cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conservative Beliefs, Male Gender, and Beliefs About Means Safety Among Firearm Owners

Reducing access to highly lethal methods for suicide (i.e., means safety) has been promoted as a way to reduce suicide risk. Research by Anestis et al. (J Affect Disord 227:530–535, 2018) has demonstrated that individuals who believe firearm ownership and storage are not associated with suicide risk and that those who are prevented from utilizing a specific method for suicide will find an alternative method (i.e., means substitution) are less willing to engage in firearms means safety. Sociopolitical beliefs and gender are two factors that are associated with beliefs about firearms and suicide. However, the extent to which these variables—in isolation and in combination—are associated with such beliefs has not been examined. This study examined how gender and social policy beliefs are associated with misconceptions about firearms and suicide. A total of 367 firearm owners took part in an anonymous online survey. Conservative firearm owners indicated firearm ownership and storage are less strongly related to suicide risk than did moderate or liberal individuals. Conservative males had significantly higher belief in means substitution than moderate and liberal males and liberal females. Liberal females had significantly lower belief in means substitution than moderate males and females and liberal males. Effective messaging regarding firearm means safety must consider the perspectives and potential motivations of individuals who are male and/or hold conservative beliefs to increase the reach and acceptability of means safety efforts.
A 4-base pair core-enclosing helix in telomerase RNA is essential and binds to the TERT catalytic protein subunit

ABSTRACT The telomerase RNP counters the chromosome end-replication problem, completing genome replication to prevent cellular senescence in yeast, humans, and most other eukaryotes. The telomerase RNP core enzyme is composed of a dedicated RNA subunit and a reverse transcriptase (TERT). Although the majority of the 1157-nt Saccharomyces cerevisiae telomerase RNA, TLC1, is rapidly evolving, the central catalytic core is largely conserved, containing the template, template-boundary helix, pseudoknot, and core-enclosing helix (CEH). Here, we show that 4-base pairs of core-enclosing helix is required for telomerase to be active in vitro and to maintain yeast telomeres in vivo, whereas ΔCEH, 1-bp, and 2-bp alleles do not support telomerase function. Using the CRISPR/dCas9-based “CARRY two-hybrid” assay to assess binding of our CEH mutant RNAs to TERT, we find that the 4-bp CEH RNA binds to TERT, but the shorter-CEH constructs do not, consistent with the telomerase activity and in vivo complementation results. Thus, the CEH is essential in yeast telomerase RNA because it is needed to bind TERT to form the core RNP enzyme. Although the 8 nucleotides that form this 4-bp stem at the base of the CEH are nearly invariant among Saccharomyces species, our results with sequence-randomized and truncated-CEH helices strongly suggest that this binding interaction with TERT is dictated more by secondary than primary structure. In summary, we have mapped an essential binding site in telomerase RNA for TERT that is crucial to form the catalytic core of this biomedically important RNP enzyme.
Troubled Aesthetics: Jewish Bodies in Post-Holocaust Film

This essay examines what it means, symbolically and aesthetically, for a Jewish body to survive in German film. This is done through considering the representation of survival through the visuality of three German films that roughly correlate to the period of the eyewitness, the period of the second generation, and the period of the third generation.
3D printing of transparent YAG ceramics using copolymer-assisted slurry

Abstract Transparent YAG ceramics were successfully formed by 3D printing using a 2.33 wt% ISOBAM per mixed powder assisted aqueous slurry with 72 wt% solids-loading. The 3D printing process enabled the fabrication of complex-shaped transparent YAG ceramics and did not require the use of cold isostatic pressing (CIP), hot isostatic pressing (HIP), or additional tooling. The fabricated ceramics achieved an in-line transmittance of 70% in the visible wavelength range and relative density of 99.7%, which was similar to that achieved by CIP ceramic processing methods. 3D printing ceramics with an ISOBAM assisted slurry could simplify the fabrication process of transparent ceramics with complex shapes.
Introducing time series snippets: a new primitive for summarizing long time series

The first question a data analyst asks when confronting a new dataset is often, “Show me some representative/typical data.” Answering this question is simple in many domains, with random samples or aggregate statistics of some kind. Surprisingly, it is difficult for large time series datasets. The major difficulty is not time or space complexity, but defining what it means to be representative data for this data type. In this work, we show that the obvious candidate definitions: motifs, shapelets, cluster centers, random samples etc., are all poor choices. We introduce time series snippets, a novel representation of typical time series subsequences. Informally, time series snippets can be seen as the answer to the following question. If a user, which could be a human or a higher-level algorithm, only has resources (including human time) to inspect k subsequences of a long time series, which k subsequences should be chosen? Beyond their utility for visualizing and summarizing massive time series collections, we show that time series snippets have utility for high-level comparison of large time series collections.
Antimicrobial effects of positively charged, conductive electrospun polymer fibers

In recent years, electrospun polymer fibers have gained attention for various antibacterial applications. In this work, the effect of positively charged polymer fiber mats as antibacterial gauze is studied using electrospun poly(caprolactone) and polyaniline nanofibers. Chloroxylenol, an established anti-microbial agent is used for the first time as a secondary dopant to polyaniline during the electrospinning process to make the surface of the polyaniline fiber positively charged. Both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli are used to investigate the antibacterial activity of the positively charged and uncharged polymer surfaces. The results surprisingly show that the polyaniline surface can inhibit the growth of both bacteria even when chloroxylenol is used below its minimum inhibitory concentration. This study provides new insights allowing the better understanding of dopant-based, intrinsically conducting polymer surfaces for use as antibacterial fiber mats.
Positive portrayals of ‘living with HIV’ to reduce HIV stigma: do they work in reality?

The study explored how the combinations of living-with-HIV portrayals and HIV onset controllability portrayals influence HIV stigma because the two frame coexist in our communication environment. R...
Abstract 5702: A spatially resolved single cell atlas of the human breast

The human breast consists of lobules connected to an intricate network of ducts that are surrounded by fatty tissues, designed to produce and transport milk to nourish offspring. Histopathology has identified 10 major cell types based on morphological features but have provided limited information on cell states - the transcriptional programs of cell types that reflect different biological functions. In this study we have generated an unbiased ‘cell atlas9 of the normal human breast to define the cell types and cell states using single cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics methods. We performed 39 microdroplet based single cell and nuclei RNA sequencing of 248,687 stromal cells and 89,301 nuclei from 24 women with pathologically normal breast tissues that were collected from mastectomies and reduction mammoplasties. Unbiased expression analysis identified four major cell types: adipocytes, epithelial cells (luminal and basal), fibroblasts and endothelial cells and defined their transcriptional programs. Additionally, 8 minor cell types were identified in the breast, including macrophages, T-cells, natural killer cells, mast cells, pericytes, apocrine cells, neurons and smooth muscle cells. Our data revealed hundreds of novel markers of these cell types and defined their transcriptional programs and cell states. Most cell types had multiple transcriptional programs including luminal epithelial cells (hormone receptor positive and secretory), basal epithelial cells (myoepithelial or basal), endothelial cells (E1, E2, E3), myeloid cells, T-cells and fibroblasts (F1-F4) and provided insight into developmental lineages. We further delineated the spatial organization of these cell types and cell states within the tissue architecture using spatial transcriptomics assay. The breast cell atlas data provides an invaluable normal reference for the research community to understand how normal cell types are reprogrammed in diseases such as breast cancer. Citation Format: Tapsi Kumar, Quy Nguyen, Kevin Nee, Shanshan Bai, Min Hu, Emi Sei, Anita Wood, Jie Wiley, Hui Chen, Alejandro Contreras, Mediget Teshome, Ken Chen, Bora Lim, Devon Lawson, Nicholas Navin, Kai Kessenbrock. A spatially resolved single cell atlas of the human breast [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 5702.
Relationship between insurance status and outcomes for patients with breast cancer in Missouri

Background The cancer stage at diagnosis, treatment delays, and breast cancer mortality vary with insurance status. Methods Using the Missouri Cancer Registry, this analysis included 31,485 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2015. Odds ratios (ORs) of a late-stage (stage III or IV) diagnosis and a treatment delay (>60 days after the diagnosis) were calculated with logistic regression. The hazard ratio (HR) of breast cancer mortality was calculated with Cox proportional hazards regression. Mediation analysis was used to quantify the individual contributions of each covariate to mortality. Results The OR of a late-stage diagnosis was higher for patients with Medicaid (OR, 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.56-1.91) or no insurance (OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.91-2.78) in comparison with privately insured patients. Medicare (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.10-1.37), Medicaid (OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.37-1.85), and uninsured patients (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.18-2.12) had higher odds of a treatment delay. The HR of breast cancer-specific mortality was significantly increased in the groups with public insurance or no insurance and decreased after sequential adjustments for sociodemographic factors (HR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.96-2.91), tumor characteristics (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.05-1.56), and treatment (HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.01-1.50). Late-stage diagnoses accounted for 72.5% of breast cancer mortality in the uninsured. Conclusions Compared with the privately insured, women with public or no insurance had a higher risk for advanced breast cancer, a >60-day treatment delay, and death from breast cancer. Particularly for the uninsured, Medicaid expansion and increased funding for education and screening programs could decrease breast cancer disparities.
Primer on Immune Response and Interface with Malnutrition

The mammalian immune system has evolved an innate component to identify classes of pathogens (e.g., viruses, types of bacteria, parasites) and respond with specific effector mechanisms to clear such infections. When the innate immune system cannot clear infections, the adaptive immune system develops pathogen-specific immunity that employs similar effector mechanisms to specifically target a particular pathogen in order to clear the initial infection and prevent further infections. The immune system protects the host at a nutritional cost which can be substantial in the case of frequent or severe infections. This cost is due both to the effects of the pathogen on host tissues and to the inflammatory response to infection that cause decreased food intake, nutrient malabsorption, nutrient loss, increased nutrient metabolism, and altered nutrient transport and storage. Malnutrition can compromise host defenses and increase the frequency or severity of infections. Most nutrients are required for adequate immunity, and examples are provided for several specific nutrients.
Advance Care Planning Shared Decision-Making Tools for Non-Cancer Chronic Serious Illness: A Mixed Method Systematic Review:

Context:Shared decision-making tools can facilitate advance care planning and goals of care conversations in non-cancer serious illness. More information on integrating these tools in ambulatory ca...
Energy-efficient membrane cascades for industrial separations

Abstract The energy requirement for the separation of a given mixture via a multistage membrane cascade depends on the choice of the cascade and its operating conditions. Identifying the optimal cascade along with its optimal operating conditions is challenging, since it requires the solution of a nonconvex mathematical program. To address the challenge, we propose novel Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programs (MINLPs) that are formulated such that they can be solved using off-the-shelf global optimization solvers. We illustrate the practicality of our models with two case studies: (1) separation of p-xylene from o-xylene (2) recovery of natural gas liquid (NGL) from shale gas. Further, for NGL recovery, we determine the target selectivity and permeability that will enable membrane technology to outcompete the conventional demethanizer. These target values provide guidance for experimental groups that are developing new membrane materials for NGL recovery.
Resilience, Identity Tension, Hope, Social Capital, and Psychological Stress During a Pandemic

The present study examines two conceptual approaches to defining resilience and the implications for its effect on psychological stress. One approach places resilience in the communication processes through which individuals and groups develop identity anchors, alternative logics, positive emotion, new normalcies, and communication networks during challenging times. The other approach describes the identity tension, hope, and social capital that develops in communication networks as relational attributes that create the contextual constraints and opportunities for that resilience. Regression analysis results demonstrate that both the communication processes and relational attributes of resilience affect psychological stress, but differently. The communication processes of establishing identity anchors, positive emotion, and communication networks predict the situational stress dimension. The relational attributes of personal-relational identity tension, hope, and weak-tie social capital predict the self-efficacy dimension. Both dimensions are important to understanding psychological stress. Hence, viewing resilience as a system of communication processes and relational attributes provides a fuller description of its relationship to psychological stress than either approach alone. This finding has implications for developing proactive strategies to manage the psychological stress of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Pragmatist Perspective on Causation, Laws and Explanation

I offer a pragmatist understanding of causation, laws and explanation that traces the features of these notions to their functions in our practical as well as theoretical projects. Laws derive their importance from their epistemic and methodological functions, while the primary role of causal concepts is in guiding action. Contemporary interventionist accounts of causation and causal modeling appeal to and clarify this practical role while downplaying the causal significance of laws. They also explain how causation in one science or at one level of complexity may be either related to or independent of causation in other sciences or at other levels. In this way they can demystify the notion of top-down causation by showing how, and when, it is possible.
A Silicon Photonic Ring-Assisted Mach-Zehnder Modulator with Strongly-Coupled Resonators

We propose a new ring-assisted Mach-Zehnder modulator (RAMZM) based on strongly coupled rings. The new design uses moderately doped PN junction phase shifters to increase the modulation bandwidth. Theoretical analysis and experimental demonstration are presented.
A Computational Framework for Solving Nonlinear Binary OptimizationProblems in Robust Causal Inference.

Identifying cause-effect relations among variables is a key step in the decision-making process. While causal inference requires randomized experiments, researchers and policymakers are increasingly using observational studies to test causal hypotheses due to the wide availability of observational data and the infeasibility of experiments. The matching method is the most used technique to make causal inference from observational data. However, the pair assignment process in one-to-one matching creates uncertainty in the inference because of different choices made by the experimenter. Recently, discrete optimization models are proposed to tackle such uncertainty. Although a robust inference is possible with discrete optimization models, they produce nonlinear problems and lack scalability. In this work, we propose greedy algorithms to solve the robust causal inference test instances from observational data with continuous outcomes. We propose a unique framework to reformulate the nonlinear binary optimization problems as feasibility problems. By leveraging the structure of the feasibility formulation, we develop greedy schemes that are efficient in solving robust test problems. In many cases, the proposed algorithms achieve global optimal solutions. We perform experiments on three real-world datasets to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and compare our result with the state-of-the-art solver. Our experiments show that the proposed algorithms significantly outperform the exact method in terms of computation time while achieving the same conclusion for causal tests. Both numerical experiments and complexity analysis demonstrate that the proposed algorithms ensure the scalability required for harnessing the power of big data in the decision-making process.
Scaling up Gaussian Belief Space Planning Through Covariance-Free Trajectory Optimization and Automatic Differentiation

Belief space planning provides a principled framework to compute motion plans that explicitly gather information from sensing, as necessary, to reduce uncertainty about the robot and the environment. We consider the problem of planning in Gaussian belief spaces, which are parameterized in terms of mean states and covariances describing the uncertainty. In this work, we show that it is possible to compute locally optimal plans without including the covariance in direct trajectory optimization formulations of the problem. As a result, the dimensionality of the problem scales linearly in the state dimension instead of quadratically, as would be the case if we were to include the covariance in the optimization. We accomplish this by taking advantage of recent advances in numerical optimal control that include automatic differentiation and state of the art convex solvers. We show that the running time of each optimization step of the covariance-free trajectory optimization is \(O(n^3T)\), where \(n\) is the dimension of the state space and \(T\) is the number of time steps in the trajectory. We present experiments in simulation on a variety of planning problems under uncertainty including manipulator planning, estimating unknown model parameters for dynamical systems, and active simultaneous localization and mapping (active SLAM). Our experiments suggest that our method can solve planning problems in \(100\) dimensional state spaces and obtain computational speedups of \(400\times \) over related trajectory optimization methods .
Optofluidics for adaptation and sensing

The paper presents some of their recent works on optofluidics for adaptation and sensing applications. Demonstrated microfluidic-based adaptive optical devices are all optical switch based on control of total internal reflection (TIR) and microring resonator device (MRD).
Activation of Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin-1 by Insoluble Particulate Material and Association with Asthma

Inhaled irritants activate transient receptor potential ankyrin-1 (TRPA1), resulting in cough, bronchoconstriction, and inflammation/edema. TRPA1 is also implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma. Our hypothesis was that particulate materials activate TRPA1 via a mechanism distinct from chemical agonists and that, in a cohort of children with asthma living in a location prone to high levels of air pollution, expression of uniquely sensitive forms of TRPA1 may correlate with reduced asthma control. Variant forms of TRPA1 were constructed by mutating residues in known functional elements and corresponding to single-nucleotide polymorphisms in functional domains. TRPA1 activity was studied in transfected HEK-293 cells using allyl-isothiocynate, a model soluble electrophilic agonist; 3,5-ditert butylphenol, a soluble nonelectrophilic agonist and a component of diesel exhaust particles; and insoluble coal fly ash (CFA) particles. The N-terminal variants R3C and R58T exhibited greater, but not additive, activity...
Robot learning by nonparametric regression

We present an approach to robot learning based on a nonparametric regression technique, locally weighted regression. The model of the task to be performed is represented by infinitely many local linear models, i.e., the (hyper-) tangent planes at every query point. Such a model, however, is only generated when a query performed and is not retained. The architectural parameters of our approach, such as distance metrics, are also a function of the current query point instead of being global. Statistical tests are presented for when a local model is good enough such that it can be reliably used to build a local controller. These statistical measures also direct the exploration of the robot. We explicitly deal with the case where prediction accuracy requirements exist during exploration. By gradually shifting a center of exploration and controlling the speed of the shift with local prediction accuracy, a goal-directed exploration of state space takes place along the fringes of the current data support until the task goal is achieved. We illustrate this approach by describing how it has been used to enable a robot to learn a challenging juggling task. >
The Opportunity for Medical Systems to Reduce Health Disparities Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Patients

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people experience a variety of health care disparities, including higher rates of certain chronic illnesses, substance abuse, and HIV. The growing adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) presents an important opportunity to optimize care for LGBTI individuals by routinely capturing in structured form patient sexual orientation and gender identity (SO/GI), as well as a patient's preferred name and pronoun. In addition to improving care provided to LGBTI patients, collection of structured SO/GI information will facilitate important public health data collection efforts that can be used to further reduce health care disparities in this underserved population.
Patterns of bluestain discoloration and associated organisms in Japanese black and Scots pines on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

(1987). PATTERNS OF BLUESTAIN DISCOLORATION AND ASSOCIATED ORGANISMS IN JAPANESE BLACK AND SCOTS PINES ON CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS. Arboricultural Journal: Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 105-113.
Unbound bilirubin predicts abnormal automated auditory brainstem response in a diverse newborn population

Unbound bilirubin predicts abnormal automated auditory brainstem response in a diverse newborn population
The clowns microworld

About fifteen years of active research in natural language question-answering systems has provided reasonably concise and elegant formulations of computational semantics for understanding English sentences and questions about various microworlds. These include the Woods Lunar Data Base, the Winograd world of a pictured hand and blocks, the Heidorn world of a fueling station, the Hendrix, Slocum, Thompson world of transactions, John Seely Brown's power circuit and Schank's sketches of motivated humans. (See Woods et al 1972, Winograd 1972, Hendrix et al 1973, Heidorn 1972, Schank 1975 and Brown et al 1974.) In each of these worlds, a natural language processor is able to understand an ordinary subset of English and use it conversationally to accept data and to respond to commands and questions.
Flow rates in the axial hot springs of the East Pacific Rise (21°N): Implications for the heat budget and the formation of massive sulfide deposits

Abstract The first in-situ measurements of flow rates in submarine hot springs (temperatures between 275° and 350°C) were made in the hot springs of the East Pacific Rise at 21°N during November, 1981. The flow rates ranged between 0.7 and 2.4 m/s. We estimate that the total rates at which heat and mass are transported from the three hot spring areas—OBS, National Geographic, and Southwest Vents—are ca. 2.2×108 W and 150 kg of fluid/s respectively. The very high rate of heat loss precludes the existence of hot springs as steady state features of the East Pacific Rise at 21°N. We estimate that hot springs are active for a maximum of ca. 40,000 years. Chemical and/or mechanical clogging of the vents can drastically reduce the lifetime of the hot springs. Using a simple model of plume development [1], we calculated that less than 3% of the sulfide particles that are entrained in the hydrothermal plumes at 21°N settle from the plumes before dispersal by a lateral submarine current at a height of ca. 250 m above the seafloor [2]. The time that is required to form the sulfide mounds that surround the hot springs by the accumulation of sulfide particles that settle from the plumes is ca. 70–85 years. The current rate at which sulfide particles settle from the hydrothermal plumes and accumulate near the hot springs appears to be too small to lead to the formation of large massive sulfide deposits such as the Mavrouni deposit on Cyprus [3], within the time limits that are suggested by our thermal energy balance calculations.
Analysis of the effects of ESOP adoption on the company cost of capital

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine whether employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) add or destroy value from a new perspective by examining the relation of the adoption of ESOP and the company cost of capital.Design/methodology/approach – The capital asset pricing model is used to estimate the company's cost of equity capital, and the cost of debt is estimated using bond yield spreads. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is calculated as the weighted percentage of the firm funded by equity, preferred stock, and debt multiplied by the individual costs of capital. Univariate and multivariate analyses are conducted around the event of adoption to determine if the cost of capital changes after the adoption of ESOP.Findings – Results from the univariate analysis show that firms adopting leveraged as well as non‐leveraged ESOP plans experience decreases in costs of equity and debt capital as well as decreases in their WACC. However, the multivariate analysis demonstrates that only the non‐...
The Status of Intrapersonal (or P-) Variables in the Recent Collective Behavior Literature

This paper examines the causal and explanatory role assigned to intrapersonal (or P-) variables in the recent sociological literature on collective behavior. In Part I emphasis is on the use–or nonuse–of P-variables as factors mediating between collective behavior episodes and their antecedent social and situational determinants. It is suggested that P-variables have been (1) excluded on methodological grounds in favor of more directly observable and/or manipulable behavior, (2) analyzed as dependent variables, defined by and contingent on antecedent social and situational considerations, or (3) introduced as independent variables and therefore significantly figuring in any explanatory account of collective behavior. Part II deals with the conceptually deeper issue concerning the terminology and metaphors employed in the literature regarding collective behavior and its causal antecedents.
Hypothesis: Activation of rapid signaling by environmental estrogens and epigenetic reprogramming in breast cancer

Environmental and lifestyle factors are considered significant components of the increasing breast cancer risk in the last 50 years. Specifically, exposure to environmental endocrine disrupting compounds is correlated with cancer susceptibility in a variety of tissues. In both human and rodent models, the exposure to ubiquitous environmental estrogens during early life has been shown to disrupt normal mammary development and cause permanent adverse effects. Recent studies indicate that environmental estrogens not only have the ability to disrupt estrogen receptor (ER) signaling, but can also reprogram the epigenome by altering DNA and histone methylation through rapid, nongenomic ER actions. We have observed xenoestrogen-mediated activation of several nongenomic signaling pathways and have identified a target for epigenetic reprogramming in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. These observations, in addition to data from the literature, support the hypothesis that activation of rapid signaling by environmental estrogens can lead to epigenetic reprogramming and contribute to the progression of breast cancer.
Speckle reduction during all-fiber common-path optical coherence tomography of the cavernous nerves

Improvements in identification, imaging, and visualization of the cavernous nerves during prostate cancer surgery, which are responsible for erectile function, may improve nerve preservation and postoperative sexual potency. In this study, we use a rat prostate, ex vivo, to evaluate the feasibility of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a diagnostic tool for real-time imaging and identification of the cavernous nerves. A novel OCT system based on an all single-mode fiber common-path interferometer-based scanning system is used for this purpose. A wavelet shrinkage denoising technique using Stein's unbiased risk estimator (SURE) algorithm to calculate a data-adaptive threshold is implemented for speckle noise reduction in the OCT image. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was improved by 9 dB and the image quality metrics of the cavernous nerves also improved significantly.
The role of clinical trials in the development of novel surgical techniques.

The new paradigm and standard for medicine and surgery is the evidence-based practice for which the randomized controlled trial is fundamental. Despite the early involvement of surgeons in clinical trials, randomized trials testing novel surgical therapies are not common. Indeed, only 24% of surgical patients are managed based on level 1 evidence. This chapter details how randomized controlled trial methodologies facilitate the development of level 1 evidence in support of minimally invasive colon cancer surgery. J. Surg. Oncol. 2007;96:704–709. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Enhanced confinement due to ultra-flat bands in photonic crystal waveguides

We present examples of two-dimensional photonic crystal band structures which defy the conventional wisdom that a photonic crystal provides optimal confinement for frequencies at the middle of the photonic band gap. This is due to the presence of an ultra-flat photonic band that leads to enhanced confinement in an adjacent band gap at frequencies near the band gap edge and far from midgap.
Developing a collective intelligence application for special education

This research uses an action research methodology to develop a web based collective intelligence application, DDtrac. DDtrac allows special education practitioners to collect data and share insights related to student performance during educational tasks and social interactions and can be used to assess special education student progress and improve decision making. A survey of 40 special education professionals and a four year case study using a single subject both indicate that educators, clinicians, families, parents, or other professionals that work with individuals with developmental disabilities achieve tangible benefit from the real time data tracking and decision support provided by the DDtrac application. The development of the DDtrac application and subsequent end-user evaluation is used to develop a set of six requirements for collective intelligence applications. These requirements can be used to guide future developers seeking to create web based applications that harness the collective intelligence of groups.
Microfluidic Compartmentalized Directed Evolution

Directed evolution studies often make use of water-in-oil compartments, which conventionally are prepared by bulk emulsification, a crude process that generates nonuniform droplets and can damage biochemical reagents. A microfluidic emulsification circuit was devised that generates uniform water-in-oil droplets (21.9 +/- 0.8 microm radius) with high throughput (10(7)-10(8) droplets per hour). The circuit contains a radial array of aqueous flow nozzles that intersect a surrounding oil flow channel. This device was used to evolve RNA enzymes with RNA ligase activity, selecting enzymes that could resist inhibition by neomycin. Each molecule in the population had the opportunity to undergo 10(8)-fold selective amplification within its respective compartment. Then the progeny RNAs were harvested and used to seed new compartments. During five rounds of this procedure, the enzymes acquired mutations that conferred resistance to neomycin and caused some enzymes to become dependent on neomycin for optimal activity.
Use of Administrative Data for Surgical Site Infection Surveillance After Congenital Cardiac Surgery Results in Inaccurate Reporting of Surgical Site Infection Rates

Background The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) is a safety surveillance system managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that monitors procedure specific rates of surgical site infections (SSIs). At our institution, SSI data is collected and reported by three different methods: (1) the NHSN database with reporting to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; (2) the hospital billing database with reporting to payers; and (3) The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database. A quality improvement initiative was undertaken to better understand issues with SSI reporting and to evaluate the effect of different data sources on annual SSI rates. Methods Annual cardiac surgery procedure volumes for all three data sources were compared. All episodes of SSI identified in any data source were reviewed and adjudicated using NHSN SSI criteria, and the effect on SSI rates was evaluated. Results From January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2011, 2,474 cardiac procedures were performed and reported to The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database. Billing data identified 1,865 cardiac surgery procedures using the 63 CARD International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Revision codes from the NHSN inclusion criteria. Only 1,425 procedures were targeted for NHSN surveillance using the NHSN's CARD operative procedure group in the same period. Procedures identified for NHSN surveillance annually underestimated the number of cardiac operations performed by 17% to 71%. As a result, annual SSI rates potentially differed by 12% to 270%. Conclusions The NHSN CARD surveillance guidelines for SSI fail to identify all pediatric cardiac surgical procedures. Failure to target all at-risk procedures leads to inaccurate reporting of SSI rates largely based on identifying the denominator. Inaccurate recording of SSI data has implications for public reporting, benchmarking of outcomes, and denial of payment. Use of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database as the gold standard to identify procedures for surveillance will lead to more accurate reporting of SSI rates.
Sample size in qualitative research

A common misconception about sampling in qualitative research is that numbers are unimportant in ensuring the adequacy of a sampling strategy. Yet, simple sizes may be too small to support claims of having achieved either informational redundancy or theoretical saturation, or too large to permit the deep, case-oriented analysis that is the raison-d'etre of qualitative inquiry. Determining adequate sample size in qualitative research is ultimately a matter of judgment and experience in evaluating the quality of the information collected against the uses to which it will be put, the particular research method and purposeful sampling strategy employed, and the research product intended.
Generation and determination of the lifetime of an α-carbonyl substituted carbocation☆

Abstract The α-carboxyethyl-4-methoxybenzyl carbocation reacts with a solvent of 50:50 (v:v) trifluoroethanol/water with a rate constant k s = 1.4 × 10 7 s −1 , which is 14-fold slower than the capture of the unsubstituted 4-methoxybenzyl carbocation.
Hospital-Level Variation in ICU Admission and Critical Care Procedures for Patients Hospitalized for Pulmonary Embolism

BACKGROUND:Variation in the use of ICUs for low-risk conditions contributes to health system inefficiency. We sought to examine the relationship between ICU use for patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) and cost, mortality, readmission, and procedure use. METHODS:We performed a retrospective cohort study including 61,249 adults with PE discharged from 263 hospitals in three states between 2007 and 2010. We generated hospital-specific ICU admission rate quartiles and used a series of multilevel models to evaluate relationships between admission rates and risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality, readmission, and costs and between ICU admission rates and several critical care procedures. RESULTS:Hospital quartiles varied in unadjusted ICU admission rates for PE (range, ≤ 15% to > 31%). Among all patients, there was a small trend toward increased use of arterial catheterization (0.6%-1.1%,P< .01) in hospital quartiles with higher levels of ICU admission. However, use of invasive mechanical ventilation (14.4%-7.9%,P< .01), noninvasive ventilation (6.6%-3.0%,P< .01), central venous catheterization (14.6%-11.3%,P< .02), and thrombolytics (11.0%-4.7%,P< .01) in patients in the ICU declined across hospital quartiles. There was no relationship between ICU admission rate and risk-adjusted hospital mortality, costs, or readmission. CONCLUSIONS:Hospitals vary widely in ICU admission rates for acute PE without a detectable impact on mortality, cost, or readmission. Patients admitted to ICUs in higher-using hospitals received many critical care procedures less often, suggesting that these patients may have had weaker indications for ICU admission. Hospitals with greater ICU admission may be appropriate targets for improving efficiency in ICU admissions.
The complexity of bodily feeling

Rae Ellen McKee, a recent national Teacher of the Year, gives evidence of her originality as a teacher in a question that she poses for her young grade school students. Rather than the all-too-familiar "What are you going to be when you grow up?", she asks instead, "How are you going to be when you grow up?" It is with great pride that she speaks of her own daughter's answer to this question when it was first posed on the back porch of their West Virginia small town home. After thinking about the question as much as a young girl can, she replied, "I want to be full of myself." The experiential psychology of Eugene Gendlin takes as its point of de? parture a similar transition from "what" sort of questions, or considerations of content and form, to "how" questions, or considerations of process. In a long, early essay (1973) that lays out the program of experiential psychol? ogy, he writes:
Stringent control of protein synthesis in E. coli

The effect of ppGpp on the rate of protein synthesis has been determined in vivo. When the stringent response is triggered and then reversed in isogenic strains carrying either spoT− or spoT+, the mutants lower their elevated ppGpp only slowly, whereas wild type cells do so rapidly. Protein synthesis resumes only after a lag in spoT− cells but almost immediately in spoT+ cells. In spoT− rel− double mutants, ppGpp does not accumulate under these conditions and protein synthesis resumes immediately. Inhibition of protein synthesis in spoT− rel+ cells therefore appears to be due to elevation of ppGpp levels and not to any other effect of the spoT− mutation.
Intracellular recording from vertebrate myelinated axons: mechanism of the depolarizing afterpotential

1. Electrophysiological techniques are described which allow intracellular recording from peripheral myelinated axons of lizards and frogs for up to several hours. The sciatic and intramuscular axons studied here have resting potentials of -60 to -80 mV and action potentials (evoked by stimulation of the proximal nerve trunk) of 50-90 mV. They show a prominent depolarizing afterpotential (d.a.p.), which is present both in isolated axons and in axons still attached to their peripheral terminals. This d.a.p. has a peak amplitude of 5-20 mV at the resting potential, and decays with a half-time of 20-100 msec.2. The peak amplitude of the d.a.p. is voltage-sensitive, increasing to up to 26 mV with membrane hyperpolarization. The d.a.p. disappears as the axon is depolarized to -60 to -45 mV, and does not appear to reverse with further depolarization.3. The d.a.p. is not reduced when bath Ca is replaced by 2-10 mm divalent Mn or Ni. The d.a.p. is not reversed when axons depleted of Cl (by prolonged exposure to Cl-deficient, SO(4)-enriched solutions) are bathed in Cl-rich solutions. These results suggest that the d.a.p. is not mediated by a conductance change specific for Ca or Cl ions. Partial substitution of tetramethylammonium for bath Na, or addition of 10(-5)m-tetrodotoxin to the normal bathing solution, reduces the amplitude of both the action potential and the d.a.p.4. The amplitude of the d.a.p. is not sensitive to bath [K] over the range 1-7.5 mm, provided that all measurements are made at the same holding potential. This result argues that the d.a.p. is not mediated by accumulation of K outside the active axon.5. Treatments expected to inhibit the Na-K exchange pump (cooling from 25 to 10 degrees C, or 0.15 mm-ouabain) do not enlarge or prolong the d.a.p., although they do abolish a slower hyperpolarizing afterpotential seen following repetitive stimulation.6. The passive voltage response of the axon to small injected pulses of depolarizing or hyperpolarizing current shows a prominent, slowly decaying component with a time course similar to that of the d.a.p. Depolarizing current reduces the input resistance of the axon, and increases the rate of decay of both the passive voltage response and the d.a.p. There is a slight conductance increase during the peak of the d.a.p., but the same conductance increase can be produced by a comparable passive depolarization.7. We conclude that the d.a.p. is due mainly to a passive capacitative current, probably resulting from discharge of the internodal axonal membrane capacitance through a resistive current pathway beneath or through the myelin sheath. We suggest that this slow capacitative discharge becomes evident as soon as most of the nodal ionic channels activated during the action potential have closed. An electrical model of the myelinated axon that incorporates the postulated internodal leakage pathway can account both for the prolonged d.a.p. recorded inside the axon, and for the potential profile recorded extra-axonally in or near the internodal periaxonal space.
Studying cataclysmic variables with the Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope with its UV and imaging capabilities will allow new methods of investigating cataclysmic variables to be used. It provides the first opportunity to obtain high-time-resolution UV observations of cataclysmic variables, both spectroscopically and photometrically. Phase-resolved observations of eclipses can now be obtained which will allow the UV surface-brightness distributions in accretion disks to be studied. Eclipses of white dwarfs that were not visible in optical light will be detected in some systems. Other variations such as dips (in dwarf novae, intermediate polars, and polars), flickering, and oscillations can also be resolved for the first time in the UV. High-spatial-resolution, long-slit spectroscopy, and imaging with the FOC and WF/PC can be used to study the physical condition and morphology of ejected material around novae, recurrent novae, and precataclysmic variables. The UV and H-alpha imaging capabilities will also enable searches for cataclysmic variables in globular clusters to be carried out further into their cores than has been possible before.
Energy associated with dislocations: A calorimetric study using synthetic quartz

High temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry was used to study the energy associated with dislocations in quartz by comparing undeformed and deformed single crystals of synthetic quartz. Samples were deformed at 698 K, 1000–1500 MPa at a strain rate of 10−5 sec−1. Two sets of calorimetric measurements were made: (i) using a Pt capsule as a container for powdered sample, and (ii) using pellets made from sample powder without any container. For the first set of measurements, the undeformed sample with a dislocation density of enthalpy is sum of heat content H 973-H 295 and enthalpy of solution in molten lead borate at 973 K of 39.22 ± 1.00 kJ mol−1, while the sample deformed in the dislocation creep regime with a dislocation density of 6 × 1010 to 1 × 1011 cm−2 gave an enthalpy of 38.59 ± 0.78 kJ mol−1. For the second set of measurements the measured enthalpy of the undeformed sample was 38.87 ± 0.31 kJ mol−1, and that of a deformed sample with a dislocation density of 3 × 1010 to 1 × 1011 cm−2 was 38.24 ± 0.58 kJ mol−1. The present study and previous theoretical calculations and estimates are consistent and suggest that the energy associated with dislocations in quartz is ∼ 0.6 ± 0.6 kJ mol−1 for a dislocation density of ∼ 1011 cm−2; a precise value is difficult to determine because of the overlapping errors. These results indicate that for geologically realistic dislocation densities, the maximum excess energy due to dislocations would be ∼ 0.5 kJ mol−1 for most minerals; the exact value would depend on the Burgers vector as well as the shear modulus.