cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Meta-Analysis of Juvenile Justice Risk Assessment Instruments Predictive Validity by Gender

Juvenile justice systems have widely adopted risk assessment instruments to support judicial and administrative decisions about sanctioning severity and restrictiveness of care. A little explored property of these instruments is the extent to which their predictive validity generalizes across gender. The article reports on a meta-analysis of risk assessment predictive validity with male and female offenders. Nineteen studies encompassing 20 unique samples met inclusion criteria. Findings indicated that predictive validity estimates are equivalent for male and female offenders and are consistent with results of other meta-analyses in the field. The findings also indicate that when gender differences are observed in individual studies, they provide evidence for gender biases in juvenile justice decision-making and case processing rather than for the ineffectiveness of risk assessment with female offenders.
The General's Pre-Battle Exhortation in Graeco-Roman Warfare

The first-century-AD philosopher Onasander ( Strategikos 1.13, 15) comments that a general must be a good and effective speaker in order to encourage his men before battle, and ancient historians on occasion have commanders address large audiences of soldiers in an age when there was no artificial amplification of the human voice. In 1993, and reiterated in 1998, Mogens Hansen argued that the extensive pre-battle ‘speech’ found in our sources was, if given at all, only ‘a few apophthegms that could be shouted by the general as he traversed the line, or a speech made to the officers only who passed it on to the soldiers’. He accepts that a general often addressed his troops in camp or in parade formation; his objection solely relates to those speeches ostensibly given immediately before battle to troops already arrayed for combat. For Hansen, ‘a brief exhortation of the troops, unit by unit, while the commander walked along the front is probably all the historical reality [one] may expect to find behind the fully-fledged speeches reported by the historians’, these being a ‘literary composition and not the historian's report of a speech which had actually been made’. In Hanson's view, unless the harangues were given to troops in camp, or to individual units in battle formation, or, perhaps, to small military forces, these speeches could not have been given as reported. With respect to the last possibility, Hansen only rather reluctantly acknowledges that Thrasybulus' speech delivered to approximately 1000 Athenian insurgents in 404 BC, and reported by Xenophon ( Hell . 2.4.10–12), ‘is possibly right’.
Sol–Gel Route to Synthesis of Microporous Ceramic Membranes: Thermal Stability of TiO2–ZrO2Mixed Oxides

In this paper concerning the synthesis of microporous ceramic membranes, the authors focus on the preparation and thermal stability of unsupported microporous TiO[sub 2]-ZrO[sub 2] mixed-oxide membranes. It has been observed that, by adding up to 20% ZrO[sub 2] into TiO[sub 2] or up to 10% TiO[sub 2] into ZrO[sub 2], these microporous membranes display improved thermal stability. They can be fired up to 500 C for 0.5 h without closing micropores. However, membranes containing almost equal percentages of each component have lost microporous features and have low surface areas and low porosities. A phase diagram of a two-component TiO[sub 2]-ZrO[sub 2] mixed-oxide membrane has been prepared based on DTA and X-ray diffraction data in order to better understand the microstructure changes upon firing.
A Review of the Tenotomy Nystagmus Surgery: Origin, Mechanism, and General Efficacy

Tenotomy nystagmus surgery neither “weakens” nor “strengthens” the extraocular muscles; it is not strabismus surgery. Tenotomy effectively decreases the gain of the ocular motor plant to small, non-saccadic signals and was hypothesized to be efficacious for other types of nystagmus in addition to infantile nystagmus; it has subsequently been shown to damp various types of acquired nystagmus (pendular and jerk, horizontal and vertical) and reduce their associated oscillopsia. The eXpanded Nystagmus Acuity Function now allows visual acuity improvements to be estimated prior to surgery—something never before possible. More research into proprioceptive tension control should provide non-surgical methods to achieve the therapeutic improvements of tenotomy.
SOCIALLY EMBEDDED IDENTITIES: Theories, Typologies, and Processes of Racial Identity among Black/White Biracials

Current research on racial identity construction among biracial people derives primarily from small convenience samples and assumes that individuals with one black and one white parent have only tw...
The ABET “Professional Skills” — Can They Be Taught? Can They Be Assessed?

In developing its new engineering accreditation criteria, ABET reaffirmed a set of “hard” engineering skills while introducing a second, equally important, set of six “professional” skills. These latter skills include communication, teamwork, and understanding ethics and professionalism, which we label process skills, and engineering within a global and societal context, lifelong learning, and a knowledge of contemporary issues, which we designate as awareness skills. We review these skills with an emphasis on how they can be taught, or more correctly learned, citing a number of examples of successful and/or promising implementations. We then examine the difficult issue of assessing these skills. We are very positive about a number of creative ways that these skills are being learned, particularly at institutions that are turning to global and/or service learning in combination with engineering design projects to teach and reinforce outcome combinations. We are also encouraged by work directed at assessing these skills, but recognize that there is considerable research that remains to be done.
Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae in atherosclerotic plaques in the walls of arteries of lower extremities from patients undergoing bypass operation for arterial obstruction

Abstract Purpose: To study surgically excised vascular tissue from lower extremities for the presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae, to extend the previously described association of the organism with atherosclerosis. Methods: Arterial biopsy specimens obtained from femoral and popliteal arteries during bypass operation for claudication were examined by immunocytochemical analysis and polymerase chain reaction for the presence of organisms. Results: C. pneumoniae was detected in atherosclerotic plaques by either method in either artery of 11 of 23 patients (48%). Eight of 21 popliteal and three of 18 femoral arteries had positive results. Conclusions: Detection of C. pneumoniae in peripheral arteries indicates that the organism is widespread in atherosclerosis of the vascular system. (J Vasc Surg 1997;26:29-31.)
Population dynamics of Greater Scaup breeding on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska

Abstract ABSTRACT Populations of greater scaup (Aythya marila) remained relatively stable during a period when populations of lesser scaup (A. affinis) have declined from historic levels. To assist in describing these differences in population trends, from 1991 through 2000, we studied the survival, nesting ecology, and productivity of greater scaup on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (Y-K Delta), Alaska, to develop a model of population dynamics. We located nests, radio-marked females for renesting studies, estimated duckling survival, and leg-banded females to examine nest site fidelity and annual survival. Greater scaup initiated egg laying later than other species, and most clutches (>80%) were initiated over 20 days each year. We located 1,056 nests; nest success ranged from 7 to 61% among years. Following loss of their first clutch, 51% of radio-tagged females attempted to renest. Duckling survival to 30 days of age was 37.5%. Our best model suggested that annual survival did not vary among years and avera...
A study of surface diffusion with the scanning tunneling microscope from fluctuations of the tunneling current

The transport of atoms or molecules over surfaces has been an important area of study for several decades now, with its progress generally limited by the available experimental techniques to characterize the phenomena. A number of methods have been developed over the years to measure surface diffusion yet only very few systems have been characterized to this day mainly due to the physical limitations inherent in these available methods. Even the STM with its astonishing atomically-resolved images of the surface has been limited in terms of its capability to determine mass transport properties. This is because the STM is inherently a ``slow`` instrument, i.e., a finite time is needed for signal averaging in order to produce the image. A need exists for additional surface diffusion measurement techniques, ideally ones which are able to study varied systems and measure a wide range of diffusion rates. The STM (especially because of its highly local nature) presents itself as a promising tool to conduct dynamical studies if its poor time resolution during ``normal operation`` can somehow be overcome. The purpose of this dissertation is to introduce a new technique of using the STM to measure adatom mobility on surfaces -- one with a capacity to achieve excellent time resolution.
Assessment, Monitoring, and Management of Brain-Dead Potential Organ Donors in the USA

Severe head trauma and nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhages can cause major systemic dysfunction, which may affect every system of the potential organ donor. Without early and adequate support, these physiological changes can rapidly lead to the loss of potential organ donors or deterioration of the number and quality of procured organs. Good knowledge of these physiological changes, early and aggressive monitoring, and timely, appropriate management remain the cornerstone for optimal organ donation.
The Casimir Operator

To begin with, this chapter provides an example for an especially important invariant differential operator, and its direct image on A with respect to the Iwasawa decomposition and the polar decomposition. It is independent of Chapter V and is a direct continuation of Chapter VI.
Toxic effects induced in rabbits by extracellular products and sonicates of group A streptococci.

SummaryRabbits injected with streptococcal extracellular protein (SEP) developed degenerative and infiltrative lesions in the heart and liver, with coagulation necrosis and multinucleated giant cells in the latter organ. The majority of these rabbits also showed elevated levels of glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase, or of sorbitol dehydrogenase, and all showed elevated serum lipids. These biochemical indications of cell injury could be found within 2 to 4 hours after a first injection of SEP. No such biochemical or pathologic effects were found following an injection of heated SEP or a commercially available streptokinase-streptodornase preparation from group C streptococcal culture. In a preliminary fractionation of SEP all the activity was found in a fraction not adsorbed to DEAE cellulose at pH 7.4 (0.05 M P04). The active fraction contained at least five antigens and four of the known streptococcal enzymes. Injection of extracts of sonically disrupted streptococci produced similar biochemical and pathol...
Dicerium disilicate, Ce2[Si2O7]

Dicerium disilicate, Ce2[Si2O7], crystallizes in space group P41 of the tetra­gonal system. It has isostructural analogues among the disilicates of the larger rare-earth elements, namely Ln2[Si2O7] (Ln is La, Pr, Nd or Sm). The structure consists of discrete Ce3+ cations and [Si2O7]6− anions; the asymmetric unit containing four cations and two anions. Each anion is formed from two SiO4 tetra­hedra that share a vertex.
Analysis of nucleic acid of influenza virus isolated from 1342 suspected influenza patients

Objective:To determine the epidemic trends of influenza so as to provide scientific evidence to control it.Methods: Viral nucleic acid were extracted from nasopharyngeal swab.Real time RT-PCR was adopted to detect DNA and influenza type.Results: 1342 nasopharyngeal swab specimens were collected from Oct.2009 to Sep.2010.The positive rate of nucleic acid of influenza virus was 66.92%(898/1342),of which 564(62.81%) were(A) H1N1 virus,19(2.12%) were(A)H3,1(0.11%) was(A) H1,159(17.71%) were B subtype virus.155(17.26%) was A subtypes unidentified.The positive rate in male were 65.2% and 69.10% in female.Conclusion: Oct.2009 to Feb.2010 was the influenza season in Qujing.(A)H1N1 was the dominant strains that cause the epidemic of influenza and B virus emerged from May to July 2010.(A)H1N1 H3N2 and B were detected alternately.As a new viral type,(A)H H1N1 is active and can spread quickly.Children under 15 years old are high risk group.The surveillance and reports in schools should be strengthened and positive measures should be taken to restrain the epidemic trends.
Revisiting the 4-M model: Codeswitching and morpheme election at the abstract level:

Purpose:This paper offers an overview of the 4-M model from its inception, but pays special attention to how the characterization of morpheme types in the model has evolved. A new proposal is that the level at which morpheme types are “elected” in an abstract model of language production is a critical factor in predicting morpheme distribution across languages in bilingual data.Methodology:A new addition to the model, the Variable Election Hypothesis, predicts which language is likely to be the source of morphemes in certain structures in bilingual speech, based on how they are elected.Data and analysis:Data from available codeswitching literature illustrate the classification of morphemes according to the 4-M model and test this new hypothesis. Much of the analysis focuses on the role of Embedded Language nonfinite verb forms and the structure of mixed determiner phrases (DPs), as well as subordinators in codeswitching data.Findings:Both the 4-M model and the Variable Election Hypothesis make predictions...
Raw Data Reduction for Synthetic Aperture Based on SVD-QR

Singular-Value-QR Decomposition (SVD-QR) is a new data reduction algorithm, which can be applied to compress high data redundancy in wireless communication system and radar system. It selects the most important part of the original data which can represent other information as well. Based on the analysis of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) history data in slow-time domain, we prove that it satisfies the condition of SVD-QR approach. In addition, backprojection image reconstruction algorithm is also presented in this work, which is more efficient than matched filter method. Simulations are performed according to the Gotcha Volumetric SAR Data Set, which is collected in a real 2D/3D scenario. From the simulation results, the effectiveness of this new algorithm is verified and the compression ratio can be achieved by 2:5. Comparing with the uniform down sampling method, SVD-QR algorithm can save about 60 % data and have a better performance.
Gender Inequalities in Campaign Finance

Previous research suggests that female candidates do not face fundraising barriers; however, female politicians consistently report that fundraising is more difficult for them than their male colleagues. Using a regression discontinuity design to hold district characteristics constant, we study whether there is a gender gap in campaign fundraising for state legislators from 1990 to 2010. We find that male candidates raise substantially more money than female candidates. Further, male donors give more money to male candidates, while female donors, political parties, and PACs give approximately equally to men and women. At the same time, men face challengers who raise more money; consequently, male and female incumbents do not differ in the proportion of the overall district money that they raise in their next reelection bid. These results suggest that there are gender inequalities in campaign finance, but they may not have immediate consequence for women's representation.
Hydraulic system modeling and optimization to achieve performance characteristics

As automation technology continues to be integrated into industrial and mobile machinery, more precise control of hydraulic cylinders will assist in the achievement of desired response characteristics. Thus, in designing the cushioning mechanism for a hydraulic cylinder, there is value in predicting the deceleration response due to pressure generated when fluid passes through the cushion orifice. The cushion orifice can be designed to change as a function of piston position to meet a desired velocity response. In practice, determination of the orifice area requires a lengthy iterative process of trial and error. Therefore, to overcome these design process challenges, dynamic models of cylinder cushioning systems were developed that, when solved numerically, predicted the pressure and velocity responses of the cylinder with time. Utilizing these dynamic models, a cushion design optimization procedure was also developed to obtain the dimensions of the cushioning spear that most closely obtains the desired velocity response profile. Simulations of the dynamic cushion model were performed using a cushion spear with a shape designed through a static analysis to produce constant deceleration during the cushioning phase. Spear shapes were fit to the analytically developed common spear profile and their performance was assessed with simulation. The developed optimization procedure was run to compare the performance the spear shapes common to industry. Lastly, to identify the range of results produced by the optimizer, the procedure was run ten times for each spear type with the variation between runs. The performance of each run was quantified by measuring the root-mean square error (RMSE) between the desired velocity profile and the simulated velocity profile. When surrounding system conditions were held constant, the analytical analysis produced vii a profile leading to nearly constant deceleration with an RMSE of 1.4x10 m/s (0.29 feet per minute; fpm) when simulated by the dynamic model. However, attempts to replicate the results of the analytical model with common spear shapes resulted in deviation from the constant deceleration goal with the parabolic and linear regression curves producing RMSE values of 14.9x10 and 21.7x10 m/s (2.94 and 4.28 fpm) respectively. The optimizer produced a consistent family of results for each spear with an average standard deviation of 2.6x10 m/s (0.51 fpm). This dynamic modeling approach has potential to assist designers in the development of cushioning spears that meet customer cushion response specifications.
Can Chemical Class Approaches Replace Chemical-by-Chemical Strategies? Lessons from Recent U.S. FDA Regulatory Action on Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

Concern about the toxicity and exposure of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is growing among scientists, regulators, and residents of contaminated communities. In 2016, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed three food contact substances (FCSs) containing perfluorinated chemicals from the list of approved FCSs due to concerns regarding chemical safety. To investigate the significance and limitations of the FDA’s regulatory action for environmental health research, advocacy, and regulation, we conducted a media analysis and qualitative interviews with a range of involved stakeholders. We find that the FDA’s regulatory action represents a potential shift from chemical-by-chemical regulation toward class-based regulation, where groups of chemicals can be identified as sharing properties and risks, and are thus evaluated and regulated together. The FDA decision sets an important precedent of using a petition process to delist chemicals based on a safety standard. However, the ...
Exploring the impacts of school reforms on underrepresented urban students’ college persistence

ABSTRACTThis longitudinal quantitative study investigates how participation in the Comprehensive College Readiness Access and Success Program (CCRASP) affects underrepresented urban students’ college persistence. Results revealed that CCRASP participation was associated with higher percentages of students enrolling in both 2- and 4-year colleges as sophomore students. As school leaders and policy makers seek to make all urban students college and career ready, these findings further solidify current urgencies to re-visit K–12 student academic and counselling services. It also provides school leaders and educators with practical information and reform ideas to improve underprivileged students’ persistence and success.
People with Visual Impairment Training Personal Object Recognizers: Feasibility and Challenges

Blind people often need to identify objects around them, from packages of food to items of clothing. Automatic object recognition continues to provide limited assistance in such tasks because models tend to be trained on images taken by sighted people with different background clutter, scale, viewpoints, occlusion, and image quality than in photos taken by blind users. We explore personal object recognizers, where visually impaired people train a mobile application with a few snapshots of objects of interest and provide custom labels. We adopt transfer learning with a deep learning system for user-defined multi-label k-instance classification. Experiments with blind participants demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, which reaches accuracies over 90% for some participants. We analyze user data and feedback to explore effects of sample size, photo-quality variance, and object shape; and contrast models trained on photos by blind participants to those by sighted participants and generic recognizers.
PTSD and PTSD-Linked Victimization Sensitivity as Risk Factors for Alcohol Use among Juvenile Offenders: A Group-Based Trajectory Modeling Approach

ABSTRACTResearch has indicated that post-traumatic stress disorder is linked to heightened levels of alcohol use. Sensitivity to strain may increase alcohol use as a coping strategy among this population. Using the Pathways to Desistance dataset, this research examines these effects among juvenile offenders and the experience of victimization as strain. Results indicated a near tripling of the relative risk of assignment to the high alcohol use group if one had ever met clinical criteria for the disorder at baseline. There was a significant interaction between ever meeting clinical criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder and experiencing victimization during an observation period.
Effects of Straw Phonation Through Tubes of Varied Lengths on Sustained Vowels in Normal-Voiced Participants

Summary Objective To examine the immediate effects of straw phonation exercises in normal subjects while altering the effective length of the vocal tract. Study Design A nonrandomized comparison of semi-occluded vocal tract length during straw phonation exercises was carried out. Methods Oral pressure, mean airflow, aerodynamic resistance, and contact quotient were measured in 20 healthy subjects immediately before and after straw phonation exercises. A short- and long-duration phonatory task was used to examine the voice parameters during semi-occluded vocal tract exercises. These tasks involved repeating a vocalization of the vowel /a/ through a tube. Each subject underwent the protocol using tubes of three different lengths (7.5 cm, 15 cm, and 30 cm) to allow for the effect of moving the outlet of the vocal tract distal to the mouth to be monitored. Results Oral pressure and aerodynamic resistance decreased significantly, contact quotient showed a decreasing trend, and airflow increased significantly in pre- and postmeasurements 15 minutes after a long-duration phonatory task. Short-duration tasks were found to have no effect on voice parameters. Conclusion The results present and validate a method to isolate the effect that the length of a semi-occluded vocal tract has during straw phonation exercises.
Unmatched DNA preservation prove arctic hare and sheep wool in Norse Greenlandic textile from “The Farm Beneath the Sand”

Abstract GUS ( Garden under sandet- The Farm Beneath the Sand ) is a Greenlandic Norse settlement site 80 km from Nuuk in the former Norse western settlement occupied between 1000 and 1400 CE. Renowned for its excellent preservation caused by its interment under large quantities of sand and permafrost after its abandonment, GUS is unique in Norse Greenlandic contexts as perishable materials and artefacts are extremely well preserved. Some aspects of fibre admixtures used in Norse Greenlandic clothing are unknown to us, but of great relevance to understanding the history of the colony and its subsistence practices. Here we present the results of shotgun genomic data from 11 samples originating from ten archaeological textiles from a variety of different Norse Greenlandic sites. The obtained sequences were mapped to mitochondrial genomes of 15 diverse mammals and only samples from GUS had any endogenous DNA (4,5 and 3,5%), resulting in a 70x mt-genome of arctic hare ( Lepus arcticus ) and a 20x mt-genome of domestic sheep ( Ovis aries ). The evidence of arctic hare in Greenlandic textile is one of the few examples confirming the use of exotic textiles and mixtures of wool types in Norse clothing. Furthermore, the study overall finds the biological material from GUS to have unmatched DNA preservation, indicating potential for genetic investigations in the future from this locality.
The Possible Emergence of Life and Differentiation of a Shallow Biosphere on Irradiated Icy Worlds: The Example of Europa

Abstract Irradiated ice-covered ocean worlds with rocky mafic mantles may provide the conditions needed to drive the emergence and maintenance of life. Alkaline hydrothermal springs—relieving the geophysical, thermal, and chemical disequilibria between oceans and tidally stressed crusts—could generate inorganic barriers to the otherwise uncontrolled and kinetically disfavored oxidation of hydrothermal hydrogen and methane. Ionic gradients imposed across these inorganic barriers, comprising iron oxyhydroxides and sulfides, could drive the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide and the oxidation of methane through thermodynamically favorable metabolic pathways leading to early life-forms. In such chemostatic environments, fuels may eventually outweigh oxidants. Ice-covered oceans are primarily heated from below, creating convection that could transport putative microbial cells and cellular cooperatives upward to congregate beneath an ice shell, potentially giving rise to a highly focused shallow biosphere. It is h...
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Mediated through Binding Androgen Receptor Are Associated with Diabetes Mellitus

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can mimic natural hormone to interact with receptors in the endocrine system and thus disrupt the functions of the endocrine system, raising concerns on the public health. In addition to disruption of the endocrine system, some EDCs have been found associated with many diseases such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, infertility, asthma, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, obesity, and diabetes mellitus. EDCs that binding androgen receptor have been reported associated with diabetes mellitus in in vitro, animal, and clinical studies. In this review, we summarize the structural basis and interactions between androgen receptor and EDCs as well as the associations of various types of diabetes mellitus with the EDCs mediated through androgen receptor binding. We also discuss the perspective research for further understanding the impact and mechanisms of EDCs on the risk of diabetes mellitus.
A Framework for Addressing Spirituality in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders: The Three-Legged Stool

Although spirituality has long been considered to be a protective factor in the treatment of substance use disorders, little has been done to operationalize the various dimensions of spirituality in clinical settings. The aim of this paper was to propose a framework – the three-legged stool – to act as a structure for spiritual interventions. The “stool” consists of three “legs”: creativity (creative arts and play therapy techniques), service (helping others), and solitude (contemplative prayer and meditation). The components of the framework are explained and support for the inclusion of each leg is offered.
Laser Photochemistry of a Uranium Compound Tailored for 10µ Absorption: U(OCH3)6

Isotope separation by selective laser-induced multiphoton infrared excitation of polyatomic molecules is now a reality for a variety of elements (1). In light of this progress, it would be challenging from both a scientific and technological standpoint to develop an efficient laser induced multiphoton isotope separation (MIS) process for the element uranium. The key molecular requirements for MIS are existence of an infrared active normal vibrational mode which exhibits a non-zero isotope shift and which absorbs in the spectral region corresponding to the output of an efficient laser system. To date, most isotope separation has involved irradiation of molecular species with a pulsed, discretely tunable CO2 gas laser having usable spectral output in the 9.2–10.8µ region.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A Review

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a poorly recognized psychiatric condition, which often results in significant psychosocial impairment. Although recent research has indicated that various pharmacologic and psychosocial treatments are efficacious in the treatment of BDD, further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings. BDD often goes unrecognized or misdiagnosed by mental health care providers and therefore merits further research within these and other settings. Furthermore, the high rates of co-occurring psychiatric conditions and nonpsychiatric treatment-seeking behavior indicate the need to educate dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons in the clinical characteristics of BDD in order that patients be triaged appropriately for proper clinical care.
Recurrent Neural Networks for Cochannel Speech Separation in Reverberant Environments

Speech separation is a fundamental problem in speech and signal processing. A particular challenge is monaural separation of cochannel speech, or a two-talker mixture, in a reverberant environment. In this paper, we study recurrent neural networks (RNNs) with long short-term memory (LSTM) in separating and enhancing speech signals in reverberant cochannel mixtures. Our investigation shows that RNNs are effective in separating reverberant speech signals. In addition, RNNs significantly outperform deep feedforward networks based on objective speech intelligibility and quality measures. We also find that the best performance is achieved when the ideal ratio mask (IRM) is used as the training target in comparison with alternative training targets. While trained using reverberant signals generated by simulated room impulse responses (RIRs), our model generalizes well to conditions where the signals are generated by recorded RIRs.
Fundamental Implications for Location Accuracy in Ultra-Dense 5G Cellular Networks

At the threshold of 5G, much is promised based on the predicate of hyper-accurate location-aware communications. Although the unique spectral real estate associated with 5G implies the possibility of such a persistent localization scheme, we submit that precision range based localization is not a generational inevitability but rather achievable only under the correct architectural philosophy. To show this, we consider a fundamental component that limits or enables any positioning system: the underlying infrastructure geometry. The significance of this research follows from several significant results. First, cell ultra densification, although the primary catalyst of Long Term Evolution (LTE)/LTE-Advanced capacity improvement and a major disruptive technology in 5G networks, will not alone provide for more accurate user positioning. To show this, we derive a closed-form solution to the Cramer–Rao lower bound specific to 5G networks given that infrastructure is distributed via the Poisson point process (PPP). This result is used to justify a positioning services architecture that fundamentally embraces a variable number of supporting access points. In fact, we show that without this architecture, a foundational decline in positioning performance may inadvertently be realized. Finally, by numerically comparing our results with other point processes common in cellular network modeling, we present justification for the PPP as an appropriate model for analyzing positioning performance in ultra dense 5G infrastructures.
Evaluation of disinfectants, algicides, and fungicides for control of orange cane blotch of blackberry in the field

Abstract The alga Cephaleuros virescens causes orange cane blotch (OCB), a serious disease of blackberry in the southeastern United States. Field efficacy trials with diverse algicides, disinfectants, and fungicides were conducted over a 3-year period at two locations on ‘Ouachita’ thornless blackberry. Foliar treatments, applied as multiple sprays during the summer and fall, included ametoctradin + dimethomorph, calcium polysulfide, calcium polysulfide + surfactants, captan, chlorothalonil, copper hydroxide, copper hydroxide + hydrogen dioxide, fluazinam, fluopicolide, hydrogen dioxide, mancozeb, mancozeb + copper hydroxide, mandipropamid, mefenoxam, mefenoxam + copper hydroxide, mefenoxam + mancozeb, potassium phosphite, potassium phosphite + captan, potassium phosphite + copper hydroxide, oxathiapiprolin and diluted sodium hypochlorite. Potassium phosphite was the only active ingredient that provided consistent and significant disease suppression. Management of OCB will be difficult in light of the limited number of labeled applications of potassium phosphite allowed and the potentially long infection period of the pathogen.
Comparative assessment of parameter estimation methods in the presence of overdispersion: a simulation study

The Poisson distribution is commonly assumed as the error structure for count data; however, empirical data may exhibit greater variability than expected based on a given statistical model. Greater variability could point to model misspecification, such as missing crucial information about the epidemiology of the disease or changes in population behavior. When the mechanism producing the apparent overdispersion is unknown, it is typically assumed that the variance in the data exceeds the mean (by some scaling factor). Thus, a probability distribution that allows for overdispersion (negative binomial, for example) may better represent the data. Here, we utilize simulation studies to assess how misspecifying the error structure affects parameter estimation results, specifically bias and uncertainty, as a function of the level of random noise in the data. We compare results for two parameter estimation methods: nonlinear least squares and maximum likelihood estimation with Poisson error structure. We analyze two phenomenological models the generalized growth model and generalized logistic growth model to assess how results of parameter estimation are affected by the level of overdispersion underlying in the data. We use simulation to obtain confidence intervals and mean squared error of parameter estimates. We also analyze the impact of the amount of data, or ascending phase length, on the results of the generalized growth model for increasing levels of overdispersion. The results show a clear pattern of increasing uncertainty, or confidence interval width, as the overdispersion in the data increases. While maximum likelihood estimation consistently yields narrower confidence intervals and smaller mean squared error, differences between the two methods were minimal and not practically significant. At moderate levels of overdispersion, both estimation methods yielded similar performance. Importantly, it is shown that issues of parameter uncertainty and bias in the presence of overdispersion can be mitigated with the inclusion of more data.
Cytohistologic correlation of basaloid salivary gland neoplasms: Can cytomorphologic classification be used to diagnose and grade these tumors?

Background Basaloid salivary gland neoplasms (BSNs), which include benign primary tumors and primary or metastatic malignancies, show overlapping morphology in fine-needle aspiration (FNA). The Milan system recommends assigning a grade (low or high) to malignant salivary neoplasms because of the impact on surgical planning. This study investigated cytomorphologic features of BSNs on FNA that would help to favor a high-grade malignancy over a low-grade malignancy or a benign tumor. Methods Two pathologists performed a double-blinded cytologic evaluation of FNA cases diagnosed as BSNs that had corresponding surgical resections. The diagnosis made with the Milan system was correlated with the final surgical diagnosis and grade. Cytologic sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were calculated. Results There were 132 BSN FNA cases; cytology slides were available for 77 of 87 patients who had undergone resection. The risk of malignancy for the benign neoplasm (BN), salivary gland neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential (SUMP), suspicious for malignancy (SFM), and malignant categories were 13.6%, 22%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity of the malignant/SFM category was 51.7%; another 37.9% of confirmed malignancies were diagnosed as SUMP. The specificity of the BN category was 86%. Favoring a high-grade malignancy on FNA had 100% accuracy (5 of 5). Favoring a low-grade malignancy on FNA had 75% accuracy (6 of 8). The most specific cytomorphologic clues for a high-grade malignancy were necrotic/apoptotic debris, mitoses, discohesion, and anisonucleosis. Conclusions BSNs encompass a broad spectrum of primary and metastatic tumors. Necrotic/apoptotic debris, mitotic activity, discohesion, and significant anisonucleosis, alone or especially in combination, should make a cytopathologist suspect a high-grade malignancy.
Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Hematologic Malignancies: New Insights and Targeted Therapies

The growth of hematologic malignant cells can be facilitated by other non-tumor cells within the same microenvironment, including stromal, vascular, immune and mesenchymal stem cells. Macrophages are an integral part of the human innate immune system and the tumor microenvironment. Complex interplays between the malignant hematologic cells and the infiltrating macrophages promote the formation of leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma-associated macrophages. These pro-tumorigenic macrophages in turn play an important part in facilitating tumor growth, metastasis and chemotherapeutic resistance. Previous reports have highlighted the association between tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and disease progression in hematologic malignancies. This review summarizes the role of TAMs in different subtypes of leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, focusing on new insights and targeted therapies.
Trends in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Utilization in a Large Integrated Health Care System.

Importance There are few population-based studies addressing trends in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission and NICU patient-days, especially in the subpopulation that, by gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW), might otherwise be able to stay in the room with their mothers. Objective To describe population-based trends in NICU admissions, NICU patient-days, readmissions, and mortality in the birth population of a large integrated health care system. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study was conducted using data extracted from electronic medical records at Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) health care system. Participants included all women who gave birth at KPSC hospitals and their newborns from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2018. Data extraction was limited to data entry fields whose contents were either numbers or fixed categorical choices. Rates of NICU admission, NICU patient-days, readmission rates, and mortality rates were measured in the total population, in newborns with GA 35 weeks or greater and BW 2000 g or more (high GA and BW group), and in the remaining newborns (low GA and BW group). Admissions to the NICU and NICU patient-days were risk adjusted with a machine learning model based on demographic and clinical characteristics before NICU admission. Changes in the trends were assessed with 2-sided correlated seasonal Mann-Kendall test. Data analysis was performed in August 2019. Exposures Admission to the NICU and NICU patient-days among the birth cohort. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcomes were NICU admission and NICU patient-days in the total neonatal population and GA and BW subgroups. The secondary outcomes were readmission and mortality rates. Results Over the study period there were 320 340 births (mean [SD] age of mothers, 30.1 [5.7] years; mean [SD] gestational age, 38.6 [1.97] weeks; mean [SD] birth weight, 3302 [573] g). The risk-adjusted NICU admission rate decreased from a mean of 14.5% (95% CI, 14.2%-14.7%) to 10.9% (95% CI, 10.7%-11.7%) (P for trend = .002); 92% of the change was associated with changes in the care of newborns in the high GA and BW group. The number of risk-adjusted NICU patient-days per birth decreased from a mean of 1.50 patient-days (95% CI, 1.43-1.54 patient-days) to 1.40 patient-days (95% CI, 1.36-1.48 patient-days) (P for trend = .03); 70% of the change was associated with newborns in the high GA and BW group. The unadjusted 30-day readmission rates and mortality rates did not change. Conclusions and Relevance Admission rates to the NICU and numbers of NICU patient-days decreased over the study period without an increase in readmissions or mortality. The observed decrease was associated with the high GA and BW newborn population. How much of this decrease is attributable to intercurrent health care systemwide quality improvement initiatives would require further investigation. The remaining unexplained variation suggests that further changes are also possible.
Synthesis of multivitamin-loaded heat stable liposomes from milk fat globule membrane phospholipids by using a supercritical-CO2 based system

Inspired by the heat stability of milk, where fat globules are coated by the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), heat stable liposomes loaded with multivitamins were successfully synthesized from MFGM phospholipid concentrate. The MFGM phospholipids were first isolated from buttermilk powder, an undervalued dairy byproduct, by means of sequential pure SC-CO2 and ethanol-modified SC-CO2 extraction. The final extract was composed of 75% phospholipids, the highest MFGM phospholipid purity reported so far from buttermilk powder. Extracted MFGM phospholipids concentrate was utilized in liposome synthesis by the rapid expansion of supercritical solution using a venturi-based system (Vent-RESS) for vacuum driven cargo loading. Liposome synthesis was also conducted using sunflower phosphatidylcholine (SFPC) for comparison. To test the performance of the liposomes, vitamins E and C were used as model hydrophobic and hydrophilic bioactives, respectively. MFGM phospholipids mostly produced unilamellar vesicular type liposomes with an average diameter of 533 nm and ζ-potential of −57 mV. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) of vitamins E and C in MFGM liposomes were 77 and 65%, respectively. Even after heating at 90 °C for 30 minutes, MFGM liposomes retained structural integrity as shown in their confocal micrographs, structural characterizations, and EE measurements. In contrast, SFPC liposomes disintegrated at temperatures above 60 °C. Thus, MFGM liposomes have the potential to protect the nutritional and functional properties of bioactive compounds during extended exposure to thermal treatment. This study proposes a green method to extract dairy phospholipids and fabricate liposomes for the delivery of bioactive compounds with application in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries with a great potential for scale-up.
Hurdling and Hurtling Toward New Genetic Codes.

Escherichia coli that utilize 4- and 5-fluoroindole and replace tryptophan with fluorinated derivatives throughout their proteomes have been evolved.
Designing Research Assignments to Encourage Critical Thinking and Creative Problem-Solving Skills

Advanced legal research (ALR) courses are unique in that they provide continual and immediate feedback to both students and teachers over the course of the semester. Unlike traditional doctrinal courses, ALR typically employs a variety of teaching methods and students receive multiple forms of assessment. This level of interaction allows teachers to respond quickly when students are struggling with specific concepts or need clarification. This article analyzes lessons learned from two assignments.
Intraoperative MRI for Brain Tumors

The use of intraoperative imaging has been a critical tool in the neurosurgeon’s armamentarium and is of particular benefit during tumor surgery. This article summarizes the history of its development, implementation, clinical experience and future directions. We reviewed the literature focusing on the development and clinical experience with intraoperative MRI. Utilizing the authors’ personal experience as well as evidence from the literature, we present an overview of the utility of MRI during neurosurgery. In the 1990s, the first description of using a low field MRI in the operating room was published describing the additional benefit provided by improved resolution of MRI as compared to ultrasound. Since then, implementation has varied in magnetic field strength and in configuration from floor mounted to ceiling mounted units as well as those that are accessible to the operating room for use during surgery and via an outpatient entrance to use for diagnostic imaging. The experience shows utility of this technique for increasing extent of resection for low and high grade tumors as well as preventing injury to important structures while incorporating techniques such as intraoperative monitoring. This article reviews the history of intraoperative MRI and presents a review of the literature revealing the successful implementation of this technology and benefits noted for the patient and the surgeon.
Pearls and Pitfalls in Arterial Spin Labeling Perfusion-Weighted Imaging in Clinical Pediatric Imaging

Characteristic arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion patterns are seen in a wide variety of pediatric brain pathologies, highlighting the potential added value and prognostic role of this magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) perfusion-weighted imaging modality. Our objective is to review the basic clinical physics, technical underpinnings, and artifacts and challenges as we highlight some of the most clinically relevant pathologies to the application of ASL in the pediatric setting.
Single incision latissimus dorsi surgical technique: a three button repair

Abstract Due to the infrequent occurrence of latissimus dorsi insertional avulsions or tendon ruptures, there is no clear evidence on the optimal surgical fixation strategy. A three suture unicortical button repair technique through a single incision offers an anatomic reconstruction of the broad insertional footprint with adequate exposure. This fixation strategy is the preferred technique by the senior author.