cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Women are underrepresented as top surgical performers as assessed by case volumes in the state of New York.

Abstract Background Data regarding gender disparities in surgeon case volumes across subspecialties is sparse. Methods Through the use of the New York SPARCS database, top 25 yearly performers of major surgical procedures were identified for each year from 2000 to 2014. Gender and academic affiliation was determined. Results Breast surgery had the highest number (51.6%) of female top performers by surgical volume. Higher number of female surgeons in bariatric and breast surgery were associated with academic institutions (p Conclusions There is a gender disparity in surgeon case volumes. While some subspecialties showed some increase in female top performers, the majority remained male-dominated fields during the fifteen-year period.
The effect of orthodontic bracket pad shape on shear bond strength, an in vitro study on human enamel.

Background To evaluate the effect of bracket pad shape on shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic brackets bonded to human enamel. Material and Methods One hundred and five extracted human maxillary permanent molars were divided into 7 groups of 15 specimens per group (n=15). Each group of teeth was bonded with 6 different shaped WildSmiles® brackets (Star, Heart, Soccer ball, Football, Flower, and Diamond) and GAC® rectangle shaped brackets. Shear debonding force was measured with an Instron universal testing machine using a knife-edged chisel 24 hours after initial bonding. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, and range) for each bracket pad shape was calculated. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS software version 24.0 was performed with P-value set at 0.05. Post-Hoc Tukey analysis was used to analyze differences among groups. Differences in Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI) scores among groups were analyzed using Chi-square test. Results Debonding force values (N ± SD) ranged from 205.51 ± 49.12 (Star) and 275.96 ± 69.05 (Soccer). SBS values (MPa ± SD) ranged from 13.34 ± 3.18 (Star) and 17.77 ± 6.94 (Rectangle). Even though intergroup comparison of SBS in Newtons revealed statistical significance (p = 0.014) between Star-Soccer and Star-Football group, it does not have any clinical significance since ranges of SBS of all groups are clinically acceptable. Analysis of ARI scores showed no significant differences in mode of bond failure among groups (P = 0.82). Conclusions Orthodontic bracket pad shape has no effect on SBS and does not affect the mode of fracture pattern. Key words:Shear bond strength, orthodontic bracket, bracket pad shape, orthodontic bracket base shape, adhesive remnant index.
Industrial Artificial Intelligence for industry 4.0-based manufacturing systems

Abstract The recent White House report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) (Lee, 2016) highlights the significance of AI and the necessity of a clear roadmap and strategic investment in this area. As AI emerges from science fiction to become the frontier of world-changing technologies, there is an urgent need for systematic development and implementation of AI to see its real impact in the next generation of industrial systems, namely Industry 4.0. Within the 5C architecture previously proposed in Lee et al. (2015), this paper provides an insight into the current state of AI technologies and the eco-system required to harness the power of AI in industrial applications.
Low Cost Eye Tracking: Ready for Individual Differences Research?:

The recent availability of low cost of eye tracking hardware provides researchers a fruitful opportunity to collect additional human subject data for under $700. This current study sought to invest...
Early postoperative complications and discharge time in diabetic patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty.

With the increasing elderly population and obesity epidemic, diabetes is an important factor in arthroplasty planning. Although research suggests diabetes is associated with increased postoperative morbidity after hip and knee replacement, the effect of diabetes and varying management with insulin versus non-insulin agents on total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is not established. All TSAs from 2015 to 2016 were queried from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Age, gender, BMI, steroid, ASA, operative time, and smoking status were compared between all diabetics, diabetics on insulin, diabetics on non-insulin agents, and non-diabetics to account for confounding variables. Thirty-day postoperative complications, readmission rate, surgical site infection (SSI), and non-routine discharge to rehabilitation were compared using bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression. Postoperative time to discharge between diabetic groups was analyzed using univariate ANOVA with Tukey’s test. The analysis included 7246 patients (insulin in 5% (n = 380), non-insulin in 13% (n = 922), and non-diabetics in 82% (n = 5944)). Diabetics were more likely to have an ASA ≥ 3 compared to non-diabetics (89.5% vs 50.1%; p < 0.001). Bivariate logistic regression showed statistical significance in readmission and non-routine discharge between all diabetics and non-diabetics (OR 1.7, 1.4; p = 0.001, 0.001), but there was no significance between SSI rate (0.3% vs 0.4%; p = 0.924). Multivariate logistic regression between groups showed significance in readmission between non-insulin diabetics vs non-diabetics (OR 1.5; p = 0.027), readmission and non-routine discharge in insulin vs non-diabetics (OR 2.1, 1.7; p = 0.003, < 0.001), and no significance between insulin and non-insulin diabetics. Postoperative days to discharge were 2.4, 2.0, and 1.8 days in insulin, non-insulin, and non-diabetics respectively. Mean differences were significant between all groups. Diabetic patients are at a higher risk for readmission and non-routine discharge compared to non-diabetics. Despite no increased risk in SSI, longer postoperative discharge time in diabetics should be considered in TSA planning. Not applicable Level III, case-control study
Attitudes toward rehabilitating inmates among occupational therapy students in the United States

Purpose This study was to examine occupational therapy (OT) students' attitudes toward rehabilitating inmates and validate an instrument used to measure their attitudes. Methods OT students (n=128) from one university in Alabama, United States, completed an online survey exploring their attitudes toward rehabilitating inmates, which was assessed using the Rehabilitation Orientation Scale (ROS), a 7-point scale. Dimensional structure, internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and relations to other variables of the ROS was evaluated using factor analyses, Cronbach's alpha, known-groups method, and univariable correlations, respectively. Results Unidimensionality of the ROS was confirmed with an alpha coefficient of .90. The mean ROS score of the respondents was 5.1; a score toward 7 indicated a more supportive attitude. About 60% of the respondents reported supportive attitudes (i.e., an ROS score ≥5). Respondents' ROS scores were significantly higher than those of the public and criminal justice professionals. Female students reported a more supportive attitude than males. Multiple regression analysis indicated that respondents' consideration of working in prison settings after graduation and their perception that OT has a role in prison settings were significantly associated with support for rehabilitating inmates, after controlling for gender and an acquaintance with someone who has been incarcerated. Conclusion Results indicated that the ROS demonstrated adequate psychometric properties as it applied to this population. The majority of respondents reported supportive attitudes toward rehabilitating inmates. Consideration of working in prison settings after graduation and the perception that OT has a role in prison settings were two independent factors associated with respondents' attitudes toward rehabilitating inmates.
CONTINUATION: Evaluation of adaptive somatic models in a gold standard whole genome somatic dataset

ABSTRACT In http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/079087, we presented adaptive models for calling somatic mutations in high-throughput sequencing data. These models were developed by training deep neural networks with semi-simulated data. In this continuation, I evaluate how such models can predict known somatic mutations in a real dataset. To address this question, I tested the approach using samples from the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and the previously published ground-truth mutations (GoldSet). This evaluation revealed that training models with semi-simulation does produce models that exhibit strong performance in real datasets. I found a linear relationship between the performance observed on a semi-simulated validation set and independent ground-truth in the gold set (R2 = 0.952, P
Clinical predictors of adverse cardiovascular events for acute pediatric drug exposures

Context: Risk factors for adverse cardiovascular events (ACVE) from drug exposures have been well-characterized in adults but not studied in children. The objective of the present study is to descr...
Improving Short Job Latency Performance in Hybrid Job Schedulers with Dice

It is common to find a mixture of both long batch jobs and latency-sensitive short jobs in enterprise data centers. Recently hybrid job schedulers emerge as attractive alternatives of conventional centralized job schedulers. In this paper, we conduct trace-driven experiments to study the job-completion-delay performance of two representative hybrid job schedulers (Hawk and Eagle), and find that short jobs still encounter long latency issues due to fluctuating bursty nature of workloads. To this end, we propose Dice, a general performance optimization framework for hybrid job schedulers, to alleviate the high job-completion-delay problem of short jobs. Dice is composed of two simple yet effective techniques: Elastic Sizing and Opportunistic Preemption. Both Elastic Sizing and Opportunistic Preemption keep track of the task waiting times of short jobs. When the mean task waiting time of short jobs is high, Elastic Sizing dynamically and adaptively increases the short partition size to prioritize short jobs over long jobs. On the other hand, Opportunistic Preemption preempts resources from long tasks running in the general partition on demand, so as to mitigate the "head-of-line" blocking problem of short jobs. We enhance the two schedulers with Dice and evaluate Dice performance improvement in our prototype implementation. Experiment results show that Dice achieves 50.9%, 54.5%, and 43.5% improvement on 50th-percentile, 75th-percentile, and 90th-percentile job completion delays of short jobs in Hawk respectively, as well as 33.2%, 74.1%, and 85.3% improvement on those in Eagle respectively under the Google trace, at low performance costs to long jobs.
Climate change may alter mercury fluxes in northern hardwood forests

Soils are the largest terrestrial pool of mercury (Hg), a neurotoxic pollutant. Pathways of Hg accumulation and loss in forest soils include throughfall, litterfall, soil gas fluxes, and leaching in soil solution, all of which will likely be altered under changing climate. We took advantage of three ongoing climate-change manipulation experiments at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, USA: a combined growing-season warming and winter freeze-thaw cycle experiment, a throughfall exclusion to mimic drought, and a simulated ice storm experiment to examine the response of the forest Hg cycle to climatic disturbances. Across these three experiments, we compared Hg inputs in throughfall and leaf litterfall and Hg outputs in soil gas fluxes. Soil solution was measured only in the simulated ice storm experiment. We found that northern forest soils retained consistently less Hg by 16–60% in the three climate manipulations compared to the undisturbed controls (~ 7.4 µg Hg m−2 year−1), although soils across all three experiments still served as a net sink for Hg. Growing-season soil warming and combined soil warming and winter freeze-thaw cycles had little effect on litterfall and throughfall flux, but they increased soil Hg0 evasion by 31 and 35%, respectively, relative to the control plots. The drought plots had 5% lower litterfall Hg flux, 50% lower throughfall Hg flux, and 21% lower soil Hg0 evasion than the control plots. The simulated ice storm had 23% higher litterfall Hg flux, 1% higher throughfall Hg flux, 37% higher soil Hg0 evasion, and 151% higher soil Hg leaching than the control plots. These observations suggest that climate changes such as warmer soils in the growing season or more intense ice storms in winter are likely to exacerbate Hg pollution by releasing Hg sequestered in forest soils via evasion and leaching.
The Influence of Fetal Hemoglobin on the Risk of Complications of Sickle Cell Anemia

According to a widely held opinion, persons with sickle cell anemia who have elevated fetal hemoglobin (Hb-F) should have decreased severity of clinical manifestations and increased chance of survival. The concept that elevation of Hb-F favorably influences morbidity has support from both biochemical and clinical studies. We examined the relationship between morbidity and fetal hemoglobin (Hb-F) in data from 214 patients with sickle cell anemia. Risks of sickle cell crisis, acute chest syndrome, hospital admissions, cerebrovascular accident, aseptic necrosis, meningitis/septicemia, and death were used as indicators of morbidity. Multiple regression and survival analyses have failed to show a relationship between the severity of sickle cell anemia and the levels of Hb-F with the single exception of a significant negative correlation between Hb-F and stroke. Therefore, we have been unable to confirm the general belief that there is a predictable association between morbidity and levels of Hb-F in sickle cell anemia.
Spinal cord stimulation for spinal dural arteriovenous fistula-related pain: A case report

Abstract Background Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has emerged as an evidence-based treatment for chronic pain syndromes; however, there are no published reports of SCS implanted for pain related to spinal vascular malformations. Methods A 44-year-old male presented to our neurosurgical clinic with progressive thoracic myelopathy resulting from a T6 dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF). He underwent successful endovascular embolization, yet despite complete radiographic obliteration of the dAVF, the patient suffered from severe, constant neuropathic pain in his lower extremities. He failed to achieve adequate symptom relief with opioid and neuropathic analgesics and was ultimately referred to pain management for a trial of SCS. The trial proved successful and he subsequently underwent a T11 laminectomy for permanent implantation of an epidural paddle lead SCS system (Boston Scientific). Results Now 4 years removed from his SCS implantation, the patient continues to report adequate reduction in his neuropathic pain, resulting in complete cessation of narcotic therapy. Discussion This is the first case, to our knowledge, which reports the successful use of SCS in a patient with spinal dAVF-related pain. Spinal vascular malformations, even when cured with treatment, may result in permanent spinal cord damage and engender chronic neuropathic pain for which SCS below the level of injury may be considered.
Nanoscale structure and compositional analysis of manganese oxide coatings on the Smithsonian Castle, Washington, DC

Abstract The Smithsonian Castle is a historic building in Washington, D.C. that was erected 165 years ago and served as the first home for the Smithsonian Institution. Currently, the building exhibits dark surface discoloration due to manganese-rich coatings that are growing in patches across its Seneca sandstone exterior. Bulk and microanalysis of this coating indicate that it is consistent with rock varnish, but the coating is difficult to analyze without contribution from the underlying minerals that comprise the sandstone. To address this limitation, SEM/FIB-prepared cross-sections of the coating were analyzed using HRTEM, STEM-EDX, and SAED analyses in order to study the nanoscale structure and composition of the Mn-rich coating in isolation, without convolution from the sandstone. Structurally, the coating is
Carpet-bombing tumors with IFN-γ

To demonstrate the long-range effects of CD8+ T cell–secreted interferon-γ on bystander tumor cells, two studies now use mosaic models of antigen loss in tumors combined with intravital imaging. Factors that influence the length scale of diffusible signals could shape disease progression in cancer and autoimmunity.
Interventions to promote teamwork, delegation and communication among registered nurses and nursing assistants: An integrative review.

Aims To understand the strategies to influence patient outcomes by synthesizing existing evidence on effective interventions for teamwork, delegation and communication between registered nurses and nursing assistants. Background Three-quarters of deaths in hospitals are related to breakdowns in teamwork and communication. Acute care systems utilize teams of registered nurses and nursing assistants for primary delivery of nursing care. Research has been conducted to improve the partnership between the dyad. Literature reviews are needed to synthesize the effectiveness of delegation and communication interventions between registered nurses and nursing assistants on patient outcomes. Methods The authors applied Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review methodology to conduct an integrative review of the literature. Databases searched included Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, MEDLINE and PubMed along with reference searches. Included articles were intervention studies related to teamwork, delegation or communication between registered nurses and nursing assistants, and published from 2000 to 2019. Methodological quality was assessed utilizing the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety model 2.0 was applied as a guiding framework to analyse the findings. Results Seven articles met the inclusion criteria. The interventions in these articles focused on building a foundation of trust and respect through simulation, education and mindful communication. Four of the seven articles measured patient outcomes including patient falls, hospital-acquired pressure injuries and patient satisfaction. Three articles reported decreased patient falls, two articles reported increased patient satisfaction, while one article reported a reduction in pressure injury. Five of the studies reported improved teamwork and/or communication, and two studies reported improved job satisfaction. Conclusions There has been limited research on the impact of the registered nurse-nursing assistant relationship on patient safety and care outcomes. The existing research demonstrates a need for interventions to foster a dynamic and effective relationship between registered nurses and nursing assistants. There is a need for more interventional studies linking improved teamwork, delegation and communication between the registered nurse and nursing assistant to patient outcomes such as falls and hospital-acquired pressure injury. Implications for nursing management Several interventions exist to improve teamwork and communication between the registered nurse-nursing assistant dyad. Leaders need to assess their own culture and develop interventions to build and maintain high-functioning teams. Future research is necessary to develop interventions aimed at improving delegation from registered nurses to nursing assistants for applicable activities.
Predicting Morphological Evolution during Coprecipitation of MnCO3 Battery Cathode Precursors Using Multiscale Simulations Aided by Targeted Synthesis

The performance of lithium-ion batteries is intimately linked to both the structure and the morphology of the cathode material, which in turn is critically linked to the synthesis conditions. Howev...
Food security and livelihoods of post-resettlement households around Kanha National Park

Globally, conservation efforts have moved millions of people out of protected areas since the 1970s, yet quantitative studies on post-resettlement well-being remain a challenge due to poor documentation. Since 2008, the Indian forest department records demographic and financial details at the household level under standardized guidelines for resettlement. Here, we examine the food security of approximately 600 households' post-resettlement from Kanha National Park (KNP) in central India between 2009 and 2014. We compare food security of resettled households with host community households with a total of 3519 household surveys, conducted over three seasons within one year. We measure food security using food consumption scores (FCSs), coping strategies index (CSI) and household hunger scale (HHS). Food insecurity is widespread in the landscape, with over 80% of households reporting poor or borderline FCSs year-round. Additionally, we recorded food insecurity increases in monsoon for all households regardless of resettlement status. Results indicate that resettled households are comparable to their host community neighbors in FCS and all households use mild coping strategies to combat food insecurity. While widespread, food insecurity in the KNP landscape is not acute with very few ( 90%) and sometimes supplemented by gathering locally prevalent greens or from kitchen gardens (forest dependency for food was negligible). Accruing assets and diversifying incomes from non-labor avenues would alleviate food insecurity for all households. The patterns of market dependence and food security associated with diversified stable incomes around protected areas is in contrast with many studies but is likely to occur in similar human-dominated landscapes.
Age and sex disparities in hypertension control: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA).

Objective Determine sex differences in hypertension control by age group in a diverse cohort of adults age 45-84 years at baseline followed for an average of 12 years. Methods The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis enrolled 3213 men and 3601 women from six communities in the U.S. during years 2000-2002 with follow-up exams completed approximately every two years. At each exam, resting blood pressure (BP) was measured in triplicate, and the last two values were averaged. Hypertension was defined as a BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg and/or use of antihypertensive medications. Hypertension control was defined as a BP < 140/90 mmHg and in separate analyses as < 130/90 mmHg. Generalized linear mixed effects models with a binomial function were used to calculate the odds of hypertension control by age group (45-64,75-74, 75+) at a given exam and by sex, while accounting for the intra-individual correlation, and adjustment for demographics, co-morbidities, smoking, alcohol use, education and site among participants with hypertension at any of the first five exams. Results At baseline, mean age was 64.1 (9.1 [SD]) years, 48.0% were men, and race/ethnicity was Non-Hispanic white in 34.1%, 10.1% Chinese, 35.1% Non-Hispanic Black and 20.7% Hispanic. Average SBP was lower while average DBP was higher among men vs. women at each exam. Adjusted odds ratios of hypertension control defined as BP < 140/90 mmHg among men vs. women was 0.89 (95% CI 0.67, 1.19) for age 45-64 years, 1.37 (95% CI 1.04, 1.81) for age 65-74 years and 2.08 (95% CI 1.43, 3.02) for age 75+ years. When defined as < 130/80 mmHg, adjusted odds of hypertension control among men vs. women was 0.60 (OR 0.60; 95% CI 0.46, 0.79) at age 45-64 years, 1.01 (OR 1.01; 95% CI 0.77, 1.31) at age 65-74 years and 1.71 (95% CI 1.19, 2.45) at age 75+ years. Conclusion Sex disparities in hypertension control increase with advancing age and are greatest among adults age 75+ years.
Winter Weather-Related Crashes during the Commute to Work: An Opportunity for Total Worker Health®.

Background: The ways workers interface with their workplace and work are changing. These changes provide challenges and opportunities for health and safety professionals attempting to improve worker wellbeing for the future of work. For many workers, the morning commute, an activity typically outside the scope of workplace policies, is the most hazardous portion of the day. The hazard increases if workers are required to drive during winter weather or in other hazardous conditions in order to adhere to strict workplace start times. This research describes the role winter weather plays during the morning commute, demonstrating the need for organizational design and work arrangements that improve safety during the commute to work. Methods: Crash data from the Iowa Department of Transportation for the years 2013–2017 was linked to county level characteristics from the American Community Survey. Crashes were characterized by 30-min time intervals. The likelihood of the crash involving winter weather as a contributing circumstance was compared across time-intervals. Results: Winter weather was more likely to contribute to crashes during the commuting hours compared to 11:00 to 11:59 am. Winter weather was most frequently a contributing circumstance during 8:00–8:29 a.m. (OR = 2.21 95% CI: 1.93–2.52). Conclusions: Winter weather plays a role in crashes during commuting hours. Workplaces can adopt policies for flexible work start times or for telecommuting to empower workers to avoid hazardous driving conditions.
Investigating “Texting while Driving” Behavior at Different Roadway Configurations Using a Driving Simulator Setting

This study investigates the safety impact of distracted driving (texting while driving) for different roadway configurations (intersections, segments, freeways, and roundabouts; urban, suburban, an...
Gendered Funding: United Way Board Composition and the Funding of Women- and Girl-Serving Organizations:

Representative bureaucracy theory posits that the passive representation of women in leadership positions will lead to active representation of the concerns of women in general. This article attemp...
Hybrid Functions Approach for Variational Problems and Optimal Control of Delay Systems

In this chapter, a numerical method for solving variational problems and optimal control of delay systems is presented. The method is based upon hybrid functions approximation. The properties of hybrid functions consisting of block-pulse functions and Bernoulli polynomials are presented. The operational matrices of integration, product, delay and the integration of the cross product of two hybrid functions of block-pulse and Bernoulli polynomials vectors are given. These matrices are then utilized to reduce the solution of variational problems, delay systems and the optimal control of delay systems to the solution of algebraic equations. Illustrative examples are included to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the technique.
Role of neuroexcitation in development of blood-brain barrier and oedematous changes following cerebral ischaemia and traumatic brain injury.

Potential involvement of neuroexcitatory mechanisms was studied in: 1) repetitive forebrain ischaemia in gerbils, 2) global cerebral ischaemia in rats and 3) cryogenic injury to the cerebral cortex in rats and gerbils. Uptake of 45Ca was used as a marker of injury, whereas ultrastructural localization of calcium was assessed with an oxalate-pyroantimonate method. The blood-brain barrier was evaluated with immunostaining for serum albumin. Changes in extracellular glutamate were estimated by microdialysis and an enzymatic cycling assay. Changes in water content were assessed by specific gravity measurements.
Amazons Discover Monte-Carlo

Monte-Carlo algorithms and their UCT-like successors have recently shown remarkable promise for Go-playing programs. We apply some of these same algorithms to an Amazons-playing program. Our experiments suggest that a pure MC/UCT type program for playing Amazons has little promise, but by using strong evaluation functions we are able to create a hybrid MC/UCT program that is superior to both the basic MC/UCT program and the conventional minimax-based programs. The MC/UCT program is able to beat Invader , a strong minimax program, over 80% of the time at tournament time controls.
Fatty Acid Composition of Cladosporium resinae Grown on Glucose and on Hydrocarbons

Cladosporium resinae was grown in submerged cultures on glucose; on Jet-A commercial aviation fuel; and on a series of n-alkanes, n-decane through n-tetradecane. Cell yield was greatest on glucose and least on Jet-A; n-alkanes were intermediate. Among n-alkanes cell yield decreased as chain length increased, except for n-dodecane, which supported less growth than n-tridecane or n-tetradecane. The total fatty acids of stationary-phase cells were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography. In all cases the predominant fatty acids were 16:0, 18:1, and 18:2. The fatty acid composition of glucose-grown cells was similar to that of hydrocarbon-grown cells. Cells grown on n-tridecane or n-tetradecane yielded small amounts of acids homologous to the carbon source, but a similar correlation was not noted for n-decane, n-undecane, or n-dodecane. Cells grown on n-undecane or n-tridecane contained more odd-carbon fatty acids than cells grown on the other substrates, and the effect was more pronounced in n-tridecane-grown cells. Thus, the fatty acids of this organism are derived chiefly from de novo synthesis rather than from direct incorporation of oxidized hydrocarbons. The extent of direct incorporation increases as the chain length of the hydrocarbon growth substrate is increased.
Model Reduction of Bilinear Control Systems

In this paper, the problem of model reduction for discrete bilinear control systems is considered. Based upon the fundamental relationships among the system reachability, observability and stability, two methods for obtaining the reduced-order models are introduced. The first method applies the singular value decomposition on the generalized Hankel matrix which is defined in terms of the impulse response data. The second method utilizes the factorization of the reachability and observability Gramians. These Gramians are shown to satisfy generalized Lyapunov matrix equations under certain condtions. The order-reduction algorithms developed for bilinear systems have been tested on a fifth-order neutron kinetic model. A third-order model which is balanced with respect to both reachability and observability is shown to accurately approximate the original fifth-order model.
Race-Matching: Interviewers' Reactions to the Race-matching Process

Although there has been widespread attention among public opinion scholars to problems of data quality when dealing with racially sensitive items, there is little empirical evidence of how interviewers’ understand their work on survey projects that deal with racially sensitive questions and use race-matching protocols. For this exploratory study, we asked thirteen telephone interviewers involved in a racial attitudes survey to help us understand their experiences with that project and particularly with the race-matching process. Public opinion scholars have established that the social environment matters, affording the characteristics of interviewers and perceptions of respondents weighting equivalent to the content itself (Anderson et al. 1988; Davis 1997b; Hatchett and Schuman 1975; Schuman and Converse 1971). Repeated studies have generated considerable knowledge about how interviewers affect data quality, but little is known about interviewers’ understandings of the process and its implications (1).
Convergent validity between a sport video game and real sport performance

A challenge to expanding quality physical education programs is the expertise of teachers across many sports. In part this challenge exists because fewer experts are available to train pre-service teachers and coaches. Recent trends in instructional theory indicate that traditional forms of education represent only the tip of the iceberg regarding ways that individuals learn (VanDeventer & White, 2007). The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between a person's basketball knowledge, skills and video game performance. More specifically, does the video game distinguish between those who have played basketball and those who have not? If so, what parts of the video game do that? Fifty volunteers were recruited through flyers at a university in a Midwest community. Measurements included; questionnaire to identify participant basketball playing experience and videogame exposure; basketball knowledge test including tactical content, the AAHPERD Basketball Skill Test (1984) as an asses...
The Fructose 1,6-Diphosphatase-Phosphofructokinase Substrate Cycle A SITE OF REGULATION OF HEPATIC GLUCONEOGENESIS BY GLUCAGON

The effect of glucagon on the rate of gluconeogenesis from substrates not involving pathways of mitochondrial metabolism has been investigated in isolated rat liver cells. From estimation of the rates of glucose formation, glucose phosphorylation, fructose 6-phosphate phosphorylation, fructose 1,6-diphosphate dephosphorylation, and lactate and pyruvate formation, it is concluded that glucagon stimulates gluconeogenesis from galactose, dihydroxyacetone, xylitol, and fructose by influencing the rate of reactions involving fructose 6-phosphate. Both glucagon and cyclic adenosine 3′:5′-monophosphate act to inhibit flux through phosphofructokinase and enhance flux through fructose 1,6-diphosphatase. The simultaneous change produced by glucagon in expressed activity of each enzyme results in the redirection of carbon from lactate and pyruvate formation to glucose synthesis.
Physician Compensation and Patient Satisfaction: Unintended Consequences of Policy Misalignment (P4.282)

OBJECTIVE: An unintended consequence of linking physician compensation to patient satisfaction is illustrated. BACKGROUND: In accordance with patient-centered healthcare, payers and physician-employers have demonstrated a propensity to link physician compensation to patient satisfaction as one intervention intended to increase healthcare value and quality. DESIGN/METHODS: Responses to HCAHPS Survey Question 6 (“During this hospital stay how often did doctors listen carefully to you?”) were the single parameter analyzed by varying (linearly and exponentially) the linkage between physician compensation and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: As physician compensation is increasingly impacted by patient responses to HCAHPS Survey Question 6, the patient/physician relationship would more likely evolve to the point where physicians ask patients what they want; and act accordingly. That course of action would maximize both physician compensation and patient satisfaction in this simple model. CONCLUSIONS: The patient/physician relationship is characterized by information asymmetry. If physician behavior conforms to patient expectations, the physician is likely to be perceived by the patient as listening carefully. If physician behavior does not conform to patient expectations, the physician is likely to be perceived as not listening carefully. Although physicians should listen carefully to their patients, a reliable correlation between patient satisfaction surveys and healthcare value and quality should be established prior to linking physician compensation with patient satisfaction. No one would rationally suggest that physicians should always do what patients want as a means to enhance healthcare value and quality. Policy misalignment could produce unintended adverse consequences on healthcare value and quality. As new policies aimed to improve healthcare value and quality and decrease costs are suggested and/or implemented, these policies should be modeled in simple systems to reveal unintended consequences and, if necessary, demonstrate the need for counterbalancing policies. Healthcare is a complex system that is increasingly being subjected to new rules. Although new policies may seem simple, their impact in complex systems can be unpredictable and counterproductive. Study Supported by: Not applicable. Disclosure: Dr. Riggs has nothing to disclose. Dr. Riggs has nothing to disclose.
Pion double charge exchange on 42,44,48Ca for 300 <= T pi <= 550 MeV.

Measurements of cross sections for pion-induced double-charge-exchange reactions to the double-isobaric-analog state for {sup 42,44,48}Ca at incident pion energies of 300--550 MeV at {theta}{sub lab}=5{degree} are reported, together with upper limits for cross sections for transitions to the residual ground states for {sup 44,48}Ca. The data are fitted with a two-amplitude model which gives expressions for cross sections for both transitions. The fit overpredicts the ground-state cross sections, indicating a failure of the model in this energy range.
Multiple ζ-Values, Galois Groups, and Geometry of Modular Varieties

We discuss two arithmetical problems, at first glance unrelated: 1) The properties of the multiple ζ-values $$\zeta ({n_{1, \ldots,}}{n_m}): = \sum\limits_{0 1$$ (1) and their generalizations, multiple polylogarithms at N-th roots of unity. 2) The action of the absolute Galois group on the pro-l completion $$\pi _1^{(l)}({X_N}): = \pi _1^{(l)}({\mathbb{P}^1}\backslash \{ 0{,_{\mu N}},\infty \},\upsilon )$$ of the fundamental group of X N := ℙ1\{0, ∞ and all N-th roots of unity}.
Simple observation selection techniques

There are many applications in which a signal is to be recovered given measurements of its Fourier transform. However, the number of measurements that can be collected may be limited by practical considerations such as time or expense. One must then decide which samples to take. We examine the case in which the observations are selected so as to provide the best reconstruction within a specified region of interest. Optimal sampling schemes are explicitly derived for situations in which all points of the region of interest are near each other. Using this result, we find suboptimal schemes for the useful case when points of the region of interest occur in isolated clumps.
Dimensions of Civic Science Introductory Essay

A civic scientist has been described by Neal Lane, former presidential science adviser, as one who “engages the public in a dialogue about science and society.” The concept of the civic scientist h...
Implementation of a Program for Mentoring Students in a Two-Year Chemical Technology Program by an Alumnus Enrolled in Graduate School

Implementation of a program for mentoring students in a two-year chemical technology program by an alumnus enrolled in graduate school is described. The graduate student provided tutoring and was also available to discuss advisement, opportunities for higher education, and career options. In turn, the organic chemistry professor mentored the graduate student in order to cultivate the graduate student’s skills mentoring undergraduates, provide support for graduate degree completion, and promote professional development through better understanding of careers teaching in two-year degree programs. This mentoring model supported current students and also provided a structure to maintain mutually beneficial relationships with alumni and cultivate future faculty members. Survey results suggest student and mentor satisfaction with the program implementation.
Coupling of Anion Selectivity and Proton Transport in CLC-ec1

CLC transporters catalyze transmembrane exchange of chloride ions and protons necessary for pH regulation of key physiological processes. Based on abundant structural information obtained for a bacterial CLC (CLC-ec1), the chloride pathway is defined by three anionic binding sites that span the length of the membrane. Recent results have suggested that protons might be transported by hopping through water chains between the extracellular and cytoplasmic gates in CLC-ce1. A fundamental question concerning the ClC Cl−/H+ antiporters is the mechanism of proton transport coupled to anion binding. Cl- binding facilitates functional H+ transport, while NO3- or SCN- appear to reduce or completely abolishe H+ coupling to anion movement. To investigate the coupling mechanism between anion binding to the central binding site (Scen) and water-mediated proton transport, we first applied free energy perturbation calculations to study the Scen anion selectivity. The binding free energy of NO3- and SCN- indicates that binding of these ions is unfavorable compared to Cl- binding. To compare the stability of water wires in the presence of different Scen binding anions, we employed molecular dynamics simulations starting from a snapshot including a preformed water wire structure, with Scen occupied by either Cl-, NO3- or SCN-, respectively. The average lifetime of the water wire is greatly reduced upon the binding of NO3-, while the SCN- binding breaks the wire immediately by inserting between the water molecules. Based on these results, we suggest that Scen anion selectivity affects the coupled proton transport in two ways: first, Scen selectivity determines whether the anion can bind stably; and second, whether the bind anions can support the transient water wire which is required for conduction of the protons.
Metagalactic gamma rays from relativistic-electron bremsstrahlung interactions.

Metagalactic gamma ray spectra calculated for relativistic electron bremsstrahlung interactions
Classroom learning communities in educational leadership: A comparison study of three delivery options

Abstract In this study the authors investigated the perceptions of educational leadership graduate students with regard to how well their face-to-face, online and hybrid classes built a sense of classroom community. Perceptions were measured using the Classroom Community Scale (CCS), which included three measures: total classroom community, connectedness, and learning. Classroom community was evaluated by students who attended online, face-to-face and hybrid masters degree educational leadership classes. It was found that there was a significant difference in the perceived total classroom community and connectedness of students attending both face-to-face and hybrid classes as compared to those attending classes online. A greater sense of community was perceived by students who received all or some face-to-face contact with their professors. Students in online classes scored total classroom community and connectedness scores lower than did students in face-to-face and hybrid classes. There was no statistically significant difference; however, in students' perceptions of learning across all three structures. Findings suggest that faculty members in graduate programs consider developing or modifying their course delivery to include building a sense of community in their online classes.
Myelin Membrane: A Molecular Abnormality

Myelin was isolated from cerebral white matter from a patient who had died of metachromatic leukodystrophy, and its lipid composition was analyzed. Although the lipid content was nearly normal, the myelin contained a three- to fourfold excess of cerebroside sulfate and a threefold deficiency of cerebroside compared to normal myelin. The deficiency of cerebroside and the excess of cerebroside sulfate may account for defective myelination in this disease.
Topical treatment with probiotic Lactobacillus brevis CD2 inhibits experimental periodontal inflammation and bone loss.

Background and Objective An increasing body of evidence suggests that the use of probiotic bacteria is a promising intervention approach for the treatment of inflammatory diseases with polymicrobial etiology. The objective of this study was to determine whether Lactobacillus brevis CD2 could inhibit periodontal inflammation and bone loss in experimental periodontitis.
A continuous selective model for an X-linked locus.

Neglecting age-structure, but taking into account matings with differential fertility in Mendelian reproduction, a continuous selective model is formulated for a single X-linked locus with an arbitrary number of alleles. Without restricting the mating system, differential equations are derived for the genotypic and allelic frequencies. Assuming random mating, no selection, and constant fertilities and mortalities, these differential equations are solved explicitly. For this case, in contrast to the corresponding phenomenon in the usual model with discrete, non-overlapping generations, the difference between the frequencies of any allele in males and females approaches zero without oscillation.
The Politics of Gender, Human Rights, and Being Indigenous in Chile

Although the universal human rights paradigm has been problematic for women and indigenous peoples, both groups have made advances by framing their demands within a human rights perspective. Indigenous women, however, have frequently found themselves marginalized by women’s movements and indigenous movements alike, particularly when they make demands for rights as indigenous women—not just as members of one group or the other. This article takes the case of Mapuche women in Chile to examine the politics of gender and human rights for indigenous women. Their efforts to articulate their concerns, vis-a-vis Mapuche men, nonindigenous women, and the state, have entailed assertions of their own version of women’s rights, one that responds specifically to their reality as Mapuche women.
High-Density, High Aspect Ratio Silicone Post Arrays for Magneto Optical Biosensing and Targeted Cell Capture

We have developed a dense microarray of tall, flexible silicone posts which has strong potential for use in magento-optical biosensing applications or as high-surface-area devices for cell capture. The posts in the array are 25 μm tall by 500 nm in diameter (AR: ∼50) with densities ranging from of 2e6 to 2e7 posts/cm2 (2 to 7 microns average spacing). The posts are treated with a hydrophilic silicone surfactant which renders them stable against lateral collapse in fluid suspension. In addition, the posts can be fabricated using a magnetic-nanoparticle / silicone composite to produce a magnetically actuatable array.The post array is fabricated by filling the pores of a polycarbonate track-etched membrane with liquid silicone or magnetic silicone composite. The filled membrane is placed on a glass substrate and the silicone is cured, after which the polycarbonate membrane is removed by dissolution. The surfactant treatment is applied during dissolution, allowing the completed array to be resuspended in a variety of solvents.Both the active (magnetic) and passive silicone arrays provide a very large surface area which may be well-suited for use in a variety of biosensing applications, such as magnetic-bead-based sandwich assays. In addition, the chaotic flow produced within a magnetically-actuated array dramatically increases opportunities for contact with targeted materials such as circulating tumor cells in a cell-capture device.
‘She's not good with crying’: the effect of gender expectations on graduate students' assessments of their principal investigators

This paper explores how gender influences the way that faculty members are held accountable to gendered societal expectations related to scientists, faculty members, and leaders. In particular, women faculty members in the sciences, particularly those who lead large research groups, may be at a triple disadvantage: they must act in ways that contradict ideals of femininity in these multiple aspects of their professional lives. The data for this inductive, largely exploratory analysis come from a mixed-methods qualitative study of five chemistry research groups at a research-intensive US university. I find that gendered expectations do impact the way that men and women faculty are evaluated by their students, particularly the way that women faculty are judged.
The cleavage of some bis(perhaloaryl)methylsilanes and tris(perhaloaryl)silanes by organolithium compounds

Abstract Bis(perhaloaryl)methylsilanes and tris(perhaloaryl)silanes (halo = Cl, F) undergo reaction with methyl- and butyllithium under mild conditions to produce perhaloaryllithium derivatives in generally high yields.