cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parent Perspectives About Sexual Minority Adolescent Participation in Research and Requirements of Parental Permission.

Abstract Purpose Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ) adolescents and young adults experience health inequities relative to heterosexuals but may be reluctant to participate in research that requires guardian permission. Institutional review boards are often reluctant to approve studies without parental permission because of concerns about parent reactions. There is little to no data from the parent's perspective on these issues. We aimed to understand parent perspectives on parental permission requirements for minimal risk studies of LGBTQ health inequities. Methods We conducted semistructured interviews with 31 parents of LGBTQ individuals. We presented a vignette describing an HIV behavioral surveillance protocol and assessed beliefs about whether parental permission should be required under various conditions (i.e., varying adolescent demographics, study procedures). Results Most parents (74.2%) believed that parental permission should not be required, and this percent increased when considering adolescent participants for whom permission would be less feasible or potentially more dangerous (e.g., homeless adolescents). Qualitative analyses revealed that many parents were concerned about research quality and negative consequences for adolescents if permission was required. Others wanted to help support their child in making decisions about research and health care. Conclusions Most parents believed that parental permission should not be required for a minimal risk study, and the reasons for their beliefs fell squarely in line with federal regulations regarding adolescent self-consent to research. Studies of LGBTQ adolescent health inequities should receive waivers of parental permission to obtain representative samples and minimize risk of harm to the adolescent.
Climate and Environment in Late Paleolithic Southwest Europe

Although the Broad Spectrum Revolution model focuses primarily on human population pressure, environmental variables also contribute to the carrying capacity of any particular landscape. For this reason, understanding environmental change is critical to any test of the Broad Spectrum Revolution. In this chapter, I review paleoenvironmental data for Late Paleolithic Southwest Europe and establish three paleobioclimatic regions: Mediterranean Iberia (comprising the central and southern portions of the Iberian Peninsula as well as the Mediterranean coast up to the Pyrenees); Euro-Siberian Iberia (the northernmost portion of Iberia); and southern France.
Preparing teachers as allies in Indigenous education: benefits of an American Indian content and pedagogy course

AbstractThe study explores relationship building and improvements in knowledge, skills, and dispositions of pre-service teachers enrolled in an Indigenous education content and pedagogy methods course. The Teaching American Indian Students in the Elementary Classroom course stands alone from other diversity education offerings at the University of Minnesota Duluth and is a required learning experience. Pre-service teachers are provided with essential knowledge and learning opportunities that facilitate success in working with Indigenous students, and helping mainstream students learn about Native history, peoples, and communities. The evaluation study was conducted by an Indigenous faculty member interested in learning how non-Native teacher education students felt they were achieving target knowledge, skills, and dispositional goals. Three separate groups of teacher education students completed both pre and post online surveys as a part of a three-year mixed methods evaluation study. The study shows sign...
Functional Isomers in Petroleum Emulsion Interfacial Material Revealed by Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry and Collision-Induced Dissociation

Petroleum emulsion interfacial material (species that reside in the water/oil interface) are believed to be responsible for stabilizing emulsions in petroleum; therefore, their characterization can help to develop strategies to mitigate/manipulate petroleum emulsions. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) has shown that the species present at the oil/water interface are enriched in sulfur- and oxygen-containing functionalities. However, structural and isomeric information about the chemical functionalities is still uncertain. Here, we demonstrate the potential of ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) combined with post-ion mobility collision-induced dissociation (post-IM CID) to characterize functional isomers in petroleum emulsion interfacial material. Interfacial material was isolated from Athabasca bitumen and a heavy crude oil by the wet silica method. IM time-of-flight (TOF) MS analysis shows the presence of multiple isomeric O3S1 species in both samples. Post-IM CI...
Functional effects of casein kinase I-catalyzed phosphorylation on lens cell-to-cell coupling.

The functional consequence of the casein kinase I-catalyzed phosphorylation of the lens gap junctional protein connexin49 was investigated using a sheep primary lens cell culture system. To determine whether the phosphorylation of connexin49 catalyzed by endogenous casein kinase I results in an altered junctional communication between lens cells, the effect of the casein kinase I-specific inhibitor CKI-7 on Lucifer Yellow dye transfer between cells in the lens culture was examined. Dye transfer was analyzed in cultures of different ages because we have demonstrated previously that the expression of connexin49 increases as the cultures age while that of connexin43, which is likely not a substrate for casein kinase I, has been shown to decrease [Yang & Louis (1999) Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 41: 2568–2564]. In 9-day old lens cultures, in which gap junctions are composed primarily of connexin43, CKI-7 had little effect on the rate of dye transfer between lens cells. In contrast, treatment of 15-day and 28-day old cultures with CKI-7 resulted in a significant increase in the rate of dye transfer. Thus, the extent of this CKI-7-dependent increase in cell-to-cell communication was positively correlated with the level of expression of connexin49, the major casein kinase I substrate in lens plasma membranes. These results suggest that the casein kinase I-catalyzed phosphorylation of connexin49 decreases cell communication between connexin49-containing gap junctions in the lens.
Spontaneous emission near hyperbolic metamaterials

We present a hyperbolic metamaterial substrate for radiative decay engineering. The spontaneous emission lifetime of molecules is reduced due to near-field interaction with the metamaterial. This opens the route for metamaterial-based fluorescence sensing and detection.
Refining a theory of cross-cultural adaptation: an exploration of a new methodological approach to institutional completeness

ABSTRACTThe current study explored a whole-network approach to measure the impact of institutional completeness at an individual-level with regards to [Kim, Y. (2001). Becoming intercultural: An integrative theory of communication and cross-cultural adaptation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.] a theoretical model of cross-cultural adaptation. A new construct of ‘ethnic entrainment’ was proposed as a way to bridge the different levels of theoretical constructs in the model. The analytical challenge of verifying the influence of institutional completeness (a group-level construct in the model) on individuals’ communication patterns was partially overcome in this study by measuring the degree of one's structural embeddedness in various ethnic community networks (i.e. information, emotional support, and tangible help exchange networks). A community member survey (N = 172) was utilized to construct social networks of a Korean immigrant community. The research tested hypotheses generated from Kim's theorems on the rel...
Gender Disparities and Financial Barriers to Living Kidney Donation

Since the early history of living donor kidney transplantation, women have made up a higher percentage of living donors than men.[1][1],[2][2] This disparity is likely multifactorial, including the higher rates of ESRD in men (such that unaffected family members are more likely to be women) and sex
Utility of the Psychosocial Assessment of Candidates for Transplantation in Patients Undergoing Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

Purpose:Psychosocial assessment of patients comprises an important element in the selection process of appropriate candidates for left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. We sought to de...
In Vitro Studies of Photochemically Cross-Linked Protein-Nucleic Acid Complexes. Determination of Cross-Linked Regions and Structural Relationships in Specific Complexes

It is well known that many enzymatic and cellular processes involve specific protein-nucleic acid associations. Examples include the interaction of a repressor with its operator DNA (see Beckwith and Zipser, 1970; Muller-Hill, 1971), of DNA polymerase with DNA (see Kornberg, 1975), of ribosomal proteins with ribosomal RNA (see Nomura et al., 1974), of aminoacyl tRNA synthetases with tRNAs (see Kisselev and Favorova, 1974; Soll and Schimmel, 1974), as well as many other systems. A prime goal is to determine the mechanism by which these interactions occur; viz., it is desirable to understand how specificity is achieved and to determine what factors are responsible for the strength of specific protein-nucleic acid associations.
Analysis of Loading vs. Microwave Fatigue Crack Detection Sensitivity using Open-Ended Waveguides

Detection of fatigue and stress induced hairline surface cracks is an important practical concern in a variety of metallic structures and in particular in steel bridges. There are several conventional nondestructive techniques used for this purpose1. Each of these techniques possesses certain advantages as well as some limitations. Microwave methods have also been used for surface crack detection in metals2. However, their utility have been quite limited thus far. In 1992 a novel microwave approach was introduced employing an open-ended rectangular waveguide for the detection and evaluation of surface cracks in metals3–5. This method has the potential for sizing a crack and determining crack tips very accurately even when the crack is filled with a dielectric material or when it is covered with a thin coating such as paint6–7. There have also been two electromagnetic models developed in conjunction with these efforts1, 8–9.
Argentina: An Overview

Argentina has experienced both economic crises and instable political breakdowns. One of the challenges that security and international affairs think tanks grapple with is the Malvinas islands issue. The Center for Strategic Affairs “Manuel Belgrano” of the Ministry of Defense, the government-affiliated think tank, suggests dividing the Argentine Sea into geopolitical sets, one of which would be the Malvinas. The Argentine Council for International Relations created a subcommittee to provide academic conferences and research on this issue. The Argentine Center of International Studies founded the “Peoples for Malvinas” initiative to address the potential of these territories for implementing the advocacy strategy.
The Relationship Between Hiatal Hernia and Cricopharyngeus Muscle Dysfunction

Although the precise etiology of cricopharyngeus muscle (CPM) dysfunction (CPMD) is uncertain, many have hypothesized that a hypertrophied CPM may develop as a protective compensation against gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the association between CPMD and the presence of hiatal hernia (HH) in an attempt to elucidate the potential etiology of CPMD. The charts of individuals who underwent video fluoroscopic esophagrams between 01/01/14 and 10/30/16 were reviewed from an electronic database. A group of 50 subjects with reported HH were identified and age- and gender-matched to an individual without HH. The prevalence of CPMD was compared between groups. The mean (± SD) age of the HH cohort was 64 (± 13.4) years and 64 (± 12.8) years for the group without HH (p > 0.05). Thirty-eight percent was male. The frequency of CPMD in the HH group was 78% versus 58% in the non-HH group (p < 0.05). Individuals with a HH were 2.57 times more likely to have evidence of CPMD (95% CI 1.07– 6.15). Although these data suggest an association between GERD and CPMD, further research is required before a causal relationship can be presumed.
A multi-objective, bilevel sensor relocation problem for border security

AbstractConsider a set of sensors having varying capabilities and respectively located to maximize an intruder’s minimal expected exposure to traverse a defended border region. Given two subsets of...
Evaluation of Food QualityOpen image in new window

Food quality is an important concept because the food people choose depends largely on quality. Consumer preference is important to the food manufacturer, who wants to gain as wide a share of the market for the product as possible. Quality is difficult to define precisely, though it refers to the degree of excellence of a food and includes all the characteristics of a food that are significant and that make the food acceptable.
Estimating Differential Dynamic Merger Effects on Market Structure and Entry in Related Markets

The U.S. and EU merger guidelines emphasize “ease of entry” arguments but little is known about the dynamic impact of realized mergers on market structure. This study provides insights on this topic with the use of detailed firm-level data on the memory chip market. Our estimation results provide evidence for differential merger effects on market structure. These effects depend on whether the mergers are dominated by market-power or efficiency gains. While efficiency-dominated mergers cause exit, market-power-dominated mergers attract entrants, and these effects are increasing over time. We also find that market-power mergers have a larger effect on entry than efficiency mergers have on exit. Our results show that mergers can reduce the number of potential entrants into related product markets and serve as an instrument to “reduce the likelihood of entry”.
Morphological classification of the tubercle of insertion of the transverse atlantal ligament: A computer tomography-based anatomical study of 200 subjects.

Background and purposeThe atlantal tubercle is the attachment point of the transverse atlantal ligament, the main stabilizer of the atlantoaxial complex. No system of classification of the tubercle...
Interleukin-10 Suppresses IP-10 Gene Transcription by Inhibiting the Production of Class I Interferon

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) selectively inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced chemoattractant cytokine gene expression: levels of IP-10 mRNA were markedly suppressed in IL-10-treated mouse peritoneal macrophages, whereas the expression of the RANTES mRNA was only modestly reduced. IL-10 inhibited IP-10 mRNA accumulation by reducing IP-10 gene transcription as demonstrated by nuclear run-on analysis. Interestingly, the ability of IL-10 to inhibit expression of IP-10 was dependent on the inducing stimulus; IL-10 did not suppress interferon gamma (IFNgamma)- or IFNbeta-stimulated IP-10 transcription or mRNA accumulation. These results suggested that IL-10 might act indirectly to suppress IP-10 expression by inhibiting LPS-induced class I IFN production. This hypothesis was supported by the following observations. First, LPS-induced IP-10 mRNA expression was blocked in cells cotreated with cycloheximide. Second, IL-10 inhibited the production of IFN/beta-mediated antiviral activity. Finally, the IL-10-mediated suppression of LPS-stimulated IP-10 production could be rescued by cotreatment with IFNbeta.
The 2018 Midterm Elections and the Changing Congress

The roads to Congress were filled with new faces in 2018. More candidates representing more diverse backgrounds and constituencies participated in the congressional elections that took place during the midterm of President Donald Trump. This chapter presents a discussion of changes in leadership and in representation in the parties, and increased voter turnout and candidate participation. It also provides an overview of the focus of each chapter in the book.
Perceived Experiences of Discrimination and Latino/a Young Adults' Personal and Relational Well-being.

US Latino/as experience high rates of discrimination, resulting in personal and relational distress. A sample of 238 Latino/a young adults (Mage = 25.37 years; 57.6% men; 54.4% Mexican) was used to investigate how perceived discrimination was associated with romantic relationship instability via young adults’ depressive symptoms. The moderating roles of ethnic identity and romantic relationship maintenance on these associations were examined. Greater relationship maintenance and ethnic identity affirmation were associated with less depression and relationship instability. Under conditions of high ethnic identity exploration and resolution, the association between discrimination and depressive symptoms was stronger, leading to greater relationship instability. The findings reveal that the protective roles of cultural and relational factors may depend on the stressor and outcomes examined.
School Choice and Inequalities in Post-Apartheid South Africa.

This paper examines the consequences of the new policies of school choice in post-apartheid South Africa and the reasons they have largely failed to achieve greater educational equality – their stated purpose. I argue that the dominant reason for this lies in the continuing inadequate resources of many poor schools and the failure to address them. It draws on the perspectives of parents whose children attend schools in poor neighborhoods, known as the townships. I argue that the resource situation in these schools directly contributes to poverty in their children’s lives; further, the issue of resources is inextricably connected to the larger neoliberal agenda of privatization and markets that has influenced social policy in postapartheid South Africa. Neoliberalism in education has encouraged school choice as a way to desegregate schools and reform education. I conclude that instead it has continued the marginalization of Black children in township schools, and adversely affects their future by limiting their educational opportunities and their right to quality education.
Chapter 2 – BASICS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the object-oriented programming as the discrete event system specification (DEVS) scheme environment is built upon this paradigm. It also discusses the concepts of modular, hierarchical models, and the system entity structure. Object-oriented programming is a paradigm in which a software system is decomposed into subsystems based on objects. Computation is done by objects exchanging messages among themselves. The paradigm enhances software maintainability, extensibility, and reusability. Conventional software systems tend to consist of collections of subprograms based on functional decomposition techniques that concentrate on algorithmic abstractions. The chapter discusses that object-oriented programming encourages a much more decentralized style of decision-making by creating objects whose existence may continue throughout the life of the program. These objects act as experts in their own task assignments by providing them with the appropriate knowledge. This distribution and localization of knowledge simplifies the main routine and relieves it of much of its decision-making burden. While object-oriented programming provides the means for implementing knowledge-based simulation environments, the system entity structure/model base (SES/MB) framework provides the ends to which these means are applied.
A Case of Paraneoplastic Myoclonus Attributed to Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: It is well known that myoclonus can be a paraneoplastic manifestation of underlying malignancy. Case Report: A 78-year-old male diagnosed with papillary variant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) presented with tremulousness that rapidly evolved into severe, diffuse myoclonus with prominent palatal involvement requiring intubation. The generalized myoclonus resolved with on levetiracetam, chemotherapy and immune modulation. While low titer positive P/Q type calcium channel autoantibodies were detected, it’s etiologic relevance is unclear. Discussion: This case highlights a rare neurologic paraneoplastic presentation of papillary NSCLC. It also illustrates the importance of monitoring airway safety when myoclonus is generalized. Highlights: A new, rare paraneoplastic presentation of papillary variant non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma is described. The patient presented with severe diffuse myoclonus with prominent palatal involvement without encephalitis that responded to a combination of chemotherapy, immune modulation, and levetiracetam. No clear causal antibody was found.
Spatial-Temporal Trends in Bed Bug Complaints in New York City

Bed bug outbreaks pose a major challenge in urban environments and cause significant strain on public resources. Few studies have systematically analyzed the epidemic or the potential effects of policies to combat bed bugs. Here we use three sources of administrative data to characterize the spatial-temporal trends of bed bug complaints and reports in New York City. Bed bug specific complaints have significantly decreased (-0.021 {+/-} CI -0.027 - - 0.014, p < 0.001 decrease in complaints per 100,000 people per month) from 2014-2019. Despite the decrease areas with high bed bug infestation tend to remain infested, highlighting the persistence of these pests. There are limitations to the datasets; still the evidence available suggests that interventions employed by New York City residents and lawmakers are stemming the bed bug epidemic and may serve as a model for other large cities.
Surgical Candidate (Skip)

Approximately two-thirds of patients with focal epilepsy will not achieve a sustained seizure-free outcome. When two appropriate antiseizure medications (ASMs) fail to produce sustained seizure freedom, used at optimal doses over a reasonable period of time, further trials of antiseizure drugs are unlikely to be effective. Epilepsy surgery is a standard of care for selected patients who fail medical management. Suitable candidates are motivated, have a single localized seizure focus, develop seizures from an accessible area in the brain, and are disabling to the patient. The most common operation involves temporal lobe surgery in the form of anterior temporal lobectomy. However selective amygdalohippocampectomy and laser ablation are other alternative surgical techniques that are less invasive. When a high-resolution brain MRI identifies a structural lesion such as hippocampal sclerosis and the clinical history and electrophysiological testing are concordant, the outcome for seizure freedom following surgery is excellent. Furthermore, when all lines of evidence during “phase 1” presurgical evaluation are concordant (i.e., history and semiology, MRI, PET, video-EEG monitoring, neuropsychological testing), these candidates may “skip” implantation of invasive electrodes with intracranial EEG monitoring and proceed directly to surgery. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of potential surgical candidates are being referred to surgical epilepsy centers. Lengthy delays of 15–20 years are unfortunately common. Overall, 50–70% of patients become seizure-free of disabling seizures with limited morbidity postoperatively, and with lesional epilepsy 70–90% become seizure-free.
Surface Tension Measurements of Aqueous Liquid–Air Interfaces Probed with Microscopic Indentation

To elucidate the intricate role that the sea surface microlayer (SML) and sea spray aerosols (SSAs) play in climate, understanding the chemical complexity of the SML and how it affects the physical-chemical properties of the microlayer and SSA are important to investigate. While the surface tension of the SML has been studied previously using conventional experimental tools, accurate measurements must be localized to the thickness of the air-liquid interface of the SML. Here we explore the atomic force microscopy (AFM) capabilities to quantify the surface tension of aqueous solution droplets with (sub)micrometer indentation depths into the interface. Sample droplets of hexanoic acid at molar concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 80 mM and SML from a recent wave flume study were investigated. A constant-radius AFM nanoneedle was used to probe ca. 200 μL droplets with 0.3-1.2 μm indentation depths. As a comparison, the surface tension of bulk samples was also measured using a conventional force tensiometer. The data for the hexanoic acid show an excellent overlap between the AFM and force tensiometer surface tension measurements. For the surface tension measurements of the SML, however, the measured values from the AFM were 2.5 mN/m lower than that from the force tensiometer, which was attributed to the structural and chemical complexity of the SML, differences in the probing depth for each method, and the time scale required for the surface film to restructure as the needle is retracted away from the liquid surface. Overall, the study confirmed the accuracy of the AFM method in quantifying the surface tension of aqueous solutions over a wide range of concentrations for surface-active organic compounds. The methodology can be further used to reveal small, yet important, differences in the surface tension of complex air-liquid interfaces such as liquid systems where the type and concentration of surfactants vary with the distance from the air-liquid interface. For such complex systems, AFM measurements of the surface tension as a function of the probing depth and pulling rate may reveal a sublayer film structure of the liquid interface.
Initiation of nonmedical use of prescription opioids among high school students.

Nonmedical use of prescription opioids (NUPO) is associated with heroin use and other adverse outcomes among adolescents. To inform the timing of substance use prevention activities and which subst...
The Association of Workload and Outcomes in the Pediatric Cardiac ICU.

OBJECTIVES Healthcare workload has emerged as an important metric associated with poor outcomes. To measure workload, studies have used bed occupancy as a surrogate. However, few studies have examined frontline provider (fellows, nurse practitioners, physician assistants) workload and outcomes. We hypothesize frontline provider workload, measured by bed occupancy and staffing, is associated with poor outcomes and unnecessary testing. DESIGN A retrospective single-center, time-stamped orders, ordering provider identifiers, and patient data were collected. Regression was performed to study the influence of occupancy on orders, length of stay, and mortality, controlling for age, weight, admission type, Society of Thoracic Surgery-European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Congenital Heart Surgery Mortality score, diagnosis, number of surgeries, orders, provider staffing, attending experience, and time fixed effects. SETTING Twenty-seven bed tertiary cardiac ICU in a free-standing children's hospital. PATIENTS Patients (0-18 yr) admitted to the pediatric cardiac ICU, January 2018 to December 2019. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS There were 16,500 imaging and 73,113 laboratory orders among 1,468 patient admissions. Median age 6 months (12 d to 5 yr), weight 6.2 kg (3.7-16.2 kg); 840 (57.2%) surgical and 628 (42.8%) medical patients. ICU teams consisted of 16 attendings and 31 frontline providers. Mortality 4.4%, median stay 5 days (2-11 d), and median bed occupancy 89% (78-93%). Every 10% increase in bed occupancy had 7.2% increase in imaging orders per patient (p 3 providers) was associated with 6% less imaging (p = 0.03) and 3% less laboratory orders (p = 0.04). The number of "busy days" (bed occupancy > 89%) was associated with longer stays (p < 0.01), and increased mortality (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Increased bed occupancy and lower staffing were associated with increased mortality, length of stay, imaging orders, and laboratory turn-around time. The data demonstrate performance of the cardiac ICU system is exacerbated during high occupancy and low staffing.
Predicting long-time contributors for GitHub projects using machine learning

Abstract Context: Many organizations develop software systems using open source software (OSS), which is risky due to the high possibility of losing support. Contributors are critical for the survival of OSS projects, but very few new contributors remain with OSS projects to become long-time contributors (LTCs). Identification of factors that contribute to become an LTC can help OSS project owners utilize limited resources to retain new contributors. Objective: In this paper, we investigate whether we can effectively predict new contributors to OSS repositories becoming long time contributors based on repository and contributor meta-data collected from GitHub. Method: We construct a dataset containing 70,899 observations from 888 most popular repositories with 56,766 contributors. Each observation represents a contributor who joined the repository and is categorized as either an LTC or a non-LTC, depending on whether their project tenure is longer than 3 years. Each observation has 31 features that are calculated using the information of the new contributor and the repository when a new contributor joins the project. We build several machine learning models, including naive Bayes, k-nearest neighbor, logistic regression, decision tree, and random forest to predict LTC validated using 10-fold cross-validation. We compare our best model with state of the art model in terms of precision, recall, F1-score, Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC), and area under the curve (AUC). Results: In 10-fold cross-validation, the precision, recall, F1-score, MCC, and AUC of our best model (random forest) are 0.695, 0.079, 0.140, 0.226, and 0.913, respectively. These values are 27.29%, 92.68%, 86.67%, 56.94%, and 0.55%, respectively better than the best baseline state of the art model (random forest). Conclusion: Compared to state of the art models, the models built using our approach use less than 50% features (31 vs 63), have no wait time of one month after the contributor joins to predict future LTC status, and produce better results.
Quality Metrics in Hand Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Purpose The enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010 placed an emphasis on measuring the quality of care. However, the issue of how best to measure quality remains in question. Although some surgical specialties frequently rely on quality measures such as the mortality rate, measuring quality in hand surgery necessitates the use of metrics beyond this traditional scope. A review was performed of the potential quality metrics used in the hand surgery literature published after the Affordable Care Act was enacted, to identify current trends in quality measurement and guide efforts to improve the quality of care in hand surgery. Methods We searched the PubMed and EMBASE databases to identify original research articles within hand surgery to assess how care is being measured. Data extracted from the articles included study characteristics, quality metrics, and the domain(s) of quality. Results A total of 7,308 articles were identified, and 63 prospective and retrospective articles were included in the analysis. The most common quality measure reported in the hand surgery literature was an outcome measure (100%) and the least common was a structure measure (30.2%). The most common metrics were pain (44.4%) and patient-reported measures (41.3%). Effectiveness (42.9%) was the most frequently assessed domain of quality, whereas efficiency (3.2%) was the least studied. Conclusions We identified quality measures used in contemporary hand surgery literature and found a substantial variation in the representation of quality metrics. Structure and process measures can be leveraged to provide a more holistic assessment of the quality of care in hand surgery. Clinical relevance Although outcome measurements are critical to understanding effectiveness, structure and process measures should be considered and reported as necessary, because these metrics may influence treatment outcomes and the development of quality measures.
Individualism and Women’s Economic Rights

Individualism is associated with an emphasis on personal liberty and self-determination, values that reduce support for patriarchal values and increase gender equality. Here, we investigate whether individualism affects women’s economics rights, a key institutional determinant of the economic opportunities available to women. We provide evidence of an economically and statistically significant association between individualism and the de facto level of women’s economic rights. This result is robust to controls for a variety of measures, including per capita income, women’s educational attainment, oil production, historical determinants of patriarchal culture, and the quality of legal and political institutions. In addition, we present evidence that this association is causal, drawing on instruments motivated by roles of climate and disease in cultural evolution. Finally, we show that individualism’s influence on women’s economic rights is magnified in democratic and common law countries, suggesting that democracies and common law systems channel cultural preferences into legal outcomes.
PANEL & ROUNDTABLE: Creating Community: Strategies for Equity and Inclusion in the Classroom (90 mins)

A large body of research on inclusive pedagogies shows that learning outcomes for students are improved when all students feel visible, valued, safe, and welcomed in the classroom. As a minority majority institution, Mason has a very diverse student body--race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, age, religion, ability status, veteran status, first generation, non-native speakers, immigration status, etc. However, Mason faculty is not as diverse. In this session we will discuss inclusive values and strategies that you can use to support your students' learning.
American Pediatric Society 2015 Presidential Address: leaky pipes, glass ceilings, and changing landscapes-time to renovate the pediatric house.

American Pediatric Society 2015 Presidential Address: leaky pipes, glass ceilings, and changing landscapes—time to renovate the pediatric house
Hybrid Organization In High-Tech Enterprise

This paper describes research-in-progress that examines the dynamics of hybrid R&D organizations in high-tech industry, and compares them to hybrid research organizations in academia. Our preliminary definition of “hybrid organization” is based on funding: it is an enterprise that receives revenues from commercial activity (in goods and/or services), but that primarily sustains its R&D work through competitive grants and awards. Hybrid organizational forms have been studied in academia, but there is very little literature on industry hybrids. Through prior research, we have encountered several firms that we would call industry hybrids, and in our view, this finding demands further investigation. Therefore, we have launched a pilot study to characterize the “industry R&D hybrid” as an emergent organizational form. This line of inquiry explores the possibility that these hybrid forms are viable and legitimate ways of organizing R&D activities over the long term, and not simply project-based collaborations among independent firms, immature forms of the commercial firm, or corrupted forms of the academic research unit. Our study will begin to elucidate this possibility in ways that may inform policy-making and strategic planning, not only within industry and academia, but also at regional and federal levels.
Modeling Integrated Manufacturing Data Using SAM

This paper presents the seven modeling constructs of a Semantic Association Model (SAM*) and their application in modeling the CAD/CAM data used in a computer integrated manufacturing system. The database management requirements of a CIM system are described. Several data modeling requirements in the context of integrated manufacturing are presented. They include 1) complex data types, 2) temporal, positional and procedural relationships, 3) hierarchies of data structures, 4) recursive definition of data objects, 4) complex data objects, 5) generalization and attribute inheritance, 6) modeling partitioned and replicated data, 7) naming and describing a class of entities, 8) modeling of versions, and 9) the distinction between category and summary attributes. Examples drawn from are actual CIM database are given to illustrate how these modeling requirements are met by using the seven semantic constructs of SAM*.
Scalable architecture for providing per-flow bandwidth guarantees.

Despite numerous efforts, the problem of providing per-flow Quality of Service in a scalable manner still remains an active area of research. This paper introduces a scalable architecture for support of per-flow bandwidth guarantees, called the Bandwidth Distribution Scheme (BDS). The BDS maintains aggregate flow information in the network core and distributes this information among boundary nodes as needed. Based on the feedback from the network core the boundary nodes dynamically adjust resource allocations of individual flows. The BDS architecture consists of three main components: the admission control, the resource distribution mechanism, and the protocol for distributing the aggregate flow requirements in the network. This paper describes components of the BDS architecture and illustrates how they operate together to achieve scalable per-flow QoS.
Mentoring African American Expatriates: Providing The Bridge To Success Abroad

Employment predictions continue to forecast increasing racial diversity in the American workforce as firms face global competition and strive to grasp the challenges of a global business landscape. As American multinational corporations use expatriate assignments; supplemented by flexipatriates and inpatriates to meet customer preferences in the global marketplace, growing racial diversity may generate more expatriates of color. Global human resource management research has focused on issues such as adjustment and cross-cultural development and recently mentoring as critical factors for expatriate success. A growing body of mentoring research details the career experiences of employees with diverse backgrounds, yet few studies center on the experiences of the African American expatriate. This article aims to examine African Americans mentoring opportunities in a global environment, with a focus on understanding the role mentoring plays for this particular population group. This work is intended to contribute to the increasing literature on global mentoring and will help to influence the thinking of multinational corporations’ response to the increasing diversity of their global workforce.
OP21.08: Decidualized hypervascularized ovarian endometrioma in pregnancy: can it be distinguished from cancer to avoid surgery?

institution between January 2003 and January 2006. Patients were not selected except for 3D-PD US availability. All women underwent 3D-PD US prior to surgery. Vascularization index (VI), Flow index (FI) and Vascularization-Flow index (VFI) from solid portions or papillary projections from the tumors were calculated using a virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL) program. In those tumors with more than one solid portion or papillary projection, the highest VI, FI and VFI values found were used for analysis. 2D Doppler (RI, PI and PSV) indexes were also obtained from vessels within the solid portions or papillary projections. The lowest RI and PI and the highest PSV (cm/sec) found were used for analysis. Definitive histological diagnosis was obtained in each case. Kruskal-Wallis test was used for comparisons. Results: Amongst 59 women, 12 had stage I primary cancers (5 lowmalignant potential tumors and 7 invasive tumors), 34 had advanced stage primary ovarian cancers and 13 had metastatic tumors to the ovary. Median VI and VFI were significantly higher in advanced stage tumors and metastatic tumors as compared with early stage tumors. No differences were found between advanced stage and metastatic cancers. No differences in RI, PI and PSV were found (Table 1) Conclusions: 3D-PD vascular derived indexes tend to higher in advanced stage and metastatic ovarian cancers as compared with early stage ovarian tumors. No differences were detected in 2D pulsed Doppler indexes.
Localized excitations and their thresholds

We propose a numerical method for identifying localized excitations in discrete nonlinear Schroedinger type models. This methodology, based on the application of a nonlinear iterative version of the Rayleigh-Ritz variational principle yields breather excitations in a very fast and efficient way in one or higher spatial dimensions. The typical convergence properties of the method are found to be super-linear. The usefulness of this technique is illustrated by studying the properties of the recently developed theoretical criteria for the excitation power thresholds for nonlinear modes. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.
Optical imaging and long-slit spectroscopy of Markarian galaxies with multiple nuclei. I - Basic data

Optical CCD images and long-slit spectroscopic data are presented for over 100 Markarian (UV-excess) galaxies reported in early studies to possess multiple optical nuclei or extreme morphological peculiarities suggestive of galaxy collisions and mergers. Stacked broad-band images are presented with histogram equalization in order to show simultaneously the nuclei and features at very low surface-brightness levels. Morphological properties, luminosities and colors of the integral systems are given. Photometric and image properties of over 200 individual nuclei and giant H II regions have been measured with respect to the local backgrounds in the galaxies using an objective image finding algorithm. Labeled contour plots identify the measured subcomponents. Two-dimensional spectral data are presented, in addition to intensity profiles along the slit in the light of H-alpha + forbidden N II emission lines and adjacent continuum. Nuclear emission-line measurements, reddening estimates, monochromatic continuum magnitudes, and colors are given.
Analysis of two-phase flow of compressible immiscible fluids through nondeformable porous media using moving finite elements

A system of evolutionary partial differential equations (PDEs) describing the two-phase flow of immiscible fluids in one dimension is developed. In this formulation, the wetting and nonwetting phases are treated to be incompressible and compressible, respectively. This treatment is indeed necessary when a compressible nonwetting phase is subjected to compression during confinement. The system of PDEs consists of an evolution equation for the wetting-phase saturation and an evolution equation for the pressure in the nonwetting phase. This system is applied to the problem of unsaturated flows to assess the importance of air-phase compressibility. For those situations where air can move freely within the medium and ultimately escape through the boundaries without experiencing any compression, it is then reasonable to treat air as an incompressible phase so that the total volumetric flux becomes spatially invariant. As shown by Morel-Seytoux and Billica, this leads to a coupled evolution equation for water saturation and an integral expression for total volumetric flux. In the event that an air phase is subjected to confinement in some manner, the total volumetric flux cannot be assumed to be spatially invariant as did Morel-Seytouxet al. The system of evolutionary PDEs developed in the present paper are precise and uniformly valid in time and space and, more importantly, smoothly accommodate a nonwetting phase whose state may change from unconfined to confined during the course of the flow process and vice-versa. Consequently, the complete system of PDEs may be used to analyze unsaturated flows in a straightforward manner. Depending on the initial and boundary conditions, the solutions to the system of PDEs may develop steep gradients near the wetting front. For this reason, the moving finite element (MFE) method introduced by Miller and Miller in conjunction with Gear's implicit stiff temporal solver provides an automatic and powerful scheme suitable for the initial-boundary value-problem (IBVP) developed herein.
Modification of the inner capillary surface by the sol‐gel method: Application to open tubular electrochromatography

The sol-gel procedure was used to prepare an organically modified silica glass coating material which was used as the stationary phase for reversed-phase open tubular electrochromatography. The unique column preparation scheme is simplified by combining the synthesis of the stationary phase and the attachment of the supporting porous glass matrix in a single-step procedure. This approach significantly increases surface area which results in a higher phase ratio. Controlling the amount of the precursor materials used in the sol-gel solution provides a means to adjust the carbon content in the stationary phase. The column performance was evaluated using a test mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; under certain experimental conditions, efficiencies around 500,000 theoretical plates per meter were obtained for some test solutes.
Comment on a Monte Carlo investigation of scaling as an alternative to regression

Abstract In a recent study, Emery found that MONANOVA is “superior” to regression as a method of approximating data, whether the measurement scale of the criterion variable is interval or ordinal. However, there are three major reasons for these results. With comparison methods that are fairer to both analytical procedures, the performances of regression and of MONANOVA were found to be close even when the measurement scale of the criterion variable is ordinal.
PSYCHOLOGICAL INTEGRATION OF THE CESAREAN BIRTH EXPERIENCE

A woman's perception of her birth experience is likely to affect her psychological integration of it. This process may be prolonged and particularly difficult for cesarean mothers, whose number has been growing. Five phases of assimilation are outlined, and implications for health care professionals are presented.
Mimic, an alternative programming language for industrial dynamics

Abstract One of the recent quantitative tools available to economists and planners, in business and government, is a technique known as industrial dynamics (Refs. [2, 3, 5, 8]). After briefly describing this technique, this article shows how the MIMIC language can be used as a short-cut to industrial dynamics computations. The intent is to describe this programming language in sufficient detail to allow the reader to judge its capabilities and ease of use.
Preparation of wall-coated open tubular glass (pyrex) capillary columns with polar stationary phases, using superox™-4 as a surface pretreating and deactivating agent

Abstract Wall-coated open tubular (WCOT) glass (Pyrex) capillary columns were prepared with three different polar stationary phases (Carbowax 20M, Superox™-4, and SP-1000) using Superox-4 as a surface pretreating and deactivating agent. Methods for the laboratory preparation and practical application of these columns are given. Columns prepared by this technique were efficient, thermally stable, and low in surface activity. The Superox-4 pretreatment and deactivation technique produced high quality polar WCOT columns, and no surface roughening procedure was required. The technique offered a substantial decrease in column preparation time. In addition, columns prepared by this technique were comparable to those from commercial suppliers or those produced by conventional preparation techniques.