cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improving early literacy promotion: a quality-improvement project for Reach Out and Read.

BACKGROUND: The Reach Out and Read (ROR) program promotes early literacy as part of pediatric primary care through the distribution of children9s books and anticipatory guidance during early childhood. OBJECTIVES: To improve the rates of age-appropriate book-giving during well-child care and the delivery of ROR-recommended anticipatory guidance in 6 pediatric clinics. METHODS: Three quality-improvement cycles were completed at each site. Practice-level data were shared with participants in iterative sessions to identify methods for improving care. A provider-training DVD was used to promote these ROR activities. RESULTS: Over the course of the project, the median rate of book-giving increased from 97% to 99% and for anticipatory guidance remained at 89%. Providers reported significantly improved ROR-related skills, particularly self-efficacy for modeling reading aloud and for using children9s books to assess development. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline adherence to the ROR program is high, possibly because of the ease of implementation. Quality improvement for ROR is feasible and may be easier to implement for book distribution than anticipatory guidance, although providers reported improved anticipatory-guidance skills. Future quality-improvement efforts should continue to address giving books and anticipatory guidance, both of which are integral to the ROR model.
Zero inflation in ordinal data: Incorporating susceptibility to response through the use of a mixture model

The aim of this paper is to produce a methodology that will allow users of ordinal scale data to more accurately model the distribution of ordinal outcomes in which some subjects are susceptible to exhibiting the response and some are not (i.e. the dependent variable exhibits zero inflation). This situation occurs with ordinal scales in which there is an anchor that represents the absence of the symptom or activity, such as 'none', 'never' or 'normal,' and is particularly common when measuring abnormal behavior, symptoms, and side effects. Due to the unusually large number of zeros, traditional statistical tests of association can be non-informative. We propose a mixture model for ordinal data with a built-in probability of non-response, which allows modeling of the range (e.g. severity) of the scale, while simultaneously modeling the presence/absence of the symptom. Simulations show that the model is well behaved and a likelihood ratio test can be used to choose between the zero-inflated and the traditional proportional odds model. The model, however, does have minor restrictions on the nature of the covariates that must be satisfied in order for the model to be identifiable. The method is particularly relevant for public health research such as large epidemiological surveys where more careful documentation of the reasons for response may be difficult.
Network planning in wireless ad hoc networks: a cross-Layer approach

In this paper, the network planning problem in wireless ad hoc networks is formulated as the problem of allocating physical and medium access layer resources or supplies to minimize a cost function, while fulfilling certain end-to-end communication demands, which are given as a collection of multicast sessions with desired transmission rates. We propose an iterative cross-layer optimization, which alternates between: 1) jointly optimizing the timesharing in the medium access layer and the sum of max of flows assignment in the network layer and 2) updating the operational states in the physical layer. We consider two objectives, minimizing aggregate congestion and minimizing power consumption, respectively, corresponding to operating in a bandwidth-limited regime and in an energy-limited regime. The end result is a set of achievable tradeoffs between throughput and energy efficiency, in a given wireless network with a given traffic pattern. We evaluate our approach quantitatively by simulations of community wireless networks and compare with designs that decouple the layers. We demonstrate that significant performance advantages can be achieved by adopting a full-fledged cross-layer optimization. Furthermore, we observe that optimized solutions generally profit from network coding, physical-layer broadcasting, and traffic-dependent physical states.
Benefits of Implementing a Dance Unit in Physical Education

This article discusses the benefits of participating in a dance curriculum, as well as how dance relates to the National Standards. It also provides insight into how physical educators can overcome the barriers to teaching dance in their programs.
Anterior Laxity, Slippage, and Recovery of Function in the First Year After Tibialis Allograft Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction:

Background: The increase in anterior laxity and slippage is greater with metal interference screw fixation of a hamstring anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft than a bone-patellar tendon-bone graft.Hypothesis: When slippage-resistant fixation is used with a soft tissue graft, early recovery of function does not result in a clinically important increase in anterior laxity and slippageStudy Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.Methods: Nineteen subjects were treated with a single-tunnel, single-looped, tibialis allograft with slippage-resistant, cortical fixation. An examiner, different from the treating surgeon, used stereophotogrammetric analysis to compute the increase in anterior laxity at a 150 N anterior force and slippage between the day of surgery and each monthly follow-up interval, and determined recovery of function and motion.Results: Anterior laxity did not increase between the day of surgery and 1 year (P = .23). Total slippage plateaued after 1 month, but increased 1.5 mm between the d...
Egg Extrusion, Embryo Development, Timing and Duration of Eclosion, and Incubation Period of Primiparous and Multiparous Tanner Crabs (Chionoecetes bairdi)

This study compares timing of egg extrusion, embryo development, timing and duration of eclosion, and incubation periods of Kodiak, Alaska, primiparous and multiparous Tanner crabs (Chionoecetes bairdi) reared in identical conditions to determine if and how these variables differ between reproductive states. Female reproductive state (primiparous or multiparous) and dates of egg extrusion were recorded, eggs were sampled monthly to determine egg stage and area, and larvae were collected daily during eclosion to determine timing and duration of eclosion. Primiparous Tanner crabs extruded eggs on average 103 days earlier than multiparous females and embryos developed similarly between groups. Both groups exhibited an embryonic developmental diapause at the gastrula stage, but the length of diapause was approximately 6 months for the primiparous group and 3 months for the multiparous group. This diapause appears to synchronize eclosion. The eggs of primiparous Tanner crabs were significantly smaller than the eggs of multiparous females for a few months after extrusion, but the differences may not be biologically significant. Eclosion was relatively synchronous between the two groups, however the mean eclosion date was 10 days earlier for primiparous females and on average, eclosion took 7 days for primiparous females and 12 days for multiparous females. Primiparous Tanner crabs have an average incubation period of 489 days which is 92 days longer than the average multiparous female incubation period of 397 days. Results of this study clearly illustrate that reproductive cycles differ between primiparous and multiparous Tanner crabs which may result in different reproductive potentials. Differences between primiparous and multiparous Tanner crabs must be understood and included in models for effective stock assessment, fishery management plans, and rebuilding plans.
Bodies don't sleep, neither do babies: experiences at the only maternity hospital isolation unit in Sierra Leone during the 2014 Ebola epidemic.

arrived in Sierra Leone during the 2014 Ebola epidemic on I Oct. 22, 2014, as part of a traveling group of 5 US Public Health responders working on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and joining a larger field team spread throughout the country. This was the first time I had been called to an outbreak, and I knew 2 things: I would be assigned to the infection prevention control team covering the maternity hospital isolation unit, and I should be ready for “rough conditions.” The short commute from the hotel took an hour during afternoon traffic. We pulled into the hospital gates to a courtyard crowded with people. Because we had not been screened on entry to the hospital grounds, I suspected they hadn’t been either. I stood the recommended arm and a half length away from people in the crowded hospital courtyard, knowing this would be the first of many long hours spent at the maternity hospital. My colleague gave me a tour of the facility: the isolation unit for women with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus disease (EVD), hospital wards, screening areas, morgue, laboratory, pharmacy, patient waiting areas, and the incinerator. Little did I know how accustomed I would grow to the smell, smoke, and eyeburning effects of the incinerator. I walked awkwardly behind her trying not to get too close to anything or anyone and followed her lead as we stood to the side while men in full personal protection equipment carried bodies on stretchers past us to the morgue. No one can quite prepare for these “rough conditions.” I was shocked at the large size of the hospital compound and the throngs of people who seemed unfazed to spend an afternoon in a hospital courtyard during an EVD epidemic. There were no weekends. Staff at the isolation unit worked nonstop, 7 days a week. The head nurse of the isolation unit would become a friend. During my 35-day tenure at the hospital, I would see her mood fluctuate from an ever-present exhaustion to hope and optimism with
HPC I/O trace extrapolation

Today's rapid development of supercomputers has caused I/O performance to become a major performance bottleneck for many scientific applications. Trace analysis tools have thus become vital for diagnosing root causes of I/O problems.This work contributes an I/O tracing framework with elastic traces. After gathering a set of smaller traces, we extrapolate the application trace to a large numbers of nodes. The traces can in principle be extrapolated even beyond the scale of present-day systems. Experiments with I/O benchmarks on up to 320 processors indicate that extrapolated I/O trace replays closely resemble the I/O behavior of equivalent applications.
The impact of Haemophilus influenzae type b meningitis on nutritional status

We investigated the immediate impact and long-term effects of Haemophilus influenzae type b meningitis on nutritional status and growth in 111 children. Mean weight change during 10 d of hospitalization was a loss of less than 1%. Follow-up median weight-for-height percentiles increased after admission (p less than 0.01). Percentile values were as follows: admission, 45th; 1 mo, 60th; 3 mo, 60th; and 6 mo, 68th. Forty-three percent of the cases were greater than 75th percentile of weight-for-height at 6 mo after disease. An additional follow-up assessment of weight-for-height indicated that 43% of a representative sample subset of 49 were still obese 1.17-5.5 y after disease. Significant differences in median concentrations of serum prealbumin were found between days 1 (128 mg/L) and 5 (199 mg/L, p less than 0.0001) and days 5 and 10 (214 mg/L, p less than 0.02). Median erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficients increased between days 1 (1.16) and 5 (1.20, p less than 0.01). The mean free erythrocyte protoporphyrin-heme ratio increased between days 5 (10.78 X 10(-6)) and 10 (14.22 X 10(-6), p less than 0.01). We conclude that there were transient adverse changes in nutritional status. Obesity appears to occur after disease.
Effects of prenatal exposure to cocaine on the developing brain: anatomical, chemical, physiological and behavioral consequences.

Earlier studies of human infants and studies employing animal models had indicated that prenatal exposure to cocaine produced developmental changes in the behavior of the offspring. The present paper reports on the results obtained in a rabbit model ofin utero exposure to cocaine using intravenous injections (4 mg/kg, twice daily) that mimic the pharmacokinetics of crack cocaine in humans. At this dose, cocaine had no effect on the body weight gain of dams, time to delivery, litter size and body weight or other physical characteristics of the offspring. In spite of an otherwise normal appearance, cocaine-exposed neonates displayed a permanent impairment in signal transduction via the D1 dopamine receptor in caudate nucleus, frontal cortex and cingulate cortex due to an uncoupling of the receptor from its associated Gs protein. This uncoupling in the caudate nucleus was shown to have behavioral consequences in that young or adult rabbits, exposed to cocainein utero, failed to demonstrate amphetamine-elicited motor responses normally seen after activation of D1 receptors in the caudate. The cocaine progeny also demonstrated permanent morphological abnormalities in the anterior cingulate cortex due to uncoupling of the D1 receptor and the consequent inability of dopamine to regulate neurite outgrowth during neuronal development. Consistent with the known functions of the anterior cingulate cortex, adult cocaine progeny demonstrated deficits in attentional processes. This was reflected by impairment in discrimination learning during classical conditioning that was due to an inability to ignore salient stimuli even when these were not relevant to the task. The impairment in discrimination learning also occurred in an instrumental avoidance task and could be shown to be due to an impairment of cingulothalamic learning-related neuronal coding. It was proposed that the selective loss of D1-related neurotransmission in the anterior cingulate cortex prevented an appropriate activation of GABA neurons and thus a loss of inhibitory regulation that is necessary for processes involved in associative attention. Taken together, these findings suggest that the uncoupling of the D1 receptor from its G protein may be the fundamental source of the anatomic, cognitive and motor disturbances seen in rabbits exposed to cocainein utero. Moreover, the long-term cognitive and motor deficits observed in the rabbit model are in agreement with recent reports indicating that persistent attentional and other behavioral deficits may be evident in cocaine-exposed children as they grow older and are challenged to master more complex cognitive tasks.
Effect of Pinealectomy and Melatonin on Feed Consumption and Thyroid Hormone Secretion Rate.

SummaryThe effect of pinealectomy upon feed consumption and thyroid hormone secretion rate was studied in Sprague-Dawley-Rolfsmeyer female rats. Feed consumption was increased 5.77% in association with an increase of 11.8% in TSR. In a second group of 16 rats, daily injection of 40 μg/day of melatonin depressed feed consumption 12.0%, whereas injection of 20 μg/day of melatonin into young rats depressed TSR 16%.
Application of the transducer tube to the recording of the peripheral pulse.

SummaryThis paper presents the application of the transducer tube to the detection and recording of movements of the type associated with the peripheral venous pulses. An adequate amplifier circuit is given and the usefulness of the device in other applications is suggested.
Aerodynamic Performance of a Small-Scale Wingsail Vessel

A rigid wingsail design requires estimation of the aerodynamic lift and drag coefficients throughout the entire operating range, from zero to one hundred eighty degrees angle-ofattack. This paper offers an analytical approach to finding these estimates using a non-linear lifting line method. Example results are compared to experimental wind tunnel data. The paper concludes with determination of the optimal sail angle for a representative wing.
By the Waters of Babylon: Christian Libertarianism in the Age of Obama

In this short essay, I compare Secular America to ancient Babylon in order to convey my understanding of what it is like to live as a faithful Christian in a postmodern secular state. Just as the Jewish people wandered in exile in ancient Babylon, Christians wander today in an America that has rejected our God. My pragmatic proposal for Christians living in the Age of Obama is to recognize that Babylonian law will typically reflect the morality and values of Babylon, not those of the America of our forefathers. The path to religious freedom in our society lies in an explosion of privatization, in a radical shrinking of the role of government in the lives of its citizens. As government retreats, religion will be free to advance. As government programs are cut and resources are returned to private citizens, we will be free to educate our children as we believe is best, to support causes we believe are right and good, to live our lives in accordance with our understanding of the good life and based upon our own theories of justice. In other words, a small Babylonian government should be the goal of Christians who find themselves living by the waters of Babylon here in Secular America.
Mesalamine Does Not Help Prevent Recurrent Acute Colonic Diverticulitis: Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trials.

Mesalamine Does Not Help Prevent Recurrent Acute Colonic Diverticulitis: Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trials
Fourier Analysis Method for Analyzing Highly Congested Mass Spectra of Ion Populations with Repeated Subunits

Highly heterogeneous samples that are difficult to resolve chromatographically arise in many contexts, including hetero-oligomeric protein assemblies, chaperone-target and protein–lipid assemblies, and long-chain polymers. Native mass spectrometry has emerged as a powerful tool to probe the stoichiometry and structure of biomolecular ion complexes, including megadalton-sized assemblies and assemblies with dozens of subunits. However, mass spectra of these ions are often highly congested, obfuscating determination of charge state, total mass, or subunit mass with conventional analysis methods. Here, we present a fast Fourier transform-based algorithm that can be used to deconvolve highly congested mass spectra for heterogeneous ion populations with repeated subunits. The method is parameter-free and requires no initial guesses of charge states, total mass, or subunit mass. To demonstrate a range of applications, the method is applied to ubiquitin with multiple adductions of sodium and potassium, single and...
Thermal Conductivity of Damaged MgO

This report represents a continuation of earlier investigations on the thermal conductivity of pure, neutron damaged, and additively colored MgO.1,2 Basically the current study is designed to relate quite generally the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity to the type and density of the defects produced by a particular type of damage in MgO. In this work we also correlate the occurrence of F and F+ centers, as well as other defect centers, with the optical3 and ESR4 work that has previously been reported.
Microelectrode Technologies for Deep Brain Stimulation

This chapter discusses stimulation and recording microelectrodes used in deep brain stimulation (DBS). DBS has become an established treatment for movement disorders and a promising treatment for a number of other neurological conditions. However, there is need for improved implantable devices, better tailored to specific neurological disorders and the corresponding targets in the brain. The development of miniaturized devices would permit effective treatment with minimal side effects and would facilitate research on the pathophysiology of diseases treatable by DBS. We will discuss some of the challenges in the implementation of microelectrode systems for successful clinical translation.
A Novel Annotation Technique During Mapping to Facilitate the Termination of Atrial Tachycardia Following Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation.

A Novel Annotation Technique During Mapping to Facilitate the Termination of ATIntroduction The treatment of atrial tachycardia (AT) occurring after ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) is challenging. The most common ablation strategy relies on entrainment, and electroanatomic activation mapping (EAM) using a conventional window of interest (WOI), centered on the easily detectable atrial signal on the coronary sinus catheter. We describe a novel EAM annotation technique that uses a WOI starting 40 milliseconds prior to the P wave in order to detect the reentrant AT exit site. This WOI timing is based on the similarity between scar-related reentrant AT and scar-related ventricular tachycardia. Methods Patients with AT after prior ablation for AF were included. The EAM of the AT was performed using the novel mapping annotation technique. The ablation was considered successful if the AT terminated during ablation at the site identified by this strategy. Results Twenty-eight patients with 36 ATs were included. The ATs were classified as follows: mitral annulus (13/36), roof (11/36), anterior/posterior/lateral left atrial wall (10/36), and RA (2/36). A complete EAM using the novel annotation technique was achieved in 34 of 36 AT's, encompassing 94 ± 6.5% of the cycle length. Low amplitude pre-P fractionated electrograms were found in 34 of 36 (94%) ATs and these occurred at a mean distance of 1.8 ± 1.2 mm from the “early-meets-late” line. Ablation at these areas resulted in termination of 34 of 36 ATs (94%). Conclusion The novel EAM annotation allows the accurate detection of the critical isthmus of post-AF ablation AT. Ablation of these isthmuses results in termination of the AT in the vast majority of patients.
Experimental Characterization of the Thermal Time Constants of GaN HEMTs Via Micro-Raman Thermometry

Gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are a key technology for realizing next generation high-power RF amplifiers and high-efficiency power converters. However, elevated channel temperatures due to self-heating often severely limit their power handling capability. Although the steady-state thermal behavior of GaN HEMTs has been studied extensively, significantly fewer studies have considered their transient thermal response. In this paper, we report a methodology for measuring the transient temperature rise and thermal time constant spectrum of GaN HEMTs via time-resolved micro-Raman thermometry with a temporal resolution of 30 ns. We measured a broad spectrum of time constants from $\approx 130$ ns to $\approx 3.2$ ms that contribute to the temperature rise of an ungated GaN-on-SiC HEMT due to aggressive, multidimensional heat spreading in the die and die-attach. Our findings confirm previous theoretical analysis showing that one or two thermal time constants cannot adequately describe the transient temperature rise and that the temperature reaches steady-state at $\approx {16}L^{{2}}/\pi ^{{2}}\alpha $ , where $L$ and ${\alpha }$ are the thickness and thermal diffusivity of the substrate. This paper provides a practical methodology for validating transient thermal models of GaN HEMTs and for obtaining experimental values of the thermal resistances and capacitances for compact electrothermal modeling.
Pushing Git & GitHub in undergraduate computer science classes

The ability to use version control is a valuable skill for computer science graduates to possess. This paper describes our experience introducing undergraduate computer science students to the widely used distributed version control system Git in conjunction with GitHub as part of an existing class. The class need not to be built around Git/GitHub; it is possible to introduce each of our four instructional components in sequence at any time they fit. Placing them earlier in the course schedule will give students the benefit of being able to use these tools throughout their class. We choose to focus on the use of the Git command line since this provided a consistent interface across all major platforms and therefore yielded the best return for time invested learning the software, while also offering greater flexibility and power to the user. A few of our students had some previous experience working with the Windows command line, while others were new to it, far fewer knew about version control. We describe the structure of our approach along with some of the instructional resources made available to the class which we believe provided an effective and flexible way to introduce students to these tools. We conclude by outlining successes and challenges encountered with our methods, what we've learned, and what might change for the next iteration of this approach.
Pharmacogenomic-based medication risk assessment in people with polypharmacy

Polypharmacy in older adults has been shown to be a significant risk factor for adverse drug events. Pharmacogenomic testing provides insights regarding individual drug efficacy and may be instrumental in optimizing medication regimen. However, majority of current pharmacogenomic decision support tools provide assessment only of single drug-gene interactions without taking into account complex drug-drug and drug-drug-gene interactions which are prevalent in people with polypharmacy and can result in adverse drug events or insufficient drug efficacy. The main objective of this project was to develop comprehensive pharmacogenomic decision support for medication risk assessment in people with polypharmacy that simultaneously accounts for multiple drug and gene effects. To achieve this goal, the project addressed two aims: (1) development of comprehensive knowledge repository of actionable pharmacogenes; (2) introduction of scoring approaches reflecting potential adverse effect risk levels of complex medication regimens accounting for pharmacogenomic polymorphisms and multiple drug metabolizing pathways. After pharmacogenomic knowledge repository was introduced, a scoring algorithm has been built and pilot-tested using a limited data set. The resulting total risk score for frequently hospitalized older adults with polypharmacy (72.04±17.84) was statistically significantly different (p<0.05) from the total risk score for older adults with polypharmacy with low hospitalization rate (8.98±2.37). An initial prototype assessment demonstrated feasibility of our approach and identified steps for improving risk scoring algorithms.
High-frequency spinal cord stimulation causing cardiac paresthesias after lead migration: a case report.

Introduction:High-frequency (HF) spinal cord stimulation (SCS), a relatively new form of spinal cord stimulation, provides stimulation frequencies of up to 10 kHz and allows for paresthesia-free pa...
Developmental nicotine exposure alters glycinergic neurotransmission to hypoglossal motoneurons in neonatal rats.

Here we show that perinatal nicotine exposure does not impact baseline glycinergic neurotransmission to hypoglossal motoneurons but enhances glycinergic inputs to hypoglossal motoneurons in respons...
Stereochemistry of the microsomal glutathione S-transferase-catalyzed addition of glutathione to chlorotrifluoroethene in isolated rat hepatocytes.

Glutathione S-transferases catalyze the nucleophilic addition of glutathione to electrophilic substrates. Glutathione S-conjugate formation, followed by conversion to mercapturates, serves to detoxify potentially harmful xenobiotics. Alternatively, glutathione S-conjugate formation is an important bioactivation mechanism for several classes of compounds (Anders et al., 1988). The nephrotoxicity of several haloalkenes, including chlorotrifluoroethene (CTFE), is attributable to glutathione S- conjugate formation, metabolism of the glutathione S-conjugate to the corresponding cysteine S-conjugate, translocation to the kidney, and bioactivation by cysteine conjugate β-lyase (Figure 1).
INVESTIGATION OF A COMMERCIAL LIQUID SCINTILLATION COUNTER-COMPUTER (PACKARD TRI-CARB MODEL 3380-544)

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a commercially available instrument, which is a combined liquid scintillation counter and a small online computer. The computer program is fixed. The user can change only certain dialed-in constants efficiencies, backgrounds; and for double isotope counting, an efficiency ratio. The instrument has three channels of pulse height analysis, designated conventionally: channel 1 (red), channel 2 (green), and channel 3 (blue). It appears usefully stable at other than the 0.0 and possibly 0.1 ratio for single isotope counting and through the 0.4 counting ratio for double isotope counting. Its fixed program—one background per channel, one efficiency per ratio, and low ratio instability—makes it unsuitable for use where a wide variety of cocktails and efficiencies are encountered and where samples are severely quenched. The instrument is suitable for single and double isotope counting of carbon-14 and tritium when the variety of cocktails at one time is limited, when samples are not severely quenched, and when samples are either of high activity or are of low activity but are nearly homogeneous in efficiency.
The Effects of 12(R)Hete and Its Metabolite 8(R)HHDTre on Corneal Endothelial Function

The purpose of this presentation is twofold: (1) to summarize our studies as to the direct effect of 12(R)HETE, 8(R)HHDTrE on the corneal endothelium, and (2) to illustrate the diffusion and metabolism of 12(R)HETE by the cornea. Our data has shown that 12(R)HETE causes corneal swelling in a dose-dependent manner when perfused directly to the corneal endothelium. As reported by Schwartzman et al, 12(R)HETE is one of the major cytochrome P450-dependent arachidonate metabolites of the corneal epithelium and is an endogenous inhibitor of Na+/K+ATPase. Contact lens-induced hypoxic stress has also been shown to stimulate the endogenous formation of 12(R)HETE by the corneal epithelium. This increased formation of 12(R)HETE was found to correlate to increased corneal thickness and to changes in the corneal endothelial structure.These results suggest that 12(R)HETE produced by the corneal epithelium might be capable of diffusing across the cornea and affecting endothelial function.
The Philosophy and Practice of Alcoholics Anonymous and Related 12-Step Programs

Twelve-step programs are voluntary, nonprofessional, self-directed groups that use peer support to promote recovery from an addiction. Twelve-step programs are among the most utilized and often misunderstood resources within addiction treatment. Social workers receive minimal training in the philosophy or practice of 12-step programs, preventing them from maximizing the benefits of this important resource. This chapter provides an overview of the philosophy and practice of 12-step programs in order for social workers to effectively use this resource in routine practice.
Gender and Black Communities

E. Patrick Johnson’s Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South raises many research questions for future study of Black gay men in the south. The mens’ stories shed light on the lived experiences of the target population, and far more research is needed to expand upon Johnson’s themes. In this chapter, several specific possibilities for psychological studies are presented using specific research questions that are inspired by Johnson’s findings. Several research questions are prompted by these stories with respect to issues such as social development, sexual behavior, gender identity and gender diversity, personality and creative expression, spiritual identity, perfectionism, and relationships. Johnson’s findings also suggest more investigation into the psychology of same sex behaviors within the contexts of churches, the military, and HBCUs. Vast opportunities for further research are evident by Johnson’s exploratory interviews of the men of Sweet Tea. Also, as is common in discussing research with Black LGBT populations, gaining access to Black gay men or men who have sex with men who are less open about their sexuality, is necessary to expand the knowledge gained from Johnson’s interviews.
Analysis of soma mine disaster using causal analysis based on systems theory (CAST)

Abstract Analyzing accidents of sociotechnical systems requires an understanding of the system safety structure. Among various methods proposed for accident analysis in complex sociotechnical systems the Systems-Theoretic Accident Model and Processes (STAMP) model is one of the most widely used model for predictive applications in the literature. The STAMP accident causality model with the accident analysis tool, called CAST (Causal Analysis based on Systems Theory) is an effective method for accident analysis. The Soma Mine Disaster (SMD), which occurred due to a fire in the underground coal mine and caused 301 fatalities in 2014, is one of the largest mine disasters in the last few decades. Although mine fires usually do not cause large number of casualties as compared to explosions in underground coal mines, the SMD has one of the highest number of deaths in the 21st century. In this paper, the CAST, which is based on STAMP is used for analyzing the SMD as it provides a system engineering perspective in accident analysis. Considering the complex nature of the SMD, a variety of factors were involved in the high number of casualties. Among them, socio-technical factors like unstructured organizational and human performance as well as inadequate safety culture, improper decision making and risk perception, which played a critical role in the SMD, are defined in an integrated system thinking framework. Finally, inadequate system control constraints are identified in each hierarchical level of the system and improvements are suggested, accordingly. It is also demonstrated that a CAST analysis is robust for the cases like the SMD, which involves high degree of uncertainty related to the occurrence of the accident. The analyses presented in this paper also show the design of prevention and mitigation measures against such disasters in different levels of the accident control hierarchy.
Do Antiracist Efforts and Diversity Programs Make a Difference? Assessing the Case of Norway

This chapter discusses multicultural developments in Norway over the last decade, in public debate, policy, and education, and assesses if antiracist efforts and diversity programs make a difference. The chapter uses two empirical cases from public debate, the cartoon affair and hijab debates, to analyze Norwegian Muslims’ mobilization in street protest and mediated public debate. I theorize multiculturalism and antiracism as social movements and the state’s partial accommodation of their demands in policy and law—a model that fits Scandinavian social democracy. Norwegian Muslims emphasize that Islam supports free speech and gender equality but want to be equal partners in negotiating and interpreting these values. They argue that free speech does not justify anti-Muslim racism, and Muslim women want to define their own Muslim feminism. Analysis shows that the dialogue-oriented social democratic government’s (2005–2013) diversity policy accommodated many minority perspectives and made multicultural education a priority in schools, opening a space for antiracist education. I argue that real integration requires that the majority learns to recognize minority perspectives, develop empathy, and take racism seriously.
Characterization of Crack Growth Rate of Sulfur-Extended Asphalt Mixtures Using Cyclic Semicircular Bending Test

AbstractCharacterizing crack propagation of asphalt mixtures is helpful for optimizing mixture design and predicting cracking performance of asphalt pavements. This paper explores a new method base...
Secure Resource Allocation for LTE-Based V2X Service

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project, Long Term Evolution (LTE) has recently completed its specifications for connected vehicular (V2X) service. In the meantime, researchers in academia and industry are addressing its security issues involving applications, network, and medium access control (MAC) layer protocols. However, the security issue in regard to resource allocation has never been considered until now. Especially in LTE PC5 link, resource allocation with a regular pattern (semi-persistence) to deliver V2X periodic messages may leak the location privacy, even when the other protocol layers are tightly secured. In this proposed paper, we provide a secure resource allocation strategy where the vehicular users employ different resource allocation approaches to various types of message deliveries to preserve their privacy. Specifically, the emergency message delivery, being the most time critical and occurring in random time, is provisioned using PC5 autonomous resource allocation (ARA) to protect the privacy. To curtail the collision, we propose a novel ARA approach called random access with status feedback (RASFB) based on Rel. 12 mode 2. The performance analysis shows the higher performance of the proposed RASFB when compared with the Rel. 12 and Rel. 14 without sacrificing security.
Leading a Culture Change Revolution: Your Leadership Challenge

This chapter speaks to and challenges readers who are ready to move forward…to bring a People-Centric model into their business and into their cultures. The last part of this chapter is a brief summary of key points from this book, with the goal of bringing the content together. This chapter ends with a call to action. There is one Simple Truth covered in this chapter:
A Multisite Randomized Controlled Two-Phase Trial of the Early Start Denver Model Compared to Treatment as Usual

Objective This single-blind, randomized, multisite, intent-to-treat study was designed to replicate and extend Dawson et al.’s (Pediatrics. 2010;125: e17-e23) randomized controlled trial testing the effects of the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), an intensive play- and routines-based intervention delivered in natural settings. Method A randomized controlled trial was conducted at 3 universities. One hundred eighteen children 14 to 24 months old with autism spectrum disorder were enrolled and randomly assigned to ESDM or community interventions for 27 months. Eighty-one children completed the full treatment course and all assessments; data from all 118 children were used in analyses. Children assigned to the ESDM intervention received 3 months of weekly parent coaching followed by 24 months of 15 hour per week (on average) 1:1 treatment weekly on average in homes or daycare settings from supervised therapy assistants while parents received coaching 4 hours monthly from a certified ESDM therapist. Results For the primary analyses, there were time-by-group and time-by-group-by-site interactions for language outcome. In the significant 3-way interaction involving site, 2 sites showed a significant ESDM advantage and the third site showed no significant group differences. In the planned 2-way analysis that pooled data across all 3 sites, there was a significant advantage found for the ESDM group. For the secondary analyses, there were no significant differences between the ESDM and community groups involving developmental quotient, autism severity, or adaptive behavior. The treatment effect of group on language outcomes was not moderated by baseline developmental quotient, autism severity, or language. Conclusion Results of the primary analysis provide a partial replication of Dawson et al.’s 2010 language findings. Clinical trial registration information Intensive Intervention for Toddlers with Autism; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ ; NCT00698997 .
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-sexual Drag Culture

Drag queens and drag kings have received a great deal of attention for their roles in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community and movement. Their sexual and gender identities vary but most are gay men, lesbians, or transgender people who perform identities on the stage, which both depict and defy conventional binary gender and sexual categories. Drag queens and kings are distinct identity categories that have become integral to the contemporary understanding of gay and lesbian politics and communities. Recent scholarship raises questions about the political potential of drag. This body of research suggests, nevertheless, that drag performances are fundamental to the creation and maintenance of LGBT identity and community.
Parental Discipline in Emerging Adulthood: The Creation and Validation of the Domains of Young Adult Discipline Scale (DYADS):

Emerging evidence suggests that parents engage in discipline practices during emerging adulthood, and the use of physical discipline is associated with negative mental health outcomes for emerging ...
Meta-analysis suggests family-implemented interventions have moderate effects on social and communication skills of people with developmental disabilities1

Q (1) What are the effects on the social and communication skills of a person with developmental disability when intervention is implemented by a family member? (2) Are differential effects of fami...
Self-Programmed Control: A New Approach to Learning.

This paper introduces a program for dealing with two affective detractors from learning: (1) a negative attitude toward school, and (2) personal problems. The program consists of three basic interacting components: (1) Self Programmed Control Technique Series--a method giving persons greater control over involuntary personality traits; (2) Psycho-Cybernetics--a guide to life; and (3) Shortcut Learning Techniques--a means of allowing students to experience immediate learning reinforcement. In a trial use at East Los Angeles College, the program has shown that attitudes toward school have been modified positively as indicated by a 250% increase in Brown-Holtzman scores and that the occurrence of personal problems have dimished as indicated by a drop in Willoughby scores from the 72nd to the 3Bth percentile. Also the results of an anonymous questionnaire given to 236 students revealed that the number of students having excessive behavior in certain problem areas, such as smoking, drinking, and drug use, was lessened at the program's end. Actual improvement in grades and number of units completed were found to correlate with the affective changes. The ease of implementing the program and various ways of inexpensively incorporating it into a schcol's curriculum are also discussed. (AL) Paper presented at AAHE 27th_Annual Natjonal_Conference on Higher Education at discussion meeting entit-ed: LEARNING SKILLS CENTERS: EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICE STATIONS? Chicago, March 6, 1972. (-NJ U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OE EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPRO%X) DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGMATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY CO) REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OE EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. um. SELF-PROGRAMMED CONTROL: A NEW APPROACH TO LEARNING1 Alfred A. Barrios, Ph.D My answer to the question, "Are Learning Skills Centers an effective educational service station?", is, "No, not effective enough!" The basic problem as I see it is that until now Learning Skills Centers have focused primarily on the cognitive aspects of learning and not sufficiently on the affective aspects. Basic learning skills make up only one factor essential for efficient learning. Equally, if not more important, is the student's mental attitude and state of mind. As I see it there are two major affective factors that must be dealt with. First, there is the student's usually negative attitude toward school. He most often finds schoolwork a chore and what's worse he usually doesn't think much of his learning capabilities. Secondly, there is the fact that most students are also plagued with any number of personal or em,tional problems. Love, sex, drugs, parental difficulties, inferiority complexes, etc., are all capable of producing very real interference. If we are truly interested in improving our student's learning abilities we have to take into account these two, most crucial,
Sparse-Aperture Qualitative Inverse Scattering using a Phase-Delay-Based Frequency Variation Constraint

The Linear Sampling Method (LSM) is a qualitative inverse scattering technique for reconstructing target support. The LSM has various beneficial qualities, including low computational expense and robustness to model error. However, it has a well-known limitation in that it requires dense, multiview, multistatic data. In this paper, we introduce a technique to improve multifrequency LSM imaging in sparse aperture scenarios by incorporating a priori knowledge of propagation-based phase delay into the LSM inversion. We apply the proposed technique to simulated data, and show that the phase-delay-based constraint leads to higher image fidelity in the form of significantly fewer imaging artifacts as compared to the conventional multifrequency LSM implementation, at the expense of a modest blurring of the imaged target boundaries in some cases due to imperfections in the phase assumptions for resonant target features.
Measuring cardiopulmonary complications of carfilzomib treatment and associated risk factors using the SEER-Medicare database.

Background Carfilzomib improves survival in patients with recurrent myeloma. Given the strict eligibility criteria in clinical trials, the actual frequency of cardiac adverse events (CAEs) and pulmonary adverse events (PAEs) and the risk factors associated with these AEs in the general population need to be established. Methods The authors extracted myeloma cases in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database from 2000 through 2013 and corresponding claims through 2014. They then identified patients who received carfilzomib during their disease course. Subsequently, the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) was used to identify all the codes for CAEs, PAEs, and respiratory infections associated with carfilzomib use. Preexisting diagnoses corresponding to the CAEs and PAEs of interest were excluded to distinguish toxicity from comorbidity. Multivariate Cox regression was performed to determine those variables independently associated with the development of CAEs and PAEs. Results Of the 635 patients analyzed, the median age was 72 years (range, 36-94 years); 55% of the patients were male and 79% were white. The median duration of carfilzomib treatment was 58 days (range, 1-716 days). Overall, approximately 66% of the patients had codes for either CAEs or PAEs. In terms of CAEs, approximately 22% of patients developed hypertension, 15% developed peripheral edema, and 14% experienced heart failure. With regard to PAEs, approximately 28% of patients developed dyspnea, 15% developed cough, and 15% developed pneumonia. Only chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was found to be independently associated with the development of CAEs. Patients with preexisting COPD were found to have a 40% increase in their hazard of developing CAEs (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.03-1.90). Conclusions In older adults with myeloma who are undergoing treatment with carfilzomib, new cardiac and pulmonary diagnoses were common. Patients with preexisting COPD were found to be at an increased risk of developing CAEs.