cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Rockefeller Foundation, China, and Cultural Change

In 1915, on hearing of the Rockefeller Foundation's desire to set up a medical school in Peking, Paul Reinsch, the United States minister to China, remarked approvingly that the foundation's plans were "in full accordance with the traditions of our past relations with China, where the activities of our people have been religious, cultural and educational in a far greater measure than they have been commercial." Reinsch's comment highlights two key elements of the relationship between the United States and China: the vital role that policymakers assigned to the cultural dimension of that relationship; and the conviction that the management of cultural contacts was properly a nongovernmental function. The Rockefeller Foundation's attempt over the course of forty years to channel China's modernization in a liberal direction epitomizes the marriage of national interest and private policymaking. At the same time, the Rockefeller experiment in the management of ideas also provides an example of how an important aspect of United States foreign relations can be understood "less from the study of diplomatic correspondence in government archives than from an examination of extragovernmental forces. " ' Despite the fact that the bulk of its expenditures would be made in medicine, the foundation always defined its purposes in sweeping civilizational terms that transcended its seemingly narrow focus on medical matters. That expansive outlook first became evident in the educational origins of its China program, which articulated the cultural objectives that would become the hallmark of its handling of Chinese affairs. In October 1906 Ernest DeWitt Burton
Debunking Biased Thinkers (Including Ourselves)

Most of what we believe comes to us from the word of others, but we do not always believe what we are told. We often reject thinkers’ reports by attributing biases to them. We may call this debunking. In this essay, I consider how debunking might work and then examine whether, and how often, it can help to preserve rational belief in the face of disagreement.
A Research into the Characteristics of Baoding County Names

Through the research into the ancient and modern names of Baoding,this article shows that these names carry historical geographical and Cultural characteristics.
On the History and Theoretic Framework of Critical Medical Anthropology

After reviewing the emergence and development of critical medical anthropology, which has gradually taken shape and assumed significant status in social studies since 1970s, and elaborating its kernel concept under its theoretic system, this paper points out that,within the anthropological framework, it's of great significance to solve the problems existing in the current medical system with a critical view, and that against the political and economical globalization nowadays, the establishment of a complete system of pluralized cultural criticism will help us better understand medical treatment and medicare.
Upper-extremity dual-task function: an innovative method to assess cognitive impairment in older adults

Background: Difficulties in orchestrating simultaneous tasks (i.e., dual-tasking) have been associated with cognitive impairments in older adults. Gait tests have been commonly used as the motor task component for dual-task assessments; however, many older adults have mobility impairments or there is a lack of space in busy clinical settings. We assessed an upper-extremity functional (UEF) test as an alternative motor task to study the dual-task motor performance in older adults. Methods: Older adults (≥ 65 years) were recruited, and cognitive ability was measured using the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA). Participants performed repetitive elbow flexion with their maximum pace, once single-task, and once while counting backward by one (dual-task). Single- and dual-task gait tests were also performed with normal speed. Three-dimensional kinematics were measured both from upper-extremity and lower-extremity using wearable sensors to determine UEF and gait parameters. Parameters were compared for the cognitively impaired and healthy groups using analysis of variance tests, while controlling for age, gender, and body mass index (BMI). Correlations between UEF and gait parameters for dual-task and dual-task cost were assessed using linear regression models. Results: Sixty-seven older adults were recruited (age=83±10 years). Based on MoCA, 10 (15%) were cognitively impaired. While no significant differences were observed in the single-task condition, within the dual-task condition, the cognitively impaired group showed significantly less arm flexion speed (62%, d=1.51, p=0.02) and range of motion (27%, d=0.93, p=0.04), and higher speed variability (88%, d=1.82, p<0.0001) compared to the cognitively intact group, when adjusted with age, gender, and BMI. Significant correlations were observed between UEF speed parameters and gait stride velocity for dual-task condition (r=0.55, p<0.0001) and dual-task cost (r=0.28, p=0.03). Conclusion: We introduced a novel test for assessing dual-task performance in older adults that lasts 20 seconds and is based on upper-extremity function. Our results confirm significant associations between upper-extremity speed, range of motion, and speed variability with both the MoCA score and the gait performance within the dual-task condition.
Abstract P150: Podocyte Derived Urinary Microparticles Are Elevated in Angiotensin II Induced Hypertension

Background: Early and non-invasive biomarkers of kidney damage are needed to identify hypertensive patients at risk for kidney damage. Urinary micropaticles (UMPs) have gained significant attention as potential novel biomarkers for kidney damage, and have already been identified in pre-albuminuric diabetic glomerular injury. These vesicles are less than 1 micron in size and carry markers of the parent cell. We hypothesized that podocyte derived UMPs are elevated in angiotensin II-induced hypertension (HTN) Methods: Primary podocytes were isolated and grown in culture. Wild-type mice were treated with AII (400ng/kg/min) via mini-osmotic pumps. Untreated WT mice served as controls. 24 hour urines were collected after 5 days of AII treatment. Enumeration and phenotyping of MPs was done of podocyte culture supernatant and urine. Podocalyxin (Pcal), podoplanin (Ppla) and annexin 5 (AV) were used as surface markers. Result: Pcal and Ppla positive MPs as well as AV positive and negative MPs were detectable in supernatant from primary podocyte cultures. Compared to untreated controls (n=3), AII treated mice (n=2) had an increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 33 mmHG (p=0.02). Despite similar urinary albumin/creatinine ratios between groups, there was a trend of higher levels of total numbers of Ppla and Pcal positive MPs in hypertensive mice compared to untreated (Figure 1). In addition, Annexin negative but Ppla and Pcal positive MPs were also numerically higher in hypertensive mice. In conclusion, podocyte derived UMPs are detectable in AII HTN. These findings need to be confirmed in a larger group of animals. UMPs can be potential marker for kidney end-organ damage in HTN.
The Risk-Neutral Distribution of Option Returns

Options provide a payoff structure that is very attractive to lottery investors. Despite the growing importance of options in investors' portfolios, little is known about the actual distribution of option returns. We derive solutions for the risk-neutral variance, skewness, and kurtosis of call and put option returns and document several properties of these ex-ante moments. We find that the volatility, skewness, and kurtosis of both call and put returns are higher (lower) for options that are further out-of-the-money (in-the-money). The risk-neutral volatility of call returns is higher for options with shorter times to expiration, while the risk-neutral skewness and kurtosis are higher for calls with longer times to expiration. For put options, all three moments are higher for short-maturity options. The risk-neutral moments of call returns are increasing in the volatility of the underlying security, while the opposite is true for put returns. Risk-neutral call return moments exhibit strong positive time-series correlation, as do put return moments. Call return moments have strong negative time-series correlation with put return moments. Comparing the risk-neutral return moments to physical return moments, we find that the magnitudes of the risk-neutral and physical moments differ substantially, indicating risk premia associated with option return moments.
Genetic polymorphisms associated with pancreatic cancer survival: a genome-wide association study

Previous findings on the association of genetic factors and pancreatic cancer survival are limited and inconsistent. In a two-stage study, we analyzed the existing genome-wide association study dataset of 868 pancreatic cancer patients from MD Anderson Cancer Center in relation to overall survival using Cox regression. Top hits were selected for replication in another 820 patients from the same institution using the Taqman genotyping method. Functional annotation, pathway analysis, and gene expression analysis were conducted using existing software and databases. We discovered genome-wide significant associations of patient survival with three imputed SNPs which, in complete LD (r2=1), were intronic SNPs of the PAIP2B (rs113988120) and DYSF genes (rs112493246 and rs138529893) located on chromosome 2. The variant alleles were associated with a 3.06-fold higher risk of death (95% confidence interval [CI]=2.10-4.47, P = 6.4 × 10-9) after adjusting for clinical factors. Eleven SNPs were tested in the replication study and the association of rs113988120 with survival was confirmed (HR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.13-2.20,P = 0.008). In silico analysis found rs1139988120 might lead to altered motif. This locus is in LD (D'=0.77) with 3 eQTL SNPs near or belong to the NAGK and MCEE genes. According to The Cancer Genome Atlas data and our previous RNA-sequencing data, the mRNA expression level of PAIP2B but not NAGK, MCEE or DYSF was significantly lower in pancreatic tumors than in normal adjacent tissues. Additional validation efforts and functional studies are warranted to demonstrate whether PAIP2B is a novel tumor suppressor gene and a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Intelligent reconfigurable control system for aircraft flight control

This research investigation looks at an intelligent reconfigurable control methodology that is used for the design and implementation of control system for commercial aircrafts operating under known and unknown flight conditions. The intelligent reconfigurable methodology is based upon adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and is used to integrate the actions of multiple adaptive controllers designed and implemented following the model reference control strategy and architecture. A transport control model (TCM) of commercial aircrafts is used to generate linearized models of its flight dynamics and then the models are utilized in the development and determining the effectiveness of the developed intelligent reconfigurable control system. This methodology attempts to provide a solution for the problems in using an indicator function as presented in previous works. The proposed intelligent reconfigurable control system is developed in two phases: first, a set of flight reference models are established and associate set of adaptive controllers are designed. Second, the ANFIS system is developed for the elevator flight surfaces and trained based on the performance of two designed adaptive controllers using two specific operating conditions to maintain and adjust the angle of attack (AOA) of commercial aircrafts. The testing of the ANFIS system used aircraft dynamic operating under condition that wasn't used in the design of the adaptive controllers. The results showed the intelligent reconfigurable ANFIS control system was able to achieve the desired result of combining the actions of two adaptive controllers for aircraft operating under an unknown operating condition.
Abstract 486: Increased Afterload In Sub-acute Phase Of Myocardial Infarction Exacerbates Heart Failure

Background: Hypertension (HT) increases cardiac afterload and is one of the risk factors of poor prognosis after myocardial infarction (MI). However, there is little information on how HT impacts the healing processes during sub-acute phase MI. We investigated the role of an increased afterload on left ventricular (LV) performance and remodeling shortly after MI. Methods: Anterior MIs were created in 15 Yorkshire pigs via percutaneous access. To mimic HT condition, 7 pigs (Banding, n=7) underwent surgical banding of the ascending aorta 10 days after the MI, and were compared to the remaining pigs (Control, n=8). LV remodeling and function were assessed one month after MI using 3-D echocardiography and invasive hemodynamic measurements. Results: Echocardiographic assessment at day 10 revealed no significant differences in LV ejection fraction (EF) or LV volumes. One month after MI, aortic banding increased the systemic vascular resistance index, but was not statistically significant (1658±282 dyn/s/cm5/m 2 vs 1153±658 dyn/s/cm5/m 2 , P=0.08). Banding group presented with significantly impaired LVEF (Figure, P=0.002), larger end systolic volume (Figure, P=0.045), lower cardiac index (3.1±0.9 L/min/m 2 vs 4.4±0.6 L/min/m 2 , P=0.01), and elevated LV end diastolic pressure (22.4±5.0 mmHg vs 14.4±7.5 mmHg: P=0.04, Banding vs Control, respectively). Reduced EF was associated with remote myocardial dysfunction and histological analysis revealed increased interstitial fibrosis in this area. Conclusion: Increased afterload in sub-acute phase of MI induces more severely impaired cardiac function and LV remodeling, and was associated with worse heart failure status.
Abstract 2227: Fgf2 from visceral adipose tissue stimulates neoplastic transformation of nonmalignant epithelial cells

Background: Adiposity plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis and prognosis of different types of cancers. Epidemiological evidence suggests visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and high-fat diets (HFD) are associated with increased cancer risk however the mechanism is not understood. The aim of this study was to explore the factors in VAT that stimulate neoplastic transformation. Methods: We modeled visceral adiposity-stimulated neoplastic transformation using our novel ex vivo system of VAT-condition medium stimulated epithelial cell transformation (measured by growth in soft agar) and our in vivo murine lipectomy model of ultraviolet light B (UVB)-induced, VAT promoted skin tumor formation. FgfR1(-/-) stable cells were generated by using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and were used to investigate the role of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) and FGFR1 dependent signaling in neoplastic transformation, both in vitro and in vivo. Results: Only the VAT of obese mice fed a HFD [not VAT from low-fat diet (LFD) fed mice] stimulated neoplastic transformation of skin epithelial cells. Furthermore, human VAT stimulated both skin and mammary epithelial cell transformation. The differences in VAT activity between LFD and HFD fed mice and human donors were associated with the levels of FGF2. Circulating levels of FGF2 were associated with non-melanoma tumor formation in vivo. Human and mouse VAT failed to stimulate transformation in FgfR1(-/-) cells and do not form tumors when injected in Nude mice in vivo. Conclusion: Collectively, our data show FGF2 released from VAT and its interaction with FGFR1 is a novel and potential direct path of VAT-enhanced tumorigenesis. Blocking the FGFR1 induced signaling in VAT of abdominally obese individuals may be an important cancer prevention strategy as well as an adjuvant therapy for improving outcomes following cancer diagnosis. Citation Format: Debrup Chakraborty, Vanessa Benham, Elena Y. Demireva, Blair Bullard, Jamie J. Bernard. Fgf2 from visceral adipose tissue stimulates neoplastic transformation of nonmalignant epithelial cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2227. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2227
Inferential Analysis and Interpretation

This chapter builds on the concepts related to project design (Chap. 4) and descriptive (Chap. 5) to present a number of possible inferential statistics approaches suitable for the PIO MM (this chapter) to better understand the practical and statistical significance of the data. Interpretation of the analysis is discussed for each of the inferential methods. Selecting appropriate inferential statistics depends on your project study design, the variables representing the PIO MM concepts, and the measures used to operationalize them.
Students with Learning Disabilities in Inquiry-Based Science Classrooms: A Cross-Case Analysis.

Students with learning disabilities (LD) often receive instruction in general education science classrooms. However, little is known about the academic success of students with LD in this setting. ...
Essential immunologic orchestrators of intestinal homeostasis

Over the past 25 years, substantial advances have been made in our understanding of the cellular and molecular pathways that are essential to maintain a state of health in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract, an organ that is densely colonized by both immune cells and trillions of microbes. Seminal studies in the 1990s identified that several cytokines, antigen-presentation molecules, and components of the T cell receptor were necessary to prevent the development of spontaneous intestinal inflammation in mice. Subsequent research revealed that these pathways orchestrate beneficial interactions with intestinal microbes, involve complex communication between innate and adaptive immune cells, and can be dysregulated in human inflammatory bowel disease. Here, we discuss how these early findings set the stage for numerous other advances and shaped our current knowledge of host-microbiota interactions and intestinal homeostasis in mammals. It is expected that continued investigation of these areas will define previously unknown immunologic mechanisms of tolerance and inflammation in the intestine that can be exploited to benefit human health.
Impact of Human Behavioral Papers at Journal of Neuroscience

A recent policy change at Journal of Neuroscience (JN) has significantly increased editorial desk rejections, reducing the number of papers that are considered for publication. Survey results from 130 scientists suggested that the new policy may have had a particularly large impact on studies that focused on human behavioral techniques. To quantify the effects of the new policy, we gathered data on all papers ever published in JN (about 35,000), as well as all papers that had cited the JN papers (about 2.7 million papers). We found that the recent change in editorial policy had disproportionately affected rejection rates of human behavioral papers: since 2015, the number of human behavioral papers as a proportion of all papers published in JN has seen a 30% decline. While there has been a long-term declining trend in the journal9s impact factor, we found that this declining impact factor was shared by both human behavioral papers as well as other papers in the journal. This suggested that whatever may have been the source of the declining impact factor at JN, this source was affecting the various areas of research equally. That is, it was unlikely that papers in any one field were responsible for the declining impact factor number at JN. Indeed, when impact was measured over the long-term, we found that the average human behavioral paper at JN consistently outperformed other papers, generating a significantly higher number of citations per year at 5 and 10 years post publication.
Assessing calvarial vault constriction associated with helmet therapy in deformational plagiocephaly

OBJECTIVE Deformational plagiocephaly and/or brachycephaly (DPB) is a cranial flattening frequently treated in pediatric craniofacial centers. The standard of care for DPB involves patient positioning or helmet therapy. Orthotic therapy successfully reduces cranial asymmetry, but there is concern over whether the orthotics have the potential to restrict cranial growth. Previous research addressing helmet safety was limited by lack of volume measurements and serial data. The purpose of this study was to directly compare head growth data in patients with DPB between those who underwent helmet therapy and those who received repositioning therapy. METHODS This retrospective cohort study analyzed pre- and posttherapy 3D photographs of 57 patients with DPB who had helmet therapy and a control group of 57 patients with DPB who underwent repositioning therapy. The authors determined the change in cranial vault volume and cranial circumference between each patient's photographs using 3D photogrammetry. They also computed a cubic volume calculated by multiplying anterior-posterior diameter, biparietal diameter, and height. Linear regressions were used to quantify effects of age and therapy type on these quantities. RESULTS A comparison of the following variables between the two groups yielded nonsignificant results: age at the beginning (p = 0.861) and end (p = 0.539) of therapy, therapy duration (p = 0.161), and the ratio of males to females (p = 0.689). There was no significant difference between patients who underwent helmeting versus positioning therapy with respect to change in either volume calculation or head circumference z-score (p ≥ 0.545). Pretherapy photograph age was a significant predictor of cranial growth (p ≤ 0.001), but therapy type was not predictive of the change in the study measurements (p ≤ 0.210). CONCLUSIONS The authors found no evidence that helmet therapy was associated with cranial constriction in the study population of patients with DPB. These results strengthen previous research supporting helmet safety and should allow health care providers and families to choose the appropriate therapy without concern for potential negative effects on cranial growth.
Targeting drug delivery within the suprachoroidal space

The suprachoroidal space (SCS), a potential anatomical space between the sclera and choroid, is a novel route for drug delivery targeting the chorioretinal layers of the eye. The safety and efficacy of SCS drug delivery have been shown in multiple clinical trials. Recent studies have developed methods for more precise targeting within the SCS at sites of action at the posterior pole (e.g., macula), near the limbus (e.g., ciliary body), and throughout the SCS using iontophoresis, swollen hydrogels, high-density particle emulsions, highly viscous and non-Newtonian fluids, and microstents. Here, we review novel technologies targeting the posterior, anterior, or entire SCS.
Diagnosis of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) can lead to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), which can have a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life. BPH is most easily identified on physical exam with digital rectal examination (DRE), as well as transrectal ultrasound or MRI. The size of the prostate does not correlate well to the degree of LUTS in all patients, however. Objective measurements of a patient’s urinary symptoms include the AUA-SI and IPSS templates. Urinalysis, postvoid residual (PVR), and uroflow should be performed in the clinic setting during the evaluation of BPH. Routine laboratory evaluation is not indicated in the standard patient that presents with LUTS thought to be secondary to BPH. However, in some clinical scenarios, a PSA and renal ultrasound may be appropriate. Urodynamic studies should be considered in patients with equivocal findings on noninvasive studies. Routine cystoscopic evaluation is not recommended during the initial workup of LUTS secondary to BPH, but may be offered if surgical treatment is being considered. Transrectal ultrasound volume measurements are the most widely accepted measurements of prostate volume. Upper urinary tract imaging is not recommended in the routine evaluation of men with LUTS unless hematuria, UTI, renal insufficiency, or history of urolithiasis or UTI is present.
Central retinal artery occlusion as initial presentation of Moyamoya disease in a middle-aged woman.

Abstract Purpose To present a case of central retinal artery occlusion as the first symptomatic manifestation of Moyamoya disease in a middle-aged patient. Observations Case report of a 48-year-old female Chinese-American patient who presented with sudden onset painless unilateral vision loss. Fundus photos, optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography, magnetic resonance angiography, computed tomography angiography, and catheter cerebral angiogram were performed. The patient's dilated fundus examination showed classic findings of a central retinal artery occlusion. Diagnostic brain imaging demonstrated extensive stenosis of the cerebrovascular network, with almost complete unilateral occlusion of the internal carotid artery along with compensatory collateral vessels. This led to a new diagnosis of Moyamoya disease. The patient was treated with extracranial-intracranial bypass surgery. Conclusions and importance Arterial abnormalities in patients with Moyamoya disease are uncommon and have previously only been reported in younger patients in their teens and 20s. Young and middle-aged patients presenting with central retinal artery occlusions should undergo complete neurologic workup including stroke evaluation; in this case, revealing Moyamoya disease, a rare yet life-threatening condition, as the underlying etiology.
Histological evidence of the lunar reproductive rhythm of Atlantic sea urchin Arbacia punctulata in the Gulf of Mexico

Natural phenomena act as external cues that stimulate the reproductive activity of many marine organisms. In this study, we report the gonadal maturation in relation to the lunar cycle of wild-caug...
Analysis of Fatigue Damage Information Obtained from Acoustic Emission Data

This study examines acoustic emission data obtained during intermittent static tension loading of progressively fatigued 4340 steel and 7075-T651 aluminum specimens with the aim of inferring fatigue damage information from static tension testing. Acoustic emission data were collected using a novel loading procedure based on the Dunegan corollary. Results from 4340 steel testing showed a moderate correlation between total acoustic emission energy parameter and the number of cyclic loading cycles. Results from 7075-T651 aluminum testing showed a moderate correlation between the information entropy parameter and loading cycles. A supervised neural network was assessed to be 54.0 ± 19.1% accurate in predicting cyclic loading cycles for 4340 steel specimens and 52.0 ± 19.2% accurate for 7075-T651 aluminum specimens. Overall, results showed that limited but potentially useful fatigue damage information from 4340 steel or 7075-T651 aluminum is contained within acoustic emission signals collected during elastic tension loading.
Impact of Workspace Design on Radiation Therapist Technicians’ Physical Stressors, Mental Workload, Situation Awareness, and Performance

Abstract Purpose Our purpose was to assess the effect of workspace configuration on radiation therapists' (RTs) physical stressors, mental workload (WL), situational awareness (SA), and performance during routine treatment delivery tasks in a simulated environment. Methods and Materials Fourteen RTs were randomized to 2 workspace configurations while performing 4 simulated scenarios: current (not ergonomically optimized; n=7) and enhanced (ergonomically optimized, n=7). Physical stressors were objectively assessed using a rapid upper limb assessment tool. Mental WL was measured at the end of each simulated scenario subjectively using the NASA Task-Load Index and objectively throughout the scenario using eye-tracking metrics (pupil diameter and blink rate). SA was measured at the end of each simulated scenario subjectively using the situation awareness and review technique. Performance was measured objectively via assessment of time-out compliance, error detection, and procedural compliance. Analysis of variance was used to test the effect of workspace configuration on physical stressors, mental WL, SA, and performance. Results The enhanced configuration significantly reduced physical stressors (rapid upper limb assessment; P Conclusions Our results suggest that an ergonomically designed workspace may minimize physical stressors and improve the performance of RTs.
Fibrinolysis Shutdown and Thrombosis in a COVID-19 ICU.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has threatened millions of lives worldwide with severe systemic inflammation, organ dysfunction, and thromboembolic disease. Within our institution, many critically ill COVID-19 positive patients suffered major thrombotic events, prompting our clinicians to evaluate hypercoagulability outside of traditional coagulation testing.We determined the prevalence of fibrinolysis shutdown via rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM, Instrumentation Laboratories, Bedford, MA) in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) over a period of 3 weeks. In 21 patients who had a ROTEM test, we found that eleven (52.4%) met the criteria for fibrinolysis shutdown. Nine patients (42.9%) were diagnosed with venous thromboembolic (VTE) events during their admission. Eight of 9 (89%) of the VTE patients met criteria for fibrinolysis shutdown.Given the high rate of fibrinolysis shutdown in these patients, our data support using viscoelastic testing to evaluate for the presence of impaired fibrinolysis. This may help identify patient subsets who might benefit from the administration of fibrinolytics.
Improving Ethical Decision Making through the Lens of Graduate Project Management Students

The purpose of this paper is to examine the practiced application of the Ethical Decision Making Framework (EDMF) by graduate project management students (as a proxy for practicing project leaders and managers). This research extends management practice by improving one of the tools available to project managers in decision-making. The methodology used a quasi-experimental setting by collecting and analysing student papers that applied the EDMF. This approach identified what the participants did well, what they struggled with, and which questions were most and least used. This resulted in improvements to the EDMF toolset, from both a macro and micro perspective. Macro improvements focused on question structure to reduce complexity and increase understanding and combining specific steps. Micro improvements included adapting the framework beyond project management and adding a broader focus on stakeholders. This study provides a focused approach to ethical decision making by adding to the practitioner toolkit.
Screening Talent: Absolute or Percentile Thresholds?

Matching talents to tasks is an important part of job design. Organizations routinely use performance thresholds to group agents by talent. We see thresholds defined both in terms of an individual's own performance (absolute value) and in terms of peer performance (percentiles). Intuition suggests a preference for percentile thresholds because the resulting rank-order statistic is sufficient to assess relative talent. Yet, in the context of a task assignment problem in which the objective is to match talent with task type (using two agents and two task types), we show that absolute thresholds can dominate percentile thresholds under either of two conditions. First, flexibility in task assignment tilts the balance toward absolute thresholds. Second, performance manipulation can adversely affect the inherent advantage of percentile thresholds because they motivate agents to invest relatively more in personally costly influence activities that cast their performance in a favorable light. We examine how these results hold up when there are countably large number of agents and discuss empirical implications.
Dynamic Stability Analysis and Control of Power System Based on Nyquist Array Theory

The dynamic characteristics of the power system have been greatly influenced as the grid-integration of large-scale power electronic devices, such as renewable power generation and direct current transmission. The wide-frequency oscillation dynamic stability problem is prone to occur. In this paper, the Nyquist array theory in the multivariate frequency-domain analysis theory is introduced into the dynamic stability analysis and control of power systems. The power system integrated with doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) is illustrated in the paper. The forward transfer function matrix and the feedback gain transfer function matrix of the system are derived respectively. Based on the Nyquist array theory, the diagonal dominance characteristics of the system are discriminated. For the diagonal dominance system, the Gershgorin band can be drawn to display the stability characteristics of the system visually. For the non-diagonal dominance system, the system can be transformed into a diagonal dominance system by pseudo-diagonalization, and then the stability analysis and control can be discriminated with Gershgorin band. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by comparison with the eigenvalue calculation results.
Homeless Tent Fires: A Descriptive Analysis of Tent Fires in the Homeless Population

Tent fires are a growing issue in regions with large homeless populations given the rise in homelessness within the United States and existing data that suggest worse outcomes in this population. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of tent fire burn injuries in the homeless population. A retrospective review was conducted involving two verified regional burn centers with patients admitted for tent fire burns between January 2015 and December 2020. Variables recorded include demographics, injury characteristics, hospital course, and patient outcomes. Sixty-nine patients met the study inclusion criteria. The most common mechanisms of injury were by portable stove accident, assault, and tobacco or methamphetamine related. Median percent total body surface area (%TBSA) burned was 6% (interquartile range [IQR] 9%). Maximum depth of injury was partial thickness in 65% (n = 45) and full thickness in 35% (n = 24) of patients. Burns to the upper and lower extremities were present in 87% and 54% of patients, respectively. Median hospital length of stay (LOS) was 10 days (IQR = 10.5) and median ICU LOS was 1 day (IQR = 5). Inhalation injury was present in 14% (n = 10) of patients. Surgical intervention was required in 43% (n = 30) of patients, which included excision, debridement, skin grafting, and escharotomy. In-hospital mortality occurred in 4% (n = 3) of patients. Tent fire burns are severe enough to require inpatient and ICU level of care. A high proportion of injuries involved the extremities and pose significant barriers to functional recovery in this vulnerable population. Strategies to prevent these injuries are paramount.
Sex and Gender Differences in COVID-19: More to be learned!

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of patients across the globe. Multiple studies, national and international governmental data have shown important sex and gender differences in the incidence and outcomes of patients with COVID-19. These differences are not only attributed to the differences in age and comorbid conditions but likely a combination of factors, including hormonal differences, immune response, inflammatory markers and behavioral attitudes, among others. In this review, we discuss the studies addressing sex- and gender-specific differences in COVID-19 infections with a focus on the potential pathophysiological mechanisms of these differences.
Rationality, Inaccurate Mental Models, and Self-Confirming Equilibrium

Rational choice theorists have long been ambivalent about the rationality postulate. Although many agree that humans have imperfect foresight and inaccurate understandings of the world within which they act, no satisfactory approach relaxing the rationality postulates exists. In this article, we apply a new method that allows us to model directly rational action when agents have incomplete or inaccurate mental models of their world. In particular, we utilize the game theoretic notion of self-confirming equilibrium. The self-confirming equilibrium framework allows us to model an environment where a player's predictions about one another's behavior are inaccurate. It also allows us to model a common aspect of disputes; viz., that both sides believe they are acting reasonably while the other side is acting unreasonably. Finally, the approach allows a type of surprise in which a player's mis-conjectures about another's behavior results in behavior that was not anticipated. We apply this framework to the problem of the American Revolution, helping to resolve several unexplained puzzles in the historical literature. Historians of the Revolution emphasize the role of ideas in underpinning the revolutionary crisis. From the rational choice standpoint, a critical omission in the literature is that historians do not connect the realm of ideas with the realm of action. We demonstrate how the framework we propose can more directly shed light on three aspects absent in the existing literature. First, to explain why either side fought about abstract ideals or how those ideals were connected to the realm of action, and thus why the two sides failed to come to some accommodation despite their differences. Second, to explain why the colonists became so incensed over seemingly trivial taxes imposed by the British after the Seven Years' War ended in 1763. And, finally, to explain that if the clash of fundamental ideals led the two sides to armed confiict, how the British and the Americans could be unaware of their profound differences during the previous 100 plus years of cooperation.
Changes in perceived effect of practice guidelines among primary care doctors.

Rationale, aims and objectives Evidence suggests that when doctors use systematically developed clinical practice guidelines they have the potential to improve the safety, quality and value of health care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate recent changes in the perceptions of practice guidelines among US primary care doctors. Methods Data were collected from the Community Tracking Survey 1996–97 and 2000–01. All results were weighted and adjusted to reflect the complex survey design. Results Over the 5 years, the proportion of primary care doctors who said that practice guidelines had at least a moderate effect on their practice of medicine increased from 45.8% to 60.7%. This increase was nearly equal among primary care doctors of family medicine, internal medicine and paediatrics. In the 2001 survey, a higher perceived effect of practice guidelines was described by female doctors (OR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.19–1.63) and doctors who were practising in a large model group (OR = 1.73; 95% CI 1.04–2.89). Doctors who graduated from medical school within 10 years of the survey were more likely to report that practice guidelines had a positive effect on their practice of medicine than doctors who graduated 10 or more years before the survey. Conclusion The perceived effect of practice guidelines on primary care doctors increased over time. Improved dissemination of guidelines and curriculum changes may have led recent primary care graduates to view practice guidelines as more important.
Modes of Action of Insecticides

The modes of action of various drugs and poisons have fascinated mankind since the age of witchcraft-medicine. As stated before, insect toxicology is part of a much broader field, pharmacology and toxicology, in which studies of drug action are known as pharmacodynamics. Study of the actions of insecticides may therefore be called the pharmacodynamics of insecticides, or simply the pharmacology of insecticides. Though the history of the pharmacology of insecticides is just as brief as that of modern biochemistry and physiology, it is already growing into one of the most important disciplines of insect toxicology. Its existence is necessitated by (1) the need for therapeutic measures for accidental poisoning, (2) the demand for logical explanation of these toxic actions and of their subsequent sideeffects in beneficial animals including man, and (3) the realization that it can provide a logical basis for developing even more useful compounds and can help in understanding the normal physiology and biochemistry of animals.
Fully mobilizing host defense: Building better vaccines

Developments in methods for identifying antigens from infectious agents and cancers has provided exciting new opportunities in prevention and treatment through vaccination. In many of these situations, however, traditional immunization techniques do not stimulate protective immunity because they fail to fully mobilize the appropriate immune responses. This limitation, together with new insights into the underlying mechanism of immune responses, has spurred development of several new approaches for vaccine delivery. We discuss some of the current efforts being developed to provide effective vaccine delivery systems.
Fertilizers In Forestry

Publisher Summary Forests as a renewable resource, and the large volume of diverse products derived from them, are assuming an increasingly important role in the economy of the United States as well as of many other countries. Hence, there is widespread interest in increasing the production of forest land by various management techniques. One of these is the use of fertilizers. The use of fertilizers in forest production falls into two very distinct categories—namely, in the forest nursery and in the field, such as in plantations and natural stands. The high value per acre of a crop of nursery trees allows a wide economic margin for the use of fertilizers.
Immediate-type hypersensitivity in dogs: cutaneous, anaphylactic, and respiratory responses to ascaris.

Abstract The response of dogs to a purified preparation of Ascaris antigen was studied. All dogs had cutaneous reactions to the Ascaris antigen. This reactivity was not produced by experimental immunization and was assumed to result from prior parasitic infestation. No animals with negative skin tests to Ascaris antigen were observed. Skin reactivity varied in the different animals from undiluted to 10 −6 dilutions of the standard Ascaris antigen. Reactions to low dilutions may be irritant reactions or may be antibody mediated. Reactions to high dilutions of the antigen are considered to be antibody mediated because they are transferable to the skin of animals that react only to lower concentrations of the Ascaris antigen. A high percentage of dogs were sensitive enough to have respiratory responses to the aerosolized antigen or anaphylaxis when the antigen was given intravenously. The anti-Ascaris antibody which passively sensitized canine skin was heat labile and was nonprecipitating.
Education for peace: protest strategies of ethnic resistance movements

While studying the consequences of violent and non-violent protests, the current literature is mostly mute on the question of why some ethnic collectivities prefer violent political action over non-violence. This question is especially interesting as recent empirical studies reveal functional effectiveness of non-violent tactics vis-a-vis violent strategies in achieving communal goals. Why then do some groups still employ violent tactics? Drawing on the literature that connects educational level with utilization of democratic practices, I argue that ethnic groups that enjoy a higher educational status are less prone to using violent strategies choosing instead peaceful protest. I test this hypothesis using data on 238 ethnic groups in 106 states from 1945 to 2000. The results of the statistical analysis indicate that groups with higher levels of educational attainment are more likely to engage in non-violent protest. Conversely, groups that enjoy lower educational status in their respective societies tend...
Modeling the mechanical behaviour of 1100-0 aluminum at different strain rates by the bodner-partom model

Abstract In this paper, the isotropic hardening version of S.R. Bodner and Y. Partom's 1975 viscoplasticity model is used to describe the mechanical behavior of 1100-0 aluminum at large finite plastic strain and within a very large strain rate range, ϵ /ϵ = 10 −5 − 10 4 s −1 . The material constants contained in the model are determined using the experimental data obtained by using Direct Disc Impact technique ( Huang & Khan [1991]) and MTS system. The predictions of strain rate sensitivity and work-hardening behavior of Bodner-Partom's model are then compared with the experimental data to show the capability and the deficiency of the model. Some constructive discussions are also included in this paper.
A Study of the Interaction of Pb-Sn Solder with O 2 , H 2 O, and NO 2 by X-ray Photoelectron (ESCA) and Auger (AES) Spectroscopy

An ESCA and AES study of the corrosion of 1:1 Pb-Sn solder is reported. The solder was reacted at room temperature with O2 (1 Torr), H2O (10 Torr), 100 ppm of NO2 in N2 (1 atm), and the latter at 50% relative humidity. Pb and Sn foils were examined under similar conditions. The Pb/Sn ratios observed by ESCA and AES for unmelted solder are close to those expected from bulk composition. After melting, a 50% decrease in Pb/Sn was obtained by ESCA; no AES signal for Pb was observed. Before melting, 90% of the Pb and 100% of the Sn were oxidized; after melting 18% Pb and 70% Sn were oxidized. Exposure of solder to O2 (1 Torr) resulted in a Pb/Sn ratio which decreased as a function of time to a minimum value, rapidly increased through a maximum around 60 min and then decreased to an equilibrium value. The O/(Pb + Sn) ratio increased rapidly to an equilibrium value. The interaction of solder with 10 Torr of H2O vapor for 5 min resulted in surface enrichment of Sn with the formation of Sn and Pb oxides. The results obtained with dry NO2 were similar to those with O2; Pb/Sn decreased rapidly to a minimum and went through a small maximum to an equilibrium value. The distribution of species determined by ESCA before and after the reaction were essentially the same as for O2 except the oxidation of Pb was suppressed. No nitrogen species were observed. Solder exposed to at 100 ppm of NO2 in N2 50% relative humidity gave similar results to O2 and dry NO2. The Pb/Sn maximum occurred at a reaction time approximately 2 to 3 times that of O2 and dry NO2 (40 to 60 min). Two nitrogen species were observed for solder treated with 100 ppm of NO2 in N2 at 50% relative humidity; binding energies were ~404 and 400 eV. These have been attributed to NO2− and NO−, respectively. Mechanisms are proposed for reaction of solder with O2, dry NO2, and NO2 at 50% relative humidity.
Nonlinear, Rescaling-Based Inverse Heat Conduction Calibration Method and Optimal Regularization Parameter Strategy

A novel surface heat flux calibration method applicable to nonlinear inverse heat conduction problems and a new strategy for obtaining an optimal regularization parameter independent of the regularization technique are presented herein. For the proposed nonlinear calibration integral equation, quasi-linearization of the nonlinear heat equation is achieved through both time domain and heat flux magnitude rescaling based on the local temperature measurement. The inverse heat conduction problem is then resolved in terms of rescaled variables through a calibration framework. The proposed calibration equation has a form of the Volterra equation of the first kind that relates the rescaled net unknown heat flux to the rescaled net calibration heat flux and their corresponding rescaled in-depth temperature measurements during both calibration and reconstruction tests. Because the functional form of a Volterra integral equation of the first kind is ill-posed, three different regularization methods are considered a...