cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cross-Cutting Issues: Monitoring State Implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 10 States: Early Market Reforms

With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the Urban Institute and Georgetown University's Center on Health Insurance Reforms are undertaking a comprehensive monitoring and tracking project to examine the implementation and effects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. The project began in May 2011 and will take place over several years. The Urban Institute will document changes to the implementation of national health reform in Alabama, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Virginia to help states, researchers and policymakers learn from the process as it unfolds. This report is one of a series of papers focusing on particular implementation issues in these case study states. In addition, state-specific reports on case study states can be found at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Health Policy Center websites. The quantitative component of the project is producing analyses of the effects of the ACA on coverage, health expenditures, affordability, access and premiums in the states and nationally. For more information about the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s work on coverage, visit their website.This paper describes the implementation of the early market reforms in the 10 states participating in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s monitoring and tracking project. Information is drawn from publicly available sources, state legislation, and site visit interviews in each of the 10 states. Each state took some action to require or encourage insurers to comply with these reforms. Although some challenges were noted, informants in all 10 states reported that insurers are generally complying with the early market reforms; regulators are hearing few consumer concerns, and premiums have not risen substantially because of these reforms. Compliance was largely facilitated through the efforts of state regulators, insurers and consumer advocates. To a large extent, the actions taken by these states reflect the diversity of approaches that exist among states nationwide.
A Collective Case Study of African American Male Athletic Directors’ Leadership Approaches to Diversity in College Sport

The primary purpose of this research was to garner an understanding of how African American male athletic directors manage diversity and inclusion in their college athletic departments. The authors conducted a collective qualitative case study of two major university athletic departments that each had an African American male athletic director. The authors conducted interviews, took field notes, and analyzed relevant documents/artifacts, all of which served as data sources. Results indicate these leaders viewed diversity and inclusion as (a) increasing racial and gender minority representation in leadership positions and (b) utilizing this diversity as a mechanism for role modeling and mentoring. Differences between the leaders also emerged, as one explicitly focused on conducting an organizational analysis and on making diversity training mandatory for all employees, while the other did not engage in these activities. The authors discuss contributions to the literature and future directions for research.
Systematic benchmarking of omics computational tools

Computational omics methods packaged as software have become essential to modern biological research. The increasing dependence of scientists on these powerful software tools creates a need for systematic assessment of these methods, known as benchmarking. Adopting a standardized benchmarking practice could help researchers who use omics data to better leverage recent technological innovations. Our review summarizes benchmarking practices from 25 recent studies and discusses the challenges, advantages, and limitations of benchmarking across various domains of biology. We also propose principles that can make computational biology benchmarking studies more sustainable and reproducible, ultimately increasing the transparency of biomedical data and results.
A comprehensive national survey on thoughts of leaving residency, alternative career paths, and reasons for staying in general surgery training

Abstract Background General surgery residencies continue to experience high levels of attrition. Methods Survey of general surgery residents administered with the 2018 American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination. Outcomes were consideration of leaving residency, potential alternative career paths, and reasons for staying in residency. Results Among 7,409 residents, 930 (12.6%) reported considering leaving residency over the last year. Residents were more likely to consider other general surgery programs (46.2%) if PGY 2/3 (OR: 1.93, 95%CI 1.34–2.77) or reporting frequent duty hour violations (OR: 1.58, 95%CI 1.12–2.24). Consideration of other specialties (47.0%) was more likely if dissatisfied with being a surgeon (OR 2.86, 95%CI 1.92–4.26). Residents were more likely to consider leaving medicine (49.7%) if female (OR: 1.54, 95%CI 1.16–2.06) or dissatisfied with a surgical career (OR: 2.81, 95%CI 1.85–4.27). Common reasons for remaining in residency included a sense of too much invested to leave (65.3%) and career satisfaction (55.5%). Conclusion Profiles of trainees considering leaving residency exist based on factors associated with alternative careers. This may be a target for future interventions to reduce attrition.
Evaluation of fecal Lactobacillus populations in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy: a pilot study.

Idiopathic epilepsy is a common neurological disorder of dogs characterized by recurrent seizures for which no underlying basis is identified other than a presumed genetic predisposition. The pathogenesis of the disorder remains poorly understood, but environmental factors are presumed to influence the course of disease. Within the growing body of research into the microbiota-gut-brain axis, considerable attention has focused on the protective role of Lactobacilli in the development and progression of neurological disease. Investigations into the association between the gut microbiome and epilepsy are in their infancy, but some preliminary findings support a role for Lactobacilli in drug resistant epilepsy. To date, there are no published studies evaluating the gut microbiome in dogs with epilepsy. This pilot study was undertaken to evaluate fecal Lactobacillus populations in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy compared to healthy dogs. Fecal samples were obtained from 13 pairs of dogs, consisting of a drug-naive epileptic dog and a healthy dog from the same household and maintained on the same diet. Evaluation of large-scale microbial patterns based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing identified a household effect in the study population. Differential prevalence testing at the 16S rRNA gene sequence variant and genus levels did not identify any statistically significant differences between epileptic and control dogs. Quantitative PCR of Lactobacillus species isolated through culture revealed no statistically significant difference between the epileptic and control dogs (median concentration, 3.8 log10 CFU/g feces and 4.6 log10 CFU/g feces, respectively). Lactobacillus in culture was not killed by exposure to phenobarbital, potassium bromide, zonisamide, or levetiracetam. This pilot study did not identify any difference in large-scale microbial patterns or relative or absolute abundance of Lactobacillus species in drug-naive epileptic dogs compared to healthy dogs. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the role of the gut microbiome in disease progression and treatment response in dogs with epilepsy. Lactobacilli in culture were not killed or inhibited from growing when exposed to phenobarbital, potassium bromide, zonisamide or levetiracetam, suggesting that antiepileptic drug administration is less likely to be a confounding factor in future studies evaluating the role of Lactobacillus in epilepsy.
Risk factors predicting the loss of functional independence after obliterative procedures for pelvic organ prolapse.

To determine the risk factors associated with loss of functional independence after obliterative procedures for pelvic organ prolapse (POP). The American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was used to collect data on women who underwent obliterative vaginal procedures from 2011 to 2016, using current procedural terminology (CPT) codes for LeFort colpocleisis (57120) and vaginectomy (57110). The criterion for loss of functional independence was a transition from a functionally independent status to a dependent status (discharge to a post-care facility) or death within the 30-day postoperative period. Multivariate regression analysis was utilized to determine factors associated with loss of functional independence. A total of 1847 women were included in the analysis. A loss of functional independence was noted in 50 of the 1847 women (2.6%). The women who suffered loss of functional independence were older than those who were independent postoperatively (mean age 79.3 years, SD 7.47 vs. 76.7 years, SD 8.1, respectively). On multiple logistic regression analysis, age ≥ 80 years (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.4–5.5), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification ≥ 3 (OR 2.3, CI 1.1–4.7) and length of stay ≥ 5 days (OR 15.2, 95% CI 6.2–37.1) remained significantly associated with an increased risk of loss of functional independence. Age ≥ 80 years, ASA classification ≥ 3 and longer length of stay are associated with an increased risk of loss of functional independence after an obliterative procedure for pelvic organ prolapse. Consideration of these factors during the preoperative decision-making process may help improve outcomes in this cohort.
Products of Industry: Pollution, Health, and England’s Industrial Revolution

Broadly defined, the Industrial Revolution refers to the culmination of unique events that occurred in major European countries and North American cities during the period spanning the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and which saw a shift in economic pursuits from those of agriculture to those of industry and production. While the Industrial Revolution was a turning point in world history, one consequence of industrialization was the introduction of large quantities of pollutants into urban environments and subsequent human exposure to those pollutants. This chapter will explore the consequences of industrialization – or lack thereof – in two English towns during England’s Industrial Revolution (c. 1760 AD – 1850 AD): industrial South Shields and agrarian Barton-upon-Humber. The individuals who lived in these very different towns would have had unique life experiences, and their physiology would have been influenced by these experiences as well as the environments in which they lived and worked. By examining age at death and stature of a subset of these populations, this chapter examines the differences between more urban and industrial life and agrarian rural life, and discusses the biological consequences of industrialization individuals would have experienced.
Free Listening: Identifying and Evaluating Listening Barriers through Empathic Listening.

Introduction to Human Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Relational Communication, Intercultural Communication, special topics courses related to listening and conversation.The learning ob...
Of Singularitarianism and Flying Cars: Our Changing Images of the Future, and Our Changing Economic Models

This article considers the evolution of images of the future — the "flying cars" of mid-century and the promises of freedom, empowerment and uplift for all more recently identified with the Internet, virtual reality and the Singularity — and explains the image, and their associated attitudes, in the shift from one economic model to another, namely, from "Keynesian-Fordism" to "Neoliberal-Digitalism."
Psychoeducational Messaging to Reduce Alcohol Use for College Students With Type 1 Diabetes: Internet-Delivered Pilot Trial

Background: College environments promote high-volume or binge alcohol consumption among youth, which may be especially harmful to those with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Little is known about the acceptability and effectiveness of interventions targeting reduced alcohol use by college students with T1D, and it is unclear whether intervention framing (specifically, the narrator of intervention messages) matters with respect to affecting behavior change. Interventions promoted by peer educators may be highly relatable and socially persuasive, whereas those delivered by clinical providers may be highly credible and motivating. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the acceptability and impacts of an alcohol use psychoeducational intervention delivered asynchronously through web-based channels to college students with T1D. The secondary aim is to compare the impacts of two competing versions of the intervention that differed by narrator (peer vs clinician). Methods: We recruited 138 college students (aged 17-25 years) with T1D through web-based channels and delivered a brief intervention to participants randomly assigned to 1 of 2 versions that differed only with respect to the audiovisually recorded narrator. We assessed the impacts of the exposure to the intervention overall and by group, comparing the levels of alcohol- and diabetes-related knowledge, perceptions, and use among baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 2 weeks after intervention delivery. Results: Of the 138 enrolled participants, 122 (88.4%) completed all follow-up assessments; the participants were predominantly women (98/122, 80.3%), were White non-Hispanic (102/122, 83.6%), and had consumed alcohol in the past year (101/122, 82.8%). Both arms saw significant postintervention gains in the knowledge of alcohol’s impacts on diabetes-related factors, health-protecting attitudes toward drinking, and concerns about drinking. All participants reported significant decreases in binge drinking 2 weeks after the intervention (21.3%; odds ratio 0.48, 95% CI 0.31-0.75) compared with the 2 weeks before the intervention (43/122, 35.2%). Changes in binge drinking after the intervention were affected by changes in concerns about alcohol use and T1D. Those who viewed the provider narrator were significantly more likely to rate their narrator as knowledgeable and trustworthy; there were no other significant differences in intervention effects by the narrator. Conclusions: The intervention model was highly acceptable and effective at reducing self-reported binge drinking at follow-up, offering the potential for broad dissemination and reach given the web-based format and contactless, on-demand content. Both intervention narrators increased knowledge, improved health-protecting attitudes, and increased concerns regarding alcohol use. The participants’ perceptions of expertise and credibility differed by narrator. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02883829; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02883829
Drug discovery from natural products using affinity selection-mass spectrometry

Abstract As a starting point for drug discovery, affinity selection-mass spectrometry (AS-MS) is ideal for the discovery of lead compounds from chemically diverse sources such as botanical, fungal and microbial extracts. Based on binding interactions between macromolecular receptors and ligands of low molecular mass, AS-MS enables the rapid isolation of pharmacologically active small molecules from complex mixtures for mass spectrometric characterization and identification. Unlike conventional high-throughput screening, AS-MS requires no radiolabels, no UV or fluorescent chromophores, and is compatible with all classes of receptors, enzymes, incubation buffers, cofactors, and ligands. The most successful types of AS-MS include pulsed ultrafiltration (PUF) AS-MS, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) AS-MS, and magnetic microbead affinity selection screening (MagMASS), which differ in their approaches for separating the ligand-receptor complexes from the non-binding compounds in mixtures. After affinity isolation, the ligand(s) from the mixture are characterized using high resolution UHPLC-MS and tandem mass spectrometry. Based on these elemental composition and structural data, the identities of the lead compounds are determined by searching on-line databases for known natural products and by comparison with standards. The structures of novel natural products are determined using a combination of spectroscopic techniques including two-dimensional NMR and MS.
Protein confinement fine-tunes aggregation-induced emission in human serum albumin.

Luminogens exhibiting aggregation-induced-emission characteristics (AIEgens) have been designed as sensitive biosensors thanks to their “turn-on” fluorescence upon target binding. However, their AIE mechanism in biomolecules remains elusive except for the qualitative picture of restricted intramolecular motions. In this work, we employed ab initio simulations to investigate the AIE mechanism of two tetraphenylethylene derivatives recently developed for sensitive detection of human serum albumin (HSA) in biological fluids. For the first time, we quantified the ab initio free energy surfaces and kinetics of AIEgens to access the conical intersections on the excited state in the protein and aqueous solution, using a novel first-principles electronic structure method that incorporates both static and dynamic electron correlations. Our simulations accurately reproduce the experimental spectra and high-level correlated electronic structure calculations. We found that in HSA the internal conversion through the cyclization reaction is preferred over the isomerization around the central ethylenic double bond, whereas in the aqueous solution the reverse is true. Accordingly, the protein environment is able to moderately speed up certain non-radiative decay pathways, a new finding that is beyond the prediction of the existing model of restricted access to a conical intersection (RACI). As such, our findings highlight the complicated effects of the protein confinement on the competing non-radiative decay channels, which has been largely ignored so far, and extend the existing theories of AIE to biological systems. The new insights and the multiscale computational methods used in this work will aid the design of sensitive AIEgens for bioimaging and disease diagnosis.
Why patients prescribed oral agents for cancer need training: a case study.

BACKGROUND Oral agents for cancer (OACs) are a common form of treatment. However, with OACs, the responsibility shifts from supervised healthcare providers who work in a clinic to patients and caregivers who must manage treatment on their own at home. Consequently, patients and caregivers must be knowledgeable about all aspects of care. In addition, most patients with cancer are older and have multiple comorbid conditions treated by several providers who prescribe medications, further complicating care. OBJECTIVES This purpose of this article is to present a patient perspective of managing treatment with OACs in the home setting. METHODS A case study format was used to describe challenges faced by a patient newly prescribed OACs. FINDINGS Data from the patient interviews support the urgent need for patient and caregiver training; the outcome of treatment for patients taking OACs depends significantly on the patient or caregiver managing treatment in the home setting.
Detection of the enzymatically-active polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase subunit gene, phaC, in cyanobacteria via colony PCR

A colony PCR-based assay was developed to rapidly determine if a cyanobacterium of interest contains the requisite genetic material, the PHA synthase PhaC subunit, to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). The test is both high throughput and robust, owing to an extensive sequence analysis of cyanobacteria PHA synthases. The assay uses a single detection primer set and a single reaction condition across multiple cyanobacteria strains to produce an easily detectable positive result - amplification via PCR as evidenced by a band in electrophoresis. In order to demonstrate the potential of the presence of phaC as an indicator of a cyanobacteria's PHA accumulation capabilities, the ability to produce PHA was assessed for five cyanobacteria with a traditional in vivo PHA granule staining using an oxazine dye. The confirmed in vivo staining results were then compared to the PCR-based assay results and found to be in agreement. The colony PCR assay was capable of successfully detecting the phaC gene in all six of the diverse cyanobacteria tested which possessed the gene, while exhibiting no undesired product formation across the nine total cyanobacteria strains tested. The colony PCR quick prep provides sufficient usable DNA template such that this assay could be readily expanded to assess multiple genes of interest simultaneously.
Web Proxy Acceleration

Numerous studies show that miss ratios at forward proxies are typically at least 40–50%. This paper proposes and evaluates a new approach for improving the throughput of Web proxy systems by reducing the overhead of handling cache misses. Namely, we propose to front-end a Web proxy with a high performance node that filters the requests, processing the misses and forwarding the hits and the new cacheable content to the proxy. Requests are filtered based on hints of the proxy cache content. This system, called Proxy Accelerator, achieves significantly better communications performance than a traditional proxy system. For instance, an accelerator can be built as an embedded system optimized for communication and HTTP processing, or as a kernel-mode HTTP server. Scalability with the Web proxy cluster size is achieved by using several accelerators. We use analytical models, trace-based simulations, and a real implementation to study the benefits and the implementation tradeoffs of this new approach. Our results show that a single proxy accelerator node in front of a 4-node Web proxy can improve the cost-performance ratio by about 40%. Hint-based request filter implementation choices that do not affect the overall hit ratio are available. An implementation of the hint management module integrated in Web proxy software is presented. Experimental evaluation of the implementation demonstrates that the associated overheads are very small.
Exploiting Advanced Task Parallelism in High Performance Fortran via a Task Library

As task parallelism has been proven to be useful for applications like real-time signal processing, branch and bound problems, and multidisciplinary applications, the new standard HPF 2.0 of the data parallel language High Performance Fortran (HPF) provides approved extensions for task parallelism that allow nested task and data parallelism. Unfortunately, these extensions allow the spawning of tasks but do not allow interaction like synchronization and communication between tasks during their execution and therefore might be too restrictive for certain application classes. E.g., they are not suitable for expressing the complex interactions among asynchronous tasks as required by multidisciplinary applications. They do not support any parallel programming style that is based on non-deterministic communication patterns.This paper discusses the extension of the task model provided by HPF 2.0 with a task library that allows interaction between tasks during their lifetime, mainly by message passing with an user-friendly HPF binding. The same library with the same interface can also be used for single processors in the local HPF model. The task model of HPF 2.0 and the task library have been implemented in the ADAPTOR HPF compilation system that is available in the public domain. Some experimental results show the easy use of the concepts and the efficiency of the chosen approach.
Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy: An Unusual Skin Condition Associated with Kidney Disease

We report the case of a patient who, while on long-term hemodialysis (HD), developed nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy, a newly described sclerosing skin disorder. This disorder is characterized by thickened, hardened skin with brawny hyperpigmentation and raised plaques. The most common patient complaints are pruritus and dysesthesia. The extremities are predominantly involved with sparing of the torso and face. Dysfunction of internal organs has not been described, distinguishing it from other fibrosing conditions such as scleroderma. The skin biopsy is characterized by haphazardly arranged dermal collagen spindle cells in the reticular dermis. Extensive mucin deposits are interposed between collagen bundles and there are an increased number of fibroblast-type cells. In contrast to scleroderma, inflammatory cells are generally absent. Corticosteroid therapy can be tried, but in our patient was of no benefit.
Multicore Processors and Systems

Multicore Processors and Systems provides a comprehensive overview of emerging multicore processors and systems. It covers technology trends affecting multicores, multicore architecture innovations, multicore software innovations, and case studies of state-of-the-art commercial multicore systems. A cross-cutting theme of the book is the challenges associated with scaling up multicore systems to hundreds of cores. The book provides an overview of significant developments in the architectures for multicore processors and systems. It includes chapters on fundamental requirements for multicore systems, including processing, memory systems, and interconnect. It also includes several case studies on commercial multicore systems that have recently been developed and deployed across multiple application domains. The architecture chapters focus on innovative multicore execution models as well as infrastructure for multicores, including memory systems and on-chip interconnections. The case studies examine multicore implementations across different application domains, including general purpose, server, media/broadband, network processing, and signal processing. Multicore Processors and Systems is the first book that focuses solely on multicore processors and systems, and in particular on the unique technology implications, architectures, and implementations. The book has contributing authors that are from both the academic and industrial communities.
Illness-related practices for the management of childhood malaria among the Bwatiye people of north-eastern Nigeria.

Background A wide range of childhood illnesses are accompanied by fever,, including malaria. Child mortality due to malaria has been attributed to poor health service delivery system and ignorance. An assessment of a mother's ability to recognize malaria in children under-five was carried out among the Bwatiye, a poorly-served minority ethnic group in north-eastern Nigeria.
An Overview of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Extended Entity-Relationship Database Tools

In this paper we briefly overview a suite of tools developed at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) for aiding users in defining, querying, and browsing databases developed with commercial relational database management systems (DBMS), using object-oriented constructs. These tools are based on a version of the Extended Entity-Relationship (EER) model and a query language developed by us. They allow users to deal with concise EER structures and queries rather than relational database definitions and queries which are usually large, hard to maintain, and involve terms that obscure the semantics of the application. Using the LBL/EER database tools users are insulated from the underlying DBMS, and thus can avoid learning DBMS specific concepts and query languages.
The electric dipole moment and hyperfine structure of NO B2Π: high resolution laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy of the B2Π(ν = 3–5) « X2Π(ν = 0) bands

The dipole moment of NO(B (2) Pi) was determined for the first time by high resolution laser-induced fluorescence molecular beam spectroscopy. Specific values obtained areas follows: mu(upsilon' = 3) = 0.293(3) D, mu(upsilon' = 4) = 0.276(9) D and mu(upsilon' = 5) = 0.261(7) D. An RKR analysis allowed the first two moments of the dipole moment function to be derived. Quantum beats were observed for the f-parity Lambda-doublets and the partial resolution of the hyperfine structure allowed the hyperfine energy level ordering to be determined. Accurate molecular constants were also obtained for B(upsilon' = 4 and 5) levels.
Hepatic mRNAs up-regulated by starvation: an expression profile determined by suppression subtractive hybridization

SPECIFIC AIMSThe aim of this study was to define the transcriptional programs up-regulated in liver by starvation. Understanding the molecular basis of the liver’s metabolic switch from the well-fed state to starvation will shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the metabolic alterations of nutritional abnormalities, ranging from undernutrition to obesity.PRINCIPAL FINDINGSWe isolated mRNA from the livers of rats that had been starved for 48 h and from well-fed rats. We constructed a subtracted cDNA library representing starvation up-regulated genes after differentially expressed mRNAs were selected by suppression subtractive hybridization. Positive clones from the library were identified by filter arrays, followed by RNA dot blots and/or Northern blots for further confirmation. A total of 54 genes expressed in starved rat liver were identified and confirmed to be up-regulated by starvation (Table 1⤻ ). Table 1.Starvation of up-regulated gene expression in rat livera a A total of 54 genes, show...
Selection and Characterization of a Carrot Cell Line Tolerant to Glyphosate

Cultured carrot ( Daucus carota L.) cells were adapted to growing in 25 millimolar glyphosate by transfer into progressively higher concentrations of the herbicide. Tolerance was increased 52-fold, and the adaptation was stable in the absence of glyphosate. The uptake of glyphosate was similar for adapted and nonadapted cells. Activity of the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimic acid-3-phosphate synthase was 12-fold higher in the adapted line compared to nonadapted cells, while activities of shikimate dehydrogenase and anthranilate synthase were similar in the two cell types. The adapted cells had higher levels of free amino acids—especially threonine, methionine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, histidine, and arginine—than did nonadapted cells. Glyphosate treatment caused decreases of 50 to 65% in the levels of serine, glycine, methionine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan in nonadapted cells, but caused little change in free amino acid levels in adapted cells. The adaptation reported here supports the growing body of evidence linking tolerance to glyphosate with increased levels of the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimic acid-3-phosphate synthase. The elevated levels of aromatic amino acids, which may confer resistance in adapted cells, suggest that control of the shikimate pathway may be altered in these cells.
Effect of Gadolinium Doping on the Air Oxidation of Uranium Dioxide

Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) investigated the effects of gadolinia concentration on the air oxidization of gadolinia-doped uranium dioxide using thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry to determine if such doping could improve uranium dioxide's stability as a nuclear fuel during potential accident scenarios in a nuclear reactor or during long-term disposal. We undertook this study to determine whether the resistance of the uranium dioxide to oxidation to the orthorhombic U3O8 with its attendant crystal expansion could be prevented by addition of gadolinia. Our studies found that gadolinium has little effect on the thermal initiation of the first step of the reported two-step air oxidation of UO2; however, increasing gadolinia content does stabilize the initial tetragonal or cubic product allowing significant oxidation before the second expansive step to U3O8 begins.
“Subliminal cues” and the Miiller-type illusion

Using the viewing box from a 2-field tachistoscope, feathers-arrows from 1 field were superimposed upon line-pairs from the other field to construct the Muller-Lyer illusion. 6 Os were tested for the illusory effects under 4 conditions of feather-arrow detectability: (a) d′=O, (no luminance); (b) d′=.42; (c) d′=1.00 and (d) d′=3.7. The length differences of lines of any given pair were a in., 1/64 in., 2/64 in., or 6/64 in. The illusion effect was observed when the feather-arrow d’ equaled 3.7. No significant nor suggestive illusion effects were found for the other feather-arrow detectability conditions.
Reducing long queries using query quality predictors

Long queries frequently contain many extraneous terms that hinder retrieval of relevant documents. We present techniques to reduce long queries to more effective shorter ones that lack those extraneous terms. Our work is motivated by the observation that perfectly reducing long TREC description queries can lead to an average improvement of 30% in mean average precision. Our approach involves transforming the reduction problem into a problem of learning to rank all sub-sets of the original query (sub-queries) based on their predicted quality, and selecting the top sub-query. We use various measures of query quality described in the literature as features to represent sub-queries, and train a classifier. Replacing the original long query with the top-ranked sub-query chosen by the ranker results in a statistically significant average improvement of 8% on our test sets. Analysis of the results shows that query reduction is well-suited for moderately-performing long queries, and a small set of query quality predictors are well-suited for the task of ranking sub-queries.
Rapid solidification effects in martensitic Cu-Zn-AI Alloys

The effects of rapid solidification on martensitic transformations were studied in Cu-Zn-AI samples prepared by the method of melt-spinning, with an estimated cooling rate of about 106 K per second near the freezing point. A diffusionless solidification reaction L → β occurs, and a very fine-grained β structure is obtained, with highly structured grain boundaries. The average β grain diameter (∼5 µm) is about two orders of magnitude smaller than that obtained by conventional solid state solution and quench treatment. The β:β grain boundaries contain extraordinary features such as large steps, and the matrix dislocation density is abnormally high. The Ms temperature is depressed significantly in as-melt-spun ribbon material, but as the martensitic transformation is cycled, it shifts upward in temperature and obtains a more narrow hysteresis loop. The martensite has the usual 9R structure (ABCBCACAB stacking) found in bulk alloys, and while the morphology is similar to that in bulk alloys, it is finer in scale. It is suggested that the β → 9R transformation is affected through the combined influence of rapid solidification on parent β grain size, disorder, β:β grain boundary structure, internal stresses, and dislocation substructure. Shape memory behavior is qualitatively similar in the rapidly solidified alloys.
Conditioned fear and neophobia following inescapable shock

Lick-suppression tests were used in seven experiments to assess the transsituational transfer of fear in the learned helplessness paradigm. Two sources of fear combined to suppress test drinking in inescapably shocked rats. A situational odor was strongly associated with shock pretreatments and mediated the transfer of conditioned fear during testing. Fear of the pretreatment odor was greater following inescapable shock than after escapable shock or restraint. This conditioned suppression was retained for at least 72 h after pretreatment. Neophobia was enhanced as a second, nonassociative reaction to inescapable shock. Unconditioned fear was augmented by a novel odor in the test context, but otherwise was weak and dissipated within 72 h. However, neophobia was necessary for differential conditioned suppression in inescapably shocked rats. The pretreatment odor elicited fear only when tested in a novel context. Initial habituation to the test apparatus reduced conditioned fear. These data provide additional evidence for odor-mediated transfer of helplessness. Conditioned fear and neophobia are discussed in relation to recent anxiety interpretations of the phenomenon.
HYDRATION AND AGGREGATION NEUTRAL OXYGEN-DONOR EXTRACTANTS HYDRATION AND AGGREGATION OF MONOFUNCTIONAL SULFOXIDE AND OTHER NEUTRAL OXYGEN-DONOR EXTRACTANTS: THE D1(2-ETHYLHEXYL) SULFOXIDE, DODECANE, WATER SYSTEM

ABSTRACT The nature of the hydration and aggregation of di(2-ethylhexyl) sulfoxide (DEHSO) dissolved in wet dodecane at 25 °C has been characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometry, Karl Fischer titrations, and tritium-tracer equilibrium measurements. Least-squares computer modeling of the water content of 0.01-to-0.4 M DEHSO solutions equilibrated with water (optionally containing nonextractable CaCl2 to adjust the water activity ay in the range 0.28 to 1.0) indicates that the expected 1:1 species DEHSO H20 predominates at low DEHSO concentration (K11 = {DEHSO H20} / ({DEHS0]aw.) = 0.12 ± 0.01) with additional formation of hyarated dimeric species at the higher DEHSO concentrations. Analysis of the water vibrational bands in the FTIR spectra of 0.01-to-0.4 M DEHSO solutions in equilibrium with pure water supports the formation of both the 1:1 species and a dimer, identified by its spectral characteristics as the 2:1 dimer monohydrate. By reference to the available literature on ...
Hotspot origin of the Mississippi embayment and its possible impact on contemporary seismicity

Abstract Previous authors have related the Late Cretaceous/early Tertiary subsidence of the Mississippi embayment to the opening of the Gulf of Mexico, but the Gulf opened earlier in Triassic/Jurassic time. We offer an alternative hypothesis that development of the embayment was coeval with the passage of the Mississippi Valley graben system over the Bermuda hotspot about 90 Ma. Several lines of evidence of significant uplift of the embayment axis accompanying mid-Cretaceous magmatism and prior to Late Cretaceous subsidence support this proposal. First, reactivation of the Pascola arch in the northern embayment is recorded by flanking deposits of basal Upper Cretaceous gravel. Second, beneath a regional mid-Cretaceous unconformity, subcrops of Jurassic and Early Cretaceous strata define a pronounced southwest-plunging arch in the southern embayment. This arch is collinear with an arch revealed in Paleozoic rocks after restoration to mid-Cretaceous structural geometries. Third, a deep weathering profile on mid-Cretaceous alkalic plutons along the western embayment margin is nonconformably overlain by Paleocene sediments, and rapid mid-Cretaceous cooling of these intrusions has been interpreted from apatite fission tracks. Moreover, exploratory holes along the embayment axis encountered similar weathered alkalic intrusions nonconformably overlain by basal Upper Cretaceous strata. Fourth, there was an anomalous influx of clastic sediment into the northern Gulf of Mexico during mid-Cretaceous time, and subsequent clastic facies patterns suggest the Mississippi River drainage began to enter the Gulf in the Late Cretaceous. Passage of the Mississippi Valley graben over the Bermuda hotspot during elevated hotspot activity of Cretaceous time may have significantly weakened the previously rifted lithosphere. Rifted continental margin at Charleston, South Carolina, also passed over this hotspot in latest Cretaceous time. Similarly, the St. Lawrence rift system passed over the Great Meteor hotspot during the Cretaceous. It is important to note that these rift systems are the principal loci of strong seismicity in eastern North America, and thus weakening by increased Cretaceous hotspot activity may be an important common factor for these seismic rift zones.
Suppression of mitogen-induced blastogenesis of feline lymphocytes by in vitro incubation with carcinogenic nitrosamides.

Effects of brief in vitro incubation with nitrosamides on the lymphocyte blast transformation (LBT) response of feline peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMC) to concanavalin A (con A) was studied. Incubation for 12 hr with 10–100 μg/ml methylnitrosourea (MNU) or 0.1–2.0 μg/ml methyl-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) caused marked suppression of the normal LBT response. This effect was not due to cytotoxicity, since viability experiments showed no significant decrease in viability for any concentration of either MNU or MNNG. MNU caused suppression when added to PMC cultures 24 hr, but not 48 hr, after initiation of stimulation with con A. Biologically inactivated MNU also caused suppression of the LBT response, similar in magnitude to active MNU. Finally, serum from cats immunologically suppressed by MNU did not cause suppression of the LBT response of normal feline PMC. It was concluded that the immunosuppressive properties of MNU previously noted in vivo are probably due to a direct suppressive effect on lymphocytes and/or macrophages, and that the decreased LBT response to con A of MNU-treated PMC is an accurate reflection of the immunosuppression seen in vivo.
Discussion of “Why do pro forma and street earnings not reflect changes in GAAP? Evidence from SFAS 123R”

Barth et al. (Review of Accounting Studies, this issue, 2012) identify the perfect natural laboratory setting in which they explore important questions related to non-GAAP earnings disclosures. By focusing on a single income statement line item, stock compensation expense, they can directly compare the behavior of managers and analysts in excluding that item from GAAP earnings. Their empirical analyses indicate that managers exclude the expense for opportunistic reasons. They also conclude that analysts are more likely to exclude the expense in order to increase the predictability of current-period earnings for future earnings. I believe their evidence provides a solid contribution to the literature on non-GAAP reporting. Moreover, it provides important evidence regarding the effectiveness of SFAS 123R’s requirement for the recognition of stock compensation expense in providing relevant earnings information to stakeholders. I provide a few comments regarding aspects of the paper that require clarification or that may influence the design of future studies. Overall, I believe this research provides an important contribution to the non-GAAP literature and that it will have a significant influence on the design of future studies.
An Analysis of Four Self-report Measures of Adolescent Callous-Unemotional Traits: Exploring Unique Prediction of Delinquency, Aggression, and Conduct Problems

The present study examined the incremental validity of four self-report measures of adolescent psychopathy [i.e., Antisocial Process Screening Device self-report version (APSD), Childhood Psychopathy Scale (CPS), Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI), and the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU)] with particular interest in their assessment of callous-unemotional (CU) traits in a sample of 279 (246 males, 33 females) at-risk adolescents (ages 16–18). Analogous subscales across the four measures were weakly to moderately interrelated with no evidence of a true gold-standard self-report assessment of CU traits. Results indicate that CU traits are a multifaceted construct, with specific CU dimensions predicting differential aspects of antisocial behavior. Most notably, callousness predicted aggression incrementally above other CU domains, but not other forms of antisocial behavior. The implications of a multi-dimensional conceptualization of CU traits are discussed.
Factors influencing infants' ability to update object representations in memory

Abstract Remembering persisting objects over occlusion is critical to representing a stable environment. Infants remember hidden objects at multiple locations and can update their representation of a hidden array when an object is added or subtracted. However, the factors influencing these updating abilities have received little systematic exploration. Here we examined the flexibility of infants’ ability to update object representations. We tested 11-month-olds in a looking-time task in which objects were added to or subtracted from two hidden arrays. Across five experiments, infants successfully updated their representations of hidden arrays when the updating occurred successively at one array before beginning at the other. But when updating required alternating between two arrays, infants failed. However, simply connecting the two arrays with a thin strip of foam-core led infants to succeed. Our results suggest that infants’ construal of an event strongly affects their ability to update memory representations of hidden objects. When construing an event as containing multiple updates to the same array, infants succeed, but when construing the event as requiring the revisiting and updating of previously attended arrays, infants fail.
Gas Diffusion, Energy Transport, and Thermal Accommodation in Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotube Aerogels

The thermal conductivity of gas-permeated single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) aerogel (8 kg m − 3 density, 0.0061 volume fraction) is measured experimentally and modeled using mesoscale and atomistic simulations. Despite the high thermal conductivity of isolated SWCNTs, the thermal conductivity of the evacuated aerogel is 0.025 ± 0.010 W m − 1 K − 1 at a temperature of 300 K. This very low value is a result of the high porosity and the low interface thermal conductance at the tube‐tube junctions (estimated as 12 pW K − 1 ). Thermal conductivity measurements and analysis of the gas-permeated aerogel (H 2 , He, Ne, N 2 , and Ar) show that gas molecules transport energy over length scales hundreds of times larger than the diameters of the pores in the aerogel. It is hypothesized that ineffi cient energy exchange between gas molecules and SWCNTs gives the permeating molecules a memory of their prior collisions. Low gas-SWCNT accommodation coeffi cients predicted by molecular dynamics simulations support this hypothesis. Amplifi ed energy transport length scales resulting from low gas accommodation are a general feature of CNT-based nanoporous materials.
Near Zero Emission Internal Combustion Engines

Near zero emission levels from an internal combustion engine were achieved to meet California’s Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) requirement beginning with the 2003 model year. Using a systems approach, the tailpipe emission requirements for the PZEV standard were cascaded to the base engine design, control system and catalyst system to achieve the engine-out emissions and catalyst efficiency requirements. Major emphasis was on low emission cold starting and rapid catalyst light-off. Overall catalyst efficiencies of over 99.9% for hydrocarbon emissions, 98.8% for carbon monoxide emissions and 99.5% for oxides of nitrogen emissions were achieved over 150K miles. In addition to achieving near zero levels for tailpipe emissions, on-board diagnostics were developed to detect malfunctions in the near zero emission control systems. Likewise, a near zero evaporative emission system was developed. Future PZEV developments are described as more vehicles will be required to meet the PZEV requirements in the future.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
UPSWING: DEVELOPMENT OF A WORKSHOP FOR LONG‐TERM‐CARE STAFF RESPONSIBLE FOR RESIDENTS’ COUNCILS

The autonomy of long‐term care residents is an increasing concern of researchers, practitioners, and regulatory personnel. A cooperative extension workshop called Upswing was developed for staffs of long‐term care facilities who work with residents’ councils. Eoctension field staff were trained to conduct the workshop at the county level. Relevant literature is reviewed and workshop objectives, content, and materials are described. Evaluations of a two‐county eoctension Upswing workshop and an eocpanded workshop for long‐term care staffs in another state provide data regarding the participants’ perceived knowledge gain.