cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the Effects of Specific and General Performance Standards on Performance Appraisal Decisions

This study compares specific and general performance standards as managerial decision aids. Sixty-four federal government comptrollers familiar with performance standards as a basis for judging performance evaluated five performance profiles and then assigned performance ratings. These profiles varied in levels of objective performance, prior performance, and the order in which they were evaluated. The results show that the specificity of performance standards moderates the relationship between objective and rated performance, with specific standards resulting in more accurate ratings than general standards. While objective performance was the most important determinant of performance rating, the gender of the rater, the order of evaluation, and prior performance ratings biased judgments in the general but not the specific performance standard condition. Specific performance standards are concluded to be useful decision aids that minimize performance rating bias and have potential as evaluation tools for groups, profit centers, organizations, and technology innovations.
El cambio necesario del sistema universitario y científico español

Researchers at centers who aspire to excellence can not be civil servants, have to be of Spanish nationality. The government put in charge of the international scientific institutions. In Spain still unrealized improvements in the organizational model of universities and public research organizations. On the contrary to what happens in the European neighboring countries. Perhaps the first thing to do is try both universities and institutions that are independent of political power.
Metabolic and immunologic studies of perfused bone in vitro.

I. A perfusion technique is described which maintains prolonged (up to six days) survival and metabolic activity of the cells in an excised bone. The perfusate is an acellular tissue-culture medium to which has been added 10 per cent homologous serum and which is oxygenated by a membrane oxygenator. 2. Optimum conditions for perfusion include perfusion pressure of ninety-five millimeters of mercury, flow of 0.15 milliliter per gram of bone per minute. and perfusate Po2 of 250 millimeters of mercury. This will maintain an oxygen utilization of 0.038 m mole per gram of bone per hour, and glucose consumption of 0.10 milligram per gram of bone per hour. 3. Such an isolated bone, in contrast to the similarly isolated spleen does not produce plaque-forming cells after challenge during perfusion with sheep red blood cells. This is in keeping with current concepts of the inability of unaided marrow cells to sponsor antibody producing cells.
Biodegradable DNA-enabled poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels prepared by copper-free click chemistry

Significant research has focused on investigating the potential of hydrogels in various applications and, in particular, in medicine. Specifically, hydrogels that are biodegradable lend promise to many therapeutic and biosensing applications. Endonucleases are critical for mechanisms of DNA repair. However, they are also known to be overexpressed in cancer and to be present in wounds with bacterial contamination. In this work, we set out to demonstrate the preparation of DNA-enabled hydrogels that could be degraded by nucleases. Specifically, hydrogels were prepared through the reaction of dibenzocyclooctyne-functionalized multi-arm poly(ethylene glycol) with azide-functionalized single-stranded DNA in aqueous solutions via copper-free click chemistry. Through the use of this method, biodegradable hydrogels were formed at room temperature in buffered saline solutions that mimic physiological conditions, avoiding possible harmful effects associated with other polymerization techniques that can be detrimental to cells or other bioactive molecules. The degradation of these DNA-cross-linked hydrogels upon exposure to the model endonucleases Benzonase(®) and DNase I was studied. In addition, the ability of the hydrogels to act as depots for encapsulation and nuclease-controlled release of a model protein was demonstrated. This model has the potential to be tailored and expanded upon for use in a variety of applications where mild hydrogel preparation techniques and controlled material degradation are necessary including in drug delivery and wound healing systems.
Hard and soft acids and bases: structure and process.

Under investigation is the structure and process that gives rise to hard–soft behavior in simple anionic atomic bases. That for simple atomic bases the chemical hardness is expected to be the only extrinsic component of acid–base strength, has been substantiated in the current study. A thermochemically based operational scale of chemical hardness was used to identify the structure within anionic atomic bases that is responsible for chemical hardness. The base’s responding electrons have been identified as the structure, and the relaxation that occurs during charge transfer has been identified as the process giving rise to hard–soft behavior. This is in contrast the commonly accepted explanations that attribute hard–soft behavior to varying degrees of electrostatic and covalent contributions to the acid–base interaction. The ability of the atomic ion’s responding electrons to cause hard–soft behavior has been assessed by examining the correlation of the estimated relaxation energies of the responding elect...
Photoluminescence (PL) and Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR) Study of Visible Light Emission from Porous Si

The photoluminescence (PL) and X-band ODMR of porous Si layers is described and discussed. The layers were prepared by anodizing the (100) face of a Si wafer at 20 mA/cm2 in 20% HF for 5 mai and passively soaking them in 36% HF for up to 10 hrs. The PL was broad and featureless, extending from ~1.5 to ~2.1 eV and peaking at 1.68 eV. Its intensity slightly increased upon cooling to 90 K, and then strongly decreased at lower temperatures. A ~20 G wide asymmetric PL-enhancing ODMR was observed at g ~2.0031 ±I 0.0009, which could be fit to a sum of two Gaussians. Their g-values were slightly temperature dependent. The ODMR intensity strongly decreased with increasing temperature, and was unobservable above ~80 K. The results are compared to the optical properties of hydrogenated amorphous Si.
Cores and Peripheries: Spatial Analysis of HCV Voucher Distribution in the San Francisco

AbstractThis study uses spatial regressions and spatial statistics to examine the changes in the distribution of Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) households within an expanded San Francisco Bay Area region. From 2000 to 2010, the density of HCV households grew disproportionately across the region, and areas of significant increase emerged in both the region’s urban cores and its rural periphery. Furthermore, the destination communities shared a set of common characteristics. In 2010 HCV households were more likely to locate in areas with lower housing prices, lower percentages of educated people, higher rates of poverty, and higher percentages of African American households when compared with the region as a whole. These findings suggest that voucher holders locate where housing is affordable. We conclude that in regions with tight housing markets, supply matters. This study also introduces housing researchers and policy makers to a methodological approach that addresses what is known in geostatistics as a ch...
Transference and influences of MgO in sintering of Cr-bearing vanadium and titanium magnetite

The influences of MgO on the tumbler index(TI), reduction degradation index(RDI) and melting characteristics of V-Ti-Cr magnetite sinter were studied. The transference and interaction mechanism of MgO in sintering of V-Ti-Cr magnetite were investigated by melting point-rate measuring and SEM-EDS. The results show that, when MgO content(mass fraction) increases from 1.95% to 2.63%,the melting characteristic of V-Ti-Cr magnetite does not become worse. Furthermore, TI increases from 50.33% to 53.40% and RDI+3.15 increases from 80.57% to 82.71% with increasing MgO content from 1.95% to 2.63%. The transference of MgO is mainly in the form of Mg2+, which diffuses into crystal lattice of magnetite and forms(Fe, Mg)O·Fe2O3, and the content of Mg2+in magnetite increases with increasing MgO content. The course of transference of MgO is Fe O·Fe2O3→(Fe, Mg)O·Fe2O3→(Mg, Fe)O·Fe2O3→MgO·Fe2O3.
Hepatocystin is Essential for TRPM7 Function During Early Embryogenesis

Mutations in protein kinase C substrate 80K-H (PRKCSH), which encodes for an 80 KDa protein named hepatocystin (80K-H, PRKCSH), gives rise to polycystic liver disease (PCLD). Hepatocystin functions as the noncatalytic beta subunit of Glucosidase II, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident enzyme involved in processing and quality control of newly synthesized glycoproteins. Patients harboring heterozygous germline mutations in PRKCSH are thought to develop renal cysts as a result of somatic loss of the second allele, which subsequently interferes with expression of the TRP channel polycystin-2 (PKD2). Deletion of both alleles of PRKCSH in mice results in embryonic lethality before embryonic day E11.5. Here, we investigated the function of hepatocystin during Xenopus laevis embryogenesis and identified hepatocystin as a binding partner of the TRPM7 ion channel, whose function is required for vertebrate gastrulation. We find that TRPM7 functions synergistically with hepatocystin. Although other N-glycosylated proteins are critical to early development, overexpression of TRPM7 in Xenopus laevis embryos was sufficient to fully rescue the gastrulation defect caused by loss of hepatocystin. We observed that depletion of hepatocystin in Xenopus laevis embryos decreased TRPM7 expression, indicating that the early embryonic lethality caused by loss of hepatocystin is mainly due to impairment of TRPM7 protein expression.
Major review: The underutilization of vision screening (for amblyopia, optical anomalies and strabismus) among preschool age children.

Background Nearly 80% of preschool age children never get an eye examination (1). Many "back to school" physical exams do not test for common vision disorders. Untreated eye and vision problems can interfere with most life experiences. The prevalence of undetected vision problems among preschool age children is estimated to be 5% to 10% (2). Failure to detect visual impairment early may have a permanent effect on long term vision outcomes, education achievement, and self esteem (3). The most common vision disorders among children are strabismus, amblyopia and optical problems impairing visual acuity and depth perception. Various professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), advise preschool vision screening to detect and correct vision problems before school entry. The AAP also recommends that children continue to receive periodic eye and vision examinations throughout childhood. However, resources for this level of care are rarely available. As such, only 21% of preschool age children receive vision screening and even fewer children get a comprehensive eye examination (1). Purpose The purpose of this review is to determine, through a critical review of the literature, the social, economic, and political barriers which contribute to the underutilization of vision screening among preschool age children. A secondary aim is to identify gaps in the literature base that may be needed to complete a public policy response to this problem. Method A comprehensive review and analysis of the pertinent available literature. Results A variety of barriers exist which prevent children from receiving proper vision screening. They include social, economic and even political problems. Social contextual barriers include ignorance, inconvenience, language, and a lack of providers. Financial barriers affect low income families. Political barriers reside in the disproportionately meager funding of preventative medicine. Moreover there are additional factors which put preventative medicine for vision at a disadvantage compared to other pediatric demands like immunizations, such as the danger to both the individual and society from the medical condition being prevented. Conclusion Even considering large gaps in the literature concerning this topic, it is clear that low income, minority, uninsured families are at high risk of not utilizing vision screening. Ignorance remains a major problem at all levels so improvements in the distribution of information and education are needed and should yield improvement. Additional funding is necessary to pay for these remedies. Titration and direction of available resources to those at highest risk will create the greatest return on such efforts.
Serum lipid changes in medical students.

Can knowledge of blood abnormalities plus medical education motivate changes in life style by medical students to promote better, health and reduce risk of coronary heart disease?
CHAPTER 227 – βγ Signaling in Chemotaxis

This chapter discusses the role of G proteins in chemotaxis of Dictyostelium discoideum and neutrophils, with an emphasis on the possible role of proteins involved in lipid production and degradation. Chemotaxis, the ability of a cell to sense and move up a chemical gradient, is important in various physiological processes and is involved in many disease states. Signal transduction during chemotaxis occurs through seven-transmembrane receptors that are coupled to heterotrimeric G proteins. The βγ subunits transmit the signal downstream, and although the direct effectors are unclear, increases in phosphoinositide 3,4,5-trisphosphate and phosphatidylinositide 3,4-bisphosphate occur at the leading edge of the migrating cell. The formation of these lipids results in the recruitment of a variety of signaling proteins. Recent work has implicated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and the lipid phosphatases, PTEN, and SHIP in chemotaxis. Directed movement of cells toward soluble attractants (chemotaxis) is critical in immunity, wound healing, embryogenesis, and neuron guidance. Also, abnormalities in chemotaxis have been implicated in disease states such as tumor metastasis, atherosclerosis, arthritis, asthma, and multiple sclerosis. The cell biology of chemotaxis has primarily been studied in two cell types, the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum and mammalian leukocytes. Due to the genetic manipulations available, D. discoideum is an excellent model system in which to study chemotactic signaling. Many observations originally made in these simple eukaryotic cells have subsequently held true in mammalian cells such as neutrophils.
Identification of a fully-functional hobo transposable element and its use for germ-line transformation of Drosophila.

Abstract The transposable element hobo can be mobilized to induce a variety of genetic abnormalities within the germ-line of Drosophila melanogaster. Strains containing hobos have 3.0 kb elements and numerous smaller derivatives of the element. By analogy with other transposable element systems, it is likely that only the 3.0 kb elements are capable of inducing hobo mobilization. Here, we report that a cloned 3.0 kb hobo, called HFL1, is able to mediate germ-line transformation and therefore is an autonomous (fully-functional) transposable element. Germ-line transformation was observed when HFL1 and a marked hobo element were co-injected into recipient embryos devoid of endogenous hobos. Integration did not occur in the absence of the 3.0 kb element. A single copy of the marked hobo transposon inserted at each site, and the target sites were widely distributed throughout the genome. Integration occurred at (or very near) the termini of hobo, without internal rearrangement of the hobo or marker gene sequences. The hobo transformation system will allow us to determine the structural and regulatory features of hobo responsible for its mobilization and will provide novel approaches for the molecular and genetic manipulation of the Drosophila genome.
Distinctive Extrinsic Atom Effects on the Structural, Optical, and Electronic Properties of Bi2S3-xSex Solid Solutions

For many decades, bulk Bi2S3, a key low-bandgap metal chalcogenide semiconductor, has lagged behind in terms of potential applications due to its poor electrical properties. As such, controlling size extrinsic atom interactions in this material might emerge as a viable route to enhance its poor electrical properties. Here, we report the hydrothermal synthesis, structural characterization, and optoelectronic properties of Bi2S3-xSex solid solutions. Optical characterizations show a decrease in the bandgap of Bi2S3 nanowires as a function of Se concentrations. Furthermore, ensemble electrical transport measurements suggest a pronounced increase in the electrical properties of Bi2S3 nanowires upon Se incorporation. This study points to the importance of carefully controlling the stoichiometry and sizes in Bi2S3 as a way to favorably tune its optoelectronic properties.
Attitudes of radiation oncologists toward palliative and supportive care in the United States: Report on National Membership Survey by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

Abstract Purpose Radiation oncologists are frequently involved in providing palliative and supportive care (PSC) for patients with advanced cancers through delivery of palliative radiation. Whether they are confident in their ability to assess and initiate treatments for pain, nonpain, and psychosocial distress is unknown. The American Society for Radiation Oncology surveyed its practicing members in the United States on self-assessment of their primary PSC skills and access to continuing medical education on PSC. Methods We electronically surveyed 4093 practicing radiation oncologists in the United States. The survey consisted of 16-questions in 5 sections 1 : demographics, 2 PSC training, 3 domains of PSC, 4 perceived barriers as a radiation oncologist to initiate advanced care planning, and 5 discussion of prognosis. Results The survey was e-mailed to 4093 American Society for Radiation Oncology members, and 649 responses were received (response rate 16%). The majority (91%) of radiation oncologists surveyed believe PSC is an important competency for radiation oncologists. Most radiation oncologists reported that they are moderately confident in their ability to assess and manage pain and gastrointestinal symptoms, but less confident in their ability to manage anorexia, anxiety, and depression. Despite areas of decreased confidence, a large number (42%) of radiation oncologists do not receive any additional PSC education beyond their residency training. Lastly, a perceived fear of upsetting referring medical oncologists and lack of clinic time are concerns for radiation oncologists who may want to initiate goals of care/advance care planning discussions with patients and their families. Conclusion Radiation oncologists are more confident in their ability to assess and manage pain than in their ability to manage depression, anxiety, anorexia, and fatigue. There is a need for increasing continuing medical educational efforts in PSC for practicing radiation oncologists, and strengthening PSC training in residency programs.
Transient stability analysis of an all converter interfaced generation WECC system

In this paper, a transient stability analysis of an 18205 bus Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) system has been carried out when all conventional sources have been replaced with converter interfaced generation (CIG). In this 100% CIG system, the only rotating machines directly connected to the network are wound rotor induction generator wind turbines and induction motor loads. The inertia contribution of these rotating devices is small. With close to zero inertia in the system, the dynamic performance of the system under different contingencies is examined and discussed. The analysis conducted demonstrates that while such a futuristic system can survive certain contingencies, well designed coordinated wide-area converter control action may have to be incorporated to enhance the reliability of the system.
Regulators of coastal wetland methane production and responses to simulated global change

Abstract. Wetlands are the largest natural source of methane (CH4) emissions to the atmosphere, which vary along salinity and productivity gradients. Global change has the potential to reshape these gradients and therefore alter future contributions of wetlands to the global CH4 budget. Our study examined CH4 production along a natural salinity gradient in fully inundated coastal Alaska wetlands. In the laboratory, we incubated natural sediments to compare CH4 production rates between non-tidal freshwater and tidal brackish wetlands, and quantified the abundances of methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria in these ecosystems. We also simulated seawater intrusion and enhanced organic matter availability, which we predicted would have contrasting effects on coastal wetland CH4 production. Tidal brackish wetlands produced less CH4 than non-tidal freshwater wetlands probably due to high sulfate availability and generally higher abundances of sulfate-reducing bacteria, whereas non-tidal freshwater wetlands had significantly greater methanogen abundances. Seawater addition experiments with freshwater sediments, however, did not reduce CH4 production, perhaps because the 14-day incubation period was too short to elicit a shift in microbial communities. In contrast, increased organic matter enhanced CH4 production in 75 % of the incubations, but this response depended on the macrophyte species added, with half of the species treatments having no significant effect. Our study suggests that CH4 production in coastal wetlands, and therefore their overall contribution to the global CH4 cycle, will be sensitive to increased organic matter availability and potentially seawater intrusion. To better predict future wetland contributions to the global CH4 budget, future studies and modeling efforts should investigate how multiple global change mechanisms will interact to impact CH4 dynamics.
Early growth patterns of red alder and black cottonwood in mixed species plantations

Growth patterns of black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa Torr and Gray) cuttings and red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) wildlings were studied during the first year after planting on low elevation glacial till soils in western Washington, USA. Black cottonwood height growth occurred earlier, with 88% of its height having been achieved by late July (Julian day 210). Red alder growth continued longer with 55% of its height growth achieved after late July. Leaf area ratios were consistently higher throughout the season for black cottonwood than for red alder - a maximum of 42 square cm/g for black cottonwood and 29 square cm/g for red alder. Growth parameters in both species were adversely affected by periods of no precipitation and soil drought. Biomass production for the first year was low - 0.04 metric tons per hectare for black cottonwood and 0.74 metric tons per hectare for red alder compared to other studies in the region where black cottonwood and red alder were planted to closer spacings. The general ability of black cottonwood to achieve its growth earlier in the season coupled with greater leaf area ratio may explain its different behaviour from red alder in mixed stands.
Bio-Instructive Scaffolds for Musculoskeletal Interfaces

Tissue interfaces are integral to the function of many tissues and for the synchronous interaction amongst tissues to create a functional whole organism. From a tissue engineering perspective, the interface presents a unique challenge compared to designing a scaffold to replace or repair bulk tissue. It is at the interface that one tissue ends and another begins and where the forces and biochemistry must be correctly transferred so that the connected tissues coordinate to function as a whole. Tissue interfaces are critical to ultimately fulfill the mechanical, physical, and biochemical responses necessary within the body. This chapter will cover the following musculoskeletal interfaces: muscle:tendon (myotendinous), motor neuron:muscle fiber (neuromuscular junctions), cartilage:bone (osteochondral), bone:tendon (osteotendinous), and bone:ligament (osteoligamentous). Key parameters for these musculoskeletal interfaces, such as relevant design rationales, the structure–function relationships, and the formation and maintenance of multitissue systems, will be reviewed and discussed.
In-package inhibition of E. coli O157:H7 on bulk Romaine lettuce using cold plasma.

Abstract Dielectric barrier discharge atmospheric cold plasma (DACP) treatment was evaluated for the inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7, surface morphology, color, carbon dioxide generation, and weight loss of bulk Romaine lettuce in a commercial plastic clamshell container. The lettuce samples were packed in a model bulk packaging configuration (three rows with either 1, 3, 5, or 7 layers) in the container and treated by DACP (42.6 kV, 10 min). DACP treatment reduced the number of E. coli O157:H7 in the leaf samples in the 1-, 3-, and 5-layer configurations by 0.4–0.8 log CFU/g lettuce, with no significant correlation to the sample location (P > 0.05). In the largest bulk stacking with 7 layers, a greater degree of reduction (1.1 log CFU/g lettuce) was observed at the top layer, but shaking the container increased the uniformity of the inhibition. DACP did not significantly change the surface morphology, color, respiration rate, or weight loss of the samples, nor did these properties differ significantly according to their location in the bulk stack. DACP treatment inhibited E. coli O157:H7 on bulk lettuce in clamshell containers in a uniform manner, without affecting the physical and biological properties and thus holds promise as a post-packaging process for fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.
Dinutuximab in the treatment of neuroblastoma

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Neuroblastoma is the cancer of the sympathetic nervous system. Nearly half of the patients with neuroblastoma present with high-risk features and have poor outcome despite aggressive therapy. The high expression of GD2 – a cell surface disialoganglioside – in neuroblastoma and its restricted distribution in normal tissues make anti-GD2 monoclonal antibodies suitable for immunotherapy.Areas covered: Dinutuximab is an anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody which is a chimeric construct composed of the variable region heavy and light chain genes of the murine mAb14.G2a and the human constant region genes for heavy chain IgG1 and light chain kappa. Dinutuximab is a unique orphan drug, that was approved by the FDA on 3/10/2015 for use in high-risk neuroblastoma patients who achieve at least a partial response to prior first-line multiagent, multimodality therapy in combination with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), aldesleukin (interleukin-2 [IL-2]), and isotretinoin. The a...
DYCE: A Resilient Shared Memory Paradigm for Heterogenous Distributed Systems without Memory Coherence

Parallel programming paradigms are commonly characterized by the core metrics of scalability, memory use, ease of use, hardware requirements and resiliency. Increasingly the support of heterogeneous environments, for example a mix of CPUs and accelerators, are of interest. Analysis of the semantics of different classes of parallel programming paradigms and their cost leads to DYCE (Distributed Yet Common Environment), a shared memory, rich but hardware friendly, race and deadlock free parallel programming paradigm that allows for resiliency without the need for explicit check-pointing code. Pointer based structures that span the memory of multiple heterogeneous compute devices are possible. Importantly, data exchange is independent of the specific data structures and does not require serialization and deserialization code, even for data structures such as a dynamic linked radix tree of strings. The analysis shows that DYCE does not require coherence from the system and thus can be executed with near minimal overhead and hardware requirements, including the page table cost for large unified address spaces that span many devices. We demonstrate efficacy with a prototype.
PC12 Cells as a Model of Neuronal Differentiation

In 1975 Tischler and Greene reported the culture of a norepinephrine producing pheochromocytoma previously observed and carried in New England Deaconess rats by Warren and his co-workers (Warren and Chute, 1972; DeLellis et al., 1973). The tumor cells grew readily under standard culture conditions and exhibited a formaldehyde-induced fluorescence characteristic of the presence of catecholamines. Many of the cells produced short processes which were evident within 24 hr of plating. In the presence of nanogram quantities of nerve growth factor (NGF), more processes were evident and within 1 to 2 weeks of plating there were up to 20 times more processes in the presence of NGF.
Gonadotropic Regulation of 5α-Reductase Activity in the Interstitial Cells and Whole Testis Homogenate of the Immature Rat

As early as 1965, it was first reported (1) that radioactive progesterone is rapidly metabolized to testosterone (T) in homogenates of immature as well as mature rat testis, although T accumulation varies significantly with the age of the rat. It was observed that testosterone is rapidly formed in vitro but accumulates in inverse proportion to the rate of formation of 5α-androstane-3α, 17β-diol (3α-DIOL) (2,3). In the immature rat testis, the formation of 3α -DIOL was extremely rapid and little testosterone accumulated (3). At about the age of puberty, however, testosterone became the major product and the formation of 3α-DIOL was greatly reduced (3). Later studies in several laboratories confirmed these observations and extended them to all ages of the rat, from birth to adulthood (4–8). More recently, endogenous levels of 3α-DIOL were measured in testicular extracts of seminiferous tubules and interstitial cells from rats of various ages. 3α-DIOL concentrations in seminiferous tubules were found to be elevated between 25–35 days of age, at which time testosterone levels were minimal (9). Following the intravenous injection of 3H-progesterone and 3H-androstenedione into immature rats, radioactive 3α-DIOL was also found to accumulate as the major metabolite in testicular tissues (10).
LIWC-ing at a Century of Introductory College Textbooks: Have the Sentiments Changed?

Abstract In this study, we analyzed the language from 66 Introduction to Psychology college textbooks published over the last eleven decades. In our analysis, however, we put aside the usual tools employed in text and sentiment analysis and used instead the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC), an often-overlooked tool that originated in Social Psychology. Our analysis across decades revealed significant shifts in almost all summary variables. Authors wrote with gradually increasing authority and less tentatively over the decades. But at the same time, authors wrote in a more guarded and less emotional manner from earlier writings to the present.
Contribution of chromosomal abnormalities at 10q and 22q to autism

Abstract Autism’s etiology is heterogeneous. It derives generically from a complex of interactions between genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors. Chromosomal rearrangements at almost all chromosomes have been reported among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In this report, we represent three autistic patients with chromosomal abnormalities at 10q and 22q with an interesting case of 10q duplication rather than deletion. This report explores the contribution of the affected genomic regions to ASD. It may contribute to the field of research categorizing candidate loci for ASD, which would be useful in genotype– phenotype analyses for ASD.
Peripheral refraction and image blur in four meridians in emmetropes and myopes.

Introduction The peripheral refractive error of the human eye has been hypothesized to be a major stimulus for the development of its central refractive error. Aim The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in the peripheral refractive error across horizontal, vertical and two diagonal meridians in emmetropic and low, moderate and high myopic adults. Subjects and methods Thirty-four adult subjects were recruited and aberration was measured using a modified commercial aberrometer. We then computed the refractive error in power vector notation from second-order Zernike terms. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the statistical differences in refractive error profiles between the subject groups and across all measured visual field meridians. Results Small amounts of relative myopic shift were observed in emmetropic and low myopic subjects. However, moderate and high myopic subjects exhibited a relative hyperopic shift in all four meridians. Astigmatism J0 and J45 had quadratic or linear changes dependent on the visual field meridians. Peripheral Sphero-Cylindrical Retinal Image Blur increased in emmetropic eyes in most of the measured visual fields. Conclusion The findings indicate an overall emmetropic or slightly relative myopic periphery (spherical or oblate retinal shape) formed in emmetropes and low myopes, while moderate and high myopes form relative hyperopic periphery (prolate, or less oblate, retinal shape). In general, human emmetropic eyes demonstrate higher amount of peripheral retinal image blur.
The Nature of Social Problem Solving in Social Action

You cannot understand a past era unless it leaves some kind of record or evidence of what people said or did. We look back from a vantage point that allows us to scan for myriad evidence, a scanning impossible for anyone in that past era. We like to believe that our vantage point is high enough, that our vision is unclouded by all of those factors that put blinders on those who lived in that past era, and that we have the accrued knowledge, skill and wisdom to explain not only what happened, or how forces were related to each other, but also the why of it all. And the why of it all almost always has to do with ways of thinking that give order and direction to daily living. What lends fascination to historical constructions and reconstructions is the process of deducing or intuiting what people in that era took for granted. But if the process is fascinating, it is inherently problematic. For one thing, there are many vantage points—so many, in fact, that it is literally impossible for one person or group to achieve them all. No less serious for those who have to believe that they are on the road to truth, and that the road has an end, is that reconstructions of the past always reflect what we from our present vantage points take for granted. Can you deduce what people in a far-off era took for granted without having what you take for granted affecting your conclusions in ways that you cannot know but that people in future eras will think they know? The process of historical reconstruction inevitably says as much about the present as it does about the past.
Oral Cavity Reconstruction Outcomes Using a Porcine Urinary Bladder Matrix: A Retrospective Case Series

Objective The purpose of this study is to assess healing outcomes in full-thickness mucosal wounds following the use of a porcine urinary bladder matrix to augment mixed oral cavity repairs. Materials and methods A retrospective chart analysis was conducted over a 58-month timespan. Participants included individuals with osteoradionecrosis. Descriptive measures obtained in the postoperative setting were used to examine wound healing outcomes. Results Thirty-nine encounters with 35 patients met inclusion criteria for assessment. The mean defect size repaired was 14 cm2. Successful healing occurred in 64% of cases. Scarring was observed in 10 cases, and 3 cases demonstrated transient functional deficits. Reapplication of the xenograft was required in 4 cases. Only 1 acute event of hemorrhage and 1 infection were observed in the postoperative period. Conclusions Use of porcine urinary bladder matrix grafts for oral cavity reconstruction was well tolerated in a diverse number of wound scenarios with a relatively low risk of postoperative complication. The use of porcine urinary bladder matrix was not observed to provide any noteworthy advantages for the healing of recalcitrant osteoradionecrosis wounds.
Microsurgical Ligation of Residual Fistulous Arteriovenous Shunt From a Radicular Artery to a Thoracic Arteriovenous Malformation: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

The literature has long attempted distinct classifications of arteriovenous fistulae and arteriovenous malformations of the spine.1-3 It is worth noting that lesions can become more complex during recurrence and may not adhere to traditional definitions. In these cases, recognizing the principles of pathology and pathophysiology can guide management and treatment. We present the case of a spinal arteriovenous malformation with recurrence after prior treatment that is managed in the setting of a second opinion with a multidisciplinary approach. This case demonstrates (1) an evolution of recurrent arteriovenous shunting pathology observed both in the endovascular suite, and under direct microscopic visualization and (2) considerations in multimodal treatment with endovascular devices during microsurgical dissection and extirpation. This manuscript was prepared with informed assent provided by the patient (a minor) and with informed consent by the parent of the patient, who is their legal representative and health-care proxy.
Evaluating the effects of image persistence on dynamic target acquisition in low frame rate virtual environments

Here we explore a visual display technique for low frame rate virtual environments called low persistence (LP). This involves displaying the rendered frame for a single display frame and blanking the screen while waiting for the next frame to be generated. To gain greater knowledge about the LP technique, we have conducted a user study to evaluate user performance and learning during a dynamic target acquisition task. The task involved the acquisition of targets moving along several different trajectories, modeled after a shotgun trap shooting task. The results of our study indicate the LP condition approaches high frame rate performance within certain classes of target trajectories. Interestingly we also see that learning is consistent across conditions, indicating that it may not always be necessary to train under a visually high frame rate system.
Depression, Anxiety, and Pain among Newly Admitted Nursing Home Residents

Background Depression, anxiety, and pain are commonly experienced by older adults living in nursing homes. Objectives To describe the prevalence of depression, anxiety disorders, and pain among newly admitted nursing home residents in the United States and to describe the treatment of these disorders. Design Cross-sectional study of newly admitted residents. Setting Residents able to complete a pain assessment (n=783,826) living in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes in the United States in 2011-2012. Measures Measures of sociodemographic, mood and behavior, pain, diagnoses, and functioning items from the Minimum Data Set (MDS) version 3.0. Results Approximately 36% of residents had a diagnosis of depression (other than bipolar disorder) and/or an anxiety disorder (n = 272,311). Of these residents, 25.2% had both depression and an anxiety disorder (95% CI = 25.0-25.4%), 54.3% (95% CI = 54.1-54.5%) had depression without an anxiety disorder, and 20.5% had an anxiety disorder without depression (95% CI = 20.3-20.6%). Fifteen percent had the triad of depression, anxiety, and pain at admission (95% CI = 9.3-23.3%). Depressive symptoms were more commonly reported by residents with pain than by those without pain. Receipt of psychological therapy (range: 0.9%-2.0%) or any psychiatric medication was lacking (range: 35.3%-48.5%), regardless of pain status. Participants reporting pain received a combination of scheduled, pro re nata (PRN)/as-needed, and non-medication pain interventions (range: 59.8% depression without anxiety to 62.9% depression and anxiety disorder). Conclusion Residents often suffer from combinations of depression, anxiety and pain at admission to nursing home. While treatment of pain is more common than treatment of psychiatric treatments, both psychiatric treatment and pain management may be suboptimal in nursing homes.
Hand hygiene compliance surveillance with time series anomaly detection

Background Hand hygiene is the most important intervention to reduce the risk of transmission of pathogens in health care. Assurance of effective hand hygiene improvement campaigns includes adequate data analytics for reporting compliance. Traditional analytical approaches for monitoring hand hygiene compliance suffer from several limitations, including autocorrelation. The objective of this study was to use a novel time series anomaly detection algorithm to analyze routine hand hygiene compliance data. Methods Hand hygiene compliance data were collected daily by trained observers in a large academic medical center. Statistical process control p-charts were used as a comparison method of analysis per facility protocol. Time series anomaly detection was carried out using the seasonal and trend decomposition using LOESS (STL) algorithm. Results A total of 34 months of hand hygiene compliance data were analyzed. Traditional statistical process control p-charts identified over 76% of rates as special-cause variation, whereas STL identified 18% of rates as anomalous. Conclusions This study supports the use of time series anomaly detection for the routine surveillance of hand hygiene compliance data. This method will facilitate specific and accurate feedback, helping to improve this critical approach for improving patient safety.
Multi-layered core-sheath fiber membranes for controlled drug release in the local treatment of brain tumor

Interstitial chemotherapy plays a pivotal role in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), an aggressive form of primary brain cancer, by enhancing drug biodistribution to the tumor and avoiding systemic toxicities. The use of new polymer structures that extend the release of cytotoxic agents may therefore increase survival and prevent recurrence. A novel core-sheath fiber loaded with the drug carmustine (BCNU) was evaluated in an in vivo brain tumor model. Three-dimensional discs were formed from coaxially electrospun fiber membranes and in vitro BCNU release kinetics were measured. In vivo survival was assessed following implantation of discs made of compressed core-sheath fibers (NanoMesh) either concurrently with or five days after intracranial implantation of 9L gliosarcoma. Co-implantation of NanoMesh and 9L gliosarcoma resulted in statistically significant long-term survival (>150 days). Empty control NanoMesh confirmed the safety of these novel implants. Similarly, Day 5 studies showed significant median, overall, and long-term survival rates, suggesting optimal control of tumor growth, confirmed with histological and immunohistochemical analyses. Local chemotherapy by means of biodegradable NanoMesh implants is a new treatment paradigm for the treatment for brain tumors. Drug delivery with coaxial core-sheath structures benefits from high drug loading, controlled long-term release kinetics, and slow polymer degradation. This represents a promising evolution for the current treatment of GBM.
Inflammatory Biomarkers and Neurotransmitter Perturbations in Delirium

Delirium is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by acute changes in cognition (e.g., perceptual distortions, impairment in abstract thinking, memory impairment, disorientation), psychomotor alterations (e.g., hyper- or hypoactivity), disturbances in the circadian sleep-wake cycle, emotional disturbance (e.g., irritability, anger, fear, anxiety, perplexity), and altered level of consciousness and attention (e.g., reduced ability to direct, focus, sustain, and shift attention). Delirium’s prevalence surpasses that of all other psychiatric syndromes in every medical unit in which it has been studied, from the general medical setting (between 15% and 60%), among the elderly admitted to a general hospital (between 6% and 46%), in the postoperative setting (between 10% and 74%), and in up to 87% of critically ill patients in the intensive care units.
Utilization of palliative care in patients with genitourinary malignancies.

669Background: Palliative care provides support and improves the quality of life of patients who has terminal illness such as cancer. Studies have shown that integrating palliative care into cancer...
Comparative assessment of environmental variables and machine learning algorithms for maize yield prediction in the US Midwest

Crop yield estimates over large areas are conventionally made using weather observations, but a comprehensive understanding of the effects of various environmental indicators, observation frequency, and the choice of prediction algorithm remains elusive. Here we present a thorough assessment of county-level maize yield prediction in U.S. Midwest using six statistical/machine learning algorithms (Lasso, Support Vector Regressor, Random Forest, XGBoost, Long-short term memory (LSTM), and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)) and an extensive set of environmental variables derived from satellite observations, weather data, land surface model results, soil maps, and crop progress reports. Results show that seasonal crop yield forecasting benefits from both more advanced algorithms and a large composite of information associated with crop canopy, environmental stress, phenology, and soil properties (i.e., hundreds of features). The XGBoost algorithm outperforms other algorithms both in accuracy and stability, while deep neural networks such as LSTM and CNN are not advantageous. The compositing interval (8-day, 16-day or monthly) of time series variable does not have significant effects on the prediction. Combining the best algorithm and inputs improves the prediction accuracy by 5% when compared to a baseline statistical model (Lasso) using only basic climatic and satellite observations. Reasonable county-level yield foresting is achievable from early June, almost four months prior to harvest. At the national level, early-season (June and July) prediction from the best model outperforms that of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) world agricultural supply and demand estimates (WADSE). This study provides insights into practical crop yield forecasting and the understanding of yield response to climatic and environmental conditions.
Crisis Mapping and the Nepal Earthquake: The Impact of New Contributors

Crisis mapping involves using open technologies and collaboration between those on the ground and volunteers around the world to identify critical areas and infrastructure for relief workers. After the April 25, 2015 Nepalese earthquake, the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) and Kathmandu Living Labs received widespread media attention and held outreach efforts (“mapathons”) to encourage new contributors to join. An overwhelming increase in new contributors led to a tension between the open, collaborative process in mapping and the need to ensure map accuracy and data quality in a crisis situation. This research looks at the impact of mapping efforts before and after the April 25 earthquake and the social process of collaborative mapping in OpenStreetMap. While new contributors added over one million new features, the number of their features determined inaccurate (as measured by the features that are subsequently modified or deleted) is lower than contributors that joined before April 25. To continue its impact and effort in relief work, the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team will need to balance the open nature of its contributor base and the need to develop standards and practices to ensure data quality.