cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of parents' insurance coverage on access to care for low-income children.

This study examines the effects of having an uninsured parent on access to health care for low-income children. Data from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families indicates that having an uninsured parent decreases the likelihood that a child will have any medical provider visit by 6.5 percentage points, and decreases the likelihood of a well-child visit by 6.7 percentage points. Efforts to increase insurance coverage of parents, either by extending eligibility for public insurance or through other policy interventions, will have positive spillover effects on access to care for children. (Davidoff, Amy, Genevieve Kenney, and Alshadye Yemane. Fall 2003. The Effect of Parents' Insurance Coverage on Access to Care for Low-Income Children. Inquiry 40(3): 254-268.)
Promoting Health Literacy with Vulnerable Behavioral Health Clients

More than the ability to read pamphlets, Health Literacy (HL) addresses skills involved in obtaining health information and services and making appropriate health decisions (Institute of Medicine [...
Measuring human cardiac tissue sodium concentrations using surface coils, adiabatic excitation, and twisted projection imaging with minimal T2 losses.

losses during hard (square), composite, and tanh/tan amplitude/frequency-modulated AHP excitation pulses were analyzed over a wide range of RF field strengths and T2short values. Results: AHP excitation yielded a homogeneous excitation flip angle and negligible losses compared to a 90° hard pulse wherever the B1 field exceeded the adiabatic threshold, rendering this sequence suitable for applications that use surface coil excitation. An AHP 23 Na TPI sequence was used with a surface coil at 1.5 T to noninvasively quantify myocardial TSC in 10 normal volunteers. The mean TSC was 43 4, 53 12, and 17 4 mol/g in the left ventricular (LV) free wall, septum, and adipose tissue, respectively, consistent with prior invasive measurements on biopsy and autopsy specimens. Conclusion: It is now possible to noninvasively quantify TSC in the human heart with surface coil 23 Na MRI.
Detecting and Correcting Fractions Computation Error Patterns

This article describes a follow-up analysis of findings from a randomized study that tested the efficacy of a blended version of Enhanced Anchored Instruction (EAI) designed to improve both the computation and problem-solving performances of middle school students with disabilities. The goals of the secondary analysis were to track overall error patterns of students in computing with fractions and to compare the effects of EAI and Business As Usual (BAU) on making these errors. Results showed that students taught with EAI reduced their errors compared to students in BAU classrooms and that reducing the one common error led to improved performance. Error pattern analysis provided clues about how to modify instructional materials for improving computation with fractions.
A Preliminary Evaluation of the Well-Being Picture Scale-Children’s Version (WPS-CV) in a Sample of Fourth and Fifth Graders

In this paper the authors report the development and preliminary evaluation of the Rogerian-based Well-Being Picture Scale-Children’s Version in a sample of 19 fourth and fifth grade students. Data was collected in conjunction with a larger study that examined childhood overweight and depression, and other measurements in the data set included the Child Depression Inventory. Scores on the Child Depression Inventory indicated that 20% of the children in the study were at risk for depression. A significant statistical inverse correlation (p < .05) was found between the post-test scores on the Well-Being Picture Scale-Children’s Version and the Child Depression Inventory indicating that as depression scores increase well-being scores decrease.
Distance moved by transfer RNA during translocation from the A site to the P site on the ribosome

Singlet-singlet energy transfer has been used to measure the distance between the midsections of two transfer RNAs bound to the same ribosome. Two Escherichia coli tRNA species were modified by the covalent attachment of a fluorescent dye to 4-thiouridine: tRNAfMet was reacted with IAEDANS‡ to give tRNAfMet-AEDANS8, and tRNAPhe with 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein to give tRNAPhe-F8. These fluorescent-labeled tRNAs were purified by chromatography on RPC-5. The modified tRNAfMet-AEDANS8 interacted to the same extent as the unmodified tRNA with methionyl-tRNA synthetase, transformylase, initiation factors, ribosomes and the peptidyltransferase. The ability of tRNAPhe-F8 to interact with phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase, EF-Tu · GTP and the ribosomal complex was only slightly diminished by the presence of the fluorescein dye. Ribosomal complexes were prepared for the energy transfer experiments by binding fMet-tRNAfMet-AEDANS8 (the donor) to the P site using an A-U-G-U4–5 message, and then binding Phe-tRNAPhe-F8 (the acceptor) to the A site using EF-Tu · GTP. The necessary control samples were prepared in parallel using unmodified tRNAs in place of the donor, the acceptor, or both. The fluorescence of the donor dye in the P site was strongly quenched (~ 70%) when the acceptor dye was present in the A site. This high efficiency of energy transfer corresponds to a separation distance of 26(±4)A between the dyes. The midsections of the tRNAs bound in the A and P sites are therefore located close to each other, separated by only 2 to 10 A, and translocation from the A site into the immediately adjacent P site requires a movement of less than 30 A. This arrangement of the tRNAs suggests that the ejection of the deacylated tRNA from the P site might be powered by the electrostatic repulsion between the tRNAs bound in the A and P sites.
THE GLOBAL ACQUISITION, LEVERAGE, AND PROTECTION OF TECHNOLOGICAL COMPETENCIES

How managers acquire, leverage, and protect technological competencies in order to innovate successfully and enhance firm performance is central to the field of strategic management. When tensions across acquisition, leverage, and protection activities are resolved and synergies are captured, the value derived from technological competencies can be used to fuel a virtuous cycle in which fewer resources are needed to perpetuate a firm 's advantage. The papers in this issue examine the mechanisms underlying acquisition, leverage, and protection, and are particularly useful in resolving these tensions and highlighting potential synergies. We develop a typology to describe the research domain and relate these papers to one another. Based on gaps in this typology and issues raised by these papers, we offer observations for future research on the acquisition, leverage, and protection of technological competencies. Copyright ? 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hemispheric American Studies: Preliminary Thoughts on Research and Pedagogical Challenges

Over the past two decades, important work in many academic disciplines has increasingly begun to break down many of the regional and national boundaries that have long characterized the study of the Americas. Future research and curriculum on the hemisphere will, no doubt, continue to emphasize comparative and cross regional studies. What happens to U.S. and Americas literary and cultural studies if we recognize the asymmetry and interdependency of nation-state development throughout the hemisphere? This is the question the following article addresses.
The Role of Sentence Structure in Recognizing Textual Entailment

Recent research suggests that sentence structure can improve the accuracy of recognizing textual entailments and paraphrasing. Although background knowledge such as gazetteers, WordNet and custom built knowledge bases are also likely to improve performance, our goal in this paper is to characterize the syntactic features alone that aid in accurate entailment prediction. We describe candidate features, the role of machine learning, and two final decision rules. These rules resulted in an accuracy of 60.50 and 65.87% and average precision of 58.97 and 60.96% in RTE3Test and suggest that sentence structure alone can improve entailment accuracy by 9.25 to 14.62% over the baseline majority class.
The storyteller version control system: tackling version control, code comments, and team learning

This demonstration shows the Storyteller version control system. The tool aims to change the way software developers learn by opening up for examination how they do their work. The tool has traditional version control functionality (branching and merging) but in addition it records how development work is done, organizes it, and allows it to be played back for others. Most importantly, the tool allows developers to tell stories about what they did and why. It captures and organizes institutional knowledge that would otherwise be lost.
Low-cost personal air-quality monitor

We present the design, implementation, and preliminary results of PAM - a low-cost and portable personal air quality monitor that provides real-time air quality measurements for the user's immediate environment. PAM consists of a PAM client and a cloud-side PAM service. The PAM client utilizes two inexpensive dust sensors to obtain raw particulate concentration measurement, and two Arduino boards for local filtering, web services, and communication with PAM service. The cloud-side PAM service constructs a statistical model of air quality and provides PAM clients with context-dependent calibration curves. Together, PAM is able to approximate PM2.5, PM10, and AQI measurement for users in-situ and at low cost.
Resolution assessment in dynamic image formation

Remote sensing and astronomical image formation is often complicated by deficiencies in measurement quality, density, or diversity. Penalized likelihood methods can incorporate additional first-principles physical prior knowledge and improve the image reconstructions, but a systematic bias is unavoidable as a consequence. This work derives theory to understand the bias and develops a computational tool to probe its effect on the reconstructed image and bound resolution limits. Though the focus is on image formation, the contributions of this paper apply to any inference problem that can be expressed under the linear state-space signal model.
{224} Plane X-Ray Diffraction Study of GaAs on Si Wafers Using a Conventional Double Crystal Diffractometer

In an effort to evaluate the near surface crystal quality of GaAs on Si wafers, {224} plane diffraction were investigated using a conventional double crystal x-ray diffractometer without any high intensity radiation source. The x-ray incident angle to wafer surface varied from 3.6 to 9.6 degrees for different {224} planes due to the substrate tilt angle of 3 degrees. The GaAs to Si rocking curve intensity ratio increased significantly as the incident angle decreased. For the diffraction with 3.6 degree incident angle, only the GaAs peak was detected from the 3.5 um thick GaAs on Si wafer and the GaAs peak became narrower. These indicates that this conventional x-ray diffraction technique is applicable for the near surface quality evaluation of GaAs on Si wafers.
Data center evolution

Data centers form a key part of the infrastructure upon which a variety of information technology services are built. As data centers continue to grow in size and complexity, it is desirable to understand aspects of their design that are worthy of carrying forward, as well as existing or upcoming shortcomings and challenges that would have to be addressed. We envision the data center evolving from owned physical entities to potentially outsourced, virtualized and geographically distributed infrastructures that still attempt to provide the same level of control and isolation that owned infrastructures do. We define a layered model for such data centers and provide a detailed treatment of state of the art and emerging challenges in storage, networking, management and power/thermal aspects.
Autonomous Migration with Admission Control for Mobiles Affected by Access Network Failures

When wireless network access points (APs) fail, every mobile user that is connected through the failed resources performs an unanticipated hard handover, resulting in disrupted connections. The APs the users migrate to, if already heavily loaded, may restrict the number of incoming users using call admission control (CAC) algorithms. Rejected users will experience loss of connectivity for longer periods of time as they are forced to try to connect to other available APs. This paper quantifies the effect of limited capacity in target APs when multiple displaced users attempt to connect to them. We derive expressions for handover success probability and the mean number of displaced users that are successfully admitted on their first attempt. This leads to a simple, decentralized probabilistic scheme that displaced users can use to minimize crowding effects at target APs. We also obtain a performance bound by developing an optimal reassignment scheme using linear programming, and we compare both schemes to an algorithm that chooses an AP based on received signal strength (RSS).
Blind deconvolution based on signal reconstruction from partial information using higher-order spectra

The authors present a blind deconvolution scheme for the reconstruction of a signal that propagates in a multipath environment in the presence of additive zero-mean Gaussian noise. Two receivers are placed to record the transmitted signal convolved with a different channel for each receiver, embedded in noise. The recorded signals are transformed in the bicepstrum domain where the additive zero-mean Gaussian noise is suppressed, and then the differences of their minimum phase cepstra coefficients and the differences of their maximum phase cepstra coefficients are computed. These differences correspond to the Fourier phases of two FIR (finite impulse response) sequences that can be reconstructed out of phase information only, as long as the transmission channels are FIR and they have no zeros on the unit circle. The reconstruction of these sequences leads to the computation of the minimum and maximum phase cepstra coefficients of the two channels, and subsequently the cepstra coefficients of the transmitted signal can be computed and combined to reconstruct the signal itself. >
Temporal trends for secondary prevention measures among patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease.

Abstract Background Prior studies have noted that in-hospital adherence to secondary prevention measures varied among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery, percutaneous coronary revascularization, or no intervention. We sought to study contemporary temporal trends in the in-hospital management of patients with coronary artery disease. Methods By using data from the Get With The Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease registry, we compared adherence to 6 performance measures (aspirin within 24 hours, discharge on aspirin, discharge on beta-blockers, patients with low ejection fraction discharged on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker, smoking cessation counseling, and use of lipid-lowering medications) in eligible patients with coronary artery disease who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, percutaneous coronary intervention, or no intervention between 2003 and 2008. Results A total of 113,971 patients with coronary artery disease were treated at 193 hospitals. Overall adherence to all 6 quality of care measures improved over time in all 3 treatment groups, but was highest at all time periods in the percutaneous coronary intervention group compared with the coronary artery bypass graft surgery group, whereas the no intervention group had the lowest use of prevention measures at all time points ( P P Conclusions Over the last decade, overall adherence with secondary prevention measures improved significantly in patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease regardless of revascularization strategy. However, there still exist select opportunities for improving adherence, particularly among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery or no intervention.
An investigation of multi-layer mini-channel heat sinks with channel geometric scale variation suggested by constructal scaling principles

In previous work, we have shown that in single phase flow, stacked multi-layer liquid cooled heat sinks with square or circular channels have advantages over traditional single layer designs with high aspect ratio channels. In particular, it has been found that the thermal performance per unit pressure drop, as characterized by cost effectiveness metric, can be superior when properly optimized. The primary benefits seem to be increased surface area per unit volume available for convective cooling and increased flow area without sacrificing heat conduction paths to the coolant channel surfaces. The principle drawback of stacked multi-layer heat sinks is the difficulty in conducting heat through the metal matrix to the coolant channels farthest from the surface where heat is applied. In previous work we used validated twoequation porous media formulations to model the behavior of these “deterministic” porous heat sinks with good success. Porous media formulations reduce the geometric complexity of the problem to two parameters, namely porosity and pore diameter. With this approach, it was shown that geometric scale variation, in which either the characteristic pore diameter of the channels in each layer or the layer porosity was allowed to vary from layer to layer, could result in lower thermal resistance and lower pressure drop, compared to heat sinks in which the pore diameter and porosity were uniform. Furthermore, the behavior of pore-diameter scaled compared to porosity-scaled heat sinks was quite distinct. In the present study, we examine the behavior of deterministic stacked mini-channel heat sinks with parallel channels of square cross section, where the porosity is varied from layer to layer, but the channel diameter is fixed. The scaling rules, developed in the porous media equivalent models, are based on biologically inspired constructal principles. Such scaling principles have lead to superior optimal designs in a number of engineering applications. Experimentally validated conjugate CFD simulations were used to characterize the heat sinks. It was found that when the porosity is allowed to increase away from the surface onto which heat is applied, the increased mass flow and advection counteracts the cumulative conduction resistance thereby producing a more isothermal heat sink and a lower overall thermal resistance. Increasing the porosity away from the heat source also increased the flow area thereby producing lower overall pressure drop, compared to a non-scaled heat sink, in which the first layer of channels is the same in both cases. The volumetric thermal performance of the porosity scaled heat sinks exceeded the performance of non scaled heat sinks over a wide range of porosity scaling ratios and the pressure drop was consistently lower.
Recognizing Foreshocks from the 1 April 2014 Chile Earthquake

Are there measurable, distinctive precursors that can warn us in advance of the planet's largest earthquakes? Foreshocks have long been considered the most promising candidates for predicting earthquakes. At least half of large earthquakes have foreshocks, but these foreshocks are difficult or even impossible to distinguish from non-precursory seismic activity. The foreshocks for the 1 April 2014 Chile event and other recent large earthquakes suggest that observable precursors may exist before large earthquakes.
Methodological Issues and Learning Disabilities Diagnosis in Clinical Populations

Previous research suggests that the diagnosis of a comorbid learning disability is dependent on the method used for making the LD diagnosis. This study investigated that proposition by studying the effects of using three approaches to the assessment of learning disabilities in a sample of 177 six- to thirteen-year-old boys referred to outpatient mental health clinics for behavior problems. The use of these three procedures to diagnose comorbid learning problems produced significantly different results. All methods identified significant numbers of children in the clinical population as learning disabled; however, each method identified children with differing characteristics. Consistent with predictions from measurement theory, the commonly used simple standard score discrepancy method was more likely to identify children with above-average IQs as learning disabled, whereas a regression approach identified learning disabilities more consistently across the ability range. These results were interpreted as supporting the use of regression approaches to diagnose co-occurring learning disabilities, as that method is less likely to be biased by the child's intelligence test score. The implications of the use of each method in research investigations is also discussed.
Effects of Turbidity on Foraging Behavior in the Endangered Fountain Darter (Etheostoma fonticola)

Abstract The fountain darter Etheostoma fonticola is a federally endangered species that is associated with primarily clear, spring-fed systems, suggesting even minor changes in turbidity have the potential to affect behavior. We examined the effects of turbidity [control: <1 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU), minimal turbidity: mean = 8.7 NTU, moderate turbidity: mean = 23.2 NTU, and high turbidity: mean = 74.6 NTU] on the total number of prey items consumed, time to initiate foraging, total prey consumed out of the time left to forage, and number of strikes made per prey items (prey capture success). Our results indicate elevated turbidity significantly affects the number of prey consumed, time to initiate foraging, and total prey consumed out of the time left to forage. Turbidity does not appear to affect prey capture success. These data suggest even a slight elevation in turbidity (≥8.7 NTU) can significantly impair foraging behavior in E. fonticola.
Resistance to Anti-VEGF Therapy Mediated by Autocrine IL6/STAT3 Signaling and Overcome by IL6 Blockade

Anti-VEGF therapies benefit several cancer types, but drug resistance that limits therapeutic response can emerge. We generated cell lines from anti-VEGF-resistant tumor xenografts to investigate the mechanisms by which resistance develops. Of all tumor cells tested, only A431 (A431-V) epidermoid carcinoma cells developed partial resistance to the VEGF inhibitor aflibercept. Compared with the parental tumors, A431-V tumors secreted greater amounts of IL6 and exhibited higher levels of phospho-STAT3. Notably, combined blockade of IL6 receptor (IL6R) and VEGF resulted in enhanced activity against A431-V tumors. Similarly, inhibition of IL6R enhanced the antitumor effects of aflibercept in DU145 prostate tumor cells that displays high endogenous IL6R activity. In addition, post hoc stratification of data obtained from a clinical trial investigating aflibercept efficacy in ovarian cancer showed poorer survival in patients with high levels of circulating IL6. These results suggest that the activation of the IL6/STAT3 pathway in tumor cells may provide a survival advantage during anti-VEGF treatment, suggesting its utility as a source of response biomarkers and as a therapeutic target to heighten efficacious results. Cancer Res; 76(8); 2327-39. ©2016 AACR.
Mapping a ketosynthase:acyl carrier protein binding interface via unnatural amino acid-mediated photo-cross-linking.

Probing and interrogating protein interactions that involve acyl carrier proteins (ACP’s) in fatty acid synthases and polyketide synthases are critical to understanding the molecular basis for the programmed assembly of complex natural products. Here, we have used unnatural amino acid mutagenesis to site specifically install photo-cross-linking functionality into acyl carrier proteins from diverse systems and the ketosynthase FabF from the Escherichia coli type II fatty acid synthase. Subsequently, a photo-cross-linking assay was employed to systematically probe the ability of FabF to interact with a broad panel of ACP’s, illustrating the expected orthogonality of ACP:FabF interactions and the role of charged residues in helix II of the ACP. In addition, FabF residues involved in the binding interaction with the cognate carrier protein were identified via surface scanning mutagenesis and photo-cross-linking. Furthermore, the ability to install the photo-cross-linking amino acid at virtually any position a...
In Situ Synthesis and Microstructure of Poous CaAl4O7 Monolith and CaAl4O7/CaZrO3 Composite

In Situ processing and microstructure of calcium dialuminate (CaAl4O7)-based porous materials have been investigated. Powder mixtures of CaCO3 and α-Al2O3 (1:2 in molar ratio, doped with 0.5mass% LiF), and CaCO3, α-Al2O3, and ZrO2 (2:2:1 with 0.5mass% LiF) were prepared by a high-energy ball-mill process. Reactions of the powder mixtures during heating processes were revealed by high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD), and by thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). Porous CaAl4O7 monolith and its CaAl4O7/50mol% CaZrO3 composite have been successfully synthesized using reactive pressureless sintering (at 1100-1200°C, for 2h in air) of powder mixtures. Both porous monolith and composite had homogeneous microstructure and very narrow pore-size distribution with mean pore size of -1μm. These porous materials, which are expected to have good thermal shock resistance, can be applied to high-temperature gas filters and lightweight structural components.
78 OUTCOME AFTER ATTEMPTED PERCUTANEOUS INTERVENTION OF CHRONIC TOTAL OCCLUSION USING DRUG-ELUTING STENTS.

Background Chronic total occlusions (CTOs) of coronary arteries present a therapeutic challenge; many of these patients are often referred for bypass surgery, whereas others are left untreated. There are scant data on the outcome of patients treated with percutaneous intervention (PCI) using drug-eluting stents (DESs). Methods We attempted PCI in 72 patients with CTO with symptoms of ischemia for ≥ 1 year and attempted PCI. All patients were men, age 64 ± 9 years; 41 (57%) had disabling stable angina, 13 (18%) had unstable angina, 15 (21%) had dyspnea, and 3 (4%) had ventricular arrhythmias. Results Thirteen patients (18%) had single-vessel CAD, 27 (38%) two-vessel CAD and 32 (44%) triple-vessel CAD. Right coronary artery was involved in 33 (45.5%) cases, left anterior descending artery in 15 (21%), left circumflex in 23 (32%), and left main in one (1.5 %). PCI with DES was successful, defined as Conclusions PCI of CTOs in the era of DES is relatively safe and leads to significant reduction in MACE, angina, and the need for bypass surgery.
Genetic analysis of Yamagata-like strain of influenza B viruses isolated in Shenzhen in 2007

To analyze the genetic characteristics of Yamagata-like strain of influenza B viruses isolated in Shenzhen in 2007, the HA gene of these viruses were sequenced and phylogenetic analysis of the sequencing data was performed with SIMMONIC and Mega software. According to the amino acids at 197-199 site, the Yamagata-like viruses isolated in Shenzhen in 2007 were divided into 3 clades: clade A had one more glycoaylation site at 197 site, on the contrary, clade B and C lost the glycoaylation site. In addition, compared with B/Fujianxinluo/54/06, all the isolates contained the same amino acid substitution at position 40, however, the other substitutions were minimal or sporadic. The results of genetic analyses confirmed that some changes were detected in the Yamagata-like viruses isolated from Shenzhen in 2007 with some variations in genetic characteristics.
Visually Browsing Georeferenced Digital Libraries

We present a prototype visual browser for georeferenced digital libraries that allows a library to be navigated, and library content to be discovered, without explicitly formulating queries. The browser also provides a seamless transition from a synoptic view of library content to examination of individual library items. A georeferenced digital library organizes information of all stripes, from raw data to textual documents, into collections of discrete items, each of which has a geographic region of relevance or footprint. Among the geosciences there are copious amounts of data that are georeferenced, and it has been estimated that over 70% of all textual documents contain relevant georeferences [1]. The principal goal of a georefenced digital library is to take advantage of this metadata, and to take advantage of the nearuniversal reference frames provided by cartographic coordinate systems and geographic placenames, in order to provide spatial search and navigation services and to reveal spatial context and relationships. The dominant paradigm in information retrieval systems is the query-result cycle: the user first formulates a query; submits the query and waits for results to appear (usually in the form of a linear list); examines the results (often limited to examining one at a time); and perhaps refines the query, thus repeating the cycle. The retrieval mechanisms offered by georeferenced digital libraries (including the Alexandria Digital Library (ADL), Geospatial One-Stop, and the Geography Network) as well as geographically-enhanced Web search systems (including Google Local, Yahoo! Local, and MSN) all follow this model. These systems typically provide contextual base maps to support the query formulation phase, but support for visualizing query results is limited, if present at all. Also largely missing is the ability to see spatial relationships among query results and library content as a whole. ADL provides some synoptic graphics [2], but these are static and not integrated with the search system. To address these limitations, we have developed a visual browser for georeferenced digital libraries that eliminates the query/result cycle. Instead, the browser displays reduced-resolution versions (i.e., thumbnails and iconic representations) of all items in the digital library over a base map. Map pan and zoom controls provide the means of navigating the library. A screen capture of the browser is shown in the figure below.
Melanoma nodal metastases: biologic significance and therapeutic considerations.

Stimulated by novel lymphatic-mapping techniques, the surgical care of the melanoma patient is undergoing a change toward more conservative nodal resections that promise to give equal staging information without the added morbidity of more radical surgeries. In addition, molecular biology techniques have been developed to more accurately identify those patients with occult metastases, compared with routine histologic examination. With effective adjuvant therapies on the horizon, including the recently reported trials using adjuvant interferon in “high risk-for-recurrence” melanoma patients, these assays become even more important in identifying those patients that benefit the most from the protocols. A more selective and rational approach to adjuvant therapy will expose only those patients at a high risk for recurrence to the toxicities of the treatment.
Physicians' Perceptions of Radiation Dose Quantity Depend on the Language in Which It Is Expressed.

Abstract Purpose Radiation dose information is increasingly requested by nonradiology providers, but there are no standard methods for communicating dose. The aim of this study was to compare physicians' perceptions of the amount of radiation associated with similar dose quantities expressed using different dose terms to evaluate the impact of word choice on physicians' understanding of radiation dose. Methods Internal medicine and pediatric residents were surveyed online for 42 days. After obtaining demographics and training levels, respondents were asked to rank five different radiation dose quantities, each corresponding to one of the five ACR relative radiation levels (RRLs) expressed using different dose terms. Respondents ranked the choices from least to greatest (ie, from 1 to 5) or indicated if all five were equal. For the final question, the same dose quantity was expressed five different ways. Results Fifty-one medicine and 45 pediatric residents responded (a 44% response rate). Mean differences in rankings were as follows: for chest x-rays, 0.109 (95% confidence interval [CI], −0.018 to 0.236); for cross-country flights, 0.462 (95% CI, 0.338 to 0.585); for natural background radiation, −0.672 (95% CI, −0.793 to −0.551); for cancer risk, −0.294 (95% CI, −0.409 to −0.178); and for ACR RRL, 0.239 (95% CI, 0.148 to 0.329). Statistically significant differences were found in the distributions of rankings ( P P Conclusions Adult and pediatric physicians consistently over- or underestimated radiation dose quantities using different terms to express radiation dose. These results suggest that radiation dose information should be communicated using standard terminology such as the ACR RRL scale to foster consistency and improve the accuracy of physicians' radiation risk perceptions.
Invertebrate Iridescent Virus 6, a DNA Virus, Stimulates a Mammalian Innate Immune Response through RIG-I-Like Receptors

Insects are not only major vectors of mammalian viruses, but are also host to insect-restricted viruses that can potentially be transmitted to mammals. While mammalian innate immune responses to arboviruses are well studied, less is known about how mammalian cells respond to viruses that are restricted to infect only invertebrates. Here we demonstrate that IIV-6, a DNA virus of the family Iridoviridae, is able to induce a type I interferon-dependent antiviral immune response in mammalian cells. Although IIV-6 is a DNA virus, we demonstrate that the immune response activated during IIV-6 infection is mediated by the RIG-I-like receptor (RLR) pathway, and not the canonical DNA sensing pathway via cGAS/STING. We further show that RNA polymerase III is required for maximal IFN-β secretion, suggesting that viral DNA is transcribed by this enzyme into an RNA species capable of activating the RLR pathway. Finally, we demonstrate that the RLR-driven mammalian innate immune response to IIV-6 is functionally capable of protecting cells from subsequent infection with the arboviruses Vesicular Stomatitis virus and Kunjin virus. These results represent a novel example of an invertebrate DNA virus activating a canonically RNA sensing pathway in the mammalian innate immune response, which reduces viral load of ensuing arboviral infection.
Erythropoietin-Assisted Phlebotomy in Stem Cell Transplant Patients with Iron Overload.

Abstract 4296 ![Graphic][1] Background Stem cell transplantation is a potential curative treatment for hematologic malignancies. This treatment often requires repeated packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion requirements raising the risk of secondary hemochromatosis with each successive unit transfused. Erythropoietin-assisted phlebotomy is a potential treatment to alleviate iron overload in transfusion-dependent patients. Methods We carried out a retrospective review from 2000 to 2008 of records of both allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplant recipients treated at San Antonio Military Medical Center South for a total of 372 patients. We evaluated the maximum level of ferritin recorded for each patient and used an upper level of 1,000 ug/mL (approx 2.5x upper level of normal) to identify those patients at increased risk for complications of iron overload. 65 patients had ferritin levels <1,000ng/mL and served as a control group. There were 56 patients who met our criteria for iron overload. Their transfusion records were reviewed and further subdivided into those who received therapeutic erythropoietin-assisted phlebotomy and those who did not. They were also reviewed for evidence of any opportunistic infection during their treatment course. Results Of the 56 patients with documented ferritin levels over 1,000ug/mL, the average ferritin level was 2,965ug/mL. The transfusion records for these patients were obtained and showed that they received an average of 26.6 units of transfused PRBCs during their transplant course. Ten of these patients underwent therapeutic erythropoietin-assisted phlebotomy of 500cc of whole blood approximately once every two weeks to decrease their ferritin levels with a stated goal of 1,000 ng/ml), infection rate results were higher in the hyperferritinemia group at all three time intervals (p 1,000ng/ml and ferritin <1,000 ng/ml) were significant at both six months and one year (p<0.0004 and p<0.005 respectively). There was also a significant difference noted between the hyperferritinemia group who did not receive phlebotomy and the ferritin <1,000 ng/ml group at both six months and one year (p<0.00002 and p<0.0004 respectively). Two-tailed Fishers exact test showed that the mortality rate between the two subsets in the hyperferritinemia group was significant at six months (p=0.009 two sided; p=0.005 one sided) but not at one year (p=0.34, two-sided; p=0.19 one sided). There was no significant difference in mortality rates between the erythropoietin-assisted-phlebotomy group and the control group. Conclusions Iron overload can be insidious. Multiple transfusions raise the risk for ferritin levels ≥1,000 ug/mL and predispose patients to secondary hemochromatosis which is a risk factor for opportunistic fungal and bacterial infections and may lead to increased mortality rates. Erythropoietin-assisted phlebotomy is a potential treatment to prevent the complications of iron overload in HSCT patients. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
The Role of Varicocele in Male Factor Subfertility

Varicocele may play a significant role in a subset of patients presenting with male factor infertility. Despite its relatively high prevalence amongst subfertile men, there has been controversy over the effectiveness of surgical treatments, patient selection, and when to administer treatment, particularly in the era of assisted reproductive technology. In line with earlier finding, recent evidence strongly suggests that varicocelectomy improves pregnancy rates and semen parameters. The currently available literature still does not clearly elucidate the answer to this question, due to flaws in retrospective study design. Patients undergoing subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomy appear to have the highest pregnancy rates, and lowest complication rates, compared to other surgical approaches. Current research has given us a better understanding of the relationship between varicocele and infertility. Amongst men presenting with semen analysis abnormalities and varicoceles, including those patients presenting with non-obstructive azoospermia or couples with a significant male factor component failing previous attempts at in vitro fertilization, varicocelectomy may improve take home baby rates. More robust, prospective, controlled studies are needed to further clarify the population of subfertile men with varicocele most likely to benefit from varicocelectomy.
Crowdsourcing Undone Science

Could crowdsourcing be a way to get undone science done? Could grassroots groups enlist volunteers to help make sense of large amounts of otherwise unanalyzed data—an approach that has been gaining popularity among natural scientists? This paper assesses the viability of this technique for creating new knowledge about the local effects of petrochemicals, by examining three recent experiments in crowdsourcing led by non-profits and grassroots groups. These case studies suggest that undertaking a crowdsourcing project requires significant resources, including technological infrastructures that smaller or more informal groups may find it difficult to provide. They also indicate that crowdsourcing will be most successful when the questions of grassroots groups line up fairly well with existing scientific frameworks. The paper concludes that further experimentation in crowdsourcing is warranted, at least in cases where adequate resources and interpretive frameworks are available, and that further investment in technological infrastructures for data analysis is needed.
Making the Marine World Visible: Fostering Emotional Connections to the Sea

The marine world is, to many, remote and exotic. For city residents to fully embrace the wonder and beauty of the ocean world, and to actively work on its behalf, it will require emotional connection and caring. There are many different ways to do this and several of the more compelling and creative are described here: using social media to foster a sense of fascination and concern for the great white shark; taking children into the water and challenging them to find, look, touch and learn about the nature there; sending real-time video images from underwater divers to the surface; developing new long term institutions, such as a New York Harbor School and the Billion Oyster Project, to educate and engage residents of all ages. There are now compelling models that other cities can follow to foster this deep sense of emotional connection and caring for the marine realm.
The art of co-production of knowledge in environmental sciences and management: lessons from international practice

This review paper addresses the challenging question of “how to” design and implement co-production of knowledge in climate science and other environmental and agricultural sciences. Based on a grounded theory review of nine (9) published case studies of transdisciplinary and collaborative research projects, the paper offers a set of common themes regarding specific components and processes for the design, implementation, and achievement of co-production of knowledge work, which represent the “Modus Operandi” of knowledge co-production. The analysis focuses on practical methodological guidance based on lessons from how different research teams have approached the challenges of complex collaborative research. We begin by identifying broad factors or actions that inhibit or facilitate the process, then highlight specific practices associated with co-production of knowledge and necessary competencies for undertaking co-production. We provide insights on issues such as the integration of social and professional cultures, gender and social equity, and power dynamics, and illustrate the different ways in which researchers have addressed these issues. By exploring the specific practices involved in knowledge co-production, this paper provides guidance to researchers on how to navigate different possibilities of the process of conducting transdisciplinary and co-production of knowledge research projects that best fit their research context, stakeholder needs, and research team capacities.
Ubiquitous Educational Computing and Learner-Centered Instruction: A Likely Pair

Computers are everywhere in contemporary life. Education is no exception. As schools move toward the goal of one computer for every one student, it is important to consider both the effectiveness of these initiatives, and how they create and are fostered by person-centered approaches to learning. A meta-synthesis of the research on ubiquitous computing in educational settings shows that computer literacy, usage, writing, and twenty-first century skills like collaboration, organization, and self-directed long-term project completion are facilitated by ubiquitous computing, at least when accompanied by learner-centered instructional methods. Likewise, learner-centered instructional methods appear more likely to occur in these technology-enhanced environments.
Visible Speech Perception and Robustness in Face Processing

We present a series of empirical studies supporting the claim that visible speech perception (speechreading) is robust in conditions representative of face-to-face communication. Speechreading was relatively resistant to the influence of uniform degradation, inversion, oblique angles of view, and distance. Because speechreading is a process of pattern recognition, robustness was claimed to be a general property of face perception. Finally, we suggest that artificial systems should be based on theories of human face perception to improve performance.
Increasing the creep resistance of Fe-Ni-Al-Cr superalloys via Ti additions by optimizing the B2/L21 ratio in composite nano-precipitates

Abstract The Fe-10Cr-10Ni-6.5Al-3.4Mo-0.25Zr-0.005B (wt.%) ferritic FBB8 superalloy shows good creep resistance due to the presence of B2-NiAl precipitates, created upon aging. When titanium is added to the alloy, L21-Ni2TiAl sub-precipitates are developed within the B2-NiAl main precipitates. The microstructural evolutions of these B2/L21 composite precipitates - radius, number density, volume fraction, edge-edge distance, and B2/L21 phase fraction - are studied here for Ti additions spanning up to 4 wt%. As Ti increases from 0 to 3.5 wt%, the alloy strength at ambient temperature rises due to an increase of the L21 sub-precipitate volume fraction within the B2 precipitates, which enhances their lattice misfit with the matrix up to ∼1.26%, and increases coherency strengthening. The alloy strength drops sharply for 4 wt% Ti, consistent with the precipitates losing (i) their composite structure (by becoming a fully L21 phase), (ii) their coherency with the matrix (and showing high dislocation density at their interfaces), and (iii) their coarsening resistance (increasing abruptly in size). Creep resistance at 700 oC follows a similar trend (raising from 0 to 3.5 wt% Ti and dropping sharply at 4 wt% Ti); this trend is consistent with the lattice misfit between the coherent B2/L21 precipitates and the matrix increasing with the L21 fraction, thus producing a stronger elastic stress field, which makes the climb bypass of the precipitates by the matrix dislocations more difficult.
Ecological Factors in Drinking

Many would agree that the environment influences human behavior and development. This chapter examines the role of environmental factors in alcohol and drinking behavior among young adults from an ecological perspective.
Brefeldin A Enhances Receptor-mediated Transcytosis of Transferrin in Filter-grown Madin-Darby Canine Kidney Cells*

The effects of brefeldin A (BFA) on transferrin (Tf) transcellular transport, Tf receptor (TfR) distribution, and TfR-mediated endocytosis in filter-grown Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells were studied. BFA (1.6 micrograms/ml) markedly enhanced the transcytosis of 125I-labeled Tf (125I-Tf) in both apical-to-basal and basal-to-apical directions; yet, BFA did not enhance the transcytosis of either native horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or membrane-bound HRP-poly(L-lysine) conjugates. Furthermore, this enhanced transcytosis of 125I-Tf was abolished either by competition with excess unlabeled Tf or by incubation at temperatures less than or equal to 25 degrees C. In addition, BFA treatment to MDCK cells: (a) increased 125I-Tf specific binding to the apical membrane and decreased 125I-Tf specific binding to the basal membrane; (b) decreased TfR recycling at the basolateral membrane; (c) altered the apical/basolateral distribution of TfRs in favor of the apical side; and (d) markedly increased 59Fe extraction, but not transcytosis, from apically endocytosed 59Fe-loaded Tf. These effects are consistent with a model in which BFA alters the traffic pattern of internalized Tf by decreasing basolateral TfR recycling, while diverting the nonrecycled fraction to the apical side of the cell. Our results indicate that, unlike the reported inhibition of polymeric IgA transcytosis (Hunziker, W., Whitney, J. A., and Mellman, I. (1991) Cell 67, 617-627), BFA can enhance the transcytosis of Tf in MDCK cells. Thus, by altering the intracellular traffic of ligand-receptor complexes, BFA can elicit either a decrease or an increase in transcytosis depending on the nature of the intracellular receptor processing.