cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perceived successes and challenges of clinical pharmacist practitioners in North Carolina.

Abstract Objectives To describe the successes and challenges reported by current (active) and formerly practicing (inactive) CPPs and to determine the reasons why inactive CPPs discontinued advanced practice. Methods A sampling frame, consisting of all active and inactive CPPs, was obtained from the North Carolina Boards of Medicine and Pharmacy. An electronic survey was sent to 84 active and 32 inactive CPPs. Respondents were queried regarding qualifications, experience, and practice characteristics, perceived successes, and perceived challenges. Results 54 active and 22 inactive CPPs responded. Among active CPPs, 28 (51.9%) reported improved patient care outcomes and 27 (50.0%) reported an expanded scope of practice. Regarding challenges, 30 (55.6%) identified billing for services and 19 (35.2%) noted reimbursement through third parties. Among inactive CPPs, 14 (63.6%) experienced improved patient care outcomes and 11 (50.0%) said their licensure created a practice model for learners. Billing (54.5%) and reimbursement (31.8%) were the top challenges experienced by inactive CPPs. A total of 12 inactive CPPs (54.5%) discontinued CPP licensure because it was not a requirement of their current position. Three (13.6%) discontinued because of insurmountable challenges that made it difficult to continue practice. Conclusion Although CPPs held a perception of improved patient care outcomes, billing for services and obtaining reimbursement were reported as the most prevalent challenges and may have played a major role in CPPs becoming inactive.
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Acoustic core logging in blast-damaged rock

Abstract Thill, R.E. and D' Andrea, D. V., 1975. Acoustic core logging in blast-damaged rock. Eng. Geol., 10: 13–36. The Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Duval Corp., conducted a blast-fragmentation experiment to determine the feasibility of preparing a porphyry copper-molybdenum deposit for in-situ leaching. The blast was designed with ten 9-inch-diameter blastholes to depths of 110 feet in an equilateral triangle configuration; spacings between blastholes were 15, 20, and 25 ft. One of the major problems in the experiment was in assessing blast damage. Acoustic core-logging equipment and methods were devised and used as one approach in solving this problem. Ultrasonic pulse travel-times were determined in four diametral directions at 2-ft intervals of depth to a final depth of 120 ft in three preblast and six postblast drill cores at the Duval test site. The acoustic logging program provided compressional wave travel-time at 0°, 45°, 90°, and 135° around the core circumference, maximum travel-time difference, mean compressional-wave velocity, and an anisotropy factor. Other acoustic parameters introduced in the analyses were stiffness modulus, seismic quality designation (SQD), and a compensated velocity to account for portions of the core that were nonrecoverable or too highly fractured to permit diametral travel-time measurements. The acoustic parameters all indicated the deterioration in structural quality from the preblast condition, in which the rock already was badly fractured and weathered, to the more highly fractured postblast condition. Because of the highly fragmented, poor structural condition of the rock after blasting, the rock was indicated to be suitable for in-situ leaching, at least at the 20- and 15-ft blasthole spacings, and even in some zones in the rock at the 25-ft blasthole spacing.
Eastern margin variability of the South Pacific Convergence Zone

[1] The influence of low-level inflow wind and its high-frequency variability on the spatial characteristics of the eastern margin of the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) is examined. Compositing daily and 5-day mean low-level wind, precipitation, and tropospheric moisture data reveals a clear relationship between high-frequency zonal inflow variations and the eastern SPCZ margin, with relaxation of trade wind intensity associated with increased moisture near the mean eastern SPCZ margin and an eastward displacement of the convection. An idealized 2-dimensional model demonstrates that variations in dry air inflow cause tropospheric moisture and precipitation variations akin to those observed. In this prototype, factors affecting the extent of SPCZ variability are also important to the mean margin position. SPCZ margin shifts under natural variability thus offer an observational target against which to evaluate simulated interactions of inflow air mass characteristics with convection.
From nation to family: two careers in the recasting of eugenics.

By examining the professional lives of two popularizers of eugenic thought from the 1910s to the 1940s, this study illustrates the broader change from “mainline” to “reform” eugenics in the United States. Roswell Hill Johnson's university teaching, laboratory research, and later marriage counseling work contrasted greatly with George Seibel's forays into eugenic theater, moral reform, and mass physical fitness movements. Yet both men shifted from a strict position of mandating other people's behavior in the name of national health and racial integrity to a more therapeutic stance that cast individual decisions in the context of managed family life. This study shows that for some, the transformation of eugenics in the 1930s meant adapting the traditional focus on superiority, inferiority, and reproduction by design to the language of a commercial marketplace.
One-shot Wikipedia: an edit-sprint toward information literacy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate which learning targets can be achieved by using Wikipedia as a tool for teaching information literacy within the context of brief one-shot library instruction sessions. Design/methodology/approach – In this case study, a Wikipedia-editing activity was incorporated into 2-hour one-shot instruction sessions. A variety of qualitative data were collected during these sessions: Student reflections during a facilitated discussion, student responses to exit-survey questions and instructor observations about the extent to which students completed Wikipedia-editing tasks. Findings – Students found Wikipedia-editing activities and Wikipedia-related discussions engaging, and as a result they seemed to learn valuable lessons about research and writing. Students participating in this project effectively identified gaps in Wikipedia entries, critically evaluated and used sources to address those gaps and appropriately documented those materials. Students were easily...
A Hardware Filesystem Implementation for High-Speed Secondary Storage

Platform FPGAs are capable of hosting entire Linux- based systems including standard peripherals, integrated network interface cards and even disk controllers on a single chip. Filesystems, however, are typically implemented in software as part of the operating system. This presents a challenge as some applications are very sensitive to file I/O latency and Platform FPGA processor cores are clocked at relatively slow frequencies. This paper describes a design and implementation of a filesystem in hardware. A hardware implementation offers several features that have potential of improving certain classes of applications. The filesystem implemented is a simplified version of the well-known UNIX filesystem and specifically designed to handle a relatively low number of very large files. The design synthesizes but lacks a SATA host controller needed to test it. Instead, Modelsim was used to verify the functionality of four basic operations: open, read, write and remove. Synthesis results show that the core uses a modest 3% of the slices (and 3 BRAM blocks) of a Xilinx Virtex-4 FX60 device. By using a behavioral model of a SATA disk controller, sequential read bandwidth simulations achieved over 3 Gb/s for block sizes of 512 bytes. Since physical disks are much slower, these results suggest that a hardware filesystem core offers several benefits with little cost and no loss of performance.
Secondary dispersal of early juvenile blue crabs within a wind‐driven estuary

We used a coupled biophysical study to examine the processes underlying secondary dispersal of early juvenile blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) within Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, a predominately wind-driven estuary. We quantified the spatiotemporal distribution of early juvenile blue crabs in the water column with vertically stratified plankton samples (during day–night cruises during two consecutive years) and used a hydrodynamic numerical simulation model to recreate dispersal trajectories and assess potential transport pathways connecting inlet (eastern) and western sound nursery habitats. Early juvenile blue crabs belonging to the first benthic instar stage (J1) were observed within the water column, indicative of secondary dispersal occurring rapidly following postlarval settlement and metamorphosis to the juvenile stage. Moreover, J1 blue crabs were most abundant in near-bottom waters at night. Particle-tracking dispersal simulations revealed that across-sound blue crab secondary dispersal only resulted from the combined use of flood-tides near the inlets and wind-induced bottom currents within the main body of Pamlico Sound. Thus, our results indicate that behavioral responses to multiple hydrodynamic conditions ultimately influence habitat connectivity, particularly in the northwest region of our study area where a distinct transport pathway was evident. As such, generalizations of recruitment dynamics based on systems with strong tidal signals cannot be used to accurately characterize patterns of estuarine recruitment in predominately wind-driven systems.
Canonical form for deadbeat control

For a time-invariant completely controllable single-input system, a canonical form is established so that the required control sequence is given by the elements of the initial-state vector and so that closed-loop deadbeat control is always possible if the required state variable can be measured.
Instability and Diapycnal Momentum Transport in a Double-Diffusive, Stratified Shear Layer

The linear stability of a double-diffusively stratified, inflectional shear flow is investigated. Doublediffusive stratification has little effect on shear instability except when the density ratio R is close to unity. Double-diffusive instabilities have significant growth rates and can represent the fastest-growing mode even in the presence of inflectionally unstable shear with a low Richardson number. In the linear regime, background shear has no effect on double-diffusive modes except to select the orientation of the wave vector. The converse is not true: double-diffusive modes modify the mean shear via momentum fluxes. The momentum flux driven by salt sheets is parameterized in terms of a Schmidt number (ratio of eddy viscosity to saline diffusivity) Scs. In the oceanic parameter regime, Scs is less than unity and can be approximated as Scs 0.08 ln[R /(R 1)]. Enhanced molecular dissipation by unstable motions is quantified in terms of the dissipation ratio , and the results are compared with observations. Corresponding results are given for diffusive convection in an inflectional shear flow, though linear theory is expected to give a less accurate description of this mechanism.
Viktor Hamburger and Rita Levi-Montalcini: The Path to the Discovery of Nerve Growth Factor

The announcement in October 1986 that the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine was to be awarded to Rita Levi-Montalcini and Stanley Cohen for the discoveries of NGF and EGF, respectively, caused many to wonder why Viktor Hamburger (in whose laboratory the initial work was done) had not been included in the award. Now that the dust has settled, the time seems opportune to reconsider the antecedent studies on the relation of the developing nervous system to the peripheral structures it innervates. The studies undertaken primarily to investigate this issue culminated in the late 1950s in the discovery that certain tissues produce a nerve growth-promoting factor that is essential for the survival and maintenance of spinal (sensory) ganglion cells and sympathetic neurons. In this review, the many contributions that Viktor and Rita made to this problem, both independently and jointly, are reexamined by considering chronologically each of the relevant research publications together with some of the retrospective memoirs they have published in the years since the discovery of NGF was first reported.
Another history of bluegrass: The segregation of popular music in the United States, 1820–1900

(2001). Another history of bluegrass: The segregation of popular music in the United States, 1820–1900. Popular Music and Society: Vol. 25, Nineteenth‐Century American Popular Music, pp. 179-203.
The Role of Firm Characteristics in Pharmaceutical Product Launches

This paper examines the determinants of new pharmaceutical launches since 1980 in the G7 nations using discrete-time hazard models. Despite the obvious incentive to amortize the large sunk costs of drug development over many markets, entry occurs in only 4% of the opportunities. The results indicate that firm characteristics, such as domestic status and experience in the local market, are important in explaining product launches in addition to market characteristics. Also, the interaction between the innovating firm and target country is a critical component of profitability. New drugs are 1.5 times more likely to be launched in markets that share a border or a language of a drug company’s country of headquarters, even for multinational firms. The effect of competition depends on the characteristics of both the potential entrant and the incumbents: domestic entrants prefer to compete with domestic incumbents. Although this is an industry with the potential for ubiquitous licensing and low transportation costs, the specific match quality between the innovating firm and market conditions remains an important determinant of entry.
Modeling the effect of water, excavation sequence and rock reinforcement with discontinuous deformation analysis

Abstract A powerful numerical method that can be used for modeling rock-structure interaction is the discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) method developed by Shi in 1988. In this method, rock masses are treated as systems of finite and deformable blocks. Large rock mass deformations and block movements are allowed. Although various extensions of the DDA method have been proposed in the literature, the method is not capable of modeling water-block interaction, sequential loading or unloading and rock reinforcement; three features that are needed when modeling surface or underground excavation in fractured rock. This paper presents three new extensions to the DDA method. The extensions consist of hydro-mechanical coupling between rock blocks and steady water flow in fractures, sequential loading or unloading, and rock reinforcement by rockbolts, shotcrete or concrete lining. Examples of application of the DDA method with the new extensions are presented. Simulations of the underground excavation of the ‘Unju Tunnel’ in Korea were carried out to evaluate the influence of fracture flow, excavation sequence and reinforcement on the tunnel stability. The results of the present study indicate that fracture flow and improper selection of excavation sequence could have a destabilizing effect on the tunnel stability. On the other hand, reinforcement by rockbolts and shotcrete can stabilize the tunnel. It is found that, in general, the DDA program with the three new extensions can now be used as a practical tool in the design of underground structures. In particular, phases of construction (excavation, reinforcement) can now be simulated more realistically. However, the method is limited to solving two-dimensional problems.
Regenerative Simulation of Response Times in Networks of Queues

1.0 Introduction.- 2.0 Simulation of regenerative processes.- 3.0 Closed networks of queues.- 4.0 The marked job method.- 5.0 Examples and simulation results.- 6.0 Finite capacity open networks of queues.- 7.0 Marked job simulation via hitting times.- 8.0 The decomposition method.- 9.0 Efficiency of simulation.- 10.0 Networks with multiple job types.- 11.0 Implementation considerations.
Further phenotypic expansion of 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 microdeletion (Burnside-Butler) syndrome

We report a 10-year-old Caucasian male identified with copy number variation detected by microarray analysis including a maternally inherited 15q11.2 microdeletion involving 4 genes, paternally inherited 13q12.2 microdeletion with 10 genes, and a de novo 2q14.3 duplication involving four genes. He had a history of speech delay, cognitive deficits, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a posterior lenticonus cataract removed at 5 yr of age. The genes on chromosomes 2 and 13 are not known to be involved with cataract formation, which lends further support for a role of the 15q11.2 region and additional evidence for phenotypic expansion of the 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 microdeletion (termed Burnside-Butler) syndrome.
Smooth Muscle Calponin: An Unconventional CArG-Dependent Gene That Antagonizes Neointimal Formation

Objective— Smooth muscle calponin ( CNN1 ) contains multiple conserved intronic CArG elements that bind serum response factor and display enhancer activity in vitro. The objectives here were to evaluate these CArG elements for activity in transgenic mice and determine the effect of human CNN1 on injury-induced vascular remodeling. Methods and Results— Mice carrying a lacZ reporter under control of intronic CArG elements in the human CNN1 gene failed to show smooth muscle cell (SMC)-restricted activity. However, deletion of the orthologous sequences in mice abolished endogenous Cnn1 promoter activity, suggesting their necessity for in vivo Cnn1 expression. Mice carrying a 38-kb bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) harboring the human CNN1 gene displayed SMC- restricted expression of the corresponding CNN1 protein, as measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Extensive BAC recombineering studies revealed the absolute necessity of a single intronic CArG element for correct SMC-restricted expression of human CNN1. Overexpressing human CNN1 suppressed neointimal formation following arterial injury. Mice with an identical BAC carrying mutations in CArG elements that inhibit human CNN1 expression showed outward remodeling and neointimal formation. Conclusion— A single intronic CArG element is necessary but insufficient for proper CNN1 expression in vivo. CNN1 overexpression antagonizes arterial injury-induced neointimal formation.
c-Cbl-Mediated Regulation of LAT-Nucleated Signaling Complexes

The engagement of the T-cell receptor (TCR) causes the rapid recruitment of multiple signaling molecules into clusters with the TCR. Upon receptor activation, the adapters LAT and SLP-76, visualized as chimeric proteins tagged with yellow fluorescent protein, transiently associate with and then rapidly dissociate from the TCR. Previously, we demonstrated that after recruitment into signaling clusters, SLP-76 is endocytosed in vesicles via a lipid raft-dependent pathway that requires the interaction of the endocytic machinery with ubiquitylated proteins. In this study, we focus on LAT and demonstrate that signaling clusters containing this adapter are internalized into distinct intracellular compartments and dissipate rapidly upon TCR activation. The internalization of LAT was inhibited in cells expressing versions of the ubiquitin ligase c-Cbl mutated in the RING domain and in T cells from mice lacking c-Cbl. Moreover, c-Cbl RING mutant forms suppressed LAT ubiquitylation and caused an increase in cellular LAT levels, as well as basal and TCR-induced levels of phosphorylated LAT. Collectively, these data indicate that following the rapid formation of signaling complexes upon TCR stimulation, c-Cbl activity is involved in the internalization and possible downregulation of a subset of activated signaling molecules.
The Social and Political Implications of Moral Conviction

Scholars often assume that some issues globally evoke moral reactions, whether these issues are presented as moral dilemmas (e.g., trolley problems) or as controversial issues of the day (e.g., the legal status of abortion). There is considerable individual variation, however, in the degree that people report that their position on specific issues reflects a core moral conviction. This chapter reviews theory and research that explores the role moral conviction plays in predicting people's political thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Variance in moral conviction associated with specific issues has important social and political consequences, such as predicting increased political engagement (voting, willingness to engage in activism), inoculation against the usual pressures to obey authorities and the law, and greater acceptance of violent solutions to conflict. The normative implications of these and other findings are both reassuring (moral conviction can protect against obedience to potentially malevolent authorities) and terrifying (moral conviction is associated with rejection of the rule of law and can provide a motivational foundation for violent protest and acts of terrorism).
Non-destructive sources of DNA used to genotype honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens

We describe a method for genotyping honey bee queens Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), using biological materials that are normally cast off during development (larval and pupal exuviae), or can be removed without apparent damage to queen longevity or acceptability to workers (wing clippings). Highly polymorphic microsatellite loci were successfully amplified from DNA from all of these sources, although with differing degrees of success. DNA was extracted using a simple Chelex 100® boiling procedure. Four microsatellite primers were used to amplify the DNA, and the PCR products were visualized on an ALFexpress Automated Sequencer. Genotypes created from these sources were consistent with those originating from tarsal tissue. Successful retrieval and amplification of DNA from the exuviae from immature queens allows potential breeding individuals to be genotyped and selected before they become adults. This procedure may therefore have value as DNA marker-assisted breeding programs are developed for honey bees.
Entrainment by a Refrigerated Air Curtain Down a Wall

Thermal entrainment is important as it adversely affects energy consumption and evaporator humidity levels of refrigerated air curtain display cases, often at transitional Reynolds numbers. In order to get a more fundamental understanding of the mean and unsteady thermal entrainment processes, the shelf structure of a display case has been idealized to that of a plane, adiabatic wall subjected to refrigerated wall jets at laminar and transitional flow conditions. The wall jets are studied at different inflow profiles, Reynolds numbers, and Richardson numbers to investigate the effect on thermal entrainment rates. The primary simulation technique was direct numerical simulation of the Navier-Stokes equations in two dimensions for the low and moderate Reynolds numbers (though three-dimensional simulations were also conducted)
Molten poly(methyl methacrylate) under electron irradiation: Studies of depropagation and chain scission

The degradation rates of free radical polymerized and syn-diotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) under electron radiation were explored at temperatures ranging from 225 to 325°C and at electron dose rates from 10,000 rads/min to 100,000 rads/min. Scission of bonds between main-chain atoms resulted in pairs of radical chain ends, of which some disportionated, thereby reducing polymer molecular weight without loss of volatile, while others proceeded to depropagate via the usual radical transfer, causing complete volatilization of the chain without significant change of molecular weight of the residual polymer. Electron irradiation at a dose rate of 100,000 rads/min produced a significant enhancement in the reaction, rate, and reduced the overall activation energy from 140 KJ/g-mole observed for thermally induced depropagation to a value of 75 KJ/g-mole observed during simultaneous irradiation and/thermal depropagation.
Enhanced Endocytosis and Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Activity of Anti-rev Antibodies after Cationization

Transmembrane transport and endocytosis of antibodies is facilitated by cationization, when the isoelectric point of the antibody is raised to the cationic range. The present studies describe the preparation of affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies directed against a 16-amino acid synthetic peptide corresponding to amino acids 35-50 of the 116-amino acid rev protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The concentration of cationized anti-rev35-50 antibody that results in 50% binding to the rev epitope, based on results with an immunoradiometric assay, also results in a statistically significant 37% inhibition of HIV-1 replication in human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The cationized antibodies caused no measurable toxicity to the cells, on the basis of [3H]thymidine incorporation. These studies demonstrate that cationization results in enhanced endocytosis of the antibody and enhanced inhibition of HIV-1 replication, consistent with intracellular immunization of the rev protein.
Increased amplification efficiency of microchip-based PCR by dynamic surface passivation

Surface passivation is critical for effective PCR using silicon-glass chips. We tested a dynamic polymer-based surface passivation method. Polyethylene glycol 8000 (PEG 8000) or polyvinylpyrrolidone 40 (PVP-40) applied at 0.75% (w/v) in the reaction mixture produced significant surface passivation effects using either native or SiO2-precoated silicon-glass chips. PCR amplification was achieved from human genomic DNA as a template as well as from human lymphocytes. The dynamic surface passivation effect of PEG 8000 remained similar under both conditions. Dynamic surface passivation offers a simple and cost-effective method to make microfabricated silicon-glass chips PCR friendly. It can also be used in combination with static passivation (silicon oxide surface layer) to further improve PCR performance using silicon-glass PCR chips.
Role of PTP-1B in aortic smooth muscle cell motility and tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion proteins.

Recent studies have focused attention on the role of protein tyrosine kinases in vascular smooth muscle cell biology, but similar information regarding protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTP) is sparse. PTP-1B is a ubiquitous nonreceptor phosphatase with uncertain function and substrates that are mostly unidentified. We used antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) against PTP-1B to investigate the role of endogenous PTP-1B in motility of primary cultures of rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMC). Antisense ODN decreased PTP-1B protein levels and activity in a concentration-dependent fashion, whereas sense, scrambled, or three-base mismatch antisense ODN had little or no effect. Treatment of cells with antisense ODN, but not sense, scrambled, or three-base mismatch antisense ODN, enhanced cell motility and increased tyrosine phosphorylation levels of focal adhesion proteins paxillin, p130 cas , and focal adhesion kinase. Our findings indicate that PTP-1B is a negative regulator of RASMC motility via modulation of phosphotyrosine levels in several focal adhesion proteins and suggest the involvement of PTP-1B in events such as atherosclerosis and restenosis, which are associated with increased vascular smooth muscle cell motility.
Radiosurgery for Arteriovenous Malformations

Radiosurgery became widely used and accepted due to its remarkable results on the treatment of previously unresectable arteriovenous malformations (Hosobuchi 1987; Kjellberg et al. 1983; Steiner 1972). The work of the pioneers was repeated, confirmed, and expanded bringing better understanding of dose (Karlsson et al. 1997; Pedroso et al. 2004), volume (Ellis et al. 1998), brain eloquence (Pollock et al. 2004), angioarchitecture (Yuki et al. 2010), fractions of radiation (Lindvall et al. 2003; Veznedaroglu et al. 2004; Xiao et al. 2010), and staged treatment (Sirin et al. 2006). Diverse techniques have been used; allowing the challenge of previously established dogmas generated by technical limitations such as radiation field size, imaging resolution and modality, and finally the possibility of effectively, logistically, and precisely taking advantage of established radiobiology knowledge. This chapter objectively summarizes important developments in arteriovenous malformation (AVM) radiosurgery using the established dose/volume knowledge and pushing the envelope to take advantage of novel technologies that improved conformality and homogeneity of radiation volumes to tackle previously untreatable arteriovenous malformations.
Buckle Your Chinstrap: Why Youth, High School, and College Football Should Adopt the NFL’s ConcussionManagement Policies and Procedures

II. CONCUSSION OVERVIEW 804 A. Medical Diagnosis of a Concussion 805 B. A Brief History of Concussions in Football and Beyond 805 C. NFL Rule Changes over Time 807 D. The Failures of the Initial MTBI Committee 807 E. Commissioner Goodell’s Push for a Safer Game 808
Backscatter-Modulation Constellation for Full-Duplex Wireless Communication

In this paper, we consider two nodes that wish to communicate through wireless channels simultaneously at the same frequency. Our concept is based on backscatter modulation (BM), where electromagnetic waves are modulated and reflected by the same antenna that receives them. The base-station transmits a signal by varying amplitude and phase of the carrier wave. The end-user reflects the same signal with a new message modulated onto the received waveform. In this paper, we investigate different backscatter modulation constellations adequate for the full-duplex wireless communication system. Formulation for ASK, PSK and QAM 16 modulation, backscatter modulation and demodulation will be explored.
Navigating Gendered Terrain: Stereotypes and Strategy in Political Campaigns by Kelly DittmarThe Changing Face of Representation: The Gender of U.S. Senators and Constituent Communications by Kim L. Fridkin and Patrick J. Kenney

Even in the 21st century and in the wake of Hillary Clinton’s historic 2008 run for president, as these two books show, gender still plays a role in political communications and messaging. In Navig...
The first amphisbaenians from Texas, with notes on other squamates from the middle Eocene Purple Bench locality

ABSTRACTThe shift to a cooler and drier climate through the Paleogene has been interpreted as the driver for changes in diversity and biogeographic distributions among mammalian taxa during the Eocene, leading to hypotheses of continued tropical climatic refugia in West Texas through the middle and late Eocene. However, the presence of ectothermic reptiles during that time has not been documented in detail and would potentially provide additional climatic indicators. We provide the first description of the herpetofauna from the Devil's Graveyard Formation (DGF), West Texas, the southernmost, well-sampled middle Eocene basin in North America. Specimens are derived from beds correlated with the Ui3 biochron of the late Uintan North American Land Mammal ‘Age’ (∼45–40 Ma). We report the first amphisbaenians known from Texas, expanding our spatial and climatic understanding of rhineurid distribution, as well as the first glyptosaurine anguimorphs and alethinophidian snakes from the Purple Bench assemblage. The...
The effect of rights-based fisheries management on risk taking and fishing safety.

Commercial fishing is a dangerous occupation despite decades of regulatory initiatives aimed at making it safer. We posit that rights-based fisheries management (the individual allocation of fishing quota to vessels or fishing entities, also called catch shares) can improve safety by solving many of the problems associated with the competitive race to fish experienced in fisheries around the world. The competitive nature of such fisheries results in risky behavior such as fishing in poor weather, overloading vessels with fishing gear, and neglecting maintenance. Although not necessarily intended to address safety issues, catch shares eliminate many of the economic incentives to fish as rapidly as possible. We develop a dataset and methods to empirically evaluate the effects of the adoption of catch shares management on a particularly risky type of behavior: the propensity to fish in stormy weather. After catch shares was implemented in an economically important US West Coast fishery, a fisherman’s probability of taking a fishing trip in high wind conditions decreased by 82% compared with only 31% in the former race to fish fishery. Overall, catch shares caused the average annual rate of fishing on high wind days to decrease by 79%. These results are evidence that institutional changes can significantly reduce individual, voluntary risk exposure and result in safer fisheries.
ADEM: Age at Onset and Neuropsychological Outcome

The influence of age at onset of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) on cognitive, educational, and social functioning was evaluated in 19 children (10 < 5 years of age) admitted to the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
Aerosol deposition in the human lung in reduced gravity.

Abstract The deposition of aerosol in the human lung occurs mainly through a combination of inertial impaction, gravitational sedimentation, and diffusion. For 0.5- to 5-μm-diameter particles and resting breathing conditions, the primary mechanism of deposition in the intrathoracic airways is sedimentation, and therefore the fate of these particles is markedly affected by gravity. Studies of aerosol deposition in altered gravity have mostly been performed in humans during parabolic flights in both microgravity (μG) and hypergravity (∼1.6G), where both total deposition during continuous aerosol mouth breathing and regional deposition using aerosol bolus inhalations were performed with 0.5- to 3-μm particles. Although total deposition increased with increasing gravity level, only peripheral deposition as measured by aerosol bolus inhalations was strongly dependent on gravity, with central deposition (lung depth<200 mL) being similar between gravity levels. More recently, the spatial distribution of coarse p...
The male of Tabanus exilipalpis Stone (Diptera, Tabanidae) and brief notes on the female

Stone (1938) described Tabanus exilipalpis from a female taken at Beaufort, S.C., 25 May 1912, by A. H. Jennings. No additional specimens were available until very recently. Specimens are now available from Tenn. and Miss., as well as S.C. Examination of a series of females illustrated the following features not noted in the original description: median callus ranges from a narrow line to a broad line that may be as much as one-third width of frons, usually narrowly joined to basal callus and may be united with or isolated from extensive denuded area near vertex; narrow middorsal stripe of abdomen typically widened at posterior of segments 2-4; sublateral spots of second abdominal segment often reaching hind margin, those of succeeding segments isolated; usually at least a faint, irregular, yellowish-brown, midventral stripe on abdomen.
Plasticity modeling of liquefaction effects under sloping ground and irregular cyclic loading conditions

Abstract The formulation of the constitutive model PM4Sand [7] is modified to improve simulations of liquefaction-induced deformations of sloping ground subjected to uniform and irregular cyclic loading. Existing laboratory test data on the response of liquefiable sand under sloping ground conditions subjected to uniform cyclic loading are reviewed and additional experimental data from undrained cyclic direct simple shear (DSS) tests of liquefiable sand under sloping ground conditions subjected to irregular cyclic loading are presented. The previous version of the PM4Sand model (Version 2) and its limitations in modeling liquefaction effects in sloping ground with uniform and irregular cyclic loading are described. Evidence from the laboratory tests show that it is the effect of loading history on the dilation and stiffness characteristics of the response that is not properly captured by Version 2 of the model. The modifications made in Version 3 include a revised dependency of dilation and plastic modulus on the fabric tensor and its history. These modifications are introduced using irregular cyclic DSS test results to illustrate the motivations for the changes in the constitutive equations. Finally, two examples of calibration are presented: one against a specific laboratory test result for a single sand and one against an engineering correlation describing trends observed for many sands across a broader range of relative densities, confining stresses, and loading conditions. The updated formulation in Version 3 of the model is shown to better approximate liquefaction behaviors for sloping ground and irregular cyclic loading conditions.
Reducible Micelleplexes are Stable Systems for Anti-miRNA Delivery in Cerebrospinal Fluid

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and other central nervous system (CNS) cancers have poor long-term prognosis, and there is a significant need for improved treatments. GBM initiation and progression are mediated, in part, by microRNA (miRNA), which are endogenous posttranscriptional gene regulators. Misregulation of miRNAs is a potential target for therapeutic intervention in GBM. In this work, a micelle-like nanoparticle delivery system based upon the block copolymer poly(ethylene glycol-b-lactide-b-arginine) was designed with and without a reducible linkage between the lactide and RNA-binding peptide, R15, to assess the ability of the micelle-like particles to disassemble. Using confocal live cell imaging, intracellular dissociation was pronounced for the reducible micelleplexes. This dissociation was also supported by higher efficiency in a dual luciferase assay specific for the miRNA of interest, miR-21. Notably, micelleplexes were found to have significantly better stability and higher anti-miRNA activi...
Enhancements in hepatobiliary imaging: the spectrum of gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid usages in hepatobiliary magnetic resonance imaging

Gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) is a unique hepatocyte-specific contrast agent approved for clinical use in the United States in 2008. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MR has shown to improve detection and characterization of hepatic lesions. Gd-EOB-DTPA is now being routinely used in daily clinical practice worldwide. Therefore, it is important for radiologists to be familiar with the potential uses and pitfalls of Gd-EOB-DTPA, which extends beyond the assessment of focal hepatic lesions. The purpose of this article is to review the various usages of Gd-EOB-DTPA in hepatobiliary MR imaging.
Time trends in risk factors and clinical outcome of ectopic pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy (EP) admissions at The Johns Hopkins Hospital were reviewed for 160 patients admitted from 1970 to 1974 and 253 patients from 1980 to 1984. Over the decade, average annual admissions for EP increased by 64%, and a higher proportion of cases in 1980 to 1984 were unmarried women with no insurance coverage. There were significant increases in cases with a history of sexually transmitted diseases (from 19.1% to 31.6%) and in recurrent EPs (7.6% to 19.0%) but declines in EP associated with contraceptive failures. Newer diagnostic techniques such as quantitative serum human chorionic gonadotropin assays, pelvic ultrasound, and laparoscopy were more frequently used in the 1980 to 1984 period, resulting in less severe morbidity on admission, more conservative surgical management, and reduced length of hospitalization. Thus, although admissions for EP have increased, the severity of illness has been reduced by earlier diagnosis and more conservative management.
Initiated chemical vapor deposited nanoadhesive for bonding National Ignition Facility's targets

Currently, the target fabrication scientists in National Ignition Facility Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is studying the propagation force resulted from laser impulses impacting a target. To best study this, they would like the adhesive used to glue the target substrates to be as thin as possible. The main objective of this research project is to create adhesive glue bonds for NIF’s targets that are ≤ 1 μm thick. Polyglycidylmethacrylate (PGMA) thin films were coated on various substrates using initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD). Film quality studies using white light interferometry reveal that the iCVD PGMA films were smooth. The coated substrates were bonded at 150 °C under vacuum, with low inflow of Nitrogen. Success in bonding most of NIF’s mock targets at thicknesses ≤ 1 μm indicates that our process is feasible in bonding the real targets. Key parameters that are required for successful bonding were concluded from the bonding results. They include inert bonding atmosphere, sufficient contact between the PGMA films, and smooth substrates. Average bond strength of 0.60 MPa was obtained from mechanical shearing tests. The bonding failure mode of the sheared interfaces was observed to be cohesive. Future work on this project will includemore » reattempt to bond silica aerogel to iCVD PGMA coated substrates, stabilize carbon nanotube forests with iCVD PGMA coating, and kinetics study of PGMA thermal crosslinking.« less
Use of a positional therapy device significantly improves nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux symptoms

The aim of this study was to measure the efficacy of a positional therapy device (PTD) at reducing proton pump inhibitor (PPI) refractory nocturnal GERD symptoms. Among patients with GERD, nocturnal symptoms are very common. A recent study demonstrated a decrease in nocturnal acid exposure and reflux episodes in healthy volunteers who slept using a PTD. This is a single-center prospective trial involving patients on anti-secretory medications with continued nocturnal heartburn and regurgitation. Patients completed the Nocturnal GERD Symptom Severity and Impact Questionnaire (N-GSSIQ) and GERD health-related quality of life questionnaire (GERD-HRQL) at enrollment. Patients were instructed to sleep on the PTD for at least 6 hours a night during the two week study period; subjects continued their baseline anti-secretory medication dose. After 2 weeks, the questionnaires were repeated. A total of 27 patients (16 females and 11 males; age 57.8 ± 15.1) were recruited. After 2 weeks of PTD use, N-GSSIQ scores significantly improved from baseline, with a mean total score improvement of 39.5 (mean 57.7 [pre] vs. 18.2 [post], P < 0.001). Significant improvement from baseline was also observed for the GERD-HRQL questionnaire (29.8 vs. 16.7, P < 0.001). No adverse events were reported. At 3 months after the trial period, 91% of the subjects continued to use the PTD on a nightly basis. Use of the PTD significantly decreased nocturnal GERD symptoms and improved GERD-HRQL. The PTD was well tolerated during the study period and for 3 months after enrollment.
Attitudes of Business College Faculty and Administrators toward Graduate-Level Distance Education: A National Survey

Distance education as a means of delivering educational services is growing rapidly in the United States and around the world. Although there are several studies that have examined the attitudes of faculty toward distance education, most have focused on the baccalaureate level of education. This study examined the attitudes of business college faculty and administrators toward distance education at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels of instruction via a national survey.
GENERALIZED VORTEX METHODS FOR STRATIFIED LAYERED FLOWS

Vortex methods have been developed for the study of incompressible, inviscid flow. They are particularly useful if the vorticity is confined to regions of small volume. When the fluid is stratified however, vorticity is created baronclinically and only if the density gradient is confined to the regions of small volume, will the vorticity also be so. There are many important cases where this holds true, such as the motion of interfaces or free surfaces. This paper will describe how vortex methods may be generalized to study stratified flows.
Effect of temperature on ion transport in nanofiltration membranes: Diffusion, convection and electromigration

Abstract Nanofiltration performance as a function of feed temperature is relevant to several industrial settings including pretreatment for scale control in thermal desalination. Understanding of solute transport as a function of temperature is critical for effective membrane and system design. In this study, nanofiltration is modeled at 22, 40 and 50 °C using the Donnan Steric Pore Model with dielectric exclusion (DSPM-DE). This modeling includes the temperature dependence of the three modes of solute transport, namely the convective, electromigrative, and diffusive modes, and the three mechanisms of solute exclusion, namely Donnan, steric, and dielectric exclusion. The effect of temperature is captured through the variation of membrane parameters and solvent and ionic mobilities with temperature. We compare the most abundant ionic compound in natural water, sodium-chloride with magnesium-chloride to portray how the salt passage and rejection change for a 1:1 salt compared to a 2:1 salt, and we analyze Arabian Gulf seawater to understand how rejection of scale-forming ions, such as Mg2 + and Ca2 +, is affected by feed temperature. In all cases, solute transport increases with temperature, attributed predominantly to the cumulative effect of membrane parameters and only to a small extent (up to 5%) to the solvent viscosity and ion diffusivity together.
Performance of the buffered leaky bucket policing mechanism

Policing mechanisms have been proposed as a preventive congestion control mechanism for high-speed networks. These mechanisms are designed to prevent sources from submitting excess traffic into the network, and causing congestion conditions which might adversely affect the quality of service for other connections in the network. In this paper, we examine the efficacy of the leaky bucket policing mechanism through the analysis of the mean and squared coefficient of variation of the interdeparture time of cells from the leaky bucket, assuming that the arrival process is a two-state MMBP. We show that the leaky bucket can either be configured to restrict the mean rate or the burstiness of the excess traffic, but not both simultaneously. We also provide new insights into the relationship between cell loss and the burstiness of the traffic which passes through the leaky bucket when a source attempts to submit excess traffic.
Wang Yangming as a Virtue Ethicist

Three ideas are implicit in the title of this essay. To begin with, it is constructive to view Wang Yangming 王陽明 (1472–1529), widely acknowledged as the most influential Confucian thinker of the Ming dynasty, as a virtue ethicist. Second, because Wang has much in common with many other Neo-Confucian philosophers, the Neo-Confucian approach to ethics quite generally can be fruitfully understood as a type of virtue ethics. If this is true, then a third idea also follows, namely that Western virtue ethicists should pay attention to Wang and to Neo-Confucian philosophy, because here is a new (to the Western philosophers) source of thinking about ethics from which they may well have things to learn.