cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How should medical student surgical rotations be structured to optimize education

Background Surgical rotations for medical students have traditionally been service-based, with students observing surgical cases in an area of concentration specific to their assigned service. This may result in a lack of exposure to other surgical fields. To overcome this problem, students may rotate through focused “mini-rotations” in surgical subspecialties. We evaluated improvements in knowledge for students exposed to the two following types of surgical education: (1) traditional service-based rotations and (2) focused mini-rotations in a surgical subspecialty. Methods Third-year medical students ( n = 281) were assigned to a 4-week rotation on one of three services, with students on one service having a focused exposure to endocrine surgery. General surgical services included (1) surgical oncology/endocrine, (2) trauma, and (3) general surgery. In addition, all students were required to do a “mini-rotation” on vascular surgery for 2 days. To determine if there was a difference in learning between service-based (endocrine) versus mini-rotation-based (vascular) approaches to surgical education, a pre- and postrotation endocrine/vascular exam was administered. Results Students with exposure to endocrine surgery had a 2-fold improvement in endocrine exam test scores ( P = 0.001) compared to students on other general surgery services. There was no difference in vascular exam scores between students on different surgical rotations, reflecting the fact that all students had exposure to vascular surgery. Conclusion Service-based rotations can lead to disproportionate learning experiences due to variations in exposure. “Mini-rotations” appear to equalize learning opportunities by providing all students with exposure to surgical subspecialties. These results suggest that educational experiences may be maximized by incorporating focused mini-rotations in surgical subspecialties.
Diagnosis of Retinoblastoma: How good are referring physicians?

Purpose: To evaluate accuracy of the referring diagnoses of retinoblastoma to a tertiary cancer referral center.Methods: Retrospective chart review of 352 retinoblastoma-related patients seen by the ophthalmic oncology service during a 4-year period from January 1, 2004 to October 21, 2008. Of these, 111 were referred with a suspicion of new retinoblastoma and were included in the study. Fundus photographs, gender, family history of retinoblastoma, initial symptoms, age, initial and referring physicians’ specialty (eg, pediatrician, general ophthalmologist, retinal specialist) and their suspected diagnoses were recorded. The main outcome measure was accuracy of diagnosis given by referring providers.Results: Of 111 patients, 62% had retinoblastoma and 38% did not. Persistent fetal vasculature (PFV) and Coats’ Disease were the most common simulating lesions accounting for 31% and 29% of the simulating lesions respectively. Other simulating lesions included infrequent cases of rare conditions such as primar...
Reducing pawing in horses using positive reinforcement

Aversive control is a common method to reduce undesirable behavior in horses. However, it often results in unintended negative side effects, including potential abuse of the animal. Procedures based on positive reinforcement, such as differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO), may reduce undesirable behaviors with fewer negative consequences. The current study used DRO schedules to reduce pawing using a multiple baseline design across 3 horses. Results indicated that DRO schedules were effective at reducing pawing. However, individual differences in sensitivity to DRO and reinforcer efficacy may be important considerations.
The Auburn University Solar Decathlon House

The U.S. Department of Energy has sponsored the world's first student design contest to build houses powered only by the sun and that competed in ten contests. These houses were located on the National Mall in Washington, DC from September 19 through October 9, 2002. This paper describes the architectural and power system approach taken by Auburn University and the contest results. The roof size was limited to 800 ft/sup 2/, thus area for both thermal and electrical power was limited. Energy efficient appliances were used to minimize energy usage in the contest.
Crowd dynamics of behavioural intention: train station and museum case studies

As the human population grows so does the need to understand human behaviour. One particularly important aspect of human behaviour is how it changes within conglomerations of people i.e. crowds. In this article, a method for modelling crowd behaviour is proposed. This method draws inspiration from the concept of behavioural intention and the related forces of attitudes, influences, and social norms. These topics are first defined and detailed, followed by a survey of related research. Next, the model is presented and adapted to two common crowd dynamic scenarios, which stress a component of behavioural intention. Finally, observations are made about the model, as well as extensions to the models and directions for future research are considered.
Programmable metallization cell memory based on Ag-Ge-S and Cu-Ge-S solid electrolytes

Programmable metallization cell (PMC) memory is based on the electrochemical growth and removal of nanoscale metallic pathways in thin films of solid electrolyte. Our previous studies concentrated on electrolytes formed from silver-doped germanium selenide glasses but these materials are not able to withstand the temperatures used in standard back-end-of-line processing for the fabrication of CMOS integrated circuits. This paper concerns our more recent work on silver-doped germanium sulfide electrolytes and describes the electrical characteristics of PMC devices made from these materials following annealing at 300 degC and 430 degC. We also present results from devices that use copper in place of silver as this metal is currently used in integrated circuit interconnect
A Hybrid Anycast Routing Protocol for Load Balancing in Heterogeneous Access Networks

The wireless multihop to an access point model appears to be a promising component of future network architectures, including multihop cellular networks and wireless access networks at the edges of mesh networks. Sophisticated software radios and core network protocols are being developed to support the integration of heterogeneous access networks. A challenge is managing diverse resources at access points (e.g., 3G, WiFi or WiMax), as well as the distributed interference among the mobiles within a heterogeneous access network. We propose the use of a new anycasting protocol to guide access point discovery and path selection for balancing access point resource and routing packets to access points (APs). In addition, a hybrid proactive/reactive approach is used to reduce overhead of AP discovery. We use theoretical analysis and extensive simulations, to study the tradeoff of our hybrid anycasting protocol. The simulation study indicates that the use of the hybrid anycasting protocol for AP discovery, load balancing and routing, results in consistent performance improvements.
American Books on Austria-Hungary1

American scholarship on Austria-Hungary, at least so far as it concerns published books, got under way only at the end of the First World War. A fair number of books were written during the previous century, but few made any pretension to serious scholarship and fewer still had any permanent value. The prewar literature consisted of a few history texts;2 some polemical works on the Hungarian Revolution of 1848–49, most of which were ardently pro-Kossuth;3 descriptive and travel accounts designed to acquaint Americans with the native homes of the newer wave of immigrants (books which were usually well-intentioned but were also sentimental and superficial);4 and tracts on Austria-Hungary and the World War, which were at best one-sided and at worst sheer propaganda.5
Effects of 21 days of varenicline versus placebo on smoking behaviors and urges among non-treatment seeking smokers.

Varenicline promotes smoking cessation and reduces urges to smoke. However, the mechanisms associated with these effects and their time course are not well characterized. One mechanism may be extinction, but the duration of the current dosing protocol may not be sufficient. We examined the effect of extended pre-treatment with varenicline on smoking behavior among 17 non-treatment seeking adult smokers. Using a within-subjects, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, participants received standard dosing of varenicline for 21 days, followed by a 14-day washout period and 21 days of placebo; order counterbalanced. Cigarettes per day (CPD), smoking topography, smoking urges (QSU), and side effects were assessed every three days. Biomarkers (e.g. nicotine metabolites) were collected on days 1, 7, and 21. There was a significant drug by time interaction indicating a reduction in CPD during varenicline phase (between days 10–21), but no reduction during placebo. Varenicline also led to reductions in nicotine metabolites and urges to smoke. Among this sample of non-treatment seeking smokers, varenicline significantly reduced smoking behavior. Results have important treatment implications because changes in CPD and craving did not occur until after the typical one-week run-up period. This suggests that a longer duration of pre-treatment may be beneficial for some smokers.
How Plaintiffs' Experts Can Exaggerate Salary Loss

To sight sleight of hand in economic loss figures in tort cases, assess the assumptions and suspect the statistics.
Energy storage: Redox flow batteries go organic.

The use of renewable resources as providers to the electrical grid is hampered by the intermittent and irregular nature in which they generate energy. Electrical energy storage technology could provide a solution and now, by using an iterative design process, a promising anolyte for use in redox flow batteries has been developed.
Micromechanical Behavior of Polymer Interface Reinforced with Copolymers

The fracture toughness of interface reinforced with dps-b-dpmma copolymer between immiscible polymers of PS and PMMA is tested by asymmetric double cantilever beam. The local deformation field at the interfacial crack tip is determined by the technique of SIEM. Normal and tangential crack opening displacements are calculated. A weak singularity is shown to exist near crack tip. Direct observation on the fracture process inside an environmental scanning electron microscope shows the large effect of mode mixity.
Effect of Androgen Administration upon Pregnandiol Excretion in Cyclical Women

Summary and ConclusionsEight women with regular menstrual periods and normal cyclic estrogen and progesterone production, as evidenced by the finding of typical secretory endometria premenstrually, were treated with androgens (methyl testosterone by mouth, testosterone propionate by injection, and testosterone and testosterone propionate by implantation) in order to determine the effect of the androgens upon excretion of SPG. The results indicate that doses of androgens which have been found, in previous studies, to be suppressive (i. e., to cause suppression of pituitary gonadotropic hormone excretion; inhibition of ovulation and menstruation), when administered early in the cycle, result in failure of SPG to appear in the urine during the current cycle and lead to suppression of the next expected menstrual period. In one patient (Case No. 6), 1175 mg of testosterone propionate, administered after the 9th day of the cycle, did not appear to appreciably affect the excretion of the pregnandiol complex duri...
Compound-Specific Gas Chromatographic/Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Alkylated and Parent Poly cyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Waters, Sediments, and Aquatic Organisms

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their alkylated and heterocyclic analogs are ubiquitous contaminants in aquatic environments, including estuaries and marine systems. Methodology for compound-specific analysis of 63 parent, alkylated, and heterocyclic PAHs using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in both scanning and selected-ion monitoring modes has been developed and applied to sediment, natural waters and effluents, and marine organisms including oysters, mussels, and fish. Relative response factors and relative retention times for the 63 alkylated, heterocyclic, and parent PAHs compared with 6 deuterated PAHs are given. Analyses of natural sea water samples, enriched at concentrations ranging from 5 to 100 ng/L, show good accuracy (8% mean difference at the 5 ng/L level) and precision (mean RSD of 9%), and method detection limits are in the parts-per-trillion range. Results for sediments and tissues of aquatic organisms exposed to petroleum contamination demonstrate that analysis of parent PAHs alone vastly underestimates levels in sediments and tissues and the potential toxic effects of such residues in food webs. Multiple analyses of a reference tissue material show good precision (mean RSD of 15%) and accuracy (mean difference of 17%) for both alkylated and parent PAHs.
Active electronically scanned array (AESA) system noise temperature

In calculating the antenna system noise temperature the question always arises as to how to account for the antenna mismatch. In this paper it is shown that the antenna mismatch introduces another term into the antenna system temperature equation. This term increases the system temperature. It is due to the reflection of the noise coming out of the receiver in the direction of the antenna that is reflected back into the receiver towards its signal output port. For a single port reflector antenna system this term is equal to the temperature Tr of the noise coming out of the receiver towards the antenna times the antenna power reflection coefficient |Γ|2. This is usually included in the radiometer field but not by those in the radar and communication fields. For an active phased array the question that arises is: What reflection coefficient to use? It is shown that for an active electronically scanned array (AESA) the reflection coefficient to use for this incoherent noise is the same one used for a coherent signal transmitted in the direction of the main beam. This result is new for those in the radiometer, radar and communication fields. Sometimes system engineers argue that because antenna mismatch is nonohmic it has no effect in calculating the system temperature of an AESA. Doing this can yield a large underestimate of the system temperature at large scan angles, 1.2 to 2.4 dB for the examples cases considered here. It is shown that if the mismatch loss is treated as fully ohmic the correct system noise temperature results are obtained. However to determine the temperature of the ohmic mismatch requires understanding that this noise originates from the noise coming out of the receiver in the direction of the antenna. The temperature of the ohmic mismatch loss will be equal to the temperature of this receiver noise at the point of the mismatch. We will first analyze single port dish and lens antennas which use a single Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) for the sum channel and then cover active electronically scanned arrays (transmit/receive or receive only).
Cellular function of the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) as a phenotypic probe for pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

2591 Background: A phenotypic probe is a test that can be administered to a patient as a potential indicator of a drug’s PK/PD which can then be used to individualize therapy. Since nanoparticles a...
Time-wavelength optical sampling based on laser cavity tuning

We report a new time-wavelength mapping scheme based on optical sampling by cavity tuning and demonstrate its application in absorption spectroscopy.
Psychological Well-Being as a Function of Affectionate Communication and Emotional Intelligence

This study examined indicators of psychological well-being as a function of affectionate communication and emotional intelligence. Two hundred and seventeen college-aged students completed measures of expressed and received affection; mental health, happiness, self-esteem, depression, and stress; and emotional intelligence. Results indicated that expressed affection is negatively associated with stress; received affection is positively associated with mental health and self-esteem and negatively associated with depression and stress. Furthermore, results provided support for models in which emotional intelligence impacts psychological well-being after accounting for the variance explained by expressed and received affection.
A linear-time algorithm to sample the dual-birth model

The ability to sample models of tree evolution is essential in the analysis and interpretation of phylogenetic trees. The dual-birth model is an extension of the traditional birth-only model and allows for sampling trees of varying degrees of balance. However, for a tree with n leaves, the tree sampling algorithm proposed in the original paper is O( n log n ). I propose an algorithm to sample trees under the dual-birth model in O( n ), and I provide a fast C++ implementation of the proposed algorithm.
Consumer Reactions to Drip Pricing

This research examines how drip pricing—a strategy whereby a firm advertises only part of a product’s price up front and then reveals additional mandatory or optional fees/surcharges as the consume...
Cyclic tetranuclear iron-carbonyl complex containing thiobisbenzenethiolate ligands: Synthesis and structural characterization

Abstract A new macromolecular double-butterfly Fe/S carbonyl cluster, [Fe2(CO)6]2(μ-4,4′-thiobisbenzenethiolato)2 (1), a model for the active site of [Fe-Fe] hydrogenases, has been prepared and characterized by spectroscopic methods and X-ray crystallography. The molecular structure of 1 contains two units of S2Fe2(CO)6 covalently linked to two thiobisbenzene groups to form a 26-membered metallocycle with the benzene substituents on sulfur adopting an ae stereochemistry. The Fe-Fe bond in 1 is 2.5046(5) A which is close to that of the enzyme and related complexes. Crystals of 1 obtained from dichlormethane solution of [Fe2(CO)6]2(μ-4,4′-thiobisbenzenethiolato)2 contain two dichloromethane molecules trapped in the cavity of 1. Infrared spectrum of 1 has peaks at 2071, 2030, and 1972 cm−1 charateristic of the presence of the Fe2(CO)6 core. Spectroscopic evidence suggest significant electronic interaction between the thiobisbenzene moieties and the S2Fe2(CO)6 units in 1.
Volatile Organic Compound Detection using Porous-Silicon-Oxide Coated Disc-on-Pillar Arrays

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are ubiquitous and have potential environmental and health impacts. Here, we describe the fabrication of a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) based substrate for the rapid detection of VOCs, with reduced exposure and spectral collection times. We demonstrate that characteristic SERS spectra of two VOCs can be obtained with short acquisition times after only 30 s of exposure to the neat liquid.
Reconstruction/Disaster Planning: United States

Natural and related technological disasters cost the citizens of the United States in excess of $500 million per week. Much of this damage has occurred because of inadequate attention to hazards in the location and design of urban development. By the same token, future vulnerability to loss can be reduced significantly if local governments prepare and implement post-disaster-reconstruction and hazard-mitigation plans. These plans can be designed as stand-alone plans or as elements of broader comprehensive plans for urban development and redevelopment. The latter approach is preferred, since comprehensive plans already have standing in local governments, and they provide a means to integrate hazard mitigation with other community goals. Whichever approach is taken, plans must have a sound factual basis in hazards assessment. They must develop objectives, policies, and recommendations for action through a consensus-building process that involves collaboration among public agencies and with citizens and stakeholders. Provision for periodic review and update is also essential. Effective plans use a variety of tools to mitigate hazards (both before and immediately after disasters). These include public information, regulations, public works, and incentives for hazard-resilient construction.
Mobility Vector Model

The mobility vector model that provides the mobility framework for many mobility models is described. The mathematical framework of this model is defined and its flexibility for producing various models within a single framework in various simulations is explained.
Walking the walk or talking the talk? Corporate social responsibility decoupling in emerging market multinationals

Research shows that emerging market multinational enterprises (EM-MNEs) increasingly use corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting as a global legitimation strategy. Less is known about when their CSR reporting is decoupled from their CSR performance. Drawing on neo-institutional theory, we argue that EM-MNEs’ CSR decoupling is shaped by their dual embeddedness in their home countries and the global institutional environment. We then examine how EM-MNEs’ home country institutional voids and degree of internationalization affect their tendency to engage in such decoupling. Our model receives partial support in a study of 93 MNEs from 15 emerging markets between 2005 and 2012.
A sensitive GC/MS detection method for analyzing microbial metabolites short chain fatty acids in fecal and serum samples.

Abstract Gut microbiota and their major metabolites, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), are recognized as important players in gut homeostasis and metabolic disease occurance. A convenient and sensitive detection method is needed to profile SCFAs in limited and complex biological samples. The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is the most common method for SCFAs profiling in biological samples. Trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatization reagents such as N, O-bis(trimethyl-silyl)-trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) are commonly used in GC/MS analysis to improve sensitivity and accuracy, but they were barely used in SCFA analysis due to their sensitivity to moisture and the volatility of SCFAs. Here, we developed a rapid, convenient and reliable method for SCFAs profiling in small amounts of fecal and serum samples by GC/MS using BSTFA in combination with sodium sulfate dehydration pretreatment. SCFAs were extracted with anhydrous ether from acidified fecal water extract or serum samples, followed by dehydration with sodium sulfate and BSTFA derivatization at a reduced temperature. Select ion monitoring mode was used for highly sensitive quantification of SCFAs by GC/MS. The derivation with BSTFA at 37 °C or 22 °C showed an excellent linearity (R2 > 0.999), good recoveries (81.27–128.42%), high repeatability (RSD
The mediating role of self-efficacy on entrepreneurial intentions: Exploring boundary conditions

Abstract Zhao, Seibert and Hills (“ZSH”) developed an important framework in their 2005 article in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Using a sample of MBA students, ZSH found that entrepreneurial self-efficacy mediated the relationship between certain factors and entrepreneurial intentions. In this study, we conduct a “quasi replication” and extension of the ZSH results. Using a sample of adults in the U.S., we both replicate key findings but also find considerable heterogeneity in effect sizes across certain sample sub-groups. Our results offer important insights regarding entrepreneurial processes across different sectors of the population.
Fetal growth in environmental epidemiology: mechanisms, limitations, and a review of associations with biomarkers of non-persistent chemical exposures during pregnancy.

Non-persistent chemicals, such as phthalates, environmental phenols, organophosphate pesticides, and others, are challenging to study because of their ubiquity in the environment, diverse exposure routes, and high temporal variability of biomarkers. Nonetheless, there is interest in understanding how gestational exposure to these chemicals may affect fetal growth, as perturbations to normal fetal growth are related to a plethora of adverse health outcomes in childhood and adulthood. The purpose of this review is to describe the state of the science on this topic. We searched PubMed for studies that included both 1) biomarkers of non-persistent chemicals collected during pregnancy and 2) fetal growth outcomes measured at birth (e.g., birth weight) or by ultrasound in utero (e.g., estimated fetal weight). The bulk of the literature we found uses biomarkers measured at a single time point in pregnancy and birth weight as the primary measure of fetal growth. There is a small, but growing, body of research that uses ultrasound measures to assess fetal growth during pregnancy. In addition to summarizing the findings of the publications we identified, we describe inconsistencies in methodology, areas for improvement, and gaps in existing knowledge that can be targeted for improvement in future work. This literature is characterized by variability in methodology, likely contributing to the inconsistency of results reported. We further discuss maternal, placental, and fetal pathways by which these classes of chemicals may affect fetal growth. To improve understanding of how everyday chemical exposures affect fetal growth, and ultimately lifelong health outcomes, mechanisms of toxicant action should be considered alongside improved study designs for future hypothesis-driven research.
Significance of degree of destructive stromal invasion in early stage endocervical adenocarcinoma.

e17023Background: Recent evidence has suggested that stratifying endocervical adenocarcinomas based on degree of destructive stromal invasion and desmoplastic response may help further identify ris...
Spans in South Caucasian agreement

I argue that a range of morphological phenomena sensitive to features of multiple arguments in Georgian (South Caucasian)—including Anti-Superiority ef- fects (Bejar 2003), and omnivorous number effects (Nevins 2011) – receive a unified account if spellout targets contiguous spans of maximally simple heads, in a fixed hierarchy. I introduce new data from a related language, Laz, and show that a close comparison of the two languages reveals that (i) number agreement is expressed om- nivorously only if the prefix is not sensitive to number, and that (ii) this number expression covaries with Tense only if the subject is third person. I argue that both Anti-Superiority and the facts about number expression should be interpreted as fu- sional morphology being limited to third person contexts, and that a principled expla- nation for such an asymmetry can be provided, if first and second person structurally contain third person, and the matching of exponents with syntactic structure is gov- erned by Overspecification (Starke 2009), such that a lexicalized span is a candidate of spellout for its sub-spans.
In-Vitro Comparative Examination of the Effect of Stromal Vascular Fraction Isolated by Mechanical and Enzymatic Methods on Wound Healing.

BACKGROUND Enzymatic digestion has been the gold standard for stromal vascular fraction (SVF) isolation but remains expensive and raises practical and legal concerns. Mechanical SVF isolation methods have been known to produce lower cell yields, but may potentially produce a more robust product by preserving the extracellular matrix niche. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare mechanically dissociated SVF (M-SVF) and enzymatically digested SVF (E-SVF) in terms of wound-healing efficacy. METHODS Lipoaspirate was partitioned into 2 equal groups and processed by either mechanical or enzymatic isolation methods. After SVF isolation, cell counts and viabilities were determined by flow cytometry and cell proliferation rates were measured by the WST-1 test. A wound-healing scratch assay test, which is commonly used to model in-vitro wound healing, was performed with both cell cocktails. Collagen type 1 (Col1A) gene expression level, which is known for its role in wound healing, was also measured for both groups. RESULTS As predicted, E-SVF isolated more cells (mean [standard deviation], 1.74 [3.63] × 106/mL, n = 10, P = 0.015) than M-SVF (0.94 [1.69] × 106/mL, n = 10, P = 0.015), but no significant difference was observed in cell viability. However, M-SVF expressed over 2-fold higher levels of stem cell surface markers and a 10% higher proliferation rate compared with E-SVF. In addition, the migration rate and level of Col1A gene expression of M-SVF were found to be significantly higher than those of E-SVF. CONCLUSIONS Although the cell yield of M-SVF was less than that of E-SVF, M-SVF appears to have superior wound-healing properties.
Bee Communities of Emergent Wetlands under Restoration in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley of Arkansas

Native bee communities in wetlands are poorly described and the recognized loss of wetlands in the United States adds to the need to better understand these communities. In particular, wetlands in the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) have declined >50% during the past 70 years. Loss of wetlands and intensification of the region's agriculture are thought to be putting native bee communities at risk. We sampled palustrine emergent wetlands being restored through either active or passive management in the Arkansas portion of the LMAV to assess how those management practices related to bee species richness and diversity. During the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons, we captured 17,860 individual bees representing 5 families, 83 species, and 31 genera; 17 species of which were singletons. Thirteen species were unique to actively managed stands, and 15 species were unique to passively managed stands. Neither species richness nor diversity differed between actively and passively managed wetland sites. Although management type did not have a strong impact on bee communities, we maintain that these restored wetlands have created attractive patches of habitat for native bees.
Preemptive cardiac resynchronization therapy to prevent cardiac arrest in peripartum cardiomyopathy: a case report

Select patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy are candidates for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) due to the increased risk for life threatening arrhythmias and sudden death. We present a case of peripartum cardiomyopathy awaiting CRT placement who suffered cardiac arrest during the surgical dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure for pregnancy termination.
If "Black Lives Matter in Literacy Research," Then Take This Racial Turn: Developing Racial Literacies.

When I look back before 2020, before the murder of Mr. George Floyd in particular, and think about this special issue, “Black Lives Matter in Literacy Research,” a question comes to my mind: Are we...
The Rid family member RutC of Escherichia coli is a 3-aminoacrylate deaminase

The Rid protein family (PF14588, IPR006175) is divided into nine subfamilies, of which only the RidA subfamily has been characterized biochemically. RutC, the founding member of one subfamily, is encoded in the pyrimidine utilization (rut) operon that encodes a pathway that allows Escherichia coli to use uracil as a sole nitrogen source. Results reported herein demonstrate that RutC has 3-aminoacrylate deaminase activity and facilitates one of the reactions previously presumed to occur spontaneously in vivo. RutC was active with several enamine–imine substrates, showing similarities and differences in substrate specificity with the canonical member of the Rid superfamily, Salmonella enterica RidA. Under standard laboratory conditions, a Rut pathway lacking RutC generates sufficient nitrogen from uracil for growth of E. coli. These results support a revised model of the Rut pathway and provide evidence that Rid proteins may modulate metabolic fitness, rather than catalyzing essential functions.
Spending Fast and Furious: Political Advertising in 2020

This article is a "first look" at political advertising in 2020 Spending on political advertising in the United States in 2020 obliterated records, and Democrats held huge advantages in the presidential race and in most congressional and senatorial races In addition, all indicators suggest that spending on digital advertising continued to rise Political advertising was largely similar in tone to past years and, in the presidential race, was substantially more positive than 2016 In addition, interest groups remained heavily involved in federal races in 2020, airing more ads than ever before, though their spending as a percentage of total ad spending was slightly less than in 2016 Political ad spending in 2020 may have been historically high because of the impact of COVID-19 on how campaigns could reach voters, suggesting that paid advertising may decline in 2022 and 2024, at least as a percentage of total election spending [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Forum (2194-6183) is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )
SERMiner : A Framework for Early-stage Reliability Estimation for IBM Processors

Early stage modeling of processor reliability is a key feature in the design and manufacturing cycle of IBM server-class processors. In this paper, we present SERMiner, a highly adaptable methodology for early-stage processor reliability estimation. We demonstrate how this methodology can be used to evaluate potential processor vulnerability to soft errors. We carry out extensive evaluations to determine the vulnerability across a comprehensive suite of synthetic and real-world benchmarks and also show how this estimation evolves across different processor generations and stages of design.
Cutaneous melanoma surveillance counterpoint: USA

Skin cancer represents the most common type of cancer diagnosed in the United States today, with rates of both nonmelanoma and melanoma skin cancers currently rising in young adults [1, 2]. Although melanoma accounts for less than 5 % of all skin cancer cases, the majority of the skin cancer deaths are due to this disease. The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2009 there were over 68,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in the United States and over 8,600 deaths from melanoma. It is a disease primarily of the Caucasian population. Overall, the lifetime risk of getting melanoma is about 1 in 50 for whites, 1 in 1,000 for blacks, and 1 in 200 for Hispanics (www.cancer.org).
Efficient sphere-covering and converse measure concentration via generalized coding theorems

Suppose A is a nite set, let P be a discrete probability distribution on A, and let M be an arbitrary \mass" function on A. We give a precise characterization of the most ecient way in which A n can be almost-covered using spheres of a xed radius. An almost-covering is a subset Cn of A n , such that the union of the spheres centered at the points of Cn has probability close to one with respect to the product distribution P n . Spheres are dened in terms of a single-letter distortion measure on A n , an ecient covering is one with small mass M n (Cn), and n is typically large. In information-theoretic terms, the sets Cn are rate-distortion codebooks, but instead of minimizing their size we seek to minimize their mass. With dierent choices for M and the distortion measure on A our results give various corollaries as special cases, including Shannon’s classical rate-distortion theorem, a version of Stein’s lemma (in hypothesis testing), and a new converse to some measure-concentration inequalities on discrete spaces. Under mild conditions, we generalize our results to abstract spaces and non-product measures.
Once-daily therapy for angina pectoris with nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system: Dosing and clinical efficacy

The nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system (GITS) is a promising new formulation that provides continuous release of nifedipine over the course of 24 hours with once-daily dosing. Results from a 14-week, open-label, crossover multicenter trial completed by 91 patients with chronic stable angina pectoris demonstrate that patients treated with standard nifedipine capsules may be switched to equivalent total 24-hour doses of nifedipine GITS and achieve comparable or improved efficacy (due to improved compliance) with a more favorable side-effects profile. Furthermore, in a subset of 10 patients who underwent sequential exercise testing, exercise responses obtained throughout 12 weeks of treatment with nifedipine GITS were comparable to measurements obtained during treatment with nifedipine capsules and demonstrated that tolerance did not occur. These patients also experienced significantly fewer vasodilatory side effects during treatment with nifedipine GITS compared with nifedipine capsules. Thus, nifedipine GITS represents a sound pharmacologic approach to the management of ischemic disease; and with once-daily dosing and a favorable side-effect profile this agent affords the potential for better patient compliance and efficacy without concern about the development of tolerance.
The stick-slip problem for a round jet

The stick-slip problem for a round jet studied in Part I gives a good approximation for the swell of a low speed jet when the surface tension is large but it fails when the surface tension is small. In this paper a new stick-slip problem (II) is defined and solved using matched eigenfunction expansions. The new problem reduces to that solved in Part I when the surface tension is large and gives good results in the case of zero and small surface tension.
Sharp-Force Trauma Analysis and the Forensic Anthropologist: Techniques Advocated by William R. Maples, Ph.D.

forensic anthropological tenets supported by William R. Maples, Ph.D. provide the bases for a case study from the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory. Using a multidisciplinary team that included police investigators, pathologists, odontologists. entomologists, and anthrpologists, a biological profile and trauma analysis was constructed. Our analysis determined that the decedent was a middle-aged Hispanic male, approximately 5′6″–5′7″ in stature, who had died a minimum of three months before the discovery of his remains. Gross and microscopic analysis revealed 11 areas of sharp trauma to the skull and cervical vertebrae. To aid with analysis of the trauma, nonhuman trauma exemplars were created using a Tiger® rear flail mower of the make known to have been used at the scene where the remains were recovered. This use of nonhuman trauma exemplars proved to be essential in the effort to exclude the rear flail mower as the possible trauma agent.
Medial Superior Temporal Area Neurons Respond to Speed Patterns in Optic Flow

The speed of visual motion in optic flow fields can provide important cues about self-movement. We have studied the speed sensitivities of 131 neurons in the dorsal region of the medial superior temporal area (MSTd) that responded to either radial or circular optic flow stimuli. The responses of more than two-thirds of these neurons were strongly modulated by changes in the mean speed of motion in optic flow stimuli, with response profiles resembling simple filter characteristics. When we removed the normal gradient of speeds in optic flow (slower speeds in the center, faster speeds in the periphery), approximately two-thirds of the neurons showed changes in their responses. When the speed gradient was altered rather than eliminated, almost nine in 10 neurons preferred either a normal speed gradient or an inverted one (slower speeds near the periphery) over stimuli with no speed gradient. These speed gradient preferences do not come simply from different speed preferences in the central and peripheral segments of the stimulus area. Rather, these speed gradient preferences seemed to reflect interactions between simultaneously presented speeds within an optic flow stimulus. The sensitivity of MSTd neurons to patterns of speed, as well as patterns of direction, strengthens the view that these neurons are well suited to the analysis of optic flow. Sensitivity to speed gradients in optic flow might contribute to neuronal mechanisms for spatial orientation during self-movement and for representing the three-dimensional structure of the visual environment.
Effect of leuprolide acetate in patients with functional bowel disease. Long-term follow-up after double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

We initially investigated the effects of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog, leuprolide acetate, in 28 patients with moderate to severe functional bowel disease in a phase-II, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study using Lupron Depot 3.75 mg (which delivers a continuous low dose of drug for one month) or placebo given intramuscularly. After completing that 12-week study period during which their symptoms had improved significantly (P<0.01–0.5), the 28 patients were allowed to continue receiving leuprolide acetate; they were monitored for an additional 40 weeks. Of those 28, 25 (89%) finished the 52-week treatment. Drug administration was changed from the monthly low-dose form of leuprolide acetate to a daily subcutaneous dose that was gradually increased from 0.5 mg daily to an effective therapeutic dose (1.0–1.5 mg). All subjects received estrogen replacement during this period. Continued use of leuprolide acetate at maximum therapeutic dosage and over longer periods of time produced even more striking and significant changes in the disabling and debilitating symptoms of functional bowel disease. Nausea, abdominal pain, early satiety, anorexia, and abdominal distension decreased markedly (P<0.0001) and vomiting was also reduced (P<0.01) more than in the short-term, low-dosage, double-blind study. Combined total symptom scores and overall assessment also changed significantly in the long-term phase (bothP<0.0001).
Analysis and application of solid-gas flow inside a venturi with particle interaction

Abstract A two-phase one-dimensional solid—gas flow model which describes the flow inside a variable area duct has been developed. The model includes multiparticle equations and considers particle—particle interaction. Predictions have been compared with experimental data for the pressure drop and pressure recovery through two venturis at different solid to gas loading ratios. Accurate knowledge of the particle-size distribution is extremely important for good comparison. No meaningful single particle-size diameter is found that yields predictions to agree with the measurements. The venturi may be used as a measuring device for solid—gas flow rates for systems if the particle-size distribution is accurately known. However, the venturi-diffuser section loses its effectiveness in recovering the pressure as the solid loading increases.
A recency effect in sound localization

In a free-field pointing task, listeners localized trains of 4–32 spatially distributed Gabor clicks (narrowband impulses) centered at 4‐kHz carrier frequency and repeating at an interval of 5ms. Multiple regression coefficients estimated the perceptual “weight” applied to each click in a train during location judgments. Temporal weighting functions obtained in this way exhibited two key features: onset dominance, as evidenced by high weight on the initial click, and “upweighting” of late-arriving sound, as evidenced by weights that gradually increased over the duration of each click-train. Across all tested click-train durations, and despite randomly varying the durations from trial to trial, the greatest post-onset weights were consistently found for clicks at or near the offset. The results imply a special importance of late-arriving sound rather than feedforward recovery from onset dominance, and are broadly consistent with recency effects resulting from temporal integration.
The luminance difference threshold as a contrast threshold: evidence for inhibitory interactions in spatial summation.

Abstract Spatial summation is examined with test stimuli that differ in their time course. Results indicate that ramp (gradual onset and offset) test flashes yield qualitatively different spatial summation functions than functions obtained with square-wave (rapid onset and offset) test flashes. The differences that are observed would not be anticipated if threshold for homogeneous disk stimuli derived from the convolution of purely excitatory retinal elements. Instead, these differences suggest the involvement of both excitatory and inhibitory factors in detection.
Angiogenic Therapy for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Rationale and Promise

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is one of the most common and significant medical complications associated with preterm birth, affecting 5000 to 10 000 babies annually. It was originally defined as a disorder occurring in infants who were ventilated for neonatal respiratory distress with the primary lung features being mucosal metaplasia of the airways, emphysema, widespread interstitial fibrosis, and remodeling of the small pulmonary arteries.1 Improvements in neonatal care, including antenatal steroids, surfactant therapy, better ventilator strategies, and improved nutritional support, although not reducing the incidence of the disease (the overall numbers of patients with BPD has increased), have led to the development of what is now called “the new BPD.” This so-called new BPD is characterized histopathologically primarily by an impairment of alveolar formation, which often leads to long-term global reductions in alveolar number and gas exchange surface area.2–4 This impairment of alveolar and vascular development is believed to contribute increased morbidity including the development of late cardiopulmonary disease, exercise intolerance, increased risk of asthma, pulmonary hypertension, and the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in these infants as they grow into adulthood.4 Thus, therapies aimed at promoting lung alveolar and vascular growth in these infants may be highly beneficial in the prevention of these sequelae of premature birth. Article p 2477 BPD is a multifactorial disease resulting from the impact of injury (including oxygen toxicity, barotrauma, volutrauma, and infection) on the immature lung. Infants most susceptible to the development of BPD (<750 to 1000 g and 28 weeks’ gestation) are in an early stage of lung development, probably late cannilicular or early saccular.5 At this time, the lung is just beginning to develop the distal airspaces and microcirculation that will ultimately allow it to effectively serve its postnatal role in gas exchange. In the normal fetus, …
A Lattice Model of Vitrification and Gelation

In this work we introduce a simple lattice model with T-shaped molecules in two dimensions that exhibits a rich range of morphological behaviors. Depending on the volume fraction and quench path, this system can adopt uniform liquid, solution, and phase-separated states, as well as inhomogeneous glass or gel-like states, as revealed by dynamic mean-field simulations. An important characteristic of this system is the existence of a large number of degenerate low-energy states with small barriers that leads to a broad, kinetically explored landscape. The mean-field stability and phase diagram of this model is constructed and provides a useful guide for understanding the complex behaviors of the system. One striking feature is that there is a cascade of instabilities that converge to mark the onset of what we identify as the glass transition. Both dynamic mean-field and Monte Carlo simulations reveal glass-like relaxation dynamics. Our results lead to a picture of gelation as a continuation of the glass transition into the two-phase region, or equivalently, as an incomplete phase separation arrested by the onset of the glass transition.