cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Morbidity and mortality of the Hartmann procedure for diverticular disease over 18 years in a single institution.

Aim Hartmann’s procedure for perforated diverticulitis is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. This study analyses factors associated with morbidity/mortality and possible changes over time. Method Patients treated by urgent Hartmann’s procedure for perforated diverticulitis between 1992 and 2010 were studied, and information was collected on age, sex, perioperative details, 30-day morbidity and mortality recorded in an institutional review board approved database supplemented by chart review. Patients were divided into four groups based on the year of surgery. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors associated with morbidity and mortality. Results In all, 199 patients (51% female, mean age 65 years, mean body mass index 28 kg/m2) were identified. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score was 4 in 30% of patients and Hinchey Stage IV in 16%. The mean length of stay was 12.5 ± 10 days. Mortality was 15% and did not change significantly over time. Overall morbidity was 52% and significantly increased over time on univariate analysis (P = 0.007) but not on multivariate analysis (P = 0.11). Independent predictors of morbidity on multivariate analysis were Hinchey IV (P 3 (P = 0.01), abnormal creatinine (P = 0.007), steroid use (P = 0.007), Hinchey IV (P = 0.032), low albumin (P < 0.001) and low body mass index (P = 0.001). Conclusion Mortality after Hartmann’s procedure for perforated diverticulitis has not decreased during the last 18 years. Morbidity has actually increased over time although this is related to increased disease severity and comorbidity. Future efforts should focus on the identification of patient subgroups benefiting from earlier elective surgery and alternative surgical approaches when perforated diverticulitis does occur.
Carbon monoxide poisoning and frontal lobe pathology: Two case reports and a discussion of the literature

Two patients, a brother and a sister, experienced carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning simultaneously. Both showed deficits in frontal lobe/executive functioning along with mild disturbances in memory and visual-spatial information processing. A review of the literature indicates that frontal lobe deficits are commonly found following CO poisoning along with the 'better-known' deficits in memory and visual-spatial information processing. This type of deficit can affect the personality of the CO-exposed individual and lead to enduring changes in his or her ability to plan, organize and manage activities of daily living.
Intersubband Transitions in Lattice-Matched AlInN/GaN Heterostructures

Intersubband transitions in lattice-matched AlInN/GaN heterostructures grown by molecular-beam epitaxy were studied with infrared absorption, photocurrent and resonant tunneling measurements. Strong near-infrared absorption was observed at room temperature in the technologically relevant 2.1-2.9 µm. The results show the potential of lattice-matched nitrides for near- and far-infrared intersubband devices such as lasers and detectors.
The impact of new technology on general aviation: global positioning system receivers, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the small aircraft pilot

This research sought a method to predict the outcome of new technology introduction into general aviation. The emerging technology selected for this study is a handheld global positioning system (GPS) receiver with integrated moving map. The predictive methodology included benchtesting the new technology and shadowing professional pilots (n=5) flying in day, night, and all weather conditions for five months. The post-technology introduction activities of pilots were collected by NASA-Ames in the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) database, the predictive methodology produced a total of twenty predicted incidents. When compared with pilot narratives (n=138), 75% are supported in sufficient detail by real world incidents. The results indicate that the applied methodology does produce a significant number of predictors of incidents/errors after new technology introduction.
Modeling channel-floodplain co - Evolution in sand-bed streams

The importance of including floodplain effects in one-dimensional river channel hydraulic computations is well known. However, in morphodynamic modeling, these are often partially ignored by using a single effective discharge to drive bed elevation changes. This neglects changes in channel capacity (and thus effective discharge) caused by deposition on or erosion from either the channel bed or the floodplain. This paper presents a model for reach-averaged channel bed and bank top elevation evolution that specifically accounts for changes in channel depth over time. The model considers two grain sizes: one for sand, which interacts primarily with the bed, and one for mud, which interacts only with the floodplain. The model also describes the evolution of the proportion sand and mud in the floodplain deposits. Sediment transport and floodplain deposition are driven by a simple gradually varied flow solution. Erosion from the floodplain is represented as a net loss associated with channel migration. Because overbank deposition is strongly affected by flow, effective floodplain deposition and in-channel sediment transport are obtained by integrating results from an entire flow duration curve. In the absence of bed elevation changes, the channel and floodplain co-evolve toward a stable bankfull geometry where overbank deposition just equals floodplain erosion.
Efficacy and safety of amiodarone in patients with atrial fibrillation in the era of target-specific anticoagulants.

In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), loss of organized atrial contraction and accelerated ventricular rate can have both immediate and long-term adverse consequences, including deterioration of hemodynamics, progressive atrial and ventricular dysfunction, and an ongoing risk of ischemic stroke
An implementation of a simple neuron model in field programmable analog arrays

A minimal neuron model, the Morris-Lecar model, is implemented on field programmable analog arrays (FPAAs). Our approach is to solve the differential equation describing the model in a similar way a computer solves the same problem: numerically integrate the differential equation by making arithmetic operations on voltage mode circuits of the FPAAs. The results demonstrate that biologically relevant dynamics can be observed from the electronic neuron despite limitations on the configurability of the FPAAs. Such models can be run accurately in real-time or many orders of magnitude faster than real-time. FPAAs are feasible candidates for implementation of neuron models using off-the-shelf software-reconfigurable analog circuit elements.
Effects of Dietary Energy Substitutions on Reproductive Performance, Feed Efficiency, and Lipogenic Enzyme Activity on Large White Turkey Hens

Abstract A 16-week trial was conducted with Large White turkey hens to ascertain the effect of deleting dietary carbohydrate calories on reproduction, lipogenic enzyme, and liver metabolite concentrations. Thirty percent of the carbohydrate calories (ground corn) were removed and isocalorically substituted with additional fat, 1,3-butanediol, or glycerol so that effects could not be attributed solely to deleting carbohydrates. Additional fat increased efficiency of feed utilization. Additional fat also decreased the activities of isocitrate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme, and fatty acid synthetase. Likewise, additional fat increased the liver lactate, malate, and oxaloacetate concentrations but decreased liver lipid. The addition of butanediol increased efficiency of feed utilization but increased embryonic mortality and decreased malic enzyme and fatty acid synthetase activities. Glycerol appeared to be metabolized similarily to carbohydrate and to promote liver lipid synthesis. Additional fat increased the protein/DNA ratio in the liver and decreased liver lipid.
Global Team Boundary Complexity: A Social Network Perspective

In this paper we propose and develop a "global team boundary complexity" construct based on coordination and complexity theories, to quantify the complexity of the global collaboration environment, from a coordination perspective. The construct contains four formative components: the number of boundary types spanned by the team, the actual number of boundaries spanned, the extent to which boundaries align, and the team member dispersion across these boundaries. We argue that each of these components increases the number of information cues the team needs to process to coordinate the task. We operationalize this measure using social network analysis methods, thus providing a nuanced approach to the study of global team coordination.
Pattern proliferation in teleological behaviorism

Rachlin's teleological behaviorist account shows promise for extending our behavioral understanding of many aspects of self-control, particularly when self-control involves controlling behavior through larger behavioral patterns. However, it may face special challenges in dealing with instances of self-control that involve pattern breaking.
Assessments for Use With Mid-Career Changers

Comprehensive models of the mid-career change process are described and critiqued. Career process inventories highlighting psychological resources and barriers identified in the models are discussed for use with voluntary and involuntary career changers.
Coplanar Waveguide, a Surface Strip Transmission Line Suitable for Nonreciprocal Gyromagnetic Device Applications

A coplanar waveguide consists of a strip of thin metallic film on the surface of a dielectric slab with two ground electrodes running adjacent and parallel to the strip. This novel transmission line readily lends itself to nonreciprocal magnetic device applications because of the built-in circularly polarized magnetic vector at the air-dielectric boundary between the conductors. Practical applications of the coplanar waveguide have been experimentally demonstrated by measurements on resonant isolators and differential phase shifters fabricated on low-loss dielectric substrates with high dielectric constants. Calculations have been made for the characteristic impedance, phase velocity, and ripper bound of attenuation of a transmission line whose electrodes are all on one side of a dielectric substrate. These calculations are in good agreement with preliminary experimental results. The coplanar configuration of the transmission system not only permits easy shunt connection of external elements in hybrid integrated circuits, but also adapts well to the fabrication of monolithic integrated systems. Low-loss dielectric substrates with high dielectric constants may be employed to reduce the longitudinal dimension of the integrated circuits because the characteristic impedance of the coplanar waveguide is relatively independent of the substrate thickness; this may be of vital importance for Iow-frequency integrated microwave systems.
Parkin-mediated mitophagy in mutant hAPP neurons and Alzheimer's disease patient brains

Accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria is one of the hallmarks in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mitophagy, a selective autophagy for eliminating damaged mitochondria, constitutes a key cellular pathway in mitochondrial quality control. Recent studies established that acute depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) using Δψm dissipation reagents in vitro induces Parkin-mediated mitophagy in many non-neuronal cell types or neuronal cell lines. However, neuronal pathways inducing mitophagy, particularly under pathophysiological relevant context in AD mouse models and patient brains, are largely unknown. Here, we reveal, for the first time, that Parkin-mediated mitophagy is robustly induced in mutant hAPP neurons and AD patient brains. In the absence of Δψm dissipation reagents, hAPP neurons exhibit increased recruitment of cytosolic Parkin to depolarized mitochondria. Under AD-linked pathophysiological conditions, Parkin translocation predominantly occurs in the somatodendritic regions; such distribution is associated with reduced anterograde and increased retrograde transport of axonal mitochondria. Enhanced mitophagy was further confirmed in AD patient brains, accompanied with depletion of cytosolic Parkin over disease progression. Thus, aberrant accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria in AD-affected neurons is likely attributable to inadequate mitophagy capacity in eliminating increased numbers of damaged mitochondria. Altogether, our study provides the first line of evidence that AD-linked chronic mitochondrial stress under in vitro and in vivo pathophysiological conditions effectively triggers Parkin-dependent mitophagy, thus establishing a foundation for further investigations into cellular pathways in regulating mitophagy to ameliorate mitochondrial pathology in AD.
Laboratory-Based Experimental and Demonstration Initiatives in Teaching Undergraduate Economics

Economics is characterized by well-developed predictive theories of human behavior. A wide variety of empirical tests of models based on those theories have been developed, as well as extensive and reliable data bases to test the theories. Thus, one can experiment with and simulate economic behavior. For these reasons, the conventional lecture-discussion format may be the least effective way to teach economics. Rather, the most effective teaching method may be as a laboratory science. We report here on two efforts to adapt economic instruction to a laboratory format. The purpose of adapting the lecture-laboratory format to economics is to permit a more active learning environment in which students can be meaningfully engaged by the material, with other students, and with the instructor. We report on two recent efforts to convert economics to a true, experimental, laboratory social science. The first, beginning in 1988, is a demonstration project conducted at Denison University for majors in economics. The second, beginning in 1993, is a true experiment conducted at Washington State University for all students taking introductory microand macroeconomics. I. The Demonstration Project for Economics Majors at Denison University
Rates of Evolution in Developmental Processes

The tempo and mode of morphological evolution are influenced by several factors, among which evolutionary transformations in developmental processes are likely to be important. Comparing the embryos of extant species in an explicit phylogenetic fram work allows the estimation of minimum average rates of evolution in quantitative developmental parameters. It also allows delineation of the maximum time that complex qualitative transformations in developmental mechanism take to evolve. This paper analyzes rates of quantitative and qualitative developmental evolution using examples drawn primarily from echinoderms. The results demonstrate that rates of developmental evolution can be comparable to rates of morphological evolution. There is no indication that rates of evolution in development are lower for earlier stages, contrary to the prediction of “tree” models of epigenetic interactions. In particular, rates of evolution in oogenesis can exceed rates of evolution in adult body size. Rates of developmental evolution can vary by up to two orders of magnitude within a clade. Whether such large scale variation in evolutionary rates of developmental processes is a general phenomenon can only be answered by further study.
Prediction of Chlorophyll a Concentrations in Florida Lakes: the Importance of Phosphorus and Nitrogen

ABSTRACT: Models for the prediction of chlorophyll a concentrations were developed and tested using data on 223 Florida lakes. A statistical analysis showed that the best model was log (Chl a) =−2.49 + 0.269 log (TP) + 1.06 log (TN) or log (Chl a) =−2.49 + 1.06 log (TN/TP) + 1.33 log (TP) where Chl a is the chlorophyll a concentration (mg m-3), TP is the total phosphorus concentration (mg m-3) and TN is the total nitrogen concentration (mg m-3). The model yields unbiased estimates of chlorophyll a concentrations over a wide range of lake types and has a 95 percent confidence interval of 29–319 percent of the calculated chlorophyll a concentrations. Other models, especially the published Dillon-Rigler and Jones-Bachmann phosphorus-chlorophyll models, are less precise when applied to Florida lakes. The data support the hypothesis that nitrogen is an important limiting nutrient in hypereutrophic lakes.
Evapotranspiration and water use efficiency in a Chesapeake Bay wetland under carbon dioxide enrichment

Wetlands evapotranspire more water than other ecosystems, including agricultural, forest and grassland ecosystems. However, the effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration (Ca) on wetland evapotranspiration (ET) are largely unknown. Here, we present data on 12 years of measurements of ET, net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE), and ecosystem water use efficiency (EWUE, i.e. NEE/ET) at 13:00‐15:00 hours in July and August for a Scirpus olneyi (C3 sedge) community and a Spartina patens (C4 grass) community exposed to ambient and elevated (ambient 1340lmolmol � 1 ) Ca in a Chesapeake Bay wetland. Although a decrease in stomatal conductance at elevated Ca in the S. olneyi community was counteracted by an increase in leaf area index (LAI) to some extend, ETwas still reduced by 19% on average over 12 years. In the S. patens community, LAI was not affected by elevated Ca and the reduction of ETwas 34%, larger than in the S. olneyi community. For both communities, the relative reduction in ET by elevated Ca was directly proportional to precipitation due to a larger reduction in stomatal conductance in the control plants as precipitation decreased. NEE was stimulated about 36% at elevated Ca in the S. olneyi community but was not significantly affected by elevated Ca in S. patens community. A negative correlation between salinity and precipitation observed in the field indicated that precipitation affected ET through altered salinity and interacted with growth Ca. This proposed mechanism was supported by a greenhouse study that showed a greater Ca effect on ET in controlled low salinity conditions compared with high salinity. In spite of the differences between the two communities in their responses to elevated Ca, EWUE was increased about 83% by elevated Ca in both the S. olneyi and S. patens communities. These findings suggest that rising Ca could have significant impacts on the hydrologic cycles of coastal wetlands.
Common peroneal nerve palsy after lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty is now being used more commonly to treat single compartment disease of knee, with very encouraging results. We report on a rare case of common peroneal nerve palsy; 8 years after lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. This palsy was caused by pressure on the common peroneal nerve, due to posterior migration of tibial component.
An adaptive local–global multiscale finite volume element method for two-phase flow simulations

Multiscale solution methods are currently under active investigation for the simulation of subsurface flow in heterogeneous formations. These procedures capture the effects of fine scale permeability variations through the calculation of specialized coarse scale basis functions. Most of the multiscale techniques presented to date employ localization approximations in the calculation of these basis functions. For some highly correlated (e.g., channelized) formations, however, global effects are important and these may need to be incorporated into the multiscale basis functions. This can be accomplished using global fine scale simulations, but this may be computationally expensive. In this paper an adaptive local-global technique, originally developed within the context of upscaling, is applied for the computation of multiscale basis functions. The procedure enables the efficient incorporation of approximate global information, determined via coarse scale simulations, into the multiscale basis functions. The resulting procedure is formulated as a finite volume element method and is applied for a number of single and two-phase flow simulations of channelized two-dimensional systems. Both conforming and nonconforming procedures are considered. The level of accuracy of the resulting method is shown to be consistently higher than that of the standard finite volume element multiscale technique based on localized basis functions determined using linear pressure boundary conditions.
Novel 3D handheld camera based on triaperture lens

The paper presents a novel 3-D hand-held camera to get the depth information from a single snap shot. Traditionally, a stereo system needs two cameras to reconstruct the 3-D shape. We propose a technique which can be applied to the commercial digital signal camera, and make the 2D camera be able to capture 3D information. The proposed 3-D hand-held camera contains three major components: a flash, a commercial camera, and a tri-aperture lens. The flash projects the speckle pattern onto the object and the camera captures a single snap shot at the same time. In order to embed the 3-D information in one captured image, we use a novel lens containing three off-axis apertures, where each aperture was attached one color filter. Therefore, a captured image carries the information from three different viewing directions. A hierarchical pseudo sub-pixel correlation algorithm is proposed to compute the disparity vectors at a fast speed. It is an adaptive block-based correlation process based on the sparse array of the extracted features. The experimental results show that our approach is robust and convincing.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A machine condition transfer function approach to run-to-run and machine-to-machine reproducibility of III-V compound semiconductor molecular beam epitaxial growth

A concept of machine condition transfer function (MCTF) based on the use of in-situ sensor response to intrinsic surface property of the material is proposed to meet the challenge of run-to-run and machine-to-machine reproducibility of optimized growth conditions for III-V compound semiconductor molecular beam epitaxical growth. The variation in the intensity of the specular beam in reflection high-energy electron diffraction from compound semiconductor surface, measured as a function of the temperature and anion pressure prior to growth, is used as the intrinsic surface property for the generation of MCTF's. The mathematical methodology for realizing MCTF's, including the sensor response surface reconstruction and optimal minimization in combination with a composite statistical design for initial estimation, is presented. Numerical evaluation of the developed methodology shows its promise in practice.
The Fall 2012 National Surveys on Energy and Environment Findings Report for Belief-Related Questions

As 2013 began, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) identified 2012 as the warmest year on record in the United States, with national temperatures exceeding three degrees above the 20th century average. Along with the nation’s record levels of warmth during 2012 came notable weather and climate events, including severe drought conditions throughout large regions and the historic devastation of Super-Storm Sandy in the Northeast. As Americans experienced the heat and extreme weather conditions of 2012, an increasing number of citizens indicated that they believed global warming was occurring and that they held this view because of the weather-related phenomena they were experiencing. These are among the key findings of the Fall 2012 versions of the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) from the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and the Institute of Public Opinion at Muhlenberg College. These surveys included a total of 917 interviews in the period before Super-Storm Sandy struck in late October (early Fall iteration) and 998 interviews conducted after the storm’s arrival (late Fall iteration). This is the first time the NSEE has been run twice during the same season in order to capture possible effects from meteorological phenomena on public perceptions regarding global warming.
Watt Watcher: Fine-Grained Power Estimation for Emerging Workloads

Extensive research has focused on estimating power to guide advances in power management schemes, thermal hot spots, and voltage noise. However, simulated power models are slow and struggle with deep software stacks, while direct measurements are typically coarse-grained. This paper introduces Watt Watcher, a multicore power measurement framework that offers fine-grained functional unit breakdowns. Watt Watcher operates by passing event counts and a hardware descriptor file into configurable back-end power models based on McPAT. Researchers and vendors can add other processors to our tool by mapping to the Watt Watcher interface. We show that Watt Watcher, when calibrated, has a MAPE (mean absolute percentage error) of 2.67% aggregated over all benchmarks when compared to measured power consumption on SPEC CPU 2006 and multithreaded PARSEC benchmarks across three different machines of various form factors and manufacturing processes. We present two use cases showing how Watt Watcher can derive insights that are difficult to obtain through other measurement infrastructures. Additionally, we illustrate how Watt Watcher can be used to provide insights into challenging big data and cloud workloads on a server CPU. Through the use of Watt Watcher, it is possible to obtain a detailed power breakdown on real hardware without vendor proprietary models or hardware instrumentation.
A study of lipoprotein lipase produced by perfusion of isolated rabbit heart with heparin.

SummaryWith a perfused, isolated rabbit heart LPL activity appeared in the perfusion solution of bicarbonate buffer in the presence of 5 mg % heparin and 5 to 10% serum. However, under the same conditions, LPL did not appear with phosphate buffer. The LPL produced was inhibited by protamine sulfate, CaCl2 and NaCl. Optimum pH of enzymatic activity was at pH 8.2, and 80% of the activity was lost by heating at 50°C for 2 min and 70°C for 30 sec. After perfusion, LPL activity in the heart disappeared. Total activity appearing in the circulating solution was nearly equal to total activity of heart tissue which was extractable with ammonium buffer solution.
The DQ and DQΦ electronic structure diabatization methods: Validation for general applications

We recently proposed the dipole-quadrupole (DQ) method for transforming adiabatic electronic states to diabatic states by using matrix elements of the dipole and quadrupole operators, and we applied the method to 3-state diabatizations of LiH and phenol. Here we extend the method to also include the electrostatic potential, and we call the resulting method the DQΦ method, which denotes the dipole–quadrupole–electrostatic-potential diabatization method. The electrostatic potential provides extra flexibility, and the goal of the present work is to test and illustrate the robustness of the methods for producing diabatic potential energy curves that tend to the adiabatic curves away from crossings and avoided crossings and are smooth in regions of crossings and avoided crossings. We illustrate the generality of the methods by an application to LiH with four states and by two-state diabatizations of HCl, (H2)2, O3, and the reaction Li + HF → LiF + H. We find that—if enough states are included—the DQ method does not have a significant dependence on the parameter weighting the quadrupole moment, and a geometry-independent value of 10 a0−2 is adequate in all cases tested. We also find that the addition of the electrostatic potential improves the diabatic potentials in some cases and provides an additional property useful for increasing the generality of the method for diabatization.
Cholesterol absorption and metabolism.

Inhibitors of cholesterol absorption have been sought for decades as a means to treat and prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) associated with hypercholesterolemia. Ezetimibe is the one clear success story in this regard, and other compounds with similar efficacy continue to be sought. In the last decade, the laboratory mouse, with all its genetic power, has become the premier experimental model for discovering the mechanisms underlying cholesterol absorption and has become a critical tool for preclinical testing of potential pharmaceutical entities. This chapter briefly reviews the history of cholesterol absorption research and the various gene candidates that have come under consideration as drug targets. The most common and versatile method of measuring cholesterol absorption is described in detail along with important considerations when interpreting results, and an alternative method is also presented. In recent years, reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) has become an area of intense new interest for drug discovery since this process is now considered another key to reducing CVD risk. The ultimate measure of RCT is sterol excretion and a detailed description is given for measuring neutral and acidic fecal sterols and interpreting the results.
Building a Better Psychological Science of Gender: Reflections on Theory, Research, and Action

In this volume, we bring together a number of prominent and emerging feminist scholars to consider the ways in which psychology addresses gender, especially as it moves beyond a simple consideration of gender differences. Springing from work done by a Society for the Psychology of Women (SPW, APA Division 35) Task Force appointed by Stephanie Shields, these chapters represent our best thinking about empirical and theoretical approaches in feminist psychological research, the state of our subdisciplines with regard to gender, and reflections on the challenges and joys of doing feminist research and action in the real world. Throughout these chapters, authors consider the role of power, the intersectionality of identities, and offer recommendations for best practices for people wanting to do feminist psychological research and for finding avenues and audiences both within psychology and more broadly to give that research away in the service of a more equitable society.
Anthropogenic CO2 accumulation and uptake rates in the Pacific Ocean based on changes in the 13C/12C of dissolved inorganic carbon

The anthropogenic CO2 accumulation rate for the Pacific Ocean was estimated from the decrease in δ13C of the dissolved inorganic carbon measured on six World Ocean Circulation Experiment cruises during the 1990s and repeated during Climate Variability and Predictability in the 2000s. A mean depth-integrated anthropogenic δ13C change of −83 ± 20‰ m decade−1 was estimated for the basin by using the multiple linear regression approach. The largest anthropogenic δ13C decreases occurred between 40°S and 60°S, whereas the smallest decreases occurred in the Southern Ocean and subpolar North Pacific. A mean anthropogenic CO2 accumulation rate of 0.41 ± 0.13 mol C m−2 yr−1 (0.82 ± 0.26 Pg C yr−1) was determined based on observed δ13C changes and is in agreement with previous observation- and model-based estimates. The mean dissolved inorganic carbon DIC13 inventory change of −178 ± 43‰ mol m−2 decade−1 was primarily the result of air-sea CO2 exchange acting on the measured air-sea δ13C disequilibrium of ~ −1.2 ± 0.1‰. Regional differences between the DIC13 inventory change and air-sea 13CO2 flux yielded net anthropogenic CO2 uptake rates (independent of ΔpCO2) that ranged from ~0 to 1 mol m−2 yr−1 and basin-wide mean of 1.2 ± 1.5 Pg C yr−1. High rates of surface ocean DIC increase and δ13C decrease observed in the Drake Passage (53°S–60°S) support above average anthropogenic CO2 accumulation since 2005. Observed δ13C changes in the Pacific Ocean indicate that ocean transport significantly impacted the anthropogenic CO2 distribution and illustrate the utility of δ13C as a tracer to unravel the processes controlling the present and future accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 in the ocean.
Abstract 305: Role of Endothelin-1 Signaling in Osteogenic Differentiation and Matrix Calcification of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Vascular calcification (VC), the “hardening” of blood vessels and valves, is prevalent in patients with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Although often asymptomatic at early stages, patients with VC have increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. It is presently unknown whether diabetes is causative and what regulatory molecules and pathways are critical for initiation and progression of this complication. In a diabetic VC mouse model recently examined in our laboratory, vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were found to be the major contributing cell source, with increased susceptibility to osteochondrogenic differentiation and calcification under hyperglycemia. Endothelin-1 (ET1) was high in diabetic mouse sera and cartilaginous areas of diabetic blood vessels, correlating with an increase in its type A receptor (ETA), osteochondrogenic transcription factor Runx2, and receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE). Importantly, blocking the biological activity of ETA with its antagonists effectively inhibited matrix calcification of SMCs in culture associated with high glucose at levels of hyperglycemia. Addition of the ETA antagonists, atrasentan and BQ-123, to SMC cultures resulted in an inhibition of SMC calcification up to 71%, whereas ETB antagonism with BQ-788 resulted in only a slight reduction (~20%). Additionally, SMCs treated with atrasentan expressed higher mRNA levels of myocardin, a master transcription factor co-activator of SMCs, and lower expression levels of Runx2, suggesting a preservation of SMC phenotype in their original fate decision through ETA antagonism. Further exploration of ET1-ETA signaling through addition of ET1 to SMCs cultures showed a dose-dependent increase in SMC calcification, occurring only in high glucose cultures. Finally, blocking RAGE signaling with a neutralizing antibody reduced not only high glucose-accelerated SMC calcification but also the calcification enhanced by exogenous ET1. Taken together, our results showed a correlation of ET1-ETA with diabetic vascular osteochondrogenesis and its critical role in high glucose-associated SMC calcification. A possible interplay between the ET1-ETA and RAGE pathways is currently under investigation.
Elementary School-University Partnership: The Elementary Parent Leadership Academy

School-family-community partnerships have been shown to increase student success and overall school climate. In order to support local schools and their students and families, The University of Alabama created the Elementary Parent Leadership Academy (EPLA), a training program that prepares elementary school parent leaders to strengthen school communities through supporting parent involvement. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the 2014-2015 EPLA graduates found that the program increased parent school leadership attitudes and behaviors.
Abnormal research and development investments and stock returns

Abstract We investigate the relation between abnormal research and development (R&D) investments change and expected stock returns. We provide evidence that firms that abnormally increase their R&D investments ( RDI ) earn higher returns in comparison to the market portfolio. Specifically, our findings document an economically significant annual positive abnormal RDI returns that ranges from 3.2% to 11.5%. These findings are robust to well-established risk factors in the literature and suggest that the abnormal increases in RDI impacts stock returns.
Controlled Lagrangian Particle Tracking: Error Growth Under Feedback Control

The method of Lagrangian particle tracking (LPT) is extended to autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that are modeled as controlled particles. Controlled LPT (CLPT) evaluates the performance of ocean models used for the navigation of AUVs by computing the differences between predicted vehicle trajectories and actual vehicle trajectories. Such difference, measured by the controlled Lagrangian prediction error (CLPE), demonstrates growth rate that is influenced by the accuracy of the ocean model and the strength of the feedback control laws used for vehicle navigation. Despite the limited accuracy and resolution of the ocean model, the error growth can be bounded by feedback control when localization service is available, which is a unique property of CLPT. Theoretical relationship among CLPE growth rate, quality of ocean models, and feedback control are established for two control strategies: a transect-following controller and a station-keeping controller that are often used by AUVs. Upper bounds for error growth are derived and verified by both simulation and experimental data collected during the operations of underwater gliders in coastal ocean.
Contralateral Breast Cancer Risk in Women with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ: Is it High Enough to Justify Bilateral Mastectomy?

Women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are increasingly choosing bilateral mastectomy. We sought to quantify rates of contralateral breast cancer (CBC) and ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for DCIS, and to compare risk factors for CBC and IBTR. From 1978 to 2011, DCIS patients undergoing BCS with a contralateral breast at risk were identified from a prospectively maintained database. The association of clinicopathologic and treatment factors with CBC and IBTR were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier analysis, multivariable Cox regression, and competing risk regression (CRR). Of 2759 patients identified, 151 developed CBC and 344 developed IBTR. Five- and 10-year Kaplan–Meier CBC rates were 3.2 and 6.4%. Overall, 10-year IBTR rates were 2.5-fold higher than CBC rates, and, without radiation, 4-fold higher. On CRR, 5- and 10-year rates were 2.9 and 5.8% for CBC, and 7.8 and 14.5% for IBTR. CBC risk and invasive CBC risk were not significantly associated with age, family history, presentation, nuclear grade, year of surgery, or radiation. By multivariable Cox regression, endocrine therapy was associated with lower CBC risk (hazard ratio 0.57, p = 0.03). Ten-year risk of subsequent CBC in the subset of patients who developed IBTR was similar to the cohort as a whole (8.1 vs. 6.4%). CBC rates were low across all groups, including those who experienced IBTR. CBC was not associated with factors that increase IBTR risk. While factors associated with IBTR risk are important in decision making regarding management of the index DCIS, they are not an indication for contralateral prophylactic mastectomy.
Proposal for a Scientific Software Lifecycle Model

Improvements in computational capabilities have lead to rising complexity in scientific modeling, simulation, and analytics and thus the software implementing them. In addition, a paradigm shift in platform architectures has added another dimension to complexity, to the point where software productivity (or the time, effort, and cost for software development, maintenance, and support) has emerged as a growing concern for computational science and engineering. Clearly communicating about the lifecycle of scientific software provides a foundation for community dialogue about processes and practices for various lifecycle phases that can improve developer productivity and software sustainability---key aspects of overall scientific productivity. While the mainstream software engineering community have produced lifecycle models that meet the needs of software projects in business and industry, none of the available models adequately describes the lifecycle of scientific computing software. In particular, software for end-to-end computations for obtaining scientific results has no formalized development model. Examining development approaches employed by teams implementing large multicomponent codes reveals a great deal of similarity in their strategies. In earlier work, we organized related approaches into workflow schematics, with loose coupling between submodels for development of scientific capabilities and reusable infrastructure. Here we consider an orthogonal approach, formulating models that capture the workflow of software development in slightly different scenarios, and we propose a scientific software lifecycle model based on agile principles.
Treatment Approaches to Aggression and Tantrums in Children with Developmental Disabilities

Aggression and tantrums refer to a wide range of behaviors (such as biting, hitting, screaming, etc.) which occur at high rates in the developmental disabilities population. Aggressive behaviors may cause harm to others and the individual, interfere with learning and skill acquisition, and have many social consequences for the individual labeled “aggressive”. Evidence suggests that behavioral interventions which target the function of a behavior are more effective and efficient in managing both aggressive and tantrum behaviors while pharmacotherapy approaches to aggression and tantrums are often ineffective and may result in more harm to the individual. Other considerations regarding the use of medications, staff and caregiver attitudes towards aggressive behavior, and future directions for studying aggressive behaviors are discussed.
Well Ordered Sets

A well ordered set1 is a poset $$U = (Field(U),{ \leqslant _U})$$ where ≤ U is a wellordering on Field(U), i.e. a linear (total) ordering on Field(U) such that every non-empty X ⊆ Field(U) has a least member. Associated with U is also its strict ordering < U , $$x < y \Leftrightarrow x{ < _U}y{ \Leftrightarrow _{df}}x{ \leqslant _U}y\& x \ne y$$ .
Investigating the influence of fabrication process and crystal orientation on shear strength of silicon microcomponents

A summary of the influence of microfabrication processes (wet and dry etching) and crystal orientation on the effective shear strength of microridges is addressed in this paper. Test results indicate that both crystal orientation and geometry plays an important role in determining the strength. The largest shear strengths obtained were for triangular and rectangular ridges fabricated with wet etching and deep RIE respectively. Both of these structures had similar crystal orientations. These strength values were approximately 3.5 times larger than the lowest strengths measured for wet etching structures. Using Chlorine RIE, we were able to demonstrate the influence of crystal orientation on strength, with microridges of {110} sidewall made on a (100) wafer the largest. For wet etching, we found that the strength was concentration dependent. For example, a 45% KOH fabricated structure produced strength values 65% higher than 30% KOH fabricated ones (note crystal orientation the same). This was attributed to a geometric effect, that is the 45% KOH solution had a “V” shaped bottom while the 30% KOH had a flat bottom. EDP and TMAH values had similar strengths to the 30% KOH solution (note similar crystal orientation). Therefore, microcomponent strength is strongly dependent upon fabrication process as well as crystal orientation.
Variation in the Use of Warfarin and Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Atrial Fibrillation and Associated Cost Implications.

Abstract Background Little is known about national patterns of anticoagulant use among patients with atrial fibrillation after the availability of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) and the associated implications for healthcare spending. Methods The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative survey, collects detailed information about prescription drug use, cost, and medical diagnoses. Using International Classification of Disease Ninth Edition (ICD-9) codes and self-reporting, adults with atrial fibrillation were estimated between 2010 and 2014. We examined proportions of patients receiving warfarin and DOACs overall and across sociodemographic and clinical groups. Total drug expenditures and out-of-pocket spending were calculated adjusting to 2014 US dollars. Results The study population ranged from 364 (equivalent to 4.7 million) in 2010 to 409 (equivalent to 5.5 million) in 2014. Overall use of any anticoagulant increased from 32.4% to 40.1%. DOAC use increased from 0.56% to 17.2%, and warfarin use declined from 32.8% to 22.9% (p trend Conclusion In a large, nationwide cohort of adults with atrial fibrillation, we observed a rapid increase in the use of DOACs, significant disparities in medication use based on sociodemographic and clinical factors, and an increase in overall and out-of-pocket costs for anticoagulants corresponding to the increased use of DOACs. These patterns have important implications for healthcare quality, equity, and spending.
Pillar Four: The Research Mission

In the AO by-laws, the founders listed the study of fracture care as one of its main purposes, specifically citing ‘experimental research’ as part of its goals. The determination of AO membership was demonstrated by actions taken prior to their constituting a kick-off meeting in Biel in November 1958. The previous instructional course in Chur had already triggered some important steps that preceded the formal adoption of those activities.
Managing computational gateway resources with XDMoD

Abstract The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has invested heavily in research computing, funding the XSEDE network of supercomputers and enabling their integration with science gateways. To ensure maximal return on this substantial investment, it is essential to monitor the use of these computing resources. XD Metrics on Demand (XDMoD) is an NSF-funded tool that was developed to help manage high performance computational resources. XDMoD metrics describe accounting and performance data for computational jobs, including resources consumed, wait times, and quality of service. XDMoD can provide information on individual jobs, or data aggregated over an ensemble of jobs. Its web interface offers centralized charting, exploration, and reporting of these metrics, for user-selected time ranges, and across resources. XDMoD is directly relevant to the gateways community. In this paper, we introduce XDMoD, demonstrate its utility for gateways, and outline our plans to further enhance its capabilities for the gateways community. Furthermore, we demonstrate how XDMoD can help gateway users and gateway and resource managers answer many questions about utilization, performance, and availability. In doing so, we showcase the evolution of gateways in the XSEDE ecosystem.
Recent trends in transition metal dichalcogenide based supercapacitor electrodes

The 21st century demands the rapid development of energy storage devices and systems that can cater to our daily energy needs of wearable devices in particular and electric vehicles in a large context. The advent of nanostructured materials has urged the scientific community and industry to take a renewed interest in developing electrochemical supercapacitors to nurture the energy needs of wearables and electric vehicles. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are proposed to play a key role as active electrode materials in supercapacitors enabled by their large surface area and variable oxidation states. These properties enable them to store significant energy via electrical double layer and pseudocapacitive charge storage mechanisms. Herein, we discuss the recent advances in the development and the electrochemical performances of the TMD based supercapacitor electrodes. These electrodes range from those made in different nanoscale form factors to those exhibiting fascinating structural/electronic properties. The synergistic effects between TMDs and other materials in hybrid electrode designs and asymmetric configurations to meet the demand for high energy density requirements of modern electronic devices have been discussed in detail. Finally, the opportunities, as well as the challenges in TMD based supercapacitor research frontiers are highlighted.