cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Orientation-dependent growth mechanisms of graphene islands on Ir(111).

Using low-energy electron microscopy, we find that the mechanisms of graphene growth on Ir(111) depend sensitively on island orientation with respect to Ir. In the temperature range of 750–900 °C, we observe that growing rotated islands are more faceted than islands aligned with the substrate. Further, the growth velocity of rotated islands depends not only on the C adatom supersaturation but also on the geometry of the island edge. We deduce that the growth of rotated islands is kink-nucleation-limited, whereas aligned islands are kink-advancement-limited. These different growth mechanisms are attributed to differences in the graphene edge binding strength to the substrate.
A population-based analysis of increasing rates of suicide mortality in Japan and South Korea, 1985–2010

In the past two decades, rates of suicide mortality have declined among most OECD member states. Two notable exceptions are Japan and South Korea, where suicide mortality has increased by 20 % and 280 %, respectively. Population and suicide mortality data were collected through national statistics organizations in Japan and South Korea for the period 1985 to 2010. Age, period of observation, and birth cohort membership were divided into five-year increments. We fitted a series of intrinsic estimator age-period-cohort models to estimate the effects of age-related processes, secular changes, and birth cohort dynamics on the rising rates of suicide mortality in the two neighboring countries. In Japan, elevated suicide rates are primarily driven by period effects, initiated during the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. In South Korea, multiple factors appear to be responsible for the stark increase in suicide mortality, including recent secular changes, elevated suicide risks at older ages in the context of an aging society, and strong cohort effects for those born between the Great Depression and the aftermath of the Korean War. In spite of cultural, demographic and geographic similarities in Japan and South Korea, the underlying causes of increased suicide mortality differ across these societies—suggesting that public health responses should be tailored to fit each country’s unique situation.
Ten years of experience with MIBG applications and the potential of new radiolabeled peptides: a personal overview and concluding remarks.

The international workshop on metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) and radiolabeled somatostatin analogs held in Rome in June, 1994 addressed a wide range of topics which might be classified into five broad general themes: Theme 1. The role of MIBG for the location of neuroendocrine tumors. A) The range of tumors in which MIBG scintigraphy is effective (pheochromocytomas, neuroblastoma, chemodectoma and other APUDomas). B) The increasing popularity of 123I as a radiolabel for MIBG (potential advantages in planar and SPECT imaging). C) MIBG as the prototype of a family of radiopharmaceuticals exploiting the biogenic amine uptake and storage mechanisms. (Other radiohalides 124I, 125I, 87Br, 211At, 18F; other PET radiopharmaceuticals such as 11C-epinephrine, 11C-hydroxyephedrine). Theme 2. The role of MIBG as an in vivo scintigraphic probe of the sympathetic nervous system. A) Cardiac sympathetic innervation (in cardiomyopathy, myocardial infarction, and as a prognostic index for cardiac transplantation). B) Pulmonary MIBG uptake as index of pulmonary endothelial/sympathetic function (MIBG by both the intravenous and inhaled routes of administration). Theme 3. MIBG for the radiopharmaceutical therapy of neuroendocrine tumors. A) Treatment of neuroblastoma early in the natural history of the disease (MIBG therapy as initial management, MIBG therapy combined with other modalities--e.g., chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation). Theme 4. The role of radiolabeled somatostatin analogs for the location of neuroendocrine and other tumors. A) The range of tumors in which somatostatin receptor radiopharmaceutical scintigraphy is effective (pituitary tumors, central nervous system tumors, carcinoids, islet cell tumors, medullary thyroid carcinoma, small cell lung cancer, APUDomas). B) The superiority of 111In over 123I as a radiolabel (the future of potential 99mTc and other labels). C) Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy in autoimmune and other disorders. D) Pentetreotide as the prototype of a wide range of radiolabeled peptides as radiopharmaceuticals for the in vivo depiction of the receptors for peptide hormones, lymphokines, paracrine and other information transmitting molecules (the general concepts include the use of long-acting, slowly degraded analogs and the development of generally applicable labeling techniques. Examples include 123I-ANF, labeled interleukins and other lymphokines). Theme 5. Comparisons of MIBG and pentetreotide scintigraphy for the location of neuroendocrine tumors. A) The range of neuroendocrine and other tumors (e.g., pheochromocytomas, neuroblastomas, carcinoids, islet cell tumors and other APUDomas).
Body Condition Scores and Evaluation of Feeding Habits of Dogs and Cats at a Low Cost Veterinary Clinic and a General Practice

This study assessed body condition scores (BCS) and feeding habits for dogs and cats. Eighty-six cats and 229 dogs (and their owners) were enrolled from 2 clinics: a low cost clinic (n = 149) and a general practice (n = 166). BCS and body weight were recorded. Owners completed a survey which included animal age, sex, and breed; owner demographics; and feeding practices (e.g., diet, rationale for feeding practices). Owners from the low cost clinic had a significantly lower income (P < 0.001) and education (P < 0.001) compared to those from the general practice. Animals from the low cost clinic were younger (P < 0.001) and dogs were less likely to be neutered (P < 0.001). Overweight prevalence was 55% overall (P = 0.083), with a significantly higher prevalence in the general practice for cats (44% versus 66%; P = 0.046), but not for dogs (58% versus 53%; P = 0.230). Multivariate analysis showed that only neuter status was significantly associated with BCS (P = 0.004). Veterinarians were the most common source of nutritional information, though lack of accurate nutrition knowledge was common among all participants. These findings support the need for enhanced communication about optimal BCS and nutrition regardless of socioeconomic status.
Internet Ethics for Users and Providers.

This article deliberates concepts of Internet ethics from the perspectives of user and providers. It discusses concerns of the users from different disciplines. It addresses issues and correspondin...
Robust stiffness quantification using quantitative optical coherence elastography

We demonstrated the capability of quantitative optical coherence elastography (qOCE) for robust measurement of material stiffness under different boundary conditions using the reaction force and displacement field established in the sample.
Fast interpolation operations in non-rigid image registration

Much literature on image registration has worked with purely geometric image deformation models. For such models, interpolation/resampling operations are often the computationally intensive steps when iteratively minimizing the deformation cost function. This article discusses some techniques for efficiently implementing and accelerating these operations. To simplify presentation, we discuss our ideas in the context of 2D imaging. However, the concepts readily generalize to 3D. Our central technique is a table-lookup scheme that makes somewhat liberal use of RAM, but should not strain the resources of modern processors if certain design parameters are appropriately selected. The technique works by pre-interpolating and tabulating the grid values of the reference image onto a finer grid along one of the axes of the image. The lookup table can be rapidly constructed using FFTs. Our results show that this technique reduces iterative computation by an order of magnitude. When a minimization algorithm employing coordinate block alternation is used, one can obtain still faster computation by storing certain intermediate quantities as state variables. We refer to this technique as state variable hold-over . When combined with table-lookup, state variable hold-over reduces CPU time by about a factor two, as compared to table-lookup alone.
A Method to Evaluate E-Government Service Quality Attributes

Many government organizations attempted to leverage Internet-based technologies to improve public service through electronic means, termed as e-service. Besides the tangible services, government increasingly encounter and adopt intangible services to meet user needs. Government invests significant financial amounts alongside the non-financial resources to keep e-services up-to-date. E-government service assessment ensures the quality of their services, resource allocation priorities and potential service factors to identify what services may work together to engage users to the government policies. Although a limited studies have been done, researchers proposed several multicriteria decision methods to index e-service quality based on user survey profiles. This study presents a multicriteria decision model combining Analytic Hierarchy Process and entropy weight technique to demonstrate e-government service priority selection. The model synthesize a local and global index priorities among 18 different categories of e-services, classified into three quality dimensions. The presented analysis do not offer the complete roadmap of e-government evaluation. Further research needed to set priorities to specific e-services. The empirical result indicates that improving e-Efficiency is the top priority, followed by e-Support commitment and e-Reliability information in tracing e-government service and engagement.
Stapled peptide inhibitors of RAB25 target context-specific phenotypes in cancer

Recent evidence has established a role for the small GTPase RAB25, as well as related effector proteins, in enacting both pro-oncogenic and anti-oncogenic phenotypes in specific cellular contexts. Here we report the development of all-hydrocarbon stabilized peptides derived from the RAB-binding FIP-family of proteins to target RAB25. Relative to unmodified peptides, optimized stapled peptides exhibit increased structural stability, binding affinity, cell permeability, and inhibition of RAB25:FIP complex formation. Treatment of cancer cell lines in which RAB25 is pro-oncogenic with an optimized stapled peptide, RFP14, inhibits migration, and proliferation in a RAB25-dependent manner. In contrast, RFP14 treatment augments these phenotypes in breast cancer cells in which RAB25 is tumor suppressive. Transcriptional profiling identified significantly altered transcripts in response to RAB25 expression, and treatment with RFP14 opposes this expression profile. These data validate the first cell-active chemical probes targeting RAB-family proteins and support the role of RAB25 in regulating context-specific oncogenic phenotypes. The Ras-family small GTPase RAB25 can exert both pro- and anti-oncogenic functions. Here, the authors develop all-hydrocarbon stabilized peptides targeting RAB25 and influencing the context-specificity phenotypes in cancer cell lines.
The Study of Scientific Revolutions: Theory and Methodology

The nature of scientific revolutions has become a fashionable topic both in the history and in the philosophy of science. I shall not in this paper attempt to review the many controversies that have filled the literature in the past decade. My purpose is to try to take a longer view as to what the proper role of philosophy should be in the study of scientific revolutions. What I have to say is certainly tentative, and many of the ideas will probably be regarded as wrong by a fair number of my colleagues. This is not meant as a prefatory apology but simply as a prediction. I am quite prepared to defend what I have to say but regard the present study of such matters as so tentative and immature that to be at all certain of the correctness of my views would be too dogmatic for my skeptical and empirical view of philosophy, history, and science.
Modified group divisible designs with block size 4 and l = 1

Abstract In this paper it is shown that the MGD[4,1, m, mn] exist when (m − 1)(n − 1) ≡ 1 (mod 3) and n, m ⩾ 4 with some possible exceptions.
Genome-Edited Cell Lines for High-Throughput Screening

Measurement of gene expression for high-throughput screening is an increasingly used technique that has been developed for not only gene dosage disorders resulting from disease-associated copy number variations, but also for induction/repression of genes modulating the severity of a disease phenotype. Traditional methods have employed transient or stable transfection of reporter constructs in which a single reporter is driven by selected regulatory elements from the candidate gene. However, individual regulatory elements are inherently unable to capture the integrated regulation of multiple enhancers at the endogenous locus, and random reporter insertion can result in neighborhood effects that impact the physiological responsiveness of the reporter. Therefore, we outline a general method of employing genome editing to insert reporters into the 3' UTR of a candidate gene, which has been used successfully in our studies of the Pmp22 gene associated with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. The method employs genome editing to insert two nonhomologous reporters that maximize the efficiency of identification of biologically active molecules through concordant responses in small molecule screening. We include a number of aspects of the design and construction of these reporter assays that will be applicable to creation of similar assays in a variety of cell types.
Passages to Adulthood: The Adaptation of Children of Immigrants in Southern California

The children of immigrants constitute the most consequential and lasting legacy of the new mass immigration to the United States. By the end of the 20th century, over 30 percent of the immigrant population of the United States resided in California, but over 40 percent of under-18 children of immigrants lived in California. Hence, the size and concentration of this emerging population, added to its diverse national and socioeconomic origins and forms of adaptation, make its present evolution extraordinarily important. This chapter was prepared for a volume commissioned by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine to ascertain the current circumstances, health and development of children of immigrants in the United States. It presents the latest results of a comprehensive longitudinal study of the educational performance and social, cultural, and psychological adaptation of children of immigrants growing up in San Diego, California. The principal nationalities represented in the sample are Mexican, Filipino, Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, and smaller groups of other children of Asian and Latin American immigrants. The data are drawn from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS), which followed the progress of a large sample of teenagers who were originally interviewed in junior high when most were 14 or 15 years old, and again when they had reached the final year of senior high school and were making their passages to adulthood, firming up plans for their future as well as their outlooks on the surrounding society. The chapter examines a wide range of findings from that latest survey, focusing on changes observed over time — in their family situation, school achievement, educational and occupational aspirations, language use and preferences, ethnic identities, experiences and expectations of discrimination, and social and psychological adaptation — among youth in the San Diego longitudinal sample, and also on two key indices of psychological well-being: self-esteem and depression.
Out of the Lab and into the Classroom: An Evaluation of Reflective Dialogue in Andes

Several laboratory studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of presenting students with “Reflection Questions” immediately after they have solved quantitative problems [1, 2]. The main goal of the two experiments described in this paper was to determine if the positive results of post-practice reflection from laboratory studies hold up in an actual classroom setting. We added prototype reflective dialogues to the Andes physics tutoring system [3, 4] and evaluated them in a course at the US Naval Academy. Consistent with prior research, the dialogues promoted conceptual understanding of physics. However, measures of retention and transfer to problem-solving ability showed only a marginal effect of completing the reflective dialogues, in the first experiment.
Persistent Marburg Virus Infection in the Testes of Nonhuman Primate Survivors.

Summary Sexual transmission of filoviruses was first reported in 1968 after an outbreak of Marburg virus (MARV) disease and recently caused flare-ups of Ebola virus disease in the 2013–2016 outbreak. How filoviruses establish testicular persistence and are shed in semen remain unknown. We discovered that persistent MARV infection of seminiferous tubules, an immune-privileged site that harbors sperm production, is a relatively common event in crab-eating macaques that survived infection after antiviral treatment. Persistence triggers severe testicular damage, including spermatogenic cell depletion and inflammatory cell invasion. MARV mainly persists in Sertoli cells, leading to breakdown of the blood-testis barrier formed by inter-Sertoli cell tight junctions. This disruption is accompanied by local infiltration of immunosuppressive CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. Our study elucidates cellular events associated with testicular persistence that may promote sexual transmission of filoviruses and suggests that targeting immunosuppression may be warranted to clear filovirus persistence in damaged immune-privileged sites.
Spontaneous Chest Abscess Caused by Salmonella Enterica subsp. Arizonae in the Desert Southwest; A Case Report and Review of the Current Literature

Salmonella enterica subspecies arizonae is a rare pathogen but has been reported in the literature in immunosuppressed and rarely immunocompetent patients. Most disease states have been reported in animals and reptiles. Human exposure has resulted in a range of complications from skin and soft tissue infections to bacteremia and periprosthetic joint infections. Predisposing factors such as age, comorbidities, and use of Mexican folk healing practices increase the risk of developing an infection. S. arizonae has been associated with gastrointestinal infections in several parts of the country and on rare occasions have been isolated from skin and soft tissues, prosthetic joints, and empyema. Case: This is a unique case of a large de novo chest abscess that developed in a 59-year-old diabetic male from the Southwest region with cultures growing Salmonella enterica subspecies arizonae. This patient presented without predisposing factors and did not appear to be ill at the time of admission. He was treated successfully by aspirating the abscess along with a 2-week course of ceftriaxone intravenously.
Synthesis of lateral heterostructures of transition-metal dichalcogenides via spatially-controlled alloying (Conference Presentation)

Alloying of transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) has mostly been explored for rudimentary applications such as bandgap tuning and defect healing. To achieve more complex functionalities, we developed a modified approach based on specially-controlled alloying of atomically-thin TMDs [1, 2]. In this talk, we will discuss application of this modified technique for the synthesis of TMD lateral heterostructures with arbitrary shapes, arbitrary dimensions, and arbitrary band alignments. In addition, via accurate optical and electrical characterizations, we will discuss the prospect of these lateral heterostructures for applications in opto-electronic devices at nanoscale. [1] H. Taghinejad et. al., “Strain relaxation via formation of cracks in compositionally-modulated two-dimensional semiconductor alloys,” Nature 2D Materials and Applications 3, 10 (2018). [2] H. Taghinejad et. al., “Defect-Mediated Alloying of Monolayer Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides,” Submitted (2018).
Super-resolution DOA Estimation for Arbitrary Array Geometries Using a Single Noisy Snapshot

We address the problem of search-free DOA estimation from a single noisy snapshot for sensor arrays of arbitrary geometry, by extending a method of gridless super-resolution beam-forming to arbitrary arrays with noisy measurements. The primal atomic norm minimization problem is converted to a dual problem in which the periodic dual function is represented with a trigonometric polynomial using truncated Fourier series. The number of terms required for accurate representation depends linearly on the distance of the farthest sensor from a reference. The dual problem is then expressed as a semidefinite program and solved in polynomial time. DOA estimates are obtained via polynomial rooting followed by a LASSO based approach to remove extraneous roots arising in root finding from noisy data, and then source amplitudes are recovered by least squares. Simulations using circular and random planar arrays show high resolution DOA estimation in white and colored noise scenarios.
4-oxo-2-nonenal Adducts In HDL Are Elevated In Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Identification Of Modified Sites And Functional Consequences

The lipid aldehyde 4-oxo-2-nonenal (ONE) derived from peroxidation of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and generated in parallel to 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) is a highly reactive protein crosslinker. Crosslinking of proteins in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) by lipid peroxidation products causes HDL dysfunction and contributes to atherogenesis. While HNE is relatively well studied, the relevance of ONE in atherosclerosis and in modifying HDL has not been examined. In the present study, we found a significant increase in ONE-ketoamide (lysine) adducts in HDL derived from patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) (1620 {+/-} 985.4 pmol/mg) compared to healthy controls (664 {+/-} 219.5 pmol/mg). ONE crosslinked apoA-I on HDL at a concentration of >3 mol ONE per 10 mol apoA-I (0.3 eq), which is 100-fold lower than HNE but comparable to the potent protein crosslinker, isolevuglandin. ONE-modified HDL partially inhibited the ability of HDL to protect against LPS-induced TNF and IL-1{beta} mRNA expression in murine macrophages. At 3 eq., ONE dramatically decreased the ability of apoA-I to exchange from HDL, from ~46.5% to only ~18.4% (P<0.001). Surprisingly, ONE-modification of HDL or apoA-I did not alter macrophage cholesterol efflux capacity. LC/MS/MS analysis showed modification of Lys12, Lys23, Lys96, and Lys226 of apoA-I by ONE-ketoamide adducts. Compared to other dicarbonyl scavengers, pentylpyridoxamine (PPM) was most efficacious at blocking ONE-induced protein crosslinking in HDL. Our studies show that ONE HDL adducts are elevated in FH who have severe hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis and causes HDL dysfunction. We demonstrate the use of PPM in preferentially scavenging ONE in biological systems.
Radiotherapy isocenters verified by matching to bony landmarks of the canine and feline head differ when localized using volumetric versus planar imaging

The "gold standard" for verification of patient positioning before linear accelerator-based stereotactic radiation therapy is kilovoltage cone-beam computed tomography (kV-CBCT), which is not uniformly available or utilized; planar imaging is sometimes used instead. The primary aim of this study was to determine if the position of the bony skull, when used as a surrogate for isocenter verification, is different when orthogonal megavoltage (MV) portal or kilovoltage (kV/kV) radiographs are used for image guidance, rather than kV-CBCT. A secondary aim was to determine the influence of intra-observer variability, body size and skull conformation on positioning, as determined using these three imaging modalities. Dogs and cats receiving radiotherapy of the head were recruited for this prospective analytical study. Planar (MV portal and kV/kV images) and volumetric (kV-CBCT) images were acquired before treatment, and manually coregistered with reference images. Differences in skull position when matched based on MV portal, kV/kV images and kV-CBCT were compared. A total of 65 subjects and 148 unique datasets were evaluated. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to evaluate effects of transitioning between imaging modalities. When comparing magnitude of shifts in MV to kV-CBCT, MV to kV/kV and kV/kV to kV-CBCT, there were statistically significant differences. Results were not measurably impacted by body size, skull conformation or interobserver differences. Based on shift magnitude and direction, an isotropic setup margin of at least 1 mm should be incorporated within the planning target volume when MV or kV planar imaging is used for position verification.
YAP-dependent metabolic remodeling in local lymph node boosts the function of cancer cells

Cancer cells are remarkably flexible in their ability to adapt to various local environments to promote their survival, growth and invasion. A recent study by Koh’s laboratory suggests that metastatic cancer cells upregulate fatty acid oxidation (FAO) through activation of yes-associated protein (YAP), a major effector of the Hippo pathway, at local lymph nodes (LNs), which boosts the ability of the cancer cells to invade distant organs (1). We here discuss how YAP mediates the metabolic flexibility in metastatic cancer cells.
The Equality Relation

This chapter focuses on the equality relation. Equality is a very important relation, and many theorems can be easily symbolized through its use. For example, one can employ only one predicate, that of equality, one function, the successor function, and one constant 0, to formalize number theory. The equality relation has many special properties—it is reflexive, symmetric, and transitive. Also, one can substitute equals for equals. When the equality relation is used to symbolize a theorem, besides axioms for the specific theorem itself, one usually needs a collection of extra axioms describing these properties of equality. Paramodulation is an inference rule for the equality relation. As in resolution, the purpose of refining paramodulation is to increase efficiency. The refinements of paramodulation are somewhat weaker than those of resolution. Hyperresolution and linear resolution can be extended to paramodulation. The chapter discusses hyperparamodulation, and reviews unit, input, and linear paramodulations. An input paramodulation is a paramodulation in which one of the two parent clauses is an input clause.
Evaluation and Treatment of the Patient with Recurrent Symptoms

Clinically significant symptoms after previous anti-reflux surgery include heartburn, regurgitation, dysphagia, pain, and gas bloating. Management of these symptoms will depend greatly on the timing and duration of these symptoms and their severity. Often, they may be attributed to functional gastric or esophageal issues, undiagnosed preoperative conditions, anatomic abnormalities resulting from surgery, or conditions that develop or are exacerbated after surgery. A complete evaluation of these symptoms includes any combination of esophagram, upper endoscopy, esophageal manometry, ambulatory pH monitoring, gastric emptying studies, and CT imaging. Management includes symptomatic treatment with medications, endoscopic therapy, or redo anti-reflux surgery.
Validating a Multifactor Model for Damping Performance of Additively Manufactured Components

Studying the vibratory behavior of inherently damped laser powder bed fused (LPBF) specimens has led to an improved damping performance assessment via a multifactor correlation model. The damping d...
Assessing the Public Health Implications of the Food Preservative Propylparaben: Has This Chemical Been Safely Used for Decades

Parabens are chemicals containing alkyl-esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, which give them antimicrobial, antifungal, and preservative properties. Propylparaben (PP) is one paraben that has been widely used in personal care products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food. In this review, we address the ongoing controversy over the safety of parabens, and PP specifically. These chemicals have received significant public attention after studies published almost 20 years ago suggested plausible associations between PP exposures and breast cancer. Here, we use key characteristics, a systematic approach to evaluate the endocrine disrupting properties of PP based on features of “known” endocrine disruptors, and consider whether its classification as a “weak” estrogen should alleviate public health concerns over human exposures. We also review the available evidence from rodent and human studies to illustrate how the large data gaps that exist in hazard assessments raise concerns about current evaluations by regulatory agencies that PP use is safe. Finally, we address the circular logic that is used to suggest that because PP has been used for several decades, it must be safe. We conclude that inadequate evidence has been provided for the safe use of PP in food, cosmetics, and consumer products.
Macrophage depletion impairs neonatal tendon regeneration

ABSTRACT Tendons are dense connective tissues that transmit muscle forces to the skeleton. After adult injury, healing potential is generally poor and dominated by scar formation. Although the immune response is a key feature of healing, the specific immune cells and signals that drive tendon healing have not been fully defined. In particular, the immune regulators underlying tendon regeneration are almost completely undetermined due to a paucity of tendon regeneration models. Using a mouse model of neonatal tendon regeneration, we screened for immune-related markers and identified upregulation of several genes associated with inflammation, macrophage chemotaxis, and TGFβ signaling after injury. Depletion of macrophages using AP20187 treatment of MaFIA mice resulted in impaired functional healing, reduced cell proliferation, reduced ScxGFP+ neo-tendon formation, and altered tendon gene expression. Collectively, these results show that inflammation is a key component of neonatal tendon regeneration and demonstrate a requirement for macrophages in effective functional healing.
Nurse Aide Decision Making in Nursing Homes: Factors Affecting Empowerment

Structural empowerment can be defined as the actual rather than perceived ability to make autonomous decisions within an organisation. Given the paucity of research on the subject, this study helps to close the gap by identifying factors that affect nurse aide empowerment, that is, decision-making among nurse aides. The data for the study comes from self-administered questionnaires distributed to direct-care workers (nurse aides) in 11 nursing homes in a southern state in the USA. Ordinary least square regression models were estimated to analyse the effects of demographic predictors, personal factors (competency, emotional exhaustion and positive attitude) and structural characteristics (coworker and supervisor support, information availability and shared governance) on nurse aide decision-making. Findings suggest race among demographic predictors, emotional exhaustion among personal characteristics, and supervisor support, and shared governance among structural factors, significantly affect nurse aide decision-making.It is important to explore race as one of the central determinants of structural empowerment among nurse aides. In addition, the nature and type of emotional exhaustion that propels decision-making needs to be further examined.The study shows the importance of shared governance and supervisor support for fostering nurse aide empowerment.
Geometric self-centering and force self-balancing of railroad-vehicle hunting oscillations

In railroad vehicle dynamics, the centrifugal inertia forces, often associated with curved tracks, are balanced by the lateral component of the gravity force by limiting the vehicle operation speed to the balance speed. This is achieved by the super-elevation of the track by the bank angle. When a vehicle negotiates a tangent (straight) track, on the other hand, the center of mass of the vehicle, as the result of the wheel conicity and hunting oscillations, traces a space curve, giving rise to an inertia force that has a centrifugal force component. Because of the vehicle roll rotation, such a centrifugal inertia force is balanced by a gravity-force component without the need for super-elevating the track. This paper shows that the geometric self-centering due to the wheel conicity is the result of a force self-balancing that contributes to safe operation of the rail vehicle during the hunting oscillations on tangent tracks.
High Gain Non-Isolated Current-fed Half-Bridge Partial Series Resonance Pulsed Based Zero Current Switching Voltage Quadrupler

This paper proposes a novel non-isolated current-fed voltage quadrupler using series LC resonant circuit for soft-switching in high voltage gain applications. The proposed topology employs a half-bridge current-fed converter at the source and a voltage-quadrupler at the load. The proposed converter enables soft-commutation of the semiconductor devices at turn-off owing to the partial resonance pulse produced during the overlap conduction time, which causes natural zero current commutation before the gating signal is turned-off. It eliminates the traditional turn-off voltage spike and avoids the traditional requirement of the snubber across the devices in current-fed circuits. In addition, partial resonance reduces the peak and circulating currents and so the conduction loss in the devices is minimized. Variable frequency modulation with fixed duty cycle is employed to achieve the zero-current switching (ZCS) operation over wide range of load and input variations with load regulation and high efficiency. Simulation results are reported using PSIM11.1.64 for validating the proposed converter operation, analysis and design. A rated load efficiency of 97.2% is obtained showing 3% improvement compared to hard-switching converter.
Factors that influence clinicians' decisions to decrease active surveillance monitoring frequency or transition to watchful waiting for localised prostate cancer: a qualitative study.

Objective Little is known about clinicians' decision-making about decreasing active surveillance (AS) testing/converting patients to watchful waiting (WW), nor are there any guidelines. The objective of this study was to identify factors that clinicians consider when decreasing AS testing/converting to WW for men with prostate cancer. Design Exploratory qualitative study. Setting All participants practiced in various institutions in the USA. Participants Eligible clinicians had to provide clinical care for patients with prostate cancer in the USA and speak English. Clinicians could be either urologists or radiation oncologists. Of the 24 clinicians, 83% were urologists representing 11 states, 92% were men and 62% were white. Methods This qualitative study used data from semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was used to ensure geographical variation in the USA. Data collection continued until thematic saturation was achieved. Framework analysis guided coding and identification of themes. Two researchers coded all transcripts independently, met to discuss and reached consensus. Results Interviews with clinicians demonstrated that testing or monitoring for AS or transitioning to WW is happening in practice, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Decisions to decrease AS were personalised and tailored to patients' health status. Life expectancy was the dominant factor that influenced decision, but clinicians were generally hesitant to specify an age when they would decrease AS or transition to WW. Fear that poor adherence could lead to missed progression and concerns about the medico-legal issue of not doing enough were cited as barriers to decreasing AS. Conclusions These findings suggest that in certain situations, AS frequency is reduced or transitioned to WW, yet decisions appear to be inconsistent and there are no significant barriers. These findings could inform further areas to explore when drafting recommendations that consider patients' values and preferences when making decisions about decreasing AS/converting to WW.
Outward U.S. Foreign Direct Investment Performance during Recent Financial Crises

Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays anextraordinary and growing role in the global marketsand represents an integral part of the U.S. economy.This research has descriptive character and focuses onthe latest trends in outward United States foreigndirect investment (US FDI) illustrating the impact ofthe recent financial crises on FDI performance.The study analyzes the outward US FDI stockcontribution to the global FDI stock and itsperformance during the last decade includinggeographical and sectorial distribution. The nextparagraph focuses on outward US FDI corporateplayers ranking MNC’s by revenue and foreign assets.The essential part of this research relates to outwardUS FDI employment and financial performance, whichincludes: equity, reinvested earnings andintercompany debt.This study constitutes a base for the furtherexploration of the importance of outward US FDI inthe global markets and in the U.S. economy. The goalof this research is to illustrate the impact of currentfinancial crises on outward US FDI performance. Thebasic statistics related to outward US FDI flow andstock come from the UNCTAD’s FDI/TNC and fromthe Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), a section ofthe U.S. Department of Commerce.
POST-GRENADA, POST-CUBA, POSTCOLONIAL

This essay argues for understanding Caribbean postcoloniality as a particular relationship to the Caribbean revolutionary tradition embodied by the Cuban and Grenada revolutions. Looking at how Dionne Brand's In Another Place, Not Here invokes both of those revolutionary moments sheds light on what makes contemporary Caribbean literature postcolonial. In Another Place, Not Here locates itself as a postcolonial text through its relationship to the anticolonial project, both paying homage to and critiquing the limitations of that model. Brand's novel most obviously engages with the legacy of Caribbean revolution through the close resemblances of its unnamed setting to Grenada in the early 1980s; but the novel also directly deploys and rewrites some of the forms of discourse most closely associated with the Cuban Revolution. In particular, the stories of Elizete and Verlia employ two of the genres that came out of Cuba during the 1960s: the testimonio and the story of the intellectual stepping away from priv...
Combined TRUEX-SREX Extraction/Recovery Process

The United States Department of Energy Hanford site defense complex has the largest volume of stored nuclear waste in the US. The complex has been in existence for nearly fifty years, and the varied chemical operations over this time period have generated a wide variety of wastes. The aqueous wastes, both high-level and TRU (transuranic), are stored in underground single-shell and double-shell tanks. Because the aqueous wastes are made alkaline (pH ∼14) to prevent corrosion of the carbon steel liners of the tanks, the uranium, TRUs and 90Sr, together with most of the fission products, are largely concentrated in the insoluble sludge formed by the hydroxides, phosphates, and silicates of metal ions such as aluminum, iron, zirconium, and bismuth. Fission products cesium and technetium are largely concentrated in the supernatant solution.
Evaluating potentially modifiable risk factors for prevalent and incident nocturia in older adults.

OBJECTIVES: To examine associations between nocturia and potentially modifiable risk factors in older adults. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal data. SETTING: Respondents were selected using populationbased sampling, drawing from a single Michigan county in 1983. They were followed through 1990. PARTICIPANTS: Community-living adults aged 60 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Episodes of nocturia, development of nocturia at 2 years after baseline survey, age, sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, drinking fluids before bedtime, amount of fluid intake before bedtime, diuretic use, and 24-hour coffee intake. All measures were self-reported. RESULTS: Bivariate cross-sectional analysis revealed significant associations with two or more episodes of nocturia for hypertension (odds ratio (OR) 51.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 51.37‐2.1), diabetes mellitus (OR 51.51, 95% CI 51.1‐2.0), diuretic use (OR 51.7, 95% CI 51.3‐ 2.1), age (OR 51.05 per additional year over 60, 95% 1.03‐1.06), and number of cups of coffee (OR 50.93 for each cup of coffee, 95% CI 50.89‐0.97). In multivariate analysis, hypertension (OR 51.52, 95% CI 51.2‐1.9), diuretic use (OR 51.3, 95% 95% CI 51.0‐1.7), and age (OR 51.04 per additional year over 60, 95% 1.03‐1.06) were independently associated with two or more nocturia episodes per night. No baseline factors predicted future development of nocturia (save for age, in one model). CONCLUSION: Hypertension, older age, and diuretic use were independently associated with two or more episodes of nocturia in cross-sectional analysis. No baseline factor was related to the development of nocturia over a 2-year interval in this sample. Nighttime fluid intake and coffee intake, practices providers commonly target in patients with nocturia, were not associated with nocturia in this population-based sample of community-living older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 53:1011‐1016, 2005.
Analysis of local online review systems as digital word-of-mouth

Using a large dataset of Yelp's online reviews for local businesses, we investigate how Word-of-Mouth research can inform the design of local online review systems and how these systems' data can extend our understanding of digital WOM in a local context. In this paper, we analyze how visual cues currently present in Yelp map to WOM concepts. We also show that these concepts are highly related to the perceived usefulness of the local reviews, which is aligned with prior WOM literature. Additionally, we found that local expertise, measured at the level of the neighborhood, strongly correlates with the perceived usefulness of reviews. Our findings augment the understanding of local online WOM and have design implications for local review systems.
Relatonship between left ventricular diastolic pressure and myocardial segment length and observations on the contribution of atrial systole.

A method is described for the continuous recording of changes in the length of a segment of left ventricular myocardium, and its advantages and limitations are discussed. The curve depicting the relation between ventricular diastolic pressure and simultaneous changes in the length of a myocardial segment is presented. For a given increment in pressure, the myocardial segment length increases more at low ventricular diastolic pressure than at high pressure. Atrial systole causes a substantial increase in myocardial segment length when the ventricle is on the sensitive part of its pressure-length curve.
Telencephalon of the teleost Macropodus: experimental localization of secondary olfactory areas and of components of the lateral forebrain bundle

Connections of the telencephalic hemisphere were experimentally examined to facilitate investigations of the functions of this major brain area in teleosts. The distribution of afferent olfactory tract fibers was traced using a degeneration method and autoradiographic localization of axonally transported protein. Afferents terminate predominantly ipsilaterally in the medial, lateral, and posterior zones of the hemisphere and in the nucleus posterior tuberis of the diencephalon. Afferents also project to the contralateral olfactory bulb through the commissure of Goldstein. The results of similar experiments in five other teleosts are briefly reviewed. Evidence of retrograde transport of tritiated proline or metabolite is also discussed. Components of the lateral forebrain bundle originating in the extreme rostral end of the dorsal zone of the hemisphere were traced to: (1) the corresponding zone of the contralateral hemisphere; (2) nucleus entopenduncularis; and (3) the extreme ventral part of the posterior zone of the diencephalon. The anatomical findings are discussed in relation to previous experiments in Macropodus dealing with the location of brain areas which concentrate sex steroids and with the effects of brain lesions on reproductive behavior in the male.
A catalyst for mobile and ubiquitous computing

We dedicate this first issue, "Reaching for Weiser's Vision," to Mark Weiser. We begin with his original 1991 article - reprinted in the print edition only - with the permission of Scientific American. We then present five invited articles by the AEICs and coauthors, each examining the state of the art in one of the five areas of pervasive computing mentioned earlier. Each article begins by crisply characterizing the relevance of its area to Weiser's vision. It then summarizes recent advances and asking if they suggest any refocusing of Weiser?s vision. Finally, the article looks out into the future and identifies the challenges ahead in its area. This issue also includes pieces in the four departments, each providing a thought-provoking report or perspective on an aspect of pervasive computing.
Cleft lip and palate in the arts: a critical reflection.

Background: The aesthetics of facial structure are used by humans to measure one's beauty, character, and overall “goodness.” Individuals born with cleft lip and/or palate are often stigmatized and face much psychosocial adversity. Social attitudes and beliefs have a direct impact upon the psychological development of these individuals. Such social norms are in large part shaped by the physical representations of “good” and “attractive” in various art media including films, advertisements, and paintings. Objective: Individuals born with a cleft have been portrayed in the artworks of different eras. The light in which they are portrayed stems from the prevalent beliefs of each period and sheds light on the social attitudes of each epoch toward clefts. Here we discuss the social and psychological ramifications of these works. We then review several artworks representing cleft lip and/or palate and propose an active role for the artist in shaping social attitudes regarding facial deformities. Methods: Numero...
Potassium channels and the cerebral circulation.

SUMMARY 1. Hyperpolarization of vascular muscle in response to activation of potassium channels is a major mechanism of vasodilatation. 2. In cerebral blood vessels, two potassium channels have received considerable study recently: ATP-sensitive and calcium-dependent potassium channels. Activation of these potassium channels appears to play a major role in the relaxation of cerebral arteries and arterioles in response to diverse stimuli, including receptor-mediated agonists, intracellular second messengers, reactive oxygen species and hypoxia. 3. The functional influence of ATP-sensitive and calcium-dependent potassium channels may be altered in disease states, including hypertension, diabetes and subarachnoid haemorrhage.