptions of the methodology were violated. Women may have mentally enumerated the treatment list items differently from the way they enumerated control list items. Further research is required to determine whether researchers can learn enough about how the list experiment performs in different contexts to effectively and consistently leverage its potential benefits to improve measurement of induced abortion.
The potential role of very high-resolution imagery to characterise lake, wetland and stream systems across the Prairie Pothole Region, United States.

ABSTRACTAquatic features critical to watershed hydrology range widely in size from narrow, shallow streams to large, deep lakes. In this study we evaluated wetland, lake, and river systems across t...
The synthesis and chemistry of 5‐carboxy‐8‐mercaptoquinoline hydrochloride monohydrate: An intermediate in the synthesis of novel H+,K+‐ATPase inhibitors

The title compound 3 was prepared in six steps from 5-nitro-8-hydroxyquinoline in 14% overall yield, using a substituted pyrimidine as a protecting group for sulfur. This offers a simple entry into the synthesis of 5-carboxy-8-substituted thioquinolines, useful intermediates for the synthesis of H + ,K + -ATPase inhibitors
THE EFFICACY OF FACILITATED TUCKING DURING ENDOTRACHEAL SUCTION IN PRETERM INFANTS

Background Most infants cared for in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit receive mechanical respiratory support. Consequently they undergo painful and stressful interventions e.g endotracheal suctioning (ETS) and heel punctures. Pain relief by analgesia is frequently discussed in the literature. Non-pharmacological pain management like sucrose in combination with non-nutritive sucking is well studied. Recently, studies concerning facilitated tucking (FT) to comfort infants who undergo short mild or moderate painful procedures are published. In the current practice nurses provide FT to infants who undergo ETS. What is, however, the state of the art with respect to pain and stress reduction during ETS? Objective This review describes the effectiveness of facilitated tucking in infants during endotracheal suctioning. Method Systematic search was performed in electronic databases including PubMed, Cochrane library and CINHAL to identify literature published from January 1988 to January 2008. Used keywords were facilitated tucking, pain management, and suction. Included were articles concerning neonates from 24 to 32 weeks gestation. Results Ten articles out of 621 generated hits were selected, two crossover studies concerning ETS, three crossover studies concerning heel lance, one study during routine care, one systematic review concerning non-pharmacological pain management and three general articles concerning non-pharmacological pain management including FT. Conclusion There was little high-level evidence for FT. All studies conclude that FT may be an effective non-pharmacological intervention during short painful procedures. FT had a favourable effect on pulse rate, respiration and on reduction of motor activity. Additionally, FT provided by parents may be effective in pain management.
Working, across the Very Long Reformation: Four Models

There are few matters of such moment in any given culture as the relation of deserving and reward. Understand a given culture's system of reward, and you understand that culture's structure and val...
Complete Genome Sequences of Two Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Crows.

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli strains RM9088 and RM10410 were isolated from crows near a leafy greens-growing region in California in April and July 2009, respectively. Both strains carry genes encoding Shiga toxins and other virulence factors in enteric pathogens. Here, we report the complete genome sequences of RM9088 and RM10410.
Koopmans’ tuning of HSE hybrid density functional for calculations of defects in semiconductors: A case study of carbon acceptor in GaN

Hybrid density functional theory has become a standard method for calculations of defects in semiconductors. The majority of work in this field is done using hybrid functionals tuned to reproduce the experimental bandgap of the host material. This approach usually yields results in reasonable agreement with the experiment. Alternatively, hybrid functional can be tuned to fulfill the generalized Koopmans' condition for defect orbitals, which cancels self-interaction energy and restores the linear behavior of energy with respect to electron occupation. Here, we investigate the methods of hybrid functional tuning, which both satisfy the generalized Koopmans' condition and reproduce the experimental bandgap, using one of the most well-studied defects in GaN, carbon acceptor. We test different charged defect correction schemes, the influence of Ga3d-electrons, and compare the results with accurate photoluminescence measurements. We find that using different charged defect correction methods can lead to substantially different hybrid functional parametrizations. However, the calculated optical properties of the carbon acceptor are found to be weakly dependent on specific parameters.
AN ANALYSIS OF TEACHER COMMUNICATION BEHAVIORS THAT FACILITATE THE TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

This study focused on teacher communication behaviors and teacher-student interactions in the middle school setting as they relate to teacher-student relationships. Thirty-seven teachers and 218 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students participated in this explanatory sequential mixed methods study. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) survey was employed to measure ideal teacher communication behaviors and actual teacher communication behaviors in the middle school classroom. Implications for middle school education are discussed, including recommendations for future study with communication behaviors and teacher-student relationships. Article visualizations:
Linking deadwood and soil GHG fluxes in a second growth north temperate deciduous forest (Upper Midwest USA)

Wind disturbance in northern hardwood forests of the US North Central Great Lakes region creates heterogeneously distributed structural attributes such as downed woody debris (DWD) and canopy openings across temporal and spatial scales. The decomposition of DWD contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, provides habitat, and potentially influences soil biogeochemistry. We assessed the effects of DWD addition on soil GHG fluxes in the decade after experimental manipulation of downed woody amounts and canopy openings in a maturing second-growth deciduous forest to (1) determine the spatial relationship between DWD proximity and soil GHG fluxes (CO2, CH4, N2O); (2) evaluate the relationship of decay class, canopy condition and environmental variables to wood decomposition and soil fluxes; and (3) use the fine scale surface patterns to estimate carbon emissions from the ground layer stratum. Our results revealed the shifting influence of individual pieces of DWD on soil microbial activity with advancing wood decay and depending on canopy condition. Modeled daily soil CO2 fluxes increased near moderately and highly decayed DWD in open canopy compared to control soils but decreased near highly decayed wood in closed canopy. Despite high variability and low CH4 (mean: − 0.02 ± 0.01 mg m−2 s−1) and N2O (mean: − 0.0007 ± 0.0008 mg m−2 s−1) soil fluxes, higher uptake in closed canopy paralleled the patterns of CO2 efflux. Our findings indicated that northern hardwood forests have the potential to be important CO2 and trace gas sinks, especially under intact canopy, but that widespread reductions in DWD in secondary forests of the region likely altered potential GHG soil uptake.
Formulation and Control of Foreign Policy

The Constitution of 1814 conferred upon the King almost unlimited power over foreign relations. This came about largely as a reaction to the system under the Republic during which time the foreign relations power was so weak that the Republic had become notorious for extreme dilatoriness in its relations with other states.1 The King was granted the power to declare war, make peace, conclude alliances and treaties of whatever sort and to appoint and dismiss diplomatic agents. But in the constitutional revisions of 1848 and after, the power of the King over foreign relations was considerably reduced. Moreover, the long battle for parliamentary supremacy over the ministry was definitely won in 1868. Full responsible government was established by a very short article in the Constitution (Art. 55)2 which stated: “The King is inviolable; the ministers are responsible.”
Archaeology of the Superconducting Super Collider

The Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) Project is one of the largest scientific endeavors ever undertaken in the continental United States. As such, it has attracted massive amounts of media attention and commentary. Despite its high profile, certainly one of the least publicized aspects of this vast enterprise is the substantial archaeological and historical research associated with the planned construction.
The Political Economy of Power Sector Reform: The political economy of power sector reform in South Africa

The dominant trend in the evolution of the power sector in South Africa over much of the last century was the growth and consolidation of a large and powerful state-owned, vertically-integrated monopoly. Most of the early private power producers were gradually taken over by Eskom which became responsible for new supply. The main drivers for the increased concentration and public-ownership of the industry were potential economies of scale in power plant, the requirement for large amounts of capital that could be facilitated by government guarantees, and the fact that electricity was seen to be an essential ingredient of government’s industrialization strategy. At the same time, the state was also assuming a dominant role in other key infrastructure industries, including rail, air and sea transport, telecommunications, water, coal-based synthetic fuels, nuclear energy, and also the iron and steel industry. Competition and private-ownership in these sectors were thought to be non-optimal; instead the state viewed these industries as key instruments for industrialization, employment creation and economic development.
Derivation of the Equation for Concentration Profiles in a Binary Diffusing System

Historically it appears to be a remarkable accident of chance that incorrect methods gave a correct equation for concentration profiles in a binary diffusing system. In this paper we highlight some of the logical inconsistencies of these methods and present a correct method which is free from error.
EXTRACELLULAR CALCIUM AND LUTEINIZING HORMONE EFFECTS ON 22-HYDROXYCHOLESTEROL USED FOR TESTOSTERONE PRODUCTION IN MOUSE LEYDIG CELLS

The effect of extracellular calcium on testosterone synthesis in response to luteinizing hormone (LH) or 22-hydroxycholesterol (22-OH-C) by isolated adult mouse Leydig cells was studied. Leydig cells were isolated by linear density gradient centrifugation. The cells were incubated in minimum essential medium with or without calcium (1.36 mmol/L) in an atmosphere of 95% air and 5% carbon dioxide at 37 degrees C for 3 hours with or without LH (10 ng/sample), or with or without 22-OH-C (10 mumol/L). Testosterone production in response to LH was significantly lower (P less than 0.02) in the absence of extracellular calcium and in the presence of verapamil (10 mumol/L), a calcium channel blocking agent. Extracellular calcium did not significantly (P greater than 0.05) affect testosterone production in cells incubated with 22-OH-C in either the presence or absence of LH. The results suggest that steps in steroidogenesis from 22-OH-C to testosterone are unaffected by extracellular calcium content and that extracellular calcium affects the use of intracellular cholesterol by the cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme.
Fixing Software Patents

This paper discusses software patents’ unique attributes, challenges in trying to address problems with software patents, and some ideas for fixing the problems with software patents. It was written in connection with a November 2012 conference at Santa Clara University School of Law entitled “Solutions to the Software Patent Problem,” and the initial version of this paper was published in three posts at the Tertium Quid blog at Forbes.
Obamacare, the News Media, and the Politics of 21st-Century Presidential Communication

Studies of presidential framing and the media lead to contrary expectations of whether the president would be able to reframe a pejorative name for a major legislative achievement and alter its news coverage. The case of President Obama and the use of the term “Obamacare” to refer to the Affordable Care Act requires rethinking what we know about presidential communication strategies and contemporary news norms. Obama’s embrace of the Obamacare moniker spread among supporters and led to its appearance with more positive/neutral depictions of the policy in the media. The term also has become more prominent in the news over time, raising questions about loosening standards of news objectivity and the future of this contested term.
Testing Theoretical Models and Frameworks in Child Health Research

In this chapter we discuss testing theoretical models of processes in child health research. By this we mean the kind of research that is based on deriving predictions from a theoretical portrayal of the process that has engaged the investigator’s interest and designing a study to provide a test of this model. Some may think that theoretical models are always complicated and abstruse, but this is not the case; in fact, some of the best models may be quite simple ones. A child psychologist may pose a question such as, “Why are some children more at risk for a certain condition?” or “How do families adapt successfully to their child’s chronic disease?” or “What makes a particular treatment technique effective?” The psychologist’s thinking about the process underlying the outcome provides the basis for a model of how things occur: How do environmental and familial factors combine to create risk; what coping processes lead to adaptation; what mediating variables are responsible for the effectiveness of a therapeutic program. Such statements are the beginning of a testable model.
Integrating micromachined circuits to submillimeter systems

Micromachining techniques have been shown to have the necessary precision to fabricate accurate submillmeter circuits and structures; however, few submillimeter circuits created by these techniques have been integrated into existing systems. This article builds on previous lithographic micromachining techniques to fabricate and integrate submillimeter waveguide circuits with existing conventionally machined systems.
Assessing Preservice Teachers' Beliefs about the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics and Science.

With increased study of teachers' beliefs about science and mathematics teaching in recent years, there is a need for instruments that assess beliefs in both content areas. Moreover, early field experiences in schools and professional development efforts may influence the beliefs that preservice and in-service teachers develop, and instruments for this purpose are limited. This article describes the development and validation of the Confidence, Commitment, Collaboration, and Student thinking in Mathematics and Science (CCCSMS) beliefs scales, a set of 10 six-item scales. Collectively, these scales measure teachers' self-confidence in doing and teaching science and mathematics, confidence in understanding children's thinking and building models of that thinking, commitment to teaching science and mathematics from a standards-based perspective, and commitment to collaborating with peers. The scales represent an efficient and effective way of assessing beliefs of large groups. Although this article focuses predominantly on development of the scales, results from initial use indicate that there are positive correlations between beliefs related to mathematics and beliefs related to science, but the correlations are low enough to show that many teachers think differently about the two subjects.
The role of local excision in invasive adenocarcinoma of the Ampulla of Vater

Background: Ampulla of Vater carcinomas are rare malignancies that have been traditionally treated with radical surgical resection. Given the mortality associated with pancreaticoduodenectomy, some patients may benefit from local resection. A single-institution outcomes analysis was performed to define the role of local resection. Methods: Patients undergoing local resection (ampullectomy) for ampullary carcinomas at Duke University between 1976 and 2010 were analyzed retrospectively. Time-to-event analysis was conducted analyzing all patients undergoing surgery, with and without adjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Overall survival (OS), local control (LC), metastases-free survival (MFS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were studied using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: A total of 17 patients with invasive carcinoma underwent ampullectomy. The 3-and 5-year LC, MFS, DFS and OS rates were 36% and 24%, 68% and 54%, 31% and 21%, and 35% and 21%, respectively. Patients receiving adjuvant CRT did not appear to have improved outcomes compared with surgery alone, although this group tended to have poorer histological grade, more advanced tumor staging and involved surgical margins. Conclusions: Ampullectomy for invasive ampullary adenocarcinomas is a safe procedure but does not offer satisfactory long-term results, mostly due to high local failure rates. Adjuvant CRT therapy does not appear to offer increased local control or survival benefit following ampullectomy, although these results may suffer from selection bias and small sample size. Local resection should be limited to benign ampullary lesions or patients with very small, early tumors with favorable histologic features where radical resection is not feasible.
Visual social network analytics for relationship discovery in the enterprise

As people continue to author and share increasing amounts of information in social media, the opportunity to leverage such information for relationship discovery tasks increases. In this paper, we describe a set of systems that mine, aggregate, and infer a social graph from social media inside an enterprise, resulting in over 73 million relationships between 450,000 people. We then describe SaNDVis, a novel visual analytics tool that supports people-centric tasks like expertise location, team building, and team coordination in the enterprise. We also provide details of a 12-month-long, large-scale deployment to almost 1,800 users from which we extract dominant use cases from log and interview data. By integrating social position, evidence, and facets into SaNDVis, we demonstrate how users can use a visual analytics tool to reflect on existing relationships as well as build new relationships in an enterprise setting.
Relationships between physical phenomena, distance metrics, and best-bands selection in hyperspectral processing

The objective of hyperspectral processing algorithms is to efficiently capitalize on the wealth of information in the scene being imaged. Radiation collected in hundreds of contiguous electromagnetic channels and stored as data in a vector provides insight about the reflective and emissive properties of each pixel in the scene. However, it is not intuitively clear that for common applications such as estimation, classification, and detection that the best performance results from utilizing every measurement in the vector. In fact, it is quite easy to show that for some tasks, more data can degrade performance. In this paper, we explore the role of metrics and best bands algorithms in the context of maximizing the performance of hyperspectral algorithms. Specifically, we first focus on creating an intuitive framework for physical information measured by a sensor. Then, we examine how it is translated into numerical quantities by a distance metric. We discuss how two common distance metrics for hyperspectral signals, the Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM), and the Euclidean Minimum Distance (EMD), quantify the distance between two spectra. Focusing on the SAM metric, we demonstrate, in the context of target detection, how the separability of the two spectra can be increased by retaining only those bands that maximize the metric. Finally, this intuition about the best bands analysis for SAM is extended to the Generalize Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT) for a practical target/background detection scenario. Results are shown for a scene imaged by the HYDICE sensor demonstrating that the separability of targets and background can be increased by carefully choosing the best bands for the test.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Antigen depots: T cell traps?

Although cancer vaccines can induce tumor-specific cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, tumors treated by vaccination often fail to regress. A study in mice provides a potential explanation for this phenomenon by showing that a peptide vaccine in a water-oil adjuvant leads to the trapping of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells at the vaccination site, instead of promoting an effective T cell response at the tumor site (pages 465–472).
Childhood Emotional and Behavioral Problems and Educational Attainment

Do childhood emotional and behavioral problems diminish the probability of graduating from high school and attending college? If so, are their effects primarily attributable to the persistence of those problems over time, to continuities in social environments, or to the cumulative effects of early academic failures? We provide answers to these questions using data from the Children of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth data set (1986-2000). Internalizing and externalizing problems at ages 6-8 significantly and strongly diminish the probability of receiving a high school degree. Among youth who receive a high school degree, externalizing problems also diminish the probability of subsequent college enrollment. In the case of high school degree receipt, the educational disadvantages associated with child emotional and behavioral problems result from the association of those problems with academic failures in middle and high school. In contrast, the association of childhood behavior problems with col...
Two-bit anion channel really shapes up.

Channels that conduct anions or cations across cell membranes are of immense physiological importance. But what do they look like? A chloride channel turns out to have a double-barrelled structure quite unlike that of cation channels.
Novel anti‐angiogenic peptides derived From ELR‐containing CXC chemokines

Angiogenesis is tightly regulated by numerous endogenous pro- and anti-angiogenic proteins and peptides. Among these are the CXC chemokines, a set of multifunctional peptides. CXC chemokines containing the ELR motif act as pro-angiogenic agents by regulating both endothelial cell proliferation and migration. Here we show that a set of six 22-24-amino acid peptides derived from the pro-angiogenic ELR-containing CXC chemokines exhibit notable anti-proliferative and anti-migratory activity in vitro; we call these peptides chemokinostatins. The ability of the identified peptides to inhibit the basic components of angiogenesis even though they are derived from pro-angiogenic proteins contributes towards the understanding of the diverse role of the CXC chemokine family in angiogenesis.
Digoxin Bioavailability : Evaluation of a Generic Tablet and Proposed FDA Guidelines

Abstract The relative bioavailability of a generic digoxin tablet formulation was investigated according to proposed FDA guidelines. After administration of digoxin in three different oral formulations on separate occasions to 12 subjects, multiple serum samples were obtained over the first 5 hr and assayed for digoxin by radioimmunoassay. The average 0-5-hr area under the serum digoxin concentration-time curve ( A UC ) for the generic tablet was 99.6% of the combined mean of the average A UC values for the reference tablet and a solution. In addition, the average peak heights, peak times, and AUC values for the two tablet formulations were not significantly different. The currently proposed FDA method of data analysis utilizes a combination of the means of three experimental measurements and provides no measure of the variability of the relative bioavailability estimate. Three other methods of data analysis that do provide variance estimates were evaluated: ( a ) the FDA method on an individual subject basis followed by averaging, ( b ) a logarithmic transformation of the AUC values, and ( c ) comparison of the AUC values of the generic and reference tablets using a paired t-test. A consideration of the experimental design required by the FDA and the statistics involved indicated that the last method may be the most appropriate for examination of the bioavailability of digoxin tablets relative to a market standard. It is also suggested that the proposed regulations be amended to make the standard a solution rather than a specific manufacturer’s product.
Catabolism of p-fluorophenylalanine by Escherichia coli

Abstract The amino acid analog p -fluorophenylalanine was shown to be metabolized by nitrogen-deficient suspensions of Escherichia coli . Three major metabolic products appeared in extracts of the incubation medium. The data indicated that these products were all monocarboxylic acids having the aromatic ring intact. Functional group analysis, ultraviolet spectroscopy, and co-chromatography showed that one of the metabolic products probably was p -fluorophenylacetic acid. Comparative chemical studies, functional group analysis, and mass spectrometry suggested tentatively that a second product was p -fluorophenylpyruvic acid. The third product remains to be identified. Biological studies indicated that only one isomer of the dl -fluorophenylalanine mixture was metabolized. The metabolism by nitrogen-deficient cultures did not appear to be aimed solely at maintaining a threshold level of nitrogen. Furthermore, the analog was metabolized in a qualitatively similar manner both in the presence and absence of another exogenous source of nitrogen. p -Fluorophenylacetic acid, at a molar concentration equivalent to that at which p -fluorophenylalanine provoked a linear rate of growth, was without apparent effect on the normal exponential rate of growth. However, since no permeability data are available, the significance of this result with respect to possible biological effects of the metabolic products derived from fluorophenylalanine cannot be evaluated. Nevertheless, the formation of these products must be considered when interpreting data obtained from experiments employing p -fluorophenylalanine as a metabolic inhibitor.
Emergent network structure and initial group performance: The moderating role of pre‐existing relationships

Organization restructurings often put groups of employees into new teams and roles, and it is not unusual for some of these new teammates to have pre-existing work and friendship relationships. While there has been much theorizing on the impact of existing social network structures on group performance, there has been less research on how pre-existing relationships help or hinder initial group performance, especially in teams with interdependent roles and tasks. We explore several hypotheses in a competitive management simulation involving 42 teams and find that (1) the density of pre-existing work and friendship relationships are directly associated with higher initial group performance, and (2) pre-existing work network density moderates the relationship between emergent work network density and initial group performance. In other words, the degree to which emergent work ties are based on pre-existing work relationships (i.e., former co-workers actually work together in their new roles) also contributes to higher initial group productivity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Vortex configurations in type-II superconducting films

Abstract This article is concerned with the numerical solution of the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) model for type-II superconductors in thin films (two-dimensional periodic domains). A new gauge is defined that reduces the coupling between the equations for the nonzero components of the vector potential. The GL equations are written in a symmetric form by means of continuous link variables. A second-order accurate scheme is used for the numerical approximation. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the discrete GL model leads to asymmetric solutions in the plane; symmetry is recovered only in the limit as the mesh size goes to zero. Results of computational experiments to find the upper critical field and an empirical power law for vortex interactions are given.
Human constructivism: A unification of psychological and epistemological phenomena in meaning making

Abstract Ausubel's (1963, 1968, 1978) assimilation theory of learning is used to describe the process by which humans engage in meaningful learning. High levels of meaningful learning are characterized as underlying the process of new knowledge construction. Concept maps and Vee diagrams are employed to illustrate aspects of assimilation theory, foundational constructivist epistemological ideas, and tools that can facilitate meaningful learning and knowledge construction. The central thesis is that the process of meaningful learning, as understood through assimilation theory, is fundamental to both the psychological process of cognitive development of individuals and the epistemological process of new knowledge construction.
Localized crystallization of polyfurfuryl alcohol derived carbon by alkali metals

Abstract The interaction of alkali metals with polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) derived nanoporous carbon (PFA-NPC) leads to localized regions of crystallization within the carbon. This is interesting because PFA-derived carbon is well known to be non-graphitizing, meaning that it does not tend to crystallize even at very high temperature (>2500 °C). However, it has been demonstrated that after an oxidation with carbon dioxide, the PFA-NPC will crystallize at lower temperatures. Here, we show that localized crystallization of non-crystalline carbon takes place in the presence of each of the alkali metals, except lithium, under apparently mild conditions. At the local level, as adduced by HRTEM and electron diffraction analyses, cesium showed the greatest extent of ordering when compared to other alkali metals. However, when the materials are probed with bulk analyses, (X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and NEXAFS), we do not observe evidence of gross crystallization. Therefore, it is our conclusion that local ordering occurs upon exposure of the alkali-containing PFA-NPC samples to air and that it occurs at the edges of the carbon particles. The ordering takes place as the alkali metals combust. We also conclude that carbons do not combust because the rate of oxygen transport into the sample is slowed by resistance in the nanopores as well as the resistance induced by the temperature gradient at the near surface region. Both phenomena prevent the gross combustion of the particle.