cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhanced photosynthesis and flower production in a sagebrush morphotype associated with animal burrows.

Two morphotypes of the evergreen shrub Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis occur in the Shirley Basin of central Wyoming (USA), one of which was associated exclusively with Mima-like mounds generated by animal burrowing activity. Measured on a particularly dry year according to a 34-year precipitation record, plants growing on mounds (M) versus inter-mound locations (IM)were taller with greater leaf biomass and leaf area per unit ground area, and had over 90% of all inflorescences. As a result, the landscape consists of a patchy distribution of reproductive islands (~ 20-40 m-2 in size) separated by a mean distance of ~ 30 m. In addition, greater photosynthesis per unit leaf area occurred for M plants when ephemeral leaves dominated total leaf area in spring and early summer, as well as during short time periods (< 3 days) following sporadic rainfall events in summer when only perennial leaves were present. As a result, estimated total annual carbon gain was 41% greater for M plants from May to mid-June, but was not significantly different from IM plants for the remainder of the season, resulting in a total summer carbon gain that was 14% greater in M plants. Stomatal and nonstomatal conductances to CO2 uptake were also greater for the ephemeral leaves of M plants, along with lower internal CO2 concentrations (193 ± 4 μl l-1 vs. 209 ± 8 μl-1, respectively). M plants also maintained higher xylem water potentials throughout most of the growth season (−1.1 ± 0.1 SD MPa in May, declining to −4.4 ± 0.3 SD MPa in August), along with higher water use efficiencies (photosynthesis/transpiration). M and IM soils did not differ significantly in total organic or nitrate contents, although leaf nitrogen content was higher in M plants when photosynthesis was also greater. Photosynthesis in M plants also responded more positively to afternoon showers greater than about 7 mm compared to IM plants. Thus, improved water and nutrient relations was associated with enhanced photosynthetic carbon gain in M plants, enabling greater flower production. Moreover, morphotypic plasticity coupled with the effects of animal burrows may have substantially increased sexual reproductive success in A. t. wyomingensis.
Discordant expression of CD20 by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry in a patient responding to rituximab: an unusual mechanism.

Abstract Immunohistochemistry using the L26 antibody recognizes an intracellular domain of CD20, whereas the L27 antibody used for surface CD20 staining by flow cytometry (FC) recognizes an extracellular domain and would be expected to be a better predictor of response to rituximab. We present a 75-year-old man who was Initialsly treated for CD20 – diffuse large B-cell lymphoma based on FC and, at relapse, still had CD20– disease by FC but CD20 + disease by immunohistochemistry. The patient responded to rituximab alone. On further study, it was shown that the malignant B cells, but not normal B cells, expressed the L27 surface binding site only within the intracellular domain. Therefore, it appears that the rituximab binding site is distinct from the surface binding site, and when there is a disparity between the methods to detect CD20 expression, consideration should be given to include rituximab in the treatment plan.
Harmful Algal Blooms in Asia: an insidious and escalating water pollution phenomenon with effects on ecological and human health

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), those proliferations of algae that causeenvironmental, economic, or human health problems, are increasing in frequency,duration, and geographic extent due to nutrient pollution. The scale of the HABproblem in Asia has escalated in recent decades in parallel with the increase in useof agricultural fertilizer, the development of aquaculture, and a growing population.Three examples, all from China but illustrative of the diversity of events and theirecological, economic, and human health effects throughout Asia, are highlightedhere. These examples include inland (Lake Tai or Taihu) as well as offshore (EastChina Sea and Yellow Sea) waters. The future outlook for controlling these bloomsis bleak. The effects of advancing industrialized agriculture and a continually growingpopulation will continue to result in more nutrient pollution and more HABs—-and more effects - in the foreseeable future.
Neoliberalism, Institutional Change and the Welfare State: The Case of Britain and France:

Neoliberal turn in economic policy involved an attack on the welfare state in some countries but not in others. This article provides an institutionalist explanation of the causes of this variation through a comparative analysis of the transformation of British and French economic policy from the end of the Second World War through the end of the 1980s. The author shows that in both nations the transition to neoliberalism accompanied the economic crisis that took place in the 1970s. However, consistent with the differences in the way the two countries came to diagnose the nature of their respective crises; the policy manifestations of neoliberalism remained different in each. In Britain, where the crisis was diagnosed as one of Keynesianism, neoliberalism emerged as a radical antiKeynesian movement that sought to dismantle major Keynesian institutions and policies.In this context, the welfare state, a fundamental Keynesian institution, was identified as a part of the ‘problem,’ and became subject to the n...
TalkBack: a conversational answering machine

Current asynchronous voice messaging interfaces, like voicemail, fail to take advantage of our conversational skills. TalkBack restores conversational turn-taking to voicemail retrieval by dividing voice messages into smaller sections based on the most significant silent and filled pauses and pausing after each to record a response. The responses are composed into a reply, alternating with snippets of the original message for context. TalkBack is built into a digital picture frame; the recipient touches a picture of the caller to hear each segment of the message in turn. The minimal interface models synchronous interaction and facilitates asynchronous voice messaging. TalkBack can also present a voice-annotated slide show which it receives over the Internet.
Investigation and Geogrid Reinforced Repair of the Foxridge Drive Landslide, Mission, Kansas

A 180-ft-wide (54.4-m-wide) landslide occurred along the north side of Foxridge Drive (Mission, Kansas) in July 2001. The earthen mass had moved laterally and downward approximately 2 ft (0.6 m). Additional movement during the following months indicated the landslide was threatening stability of the north edge of the roadway. In addition, the road was scheduled to be widened by approximately 10 ft (3.0 m) in the near future. Therefore, repair of the slope was critical to the stability of the road and the future widening. A phased subsurface investigation revealed subsurface conditions generally consisting of fill overlying alternating layers of limestone and shale. An inclinometer was installed to monitor further slope movement and evaluate the location of the slip surface. Exploratory drilling, inclinometer monitoring, and modeling of the slope indicated the most probable slip surface was positioned at the contact between the fill and underlying shale. The landslide was likely caused by a rise in the groundwater level resulting from a wetter than normal spring. A geogrid reinforced earth system was designed to repair the slope. The base of the repair consisted of crushed rock backfill with welded-wire baskets at the face to provide an independent toe wall. The upper portion of the design section consisted of reinforced clay and crushed shale backfill. Topsoil was brought in to provide a medium for re-vegetation.
Interdisciplinary Behavioral Rehabilitation of Pediatric Pain-Associated Disability: Retrospective Review of an Inpatient Treatment Protocol

Objective A biopsychosocial model was used to treat pain-associated disability in children and adolescents. We assessed the clinical outcomes of children and adolescents (8–21 years of age) with pain-associated disability who were treated in an interdisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation program which included physical, occupational, and recreational therapy, medicine, nursing, pediatric psychology, neuropsychology, psychiatry, social work, and education. Psychological treatment emphasized cognitive-behavioral intervention for pain and anxiety management, and behavioral shaping to increase functioning. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of 41consecutive patients. School attendance, sleep, and medication usage were assessed at admission and discharge; functional disability and physical mobility were assessed at admission, discharge, and 3-month follow-up. Results As a group, significant improvements were observed in school status, sleep, functional ability, physical mobility, and medication usage. Conclusion Findings support the efficacy of an inpatient interdisciplinary behavioral rehabilitation approach to the treatment of pain-associated disability in pediatric
Firewall verification and redundancy checking are equivalent

A firewall is a packet filter that is placed at the entrance of a private network. It checks the header fields of each incoming packet into the private network and decides, based on the specified rules in the firewall, whether to accept the packet and allow it to proceed or to discard the packet. To validate the correctness and effectiveness of the rules in a firewall, the firewall rules are usually subjected to two types of analysis: verification and redundancy checking. Verification is used to verify that the rules in a firewall accept all packets that should be accepted and discard all packets that should be discarded. Redundancy checking is used to check that no rule in a firewall is redundant (i.e. can be removed from the firewall without changing the sets of packets accepted and discarded by the firewall). In this paper we show that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, these two types of analysis are in fact equivalent. In particular, we show that (1) every verification algorithm can be also used to check whether a rule in a firewall is redundant, and (2) every redundancy checking algorithm can be also used to verify whether the rules in a firewall accept or discard an intended set of packets.
DiagramFlyer: A Search Engine for Data-Driven Diagrams

A large amount of data is available only through data-driven diagrams such as bar charts and scatterplots. These diagrams are stylized mixtures of graphics and text and are the result of complicated data-centric production pipelines. Unfortunately, neither text nor image search engines exploit these diagram-specific properties, making it difficult for users to find relevant diagrams in a large corpus. In response, we propose DiagramFlyer, a search engine for finding data-driven diagrams on the web. By recovering the semantic roles of diagram components (e.g., axes, labels, etc.), we provide faceted indexing and retrieval for various statistical diagrams. A unique feature of DiagramFlyer is that it is able to "expand" queries to include not only exactly matching diagrams, but also diagrams that are likely to be related in terms of their production pipelines. We demonstrate the resulting search system by indexing over 300k images pulled from over 150k PDF documents.
Einstein-Yang-Mills theory with a massive dilaton and axion: String-inspired regular and black hole solutions

We study the classical theory of a non-Abelian gauge field [gauge group SU(2)] coupled to a massive dilaton, massive axion, and Einstein gravity. The theory is inspired by the bosonic part of the low-energy heterotic string action for a general Yang-Mills field, which we consider to leading order after compactification to 3+1 dimensions. We impose the condition that spacetime be static and spherically symmetric, and we introduce masses via a dilaton-axion potential associated with supersymmetry breaking by gaugino condensation in the hidden sector. In the course of describing the possible non-Abelian solutions of the simplified theory, we consider in detail two candidates: a massive dilaton coupled to a purely magnetic Yang-Mills field, and a massive axion field coupled to a non-Abelian dyonic configuration, in which the electric and magnetic fields decay too rapidly to correspond to any global gauge charge. We discuss the feasibility of solutions with and without a nontrivial dilaton for the latter case, and present numerical regular and black hole solutions for the former.
College Women and Personal Goals: Cognitive Dimensions that Differentiate Risk-Reduction Sexual Decisions

As the twenty-first century begins, a high level of participation in premarital sexual intercourse by college women is well-documented. But, in the research exploring risk-reduction sexual behaviors, the relationship of cognitive abilities to responsible sexual behavior has been under-researched. Anonymous questionnaires were administered to 626 never-married, heterosexual women at a midwestern university to examine personal goal-setting, a cognitive variable postulated to be related to risk-reduction sexual behavior. Women who frequently set goals were more religious, optimistic about life, conservative in sexual attitudes, comfortable with their sexuality, and more psychologically sexually satisfied. Those who less often set goals were more likely to drink alcohol prior to sexual intercourse, become more intoxicated, and less likely to ask if new sex partners had STI(s). The cognitive variable, goal-setting, did differentiate college women who made responsible sexual decisions from those who engaged in risk-taking sexual behaviors.
The coupled-cluster revolution

The elements of coupled-cluster (CC) theory that distinguish it from other ways of treating the correlation problem are presented. These essential components required that new theory be developed to treat analytical gradients, excited states, higher order properties, and now multi-reference CC. Aided by these developments, CC theory provides the best answers for the largest number of problems in molecular structure and spectra. Many scientists who spent time at the Quantum Theory Project were instrumental in these developments.
The Black-White-Other Achievement Gap: Testing Theories of Academic Performance among Multiracial and Monoracial Adolescents.

The study presented here tested three theories of racial differences in academic performance among monoracial and multiracial high school students. These theories (status attainment, oppositional culture, and educational attitudes) were developed to explain differences in achievement among monoracial groups, but the study tested how the theories apply to a multiracial sample. The results show that ethnic identity and experiences of ethnic discrimination are not strong factors in explaining academic performance among multiracial or monoracial students. Instead, the grades of multiracial students are related to their concrete beliefs about the consequences of school failure, the educational values of their peers, and the racial composition of their neighborhoods and schools. Additional descriptive statistics found that multiracial students who self-identify as black or Hispanic achieve lower grades than do those who self-identify as white or Asian. The author suggests a transracial theory of academic perfor...
Fast algorithm for population‐based protein structural model analysis

De novo protein structure prediction often generates a large population of candidates (models), and then selects near-native models through clustering. Existing structural model clustering methods are time consuming due to pairwise distance calculation between models. In this paper, we present a novel method for fast model clustering without losing the clustering accuracy. Instead of the commonly used pairwise root mean square deviation and TM-score values, we propose two new distance measures, Dscore1 and Dscore2, based on the comparison of the protein distance matrices for describing the difference and the similarity among models, respectively. The analysis indicates that both the correlation between Dscore1 and root mean square deviation and the correlation between Dscore2 and TM-score are high. Compared to the existing methods with calculation time quadratic to the number of models, our Dscore1-based clustering achieves a linearly time complexity while obtaining almost the same accuracy for near-native model selection. By using Dscore2 to select representatives of clusters, we can further improve the quality of the representatives with little increase in computing time. In addition, for large size (~500 k) models, we can give a fast data visualization based on the Dscore distribution in seconds to minutes. Our method has been implemented in a package named MUFOLD-CL, available at http://mufold.org/clustering.php.
An Energy-Efficient Computing Approach by Filling the Connectome Gap

This paper presents an energy-efficient neuromorphic computing approach by filling the connectome gap between algorithm, brain, and VLSI. The gap exists in structural features such as the average number of synaptic connections per neural node as well as in dimensional features. We argue that the energy dissipation in complex computing tasks is more predominantly bounded by the control processes that synchronize and redirect both computing processes and data rather than the computing processes themselves. Therefore, it is crucial to fill the connectome gap and to avoid excessive interactions of the computing process and data with the control processes when achieving energy-efficient computing for large-scale cognitive computing tasks. The use of freespace optics is proposed as a means to efficiently handle sparse but still heavily entangled connections.
Inferring presynaptic population spiking from single-trial membrane potential recordings

Abstract Background The time-varying membrane potential of a cortical neuron contains important information about the network activity. Extracting this information requires separating excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs from single-trial membrane potential recordings without averaging across trials. New method We propose a method to extract the time course of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs to a neuron from a single-trial membrane potential recording. The method takes advantage of the differences in the time constants and the reversal potentials of the excitatory and inhibitory synaptic currents, which allows the untangling of the two conductance types. Results We evaluate the applicability of the method on a leaky integrate-and-fire model neuron and find high quality of estimation of excitatory synaptic conductance changes and presynaptic population spikes. Application of the method to a real cortical neuron with known synaptic inputs in a brain slice returns high-quality estimation of the time course of the excitatory synaptic conductance. Application of the method to membrane potential recordings from a cortical pyramidal neuron of an intact brain reveals complex network activity. Comparison with existing methods Existing methods are based on repeated trials and thus are limited to estimating the statistical features of synaptic conductance changes, or, when based on single trials, are limited to special cases, have low temporal resolution, or are impractically complicated. Conclusions We propose and test an efficient method for estimating the full time course of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic conductances from single-trial membrane potential recordings. The method is sufficiently simple to ensure widespread use in neuroscience.
Ezra Pound, «lopista»

This article reveals Ezra Pound’s deep, early engagements with the works of Lope de Vega. A young Pound studied Lope de Vega in graduate school and began a doctoral thesis on the gracioso figure in his plays, under the direction of famed lopista Hugo Rennert. But Pound abandoned his dissertation and, instead, translated small parts of Lope de Vega’s works (including a poem from Los pastores de Belen) and, more important, used scenes and quotations from Las almenas de Toro to structure the early parts of what would become The Cantos. My focus is on the ways in which these translations and quotations helped Pound discover his governing themes for what are called his «Ur-Cantos» —the first three poems of his Cantos that he published in 1917, before he would revise them heavily and republish them in his first book, A Draft of XVI. Cantos (1925). To understand this, I analyze his chapter on Lope de Vega in his textbook of translations and scholarly commentaries, The Spirit of Romance (1910). Pound ultimately rejects Lope de Vega’s Baroque style, I argue, and stages his rejection across The Cantos, where he dismisses the Baroque as too heavily «ornamental» and not sufficiently suspended across literary time, and thus not the style he will use in developing The Cantos across the remainder of his life.
Aortic Stenosis Gradients and a Case for Quality Improvement.

Paul Batalden,1 a world-renowned quality expert, is quoted to have said “Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.” Implied from his quote is when different results are desired the processes of care that make up the system producing those results need to change. Too often in health care today we struggle with process deficiencies or inadequacies that negatively affect the care patients receive. Commonly, providers and other members of the multidisciplinary team do not have a framework or methodology to address those deficiencies. In academic settings, providers will often turn to research to identify solutions to address them. However, this approach comes at a cost. Research requires heavy resource investment and its measurement approach is unrealistic for improvement purposes. Research’s timeline is not conducive to addressing quality problems in a timely manner nor does it take into consideration the sustainability of solutions identified. Instead, a different approach is needed for improvement work. An approach that allows for a logical and practical method in identifying solutions that work in actual clinical settings and leads to the true north of realizing sustained improvement. If you will, the approach needed is one that works in vivo not in vitro. See Article by Samad et al In their article in this issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging , Samad et al2 have successfully demonstrated how continuous quality improvement (QI) can be applied to address an important clinical issue, namely the variation in echocardiographic determination of aortic stenosis (AS) gradients that leads to overtesting via cardiac catheterization. Using continuous quality improvement methodology, they were able to identify modifications in their echocardiography approach that improved the agreement between cath- and echo-derived mean AS gradients. The subsequent improvement in correlation leads to a decrease in unnecessary referrals for evaluation by invasive valve …
Evaluation of a tandem gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry metabolomics platform as a single method to investigate the effect of starvation on whole-animal metabolism in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

This study was conducted to evaluate the use of a two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC/TOF-MS) metabolomic platform to comprehensively analyze the effect of starvation on whole-animal metabolism in rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ). Trout were either fed a commercial diet at 2% body mass twice daily or starved for 4 weeks. Metabolomic analysis was conducted on serum, liver and muscle tissue from each fish. Database searching and statistical analysis revealed that concentrations of more than 50 positively identified molecules changed significantly ( P <0.05) as a result of starvation. Our results indicate that starving rainbow trout for 4 weeks promotes increased utilization of select tissue fatty acids in liver and muscle. However, starvation did not significantly affect protein catabolism in peripheral tissues, as indicated by reductions in the level of serum amino acids in starved fish. In contrast, starvation appears to promote protein catabolism in liver as the level of methionine, proline and lysine metabolite 2-piperidine carboxylic acid increased significantly. Also, starvation resulted in significant changes in the level of numerous xenobiotics that could indicate the origin of particular feed ingredients and selective retention of these molecules in tissues. We suggest that metabolomic analysis using GC×GC/TOF-MS is an effective tool in studying whole-animal metabolism and the fate of important xenobiotic compounds in rainbow trout as numerous polar and non-polar metabolites were rapidly and accurately profiled using a single method.
Atrial approach for repair of ventricular septal defect in corrected transposition.

A case of ventricular septal defect (VSD) and pulmonic valvular stenosis occurring with corrected transposition of the great vessels is presented. Repair of the VSD and pulmonic stenosis was accomplished through a right atrial approach by partially detaching the posterior leaflet of the right atrioventricular (A-V) valve. The advantages of this approach are discussed.
A rapid preparative method for the purification of vitamin E acetate by kinetic reverse phase chromatography

Alpha-tocopherol or vitamin E is an essential food ingredient. Due to high purity requirement in food applications, it is majorly produced in the acetate form through chemical routes. However, the ...
Self-Directed Telehealth Parent-Mediated Intervention for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Examination of the Potential Reach and Utilization in Community Settings.

Background: There is a significant need for strategies to increase access to evidence-based interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One novel approach is to train parents to use evidence-based interventions for their child with ASD via telehealth. Pilot work examining the efficacy of one such program, ImPACT Online, demonstrated a high rate of parent program engagement, low attrition, and associated gains in parent learning and child social communication. Objective: The objective of this study was to conduct an open trial of ImPACT Online to better understand its dissemination potential. Methods: We examined the reach and representativeness of families who registered (n=36) compared to families who were referred (n=139) to the open trial for one referral site. We then compared the demographics of all families who enrolled in the open trial (n=112) to families who enrolled in one of two controlled trials of the same program (n=50). We also examined metrics of program engagement for the open and controlled trials, the relationship between program engagement and changes in parents’ intervention knowledge, and program evaluation for the participants in the open trial. Results: In total, 25.8% (36/139) of the parents who were given information about the program at their child’s diagnostic feedback session registered with the program. The parents who enrolled in the open (OT) and controlled trials (CT), respectively, were similar in gender (OT: 84.8% (95/112); CT: 88% (44/50), female), marital status (OT: 80.4% (90/112) ; CT: 69.6% (32/46), married), education (OT: 58.0% (65/112); CT: 54.0% (27/50), college degree or higher), and employment status (OT: 58.0% (65/112); CT: 65.3% (32/49), employed outside the home). The child participants were similar in terms of gender (OT: 83.0% (93/112); CT: 76.0% (38/50), male) and race and ethnicity (OT: 38.4% (43/112); CT: 24.0% (12/50), minority). However, the mean chronological age of the child participants in the open trial group was significantly higher (Mean=60.0 months) than in the controlled trial group (Mean=43.0 months), with t160=5.22, P<.001. Parents in the open trial engaged with the program at a significantly lower rate than the controlled trial, F3,81=21.14, P<.001. Program engagement was significantly associated with gains in parent intervention knowledge across both the groups, beta=.41, t=2.43, P=.02. Participants in the open access trial evaluated the program highly, but several barriers were noted. Conclusions: These data suggest that additional strategies may need to be developed to support families in using telehealth-based parent-mediated intervention in community settings.
Analysis of Sharksucker, Echeneis naucrates , Induced Behavior Patterns in the Blacktip Shark, Carcharhinus limbatus

I analyzed and quantified the behavior of blacktip sharks, Carcharhinus limbatus, irritated by sharksuckers, Echeneis naucrates, attached to their bodies. The sharksucker induced behavior patterns were divided into simple rotational patterns, expressed by body turns along their main axes (roll, yaw, pitch); and complex patterns (wiggle, shake, wind, chafe), consisting of a combination or a repetition of simple behavior patterns. Three nonrotational behavior patterns were also observed (freeze, yawn, flicker). Of the 78 blacktip sharks examined, 70 performed either a simple or a complex pattern, or a combination of the two types. Of the total 195 rotational behavior patterns observed, only three wind patterns, performed as chaffing, led to the dislocation of a sharksucker, implying that the shark's primary intention may not be to shake off the teleost, but to initiate a position change to a less sensitive part of its body. Three sharks showed behavior patterns resembling typical agonistic display patterns, but they were induced by sharksuckers, not triggered by the presence of humans.
Molecular Characterization with RAPD-PCR: Application of Genetic Diagnostics to Biological Control of the Sweetpotato Whitefly

The application of genetic diagnostics under the umbrella of classical taxonomy was imperative for successful development and delivery of the biologi- cal control program against the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) biotype B (= silverleaf whitefly, B. argentifolii Bellows and Perring). In 1990, conventional genetic methodologies were not feasible because of the limited quan- tity of DNA contained in the tiny parasitoids imported for use against B. tabaci. At that time, a novel and rapid genetic method, RAPD-PCR, was adapted to categorize morphologically similar parasitoids emerging from parasitized whiteflies imported from foreign countries. Individuals of Eretmocerus and Encarsia from each unique culture in quarantine were quickly characterized using RAPD-PCR with selected DNA primers. Assigning unique RAPD banding patterns to native and foreign par- asitoid collections set a precedent by capturing the maximum amount of parasitoid species diversity during quarantine processing; minimizing the number of duplicate cultures; assuring quality control of production colonies; and facilitating ecological studies and field evaluations.
Relationships Among Palliative Care, Ethical Climate, Empowerment, and Moral Distress in Intensive Care Unit Nurses

BACKGROUND Intensive care unit nurses experience moral distress when they feel unable to deliver ethically appropriate care to patients. Moral distress is associated with nurse burnout and patient care avoidance. OBJECTIVES To evaluate relationships among moral distress, empowerment, ethical climate, and access to palliative care in the intensive care unit. METHODS Intensive care unit nurses in a national database were recruited to complete an online survey based on the Moral Distress Scale-Revised, Psychological Empowerment Index, Hospital Ethical Climate Survey, and a palliative care delivery questionnaire. Descriptive, correlational, and regression analyses were performed. RESULTS Of 288 initiated surveys, 238 were completed. Participants were nationally representative of nurses by age, years of experience, and geographical region. Most were white and female and had a bachelor's degree. The mean moral distress score was moderately high, and correlations were found with empowerment (r = -0.145; P = .02) and ethical climate scores (r = -0.354; P < .001). Relationships between moral distress and empowerment scores and between moral distress and ethical climate scores were not affected by access to palliative care. Nurses reporting palliative care access had higher moral distress scores than those without such access. Education, ethnicity, unit size, access to full palliative care team, and ethical climate explained variance in moral distress scores. CONCLUSIONS Poor ethical climate, unintegrated palliative care teams, and nurse empowerment are associated with increased moral distress. The findings highlight the need to promote palliative care education and palliative care teams that are well integrated into intensive care units.
Hadron Physics at Fermilab

I survey recent experimental results from studies of hadron interactions at Fermilab. Elastic, total and charge-exchange cross section measurements, diffractive phenomena, and inclusive production, using nuclear as well as hydrogen targets, are discussed in these lectures.
Labor Markets and Referrals

Abstract The use of social networks and personal referrals in the labor market is very widespread. Both firms and workers may find it beneficial to use these informal channels to produce successful matches between job seekers and vacancies. This Chapter discusses the existing literature and highlights the most robust results. It describes the theoretical literature on the use of informal search methods, both in a micro and in a macro setting, as well as the empirical findings in this area. The empirical evidence comes both from direct surveys of workers and firms and from indirect estimates that exploit structural modeling as well as natural experiments. Finally, the Chapter discusses open questions and possible avenues for future research. JEL Codes: C21, D21, J64, R23
Improved Physiology and Psychosocial Well-Being for Individuals with Physical Disabilities through Virtual Reality Immersion: a Case Study

The purpose of this case study was to examine the physiological and psychosocial effects of an immersive virtual reality (VR) system in a female, young adult with physical disabilities. Mixed-methods. University, City, State, USA. The current study consisted of six sessions over a span of three weeks, with each session lasting approximately 45 min. Physiological factors (upper body mobility, heart rate variability) were assessed via a hand use questionnaire and a heart rate monitor, while psychosocial factors (e.g. positive mood) were assessed through post-session debriefing discussions with the participant. All measures were completed at each of the six VR sessions, with the exception of the hand use questionnaire, which was administered at baseline, and post-intervention. The VR programs selected were specifically chosen to engage upper body and arm movements. Descriptive analyses and coding of interviews were conducted to examine changes throughout the study sessions. The participant reported an increase in hand mobility and psychosocial well-being, such as improvement in mood, as a result of her participation in the VR sessions. The results of this preliminary case study suggest that the use of movement-specific VR programs may be beneficial to individuals with physical disabilities, although future research in larger samples is warranted.
SES disparities in early math abilities: The contributions of parents’ math cognitions, practices to support math, and math talk

Abstract SES disparities in early math achievement are large and persistent across development and yet relatively understudied. Given the early emergence of these gaps, it is unlikely that school factors can explain why low-SES children tend to start school behind their peers in math skills. Rather, we argue that characteristics of parents, including their beliefs about math, their practices to support math, and their language about math concepts, mediate the observed associations between SES and math learning in early childhood. We first review the existing theoretical frameworks that support this conceptualization, including academic socialization, the home numeracy model, and concerted cultivation, with particular emphasis on the intersections and limitations of these past theories for understanding the early emergence of math disparities. We then propose a hybrid conceptualization of these frameworks and review research describing each proposed pathway. Specifically, we describe studies addressing how parents’ beliefs, practices, and language might explain SES disparities in children’s math achievement. Finally, we review the implications for our conceptual framework, major limitations of this literature, and remaining questions for future studies.
Urinary Retention and Voiding Dysfunction

The physiology of voiding is intricate and complex, and there is vast potential for disruption of normal voiding patterns. For adequate bladder emptying to take place, the bladder needs to generate a pressure of adequate strength and duration to overcome the resistance set by the outlet. Disruption in the generation of the bladder pressure required, or of the outlet to allow passage of urine, will result in incomplete bladder emptying. Underlying these pathophysiological processes is the gateway for proper development of new therapies. It is important to have a solid knowledge of terminology applied to the genitourinary tract for purposes of reporting results and developing treatment guidelines.
Local μ-Opioid Receptor Antagonism Blunts Evoked Phasic Dopamine Release in the Nucleus Accumbens of Rats

μ-opioid receptors (MORs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) can regulate reward-related behaviors that are dependent on mesolimbic dopamine, but the precise mechanism of this MOR regulation is unknown. We hypothesized that MORs within the NAc core regulate dopamine release. Specifically, we infused the MOR antagonist CTAP (d-Phe-Cys-Tyr-d-Trp-Arg-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2) into the NAc core while dopamine release was evoked by electrical stimulation of the ventral tegmental area and measured by fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. We report that CTAP dose-dependently inhibited evoked dopamine release, with full blockade achieved with the 8 μg infusion. In contrast, evoked dopamine release increased after nomifensine infusion and was unchanged after vehicle infusion. These findings demonstrate profound local control of dopamine release by MORs within the NAc core, which has implications for regulation of reward processing.
Examining the Complex Relation Among Religion, Morality, and Death Anxiety: Religion Can Be a Source of Comfort and Concern Regarding Fears of Death.

This study examined the relationship among religiosity, morality, and fear of death. Students (n = 328, 75% women, Mage = 18.9) completed measures of fear of death, frequency of immoral behavior, discrepancy between ideal and actual religious practices, strength of religious beliefs, views of God as punishing or forgiving, and behavior efficacy (the extent to which fate in the afterlife was perceived to be determined by behavior in this life). Frequency of immoral behavior was not related to fears of death, but both strength of religious views and behavior efficacy were negatively correlated with fears of death. In contrast, perceived failure to live up to religious standards was associated with more death anxiety, especially among those with punishing views of God. These findings support the idea that some aspects of religion can help protect people from death anxiety, whereas other aspects of religion can exacerbate fears of death.
Utilization of Redundant Information by EMR and Nonretarded Adults.

When stimuli differed on two dimensions (size and shape), either of which furnished enough information for a correct response, retarded subjects were faster to discriminate than when stimuli differed on only one dimension. This result was also found with nonretarded subjects, and the data were taken to support the argument that both populations process information in this type of speeded visual discrimination in similar ways; whatever feature-testing model accommodates the data from nonretarded subjects also describes the data from retarded subjects.
Narratives of Guilt and Compliance in Unified Germany: Stasi Informers and their Impact on Society

Introduction: beginnings of a societal debate 1. A completely normal biography 2. The recruitment process: A work of art 3. On motivation 4. Between theory and practice: A day in the life of Stasi informer 5. 'If Only I Had Known': Breaking the bond 6. Politicians as informers 7. Justice and the law 8. The guilt continuum: defining degrees of conformity and resistance 9.Looking back 10. Re-acquisition of biography 11. Impact and implications of an extraordinary legacy Glossary Bibliography
The Big “O”: Sociocultural Influences on Orgasm Frequency and Sexual Satisfaction in Women

Previous research revealed a gap in orgasm frequency between men and women, with women orgasming less frequently than men. Because female orgasms are rooted partially in psychological origins, this gap may be partly explained by sociocultural factors. Utilizing sexual satisfaction as an outcome measure and orgasm frequency as a mediator, we surveyed 1043 women about a multitude of factors to determine the relationship between sociocultural factors, orgasm frequency and sexual satisfaction. Because women may orgasm in different frequencies depending on context, we measured four different orgasm variables: orgasm with self (masturbation), orgasm with a familiar partner, orgasm with a new partner, and multiple orgasm frequency. Factors such as sexual orientation, sexual shame, sexual pride, sexual assertiveness, sexual attitudes (related to permissiveness, birth control and communion), endorsement of traditional gender roles, and endorsement of the sexual double standard were correlated with female orgasm frequency within different contexts. The only orgasm variable that predicted sexual satisfaction was orgasm with a familiar partner, indicating that not all orgasms can predict sexual satisfaction. Overall, sexual assertiveness was the variable that positively correlated with and predicted orgasm frequency in almost all contexts as well as sexual satisfaction. This indicates that socializing women to be more sexually assertive could potentially lead to more frequent orgasms and greater sexual satisfaction. The findings of this study can be used to bridge the orgasm gap between men and women, and in general help women in curating better and more positive sexual encounters.
Storytelling as a Tool for Vicarious Learning among Air Medical Transport Crews

Learning vicariously from the experiences of others at work, such as those working on different teams or projects, has long been recognized as a driver of collective performance in organizations. Y...
River stream flows in the northern Québec Labrador region: a multivariate change point analysis via maximum likelihood.

[1] Spring stream flows of six rivers that flow in the northern Quebec Labrador region are modeled in a multivariate Gaussian framework and have been analyzed for possible change points in their average flows. The multivariate formulation takes into account correlations among the flows of the six rivers that flow in the same region. Significant change was detected in the multivariate mean vector, and the unknown change point is estimated by the method of maximum likelihood estimation. We then establish the asymptotic distribution of the change point maximum likelihood estimate, wherein we show that the multivariate case can be transformed into an equivalent univariate problem. A simulation study is carried out to investigate the robustness of the asymptotic distribution to departures from normality and independence as well as its closeness to finite samples. The asymptotic distribution allowed us to compute confidence interval estimates of the change point in the river flows. A decrease in the mean river flows in 1984 identified by the methodology may have been a consequence of a sharp decline in the region's snow cover that occurred about a year or two ahead.
An Exploratory Analysis of Child Feeding Beliefs and Behaviors Included in Food Blogs Written by Mothers of Preschool-Aged Children.

Abstract Objective This study analyzed child feeding beliefs and behaviors, types of recipes, and their associations in blogs focused on child feeding. Design The authors selected 13 blogs using purposive snowball sampling, from which 158 blog posts were sampled and coded using directed qualitative content analysis. Variables Measured Child feeding beliefs and behaviors and types of recipes were coded using schemes developed from existing literature. Analysis Code frequencies were calculated. Chi-square tests for independence examined associations between child feeding and recipe codes. Bonferroni corrections were applied: P Results Child feeding beliefs and behaviors were coded in 78% and 49% of posts, respectively. Beliefs about children's food preferences (48% of posts) and involving children in food preparation (27% of posts) were the most frequent codes. Recipes were included in 66% of posts. Most recipes were for mixed dishes (32% of recipes), followed by sweets and desserts (19% of recipes). Vegetable recipes were more likely in posts that included behavior encouraging balance and variety (χ2 [1, n = 104] = 18.54; P Conclusions and Implications Blog posts contained information that may influence readers' child feeding practices. Future research should explore how mothers use blogs to learn about child feeding.
Shortness of breath and cardiac conduction abnormality caused by infiltrative cardiomyopathy

A 43-year-old man presented with dyspnoea on exertion. Electrocardiography (ECG) showed sinus bradycardia with second degree atrioventricular block, and right bundle branch block ( Panel A ). An event monitor revealed symptomatic sinus arrest with a junctional escape rhythm. Echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) demonstrated right ventricle (RV) enlargement and reduced RV function ( Panel B ; Supplementary material online, Movies S1 and …
Rethinking World-Systems: Diasporas, Colonies, and Interaction in Uruk Mesopotamia

Rethinking World-Systems: Diasporas, Colonies, and Interaction in Uruk Mesopotamia. Gil J. Stein. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1999. 206 pp.
Improvement of recording positional accuracy in an electron beam recorder

A next generation optical disk is required to have over 23 Gbyte recording capacity for over 2 hour storage of digital high-definition television (HDTV) data. Since track pitch becomes narrower for such a large capacity disk, a high resolution and high accuracy mastering system is required. To realize this objective, we have developed an electron beam recorder (EBR) and have been studying fabrication of master stampers for next generation optical disks and for future optical disks (Y. Kojima et al, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. vol. 37, p. 2137, 1998; Y. Wada et al, ibid., vol. 40, p. 1653, 2001). In this paper, we report an investigation of recording accuracy in the EBR and a trial for improvement.
Segmenting Golfers by Their Attitudes Toward Food and Beverage Service Available During Play

Abstract Researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) received a grant from a leading beverage company to conduct a study of golfers' attitudes toward food and beverage service. An area rarely researched, findings indicated that golfers could be clustered and profiled according to their food and beverage attitudes, specifically concerning service offered on the course during play. The funding company believes that the information will be useful to its golf distribution channel customers, as well as course/club operators, who are seeking ways to maximize revenues in services associated with the game of golf.