cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How to Close the Gender Gap in Political Participation: Lessons from Matrilineal Societies in Africa

While gender gaps in political participation are pervasive, especially in developing countries, this study provides systematic evidence of one cultural practice that closes this gap. Using data from across Africa, this article shows that matrilineality – tracing kinship through the female line – is robustly associated with closing the gender gap in political participation. It then uses this practice as a lens through which to draw more general inferences. Exploiting quantitative and qualitative data from Malawi, the authors demonstrate that matrilineality's success in improving outcomes for women lies in its ability to sustain more progressive norms about the role of women in society. It sets individual expectations about the gendered beliefs and behaviors of other households in the community, and in a predictable way through the intergenerational transmission of the practice. The study tests and finds evidence against two competing explanations: that matrilineality works through its conferral of material resources alone, or by increasing education for girls.
Evaluating gender parity in operative experience for otolaryngology residencies in the United States.

OBJECTIVES Gender disparity exists in medicine, such as differences in pay and promotion opportunities. We hypothesize that there is also a gender difference in graduate medical education as manifested by operative case volume. This study compares surgical case volume by gender for graduating US otolaryngology residents. STUDY DESIGN Cohort study. METHODS With data use approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, we evaluated the key indicator case log summaries of graduating otolaryngology residents from 2009-2017. Mean and standard deviation were used for all cases, and t-tests were used to compare cases by resident gender. The Bonferroni method was used to adjust for multiple comparisons across years. RESULTS Data from 1740 male and 804 female residents were evaluated. Across all years, the average number of key indicator cases reported was 778.8 and 813.6 by female and male residents, respectively, with an average difference of 34.8 cases per graduating year (95% confidence interval [CI] 19.4, 50.2; P < .001). When a resident self-reported the role of resident surgeon/supervisor, the average number of key indicator cases reported was 602.6 and 643.9 by female and male residents, respectively, with an average difference of 41.3 cases per graduating year (95% CI, 28.0, 54.6; P < .001). CONCLUSION Gender-based discrepancies in surgical case volume exist among graduating otolaryngology residents. This disparity is partially attributed to the self-reported role in the surgery. This study has identified those discrepancies so that training programs can implement strategies to ensure improved gender parity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2b Laryngoscope, 130:1651-1656, 2020.
Microglia and sexual differentiation of the developing brain: A focus on extrinsic factors

Microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain, have recently been removed from the position of mere sentinels and promoted to the role of active sculptors of developing circuits and cells. Alongside their functions in normal brain development, microglia coordinate sexual differentiation of the brain, a set of processes which vary by region and endpoint like that of microglia function itself. In this review, we highlight the ways microglia are both targets and drivers of brain sexual differentiation. We examine the factors that may drive sex differences in microglia, with a special focus on how changing microenvironments in the developing brain dictate microglia phenotypes and discuss how their diverse functions sculpt lasting sex-specific changes in the brain. Finally, we consider how sex-specific early life environments contribute to epigenetic programming and lasting sex differences in microglia identity.
Burgers in blackface: anti-Black restaurants then and now: by Naa Oyo A. Kwate, Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota Press, 2019, 87 pp., ISBN 978-1-5179-0802-7

Naa Oyo A. Kwate is Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Human Ecology at Rutgers University where she studies the societal factors and issues impacting African American public health. Burge...
CFD Investigation of MHTGR Natural Circulation and Decay Heat Removal in P-LOFC Accident

One of the key postulated accidents in a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is the pressurized loss of forced circulation (P-LOFC) of the primary loop, which can be triggered by its primary helium circulator trip or turbine trip. If the reactor shutdown cooling system (SCS) fails during a P-LOFC accident, part of the reactor decay heat is absorbed by the reactor core materials and the rest removed by the reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS). In the extended period of P-LOFC accident compound with SCS failure, the core decay heat is supposed to be removed by conduction, natural circulation, convection, and radiation. A three-dimensional (3-D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was performed in this research to study the long-term heat removal mechanisms in the General Atomics’ Modular High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (MHTGR) design in a P-LOFC accident. The reactor core temperature distribution and flow field were obtained at different decay power levels. The sensitivity of the natural circulation flow to the bypass gap width was investigated. The natural circulation flow intensity is relatively weak but very sensitive to the width of the bypass gaps.
Quantitative assessment of cardiovascular autonomic impairment in cancer survivors: a single center case series

Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in cancer survivors is poorly understood. To better characterize the clinical characteristics and types of autonomic dysfunction in this population. A retrospective analysis of cancer survivors within an academic cardio-oncology program referred for suspected autonomic dysfunction was performed. Autonomic reflex testing of adrenergic, cardiovagal, and sudomotor function was done. Autonomic impairment was graded on severity based on the Composite Autonomic Severity Score system. Patients with pre-existing autonomic dysfunction prior to their cancer diagnosis were excluded. Of approximately 282 total patients in the UCLA Cardio-Oncology program, 24 were referred for suspected autonomic dysfunction and met the inclusion criteria. 22 had autonomic impairment on autonomic reflex testing. Eight patients were female, and the mean age at time of autonomic testing was 51.3 years. The average duration from cancer diagnosis to autonomic testing was 10.3 years. The reasons for referral included dizziness, tachycardia, palpitations, and syncope. The majority of patients (75%) had hematologic disorders. The most common chemotherapies administered were vinca alkaloids (54.2%), alkylating agents (66.7%), and anthracyclines (54.2%). Most patients received radiation to the thorax (66.7%) and neck (53.3%). Eleven patients had mild autonomic impairment, 7 had moderate, and 4 had severe autonomic impairment. Dysfunction was commonly present in the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, but most pronounced in the sympathetic system. The majority of patients were diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension (50%), inappropriate sinus tachycardia (20.8%), and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (12.5%) and had subjective improvement with treatment. Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction occurs in cancer survivors, and commonly affects both the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. Symptom recognition in patients should prompt autonomic testing and treatment where appropriate.
Not Chopped Liver-A Careful, Fate-Mapping Study of Macrophages in NASH.

Macrophages are central to the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, the identities and functional relationships between tissue-resident and tissue-recruited macrophages in NASH remain poorly understood. A recent study from Seidman et al. (2020) elucidates, at single-cell resolution, the fates, niches, and regulatory landscapes of liver tissue-resident and tissue-recruited macrophage populations in NASH.
CoroNet: A deep network architecture for enhanced identification of COVID-19 from chest x-ray images

In this paper, we consider the problem of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) diagnosis from chest X-ray images in a multi-label classification scenario, where the ultimate goal is to distinguish among Healthy, non-COVID Pneumonia, and COVID-19 infection cases from the chest X-ray manifestations. Particularly, we establish the use of a rapid, non-invasive and cost-effective X-ray-based method as a key diagnosis and screening tool for COVID-19 at early and intermediate stages of the disease. To this end, we propose CoroNet, a deep learning framework that is built upon a two-stage learning methodology: 1) an AutoEncoder to extract the infected regions in the chest X-ray manifestation of COVID-19 and other Pneumonia-like diseases and 2) a deep convolutional neural network for the multi-label classification. We utilize this tailored deep architecture to extract the relevant features specific to each class to perform the task of automatic diagnosis and classification. The unsupervised part of the proposed framework helps with proper identification of the disease given the scarcity of quality datasets on COVID-19, and at the same time, facilitates exploiting the large X-ray datasets that are readily available for Healthy and non-COVID Pneumonia cases. Our numerical investigations demonstrate that the proposed framework outperforms the state-of-the-art methods for COVID-19 identification while employing approximately ten times fewer training parameters as compared to other existing methodologies. Furthermore, we make use of attribution maps, an explainable artificial intelligence tool, to interpret the diagnosis offered by the network. We have made the codes of our proposed CoroNet framework publicly available to the research community.
Optimal replication for min-cut partitioning

Heuristics for replicating logic have been shown to reduce pin count and wiring density in partitioned logic networks. An efficient algorithm for determining an optimal min-cut replication set for a k-partitioned graph in O(knm log (n/sup 2//m)) time is presented. For the NP-hard case with limited size partition components, a replication heuristic which reduces the worst-case running time by a factor of O(k/sup 2/) over previous methods is proposed. Experimental results are presented. >
Evaluating the Implementation of a Pragmatic Person-Centered Communication Tool for the Nursing Home Setting: PAL Cards.

Objectives: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the implementation of a person-centered communication tool in nursing homes (NH). The Preferences for Activity and Leisur...
Algorithm and Hardware Co-Design for FPGA Acceleration of Hamiltonian Monte Carlo Based No-U-Turn Sampler

Monte Carlo (MC) methods are widely used in many research areas such as physical simulation, statistical analysis, and machine learning. Application of MC methods requires drawing fast mixing samples from a given probability distribution. Among existing sampling methods, the Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) utilizes gradient information during Hamiltonian simulation and can produce fast mixing samples at the highest efficiency. However, without carefully chosen simulation parameters for a specific problem, HMC generally suffers from simulation locality and computation waste. As a result, the No-U-Turn Sampler (NUTS) has been proposed to automatically tune these parameters during simulation and is the current state-of-the-art sampling algorithm. However, application of NUTS requires frequent gradient calculation of a given distribution and high-volume vector processing, especially for large-scale problems, leading to drawing an expensively large number of samples and a desire of hardware acceleration. While some hardware acceleration works have been proposed for traditional Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and HMC methods, there is no existing work targeting hardware acceleration of the NUTS algorithm. In this paper, we present the first NUTS accelerator on FPGA while addressing the high complexity of this state-of-the-art algorithm. Our hardware and algorithm co-optimizations include an incremental resampling technique which leads to a more memory efficient architecture and pipeline optimization for multi-chain sampling to maximize the throughput. We also explore three levels of parallelism in the NUTS accelerator to further boost performance. Compared with optimized C++ NUTS package: RSTAN, our NUTS accelerator can reach a maximum speedup of 50.6X and an energy improvement of 189.7X.
Developing Core Competencies in First Year Medical Students: Peer Presentations of Case Studies in Neurobiology

In recent years the American Association of Medical Colleges and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education have placed increased emphasis on developing <em style="mso-bidi-font-style...
The Fourteenth Chapter

In this present chapter declareth the Lord unto John and unto his faithful servants by him the degree, estate, and condition of his true-believing church, now after he hath afore lively described the bestial church of antichrist and of his horned spirituality by the afore-named two monstrous beasts. And this is that his lovers should know what they be which are of his household and what an helper they have of him in the midst of their adversities, to the comfort of their souls. And though they be here among those raging tyrants in terrible agonies and pains, persecutions and troubles, he is never absent from them nor will not be till he hath rewarded them with unspeakable joys.
The politics of employment liability

Summary Employment liability is an important check and balance against employee harm at work. In practice, however, an inadvertent consequence of employment liability is a potential shift in power from organizations to employees that affects subsequent managerial decision making. In this Incubator, we discuss behavioral and attitudinal ramifications of employment liability at work. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Automata theory for database theoreticians

Abstract I describe several applications of automata theory to the analysis of Datalog programs, ranging from the easy to the difficult, in the hope of convincing the reader that automata theory provides a powerful set of abstractions and tools to database theoreticians.
Investors' and Managers' Reactions to Corporate Inversion Transactions

We find that abnormal returns around the dates of shareholder approval of corporate inversions are associated with inverting firms' contemporaneous tax attributes. We also document that inverted firms realize substantial reductions in effective tax rates, and that realized changes in tax rates are also associated with shareholder-approval-period abnormal returns. These findings are consistent with the market incorporating inversion-related benefits into stock prices. We also report evidence of a systematic relation in analyst forecast errors around inverting firms' inversion dates that is consistent with managers' incentives to defer income to post-inversion periods. Finally, we provide preliminary evidence suggesting that inverted firms shift income to non-U.S. jurisdictions in post-inversion periods.
Money, financial markets, and the coherence of a market economy

market economy with the trading that takes place in a village's market square. To this day, formal economic theory makes this demonstration by investigating the characteristics of an abstract trading process. But its validity depends on showing that the "coherence" property demonstrated for the abstract trading process can be preserved when the model is altered to allow for the formalized concepts of production, labor, capital assets, monopoly, and money. As Arrow and Hahn noted in chapter 14, the proposition that a decentralized market yields a coherent result has not yet been shown to hold for an economy where money is represented by contracts created through banking processes, and capitalist financial practices are required to support the purchase of expensive, long-lived capital assets. This is not surprising, since a Keynesian analysis of the interactions among money creation, asset pricing, and investment in the development of the economy through time
Sterol metabolism in the rat. Effect of cholesterol and cholesterol-alpha-epoxide on sterol metabolism in rats fed liquid diets.

Abstract Certain oxygenated derivatives of cholesterol have dramatic effects on cholesterol synthesis. The present study compared the effects of cholesterol and an oxygenated metabolite, cholesterol-α-epoxide, on sterol metabolism in rats. Sterol balance measurements using isotopic and chromatographic techniques were carried out in rats fed liquid control diets, control diets + cholesterol (1 mg/ml), and control diets + cholesterol-α-epoxide (1 mg/ml). Sterol metabolism was affected by both cholesterol and cholesterol-α-epoxide. Cholesterol feeding decreased cholesterol synthesis (−9.57 ± 7.23 mg/day), increased endogenous bile acid synthesis (7.71 ± 1.18 mg/day), and increased cholesterol turnover (7.78 ± 2.33 mg/day) compared to controls. Cholesterol-α-epoxide had no effect on cholesterol synthesis, endogenous bile acid synthesis and cholesterol turnover compared to controls. However, animals fed cholesterol-α-epoxide had large increases in total acidic steroid output (determined by chromatographic analysis, 12.23 ± 4.05 mg/day). This finding suggests that cholesterol-α-epoxide is absorbed and converted to bile acids. Apparently, the epoxide enters the bile acid biosynthetic pathway distal to the rate-limiting step of 7α-hydroxylation. As a result, large amounts of bile acids are formed from the epoxide without affecting endogenous cholesterol or bile acid synthesis. This was confirmed in a separate experiment by feeding [4-14C]cholesterol-α-epoxide and recovering labeled bile acids (hyodeoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid) as well as the starting radioactively labeled epoxide in the feces.
Research Roundtable Discussion: The Market Risk Premium

Discussants: PETER BOSSAERTS, California Institute of Technology JOHN COCHRANE, University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business EUGENE FAMA, University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business WILL GOETZMANN, Yale University, School of Management ROBERT S. HARRIS, Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia JOHN HEATON, Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management ROGER IBBOTSON, Yale University, School of Management MICHAEL J. MAUBOUSSIN, Chief U.S. Investment Strategist - Credit Suisse First Boston and Adjunct Professor - Finance and Economics - Columbia Business School ANDRE F. PEROLD, Harvard University, Harvard Business School JAY RITTER, University of Florida, Warrington College of Business ROBERT WHITELAW, New York University, Stern School of Business Organized by: PETER TUFANO, Harvard Business School While it is sometimes difficult to teach ideas that we would all agree to be correct, it is infinitely more difficult--and more rewarding--to teach material where the "correct answer" is still very debatable. For these subjects, one challenge as an educator is to know the "state of play" in the academic community about the issue. Another challenge is deciding whether to take one point of view, or whether to try to teach the students more than one point of view. While students will press for THE right answer, if they can understand why reasonable people reach different answers, this can move a class from fixating on one rote answer to a deeper contemplation of the subtleties of the various arguments. This new section of FEN-Educator will attempt to spotlight research areas where there is considerable disagreement in the profession. Our inaugural piece is a discussion of the equity risk premium--the long run return of stocks over riskless bonds--which is the source of much confusion in MBA classrooms and in practice. Ivo Welch has agreed to write a brief summary of the issues surrounding the market risk premium and to assemble a selected bibliography on the topic. We then invited a range of researchers, educators and practitioners to comment on how they treat this topic in the classroom. We would like to thank Ivo and the discussants for their willingness to innovate. In the spirit of innovation, we have set up a discussion board where readers can post their own observations on teaching the market risk premium and continue the conversation begun by Ivo and the discussants. (((This board can be found at http://www.???))) This section was obviously not intended to be the definitive answer on the market risk premium, nor a large scale survey of the numbers we use in class (which can be found in Ivo's forthcoming Journal of Business piece.) Rather it is a modest attempt to move discussions from the halls of our offices (where we ask one another, "What are you going to tell them tomorrow about the risk premium?") to a more public venue, and in so doing, assist finance professors. Please let us know what you think of this concept, how it can be improved, and what other topics you might find interesting.
Sleep problems among persons with a lifetime history of posttraumatic stress disorder alone and in combination with a lifetime history of other psychiatric disorders: a replication and extension.

Abstract Objective Sleep problems are a clinical and/or diagnostic feature for a broad array of mood, substance use, and anxiety disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous research by Leskin et al (Leskin GA, Woodward SH, Young HE, Sheikh J. Effects of comorbid diagnoses on sleep disturbance in PTSD. J Psychiat Res 2002;36:449-452) using the baseline National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) data found that persons with PTSD and panic disorder had a greater proportion of sleep problems than persons with other comorbid disorders. The current study extends Leskin et al's findings using the replication of the NCS. It compared persons with a lifetime history of PTSD (either alone or in combination) with 6 comparison disorders (adult separation anxiety, alcohol dependence, generalized anxiety, dysthymia, major depression, and panic) on severity of sleep disorder symptoms. Method The NCS Replication was a national probability survey of 9282 individuals that examined the prevalence and correlates of mental disorders. Subjects were chosen through a multistage probability sample of US households and interviewed using a computer-aided version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Results The PTSD (alone) group did not differ from the comparison disorders on difficulties of falling/staying asleep but did report more weeks per year when they had sleep difficulties than persons with adult separation anxiety, alcohol dependence, and major depression. Conclusion Unlike Leskin et al, the additive effects of a second disorder on sleep difficulties are not unique to panic disorder. However, when sleep difficulties were indexed by the number of weeks per year, differences between diagnostic groups emerged. If the goal of a diagnostic system is to carve nature at its joints, a sleep disturbance symptom reflecting frequency of difficulties in this way is clearly superior to less precise alternatives.
Communication in Genetic Counseling: Cognitive and Emotional Processing

The profession of genetic counseling has received limited guidance from theoretical models in how to communicate complex health information so that clients can actively use the information. In this study of a national sample of 145 genetic counselors conducting sessions with simulated clients, we apply two different approaches for analyzing and describing verbal health communication. The Roter interaction analysis system (RIAS) and linguistic inquiry word count (LIWC) were used to identify evidence of communication behaviors consistent with tenets of the social cognitive processing model (SCPM). These tools revealed descriptive evidence of counselor facilitation of client emotional processing and, to a lesser extent, facilitation of client cognitive processing and understanding. Conversely, descriptive analysis of client communication revealed evidence of cognitive processing, but less affective processing. Second, we assessed whether genetic counselor facilitative communication predicted simulated client...
Suggested Improvements for the Allergenicity Assessment of Genetically Modified Plants Used in Foods

Genetically modified (GM) plants are increasingly used for food production and industrial applications. As the global population has surpassed 7 billion and per capita consumption rises, food production is challenged by loss of arable land, changing weather patterns, and evolving plant pests and disease. Previous gains in quantity and quality relied on natural or artificial breeding, random mutagenesis, increased pesticide and fertilizer use, and improved farming techniques, all without a formal safety evaluation. However, the direct introduction of novel genes raised questions regarding safety that are being addressed by an evaluation process that considers potential increases in the allergenicity, toxicity, and nutrient availability of foods derived from the GM plants. Opinions vary regarding the adequacy of the assessment, but there is no documented proof of an adverse effect resulting from foods produced from GM plants. This review and opinion discusses current practices and new regulatory demands related to food safety.
Some clarifications on the bicriteria scheduling of unit execution time jobs on a single machine

Abstract In a recent paper, Chen and Bulfin (Computers & Operations Research 17, 1–7, 1990) have studied bicriteria scheduling of unit execution time jobs on a single machine for a number of commonly used criteria. They offer simple solutions for the cases when a value function defined over the two criteria is to be maximized, when the criteria themselves are to be hierarchically minimized, and when the criteria are to be simultaneously minimized. This note provides an interpretation of the Chen-Bulfin solution for the value function case, indicates that the solution may not be consistent with the traditional objective, and shows how a consistent solution might be obtained. Furthermore, it points to several flaws in the Chen-Bulfin solution for the simultaneous minimization case (when a completely representative set of efficient schedules must be obtained), and shows how these flaws might be corrected.
Cerebellar input tremor

Cerebellar system pathology commonly causes tremor, typically postural and kinetic tremor, although resting tremor is associated with interruption of cerebellar outflow via the superior cerebellar peduncle.1 I report a patient with an acquired tremor and focal pathology of the olivocerebellar projection. Case report. A 63-year-old right-handed man slipped on an icy sidewalk and struck his head. He was able to walk home but subsequently developed severe headache, dizziness, nausea, and emesis. He was seen in the Emergency Department at the University of Michigan; head CT revealed blood in the left lateral recess of the fourth ventricle with a small subependymal intraparenchymal hematoma in the left roof of the fourth ventricle. Left arm incoordination and gait difficulties were noted on admission. He was treated conservatively …
ROSS ON DESERT AND PUNISHMENT

: W. D. Ross thinks it is good, other things equal, that people get what they deserve. But he denies that “the principle of punishing the vicious, for the sake of doing so, is that on which the state should proceed in its bestowal of punishments.” Ross offers two main arguments for this denial: what I call the “scope argument” and the “state's purpose argument.” I argue that both fail. In doing so, I illuminate Ross's distinctive views about desert and the state.
Effects of Protein Deficiency and Diet Consistency on the Parotid Gland and Parotid Saliva of Rats

Protein deficiency results in an increased susceptibility to dental caries, suggesting that oral host-defense properties are compromised. An important component of oral host defense is salivary gland function, which is affected by both protein deficiency and diet consistency. This study describes the effects on rat parotid gland growth and secretory function induced by feeding rats diets of normal (20%) or moderately low (7%) protein content, provided in either a powdered or solid form. In addition, since protein deficiency may result in a secondary zinc deficiency which, in turn, may affect salivary gland function, the effects of these diets on liver zinc concentration were also measured. From 22 to 47 days of age, rats (18/group) were fed the following diets: normal protein, powdered; normal protein, solid; low protein, powdered; and low protein, solid. With each diet consistency, liver zinc was higher for the normal protein group. Within each protein level, liver zinc was higher for the solid diet. This latter observation suggests that food mastication and the resultant stimulation of salivary gland function may also play a role in zinc metabolism. With the normal-protein diet, parotid gland weight was higher for the solid diet; with the low-protein diet, parotid gland weight was similar for both consistencies and did not differ from that of the group fed the "normal protein, powdered" diet. For both consistencies, parotid saliva protein concentration was greater for malnourished rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Traits of a good ecologist: What do ecologists think?

Much is inferred, but little is actually known, about how ecologists view themselves and what they value as scientists. We investigated these attitudes as part of a survey of non-student, U.S.-addressed members of the Ecological Society of America. The part of the survey reported in this paper requested ratings of 15 possible traits of a good ecologist. These traits embodied values associated with religious principles, aesthetics, caring for nature, and epistemic competence (via professional proficiency). The survey was completed by 20% of the potential respondent pool of 6,083 ecologists. The resulting trait scores were analyzed with respect to age, gender, level of education, nature of employment, primary domain of inquiry, principle method of analysis, and source of greatest professional satisfaction. Respondents ranked traits associated with professional proficiency highest and religious principles lowest. Reactions to ethical and aesthetic traits were mixed. With increasing age, rankings for ethical and aesthetic traits increased while scores for some aspects of epistemic proficiency declined. Gender effects were few. Ecologists with BA/BS or MA/MS degrees scored aesthetic and pro-social traits higher and epistemic proficiency traits lower than did PhD degree-holding respondents. Ecologists employed by government, business, or non-profits had uniquely different scoring spectra from one another and from the entire pool. Characterization of values held by ecologists classified by various domains of inquiry, primary methods of analysis, or sources of greatest professional satisfaction was complex. Particularly intriguing was that those who worked in the ecosystem domain, who used modeling and meta-data analysis as methods, or who received the most professional satisfaction from these same activities, exhibited strong support for several epistemic proficiency-related traits, while being relatively negative about traits in the aesthetic and nature-caring categories. These results put some empirical substance and conceptual structures behind perceptions that distinct subcultures exist in U.S. ecology. These results are relevant in three ways. First, they provide a framework by which individual ecologists may become aware of the motivations that drive them, the values that shape their attitudes, and the source and meaning of their professional priorities. Second, these results challenge mentors to be mindful of how they guide young ecologists in the development of their own values and priorities. Third, these results inform the leadership of professional organizations of the range and variation of positions that their member hold and that are relevant to initiatives the leadership may which to promote.
Characterization of the GABAA receptor in the brain of the adult male bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana

Abstract Little is known about the properties of GABA receptors in the amphibian brain. The GABAA receptor is widespread in the mammalian brain, and can be specifically labeled with the receptor agonist [3H]muscimol. The binding of [3H]muscimol to membrane preparations from the brain of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, was investigated in kinetic, saturation, and inhibition experiments to determine whether this species possessed a GABAA-like receptor. Binding of 20 nM [3H]muscimol to membranes was specific and could be displaced by 1 mM GABA. Association binding curves showed that steady state occurred rapidly, within 2 min, and dissociation occurred within 5 min. The receptor was saturable with a single, high-affinity binding site (KD=19.2 nM; Bmax=1.8 pmol/mg protein). Binding of [3H]muscimol was inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion by muscimol, GABA, bicuculline methiodide, and bicuculline (in order of potency). Baclofen (at doses from 10−9 to 10−3 M) failed to displace [3H]muscimol. The binding characteristics and ligand specificity of [3H]muscimol binding sites in the bullfrog brain support the hypothesis that this amphibian possesses a GABAA-like receptor protein similar to the GABAA receptor characterized in mammals.
The challenge of undiagnosed pre-diabetes, diabetes and associated cardiovascular disease

Abstract Objective To present the challenges of undiagnosed pre-diabetes, diabetes and associated cardiovascular disease. Results A substantial number of people with diabetes and pre-diabetes remain undiagnosed worldwide. Without preventive measures, pre-diabetes progresses to overt diabetes at the rate of approximately 5% per year. Both diabetes and pre-diabetes are associated with vascular complications. Conclusion Undiagnosed pre-diabetes and diabetes is a major health problem, and we recommend widespread screening for diabetes. An international expert committee has recommended that HbA1c be used for the diagnosis of diabetes. Further studies are needed before HbA1c can be used as a diagnostic test for gestational diabetes.
Abstract 5102: Identifying targets for melanoma therapy: Biological and clinical implications of BRAF L597 mutants

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Recurrent driver mutations in BRAF (V600), NRAS (G12/13, Q61), KIT (W557, V559, L576, K642, D816), GNAQ (Q209) and GNA11 (Q209) have previously been identified in malignant melanomas, but over one-third of cases have no known potentially actionable targets. To identify novel drivers, we performed whole-genome sequencing of a tumor-normal pair from a patient with an aggressive, chemotherapy-naive metastatic melanoma which was pan-negative for the mutations listed above. Our data analysis pipeline revealed the landscape of somatic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertions and deletions, copy number variations, and structural variants. A subset of the nonsynonymous SNPs was validated by direct sequencing, resulting in the identification of a somatic BRAF L597R mutation. Surrogate kinase assays suggest that this mutant is sensitive to both BRAF and MEK inhibitors. Subsequent mutational analyses showed that BRAF L597 mutations were in 2 of 34 (6%) ‘pan-negative’ tumors. Collectively, these data demonstrate the frequency and potential therapeutic implications of BRAF L597 mutations in melanoma. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5102. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5102
Laparoendoscopic Single-Site Combined Cholecystectomy and Hysterectomy

Laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) surgery has gained increased acceptance among surgeons in various specialties. The universal nature of port placement in the umbilicus during LESS surgery may enable concomitant procedures to be performed in these surgical specialties via this single incision. This case report presents a 37-year-old woman who underwent concomitant LESS cholecystectomy and hysterectomy to treat a symptomatic fibroid uterus and symptoms of cholelithiasis. The surgical procedure was performed in approximately 3 hours without any complications, and the patient was discharge to home 18 hours after the procedure. This case demonstrates that increasingly complex concomitant procedures can be performed using a LESS surgical approach.
Facilitating central line-associated bloodstream infection prevention: a qualitative study comparing perspectives of infection control professionals and frontline staff.

Background Infection control professionals (ICPs) play a critical role in implementing and managing healthcare-associated infection reduction interventions, whereas frontline staff are responsible for delivering direct and ongoing patient care. The objective of our study was to determine if ICPs and frontline staff have different perspectives about the facilitators and challenges of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) prevention program success. Methods We conducted key informant interviews at 8 hospitals that participated in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality CLABSI prevention initiative called "On the CUSP: Stop BSI." We analyzed interview data from 50 frontline nurses and 26 ICPs to identify common themes related to program facilitators and challenges. Results We identified 4 facilitators of CLABSI program success: education, leadership, data, and consistency. We also identified 3 common challenges: lack of resources, competing priorities, and physician resistance. However, the perspective of ICPs and frontline nurses differed. Whereas ICPs tended to focus on general descriptions, frontline staff noted program specifics and often discussed concrete examples. Conclusions Our results suggest that ICPs need to take into account the perspectives of staff nurses when implementing infection control and broader quality improvement initiatives. Further, the deliberate inclusion of frontline staff in the implementation of these programs may be critical to program success.
Effect of oceanic turbulence on polarization of stochastic beams

Abstract On the basis of the extended Huygens–Fresnel principle and the unified theory of coherence and polarization of light we determine the changes in various polarization properties of stochastic beams propagating through the turbulent clear-water ocean. The ocean-induced fluctuations in the refractive index are described via the recently developed power spectrum which takes into account both temperature and salinity variations. Numerical examples of changes in the spectral density, the degree of polarization and in the polarization ellipse are given for electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beams. We demonstrate, in particular, how polarization of the propagating beam is affected by statistical properties of the source and by several parameters of oceanic turbulence. We find that propagation of light beams in the oceanic turbulence resembles that in the atmospheric turbulence qualitatively, however evolution and asymptotic saturation of polarization in the oceanic turbulence occurs at much shorter distances.
Importance of angiogenic action of angiotensin II in the glomerular growth of maturing kidneys.

Importance of angiogenic action of angiotensin II in the glomerular growth of maturing kidneys. We studied the effect of three antihypertensive drugs on the growth of glomeruli in four- to five-week-old Munich-Wistar rats (N = 24), which were undergoing rapid maturation processes. Young rats were given an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI, enalapril, 50 mg/liter drinking water), verapamil (50 mg/liter) or hydralazine (80 mg/liter) or no treatment for six weeks. Body weight increased comparably in the treatment groups and age-matched controls, reaching on average 197 ± 11, 214 ± 12 and 198 ± 3 g in ACEI-, verapamil- and hydralazine-treated rats, respectively, versus 218 ± 6 g in control rats. Glomerular hemodynamic patterns, including glomerular capillary pressure, measured in maturing rats after one and six weeks of ACEI treatment were unaffected by ACEI. Mean planar area of glomeruli (PAmean) achieved was smaller than control in ACEI rats (6.60 ± 0.20 × 10-3mm2 vs. 5.37 ± 0.22, respectively, P
KINDLED SEIZURES INCREASE METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR EXPRESSION AND FUNCTION IN THE RAT SUPRAOPTIC NUCLEUS

The spread of experimentally kindled seizures in rats results in sustained increases in plasma vasopressin (VP) and VP mRNA in the supraoptic nucleus (SON). These increases provide an excellent example of the pathological plasticity that can develop in normal cells exposed to recurrent seizure activity. To test whether this plasticity might be due in part to changes in metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), we examined mGluR mRNA expression in the SON 1 month after stage 5 amygdala kindling. Three mGluR subtypes were detected by in situ hybridization in the SON in the following relative levels: mGluR3 > mGluR1 > mGluR7. Both mGluR1 and mGluR3 mRNAs were significantly increased in the SON (+28-61%) and cortex (+27-42%) after kindling. Immunoreactivity for mGluR1 but not mGluR2/3 was significantly increased in vivo in the SON. Receptor protein expression and intracellular calcium accumulation in response to the mGluR agonist, 1S,3R ACPD, were evaluated after in vitro "kindling" of neuroendocrine cells by Mg2+ deprivation. Increased immunoreactivity for mGluR1 and mGluR2/3 was seen in all cultures 3 days after a brief exposure to Mg2+-free medium. 1S,3R 1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (ACPD) induced rapid peak responses and gradual accumulations of intracellular Ca2+ in neurons. Both responses were increased in the "kindled" cells. Increases in the expression of functional mGluR1 and perhaps mGluR3 receptors may contribute to the development of long-lasting plastic changes associated with seizure activity.
Clinical evaluation of a new stationary high strip density antiscatter grid in comparison with a conventional moving grid: influence on image quality and patient radiation dose

This study aimed to evaluate a new stationary 13/75 antiscatter grid in comparison with a moving 12/40 grid with regard to its influence on image quality and patient radiation dose. One hundred consecutive patients had plain films of the abdomen using a moving 12/40 grid and another 100 patients were examined with a stationary 13/75 grid (tube voltage 73 kV, film size 35 cm x 43 cm, film-screen system speed class 400). As an intraindividual comparison, radiographs of the abdomen with a film size of 18 cm x 43 cm were taken of 27 patients using both grid types for every patient. Patients' weight and dose-area product were recorded. Image quality was evaluated by a multireader study using standardized questionnaires and three- or five-level grading systems. Results showed that use of the 13/75 grid accords with the ALARA principle: measurement of the dose-area product demonstrated a dose saving of 24% for a film size of 35 cm x 43 cm and a saving of 34% for a film size of 18 cm x 43 cm without calling into question the diagnostic image quality. The mean scores of the 12/40 grid were lower for three out of six normal anatomic structures (P<0.05) among the 200 patients, indicating a loss of image quality with the 13/75 grid. Assessment of the intraindividual trial revealed reduced detectability of three out of four anatomical details when the 13/75 grid was employed. At the cost of a minor loss of image quality in comparison with the 12/40 grid, the new stationary grid provides a clear reduction of radiation dose under clinical circumstances.
Metal-dielectric composite filters with controlled absorption and transparency bands

The possibility of developing broadband low-pass filters, with windows of transparency in pre-set spectral ranges and high absorption in other spectral ranges is studied. Such filters can be based on the unique optical properties of metal-dielectric composites near the percolation threshold.
Quantum Optics and Optomechanics in Gravitational Wave Detectors

The sensitivity of a new generation of interferometric gravitational wave detectors is expected to be predominantly limited by quantum optical noise. I will explore these quantum limits, and describe experimental progress toward circumventing them. Article not available.
An in situ calorimetric study of zeolite crystallization kinetics

Abstract In this in situ calorimetric method the reaction rate is derived from the rate of evolution of the heat of reaction. The rationale and the procedure to obtain the reaction rate from the recorded heat flow during crystallization are elucidated. One major advantage of this method is the continuous and accurate measurement of crystallization rates over a wide range of crystallinity. In contrast, other methods like XRD and microscopy, directly measure the mass (or volume) of the product, but not the reaction rate, at a few times and only an average crystallization rate is usually computed. Other features of the in situ calorimetric method are also discussed. A case study of the crystallization kinetics of FAU zeolite is reported. The Arrhenius activation energy for crystallization increases from 66±2.3 to 72±0.8 kJ/mol as the crystallization proceeds from ∼5% to ∼75%. This change can be correlated to the increase of the Si/Al ratio in the solution, indicating that Al-rich aluminosilicate nutrient species are more reactive in the crystal growth.
Fourier Transform Infrared Circular Dichroism: A Double Modulation Approach

The principles of double modulation FT-IR circular dichroism are presented. This approach to the measurement of infrared circular dichroism is compared to other methods and the advantages of the double modulation technique are explained. Examples of FT-IR vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) are presented and compared to the same VCD spectra measured with a conventional dispersive instrument. Procedures for calibrating the FT-IR-VCD spectra are noted and the performance of the instrument is evaluated for signal-to-noise ratio and interfering polarization artifacts.© (1981) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Evidence for the influence of seagrasses on the benthic nitrogen cycle in a coastal plain estuary near Beaufort, North Carolina (USA).

A study was undertaken to evaluate the interrelationship between the presence of seagrasses, Zostera marina and Halodule wrightii, and the physical and chemical properties of sediments in a coastal plain estuary near Beaufort, North Carolina. In sediments underlying a cover of seagrass, silt-clay, organic matter, exchangeable ammonium, ammonium dissolved in pore waters and total nitrogen were larger than in unvegetated profiles. The magnitude of the physical and chemical properties of sediments varied according to the location of the station in relation to the vegetation, as well as the continuity in the distribution of the seagrass. The largest pools of nitrogen, the finest sediment texture, and the greatest organic matter content were in sediments associated with the mid bed regions of seagrass meadows, intermediate at the edges of the bed and small isolated patches of grass, and least in unvegetated substrate.