cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
School Variation in Students’ Experiences of High School Relationship and Marriage Education Courses:

Previous research on high school relationship and marriage education (RME) has shown small but positive course effects. However, these studies have pooled results across schools, without exploring differences in outcomes by school. This article examines variations in students’ RME course experiences by school, captured in interviews. It compares these against the average change in students’ relationship skills from pre- to postexposure at each school, measured in surveys. Results show that at schools where students show quantitative gains in relationship skills during the course, qualitative differences are also visible—students discuss learning a wide variety of course lessons, relevant to both adolescent and adult relationships. At schools where students do not show quantitative gains in relationship skills, they describe learning a limited number of lessons. Findings confirm the importance of exploring variation in course effects across schools and demonstrate that successful courses affect students in...
Internet-based mental health interventions

Following recent reviews of community and practice-based mental health interventions, an assessment of Internet-based interventions is provided. Although relatively new, many Internet mental health interventions have reported early results that are promising. Both therapist-led as well as self-directed online therapies indicate significant alleviation of disorder-related symptomatology. The number of studies addressing child disorders lags behind those of adults. More research is needed to address methodological issues of Internet-based treatments.
Fertile and Selectively Flirty Women’s Behavior Toward Men Changes Across the Ovulatory Cycle

Past research shows that men respond to women differently depending on where women are in their ovulatory cycle. But what leads men to treat ovulating women differently? We propose that the ovulatory cycle alters women's flirting behavior. We tested this hypothesis in an experiment in which women interacted with different types of men at different points in their cycle. Results revealed that women in the ovulatory phase reported more interest in men who had purported markers of genetic fitness as short-term mates, but not as long-term mates. Furthermore, behavioral ratings of the interactions indicated that women displayed more flirting behaviors when they were at high than at low fertility. Importantly, fertile women flirted more only when interacting with men who had genetic-fitness markers, not with other men. In summary, fertility not only alters women's behavior but does so in a context-dependent way that follows adaptive logic.
Lateral Load Tests on a Two-Story Unreinforced Masonry Building

A full-scale two-story unreinforced masonry (URM) building was tested in a quasistatic fashion to investigate the nonlinear properties of existing URM structures and to assess the efficiency of several common retrofit techniques. This paper presents the main experimental findings associated with the nonlinear properties of the original URM structure. The test structure exhibited large initial stiffness and its damage was characterized by large, discrete cracks that developed in masonry walls. Significant global behavior such as global rocking of an entire wall, and local responses such as rocking and sliding of each individual pier were observed in the masonry walls with different configurations. In addition, formation of flanges in perpendicular walls and overturning moments had significant effects on the behavior of the test structure. A comparison between the experimental observations and the predictions of FEMA 356 provisions shows that major improvements are needed for this latter methodology.
Podcasting in Mobile WiMAX: A Case Study

Abstract- The mobile WiMAX is based on IEEE 802.16e-2005 standard and is essentially a metropolitan area network (MAN) wireless technology for providing high-quality broadband service. The system works on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and mainly harnesses the technique of fractional frequency reuse for maximum usage of the allocated spectrum. This paper examines the feasibility and requirements for podcasting a file of maximum size of 2594kB, as proposed in a report by WiMAX forum in September 2007, under a specific urban setting of United Kingdom. The parameters discussed for this assessment are bandwidth, downlink transmission time, downlink cell spectral efficiency, downlink cell edge user spectral efficiency and total podcasting bandwidth required each month. The parameters are quantified for two sets of consumers. The first set consist of number of consumers as 3.8 per squarekm, while the second set consist of 1000 consumers per squarekm. The WiMAX report forecasts the WiMAX scenario up to year 2020. However, the parameters for podcasting are assessed and discussed for the year 2010.
Dendritic polyglycerol with secondary amine shell as an efficient gene delivery vector with reduced toxicity

Dendritic polycation (PG-BEN) using polyglycerol as a core and secondary amine shell consisting of N1,N11-bisethylnorspermine (BEN) was synthesized. Polymers containing primary amines in the shell (PG-Nor and PG-NH2) were synthesized as controls to allow evaluation of the shell effect on physicochemical and transfection properties of the polymers. All studied polymers condensed DNA and formed polyplexes with sizes less than 110 nm. PG-BEN and PG-Nor had a similar transfection activity that was fully comparable with that of the control polyethylenimine. Amongst the studied polymers, PG-BEN demonstrated the lowest cytotoxicity, suggesting that PG-BEN is a promising gene delivery vector with favorable transfection/toxicity profile. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cerebral Embolization: Prospective Clinical Analysis of 42 Cases

The sites, sources, and incidence of cerebral embolization were established in an unselected series of hospitalized patients using recommended epidemiological criteria. Criteria for diagnosis of cerebral embolization as a cause of stroke are defined. Forty-two (15%) from a total of 280 patients with various forms of cerebrovascular disease were diagnosed as having cerebral embolization. The epidemiology has been altered by antibiotics and cardiac surgery, particularly the use of prosthetic heart valves. In this series, the mortality rate was 9.5%, which is lower than in previously reported series probably due to emergency medical treatment. The heart was the most common source. Prosthetic heart valves emerged as the most common source of emboli in this series. Ulcerated plaques of the carotid arteries in the neck ranked second. Seizures occurred in 42.8% of cases. The left cerebral hemisphere was involved approximately twice as frequently as the right one. Possible explanations based on the anatomy of the...
An Initial Validation of a Study Strategy System

This study sought to determine the effectiveness of an integrated study strategy system that used self-assigned student writing as a means of learning psychology content. Sixty-five college freshmen from four sections of a reading/study strategy course were trained over a 3-week period to use either a question-answer recitation format or PORPE (Predict, Organize, Rehearse, Practice, and Evaluate). All subjects took an initial and delayed multiple choice test and an essay exam which were used as the dependent measures. The essays were scored for content, organization, and cohesion. The results indicated that the students trained in PORPE scored significantly better than the Question-Answer students on both the recall and recognition measures. In addition, the PORPE essay answers were significantly more organized and cohesive than the essays of the students trained in answering questions. It was concluded that PORPE can be a potent, durable, and efficient independent study strategy for college students in their efforts to learn content area concepts.
Structural Correlates of Prospective Memory

Prospective memory (PM) includes the encoding and maintenance of an intention, and the retrieval and execution of this intention at the proper moment in the future. The present study expands upon previous behavioral, electrophysiological, and functional work by examining the association between grey matter volume and PM. Estimates of grey matter volume in theoretically relevant regions of interest (prefrontal, parietal, and medial temporal) were obtained in conjunction with performance on two PM tasks in a sample of 39 cognitively normal and very mildly demented older adults. The first PM task, termed focal in the literature, is supported by spontaneous retrieval of the PM intention whereas the second, termed non-focal, relies on strategic monitoring processes for successful intention retrieval. A positive relationship was observed between medial temporal volume and accuracy on the focal PM task. An examination of medial temporal lobe subregions revealed that this relationship was strongest for the hippocampus, which is considered to support spontaneous memory retrieval. There were no significant structure-behavior associations for the non-focal PM task. These novel results confirm a relationship between behavior and underlying brain structure proposed by the multiprocess theory of PM, and extend findings on cognitive correlates of medial temporal lobe integrity.
Increased Frequency of Cysteine, Tyrosine, and Phenylalanine Residues Since the Last Universal Ancestor

Analysis of extant proteomes has the potential of revealing how amino acid frequencies within proteins have evolved over biological time. Evidence is presented here that cysteine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine residues have substantially increased in frequency since the three primary lineages diverged more than three billion years ago. This inference was derived from a comparison of amino acid frequencies within conserved and non-conserved residues of a set of proteins dating to the last universal ancestor in the face of empirical knowledge of the relative mutability of these amino acids. The under-representation of these amino acids within last universal ancestor proteins relative to their modern descendants suggests their late introduction into the genetic code. Thus, it appears that extant ancient proteins contain evidence pertaining to early events in the formation of biological systems.
On deformation twinning in b.c.c. metals

A new model of deformation twinning in b.c.c. metals based on the dissociation of an a2〈111〉 screw dislocations into three co-linear a6〈111〉 partials on three adjacent {112} planes is proposed. A short screw segment of this “zonal” dislocation bows out under an applied stress in a fashion similar to a Frank-Read source, where each of the three partials glides on its individuals {112} plane. The correlated motion of the three partials on three adjacent {112} planes forms a three layered micro-twin. After one Frank-Read zonal dislocation loop forms, the screw segment undergoes cross-slip in a similar fashion as the model proposed by Pirouz for twinning in Si [Scripta metall.21, 1463 (1987)] because the formation of a second Frank-Read zonal dislocation loop would produce a stacking sequence of {112} planes associated with a high energy stacking fault. However, after cross-slip the screw-segment may again bow out on a new set of parallel {112} planes to form another three layered micro-twin bound by the zonal dislocation loop. The repeated cross-slip and bowing out of such zonal dislocation loops results in both lateral growth and thickening of the deformation twin.
Takagi-Sugeno Fuzzy Model-Based Control of Spacecraft with Flexible Appendage

This paper presents a Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model-based approach to model and control a rigid spacecraft with flexible antenna. First, the equations of motion of the flexible spacecraft, which are based on Lagrange equations and given in terms of quasi-coordinates and the Rayleigh-Ritz method, are briefly reviewed. Then, the T-S fuzzy modeling and the parallel distributed compensation control technique are introduced. We utilize full state-feedback and optimal H∞ robustness performance via a T-S fuzzy model to achieve position and attitude stabilization, vibration suppression, and disturbance rejection objectives. Finally, this technique is applied to the flexible spacecraft equations of motion resulting in a nonlinear controller. The controller produces an asymptotically stable closed-loop system which is robust to external disturbances and has a simple structure for straightforward implementation. Numerical simulation is provided for performance evaluation of the proposed controller design.
Effects of clutter modeling in evaluating STAP processing for space-based radars

RLSTAP is shown to be an effective tool for modeling clutter representative of that seen by an actual spaceborne system. Realistic effects, like the Doppler aliasing of the angle-Doppler clutter spectrum from a high velocity platform and the non-homogeneity of site-specific clutter, can be modeled and their impact on adaptive signal processing studied. The example simulated in this work demonstrates that the Doppler aliasing of the clutter spectrum impacts the requirements on the STAP processor. The processor requires four spatial degrees of freedom to effectively suppress the clutter, while in previous cases with slower platforms only two were sufficient. This should be considered in designing a space-based radar system. Additionally, the non-homogeneity of the site-specific clutter influences STAP requirements. Care must be taken to keep the required sample support small and to choose the secondary data cells such that they are as close as possible, statistically, to the data from the test range cell.
Attention, configuration, and hippocampal function.

We present a neural network that characterizes a remarkably large number of classical conditioning paradigms and describes the effects of many neurophysiological manipulations. First, the network 1) describes behavior in real time 2) comprises simple and configural stimulus representations, and 3) includes attentional control of storage and retrieval. Second, mapping of the network onto the brain can be summarized by several information processing loops: 1) a hippocampal-cortical configural loop, 2) a hippocampal-cerebellar conditioned-response loop, 3) a hippocampal-accumbens-thalamic attentional loop, and 4) a hippocampal-medial raphe-medial septum error loop. Third, within this global view of brain function, it is assumed that the hippocampal formation computes 1) the aggregate prediction of environmental events and 2) the error signals for cortical learning. These assumptions are supported by rigorous computer simulations consistent with a large body of data on hippocampal and septal neural activity, induction and blockade of hippocampal long-term potentiation, administration of cholinergic agonists and antagonists, administration of haloperidol, and selective and nonselective hippocampal and cortical lesions. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A High-Power 105–120 GHz Broadband On-Chip Power-Combined Frequency Tripler

We report on the design, fabrication and characterization of a high-power and broadband 105–120 GHz Schottky diode frequency tripler based on a novel on-chip power combining concept that allows superior power handling than traditional approaches. The chip features twelve anodes on a 50 $\mu{\rm m}$ thick GaAs substrate. At room temperature, the tripler exhibits a 17% 3 dB bandwidth and a $\sim 30\%$ peak conversion efficiency for a nominal input power of around 350–400 mW, and $\sim 20\%$ efficiency for its maximum operational input power of 800–900 mW. This tripler can deliver maximum power levels very close to 200 mW. The on-chip power-combined frequency tripler is compared with a traditional tripler designed for the same band using the same design parameters.
Steps toward derandomizing RRTs

We present two new motion planning algorithms, based on the rapidly exploring random tree (RRT) family of algorithms. These algorithms represent the first work in the direction of derandomizing RRTs; this is a very challenging problem due to the way randomization is used in RRTs. In RRTs, randomization is used to create Voronoi bias, which causes the search trees to rapidly explore the state space. Our algorithms take steps to increase the Voronoi bias and to retain this property without the use of randomization. Studying these and related algorithms would improve our understanding of how efficient exploration can be accomplished, and would hopefully lead to improved planners. We give experimental results that illustrate how the new algorithms explore the state space and how they compare with existing RRT algorithms.
Unitary signal constellations for differential space-time modulation with two transmit antennas: parametric codes, optimal designs, and bounds

We focus on the design of unitary signal constellations for differential space-time modulation with double transmit antennas. By using the parametric form of a two-by-two unitary matrix, we present a class of unitary space-time codes called parametric codes and show that this class of unitary space-time codes leads to a five-signal constellation with the largest possible diversity product and a 16-signal constellation with the largest known diversity product. Although the parametric code of size 16 is not a group by itself, we show that it is a subset of a group of order 32. Furthermore, the unitary signal constellations of sizes 32, 64, 128, and 256 obtained by taking the subsets of the parametric codes of sizes 37, 75, 135, and 273, respectively, have the largest known diversity products. We also use large diversity sum of unitary space-time signal constellations as another significant property for the signal constellations to have good performance in low-SNR scenarios. The newly introduced unitary space-time codes can lead to signal constellations with sizes of 5 and 9 through 16 that have the largest possible diversity sums. Subsequently, we construct a few sporadic unitary signal constellations with the largest possible diversity product or diversity sum. A four-signal constellation which has both the largest possible diversity product and the largest possible diversity sum and three unitary signal constellations with the largest possible diversity sums for sizes of 6, 7, and 8 are constructed, respectively. Furthermore, by making use of the existing results in sphere packing and spherical codes, we provide several upper and lower bounds on the largest possible diversity product and the largest possible diversity sum that unitary signal constellations of any size can achieve.
Project CIVIS: Curriculum Development and Assessment of Underserved and Underachieving Middle School Populations.

This article presents findings from a large-scale curriculum development, quasi-experimental study. Participating teachers implemented four U.S. history units in their diverse middle-grade classes;...
Wave Action at Spillways

The height of progressive irregular waves observed to exist downstream from spillways was found to have a normal distribution. The significant wave height depended on Froude number, downstream depth, bed slope, and type of dissipator. The effect of different bed slopes was studied. The statistical distribution of the wave height was observed to be always normal with varying standard deviation, which appears to depend on Froude number. The significant wave height was observed to increase with the decrease of λ 1 (kinetic flow factor). The effect of the downstream depth differed according to bed slope. The wave heights induced downstream from a bucket-type energy dissipator depended on both downstream depth andλ 1 . For the minimum wave height, the flow pattern and the mechanism of energy dissipation affected the wave heights.
Race-Visible Professional Identifications

David: One of my goals is to be a White man in their [students’] lives, older, straight [Al Anon] again because I went straight, uh, who’s not a cop, a lawyer, a bill collector, a probation officer, a guard, a salesman, uh, what other jobs can I think, you know, the banker, lawyer, uh yeah, whatever, that I’m their teacher and I’ve gotten better and better at it over the years …I mean I think not recognizing race as a fact or an issue is discounting the values and experiences of what the kids bring to the classroom.
Adjustments Necessary in Taxation in View of the Possibility of a Lower General Price Level

Definition of terms is among the first requirements in the introduction of a subject, unless the terms to be used are so uniformly understood that apparent differences of meaning are unlikely. Unless defined, the word "adjustment" may serve quite as conveniently to hide as to elucidate meaning, thus permitting modification and even reversal of ideas with the minimum of embarrassment. For the present purpose, the term "adjustment" in relation to farm taxation means reduction in taxes
Essay Upon Reading War and Cultural Heritage: An Analysis of the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Two Protocols, by Kevin Chamberlain

This article reviews Kevin Chamberlain’s War and Cultural Heritage: An Analysis of the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and Its Two Protocols, concluding that the work serves as an excellent introduction to the 1954 Convention and its Protocols, particularly in its treatment of the Convention’s drafting history and interaction with other international agreements. The article supplements Chamberlain’s work, recounting the historical development of customary international law in the cultural heritage field from the eighteenth century to the recent U.S. ratification of the Convention itself, including an analysis of the debate as to the role of the Convention as modern customary international law.
Commentary on robotic bronchoplasty.

Lee and Associates have briefly described three robotic broncho-plastic operations. The authors conclude that robotic assisted thoracoscopic surgery offers specific advantages over conventional thoracoscopic surgery and in general we agree. The main advantages are technical given the wristed instruments. However, many skilled VATS surgeons would argue, and rightfully so, that they can do it just as well with VATS instruments. Until there is data on the subject it remains a matter of opinion. In this well written article (1), that has an N of 3, the authors show safety and feasibility.
Atomic Beam Interactions with Silicon (111) Surfaces: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Low energy (5–20 eV) atomic beam-surface interactions have been studied using a molecular dynamics technique. Silicon atoms are directed at an unreconstructed (111) silicon substrate either perpendicular to the surface or at grazing angles of incidence from 10–35°. The Si-Si interaction is treated using an empirical many-body silicon potential so that the effects of covalent bonding are included. At general beam orientations relative to the surface, low energy atoms are rapidly adsorbed at the surface, whereas at higher energies they either bounce off the surface or penetrate into the substrate. However, when the surface component of beam momentum is parallel to a (100) symmetry direction, Si atoms, under certain conditions, are found to channel along the surface rows, resulting in very little local excitation of the surface geometry and only gradual energy loss. The vertical momentum is carried away by substrate lattice vibrations, and the particle is guided along the surface by interaction with the atoms making up the surface ‘half-channels’. This surface channeling effect offers considerable promise for delicate control of the beam-induced annealing/growth of non-equilibrium surface geometries, and thus for high-quality growth at low temperatures.
STATE ESTIMATION OF OBJECTS THAT HAVE AND HAVE NOT BEEN OBSERVED

This paper describes an estimator called the Information Model that computes three types of information: tracks containing state estimates for individual objects that have been observed; geographic distributions of undetected objects that have not yet been directly observed but whose presence is suspected; and the geographic distributions of total object counts, including both tracks and undetected objects. Collectively, these outputs support a variety of decision-making processes about finding objects, monitoring objects, doing things to objects, or simply avoiding objects. As its inputs the Information Model accepts measurements from a broad class of sensors whose observations can be packaged as contacts, for example, Search Radar, Electro-optical, and Synthetic Aperture Radar sensors. The Information Model can integrate observations with widely varying geographic coverage, probabilities of detection, false detection rates, and update frequencies. It can also use additional, independent expectations of geographic distributions of the objects present. This paper defines the estimator’s inputs and outputs, describes its computations, and presents results derived from simulations.
Central-Place Analyses in the la Entrada Region, Honduras: Implications for Understanding the Classic Maya Political and Economic Systems

Analyses of archaeological data from the La Entrada region in northwestern Honduras demonstrate that central-place theory applies to the regional settlement system during the Late Classic period. The configuration of the regional central-place system appears to have been oriented to the local exchange of subsistence goods and to the minimization of energy expenditure in their movement. The distribution patterns of obsidian artifacts vary significantly among the hypothetical sustaining areas of centers, corroborating the reconstruction of a central-place system. This also suggests that political factors affected the circulation of certain materials and that basic economic spatial units in Classic Maya society were relatively small.
Optimal Reporting Systems with Investor Information Acquisition

This paper analyzes a manager’s optimal ex-ante reporting system using a Bayesian persuasion approach (Kamenica and Gentzkow (2011)) in a setting where investors affect cash flows through their decision to finance the firm’s investment opportunities, possibly assisted by the costly acquisition of additional information (inspection). I examine how the informativeness and the bias of the optimal system are determined by investors’ inspection cost, the degree of incentive alignment between the manager and investors, and the prior belief that the project is profitable. I find that a mis-aligned manager’s system is informative only when the market prior is pessimistic and is always positively biased. As investors’ inspection cost decreases, this bias decreases and the optimal system becomes more conservative. In contrast, a well-aligned manager’s system is fully revealing when investors’ inspection cost is high, and is counter-cyclical to the market belief when the inspection cost is low: It is positively (negatively) biased when the market belief is pessimistic (optimistic). I explore the extent to which the results generalize to a case with managerial manipulation and discuss the implications for investment efficiency. Overall, the analysis describes the complex interactions among determinants of firm disclosures and governance, and offers explanations for the mixed empirical results in this area.
Release of SR Proteins from CLK1 by SRPK1: A Symbiotic Kinase System for Phosphorylation Control of Pre-mRNA Splicing

Phosphorylation has been generally thought to activate the SR family of splicing factors for efficient splice-site recognition, but this idea is incompatible with an early observation that overexpression of an SR protein kinase, such as the CDC2-like kinase 1 (CLK1), weakens splice-site selection. Here, we report that CLK1 binds SR proteins but lacks the mechanism to release phosphorylated SR proteins, thus functionally inactivating the splicing factors. Interestingly, CLK1 overcomes this dilemma through a symbiotic relationship with the serine-arginine protein kinase 1 (SRPK1). We show that SRPK1 interacts with an RS-like domain in the N terminus of CLK1 to facilitate the release of phosphorylated SR proteins, which then promotes efficient splice-site recognition and subsequent spliceosome assembly. These findings reveal an unprecedented signaling mechanism by which two protein kinases fulfill separate catalytic features that are normally encoded in single kinases to institute phosphorylation control of pre-mRNA splicing in the nucleus.
Prospecting Prejudice: An Examination of the Long-Term Effects of Perceived Racial Discrimination on the Health Behavior and Health Status of African Americans

African American adolescents tend to use substances at a lower rate than adolescents of other racial/ethnic groups. However, that pattern tends to change later in life, as African American young adults tend to exceed other young adults in terms of rates of problematic use. Several factors have been suggested as contributors to this racial cross-over in use patterns. This chapter concerns one of those factors: perceived racial discrimination. We report results of survey and experimental research examining the discrimination a substance use relation, with a focus on mediators of the relation (e.g., anger, diminished self-control), as well as moderators, including buffers (effective parenting, racial identity) and risk factors (coping style, neighborhood integration). Implications for intervention are also discussed.
Impact of Continuous Evaluation of Technology and Therapy: 30 Years of Research Reduces Stroke and Mortality from Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury.

Background Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) was underdiagnosed until the 1990s when blunt carotid injuries were found to be more common than historically described. Technological advancements and regionalization of trauma care have resulted in increased screening and improved diagnosis of BCVI. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that systematic evaluation of the screening and diagnosis of BCVI, combined with early and aggressive treatment, have led to reductions in BCVI-related stroke and mortality. Study Design Patients with BCVI from 1985 to 2015 were identified and stratified by age, sex, and Injury Severity Score. BCVI-related stroke and mortality rates were then calculated and compared. Patients were divided into 5 eras based on changes in technology, screening, or treatment algorithms at our institution. Results Five hundred and sixty-four patients were diagnosed with BCVI: 508 carotid artery and 267 vertebral artery injuries. Sixty-five percent of patients were male, mean age was 41 years, and mean Injury Severity Score was 27. Incidence of BCVI diagnosis increased from 0.33% to approximately 2% of all blunt trauma (p Conclusions Although increased screening has resulted in a higher incidence of injuries over time, BCVI-related stroke and mortality have decreased significantly. Continuous critical evaluation of evolving technology and diagnostic and treatment algorithms has contributed substantially to those improved outcomes. Appraisals of technological advances, preferably through prospective multi-institutional studies, should advance our understanding of these injuries and lead to even lower stroke rates.
Chapter 219 - Signaling Through G z

G z is a member of the G i subfamily that contains a 41 kDa ⍺ subunit G⍺ z that possesses several properties that set it apart from other G⍺ i proteins. First, the tissue distribution of G⍺ z is quite restricted, being found primarily in brain, retina, adrenal medulla, and platelets; expression is virtually undetectable in other tissues. Although the precise role(s) of G z in cellular signaling remain to be established, accumulating evidence points to the involvement of G z in platelet function and, what is especially interesting, neurogenesis. It is intriguing to speculate that G z may play a crucial role in determining cell fate during early brain development and later in neurogenesis in adulthood. Through subtle but extremely important actions, G z could participate in such critical brain functions as learning and memory.
A Phase II study of Dovitinib in Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma

Purpose: Genetic and preclinical studies have implicated FGFR signaling in the pathogenesis of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). Dovitinib, a suppressor of FGFR activity, may be active in ACC.Experimental Design: In a two-stage phase II study, 35 patients with progressive ACC were treated with dovitinib 500 mg orally for 5 of 7 days continuously. The primary endpoints were objective response rate and change in tumor growth rate. Progression-free survival, overall survival, metabolic response, biomarker, and quality of life were secondary endpoints.Results: Of 34 evaluable patients, 2 (6%) had a partial response and 22 (65%) had stable disease >4 months. Median PFS was 8.2 months and OS was 20.6 months. The slope of the overall TGR fell from 1.95 to 0.63 on treatment (P < 0.001). Toxicity was moderate; 63% of patients developed grade 3-4 toxicity, 94% required dose modifications, and 21% stopped treatment early. An early metabolic response based on 18FDG-PET scans was seen in 3 of 15 patients but did not correlate with RECIST response. MYB gene translocation was observed and significantly correlated with overexpression of MYB but did not correlate with FGFR1 phosphorylation or clinical response to dovitinib.Conclusions: Dovitinib produced few objective responses in patients with ACC but did suppress the TGR with a PFS that compares favorably with those reported with other targeted agents. Future studies of more potent and selective FGFR inhibitors in biomarker-selected patients will be required to determine whether FGFR signaling is a valid therapeutic target in ACC. Clin Cancer Res; 23(15); 4138-45. ©2017 AACR.
Temporal dynamics of CO2 and CH4 loss potentials in response to rapid hydrological shifts in tidal freshwater wetland soils

Earth System Models predict climate extremes that will impact regional and global hydrology. Aquatic-terrestrial transition zones like wetlands are subjected to the immediate consequence of climate change with shifts in the magnitude and dynamics of hydrologic flow. Such fluctuating hydrology can alter the nature and rate of biogeochemical transformations and significantly impact the carbon balance of the ecosystem. We tested the impacts of fluctuating hydrology and, specifically, the role of antecedent moisture conditions in determining the dominant carbon loss mechanisms in soils sampled from a tidal freshwater wetland system in the lower Columbia River, WA, USA. Our objective was to understand shifts in biogeochemical processes in response to changing soil moisture, based on soil respiration and methane production rates, and to elucidate such responses based on the observed electron acceptor and metabolite profiles under laboratory conditions. Metabolomics and biogeochemical process rates provided evidence that soil redox was the principal factor driving metabolic function. Fluctuating redox conditions altered terminal electron acceptor and donor availability and recovery strengths of their concentrations in soil such that a disproportionate release of carbon dioxide stemmed from alternative anaerobic degradation processes like sulfate and iron reduction compared to carbon loss due to methanogenesis. Our results show that extended and short-term saturation created conditions conducive to increasing metabolite availability for anaerobic decomposition processes, with a significant lag in methanogenesis. In contrast, extended drying caused a cellular-level stress response and rapid recycling of alternate electron acceptors.
Other Food Policies as Obesity Policy

Other food policies have also been implicated in the obesity epidemic. Our findings are generally negative regarding both the contributions of USDA’s food and nutrition programs (FANPs) to obesity and the potential for modifying them effectively and economically to reduce obesity. Some say strengthening the role of the US government in regulation of food labeling (the nutrition facts panel, other requirements for specific types of labels on the front or back of packages, and calorie postings at restaurants) and marketing to children will help fight obesity. Changes to current food labeling practices that are underway in the United States have potential to help some consumers to make more healthful food choices, but it is left to the food industry to self-regulate food marketing to children, and changes here have been largely ineffective. “Nudges” have been shown to complement the effectiveness of some existing policies.
Synchrotron X-Ray Microdiffraction Investigation of Scaling Effects on Plasticity and the Correlation to TSV Extrusion

The reliability of copper through-silicon vias (TSVs) has been shown to be largely determined by the microstructure and extrusion statistics, and the mechanism for this requires further investigation. Synchrotron x-ray microdiffraction is an advantageous technique for TSV measurements due to its high beam intensity, which allows for full stress derivation with submicron resolution, and its nondestructive sample preparation. Since copper is highly elastically anisotropic, the grain structure and corresponding mechanical properties are crucial in determining the thermomechanical response. In this paper, microdiffraction is used to investigate the TSV scaling effect on plastic deformation and its correlation to the grain growth and extrusion behavior. Electron backscatter diffraction results indicate that the grain growth mechanism is not largely affected by scaling in the range of 10µm to 2µm diameter TSVs. However, the magnitude and statistical spread of the via extrusion for the 2µm TSVs is higher than that of the 5µm TSVs. Microdiffraction results reveal that the magnitude and variation of the plasticity is also higher for the 2µm TSVs, and that the plastic deformation is correlated to the microstructure. These results, validated by thermomechanical simulation, demonstrate that scaling TSV dimensions does not improve stress and reliability for the via middle process, where further annealing beyond the post-plating anneal is required.
White anti-racists and belonging

Grounded in critical whiteness studies and informed by the practices and goals of autoethnography, this article narrates and analyses two stories for what they might teach us about problems of belo...
Understanding the role of secondary school nurses and their collaboration with athletic trainers

Abstract Background Interprofessional and collaborative practice between secondary school nurses and athletic trainers may improve the quality of care to students and student-athletes. Purpose To determine secondary school nurses' role in treating musculoskeletal injuries, role in treating student-athletes, general responsibilities, perceptions about athletic trainers, and the extent of their collaboration with athletic trainers in the secondary school setting. Method We used qualitative interview with 15 secondary school nurses and a grounded theory approach to data analysis. Discussion Two overarching themes were identified: Nurse Responsibilities and Interprofessional Collaborations. Interprofessional Collaborations resulted in three subthemes: Shared Responsibilities, Keys to Positive Working Relationships, and Barriers to Positive Working Relationships. Conclusions Secondary school nurses and athletic trainers have similar and divergent roles that allow for potential collaboration to occur. There are inherent barriers to collaboration that make it difficult for both professionals to work together, but communication, individual expertise, shared resources, trust, and elimination of financial restrictions should provide for optimal collaboration.
Physician fee levels: Medicare versus Canada.

Adjusted for differences in purchasing power and practice expenses, Canadian physician fees are, on average, 59 percent of Medicare fees. The general perception that Medicare fees are low is the result of comparison with U.S. private fees, not to the much lower Canadian fees. In the context of the current U.S. health care system, lowering Medicare fees to Canadian levels could jeopardize access to care by Medicare beneficiaries. However, if all payers used the same fee schedule, fees that differed substantially from those currently used by private insurers might be viable.
Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Models

Abstract Early-life stages and maternal reproductive states are generally perceived as potentially sensitive to the disrupting effects of drugs or chemicals. Physiological models play an important role in neurodevelopmental toxicology safety assessments by predicting the dosimetry of chemicals or drugs during rapid maturation of biological systems and, in some cases, pharmacodynamic responses. Brief reviews of PBPK models are provided for the pesticides atrazine, chlorpyrifos, and deltamethrin; the essential-nutrient manganese; and the environmental contaminant perchlorate combined with the essential nutrient iodine.
The Complexity Turn: Cultural, Management, and Marketing Implications, by Arch G. Woodside (ed.), Springer International Publishing AG, 2017

When viewed in hindsight, during early part of the next decade, one development that the 2017–2018 period will be remembered for is the kickoff of the era of complex but ad-hoc forms of analysis (i...
Position-specific carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of propane from natural gases with quantitative NMR

Abstract Position-specific isotope compositions of light hydrocarbons are expected to provide valuable information on their formation and migration-degradation processes. Here we present a high-accuracy and high-precision (≤±10 and ≤±1‰ for 2H and 13C isotope compositions, respectively) method to determine position-specific hydrogen and carbon isotope compositions of propane from natural gases with quantitative NMR. Customized, light-weight high-pressure sapphire NMR cells were developed for liquefied propane samples. Precision and accuracy of our technique were demonstrated using 13C-labeled compounds, neat samples of C3-C5 with natural isotope abundances, and inter-laboratory comparison of a C7 sample. To determine position-specific isotope compositions of propane from natural gas samples, a method was developed to collect and purify large amount (~6.8 mmol) of propane, using a variable-temperature cold trap. A test with a synthetic sample of natural gas mixture indicates that little isotope fractionation occurred during the propane separation and purification from natural gas mixtures. For the first time, high-precision and high accuracy data are reported of position-specific carbon and hydrogen isotope compositions of propane from different sources, including conventional and unconventional petroleum reservoirs. Preliminary results show that position-specific isotope fractionations between the center and terminal sites of propane vary widely for the different sources. Position-specific isotope compositions of propane have the potential to improve our understanding on the origins, migration and degradation processes of natural gas and hydrocarbons in general.
Development and Validation of a Model to Predict Interface Bonding Between Pavement Layers

During the planning of overlay construction activities, a contractor and/or state agency may be interested in selecting a tack coat material and application rate that would provide adequate interfa...
A machine learning based hard fault recuperation model for approximate hardware accelerators

Continuous pursuit of higher performance and energy efficiency has led to heterogeneous SoC that contains multiple dedicated hardware accelerators. These accelerators exploit the inherent parallelism of tasks and are often tolerant to inaccuracies in their outputs, e.g. image and digital signal processing applications. At the same time, permanent faults are escalating due to process scaling and power restrictions, leading to erroneous outputs. To address this issue, in this paper, we propose a low-cost, universal fault-recovery/repair method that utilizes supervised machine learning techniques to ameliorate the effect of permanent fault(s) in hardware accelerators that can tolerate inexact outputs. The proposed compensation model does not require any information about the accelerator and is highly scalable with low area overhead. Experimental results show, the proposed method improves the accuracy by 50% and decreases the overall mean error rate by 90% with an area overhead of 5% compared to execution without fault compensation.
Efficiently Optimizing for Dendritic Connectivity on Tree-Structured Networks in a Multi-Objective Framework

We provide an exact and approximation algorithm based on Dynamic Programming and an approximation algorithm based on Mixed Integer Programming for optimizing for the so-called dendritic connectivity on tree-structured networks in a multi-objective setting. Dendritic connectivity describes the degree of connectedness of a network. We consider different variants of dendritic connectivity to capture both network connectivity with respect to long and short-to-middle distances. Our work is motivated by a problem in computational sustainability concerning the evaluation of trade-offs in ecosystem services due to the proliferation of hydropower dams throughout the Amazon basin. In particular, we consider trade-offs between energy production and river connectivity. River fragmentation can dramatically affect fish migrations and other ecosystem services, such as navigation and transportation. In the context of river networks, different variants of dendritic connectivity are important to characterize the movements of different fish species and human populations. Our approaches are general and can be applied to optimizing for dendritic connectivity for a variety of multi-objective problems on tree-structured networks.
Cash Flow: Easy Come, Easy Go

Chapter 1 introduced the two major financial decisions that go into helping the firm grow and increase shareholder wealth. In Chap. 2, we learned how to use financial statement analysis to aid in making financial decisions. A primary goal of that process was to identify areas of opportunity, where a potential project would be most beneficial. Once that identification is complete, the next step involves closely examining the expected cash flows of those potential projects. This is the first step in capital budgeting, or the process of choosing projects in which we will invest company funds. The discussion will begin with an overview of cash flows in general, before moving into calculating them for the firm at large. Finally, we will address the process of calculating cash flows for a single project.
Social Motives in the PSED II

The extent to which those creating new firms have unique individual features or personal profiles has been a major focus of those studying the entrepreneurial process. Scholarly writing on personal factors includes everything from journal special issues focusing on entrepreneurial cognition (Mitchell et al., 2002) to entire books on the Psychology of Entrepreneurship (Baum, Frese, & Baron, 2006).Measures of individual differences have been an important component of the interview schedules used in the PSED research program. For example, the Handbook of Entrepreneurial Dynamics, describing the background of the modules included in the PSED I interview, contains 38 chapters and 3 appendices (Gartner, Shaver, Carter, & Reynolds, 2004). Of these chapters, 11 deal specifically with personal characteristics and arguably another 7 deal with the background experienced by, or beliefs held by, individual entrepreneurs. This chapter provides a review of four of the individual difference measures in the PSED II: entrepreneurial intensity, social skills, expectancy, and career reasons. We begin by noting the differences in the data between PSED I and PSED II that apply to all four sections that follow. Then, for each social motive, we present descriptive statistics for the measures. We conclude by discussing potential research applications of the social motive measures.