cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Restoring Context and Meaning in Social Inquiry: The Reach of Qualitative Methods

This chapter considers the openness of the post-Positivism climate to engagement with ethnographic or qualitative method in social inquiry. It explores the main reasons for the historic move away from a strict positivist approach, a consequence largely of a pervasive sense of disappointment in its failure to yield a rich account of individual personality and of social life. It argues for the fundamental epistemological commonality of quantitative and qualitative method, both involving hermeneutic interpretation. Issues in the philosophy of science are discussed, especially the necessity to assume an empirical world, generally denied by the post-modernists, in order to establish validity, and the importance of acknowledging subjectivity in social science.
Early-Life Diet Affects Host Microbiota and Later-Life Defenses Against Parasites in Frogs

Food resources can affect the health of organisms by altering their symbiotic microbiota and affecting energy reserves for host defenses against parasites. Different diets can vary in their macronutrient content and therefore they might favor certain bacterial communities of the host and affect the development and maintenance of the immune system, such as the inflammatory or antibody responses. Thus, testing the effect of diet, especially for animals with wide diet breadths, on host-associated microbiota and defenses against parasites might be important in determining infection and disease risk. Here, we test whether the early-life diet of Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) affects early- and later-life microbiota as well as later-life defenses against skin-penetrating, gut worms (Aplectana hamatospicula). We fed tadpoles two ecologically common diets: a diet of conspecifics or a diet of algae (Arthrospira sp.). We then: (1) characterized the gut microbiota of tadpoles and adults; and (2) challenged adult frogs with parasitic worms and measured host resistance (including the antibody-mediated immune response) and tolerance of infections. Tadpole diet affected bacterial communities in the guts of tadpoles but did not have enduring effects on the bacterial communities of adults. In contrast, tadpole diet had enduring effects on host resistance and tolerance of infections in adult frogs. Frogs that were fed a conspecific-based diet as tadpoles were more resistant to worm penetration compared with frogs that were fed an alga-based diet as tadpoles, but less resistant to worm establishment, which may be related to their suppressed antibody response during worm establishment. Furthermore, frogs that were fed a conspecific-based diet as tadpoles were more tolerant to the effect of parasite abundance on host mass during worm establishment. Overall, our study demonstrates that the diet of Cuban tree frog tadpoles affects the gut microbiota and defenses against parasitic gut worms of frogs, but these effects depend on the stage of the host and infection, respectively.
Should epithelial ovarian carcinoma metastatic to the inguinal lymph nodes be assigned stage IVB

Abstract Objective According to the revised FIGO staging system women with ovarian carcinoma and inguinal lymph node (LN) metastases, formerly stage III, are now considered stage IVB. In this study we compare their survival to that of women with stage III and stage IV disease. Methods Women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian carcinoma were drawn from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2004–2013). Four groups were formed: group 1 (stage IV due to positive inguinal nodes), group 2 (stage III with positive para-aortic/pelvic nodes), group 3 (stage IV with positive distant nodes) and group 4 (stage IV with distant metastases). Overall (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates were evaluated with the Kaplan-Meier method. The log-rank test and Cox-hazard models were employed for univariate and multivariate survival analysis. Results A total of 11,152 women were identified. Five-year OS for women in group 1 (n=151) was 46.3% compared to 44.9% for those in group 2 (n=4,403) ( p =0.4), 32.9% in group 3 (n=642) ( p p Conclusions Ovarian cancer patients with stage IV ovarian cancer due solely to inguinal nodal metastases have similar survival as those with pelvic/para-aortic nodal involvement and improved survival compared to those harboring distant metastases. Our findings do not support the reclassification of these patients as stage IVB.
Stimulation of synapse formation between stem cell-derived neurons and native brainstem auditory neurons.

Integration of stem cell-derived cells into native cellular environment remains a challenge in the field. This study developed novel methods to co-culture neural stem cell-derived spiral ganglion-like neurons (ScNs) and mouse auditory cochlear nucleus (CN) neurons to understand whether ScNs of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) synapse with CN neurons of the central nervous system (CNS). ScNs were obtained from neural stem cells that were derived from transgenic mouse pre-labeled with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), whereas CN neurons were from postnatal mouse primary cultures. ScNs and CN neurons were co-cultured for 4–6 days in the absence or presence of astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM). Class III β-tubulin (TUJ1)-expressing connections were found between ScNs and CN neurons. Expression of the synaptic vesicle marker SV2 was significantly increased along connections between ScNs and CN neurons in the presence of ACM. Immunodepletion and knockout studies indicated that thrombospodin-1 played an important role in ACM-exerted synaptogenic effects. Newly-generated synapse-like structures expressed glutamatergic marker VGluT1, pre- and post-synaptic proteins. Synaptic vesicle recycling studies suggested functional synaptic vesicle retrieval. These results reveal that stem cell-derived PNS neurons are able to form functional connections with native CNS neurons, which is critical for stem cell-based neural pathway regeneration.
Do Experts Understand Performance Measures? A Mixed-Methods Study of Infection Preventionists

OBJECTIVE Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite a nationwide decline in CLABSI rates, individual hospital success in preventing CLABSI is variable. Difficulty in interpreting and applying complex CLABSI metrics may explain this problem. Therefore, we assessed expert interpretation of CLABSI quality data. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey PARTICIPANTS. Members of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Research Network (SRN) METHODS. We administered a 10-item test of CLABSI data comprehension. The primary outcome was percent correct of attempted questions pertaining to the CLABSI data. We also assessed expert perceptions of CLABSI reporting. RESULTS The response rate was 51% (n=67).Among experts, the average proportion of correct responses was 73% (95% confidence interval [CI], 69%-77%). Expert performance on unadjusted data was significantly better than risk-adjusted data (86% [95% CI, 81%-90%] vs 65% [95% CI, 60%-70%]; P<.001). Using a scale of 1 to 100 (0, never reliable; 100, always reliable), experts rated the reliability of CLABSI data as 61. Perceived reliability showed a significant inverse relationship with performance (r=-0.28; P=.03), and as interpretation of data improved, perceptions regarding reliability of those data decreased. Experts identified concerns regarding understanding and applying CLABSI definitions as barriers to care. CONCLUSIONS Significant variability in the interpretation of CLABSI data exists among experts. This finding is likely related to data complexity, particularly with respect to risk-adjusted data. Improvements appear necessary in data sharing and public policy efforts to account for this complexity. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:71-76.
Folate Receptor Positive Macrophages: Cellular Targets for Imaging and Therapy of Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases

FRβ constitutes a unique and selective marker for activated human ­monocytes and macrophages. Based on numerous criteria, most FR+ macrophages appear to be highly inflammatory and important in the development/maintenance of many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, however, some appear to be activated and anti-inflammatory. Inflammatory pathologies in which FR+ macrophages are commonly enriched include rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, atherosclerosis, sarcoidosis, glomerulonephritis, osteoarthritis, organ transplant rejection, ulcerative colitis, Sjogren’s syndrome, diabetes, ischemia/reperfusion injury, impact trauma, microbial infection, prosthesis osteolysis, liver steatosis, and multiple sclerosis. Folate-targeted imaging agents have proven useful in identifying, localizing, and quantifying sites of inflammation in both human patients and animal models of the above diseases. Folate-targeted therapeutic agents offer great promise for the development of highly potent, nontoxic treatment modalities for the same diseases.
Competency: A Triaxial Concept

The notion of ‘competency’ (in the sense of ‘mental competency’ or ‘decision-making capacity’) lies at the intersection of a number of important issues in contemporary medical ethics.1 ‘Competency’in its general sense is usually understood to be a precondition to the exercise of autonomous choice. An individual who is determined to be ‘incompetent’ may not be permitted to act in a way he perceives to be in his best interests, including the accepting and refusing of medical diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Thus, a person who is in fact competent but found to be ‘incompetent’ may lose his right to self-determination. On the other hand, an individual who is in fact incompetent, may so act as to bring harm to himself; such a person is not functioning ‘autonomously’and protecting such an individual can be justified on the basis of a principle of beneficence.2 Though a determination of ‘incompetency’in its strict sense is a legal determination and is made by a judge, the determination typically rests on information and an interpretation of that information provided by medical personnel and in particular by psychiatrists. More significantly, many determinations of competency/incompetency that play important parts in patient management are made by attending physicians who are not psychiatrists.3 Thus not only ethical, legal, psychiatric, and social issues are involved in competency determinations, but also medical management decisions arise in these situations.
Reduction of Excess Arm Skin via Surgical Excision

With natural aging or with significant weight loss, the skin and soft tissue of the upper arm undergo changes in their fat-skin composition and elastic properties. The relative laxity of supportive tissue and the relative excess of skin vis-a-vis underlying subcutaneous fat will lead to varying degrees of upper extremity ptosis. Not only is the appearance of this excess skin cosmetically problematic, but can also be functionally impairing with redundant soft tissue hampering adduction of the arm and occasionally leading to dermatitis within the folds.
Detection of energy inefficiencies in Android wear watch faces

This work considers watch faces for Android Wear devices such as smartwatches. Watch faces are a popular category of apps that display current time and relevant contextual information. Our study of watch faces in an app market indicates that energy efficiency is a key concern for users and developers. The first contribution of this work is the definition of several energy-inefficiency patterns of watch face behavior, focusing on two energy-intensive resources: sensors and displays. Based on these patterns, we propose a control-flow model and static analysis algorithms to identify instances of these patterns. The algorithms use interprocedural control-flow analysis of callback methods and the invocation sequences of these methods. Potential energy inefficiencies are then used for automated test generation and execution, where the static analysis reports are validated via run-time execution. Our experimental results and case studies demonstrate that the analysis achieves high precision and low cost, and provide insights into potential pitfalls faced by developers of watch faces.
Rethinking Computational Thinking for Public Libraries' Youth Programs: Challenges and Recommendations

Computational thinking has become a popular and important concept in education throughout the nation. Public libraries, with their technology services and their role as an informal learning space, have been tagged as an ideal place for computational thinking learning for children. However, the literature and research surrounding computational thinking is often vague and even misleading, presenting differing visions of what computational thinking is, what it should look like in practice, and how it might be evaluated for effectiveness. As a result, youth services librarians face many challenges in their attempts to understand, design, and evaluate computational thinking programs for their libraries. This paper explores the issues inherent in current computational thinking research and discusses the challenges they represent in designing and facilitating youth computational thinking programs in public libraries, as well as presents recommendations for best practices.
Survival differences by race/ethnicity in adolescents and young adults diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

9580 Background: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer have not experienced the same degree of survival improvements as in younger children and older adults. Several barriers have been id...
A prospective study of health behaviors and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality after spinal cord injury.

Study design Prospective cohort study OBJECTIVES: Identify the association between health behaviors and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in adults with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) SETTING: A large rehabilitation hospital in the Southeastern United States. Methods Participants included 3070 adults (>18 years old) with chronic (>1-year) traumatic SCI. Behavioral data were collected by mail-in self report assessment between 1997-1998 and 2007-2010. Mortality status was determined using the National Death Index as of December 2016. We examined the associations between six behavioral domains (prescription medication usage, alcohol use, smoking, two nutrition factors, and fitness) and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality, including deaths due to sepsis (ICD-10-CM A40-A41), pneumonia and influenza (J09-J18), cancer (C00-D49), heart and blood vessel diseases (I00-I99), unintentional injuries (V01-X59, Y40-Y84, Y88), and all other causes. Results All health behaviors, except one nutrition factor, were associated with risk of all-cause mortality. Prescription medication usage was related to an increase in the risk of deaths caused by sepsis, unintentional injuries, and other causes of death. Alcohol usage was associated with an increased hazard of deaths due to unintentional injuries. Smoking was associated with increased risk of deaths due to cancer, heart and blood vessel diseases, and all other causes. Fitness level was protective from deaths due to heart and blood vessel diseases and other causes, as was the other nutrition factor. Conclusions The results identify relationships between health behaviors and specific causes of death and affirm their importance as targets for SCI rehabilitation research and intervention.
Resource Adequacy in Electricity Markets With Renewable Energy

This paper presents a market-based resource adequacy assessment framework to analyze the system generation portfolio that results in a competitive market environment. In particular, we apply the modeling framework to investigate the impact of high penetration levels of variable renewable energy resources and different market designs on achieving resource adequacy. The model captures the strategic capacity investment and retirement decision-making of profit-maximizing generation companies. In contrast to many previous studies, this paper considers markets for capacity, energy, and reserve products in detail; thus, the modeling framework allows improved analysis of generation expansion and revenue sufficiency in a competitive market environment. The modeling framework is based on Stackelberg leader–follower games and is formulated as a bi-level optimization problem, which is then transformed into a mathematical program with equilibrium constraints. Furthermore, we employ a Lagrangian decomposition algorithm to enhance computational performance. In a case study of the electric reliability council of texas (ERCOT) system, we compare the results from the proposed model with those obtained from a traditional centralized least-cost planning model. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed modeling framework and highlight the importance of considering strategic behavior in a competitive market framework when assessing resource adequacy.
The interaction of sociocultural attitudes and gender on disordered eating

OBJECTIVE The Tripartite Influence Model posits that social agents emphasize a thin ideal for women and a muscularity ideal for men. There is a gap in the literature of how sociocultural body ideal internalization affects overall disordered eating symptoms in men and specifically drive for muscularity in women. METHOD The sample consisted of 1,929 participants (44.2% men) who completed online surveys. It was predicted that internalization would be a stronger predictor for overall disordered eating in women and for muscularity in men. RESULTS Women with high internalization had increased disordered eating symptoms in comparison to men, whereas for men, increased internalization was linked to more drive for muscularity, as compared with women. CONCLUSIONS It is important to emphasize, however, that men still exhibited higher rates of disordered eating symptoms when they had increased internalization and women exhibited an increased drive for muscularity when they had higher internalization.
Evaluating Restrictive Models in Educational and Behavioral Research: Local Misfit Overrides Model Tenability.

The frequent practice of overall fit evaluation for latent variable models in educational and behavioral research is reconsidered. It is argued that since overall plausibility does not imply local ...
Bronchodilator response in healthy subjects

Background: The ATS/ERS Task Force (Eur Respir J 2005; 26:948-968) recommends an increase of both 12% and 200 mL in FEV1 or FVC to define a positive bronchodilator (+BD) response. These criteria are based largely on expert opinion. We aimed to describe the BD response response characteristics of the COPDGene non-smoking, healthy cohort. Methods: We evaluated 422 non-smoking, healthy adult patients with acceptable and repeatable spirograms obtained before and after (pre- and post-BD) two inhalations of albuterol (200 mcg) at 21 COPDGene sites. The same equipment (ndd, Zucih, Switzerland) and methodologies were used at each site. We determeined the mean, SD and 95th percentile for absolute (mL) and percent (%) differences between pre-BD and post-BD for FEV1, FVC and FEV6. We also determined the number of subjects that met current ATS/ERS Task Force recommendations for +BD response. Results: The mean, SD and 95th percentile for absolute and percent differences between pre-BD and post-BD mean are shown (Table). The percent of subjects that met ATS/ERS Task Force recommendations for +BD response for FEV1 was 5.7% and for FVC was 5.2%. Conclusion: Our results indicate that in a healthy adult population, a significant BD response for FEV1 is approximately 200 mL and 9%; corresponding values for FVC are 200 mL and 6%. Our results are in agreement with the ATS/ERS Task Force recommendation for an absolute increase in FEV1 and FVC (200 mL) to define a +BD response but suggest that the 12% increase criteria for FEV1 and FVC is too large.
How Students in Computing-Related Majors Distinguish Social Implications of Technology

The demand for machine learning and data science has grown exponentially in recent years. Yet, as the influence of these fields reach farther into daily life, the disparate impacts of these algorithms and models on more marginalized populations have also begun to surface rapidly. To address this emerging crisis, it is necessary to equip the next generation of computer scientists with the ethical tools needed to tackle these issues. Thus, an exploratory study was conducted to investigate how students who are currently enrolled in computing-related programs evaluate and understand the ethical and social impact of technology. 43 students in computing majors were presented with 5 scenarios of different technologies that utilizes machine learning to address potentially sensitive areas (e.g. policing, medical diagnosing). The long-format responses to these scenarios were qualitatively analyzed. Additionally, quantitative analysis was conducted after qualitatively coding the long-format responses into four sentiments. Ultimately, we found that participants were able to decipher the social implications of technology. However, many issues of systemic discrimination were missing from participants' analysis. Alarmingly, our findings also indicated that 50% or more of participants were not exposed to most of the technologies highlighted in the scenarios, which highlights a potential gap in computing curriculum of connecting ethics as well as racial, cultural, and socioeconomic understanding to computer science. Based on these results, we suggest that computing-related curriculum be reevaluated with ethical training in mind.
Distal Enhancer Potentiates Activin- and GnRH-Induced Transcription of FSHB

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is critical for fertility. Transcription of FSHB, the gene encoding the beta subunit, is rate-limiting in FSH production and is regulated by both gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and activin. Activin signals through SMAD transcription factors. While the mechanisms and importance of activin signaling in mouse Fshb transcription are well-established, activin regulation of human FSHB is less well understood. We previously reported a novel enhancer of FSHB which contains a fertility-associated single nucleotide polymorphism (rs10031006) and requires a region resembling a full (8 base-pair) SMAD binding element (SBE). Here, we investigated the role of the putative SBE within the enhancer in activin and GnRH regulation of FSHB. In mouse gonadotrope-derived LβT2 cells, the upstream enhancer potentiated activin induction of both the human and mouse FSHB proximal promoters and conferred activin responsiveness to a minimal promoter. Activin induction of the enhancer required the SBE and was blocked by the inhibitory SMAD7, confirming involvement of the classical SMAD signaling pathway. GnRH induction of FSHB was also potentiated by the enhancer and dependent on the SBE, consistent with known activin/GnRH synergy regulating FSHB transcription. In DNA pull-down, the enhancer SBE bound SMAD4, and chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated SMAD4 enrichment at the enhancer in native chromatin. Combined activin/GnRH treatment elevated levels of the active transcriptional histone marker, histone 3 lysine 27 acetylation at the enhancer. Overall, this study indicates that the enhancer is directly targeted by activin signaling and identifies a novel, evolutionarily conserved mechanism by which activin and GnRH can regulate FSHB transcription.
Problems and puzzles in echinoderm demography

Introduction: There are problems and puzzles in understanding reproduction, growth and mortality in echinoderm life cycles. Objective: Explore problems and puzzles in life cycles that are important and challenging. Methods: The literature is used to elucidate problems associated with all life stages. Results: Sources of larvae that settle at a site are explored using oceanographic modelling and genetic methods. There are few studies that have estimated larval mortality in the plankton under field conditions and results differ from experimental results or patterns of settlement. In a small number of studies, mortality rate of newly settled larvae appears to change rapidly as individuals grow. There are problems measuring size, and measurement bias that interferes with many tagging methods used to estimate growth. There also are problems with the use of natural growth lines and commonly used software to estimate both growth and mortality from size-frequency data. An interesting puzzle is that echinoderms may show negative senescence with mortality rate decreasing with size. There is a problem in fertilization success based on density so there should not be rare species where sexes are separate with free spawning of gametes yet there seem to be rare echinoderms. Conclusions: All parts of echinoderm life cycles provide problems and puzzles that are important and challenging.
Bridged parametric survival models: General paradigm and speed improvements.

Abstract Background and objective: With the recent surge in availability of large biomedical databases mostly derived from electronic health records, the need for the development of scalable marginal survival models with faster implementation cannot be more timely. The presence of clustering renders computational complexity, especially when the number of clusters is high. Marginalizing conditional survival models can violate the proportional hazards assumption for some frailty distributions, disrupting the connection to a conditional model. While theoretical connections between proportional hazard and accelerated failure time models exist, a computational framework to produce both for either marginal or conditional perspectives is lacking. Our objective is to provide fast, scalable bridged-survival models contained in a unified framework from which the effects and standard errors for the conditional hazard ratio, the marginal hazard ratio, the conditional acceleration factor, and the marginal acceleration factor can be estimated, and related to one another in a transparent fashion. Methods We formulate a Weibull parametric frailty likelihood for clustered survival times that can directly estimate the four estimands. Under a nonlinear mixed model specification with positive stable frailties powered by Gaussian quadrature, we put forth a novel closed form of the integrated likelihood that lowered the computational threshold for fitting these models. The method is illustrated on a real dataset generated from electronic health records examining tooth-loss. Results: Our novel closed form of the integrated likelihood significantly lowered the computational threshold for fitting these models by a factor of 12 (36 compared to 3 min) for the R package parfm, and a factor of 2400 for Gaussian Quadrature (4.6 days compared to 3 min) in SAS. Moreover, each of these estimands are connected by simple relationships of the parameters and the proportional hazards assumption is preserved for the marginal model. Our framework provides a flow of analysis enabling the fit of any/all of the 4 perspective-parameterization combinations. Conclusions We see the potential usefulness of our framework of bridged parametric survival models fitted with the Static-Stirling closed form likelihood. Bridged-survival models provide insights on subject-specific and population-level survival effects when their relation is transparent. SAS and R codes, along with implementation details on a pseudo data are provided.
Complete Atrioventricular Block: A Rare Complication of MitraClip Implantation.

Abstract MitraClip (Abbott Vascular, Inc., Santa Clara, California) has emerged as a viable alternative for treatment of symptomatic severe mitral regurgitation. Conduction abnormalities are not a known complication of this procedure. We report a case of complete heart block without a ventricular escape rhythm immediately following MitraClip placement near the medial leaflets (A3-P3) in a patient with underlying trifascicular block. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.)
49 Exploring relationships between forage nutrients and the equine fecal microbiome

Dietary nutrients have been identified as drivers of gut microbial composition across animal species. The aim of this study was to apply a biologically relevant computational approach to explore relationships between forage nutrients and the equine fecal microbiome. Fecal samples were collected from 8 mares grazing cool-season (CSG) and warm-season grass (WSG) rotational pastures at 5 time points: following initial 3-wk adaptation to CSG hay; after 2–3 weeks grazing CSG (spring), WSG (summer), and CSG (fall); and after transition back to hay in the fall. Forage samples were collected on 3 random days per period (0800–1000), and nutrient content was analyzed by NIRS. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene was conducted in QIIME 2, and taxonomy was assigned using SILVA. From 3482 amplicon sequence variants (ASV) generated in QIIME 2, 354 bacterial co-abundance groups (BCG) were then identified using Sparse Cooccurrence Network Investigation for Compositional data. Random forest regression showed that mean Crude Protein (CP), Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF), and Water-Soluble Carbohydrate (WSC) concentration could be predicted based on microbial composition (R > 0.5; P 0.5 and P
Association of age with treatment at high-volume hospitals and distance traveled for care, in patients with rectal cancer who seek curative resection.

Abstract Background The association between volume and outcomes has led to recommendations that patients undergo surgery at high-volume centers. We aimed to determine if older patients with rectal cancer are undergoing operations at high-volume centers. Methods We identified patients ≥50 years old who underwent rectal cancer resection using the NCDB (2004–2015). Tertiles were used to categorize facility volume and distance traveled. Results Higher facility volume was associated with improved outcomes. Patients >75 years old were less likely than patients 50–59 years old to be treated at high-volume centers. Traveling >16.8 miles was associated with treatment at high-volume facilities, however patients >75 years old were less likely to travel >16.8 miles. Conclusions Higher facility volume is associated with improved outcomes after rectal cancer resection. However, older patients are less likely to be treated at high-volume facilities. Older patients travel shorter distances for care, suggesting that care integration across networks must be optimized.
The Shea Site: A Prehistoric Fortified Village on the Northeastern Plains

Archaeological excavations at the Shea site (32CS1O1) reveal a village lifeway on the Northeastern Plains during the late prehistoric period and clarify Late Woodland-Plains Village interrelationsh...
Walk in my shoes: Nudging for empathy conservation

Abstract The traditional policy approaches to encourage conservation, including offering monetary incentives and direct regulation, may lead to unintended consequences which may undermine their effectiveness. In this paper we experimentally test the effectiveness of complementing financial nudging/incentives with nudging for empathy. Our framed experiment models a situation in which an upstream farmer influences the water quality downstream by choosing the level of conservation. Financial nudging is represented by a crop insurance subsidy conditional on conservation compliance (consistent with the 2014 Farm Bill policy). Empathy nudging is represented by a downstream water user sending a message to the upstream farmer encouraging the latter to “walk-in-the-shoes”/take the perspective of the former. We found that empathy nudging can counteract the elimination of financial incentives. However, it is less effective than financial nudging. Empathy nudging coupled with financial incentives has a synergic effect and conservation increased significantly compared to using one of the nudges alone. Furthermore, the combination of empathy and financial nudging was particularly effective in low (initial) conservation cases. We argue that policy makers and the public should encourage empathy conservation and that the environmental policy narrative should appeal to empathy and call for farmers to “join the cause” for conservation and environmental protection.
Extremism on the World Wide Web: a research review

The following paper addresses the importance of the Internet in supporting rightwing extremist objectives. More specifically, this paper will examine Internet facilitation of information sharing, fundraising, social networking and recruitment, publicity, and risk mitigation. Specific tactics under investigation include, but are not limited to, the use and creation of electronic bulletin boards, the widespread adoption of multimedia technologies to attract children and teenagers, and the ever increasing use of writing and speaking in code. Given recent growth trends concerning group membership, it is imperative that Internet usage by these groups be exploited for research and intelligence purposes.
A tutorial on parallel and concurrent programming in Haskell

This practical tutorial introduces the features available in Haskell for writing parallel and concurrent programs. We first describe how to write semi-explicit parallel programs by using annotations to express opportunities for parallelism and to help control the granularity of parallelism for effective execution on modern operating systems and processors. We then describe the mechanisms provided by Haskell for writing explicitly parallel programs with a focus on the use of software transactional memory to help share information between threads. Finally, we show how nested data parallelism can be used to write deterministically parallel programs which allows programmers to use rich data types in data parallel programs which are automatically transformed into flat data parallel versions for efficient execution on multi-core processors.
An 11-Band 3.4 to 10.3 GHz MB-OFDM UWB Receiver in 0.25/spl mu/m SiGe BiCMOS

An 11-band 3.4-10.3GHz direct conversion receiver for MB-OFDM UWB is implemented in a 0.25mum BiCMOS process. It includes an RF front-end with interference rejection at 5.25GHz, a frequency synthesizer generating 11 carrier tones in quadrature with fast hopping, and a linear phase baseband section with 42dB of gain programmability. The packaged IC mounted on FR-4 substrate provides maximum gain of 67-78dB and NF of 5-10dB across all bands while consuming 114mA from a 2.5V supply
Buffer gas consumption in rubidium discharge lamps

We present a physics-based empirical model of a newly discovered potential failure mode of rubidium atomic clocks: exhaustion of the noble gas buffer in the rubidium discharge lamp. We attribute the buffer gas loss to noble gas ion capture (NIC) by the glass walls of the lamp. The noble gas ions are produced by multistep ionization in collisions with discharge electrons. The model explains the observed pressure dependence of the buffer gas loss rate, and predicts an extremely high sensitivity of the loss rate to discharge electron temperature. That prediction is confirmed by comparison with experimental data. The model needs further work to be fully validated. We propose that longest lamp life can be achieved by minimizing noble gas light emission while keeping Rb light emission at the level required to achieve the desired atomic clock performance.
The Two-Party Line: Conversations in the Field

The Two-Party Line: Conversations in the Field. Jane C. Goodale. with Ann Chowning. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Iittlefield, 1996. 209 pp.
Advances in Antimicrobial Polymers and Materials

Significant advances in the last three decades are reviewed for the synthesis and application of polymers and fibers to prevent microbial attack and material degradation. Diverse end uses for polymers and fibrous materials can be subdivided into aesthetic, biomedical and preservation of materials. During this period, the concepts and techniques of controlled release, permanent biobarrier and microencapsulation were formulated. This led to the discovery of several new polymers with bioactive groups and resultant materials with resistance to various microorganisms. Methods were developed for the early detection of microbial infiltration on surfaces. Factors that promote adhesion to and persistence of bacteria and fungi on surfaces and polymers are discussed. Such adhesion is based on fundamental interactions between microbes and polymer surfaces. Similar modes of attachment of viruses occur via adsorption on polymer surfaces. A prospective is also given on how related disciplines and newly mandated health regulations for protective clothing may lead to further advances in the understanding and development of new and effective antimicrobial polymers and fibers.
Microwave conductivity of pinned spin-density waves and charge-density waves.

We study the high-frequency conductivity of pinned spin- and charge-density waves within mean-field theory where the quasiparticle scattering is introduced explicitly in terms of randomly distributed nonmagnetic impurities. We find the ac response is approximated by the one for a damped harmonic oscillator, where the damping constant is expressed in terms of microscopic parameters. In particular, the phason damping constant in a charge-density wave is reduced by m/${m}^{\mathrm{*}}$ compared with the one in a spin-density wave, where ${m}^{\mathrm{*}}$ is the phason mass and m is the band electron mass.
Effect of L-triiodothyronine on (--)3H-dihydroalprenolol binding and cyclic AMP response to (--)adrenaline in cultured heart cells.

MANY physiological responses of the cardiovascular system to thyroid hormone seem to reflect altered sympathetic activity. The effects of thyroid hormones on the heart are very similar to those induced by catecholamines and the possible interrelationship of these substances on myocardial function has been explained by an interaction at various levels. These include effects on altering catecholamine release from the sympathetic nervous system1,2, and modifying plasma catecholamine concentrations3,4, as well as tissue catecholamine content5 and responses6–8. Although several investigators have attempted to define an action of thyroid hormone and its possible role in potentiating the catecholamine response, the mechanism responsible for this modification has not been clarified. We have reported previously that physiological concentrations of L-triiodothyronine (T3) stimulate the rate of glucose metabolism in cultured heart cells prepared from newborn rats9. We now demonstrate here that cultured heart cells retain the characteristic of response to β-adrenergic stimulation and that this response seems to be influenced by T3.
Alcohol-related injury visits: do we know the true prevalence in U.S. trauma centres?

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol consumption is a significant risk factor for injuries. Further, level I trauma centres are mandated to screen and provide a brief intervention for identified problem drinkers. However, a valid population-based estimate of the magnitude of the problem is unknown. Therefore, the goal of this study is to evaluate the extent to which the present literature provides a valid estimate of the prevalence of alcohol-related visits to U.S. trauma centres. METHODS: A Medline search for all articles from 1966 to 2007 that might provide prevalence estimates of alcohol-related visits to U.S. trauma centres yielded 836 articles in English language journals. This review included only papers whose main or secondary goal was to estimate the prevalence of positive blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or acute intoxication. Both a crude aggregate estimate and sample size adjusted estimate were calculated from the included papers and the coverage and comparability of methods were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 15 studies that met inclusion criteria, incidence estimates of alcohol-related visits ranged from 26.2% to 62.5% and yielded an aggregate, weighted estimate of 32.5%. Target population, capture rate, and threshold for a positive screening result varied considerably across studies. No study provided a comprehensive estimate, i.e., of all trauma patients hospitalised, treated and released, or who died. CONCLUSIONS: Although the incidence of alcohol-related visits to U.S. trauma centres appears very high perhaps higher than any other medical setting, the validity of our aggregate estimate is threatened by crucial methodological considerations. The lack of a methodologically valid prevalence estimate hinders efforts to devise appropriate policies for trauma centres and across medical settings. Language: en
Conditional transgenic expression of TIR-domain-containing adaptor-inducing interferon-β (TRIF) in the adult mouse heart is protective in acute viral myocarditis

TIR-domain-containing adaptor-inducing interferon-β (TRIF) plays a major role in Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) mediated signaling. Mice deficient in TLR3 and TRIF have been shown to be highly susceptible to enterovirus-induced myocardial injury. These mice have decreased production of antiviral cytokines and increased viral replication in the heart. Therefore, we hypothesized that conditional overexpression of TRIF would change cardiac myocyte susceptibility to virus infection by augmenting the antiviral response. We generated double-transgenic MHC-tTA/MHC(tetO)-TRIF mice (DT), with conditional cardiac-specific overexpression of TRIF. Naive DT mice had increased cardiac expression of antiviral cytokines and increased cellular infiltration but no alterations in cardiac function. DT mice were less susceptible to encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) infection and had a significantly lower viral load in the heart when compared to littermate (LM) and MHC(tetO)-TRIF (ST) mice. Histopathological examination showed that the severity of myocarditis was also attenuated in DT mice. Furthermore, the decreased virus titers in the DT mouse hearts led to less cardiac damage and better cardiac function when compared to LM and ST mice. Administration of doxycycline to DT mice suppressed the protective effects of TRIF overexpression in the heart. The findings of the present study establish the importance of cardiac-specific TRIF-mediated signaling in the heart in acute viral myocarditis and identify potentially important targets for diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Physical Properties and Composition Effects on the Reactivity of Calcium-Based Sulfur Sorbents

A detailed comparison between agglomerated pellets of limestone and commercial-grade plaster of Paris was conducted to test the reactivity of the pellets with H2S over three cycles of sulfidation and regeneration. After multicycle testing with 1 vol % H2S at 880 °C, it was determined that the higher surface area exhibited by the plaster of Paris pellets provided a consistently higher reactivity than the limestone pellets. The effects of pore-forming additives on agglomerated limestone pellets was tested with starch, graphite, and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The results indicated that the PVA−limestone pellets exhibited a higher capacity for sulfur than plain limestone pellets over multiple cycles. A comparison between pellets made of two different grades of plaster of Paris, limestone, calcium carbonate, dolomite, and hydrated dolomite over three cycles of sulfidation and regeneration provided results indicating that plaster of Paris and hydrated dolomite exhibited the best reactivity and thermal stability...
Hydraulic lift: consequences of water efflux from the roots of plants.

Hydraulic lift is the passive movement of water from roots into soil layers with lower water potential, while other parts of the root system in moister soil layers, usually at depth, are absorbing water. Here, we review the brief history of laboratory and field evidence supporting this phenomenon and discuss some of the consequences of this below-ground behavior for the ecology of plants. Hydraulic lift has been shown in a relatively small number of species (27 species of herbs, grasses, shrubs, and trees), but there is no fundamental reason why it should not be more common as long as active root systems are spanning a gradient in soil water potential (Ψs) and that the resistance to water loss from roots is low. While the majority of documented cases of hydraulic lift in the field are for semiarid and arid land species inhabiting desert and steppe environments, recent studies indicate that hydraulic lift is not restricted to these species or regions. Large quantities of water, amounting to an appreciable fraction of daily transpiration, are lifted at night. This temporary partial rehydration of upper soil layers provides a source of water, along with soil moisture deeper in the profile, for transpiration the following day and, under conditions of high atmospheric demand, can substantially facilitate water movement through the soil-plant-atmosphere system. Release of water into the upper soil layers has been shown to afford the opportunity for neighboring plants to utilize this source of water. Also, because soils tend to dry from the surface downward and nutrients are usually most plentiful in the upper soil layers, lifted water may provide moisture that facilitates favorable biogeochemical conditions for enhancing mineral nutrient availability, microbial processes, and the acquisition of nutrients by roots. Hydraulic lift may also prolong or enhance fine-root activity by keeping them hydrated. Such indirect benefits of hydraulic lift may have been the primary selective force in the evolution of this process. Alternatively, hydraulic lift may simply be the consequence of roots not possessing true rectifying properties (i.e., roots are leaky to water). Finally, the direction of water movement may also be downward or horizontal if the prevailing Ψs gradient so dictates, i.e., inverse, or lateral, hydraulic lift. Such downward movement through the root system may allow growth of roots in otherwise dry soil at depth, permitting the establishment of many phreatophytic species.
An object-oriented serial implementation of a DSMC simulation package

Abstract This paper reports a scalar implementation of a multi-dimensional direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) package named “ G eneralized R arefied g A s S imulation P ackage” (GRASP). This implementation adopts a concept of simulation engine and it utilizes many Object-Oriented Programming features and software engineering design patterns. As a result, this implementation successfully resolves the problem of program functionality and interface conflictions for multi-dimensional DSMC implementations. The package has an open architecture which benefits further development and code maintenance. To reduce engineering time for three-dimensional simulations, one effective implementation is to adopt a hybrid grid scheme with a flexible data structure, which can automatically treat cubic cells adjacent to object surfaces. This package can utilize traditional structured, unstructured or hybrid grids to model multi-dimensional complex geometries and simulate rarefied non-equilibrium gas flows. Benchmark test cases indicate that this implementation has satisfactory accuracy for complex rarefied gas flow simulations.