cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increased specific airway reactivity of persons with mild allergic asthma after 7.6 hours of exposure to 0.16 ppm ozone.

Abstract Background: Exposure to ozone causes decrements in lung function, increased airway reactivity to nonspecific bronchoconstrictors, and lung inflammation. Epidemiology studies show an association between ambient oxidant levels and increased asthma attacks and hospital admissions. Objective: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the response of persons with mild asthma to inhaled allergen after ozone exposure conditions similar to those observed in urban areas of the United States. Methods: Using a double-blind, counter-balanced design, we exposed 9 (5 women and 4 men) subjects with mild atopic asthma (house dust mite sensitive) to clean air and to 0.16 ppm ozone for 7.6 hours; exposures were separated by a minimum of 4 weeks. During exposure, subjects performed light exercise (ventilation = 24 L/min) for 50 minutes of each hour, and pulmonary function was evaluated before and after exposures. The morning after exposure, subjects underwent bronchial challenge with inhaled house dust mite allergen ( Dermatophagoides farinae ). Using a series of doubling allergen concentrations, subjects inhaled 5 breaths of nebulized allergen (0.06 to 500 AU/mL) at 10-minute intervals until a minimum of a 20% decrement in FEV 1 was elicited. Results: Compared with the change in FEV 1 during air exposure, there was a mean 9.1% ± 2.5% (SEM) decrement in FEV 1 observed because of ozone ( P P = .03). Conclusion: These findings indicate that exposure of subjects with mild atopic asthma to ozone at levels sufficient to cause modest decrements in lung function also increases the reactivity to allergen. To the extent that this effect occurs in response to ambient exposures, ozone may be contributing to the aggravation of asthma. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;1198-204.)
EVALUATION OF THE VAN HOVE CORRELATION FUNCTIONS FOR CERTAIN PHYSICAL SYSTEMS

The space and time Fourier transforms of the Van Hove correlation function are evaluated for the cases of coherent scattering from simple crystals and, in a "quantum hydrodynamics" approximation, from liquid HeII. A compact approximate expression for the one-phonon part of the crystal correlation function transform is given, and the contribution of the two-phonon term is considered. A new method of obtaining quantum-mechanical corrections to the classical expression for the Van Hove self-correlation function is discussed.
Non-toxigenic Clostridium difficile to prevent recurrent C. difficile infection

Commentary on: Gerding DN, Meyer T, Lee C, et al. Administration of spores of nontoxigenic Clostridium difficile strain M3 for prevention of recurrent C. difficile infection: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2015;313:1719–27.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3] Clostridium difficile colitis (CDI) is strongly associated with hospitalisation and antibiotic therapy. As disruption of the colonic biome is responsible for disease, it should not be surprising that antimicrobial therapy, which further perturbs intestinal microbiota, has been such a dismal treatment failure. Treating patients for CDI with metronidazole, oral vancomycin, nitazoxanide or fidaxomycin cures a little over one-half, suppresses the disease followed by relapse in about 30% and fails to bring about a satisfactory response in about 20% of cases.1 Gerding and colleagues wanted to see whether they could successfully colonise the bowel with a non-toxin producing C. difficile (NTPCD) strain and if it could … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJAMA%26rft.volume%253D313%26rft.spage%253D1719%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1001%252Fjama.2015.3725%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F25942722%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1001/jama.2015.3725&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=25942722&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmed%2F21%2F2%2F67.atom
Environmental Option Values

An important problem in environmental economics arises from the irreversibility of consuming or destroying certain resources. Extractive resources like oil are a clear example. Even for environmental resources the same seems to be true in a number of important cases, for example biodiversity, current climate conditions, or complex ecological systems. lrreversibility imposes a severe externality across different generations; future generations will suffer from the destruction of a unique asset like Amazonia, and it is not clear how such a loss could be compensated in terms of other goods. lf such an asset is destroyed, then it is not possible subsequently to restore it. In contrast, if the asset is preserved, then it is possible to "use" the asset at a subsequent date. lf there is uncertainty about future preferences or valuations, then preservation provides a type of insurance which is not available if the irreversible decision is carried out.
Wet Chemical Derived Films For Electrical Applications

Wet chemical methods have been used with success to synthesize films for a variety of electrical applications. After first reviewing the important microstructural features of films, the present paper focuses attention on ferroelectric (FE) films. The present state of and critical issues facing wet chemically derived FE films are considered. The needs for more extensive microstructural characterization and for more systematic exploration of electrical behavior are emphasized.
Synthesis and Characterization of a C36H12 Fullerene Subunit

We are now pleased to report the first synthesis and characterization of a fullerene fragment comprising 60% of the C{sub 60} ball: triacenaphthotriphenylene, 1 (C{sub 36}H{sub 12}). A most gratifying aspect of this work is that this new fullerene fragment can be prepared in just one step by flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) of `decacyclene,` 2, a compound that has been known to chemists for more than 100 years and is commercially available today in kilogram quantities. We believe that the high temperature chemistry described here bears an important relationship to that operating in fuel-rich flames wherein fullerene production has been observed. Novel chemical transformations of several other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at temperatures in the 1200-1300{degree}C range have also been uncovered and will be reported shortly. 19 refs., 2 figs.
Introduction: Portal Hypertension

Surgical operations for prevention of recurrent variceal bleeding have significantly diminished over the past decade. This part illustrates the different surgical options for managing variceal bleeding with total, partial, and selective shunts, and devascularization procedures. The peak of non-transplant surgical intervention for variceal bleeding was in the 1970s to 1980s when other management options were not available. What has happened since that time is that the pathophysiology has been better defined for portal hypertension, and there have been technological advances in endoscopy and radiology.
Echinococcosis health education effectiveness investigation in Gansu province

Objective To investigate Echinococcosis prevention and control knowledge in 30 counties of Gansu province,to understand the effect of establish health education. Methods Take 42 countries which haven't establish Echinococcosis prevention and control as control countries,16 administrative villages in 30 investigated counties and 42 control counties each were selected by stratified random sampling. In the village,20 residents were selected to conduct basic Echinococcosis prevention and control knowledge and health behavior questionnaire survey. 4 schools were selected randomly in the county; students of 4t hgrade above were investigated for the Echinococcosis prevention and control knowledge and behavior awareness situation. Source of drinking water,the slaughter regular of livestock and number of dogs in dwellers been investigated in each resident. Results In 30 investigated counties and 42 control counties,students Echinococcosis prevention knowledge,never contact with dogs and the right behavior rate of prevention dog eat lesions viscera was 65. 16%,51. 69%,47. 71%,44. 97%,54. 52%,and 46. 43% respectively. In residents,correct rate of above questions was 54. 15%,35. 90%,64. 51%,46. 58%,39. 91% and 36. 15% respectively. The accuracy rate of students and residents from project countries to answer each question are both higher than the control countries,differences were significant. The rate of washing hands right behavior rate of students and residents was lower in 30 investigated counties compared with 42 control counties. In 30 project counties,source of health drinking water was not popular( 62. 92 %),majority livestock was slaughtered discreet in dwellers( 40. 79%),and number of dogs was higher than 390 thousands. Conclusions Although the health education work in30 Echinococcosis prevention and control counties had achieved a certain effect; the risk factors were still exist. Heath education must be promoted on students as never contact with dogs,and promotion the knowledge in residents about prevent dog eat lesions viscera are still the key points of health education in the future.
Quadriceps mediated changes in soleus motoneuron excitability.

In an effort to investigate the interactions of the quadriceps and soleus muscles, the isometric force-time curve of the Achilles tendon-tap reflex (ATR) was measured in 10 college age subjects. The tendon-jerk was conditioned with a tap to the ipsilateral or contralateral patellar tendon, or by an electrocutaneous (3× perception) stimulus applied to the belly of the quadriceps. The conditioning stimulus preceded the test ATR by 25, 40, 55, 70, 85, 100, 115, 130 or 145 ms. The results indicated that the ipsilateral conditioning tendon-tap produced a wave of short-latency facilitation (40 ms) and long-latency inhibition (85-130 ms) to the triceps surae muscles. The ipsilateral cutaneous conditioning, however, did not alter reflex excitability. A contralateral conditioning to the patellar tendon again produced short-latency (50-70 ms) facilitation, whereas the electrocutaneous stimulus did not alter motoneuron excitability. Moreover, a barrage of electrocutaneous impulses to either the ipsilateral or contralacteral quadriceps (1 minute/60 pps) did not significantly alter motoneuron excitability of the soleus muscle. These results indicate that motoneuron excitability changes are observed in the soleus muscle with mechanical conditioning but not with electrocutaneous conditioning. Several neurophysiological mechanisms are proposed to mediate these changes
Effects of barley variety and processing methods on feedlot steer performance and carcass characteristics.

An experiment was conducted to evaluate ammoniation and temper processing of two barley varieties of diverse types on feedlot cattle performance and diet digestibility. Steptoe (feed variety) and Klages (malting variety) barleys were processed as dry-rolled (DR); tempered and rolled (TR); tempered, ammoniated, and rolled (AR); and tempered, ammoniated, and fed whole (AW). Crossbred steers (n = 240, initial weight 266 kg) were blocked by weight and randomly assigned to one of eight treatments in a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement. Diets contained 30% barley (DM basis) for the growing phase and 85% (DM basis) for the finishing phase. Growing phase ADG and gain to feed (G/F) were less (P .05) in ADG or G/F between DR, TR, and AR during growing or finishing phases. Gain to feed was greater (P < .05) for TR and AR than for AW but not for DR for the total trial. Hot carcass weight, longissimus muscle area, and kidney-pelvic-heart fat were greater (P < .05) for TR and AR than for AW. Total finishing diet ADF digestibility was greater (P < .05) for Steptoe than for Klages (40.5 vs 31.4%, respectively). The DR treatment had the lowest ADF digestibility, whereas AR had the greatest (P < .05). Results suggest that there were no differences in feedlot steer performance due to barley varieties of the same bulk density and that barley grain must be mechanically processed for optimal performance response rather than ammoniated and fed as whole grain.
Security teaching modules for computer science courses

Security in software engineering has become an important research area, in part because of recent events that exposed security vulnerabilities in major systems. Learning about security issues in software systems should start in the classroom. While some computer science curricula include specific classes on security, security issues are often neglected in other courses. This paper presents security teaching modules to be taught throughout a computer science curriculum. The modules teach students a large spectrum of security concepts with security best practices and techniques to build secure software systems.
Glutamate Receptor-Mediated Neurotoxicity

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the glutamate (glu) receptor-mediated neurotoxicity. Glutamate, the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), has vitally important beneficial functions. However, it also harbors treacherous neurotoxic potential. Glu neurotoxicity can be expressed in several different ways, depending on which excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptor subtype is involved and whether the receptor is excessively activated or inhibited. Classical excitotoxicity, the most extensively studied type of neurotoxicity caused by Glu or related EAA, results from excessive activation of EAA ionotropic receptors. Another entirely different form of neurotoxicity is seen following excessive inhibition of a specific subtype of EAA ionotropic receptor, the N-methyl- D -aspartate (NMDA) receptor. This chapter reviews the studies that suggest that either excessive activation or suppression of either ionotropic or metabotropic EAA receptors can have neurotoxic consequences and that a variety of different mechanisms may be involved. The distinctive features of each type of mechanism must be taken into consideration in devising protocols for toxicological evaluation of environmental agents suspected of interacting with EAA receptor systems.
Web Site Reviews

The Journal of American History, in collaboration with the Web site History Matters: The US. Survey Course on the Web , publishes regular reviews of Web sites. The reviews will appear both in the printed journal (and its online companion at ) and at History Matters. History Matters provides an annotated guide to more than eight hundred Web sites for teaching U.S. history. The goal is to offer a gateway to the best Web sites and to summarize their strengths and weaknesses with particular attention to their utility for teachers. The Web reviews are edited by Roy Rosenzweig; please contact him at if you would like to suggest a site for review or write a review. We also welcome comments on our review guidelines, which are available at .
Automated Target Detection for Geophysical Applications

In many geophysical surveys, there is a predefined goal—to detect and locate very specific anomalies, those that correspond to buried objects (targets). The types of targets range from various types of pipes (metallic or not), to rebars or wires in walls to land mines. This paper presents a novel unsupervised method for automatically detecting targets, and extracting information about them and the medium in which they reside. Most existing detection methods are supervised, which means that one has to provide a training set (which can be labor expensive) in order to train a classifier. By contrast, the method presented here is unsupervised and is model based, which alleviates the need to manually annotate a training set. Another drawback of many existing methods is the underlying assumption of a homogeneous medium. This assumption is greatly relaxed for this method, since it assumes no a priori knowledge of the medium. Instead, it learns the medium’s properties from the targets themselves. Furthermore, our method is designed to be computationally efficient and applicable in real-time applications. It was implemented on the StructureScan Mini XT system (Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc.), and the runtime on that system was measured to be $20~\mu \text{s}$ per scan of 512 samples. Experiments on 50 ground penetrating radar images with 278 targets show that our method is able to detect the targets with high positioning accuracy, with a 95.3% detection rate and near-zero false alarm rate.
Angioedema in a patient with neuroendocrine tumour

We present a case of a man aged 60 years, who was transferred to intensive care unit (ICU) due to labile blood pressure and a failed extubation trial after right carotid endarterectomy. His medical history was remarkable for symptomatic right carotid artery disease and recently diagnosed asymptomatic large cell neuroendocrine tumours (LCNETs) of the rectum with liver metastasis (figure 1A, B), currently on chemotherapy. In the recovery room, he had stridor with hypoxia after extubation and was noticed to have marked swelling of lips, tongue and eyelids (figure 2 …
(110) Facet of rutile-structured GeO2: an ab initio investigation

ABSTRACTGeO2 is an enticing candidate to replace SiO2 in electronics industry. To date, no work has appeared in the literature specifically focusing on the (110) facet of rutile GeO2. Density functional theory was applied along with plane-wave approximation to describe the structure and energetics of the (110) plane of tetragonal germanium dioxide. Surface energies were estimated using dispersion-free Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof (PBE) method as well as dispersion-corrected PBE-D3, D3-corrected revised version of PBE (RPBE-D3), optB88-vdW and optB86b-vdW methods. Atomic displacements with respect to the bulk structure were also reported for slabs relaxed using the aforementioned exchange–correlation functionals. Adsorption energies for weakly bound CO on rutile GeO2(110) surface were also computed using the above-mentioned methods. Vibrational frequency blue-shift of CO as adsorbed onto rutile GeO2(110) surface was also predicted. All the calculated values were comparable to the pertinent literature data, eithe...
Material microstructure affected machining: a review

The machining induced material microstructure evolution path is determined from the temperature and mechanical loading history. Inversely, the machining forces and machined part surface integrity are dependent on the material microstructure attributes. Most of the previous research work with a microstructure consideration in machining stays largely on the experimental observation stage. A comprehensive thermal-mechanical-microstructure coupled machining process modeling framework is still missing. This paper reviews the recent research work on the material microstructure evolution in the context of machining components. The material microstructure property change on the workpiece material in the machining process are analyzed. The effects of material microstructure evolution on workpiece mechanical properties and surface integrity are investigated. It is concluded that a physical based material microstructure affected machining model is needed for the machining process optimization.
Initial Results from Fitting $p$-Modes Using Intensity Observations from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager

The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager project recently started processing the continuum-intensity images following global helioseismology procedures similar to those used to process the velocity images. The spatial decomposition of these images has produced time series of spherical harmonic coefficients for degrees up to $\ell=300$ , using a different apodization than the one used for velocity observations. The first 360 days of observations were processed and are made available. I present initial results from fitting these time series using my fitting method and compare the derived mode characteristics to those estimated using coeval velocity observations.
Technical Note: Solving the "Chinese postman problem" for effective contour deformation.

PURPOSE To develop a practical approach for accurate contour deformation when deformable image registration (DIR) is used for atlas-based segmentation or contour propagation in image-guided radiotherapy. METHODS We developed a contour deformation approach based on 3D mesh operations. The 2D contours represented by a series of points in each slice were first converted to a 3D triangular mesh, which was deformed by the deformation vectors resulting from DIR. A set of parallel 2D planes then cut through the deformed 3D mesh, generating unordered points and line segments, to be reorganized into a set of 2D contour points. The reorganization problem was equivalent to solving the "Chinese postman problem" (CPP) by traversing a graph built from the unordered points with the least cost. Alternatively, deformation could be applied to a binary image converted from the original contours. The deformed binary image was then converted back into contours at the CT slice locations. We validated the mesh-based contour deformation approach using lung and heart contours from 10 patients with thoracic cancer. RESULTS DIR could change the 3D mesh considerably, complicating 2D contour representations after deformation. CPP could effectively reorganize the points in 2D planes regardless of how complicated the 2D contours were. Among the 10 patients, the Dice similarity coefficient between the mesh-based contour and binary image-based contour was 97.6% ± 0.3% for lung and 97.5% ± 0.7% for heart, and the Hausdoroff distance between them was 19.8 ± 5.1 mm for lung and 6.1 ± 2.2 mm for heart. Subjective evaluation showed that the mesh-based approach could keep fine details, especially for the lung. The image-based approach seemed to overprocess contours and suffered from image resolution limits. CONCLUSION We developed a practical approach for accurate contour deformation and demonstrated its effectiveness for both clinical and research applications.
Individuals’ power and their social network accuracy: A situated cognition perspective

Abstract Individuals differ in how accurately they perceive their social environment, but research and theory provide conflicting predictions on whether powerful people are more or less accurate than others. Drawing on social network theory and the situated cognition theory of power, we examine the relationship between individuals’ formal and informal power and their perceptual accuracy of social network relationships. We propose that individuals’ perceptual accuracy is related to: 1) their formal and informal power in the organization; 2) the type of relationship being perceived (positive/negative valence) and its relevance to task and goal completion; and 3) the dependence relationship with the target of perception (i.e., whether the perceiver is dependent on the perceived to get their work done). Predictions were tested using cognitive social structure data collected from a technical call center. Results showed that power was generally linked to increased perceptual accuracy, particularly for the types of relationships most relevant for task and goal completion. We further demonstrated that social network accuracy was related to employees’ outcomes, including subsequent transfer, promotion, and exit from the organization.
Performance analysis of brain-computer interfaces in aerial drone

The main objective of this study is to find efficient methods to utilize brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) in conjunction with aerial drones. The study investigates how effective the EPOC+ is by challenging users of diverse genders and ages to complete tasks using mental commands and facial expressions to control a Parrot AR-Drone 2.0. After a calibration phase, the designed experiments were conducted using randomly selected participants (n=20). Preliminary analysis of the collected data indicated that there was no significant difference between the rating of difficulty before and after, between the mental and facial commands. Furthermore, this study showed that from group of participants more individuals had greater difficulty controlling the mental and facial commands than they originally expected.
Bioavailability of Dissolved Organic Phosphorus in Temperate Lakes

Freshwater aquatic systems are biogeochemical hotspots, with heterotrophic bacteria rapidly cycling the compounds that pass through them. P is a key nutrient that controls primary production in many freshwater ecosystems and is important for understanding eutrophication in lakes. Previous work has often focused on the dynamics of inorganic phosphorus and its impact on primary production, however, the role of nutrients bound in more complex organic forms (such as dissolved organic phosphorus, DOP) in supporting primary production and harmful algal blooms has been neglected. Here, we quantify the bioavailability of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and DOP in 27 aquatic systems across the Upper Midwest United States. Using exponential decay models, long-term nutrient degradation assays revealed that decay constants for DOP ranged from- 0.001 per day to -0.12 per day with a median value of -0.01 per day. These rates were geographically variable and were as high or higher than DOC decay constants, which ranged from -0.003 per day to -.024 per day with a median value of -0.01 per day. Additionally, total bioavailability of DOP ranged from 0% to 100% with a median value of 78% of the DOP pool, demonstrating that DOP bioavailability was highly variable across systems. In contrast, bioavailable DOC was more tightly constrained with values ranging from 4.37% to 53.81% of the total DOC pool with a median value of 24.95%. DOP bioavailability was strongly correlated with the DOC:DOP of the organic matter pool, suggesting that bioavailable DOP is drawn down in systems that are more likely to be C limited. Finally, we show that including estimates of DOC and DOP bioavailability reduces estimates of elemental imbalance experienced by aquatic bacteria.
Activated Carbon Adsorption: The State of the Art

Abstract Contemporary issues and developments relating to the application of activated carbon adsorption processes for water and wastewater treatment are discussed. Consideration is given to the increasingly important role of adsorption as a technology for removing specific target compounds or classes of compounds from waters and wastewaters containing complex mixes of organic substances. The development of quantitative design approaches to facilitate the more rigorous demands placed on adsorption systems in such applications is summarized. Finally, some of the challenging areas for future efforts to enchance the efficiency of carbon adsorption processes for water and wastewater treatment are considered.
Implementation of a building automation system for the W.M. Keck Observatory summit facilities

About a decade ago, the W.M. Keck Observatory (WMKO) summit facilities did not possess a building automation system capable of remote monitoring or control. At that time, there were two different and obsolete automation systems serving Keck I and Keck II respectively. Not only were these systems unable to be accessed remotely, staff was unfamiliar with their operation. Without capability for remote access by on-call engineers, operations teams were consistently forced to travel to the summit during night time operations to address mechanical problems; contributing to greater loss of observing time. Moreover, overall facility operations could not be monitored for efficiency or trend logged to predict breakdowns. Implementation of a new building automation system began in 2009. The impact of adopting this new platform is increased facility efficiencies, better breakdown predictability, and new more efficient ways of scheduling planned maintenance. The challenges, successes and remaining work for the Observatory implementing a building automation system are presented.
Regional Anesthesia of Thorax and Abdomen

In this chapter, we will describe traditional and ultrasound paravertebral nerve block techniques, traditional intrapleural block by loss-of-resistance technique, ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane and rectus sheath block, and ultrasound-assisted ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve blockade for postoperative pain control of thorax and abdomen. If a practitioner has mastered the paravertebral nerve block in lateral and paramedian approach, the intercostal nerve block is the redundant technique and may not be specifically useful. Therefore, we will not discuss it in this chapter.
The Worldwide Popular Revolt Against Proportionality in Self-Defense Law

This article examines popular dissatisfaction with the proportionality standard in self-defense law, which holds that the prevention of harm cannot be achieved by causing harm that is disproportionate. Legal elites, such as prosecutors, judges, and legal scholars, have long championed versions of this standard. But there is an increasingly widespread movement in the United States and Europe to modify elite notions of proportionality. Common to these movements is the desire to replace complicated balancing tests with clearer rules, which would limit the discretion of prosecutors and judges, and to permit use of deadly force against attackers in more situations. Fueling the movements is the belief that government is not able or willing to adequately protect its citizens. While these reform movements are occurring in many countries, the article focuses on three places in particular: Florida, Britain, and Belgium. For each place, the author discusses events that led to dissatisfaction with existing rules, political debates surrounding reform, and detailed legislative action. Efforts in Florida and Britain show an approach to reform that centers on presumptions that deadly force may be used in certain situations, such as a forcible entry into a home. Efforts in Belgium show another approach, which is in effect an expansion of provocation doctrine: anyone who exceeds the bounds of proportionality because of emotion (fear, anxiety, or panic) caused by attack or threat of attack is not criminally liable. The paper then analyzes the two types of efforts. The author concludes that emotions caused by attack are proper grounds for mitigation, but not for complete exoneration. Reforms that emphasize presumptions may be justified, particularly presumptions about the use of force against those who forcibly intrude into the home.
The effects of individual- and national-level factors on attitudes toward child maltreatment

Knowledge is lacking regarding the extent to which national norms and policies designed to protect minors influence individual attitudes toward child maltreatment. Relying on the tenets of cultural sociology, we examine whether the orientation of a nation influences individual attitudes toward child maltreatment. Specifically, nations with greater economic and political stability tolerate more self-expressive values, focusing on individual autonomy and enhancing quality of life. Conversely, nations with a survivalist orientation, often characterized by greater economic uncertainty, are less supportive of behaviors that may result in further instability. The current study builds on extant research by investigating the effects of national norms and policies and individual-level attitudes and characteristics on individual attitudes toward child maltreatment (N = 66,391) in 53 developing and developed nations. We analyze data from the World Values Survey using Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling. Overall, countries with a greater survivalist orientation appear less tolerant of child maltreatment. Moreover, greater support for violence in general at both the national- and individual-level are associated with more supportive attitudes toward child maltreatment. Policy implications and legislative reform are discussed.
Quality Improvement Project to Improve Screening for Tobacco Use in Adolescent Inpatients at a Children's Hospital.

Tobacco use begins in adolescence for the majority of smokers. The purpose of this study was to increase screening and reporting of tobacco use in hospitalized adolescents at a tertiary care children’s hospital. We completed a nursing focus group to understand challenges and completed four iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, which included: (1) in-person nursing education regarding tobacco use screening, (2) addition of an e-cigarette-specific screening question, (3) the creation and dissemination of an educational video for nursing, and (4) adding the video as a mandatory component of nursing orientation. Run charts of the percentage of patients screened who reported tobacco use were created. Absolute counts of tobacco products used were also captured. From January 2016 to September 2018, 12,999 patients ≥13 years of age were admitted to the hospital. At baseline, 90.1% of patients were screened and 4.8% reported tobacco use. While the absolute number of adolescents reporting e-cigarette use increased from zero patients per month at baseline to five, the percentage of patients screened and reporting tobacco use was unchanged; the majority of e-cigarette users reported use of other tobacco products. This study demonstrates that adding e-cigarettes to screening increases reporting and suggests systems level changes are needed to improve tobacco use reporting.
Resizable Tree-Based Oblivious RAM.

Although newly proposed, tree-based Oblivious RAM schemes are drastically more efficient than older techniques, they come with a significant drawback: an inherent dependence on a fixed-size database. Yet, a flexible storage is vital for real-world use of Oblivious RAM since one of its most promising deployment scenarios is for cloud storage, where scalability and elasticity are crucial. We revisit the original construction by Shi et al. [17] and propose several ways to support both increasing and decreasing the ORAM’s size with sublinear communication. We show that increasing the capacity can be accomplished by adding leaf nodes to the tree, but that it must be done carefully in order to preserve the probabilistic integrity of data structures. We also provide new, tighter bounds for the size of interior and leaf nodes in the scheme, saving bandwidth and storage over previous constructions. Finally, we define an oblivious pruning technique for removing leaf nodes and decreasing the size of the tree. We show that this pruning method is both secure and efficient.
Immigrant Youth in Juvenile Facilities: A State-by-State Review of Recreation Programming

Recent national events have increased attention towards immigrant youth. Youth placed in juvenile justice facilities go through processes overseen by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and the Unaccompanied Children’s Program. While in placement youth are exposed to risk factors and face cultural barriers being in a new country. As publicity of the incarceration of immigrant youth increases, there is an emphatic need for researchers to examine the quality of care youth experience in placement facilities. One of the areas that has not been critically investigated is recreation programming in juvenile justice facilities. Recreation programs grounded in Positive Youth Development have proven to promote healthy development and offer immigrant youth opportunities to adapt to their new environment. Providing youth in juvenile justice facilities access to high quality recreation programming strengthens protective factors in youth to prepare them for adulthood, and reduces the likelihood of their committing an offense, thereby increasing public safety and saving taxpayer dollars. This paper is a first step to establish a clear understanding of the treatment of immigrant youth in detention. In this paper I discuss the results of a comprehensive examination of the minimum requirements for recreation programming in juvenile justice facilities. The results provide clear implications for immigrant youth as well as suggestions for further critical inquiry.
Neural Net Models of Open-domain Discourse Coherence.

Discourse coherence is strongly associated with text quality, making it important to natural language generation and understanding. Yet existing models of coherence focus on measuring individual aspects of coherence (lexical overlap, rhetorical structure, entity centering) in narrow domains. In this paper, we describe domain-independent neural models of discourse coherence that are capable of measuring multiple aspects of coherence in existing sentences and can maintain coherence while generating new sentences. We study both discriminative models that learn to distinguish coherent from incoherent discourse, and generative models that produce coherent text, including a novel neural latent-variable Markovian generative model that captures the latent discourse dependencies between sentences in a text. Our work achieves state-of-the-art performance on multiple coherence evaluations, and marks an initial step in generating coherent texts given discourse contexts.
Development and applications of a material library for pharmaceutical continuous manufacturing of solid dosage forms

The purpose of this study is to establish a material library and discuss its potential application to the development and lifecycle management of a continuous manufacturing process for solid dosage forms. Particularly, this study addresses the importance of selecting process-relevant testing conditions for material characterization, proposes a methodology to capture relevant information with a reduced set of measurements, and correlates material properties with process performance. This study included 20 pharmaceutical materials, and each material was characterized by 44 properties, capturing 880 data points. The stress conditions of a commonly used feeder hopper were calculated using the Janssen model for six selected materials. Multivariate analysis, such as principal component analysis and clustering analysis, was used to explore the knowledge space of the material library. Statistically similar and dissimilar material properties were evaluated for material feeding performance from a loss-in-weight feeder to test utility of the material library. 20 materials included in this study show a wide range of material properties. Consolidation stress during testing significantly impacts obtained material properties. Based on a material similarity metric, a reduced set of characterization tests that captures >95% of the relevant information was identified. Materials were then grouped into six clusters. The material loss-in-weight feeding results show that the materials within the same cluster show similar feeding performance, while selected materials from different cluster have different feeding performance. Additional material understanding regarding flow properties may be needed to implement a continuous manufacturing process. Characterization using multiple tests under process-relevant conditions can be helpful to establish the correlation between material properties and process and product performance using multivariate analysis tools.
Implicit Analogies in Learning: Supporting Transfer by Warming Up:

Analogies between old and new concepts are common during classroom instruction. Previous transfer studies focused on how features of initial learning guide later, spontaneous transfer to new proble...
Lightweighting and the Future of Aerospace Metals

The search for low density, high strength alloys supports the perennial drive for lightweighting in the transportation industries. Improved efficiency is achieved through reduced mass or higher engine operating temperatures, and so materials with high temperature strength or high specific strength are both considered here. The first 100 years of powered flight gave the world spectacular innovations and capabilities, and metals played an indispensable role in these advancements. Recently, some have come to consider structural metals as a mature technology with limited opportunities for future innovations. However, a convergence of new tools and capabilities now offers new opportunities for metallic innovations, including computational alloy development, additive manufacturing, and reduced variability and uncertainty. A vast range of new alloy systems has recently been proposed and new alloy development strategies are exploring this expansive new alloy space. Here we present the challenges and opportunities for future innovations in aerospace metals.
The development of a noninvasive behavioral test for assessment of goat-human interactions.

The objective was to develop a protocol for a noninvasive behavioral test to assess goat-human interactions. Boer goats (n = 45) were housed in groups of 3 at the K-State Sheep and Meat Goat Unit. A 3-min human approach test (HAT) was conducted after their first- and seventh-handling experience (i.e., moved by group through the chute and scale). Video footage was analyzed using specialized software (Observer 11.5 XT, Leesburg, VA, USA). The ethogram included three main categories (mutually exclusive within category): 1) spatial (close, middle, far); 2) orientation (facing vs. turned-away); and 3) structural (lie, stand, and nutritive and nonnutritive oral behaviors). The durations of these behavior outcomes were converted to percent, and then applied to a weighted formula to create an approach index (AI). This index placed behaviors on a 0 to 100% scale (0 = lying in back of the pen; 100 = closest to the human, performing oral behaviors). The Proc Univariate (SAS v.9.3, SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC, USA) was used to evaluate descriptive statistics and calculate sample size for future projects from all behavior outcomes. In addition, each goat AI categorized as great approach (GA; ≥75% quartile), moderate approach (MA; 25% to 75% quartiles), or least approach (LA; ≤ 25%) and the 1st vs. 7th handling experience was evaluated using Chi-square (χ 2) analysis. The CV% was low for the AI outcome; therefore, less animals are needed if the AI is used rather than other behavior outcomes used. After the first-handling experience, there were less GA-goats than what was expected from the χ 2 analysis (χ 2 = 17.6; P ≤ 0.01; residual = 0.26; expected = 24.5). After the seventh-handling experience, there were more MA-goats than expected (χ 2 = 17.6; P ≤ 0.01; residual = 1.92; expected = 52.0). Repeated handling appeared to moderately improve goat approach to humans, which indicates that this protocol is a promising behavioral test to assess welfare of goats.
Unclonable photonic keys hardened against machine learning attacks

The hallmark of the information age is the ease with which information is stored, accessed, and shared throughout the globe. This is enabled, in large part, by the simplicity of duplicating digital information without error. Unfortunately, an ever-growing consequence is the global threat to security and privacy enabled by our digital reliance. Specifically, modern secure communications and authentication suffer from formidable threats arising from the potential for copying of secret keys stored in digital media. With relatively little transfer of information, an attacker can impersonate a legitimate user, publish malicious software that is automatically accepted as safe by millions of computers, or eavesdrop on countless digital exchanges. To address this vulnerability, a new class of cryptographic devices known as physical unclonable functions (PUFs) are being developed. PUFs are modern realizations of an ancient concept, the physical key, and offer an attractive alternative for digital key storage. A user derives a digital key from the PUF’s physical behavior, which is sensitive to physical idiosyncrasies that are beyond fabrication tolerances. Thus, unlike conventional physical keys, a PUF cannot be duplicated and only the holder can extract the digital key. However, emerging machine learning (ML) methods are remarkably adept at learning behavior via training, and if such algorithms can learn to emulate a PUF, then the security is compromised. Unfortunately, such attacks are highly successful against conventional electronic PUFs. Here, we investigate ML attacks against a nonlinear silicon photonic PUF, a novel design that leverages nonlinear optical interactions in chaotic silicon microcavities. First, we investigate these devices’ resistance to cloning during fabrication and demonstrate their use as a source of large volumes of cryptographic key material. Next, we demonstrate that silicon photonic PUFs exhibit resistance to state-of-the-art ML attacks due to their nonlinearity and finally validate this resistance in an encryption scenario.
Systemic Miltefosine as an Adjunct Treatment of Progressive Acanthamoeba Keratitis.

To report our experience with oral miltefosine (MLT) as an adjunct treatment for progressive Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK).Retrospective case series of all patients who underwent treatment with oral ...
Systematic comparison of developmental GRNs explains how novelty is incorporated in early development

SUMMARY The impressive array of morphological diversity among animal taxa represents the product of millions of years of evolution. Morphology is the output of development, therefore phenotypic evolution arises from changes to the topology of the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that control the highly coordinated process of embryogenesis1. While genetic variation can arise anywhere in the genome and affect any part of an individual GRN, the need to form a viable embryo provides a constraint on the types of variation that pass the filter of selection. A particular challenge in understanding the origins of animal diversity lies in determining how GRNs incorporate novelty while preserving the overall stability of the network, and hence, embryonic viability. Here we assemble a comprehensive GRN, consisting of 42 genes (nodes) and 84 interactions (edges), for the model of endomesoderm specification in the sea star from zygote through gastrulation that corresponds to the GRN for sea urchin development of equivalent territories and stages2. Using these detailed models we make the first systems-level comparison of early development and examine how novelty is incorporated into GRNs. We show how the GRN is resilient to the introduction of a transcription factor, pmar1, the inclusion of which leads to a switch between two stable modes of Delta-Notch signaling. Signaling pathways can function in multiple modes and we propose that GRN changes that lead to switches between modes may be a common evolutionary mechanism for changes in embryogenesis. Our data additionally proposes a model in which evolutionarily conserved network motifs, or kernels, may function throughout development to stabilize these signaling transitions.
Strategies for new agent development in pediatric sarcomas

Multimodality treatment including chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy dramatically improved the survival of children with sarcomas. Unfortunately, approximately 20–30% of children with localized disease at diagnosis experience a recurrence. The prognosis for both children with recurrent disease and children with metastatic disease at the time of initial diagnosis remains quite poor. Furthermore, the most effective therapies are complicated by a host of acute and long-term toxicities. Given this, the development of novel agents remains a top priority for researchers in the field of pediatric oncology. The focus of anticancer drug discovery and development has shifted away from chemotherapy to newer classes of drugs that are more targeted to the tumor or tumor microenvironment. The development of these treatments and selection for their use in pediatric sarcomas are based on the oncogenic role of the therapeutic target, which varies by tumor type. These novel therapies either selectively target proteins and/or signal transduction pathways that are directly involved in the development and maintenance of the malignant phenotype or exploit the immune system to eradicate malignant cells. In this review, we focus on the current evidence that supports the use of small-molecule inhibitors, immunotherapy, and novel targeted chemotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of pediatric sarcomas.