cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MORAL LEARNING AND MORAL REALISM: HOW EMPIRICAL PSYCHOLOGY ILLUMINATES ISSUES IN MORAL ONTOLOGY

Although scientific naturalistic philosophers have been concerned with the role of scientific psychology in illuminating problems in moral psychology, they have paid less attention to the contributions that it might make to issues of moral ontology. In this paper, I illustrate how findings in moral developmental psychology illuminate and advance the discussion of a long- standing issue in moral ontology, that of moral realism. To do this, I examine Gilbert Harman and Nicholas Sturgeon's discussion of that issue. I contend that their explorations leave the issue unresolved. To break the stalemate, I appeal to empirical psychological findings about moral internalization—the process by which children acquire the capacity to act in terms of moral norms. I contend that these findings illuminate the issue, suggest a way to advance it, and tend to support a moral realist position.
Scale considerations for integrating forest inventory plot data and satellite image data for regional forest mapping

article i nfo The integration of satellite image data with forest inventory plot data is a popular approach for mapping forest vegetation over large regions. Several methodological choices regarding spatial scale, mostly related to spatial resolution or grain, can profoundly influence forest maps developed from plot and imagery data. Yet often the consequences of scaling choices are not explicitly addressed. Our objective was to quantify the effects of several scale-related methods on map accuracy for multiple forest attributes, using a variety of diagnostics that address different map characteristics, to help guide map developers and users. We conducted nearest-neighbor imputa- tion over a large region in the Pacific Northwest, USA, to investigate effects of imputation grain (single pixel or kernel); inclusion of heterogeneous plots; accuracy assessment grain and extent; and value of k (k = 1 and k =5 ), wherek is the number of nearest-neighbor plots. Spatial predictors were from rasters describing climate and topography and a time-series of Landsat imagery. Reference data were from regional forest inventory plots measuredovertwodecades. Allanalyseswere conducted at a spatial resolution of30 m × 30 m. Effects of impu- tation grain and heterogeneous plots on map accuracy were small. Excluding heterogeneous plots slightly im- proved map accuracy and did not lessen the systematic agreement (ACSYS) between our maps and observed plot data. Accuracy assessment grain strongly influenced map accuracy: maps assessed with a multi-pixel block were much more accurate than when assessed with a single pixel for almost all map diagnostics, but this was an artifact of methods rather than reflecting real differences among maps. Unsystematic agreement (ACUNS) between our maps and plots, or random error, improved notably with increasing accuracy assessment extentforallscalingmethods,indicatingthatreliabilityofmostmapapplicationscanbeimprovedthroughcoars- ening the map grain. Value of k strongly influenced map diagnostics. The k = 5 maps were better than k =1 maps for local-scale accuracy, but at the cost of reduced ACSYS, and loss of variability and poor areal representa- tion of forest conditions over the study region. The k = 1 maps produced notably better predictions of the least abundant forest conditions (early-successional, late-successional, and broadleaf). None of the scaling methods were optimal for all map diagnostics. Nevertheless, given a variety of diagnostics associated with a range of scaling options, map developers and map users can make informed choices about methods and resulting maps that best meet their particular objectives, and we present some general guidelines in this regard. Most of our findings are applicable to mapping with Landsat data in other forested regions with similar forest inventory data, and to other methods for spatial prediction.
Positive-Energy Representations of the Group of Diffeomorphisms of the Circle

Let D be the group of orientation-preserving diffeomorphisms of the circle S1. Then D is Frechet Lie group with Lie algebra (d∞)ℝ the smooth real vector fields on S1. Let dℝ be the subalgebra of real vector fields with finite Fourier series. This lecture outlines a proof that every infinitesimally unitary projective positive-energy representation of dℝ integrates to a continuous projective unitary representation of D. This result was conjectured by V. Kac.
Background-induced flicker enhancement in cat retinal horizontal cells. II. Spatial properties.

1. Intracellular recordings have been made from cat retinal horizontal cells stimulated with flickering test spots. Dim backgrounds increase flicker amplitudes in response to small but not large test stimuli. 2. This background-induced flicker enhancement has been measured for different slit- and square-test stimulus widths and the results compared with two spatial models for the enhancement effect. 3. In the "dark test-region" model it is argued that rods within the test region are unresponsive to background stimuli because of prior saturation by the test stimulus. Background-evoked rod signals decay passively from regions outside the test stimulus through a syncytial network into the recording site, where they act on the cone-to-horizontal-cell synapse, increasing its gain. 4. In the "changing length-constant" model rod signals reduce the length constant of a syncytial network by uncoupling the cells within it. This causes an increased response to small but not large test stimuli. 5. Both models are analytically evaluated with the use of a conductive-sheet approximation to the syncytial network. Expressions are derived for network polarization [(V(0, 0)] as a function of stimulus size. The specific stimulus shapes considered are disks, rectangles, slits, and squares in both bright and dark varieties. From these expressions predictions of response enhancement as a function of stimulus size are made for both models. 6. The dark test-region model provides for an exponential decay of flicker enhancement as a function of slit width but a steeper-than-exponential decay with the width of squares, in close agreement with experimental data. 7. The changing length-constant model makes qualitatively similar predictions. Flicker enhancement declines nearly exponentially with slit width. For square-shaped test stimuli the predicted decline of flicker enhancement with size is somewhat shallower than either the dark test-region-model curve or the experimentally determined curve. 8. As recorded in the same set of cells and under the same set of stimulus conditions (with the use of both slit- and square-test stimuli), the mean length constant of the peak-to-peak flicker component in the horizontal-cell response is 168 +/- 18 (SE) microns with the background and 232 +/- 45 microns in the dark. The mean length constant for the background-induced flicker enhancement, as fit by dark test-region-model curves, is 186 +/- 22 microns (n = 9).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Losses in ferroelectric materials

Ferroelectric materials are the best dielectric and piezoelectric materials known today. Since the discovery of barium titanate in the 1940s, lead zirconate titanate ceramics in the 1950s and relaxor-PT single crystals (such as lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate and lead zinc niobate-lead titanate) in the 1980s and 1990s, perovskite ferroelectric materials have been the dominating piezoelectric materials for electromechanical devices, and are widely used in sensors, actuators and ultrasonic transducers. Energy losses (or energy dissipation) in ferroelectrics are one of the most critical issues for high power devices, such as therapeutic ultrasonic transducers, large displacement actuators, SONAR projectors, and high frequency medical imaging transducers. The losses of ferroelectric materials have three distinct types, i.e., elastic, piezoelectric and dielectric losses. People have been investigating the mechanisms of these losses and are trying hard to control and minimize them so as to reduce performance degradation in electromechanical devices. There are impressive progresses made in the past several decades on this topic, but some confusions still exist. Therefore, a systematic review to define related concepts and clear up confusions is urgently in need. With this objective in mind, we provide here a comprehensive review on the energy losses in ferroelectrics, including related mechanisms, characterization techniques and collections of published data on many ferroelectric materials to provide a useful resource for interested scientists and engineers to design electromechanical devices and to gain a global perspective on the complex physical phenomena involved. More importantly, based on the analysis of available information, we proposed a general theoretical model to describe the inherent relationships among elastic, dielectric, piezoelectric and mechanical losses. For multi-domain ferroelectric single crystals and ceramics, intrinsic and extrinsic energy loss mechanisms are discussed in terms of compositions, crystal structures, temperature, domain configurations, domain sizes and grain boundaries. The intrinsic and extrinsic contributions to the total energy dissipation are quantified. In domain engineered ferroelectric single crystals and ceramics, polarization rotations, domain wall motions and mechanical wave scatterings at grain boundaries are believed to control the mechanical quality factors of piezoelectric resonators. We show that a thorough understanding on the kinetic processes is critical in analyzing energy loss behavior and other time-dependent properties in ferroelectric materials. At the end of the review, existing challenges in the study and control of losses in ferroelectric materials are analyzed, and future perspective in resolving these issues is discussed.
Systemic Leadership and Growth Waves in the Long Run

However one evaluates the evidence for long economic waves in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the question of whether long waves existed prior to the late eighteenth century remains open. This question is an important one for substantive reasons, but it also addresses one of the major grounds for skepticism about long waves, namely, the small number of fluctuations ostensibly experienced to date. Emphasizing the critical role of specific leading sectors for growth, a commercial-production growth series for the 1490s–1790s era that can be linked to similar data available for the past two hundred years is developed. The pre-nineteenth century series is characterized by more frequent fluctuations than the post-nineteenth century data—an outcome attributed to varying patterns of warfare and changes in the nature of leading sectors. Yet an important element of continuity observed over five centuries is the upturn associated with the emergence of a new lead economy. When combined with more contemporary data, the new series provide a five-century basis for investigating the evolutionary dynamics and impacts of long waves of political-economic change.
Pulmonary complications of the flow-directed balloon-tipped catheter.

Abstract Retrospective analysis of the course of 125 patients in whom flow-directed balloon-tipped catheters were employed showed that in nine (7.2 per cent), pulmonary ischemic lesions appeared to have occurred as a direct result of the use of the catheter. Mechanisms of the pulmonary ischemia included persistent wedging of the catheter tip in a peripheral artery (six cases), obstruction of a more central pulmonary artery by an inflated balloon (one case), and pulmonary embolism from venous thrombosis developing around the catheter (two cases). Awareness of the tendency for spontaneous wedging of the catheter to occur and of the possibility of air remaining in the balloon after use should reduce the frequency of these complications. (N Engl J Med 290:927–931, 1974)
A Sub-Threshold 8T SRAM Macro with 12.29 nW/KB Standby Power and 6.24 pJ/access for Battery-Less IoT SoCs

We present an ultra-low power (ULP) 1 KB SRAM macro for Internet of Things (IoT) battery-less systems-on-chip (SoCs) operating under varying energy harvesting conditions. The unique combination of features within this array allows battery-less SoCs to retain important information for a significantly longer period of time when energy harvesting conditions are poor. The array uses 8T high-threshold (high-VT) static random access memory (SRAM) cells with word line boosting to eliminate write failures coupled with a read-before-write scheme to address read-disturb in half-selected cells. Due to the reduced on current in high-VT devices, read word line boosting is implemented to improve the drive strength of the read buffer, and to eliminate read failures. Leakage currents through the unselected cells during a read operation is addressed by boosting the footer virtual VSS (VVSS) of the read port to the supply voltage (VDD). To reduce the power consumption of instruction memories in battery-less SoCs, two features were utilized in this array: a read burst mode is used when reading consecutive addresses to reduce the read energy, and instructions with higher percentages of “1” data are defined since reading a “1” is less costly than reading a “0” in 8T cells. The proposed array can operate at a wide range of supply voltages (350–700 mV) and has two ULP modes: standby with retention (1.5 pW/bit) and shutdown without retention (0.13 pW/bit). Aggressive power gating of all peripherals during the standby state reduces the array power consumption down to 12.29 nW/KB at 320 mV with data retention. Compared to previously published 8T arrays, the proposed design provides the lowest standby power. The complete shutdown of the array allows further reduction down to 1.09 nW/KB and is suitable for reducing the power consumption of data memories in battery-less SoCs. The measured results from a commercial 130 nm chip show that the proposed array consumes a minimum of 6.24 pJ/access with a 17.16 nW standby power at 400 mV. The read burst mode allows up to 22% reduction in energy/access at 400 mV.
Quo vadis, NIH?: The new director plots a course

New NIH director Bernadine P. Healy, MD, addresses the issues threatening the survival of the 100-year-old biomedical research giant.
Viral Packaging and Transduction of Adult Hippocampal Neural Progenitors

Genetic manipulation of adult hippocampal neural progenitor cells is a useful technique for exploring gene function through gain of function and loss of function mutations or RNAi. Furthermore, the introduction of new genes can "re-program" progenitor cell behavior to force a desired lineage in signaling environments that are not normally permissive for that cell fate. Additionally, by using a systems biology approach, neural progenitors can even be taught new behaviors and responses to signaling. In this chapter, we describe protocols for retroviral and lentiviral packaging and transduction of progenitors. These techniques are important for studying the role of various genes in progenitor fate choice.
Is measles eradicable

Measles remains one of the major killers of children. In the absence of vaccination, the World Health Organization estimates that more than 2.8 million would die each year as a result of measles. Even though current measles vaccination coverage worldwide is estimated to be 80%, more than 800 thousand infants and children died in 1991 as a result of measles [1]. Consequently, measles is certainly a worthy target for eradication.
Certified Athletic Trainers’ Understanding and Use of Sport Psychology in Their Practice

Nine certified athletic trainers from one National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institution participated in semistructured interviews about their understanding of sport psychology and use of psychological strategies in their work with injured athletes. Through Consensual Qualitative Research (Hill, 2012) procedures, three major domains were constructed: (a) recognition of the common psychological challenges of injury rehabilitation, (b) knowledge and understanding of sport psychology, and (c) utilization of sport psychology skills and strategies for rehabilitation. Although athletic trainers utilized basic psychological strategies (e.g., goal setting, reassurance) during injury rehabilitation, findings support the need for an interprofessional team approach to enhancing psychological recovery.
Mass Gatherings and Respiratory Disease Outbreaks in the United States - Should We Be Worried? Results from a Systematic Literature Review and Analysis of the National Outbreak Reporting System.

Background Because mass gatherings create environments conducive for infectious disease transmission, public health officials may recommend postponing or canceling large gatherings during a moderate or severe pandemic. Despite these recommendations, limited empirical information exists on the frequency and characteristics of mass gathering-related respiratory disease outbreaks occurring in the United States. Methods We conducted a systematic literature review to identify articles about mass gathering-related respiratory disease outbreaks occurring in the United States from 2005 to 2014. A standard form was used to abstract information from relevant articles identified from six medical, behavioral and social science literature databases. We also analyzed data from the National Outbreaks Reporting System (NORS), maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since 2009, to estimate the frequency of mass gathering-related respiratory disease outbreaks reported to the system. Results We identified 21 published articles describing 72 mass gathering-related respiratory disease outbreaks. Of these 72, 40 (56%) were associated with agriculture fairs and Influenza A H3N2v following probable swine exposure, and 25 (35%) with youth summer camps and pandemic Influenza A H1N1. Outbreaks of measles (n = 1) and mumps (n = 2) were linked to the international importation of disease. Between 2009 and 2013, 1,114 outbreaks were reported to NORS, including 96 respiratory disease outbreaks due to Legionella. None of these legionellosis outbreaks was linked to a mass gathering according to available data. Conclusion Mass gathering-related respiratory disease outbreaks may be uncommon in the United States, but have been reported from fairs (zoonotic transmission) as well as at camps where participants have close social contact in communal housing. International importation can also be a contributing factor. NORS collects information on certain respiratory diseases and could serve as a platform to monitor mass gathering-related respiratory outbreaks in the future.
The Stability of Self-Organized Rule-Following Work Teams

Self-organized rule-following systems are increasingly relevant objects of study in organization theory due to such systems‘ capacity to maintain control while enabling decentralization of authority. This paper proposes a network model for such systems and examines the stability of the networks‘ repetitive behavior. The networks examined are Ashby nets, a fundamental class of binary systems: connected aggregates of nodes that individually compute an interaction rule, a binary function of their three inputs. The nodes, which we interpret as workers in a work team, have two network inputs and one self-input. All workers in a given team follow the same interaction rule. We operationalize the notion of stability of the team‘s work routine and determine stability under small perturbations for all possible rules these teams can follow. To study the organizational concomitants of stability, we characterize the rules by their memory, fluency, homogeneity, and autonomy. We relate these measures to work routine stability, and find that stability in ten member teams is enhanced by rules that have low memory, high homogeneity, and low autonomy.
Advances in emission tomography: quo vadis?

The issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine contains three articles representing advances in emission tomography instrumentation. Common to all three designs is the goal of acquiring volumetric data with good sampling in three dimensions. There are two motivations leading to the volumetric data acquisition. First there is a physiologic and clinical need to take into account the complex nature of the organ such as the brain in x, y, and z directions. Secondly, there is an argument that improved sensitivity will come from systems whose detectors can acquire data from a larger solid angle than provided by positron emission tomography (PET) instrument design with single crystal detector units and septal shields between layers. This editorial is written to serve three purposes: (1) to highlight the distinguishing features of these three instrumentation papers (2) to present quantitative comparisons between the single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and PET instruments (3) to forecast some ideas for the future developments in both SPECT and PET.
Penile Straightening With Plaque Incision or Partial Excision and Human Pericardial Grafting Technique

Penile reconstruction for Peyronie’s disease may require advanced techniques of plaque incision or partial excision when the deformity is severe. This technically challenging procedure is indicated for men with good-to-excellent preoperative erectile capacity and erect penile curvature exceeding 60° or unstable penis or hinge effect caused by severe indentation or hourglass deformity. Various grafts have been used historically, including fat, dermis, fascia, vein, and more recently, processed cadaveric tissue that can be “taken off the shelf,” which can shorten operative time and avoid a second incision at the donor site. These procedures require attention to detail in defining the deformity, careful elevation of the neurovascular bundle, incision or partial excision of the plaque, and proper sizing of the graft to repair the tunical defect. A comprehensive informed consent is critical to detail possible postoperative issues, including loss of penile length, diminished sexual sensation, incomplete or recurrent curvature, and, most important, erectile dysfunction. This chapter describes the plaque incision/partial excision procedure using the modified “H” incision and pericardial grafting technique.
External pelvic and vaginal irradiation vs. vaginal irradiation alone as postoperative therapy in women with early stage uterine serous carcinoma: Results of a National Cancer Database analysis

Abstract Purpose Adjuvant treatment in early stage uterine serous carcinoma (USC) usually consists of chemotherapy with vaginal brachytherapy (VB), pelvic external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), or combination. We compared survival outcomes across these various radiation treatment modalities using the National Cancer Database. Methods and Materials The National Cancer Database was queried for adult females with histologically confirmed International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 1988 Stage I–II USC diagnosed from 2003 to 2013 treated definitively with hysterectomy, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. χ2 tests were used to assess differences by radiation type (VB, pelvic EBRT, and EBRT + VB) and various clinical variables. Kaplan–Meier and log-rank test methods were used to evaluate survival outcomes. Risk factors related to overall survival were identified by univariate and multivariate analysis. Results We identified 1336 patients with USC who met our inclusion criteria. Most patients were treated with VB (66%) compared with EBRT (21%) or combination EBRT + VB (13%). The proportion of patients who received EBRT (including EBRT + VB) was higher for those who did not have a lymph node dissection or with fewer dissected lymph nodes. Patients treated with VB alone had longer 5-year survival rates (84% [95% confidence interval: 80, 90]) than those treated with EBRT (75% [95% confidence interval: 69, 80]) (p Conclusions This large hospital-based study suggests that VB alone may be sufficient for adjuvant radiation treatment in women with USC treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and who underwent an adequate surgical staging.
A Fading Renaissance

Entering the post-Civil War Gilded Age, Brooklyn’s renaissance energies began to fade. Brooklyn drew closer into New York’s orbit with the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and plans for political consolidation. The arts had achieved a physical center around the Academy of Music. And several new associations were founded, notably the Academy of Design and the Botanic Garden, soon, with the Philharmonic Society, consolidated under the Brooklyn Institute. But new financial panics in 1873, together with changes in the Atlantic maritime world, and Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed-connected scandals afflicted the arts and their patrons, weakening Brooklyn’s civic fabric and public trust. Luther Wyman’s death and nearly forgotten legacy showed not the power of memory, but rather revealed the effect of forgetting how commerce, culture, and community had once combined to make The Brooklyn Renaissance happen.
Bell Pepper and Weed Response to Dimethyl Disulfide Plus Chloropicrin and Herbicide Systems

Bell pepper producers are faced with the challenge of controlling weeds following the phase-out of methyl bromide (MBr). Numerous attempts have been made to find a single fumigant or herbicide to control a broad spectrum of weeds. Adequate weed control in bell pepper will likely require weed management systems utilizing both fumigant and herbicide options. A weed management system including the fumigant dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) plus chloropicrin (Pic) plus the herbicide napropamide prior to transplant followed by S-metolachlor POST may be necessary to replace MBr. Field experiments were conducted during 2010 and 2011 near Ty Ty, Georgia to determine bell pepper and weed response to DMDS plus Pic or in systems with napropamide and/or S-metolachlor. Bell pepper were not significantly injured by DMDS plus Pic or napropamide. Injury caused by S-metolachlor was transient and plants fully recovered by 4 weeks after treatment (WAT). Yellow nutsedge control 6 WAT using DMDS plus Pic applied at 468 or 560 L ha-1 ...
Interrogation of evolving tumor vasculature using high-resolution CT imaging and a nanoparticle contrast agent

The architecture of intra-tumoral vascular network continuously evolves with tumor progression. Non-invasive methods that facilitate 3D in vivo interrogation of tumor vascular architecture could improve understanding of tumor progression and metastasis. In this work, we studied evolving tumor vasculature using high-resolution CT images and a blood-pool, nanoparticle iodinated contrast agent. In vivo studies were performed in a transgenic mouse model of neuroblastoma that exhibit spontaneous bilateral tumors in the adrenals. Animals were divided into three groups based on tumor age: early-age tumor, intermediate-age tumor, old-age tumor. Tumor progression was monitored using T2-weighted MRI. Contrast-enhanced CT imaging was performed at two points: the first imaging session (leak map) was performed 4 days after administration of the nanoparticle agent to interrogate changes in tumor vascular permeability. Immediately thereafter, a second dose of contrast agent was administered and CT imaging was performed within 1 hour to capture high-resolution angiograms of tumor vasculature. CT angiograms demonstrated the highly-vascularized nature of these tumors. Old-age tumors exhibited a higher fractional volume of avascular regions and an increased number of large superficial blood vessels on tumor periphery. Old-age tumors also demonstrated the presence of intra-vessel tumor thrombus and the invasion of tumor into the inferior vena cava. Leak maps images demonstrated signal enhancement throughout the tumor in early-age tumors, including the core region, suggestive of the presence of highly permeable blood vessels through the tumor volume. Old-age tumors exhibited relatively lower signal enhancement, indicative of a less 'leaky' tumor vascular network compared to early and intermediate-stage tumors.
Autosynartetic Families of Solutions

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the autosynartetic families of solutions. In the chapter, a system of ordinary differential equations is considered, where system is invariant under a transformation involving both the independent variable t and the dependent vector variable x. For the families of solutions that are closed under the operation of setting up, it is assumed that for every α ∈ Σ, there is β ∈ Σ, such that the solution x (t, β) is synartetic to the solution x (t, α). This idea generalizes the notion of an autosynartetic solution in which the index set Σ consists of just one element.
Microneurographic Measurement of Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Humans

Microneurography is a technique in which electrodes are inserted percutaneously into peripheral nerves in humans for recording of single or multiunit action potentials. The technique has been used to study (1) sensory innervation of skin, (2) proprioceptive innervation of skeletal muscle, and (3) sympathetic innervation of autonomic effector organs in muscle and skin (Hagbarth, 1979).
Vascular Basement Membranes: Preparation and Properties of Material Isolated with the Use of Detergents

During the past few years, work in our laboratories has been directed toward the isolation and chemical characterization of vascular basement membranes obtained from several organs. The chemical composition of these membranes, isolated in a pure form, can be related to changes in structure that occur in disease. We are particularly interested in those changes associated with diabetes mellitus (1–7). The nondisruptive detergent solubilization techniques used in these procedures permit the preparation of vascular basement membranes which are morphologically intact and which retain their histoarchitecture. With these preparations, the permeability of the basement membranes themselves, divorced from the contribution of the adjacent cell layers, was studied (3,5). Using this approach one can attempt to define the role which vascular basement membranes may play in the permeation of macromolecules through capillary walls, an area of some controversy (8–11). The findings that vascular basement membranes isolated by our techniques retained not only their morphologic and chemical properties (1–5), but also their immunologic characteristics (12), and their binding characteristics of cationic probes (13,14) further support the usefulness of this procedure in the study of basement membrane permeability. Modification of our technique has also been found useful in the isolation and examination of the pericellular matrix of human fibroblast cultures, a primary component of which is the cell adhesion protein fibronectin (15). In this chapter, we describe a method for isolation of vascular basement membranes, and compare permeability and chemical composition of membranes isolated from the central nervous system with those isolated from renal glomeruli. The method was first developed for study of renal glomeruli and these experiments will be described first.
Effects of Interspersing Additional Brief Math Problems on Student Performance and Perception of Math Assignments: Getting Students to Prefer to Do More Work

Three experiments were conducted to assess the effects of the interspersing procedure on students' mathematics performance, perceptions of mathematics assignments, and preference for mathematics assignments when more work was added. In Experiment I, college students worked computation problems from two assignments. The control assignment contained 15 three-digit by two-digit problems (3 × 2) and the experimental assignments contained 18 3 × 2 problems and 6 additional interspersed one-digit by one-digit problems (1 × 1). Students then rated the assignments and chose one for homework. Results showed significantly more students preferred (i.e., chose it for homework) the experimental assignment with the additional target (i.e., 3 × 2) and interspersed problems. Furthermore, significantly more students rated this experiment as requiring less effort and being less difficult. Moreover, students' mathematics performance was not affected by the procedure. Experiment II strengthened the internal validity by showing that students did not prefer the experimental assignment because it contained more target problems. Experiment III showed that the interspersing procedure was not powerful enough to extend findings beyond the 20% level (i.e., 40 and 60% more conditions). Results showed how the interspersing procedure could be used to encourage students to choose to do more target computation tasks. Discussion focuses on the applied value of the interspersing procedure and plausible causal mechanisms that may account for current and past findings related to student choice and interspersing brief tasks.
Developing Implementation Measures for K-12 Computer Science Curriculum Materials

As K-12 computer science (CS) education initiatives scale throughout the U.S., researchers seek to understand the context-specific relationships between CS instruction and student learning. Evaluation of instruction requires valid measures of curriculum implementation. We have developed measures for identifying conditions for successful implementation of an introductory high school computer science curriculum along two-dimensions: teaching quality and curriculum enactment. Additionally, we have defined three types of instructional strategies for teaching quality. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 53 teachers through surveys and interviews. Data were aggregated and integrated to derive scaled measures for the instructional strategies and curriculum adaptation, and implementation measures were correlated with student end-of-unit assessment data. We found potential factors that can enhance or impede the successful implementation of CS curriculum materials, and we have identified several broad issues associated with scaling up CS curricular implementation.
Dying Well In the Anthropocene: On the End of Archivists

Humanities scholars argue that the Anthropocene forces humanity to confront its death as a species. For memory workers, the specter of biological annihilation is accompanied by a more immediate existential crisis: if there will be no one to remember what was, then what will have been the purpose of memory work? This essay reviews emerging literature on archivy’s affective and structural adaptations to climate change alongside speculative futures of memory work in climate fiction. The article argues for Anthropocene archivists to adopt a palliative practice based on transdisciplinary principles of radical care, intentional degrowth, anticipatory grief, and maintenance theory. Pre-print first published online 06/13/2019
The Impact of Fundy Tidal Power on the Hydrography of the Area

The tides of the Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine, the highest in the world, have fascinated layman and scientist alike for many years. Recent studies and numerical modelling have predicted significant c...
Intercostal Nerve Block

The intercostal nerve block is an attractive option for clinicians and patients alike as it is a technically simple block to perform and provides effective analgesia in patients with thoracic and upper abdominal pain. While it is associated with its own risks of complications including pneumothorax, hematoma, and local anesthetic toxicity, these risks tend to occur rarely and can be further reduced with operator experience and utilization of image guidance. In the appropriate patient population, intercostal nerve blocks can be utilized, in conjunction with general anesthesia, to improve postoperative pain control, hasten recovery, and improve overall outcomes and patient satisfaction.
Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Bone Disease in Patients with Chronic HBV Infection

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and treatment may be associated with increased risk of osteopenia/osteoporosis. Here, we review the prevalence of osteopenia/osteoporosis among patients with CHB and the effect of antiviral therapy on bone density. We also highlight screening and management strategies for bone disease among patients with CHB. While there are concerns with first-line antiviral therapy such as tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in the development of osteopenia/osteoporosis, the available data remain rather unclear. However, with the development of tenofovir alafenamide, these concerns may be mitigated. At present, EASL recommends dual-energy X-ray absorption (DEXA) scans for patients with osteoporotic risk factors, with a repeat DEXA scan based upon baseline findings. Patients with CHB have higher incidence and prevalence of osteopenia/osteoporosis compared with patients without CHB. Further studies are needed to understand the impact of antiviral therapy on bone therapy, and more CHB specific recommendations are needed for bone health management.
An overview of GLP-1 agonists and recent cardiovascular outcomes trials

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are emerging as an important therapy to consider for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) given this class of treatment’s ability to reduce glycated haemoglobin and their associated weight loss and low risk for hypoglycaemia. Additionally, seven cardiovascular outcomes trials (CVOTs) have been performed in the past 4 years using lixisenatide, liraglutide, semaglutide, exenatide, albiglutide, dulaglutide and oral semaglutide. All have found non-inferiority for cardiovascular outcomes, with many finding superiority of these drugs. These findings have transformed our guidelines on pharmacological treatment of T2D. This review article will discuss GLP-1 RA therapy, review the seven CVOTs reported to date and discuss the implications on current guidelines and therapies going forward.
How WTO Dispute Settlement Succumbed to the Trump Administration

The death of the WTO Appellate Body strikes a punishing blow to the WTO and stands as a signal accomplishment of the Trump Administration. Although the absence of an Appellate Body will not necessarily bring down the entire WTO dispute system, such an outcome may occur. This paper chronicles the key moments in the US government’s attack on WTO dispute settlement and the Appellate Body since 2016 by republishing the author's Blog posts over the past four years about the Appellate Body. One of the developments covered is the author’s efforts in 2017 to promote a rescue plan to stave off the attacks of the Trump Administration. The paper shows how the author's attempt to rescue the Appellate Body was spurned by the Appellate Body.
Transnational students and educational change

This article discusses some educational issues introduced by the uprise of transnational students in global educational systems. It demonstrates the relevance of these issues for the field of educational change, in particular, topics of diversity and globalization that are in need of greater attention in the Journal of Educational Change. The article presents a recent conceptual and empirically-based framework—a transnationally-inclusive approach to literacy education. This framework provides a model through which educational systems and those who inhabit them can equitably and innovatively respond to the opportunities and challenges that transnational students present to education. The article concludes with some considerations of how the field of educational change is uniquely poised to generate research, theory, and practice that can promote productive change pertaining to transnational students and education.
Cherenkov emission from external beam irradiation: proportional to the dose buildup gradient and inversely affected by tissue optical attenuation

Cherenkov light emission from tissue undergoing radiation therapy is a complex function of the dose deposition and is reduced by the optical attenuation of the tissue. A diffusion theory based integral of the remitted light is presented, using the assumption that only Cherenkov photons from the first 8 mm of tissue are able to appreciably escape from the surface. This depth restriction falls within the linear build-up region for both electron and photon beams used in radiotherapy. The resulting expression for Cherenkov light fluence formulated here indicates that the outgoing intensity is dependent upon the quasi-linear dose build up gradient (k2) in the first 8 mm of tissue, is inversely proportional to the optical absorption (μa), and is relatively independent of the scattering coefficient (μs / ). Numerical evaluation suggests that the diffuse component of Cherenkov light emission dominates over any unscattered photons, suggesting that the radiation build-up factor dominates what is imaged off the surface. This observation could allow for linear corrections to Cherenkov images with knowledge of tissue optical properties and for better interpretation of the origin of Cherenkov from tissue.
Comparative genomics in infectious disease

With more than one million bacterial genome sequences uploaded to public databases in the last 25 years, genomics has become a powerful tool for studying bacterial biology. Here, we review recent approaches that leverage large numbers of whole genome sequences to decipher the spread and pathogenesis of bacterial infectious diseases.
CHAPTER I – Oklahoma Revisited

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses an experiment the University of Oklahoma in language teaching. Twenty years after the Oklahoma experiment, enormous technical advances have been made. The lone phonograph, around which students assembled in small groups to listen to scratchy stimuli and make responses in a whisper to not disturb the other listeners, is now replaced by the glorious modern language laboratory, a chapel of audio-lingual learning in which the devotees isolate themselves from the outside world and fervently commune with sound. But the principles on which the experiment was conceived and the precepts that were derived from it are firmly established. A program of audio-lingual teaching that will choose as its goal the three types of habits —psychological, physiological, and grammatical—is bound to be successful.
Optimum unit sizing of hybrid renewable energy system utilizing harmony search, Jaya and particle swarm optimization algorithms

Abstract Renewable energy technologies, which include wind turbines, biomass and photovoltaics, are extensively utilized in the generation of electricity in an island zones. Stand-a-lone systems that incorporate hybrid sources of renewable energy are employed and require different sizing of components to obtain optimum units to reduce fundamental challenges. In this paper, the Harmony Search (HS), Jaya and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms are utilized in sizing an optimum design of a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) containing a set of the Wind-Photovoltaic-Biomass-Battery technologies with a goal of cost-effectively, efficiently, and reliably meeting customers’ electricity demands. The outcomes of the three algorithms are compared, and the one with the most techno-economic optimum unit sizing of the HRES was determined. The hybrid system’s reliability and efficiency are calculated using two factors: the maximum allowable loss of power supply probability (LPSPmax) together with reduced allowable excess energy fraction (EFFmin). Different configurations consisting of solar PV, biomass generators, wind turbines, and batteries are modeled, simulated and optimized to obtain a system combination that is most energy efficient and cost effective in the studied zone. The study demonstrated that the ideal system with the least cost and the best performance was that which consists of thirteen solar PV systems (70.98 kW), four biomass systems (160 kW), one wind turbine (20 kW) and 15 NI-Fe battery banks (288 kW h), with a total system present cost of $581,218 and a 0.254 $/kWh cost of energy.
Characterization of an elastase-induced emphysema model in immune-deficient rats

OBJECTIVES Emphysema affects millions of patients worldwide. Cell transplantation and tissue engineering are promising approaches for the regeneration of gas exchange tissue in vivo. A reproducible and resource-efficient animal model with relevant pathological and physiological features is critical to assess efficacy of novel therapies. Here, we share a method for rapid development of emphysema in an adaptive immune-deficient rat with <5% mortality, which is ideal for high-throughput human cell-based experimentation. METHODS Porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) was intratracheally administered to male RNU rats. Rats were monitored for 21 days after which subjects underwent lung computed tomography (CT) scans. Rats were then weighed, intubated and mechanically ventilated to measure dynamic compliance. After sacrifice, lungs were fixed, and histological sections were quantitatively assessed for emphysematous changes. RESULTS A single instillation of elastase was enough to produce anatomic and physiological evidence of emphysema. Weight change for doses of 16 and 32 units PPE/100 g were significantly lower than controls (P = 0.028 and P = 0.043, respectively). Compliance values for doses of 16 and 32 units PPE/100 g were significantly higher than controls (P = 0.037 and P = 0.006, respectively). Lung hyperlucency was confirmed by CT with mean Hounsfield units for a dose of 32 units PPE/100 g being significantly lower than controls (P < 0.001). The mean linear intersect for doses of 16 and 32 units PPE/100 g were significantly higher than controls (both P < 0.001). All reported P-values are one-sided. CONCLUSIONS We present an efficient method for emphysema development in immune-deficient rats as a tool to evaluate human biological therapeutics. Changes in dynamic compliance, histology and cross-sectional imaging recapitulate human emphysema.
Abstract 14401: Elevated Levels of Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Autoantibodies Are Associated With Abnormal Echocardiogram Parameters in Women With Preeclampsia

Introduction: Preeclampsia (PEC) increases the long-term risk for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). While the underlying pathogenesis is unknown, angiotensin II type 1 recepto...