cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pyomyoma Following Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE) – Dual Case Report and Review of Literature

Background: Leiomyoma commonly referred to, as fibroids are benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus. Leiomyomas are the most common solid pelvic tumors in women. The most commonly reported symptoms of leiomyoma are abnormal uterine bleeding and increased pelvic pressure. Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE) is a technique performed by interventional radiologists that involves the occlusion of the uterine arteries via a percutaneous femoral artery approach. This is one of many procedures that may be chosen to treat leiomyoma in symptomatic women and results in the devascularization and involution of the tumor. Pyomyoma is a rare condition that occurs when a leiomyoma has become infected and suppurated after infarction. The formation of a pyomyoma can lead to sepsis and death unless treated with aggressive surgical intervention and antibiotics. Case(s): This manuscript represents two cases of pyomyoma following Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE). The diagnosis and management of such a rare complication is described. Conclusion: The rarity of pyomyomas often leads to a missed or delayed diagnosis and subsequently life threatening complications such as peritonitis, septicemia, and respiratory distress syndrome may result. Upon confirmation of the presence of pyomyoma surgical intervention in the form of myomectomy or hysterectomy is the primary method of treatment.
The construction of the luciferase reporter vector with the second intron of nestin and identification of its activity

Objective To construct luciferase reporter vector with the second intron of nestin pGL3-nes-promoter and carry out its functional identification.Methods The whole DNA sequence of nestin was aquired from NCBI(NC_000001),and the position of its second intron was located.PCR was used to obtain the fragment of its second intron from genome DNA of the human blood cells.pGL3-promoter with the second intron of nestin was established and cotransfected into 293T cells.The dual lucifarese reportor assay was performed to detect the activity.Results The recombinant luciferase reporter vector was successfully constructed and was verified by PCR and sequencing.The dual lucifarese reportor assay showed a significant elevation of relative lucifarese activity after transfecting pGL3-nes-promoter(P0.001).Conclusion The luciferase reporter vector with the second intron of nestin is constructed successfully,which lay a experimental foundation for further research on the regulation of nestin.
The evolving role of the oculoplastic surgeon in skull base surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Classical orbital approaches in skull base surgery have involved large incisions with extensive bone removal resulting in prolonged recovery with associated morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this review is to explore recent advances in skull base surgery that are applicable to the orbital surgeon. RECENT FINDINGS Transnasal endoscopic surgery provides access to the medial 180 degrees of the orbit. Access to the lateral 180 degrees may be obtained using transmaxillary and transcranial techniques. Transorbital approaches and multiport techniques further expand the reach of the skull base surgeon. These minimally invasive techniques are supplanting the classical pterional, frontotemporal, frontotemporal orbitozygomatic, frontal, and subfrontal approaches. SUMMARY The role of the orbital surgeon in skull base surgery is changing. Transnasal and transcranial approaches to orbital disorders using minimally invasive techniques are becoming more common. In addition, transorbital access to the skull base, paranasal sinuses, and anterior and middle cranial fossa is offering new opportunities for the orbital surgeon.
Maximize System Reliability for Long Lasting and Continuous Applications

In this paper, we use software rejuvenation as a preventive and proactive fault-tolerance technique to maximize the level of reliability for continuous and safety critical systems. We take both transient faults caused by software aging effects and network transmission faults into consideration and mathematically analyze the optimal software rejuvenation period that maximizes system’s reliability. The theoretical result is verified through empirical studies.
Basic determinants of epicardial transudation.

Myocardial edema formation, which has been shown to compromise cardiac function, and increased epicardial transudation (pericardial effusion) have been shown to occur after elevation of myocardial ...
Attitude Changes and Self-Perceived Skill Gains from Collegiate Greek Organization Membership†

Objectives We examine if membership in social collegiate Greek letter organizations (college fraternities and sororities) affects students' social, political, and economic views, as well as their perceptions on what skills they gained during college tenure. Methods We use a sample of over 103,000 American undergraduate college students from 463 institutions of higher education, who were interviewed both very near matriculation and graduation, and a propensity score matching framework. Results Among our results, membership appears to alter opinions in favor of marijuana legalization, traditional gender roles in the household, casual sex, and the belief that racial discrimination is no longer a problem in the United States. Regarding self-perceived skill change, members report relatively large premiums in leadership abilities and interpersonal skills. Conclusions Though we do uncover evidence of several effects, overall, impact magnitudes are quite small, and there are many opinions and skills for which Greeks are indistinguishable from other college graduates.
Using spatio-temporal modeling for exposure assessment in an investigation of fine particulate air pollution and cardiovascular mortality

Abstract Background U.S. urban air quality has improved dramatically over the past decades. We evaluated acute effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on cardiovascular (CVD) mortality among residents of Allegheny County in SW Pennsylvania (1999–2011) using spatio-temporal modeling of air pollutants (AP) to reduce misclassification error in exposure assessment. Methods Spatio-temporal kriging of daily PM2.5 and ozone (O3) was used to produce daily exposure estimates at the residence ZIP code. Time-stratified case-crossover analysis was conducted to examine short-term effects of PM2.5 on CVD mortality, adjusting for O3 and apparent mean temperature. We studied both single and distributed lags for days 0–5. All CVD mortality and subcategories of ischemic heart disease (IHD), acute myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia were examined. Results A total of 62,135 deaths were identified. We found significant associations of PM2.5 with IHD and PVD mortality at lag day 5: (2.1% (95% CI, 0.2–4.1%) and (7.6%, 95% CI, 0.05–15.7%) per 10 µg/m3 increase of PM2.5 in single lag models and for IHD in distributed lag models. There were no statistically significant associations with PM2.5 for any of the other outcomes. Conclusions The application of finer scale geographically resolved AP exposures made it possible to study acute effects of PM2.5 on CVD mortality in a large metropolitan area. Our study results demonstrated the continued presence of a dose response relationship of increased risk of CVD mortality within this lower range of PM2.5 exposure.
Aspects and the alteration of temporal simples

According to David Lewis, alteration is “qualitative difference between temporal parts of something.” It follows that moments, since they are simple and lack temporal parts, cannot alter from future to present to past. Here then is another way to put McTaggart's paradox about change in tense. I will appeal to my theory of Aspects to rebut the thought behind this rendition of McTaggart. On my theory, it is possible that qualitatively differing things be numerically identical. I call these differing, numerically identical things “aspects.” I will argue that alteration can be a qualitative difference between temporal aspects of something that lacks temporal parts. So a moment can alter in tense. By rejecting Lewis's assumption my theory can solve this version of McTaggart's paradox.
Trends und Ausblick

Dieses Kapitel liefert einen Uberblick uber Trends und Zukunftsperspektiven in der Personlichkeitspsychologie. Welche Themen werden derzeit vorwiegend beforscht? Welche Themen gewinnen an Interesse und Popularitat? Wohin konnte sich die Personlichkeitspsychologie in den nachsten Jahren entwickeln?
Vitamin D and Its Effects on Articular Cartilage and Osteoarthritis.

Background:Osteoarthritis (OA) currently affects 10% of the American population. There has been a recent push to determine exactly what causes OA and how it can be treated most effectively. Serum v...
The rise and fall of American marionette theatre: Conservation of the Bil Baird puppet collection, 1918-1987

One part conservation assessment and one part historical background, this thesis stems from work conducted in the summer of 2012 at MacNider Art Museum in Mason City, Iowa. Funded by the Otto Thieme Scholarship from the Costume Society of America, the research offers a morphological study of the 400 puppets in the Bil Baird puppet collection. Spanning the period from 1918 to 1987, the puppets examined offer a survey of American history throughout the 20 th century, in context as well as content. The research catalogued the constituent parts of the object with suggestions for conservation. In an effort to draw parallels between 20 th century puppetry and contemporary puppet conservation, this paper explores the literature regarding the history of puppetry, basic puppet kinematics, and American marionette theatre. The research seeks to underscore the assessment by offering historical background on the puppeteer, Bil Baird and provide a reference for conserving a historic puppet collection.
2D Materials with Nanoconfined Fluids for Electrochemical Energy Storage

Summary In the quest to develop energy storage with both high power and high energy densities, while maintaining high volumetric capacity, recent results show that a variety of 2D and layered materials exhibit rapid kinetics of ion transport by the incorporation of nanoconfined fluids.
Old adversaries in new places

Inhalation of crystalline silica dust is a well-known occupational health hazard that is a risk factor for silicosis, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, autoimmune disorders and chronic renal disease.1 2 Crystalline silica is a common component of the earth’s crust and occurs in many materials that workers extract, manufacture or manipulate. Consequently, occupational exposure to crystalline silica is common in both low-income/middle-income and developed nations. For example, the number of silica-exposed workers has been estimated at 2 million in Brazil,2 3.2 million in the European Union,3 10 million in India2 and 2.3 million in the USA.1 These workers are employed in many industries, including construction; mining; quarries and stone crushing operations; foundries; abrasive blasting of buildings, bridges and metal products and manufacturing of bricks, concrete, ceramics and glass. If there is awareness of the hazard, harmful exposures to crystalline silica can be controlled.4 However, the recognition of even a known health hazard like crystalline silica can be delayed when it appears in a new occupational setting where management and workers are unaware of the hazard. This is especially a problem in smaller companies that do not have the depth of occupational safety and health resources of large corporations.5 The lack of …
Value-Added and Student Growth Percentile Models: What Drives Differences in Estimated Classroom Effects?

This study shows value-added models (VAM) and student growth percentile (SGP) models fundamentally disagree regarding estimated teacher effectiveness when the classroom distribution of test scores ...
Longitudinal ophthalmic findings in a child with Helsmoortel-Van der Aa Syndrome.

Abstract Purpose We present the first detailed ophthalmic description of a child with Helsmoortel-Van der Aa Syndrome (HVDAS), including longitudinal follow-up and analysis. Observations After extensive workup, a young child with poor visual behavior, hypotonic cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, and global developmental delay was found to have a heterozygous de novo mutation in the ADNP gene and diagnosed with HVDAS. Ophthalmic findings were remarkable for progressive nystagmus, macular pigment mottling, mild foveal hypoplasia with abnormal macular laminations, persistent rod dysfunction with electronegative waveform, and progressive cone degeneration. Conclusions and importance Patients with HVDAS are known to have abnormal visual behavior due to refractive or cortical impairment. However, we present the first description, to our knowledge, of an association with retinal mal-development and degeneration. Thus, patients with HVDAS should be referred for ophthalmic genetics evaluation, and HVDAS should be on the differential diagnosis for young children with global developmental delay who present with nystagmus, rod and cone dysfunction with electronegative waveform, and relative lack of severe structural degeneration on optical coherence tomography.
Cytoskeletal Dynamics in Animal Morphogenesis

Morphogenesis of animals involves dramatic changes in cell shape and massive rearrangements of cells, including migration of cells over relatively long distances. Both cellular shape change and motility are mediated by elements of the cytoskeleton. This chapter introduces the cytoskeleton of animal cells and discusses its roles in cellular dynamics. Chapter 2 discusses the function of the cytoskeleton in plant cell morphogenesis. Chapter 3 then discusses the egg cortex, which is rich in cytoskeletal elements, in the context of its role in early echinoderm development. Because of its central role in morphogenesis, virtually every aspect of the acquisition of adult form, shape, and function is affected by the cytoskeleton. Thus, the importance of the cytoskeleton is evident throughout this volume.
Determination of Hot Carrier Energy Distributions From Inversion of Ultrafast Pump-Probe Reflectivity Measurements

Developing a fundamental understanding of ultrafast non-thermal processes in metallic nanosystems will lead to applications in photodetection, photochemistry and photonic circuitry. Typically, non-thermal and thermal carrier populations in plasmonic systems are inferred either by making assumptions about the functional form of the initial energy distribution or using indirect sensors like localized plasmon frequency shifts. Here we directly determine non-thermal and thermal distributions and dynamics in thin films by applying a double inversion procedure to optical pump-probe data that relates the reflectivity changes around Fermi energy to the changes in the dielectric function and in the single-electron energy band occupancies. When applied to normal incidence measurements our method uncovers the ultrafast excitation of a non-Fermi-Dirac distribution and its subsequent thermalization dynamics. Furthermore, when applied to the Kretschmann configuration, we show that the excitation of propagating plasmons leads to a broader energy distribution of electrons due to the enhanced Landau damping.
Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Of the 28 800 new cases of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) diagnosed in 1997, approximately 10 000 will present with metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis (Parker et al. 1997). For these patients the prognosis is poor, with an estimated median survival of less than 1 year and an overall 5-year survival of less than 20% (Schwartzentruber et al. 1991). Spontaneous remissions of metastatic lesions have on rare occasions been documented to occur after removal of the primary neoplasm (Montie et al. 1977). This documented fact provided one of the first insights into the importance of the immune system in the recognition and destruction of neoplastic cells. There are currently no successful chemotherapy agents for RCC; therefore protocols designed to exploit and modulate the immune system are currently the mainstay of metastatic RCC treatment. Multiple strategies for treatment, both FDA approved and experimental, exist and include infusional biologic response modifiers, adoptive immunotherapy involving transfer of cells with antitumor activity, and active immunotherapy which includes gene therapy, vaccine therapy, and monoclonal antibodies. Chemotherapy still has a role, albeit small, in the treatment of metastatic RCC but it primarily represents an option for palliation.
Induction and Specification of Neural Crest Cells: Extracellular Signals and Transcriptional Switches

The neural crest is a multipotent population of migratory cells unique to the vertebrate embryo. Neural crest cells form at the neural plate border during gastrulation and, around the time of neural tube closure, leave the neuroepithelium to produce a diverse array of cell types, contributing to multiple organ systems. Neural crest cells are generated through a sequence of events orchestrated by the modulation of several signaling pathways and the activation of a complex network of transcription factors. Here, we review recent advances in the characterization of the molecular players directing neural crest induction and specification, comparing data from different model organisms.
The Majority Rule and Combinatorial Geometry (via the Symmetric Group)

The Marquis du Condorcet recognized 200 years ago that majority rule can produce intransitive group preferences if the domain of possible (transitive) individual preference orders is unrestricted. We present results on the cardinality and structure of those maximal sets of permutations for which majority rule produces transitive results (consistent sets). Consistent sets that contain a maximal chain in the Weak Bruhat Order inherit from it an upper semimodular sublattice structure. They are intrinsically related to a special class of hamiltonian graphs called persistent graphs. These graphs in turn have a clean geometric interpretation: they are precisely visibility graphs of staircase polygons. We highlight the main tools used to prove these connections and indicate possible social choice and computational research directions.
Late electrophysiological potentials and emotion in schizophrenia: A meta-analytic review

Abstract Introduction There is mixed evidence about emotional processing abnormalities in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, with self-reports and clinician ratings indicating significant differences between patients and controls, but studies of in-the-moment, self-reported emotional experience finding only small differences between these groups. The current meta-analysis synthesizes statistics from studies measuring the P3 and LPP, two event-related potential (ERP) components sensitive to attentional allocation, to examine whether patients exhibit ERP response abnormalities to neutral and valenced visual stimuli. Methods Standardized mean amplitudes and standard errors of P3 and/or LPP waveforms (300–2000 ms) in response to neutral and valenced images were calculated for 13 studies (total n = 339 individuals with schizophrenia, 331 healthy controls). Results In response to neutral images, there were very small, non-significant differences in ERP amplitudes between patient and control groups (k = 9; Hedges' g = −0.06, 95% CI: −055, 0.43, p = 0.81). In contrast, patients showed a small, significant reduction in ERP amplitudes compared to controls in response to negative images (k = 13; Hedges' g = −0.32, 95% CI: −0.59, −0.05, p = 0.02) and a small, but nonsignificant, reduction in amplitudes in response to positive images (k = 7; Hedges' g = −0.27, 95% CI: −0.71, 0.18, p = 0.24). Conclusions and implications The current review indicates that compared to controls, patients have slightly diminished P3 and LPP amplitudes in response to positive and negative stimuli. This small reduction may reflect decreased attention allocation, possibly indicating an abnormality during a distinct stage of early processing related to evaluating the motivational salience of a stimulus.
A discussion on sexual violence against girls and women in Jamaica

Sexual violence against women and girls in Jamaica is endemic. However, the problem has not amassed the public outrage and attention that other forms of violence have garnered. It also has not rece...
Lig4 R278H Mutation Impacts on LT-HSC Functions, Cancer Development and Aging

Abstract 1350 DNA Ligase IV (Lig4) is an essential component of the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) repair pathway, essential for the end-ligation of broken DNA ends generated during V(D)J recombination and IgH Class Switch Recombination (CSR) in B lymphocytes. Mutations in Lig4 underlie the DNA Lig4 Syndrome, a rare herited immunodeficiency disease. We have modeled one such mutation in mice, a homozygous arginine to histidine 278 (R278H) change with the enzyme active site, which others and we have shown significantly impairs the catalytic end-ligation activity of the LigIV protein. These mice show significant immune-specific defects, including decreased T and B lymphocytes, in part associated with defects in development, increased cell death, and/or autophagy. Bypass of B lymphocyte development leads to increased numbers of total peripheral B lymphocytes that can undergo robust CSR at near normal levels, which however contain high levels of IgH specific DNA breaks and translocations. Both young and older mice display significant reduction in LT-HSCs, which may underlie their B and T lymphocyte associated defects, which in LT-HSC reconstitution experiments in SCID mice, fail to engraft. The decreased R278H mice LT-HSCs observed are in contrast to previous reported findings for Ku80 and DNA-PKcs deficient mice, and also ATM deficiency, which we further are investigating to elucidate the normal and pathological functions of aberrant Lig4. We hypothesize the cause of the LT-HSC defects to be caused by changes in DNA damage, cell cycle checkpoint responses and genomic stability maintenance associated with the R278H mutation, that promote the restriction or selection of LT-HSC cell populations that are prone to genomic instability during differentiation. As such, the majority of relatively, young adult R278H mice routinely spontaneously develop T cell lymphomas, and mice that do not succumb to lymphomas subsequently go on to develop other solid tumors and other pathological consequences which are characteristic of premature aging. Our findings implicate Lig4 is required for genomic stability maintenance and proliferative expansion of earliest HSCs and other stem cell populations. The implications of our findings in the context of impacts of the R278H mutation on genomic instability and DNA damage response in the context of HSCs, cancer development and aging in the DNA Lig4 Syndrome, and its relation to other human immunodeficiency and progeroid syndromes will be discussed. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Beam breakup current limit in multiturn energy recovery linear accelerators

CBETA, the Cornell BNL Energy-Recovery-Linac (ERL) Test Accelerator, is the first multiturn ERL with superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities cavities and will therefore be the first ERL whose current could be limited by the beam break-up (BBU) instability. To investigate the threshold current, we calculate HOMs in CBETA's cavities, including their construction errors, and simulate the BBU threshold current with the established simulation code BMAD. For some construction errors, this current limit is not sufficiently large and means of increasing it are investigated. We find that some means that have been shown effective in single turn ERLs are not practical for multiturn ERLs. To make sure that simulations are trustworthy for CBETA, we revisit the BBU theory for multiturn configurations, and compare to simulation results. We also further explore the scaling law of the BBU threshold current for the case with symmetric ERLs, and a new scaling factor has been found. BBU suppression with lattice chromaticity has been investigated assuming bunches with a Gaussian energy spread. The ability to simulate BBU effect with multiple particles per bunch has been added into BMAD, and agreement with the derived theoretical formula is found. CBETA is currently under beam commissioning at Cornell University. Our simulations show that an optimized optics will push the BBU threshold current beyond the design current, for all realistic cavity production errors.
Policy Prose: The Role of Symbolic Language in the VoIP Deregulation Debate

This study applies critical discourse analysis to examine how language influences digital technology policies. Specifically, the researcher examined how lawmakers and major phone providers symbolically associated widely supported ideas—including net neutrality, job creation, technological innovation and consumer protection—with deregulation of telecommunications services. Twenty-seven states have adopted legislation that eliminates or reduces the authority of local and state agencies to regulate voice-over Internet protocol (VoIP) telephone services, which transmit voice communications digitally. The discourse surrounding passage of VoIP deregulation provides key insights into how culturally symbolic phrases are used to legitimize arguments, to paint a particular picture of reality and evoke universal themes. The analysis primarily focuses on about a dozen state bills modeled after legislation written by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative corporate-member group.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment.

The interactions between tumor cells and the non-malignant stromal and immune cells that make up the tumor microenvironment (TME) are critical to the pathophysiology of cancer. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stromal stem cells found within most cancers and play a critical role influencing the formation and function of the TME. MSCs have been reported to support tumor growth through a variety of mechanisms including (i) differentiation into other pro-tumorigenic stromal components, (ii) suppression of the immune response, (iii) promotion of angiogenesis, (iv) enhancement of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), (v) enrichment of cancer stem-like cells (CSC), (vi) increase in tumor cell survival, and (vii) promotion of tumor metastasis. In contrast, MSCs have also been reported to have antitumorigenic functions including (i) enhancement of the immune response, (ii) inhibition of angiogenesis, (iii) regulation of cellular signaling, and (iv) induction of tumor cell apoptosis. Although literature supporting both arguments exists, most studies point to MSCs acting in a cancer supporting role within the confines of the TME. Tumor-suppressive effects are observed when MSCs are used in higher ratios to tumor cells. Additionally, MSC function appears to be tissue type dependent and may rely on cancer education to reprogram a naive MSC with antitumor effects into a cancer-educated or cancer-associated MSC (CA-MSC) which develops pro-tumorigenic function. Further work is required to delineate the complex crosstalk between MSCs and other components of the TME to accurately assess the impact of MSCs on cancer initiation, growth, and spread.
Chapter 14 – Local Area Network Security

With an ever increasing amount of information being transmitted electronically, it is important that security be considered in every phase of local area network design and maintenance. Although much emphasis has been placed on such things as wireless networks and remote access, it is imperative that the core local area network not be overlooked. Because the wired local area network is the nervous system of an organization’s Information Systems, great care must be taken to properly secure it. This chapter begins by looking at the implications for the wired local area network infrastructure security. Next, local area network segmentation and traffic isolation will be discussed. By using segmentation and isolation, there is the increased opportunity for security boundaries. Another concept that will be discussed is the security of the local area network equipment. The local area network is only functional if the core equipment is operational, so securing equipment is an important part of any security strategy. To conclude, restriction of local area network access will be investigated and an organizational approach will be discussed. Because more and more users need access to local area network resources, there must be a way to identify and restrict who is allowed on the network and what access they are granted. In wired local area network infrastructure security, organizations must remember they are only as secure as their weakest point. By carefully considering the various aspects of the local area network security during design, these weak points can be reduced and the overall security of the network increased. Although it is impossible to be 100% secure and still be functional, by using some general guidelines to secure the wired local area network, many threats to the network can be reduced if not eliminated.
Analysis of proposed 20-year mineral leasing withdrawal in Superior National Forest

Abstract The Rainy River Watershed on the Superior National Forest is home to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). It also contains deposits of copper, nickel, and trace metals, and copper-nickel mining has been proposed adjacent to and upstream of the BWCAW. In 2017, the US Department of Agriculture proposed withdrawing land in the Rainy River Watershed within the Superior National Forest from mineral leasing, a position it reversed in 2018. These developments highlight the potential tradeoff between economic benefits from mining and concerns about its negative economic consequences for the local recreational and amenity-based economy. Previous studies of mining in the Superior National Forest focus on static effects on a single industry (e.g., mining) at some unspecified point over a medium-run horizon. We draw on these studies and the economics literature to provide a unified analysis of the effect of the proposed mining development on income and employment over time. Our results suggest that the proposed mining would lead to a boom-bust cycle that is typical of resource extraction economies, exacerbated by the likely negative effect on the recreation industry.
Four weeks of vitamin D supplementation improves nitric oxide-mediated microvascular function in college-aged African Americans

Endothelial dysfunction, an antecedent to overt cardiovascular disease (CVD), is observed earlier and more frequently in otherwise healthy African Americans (AAs) when compared with other ethnic gr...
Is the data fair?: An assessment of the data quality of algorithmic policing systems

With the growing ubiquity of algorithmic governance systems in the public sector, including policing, potentially life-changing decisions are daily being made on an automated basis, potentially raising several fairness and inequity concerns and issues. However, while much of the algorithmic policing scholarship focuses on the potential risks of algorithmic bias, profiling and systematic exclusion or disenfranchisement of some demographics, the question of data quality as a potentially vitiating factor tends to be neglected. This study seeks to problematize the critical role of data quality in the evaluation of the outcomes of algorithmic selection or prediction systems using publicly available data from a Police Department as an example. Following traditional frameworks for handling missing data in analysis, a missingness analysis on the dataset shows a high imbalance and therefore a potentially biased prediction model. The paper argues that data quality is as crucial a factor as the algorithm itself in potentially colouring the outcomes of the algorithmic decisions, thus highlighting the importance of data quality strategies as a safeguard against potential inequity.
A Novel Regularization for Higher Accuracy in the Solution of 3D Stokes Flow.

Many problems in fluid dynamics are effectively modeled as Stokes flows - slow, viscous flows where the Reynolds number is small. Boundary integral equations are often used to solve these problems, where the fundamental solutions for the fluid velocity are the Stokeslet and stresslet. One of the main challenges in evaluating the boundary integrals is that the kernels become singular on the surface. A regularization method that eliminates the singularities and reduces the numerical error through correction terms for both the Stokeslet and stresslet integrals was developed in Tlupova and Beale, JCP (2019). In this work we build on the previously developed method to introduce a new stresslet regularization that is simpler and results in higher accuracy when evaluated on the surface. Our regularization replaces a seventh-degree polynomial that results from an equation with two conditions and two unknowns with a fifth-degree polynomial that results from an equation with one condition and one unknown. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the new regularization retains the same order of convergence as the regularization developed by Tlupova and Beale but shows a decreased magnitude of the error.
A practical protocol for large group oriented networks

It is infeasible in large networks for every individual to have his own key. In a group oriented society, public keys are needed for communications between one organization and another. The organization might also want the supervisors to read some of the messages received by the employees. In the case of urgent messages, the organization may want any member to be able to read it [3]. This paper proposes a method in which individuals at separate organizations can communicate without the advance coordination of keys between the individuals. Thus, reducing the number of keys needed to communicate between two organizations. Also, the destination company can create its own policy on who can read messages and the type of public, or conventional, key system used within organization, without any involvement with the sending organization. This system will solve one of the many problems presented in [3].
Towards a visual quality metric for digital video

The advent of widespread distribution of digital video creates a need for automated methods for evaluating the visual quality of digital video. In previous work, we have developed visual quality metrics for evaluating, controlling, and optimizing the quality of compressed still images1, 2, 3, 4. These metrics incorporate simplified models of human visual sensitivity to spatial and chromatic signals. Here I describe a new video quality metric that is an extension of these still image metrics into the time domain. Like the still image metrics, it is based on the Discrete Cosine Transform. An effort has been made to minimize the amount of memory and computation required by the metric, in order that might be applied in the widest range of applications. To calibrate the basic sensitivity of this metric to spatial and temporal signals we have made measurements of visual thresholds for temporally varying samples of DCT quantization noise.
Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives on Consumer Response to Electricity information

Extensive analysis of consumers’ responses to electricity information and feedback programs has yielded a consensus that such programs have little or no effect on consumers’ electricity use. We argue that these results may be misleading because offsetting usage effects are likely to occur both within and among households. Conventional experimental designs capture only net interhousehold usage effects. We propose alternative experimental designs better suited to answering important policy questions. An experiment involving continuous-display electricity-use monitors supports our prediction of dissimilar and offsetting behavioral responses among treatment households.
Cloning, chromosomal localization, and characterization of cDNA from a novel gene, SH3BP4, expressed by human corneal fibroblasts.

The cornea contains, as a major element, a transparent stroma produced and maintained by keratocytes (fibroblasts). Through molecular biology studies using cultured human corneal fibroblasts, a cDNA that was shown to be novel was isolated and sequenced. This novel gene product, named SH3-domain binding protein 4 (SH3BP4), contains a 5.6-kb message that is present in normal human corneal fibroblasts and all tissues examined, with higher levels in pancreas, placenta, heart, and kidney. SH3BP4 was localized by FISH analysis to human chromosome 2q37.1-q37.2 near the telomere. The deduced sequence for SH3BP4 was found to contain a 963-amino-acid open reading frame that has homology to a 479-amino-acid protein in GenBank called EH-binding protein. Although the entire sequence of EH-binding protein aligns with SH3BP4, the alignment is not complete or contiguous. Therefore, SH3BP4 has an additional 73 amino acids at the N-terminus and an additional 411 amino acids near the C-terminus that are not present in EH-binding protein. Consensus sequence domains identified in SH3BP4 include a SH3 domain, three N-P-F motifs, a P-X-X-P motif noted for binding to SH3 domains, a bipartite nuclear targeting signal, and a tyrosine phosphorylation site. SH3BP4 homologies and consensus sequence sites indicate that it may be involved in a newly identified cascade of proteins involved in endocytosis, intracellular sorting, and the cell cycle.
Studies on modification of tryptophan, methionine, tyrosine and arginine residues of human follicle-stimulating hormone and its subunits.

Abstract Based on the regeneration of the hormonal activity following recombination, the α and β subunits of human follicle-stimulating hormone have been designated as ‘functional’ or ‘nonfunctional’. Chemical modifications of the tryptophan, methionine, tyrosine and arginine residues of human follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and the ‘functional’ human follicle-stimulating hormone α and β subunits have indicated that the tryptophan in human follicle-stimulating hormone-β and human luteinizing hormone-β is essential for the biological activity. The iodination of human follicle-stimulating hormone-α did not interfere with the hormonal activity. The modification of arginine abolishes the biological activity of the hormones. The accessibility of tyrosine and methionine in human follicle-stimulating hormone-α, of arginine in both native hormones and subunits, and the non-availability of the tryptophan residues to 2-hydroxy 5-nitrobenzyl bromide suggest that the α subunit lies on the surface of the native molecule.
Interplay between coagulation and vascular inflammation in sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited haematological disorder that leads to the irreversible damage of multiple organs. Although sickling of red blood cells and vaso-occlusion are central to the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease, the importance of haemolytic anaemia and vasculopathy has been recently recognized. A hypercoagulable state is another prominent feature of sickle cell disease and is mediated by activation of both intrinsic and extrinsic coagulation pathways. Growing evidence demonstrates that coagulation may not only contribute to the thrombotic complications, but also to vascular inflammation associated with this disease. This article summarizes the role of vascular inflammation and coagulation activation, discusses potential mechanisms responsible for activation of coagulation and reviews recent data demonstrating the crosstalk between coagulation and vascular inflammation in sickle cell disease.
Scaling the kinetics of flow and relaxation in amorphous alloys

Creep measurements were performed on several amorphous alloys in the series Fe82−xB18Mx (MSi, Ni, V, Mo; O ⩽×⩽12). The temperature and composition dependence of both isoconfigurational flow and the rate of viscosity relaxation were measured. Compositional variations that produce an increase in the crystallization temperature Tx are found to produce a corresponding increase in the viscosity relaxation rate at all temperatures. However, the relative magnitudes of the changes in Tx are not in agreement with the observed changes in relaxation rate. Reduced-temperature scaling of the form TredTTg and Tg/T is applied both to these new measurements and to the data available in the literature. Both scalings are shown to be only moderately successful at reducing the equilibrium, isoconfigurational and relaxation data to master curves.
Soap films and covering spaces

A new mathematical model of soap films is proposed, called the “covering space model.” The two sides of a film are modeled as currents on different sheets of a covering space branching along the film boundary. Hence a film may be seen as the minimal cut separating one sheet of the covering space from the others. The film is thus the oriented boundary of one sheet, which represents the exterior of the film. As oriented boundaries, films may be calibrated with differential forms on the covering space, a version of the min-cut, max-flow duality of network theory. This model applies to unoriented films, films with singularities, films touching only part of a knotted curve, films that deformation retract to their boundaries, and other examples that have proved troublesome for previous soap film models.
Effects of Nitrogen and Sulfur on Canola Yield and Nutrient Uptake

Spring canola (Brassica napus L. var. napus) is becoming a significant oilseed crop adapted to the western USA. Often N and S limit crop growth. Field experiments were established to study the effects of N and S fertilization on seed yield, oil content, and N, P, K, and S uptake of spring canola. Four N rates in combination with three S rates were evaluated on two irrigated and three rainfed locations in the western triangle area of Montana near Conrad. Seed yields ranged from 0.1 to 3.8 Mg ha -1 . Seed yield and oil content N responses were closely related to available N (fertilizer N plus soil NO 3 -N in 90 cm of soil). Seed oil content varied from 370 to 510 g kg -1 and was depressed by increasing N. Optimum seed and oil yield occurred at about 200 kg N ha -1 . Two of the experimental sites responded to S. About 20 kg S ha -1 was adequate for optimum seed and oil yields. At the optimal N and S levels, total plant N, P, K, and S uptake averaged 140, 25, 170, and 60 kg ha -1 , respectively. Of the total N, P, K, and S accumulation, about 40% of the N, 30% of the P, and 85% of the K and S remained in the postharvest residue.
Numerical modeling of turbulent premixed flames in the thin-reaction-zones regime

Abstract A new flamelet model has been developed for large-eddy simulation of turbulent premixed cornbustion in the thin-reaction-zones regime. In this regime of turbulent combustion, turbulent eddies smaller than the flame thickness exist and this small-scale turbulence disturbs the flame structure. Recent experimental observations show that turbulence interacts mostly with the chemically inert preheat zone while the thin reaction zone of the flame where all chemical processes occur remains unchanged. Therefore, flamelet models can be extended to this regime. The present model accounts for the different type of interactions between the flame and turbulence of different scales. The large-scale (larger than the flame thickness) turbulence increases the turbulent burning velocity by wrinkling the flame. On the other hand, the small-scale (smaller than the flame thickness) turbulence modifies the laminar flame propagation by enhancing the intensity of transport processes within the preheat zone. The develope...
Strongly enhanced thermal transport in a lightly doped Mott insulator at low temperature.

We show how a lightly doped Mott insulator has hugely enhanced electronic thermal transport at low temperature. It displays universal behavior independent of the interaction strength when the carriers can be treated as nondegenerate fermions and a nonuniversal ``crossover'' region where the Lorenz number grows to large values, while still maintaining a large thermoelectric figure of merit. The electron dynamics are described by the Falicov-Kimball model which is solved for arbitrary large on-site correlation with a dynamical mean-field theory algorithm on a Bethe lattice. We show how these results are generic for lightly doped Mott insulators as long as the renormalized Fermi liquid scale is pushed to very low temperature and the system is not magnetically ordered.
Improved Combination of Multiple Atmospheric GCM Ensembles for Seasonal Prediction

Abstract An improved Bayesian optimal weighting scheme is developed and used to combine six atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) seasonal hindcast ensembles. The approach is based on the prior belief that the forecast probabilities of tercile-category precipitation and near-surface temperature are equal to the climatological ones. The six GCMs are integrated over the 1950–97 period with observed monthly SST prescribed at the lower boundary, with 9–24 ensemble members. The weights of the individual models are determined by maximizing the log likelihood of the combination by season over the integration period. A key ingredient of the scheme is the climatological equal-odds forecast, which is included as one of the “models” in the multimodel combination. Simulation skill is quantified in terms of the cross-validated ranked probability skill score (RPSS) for the three-category probabilistic hindcasts. The individual GCM ensembles, simple poolings of three and six models, and the optimally combined mult...
Intrapatient variability in theophylline kinetics

Seven asthmatic children had repeat determinations of theophylline pharmacokinetic measurements over three- to nine-month intervals. Significant intrapatient variability was found in the theophylline clearance and t 1/2 , which determine the dosage regimen necessary to provide given average, peak, and trough theophylline plasma levels. Repeat clearance values were, on average, 52% different from the original clearances, with a range of −57% to +142%. A single determination of theophylline kinetic measurements in any individual patient cannot be used routinely to predict future theophylline dosage regimens for that patient.