cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
When a Picture Isn't Worth 1000 Words: Learners Struggle to Find Meaning in Data Visualizations.

ABSTRACT The oft-repeated phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” supposes that an image can replace a profusion of words to more easily express complex ideas. For scientific visualizations that represent profusions of numerical data, however, an untranslated academic visualization suffers the same pitfalls untranslated jargon does. Previous research and commentary suggests scaffolding from cognitive, constructivist, and sociocultural traditions to promote meaning-making by broad audiences, but limited empirical research examines the effectiveness of these scaffolds for adult learners viewing global ocean data. Five versions of visualizations including translating titles and measurement units, altering color schemes, and geographic labels were presented on three topics to expert oceanographers and novice nonscientists. Qualitative analysis of semistructured clinical interviews suggest that these scaffolds assist these audiences but are not sufficient for novices to make meaning similar to experts wit...
Connecting the Raspberry Pi Computers to the Network

In this chapter, we’ll look at how to set up your Raspberry Pi computers in your classroom or lab, connect them to your establishment’s network, and verify that the computers and the network are working to your satisfaction.
Accuracy versus variability of climate projections for flood assessment in central Italy

Climatic extremes are changing and decision-makers express a strong need for reliable information on future changes over the coming decades as a basis for adaption strategies. In the hydrological-hydraulic context, to estimate changes on floods, a modeling chain composed by general circulation models (GCMs), bias correction (BC) methods, and hydrological modeling is generally applied. It is well-known that each step of the modeling chain introduces uncertainties, resulting in a reduction of the reliability of future climate projections. The main goal of this study is the assessment of the accuracy and variability (i.e., model accuracy, climate intermodel variability, and natural variability) on climate projections related to the present period. By using six different GCMs and two BC methods, the “climate intermodel variability” is evaluated. “Natural variability” is estimated through random realizations of stochastic weather generators. By comparing observed and simulated extreme discharge values, obtained through a continuous rainfall-runoff model, “model accuracy” is computed. The Tiber River basin in central Italy is used as a case study. Results show that in climate projections, model accuracy and climate intermodel variability components have to be clearly distinguished. For accuracy, the hydrological model is found to be the largest source of error; for variability, natural variability contributes for more than 75% to the total variability while GCM and BC have a much lower influence. Moreover, accuracy and variability components vary significantly, and not consistently, between catchments with different permeability characteristics.
Clinical Presentation and Outcomes of Children With Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis

Background Adults with the tick-borne disease human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) have a spectrum of acute febrile illnesses that, if untreated, might be severe. Clinical presentation and outcomes of children with HGA have been poorly described. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted to determine the frequency, presentation, and outcomes of pediatric patients with HGA between 1994 and 2015 in a region of Wisconsin in which HGA is highly endemic. Patients with related International Classification of Diseases Ninth and Tenth Revision (ICD-9 and ICD-10, respectively) codes or positive HGA laboratory test results were evaluated and classified as having had confirmed, probable, or suspected HGA on the basis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) case definition. The Fisher's exact and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used in statistical comparisons. Results Of 187 children identified with possible HGA, 17 (9%) had confirmed, 75 (40%) had probable, and 91 (49%) had suspected infections. The number of cases rose sharply in 2010 and has remained between 16 and 36 cases per year since that time. A minority of children with confirmed or probable infections had elevated liver transaminase levels (33%), leukopenia (24%), thrombocytopenia (17%), or anemia (8%); 6 (7%) of these children required hospitalization. Children with evidence of concurrent HGA and Lyme disease (27% of confirmed or probable cases) had a higher risk of hospitalization (odds ratio, 6.55 [95% confidence interval, 1.11-38.78]). None of these children had life-threatening disease or died. Conclusions Evidence suggests that the frequency of HGA in children is increasing. Although most children had mild disease, doxycycline remains the treatment of choice, because outcome data for children without treatment remains limited.
Forest harvest intensity and soil depth alter inorganic nitrogen pool sizes and ammonia oxidizer community composition

Abstract Intensive forest harvest techniques have the potential to alter soil carbon and nutrient stocks and biogeochemical processes. We investigated how differing levels of organic matter removal (OMR) during timber harvest influenced the long-term stability of nitrification and the microbes regulating this process. Nitrification is limited by the activity of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA); however, reports on the relative contribution of each of these groups to forest soil nitrification have varied and have not been investigated in response to OMR. The influence of soil depth on the structure and function of the ammonia-oxidizing community has also been underreported and was included in this study. We quantified soil physicochemical properties including concentrations of ammonium (NH4+) and nitrite (NO2−) + nitrate (NO3−), and also coupled next generation sequencing and qPCR of the amoA gene to a whole-soil assay that stimulates nitrification and allows for the discrimination of AOA-from AOB-activity using 1-octyne, which inhibits bacterial ammonia monooxygenase activity. Soils were collected (1 m depth) from replicated loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands subjected to three different intensities of OMR (i.e., unharvested control, bole-only harvest, and whole-tree harvest + forest floor removal). Increasing intensity of OMR and increasing soil depth lead to significant reductions in concentrations of in situ NH4+ and NO2− + NO3−. Sequencing and subsequent annotation of the ammonia oxidizing community revealed that AOA were dominated by Crenarchaeota and AOB were dominated by Nitrosospira spp. The abundance of both bacterial and archaeal amoA were influenced by OMR and soil depth; furthermore, archaeal amoA was more abundant than bacterial amoA across all soil depths and the ratio of AOA to AOB increased with depth. Community structure of AOA and AOB were influenced by soil depth; however, only AOB were altered by OMR. Soil incubations revealed nitrification was N-limited in these forest soils. Furthermore, AOA- and AOB-contributions to total nitrification were nearly equivalent in surface soils; however, AOA contribution increased to 75% at 1 m. In general, the highest rates of nitrification occurred in the soils taken from unharvested control stands; however, OMR treatment differences were only significant when soils were amended with high levels of ammonia indicating that at ambient levels, intensive OMR may not lead to long-term alterations in nitrification potential.
Heredity And Environment Revisited

Arguments and research studies about relative contributions of heredity and environment to behavior are fruitless, for such arguments involve assumptions about abstract powers. An alternative would be to turn to an observable field of interacting events in which the components may be investigated and interpreted in a manner that is consistent with the events observed and their interdependent role in the field.
THE EFFECTS OF SERIAL SPORTS TRAINING RISK ASSESSMENT AND COUNSELLING IN KIDS (T.R.A.C.K.)

Background Training recommendations in young athletes have been published by various authors and organizations to help reduce future injury risk. No previous study has evaluated a randomized intervention of counselling using evidence-based recommendations in a population of young athletes. Objective To determine if serial interactive on-line evidence-based counselling reduce the future rate of injury in young athletes. Design Multi-Center Double-blind Prospective Randomized Interventional Trial. Setting Academic institutions treating young athletes in sports medicine or primary care clinics. Patients (or Participants) Young athletes 8–17 years old presenting with or without a prior injury to either of these institutions. Interventions (or Assessment of Risk Factors) After completing the baseline risk assessment tool, young athletes were randomized to: (1) a control group who are monitored every 3 months for exposures for one year and (2) an intervention group of athletes who are similarly monitored and also receive a counselling checklist intervention every 3 months for one year. Training characteristics such as training volume, degree of specialization, and adherence to recommendations were evaluated in each group. Main Outcome Measurements Injury rates were compared at baseline and after the intervention in control and intervention. Compliance to recommendations and barriers to compliance were also assessed. Results 362 subjects were enrolled with 350 subjects adequate for analysis (170 control, 180 intervention). Baseline demographics and injury rates (71% vs. 75%, p Conclusions Serial on-line based evidence-based counselling on training in young athletes may help to reduce future injury risk.
Cross-Cultural Variation in Altruism: Traditional Parental Manipulation and Ancestor-Descendant Conflict

Evolutionary theorists have applied a number of novel approaches—cultural, psychological, and genetic—to the study of altruism. In this chapter, we assume that genes play a role in altruistic behavior, that psychological factors are also involved, and that culture is as important as each of these other factors. Both genes and the environment, which includes culture and social relationships, are involved in all behavioral traits, including that of behaving altruistically. Because a number of scholars have already focused on possible genes and on psychological mechanisms, we turn to an explanation of cultural factors that seem to be aimed not only at teaching and encouraging altruism but at preventing and resolving the conflicts that make the expression of altruism difficult.
Nucleation and Growth Kinetics from LaMer Burst Data.

In LaMer burst nucleation, the individual nucleation events happen en masse, quasi-simultaneously, and at nearly identical homogeneous conditions. These properties make LaMer burst nucleation important for applications that require monodispersed particles and also for theoretical analyses. Sugimoto and co-workers predicted that the number of nuclei generated during a LaMer burst depends only on the solute supply rate and the growth rate, independent of the nucleation kinetics. Some experiments confirm that solute supply kinetics control the number of nuclei, but flaws in the original theoretical analysis raise questions about the predicted roles of growth and nucleation kinetics. We provide a rigorous analysis of the coupled equations that govern concentrations of nuclei and solutes. Our analysis confirms that the number of nuclei is largely determined by the solute supply and growth rates, but our predicted relationship differs from that of Sugimoto et al. Moreover, we find that additional nucleus size d...
Causatividad y estatividad

El presente trabajo aborda las caracteristicas semanticas y sintacticas de los predicados estativos que expresan relaciones causativas. En concreto, centramos nuestro analisis en dos grupos de verbos del espanol: verbos de alternancia instrumental, del tipo bloquear, tapar u obstruir; y verbos psicologicos de objeto experimentante, del tipo preocupar, molestar o aburrir. Mostraremos que, si bien pueden identificarse en ambos predicados lecturas atelicas y no dinamicas (es decir, estativas), su caracterizacion como predicados de nivel de estadio (Pylkkanen 2000, Fabregas y Marin 2015) no es descriptivamente suficiente. Propondremos, en cambio, que los estados causativos corresponden siempre a estados davidsonianos (cf. Maienborn 2005), es decir, estados con un argumento eventivo, que sera condicion necesaria de una relacion causal. Motivaremos esta conclusion desde un modelo de interfaz semantica-sintaxis en la que los argumentos externos marcados como iniciadores no se combinan nunca directamente con estados (puros) (Moreno Cabrera 2003), sino que deben establecer primero una relacion tematica con un evento (Jaque 2014).
Like the Eye of the Tiger: Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Exclusionary Criteria and Its "Knockout" of the Emergency Psychiatric Patient.

Context: Over 6% of all emergency department (ED) visits in the United States involve primary mental health or behavioral issues. The patients are stabilized in the ED but frequently require admission to an inpatient psychiatric unit or institution for longer term treatment and management. To facilitate this process, an emergency physician (EP) must first “medically clear” the patient as stable for transfer. At present, there is no interdisciplinary consensus regarding the necessary elements of the medical clearance or stability assessment process. In addition to satisfy the vague requirement for medical clearance, the EP must abide by the rules of the inpatient facilities before his/her patient is accepted. Settings and Design: This manuscript summarizes the admission exclusionary criteria of inpatient psychiatric units in the Houston–Galveston metro area. Subjects and Methods: we pooled the exclusionary criteria of all the facilities patients with mental illness can be sent to in the Houston-Galveston metropolitan area, and divided those criteria by categories. Results: Pooled exclusionary criteria congregate into 1. preexisting or current medical condition and capabilities (e.g. hypertensive urgency, pregnancy, acute alcohol intoxication), 2. exclusionary criteria related to administrative burdens that may impact staffing or require advanced equipment/training e.g. autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, respiratory isolation or daily hemodialysis, 3. laboratory and ancillary testing required by inpatient facilities before acceptance of the patient. Conclusions: Of the inpatient units in the Houston-Galveston area, facilities lack a unified staffing model, ancillary services, but the various challenges (e.g., limited staffing and ancillary services) and different skills offered (e.g., geriatric care) are reflected in exclusionary criteria in a partially overlapping, but not fully uniform, way. The variation in number and kinds of exclusionary criteria further complicate the admission process and often serve as a bottleneck in the securing an inpatient bed.
Evaluating Visualization Environments: Cognitive, Social, and Cultural Perspectives

Computer-based visualization environments enable their users to create, manipulate, and explore visual representations of data, information, processes and phenomena. They play a prominent role in the practices and education of many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) communities. There is a growing need to evaluate such environments empirically, in order not only to ensure that they are effective, but also to better understand how and why they are effective. How does one empirically evaluate the effectiveness of a visualization environment? I argue that choosing an approach is a matter of finding the right perspective for viewing human use of the visualization environment. This chapter presents three alternative perspectives—Cognitive, Social, and Cultural—each of which is distinguished by its own intellectual tradition and guiding theory. In so doing, the chapter has three broad goals: (a) to illustrate that different research traditions and perspectives lead to different definitions of effectiveness; (b) to show that, depending upon the research questions of interest and the situations in which a visualization environment is being used, each perspective can prove more or less useful in approaching the empirical evaluation of the environment; and (c) to provide visualization researchers with a repertoire of evaluation methods to draw from, and guidelines for matching research methods to research questions of interest.
A requiem for the Australian motor vehicle industry

The last automobiles manufactured in Australia rolled off the assembly line in the fall of 2017. This article looks at some of the factors that have impacted the industry since 1968 and led to its ...
Suction forces generated by passive bile bag drainage on a model of post-subdural hematoma evacuation

Passive drainage systems are commonly used after subdural hematoma evacuation but there is a dearth of published data regarding the suction forces created. We set out to quantify the suction forces generated by a passive drainage system. We created a model of passive drainage after subdural hematoma evacuation. We measured the maximum suction force generated with a bile bag drain for both empty drain tubing and fluid-filled drain tube causing a siphoning effect. We took measurements at varying heights of the bile bag to analyze if bile bag height changed suction forces generated. An empty bile bag with no fluid in the drainage tube connected to a rigid, fluid-filled model creates minimal suction force of 0.9 mmHg (95% CI 0.64–1.16 mmHg). When fluid fills the drain tubing, a siphoning effect is created and can generate suction forces ranging from 18.7 to 30.6 mmHg depending on the relative position of the bile bag and filled amount of the bile bag. The suction forces generated are statistically different if the bile bag is 50 cm below, level with or 50 cm above the experimental model. Passive bile bag drainage does not generate significant suction on a fluid-filled rigid model if the drain tubing is empty. If fluid fills the drain tubing then siphoning occurs and can increase the suction force of a passive bile bag drainage system to levels comparable to partially filled Jackson-Pratt bulb drainage.
Statistical Models for Spatial Data: Some Linkages and Communalities

Introductory mathematical statistics textbooks discuss topics such as the sample variance by invoking the assumption of independent and identically distributed (iid). In other words, in terms of second moments, of the n 2 possible covariations for a set of n observations, the independence assumption posits that n(n – 1) of these covariations have an expected value of 0, leaving only the n individual observation variance terms for analysis. This independence assumption is for convenience, historically making mathematical statistical theory tractable. But it is an arcane specification that fails to provide an acceptable approximation to reality in many contexts.
The fern-spore abundance anomaly at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary: A regional bioevent in western North America

At most localities where the palynological Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary has been located in continuous deposition sequences in nonmarine rocks, an anomalous abundance of fern spores occurs immediately above the boundary. The fern-spore anomaly is characterized by unusually high relative abundance of fern spores and dominance by only one of a few species at each locality; it is independent of lithology. Its presence at the K-T boundary at localities from New Mexico to Saskatchewan is evidence of a regional bioevent in earliest Tertiary time: the overwhelming dominance of the continental flora by pioneer species following catastrophic destruction of existing plant communities by the terminal Cretaceous event.
A Framework for Evaluating Inclusive School Programs for Primary Students with Language and Learning Disabilities

In this paper, a framework for evaluating inclusive school environments for students with language and learning disabilities is described. The framework for this evaluation is based on a sociocultural perspective with an emphasis on evaluating program adaptability, opportunities to communicate orally, and access to higher order cognitive tasks and content. The framework is applied in a case study of an inclusion program in an urban elementary school.
The Evolution of Paired Fins and the Origin of Tetrapod Limbs

The analysis of limb origins touches on many central issues of evolutionary morphology. The origin of limbs is a major adaptive transformation, encompassing developmental, functional, and ecological modifications. Adaptive evolution of the structure and function of paired appendages involves the genetic modification of developmental processes. The study of this transformation, then, entails a synthesis of genetic, developmental, and functional approaches.
Neutrophils as Determinants of Vascular Stability in the Injured Spinal Cord

While a number of studies have examined the complex roles of leukocytes in the acute and chronically injured cord, few have specifically focused on neutrophils, where we have only recently begun to appreciate their involvement in both vascular pathogenesis and early wound healing. Here we address the mechanisms underlying neutrophil-mediated endothelial destabilization, their synergism with monocytes in modulating permeability, and their putative role as initiators of angiogenesis in the acutely injured spinal cord. Neutrophils contain a variety of bioactive molecules that are stored in granules. Studies have shown that certain of these molecules, and most notably proteases, contribute to endothelial destabilization as neutrophils degranulate during their transmigration across this front. Neutrophils have historically been regarded as detrimental to the acutely injured cord. However, there is growing evidence that this may be an oversimplified view as it fails to take into account their ability to release proteases that degrade the extracellular matrix, releasing latent growth factors that may in turn support early angiogenesis.
Multiple-access channels without synchronization

This paper discusses models for multiple-access communications which take into account the fact that the channel users may not be able to synchronize their transmissions. It is shown that for a broad class of such channels, the capacity region is the same as it would be with user synchronization. Some open problems are discussed.
Scotopic optokinetic nystagmus thresholds in 10-week-old infants.

PURPOSE To compare psychophysical and reflexive optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) estimates of dark-adapted scotopic thresholds mediated by the posterior retina in 10-week-old infants and adults. METHODS A staircase procedure was used to determine the stimulus intensity needed to produce an OKN response to a moving 19 degrees x 19 degrees grating. In the same subjects, a two-alternative, forced-choice procedure was used to obtain thresholds for detecting 10 degrees diameter, 50 ms duration stimuli. RESULTS Both OKN and psychophysical thresholds of infants are 0.9 log unit higher than those of adults. CONCLUSION The infant-adult difference in thresholds mediated by retina at the posterior pole is greater than the infant-adult difference in thresholds for full-field stimuli. It is possible that delayed maturation of the posterior retina is the primary determinant of infants' high OKN and psychophysical thresholds.
Image Stacks as Parametric Surfaces: Application to Image Registration

We introduce a framework in which a stack of images is considered to be a 2-D parametric surface embedded in a higher dimensional space. This is a simple yet powerful idea, known in the literature but not exploited to its fullest. We discuss the properties of image stacks as parametric surfaces, apply this framework to image registration by presenting the image stack surface relative area (ISSRA) registration measure. We show the power of ISSRA as an effective objective function for image registration. Essentially, it shows good performance across a variety of different categories of registration problems: pairwise, groupwise, affine, and non-rigid. Mutual information (MI)—a classical and effective approach for registration—is widely considered to be a good choice for multimodal and pairwise registration while being difficult to extend to the groupwise setting. We discuss the deficiency of MI in the groupwise case from a theoretical point of view, present its connection to ISSRA in the pairwise case, and then show the ready extensibility of ISSRA to the groupwise setting. Experiments and comparisons are performed on different categories of image registration to showcase ISSRA’s wide range of applicability to registration problems in practice.
Decentralized Load Estimation for Distribution Systems Using Artificial Neural Networks

In this paper we present a decentralized state estimation method to support real-time Volt/Var optimization in distribution network with high penetration of distributed generation. The network is divided into sub-areas according to the location of the generation units and the mutual information (MI) between the states of interest and the available measurements. The proposed decentralized state estimation scheme only relies on local information and on a limited amount of information from neighboring areas. In each area, an artificial neural network (ANN) is used to estimate the loads consumptions. The proposed approach is tested using a modified IEEE 34-node test feeder. The effectiveness of the method is validated on a Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulation platform. To evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed decentralized approach we compared the results obtained to a centralized and a totally local approach.
Exploring the Mental Models of Undergraduate Programmers in the Context of Linked Lists

This paper describes misconceptions students encounter as they design algorithms to implement linked list operations. The research was conducted in a qualitative manner [1], and aims to inform pedagogical practice in the data structures space. The design of our study involved conducting interviews with five undergraduate students, who were given a packet consisting of four questions involving arrays, linked lists, or binary search trees. Though participants showed a confident understanding of the way that linked lists work as static diagrams, when asked to reason about the reassignment of pointers during the design of insert and remove operations, the students seemed to struggle. The details of the representation of pointers as members of the linked list class appeared unclear to our participants, and we posit this gap of understanding was a primary source confusion. We posit increased attention to the object oriented implantation of linked lists in data structures education may result in improved learning outcomes.
Abstract 224: Recent Trends in Coronary Artery Disease Quality Performance and Implications for Clinical Practice in the Era of Alternative Payment Models

Background: In light of recent shifts away from fee-for-service and toward alternative payment models (APM), national trends in quality performance for common cardiac conditions, such as CAD, are i...
My Kaleidoscope Life: Interconnected Roles as Teacher, Researcher, and Cancer Survivor

Surviving cancer dramatically alters one's perception of the world. "My Kaleidoscope Life" reflects on the interconnected roles as teacher, researcher, and cancer survivor. It provides a personal narrative and perspective on the challenges, successes, and lessons learned from having cancer. It emphasizes how surviving cancer can shift priorities, connect with others, and enhance the quality of life.
The convolution equation $$\varvec{\sigma *\mu =\mu }$$ σ ∗ μ = μ on non-compact non-abelian semigroups

In probability theory, often in connection with problems on weak convergence, and also in other contexts, convolution equations of the form $$\sigma *\mu =\mu $$ come up. Many years ago, Choqet and Deny (C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris 250 (1960) 799–801) studied these equations in locally compact abelian groups. Later, Szekely and Zeng (J. Theoret. Probab. 3(2) (1990) 361–365) studied these equations in abelian semigroups. Like in [2], the results in [7] are also complete. Thus, these equations are studied here for the first time on non-compact non-abelian semigroups. Our main results are Theorems 3.1 and 3.3 in section 3. They are new results as far as we know, and also the best possible under a minor condition. All semigroups in this paper are, unless otherwise mentioned, locally compact Hausdorff second countable topological semigroups. Theorems 3.1 and 3.3 hold for these semigroups. Local compactness may not be necessary when all measures appearing in this context are assumed to be regular.
The Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium (BGS): 50 years of Enhancing Geomorphology

Abstract The Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium (BGS) celebrated its golden anniversary in 2019. Fifty years have passed since Donald R. Coates and Marie E. Morisawa organized a symposium to bring geomorphologists together in a single venue. As faculty members at The State University of New York, they foresaw that such an event was needed to enhance the science. From this small university and city in central New York (NY), a geomorphology event blossomed into an international event that influences geomorphic thought, theory, and has shaped the direction of the discipline. This introductory paper sets the stage for the volume from the 50th Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium by providing an historical perspective of the beginning, growth, and impact that this symposium has had and continues to have on the science of geomorphology. Given that a variety of topics have been covered over the years, the organizers of the 50th BGS elected to have presenters address the status of the profession and to provide their perspectives on future advancements. This introduction provides a brief synopsis of the presentations delivered at the 50th BGS symposium and concludes with a tribute to the two founders of the BGS: Donald R. Coates and Marie E. Morisawa.
Treatment philosophy and retreatment rates following piezoelectric lithotripsy.

AbstractSecond generation iithotriptors offer the advantage of anesthesia-free fragmentation of renal and ureteral calculi but they frequently require multiple treatments to attain a stone-free status. However, excessive single lithotripsy sessions or multiple treatments may be associated with significant damage to the kidney. For some clinicians a common treatment philosophy involves evaluation of serial plain abdominal films every 24 hours after lithotripsy and immediate retreatment of all patients with incomplete fragmentation.To avoid unnecessary retreatments and, thus, minimize potential renal damage, we prospectively evaluated 100 patients undergoing lithotripsy on a Wolf Piezolith 2300 device. Patients were routinely treated with 4, 000 shocks at 1, 100 bar. Serial plain abdominal films were obtained at 1 day and 2 weeks after lithotripsy. The need for retreatment was determined by the plain abdominal film results. Additional therapy was considered necessary if there was no stone fragmentation or i...
The impact of classroom diversity philosophies on the STEM performance of undergraduate students of color

Abstract Using a large, nationally representative sample of first year undergraduate students we tested whether instructors' use of diversity philosophies could impact the learning of new math and science content among Students of Color and White students. Participants (N = 688) were randomly assigned to one of nine simulated online course environments using a 3 (diversity philosophy: Multicultural, Colorblind, Control) × 3 (lesson: Chemistry, Physics, Math) × 2 (participant race: Students of Color, White students) between-participants experimental design. After listening to an audio welcome message from the instructor and reading the course syllabus, both of which contained the embedded diversity philosophy manipulation, participants watched a novel 10-minute lesson, completed a comprehension quiz, as well as measures of belonging and perceived instructor bias. Students of Color showed greater comprehension of the math/science lesson in the multicultural condition compared to the colorblind condition. Students of Color also perceived the instructor to be less biased in the multicultural condition compared to the colorblind condition. White students tended to either be unaffected or oppositely affected by the diversity philosophy manipulation. Overall, results suggest that college instructors' use of multicultural (or colorblind) language sends a signal of inclusion (or exclusion) to Students of Color, affecting not only their social experience in the class but also their learning potential.
Bidirectional Tumor-Promoting Activities of Macrophage Ezrin

Ezrin links the cytoskeleton to cell surface integrins and plasma membrane receptors, contributing to the proliferative and metastatic potential of cancer cells. Elevated ezrin expression in several cancers is associated with poor outcomes. Tumor cell ezrin expression and function have been investigated in depth; however, its role in macrophages and other tumor microenvironment cells remains unexplored. Macrophages profoundly influence tumorigenesis, and here we explore ezrin’s influence on tumor-promoting macrophage functions. Ezrin knockdown in THP-1 macrophages reveals its important contribution to adhesion to endothelial cells. Unexpectedly, ezrin is essential for the basal and breast cancer cell-stimulated THP-1 expression of ITGAM mRNA that encodes integrin CD11b, critical for cell adhesion. Ezrin skews the differentiation of THP-1 macrophages towards the pro-tumorigenic, M2 subtype, as shown by the reduced expression of FN1, IL10, and CCL22 mRNAs following ezrin knockdown. Additionally, macrophage ezrin contributes to the secretion of factors that stimulate tumor cell migration, invasion, and clonogenic growth. Lastly, THP-1 ezrin is critical for the expression of mRNAs encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, consistent with pro-tumorigenic function. Collectively, our results provide insight into ezrin’s role in tumorigenesis, revealing a bidirectional interaction between tumor-associated macrophages and tumor cells, and suggest myeloid cell ezrin as a target for therapeutic intervention against cancer.
Mechanical properties of grain contacts in unconsolidated sands

ABSTRACTUnconsolidated sands provide zones of high porosity and permeability important for freshwater aquifers, hydrocarbon production, and CO2 sequestration. An understanding of the acoustics of u...
Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education as a Scientific/Intellectual Movement: Implications for Political Science

Political science is deeply but reluctantly involved in learning outcomes assessment. A 2013 survey reveals that political science departments are using assessment data strategically to satisfy man...
Space Law: Legal Restraints on the Commercialization and Development of Outer Space

Although the United States has landed on the moon and placed its flag on its surface, the United States cannot (nor any other nation or entity) own the moon or any part of it. This includes all other planets, asteroids, and other celestial bodies such as comets. International space law and domestic law following it, prohibit appropriation of celestial property. It is this prohibition and the uncertainty in the limited property rights that stifle the commercialization and industrialization of outer space. Section II of this Note provides a basic overview of space law. Section lII demonstrates how space law restrains the commercial development of outer space. Section IV reveals the little-known, but highly lucrative, space industry that exists today. Section V examines what the industry could be if it were to exist under a legal regime that promotes investment and legal certainty in space. Finally, Section VI provides some suggested changes in space law that will pave the road towards the infinite rewards which may be reaped from the commercialization of space.
Interpretative Labor and the Bane of Nonstandardized Metadata in Public Health Surveillance and Food Safety.

Open source DNA sequence databases have long been touted as beneficial to public health, including the facilitation of earlier detection and response to infectious disease outbreaks. Of critical importance to harnessing these benefits is the metadata which describes general and other domain specific attributes (e.g., collection location, isolate type, etc.) of a sample. Unlike the sequence data, the metadata is often incomplete and lacks adherence to an international standard. We describe the problem posed by such variable and incomplete metadata in terms of interpretative labor costs (the time and energy necessary to make sense of the signal in the genetic data), and the impact such metadata has on foodborne outbreak detection and response. Improving the quality of sequence-associated metadata would allow for earlier detection of emerging food safety hazards and allow faster response to foodborne outbreaks.
Astronomical Maser Radiation

Before embarking on a discussion of maser radiation in astronomy we have to familiarize ourselves with the energy level structure of the maser molecules. This section presents the essential features of the relevant molecular spectra. A comprehensive treatment can be found in the book Microwave Spectroscopy by Townes and Schawlow (1956).
The Flexibility of a Tubular Welded Joint in a Vehicle Frame

Automotive frames frequently consist of thin-tube members thick enough for much of the structure to be modeled adequately by bar elements. However, previous results show that a typical welded joint cannot be handled by the classical "rigid joint" assumption of frame analysis. Those results include tests of a joint type common in passenger car frames, and establish errors of over 60% in analytical predictions for some of the lower natural frequencies. The present paper attempts to see how much improvement can be achieved by simply accounting for the actual tubular shape in the vicinity of the joint, without allowing for the flexibility of the weld line itself. The study uses the NASTRAN computer program. The joint region is treated as a small substructure in a model otherwise composed of bar elements. This procedure is economical because only those portions which really have to be analyzed using plate elements are so treated.
Technical role in competition analysis. Part 1: Key concepts

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the power of appropriate engineering analysis in providing important contributions to competition evaluation. Part 1, in this issue, discusses the kind of analysis needed, defines key concepts used in the analysis (root structure, criticality and natural limits), and describes the methodology as a sequence of steps. Part 2 "Examples of competition analysis" will show by way of examples how to identify the root structure, find the critical problems, and determine the natural limits. Part 3 "Case study in competition analysis" will illustrate how the engineering analysis is used in conjunction with marketing projections.
Effects of soil bulk density and strength on seedling growth of annual ryegrass and tall fescue in controlled environment.

Grasses sown with minimal tillage commonly exhibit slower establishment and lower herbage yield than those sown into a conventionally tilled seedbed. Some of the difference in performance may be attributed to differences in bulk density between tilled and untilled ground. It is not known if performance rankings of grass cultivars established in clean-tilled ground remain valid in more compacted soil characteristic of no-till seeding. Seedlings of five cultivars of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) [IRG] and five cultivars of tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea Schreb. also known as Lolium arundinaceum Schreb. (Darbysh.)] [TF] were grown in pots of Coyle or Stephenville series soils (sandy loam and loamy sand respectively) packed to 0·75, 0·88 or 1·00 of maximum packing densities, established as 1·47 and 1·68 g cm−3 for Coyle and Stephenville soil respectively. Leaf appearance was measured until seedling harvest at 540 growing degree days after emergence. Increased bulk density decreased leaf appearance rates, reduced final leaf and tiller numbers and aerial and root biomass at harvest in both IRG and TF. Among cultivars within species, there was no difference (P > 0·05) in response to measured parameters to change in bulk density. Seedling growth and development of IRG were consistently greater than that of TF but showed greater reduction in response to increased soil bulk density. Soil strength provided a better indicator of likely seedling response to soil compaction than bulk density. The results suggest that cultivar rankings obtained under conventional tillage are likely to be valid with no-till planting.
Recent results in the development of composites for high energy density capacitors

The development of novel composites is ongoing in an effort to develop materials with an energy density greater than 5 J/cm3 for use in high voltage capacitors. The materials are composites initially developed to reduce the size of high power antennas. Due to their combination of a high dielectric constant and high dielectric strength, some of the original composites were directly transitioned for evaluation in high voltage, high energy density capacitors while others required modifications to reduce DC leakage current or to make other optimizations for the capacitor application. Recent testing has focused on dielectric strength testing to determine breakdown field levels during short pulse conditions. This initial work has included experiments with the methods of surface preparation and electrode application as well as modifications to the structure and chemistry of some candidate composites. Results are presented on the dielectric strength and dielectric constant of one of the candidate composite materials with various electrode structures designed to reduce field enhancements. Practical operating electric field levels are determined from an analysis of the breakdown data, and energy densities are projected for high energy density capacitor designs.
In Defense of the Panopticon

Anxiety about surveillance and data mining has led many to embrace implausibly expansive and rigid conceptions of privacy. The premises of some current privacy arguments do not fit well with the broader political commitments of those who make them. In particular, liberals seem to have lost touch with the reservations about privacy expressed in the social criticism of some decades ago. They seem unable to imagine that preoccupation with privacy might amount to a “pursuit of loneliness” or how “eyes on the street” might have reassuring connotations. Without denying the importance of the effort to define and secure privacy values, I want to catalogue and push back against some key rhetorical tropes that distort current discussion and practice. One problem is that privacy defenses often imply a degree of pessimism about the state that is inconsistent with the strong general public regulatory and social-welfare role that many defenders favor. Another is a sentimental disposition toward past convention that obscures the potential contributions of new technologies to both order and justice. And a third is a narrow conception of personality that exalts extreme individual control over information at the expense of sharing and sociability.
Direct writing of bio-functional coatings for cardiovascular applications

The surface modification of metallic biomaterials is of critical importance to enhance the biocompatibility of surgical implant materials and devices. This article investigates the use of a direct-write inkjet technique for multilayer coatings of a biodegradable polymer (polyester urethane urea (PEUU)) embedded with an anti-proliferation drug paclitaxel (Taxol). The direct-write inkjet technique provides selective patterning capability for depositing multimaterial coatings on three-dimensional implant devices such as pins, screws, and stents for orthopedic and vascular applications. Drug release profiles were studied to observe the influence of drug loading and coating thickness for obtaining tunable release kinetics. Platelet deposition studies were conducted following ovine blood contact and significant reduction in platelet deposition was observed on the Taxol loaded PEUU substrate compared with the unloaded control. Rat smooth muscle cells were used for cell proliferation studies. Significant reduction in cell growth was observed following the release of anti-proliferative drug from the biopolymer thin film. This research provides a basis for developing anti-proliferative biocompatible coatings for different biomedical device applications. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 102A: 4290–4300, 2014.
MEMORIA Y PSIQUE FREUDIANA EN EL JUEGO DE LA FANTOLOGÍA

RESUMEN. . . . la analogia que establece Freud entre el aparato psiquico y un artefacto de escritura se desprenden algunas consecuencias teoricas y clinicas. En terminos teoricos, cuando el mecanismo del aparato psiquico es un proceso de inscripcion, la huella mnemica es alterable. Si la huella puede modificarse, la memoria es un fenomeno inmerso en lo que Derrida llama fantologia u ontologia asediada por “fantasmas” provenientes del pasado y del futuro, y no un archivo de “presentes” ya pasados. La memoria queda entonces en sintonia con la version derrideana de acontecimiento en tanto sobreviene como repeticion en diferencia, esto es, en tanto que toda “nueva” impronta guarda algo del texto psiquico previo no obstante emerge como inauguracion. Clinicamente se devela necesario abandonar la busqueda de un sentido ultimo y originario del discurso del paciente. PALABRAS CLAVE: Huella mnemica, deconstruccion, fantologia, acontecimiento, inscripcionalidad.
Living with schizophrenia : caring for a person with a severe mental illness

Data from a survey of a total population of patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were used to examine the relationship between patient behaviours and the experience of caregiving. Carers were more distressed by depressed behaviours in the patient than any other type of behaviour, including behaviour associated with florid psychotic episodes. The number of patient needs met by the caregiver was also associated with a negative appraisal of caregiving. A comparison of patients who were living with an informal carer and those who were living alone or in hostel accommodation showed that the former group were less likely than the latter to have been either an inpatient or a day patient during the previous year.
The complete amino acid sequence of the α-subunit of pea lectin, Pisum sativum

Abstract The complete primary structure of the α-subunit of the lectin from the pea (Pisum sativum) has been determined using a combination of tryptic and staphylococcal protease digestion, purification using Sephadex gel filtration and high-voltage electrophoresis followed by either manual or automated Edman degradation. The molecular weight of the α-subunit from sequence data and gel filtration in guanidine-HCl is close to 5800, which is lower than that determined by sedimentation equilibrium techniques. The sequence reveals considerable homology to concanavalin A and near identity to the α-subunit of the lentil lectin (Lens culenaris). As in the case of the lentil α-subunit, the α-methyl glucose binding site(s) are not present in this region, nor are the S1 and S2 metal ion binding sites as judged by homology consideration, though the residues for the S3 lanthanide binding (Glu 87 and Asp 136) are conserved from the available data on the α- and β-subunits. Preliminary metal exchange experiments on the intact pea lectin indicate some differences in the metal exchange properties of this lectin compared to concanavalin A, and therefore possible ligand variations in this region of the β-subunit.