cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toward a Pedagogy of Sociopolitical Consciousness in Outside of School Programs.

Outside of school time (OST) programs are playing an increasingly prominent role in the lives of youth, particularly Black children. Because many schools are not meeting the social, cultural, and academic needs of Black students, the ability of OST programs to support students in these areas is essential. Ladson-Billings (The dreamkeepers: successful teachers of African American children, 2nd edn. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2009) conceptualized three central tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy, a theoretical framework designed to describe instructional practices inside of school that are relevant to, aligned with, and responsive to Prek-12 students. In this paper, the authors build on a tenet of Ladson-Billings’ (2009) culturally relevant pedagogy framework, sociopolitical consciousness (SPC), to make sense of how OST programs can develop instructional practices that build students’ knowledge and understandings of injustices in their communities and work to change them. The authors discuss how youths’ development of SPC can be fostered and operationalized through pedagogy in OST programs. The authors conclude with recommendations that could potentially contribute to a pedagogy of SPC in OST programs.
Fermi-surface topology of κ − ( B E D T − T T F ) 2 Cu [ N ( CN ) 2 ] Br at ambient pressure

Ambient pressure Fermi-surface measurements are reported for ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\kappa}}\ensuremath{-}(\mathrm{B}\mathrm{E}\mathrm{D}\mathrm{T}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{T}\mathrm{T}\mathrm{F})}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}[\mathrm{N}(\mathrm{CN})}_{2}]\mathrm{Br}.$ The single Shubnikov--de Haas frequency that is detected (3798\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5 T) corresponds to 100% of the Brillouin zone and can be attributed to the \ensuremath{\beta} orbit that results from magnetic breakdown. From the temperature dependence of the oscillations, it appears that ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\kappa}}\ensuremath{-}(\mathrm{B}\mathrm{E}\mathrm{D}\mathrm{T}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{T}\mathrm{T}\mathrm{F})}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}[\mathrm{N}(\mathrm{CN})}_{2})\mathrm{B}\mathrm{r}$ possesses a conventional Fermi-liquid ground state, although with a short mean free path, possibly due to the presence of Cu(II) ions. The effective mass as determined from the $\ensuremath{\beta}$-orbit oscillations is ${m}^{*}=5.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}{0.1m}_{e}.$
Patient-Reported Outcomes After Choice for Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy

PurposeThe rate of contralateral prophylactic mastectomies (CPMs) continues to rise, although there is little evidence to support improvement in quality of life (QOL) with CPM. We sought to ascertain whether patient-reported outcomes and, more specifically, QOL differed according to receipt of CPM.MethodsVolunteers recruited from the Army of Women with a history of breast cancer surgery took an electronically administered survey, which included the BREAST-Q, a well-validated breast surgery outcomes patient-reporting tool, and demographic and treatment-related questions. Descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis were used to evaluate the association of CPM with four BREAST-Q QOL domains.ResultsA total of 7,619 women completed questionnaires; of those eligible, 3,977 had a mastectomy and 1,598 reported receipt of CPM. Women undergoing CPM were younger than those who did not choose CPM. On unadjusted analysis, mean breast satisfaction was higher in the CPM group (60.4 v 57.9, P < .0...
[Ac-His 1 ,D-Phe 2 , Lys 15 ,Arg 16 ]VIP 3-7 -GRF 8-27 -NH 2

The agent was synthesized as a result of the finding that [Lys15, Arg16, Leu27](VIP1–7)(GRF8–27)-NH2 is a high-affinity, selective vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VPAC-1) receptor agonist. Replacing the second amino acid with a D-Phe and acetylating the first amino acid, histidine, yielded [Ac-His1,D-Phe2,Lys15,Arg16]VIP3–7-GRF8–27-NH2, a selective VPAC-1 receptor antagonist …
A Variant Myelodysplastic Syndrome with Multilineage Pelgeroid Chromatin

An unusual myelodysplastic syndrome with similar features in two patients is described. The entity is characterized by a maturation arrest at the myelocyte stage, strikingly clumpy chromatin, and a clinical course marked primarily by difficulties caused by anemia and thrombocytopenia. Electron microscopic description of the characteristic abnormal clumpy chromatin cells is included. While the disorder is unquestionably a myelodysplastic syndrome, it is clearly distinct from chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, and the spectrum of refractory anemias with excess blasts.
Exploring the Redistribution of Manufacturing Employment Among the American States in the Face of Overall Declines in Employment

Over the period 2001-2011 national employment in all 21 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industries has trended downward. The change in employment appears to be correlated with the regional redistribution of employment. This study explores changes in manufacturing employment between 2001 and 2012 as influenced by initial state-specific socioeconomic characteristics, state policy, market access, and state- and industry-specific conditions. The analysis is conducted for all 21 NAICS manufacturing industries to observe patterns and deduce information about factors that most consistently and frequently influence manufacturing employment in these industries across the United States.
Psychiatric research abuse at the University of Minnesota

Imagine for minute that you work in a medical school. Your job is to make sure that human subjects in medical experiments are protected from harm. Then imagine that you learn there has been a horrific, unexpected death in a psychiatric study. Five months after a young man was signed up for the study over the objections of his mother, his body has been found in a blood-soaked bathroom. It has been nearly decapitated. A box-cutter is frozen in the man’s hand, which he apparently managed to jam into a gaping wound in his abdomen before he died. What do you do?
Ductility and Fracture Behavior of Polycrystalline Ni3Al Alloys

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the recent work on tensile ductility and fracture behavior of Ni3AI alloys tested at ambient and elevated temperatures. Polycrystalline Ni3Al is intrinsically brittle along grain boundaries, and the brittleness has been attributed to the large difference in valency, electronegativity, and atom size between nickel and aluminum atoms. Alloying with B, Mn, Fe, and Be significantly increases the ductility and reduces the propensity for intergranular fracture in Ni3 Al alloys. Boron is found to be most effective in improving room-temperature ductility of Ni3Al with <24.5 at. % Al. The tensile ductility of Ni3Al alloys depends strongly on test environments at elevated temperatures, with much lower ductilities observed in air than in vacuum. The loss in ductility is accompanied by a change in fracture mode from transgranular to intergranular. This embrittlement is due to a dynamic effect involving simultaneously high localized stress, elevated temperature, and gaseous oxygen. The embrittlement can be alleviated by control of grain shape or alloying with chromium additions. All the results are discussed in terms of localized stress concentration and grain-boundary cohesive strength.
An Analytical Method for o-Isopropoxyphenyl Methylcarbamate (Bayer 39007), Its Aphicidal Value and Persistence in Potatoes and Sugar Beetsa

An analytical procedure for determining residues of Bayer 39007 in plant materials is described. After the residues were partially purified, they were hydrolyzed with methanolic sodium hydroxide and the products of hydrolysis were reacted with the color-forming reagent p -nitrobenzenediazonium fluoborate. Two applications of Bayer 39007 granules at 2.76 kg actual toxicant per hectare per application in 20-cm bands over the tops of small sugar beet plants left 0.43, 0.15, and 0.05 ppm in sugar beet foliage 55, 90, and 117 days after the second application. The treatment was phytotoxic and the plants remained yellow for 6 weeks. Sugar beet roots and crowns had 0.02 ppm Bayer 39007, 117 days after the 2nd application. Potato tubers had 0.18 ppm Bayer 39007 residue 86 days after banding with 10% Bayer 39007 granules at 2.24 kg actual toxicant per hectare. Bayer 39007 did not give satisfactory control of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), when used as seed, soil, or foliage treatments all potato or a foliage treatment on sugar beets.
38 DIFFERENCE IN THE FREQUENCY OF THE C3435T SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM IN THE MDR1 GENE DOES NOT EXPLAIN THE HIGHER RATE OF NEW ONSET DIABETES AFTER TRANSPLANTATION IN BLACKS

NODAT is more frequently observed in black patients than Caucasians. C3435T polymorphisms have been postulated to affect serum levels of tacrolimus, an immunosuppressant associated with development of diabetes. We tested if C3435T polymorphisms were associated with risk of NODAT in various races. Methods Patients were considered to have NODAT if they were diagnosed to have diabetes after initiation of tacrolimus and had two fasting blood glucose measurements in the normal range in the last 18 months prior to transplantation. Controls had normal glucose after at least one year of treatment with tacrolimus. Polymorphism at position 3435 in the MDR1 gene was determined with amplification of genomic DNA by polymerase chain reaction and digestion of the product with Sau3AI followed by agorose gel electrophoresis to separate the fragments. Results Sixteen patients who met the criteria for NODAT were compared to 17 controls. Seven patients could not be conclusively classified into either category. Twenty-six were blacks (15 Caribbeans, 9 African-American 2 Hispanic), and 14 were non-blacks (6 Caucasians, 5 Hispanic, 2 Indians, 1 Yemeni). We found that there was a significant difference in the frequency of the CC, CT, TT polymorphisms between blacks and non-blacks (46.2%, 50%, 3.8% vs. 7.1%, 64.3%, 28.6%, χ2 = 9.05, p = 0.01). Comparing patients with NODAT and controls, there was no significant difference in the distribution of the different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), gender distribution, positive family history of diabetes (50% vs. 50%), number of blacks vs. non-blacks (52.6% vs. 47.4%), mean age (50.2 ± 2.9 vs. 43.2 ± 3.6), mean body mass index (28 ± 1.2 vs. 31 ± 1.4) or dose-weight-adjusted trough serum tacrolimus levels (81 ± 15.3 vs. 102 ± 21 ng/mL). The different SNPs were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium using the χ2 goodness-of-fit test. Conclusion There is a significant difference in the distribution of the C3435T polymorphism of the MDR1 gene between blacks and non-blacks that is not associated with difference in trough tacrolimus levels or risk for NODAT. Larger studies are needed to validate these observations.
Anti-inflammatory Effects of YunNanBaiYao on Kidney of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat

Objective To investigate the effects of YunNanBaiYao(YNBY)on inflammatory status of the kidney from spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR),and to explore preventive and therapeutic usage of YNBY on hypertensive nephropathy.Methods6 weeks old SHR were divided into SHR control group and SHR-YNBY group.The effects of YNBY on systolic blood pressure,expression of inflammation-related factors and level of oxidative stress were determined at 3 time points: 6 weeks of YNBY treatment;14 weeks of YNBY treatment;and 9 weeks post-YNBY treatment.ResultsYNBY did not affect the elevation of blood pressure of SHR(P0.05).However,the TCM compound inhibited the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS) at both mRNA and protein levels(P0.05).At the time points of 14 weeks of treatment and 9 weeks post-treatment,HMP significantly attenuated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ(PPARγ) mRNA expression(P0.05).The protein level of PPARγ was also inhibited by YNBY markedly after 14 weeks of treatment(P0.05).YNBY significantly reduced protein carbonyl contents of SHR kidney(P0.05).In addition,after 14 weeks of treatment,YNBY increased total anti-oxidant capacity of renal tissue from SHR(P0.05) and this elevated anti-oxidant capacity was even maintained for 9 weeks after treatment(P0.05).ConclusionYNBY can reduce the inflammatory status and oxidative stress of SHR kidney,which may serve as the base for the advanced therapeutic utility of YNBY in hypertensive renal disease.
Evaluation of an International, Perpetual, and Retrievable Facility for Storage of Vitrified Radioactive Waste

It is technically feasible to site a retrievable but permanent surface storage facility for vitrified radioactive wastes in the northwestern Egyptian desert. Present-day commercial vitrification plants are in England and France and produce glass cylinders in the shape of an annulus, about 9 ft high, clad in a stainless steel can, containing about 25% of fission product and actinide oxides, weighing about 10 tonnes, having a volume of about 70 ft/sup 3/, releasing about 1.8 X 10/sup 5/ Btu heat/h. The high-level waste (HLW) glass cylinders, in lead shipping casks, are to be shipped to European ports by truck, sent to Mersa Matruh on the Egyptian coast, about ten at a time in small barges, then offloaded and sent by train a short distance inland to the site. The storage facility envisaged at the site is a concrete-walled round house with a radial crane, equipped with recanning facilities in case of breakage of stainless steel canisters, with a shop for repair of the train as needed, and with a turntable for the engine. Cooling is provided by natural air draft resulting from the canister surface temperature of about 100/sup 0/C. If needed, backup cooling is provided by equipment for forced-airmore » drafts and by tanks of water. The canister arrangement is that produced by coaxial vertical stacking; horizontal coaxial arrangements are yet to be analyzed. The site chosen is exposed hard rock close to the Mediterranean in the northwest corner of the Egyptian desert. Groundwater is found at about 100 m. The rainfall is about 4 in./yr so that flash floods sometimes occur and surface drains are needed. Meteorology, seismicity, agriculture, and wildlife are all favorable factors, and plane studies show no thermal or radioactive threat.« less
Intercommunicating Vas Deferens

AbstractThe first reported case of intercommunicating vas deferens is presented and the embryologic etiology is discussed.
A document analysis of drowning prevention education resources in the United States

There have been long-standing calls to better educate the public at large on risks of drowning; yet limited evaluation has taken place on current resources in circulation. The purpose of this qualitative research is to develop an understanding of the content in currently circulated drowning prevention resources in the United States. Data points (n = 451) consisting of specific content within 25 different drowning prevention educational resources were analyzed using document analysis methods; a grounded theory approach was employed to allow for categorical development and indexing of the data. Results revealed six emerging categories, including safety precautions (n = 152), supervision (n = 109), preventing access (n = 57), safety equipment (n = 46), emergency procedures (n = 46), and aquatic education (n = 41). Results provide an initial insight into the composition of drowning prevention resources in the United States and provide a foundation for future research.
Verbal Labeling of Self and Others

Spontaneous vocalizations, although seen in most laboratory situations, are often ignored because of their low frequency of occurrence or their lack of consistency across subjects. Much to our surprise, the infants’ language production during Picture Study I was neither infrequent nor unsystematic. In this study, one-half of the 16- to 18-month-olds labeled spontaneously at least one of the slides. The first two social labels used were “baby” and “mommy,” with the infants’ verbal repertoire expanding with age to include proper names, “boy,” “girl,” “man,” and “lady.” Many of these labels were applied appropriately in terms of gender, age, and familiarity—suggesting that infants categorize the social world in terms of these dimensions. Since the use of social labels in Picture Study I coincided with the advent of mark recognition in Mirror Study I, it was thought that eliciting verbal labels for self representations might provide an additional and rich source of information about the development of self recognition.
Quality of life: subjective descriptions of challenges to patients with end stage renal disease.

Objective The objective of this qualitative study was to describe how persons with end stage renal disease (ESRD) experience and manage the quality of their daily lives. Design Naturalistic inquiry methods guided the collection of interview data and the use of content analysis and constant comparison techniques to inductively identify themes and categories of meaning. Sample/setting Participants were 80 adults recruited from an outpatient hemodialysis center. Findings The three emergent conceptual categories that describe the quality of everyday life among the study group were: 1) Life Restricted with sub-themes "tied down," "left out," and "doing without;" 2) Staying Alive with sub-themes "love from others," "accept it as part of life," and "trust in God;" and 3) Feeling Good with sub-themes "personal satisfaction" and "being happy." Conclusion The insights shared by this study group can assist providers with planning and implementing educational and support programs for patients and families.
Lead, fluoride, and other elements in bonemeal supplements.

The Pb, Cd, F, Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Ti, and Zn content of 20 commercial bonemeal supplements was determined. Samples were mineralized with nitric and perchloric acids prior to determination of all elements except F, for which a diffusion method was used. Pb and Cd were determined by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry, F was measured using an ion selective electrode, and all other elements were determined by inductively coupled argon plasma spectroscopy. The mean recoveries of Pb and F were 97 and 99%, respectively. The concentration range of Pb was 1.5 to 8.7 ..mu..g/g. Cd was quantitated in only one sample at a level of 2.5 ..mu..g/g; all other samples were estimated to contain < 0.05 ..mu..g Cd/g. The concentration of F ranged from 261 to 921 ..mu..g/g. 3 tables.
La democratizacion sindical en la industria automotriz mexicana

Durante las decadas de los sesenta y los setenta, la industria fabricante de automoviles en Mexico se vio sometida a una rapida transformacion social y polltica, a raiz de que los trabajadores de varias comparias derrocaron a los dirigentes sindicales que se habian atrincherado en su posicion, e instituyeron formas democraticas de gobierno sindical. Estos movimientos de reforma buscaban una participacion cada vez mayor de las masas en las cuestiones sindicales, a la vez que exaltaban el control obrero sobre diversos aspectos del proceso productivo. Para muchos trabajadores, el sindicalismo democratico (eleccion de representantes clave por su responsabilidad ante los miembros del sindicato; asambleas generales regulares; un papel de mayor realce para la asamblea general en la toma interna de decisiones; defensa de procedimiento de los derechos sindicales de los trabajadores, y oportunidades para la emergencia de oposiciones internas relativamente estables e identificables) prometia una sensibilidad mayor de los lideres en la resolucion de conflictos en el lugar del trabajo, asi como tambien una representacion m'as efectiva de los intereses obreros en un medio industrial cambiante. Hacia 1975, los trabajadores en cinco de las siete companiias terminales (fabricacion de vehiculos) ma's importantes habian conseguido controlar la seleccion de los dirigentes sindicales, asi Como otros aspectos de las decisiones internas en el sindicato. Los desafios obreros a los lideres impuestos y a las organizaciones sindicales establecidas provenian, ante todo, de la transformacio6n estructural de las relaciones en el lugar de trabajo en la industria automotriz, asi como del trastorno de los mecanismos de control obrero. La rapida expansion de la industria fabricante de automoviles en las decadas de los sesenta y de los setenta dio lugar a enormes cambios en el contexto de las
A Delay Independent Output Feedback Law for Linear Systems with Time-Varying Input Delay

It is well-known that a delay-dependent or delay-independent truncated predictor feedback law stabilizes a general linear system in the presence of a certain amount of input delay. Results also exist on estimating the maximum delay bound that guarantees stability. In the face of time-varying or unknown delay, delay independent feedback laws are preferable over delay-dependent feedback laws as the former provide robustness to uncertainties in the delay. In light of few results on the construction of delay-independent output feedback laws for general linear systems with input delay, we present in this paper a delay-independent observer based output feedback law that stabilizes the system. Our design is based on the truncated predictor feedback design. We establish an estimate of the maximum allowable delay bound through Razumikhin-type stability analysis. The delay bound result reveals the capability of the proposed output feedback law in handling an arbitrarily large input delay in linear systems with all open loop poles at the origin or in the open left-half plane. Compared with that of the delay-dependent output feedback laws in the literature, this stabilization result for systems with all poles at the origin or in the open left half plane is not sacrificed by the absence of the knowledge of the delay.
Impact of carboplatin hypersensitivity and desensitization on patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

Hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) to chemotherapy is an ongoing issue in cancer treatments. Strategies to induce tolerance and maximize chemotherapy efficacy include desensitization protocols. The precise impact of these protocols, however, in the long-term treatments remains unclear. We aim to compare overall survival (OS) in hypersensitive patients treated with carboplatin desensitization to patients without hypersensitivity reactions. We also sought to identify new risk factors for HSRs and reconfirm that the DNA repair enzyme, germline BRCA1/2 (gBRCA1/2), is a risk factor for hypersensitivity. Retrospective study in patients with ovarian cancer tested for gBRCA1/2 mutations who received more than six infusions of carboplatin from August 2005 to November 2016. Two-sided Fisher exact, Student’s t test and Gehan–Breslow–Wilcoxon test were used for statistical analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were completed to identify independent predictors of survival. Statistical significance was set with a two-sided p value of 0.05. Ninety-one patients with gBRCA1/2 testing met inclusion. Forty patients (44%) were gBRCA1/2-deficient and 51 (56%) were gBRCA1/2-proficient. Patients with gBRCA1/2 deficiencies had a higher likelihood of developing carboplatin hypersensitivity, HR 6.433 (95% CI: 1.868–22.149). None of the patients with carboplatin hypersensitivity were given PARP inhibitors prior to the development of HSRs. The patients with recurrent advanced stage (III–IV) ovarian cancer had a higher likelihood of developing carboplatin hypersensitivity, HR 4.783 (1.008–22.689). Moreover, we found that hypersensitive patients who underwent carboplatin desensitization had a 48-month longer OS than patients without hypersensitivity to carboplatin not undergoing carboplatin desensitization (p = 0.0094). A subgroup analysis indicated that gBRCA1/2-proficient hypersensitive patients undergoing carboplatin desensitization had a 43-month longer OS than gBRCA1/2-proficient patients without HSRs (p = 0.034). We confirmed that gBRCA1/2 deficiency and advanced stage are independent risk factors for development of carboplatin hypersensitivity in ovarian cancer patients. Our study also shows improved OS in hypersensitive patients receiving CD compared to non-hypersensitive patients, independent of gBRCA1/2.
Overview of Telehealth and Its Application to Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy

Advances in telecommunication technology provide unique opportunities for the provision of medical services to underserved and geographically displaced patients. Health care professionals currently use voice and video systems to communicate with patients and colleagues in a variety of clinical venues. Unfortunately, such systems have limited presence in physical therapy settings. A variety of factors, including lack of familiarity with existing devices and perceived system purchase and operation costs, appear to be limiting its use. Even the terminology is confusing with such terms as telehealth, telemedicine, and telerehabilitation often used interchangeably. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of this technology and to provide a clinical perspective regarding the use of telehealth in cardiopulmonary physical therapy practice.
A yeast suppressor screen used to identify mammalian SIRT1 as a proviral factor for middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus replication

Viral proteins must intimately interact with the host cell machinery during virus replication. Here, we used the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a system to identify novel functional interactions between viral proteins and eukaryotic cells. Our work demonstrates that when the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) ORF4a accessory gene is expressed in yeast it causes a slow-growth phenotype. ORF4a has been characterized as an interferon antagonist in mammalian cells, and yet yeast lack an interferon system, suggesting further interactions between ORF4a and eukaryotic cells. Using the slow-growth phenotype as a reporter of ORF4a function, we utilized the yeast knockout library collection to perform a suppressor screen where we identified the YDL042C/SIR2 yeast gene as a suppressor of ORF4a function. The mammalian homologue of SIR2 is SIRT1, an NAD-dependent histone deacetylase. We found that when SIRT1 was inhibited by either chemical or genetic manipulation, there was reduced MERS-CoV replication, suggesting that SIRT1 is a proviral factor for MERS-CoV. Moreover, ORF4a inhibited SIRT1-mediated modulation of NF-κB signaling, demonstrating a functional link between ORF4a and SIRT1 in mammalian cells. Overall, the data presented here demonstrate the utility of yeast studies for identifying genetic interactions between viral proteins and eukaryotic cells. We also demonstrate for the first time that SIRT1 is a proviral factor for MERS-CoV replication and that ORF4a has a role in modulating its activity in cells.IMPORTANCE Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) initially emerged in 2012 and has since been responsible for over 2,300 infections, with a case fatality ratio of approximately 35%. We have used the highly characterized model system of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to investigate novel functional interactions between viral proteins and eukaryotic cells that may provide new avenues for antiviral intervention. We identify a functional link between the MERS-CoV ORF4a proteins and the YDL042C/SIR2 yeast gene. The mammalian homologue of SIR2 is SIRT1, an NAD-dependent histone deacetylase. We demonstrate for the first time that SIRT1 is a proviral factor for MERS-CoV replication and that ORF4a has a role in modulating its activity in mammalian cells.
Mentoring students engaging in scholarly projects and dissertations in doctoral nursing programs

Abstract Background Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs in the US have grown exponentially, outnumbering Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing programs. Faculty are mentoring increasing numbers of students on DNP projects or PhD dissertations. Purpose This descriptive study explored faculty characteristics and examined support, engagement, and outcomes of American Association of Colleges of Nursing member nursing faculty mentoring student DNP projects or PhD dissertations. Method A researcher-developed survey tool was emailed to 550 Deans and Program Directors of AACN doctoral programs for distribution to their doctoral faculty. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings 177 DNP and 53 PhD (N=230) program surveys were completed. Faculty described challenges in the mentoring role including: time constraints, workload allocation, resources, faculty role preparation, student readiness, and variability in student outcomes. Conclusions Additional dialogue and consensus is required to promote mentoring of students in nursing doctoral programs to ensure rigor of scholarly outcomes.
McKay correspondence for semisimple Hopf actions on regular graded algebras, I

Abstract In establishing a more general version of the McKay correspondence, we prove Auslander's theorem for actions of semisimple Hopf algebras H on noncommutative Artin–Schelter regular algebras A of global dimension two, where A is a graded H-module algebra, and the Hopf action on A is inner faithful with trivial homological determinant. We also show that each fixed ring A H under such an action arises as an analogue of a coordinate ring of a Kleinian singularity.
Teresa Prekerowa: Going against the Grain:

In November 1940, an eighteen-year-old Polish girl went into the Warsaw Ghetto to see how she could help a girl she barely knew. Without initially telling family or friends, she went back a dozen t...
Let's Gamble: Uncovering the Impact of Visualization on Risk Perception and Decision-Making.

Data visualizations are standard tools for assessing and communicating risks. However, it is not always clear which designs are optimal or how encoding choices might influence risk perception and decision-making. In this paper, we report the findings of a large-scale gambling game that immersed participants in an environment where their actions impacted their bonuses. Participants chose to either enter a draw or receive guaranteed monetary gains based on five common visualization designs. By measuring risk perception and observing decision-making, we showed that icon arrays tended to elicit economically sound behavior. We also found that people were more likely to gamble when presented area proportioned triangle and circle designs. Using our results, we model risk perception and decisions for each visualization and provide a ranking to improve visualization selection.
Examining the time-varying association of negative affect and covariates with craving during treatment for prescription opioid dependence with two types of mixed models.

Abstract Opioid use disorders are chronic and relapse is common. Both negative affect and craving have been suggested antecedents of relapse and have been shown to demonstrate within- and between-person variability, as well as association with each other. The present study extends previous research by examining the covariation of negative affect and craving both within-day and at the person-level during 12 days of treatment among opioid-dependent patients. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data were collected from 73 participants starting between 10 and 14 days after admission to an inpatient treatment facility. These data were analyzed using multivariate multilevel models and time-varying effect models. Results demonstrated strong association between negative affect and craving. Within-day, negative affect and craving were most associated in the early afternoon. At the person-level, association between negative affect and craving declined during the first week of data collection. Following this initial decline in association, negative affect and craving increasingly covaried during days 8–12 of data collection. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report a lagged increase in the association between negative affect and craving among patients during inpatient treatment for opioid dependence. Implications for research and treatment providers are discussed.
Use of a Commercial Broth Microdilution Technique for Testing the Susceptibility of Haemophilus Somnus to Antimicrobials

H. somnus has been recognized as an important opportunistic pathogen associated with bovine morbidity worldwide. While data are available on the antimicrobial susceptibility of H. somnus these have been generated using the agar dilution (6,7) or disc diffusion (1) techniques. A broth medium is available for the testing of some Haemophilus species (4) although it has not been recommended for testing H. somnus. The broth microdilution technique offers advantages of economy, convenience and reproducibility over more traditional methods of susceptibility testing (3). In particular, the Sensititre® system, using commercially prepared antimicrobial plates with extended room temperature storage, is well suited to veterinary diagnostic laboratories. The objective of this study was to adapt the Sensititre broth microdilution technique for determination of the antimicrobial susceptibility of H. somnus field isolates.
The Market Valuation of IAS versus U.S. GAAP Accounting Measures using Form 20-F Reconciliations

We investigate the market valuation of earnings and book value amounts prepared under International Accounting Standards (IAS) and U.S.-GAAP to provide evidence on the debate between the U.S. SEC and the NYSE on whether foreign firms should be allowed to list in the U.S. using IAS. Our sample consists of foreign firms that adopted IAS in their primary accounts with a reconciliation to U.S.-GAAP in their Form 20-F filing. Using both price and return valuation models, we find evidence that the U.S.-GAAP earnings reconciliation adjustment is associated with market value and stock returns after controlling for IAS amounts. In addition, we find evidence that U.S.-GAAP amounts are valued differently than IAS amounts and are more highly associated with market values and security returns than IAS amounts.
Re-expansion and Stabilization of Vertebra Plana Fractures Using Bilateral SpineJack® Implants.

The surgical treatment of osteoporotic vertebral fractures with greater than 70% collapse, known as "Vertebra Plana (VP)" has been controversial. Originally VP was a considered a contraindication to vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty because of presumed difficulty of entering the collapsed vertebra as well as obtaining significant re-expansion or correct associated sagittal kyphosis. In some cases, multilevel pedicle screw fixation with or without attempts to correct the collapse is still performed to correct the kyphosis or prevent progression. With experience it was clear that the pedicle could be accessed and VP could be treated without added risk of epidural leak of cement or epidural extravasation. Now, with the introduction of newer third-generation intraspinal expansion devices that are larger and need to be placed bilaterally, their use in cases of VP was again an issue since VP cases were excluded from the original multicenter studies used for worldwide approval. This report reviews six cases of VP treated with bilateral SpineJack® implants (Stryker Corp, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA) demonstrating it is not only feasible to place these larger size implants but achieve significant reconstitution of vertebral height as well as correction of the kyphotic deformity.
Intercellular Interactions of an Adipogenic CXCL12 ‐Expressing Stromal Cell Subset in Murine Bone Marrow

Bone marrow houses a multifunctional stromal cell population expressing C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), termed CXCL12-abundant reticular (CAR) cells, that regulates osteogenesis and adipogenesis. The quiescent pre-adipocyte-like subset of CXCL12+ stromal cells ("Adipo-CAR" cells) is localized to sinusoidal surfaces and particularly enriched for hematopoiesis-supporting cytokines. However, detailed characteristics of these CXCL12+ pre-adipocyte-like stromal cells and how they contribute to marrow adipogenesis remain largely unknown. Here we highlight CXCL12-dependent physical coupling with hematopoietic cells as a potential mechanism regulating the adipogenic potential of CXCL12+ stromal cells. Single-cell computational analyses of RNA velocity and cell signaling reveal that Adipo-CAR cells exuberantly communicate with hematopoietic cells through CXCL12-CXCR4 ligand-receptor interactions but do not interconvert with Osteo-CAR cells. Consistent with this computational prediction, a substantial fraction of Cxcl12-creER+ pre-adipocyte-like cells intertwines with hematopoietic cells in vivo and in single-cell preparation in a protease-sensitive manner. Deletion of CXCL12 in these cells using Col2a1-cre leads to a reduction of stromal-hematopoietic coupling and extensive marrow adipogenesis in adult bone marrow, which appears to involve direct conversion of CXCL12+ cells to lipid-laden marrow adipocytes without altering mesenchymal progenitor cell fates. Therefore, these findings suggest that CXCL12+ pre-adipocyte-like marrow stromal cells prevent their premature differentiation by maintaining physical coupling with hematopoietic cells in a CXCL12-dependent manner, highlighting a possible cell-non-autonomous mechanism that regulates marrow adipogenesis. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Rapid decline in Western monarch butterflies leads to phenological and geographic Allee effects

Allee effects are processes that become disrupted at low population sizes, causing further declines to eventual extinction. In 2018, the Western monarch butterfly population fell below the threshold that scientists predicted would trigger Allee effects. To identify components of Allee effects, we compare monarch performance before and after the 2018 crash. The population has expanded more slowly during spring and summer breeding and filled a smaller breeding range. Other components of the monarch life cycle have not changed after the crash. However, winter survival is much lower and wing sizes of overwintering monarchs are larger now than in the 20th century, suggesting higher mortality and stronger selection than in the past. Western monarchs now face new challenges to recover from low population size, in addition to the original causes of declines.
Reliability and construct validity of PROMIS® measures for patients with heart failure who undergo heart transplant

Purpose To evaluate the reliability and construct validity of measures from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) for patients with heart failure before and after heart transplantation. Methods We assessed reliability of the PROMIS short forms using Cronbach’s alpha and the average marginal reliability. To assess the construct validity of PROMIS computerized adaptive tests and short-form measures, we calculated Pearson product moment correlations between PROMIS measures of physical function, fatigue, depression, and social function and existing PRO measures of similar domains (i.e., convergent validity) as well as different domains (i.e., discriminate validity) in patients with heart failure awaiting heart transplant. We evaluated the responsiveness of these measures to change after heart transplant using effect sizes. Results Forty-eight patients were included in the analyses. Across the many domains examined, correlations between conceptually similar domains were larger than correlations between different domains of health, demonstrating construct validity. Health status improved substantially after heart transplant (standardized effect sizes, 0.63–1.24), demonstrating the responsiveness of the PROMIS measures. Scores from the computerized adaptive tests and the short forms were similar. Conclusions This study provides evidence for the reliability and construct validity (including responsiveness to change) of four PROMIS domains in patients with heart failure before and after heart transplant. PROMIS measures are a reasonable choice in this context and will facilitate comparisons across studies and health conditions.
A Necessary and Sufficient Condition for the Stability of Nonnegative Interval Discrete Systems

This paper considers the stability of nonnegative discrete systems with interval uncertainty. For this important class of systems we provide a necessary and sufficient condition for the stability when all elements of the system matrix are assumed to be specified by intervals. An illustrative example is used as a guideline to demonstrate the effectiveness of our result. Simple computational tests are suggested and their usefulness in this framework are discussed. Finally, the possible extension of our result to the more general classes of systems are addressed.
Learning Curve for Zero‐Fluoroscopy Catheter Ablation of AVNRT: Early versus Late Experience

Introduction/Background: Three-dimensional catheter navigation systems are being utilized more frequently to minimize or eliminate fluoroscopy during catheter ablation. We reviewed our learning curve for a zero-fluoroscopy approach over a 32-month period. Methods: Data were obtained retrospectively from 62 consecutive patients who underwent cryoablation of AVNRT without the use of fluoroscopy from December 2005 to August 2008. The early era was defined as the first 12 months of procedures (December 2005–December 2006, n = 27) and the recent era thereafter (January 2007–August 2008, n = 35). Results: In the early era, acute success was achieved in 100% of patients, compared to 97% in the recent era. There were no significant complications in either group. Transient AV block was seen frequently; however, this always resolved quickly. Average procedure time for the early era was 202 minutes (100–419 minutes) compared to 160 minutes (78–332 minutes) in the recent era (P = 0.01). Recurrence rates were 15% and 8% for the early and recent era, respectively. Conclusion: Procedure time significantly shortens as a function of experience. After an adequate learning curve, the procedure can be performed in a very acceptable amount of time. (PACE 2011; 34:264–268)
Land institutions and land markets

In agrarian societies land serves as the main means not only for generating a livelihood but often also for accumulating wealth and transferring it between generations. How land rights are assigned therefore determines households' ability to generate subsistence and income, their social and economic status (and in many cases their collective identity), their incentive to exert nonobservable effort and make investments, and often their ability to access financial markets or to make arrangements for smoothing consumption and income. With imperfections in other markets, the institutions governing the allocation of land rights and the functioning of land markets will have implications for overall efficiency as well as equity. The authors examine how property rights in land evolve from a situation of land abundance. They discuss factors affecting the costs and benefits of individual land rights and highlight the implications of tenure security for investment incentives. They also review factors affecting participation in land sales and rental markets, particularly the characteristics of the agricultural production process, labor supervision cost, credit access, the risk characteristics of an individual's asset portfolio, and the transaction costs associated with market participation. These factors will affect land sales and rental markets differently. Removing obstacles to the smooth functioning of land rental markets and taking measures to enhance potential tenants' endowments and bargaining power can significantly increase both the welfare of the poor and the overall efficiency of resource allocation. Drawing on their conceptual discussion, the authors draw policy conclusions about the transition from communal to individual and more formal land rights, steps that might be taken to improve the functioning of land sales and rental markets, and the scope for redistributive land reform.
Neural networks for financial market prediction

The use of neural networks in financial market prediction presents a major challenge to the design of effective neural network predictors and classifiers. In this paper, the author examines several neural networks to evaluate their capability in prediction and in trend estimation which is treated as a classification problem. The networks considered are the backpropagation trained network (BPN), the general regression neural network (GRNN), the class-sensitive neural network (CSNN), and the conjugate gradient trained network (CGNN). It is concluded that CSNN is among the best performing networks in both prediction and trend estimation. All major indicators are evaluated by the neural networks. It is found that the use of good indicators like the rate of change, momentum, moving average, etc. can lead to about 5% improvement over the case that no indicator is used. Momentum computed from the previous 14 day data is the best single indicator. The complexity of the financial market probably explains why the large number of indicators cannot provide any significant improvement in network classification. >
A robust estimator based on density and scale optimization and its application to clustering

In this paper, we propose a new robust algorithm that estimates the prototype parameters of a given structure from a possibly noisy data set. The new algorithm has several attractive features. It does not make any assumptions on the proportion of noise in the data set. Instead, it dynamically estimates a scale parameter and the weights/memberships associated with each data point, and softly rejects outliers based on these weights. The algorithm essentially optimizes a density criterion, since it tries to minimize the size while maximizing the cardinality. Moreover, the proposed algorithm is computationally simple, and can be extended to perform parameter estimation when the data set consists of multiple clusters.
A hybrid approach for learning parameters of probabilistic networks from incomplete databases

Probabilistic Inference Networks are becoming increasingly popular for modeling and reasoning in uncertain domains. In the past few years, many efforts have been made in learning the parameters of probabilistic network directly from databases. The learning techniques are based on the assumption that the database is complete. If there are missing values, these values are first estimated and then the modified database is used to learn the parameters of the network. During the estimation process, the missing values are assumed to be missing at random. This paper incorporates the concepts of the Dempster-Shafer theory of belief functions to learn the parameter of the inference network. Instead of filling the missing values by their estimates, we model these missing values as representing our ignorance or lack of belief in their state. The representation provides the possibility to obtain interval estimates of the marginal probabilities of each variable in the inference network. The representation also allows us to model evidence in terms of support functions as used in belief functions, thus providing a richer way to enter evidence or new findings in the probabilistic model.