cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonstrategic factors underlie improvements in free recall during middle childhood

Free recall of Grade 4 and Grade 8 children was examined under five presentation conditions that varied in their amenability to strategy use. No interaction suggesting an important role for changes in strategic (deliberate) rehearsal was found, suggesting that increases in free recall during middle childhood chiefly derive from nonstrategic processing during study.
Diabetic Microangiopathy in the Liver: An Autopsy Study of Incidence and Association With Other Diabetic Complications

Diabetic hepatosclerosis (DH) is a recently described form of diabetic microangiopathy with hepatic sinusoidal fibrosis and basement membrane deposition without cirrhosis. The objective was to investigate the frequency of DH and its correlation with other diabetic microangiopathic complications. Complete autopsies from 57 adults with diabetes were reviewed for liver pathology and other diabetic complications. Basement membrane deposition in the liver was highlighted using laminin and type IV collagen immunostains. Only 1 case of DH was identified. Other diabetic end-organ damage in this case included nodular glomerulosclerosis and hepatic hyaline arteriolosclerosis, which were the most severe in the series. DH is an uncommon pattern of liver disease in patients with diabetes and is associated with severe end-organ damage. This study supports the presumed vascular etiology of DH, confirms the rarity of the lesion, and supports the suggestion that it is usually accompanied by other end-organ damage.
Dual Embeddedness: Informal Job Matching and Labor Market Institutions in the United States and Germany

Drawing on the embeddedness, varieties of capitalism and macrosociological life course perspectives, we examine how institutional arrangements affect network-based job finding behaviors in the United States and Germany. Analysis of cross-national survey data reveals that informal job matching is highly clustered among specific types of individuals and firms in the United States, whereas it is more ubiquitous in Germany. These differences are linked to (1. loosely regulated and hierarchical employment relations in the United States that facilitate network dominance in specific economic sectors and (2. coordinated market relations, tight employment regulations and extensive social insurance system in Germany that generate opportunities for informal matching but limit the influence of network behavior on employment characteristics. These findings illustrate how social institutions shape access to economic resources through network relations.
Reliability modeling of structured systems: exploring symmetry in state-space generation

A large number of systems are implemented using regular interconnected topologies. Markov analysis of such systems results in large state spaces. We explore symmetry, in particular rotational and permutational, of such systems to achieve a significant reduction in the size of the state space required to analyze them. The resulting much smaller state spaces allow analyses of very large systems. We define equivalent classes of states and develop an algorithm to generate small state spaces and the corresponding Markov chain for systems with permutation symmetries. The state space generation process is also simplified. We demonstrate our technique using several examples. Our technique is very useful in the exact analysis of large systems.
Structure and Agency: Africana Immigrants in China

This article addresses some of the challenges faced by Africana immigrants in China from the perspective of structure and agency. Following a review of the core concepts in the literature is discussion of the structural changes currently evident in China and how these impact on the sense of agency of domestic migrants and foreign immigrants. This is followed by an overview of the literature of Chinese perceptions of race. That structural framework sets the stage for a discussion of the features of the contemporary Africana population in China followed by an explanation of the methodology used and profiles of the subjects. In the results section issues of home, reflexivity, structure and agency, relations with the Chinese, enclaves, race and religion and intimacy are discussed. The tentative conclusion is that for Africana immigrants agency is often enhanced by the deployment of their intellectual skills that are in demand in China but is constrained with regards to the exercise of religion and the pursuit of intimacy. Many Africana immigrants therefore experience an enhanced sense of subject well-being in the areas of cognition and material resource acquisition, impact positively on some aspects of Chinese structure, even while being constrained by other features of that structure.
Comparative Performance Evaluation of Tele-Operated Pipe Laying

Excavation, in particular, trenching, presents a hazardous working environment for workers. Many deadly accidents still occur even though the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has increased its training for safe trenching. The work presented in this paper originated with the belief that the best approach to remedy this problem is technology. Its premise is the need to remove the workers from this deadly trap and replace them with a mechanical device capable of doing the work necessary to lay pipes accurately. Presented is the result of a comparative field evaluation designed to prove that such a technology is not only technically feasible, but also cost-effective. For this purpose, a tele-operated pipe manipulator was built, capable of being easily attached to an excavator bucket and controllable from the safety of an operator cabin. The new technology was subsequently evaluated during field tests using both qualitative and quantitative performance criteria. Data from the study clearly demonstrate that this technological intervention not only works as intended, but also promises to reduce the cost of installing pipes, especially with increasing trench depths.
The effect of electric field induced magnetic anisotropy in ferromagnetic resonance in magnetic tunnel junctions

The electric field induced magnetic anisotropy (EMA) has been observed through ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) by varying the DC bias voltage [1,2]. In this work, however, we show that by changing the magnetization and field setup, the effect of EMA in FMR can be observed and distinguished without an application of DC bias voltage.
OPTIMIZATION OF AN IMMUNOFLUORESCENT ASSAY OF THE INTERNAL ENZYME RIBULOSE‐1,5‐BISPHOSPHATE CARBOXYLASE (RUBISCO) IN SINGLE PHYTOPLANKTON CELLS1

Immunochemical probes are widely used to identih different species and to quantify and understand the role that different antigens play within cells. We optimized a single-cell immunofluorescent assay for the carbon fixation enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) in order to quantify the enzyme by flow cytometry in phytoplankton cells. The criteria for optimization of the immunofluorescent assay for Rubisco in single cells included maximization of Rubisco immunogenicity, minimization of Rubisco diffusion out of the cells, minimization of cell breakage, and maximization of the cell labeling. Several fixatives (cross-linkers and denaturing) and permeabilizing agents were tested on 26 species of phytoplankton. The only fixative / permeabilizing agent that fulfilled the criteria established for the assay was 96% ethanol. Phytoplankton cells collected from the field needed further treatment with a strong oxidant to permeabilize ethanolfixed cells and thus allow the antibody probe to access the Rubisco antigen. This study should have a general applicability to the study of other soluble photosynthetic antigens in single phytoplankton cells.
Brief Robust Nyquist array analysis based on uncertainty descriptions from system identification

A robust Nyquist array analysis for MIMO systems is proposed based on uncertainty descriptions obtained from system identification. Two types of statistical-based uncertainty error bounds for the frequency response are obtained: element bounds and column bounds. Gershgorin's theorem and the concepts of diagonal dominance and Gershgorin bands are extended to include model uncertainty. Robust stability theorems are developed based on ellipsoidal uncertainty descriptions obtained from system identification. An example is given to illustrate the robust Nyquist array analysis.
INSECTICIDE EFFECTS ON SMALL MAMMALS: INFLUENCE OF VEGETATION STRUCTURE AND DIET

We tested whether differences in the diets of nontarget organisms or in vegetation structure could result in adverse ecological effects not predicted by the Quotient Method, a laboratory-based risk assessment methodology used by the Environmental Pro- tection Agency to evaluate pesticides for registration and use. We established populations of herbivorous gray-tailed voles (Microtus canicaudus) and omnivorous deer mice (Pero- myscus maniculatus) in 24 0.2-ha enclosures planted with alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and monitored the populations by live trapping. Alfalfa in twelve enclosures was mowed on 22 June to reduce vegetation height, and 3 wk later, we applied azinphos-methyl at 0, 0.88, and 3.61 kg/ha. We compared predictions of risk with observed effects on the small mam- mals. Treatment with azinphos-methyl at 3.61 kg/ha reduced population density and growth, survival, recruitment, and body growth of voles in both mowed and unmowed enclosures. Survival of female voles exposed to 3.61 kg/ha was lower in mowed than in unmowed enclosures, and the 0.88 kg/ha treatment affected body growth of male voles only in mowed enclosures. Vole densities in 3.61 kg/ha enclosures remained depressed for ?6 wk after spraying. Azinphos-methyl did not detectably affect reproductive activity of female voles. Precipitation after spraying may have increased exposure of the mammals to azinphos- methyl, resulting in greater effects on voles than reported in a previous, similar experiment. Deer mouse densities in mowed enclosures receiving 3.61 kg/ha decreased 47% within 5 d after spraying. No other adverse insecticide effects on deer mice were significant, but confidence intervals for such effects were wide. Analysis of deer mouse feces indicated that consumption of arthropods just after spraying was greater in insecticide-treated en- closures than in controls. In general, the Quotient Method adequately predicted effects on the small mammals, but its performance may be affected by vegetation structure and pre- cipitation.
Multi-center evaluation of the VITEK® MS system for mass spectrometric identification of non-Enterobacteriaceae Gram-negative bacilli

Studies have demonstrated that matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a rapid, accurate method for the identification of clinically relevant bacteria. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the VITEK MS v2.0 system (bioMerieux) for the identification of the non-Enterobacteriaceae Gram-negative bacilli (NEGNB). This multi-center study tested 558 unique NEGNB clinical isolates, representing 18 genera and 33 species. Results obtained with the VITEK MS v2.0 were compared with reference 16S rRNA gene sequencing and when indicated recA sequencing and phenotypic analysis. VITEK MS v2.0 provided an identification for 92.5 % of the NEGNB isolates (516 out of 558). VITEK MS v2.0 correctly identified 90.9 % of NEGNB (507 out of 558), 77.8 % to species level and 13.1 % to genus level with multiple species. There were four isolates (0.7 %) incorrectly identified to genus level and five isolates (0.9 %), with one incorrect identification to species level. The remaining 42 isolates (7.5 %) were either reported as no identification (5.0 %) or called “mixed genera” (2.5 %) since two or more different genera were identified as possible identifications for the test organism. These findings demonstrate that the VITEK MS v2.0 system provides accurate results for the identification of a challenging and diverse group of Gram-negative bacteria.
Development of a Changeable Airfoil Optimization Model for Use in the Multidisciplinary Design of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Complex systems need to perform in a variety of functional states and under varying operating conditions. Therefore, it is important to manage the different values of design variables associated with the operating states for each subsystem. The research presented in this paper uses multidisciplinary optimization (MDO) and changeable systems methods together in the design of a reconfigurable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). MDO is a useful approach for designing a system that is composed of distinct disciplinary subsystems by managing the design variable coupling between the subsystem and system level optimization problems. Changeable design research addresses how changes in the physical configuration of products and systems can better meet distinct needs of different operating states. As a step towards the development of a realistic reconfigurable UAV optimization problem, this paper focuses on the performance advantage of using a changeable airfoil subsystem. Design principles from transformational design methods are used to develop concepts that determine how the design variables are allowed to change in the mathematical optimization problem. The performance of two changeable airfoil concepts is compared to a fixed airfoil design over two different missions that are defined by a sequence of mission segments. Determining the configurations of the static and changeable airfoils is accomplished using a genetic algorithm. Results from this study show that aircraft with changeable airfoils attain increased performance, and that the manner by which the system transforms is significant. For this reason, the changeable airfoil optimization developed in this paper is ready to be integrated into a complete MDO problem for the design of a reconfigurable UAV.
Return-on-investment models.

It is clearly important for businesses and organizations to have accurate measures of the rate of return on investments (ROIs) to guide their investment decisions. In health care, the demographic trends, explosion in high-cost technology, and changing health care system have focused attention on both the costs and the effectiveness of health care services. Total health care costs in the United States have risen for the last 6 years; although growth slowed in 2002, total health care costs are projected to rise from 14.9% of the U.S. gross domestic product in 2002 to 18.4% in 2013 (Heffler et al., 2004). Because of this level of spending, health care executives and decision makers are increasingly interested in economic evaluations (Stone, 2002; Stone, Curran, & Bakken, 2002). Therefore, in an interest to having effective evidence-based nursing interventions adopted into practice, researchers and clinicians may increasingly wish to conduct economic evaluations. Because of this need, in the summer of 2004, in an effort to help nurse researchers better understand these techniques, a 2-day workshop was held by the National Institute of Nursing Research. Expert faculty from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University provided a series of lectures and breakout sessions to help nurse researchers understand the mechanics of cost–effectiveness analyses. However, there are a number of other types of economic evaluations found in the literature and used in setting policy that may be of interest to nurse researchers (Stone, Bakken, Curran, & Walker, 2002). Table 1 briefly defines the different types of economic evaluations available. In all of these economic outcome evaluations, alternative strategies are compared (i.e., the introduction of a new policy compared with an old policy) and incremental costs of the competing strategies should be computed. The methods differ only in how effects (outcomes) are measured. Return on investment is a type of cost–benefit analysis conducted from investors’ (e.g., the
An equivalent boundary-condition model for lossy planar periodic structures at low frequencies

An equivalent boundary-condition model is presented for planar periodic scatterers which, through an effective homogenization, accurately predicts the scattering at low frequencies (i.e., in the absence of higher ordered Floquet harmonics or grating lobes). This new anisotropic resistive boundary-condition model provides accurate wide-angle results for one- (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) periodic arrays, provided certain restrictions are satisfied concerning the rotational symmetry and surface resistivity of the target. When applicable, this simulation model provides an enormous reduction in computational costs with virtually no memory storage requirements. The anisotropic nature of the boundary condition arises only when the target possesses a twofold rotational symmetry and, thus, produces significant cross-polarized scattering. A unique feature of this model is that since an equivalent boundary condition is developed, finite arrays are also accurately modeled provided a minimum of approximately five unit cells (five by five for 2-D) are contained in the array.
How Wireless Power Charging Technology Affects Sensor Network Deployment and Routing

As wireless power charging technology emerges, some basic principles in sensor network design are changed accordingly. Existing sensor node deployment and data routing strategies cannot exploit wireless charging technology to minimize overall energy consumption. Hence, in this paper, we (a) investigate the impact of wireless charging technology on sensor network deployment and routing arrangement, (b) formalize the deployment and routing problem, (c) prove it as NP-complete, (d) develop heuristic algorithms to solve the problem, and (e) evaluate the performance of the solutions through extensive simulations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first effort on adapting sensor network design to leverage wireless charging technology.
Multiple Systems for Value Learning

Although choice is often unitary on theoretical accounts, there is much empirical evidence that decisions are produced by multiple, cooperating or competing neural and psychological mechanisms. We review the evidence that decisions in humans and other animals are influenced by three systems for value learning: Pavlovian, habitual, and goal-directed. These systems are behaviorally dissociable, are mediated by at least partly differentiable brain systems, and embody distinct computational principles. We discuss how the interactions between these systems for behavioral control can produce errors, inefficiencies, and disorders involving compulsion, and how these systems relate to other dual- or multiple-system models in neuroeconomics.
Bedside Ultrasonography for Diagnosis of Septic Shock--Reply.

In Reply We agree with Dr Hyzy that focused ultrasonography is a diagnostic technique to consider as part of multimodal hemodynamic assessment during the care of select patients with septic shock, as illustrated in the Figure in our article. As suggested by Hyzy, our systematic review of the recent literature found no RCTs testing this device or its application in clinical practice (grade C evidence—expert opinion). We agree that more rigorous standards for training and scientific testing are warranted because ultrasound assessments may be obtained frequently and in a timely manner,1 with relatively low risk,2 and may help to identify the significant proportion of patients with septic shock and concomitant myocardial dysfunction or hypovolemia.
True T-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a morphologic and immunophenotypic study of 25 cases [see comments]

We studied 25 T-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (T-CLL) cases collected over a 15-year period. Immunophenotypic analysis was performed in each case; 12 cases were evaluated by cytogenetics, and gene rearrangement studies were performed in 14 cases. The median age was 57 years with a male predominance (M:F, 15:10). The median presenting lymphocyte count was 36.3 x 10(9)/L (range, 3.9 to 438 x 10(9)/L). Fourteen patients (56%) had shotty adenopathy and ten (40%) had mild-to-moderate splenomegaly at presentation; four (16%) had erythematous skin lesions. The lymphocytes were predominantly small; some cases had a minor component of medium-sized cells (< 10%). The nuclear: cytoplasmic ratios were uniformly high with round to oval nuclei; however, a wide spectrum of nuclear outlines could be found, ranging from minimally to markedly convoluted. Nucleoli were either absent or small and inconspicuous. These lymphocytes did not have the morphology of prolymphocytes and did not contain cytoplasmic granules. Bone marrow infiltration was generally in an interstitial pattern; the degree of involvement ranged from 15% to 90%. Immunophenotyping showed that the lymphocytes were mature T-cells with a predominant CD4+ immunophenotype. Three cases displayed a CD8+ immunophenotype. The patients were treated with a variety of chemotherapeutic regimens with only a minimal response observed in two of 20 patients. We conclude that T-CLL is an uncommon chronic lymphoproliferative disorder (CLPD) that can be morphologically similar to B-CLL, is distinct from T- prolymphocytic leukemia, and has an aggressive clinical course that is refractory to therapy. It may also be difficult to distinguish T-CLL from other T-CLPD, especially the leukemic phase of peripheral T-cell lymphoma and some cases of Sezary syndrome.
Stockholders’ Equity at Campbell Soup: How Can Equity Be Negative?

This paper presents an instructional case based on the 2001 annual report of the Campbell Soup Company. During that year, Campbell’s stockholders’ equity went from a surplus of $137 million to a deficit of $247 million. The analysis will allow students to determine that the change resulted from borrowing to purchase treasury stock. Students are asked to consider why Campbell needed to purchase so much treasury stock, and why Campbell’s lenders allowed the firm to purchase treasury stock with borrowed funds until it placed itself in a negative owners’ equity position. The case provides an opportunity for students to examine the effect of unreported and under-reported assets on the relevance of financial statement information.
Prediction of Sawdust Pyrolysis Yields from a Flat-Flame Burner Using the CPD Model

High heating rate pyrolysis experiments were performed on a softwood sawdust in a flat-flame burner reactor at temperatures from 1163 to 1433 K with particle residence times ranging from 23 to 102 ms at atmospheric pressure. Volatile yields of the 45–75 μm sawdust were measured and are believed to be similar to those that would occur in an industrial entrained-flow combustor or gasifier. A refractory tar yield near 1.5 wt % (dry, ash-free) was measured. A high percentage of the fully pyrolyzed sawdust char was spherical, having lost the original sawdust structure. It is suggested that the morphology of sawdust char may continue to change after complete mass release from pyrolysis. Sawdust pyrolysis was modeled using the chemical percolation devolatilization (CPD) model assuming that biomass pyrolysis occurs as a weighted average of its individual components (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin). Thermal cracking of tar into light gas was included using a first-order kinetic model from the literature. The...
Influence of the Carboxylic Acid Additive Structure on the Properties of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Prepared via Direct Arylation Polymerization (DArP)

Carboxylic acids are known to have a profound effect on the rate of direct arylation. Despite this, little attention has been paid to them as additives for direct arylation polymerization (DArP). Here we report the influence of the carboxylic acid chemical structure on the properties of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) prepared via DArP. We study the effect that acid pKa, steric bulk, and backbone cyclization have on the reactivity of the DArP catalytic system. We found that pKa values do not correlate with DArP reactivity in the pKa range of 4.76–5.05. The increase of acid size in the classes of linear, secondary, and tertiary acids leads to a continuous increase in polymer yield and molecular weight, whereas for the case of cyclic secondary acids the trend is reversed and a decrease of acid size leads to an increase in polymer yield and molecular weight in an alternating (zigzag) fashion depending on whether the acid contains an even or odd number of carbons. A profound enhancement of reactivity was found ...
Down regulation of p53 with HPV E6 delays and modifies cell death in oxidant response of human diploid fibroblasts: an apoptosis-like cell death associated with mitosis.

The tumor suppressor p53 protein is known to play a critical role in apoptosis. In normal human diploid fibroblasts (HDFs), expression of the human papillomaviral (HPV) E6 gene results in a reduction of p53 protein and an inhibition of oxidant induced apoptosis within 24˜h. In comparison, expression of the HPV E7 gene causes down-regulation of Rb protein without inhibiting apoptosis. Here we determine whether HDFs expressing E6 undergo cell death with a delayed time course following H2O2exposure. Appearances of caspase-3 activity, cell detachment, trypan blue uptake and aberrant nuclei were all delayed in E6 cells compared to wild type (wt) or E7 cells. A mutant E6 gene that failed to reduce p53 could not delay cell death. Morphological examination revealed nuclear condensation in dying wt or E7 cells but nuclear fragmentation in E6 cells. Flow cytometry analysis indicated an S˜phase distribution of dying wt or E7 cells but a G2/M phase distribution of dying E6 cells. An elevation of cyclin B was observed in dying E6 cells but not in apoptotic E7 cells. Dying E6 cells also had elevated levels of cdc-2 protein and histone kinase activity, suggesting that the cells died at mitosis. Electron microscopy studies showed that E6 cells may die at prophase or prometaphase. Overexpression of bcl-2 resulted in an inhibition of both caspase-3 and death of E7 or E6 cells. Inactivating caspases with zVAD-fmk also reduced the death rate of E7 and E6 cells. Our data indicate that expression of HPV E6 causes a delay and morphological modification of cell death induced by oxidants. E6 cells die at mitosis, which can be inhibited by bcl-2 overexpression or caspase inhibition.
ASCO Plenary Sessions: impact, legacy, future

The ASCO annual meeting draws a large crowd of physicians, cancer researchers, policy makers, and industry representatives. The crown jewel of the annual events is the Plenary session where impactful, influential and visible abstracts are selected for the largest audience. Plenary topics are frequently paired with concurrent New England Journal or Lancet publications. Here, we review 9 years of ASCO plenary sessions. Several themes emerge. First, many of the topics selected have indeed been practice changing, such as the use of ALK inhibitors for ALK rearranged NSCLC, or checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic melanoma. Second, although some plenary topics seemed destined to change practice, they ultimately falter, such as the use of Cetuximab in NSCLC, vaccine therapy for follicular lymphoma, and even Bevacizumab in metastatic renal cell cancer. Who could have forseen bevacizumab displaced by several VEGF TKIs? Third, negative trials are rare among Plenary sessions, but when they are presented they are immensely important. Examples include a seminal study using CA-125 levels to guide treatment of relapsed ovarian cancer, the use of lapatinib combined with traztuzumab in the adjuvant treatment of HER2 + disease, and studies showing no survival benefit to upfront bevacizumab in glioblastoma multiforme. Fourth, we note a large industry presence among Plenary sessions, as the Industry in part sponsored 62% of Plenary abstracts. Ultimately a review of 9 years of ASCO plenary reveals the plenary for what it is: a conservative selection of abstracts that, at the time, are thought to change the face of oncology. Time, however, is the true arbiter, and some succeed in this quest, while others falter. ASCO plenary sessions reveal the influence, legacy and future of cancer care.
Revealing the hidden structural phases of FeRh

Ab initio electronic structure calculations reveal that tetragonal distortion has a dramatic effect on the relative stability of the various magnetic structures (C-, A-, G-, ${\mathrm{A}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$-AFM, and FM) of FeRh giving rise to a wide range of novel stable/metastable structures and magnetic phase transitions between these states. We predict that the cubic G-AFM structure, which was believed thus far to be the ground state, is metastable and that the tetragonally expanded G-AFM is the stable structure. The low energy barrier separating these states suggests phase coexistence at room temperature. We propose an ${\mathrm{A}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$-AFM phase to be the global ground state among all magnetic phases which arises from the strain-induced tuning of the exchange interactions. The results elucidate the underlying mechanism for the recent experimental findings of electric-field control of magnetic phase transition driven via tetragonal strain. The magnetic phase transitions open interesting prospects for exploiting strain engineering for the next-generation memory devices.
Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence as Advocates for Social Change

Intimate partner violence is a major public health issue that presents numerous potential challenges and negative consequences for survivors. The external barriers and systemic oppression that contribute to these challenges and consequences are potentially relevant factors for counselors to address in social justice advocacy efforts. In addition to advocacy initiatives led by counselors, counselors can support their clients who have experienced IPV victimization to engage in self-advocacy, as well as advocacy efforts designed to promote positive social change. This study examines how survivors of IPV (n=123) think about themselves as potential or actual advocates, as well as survivors’ considerations for engaging in advocacy efforts. We apply content analysis methodology to identify themes within respondents’ qualitative responses to an advocacy-related question on an electronic survey on the process of overcoming abuse. The following themes emerged: the significance of survivors’ involvement in advocacy, survivors’ personal qualities and skills required for effective advocacy, validation of survivors’ right to choose whether or not to engage in advocacy, and examples of survivors’ large and small-scale advocacy efforts. The ACA Advocacy Competencies are then used to organize and operationalize survivors’ perceptions and experiences related to their involvement in advocacy efforts. The unique opportunities and challenges that survivors may encounter when they engage in advocacy initiatives at the individual, community, and societal levels are considered. This study aims to expand the concept of self-advocacy to survivors of IPV and other similarly marginalized groups, highlighting the potential for personal empowerment and social change.
Carotid Intima‐Media Thickness Score, Positive Coronary Artery Calcium Score, and Incident Coronary Heart Disease: The Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

BackgroundCommon carotid artery and internal carotid artery intima‐media thicknesses (IMT) are associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and increase with age. Using age, sex, and race/ethnicity...
From urban to suburban criminology: Understanding crime in America’s “safe” cities

Simon Singer’s [1] America’s Safest City represents a new and innovative contribution to the criminological literature. It not only provides a fresh look at understanding crime in America, it sheds the light on a heretofore understudied part of the country, but one that is increasingly populated: Suburbia. Singer offers a new theoretical perspective which he calls “relational modernity.” Because the perspective is so new, it is important to critically appraise and evaluate its merits. Thus, this special issue offers an overview and analysis of the book from four luminaries in criminology.
Exploring Hyperdimensional Associative Memory

Brain-inspired hyperdimensional (HD) computing emulates cognition tasks by computing with hypervectors as an alternative to computing with numbers. At its very core, HD computing is about manipulating and comparing large patterns, stored in memory as hypervectors: the input symbols are mapped to a hypervector and an associative search is performed for reasoning and classification. For every classification event, an associative memory is in charge of finding the closest match between a set of learned hypervectors and a query hypervector by using a distance metric. Hypervectors with the i.i.d. components qualify a memory-centric architecture to tolerate massive number of errors, hence it eases cooperation of various methodological design approaches for boosting energy efficiency and scalability. This paper proposes architectural designs for hyperdimensional associative memory (HAM) to facilitate energy-efficient, fast, and scalable search operation using three widely-used design approaches. These HAM designs search for the nearest Hamming distance, and linearly scale with the number of dimensions in the hypervectors while exploring a large design space with orders of magnitude higher efficiency. First, we propose a digital CMOS-based HAM (D-HAM) that modularly scales to any dimension. Second, we propose a resistive HAM (R-HAM) that exploits timing discharge characteristic of nonvolatile resistive elements to approximately compute Hamming distances at a lower cost. Finally, we combine such resistive characteristic with a currentbased search method to design an analog HAM (A-HAM) that results in faster and denser alternative. Our experimental results show that R-HAM and A-HAM improve the energy-delay product by 9.6× and 1347× compared to D-HAM while maintaining a moderate accuracy of 94% in language recognition.
Expanding the Field of Surgical Researchers: The Jahnigen Career Development Award

Under a long-standing collaboration with the John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF), the Atlantic Philanthropies (AP), and specialty societies in 10 targeted specialties, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) has been working to improve quality of care provided to older adults by surgical and related medical specialists. To support and nurture future academic leaders, the Geriatrics-for-Specialists Initiative (GSI) established the Dennis W. Jahnigen Career Development Scholar Award (JCDA) program in 2002, with AP joining JAHF as a core funder of the awards in 2003. Commencing in 2011, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) launched the Grants for Early Medical/Surgical Specialists’ Transition to Aging Research (GEMSSTAR) program, using an RO3 mechanism. Recipients of the JCDA and the GEMSSTAR are provided with 2 years of research support and networking opportunities with other scholars; 79 JCDA and 26 surgical and related medical specialty GEMSSTAR scholars have been funded through these award mechanisms, with AGS, JAHF, and surgical and related medical specialty societies providing matching support for 20 of the GEMSSTAR scholars for leadership development programs. One of the primary criteria for judging the overall success of the program was eventual transition of the award to a federally funded program, which was achieved when NIA launched the GEMSSTAR program in 2011.
Observation, reflection, action

Abstract The hill and valley landscapes of Scotland influenced how Patrick Geddes viewed cities and regions. His theories were grounded in interdisciplinarity and visual thinking and produced enduring tools still used by planners and designers, such as transects, diagnostic surveys, and conservative surgery. Geddes’ holistic approach can be viewed in contemporary terms like integral theory and metatheory. He advanced the idea that organisms can participate actively in their own evolution. The extension of his view is that cities can evolve through planning. His ideas influenced other important planning theorists such as Lewis Mumford, Jaqueline Tyrwhitt, and Ian McHarg and remain timely and useful for contemporary regional planning, urban design, and landscape architecture. The design and planning disciplines hold the capacity to enable people to adapt their settlements to changing conditions and situations. The theories of Patrick Geddes continue to be relevant for cities in evolution.
A Summary of Current Research on the Functional Morphology of Flight in Azhdarchid Pterosaurs

Azhdarchid pterosaurs existed during the Mesozoic era and died out during the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous. These amazingly large creatures have sparked a debate on whether they were capable of flying or simply gliding due to their massive size, anatomy, and morphology. Two theories that have been developed are that these creatures were terrestrial stalkers and that they are closer to pelicans in terms of feeding capability. More specifically, Naish and Witton suggest that these giants were capable of covering large distances by soaring and could forage on land by walking quadrupedally using their long necks to reach down and kill small animals, consume dead tissues and possibly fruits. Fossil evidence to support this theory includes tracks of the Azhdarchidâ€™s showing a parasagittal gait, a winged planform, and specimens have been only found in continental depositional settings. Evidence also indicates that these creatures had membranes serving as wings, but it cannot be discerned with current knowledge whether membranes were used for gliding or for true flying.
Surface modeling: impacts of design and manufacturing

Product designers in industry often model complex surfaces such as sheet-metal panels, plastic containers and optical lenses on computer-aided design (CAD) systems.
Thyroid hormones and commonly cited symptoms of overtraining in collegiate female endurance runners.

Overtraining syndrome (OTS) is reported in endurance sports. Thyroid hormones (TH) regulate metabolism, mood, and energy production, and may play a role in OTS of endurance athletes. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships in TH and symptoms of OTS in track and field endurance runners (ER). Sixteen female track and field middle distance (MD; n = 9; age: 20.2 ± 1.5 years; ht: 167.86 ± 5.04 cm; body-mass: 57.97 ± 5.05 kg; VO2MAX: 53.62 ± 6.04 ml/kg/min) and long distance (LD; n = 7; age: 20.5 ± 1.5 years; ht: 162.48 ± 6.11 cm; body-mass: 56.15 ± 5.99 kg; VO2MAX: 61.94 ± 3.29 ml/kg/min) ER participated in this descriptive study (15-weeks). Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T 3), and thyroxine (T 4), were collected at pre-(PRE) and post-season (POST). A fatigue scale was administered weekly, and percent change (PΔ) in race time (season best vs. championship performance) was calculated. Wilcoxon-sign ranked tests and Spearman’s rho correlations were used to determine changes and relationships between TH and performance. TSH, T 3 and T 4 did not change from PRE to POST. The percent change (PΔ) in T 3 from PRE to POST was correlated with running performance at the end of the season (ρ = − 0.70, p = 0.036). Fatigue at week 12 correlated with running performance at the end of the season (ρ = − 0.74, p = 0.004). TH may be valuable in assessing the overall training state of ER. TH concentrations change too slowly to be a frequent marker of monitoring OTS, but are related to markers of decreased performance. Monitoring dietary intake, and fatigue may be predictive markers to assess OTS and training status of female ER.
Passion and Determination Are the Genesis of Research.

> In life, materials will decay over time, what is left in you is Passion. I might as well take a chance and do what I love . > > —Suet Nee Chen When I was 6 years old, it became clear that my blurry vision was not a “little problem.” My parents sent me to an ophthalmologist who made the diagnosis of severe myopia (>−6 diopters [D]). Since then, my glasses have progressively thickened. By age of 13, my myopia had worsened to −10 D. The ophthalmologist advised my father that I should not stress my eyes and must avoid intense physical activities. Unfortunately, this included avoiding Olympic handball, which was my passion at the time. The concern was that a severe hit to my eyes could cause retinal detachment. When I heard the recommendation, my eyes welled up with tears. Either I had to stop playing the sport that I loved or risk going blind because of trauma. My father did what any loving parent would do. He said: “My child, please be happy in life and be whoever you want to be. You have my full support.” Despite the risk of losing my eyesight, my father …
Patient Selection Prior to Bariatric Surgery

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic. With the increased incidence of obesity, the metabolic derangements associated with it have increased exponentially. Bariatric surgery has long been recognized as the most effective and durable therapy for morbid obesity. The safety profile and positive effects of these procedures have resulted in a significant increase in their utilization. However, in order to achieve optimal results and minimize possible complications, appropriate candidates should be selected. The main indications for bariatric surgery were established in the NIH conference more than two decades ago: patients with a body mass index (BMI) between 35 and 40 kg/m2 with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea or patients with a BMI greater than 40 kg/m2 with or without comorbidities. Proper medical, psychological, and nutritional screening is paramount for the short- and long-term success of these procedures. Based on the positive metabolic effects of bariatric surgery, more studies have suggested an expansion of their indications to the lower BMI population with the express purpose of improving the metabolic derangements.
Which Way Did the Bicycle Go? By Joseph D. E. Konhauser, Dan Velleman, and Stan Wagon/Problems and Solutions from The Mathematical Visitor, 1877–1896. Edited by Stanley Rabinowitz

(1998). Which Way Did the Bicycle Go? By Joseph D. E. Konhauser, Dan Velleman, and Stan Wagon/Problems and Solutions from The Mathematical Visitor, 1877–1896. Edited by Stanley Rabinowitz. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 105, No. 3, pp. 292-296.
Retinal detachment prevents normal assembly of disk membranes in vitro.

The effects of retinal detachment upon disk membrane assembly in rod outer segments were assessed in Xenopus laevis retinas that had been maintained in eyecup cultures for up to 4 days. In these cultures, assembly of disk membranes occurred at a normal rate in regions of the retina that remained attached to the retinal pigment epithelium. In regions of the retina that were detached from the pigment epithelium, the assembly of new disk membranes either was abnormal or was inhibited. This result cannot be attributed to reduced access of cells in the detached retina to oxygen and metabolites. The experiments described here suggest that the apposition of the retina with the pigment epithelium is a necessary condition for normal disk membrane assembly in Xenopus retinas. This effect may be mediated by contact between the rod outer segments and the pigment epithelium, or by trophic factors in the subretinal space. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 31:1-8, 1990
The Chemistry and Pharmacology of μ-Opioid Antagonists

Opioid analgesics, such as morphine, are used clinically for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. However, the utility of opioid therapy can be limited by side effects including tolerance, physical dependence, respiratory depression, and constipation. Many of these classical side effects associated with the clinical use of opioid agonists are mediated by the mu (μ)-opioid receptor. This dichotomy has warranted extensive research to better understand the functions of each of the opioid receptors, along with synthesis of novel pharmacological tools that would alleviate these unwanted side effects. Because of the association of μ-opioid receptor stimulation with many of the most problematic side effects hindering opioid use, compounds with some μ antagonist properties may offer viable treatment options. The following overview of μ antagonists will address the evolution of these compounds and their utility not only in treating opioid-related side effects but also as pharmacotherapeutics for other disease processes which are associated with the opioid system. In addition, many of these compounds have important functions as tools for the basic scientist in furthering our understanding of the μ-opioid receptor.
The effects of the structured interview on reducing biases against pregnant job applicants.

Some research has been conducted on the discrimination faced by pregnant women in the workplace. Few studies, however, have specifically investigated how this bias is manifested in employment or hiring decisions. The current study was designed to examine possible bias during structured interviews. Participants watched a videotaped scenario in which candidates were interviewed for a job. The 2 × 2 × 2 experimental conditions were varied to represent a structured or an unstructured interview, a pregnant or nonpregnant interviewee, and the open position of either a high school teacher or sales representative. Results indicate an overall bias against pregnant women and suggested that the structured interview reduces this bias.
Mining Web Usage Data for Automatic Site Personalization

The ability to collect detailed usage data at the level of individual mouse clicks, provides Web-based companies with a tremendous opportunity for personalizing the Web experience of clients. Most current approaches to Web personalization include using static profile of users obtained through registration, and approaches based on collaborative filtering. These approaches suffer from the problems of the profile data being subjective, as well as getting out of date as the user preferences change over time. We present an approach to Web personalization based on Web usage mining, taking into account the full spectrum of data mining techniques and activities. We describe and compare Web usage mining techniques, based on transaction clustering and pageview clustering, to extract usage knowledge for the purpose of Web personalization. We also discuss how the extracted knowledge can be effectively combined with the current status of an ongoing Web activity to perform real-time personalization. This approach allows personalization to be achieved based on objective aggregate “usage profiles” representing how users actually tend to use a site rather than based on subjective ratings or registration-based information.
Building a PC-based Knowledge Base for Improving NDE Reliability

ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe a design and partial implementation of a prototype expert system for processing nondestructive evaluation (NDE) data contributed by inspectors of critical structures, components, and weldments such as pressure vessels and piping in chemical and electric power generating plants. The system is designed to integrate the analysis, database, and graphics features of a software in a personal computer (PC) environment to assist the user in (a) building a knowledge base on selected NDE methods, (b) estimating and improving the reliability of NDE procedures using the knowledge base, and (c) processing specific NDE data with expert-assisted analysis and interpretation for decision support. When fully implemented, the prototype system is designed to serve as the NDE input module to probabilistic fracture assessment codes such as PRAISE for piping and VISA-II for pressure vessels. To demonstrate the feasibility of the concept, two of the six submodules of the system are implemented as compiled programs capable of running as stand-alone diskettes in an IBM-PC or compatible environment (minimum DOS 2.0 and PC-XT configuration). The demonstration diskettes are written in micro-Prolog and contain ports to interface with external software for graphics, analysis, and report writing purposes.