cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
National study to determine the comfort levels of radiation therapists and medical dosimetrists to report errors

Abstract Purpose Better understanding of the error reporting culture in radiation oncology treatment facilities, and obstacles to reporting, can provide insight into potential areas for improvement. We conducted a survey of radiation therapists and dosimetrists to examine the error reporting cultures in radiation oncology facilities across the United States and staff comfort in reporting errors. Methods and Materials In 2011, a national sample of 1500 radiation therapists and 528 dosimetrists was mailed a 27-item survey assessing perceptions regarding communication among staff, comfort in error reporting, and associated obstacles. Survey results were summarized using descriptive statistics, and factors associated with discomfort with error reporting analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Results A total of 356 radiation therapists from 47 states (24% response rate) and 190 dosimetrists from 35 states (36% response rate) responded to the survey. Almost all (87% of therapists and 88% of dosimetrists) reported that there is an error reporting system in their treatment facility. Most feel that communication between them and physicians and dosimetrists or physicists (81% and 88% of therapists, and 89% and 88% of dosimetrists, respectively) is good, but only 65% of therapists and 66% of dosimetrists agree that communication with administrators is good. Obstacles to reporting errors included hierarchy within the treatment facility, poor communication, and fear of reprimand. On multivariate analysis, previous personal reprimand for reporting errors (odds ratio, 4.13, P = .001) and reprimand of other therapists and dosimetrists (odds ratio, 2.55, P = .03) were significantly associated with discomfort in error reporting. Conclusions The majority of therapists and dosimetrists feel communication in their treatment facilities is good and that there are systems in place to report errors. A sizable minority reported experience with reprimand for error reporting that significantly reduced their comfort level with reporting errors. Obstacles identified in this study represent opportunities for future research and potential ways for improvement in radiation oncology treatment facilities.
Cryopreserved oocytes can serve as the treatment for secondary infertility: a novel model for egg donation.

Objective To report the use of previously cryopreserved oocytes for the treatment of secondary infertility. Design Case report. Setting University-based IVF program. Patient(s) A 41-year-old woman with 18 months of secondary infertility and a previous history (age 38) of elective oocyte cryopreservation. Intervention(s) Previously cryopreserved oocytes. Main Outcome Measure(s) Fertilization, embryo development, pregnancy, and outcome. Result(s) The patient achieved pregnancy and delivery following thaw of oocytes electively cryopreserved 39 months before use. Before thawing the oocyte, the patient attempted pregnancy naturally for 12 months, followed by two unsuccessful clomiphene citrate ovulation induction cycles with intrauterine insemination and one fresh IVF cycle resulting in a chromosomally abnormal twin gestation that aborted. Conclusion(s) Although oocyte cryopreservation is still labeled an experimental procedure, this case demonstrates that oocyte cryopreservation used for electively deferred reproduction can subsequently serve in the treatment for secondary infertility when the patient becomes her own oocyte donor.
A Monte Carlo knowledge gradient method for learning abatement potential of emissions reduction technologies

Suppose that we have a set of emissions reduction technologies whose greenhouse gas abatement potential is unknown, and we wish to find an optimal portfolio (subset) of these technologies. Due to the interaction between technologies, the effectiveness of a portfolio can only be observed through expensive field implementations. We view this problem as an online optimal learning problem with correlated prior beliefs, where the performance of a portfolio of technologies in one project is used to guide choices for future projects. Given the large number of potential portfolios, we propose a learning policy which uses Monte Carlo sampling to narrow down the choice set to a relatively small number of promising portfolios, and then applies a one-period look-ahead approach using knowledge gradients to choose among this reduced set. We present experimental evidence that this policy is competitive against other online learning policies that consider the entire choice set.
Occupational Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields: The Case for Caution

Abstract A review is presented of epidemiological studies on the possible relationship between occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and the risk of cancer. A number of reports in the published literature have indicated, among workers in electrical occupations, an elevated risk of cancer, especially leukemias, nervous system tumors, and breast cancer. Although many of these results cannot be regarded as conclusive because of a lack of adequate exposure assessment and other factors, they cannot be dismissed as possible evidence of a link between exposure to EMFs and cancer risk in electrical workers. A review of the literature on biological effects of EMFs is also presented, with a particular focus on the possible role of endocrine alterations induced by EMF exposure in predisposing workers to an elevated risk for several types of cancer.
An Image-based Brain-Computer Interface Using the P3 Response

We present a new image-based interface for using electroencephalographic signals (EEG) to control a humanoid robot. In order to make maximal use of a low-bandwidth brain computer interface (BCI), we use a humanoid robot that has sophisticated capabilities such as navigating to different locations in its environment and interacting with objects. The robot communicates with the BCI by sending images of discovered locations and objects as candidates for interaction. The BCI uses these candidates and exploits the P300 response for detecting the user's selection. We describe the design of the interface, and present results from a 9-user study that characterizes the performance, generalization and training needs of the BCI. Our results indicate that a 4-class selection can be performed in 5 seconds with as low as 5% error. Further, a short training period of 3-4min provides near-optimal accuracy.
Expediting the Analysis of Qualitative Data in Evaluation A Procedure for the Rapid Identification of Themes From Audio Recordings (RITA)

Qualitative data offer advantages to evaluators, including rich information about stakeholders’ perspectives and experiences. However, qualitative data analysis is labor-intensive and slow, conflicting with evaluators’ needs to provide punctual feedback to their clients. In this method note, we contribute to the literature on rapid evaluation and assessment methods by proposing procedures that evaluators can use to expedite the coding and analysis of qualitative data and comparing these procedures to other possible methods. Specifically, we outline procedures for the rapid identification of themes from audio recordings, which allow evaluators to code and analyze qualitative data without time-consuming transcription. We illustrate the use and assess the reliability of these procedures using qualitative semi-structured interview data from 18 public school administrators on how they locate information about and decide to use instructional, health, and social skills programming in their districts. Finally, we end with advantages and trade-offs of these procedures as well as recommendations for how to apply them.
Understanding pathways for scaling up health services through the lens of complex adaptive systems

Despite increased prominence and funding of global health initiatives, efforts to scale up health services in developing countries are falling short of the expectations of the Millennium Development Goals. Arguing that the dominant assumptions for scaling up are inadequate, we propose that interpreting change in health systems through the lens of complex adaptive systems (CAS) provides better models of pathways for scaling up. Based on an understanding of CAS behaviours, we describe how phenomena such as path dependence, feedback loops, scale-free networks, emergent behaviour and phase transitions can uncover relevant lessons for the design and implementation of health policy and programmes in the context of scaling up health services. The implications include paying more attention to local context, incentives and institutions, as well as anticipating certain types of unintended consequences that can undermine scaling up efforts, and developing and implementing programmes that engage key actors through transparent use of data for ongoing problem-solving and adaptation. We propose that future efforts to scale up should adapt and apply the models and methodologies which have been used in other fields that study CAS, yet are underused in public health. This can help policy makers, planners, implementers and researchers to explore different and innovative approaches for reaching populations in need with effective, equitable and efficient health services. The old assumptions have led to disappointed expectations about how to scale up health services, and offer little insight on how to scale up effective interventions in the future. The alternative perspectives offered by CAS may better reflect the complex and changing nature of health systems, and create new opportunities for understanding and scaling up health services.
Money and Access: Some Empirical Evidence

Political scientists have pointed out that access is an important motivation for campaign contributions, but their evidence to date is based largely on case study observations, on the opinions of participants and observers, and on inferences from indirect quantitative evidence. This paper provides more direct quantitative evidence on the topic, using data from the Commission on Administrative Review of the House of Representatives in the 95th Congress. It uses tobit analysis to estimate the impact of PAC campaign contributions and several other independent variables, including indicators of a member's tenure, legislative position, and electoral security, on the number of minutes that members spent in their office with representatives of organized interest groups during a typical workweek. The results suggest, but do not prove, that money does indeed buy access.
Structural Equation Modeling in Special Education Research

Structural equation modeling is a method for analysis of multivariate data from both nonexperimental and experimental research. the method combines a structural model linking latent variables and a measurement model linking observed variables with latent variables. its use in special education research has been limited to date, but the approach offers promise as a method useful in theory-based research. a nontechnical introduction to the method and cautions concerning the limits of its use are presented.
A general synthetic method suitable for the introduction of deuterium or tritium in buspirone type anxiolytic agents

In recent years, a number of putative non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic agents incorporating the 4- aminobutylimide or sulfonamide-imide linkage have been reported and at least two of these, buspirone and gepirone, have been shown to have anxiolytic activity in man. In order to study the metabolism, body distribution and binding affinities of this class of compound, it was of interest to devise a precursor which could be specifically labelled with tritium to high specific activity. We have devised a synthetic route to the corresponding but-2-ynyl and but-2-enyl analogs of gepirone and have converted the latter to dideuterogepirone as an example of the methodology. Thus the method chosen has been found to be practical and is believed to be of sufficient generality to enable the synthesis of a variety of derivatives of this type containing either two or four atoms of label. Furthermore by appropriate choice of reagents, incorporation of 14C into these compounds may be achieved.
Metrics of hurricane-ocean interaction: vertically-integrated or vertically-averaged ocean temperature?

Abstract. The ocean thermal field is often represented in hurricane-ocean interaction by a metric termed upper Ocean Heat Content (OHC), the vertical integral of ocean temperature in excess of 26°C. High values of OHC have proven useful for identifying ocean regions that are especially favorable for hurricane intensification. Nevertheless, it is argued here that a more direct and robust metric of the ocean thermal field may be afforded by a vertical average of temperature. In the simplest version, dubbed T 100 , the averaging is from the surface to 100 m, a typical depth of vertical mixing by a category 3 hurricane. OHC and T 100 are well correlated over the deep open ocean in the high range of OHC, ≥75 kJ cm−2. They are poorly correlated in the low range of OHC, ≤50 kJ cm−2, in part because OHC is degenerate when evaluated on cool ocean regions, ≤26°C. OHC and T 100 can be qualitatively different also over shallow continental shelves: OHC will generally indicate comparatively low values regardless of the ocean temperature, while T 100 will take on high values over a shelf that is warm and upwelling neutral or negative. In so far as the ocean thermal field alone is concerned, these warm, shallow continental shelves would appear to be as favorable for hurricane intensification as are warm, deep ocean regions.
Geodetic and steric leveling: Together at last

One of the most durable scientific controversies has been the disagreement between physical oceanographers and geodesists concerning the slope of mean sea level along the west coast of the United States. By means of spirit leveling, geodesists of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (formerly the National Ocean Survey (NOS)) noticed in the 1920's that mean sea level in southern California appeared to be a number of decimeters below the equipotential surface passing through a control tide gage in Washington. Over succeeding decades this result was disputed by oceanographers, who based their results on detailed analyses of ocean circulation and physical data taken at sea (steric leveling). Geodetic leveling data reduced to a 1969 epoch gave a slope along the west coast of almost exactly 1 m, 65 cm occurring between San Francisco and San Diego.
The emergence of computational arithmetic as a component of the computer science curriculum

By computational arithmetic we shall mean the study of those discrete numeric systems suitable for implementation on a digital computer. The structure and limitations of discrete arithmetic, the notions of mixed base and mixed type arithmetic, the incurred “roundoff error” of psuedo-real arithmetic, and the efficiency of realization of arithmetic operations all form integral parts of this discipline. The foundations for this material are drawn from the logician's analysis of computability, the electrical engineer's analysis of boolean networks, the number theorist's analysis of elementary number theory, and the numerical analyst's study of numerical approximation. The cohesive thread uniting these topics is the relevance to computerized discrete computation, and what emerges is a firm discipline for inclusion in the complete Computer Science Curriculum. The central body of this material certainly should be a prerequisite for anyone who must design hardware and/or software to implement the arithmetic called for in a high level language.
App Stores for the Brain : Privacy and Security in Brain-Computer Interfaces

A large number of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are currently under development, or being proposed, for both medical and non-medical applications. These applications include advertising, market surveys, focus groups and gaming. For example, in 2008, the Nielsen Company acquired Neurofocus, for the development of neural engineering technologies aimed at better understanding customer needs and preferences [1]. In May 2013, Samsung, in collaboration with the University of Texas, demonstrated how BCIs could be used to control mobile devices [2]. In the same month, the first neurogaming conference gathered more than 50 involved companies [3]. In September 2013, Neuroware presented Neurocam, a wearable EEG system equipped with a camera. The system is set to automatically start recording moments of interest based on inferred information from users? neural signals [4].
Association of Physician Certification in Interventional Cardiology With In-Hospital Outcomes of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background—The value of American Board of Internal Medicine certification has been questioned. We evaluated the Association of Interventional Cardiology certification with in-hospital outcomes of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in 2010. Methods and Results—We identified physicians who performed ≥10 PCIs in 2010 in the CathPCI Registry and determined interventional cardiology (ICARD) certification status using American Board of Internal Medicine data. We compared in-hospital outcomes of patients treated by certified and noncertified physicians using hierarchical multivariable models adjusted for differences in patient characteristics and PCI volume. Primary end points were all-cause in-hospital mortality and bleeding complications. Secondary end points included emergency coronary artery bypass grafting, vascular complications, and a composite of any adverse outcome. With 510 708 PCI procedures performed by 5175 physicians, case mix and unadjusted outcomes were similar among cer...
Bedotia masoala: A New Species of Atherinoid Rainbowfish (Teleostei: Bedotiidae) from the Masoala Peninsula, Northeastern Madagascar

Abstract Bedotia masoala, a new species of Malagasy rainbowfish, is described from the Ankavanana drainage on the eastern slope of the Masoala Peninsula, northeastern Madagascar. The new species is readily distinguished from congeners by a unique blotchy, mottled, or barred lateral pigmentation pattern, and further distinguished from Bedotia marojejy, the only additional Bedotia that lacks a prominent, solid, dark midlateral stripe, by a higher vertebral count, a greater number of scales in lateral series on the flanks, and by the presence of palatine and well–developed endopterygoid tooth patches. Bedotia masoala is endemic to the Ankavanana drainage, an eastward flowing basin of the Masoala Peninsula.
CD15+ Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Subsequent Monoblastic Leukemia

Abstract The abnormality in the translocation of chromosomes 4 and 11 (t[4;11]) has been characteristically associated with calla-negative CD15+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) of early pre–B-ce...
VII. Future Research Directions

It is hoped that in the future, an accurate prevalence rate of suicide among CSOs can be obtained in order to evaluate the likelihood a CSO will commit suicide. A comparison of the suicide CSO sample and a sample of offenders who chose not to commit suicide could assist investigators, attorneys, mental health professionals, correctional officers, and probation/parole in identifying risk factors for suicide among this unique population. In addition, the authors hope that this study will prompt additional research in other pertinent areas to include the following: (1) examining the degree that personality disorder symptoms increase risk for suicide among CSOs, (2) how the presence of cognitive distortions impact a CSO’s decision to commit suicide, and (3) further examination of suicide notes written by CSOs.
Temperature Changes in the Last 100 Years

The average annual surface air and free atmosphere temperatures in the northern middle and high latitudes peaked in the late 1930’s and decreased thereafter. This trend was also observed in the eastern Pacific and the North Atlantic. Over the last 40 years the strongest cooling was observed in the northern high latitudes in autumn, but warming was found for July and August. In the low northern latitudes and over most of the Southern Hemisphere insufficient station density prevents a reliable assessment of long terra trends. Secular variations in the extent of snow and ice fields are indirect indicators of climate fluctuations in the high and middle latitudes. Satellite observed winter and spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere appears to be more extensive during the late 1970’s than that charted in the late 1960’s. However, recent summer extent of Antarctic sea ice has decreased since 1975.
From BioMEMS to Bionanotechnology: Integrated BioChips for the Detection of Cells and Microorganisms

This paper reviews the interdisciplinary work performed in our group in recent years to develop micro-integrated devices to characterize biological entities. We present the use of electrical and mechanically based phenomena to perform characterization and various functions needed for integrated biochips. One sub-system takes advantage of the dielectrophoretic effect to sort and concentrate cells within a micro-fluidic biochip. Another sub-system measures impedance changes produced by the metabolic activity of cells to determine their viability. A third sub-system is used to detect the mass of bacteria as they bind to micro-mechanical silicon cantilevers. These devices with an electronic signal output can be very useful in producing practical systems for rapid detection and characterization of cells for a wide variety of applications in the food safety and health diagnostics industries.
Utopia Rising

Utopian science fiction prototypes might not actually be about the world that we want to live in, but rather the people we want to be. The Web extra at http://vimeo.com/81120151 is a video segment in which author Brian David Johnson joins Geek Speaks panelists Cory Doctorow and Henry Jenkins to discuss the roles that science fiction has played, for better or worse, in shaping the ways we think about innovation and confront the challenges of designing for the future.
The Impact of Lithium Initiators on the Preparation of Synthetic Rubbers

Abstract The impact of the lithium initiator system has begun in the rubber synthesis field; it will surely expand into the production of plastics of controlled and desirable structure. Polymers can be designed in both fields with precise structure control for desired processing characteristics and properties. This will become more useful as the concept of domains and heterogeneity is more fully understood and utilized. The system will also lend itself to planned termination by functional groups where the products will have unusual reactivities. Solution polymerization systems should play an increasing role in the production of synthetic rubber. Of course, the emulsion system must be considered in applications where latex itself is desired and in those cases where monomers with functional groups would react with the organometallic initiator. Otherwise, we believe that solution systems will produce rubber with especially desirable properties more cheaply without as much harm to the ecology.
Conservative Management of Dabigatran Overdose: Case Report and Review of Literature

Background: Direct thrombin inhibitors and factor Xa inhibitors are gaining popularity as alternatives to warfarin for patients requiring anticoagulation. Toxicity due to these medications is difficult to manage because overdose experience is very limited and there is no clear guidance on when or whether to use antidote in this setting. Case Presentation: A 50-year-old man with normal renal function ingested 10 to 25 tablets of dabigatran 150 mg. He denied any specific symptoms and had an unremarkable physical exam. No bleeding or bruising was noted and stool was guaiac negative on initial workup. Per recommendations from the Regional Poison Center, a single 100 g dose of activated charcoal was administered approximately three hours post-ingestion and the patient was admitted for monitoring. Baseline coagulation parameters of the patient (including aPTT) revealed coagulopathy. However, no sign of systemic or local hemorrhage was detected. Having received only supportive treatments during admission, aPTT restored to normal limits by hospital day 2. A dabigatran level revealed the drug to be almost completely eliminated by 34 hours after ingestion. Discussion: Specific reversal agents for direct thrombin inhibitors are under final phases of development. The question of whether or not to use these antidotes is expected to come up in situations of accidental or intentional overdose with direct thrombin inhibitors. Similar to our observation, some scientists showed that dabigatran overdose can be managed conservatively with supportive treatments. Conclusion:This case adds to the limited pool of literature regarding dabigatran overdose and outcomes, and suggests that a patient with an overdose of this magnitude may be safely managed without acute intervention. Literature review suggests that aPTT might be an appropriate method for monitoring anticoagulant effects related to this drug in the clinical setting.
Study on Resources and Breeding Technology of Tricholoma matsutake in China

Taxonomic positions,morphological characteristics,biological specificity,growth specificity and law were described.Meanwhile the problem of resources exploited utilized and sustained development was discussed in this article.Also this piece of advise which protected rare fungi was put forward.
Rehabilitating a missed opportunity: Integration of rehabilitation psychology into the care of critically ill patients, survivors, and caregivers

Objective Rehabilitation psychologists are specifically trained to work with individuals across the spectrum of health care settings and they have only recently begun to wade into the often deep and challenging waters of the critical care environment and intensive care unit (ICU) setting. Method In the commentary that follows, we will provide a brief historical perspective on the involvement of rehabilitation psychologists in medical settings and we will describe and interact with the various topics raised in this current special section, all of them pertaining to the intersection of psychology and critical illness. Results These topics concern the potential role of psychologists in the ICU, the identification and treatment of conditions such as Post-Intensive Care Syndrome, the clinical nuances of cognitive impairment and psychological dysfunction after critical illness, and the legacy of critical illness on families. Conclusion In light of the relevance of these and related topics, we argue in the commentary that the time for psychologists to become involved in the critical care arena is "now" and we discuss practical opportunities for such involvement. (PsycINFO Database Record
Human fetal respiration. IV. Failure of severe distress to stimulate aspiration of amniotic fluid by the immature human fetus.

Abstract Reproted herein are studies on fetal breathing, specifically the inhalation of labeled amniotic fluid, by immature human fetuses so severely distressed that they subsequently died in utero. Decreased rather than increased amounts of the amniotic fluid label were found in the lungs of the distressed fetuses compared to the amounts in fetuses of comparable weight that were not distressed. We conclude from this study of the immature human fetus that severe distress depresses rather than stimulates aspiration of amniotic fluid.
Loss of MDCK cell alpha 2 beta 1 integrin expression results in reduced cyst formation, failure of hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor-induced branching morphogenesis, and increased apoptosis

Cellular interactions with collagen in a model of kidney tubulogenesis were investigated using Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells in an in vitro morphogenetic system. MDCK cells adhered to collagen types I and IV in a Mg(2+)-dependent manner, typical of the alpha 2 beta 1 integrin. Collagen-Sepharose affinity chromatography and immunoblotting demonstrated the presence and collagen binding activity of the alpha 2 beta 1 integrin on MDCK cells. To assess the function of alpha 2 beta 1 integrin, MDCK cells were transfected with a plasmid pRSV alpha 2' which allowed the expression of alpha 2-integrin subunit antisense RNA. Three G418-resistant clones showing reduced adhesion to collagen, stable genomic integration of the antisense construct, decreased alpha 2-integrin subunit mRNA and decreased alpha 2-integrin subunit protein expression were selected for analysis in morphogenetic experiments. MDCK cells and plasmid-only control transfectants, cultured in three-dimensional collagen type I gels, showed normal cyst formation, whereas the antisense RNA transfectants showed increased apoptosis and formed small rudimentary cysts. Stimulation with hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor-containing 3T3 fibroblast-conditioned medium or recombinant hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor resulted in extensive branching of the preformed control cysts whereas the surviving small cysts formed by antisense expressing cells increased in size but failed to elongate and branch upon stimulation. We conclude that alpha 2 beta 1 integrin collagen interactions play a crucial role in the hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor-induced tubulogenesis and branching morphogenesis of MDCK cells in collagen gels as well as an important role in cell survival.
The Museum Imagination: A Reflection on the Status of the Object in Digital Culture

As a large part of our communication processes are digitally mediated and the information we exchange in these processes is delivered in binary numeric form, the experience of tangible materiality becomes more and more rare. With the example of the collection of the Natural History Museum in Berlin we are tracing a parallel development towards a gradual virtualization of the material object in the arts and in the sciences. The paper describes the conceptual background and design decisions that were made to reflect on the status of the object in the Cine-Interactive "Venture to the Interior/Vorstoss ins Innere", a real-time 3d experience exploring the idea of the museum as a place of cumulative knowledge construction.
The environmental competitiveness of small modular reactors: A life cycle study

Abstract This work conducts a prospective attribution life cycle assessment of an SMR. Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analyses are used to account for the uncertainties in the analysis. The analysis finds that the mean (and 90% confidence interval) life cycle GHG emissions of the Westinghouse SMR (W-SMR) to be 9.1 g of CO2-eq/kwh (5.9–13.2 g of CO2-eq/kwh) and the Westinghouse AP1000 to be 8.4 g of CO2-eq/kwh (5.5–12.1 g of CO2-eq/kwh). The GHG emissions of the AP1000 are 9% less than the W-SMR. However, when the nuclear fuel cycle is not included in the analysis the GHG emissions for the W-SMR and the AP1000 are effectively the same given the inherent uncertainties in the analysis. The analysis finds that both types of plants stochastically dominate the Generation II 4 loop SNUPPS. The mean (and 90% confidence interval) life cycle GHG emissions of the SNUPPS is 13.6 g of CO2-eq/kwh (10.5–17.3 g of CO2-eq/kwh). While the AP1000 has the benefits of economies of scale, the W-SMR's modular ability enables it to make up some of the difference through efficiencies in construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning.
Orexin activation counteracts decreases in nonexercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) caused by high-fat diet

Overweight and obesity result from an imbalance between caloric intake and energy expenditure, including expenditure from spontaneous physical activity (SPA). Changes in SPA and resulting changes in non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) likely interact with diet to influence risk for obesity. However, previous research on the relationship between diet, physical activity, and energy expenditure has been mixed. The neuropeptide orexin is a driver of SPA, and orexin neuron activity can be manipulated using DREADDs (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs). We hypothesized that HFD decreases SPA and NEAT, and that DREADD-mediated activation of orexin neuron signaling would abolish this decrease and produce an increase in NEAT instead. To test these ideas, we characterized behaviors to determine the extent to which access to a high-fat diet (HFD) influences the proportion and probability of engaging in food intake and activity. We then measured NEAT following access to HFD and following a DREADD intervention targeting orexin neurons. Two cohorts of orexin-cre male mice were injected with an excitatory DREADD virus into the caudal hypothalamus, where orexin neurons are concentrated. Mice were then housed in continuous metabolic phenotyping cages (Sable Promethion). Food intake, indirect calorimetry, and SPA were automatically measured every second. For cohort 1 (n=8), animals were given access to chow, then switched to HFD. For cohort 2 (n=4/group), half of the animals were given access to HFD, the other access to chow. Then, among animals on HFD, orexin neurons were activated following injections of clozapine n-oxide (CNO). Mice on HFD spent significantly less time eating (p<0.01) and more time inactive compared to mice on chow (p<0.01). Following a meal, mice on HFD were significantly more likely to engage in periods of inactivity compared to those on chow (p<0.05). NEAT was decreased in animals on HFD, and was increased to the NEAT level of control animals following activation of orexin neurons with DREADDs. Food intake (kilocalories) was not significantly different between mice on chow and HFD, yet mice on chow expended more energy per unit of SPA, relative to that in mice consuming HFD. These results suggest that HFD consumption reduces SPA and NEAT, and increases inactivity following a meal. Together, the data suggest a change in the efficiency of energy expenditure based upon diet, such that SPA during HFD burns fewer calories compared to SPA on a standard chow diet.
Introduction: Constructing Black Canada

In the spring of 2010, a call for papers on constructing blackness in Canada was issued. The intent of the call was to highlight the ways in which scholars, artists and community activists were engaging with the African diaspora in Canada. What emerged from that call was more than what I expected and is remarkably illustrative of the profound ways in which many are seeking to alter how we think about blackness in Canada.
Philosophical ethics in early childhood: A pilot study

The Philosophical Ethics in Early Childhood (PEECh) project aims to advance knowledge of preschool children’s (ages 3-5) ethical understanding and explores the effectiveness of philosophical discussion of children’s literature and extension activities for fostering ethical development in early childhood. In this article we discuss results of our ethics education study with preschool children, including pre-post measurement of experimental and control groups and a 12-week educational intervention focusing on the themes of fairness, empathy (perspective-taking), personal welfare and inclusion versus exclusion of peers. As compared to our control group, study results demonstrated significant developments in our experimental group’s ability to respond to ethical questions, increased use of emotion markers, and increased use of justification terms in support of responses.
Estranged Labor, Habitus, and Verstehen in the Rise of Extreme Endurance Sports:

Extreme endurance sporting events and participation in these events have grown exponentially since the 1970s. Events such as Iron-distance triathlons, marathons, ultramarathons, ultradistance cycli...
Eighteenth-Century Manners of Reading: Print Culture and Popular Instruction in the Anglophone Atlantic World

The market for print steadily expanded throughout the eighteenth-century Atlantic world thanks to printers' efforts to ensure that ordinary people knew how to read and use printed matter. Reading is and was a collection of practices, performed in diverse but always very specific ways. These practices were spread down the social hierarchy through printed guides. Eve Tavor Bannet explores guides to six manners or methods of reading, each with its own social, economic, commercial, intellectual and pedagogical functions, and each promoting a variety of fragmentary and discontinuous reading practices. The increasingly widespread production of periodicals, pamphlets, prefaces, conduct books, conversation-pieces and fictions, together with schoolbooks designed for adults and children, disseminated all that people of all ages and ranks might need or wish to know about reading, and prepared them for new jobs and roles both in Britain and America.
Boosting the numbers of STEM majors? The role of high schools with a STEM program

This article investigates whether attending a high school that offers a specialized science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics program (high school with a STEM program) boosts the number of students majoring in STEM when they are in college. We use a longitudinal sample of students in North Carolina, whom we follow from middle school through college graduation, to estimate the effect of attending a high school with a STEM program on students’ interest in STEM, odds of declaring, and chances of persisting in their intention to major in STEM. Although our multilevel models indicate that attending a high school with a STEM program has a positive association with students’ STEM-related outcomes, once we control for sample self-selection through propensity score matching, we do not find evidence that attending high schools with a math and science–focused program significantly influences trajectories of STEM educational advantage for public school students in North Carolina. Our study concludes that perhaps even more important for college STEM success than what happens in high school is what STEM-related academic, familial, and formal/informal learning experiences the student had prior to entering high school.
GUI-Based vs. Text-Based Assignments in CS1

Teaching CS1 can be daunting. The first courses in the CS curriculum help determine which students will ultimately matriculate into the program. There have been various studies on how to improve motivation and reduce attrition by using visual-based environments and assignments. We performed a year-long study in which we addressed two research questions: 1) How is student performance affected by drag-and-drop GUI assignments when compared to traditional text-based assignments? 2) If given the choice, would students select GUI-based or text-based assignments? For the first question, there was no statistical significance, indicating that student performance is not affected by this visual component. For the second question, we discovered more students selected the text-based assignments over the GUI-assignments. Separating the students into groups based on what they chose revealed that the students that selected the GUI-assignments scored on average one letter grade higher, enjoyed the assignments more and spent less time on the assignments. We recorded the reported motivations behind why students chose to do the GUI-based assignments versus the text-based assignments: Overall, the GUI Group's responses trended toward self-improvement (e.g. more like the real world, improve skills, more challenging) while the Text Group's responses trended toward ease (e.g. easier/simpler, save time). Lastly, at the end of each course we asked the students if, given the hypothetical case in which they were not pressed for time, they would create the Java application with or without a GUI? 93% of the students responded that they would create a GUI Java application.
Sensible scenes: visual understanding of complex structures through causal analysis

An important result of visual understanding is an explanation of a scene's causal structure: How action-usually motion-is originated, constrained, and prevented, and how this determines what will happen in the immediate future. To be useful for a purposeful agent, these explanations must also capture the scene in terms of the functional properties of its objects-their purposes, uses, and affordances for manipulation. Design knowledge describes how the world is organized to suit these functions, and causal knowledge describes how these arrangements work. We have been exploring the hypothesis that vision is an explanatory process in which causal and functional reasoning plays an intimate role in mediating the activity of low-level visual processes. In particular, we have explored two of the consequences of this view for the construction of purposeful vision systems: Causal and design knowledge can be used to 1) drive focus of attention, and 2) choose between ambiguous image interpretations. Both principles are at work in SPROCKET, a system which visually explores simple machines, integrating diverse visual clues into an explanation of a machine's design and function.
The effects of wide range of compositional changes on the martensitic transformation characteristics of NiTiHf shape memory alloys

Abstract The effects of composition on the martensitic transformation characteristics of NiTiHf shape memory alloys are systematically explored. Transformation temperatures (TTs) demonstrate a non-monotonic dependence on Ni and Hf concentrations. For Ni > 50 at%, TTs decrease with small Hf additions, attain a minimum or are completely suppressed, depending on Ni content, followed by a significant increase with Hf content. This initial drop in TTs becomes more pronounced with higher Ni contents and is attributed to the increase in nickel anti-site defects along with bulky substitutional Hf contributing to the increase in local lattice distortions along with the re-distribution of Ti and Hf.
Pathways of internationalization in US schooling: Local innovations in inclusive global education:

Internationally, there has been a growing interest among educational systems in reassessing the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for success in the 21st-century global world. This paper a...
Weed Control in Container-Grown Crops with Herbicide-Coated Fertilizers

Abstract Nursery Special 12N-2.6P-5.0K (12-6-6), Osmocote 17N-3.1P-10.0K (17-7-12), and Polyon 24N-1.7P-10.0K (24-4-12) were coated with Ronstar 50WP (oxadiazon) at 4 concentrations and compared to spray applied Ronstar 50WP and broadcast Ronstar 2G. With Osmocote and Nursery Special-coated fertilizers, the lowest Ronstar rate resulted in less weed control than traditional herbicide application methods. Ronstar-coated fertilizers applied at the recommended rate or higher provided similar weed control to broadcast-and spray-applied pre-emergence herbicides.
Aqueous alteration of pyroxene in sulfate, chloride, and perchlorate brines: Implications for post-Noachian aqueous alteration on Mars

Abstract Both high and low calcium pyroxene minerals have been detected over large portions of the martian surface in addition to widespread salts in martian soils and dust. Calcium pyroxenes in martian meteorites are associated with secondary evaporite phases, including sulfates, chlorides, and perchlorates, suggesting the pyroxene may have been altered in saline solutions. Therefore, understanding pyroxene mineral weathering in high salinity brines may provide insight into past aqueous alteration on Mars. This study examines both solute-based dissolution rates and qualitative assessments of weathering textures developed during pyroxene-brine alteration experiments to link dissolution rates and textures and aid in interpreting weathering features observed in Mars meteorites and future pyroxene samples returned from Mars. Batch reactor dissolution experiments were conducted at 298 K to compare diopside (a high Ca-pyroxene) dissolution rates in water (18 MΩ cm−1 ultrapure water (UPW); activity of water (ɑH2O) = 1.0), 0.35 mol kg−1 NaCl (ɑH2O = 0.99), 0.35 mol kg−1 Na2SO4 (ɑH2O = 0.98), 2 mol kg−1 NaClO4 (ɑH2O = 0.90), 2.5 mol kg−1 Na2SO4 (ɑH2O = 0.95), 5.7 mol kg−1 NaCl (ɑH2O = 0.75), and 9 mol kg−1 CaCl2 (ɑH2O = 0.35) brines at pH 5–6.6 to determine how changing solution chemistry and activity of water influence pyroxene dissolution. Aqueous Si release rates and qualitative textural analyses indicate diopside dissolution rates are influenced by both solution chemistry and activity of water, with diopside weathering increasing along a trend from: 9 mol kg−1 CaCl2
Involving end-users in the design of an audit and feedback intervention in the emergency department setting – a mixed methods study

Long length of stays (LOS) in emergency departments (ED) negatively affect quality of care. Ordering of inappropriate diagnostic tests contributes to long LOS and reduces quality of care. One strategy to change practice patterns is to use performance feedback dashboards for physicians. While this strategy has proven to be successful in multiple settings, the most effective ways to deliver such interventions remain unknown. Involving end-users in the process is likely important for a successful design and implementation of a performance dashboard within a specific workplace culture. This mixed methods study aimed to develop design requirements for an ED performance dashboard and to understand the role of culture and social networks in the adoption process. We performed 13 semi-structured interviews with attending physicians in different roles within a single public ED in the U.S. to get an in-depth understanding of physicians’ needs and concerns. Principles of human-centered design were used to translate these interviews into design requirements and to iteratively develop a front-end performance feedback dashboard. Pre- and post- surveys were used to evaluate the effect of the dashboard on physicians’ motivation and to measure their perception of the usefulness of the dashboard. Data on the ED culture and underlying social network were collected. Outcomes were compared between physicians involved in the human-centered design process, those with exposure to the design process through the ED social network, and those with limited exposure. Key design requirements obtained from the interviews were ease of access, drilldown functionality, customization, and a visual data display including monthly time-trends and blinded peer-comparisons. Identified barriers included concerns about unintended consequences and the veracity of underlying data. The surveys revealed that the ED culture and social network are associated with reported usefulness of the dashboard. Additionally, physicians’ motivation was differentially affected by the dashboard based on their position in the social network. This study demonstrates the feasibility of designing a performance feedback dashboard using a human-centered design approach in the ED setting. Additionally, we show preliminary evidence that the culture and underlying social network are of key importance for successful adoption of a dashboard.
Probabilistically Coded Modulation Formats for 5G Mobile Fronthaul Networks

The centralized/cloud radio access network architecture is being considered as a promising solution for fifth-generation cellular networks. In particular, the stringent capacity and latency requirements of the fronthaul segment call for innovations in the design of new architectures and transceivers that support adaptive communication resource allocation between centralized baseband processing units and remote radio heads. In this paper, we propose probabilistically coded three-level pulse amplitude modulation and five-point quadrature amplitude modulation schemes in hybrid mobile fronthaul (MFH) networks that support both coherent detection and direct detection. We propose encoding and decoding algorithms and optimize the decoder configuration through simulations. Based on a distributed pseudorandom encoding technique developed in our earlier work, we adapt the modulation type and code rate per fronthaul connection in real-time. Using two separate software-defined networking enabled downlink and uplink transmission testbeds employing code division multiplexing technology, we demonstrate the benefits of our proposed modulation formats for multicast transmission in hybrid networking scenarios as well as the advantages of adaptive bidirectional transmission in MFH networks.