cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metacognition by Design: How a Course Design Experience Can Increase Metacognition in Faculty

Since 2009, our center for teaching and learning has offered an intensive Course Design Institute (CDI) several times each year, which has now been completed by more than 600 teaching faculty, staff, and Graduate Teaching Associates from The Ohio State University. To better understand the impact of participating in a CDI on participants' teaching, this study utilizes qualitative data drawn from five years of participant feedback gathered on the last day of each CDI, as well as from focus groups conducted with CDI graduates in the years following their participation. The results show that participating in the CDI helps instructors become more expert teachers, primarily through improving their metacognition about teaching. Closely examining the nature of the CDI suggests that the structure and content together may be particularly instrumental in helping participants develop their metacognitive abilities. Taken together, this research suggests that course design may be a highly efficient method for the long-term development of expert teaching.
Evolution of Korean honorifics

The aim of the present paper is to revisit earlier studies on the evolution of Korean honorifics and, following a brief survey of the contemporary system, (a) overview the historical development of Korean honorific patterns from Old Korean to Contemporary Korean and (b) propose to account, on a principled basis, for the evolutional processes in the framework of grammaticalization. I assume that Korean honorifics have evolved due essentially to the three interdependent language/culture-specific forces: structural, socio-cultural, and interactional, as directed by the language-universal principles and processes of grammaticalization. The essence of the structural forces is the agglutinative, predicate-final, and head-final morpho-syntactic nature of Korean. This typological salience is a crucial condition under which honorific affixes and particles may be germinated. Socio-cultural forces include the Korean people’s traditional and contemporary socio-cultural systems, values, and norms of hierarchism and collectivism, as language is regarded as reflecting culture and society. Koreans’ hierarchism and collectivism are sufficiently manifested in the structure and use of the language (e.g. H. Sohn 1986). The interactional forces are Koreans’ society/culture/context-bound interpersonal language use for communicative purposes. These three interlocking forces are assumed to have motivated and sustained a dynamic set of addressee and referent honorific contrasts in Korean, which have evolved as driven by the universal principles and processes of grammaticalization.
The View-Obstruction Problem for 5-Dimensional Cubes

The view-obstruction problem for the n-dimensional cube is equivalent to the conjecture that for any n positive integers there is a real number x such that each (here denotes the distance from y to the nearest integer). This conjecture has been previously solved for . In this paper we prove that when we can find x which gives each ; this is the first improvement over the easy result .
A land of one’s own: whiteness and indigeneity on lesbian land

This essay takes up the question of queer white women’s sexualities in the context of the colonialist project using archival material from the lesbian land movement in the United States. The lesbia...
Review of _Library Service Design: A Lita Guide To Holistic Assessment, Insight, and Improvement_

Column description. Books reviewed in the Professional Reading column will fit one or more of the following topics: reference and research services, user education, information literacy, personnel management in public services, relevant technology topics, access services, online searching techniques, and marketing/outreach, including services to distance learners. Interested reviewers can contact Kirstin Duffin.
An Empirical Test of a Theory of Factors Affecting Life Satisfaction: Understanding the Role of Religious Experience:

This study examined the relationships between five dimensions of religious involvement (i.e., participation, divine interaction, existential certainty, spiritual gifts, and divine power or authorit...
Central venous pressure monitoring in living donor kidney recipients does not affect immediate graft function: A propensity score analysis.

Background During kidney transplantation, intraoperative fluid management can affect post-transplant graft function. It is unclear whether or not central venous pressure (CVP) monitoring is required to guide fluid therapy during kidney transplantation. Methods We compared post-transplant graft function in recipients of living donor kidney transplants between August 2006 and March 2009 based on the use or absence of intraoperative CVP monitoring. Graft function, assessed using the creatinine reduction ratio on postoperative day 2 (CCR2), was evaluated by multivariable linear regression analysis and in a propensity-matched cohort. Results Two-hundred and ninety patients were included in the analysis. Central venous pressure was monitored in 84 patients. (29%) There was no difference in post-transplant graft function, as measured by CCR2, between patients with- and without CVP monitoring in both unadjusted and multivariable adjusted analysis. There were also no statistically significant differences in CCR2, delayed graft function, or 3-month renal function between those monitored with CVP, and those without, in the propensity-matched cohort. Conclusions In this single center analysis, immediate post-transplant renal function was not associated with the use of intraoperative CVP monitoring. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies)

Odonata, the order to which dragonflies and damselflies belong, inspire a wide range of emotions ranging from fear to admiration. They are a beneficial group of insects whose primary prey items, as both larvae and adults, include biting flies such as mosquitoes (Culicidae), black flies (Simuliidae), and horse and deer flies (Tabanidae). They also represent important components in the food webs of freshwater systems. Odonata are paleopterous, exopterygote insects whose closest relatives are the Ephemeroptera (mayflies). The larvae are longer-lived than the adults and have evolved numerous adaptations to the freshwater aquatic environment resulting in pronounced differences in form across taxonomic groups. The adults occupy a conspicuous presence in the air, especially around ponds. The group is largely found in warmer areas, with over 75% of its species occurring in tropical regions. Some species, such as Anax junius, are known to migrate and are capable of traveling from Canada to Veracruz, Mexico, though our understanding of exactly what triggers these events, when they occur, and which members in the population are migrating, still remains a mystery.
Stem Cells and Chronic Liver Failure: Potential New Therapeutics

Fulminant hepatic failure is a disease with high mortality. Prior to orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), the mortality rate was greater than 80%. With improved intensive care, however, several series report a survival rate of 60% (1). At present, standard therapy is liver transplantation and approximately 6% of OLTs performed in the United States are for fulminant hepatic failure.
The Learning Registry: Applying Social Metadata for Learning Resource Recommendations

The proliferation of online teaching, learning, and assessment resources is hampering efforts to make finding relevant resources easy. Metadata, while valuable for curating digital collections, is difficult to keep current or, in some cases, to obtain in the first place. Social metadata, paradata, usage data, and contextualized attention metadata all refer to data about doing with digital resources that can be harnessed for recommendations. To centralize this data for aggregation and amplification, the Learning Registry, a store and forward, distributed, de-centralized network of nodes was created. The Learning Registry makes it possible for disparate sources to publish learning resource social/attention metadata—data about users of and activity around resources. We describe our experimentation with social metadata, including that which describes alignment of learning resources to U.S. teaching standards, as a means to generate relationships among resources and people, and how it can be used for recommendations.
Risk-adjusted survival for melanoma brain metastases in the era of checkpoint blockade immunotherapies: Results from a national cohort.

2011Background: The recent successes of checkpoint blockade immunotherapy (CBI) and BRAFV600-targeted therapy trials have generated exciting promise for revolutionizing the management of patients w...
From Orthography to Semantics: a Study of Morphological Processing through Deep Learning Neural Networks

This paper presents results of using deep learning neural network techniques to map words, represented at the levels of letters, into semantic, distributed vector representations. We study and compare algorithms that have been proposed as models for human orthographic and morphological processing, such as the two layers symbolic network (AKA Naive Discriminatory Learning network) proposed by Baayen et al [1], and the dual-route approach presented by Grainger and Ziegler [2]. In addition, we study the effect of representing letters as one-hot vectors or via distributed vector representations, much like the natural language processing field has done for words. Experiment results show a better performance for the dual-route algorithm using distributed letter representations, both in terms of accuracy and speed. Our results are obtained with training sets in the tens of thousands of words, as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of words used elsewhere in the literature. These results point to the feasibility of taking advantage of morpho-orthographic patterns in order to assist with word processing in natural language processing tasks.
IT Predictions for 2009

2009 shouldn't spell doom and gloom: cool, essentially free technologies will become a playground for innovation. Because you're likely to be asked to do more with less money, ask for more time to get your work done, allowing time for healthy experimentation. I think that's the best way to survive during tough times.
Lesbian and Gay Artists in the Curriculum: A Survey of Art Teachers' Knowledge and Attitudes

Homosexuality is gaining greater acceptance in society and as a result various organizations are calling for increased awareness and understanding of lesbian and gay concerns. This study explored t...
Performance and nutrient digestibility in weanling pigs as influenced by yeast culture additions to starter diets containing dried whey or one of two fiber sources.

Three experiments were conducted using crossbred weanling pigs (7.2 to 8.6 kg; 25 to 29 d of age) to determine the effect on performance and nutrient digestibility of.75% yeast culture (YC) additions to starter diets containing whey or one of two fiber sources. An 18% CP corn-soybean meal basal diet was used in all experiments. In Exp. 1 (n=192), the addition of YC did not affect ADG, ADFI, or gain: feed ratios (G:F) of pigs fed diets without or with 15% dried whey in two 5-wk trials. In Exp. 2 (n=174), ADG and ADFI were not affected by YC addition to diets containing no added fiber, 8% soybean hulls (SH), or 8% peanut hulls (PH) in two 5-wk trials. The addition of SH or PH did not affect ADG or ADFI; however, a YC×SH interaction (P<.05) and a YC×PH interaction (P<.10) for G:F indicated that the addition of SH or PH to the diet in the absence of YC reduced G:F, but in the presence of YC, G:F were maintained. In a 3-wk grower phase of one trial in Exp. 2 (n=54), SH and PH additions decreased ADG (P<.005), whereas YC additions improved ADG (P<.01), particularly for pigs fed diets that also contained SH (P<.05). In Exp. 3 (n=96), pigs fed diets containing YC and 8% PH had an overall ADG similar to that of controls, whereas pigs fed diets containing YC alone or diets containing both YC and 16% PH tended to have lower overall ADG than control pigs (P<.10). Gain:feed ratios were decreased by PH inclusion (P<.01) and by supplemental YC (P<.05). In Exp. 3, the addition of PH linearily decreased the apparent digestibilities of DM (P<.001), N (P<.02), NDF (P<.001), and ADG (P<.03) and increased the apparent absorption of P (P<.02), but coefficients were not influenced by YC inclusion. In summary, YC additions had no effect on ADG and ADFI, variable effects on G:F, and no effect on apparent digestibilities of DM, N, NDF, and ADF and the apparent absorption of P. The inclusion of PH linearly decreased G:F and digestibilities of DM, N, NDF, and ADF but increased apparent absorption of P
Dynamic Estimation of the Incentive Schemes and Signalling Costs of Grade In°ation

Higher education is a subject of continual interest. It is marked as an area to propel growth and equality, and public monies in the many billions of dollars are spent annually for its support. Over the past half century, there is evidence of grade in°ation within these universities and colleges. However, the potential and actual costs of this grade in°ation have been understudied, as well as the feedback e®ects of changes in the labor market. This paper ¯rst examines grading, enrollment, and quality trends in UCLA from 1980-2007. The data demonstrates that there is in°ation, even likely when controlling for improvement in student quality. The data also shows that there is a lot of movement in grading patterns over the period; some departments are choosing not to in°ate. I construct a stochastic dynamic model which demonstrates the tensions that encourages and discourages grade in°ation. It also shows that grade in°ation can cause higher variance in initial wages, which might induce some to pursue graduate degrees as an additional signal. The paper then provides suggestions of how it might be estimated with the proper data. Given that the UCLA data does not have all of the information necessary to estimate this model, the paper concludes by making suggestions for a model that can be constructed with the current data, with the intention of so doing.
Yielding and recovery of conductive pastes for screen printing

We investigate the yielding and recovery of silver pastes with industrial applications under dynamic shear conditions by means of the recently developed “sequence of physical processes” (SPP) approach. The SPP framework is unique as it allows insights to be gained regarding yielding and recovery processes on timescales significantly faster than the period of oscillation, with the temporal resolution limited only by the data acquisition time. This resolution allows for the accurate determination of yielding of soft materials under any predetermined preshear history, and at timescales that are relevant to the applications of these materials. The behavior of these pastes is shown to be significantly different than previously assumed, with yielding occurring shortly after the reversal of strain in an oscillation, and the observation of a rate-dependent shear-thickening effect. Yielding is also shown to occur far below what would typically be defined as the flow condition. The relative rates and timescales for yielding and recovery are also assessed. The results in this paper are an important step toward a more comprehensive understanding of the yielding and recovery of yielding materials.
Breeding and Biotech Approaches Towards Improving Yield in Soybean

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) is the most widely cultivated oilseed crop accounting for more than 50 % of the world’s oilseed production. Yield gain in soybean estimated to be 0.5–0.7 % per year in North America has been driven by the adoption of agronomic or management practices and genetic improvement. While genetic improvement through breeding will continue to play a significant role in enhancing yield by the development of cultivars adapted to a wide range of latitudes, biotech traits such as enhanced insect protection and weed control contribute indirectly to yield improvement. An understanding of physiological traits associated with genetic gain in yield offers vast opportunities for further advances in yield improvement. Potential targets for genetic improvement include source capacity (leaf area index, leaf area duration, carbon and nitrogen assimilation, and dry matter partitioning), sink strength (number of primary and secondary yield components, seed-filling rate and duration), and tolerance to suboptimal conditions (water limitation and high/low temperature). Manipulating single or multiple traits using breeding and biotechnology approaches will help to improve intrinsic yield potential and yield stability traits in soybean. Application of multiple technologies to improve yield gain is vital, with the changing climatic conditions and increasing global demand for food and feed.
Cancer therapeutic implications of microRNAs in the regulation of immune checkpoint blockade

Dampening of patients’ immune response to tumor-specific antigens is a major reason for tumor development and progression. Within tumor microenvironment, aberrant expression of immune checkpoints changes T lymphocyte activity, and induces immune tolerance or escape. Inhibiting these checkpoints, called immune-checkpoint blockade, causes the re-activation of the immune response to suppress tumor progression. microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate multiple biological processes including carcinogenesis. miRNAs directly and indirectly control the expression of checkpoint receptors and can benefit the immune checkpoint blockade. In this review, we summarize what is known about miRNAs that regulate the expression of various immune checkpoints in cancer therapy and discuss the clinical implications that miRNAs could be useful therapeutic partners assisting the immune checkpoint therapy.
Semen parameter improvements after microsurgical subinguinal varicocele repair are durable for more than 12 months.

Introduction: Varicoceles account for the most common correctable cause of male infertility, with varicocele repair leading to improvements in semen quality. However, there is little evidence to establish the durability of varicocele repair. We analyzed the durability of improvements in postoperative semen parameters following microsurgical subinguinal varicocele repair. Methods: We evaluated all men who underwent microscopic subinguinal varicocelectomy from 2015‒2019. Patients were included if they desired fertility and had a followup of at least 12 months. We assessed the baseline characteristics of these patients, as well as semen volume, total motile sperm count (TMSC), concentration, percent motility, and morphology. Semen parameters were analyzed at baseline (preoperative) and at approximately three months and ≥12 months postoperatively. Results: Of 105 men who underwent varicocelectomy, 18 men had a followup of at least 12 months. These men presented with median age of 34.5 (27–38) years for a median followup duration of 14.5 (13–22.5) months. TMSC levels increased from 6.4 (1.1–24.5) million at baseline to 11.1 (2.4–38.4) million at approximately three months and remained similar at 12.5 (1.6–31.5) million at ≥12 months. The study is limited by its retrospective nature and limited sample size. Conclusions: Microscopic subinguinal varicocele repairs can result in durable improvements of semen quality beyond one year, as demonstrated by upgrade in median TMSC. Further studies should be performed to confirm our findings.
High-throughput fluorescence correlation spectroscopy enables analysis of surface components of cell-derived vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) and cell-derived vesicles (CDVs), generated by fragmenting cellular membranes, have both been explored as therapeutic delivery vehicles. Surface proteins on these vesicles are of great importance as they are characteristic to the cell of origin and modulate vesicle interactions with target cells. Here, we introduced a high-throughput fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (ht-FCS) approach capable of characterizing vesicle surface proteins across a large number of samples. We used automated screening and acquisition of FCS data to profile surface proteins of cell-derived vesicles with high fidelity based on changes in diffusion time upon antibody-vesicle interactions. We characterized vesicles generated from 4 cell types using antibodies for known exosome biomarkers. The ht-FCS technique presented here offers the capability to screen EVs or cell-derived vesicles against a library of surface markers or to screen a library of cell-derived vesicles for a specific identifying marker at a high speed.
A telephone-based education and support intervention for Rural Breast Cancer Survivors: a randomized controlled trial comparing two implementation strategies in rural Florida.

To compare two implementation telephone-based strategies of an evidence-based educational and support intervention to Rural Breast Cancer Survivors (RBCS) in which education was delivered early or after the support component. Florida RBCS participated in a 12-month randomized clinical trial (RCT) with two arms: Early Education and Support (EE-S) and Support and Delayed Education (S-DE). Arms differed in the timing of 6 support and 3 education sessions. Main outcome was quality of life (QOL, SF-36 physical and mental composite scores [PCS, MCS]). Secondary outcomes were depressive symptoms (Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CES-D), mood (Profile of Mood States, POMS), and social support (Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, MOS-SSS). Outcomes were analyzed longitudinally using repeated measures models fitted with linear mixed methods. Of 432 RBCS (mean 25.6 months from diagnosis), about 48% were 65+, 73% married/partnered, and 28% with ≤high school education. There were no differences between EE-S and S-DE in demographics or outcomes at baseline (mean (standard deviation): SF-36 PCS, 44.88 (10.6) vs. 45.08 (10.6); MCS, 49.45 (11.1) vs. 48.1 (11.9); CES-D, 10.11 (9.8) vs. 10.86 (10.5); POMS-SF, 23.95 (38.6) vs. 26.35 (38.8); MOS-SSS, 79.2 (21.2) vs. 78.66 (21.2)) or over time. One exception was slightly worse mean scores at month 9 in MCS (Cohen’s d, − 0.22; 95% CI, − 0.38, − 0.06) and POMS (Cohen’s d, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.07, 0.39) for EE-S vs. S-DE. The implementation strategies were equivalent. Enhancing support may be considered before delivering not-in-person interventions to RBCS.
Interactions beyond nearest neighbors in a periodic structure: Force analysis

Abstract Periodic structures are a type of metamaterial in which physical properties depend not only on the constituents of the unit cell but also on how the unit cells are arranged and interact with each other. Such structures have interesting wave propagation properties, making them suitable materials for acoustic filters and wave beaming devices. To analyze wave propagation in these structures, the Bloch theorem is commonly used. Bloch analysis was first developed to study electron wave propagation in crystals in which the interatomic potential function gives rise to significant interactions extending beyond nearest neighbors. In virtually all periodic engineering structures, however, each unit cell is interacting with adjacent cells through elastic contacts and forces. Methods developed for vibrational and wave propagation analysis of periodic engineering structures are generally concerned with forces exerted only by the nearest neighbor. As the complexity of a metamaterial depends largely on the interactions between unit cells, more interactions give rise to more complex behavior. Such complex behavior may, for instance, be manifest in a more complex band structure. In order to model structures in which interactions are not limited to nearest neighbors, it is necessary to derive equations of motion, get rid of forces by applying Bloch analysis, then obtain an eigenvalue problem. This procedure of modeling forces and then eliminating them in the appropriate way is the subject of the present paper. If the procedure is not implemented correctly, the result is an erroneous eigenvalue problem. The present analysis lays the foundation for vibrational analysis of structures in which interactions are not restricted to the nearest neighbor.
A comparison of symptom scores and radiographic staging systems in chronic rhinosinusitis

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to determine if one of the popular computed tomography (CT) scan staging systems exhibits better correlation with sinonasal symptom severity in chronic rhinosinu...
Reliability Enhanced Digital Low-Dropout Regulator with Improved Transient Performance

Digital low-dropout voltage regulators (DLDOs) have drawn increasing attention for the easy implementation within nanoscale devices. Despite their various benefits over analog LDOs, disadvantages may arise in the form of bias temperature instability (BTI) induced performance degradation. In this Chapter, conventional DLDO operation and BTI effects are explained. Reliability enhanced DLDO topologies with performance improvement for both steady-state and transient operations are discussed. DLDOs with adaptive gain scaling (AGS) technique, where the number of power transistors that are turned on/off per clock cycle changes dynamically according to load current conditions, have not been explored in view of reliability concerns. As the benefits of AGS technique can be promising regarding DLDO transient performance improvement, a simple and effective reliability aware AGS technique with a steady-state capture feature is proposed in this work. AGS senses the steady-state output of a DLDO and reduces the gain to the minimum value to obtain a stable output voltage. Moreover, a novel unidirectional barrel shifter is proposed to reduce the aging effect of the DLDO. This unidirectional barrel shifter evenly distributes the load among DLDO output stages to obtain a longer lifetime. The benefits of the proposed techniques are explored and highlighted through extensive simulations. The proposed techniques also have negligible power and area overhead. NBTI-aware design with AGS can reduce the transient response time by 59.5% as compared to aging unaware conventional DLDO and mitigate the aging effect by up to 33%.
Marijuana use and pneumonia risk in a cohort of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men.

Abstract Background The prevalence of marijuana use is increasing in the United States. Marijuana smoking has been shown to impair the microbicidal activity of alveolar macrophages and decrease the number of ciliated epithelial cells in the bronchi with a parallel increase in the number of mucus-secreting surface epithelial cells, which may increase the risk of pneumonia. However, it remains unclear whether there is an association between smoking marijuana and pneumonia. Methods Using data from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), a long-term observational cohort study of men who have sex with men in the United States, we used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the risk of pneumonia among HIV-infected (n = 2784) and HIV-uninfected (n = 2665) men from 1984 to 2013, adjusted for time-varying and fixed baseline covariates. Results Weekly or daily marijuana use was not significantly associated with increased risk of pneumonia among HIV-uninfected men (adjusted hazard ratio; 95% confidence limits: 0.83, 0.56–1.23). In the disaggregated dose–response analysis, daily use (0.68, 0.34–1.35) was associated with a lower point estimate than weekly use [0.99, 0.79–1.25]. Conclusion Marijuana smoking was not associated with a significant increase in risk of pneumonia among HIV-infected or HIV-uninfected men.
How to Handle Armed Conflict Data in a Real-World Scenario?

Conflict resolution practitioners consistently struggle with access to structured armed conflict data, a dataset already rife with uncertainty, inconsistency, and politicization. Due to the lack of a standardized approach to collating conflict data, publicly available armed conflict datasets often require manipulation depending upon the needs of end users. Transformation of armed conflict data tends to be a manual, time-consuming task that nonprofits with limited budgets struggle to keep up with. In this paper, we explore the use of a deep natural language processing (NLP) model to aid the transformation of armed conflict data for conflict analysis. Our model drastically reduces the time spent on manual data transformations and improves armed conflict event classification by identifying multiple incidence types. This minimizes the human supervision cost and allows nonprofits to access a broader range of conflict data sources to reduce reporting bias. Thus, our model contributes to the incorporation of technology in the peace building and conflict resolution sector.
Visceral pressure stimulator for exploring hollow organ pain: a pilot study

The regulation and control of pressure stimuli is useful for many studies of pain and nociception especially those in the visceral pain field. In many in vivo experiments, distinct air and liquid stimuli at varying pressures are delivered to hollow organs such as the bladder, vagina, and colon. These stimuli are coupled with behavioral, molecular, or physiological read-outs of the response to the stimulus. Care must be taken to deliver precise timed stimuli during experimentation. For example, stimuli signals can be used online to precisely time-lock the stimulus with a physiological output. Such precision requires the development of specialized hardware to control the stimulus (e.g., air) while providing a precise read-out of pressure and stimulus signal markers. In this study, we designed a timed pressure regulator [termed visceral pressure stimulator (VPS)] to control air flow, measure pressure (in mmHg), and send stimuli markers to online software. The device was built using a simple circuit and primarily off-the-shelf parts. A separate custom inline analog-to-digital pressure converter was used to validate the real pressure output of the VPS. Using commercial physiological software (Spike2, CED), we were able to measure mouse bladder pressure continuously during delivery of unique air stimulus trials in a mouse while simultaneously recording an electromyogram (EMG) of the overlying abdominal muscles. This device will be useful for those who need to (1) deliver distinct pressure stimuli while (2) measuring the pressure in real-time and (3) monitoring stimulus on–off using physiological software.
South Central is home: Race and the power of community investment in Los Angeles, by Abigail Rosas: Stanford, CA, Stanford University Press, 2019

In South Central Is Home: Race and the Power of Community Investment in Los Angeles, Abigail Rosas methodically links systematic racism to pervasive inequities negatively impacting civil rights, he...
Temporal trends in the incidence of severe pelvic fracture urethral injuries in the United States from 1998 to 2014.

To use a contemporary population-based cohort to investigate temporal trends in the national incidence of pelvic fracture urethral injuries (PFUIs) in the United States. Using the NIS (National Inpatient Sample), we identified patients with a severe PFUI by a combination of an ICD-9 diagnosis code for pelvic fracture (808.xx) and ICD-9 procedure code for suprapubic tube (57.17 or 57.18) from 1998 to 2014. We compared the annual rates of PFUIs and the annual rates of pelvic fractures alone. An estimated total of 6052 ± 347 males with PFUIs were identified. The average age was 38.4 ± 0.5 years. 9.1% ± 0.8% of patients died while hospitalized. In the time frame studied, the rate of PFUI significantly decreased during from 532 patients in 1998 to 255 patients in 2014. Sensitivity analysis excluding patients with bladder repairs identified a similar trend. The annual rate of PFUI per 1000 pelvic fractures has also decreased from 14.6 ± 1.6 in 1998 to 6.5 ± 0.9 in 2014 (p = 0.001). In this population level study, the number of severe PFUIs has decreased in the United States from 1998 to 2014, which coincides with the implementation and enforcement of seat belt and air bag regulations. Given the rarity of these cases, there is a strong need for collaborative efforts in research and teaching at tertiary care centers for reconstructive urology.
- CK2: Casein kinase II (vertebrates)

Casein kinase II (CK2) is a protein kinase that phosphorylates serine or threonine residues that are N-terminal to acidic amino acids, using either ATP or GTP as phosphoryl donors. CK2 phosphorylates many proteins in vitro. The enzyme appears to be constitutively active in vivo, although extracellular signals may further activate the enzyme 30%–200%. The function of a limited number of substrates, generally nuclear transcription factors, is changed by phosphorylation. The kinase may be involved in regulation of cell proliferation. The holoenzyme (130 kDa) is a heterotetramer consisting of two α (catalytic) and two β (regulatory) subunits in an α2β2 configuration. An isoform of the catalytic subunit (a) may be complexed as either a2β2 oraαβ2, although the relative tissue distribution of possible heterotetramers is not known. The full coding region of the α subunit of human (HepG2 cells) and nearly complete coding region of rat (adipose tissue) has been sequenced. The coding region of the β subunit from human (HepG2 and HeLa cells) and mouse (brain) has been sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence is about 99% conserved between mammalian species. Homologues have also been sequenced fromDrosophila. melanogaster (DmCK2), Caenorhabditis elegans, Theileria parva (a protozoan parasite), Dictyostelium discoideum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ScCK2), and maize (ZmCK2).
Network Analysis and Entanglement

This article explores the extent to which formal network analysis can be used to study aspects of entanglement, the latter referring to the collective sets of dependencies between humans and things. The data used were derived from the Neolithic sites of Boncuklu and Catalhoyuk in central Turkey. The first part of the analysis involves using formal network methods to chart the changing interactions between humans and things at these sites through time. The values of betweenness and centrality vary through time in ways that illuminate the known transformations at the site as, for example, domestic cattle are introduced. The ego networks for houses across four time periods at the two sites are also patterned in ways that contribute to an understanding of social and economic trends. In a second set of analyses, formal network methods are applied to intersecting operational chains, or chainworks. Finally, the dependencies between humans and things are evaluated by exploring the costs and benefits of particular material choices relative to larger entanglements. In conclusion, it is argued that three types of entanglement can be represented and explored using methods taken from the network sciences. The first type concerns the large number of relations that surround any particular human or thing. The second concerns the ways in which entanglements are organized. The third type of entanglement concerns the dialectic between dependence (potential through reliance) and dependency (constraint through reliance).
The Chevron-Ecuador Dispute, Forum Non Conveniens, and the Problem of Ex Ante Inadequacy

This essay, written for the 2013 Stanford Journal of Complex Litigation symposium on lessons from the Chevron-Ecuador environmental litigation, urges that we not take the wrong lesson concerning the doctrine of forum non conveniens. The paper highlights the irony of the forum battles in the litigation. The plaintiffs sued in the United States, the defendants won dismissal on grounds of forum non conveniens (arguing that the dispute should be adjudicated by the courts of Ecuador), the plaintiffs obtained a massive judgment in Ecuador, and the defendants challenged the judgment on grounds of fraud and corruption in the Ecuadorian proceedings. Despite the temptation to see the Chevron-Ecuador litigation as a cautionary tale about forum non conveniens, this essay argues that the “adequate alternative forum” standard for forum non conveniens should remain exceedingly low. Ex ante, deference to foreign legal systems should prevail, even as we permit ex post challenges to recognition of judgments on grounds of fraud and corruption.
Atmospheric visualization collection: Developments in the NSDL

The Atmospheric Visualization Collection is one of the NSF National STEME Digital Library projects, which seek to develop the digital library through novel collaborative methods. This project is based on research-oriented data collected from the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program. It seeks to establish educational materials that are appropriate for all levels of learning while incorporating interactive assessment and development activities. Learning activities include online and offline tools for visualization and manipulation of atmospheric data, interfaces for independent learning, educational units that include streaming video and hypothesis testing, and code development opportunities.
Enhancing the quality of organizational communication A presentation of reflection-based criteria

Purpose – This article aims to introduce practical based criteria for effective organizational communication.Design/methodology/approach – The subject scope for this article is corporate communication. The study is based on literature reviews and a qualitative study, entailing the basic principles of the phenomenological approach, with 20 subjects.Findings – Four additional criteria for effective corporate communication surfaced: responsible; professional; concise; and sincere.Research limitations/implications – The studies reviewed, although in‐depth, apply to a small sample in one metropolitan environment, which makes generalization among different cultures riskier.Practical implications – Organizational managers may use these findings to reflect on their communication strategies and improve them, where necessary, on the basis of the findings of this study.Originality/value – The paper's value lies in the four additional criteria found as a result of reflections from members of the corporate workforce, ...
Application of Discrete Molecular Dynamics to Protein Folding and Aggregation

With the rapid increase in computational speed and memory, simulations of proteins and other biological polymers begin to gain predictive power. However, in order to simulate a folding trajectory of a moderate size protein or an aggregation process of a large number of peptides, traditional molecular dynamics methods based on explicit solvent and accurate force field models still must gain several orders of magnitude in speed. Under these circumstances, simplified models which capture the essential features of the system under study may shed light on the problem in question. One of these simplified methods is discrete molecular dynamics (DMD). DMD replaces the interaction potentials between atoms and covalent bonds by discontinuous step functions. This simplification as well as coarse graining of the model (replacing groups of atoms by one effective bead) and replacing the effect of solvent by varying the strength of inter-bead interactions can speed up simulations sufficiently to generate many folding–unfolding events and to track the aggregation of many peptides. This increase in speed is gained mainly due to the ballistic motion of either secondary structures of the protein or individual peptides. This ballistic motion is a characteristic feature of the DMD method. This chapter will review successes and failures of the DMD method in protein folding and aggregation.
Database design for dynamic online surveys

This paper discusses the architecture and implementation of dynamic Web-based surveys with an emphasis on the recently completed Survey2001 project. Survey2001 was made available at the National Geographic Web site for several months starting October 2001 and could be taken in four different languages: English, German, Spanish and Italian. This paper discusses surveys and the advantages of Web-based surveys, lays the background for Survey2001, describes the details of the database used and the manner in which transitions were conducted in this dynamic Web-based survey. It also lists the results, including other surveys developed using the same database structure, and concludes with a look to the future.
Electron microscopic study of the atomic structure of OMVPE-grown GaInAs/InP quantum wells

SUMMARY The as-grown (001) surfaces of InP single crystals and GaInAs/InP multilayers grown under different conditions by organometallic vapour phase epitaxy (OMVPE) have been studied using reflection electron microscopy (REM). It was found that atomically smooth surfaces can be grown by OMVPE using the proper growth conditions. A small density of elliptical defects also found on these surfaces may be attributed to abnormal growth due to defects formed during the growth process.
Preoperative urodynamic evaluation may predict voiding dysfunction in women undergoing pubovaginal sling.

ABSTRACTPurpose: We determine which urodynamic parameters can best predict postoperative voiding dysfunction following pubovaginal sling surgery.Materials and Methods: The records of 98 consecutive women who had undergone pubovaginal sling surgery with allograft fascia lata between July 1998 and July 2000 were reviewed. Urodynamic and followup data were sufficient for evaluation for 73 patients. Urodynamic and clinical parameters were correlated with urinary retention, time to return of efficient voiding and development of postoperative urgency symptoms.Results: Average time to return of efficient voiding was 3.92 days (median 3). Of 21 women who voided without a detrusor contraction urinary retention developed in 4 (23%) versus 0 of 48 who voided with detrusor contraction (p = 0.007). Urinary retention was defined as the need to perform even occasional self-catheterization. All 4 women with urinary retention had a detrusor pressure of less than 12 cm. H2O (0 in 3, 4 in 1). None of the women with a detrus...
Disparate effects of the calcium-channel blockers, nifedipine and verapamil, on alpha 2-adrenergic receptors and thromboxane A2-induced aggregation of human platelets.

Calcium-channel blockers inhibit human platelet aggregation in vitro and ex vivo. To further evaluate the mechanism(s) responsible for the inhibition induced by this structurally heterogeneous group of compounds, we studied the effect of nifedipine and verapamil on human platelet aggregation in vitro. Neither 10 microM nifedipine nor 10 microM verapamil consistently inhibited the aggregation response of platelet-rich plasma to threshold concentrations of ADP, sodium arachidonate, epinephrine, or collagen. However, both 10 microM nifedipine and 10 microM verapamil epinephrine-potentiated, thromboxane A2 (TXA2)-induced aggregation of aspirin-incubated, gel-filtered platelets. Aggregation of similarly prepared platelets induced by TXA2 alone was abolished by 10 microM nifedipine but not by 10 microM verapamil. Even 100 microM verapamil gave only partial and inconsistent inhibition of aggregation. Both drugs had essentially the same effects on platelet aggregation induced by the stable endoperoxide and TXA2 m...
Green fluorescent protein in the design of a living biosensing system for L-arabinose

Analysis of monosaccharides is typically performed using analytical systems that involve a separation step followed by a detection step. The separation step is usually necessary because of the high degree of structural similarity between different monosaccharides. A novel sensing system for monosaccharides is described here in which living bacteria were designed to detect a model monosaccharide, l-arabinose, without the need for a separation step. In such sensing systems, analytes are detected by employing the selective recognition properties found in certain bacterial proteins. These systems are designed so that a reporter protein is expressed by the bacteria in response to the analyte. The concentration of the analyte can be related to the signal generated by the reporter protein. In the sensing system described here, the green fluorescent protein (GFP) was used as the reporter protein. l-Arabinose concentrations can be determined by monitoring the fluorescence emitted by the bacteria at 509 nm after ex...
The plastic deformation of monoclinic alpha plutonium

An investigation was carried out to determine the effect of temperature and strain rate on the plastic deformation of alpha plutonium and to determine the mode or modes of deformation which contribute to the plastic flow. All experiments were performed with fine-grained polycrystalline specimens. The stress-strain compression tests were run in an oil bath at temperatures from 24 to l00 deg C. It was found that the yield stress of alpha plutonium varies directly with strain rate and inversely with temperature. After the application of a strain of 1%, an orange peel structure began to form. Further straining caused this structure to become more pronounced. Slip lines and grain boundary sliding occurred at approximately 2% strain. Metallographically prepared sections of the stress-strain specimens revealed the presence of twin-like bands. (M.C.G.)
On the spectral gap for infinite index “congruence” subgroups of SL2(Z)

A celebrated theorem of Selberg states that for congruence subgroups of SL2(Z) there are no exceptional eigenvalues below 3/16. Extending the work of Sarnak and Xue for cocompact arithmetic lattices, we prove a generalization of Selberg’s theorem for infinite index “congruence” subgroups of SL2(Z). For such subgroups with a high enough Hausdorff dimension of the limit set we establish a spectral gap property and consequently solve a problem of Lubotzky pertaining to expander graphs.
Base metal catalyzed dehydrogenation of ammonia-borane for chemical hydrogen storage.

We report here the first example of a homogeneous first row transition-metal-based catalyst which is active for dehydrogenation of ammonia−borane, H3NBH3, a promising chemical hydrogen storage material. Addition of ammonia−borane to an active catalyst formed in situ from the reaction of Ni(cod)2 and 2 equiv of an appropriate N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) rapidly evolves hydrogen at 60 °C. Using a gas burette to quantify the gas evolved, 29 of a possible 31 mL of H2 for 3 equiv of H2 was produced, equating to >2.5 equiv of H2 from ammonia−borane. Kinetic isotope effects of deuterated derivatives of ammonia−borane suggest that both N−H and B−H bonds are being broken in the rate-determining step(s).