cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Speciation via sexual selection versus adaptive evolution in Hawaiian Drosophila.

With perhaps a thousand species present in the endemic fauna, the Hawaiian Drosophilidae represents one of the most striking examples of explosive adaptive radiation known in the animal kingdom. However, there is mounting evidence that it is shifts within the sexual environment that are more important in the speciation process. Classical concepts of sexual selection theory are reviewed and some new ideas regarding the role of sexual selection in the origin of secondary sexual characters are presented. It is suggested that there is a range of mating types in both sexes and that differential selection between the two sexes, i.e. selection for males with superior mating ability and for less discriminant females, results in the maintenance of an optimum behavioural phenotype in the population. It is further suggested that the dynamics of the sexual selection process and the effects of pleiotropy play a significant role in levels of genetic variability in a single interbreeding population.
Generation of a lentiviral vector producer cell clone for human Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome gene therapy.

We have developed a producer cell line that generates lentiviral vector particles of high titer. The vector encodes the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) protein. An insulator element has been added to the long terminal repeats of the integrated vector to limit proto-oncogene activation. The vector provides high-level, stable expression of WAS protein in transduced murine and human hematopoietic cells. We have also developed a monoclonal antibody specific for intracellular WAS protein. This antibody has been used to monitor expression in blood and bone marrow cells after transfer into lineage negative bone marrow cells from WAS mice and in a WAS negative human B-cell line. Persistent expression of the transgene has been observed in transduced murine cells 12–20 weeks following transplantation. The producer cell line and the specific monoclonal antibody will facilitate the development of a clinical protocol for gene transfer into WAS protein deficient stem cells.
Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation regulation of life and death in the nervous system.

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is required by multicellular eukaryotes to ensure genomic integrity under conditions of mild to moderate genotoxic stress. However, severe stress following acute neuronal injury causes overactivation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1, which results in unregulated poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) synthesis and widespread neuronal cell death. Once thought to be a necrotic cell death resulting from energy failure, PARP-1 activation is now known to induce the nuclear translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor, which results in caspase-independent cell death. Conversely, poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase, once thought to contribute to neuronal injury, now appears to have a protective role as demonstrated by recent studies utilizing gene disruption technology. Thus, the emerging mechanism dictating the fate of neurons appears to involve the regulation of PAR levels in neurons. Therefore, therapies targeting poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease are required to inhibit PAR synthesis and/or facilitate its degradation.
Transitional care interventions and hospital readmissions in surgical populations: a systematic review

Abstract Background Despite hospital readmission being a targeted quality metric, few studies have focused on the surgical patient population. We performed a systematic review of transitional care interventions and their effect on hospital readmissions after surgery. Data Sources PubMed was searched for studies evaluating transitional care interventions in surgical populations within the years 1995 to 2015. Of 3,527 abstracts identified, 3 randomized controlled trials and 7 observational cohort studies met inclusion criteria. Conclusions Discharge planning programs reduced readmissions by 11.5% ( P = .001), 12.5% ( P = .04), and 23% ( P = .26). Patient education interventions reduced readmissions by 14% ( P = .28) and 23.5% ( P P P = .023) and 4% ( P = .161), respectively. Therefore, improving discharge planning, patient education, and follow-up communication may reduce readmissions.
Talking Turkey: Unmasking Knowledge in the Last of the Eastern Tales

Responding to Leigh Hunt’s praise of Lara in 1815, Byron wrote to him, ‘I fear you stand almost single in your liking of “Lara” … —it is too little narrative—and too metaphysical to please the greater number of readers’ (BLJ 4: 295). In this statement he proved himself a remarkably accurate judge of his own writing. It is true that Lara remains among the least-admired of Byron’s works, but it is equally true that it is an important step in the development of Byron’s metaphysics.1 Lara is a poem in which everything seems to be clear but in fact almost nothing is known, and by means of this construction Byron at last dismisses the idea of stable, certain knowledge. Moreover, it is the first of his works in which he openly gives extra-textual readers the power to create meaning, thus moving the ability to create knowledge from the realm of poetic fiction to the realm of reality. Lara is, one might say, Byron’s Janus poem, setting its face against the certainty of knowledge even as it opens its eyes and the eyes of its readers to the pervasiveness of knowledge-claims. It is Janus-like, too, in that although it evokes and builds upon Enlightenment philosophy — particularly that of Hume — it is also the work in which Byron begins to think most independently about knowledge formation and the reader’s potential relationship with it.
Retrieval of macro- and micro-physical properties of oceanic hydrosols from polarimetric observations

Abstract Remote sensing has mainly relied on measurements of scalar radiance and its spectral and angular features to retrieve micro- and macro-physical properties of aerosols/hydrosols. However, it is recognized that measurements that include the polarimetric characteristics of light provide more intrinsic information about particulate scattering. To take advantage of this, we used vector radiative transfer (VRT) simulations and developed an analytical relationship to retrieve the macro and micro-physical properties of the oceanic hydrosols. Specifically, we investigated the relationship between the observed degree of linear polarization (DoLP) and the ratio of attenuation-to-absorption coefficients (c/a) in water, from which the scattering coefficient can be readily computed (b = c − a), after retrieving a. This relationship was parameterized for various scattering geometries, including sensor zenith/azimuth angles relative to the Sun's principal plane, and for varying Sun zenith angles. An inversion method was also developed for the retrieval of the microphysical properties of hydrosols, such as the bulk refractive index and the particle size distribution. The DoLP vs c/a relationship was tested and validated against in-situ measurements of underwater light polarization obtained by a custom-built polarimeter and measurements of the coefficients a and c, obtained using an in-water WET Labs ac-s instrument package. These measurements confirmed the validity of the approach, with retrievals of attenuation coefficients showing a high coefficient of determination depending on the wavelength. We also performed a sensitivity analysis of the DoLP at the Top of Atmosphere (TOA) over coastal waters showing the possibility of polarimetric remote sensing application for ocean color.
Assessing a Patron-Driven, Library-Funded Data Purchase Program

ABSTRACT The University Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign established the Data Purchase Program in 2010 to provide a source of funding for the purchase of datasets which are requested by students and faculty, and make this data available to the campus at large for future use. In this study, the authors interviewed past applicants who submitted proposals to this program to collect their feedback and perspectives on the strengths of this program and the impact that it had on their research, as well as to determine any aspects of the program's design or implementation that need improvements. Interviews revealed that the ease of application and lack of other options for obtaining data made the program appealing, especially to graduate students, but that study participants wished for a more robust program in terms of marketing the specific data purchased by the library and help with data in general. Also, the purchased data had a wide range of impacts on the participants' research.
Energetics and transition-state dynamics of the F + HOCH3 → HF + OCH3 reaction

The F + HOCH3 → HF + OCH3 reaction is a system with 15 internal degrees of freedom that can provide a benchmark for the development of theory for increasingly complex chemical reactions. The dynamics of this reaction were studied by photoelectron-photofragment coincidence (PPC) spectroscopy carried out on the F-(HOCH3) anion, aided by a computational study of both the anion and neutral potential energy surfaces, with energies extrapolated to the CCSDT(Q)/CBS level of theory. Photodetachment at 4.80 eV accesses both the reactant and product channels for this reaction. In the product channel (HF + OCH3 + e-) of the neutral potential energy surface, vibrationally excited HF products in addition to the stable product-channel hydrogen-bonded complex (FH-OCH3) are observed in the PPC and photoelectron spectra. In addition, experimental evidence is observed for the reactant-channel van der Waals complex (F-HOCH3), in good agreement with the theoretical predictions. The relative stability of these long-lived complexes was probed by reducing the ion beam energy, increasing the product time-of-flight, indicating lifetimes on the microsecond timescale for the reactant- and product-channel complexes as well as providing evidence for long-lived vibrational Feshbach resonances associated with the HF(v > 0) + OCH3 product states. This system will provide a model for extending full-dimensionality quantum dynamics to larger numbers of degrees of freedom.
The United States as “One Country, Two Systems”

From its inception as an independent country, the United States hosted two social systems, one that officially recognized slavery and one that did not. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention were unable to agree on the elimination of slavery, ultimately allowing it to persist by state discretion and thereby allowing its extension throughout the nation. Seventy years later, at the time of the Civil War, slavery was exclusive to the south. Two distinct social, political, and economic systems characterized a divided house: a more urbanized and rapidly industrializing north, based largely upon free labor, and a mostly rural, agricultural south, based in considerable measure on slavery.
Effect Size Measures for Differential Item Functioning in a Multidimensional IRT Model.

This study adapted an effect size measure used for studying differential item functioning (DIF) in unidimensional tests and extended the measure to multidimensional tests. Two effect size measures were considered in a multidimensional item response theory model: signed weighted P-difference and unsigned weighted P-difference. The performance of the effect size measures was investigated under various simulation conditions including different sample sizes and DIF magnitudes. As another way of studying DIF, the χ2 difference test was included to compare the result of statistical significance (statistical tests) with that of practical significance (effect size measures). The adequacy of existing effect size criteria used in unidimensional tests was also evaluated. Both effect size measures worked well in estimating true effect sizes, identifying DIF types, and classifying effect size categories. Finally, a real data analysis was conducted to support the simulation results.
Declarative modeling cases of cyber physical systems

A Cyber-physical system (CPS) is an engineering system made of computational components, i.e. cyber elements, and physical elements, that are connected by a communication network. CPSs have emerged as the contemporarily leading technology in major industry sectors such as manufacture, aerospace, automotive, etc. Nowadays CPS is almost the synonym of control systems for large and complex engineering systems. In addition, CPSs have inevitably interweaved with new technologies like Internet of Things, cloud computing, ubiquitous computing, and big data processing. Taming the complexity has been the key challenge in CPS design. A novel declarative computing based platform was proposed in our previous paper to unify modeling and design of both cyber and physical components in CPSs. In this paper, the concepts and principles of the proposed declarative platform are depicted in details. In addition, modeling techniques of declarative networking and declarative control are showcased with concrete simulation examples.
Stable Finite-Dimensional Control of Linear DPS Using Very Low-Order Residual Mode Filters

Abstract Exponential closed-loop stability for distribute parameter systems (DPS) can be achieved by using a reduced order modal controller with the addition of a sufficiently large dimensional residual mode filter. In this paper we prove that by using only the closed-loop unstable modes in the residual mode filter design one can still achieve the same exponential stability for the DPS. The modified filter dimension is substantially reduced. Two DPS examples: A simply-supported Euler-Bernoulli beam and a Space Based Laser (SBL) beam expander are presented to illustrate the application of this concept.
A New Direction for Biosensing: RF Sensors for Monitoring Cardio-Pulmonary Function

Long-term monitoring of physiology at large-scale can help determine potential causes and early biomarkers of chronic diseases. Physiological monitoring today, however, requires wearing of sensors such as electrodes for ECG and belt around lungs for respiration, and is unsuitable for monitoring of patients and healthy adults over multiple years. In this chapter, we review advances in a novel sensing modality using radio frequency (RF) waves that can provide physiological measurements without skin contact in both lab and field environments. This chapter presents fundamentals of RF biosensing with experimental results of a new experimental bioradar platform illustrating the concepts. The focus is on new approaches to monitor heart motion and respiratory effort. Experimental results using both an articulated heart phantom and human subjects show that RF sensing modality can match the performance of state-of-the-art physiological monitoring devices in terms of retrieving features and statistics of clinical significance.
Do Self-Control Measures Affect Saving Behavior?

We examine the effects of self-control mechanisms on saving behavior using the 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), following the assumptions of research that analyzed the 1998 SCF. Self-control mechanisms include saving goals, foreseeable expenses, and saving rules. We find a positive effect of having one or more saving rules on the likelihood of saving, and weak effects of having retirement as a saving goal and of having children/family as a saving goal on saving However, it is not clear that the measures of self-control reported in previous research really provide useful ways to increase the likelihood of saving. We discuss implications for financial planning advice.
Improving upon the Cody/Waite algorithms

The Cody/Waite recipes in their book Software Manual for the Elementary Functions [CW80] are an excellent source of portable methods for computation of elementary functions. It is possible to do better, but sometimes only at the expense of portability, and often only by doing at least parts of the computation in higher precision, which may mean software arithmetic and a significant performance penalty.
Exploring the role of next-generation virtual technologies in destination marketing

Abstract This study aims to investigate the impact of virtual reality experiences created with the newest generation of wearable devices on the intention to visit sites and attractions in a destination. To this end, the paper investigated whether the perceived visual appeal (PVA) of virtual reality and the emotional involvement (EI) of users had a positive impact on the behavioral intentions to visit a cultural heritage site in a destination. Data was collected from visitors via a survey at a destination in Naples (Italy). Study results revealed that the PVA of the virtual reality experience with wearable devices had a positive and significant effect on behavioral intentions towards the site featured in the virtual experience. Moreover, PVA had a positive effect on EI. This study is among the first to empirically investigate the influence of virtual reality experiences, enabled by the latest wearable devices, on destination visit intentions. Study results are relevant for destination marketing organizations seeking to develop effective technology-based marketing strategies that address the pre-visit, on-site and post-visit phase of the visitors’ journey. The paper offers specific theoretical and managerial implications.
IIoT Cybersecurity Risk Modeling for SCADA Systems

Urban critical infrastructure such as electric grids, water networks, and transportation systems are prime targets for cyberattacks. These systems are composed of connected devices which we call the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). An attack on urban critical infrastructure IIoT would cause considerable disruption to society. Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are typically used to control IIoT for urban critical infrastructure. Despite the clear need to understand the cyber risk to urban critical infrastructure, there is no data-driven model for evaluating SCADA software risk for IIoT devices. In this paper, we compare non-SCADA and SCADA systems and establish, using cosine similarity tests, that SCADA as a software subclass holds unique risk attributes for IIoT. We then disprove the commonly accepted notion that the common vulnerability scoring system risk metrics of exploitability and impact are not correlated with attack for the SCADA subclass of software. A series of statistical models are developed to identify SCADA risk metrics that can be used to evaluate the risk that a SCADA-related vulnerability is exploited. Based on our findings, we build a customizable SCADA risk prioritization schema that can be used by the security community to better understand SCADA-specific risk. Considering the distinct properties of SCADA systems, a data-driven prioritization schema will help researchers identify security gaps specific to this software subclass that is essential to our society’s operations.
Measuring the Practice of Engagement in Public Administration.

Following recent calls for greater synergies between public administration's (PA)’s academic and practitioner communities, this paper examines the prevalence and use of engaged teaching and faculty...
Spirit Baptism as a Moral Source in a Secular Age

Charles Taylor notes that moderns aspire to high moral standards, such as universal justice and benevolence, but lack the moral resources necessary to fulfill these standards. Instead, the weak motivations of egoism, guilt, and obligation result in hypocrisy or the projection of blame on others when we fail to meet these ideals. Taylor’s work seeks to uncover deep moral sources, such as agape , that make it possible to fulfill these standards. This article will complement Taylor’s excavation of powerful moral resources by arguing that Spirit baptism, understood as intense participation in divine love, is a retrieval of agape as an empowering moral source as well as a way to contact this source through spiritual articulation. It is a particular kind of retrieval that resonates with the modern sense of the self through a language of personal resonance and an elevation of the ordinary person into the extraordinary life.
Low-frequency fatigue in individuals with spinal cord injury.

AbstractBackground/Objective: This study examined magnitude and recovery of low-frequency fatigue (LFF) in the quadriceps after electrically stimulated contractions in spinal cord-injured (SCI) and able-bodied subjects.Subjects: Nine SCI (ASIA A-C, levels C5-T9, injured 13.6 ± 12.2 years) and 9 sedentary able-bodied subjects completed this study.Methods: Fatigue was evoked in 1 thigh, and the nonfatigued leg served as a control. The fatigue test for able-bodied subjects lasted 15 minutes. For SCI, stimulation was adjusted so that the relative drop in force was matched to the able-bodied group. Force was assessed at 20 (P20) and 100 Hz (PI 00), and the ratio of P20/P100 was used to evaluate LFF in thighs immediately after, at 10, 20, and 60 minutes, and at 2, 4, 6, and 24 hours after a fatigue test.Results: The magnitude of LFF (up to 1 hour after fatigue) was not different between able-bodied and patients with SCI. However, recovery of LFF over 24 hours was greater in able-bodied compared with patients wi...
Acquire or Perish – Unique Factors Motivating M&A in the Software Industry

Business models used in the software industry constantly evolve. Organizations reconfigure their business models through various means and mergers and acquisitions (M&As) is one of the way. Recent past has witnessed a high frequency of M&As in the software industry. There are some unique factors that potentially influence M&As in the software industry. Using theoretical arguments, this study develops a model that explains the M&As and articulates propositions specific to the software industry. This study also intends to examine the proposition with the M&As that took place in the enterprise content management software area. Findings of this study provide unique insights into the phenomenon of M&As in the software industry and provide an understanding on the evolving business models in this industry sector.
1-Dimensional quantitative micro-architecture mapping of multiple scattering media using backscattering of ultrasound in the near-field: Application to nodule imaging in the lungs

In this letter, we present a near-field method for mapping the micro-architecture of complex media based on the measurement of the diffusion constant D using multiple backscattering of ultrasound waves. Simulation results are reported and validated with experiments. For both simulations and experiments, a linear array of ultrasound transducers is used. The coherent and incoherent intensities are separated using a matrix manipulation of the inter-element response matrix. We demonstrate that no beamforming is necessary to extract the diffusion constant. Acquiring sub-inter-element response matrices by using subsets of elements and calculating the growth of the diffusive halo for each sub-matrix provides an estimate of a semi-local diffusion constant, enabling a 1-D mapping of the scatterer density or volume fraction in a strongly heterogeneous medium. This methodology is then applied to quantitatively characterize the lung parenchyma and detect the presence of solitary pulmonary nodules. The semi-local diffusion constant is mapped along the transducer axis to search for high D values, which correspond to the nodule/lesion location.
Neuroscience: Brain Mechanisms of Blushing

The dorsal hypothalamic area regulates increases in body temperature in response to stress, but precise mechanisms are unclear. A new study suggests that glutamatergic neurons in this brain area regulate this action and, surprisingly, may also be involved in blushing.
A Brief Introduction to PDE-Constrained Optimization

In this chapter we give a brief overview of optimization problems with partial differential equation (PDE) constraints, i.e., PDE-constrained optimization (PDECO). We start with three potentially different formulations of a general PDECO problem and focus on the so-called reduced form. We present a derivation of the optimality conditions. Later we discuss the linear and the semilinear quadratic PDECO problems. We conclude with the discretization and the convergence rates for these problems. For illustration, we make a MATLAB code available at
A phase 2 study of nivolumab (NIVO) alone or plus ipilimumab (IPI) for patients with locally advanced unresectable (laBCC) or metastatic basal cell carcinoma (mBCC).

TPS9595Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common human cancer. Although laBCC and mBCC are rare (<10,000 cases per year in the US), tumors are typically locally invasive and often d...
Extradural Dumbbell-Shaped Tuberculoma Masquerading as Nerve Sheath Tumor: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Background Spinal tuberculosis has been listed as a rare cause of neuroforaminal widening with only 2 previous reports in the literature. Here, we report the third case of an extradural tuberculoma extending through and expanding the neural foramen closely masquerading as a nerve sheath tumor including, to the best of our knowledge, the first description of magnetic resonance imaging, operative, and histopathology findings. Case Description A 65-year-old Nigerian man presented with signs and symptoms of worsening thoracic myeloradiculopathy for the past month. Imaging found an extradural dumbbell-shaped lesion involving the spinal canal, neural foramen, and paraspinal area with a combination of solid and cystic components causing bony remodeling of the pedicle and vertebral body, as well as enlargement of the neural foramen. Surgery was performed to resect the mass, and pathology postoperatively demonstrated caseating granulomas, rare thin elongated organisms on Ziehl-Neelsen staining, and involvement of nerve fascicles. Conclusions This case illustrates that a tuberculoma can have many of the features of a benign neoplasm, such as encapsulation, appearance of a slow rate of growth, and development of necrosis or even cystic degeneration. With the specific findings of entrapped nerve fascicles, we postulate that the lesion represents a nerve sheath tuberculoma rather than spinal tuberculosis of the pedicle or posterior elements. Furthermore, only a lesion of the nerve sheath would have the characteristic dumbbell appearance as it extends through the foramen.
Is prescribing by PAs and NPs comparable to physician prescribing

PAs and NPs have broad prescribing authority in the United States, yet little is known about how the quality of their prescribing practices compares with that of physicians. The quality of prescribing practices of physicians, PAs, and NPs was investigated through a serial cross-sectional analysis of the 2006-2012 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). Ambulatory care services in physician offices, hospital EDs, and outpatient departments were evaluated using a nationally representative sample of patient visits to physicians, PAs, and NPs. Main outcome measures were 13 validated outpatient quality indicators focused on pharmacologic management of chronic diseases and appropriate medication use. The study sampled 701,499 patient visits during the study period, representing about 8.3 billion visits nationwide. Physicians were the primary provider for 96.8% of all outpatient visits examined; PAs and NPs each accounted for 1.6% of these visits. The proportion of eligible visits in which quality standards were met ranged from 34.1% (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use for patients with heart failure) to 89.5% (avoidance of inappropriate medications in older adults). The median overall performance across all indicators was 58.7%. On unadjusted analyses, differences in quality of care between PAs, NPs, and physicians for each indicator did not consistently favor one practitioner type over others. After adjustment for potentially confounding patient and provider characteristics, the quality of prescribing by PAs and NPs was similar to the care delivered by physicians for 10 of the 13 indicators evaluated, and no consistent directional association was found between provider type and indicator fulfillment for the remaining measures. Although significant shortfalls exist in the quality of ambulatory prescribing across all practitioner types, the quality of care delivered by PAs, NPs, and physicians was generally comparable.1.
Space use and resource selection of bobcats in the Appalachian Mountains of western Virginia

Bobcats are an apex predator and a species of socio-cultural importance in the central Appalachian Mountains. Despite their importance, knowledge of bobcat spatial ecology in the region is sparse. We examined space use and resource selection of bobcats in the Appalachian Mountains of western Virginia during 3 biological seasons: breeding (January-March), kitten-rearing (April-September), and dispersal (October-December). We observed sex effects on all space use metrics, with male seasonal areas of use (SAU) approximately 3 times larger than female SAUs and male movement rates 1.5 times higher than females during all seasons. We found no seasonal effect on SAU size for either sex. Female movement rates increased during the kitten-rearing season, and male movement rates increased during the dispersal season. We examined seasonal bobcat resource selection at 2 hierarchical scales, selection of home ranges within the landscape (2 nd order) and selection of locations within home ranges (3 rd order). Female bobcats exhibited 2 nd order selection for higher elevations and deciduous forest and avoidance of fields. Males exhibited 2 nd order selection for higher elevations and fields. Male 2 nd order selection appears to be driven largely by the spatial distribution of females, which is mediated through the valley and ridge topography of the study area. Sample size precluded 3 rd order analysis for females, however males exhibited 3 rd order selection for higher elevations, fields, and deciduous forest. Resource selection patterns varied seasonally for both sexes, possibly driven by seasonal shifts in prey availability. Our findings highlight the importance of forested ridges to bobcats in the region. Our findings also illustrate the differences in space use between sexes, which future research efforts should consider. Further research should investigate seasonal shifts in bobcat prey selection, which may further explain the seasonal resource selection shifts we observed, and highlight potential implications for prey species.
Two Strategies to Secure Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Capital in the United States

The study proposes two strategies for education planners and governments to secure Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) capital. First, this paper highlights that essential knowledge and skills for STEM students are differentiated by their major. For instance, the knowledge of English ranked first in Science, and the knowledge of mathematics placed first in Technology. Second, the study employs panel models to exhibit factors that are related to the proportion of STEM workers in the U.S. states between 2003 and 2012. The panel models highlight the variables associated with the gradient of STEM workers as follows: (1) industrial structure, (2) housing price, and (3) foreign-born people. Therefore, governments and education planners should develop education policies or training programs differentiated by the STEM fields to provide proper knowledge and skills for STEM students and take into account the important factors to secure STEM capital.
National Football League head coach race, performance, retention, and dismissal

Abstract The authors tested for evidence of racial discrimination in the employment retention of National Football League head coaches. A robust data set spanning the modern history of the sport (1985–2018) was generated to examine managerial employment tenure, dismissal, and subsequent organizational performance. After controlling for performance differences and heterogeneity between head coaches, the authors uncover statistically significant evidence that Non-White head coaches experience longer employment spells relative to White head coaches in the Rooney Rule era. No statistically significant evidence of racial differences in the rate at which head coaches are fired is found. Both employment tenure and dismissal are largely driven by raw performance, and to a lesser degree, relative performance. Finally, the relationship between head coach race and organizational performance is examined, but no statistically significant differences by race are uncovered.
Experimental Studies in the Field

Research is an activity that has grown and prospered in the laboratory. Until recently, studies in the field were concentrated in a number of welldefined areas, such as clinical trials, agricultural experiments, and epidemiological studies. Each of these fields has generated its own methodologies and textbook. As investigators have moved toward planning other types of biomedicai investigation in the field, new problems and issues have arisen. There are few systematic treatises on the methods and procedures for these field studies.
Primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis.

Background Due to the poor long-term prognosis of patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA), the role of primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in this patient population remains controversial. We aimed to study the impact of primary prevention ICDs on survival in patients with ATTR-CA. Methods Among 382 patients diagnosed with ATTR-CA at our institution between 2004 and 2018, 19 had primary prevention ICDs implanted. This cohort was matched in a 1:3 manner on the basis of age, gender, ejection fraction (EF) and ATTR-CA stage with 57 patients without cardiac devices. Patients were followed up for a mean of 23 ± 19 months. Our primary outcome of interest was all-cause mortality. Results Mean EF at the time of ICD implantation was 28 ± 8%. No patients had a history of sustained ventricular arrhythmia (VA) at the time of implant. Only a minority of patients were tolerant of optimal medical therapy due to renal impairment, hypotension, or a combination of the two. Death occurred in 43 (75%) patients without primary prevention ICDs and 16 (84%) patients with primary prevention ICDs, P = .26. Of the 19 patients with ICDs, three had inappropriate shocks delivered for atrial fibrillation, and none had therapies for sustained VAs. On Cox proportional hazards analyses, the presence of a primary prevention ICD was not associated with improved survival (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.4-1.3, P = .27). Conclusion Primary prevention ICDs do not prolong survival in patients with ATTR-CA and a reduced EF. Our findings are observational and will need to be validated in future prospective studies.
Regulation of extracellular matrix proteins and integrin cell substratum adhesion receptors on epithelium during cutaneous human wound healing in vivo.

Abstract Although changes in extracellular matrix proteins during wound healing have been well documented, little is known about the regulation of corresponding extracellular matrix adhesion receptors (integrins). To study this process in a human in vivo model, full thickness human skin grafts were transplanted onto severe combined immunodeficient mice and deep excisional wounds involving both the epidermal and dermal layers were then made. The changes in the expression of cell matrix proteins and epithelial integrins over time were analyzed with specific antibodies using immunohistochemistry. Wounding was associated with alterations in extracellular matrix proteins, namely, loss of laminin and type IV collagen in the region of the wound and expression of tenascin and fibronectin. Changes were also noted in the integrins on the migrating keratinocytes. There was marked up-regulation of the alpha v subunit and de novo expression of the fibronectin receptor (alpha 5 beta 1) during the stage of active migration (days 1 to 3 after wounding). In the later stages of wound healing, after epithelial integrity had been established, redistribution of the alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 6, and beta 4 collagen/laminin-binding integrin subunits to suprabasal epidermal layers was noted. Thus, during cutaneous wound healing, keratinocytes up-regulate fibronectin/fibrinogen-binding integrins and redistribute collagen/laminin-binding integrins. This study demonstrates that the human skin/severe combined immunodeficient chimera provides a useful model to study events during human wound repair.
Developing Computational Thinking through Project-Based Airplane Design Activities

This study investigated the outcome of project-based, airplane design activities on promoting computational thinking (CT) in sixth grade students in the context of an integrated STEM learning environment. A curriculum unit of airplane design activities was implemented in a sixth grade classroom over 10 days. The students' CT skills measured by the Bebras Challenges were significantly improved after their completion of the airplane design curriculum unit.
Sealing of Probate and Letters of Administration Obtained from Countries outside Ghana

A human’s life is characterized by the acquisition of several properties which are material in nature and thus are left behind in the unlikely event of death. The death of a person who leaves property behind comes with its own issues. One of such is the need to ensure that the personal representatives of the deceased are clothed with the power to administer the estate of the deceased in favor of the named or intended beneficiaries. The grant of probate or letters of administration is very necessary in order for a personal representative to commence the distribution of the Estate. There are instances where a deceased person acquired properties in Ghana as well as in other countries of the world. As a result, it is common that named executors of that deceased person’s Will or in the case of one who died intestate, the administrators, would after applying for and being granted probate or letters of administration in the foreign country take steps to have the grant re-sealed in Ghana. This Article seeks to give the legal rules, practice and procedures governing the effect and enforceability, in Ghana, of the grant of probate or letters of administration made by foreign courts. This Article would employ a prescriptive and descriptive approach to assess the process in Ghana by which a grant of probate or letters of administration obtained outside Ghana is re-sealed in Ghana. Thereafter, the Article would make some recommendations that would ensure that certainty is brought to the process of re-sealing in Ghana and would make the process simpler and straightforward.
Problems: Definite and Indefinite Integrals

In this chapter, the basic and advanced problems of definite and indefinite integrals are presented. The subjects include definite integrals, indefinite integrals, substitution rule for integrals, integration techniques, integration by parts, integrals involving trigonometric functions, trigonometric substitutions, integration using partial fractions, integrals involving roots, integrals involving quadratics, applications of integrals, average value, area between curves, and volume of solid of revolution. To help students study the chapter in the most efficient way, the problems are categorized based on their difficulty levels (easy, normal, and hard) and calculation amounts (small, normal, and large). Moreover, the problems are ordered from the easiest problem with the smallest computations to the most difficult problems with the largest calculations.
Optimized structure and electronic band gap of monolayer GeSe from quantum Monte Carlo methods

We have used highly accurate quantum Monte Carlo methods to determine the chemical structure and electronic band gaps of monolayer GeSe. Two-dimensional (2D) monolayer GeSe has received a great deal of attention due to its unique thermoelectric, electronic, and optoelectronic properties with a wide range of potential applications. Density functional theory (DFT) methods have usually been applied to obtain optical and structural properties of bulk and 2D GeSe. For the monolayer, DFT typically yields a larger band-gap energy than for bulk GeSe but cannot conclusively determine if the monolayer has a direct or indirect gap. Moreover, the DFT-optimized lattice parameters and atomic coordinates for monolayer GeSe depend strongly on the choice of approximation for the exchange-correlation functional, which makes the ideal structure---and its electronic properties---unclear. In order to obtain accurate lattice parameters and atomic coordinates for the monolayer, we use a surrogate Hessian-based parallel line search within diffusion Monte Carlo to fully optimize the GeSe monolayer structure. The DMC-optimized structure is different from those obtained using DFT, as are calculated band gaps. The potential energy surface has a shallow minimum at the optimal structure. This, combined with the sensitivity of the electronic structure to strain, suggests that the optical properties of monolayer GeSe are highly tunable by strain.
Comparison of Classification Algorithms Towards Subject-Specific and Subject-Independent BCI

Motor imagery brain computer interface designs are considered difficult due to limitations in subject-specific data collection and calibration, as well as demanding system adaptation requirements. Recently, subject-independent (SI) designs received attention because of their possible applicability to multiple users without prior calibration and rigorous system adaptation. SI designs are challenging and have shown low accuracy in the literature. Two major factors in system performance are the classification algorithm and the quality of available data. This paper presents a comparative study of classification performance for both SS and SI paradigms. The present classification algorithms include two parametric (LDA and SVM) and two non-parametric (k-NN and CART) methods. Our results show that classification algorithms for SS models display large variance in performance. Therefore, distinct classification algorithms per subject may be required. SI models display lower variance in performance but should only be used if a relatively large sample size is available. For SI models, LDA and CART had the highest accuracy for small and moderate sample size, respectively. The source code of this paper is available at github.com/parisaghane/eegbciMI.
Management of anticoagulation associated reproductive tract bleeding in adolescent and young adult females - Results of a multinational survey

Abstract Introduction Reproductive tract bleeding (RTB) is an important outcome in menstruating females on anticoagulant therapy (AC). The diagnosis and management of AC-RTB in adolescent and young adult (AYA) females is unknown. Aims The aim of this study was to survey the contemporary patterns of diagnosis and management of AC-RTB in AYA females. Methods SurveyMonkey® questions were sent to members of 1) Pediatric and Neonatal Thrombosis Hemostasis Subcommittee and Women's Health Subcommittee of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis and 2) Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Society. Results are reported using descriptive statistics. Results Response rate was 33% (251 out of 753). AC-RTB was infrequently reported. Menstrual history was not routinely reviewed prior to initiation of AC. Respondents indicated a differential risk of AC-RTB, most frequently with Rivaroxaban. Respondents continued hormonal therapy (HT) if an AYA female was on it at the start of AC. When AC-RTB occurred, management strategies were variable with initiation of HT or antifibrinolytic therapy being the most frequent. The timing of AC-RTB after the thrombotic event influenced the respondents' choice of therapy. Differences were seen in the management strategies between US and non-US participants, with more US respondents initiating HT while more non-US respondents modifying the AC regimen. Respondents uniformly reported complications with AC-RTB and with its treatment. Conclusion This survey highlights the need to review menstrual history at the start of and during AC and for future research into choosing the optimal AC in AYA females. The results can inform the design of future studies.
An Integrated Motor Drive with Enhanced Power Density Using Modular Converter Structure

In this paper, an integrated motor drive with modular converter structure is analysed with different number of converter modules per phase. The integration concept is realized by designing a housing structure with a flat outer surface and a circular inner surface with a cooling channel in between. The converter modules are mounted on the outer flat surface and the stator components are attached to the inner surface. This integration topology is applied on a fifteen stator coil concentrated winding permanent magnet axial flux machine. The converter modules are implemented as half-bridge inverter using Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology. The cooling structure is optimized using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The maximum thermally safe current that can be injected by one inverter module is computed. The maximum winding current is also calculated. Parallel connection of the inverter modules is suggested to maximize the thermal utilization of the windings while keeping the inverter switches junction temperature under the rated value. The CFD based computations are validated with experimental measurements.
Selection Of Students For Hotel Schools: A Comparative Study

In the discussion Selection Of Students For Hotel Schools: A Comparative Study by William Morgan, Professor, School of Hospitality Management at Florida International University, Morgan’s initial observation is: “Standards for the selection of students into schools of hospitality management around the world vary considerably when it comes to measuring attitudes toward the industry. The author discusses current standards and recommends some changes.” In addition to intellectual ability, Professor Morgan wants you to know that an intangible element such as attitude is an equally important consideration to students seeking curriculum and careers in the hospitality field. “...breaches in behavior or problems in the tourist employee encounter are often caused by attitudinal conditions which pre exist the training and which were not able to be totally corrected by the unfreezing, movement, and refreezing processes required in attitudinal change,” says Morgan. “...other than for some requirements for level or grade completed or marks obtained, 26 of the 54 countries sampled (48.1 percent) had no pre-selection process at all. Of those having some form of a selection process (in addition to grades), 14 schools in 12 countries (22.2 percent) had a formal admissions examination,” Professor Morgan empirically provides. “It was impossible, however, to determine the scope of this admissions examination as it might relate to attitude.” The attitude intangible is a difficult one to quantify. With an apparent sameness in hotels, restaurants, and their facilities the significant distinctions are to be found in their employees. This makes the selection process for both schools and employers a high priority. Moreover, can a student, or a prospective employee, overcome stereotypes and prejudices to provide a high degree of service in the hospitality industry? This query is an important element of this article. “If utilized in the hotel, technical, or trade school or in the hiring process at the individual facility, this [hiring] process would provide an opportunity to determine if the prospective student or worker is receptive to the training to be received,” advises Professor Morgan. “Such a student or worker is realistic in his aims and aspirations, ready in his ability to receive training, and responsive to the needs of the guest, often someone very different from himself in language, dress, or degree of creature comforts desired,” your author further