cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Globalization and Restructuring during Downturns: A Case Study of California

Restructuring through foreign outsourcing, whereby greater imports of manufactured inputs substitute for blue-collar labor, is shown to intensify when industries experience declines in sales. The magnitude of this effect was four to seven times greater in California industries experiencing a 20 percent sales decline from 1987-1992, relative to those industries whose sales dropped by 5 percent. Foreign outsourcing explains a quarter to two-fifths of the rise in payroll inequality between blue and white collar workers in California and perhaps five to ten percent of the rise in the remainder of the U.S. Past work linked growing inequality with foreign outsourcing and restructuring with economic downturns. Here, foreign outsourcing is used as an example of a particular efficiency augmenting measure, which occurs predominantly, though not exclusively, in troubled industries.
What can be observed from surface plasmon spectral interference

A far-field experiment was presented to observe the SPP spectral interference and reveal the SPP contribution in the interaction between the nano-objects, and directly address the key issue of a debate raised in Nature Physics.
Translational research and pediatrics.

T ranslational research is a new buzzword in the health care research field, central to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Roadmap and promoted by academic institutions that have been awarded NIH Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs). Indeed, translational research is heralded by some as a savior of the biomedical research enterprise by hastening the translation of biomedical discoveries to improved patient care. Although pediatric translational research is a small part of the overall translational research enterprise, it is important for improving child health and provides new opportunities for researchers from all pediatric disciplines. This article provides an overview of pediatric translational research. It summarizes its evolution, barriers and challenges, provides the current definition of translational research as well as a proposed expanded definition, and discusses federal efforts to enhance translational research. The last section provides recommendations for enhancing pediatric translational research.
Lateral Seismic Performance of Multipanel Precast Hollowcore Walls

The seismic resistance of full-scale superassemblage of precast hollow core wall units is investigated. The superassemblage consists of six prestressed concrete 1.2 m wide hollow core units. Two load-bearing of the units are tied to the foundation via unbonded vertical tendons while the other four units primarily act as "nonstructural" cladding. The longitudinal unbonded prestressing tendons consist of regular thread-bars with an in-series portion of those bars possessing a reduced diameter to act as "fuses." The multipanel wall system is tested under several different conditions: in-plane quasi-static reverse cyclic loading with different sizes of fuse bars and with and without rubber block spacers and sealant between units. No structural damage occurs up to the experimental ±4% drift limit and only minor nonstructural distress is observed at 3% drift. The overall good performance of the multipanel wall system well satisfies the requirements of an emerging seismic damage avoidance design philosophy.
Measurement, scaling, and topographic analyses of spatial crop yield and soil water content

The need to transfer information across a range of space–time scales (i.e. scaling) is coupled with the need to predict variables and processes of interest across landscapes (i.e. distributed simulation). Agricultural landscapes offer a unique set of problems and space–time data availability with the onset of satellite-based positioning and crop yield monitoring. The present study addresses quantification of the spatial variability of rainfed crop yield and near-surface soil water at farm field scales using two general methods: (1) geostatistical and fractal analyses; and (2) univariate linear regression using topographic attributes as explanatory variables. These methods are applied to 2 years of crop yield data from three fields in eastern Colorado, USA, and to soil-water content (depth-averaged over the top 30 cm) in one of these fields. Method 1 is useful for scaling each variable, and variogram shapes and their associated fractal dimensions of crop yield are related to those of topographic attributes. A new measure of fractal anisotropy is introduced and estimated from field data. Method 2 takes advantage of empirical and process knowledge of topographic controls on water movement and microenvironments. Topographic attributes, estimated from a digital elevation model at some scale (10 m by 10 m spacing here), help explain the spatial variability in crop yield. The topographic wetness index, for example, explained from 38 to 48% of the spatial variance in 1997 wheat yield. Soil water displays more random spatial variability, and its dynamic nature makes it difficult to predict in both space and time. Despite such variability, spatial structure is evident and can be approximated by simple fractals out to lag distances of about 450 m. In summary, these data and spatial analyses provide a basis and motivation for estimating the fractal behaviour, spatial statistics, and distributed patterns of crop yield from landscape topographic information. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Screening for harsh punishment in a pediatric primary care clinic.

Abstract Objectives To determine: (1) the prevalence of harsh punishment among parents in a pediatric clinic, and (2) the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and stability of a brief screening measure. Methods A subset of families involved in a study of child maltreatment prevention were recruited for this study. Two items in a parent screening questionnaire (PSQ) were related to child punishment. Comparisons were made between parents’ responses on the PSQ and on the Parent-Child Conflict Tactic Scale (CTSPC). Results On the PSQ, 7% of parents of infants and 32% of parents of toddlers/preschoolers reported that their child was difficult to take care of or needed to be hit or spanked. On the CTSPC, 14% of the infants had experienced physical assault and 21% psychological aggression. For older children, subscales were modified to exclude common discipline measures, resulting in 20% experiencing physical assault and 19% psychological aggression. Sensitivities for the PSQ were relatively poor for infants, but moderate for older children. Specificities were good. Stability was adequate. Conclusions Harsh punishment experienced by older children was similar to that in published studies. Punishment of infants is concerning. The PSQ can be used to screen out parents who are not using harsh discipline measures. Practice implications The PSQ has variable utility in determining which families are using harsh punishment. Until the measure can be further refined, universal counseling is needed.
Working Toward Scalable Instruction: Creating the RIO Tutorial at the University of Arizona Library

Abstract To be considered literate in today's society, it is necessary to possess a set of information skills. Librarians are being called upon to help teach these skills in partnership with faculty. Expedient ways are being sought to facilitate this teaching, especially when institutions are dealing with increased enrollments. How, for example, do 7,000 entering freshmen become information literate? This article will relate the process used to design and create RIO (Research Instruction Online), a Web-based tutorial designed to address identified competencies that comprise required information skills.
The invisible obstacle to educational equality: gender bias in textbooks

Gender bias in textbooks (GBIT) is a low-profile education issue, given the 72,000,000 children who still have no access to schooling, but this article argues that GBIT is: (1) an important, (2) near-universal, (3) remarkably uniform, (4) quite persistent but (5) virtually invisible obstacle on the road to gender equality in education—an obstacle camouflaged by taken-for-granted stereotypes about gender roles. Specifically, GBIT: (1) is important because (a) textbooks occupy ~80% of classroom time, and (b) it may contribute to lowering girls’ achievements, especially in weak schools in poor countries; (2) has been found worldwide to varying degrees (except, perhaps, Sweden in recent years); (3) involves nearly identical patterns of under-representation of females, plus stereotypes of both genders’ occupational and household roles that overwhelmingly underplay women’s rising worldly importance; (4) is decreasing very slowly, according to “second generation” re-studies; and (5) remains obscured by the “hidden-in-plain-sight” system of gender stratification and roles. Case studies from Syria, India, Romania, China and the US document these points. Other case studies from Sweden and Latin America describe government initiatives to reduce GBIT, with differing levels of success. Totally revising textbooks (and curricula) to eliminate this bias is quite unlikely, partly because it is very costly. The article concludes by presenting inexpensive alternate methods that can combat GBIT.
Age class interactions in a marine goby, Elacatinus prochilos (Böhlke and Robins, 1968)

Abstract Many reef fishes settle monthly throughout the year, so multiple cohorts generally occur together. Yet, much research has focused on a single age class (i.e., settlers) and has ignored age class interactions. The focus of this work was to quantify within and between age class interactions of new settlers and older fish of a marine goby, Elacatinus prochilos . All age classes of this species co-occur on live coral substrate. Thus, all age classes experience and interact with all other age classes. In addition, previous work in this system has shown that post-settlement processes varied over space and drove spatial variation in habitat quality (i.e. post-settlement survival of fishes varied among coral heads at a common density of fishes). Therefore, I also explored how variation in habitat quality may modify interactions between age classes. I found that both inter- and intra-cohort interactions were similar (each age class had similar per capita effects on one another and each other). However, there was evidence for older fish being less affected by settlers than settlers were by other settlers. There was also an indication that variation in habitat quality affected the two age classes differently. This work highlights that in order to extrapolate longer-term dynamics (i.e., multiple generations) over larger spatial and temporal scales, we must consider how different age classes or stages interact with one another, and, if appropriate, explore reef fish dynamics using a stage-structured approach.
Functional tolerance to alprazolam-induced neurologic deficits in mice

Tolerance to alprazolam-induced neurologic deficits was assessed in mice by a rotarod test. Tolerance was found following a second administration of 2 mg/kg alprazolam 24 h after the first dose and it decayed gradually over a period of several weeks. Brain and plasma concentrations of alprazolam indicated that this tolerance was functional.
Fluorescence Detection of Metal Ions Separated on a Silica-Based HPLC Reversed-Phase Support

Analyse des ions Zr (IV), Ga (III), Sc (III), Y (III), In (III), Al (III) La (III), Zn (II), Cd (II), Ca (II) et Mg (II)
CloudMap: Workload-aware placement in private heterogeneous clouds

Cloud computing has emerged as an exciting hosting paradigm to drive up server utilization and reduce data center operational costs. Even though clouds present a single unified homogeneous resource pool view to end users, the underlying server landscape may differ in terms of functionality and reconfiguration capabilities (e.g., support for shared processors, live migration). In a private cloud setting where information on the resources as well as workloads are available, the placement of applications on clouds can leverage it to achieve better consolidation with performance guarantees. In this work, we present the design and implementation of CloudMap, a provisioning system for private clouds. Given an application's resource usage patterns, we match it with a server cluster with the appropriate level of reconfiguration capability. In this cluster, we place the application on a server that has existing workloads with complementary resource usage profile. CloudMap is implemented using a hybrid architecture with a global server cluster selection module and local cluster-specific server selection modules. Using production traces from live data centers, we demonstrate the effectiveness of CloudMap over existing placement methodologies.
Empirical-Stochastic Ground-Motion Prediction for Eastern North America

An alternative approach based on a hybrid-empirical model is utilized to predict the ground-motion relationship for eastern North America (ENA). In this approach, a stochastic model is first used to derive modification factors from the ground motions in western North America (WNA) to the ground motions in ENA. The ground-motion parameters are then estimated to develop an empirical attenuation relationship for ENA using empirical ground-motion relationships from WNA .W e develop an empirical-stochastic source model for both regions to obtain ground mo- tions at different magnitude-distance range of interest. At short distances (R 30 km) and large magnitudes (Mw 6.4), an equivalent point-source model is carried out to consider the effect of finite-fault modeling on the ground-motion parameters. Source focal depth and Brune stress drop are assumed to be magnitude dependent. We choose three well-defined empirical attenuation relationships for WNA to com- pare the empirical ground-motion processes between the two regions. A composite functional attenuation form is defined, and, in turn, a nonlinear regression analysis is performed by using a genetic algorithm (GA) for a wide range of magnitudes and distances to develop an empirical attenuation relationship from the stochastic ground- motion estimates in ENA. The empirical-stochastic attenuation relationship for hor- izontal peak ground acceleration and spectral acceleration are applicable to earth- quakes of Mw 5.0-8.2 at distances of up to 1000 km. The resulting attenuation model developed in this study is compared with those used in the 2002 national seismic hazard maps, derived in the 2003 Electric Power Research Institute studies and re- corded in ENA. The comparison of the results to the other attenuation functions and the available ENA data show a reasonable agreement for the ENA ground motions.
Coumarin Skin Necrosis in a Patient with Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia — A Case Report:

A patient with evidence of both heparin-related thrombocytopenia and coumarin-induced skin necrosis is presented. Etiology, diagnostic evaluation, histopathology, and therapeutic options are discussed.
Analytical and experimental study on second harmonic response of FBAR for oscillator applications above 2GHz

2t,eff on material properties. The simulation results for both ZnO and AlN based FBARs reveal that the maximum values of K 2 t,eff are obtained with a thickness ratio (between the piezoelectric layer and non-piezoelectric layer) that is close to its acoustic velocity ratio. Experimental results on FBAR samples (Al/ZnO/Al/SixNy) operating around 5GHz with various thicknesses of ZnO and Si x N y show good agreement with the numerical modeling. A low phase noise, temperature stable 4.9GHz oscillator based on an FBAR consisting of Al/ZnO/Al/SiO 2 is demonstrated as an example for the potential use of the second harmonic operation above 2GHz.
New Directions For a Classical Paradigm: Human Eyeblink Conditioning

The knowledge base on neural substrates and mechanisms involved in classical eyeblink conditioning makes it an ideal paradigm for investigating fundamental issues in learning and memory. New applications for the model system presented here include its use in (a) assessment to evaluate neurocognitive development in infancy, (b) theory building in abnormal psychology to test relationships between obsessive-compulsive behavior and learning rate, (c) evaluation of hypotheses about brain memory systems, and (d) exploration of the role of brain structures such as the cerebellum in learning and timing. Human eyeblink conditioning is a prototype of the utility of a model system that has become well characterized at both the behavioral and the neurobiological levels.
Long-time asymptotics of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation shock problem

The long-time asymptotics of two colliding plane waves governed by the focusing nonlinear Schrodinger equation are analyzed via the inverse scattering method. We find three asymptotic regions in space-time: a region with the original wave modified by a phase perturbation, a residual region with a one-phase wave, and an intermediate transition region with a modulated two-phase wave. The leading-order terms for the three regions are computed with error estimates using the steepest-descent method for Riemann-Hilbert problems. The nondecaying initial data requires a new adaptation of this method. A new breaking mechanism involving a complex conjugate pair of branch points emerging from the real axis is observed between the residual and transition regions. Also, the effect of the collision is felt in the plane-wave state well beyond the shock front at large times. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A THIRD ORDER NONLOCAL BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEM AT RESONANCE

We consider the third-order nonlocal boundary value problem u ′′′ (t) = f(t,u(t)), a.e. in (0,1), u(0) = 0, u ′ (�) = 0, u ′′ (1) = �[u ′′ ],
Family medicine and internal medicine physicians' attitudes and beliefs about depression: implications for treatment decisions.

Studies have long shown that some patients receive less than optimal care for depression in primary care settings. However, few studies have uncovered factors that predict and explain this deficiency. The authors administered a survey to 408 primary care physicians. They examined how physicians' attitudes (eg, feeling positively or negatively about treating depression in their patients), physicians' beliefs (eg, beliefs about what their patients think and prefer in terms of depression care), and demographic characteristics (independent variables) predicted optimal depression care (dependent variable). Using logistical regression analyses, they identified differences in treatment decisions between family and internal medicine physicians. Physicians' specialty and race (family physicians and white physicians were more likely to prescribe a medication) were unique determinants of whether the physician treated depression by prescribing medication; physicians' specialty and race (family physicians and nonwhite physicians were more likely to provide office-based counseling) were unique determinants of whether the physician treated depression by providing office-based counseling; physicians' beliefs about depression care and physician age were unique statistically significant determinants of whether the physician treated depression by providing a referral to a mental health specialist. These findings help clarify how physicians' specialty and beliefs about depression care influence treatment. In addition, the results in this study suggest that there are differences between family and internal medicine physicians in terms of their practice patterns and beliefs in types of treatment that patients would be willing to receive. Implications for future research on primary care depression treatment are discussed. Language: en
Confronting moral issues from accounting's dark side

This article tracks one traditional accounting historian's transition into more critical directions as a result of archival research projects into certain of the seamier episodes in accounting's history. My current research focus, the study of US and British West Indian slavery accounting, has raised moral issues that have widened my perspectives and caused me to think more critically about the archival materials that document the slave plantation environment in both venues. This paper was originally presented as a plenary address at the third Accounting History International Conference in Siena, hosted by the Italian Society of Accounting Historians. As such, it contains more personal recollections and opinions than are typical in an academic journal such asAccounting History.
Design and performance measurement of efficient IDEA (International Data Encryption Algorithm) crypto-hardware using novel modular arithmetic components

Cryptographic algorithms such as International Data Encryption Algorithm(IDEA) have found various applications in secure transmission of the data in networked instrumentation and distributed measurement systems. Modulo 2n +1 multiplier and squarer play a pivotal role in the implementation of such crypto-algorithms. In this work, an efficient hardware design of the IDEA (International Data Encryption Algorithm) using novel modulo 2n +1 multiplier and squarer as the basic modules is proposed for faster, smaller and low-power IDEA hardware circuits. Novel hardware implementation of the modulo 2n +1 multiplier is shown by using the efficient compressors and sparse tree based inverted end around carry adders is given. The novel modules are applied on IDEA algorithm and the resulting implementation is compared both qualitatively and quantitatively with the IDEA implementation using the existing multiplier/squarer implementations. Experimental measurement results show that the proposed design is faster and smaller and also consume less power than similar hardware implementations making it a viable option for efficient hardware designs.
Photoluminescence enhancement by metal nanoparticles

We have developed a simple yet rigorous theory of the enhancement of photoluminescence (PL) efficiency in the vicinity of metal nanoparticles that takes into account the enhancement during optical absorption and emission. Using an example of active InGaN quantum dots (QDs) positioned in close proximity to Ag nanospheres embedded in GaN, we show that strong enhancement can be obtained only for those QDs, atoms, or molecules that are originally inefficient in absorbing as well as in emitting optical energy.
Results of a longitudinal study of rigorous manuscript submission guidelines designed to improve the quality of clinical research reporting in a peer-reviewed surgical journal.

Abstract Background/Purpose In an effort to improve the reporting quality of clinical research, the Journal of Pediatric Surgery instituted specific reporting guidelines for authors beginning June 2006. This study was conducted to evaluate whether these guidelines improved reporting of observational studies. Methods The Guidelines for the Reporting of Clinical Research Data (Guidelines) included 23 criteria in 3 subcategories: Methods, Results, and More than one treatment group. Reporting quality was evaluated by determining the percentage of criteria met. Seventy-three articles before implementation and 147 articles after implementation were independently assessed by 2 reviewers. Results Mean global composite scores increased from 72.2 pre-Guidelines to 80.1 post-Guidelines ( P P P = .002); and More than one treatment group, 40.0 to 70.6 ( P = .0003). Post-Guidelines implementation scores have increased over time. Conclusions The introduction of the Guidelines resulted in significant improvement in the quality of reporting in the Journal. The low cost vs the benefit suggests that the Guidelines can be an effective way to improve reporting quality in nonrandomized studies. We encourage further efforts to increase inclusion of reporting criteria as well as evaluation and improvement of the Guidelines. We suggest that editors of other surgical publications consider implementing analogous guidelines.
Irradiance forecasts based on an irradiance monitoring network, cloud motion, and spatial averaging

Abstract We describe and evaluate forecasts of solar irradiance using real-time measurements from a network of irradiance sensors. A forecast method using cloud motion vectors obtained from a numerical weather model shows significant skill over a standard persistence model for forecast horizons from 1 min to over 2 h, although the skill metric may be misleading. To explain this finding, we define and compare several different persistence methods, including persistence methods informed by an instantaneous spatial average of irradiance sensor output and persistence forecasts informed by a time-average of recent irradiance measurements. We show that spatial- or temporal-averaging reduces the forecast RMS errors primarily because these forecasts are smoother (have smaller variance). We use a Taylor diagram, which shows correlation, RMSE, and variance, to more accurately compare several different types of forecasts. Using this diagram, we show that forecasts using the network of sensors have meaningful skill up to 30 min time horizons after which the skill is primarily due to smoothing.
Extrusion of microcellular foams using pre-saturated pellets and solid-state nucleation

A novel process for continuous production of microcellular foams has been developed and applied to make flat microcellular strips from PVC. The first novel aspect of the process consists of the way in which the blowing agent, or gas, is delivered to the extruder. We pre-saturate the solid PVC pellets with carbon dioxide. The gas-saturated pellets are then put in the extruder hopper. The second novel aspect of the process is in applying nucleation in the solid state to continuous extrusion. As the pellets are crushed and heated in the extruder, a large number of bubbles nucleate as the temperature reaches the T of the CO 2 plasticized PVC. The melt thus is full of nucleated bubbles that are not able to grow in size due to the pressure that develops in the barrel. When the melt exits at the die, where the pressure is atmospheric, the bubbles have a chance to grow larger and create foam. The process employs effective cooling strategies at the die exit, including lower melt temperatures, to keep the bubbles in the microcellular range.
Stuck in gear: age-related loss of variable gearing in skeletal muscle.

Skeletal muscles power a broad diversity of animal movements, despite only being able to produce high forces over a limited range of velocities. Pennate muscles use a range of gear ratios, the ratio of muscle shortening velocity to fiber shortening velocity, to partially circumvent these force-velocity constraints. Muscles operate with a high gear ratio at low forces; fibers rotate to greater angles of pennation, enhancing velocity but compromising force. At higher forces, muscles operate with a lower gear ratio; fibers rotate little so limiting muscle shortening velocity, but helping to preserve force. This ability to shift gears is thought to be due to the interplay of contractile force and connective tissue constraints. In order to test this hypothesis, gear ratios were determined in the medial gastrocnemius muscles of both healthy young rats, and old rats where the interaction between contractile and connective tissue properties was assumed to be disrupted. Muscle fiber and aponeurosis stiffness increased with age (P<0.05) from 19.1±5.0 kPa and 188.5±24.2 MPa, respectively, in young rats to 39.1±4.2 kPa and 328.0±48.3 MPa in old rats, indicating a mechanical change in the interaction between contractile and connective tissues. Gear ratio decreased with increasing force in young (P<0.001) but not old (P=0.72) muscles, indicating that variable gearing is lost in old muscle. These findings support the hypothesis that variable gearing results from the interaction between contractile and connective tissues and suggest novel explanations for the decline in muscle performance with age.
Animal behaviour: Some begging is actually bragging

A meta-analysis of 143 bird species finds huge variation in parental responses to chicks' begging signals, and shows that parental strategies depend on environmental factors, such as the predictability and quality of food supplies.
Evaluation of Double Integrals by Means of the Definition

(1970). Evaluation of Double Integrals by Means of the Definition. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 85-89.
Staging language on Corsica: Stance, improvisation, play, and heteroglossia

This article uses the concept of stance to examine a series of activities and plurilingual heteroglossic performances and improvisations in a Corsican language-planning event. It focuses on how stances taken by performers attribute stances to the audience, as well as how stance objects (language, community, heritage) are construed in performance. This analysis is used to examine how these language-planning events mediate ideological tensions in Corsican language planning, specifically between traditional monolingual/purist ideologies and plurilingual, polynomic ones. (Stance, Corsica, performance, ideology, heteroglossia)*
Phage Therapy: Future Inquiries.

Western scientists have steadily been gaining interest in phage therapy since the mid-1980’s due to the rising problem of antibiotic resistance. Its introduction in the 20th century by Felix d’Herelle marked the beginning for the uses of bacteriophages as antibacterial agents. However, a lack in understanding phage biology, as well as the arrival of broad-spectrum antibiotics deprioritized using phage therapy to treat bacterial infections in the West. With the advent of molecular biology, we are now better able to understand the predator-prey relationships with which phage co-evolve with their hosts as well as the specificity of phage-host interactions which could lend itself into personalized treatments for infection. These discoveries give us greater insights on how to most effectively use bacteriophage as potential therapeutic agents. It is encouraging to note that bacteriophages are used as food additives in the U.S., suggesting that the FDA acknowledges the positive potential of bacteriophages for human applications. Unfortunately, there are only a few examples to date of bacteriophages used on humans in controlled clinical trials. Rigorous studies in-vitro and especially in-vivo are critically important to avoid the mishaps of our predecessors. Phage biologists must strive to meet regulatory standards and to design thorough, rugged studies in order to establish a substantiated need for phage therapy in health care.
U.S. and Soviet security perspectives

The different histories and geographies of the United States and the Soviet Union give them divergent views of what constitutes security. Both systems thus have built-in resistance to flexibility and compromise.
Commonsense Anticommunism: Labor and Civil Liberties Between the World Wars, by JENNIFER LUFF, ed.

Jennifer Luff has produced an engagingly written account of the intertwining of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), anti-Communism, and civil liberties prior to World War II. Her general thesis...
Nonprofit Electioneering Post Citizens United: Has the System Become More 'Complex'?

Nonprofits face a complex web of congressional statutes and administrative rules designed to regulate their advocacy activities. As a result, most politically active nonprofits have formed “complex organization structures” of multiple tax-exempt statuses, which are intended to bolster an organization’s overall advocacy by allowing the group to delegate specific activities to different entities. Citizens United v. FEC (2010) and the subsequent rise of “super PACs” has further incentivized groups to develop these complex structures. This study describes the system of regulations governing nonprofits involved in elections and examines the electioneering activities of 50 of the most politically active nonprofits involved in the last four elections: 2006 through 2012. The findings show that groups – especially 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations – are relying less on their traditional PACs to make direct contributions to candidates and are, following Citizens, increasingly making independent expenditures directly from their 501(c) tax-exempt status and from loosely affiliated super PACs.
Model for ionization-induced conductivity in pure insulators

When ionizing radiation interacts with insulating material the electrical conductivity and properties are changed significantly. The physics of this problem can be separated into a sequence of chronological steps. 1. The interaction of the radiation with the material to which releases electrons from bound states producing free carriers (presumably both electrons and holes). 2. The motion of carriers under the influence of electric fields (drift) or density gradients (diffusion). 3. Trapping of the carriers at defect sites having shallow energy levels. The energy level is considered to be shallow if during the course of the experiment there is a reasonable probability for the trapped carrier to be released by thermal energy. 4. The thermal release of the carriers trapped at shallow sites. 5. Trapping of carriers at deep sites. 6. Eventual carrier recombination.
The early screening and countermeasures of biliary atresia

It is generally accepted that Kasai operation is the best treatment for biliary atresia(BA). The implementationof early screen plan improves the age threshold at the suitable time point of Kasai operation. This is the key issue to improvethe survival rate of autologous liver in biliary atresia. The monitoring of stool color card, B- ultrasonography and serum con-jugated bilirubin can be used for preliminary seeming biliary atresia. It is very important to improve the ability of basic unitmedical staff for major improvements to the understanding of the significance of biliary atresia. In some country and district,the local government has put the screen list for BA into healthcare booklet for children. Thus, it has a significant impact ofearly screen plan on the diagnosis and treatment of BA, and it can improve the BA autologous liver survival time. So far,there is still no BA early screen plan in the nationwide. We should pay attention to BA, and establish early screen system indifferent local health unit quickly.
Mesenteric desmoid tumor presenting as an abdominal mass following salvage cystectomy for invasive bladder cancer.

AbstractThe development of an abdominal mass after radical extirpative surgery for cancer is ominous and most frequently represents a recurrence of the original cancer. We present an unusual case of a large mesenteric desmoid tumor that occurred 3 years after salvage cystectomy for invasive bladder cancer.
Jewish subculture and WAIS performance among Jewish aged.

(1962). Jewish Subculture and Wais Performance among Jewish Aged. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Vol. 100, No. 1, pp. 55-68.
Effects of Cold Ischemia on Gene Expression: A Review and Commentary.

Frequently investigators request that tissues be collected and processed in less than one hour following removal from a patient. Some biorepositories expend significant personnel time and other resources in trying to meet such goals; however, it is unclear whether the perceived benefits of relatively short cold ischemia times warrant these added costs. The literature of human surgical tissues prospectively exposed to cold ischemia at several time points was reviewed to compare the changes in transcripts/genes and microRNA with time of cold ischemia. Also, reports of protein changes in response to cold ischemia were correlated to changes in genes. The literature is limited; however, for most tissues, only a small proportion of transcripts/genes (<1%) changes up to 3 hours following surgery and most transcripts increase rather than decrease in less than 2 hours of cold ischemia. Biorepositories and investigators must consider the literature for evidence of significant changes in molecular results from tissu...
Low-power, high-performance S-NDR oscillators for stereo (3D) vision using directly-coupled oscillator networks

We have successfully demonstrated, a best in class low-power, high-performance S-NDR oscillator (benchmarked in Table I) through novel & unique material-engineering of leakage, endurance and by improving SNR through parallel-locking. These oscillators were then connected in form of a dense array that utilized unique array properties to simulate a full stereo-vision system. The system was found to consume 100× lower energy while being 16× better in performance (Table II), when compared to a conventional implementation purely based on computation.
Willingness and Ability of Older Adults in the Emergency Department to Provide Clinical Information Using a Tablet Computer.

Objectives To estimate the proportion of older adults in the emergency department (ED) who are willing and able to use a tablet computer to answer questions. Design Prospective, ED-based cross-sectional study. Setting Two U.S. academic EDs. Participants Individuals aged 65 and older. Measurements As part of screening for another study, potential study participants were asked whether they would be willing to use a tablet computer to answer eight questions instead of answering questions orally. A custom user interface optimized for older adults was used. Trained research assistants observed study participants as they used the tablets. Ability to use the tablet was assessed based on need for assistance and number of questions answered correctly. Results Of 365 individuals approached, 248 (68%) were willing to answer screening questions, 121 of these (49%) were willing to use a tablet computer; of these, 91 (75%) were able to answer at least six questions correctly, and 35 (29%) did not require assistance. Only 14 (12%) were able to answer all eight questions correctly without assistance. Individuals aged 65 to 74 and those reporting use of a touchscreen device at least weekly were more likely to be willing and able to use the tablet computer. Of individuals with no or mild cognitive impairment, the percentage willing to use the tablet was 45%, and the percentage answering all questions correctly was 32%. Conclusion Approximately half of this sample of older adults in the ED was willing to provide information using a tablet computer, but only a small minority of these were able to enter all information correctly without assistance. Tablet computers may provide an efficient means of collecting clinical information from some older adults in the ED, but at present, it will be ineffective for a significant portion of this population.
Abstract 2896: A flexible mouse model of malignant pleural mesothelioma

Patients with advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) have extremely limited treatment options. To develop targeted therapies necessary to radically alter the clinical course of MPM, it is important to identify oncogenic mutations and signaling pathways that drive its development and progression. About 75% of MPMs carry inactivating mutations at the NF2 locus, which encodes the FERM domain protein Merlin, and often also have deletions of the CDKN2A locus, encoding the CDK inhibitor p16 and the p53 activator ARF. Since traditional cancer therapies target dysregulated oncogenes, it is important to elucidate the pathogenically relevant proteins that are dysregulated downstream of MPM tumor suppressors. We have developed a flexible and rapid mouse model that can be used to dissect genetics of MPM, to evaluate the preclinical efficacy of novel therapies, and to provide a platform for MPM shRNA genetic screens. We injected into the pleural cavity of mice lentivirus encoding Cre recombinase and miR30-based shRNA cassettes to simultaneously deplete four of the most commonly lost proteins in mesothelioma - Nf2, p16INK4a/ARF, and BAP1. Cre recombinase deletes the Nf2 conditional allele and simultaneously activates a Luciferase reporter gene in the pleural mesothelium, allowing for bioluminescent imaging of infected cells that develop MPM tumors. Lentiviral miR30-based shRNA cassettes simultaneously deplete Ink4a/ARF and Bap1, helping to drive tumorigenesis. To evaluate MPM genetics, mice with conditional alleles for putative drivers of MPM pathogenesis (i.e. Dcaf1 and Ptk2) in addition to the Nf2 conditional allele can be injected with the virus to determine whether these genes are necessary and sufficient for MPM development or progression. Moreover, knockdown of putative MPM drivers can be easily carried out by adding corresponding shRNA cassettes to the lentiviral vector. Using these methods, we have developed a rapid genetically engineered mouse model that recapitulates human MPM and can be used to explore MPM genetics. This flexible MPM mouse model will allow us to unravel MPM genetics and help to identify novel therapeutic targets as well as provide an efficient preclinical test of these therapies. Citation Format: Jonathan Cooper, Filippo Giancotti. A flexible mouse model of malignant pleural mesothelioma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2896. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2896
Evaluation and management of geriatric outpatients

Source Citation Rubin CD, Sizemore MT, Loftis PA, Loret de Mola N. A randomized, controlled trial of outpatient geriatric evaluation and management in a large public hospital. J Am Geriatr Soc. 199...
Introduction to Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a skeletal condition involving progressive bone loss and microarchitectural deterioration, leading to increased bone fragility and susceptibility to fractures. It is the most prevalent metabolic bone disease among adults worldwide. The magnitude of the disease is immense. Recent estimates are that 10.2 million US adults have osteoporosis at the femoral neck and lumbar spine and another 43.4 million have low bone mass (osteopenia), meaning that over one-half of the total US adult population is affected. Approximately 8.2 million women and 2.0 million men now live with osteoporosis, and another 27.3 million women and 16.1 million men are diagnosed with osteopenia. As the number of older Americans continues to grow, these numbers are likely to increase markedly. This book offers an expansive perspective on osteoporosis, beginning with the causes and consequences of the disease itself and extending to its manifestations within the context of related disorders, as well as its wider social and economic ramifications.
Microscopic Electrical Characterization of Inorganic Semiconductor-Based Solar Cell Materials and Devices Using AFM-Based Techniques

Atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based microscopic electrical techniques provide new insights into the characterization of electronic devices, which is useful for understanding device physics and improving device performance. This chapter introduces the fundamentals of some major AFM-based electrical techniques, including scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM), scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM), and conductive AFM (C-AFM), and reviews some recent characterization studies on inorganic semiconductor solar cell materials and devices. A potential measurement on junctions of solar cells presents SKPFM as a powerful tool for two-dimensional junction location identification by direct electrical measurement. The potential measurement further reveals electrical field distributions under bias voltages that relate to the defects on the junctions. Grain boundaries (GBs) of polycrystalline thin-film materials are characterized by measuring carrier depletion or band bending using SCM and SKPFM, which provide the measurements of individual GBs and are thus able to correlate the GB electrical properties directly to the GB structure. Structural and electrical properties of a-Si:H and nc-Si:H thin films and devices are also characterized through a prototype structure of a-Si:H and nc-Si:H mixed phase. Localized electrical properties on the nc-Si:H phase, and phosphorus and boron doping effects on the film structure are reviewed.
Improving best possible medication history with vulnerable patients at an urban safety net academic hospital using pharmacy technicians

Background Best possible medication history (BPMH) enhances the care of safety net patients, especially those with limited English proficiency and limited health literacy who are most vulnerable to medication error during the hospital admission process. Our large urban academic safety net centre faced numerous barriers to achieve BPMH among hospitalised patients including communication barriers that increase the time and complexity of eliciting BPMH, frequent provider turnover at our training institution and lack of an electronic health record (EHR) medication reconciliation tool to facilitate BPMH collection and monitoring. Design Leveraging opportunities afforded by the US federal incentive EHR programme, our multidisciplinary team designed an EHR-facilitated medication reconciliation programme by which pharmacy technicians engaged newly admitted patients and their caregivers at the bedside to develop and electronically document the BPMH. Strategy Prior to this intervention, pharmacy technicians had no role in BPMH. Providers collected home medications documented on paper notes without a consistent methodology. With each plan–do–study–act (PDSA) cycle since the programme began, the goal was to increase the per cent of BPMH completed by a pharmacy technician. Individual PDSA cycles targeted either the pharmacy technicians by expanding their pool of eligible patients or provider engagement with the pharmacy technician workflow. Results By optimising not only the health information technology platform but also the operational processes, the programme achieved a nearly 80% generation of BPMH completed by a highly trained pharmacy technician, surpassing its intended goal of 50% BPMH completion by a pharmacy technician on admission. Conclusion An EHR-facilitated tool improved BPMH at an urban academic safety net hospital using pharmacy technicians.
Characterization of Random Composite Properties Based on Statistical Volume Element Partitioning

AbstractHomogenization of a representative volume element (RVE) is often used as the basis for defining the effective properties of a composite material. Although this is a powerful and useful appr...
Negative Results: Conceptual and Methodological Dimensions in Single-Case Intervention Research:

The central roles of science in the field of remedial and special education are to (a) identify basic laws of nature and (b) apply those laws in the design of practices that achieve socially valued...
Independent linear forms

In this chapter the property of interest is the independence of linear forms in independent random variables. In Section 5.1 we give a characterization result that is both simple to state and to prove; it is nevertheless of considerable interest. Section 5.2 parallels Section 3.2. We use the characteristic property of the normal distribution to define abstract group-valued Gaussian random variables. In this broader context we again obtain the zero-one law; we also prove an important result about the existence of exponential moments. In Section 5.3 we return to characterizations, generalizing Theorem 5.1.1. We show that the stochastic independence of arbitrary two linear forms characterizes the normal distribution. We conclude the chapter with abstract Gaussian results when all forces are joined.