cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Additional Functional Variation at the SLC6A4 Gene

), primarily on the role of this polymorphismin susceptibility to major depression and anxiety disorders, and treatment response to SSRIdrugs [Serretti et al., 2006]. Although association to complex behavioral phenotypes has beeninconsistent and meta-analyses reveal modest effects, imaging genetic studies have foundstronger effects of
EVfold.org: Evolutionary Couplings and Protein 3D Structure Prediction

Recently developed maximum entropy methods infer evolutionary constraints on protein function and structure from the millions of protein sequences available in genomic databases. The EVfold web server (at EVfold.org) makes these methods available to predict functional and structural interactions in proteins. The key algorithmic development has been to disentangle direct and indirect residue-residue correlations in large multiple sequence alignments and derive direct residue-residue evolutionary couplings (EVcouplings or ECs). For proteins of unknown structure, distance constraints obtained from evolutionarily couplings between residue pairs are used to de novo predict all-atom 3D structures, often to good accuracy. Given sufficient sequence information in a protein family, this is a major advance toward solving the problem of computing the native 3D fold of proteins from sequence information alone. Availability: EVfold server at http://evfold.org/ Contact: evfoldtest@gmail.com
Seasonal Movements, Habitat Use, Aggregation, Exploitation, and Entrainment of Saugers in the Lower Yellowstone River: An Empirical Assessment of Factors Affecting Population Recovery

Abstract Migratory barriers, habitat loss, entrainment in irrigation canals, and overexploitation, especially at times of aggregation, have been suggested to explain the failure of Yellowstone River saugers Sander canadensis to return to historical abundances after a late-1980s decline that was attributed to drought. These factors are thought to affect saugers throughout their range and migratory large-river fishes in general. We characterized the seasonal movement patterns, habitat use, and aggregation of saugers and estimated movement, exploitation, and irrigation canal entrainment rates to test these hypotheses. Saugers aggregated near spawning areas in spring and subsequently dispersed 5–350 km to upstream home locations, where they remained for the rest of the year. Upstream movement was not overtly restricted by low-head diversion dams. During the spawning period, terrace and bluff pools, which are unique geomorphic units associated with bedrock and boulder substrate, were positively selected, while...
Timing analysis of expedient voting and runahead

Abstract Expedient voting and runahead have been suggested as ways to speed up the execution of fault-tolerant real-time software using N-version programming. We present an analysis of the probability density function of the execution time of these schemes. Execution times define the available time redundancy, and thus can affect the reliability of real-time systems.
Grinding force and microcrack density in abrasive machining of silicon nitride

The relationship between grinding forces and the material`s resistance to microfracture is investigated in abrasive machining of silicon nitride ceramics. Surface grinding is performed on two forms of silicon nitride with different microstructures, and the grinding forces are measured. In addition, single-point scratching is performed on polished surfaces to amplify the damage associated with the action of an individual abrasive particle in grinding. A thermal wave measurement technique in then used on the cross sections to characterize the density of subsurface microcracks associated with scratching. Compared to a fine-grain silicon nitride, the density of microcracks in a coarse-grain silicon nitride is significantly larger, while the grinding force is smaller. The smaller grinding force for the coarse-grain silicon nitride is attributed to the ease of local intergranular microfracture and grain dislodgement during grinding. {copyright} {ital 1995} {ital Materials} {ital Research} {ital Society}.
Epiretinal membranes in uveitic macular edema: Effect on vision and response to therapy

Purpose To evaluate the effects of epiretinal membranes on the response of uveitic macular edema to therapy and on visual acuity outcomes. Design Retrospective case series. Methods One hundred four eyes of 77 patients with uveitic macular edema were identified at a tertiary care center. Epiretinal membranes were diagnosed when identified by 2 investigators' grading of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and scored for the presence or absence of surface wrinkling. Outcomes included best-corrected visual acuity, central subfield thickness, and rates of macular edema improvement (>20% reduction in central subfield thickness) and resolution (reduction of central subfield thickness to Results Seventy-two eyes of 59 patients had an epiretinal membrane on presentation. Eyes without epiretinal membranes and with epiretinal membranes without surface wrinkling were not significantly different at presentation or at 3 and 6 months follow-up. Conversely, eyes with an epiretinal membrane with retinal surface wrinkling had a greater proportion of eyes with 20/200 or worse visual acuity at presentation, and had worse mean acuities at 3 months (20/94 vs 20/35 for eyes without an epiretinal membrane, P = .002) and at 6 months follow-up (20/110 vs 20/36 for eyes without an epiretinal membrane, P = .02). At 6 months of follow-up the mean central subfield thicknesses were: eyes without an epiretinal membrane, 338 ± 23 μm; and eyes with an epiretinal membrane and surface wrinkling, 405 ± 22 μm (P = .05). Conclusions In eyes with epiretinal membranes and retinal surface wrinkling, uveitic macular edema had a poorer visual acuity response to medical therapy and thicker maculae at 6 months.
A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Word Frequency and Rime-Neighborhood Size on Beginning Readers' Rime Reading Accuracy in Words and Nonwords

Beginning readers' rime reading accuracy was assessed over three years to examine the influence of word frequency and rime-neighborhood size (the number of single syllable words with the same rime) on words presented in lists and stories. Twenty-seven 1st- and 2nd- grade students read 54 words and 27 nonwords containing rimes from different size neighborhoods. In Year 1, children showed effects of neighborhood size in high frequency words read in stories and in low frequency words read in lists and stories. In Year 2, rimes from large neighborhoods were read more accurately than rimes from medium and small neighborhoods in high- and low-frequency words. In Year 3, no effects of rime-neighborhood size were found for high-frequency words, but effects on low-frequency words continued. These results support Leslie and Calhoon's (1995) developmental model of the effects of rime-neighborhood size and word frequency as a function of higher levels of word learning.
The Ninth Annual AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment (AIIDE): A Report

The Ninth Annual AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment (AIIDE) was held October 14–18, 2013, at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. The mission of the AIIDE conference is to provide a forum for researchers and game developers to discuss ways that AI can enhance games and other forms of interactive entertainment. In addition to presentations on adapting standard AI techniques such as search, planning and machine learning for use within games, key topic areas include creating realistic autonomous characters, interactive narrative, procedural content generation, and integrating AI into game design and production tools.
Separating the vertices of N-cubes by hyperplanes and its application to artificial neural networks

A new sufficient condition that a region be classifiable by a two-layer feedforward network using threshold activation functions is found. Briefly, it is either a convex polytope, or that minus the removal of convex polytope from its interior, or. . .recursively. The author refers to these sets as convex recursive deletion regions. The proof of implementability exploits the equivalence of this problem with that of characterizing two set partitions of the vertices of a hypercube which are separable by a hyperplane, for which a new result is obtained. >
Argument conditions for Hurwitz and Schur polynomials from network theory

The monotonicity conditions, recently given, for the arguments of Hurwitz polynomials, as well as some of their associated polynomials, are, very simply, derived using well-established results in network theory. Corresponding results for Schur polynomials may also be obtained. >
Convergence properties of the frequency-domain block-LMS adaptive algorithm

The block-based LMS algorithm (BLMS) is an efficient adaptive filtering algorithm aimed at increasing the convergence speed and reducing the computational complexity. The basic principle of the BLMS algorithm is that the filter coefficients remain unchanged during the processing of each data block, and are updated only once per block. The convergence properties of the unconstrained frequency-domain block LMS adaptive algorithm are analyzed. The learning characteristics of the unconstrained case are compared with the constrained case via computer simulation. It is shown that the unconstrained algorithm has a slower convergence rate and smaller stable range of step size than that of the constrained algorithm. >
ASSOCIATION OF BETA 1 INTEGRIN WITH PHOSPHOTYROSINE IN GROWTH CONE FILOPODIA

Filopodia of growth cones are key elements in the transduction of extracellular cues that guide axon growth during development. How they are specialized to carry out this role is poorly understood. We previously had found tyrosine phosphorylated protein to be heavily concentrated at the tips of many filopodia of Aplysia growth cones in certain culturing conditions, suggesting that tyrosine phosphorylation might be involved in filopodial specialization. Immunocytochemistry was used to analyze the protein composition of the tip aggregates to determine whether there was an association of the tip phosphorylation with any important extracellular cue. beta 1 integrin, a subunit of the receptor for laminin-type neurite growth promoters, coconcentrated with phosphotyrosine at filopodial tips of both Aplysia and mouse growth cones. Several observations indicated that the association of beta 1 integrin with phosphotyrosine is close. beta 1 integrin and phosphotyrosine are known to colocalize at focal contacts, sites of adhesion of cells to the extracellular matrix, but the composition and behavior of the tip aggregates mark them as distinct structures. Also found in the tip aggregates was a member of the ezrin-radixin-moesin family of proteins, which are thought to link membrane proteins to submembranous bundles of actin filaments. Use of an inhibitor of protein-tyrosine kinases to deplete tip phosphotyrosine also caused disappearance of beta 1 integrin from the tip, suggesting a role for tyrosine phosphorylation in facilitating interaction of growth cones with certain environmental cues by fostering the aggregation of receptors in filopodia.
An Introduction to Aspects of Geometric Control Theory

There are many texts on linear control theory, and a number of introductions to nonlinear control theory and in particular its differential geometric formulation, which is important for this book. We do not pretend here to give a comprehensive introduction to this subject; we just touch on a few aspects that are important to our major topics. We mention the books by Jurdjevic [1997], Isidori [1995], Nijmeijer and van der Schaft [1990], Sontag [1990], and Brockett [1970b]. The first three deal with the differential-geometric approach, Sontag’s book gives a mathematical treatment of both linear theory and various parts of the nonlinear theory, while Brockett’s book gives an approach to linear theory. We refer the reader to these books for a detailed treatment of nonlinear control theory as well as for a more exhaustive list of references. We also mention the important articles of Sussmann [1987], Sussmann and Jurdjevic [1972], Hermann and Krener [1977], and Brockett [1970a,b]. Two recent books that are relevant are van der Schaft [2000] and Ortega, Loria, Nicklasson and Sira-Ramirez [1998]. A useful recent book on optimal control is Liberzon [2012]. There are, of course, many other good sources as well, and we shall refer to them as needed.
Removal of Processing Aids from Ceramic/Polymer Composites

Fundamental issues in the removal of processing aids from ceramic compacts prior to sintering have been investigated, both experimentally and theoretically. A general theoretical model has been developed that couples simultaneous momentum, heat, and mass transfer phenomena in disordered porous materials with the mechanical response predicted by an appropriate poroelasticity theory for partially saturated porous granular materials. The kinetics of pyrolytic degradation of organic processing aids were studied using a thermogravimetric analysis-mass spectrometry (TGA-MS) system.
Conceivability and the Metaphysics of Mind

Analyse de la dialectique de l'argument de la concevabilite utilise par les anti-materialistes contre la these materialiste de la continuite entre le physique et le mental. Examinant la relation entre la concevabilite et la possibilite et d'autres intuitions modales dont depend l'applicabilite de l'argument de la concevabilite au probleme esprit-corps, l'A. critique l'argument anti-materialiste standard fonde sur la notion de qualia et le modele de la propriete distincte concernant l'explication de l'ignorance a priori de l'identite, d'une part, et presente une nouvelle strategie fondee sur l'argument de la connaissance de l'identite et sur l'argument de l'explication, d'autre part
Travel Planning Searching for and Booking Hotels on the Internet

A survey of 249 leisure travelers at four hotels in Seattle, Washington, finds overwhelming use of the internet for searching and booking hotel rooms, although a noticeable percentage still make te...
Inhaler Use in Hospitalized Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or Asthma: Assessment of Wasted Doses

BackgroundHospitalized patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma routinely have inhaled medications ordered for acute and maintenance therapy. Treatment may be administer...
'By Some Other Means': Considering the Executive's Role in Fostering Subnational Human Rights Compliance

The broad realization of human rights domestically requires strong partnership among all levels of government. Indeed, international and domestic law support an important role for state and local governments in implementing the United States’ human rights treaty commitments, with the federal government retaining ultimate responsibility. While the federal government’s responsibility is clear, its options for fostering and facilitating subnational compliance have not been fully explicated. United States’ human rights treaty ratification practices and recent Supreme Court jurisprudence primarily constrain the Executive’s ability to compel state and local compliance without congressional authorization. In the absence of such congressional action, the Executive nevertheless is empowered to, and has a vital interest in, engaging other, non-coercive measures to bring subnational governments, and thus the United States, into human rights treaty compliance. An exploration of the doctrinal, functional, pragmatic and normative concerns, interests and needs particular to federalism and domestic human rights implementation, and an examination of relevant instances of cooperative federalism in other contexts, reveals several core non-coercive federal Executive functions. Specifically, by setting standards, collecting and disseminating information, and incentivizing compliance, the Executive, in cooperation with Congress, can maximize state and local human rights treaty compliance and positively impact the United States’ ability to fulfill its human rights commitments.
Abstract 12042: The "Obesity Paradox" in Ambulatory Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Background: The “obesity paradox”, wherein obesity is a risk factor for development of heart failure (HF) but is associated with better survival in HF, is well described in HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and partly attributed to cardiac cachexia. However, cachexia is not usually associated with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and little is known about the existence of the paradox in HFpEF. Accordingly, we examined the prognostic significance of body mass index (BMI) on outcomes in HFpEF. Methods: We evaluated 2501 ambulatory patients with HFpEF from 153 VA healthcare facilities with 2-year follow-up. Kaplan Meier survival curves and Cox-proportional hazard models were used to examine the association of BMI with outcomes of mortality, HF hospitalization and all cause hospitalization. Results: In patients with HFpEF (age 71 ± 10 years, 91% males, 89% white), patients with higher BMI were significantly younger, had higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and prior HF hospitalization, but lower prevalence of atrial fibrillation, anemia ((p≤0.001 for all) and chronic kidney disease (p=0.04). Compared to normal weight patients, patients with higher BMI had a lower risk of mortality (Log rank p≤0.001), but higher risk of HF hospitalization (p=0.038) (Figure), and similar risk of all cause hospitalization (p=0.77), which remained significant even after adjusting for baseline differences (Table). Conclusions: Our study suggests the presence of the “obesity paradox” even in patients with HFpEF, with higher BMI being independently associated with improved survival. However, higher BMI was also associated with a higher risk of HF hospitalizations.
The Economics of Canadian Municipal Water Supply: Applying the User-Pay Principle (Chapter 12)

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the user-pay principle as it applies to the municipal water industry in Canada. The user-pay principle requires that users pay the full economic costs of the goods and services they consume. Equity, efficiency, and water conservation are promoted by the application of the user-pay principle. This chapter compares current Canadian practices with those required by the user-pay principle. Recommendations are made with regard to the changes in Canadian practices that are required to bring the Canadian municipal water industry up to the standards required by the user-pay principle. In addition, recommendations are directed to the most appropriate means to attain the user-pay principle in Canada.
The Law of Legends

The most bewildering similarity between Robin Hood and Osama bin Laden is their hidden presence. To this day, scholars who expended their entire intellectual capital on tracing Robin's historical whereabouts are unsure whether he operated from Sherwood forests in Nottingham or from Barnsdale parks in Yorkshire. This controversy muddles history but nonetheless furnishes texture to Robin's legend. Now cometh Osama! Despite technology and resources available to experts and spies and despite a $25 million bounty placed on his head, Osama's whereabouts remain a deep mystery.
Fluorophore Assisted Photolysis of Thiolato-Cob(III)alamins

Cobalamins are known to react with thiols to yield stable β-axial CoIII–S bonded thiolato-cobalamin complexes. However, in stark contrast to the Co–C bond in alkylcobalamins, the photolability of the Co–S bond in thiolato-cobalamins remains undetermined. We have investigated the photolysis of N-acetylcysteinyl cob(III)alamin at several wavelengths within the ultraviolet and visible spectrum. To aid in photolysis, we show that attaching fluorophore “antennae” to the cobalamin scaffold can improve photolytic efficiency by up to an order of magnitude. Additionally, electron paramagnetic resonance confirms previous conjectures that the photolysis of thiolato-cobalamins at wavelengths as long as 546 nm produces thiyl radicals.
De Bruijn Sequences—A Model Example of the Interaction of Discrete Mathematics and Computer Science

Combinatorics, graph theory, and abstract algebra can all be applied to the same algorithmic problem.
Evaluation of Soybean Genotypes for Resistance to Three Seed-borne Diseases

Seed-borne diseases of soybeans caused by Phomopsis longicolla (Phomopsis seed decay), Cercospora kukuchii (purple seed stain), and M. phaseolina (charcoal rot) are economically important diseases that affect seed quality. Commercial cultivars marketed as resistant to all three diseases are not available. Reactions of 27 maturity group (MG) III, 30 early MG IV, 33 late MG IV, and 53 MG V genotypes were evaluated for resistance to these pathogens during the 2006 to 2008 growing season in the same field that had been in no-till production, not irrigated, and naturally and artificially infested. There was great variation in seed infection among genotypes and years, indicating the value of screening genotypes over multiple years. Some genotypes were resistant to these pathogens in one, two, or in all three years. Genotypes, DP 3478 (early MG IV), and RO1-769F (MG V) were resistant and DG4460 was moderately resistant to P. longicolla infection across three years. Genotypes AG3705 and FFR3990 (MG III) and DC20300, DC7816, Stoddard, and Ozark (MG V), were resistant to C. kukuchii infection during all three years. Ten genotypes in MG III, eight in early MG IV, seven in late MG IV, and 14 in MG V had no seed infection by M. phaseolina in all three years. These results indicate that seed infection comparison to these pathogens among genotypes should be made over several years, or false conclusions about resistance to any of the three pathogens may be made when disease is assessed for limited period of time. The genotypes identified as having resistance to each or combinations of the seed-borne diseases across the three years could be useful as a source for resistance in improving soybean seed quality.
Activation of protein tyrosine phosphorylation after retinal branch vein occlusion in cats.

PURPOSE: The authors examine the effect of retinal branch vein occlusion (BVO), a common retinal vascular disorder, on protein tyrosine phosphorylation, production of angiogenic growth factors, and activation of signal proteins in the tyrosine kinase pathways in the retina. METHODS: Retinal branch vein occlusion was induced in cat retina by coagulation of retinal veins with diathermy. At 2 days, 1, 3, and 6 weeks after induction of BVO, the retina was divided into three parts: a part within the distribution of the occluded vein (BVO[IN]) or a part outside the distribution of the occluded vein (BVO[OUT]). Each part of the retina was prepared for Western blot analysis of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and four signal proteins in the tyrosine kinase pathways, which were phospholipase C gamma (PLC gamma), C-Src, SH2-containing protein (SHC), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). RESULTS: Overall, tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins were increased after BVO, especially in BVO(IN) at 2 days and 1 week. The VEGF and bFGF also were increased in BVO(IN) at 1 week and 2 days, respectively. The PLC gamma and MAPK were activated at these time points. The C-Src and SHC were not activated in the retina after BVO. CONCLUSIONS: The BVO increased overall protein tyrosine phosphorylation in the cat retina in association with increase of angiogenic growth factors (VEGF and bFGF) and activation of two signal proteins (PLC gamma and MAPK) in the tyrosine kinase pathways. These results suggest that the protein tyrosine phosphorylation may in part play an important role in mitogenesis of vascular endothelial cells and other retinal responses after BVO.
Documenting domestication in a lost crop (Polygonum erectum L.): evolutionary bet-hedgers under cultivation

This study uses morphometrics and digital image analysis to document domestication syndrome in an annual seed crop, Polygonum erectum L. (erect knotweed), which was cultivated by Native Americans for c. 2,500 years in eastern North America. This plant is one of several seed crops referred to as the Eastern Agricultural Complex, a pre-maize agricultural system that supported societies in a core area centred on the central Mississippi valley for millennia. The extinct domesticated subspecies P. erectum ssp. watsoniae N. G. Muell. described here, exhibits some classic markers of domestication, including larger fruits and reduced germination inhibitors in comparison to its wild progenitor. Domesticated P. erectum also exhibits greatly reduced germination heteromorphism. Germination heteromorphism is the classic example of evolutionary bet-hedging in plants: wild P. erectum sacrifices maximum fitness per generation for a reduction in fitness variance over many generations. It does so by producing two different types of fruits: ones that germinate immediately in the spring after they are produced (smooth morphs), and ones that remain in the soil seed bank for one or more growing seasons before germinating (tubercled morphs). Tubercled morphs allow populations to recover after adverse events. Under cultivation, the selective pressures that maintained this strategy were relaxed as humans saved seeds and created predictable microenvironments for seedlings, resulting in homogenous harvests and reliable germination for ancient farmers.
Does That Face Mask Really Protect You

Various types of face masks available to the general public are worn for protection against inhalation of dust, pollutants, allergens, and pathogenic organisms. Recent news stories have illustrated...
3D-Graphene supports for palladium nanoparticles: Effect of micro/macropores on oxygen electroreduction in Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Abstract Hierarchically structured 3D-Graphene nanosheets as supports for palladium nanoparticles (Pd/3D-GNS) were fabricated using the Sacrificial Support Method. The pore size distribution of the 3D-GNS supports were tuned by utilizing smaller and larger sized sacrificial silica templates, EH5 and L90. Using a combination of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), N 2 sorption and Rotating Ring Disc Electrode (RRDE) technique, it was demonstrated that the EH5 and L90 modified 3D-GNS supports had higher percentage of micro- ( 50 nm), respectively. The templated pores also played a role in enhancing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as well as membrane electrode assembly (MEA) performance of the Pd nanoparticles in comparison to non-porous 2D-GNS supports. Particularly, incorporation of micropores increased peroxide generation at higher potentials whereas presence of macropores increased both limiting current densities and reduce peroxide yields. Integration of the Pd/GNS nanocomposites into a H 2/ O 2 fed Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (AEMFC) operating at 60 ° C also demonstrated the effect of modified porosity on concentration polarization or transport losses at high current densities. This strategy for the tunable synthesis of hierarchically 3D porous graphitized supports offers a platform for developing morphologically modified nanomaterials for energy conversion.
Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Youths' Public Facilities Use and Psychological Well-Being: A Mixed-Method Study

Purpose: In this study, we explored experiences and feelings of safety in public facilities in relation to psychological well-being among transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) youth in the Midwest in the summer of 2016, in the context of ongoing legislative proposals and regulations regarding school and public bathroom use in the United States. Methods: We used a mixed-method approach, with (1) a self-administered, paper-and-pencil survey of 120 TGNC youth, focusing on differences of self-esteem, resilience, quality of life (QoL), perceived stigma, feelings of safety, and experiences of public facility use and (2) two focus group interviews (n=9) in which TGNC youth discussed individual perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of bathroom use outside participants' homes. The samples consisted predominantly of individuals assigned female at birth and currently of trans-masculine identity. Results: TGNC youth in our sample who reported that they had felt unsafe in bathrooms due to appearance or gender identity had significantly lower levels of resilience (mean(felt safe)=125.7 vs. mean(felt unsafe)=116.1; p=0.03, Cohen's d=0.44) and QoL (mean(felt safe)=59.1 vs. mean(felt unsafe)=51.9; p=0.04, Cohen's d=0.39), compared to those who felt safe. Meanwhile, feeling unsafe in bathrooms was associated with a greater level of perceived LGBT stigma (mean(felt safe)=2.3 vs. mean(felt unsafe)=2.6; p=0.03, Cohen's d=0.41) and problematic anxiety in the past year (χ2 (1)=4.06; p=0.04). Individuals in the focus groups provided specific examples of their experiences of and concerns about locker room or bathroom use in public facilities, and on the impact of school bathroom-related policies and legislation on them. Conclusion: Perceptions of safety related to bathroom use are related to psychological well-being among TGNC youth. Our predominantly trans-masculine youth sample indicated that choice of bathroom and locker room use is important and that antiharassment policies need to support students' use of their choice of bathrooms. This is particularly important information given debate of so-called bathroom bills, which attempt to restrict public bathroom use for TGNC youth, creating less choice and more stress and fear among these individuals.
Impact of revised triage to improve throughput in an ED with limited traditional fast track population

Abstract Background Emergency department (ED) crowding is associated with patient safety concerns, increased patients left without being seen (LWBS), low patient satisfaction, and lost ED revenue. The objective was to measure the impact of a revised triage process on ED throughput. Methods This study took place at an urban, university-affiliated, adult ED with an annual census of 70,000 and admission rate of 34%. The revised triage approach included: identifying eligible patients at triage based on complaint, comorbidities, and illness acuity; and reallocating a nurse practitioner (NP) into our triage area. We trialed the intervention from 1100–2300 on weekdays from January 13–26, 2016. Adult patients who were not likely to require intensive evaluations were eligible. Primary outcomes were throughput measures including: time to provider, ED length of stay (LOS), and LWBS. Pre- and post-intervention metrics were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test, given the non-normal distribution of the metrics. Results The NP evaluated 120 patients of which 101 (84%) were discharged, 3 (2.5%) admitted, and 16 (13%) required more intense evaluation. Time to provider decreased from a median (IQR) of 42 (16, 114) to 27 (12.4, 81.5) minutes (p Conclusion The revised triage intervention was associated with improvements in several ED throughput metrics and a reduction in LWBS.
Protecting against Loss: Protective Put Strategiesversus Stop-Loss Strategies

The authors compare the effectiveness of two popular strategies for managing risk at the individual stock level: stop-loss orders and long put option positions. They find that the protective put generally produces higher returns than the stop-loss order. This result is consistent across a variety of different market conditions, with the protective put’s higher returns most prominent in high-volatility stocks and winner stocks. The authors consider two possible sources for the difference in returns: the greater precision in exit price provided by the protective put and the opportunity cost of stop-loss activation. They find that the difference in performance can be explained entirely by the greater precision in exit price provided by the put strike price relative to the more uncertain price provided by the stop-loss order.
Lymph node assessment and survival: we still have work to do

Thoracic surgeons generally agree that surgical resection of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) should include hilar and mediastinal lymph node assessment. A quality measure of 10 or more lymph nodes have been established by the national quality forum as a target number of nodes for resection, based on work that suggested it was important for accurate staging. Adequate nodal assessment is especially important given the beneficial role for adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with nodal metastases. However, despite the consensus opinion that nodal assessment is paramount, studies have demonstrated wide variability in the number of nodes sampled (1,2) The recent paper by David and colleagues (3) confirms this variability and attempts to categorize the effects of lymph node sampling on overall and cancer-specific survival using the California Cancer Registry.
Superfast, high-resolution dynamic 3D strain measurement of robotic flapping wings

In the flapping flight study, it is important to know the mechanics of the flapping wings to assist research in different fields such as biology and robotics. In this research, we propose a novel dynamic 3D strain measurement framework for robotic flapping wings. We set up a superfast 3D shape measurement platform with defocused binary stripe illumination to perform high-resolution dynamic 3D reconstruction. Then, we developed a novel point tracking algorithm based on geodesic computation. Finally, we performed dense 3D strain measurement by examining the curvature changes of tracked points. Experiments will demonstrate the success of our technology.
Single-Use Laundry Detergent Pack Exposures in Children Under 6 Years: A Prospective Study at U.S. Poison Control Centers.

Abstract Background After the widespread introduction of single-use liquid laundry detergent packs (LLDPs), a prospective observational study was initiated among 12 U.S. poison control centers (PCCs), serving 25% of the population. Objectives To evaluate qualitative and quantitative data, including demographics, route of exposure, clinical effects, medical outcome, management site, level of care, and circumstantial variables surrounding the LLDP exposure. Methods Analysis of LLDP exposures involving children (age Results There were 11,175 childhood exposures reported, with 90.3% involving children aged ≤ 3 years. Ingestion (82.6%) and ocular (14.2%) were the major routes of exposure. The size of the market for LLDPs more than doubled from ∼2.0 to ∼4.6 million LLDPs purchased. Total exposure reports increased from Year 1 (n = 2297) to Year 4 (n = 3206), however, normalized reporting rates dropped by 37% (4.4 to 2.8 exp/million LLDPs purchased). Significant declines ( p Conclusions There was a significant reduction in exposures that resulted in major/moderate outcomes, and the majority of patients did not require intervention in an emergency department setting.
In the Beginning: Lessons from Fertilization in Mice and Worms

Sexual reproduction proceeds by fertilization; formation of new individuals by the union of haploid gametes. Recent reports in Cell and in Developmental Cell may provide new insights as to how this process begins and is regulated.
Detecting Code Reuse Attacks with a Model of Conformant Program Execution

Code reuse attacks circumvent traditional program protection mechanisms such as $W \bigoplus X$ by constructing exploits from code already present within a process. Existing techniques to defend against these attacks provide ad hoc solutions or lack in features necessary to provide comprehensive and adoptable solutions. We present a systematic approach based on first principles for the efficient, robust detection of these attacks; our work enforces expected program behavior instead of defending against anticipated attacks. We define conformant program execution ( ${\mathcal{CPE}}$ ) as a set of requirements on program states. We demonstrate that code reuse attacks violate these requirements and thus can be detected; further, new exploit variations will not circumvent ${\mathcal{CPE}}$ . To provide an efficient and adoptable solution, we also define observed conformant program execution, which validates program state at system call invocations; we demonstrate that this relaxed model is sufficient to detect code reuse attacks. We implemented our algorithm in a tool, ROPStop, which operates on unmodified binaries, including running programs. In our testing, ROPStop accurately detected real exploits while imposing low overhead on a set of modern applications: 5.3% on SPEC CPU2006 and 6.3% on an Apache HTTP Server.
THE GAMMA FUNCTION AND RELATED FUNCTIONS

This chapter discusses the gamma function and related functions. It was noticed that the rational approximations converge much more rapidly than the 3 F 2 series expansion. About 100,000 terms of the 3 F 2 series for z = h and z = 1 are required to produce In 2 and π 2 /12, respectively, with an accuracy of about 5 decimals and 10 decimals, respectively. The efficiency of the rational approximations is manifest.
Workers’ Compensation Programs Throughout the World

Workers’ compensation programs in 136 nations are summarized in this chapter and the next. This chapter tells how many of these nations have each of several possible provisions related to coverage, medical expense benefits, disability benefits, death benefits, and funding of the program. As noted in chapter 1, Australia, Canada, and the United States are classified according to the most common province or state characteristics. The next chapter describes how workers’ compensation programs differ among nations according to (1) the continent in which they are located, (2) their income status, and (3) the security system used—a social insurance system, compulsory workers’ compensation insurance, or voluntary workers’ compensation insurance.
Continuously Dispersed Preferences, Regular Preference–Endowment Distribution, and Mean Demand Function

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the smoothing by aggregation problem in a continuum of economic agents' model. It studies the regularizing effects of aggregation over non regular microrelations. A tentative conclusion seems to be emerging from the work on smoothing by aggregation—there is a substantial difference between the continuous and the smooth case. While meaningful dispersion of preferences conditions are available yielding the continuity of mean excess demand, not a single (significant) one exists yielding its smoothness. To understand the scope and the applicability of the regularizing effect of aggregation, this chapter discusses whether the differentiable dispersion of preferences can be replaced by suitably defined continuous dispersion of preferences, whether consumption sets can be allowed to be nonconvex and the requirement of identical endowments for almost all agents be relaxed, whether preference relations that are not transitive can be allowed, and whether (different consumers can be allowed to have different consumption sets.
How Much Automation Is Too Much? Keeping the Human Relevant in Knowledge Work

ABSTRACT With the rapid advances in data analytics, machine learning, and continuous monitoring along with other related advances in artificial intelligence-based technologies, our solution as rese...
The Impact of Democracy on the Transition Through the Middle Income Range

This paper finds evidence in support of the view that democracy further facilitates growth through middle income thresholds defined between $8000 and $15,000 GDP per capita. Recent studies suggest that rapidly developing economies experience an economic slowdown when per capita income approaches this range. Prior research indicates that structural reforms supportive of democracy are needed to transition beyond these thresholds. Our analysis corroborates these findings and may have important implications for rapidly growing countries approaching these income levels, such as China and India.
Water Exercise and Its Effect on Balance and Gait to Reduce the Risk of Falling in Older Adults

Abstract The purpose of this research was to compare the effect of land-based and water-based exercise on gait and balance in two groups of women 65 years and older who engaged in regular exercise. Gait and balance was assessed with the Tinetti Gait and Balance Assessment. The Health Survey SF36v2 and a demographic/health survey were used to collect information concerning overall health and to identify other factors influencing the risk to fall. Forty-three women were recruited, 20 from land-based and 23 from water-based exercise programs. The findings indicated water exercise may contribute a positive benefit on balance and gait for women 65 years and older. No significant differences were found in the gait and balance scores between the two groups, after controlling for significant risk factors for falling. The results suggest that both types of exercise may be similarly beneficial on balance and gait and thereby reduce the risk for falls. Water-based exercise could be considered as an alternate exercis...
Chinese Patent Quantity and Patent Quality, and the Role of the State

This section (of a report for the World Bank) provides an up-to-date investigation into trends in Chinese patent quantity as well as Chinese patent “quality”, which is one way to measure the extent to which patents reflect innovation. The role of the Chinese state in influencing patent quantity and quality is also explored. The analysis shows that Chinese firms are inventing more than ever. Some Chinese firms are also innovating but, on aggregate, still not as strongly as firms from technological forerunner countries. The growth of patenting in China and by Chinese entities operating abroad has diverse implications for the direction of the Chinese economy. Some of the past increases in patent stocks have contributed to productivity growth and potentially stronger strategic competitiveness in Chinese firms. However, there are diminishing returns to some of the inventions in China, especially utility models which are being generated en masse. Moreover, despite the surge in the quantity of patents in China in recent years, patent quality has not risen proportionately. Chinese state patenting targets tied to performance evaluations and IP-conditioned state financial incentives have contributed to this rising patent quantity at the expense of patent quality. On one hand, neither the quality of invention patents filed in China nor the quality of Chinese-owned invention patents filed abroad is alarmingly poor, although different patent quality indicators are more assuring than others and state-supported filings appear to be of lower quality on average. On the other hand, the surge in utility models in China – especially, but not only, those that are state-supported – appear to be dragging down the quality of the country’s overall patent stock. This patenting trajectory can create path dependency on low quality inventions and unnecessary barriers to entry and transaction costs, which restrains China’s ability to transition towards an innovation-based economy. The Chinese state has undertaken a number of important recent initiatives to improve patent quality, which appear generally well-designed. Still, further reforms could be made.
The Impact of Education in Accelerating Commercialization of Wide-Bandgap Power Electronics [Expert View]

Silicon (Si) power devices have dominated power electronics because of their low-cost volume production, excellent starting material quality, ease of processing, and proven reliability. Although Si power devices continue to make progress, they are approaching their operational limits, primarily because of their relatively low bandgap and critical electric field, which result in high conduction and switching losses and in poor high-temperature performance. Silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) devices are revolutionizing power electronics because of their favorable material properties, which allow for highly efficient power devices with a reduced form factor and reduced cooling requirements. Although wide-bandgap (WBG) power devices have now advanced well past the proof-of-concept stage and are commercially available in a variety of voltage and current ratings, their widespread commercialization has been slow, primarily due to their high cost relative to their Si counterparts and concerns about their reliability.
Piety in the Pocket: An Introduction

In this introduction to the volume, Fewkes discusses several questions that guided the development of this book and themes that emerge from the chapters presented here. She argues that we can study mobile apps in relation to the history of digital media as a whole and also as a unique phenomenon due to the ubiquity of this technological platform. Fewkes discusses the significance of an anthropological orientation of this book in terms of methodological choices and holistic perspectives. The chapter also contains an explanation of the book’s organization and identifies how each chapter fits with the themed sub-sections of the volume.
A centralized stochastic inventory control model for perishable products considering age-dependent purchase price and lead time

In this paper, we present a stochastic multi-period multi-echelon $$ \left( {s, S} \right) $$ periodic inventory control model for perishable products in a healthcare environment. We consider age-dependent purchase price, order lead time, and allow for backorder. The model is inspired by a real case where a regional health system operates multiple hospitals in addition to managing a central warehouse. The warehouse centralizes the purchasing of the products and then distributes them among hospitals while demand for products in each hospital is uncertain. We formulate the problem as a stochastic mixed-integer linear programming model and study two purchasing strategies. The first and traditional strategy assumes that the warehouse only orders fresh products, i.e., products with the latest expiry date and most expensive, referred to as purchasing constant remaining life (CRL). The second strategy considers a discount function with a lower purchase price for products with a shorter remaining life, referred to as different remaining life (DRL). The designed models are naturally complex and intractable to obtain optimal solutions by an analytical approach for large instances of the problem. Thus, we developed a genetic algorithm to solve the problem and benchmarked its performance against an exact method. We also verified the results of the stochastic models through simulation. Extensive sensitivity analysis is also conducted to investigate the behaviors of both CRL and DRL strategies about the risk of product shortage, product expiration and the total cost imposed on the system.
Chance-Constrained Optimization of Energy Storage Capacity for Microgrids

The optimal storage capacity is a crucial parameter for stable and reliable operation of microgrids in an islanded mode. In this context, an analytical method is developed to robustly formulate and analyze energy storage capacity deploying chance constrained stochastic optimization. More specifically, the goal is to determine an appropriate size for an energy storage to reach a specific loss of load probability (LOLP) in a microgrid with large penetration of renewables considering generation and load forecast error. The total cost is minimized over optimal storage capacity as well as over generators power, while accounting for generation and storage power and energy constraints. It is postulated that the shortage/surplus power will be derived from/injected to the storage system. However, due to stochastic nature of load and renewables and an inevitable forecast error, the renewable generation output or the load power may not be accurately acquired. Thus, the total storage power and energy constraints are posed as chance constraints, for which conservative convex approximations are employed for tractability. In particular, to overcome the difficulty brought about by the large size of the optimization problem, a separable (distributed) structure is pursued, and the dual decomposition method is adopted to obtain optimal solutions. Numerical tests verify the effect of prior knowledge in modeling the uncertainty in optimal choice of storage capacity.