cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Bias Against Integrated Thoracic Surgery Residency Applicants During General Surgery Interviews

Background New paradigms for training cardiothoracic surgeons have been introduced, including the integrated thoracic surgery residency. Currently, a limited number of these programs exist, and all candidates apply to both integrated thoracic and general surgery residencies. We sought to investigate the applicants' experiences applying for both types of positions. Methods An online survey was distributed to applicants to three integrated thoracic surgery programs during a 2-year period. Results The response rate was 50% (90 of 180). Most respondents were fourth-year medical students (81%; 72 of 89) and were interested in adult cardiac surgery (81%; 73 of 90). Sixty-one percent (55 of 90) had an interest in cardiothoracic surgery before clinical clerkships, and 93% (84 of 90) tailored their clinical education to this interest. Fifty-seven percent (49 of 86) scored above 230 on the USMLE Step 1 examination. Ninety-two percent (80 of 87) performed research during medical school, and 78% (62 of 80), specifically within cardiothoracic surgery; 76% (61 of 80) published their work. The number of general surgery interviews varied widely, but 46% (36 of 79) interviewed at one to five integrated thoracic surgery programs, and 39% (31 of 79) interviewed at six to ten integrated thoracic surgery programs. During general surgery interviews, 36% (24 of 66) received negative comments regarding applying to integrated thoracic residencies. Fifty-two percent (38 of 73) thought that their application to integrated thoracic programs diminished their chances to match at a general surgery program. Conclusions The applicants to the integrated thoracic surgery residencies become interested in cardiothoracic surgery early and tailor their clinical education to this interest. Although they are academically successful, they report significant negativity regarding their applications to both general surgery and integrated thoracic residencies.
Enhanced unipolar charging of concentration-enriched particles using water-based condensational growth

Abstract A novel methodology with high efficiency for charging fine and ultrafine particles was developed and evaluated. The technique has been realized by combining the versatile aerosol concentration enrichment system (VASES) developed by our group and a newly developed unipolar charger equipped with carbon fiber ionizers. Particles are grown to super-micron droplets via condensation of ultrapure deionized water and then concentrated by virtual impaction in the VACES. The grown droplets are charged with negligible ozone generation in the carbon fiber unipolar charger, and subsequently dried to original particle size distribution using a diffusion dryer, while preserving the acquired charges. This new methodology was investigated for different particle sizes, chemical compositions and concentrations. The number of charges on particles was highly dependent on particle concentration as well as particle size; larger particles and smaller particle concentrations led to a greater number of charges per particle. The average electrical mobility of the charged particles exceeded 1.4 × 10 - 1 cm 2 / ( V s ) , corresponding, on average, to more than 250 elementary charges per particle for concentrations in the range of 1.4 – 1.9 × 10 5 particles / cm 3 for ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate and glutaric acid. A lower number of charges per particle was observed for PSL particles, probably due to their hydrophobic nature, and thus, number of charges per particle averaged to about 98, 191 and 349 for polystyrene latex (PSL) particles of 99, 130 and 170 nm, respectively, at particle concentrations of 1.1 – 1.7 × 10 5 particles / cm 3 . Even in the case of PSL, these charges far-exceed those obtained by traditional corona chargers.
Assessment of cerebral pO2 by EPR oximetry in rodents : effects of anesthesia, ischemia, and breathing gas

This report describes experiments designed to assess and illustrate the effectiveness of a new method for the measurement of cerebral interstitial pO2 in conscious rodents. It is based on the use of low frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy with lithium phthalocyanine as the oxygen sensitive probe. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to document placement of the probe in the brain, and to assess potential cerebral changes associated with the placement. The technique provided accurate and reproducible measurements of localized pO2 in the brains of conscious rodents under a variety of physiological conditions and for time periods of at least 2 weeks. Using this approach we quantitated the depressing effects on cerebral pO2 of three representative anesthetics, isoflurane, ketamine/xylazine, and sodium pentobarbital. The effects of changing the content of oxygen in the breathing gas was investigated and found to change the cerebral pO2. In experiments with gerbils, crystals of lithium phthalocyanine were implanted in each side of the brain and using a one-dimensional magnetic field gradient, simultaneous measurement of pO2 values from normal and ischemic (ischemia induced by unilateral ligation of a carotid artery) hemispheres of the brain were obtained. These results demonstrate that EPR oximetry with lithium phthalocyanine is a versatile and useful method in the measurement of cerebral pO2 under various physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
Conservation Value of Private Lands for Crested Caracaras in Florida

In southcentral Florida, where agricultural lands are being converted rapidly to urban development, much of the remaining nonurban habitat occurs on privately owned cattle ranches. We studied the Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway), a threatened bird of prey, to learn the role of private lands in sustaining the population. We investigated patterns of distribution and reproductive activity of breeding pairs of caracaras in relation to patterns of land ownership and use. Eighty-two percent of 73 active nest sites found were on privately owned cattle ranches. We rarely found breeding pairs on publicly owned lands, most of which are managed as natural areas (no agricultural production and limited livestock grazing) to support native plant and animal communities. In 46 breeding areas with 4 years of known histories of occupancy and reproduction, pairs nesting on lands where the major land use was cattle ranching exhibited higher rates of breeding-area occupancy, attempted breeding during more years, initiated egg laying earlier, exhibited higher nesting success, and attempted a second brood after successfully fledging a first brood more often than pairs nesting on lands managed as natural areas. Compositional analysis suggested nonrandom selection of habitats by breeding pairs of caracaras in their establishment of a home range in the current landscape of southcentral Florida. Compared with random areas and available habitat in the overall study area, caracara home ranges had higher proportions of improved pasture and lower proportions of forest, woodland, oak scrub, and marsh. Which management activities favor and do not favor caracaras is uncertain, and hypotheses should be formulated and tested to guide future conservation applications. Particular grazing and fire management practices on privately and publicly owned lands may affect the structure of vegetation and prey communities in ways that influence caracaras. Or, replacement of native by exotic grasses may retain structurally suitable plant communities, whereas fertilization and grazing may increase productivity and nutrient cycling in ways that favor caracaras. Given continued conversion of natural habitats and agricultural lands to urban development, it is important to recognize that cattle ranches may provide important resources for wildlife conservation. Although cattle ranching is not likely to benefit all species historically associated with the native prairie ecosystem in Florida, finding ways to retain this land use may be important for the conservation of Florida's population of Crested Caracaras and other organisms of Florida's dry prairies.
Radiological hazards of waste containing alpha-emitting radionuclides

The radiological hazards of alpha-contaminated wastes are discussed in this overview in terms of two components of hazard: radiobiological hazard and radioecological hazard. Radiobiological hazard refers to human uptake of alpha-emitters by inhalation and ingestion, and the resultant dose to critical organs of the body. Radioecological hazard refers to the processes of release from buried wastes, transport in the environment, and translocation to man through the food chain. Besides detailing the sources and magnitude of hazards, this brief review identifies the uncertainties in their estimation, and implications for the regulatory process.
Stimulation of gastrin secretion from the perfused rat stomach by somatostatin antiserum

Abstract The effect of a high capacity somatostatin antiserum on antral gastrin secretion was examined in an isolated vascularly perfused rat stomach preparation. Infusion of somatostatin antiserum diluted 1:1 and 1:9 with Krebs buffer solution produced significant increases in gastrin secretion throughout the period of infusion. Neither infusion of somatostatin antiserum diluted 1:99 nor infusion of control rabbit serum had any effect on gastrin secretion. The data indicate that antral somatostatin excercises a continous restraint on gastrin secretion in the basal state.
Are the Costs of Site Unfamiliarity Compensated With Vigilance? A Field Test in Eurasian Siskins

Determination of fitness differentials between individuals adopting different migratory and dispersal strategies is basic to understand the evolution of migration. In the Eurasian siskin Carduelis spinus, both resident and transient birds forage within the same wintering area, providing the rare opportunity to compare their foraging behaviour in the same area and habitat. The aim of this study was to test the predictions associated to the different hypothesized costs of transience by studying the vigilance and foraging behaviour of wild wintering siskins foraging at three bird tables with different predation risk and interference competition levels. Transient siskins showed longer scan durations than residents, either because of site unfamiliarity or subordination (i.e. prior-occupancy effect). However, residents and transients did not differ in aggression rates, contrary to the dear-enemy effect. Transient siskins did not show a higher allocation of time to vigilance, contrary to the hypothesis of compensation vigilance to reduce predation risk by dispersing animals. Moreover, transients increased pecking rate with increasing predation risk, showed lower scan rates, longer foraging bouts and, in males, presented marginally higher proportions far from cover. Altogether these results strongly support the hypothesis that transients incur a predation cost due to a less efficient vigilance and foraging system.
Bone Mineral Content and Fatigue Failure of Lumbar Motion Segments in Simulated Flexed Lifting: Does Specimen Age Influence the Relationship?

This paper describes a comparison of the fatigue failure responses of older versus younger lumbar spine cadaver motion segment specimens. These specimens were repeatedly subjected to loads simulating those experienced by the spine in lifting a 9 kg load in different torso flexion postures (0, 22.5, and 45 degrees of flexion). An older sample of 36 motion segments (average age 81 years + 8 SD) is compared with a younger sample of 18 motion segments (average age: 47 years + 9 SD) with respect to the number of cycles to failure and results of survival analyses evaluating the effects of flexion and bone mineral content with and without the younger data set. Compared to the older sample of spines, the younger sample exhibited many more cycles to fatigue failure in all the torso flexion conditions (10020 versus 8267 average cycles to failure in 0 degrees flexion, 7124 versus 3262 in 22.5 degrees flexion, and 3229 versus 263 cycles to failure in 45 degrees flexion). The increased cycles to failure in young speci...
Fluctuation induced transitions between the superconducting and dissipative states in superconducting microbridges

Abstract A model is presented to account for thermally activated transitions occuring in the microwave I–V characteristics of Sn and Nb microbridges. These transitions occur between the uniform superconducting state and a metastable dissipative state. This model is compared with experimental results and excellent agreement is obtained for the characteristic lenth, L, obtained previously from critical current hysteresis.
RELATIONSHIP OF GONAD-STIMULATING ACTIVITY OF FEMALE DOMESTIC FOWL ANTERIOR PITUITARIES TO REPRODUCTIVE CONDITION

SCHOOLEY AND RIDDLE (1) have reported that anterior pituitary tissue from sexually active male and female pigeons contains more gonad-Stimulating hormone than do the glands from sexually inactive adults. This observation was based upon results obtained from the implantation of macerated glands into 2.1 to 2.7-inonth-old ring doves. Benoit (2) found that the hypophyses from drakes, artificially stimulated to precocious sexual maturity, when implanted into immature mice caused a definite increase in the size of the uterus and ovary as compared with negative effects from implants from sexually quiescent drakes. Although the gonad-Stimulating potencies of male and female chicken pituitaries have been compared by Meyer, Mellish and Kupperman (3) and the male glands found more potentat various dosage levels, the relationship between the potency of the anterior pituitary and reproductive condition has not been determined for the domestic fowl.
Cephalopod sense organs, nerves and the brain: Adaptations for high performance and life style.

The morphological and physiological adaptations that the cephalopod sensory organs and nervous system underwent during the course of evolution are briefly summarized. Special emphasis is paid (i) to the vertebrate‐like lens eyes with their complex extraocular eye muscle system, (ii) to the vestibular analogue statocysts with hair cell receptor systems for linear and angular accelerations and an elaborate afferent and efferent nerve supply, (iii) to the epidermal head and arm lines which are analogous to, and as sensitive as, the lateral lines of fishes and aquatic amphibians, (iv) to the giant fibre system for escape jetting, and (v) to the highly centralized brain which is capable of different forms of learning and memory.
Manhood and Morality: Sex, Violence, and Ritual in Gisu Society

Manhood and Morality: Sex, Violence, and Ritual in Gisu Society. Suzette Heald. New York: Routledge, 1999. ix. 192 pp., notes, references, indexes.
Gossip as Cultural Learning

To complement views of gossip as essentially a means of gaining information about individuals, cementing social bonds, and engaging in indirect aggression, the authors propose that gossip serves to help people learn about how to live in their cultural society. Gossip anecdotes communicate rules in narrative form, such as by describing how someone else came to grief by violating social norms. Gossip is thus an extension of observational learning, allowing one to learn from the triumphs and misadventures of people beyond one's immediate perceptual sphere. This perspective helps to explain some empirical findings about gossip, such as that gossip is not always derogatory and that people sometimes gossip about strangers.
The Complexity of Natural Killer Cells

In Response: We read with interest the comment by Sconocchia et al. describing a cell population with CD56dimCD16low/negative phenotype derived from interleukin 2/stem cell factor–cultured CD34+ cells which lack cytotoxic markers and cytotoxicity. Based on CD33 expression, the authors propose that
The Pay Gap From a Different Perspective Hours Worked and Geographic Differences

There is a campaign afoot to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. It would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 in an effort to address the pay gap between the earnings of men and women. The proposal is...
Secularizing Religion: Hindu Extremism as a Modernist Discourse

In this article, I suggest that Hindu nationalism, like many other religious extremist ideologies, is a modern discourse rooted in modern categories such as a homogenous national identity, objective science and history, hyper-masculinity, and secularism. To demonstrate the above claims, I undertake a close analysis of the writings of V.D. Savarkar, a key founder of “Hindutva” or Hindu nationalism. I show how he retools Hinduism by removing all aspects of religiosity/piety while replacing it with a primarily political-secular identity that places an exclusive Hindu nation at the center.
First Principles Calculation of pKa Values for 5-Substituted Uracils

Oxidation of uracil (U) and thymine (5-Me-U) are believed to play a role in genetic instability because of the changes these oxidations cause in the ionization constants (pK_a values), which in turn affects the base pairing and hence coding. However, interpretation of the experimental evidence for the changes of pK_a with substitution at U has been complicated by the presence of two sites (N1 and N3) for ionization. We show that a procedure using first principles quantum mechanics (density functional theory with generalized gradient approximation, B3LYP, in combination with the Poisson−Boltzmann continuum-solvation model) predicts such pK_a values for a series of 5-substituted uracil derivatives in excellent correlation with experiment. In particular, this successfully resolves which cases prefer ionization at N1 and N3. Such first principles predictions of ionization constant should be useful for predicting and interpreting pK_a for other systems.
Existing dietary guidelines for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often question their doctors about diet. The objectives of this article are to provide clinicians with existing dietary advice by presenting the dietary information proposed by medical societies in the form of clinical practice guidelines as it relates to IBD; listing dietary guidelines from patient-centered IBD-related organizations; and creating a new 'global practice guideline' that attempts to consolidate the existing information regarding diet and IBD. The dietary suggestions derived from sources found in this article include nutritional deficiency screening, avoiding foods that worsen symptoms, eating smaller meals at more frequent intervals, drinking adequate fluids, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, taking vitamin/mineral supplementation, eliminating dairy if lactose intolerant, limiting excess fat, reducing carbohydrates and reducing high-fiber foods during flares. Mixed advice exists regarding probiotics. Enteral nutrition is recommended for Crohn's disease patients in Japan, which differs from practices in the USA.
Taxonomy of trust: categorizing P2P reputation systems

The field of peer-to-peer reputation systems has exploded in the last few years. Our goal is to organize existing ideas and work to facilitate system design. We present a taxonomy of reputation system components, their properties, and discuss how user behavior and technical constraints can conflict. In our discussion, we describe research that exemplifies compromises made to deliver a useable, implementable system.
Multiresolution vector transform coding for video compression

A novel image and video compression algorithm based on block and vector transformations used in a multiresolution approach is described. The algorithm is shown to yield substantial compression gains over regular block coding with only a small increase in the computational load. In particular, the transform efficiency on a first-order Markov process is demonstrated to exceed that of a block transformation and approach the efficiency of the full transformation as the correlation factor approaches unity. Experiments with real video data also illustrate the compression gains for a variety of vector transformations, including vector DCT (discrete cosine transform) and vector Hadamard. Combined with an inherent robustness to vector loss, the proposed transformation is very well suited for applications requiring low bit rates over a degraded channel such as packet video during network congestion. >
Standing hand‐assisted laparoscopic removal of large granulosa cell tumours in horses using a specimen retrieval bag and morcellator

Summary This report describes a method for removal of large granulosa cell tumours through small paralumbar incisions using laparoscopic dissection of the mesovarium and subsequent removal of the ovary in a sterile retrieval bag via morcellation. Morcellation allows division of the granulosa cell tumour and subsequent reduction of incision size required for removal. The use of a specimen retrieval bag prevented contamination of the abdomen and incision with tumour cells during activation of the morcellator.
Controlling EPICS from a Web browser

An alternative to using a large graphical display manager like MEDM to interface to a control system, is to use individual control objects, such as text boxes, meters, etc., running in a browser. This paper presents three implementations of this concept, one using ActiveX controls, one with Java applets, and another with Microsoft Agent. The ActiveX controls have performance nearing that of MEDM, but they only work on Windows platforms. The Java applets require a server to get around Web security restrictions and are not as fast, but they have the advantage of working on most platforms and with both of the leading Web browsers. The agent works on Windows platforms with and without a browser and allows voice recognition and speech synthesis, making it somewhat more innovative than MEDM.
Hair Cell Condition and Auditory Nerve Response in Normal and Noise-Damaged Cochleas

Histological and physiological data are presented from cats born and raised in a low-noise environment and from cats with long-standing, noise-induced threshold shifts. Even after a 1 1-year survival from acoustic trauma, there were threshold elevations of roughly 40 dB in the response of single auditory-nerve fibers which could not be correlated with significant loss of hair cells. An attempt was made to correlate these threshold differences with differences in the condition of the sensory cells as seen in a light-microscopic examination of epon-embedded surface preparations. Of all the histological features evaluated, the orderlines of the stereo-cilia, on both inner and outer hair cells, showed the closest correlation with single-unit thresholds. In the final analysis, most of the threshold shift in the noise-exposed ears could be accounted for by loss or damage to sensory cells clearly visible under the light microscope.
Energy Contribution From Fat- and Calorie-reduced Foods in Young Women

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To assess the energy intake of women from fat-and calorie-reduced foods to determine their contribution to total energy intake and specific food groups. The number of reduced fat and calorie commercial foods has increased dramatically recently. Research has shown that the consumption of reduced fat and calorie foods does not result in an overall lower energy intake. Fifty women, ages 21–38 (x=25.3 years), who were enrolled in the Army Medical Department Officer Basic Course, recorded food intake for seven days. Fat- and calorie-reduced (RED) foods were identified as foods labeled "reduced-calorie, reduced-fat, diet, or low-calorie." The consumption of at least one RED food during the 7 days was reported by 96% of the women, and 44% of the women consumed RED foods daily. Mean energy intakes were obtained from total food consumption and from RED foods. The mean intake from RED foods (244±184 kcal) was 12% of total calories (2037±393 kcal). There was no significant difference (p=.25) in mean intake of those consuming less than 12% of calories from RED foods (2059±459 kcal, n=26) and those consuming 12% or more (2013±314 kcal, n=24). For further comparison, foods were broken down into major and minor food groups as described by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Of the Dairy foods, 48% of calories were from RED foods, with 90% of "fluid milk", 15% of "frozen dessert" and 12% of "cheese" calories from RED foods. Ten percent of calories from the Bread/Cereal group were from RED foods. RED foods contributed 42% of calories from "cakes, cookies and pies" and 16% of calories from "crackers and salty snacks". RED "salad dressings" contributed 14% of calories from this group. While the consumption of these modified foods was a major contributor of calories from specific groups of foods, their consumption did not have an effect on the overall energy intake of these women.
The structural basis for the difference in absorbance spectra for the FMO antenna protein from various green sulfur bacteria.

The absorbance spectrum of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson protein—a component of the antenna system of Green Sulfur Bacteria—is always one of two types, depending on the species of the source organism. The FMO from Prosthecochloris aestuarii 2K has a spectrum of type 1 while that from Chlorobaculum tepidum is of type 2. The previously reported crystal structures for these two proteins did not disclose any rationale that would explain their spectral differences. We have collected a 1.3 A X-ray diffraction dataset of the FMO from Prosthecochloris aestuarii 2K, which has allowed us to identify an additional Bacteriochlorophyll-a molecule with chemical attachments to both sides of the central magnesium atom. A new analysis of the previously published X-ray data for the Chlorobaculum tepidum FMO shows the presence of a Bacteriochlorophyll-a molecule in an equivalent location but with a chemical attachment from only one side. This difference in binding is shown to be predictive of the spectral type of the FMO.
Closed-Loop Active Control of Combustion Instabilities Using Subharmonic Secondary Fuel Injection

The results of a study of closed-loop active control of combustion instabilities using subharmonic secondary fuel injection are presented. The tests were conducted in a laboratory-scale dump combustor at atmospheric pressure withaninlettemperatureof 415 ± C,aninletbulkvelocity of 9.3 m/s,andovera rangeoffuel-lean equivalenceratios from lean blowout to the stoichiometric condition. The observed instability was a longitudinal mode instability with a frequency of » 350 Hz. Control was achieved using modulated secondary fuel injection on every fourth cycle of the unstable e ame. The injection of secondary fuel was phase-locked with the pressure oscillation in the combustor, where the relative phase was adjusted to achieve maximum control. The most effective control was achieved at an equivalence ratio of 0.85, where the combustion-generated noise level was reduced by 22 dB, with a secondary fuel e ow rate that was only 2% of the primary fuel e ow rate.
Acetate production from hydrogen and [13C]carbon dioxide by the microflora of human feces

Fecal suspensions from humans were incubated with 13CO2 and H2. The suspensions were from subjects who harbored 10(8) and 10(10) methanogens per g (dry weight) of feces, respectively, and from a subject who did not harbor methanogens. Quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed that acetate labeled in both the methyl and carboxyl groups was formed by suspensions from the subject without methanogens and the subject with the lower concentrations of methanogens. The amounts of labeled acetate formed were in agreement with the amounts expected based on measurements of H2 utilization. No labeled acetate was formed by suspensions from the subject with the higher concentrations of methanogens, and essentially all of the H2 used was accounted for by CH4 production. Suspensions from the subject with lower concentrations of methanogens produced both methane and acetate from H2 and CO2. The results indicate that reduction of CO2 to acetate may be a major pathway for microbial production of acetate in the human colon except when very high concentrations of methanogens (ca. 10(10) per g [dry weight] of feces) are present. Double-labeled acetate was also formed from H2 and 13CO2 by fecal suspensions from nonmethanogenic and moderately methanogenic rats.
Gastrointestinal Phenotype of Aquaporin Knockout Mice

Fluid transport is a major function of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In humans, more than 9 litres/day of fluid are absorbed or secreted across epithelia and endothelia in salivary gland, stomach, the hepatobiliary tract, pancreas, small intestine and colon (Figure 1). There is increasing evidence that aquaporin water channels (AQPs) are involved in GI fluid transport and digestive function. At least seven aquaporins are expressed in various epithelia and endothelia in the GI system. There are functional data that some GI cell types expressing aquaporins have high or regulated water permeability. Phenotypic analysis of transgenic knockout mice lacking various aquaporins has provided direct evidence that aquaporins are involved in saliva secretion, dietary fat processing, and colon fluid transport. This brief chapter summarizes recent progress on the GI phenotype of aquaporin knockout mice.
The relationships between age, associative memory performance, and the neural correlates of successful associative memory encoding.

Abstract Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, subsequent memory effects (greater activity for later remembered than later forgotten study items) predictive of associative encoding were compared across samples of young, middle-aged, and older adults (total N = 136). During scanning, participants studied visually presented word pairs. In a later test phase, they discriminated between studied pairs, “rearranged” pairs (items studied on different trials), and new pairs. Subsequent memory effects were identified by contrasting activity elicited by study pairs that went on to be correctly judged intact or incorrectly judged rearranged. Effects in the hippocampus were age-invariant and positively correlated across participants with associative memory performance. Subsequent memory effects in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) were greater in the older than the young group. In older participants only, both left and, in contrast to prior reports, right IFG subsequent memory effects correlated positively with memory performance. We suggest that the IFG is especially vulnerable to age-related decline in functional integrity and that the relationship between encoding-related activity in right IFG and memory performance depends on the experimental context.
Very high serum ferritin levels are associated with increased mortality and critical care in pediatric patients.

Objective:To determine whether an elevated serum ferritin level is independently associated with mortality and receipt of critical care in pediatric patients.Design:Retrospective cohort study, open population.Setting:Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, from September 2, 2003, to February 15, 2
SCHOLARS AND MENTORS: RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY AND THE PRODUCTION OF PH.D.S '

Psychology faculty at liberal arts colleges have traditionally seen themselves primarily as undergraduate teachers; however, McCdughey (1994) noted a changing ethos at select liberal arts colleges resulting in much greater emphasis being placed on faculty's scholarly publicstions. McCaughey argued that the faculty of select liberal arts colleges are increasingly seeing themselves as scholars as well as teachers. Are professors who do research better teachers? Measures of teaching effectiveness are notoriously hard to compute; however, McCaughey (1994) discussed the educational research that "links certain kinds of academic environments with one kuld of good teaching, 'rnentoring,' teaching that encourages students to aspire to the professional study of the subject and eventually to teach it" (p. 94). This study examined whether one measure of research, scholarly journal publications in psychology, is correlated with one measure of teaching effectiveness, the number of students from that school who go on to earn a Ph.D. in psychology. Our publication data are the number of pages published in journals catalogued by Psychhfo from 1984 to 1993 for each of the 161 national liberal arts colleges (M=200.44, SD=278.66); our Ph.D. data are from the National Research Council Doctorate Records Files (M=22.32; SD=22.15). The correlation between these two measures is .63 (p< .O5). Also, we regressed the number of Ph.D.s on the number of published pages. Ph.D.s= 12.29 + .OS(Number of pages). There were 163 observations. The t statistic on the number of pages was 10.3 and the R~ for the regression is 0.40. These results confirm that in psychology at least one measure of teaching effectiveness is associated with research. Clearly, further research on such associations between teaching and research in psychology departments would be valuable.
Design considerations for a dynamic metamaterial aperture for computational imaging at microwave frequencies

We investigate the imaging capabilities of a one-dimensional, dynamic, metamaterial aperture that operates at the lower part of K-band microwave frequencies (17.5–21.1 GHz). The dynamic aperture consists of a microstrip transmission line with an array of radiating, complementary, subwavelength metamaterial irises patterned into the upper conductor. Diodes integrated into the metamaterial resonators provide voltage-controlled switching of the resonant metamaterial elements between radiating and nonradiating states. Applying a series of on/off patterns to the metamaterial resonators produces a series of distinct radiation patterns that sequentially illuminate a scene. The backscattered signal contains encoded scene information over a set of measurements that can be postprocessed to reconstruct an image. We present a series of design considerations for the dynamic aperture, as well as a series of experimental studies performed using a dynamic aperture prototype. High-fidelity, real-time, diffraction-limited imaging using the prototype is demonstrated. The dynamic aperture suggests a path to fast and reliable imaging with low-cost and versatile hardware, for a variety of applications including security screening, biomedical diagnostics, and through-wall imaging.
Characterizing fluid structure interactions of a helical coil in cross flow

Abstract Mechanical vibrations compromise the integrity of key components of thermal power plants. Without careful design, strong resonances during steady state operation can wear these components to the point of failure, leading to an unsafe situation that may force a plant to shut down. The purpose of this research is to further the understanding of the vibrations induced in a helical coil subject to steady fluid flow. A helical coil steam generator, such as that found in most integral pressurized water reactors, appears to eliminate many flow-induced vibration concerns when compared to traditional steam generators; however this has yet to be clearly demonstrated experimentally. The objective of this study is to detail and demonstrate a new method to quantify the motion of a helical coil in an annulus subject to external axial flow of water and further characterizing the influence of pitch-to-diameter ratio on the fluidelastic instability of a helical coil. This is accomplished by observing the motion of a helical coil mounted to an inner opaque cylinder through an outer glass tube using a high speed video camera. A mirrored image-pair is used to observe this structure from two perspectives simultaneously, allowing for three-dimensional characterization of the coil motion. The experimental facility is described in detail. The method developed herein for identifying specific points on the coil from images and mapping them to the coil location using the law of refraction is described. An uncertainty analysis of the coil position measurement is conducted based on geometry and refractive index which can be readily applied to measurements obtained using this method. The outcome of empirical observations shows these helical coils to hold a slightly higher resonance frequency than that of cylinders in cross flow, their mechanical stiffness approximated through analytical means shows to produce relatively accurate natural frequencies when compared to the empirical data – 14.1 Hz and 12.5 Hz, respectively for first mode vibration. This study”s contributions present a new method for metering fluid structure interactions with high-fidelity, provide new empirical data which has not previously been produced, and make observations to the response of a helical coil which are new to the field of fluid-structure interactions.
LATE-BREAKING ABSTRACT: Improving local estimates of the proportion of chronic airflow obstruction (CAO) attributable to smoking: A Bayesian approach

Background The population attributable fraction (PAF) is the fraction of disease that could be prevented by eliminating the exposure to a risk factor. PAF depends not only on the relative risk (RR) but also on the local prevalence of exposure, and local estimates of PAF based on relatively small samples tend to have very broad confidence intervals that limit their usefulness. Methods Using data from 27 sites across the world in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study, we developed a hierarchical log-binomial Bayesian model which “borrows information” across sites on the RR of smoking, while providing site-specific estimates of PAF. True local RRs are assumed not to be the same but to come from a common underlying distribution. We applied our approach to the example of tobacco smoking and CAO, and compared our results with those obtained using a classical approach. Results PAF varies from 7% in Ife (Nigeria) to 61% in Cape Town (South Africa) reflecting wide differences in smoking prevalence (11% and 68% respectively). Our point estimates for PAF are similar to those of the classical approach, but the width of our confidence intervals is greatly reduced for some sites. In 6 sites, the classical approach, unlike ours, cannot exclude beneficial effects (negative PAFs). An example is Sousse (Tunisia), where our 95% confidence interval is 31% to 52%, compared with -30% to 64% in the classical approach. Conclusions Our Bayesian method improves the precision of local estimates of PAF, excluding the possibility of no impact of smoking on CAO at all sites, unlike the classical method. This has practical importance when informing local public health policies.
Effect of Topic Sensitivity on Online Survey Panelists’ Motivation and Data Quality

This research investigates the effect of topic sensitivity on panelists’ motivations and data quality. An Internet survey in which topic sensitivity varied (high, low) was conducted with panelists ...
Identification of 18 vector species belonging to Group I, Group II, and Group III ‘Dirty 22’ species known to contaminate food and spread foodborne pathogens: DNA barcoding study of public health importance

The US Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) uses the presence of filth and extraneous materials as one of the criteria in implementing regulatory actions and assessing food adulteration of public health importance. So far, 22 common pest species (‘Dirty 22’ species) have been considered by this agency for the spreading of foodborne illness, and their presence is an indicator of unsanitary conditions in food processing and storage facilities. Recently, we classified the ‘Dirty 22’ species into four groups: Group I (four cockroach species), Group II (two ant species), Group III (12 fly species), and Group IV (four rodent species), and described two molecular diagnostic methods for group-specific identification. We developed a PCR-RFLP assay based on rRNA gene for the detection and differentiation of Group I ‘Dirty 22’ species. Later, we designed three Group II ‘Dirty 22’ species-specific nested PCR primer sets and sequence characterized the rRNA, elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1a), and wingless (WNT-1) loci. In this follow-up study, we have evaluated the robustness of five unique sets of published primers targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene for insect barcoding. With modified PCR conditions, we successfully used COI barcoding for 18 members of Group I, Group II, and Group III ‘Dirty 22’ species. Results of this study reveal that COI barcoding is an effective tool for rapid identification of insects of Groups I, II, and III ‘Dirty 22’ species known to contaminate food and spread foodborne pathogens.
Limiting the Lifetime Surgical Impact of Congenital Heart Disease and Guiding Care for the Congenital Heart Patient

Morbidity from congenital heart disease interventions has become important as mortality decreases. Avoiding cumulative physiologic and psychological trauma over a lifetime is now an important goal. Strategies to minimize surgical impact include transcatheter palliation, transcatheter occlusion of patent ductus arteriosus in very premature babies, and transcatheter valve replacement. Other strategies to minimize cumulative trauma are reviewed including subcutaneous defibrillators, leadless and MRI-conditional pacemakers, blood conservation/bloodless cardiac surgery, effective pain management, reduction of radiation exposure, optimizing neurodevelopment, and reducing psychological stressors.
Multiplexed Sequence-Specific Capture of Chromatin and Mass Spectrometric Discovery of Associated Proteins

Comprehensive understanding of a gene’s expression and regulation at the molecular level requires identification of all proteins interacting with the gene. HyCCAPP (Hybridization Capture of Chromatin Associated Proteins for Proteomics) is an approach that uses single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides to capture specific genomic sequences in cross-linked chromatin fragments and identify associated proteins by mass spectrometry. Previous studies have shown HyCCAPP to provide useful information on protein–DNA interactions, revealing the proteins associated with the GAL1-10 region in yeast. We present here a multiplexed version of HyCCAPP. Utilizing a toehold-mediated capture/release strategy, HyCCAPP is targeted to multiple genomic loci in parallel, and the protein binders at each locus are eluted in a programmable and selective fashion. Multiplexed HyCCAPP was applied to four genes (25S rDNA, ARX1, CTT1, and RPL30) in S. cerevisiae under normal and stressed conditions. Capture and release efficiencies and speci...
Phylogenomics reveals a complex evolutionary history of lobed-leaf white oaks in Western North America

Species within the genus Quercus (oak) hybridize in complex patterns that have yet to be fully explored with phylogenomic data. Analyses to date have recovered reasonable divergent patterns, sugges...
Mechanism of Action of Tethered Antimicrobial Peptides

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important host defense molecules of living organisms. They protect the host from infections and have remained potent to date. In an era of antibiotic resistance, there is a great desire to develop such peptides into novel antimicrobials. Another important application is to immobilize AMPs on biomaterials to prevent biofilm formation on implanted medical devices. Here we highlight known information on the mechanistic aspects of surface immobilized AMPs. As of May 2017, 39 such peptides, natural or artificial, have been surface immobilized according to the Antimicrobial Peptide Database. In some cases, tethered peptides can target bacterial membranes similar to free ones, whereas they may also display different properties in other cases. Future studies will shed new light on the mechanism of action of immobilized AMPs.
Should Governments Tax the Rich and Subsidize the Poor? An Empirical Study of South Korean Opinion

One question in the most recent World Values Survey asked whether it is an essential characteristic of democratic governments to tax the rich and subsidize the poor. The present study reports the findings of the survey conducted in Germany. The overall response and relative ranking are discussed, as well as the finding for certain demographic variables, such as gender, age, marital status, social class, education level, religious denomination, ethnicity, and region. A trend analysis was also conducted to determine whether German views have changed over time.
Land surveys show regional variability of historical fire regimes and dry forest structure of the western United States.

An understanding of how historical fire and structure in dry forests (ponderosa pine, dry mixed conifer) varied across the western United States remains incomplete. Yet, fire strongly affects ecosystem services, and forest restoration programs are underway. We used General Land Office survey reconstructions from the late 1800s across 11 landscapes covering ~1.9 million ha in four states to analyze spatial variation in fire regimes and forest structure. We first synthesized the state of validation of our methods using 20 modern validations, 53 historical cross-validations, and corroborating evidence. These show our method creates accurate reconstructions with low errors. One independent modern test reported high error, but did not replicate our method and made many calculation errors. Using reconstructed parameters of historical fire regimes and forest structure from our validated methods, forests were found to be non-uniform across the 11 landscapes, but grouped together in three geographical areas. Each had a mixture of fire severities, but dominated by low-severity fire and low median tree density in Arizona, mixed-severity fire and intermediate to high median tree density in Oregon-California, and high-severity fire and intermediate median tree density in Colorado. Programs to restore fire and forest structure could benefit from regional frameworks, rather than one size fits all.
Distant Reading Conversion in Early Modernity

This essay provides an overview of the theory, methodology, and technical innovation driving the creation of Distant Reading Early Modernity (DREaM), a digital humanities platform that makes a massive corpus of early modern texts amenable for use with macro-scale analytical tools. Key focus areas include (i) introduction to DREaM and the Early Modern Conversions project, (ii) the argument for our approach to the early modern archive, (iii) overview of the digital tools available through DREaM-Voyant, (iv) the making of DREaM, and solutions to technical problems deriving from non-standardized spelling.
Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction and Associated Pons Volume in Patients with Wolfram Syndrome.

Purpose: Wolfram syndrome is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by childhood onset diabetes mellitus, optic nerve atrophy, diabetes insipidus, hearing impairment, and commonly bladder and bowel dysfunction. We hypothesized that there is an association between a smaller pons, which contains the pontine micturition center, and abnormal lower urinary tract function.Materials and Methods: Patients with genetically confirmed Wolfram syndrome attended an annual multidisciplinary research clinic. Subjects underwent noninvasive urodynamic testing and brain magnetic resonance imaging, and completed validated patient reported outcome measures. Bowel and bladder diaries were completed before visits. Age and gender corrected linear and logistic mixed effects models were used to correlate pons volume, corrected for whole brain size, to urodynamic and patient reported outcomes.Results: A total of 36 patients attended 142 visits between 2010 and 2016. Mean age was 16.9 years (range 7 to 30) and 64% of patients w...
Modems to Mars

The practice of modem engineering has generated many interesting theoretical problems, which now apply to a vast range of systems. The title of this paper has dual meaning: the engineering path leading from voiceband modems to communications in distributed sensor networks for Martian exploration, and preliminary plans for the establishment of an interplanetary Internet.