cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The development and progression of subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord in patients with pernicious anemia treated with synthetic pteroylglutamic (folic) acid.

1. Twenty-one patients with pernicious anemia were maintained on synthetic folic acid (pteroylglutamic acid) therapy alone for periods ranging from eight to seventeen months. Satisfactory blood levels were maintained in all cases receiving daily oral doses of 1.25 to 15.0 mg. Severe hematologic relapse occurred within six months in a case treated with monthly injections of 30 mg. 2. Synthetic folic acid in oral doses of 15 mg. daily induced satisfactory hematopoietic responses in 3 patients with pernicious anemia in severe relapse, but only slight hematopoietic response in a fourth patient with mild pernicious anemia but severe subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord. 3. Ten patients showed a significant improvement in blood values for a few months after substitution of folic acid for liver extract. With one exception these subsided after six or more months to pre-folic acid levels comparable with those previously maintained with liver extract alone. 4. These observations suggest that a combination of orally administered folic acid and parenterally injected liver extract may maintain a better hematologic status than either substance alone. 5. A previously untreated patient with severe subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord failed to show improvement in neural disease during twentyeight days of folic acid therapy. 6. Eleven patients developed, or showed progression of, subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord during folic acid treatment. Neurologic disease developed in most of these patients when the peripheral blood was normal. 7. One patient showed an extremely explosive onset and rapid progression of neural disease. The progression of the disease was rapid in 3 other cases. 8. The institution of liver extract therapy in adddition to folic acid in 5 patients who developed subacute combined degeneration during folic acid maintenance therapy failed to prevent progression of the disease in 4 cases, and only partially arrested the disease in the fifth, in which improvement occurred more rapidly when folic acid was discontinued. 9. Subacute combined degeneration occurred with greater frequency in patients on large daily doses of folic acid than it did in patients with small or intermittent doses. 10. The possibility is discussed that folic acid in large daily doses may actually precipitate or aggravate neurologic disease. 11. It is suggested that folic acid may interfere with the metabolism of 1(+) glutamic acid in the central nervous system and possibly disturb the formation or function of acetylcholine.
Litigation Could Diversify College Football Coaching Ranks

In response to a historically low number of minorities receiving head coaching opportunities at Division I FBS football-playing institutions, this opinion piece suggests that the time is right for an aggrieved job applicant to pursue Title VII litigation. The article further presents that the necessary precedents and legal standards are in place and that all that would be required to proceed with a case is a set of facts that represent how so many qualified minority coaches continue to be passed over for open positions.
Martha Stewart's Lessons in Behavioral Finance

Martha Stewart taught us how to set a dinner table, decorate a cake, and make a Christmas wreath. She never meant to teach us about investments, but she did. The portfolio that Martha Stewart revealed to prosecutors and the jury at her trial is a portfolio of a normal investor, containing both winners and losers, and the investment behavior she revealed is normal behavior, affected by cognitive biases and emotions. Martha Stewart’s portfolio and her investment behavior offer lessons that financial advisers can use to guide their clients to better portfolios and better behavior.Financial advisers can use the story of Ms. Stewart to assure their clients that even very rich and prominent people are subject to cognitive biases and emotions. They can use the story to make their clients aware of their own common cognitive biases and emotions. For example, financial advisers can share with clients brief descriptions and examples of cognitive biases and emotions. Awareness is the first step, but it is not always sufficient. Financial advisers can follow up with rules that help clients overcome their cognitive biases and emotions. For example, a rule that mandates "loss harvesting" at the end of every quarter makes realizing losses easier because it becomes automatic.The work of financial advisers is never easy. Too many investors are slow to learn and quick to forget. Too many investors are quick to complain and slow to thank. Financial advisers cannot turn normal investors into rational ones any more than Martha Stewart can turn normal people into perfect hosts. But financial advisers can turn normal investors into smart investors.
The Teaching of Marketing Research in Relation to Industry Needs

OF concern to both industry and academic members of the marketing profession is the relationship of marketing research courses as presently taught to the needs of marketing research in commerce and industry. Marketing research courses cannot, of course, cater to this need alone, for the students in these courses represent many diverse major fields of specialization. Most of them probably move into some other area of marketing; some of those who specialize in marketing research tighten their belts and move into teaching; and only a minority are likely to end up as researchers for commerce and industry. At the same time, however, many of those who specialize in other areas of marketing come into contact with research problems (if only accidentally), and it would therefore seem that a thorough grounding in the means of handling research problems in practice-and in being able to recognize a problem when one has it-is an important, if not the principal, objective of marketing research courses. In line with this objective, the AMA Subcommittee on the Teaching of Marketing Research has attempted to determine how the subject matter of present
GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATION IN FLORAL TRAITS AFFECTING OUTCROSSING RATE IN CLARKIA TEMBLORIENSIS (ONAGRACEAE).

Clarkia tembloriensis exhibits a wide range of variation among its natural populations in outcrossing rate and in separation of male and female function in space (anther-stigma separation or herkogamy) and in time (protandry). Here we show that outcrossing rate is highly correlated with protandry and anther-stigma separation. Both genetic and environmental variation contribute to inter- and intrapopulation variation in protandry and anther-stigma separation. Interpopulation differentiation for protandry and anther-stigma separation was found to be polygenic. Genetic variation for protandry and anther-stigma separation within populations was demonstrated by a significant among-family variance in two populations with contrasting breeding systems. Environ- mental effects on the expression of mating system traits were manifested in two ways. First, significant variation among lathhouse benches suggests that small-scale environmental heteroge- neity may affect the development of floral traits. Second, protandry was shortened under hot summer conditions. Hence, hotter and drier habitats, typical of the more self-pollinating popu- lations of C. tembloriensis, can promote self-pollination purely through environmental effects.
Computational studies of C6H2 isomers

High-level ab initio methods are used to characterize nine isomers of C6H2. These include the thermodynamically favored triacetylene form and hexapentaenylidene, which is known to exist in the interstellar medium. Also included in the survey are three cyclic forms of tetradehydrobenzene and four additional structures that have not been investigated previously. Structures, dipole moments, parameters of rotational Hamiltonians, vibrational frequencies, intensities, and 13C isotopic shifts are documented for all forms to assist efforts aimed at detecting these species in the laboratory. Perhaps the best candidate for detection in space is ethynylbutatriehylidene, which has a substantial dipole moment and a thermodynamic stability comparable to that of hexapentaenylidene. Notably, the symmetric disubstituted vinylidene isomer has a small and perhaps vanishing barrier to rearrangement.
Thyrotroph (TSH) Adenomas

Pituitary adenomas that secrete functional thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH or thyrotropin) are uncommonly encountered lesions, comprising approximately 1–2 % of all pituitary adenomas.
Verbal behavior and the history of linguistics.

A recent paper by a historian of linguistics suggests that after many years of neglect linquists are finding value in the analysis of verbal behavior developed by B.F. Skinner.
Study on risk factors of hepatitis C virus infection among Han population in Henan province

Objective To study the risk factors of hepatitis C Virus Infection among Han population in Henan Province, providing evidence for the development of targeted prevention and control measures. Methods In this 1∶1 matched case-control study, data of 134 cases and 134 controls were collected in seven hospitals from June 2013 to September 2013. Case group with the following conditions: Han nationality, first diagnosed hepatitis C in 2013, Current address and investigation belong to the same district (county), above 18 years old; with the following conditions can′t into case group: not to cooperate with the investigation, late-stage Hepatitis C patients. Control group with the following conditions: Han nationality, with the matched case patients the same gender, in the same hospital for treatment, from the same district (county), the age difference ≤5 years old and in the same age group. With the following conditions can′t into control group: not to cooperate with the investigation, diagnosed with hepatitis B, hepatitis C patients. Collect 3 ml blood samples to test anti-HCV. Single factors were analyzed with χ2 between case and control, risk factors were analyzed with logistic regression model. Results The ratio about blood donation, blood transfusion, operation and acupuncture of cases were 35.1% (47/134), 27.6% (37/134), 42.5% (57/134), 12.7% (17/134), with differences compared to those of controls (2.2% (3/134), 5.2% (7/134), 21.6% (29/134), 5.2% (7/134)) (χ2 values were 47.60, 24.47, 13.42 and 4.58, all P values <0.05). Compared with those never received blood transfusion and those never donated blood, former blood receptors and blood donors had higher risk of hepatitis C infection (OR: 2.01, 95%CI: 1.32-3.05; OR: 2.68, 95%CI: 1.85-3.88). Results of multiple nonconditional logistic regression analysis showed that Plasma donors and whole blood donors had higher risk of hepatitis C infection than those never donated plasma and blood (OR: 76.71, 95%CI: 10.25-574.25; OR: 10.23, 95%CI: 2.15-48.70). Conclusion Blood transfusion and abnormal blood are independent risk factors among Han population in Henan Province of hepatitis C infection. The Plasma donors, blood donors and with the increase in the times of blood transfusion, the risk of hepatitis C infection is increase. Key words: Hepatitis C; Risk factor; Case-control studies
MRI of the Pancreas and Kidney

Imaging the pancreas and kidneys can be difficult with ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) as soft tissue contrast is not optimal. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), however, is uniquely suited for this task and provides accurate soft tissue differentiation without the use of ionizing radiation from CT or the user dependence of ultrasound. This chapter will discuss the various pulse sequences used in MRI of the pancreas and kidneys as well as discuss various inflammatory, infiltrative, and neoplastic processes affecting each organ. Emphasis is placed not only on the magnetic resonance appearance of each lesion, but also on why each lesion appears the way it does.
The impact of homelessness prevention programs on homelessness

Despite the prevalence of temporary financial assistance programs for those facing imminent homelessness, there is little evidence of their impact. Using data from Chicago from 2010 to 2012 (n = 4448), we demonstrate that the volatile nature of funding availability leads to good-as-random variation in the allocation of resources to individuals seeking assistance. To estimate impacts, we compare families that call when funds are available with those who call when they are not. We find that those calling when funding is available are 76% less likely to enter a homeless shelter. The per-person cost of averting homelessness through financial assistance is estimated as $10,300 and would be much less with better targeting of benefits to lower-income callers. The estimated benefits, not including many health benefits, exceed $20,000.
Electrohydroelastic Euler-Bernoulli-Morison model for underwater resonant actuation of macro-fiber composite piezoelectric cantilevers

Bio-inspired hydrodynamic thrust generation using smart materials has received growing attention over the past few years to enable improved maneuverability and agility, small form factor, reduced power consumption, and ease of fabrication in next-generation aquatic swimmers. In order to develop a high-fidelity model to predict the electrohydroelastic dynamics of macro-fiber composite (MFC) piezoelectric structures, in this work, mixing rules-based (i.e. rule of mixtures) electroelastic mechanics formulation is coupled with the global electroelastic dynamics based on the Euler–Bernoulli kinematics and nonlinear fluid loading based on Morison's semi-empirical model. The focus is placed on the dynamic actuation problem for the first two bending vibration modes under geometrically and materially linear, hydrodynamically nonlinear behavior. The electroelastic and dielectric properties of a representative volume element (piezoelectric fiber and epoxy matrix) between two subsequent interdigitated electrodes are correlated to homogenized parameters of MFC bimorphs and validated for a set of MFCs that have the same overhang length but different widths. Following this process of electroelastic model development and validation, underwater actuation experiments are conducted for different length-to-width aspect ratios (L/b) in quiescent water, and the empirical drag and inertia coefficients are extracted from Morison's equation to establish the electrohydroelastic model. The repeatability of these empirical coefficients is demonstrated for experiments conducted using aluminum cantilevers of different aspect ratios with a focus on the first two bending modes. The convergence of the nonlinear electrohydroelastic Euler–Bernoulli–Morison model to its hydrodynamically linear counterpart for increased L/b values is also reported. The proposed model, its harmonic balance analysis, and experimental results can be used not only for underwater piezoelectric actuation, but also for sensing and energy harvesting problems.
Adjusting the low energy threshold for large bodies in PET

The performance of a PET scanner on three different phantom sizes was studied as a function of low energy threshold (LET). Phantom cross sections ranged from 20 cm diameter circular to 28 cmtimes43 cm oval and LET's ranged from 350 keV to 475 keV, in 25 keV increments. System sensitivity, scatter fraction, and NEC were measured over a wide range of radioactivity levels. Increasing the low energy threshold lowered both sensitivity and scatter fraction. The statistical quality of the raw data was maximized for the 425 keV setting for all three phantoms. System stability and uniformity of response was also studied for 375 keV to 450 keV thresholds, and indicated acceptable performance for this system through 425 keV
Stereotypes, Social Psychology of

The concept of stereotype refers to beliefs, knowledge, and expectations of social groups. It has been theorized about as the cognitive partner in the stereotype–prejudice duo since the 1920s and empirically investigated since the 1930s. Both the content of stereotypes and the process by which they operate have been investigated with special emphasis on the role of their unconsciousness operation in recent decades. Stereotypes are fundamental to the ability to perceive, remember, plan, and act. They are implicated in findings that show that within-group differences are minimized and between-group differences are exaggerated, perceivers come to see an illusory correlation between social group and attribute, and that expectancies of what social groups are capable of can lead to a confirmatory bias. Stereotypes play their role from the earliest moments in the information processing sequence, giving preference to stereotype-consistent options and influencing the manner in which information is sought, perceived, remembered, and judged. Stereotypes limit the amount of information that is required to make a judgment by giving meaning to partial and even degraded information, and they allow decisions to be reached even when time is short. Besides routine simplification, stereotypes are also regarded as serving the function of protecting a stable and psychologically justified view of the world and the place of humans, as members of social groups, in it. Stereotypes may be expressed even by those who do not stand to win from holding them and hence they are seen to operate in the service of a larger system in which social groups are arranged. Whether the expression of stereotypes can be controlled or not, whether their expression is reflective of long-term learning or the contingencies in the immediate situation are much debated.
Human Capital and Sustainable Development in the Arctic: Towards Intellectual and Empirical Framing

One of the aspects of sustainable development in the Arctic is shifting the region’s reliance from non-renewable resources and the public sector to economies increasingly based on knowledge and innovation. Knowledge, creative, and cultural economies represent economic sectors heavily embedded into internal community capacities and intangible competitive advantages. This chapter extends the discussion of the relevance of formal and informal education and knowledge to sustainable development in the Arctic. It discusses patterns and trends in post-secondary educational attainment and attendance in the last decade and provides an assessment of human capital and knowledge production in the Arctic. It also identifies and discusses persistent and emerging human formal education gaps in the Arctic (spatial, gender, Indigenous/non-Indigenous, formal/informal and entrepreneurial). The chapter offers conceptual and qualitative links between human capital accumulation, the knowledge economy and sustainable regional development.
Individualism, democracy, and contract enforcement

Abstract We examine a potential link between culture and financial development by considering culture's influence on contract enforcement regulation. Specifically, we investigate the role of individualism in determining the variation in enforcement costs across countries. Individualism positively and significantly relates to efficient contract enforcement, an association that is independent of a particular political system. Interaction effects, however, suggest that democracy magnifies individualism's influence on the contract enforcement efficiency. These results provide insight into how culture can shape financial outcomes. It further suggests that culture serves as a constraint on policymakers, as any given policy or formal institutional structure will function very differently depending on the cultural environment.
Higher Energy Gap Control of Fluorescence in Conjugated Polymers: Turn-On Amplifying Chemosensor for Hydrogen Sulfide

The significance of conjugated polymers for sensing applications stems from the intrinsic amplification of analyte binding events which is related to the efficient excitation energy migration in the polymers. Within the framework of conventional design of amplifying sensory polymers, interaction with an analyte creates a lower energy gap site within the conjugated backbone which acts as a trap for randomly migrating excitons typically producing a fluorescence quenching effect (turn-off sensors). Herein, we describe an alternative “higher energy gap” paradigm, a general design concept surprisingly overlooked so far. Within this paradigm, reaction with an analyte generates a higher energy gap site in the conjugated backbone. This higher energy gap site diminishes exciton migration length and causes pronounced enhancement of the polymer fluorescence (turn-on response). This effect benefits from the signal amplification and therefore can be used universally to design a wide range of fluorescent sensors. To de...
The balance principle and the Reynolds transport theorem in introductory fluid mechanics

This paper traces the evolution of the use of the Reynolds transport theorem to derive finite control volume equations for mass, momentum, and energy in introductory engineering fluid mechanics tex...
Epilepsie: Klinik und Forschung

Aufgabe des folgenden Berichtes ist eine auf das Wesentliche beschrankte Darstellung unseres gegenwartigen Wissens und der die Forschung bewegenden Fragen auf dem weitgespannten Felde der als „Epilepsie“ bezeichneten Erkrankungen.
A novel and simple a posteriori error estimator for LMS methods under the umbrella of GSSSS framework: Adaptive time stepping in second-order dynamical systems

Abstract A novel general purpose a posteriori error estimator that is agnostic to selection of time integration schemes arising under the umbrella of ”Generalized Single Step Single Solve” (GSSSS) framework and family of algorithms is proposed to foster adaptive time stepping; it encompasses the entire class of LMS methods for second order dynamical systems . Unlike several error estimators that have been applied to a limited selection of known time integration methods found in the literature, the proposed estimator offers a significant deviation and difference — that is, it is totally unconstrained from dependence upon algorithmic parameters and is general purpose. Consequently, it can be used for a wide class of numerically dissipative and non-dissipative algorithms for the general class of LMS methods without any modifications; the GSSSS family of algorithms encompasses most existing algorithms developed over the past 50 years or so as subsets, in addition to several new design developments and optimal algorithms arising from this framework. In addition, the proposed estimator is shown to possess the same order of convergence and error constant as the exact local error, which demonstrates its accuracy. The applicability of the proposed estimator to several but selected existing time integration algorithms including the well known schemes like the Newmark method, HHT- α , Classical midpoint rule and in addition, new algorithms and designs as well is demonstrated with single and multi-degree of freedom, linear and nonlinear dynamical problems. In addition, an adaptive time stepping procedure is employed to further demonstrate efficient implementation for multi-degree of freedom, linear and nonlinear dynamical systems.
Building simulation: Ten challenges

Buildings consume more than one-third of the world’s primary energy. Reducing energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions in the buildings sector through energy conservation and efficiency improvements constitutes a key strategy for achieving global energy and environmental goals. Building performance simulation has been increasingly used as a tool for designing, operating and retrofitting buildings to save energy and utility costs. However, opportunities remain for researchers, software developers, practitioners and policymakers to maximize the value of building performance simulation in the design and operation of low energy buildings and communities that leverage interdisciplinary approaches to integrate humans, buildings, and the power grid at a large scale. This paper presents ten challenges that highlight some of the most important issues in building performance simulation, covering the full building life cycle and a wide range of modeling scales. The formulation and discussion of each challenge aims to provide insights into the state-of-the-art and future research opportunities for each topic, and to inspire new questions from young researchers in this field.
Conclusion: The Significance of Wang Chong’s Philosophical Thought

In this chapter, I argue for the historical and philosophical significance of Wang Chong’s Lunheng given the positions of the previous chapters. Wang’s philosophical thought can be extremely valuable for contemporary philosophers, as he offers a toolkit of positions and arguments that have the potential to transform contemporary debates. I maintain that philosophers (not only historians of philosophy) should pay more attention to the thought of Wang Chong and to early Chinese thought in general. Considering and integrating insights and arguments from these texts can reinvigorate contemporary philosophy.
Association of community food environment and obesity among US adults: a geographical information system analysis

Background Emerging studies have investigated the contribution of food environment to obesity in the USA. However, the findings were inconsistent. Methodological explanations for the inconsistent findings included: (1) using individual store/restaurant exposure as food environment indicator, and (2) not accounting for non-stationarity assumption. This study aimed to describe the spatial distribution of obesity and examine the association between community food environment and obesity, and the variation of magnitude and direction of this association across the USA. Methods Data from 20 897 adults who participated in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study and completed baseline assessment between January 2003 and October 2007 were eligible in analysis. Hot Spot analysis was used to assess the spatial distribution of obesity. The association between community food environment and obesity and the variation of this association across the USA were examined using global ordinary least squares regression and local geographically weighted regression. Results Higher body mass index (BMI) clusters were more likely to locate in socioeconomically disadvantaged, rural, minority neighbourhoods with a smaller population size, while lower BMI clusters were more likely to appear in more affluent, urban neighbourhoods with a higher percentage of non-Hispanic white residences. There was an overall significant, inverse association between community food environment and obesity (β=−0.0210; p Conclusions The findings underscored the need for geographically tailored public health interventions and policies to address unique local food environment issues to achieve maximum effects on obesity prevention.
Hepatic γ-Amino Butyric Acid Release Drives Hyperinsulinemia and Insulin Resistance

The degree of hepatic lipid accumulation in obesity directly correlates with the severity of hyperinsulinemia and systemic insulin resistance. Here, we propose a mechanism that explains this associative link, whereby, hepatic steatosis dysregulates glucose and insulin homeostasis. Obesity-induced lipid accumulation results in hepatocyte depolarization. We have established that hepatocyte depolarization depresses hepatic afferent vagal nerve firing and diet induced obesity increases hepatic GABA release in mice. Hepatic GABA release decreases hepatic afferent vagal nerve activity to stimulate pancreatic insulin release and decreases insulin sensitivity. Surgically eliminating the hepatic vagal nerve signaling, preventing hepatic GABA synthesis, or limiting hepatic GABA export ameliorates hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance in diet-induced obese mice. This work establishes that limiting hepatocyte GABA production or release may mute the glucoregulatory dysfunction common to obesity.
Informing our successors: what botanical information for Santa Cruz Island will researchers and conservation managers in the century ahead need the most?

Climate changes are predicted to drive changes in plant species composition and vegetation cover around the world. Preserved specimens and other botanical information that we gather today—a period future practitioners may look back on as an early stage of modern anthropogenic climate change—will be of value to conservation managers and conservation biologists in the decades and centuries ahead. Here, we present suggestions for the systematic collection, long-term curation (in museums, herbaria, and other research institutions), and maintenance of plant specimens, along with associated data and analyses on the plants and vegetation present today and in the past. The primary aim of this systematic survey is to provide information of high value to conservation researchers and managers both in the near term (the next several years) and through the century to come. Such a systematic survey would build on a strong foundation of research and adaptive management on the island. It would fill gaps in less well-studied groups of organisms and identify environmental, ecological, and cultural factors related to current patterns of distribution. It would also archive previously collected data, photographs, and other materials which would otherwise gradually degrade and become inaccessible. As a case study, we use Santa Cruz Island, California, which is managed for conservation. We are confident that the same approach may be applied to other lands and waters around the world. We argue that there is a particular need to collect and archive herbarium specimens and seeds from today's populations, activities largely overlooked in recent decades. We encourage conservation researchers and managers to consider what information will be most important for future managers and to help launch studies, monitoring programs, and collections to prepare their successors for success.
S830, S831, and S832 Airfoils: November 2001-November 2002

A family of quiet, thick, natural-laminar-flow airfoils, the S830, S831, and S832, for 40 - 50-meter-diameter, variable-speed/variable-pitch, horizontal-axis wind turbines has been designed and analyzed theoretically. The two primary objectives of high maximum lift, relatively insensitive to roughness, and low profile drag have been achieved. The airfoils should exhibit docile stalls, which meet the design goal. The constraints on the pitching moment and the airfoils thicknesses have been satisfied.
Making "Weedish Fish": An Exploratory Analysis of Cannabis Recipes on Pinterest.

Background: The expansion of legalized medical and recreational cannabis has created growing interest in cannabis infused edibles. Information about the preparation of edibles is readily available ...
An Organization, a Family, and Fifty Years of Homecomings: A Historical Reflection of American Peanut Research and Education Society

ABSTRACT From its early days when the Peanut Improvement Working Group (PIWG) became the American Peanut Research and Education Association (APREA), and later, the American Peanut Research and Educ...
Strategies for the Eradication of Biofilm-Based Bacterial Infections

Biofilm-based bacterial infections are a significant health threat due to their chronic nature and lack of susceptibility to both the host immune response and to treatment with conventional antibiotics. There are numerous complex and interrelated mechanisms underling this tolerance, and strategies to overcome them are required in order to combat the considerable threat posed by biofilm-based bacterial infections. Several such strategies that have been explored toward the eradication of biofilm-based bacterial infections are discussed in this chapter. One strategy involves developing new antibiotics that are active against biofilm cells, while other approaches center on enhancing the activity of conventional antibiotics against biofilm cells with compounds that interfere with quorum sensing and other bacterial signaling and communication pathways, target biofilm-specific genes, or target the biofilm matrix.
Toward a Theory of Systems Engineering Processes: A Principal–Agent Model of a One-Shot, Shallow Process

Systems engineering processes (SEPs) coordinate the effort of different individuals to generate a product satisfying certain requirements. As the involved engineers are self-interested agents, the goals at different levels of the systems engineering hierarchy may deviate from the system-level goals, which may cause budget and schedule overruns. Therefore, there is a need of a systems engineering theory that accounts for the human behavior in systems design. As experience in the physical sciences shows, a lot of knowledge can be generated by studying simple hypothetical scenarios, which nevertheless retain some aspects of the original problem. To this end, the objective of this article is to study the simplest conceivable SEP, a principalagent model of a one-shot, shallow SEP. We assume that the systems engineer (SE) maximizes the expected utility of the system, while the subsystem engineers (sSE) seek to maximize their expected utilities. Furthermore, the SE is unable to monitor the effort of the sSE and may not have complete information about their types. However, the SE can incentivize the sSE by proposing specific contracts. To obtain an optimal incentive, we pose and solve numerically a bilevel optimization problem. Through extensive simulations, we study the optimal incentives arising from different system-level value functions under various combinations of effort costs, problem-solving skills, and task complexities. Our numerical examples show that, the passed-down requirements to the agents increase as the task complexity and uncertainty grow and they decrease with increasing the agents' costs.
Cardiac MRI for Patients With Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices

OBJECTIVE. Patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) require cardiac MRI (CMRI) for a variety of reasons. The purpose of this study is to review and evaluate the value and safety of CMRI for patients with in situ CIEDs. CONCLUSION. Late gadolinium enhancement CMRI is the reference standard for assessing myocardial viability in patients with ventricular tachycardia before ablation of arrhythmogenic substrates. The use of late gadolinium enhancement CMRI for patients with CIEDs is safe as long as an imaging protocol is in place and precaution measures are taken.
199-MHz Polysilicon Micromechanical Disk Array-Composite Oscillator

The use of a stress-buffered array-composite of six $13.4-\mu \mathrm{m}$ radius capacitive-gap transduced radial-contour mode polysilicon micromechanical disk resonators with 36.1-nm electrode-to-resonator gaps has enabled a Pierce oscillator centered at 199.2 MHz with phase noise marks of −104.7dBc/Hz at 1-kHz offset and −149.6dBc/Hz far from the carrier, sufficient for smartphones. The 12-kHz to 20-MHz integrated jitter is 163.3fs, which yields an excellent jitter FoM of −251dB. The key to this demonstration is the use of $\lambda$ couplers to affect a 0° phase shift across the array terminals; and electrodeless resonators to buffer the effect of post-fabrication stress that otherwise might short disks to their electrodes when gaps are very small.
COVID-19 detection in CT images using custom weighted filter-based CNN

The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has been affecting the health of people around the globe. With the number of confirmed cases and deaths still rising daily, it is now crucial to quickly detect the positive cases and provide them with the necessary treatment. Presently, several research investigations are being conducted to help control the spread of this epidemic. One research topic is to create faster and more accurate detection. Recent studies have demonstrated that chest CT images encompass the distinctive COVID-19 features, which can be utilized for achieving an efficient COVID-19 diagnosis. However, manually reading these images on a large scale can be laborious and is intractable. Thus, using an artificial intelligence-based system that can help capture the precise information and give an accurate diagnosis would be beneficial. In this paper, a customized weighted filter-based CNN (CCNN) is proposed. Computer simulations show that the proposed CCNN system (1) increases the effectiveness of detect COVID-19 CT scans from the non- COVID-19 CT scans and (2) has faster training time compared to the traditional deep learning models. © 2021 SPIE.
Learning the Cognitive Skill of Topographic Map Reading Through Adaptive, High-Repetition Training

The Cognitive Expertise through Repetition-Enhanced Simulation (CERES) project is aimed to provide a novel approach to accelerating the development of expertise in topographic map reading skill. Practice at this complex cognitive skill is accomplished through rapid-paced, simulation-based training events with a large procedurally generated database of training content items to provide continuing novel challenges. On each short training event, participants are presented with simultaneous views of a novel topographic map and a video render of first-person perspective movement through the terrain. The trainee goal is to identify what position on the map is reflected by the movement clip. Trainee performance level was continually assessed during training and the difficulty of training content was adjusted adaptively to enhance learning and maintain engagement and motivation with the training task. Data are reported from a sample of naive online participants (n = 37, 169 h of total training) who acquired topographic map reading skill based on their experience with the CERES protocol. Participants without any prior topographic map reading training or experience nevertheless exhibited improved performance over training. In addition, a substantial subgroup also demonstrated very high levels of engagement and motivation with the training protocol. We conclude that the approach of rapid-paced training to induce practice with a complex cognitive skill can be administered in an individualized adaptive manner to accelerate the development of skilled expertise.
Attitudes and knowledge of HPV vaccination in women being treated for an abnormal Pap smear

Objectives: We evaluated the attitudes and knowledge of patients undergoing evaluation for abnormal Pap smears towards vaccinating their children against HPV. Methods: This institutional review board (IRB)-approved patient survey was conducted at the colposcopy clinic at a major academic center. The surveys were collected between 3/2020 and 8/2020. Patients are referred to this colposcopy clinic from various clinics throughout the state. English-speaking patient being evaluated at the colposcopy clinic who had a child at least nine years old (the minimum age for HPV vaccination) were offered the survey. Data collected included: patient demographics, family history, Pap smear history, reason for current visit, prior biopsy/excisional procedure, and knowledge of HPV and the vaccine. Results: During the study period, 226 patients were treated in the colposcopy clinic. Of these, 101 (44.7%) met inclusion criteria for participation. 39 surveys were completed (38.6%). The median age was 35.8 age of patients surveyed was from 25 to 67 years old (median 35.8), with 69% African-American and 31% Caucasian patients. 21 patients had a prior biopsy or excisional procedure for cervical dysplasia. With regards to HPV and the vaccine, 76.9% of patients heard of the HPV virus, and 56.4% knew a vaccine existed. 28% of patients felt that the HPV vaccine was effective at preventing cervical cancer and the majority of patients surveyed were unsure of the efficacy of the vaccine. Only 6 patients had received the HPV vaccine themselves and 11 patients (28.2%) reported that they had obtained the vaccine for their children. Of the patients who had not vaccinated their children, 64% reported they were interested in obtaining the HPV vaccine for their children in the future. Overall, 38.4% of patients said a healthcare provider discussed the HPV vaccine with them. Out of the patients who either intended on vaccinating their children or have already done so, 62% stated they did so because it was recommended by a healthcare provider. The most common reasons cited by patients who refused to vaccinate their children against HPV were a lack of knowledge about the vaccine and that their children were not at risk of HPV infection (36.4% each). Conclusions: Women who have been adversely impacted by the HPV infection represent a population of patients who should have motivation to vaccinate their children in an effort to prevent them from having similar negative experiences. However, our data shows that even patients being treated for abnormal pap smears have limited knowledge of HPV and the vaccine. Successful vaccination of adolescent patients requires parental buy-in. This stresses the importance of gynecology providers counseling their adult patients not only for their own benefit, but the benefit of their children. Patients visiting clinic for management of an abnormal pap smear should be a focus for providers to increase knowledge and uptake of the HPV vaccine among children.
Diversity of extremophilic purple phototrophic bacteria in Soap Lake, a Central Washington (USA) Soda Lake.

Summary Culture-based and culture-independent methods were used to explore the diversity of phototrophic purple bacteria in Soap Lake, a small meromictic soda lake in the western USA. Among soda lakes, Soap Lake is unusual because it consists of distinct upper and lower water bodies of vastly different salinities, and its deep waters contain up to 175 mM sulfide. From Soap Lake water new alkaliphilic purple sulfur bacteria of the families Chromatiaceae and Ectothiorhodospiraceae were cultured, and one purple non-sulfur bacterium was isolated. Comparative sequence analysis of pufM, a gene that encodes a key photosynthetic reaction centre protein universally found in purple bacteria, was used to measure the diversity of purple bacteria in Soap Lake. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and subsequent phylogenetic analyses of pufMs amplified from Soap Lake water revealed that a significant diversity of purple bacteria inhabit this soda lake. Although close relatives of several of the pufM phylotypes obtained from cultured species could also be detected in Soap Lake water, several other more divergent pufM phylotypes were also detected. It is possible that Soap Lake purple bacteria are major contributors of organic matter into the ecosystem of this lake, especially in its extensive anoxic and sulfidic deep waters.
Differential mortality risks from violent causes for foreign- and native-born residents of the USA

This paper examines the differences in adult violent causes (homicide, suicide, vehicle accidents, and otheraccidents) for mortality risks between the Americanforeign- and native-born adult populations, whileconsidering the length of time lived in the USA and the influences of other socio-demographic characteristics. Data came from the National Health InterviewSurvey-National Death Index linked file for the years1989--1995. Cox proportional hazards modelsestimate the association between nativity, length ofstay, and mortality risk for each violent cause. Theresults show that foreign-born persons differ in their risks of violent death vis-a-vis the native-bornpopulation by the amount of the time they have livedin the USA. In particular, recent immigrants (lessthan 15 years) display higher risks fromhomicide, lower risks from suicide, and lower risksfrom other accidents (not vehicle) than thenative-born individuals. This pattern is differentfor longer-term immigrants (15 or more years) whohave, for the most part, similar risks from othercauses of violent death compared to native-bornresidents. The findings suggest that there arecompositional differences between immigrants by length of stay and that the process of acculturation mayinclude the amplification or diminution of risks ofvarious causes of violent death.
Environmental Knowledge Is Subserved by Separable Dorsal/Ventral Neural Areas

Environmental psychology models propose that knowledge of large-scale space is stored as distinct landmark (place appearance) and survey (place position) information. Studies of brain-damaged patients suffering from “topographical disorientation” tentatively support this proposal. In order to determine if the components of psychologically derived models of environmental representation are realized as distinct functional, neuroanatomical regions, a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of environmental knowledge was performed. During scanning, subjects made judgments regarding the appearance and position of familiar locations within a virtual reality environment. The fMRI data were analyzed in a manner that has been empirically demonstrated to rigorously control type I error and provide optimum sensitivity, allowing meaningful results in the single subject. A direct comparison of the survey position and landmark appearance conditions revealed a dorsal/ventral dissociation in three of four subjects. These results are discussed in the context of the observed forms of topographical disorientation and are found to be in good agreement with the human lesion studies. This experiment confirms that environmental knowledge is not represented by a unitary system but is instead functionally distributed across the neocortex.
The relation of menarcheal age to obesity in childhood and adulthood: the Bogalusa heart study

Several studies have shown that girls who undergo menarche at a relatively young age tend to be more obese as adults. However, because childhood (pre-menarcheal) levels of weight and height are associated with an earlier menarche, the increased prevalence of adult obesity among early maturers may largely reflect the persistence of childhood obesity into adulthood. We examined these interrelationships among 1179 girls (65% white, 35% black) who were examined as children (mean age, 9 y), adolescents, and adults (mean age, 26 y) in the Bogalusa Heart Study. Both white and black women who reported that they underwent menarche before age 12 y had, on average, higher adult levels of weight (+10 kg), body mass index (BMI, +4 kg/m2) and skinfold thicknesses (+6 mm) than did women who underwent menarche after age 13.5 y. However, relatively fat children tended to undergo menarche earlier than did thinner children, with each standard deviation increase in pre-menarcheal BMI increasing the odds of early menarche (<12 y) by approximately 2-fold. Stratified and regression analyses indicated that (1) adult obesity was more strongly associated with childhood obesity than with menarcheal age, and (2) about 60% to 75% of the apparent effect of menarcheal age was due to the influence of childhood obesity on both menarcheal age and adult obesity. Although additional longitudinal studies are needed, it is likely that the importance of early menarche in adult obesity has been overestimated. Most of apparent influence of menarcheal age on adult obesity is attributable to the association of childhood obesity with both menarcheal age and adult obesity.