cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Explore the Business Model of MOOCs

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as disruptive innovation attract attention from both researchers and practitioners. This research selected ten popular MOOCs websites and explored primary sponsors, customer segments, and revenue models of each case. The paper further discussed the impact of MOOCs on higher education.
Education for Collection Development in the Electronic Age: With an Emphasis on Public Libraries

New computer-based technologies are evincing revolutionary changes in the educational curriculum for schools of library and information science, and the area of collection development is no exception. The topics discussed in the author's Collection Development course at the University of South Florida are described, with an emphasis on the problems likely to be presented to future public librarians as further emphasis is placed on access to electronic forms of information.
Fluid-filled fractures in Earth's lithosphere: Gravitational loading, interpenetration, and stable height of dikes and veins

Abstract We present two analytical solutions for the boundary-value problem of a homogeneous, isotropic, and linear elastic solid with a vertical fluid-filled crack, and use these to investigate the effects of gravitationally induced stress and pressure gradients on the opening distribution, fracture-tip stress intensity, and stable heights of veins and dikes. Stable fractures are not propagating or closing anywhere along their tipline, so the vein or dike is in its final arrested configuration as preserved in the rock record. The solutions do not preclude interpenetration of crack surfaces, so we propose special constraints to avoid such ill-posed problems. Veins and dikes both grow as fluid-filled, opening fractures in Earth's brittle lithosphere, but attain markedly different heights. We show how gravity-induced pressure gradients in water and magma, and stress gradients in the host rock, lead to different stable heights. Dikes, but not veins, can attain stable heights near the level of neutral buoyancy in a density stratified rock mass, even if the host rock fracture toughness is zero. Depth to center and opening distributions for dikes are different if host rock density is stratified or continuously variable. These solutions offer a new set of analytical tools for interpreting field data from veins and dikes.
Work in Children’s Lives

The introductory chapter provides a rationale for considering children’s work from an anthropological perspective. Work is central in children’s lives across cultures and throughout history. “Work-less” childhood is a modern phenomenon and still limited to relatively well-to-do families with few children. The author lays out the nature of the epistemology employed, as well as the sources of data and how they are utilized. The penultimate section of the chapter offers seven detailed case studies taken from the ethnographic record to give the reader a rapid glance at the phenomenon under consideration. The last section offers a preview of the ensuing seven chapters.
Virtual Reality-Based Simulators for Cranial Tumor Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Background Virtual reality (VR) simulators have become useful tools in various fields of medicine. Prominent uses of VR technologies include assessment of physician skills and presurgical planning. VR has shown effectiveness in multiple surgical specialties, yet its use in neurosurgery remains limited. Objective To examine all current literature on VR-based simulation for presurgical planning and training in cranial tumor surgeries and to assess the quality of these studies. Methods PubMed and Embase were systematically searched to identify studies that used VR for presurgical planning and/or studies that investigated the use of VR as a training tool from inception to May 25, 2017. Results The initial search identified 1662 articles. Thirty-seven full-text articles were assessed for inclusion. Nine studies were included. These studies were subdivided into presurgical planning and training using VR. Conclusions Prospects for VR are bright when surgical planning and skills training are considered. In terms of surgical planning, VR has noted and documented usefulness in the planning of cranial surgeries. Further, VR has been central to establishing reproducible benchmarks of performance in relation to cranial tumor resection, which are helpful not only in showing face and construct validity but also in enhancing neurosurgical training in a way not previously examined. Although additional studies are needed to better delineate the precise role of VR in each of these capacities, these studies stand to show the usefulness of VR in the neurosurgery and highlight the need for further investigation.
Mixing time of vertex-weighted exponential random graphs

Abstract Exponential random graph models have become increasingly important in the study of modern networks ranging from social networks, economic networks, to biological networks. They seek to capture a wide variety of common network tendencies such as connectivity and reciprocity through local graph properties. Sampling from these exponential distributions is crucial for parameter estimation, hypothesis testing, as well as understanding the features of the network in question. We inspect the efficiency of a popular sampling technique, the Glauber dynamics, for vertex-weighted exponential random graphs. Letting n be the number of vertices in the graph, we identify a region in the parameter space where the mixing time for the Glauber dynamics is Θ ( n log n ) (the high-temperature phase) and a complementary region where the mixing time is exponentially slow of order e Ω ( n ) (the low-temperature phase). Lastly, we give evidence that along a critical curve in the parameter space the mixing time is O ( n 2 ∕ 3 ) .
Hold the Door: Role of the Gut Barrier in Diabetes

While metabolic tissues such as adipose, liver, muscle, and pancreas have been extensively studied in dysmetabolism, the contribution of the gut remains poorly understood. In a recent Science article, Thaiss et al. (2018) unravel mechanisms underlying intestinal permeability observed in obesity and link barrier dysfunction and risk for infection with hyperglycemia.
An Architecture for Mobile Context Services

Determining the context of what a mobile user is doing currently, and in the near future is central to personalizing a user’s experience to what is most relevant to them. Numerous methods and data sources have been used to try and garner this information such as GPS traces, social network data, and semantic information to name a few. In this paper we propose an architecture for combining various forms of data and processing into a service for providing a mobile user’s context to applications. The goal of this work is to establish an architecture that can provide a more complete model of the information relevant to a mobile user and making this data available to interested applications.
Just going through the motions? An empirical investigation of control, compliance, and performance in franchisor-franchisee relationships

Abstract Recent channels research differentiates two forms of compliance—consummate and perfunctory compliance; yet research stops short of examining how these nuances of compliance impact financial performance. This study fills this void. We assess our research model with longitudinal data collected from 119 franchisees in the United States. The results indicate outcome and behavioral control have differential effects on perfunctory versus consummate compliance. Further, we find that relationship age moderates the control-compliance relationship significantly, with behavioral control increasing consummate compliance in the early stages of franchisor-franchisee relationships and outcome control increasing consummate compliance in the later stages. Lastly, we find, unexpectedly, that consummate compliance decreases franchisee financial performance whereas perfunctory compliance enhances franchisee performance.
A review of control methodologies for vapor compression and absorption heat pumps

Abstract This paper presents an overview of control systems for heat pumps, and more specifically, a critical review of control methodologies for thermally activated absorption heat pumps. The objectives of a control system are identified and discussed, including optimal system operation, ability for continuous turndown, and fast response to changes in the operating conditions. Key details of different aspects of research and development such as steady-state and transient thermodynamic models, control algorithm development, and implementation are presented. Advanced multivariable feedback controls are able to perform better than individual feedback control loops and conventional on/off controls. The knowledge of the transient response of heat pump systems through models or experimental data is crucial for advanced control system design and implementation. Recently, data-based methods have also gained interest, but they are difficult to generalize. A general outlook with limitations and the potential of different approaches, and recommendations for future work are provided.
Visual landscapes and sensual settings in Schreiner’s The Story of an African Farm

Love-thoughts, love-juice, love-odor, love-yielding, love-climbers, and the climbing sap,Arms and hands of love—lips of love—phallic thumb of love—breasts of love—bellies, pressed and glued togethe...
Information and Communication Technology for Sustainable Development

Information and Communication Technology for Sustainable Development shows how ICT, as an enabler for all spheres of development, can help innovate business processes and operations, and provide faster integration of new technologies into business systems. Focused on sustainability, the book addresses strategic approaches to cope with a range of climatic, environmental, cyber-security threats and other global risks, and aims to promote prosperity and economic growth. Furthermore, it explores how the adoption of new technologies, and collective action based upon a strategic behavioral theory of new leadership, can be applied when responding to specific set of conditions that allow for the proposed strategies to cope with risks. Information technology and strategic planning complement each other to attain the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Risk management frameworks, business continuity systems, and strategic planning methodologies such as mechanism design theory, strategic adaptive cognition (SAC), and risk mechanism theory (RMT) are the fundamental components needed to have a universal approach embedded into the national development plans agenda. As technology no longer follows an orderly, linear path, but improves exponentially, developing a strategic approach to ICT implementation help world leaders in the difficult but inspiring task of making a sustainable world and consequently find solutions to achieve the SDGs and the desired growth pattern that must be sustained, inclusive and equitable. Features: Discusses for the first time the potential of ICT as a transformative power in finding solutions to climatic and economic issues. Illustrates comprehensive strategic planning for leaders to implement in both public and private organizations. Integrates standards and frameworks in the context of sustainable development along with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Describes in detail how mechanism design, risk management, business continuity systems, a comprehensive strategic planning using SAC (Strategic Adaptive Cognition) and risk mechanism theory can be used to address environmental risks and attain sustainable development goals (SDGs). Explains eHealth as an adaptation strategy to address future changes in climate and impacts, and the links between mitigation and adaptation to ICTs.
Mechanisms of Electromigration Damage in Cu Interconnects

Mechanisms of electromigration (EM) damage in Cu interconnects through various CMOS nodes are reviewed. Pure Cu and Cu alloy interconnects that were used down to 14 nm node can no longer satisfy the electrical current used for 10 nm node and beyond in high-performance ICs. Cu interconnects with a metal cap should be used. Cu interface diffusivity with EM activation energy of 1.6 eV was found to be the dominate EM factor in Cu lines with a Co liner and cap. The median lifetime of 7 or 10 nm node Cu with TaN/Co liner and Co cap is predicted to be over ten thousand years at 140°C with $1.5\times 10^{7}\mathrm{A}/\text{cm}^{2}$ . However, the resistivity size effect and the difficulty of scaling barrier/liner layer without defects can limit the Cu BEOL roadmap below the 7 nm node.
Integrative Research Syntheses as Sites of Disruption in Literacy Teacher Education

In this Insight article, we look across the syntheses in this issue to consider how they help readers notice dominant flows and identify sites for disruption within the field of literacy teacher pr...
When the Female Heart Stops: Sex and Gender Differences in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Epidemiology and Resuscitation

Sex- and gender-based differences are emerging as clinically significant in the epidemiology and resuscitation of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Female patients tend to be older, experience arrest in private locations, and have fewer initial shockable rhythms (ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia). Despite standardized algorithms for the management of OHCA, women are less likely to receive evidence-based interventions, including advanced cardiac life support medications, percutaneous coronary intervention, and targeted temperature management. While some data suggest a protective mechanism of estrogen in the heart, brain, and kidney, its role is incompletely understood. Female patients experience higher mortality from OHCA, prompting the need for sex-specific research.
More evidence of unsustainable dolphin-watching practices in Bocas del Toro, Panama

The Panamanian whale-watching1 industry started in Bocas del Toro (an archipelago located on the northeast Caribbean coast of Panama) in the late 90’s. The industry attracts approximately 15,500 do...
Role of ENSO Conditions on Particulate Organic Matter Concentrations and Elemental Ratios in the Southern California Bight

Author(s): Fagan, AJ; Moreno, AR; Martiny, AC | Abstract: El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences multi-year variation in sea-surface temperature and the intensity of upwelling in many Pacific regions. However, it is currently unknown how El Nino conditions will affect the concentration and elemental ratios of particulate organic matter (POM). To investigate this, we have quantified POM weekly for 6 years (2012 to 2017) at the MICRO time-series station in the Southern California Bight. We found a strong influence of the 2015 El Nino on sea-surface temperature and phosphate concentration but to a lesser extent on nitrate availability. The 2015 El Nino also resulted in a short-term depression in POC and POP concentrations, whereas PON concentrations displayed an independent long-term decline regardless of the El Nino event. Reduced POM concentrations resulting from the 2015 El Nino occurred in parallel to high C:P and N:P ratios. Following the changes in PON, C:N continued to climb reaching ~9.4 at the end of our sampling period. We suggest that an Eastern Pacific- vs. a Central Pacific-type El Nino as well as a switch in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation phase significantly altered the local response in POM concentrations and ratios.
Wireless bipotentiostat circuit for glucose and H 2 O 2 interrogation

Here we present a cost-effective point-of-use wireless platform for the electrochemical detection of low concentrations of glucose and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), simultaneously. The electrochemical system utilizes a dual sensor integrated with a portable bipotentiostat. The bipotentiostat hardware implements a basic designed that reduces the cost of construction and increase the affordability of the instrument, while providing similar functionality as the more expensive bench-top potentiostats. The bipotentiostat utilizes inexpensive components and common Ag/AgCl reference and platinum counter electrodes and two working electrodes, and it is designed to detect currents within the range of 20 uA – 7 mA. Additionally, the bipotentiostat is integrate with wireless module ESP8266 that interfaces with a smartphone to enable real-time monitoring and visualization of the analyte concentration levels. The results show that the selfdesigned bipotentiostat is capable of performing chronoamperometry and demonstrate an electrochemical detection system that is a portable alternative system for laboratory and point-of-use testing.
Typologies of Combat Exposure and Their Effects on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Symptoms

The present study identified distinct classes of U.S. military service members based on their combat experiences and examined mental health outcomes and longitudinal growth curves of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms associated with each class. Participants were 551 active duty service members who screened positive for PTSD and/or depression based on DSM-IV-TR criteria. All participants completed the Combat Experiences Scale at baseline as well as PTSD and depression measures at baseline and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. A latent class analysis identified four classes of service members based on their combat experiences: limited exposure, medical exposure, unit exposure, and personal exposure. Service members in the personal exposure class were characterized by a distinct mental health profile: They reported a higher level of PTSD symptoms at baseline and a higher prevalence of traumatic brain injury and PTSD diagnoses during the course of the study. The limited exposure class was more likely to receive diagnoses of depression and adjustment disorders. All classes except the medical exposure class demonstrated a slight decrease in PTSD and depression symptoms over time. However, participants in the limited exposure class had a larger decrease in PTSD and depression symptoms earlier in care but did not demonstrate superior long-term symptom improvements at 12 months compared to the other groups. These results inform PTSD development models and have implications for the screening and clinical management of combat-exposed service members.
Setting Our Sails: Counseling Psychology in the Age of Integrated Health Care:

Counseling psychology has a documented ability to adapt to the winds of societal, market, and professional change. Adjusting our sails to the winds of integrated care will require realizing that (a...
Real-time degradation dynamics of hydrated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the presence of excess electrons.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are synthetic chemicals that are harmful to both the environment and human health. Using self-interaction-corrected Born–Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations, we provide the first real-time assessment of PFAS degradation in the presence of excess electrons. In particular, we show that the initial phase of the degradation involves the transformation of an alkane-type C–C bond into an alkene-type CC bond in the PFAS molecule, which is initiated by the trans elimination of fluorine atoms bonded to these adjacent carbon atoms.
Cerebral Microembolization in Left Ventricular Assist Device Associated Ischemic Events

Abstract Introduction The significance of microembolic signals (MES) detected by transcranial Doppler ultrasound emboli monitoring (TCD-e) in patients supported with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the relationship between cerebral microembolization detected by TCD-e and acute ischemic events in LVAD patients. Methods We reviewed consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in a prospectively collected database of LVAD patients. TCD-e exams consisted of monitoring the middle cerebral arteries for microembolic signals (MES) over 30 minutes. Results Of 515 persons with LVAD, 41 TCD-e studies were performed in 35 patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in a median of 1 day (Interquartile range [IQR]: 0-2) after the event. MES were present in 15 (44%) TCD-e studies with a median MES count of 4 (IQR: 2-15.5). Bloodstream infections were more common in patients with MES (38% versus 8%, P = .039). There were trends for lower international normalized ratio (1.39 versus 1.69, P = .214), lower activated partial thromboplastin (33.2 versus 36.6, P = .577), higher lactate dehydrogenase (531 versus 409, P = .323) and a higher frequency of pump thrombosis (13% versus 8%, P = .637) in patients with MES compared with those without MES. Conclusions LVAD patients with acute ischemic stroke or TIA have a high prevalence of MES on TCD-e, which may serve as a marker for a prothrombotic state. Further study of MES in LVAD patients is warranted.
Federal Government Power: The Voting Right Act

Following the contested election of 1876, as part of the compromise that gave the United States Presidency to Rutherford B. Hayes, Union troops were withdrawn from the states of the former Confederacy. As a more or less direct consequence, the formerly enslaved African Americans, who had begun to exercise political power under Reconstruction, were once again disenfranchised. The Fifteenth Amendment would remain all but a dead letter until the civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century. Along with direct challenges to Jim Crow came legal challenges to the various restrictions and qualifications that states and their subdivisions placed on African-American suffrage. Literacy tests were a favorite device. As Justice Thomas recounted in his separate opinion in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility No. One v. Holder ("NAMUNDO"), such tests dated back to the period immediately following the adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment. Literacy tests were an effective tool of racially selective disenfranchisement because, as a legacy of slavery and continuing inequality in educational opportunities, the African American population was disproportionately illiterate. To compound the disproportionate impact of literacy tests, white illiterates were often permitted to vote under "grandfather clauses" extending the franchise to those whose grandparents (in the time of slavery) had voted. The blatant race discrimination of the literacy-test-plusgrandfather-clause was invalidated by the Supreme Court as early as 1915. Nevertheless, state officials were creative, so when one stratagem failed, a new one sprang up, and the new ploy was used until it, too, was struck down. But, by then, yet a new disenfranchising technique had been developed. These tactics were very effective at disenfranchising African Americans in the South, and accordingly, when, a century after the conclusion of the Civil War, Congress finally addressed them, it needed equally effective countermeasures. The Voting Rights Act ("VRA") of 1965 created one such mechanism. Devices that have the purpose or effect of suppressing minority votes violate the substance of the VRA. In addition, under section 5 of the VRA, if a state or one of its subdivisions in a "covered jurisdiction" attempts to change its voting rules in any way, it must first submit the proposed change either to a three-judge court in the District of Columbia or to the Attorney General for what has become known as preclearance.
Transhumants and Rural Change in Northern Greece Throughout the Nineteenth Century

This article examines the sedentarization of transhumants in northern Greece within the context of the political, legal, social, and economic transformation of the region that occurred throughout the nineteenth century. Based on a wide range of primary sources, this research conducts a chronological survey of the local actors, events, and institutions with reference to a broader political and economic context. It emphasizes that, in the first half of the century, a provincial-elite regime and imperial policies did not create substantial change in transhumance. In the 1860s, however, economic transformations at both imperial and global levels did accelerate change in the region's land and labour regimes. In response, regional landholders began to institute sedentarization, adopting various legal and economic means based on strategies including negotiation, persuasion, and compulsion.
ChIP in series: Sequential ChIP

Abstract In eukaryotes, essential processes in the nucleus such as transcription, replication, or DNA repair are carried out in the context of chromatin, a highly complex and variable structure consisting of DNA and proteins. Given its importance in regulating these crucial cellular activities, chromatin has been the focus of study for over 100 years. The advent of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) techniques has revolutionized the study of chromatin, as it allowed the precise mapping of chromatin components across the genome for the first time. However, while chromatin is highly complex, and multiple proteins are found regularly at the same genomic location, ChIP is able to only assay one chromatin component at a time. Sequential ChIP, also called re-ChIP, circumvents this limitation by utilizing back-to-back ChIP reactions to assay the co-occurrence of multiple chromatin components. Sequential ChIP has been used to address a variety of questions in the chromatin field, revealing for example the existence of so-called bivalent domains. In this review, we provide an overview of the techniques available to study the co-occurrence of chromatin proteins up to and including the invention of sequential ChIP. We highlight the advantages of sequential ChIP compared to other methods and discuss challenges remaining with this technique, in particular regarding experimental design and analysis.
Therapeutic bronchoscopy facilitates liberation from mechanical ventilation and improves quality of life for critically ill patients with central airway obstruction

Central airway obstruction (CAO) remains a challenging disease for both patients who are suffering from it and for physicians who are managing it. Patients will frequently present with acute symptoms of respiratory failure that require management in an intensive care unit (ICU). While the true prevalence and incidence of CAO in the ICU setting is unknown, recent estimates suggest that approximately 20-30% of patients with a cancer diagnosis may present with CAO or develop it after diagnosis. Therapeutic bronchoscopy focuses on performing minimally invasive procedures using multiple ablative modalities to recanalize the central airway and alleviate the obstruction. While procedures are usually technically successful, they appear to be underutilized. An individually tailored approach is often used based on patient characteristics, operator preference, and available equipment. After therapeutic bronchoscopy procedures are completed, many patients are successfully liberated from mechanical ventilation (MV) or immediately transferred out of the ICU. Data reviewing the effects of therapeutic bronchoscopy have also shown success in palliation of symptoms, with significant improvement in subjective measures such as patient quality of life and dyspnea and objective values like pulmonary function studies. Given the potential benefits with a low risk profile and high likelihood of technical success, treatment of CAOs with therapeutic bronchoscopy represents a reasonable consideration for patients with acute respiratory failure in the ICU.
Swine barn dust stimulates CCL9 expression in mouse monocytes through protein kinase C-delta activation

Objective: Exposure to organic barn dusts has been shown to cause numerous lung problems to chronically exposed animal barn workers. Bacterial components in these dusts trigger innate immunity in the lungs. In characterizing these responses, we examined the expression of a lesser examined chemokine believed to be a lower avidity signal for neutrophil migration, CCL9, and how its expression is controlled by dust exposure in a monocyte/macrophage cell line. Materials and Methods: CCL9 expression was assessed in the RAW267.4 macrophage cell line exposed to organic hog barn dust extracts (HDEs) or components of this dust such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan. CCL9 expression was assessed as well as response of CXCL1 (keratinocyte-derived chemokine [KC]). Protein kinase C (PKC)-α, ζ, and δ were inhibited to assess CCL9 expression. Results: HDE was able to induce significant increase of CCL9 expression in RAW264.7 cells. The ability of HDE to induce CCL9 relied upon LPS present in HDE samples. Addition of CCL9 to RAW264.7 cells stimulated with organic dust reduced KC expression. Further, CCL9 expression was particularly sensitive to PKC-ζ inhibition by chemical or siRNA. Conclusion: CCL9 is an inducible chemokine present in mouse monocytes exposed to HDE. HDE-induced production of CCL9 appears primarily mediated by LPS in HDE samples. This induction appears to require PKC signaling, with emphasis on PKC-ζ expression.
Pharmaceutical pollution sources and solutions: Survey of human and veterinary medication purchasing, use, and disposal.

Abstract Human and veterinary pharmaceuticals offer many benefits, but they also pose risks to both the environment and public health. Life-cycle stewardship of medications offers multiple strategies for minimizing the risks posed by pharmaceuticals, and further insight is required for developing best practices for pharmaceutical management. The goal of this study was to clarify points of intervention for minimizing environmental and public health risks associated with pharmaceuticals. Specifically, our objectives were to provide insight on purchasing, use, and disposal behaviors associated with human and veterinary medications. This study used a state-wide representative sample of Vermont adults (n = 421) to survey both human and veterinary pharmaceuticals as potential sources of the unintended consequences of prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The majority (93%) of respondents had purchased some form of medication within the past twelve months, including OTC (85%), prescription (74%), and veterinary (41%) drugs. Leftover drugs of any kind were reported by 59% of respondents. While 56% of people were aware of drug take-back programs, the majority reported never being told what to do with leftover medications by their physician (78%), pharmacist (76%), or veterinarian (53%). Among all respondents, take-back programs were the most common disposal method (22%), followed by trash (19%), and flushing (9%), while 26% of respondents reported keeping unused drugs. Awareness of pharmaceutical pollution in the environment and having received information about proper disposal were both significantly associated with participation in take-back programs. These findings indicate that a large volume of drugs are going unused annually, and that only a portion of leftover medications are returned to take-back programs where they can be appropriately disposed. Our results warrant further investigation of clinical interventions that support lower dose prescribing and dispensing practices in order to reduce the unintended environmental and public health consequences of pharmaceuticals within the consumer sphere. In addition, our findings suggest that directed efforts to raise awareness of proper disposal may be more effective than broad awareness campaigns, and we recommend research on the efficacy of providing disposal instructions on drug packaging.
Painting the portrait of athlete health: a call for interconnected health information systems.

Athlete health promotion programmes depend on accurate and complete sport epidemiology data.1 Many methods are used for health surveillance in elite athletes: research registries, medical records, screening questionnaires for clinical and research use and athlete monitoring systems designed for high performance management teams.2–4 In this clinical commentary, we describe our theory that the true incidence and prevalence of health conditions may be best described by interconnected data systems that aggregate the information from each of these inputs into one live data table. We then introduce a system developed by a National Olympic & Paralympic Committee that is used to help document medical records of individuals for clinical athlete management, while also contributing to knowledge of athlete cohorts for population-based health promotion programmes. The best predictor of future injury is prior injury; however, systems that categorise an athlete’s previous injury, track new conditions and maintain records of risk factors are not readily available for use in the clinical setting.5 Analysis of existing injury surveillance systems provide examples of common flaws with current systems (eg, inconsistent definitions, poor data hygiene, failure to report …
Luminous Science: Teachers Designing For and Developing Transdisciplinary Thinking and Learning

Creating learning environments that integrate arts, sciences, and computing in education can improve learning in these disciplines. In particular, transdisciplinary integrations of these discipline...
Hedgehog Inhibitor Induction with Addition of Concurrent Superficial Radiotherapy in Patients with Locally Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND Locally advanced basal cell cancer is a rare and challenging clinical problem. Historically, these patients were treated with aggressive surgery or radiotherapy. Most sporadic basal cell carcinomas have somatic mutations in the hedgehog pathway. Oral hedgehog inhibitors induce rapid and often complete clinical responses in locally advanced basal cell tumors. Unfortunately, these responses are usually transient. We hypothesized that treatment failure represents persistence of drug resistant cells that could be eradicated by addition of localized radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a retrospective review of our patients with locally advanced basal cell cancer treated with sonidegib or vismodegib induction therapy who were treated with added superficial radiotherapy at the time of maximal response. RESULTS Twelve patients met inclusion criteria. All patients achieved a complete response following hedgehog inhibitor therapy with addition of radiotherapy. Progression-free survival at 40 months was 89%, with a median follow-up of 40 months. Relapses occurred in only 2 of 12 patients (16.6%). Nine patients experienced grade I-II toxicity from hedgehog inhibitor induction therapy (taste changes [3], weight loss [3], muscle cramps [3]). Eight patients experienced mild radiotherapy-induced skin toxicity during concurrent therapy. No patients had to discontinue treatment. CONCLUSION Induction therapy with hedgehog inhibitors followed by addition of concurrent radiation therapy resulted in an extremely high clinical response rate with relatively minor and reversible toxicity. This gave a high rate of progression-free survival and a low disease-specific progression rate. Further prospective evaluation of this treatment approach is needed to confirm the apparent clinical activity. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Locally advanced basal cell cancers are challenging to treat. Previously, aggressive surgical resection or radiotherapy represented the best treatment options. Most basal cell cancers have somatic mutations in the hedgehog pathway. Oral inhibitors of this pathway produce rapid but transient clinical responses. This study reports 12 patients treated with hedgehog inhibitor induction therapy to near-maximal response. Addition of concurrent involved field radiotherapy resulted in a very high complete response rate with minimal toxicity. There was prolonged progression-free survival in 90% of patients. This study identified a novel treatment approach for patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma.
Association of Tumor Lysis Syndrome and Metastatic Melanoma.

Background Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a known oncologic emergency characterized by severe metabolic derangements. TLS has been well documented in patients with hematologic malignancies, but rarely with metastatic melanoma. The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of TLS with metastatic melanoma. Methods Retrospective literature review and analysis. Results Eighteen cases of TLS were identified with metastatic melanoma from published literature. The median age of patients was 63 years (36-79 years). All patients have stage IV disease. Seven cases (39%) of TLS were associated with multiple treatment regimes, including nivolumab (22%), ipilimumab (16%), and dacarbazine (22%). The time from treatment to diagnosis was 3.5 days (8 hours-21 days) in treatment-related TLS. Three cases (17%) were due to spontaneous TLS. The majority of cases have a high tumor burden (77.5%) and liver metastasis (83%). Seven cases were treated with rasburicase (39%). The mortality rate was 100% for the patients with spontaneous TLS and 73% for patients with treatment-related TLS. Three cases utilized traditional chemotherapy and the six most recent cases of treatment-associated TLS utilized immunotherapy and targeted therapy. Conclusion TLS in metastatic melanoma, due to either spontaneous or treatment-related causes, is associated with a very high mortality rate. This study highlights the importance of awareness, early intervention, and risk assessment of this underdiagnosed emergency.
Some Applications of Forcing

The real line is, up to isomorphism, the unique linearly ordered set that is dense, unbounded, complete, and separable. In 1920 Suslin raised the question as to whether “ separable “ can be replaced by a weaker condition: Each collection of disjoint open intervals is at most countable (the countable chain condition, c.c.c).
Preoxidation Surface Treatments in Thermal Oxidation of Silicon

The role of preoxidation surface treatments in thermal oxidation of silicon is discussed. The nature of various treatments, and the effect they may have on the growth of an oxide, its structure and composition as well as electrical properties is evaluated. A systematic approach to the implementation of preoxidation treatments carried out outside the process chamber as well as in situ is presented for the case of the thermal growth of gate oxides. The possibilities of modifying the condition of the silicon surface through the preoxidation treatments are discussed.
Carbon Dioxide Control by Enzymatic Reactions in Spacecraft Atmosphere

The feasibility of using enzymatic reactions for carbon dioxide control of closed atmospheres was investigated in two directions. The hydration and dehydration of carbon dioxide by bovine carbonate hydro-lyase (EC 4.2.1.1) was developed to a continuous laboratory scale operation. The multienzyme system, pyruvate: CO2 ligase (EC 6.4.1.1), L-malate: NAD oxidoreductase (EC 1.1.1.37), and L-malate: NADP oidoreductase (decarboxylating) (EC 1.1.1.40), was tested for carbon dioxide exchange under static conditions.
Microstructures of Nb−26Ti-48Al + (Nb, Ti)B

Abstract The microstructures of Nb–26at.%Ti–48at.%Al + 10vol.%(Nb0.67,Ti0.33)B prior to and after creep testing were studied by transmission electron microscopy. The matrix of this alloy exhibits a γ + σtwo-phase structure. The axis of an (Nb0.67,Ti0.33)B whisker was [010] which was found to be parallel to 〈011〉γ. Twins and 1/2[110] dislocations were observed in the γ grains which were emitted from the whisker/γ interfaces and the σ/γ interfaces. Extensive 1/2[110] dislocations were observed in the creep deformed specimen. It was also noticed that 1/2[110] dislocations were pinned by precipitates and small dislocation loops which might contribute to the observed low creep rates.
Quad JFET Wideband Operational Amplifier IC

This paper describes the design and fabrication of an integrated circuit consisting of four general purpose JFET operational amplifiers each having the following features: internal compensation, unity gain stability, large bandwidth, high slew rate, and low input bias current. This was all made possible by the use of ion-implanted JFET devices and simple circuit techniques.
Unbiased Stratification of Left Ventricles

Image based quantitative stratification of the Left Ventricles (LV) across a population helps in unraveling the structure-function symbiosis of the heart. An unbiased, reference less grouping scheme that automatically determines the number of clusters and a physioanatomically relevant strategy that aligns the intra cluster LV shapes would enable the robust construction of pathology stratified cardiac atlas. This paper achieves this hitherto elusive stratification and alignment by adapting the conventional strategies routinely followed by clinicians. The individual LV shape models (N=127) are independently oriented to an "attitudinally consistent orientation" that captures the physioanatomic variations of the LV morphology. Affinity propagation technique based on the automatically identified inter-LV_landmark distances is used to group the LV shapes. The proposed algorithm is computationally efficient and, if the inter cluster variations are linked to pathology, could provide a clinically relevant cardiac atlas.
Observations of Jupiter and Saturn at 5-8 micron

Moderate-resolution spectrophotometry (about 0.015) has shown the effects of known atmospheric constituents (NH3, CH4, C2H6) on the 5-8 micron spectrum of Jupiter. Broadband observations of Saturn at 6.5 micron are also reported.
Complex Litigation: Claim Abandonment

This paper is a commentary and analysis of the problem of claim abandonment in class action litigation. The problem arises when a plaintiff’s class action attorney makes the strategic decision not to plead all available claims, or after filing a complaint, decides to amend a complaint to abandon previously pleaded claims. The issue of claim abandonment in the class action context implicates pleading, class certification, claim splitting, res judicata, and adequacy issues. Can an attorney be found to be an inadequate representative if the attorney abandons certain claims in the interests of preserving other claims? Will the voluntary relinquishment of claims during the development of a class action have a subsequent preclusive effect? What consequences does this decision have for the res judicata effect of a class judgment? Can class members subsequently pursue abandoned claims, or are they barred by the class judgment? The article discusses the varying approaches that courts have taken in addressing the array of problems raised by claim abandonment in the class action context. Some courts view the pleading of all available claims as an issue of counsel’s adequacy, while other courts refuse to impose a preclusive effect on abandoned claims.
Is online better than offline for meeting partners? Depends: are you looking to marry or to date?

Abstract Previous studies that compared differences in the outcomes of relationships that begin online compared to traditional offline venues have primarily looked at marital relationships. The present study extends this investigation by including non-marital relationships in the comparison. It further investigates if the breakup rate of relationships (both marital and non-marital) varies as a result of meeting online versus offline, and if other factors outside of the meeting venue predict relationship dissolution. Data are used from Waves I, II, and III of a nationally representative survey of 4,002 respondents. Results suggest that couples who met their partners online were more likely to be involved in dating and romantic relationships than marital relationships compared to couples who met offline. Furthermore, the breakup rates for both marital and non-marital romantic relationships was found to be higher for couples who met online than couples who met through offline venues. In addition to meeting v...
Behavioral Observation for the School Psychologist: Responsive-Discrepancy Model.

Few school psychologists perform behavioral observation in the classroom. Many do not know how to perform such observations. Others have been frustrated in these attempts. Many of the problems enco...
The Intergenerational Transmission of Relationship Quality

Abstract Using a social learning perspective and the spillover assumption of the family systems perspective, the current study sought to examine the assumptions that remarriage quality is potentially a stronger predictor of adult children's later relationship attitudes, behaviors, and quality than the parents' first marriage. A total of 513 young adults completed a questionnaire regarding the quality of their parents' marital relationships and various aspects of their own committed relationships. Although quality of parents' first marriage predicted aspects of adult children's current committed relationships, for children whose parents remarried, results suggested that parental remarriage quality has more influence on current relational dimensions than the quality of their parents' first marriage. For adult children's intimate relationships, a parental remarriage may provide the more current model of marital interactions and may carry the greater potential for influence.
Computational modeling of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

A new finite-difference algorithm has been developed and will be shown in this presentation. The algorithm is used to calculate the detailed time evolution of the transverse mode profiles of VCSELs. The VCSELs are based on InGaAs-GaAs quantum well structures. Effects of pumping current and refractive index profiles will be investigated in detail. The simulation results will be compared with other results the use the rate-equation model.
Intraoperative sonography of intracranial arteriovenous malformations: how we do it.

Objective. We have advanced the application of intraoperative neurosonography by combining gray scale sonographic imaging with pulsed wave Doppler and color flow Doppler imaging to guide and confirm resection of arteriovenous malformations of the brain. We want to share our technique with the imaging community. Methods. We present a review of our scan technique as it has evolved over the 3 years during which we have been assisting our neurosurgical team. Results and Conclusions. Our experience has indicated that a combination of sonographic imaging and color and spectral Doppler imaging improves surgical resection of such lesions.
Dynamic finite element analysis of third size charpy specimens of V-4Cr-4Ti

Abstract A 2-D finite element analysis (FEA) of precracked, one-third-scale CVN specimens of V–4Cr–4Ti was performed to investigate the sensitivity of model results to key material parameters such as yield strength, failure strain and work hardening characteristics. Calculations were carried out at temperatures of −196°C and 50°C. Dynamic FEAs were performed using ABAQUS/Explicit v5.4. Finite element results are compared to experimental Charpy results from the production-scale heat of V–4Cr–4Ti (Heat #832665) as a benchmark. Agreement between the finite element model and the experimental data was very good at −196°C, whereas at 50°C the model predicted an absorbed energy slightly below the experimental value.