cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of Bacterial and Human Genetic Variation on Staphylococcus aureus Infections.

The clinical diversity of syndromes caused by Staphylococcus aureus arises from a complex interplay between host and pathogen. Genetic variation can result in increased susceptibility to infection within the host and an increased capacity for virulence within the pathogen, resulting in a wide array of clinical syndromes. This review presents evidence for the role of bacterial and human genetic variation in influencing the clinical outcome of S. aureus infections.
Assessing Internal Control Over Cash Receipts at NADCo Communications: An Instructional Case

The audit of internal control over financial reporting required by the Sarbanes Oxley Act has radically changed the accounting profession. The evaluation and disclosure of the assessment of the internal control's effectiveness is now required by management and their auditors. This paper describes the use of an internal control assessment case, as well as web-based supporting materials that can enhance students' ability to analyse internal controls and improve their writing skills. The need for these skills has been well established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the American Accounting Association (AAA) Albrecht and Sack (2000) and others in the accounting profession. These resources are presented below along with a section describing the learning objectives they were designed to achieve. The assessment of these materials is presented in a final section. The results were positive and provide accounting educators with resources that can improve students' ability to evalu...
Growth hormone and thyroxine: effects on submaxillary gland of hypophysectomized rat.

SummarySubmaxillary glands of hypophysectomized male albino rats injected with growth hormone and thyroxine, both alone and in combination, were studied histologically and enzymatically. Growth hormone and thyroxine separately were only partially effective in preventing hypophysectomy-induced enzymatic and histologic changes in the submaxillary salivary gland. The 2 hormones when administerd together, however, maintained normal histologic and enzymatic activity. These results are comparable to those previously reported utilizing testosterone and thyroxine in combination. Apparently the stimulatory action of thyroxine upon the submaxillary gland function may be enhanced by simultaneous administration of either testosterone or growth hormone, both of which are deficient in the hypophysectomized animal.
Apprenticeship Learning Based Spectrum Decision in Multi-Channel Wireless Mesh Networks with Multi-Beam Antennas

We propose a novel spectrum decision scheme (i.e., channel selection and handoff) for wireless mesh networks (WMN) which use multiple channels and nodes equipped with multi-beam directional antennas. Our scheme has the following features: (i) It performs spectrum decision by considering various WMN parameters, including the channel quality, beam orientation, antenna-caused deafness and capture effects, and application priority level. (ii) It uses the reinforcement learning (RL)-based spectrum decision process to achieve the optimal quality of multimedia transmission in the long term. However, a newly-joined WMN node could take a long time to make a correct spectrum decision due to the difficult choice of initial RL parameters. Therefore, our scheme uses the apprenticeship learning in conjunction with the RL model, to speed up the spectrum decision process by choosing a suitable neighboring node (called “expert”) to teach a newly-joined node (called “apprentice”). Our experiments demonstrate that the proposed spectrum decision scheme improves the network performance and multimedia transmission quality.
Bidimensional Emotional Health in College Students: a Comparison of Categorical and Continuous Analytic Approaches

This study reports on an investigation of the concurrent validity of the bidimensional model of emotional health, using two analytic approaches—one categorical and the other continuous—with two subsamples of college students. Results from the categorical approach, using analyses of variance with the first subsample (n = 461), indicated that, compared to isolated emotional wellbeing and distress models, the bidimensional model of emotional health had incremental validity in relation to social connectedness, life satisfaction, physical health, and academic achievement outcomes. Findings from the continuous approach, using latent-variables path analyses with the second subsample (n = 490), indicated that the isolated emotional wellbeing model was a better predictor of the aforementioned quality-of-life outcomes than were the bidimensional and isolated distress models. Taken together, findings from both sets of analyses suggest that emotional wellbeing is a distinguishing predictor of college student outcomes. Implications for the theory and practice of mental health work at the college level are discussed.
Mining protein contact maps

The 3D conformation of a protein may be compactly represented in a symmetrical, square, boolean matrix of pairwise, inter-residue contacts, or "contact map". The contact map provides a host of useful information about the protein's structure. In this paper we describe how data mining can be used to extract valuable information from contact maps. For example, clusters of contacts represent certain secondary structures, and also capture non-local interactions, giving clues to the tertiary structure. In this paper we focus on two main tasks: 1) Given the database of protein sequences, discover an extensive set of non-local (frequent) dense patterns in their contact maps, and compile a library of such non-local interactions. 2) Cluster these patterns based on their similarities and evaluate the clustering quality. We show via experiments that our techniques are effective in characterizing contact patterns across different proteins, and can be used to improve contact map prediction for unknown proteins as well as to learn protein folding pathways.
Traffic queuing at unsignalized crosswalks with probabilistic priority

Probabilistic yielding behavior is often observed at unsignalized crosswalks, but its impacts on the traffic flow in terms of traffic capacity and associated vehicular delay have not been examined before. The uniqueness of this problem is that neither traffic nor pedestrian flow holds the absolute priority as normally assumed in existing literature. Based on queuing theory, this paper developed traffic capacity and delay formulas considering the probabilistic priority. The proposed capacity equation reduces to the classic formula when the yielding rate equals one. The service time distributions for both queuers and non-queuers were derived, and M/G2/1 queuing model was applied to determine queue length and vehicular delay. Stochastic simulations showed that the proposed capacity and delay formulas precisely match the simulation results. For ease of practical applications, simpler queuing formulas including M/G/1, M/M/1 and M/D/1 were also examined. Noting that the differences between M/G2/1 and M/G/1 mode...
Diagnostic potential of nonlinear analysis of biosignals

Biosignals have played an important role in medical diagnosis. The first biosignal to be used extensively was the electrocardiogram whose interpretation initially relied on manual analysis of paper tracings. Interpretation was based on variations of the normal QRS pattern associated with each heartbeat. Automated arrhythmia analysis was developed commercially and has been in standard clinical use for some time. The advent of Holter monitoring presented new challenges for the analysis of very long time series. New methods have been developed for this purpose, including nonlinear dynamical approaches. These methods have yielded important diagnostic clues. In this article, the diagnostic use of parameters derived from nonlinear analysis, both alone and in conjunction with other clinical information, is discussed.
Taking A Break: The Relationship Between Ambient Temperature and Nest Attendance Patterns of Incubating Carolina Chickadees (Poecile carolinensis)

ABSTRACT Parent birds face a tradeoff between spending time incubating their eggs and foraging. The duration and frequency of breaks taken by incubating parents are potentially influenced by the ambient temperature, which affects both egg cooling rate and parental metabolism. We used remote temperature data loggers to obtain an extensive, continuous sample of incubation recesses, or off-bouts, taken by female Carolina Chickadees (Poecile carolinensis). We found that as ambient temperature increased, off-bout duration increased while off-bout frequency decreased. However, this relationship between ambient temperature and off-bout characteristics was not present at extremely cold or warm temperatures. Female chickadees also shortened the duration of off-bouts as embryos aged, and took fewer, longer off-bouts in the dark than during daylight. Our results suggest that the timing of off-bouts is influenced by the energetic constraints imposed by ambient temperature, although further research on nighttime incub...
OS01.3 mtTERT promoter as a target for treatment of Glioblastoma.

AbstractApproximately 86% of GBM tumors exhibit mutation at -124 or -146 bases upstream of the ATG start site in the transcription activating promoter region of Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). Mutation in the promoter region of hTERT impairs repression, leading to overexpression of hTERT; inappropriate hTERT is associated with oncogenesis, tumor maintenance, and resistance to apoptosis. We surveyed long-term glioma cell lines and glioma PDX models for mt-hTERT; mRNA and protein expression of hTERT were assessed by qPCR and western blot. The -124 and -146 mutations are located in the major 5–12 G-quadruplex and result in misfolding of the silencer element and consequent over-expression of hTERT. Using a diverse small molecule library, we identified a small drug-like pharmacological chaperone (pharmacoperone) molecule, TG-4260, which binds to the 26 mer base-pair heteroduplex loop, which is the nucleation site for cooperative folding of the major 5–12 G-quadruplex. The chaperone effect of TG-4260 corrects DNA hTERT G-quadruplex misfolding resulting from the somatic mutations and restores the silencer function of the G-quadruplex thereby reducing hTERT activity. TG-4260 directly decreases the transcription activity of the WT and the −124, −124/125, −138/139, and −146 mutants to a similar extent and suppresses the downstream gene BCL2, which activates caspase-3 and produces cell-cycle arrest, leading to cell death. Finally, TG-4260 significantly inhibits telomerase and shortens telomere length after five days of treatment and induces a senescence-like phenotype. This is the first example of the use of a pharmacoperone molecule to correct the misfolding of a DNA G-quadruplex element resulting from mutations in an early folding intermediate. Finally, we screened GBM cell models against a novel small molecule inhibitor that interferes with mutated hTERT promoter and demonstrated that TG-4260 selectively suppresses glioma cell viability without affecting non-transformed normal human astrocytes.
Personalized Prognosis of Uveal Melanoma Based on Cytogenetic Profile in 1059 Patients over an 8-Year Period: The 2017 Harry S. Gradle Lecture.

Purpose To determine the personalized rate of uveal melanoma–related metastasis on the basis of individual tumor cytogenetic profile. Design Retrospective case series. Participants A total of 1059 patients with uveal melanoma. Methods Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for DNA amplification and whole genome array–based assay were performed for analysis of chromosomes 3, 6, and 8. Main Outcome Measures Melanoma-related metastasis. Results The mean patient age was 57 years, and most were white (1026/1059, 97%). The melanoma involved the choroid (938/1059, 89%), ciliary body (85/1059, 8%), or iris (36/1059, 3%), with 19% being macular in location. The mean largest basal diameter was 11 mm (median, 12 mm; range, 3–24 mm), and mean thickness was 5 mm (median, 4 mm; range, 1–20 mm). On the basis of individual chromosomal mutations, risk for metastasis was increased for chromosome 3 partial monosomy (hazard ratio [HR], 2.84; P = 0.001), 3 complete monosomy (HR, 6.7, P P = 0.003), 8p loss (HR, 21.5, P P P = 0.02]); 3 complete monosomy, 6 disomy, 8q gain, and 8p gain (14%, 14%, NE [HR, 18.3, P = 0.02]); 3 complete monosomy, 6 disomy, and 8q gain (8%, 27%, 39% [HR, 19.5, P P Conclusions Risk for melanoma-related metastasis strongly correlates with personalized cytogenetic profiles, with 5-year Kaplan–Meier estimates ranging from 4% with chromosomes 3, 6, and 8 disomy up to 39% for 3 complete monosomy, 6 disomy, and 8q gain.
How Do We Train Our Future Faculty to Teach? A Multidisciplinary Comparison of Graduate-Level Pedagogy Courses Offered at a Large Midwestern University

ABSTRACTThis study examines and documents graduate pedagogy courses offered at a large Midwestern research university. Thirty-three graduate pedagogy course instructors from 32 departments (a majority of those offering courses) completed an online survey. We report on enrollment demographics, preparation of faculty to teach such a course, and how a statement of teaching philosophy is presented to the class. This research connects the analyses of individual pedagogy courses with the few national studies on teacher training, outlines assumptions about an emerging field, and lays groundwork for a comprehensive study of the landscape and outcomes of graduate pedagogy courses nationwide.
Functional Linkage Between the QA and QB Sites of Photosynthetic Reaction Centers

The acceptor quinones, QA and QB, of bacterial reaction centers (RCs) act in series to accumulate two reducing equivalents from the one-electron photoreactions. After two RC turnovers, accompanied by binding of two protons, quinol (QH2) is released from the QB site, which is then refilled by an oxidized quinone. The accumulation of two reducing equivalents by QB, with a single source (QA-) for both electron transfers, requires radical alterations in the physico-chemical properties of the quinone compared to solution behavior. The flexible chemistry of quinones has been extensively discussed in the past, but the details we now have about mechanisms of quinone function in vivo merit revisiting this subject. In particular, our knowledge has been greatly enhanced by studies on proton uptake coupled to electron transfer, in wild type and mutant RCs.
Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Short-term Urethral Sling Surgical Outcomes.

Objective To evaluate the association of racial and socioeconomic factors with the risk of adverse events in the first 30 days following urethral sling placement. Methods We accessed nonpublic data from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development in California from 2005 to 2011. All female patients who underwent an ambulatory urethral sling procedure in the entire state of California over the study period were identified (Current Procedural Terminology 57288). Our main outcome was any unplanned hospital visits within 30 days of the patient's surgery in the form of an inpatient admission, revision surgery, or emergency department visit. Results A total of 28,635 women who underwent outpatient urethral sling placement were identified. Within 30 days, 1628 women (5.7%) had at least 1 unplanned hospital visit. In the adjusted multivariate model, black race and Medicaid insurance status were both independently associated with increased odds of having an unplanned hospital visit (odds ratio 1.80, P P Conclusion We found that, similar to what has been reported in other fields, disparities in outcomes exist between socioeconomic and racial groups in the field of urogynecology.
High quality multi-core multi-level algorithm for community detection

One of the most relevant and widely studied structural properties of networks is their community structure or clustering. Detecting communities is of great importance in various disciplines where systems are often represented as graphs. Different community detection algorithms have been introduced in the past few years, which look at the problem from different perspectives. Most of these algorithms, however, have expensive computational time that makes them impractical to use for large graphs found in the real world. Maintaining a good balance between the computational time and the quality of the communities discovered is a well-known open problem in this area. In this paper, we propose a multi-core multi-level (MCML) community detection algorithm based on the topology of the graph, which contributes towards solving the above problem. MCML algorithm on two benchmark datasets results in detection of accurate communities. We detect high modularity communities by applying MCML on Facebook Forum dataset to find users with similar interests and Amazon product dataset. We also show the scalability of MCML on these large datasets with 16 Xeon Phi cores.
Muscle Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors May Mediate Trans-Synaptic Signaling at the Mouse Neuromuscular Junction

Block of neurotransmitter receptors at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has been shown to trigger upregulation of the number of synaptic vesicles released (quantal content, QC), a response termed homeostatic synaptic plasticity. The mechanism underlying this plasticity is not known. Here, we used selective toxins to demonstrate that block of α1-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) at the NMJ of male and female mice triggers the upregulation of QC. Reduction of current flow through nAChRs, induced by drugs with antagonist activity, demonstrated that reduction in synaptic current per se does not trigger upregulation of QC. These data led to the remarkable conclusion that disruption of synaptic transmission is not sensed to trigger upregulation of QC. During studies of the effect of partial block of nAChRs on QC, we observed a small but reproducible increase in the decay kinetics of miniature synaptic currents. The change in kinetics was correlated with the increase in QC and raises the possibility that a change in postsynaptic nAChR conformation may be associated with the presynaptic increase in QC. We propose that, in addition to functioning in synaptic transmission, ionotropic muscle nicotonic nAChRs may serve as signaling molecules that participate in synaptic plasticity. Because nAChRs have been implicated in a number of disease states, the finding that nAChRs may be involved in triggering synaptic plasticity could have wide-reaching implications.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The signals that initiate synaptic plasticity of the nervous system are still incompletely understood. Using the mouse neuromuscular junction as a model synapse, we studied how block of neurotransmitter receptors is sensed to trigger synaptic plasticity. Our studies led to the surprising conclusion that neither changes in synaptic current nor spiking of the presynaptic or postsynaptic cell are sensed to initiate synaptic plasticity. Instead, postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), in addition to functioning in synaptic transmission, may serve as signaling molecules that trigger synaptic plasticity. Because nAChRs have been implicated in a number of disease states, the finding that they may mediate synaptic plasticity has broad implications.
MATHEMATICAL MODELS FOR CATALYTIC CONVERTER PERFORMANCE

Mathematical models which can aid in the design of monolithic oxidation catalyst systems are described. The chemistry math model allows prediction of tailpipe CO and HC emissions throughout the course of the Federal Test Procedure. Following a brief description of the model and its required inputs, several examples of model applications are presented.
Continuous Arteriovenous Hemofiltration and Related Therapies

By the late seventies, machine driven hemofiltration had been investigated as a treatment for chronic uremia (1, 2, 3, 4). With the operational characteristics and advantages of convective based solute removal well described, the availability of low resistance hemofilters allowed for the development of filtration techniques which could be powered by the patient’s arterial blood pressure. In 1977, Kramer et al. first proposed arteriovenous hemofiltration as a method of emergency fluid removal in patients resistant to diuretics (5). In 1979, Neff and colleagues used the technique for outpatient control of uremia (6). In 1980, Paganini and Nakamoto employed spontaneous filtration to maintain fluid balance in patients with acute renal failure (7) and Shaldon et al. described its use as an adjunct to chronic hemodialysis (8). Finally, in a follow up to their original work, Kramer et al. demonstrated that continuous arteriovenous hemofiltration could be used to supplant conventional dialytic techniques in the intensive care unit (9, 10).
Language Learning while Negotiating Race and Ethnicity Abroad

Despite institutional and national focus on the importance of study abroad (SA) in U.S. higher education, the number of students of color abroad is still disproportionately low (Institute of International Education, 2017). Moreover, there is limited literature examining how race and ethnicity shapes experiences abroad, despite SA research highlighting how identity negotiation influences language learning in the SA context (Kinginger, 2013). This study presents the cases of two U.S. students —an Iranian-American and an African-and Mexican-American —studying in Spain. Through journals, interviews, surveys, and the Versant for Spanishoral test, this study illustrates how these participants rejected negative racial and ethnic positionings by withdrawing from host country nationals and eventually re-evaluating experiences to align with their desired identities. Both learners improved their Versantpost-SA but their linguistic confidence in their Spanish language capabilities did not increase. The study concludes with implications for creating more inclusive and supportive SA programs.
Pathways of mineral-associated soil organic matter formation: Integrating the role of plant carbon source, chemistry, and point of entry

To predict the behavior of the terrestrial carbon cycle, it is critical to understand the source, formation pathway, and chemical composition of soil organic matter (SOM). There is emerging consensus that slow-cycling SOM generally consists of relatively low molecular weight organic carbon substrates that enter the mineral soil as dissolved organic matter and associate with mineral surfaces (referred to as "mineral-associated OM," or MAOM). However, much debate and contradictory evidence persist around: (a) whether the organic C substrates within the MAOM pool primarily originate from aboveground vs. belowground plant sources and (b) whether C substrates directly sorb to mineral surfaces or undergo microbial transformation prior to their incorporation into MAOM. Here, we attempt to reconcile disparate views on the formation of MAOM by proposing a spatially explicit set of processes that link plant C source with MAOM formation pathway. Specifically, because belowground vs. aboveground sources of plant C enter spatially distinct regions of the mineral soil, we propose that fine-scale differences in microbial abundance should determine the probability of substrate-microbe vs. substrate-mineral interaction. Thus, formation of MAOM in areas of high microbial density (e.g., the rhizosphere and other microbial hotspots) should primarily occur through an in vivo microbial turnover pathway and favor C substrates that are first biosynthesized with high microbial carbon-use efficiency prior to incorporation in the MAOM pool. In contrast, in areas of low microbial density (e.g., certain regions of the bulk soil), MAOM formation should primarily occur through the direct sorption of intact or partially oxidized plant compounds to uncolonized mineral surfaces, minimizing the importance of carbon-use efficiency, and favoring C substrates with strong "sorptive affinity." Through this framework, we thus describe how the primacy of biotic vs. abiotic controls on MAOM dynamics is not mutually exclusive, but rather spatially dictated. Such an understanding may be integral to more accurately modeling soil organic matter dynamics across different spatial scales.
Ergonomics in gynecologic surgery.

Purpose of review Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are prevalent among surgeons and result in significant disability. We aimed to review the English-language literature regarding ergonomic risk, prevalence of WMSDs, and unique ergonomic considerations of gynecologic surgery. Recent findings Surgeon WMSDs are prevalent, with rates ranging from 66 to 94% for open surgery, 73-100% for conventional laparoscopy, 54-87% for vaginal surgery, and 23-80% for robotic-assisted surgery. Risk factors for injury in open surgery include use of loupes, headlamps, and microscopes. Unique risks in laparoscopic surgery include table and monitor position, long-shafted instruments, and poor instrument handle design. In vaginal surgery, improper table height and twisted trunk position create injury risk. Although robotic surgery offers some advantages in neck and shoulder strain, it remains associated with trunk, wrist, and finger strain. Summary WMSDs are prevalent among surgeons but have received little attention because of under-reporting of injury and logistical constraints of studying surgical ergonomics. Future research must aim to develop objective surgical ergonomics instruments and guidelines and to correlate ergonomics assessments with pain and tissue-level damage in surgeons with WMSDs. Ergonomics training should be developed and implemented in order to protect surgeons from preventable, potentially career-altering injuries.
Acute Type A Dissection Repair

Acute ascending aortic dissection is a surgical emergency, and the primary goal of surgery is to save the patient’s life by preventing aortic rupture, correcting aortic valve regurgitation, and correcting malperfusion by restoring flow to the dominant true lumen in the downstream aorta. The conventional treatment for acute dissection has been complete resection of the intimal tear and replacement of the ascending aorta, often combined with a hemiarch replacement. As the results have improved, there has been a push toward achieving the goal of distal aortic remodeling for patients presenting with extensive dissection. This involves a more aggressive initial procedure with total arch repair, possibly with adjunct therapy of the descending aorta obliterating the false lumen by “frozen elephant trunk” approaches, with various combinations of retrograde or antegrade delivery of stent grafts in the descending thoracic aorta in an attempt to decrease the rate of late reoperation on the distal aorta. As the surgery for acute type A aortic dissection still carries a high perioperative mortality of 4–34%, the increased perioperative risk associated with more extensive distal aortic repair must be weighed against the risk of future reintervention and associated mortality.
Outsourcing and the Risks of Dependent Autonomy

Outsourcing affords those who engage in it a type of autonomy, albeit a highly dependent, and thus risky, one. The autonomy associated with outsourcing comes from how it allows entities to pursue t...
Songbird feathers as indicators of mercury exposure: high variability and low predictive power suggest limitations

Although feathers are commonly used to monitor mercury (Hg) in avian populations, their reliability as a sampling matrix has not been thoroughly assessed for many avian species, including most songbirds (Order Passeriformes). To better understand relationships between total Hg (THg) concentrations in feathers and other tissues for birds in the thrush and sparrow families, we (1) examined variation in THg concentrations among tissues, including feathers from six different tracts, nails, liver, and muscle; (2) tested relationships between THg concentrations in the various feather tracts and those in internal tissues from the same birds, to assess the predictive power of feather THg, and; (3) compared these relationships to those between THg concentrations in nails and internal tissues, to assess the viability of nails as a non-lethal sampling alternative. THg concentrations in all feather tracts and nails were consistently higher than those in the liver and muscle, and THg was higher in the thrushes than the sparrows. When comparing feather tracts, we observed high variation within some individuals, suggesting that estimates of Hg exposure could vary depending on which feather was sampled. Despite this variation, feather type had little effect on the predictive power of feather THg concentrations, which ranged from extremely weak in the sparrows (0.09 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.16) to moderate (0.29 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.42) in the thrushes. Alternatively, we found that nail samples better predicted internal tissue THg concentrations in both the thrushes (0.44 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.48) and sparrows (0.70 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.78). Nails have been used to monitor Hg in mammals and reptiles, but their reliability as a sampling matrix for monitoring Hg in avian populations has yet to be assessed for most taxa. While nails exhibit stronger relationships to internal tissue THg concentrations, they may not be an effective sampling option for all avian species because the collection of sizable nail samples could harm living birds, particularly small songbirds. However, this method may be reasonable for retrospective museum studies. Overall, our results suggest that, despite their current use in the literature, feathers are not a suitable sampling matrix for Hg monitoring in some songbird species.
Computer Science for Equity: Teacher Education, Agency, and Statewide Reform

This paper reports on a statewide “Computer Science for All” initiative in Oregon that aims to democratize high school computer science and broaden participation in an academic subject that is one of the most segregated disciplines nationwide, in terms of both race and gender. With no statewide policies to support computing instruction, Oregon’s legacy of computer science education has been marked by both low participation and by rates of underrepresented students falling well-below the already dismal national rates. The study outlined in this paper focuses on how teacher education can support educators in developing knowledge and agency, and impacting policies and practices that broaden participation in computing. In particular, this research seeks to understand two questions. First, how do teachers experience equity-focused professional development in preparation for teaching an introductory course in computer science? Second, this study queries, how do teachers understand their own agency in influencing policies and practices that broaden participation in their specific schools and classrooms? To answer these questions, this inquiry employed a mixed method approach, drawing from surveys, observations, and interview data of two cohorts of teachers who participated in the Exploring Computer Science professional development program. To show the variety of school contexts and situate computer science education in local and place-based policies and practices, three teacher case studies are presented that illustrate how individual teachers, in diverse geographic and demographic settings, are building inclusive computer science opportunities in their schools. The findings reveal that centering equity-focused teacher professional development supports teachers in formulating the confidence, knowledge and skills that lead to inclusive computer science instruction, computer science content, and equity-centered pedagogy. The findings also highlight how school reform in computer science requires not only technical and pedagogical supports and structures, but also a systemic rethinking and reworking of normative and political forces that are part of the fabric of schools. Based on these findings of teacher knowledge and agency, the paper concludes with a presentation of particular statewide policies and practices that are generative in broadening belief systems and expanding political capacity of computer science education to reach all students.
Alpha-particle emission in deeply inelastic reactions of 204-MeV /sup 16/O+/sup 93/Nb

Angular and energy correlations have been measured for ..cap alpha.. particles emitted in coincidence with projectilelike fragments from deeply inelastic collisions of 204-MeV /sup 16/O with /sup 93/Nb. Anisotropic emission of fast ..cap alpha.. particles is observed; however, the main results of this and similar experiments can be reproduced by model calculations which assume the ..cap alpha.. particles are evaporated from fully accelerated fragments and take the angular distribution of projectilelike fragments into account.
Bilateral pheochromocytoma: Clinical characteristics, treatment and longitudinal follow-up

Objective Comprehensive data about patients with bilateral pheochromocytoma are limited. We aimed to describe the clinical presentation, genetic analysis, treatment and outcomes of patients with bilateral pheochromocytoma. Design A retrospective study at a tertiary care centre. Patients All patients with bilateral pheochromocytoma evaluated at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota between January 1951 and December 2015. Measurements Tumour size, genetic testing, plasma/urine metanephrines and catecholamines. Results A total of 94 patients (51% women) were diagnosed with bilateral pheochromocytoma at a median age at first presentation of 31 years (range, 4-70). Bilateral disease was noted in 8.0% of pheochromocytoma patient overall and 37.5% of patients 18 years of younger. Most patients presented with synchronous tumours (80%). Median time to metachronous tumours was 4.5 years (range, 1-38). Genetic disease was identified in 75 (80%) patients, including MEN 2A (42.6%), VHL (19.1%), MEN 2B (9.6%) and NF1 (8.5%). Excess catecholamines were present in 97% of patients. Patients with synchronous pheochromocytoma commonly underwent simultaneous bilateral adrenalectomy (99%), and 18 (24%) had cortical-sparing surgery. Multicentric tumours were reported in 23 of 77 (30%) patients with available data. Recurrent disease was found in 9.6% of patients, and 8.5% developed metastatic disease. Median follow-up was 8.5 years. At the study conclusion, 4 patients had died due to pheochromocytoma or adrenalectomy. Conclusions Bilateral pheochromocytoma occurred in 7.0% of adults with pheochromocytoma and 37.5% of paediatric patients. Genetic disease was identified in 80% of patients, predominantly MEN2A. Multicentric tumours were common, but most were still cured following adrenalectomy.
The Bordeaux Region

What makes Bordeaux such a celebrated wine region? Learn about Bordeaux's terrior, climate, history, varietals, and more.
Ovarian Sertoli-Leydig and granulosa cell tumor: comparison of epidemiology and survival outcomes

To investigate the epidemiology, clinico-pathological characteristics and outcomes of patients diagnosed with malignant ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors (SLCTs) in comparison to granulosa cell tumors (GCTs). The National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were accessed and patients diagnosed with a malignant SLCT and GCT between 1988 and 2013 were selected. Demographic and clinico-pathological characteristics were compared using the Mann–Whitney and chi-square tests. Overall (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates were estimated with the Kaplan–Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. Cox hazard models were constructed to control for confounders. A total of 175 and 1361 patients diagnosed with SLCT and GCT, respectively, were identified. Compared to patients with GCT, those with SLCT were younger (median age 32 vs. 51 years, p 10 cm), SCLTs were associated with a worse cancer-specific mortality compared to GCTs. SLCTs are extremely rare, commonly arise in premenopausal patients. They are associated with a poorer prognosis compared to GCT.
Framing Food Access: Do Community Gardens Inadvertently Reproduce Inequality?

BackgroundAlternative food programs have been proposed as solutions to food insecurity and diet-related health issues. However, some of the most popular programs—farmers markets and community-suppo...
Joint Phase Noise Compensation in Dual-Comb Assisted OFDM Receiver

Optical frequency combs (OFC) have revolutionized the field of optics ranging from metrology to radio-frequency photonics. One of the main advantages of an OFC is its spectral purity and broadband phase coherence. An increase in comb linewidth corresponds to elevated phase noise and system performance degradation that mandates larger processing complexity. A specialized processing scheme relying on Vernier OFC pair seeded by a single laser has highly correlated tones over the entire processing band. Recognizing this fact, this report describes a low complexity joint phase noise compensation scheme for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) receiver assisted by dual combs. 4-QAM modulated OFDM signals with 60 subcarriers were demodulated using a dual-comb OFDM receiver. The experiment measured the error vector magnitude (EVM) to validate the receiver performance. The new joint phase noise compensation algorithm can effectively suppress phase noise for high order tones without pilot channels and was shown to be robust under variable SNR levels.
Controlling nanostructure and mechanical properties in triblock copolymer/monomer blends via reaction-induced phase transitions

Thermoplastic elastomers based on ABA triblock copolymers are typically limited in modulus and strength due to crack propagation within the brittle regions when the hard end-block composition favors morphologies that exhibit connected domains. Increasing the threshold end-block composition to achieve enhanced mechanical performance is possible by increasing the number of junctions or bridging points per chain, but these copolymer characteristics also tend to increase the complexity of the synthesis. Here, we report an in situ polymerization method to successfully increase the number of effective junctions per chain through grafting of poly(styrene) (PS) to a commercial thermoplastic elastomer, poly(styrene)–poly(butadiene)–poly(styrene) (SBS). The strategy described here transforms a linear SBS triblock copolymer–styrene mixture into a linear-comb-linear architecture in which poly(styrene) (PS) grafts from the mid-poly(butadiene) (PBD) block during the polymerization of styrene. Through systematic variation in the initial SBS/styrene content, nanostructural transitions from disordered spheres to lamellar through reaction-induced phase transitions (RIPT) were identified as the styrene content increased. Surprisingly, maximum mechanical performance (Young's modulus, tensile strength, and elongation at break) was obtained with samples exhibiting lamellar nanostructures, corresponding to overall PS contents of 61–77 wt% PS (including the original PS in SBS). The PS grafting from the PBD block increases the modulus and the strength of the thermoplastic elastomer while preventing brittle fracture due to the greater number of junctions afforded by the PS grafts. The work presented here demonstrates the use of RIPT to transform standard SBS materials into polymer systems with enhanced mechanical properties.
Hyperthermia, bladder pressure, and intravesical drug delivery.

469Background: Little is known about the pharmacokinetics of intravesical chemotherapies. Various parameters can be altered including temperature, dwell time, drug concentration, and bladder pressu...
Making pandemic response disability inclusive: Challenges and opportunities for organizations

The purpose of this paper is to explore these effects and the role that I-O psychology could play in enhancing the quality of life of PWDs in the workplace during this period of crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2016), one in four adults has a disability. The stay-at-home orders and other physical isolation strategies, although critically important to saving lives, can have significant negative effects on the mental health of people with such disabilities. Crisis is not new to this population, as has been illustrated in our study. [...]they may have developed strengths that could give them the “ability” to successfully navigate through and overcome continuous challenges through the lifetime of a pandemic.
COVID-19 vaccine trust among clients in a sample of California residential substance use treatment programs.

Author(s): Masson, Carmen L; McCuistian, Caravella; Straus, Elana; Elahi, Sania; Chen, Maggie; Gruber, Valerie A; Le, Thao; Guydish, Joseph | Abstract: BackgroundIndividuals with a substance use disorder (SUD) are at a significantly higher risk for coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and have higher rates of COVID-19 related hospitalization and death than those without SUD. This study assessed COVID-19 vaccine trust, transmission awareness, risk and protective behaviors, and effects of COVID-19 on mental health and smoking among a sample of clients in California residential SUD treatment programs and identified factors associated with vaccine trust.MethodsA multi-site sample of SUD treatment clients (n = 265) completed a cross-sectional survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine trust.ResultsParticipants were predominantly male (82.3 %) and racially/ethnically diverse (33.3 % Non-Hispanic White). Most participants were aware of COVID-19 modes of transmission, however, only 39.5 % trusted a COVID-19 vaccine would be safe and effective. Factors independently associated with trust in a COVID-19 vaccine included age (AOR = 1.03, 95 % CI = 1.02, 1.05, p = 0.0001) and wearing a mask all the time (AOR = 2.48, 95 % CI = 1.86, 3.31, p = 0.0001). African Americans were less likely than White participants to trust that a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective (AOR = 0.41, 95 % CI = 0.23, 0.70, p = 0.001).ConclusionSUD treatment clients were aware of COVID-19 modes of transmission; however, fewer than half trusted that a COVID-19 vaccine would be safe and effective. Health communication about COVID-19 for people with SUD should use a multipronged approach to address COVID-19 vaccine mistrust and transmission risk behaviors.
Tendency of Driving to the Basket Is Associated With Increased Risk of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears in National Basketball Association Players: A Cohort Study:

Background:Driving to the basket in basketball involves acceleration, deceleration, and lateral movements, which may expose players to increased anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk. It is ...
Exact spacecraft detumbling and reorientation maneuvers with gimbaled thrusters and reaction wheels

The equations of rotational motion for a spacecraft equipped with external jets and internal reaction wheels are shown to be feedback-equivalent to those of a linear system in attitude parameter space. Reorientation maneuvers are thereby formulated as linear optimal control problems with least mean square acceleration in attitude parameter space, solved in closed form and implementable either with internal or external torque commands, the choice depending on power and throttling requirements. For prior detumbling, an alternative solution with least mean square torque by angular momentum feedback is also given, that is implementable with gimbaled pairs of thrusters at constant throttle. Such a detumbling maneuver may then be followed by an acceleration-commanded rest-to-rest maneuver by means of the reaction wheels.
Analog neural systems

Summary form only given. The author describes work in understanding the limitations of analog computing systems and their relevance to several problems involving neural networks. Two main themes are considered, both involving computational complexity considerations. The first theme involves the proposal that neural networks be used to solve the 'intractable' (NP-complete) combinatorial optimization problem. The second theme involves adaptation or learning algorithms for neural networks. >
A 90 MHz CMOS RISC CPU designed for sustained performance

A CMOS CPU which operates at 90 MHz under typical conditions and implements an existing RISC (reduced-instruction-set-computer) 140-instruction set is described. The processor has been designed for sustained performance for workstation and both commercial and technical multiuser applications. Key performance features include a 3-ns, 32-b adder; low-skew on-chip clock buffers; and cycling off-chip caches at the operating frequency, using industry-standard synchronous static random-access memories (SRAMs). The speeds obtained are comparable to those of many emitter-coupled logic (ECL) implementations. The CPU chip includes the following hardware: integer fetch and execute unit, on-chip split I/D TLBs (translation lookaside buffers) with two-way 64 entries each, control for second-level off-chip TLBs, control for off-chip two-way split I/D writeback caches with single-bit error correction for data, full multiprocessing support hardware, inference for performance analysis and tuning, and a tightly coupled coprocessor interface. >
Clinical Implications of Preseptal (Periorbital) Cellulitis in Childhood

The available hospital records of all pediatric patients diagnosed as having periorbital, preseptal or orbital cellulitis over a five-year period were reviewed and compared to previously reported series. Only two of 39 patients had orbital cellulitis. The 37 patients with preseptal cellulitis had two characteristic clinical presentations. Twenty-two children had local trauma, abscesses, insect bites, or impetigo as the inciting event for their cellulitis. Infection was usually caused by staphylococci or streptococci. In contrast, 15 children, 12 of whom were under 36 months, had associated upper respiratory tract infections and otitis. Haemophilus influenzae was the most commonly implicated pathogen and the children were at risk of bacteremia and metastastic infection. Determination of the location of the infection in the orbit and consideration of the clinical presentation of the patient with infection in and about the orbit are of assistance in choosing appropriate therapy. Young children who have upper respiratory tract symptoms in association with preseptal cellulitis should receive antibiotic coverage for Haemophilus.
Hybrid ARQ transmission and combining for MIMO systems

In this paper, we investigate several possibilities to increase the efficiency of hybrid automatic retransmission request (HARQ) for multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems. At the receiver side, two HARQ combining schemes, namely pre-combining and post-combining, are discussed and analyzed. We show that pre-combining is superior to post-combining. In addition, we propose a transmission technique, termed the basis hopping, which improves the HARQ diversity gain especially in slow fading channels. We demonstrate that the use of pre-combining in conjunction with the proposed basis hopping technique provides dramatic gain over a simplistic application of HARQ scheme for MIMO.
Exact Hypothesis Tests for Log-linear Models with exactLoglinTest

This manuscript overviews exact testing of goodness of fit for log-linear models using the R package exactLoglinTest. This package evaluates model fit for Poisson log-linear models by conditioning on minimal sufficient statistics to remove nuisance parameters. A Monte Carlo algorithm is proposed to estimate P values from the resulting conditional distribution. In particular, this package implements a sequentially rounded normal approximation and importance sampling to approximate probabilities from the conditional distribution. Usually, this results in a high percentage of valid samples. However, in instances where this is not the case, a Metropolis Hastings algorithm can be implemented that makes more localized jumps within the reference set. The manuscript details how some conditional tests for binomial logit models can also be viewed as conditional Poisson log-linear models and hence can be performed via exactLoglinTest. A diverse battery of examples is considered to highlight use, features and extensions of the software. Notably, potential extensions to evaluating disclosure risk are also considered.