cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A message-focused measurement of the communication dimension of social capital: Revealing shared meaning in a network of relationships

ABSTRACTThis study integrates two theoretically driven methods—network analysis and fantasy theme analysis—to present a message-focused operationalization for the communication dimension of social capital. The results find empirical support for scholars’ theorizing that public relations-facilitated messages cultivate shared meaning and foster social capital. The relationship between shared meaning and social capital was especially evident in network subgroups (cliques). This article contributes to social capital theory building by focusing on the meaning making process that strengthens social capital in networks. Public relations practitioners’ communicative roles in social capital cultivation are made evident with a message-focused measurement.
Autotrophic CO 2 Metabolism

Heterotrophic organisms (and this includes us) generally oxidize their carbon sources completely to carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) for maximum energy gain. Autotrophy is the ability of an organism to synthesize all cell carbon from CO 2 alone. Therefore, autotrophic organisms are essential for life and autotrophy represents quantitatively the most important biosynthetic process in the overall carbon cycle.
Systems-wide Studies Uncover Commander, a Multiprotein Complex Essential to Human Development

Recent mass spectrometry maps of the human interactome independently support the existence of a large multiprotein complex, dubbed "Commander." Broadly conserved across animals and ubiquitously expressed in nearly every human cell type examined thus far, Commander likely plays a fundamental cellular function, akin to other ubiquitous machines involved in expression, proteostasis, and trafficking. Experiments on individual subunits support roles in endosomal protein sorting, including the trafficking of Notch proteins, copper transporters, and lipoprotein receptors. Commander is critical for vertebrate embryogenesis, and defects in the complex and its interaction partners disrupt craniofacial, brain, and heart development. Here, we review the synergy between large-scale proteomic efforts and focused studies in the discovery of Commander, describe its composition, structure, and function, and discuss how it illustrates the power of systems biology. Based on 3D modeling and biochemical data, we draw strong parallels between Commander and the retromer cargo-recognition complex, laying a foundation for future research into Commander's role in human developmental disorders.
Determinants of Auditor Going Concern Reporting in the Banking Industry

SUMMARY We develop and test a model of the determinants of going concern reporting for banks. Banks are an essential component of the economy, but most audit market studies exclude them because they have significant differences from other companies. Our model draws on banking literature and industry sources to identify bank-specific risk factors, including measures of capital adequacy, asset quality, liquidity, and regulatory concern. We find that regulatory sanctions are a significant determinant of going concern opinions along with low capitalization, poor loan quality, and declining customer deposits and that these are incremental to characteristics drawn from studies of other industries. Also, going concern reports anticipate bank failures and provide descriptive evidence regarding Type I and Type II errors. We shed light on the audit market for banks and add to the going concern literature by providing evidence on going concern reporting in this unique industry.
Evaluation of Adhesively Bonded Composite/Metal Bonds In Simulated Automotive Service Environments

The effects of a simulated service environment on the locus and bond failure mechanism of composite/metal adhesive bonds have been studied using a cyclic corrosion test. The effects of metal adherend, metal primer, and adhesive polymer chemistry on bond durability have been evaluated. Two adhesives were examined in this study, a two component urethane adhesive, and a two-component epoxy polyamide adhesive. For composite/composite bonds, composite fiber tear-out was the primary mode of bond failure for both adhesives. The highest retention in strength (85%), after cyclic corrosion testing, was observed with the urethane adhesive. The epoxy-polyamide adhesive showed a 62% retention in bond strength. Metal pretreatments and primers that improve corrosion resistance of painted steel were found to improve bond durability, when applied to the substrate prior to adhesive application and cure. The highest retention in bond strength after cyclic corrosion exposure was observed with bonds prepared using phosphated steel substrates primed with a conventional automotive cathodic electrocoat primer.
EARTHY MONAZITE AT MAGNET COVE, ARKANSAS

A general description is presented of an irregular vein, 2 to 8 in. wide, of an earthy, fine-grained, pale greenish-yellow monazite found in extremely weathered porttons of an apatite-pyrite vein in the carbonatite of East Tufa Hill, Magnet Cove, Ark. The material was found to be too fine grained for satisfactory measurements. Spectrochemical analysis indicates the material to be mostiy monazite with large amounts of cerinm earths and phosphorus. (J. E.D.)
Maternal depression symptomology, stress, and behavioral outcomes in children: a one year longitudinal study

v CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 Maternal Depression I Life Events, Daily Hassles, and Chronic Stress 3 Peer Interactions 6 Dissertation Organization 10 References 10 CHAPTER 2: MATERNAL DEPRESSION, STRESS, AND CHILD OUTCOMES; A LITERATURE REVIEW 14 Introduction 14 Rational and Theoretical Framework 14 Cognitive-Environmental 16 Social-Environmental 17 Depression 21 Clinical Definitions of Depression 23 Methodological Concerns Among Studies of Depressed Individuals 25 Parenting Practices of Depressed Mothers 28 Mother-Infant Interactions 30 Mother-Toddler/Preschool Child Interaction 32 Interactions Between Mothers and Their School-Aged Children 34 Summary; Parenting Practices of Mothers with Depression 39 Stressful Life Events, Daily Hassles, and Perceived Stress 41 Stress 41 Multiple Sources of Stress 43 Parenting Stress 46 Chronic Stressors and Daily Hassles 47 Summary; Stressful Life Events, Daily Hassles, and Perceived Stress 49
Effects of prescribed burning on avian foraging ecology and arthropod abundance in sagebrush-grassland

Effects of a prescribed burn on Brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri) and sage sparrow (Amphispiza belli) foraging ecology were studied in a sagebrush-grassland of southeastern Idaho. Sparrows were observed during the nestling period from tower-blinds to document general feeding behavior, activity budgets, feeding rates, foraging patterns, and habitat selection before and after burning. After the fire, sage sparrows spent more time brooding and shading the nestlings and less time foraging, and males spent more time singing and defending their territories. Activity budgets of Brewer's sparrows did not change after the burn. Feeding rates (frequency and prey load size) of both species were unaffected by the fire. Brewer's sparrows flew farther from the nest to forage postburn, but feeding bout duration did not change. Sage sparrow feeding bout duration decreased after burning. Brewer's sparrows preferred to forage in areas with greater sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) coverage both preburn and postburn; male sage sparrows selected areas with greater grass and green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus) coverage before but not after burning. I conclude that when prescribed burning results in a fine-grained mosaic with good interspersion of burned and unburned patches, both sage and Brewer's sparrows can continue to breed in burned areas, but fires that burn large patches would be detrimental to both species because of their feeding requirements.
Medical Student Consulting: Providing Students Leadership and Business Opportunities While Positively Impacting the Community.

Introduction Medical schools are increasingly attempting to prepare future physicians for diverse new leadership roles in the health care system. Many schools have implemented didactic leadership c...
Gene Editing Expands the Donor Pool for CCR5-Negative Stem Cell Transplants

Cell therapy efforts for treating HIV+ patients are challenged by limited availability of donors with naturally occurring CCR5 mutations conferring resistance. Xu et al. (2019) report a CRISPR-based method for disrupting CCR5 in hematopoietic stem cells prior to transplant, providing a proof of concept for expanding the pool of potential donors.
Quantifying the Cytotoxicity of Staphyloccus aureus Against Human Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes

Staphylococcus aureus is capable of secreting a wide range of leukocidins that target and disrupt the membrane integrity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs or neutrophils). This protocol describes both the purification of human PMNs and the quantification of S. aureus cytotoxicity against PMNs in three different sections. Section 1 details the isolation of PMNs and serum from human blood using density centrifugation. Section 2 tests the cytotoxicity of extracellular proteins produced by S. aureus against these purified human PMNs. Section 3 measures the cytotoxicity against human PMNs following the phagocytosis of live S. aureus. These procedures measure disruption of PMN plasma membrane integrity by S. aureus leukocidins using flow cytometry analysis of PMNs treated with propidium iodide, a DNA binding fluorophore that is cell membrane impermeable. Collectively, these methods have the advantage of rapidly testing S. aureus cytotoxicity against primary human PMNs and can be easily adapted to study other aspects of host-pathogen interactions.
Why do the maximum intensities in modeled tropical cyclones vary under the same environmental conditions

In this study w e explored why the different initial tropical cyclone structures can result in different steady‐state maximum intensities in model simulations with the same environmental conditions. We discovered a linear relationsh ip between the radius of maximum wind (rm) and the absolute angular momentum that passes through rm (Mm) in the model simulated steady‐state tropical cyclones that rm = aMm+b. This nonnegligible intercept b is found to be the key to making a steady‐state storm with a larger Mm more intense. The sensitivity experiments show that this nonzero b results mainly from horizontal turbulent mixing and decreases with decreased horizontal mixing. Using this linear relationship from the simulations, it is also found that the degree of supergradient wind is a function of Mm as well as the turbulent mixing length such that both a larger Mm and/or a reduced turbulent mixing length result in larger supergradient winds.
An Automated Approach to Recover the Use-case View of an Architecture

Many tools and techniques were described in the literature for automated recovery of software architecture from software artifacts, such as code. These approaches generate models of software architecture at different levels of granularity and notations. Whereas there is a vast literature in recovering components, packages, and interactions between them, we lack automated approaches for recovering the use-case view of an architecture. In the 4+1 view of the architecture, use-case view or scenarios represents a view of the architecture in terms of the systems’ core functionalities provided to end-users. This view is essential in understanding the system and its underlying architectural decisions. Manually recovering and documenting the application’s scenarios from source code is time-consuming, as large-scale enterprise systems can have a large number of scenarios. In this NEMI paper, we present a novel automated approach for recovering the scenarios from Web applications source code. These scenarios are shown in use case diagrams alongside with sequence diagrams that further describe how each use case is implemented in the system. Our approach works under the assumption that the URLs (endpoints) of a Web application can give us clues to the system’s use cases. Therefore, our technique combines a set of heuristics and static analysis in order to detect the endpoints in a Java Web application as well as the backend classes and methods that will process the request. Subsequently, it uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to extract use cases from these identified endpoints and uses the computed program slices to generate sequence diagrams for each identified use case. We conducted an initial evaluation of our approach by detecting endpoints in Sagan, an existing open-source Web application. We then demonstrate the use cases generated and how their implementation looks like through sequence diagrams.
Evidence of Correlated Titanium and Deuterium Depletion in the Galactic Interstellar Medium

Current measurements indicate that the deuterium abundance in diffuse interstellar gas varies spatially by a factor of ~4 among sight lines extending beyond the Local Bubble. One plausible explanation for the scatter is the variable depletion of D onto dust grains. To test this scenario, we have obtained high signal-to-noise, high- resolution profiles of the refractory ion Ti II along seven Galactic sight lines with D/H ranging from 0.65 to 2.1 × 10-5. These measurements, acquired with the recently upgraded Keck/HIRES spectrometer, indicate a correlation between Ti/H and D/H at the better than 95% confidence level Therefore, our observations support the interpretation that D/H scatter is associated with differential depletion. We note, however, that Ti/H values taken from the literature do not uniformly show the correlation. Finally, we identify significant component-to-component variations in the depletion levels among individual sight lines and discuss complications arising from this behavior.
SMC: Alternative Smart Media Compression Techniques for Edge Storage Offloading

With the pervasiveness and growth in media technology, user-generated content has become intertwined with our day-to-day life. Such advancements, however, have enabled the exponential growth in media file sizes, which leads to shortage of storage on small-scale edge devices. While online clouds have been the default solution, they raise privacy concerns, are not fully automated, and do not adapt to different networking environments. Distributed storage systems rely on distributed file partitioning to combat concerns over privacy, and are adaptable to different networking environments. Nevertheless, such systems lack optimization via compression due to energy concerns on edge devices. In this work, we propose Smart Media Compression (SMC), a system that can be integrated with various distributed edge cloud (DEC)storage systems. SMC utilizes both a deterministic as well as a machine learning approach to classify the relevance of files to the user. Once classification is performed, SMC intelligently selects which files to compress, which files to preserve as is, and which files to offload to the distributed edge storage system. SMC dynamically adapts its parameters in order to reduce the amount of needless compression, thus minimizing energy consumption. It accomplishes this while also providing faster access to user files compared to standalone DEC systems. Our results show an improvement in average file access delay by up to 90%, while only costing an additional 14% in energy consumption.
Do It for the Culture: The Case for Memes in Qualitative Research:

Memes are a prominent feature of global life in the 21st century. The author asserts that memes are significant to current and future qualitative research. In particular, the text establishes memes...
Endovascular Management of Malperfusion Syndromes in Aortic Dissection.

Malperfusion Syndrome (MPS) refers to inadequate perfusion of end organs secondary to ongoing arterial obstruction of the aorta and its branches resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. While uncomplicated type B dissection can typically be monitored, type A or type B dissections with malperfusion syndrome are should be considered for hybrid treatment with an endovascular intervention. In addition to pre-procedure CTA and labs, intra-procedure evaluation of the true lumen, false lumen, and branch vessels is performed with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and manometry to delineate static versus dynamic obstruction. Dynamic obstruction of the visceral arteries is typically treated first and can be relieved either with supraceliac dissection flap fenestration or exclusion of the entry tear by thoracic endovascular aortic repair, both of which will restore flow to the true lumen. Static obstruction requires stenting or other branch-artery intervention including branch artery fenestration, suction embolectomy, or thrombolysis. Throughout the procedure, IVUS and manometry are used to evaluate results of interventions with respect to continued hemodynamically significant obstruction. Endovascular intervention should be performed in conjunction with a multi-disciplinary team as patients are often complex and may require further procedures such as bowel resection or open aortic repair.
Low-value care and excess out-of-pocket expenditure among older adults with incident cancer – A machine learning approach

Abstract Objective To evaluate the association of low-value care with excess out-of-pocket expenditure among older adults diagnosed with incident breast, prostate, colorectal cancers, and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Methods We used a retrospective cohort study design with 12-month baseline and follow-up periods. We identified a cohort of older adults (age ≥ 66 years) diagnosed with breast, prostate, colorectal cancers, or Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma between January 2014 and December 2014. We assessed low-value care and patient out-of-pocket expenditure in the follow-up period. We identified relevant low-value services using ICD9/ICD10 and CPT/HCPCS codes from the linked health claims and patient out-of-pocket expenditure from Medicare claim files and expressed expenditure in 2016 USD. Results About 29 % of older adults received at least one low-value care procedure during the follow-up period. Low-value care differed by gender, and rates were higher in women with colorectal cancer (32.7 %) vs. (28.8 %) and NHL (40 %) vs. (39 %) compared to men. Individuals who received one or more low-value care procedures had significantly higher mean out-of-pocket expenditure ($8,726 ± $7,214) vs. ($6,802 ± $6,102). XGBOOST, a machine learning algorithm revealed that low-value care was among the five leading predictors of OOP expenditure. Conclusion One in four older adults with incident cancer received low-value care in 12-months after a cancer diagnosis. Across all cancer populations, individuals who received low-value care had significantly higher out-of-pocket expenditure. Excess out-of-pocket expenditure was driven by low-value care, fragmentation of care, and an increasing number of pre-existing chronic conditions. Policy Statement This study focuses on health policy issues, specifically value-based care and its findings have important clinical and policy implications for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which has issued a roadmap for states to accelerate the adoption of value-based care, with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) setting a goal of converting 50 % of traditional Medicare payment systems to alternative payment models tied to value-based care by 2022.
Providing social support for inpatients: Insights from a virtual medical student initiative.

BACKGROUND: Although the COVID-19 pandemic increased social isolation among hospitalised patients given isolation precautions, visitor restrictions and curtailed interactions with healthcare teams, medical students had limited opportunities for involvement in the care of inpatients. APPROACH: We designed a humanistic and narrative medicine intervention to engage medical students in combating social isolation in hospitalised patients during the COVID-19 pandemic at a tertiary care teaching hospital. In our programme, medical students provided virtual social support to hospitalised patients via phone by providing assistance connecting with family members, having informal conversations and check-ins and writing up patient life narratives. EVALUATION: From April 2020 to March 2021, we received 126 referrals of potentially isolated patients from inpatient medical teams. Fifty patients accepted and received our intervention, including 26 who completed life narratives. Feedback was positive, demonstrating benefit to medical students in learning about humanism and connecting with patients through their life stories. In addition, patients and medical teams felt more supported. We share key operational lessons and resources to facilitate the implementation of this intervention elsewhere. IMPLICATIONS: Our intervention allows medical students to meaningfully contribute to the care of inpatients, support beleaguered inpatient teams and learn important lessons about humanism in medicine. This educational and patient care intervention holds promise in other settings, including beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
How does the hippocampus shape decisions

Making optimal decisions depends on an appreciation of the value of choices. An important source of information about value comes from memory for prior experience. Such value-based learning has historically been considered the domain of a striatal memory system. However, recent developments suggest that memorial representations supported by the hippocampus may also contribute to decision making. Unlike striatal representations, hippocampal ones are flexible; they can be modified and updated as new information is acquired. In this paper we argue that the hippocampus plays a pivotal role in value-based decision making via three flexible learning mechanisms: (1) updating, (2) generalization, and (3) construction.
Reactive Force Field for Molecular Dynamics Study of the Zno Film Growth with Different Oxygen Environment

The understanding of the growth process and formation mechanism of ZnO film on the atomic scale is crucial in adjusting and controlling the film depositing conditions. Using the reaction force field based molecular dynamics method, we theoretically studied the effect of the change of oxygen environment (the ratio of O to Zn is 10:10, 10:9, 10:8) on the quality of ZnO film under the temperature of 500K. It is found that, when the ratio equals to 10:9, the radial distribution function curve of the deposited structure are sharp and highly ordered, and the finally formed film possesses the most stable and ordered structure than the other conditions. However, the Zn-vacancies induced by the deficiencies of Zn was also considerable under 10:9 condition. To obtain a optimized film growth condition, further study of the O:Zn ratio between 10:10 and 10:9 is needed.
Molecular properties of dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channels in skeletal muscle.

Voltage-sensitive calcium channels provide an essential link between transient changes in membrane potential and a variety of cellular responses. In neurons, calcium influx couples membrane depolarization to transmitter release at the synaptic terminal [1], whereas in the cell body it may activate calcium-dependent potassium channels and thus modulate repetitive firing patterns [2]. In cardiac and smooth muscle tissue, calcium channels mediate excitation-contraction coupling, although in skeletal muscle their physiological role is still a matter for debate [3,4].
Pre-pandemic planning survey of healthcare workers at a tertiary care children's hospital: ethical and workforce issues.

Please cite this paper as: Cowden et al. (2010). Pre-pandemic planning survey of healthcare workers at a tertiary care children’s hospital: ethical and workforce issues. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 4(4), 213–222. Background Prior to the development of written policies and procedures for pandemic influenza, worker perceptions of ethical and workforce issues must be identified. Objective To determine the relationship between healthcare worker (HCW) reporting willingness to work during a pandemic and perception of job importance, belief that one will be asked to work, and sense of professionalism and to assess HCW’s opinions regarding specific policy issues as well as barriers and motivators to work during a pandemic. Methods A survey was conducted in HCWs at The Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado, from February to June 2007. Characteristics of workers reporting willingness to work during a pandemic were compared with those who were unwilling or unsure. Importance of barriers and motivators was compared by gender and willingness to work. Results Sixty percent of respondents reported willingness to work (overall response rate of 31%). Belief one will be asked to work (OR 4·6, P < 0·0001) and having a high level of professionalism (OR 8·6, P < 0·0001) were associated with reporting willingness to work. Hospital infrastructure support staffs were less likely to report willingness to work during a pandemic than clinical healthcare professionals (OR 0·39, P < 0·001). Concern for personal safety, concern for safety of family, family’s concern for safety, and childcare issues were all important barriers to coming to work. Conclusions Educational programs should focus on professional responsibility and the importance of staying home when ill. Targeted programs toward hospital infrastructure support and patient and family support staff stressing the essential nature of these jobs may improve willingness to work.
Mobility and structural change through traumatic organizational events: A social network analysis of accountant career management

Purpose – This paper aims to, using evidence from a former office of the public accounting firm Arthur Andersen, to study the importance of the relational content and structure of individuals’ social connections as they transitioned to subsequent employment. The paper also examines the maintenance of their social networks through time. Implications for careers in the accounting field are offered. Practicing accountants’ connections with other individuals have often been recognized as an important resource that influences career success. However, these social networks have escaped systematic academic study in accounting. Design/methodology/approach – Social network analysis, built on survey data. Findings – The results show that who one was connected to in a previous employment was more important than one’s overall network position when deciding whether to stay or exit public accounting. However those who exited public accounting did not demonstrate a handicap in maintaining network structures after the di...
Slowdown of Interhelical Motions Induces a Glass Transition in RNA

RNA function depends crucially on the details of its dynamics. The simplest RNA dynamical unit is a two-way interhelical junction. Here, for such a unit—the transactivation response RNA element—we present evidence from molecular dynamics simulations, supported by nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation experiments, for a dynamical transition near 230 K. This glass transition arises from the freezing out of collective interhelical motional modes. The motions, resolved with site-specificity, are dynamically heterogeneous and exhibit non-Arrhenius relaxation. The microscopic origin of the glass transition is a low-dimensional, slow manifold consisting largely of the Euler angles describing interhelical reorientation. Principal component analysis over a range of temperatures covering the glass transition shows that the abrupt slowdown of motion finds its explanation in a localization transition that traps probability density into several disconnected conformational pools over the low-dimensional energy landscape. Upon temperature increase, the probability density pools then flood a larger basin, akin to a lakes-to-sea transition. Simulations on transactivation response RNA are also used to backcalculate inelastic neutron scattering data that match previous inelastic neutron scattering measurements on larger and more complex RNA structures and which, upon normalization, give temperature-dependent fluctuation profiles that overlap onto a glass transition curve that is quasi-universal over a range of systems and techniques.
Credit Rating Targets

Credit ratings can be viewed as a summary statistic that captures various elements of a firm’s capital structure. They incorporate a firm’s debt ratio, the maturity and priority structure of its debt, as well as the volatility of its cash flows. However, regressions of credit ratings on firm characteristics provide inferences that are not always consistent with the interpretations of extant regressions that include various debt ratios as independent variables. In particular, we find that coefficients of variables that have been viewed as proxies for the uniqueness and the extent that assets can be redeployed, e.g., R&D expenses and asset tangibility, have different effects in the credit rating regressions than in the debt ratio regressions. In addition, we find that after controlling for whether or not firms have debt ratings, the extant evidence of a positive relation between debt ratios and size is reversed. Finally, using regression-based proxies for target ratings and debt ratios, we find that deviations from rating targets as well as debt ratio targets influence subsequent corporate finance choices. When observed ratings are below (above) the target, firms tend to make security issuance and repurchase decisions that reduce (increase) leverage. In addition, firms are more likely to decrease (increase) dividend payouts when they have below (above) target ratings and make more (fewer) acquisitions when they have above (below) target ratings.
National Study of Cataract Surgery Outcomes: Variation in 4-month Postoperative Outcomes as Reflected in Multiple Outcome Measures

Background: Although ophthalmologists have long recognized that visual acuity alone is an inadequate measure of visual impairment, the need for and outcomes of cataract surgery historically have been assessed in terms of visual acuity. Purpose: To examine the relation among different cataract surgery outcome measures, including a 14-item instrument designed to measure functional impairment caused by cataract (the VF-14), at 4 months after cataract surgery. Methods: The authors performed a longitudinal study of 552 patients undergoing first eye cataract surgery by 1 of 75 ophthalmologists practicing in Columbus, Ohio, St. Louis, Missouri, or Houston, Texas. Patients were interviewed, and clinical data were obtained preoperatively (July 15, 1991–March 14, 1992) and 4 months postoperatively. Results: The percentage of patients judged to be improved at 4 months after cataract surgery varied by the outcome measure used: Snellen visual acuity (96%); VF-14 score (89%); satisfaction with vision (85%); self-reported trouble with vision (80%); and Sickness Impact Profile score (67%). The change in patients' ratings of their trouble with vision and their satisfaction with vision were correlated more strongly with the change in VF-14 score than with the change in visual acuity (operated eye or better eye). The average change in VF-14 score was unrelated to the preoperative visual acuity in the eye undergoing surgery. Conclusion: Estimates of the proportion of patients benefiting from cataract surgery vary with the outcome measure used to measure benefit. Change in VF-14 score, a measure of functional impairment related to vision, may be a better measure of the benefit of cataract surgery than change in visual acuity.
Reduced order modeling of flashing two-phase jets

Abstract In the event of a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) in a pressurized water reactor, the escaping coolant produces a highly energetic flashing jet with the potential to damage surrounding structures. In LOCA analysis, the goal is often to evaluate many break scenarios in a Monte Carlo style simulation to evaluate the resilience of a reactor design. Therefore, in order to quickly predict the damage potential of flashing jets, it is of interest to develop a reduced order model that relates the damage potential of a jet to the pressure and temperature upstream of the break and the distance from the break to a given object upon which the jet is impinging. This work presents framework for producing a Reduced Order Model (ROM) that may be informed by measured data, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, or a combination of both. The model is constructed by performing regression analysis on the pressure field data, allowing the impingement pressure to be quickly reconstructed for any given upstream thermodynamic condition within the range of input data. The model is applicable to both free and fully impinging two-phase flashing jets.
Is Main Sequence Galaxy Star Formation Controlled by Halo Mass Accretion

The galaxy stellar-to-halo mass relation (SHMR) is nearly time-independent for $z 4$. Assuming that the interstellar gas mass is constant for each galaxy (the "equilibrium condition" in bathtub models), the SHARC model allows calculation of net mass loading factors for inflowing and outflowing gas. With assumptions about preventive feedback based on simulations, SHARC allows calculation of galaxy metallicity evolution. If galaxy SFRs indeed track halo MARs, especially at low redshifts, that may help explain the success of models linking galaxy properties to halos (including age-matching) and the similarities between two-halo galaxy conformity and halo mass accretion conformity.
The Impact of Combat Status on Veterans' Attitudes Toward Help Seeking: The Hierarchy of Combat Elitism.

Many veterans do not seek assistance for mental health concerns despite the staggering prevalence of trauma-related symptomatology. Barriers to service provision include personal and professional stigma and inter-veteran attitudes that dictate who is more or less deserving of services. Veteran attitudes are shaped by military culture, which promotes a hyper-masculine paradigm upholding combat experience as the defining feature of the “ideal soldier.” The stratification of soldiers into combat or non-combat status creates a hierarchy of combat elitism that extends far beyond active duty. This pilot study surveyed veterans (n = 24) to explore how combat experience may affect attitudes toward help seeking. Findings indicate combat and non-combat veterans are less accepting of non-combat veterans’ help-seeking behavior, supporting the notion that veterans’ attitudes toward help seeking are influenced by combat status. Despite limitations, the results of this study reflect a need for increased attention to the...
Delta-Notch signaling and lateral inhibition in zebrafish spinal cord development

Background Vertebrate neural development requires precise coordination of cell proliferation and cell specification to guide orderly transition of mitotically active precursor cells into different types of post-mitotic neurons and glia. Lateral inhibition, mediated by the Delta-Notch signaling pathway, may provide a mechanism to regulate proliferation and specification in the vertebrate nervous system. We examined delta and notch gene expression in zebrafish embryos and tested the role of lateral inhibition in spinal cord patterning by ablating cells and genetically disrupting Delta-Notch signaling.
Adaptive critic designs and their implementations on different neural network architectures

The design of nonlinear optimal neurocontrollers based on the Adaptive Critic Designs (ACDs) family of algorithms has recently attracted interest. This paper presents a summary of these algorithms, and compares their performance when implemented on two different types of artificial neural networks, namely the multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) and the radial basis function neural network (RBFNN). As an example for the application of the ACDs, the control of synchronous generator on an electric power grid is considered and results are presented to compare the different ACD family members and their implementations on different neural network architectures.
Procedures used in withdrawal of mechanical ventilation

Objective The purpose of this study was to describe ways in which withdrawal of mechanical ventilation is carried out in one institution, patient responses to the various methods of withdrawal, and nurses' perceptions of the methods and morality of ventilator withdrawal. Method A retrospective descriptive study was used with a convenience sample of adult patients who underwent terminal weaning at University Hospitals of Cleveland. Demographic and clinical data, and descriptions of the exact method of ventilator withdrawal were collected from the medical records of these patients. The nurse caring for the patient was interviewed about his or her perceptions, within 7 days of the withdrawal. Results Data were obtained on 42 subjects. There were no differences in mental status, ventilatory status, age, or duration of survival between the patients who had support removed gradually and those from whom it was abruptly removed. Morphine was administered to 88% of the sample during withdrawal. Survival duration was unrelated to morphine dosage, but did correlate with ventilatory status at the time of withdrawal. Every nurse interviewed reported that he or she believed the act of withdrawal for that patient was morally correct, although only 85% were completely comfortable with carrying out the procedure. Conclusions These results provide a foundation for preliminary recommendations about the most humane form of ventilator withdrawal and the appropriate use of narcotics and sedatives during withdrawal.
The Policy Implications of Differing Concepts of Risk

The author draws on the policy analysis literature to delineate the linkage between conceptualization of risk and the formulation and proposed solution of risk-related policy problems. Two concepts of risk are identified: (1) a concept of risk as a physically given attribute of hazardous technologies and (2) a concept of risk as a socially constructed attribute. The argument is advanced that the social construction of risk provides a firm, theoretical basis for the design of policy. The discussion links the perception, manage ment, and communication of risk to the more fundamental issue of the nature and role of science and technology.
Hormone and hemisphericity hypotheses regarding cognitive sex differences: Possible future explanatory power, but current empirical chaos

Abstract Two general hypotheses regarding the possible basis of cognitive sex differences posit sex steroid hormone differences and differences in hemispheric specialization characteristics as responsible. This article reviews (1) a limited segment of the literature regarding sex steroid influences, namely, that dealing with “activating” influences; and (2) some data suggesting that dextral women who are positive for familial sinistrality could be a group who contribute heavily to the mean sex difference in spatial ability. The general conclusion of these reviews is that despite the promise of some future integration of hormone and hemispheric specialization hypotheses and understanding of how they might relate to cognitive sex differences, present data are highly inconsistent.
Neoadjuvant chemoradiation for clinically advanced non-small cell lung cancer: an analysis of 233 patients.

Background Surgical intervention after chemoradiation for locoregionally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is controversial. This study evaluated patient survival after neoadjuvant chemoradiation and anatomic pulmonary resections for locoregionally advanced NSCLC. Methods Clinicopathologic data were retrospectively collected for 233 patients (110 women, 123 men) with NSCLC who underwent chemoradiation therapy, followed by pneumonectomy, sleeve lobectomy, bilobectomy, and standard lobectomy, from 1989 to 2008. Univariate log-rank analysis of Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed. Results Final pathologic stages were complete responders, 52 (22%); I, 56 (24%); II, 39 (17%); and III, 86 (37%). Final pathologic lymph node status was N0, 130 (56%); N1, 28 (12%); and N2, 75 (32%). Overall 5-year survival for the cohort was 43%. The 90-day mortality was 8% (18 of 233). The 5-year survival was 33% for pneumectomy vs 51% for lobectomy ( p = 0.002). Survival rates at 5 years by stage were complete responders, 58%; I, 50%; II, 41%; and III, 32%; by primary tumor status, T0, 50%; T2, 38%; T3, 29%; and T4, 28%; and by final pathologic nodal status, N0, 51%; N1, 40%; N2, 32% (N0 vs N1, p = 0.236; N1 vs N2, p = 0.704; N0 vs N2, p = 0.019; N0 vs N1 + N2, p = 0.020). Multivariate analysis demonstrated pneumonectomy was associated with decreased 5-year survival (hazard risk, 1.5162; 95% confidence interval, 10.05028 to 2.189, p = 0.0263). Conclusions Respectable survival can be achieved after neoadjuvant chemoradiation, followed by anatomic resection, in selected patients with clinically advanced NSCLC. A T0 primary tumor or N0 lymph node status individually, or together as a complete response (T0 N0) status, is associated with the best long-term survival. Survival is most favorable for lobectomies vs pneumonectomies after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy.
Sexual differentiation in birds

Abstract Research with finches and quail has produced major advances in our understanding of the important developmental process of sexual differentiation, and is continuing to provide valuable and even unique models for studying the role of steroid sex hormones in behavioral and neural development.
Sequence and sequence variation within the 1.688 g/cm3 satellite DNA of Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract We have determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the monomer repeating unit of the 1.688 g/cm 3 satellite DNA from Drosophila melanogaster . This satellite DNA, which makes up 4% of the Drosophila genome and is located primarily on the sex chromosomes, has a repeat unit 359 base-pairs in length. This complex sequence is unrelated to the other three major satellite DNAs present in this species, each of which contains a very short repeated sequence only 5 to 10 base-pairs long. The repeated sequence is more similar to the complex repeating units found in satellites of mammalian origin in that it contains runs of adenylate and thymidylate residues. We have determined the nature of the sequence variations in this DNA by restriction nuclease cleavage and by direct sequence determination of (1) individual monomer units cloned in hybrid plasmids, (2) mixtures of adjacent monomers from a cloned segment of this satellite DNA, (3) mixtures of monomer units isolated by restriction nuclease cleavage of total 1.688 g/cm 3 satellite DNA. Both direct sequence determination and restriction nuclease cleavage indicate that certain positions in the repeat can be highly variable with up to 50% of certain restriction sites having altered recognition sequences. Despite the high degree of variation at certain sites, most positions in the sequence are highly conserved. Sequence analysis of a mixture of 15 adjacent monomer units detected only nine variable positions out of 359 base-pairs. Total satellite DNA showed only four additional positions. While some variability would have been missed due to the sequencing methods used, we conclude that the variation from one repeat to the next is not random and that most of the satellite repeat is conserved. This conservation may reflect functional aspects of the repeated DNA, since we have shown earlier that part of this sequence serves as a binding site for a sequence-specific DNA binding protein isolated from Drosophila embryos (Hsieh & Brutlag, 1979).
Antioxidants in Hot Pepper: Variation Among Accessions

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pepper (Capsicum spp.) germplasm collection contains several thousand members or accessions. Many of these species and cultivars have not been analyzed for their concentrations of ascorbic acid, capsaicin, and total phenolic compounds, which are important antioxidants having a number of benefits for human health. The objective of this investigation was to select candidate accessions of hot pepper having high concentrations of ascorbic acid, capsaicin, free sugars, and total phenols for use as parents in breeding for these compounds. Seventeen accessions of pepper from the core Capsicum germplasm collection (four accessions of Capsicum chinense; five accessions of C. baccatum; six accessions of C. annuum; and two of C. frutescens) were field grown and their mature fruits were analyzed for their antioxidant composition. Concentrations of these compounds tended to be higher in C. chinense and C. baccatum, than in C. annuum and C. frutescens. Across all accessions the concentration of total phenols was correlated with ascorbic acid (r = 0.97) and free sugars (r = 0.80). Concentrations of total phenols (1.4, 1.3, and 1.3 mg g-1 fruit) and ascorbic acid (1.6, 1.2, and 1.3 mg g-1 fruit) were significantly greater in PI-633757, PI-387833, and PI-633754, respectively, compared to other accessions analyzed. Total capsaicinoids concentrations were greatest (1.3 mg g-1 fruit) in PI-438622 and lowest (0.002 mg g-1 fruit) in Grif-9320. The great variability within and among Capsicum species for these phytochemicals suggests that these selected accessions may be useful as parents in hybridization programs to produce fruits with value-added traits.
Application of percolation theory results to AC-coupled pixel detectors with integrated polarizing resistive network

Pixel detectors are effective tools of modern high-energy physics. Being made of large arrays of active cells of the same kind, they can be considered as two-dimensional statistical sets whose properties can be partly described by some general results of the Percolation Theory (PT). PT is a solid-state theory widely used in the discussion of organized systems and their transition phases. By properly adapting its concepts and results, some interesting conclusions can be drawn about AC-coupled pixel detectors biased via a built-in, interdiode resistive network.
Controlled Aeroelastic Response and Airfoil Shaping Using Adaptive Materials and Integrated Systems

This paper presents an overview of several activities of the Aeroelasticity Branch at the NASA Langley Research Center in the area of applying adaptive materials and integrated systems for controlling both aeroelastic response and airfoil shape. The experimental results of four programs are discussed: the Piezoelectric Aeroelastic Response Tailoring Investigation (PARTI); the Adaptive Neural Control of Aeroleastic Response (ANCAR) program; the Actively Controlled Response of Buffet Affected Tails (ACROBAT) program; and the Airfoil THUNDER Testing to Ascertain Characteristics (ATTACH) project. The PARTI program demonstrated active flutter control and significant reductions in aeroelastic response at dynamic pressures below flutter using piezoelectric actuators. The ANCAR program seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of using neutral networks to schedule flutter suppression control laws. The ACROBAT program studied the effectiveness of a number of candidate actuators, including a rudder and piezoelectric actuators, to alleviate vertical tail buffeting. In the ATTACH project, the feasibility of using Thin-Layer Composite-Unimorph Piezoelectric Driver and Sensor (THUNDER) wafers to control airfoil aerodynamic characteristics was investigated. Plans for future applications are also discussed.