cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fertility concerns in men with genitourinary malignancies: Treatment dilemmas, fertility options, and medicolegal considerations.

Abstract Background With increasing genitourinary cancer survivorship in patients of reproductive age, fertility preservation has become a greater focus in the management of these patients. Materials and methods We performed a review of articles pertaining to male infertility, fertility preservation, and genitourinary cancers. The aim was to review causes of infertility in patients with cancer, current options for fertility preservation, research that may expand preservation options, and ethical as well as medicolegal considerations. Results There are multiple causes of infertility in male patients with cancer, including the malignancy itself, and the treatments required to achieve a potential cure. Surgery can affect the normal pathways for erection, emission, and ejaculation. Chemotherapy can have a profound negative effect on spermatogenesis by causing chromosomal aberrations, maturation arrest, mutagenesis, and impaired spermatozoa motility. Radiation can cause cellular apoptosis with resultant reduction in spermatogonial stem cells. There are numerous methods to secure fertility before cancer treatment with the aid of cryopreservation ranging from simple patient-provided semen samples to complex sperm retrieval techniques. Research in the field of spermatogenic stem cells may lead to improved treatment options such as autotransplant of stem cells for repopulation of the testes after cancer treatment. Conclusions Early discussion of possible fertility effects in patients undergoing genitourinary cancer treatment is critical in this era of increasing survivorship. Although current cancer treatments can cause infertility, there are well-established options for fertility preservation and current research will likely lead to improved treatment options.
Performance and emissions characteristics of a lighting cone for charcoal stoves

A lighting cone is a simple metal cone placed on the charcoal bed during ignition to increase draft. Many traditional charcoal-burning stoves are difficult to light due to poor draft through the fuel bed, so lighting cones are used as an inexpensive accessory to help with charcoal ignition. The goal of this work was to determine the validity of using a lighting cone to decrease the ignition time of traditional Haitian charcoal stoves, and evaluate its impact on stove emissions and fuel consumption during the typically inefficient and slow ignition phase. We found that the lighting cone successfully reduced ignition time by over 50%. Due to a more efficient, shorter ignition stage, charcoal consumption during ignition was reduced by over 40% and carbon monoxide was reduced by over 50%. This suggests that lighting cones are a viable and beneficial accessory for aiding ignition in shallow-bed charcoal stoves.
Courtship Love Songs: doublesex Makes the Connection

During courtship, Drosophila melanogaster males sing to females a song composed of rhythmic pulses and sine song. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Shirangi et al. (2016) show that a cluster of doublesex-expressing neurons directs the production of the sine song component through functional linkages to wing motoneurons.
Analysis of Risk Factors for Patient Readmission 30 Days Following Discharge From General Surgery

Importance Previous studies investigating patients at risk for hospital readmissions focus on medical services and have found chronic conditions as contributors. Little is known, however, of the characteristics of patients readmitted from surgical services. Objective Surgical patients readmitted within 30 days following discharge were analyzed to identify opportunities for intervention in a cohort that may differ from the medical population. Design, Setting, and Participants Medical record review of patients readmitted to any service within 30 days of discharge from the general surgery service to characterize index and readmission data between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015, at a Level I trauma center and safety-net hospital. Main Outcomes and Measures Reasons for readmission identified by manual medical record review and risk factors identified via statistical analysis of all discharges during this period. Results One hundred seventy-three patients were identified as being unplanned readmissions within 30 days among 2100 discharges (8.2%). Of these 173 patients, 91 were men. Common reasons for readmission included 29 patients with injection drug use who were readmitted with soft tissue infections at new sites (16.8% of readmissions), 25 with disposition support issues (14.5%), 23 with infections not detectable during index admission (13.3%), and 16 with sequelae of their injury or condition (9.2%). Sixteen patients were identified as having a likely preventable complication of care (9.2%), and 2 were readmitted owing to deterioration of medical conditions (1.2%). On univariate and multivariate analyses, female sex (men to women risk of readmission odds ratio [OR], 0.5; 95% CI, 0.37-0.71; P P = .01) and payer status (Medicaid/Medicare compared with commercial OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.3-3.0; P = .002) , were identified as risk factors for readmission. Conclusions and Relevance Many readmissions may be unavoidable in our current paradigms of care. While medical comorbidities are contributory, a large number of readmissions were not caused by suboptimal medical care or deterioration of medical conditions but by confounding issues of substance abuse or homelessness. Identification of the highest risk cohort for readmission can allow more targeted intervention for similar populations with socially challenged patients.
A computational neuroscience model with application to robot perceptual learning

In robotics, one important objective is the ability to teach the robot new skills and have it reason about the current tasks at hand without explicit programming. Indeed, this idea is central to open-ended development, developmental robotics and autonomous mental development. One approach to this issue is to have the robot learn from its own past experience, which would help the robot adapt to changing environments. However, in a learning process, a critical issue to both robots and biological creatures is efficient use of the limited resources available for survival. A robot, operating in a complex, unstructured environment, will encounter many percepts and typically most of them are not relevant to the current task. This suggests the need for a capability to focus attention on the smaller number of items that are relevant to the task. Thus, prefrontal cortex working memory models may be a good fit for learning to associate perception and action, and perhaps other concepts as well, in order to perform a task. Many of the systems in the literature have only crude perceptual capabilities and as a result, the environments are usually very simplified by modifications, such as by using artificial percepts. Such systems may fail in complex, uncontrolled environments, especially under changing lighting conditions. Thus, successful task execution strongly depends on a reliable perceptual system in these types of environments. In this work, a novel implementation of a perceptual system, which operates on an extremely high dimensional feature space, is combined with a biologically inspired working memory model. The perceptual system does not rely on any parametric techniques (i.e., computing eigenvectors, covariance matrices, etc.) and the computational cost does not depend strongly on the number of dimensions. Only vision is used, as the main sensory input for the system. The resulting system initially learns basic behaviors and skills, which in turn, are used to learn more complex behaviors. The success of the system is demonstrated with a vision guided navigation task in a complex, noisy, and unmodified environment.
Interprofessional Education and Practice Guide No. 7: Development, implementation, and evaluation of a large-scale required interprofessional education foundational programme

ABSTRACTHealth profession educators and administrators are interested in how to develop an effective and sustainable interprofessional education (IPE) programme. We describe the approach used at the University of Kansas Medical Centre, Kansas City, United States. This approach is a foundational programme with multiple large-scale, half-day events each year. The programme is threaded with common curricular components that build in complexity over time and assures that each learner is exposed to IPE. In this guide, lessons learned and general principles related to the development of IPE programming are discussed. Important areas that educators should consider include curriculum development, engaging leadership, overcoming scheduling barriers, providing faculty development, piloting the programming, planning for logistical coordination, intentionally pairing IP facilitators, anticipating IP conflict, setting clear expectations for learners, publicising the programme, debriefing with faculty, planning for pro...
De la philosophie de la médecine à la bioéthique, et retour

Que la bioethique ait des sources philosophiques est une evidence. En effet, chacun s'accorde a reconnaitre - dans l'ethique une tâche philoso­phique. De plus, la bioethique reste fortement influencee par le modele de l'ethique appliquee, c'est-a-dire une conception qui voit clans la bioethique l'application a certains problemes medicaux de theses d'ethique generale. Par contre, que la bioethique ait par­tie liee avec une veritable philoso­phie de la medecine ne va guere de soi. En effet il existe aujourd'hui une tendance a reduire le souci philoso­phique en medecine a l'ethique. Cette reduction a l'ethique est regret­table et n'est pas utile, en derniere analyse, a un veritable souci ethique en medecine.
THE CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY OF THE ACYL THIOLS

Abstract The chemistry of the acyl thiols is considered, with particular attention to comparison of their chemical properties with the oxygen esters and also to their role in biochemistry. The topics discussed are: synthesis; hydrolytic rates, esterification equilibria and S—N acyl transfer reactions; aminolysis, ammonolysis and hydroxyl-aminolysis; reduction; miscellaneous chemical reactions of the acyl thiol bond; the activity of the α -hydrogens of thiol esters; and acyl thiols as intermediates and products of biochemical reactions. In this chapter, an attempt has been made to give equal coverage to both the organic and biochemical reactions of thiol esters. When feasible, the organic and analogous biochemical reactions have been discussed together; hence it is hoped that the biochemical reader may gain some knowledge concerning the chemistry of the thiolacyl bond and the organic chemist some insight into the importance of this class of compounds in biology.
Evidence of Sea-State Dependence of Aerosol Concentration in the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer

AbstractSea spray aerosols represent a large fraction of the aerosols present in the maritime environment. Despite evidence of the importance of surface wave– and wave breaking–related processes in coupling the ocean with the atmosphere, sea spray source generation functions are traditionally parameterized by the 10-m wind speed U10 alone. It is clear that unless the wind and wave field are fully developed, the source function will be a function of both wind and wave parameters. This study reports primarily on the aerosol component of an air–sea interaction experiment, the phased-resolved High-Resolution Air–Sea Interaction Experiment (HIRES), conducted off the coast of northern California in June 2010. Detailed measurements of aerosol number concentration in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) at altitudes ranging from as low as 30 m up to 800 m above mean sea level (MSL) over a broad range of environmental conditions (significant wave height Hs of 2 to 4.5 m and U10 from 10 to 18 m s−1) collect...
“Just Talking about Life”: Using Oral Histories of the Civil Rights Movement to Encourage Classroom Dialogue on Race:

Students in mixed race classrooms often find it difficult to discuss race. Using an assignment where students must have a conversation with someone who lived during the Civil Rights Movement (CRM) brings an element of oral history into the discussion of race and ethnicity. Students are able to discuss race using a historical lens from the perspective of their conversation partner rather than their own. Sharing opinions and observations from an oral history advantageously allows students the ability to distance themselves from the emotionally charged subject. The discussion ultimately leads to comments regarding the current racial climate in the United States. This article highlights students’ experiences talking with an elder about race, having a conversation about race in a mixed race classroom, and the role of this assignment.
A Fruitful Framework: Commentary for a More Integrative Approach

Compared with more turbulent times in history, some might argue workplace discrimination has seen a downward trend. Others would contend that workplace discrimination has “just gone underground” and become more covert (Herring, 2002, p. 13). Either way, not-so-distant historical events such as the landmark Texaco case in 1996 and the Ford Motor case in 2000 remind us that discrimination demands our attention. Calls for research on interventions have surfaced (Becker, Zawadzki, & Shields, 2014), and proposals such as legal reforms, implicit bias training (Bartlett, 2009), and experiential learning workshops have answered (Cundiff, Zawadzki, Danube, & Shields, 2014). The focal article (Jones, Arena, Nittrouer, Alonso, & Lindsey, 2017) contributes to this discussion as it turns our attention to the construct space of discrimination and presents a framework for organizing its facets and forms. Without a doubt, a framework that lends itself to the integration of the many forms of discrimination is long overdue.
TCTAP C-100 Successful Second Attempt Recanalization of LAD CTO with Proximal Aneurysmal Dilatation via SheathLess Trans-ulnar Approach with BVS in Ipsilateral Radial Artery Occlusion Setting

### Patient initials or identifier number F CH ### Relevant clinical history and physical exam A 58 year-old man with history of Hypertension, LVEF 67 Body Height 167 cm, Body weight 111 kg Creatinine 0.93 mg/dl Unstable angina pectorisHistory of -PCI to proximal to mid RCA (2015-2-27) in acute
A decade of studying implicit racial/ethnic bias in healthcare providers using the implicit association test

Disparities in the care and outcomes of US racial/ethnic minorities are well documented. Research suggests that provider bias plays a role in these disparities. The implicit association test enables measurement of implicit bias via tests of automatic associations between concepts. Hundreds of studies have examined implicit bias in various settings, but relatively few have been conducted in healthcare. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize the current knowledge on the role of implicit bias in healthcare disparities. A comprehensive literature search of several databases between May 2015 and September 2016 identified 37 qualifying studies. Of these, 31 found evidence of pro-White or light-skin/anti-Black, Hispanic, American Indian or dark-skin bias among a variety of HCPs across multiple levels of training and disciplines. Fourteen studies examined the association between implicit bias and healthcare outcomes using clinical vignettes or simulated patients. Eight found no statistically significant association between implicit bias and patient care while six studies found that higher implicit bias was associated with disparities in treatment recommendations, expectations of therapeutic bonds, pain management, and empathy. All seven studies that examined the impact of implicit provider bias on real-world patient-provider interaction found that providers with stronger implicit bias demonstrated poorer patient-provider communication. Two studies examined the effect of implicit bias on real-world clinical outcomes. One found an association and the other did not. Two studies tested interventions aimed at reducing bias, but only one found a post-intervention reduction in implicit bias. This review reveals a need for more research exploring implicit bias in real-world patient care, potential modifiers and confounders of the effect of implicit bias on care, and strategies aimed at reducing implicit bias and improving patient-provider communication. Future studies have the opportunity to build on this current body of research, and in doing so will enable us to achieve equity in healthcare and outcomes.
Chinese Intentions and 1954-55 Offshore Islands Crisis

(1990). Chinese Intentions and 1954-55 Offshore Islands Crisis. Chinese Historians: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 45-59.
Direct comparison of tricyclic and serotonin-reuptake inhibitor antidepressants in randomized head-to-head trials in acute major depression: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background:A comparison across trials conducted over several decades suggested superior efficacy of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) over selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, t...
Clustering of power networks: An information-theoretic perspective

An electrical power transmission system can be represented as a network with nodes and links representing buses and impedance between the buses, respectively. Decomposing a large interconnected power network into smaller loosely-coupled groups facilitates easy and flexible management of the power transmission systems by allowing secondary voltage control at regional levels and controlled islanding that aims to prevent the spreading of large-area blackouts. In this paper, we address the problem of clustering a power network into prespecified number of zones that are weakly coupled electrically by using an information-theoretic clustering algorithm. A notion of electrical similarity between electrical buses is developed, where any two buses are considered similar, if reactive perturbations at these buses have a similar effect on the entire network. A thorough theoretical justification of the use of the proposed clustering approach is provided along with the results of our methodology for IEEE test systems.
Ventilator-Associated Events 5 Years Later.

Almost 5 years have elapsed since the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) replaced their ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) surveillance definitions with ventilator-associated event (VAE) definitions. The CDC shifted to VAE definitions in response to a litany of
Enhancing global and intercultural competencies in Master of Public Administration classes: Assessing alternative approaches to incorporating cultures and languages

In the 21st century Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs need to meet the challenge of preparing public affairs professionals for an increasingly global and interdependent world in which ...
Functional Trajectories Before and After Major Surgery in Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that distinct sets of functional trajectories can be identified in the year before and after major surgery, with unique transition probabilities from pre to postsurgical functional trajectories, and that outcomes would be better among participants undergoing elective versus nonelective surgery. BACKGROUND Major surgery is common and can be highly morbid in older persons. The relationship between the course of disability (ie, functional trajectory) before and after surgery in older adults has not been well-studied for most operations. METHODS Prospective cohort study of 754 community-living persons 70 years or older. The analytic sample included 250 participants who underwent their first major surgery during the study period. RESULTS Before surgery, 4 functional trajectories were identified: no disability (n = 60, 24.0%), and mild (n = 84, 33.6%), moderate (n = 73, 29.2%), and severe (n = 33, 13.2%) disability. After surgery, 4 functional trajectories were identified: rapid (n = 39, 15.6%), gradual (n = 76, 30.4%), partial (n = 70, 28.0%), and little (n = 57, 22.8%) improvement. Rapid improvement was seen for n = 31 (51.7%) participants with no disability before surgery, but was uncommon among those with mild disability (n = 8, 9.5%) and was not observed in the moderate and severe trajectory groups. For participants with mild to moderate disability before surgery, gradual improvement (n = 46, 54.8%) and partial improvement (n = 36, 49.3%) were most common. Most participants with severe disability (n = 27, 81.8%) before surgery exhibited little improvement. Outcomes were better for participants undergoing elective versus nonelective surgery. CONCLUSIONS Functional prognosis in the year after major surgery is highly dependent on premorbid function.
A Theory of Naive Weights

Goal programming provides the decision maker (DM) with one decision vector, but does not help the DM learn his preferences, since it does not explore the nondominated set. Proponents of goal programming claim that the DM has a multiattribute utility function which is assumed to be separable, additive and stable over decision iterations. These are extremely restrictive assumptions. In addition, the way the priority weights drive a linear equation system is very hard to characterize.
Coxsackievirus B, Lipids and Immunity as Shared Determinants in Diabetes and Atherosclerosis

This report presents evidence to support the thesis that the human group B coxsackieviruses and hypercholesteremia function as common determinants in diabetes and atherosclerosis. Their independent and synergistic interactions result in suppression of host immunity leading to the initiation and exacerbation of the pathologic processes of diabetes and atherosclerosis.
5-HT1A receptor-mediated activation of neuroendocrine responses and multiple protein kinase pathways in the peripubertal rat hypothalamus.

Abstract Increasing evidence suggests that multiple factors can produce effects on the immature brain that are distinct and more long-lasting than those produced in adults. The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is a region integral to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and is affected by anxiety, depression, and drugs used to treat these disorders, yet receptor signaling mechanisms operative in hypothalamus prior to maturation remain to be elucidated. In peripubertal male rats, systemic injection of the selective serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptor agonist (+)8-OH-DPAT (0.2 mg/kg) markedly elevated plasma levels of oxytocin and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) at 5 and 15 min post-injection. The 5-HT1A receptor selectivity was demonstrated by the ability of the 5-HT1A receptor selective antagonist WAY100635 to completely block both oxytocin and ACTH responses at 5 min, with some recovery of the ACTH response at 15 min. At 15 min post-injection, (+)8-OH-DPAT also increased levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK) and phosphorylated protein kinase B (pAkt) in the PVN. As previously observed in adults, (+)8-OH-DPAT reduced levels of pERK in hippocampus. WAY100635 also completely blocked (+)8-OH-DPAT-mediated elevations in hypothalamic pERK and pAkt and the reductions in hippocampal pERK, demonstrating 5-HT1A receptor selectivity of both kinase responses. This study provides the first demonstration of functional 5-HT1A receptor-mediated ERK and Akt signaling pathways in the immature hypothalamus, activated by a dose of (+)8-OH-DPAT that concomitantly stimulates neuroendocrine responses. This information is fundamental to identifying potential signaling pathways targeted by biased agonists in the development of safe and effective treatment strategies in children and adolescents.
Gastric ascariasis mimicking rapunzel syndrome in an epileptic patient: Learning points galore

Rapunzel syndrome refers to a very rare condition in which swallowed hair forms a gastric trichobezoar that has a long tail extending into the small bowel. It presents with early satiety, malnutrition, obstructive symptoms, and sometimes, gastric-outlet obstruction. Despite the varied manifestations of Ascaris infestation in man, gastric ascariasis is rare which is demonstrated in the stomach by radiology and by endoscopic examination. We present a rare case of trichobezoar in a 14 years epileptic female with recurrent seizure episodes and no prior history of psychiatric illness or worm infestation where the final diagnosis of gastric ascariasis was made on upper gastrointestinal-endoscopy revealing the presence of worms at the level of the fundus and body of the stomach. Endoscopically some worms were removed, and the rest passed down dead in stools after antihelminthic treatment. Recovery was uneventful and free of complications. Frequent seizures could also be attributed to malabsorption of anti-epileptic drugs because of gastric ascariasis. A prompt diagnosis (tissue diagnosis and direct visualization) always scores above characteristic radiologic findings and appropriate therapy can reduce comorbidities.
In situ evaluation of stalk lodging resistance for different maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars using a mobile wind machine.

Stalk lodging is an impediment to improving profitability and production efficiency in maize. Lodging resistance, a comprehensive indicator to appraise genotypes, requires both characterization of mechanical properties in laboratory and investigation of lodging percentage in field. However, in situ characterization of maize lodging resistance still remains poor. The aim of this study was to develop an indicator, named cumulative lodging index (CLI), based on lodging percentages at different wind speeds for evaluating lodging resistance for different maize cultivars, and to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of this method. Different cultivars showed different patterns of lodging percentage along with wind speeds. The failure wind speed (FWS) for maize ranged between 16 and 30 m s−1 across cultivars. The CLI differed between maize cultivars and showed favorable reliability (i.e. nRMSE of 5.38%). Mechanical properties of the third internode did not vary significantly between cultivars. Significant differences in the reduction index (RI) of wind speed sheltered by maize canopy were found between cultivars. Our findings implied that mobile wind machine is powerful in reproducing wind disaster that induce crop lodging. The newly-built CLI was demonstrated to be a more robust indicator than mechanical properties, FWS, and RI when evaluating lodging resistance in terms of both reliability and resolution. This study offers a new perspective for evaluating in situ lodging resistance of crops, and provides technical support for accurate identification of lodging-resistant phenotypic traits.
Ranchers and beavers: Understanding the human dimensions of beaver-related stream restoration on western rangelands

Abstract The past decade has seen a rapid rise in beaver-related stream restoration (BRR) using beavers and beaver dams (real or artificial) as a tool. Potential benefits of this low-cost, nature-based restoration approach include restoring aquatic and riparian habitat and recovering of threatened species dependent on it, improving water availability and stream flow regulation, reducing erosion and stream incision, and supporting climate change adaptation. Although the ecological restoration literature acknowledges the importance of addressing the human dimensions of restoration, there is a gap regarding the human dimensions of BRR. To help fill this gap we examined six projects involving riparian revegetation or artificial beaver dams to identify central elements of a supportive social environment for BRR on western rangelands. Our research questions examined how beavers, beaver dams, and BRR affect ranching operations and how ranchers view them; the policy context for BRR; and how BRR practitioners, regulatory agencies, ranchers, and partners work together for successful BRR. We synthesized our findings across cases and identified six social factors important for BRR: 1) ranchers who perceive the benefits of beavers, beaver dams, and BRR to outweigh the drawbacks; 2) education and assistance to help landowners adopt nonlethal mitigation techniques for nuisance beavers; 3) grazing practices compatible with BRR; 4) low harvest pressure on beavers; 5) a regulatory environment that enables experimentation, flexibility, and adaptive management; and 6) proponents, ranchers, and partners willing to take risks, innovate, be flexible, and stay committed.
Scope of Practice of the Rural Surgeon

The scope of practice of a rural surgeon depends not only the individual skillset of the surgeon, but also local resources.
Active Damping of Air-backed Ultrasonic Transducers Using Arbitrary Waveform Generators

Ultrasound technologies such as high-intensity focused ultrasound and acoustic radiation force imaging require advanced or sophisticated transducer designs. Oftentimes, these designs have transducer requirements of wide power ranges, high sensitivity, and broad bandwidth. However, it would often times be desirable to use the same transducer for both. The objective of this proof-of-concept study is to demonstrate the feasibility of using active damping of air-backed, narrowband transducers to achieve broadband capability. Active damping is accomplished through the use of arbitrary waveform generators to cancel subsequent oscillations beyond the initial excitation. A modified 1-D KLM model written in Matlab is used to guide the design of the waveforms. Optimization of the waveforms is applied to the KLM model using minimization function that minimizes ripple. In the model, - 3 dB transmitted bandwidth increased from 10% to 44% for 1.5-cycle excitation and 11.4% to 63.8% for 1-cycle excitation. Comparable increases in bandwidth were also observed experimentally.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Lung Transplant Recipients.

We report risk factors, clinical manifestations, and treatment course of 2 lung transplant recipients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Both patients underwent an initial hospitalization and discharged home, followed by readmission several days later with significant worsening of respiratory status and infectious symptoms. The first patient underwent prolonged hospitalization requiring tracheostomy and feeding tube placement. The second patient declined intubation and expired. The early documented experiences of COVID-19 pneumonia in lung transplant recipients suggest that although recovery is achievable, the high rate of comorbid conditions and immunocompromised state may place these patients at higher risk for poor outcomes.
Nudging study habits: A field experiment on peer tutoring in higher education

Abstract More than two of every five students who enroll in college fail to graduate within six years. Peer tutoring offers one approach to improve learning outcomes in higher education. We conducted a randomized controlled experiment designed to increase take-up of university tutoring services. Brief, one-time messages increased tutoring take-up by seven percentage points, or 23% of the control group mean. Attendance at multiple tutoring sessions increased by nearly the same amount, suggesting substantial changes in study habits in response to a simple and inexpensive intervention. The intervention cost $3.32–$14.58 per additional tutoring hour, the lowest reported in the literature on peer tutoring experiments. We find little evidence of advertising-induced tutoring on learning outcomes.
Experimental investigation into the dynamic behavior of a floating offshore wind turbine stabilized via a suspended counterweight

Abstract Ocean engineers are often tasked with developing innovative, low-cost floating offshore wind turbines as the industry moves toward deeper waters to access regions with higher offshore wind potential. One example is the hanging-mass concept, in which a suspended counterweight stabilizes a positively buoyant floater; a hybrid design that combines a spar's performance with the maneuverability of a semi-submersible. Simultaneously, using elastic cables instead of a rigid support structure to support a low center of mass presents the opportunity for cost savings. This work presents experimental results from tests conducted on a 1/48-scale model of a conceptual hanging-mass floating offshore wind turbine design. Compared with traditional platform designs, the hanging-mass's response amplitude operators (RAOs) show a generally better response in heave and pitch, as the natural periods occur well outside the wave energy range, unlike the other platforms examined. Comparison between the line tension RAOs for systems with different suspension line stiffness indicate that softer systems experience larger tension fluctuations at low periods while the inverse is true for stiff systems. Finally, response spectra show that high-frequency modes describing relative motion between the two bodies are excited by irregular waves, likely due to sum-frequency second-order effects.
Vascular Flora and Biogeographic Affinity of the Sevier Shale Knobs of Northeastern Tennessee

In the Ridge and Valley physiographic province, knobs stand out as anomalous landforms embedded within a region of long, parallel ridges and valleys. In northeastern Tennessee, knobs are associated with the Sevier shale. Well-drained, acidic, channery loam Montevallo soils cover uplands of these knobs. A flora of the Sevier shale knobs of northeastern Tennessee identified 265 taxa in 57 plant families of which 13.6% were exotic and three were state listed (Berberis canadensis, Ruellia purshiana, Silene caroliniana var. pensylvanica). Many taxa had rarely or never been collected in northeastern Tennessee. The flora of the Sevier shale knobs was most similar to dolomite and limestone barrens of southwestern Virginia but among the species rarely collected in northeastern Tennessee, the greatest number was shared with floras of the Sequatchie Valley, middle Tennessee cedar glades, and barrens of the Tennessee eastern Highland Rim.
Financing Severe Climate Risk: Evidence from Businesses During Hurricane Harvey

We examine small business financing outcomes approximately one year after Hurricane Harvey. Our data include the credit reports of 8,219 businesses and a detailed survey of 273 businesses in the affected area. We find that Harvey-related flooding increased credit delinquencies, especially short-term delinquencies. We also find that firms without existing debt took on debt following Harvey; however, firms most commonly reported financing recovery using earnings and the owner's personal resources. Finally, we find that firms with owners who are worried about climate change increased their risk financing following Harvey. Our analyses provide novel insights into firms' risk management and financing choices.
Are periodic leg movements increased in the painful restless legs syndrome? (P7.312)

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if periodic leg movements (PLMs) in painful restless legs (RLS) are higher than in non-painful RLS. BACKGROUND: Recent clinical studies using subjective measures have shown that painful RLS could be a more severe form of RLS. No studies have used objective measures to evaluate painful RLS and its severity. PLMs are present in most RLS patients and have a weak to moderately positive correlation with RLS severity scales. PLMs remain the only objective manifestation in RLS and are used in clinical trials to evaluate the severity of RLS and the treatment responses. We hypothesized that PLMs should be significantly higher in painful RLS. DESIGN/METHODS: Twenty-two RLS patients (7 painful vs. 15 non-painful) were recruited. All were off any RLS medication for ten days prior to the study. They completed the international RLS severity scale (IRLS) and questions about demographics (age, ethnicity, and gender) and RLS features (age at onset and duration). They underwent a multiple suggested immobilization test (m-SIT) followed by an overnight polysomnography (PSG). The m-SIT measures were the means for the 4 SITs of the discomfort scale score (m-SIT-DS) and the periodic leg movements during wakefulness index (m-SIT-PLMW). The PSG measures were standard PSG variables including periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS) and during wakefulness (PLMW) indexes. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences between painful and non-painful RLS subgroups for the IRLS, the demographics, the RLS features, the m-SIT-DS, and the PSG variables except for the PLMs. The m-SIT-PLMW (36.3±37.7 vs. 81.5±57.3; p=0.03), the PLMS (39.7±33.4 vs. 97.6±65.1; p=0.02), and the PLMW (16.3±16.2 vs. 61.6±42.8; p=0.02) were significantly lower in the painful subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: PLMs were less in painful than non-painful RLS indicating RLS pain occurs with less severe motor features of RLS, possibly indicating some process suppressing the RLS movements. Disclosure: Dr. KARROUM has nothing to disclose. Dr. Earley has nothing to disclose. Dr. Allen has received personal compensation for activities with UCB Pharma, Premark Services.
Improved algorithms for weighted and unweighted set splitting problems

In this paper, we study parameterized algorithms for the set splitting problem, for both weighted and unweighted versions. First, we develop a new and effective technique based on a probabilistic method that allows us to develop a simpler and more efficient (deterministic) kernelization algorithm for the unweighted set splitting problem. We then propose a randomized algorithm for the weighted set splitting problem that is based on a new subset partition technique and has its running time bounded by O*(2k), which even significantly improves the previously known upper bound for the unweigthed set splitting problem. We also show that our algorithm can be de-randomized, thus derive the first fixed parameter tractable algorithm for the weighted set splitting problem.
Incubation behavior and dispersal patterns in the Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus)

The rapid multi-clutch mating system of the Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) provides an interesting opportunity to examine sex differences in natal and breeding dispersal. I used nest locations from a breeding population of plovers in north-central Montana over a 13-year period (1995-2007) to examine patterns of sex bias in their dispersal. Additionally, I looked at the influence of prior experience and sylvatic plague on breeding dispersal in successive years. I also modeled successive nest fate using breeding dispersal distance with sex, previous nest fate, and presence of sylvatic plague as covariates in the model. I found no sex-bias in natal dispersal or within-year breeding dispersal. The mean dispersal distance of male plovers in consecutive years was 2.75 km (95% CI 1.51 to 4.00) and for females was 4.64 km (95% CI 2.76 to 5.52). Birds that were successful moved 3.02 km (95% CI 1.87 to 4.17) on average between nesting attempts, while those whose nests had failed moved 5.06 km (95% CI 2.53 to 7.58). The best model of between-year breeding dispersal contained the full set of parameters, with sex of the tending adult and prior nest fate having the strongest effects. The estimate of dispersal distance for females was positive ( β Female = 0.86, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.05) as well as the estimate of dispersal distance for birds whose nests had failed the previous year ( β Fail = 0.82, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.13). There was a year effect but no effect of sylvatic plague on dispersal. This study not only provides a better understanding of dispersal in an uncommon mating system but also is important in understanding the movements of a species of conservation concern.
Releasing the Human Spirit in Developing Drugs

A common problem in drug development is that highly trained people become trapped in doing the work of their respective discipline without taking individual responsibility for the most important questions. ‘Getting the dosage regimen right’ is a fundamental problem in drug development that is often not well performed. The experience described here transformed a department from completing required clinical pharmacokinetic studies to focusing on the most important questions in dosage regimen design that did not have a unique solution. Elements of the story include vision, quality, best practice, automation, transformation and impact. Productivity was increased by 81% within 2 years by one measure and there was a substantial positive financial impact.
The Complexity of Proteins

1 Introduction 2 Structure 3 The Energy Landscape 4 Conformation Substates 4.1 Flash Photolysis 4.2 The Debye-Waller Factor (Frauenfelder (1989)) 4.3 Laser Hole Burning 4.4 Connections 5 The Organization of the Energy Landscape 6 Protein Dynamics 6.1 Protein Motions 6.2 Experimental Techniques 6.3 Some Selected Results 7 Reaction Theories 7.1 The Reaction Surface 7.2 Arrhenius and Krarners Relation 7.3 The Molecular Tunnel Effect (Goldanskii, Trakhtenberg, and Fleurov (1989)) 7.4 Large Motions 7.5 Reaction and Conformation Coordinate Acknowledgment References
Uncertainty modeling using fuzzy measures

We consider the representation of information about the value of an uncertain variable using a monotonic set measure, fuzzy measure. We introduce a number of notable measures that are useful for the representation of this kind of information. We look at the formulation of the concept of entropy in this framework. The Choquet integral is introduced as a tool to help obtain expected value like formulations in the case of measure type uncertainty. It is shown how this can be used in decision making with alternatives having uncertain payoffs. A formulation for the variance associated with measure based uncertain information is provided. The issue of the fusion of multiple pieces of measure-represented information is investigated.
Excitation of the HgBr B 2Σ1/2+←X 2Σ1/2+ band in the ultraviolet

The buildup and decay of the HgBr X2Σ1/2+ species during a pulsed discharge in Ne, N2, and HgBr2 vapor and in its afterglow have been examined by monitoring B2Σ1/2+←X2Σ1/2+ absorption by the discharge at 351 nm. Also, the UV-to-green conversion efficiency for the 350-nm pumped HgBr laser is shown to be sensitive to the 502-nm fluence circulating in the cavity when the XeF laser pump pulse arrives. The maximum observed efficiency (η) of 22% is obtained for intracavity intensities of 1 to 2 MW/cm2, but η falls to ~10% for I ≃ 1 kW/cm2.
Lithospheric structure of the Texas‐Gulf of Mexico passive margin from surface wave dispersion and migrated Ps receiver functions

The seismic velocity structure beneath Texas Gulf Coastal Plain (GCP) is imaged by migrating Ps receiver functions with a seismic velocity model found by fitting surface wave dispersion. We use seismic data from a linear array of 22 broadband stations, spaced 16–20 km apart. A Common Conversion Point (CCP) stacking technique is applied to earthquake data to improve the S/N ratios of receiver functions. Using an incorrect velocity model for depth migration of a stacked CCP image may produce an inaccurate image of the subsurface. To find sufficiently accurate P and S-velocity models, we first apply a nonlinear modeling technique to fit Rayleigh wave group velocity dispersion via Very Fast Simulated Annealing. Vs ranges from 1.5 km/s in shallow layers of the GCP to 4.5 km/s beneath the Llano uplift and just outboard of the Balcones Fault Zone (BFZ). The BFZ is characterized by slow velocities that persist to nearly 100 km depth. In the stacked image, the largest amplitude positive-polarity event ranges from the surface, at the Llano uplift, to a maximum depth of ∼16 km beneath Matagorda Island. We attribute this event to the sediment-basement contact, which is expected to produce a large impedance contrast. Another large-amplitude and positive-polarity event at ∼35 km depth, which likely marks the Moho, disappears outboard of the Luling Fault Zone. The disappearance of the Moho beneath the GCP may be due to serpentinization of the upper mantle, which would reduce the impedance contrast between the lower crust and upper mantle dramatically.
Spreadsheet Approach to the Linear Least Squares Fit

A method of programming two commercially available spreadsheet programs to calculate the linear-least-squares (LLS) line from a set of sample data is presented. Student data from a Quantitative Analysis chemistry course are used as examples. Files for both Excel for Macintosh and Quattro Pro for IBM compatibles are available online with this paper. These include blank spreadsheet templates, an example using seven xy pairs of student data with graphs of the data and best-fit line, and more advanced spreadsheet template files that incorporate the calculated standard deviation in the regression line’s slope and y-intercept, as well as the error about the line.
Loss of protons by nuclear interactions in sodium iodide crystals

Abstract An experiment is described for determining the spectrum in a sodium iodide crystal by a monoenergetic proton beam. The resulting spectrum is strongly dependent on the characteristics of the counter-telescope which precedes the sodium iodide detector.
Bladder tissue regeneration using acellular bi-layer silk scaffolds in a large animal model of augmentation cystoplasty.

Acellular scaffolds derived from Bombyx mori silk fibroin were investigated for their ability to support functional tissue regeneration in a porcine model of augmentation cystoplasty. Two bi-layer matrix configurations were fabricated by solvent-casting/salt leaching either alone (Group 1) or in combination with silk film casting (Group 2) to yield porous foams buttressed by heterogeneous surface pore occlusions or homogenous silk films, respectively. Bladder augmentation was performed with each scaffold group (6 × 6 cm(2)) in juvenile Yorkshire swine for 3 m of implantation. Augmented animals exhibited high rates of survival (Group 1: 5/6, 83%; Group 2: 4/4, 100%) and voluntary voiding over the course of the study period. Urodynamic evaluations demonstrated mean increases in bladder capacity over pre-operative levels (Group 1: 277%; Group 2: 153%) which exceeded nonsurgical control gains (144%) encountered due to animal growth.In addition, animals augmented with both matrix configurations displayed increases in bladder compliance over pre-operative levels(Group 1: 357%; Group 2: 338%) similar to growth-related elevations observed in non-surgical controls (354%) [corrected]. Gross tissue evaluations revealed that both matrix configurations supported extensive de novo tissue formation throughout the entire original implantation site which exhibited ultimate tensile strength similar to nonsurgical counterparts. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses showed that both implant groups promoted comparable extents of smooth muscle regeneration and contractile protein (α-smooth muscle actin and SM22α) expression within defect sites similar to controls. Parallel evaluations demonstrated the formation of a transitional, multi-layered urothelium with prominent cytokeratin, uroplakin, and p63 protein expression in both matrix groups. De novo innervation and vascularization processes were evident in all regenerated tissues indicated by synaptophysin-positive neuronal cells and vessels lined with CD31 expressing endothelial cells. Ex vivo organ bath studies demonstrated that regenerated tissues supported by both silk matrices displayed contractile responses to carbachol, α,β-methylene-ATP, KCl, and electrical field stimulation similar to controls. Our data detail the ability of acellular silk scaffolds to support regeneration of innervated, vascularized smooth muscle and urothelial tissues within 3 m with structural, mechanical, and functional properties comparable to native tissue in a porcine model of bladder repair.