cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF VARIATION IN NESTLING HUNGER LEVELS AND BEGGING ON THE PROVISIONING BEHAVIOR OF MALE AND FEMALE EASTERN PHOEBES (SAYORNIS PHOEBE)

ABSTRACT Nestling birds solicit food from their parents using conspicuous vocalizations and visual begging displays, and evidence suggests begging represents an honest signal of need that adults use to determine provisioning rates. Less is known about how adult males and females may differ in response to changes in nestling begging behavior as a result of variation in hunger levels or how nestling begging and adult provisioning may vary seasonally in multi-brooded species. To examine these parent-offspring interactions, we manipulated hunger levels of nestling Eastern Phoebes (Sayornis phoebe) during the 2011 breeding season in central Kentucky. Both first and second broods were divided into three treatments: whole brood fed (n = 12), whole brood deprived (n = 16), and some fed/some deprived (split; n = 14). Food-deprived nestlings begged with increased intensity, and fed broods begged with less intensity. Adult Eastern Phoebes adjusted their provisioning rates accordingly, provisioning food-deprive...
The State and Privatisation : The chase for cash and its whitewash

This chapter reviews the state’s stances towards and connections with private business, exploring how and why the state and its officialdom moved from a place where they were building expectations of backing off to instead becoming actors in a drama of re-entry and resurrected dominance. District and subdistrict levels of government, suffering from funding shortage, were desperate for any revenue that could be found beyond their budgets and so created new nonstate business entities, with the express goal of gaining income. In many ways, decollectivisation turned family farms into tiny-scale private businesses, despite the fact that farmers lacked final rights to their output. The hesitancy accompanying the privatisation process has meant that for decades the landscape of ownership witnessed the appearance of numerous efforts at – and myriad shapes of – turning state-owned property into what has, after all, been just partially private ownership.
The Method and Evaluation of Measurement of Hip Joint in the Gluteal Muscle Contracture in Children

Objective To evaluate the effect on the development of hip joint by gluteal muscle contracture and to study the significance of early surgical treatment for this disease.Methods X-ray films of pelvis in 102 cases with gluteal muscle contracture were taken before surgical treatment.The acetabular index,the neck-shaft angle and the acetabular-head index(AHI) were measured.Results The neck shaft angle(x=149.64) and the CE angle(x=34.12) were increased,the acetabular-head index(x=72.3%) was decreased,and the acetabulainr index(x=13.6) was normal.Conclusion The gluteal muscle contracture can causes coxa valga and subluxation of the hip joint,early surgical treatment is needed.
Detection of broken strands and damage faults of high-voltage transmission line based on OTDR technology

Power transmission line,especially high-voltage transmission line plays an important role in electrical power supply system.Therefore,in order to ensure the safety of high-voltage transmission line in service,it is of vital importance to detect broken strands and damage faults of high-voltage transmission line timely and accurately.However,the commonly used methods have some problems in practical engineering.Optical time domain reflectometry(OTDR) is a commonly used instrument for fiber characterization and fault location in optical transmission systems.In this paper,a new method of detecting broken strands and damage faults of high-voltage transmission line based on OTDR technology is put forward.The theory of testing with OTDR is introduced at first.Model experimental study is conducted on a steel tube to simulate the high-voltage transmission wire,including axial tension test and horizontal shear test.Then damage simulation experiment is carried out on a section of original aluminum transmission wire.The results of the experiment demonstrate that this detecting system can be used to discriminate high-voltage transmission wire broken strands and damage faults accurately and also to estimate the crack width on the wire surface according to the level of the measured optical loss.The proposed monitoring method based on OTDR shows promising potential in broken strands and damage faults detection of high-voltage transmission line.
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign—Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

The Milestones in Microbiology program recognizes seminal accomplishments in microbiology–accomplishments that significantly increased biological understanding and advanced the field of microbiology, and often science and society as a whole. In October 2015, a Milestones in Microbiology designation was presented to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). This designation recognizes the contributions of many outstanding microbiologists for over a century.
Intestinal perforation due to fecal impaction after renal transplantation.

AbstractThree renal allograft recipients suffered major Intestinal complications shortly after the operation. Identification of diverticular disease, adequate preoperative bowel preparation, avoidance of excessive amounts of non-absorbable antacids, early ambulation, and periodic laxatives and stool softeners can prevent these complications. Surgical management Includes careful Inspection for additional perforations, resection and colostomy, and continuous peritoneal lavage.
A Unified Approach for Specifying Measures of Performance, Dependability and Performability

Methods for evaluating system performance, dependability, and performability are becoming increasingly more important, particularly in the case of critical applications. Central to the evaluation process is the definition of specific measures of system behavior that are of interest to a user. This paper presents a unified approach to the specification of measures of performance, dependability, and performability. The unification is achieved by 1) using a model class well suited for representation of all three aspects of system behavior, and 2) defining a variable class which allows for the specification of a wide range of measures of system behavior. The resulting approach permits the specification of many non-traditional as well as traditional measures of system performance, dependability, and performability in a unified manner. Example instantiations of variables within this class are given and their relationships to variables used in traditional performance and dependability evaluations are illustrated.
The Normal Thalamus

The present series of cytoarchitectural plates is intended as a guide to the topographical relationships of the various thalamic nuclei to the commissuralmidline system. Although reproduced at relatively low power, some idea of the cytoarchitecture of the individual nuclei may be gained by careful inspection of the plates with the aid of a hand magnifier.
Random forest regression for magnetic resonance image synthesis.

By choosing different pulse sequences and their parameters, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can generate a large variety of tissue contrasts. This very flexibility, however, can yield inconsistencies with MRI acquisitions across datasets or scanning sessions that can in turn cause inconsistent automated image analysis. Although image synthesis of MR images has been shown to be helpful in addressing this problem, an inability to synthesize both T2-weighted brain images that include the skull and FLuid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) images has been reported. The method described herein, called REPLICA, addresses these limitations. REPLICA is a supervised random forest image synthesis approach that learns a nonlinear regression to predict intensities of alternate tissue contrasts given specific input tissue contrasts. Experimental results include direct image comparisons between synthetic and real images, results from image analysis tasks on both synthetic and real images, and comparison against other state-of-the-art image synthesis methods. REPLICA is computationally fast, and is shown to be comparable to other methods on tasks they are able to perform. Additionally REPLICA has the capability to synthesize both T2-weighted images of the full head and FLAIR images, and perform intensity standardization between different imaging datasets.
Non-local and motion-based low-rank regularizations for gated CT reconstruction

Respiratory gated computed tomography (CT) is used for a diagnosis of certain diseases with motion patterns that causes motion blurring artifacts; and each phase is acquired under a low-dose condition that results in high noise in images. In this paper, to address the issues of high noise and motion artifacts in the gated CT, we propose an iterative reconstruction algorithm using 4D non-local and motion-based low-rank regularizations, which utilizes small image patches to reduce noise while preserving the edge structures, and exploits the low-rank property of the redundant pseudo motion information in multi-frame images. During the calculation of the non-local weights between inter-frame images, each voxel can achieve temporal positions of the highest non-local weights along frames, and we can generate a pseudo motion registration matrix for a specific phase image. Then, we can calculate the low-rank regularization using the pseudo motion registration matrix. The proposed method is computationally efficient in terms of the concurrent execution of calculating the non-local regularization and generating the pseudo registration matrix. In computer simulation, we demonstrate that the proposed method improves the image quality.
MERS: Statistical Test Generation for Side-Channel Analysis based Trojan Detection

Hardware Trojan detection has emerged as a critical challenge to ensure security and trustworthiness of integrated circuits. A vast majority of research efforts in this area has utilized side-channel analysis for Trojan detection. Functional test generation for logic testing is a promising alternative but it may not be helpful if a Trojan cannot be fully activated or the Trojan effect cannot be propagated to the observable outputs. Side-channel analysis, on the other hand, can achieve significantly higher detection coverage for Trojans of all types/sizes, since it does not require activation/propagation of an unknown Trojan. However, they have often limited effectiveness due to poor detection sensitivity under large process variations and small Trojan footprint in side-channel signature. In this paper, we address this critical problem through a novel side-channel-aware test generation approach, based on a concept of Multiple Excitation of Rare Switching (MERS), that can significantly increase Trojan detection sensitivity. The paper makes several important contributions: i) it presents in detail the statistical test generation method, which can generate high-quality testset for creating high relative activity in arbitrary Trojan instances; ii) it analyzes the effectiveness of generated testset in terms of Trojan coverage; and iii) it describes two judicious reordering methods can further tune the testset and greatly improve the side channel sensitivity. Simulation results demonstrate that the tests generated by MERS can significantly increase the Trojans sensitivity, thereby making Trojan detection effective using side-channel analysis.
Mark, Set, Go! School-Based Nutrition and Physical Activity Program: A Five-Year Evaluation.

Mark, Set Go! is a school-based intervention addressing pediatric obesity in an urban, underserved community. This study evaluates its impact on participants' knowledge, attitudes and behavior related to nutrition, physical activity and screen time. METHOD Participants, 954 fifth- and sixth-grade public school students, received a 9-week classroom-based intervention led by high school peer educators. A matched design analyzed paired data from pre/post intervention knowledge, attitude and behavior surveys, heights, weights and 24 hour pedometer recordings. RESULTS 787 students (82.4%) completed both a pre- and post-test. Participants demonstrated improvement in knowledge, self-reported screen time, daily exercise and sweetened beverage consumption. Changes were greater for girls. A statistically significant decrease in BMI was noted overall, for boys and for overweight students, among the 443 participants (46%) with paired BMI data. CONCLUSIONS This school-based peer educator led intervention was effective in improving participant knowledge and healthy behaviors. [Full article available at http://rimed.org/rimedicaljournal-2017-02.asp].
Experimentation and Human Genetics: Problems of “Consent”

As in all fields of medicine, the modern practice of human genetics is closely linked with experimentation. Genetics research sometimes involves patients who are offered new and as yet unproven means of therapy or diagnosis that are intended to benefit the patients, such as the levodopa challenge which is being explored as a test to detect Huntington’s chorea (1) and which has raised such a storm of controversy (2–4). The experimentation may also take the form of a procedure not intended to benefit its subjects, as for example routine mass screening of newborn infants to provide population data on chromosome aneuploidy, without any intention of following up detection with medical intervention (5). Needless to say, research on genetics poses all the problems and provokes the same argumentation as has occurred concerning other types of human experimentation, which is reflected in an ever growing body of literature (6-11). The involvement of the fetus in much of this research heightens interest and concern in this period when fetal experimentation is getting so much attention from the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects (12, 13) on down (14–16). Rather than attempt to address, in what would have to be a very cursory fashion, all the issues of “genetic experimentation,” I have chosen to concentrate on a type of intervention that raises problems which commentators often acknowledge but seldom (if ever) seem to dispose of.
3D Printed Functionally Graded Plasmonic Constructs

A new class of 3D functionally graded plasmonic materials and devices manufactured through 3D printing is presented. Up to eight different plasmonic inks are interwoven into a single functionally graded construct. Both continuous and discrete 3D gradients in plasmonic properties are realized. The approach is applied toward engineering of next-generation plasmonic devices. Specifically, the manufacturing of a novel functionally graded plasmonic night-vision contact lens is demonstrated.
Disease risk and fertility: evidence from the HIV/AIDS pandemic

A fundamental question about human behavior is whether fertility responds to disease risk. The standard economic theory of household fertility decision-making generates ambiguous predictions, and the response has large implications for human welfare. We examine the fertility response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic using national household survey data from 14 sub-Saharan African countries. Instrumental variable (IV) estimates using distance to the origin of the pandemic suggest that HIV/AIDS has increased the total fertility rate (TFR) and the number of surviving children. These results rekindle the debate about the fertility response to disease risk, particularly the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and highlight the question of whether the HIV/AIDS pandemic has reduced GDP per capita.
Energy efficient computing with hyperdimensional vector space models

Computing is changing. Over the past six decades, the semiconductor industry has been immensely successful in providing exponentially increasing computational complexity at an ever-reducing cost and energy footprint. This incessant march has been supported by a set of well-defined abstraction layers, starting from robust switching devices that support a deterministic Boolean algebra to a scalable and stored program architecture, which is Turing complete, and hence capable of tackling a wide variety of computational challenge. Unfortunately this abstraction chain is being challenged as scaling continues to nanometer dimensions and also by exciting new applications that must support a myriad of new data types. Maintaining a deterministic model ultimately puts a lower bound on the amount of energy scaling that can be obtained, set in place by fundamental physics that governs the operation and also by the variability and reliability of the underlying nanoscale devices [1,2].
Fluorescein angiographic lesion type frequency in neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Abstract Objective To assess the frequency of lesion types using fluorescein angiography (FA) in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Design Cross-sectional study. Participants Two hundred cases of nAMD. Methods Fluorescein angiograms from 908 patients (university-based, tertiary retinal referral practice [UP] = 478; comprehensive, community-based eye clinic [CC] = 430) were reviewed to identify 200 cases of nAMD (100 from each center). Two graders evaluated the frequency of angiographic subtypes. Main outcome measures Identifying (1) the frequency of subfoveal nAMD lesions that meet the definition of "predominantly classic," "minimally classic," "occult with no classic"; (2) lesion location, size, and subtype; and (3) the intergrader agreement (κ). Results There was little difference in the frequency of lesion type between the UP and the CC. Most nAMD lesions were subfoveal (78.5%, 157 of 200), and of these, 20% (32 of 157) were predominantly classic; whereas 73% (114 of 157) were occult with no classic, and 7% (11 of 157) were minimally classic. Of the 200 angiograms, 33 (16.5%) were juxtafoveal, and 10 (5%) were extrafoveal. Twenty of the 43 juxtafoveal and extrafoveal lesions (47%) were predominantly classic. Classic with no occult subfoveal lesions were smaller than minimally classic or occult with no classic (1.7 vs. 3.7 and 2.8 mm; P = 0.001 and 0.01, respectively). Of 114 subfoveal occult with no classic lesions, 54 (47%) had both smaller lesion size ≤4 disc areas (DA) and lower visual acuity or lower visual acuity. Conclusions Most angiographic lesions of patients who undergo FA for nAMD are subfoveal and occult. We estimate that 20% of subfoveal lesions are predominantly classic. Approximately half of the juxtafoveal and extrafoveal lesions are predominantly classic. Nearly 30% of all nAMD lesions have both small occult lesions (size ≤4 DA) and a visual acuity less than 20/50. We found minimal difference in lesion type between a UP and a CC.
Sixth Amendment Sentencing After Hurst

The Supreme Court’s 2016 decision in Hurst v. Florida, which struck down Florida’s capital sentencing scheme, altered the Court’s Sixth Amendment sentencing doctrine. That doctrine has undergone several important changes since it was first recognized. At times the doctrine has expanded—invalidating sentencing practices across the country—and at times it has contracted—allowing restrictions on judicial sentencing discretion based on findings that are not submitted to a jury. Hurst represents another expansion of the doctrine. Although the precise scope of the decision is unclear, the most sensible reading of Hurst suggests that any finding required before a judge may impose a higher sentence must be submitted to a jury and proven beyond a reasonable doubt. This reading invalidates several state capital sentencing systems and several non-capital systems, and it would require dramatic changes to federal sentencing as well.
OpenNetVM: A Platform for High Performance NFV Service Chains

Middleboxes in traditional networks relied on purpose-built hardware/software appliances to run data plane services, making it difficult for networks to evolve. OpenNetVM seeks to address this problem by offering a flexible Network Function Virtualization framework designed for rapid development and deployment of virtualized network functions. By efficiently chaining together a series of network functions, complex services can be created and adapted to meet changing needs. OpenNetVM provides an easy to use platform for NF development and research into network function management. This demo will present the improvements we have made to OpenNetVM since its initial open source release two years ago, including new functionality such as more efficient service chaining and a TCP stack to allow integrated deployments of middleboxes and end host applications.
Mandatory HIV/AIDS Testing: An Ethical Issue

Should HIV/AIDS testing be required for health care workers and patients? This study compared the perceptions of 64 health care professionals and 97 nursing students on mandatory HIV testing, the risk of accidental infection, the appropriate industry response to infection, and the placement of costs. Significant differences were found between the two groups. While health care professionals favored testing for patients, students favored mandatory testing for both health care workers and patients. Students also viewed the risk of HIV/AIDS infection by a patient as significantly higher than did health care workers. Overall younger respondents tended to favor mandatory testing and also thought that hospitals should bear the cost.
Property in a Utopian State, Informed by Ideas of Pufendorf and Locke

In considering the nature of a utopian state, one might begin by asking whether such a thing is a contradiction in terms. A state is a repository of power that can overcome disobedience or objection. A utopian place is conceived as a place that manifests ideal conditions. One might plausibly suppose that one component of the ideal conditions of a utopian place would be harmony that made the power of the state unnecessary. How, then, could there be a utopian state?
Molecular analysis of bacterial contamination on stethoscopes in an intensive care unit.

BackgroundCulture-based studies, which focus on individual organisms, have implicated stethoscopes as potential vectors of nosocomial bacterial transmission. However, the full bacterial communities that contaminate in-use stethoscopes have not been investigated.MethodsWe used bacterial 16S rRNA gene deep-sequencing, analysis, and quantification to profile entire bacterial populations on stethoscopes in use in an intensive care unit (ICU), including practitioner stethoscopes, individual-use patient-room stethoscopes, and clean unused individual-use stethoscopes. Two additional sets of practitioner stethoscopes were sampled before and after cleaning using standardized or practitioner-preferred methods.ResultsBacterial contamination levels were highest on practitioner stethoscopes, followed by patient-room stethoscopes, whereas clean stethoscopes were indistinguishable from background controls. Bacterial communities on stethoscopes were complex, and community analysis by weighted UniFrac showed that physician and patient-room stethoscopes were indistinguishable and significantly different from clean stethoscopes and background controls. Genera relevant to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) were common on practitioner stethoscopes, among which Staphylococcus was ubiquitous and had the highest relative abundance (6.8%–14% of contaminating bacterial sequences). Other HAI-related genera were also widespread although lower in abundance. Cleaning of practitioner stethoscopes resulted in a significant reduction in bacterial contamination levels, but these levels reached those of clean stethoscopes in only a few cases with either standardized or practitioner-preferred methods, and bacterial community composition did not significantly change.ConclusionsStethoscopes used in an ICU carry bacterial DNA reflecting complex microbial communities that include nosocomially important taxa. Commonly used cleaning practices reduce contamination but are only partially successful at modifying or eliminating these communities.
Electrochemical Zero-Mode Waveguide Studies of Single Enzyme Reactions

Because electron transfer reactions are fundamental to life processes, such as respiration, vision, and energy catabolism, it is critically important to understand the relationship between functional states of individual redox enzymes and the macroscopically observed phenotype, which results from averaging over all copies of the same enzyme. To address this problem, we have developed a new technology, based on a bifunctional nanoelectrochemical-nanophotonic architecture - the electrochemical zero mode waveguide (E-ZMW) - that can couple biological electron transfer reactions to luminescence, making it possible to observe single electron transfer events in redox enzymes. Here we describe E-ZMW architectures capable of supporting potential-controlled redox reactions with single copies of the oxidoreductase enzyme, glutathione reductase, GR, and extend these capabilities to electron transfer events where reactive oxygen species are synthesized within the ~ 100 zL volume of the nanopore.
Torture, Literature, and History in Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Leather Funnel”

Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story “The Leather Funnel” is a brief, rather ghastly tale that centers on a dream vision of a woman being brutally tortured. Doyle’s other major publication of 1902, The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct , was his defense of the British army against claims made by W. T. Stead in Methods of Barbarism (1901) that Boer women and children had been the victims of war crimes and systematic torture. Doyle structures the story so that the narrator’s naive response of moral outrage at seeing a woman being tortured gradually develops into a more sophisticated understanding of justice as his vision is placed in its proper legal and historical context. Taken together, “The Leather Funnel” and The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct offer useful insights into Doyle’s understanding of the relationship between literature and history, and the deployment of state power through written language.
Undocumented Motherhood: Gender, Maternal Identity, and the Politics of Health Care

Undocumented Mexican immigrants have had to regularly confront a prohibiting health care system despite alienation, marginalization, and the threat of deportation. In this article, I explore the impact of political exclusion and alienating discourses on the health habitus of undocumented Mexican mothers through the narrative of one mother, Marta Garza, who finds herself at the painful intersection of political and medical alienation. Marta's narrative reflects an analytical framework that centers undocumented motherhood as a space of necessary resilience and strain, wherein she is forced to advocate for her children's health despite prohibitive barriers and dangerous potential consequences.
Sustainable infrastructure systems

Abstract A new technology called the “invisible road” is proposed in this chapter for a better transportation infrastructure system for the development of a sustainable urban area. An underground maglev (magnetic levitation) system has been proposed to smoothly run all vehicles a little over 2 ft above the Earth's surface by propulsive and impulsive force at the flying stage. The vehicle will not require any energy because it will be run by a superconducting electromagnetic force created by the maglev technology. Wind energy modeling has also been added to meet the vehicle's energy demand when it runs in a nonmaglev area. Naturally, all maglev infrastructure networks will be covered by evergreen herbs, except for pedestrian walkways, to absorb CO2, ambient heat, and moisture (vapor) from the surrounding environment to make it cool. Indeed, the proposed maglev transportation infrastructure technology will be an innovative one in modern engineering science that will also reduce climate change dramatically.
Questions and Concerns Re: Blue Water Footprints Reported in “Water Footprint of Meat Analogs: Selected Indicators According to Life Cycle Assessment”

The article “Water Footprint of Meat Analogs: Selected Indicators According to Life Cycle Assessment,” Water 2019 11: 728 by Fresan et al. analyzes the water footprints (WFs) of 39 meat analogs and their associated eutrophication and ecotoxicity potential. We have several questions and concerns about the WFs presented in this study, which in some cases are an order of magnitude larger than those reported for similar products in other published works. Additionally, at least some of the WFs of other meat analogs and conventional meats—to which the authors compare their results—appear to misrepresent the cited literature. We encourage the authors to provide clarification on how the WF values for meat analogs are so much higher than those reported in other studies and to verify the comparison values reported from other sources.
Effects of Salesperson Attractiveness on Consumer Perceptions of Service Quality: A Conceptual Framework

This paper addresses service situations in which the salesperson is also the service provider. A conceptual framework is presented that is used to explore the impact of salesperson attractiveness on consumer perceptions of service quality. This paper builds upon the growing stream of service quality literature by exploring the variables which moderate the attractiveness- service quality relationship. Key managerial and research implications are discussed.
Epidural Steroid Injections for Management of Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: Little Effect on Clinical Outcomes in Operatively and Nonoperatively Treated Patients.

Background Although epidural steroid injection (ESI) may provide pain relief for patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis in treatment regimens of up to 4 months, it remains unclear whether ESI affects crossover from nonoperative to operative management. Methods This retrospective cohort study analyzed 2 groups of surgical candidates with degenerative spondylolisthesis: those who received ESI within 3 months after enrollment (ESI group) and those who did not (no-ESI group). Annual outcomes following enrollment were assessed within operative and nonoperative groups (patients who initially chose or were assigned to surgery or nonoperative treatment) by using longitudinal mixed-effect models with a random subject intercept term accounting for correlations between repeated measurements. Treatment comparisons were performed at follow-up intervals. Area-under-the-curve analysis for all time points assessed the global significance of treatment. Results The study included 192 patients in the no-ESI group and 74 in the ESI group. The no-ESI group had greater baseline Short Form-36 (SF-36) Bodily Pain scores (median, 35 versus 32) and self-reported preference for surgery (38% versus 11%). There were no differences in surgical rates within 4 years after enrollment between the no-ESI and ESI groups (61% versus 62%). The surgical ESI and no-ESI groups also showed no differences in changes in patient-reported outcomes at any follow-up interval or in the 4-year average. Compared with the nonoperative ESI group, the nonoperative no-ESI group showed greater improvements in SF-36 scores for Bodily Pain (p = 0.004) and Physical Function (p = 0.005) at 4 years, Bodily Pain at 1 year (p = 0.002) and 3 years (p = 0.005), and Physical Function at 1 year (p = 0.030) and 2 years (p = 0.002). Of the patients who were initially treated nonsurgically, those who received ESI and those who did not receive ESI did not differ with regard to surgical crossover rates. The rates of crossover to nonoperative treatment by patients who initially chose or were assigned to surgery also did not differ between the ESI and no-ESI groups. Conclusions There was no relationship between ESI and improved clinical outcomes over a 4-year study period for patients who chose or were assigned to receive surgery for degenerative spondylolisthesis. In the nonsurgical group, ESI was associated with inferior pain reduction through 3 years, although this was confounded by greater baseline pain. ESI showed little relationship with surgical crossover. Level of evidence Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Peer Perceptions of Communal Narcissism and Communalism in At-Risk Adolescents

Abstract. The present study extended research on the relation of communal narcissism in adolescents with self- and peer-reported personality and behavior. Although communal narcissism may be associ...
Metagenome-Assembled Genome Sequence of Rhodobacteraceae Bacterium Strain Clear-D3, Assembled from a Dolichospermum Consortium from Clear Lake, California

Here, we report the metagenome-assembled genome sequence of a Rhodobacteraceae bacterium strain, Clear-D3, that was reconstructed from a cyanobacterial enrichment from a eutrophic lake. The draft genome sequence shows evidence of an anoxygenic photoautotrophic lifestyle. Other potential capabilities include aerobic heterotrophy, flagellar motility, chemotaxis, and utilization of complex C-P compounds.
A Model Survey of DAV White Dwarfs

We have created a grid of DAV (ZZ Ceti) pulsation models to test whether ensemble observations of DAV pulsation periods can be used to determine the nature of the DAV interiors.
Brief Communication: Initializing RAMMS with High ResolutionLiDAR Data for Avalanche Simulations

Abstract. The Rapid Mass Movements Simulator (RAMMS) is an avalanche dynamics software tool for research and forecasting. Since the model’s conception, the sensitivity of inputs on simulation results has been well-documented. Here, we introduce a new method for initializing RAMMS that can be easily operationalized for avalanche forecasting using high resolution LiDAR data. As a demonstration, hypothetical avalanche simulations were performed while incrementally incorporating semi-automated LiDAR-derived values for snow depth, interface topography, and vegetative cover from field-collected LiDAR data. Results show considerable variation in the calculated runout extent, flow volume, pressure, and velocity of the simulated avalanches when incorporating these LiDAR-derived values.
Manual of Lifestyle Medicine

The fundamental premise of lifestyle medicine is that daily habits profoundly impact health and quality of life both in the short-term and long-term. Written by lifestyle medicine pioneer and cardiologist , Dr. James Rippe, this book provides a clinically oriented, evidence-based look into key lifestyle factors and how to prescribe them to individuals of all ages. Written for professionals working at all levels of medical and healthcare practice, this manual summarizes the major components of lifestyle medicine, from physical activity and nutrition to weight management and the avoidance of tobacco products. It includes clinical guidelines and practices for using lifestyle medicine principles to lower the risk of numerous chronic conditions. The manual also provides information on behavior change, approaches to lowering the risk of dementia, treatment of addictions and injury prevention. Features: Explains how lifestyle medicine can reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis, dementia and many other chronic conditions. Chapters begin with bulleted key points and conclude with a list of clinical applications. Provides strategies for prescribing physical activity and helping patients improve their nutrition, lose weight if necessary and reduce stress. Includes clinically relevant sections on “Treating Addiction, Preventing Injury and Improving Brain Health”. This book provides updated and clinically targeted summaries used in conjunction with Dr. Rippe's major academic textbook Lifestyle Medicine, now in its third edition, published by CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Exploring opportunities & pathways for advanced practice radiation therapy roles in the United States

Abstract The evolution of practice of Radiation Therapy in the United States (U.S.) is inevitable. The scope of a radiation therapists role has progressed with advancing technology, implementation of special procedures and patient care requirements. Internationally, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom have formalized this evolution through the Advanced Practice Radiation Therapist (APRT) role to provide new models of care, to meet growing demands in the practice of Radiation Oncology, to increase efficiency, decrease cost and retain skilled staff (Harnett et al., 2018; Society of Radiographers; Linden et al., 2019; Coleman et al., 2014) [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] . Through evidence based practice, the APRT role has proven to provide benefits for multiple stakeholders including service-reconfiguration to reduce wait times, developing and retaining highly skilled radiation therapists, treatment review and most importantly improving patient care within much needed patient cohorts such as the palliative population (Duffton et al., 2019) [5] . The U.S. is no exception to requiring innovative care models and solutions to similar complex, care delivery challenges experienced internationally. The U.S. is experiencing an increase in demand for cancer services and a rapid rate of technological and treatment advancements. Under the current infrastructure, this has impacted the daily tasks of physicians; increasing workload, increasing the complexity of clinical decision making, increasing movement toward site specific subspecialty practice and pushing the scope of radiation therapists informally toward maximization, increased autonomy and a higher level of education and specialized skills (American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2016; ARRT, 2020; Vu et al., 2018) [6] , [7] , [8] . Objective The following reviews the current radiation therapy practice and professional landscape in the United States as it relates to advanced practice, exploring opportunities and challenges under the U.S. health care infrastructure. This broad analysis provides comparison to other countries and disciplines such as the Radiologist Assistant and Nurse Practitioner for potential pathways to establishing the role and describes current needs and value of the expanding scope of RT’s practicing in the U.S.
Design and Simulation of a New Biomedical Production Process

This paper presents the design and analysis of a lean production system for a new biomedical technology product that has the potential to accelerate the screening process for cancer treatments. To navigate the unique constraints of the product’s manufacturing process, including the use of time-sensitive biomaterial and several steps with long processing times, simulation is utilized to analyze and compare multiple system designs and production scenarios. The final design includes a robust production schedule, a modular facility layout, and lean production control tools for daily facility operation. All of the proposed designs are compliant with regulations governing the correct handling of human tissue and other biomaterials, and guidelines from the regulatory bodies were explicitly incorporated in key decisions throughout the design and simulation modeling process.
No Microscope? No Problem: A Systematic Review of Microscope-Free Microsurgery Training Models.

Background Benchtop microsurgical training models that use digital tools (smartphones, tablets, and virtual reality [VR]) for magnification are allowing trainees to practice without operating microscopes. This systematic review identifies existing microscope-free training models, compares models in their ability to enhance microsurgical skills, and presents a step-by-step protocol for surgeons seeking to assemble their own microsurgery training model. Methods We queried PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases through November 2020 for microsurgery training models and performed a systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We collected data including training model characteristics (cost, magnification, and components) and outcomes (trainee satisfaction, image resolution, and faster suturing speed). We also conducted a complimentary Google search to identify commercially available microscope-free microsurgical training models or kits not reported in peer-reviewed literature. Results Literature search identified 1,805 publications; 24 of these met inclusion criteria. Magnification tools most commonly included smartphones (n = 10), VR simulators (n = 4), and tablets (n = 3), with magnification ranging up to ×250 magnification on digital microscopy, ×50 on smartphones, and ×5 on tablets. Average cost of training models ranged from $13 (magnification lens) to $15,000 (augmented reality model). Model were formally assessed using workshops with trainees or attendings (n = 10), surveys to end-users (n = 5), and single-user training (n = 4); users-reported satisfaction with training models and demonstrated faster suturing speed and increased suturing quality with model training. Five commercially available microsurgery training models were identified through Google search. Conclusion Benchtop microsurgery trainers using digital magnification successfully provide trainees with increased ease of microsurgery training. Low-cost yet high magnification setups using digital microscopes and smartphones are optimal for trainees to improve microsurgical skills. Our assembly protocol, “1, 2, 3, Microsurgery,” provides instructions for training model set up to fit the unique needs of any microsurgery trainee.
Pulse modulation of synthetic jet actuators for control of separation

We investigate vortex shedding off an airfoil generated by pulsed actuation (or pulse modulation) of synthetic jets. This technique is shown to shed circulation in a controlled manner during dynamic stall, reducing many of its detrimental effects.
Dataset of Bessel function Jn maxima and minima to 600 orders and 10000 extrema.

Abstract Bessel functions of the first kind are ubiquitous in the sciences and engineering in solutions to cylindrical problems including electrostatics, heat flow, and the Schrodinger equation. The roots of the Bessel functions are often quoted and calculated, but the maxima and minima for each Bessel function, used to match Neumann boundary conditions, have not had the same treatment. Here we compute 10000 extrema for the first 600 orders of the Bessel function J . To do this, we employ an adaptive root solver bounded by the roots of the Bessel function and solve to an accuracy of 10 − 19 . We compare with the existing literature (to 30 orders and 5 maxima and minima) and the results match exactly. It is hoped that these data provide values needed for orthogonal function expansions and numerical expressions including the calculation of geometric correction factors in the measurement of resistivity of materials, as is done in the original paper using these data.
Cloud Accountability: Glossary of Terms and Definitions

The Glossary of Terms and Definitions captures a shared multidisciplinary understanding within the EU FP7 Cloud Accountability Project (A4Cloud). It consists of the key terms that have been identified by the A4Cloud’s Accountability Conceptual Framework. The definitions in the glossary have been drawn from relevant research literature, standards or domain specific references (e.g. data protection, cloud computing, information security, privacy, etc.). The A4Cloud’s Accountability Conceptual Framework has proposed (or revised) definitions of those terms that are central to concept of accountability (and related attributes). The glossary is the result of a collaborative effort of the A4Cloud project. The final glossary consists of over 150 terms (drawn from an initial list of over 700 terms) selected for their relevance to accountability. It consists of the core accountability terms that have been defined and used across the A4Cloud project.
A proposal to organize i2-EPR (International Institute for Exploring Physics with Reality)

Research: Our objective is to discover, visualize, understand and some times gainfully emulate (to advance our technologies) the real physical processes behind diverse interactions that are at the root of incessant cosmic and biospheric evolutions. Our focus is on discovering actual realities in nature driven by cosmic logic rather than inventing the ones that are aesthetically pleasing to our human logic. Our responsibility is to facilitate continuous evolution in our epistemology of modeling natural phenomena simultaneously exploiting the current tools of reductionism and emergence-ism that are helping us to discover rules of interactions between stable but simple (some times irreducible) entities and between complex assemblies that emerge from simpler entities. Education: Promote an educational philosophy that encourages the students to persistently enquire to visualize and understand the processes behind all interactions in nature while being conscious of their scientific epistemology. Everything that we “see” is nothing but a creative interpretation of the chain of transformations experienced by the sensor (or assemblies of sensors) that we use to observe nature. Science has so far formulated an array of working rules to model nature none of which can be declared as inviolable laws as yet. We have generated several “solved” jig-saw-puzzles which are not yet unifiable into one coherent puzzle to map the indivisible cosmic system. Outreach: Organize local and international seminars and conferences disseminating (i) the results of research, and (ii) the evolving & effective model of research (scientific epistemology) Economic wellbeing: Disseminate new technology innovation potentials to attract enhanced economic support through proper local channels.
Erratum to: Role of CD73 and extracellular adenosine in disease

Erratum to: Purinergic Signalling (2011) 7:367-372 DOI 10.1007/s11302-011-9265-4 The original version of this article contained two errors. The name of the first author of the first reviewed manuscript (NT5E mutations and arterial calcifications. N. Engl. J. Med. 2011 Feb 3;364(5):432–42. PMID: 21288095) was spelt incorrectly. The family name should have been “St. Hilaire” instead of “St. Hillaire”. Elliot Tapper, Moritz Schmelzle and Holger K. Eltzschig are coauthors and their corresponding affiliations are presented below.
Representational issues in machine learning

Present day learners depend on careful vocabulary engineering for their success. The aim of this workshop is to study the nature of the contribution representation makes to learning, with a view to automating the process of representation selection and design for autonomous learners. This would clarify representational practice in machine learning by explicating the relationship between inference, both deductive and inductive, and choice of representation.
Vortices and the entrainment transition in the two-dimensional Kuramoto model.

We study synchronization in the two-dimensional lattice of coupled phase oscillators with random intrinsic frequencies. When the coupling K is larger than a threshold K_E, there is a macroscopic cluster of frequency-synchronized oscillators. We explain why the macroscopic cluster disappears at K_E. We view the system in terms of vortices, since cluster boundaries are delineated by the motion of these topological defects. In the entrained phase (K>K_E), vortices move in fixed paths around clusters, while in the unentrained phase (K<K_E), vortices sometimes wander off. These deviant vortices are responsible for the disappearance of the macroscopic cluster. The regularity of vortex motion is determined by whether clusters behave as single effective oscillators. The unentrained phase is also characterized by time-dependent cluster structure and the presence of chaos. Thus, the entrainment transition is actually an order-chaos transition. We present an analytical argument for the scaling K_E~K_L for small lattices, where K_L is the threshold for phase locking. By also deriving the scaling K_L~log N, we thus show that K_E~log N for small N, in agreement with numerics. In addition, we show how to use the linearized model to predict where vortices are generated.