cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimization in oilfield water injection system based on algorithm of ant colony-particle swarm method

This paper presented an algorithm of ant colony-particle swarm to solve the optimization problem of oilfield water system.For the shortcomings of particle swarm algorithm,this paper has made a corresponding improvement to improve the global searching capability.Under the requirements of actual oil field water injection system service,this algorithm is used to solve this optimization problem of oilfield water system,and verified the feasibility of this algorithm.
Use, complications, and costs of stereotactic body radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer

BACKGROUND Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for localized prostate cancer has potential advantages over traditional radiotherapies. Herein, the authors compared national trends in use, complications, and costs of SBRT with those of traditional radiotherapies. METHODS The authors identified men who underwent SBRT, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), brachytherapy, and proton beam therapy as primary treatment of prostate cancer between 2004 and 2011 from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER)-Medicare linked data. Temporal trend of therapy use was assessed using the Cochran-Armitage test. Two-year outcomes were compared using the chi-square test. Median treatment costs were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS A total of 542 men received SBRT, 9647 received brachytherapy, 23,408 received IMRT, and 800 men were treated with proton beam therapy. There was a significant increase in the use of SBRT and proton beam therapy (P<.001), whereas brachytherapy use decreased (P<.001). A higher percentage of patients treated with SBRT and brachytherapy had low-grade cancer (Gleason score ≤ 6 vs ≥ 7) compared with individuals treated with IMRT and proton beam therapy (54.0% and 64.2% vs 35.2% and 49.6%, respectively; P<.001). SBRT compared with brachytherapy and IMRT was associated with equivalent gastrointestinal toxicity but more erectile dysfunction at 2-year follow-up (P<.001). SBRT was associated with more urinary incontinence compared with IMRT and proton beam therapy but less compared with brachytherapy (P<.001, respectively). The median cost of SBRT was $27,145 compared with $17,183 for brachytherapy, $37,090 for IMRT, and $54,706 for proton beam therapy (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS The use of SBRT and proton beam therapy for localized prostate cancer has increased over time. Despite men of lower disease stage undergoing SBRT, SBRT was found to be associated with greater toxicity but lower health care costs compared with IMRT and proton beam therapy. Cancer 2016;122:2496–504. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
A Safe, Simple and Reliable Method for Percutaneous (Closed) Renal Biopsies in Children: Results in 100 Consecutive Patients

A safe, simple and reliable technique for percutaneous renal biopsy in children has been described. Specimens adequate for pathologic interpretation were obtained in 97 patients. Significant complications (gross hematuria lasting more than 36 hours, severe pain, perirenal mass or unexplained fever) occurred in 8 patients. No secondary operations or transfusions were required. No mortailty or late complications occurred.
The effect of parotid salivary flow rate on the levels of salivary antimicrobial proteins in patients with Sjögren's syndrome.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of salivary flow rate on the levels of antimicrobial salivary proteins in 24 patients with Sjogren's syndrome and 22 age- and race-matched healthy control subjects. METHOD AND MATERIALS Parameters examined included stimulated salivary flow rate, total salivary protein, lactoferrin, lysozyme, amylase, and secretory immunoglobulin A. RESULTS The mean total salivary protein and the mean salivary amylase were significantly greater in patients than in controls. However, no significant difference was observed in the mean stimulated salivary flow rates or the levels of lactoferrin, lysozyme, or secretory immunoglobulin A of patients and controls. To examine the effect of salivary flow rate on the levels of salivary antimicrobial protein, the levels of these proteins in patients with salivary flow rate of or = 0.4 mL/min per gland. Analyses showed the levels of lactoferrin to be significantly higher among patients than among controls. CONCLUSION The levels of salivary amylase and lactoferrin may be influenced by the levels of salivary output in patients with Sjogren's syndrome. The relationship between salivary flow rate and the levels of amylase and lactoferrin is not clear at the present time.
Nursing Implications for the Management of Lymphatic Malformation in Children

Lymphatic malformation (LM) is a benign congenital childhood growth that presents primarily at birth, with the remainder becoming evident by age 2 years. LM can cause devastating complications such as respiratory failure, dyspnea, dysphagia, organ compression, and nerve compression. Surgery is the preferred treatment option, although resection is not always an option due to the anatomic location of the malformation. Other treatments that have been tried with success include sclerotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, propranolol, and sirolimus. Nurses have an important role in caring for the child with LM, as with any complex disease. Nurses provide care at the bedside, education to the family, case coordination, and psychosocial support. LM is a rare disease in infancy necessitating pediatric nurses to support families through prolonged treatments and potential complications.
High Performance Platinum Group Metal-Free Cathode Catalysts for Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC)

© The Author(s) 2016. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode is usually the limiting step in microbial fuel cells and improvements have to be done to increase the performances and reduce the cost. For the first time, iron-based catalysts were synthesized utilizing the polymerization-pyrolysis method and tested successfully in neutral media and in working microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The catalysts were synthesized using polymerization, salt formation, mixed with iron salt and pyrolyzed at 850°C (PABA-850) and 950°C (PABA- 950) respectively. To study the kinetics, electro-activity of the catalysts was investigated using rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE). Results showed that PABA-850 had higher catalytic activity compared to that of PABA-950. Both Fe-catalysts had much better activity compared to activated carbon (AC) used as a baseline. Catalysts were then integrated into air breathing cathodes (loading 1 mg cm-2) and tested in single chamber MFC. The power peak obtained was 178 ± 3 μWcm-2 for PABA-850. Comparable power was produced from PABA-950 (173 ± 3 μWcm-2). AC power output was 131 ± 4 μWcm-2 that was roughly 40% lower compared to Fe-based catalysts. Those results demonstrated that the addition of platinum group metal free (PGM-free) catalysts increased the output of the MFCs substantially. Fe-based catalysts seem to be suitable for large-scale MFC applications.
Covariate balancing propensity score for a continuous treatment: Application to the efficacy of political advertisements

Propensity score matching and weighting are popular methods when estimating causal effects in observational studies. Beyond the assumption of unconfoundedness, however, these methods also require the model for the propensity score to be correctly specified. The recently proposed covariate balancing propensity score (CBPS) methodology increases the robustness to model misspecification by directly optimizing sample covariate balance between the treatment and control groups. In this paper, we extend the CBPS to a continuous treatment. We propose the covariate balancing generalized propensity score (CBGPS) methodology, which minimizes the association between covariates and the treatment. We develop both parametric and nonparametric approaches and show their superior performance over the standard maximum likelihood estimation in a simulation study. The CBGPS methodology is applied to an observational study, whose goal is to estimate the causal effects of political advertisements on campaign contributions. We also provide open-source software that implements the proposed methods.
Children’s Beliefs about Miracles

The goal of the present study was to assess the nature and development of children’s concepts of miracles — their understanding of what miracles are, their beliefs in miracles, and their use of miracles as an explanatory device. A total of 36 7–12-year-old children attending an Episcopal school were given a combination of tasks and structured interview questions. Parents filled out a family religiosity questionnaire. Results revealed multi-faceted conceptions of miracles, along with a high level of belief, and indicated that children considered miracles an effective explanatory construct. We apply these findings to the general question of how children learn to explain their world.
Captive Bred, Adult Giant Clams Survive Restoration in the Wild in Seychelles, Indian Ocean

Coral reef restoration focuses on scleractinian corals, excluding other groups that provide structural complexity to these threatened ecosystems. Giant clams share the role of ecosystem engineers alongside corals in the Indo-Pacific, but overfishing has caused widespread local extinctions. Aquaculture reduces pressure on wild populations and captive bred juveniles have been used to restore extinct populations. However, giant clam restoration has not been attempted before with adults until now. A total of 150 captive bred, adult giant clams (Tridacna maxima), 4-10 years old, shell length 99-198 mm, were relocated to a healthy reef (control site) and a restored reef (treatment site) at a coral reef restoration project in Seychelles, Indian Ocean, in two sequential experiments. The first experiment started in April (calm season, NW Monsoon), deployed 30 clams, 15 per site at 12 m depth, and lasted 20 weeks. The second experiment started in June (rough season, SE Monsoon), deployed 120 clams, 60 per site at 6 m and 12 m depth, and lasted 11 weeks. T. maxima were measured and double tagged with glue-on shellfish tags prior to deployment. Survival was monitored weekly or biweekly depending on weather conditions. Remote GoPro video cameras confirmed the transplanted T. maxima displayed normal behavior. Survival rates from Kaplan-Meier curves were 3.3 % to 66.7 %. Median survival time was 2 weeks to more than 20 weeks. T. maxima survived 2.5 to 6 times longer at the treatment site than at the control site in both experiments. T. maxima mortality was a combination of transplant season, predators, byssal re-attachment and wave swells. In the first experiment, mortality was due to octopus predation and 1.8 times higher at the control site than at the treatment site. The control site was an older reef with more octopus dens resulting in higher predation. T. maxima transplanted in April had one month to re-attach before the rough season started, but those transplanted in June were mostly dislodged by wave swells. These results show captive bred, adult T. maxima survive restoration in the wild. The potential synergy of jointly restoring corals and giant clams in the Indo-Pacific region is
Using nurse managers' perceptions to guide new graduates toward positive nurse relationships

One of the greatest challenges new graduates confront when transitioning to practice is establishing positive relationships with experienced nurses. Nursing faculty must prepare graduates for this challenge. However, nursing faculty are often removed from everyday practice and must rely on the perceptions of those entrenched in practice in order to ground teaching endeavors in authenticity. Nurse managers are well positioned to provide knowledgeable insights to nursing faculty regarding nurse relationships. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive study was to explore nurse managers' perceptions regarding new graduates' relationships with more experienced nurses. Researcher-participant audiotaped interviews were conducted with 13 nurse managers. A content analysis revealed that all participants believed nurse relationships were significant, that factors such as perceived inequities and stressful occurrences triggered poor relationships, that new graduates were often targeted for negative relationships, and that reasons for targeting of new graduates included prolonged dependence on experienced nurses and either over or under confidence of the new graduate. Providing a supportive, protective environment and hiring practices that promote team unity were posed as strategies that could help to prevent targeting of new graduates. Findings provide real-life, practice based information that can underpin nurse educators' teaching regarding nurse relationships and relationship building.
Subtotal Colectomy with Ileostomy and Hartmann’s Pouch

Subtotal colectomy with ileostomy and Hartmann’s pouch creation may be required as surgical treatment for lower gastrointestinal bleeding, ischemia, intractable colitis, or toxic megacolon. It is typically used in emergency situations when the patient has failed medical management or is not amenable to nonsurgical management for one of the above diagnoses and when primary anastomosis is inadvisable. Special care should be taken to protect the duodenum and right ureter during mobilization of the right colon and the left ureter and spleen during mobilization of the splenic flexure and left colon. The length of the Hartmann’s pouch will be determined based on the nature of the disease but is typically at the rectosigmoid junction. Creation of the ileostomy is matured in a Brooke fashion with a good profile. This chapter describes indications, essential steps, variations, and complications of this procedure. It provides a detailed template operative note for the procedure.
A phase I/II randomized trial of clofarabine or fludarabine added to idarubicin and cytarabine for adults with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

The purine nucleoside analogues clofarabine and fludarabine are active in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We conducted a phase I/II randomized study of idarubicin and cytarabine with either clofarabine (CIA) or fludarabine (FIA) for relapsed or refractory AML. Clofarabine 15 mg/m2 was identified as the recommended phase II dose. Eighty-one patients were assigned using adaptive randomization to CIA (n = 48) or FIA (n = 33). The complete response (CR)/CR without platelet recovery rate did not differ between CIA and FIA (38% versus 30%, respectively; p = .50). In both arms, more than half of patients who had received only one prior line of therapy achieved remission. The median event-free survival for CIA and FIA was 2.0 and 1.9 months (p = .48), and the median overall survival was 6.3 and 4.7 months, respectively (p = .28). No significant differences in adverse events or early mortality rates were observed. Overall, CIA and FIA resulted in similar response rates and survival in patients with relapsed/refractory AML.
The let-7 microrna reduces tumor growth in mouse models of lung cancer

LB-194 Lung cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer worldwide and accounts for the most cancer deaths. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-protein coding RNAs that have recently emerged as important regulators of gene expression and direct proper cellular growth, differentiation and cell death - all mechanisms that go awry in cancer. The let-7 miRNA is postulated to function as a tumor suppressor gene in a variety of human tissues, particularly in the lung, by negatively regulating the post-transcriptional expression of multiple oncogenes including RAS, MYC, and HMGA2, as well as other cell cycle progression genes. Here we have used both in vitro and in vivo approaches to show that let-7 directly represses cancer growth in the lung. We show that let-7 inhibits the growth of multiple human lung cancer cell lines in culture, as well as the growth of lung cancer cell xenografts in immunodeficient mice. Using the established Lox-Stop-Lox K-ras mouse lung cancer model, we find that intranasal let-7 administration can reduce tumor formation in vivo in the lungs of animals expressing a G12D activating mutation for the K-ras oncogene. These findings support the notion that let-7 functions as a tumor suppressor in the lung and indicates that this miRNA could be used as a therapeutic agent to treat lung cancer.
Connector, Catalyst and Common Good: Defining the Academic Library of the 21st Century

Clearly articulating how an academic library inspires and transforms teaching, learning and research is critical for library leadership. Conveying the library’s deep expertise throughout the knowledge lifecycle (discovery, use, creation, and sharing) and demonstrating its ability to provide solutions to information problems are core to what an academic library brings to campus collaborations. At the University of Minnesota, the Health Sciences Libraries have developed a “Space as a Service” model of collaboration that positions them as a vital component of a larger Interprofessional Learning and Education Center within the University’s Academic Health Center. We describe and discuss six fundamental principles that guide our vision of an academic library as a Connector, Catalyst, Common Good and Service-Rich Environment, and offer a template for applying this model to a range of disciplines.
Rates and Predictors of Conversion to Open Surgery During Minimally Invasive Radical Cystectomy.

Abstract Objective: To assess the frequency of minimally invasive radical cystectomy (MIRC) conversion to open surgery, what factors influence conversion, whether or not the benefits of MIRC vs ope...
Modeling, case studies, and optimization methods for building energy systems

The current issue of the Science and Technology for the Built Environment presents 10 articles that cover a wide range of topics: From measuring heat gain values of office equipment to modeling pha...
Will the financial fragility of retirees increase

Retirees have long been considered financially fragile. The notion that they are ill-equipped to absorb financial shocks is captured in the traditional trope that they live on fixed incomes. Going forward, retirees will get much less income from fixed Social Security and employer pensions, and much more from savings in 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). These savings give retirees greater flexibility to respond to shocks. But tapping into their nest eggs comes at the cost of having fewer resources to cover ongoing expenses. The increased dependence on financial assets also introduces new sources of risk—that households accumulate too little over their working years or draw down their savings too quickly in retirement, and their finances increasingly are exposed to financial market downturns. To the extent these changes increase the financial fragility of retirees, they create new challenges that must be addressed.
Justified Suits or Jilted Brides – An Analysis of the Illinois Breach of Promise Act and the Case of Buttitta v. Salerno

Most of us have heard the old adage, “hell hath no fury like a scorned woman.” Ask most young women what they dream about when they imagine their wedding day and most will describe for you a day filled with flowers, a white dress, pretty shoes, and a band – usually outdoors, on a beach, at a country club, or a banquet hall. If poised with the question of “what would you do if your fiance called off the wedding,” many things may come to a woman’s mind – for Dominique Buttitta, a former bride-to-be from Macedonia, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, taking her ex-fiance, Vito Salerno, to court was at the top of her list. When Vito broke off the engagement, Dominique, an attorney herself, may have taken some comfort in the fact she resided in Illinois, one of the twenty-two (22) states remaining, of the fifty United States (U.S.), that still allows jilted brides-to-be to sue under a form of a “breach of promise to marry” act.In Illinois, that act is currently known as literally that – Illinois’s Breach of Promise Act – although it has only been known by that name, or in fact even existed as a law on the books, since 1947. Prior to 1947, Illinois brides had to sue under Illinois’ common law action for a breach of a promise to marry. Due to rampant abuse of the common law action, in 1935 the Illinois legislature passed the “Heart Balm Act” which made it “unlawful” for a woman to sue her ex-fiance under the formerly known common law action for breach of a promise to marry. Despite the growing decline in popularity nationally around this same time, Illinois’ Heart Balm statute was challenged and deemed unconstitutional under the Illinois Constitution in the 1946 decision of Heck v. Schupp.In reaction to the Heck decision, the Illinois Legislature passed Illinois’s Breach of Promise Act, a much more restricted version of the prior cause of action under the common law. This restricted version passed constitutional muster in Smith v. Hill and has remained unchallenged and codified under Illinois law ever since. In the past two decades only a handful of opinions were dedicated to the discussion of a cause of action under the Act. Despite this statute’s largely unused status, this did not keep Miss Buttitta from filing suit under it on December 10, 2010, seeking over $95,000 in damages.
Investigation on heat-affected zone hydrogen-induced cracking of high-strength naval steels using the Granjon implant test

The implant test was used to study the heat-affected zone (HAZ) hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) susceptibility of a recently developed blast-resistant steel BlastAlloy 160 (BA-160) and two existing naval steels, HY-100 and HSLA-100. It was found that the coarse-grained HAZ (CGHAZ) is the most susceptible to HIC in the entire HAZ. Therefore, phase transformation behavior in the CGHAZ was investigated and continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagrams for the CGHAZ of the three steels were developed. The new BA-160 steel was compared with the current steels HY-100 and HSLA-100 with respect to inherent resistance to HIC and sensitivity to diffusible hydrogen level based on the implant test results. Fracture surfaces of the implant specimens were also studied, which supports the implant test results when comparing the three steels. Different performance of the three steels is a result of the formation of different microstructures in the CGHAZ. In addition, the effect of welding parameters on reducing HIC tendency of BA-160 was studied using the implant test, providing recommendations for welding BA-160 when HIC is a big concern.
AUTOSURF: A Freely Available Program To Construct Potential Energy Surfaces

The potential energy surface (PES) of a molecular system constitutes a cornerstone for nearly every theoretical study of spectroscopy and dynamics. We present here AUTOSURF, our freely distributed code for the automated construction of PESs. This first release treats van der Waals systems composed of two rigid fragments. A version for reactive systems with up to five atoms is under development. The AUTOSURF suite is designed to completely automate all of the steps and procedures that go into fitting various classes of PESs and facilitates certain PES refinements aimed toward specific applications in spectroscopy and dynamics. The algorithms are based on a local interpolating moving least-squares methodology and have many advanced features such as iterative refinement and symmetry recognition. The code interfaces to popular electronic structure codes such as MOLPRO and GAUSSIAN to automatically generate ab initio PESs and is well-suited for treating highly anisotropic interactions which are challenging for traditional quadrature type expansions. The niche of these algorithms is to obtain an interpolative representation of high-level electronic energies with negligible (arbitrarily small) fitting error, requiring minimal human supervision in the entire process of selection, computation, and fitting of the ab initio data. The code is designed to run in parallel on Linux-based machines ranging from small workstations to large high-performance computing clusters.
Evaluation of a modified outpatient model for using propranolol to treat infantile hemangiomas.

BACKGROUND For infantile hemangiomas requiring treatment, existing recommendations advise initiation of propranolol followed by a 2-hour period of blood pressure and heart rate monitoring, resulting in prolonged office visits for both families and clinicians. OBJECTIVES In order to reduce visit times, we evaluate our current practice of at-home or in-office propranolol administration followed by in-office vital sign monitoring. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 157 patients with infantile hemangiomas (IH) who initiated propranolol under this outpatient protocol. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were obtained at a baseline visit and 1-2 hours after initial dose administration. We identified potential risk factors for clinically significant decreases in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and HR (defined as decrease of > 20 mm Hg and > 15 bpm, respectively) using logistic regression analysis, and adverse events were recorded. RESULTS Fifty-five individuals (35.4%) showed a decrease in HR of more than 15 bpm, and 23 individuals (14.7%) showed a decrease in SBP of more than 20 mm Hg. Multivariable logistic regression suggested that younger age, history of preterm birth, and Caucasian race may slightly increase the odds of clinically significant changes in vital signs upon propranolol initiation. However, no clinically symptomatic adverse events occurred upon initiation of propranolol. CONCLUSIONS Vital sign monitoring may be important when starting propranolol treatment in younger or historically preterm patients. However, routine mandatory in-office vital sign monitoring may not be necessary in healthy infants more than 45 weeks postconceptional age.
A crossroads between the heart and lungs: air pollution and pulmonary hypertension.

Proximity to traffic and particulate pollution may be associated with disease severity and increased mortality in individuals with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Future studies are needed to confirm these findings.http://bit.ly/2P5QE52
Institutional learning experience for combined edge-to-edge tricuspid and mitral valve repair.

BACKGROUND Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair with MitraClip is only approved for treatment of mitral regurgitation but is increasingly used to treat concomitant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) due to its common coexistence and association with poor outcomes. This study aimed to describe the learning curve associated with the challenge of off-label treatment of concomitant TR. METHODS This is a retrospective review of initial and consecutive patients who underwent combined edge-to-edge repair of mitral and tricuspid valves (TVs) at our institution from August 2017 to October 2019. RESULTS Repair of both valves with MitraClip was performed in 22 patients (median age 81.5 years, 32% female). Mean procedure time was 176 ± 47 min; mean fluoroscopy time was 65 ± 24 min. Procedure duration in the first tertile was significantly longer (223 ± 13 min) than in the third tertile (143 ± 23 min, p = .0003). Median number of total clips placed per case was 3; in 15 patients (68%), the anterior and septal leaflets of the TV were clipped. The average changes in mean right atrial (RA) and left atrial (LA) pressures were -1.7 ± 2.5 mmHg (p = .0080) and -3.2 ± 4.6 mmHg (p = .0045), respectively. The average changes in RA and LA V-wave heights were -3.3 ± 4.0 mmHg (p = .0009) and -8.1 ± 9.9 mmHg (p = .038), respectively. There was a significant trend toward decreasing residual TR over the course of the series (p = .046). At 30 days, survival was 100% and mean NYHA class decreased from 2.8 to 1.8 (p < .0001). CONCLUSIONS Combined edge-to-edge tricuspid and mitral valve repair is safe and feasible. With experience, procedure duration and residual TR decreased.
Neurocognitive Performance of African Americans and Hispanic Adults in Relation to Diet and Physical Activity: A Literature Review

As minorities, African Americans (AAs) and Hispanic adults face enormous discrepancies across many dimensions, including race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, legal status, gender, insurance status, or severity of conditions. There is a lot of evidence in the literature about the relationship between lifestyle and cognitive functioning in older adults. However, due to the infancy of research in this area, the relationship between diet, physical activity and cognitive decline in ethnic minorities remains unclear. We discussed the neurocognitive changes associated with physical activity and/or dietary aspects in Hispanic and AA adults, and explored various factors that affect physical activity and dietary changes in this population. Our analysis confirmed the convincing link between certain dietary patterns, physical inactivity and poor cognitive performance in AA and Hispanic adults. This report allowed us to draw necessary conclusions regarding the structure of Jacobi Frailty Initiative in the Bronx, NY, USA. J Neurol Res. 2020;10(3):56-68 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jnr594
Bringing Innovation to Fruition: Insights from New Trademarks

New product development is critical for firms to achieve and maintain growth and performance. We build a novel dataset of 123,545 USPTO trademark registrations by S&P 1500 firms from 1993 to 2011 to study whether and how CEO compensation risk incentives motivate new product development. Using the OECD’s broad definition of innovation that includes new product development, our tests offer evidence on how risk incentives affect innovation of new products. We find that the number of trademarks increases with the fraction of compensation in the form of stock options, the convexity of incentives, and unvested stock options, both in low-patent (non-high-tech) and high-patent (high-tech) industries. Using a revised accounting rule, SFAS 123(R), as an exogenous shock, we find that reductions in stock option compensation cause reductions in trademark creation. Overall, the evidence indicates that CEO risk-taking incentives are important drivers of product development.
Confidence Level and Ability of Medical Students to Identify Abdominal Structures After Integrated Ultrasound Sessions

Determine the confidence level and ability of first year medical students to identify abdominal structures using a wireless portable ultrasound scanner. The students were assessed for their confidence and ability to perform abdominal ultrasound. The 5-point Likert survey included questions on their perception about ultrasound as a resource for learning anatomy, physical examination skills, and the quality of the pre-session instructions. Data was also recorded by the faculty about the students’ ultrasound skills and confidence. Goodman and Kruskal's gamma was used to demonstrate an association between the students’ ability to identify the structures and the self-reported student confidence level. Most of the students had confidence and were able to identify the liver, kidney, and urinary bladder, while almost half of them needed faculty help them to identify the inferior vena cava and aorta. The spleen and gall bladder were the most difficult to locate even for the very confident students. The perception of supervising faculty was that the confidence level was low in most of the students and only 13–20% of students felt “very confident” about performing ultrasound. Almost 37% needed encouragement and support and almost 10% of the students were not willing to try to locate difficult organs. Some students started locating the ureteric jet and portal vein. Most of the students agreed that ultrasound is an excellent resource for learning anatomy and physical examination skills. All students suggested having more ultrasound sessions. Most of the students feel confident about performing ultrasound and they perceive that ultrasound can enhance their basic sciences and physical examination skills.
Immediate or Reflective?: Effects of Real-timeFeedback on Group Discussions over Videochat.

Having a group discussion with the members holding conflicting viewpoints is difficult. It is especially challenging for machine-mediated discussions in which the subtle social cues are hard to notice. We present a fully automated videochat framework that can automatically analyze audio-video data of the participants and provide real-time feedback on participation, interruption, volume, and facial emotion. In a heated discourse, these features are especially aligned with the undesired characteristics of dominating the conversation without taking turns, interrupting constantly, raising voice, and expressing negative emotion. We conduct a treatment-control user study with 40 participants having 20 sessions in total. We analyze the immediate and the reflective effects of real-time feedback on participants. Our findings show that while real-time feedback can make the ongoing discussion significantly less spontaneous, its effects propagate to successive sessions bringing significantly more expressiveness to the team. Our explorations with instant and propagated impacts of real-time feedback can be useful for developing design strategies for various collaborative environments.
Acid Mine Drainage in Appalachia: Sources, Legacy, and Treatment

Metal sulfides in coal and associated rocks of the Appalachian coalfield weather in the presence of air and water to produce metalliferous, acidic mine drainage (AMD). When watersheds lack sufficient geologic buffering, AMD from surface and underground mines can impair surface waters. Appalachian coalfield AMD is similar to acidic mine waters found worldwide and typically contains elevated acidity; low or no alkalinity; elevated iron, aluminum, manganese, sulfate, and conductivity; and localized elevated trace metals and metalloids including copper, zinc, selenium, and arsenic. AMD has impaired thousands of kilometers of streams in Appalachia with metal-rich, acidic waters leading to metal-rich sediments, impaired aquatic habitat, and nutrient limitations. Treatment has often been undertaken with the goal of eliminating these impacts. Treatment strategies include active treatment, where alkaline chemicals are added to AMD or impaired streams, and passive treatment, where alkaline addition and metal removal are accomplished in pond or wetland-based systems through combinations of alkaline material, organic substrate, and hydraulic retention. Treatment of AMD in Appalachia has improved water quality and biological communities at thousands of sites. Waters treated for AMD typically remain high in conductivity and with biological communities less complex than those at unimpacted sites.
Developing A Controlled Vocabulary for Curriculum Mapping: A Case Study

The University of North Dakota (UND) School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) Medical Curriculum Committee (MCC) created the Curriculum Evaluation and Management Subcommittee (CEMS) in 2018. The...
The Affection Effect in Insurance Decisions

We use insurance behavior as a context to study affective influences in seemingly purely monetary decisions. We report two related findings. First, people are more willing to purchase insurance for an object at stake, the more affection they have for the object, holding the amount of compensation constant. Second, if the object is damaged, people are also more willing to go through the trouble of claiming a fixed amount of compensation, the more affection they have for the object. These effects are not predicted by standard decision theories. We explain these findings by a “consolation hypothesis,” according to which, people perceive insurance compensation as a token of consolation, and we discuss its implications for affective influences in other types of decisions.
Reciprocity in Reviewing on Fanfiction.Net

The recent rise in online education and the accompanying difficulties encountered by both students and educators demonstrate the value of better understanding how online environments can facilitate learning and community. Fanfiction websites contain an enormous amount of original creative writing, primarily written by young people, offering an opportunity to examine informal learning within an online community. Previous research has shown that fanfiction encourages this informal learning through “distributed mentoring,” which occurs when members of an online community quickly and asynchronously receive abundant feedback, while giving others feedback in turn [1]. However, not all interaction in online communities has such a positive nature, as a study of massive open online courses found students who received longer feedback became less likely to reciprocate with similar effort when leaving peer reviews [4]. This study looked at reciprocity between fanfiction reviewers and found a moderate, statistically significant correlation between the quality of reviews given and received by fanfiction authors. These findings are valuable in understanding the ways in which members of online communities interact and learn from each other, an area that would benefit from further research.
Stand conditions alter seasonal microclimate and dead fuel moisture in a Northwestern California oak woodland

Abstract Fuel moisture exerts considerable influence on fire behavior and effects but varies substantially spatially and temporally. A portion of the spatial variation in dead surface fuel moisture of woodland and forest ecosystems is likely attributed to differences in stand conditions (i.e. stand density and composition). Existing evidence suggests that the role of stand conditions on dead surface fuel moisture is inconsistent across studies and more research examining the effects of stand conditions on seasonal microclimate and fuel moisture is needed. This study examined the effects of different stand conditions within Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) woodlands and forests, including intact oak-dominated stands without Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), oak stands that have been invaded by Douglas-fir (encroached), and thinned stands with Douglas-fir removed within Oregon white oak ecosystems of northern California on seasonal variation of microclimate and dead surface fuel moisture. Stand condition had a strong effect on microclimate and fuel moisture over time with thinned stands consistently having warmer and drier conditions with lower fuel moisture than encroached stands in most surface fuel components. Differences in fuel moisture among stand conditions were most pronounced in the late spring and early fall. Observed fuel moisture values did not correlate well with estimates from remotely automated weather stations or process-based calculations, especially when observed fuel moisture values exceeded 20%. Collectively, these findings provide strong evidence that stand conditions can modify microclimate that contributes to variation in dead surface fuel moisture within Oregon white oak ecosystems of northern California. These differences are often not considered within commonly used fuel moisture estimates, emphasizing the need to develop better models and tools to allow managers to more accurately anticipate fuel moisture conditions in varying stands to model landscape variation in fire behavior and effects and to meet fuel reduction and restoration objectives.
Functional Analyses of Peripheral Auditory System Adaptations for Echolocation in Air vs. Water

The similarity of acoustic tasks performed by odontocete (toothed whale) and microchiropteran (insectivorous bat) biosonar suggests they may have common ultrasonic signal reception and processing mechanisms. However, there are also significant media and prey dependent differences, notably speed of sound and wavelengths in air vs water, that may be reflected in adaptations in their auditory systems and peak spectra of out-going signals for similarly sized prey. We examined the anatomy of the peripheral auditory system of two species of bat (big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus, Japanese house bat Pipistrellus abramus) and two toothed whales (harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena, bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus) using ultra high resolution (11 to 100 micron) isotropic voxel computerized tomography (helical and microCT). Significant differences were found for oval and round window location, cochlear length, basilar membrane gradients, neural distributions, cochlear spiral morphometry and curvature, and basilar membrane suspension distributions. Length correlates with body mass, not hearing ranges. High and low frequency hearing range cut-offs correlate with basilar membrane thickness/width ratios and the cochlear radius of curvature. These features are predictive of high and low frequency hearing limits in all ears examined. The ears of the harbor porpoise, the highest frequency echolocator in the study, had significantly greater stiffness, higher basal basilar membrane ratios, and bilateral bony support for 60% of the basilar membrane length. The porpoise’s basilar membrane includes a “foveal” region with “stretched” frequency representation and relatively constant membrane thickness/width ratio values similar to those reported for some bat species. Both species of bats and the harbor porpoise displayed unusual stapedial input locations and low ratios of cochlear radii, specializations that may enhance higher ultrasonic frequency signal resolution and deter low frequency cochlear propagation.
Geographic Disparities and Predictors of COVID-19 Hospitalization Risk in the St. Louis Area, Missouri (USA).

Background: COVID-19 has overwhelmed the US healthcare system, with over 44 million cases and over 700,000 deaths as of October 6, 2021. There is evidence that some communities are disproportionately affected. This may result in geographic disparities in COVID-19 hospitalization risk that, if identified, could guide control efforts. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA)-level geographic disparities and identify predictors of COVID-19 hospitalization risk in the St. Louis area. Methods: Hospitalization data for COVID-19 and several chronic diseases were obtained from the Missouri Hospital Association. ZCTA-level data on socioeconomic and demographic factors were obtained from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey. Age-adjusted COVID-19 and several chronic disease hospitalization risks were calculated. Geographic disparities in distribution of COVID-19 age-adjusted hospitalization risk, socioeconomic and demographic factors as well as chronic disease risks were investigated using choropleth maps. Predictors of ZCTA-level COVID-19 hospitalization risks were investigated using global negative binomial and local geographically weighted negative binomial models. Results: There were geographic disparities of COVID-19 hospitalization risks. COVID-19 hospitalization risks were significantly higher in ZCTAs with high diabetes hospitalization risks (p<0.0001), high risks of COVID-19 cases (p<0.0001), as well as high percentages of black population (p=0.0416) and populations with some college education (p=0.0005). The coefficients of the first three predictors varied across ZCTAs, implying that the associations between COVID-19 hospitalization risks and these predictors varied by geographic location. This implies that a 'one-size-fits-all' approach may not be appropriate for management and control. Conclusions: There is evidence of geographic disparities in COVID-19 hospitalization risks that are driven by differences in socioeconomic, demographic and health-related factors. The impacts of these factors vary by geographical location with some factors being more important predictors in some locales than others. Use of both global and local models leads to a better understanding of the determinants of geographic disparities in health outcomes and utilization of health services. These findings are useful for informing health planning to identify geographic areas likely to have high numbers of individuals needing hospitalization as well as guiding vaccination efforts.
Demystifying customized employment for individuals with significant disabilities

A survey conducted by the Institute of Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston revealed that 70% of the individuals with disabilities served by Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs) are people with developmental disabilities. The majority of these individuals are not working in the community. They are in facility-based non-work and work programs including those that pay less than minimum wages through 14 c Special Wage Certificates. There are many reasons that community employment has not been the outcome for individuals with significant disabilities. One reason that is often mentioned is that these individuals usually do not qualify for most of the jobs that are available in the community. In fact, individuals with significant disabilities often are not able to complete all the essential functions associated with existing job openings. Employment specialists or personal representatives who rely on locating positions by using traditional sources (e.g., classified ads, postings on job boards, Internet sites) may become frustrated and discouraged when they cannot find jobs for their customers. Unfortunately, they may conclude that individuals with significant disabilities are not “qualified” applicants for competitive employment positions. An approach to finding community jobs for individuals with significant disabilities that has proven to be successful is customized employment. Customized employment begins with an individualized determination of the strengths, needs, and interests of the job candidate with a disability. Support and input can be provided by an employment specialist, family members, and significant others. Once the individual’s job goals are established, potential businesses can be identified by networking with family, friends, and neighbors, contacting local business associations such as the Chamber of Commerce, reading the business section of the local paper, and using knowledge of the local job market. Employers targeted on behalf of the individual should be selected based on a match between the job seeker’s expressed interests, skills, and type or nature of work performed at the company. This customized approach to employment allows for the job seeker and the employment specialist to negotiate job duties that match the individual’s skills. In other words, the approach results in a negotiated position for which the individual with a significant disability is qualified. The following questions and answers should provide additional insight into how customized employment can lead to integrated employment outcomes for individuals with significant disabilities.