cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New attenuation relations for peak and expected accelerations of strong ground motion

abstract Two proposals are presented on the estimation of maximum accelerations of strong ground motion near the causative fault. First, the crucial selection of the form fitted to observed accelerations as a function of distance from the source is discussed. In particular, evidence is given that the attenuation form adopted by Joyner et al. (1981) constrains the attenuation parameters so that inferences on near-fault motion and magnitude dependence are questionable. An alternative attenuation form is proposed which decouples far-field variations from near-field variations. Nonlinear least-squares regression to the same data set confirms the flattening of attenuation curves near to the source ( M M > 7 earthquakes. For 6.0 ≦ M ≦ 7.7, the regression yields y = 1.6 { ( x + 8.5 ) 2 + 1 } − 0.19 exp { − 0.026 ( x + 8.5 ) } where y is the peak horizontal acceleration in g , and x (km) is the closest distance to the surface projection of the rupture. Second, a robust and easily computed parameter is defined for significant peak acceleration that meets many engineering requirements. This “effective” peak acceleration is obtained by developing histograms for the number of peaks and troughs on the observed record and by choosing the acceleration value at about the 90 percentile level. This truncation excludes scattered outliers of high-amplitude peaks not representative of the general distribution of the ground motion amplitudes. Corresponding values for “effective peak acceleration” are tabulated for part of the basic data set, and it is demonstrated that the scatter about the attenuation regression line is reduced using the proposed parameter.
Nanonet Force Microscopy for Measuring Cell Forces

The influence of physical forces exerted by or felt by cells on cell shape, migration, and cytoskeleton arrangement is now widely acknowledged and hypothesized to occur due to modulation of cellular inside-out forces in response to changes in the external fibrous environment (outside-in). Our previous work using the non-electrospinning Spinneret-based Tunable Engineered Parameters' suspended fibers has revealed that cells are able to sense and respond to changes in fiber curvature and structural stiffness as evidenced by alterations to focal adhesion cluster lengths. Here, we present the development and application of a suspended nanonet platform for measuring C2C12 mouse myoblast forces attached to fibers of three diameters (250, 400, and 800 nm) representing a wide range of structural stiffness (3-50 nN/μm). The nanonet force microscopy platform measures cell adhesion forces in response to symmetric and asymmetric external perturbation in single and cyclic modes. We find that contractility-based, inside-out forces are evenly distributed at the edges of the cell, and that forces are dependent on fiber structural stiffness. Additionally, external perturbation in symmetric and asymmetric modes biases cell-fiber failure location without affecting the outside-in forces of cell-fiber adhesion. We then extend the platform to measure forces of (1) cell-cell junctions, (2) single cells undergoing cyclic perturbation in the presence of drugs, and (3) cancerous single-cells transitioning from a blebbing to a pseudopodial morphology.
Maximum Heat Transfer to Metallic-Liquid Flows from a Cluster of Vertical, Parallel-Plate Channels Heated Symmetrically

The problem of optimizing a cluster of isothermal or isoflux parallel-plate channels where the coolant is a metallic liquid is addressed. The pressure difference is fixed, and laminar forced convection is caused by the simultaneous development of velocity and temperature from free-stream conditions of the liquid. The Fanning friction factor is invariant with the fluid. However, local and stream wise-mean Nusselt number distributions for each heating condition are carefully computed exploiting the physical analogy between transient conduction in a flat plate and steady temperature development inside a parallel-plate channel under the premise of slug flow. The qualitative influence of diminute Prandtl number liquids (Pr = 0.01 and 0.005) is reported in terms of the optimal heat transfer and the optimal plate-to-plate spacing for the two heating conditions employed.
Stationary Random Signals

A stochastic process {X(t), t ∈ T} is a stationary random signal if the joint distribution function of {X(t 1 ),…,X(t)} is same as the joint distribution function of {X(t1 + τ), X(t2 + τ),…,X(t n + τ)} for all t1,…,tn and τ ∈ T.
Low Voltage Magnetron for Consumer Microwave Ovens

AbstractA low cost, low voltage, long life 915 MHz magnetron is described. Utilizing a new type of output coupling, this magnetron provides good efficiency and excellent stability The general magnetron construction is described and the application advantages are discussed. A Rieke Diagram is shown along with a chart showing typical magnetron data. Typical power supplies are shown, where the desired output is obtained without the use of a high voltage transformer.
Modeling of boiling water reactor feedwater control algorithms

A RELAP5/MOD3. 1 model of a boiling water reactor and an interface originally developed as a real-time test platform for the Browns Ferry Unit 2 feedwater control system and turbine governors have been expanded to include feedwater heater systems and controls and to change the reactor recirculation pump controls from the current fluid-coupled drive to a future variable speed drive. The expanded model includes feedwater heater shell-side components, associated piping, steam supplies, and condensers, and allows simulation of the Foxboro digital feedwater heater level control system. The model was updated to RELAP5/MOD3. 1.1, while the interface was expanded to handle additional communications and operator actions. The simulated feedwater heater level controls were tuned and benchmarked; benchmarking was performed against steady-state data at various power levels from plant heat balance data. After the model was benchmarked, various transients were simulated to identify potential flaws in the feedwater heater level control system.
Market Complicity and Christian Ethics: Who is morally responsible in the chain of causation? The problem of interdependence

Who is complicit? This chapter deals with identifying the subject of accountability. It looks to tort jurisprudence for insights and methods in the attribution of individual responsibility for distant harms or collective ills. DISENTANGLING THE WEB OF CAUSATION One of the more demanding issues to resolve in blameworthy material cooperation (moral complicity) is the question of where to draw the limits of moral responsibility for collective or distant harms. Consider the following difficulty posed for moral theory and practice by the nature of the market. The first principle of morality is indeed to do good and avoid evil … But [the person] cannot be obliged to avoid any and every bringing about of evil at his own hands, even if unintended, for the simple reason that there is very little people do in the ordinary course of their lives which does not involve their bringing about evil effects, even as a consequence of wholly good actions. Hence, if morality is not to reduce people to virtual inaction, it has to permit the bringing about of evil effects in some circumstances … (Oderberg 2004, 210, emphasis original) This dilemma is particularly acute for the marketplace. As already noted in chapter 2, division of labor is at the heart of economic life. And with this comes a tight web of economic interdependence.
Oxygen Desaturation at Rest and after Exercise in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease Patients: Correlations with Hemolysis and Elevated Tricuspid Regurgitant Jet Velocity.

Background. As a part of a multicenter, observational study in determining the prevalence and risk factors of elevated tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity (TRV) in children, oxygen desaturation correlated with TRV. We further investigated the risk factors and clinical associations of oxygen desaturation at rest and after execrcise in children at steady state. Methods. 310 children and adolescents with sickle cell disease were studied under basal conditions. Pulse oximetry was determined at rest and after a six minute walk test. The relationships of oxygen saturation at rest and desaturation during exercise to the available clinical and laboratory variables were investigated. Results. Among 300 patients with available baseline oxygen saturations, 30 (10%) had saturation 98 percent. Twenty-three (9%) of 244 patients had >3 percentage point reduction in oxygen saturation during a six minute walk; the median (interquartile range) baseline saturation was 96 (95– 99) percent among these patients versus 98 (97–100) percent among those with less or no reduction in saturation during the walk (P = 0.0009). Hemoglobin (p 3 percentage points during the walk while a hemolytic index (p 3 percentage points. Conclusion. Markers of hemolysis, low hemoglobin, PIEDV, LVMI, LVIDD z score, lower TLC, and elevated TRV velocities are associated with ≥3% reduction in oxygen desaturation during six minute walk in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease. A high degree of oxygen desaturation during the six minute walk in sickle cell disease patients might serve as an early biomarker for pulmonary hypertension. Exercise induced changes in oxygen saturation in sickle cell disease children may provide insight into the development of pulmonary hypertension as adults.
Composing in Their Own Language: Feminist Pedagogy in Richard LaGravenese’s Freedom Writers

This paper explores Richard LaGravenese’s 2007 film adaptation of Erin Gruwell’s teaching memoir, The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. LaGravenese’s adaptation chronicles the challenges and triumphs Gruwell faces as she earns her disenfranchised students’ trust and respect both inside and outside of the classroom. Gruwell uses feminist pedagogical practices in order to transgress institutional practices that seek to silence her “Students’ Right to their Own Language.” My purpose in analyzing this particular popular culture text is to evaluate the specific teaching practices that identify Gruwell not only as a feminist pedagogue, but as an exemplary composition instructor. While a considerable amount of scholarship has analyzed the way educators are both positively and negatively portrayed in film, there has been no attempt to critically assess how feminist pedagogical practices work to challenge traditional educational ideologies in film. My analysis also seeks to identify and evaluate some of Gruwell’s exemplary teaching practices in order to analyze the ways in which feminist pedagogy might enhance other theoretical approaches and pedagogical practices in education.
Abstract LB-135: New cancer prevention model using imaging for early detection of mesothelin-expressing cancers

A major challenge to the discovery and development of novel cancer prevention strategies is the availability of reliable animal models. Key elements for chemoprevention testing in animal include relevance to human cancers, with tumors of similar pathology and genetic abnormalities, the presence of intermediate lesions that resemble human cancer development both histologically and molecularly; and consistent tumor incidence of >60% within less than 6 months. To our knowledge no established animal model responds to these requirements for ovarian cancer prevention. We sought to adapt the Dicerflox/flox-Ptenflox/flox double knockout (DKO) ovarian cancer mouse model (Kim, Matzuk PNAS 2012) for cancer prevention studies, by synchronized induction of the disease with intra-ovary injection of an adenovirus encoding CRE protein (Ad-mCherry-Cre). Premalignant lesions in DKO AdCRE mice were visible by HE 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-135. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-LB-135
Bounding uncertainty in volumetric geometric models for terrestrial lidar observations of ecosystems

Volumetric models with known biases are shown to provide bounds for the uncertainty in estimations of volume for ecologically interesting objects, observed with a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) instrument. Bounding cuboids, three-dimensional convex hull polygons, voxels, the Outer Hull Model and Square Based Columns (SBCs) are considered for their ability to estimate the volume of temperate and tropical trees, as well as geomorphological features such as bluffs and saltmarsh creeks. For temperate trees, supplementary geometric models are evaluated for their ability to bound the uncertainty in cylinder-based reconstructions, finding that coarser volumetric methods do not currently constrain volume meaningfully, but may be helpful with further refinement, or in hybridized models. Three-dimensional convex hull polygons consistently overestimate object volume, and SBCs consistently underestimate volume. Voxel estimations vary in their bias, due to the point density of the TLS data, and occlusion, particularly in trees. The response of the models to parametrization is analysed, observing unexpected trends in the SBC estimates for the drumlin dataset. Establishing that this result is due to the resolution of the TLS observations being insufficient to support the resolution of the geometric model, it is suggested that geometric models with predictable outcomes can also highlight data quality issues when they produce illogical results.
Self-assembling biomaterials for theranostic applications

Abstract The ability to precisely track the release and trafficking of therapeutic agents in real-time while simultaneously monitoring the state of disease progression remains one of the major challenges in the development of more effective drug delivery systems. Recent advances in molecular assembly and supramolecular engineering have led to a plethora of exciting self-assembling biomaterials capable of combining both therapeutic and diagnostic features. In this chapter, we review the recent progress in the development of supramolecular platforms for theranostic applications. We discuss the key features and challenges of designing lipid-, peptide-, protein-, DNA-, and polymer-based biomaterials and examine several examples of self-assembling theranostic agents.
Justice as Position, Justice as Practice: Indigenous Governance at the Boundary

I begin with a story. The Nisga’a Nation is an Indigenous nation in the Canadian province of British Columbia. In 1999, after more than two decades of negotiations and more than a century of Nisga’a effort to prosecute their claims, the Nisga’a Nation, Canada, and British Columbia signed a treaty that restored to the Nisga’a people a portion of their traditional lands and certain Nisga’a rights of self-government, among them the rights to make law, to resolve disputes, and to control much of what happens on their lands. In 2000, after passage by the Canadian Senate and the provision of Royal Assent, the Nisga’a Final Agreement went into effect.
Adjuvant Postoperative Therapy for Completely Resected Stage I Lung Cancer

Surgical resection is the standard of care for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A significant body of evidence from population-based observational studies shows that surgery offers patients the highest cure rate. Nevertheless, following lobectomy or pneumonectomy and mediastinal lymph node staging as standard therapy, only a 67% 5-year survival for stage IA (T1N0) and a 57% 5-year survival for stage IB (T2N0) is expected, with most patients succumbing to metastatic disease. A subset of patients exists with clinical stage I disease and limited cardiopulmonary reserve where a sublobar resection is required and is associated with an increased frequency of local recurrence compared to lobectomy or pneumonectomy. to lobectomy or pneumonectomy. Traditionally, efforts to improve survival and decrease local recurrence following lung resection for NSCLC have consisted of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy alone or in combination.
Development of Human Breast Cancer

Publisher Summary Certain focal lesions of the terminal ductal lobular units of the human breast are precancerous. Proof of their preneoplastic nature requires sophisticated experimentation using animal hosts for human transplants and in vitro methodology. This chapter discusses the development of preneoplasia in the human breast. It explores the recognition of preneoplastic tissue and its biological significance. Preneoplasia is a pathological condition with a high risk of developing malignancy. The probability of cancer development in preneoplastic tissue exceeds the probability associated with “normal” tissue. Simplified pathways of the origin of mammary pathology from the terminal ductal lobular unit are diagrammatically represented in the chapter. It also discusses the anatomy of the breast as it pertains to proliferative lesions and carcinogenesis. The human breast has 6-15 lobes, disposed radially around the nipple and emptying independently to the exterior by ducts in the central, most raised portion of the nipple. The ducts branch dicotomously, eventually forming the terminal ductal lobular units (TDLU). The morphology of normal, fibrocyctic, precancerous, and cancerous human breast are also illustrated in the chapter.
Pectus excavatum in the adult: Current treatment modalities

Pectus excavatum (PE) is a posterior depression of the sternum and adjacent costal cartilages accounting for more than 90% of congenital chest wall deformities.1,2 With inward compression and decreased chest volume, PE can be more than a cosmetic deformity. Severe cases frequently result in exercise intolerance and physiologic cardiopulmonary impairment. Often patients with PE are dismissed by their physicians as having an inconsequential cosmetic problem. This misconception has resulted in many patients reaching adulthood with uncorrected severe defects. With the advent of internet-based information sources and the lure of less invasive repair techniques, many adult patients with uncorrected PE are now seeking surgical repair. There is some evidence that a true physiologic impairment associated with the defect may worsen as the patient ages. Cardiopulmonary symptoms may develop in the adolescent; however, others may only develop symptoms with aging. The physiologic data documenting improved cardiopulmonary function and psychosocial function after repair in adults is limited by small sample sizes. Although many studies and a meta-analysis now support repair of PE in the adolescent, only a few studies in adults document physiologic impairment. This chapter reviews the available adult literature regarding treatment of PE in the adult patient.
Animal Health: Ectoparasites

Ectoparasites and vectorborne diseases represent a constant threat and challenge to livestock and human health worldwide. The increased activities toward intensification of agricultural practices and livestock production, coupled with rural and peri-rural landscape modifications and poor ecosystem protection, create host populations conducive to evolution and persistence of parasites and vectors. In this article, the authors address the most significant and common parasites and diseases that impact the productivity and welfare of livestock and wildlife.
Lung Maturity and Pulmonary Phospholipid Metabolism

The lung is composed of more than 4C(1) different cell types, but no single type occupies the majority of lung mass. Although it has been reported that alveolar macrophages and Clara cells(7, 84, 96) can synthesize surface-active lecithin, most direct and indirect evidence suggests that the granular pneu-matocyte (alveolar Type II cell) is responsible for the synthesis of surfactant, particularly the major surface-active phospholipid, dipalmityl phosphatidylcholine. The alveolar Type II cell is an attenuated cell, one of two cell types lining alveoli containing characteristic inclusion bodies. They appear to be extruded into alveolar spaces to provide surface-active material. (82) Radioactive labeled precursors of surfactant ([3H]acetate and [3H]palmitate) can be located by autoradiography in Type II cells in the rabbit 30 min to several hours after intravenous injection. (37)
EFFECTIVENESS OF NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS FOR REDUCING ELDER DEPRESSION: A META-ANALYSIS

There is a public health concern of elder wellbeing due to the pervasiveness of depression that affects the growing elder population internationally. Researchers have utilized non-pharmacological interventions to lessen elder depression as an alternative to prescription medications. Although various interventions have demonstrated efficacy in reducing elder depression, it is unclear which intervention type is the most effective and which moderating variables may contribute to such effectiveness. Therefore, the present study sought to investigate the efficacy of various non-pharmacological interventions published within the last ten years via meta-analysis, using the Hunter and Schmidt (1982) method. Preliminary results indicate that out of the six intervention categories coded for (physical activity, reminiscence, CBT, multiple intervention types, and other), reminiscence interventions (d = .4888) were the most effective intervention type, followed by other (d = .3908), and CBT (d = -.3333). Additionally, it was found that interventions that consisted of participants without cognitive deficits (B = -.2909, p = .0000), studies with fewer exposures (B = -.2620, p = .0000), smaller sample sizes (B = -.4343, p = .0000), younger samples (B = -.1037, p = .0044), and studies conducted outside of the United States (B = -.1686, p = .0000) had larger effect sizes. There were no significant differences between longer and shorter interventions (B = -.0133, p = .6773). The study contributes to further non-pharmacological interventions designed to reduce elder depression by investigating which intervention types and moderating variables best reduce depression in older adults.
Separating Terrorist-Like Topological Signatures Embedded in Benign Networks

We study the problem of identifying topologically adversarial nodes in real networks using a graph classification methodology. To test our approach, we implant nodes from a terrorist network in a wide variety of benign real networks to create a topologically heterogeneous network. We capture local information using structured image embeddings of adjacency matrices and identify the terrorist nodes. We recover up to 85% of the terrorist-like nodes implanted in friendly host networks while keeping the false positive rate as low as 1%.
Cardiovascular Health, Adiposity, and Food Insecurity in an Underserved Population

This study investigated associations between cardiovascular health (CVH), adiposity, and food insecurity by race, sex, and health literacy in a sample of 800 underserved patients with obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30 kg/m2). CVH was assessed using American Heart Association Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) and adiposity was estimated using BMI and waist circumference (WC). Mixed models including interaction terms between food insecurity and sex, race, and health literacy were analyzed for LS7, BMI, and WC. Stratified models were analyzed as indicated by significant interactions. Mean BMI and WC were 37.3 kg/m2 (4.6 SD) and 113.5 cm (12.4 SD), respectively. Among patients, 31% were food insecure and 31% had low health literacy. There were significant positive associations between food insecurity and BMI (p = 0.03) and WC (p = 0.03) in the overall sample. In sex-stratified models, women who were food insecure had higher BMI (p = 0.02) and WC (p = 0.007) than their food secure counterparts. Further, food insecure patients with better health literacy had greater BMI (p = 0.004) and WC (p = 0.007) than their food secure counterparts. Results suggest that adiposity is a greater burden in food insecure patients, which may be an important consideration for obesity treatment in underserved populations.
A global estimate of terrestrial net secondary production of primary consumers

AIM: Net secondary production (NSP) emerges from the consumption of net primary production (NPP) by all heterotrophic organisms. There has been sporadic interest in the importance of NSP, but no global estimates have been produced. Here, we examine NSP and attempt a global estimate using contemporary NPP data combined with modern metabolic scaling theory for consumption rates. We distinguish between potential NSP, as the amount of secondary production that could be supported by NPP, and realized NSP, as the amount remaining after anthropogenic habitat disruption. LOCATION: Global. TIME PERIOD: 2000–2014. METHODS: We present a metabolic model of NSP, implementing a type II functional response for consumption rates, wherein search efficiency and handling time are calculated based on consumer mass and ambient temperature. We solve this model for each 0.05‐decimal‐degree pixel in the global terrestrial biosphere, using as data inputs NPP (MOD17A3) and land‐surface temperature (MOD11C3). We aggregate estimates within global land‐cover classifications (MCD12C1) to obtain cover‐specific and global estimates of NSP. We also correct our estimates based on declines in consumer abundance reported in Living planet report 2014. RESULTS: We estimate that potential NSP is 4.74 Pg C/year globally (95% CI: 3.75–5.75). When we correct for global consumer population declines, realized NSP is estimated at 2.37 Pg C/year (95% CI: 1.86–2.89), a loss of 50% in the rate of carbon flux through secondary consumers. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Our estimates should not be viewed as the last word on NSP but are sufficient to suggest that the flux of carbon through consumers is of a similar magnitude to many other fluxes crucial to the global carbon cycle. We view this as a hypothesis to be tested that suggests NSP deserves significantly more attention in Earth systems, macroecology and biogeochemical research.
Two wrongs make a right? The politicization of trade policy and European trade strategy

Since 2014 the (relatively) calm waters of the EU’s trade policy have been roiled by wide-spread popular opposition to the EU’s trade negotiations with the United States and Canada and the apparent...
Managing Volunteers in Archives: Developing Mutually Beneficial Experiences

Archivists frequently engage volunteers in a variety of projects. In this article the authors explore the motivations that drive volunteers to seek opportunities at archives, as well as at the comp...
Frequency and Outcomes of Preoperative Stress Testing in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty from 2004 to 2017.

Importance Cardiac stress testing is often performed prior to noncardiac surgery, although trends in use of preoperative stress testing and the effect of testing on cardiovascular outcomes are currently unknown. Objective To describe temporal trends and outcomes of preoperative cardiac stress testing from 2004 to 2017. Design, Setting, and Participants Cross-sectional study of patients undergoing elective total hip or total knee arthroplasty from 2004 to 2017. Trend analysis was conducted using Joinpoint and generalized estimating equation regression. The study searched IBM MarketScan Research Databases inpatient and outpatient health care claims for private insurers including supplemental Medicare coverage and included patients with a claim indicating an elective total hip or total knee arthroplasty from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2017. Exposures Elective total hip or knee arthroplasty. Main Outcomes and Measures Trend in yearly frequency of preoperative cardiac stress testing. Results The study cohort consisted of 801 396 elective total hip (27.9%; n = 246 168 of 801 396) and total knee (72.1%; 555 228 of 801 396) arthroplasty procedures, with a median age of 62 years (interquartile range, 57-70 years) and 58.1% women (n = 465 545 of 801 396). The overall rate of stress testing during the study period was 10.4% (n = 83 307 of 801 396). The rate of stress tests increased 0.65% (95% CI, 0.09-1.21;P = .03) annually from quarter (Q) 1 of 2004 until Q2 of 2006. A joinpoint was identified at Q3 of 2006 (95% CI, 2005 Q4 to 2007 Q4) when preoperative stress test use decreased by −0.71% (95% CI, −0.79% to 0.63%;P Conclusions and Relevance The frequency of preoperative stress testing declined annually from 2006 through 2017. Among patients with at least 1 Revised Cardiac Risk Index condition, no difference was observed in cardiovascular outcomes between patients who did and did not undergo preoperative testing.
From Content Knowledge to Competencies and Exams to Exit Profiles: Education Reform in Zimbabwe

For over two decades, Zimbabwe has been embroiled within a complex web of economic, political, and financial challenges. In 2013, the country embarked on an ambitious journey of overhauling its education system by moving from content knowledge to a competency-based curriculum. The theory of change, in particular, was that, if the curriculum is entirely overhauled from outdated knowledge-based to twenty-first-century skills and competencies, then in the long-term, students would ultimately be able to meet the economy and labor market demands. The reform was phased from 2015 to 2022 and at the time of writing is in its last leg of implementation; there is much to appreciate and learn from the progress thus far. The chapter begins with an overview of the country’s education system and conditions that shaped the reform, followed by a more detailed description of the reform. It then analyzes the reform stages through Reimers’ five perspectives of educational change (Reimers, Educating students to improve the world. Springer, Singapore, 2020), and concludes by presenting the results and challenges at the time of writing. The success of such reform requires a systemic collaboration and stable conditions, and at this stage, it remains to be seen, which direction the reform takes.
Trust Issues: The Role of Trusting Relationships on Students’ Knowledge about and Transition to Community College

Having accurate, sufficient information can help students prepare for and transition college. However, access to information about college is inequitable. Drawing from interviews with eight first-y...
Dynamic Dirichlet process mixture model for identifying voting coalitions in the United Nations General Assembly human rights roll call votes

Scholars have been interested in the politicization of humans rights within the United Nations for some time. However, previous research typically looks at simple associations between voting coalit...
Using In Vitro Models to Dissect the Molecular Effects of Arsenic Exposure in Skin and Lung Cell Lines

Through repeated and sustained occupational, industrial, and environmental sources, arsenic exposure is a world-wide health problem that affects 200 million people resulting in skin lesions, diabet...
Standardizing premedication for non-emergent neonatal tracheal intubations improves compliance and patient outcomes.

We sought to standardize and improve compliance with evidence-based premedication for non-emergent neonatal intubations in two academic-affiliated Neonatal Intensive Care Units. A multidisciplinary team created guidelines and electronic medical record order sets for intubation. Compliance with recommended premedication, number of intubation attempts, and frequency of bradycardia and desaturation were assessed. 387 intubation procedures were reviewed. Provision of recommended premedication increased by 36% and 75% at the level III and IV units, respectively. Decreased frequency of bradycardia during intubation (p = 0.0003) occurred in the level III unit. A reduction in number of intubation attempts (p ≤ 0.001), improvement in first-attempt intubation success (p ≤ 0.001), and decreased frequency of bradycardia (p = 0.01) and desaturation (p = 0.02) during intubation occurred in the level IV unit. This quality improvement initiative improved standardized premedication compliance and decreased adverse events associated with non-emergent neonatal intubations in two separate units.
Mathematical model of the stopping manoeuvre simulation

This paper presents some aspects of active stopping manoeuvre simulation in which a mathematical model of ship motion is applied. Results of several simulations performed with the use of PC version of the authors’ computer program are included and compared with some results of full scale trials. Both results are reasonably convergent.
On-Line Measurement of Respiratory Gas Exchange: Role of VO2 as Determinant of O2 Delivery

We have put into practice a portable system for continuous non-invasive monitoring of oxygen consumption (VO2) and of the respiratory quotient (R). These values have been useful in elucidating several abstruse causes of decreased arterial oxygenation as well as being useful in following trends and asymptotes of normal and abnormal respiratory physiology, and as guidance in the therapy of critically ill patients.
ELECTIVE OPEN HEART SURGERY IN MITRAL STENOSIS: EXPERIENCE WITH A STAND-BY PUMP OXYGENATOR.

Abstract Primary surgery for mitral stenosis employing pump-oxygenator stand-by was performed in 42 patients. All operations were instituted as closed procedures, but whenever a satisfactory result could not be achieved, open operation with extracorporeal circulation (50 per cent hemodilution with standard 1 to 5 day old buffered banked blood) was immediately instituted. Twenty-five patients had closed operation alone. There was one operative death and no subsequent mortality. There was good leaflet pliability without calcification, fibrosis or regurgitation in 16 of these. The left atrial-left ventricular mean diastolic gradient averaged 10.7 mm. Hg before commissurotomy and 0.9 afterward. Nine patients had varying degrees of leaflet immobility, fibrosis and calcification, but open operation was not elected because of advanced age or coexisting medical problems. In this group, the left atrial-left ventricular mean diastolic gradient averaged 15.6 mm. Hg before commissurotomy and 3.9 afterward. Preoperative radiologic detection of calcification, regardless of degree, uniformly indicated that a satisfactory closed commissurotomy could not be accomplished. Open operation was performed in the majority. In 17 cases mitral valve morphology prevented satisfactory closed surgery, and open repair was immediately performed utilizing the stand-by pump-oxygenator. In all cases, the valves were heavily calcified or fibrotic. Debridement and plastic procedures on the deformed mitral valves under direct vision did not achieve satisfactory mobilization. Mitral valve excision and replacement with a Starr-Edwards prosthesis was done in all patients. Sixteen of the 17 patients who underwent valve replacement are alive and well. Anatomic and hemodynamic restoration of mitral valve function can be predictably accomplished by closed operation in patients whose valves have retained their intrinsic flexibility. The availability of a stand-by pump-oxygenator has permitted immediate application of open repair when necessary.
A study in rule-specific issue categorization for e-rulemaking

We address the e-rulemaking problem of categorizing public comments according to the issues that they address. In contrast to previous text categorization research in e-rulemaking [5, 6], and in an attempt to more closely duplicate the comment analysis process in federal agencies, we employ a set of rule-specific categories, each of which corresponds to a significant issue raised in the comments. We describe the creation of a corpus to support this text categorization task and report interannotator agreement results for a group of six annotators. We outline those features of the task and of the e-rulemaking context that engender both a non-traditional text categorization corpus and a correspondingly difficult machine learning problem. Finally, we investigate the application of standard and hierarchical text categorization techniques to the e-rulemaking data sets and find that automatic categorization methods show promise as a means of reducing the manual labor required to analyze large comment sets: the automatic annotation methods approach the performance of human annotators for both flat and hierarchical issue categorization.
The grammar of society: the nature and dynamics of social norms

In The Grammar of Society, first published in 2006, Cristina Bicchieri examines social norms, such as fairness, cooperation, and reciprocity, in an effort to understand their nature and dynamics, the expectations that they generate, and how they evolve and change. Drawing on several intellectual traditions and methods, including those of social psychology, experimental economics and evolutionary game theory, Bicchieri provides an integrated account of how social norms emerge, why and when we follow them, and the situations where we are most likely to focus on relevant norms. Examining the existence and survival of inefficient norms, she demonstrates how norms evolve in ways that depend upon the psychological dispositions of the individual and how such dispositions may impair social efficiency. By contrast, she also shows how certain psychological propensities may naturally lead individuals to evolve fairness norms that closely resemble those we follow in most modern societies.
Parallel Image Correlation: Case Study to Examine Trade-Offs in Algorithm-to-Machine Mappings

Performance of a parallel algorithm on a parallel machine depends not only on the time complexity of the algorithm, but also on how the underlying machine supports the fundamental operations used by the algorithm. This study analyzes various mappings of image correlation algorithms in SIMD, MIMD, and mixed-mode environments. Experiments were conducted on the Intel Paragon, MasPar MP-1, nCUBE 2, and PASM prototype. The machine features considered in this study include: modes of parallelism, communication/computation ratio, network topology and implementation, SIMD CU/PE overlap, and communication/computation overlap. Performance of an implementation can be enhanced by using algorithmic techniques that match the machine features. Some algorithmic techniques discussed here are additional communication versus redundant computation, data block transfers, and communication/computation overlap. The results presented are applicable to a large class of image processing tasks. Case studies, such as the one presented here, are a necessary step in developing software tools for mapping an application task onto a single parallel machine and for mapping the subtasks of an application task, or a set of independent application tasks, onto a heterogeneous suite of parallel machines.
Correcting two-dimensional clusters by interleaving of symbols

The purpose of this paper is to present techniques for two dimensional interleaving of error-correcting codes in order to correct two dimensional bursts (or clusters) of errors. We present a novel method for correcting two dimensional bursts by interleaving symbols (of say, a Reed-Solomon code) in such a way that the amount of redundancy is minimized. The basic idea is to tile the two dimensional array of bits with symbols of a given area such that the number of different codes required to correct bursts of a given size is minimized. Our constructions, in many cases achieve or get very close to the lower bound on the amount of redundancy bits. >
Cognitive Scaffolding that Fosters Scientific Inquiry in Middle Level Science

(2000). Cognitive Scaffolding that Fosters Scientific Inquiry in Middle Level Science. Journal of Science Teacher Education: Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 109-129.
Trans-Suppression of Terminal Deficiency-Associated Position Effect Variegation in a Drosophila Minichromosome

Position effect variegation (PEV) is the clonal inactivation of euchromatic or heterochromatic genes that are abnormally positioned within a chromosome. PEV can be influenced by modifiers in trans, including single gene mutations and the total amount of heterochromatin present in the genome. Terminal deletions of a Drosophila minichromosome (Dp1187) dramatically increase PEV of a yellow(+) body-color gene located in cis, even when the terminal break is >100 kb distal to the yellow gene. Here we demonstrate that terminal deficiency-associated PEV can be suppressed by the presence of a second minichromosome, a novel phenomenon termed ``trans-suppression.'' The chromosomal elements responsible for trans-suppression were investigated using a series of minichromosomes with molecularly characterized deletions and inversions. The data suggest that trans-suppression does not involve communication between transcriptional regulatory elements on the homologues, a type of transvection known to act at the yellow locus. Furthermore, trans-suppression is not accomplished by titration through the addition of extra centric heterochromatin, a general mechanism for PEV suppression. We demonstrate that trans-suppression is disrupted by significant changes in the structure of the suppressing minichromosome, including deletions of the yellow region and centric heterochromatin, and large inversions of the centric heterochromatin. We conclude that chromosome pairing plays an important role in trans-suppression and discuss the possibility that terminal deficiency-associated PEV and trans-suppression reflect changes in nuclear positioning of the chromosomes and the gene, and/or the activity and distribution of telomere-binding proteins.
Effects of a myofilament calcium sensitizer on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in rats with volume overload heart failure

Aortocaval fistula (ACF)-induced volume overload (VO) heart failure (HF) results in progressive left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Hemodynamic load reversal during pre-HF (4 wk post-ACF; REV) resul...
Analysis of intact tissue by intermediate-pressure MALDI on a linear ion trap mass spectrometer.

The use of an intermediate-pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (IP-MALDI) source working at 0.17 Torr on a linear ion trap (LIT) was investigated for the analysis of tissue specimens, in particular, spinal cord sections. MALDI, with 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) as the matrix, was employed for the detection of phospholipids. The matrix was applied to the tissue using electrospray to avoid analyte migration. The results indicate that analyzing tissue specimens at nontraditional MALDI vacuum pressures is possible. Coupling MALDI to an LIT permits the use of MSn, which is critical for the ability to identify compounds desorbed directly from tissue specimens. Using MSn, ions detected from m/z 600−1000 were characterized as phosphatidlycholines, PC. Specifically, using tandem MS, PC ions could be classified as either [M + H]+ or [M + Na]+ because the fragmentation patterns of protonated and sodiated phosphatidlycholines follow different pathways.
Isolation and partial characterization of an opioid-like 88 kDa hibernation-related protein

Previous studies show that infusion of hibernating woodchuck albumin (HWA) induces hibernation in summer-active ground squirrels and results in profound behavioral and physiological depression in primates. These effects are reversed by the administration of opiate antagonists, suggesting that the putative hibernation induction trigger (HIT) may act through opioid receptors. We have demonstrated that both HIT-containing plasma and the synthetic alpha opioid D-Ala2-D-Leu5-enkephalin (DADLE), which mimics the activity of HIT in hibernators, extend tissue survival time of a multi-organ autoperfusion system by 3-fold. In this study we present the first data showing biological activity with a much more highly purified plasma fraction from hibernating woodchucks, identified as the hibernation-related factor (HRF). Both the HRF and DADLE show opiate-like contractile inhibition in the mouse vas deferens (Mvd) bioassay. We also have preliminary evidence in an isolated rabbit heart preparation indicating that the HRF and DADLE act similarly to restore left ventricular function following global myocardial ischemia. Furthermore, we have partially sequenced an alpha 1-glycoprotein-like 88 kDa hibernation-related protein (p88 HRP) present in this fraction, which may prove to be the blood-borne HIT molecule.
The role of situational involvement in consumers' attitude polarization

This investigation examines the effect of consumers' situational involvement on attitude polarization. The level of involvement of subjects with well-developed restaurant schemas was manipulated, and evaluations of a group of restaurants were obtained on three different occasions under conditions favorable to attitude polarization. Contrary to expectations, the evaluations exhibited no tendency toward greater extremity, even when situational involvement was high. Although inconsistent with some previous findings about attitude polarization, the results are explained in terms of schema complexity and structure. Managerial implications are discussed.
Rise and Fall of Freshwater Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) Culture in Hawaii: 1965–1999

Following Shao-Wen Ling's discovery of larval-rearing requirements for the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii in Malaysia during 1961, Takuji Fujimura developed mass culture technology for the species during the late 1960s. These technological breakthroughs resulted in widespread interest in commercial culture of prawns in many places, including Hawaii. The state of Hawaii actively supported freshwater prawn aquaculaire in many ways. The first commercial production of freshwater prawn in Hawaii began during 1972 and was based on traditional pond culture techniques developed in Hawaii. Those techniques included routine stocking of ponds with prawn seed and harvesting (culling) larger prawns at least monthly. Ponds often were not drained for many years, and only then for maintenance. Freshwater prawn production reached a maximum of 372,700 kg/yr in 1983 valued at $3.3 million, but then collapsed to 47,600 kg/yr in 1987. Prawn prices during that period steadily increased from $7.70 to $l4.17/kg. Prod...
Ultraviolet-sensitive photographic process using enzymes

A unique silver-free and ultraviolet (UV)-sensitive photographic process using enzymes has been developed. It utilizes α-chymotrypsin acylated to a light-sensitive stereoisomeric ester as the basic photographic material. When UV light is exposed to the file, the signal is registered by the appearance of melanin pigment through the chymotrypsin-mediated activation of pre-tyrosinase.
Relativistic self-focusing and channel formation in laser-plasma interactions.

Nonparaxial wave propagation theory is used to study relativistic self-focusing and channel formation in the propagation of an intense, short-pulse laser through an underdense plasma. The stable on-axis channel predicted by paraxial theory is found to break up into on-axis channel remnants and off-axis rings.
An Item-Difficulty Based Speech Discrimination Test

In an attempt to improve the differentiating ability of monosyllabic speech discrimination tests, two equivalent, 25-word test recordings with rectilinear distributions of item difficulty were cons...