cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Obstructive sleep apnea: The potential for serotonergic pharmacotherapies

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a highly prevalent disorder, associated with numerous cardiovascular and neurobehavioral morbidities. A unique feature of this syndrome is the sleep-state dependency of upper airway collapse and obstruction. Indeed, individuals with obstructive sleep apnea have normal breathing while awake and only manifest airway obstruction in sleep. This sleep-state dependency for obstruction strongly supports the concept that drugs targeting the neurochemical events that underlie the state-dependent obstruction should effectively treat obstructive sleep apnea. Tremendous progress has been made in understanding the neurochemical mechanisms involved in state-dependent control of breathing. It is apparent from this work that there are many potential avenues for pharmacotherapies, including several promising directions for serotonergic therapies. This chapter provides an update on the involvement of serotonin in breathing and in apneas, and then summarizes trials of serotonergic agonists and antagonists in animal models and humans with obstructive sleep apnea. Future directions are suggested for successful development of safe and effective serotonergic pharmacotherapies for obstructive sleep apnea.
Dietary Calcium and the Metabolic Syndrome

Recently, research efforts have grown to better understand the mechanism of the metabolic syndrome, otherwise known as “syndrome X,” or the insulin-resistance syndrome. The metabolic syndrome leads to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (1,2). A conference sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in collaboration with the American Heart Association (3) recently defined the metabolic syndrome as a complex of three out of five criteria: abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL), hypertension, and elevated fasting plasma glucose (Fig. 1). The World Health Organization also required insulin resistance for diagnosis of the syndrome (3). It is estimated that 47 million Americans have been diagnosed with the metabolic syndrome, as established from census data from 2000 (1). According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the prevalence of insulin-resistance syndrome has risen more than 60% over the past decade (4). Insulin resistance is present in the majority of people with the metabolic syndrome, is strongly associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and is considered a prediabetic condition (3). Clinical measures that often cluster with the metabolic syndrome are other dyslipidemias, including elevated apolipoprotein B levels and small low-density lipoprotein particles; proinflammatory states as represented by elevated C-reactive protein; and prothrombotic states including plasma fibrinogen and decreased fibrolysis potentially through elevated plasminogen activator inhibitor1. Thus, the metabolic syndrome is a complex cluster of symptoms which puts individuals at greatly increased risk for the development of debilitating chronic diseases such as CVD and diabetes.
The use of ultrafilters to study the structure of Prüfer and Prüfer-like rings

The notion of a sequence of objects converging to a limit point is very natural in the context of topology. In a collection of articles from the last couple decades ultrafilters were employed to great effect in forcing sequences of prime ideals or valuation domains to converge without reference to topology. The context of these results was the study of Prufer domains and rings of integer-valued polynomials. More recently Fontana and Loper clarified these results by demonstrating that ultrafilters can be used to define a topology which is equivalent to the classical constructible or patch topology. The history of these results is recounted in this expository article in chronological sequence.
Effects of Tobacco Budworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Infestations on Pod Damage and Yield Loss in Soybean

Field plot studies from 1977 to 1980 were conducted to determine the effect of Heliothis virescens (F.) infestation on soybean. Larval infestations were established at various levels and times by applying eggs in a spray. The amount of damage and its effect on yield depended on the timing as well as the intensity of infestation. The only infestations that reduced yield were produced by egg application during full bloom. Resultant larvae were fifth or sixth stage during the full pod growth stage. They destroyed more seed than comparable larvae during other plant growth stages. The period during soybean bloom when egg application resulted in this critical synchrony was 1 week long.
Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling in Sickness and in Health of Pancreatic β-Cells

Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) are a family of eight proteins that negatively regulate Janus kinase and signal transducers and activators of transcription signaling in cells that utilize this pathway to respond to extracellular stimuli. SOCS are best known for attenuating cytokine signaling in the immune system. However, they are also expressed in many other cell types, including pancreatic β-cells, where there is considerable interest in harnessing SOCS molecules to prevent cytokine-mediated apoptosis during diabetes and allogeneic transplantation. Apart from their potential as therapeutic targets, SOCS molecules play a central role for regulating important functions in β-cells, including growth, glucose sensing, and insulin secretion. This review will discuss SOCS proteins as central regulators for diverse cellular processes important for normal β-cell function as well as their protective anti-apoptotic effects during β-cell stress.
Disease vectors in the era of next generation sequencing

Almost 20 % of all infectious human diseases are vector borne and, together, are responsible for over one million deaths per annum. Over the past decade, the decreasing costs of massively parallel sequencing technologies have facilitated the agnostic interrogation of insect vector genomes, giving medical entomologists access to an ever-expanding volume of high-quality genomic and transcriptomic data. In this review, we highlight how genomics resources have provided new insights into the physiology, behavior, and evolution of human disease vectors within the context of the global health landscape.
Human Cancer Chemoprevention: Hurdles and Challenges

Cancer is considered a disease of aging since the risk for developing the disease considerably increases with age. It is estimated that 77% of all cancers are diagnosed in people who fall within the age group of 55 or older. Also, it takes several years from initiation to the development of detectable cancer. One advantage of the long latency is that it provides numerous opportunities for intervention. While intervention approaches cannot be geared towards a whole population, they can nevertheless be directed towards a defined group of people who have a greater relative risk for developing the disease. The idea of cancer prevention through the use of nontoxic agents, preferably from dietary sources, has therefore emerged as an appropriate strategy for controlling the disease. An important aspect of chemoprevention is that agents can be designed for intervention at any stage during the multistage process of carcinogenesis. This process of slowing the progression of cancer is applicable to many cancers with long latency, including prostate cancer. Over the past two decades we have put considerable effort into identifying dietary substances in the form of extracts and pure compounds that can be used for the prevention of prostate and other cancers. Although cancer chemoprevention has proven to be a successful strategy in animals and, to some extent, we can say that the mission has been accomplished, its application to humans has met with limited success. This chapter will discuss various challenges associated with chemoprevention of cancer with the focus on studies with green tea and prostate cancer.
CREDIBLE TESTAMENTS, PROPERTY, AND THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT

This essay presents a new argument for the societal role of government. Traditionally anchored in the classic Hobbesian rationale, government’s classic function has been taken to be the provision of security: Government is provided a monopoly in the rule of force in order to ensure protection and security, without which other functions, such as allocating resources and providing a forum for the resolution of disputes (and the enforcement of judgments that follow from such resolution) cannot successfully occur. There are other mechanisms in society that can provide security, and today dispute resolution is not solely a government function. So we are left to ask, what is government’s unique function that only it can perform as society requires? I argue that the most fundamental function of government is providing assurance that statements about societal statuses, which I call testaments, are true, i.e., can be taken as credible. Government provides a source of reliable and dependably infallible testaments, certifying such things as personal identity, property ownership, intellectual primacy, payment of taxes, and on and on. In effect, government provides an anchor for our perceptions about the social world as it exists now and how it has existed in the past. Thus, government has a monopoly not only of force, but also of legitimacy and permanence, and hence is uniquely situated to provide credible testaments. The essay reviews the arguments in North and Weingast’s (1989) classic article on the critical role of credible commitments in the development of reliable fiscal and governmental institutions in the UK in the seventeenth century. I argue that the ability to provide credible testaments was an essential accompaniment to the institutional designs that provided credible commitments. The essay summarizes the theory of testaments that supports these inferences regarding the role of credible testaments. Three observations flow from consideration of the role of testaments in government: Government certification drives out private certification. Government paper is more valued than government speech; paper drives out speech. Government will demonstrate a preference to base decisions on the existence of evidence rather than on the content of that evidence. In effect, government acts as the ultimate guarantor.
Democracy and Redistribution: A THEORY OF POLITICAL TRANSITIONS

De toutes nos forces, nous etions tournes vers les biens materiels … —Francois Mauriac, Le nœud de viperes As argued in the introduction to this book, the discipline of comparative politics is still in need ofan analytical model that, departing from simple assumptions about the preferences and strategies of political actors, spells out the different social and political conditions that result in the establishment ofeither democratic constitutions, right-wing authoritarian regimes or left-wing dictatorships. In this chapter I build a formal theory of the choice of political regimes in two steps. In the first section, I formally model an economy in which the population varies along two dimensions – the level of capital endowment of each individual, and the extent to which capital is mobile and can actually be taxed – and discuss the distributional consequences that different political regimes have on different types of individuals. In the second section, I take up the question ofhow and with what results those different redistributive consequences inform the strategies that different political actors, diverse in terms of their level of income, capital mobility and political resources, follow to determine the system of government. This section shows that a democratic outcome becomes possible when the inequality of conditions among individuals, and therefore the intensity of redistributive demands, falls to the point that an authoritarian strategy to block redistribution ceases to be attractive to the well-off. It reveals as well that the likelihood of democracy increases when the mobility of capital goes up.
Examination of script and non-script based narrative retellings in children with autism spectrum disorders

Abstract Background Narrative production is challenging for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), particularly in terms of creating coherent and cohesive stories. However, differences between the narratives of children with and without ASD may be attenuated when cognitive and linguistic demands are reduced. Therefore, the present study examined whether incorporating a script-framework, that structures the story around common events, reduced children's difficulties with narratives. Method This study compared the narrative abilities of children with ASD (N = 19) and neurotypical (NT; N = 26) children on a script-based and a non-script based retelling task. Narratives were coded for microstructure, macrostructure, and type of script-based story events (script, non-script). The relation between narrative and theory of mind (ToM) was also assessed. Results In comparison to their NT peers, children with ASD exhibited lower narrative production in terms of microstructure and macrostructure on both script and non-script based stories. In general, the narratives by children with ASD were less cohesive and coherent than the NT group. ToM ability and FSIQ predicted narrative coherence and cohesion in children with ASD. Moreover, examination of the script-based story revealed that children with ASD included the same number of script details as the NT children, but were less likely to include non-script details. Conclusions These findings provide evidence that narrative impairments may be present across narrative type, and that ToM ability in particular, predicts these difficulties in children with ASD. These findings have implications for common event understanding and highlight the need for early narrative intervention for children with ASD.
Tibial Posterior Slope Is Extremely Variable in Patients Undergoing TKA

Introduction Optimal alignment of the tibial component in TKA is an important consideration. General agreement exists on the appropriate coronal alignment. However there is no consensus on sagittal alignment (posterior slope). Some surgeons target a fixed posterior slope (usually between 0 and 10 degrees), while others attempt to match the patient9s intrinsic anatomy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tibial posterior slope in patients undergoing TKA. Methods 13,586 CT scans of patients undergoing patient specific were analyzed. Three-dimensional reconstructions were performed and the posterior tibial slope was measured. Mean slope and ranges were determined. Results Mean tibial posterior slope was 7.2 +/− 3.7 degrees (range −5 to 25 deg.) 35% of patients had tibial slope measurements more than 3 degrees different from the mean slope of this population. Conclusion This study demonstrated a remarkable variability of tibial slope in patients undergoing TKA. This information may be useful to surgeons in determining “optimum” sagittal alignment of the tibial component for an individual patient. A patient with preoperative tibial slope very different from “average” may be at risk for sagittal malalignment of the tibial component. Additionally, large preoperative to postoperative changes in tibial slope may adversely affect knee kinematics and clinical outcome.
Compliance to non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure ventilation in children with obstructive sleep apnoea

Introduction: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) can be used effectively to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) in children. Discrepancies are often seen between subjective and objective compliance to CPAP therapy. Aims: To determine the compliance to nocturnal CPAP use in children with OSA at a tertiary paediatric hospital in Singapore. Methods: We performed a cross sectional study on our cohort of children with OSA currently on treatment with CPAP and being followed up at the KK Women9s and Children9s Hospital, Singapore. CPAP was initiated in the outpatient setting with patient/carer education and interface fitting; and was followed by CPAP titration polysomnography. Demographics, clinical details and the downloaded data from the CPAP machine that includes the nightly CPAP usage hours were collected at the most recent clinic visit. Data on patients who reported to be completely non-compliant and on whom the CPAP machine data were not downloadable due to other reasons (e.g.; multiple default to clinic follow up appointments, CPAP machine models that do not allow data downloading), were not analyzed. Results: 26 children (mean age=14.6 [SD=4.8] years, 17 [65%] males) were studied. 5 (19%) children had Primary OSA. The remaining had co-morbities such as obesity (n=13, 50%), Trisomy 21 (n=4, 15%), craniofacial abnormalities (n=2, 8%) or others (n=2, 8%). Median [IQR] adherence to CPAP therapy was 5.76 [2.49-7.37] hours. Conclusions: Our patient group has comparable compliance to existing published data on CPAP compliance. Objective monitoring of CPAP compliance is important in the management of children with OSA.
Regulars and “Irregulars”: British and Provincial Variability among Eighteenth-Century Military Frontiers

Historical studies have detailed the joint service of provincial and British regular soldiers during the Seven Years’ War (ca. 1754–1763) in colonial North America. The complex relations between these communities and their effect on the material record of military settlements, however, have not been fully addressed within historical archaeology. An analysis of British and provincial domestic structures at New York military sites employing lead shot and ceramic data reveals small-scale material variation between these two groups. The effect that different scales of analysis will have on the nature of this variation is recognized, and a preliminary spatial model of provincial-British relations is developed. The model assumes significant distinctions will characterize small-scale provincial and British contexts, while larger frames of reference may demonstrate similar or conflicting material patterns based on the historical relationship between the two communities. The context for this analysis is informed by recent critiques of large-scale core/periphery perspectives in the archaeology of frontier settlements.
Teaching Writing Using Electronic Portfolio in the Multimedia Lab. at Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University

This paper attempts to share the teaching of descriptive writing using electronic portfolio (c-portfolio) in the multimedia lab where students can write according to their own pace. Given individual electronic folders, they can continue writing whenever they want. The students can revise their first draft following comments given by the tutor or peers, or continue to the next assignment put in the tutor's folder. Microsoft Word also provides tools, "track changes " and "insert and view comments", which enable students to freely and responsibly accept or reject suggestions given by the tutor. As a result, corrections, comments and revisions have caused improvements in describing things in more detailed ways, and less on the grammar and vocabulary mastery. However, only 25% of the students think their progress relates to an ability to better describe things; the rest believe their improvements are more in grammar and vocabulary mastery. E-portfolio provides a lot of practice, which enables the students to directly read comments and corrections given by the tutor and peers. Another significant finding is that the tutor must use various delivery techniques to cope with students' different learning preferences.
A new ricinuleid of the genus Ricinoides Ewing (Arachnida, Ricinulei) from Ghana

A new species of ricinuleid, Ricinoides atewa n. sp., is described from the Eastern Region of Ghana. This species is the largest known extant ricinuleid. It is associated with undisturbed, closed canopy, mid-elevation evergreen forests. Comparative illustrations are provided for the related species R. afzelii (Thorell, 1892).
The effectiveness of strength-based, solution-focused brief therapy in medical settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

This meta-analysis synthesized randomized controlled trials of solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) in medical settings for patients’ health-related psychosocial (e.g., depression, psychosocial adjustment to illness), behavioral (e.g., physical activity, nutrition score), and functional health (e.g., BMI, individual strength) outcomes. Medical setting is defined in this study as any healthcare setting that primarily focuses on patients’ physical wellbeing. A comprehensive search strategy across five electronic databases, four academic journals, three professional websites, and reference lists of included articles resulted in a final sample of nine studies for meta-analytic synthesis. Combining outcomes indicated an overall significant effect of SFBT for health-related psychosocial outcomes (d = 0.34, p < .05.) and a nearly significant outcome for health-related behavioral outcomes (d = 0.28, p = .06), but not for functional health outcomes. Results indicated SFBT being an effective intervention for psychosocial outcomes and a promising approach for behavioral outcomes in medical settings.
A coupled thermal/electric circuit model for design of MVDC ship cables

In this paper, an equivalent circuit approach is proposed to model the electric and thermal responses in DC cable systems intended for electric ships. The proposed model is sufficient to address the complexity of the nonlinear physics, including space charge accumulation within the dielectric, yet flexible enough to enable rigorous population-based design. Indeed, a genetic algorithm has been implemented to establish the Pareto-optimal fronts between mass, size and loss for cables of variable geometry and conductor material properties. In addition, the model is readily coupled to models of power converters, enabling the calculation of electric field variation due to converter switching as well as transient conditions including faults.
Remote sensing of soil moisture using P-band signals of opportunity (SoOp): Initial results

Initial results from the first airborne campaign to evaluate P-band reflectometry for soil moisture remote sensing are presented. P-band radiation has a penetration depth of 10–20 cm, compared to around 5 cm for L-band. This offers the possibility of measuring Root-Zone Soil Moisture (RZSM), a capability that does not presently exist in spaceborne remote sensing. Signals of Opportunity Airborne Demonstrator (SoOp-AD) is a brassboard P-band reflectometry demonstration instrument, developed under the NASA Instrument Incubator Program (IIP-13). Soil reflectivity is estimated from the cross-correlation of direct and reflected signals from a geostationary communication satellite. SoOp-AD will demonstrate key technological advancements on the roadmap to a spaceborne instrument, including an FPGA-based correlator array and “smart antenna” nullsteering in the post-processing stage. The first airborne tests of SoOp-AD were conducted around the ARS Micronet in Little Washita, OK. Initial results confirm the assumption of coherent scattering, show the water-land transition over Lake Ellsworth, and present reasonable values for reflectivity over the instrumented area.
They have Verve: Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions about Culturally Relevant/Responsive Pedagogy

Based on concerns about the permanence of racism in our society and its impact on opportunities for children’s equitable education, this empirical study used narrative inquiry to explore four prese...
Coordinated responses of glucogenic hormones to central glucopenia: the role of the sympathoadrenal system.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the role of the sympathoadrenal system and coordinated responses of glucogenic hormones to central glucopenia. Glucose is the predominant metabolic fuel utilized by the central nervous system (CNS) under most physiological conditions. CNS cannot synthesize glucose, store glucose, or extract glucose from the circulation against a concentration gradient. The physiology of rapid hypoglycemic glucose counter regulation in humans can be summarized as follows: (1) glucagon plays a primary role, (2) epinephrine compensates largely for glucagon deficiency, and (3) glucose recovery fails to occur only in the absence of both glucagon and epinephrine. In normal humans, glucagon plays a primary role in promoting glucose recovery from hypoglycemia, glucagon deficiency is largely compensated for by enhanced epinephrine secretion, and recovery from hypoglycemia fails to occur only in the absence of both glucagon and epinephrine. Defective glucose counter regulation is exemplified by patients with insulin-dependent diabetes. Although most such patients have deficient glucagon secretary responses to hypoglycemia, they counter regulate adequately because of intact epinephrine secretion. Some patients, however, become defenseless against hypoglycemia because of combined deficiencies of glucagon and epinephrine.
Adding Syntactic Annotations to Transcripts of Parent-Child Dialogs

We describe an annotation scheme for syntactic information in the CHILDES database (MacWhinney, 2000), which contains several megabytes of transcribed dialogs between parents and children. The annotation scheme is based on grammatical relations (GRs) that are composed of bilexical dependencies (between a head and a dependent) labeled with the name of the relation involving the two words (such as subject, object and adjunct). We also discuss automatic annotation using our syntactic annotation scheme.
Toughness Data for Monolithic High-Hardness Armor Steel

The purpose of this program was to generate meaningful toughness parameter data that could be incorporated into existing high-hardness steel armor specifications. Various toughness parameters, including Charpy V-notch impact, precracked Charpy toughness (W/A) and fracture toughness (K I c ), were explored for defining the toughness characteristics of monolithic high-hardness armor steels. Materials from three producers were investigated in thicknesses ranging from 0.125 to 0.750 in. The equivalent energy-area criterion was utilized to relate the toughness data obtained from subsize and standard size Charpy V-notch impact specimens. Results of this investigation show that the energy requirements, as set forth in the military specification for high-hardness armor steels, are met by each producer's material when the plate thickness is sufficient to use the standard size Charpy V-notch impact specimen. The equivalent energy-area criterion represents a usable approach for the interpretation of data obtained from subsize impact specimens and should now suffice to define an interim specification for the subsize Charpy test. The other toughness parameter results, plus hardness and tensile properties, are presented and discussed.
Christian thought and property law

This chapter provides an overview of Christian thought about private property and property law. It begins with a survey of Biblical materials, which offer diverse perspectives on property and wealth. It then reviews key themes in the history of Christian theological reflection about wealth, property, and property law, from an early emphasis on God’s ownership of all things and the dangers of wealth to later, more pragmatic emphasis on private property rights as a way of preserving social order in a sinful world. It concludes with a brief review of early-modern and contemporary Anabaptist, liberation theology, and Catholic thought on these themes.
A Gain-Boosted 52–142 GHz Band-Pass Distributed Amplifier in O.13μm SiGe Process with f max of 210GHz

A band-pass gain-boosted distributed amplifier is proposed. The amplifier achieves a bandwidth of 90 GHz at center frequency of 97 GHz and operates up to frequencies as high as 0.67f max of the transistors. A novel gain-boosted cascode structure as well as band-pass transmission lines are employed to significantly boost the bandwidth and the highest operation frequency of the amplifier. The amplifier shows an average gain of 14.4 dB from 52 GHz to 142 GHz in a 0.13-μm SiGe process with f max of 210 GHz.
Creativity slumps and bumps: Examining the neurobehavioral basis of creativity development during middle childhood.

Abstract Developmental research has found that children's creative thinking ability tends to decline during middle childhood. However, this decline has not been consistently demonstrated, and the underlying neural and behavioral factors that affect fluctuations in children's creative thinking ability remain uncharacterized. Using a longitudinal cohort-sequential experimental design, we investigated the neurobehavioral basis of creative thinking ability during middle childhood in a sample of 48 children (n = 21 starting 3rd grade, n = 27 starting 4th grade) assessed longitudinally at three time-points across one year. For the first time, we used data-driven methods to reveal distinct trajectories in creative thinking ability during middle childhood. We found that although some children show a classic decline in creative ability, others exhibit a significant increase in creativity over time. These trajectories were not associated with differences in intelligence, age, or sex, but rather other developmentally-relevant constructs, including heightened externalizing behavior (i.e., rule-breaking and aggression). Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in a smaller cohort (n = 26), we examined longitudinal changes in bilateral frontal neural connectivity and found that increased right lateral frontal segregation or functional specialization tracked developmental improvements in creative thinking ability. Taken together, the findings reveal distinct profiles of change in creative thinking ability during middle childhood and identify behavioral and neural mechanisms potentially underlying changes in children's ability to think creatively.
FTIR spectral characterization of thin film coatings of oleic acid on glasses: Part II. Coatings on glass from different media such as water, alcohol, benzene and air

Oleic acid thin film was coated on soda-lime-silicate (SLS) glass from different coating media such as benzene, ethyl alcohol, water and air with different coating times and concentrations. When the coating medium is benzene, relatively more COO-metal ion complexes formed on the substrate surface, resulting in a coating layer with a more rigid and ordered structure. This was caused by a high solubility of oleic acid and a lower metal dissolution rate of the glass substrate in the medium. The coating time was a less important factor on the ordering of molecular chains than the coating medium was. The effect of concentration was more significant when oleic acid is coated from ethyl alcohol or water rather than from benzene. When oleic acid is coated from benzene, the most highly-ordered molecular structure of coating layer was obtained even at lower concentration. This investigation reveals that the dissolution behavior of the substrate, the solubility of the coating material and the dissociation behavior of metal-carboxylate (COO-M) complexes significantly influence the interaction mechanism between the coating material and the substrate. These factors can be controlled by the selection of an appropriate coating medium; thus, we can design organic thin films with optimized properties.
Principal Efficacy: Implications for Rural "Grow Your Own" Leadership Programs.

Although "grow your own" principal preparation programs have become a popular method for recruiting and selecting administrator candidates for hard to fill positions in both urban and rural schools, “grow your own” prinicpal candidates in rural contexts may be more vulnerable to the phenomenon of loss of self-efficacy. This study suggests that conditions related to candidate recruitment, social isolation, changing relationships with former colleagues, and lack of mentoring support can negatively affect aspiring principals’ beliefs and ultimately actions in leading rural schools. This study examines the loss of self-efficacy phenomenon, and suggests how university /school district partnerships might work to develop effective recruitment, support, and mentoring practices for rural 'grow your own' candidates.
A Parametric Study on Performance Improvement of a Tapered Slot Antenna

There are many medical applications that require antennas having high field penetration depth and a low profile. However, low profile/miniaturized antennas usually resonate at high frequencies, resulting in low penetration depths. Several studies have proposed the use of antennas with a coupling liquid for lowering the operating frequency of miniaturized antennas. However, immersing the antenna into a coupling liquid has some inherent drawbacks. In this work a parametric study has been carried out on a miniaturized tapered-slot antenna to improve its performance while eliminating the need of a coupling liquid. A dual-exponentially tapered antipodal slot antenna is proposed, which can provide a directional radiation pattern while also being compact.
Need for Completion Thyroidectomy in Patients Undergoing Lobectomy for Indeterminate and High-Risk Nodules: Impact of Intra-Operative Findings and Final Pathology.

Current guidelines increasingly suggest the use of thyroid lobectomy for indeterminate (Bethesda 3 and 4) and high-risk (Bethesda 5 and 6) thyroid nodules; however, the clinical reality is often very different. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of completion thyroidectomy (CTx) for indeterminate and high-risk thyroid nodules which are pre-operatively classified as suitable for unilateral resection (lobe eligible) based on current guidelines. Seven hundred consecutive patients with thyroid nodules and FNA cytology over four years (2015–2018) were reviewed. Distribution of the dominant nodules by Bethesda was: non-diagnostic 3.9%, benign 28.1%, atypia of unknown significance 19.0%, follicular neoplasm 23.6%, suspicious for malignancy 6.1% and malignancy 19.3%. Of 298 indeterminate nodules, 68.8% (205/298) had relative but independent indications for a total thyroidectomy (TTx) and the remainder were candidates for lobectomy. For these lobe eligible patients, the overall risk of ultimately needing a TTx was 19.4% (18/93), comprising 4.3% (4/93) from intra-operative findings and 15.7% (14/89) from final pathology. Similarly, of 170 high-risk nodules, 63.5% (108/170) had upfront indications for a TTx and the remaining 62 nodules were lobe eligible. Of the patients taken to the operating room for a lobectomy, 21.0% (13/62) were upgraded to a TTx intra-operatively and 26.5% (13/49) post-operatively. The lobe success rate for indeterminate nodules was 25.2% and for high-risk nodules was 21.2%. The rate of CTx, or the proportion of patients needing a second operation was 15.7% (14/89) and 26.5% (13/49), respectively. In counselling a patient for surgery, the risk of needing a more radical initial procedure or second surgery needs to be accurately explained. There are three points of care that can influence operative strategy, pre-operatively by way of high-risk clinical factors, intra-operatively via anatomical findings and post-operatively in response to unrecognized pathological features. Additionally, the patient’s personal value judgment and level of risk aversion should be taken into consideration.
Focus on the role of forests and soils in meeting climate change mitigation goals: summary

It is clear that reducing greenhouse gas emissions alone are insufficient to avoid large global temperature increases. It is also clear that to avoid atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases that result in dangerous alterations of the climate, large reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion and land use changes must be accompanied by an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide sequestration. Natural Climate Solutions have become a major focus of climate policy. Land and ocean ecosystems remove and store atmospheric carbon, and forests play a major role. This focus collection includes papers that address three important aspects of the role for forests in meeting climate change mitigation goals: (i) Carbon Accounting of forest sinks and reservoirs, process emissions and carbon storage in forest products, (ii) the carbon dioxide dynamics of using Forest Bioenergy and (iii) the carbon cycle of Tropical Forests.
Linear Prediction and the Lattice Structure

Chapter 2 presented a derivation of the normal equations from the standpoint of minimizing the mean square prediction error. However, in that chapter no specific method was presented for solving the normal equation (2.3.5) $$R_{NN} W_N^ * = p_N $$ (2.3.5) for the desired linear prediction filter w N * . The only topic of interest then was the nonsingularity of the autocorrelation matrix R NN . If R NN is nonsingular, then the inverse R-1 NN is nonsingular, then the inverse R NN -1 exists, and the theoretical solution is given by $$ w_{N}^{*} = R_{{NNPN}}^{{ - 1}}. $$ (2.3.6)
Tariffs, Race, and Voting: A District-Level Analysis of the Trump Effect on the Republican Vote Share

In 2018, tax cuts coupled with foreign trade sanctions raised concerns on economic insecurity and voter disenfranchisement in America’s dominantly red heartland. President Trump’s campaign rhetoric also negatively characterized the Latinx population, a group tied to agricultural labor. Our research analyzes economic insecurity and identity politics as connected to vote share changes at the state and local levels between the 2016 and 2018 elections. Using identity theory, we posit that perceived threats, either economically or racially, will impact vote share. We find little evidence of a tax/tariff effect on changes in Republican vote share. However, race and ethnicity tied to Hispanic income gains or White-Black inequality in education impacted Republican vote share. We interpret these results as support for the argument that group-positional grievances motivated White voting behavior. All told, we find support for arguments that group-based grievances and perceived threats continued to motivate Republican support in the 2018 election.
Direct and Compensatory Parental Responses to Peer Victimization

Scientific evidence for effective parental responses to peer victimization (PRPV) is sorely lacking. In this conceptual article, we first consider direct parental efforts to reduce peer victimizati...
Optimal Task Allocation for Time-Varying Edge Computing Systems with Split DNNs

Many modern applications rely on complex machine learning algorithms, such as Deep Neural Networks (DNNs), to analyze images. However, both mobile and edge computing strategies may fail to provide satisfactory performance in some parameter regions. To mitigate this issue, the research community recently proposed methods to split the execution of DNNs to optimize the balance between computing load allocation and channel usage. Building on this set of results, this paper presents an optimization framework that enables the dynamic control of how images are processed in mobile device-edge server systems. The system is modeled as a Markov process, and a Linear Fractional Program is defined to identify the optimal stationary state-action distribution minimizing the overall average inference time under a constraint on the number of discarded images. Results indicate the advantage of using a dynamic control strategy with respect to available fixed strategies.
STratification risk analysis in OPerative management (STOP score) for drug-induced endocarditis.

Background The opioid epidemic has seen a drastic increase in the incidence of drug-associated infective endocarditis (IE). No clinical tool exists to predict operative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing surgery. Methods A multi-institutional database was reviewed between 2011 and 2018. Multivariate logistic regression was fitted in an automated stepwise fashion. The STratification risk analysis in OPerative management of drug-associated IE (STOP) score was constructed. Morbidity was defined as reintubation, prolonged ventilation, pneumonia, renal failure, dialysis, stroke, reoperation for bleeding, and a permanent pacemaker. Cross-validation provided an unbiased estimate of out-of-sample performance. Results A total of 1181 patients underwent surgery for drug-associated IE (median age, 39; interquartile range [IQR], 30-54, 386 women [32.7%], 341 reoperations for prosthetic valve endocarditis [28.9%], 316 patients with multivalve disease [26.8%]). Operative morbidity and mortality were 41.1% and 5.9%, respectively. Predictors of morbidity were dialysis (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-2.82), emergent intervention (1.83-4.73), multivalve procedure (1.01-1.98), causative organisms other than Streptococcus (1.09-2.02), and type of valve procedure performed [aortic valve procedure (1.07-2.15), mitral valve replacement (1.03-2.05), tricuspid valve replacement (1.21-2.60)]. Predictors of mortality were dialysis (1.29-5.74), active endocarditis (1.32-83), lung disease (1.25-5.43), emergent intervention (1.69-6.60), prosthetic valve endocarditis (1.24-3.69), aortic valve procedure (1.49-5.92) and multivalve disease (1.00-2.95). Variables maximizing explanatory power were translated into a scoring system. Each point increased odds of morbidity and mortality by 22.0% and 22.4% with an accuracy of 94.0% and 94.1%, respectively. Conclusion Drug-related IE is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. An easily-applied risk stratification score may aid in clinical decision-making.
Studying Sex Differences in Rodent Models of Addictive Behavior

Animal models of addictive behaviors are useful for uncovering neural mechanisms involved in the development of dependence and for identifying risk factors for drug abuse. One such risk factor is biological sex, which strongly moderates drug self-administration behavior in rodents. Female rodents are more likely to acquire drug self-administration behaviors, consume higher amounts of drug, and reinstate drug-seeking behavior more readily. Despite this female vulnerability, preclinical addiction research has largely been done in male animals. The study of sex differences in rodent models of addictive behavior is increasing, however, as more investigators are choosing to include both male and female animals in experiments. This commentary is meant to serve as an introductory guide for preclinical investigators new to the study of sex differences in addiction. We provide an overview of self-administration models, a broad view of female versus male self-administration behaviors, and suggestions for study design and implementation. Inclusion of female subjects in preclinical addiction research is timely, as problem drug and alcohol use in women is increasing. With proper attention, design, and analysis, the study of sex differences in addiction has the potential to uncover novel neural mechanisms and lead to greater translational success for addiction research. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Antihypertensive Medications Prior to Shock Onset Do Not Impact Initial Vasopressor Requirements in Patients With Shock.

Purpose: The effect of the use of antihypertensive agents in patients prior to the development of shock is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of antihypertensive agents ...
Early Radiation-Induced Secretion of Gastrin-Releasing Peptide (GRP) Mediates Late Pulmonary Fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a devastating disease affecting >105 Americans, can have environmental, autoimmune, or idiopathic causes. In lung, pulmonary neuroendocrine cells secrete GRP in response to...
Computer-aided manufacturing

From the Publisher: This book presents an in-depth introduction to CIM and flexible or programmable manufacturing systems, from product design to manufacturing control. Industrial Engineering Second Edition presents the scientific foundations for understanding the issues and technologies of modern CAM and related design and system planning activities. The book covers the major topics of CAM and CAD, from introductory to advanced while considering manufacturing hardware and software, manufacturing systems and devices, automation, flexible automation, and computers in manufacturing. It presents an integrated view of engineering so that readers may gain a complete view of product design and development. The second edition of Industrial Engineering has been revised to include expanded coverage of Computer Aided Design, Tooling and Fixturing, Programmable Logic Controllers, and Concurrent Engineering; while coverage of AI in Manufacturing and CAPP Systems has been deleted. A valuable resource for any professional who needs to stay ahead of the latest issues and technology related to computer-aided design and manufacturing.
Increased frequency of rhabdomyolysis in familial dysautonomia.

Introduction:Familial dysautonomia (FD; OMIM # 223900) is an autosomal recessive disease with features of impaired pain and temperature perception and lack of functional muscle spindles. After 3 FD patients presented with rhabdomyolysis in a short time span, we aimed to determine the frequency of rhabdomyolysis is this population. Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review of 665 FD patients. Results: Eight patients had at least 1 episode of rhabdomyolysis. Two patients had 2 episodes. The average incidence of rhabdomyolysis in FD was 7.5 per 10,000 person-years. By comparison, the average incidence with statins has been reported to be 0.44 per 10,000 person-years. Mean maximum creatine kinase (CK) level was 32,714 ± 64,749 U/L. Three patients had hip magnetic resonance imaging showing gluteal hyperintensities. Conclusions: Patients with FD have an increased incidence of rhabdomyolysis. We hypothesize that this may result from a combination of absent functional muscle spindles and muscle mitochondrial abnormalities. Muscle Nerve, 2015
Curriculum Mapping: Bringing Evidence-Based Frameworks to Legal Education

This article explains the concept of curriculum mapping as used in the education profession and explains how it was applied in a mapping initiative at the NSU Law Center. Curriculum mapping is a process by which education professionals “document their own curriculum, then share and examine each other’s curriculums for gaps, overlaps, redundancies and new learning, creating a coherent, consistent, curriculum within and across areas that is ultimately aligned to standards and responsive to student data and other initiatives.” While this process has been used for many years in other areas of education, it is fairly new to legal education. This article explains the concepts, puts them into the context of other reforms currently happening in legal education, and through documenting our own experiences, gives a step-by-step primer on how to bring this useful tool to any law school to make evidence-based changes to a law school curriculum.
Application of OIM to studies of Cu(In,Ga)Se/sub 2/ thin films

Previous work by the author has shown the feasibility of orientation imaging microscopy (OIM) in the microstructural study of Cu(In,Ga)Se/sub 2/ thin-films (CIGS). OIM is an automated electron backscatter diffraction technique which is nondestructive and can be used to quickly and easily determine the grain size and structure of a material. The current work compares grain size measurements made with transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM, SEM) as compared to OIM. Misorientation data for a polycrystalline CIGS sample is also demonstrated.