cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Five-Question Method For Framing A Qualitative Research Study

The Five-Question Method is an approach to framing Qualitative Research, focusing on the methodologies of five of the major traditions in qualitative research: biography, ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory, and case study. Asking Five Questions, novice researchers select a methodology appropriate to the desired perspective on the selected topic. The Method facilitates identifying and writing a Problem Statement. Through taking a future perspective, the researcher discovers the importance and direction of the study and composes a Purpose Statement. The process develops an overarching research question integrating the purpose and the research problem. The role of the researcher and management of assumptions and biases is discussed. The Five-Question Method simplifies the framing process promoting quality in qualitative research design. A course outline is
Embedded Librarianship and Teacher Education: A Neuroeducational Paradigm Using Guided Inquiry

This article focuses on a course-embedded guided inquiry project initiated by a senior librarian and an education professor to promote an understanding of how the brain functions and to experiment with brain-targeted teaching techniques. Information literacy instruction (ILI) takes place in the electronic classroom in the Educational Resources Center (ERC) located on the mezzanine floor of the college library. Teacher candidates enrolled in the Learning and the Brain course meet in their regular classroom and participate in course-embedded information literacy sessions in the ERC at critical stages of their research. During their final project, candidates use a neuroeducational paradigm to research and prepare math games to share with children in field-based settings.
Final Design of the Magnetic Field for the K-800 Superconducting Cyclotron at MSU

K500 cyclotron, now near completion, although operation with an internal ion source is also anticipated. The energies will be 200 MeV/n for fully stripped light ions and up to 30 MeV/n for heavy ions, depending upon the available charge states from the K500. The parameters of the machine are listed in Table I. The main differences with respect to ref. 1' are: - the increase in pole radius from 41" to 42", - the increase in the hill gap from 2.5" to 3", - the increase in the hill width, at outer radii, from 49 to 51'. The rationale for these choices will be discussed later. The operating diagram in the (B,, Z/A) plane is shown in Fig. 1, all limits are indicated in a straightforward way.
Research in Cyberspace

The purpose of this column is twofold. First, Dr. Joyce Griffin-Sobel provides detailed information on search strategies for accessing nursing research in cyberspace. Second, material from an earlier column by Dr. Judy Norris, now retired, is reprinted to provide another look at the significant issues she discussed that are still timely some 7 years later. The column concludes with some of the points raised by Dr. Violet Malinski in her original commentary on Norris’ column. Readers are encouraged to share their experiences with research in cyberspace.
Novel electrode shape to reduce heating in light-actuated digital microfluidics

A novel, ring-shaped optical electrode is employed to reduce heating in light-actuated digital microfluidics. Using thermo-sensitive hydrogel microspheres, the temperature rise is measured to be 0.35°C, about 15× lower than those using square electrodes.
Positive Affect and Social Anxiety Across the Lifespan: An Investigation of Age as a Moderator

Recent literature has supported a moderate, inverse relationship between social anxiety and positive affect. It has been proposed, but not clearly established, that the inverse relationship between the constructs may be stronger in younger adults than in adults who are older. We tested this hypothesis in two archival data sets of community participants. The expected age-related interaction was not found in Study 1, which used a measure capturing a conflation of valence and arousal known as activated positive affect. Conversely, the interaction was present in Study 2, in which the positive affect measure was primarily based on valence. We found only partial support for the hypothesis, and results highlight the need for a more comprehensive measure of positive affect.
Type I and Type II errors in culturally sensitive conflict resolution practice

Drawing on recent, critical work dealing with culture theory, ethnicity, and multiculturalism, this article seeks to address the nexus between conflict resolution theory and practice and aims primarily to contribute to the work of practitioners functioning as third parties and intervenors in intercultural and interethnic conflicts and disputes. Two conceptions of culture are proposed and analyzed: a technical, “experience-distant” sense of the term, crucial for conflict analysis (and for education and training); and an affectively laden, often politicized, “experience-near” sense of the term, at the root of so much intergroup conflict and thus implicated in effective and ethical intercultural practice.
Radical Acts: Theater and Feminist Pedagogies of Change . Edited by Ann Elizabeth Armstrong and Kathleen Juhl. San Francisco, CA: Aunt Lute Books, 2007; pp. 329. $17.95 paper.

In her preface to Radical Acts: Theater and Feminist Pedagogies of Change, Joan Lipkin addresses the potential audience for this anthology as “Dear Gentle, Pissed Off, Utopian Reader” (3). With this salutation, Lipkin acknowledges the contestatory nature of the collection assembled by editors Ann Elizabeth Armstrong and Kathleen Juhl. Radical Acts is a complicated package of revealing personal narratives, practically theorized pedagogical techniques, and in-depth conversations with artists and activists who imagine theatre practice and performance theory as symbiotic with feminist ideologies. Armstrong and Juhl assert that their contributors “present a matrix that allows us to chart how feminist teachers, artists, and activists seek freedom by engaging multiple perspectives through theatre” (20). This matrix privileges the classroom as a potentially powerful space for communal politics and social change, yet does not supplant its surrounding communities. It is also a structure that recognizes the inherent theatricality of pedagogy to challenge or reinforce (sometimes simultaneously) dominant ideologies of education, theatre practice, and social life. Armstrong and Juhl anticipate their book’s diverse audience, grouping similarly focused essays together with a brief beginning precis to contextualize their tone and trajectory. Such framing is a nod to Ellen Donkin and Susan Clement’s Upstaging Big Daddy: Directing Theater as if Race and Gender Matter (1993). In many ways, Radical Acts is a sequel to Upstaging, which offered a primer for feminist directors, including rehearsal and performance techniques and narratives about the challenges for feminist theatre artists. In Radical Acts’ second part, “Activating Practice,” contributors extend the conversation about feminist praxis begun in Upstaging. A small but significant difference is that these authors offer strategies to produce teachable moments about feminism in the theatre classroom (as opposed to the rehearsal room), while also extolling the use of theatre techniques to illuminate teachable moments in women’s studies classrooms. This section includes conversations with artists/ teachers (e.g., Kate Bornstein, Deb Margolin, Sharon Bridgforth) whose work spans a range of performance and pedagogical interventions. These professionals present their philosophies and techniques, ever mindful of the thorny matrices of difference that circulate for feminist performers who consider their artistic practice inherently linked to education (within or outside a formal classroom setting) and for feminist educators whose postmillennial students may view even third-wave feminism as distant history. Contributions to the anthology’s opening part, “Positioning Our Voices,” invoke a “personal is political” tone reminiscent of the germinal women’s studies collection, This Bridge Called My Back (1981). Included is the 2002 ATHE keynote address by Cherrie Moraga, one of Bridge’s coeditors, which recollects Book Reviews
Reversible mega‐oesophagus in a dog with hypoadrenocorticism

Mega-oesophagus was diagnosed in a nine-month-old male Shar Pei with hypoadrenocorticism in which anorexia persisted despite appropriate initial therapy. Endoscopy confirmed the mega-oesophagus and revealed oesophagitis, gastritis and gastric haemorrhage. There was a dramatic improvement in clinical signs following treatment with metoclopramide and cimetidine and the mega-oesophagus resolved with treatment for the hypoadrenocorticism.
Synchronized MAC Protocol For Multi-Hop Cognitive Radio Networks

Cognitive networks enable efficient sharing of the radio spectrum. Multi-hop cognitive network is a cooperative network in which cognitive users take help of their neighbors to forward data to the destination. Control signals used to enable cooperation communicate through a common control channel (CCC). Such usage introduces conditions like channel saturation which degrades the overall performance of the network. Thus, exchanging control information is a major challenge in cognitive radio networks. This paper proposes an alternative MAC protocol for multi-hop cognitive radio networks in which the use of a CCC is avoided. The scheme is applicable in heterogeneous environments where channels have different bandwidths and frequencies of operation. It inherently provides a solution to issues like CCC saturation problem, Denial of Service attacks (DoS) and multi-channel hidden problem. The proposed protocol is shown to provide better connectivity and higher throughput than a CCC based protocol, especially when the network is congested.
Simulation of airflow around rain gauges: Comparison of LES with RANS models

Abstract Wind is responsible for systematic errors that affect rain gauge measurements. The authors investigate the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to calculate airflow around rain gauges by applying a high-resolution large eddy simulation (LES) model to determine the flow fields around a measuring system of two rain gauges. The simulated air flow field is characterized by the presence of massive separation which induces the formation and shedding of highly unsteady eddies in the detached shear layers and wakes. Parts of these detached structures occur over the orifice of the rain gauges and may substantially affect the dynamics of the raindrops in this critical region. Non-dissipative LES methods used with fine enough meshes can successfully predict these eddies and their associated fluctuations. The authors compare statistics from LES with steady-state Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations using the k – e and shear stress transport k – ω turbulence models. They find that both RANS and LES models predict similar mean velocity distributions around the rain gauges. However, they determine the distribution of the resolved turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) to be strongly dependent on the RANS model used. Neither RANS model predictions of TKE are close to those of LES. The authors conclude that the failure of RANS to predict TKE is an important limitation, as TKE is needed to scale the local velocity fluctuations in stochastic models used to calculate the motion of raindrops in the flow field.
The Secretory Pathway Mediates Localization of the Cell Polarity Regulator Aip3p/Bud6p

Aip3p/Bud6p is a regulator of cell and cytoskeletal polarity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that was previously identified as an actin-interacting protein. Actin-interacting protein 3 (Aip3p) localizes at the cell cortex where cytoskeleton assembly must be achieved to execute polarized cell growth, and deletion of AIP3 causes gross defects in cell and cytoskeletal polarity. We have discovered that Aip3p localization is mediated by the secretory pathway. Mutations in early- or late-acting components of the secretory apparatus lead to Aip3p mislocalization. Biochemical data show that a pool of Aip3p is associated with post-Golgi secretory vesicles. An investigation of the sequences within Aip3p necessary for Aip3p localization has identified a sequence within the N terminus of Aip3p that is sufficient for directing Aip3p localization. Replacement of the N terminus of Aip3p with a homologous region from a Schizosaccharomyces pombe protein allows for normal Aip3p localization, indicating that the secretory pathway–mediated Aip3p localization pathway is conserved. Delivery of Aip3p also requires the type V myosin motor Myo2p and its regulatory light-chain calmodulin. These data suggest that one function of calmodulin is to activate Myo2p's activity in the secretory pathway; this function is likely the polarized movement of late secretory vesicles and associated Aip3p on actin cables.
Reconstruction of aerial images from uniformly sampled magnitude Fourier spectra using spectral statistical models

Statistical Kriging models for spatial data yield optimal linear estimates of unknown samples. In this work, we present a collection of statistical models defined over regions from a dyadic partition of the discrete Fourier spectrum. Spectral covariance models of the 2D Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of aerial images allow for Kriging interpolation of magnitude and phase spectra from a small number of spectral samples. The reconstructed spectral components are compared to other widely used 2D interpolation algorithms (cubic splines, nearest neighbor, and bilinear interpolators). We approach this problem by exploring the magnitude and phase spectra independently.
Four equivalent definitions of reparametrizations and restrictions in linear models

Reparametrizations and restrictions are transformations of linear models. Four equivalent definitions of these transformations are proposed in this article. Each of these definitions is based on one of the following concepts: (1) estimation sets, (2) column spaces, (3) residual vectors, and (4) degrees of freedom. These four definitions include as special cases all other definitions of reparametrizations and restrictions found in the literature. Unlike those used by other authors, the definitions in this article allow the original and transformed models to have different response vectors. This approach is useful in tests of nonhomogeneous hypotheses and other applications. However, a transformation of the original model into a reparametrized or restricted model with different response may produce counterintuitive effects on the coefficient of determination and other statistics.
Real-time focal-plane image compression

A novel analog focal-plane processor, the Vector Array Processor (VAP), is designed specifically for use in real-time/video-rate on-line lossy image compression. This custom CMOS processor is based architecturally on the Vector Quantization algorithm in image coding, The current implementation of the processor can handle codebook sizes of up to 128 vectors of dimensionality 16. The VAP performs vector matching in a fully parallel fashion, utilizing as its basic computational element the 'bump' circuit that computes the similarity between two input voltages and outputs a current proportional to this disparity. >
Discussion of Ronald Britton's paper "Developmental uncertainty versus paranoid regression".

It is a great pleasure to have the opportunity to discuss this interesting paper by Ronald Britton on a subject, which is one of great topical relevance. He has provided us with an eloquent account of a psychoanalytic understanding of how our social and political world can, under certain circumstances, come under the powerful grip of paranoid forces, and the enormous destruction that can then be unleashed. His psychoanalytic thinking in this area is influenced by his considerable experience as a psychoanalytic clinician, working from within an orientation that is associated with the work of Melanie Klein, arguably the most important and influential psychoanalyst after Freud. As Ron tells us, Klein’s theories have a great deal to say about the unconscious infantile origins of anxieties of a psychotic nature, and their vicissitudes, in all of us, including paranoid anxieties. As he describes, in the earliest phase of development, which Klein called the paranoid-schizoid position (Ps), the infant faced with the chaotic impact of internal and external stimuli attempts to create some order by engaging in a process of splitting whereby the object and self are each divided into an ideal representation and a bad one. By a process of projection the infant gets rid of what is painful or bad experience and places it outside itself and into its object, which has the consequence of increasing the badness of the object in the infant’s mind. In a similar way good and constructive parts of the self may also be projected into a good object, which makes the latter more ideal but can also deprive the infant’s ego of this good potential. If development proceeds well, accompanied by increasing cognitive ma
Secure and Usable Requirements Engineering

Software security is an increasingly important aspect of computing; however, it is still addressed as an after thought in too many development efforts. While a variety of approaches have been proposed for security requirements engineering, we find many still lacking with respect to their usability. In this proposal I describe my work in the area of security requirements engineering. SURE, Secure and Usable Requirements Engineering, is a new approach that supports non-security experts in order to specify security requirements from which testing artifacts can be derived. In addition, ASSURE, Automated Support for Secure and Usable Requirements Engineering, a system that implements the SURE technique is presented.
The current status of technology in education: lightspeed ahead with mild turbulence

The article summarizes five trends in technology for children aged 12 and younger, identifies four current issues, and three unresolved needs related to technology and children; provides six selected hardware and 30 software recommendations, and offers several resources: journals and magazines, educational technology websites, software publishers, and hardware companies. During 2000, the greatest innovations were in infrastructure that will enable children to connect more quickly, interact more flexibly, respond more intuitively, and use computers more creatively. As innovations proceed, dramatic improvements in software for children, and continued discussion about what is relevant or appropriate is likely to be witnessed.
Green enzymes and suicide substrates: a look at the acyl-CoA dehydrogenases in fatty acid oxidation.

Abstract The enzymes of mitochondrial s-oxidation remain poorly understood despite their central role in energy production and their involvement in a number of genetic disorders. This article presents some interesting aspects of the acyl-CoA dehydrogenases focusing on their interaction with acyl-CoA substrates and analogs.
Identifying and Compensating for Phase Center Errors in Wing-Mounted Phased Arrays for Ice Sheet Sounding

Highly crevassed ice surfaces at ice-sheet margins and fast-flowing glaciers significantly scatter radar signals. The scattered signals, often known as surface clutter, mask weak echoes from the ice-bed interface. Large wing-mounted antenna arrays are essential to synthesizing low-sidelobe patterns to reduce surface clutter. However, wing-mounted arrays are susceptible to structural flexure, which causes amplitude and phase errors that result in shifting and filling of desired array pattern nulls. In this communication, we characterize the effects of wing flexure on array beamformation using a scaled array model, and we present a compensation method to mitigate phase center errors caused by wing flexure. The compensation greatly improves clutter suppression through improved null formation. Experimental results show that we obtain an average of 7.5 dB improvement in the signal-to-interference noise ratio.
Whole-Lung Lavage

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a disease characterized by the accumulation of amorphous lipoproteinaceous material in the alveoli. Whole-lung lavage (WLL) is the first line of treatment for patients symptomatic from PAP. The procedure involves intubating the patient with a double-lumen endotracheal tube to isolate the two lungs, ventilating one lung while performing a large-volume lavage (up to 20 L) of the other lung with warmed normal saline. Aliquots of 1 L on saline are instilled into the lung, chest percussion is performed, and the proteinaceous effluent is drained by gravity. The procedure is repeated for the contralateral lung. The process physically removes the amorphous material from the alveoli and improves oxygenation. Intraoperative refractory hypoxia is the most common complication of the procedure but tends to be self-limited and transient. If required by the severity of hypoxia, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may be utilized to complete the procedure. There is a significant improvement, both clinically and radiologically, following the procedure. Some patients may require the procedure repeatedly during the course of the disease.
Long-term Neurotoxic Effects of Early-life Exposure to Tetrachloroethylene-contaminated Drinking Water.

Abstract Background Tetrachloroethene (PCE) is a common environmental and occupational contaminant and an acknowledged neurotoxicant. From 1968 through 1983, widespread contamination of public drinking water supplies with PCE occurred in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts. The source of the contamination was a vinyl liner applied to the inner surface of water distribution pipes. Objectives A retrospective cohort study (the Cape Cod Health Study) was undertaken to examine possible health consequences of early-life exposure to PCE-contaminated drinking water. This review describes the study methods and findings regarding the effects of prenatal and childhood exposure on neurologic outcomes during early adulthood, including vision, neuropsychological functioning, brain structure, risky behaviors, and mental illness. The review also describes the strengths and challenges of conducting population-based epidemiologic research in this unique setting. Methods Participants were identified by cross-matching birth certificates and water system data. Information on health outcomes and confounding variables was collected from self-administered surveys (n = 1689), neuropsychological tests (n = 63), vision examinations (n = 63), and magnetic resonance imaging (n = 42). Early-life exposure to PCE was estimated using a leaching and transport model. The data analysis compared the occurrence of each health outcome among individuals with prenatal and early childhood PCE exposure to unexposed individuals while considering the effect of confounding variables. Findings The study found evidence that early-life exposure to PCE-contaminated drinking water has long-term neurotoxic effects. The strongest associations were seen with illicit drug use, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Key strengths of the study were availability of historical data on affected water systems, a relatively high exposure prevalence and wide range of exposure levels, and little confounding. Challenges arose mainly from the historical nature of the exposure assessments. Conclusions The Cape Cod Health Study demonstrates how scientists can take advantage of unique “natural experiments” to learn about the health effects of environmental pollution. This body of work has improved our understanding of the long-term health effects of early-life exposure to this common environmental contaminant and will help risk assessors and policymakers ensure that drinking water supplies in the United States are safe for vulnerable populations.
Abstract 502: Weekend Effect on Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Stroke of Bad Luck

Background and Purpose: Recently, there has been a significant emergence of literature suggesting patients who present with time-sensitive medical conditions such as myocardial infarction or pulmonary embolism on the weekend have higher mortality and poorer outcomes compared to those admitted on weekdays, otherwise known as the “weekend effect.” The literature is sparse concerning the presence of the “weekend effect” in patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods: Using discharge data for patients with a primary diagnosis of SAH from the 2009 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we compared the mortality rates and timing of proper diagnostic procedures between weekend and weekday admissions. All analyses were adjusted for patient demographics and existing comorbidities. Results: 830,739 admissions of SAH were identified of which 26.5% were weekend admissions. After adjusting for patient demographics and comorbidities, the odds ratio for weekend admissions was 1.11 (95% CI; 1.03-1.19). We found significant fewer diagnostic/therapeutic procedures performed on first day of admission among weekend admitted patients. (OR 0.80, 95% CI, 0.74-0.87). Conclusion: Patients presenting with SAH on the weekend have a higher mortality rate when compared to those admitted on the weekdays, and have a longer time to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
Building scalable, secure, multi-tenant cloud services on IBM Bluemix

While an infrastructure-as-a-service cloud provides an economic alternative to managing information technology on premises, it does not provide ready-to-use advanced functionalities for solution management. A platform-as-a-service cloud (PaaS), on the other hand, provides application management and offers a catalog of services, which developers can easily use to host their solutions in the cloud. It also provides DevOps capabilities, which facilitate the management of a solution lifecycle. In this paper, we offer insights into the benefits and challenges that developers, who want to develop applications or offer services, would face in using a PaaS. We describe the step-by-step process of developing applications and offering services on IBM Bluemix, which is a PaaS cloud. We identify the key ingredients to achieve service scalability, security, and multi-tenancy. We also demonstrate the entire process through case studies of two Bluemix services: Rating-as-a-Service (RaaS) and the beta release of the Workflow Service .
Transcriptional modulation of SLC26A3 (DRA) by sphingosine-1-phosphate

SLC26A3 or Downregulated in adenoma (DRA) is the major Cl−/HCO3− exchanger involved in electroneutral NaCl absorption in the mammalian intestine. Alterations in DRA function and expression have bee...
Understanding Chinese tourists' food consumption in the United States ☆

Abstract Chinese tourism is a booming market that various international tourism destinations want to attract. Although Chinese tourists have an enormous economic impact on the restaurant industry, they seem to consume only Chinese cuisine during their international trips. This study applies the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and uses the PLS-SEM method to evaluate different factors that influence Chinese tourists' consumption behavior toward local food in the United States. The results of this study show that the concerns for food safety (negatively) and table manners could aggravate Chinese tourists' attitudes toward consuming unfamiliar local food. However, communication and the food's sensory appeal are not significant in predicting their attitudes toward local food. A multigroup analysis also shows that food neophobia, a food-related personality trait, moderates Chinese tourists' decisions in regard to consuming local food.
School nutrition programs in perspective.

With National School Lunch Week being celebrated this month, it is fitting that a recent President of the American Food Service Association brief our readers on the background for the various school nutrition programs now being funded by the government.
Renal Taurine Transport — Recent Developments

The renal proximal tubule, with its brush border surface is the site of the active accumulation of all amino acids, including taurine (19). Following filtration at the glomeru-lus, taurine resides in the ultrafiltrate of plasma which passes by the apical or brush border surface of the tubule. As in many other biological membranes, the transfer of taurine across the brush border membrane is Na+-dependent (5,20) and requires external Cl− (6). This transport of taurine can best be studied by employing isolated renal brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) which permit an evaluation of factors which influence the uptake of taurine both in vitro by changing the chemical composition of the incubation medium and in vivo by exposure of animals to various manipulations (4–5). Our group has been interested in establishing how renal amino acid transport mechanisms adapt to changes in the level of taurine or its precursors in the diet. To carry out these studies, a rat model has been used and the accumulation of taurine by BBMV has been measured.
Full-Duplex-Based Rate/Mode Adaptation Strategies for Wi-Fi/LTE-U Coexistence: A POMDP Approach

The rapid increase in wireless demand prompted the FCC to open up parts of the 5-GHz band for unlicensed access. This caught the interest of 4G/LTE providers, who wish to extend their LTE-A services to the unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U). In LTE-U, small-cell base stations aggregate unlicensed and licensed bands to increase the throughput. Wi-Fi/LTE-U coexistence is a challenging issue due to the different access mechanisms of these two systems, which may cause high collision rates and delays. By leveraging self-interference-suppression techniques, we propose joint mode/rate adaptation strategies for Wi-Fi/LTE-U coexistence. Specifically, a full-duplex enabled Wi-Fi station can transmit and receive data simultaneously to increase the throughput, or transmit and sense (TS mode) simultaneously to monitor the LTE-U activity. We model the LTE-U interference as a hidden Markov process, and solve the problem of jointly adapting Wi-Fi rates/modes using a framework of partially observable Markov decision process. A detection approach based on the sliding window correlator is analyzed for the TS mode, which can differentiate between Wi-Fi and LTE-U signals. Our results indicate that our scheme provides 1.5x (1.9x) average throughput gain for Wi-Fi system in the low (high) signal-to-interference-and-noise regime relative to a half-duplex-based scheme.
All That Wheezes Is Not Asthma: A Case of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma of the Larynx

Localized laryngeal lymphoma is a rare entity with an incidence of less than 1% of all laryngeal neoplasms. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of laryngeal neoplasms. Here, we describe a case of a young 28-year-old female with large B-cell lymphoma who remained undiagnosed for a long time owing to a myriad of nonspecific presentation including “wheezing.” Although primary laryngeal lymphomas constitute a diagnostic challenge since they are rare, one should have a high index of suspicion for lymphoma of the larynx in patients presenting with unresolved wheezing as it can present catastrophically with acute airway obstruction requiring immediate surgical intervention which was observed in this case. Treatment includes radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or a combination of these. We hope that the discussions ensuing from case reports regarding uncommon presentations of laryngeal lymphoma may spur the formation of regional/international databases for the description of lymphomas with unusual presentations. This effort can lead to in-depth study of cases and prompt awareness of “rare and subtle presentations” of laryngeal lymphoma.
Priming to reduce mand response latency

This investigation evaluated the effectiveness of a priming intervention to decrease the latency to mand for a five-year-old boy diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Parent participation in clinical applied behavior analytic intervention was increased by providing the family members with a home- and community-based priming technique to increase the efficacy of clinical treatment. Using a multiple-baseline design across settings, mand response latency was analyzed as a function of the verbal behavior priming intervention employed by two different caregivers. Results of the study indicate that the caregiver-implemented priming intervention was successful in reducing the childâ€™s latency to vocalize a request, allowing for more efficient use of instructional time.
Conservation status assessment of the Sharp-shinned Hawk, an endangered insular raptor in Puerto Rico

Sharp-shinned Hawks (Accipiter striatus) are forest raptors that are widely distributed in the Americas. A subspecies endemic to Puerto Rico (A. s. venator) is listed as endangered and restricted to mature and old secondary montane forests and shade coffee plantations. However, recent information about the population status and distribution of Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawks is lacking. We developed a spatial geographic distribution model for Sharp-shinned Hawks in Puerto Rico from 33 locations collected during four breeding seasons (2013–2016) using biologically relevant landscape variables (aspect, canopy closure, elevation, rainfall, slope, and terrain roughness). Elevation accounted for 89.8% of the model fit and predicted that the greatest probability of occurrence of Sharp-shinned Hawks in Puerto Rico (> 60%) was at elevations above 900 m. Based on our model, an estimated 56.1 km2 of habitat exists in Puerto Rico with a high probability of occurrence. This total represents ~0.6% of the island's area. Public lands included 43.8% of habitat with high probability of occurrence (24.6 km2), 96% of which was located within four protected areas. Our results suggest that Sharp-shinned Hawks are rare in Puerto Rico and restricted to the higher elevations of the Cordillera Central. Additional research is needed to identify and address ecological limiting factors, and recovery actions are needed to avoid the extinction of this endemic island raptor.
Conceptual Congruence in Mindfulness-Based Weight Loss Intervention Studies.

Whether one kind of mindfulness applies to all situations or only some (i.e., scope) is controversial. Eating may not be an everyday behavior subsumed under everyday mindfulness. To rigorously test the efficacy of mindfulness-based weight loss interventions, researchers must use scales that measure the type of mindfulness manipulated by the intervention. The mixed findings of mindfulness-based weight loss intervention studies may be related to the lack of conceptual congruence (i.e., the pairing of interventions and measures of the same scope). The aims of this systematic review were to: (a) describe the scopes of the mindfulness interventions and measures used in mindfulness-based weight loss intervention studies and (b) compare conceptual congruence to the statistical significance of mindfulness and weight outcomes of each study. All articles published prior to December 31, 2016 were retrieved from PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Embase. After screening and full-text review, eight articles were included in the review. Five studies paired mindfulness-based eating interventions with general mindfulness measures; two studies paired mindfulness-based eating interventions with eating-specific mindfulness measures; and one study paired a general mindfulness intervention with a general mindfulness measure. There was no apparent relationship between conceptual congruence and the statistical significance of the mindfulness and weight outcomes. However, given other findings and the limitations of this review, further investigation is needed. In particular, future studies should include mediation analyses using both general and eating-specific mindfulness measures.
AC Shunt Calibrations at NRC

NRC offers calibration of ac shunts from milliamperes up to 100 A, in the 10 Hz to 100 kHz frequency band, with expanded uncertainties between 10 μA/A for currents in the milliampere range to 50 μA...
New Data Support Patent Foramen Ovale Closure After Stroke

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) can be found in ≈1 of 4 adults,1 and it has been implicated as a potential source of ischemic stroke, likely via paradoxical embolization.2 The association between stroke and PFO is particularly robust among younger patients with otherwise cryptogenic stroke.3 However, the merit of percutaneous PFO closure for secondary stroke prevention has been the focus of much debate. Although the first 3 randomized trials of PFO closure did not demonstrate benefit in their primary intention-to-treat analyses, newly available data will likely change practice for many clinicians. Percutaneous catheter-based PFO closure was introduced to clinical practice in 1992.4 Subsequently, randomized clinical trials were undertaken to demonstrate efficacy of closure for secondary stroke prevention, yet enrollment was slow because many clinicians and patients were pursuing PFO closure outside the trials. Eventually, in 2012, the CLOSURE I trial5 was published, comparing medical therapy with PFO closure with the NMT Medical STARFlex device in 909 patients with PFO and cryptogenic stroke or transient ischemic attack. Patients randomized to medical therapy were given aspirin, warfarin, or both at the discretion of the enrolling investigator. The 2-year recurrent stroke rate was 2.9% after closure and 3.1% with medical therapy (hazard ratio [HR], 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41–1.98; P =0.79). There was no heterogeneity in the results based on the presence of atrial septal aneurysm or large shunt. Major procedural complications, atrial fibrillation, and serious adverse event rates from this and other described trials are reported in the Table. View this table: Table. Safety of Patent Foramen Ovale Closure Across All Randomized Control Trials The PC trial6 (Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing the Efficacy …
The Sociology of Urban Regions. By Alvin Boskoff

(1972). The Sociology of Urban Regions. By Alvin Boskoff. Journal of Leisure Research: Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 228-230.
Determinants of Price in Custom Software: A Hedonic Analysis of Offshore Development Projects

The starting point for this paper is the general paucity of research on the demand-side of custom software development. As an initial step, we derive and estimate a Hedonic Pricing model using a sample of 160 projects executed by a large software solutions vendor based in India. Our results indicate that there are powerful economic incentives spurring the increasing trend toward offshoring of custom software projects. We estimate that the average annual decline in quality adjusted price amounted to about 14 percent. Second, we also estimate the contribution of quality and human capital to price premia in software projects which helps us pinpoint the targets of vendor effort allocation that will help boost client value functions. This leads us to speculate that the efficiency of custom software development can perhaps be improved by the allocation (or reallocation) of vendor resources designed to increase quality and delivery performance. We discuss the implications of our results for the research and practice of software development.
APPLICABILITY OF CONTEXT-AWARE FRAMEWORK OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

The existing frameworks of knowledge management do not consider the global diversity and thus, may not be appropriate for organizations in developing countries. KAFRA, a context-aware framework was developed to meet the specific needs of organizations in developing countries and possibly globally. The framework was based on the empirical study of six research organizations in Nigeria and The Gambia, and a follow-up study in two organizations in India. This paper describes a proposed study on the implementation and applicability of this framework using two different research approaches.
Implementing Boltzmann Machines

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the implementation of Boltzmann machines. As a tool for optimization, Hopfield nets suffer from two flaws: local minimum and restricted V(x), while having an implementation advantage. These nets are no mere algorithms, but models that are readily implementable as hardware. The chapter discusses the removal of these defects while preserving the implementation advantage. Global minimization can be achieved through simulated annealing. A process with an equilibrium Gibbs distribution can be generated as a stationary Markov chain. The chapter presents that an exact, not approximate, construction of Boltzmann machine can be achieved by injecting noise in a Hopfield net. Boltzmann machine is a binary-state and discrete-time neural network, whose states form a stationary Markov chain X(t) with an equilibrium Gibbs distribution. A considerable reduction in interconnect-complexity can be realized by using random-access memory and indexing. In such an arrangement, the physical connections are replaced by logical connections.
Initiation of protein synthesis under the direction of tobacco mosaic virus RNA in cell-free extracts of Escherichia coli

The incorporation of amino acids under the direction of tobacco mosaic virus RNA depended upon supplementation of the cell-free Escherichia coli extracts with formyl donor, and was maximal at a magnesium ion concentration of 10 m m . The proteins made in the presence of added formyl donor were formylated. As judged by gel filtration, about 75 to 80% of the TMV product had molecular weights greater than 14,000. Up to 25% of the methionine incorporated into the TMV product was present in pronase digests as N-formylmethionine, N-formylmethionylalanine, and N-formylmethionylserine. Proteins were synthesized at half to one-quarter the rate observed in the absence of formyl donor with an optimum magnesium ion concentration between 12 and 15 m m . Under these conditions, part of the proteins lacked the formyl group, but otherwise did not appear to differ from the proteins formed in extracts supplemented with formyl donor. The product which was formed under the direction of TMV RNA was characterized by fingerprinting and gel electrophoresis. The synthesis of TMV coat protein was not detected in the presence or in the absence of added formyl donor.
Production of α-linolenic acid in Yarrowia lipolytica using low-temperature fermentation

α-Linolenic acid (ALA) is an essential ω-3 fatty with reported health benefits. However, this molecule is naturally found in plants such as flaxseed and canola which currently limits production. Here, we demonstrate the potential to sustainably produce ALA using the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. Through the use of a recently identified Δ12–15 desaturase (Rk Δ12–15), we were able to enable production in Y. lipolytica. When combined with a previously engineered lipid-overproducing strain with high precursor availability, further improvements of ALA production were achieved. Finally, the cultivation of this strain at lower temperatures significantly increased ALA content, with cells fermented at 20 °C accumulating nearly 30% ALA of the total lipids in this cell. This low-temperature fermentation represents improved ALA titer up to 3.2-fold compared to standard growth conditions. Scale-up into a fed-batch bioreactor produced ALA at 1.4 g/L, representing the highest published titer of this ω-3 fatty acid in a yeast host.
Evidence is stronger than you think: a meta-analysis of vitamin C use in patients with sepsis

Two recent publications by Sheikh and Horner and Teng et al. reviewed studies on incorporating vitamin C to treat septic patients; however, a meta-analysis was not offered in either report. This commentary extends both reviews by integrating a meta-analysis and sharing aggregated results. Pooled analyses demonstrated a marked reduction in mortality and duration of vasopressor administration in the group with the use of vitamin C.
The Rise of Dollar Credit in Emerging Market Economies and US Monetary Policy

This paper examines the hypothesis that the boom in dollar credit in the emerging market economies is associated with excessively low interest rate in the US. For this purpose, we use a multivariate correlated unobserved component model that allows for correlation between shocks to dollar credit, interest rates and dollar index both in the short-run and in the long-run. In addition, it also provides us a quantitative estimate of the permanent and transitory movements in dollar credit in emerging markets, US interest rate and the dollar index. The results from this model do suggest that a temporary decline in interest rate and dollar index below their long-run levels are associated with an increase in dollar credit with a very high degree of negative correlation. The estimate of the cyclical component of the dollar credit in emerging market from our model captures the recent boom and bust in this market and compares favorably to a univariate trend-cycle decomposition benchmark.
Prediction of late relapse in patients with estrogen-receptor–positive breast cancer.

11065 Background: Proliferation plays an important role in the prediction of early relapse of ER+ breast cancer. This constitutes the basis of almost all of the currently available prognostic tools...
Intracoronary Intimal Thickness in Transplant Recipients of Hepatitis C-Positive Donor Hearts

Purpose Prior to the advent of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), donor-derived hepatitis C (dd-HCV) viremia predicted poor post-heart transplant (HT) outcomes, including a higher risk of coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV) and death. Considering the success of DAAs to treat HCV and the shortage of organs for HT, we institutionalized a clinical protocol of using HCV+ donors. Using intracoronary ultrasound (ICUS) in patients acquiring post-HT HCV infection, we examined the risk of CAV in the current era. Methods Between September 1st 2016 and October 2nd 2018, 54 HCV-naive patients and 1 with a history of treated-HCV pre-transplant, underwent HT from HCV-positive donors (follow-up available through October 10th, 2018). Patients were treated with ledipasvir-sofosbuvir (genotype 1) or sofosbuvir-velpatasvir (genotype 3) for 12 or 24 weeks. ICUS of left anterior descending artery was performed at 6-months and 1-year post-HT for those developing donor-derived HCV (dd-HCV) infection using an automated, mechanical pullback at a rate of 1 mm/ second. Results The ICUS data were available for 20 patients at 6-months (cohort A) and 16 patients at 1-year (cohort B); 14 patients had serial data available at 6-months and 1-year (cohort C). Figures A and B show changes in maximum intima thickness (MIT) for the overall sample and cohort C. For cohort C, absolute change in MIT from 6-months to 1-year was +0.15 (median) (Inter-quartile range: -0.03, 0.42) and only one patient had an increase in MIT by >0.5mm. Two patients in cohort A (10%) and 4 patients in cohort B (25%) had angiographic CAV grade 1; one patient in each cohort had known coronary artery disease in the donor heart. None required percutaneous coronary intervention or re-transplant for CAV at 1-year. Conclusion Utilization of HCV-positive donors may represent a viable strategy to expand the donor pool in era of DAAs. Larger scale data on changes in MIT is required to appropriately assess the effect of dd-HCV infection on incident CAV.