cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploration of a Method To Assess Children’s Understandings of a Phenomenon after Viewing a Demonstration Show

Chemical demonstration shows are a popular form of informal science education (ISE), employed by schools, museums, and other institutions in order to improve the public’s understanding of science. Just as teachers employ formative and summative assessments in the science classroom to evaluate the impacts of their efforts, it is important to assess learning outcomes in ISE settings. However, assessment in ISE, which necessarily takes place outside of a classroom, presents unique challenges. Designing assessment forces the researcher to find a balance between a rigorous assessment that will yield insightful results while avoiding any measures that might violate the free-choice, leisure atmosphere of ISE activities and risk alienation of participants. This research explored a potential method for evaluating the effects of a demonstration show on audience understanding of a chemical concept. Two formats for presenting demonstration shows, the traditional format and the Fusion Science Theater format, were comp...
Archaeology in the Age of Supercomputing

As a discipline, archaeology is poised to fully embrace both the power and the peril of big data analysis. Our datasets are growing ever larger, especially those generated via remote sensing and geospatial processing activities, as is the computational complexity of algorithms designed to exploit them. Analyses are quickly outpacing what can be done using a single processing core on a desktop computer, leveraging off-the-shelf commercial and open source software. Our research needs are becoming increasingly sophisticated, to the point where relying wholly on outside experts in computer science and related fields is untenable. While the above statements could be viewed primarily as challenges, it is better to think of them as opportunities for archaeology to grow technologically and retain more ownership of our hardest problems. High performance computing, i.e., supercomputing, is already having an impact on the field, but we are moving into an era that promises to put the power of the world’s largest and fastest computers at archaeologists’ fingertips. What does the state of the art look like? How could we use the coming power? What lines of inquiry and analysis could we pursue once long-standing technical limitations have been removed? This chapter will focus on the present and the future of archaeological high performance computing, using several ongoing projects across a broad swath of the discipline as examples of where we are now and signposts for where we are heading.
It’s all about balance: propensity score matching in the context of complex survey data

Many research studies aim to draw causal inferences using data from large, nationally representative survey samples, and many of these studies use propensity score matching to make those causal inferences as rigorous as possible given the non-experimental nature of the data. However, very few applied studies are careful about incorporating the survey design with the propensity score analysis, which may mean that the results do not generate population inferences. This may be because few methodological studies examine how to best combine these methods. Furthermore, even fewer of them investigate different non-response mechanisms. This study examines methods for handling survey weights in propensity score matching analyses of survey data under different non-response mechanisms. Our main conclusions are: (i) whether the survey weights are incorporated in the estimation of the propensity score does not impact estimation of the population treatment effect, as long as good population treated-comparison balance is achieved on confounders, (ii) survey weights must be used in the outcome analysis, and (iii) the transferring of survey weights (i.e., assigning the weights of the treated units to the comparison units matched to them) can be beneficial under certain non-response mechanisms.
Struggles for medical legitimacy among women experiencing sexual pain: A qualitative study

Given the prominent role of medical institutions in defining what is “healthy” and “normal,” many women turn to medicine when experiencing pain during intercourse (dyspareunia). The medical encounter can become a contest between patients and providers when physicians do not grant legitimacy to patients’ claims of illness. Drawing on interviews conducted from 2007 to 2008 and 2011 to 2012 with 32 women experiencing dyspareunia (ages 18–60 years) and living in New York City and its surrounding areas, this study examined women’s and their physicians’ claims regarding bodily expertise, particularly women’s perceptions of physician invalidation, their understanding of this invalidation as gendered, and the consequences for women’s pursuit of medicalization. Women overwhelmingly sought a medical diagnosis for their dyspareunia, in which they believed that providers would relieve uncertainty about its origin, give treatment alternatives, and permit them to avoid sexual activity. When providers did not gi...
Accounting for Marketable Securities

This note provides an overview of intercorporate investments, including passive investments (marketable securities), investments that result in significant influence, and investments that result in control. Then, the accounting for marketable equity and debt securities is described in detail. Excerpt UVA-C-2280 Rev. June 30, 2009 ACCOUNTING FOR MARKETABLE SECURITIES Managers invest in securities of other companies for a variety of reasons. First, a company may have cash it would like to invest in the stocks or bonds of another company simply to generate a return. Second, a company may invest in another company so that it can influence that company's policies and performance. Third, a company may invest in another company to obtain control of that company. From a financial reporting perspective, these diverse reasons result in three broad investment categories: (1) passive investments, (2) investments that result in significant influence, and (3) investments that result in control. Passive Investments Passive investments are investments in securities of another company simply for the purpose of earning a rate of return. They can include investments in debt and equity securities. All debt securities (e.g., bonds) are considered passive investments—they generally do not result in the investing company having any significant influence or control of the company whose securities it has purchased. Although there are exceptions, investments in equity securities (e.g., stocks) are considered passive investments if the investing company owns less than 20% of the outstanding voting shares of the investee. Note that since preferred stock is typically nonvoting stock, it is usually considered a passive investment. . . .
‘As One Does’: Understanding Heidegger's Account of das Man

Abstract: Heidegger describes Dasein as subject to a constant pressure to bring its intentional performances into agreement with those of its peers and thence with a generic description of ‘what one [das Man] does’, called Dasein's conformism. I argue that extant accounts of this pressure, which appeal to the essential social embeddedness of intentional performance, fail to account for both the scope and modal force of the demand to act as one does. I propose that we can better understand the role of das Man in Heidegger's account of intentional agency by exploiting a structural similarity between ‘Dasein’ and the familiar notion of epistemic capacity, or a power of knowledge. The result is an account that locates the source of das Man's authority not in our social nature but in our shared aspiration to ontological understanding.
Large-Scale Identification of Wolbachia pipientis Effectors

Wolbachia pipientis is an intracellular symbiont of arthropods well known for the reproductive manipulations induced in the host and, more recently, for the ability of Wolbachia to block virus replication in insect vectors. Since Wolbachia cannot yet be genetically manipulated, and due to the constraints imposed when working with an intracellular symbiont, little is known about mechanisms used by Wolbachia for host interaction. Here we employed a bioinformatics pipeline and identified 163 candidate effectors, potentially secreted by Wolbachia into the host cell. A total of 84 of these candidates were then subjected to a screen of growth defects induced in yeast upon heterologous expression which identified 14 top candidates likely secreted by Wolbachia. These predicted secreted effectors may function in concert as we find that their native expression is correlated and is highly upregulated at specific time points during Drosophila development. In addition, the evolutionary histories of some of these predicted effectors are also correlated, suggesting they may function together, or in the same pathway, during host infection. Similarly, most of these predicted effectors are limited to one or two Wolbachia strains-perhaps reflecting shared evolutionary history and strain specific functions in host manipulation. Identification of these Wolbachia candidate effectors is the first step in dissecting the mechanisms of symbiont-host interaction in this important system.
The Temptation of the Material in Jean Lorrain’s Fairy Tales: ‘La Princesse sous verre’ and ‘La Princesse Neigefleur’

ABSTRACTThe glass coffin, a central motif in ‘La Princesse Neigefleur’ and ‘La Princesse sous Verre,’ underpins the relationship of Lorrain’s decadent fairy tales to their sources in Perrault and Grimm. This magical element is reserved for the female object of desire in Snow White and Sleeping-Beauty type tales, models which the decadent author emulates. Lorrain’s stories, however, develop in the ellipses of the well-known narratives. His elaboration on the texts amplifies them without propelling them forward, investing them instead with a wealth of material detail. The glass coffin becomes an ornate reliquary serving as mise en abyme for the fairy tale genre. The author encases his sources in another text, which appeals to the decadent sensibility through decoration, materiality, and idiosyncratic imagery. Constituting Lorrain’s original contribution to the genre, this renders the fairy tale a ‘matter pool’ showcasing the porosity of the literary text to its material subjects.
Biocompatibility and the Relationship to Standards: Meaning and Scope of Biomaterials Testing

This chapter presents biocompatibility (safety) evaluation of biomaterials, medical devices, and prostheses in the context of current standards and guidelines. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview for the biological response evaluation, that is, biocompatibility evaluation, of end-stage ‘as-used’ medical devices, prostheses, and biomaterials. The chapter contains eight sections: biocompatibility; materials for medical devices; in vitro tests for biocompatibility; in vivo tests for biocompatibility; inflammation, wound healing, and the foreign body reaction; hemocompatibility; immune responses; and summary. It must be emphasized that standards, tests, and guidelines are constantly evolving and changing, and it can be anticipated that new information will provide new perspectives on immune response evaluation in the areas of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Introduction to topology

The first thing we must do is firmly put down any notion you may have that we’re about to start making maps. The only thing topology and topography have in common is their derivation from the Greek τoπoσ, or space. Topology is a relatively new field of mathematics and is related to geometry. In both of these subjects one studies the shape of things. In geometry, one characterizes, for example, a can of pineapple by its height, radius, surface area, and volume. In topology, one tries to identify the more subtle property that makes it impossible to get the pineapple out of the tin, no matter what shape it is battered into, as long as one does not puncture the can.
Quasiharmonic Analysis of the Energy Landscapes of Dihydrofolate Reductase from Piezophiles and Mesophiles

A quasiharmonic analysis (QHA) method is used to compare the potential energy landscapes of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) from a piezophile (pressure-loving organism), Moritella profunda (Mp), and a mesophile, Escherichia coli (Ec). The QHA method considers atomic fluctuations of the protein as motions of an atom in a local effective potential created by neighboring atoms and quantitates it in terms of effective force constants, isothermal compressibilities, and thermal expansivities. The analysis indicates that the underlying potential energy surface of MpDHFR is inherently softer than that of EcDHFR. In addition, on picosecond time scales, the energy surfaces become more similar under the growth conditions of Mp and Ec. On these time scales, DHFR behaves as expected; namely, increasing temperature makes the effective energy minimum less steep because thermal fluctuations increase the available volume, whereas increasing pressure steepens it because compression reduces the available volume. Our longer s...
Flow patterns in the Chukchi Sea based on an ocean reanalysis, June through October 1979–2014

Abstract The oceanography of the Arctic is changing, with the potential to restructure the function and production of its ecosystems. The physical oceanographic conditions that have occurred on the Chukchi Sea shelf during June through October of the years 1979–2014 were investigated using the ORAS4 ocean reanalysis product. Time series of vertically integrated temperatures (especially during September and October) indicate greater warming in the first half of the 36-year record. This change in the long-term temperature trend may be in part due to trends in the mean currents, which in Herald Canyon and off the coast of Northwest Alaska tended to be slightly less poleward after 2000. A k-means cluster analysis of monthly mean sea surface height anomaly distributions was used to describe five distinct patterns of flow. Two of the five patterns (clusters 2 and 4) relate to the strength of the Alaskan Coastal Current (ACC). Another pair of patterns (clusters 3 and 5) had their strongest expressions in the northwest Chukchi Sea and relate to periods of weak southeastward versus strong northwestward flow in this region associated with the presence or absence of the Siberian Coastal Current. The fifth pattern (cluster 1) was defined by weak southeastward flow anomalies in the western Chukchi and a slightly suppressed ACC relative to the mean in the eastern Chukchi Sea. The composite sea surface height anomaly patterns of the five cluster types correspond closely with the mean sea level pressure anomaly distributions during the months constituting each cluster type. Our findings for the Chukchi Sea region provide a long-term context for previous field observations and may be useful for interpretation of past ecosystem variations.
Handbook of Probability and Statistics with Tables

(1971). Handbook of Probability and Statistics with Tables. Journal of Quality Technology: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 42-42.
20 GHz Continuum and SiS Maser Emission from IRC+10216

We are monitoring the SiS (1–0) maser line at 18.19 GHz from the late-type carbon star IRC+10216 (CW Leo) over the infrared light cycle (644 days) using the OVRO 40-m radio telescope and a supercooled K-band maser receiver. We have also searched for, discovered, and are monitoring continuum emission at 20 GHz from the star using the same telescope system. The detection of the SiS maser lines in IRC+10216 (Grashoff et al. 1981) is the first evidence of maser activity in any carbon-rich stellar envelope and the interpretation of the masers is important in understanding the physics and chemistry of the circumstellar shell.
The Llanos de Mojos

The Llanos de Mojos (hereafter Mojos) is a tropical savanna in the Bolivian Amazon, shaped by cycles of drought and flood and the labor of generations of farmers. The accounts of Jesuit missionaries from the mid 1600s described large villages with powerful chiefs and influential shamans in the savanna. Was this true? And what kind of economy would have supported these societies? The answers first became apparent in the 1950s with the spread of air travel that revealed artificial earthworks, including agricultural fields, causeways and canals on the landscape below. Recent archaeological research confirms that Mojos was one of several areas within the Amazon basin that had large sedentary populations.Mojos is a research frontier where scant archaeological investigation has been con-ducted compared to, say, Syria or the Yucatan Peninsula, whose areas are similar. Mojos is a fascinating test case to understand relationships between politics and economics in the Amazon basin over the long term. Because of its location between the Xingu, middle Amazon and Andes, Mojos is also relevant to discussions of cultural history and the movement of groups of people across the continent. Finally, study of the region’s land-scapes shows how pre-Columbian peoples acted on their understanding of the relationship between nature and culture to build their environment. This chapter reviews the physical and human geography of Mojos, describes previous archaeological research, and then dis-cusses political and social organization, analyses of interregional contacts, and the creation of anthropogenic landscapes.
Impact of chemotherapy on survival in locally advanced and metastatic soft tissue sarcoma.

e23536Background: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are challenging to treat given their various primary sites, grades, histologies and distinct behaviors which have driven clinicians to identify subgroup...
This is Not a Game: Massive Simulation Experiments on Entrepreneurial Gender Bias

We propose that using simulation experiments with random assignment of players to roles presents a useful way to test and expand organization theory and elucidate the interplay between micro-processes and macro phenomena. In this paper, we discuss the advantages of using these simulations to conduct organizational experiments at scale and illustrate the usefulness of these experiments by looking at theorized causes of entrepreneurial gender bias using The Startup Game, a role-playing simulation of capital raising in Silicon Valley. In this game, we randomly assigned 27,082 players in 259 organizations to founder and investor roles involving fictional companies. We thereby generated multiple “worlds” with different features, which enabled us to look at how player role assignment influenced organizational outcomes. We found that assigning identical startups to female (vs. male) founders systematically resulted in 11 percent lower valuations from investors. We looked at variation across game runs using data from multi-founder teams to understand why. We found that assigning one percent more female players to the investor role resulted in lowering the gender gap in startup funding by 272 percent. These results suggest that equalizing the investor pool potentially holds the key to reducing entrepreneurial gender bias. We discuss the implications of our findings for the value of using simulated experiences to design more equitable organizations and markets.
One-hit wonder: Late after burn injury, granulocytes can clear one bacterial infection but cannot control a subsequent infection

Abstract Objective Burn injury induces an acute hyperactive immune response followed by a chronic immune dysregulation that leaves those afflicted susceptible to multiple secondary infections. Many murine models are able to recapitulate the acute immune response to burn injury, yet few models are able to recapitulate long-term immune suppression and thus chronic susceptibility to bacterial infections seen in burn patients. This has hindered the field, making evaluation of the mechanisms responsible for these susceptibilities difficult to study. Herein we describe a novel mouse model of burn injury that promotes chronic immune suppression allowing for susceptibility to primary and secondary infections and thus allows for the evaluation of associated mechanisms. Methods C57Bl/6 mice receiving a full-thickness contact burn were infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa 14 days (primary infection) and/or 17 days (secondary infection) after burn or sham injury. The survival, pulmonary and systemic bacterial load as well as frequency and function of innate immune cells (neutrophils and macrophages) were evaluated. Results Following secondary infection, burn mice were less effective in clearance of bacteria compared to sham injured or burn mice following a primary infection. Following secondary infection both neutrophils and macrophages recruited to the airways exhibited reduced production of anti-bacterial reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and the pro-inflammatory cytokineIL-12 while macrophages demonstrated increased expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 compared to those from sham burned mice and/or burn mice receiving a primary infection. In addition the BALF from these mice contained significantly higher level so of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4 compared to those from sham burned mice and/or burn mice receiving a primary infection. Conclusions Burn-mediated protection from infection is transient, with a secondary infection inducing immune protection to collapse. Repeated infection leads to increased neutrophil and macrophage numbers in the lungs late after burn injury, with diminished innate immune cell function and an increased anti-inflammatory cytokine environment.
Capitalizing on the Mott transition in vanadium dioxide for ultrafast modulators (Conference Presentation)

It is two decades since the first reports that the insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) in vanadium dioxide (VO2) occurred on an ultrafast time scale, followed by growing interest in the potential use of this strongly correlated oxide in a variety of switching schemes. At first glance, VO2 would seem to be ideally suited to a variety of applications in electro-optics and all optical switching: The IMT occurs on a sub-picosecond time scale; it is fully reversible and has a large dielectric contrast at wavelengths in the near- to mid-infrared; and the material itself is fully compatible with many optical and electronic materials of interest. However, there are also well-known difficulties, chief among them the fact that the IMT, if fully completed, is accompanied by a structural phase transition (SPT) that requires nanoseconds to return from the rutile, metallic state to the monoclinic insulating ground state – thus essentially limiting switching speeds to time scales similar to those in amorphous-to-crystalline transitions in chalcogenide glasses. Here we discuss the ways in which the very considerable advantages of VO2 as a modulating or threshold switch can be amplified by deploying it appropriately in silicon photonic modulators, switchable metasurfaces, plasmonic heterostructures, and two-dimensional materials that can support phonon polariton optics. We focus particularly on ways of tailoring the physical properties of the VO2 component of a system to meet the requirements of operating in particular wavelength regions, meeting specific threshold requirements and choosing electrical or optical initiation of the IMT.
Thermomechanical Flow Rates of Liquid Helium II Through Channels of Large Hydraulic Diameter

Thermomechanical forces (known since the early discovery of superfluidity in the forties [1–4] have recently been utilized in flow control equipment [5,6]. In these applications two classes of thermomechanical flow devices may be distinguished: First, near-ideal superleaks with small hydraulic diameters D h , and second, nonideal devices (superfilters) with large D h . The first class of device permits large static thermomechanical pressure differences ΔP close to the ideal London value ΔP ideal = ρSΔT. In contrast, the absolute mass flow rate is small. Further, viscous forces of normal fluid prevent its backflow as desired for vortex refrigeration [7]. The second class of device no longer permits negligible heat rejection rates and the static pressure differences become quite small. Considerable mass flow rate, however, appears to be possible along with a rapid transfer of liquid [8]. This property may not only be of interest in mass control devices, but also for emergency cooling of cryoelectro-equipment.
The economic practices of US congregations: A review of current research and future opportunities:

Religious congregations in the US receive substantially more philanthropic contributions than any other category of organizations, yet little research has investigated how congregations receive, ma...
Comparison of the 5637 human urothelial cancer cell line with a second-generation 5637 cell line for cancer therapy

2711 Objective: Obtaining stable preclinical animal models with 5637, an invasive human urothelial cancer cell line, is difficult. The purpose of this study was to examine a regenerated 5637 cell line and evaluate the possible development of human urothelial cancer models with the cell line in nude mice. Materials and methods: The 5637 cell line, which is derived from muscle-invasive human urothelial cancer, was purchased from the ATCC (Manassas, VA), and a total of 25 athymic 5-6 week old female nude mice (Harlan) were employed. To generate a second-generation 5637 cell line, 1x107 5637 parental cells were inoculated subcutaneously in nude mice. Ten days after implantation, the tumors were harvested. Tumor tissue was cut and minced and then cultured in the medium. We usd the regenerated 5637 cell line to evaluate biologic agents (enzastaurin, dasatinib), chemotherapy (cisplatin, gemcitabine) and gene therapy (Ad5F35TK/GCV) in vitro, and in subcutaneous xenogaft and orthotopic murine models. The orthotopic model was established with 5 to 6 week-old female athymic nude mice that were anesthetized and a 24-gauge angiocatheter was inserted into the bladder through the urethra. One hundred microliter of 0.25% trypsin in 0.02% EDTA was infused and retained in the bladder for 30 min. The bladder was then recatheterized and rinsed with phosphate-buffered saline. A 100 l cell suspension containing 1x107 generated 5637 cell mixed with matrigel (1:1) were instilled into the bladder. The urethra was ligated with a clip for 1 hr. All animals were euthanized after 4-6 weeks and tumors were removed for histology analysis. Results: All of the agents evaluated induced apoptosis and inhibited proliferation in parental as well as generated 5637 cell lines in vitro. Subcutaneous xenograft tumors established with generated 5637 cells grew in a larger proportion of animals compared to parental 5637 cells. Orthotopic 5637 tumors were also established in a high proportion of animals in the bladder with the generated 5637 cells, while our earlier attempts at establishing an orthotopic model with parental 5637 cells were unsuccessful. Conclusion: A second-generation invasive bladder cancer 5637 cell-line derived from xenograft tumors provides a robust preclinical system for the evaluation of a variety of therapeutic agents.
Evaluation of Online Consumer Health Information for Idiopathic Scoliosis Identified by a Google Search

Introduction. This study sought to assess the quality of online consumerhealth information about idiopathic scoliosis. Previous studiesshowed that quality of online health information varies and oftenlacks adherence to expert recommendations and guidelines. Nevertheless,72% of internet users seek health information online. A 2005analysis of online scoliosis information found that the informationwas limited and of poor quality. Methods. Two reviewers vetted the top 10 websites resulting from aGoogleTM search for “scoliosis.” Content was organized into categoriesand rated by three physician evaluators using a 1 - 5 scale basedon quality, accuracy, completeness of information, readability, andwillingness to recommend. Additional information, such as numberof ads and Flesch-Kinkaid reading level, also was collected. Results. The average overall physician score was 47.6 (75 possible).All websites included content that was mostly accurate but varied incompleteness. Physicians unanimously recommended Mayo Clinic,MedicineNet, and Kids Health; none recommended the GoogleTMKnowledge Graph. The Scoliosis Research Society website reachedthe highest overall physician score. Readability ranged from 7th gradeto college level; only that of Kids Health was below 10th grade level. Conclusions. Most essential information provided by the websiteswas accurate and generally well rated by physicians. Website rankingby physicians was inconsistent with the ranking order by GoogleTM,indicating that health seekers reviewing the top GoogleTM-rankedwebsites may not be viewing the websites rated highest by physicians.Physicians should consider patient literacy in website recommendations,as many have an above average literacy level.Kans J Med 2018;11(4):95-101.
Vortex flows of moist air with non-equilibrium and homogeneous condensation

A small-disturbance model is presented for the complex dynamics of vortex flows of moist air in a straight, circular pipe with non-equilibrium and homogeneous condensation. The model explores the nonlinear interactions among the vortex near-critical swirl ratio and the small amount of water vapour in the air. The condensation rate is calculated according to classical nucleation and droplet growth models. The asymptotic analysis gives the similarity parameters that govern the flow problem. These are the flow inlet swirl ratio . Also, the flow field may be described by an ordinary first-order nonlinear differential equation for the flow evolution coupled with a set of four first-order ordinary differential equations along the pipe for the calculation of the condensate mass fraction. An iterative numerical scheme which combines the Runge–Kutta integration technique for the flow dynamics with Simpson’s integration rule for the calculation of the condensation variables is developed. Specifically, equilibrium states are determined, including the possibility of the appearance of multiple states under the same boundary conditions, and the stability characteristics of these states are described. The model is used to study the effects of humidity and of energy supply from nanoscale condensation processes on the large-scale dynamics of vortex flows as well as the effect of flow swirl on condensation processes in swirling flows.
Functional connectivity in the prefrontal cortex during a simple versus an emotional Go/No-Go task: an fNIRS study

Prefrontal connectivity was investigated during a Go/No-Go task in 42 subjects. The left-hemispheric connectivity is present in the emotional, but not the simple task. Left hemisphere has a critical role in processing emotional response inhibition.
Dopamine and Early Retinal Dysfunction in Diabetes: Insights From a Phase 1 Study.

Diabetes is a rapidly growing chronic disease worldwide, and one of its common complications, diabetic retinopathy (DR), is a leading cause of blindness in middle-aged people (1). Classically, DR has been identified by its microvascular phenotype on fundus examination in the eye clinic, which includes microaneurysms, retinal nerve-fiber layer infarcts, intraretinal hemorrhages, retinal exudation, and abnormal blood vessel growth (2). However, insights from the ever-growing body of literature on this blinding retinal disease have shown that DR effects the entire neurovascular unit that encompasses the intimate relationships between the neurons, glia, and vasculature of the retina (2). To this end, studies have demonstrated retinal dysfunction and alterations in retinal structure prior to the detection of the above described vascular abnormalities (3–6). Furthermore, by time the microvascular complications of DR are apparent, impairment in visual function and vision loss is typically already present (7). Therefore, being able to reliably detect retinal deficits prior to observable vascular changes may identify a window where interventions can be administered to slow or halt DR and prevent irreversible visual loss. The electroretinogram (ERG) measures the electrical activity of the retina in response to a light stimulus. ERGs require trained personnel, dilation of the pupils, placement of electrodes on the cornea, and patient cooperation to limit eye movements, limiting its practicality as a screening test in retinal disorders. The ERG response that is recorded has many different components. Oscillatory potentials (OPs) are one of …
A placebo design to detect spillovers from an education–entertainment experiment in Uganda

Education–entertainment refers to dramatizations designed to convey information and to change attitudes. Buoyed by observational studies suggesting that education–entertainment strongly influences beliefs, attitudes and behaviours, scholars have recently assessed education–entertainment by using rigorous experimental designs in field settings. Studies conducted in developing countries have repeatedly shown the effectiveness of radio and film dramatizations on outcomes ranging from health to group conflict. One important gap in the literature is estimation of social spillover effects from those exposed to the dramatizations to others in the audience members’ social network. In theory, the social diffusion of media effects could greatly amplify their policy impact. The current study uses a novel placebo‐controlled design that gauges both the direct effects of the treatment on audience members as well as the indirect effects of the treatment on others in their family and in the community. We implement this design in two large cluster‐randomized experiments set in rural Uganda using video dramatizations on the topics of violence against women, teacher absenteeism and abortion stigma. We find several instances of sizable and highly significant direct effects on the attitudes of audience members, but we find little evidence that these effects diffused to others in the villages where the videos were aired.
Abstract PR01: Factors associated with dual use of electronic cigarettes among adult American Indians who smoke: A Cherokee Nation cohort study

Significance: American Indians (AI) have a higher prevalence of smoking, higher prevalence of electronic cigarette (EC) use, and higher cancer mortality than most other racial groups, particularly in Oklahoma. However, AI are rarely included in studies of EC use among smokers. As many individuals who smoke also use ECs to reduce harms from cigarettes, understanding correlates of using both products by AI merits greater attention. Methods: In Oklahoma in 2016, 375 AI who smoke and were ages 18 years and older completed a survey collecting demographic information, personal and family history of cancer, perceptions of EC harm and benefits, measures of smoking and dependence, other tobacco use, and EC use by spouse or partner. We defined dual users as using EC within 30 days and every day or some days (n = 44; 12%) and compared dual users to EC never users (n = 137; 37%). Results: Dual users were younger than never users (median 36 vs. 46 years, respectively; p = .01) but did not differ significantly by sex, education, or income. Dual users did not differ significantly from never users in self-reported general health status, personal history of cancer, or other smoking-related medical conditions. Dual users more often reported history of depression (56% vs. 29%; p Conclusions: EC use is a potential, albeit unproven, harm reduction strategy for people who smoke. The American Cancer Society strongly discourages dual use of EC and cigarettes. This exploratory study of AI found several significant associations with dual EC and cigarette use, but cigarette consumption was similar between groups. It remains to be determined whether ECs will have a role in smoking cessation or reducing cancer health disparities among AI. This abstract is also being presented as Poster A004. Citation Format: Dorothy A. Rhoades, Ashley L. Comiford, Justin D. Dvorak, Kai Ding, Leslie Driskill, Michelle Hopkins, Theodore L. Wagener, Paul Spicer, Mark P. Doescher. Factors associated with dual use of electronic cigarettes among adult American Indians who smoke: A Cherokee Nation cohort study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr PR01.
KCC2 Chloride Transport Contributes to the Termination of Ictal Epileptiform Activity.

Recurrent seizures intensely activate GABAA receptors (GABAA-Rs), which induces transient neuronal chloride ([Cl–]i) elevations and depolarizing GABA responses that contribute to the failure of inhibition that engenders further seizures and anticonvulsant resistance. The K+-Cl– cotransporter KCC2 is responsible for Cl– extrusion and restoration of [Cl–]i equilibrium (ECl) after synaptic activity, but at the cost of increased extracellular potassium which may retard K+-Cl– extrusion, depolarize neurons, and potentiate seizures. Thus, KCC2 may either diminish or facilitate seizure activity, and both proconvulsant and anticonvulsant effects of KCC2 inhibition have been reported. It is now necessary to identify the loci of these divergent responses by assaying both the electrographic effects and the ionic effects of KCC2 manipulation. We therefore determined the net effects of KCC2 transport activity on cytoplasmic chloride elevation and Cl– extrusion rates during spontaneous recurrent ictal-like epileptiform discharges (ILDs) in organotypic hippocampal slices in vitro, as well as the correlation between ionic and electrographic effects. We found that the KCC2 antagonist VU0463271 reduced Cl– extrusion rates, increased ictal [Cl–]i elevation, increased ILD duration, and induced status epilepticus (SE). In contrast, the putative KCC2 upregulator CLP257 improved chloride homeostasis and reduced the duration and frequency of ILDs in a concentration-dependent manner. Our results demonstrate that measuring both the ionic and electrographic effects of KCC2 transport clarify the impact of KCC2 modulation in specific models of epileptiform activity. Anticonvulsant effects predominate when KCC2-mediated chloride transport rather than potassium buffering is the rate-limiting step in restoring ECl and the efficacy of GABAergic inhibition during recurrent ILDs. Significance Statement In an in vitro preparation that generates spontaneous ictal-like epileptiform discharges (ILDs), we measured the effects of acute KCC2 modulation on both neuronal chloride and ILD activity. We demonstrate that inhibiting KCC2 enhances ictal elevations in [Cl–]i, reduces extrusion and prolongs ILDs. Enhancing KCC2 activity reduces ictal [Cl–]i elevations and ILD duration. These findings regarding the role of KCC2 on baseline chloride, chloride elevations during ILD activity, Cl– extrusion rates and ILD activity resolve conflicting reports in the literature, provide a coherent understanding of the role KCC2 activity in chloride homeostasis during ILDs, and support the feasibility of developing KCC2 modulators into sorely-needed anticonvulsant medications.
Characterization of drainage basin hypsometry: A generalized approach

Abstract The elevation-area relationship within drainage basins has a strong bearing on manifold biophysical processes. The understanding of erosional and hydrodynamical processes also benefits from quantitative characterization of elevation distribution or basin hypsometry. This study presents a comprehensive review of quantitative approaches to hypsometric analysis, ranging from simple indices to functional formulations (for example, Strahler). Detailed analyses of the goodness-of-fit reveal that the current suite of metrics is deficient when tested over a large number drainage basins (in this study, Congo, Narmada, and Yukon River basins), especially in the head and the toe sections of the hypsometric curve. A new three-parameter formulation is introduced in this study and tested over a large set of drainages (n = 419). We find that this form adapts well to diverse elevational profiles. Application areas, such as large-scale analyses of drainage basin similarity and snowmelt modeling, use hypsometric parameterization and stand to benefit from the new functional characterization discussed here. Efficient estimation of hypsometric curves based on the new formulation also paves the way towards computational research at whole-earth scales utilizing large datasets involving millions of drainages.
Multivalent state transitions regulate the intratumoral composition of small cell lung carcinoma.

e20587Background: Small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is an aggressive, tobacco-associated tumor with neuroendocrine features characterized by rapid growth, metastatic progression, and initial respons...
Type IV competence pili in Streptococcus pneumoniae are highly dynamic structures that retract to promote DNA uptake

SUMMARY The competence pili of transformable Gram-positive species form a subset of the diverse and widespread class of extracellular filamentous organelles known as type IV pili (T4P). In Gram-negative bacteria, T4P act through dynamic cycles of extension and retraction to carry out diverse activities including attachment, motility, protein secretion, and DNA uptake. It remains unclear whether T4P in Gram-positive species exhibit this same dynamic activity, and their mechanism of action for DNA uptake remains unclear. They are hypothesized to either (1) passively form transient cavities in the cell wall to facilitate DNA passage, (2) act as static adhesins to enrich DNA near the cell surface for subsequent uptake by membrane-embedded transporters, or (3) play an active role in translocating bound DNA via their dynamic activity. Here, using a recently described pilus labeling approach, we demonstrate that pneumococcal competence pili are highly dynamic structures that rapidly extend and retract from the cell surface. By labeling ComGC with bulky adducts, we further demonstrate that pilus retraction is essential for natural transformation. Together, our results indicate that Gram-positive type IV competence pili are dynamic and retractile structures that play an active role in DNA uptake. Short summary Competent pneumococci kill non-competent cells on contact. Retractable DNA-binding fibers in the class of type IV pili may provide a key tool for retrieving DNA segments from cell wreckage for internalization and recombination.
Recorded Stress Histories in Railroad Bridges

Repeated application of stress resulting from locomotives and cars crossing a bridge may cause certain members of the bridge to become a fatigue subject. However, recorded stresses in railroad bridges conducted since 1940 by the Association of American Railroads have shown that only a small percentage of the actual stresses are near the maximum. Also, there are certain factors which tend to favor the bridge in terms of fatigue whereby the actual stresses are less than calculated. Whether or not a stress cycle is completed depends upon the relationship between the axle spacing and the span length. Continuing careful and close inspection is necessary at those locations where fatigue cracks might develop.
Recent Temperature Trends: Are they Reinforced by Insolation Shifts?

The geographic and seasonal pattern of current (1945–1986) zonal mean surface temperature trends has qualitative features in common with ongoing insolation changes caused by perturbations of the earth’s orbit. Temperature and insolation increased in the low latitudes and decreased in the high ones, and showed relative decreases in autumn (SON) as opposed to spring (MAM). The magnitude of the insolation change over the last several decades is too small to have caused the observed temperature trends, which are probably due to internal oscillations of the climate system. However, it is possible that the regional climate trends were amplified when in phase with the ongoing insolation changes and suppressed when out of phase.
The Constitutional Jurisprudence of Justice Kennedy on Federalism and Separation of Powers

As the swing vote on the current Court, Justice Kennedy’s views on the doctrine of federalism and separation of powers are often critical. This article discusses Justice Kennedy’s views on these issues against the backdrop of the Court’s general federalism and separation of powers jurisprudence. In each case, Justice Kennedy has rejected the approach of the conservative and liberal ideological extremes on the Court, and has instead forged a pragmatic, practical approach to separation of powers and federalism doctrines. As the critical fifth vote in a number of these cases, Justice Kennedy has kept the Court in a balanced, centrist approach on these issues.
Leaders as Catalysts for Organizational Change: How Popular Press Business BooksAddress this Topic

This study investigates differences among means of 110 randomly selected popular press business books (b-books) from a population of 1,200, written by multiple authors, mixed-gender coauthors, male vis-a-vis female authors, and b-books published between 1954 and 2006. Leadership and change were the two dependent variables measured by examining the depth of each in the index of each b-book. Five null-hypotheses were tested, with a .05 level of confidence. None of the means tested differed statistically. Furthermore, there was enough consistency in the advice b-book authors gave to their readers that it emerged as a theme: leaders are the catalysts of organizational change. The “Leadership Change Model” demonstrates this theme.
Cognitively plausible heuristics to tackle the computational complexity of abductive reasoning

Abduction is a ubiquitous reasoning task in human problem solving. Its ubiquity is somewhat in contradiction with its computational complexity which has been shown to be in general NP. The fact that humans perform abductive reasoning tasks in a "reasonable" time and within the limits of their cognitive architecture led us to hypothesize the existence of computational heuristics used in order to tackle abductive complexity. In this work we identify and study 2 types of such heuristics. First, working from protocols gathered from expert blood bankers performing the abductive task of alloantibody identification, we compare the conclusion of the protocol analysis to the results of the formal computational complexity analysis of abduction. This comparison yields interesting explanations of cognitive phenomena based on a computational theory argument. We then analyze the role a particular type of knowledge called Essentials can have in reaching an acceptable abductive explanation. For each of these heuristics we implement a computational model and discuss its theoretical and cognitive aspects. We also discuss the relevancy of using computational complexity arguments as a tool to explain human behavior and to generate hypotheses in cognitive science research. Finally the present work is related to previous work and future extensions are proposed.
Psychological Dysfunction in Southeast Asian Refugees as Mediated by Sense of Coherence

Investigated Antonovky's (1979, 1987) construct of sense of coherence (i.e., an individual's belief that the world was comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful) as the internal psychological mechanism mediating the effects of external stressors (generalized resistance deficits) and resources on psychological dysfunction (measured by depression, anxiety, and psychosocial dysfunction) in 2,234 Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Hmong, and Chinese-Vietnamese refugees. Generalized resistance and deficits significantly predicted sense of coherence as well as psychological dysfunction. The amount of variance accounted for increased significantly when the mediating effect of sense of coherence was tested using a path analysis. Sense of coherence significantly reduced the predictive power of generalized resistance and deficits in the psychological dysfunction models. Results support the hypothesized mediating role of sense of coherence. Thus, interventions aiming to enhance Southeast Asian refugees' functioning may gain in effectiveness by targeting and promoting their sense of coherence.