cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Validation of empirical mode decomposition combined with notch filtering to extract electrical stimulation artifact from surface electromyograms during functional electrical stimulation

This paper presents the validity of Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) combined with Notch filtering to remove the electrical stimulation (ES) artifact from surface electromyogram (EMG) data for interpretation of muscle responses during Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) experiments. We hypothesized that the EMD algorithm provides a suitable platform for decomposing the EMG signal into physically meaningful intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) which can be further used to isolate electrical stimulation (ES) artifact. The basic EMD algorithm was used to decompose the ES induced EMG signals into IMFs. IMFs most contaminated by ES were identified based on the standard deviation (SD) criterion. An IMF with the maximum signal to noise ratio (SNR) was Notch filtered and added to IMFs containing pure EMG data to get the filtered EMG signal. The method was tested on 5 able bodied (AB) and 2 spinal cord injured (SCI) participants. The validity of the filtered signal was assessed by normalized root mean squared error (NRMSE) and signal to noise (SNR) ratio values obtained by comparing a clean EMG collected during maximum volitional contraction (MVC) and EMD-Notch filtered signal from the combination of a clean EMG with i) simulated ES and, ii) real ES with no activation generated at different ES amplitudes. The results showed that the EMD-Notch filtering approach was successful, reliable and repeatable in extracting pure muscle responses during ES showing improved values for NRMSE and SNR in both AB and SCI individuals.
Social learning with decentralized choice of private signals

Social learning is analyzed when agents choose the type of information in a set of signals to identify the state of a fundamental variable. It is shown that agents may herd on the type of signal that is chosen and herding is socially inefficient. The public reports of agents may have to be restricted to improve the efficiency of social learning. As an example of application, the mechanism is relevant for warnings against a particular threat.
The Use of Electronic Sensor Device to Augment Ligament Balancing Leads to a Lower Rate of Arthrofibrosis After Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Background Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a highly successful surgery shown to improve quality of life. One of the more common known complications of TKA is early arthrofibrosis requiring manipulation under anesthesia (MUA). This investigation evaluates the incidence of arthrofibrosis before and after the implementation of an electronic sensor device used to assist with ligament balancing. Methods Six hundred ninety TKAs performed without sensor use were compared to a cohort of 252 TKAs performed with sensor usage. Results Prior to usage, there was a 5% rate of MUA after TKA, while after implementation, the MUA rate went down to 1.6% ( P = .004). Ligament balancing using sensor assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in MUA in this cohort of patients. An odds ratio analysis also demonstrated that non-sensor patients had a 3.2× higher likelihood of requiring MUA than the sensor patients. Conclusion The use of an electronic sensor device during trialing of TKA with resultant improved ligamentous balancing led to a statistically significant reduction in the rate of MUA in this cohort of patients. This type of approach to ligamentous balancing may continue to show evidence of improved clinical outcomes.
Local delivery of fingolimod from three-dimensional scaffolds impacts islet graft efficacy and microenvironment in a murine diabetic model.

The local delivery of immunosuppressive agents could significantly promote the success of islet transplantation for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes. Fingolimod, a clinically-approved sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor agonist, has been found to dampen allograft islet rejection in rodent models when delivered systemically. Herein, we engineered a platform for the local delivery of fingolimod by incorporating it within a macroporous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) scaffold specifically designed for islet transplantation. In vitro drug release studies quantifying kinetics confirmed sustained release within targeted dose levels for over seven days. Fingolimod-PDMS scaffolds containing syngeneic islets were subsequently transplanted into diabetic mice for examination of the effect of local fingolimod release on engraftment. Surprisingly, either delayed or abrogated efficacy was observed when scaffolds contained a dosage of fingolimod greater than 0.5% w/w; despite drug release rates estimated at ~80-fold less than published systemic delivery reports where no detrimental effects were noted. Histological analysis of explants indicated a dose-dependent modulation of cellular migration and phenotype at the graft site, with high doses impairing host infiltration and engraftment while lower doses promoted leukocyte migration. Mechanistic in vivo and in vitro studies observed unique host and islet responses to local fingolimod delivery, with impairment of murine islet viability and function. Overall, this study confirmed the ability to modulate local delivery of fingolimod in a sustained-release manner using a 3-D PDMS scaffold; however, the observed detrimental impacts at the site of islet transplantation do not support further investigation of local delivery at the graft site in murine models.
Parental Messages, School Belonging, Social Skills, and Personal Control as Predictors of Bullying in Ethnic Minority Adolescents

While evidence of the mental health effects of bullying has amassed in recent years, less scholarship explores the dynamics of bullying as it manifests in culturally diverse environments. The purpose of this study was to determine how contextual factors influence participation in bullying behaviors in a sample of urban, low-income, ethnic minority students. Using structural equation modeling, researchers tested whether social competence mediates the relationship between (a) parents’ messages about aggression, (b) school belonging, (c) personal control and the outcome of bullying. Results of the study support evidence for a direct relationship between parental messages and bullying, social skills and bullying, parental messages and social skills, and personal control and social skills. Findings also indicate an indirect relationship between personal control and bully perpetration. Implications and directions for future research on contextual factors associated with bullying are discussed.
MAPping the probability of start-up success

Twenty years ago, I fell into the trap of believing that good performance on TREC Ad Hoc could be turned into commercial success via an enterprise search (ES) start-up. Although we achieved a measure of success, the reality was very different from my expectations. It turned out that end-users cared about search relevance only to the extent of reaching for buckets of vitriol when search failed to find what they wanted, and people making purchasing decisions were more interested in other things: what repositories can be included in the search, how responsive search is to updates, what security models are provided, the appearance of the search pages, and achieving internal business goals -- even at the expense of end-user needs. Organizations often purchase search technology as part of another system, such as a content management system, or a records management system, leaving other repositories unsearchable or incompatibly searchable. Causes of enterprise search failure include dimensions studied in IR but an ES system often fails because of the way it is configured, or because it fails to cover information resources that end-users need. The dream of a comprehensive, highly relevant, fully secure single search interface to all of an organization's information is very rarely achieved. There is a huge market potential for a killer ES product but the biggest challenges in exploiting it lie outside the scope of IR research. I look forward to sharing lessons learned from attempting to commercialize IR technology, and new perspectives from my current employment at Bing.
Medication eluting devices for the field of OBGYN (MEDOBGYN): 3D printed biodegradable hormone eluting constructs, a proof of concept study

3D printing has the potential to deliver personalized implants and devices for obstetric and gynecologic applications. The aim of this study is to engineer customizable and biodegradable 3D printed implant materials that can elute estrogen and/or progesterone. All 3D constructs were printed using polycaprolactone (PCL) biodegradable polymer laden with estrogen or progesterone and were subjected to hormone-release profile studies using ELISA kits. Material thermal properties were tested using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The 3D printed constructs showed extended hormonal release over a one week period. Cytocompatibility and bioactivity were assessed using a luciferase assay. The hormone-laden 3D printed constructs demonstrated an increase in luciferase activity and without any deleterious effects. Thermal properties of the PCL and hormones showed degradation temperatures above that of the temperature used in the additive manufacturing process-suggesting that 3D printing can be achieved below the degradation temperatures of the hormones. Sample constructs in the shape of surgical meshes, subdermal rods, intrauterine devices and pessaries were designed and printed. 3D printing of estrogen and progesterone-eluting constructs was feasible in this proof of concept study. These custom designs have the potential to act as a form of personalized medicine for drug delivery and optimized fit based on patient-specific anatomy.
Image-guided ultrasound/microbubble-mediated drug delivery platform with passive cavitation mapping

Ultrasound/microbubble (US/MB)-mediated drug delivery is a promising approach to effectively deliver therapeutic agents to target tumors by increasing vascular permeability through sonoporation. Equipped with focused ultrasound, drug delivery platforms can increase site-specificity. To move toward clinical translation, such a platform requires both image guidance for accurate location of tumor targets and quantitative mapping of the therapeutic dose for effective treatment.
Groups of Matrices That Act Monopotently

In the present article, the authors continue the line of inquiry started by Cigler and Jerman, who studied the separation of eigenvalues of a matrix under an action of a matrix group. The authors consider groups \Fam{G} of matrices of the form $\left[\small{\begin{smallmatrix} G & 0\\ 0& z \end{smallmatrix}}\right]$, where $z$ is a complex number, and the matrices $G$ form an irreducible subgroup of $\GL(\C)$. When \Fam{G} is not essentially finite, the authors prove that for each invertible $A$ the set $\Fam{G}A$ contains a matrix with more than one eigenvalue. The authors also consider groups $\Fam{G}$ of matrices of the form $\left[\small{\begin{smallmatrix} G & x\\ 0& 1 \end{smallmatrix}}\right]$, where the matrices $G$ comprise a bounded irreducible subgroup of $\GL(\C)$. When \Fam{G} is not finite, the authors prove that for each invertible $A$ the set $\Fam{G}A$ contains a matrix with more than one eigenvalue.
Public Reporting of Congenital Heart Surgery Outcomes: Counting Numbers, Caring for Patients

The purpose of public reporting is to provide transparency and accountability so that patients and their families can make informed choices. Our ability to assess and publicly report quality in congenital cardiac surgery is constrained by the available data and statistical techniques. Efforts should be directed toward collecting and evaluating information that provides a broad picture of what makes a high-quality program. For public reporting to succeed, the outcomes presented must be accessible, relevant, and understandable.
On the sensitivity of root and leaf phenology to warming in the Arctic

Temperature is commonly assumed to act as the primary constraint on the timing of plant growth, and strong advances in plant phenology have been seen with recent atmospheric warming. The influence ...
Characterization of DNAs from coprinus lagopus and mucor azygospora.

Les rapports G+C des ADN deCoprinus lagopus etMucor azygospora ont ete etudies. Le profil de fusion indique que l'ADN duC. lagopus est compose de deux fractions, une principale (90%) de rapport G+C 52 moles pourcent, une mineure (10%) de G+C 32 moles pourcent. Par contre l'ADN deM. azygospora contient une fraction unique de G+C 38 moles pourcent. L'etude de la cinetique de reassociation DNA:DNA montre que la dimension genomique («genome size») deC. lagopus est de 2×1012 et qu'il y a moin de 10% de DNA a sequences repetees de nucleotides.
Sounds Are Not Equal, but Nor is All Silence

This paper has three aims: 1. To show that two types of silent elements, small pro and PRO, have different syntactic properties (at least in certain languages, exemplified here by Turkish); 2. Where in a given syntactic context either an anaphoric or a pronominal element could potentially show up, the anaphoric element is preferred, irrespective of whether these elements are phonologically realized or not. The second point has also been made for English and French by Bouchard (1983) and (1985), under the label “Elsewhere Principle (EP). Bouchard’s proposal, based on the notion of “related construction” for the application of the EP, will be reduced to “identical construction”, at least for Turkish. Partee’s (1975) “only-test” will be used to support a characterization of PRO as a silent element whose features are different from those of (straightforward) pronouns, in being anaphoric. 3. A rather functionalistic principle of laziness, dubbed “Avoid Pronoun” in Chomsky (1981), which imposes the choice of PRO over an overt pronoun when either element is possible in a given syntactic context, also plays a role in determining certain instances of ill-formedness, especially where the EP has nothing to say.
On a class of stochastic differential equations which do not satisfy Lipschitz conditions

We study a class of nonlinear stochastic equations of the rotational motion of a rigid body subject to random torques. Nonlinear equations do not satisfy the Lipschitz conditions; we show the existence of "pathwise" unique solutions, which display some unexpected properties such as the first order distributions being asymptotically Gaussian.
Building an Innovation Economy: Public Policy Lessons from Israel

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of those factors that were most important in the emergence of Israel’s innovation economy from 1990-2000. It contains a thorough survey of the leading academic ideas regarding preconditions for innovation (generally) and the preconditions for Israeli innovation over a 30 year period (specifically), including: public R&D grants, human capital acquisition, intellectual property rights, financial reforms, venture capital policy and cultural factors. In addition, this paper lends fresh empirical support to the notion that R&D grants and venture capital policies played an important role in Israel’s narrative, and distinguishes those factors which can be emulated by other governments and organizations (ie. deliberate policy-making or responses to market indicators) from those which resulted from historical chance (ie. luck). Finally, this paper draws from Israel’s experience to spell out some key public policy lessons and limitations of innovation policy.
Protecting Early Stage Proof-of-Work Based Public Blockchain

Proof-of-work was originally proposed by Dwork and Naor in 1992 and has proved its powerfulness in Bitcoin as a decentralized mechanism for blockchain construction. Proof-of-work is the basis of most popular cryptocurrencies and smart contract systems, where participating miners are required to solve difficult mathematical problems to validate transactions. One of the major challenges that proof-of-work faces is the 51% attack, i.e., if an adversary controls more than half of the computation power, he/she can control the blockchain construction and determine which blocks will be included. This is not a major concern when the number of miners is large. However, for an early stage blockchain system with a limited number of users, it is relatively easy for an attacker to launch the 51% attack. To mitigate such risk, we propose a new hybrid blockchain construction scheme that uses the combination of proof-of-work and the stake, which is the number of coins produced by a miner, to determine whether this miner is allowed to construct a block. We prove that stakes play an important role in the hybrid scheme at the beginning, so that an attacker is not able to launch the 51% attack even if he/she controls the majority of the computational power. Meanwhile, the hybrid scheme will converge to pure proof-of-work after sufficiently many blocks are generated, and thus captures the desired properties of proof-of-work. Most importantly, such a convergence is "smooth" in the sense that neither changes in the rules nor parameters are introduced, and thus no hard/soft-forks will be triggered. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of the new scheme using simulations with different configurations, which can help a designer to select adequate parameters for a specific blockchain application.
Measuring sparingly-soluble, aqueous salt crystallization kinetics using CSTRs-in-series: Methodology development and CaCO3 studies

Abstract We present a methodology and results for measuring crystallization kinetics of sparingly soluble salt mixtures typical of reject/concentrate streams from membrane-based, inland water supply processes. More usable water can be recovered (and lower disposal costs incurred) from these concentrate streams through efficient crystallization. In this work, we present a steady state, continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs)-in-series approach to study crystallization kinetics of a model solution mixture that is supersaturated in CaCO3. We have used pH, conductivity and turbidity changes in the system to monitor crystallization using six CSTRs with individual residence times of nominally 3, 5, and 11 min. This system operates in a steady state mode with total crystallization times from ∼15–68 min and was capable of handling up to ∼0.59 L/min of hard water for the shortest residence time studied. The supersaturation was depleted ∼25% and over 50% with total reactor system residence times of ∼15 and 68 min, respectively, without any added chemicals. Using the metric of 5 NTU turbidity as being the point of discernible crystal formation, we examined how mixing energy dissipation affects the induction times for crystallization. Notably, discernible crystallization could only be advanced to the 1st CSTR by using a recirculation loop to “fine-tune” the effect of surface area exposure-to-volume ratio, as well as, mixing energy dissipation. A rudimentary, semi-empirical model was used to capture the parametric trends of our experimental results, using the Kolmogorov mixing lengths, surface area-to-volume ratios, flow rates, and nominal diffusion coefficients. This parameterization may be tested further for design scale-up guidance.
Robot Navigation in Unknown Environments Using Priority Based Objective Scheduling

Robot navigation at its core is used to achieve some objective, and accurate traversal cost estimation is crucial to path planning in unknown environments. Dynamically predicting traversal cost can be computationally expensive, and the imposed limitations require that an efficient solution is realized. This research, a continuation of research conducted in 2017, proposes a way to navigate unknown environments while taking into consideration objective priority when path planning. By treating the objective prioritization as a priority task scheduling problem in terms of objective throughput, a solution can be derived.
Cloud Storage Using Matches Algorithms

The cloud is currently a ubiquitous facility used in global data storage. The cloud technology offers users an ability to store and retrieve data from disparate applications and devices. In order to utilize this data technology efficiently and to reduce the associated costs, we introduce a technique to minimize the space used for data storage. Storing data on a cloud server may not be efficient because multiple uploads of the same file may produce redundant data in the cloud. Currently, this technology is not utilizing matching algorithms which could determine the changes in the new version of a previously uploaded file. Use of such an algorithm could save storage space by only requiring modification of the previous version already stored in the cloud. In this paper we will check several different, and difficult, problems and see what affects the automatic load-balancing and asynchrony have on the speed of resolution of problems.
Interplay of Theory and Experiment: Reversal of the Torquoselectivity of the Electrocyclic Ring Opening of 3-Acetylcyclobutene by a Lewis Acid.

Theoretical predictions, accompanied by firm experimental verification, are presented on the “torquoselectivity” of the thermal ring opening of 3-acetylcyclobutene (1). 3-Acetylcyclobutene was synthesized from commercially available 1,1-cyclobutanedicarboxylic acid. Thermolysis of 3-acetylcyclobutene resulted in a mixture of E- and Z-dienes with a slight preference for the E-diene. This preference was reversed by the Lewis acid, ZnI2, as predicted from theoretical calculations.
Synthesis and Characterization of NaGaTe2O6·2.4H2O: A New Open-Framework Tellurite Related to Zemannite

A new open-framework tellurite, NaGaTe2O6·2.4H2O, related to the mineral zemannite has been synthesized and characterized. Similar to zemannite, the reported material contains 12-membered rings along the [001] direction. Unlike zemannite, NaGaTe2O6·2.4H2O does not contain any face-shared octahedra thereby creating channels along the [100] and [010] directions. TGA experiments indicate that the de- and rehydration properties may be understood by taking into account the environments of the H2O molecules.
Treatment component #4: Cognitive skills

Abstract Cognitive skills improve social information processing. Cognitive skills include anger awareness, behavioral strategies, and cognitive strategies. Anger awareness involves knowing when one is starting to become angry, including identifying physiological cues and common triggers, and knowing one’s own anger expression. Behavioral strategies for cooling down include walking away, use of coping statements, deep breathing, and distraction. Finally, cognitive strategies for managing anger include seeing others’ perspectives, avoiding jumping to conclusions, and modifying cognition. Links to online and text resources are provided.
Expression and Function of Mas-Related G Protein-Coupled Receptor D and Its Ligand Alamandine in Retina

A local renin-angiotensin system (RAS) exists in the retina and plays a critical role in retinal neurovascular function. The protective axis of RAS comprising of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)/angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)]/Mas receptor attenuate the deleterious actions of increased levels of angiotensin II (Ang II), the main effector peptide of RAS. A new peptide, alamandine, and its receptor Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor D (MrgD) have been recently identified that share structural and functional similarity to Ang-(1-7) and its receptor, Mas, establishing another new protective axis of RAS. Here, we examined the expression and cellular localization of MrgD in the retina, the effect of MrgD deficiency on mouse retinal structure and function, as well as the biological function of alamandine in cultured retinal cells. We showed that MrgD is expressed in the retinal neurons, retinal vasculature, Muller glial and RPE cells, similar to Mas receptor expression. MrgD-deficient mice did not exhibit gross change in retinal morphology and thickness; however, these mice did show a progressive decrease in both scotopic and photopic a-wave and b-wave amplitudes, and increase in retinal capillary loss with age compared to age-matched wild-type mice. In vitro studies in human retinal cells showed that alamandine attenuated the Ang II and LPS-induced increases in inflammatory cytokine gene expression, NF-κB activation, Ang II and hydrogen peroxide-induced production of reactive oxygen species, comparable to that mediated by Ang-(1-7). These results support the notion that alamandine/MrgD may represent another new protective axis of RAS in the retina exerting anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects.
Crowdsourcing Reliable Local Data

The adage “All politics is local” in the United States is largely true. Of the United States’ 90,106 governments, 99.9% are local governments. Despite variations in institutional features, descriptive representation, and policy-making power, political scientists have been slow to take advantage of these variations. One obstacle is that comprehensive data on local politics is often extremely difficult to obtain; as a result, data is unavailable or costly, hard to replicate, and rarely updated. We provide an alternative: crowdsourcing this data. We demonstrate and validate crowdsourcing data on local politics using two different data collection projects. We evaluate different measures of consensus across coders and validate the crowd’s work against elite and professional datasets. In doing so, we show that crowdsourced data is both highly accurate and easy to use. In doing so, we demonstrate that nonexperts can be used to collect, validate, or update local data.
The Imperial Emancipations: Ending Non-Russian Serfdoms in Nineteenth-Century Russia

Emancipation in nineteenth-century Russia was directed not only at the ethnic Russian peasantry of the empire’s core provinces, but at peasants, nomads, serfs, and slaves throughout European Russia, as well as in the Caucasus, parts of Central Asia and Siberia. This chapter tracks various sections of the imperial emancipation policy in the context of external commitments, resulting from the Congresses of Vienna and Aix-la-Chapelle, and internal developments, highlighting emancipations in the Baltics, Georgia, the Kazakh steppe, and Kalmykia. Given the transcontinental and multiethnic dimensions, this chapter argues that just as absorbing and modifying different serfdoms served as one of the devices of Russian ‘continental colonialism,’ emancipation itself became a process for furthering imperial control.
A Tri-Band Dual-Polarized Slot-Ring Antenna for Array Design

A dual-polarized shared-aperture slot-ring antenna that can switch among S, C and X band is presented for array applications. By appropriately selecting the states of PIN diode switches, an S-band antenna element can be reconfigured into a 2×2 C-band array or a 4×4 X-band array. The antenna/array can operate at 2.74-4.02GHz, 4.08-6.52GHz or 7.68-8.84GHz. The coaxial lines are utilized to bring the ports to the backside of ground plane for modularity. The diagonal feeding and center feeding methods are used to support dual polarizations.
Interpretable AI for beat-to-beat cardiac function assessment

Abstract Accurate assessment of cardiac function is crucial for diagnosing cardiovascular disease1, screening for cardiotoxicity2,3, and deciding clinical management in patients with critical illness4. However human assessment of cardiac function focuses on a limited sampling of cardiac cycles and has significant interobserver variability despite years of training2,5,6. To overcome this challenge, we present the first beat-to-beat deep learning algorithm that surpasses human expert performance in the critical tasks of segmenting the left ventricle, estimating ejection fraction, and assessing cardiomyopathy. Trained on echocardiogram videos, our model accurately segments the left ventricle with a Dice Similarity Coefficient of 0.92, predicts ejection fraction with mean absolute error of 4.1%, and reliably classifies heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (AUC of 0.97). Prospective evaluation with repeated human measurements confirms that our model has less variance than experts. By leveraging information across multiple cardiac cycles, our model can identify subtle changes in ejection fraction, is more reproducible than human evaluation, and lays the foundation for precise diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. As a new resource to promote further innovation, we also make publicly available one of the largest medical video dataset of over 10,000 annotated echocardiograms. Key Points Video based deep learning evaluation of cardiac ultrasound accurately identifies cardiomyopathy and predict ejection fraction, the most common metric of cardiac function. Using human tracings obtained during standard clinical workflow, deep learning semantic segmentation accurately labels the left ventricle frame-by-frame, including in frames without prior human annotation. Computational cardiac function analysis allows for beat-by-beat assessment of ejection fraction, which more accurately assesses cardiac function in patients with atrial fibrillation, arrhythmias, and heart rate variability.
A Case Study of Teacher Responses to a Doubling Error and Difficulty in Learning Equivalent Fractions

AbstractThis study qualitatively explored teachers’ responses to doubling errors (e.g., 3/4 × 2 = 6/8) that typically reflect students’ difficulties in understanding the “rule” for finding equivalent fractions (e.g., 3/4 × 2/2 = 6/8). Although all teachers claimed to teach for understanding in interviews, their responses varied in terms of effectiveness and types. One teacher grasped the doubling error to explain the reasons underlying the rule using symbolic representations only. The other two used concrete representations to explicate the reasons but tended to either prevent or ignore the doubling error. Although these teaching actions appeared different in form, all teachers essentially held the same perception-based perspectives; that is, they either assumed students could see what they saw or students could directly comprehend mathematical ideas through visualizing pictures only. Such perspectives overlook students’ available mathematical conceptions and might be at the root of the difficulties with ...
Use of an Instrumented Ankle Arthrometer and External Strain Gauge to Assess Ankle Dorsiflexion Motion and Plantarflexor Stiffness.

BACKGROUND Ankle dorsiflexion motion and plantarflexor stiffness measurement offer clinical insight into the assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal and neurologic disorders. We aimed to determine reliability and concurrent validity of an ankle arthrometer in quantifying dorsiflexion motion and plantarflexor stiffness. METHODS Ten healthy individuals were assessed for dorsiflexion motion and plantarflexor stiffness using an ankle arthrometer with a 6 degree-of-freedom kinematic linkage system and external strain gauge to apply dorsiflexion torque. Two investigators each performed five loads to the ankle at different combinations of loads (10 or 20 Nm), rates (2.5 or 5 Nm/sec), and knee angles (10° or 20°). Anteroposterior displacement and inversion-eversion rotation were also assessed with arthrometry, and functional dorsiflexion motion was assessed with the weightbearing lunge (WBL) test. RESULTS Good-to-excellent intrarater reliability was observed for peak dorsiflexion (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC][2,k] = 0.949-0.988) and plantarflexor stiffness (ICC[2,k] = 0.761-0.984). Interrater reliability was good to excellent for peak dorsiflexion (ICC[2,1] = 0.766-0.910) and poor to excellent for plantarflexor stiffness (ICC[2,1] = 0.275-0.914). Reliability was best for 20-Nm loads at 5 Nm/sec. Strong correlations were observed between peak dorsiflexion and anteroposterior displacement (r = 0.666; P = 0.035) and WBL distance (r = -0.681; P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS Using an ankle arthrometer to assess peak dorsiflexion and plantarflexor stiffness seems reliable when performed to greater torques with faster speeds; and offers consistency with functional measures. Use of this readily available tool may benefit clinicians attempting to quantify equinus and dorsiflexion deficits in pathological populations.
Learning a reduced basis of dynamical systems using an autoencoder

Machine learning models have emerged as powerful tools in physics and engineering. In this work, we use an autoencoder with latent space penalization to discover approximate finite-dimensional manifolds of two canonical partial differential equations. We test this method on the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky (K-S), Korteweg-de Vries (KdV), and damped KdV equations. We show that the resulting optimal latent space of the K-S equation is consistent with the dimension of the inertial manifold. We then uncover a nonlinear basis representing the manifold of the latent space for the K-S equation. The results for the KdV equation show that it is more difficult to recover a reduced latent space, which is consistent with the truly infinite-dimensional dynamics of the KdV equation. In the case of the damped KdV equation, we find that the number of active dimensions decreases with increasing damping coefficient.
A Review of Parent- and Family-based Prevention Efforts for Adolescent Dating Violence.

Abstract Prevention efforts for adolescent dating violence (ADV) have largely focused on adolescent-based interventions with little emphasis on parent- and family-based interventions, despite the integral role parents serve in adolescent relationship development. This literature review provides an overview of the existing parent- and family-based intervention efforts for ADV. This review highlights that some programs are geared toward a universal audience, whereas others are more targeted toward populations believed to be at greater risk for ADV. Some programs primarily target parents, whereas others integrate parent-based components into primarily adolescent-focused or comprehensive programs. Aspects to consider when selecting a program are discussed, as well as future directions. Suggested future directions involve broadening existing parent- and family-based programming for ADV to include a focus on secondary and tertiary prevention, gender differences, and gender and sexual minorities. This review also highlights the need for existing programs to expand their evaluation of behavioral outcomes and comparison of programs to one another.
Anesthetic Management of Minimally Invasive Pulmonary Thrombo-embolectomy

Percutaneous Thrombo-embolectomy is a less invasive alternative therapeutic strategy that can be used for the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). It is usually performed in patients with acute high-risk (massive) PE for whom thrombolysis is contraindicated or has failed and for whom surgical intervention is not available or is contraindicated. These patients are at high risk for cardiopulmonary complications. The procedure is usually done in an interventional radiology suite or the hybrid operating rooms. Anesthetizing these patients that are at risk for hemodynamic and respiratory problems including right heart failure, hypoxia, and respiratory failure can be very challenging. In this chapter, the pre-operative assessment, the intra-operative management, and the postoperative course of the patients coming in for a Percutaneous Pulmonary Thrombo-embolectomy procedure are described.
Challenges and Strategies to Mitigate Problematic Social Media Use in Psychiatric Disorders.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES After participating in this activity, learners should be better able to:• Outline and discuss strategies to mitigate problematic social media use in psychiatric disorders• Identify solutions to encourage healthy use. ABSTRACT Social media has been found to contribute to a variety of different psychiatric disorders, with recent research showing a complex relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes. This article outlines how the strategies that social media sites utilize to increase user engagement can differentially affect individuals with psychiatric disorders, and proposes solutions that may promote more healthy use. With these aims in view, the article (1) delineates the strategies, often unrecognized, that social media sites use to increase user engagement, (2) highlights how these strategies can affect individuals with psychiatric disorders, and (3) proposes novel solutions to encourage healthy use. The first step to creating innovative and universal interventions is to understand the challenges faced by individuals with psychiatric disorders when using social media.
Analytical Solution for Space Charge Limited Current Emission from a Sharp Tip using Variational Methods

In this paper, we shall present an analytical solution for current density from a sharp tip in the tip-to-plate configuration, with an applied dc voltage bias, using the methods of variational calculus. We shall also show that when the radius of the tip tends to infinity, we get back the current density formula for the classical Child-Langmuir (CL) law for a flat surface. The local current density near the tip is found to be much higher than the current density in the classical CL configuration. The results seem to be in agreement with the recent numerical simulations of the current density near a sharp tip.
Severity of Preoperative HbA1c and Predicting Postoperative Complications in Spine Surgery.

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with a greater incidence of perioperative complications. The measurement of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) has not been routinely used in the preoperative assessment for spine surgeries. Methods In the present single-institution, prospective study, HbA1c testing was included in the preoperative laboratory examination of patients undergoing spinal surgery from 2016 through 2018. The HbA1c levels were categorized using the American Diabetes Association guidelines as normal (HbA1c 6.5%). Those with a HbA1c of ≥8% were separated as having poorly controlled DM for analysis. Perioperative complication and comorbidity data were collected to assess for associations with DM using logistic regression models. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were computed. Results A total of 440 patients (238 men, mean age, 56.43 ± 13.28 years; mean body mass index, 30.80 ± 6.65 kg/m2) met the study criteria. The HbA1c was Conclusions Poorly control DM defined by the preoperative HbA1c was significantly associated with postoperative complications. Smoking, however, was not so associated. Preoperative HbA1c can be used to assess the risk of postoperative spine surgery complications.
DRIVING RESTRICTION AND EARLY ARRHYTHMIAS IN PATIENTS RECEIVING A SUBCUTANEOUS IMPLANTABLE CARDIOVERTER DEFIBRILLATOR (DREAM SICD STUDY)

BACKGROUND Subcutaneous defibrillators (SICD) are being used increasingly for selected patients. Although there are established Canadian driving guidelines post transvenous ICD implantation, none exist for SICDs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the rate of appropriate and inappropriate therapies and sudden cardiac incapacitation (SCI) after implantation of a SICD in contemporary practice. These data will help ascertain current driving guidelines in Canada following SICD implantation. The primary endpoint was incidence of appropriate and inappropriate ICD therapy within 7 days, 14 days, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 180 days and one-year post SICD implantation. The secondary variable was annualized risk of harm (ARH) while driving; ARH METHODS AND RESULTS We performed retrospective chart reviews of consecutive patients who received a SICD at eight Canadian centers between January 1st, 2016 and May 31st, 2020, including 198 patients in the final analysis. Both primary and secondary prevention SICDs were included. We reviewed device clinic electronic medical records and charts from immediate post-implant and subsequent follow-up visits. The baseline patient demographics are described in table 1. The overall incidence of syncope was 2.5%. The adjusted incidence rate of any ICD therapy and ARH while driving remained below the acceptable risk of harm for secondary prevention patients, except in the first 7 days post implantation (Figure 2a). The ARH while driving remained below the acceptable risk for primary prevention patients at all of the time periods (Figure 2b) till 12 months of follow up. CONCLUSION The rate of appropriate ICD therapy in a contemporary patient population implanted with an SICD is very low and the ARH while driving remains below acceptable harm threshold, except in first seven days for secondary prevention population. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the risk of harm while driving in a contemporary patient population with SICDs.
SEGREGATED STORAGE PROBLEMS IN MARITIME TRANSPORTATION

Abstract Many different problems can arise when dealing with dangerous goods. Segregation of special discrete type is also required. General Segregation Storage Problem was introduced and presented. Related problems were invoked and discussed. Notion for reference and classification is suggested.
Transformations of Regional Economic Governance in the Gulf Cooperation Council

CIRS publishes original research on a variety of topics of relevance to the Middle East in general and to the Gulf region in particular.
Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm: A Rare Presentation With Ventricular Tachycardia

![Figure][1] [![Graphic][3] ][3][![Graphic][4] ][4][![Graphic][5] ][5] An 82-year-old male with of a history of hypertension presented to the emergency department with complaints of intermittent palpitations. Electrocardiogram results showed monomorphic ventricular
Clusters with core-tail hierarchical structure and their applications to machine learning classification

We present a method for analysis of clustering results. This method represents every cluster as a stratified hierarchy of its subsets of objects (strata) ordered along a scale of their internal similarities. The "layered structures" can be described as a tool for interpretation of individual clusters rather than for describing the model of the entire data. It can be used not only for comparisons of different clusters, but also for improving existing methods to get "good" clusters. We show that this approach can also be used for improving supervised machine learning methods, particularly "active machine learning" methods, by specific analysis and preprocessing of a training data.
Motor schema formation and retention in young children.

The variability-of-practice hypothesis, a major prediction of Schmidt’s (1975) motor schema theory, was tested in an attempt to investigate motor-schema formation. In addition, schema retention was observed after a 2-week retention interval. The task involved preschool children in tossing a bean bag for appropriate distance. Four treatment groups received 100 practice trials equally divided over five days. Variation was provided by varying the weights of the bean bags. The testing situations involved tossing a criterion weighted bean bag as well as a novel weighted bean bag which none of the groups had experienced previously. In addition, all groups were tested on a new but similar task. The results supported the variability-of-practice hypothesis in terms of schema formation and transfer to novel tasks in the same movement class. After a two-week retention interval, loss in performance was significantly less for the group with variability of practice than all other groups.
Learning ordinal data

Classification is an important topic in statistical learning. The goal of classification is to build a predictive model from the training dataset for the class label of an observation. It is commonly assumed that the class labels are unordered. However, in many real applications, there exists an intrinsic ordinal relation between the class labels. Examples of these include cancer patients grouped in early, mediocre, and terminal stages, customers grouped into low, middle, and high credit levels, and experimental subjects enriched with different amounts of bacterial. In this article, we focus on the classification problem for ordinal data and introduce the theoretical setup of the problem. We review both traditional and modern methods in learning ordinal data. In particular, we emphasize the trade-off between model flexibility and interpretability. Lastly, we discuss some issues regarding ordinal data learning, including an appropriate loss function for this problem. WIREs Comput Stat 2015, 7:341–346. doi: 10.1002/wics.1357 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase activates Nrf2 signalling and induces heme oxygenase 1 transcription in breast cancer cells

Background and Purpose Endocannabinoids such as anandamide (AEA) are important lipid ligands regulating cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Their levels are regulated by hydrolase enzymes, the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL). Here, we investigated whether FAAH or AEA are involved in NF (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant responsive element (ARE) pathway. Experimental Approach The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of AEA or FAAH inhibition by the URB597 inhibitor or FAAH/siRNA on the activation of Nrf2-ARE signalling pathway and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) induction and transcription. Key Results Endogenous AEA was detected in the immortalized human mammary epithelial MCF-10A cells (0.034 ng per 106 cells) but not in MCF-7 or MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Because breast tumour cells express FAAH abundantly, we examined the effects of FAAH on Nrf2/antioxidant pathway. We found that inhibition of FAAH by the URB597 inhibitor induced antioxidant HO-1 in breast cancer cells and MCF-10A cells. RNAi-mediated knockdown of FAAH or treatment with AEA-activated ARE-containing reporter induced HO-1 mRNA and protein expression, independent of the cannabinoid receptors, CB1, CB2 or TRPV1. Furthermore, URB597, AEA and siRNA-FAAH treatments induced the nuclear translocation of Nrf2, while siRNA-Nrf2 treatment and Keap1 expression blocked AEA, URB597 and si-FAAH from activation of ARE reporter and HO-1 induction. siRNA-HO-1 treatment decreased the viability of breast cancer cells and MCF-10A cells. Conclusions and Implications These data uncovered a novel mechanism by which inhibition of FAAH or exposure to AEA induced HO-1 transcripts and implicating AEA and FAAH as direct modifiers in signalling mediated activation of Nrf2-HO-1 pathway, independent of cannabinoid receptors.
The iCritical Care Podcast: A Novel Medium for Critical Care Communication and Education

Podcasting is a recent creation combining old and new technologies allowing rapid, inexpensive delivery of media content (primarily audio) to the end user, both via the desktop environment and personal media players. The authors' group (the Society of Critical Care Medicine) saw the educational and communication potential for the podcasting concept, and have successfully designed and implemented the first podcast of a national medical society. As of this writing, there are an average of (mean ± SD) 664 ± 290 total downloads per podcast, and their podcast feed has been hit over 68,000 times in its first seven months. In this manuscript, the authors provide documentation of their successful endeavor, as well as a structured framework for other organizations to create similar products.