cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A comparison of behavioral methods to train social skills to mentally retarded adults

Thirty-five mentally retarded adults in the borderline to severe range were treated for social skills deficits. Clients were matched on level of social skills dysfunction and randomly assigned to one of three groups: a standard social skills training package, a package with active rehearsal, or no treatment. Both social skills packages involved role playing, modeling, instructions, performance feedback, and reinforcement. The package with active practice incorporated these training components but also used props, active rehearsal of scenarios, and fading of therapist control. Although both treatment groups improved, the treatment that involved active rehearsal led to significantly greater change on role-play and interview measures on an in vivo test in a party situation immediately after treatment. A 6-month follow-up assessment showed that effects had been maintained.
Evidence for a Cooper minimum in the photoionization dynamics of the NO D 2Σ+ state

Abstract Rotationally resolved photoelectron angular distributions are reported for the two-color, two-photon process NO X 2 Π (υ g =0, J g =17.5)+ h ν 1 →NO D 2 Σ + (υ=0, N =18) + h ν 2 →NO + X 1 Σ + (υ + =0, N + )+e − . The positive and negative Δ N transitions (Δ N = N + − N ) for the same value of |Δ N | markedly differ in intensity and angular distribution. This observation indicates a strong energy dependence of the dynamical parameters that govern the photoionization of the NO D state and is consistent with the existence of a Cooper minimum in the 3pσ→ϵσ ( l =2) channel of the ionization continuum.
Analysis of gravity and conduction-driven melting in a sphere

An approach similar to those employed in the theories of lubrication and film condensation is applied to the problem of melting within a sphere. An approximate closed-form solution is obtained which yields relationships between the solid speed, position, and time. The results are compared with those obtained by Bareiss and Beer (1984) for the case of melting in a horizontal cylinder.
Second breakdown in high-voltage switching transistors

A 2-dimensional mathematical model which includes the avalanche multiplication and internal self-heating effects has been used to predict the internal behaviour of a typical high-voltage power-transistor design. Collector n?-n+ interface is the region of high electrical and thermal stresses which cause second-breakdown failure at high-current and high-voltage operating conditions.
4D optical coherence tomography of the embryonic heart using gated imaging

Computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging have been used to image and diagnose diseases of the human heart. By gating the acquisition of the images to the heart cycle (gated imaging), these modalities enable one to produce 3D images of the heart without significant motion artifact and to more accurately calculate various parameters such as ejection fractions [1-3]. Unfortunately, these imaging modalities give inadequate resolution when investigating embryonic development in animal models. Defects in developmental mechanisms during embryogenesis have long been thought to result in congenital cardiac anomalies. Our understanding of normal mechanisms of heart development and how abnormalities can lead to defects has been hampered by our inability to detect anatomic and physiologic changes in these small (<2mm) organs. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has made it possible to visualize internal structures of the living embryonic heart with high-resolution in two- and threedimensions. OCT offers higher resolution than ultrasound (30 um axial, 90 um lateral) and magnetic resonance microscopy (25 um axial, 31 um lateral) [4, 5], with greater depth penetration over confocal microscopy (200 um). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) uses back reflected light from a sample to create an image with axial resolutions ranging from 2-15 um, while penetrating 1-2 mm in depth [6]. In the past, OCT groups estimated ejection fractions using 2D images in a Xenopus laevis [7], created 3D renderings of chick embryo hearts [8], and used a gated reconstruction technique to produce 2D Doppler OCT image of an in vivo Xenopus laevis heart [9]. In this paper we present a gated imaging system that allowed us to produce a 16-frame 3D movie of a beating chick embryo heart. The heart was excised from a day two (stage 13) chicken embryo and electrically paced at 1 Hz. We acquired 2D images (B-scans) in 62.5 ms, which provides enough temporal resolution to distinguish end-contraction from end-relaxation. After acquiring the image set, we were able to measure the ejection fraction.
Hydrate Layers on Ice Particles and Superheated Ice: a 1H NMR Microimaging Study†

Recent observations on the interaction of methane gas with ice surfaces have led to the suggestion that the resulting hydrate layer prevents the encapsulated ice from melting at its usual temperature. This would require ice to exist in a “superheated” state.1 We have examined the product of the gas−solid reaction with 1H NMR imaging. The imaging experiments show that the hydrate-encapsulated ice is able to melt at its usual melting point. As a possible alternative model, we suggest that a considerable amount of ice inside the hydrate layer can be converted to hydrate and liquid water under isothermal and constant volume conditions, the hydrate layer acting as an insulating, semipermeable layer that insulates processes inside the hydrate layer from external bulk temperature and pressure measurements.
The disposition and metabolism of GW695634: A non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTi) for treatment of HIV/AIDS

GW695634 is the prodrug of GW678248, a novel non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor with potent antiviral activity against HIV/AIDS efavirenz- and nevirapine-resistant viruses. In mice, rats, and monkeys following oral administration of [(14)C]GW695634, the primary pathway of metabolic clearance was by amide hydrolysis and the main route of elimination (46%-75% of the dose) was in the feces. The primary metabolic pathway of clearance for GW695634 and GW678248 in the preclinical species was by amide hydrolysis. At least six metabolites were observed that were the products of GW695634 and GW678248 amide hydrolysis.
Thermo-electricity at low temperatures IV. Variation of thermo-electric power in a magnetic field

We have made experiments on the variation of thermo-electric power of pure sodium and copper and alloys of copper at low temperatures in a magnetic field. The variation in the pure metals is very small and in the case of sodium is qualitatively and quantitatively at variance with theory. The experiments on the alloys are well interpreted in terms of magneto-resistive behaviour and show that the anomalous scattering in copper ? iron and copper + tin alloys is not affected significantly by a magnetic field. temperatures of the absolute thermo-electric power of the alkali metals and of copper and its alloys were presented and discussed. We wish now to turn to experiments where a magnetic field is applied. We shall consider first the case of sodium, which on all counts appears to conform most closely to the ideal quasi free-electron model of a metal. The work on sodium is then followed by measurements on copper, which called for a different experimental technique. Finally, we have measured a number of dilute alloys of copper with tin and iron as solute elements; such alloys exhibit at low temperatures the anomalous minimum of electrical resistance, which
A Parallel, Unstructured-Mesh Methodology for Device-Scale Combustion Calculations

Rsum N Mthodologie parallle avec maillages destructurs pour des calculs de combustion-effet du nombre de processeurs N Los Alamos National Laboratories dveloppent une mthodologie de calcul parallle, destructure et en volumes finis pour la mcanique des fluides numrique. Cette mthodologie est implante dans le code Chad (Computational Hydrodynamics for Advanced Design). Dans cet article, on donne un aperu de la mthodologie numrique de Chad, et une prsentation des rsultats de calculs parallles d'coulements dans un moteur Diesel ˆ 4 soupapes. L'efficacit en fonction du nombre de processeurs est tudie.
John Hick, Philosophy of Religion, and the Clarity of God's Existence

Book reviewed in this article: David Cheetham, John Hick: A Critical Introduction and Reflection
Control of SSO noise through the use of on-chip decoupling cells

The use of standard-cell CMOS on-chip decoupling I/O cells produces a significant reduction in Simultaneous Switching Output (SSO) noise in a networking ASIC design. The decoupling-to-active cell ratios are varied for analysis.
Migration Propensities, Patterns, and the Role of Human Capital: Comparing Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican Interstate Migration, 1985–1990

This paper expands the human capital model to compare the migration propensities of Cubans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans within the U.S. between 1985 and 1990. Using the 5% PUMS from the 1990 U.S. Census, both aggregate migration streams and micro-level migration propensities are estimated for Cubans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans. The effects of personal factors, the economic environment, and the presence of fellow nationals are examined in the context of larger geographic patterns, and discussed in terms of each nationality's immigration history and cultural context. While many factors effect migration behavior similarly, there are notable differences in the way education, English fluency, and unemployment rate affect migration propensity of the native-born and foreign-born of each nationality. Differences are also apparent at the macro-level. Puerto Ricans show signs of dispersing out of New York; Mexicans are redistributing within the Southwest; and Cubans are re-concentrating in Florida. Both levels of ...
The Full Burden of Cancer

This article comments on the manuscript of Van Houtven and colleagues in this issue of The Oncologist examining the economic burden of informal cancer care.
Write on! Through to the Ph.D.: Using Writing Groups to Facilitate Doctoral Degree Progress.

Although writing groups have a long history in higher education, they have only recently been recognized as a support strategy for doctoral students, particularly those at the dissertation stage. From the perspective of student participants, we investigate motivations for participation in and perceived outcomes of voluntary semi-structured writing groups used to facilitate doctoral degree completion. Group participation resulted in the development of a vibrant intellectual community among students, recent doctoral recipients, and faculty. Commitment to degree completion and student and faculty scholarly productivity soared through the use of this simple but innovative pedagogical strategy.
Distributed algorithm for two-dimensional global climate modeling

The importance of global climate modeling for long-term studies of global warming and ozone depletion is the focus of the DOE CHAMMP program (1990). We have developed a model and distributed algorithm for 2D climate modeling which includes ocean intermediate/deep layer dynamics, coupled atmosphere/biosphere hydrology and velocity interactions, and variable lapse rates. This algorithm allows the testing of new sub-models, without the computational overhead and possible poor spatial resolution entailed in a full 3D global climate model (GCM) study. The results of some performance and scaling experiments with the 2D climate model on the Intel Paragon at the University of South Carolina using ParaSoft Express are also presented. >
High resolution frequency hopped DPSK in tone jamming

An analysis for the bit error ratio (BER) of high resolution frequency-hopped differential phase shift keyed (DPSK) signals in multitone jamming is presented. Tones are assumed to have equal power and may be either uniformly spaced or at random frequencies. Under the constraint that the probability of two tones hitting a signal at once is small, the degradation due to this jamming scenario is shown to be no worse than that of optimized partial band noise jamming. >
PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF MASKED (SOREX CINEREUS) AND SMOKY SHREWS (SOREX FUMEUS) IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS

Sorex cinereus (masked shrew) and Sorex fumeus (smoky shrew) are syntopic species co-occurring in relict fragments of spruce–fir habitat on southern Appalachian mountaintops. We conducted phylogenetic and population genetic analyses of 20 high-elevation Sorex populations in 8 distinct boreal islands. Partial mitochondrial DNA sequences (cytochrome b and D-loop) were compared with amplified fragment length polymorphism markers obtained by restriction of whole genomic DNA. The 2 species, though similar in morphology and ecological niche, have dissimilar phylogeographic patterns. S. cinereus, despite its more limited present-day southern Appalachian range, exhibits markedly less population structure than S. fumeus. What structure is present among masked shrew populations is randomized geographically, in contrast to a distinct association between genetic partitioning and geographic location among smoky shrew populations. Disparity in post-Pleistocene population densities of these species might be implicated in the discrepant patterns of phylogeographic structuring evident in their genomes as a result of historical vicariance. Although the metapopulations of both species exhibit genetic signatures consistent with continuous historical expansion, we believe that a localized catastrophic event induced a severe genetic bottleneck in Sorex populations at Whitetop Mountain, Virginia. This study contributes to a better understanding of the repercussions of boreal habitat fragmentation on the population dynamics and genetic diversity of associated vertebrate species.
An assembly source level global compacter for digital signal processors

A global compacter is presented for digital signal processors. The global compaction algorithm outlined demonstrates that optimal or near-optimal code can be produced for digital signal processing (DSP) chips by employing conventional compiler optimization techniques in conjunction with a global compacter and a loop pipeliner. Code can be efficiently compacted across basic block boundaries as well as within basic blocks. The loop pipeliner produces optimal or near-optimal pipelined loops for any looping structure. The global compacter can be used by both high-level-language compilers and hand assemblers. >
Comparative neuropsychological function in obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia with and without obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Abstract Executive function deficits are seen in both schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but research suggests that dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPF) dysfunction is associated with schizophrenia and orbitofrontal (OBF) dysfunction is associated with OCD. As part of a comprehensive europsychological assessment, the Bechara Gambling Task (BGT) was used to assess OBF function and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) was used to assess DLPF function among three groups: 26 individuals with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (SCZ+), 28 individuals with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder without obsessive-compulsive symptoms (SCZ−), and, 11 individuals with OCD. It was predicted that the SCZ+ group and the OCD group would show impairments in OBF function, as compared to the SCZ− group, and that the SCZ+ and SCZ− groups would show impairments in DLPF function, as compared to the OCD group. It was also predicted that the SCZ+ group would perform more poorly than the SCZ− and OCD groups in a number of other cognitive domains. Contrary to expectation, no divergence between groups was seen on tests of executive function. Instead, there was a statistical trend for the SCZ+ and SCZ− groups, when combined, to perform worse than individuals with OCD on the measure of OBF. Although not significant at the designated alpha level, the profile results showed that the SCZ+ group performed slightly below the OCD and SCZ− groups across nearly all neuropsychological domains.
Production and Inventory Control of a Single Product Assemble-to-Order System with Multiple Customer Classes

We consider the optimal production and inventory control of an assemble-to-order system with m components, one end-product, and n customer classes. A control policy specifies when to produce each component and, whenever an order is placed, whether or not to satisfy it from on-hand inventory. We formulate the problem as a Markov decision process and characterize the structure of an optimal policy. We show that a base-stock production policy is optimal, but the base-stock level for each component is dynamic and depends on the inventory level of all other components (more specifically, it is nondecreasing). We show that the optimal inventory allocation for each component is a rationing policy with different rationing levels for different demand classes. The rationing levels for each component are dynamic and also nondecreasing in the inventory level of all other components. We compare the performance of the optimal policy to heuristic policies, including the commonly used base-stock policy with fixed base-stock levels, and find them to perform surprisingly well, especially for systems with lost sales.
Antiperiodic boundary conditions in supersymmetric discrete light cone quantization

It is of considerable importance to have a numerical method for solving supersymmetric theories that can support a non-zero central charge. The central charge in supersymmetric theories is in general a boundary integral and therefore vanishes when one uses periodic boundary conditions. One is therefore prevented from studying BPS states in the standard supersymmetric formulation of DLCQ (SDLCQ). We present a novel formulation of SDLCQ where the fields satisfy anti-periodic boundary conditions. The Hamiltonian is written as the anti-commutator of two charges, as in SDLCQ. The anti-periodic SDLCQ we consider breaks supersymmetry at finite resolution, but requires no renormalization and becomes supersymmetric in the continuum limit. In principle, this method could be used to study BPS states. However, we find its convergence to be disappointingly slow.
Burning mouth syndrome: Current concepts

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic pain condition. It has been described by the International Headache Society as "an intra-oral burning or dysesthetic sensation, recurring daily for more than 2 h/day for more than 3 months, without clinically evident causative lesions." BMS is frequently seen in women in the peri-menopausal and menopausal age group in an average female/male ratio of 7:1. The site most commonly affected is the anterior two-thirds of the tongue. The patient may also report taste alterations and oral dryness along with the burning. The etiopathogenesis is complex and is not well-comprehended. The more accepted theories point toward a neuropathic etiology, but the gustatory system has also been implicated in this condition. BMS is frequently mismanaged, partly because it is not well-known among healthcare providers. Diagnosis of BMS is made after other local and systemic causes of burning have been ruled out as then; the oral burning is the disease itself. The management of BMS still remains a challenge. Benzodiazepines have been used in clinical practice as the first-line medication in the pharmacological management of BMS. Nonpharmacological management includes cognitive behavioral therapy and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The aim of this review is to familiarize healthcare providers with the diagnosis, pathogenesis, and general characteristics of primary BMS while updating them with the current treatment options to better manage this group of patients.
Investigation about the Unified Design between City and Countryside of Yongden County

Based on the study of the unified design between city and countryside of Yongden County,suggestions and strategy were put forward in the aims of promoting this "unified design" to be the focal point and new engine of the new reform,and also in the hopes of extending the hinterland of regional strategy,and so finally in the great forms of the interaction between city and country,driving the rural by the urban,and bringing the perfect states of sustainable development.
HPV vaccine acceptance among a sample of Southern men who have sex with men: A comparison of younger and older men

ABSTRACTObjectives: Do short, online educational messages about the human papillomavirus (HPV) influence younger and older men who have sex with men (MSM) differently? Second, what are the HPV knowledge levels and risk perceptions of Southern MSM living outside of major metropolitan areas? Methods: This study draws on participants who completed an anonymous online survey asking about their knowledge, risk assessment, and vaccine acceptance regarding HPV. Results: Knowledge about HPV was low among the MSM in this study. After reading a one-page information intervention, vaccine acceptability increased by a statistically significant amount among both a Younger and Older cohort but risk perception only increased among the younger respondents. Single men regardless of age cohort reported sharper increases in perceived risk after the intervention, but relationship status did not produce significant differences in vaccine acceptability. Conclusion: Online, brief interventions may be effective means of increasin...
Muscarinic Cholinergic Receptors in Bladder Exstrophy

The surgical management of classical bladder exstrophy should be influenced by the inherent detrusor function of the exstrophied bladder. Up until the last decade, the biochemical and neurophysiological properties of the exstrophied bladder had never been studied. Our study using radioligand receptor binding techniques was the first investigation to compare the density and equilibrium dissociation constant of muscarinic cholinergic receptors in control and exstrophy bladders. The density of muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the control and exstrophy groups was 1.97 ± 0.29 and 1.44 ± 0.21 fmol. per.μg. DNA (mean ± S.E.M.), respectively. The dissociation constant of the control and exstrophy groups was 0.15 ± 0.02 and 0.14 ± 0.02 nM. (mean ± S.E.M.), respectively. The data show that the muscarinic receptor density and binding affinity in control and exstrophy bladders are similar. Therefore, the neurophysiological composition of the exstrophied bladder is not significantly altered during the anomalous development. Quantitative morphometric studies suggest that the closed bladder sxstrophy has a cellular composition that is similar to control bladders. Our findings together with these morphometric studies suggest that patients with bladder exstrophy should have normal detrusor contractility if successful bladder closure and subsequent bladder neck reconstruction are ultimately achieved.
Enhancing feasibility determination with kriging metamodels

Feasibility determination in a stochastic setting is to determine for each alternative design whether its performance, which can only be estimated through simulation, exceeds a known threshold. Several intelligent simulation budget allocation methods have been developed to enhance the simulation efficiency of feasibility determination. To further improve the simulation efficiency, we develop a new budget allocation method which takes into consideration the relationships between different designs. We apply kriging metamodels to capture the inter-design relationships, and incorporate the information obtained from kriging into our allocation procedure based on the Bayesian framework. Numerical experiments demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.
Development of an interdisciplinary pre-matriculation program designed to promote medical students' self efficacy.

ABSTRACTBackground and objectives: A four-week interdisciplinary pre-matriculation program for Native American and rural medical students was created and its impact on students’ transition to medical school was assessed. The program extends the goals of many pre-matriculation programs by aiming to increase not only students’ understanding of basic science knowledge, but also to build student self-efficacy through practice with medical school curricular elements while developing their academic support networks.Design: A mixed method evaluation was used to determine whether the goals of the program were achieved (n = 22). Student knowledge gains and retention of the microbiology content were assessed using a microbiology concept inventory. Students participated in focus groups to identify the benefits of participating in the program as well as the key components of the program that benefitted the students.Results: Program participants showed retention of microbiology content and increased confidence about t...
La Situation des Enfants dans le Monde 2003

Chaque annee, la publication phare de l'UNICEF, La situation des enfants dans le monde, examine de pres un probleme principal affectant les enfants. Le rapport comprend des donnees justificatives et des statistiques et est disponible en versions anglaise, francaise et espagnole.
Quantifying the welfare gains from history dependent income taxation

I quantify the welfare gains from introducing history dependent income tax in an incomplete markets overlapping generations framework where individuals face uninsurable idiosyncratic shocks. I assume that the income tax paid is a function of a geometrical weighted average of past incomes, and solve for the optimal weights. I find that the two main factors that determine the nature of history dependence are the degree to which the government discounts future generations and the degree of mean reversion in the productivity process. The welfare gains from history dependence are large, about 1.76 percent of consumption. I decompose the total effect into an efficiency effect that increases labour supply, and an insurance effect that reduces volatility of consumption and find that, quantitatively, the insurance effect dominates the efficiency effect. The optimal tax increases consumption insurance by trading higher tax progressivity with respect to past incomes for a reduced tax progressivity with respect to the current income.
Thinking in Four Dimensions

I’ve got the rather foolhardy idea of trying to explain to you the kind of mathematics I do, and the kind of ideas that seem simple to me. For me, the search for simplicity is almost synonymous with the search for structure.
The Theology of the Gospel of John: The setting and sources of Johannine theology

THE GENERAL RELIGIOUS SETTING If the question of authorship was the crucial problem and issue for late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century scholarship, the question of the background or setting and sources of the Gospel came to dominate twentieth-century research and the determination of the nature and character of Johannine theology. At issue is the question of the Johannine world. From what world of Hellenism, Judaism, or early Christianity does the Fourth Gospel stem? Quite obviously these are not mutually exclusive possibilities, for it is clear that whatever else its background, the Gospel of John stems from some early Christian environment. Moreover, recent scholarship has shown us that Judaism itself existed within the cultural and conceptual world of Hellenism, distinctive though it may have been. Hellenism Within the broader Mediterranean world, John was once thought to have originated among Greeks or pagans, that is, among Christians who had not previously been Jews. Such a view arose in recognition of the fact that the Gospel of John, and even the Jesus of that Gospel, speaks a language different from the Synoptic Gospels and the Synoptic Jesus. His vocabulary and style, as well as his phrasing, are more like those of I John than those of the Synoptic Jesus. The very beginning of the Fourth Gospel, the prologue (1:1–18), appears philosophical or even metaphysical in its aim or interests.
Perceptions of animal-assisted interventions: The influence of attitudes toward companion animals.

Objective We tested whether people are prone toward positive perceptions of Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs). We additionally evaluated whether this effect is stronger for people who have positive attitudes toward companion animals. Method We presented 210 participants with fictitious news reports, each describing a study of an AAI or a control intervention. Participants rated the news reports on their credibility, acceptability, and general appeal and completed a measure of attitudes toward companion animals. Results Individuals with positive attitudes toward companion animals evaluated AAIs as more credible, acceptable, and positive than did individuals with negative attitudes toward companion animals. There was no difference in how people with positive and negative attitudes toward companion animals evaluated control treatments. Conclusion We found that individuals with positive attitudes toward companion animals perceived AAIs as more credible, acceptable, and positive, relative to individuals with more negative attitudes toward companion animals.
An overview and recent progress in the chemistry of uranium extraction from seawater

This review provides a brief background on the extraction of uranium from seawater as well as recent work by the United States Department of Energy on this project. The world's oceans contain uranium at 3 parts per billion, and despite this low concentration, there has been historical interest in harvesting it, mainly in Japan in the 1980s and the United States in this decade. Improvements in materials, chemistry, and deployment methods have all been made, with the ultimate goal of lower cost. This has been partially realized, dropping from approximately $2000 per kg U3O8 extracted in 1984 to $500 per kg today, although this is not yet competitive with terrestrial uranium. This technology may become cost-competitive if the cost of land-based uranium rises, especially if seawater extraction technology is improved further. The coordination chemistry aspects of the project are described in more detail, exploring the functional groups that are present on typical polymer sorbents as well as small-molecule analogues of these ligands. Selectivity for uranium over other metals, particularly vanadium, remains problematic, and techniques to both quantify binding strength and selectivity in order to overcome this issue are essential for future cost improvements.
The Significance of the MQC Experiment

It is generally agreed that quantum mechanics (QM) describes brilliantly the behavior of matter at the atomic and subatomic level. However, many people, including the author, believe that if it is taken seriously at the level of everyday life, it leads to insuperable difficulties, exemplified by the fate of Schrodinger's unfortunate cat. If, therefore, one is prepared to envisage seriously the possibility that if QM is pushed sufficiently far it may break down or have to be supplemented by some new and currently unforeseeable principle, then the obvious axis along which to try to “push” it is that which brings us closest to the world of everyday life. Thus, we are motivated to try to define which exact feature most sharply distinguishes those applications of QM at the everyday level that appear paradoxical: to seek, in fact, a quantitative measure of the degree of “Schrodinger's-cattiness” of various physical situations. Although this is no doubt a subjective question, I explore two plausible candidates: one involving the divergence, in the two branches of the (notional) quantum superposition, of some “macroscopic” physical quantity; the other invoking the idea of “disconnectivity”a notion that has much in common with the concept of “degree of entanglement” currently employed in the context of EPR-Bell-type experiments. Having tried to isolate and define the “axis” along which we are trying to push QM, I then discuss the main generic obstacles to this program, which may be summarized as (1) quasi-classicality, (2) decoherence, and (3) Franck-Condon suppression. Finally, I emphasize the importance not only of verifying (or not) that QM continues to predict correctly the experimental behavior as we progress along the relevant axis, but of confronting its predictions with those of a class of alternative, “macrorealistic” theories. I comment on the implications of various possible outcomes to this confrontation.
American Studies: Education

The American system has been distinguished from schooling in the rest of the industrialized world by its decentralized organization, its resistance to separating students by institution tracks, and the high average number of years students remained in school. Institutional analysts during the height of the Cold War era explored the unintended consequences of achievement as the dominant focus of the system and the role of peer groups in providing balance in the schooling experience. As college attendance became expected for the majority of adolescents in the 1970s, institutional analysts began to turn a skeptical eye on the idea that achievement played a central role in the system. Studies describing the educational system as giving rise to a ‘credential society’ and of education as ‘myth and ritual’ date from this period. Although institutional analysis is widely appreciated for its foundational importance, the primary focus of social scientists concerned with American schooling has been on the role of education in perpetuating and ameliorating social inequalities and on school and classroom-level influences on cognitive achievement. Neither social reproduction nor meritocracy theories have been corroborated by social scientific studies of educational attainment. Both family background and measured ability are important influences on that part of the variation in educational attainment that can be explained statistically. Although some school-level factors do influence average achievement levels among students, studies confirm that the individual and family-related differences children bring to school account for the vast majority of variation in student performance.
Are there ancient soils in the 3.7 Ga Isua Greenstone Belt, Greenland?

Abstract A lens of black schist within 3.7 Ga quartzites of Greenland may be Earth's oldest known alluvial paleosol. The suspect metamorphic rock is a lens in orthoquartzite of berthierine schist with crystals of ripidolite, but it has a truncated top above dark gray grading down to gray color, ptygmatically folded surface cracks filled with silt grains, and large sand crystals, unusual for sedimentary or metamorphic rocks. The paleosol hypothesis was tested with thin sections showing plausible mineral weathering trends, and by chemical analysis showing molar weathering ratios and REE distribution like those of soils. The schist is deeply weathered and at the culmination of weathering trends from analysis of other metasediments of the Isukasia area. The protolith can be reconstructed as a saponite clay with a salt-rich horizon of kieserite, like other acid-sulfate paleosols of the early Earth. Models for proton and electron consumption of paleosols applied to the profile reveal an atmosphere with only 36 ± 510 ppm O2 and 820 ± 201 ppm CO2, and humid, cool temperate paleoclimate. The profile has organic δ13CPDB consistently of −24.2 to −27.4‰, and modest Raleigh distillation near the top. Similar consistent values and trends are produced by decay of organic matter in living soils, but biotic carbon isotopic composition of sediments is erratic from bed to bed, and abiotic carbon compounds of meteorites differ dramatically for each kerogen particle. Thus life in this very ancient soil is not precluded by our analyses, but ultrastructural and geochemical testing of carbon particles would further test this hypothesis.
Minimizing The Expected Energy Deficiency of A Distributed Generation System Using Dynamic Optimal Power Management

The tradeoff between cost and reliability increases the challenge to achieve cost-effective and highly reliable power routing in a microgrid power system. Moreover, the presence of energy storage system that requires smart management and the intermittency of renewable energy resources adds additional complexity. The work proposed in this paper deals with these problems and has three major goals that aim to efficiently manage the power flow in a microgrid power system. The first goal is to use optimal short-term power flow planning to optimize the power flow routing between different power sources supplying variable loads. The second goal is to enhance the reliability of the microgrid by minimizing the expected energy deficiency (EED) under both steady state and transient conditions. The third goal is to employ the energy redundancy concept as a tool to dynamically schedule the battery state of charge (SOC) limits, which, in turn, increase the battery age and enables the system to utilize the SOC minimum level as a reserve margin to enhance the transient stability by maintaining maximum stipulated energy deficiency level. Short term forecasting of the demand, the generation, and the variable grid tariff is considered in this optimization, as well as, employing the energy index of reliability (EIR) as a measure of the deficiency level of the system. Two different cases; namely, a grid connected and autonomous microgrid operations are considered to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used as power flow optimizer. The simulations are carried out using MATLAB/SIMULINK platform to achieve the optimal power sharing.
Evaluation of an unfolding obstetric experience simulation in an undergraduate nursing program.

Abstract Background Clinical practice for pre-licensure nurses in obstetrics widely varies and many sites do not consistently present opportunities to meet course objectives or manage complex obstetric nursing care. To address this problem at our institution, we designed a large-scale obstetric simulation using recommendations for best practice in simulation design criteria. We designed an unfolding, obstetric simulation that allowed students repeated opportunities for deliberate practice after micro-debriefing. Method A convenience sample of junior level nursing students (n = 53) participated in a pre/post design evaluation to measure achievement of communication skills based on student perception of obstetric nursing self-efficacy and their ability to transfer those skills to a similar scenario. Results Scores for obstetric self-efficacy were significantly improved. Pre-simulation (M = 40.78), Time 1 (M = 61.0) and Time 2 (M = 69.27), F (2, 159), =112.12, p = .00. A significant difference was found (t (52) = −7.839, p = .000) when comparing the mean pre and posttest clinical accuracy and completion scores for SBAR forms (n = 53). Conclusion Our unfolding, obstetric simulation was effective in helping our students demonstrate the achievement of course objectives through improved obstetric self-efficacy scores and scores for shift to shift communication.
Circadian variation in the release of small extracellular vesicles can be normalized by vesicle number or TSG101.

Numerous candidate biomarkers in urine extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been described for kidney diseases, but none are yet in clinical use, possibly due to a lack of proper normalization. Proper...
Technology-based vs. face-to-face interaction for knowledge sharing in the project teams

Knowledge sharing is indispensable for business organisations. The construction industry is one of the sectors in which intensive knowledge is spread across project-based teams. This study sheds light on which method is better for knowledge sharing within construction organisations: technology-based or face-to-face meetings. This research aims to understand organisational knowledge sharing by identifying and exploring the motivations and consequences of using face-to-face interaction vs. technology-based communication in project-based teams. This was undertaken through a qualitative case study with 15 employees of a large construction organisation. A qualitative analysis revealed four main factors related to worth adding a technology-based to face-to-face communication: the use of multiple communication strategies for knowledge sharing, whether sharing of all information via technology is allowed, legal restrictions, and limits on face-to-face communication due to work pressures. These findings contribute to the existing literature by identifying barriers and preferences regarding tools for sharing knowledge in a construction firm.
Chemoprevention in Oral Cancer

Despite a new understanding of the molecular biology of oral cancer and the development of promising new approaches for the treatment of oral cancer, this disease remains a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Prevention of oral cancer, using pharmacologic or immunologic approaches, is a promising strategy to combat the devastating effects associated with the diagnosis of invasive malignancy. An understanding of the early molecular events leading to the development of cancer is critical to the identification of appropriate targets for early intervention. Refinement of clinical trial methodologies to assess efficacy in early-phase cancer prevention clinical trials and appropriate identification of high-risk individuals who are most likely to benefit from interventions are key to making progress. This chapter summarizes the state of knowledge and ongoing efforts in oral cancer prevention.
Toxicities after high dose post-transplant cyclophosphamide in haploidentical donor transplants: Risk factors and impact on survival.

7545Background: Post-transplant cyclophosphamide (pCY) when given at 50mg/kg on day +3 and +4 in haploidentical donor transplants (HIDT) leads to considerable morbidity. Information on its toxicity...
Alterations in Gut Microbiota Do Not Play a Causal Role in Diet-independent Weight Gain Caused by Ovariectomy.

Acute estrogen deficiency in women can occur due to many conditions including hyperprolactinemia, chemotherapy, GnRH agonist treatment, and removal of hormone replacement therapy. Ovariectomized (OVX) rodent models, often combined with a high-fat diet (HFD), have been used to investigate the effects of decreased estrogen production on metabolism. Since evidence suggests that gut microbes may facilitate the protective effect of estrogen on metabolic dysregulation in an OVX + HFD model, we investigated whether the gut microbiome plays a role in the diet-independent weight gain that occurs after OVX in adult female mice. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated that OVX was not associated with changes in overall gut bacterial biodiversity but was correlated with a shift in beta diversity. Using differential abundance analysis, we observed a difference in the relative abundance of a few bacterial taxa, such as Turicibacter, 3 to 5 weeks after OVX, which was subsequent to the weight gain that occurred 2 weeks postsurgery. A cohousing study was performed to determine whether exposure to a healthy gut microbiome was protective against the development of the metabolic phenotype associated with OVX. Unlike mouse models of obesity, HFD maternal-induced metabolic dysregulation, or polycystic ovary syndrome, cohousing OVX mice with healthy mice did not improve the metabolic phenotype of OVX mice. Altogether, these results indicate that changes in the gut microbiome are unlikely to play a causal role in diet-independent, OVX-induced weight gain (since they occurred after the weight gain) and cohousing with healthy mice did not have a protective effect.
3D-printed nanoporous ceramics: Tunable feedstock for direct ink write and projection microstereolithography

Abstract Porous ceramic materials have a wide range of potential applications for which controlling the structure across multiple length scales is desirable. Additive manufacturing (AM) of porous ceramics is therefore of interest for design flexibility. Here, a ceramic ink compatible with 2 AM techniques, projection microstereolithography (PμSL) and direct ink write (DIW), was formulated and demonstrated printed parts with a range of controllable feature sizes as well as nanoporosity resulting from partial sintering. A diacrylate polymer was mixed with 3% yttria partially stabilized zirconia (3YZ) ceramic nanoparticles having different sizes and solids loadings to find formulations that meet the printing requirements of both AM techniques. Detailed rheological studies were used to determine optimal ink formulations to use for either printing method. The resulting 3YZ structures printed with DIW and PμSL have engineered macro cavities with span lengths greater than several millimeters, wall thicknesses of 200 to 540 μm, and porosity within the wall structure on the order of 100 nm. This study revealed that through facile composition changes to the 3YZ ink, it was feasible to use the same ink base for multiple AM techniques without the need for separate cumbersome ink development processes.
The “susceptibility factor” in the atmospheric response to periodic forcing

Evidence is presented of a periodic component in the inter-annual variability of precipitation and pressure data for India during June, the month of the onset of the Indian southwest monsoon. Two frequencies that explain a statistically significant percent of the variance in these data sets are the same as the two that explain most of the variance of the average monthly lunar tidal potential for June. Not only are the frequencies the same but they are also in phase which strongly suggests that lunar tides in the atmosphere do, in fact, produce an element of climatic variability. The amplitude of the atmospheric response to this periodic forcing was not constant in time but was found to be related to the long term change in northern hemispheric surface temperature. This susceptibility of the atmosphere to an external forcing results in a nonlinear relationship between forcing and response. As a result, nonlinear regression had to be used in order to adequately define the magnitude of the response at a given frequency. The ramifications of this nonlinear response are discussed. The nonlinear interaction of the northern hemisphere temperature and the 18.6 year lunar nodal cycle results in a modulation of the frequency which appears in a linear spectral analysis near 22 years. Thus, the 22-year cycle often found in meteorological data sets may instead be the result of the modulated nodal cycle.
Alice in Bookland: Robotic Furnishings Delivering Public Library Services Outside during the Pandemic

This project suggests how human-robot interaction might be of service to public institutions during the pandemic crisis. Alice in Bookland aims to ensure a safe environment for children to continue their reading experiences during COVID-19. Due to the lockdown throughout the country, lots of public organizations such as libraries are having a hard time providing their resources, with limited user entrance and open hours. Here, Alice in Bookland complements the situation via providing a safe space outside the library, encouraging readers' healthy reading habits without any undue stress during the pandemic, and raising community awareness of local library resources.