cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Review of THE ROLE OF SIMULATION IN DEVELOPING AND ASSESSING ORTHOPAEDIC SURGICAL SKILLS

Orthopaedic surgical skill is traditionally acquired during training in an apprenticeship model that has been largely unchanged for nearly 100 years. However, increased pressure for operating room efficiency, a focus on patient safety, work hour restrictions, and a movement towards competency-based education are changing the traditional paradigm. Surgical simulation has the potential to help address these changes. This manuscript reviews the scientific background on skill acquisition and surgical simulation as it applies to orthopaedic surgery. It argues that simulation in orthopaedics lags behind other disciplines and focuses too little on simulator validation. The case is made that orthopaedic training is more efficient with simulators that facilitate deliberate practice throughout resident training and more research should be focused on simulator validation and the refinement of skill definition.
Community Engagement and Political Leadership: A Case Study of the Columbus City School District and its Board of Education

The enduring debate over who governs schools continues largely because of methodological and analytical limitations related to the lack of accessible and relevant district level data. Informed by the literature on school governance and David Easton's (1965) systems analysis framework this paper explores the nature of community engagement in school governance in the Columbus City School District located in Columbus, Ohio. This paper uses qualitative and quantitative methods of investigation to create a unique district level data set that captures the behaviors of key actors and the conditions of political environments surrounding school governance. Trend table analyses of inputs; descriptive and content analyses of personal interviews; descriptive and content analyses of documents from the Columbus Board of Education and the Columbus City School District indicate that the Columbus Board of Education provides opportunities for the community to participate in school governance. However, community inputs and feedback do not transfer into school board decisions. There is a historical and contemporary pattern of trustee and symbolic representation on the part of the Columbus Board of Education. This pattern of representation emanates from (1) inconsistent substantive communication between the Columbus Board of Education and the community and (2) the board's dependence on recommendations and information from superintendents.
A model of online impulse buying: an empirical study

Impulse buying is a phenomenon that has received considerable attention from marketing researchers and has been studied extensively in an offline setting. There is preliminary evidence that this behavior is rampant in an online setting. With the proliferation of electronic commerce, there is both a need and opportunity to examine impulse buying in an online setting. This paper proposes a theoretical model that explains this behavior in an electronic commerce setting. A research study was administered to validate the model. The results of this study suggest that two conditions enhance online impulse purchase behavior. First, any negative cognitive reactions should be minimized by ensuring that the website is secure and easy to navigate. Second, the emotional reactions to the interface should be maximized by using an innovative and creative interface design. The results of this study not only benefit the electronic commerce literature and the general human-computer interaction (HCI) domain, but also make a significant to the reference disciplines which include consumer behavior and environmental psychology.
Star, semistar and standard operations: A case study

Abstract The theory of star and semistar operations has been developed mostly over domains. Recently, Epstein defined star and semistar operations over more general commutative rings. We will compare some of the known results over domains with the non-domain setting. We conclude with a classification of the standard closures on the nodal curve.
Distance Dependence of Neuronal Growth on Nanopatterned Gold Surfaces

Understanding network development in the brain is of tremendous fundamental importance, but it is immensely challenging because of the complexity of both its architecture and function. The mechanisms of axonal navigation to target regions and the specific interactions with guidance factors such as membrane-bound proteins, chemical gradients, mechanical guidance cues, etc., are largely unknown. A current limitation for the study of neural network formation is the ability to control precisely the connectivity of small groups of neurons. A first step in designing such networks is to understand the “rules” central nervous system (CNS) neurons use to form functional connections with one another. Here we begin to delineate novel rules for growth and connectivity of small numbers of neurons patterned on Au substrates in simplified geometries. These studies yield new insights into the mechanisms determining the organizational features present in intact systems. We use a previously reported atomic force microscopy...
Determination of Ribosomal DNA Copy Number and Comparison Among Strains of Coccidioides

The use of PCR-based assays to detect fungi and diagnose fungal infections as well as to monitor fungal organ burden with diseases such as coccidioidomycosis is becoming more common. The target of these assays is frequently one or more of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene subunits. The multicopy nature of this gene affords greater sensitivity over single-copy genes. However, there are few studies reporting the precise number of copies of the rDNA gene per genome in pathogenic fungi. Quantitative PCR was used to determine the number of copies of rDNA as well as CTS1, a single-copy gene, in samples of Coccidioides genomic DNA by the absolute quantification method. Variability of rDNA genome copy number was determined using 13 different Coccidioides isolates and was found to vary between 20 and 146 copies per genome. This suggests that detection of rDNA will likely afford an increased sensitivity of at least 20-fold over single-copy genes. However, estimation of the number of organisms present by quantification of the rDNA cannot be made prior to knowledge of each isolate's rDNA copy number because of the strain variation.
Rectification of Projected Images Using Piecewise Homographies.

A projector-camera system is used to project a rectified image onto a complex 3D scene using piecewise homographies and sub-windows such that the corners of the sub-windows appear as a rectilinear grid.
Rice Weevil Damage as Affected by Husk Treatment Within Methods of Artificially Infesting Field Corn Plots

Five commercial corn hybrids were evaluated for ear corn yield and damage by Sitophilus oryzae (L.). Hybrid plots were artificially infested by 3 methods: doghouses, birdhouses, and tepees. Paired rows within each plot were used for slit- and unslit-husk treatments. Differences in yield and damage among infestation method means were not significant at the 5% level. When husks were slit, hybrid differences indicated that factors other than husk tightness contributed to insect resistance. On the basis of cost, effort, and analyses, considering standard errors, means, and correlations, the birdhouse method of infesting and rating by degree damage per infested car was chosen as the best combination for producing artificial infestations and evaluating damage.
Revealing the Mass Loss Structures of Four Key Massive Binaries Using Optical Spectropolarimetry

The majority of massive stars are members of binary systems. However, in order to understand their evolutionary pathways, mass and angular momentum loss from these systems needs to be well characterized. Self-consistent explanations for their behavior across many wavelength regimes need to be valid in order to illuminate key evolutionary phases. I present the results of linear spectropolarimetric studies of three key binaries (β Lyrae, V356 Sgr, V444 Cyg, and WR 140) which reveal important geometric information about their circumstellar material. β Lyrae exhibits a repeatable discrepancy between secondary eclipse in the total and polarized light curves that indicates an accretion hot spot has formed on the edge of the disk in the system. The existence of this hot spot and its relationship to bipolar outflows within the system is important in the understanding of mass transfer dynamics in Roche-lobe overflow binaries. Preliminary work on V356 Sgr suggests the system maybe surrounded by a common envelope. V444 Cyg shows evidence that its shock creates a cone with a large opening angle of missing material around the WN star. This suggests the effects of radiative inhibition or braking, can be significant contributors to the location and shape of the shock within colliding wind binaries. The intrinsic polarization component of WR 140 is likely due to the formation of dust within the system near periastron passages. Continued work on these and additional objects will provide new and important constraints on the mass loss structures within binary systems.
Contribution of PKC to the maintenance of 5-HT-induced short-term facilitation at sensorimotor synapses of Aplysia

Aplysia sensorimotor synapses provide a useful model system for analyzing molecular processes that contribute to heterosynaptic plasticity. For example, previous studies demonstrated that multiple ...
Grey forecasting model based on evolving neural network

Grey model based on the ANN(artifical neural network) is better than traditional GM(1,1)(grey model),which has been verified.However,the low learning efficiency,slow procedure and local minimum which the procedure is trapped in are the defects of ANN.The network's optimization was aided by improved GA,network's connection weights were self-adaptively evolved and the network was applied in grey forecast model.A hybrid forecast model was proposed.This grey forecast model based on evolving neural network,combines GA and ANN and GM(1,1) together.The simulation program based on Matlab shows that this hybrid algorithm is obviously feasible and effective.
Agreement Between Self-Reported and Confirmed Cancer Diagnoses in New York City Firefighters and EMS Workers, 2001-2011.

Objectives.Because of the delay in availability of cancer diagnoses from state cancer registries, self-reported diagnoses may be valuable in assessing the current cancer burden in many populations. We evaluated agreement between self-reported cancer diagnoses and state cancer registry-confirmed diagnoses among 21,437 firefighters and emergency medical service workers from the Fire Department of the City of New York. We also investigated the association between World Trade Center (WTC) exposure and other characteristics in relation to accurate reporting of cancer diagnoses.Methods.Participants self-reported cancer status in questionnaires from October 2, 2001, to December 31, 2011. We obtained data on confirmed cancer diagnoses from nine state cancer registries, which we used as our gold standard. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV), comparing self-reported cancer diagnoses with confirmed cancer diagnoses. We used multivariable logist...
The removal of superheat from continuous casting molds

The superheat contained in liquid steel must be removed before it can solidify. This heat represents a significant fraction of the total heat removed by the mold. Its dissipation has a great influence on growth of the solidifying shell and later on development of the microstructure. To investigate this, a finite-element model has been applied to compute the fluid flow and temperature distribution within the liquid pool and heat transfer to the inside of the solidifying shell of a continuously-cast steel slab. It includes separate models of the nozzle and mold cavity using the K-e turbulence model in FIDAP. Calculated velocities have been compared with experiments using a plexiglass water model. Heat transfer predictions are compared with available liquid temperature measurements. Results indicate that the maximum in heat input to the shell occurs in the vicinity of the impingement point on narrow face, and confirms that most superheat is dissipated in or just below the mold. The model is then used to predict the effect of casting variables, superheat temperature difference, casting speed, nozzle jet angle, mold width, and submergence depth on flow pattern and heat flux to the narrow face shell. Superheat temperature difference and casting speed have the most important effects on heat flux. Calculated heat flux profiles are then input to a 1D solidification model to show their effect on growth of the narrow face shell.
Housing and Furniture

Making furniture in ivory and ebony, in sesnedjem wood and meru wood, in real cedar from the heights of the terraced hills ... From the tomb of Rekhmire in Thebes In ancient Egypt there was a clear distinction between the architecture of temples and tombs in contrast with the structures for the living. Temples and tombs, the houses of the gods and the eternal homes for the spirits, were made of durable stone. Palaces for royalty and houses for all levels of society were made of much more perishable stuff. For practical use the principal building material of the ancient Egyptians was sun-dried, unbaked brick made of Nile mud. This cannot be emphasized too strongly for an understanding of living conditions in ancient Egypt. In the contemporary United States this use of material can best be compared to the use of mud brick in the adobe structures of the American southwest, although mud brick is still an important building material in many other parts of the world. Mud brick is a practical material that requires only a minimum amount of skill to produce. In ancient Egypt the bricks were formed in a wooden mold using earth mixed with water, perhaps with the addition of chopped straw or other natural materials to act as a binder. They were then laid out in rows to dry in the sun and cure to a degree of hardness suitable for construction. Actual preserved examples of the wooden brick molds have been found. Depictions on tomb walls, particularly in the Theban tomb of Rekhmire, show the process exactly as it is still carried out in Egypt today (Fig. 25).
Values as Barriers to Compromise? Ideology, Transnational Coalitions, and Distributive Bargaining in Negotiations over the Third Greek Bailout

What factors explain the brinkmanship and threats of Greece’s distributive tactics over the third bailout package in 2015? Examining negotiations between Greece and its creditors during SYRIZA ’s (Coalition of the Radical Left) tenure in power, I argue that the Greek government’s strong ideological fervor turned the bailout negotiations into an ideologically based dispute, which involved “sacred” value biases and uncompromising posturing. Unable to form cooperative transnational coalitions, Athens increasingly turned to distributive bargaining tactics that antagonized creditors and escalated the conflict. The article highlights how values act as barriers in bailouts and has implications for the study of intergovernmental negotiations in the European Union.
American Diabetes Association - 76th Scientific Sessions (June 10-14, 2016 - New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)

The 76th American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. The meeting brought together scientists and professionals from a wide range of disciplines in the field of diabetes and provided a platform for networking, allowing experts and researchers to share ideas and learn about the significant advances in diabetes research, treatment and care. Over the course of the 5 days, participants received exclusive access to more than 2,500 original research presentations.
Teaching Intonation Patterns through Reading Aloud

This study investigated whether East Asian learners of English (n=8) studying in the US acquired more accurate intonation patterns (compared to native-speaker norms) after receiving five weeks of tutoring focusing on four basic intonation patterns (definite statements, wh-questions, yes/no questions, and tag questions) and using oral reading as the primary practice technique. The study also assessed the students' affective reaction to the teaching method through interviews. The study found that the learners significantly improved their intonational accuracy (based on the judgments of three native speakers who listened to single-sentence recordings [n=868] from questionnaires, exit interviews, and preand post-tests) and that they were generally amenable to the teaching technique.
A Prototype Micro Insert for MicroPET F-220 and Its Initial Performance

We have developed the first prototype micro-insert device for microPET F-220. This device only has one detector module that consists of a LSO array of 12 times 12 crystals each measuring 0.86 (transverse) times 1.72 (axial) times 3.75 (radial) mm3 and a PS-PMT. The detector is mounted on a rotation stage and can be rotated to collect data from different angles. A bracket supporting the rotation stage is attached to the back of the scanner. Detector outputs are fed into one channel of the system electronics to establish the coincidence detection between the insert and the F-220. We also developed software to control the motion of the detector, communicate with the host PC of F-220 to acquire data, sort list-mode data, correct center of rotation error, and reconstruct images. We also developed 2D FBP and 2D ML-EM image reconstruction algorithms that model the special geometry of our insert system. The transverse and axial fields of view of the system are 3 cm and 2 cm, respectively. Image resolution of the insert system is 0.9-1.2 mm FWHM, a more than 40% improvement compared to the original system resolution of 1.8-2.1 mm for the F-220 system. A mouse injected with 18F- was imaged to show the significant improvement in image resolution using the insert system.
Efficient computation of transfer free energies of amino acids in beta-barrel membrane proteins.

Motivation Transmembrane beta-barrel proteins (TMBs) serve a multitude of essential cellular functions in Gram-negative bacteria, mitochondria and chloroplasts. Transfer free energies (TFEs) of residues in the transmembrane (TM) region provides fundamental quantifications of thermodynamic stabilities of TMBs, which are important for the folding and the membrane insertion processes, and may help in understanding the structure-function relationship. However, experimental measurement of TFEs of TMBs is challenging. Although a recent computational method can be used to calculate TFEs, the results of which are in excellent agreement with experimentally measured values, this method does not scale up, and is limited to small TMBs. Results We have developed an approximation method that calculates TFEs of TM residues in TMBs accurately, with which depth-dependent transfer free energy profiles can be derived. Our results are in excellent agreement with experimental measurements. This method is efficient and applicable to all bacterial TMBs regardless of the size of the protein. Availability and implementation An online webserver is available at http://tanto.bioe.uic.edu/tmb-tfe . Contact : jliang@uic.edu. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Measured Anxiety Affects Choices in Experimental “Clock” Games

We measure anxiety by skin conductance response (SCR) in an economic setting. In “clock” games, six agents receive private signals when an asset's price exceeds its fundamental value. They can sell for immediate value or wait to sell at a higher value. Waiting is risky because the price crashes to a lower value when three agents sell. Anxiety could lead people to sell too quickly when the game is played dynamically over time, compared to a static version with precommitted selling. Empirically, delays are shorter in dynamic games than in payoff-equivalent static games, and are associated with anxiety as measured.
The FAM Regimen for Gastric Cancer: A Progress Report

The FAM regimen for upper gastrointestinal cancer was developed during 1974. It incorporated three anticancer drugs which had demonstrated independent activity against gastric cancer: 5-fluorouracil, adriamycin [2], and mitomycin-C [3]. In an attempt to insure adequate patient tolerance and allow for chronic administration, an intermittent schedule was designed (Table 1). In particular, mitomycin-C was to be administered only once every 2 months because of its then appreciated delayed and cumulative bone marrow toxicity. We have recently reported the criteria for entry into this study, including the strict requirement for followable disease criteria for patient response, as well as the initial response rates and survival curves [1]. This progress report describes the updated results in the treatment of 62 patients with advanced and measurable gastric cancer.
Predictive and pharmacodynamic biomarkers of kinase inhibitors in renal cell carcinoma circulating tumor cells using the versa platform.

e15600 Background: Clinical outcomes in metastatic clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC) have improved with novel therapeutic advances targeting the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and mamma...
The impact of daytime light exposures on sleep and mood in office workers

Abstract Background By affecting the internal timing mechanisms of the brain, light regulates human physiology and behavior, perhaps most notably the sleep–wake cycle. Humans spend over 90% of their waking hours indoors, yet light in the built environment is not designed to affect circadian rhythms. Objective Using a device calibrated to measure light that is effective for the circadian system (circadian-effective light), collect personal light exposures in office workers and relate them to their sleep and mood. Setting The research was conducted in 5 buildings managed by the US General Services Administration. Participants This study recruited 109 participants (69 females), of whom 81 (54 females) participated in both winter and summer. Measurements Self-reported measures of mood and sleep, and objective measures of circadian-effective light and activity rhythms were collected for 7 consecutive days. Results Compared to office workers receiving low levels of circadian-effective light in the morning, receiving high levels in the morning is associated with reduced sleep onset latency (especially in winter), increased phasor magnitudes (a measure of circadian entrainment), and increased sleep quality. High levels of circadian-effective light during the entire day are also associated with increased phasor magnitudes, reduced depression, and increased sleep quality. Conclusions The present study is the first to measure personal light exposures in office workers using a calibrated device that measures circadian-effective light and relate those light measures to mood, stress, and sleep. The study's results underscore the importance of daytime light exposures for sleep health.
Power system state estimation via feasible point pursuit: Algorithms and Cramér-rao bound

Accurately monitoring the system's operating point is central to the reliable and economic operation of an autonomous energy grid. Power system state estimation (PSSE) aims to obtain complete voltage magnitude and angle information at each bus given a number of system variables at selected buses and lines. Power flow analysis amounts to solving a set of noise-free power flow equations, and is cast as a special case of PSSE. Physical laws dictate quadratic relationships between available quantities and unknown voltages, rendering general instances of power flow and PSSE nonconvex and NP-hard. Past approaches are largely based on gradient-type iterative procedures or semidefinite relaxation (SDR). Due to nonconvexity, the solution obtained via gradient-type schemes depends on initialization, while SDR methods do not perform as desired in challenging scenarios. This paper puts forth novel feasible point pursuit (FPP)-based solvers for power flow analysis and PSSE, which iteratively seek feasible solutions for a nonconvex quadratically constrained quadratic programming reformulation of the weighted least-squares (WLS). Relative to the prior art, the developed solvers offer superior numerical performance at the cost of higher computational complexity. Furthermore, they converge to a stationary point of the WLS problem. As a baseline for comparing different estimators, the Cramer-Rao lower bound is derived for the fundamental PSSE problem in this paper. Judicious numerical tests on several IEEE benchmark systems showcase markedly improved performance of our FPP-based solvers for both power flow and PSSE tasks over popular WLS-based Gauss-Newton iterations and SDR approaches.
Assessing the Representativeness of NIBRS Arrest Data

This article examines the coverage of the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) arrest data as of 2016. We use NIBRS and Uniform Crime Report (UCR), Summary Reporting System on persons arrested. We examine the correspondence of arrests measures between the UCR and NIBRS for overall arrests, and arrests by sex, race, and age. We found that NIBRS arrest data are a close match to UCR data overall and the differences across demographic measures are very slight.
The Impact of a City-Level Minimum-Wage Policy on Supermarket Food Prices in Seattle-King County.

Background: Many states and localities throughout the U.S. have adopted higher minimum wages. Higher labor costs among low-wage food system workers could result in higher food prices. Methods: Using a market basket of 106 foods, food prices were collected at affected chain supermarket stores in Seattle and same-chain unaffected stores in King County (n = 12 total, six per location). Prices were collected at 1 month pre- (March 2015) and 1-month post-policy enactment (May 2015), then again 1-year post-policy enactment (May 2016). Unpaired t-tests were used to detect price differences by location at fixed time while paired t-tests were used to detect price difference across time with fixed store chain. A multi-level, linear differences-in-differences model, was used to detect the changes in the average market basket item food prices over time across regions, overall and by food group. Results: There were no significant differences in overall market basket or item-level costs at one-month (−$0.01, SE = 0.05, p = 0.884) or one-year post-policy enactment (−$0.02, SE = 0.08, p = 0.772). No significant increases were observed by food group. Conclusions: There is no evidence of change in supermarket food prices by market basket or increase in prices by food group in response to the implementation of Seattle’s minimum wage ordinance.
Multidimensional Child Poverty in three Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper describes and reviews the process of constructing a Multidimensional Child Poverty Measure in three sub-Saharan Africa countries: Mali, Malawi, and Tanzania. These countries recently (in 2015 and 2014) constructed a measure of multidimensional child poverty using UNICEF’s Multiple Overlapping Deprivation Analysis (MODA) methodology and conducted a comprehensive child poverty study including both deprivation and monetary poverty. This work describes how the methodology was adapted in the different contexts, discussing critical issues that arose during the study process, and compares the results of the three studies. The goal is to offer an overview of the different national processes and determine how similar or different factors influence the results.
Asymptotic Analysis via Stochastic Differential Equations of Gradient Descent Algorithms in Statistical and Computational Paradigms

This paper investigates asymptotic behaviors of gradient descent algorithms (particularly accelerated gradient descent and stochastic gradient descent) in the context of stochastic optimization arising in statistics and machine learning where objective functions are estimated from available data. We show that these algorithms can be computationally modeled by continuous-time ordinary or stochastic differential equations. We establish gradient flow central limit theorems to describe the limiting dynamic behaviors of these computational algorithms and the large-sample performances of the related statistical procedures, as the number of algorithm iterations and data size both go to infinity, where the gradient flow central limit theorems are governed by some linear ordinary or stochastic differential equations like time-dependent Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes. We illustrate that our study can provide a novel unified framework for a joint computational and statistical asymptotic analysis, where the computational asymptotic analysis studies dynamic behaviors of these algorithms with the time (or the number of iterations in the algorithms), the statistical asymptotic analysis investigates large sample behaviors of the statistical procedures (like estimators and classifiers) that the algorithms are applied to compute, and in fact the statistical procedures are equal to the limits of the random sequences generated from these iterative algorithms as the number of iterations goes to infinity. The joint analysis results based on the obtained gradient flow central limit theorems can identify four factors - learning rate, batch size, gradient covariance, and Hessian - to derive new theory regarding the local minima found by stochastic gradient descent for solving non-convex optimization problems.
A Single Hemispiral Antenna for GNSS Interference Mitigation and Direction Estimation

This work presents a single-feed hemispiral antenna that leverages both hardware and software approaches to mitigate interference from jammers, spoofers, and unintended RF interference. The operation frequency range encompasses most known GNSS bands, but characterization specifically targets the L1, L2, and L5 bands for GPS. The diversity in the hemispiral’s radiation pattern enables the receiver to perform DoA checks on incoming narrowband signals, distinguish between data from true satellites versus spoofers, and identify potential multipath signals. This added functionality can be implemented in parallel to a receiver’s regular processing for satellite acquisition and tracking.
Superior Vena Cava Syndrome

Abstract Chronic upper extremity (UE) occlusive disease and superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) can be debilitating to the patient. Chronic UE venous occlusion is more often because of a benign lesion, whereas SVCS is more likely the result of malignant obstruction. Endovascular treatment with percutaneously placed intravascular stents is increasingly being used to provide relief of symptoms.
Toward an Evolving Theory of Mathematical Practice Informing Pedagogy: What Standards for this Research Paradigm Should We Adopt?

In this chapter, we provide commentary on the four preceding chapters on proof in mathematics education. We contend that each of these chapters considers how Mathematical Practice can inform Pedagogy (MPP) research. We use these chapters to begin a discussion on what factors mathematics educators should consider when producing and evaluating MPP research. Each chapter seeks to inform mathematics education using the philosophy or history of mathematics. We argue that our field continues to borrow from these relevant fields without clear criteria for evaluating such research and without a framework for the transposition across disciplines. The chapters also all entail meta-mathematical learning goals for students and pre-service teachers. We raise questions about the exact intent of these learning goals and assessment of such learning whose answers would enhance the contributions of MPP research.
Correlations of SELENOF and SELENOP genotypes with serum selenium levels and prostate cancer.

Background Selenium status is inversely associated with the incidence of prostate cancer. However, supplementation trials have not indicated a benefit of selenium supplementation in reducing cancer risk. Polymorphisms in the gene encoding selenoprotein 15 (SELENOF) are associated with cancer incidence/mortality and present disproportionately in African Americans. Relationships among the genotype of selenoproteins implicated in increased cancer risk, selenium status, and race with prostate cancer were investigated. Methods Tissue microarrays were used to assess SELENOF levels and cellular location in prostatic tissue. Sera and DNA from participants of the Chicago-based Adiposity Study Cohort were used to quantify selenium levels and genotype frequencies of the genes for SELENOF and the selenium-carrier protein selenoprotein P (SELENOP). Logistic regression models for dichotomous patient outcomes and regression models for continuous outcome were employed to identify both clinical, genetic, and biochemical characteristics that are associated with these outcomes. Results SELENOF is dramatically reduced in prostate cancer and lower in tumors derived from African American men as compared to tumors obtained from Caucasians. Differing frequency of SELENOF polymorphisms and lower selenium levels were observed in African Americans as compared to Caucasians. SELENOF genotypes were associated with higher histological tumor grade. A polymorphism in SELENOP was associated with recurrence and higher serum PSA. Conclusions These results indicate an interaction between selenium status and selenoprotein genotypes that may contribute to the disparity in prostate cancer incidence and outcome experienced by African Americans.
Equitable Defences As Meta-Law

Equitable defences are the front line of controversy over fusion. Because law and equity offer a range of defences that partially overlap and the rationale for matching equitable defences to equitable remedies is at least as obscure as the rationale for separate equitable remedies, conventional wisdom holds that the more one can fuse the equitable defences into the law the better. In this chapter I argue that equity roughly reflects a distinct function - a safety valve that operates at a higher (meta) level over the rest of the law and that responds to problems of high uncertainty and variability. These characteristic problems include opportunism and multipolar conflicts. From a functional point of view, some of the special treatment of equitable defences makes sense, and puzzling patterns in this area receive an explanation and some justification. Even the adaptation of some equitable defences into the law dovetails with a dynamic picture of the equitable function.
Knowledge and Knowing in Revision Studies

In Chapter 1, I discussed knowledge and knowing from a global perspective and then in relation to models of writing. In this chapter, discussion is narrowed to knowledge and knowing in one aspect of the writing act— revision. To begin, three views of revision are presented: an early “editing” view, which dominated thinking about writing for centuries; a “problem-solving” view most fully articulated in the early 1980s; and a “social-interaction” conceptualization, which is just now emerging. The conceptualizations are explicitly associated with the three models of writing presented in Chapter 1. Furthermore, the epistemological world views reflected in the characterizations can be described relative to the major views of knowledge and ways of knowing, that is, exogenicism/positivism and endogenicism/interpretivism, presented in Chapter 1. Next, studies of revision are characterized within a framework that illustrates how the two major current views of revision are related to knowledge addressed and modes of inquiry in various studies. Then a summary of accumulated learning gleaned from revision studies is presented and critiqued in relation to the two broad world views of knowledge discussed in Chapter 1, as well as with regard to what we might still want to learn.
An Improved Way To Characterize Internet Users

ABSTRACT This article describes the development of a measure to assess four primary motives for using the internet-researching, communicating, surfing, and shopping. The 12-item Web Motivation Inventory (WMI) was initially developed using a sample of 408 college students. The WMI factor structure was then replicated using 112 nonstudent adults. The predictive validity of the scale was also verified, in that subscale scores predicted banner ad effectiveness across both student and nonstudent samples. Potential uses for the scale are discussed.
Spot Price Based Rates

Chapters 6 through 8 presented the theory underlying the hourly spot price defined as follows: Hourly Spot Price: Marginal value of energy ($/kWh) for the next hour computed at the beginning of the hour assuming complete knowledge of the operating conditions, costs, etc., that will exist during the hour.
Preferences for Psychological Enhancements: The Reluctance to Enhance Fundamental Traits

Four studies examined young healthy individuals' willingness to take drugs intended to enhance various social, emotional, and cognitive abilities. We found that people were much more reluctant to enhance traits believed to be highly fundamental to the self (e.g., social comfort) than traits considered less fundamental (e.g., concentration ability). Moral acceptability of a trait enhancement strongly predicted people's desire to legalize those enhancements, but not their willingness to take those enhancements. Ad taglines that framed enhancements as enabling rather than enhancing the fundamental self increased people's interest in a fundamental enhancement, and eliminated the preference for non-fundamental over fundamental enhancements.
Cellular RNA Helicases Support Early and Late Events in Retroviral Replication

Abstract Retroviruses commandeer cell RNA helicases (RHs). Cell RHs are necessary for early and late events in retrovirus replication. The provirus is adopted by the cell-endogenous nuclear and cytoplasmic gene expression types of machinery. Whereas retroviruses engender the supportive activity of cell RHs, other RNA viruses provoke theantiviral role of this superfamily of conserved proteins. In this chapter, we contrast retrovirus reliance on host RNA helicases to support their replication cycle, with the virus-encoded helicaseactivity utilized by RNA viruses in cytoplasmic factories. Ironically, RHs are agonists to retroviruses and antagonists to other RNA viruses.
Adjustable photoacoustic tomography probe improves light delivery and image quality.

Abstract One cause for suboptimal photoacoustic tomography (PAT) penetration depth is attenuation of incident light by soft tissue. To better understand this problem, we investigated the effects of illumination fiber optic bundle geometry on PAT penetration depth and signal-to-noise ratio. An adjustable, motorized PAT probe was used to reduce probe-skin reflection artifacts and improve light distribution in the image acquisition plane by tuning fiber orientation. We validated our motorized PAT probe through Monte Carlo simulations and ex vivo imaging of a tissue mimicking phantom, and in vivo imaging of murine periaortic fat. Overall, our ex vivo results showed a several millimeter improvement in penetration depth and in vivo results showed a >62% increase in lipid signal-to-noise ratio. Our PAT probe also utilized a 7-μm aluminum filter to block in vivo probe-skin reflection artifacts. Together, these findings showed the importance of optimizing illumination geometry to enhance PAT image quality.
A Tale of Two Inquiries (or, Doing Being Competent in a Clinical Skills Exam).

AbstractPhenomenon: In high-stakes evaluations of communicative competency, data-gathering skills are commonly assessed through the use of standardized patient encounters. This article seeks to document inquiry practices in 2 such encounters in a setting designed to emulate a consequential, clinical skills examination. Approach: Drawing on the methods and findings of Conversation Analysis, we examine selected fragments seeking to understand how, in the ways in which they are organized, they produce quite different outcomes. Findings: In the first encounter, the topic of the patient's history of depression arises naturally in the course of the interview. It happens to be a checklist item for the case and the examinee receives credit for having elicited it. In the second encounter, though the examinee was the more clinically experienced, the topic does not come up and the examinee fails to receive credit. Insights: When we examine how the two inquiry sequences develop on a turn-by-turn basis, it becomes cle...
The Sheshan “Miracle” and Its Interpretations

After China’s Cultural Revolution, long repressed groups such as the Shanghai Catholic community resurfaced. This was evidenced in the March 1980 Sheshan “miracle” where believers gathered at the most important Catholic pilgrimage site in the region in expectation of an apparition of the Virgin Mary. This chapter will investigate this “miracle” through three keys: the event (how the past has been historically reconstructed), the experience (how the past has been experienced through observers), and the myth (how the past has been reinterpreted to meet the needs of new audiences). It argues that the government wanted to produce a demythologized counter-narrative to the Sheshan “miracle” as it could not abide by the narrative that religion had sprung back to life so rapidly in the reform era.
Original contributionRisk factors for colorectal adenomas among immediate family members of patients with colorectal cancer in Taiwan: a case-control study

OBJECTIVES: The incidence of colorectal cancer or adenoma among first-degree relatives of patients with colorectal cancer is significantly high. However, a well defined screening and surveillance consensus has not been developed for these families in Taiwan. We conducted this study to evaluate the colorectal adenoma prevalence pattern in screened immediate family members in Taiwan, and to derive implications for future screening programs. METHODS: A total of 234 immediate family members (aged 51.6 ± 21.5 yr) of 186 patients with colorectal cancer were offered a colonoscopy. Each relative examined was then paired with two control subjects for age, sex, and symptoms. The prevalence of colorectal adenomas was then compared using multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The estimated risk of developing adenomas among immediate family members of patients with colorectal cancer was significantly increased (OR = 2.33; 95% CI, 1.43–3.78; p < 0.001). This trend was more striking for men (OR = 2.46; 95% CI, 1.40–4.31; p = 0.001). Immediate family members were at an increased risk for high-risk adenomas (≥1.0 cm, with a villous component, and/or with severe dysplasia) (OR = 4.5; 95% CI, 1.91–10.60; p = 0.002), and developed adenomas at an earlier age than did controls. Individuals with index cancer relatives diagnosed at <50 yr of age or male relatives posed a higher risk of developing colorectal adenomas. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of colorectal adenoma in persons with a colorectal cancer family history in Taiwan is similar to that reported in Western countries. This high-risk population should be offered a screening colonoscopy beginning at 40 yr of age.
Highly Enantioselective, Hydrogen-Bond-Donor Catalyzed Additions to Oxetanes.

A precisely designed chiral squaramide derivative is shown to promote the highly enantioselective addition of trimethylsilyl bromide (TMSBr) to a broad variety of 3-substituted and 3,3-disubstitute...
Diagnostic Accuracy of Point-Of-Care Ultrasound for Intussusception Performed by Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physicians.

Abstract Background Intussusception (INT) is a common cause of bowel obstruction in young children. Delay in diagnosis can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. There have been several studies evaluating early point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the diagnosis of INT by nonradiologists. Objective Our objective was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of POCUS by novice sonographer pediatric emergency medicine physicians (PEM-Ps) who received focused US training for diagnosing INT. Methods We performed a prospective observational study including 17 PEM-Ps (14 attendings, 3 fellows) trained to perform abdominal US for INT. Children suspected of having INT received POCUS performed and interpreted by a PEM-P, followed by a US study performed by a certified ultrasonographer and interpreted by an attending pediatric radiologist. Diagnostic concordance between PEM-P–and radiology-performed US (RPUS) results was assessed. Results One hundred patients were enrolled; median patient age was 24 months. There was excellent diagnostic agreement for presence or absence of INT between PEM-Ps and RPUS (97% of cases; κ = 0.826). POCUS-diagnosed INT was present in 8 of 9 patients with RPUS-diagnosed INT (sensitivity 89%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 51–99%; specificity 98%; 95% CI 92–100%; positive predictive value 80%; 95% CI 44–96%; negative predictive value 99%; 95% CI 93–100%). Likelihood ratio for INT with a positive POCUS was 40.44 (95% CI 10.07–162.36) and with a negative POCUS was 0.11 (95% CI 0.02–0.72). Conclusions POCUS performed by novice sonographers to diagnose INT has high diagnostic concordance with RPUS. Emergency department–performed POCUS is a rapid and accurate method for diagnosing INT.
Implant-Mediated Guided Growth for Coronal Plane Angular Deformity in the Pediatric Patient with Patellofemoral Instability

Pediatric patellofemoral instability is a complex problem, for which there are several anatomic risk factors. Coronal plane malalignment (i.e., genu valgum) is one cause of patellofemoral instability, and treatment of genu valgum has been associated with improved patellofemoral stability. Coronal plane angular deformity correction, typically achieved by distal femoral osteotomy in the adult population, can be achieved with less invasive surgical techniques in pediatric patients using implant-mediated guided growth. By temporarily tethering one side of an open physis to generate differential growth in the coronal plane, valgus malalignment can be corrected. We present our technique for medial distal femoral implant-mediated guided growth using tension band plating for treatment of pediatric patellofemoral instability associated with genu valgum. This technique is minimally invasive, has a low complication rate, and in conjunction with conventional treatment can reduce the risk of recurrent instability.
Trastuzumab and pertuzumab in hemodialysis: A case report.

IntroductionTrastuzumab and pertuzumab are recombinant humanized monoclonal antibodies targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Currently, six reported cases on the use of trastuz...
Evaluating Form and Functionality of Pay-for-Performance Plans: The Relative Incentive and Sorting Effects of Merit Pay, Bonuses, and Long-Term Incentives

Using two-year longitudinal data from a large sample of US employees from a service-related organization, the present study investigates the relative effects of three forms of pay-for-performance (PFP) plans on employees’ job performance (incentive effects) and voluntary turnover (sorting effects). The study differentiates between three forms of pay: merit pay, individual-based bonuses, and long-term incentives. By definition, these PFP plans have different structural elements that distinguish them from each other (i.e., pay plan form) and different characteristics (functionality), such as the degree to which pay and performance are linked and the size of the rewards, which can vary both within and across plan types. Our results provide evidence that merit raises have larger incentive and sorting effects than bonuses and long-term incentives in multi-PFP plan environments where the three PFP plans are operating simultaneously. Only merit pay has both incentive and sorting effects among the three PFP plans. The implications for the PFP-related theory, as well as for the design and implementation of PFP plans, are discussed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.