cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Examining transgender health through the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health’s (ICF) Contextual Factors

For many transgender individuals, medical intervention is necessary to live as their desired gender. However, little is known about Contextual Factors (i.e., Environmental and Personal) that may act as facilitators and barriers in the health of transgender individuals. Therefore, this paper sought to examine Contextual Factors of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health that may facilitate or negatively impact the physical, psychological, and social functioning of transgender individuals. A literature review was conducted to identify Environmental and Personal Factors that may influence transgender individuals’ physical, psychological, and social functioning. Seven electronic databases were searched. In total, 154 records were reviewed, and 41 articles and other records met inclusion criteria. Three general themes emerged for Environmental Factors: family and social networks, education, and health care. Three general themes also emerged for Personal Factors: socioeconomic status, race, and age. Transgender individuals benefit from gender-affirming services, improved family and social support systems, and competent provider care. Educational training programs, including medical curricula or workshops, might provide the greatest benefit in improving transgender health by increasing the knowledge and cultural competency of health professionals working with this population. Given the diversity of gender expression, differences in lived experiences, and potential for enduring persistent "double discrimination" due to the intersectional relationships between socioeconomic status, race, and/or age, health professionals must approach transgender health using a holistic lens such as the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health.
Expression of Genes for Methylxanthine Pathway-Associated Enzymes Accompanied by Sex Steroid Receptor Status Impacts Breast Carcinoma Progression

Consumption of methylxanthine alkaloids appears to induce activities by antagonizing adenosine receptors, implicated in breast cancer behavior in vitro. Our goal was to evaluate expression of genes for methylxanthine receptors and metabolizing enzymes to assess risk of breast carcinoma recurrence. Clinical outcomes, estrogen/progestin receptor results, and gene expression assays guided selection. RNA was isolated from laser capture microdissection-procured carcinoma cells for microarray using established protocols. Gene expression levels of eight methylxanthine receptors, eight metabolizing enzymes, and various phosphodiesterases were retrieved from microarray results. Univariable Cox regressions and Kaplan-Meier plots were determined for each gene with R software. Individually, lower expressions of PDE4A, CYP2A6, or CYP2E were related to decreased progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). PDE1A over-expression predicted decreased PFS and OS. ADORA2B and RYR1 over-expressions predicted diminished OS. ER+ cancers exhibited lower ADORA1, ADORA2B, and RYR1 and elevated PDE4A, CYP2A6, and CYP2E expressions. Of PR+ carcinomas, diminished ADORA2B and RYR1 and elevated expressions of ADORA3, PDE4A, CYP2C8, and CYP2E were noted. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) revealed that CYP2E, PDE1A, and PDE4A expressions collectively predicted PFS whereas ADORA1, CYP2E, PDE1A, PDE1B, and PDE4A expressions jointly predicted OS. Models were clinically significant when validated externally. LASSO also derived a six-gene model and five-gene model that predicted PFS of ER- or PR- carcinomas, respectively. Similarly, five-gene and four-gene models predicted OS in ER- or PR- carcinomas, respectively. Collectively, expression of genes involved in methylxanthine action and metabolism in single-cell types predicted clinical outcomes of breast carcinoma indicating promise for developing diagnostics and design of new therapeutics.
Determination of lipid bilayer affinities and solvation characteristics by electrokinetic chromatography using polymer-bound lipid bilayer nanodiscs

Styrene-maleic acid polymer-bound lipid bilayer nanodiscs have been investigated and characterized by electrokinetic chromatography. Linear solvation energy relationship analysis was employed to characterize the changes in solvation environment of nanodiscs of varied belt to lipid ratio, belt polymer chemistry and molecular weight, and lipid composition. Increases in the lipid to belt polymer ratio resulted in smaller, more cohesive nanodiscs with greater electrophoretic mobility. Nanodisc structures with belt polymers of different chemistry and molecular weight were compared and showed only minor changes in solvent characteristics and selectivity consistent with changes in structure of the lipid bilayer. Seven phospholipid and sphingomyelin nanodiscs of different lipid composition were characterized. Changes in lipid head group structure had a significant effect on bilayer-solute interactions. In most cases, changes in alkyl tail structure had no discernible effect on solvation environment aside from those explained by changes in the gel-liquid transition temperature. Comparison to vesicles of similar lipid composition show only minor differences in solvation environment, likely due to differences in lipid composition and bilayer curvature. Together these results provide evidence that the dominant solute-nanodisc interactions are with the lipid bilayer and that head group chemistry has a greater impact on bilayer-solute interactions than alkyl tail or belt polymer structure. Nanodisc electrokinetic chromatography is demonstrated to allow characterization of solute interactions with lipid bilayers of varied composition.
A Survey of Management In Health Care Systems Dietetic Practice Group Members

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To examine satisfaction levels of work factors and the effects on quality of home and family life for A.D. A. members belonging to the Management in Health Care Systems Dietetic Practice Group. This study determined satisfaction levels of 16 work factors and the effects on the quality of home and family life. Twenty-two demographic items, including personal and job characteristics were studied. The pre-test instrument was initially evaluated by a panel of management experts for content validity and clarity, and was then mailed to 70 members of the population, AD. A members belonging to the Management in Health Care Systems Dietetic Practice Group. A 35.7% response rate was achieved and reliability was established. Using a random numbers table, a sample of 333 (33.0%) of the population was surveyed with a response rate of 40.8%. Statistical analysis was completed on data from 128 respondents, as eight of the surveys were not usable. Reliability was determined using Cronbach's a (alpha). There was a high correlation between the respondents' level of satisfaction associated with various work aspects and the respective positive effect each of these aspects had on the quality of their home life. With a p-value of .0001, the leading correlations were: "support from management" (0.80); "job status" (0.76); "opportunity for advancement" (0.75); "job security" (0.69); "fringe benefits" (0.67); and "salary" (0.66). With a p-value of .0001, the correlation between the overall level of satisfaction with their work and the overall impact it had on the quality of their home life (0.60) was significant. The attribute, number of hours worked per week, played a statistically significant role in predicting overall effect of job on home life (p-value .009). In today's challenging work environment, it is critical for administrators to understand the role specific work factors and associated satisfaction levels play in relation to the quality of home and family life for managers. When administrators manage accordingly, positive results related to recruitment, retention and motivation of staff members may likely occur, as job satisfaction and quality of life are quite important to today's managers.
Discitis Following Transdiscal Approach for Superior Hypogastric Plexus Block

Discitis—the infection of the intervertebral disc space—can result from hematogenous dissemination, direct disc inoculation (either iatrogenic or traumatic), or contiguous spread from an adjacent structure. Unless there is a chronological relationship between symptom onset and recent spine intervention or injury, the diagnosis may be delayed for weeks or months. The initial symptoms are often non-specific (severe back pain, stiffness, occasional fever, and malaise) with evidence of elevated inflammatory markers on work-up. Once discitis is suspected, imaging studies (contrast MRI, PET, or CT scan) should be immediately obtained. Image-guided aspiration biopsy is performed when blood cultures or serologic tests fail to identify the responsible pathogen. Conservative treatment with intravenous antibiotics should be guided by microbiology results. If general or neurologic deterioration occurs, empiric antimicrobial therapy should be initiated and surgery should be considered (Berbari et al., Clin Infect Dis. 61(6):e26–46, 2015).
Resettled Refugee Youths’ Stories of Migration, Schooling, and Future: Challenging Dominant Narratives About Refugees

In the United States and around the world, refugees are frequently portrayed as helpless victims, burdens of the host society, and potential criminals. Similarly, in schools even well-intentioned educators focus on what they lack, rather than the various stories, experiences, and perspectives they have to offer. To provide another perspective, we aim to find ways to empower resettled refugee youth and draw implications for education of former refugees and other marginalized students. Through interviews, we sought to understand the stories of ten former Burmese refugee adolescents with respect to their backgrounds, migration, and school experiences. Our analysis shows that they recognized their marginalized positionings in the United States that are attributable to their limited English proficiency, ethnicity and race, and former refugee status. They, however, authored narratives of themselves that contest such marginalizing narratives by providing diverse stories of refugees different from dominant ones and positioning themselves as valuable members of local communities and change agents for a more equitable society. These findings call for pedagogical approaches in which schools and communities provide space for stories that former refugee youths bring, value stories authored by them, and draw on their perspectives on inequity and social transformation.
Investigating How Experienced UX Designers Effectively Work with Machine Learning

Machine learning (ML) plays an increasingly important role in improving a user's experience. However, most UX practitioners face challenges in understanding ML's capabilities or envisioning what it might be. We interviewed 13 designers who had many years of experience designing the UX of ML-enhanced products and services. We probed them to characterize their practices. They shared they do not view themselves as ML experts, nor do they think learning more about ML would make them better designers. Instead, our participants appeared to be the most successful when they engaged in ongoing collaboration with data scientists to help envision what to make and when they embraced a data-centric culture. We discuss the implications of these findings in terms of UX education and as opportunities for additional design research in support of UX designers working with ML.
High-Dose Intraarterial Chemotherapy/Radiation for Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on RADPLAT therapy, which refers to a high-dose cisplatin intraarterial (IA) chemoradiation protocol developed to treat patients with advanced head and neck cancer. This targeted supradose cisplatin program appears to provide a lasting state of disease control for patients with T3-T4 resectable lesions without sacrificing the function of major organs and for patients with massive unresectable cancers. The treatment program incorporates a novel technique for infusing cisplatin directly into the tumor bed while minimizing the effects of the drug systemically. This is achieved by using microcatheters placed angiographically to permit superselective rapid infusions while sodium thiosulfate, a neutralizing agent for cisplatin, is simultaneously infused systemically. This approach is proving to be particularly effective for treating lesions that are otherwise difficult to manage, such as those in patients with massive lymphadenopathy (N3 disease), advanced paranasal sinus cancer, and temporal bone malignancies. Results from the IA trials are variable, but several studies, particularly those using cisplatin-based regimens, indicate that a high response rate can be achieved. Randomized trials may be indicated to determine whether this approach can increase survival, maintain organ function, and improve upon the quality of life relative to other chemoradiotherapy protocols.
The Shale Gas Economy in the Northeast Pennsylvania Counties

More than half of the Marcellus Shale wells drilled in Pennsylvania through 2013 are within six counties of the Northern Tier, which account for four of Pennsylvania’s top five drilling counties. These counties overwhelmingly are rural, with low population densities and relatively small economies. Unlike the Marcellus Shale counties in southwest Pennsylvania, they lack past gas and coal development, so the activity is fundamentally different than what they have experienced. This chapter explores the economic impacts occurring within the Northern Tier counties. Due to their relatively small population size, such changes are relatively more visible than if the economies were larger.
Using high-dimensional machine learning methods to estimate an anatomical risk factor for Alzheimer's disease across imaging databases.

Abstract Introduction The main goal of this work is to investigate the feasibility of estimating an anatomical index that can be used as an Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factor in the Women's Health Initiative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study (WHIMS-MRI) using MRI data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a well-characterized imaging database of AD patients and cognitively normal subjects. We called this index AD Pattern Similarity (AD-PS) scores. To demonstrate the construct validity of the scores, we investigated their associations with several AD risk factors. The ADNI and WHIMS imaging databases were collected with different goals, populations and data acquisition protocols: it is important to demonstrate that the approach to estimating AD-PS scores can bridge these differences. Methods MRI data from both studies were processed using high-dimensional warping methods. High-dimensional classifiers were then estimated using the ADNI MRI data. Next, the classifiers were applied to baseline and follow-up WHIMS-MRI GM data to generate the GM AD-PS scores. To study the validity of the scores we investigated associations between GM AD-PS scores at baseline (Scan 1) and their longitudinal changes (Scan 2 –Scan 1) with: 1) age, cognitive scores, white matter small vessel ischemic disease (WM SVID) volume at baseline and 2) age, cognitive scores, WM SVID volume longitudinal changes respectively. In addition, we investigated their associations with time until classification of independently adjudicated status in WHIMS-MRI. Results Higher GM AD-PS scores from WHIMS-MRI baseline data were associated with older age, lower cognitive scores, and higher WM SVID volume. Longitudinal changes in GM AD-PS scores (Scan 2 – Scan 1) were also associated with age and changes in WM SVID volumes and cognitive test scores. Increases in the GM AD-PS scores predicted decreases in cognitive scores and increases in WM SVID volume. GM AD-PS scores and their longitudinal changes also were associated with time until classification of cognitive impairment. Finally, receiver operating characteristic curves showed that baseline GM AD-PS scores of cognitively normal participants carried information about future cognitive status determined during follow-up. Discussion We applied a high-dimensional machine learning approach to estimate a novel AD risk factor for WHIMS-MRI study participants using ADNI data. The GM AD-PS scores showed strong associations with incident cognitive impairment and cross-sectional and longitudinal associations with age, cognitive function, cognitive status and WM SVID volume lending support to the ongoing validation of the GM AD-PS score.
Stem Cell Therapies for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Stem cell therapies have demonstrated safety and efficacy in the treatment of perianal Crohn’s disease as compared to conventional therapy. Thus, an understanding of their place in the treatment algorithm for inflammatory bowel disease has become imperative as we move into an era of regenerative medicine. There have now been over a dozen clinical trials highlighting stem cells as a useful therapeutic in Crohn’s disease. Due to the success in the local treatment for perianal Crohn’s disease, investigation is continuing in the space of targeted systemic delivery for the treatment of luminal disease. As we increase the number of patients treated in clinical trials, it is imperative to define the optimal cell donor, optimize treatment dosing and retreatment protocols, and understand methods for safely targeting and treating intraluminal disease.
Evaluation of the Immunoglobulins

Publisher Summary The appropriate evaluation of immunoglobulins requires a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches interpreted within the framework of the patient's symptomatology. They are primarily of interest in the study of deficiency syndromes and monoclonal disorders. In the qualitative evaluation of the immunoglobulins, two measures of functionality are studied: electrophoretic characteristics and ability to bind antigen. For the study of electrophoretic characteristics, the serum is applied to a support medium, usually cellulose acetate, although thin layers of agarose may also be employed. Finer separation can be obtained by using media of greater resolving power, which separate by size as well as charge. Starch gel or acrylamide polymers have superior resolving capability and upwards of 20 serum fractions are easily detected. However, these techniques have not added much to the clinical assessment of γ-globulins and are primarily of help in demonstrating genetic variants and isozyme patterns of other serum proteins. Further discrimination of electrophoretically separated proteins is accomplished by adding the exquisite sensitivity and specificity of immunological precipitation.
Practice Patterns and Prognostic Value of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Thick Melanoma: A National Cancer Database Study.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has been somewhat controversial for patients with a diagnosis of thick (> 4 mm) melanoma. This study aimed to characterize the national practice pattern in performing SLNB for this patient population and to determine the predictors and prognostic value of nodal positivity using population-level data. Patients with a diagnosis of clinically node-negative, thick melanoma (2010–2015) were identified using the National Cancer Database. Factors associated with performing regional nodal evaluation were characterized. Predictors of nodal positivity were determined using multivariable logistic regression. Overall survival (OS) was estimated using standard statistical methods. Of 9847 study patients, 7513 (76.3%) underwent SLNB. The patients who underwent nodal evaluation were younger (median age, 66 vs 81 years; P < 0.001), less likely to have comorbid conditions (19.6% vs 26.0%; P < 0.001), more often privately insured (40.4% vs 16.4%; P < 0.001), and more frequently treated at an academic center (49.5% vs 43.9%; P < 0.001). Among those who underwent nodal evaluation, 25.5% had metastatic nodes. Multivariable regression identified age, Charlson-Deyo score, primary location, ulceration, mitoses, vertical growth phase, and lymphovascular invasion as independent predictors of nodal positivity, but with only moderate predictive accuracy (optimism-adjusted area under the curve, 0.684). Furthermore, compared with node negativity, node positivity was significantly associated with decreased OS (hazard ratio, 2.05; P < 0.001). Although nodal status provides important prognostic information, at a national level, nearly one fourth of patients with clinically node-negative, thick melanoma do not undergo SLNB. Appropriate pathologic staging would allow these high-risk patients to be candidates for effective adjuvant therapy.
On Design and Analysis of Funnel Testing Experiments in Webpage Optimization

In webpage optimization, funnel testing is a popular technique for studying the effects of webpage features. This study focuses on how to properly design and analyze the funnel testing experiments. To address the problem, we propose two new design construction methods for funnel testing experiments. The proposed methods fully utilize the underlying funnel structures such that the projected designs for different funnels have desirable properties. For the analysis of funnel testing experiments, we consider the penalized regression with the heredity principle to obtain parsimonious and interpretable models for each funnel. Thus, the optimization of finding the optimal settings of webpages can be appropriately achieved. The performance of the proposed design and analysis is illustrated through a few numerical examples.
Digital Terrain, Surface, and Canopy Height Models From InSAR Backscatter-Height Histograms

This article demonstrates how 3-D vegetation structure can be approximated by interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) backscatter-height histograms. Single-look backscatter measurements are plotted against the InSAR phase height and are aggregated spatially over a forest patch to form a 3-D histogram, referred to as InSAR backscatter-height histogram or simply InSAR histogram. InSAR histograms resemble LiDAR waveforms, suggesting that existing algorithms used to retrieve canopy height and ground topography from radar tomograms or LiDAR waveforms can be applied to InSAR histograms. Three algorithms are evaluated to generate maps of digital terrain, surface, and canopy height models: Gaussian decomposition, quantile, and backscatter threshold. Full-polarimetric L-band uninhabited aerial vehicle synthetic aperture radar (UAVSAR) data collected over the Gabonese Lope National Park during the 2016 AfriSAR campaign are used to illustrate and compare the performance of the algorithms for the HH, HV, VV, HH+VV, and HH−VV polarimetric channels. Results show that radar-derived maps using the InSAR histograms differ by 4 m (top-canopy), 5 m (terrain), and 6 m (forest height) in terms of average root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) from standard maps derived from full-waveform laser, vegetation, and ice sensor (LVIS) LiDAR measurements.
In Pursuit of Elk

In this essay, Joel Pontius stories his relationship with elk from his first encounter as an eleven-year-old. Join Joel as he learns to communicate with elk, move with them through mountainous landscapes, and as he learns to hunt elk with all that entails. What other relationships grow in connection with hunting elk? How does his practice of listening change? Through the process, Joel’s perspective shifts on what it means to live in the more-than-human world.
Enabling high-throughput single-animal gene-expression studies with molecular and micro-scale technologies

Gene expression and regulation play diverse and important roles across all living systems. By quantifying the expression, whether in a sample of single cells, a specific tissue, or in a whole animal, one can gain insights into the underlying biology. Many biological questions now require single-animal and tissue-specific resolution, such as why individuals, even within an isogenic population, have variations in development and aging across different tissues and organs. The popular techniques that quantify the transcriptome (e.g. RNA-sequencing) process populations of animals and cells together and thus, have limitations in both individual and spatial resolution. There are single-animal assays available (e.g. fluorescent reporters); however, they suffer other technical bottlenecks, such as a lack of robust sample-handling methods. Microfluidic technologies have demonstrated various improvements throughout the years, and it is likely they can enhance the impact of these single-animal gene-expression assays. In this perspective, we aim to highlight how the engineering/method-development field have unique opportunities to create new tools that can enable us to robustly answer the next set of important questions in biology that require high-density, high-quality gene expression data.
A machine learning framework for the temporal evolution of microstructure during static recrystallization of polycrystalline materials simulated by cellular automaton

Abstract Reduced-order models of process-structure evolution linkages play a central role in the discovery and development of new/improved materials and their deployment in advanced technologies. In this paper, a novel machine learning framework is developed for capturing the temporal evolution of microstructures during static recrystallization of face-centered cubic (FCC) polycrystalline materials and is demonstrated on a collection of simulation data produced using cellular automata. This new framework first establishes a suitable low-dimensional representation of the polycrystalline microstructures based on 2-point spatial correlations expressed in a generalized spherical harmonics (GSH) basis. Second, a Gaussian process autoregression (GPAR) time-series modeling approach is employed to establish the desired reduced-order process-structure evolution model. It is demonstrated that the framework presented in this paper produces remarkably accurate and robust reduced-order models for the problem studied, in spite of the highly complex three-dimensional (3-D) microstructures involved.
Reconciliation of dipole emission with detailed balance rates for the simulation of luminescence and photon recycling in perovskite solar cells

A theoretical description of light emission, propagation and re-absorption in semiconductor multilayer stacks is derived based on the transverse Green's function of the electromagnetic field in the presence of a complex dielectric. The canonical dipole emission model is parametrized in terms of the local optical material constants and the local quasi-Fermi level splitting using the detailed balance relation between local absorption and emission rates. The framework obtained in this way is shown to reproduce the generalized Kirchhoff relations between the luminescent emission from metal halide perovskite slabs under uniform excitation and the slab absorptance of light with arbitrary angle of incidence. Use of the proper local density of transverse photon states in the local emission rate includes cavity effects in the generalized Planck law for internal spontaneous emission, which are neglected in the conventional Van Roosbroeck-Shockley formalism and avoids spurious divergencies due to non-radiative energy transfer via longitudinal modes. Finally, a consistent treatment of re-absorption provides the local rate of secondary photogeneration required for the consideration of photon recycling in an opto-electronic device simulator that includes the effects of charge transport.
Genome-Wide Admixture Mapping of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate and Chronic Kidney Disease Identify European and African Ancestry-of-Origin Loci in Hispanic and Latino Individuals in the United States.

Background Admixture mapping is a powerful approach for gene mapping of complex traits that leverages the diverse genetic ancestry in populations with recent admixture, such as Hispanic or Latino individuals in the United States. These individuals have an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods We performed genome-wide admixture mapping for both CKD and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in a sample of 12,601 participants from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, with validation in a sample of 8191 African American participants from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). We also compared the findings with those from a conventional genome-wide association study. Results Three novel ancestry-of-origin loci were identified on chromosomes 2, 14, and 15 for CKD and eGFR-loci harboring genes that have been implicated in kidney function. The chromosome 2 locus comprises two European ancestry regions encompassing the FSHR and NRXN1 genes, with European ancestry at this locus associated with increased CKD risk. The chromosome 14 locus, found within the DLK1-DIO3 imprinted domain, was associated with lower eGFR and driven by European ancestry. The eGFR-associated locus on chromosome 15 included intronic variants of RYR3 and was within an African-specific genomic region associated with higher eGFR. The genomewide association study failed to identify significant associations in these regions. We validated the chromosome 14 and 15 loci associated with eGFR in the WHI African American participants. Conclusions This study provides evidence of shared ancestry-specific genomic regions influencing eGFR in Hispanic or Latino individuals and African American individuals, and illustrates the potential for leveraging genetic ancestry in recently admixed populations for the discovery of novel candidate loci for kidney phenotypes.
Modeling interdependencies between power and economic sectors using the N-ABLE agent-based model

The nation's electric power sector is highly interdependent with the economic sectors it serves; electric power needs are driven by economic activity while the economy itself depends on reliable and sustainable electric power. To advance higher level understandings of the vulnerabilities that result from these interdependencies and to identify the loss prevention and loss mitigation policies that best serve the nation, the National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center is developing and using N-ABLE{trademark}, an agent-based microeconomic framework and simulation tool that models these interdependencies at the level of collections of individual economic firms. Current projects that capture components of these electric power and economic sector interdependencies illustrate some of the public policy issues that should be addressed for combined power sector reliability and national economic security.
Constraints in Access to Assistive Technologies - and Communication - for Hard-of-Hearing People in the Russian Federation and in Germany

Keywords assistive listening devices, accessibility, hard of hearing, hearing aid, communication, procedures, rehabilitation Abstract This paper is an attempt to shed light on the specific constraints faced by hard of hearing (HoH) people in accessing assistive listening devices that are vital to their communication capability, functionality and participation in the society. It will focus on the situation of HoH people in such countries as Germany and the Russian Federation – the countries that were part of the first international research project "Hard of Hearing Young People in Europe: developing strategies on access to equal participation, social inclusion and protection of human rights." The project, the only of its kind, has been conducted by IFHOHYP, the International Federation of Hard of Hearing Young People, and was supported by the Council of Europe. The research was conducted through analysis of the results of the a) quantitative questionnaires on access to information, education, employment, communication, governmental support and knowledge of national protective legal framework – the questionnaires were disseminated amongst HoH individuals in several European countries; b) qualitative semi-structured interviews with the experts in the field (policy experts, leaders of the non-profit organizations of/for people with hearing loss, government representatives).
Theoretical models in IS research and the technology acceptance model (TAM)

In this chapter, attempts are made to describe the theories associated with information technology and to provide an overview of the theories of and research on IT, including the technology acceptance model, the theory of innovation diffusion, the theory of task-technology fit model the theory of planned behavior, and the theory of reasoned action. Furthermore, empirical research was conducted utilizing the widely accepted technology acceptance model (TAM) developed by Davis et al. (1989) to predict system usage. In this study, attempts were made to see if the earlier results of TAM are still valid after the recent advances in systems and technology affecting systems usage. Data were collected from a company in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. From the 250 employees who received the questionnaire via e-mail, 118 returned usable responses. The results indicated that management support and system quality does not affect usage, and TAM was supported substantially well.
Ni and Fe Dual-Doped Li4Mn5O12 Spinels as Cathode Materials for High-Voltage Li-Ion Batteries

The spinel Li4Mn5O12 has been considered as a prospective 3 V cathode material for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high energy density and excellent cycling stability. However, the low operating voltage (∼3 V) makes Li4Mn5O12 impractical for high-energy high-power LIBs. To address this issue, Ni and Fe dual doped Li4Mn5-x-yNixFeyO12 has been prepared via a facile sol-gel method combined with post-heat-treatment. The effects of dual-cations doping on the crystal structure, morphology and electrochemical properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and galvanostatic charge/discharge analysis. As a result, Li4Mn4Ni0.5Fe0.5O12 exhibits the highest reversible specific capacity of 133 mAh/g at a specific current density of 25 mA/g after 100 cycles and exhibits a significantly improved high voltage performance with corresponding capacity of ∼80 mAh/g at an average voltage of 4.7 V vs. Li/Li+ and ∼122 mAh/g at above 4.0 V. These results indicate the dual doping of Ni and Fe can effectively improve both the operating voltage and reversible specific capacity of Li4Mn5O12 with excellent cycling stability, demonstrating a promising high-voltage cathode material for high-energy high-power LIBs. © 2015 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/2.0601508jes] All rights reserved.
A general framework for decentralized estimation

Work by various authors has established decentralized theory for Kalman filters and H/sub /spl infin// Filters. In this paper, the authors extend the existing theory to the entire class of Luenberger observers and give a necessary and sufficient condition for decentralized estimation. It is shown that decentralized estimators work by combining local estimates through weighting matrices. In special cases, this creates a global estimate which looks much like a weighted average. The authors conclude with a proof of a necessary and sufficient condition proposed earlier by Willsky et al. (1982).
Interchange evaluation for electric power utilities

Three different approaches to calculating tie worth are discussed. The first approach simply involves taking the difference in production cost with and without the given interchange transaction. Next, the method of incrementals is used. Both of these approaches use B-constants in the IE (interchange evaluation) economic dispatch. The third methodology was developed in response to the consideration of an online economic dispatch which uses transmission-loss penalty factors calculated using the latest state estimator data. This methodology is based on incrementals, but instead of using B-constants, the latest penalty factors calculated from state estimator data are used for the IE economic dispatch. These methodologies were tested using data from a large-scale electric utility. It is shown that the online application of the PPD (per-unit power delivered) values for dispatch and tie-worth evaluation using the composite resistance values is feasible. >
A Mathematical Modeling Approach to Product Line Decisions

A model of the interaction between products for normative strategy recommendations is described, an a priori product line model for finding the best marketing mix for each product in a line. The model includes aggregate product group marketing mix, product interdependency, and competitive brand effects.
CLASS for Class

Abstract Faculty and students from the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma and staff members from the Atmospheric Technology Division at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) participated in a special course given during the last two weeks of May 1992. The purpose of the course was to give students the opportunity to use the NCAR mobile CLASS (Cross-Chain LORAN Atmospheric Sounding System) in the field and to interpret data they collected themselves in the context of material learned earlier in a lecture setting. Soundings were obtained in parts of Texas and Oklahoma in the environment of multicell storms, in supercells, in a gust front, and on the cold side of a cold front.
Dimensional Analysis of UVGI Air Disinfection Systems

A dimensional analysis of an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) air disinfection system within a diffusely reflective enclosure is performed using the Buckingham pi theorem. The eight dimens...
Incidence of and Risk Factors for Medical Malpractice Lawsuits among Mohs Surgeons

BACKGROUND Despite rising medical malpractice costs, little is known about the factors associated with claims filed against Mohs surgeons. OBJECTIVE We sought to define the scope of medical malpractice claims filed against Mohs surgeons and to identify salient factors associated with the filing and disposition of those claims. METHODS A comprehensive survey was mailed to 599 physicians with US addresses listed in the 2003 directory of the American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology. RESULTS Of the 300 completed surveys returned, 33 (11%) reported ever having been sued. Physicians who practiced Mohs surgery for a longer period of time were more likely to have been sued for malpractice. Physicians reported the wrong site and functional outcome as the most frequent causes of malpractice lawsuits.
Synthesis, Structure, and Conformational Dynamics of Rhodium and Iridium Complexes of Dimethylbis(2-pyridyl)borate.

Abstract Rhodium(I) and Iridium(I) borate complexes of the structure [Me2B(2-py)2]ML2 (L2 = (tBuNC)2, (CO)2, (C2H4)2, cod, dppe) were prepared and structurally characterized (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene; dppe = 1,2-diphenylphosphinoethane). Each contains a boat-configured chelate ring that participates in a boat-to-boat ring flip. Computational evidence shows that the ring flip proceeds through a transition state that is near planarity about the chelate ring. We observe an empirical, quantitative correlation between the barrier of this ring flip and the π acceptor ability of the ancillary ligand groups on the metal. The ring flip barrier correlates weakly to the Tolman and Lever ligand parameterization schemes, apparently because these combine both σ and π effects while we propose that the ring flip barrier is dominated by π bonding. This observation is consistent with metal–ligand π interactions becoming temporarily available only in the near-planar transition state of the chelate ring flip and not the boat-configured ground state. Thus, this is a first-of-class observation of metal–ligand π bonding governing conformational dynamics.
Gifts From the Classical Christian Method to Improve Service for Students Who Are Gifted

While educators throughout America are making strides to adequately educate students across a wide spectrum of needs and aptitudes, increasing government regulation such as the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 and calls for accountability may be hindering the educational progress of the best and brightest, as recently by noted Peters and colleagues in 2014. This article reports strategies and research pointing to successful methods in the education of those who are gifted, especially techniques drawn from a resurgence of the classical Christian method. Techniques discussed include mastery based, integrated curriculum, learning how to think/metacognition, Latin as foundational to multiple language fluency, and Christ-centered as opposed to child-centered educational focus.
Chest wall repair with engineered fetal bone grafts: an efficacy analysis in an autologous leporine model

Abstract Purpose We sought to compare the efficacy of engineered fetal bone grafts with acellular constructs in an autologous model of chest wall repair. Methods Rabbits (n = 10) with a full-thickness sternal defect were equally divided in 2 groups based on how the defect was repaired, namely, either with an autologous bone construct engineered with amniotic mesenchymal stem cells on a nanofibrous scaffold or a size-matched identical scaffold with no cells. Animals were killed at comparable time-points 18 to 20 weeks postimplantation for multiple analyses. Results Gross evidence of nonunion confirmed by micro–computed tomography scanning was present in 3 (60%) of 5 of the acellular implants but in no engineered grafts. Histology confirmed the presence of bone in both types of repair, albeit seemingly less robust in the acellular grafts. Mineral density in vivo was significantly higher in engineered grafts than in acellular ones, with more variability among the latter. There was no difference in alkaline phosphatase activity between the groups. Conclusions Chest wall repair with an autologous osseous graft engineered with amniotic mesenchymal stem cells leads to improved and more consistent outcomes in the midterm when compared with an equivalent acellular prosthetic repair in a leporine model. Amniotic fluid-derived engineered bone may become a practical alternative for perinatal chest wall reconstruction.
Induction by Herpes Simplex Virus of Free and Heteromeric Forms of E2F Transcription Factor

Abstract We have determined that HSV causes rapid and large increases in cell-cycle-regulated free E2F and S-phase p107/E2F DNA binding activities in asynchronous cultures of C33A cells. Induction occurred by 4 hr postinfection and coincided with the appearance of viral encoded immediate-early and delayed-early proteins, i.e., when viral DNA replication normally commences. No increase in E2F activities occurred when cells were infected with viruses expressing mutant regulatory proteins ICP4 or ICP27, or mutant replication proteins ICP8, pol or helicase, or when cells were infected with wild-type virus in the presence of inhibitors of DNA synthesis. In contrast, ICP8 mutant-infected cells contained elevated amounts of NFκB activity equivalent to WT virus, no induction of Sp1 relative to WT virus, and reduced ATF/CREB activity relative to WT virus. Results of transient expression assays with E2F-responsive reporters indicated that the net effect of induction of both active (free E2F) and repressive (p107/E2F) complexes was a decrease in AdE2 promoter activity and an increase in c-myc promoter activity. Taken together these results suggest that HSV can cause unscheduled changes in the amount and functional status of a cell-cycle-regulated transcription factor. These results are discussed in light of possible roles for viral-induced alterations in E2F, especially as related to imposing or overriding cell-cycle checkpoints.
Diethylene Glycol in Propofol Infusion Syndrome

Physicians who observed acidosis in cases of propofol infusion syndrome are urged to contact the author of this letter at once if serum samples still exist from these patients. The Metabolic Screening Lab has discovered diethylene glycol and metabolites of ethylene glycol, its derivative, in the blood of a 50-year-old male patient who became acidotic after repeated doses of propofol in September 2005. This lipophilic drug is formulated with glycerol as part of the emulsion. The US FDA has issued a warning that pharmaceutical grade glycerol manufactured in China may have been contaminated by diethylene glycol and used in medications worldwide. We were sent these samples because of a previous notorious case erroneously thought to involve ethylene glycol. If your cases occurred between 2004 and 2007 and frozen serum samples still exist that have not already been analysed for organic acids, please contact the author at the address given below. Samples with the highest index of suspicion would be those from patients who were otherwise well but took a downward course after repeated propofol infusions, including metabolic acidosis, renal impairment, haematuria or crystalluria. The origin of diethylene glycol in our case is in doubt, but might be clarified if other cases of contamination of propofol formulations can be demonstrated. Samples will be analysed at no charge. James D. Shoemaker Metabolic Screening Lab and Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, St Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA
An expert system for a resource allocation problem

We describe an expert system for resource allocation in a particular military domain. The system incorporates variants of several important techniques of artificial intelligence and makes the first use of the Merit system for question selection. This technique enables the system to direct the acquisition of information by finding questions with a high ratio of probable importance to difficulty. In the current application, each resource is a military weapon, each task to which such a resource can be allocated is firing at a military target, and the objective function is the expected reduction in value of targets. The coefficients that relate a particular resource to a particular task are not provided explicitly. Instead, in the first phase of the allocation process, the system uses a computation network to determine the effectiveness of each individual weapon against each prospective target. The network, built by a domain expert in advance, allows reasoning with logical, Bayesian, and expert-defined operators. After the calculation of individual effectiveness values, portions of an allocation tree are constructed to determine good allocation plans for the set of weapons. The individual effectiveness values are used to direct the traversal and pruning of the allocation tree.
Robotic sample preparation and high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of verlukast in human plasma

A fully automated HPLC assay has been developed and validated for the quantitation of verlukast, a leukotriene D4 antagonist, in human plasma. An upgraded Zymate I robotic system was utilized to perform protein precipitation and on-line injection followed by reversed-phase HPLC with fluorescence detection. Inter-day accuracy and precision were 100.8 and 4.6%, respectively, for the low quality control standards (0.125 μg/ml). The automated robotic method was shown to be more efficient and accurate than the manual method.