cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Co-Operative Nest-Founding by the Wasp, Polistes Annularis Linn.

I have on several occasions recorded the behavior of queen annularis wasps when they come out of hibernation in the spring and prepare to found new nests. They hibernate some distance from the home in which they spent their infancy and early adulthood, but usually fly back to the nest and visit it again and again on warm days in spring, later congregating and remaining on it for several days. Then in small groups they fly to nearby trees and commence their new nests.[1][1] In addition to this well known method of co-operative colony-founding, I have observed, in the spring of 1940, that as the nest increases in size, other queens attach themselves to the colony and help the original foundresses carry on the work. By marking wasps with drops of paint, the following facts were gathered on a colony at Pacific, Missouri. In a low farm building, on May 1, I found a ten-cell nest of this species with two queens; six feet away was another Annularis queen just commencing her nest, while in a crack in the wall a little distance away, was an aggregation of three Annularis queens huddled close together. Near a window eight feet away was a large last year's nest of this species, which evidently gave birth to all the queens now under observation. The temperature during the day had dropped to 38 degrees F., and all the queens were in a sluggish condition and did not leave the nests. [1]: #fn-1
Rose as a Substitute Host for Apple in Rearing Panonychus ulmi

A number of hybrid tea roses were tested for suitability to rear the European red mite in detached leaf culture. It was possible to culture Panonychus ulmi (Koch) on an unnamed variety of hybrid tea rose continuously for 13 months, Subsequently, another rose, ‘Flaming Peace,’ was found to be a more adequate host and was substituted for the unnamed variety.
Impact of triggering event in outcomes of stress-induced (Takotsubo) cardiomyopathy

Background:Takotsubo syndrome is also known as stress cardiomyopathy because of the regularity with which it has been associated with physical or emotional stress. Such stress may well be a “trigger” of the syndrome.Aims:This analysis was undertaken to describe our experience with this disorder and in particular to examine the effects of the underlying trigger on outcomes.Methods:We conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of 345 consecutive patients treated at our institution from 2006 to 2014. All presented with acute cardiac symptoms, a characteristic left ventricular contraction pattern (typical, atypical), and no major obstructive coronary artery disease. Patients were grouped based on their triggering event: (a) medical illness; (b) post-operative period; (c) emotional distress; or (d) no identified trigger. Baseline demographic characteristics, death in hospital, length of stay in hospital, and cardiac complications were abstracted from the patients’ medical records.Results:The mean±...
Strong Baselines for Cross-Lingual Entity Linking.

We describe several context-independent baselines for tackling the cross-lingual entity linking task. Our methods are quite basic, reducing to efficient look-ups in static, pre-computed tables. Despite their simplicity, however, such approaches scored well in a recent knowledgebase population competition. Moreover, these language-independent techniques still perform strongly on English entity linking tasks.
Environmental Performance Evaluation of a Fast Mask Image Projection Stereolithography Process through Time and Energy Modeling

The emergence of additive manufacturing (AM) has potential for dramatic changes in labor productivity and economic welfare. With the growth of additive manufacturing, understanding of the sustainability performance of relevant technologies is required. Towards that goal, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) approach is undertaken to evaluate an AM process. A novel Fast MIP-SL (mask image projection stereolithography) process is investigated for the production of six functional test parts. The materials, energy, and wastes are documented for parts fabricated using this process. The EIA is completed for human health, ecosystem diversity, and resource costs using the ReCiPe 2008 impact assessment method. It is noted that process energy, in the form of electricity, is the key contributor for all three damage types. The results are used to depict the underlying relationship between energy consumed and the environmental impact of the process. Thus, to facilitate prediction of process energy utilization, a mathematical model relating shape complexity and dimensional size of the part with respect to part build time and washing time is developed. The effectiveness of this model is validated using data from real-time process energy monitoring. This work quantifies the elemental influence of design features on AM process energy consumption and environmental impacts. While focused on the environmental performance of the Fast MIP-SL process, the developed approach can be extended to evaluate other AM processes, and can encompass a triple bottom line analysis approach for sustainable design by predicting environmental, economic, and social performance of products.
Augmented interleukin-6 secretion in collagen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with systemic sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that is associated with excessive fibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition in various tissues. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is produced by fibroblasts, activated T and B lymphocytes, which maybe involved in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed in order to determine whether IL-6 could be detected specifically in collagen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with systemic sclerosis. METHODS: We clinically evaluated seven patients with systemic sclerosis for disease duration and organ involvement and analyzed in vitro the ability of their peripheral blood mononuclear cells and those of disease-free controls, in the presence of concanavalin A, human type I collagen, and the mast cell mediator, heparin to secrete IL-6 spontaneously by a sensitive ELISA. RESULTS: Interleukin-6 production by nonspecific stimulation with concanavalin A did not differ between patients with systemic sclerosis and controls; however, collagen stimulation significantly increased IL-6 production in patients with systemic sclerosis; mean 1728 pg/mL versus a mean of 386 pg/mL in controls P = 2000 pg/mL were obtained in 86% of patients with systemic sclerosis compared with none in the controls. In patients with systemic sclerosis with a shorter disease duration, greater spontaneous as well as collagen- and heparin-stimulated IL-6 production was observed, whereas decreased IL-6 levels were noted with longer disease duration (> 21 years). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with systemic sclerosis are specifically sensitized to human type I collagen to produce increased levels of IL-6, which may play a role in the pathogenesis in this fibrotic disorder.
Distributed average consensus with bounded quantization

This paper considers distributed average consensus using bounded quantizers with potentially unbounded input data. We develop a quantized consensus algorithm based on a distributed alternating direction methods of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm. It is shown that, within finite iterations, all the agent variables either converge to the same quantization point or cycle with a finite period. In the convergent case, we derive a consensus error bound which also applies to that of the unbounded rounding quantizer provided that the desired average lies within quantizer output range. Simulations show that the proposed algorithm almost always converge when the network becomes large and dense.
OR10 Tumor antigens presented by the HLA-A*02:01 of breast cancer patient-derived xenografts

Aim Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, yet only a few antigens are available for directing immune therapies to a patient’s breast tumor. In this study we establish a new system for identifying tumor-specific antigens presented by the class I HLA of breast tumors. Our approach relies on generating a breast cancer HLA peptide-ligand reference database coupled with isolation of peptides from the HLA of patient-derived breast cancer xenografts (PDX). This HLA PDX approach can rapidly identify targets for existing and emerging cancer immune therapies. Methods A tumor-specific HLA reference peptide ligand library was constructed using 3 breast epithelial tumor cell lines and 1 healthy breast epithelial line. Cells were transfected to secrete HLA-A∗02:01, secreted HLA was affinity purified, HLA-bound peptides were eluted, separated by HPLC, and HLA-A∗02:01 breast cancer peptides were analyzed by mass spectroscopy. To validate the peptides as relevant targets for human breast tumors in vivo, HLA was extracted from PDX-derived tumors and the presence of specific peptides were confirmed in these primary tumors. Results In 20 PDX tumor lines, 7 of the tumors were A∗02:01, half of which expressed detectable A∗02:01. When evaluated for candidate peptide:HLA expression, the HCI-015 triple negative PDX xenograft expressed high levels of the Macrophage Inhibitory Factor 19–27 (MIF) peptide, a peptide that is expressed solely in breast cancer cell lines and primary tumors but not healthy tissues. We are currently expanding HCI-015 PDX for additional HLA extractions. Conclusions These data suggest that PDX tumors can be used as surrogates to human tumors for the direct identification of tumor-specific antigens. The use of a peptide library generated from several breast cancer cell lines allows peptides to be identified with increased sensitivity. Furthermore, expression of the candidate MIF 19-27 peptide on HCI-015 provides compelling evidence that certain tumor-antigens are conserved among cell lines, tumors, and in vivo models of breast cancer. Such antigens provide a unique therapeutic window that can be exploited for targeted immunotherapies.
Women's narratives of long-term urinary incontinence.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to use narrative analysis as a method for examining the lived experience and meaning of long-term, female urinary incontinence (UI). METHOD: Cognitive anthropology and critical medical anthropology provided the overall framework for this study. Theoretical saturation (Strauss, 1987) was achieved after 17 community-dwelling women with long-term (greater than 5 year's duration) UI were interviewed. Informants participated in two face-to-face, audiotaped, interviews and a semi-structured, topical outline for each interview was used. A field journal was used to supplement and validate other data. Informant's narratives were analyzed to emphasize the overall plot type of their stories. FINDINGS: In this study, three dominant plot types emerged from women's narratives: the UI Quest Narrative, UI Restitution and Redemption Narratives, and the UI Victim Narrative. These plot types provide a beginning understanding of the lived experience and meaning of long-term female UI. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings suggest (a) long-term female UI is primarily conceptualized as a condition integrated into a larger life story, (b) women with long-term UI relate stories that follow a narrative format, and (c) long-term, female UI is heterogeneous. Findings go beyond existing literature by suggesting that women's UI narratives serve an important function in understanding the lived experience and the meaning of UI.
Early declaration of death by neurologic criteria results in greater organ donor potential.

Background Aggressive management of patients prior to and after determination of death by neurologic criteria (DNC) is necessary to optimize organ recovery, transplantation, and increase the number of organs transplanted per donor (OTPD). The effects of time management are understudied but potentially pivotal component. The objective of this study was to analyze specific time points (time to DNC, time to procurement) and the time intervals between them to better characterize the optimal timeline of organ donation.
Hemispherical focal plane arrays for wide field-of-view imaging (Conference Presentation)

There are enormous optical advantages to use a curved image sensor in place of conventional flat focal plane arrays (FPA) because optical systems intrinsically want to focus to a curved focal surface. For this reason, biological imagers such as the human eye have evolved a curved image sensor (i.e. the retina) that enables use of a simple lens to achieve nearly diffraction-limited imaging over a wide FOV – all in a compact package. Today’s digital imagers sample the curved focal surface using a flat FPA resulting in field-curvature aberrations that impose stringent limitations on the imager’s FOV, F/#, resolution and image quality. Here, we introduce techniques to fabricate hemispherical focal plane arrays to enable the development of compact, wide FOV imaging systems. We have developed monolithically integratable flexible interconnects that can be integrated onto the backside of a planar, silicon FPA designed for hemispherical deformation. These interconnects provide: (1) backside signal routing between small regions of the FPA that were designed to be electrically isolated and (2) a flexible handle for the FPA before a through-wafer etch is performed to mechanically separate the electrically isolated regions of the FPA wafer. This process provides a fully interconnected, flexible FPA that can conform to a hemispherical surface for use in visible (all silicon) or infrared (hybrid) imagers.
Estimating Treatment Effect With Clinical Interpretation From a Comparative Clinical Trial With an End Point Subject to Competing Risks.

This study explores using the restricted mean time lost to quantify treatment effects from cardiovascular therapy.
Measurement, Regression, and Calibration

(1997). Measurement, Regression, and Calibration. Journal of Quality Technology: Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 114-116.
Climate Change in the Global South: Trends and Spatial Patterns

During the last few decades, research on climate change has increased tremendously mainly due to the increasing awareness of the buildup of greenhouse gases. In this regard, it is imperative to understand the regional level manifestations of climate change for the more densely populated and less-explored, fast-developing regions of the Global South. There remains a great amount of uncertainty for these regions due to limited spatial and temporal spread of climate data. Based on the analysis of long term climate records, the majority of the Global south is extremely vulnerable and under-prepared for the impending impacts of climate change. Some of the specific impacts include decreasing trends in precipitation accompanied by increasing trends in temperatures and extreme weather events. Specifically, some areas, such as small low-lying islands in the Pacific, are more vulnerable to climate change and the impacts resulting from sea level rise. Furthermore, the concentration of population along the coast with limited access to resources and poor infrastructure makes this region more vulnerable. These impacts will be disproportionately burdened on women and girls, due to high gender inequality and their high representation below the poverty line.
Predictors of tuberculosis treatment outcomes among a retrospective cohort in rural, Central India.

Abstract Introduction Programmatic design affects access to healthcare and can influence tuberculosis treatment outcomes. Potential predictors of tuberculosis treatment outcomes in one rural Indian setting were examined to improve outcomes with a focus on access to care. Methods Routinely collected tuberculosis treatment data from Jan Swasthya Sahyog, a community based healthcare system in rural Chhattisgarh, India were examined from 2003–2015. Predictors were analyzed for associations with death, loss to follow-up or failure in multivariable logistic regression models. The effect of distance from treatment on outcomes was graphed and Pearson's correlation coefficients (r2) calculated. Descriptive time to event analyses were performed for all deaths and loss to follow-up from January 2010 to September 2015. Results 4979 patients with active TB were treated during the study period. Patients were mostly male, malnourished, diagnosed with pulmonary disease and many travelled lengthy distances. Positive treatment outcomes improved from 55% to 80% from 2003 to 2015 for all patients though positive treatment outcomes have been above 80% in the primary care setting since 2012. The annual case fatality rate was 4.4% with small yearly variation.Gender and site of treatment (primary versus secondary care facility) and also season of treatment initiation and travel time to care best predicted outcomes in both the complete model and model which included only patients with initial BMI data. No differences were found between primary and secondary care patients for initial BMI, percentage of sputum positivity among those with pulmonary disease and grade of sputum positivity among the sputum positive. Those who traveled the furthest to access care achieved the worst outcomes during the summer and, to a lesser degree, the monsoon. Distance from care was associated with treatment outcomes in a dose-response manner out to substantial distances. From 2010 to 2015, most patients who died or were lost to follow-up did so in the first week of treatment. Conclusions The provision of care through local facilities improves the treatment of tuberculosis in rural India. Interventions addressing death or loss to follow-up should focus on the newly diagnosed. Rural Indian physicians should be aware of how access issues affect TB treatment outcomes.
Ethical Attitudes Toward Taking a Bribe: A Study of Four European Countries

This study examined attitudes on the ethics of bribe taking in four European countries – France, Great Britain, Italy and Germany. Nineteen demographic variables (gender, age, marital status, etc.) were also examined, and most mean scores were found to be significantly different. Although most people thought taking a bribe was unethical, there was some divergence of opinion.
Harmonic Analysis and Hecke Operators

We first construct new uniform pointwise bounds for the matrix coefficients of infinite dimensional unitary representations of a reductive algebraic group defined over a local field k with semisimple k-rank at least 2, [22]. We explain how this information on local harmonic analysis yields norm estimates for (global) Hecke operators on L 2(Γ\G) for a connected almost simple simply connected ℚ-group G and its congruence subgroups Γ, [6]. With the tool of Hecke operators, we settle a question of Linnik raised in the early sixties on the distribution of integer points of Diophantine type varieties when the varieties are homogeneous spaces of a reductive algebraic group over ℚ, [11]. Lastly we discuss how to obtain evenly distributed sequences on the spheres S n (n ≥ 4) [23], generalizing the work of Lubotzky, Phillips and Sarnak on S 2 and S 3 ([19], [20]).
The clinical impact of pneumocystis and viral PCR testing on bronchoalveolar lavage in immunosuppressed patients

Abstract Introduction Pulmonary infiltrates in immunosuppressed patients are common. Yields from bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) has been reported to be between 31 and 65%. The clinical impact of pneumocystis and viral Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing on BAL has not been extensively evaluated in a mixed immunosuppressed patient population. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of immunosuppressed adults with pulmonary infiltrates who underwent BAL at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Only one BAL per patient was included. We compared the rate of positive PCR testing to conventional testing. We then investigated factors associated with positive PCR testing. Finally, we assessed for changes in antimicrobial therapy after bronchoscopy. Results Three hundred and fifty-nine patients underwent BAL with 249 patients having pneumocystis PCR testing and 142 having viral PCR testing. Pneumocystis identification occurred in 43 patients and viral species identification occurred in 56 patients. PCR testing increased pneumocystis identification compared to microscopy, 14% vs. 5%, p = 0.01, and viral identification compared to culture, 25% vs. 6%, p = 0.0001. Of the patients with positive pneumocystis PCR testing 49% had antibiotics stopped, 66% were started on anti-pneumocystis therapy, and only 6% did not receive treatment. There was no difference in the number of patients with antibiotics stopped based on viral PCR testing results. Discussion PCR testing increases BAL yield in immunosuppressed patients compared to conventional testing. Pneumocystis identified by PCR only may cause a self-limited infection and may not require antimicrobial therapy. PCR testing should be included in the evaluation of pulmonary infiltrates in immunosuppressed patients.
Cellular mechanisms promoting cachexia and how they are opposed by sirtuins1

Many chronic diseases are associated with unintentional loss of body weight, which is termed “cachexia”. Cachexia is a complex multifactorial syndrome associated with the underlying primary disease...
Assessment of a Simulated Case-Based Measurement of Physician Diagnostic Performance.

Importance Diagnostic acumen is a fundamental skill in the practice of medicine. Scalable, practical, and objective tools to assess diagnostic performance are lacking. Objective To validate a new method of assessing diagnostic performance that uses automated techniques to assess physicians’ diagnostic performance on brief, open-ended case simulations. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective cohort study of 11 023 unique attempts to solve case simulations on an online software platform, The Human Diagnosis Project (Human Dx). A total of 1738 practicing physicians, residents (internal medicine, family medicine, and emergency medicine), and medical students throughout the United States voluntarily used Human Dx software between January 21, 2016, and January 15, 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures Internal structure validity was assessed by 3 measures of diagnostic performance: accuracy, efficiency, and a combined score (Diagnostic Acumen Precision Performance [DAPP]). These were each analyzed by level of training. Association with other variables’ validity evidence was evaluated by correlating diagnostic performance and affiliation with an institution ranked in the top 25 medical schools byUS News and World Report. Results Data were analyzed for 239 attending physicians, 926 resident physicians, 347 intern physicians, and 226 medical students. Attending physicians had higher mean accuracy scores than medical students (difference, 8.1; 95% CI, 4.2-12.0;P Conclusions and Relevance The data suggest that diagnostic performance is higher in those with more training and that DAPP scores may be a valid measure to appraise diagnostic performance. This diagnostic assessment tool allows individuals to receive immediate feedback on performance through an openly accessible online platform.
Contrast-Induced Nephropathy Post Percutaneous Interventional Procedures

CIN is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and increased healthcare costs. It is the third leading cause of hospital-acquired renal failure. The incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) after cardiac catheterization reported in literature is 3–22 % [1–3]. CIN has been shown to be associated with additional morbidity, mortality, and increased healthcare costs [1, 2]. Although the mechanism for CIN is not understood, several mechanisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of this complex phenomenon including direct cytotoxic effects of the contrast agents, ischemic injury due to renal vasoconstriction, decreases in renal medullary blood flow, auto- and paracrine effects (including adenosine, endothelin, and reactive oxygen species activity), oxidative stress, and cellular apoptosis [3]. Risk stratification prior to catheterization perhaps can help identify patients at high risk for CIN.
Dual-Polarized Armband Embroidered Textile Antenna for On-/Off-Body Wearable Applications

In this paper, a dual-polarized armband textile antenna based on an embroidery technique is proposed for wearable applications. The antenna consists of four series-fed patch antennas wrapped around a cylindrical surface. Different from traditional wearable antennas, a quasi-omnidirectional radiation pattern is achieved by exciting the four radiators with uniform amplitude and phase. The other important contribution of this work is that dual orthogonal polarizations are realized in the design, which can significantly improve the link reliability due to antenna deformation and body movement. Moreover, owing to the high front-to-back ratio (FBR) of patch antenna elements, the antenna exhibits a low Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), which is highly desirable for wearable applications. A prototype of the armband antenna was fabricated and tested, confirming the numerical predictions.
Exploring Transformative Fandom to Broaden Participation in Computing

Broadening participation in computing is essential for involving a diversity of perspectives in creating new technologies. Despite attempts to involve diverse groups in computer science, underrepresented groups such as women; racial, gender, and sexual minorities; and people with disabilities are still under-involved in formal computing spaces such as education and industry. In contrast to examining how to bring underrepresented groups into these spaces, I propose examining examples of computational work already happening within marginalized communities, where participants who may be outsiders to computing culture still engage with computation to empower their own communities.
Crystal Chemistry, Band-Gap Red Shift, and Electrocatalytic Activity of Iron-Doped Gallium Oxide Ceramics.

This work for the first time unfurls the fundamental mechanisms and sets the stage for an approach to derive electrocatalytic activity, which is otherwise not possible, in a traditionally known wide band-gap oxide material. Specifically, we report on the tunable optical properties, in terms of wide spectral selectivity and red-shifted band gap, and electrocatalytic behavior of iron (Fe)-doped gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) model system. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies of sintered Ga2-x Fe x O3 (GFO) (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3) compounds provide evidence for the Fe3+ substitution at Ga3+ site without any secondary phase formation. Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns reveals that the GFO compounds crystallize in monoclinic crystal symmetry with a C2/m space group. The electronic structure of the GFO compounds probed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data reveals that at lower concentrations, Fe exhibits mixed chemical valence states (Fe3+, Fe2+), whereas single chemical valence state (Fe3+) is evident for higher Fe content (x = 0.20-0.30). The optical absorption spectra reveal a significant red shift in the optical band gap with Fe doping. The origin of the significant red shift even at low concentrations of Fe (x = 0.05) is attributed to the strong sp-d exchange interaction originated from the 3d5 electrons of Fe3+. The optical absorption edge observed at ≈450 nm with lower intensity is the characteristic of Fe-doped compounds associated with Fe3+-Fe3+ double-excitation process. Coupled with an optical band-gap red shift, electrocatalytic studies of GFO compounds reveal that, interestingly, Fe-doped Ga2O3 compound exhibits electrocatalytic activity in contrast to intrinsic Ga2O3. Fe-doped samples (GFO) demonstrated appreciable electrocatalytic activity toward the generation of H2 through electrocatalytic water splitting. An onset potential and Tafel slope of GFO compounds include ∼900 mV, ∼210 mV dec-1 (x = 0.15) and ∼1036 mV, ∼290 mV dec-1 (x = 0.30), respectively. The electrocatalytic activity of Fe-doped Ga-oxide compounds is attributed to the cumulative effect of different mechanisms such as doping resulting in new catalytic centers, enhanced conductivity, and electron mobility. Hence, in this report, for the first time, we explored a new pathway; the electrocatalytic behavior of Fe-doped Ga2O3 resulted due to Fe chemical states and red shift in the optical band gap. The implications derived from this work may be applicable to a large class of compounds, and further options may be available to design functional materials for electrocatalytic energy production.
Informal Caregiving and Social Capital: A Social Network Perspective:

A large literature emphasizes the importance of social relationships during the caregiving process. Yet these issues are seldom presented in a social network framework that examines the structure of caregivers' personal networks. In this study, I examine how older caregivers experience changes in personal network structure. Using two waves from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, I investigate whether caregivers are more or less likely to exhibit bridging or bonding capital potential compared to noncaregivers. I find that older adults transitioning into caregiving are more likely to develop the ability to bridge social ties within their personal networks than noncaregivers despite potential constraints in their personal freedom. Caregivers in the latter stages, meanwhile, do not differ from noncaregivers in terms of network change. These findings have implications for older adults' potential to pool resources across social domains as well as negotiate stress and well-being during the caregiving process.
Does Board Independence Reduce Informed Short Selling Prior to Earnings Announcements? Evidence From Quasi-Natural Experiment

Independent boards improve financial disclosure quality and reduce the opacity of information between insiders and outsiders, which lowers the incentives of informed traders that benefit from the information gap. We test this conjecture by estimating short sellers’ predictions of the direction of unexpected quarterly earnings. We find that short sellers’ predictions are less accurate in firms with independent boards relative to firms with non-independent boards. Furthermore, short-selling excess returns in firms with independent boards are insignificant. A quasi-natural experiment using the exogenous shock to board independence represented by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 provides further support for these findings. We also show that a decrease in both information asymmetry and information leakage in firms with independent boards are potential reasons for a decrease in the accuracy of short sellers’ predictions. Further analyses show that the effects of independent boards are stronger in firms with larger information asymmetry and also in firms that have poor governance mechanisms. Sub-sample analyses suggest that these results are not driven by the idiosyncrasies of unusual periods such as the 2007–2009 global financial crisis.
Grit in Medical Education: Differing Perspectives of Residents and Mentors.

Background Increasing concerns about depression and burnout in residents have led to a recent focus on assessing "non-cognitive" traits in residents and residency applicants. One attribute that has received significant attention is grit, defined as trait-level perseverance and passion for long-term goals. With an objective measure available, an important question is under what circumstances of administration is that measure reliable and accurate. The goal of this study was to ascertain whether internal medicine residents and their faculty mentors were congruent in their ratings of resident grit, or if not, how the ratings differed. Methods Subjects were internal medicine residents (N=42) at a community-based university-affiliated hospital internal medicine residency program. Near the end of the academic year 2019, residents completed the GRIT-S (short form). As each resident is assigned a mentor during their training, each resident's mentor was also asked to complete the GRIT-S based on their view of their mentee. Results This study failed to find a significant correlation between resident self-ratings of grit and those of their mentors. Conclusions The results of these two studies underscore the difficulty in obtaining accurate assessments of non-cognitive traits. These results further the understanding of the role of grit and raise important questions about how assessments might be used to assure validity. Further areas of inquiry into this potentially important characteristic are suggested.
A novel method to test for lead contamination in soil around US schools

It has been rumored that soils around schools in the US are contaminated with lead, which is known to be harmful to children, and is known to inhibit plant growth. The purpose of this study is to investigate the growth of plants in soil sampled from US schools to see if decreased plant growth can indicate lead contamination before testing is done. After comparing the time until germination, height, and root length of radishes grown in soil from the surrounding area of the school to that of those grown in uncontaminated soil, we found that radishes grown in soil from schools germinated at a rate 38% slower than radishes grown in uncontaminated soil (HR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.33-1.2, Ptrend = 0.13). The mean radish heights between the two groups were also found to be significantly different (p = 0.12). Decreased plant growth may serve as an indicator for soil contamination before other laboratory tests are done. It is recommended that further testing for lead and other toxins should be conducted on the soil of the surrounding area, and larger studies with multiple species of plants should be conducted to see if these trends could be applied to the general plant population around schools. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 10(1): 94-96, June 2020
Police Legitimacy and Citizen Coproduction: How does publicized police brutality impact calling the police?

Calling the police has been called the most important decision in the criminal justice system. One view of citizen-police cooperation contends that citizens report crimes to the police because they perceive the police to be legitimate. How do shocks to institutional legitimacy shape demands for police services? Analyzing 25 well-publicized cases of police brutality across 22 US cities using difference-in-differences analyses and random permutation tests, I find little evidence that police brutality incidents reduce 911 calls. Analyses of google search trends in impacted cities indicate substantial interest in local brutality events, media reports and public opinion data indicate these events reduced police trust, and many incidents resulted in sustained protests and concrete changes policing policies. However, demand for policing services –- measured by calls reporting assault, burglary, theft, and gunshots – remained remarkably steady. Absent alternatives, citizens continue to call on police intervention to manage crime despite damaged police legitimacy.
Medication safety and medication error prevention

Abstract Since the 1999 National Academy of Medicine report, To Err is Human and the 2007 report, Preventing Medication Errors, pharmacies, pharmacists, and pharmacy leaders have increased their focus on improving medication safety in their organizations. Many organizations have created specific positions dedicated to overseeing the analysis of medication errors and implementing medication error prevention strategies for high-risk medications and error-prone processes. With the growth of pharmacy involvement in ambulatory care, increased use of patient simulations, and advances in electronic health record technology, medication safety leaders are advancing the way medication errors are analyzed. Medication safety leaders must navigate the impact of emerging regulations and accreditation standards, drug shortages, and other disruptive forces in healthcare.
High valuations, uncertainty, and war:

Many theories of war predict conflict becomes more likely as a state increasingly values the prize at stake. This article showcases an important limit. If—as in many cases—a state has uncertainty o...
Impacts of turbine and plant upsizing on the levelized cost of energy for offshore wind

Abstract Turbine and plant upsizing are major trends in offshore wind deployment, although the quantitative impact on project costs has not been well-characterized. The uncertain value of continued wind turbine and project growth limits the ability of the supply chain to prepare for future technology trends, leading to challenges in the realization of larger projects. This analysis explores the levelized cost of energy impacts of turbine ratings between 6 and 20 MW and plant capacities between 250 and 2,500 MW for fixed-bottom offshore wind using techno-economic cost models for foundation, electrical, installation, and operation and maintenance costs, along with annual energy production. We consider a nominal set of technology assumptions for all scenarios to isolate economies of size and scale without additional benefits from decreasing turbine capital costs, quantity discounts for larger projects, or optimized technology solutions. These results indicate that using a 20-MW wind turbine in a 2,500-MW power plant array can reduce the levelized cost of energy by over 23% relative to the global average turbine and plant size installed in 2019; primarily because of reductions in the balance-of-system and operation and maintenance costs. We also identify improved installation vessels, optimized export systems, and novel operation and maintenance strategies as additional cost reduction opportunities. These results suggest that upsizing represents a significant cost reduction opportunity for offshore wind energy and will continue to be a main factor in shaping the future of the sector.
Abstract 217: Mutations in iron-sulfur cluster proteins are associated with decreased bladder cancer cell senescence and improved survival outcomes

Recent tumor genome analyses have cataloged hundreds of mutated genes, including a large population of rarely mutated genes with ill-defined roles in cancer. Here we find that, when considering the 10 genes of the iron-sulfur (Fe-S) pathway as an integrated whole, somatic mutations occur with a higher than expected frequency in 21.3% of bladder tumors. Mutations in these genes are associated with increased survival and mutational burden. Analysis of tumor gene expression highlights a relationship between these Fe-S mutations and signalling regulating proliferation and quiescence, with mutations promoting proliferative programs and abolishing maintenance of quiescence. In bladder tumor cells, we show that replication of this proliferative program, using an DYRK1A kinase inhibitor, promotes sensitivity to genotoxic agents. Furthermore, disruption of Fe-S genes ERCC2, MMS19, CIOA1, BRIP1 or POLD1 promotes cell proliferation and concomitant sensitivity to genotoxic agents. These results suggest a model in which Fe-S pathway mutations are selected due to their ability to bypass DNA damage checkpoints and drive proliferation, an aspect which simultaneously creates vulnerability to chemotherapy and resultant improvements in survival. Citation Format: Devin Patel, Fan Zheng, Michael Chen, Jason Kreisberg, Erica Silva, Trey Ideker, Kate Licon. Mutations in iron-sulfur cluster proteins are associated with decreased bladder cancer cell senescence and improved survival outcomes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 217.
Optimal Engagement for an Attacker with Limited Weapon Energy

We examine a real-time target engagement scenario in which a mobile attacker engages a fortified, static target and then retreats to a safety region. The mobile attacker possesses limited weapon energy (or ammunition) and must determine when to employ its limited resources to achieve maximum effect. Simultaneously, the hardened target inflicts an integral cost on the attacker over the course of the engagement. This instantaneous damage dealt by both agents is a function of the relative state with regions of high damage and low damage. We solve for the optimal attacker engagement strategy, which divides the state space into regions of qualitatively different behaviors, with different combinations and sequencing of holding fire, opening fire, approaching the target, and retreating. These regions are separated by several unique singular surfaces and constrained arcs. Furthermore, the global solution produces “kiting behaviors” which are often found in video games as well as traditional combat strategies.
The AmiC/NlpD pathway dominates peptidoglycan breakdown in Neisseria meningitidis and affects cell separation, NOD1 agonist production, and infection

ABSTRACT The human-restricted pathogen Neisseria meningitidis, which is best known for causing invasive meningococcal disease, has a nonpathogenic lifestyle as an asymptomatic colonizer of the human naso- and oropharyngeal space. N. meningitidis releases small peptidoglycan (PG) fragments during growth. It was demonstrated previously that N. meningitidis releases low levels of tripeptide PG monomer, which is an inflammatory molecule recognized by the human intracellular innate immune receptor NOD1. In this present study, we demonstrated that N. meningitidis released more PG-derived peptides compared to PG monomers. Using a reporter cell line overexpressing human NOD1, we showed that N. meningitidis activates NOD1 using PG-derived peptides. Generation of such peptides required the presence of the periplasmic N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase AmiC, and the outer membrane lipoprotein, NlpD. AmiC and NlpD were found to function in cell separation, and mutation of either amiC or nlpD resulted in large clumps of unseparated N. meningitidis cells instead of the characteristic diplococci. Using stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy, we demonstrated that FLAG epitope-tagged NlpD localized to the septum, while similarly-tagged AmiC was found at the septum in some diplococci but distributed around the cell in most cases. In a human whole blood infection assay, an nlpD mutant was severely attenuated and showed particular sensitivity to complement. Thus, in N. meningitidis the cell separation proteins AmiC and NlpD are necessary for NOD1 stimulation and for survival during infection of human blood.
If I Were Rich? The Impact of Financial and Human Capital on Becoming a Nascent Entrepreneur

Data from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics (PSED) are used to study the role that financial resources and human capital play in an individual's decision to become an entrepreneur. Following areview of the literature on personal financial resources (such as householdincome and wealth) and human capital variables (including education and workexperience), several hypotheses are offered. Taken together, the hypotheses suggest that self-employed individuals with parents, friends, and relatives who are entrepreneurs, who have increasing household wealth, who have formal education, who have years of full-time workand managerial experience, and who have previous start-up experience are more likely than others to become nascent entrepreneurs. Increasing household income, however, is expected to make individuals reluctant to pursue entrepreneurial activities. Data from interviews with a secondary sample of nascent entrepreneurs who participated in the PSED are used to test the hypotheses. Analysis of thesurvey data reveals that household wealth and income have no effect on one’s decision to become an entrepreneur. However, education, full-time work experience, current self-employment, and the presence of relatives who are entrepreneurs do play a role in the decision.The fact that human capital appears to affect one's decision to start a business promises to spur further research on the founding of organizations. (SAA)
Requirements and Issues On Real-Time Database Systems

Real-time systems are now being used for such applications as avionics, space projects, process control, financial market, telecommunication, and air traffic control systems. For these applications, data about the target environment must be continuously collected from the real world and processed in a timely manner to generate real-time responses. In most cases, the amount of information that can be made available to a real-time system is almost unlimited. The questions are how much is enough for the application and how fast the system can handle. These two fundamental questions must be carefully evaluated by real-time system engineers to reach a good balance between the system cost and the computing capability.
Towards a bayesian statistical model for the classification of the causes of data loss

Given the critical nature of communications in computational Grids it is important to develop efficient, intelligent, and adaptive communication mechanisms. An important milestone on this path is the development of classification mechanisms that can distinguish between the various causes of data loss in cluster and Grid environments. The idea is to use the classification mechanism to determine if data loss is caused by contention within the network or if the cause lies outside of the network domain. If it is outside of the network domain, then it is not necessary to trigger aggressive congestion-control mechanisms. Thus the goal is to operate the data transfer at the highest possible rate by only backing off aggressively when the data loss is classified as being network related. In this paper, we investigate one promising approach to developing such classification mechanisms based on the analysis of the patterns of packet loss and the application of Bayesian statistics.
Multicasting in Irregular Networks with Cut-Through Switches using Tree-Based Multidestination Worms*

Multidestination message passing has been proposed as a mechanism to achieve efficient multicast in regular direct and indirect networks. The application of this technique to parallel systems based on irregular networks has, however, not been studied. In this paper we pro- pose two schemes for performing multicast using multidestination worms on irregular networks and examine the extent to which multidestination message passing can improve multicast performance. For each of the schemes we propose solutions for the associated problems such as, meth- ods for encoding and decoding multidestination headers, alterations to the setup algorithm run by the switches, logic to perform header manip- ulation, etc. We perform extensive simulations to evaluate our schemes under a variety of changing parameters: software startup overhead per message, system size, switch size, message length, and degree of connec- tivity. Our results establish that even a very naive multicasting algorithm using multidestination message passing can result in considerable perfor- mance gains over the best unicast based multicasting schemes.
The Overrepresentation of White Missing Children in National Television News

This study examines how closely representations of missing children in television news reflect missing children statistics from official sources. It replicates findings from a previous study (Min & Feaster, 2010) showing that two categories of missing children—African Americans and females—are significantly underrepresented in the news when compared to proportions reported by the FBI's National Crime Information Center. This study also introduces three new research design elements, including a second source of official statistics on missing children, an alternative operationalization of the unit of analysis, and a longer time period of news coverage. When applying these procedures, this research reinforces the previous study's findings on racial selection bias but finds contradictory results pertaining to gender bias.