cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A graphical programming language for robots operating in lightly structured environments

An environment for programming robot manipulations using graphical symbols (RoboGlyph) is presented. Programs are assembled by dragging a sequence of symbols representing robot positions and motions onto a storyboard that stores the sequence of motions needed to perform a task. The RoboGlyph system is being used to program a service robot for severely disabled (high-level quadriplegic) users. It is expected that it will significantly ease the task of creating, maintaining and documenting programs for the robot. >
Effect of chemical affinity on feldspar hydrolysis rates in two natural weathering systems

Abstract Recent studies of alkali-feldspar hydrolysis kinetics have shown that, in the near-neutral pH range, weathering rates in natural systems are up to three orders of magnitude slower than laboratory rates. It has been hypothesized that decelerated rates may result from lower thermodynamic affinities for the hydrolysis reaction in natural systems than in laboratory systems. However, the chemical affinities for the feldspar hydrolysis reaction in two well-constrained natural systems are significantly higher than the threshold value at which affinity would exert detectable influences on the reaction rates. Thus, the hypothesis is rejected, and closer proximity to thermodynamic equilibrium in natural weathering systems does not account for the observed discrepancy between natural and laboratory rates of feldspar hydrolysis. Differences in feldspar weathering rates between natural and laboratory systems are most likely due to a combination of experimental preparation artifacts, loss of reactive surface to the formation of etch pits in naturally weathered feldspars, and inhomogeneous access of reactive fluids to those surfaces.
Sequence Stratigraphy and Depositional Facies of Lower Ordovician Cyclic Carbonate Rocks, Southern Missouri, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT Lower Ordovician cyclic carbonate strata of southern Missouri were deposited in a warm, shallow, epeiric sea on a fully aggraded carbonate platform. Sedimentological characteristics distinguish the Jefferson City and Cotter dolomites from the underlying Gasconade and Roubidoux formations. Mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sedimentation characterizes the Roubidoux Formation, with sandstones accounting for up to 60% of sedimentation. The Gasconade, Jefferson City, and Cotter dolomites exhibit an increased occurrence of chalcedonic chert nodules in very similar shape and texture to the gypsum and anhydrite nodules common on modern sabkha supratidal flats. Casts of halite and ghosts of gypsum laths also exist in the Jefferson City and Cotter strata but are rarely found in the underlying units. Facies analysis from drill cores and outcrop sections provides the basis for identifying two major meter-scale cycle types. Type I cycles consist of algal stromatolites, tidal-flat laminites (mechanical and algal), ooid grainstones, wavy peloidal wackestones, and quartz sandstones interpreted as peritidal facies. They are the dominant components of the Roubidoux Formation, Jefferson City Dolomite, and Cotter Dolomite. Type II cycles consist mostly of subtidal facies such as strongly burrowed mudstone, thrombolite boundstone, and stromatolites. Type I cycles are thinner and represent highstand systems tracts, whereas the thicker type II cycles represent transgressive systems tracts and are dominant in the Gasconade Dolomite. The cycle stacking patterns, facies changes, and the intrabasinal correlatability of Fischer plots made from the widely spaced sections argue for a eustatic control on sea-level fluctuation on the platform. Interbasinal correlation with other North American basins is possible using biostratigraphic information and comparison of Fischer plots. Five Missouri sequences correlate with those described for other regions. The continent-wide uniformity in cycle stacking patterns indicates a primarily eustatic control on Lower Ordovician meter-scale cycle development. Regional tectonic and autocyclic controls probably account for general differences in sedimentation pattern among the correlated basins.
Comparison of Students Nominated for Prereferral Interventions by Ethnicity and Gender

In the present investigation, 150 children in Grades 2 through 4 who had been recommended for prereferral interventions were compared on a number of cognitive/achievement and behavioral scales in order to test whether those children referred differed as a function of ethnicity and/or gender. Of interest was the hypothesis that the behaviors that prompt referral may differ by domain or by degree for children of different ethnicity or gender. Severe achievement deficiencies characterized children of all three ethnic groups. Differences that did emerge indicated that on average, referred White children evidenced significantly higher Verbal IQs and reading achievement scores. On measures of problem behaviors, our data suggest that referred Black children were more likely to have a higher incidence of behavior problems than were Hispanic children. Gender differences for this referred sample were most apparent in the problem behaviors more typically exhibited by males; however, differences did not emerge on cog...
Three acetylated flavonol glycosides from Forsteronia refracta that specifically inhibit p90 RSK

A survey of plant extracts for the presence of p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) inhibitors resulted in the isolation of three acetylated flavonol glycosides. Kaempferol 3-O-(2'',4''-O-diacetyl-alpha-l-rhamnopyranoside) (1), kaempferol 3-O-(3'',4''-O-diacetyl-alpha-l-rhamnopyranoside) (2), and kaempferol-3-O-(4''-O-acetyl-alpha-l-rhamnopyranoside) (3) were isolated from Forsteronia refracta as the first RSK inhibitors. Of these, compound 2 was found to be the best inhibitor with an IC(50) value of 89 nM.
The Soft X-Ray Background and Its Origins

A review on the soft X-ray background is presented, with emphasis on diffuse galactic emission. Particular attention is given to emission mechanisms for the galactic diffuse background, the observational data, models of the 0.5-1 keV and of the 70-284 eV emission, and limits on the extragalactic flux.
Intrathecal Amikacin for the Treatment of Pseudomonal Meningitis

OBJECTIVE:To report a case of gram-negative bacillary meningitis (GNBM) secondary to multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa that was treated with intravenous meropenem and intrathecal and intravenous amikacin.CASE SUMMARY:A 76-year-old Arabic woman with previous placement of an extraventricular device developed meningitis secondary to P. aeruginosa as a result of a previous pneumonia. The patient was treated with intravenous meropenem and amikacin, with the addition of intrathecal amikacin, until cerebrospinal cultures remained negative for 18 days. She did not experience any adverse effects as a result of the administration of the intrathecal amikacin. Although the meningitis subsequently resolved, the patient eventually died due to Candida glabrata fungemia.DISCUSSION:Dual therapy is recommended for patients with P. aeruginosa meningitis. In our patient, the increasing resistance to imipenem and resistance to all other potential antibiotics resulted in the use of an alternative administration techni...
Extraction of Misorientation Components from the Total Misorientation at Grain Boundaries using Electron Diffraction in a Y0.9Sm0.1Ba2Cu3O7 Film

Grain boundary (GB) misorientation determines the transport properties of REBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7} (REBCO) superconducting films (rare earth (RE)). In this study, the misorientation angles between the adjacent grains in a Y{sub 0.9}Sm{sub 0.1}Ba{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7} (YSBCO) epitaxial superconducting film on buffers performed via ion-beam-assisted deposition have been characterized using transmission electron microscopy. The in-plane and out-of-plane misorientation at GBs and sub-GBs has been separated from the total misorientation. Most of the GB misorientation angles are smaller than 5{sup o}, with the in-plane component {gamma} < 3{sup o} and out-of-plane components {alpha} {le} 1{sup o} and {beta} < 2{sup o}. This study provided a relatively simplified, practical, and useful method for determination of GB misorientation angles and separation of the in-plane and out-of-plane misorientation from the total misorientation for epitaxial REBCO superconducting films.
Evolved Psychological Mechanisms and Content‐Specificity

In The Adapted Mind (1992), Cosmides and Tooby argue for the thesis that biological evolution endowed the human mind with a system of content-specific computational mechanisms designed to solve long-standing adaptive problems humans encountered as hunter-gatherers, and not just a generalized "capacity for culture" or all-purpose "learning capacity". I analyze three types of arguments they offer: historical arguments for the rise of content-Specific psychology; programmatic arguments for the aims, theory, concepts, and methods of their evolutionary approach; and experimental arguments for the content-dependence of reasoning. Their arguments stand or fall on the claim that functionally specialized adaptations must be richly structured in a content-specific way.
Rigid thorascopic debridement and continuous pleural irrigation in the management of empyema

Study objective To determine the role of rigid thoracoscopy and continuous pleural irrigation as an alternative to thoracotomy in critically ill patients. Design/setting/patients/interventions Thirteen patients with empyema (one bilateral) underwent thorascopic decortication and continuous postoperative irrigation with normal saline solution. Seven patients required preoperative ventilator support. Measurements and results Double-lumen intubation was utilized in only two cases. Empyemas were drained effectively in all patients, including nine patients in whom dense adhesions were encountered. Mean duration of irrigation was 3.5±0.5 days. There were no deaths. One patient developed a recurrent empyema 1 week after resolution of symptoms and underwent thoracotomy. Conclusions Rigid thorascopic decortication is an effective method for treating empyemas and can be considered before thoracotomy. It can be performed in patients who might not be candidates for video-assisted thorascopic approaches owing to inability to tolerate one-lung anesthesia or who have dense adhesions preventing lung collapse.
Heterogeneity in the pattern of distribution of the axonal collaterals of Purkinje cells in zone b of the cat's vermis: an intracellular HRP study.

Intracellular recordings were obtained from Purkinje cells located in zone b of the vermis; all of the cells were located within lobule V. The ulnar and sciatic nerves were stimulated bilaterally in order to determine the input characteristics of each impaled neuron. Subsequent to recording physiological data the neurons were intracellularly labeled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). At the conclusion of the experiment the animals were perfused and their brains were processed for HRP histochemistry. Zone b was divided histologically into five 200-micron intervals and the location of each intracellularly injected Purkinje cell relative to these intervals was determined. The input characteristics of Purkinje cells within a single 200-micron interval are not identical. Some Purkinje cells respond exclusively to input from a specific limb, whereas other Purkinje cells within the same interval are activated by both forelimb and hindlimb stimulation. The collaterals of a zone b Purkinje cell form a dense plexus at the Purkinje cell-granule cell junction; branches also distribute to the superficial and deep granule cell layer, as well as to the lower molecular layer. Two patterns of collateral distribution were observed. In one pattern, the plexus has a single arbor confined to the vicinity of the cell body of origin. In the second pattern, at least two arborizations are present. One arbor remains within the vicinity of the cell body of origin whereas other arbors are distant from the parent cell; the two arbors are separated by areas devoid of collaterals. An analysis of the distribution of axonal varicosities shows that they are not uniformly distributed around the cell body of origin in either the sagittal or transverse plane. Cortical areas that contain numerous beads are interspersed between regions that contain few or no varicosities. The discontinuous pattern of distribution and the presence of varicosities in all three cortical laminae suggest that Purkinje cells in zone b have multiple discrete foci of influence on diverse populations of cerebellar neurons. These anatomical findings suggest that individual Purkinje cells may play different functional roles in the local circuitry of zone b. Cells with the spatially confined arbors may be involved with the integration of information within restricted sagittal intervals (approximately 200 micron in width) of the cerebellum. Purkinje cells with the dual arbors have the potential to integrate information over a greater extent of zone b or, in some cases, between zone b and adjacent cortical zones (e.g., c1 or x).
Neuroendocrine Tumors of Female Genital Tract

Neuroendocrine tumors are relatively rare in the female genital tract, and therefore may present a diagnostic challenge. It is important to recognize these tumors as their management and prognosis may differ from the more common tumors with which these may be confused.
A hybrid prediction model for PM2.5 mass and components using a chemical transport model and land use regression

Abstract GEOS-Chem, a chemical transport model, provides time-space continuous estimates of atmospheric pollutants including PM 2.5 and its major components, but model predictions are not highly correlated with ground monitoring data. In addition, its spatial resolution is usually too coarse to characterize the spatial pattern in pollutant concentrations in urban environments. Our objective was to calibrate daily GEOS-Chem simulations using ground monitoring data and incorporating meteorological variables, land-use terms and spatial-temporal lagged terms. Major PM 2.5 components of our interest include sulfate, nitrate, organic carbon, elemental carbon, ammonium, sea salt and dust. We used a backward propagation neural network to calibrate GEOS-Chem predictions with a spatial resolution of 0.500° × 0.667° using monitoring data collected during the period from 2001 to 2010 for the Northeastern United States. Subsequently, we made predictions at 1 km × 1 km grid cells. We determined the accuracy of the spatial-temporal predictions using ten-fold cross-validation and “leave-one-day-out” cross-validation techniques. We found a high total R 2 for PM 2.5 mass (all data R 2 0.85, yearly values: 0.80–0.88) and PM 2.5 components (R 2 for individual components were around 0.70–0.80). Our model makes it possible to assess spatially- and temporally-resolved short- and long-term exposures to PM 2.5 mass and components for epidemiological studies.
An Expanding Public Sphere: Women and Print in Colonial Virginia; 1736–1776

Abstract Women in colonial Virginia had a greater role in the eighteenth-century world of print and the public sphere than previously recognized. This article focuses on less-elite printed matter: books for women, newspapers, and popular almanacs. Women went so far as to ask for equal treatment under the law and were indeed involved in public debates in print even before the Stamp Act controversy. This participation goes beyond the elites to the middling sort. The conclusion here is that colonial Virginia women were involved in the debates that prefaced the Revolution, a discovery that has implications for understanding how people of the separate colonies conceived and formed a new nation.
Intestinal immune function is unaffected by parenteral nutrition in man

Animal studies have demonstrated intestinal immunoglobulin production is decreased when luminal nutrition is withheld and nutrition is provided solely on the basis of total parenteral nutrition (TPN).Eight normal volunteers were hospitalized in the Clinical Research Center for three weeks. The subjects received TPN as an exclusive means of nutritional support for 14 days followed by 5 days of enteral feeding with either standard or a glutamine- and arginine-supplemented formula in which the protein source was primarily free amino acids and peptides. Endoscopic jejunal biopsies obtained before and after TPN and following enteral refeeding were evaluated by immunofluorescence for the number of IgA, IgM and IgG-producing cells; T and B cells as well as intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocytes were also counted. Serum immunoglobulins and the molecular forms of serum IgA were determined at the same intervals.The number of intestinal IgA-, IgM- and IgG-producing cells was unaffected by TPN (676 +/− 58 vs....
Eimeria spp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from black- and white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus and Cynomys leucurus) in central and southeast Wyoming.

Feces collected from live-trapped black- (Cynomys ludovicianus) and white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys leucurus) from central and southeastern Wyoming were examined to determine the presence and prevalence of eimerian species. Six species (Eimeria adaensis [black-tailed prairie dog prevalence = 33 %, white-tailed prairie dog prevalence = 51%], Eimeria beecheyi [8%, 28%], Eimeria callospermophili [64%, 71%], Eimeria lateralis [3%, 7%], Eimeria morainensis [19%, 8%], and Eimeria spermophili [2%, 1%]) were identified from both host species. Eimeria pseudospermophili was found infecting only black-tailed (prevalence = 1%) and Eimeria bilamellata only in white-tailed prairie dogs (2%). Reinfections in individual hosts were observed with E. callospermophili and E. adaensis. Comparison of these results with the published literature suggests that the host genera Cynomys and Spermophilus share a common guild of eimerians and that members of this guild have a long evolutionary association with these hosts, or host switching, or both, is common between these groups.
Yolk Position in Hard Cooked Eggs as Related to Heredity, Age and Cooking Position

Abstract Eggs from 24 strains were stored at 12° C. for 4 and 11 days. An equal number of eggs from each strain and storage time were divided into 3 groups: 1) raw, 2) cooked-on-side, and 3) cooked-on-end. Yolk position of the raw and hard cooked eggs was studied with respect to heredity, age of egg, and for the cooked eggs, egg position during heating. In addition, Haugh units and U.S.D.A. scores were observed for a possible relationship with yolk position. Yolk position in the hard cooked eggs was significantly influenced by heredity, age of egg, and position during heating. No significant relationships were found between interior quality and yolk position of raw and hard cooked eggs.
Localization of a novel 210 kDa protein in Xenopus tight junctions

The tight junction is the most apical member of the intercellular junctional complex. It functions as a permeability barrier between epithelial cells and maintains the integrity of the apical and basolateral membrane domains. In order to study tight junctions in Xenopus laevis, a polyclonal antibody was raised which recognized Xenopus ZO-1. Monoclonal antibody 19B1 (mAb 19B1) was generated in rats using a crude membrane preparation from Xenopus lung as antigen. mAb 19B1 gave immunofluorescent staining patterns identical to those seen with anti-ZO-1 on monolayers of Xenopus A6 kidney epithelial cells and on frozen sections of Xenopus kidney, liver, and embryos. Electron microscopy showed that the 19B1 antigen colocalized with ZO-1 at the tight junction. Western blotting and immunoprecipitation demonstrated that ZO-1 is an approximately 220 kDa protein in Xenopus, while mAb 19B1 identified an approximately 210 kDa antigen on immunoblots. Immunoprecipitates of ZO-1 were not recognized by mAb 19B1 by western analysis. The solubility properties of the 19B1 antigen suggested that it is a peripheral membrane protein. Thus, the antigen recognized by the new monoclonal antibody 19B1 is not ZO-1 and represents a different Xenopus tight junction associated protein.
Risk-Based Scientific Approach for Determination of Extractables/Leachables from Biomanufacturing of Antibody–Drug Conjugates (ADCs)

Recent developments in biopharmaceutical processes twined with a desire to remove cleaning and cross-contamination issues from drug production have led to the widespread introduction of single-use technologies and systems within operations. One key area that end users need to address with the advent of these single-use solutions is the potential for increased levels of extractables and leachables within a process, which need to be evaluated and understood as part of any regulatory submission. A science-based and practical method for characterization of extractables and leachables from single-use systems used in manufacturing antibody-drug conjugates has been developed and described in detail. This risk-based approach minimizes the amount of test work while meeting the regulatory requirements to ensure the drug safety and quality. The test design is optimized and the analytical methods (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry) are shown to be suitable for quantifying and identifying the extracted chemical compounds. Application of this characterization method speeds up the filing process for qualification and validation of single-use systems used in bioprocesses.
Micro-dimensional Feature Extraction for multispectral Iris recognition

Feature extraction of multispectral iris images relies heavily on location and dimensions to effectively extract the most relevant features. For recognition, iris images are normally captured in the 700nm to 900nm range. This is due to the fact that ranges in the normal 350–700nm range cannot so easily penetrate darker colored irises to get texture information, whereas larger ranges can. There have been a number of techniques used for iris based feature extraction. These techniques have been focused on reducing the amount of features needed while preventing a reduction in accuracy. Techniques have been envisioned that combine artificial intelligence techniques with these feature extraction techniques. One such technique is Genetic and Evolutionary Feature Extraction (GEFE); GEFE evolved the optimal location and dimensions for feature extraction techniques. A variation of GEFE, known as micro GEFE (mGEFE), restrained the dimensions of areas to a pixel size of 4 by 4. This was an exploratory data analysis approach that pin pointed the most salient features on images. This paper proposes a variation that is built upon GEFE and mGEFE referred to as micro dimensional GEFE (mdGEFE). This technique will increase the accuracy from GEFE while using fewer features. Results show that mdGEFE has a comparable performance in accuracy with an approximate 50% reduction in surface area used.
THE SUSTAINED ACTION OF ERYTHROPOIETIN INJECTED REPEATEDLY INTO RATS AND MICE.

Rats and mice were given exogenous erythropoietin for periods from 40 to over 200 days. Increased erythropoiesis was maintained as long as erythropoietin was given; when it was stopped, erythropoiesis returned to its normal level; when the dose was dimished, erythropoiesis fell accordingly. In mice there was no long-term increase of platelets or change in the differential leukocyte counts and leukocyte counts were, during the middle period of the experiment, decreased. One mouse developed a tumor. It is pointed out that humans with certain chronic anemias have lived for years with greatly elevated concentrations of erythropoietin in their blood and urine, yet they have normal leukocyte and platelet counts and no tumors.
Sapwood Stored Resources Decline in Whitebark and Lodgepole Pines Attacked by Mountain Pine Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Recent outbreaks of forest insects have been directly linked to climate change-induced warming and drought, but effects of tree stored resources on insects have received less attention. We asked whether tree stored resources changed following mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) attack and whether they affected beetle development. We compared initial concentrations of stored resources in the sapwood of whitebark pine ( Pinus albicaulis Engelmann) and lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta Douglas ex. Louden) with resource concentrations one year later, in trees that were naturally attacked by beetles and trees that remained unattacked. Beetles did not select host trees based on sapwood resources—there were no consistent a priori differences between attacked versus unattacked trees—but concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC), lipids, and phosphorus declined in attacked trees, relative to initial concentrations and unattacked trees. Whitebark pine experienced greater resource declines than lodgepole pine; however, sapwood resources were not correlated with beetle success in either species. Experimental manipulation confirmed that the negative effect of beetles on sapwood and phloem NSC was not due to girdling. Instead, changes in sapwood resources were related to the percentage of sapwood with fungal blue-stain. Overall, mountain pine beetle attack affected sapwood resources, but sapwood resources did not contribute directly to beetle success; instead, sapwood resources may support colonization by beetle-vectored fungi that potentially accelerate tree mortality. Closer attention to stored resource dynamics will improve our understanding of the interaction between mountain pine beetles, fungi, and host trees, an issue that is relevant to our understanding of insect range expansion under climate change.
Update on Gender Equity in Immunology, 2001 to 2016

In 2001, The American Association of Immunologists Committee on the Status of Women conducted a survey examining the percentage of women faculty members within immunology departments or women in immunology graduate programs across 27 institutions in the United States, comparing it to the percentage of women receiving a Ph.D. Here, we examine the representation of women across these same 27 immunology departments and programs to examine changes in gender equity over the last 15 years.
Painless neutropenic enterocolitis in a patient undergoing chemotherapy

Case Description A 60-year-old man developed painless neutropenic enterocolitis after induction chemotherapy for newly diagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia. The patient had recurrent fever while neutropenic, without experiencing abdominal pain or tenderness on physical examination. His diagnosis was delayed by the fact that he had no localizing symptoms. Discussion Neutropenic enterocolitis is a common complication, generally occurring in patients who are severely neutropenic; the condition presents with fever and abdominal pain. No cases of painless neutropenic enterocolitis have yet been reported. Review of the literature shows that patients can develop this condition in the absence of fever and, sometimes, neutropenia. Furthermore, few comprehensive studies or reviews have investigated the utility of computed tomography imaging in identifying a source for abdominal pain in neutropenic patients with fever. Summary Many potential causes of febrile neutropenia should be considered in chemotherapy patients.
MSE Adaptive Baseband Canceller Performance in Dual-Polarized 16-QAM Systems

The application of an adaptive baseband canceller to dual-polarized 16-QAM systems operating in the presence of moderate to severe crosstalk is considered. Concentrating on a method which minimizes the mean square error in the estimation of received symbol values, a computational method is presented by means of which exact values of symbol error probability, P e , can be easily obtained for any specific values of relative crosstalk phase shift. Using this method, results are obtained which predict P e versus crosstalk and signal-to-noise levels for uniform distributions of the crosstalk phase shift angles. Results are given which show the frequency of occurrence of different P e values for uniformly distributed crosstalk phase shifts, and which show the maximum, minimum, and average values of P e over all values of relative phase angles. The receiver performance is seen to be acceptable, so far as average P e is concerned, in the presence of crosstalk levels that would make the system totally inoperable if no canceller were used. However, it is noted that for high crosstalk levels, values of P e can have a range of 100:1 or more as different values of relative phase shift are encountered.
Engineering of the radio-frequency spectra of ultrawideband electromagnetic waveforms via optical pulse shaping techniques

Through optical pulse shaping in the Fourier domain, we demonstrate engineering of ultrawideband radio-frequency spectra. Apodization and modulation of our optical waveforms enable generation of RF spectra that fill the 3.1 - 10.6 GHz frequency band.
Rethinking colonialism and decolonisation in Algeria, 60 years later

Over the last two decades, there has been a remarkable public re-examination of the French imperial project, particularly the 1954–1962 French–Algerian war, the seven-year struggle for Algerian ind...
Hispanic Mothers’ Views of the Fathers’ Role in Promoting Healthy Behaviors at Home: Focus Group Findings

Abstract Background Overweight and obesity prevention interventions rarely take into account the unique role of fathers in promoting healthy home environments. Objective To use qualitative methodology to examine the views of Hispanic mothers of children aged 2 to 5 years regarding fathers' roles in promoting healthy behaviors at home. Design Nine focus groups were conducted in Spanish with Hispanic mothers of preschool-aged children (N=55) from October to December 2015. Participants/settings Hispanic mothers were recruited from churches, community agencies, and preschools located in five Zip codes in the southwest part of Oklahoma City, OK. Analysis Questions examined the views of Hispanic mothers regarding fathers' roles in promoting healthy behaviors at home. Focus groups were audiorecorded, transcribed in Spanish, translated into English, and coded and analyzed for themes by two coders using NVivo version 10 software. Results Four themes were identified: fathers' disagreement with mothers about food preferences and preparation, fathers' support for child's healthy eating, fathers' support for child's physical activity, and fathers' lack of support for a healthy home food environment. Fathers' traditional expectations about the type of foods and portion sizes adults should eat conflicted with mothers' meal preparations. Mothers reported that, although they favored eating low-calorie meals, the meals fathers preferred eating were high-calorie meals (eg, quesadillas). In general, fathers supported healthy eating and physical activity behaviors for their children. Supportive behaviors for children included preparing healthy meals, using healthier cooking methods, grocery shopping with their children for healthy foods, and asking the child to participate in household chores and/or play sports. Fathers' unsupportive behaviors included bringing high-calorie foods, such as pizza, and sugary drinks into the home, using sweets and savory foods for emotion regulation, and displaying an indulgent parental feeding style. Conclusions Mothers' views of fathers' perceived roles in child eating and physical activity, and maintaining a healthy eating environment, have important implications for the success of promoting healthy behaviors in the homes of Hispanic families.
Cognitive Computing Safety: The New Horizon for Reliability / The Design and Evolution of Deep Learning Workloads

This column includes two invited position papers about the challenges and opportunities in cognitive architectures.
Eldercare in Sweden: issues in service provision and case management

Sweden's extensive eldercare system emphasizes home and community-based care provided by municipal government. Recent policy reform is designed to improve the provision and coordination of long-term care by transferring the responsibility and resources for the health care component from regional to local government. Policy designed to help older people manage at home has emphasized formal care, but support for family caregivers is now receiving increased attention. Care managers in municipal eldercare are responsible for individual client need assessment and level of care determination. Recent reforms in service provision combined with a weaker economy in the 1990s have increased the importance of the care manager's role in Sweden. Many municipalities are now testing new forms of service delivery that focus on the roles of care managers. These include a purchaser-provider model in which the care manager decides on a package of care and purchases some of the services from private or public providers. Under this system the care manager has increased responsibility for monitoring outcomes and determining how resources are used more effectively.
Environmental impact and corrective action

Abstract This paper reviews the environmental impacts of the spills that occurred at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee and the Dan River Steam Station in North Carolina. These sites provide a basis to explore the nexus between unlined ash impoundments and water quality, as well as insights into corrective action and sustainable closure. The cause, extent, and general nature of each of these spills are unique, yet the extensive data collection efforts that ensued reveals considerable commonality. Coal combustion residuals contain elevated levels of trace contaminants, which leach at levels that exceed water quality standards. Overall leachability is typically bracketed by municipal solid waste and naturally occurring soil, consistent with the current regulations set by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a solid, not hazardous waste. During a point-source spill to surface water or nonpoint-source impact of groundwater, the environmental impact is mitigated by natural processes of attenuation and assimilation. This is especially true for main stem rivers, where there is a volumetric flowrate that overwhelms relatively dilute contaminant concentrations. In the absence of a risk-based corrective action, however, achieving compliance with groundwater standards will require covers, liners, slurry walls, or other engineered solutions. In all cases a given alternative should be evaluated in terms of its net environmental benefits and life-cycle assessment. Optimizing a solution on the basis of one or more contaminant concentrations without recognizing the impacts to the broader ecosystem and community falls short of the appropriate international standard of care.
Finding a Job—Employment Services, Word of Mouth, Job Boards

The training of a surgeon rarely focuses on life after residency. The goal of this section is to prepare the surgical trainee in his or her final years of training for the daunting task of navigating the surgical job market in order to maximize the odds of finding a job that fits one’s expectations. Later chapters in this manual will cover both the process of choosing a job as well as salary and contract negotiations. In this chapter, however, the focus will be on the first step of the job hunt, finding a job. Topics such as preparation for the initial job hunt, resources for finding appropriate opportunities, and first interview preparation will be covered.
Infant Botulism in the Very Young Neonate: A Case Series.

Background Though botulism is a rare disease overall, all infants younger than 1 year of age are at risk of contracting infant botulism, the most prevalent form reported in the United States. Nonetheless, infant botulism is frequently omitted from the differential diagnosis of the very young neonate exclusively due to age, and the diagnosis is often only considered secondarily after a costly and prolonged work up is undertaken. Delayed diagnosis can lead not only to unnecessary testing but also to prolonged hospital stay and increased morbidity. Case This case series highlights three critically ill neonates, all younger than 30 days, who presented to our neonatal intensive care unit and were eventually diagnosed with infant botulism. The initial diagnostic dilemma is described for each of these patients and highlights the importance of early recognition of the main symptoms, in addition to consideration of important potential coinciding conditions.
Reconstructing Hand Poses Using Visible Light

Free-hand gestural input is essential for emerging user interactions. We present Aili, a table lamp reconstructing a 3D hand skeleton in real time, requiring neither cameras nor on-body sensing devices. Aili consists of an LED panel in a lampshade and a few low-cost photodiodes embedded in the lamp base. To reconstruct a hand skeleton, Aili combines 2D binary blockage maps from vantage points of different photodiodes, which describe whether a hand blocks light rays from individual LEDs to all photodiodes. Empowering a table lamp with sensing capability, Aili can be seamlessly integrated into the existing environment. Relying on such low-level cues, Aili entails lightweight computation and is inherently privacy-preserving. We build and evaluate an Aili prototype. Results show that Aili’s algorithm reconstructs a hand pose within 7.2 ms on average, with 10.2° mean angular deviation and 2.5-mm mean translation deviation in comparison to Leap Motion. We also conduct user studies to examine the privacy issues of Leap Motion and solicit feedback on Aili’s privacy protection. We conclude by demonstrating various interaction applications Aili enables.
Shrink-induced graphene sensor for alpha-fetoprotein detection with low-cost self-assembly and label-free assay

Combination of shrink induced nano-composites technique and layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembled graphene challenges controlling surface morphology. Adjusting shrink temperature achieves tunability on graphene surface morphology on shape memory polymers, and it promises to be an alternative in fields of high-surface-area conductors and molecular detection. In this study, self-assembled graphene on a shrink polymer substrate exhibits nanowrinkles after heating. Induced nanowrinkles on graphene with different shrink temperature shows distinct surface roughness and wettability. As a result, it becomes more hydrophilic with higher shrink temperatures. The tunable wettability promises to be utilized in, for example, microfluidic devices. The graphene on shrink polymer also exhibits capability of being used in sensing applications for pH and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) detection with advantages of label free and low cost, due to self-assembly technique, easy functionalization, and antigen-antibody reaction on graphene surface. The detection limit of AFP detection is down to 1 pg/mL, and therefore the sensor also has a significant potential for biosensing as it relies on low-cost self-assembly and label-free assay.
Characteristics of Inmates Who Initiate Hunger Strikes

A hunger strike is a common, expensive, and potentially lethal event within a correctional institution. In this study, we describe the characteristics of inmates who initiated hunger strikes in a state prison system. Electronic medical records for a state prison system were reviewed for documentation of hunger strikes from January 2005 through September 2015. There were 292 hunger strikes during the study period. Most (71%) lasted three or fewer days. When weight data were available, only 12.9 percent of the hunger strikes resulted in a weight loss >10 percent. Mental health patients were disproportionately represented in the sample (45%), although diagnoses of personality disorders (48%) rather than mood (17%) or psychotic (10%) disorders accounted for most of these cases. Nearly 75 percent of inmates who initiated hunger strikes did so while residing in disciplinary housing. In more than 80 percent of the strikes, the reason for stopping the strike was unknown. When the reasons were known, custody intervention rather than mental health intervention was the most common reason for the ending of a strike. Improving communication with custody administration and mitigating unnecessarily aversive housing environments are likely to reduce the incidence of hunger strikes.
Bi-level dynamic optimization with feedback

This paper considers a bi-level real-time algorithmic framework for networked systems, consisting of several local controllers and a central controller. The central controller issues setpoints to the local controllers to optimize their operational objectives while satisfying system-wide constraints. In this context, the paper develops an online algorithm for tracking the optimal solution of the underlying dynamic optimization problem. The design of the algorithm is based on a projected-gradient method, suitably modified to accommodate appropriate measurements (i.e., feedback). Optimality claims are established in terms of the dynamic regret of the algorithm; the latter is a natural performance criterion in nonstationary environments associated with real-time control problems. Finally, the application of the algorithm to real-time control of power setpoints in an electrical grid is illustrated.
A Stochastic Logistic Growth Model with Predation: An Overview of the Dynamics and Optimal Harvesting

We consider a logistic growth model with predation and a stochastic perturbation given by a diffusive term with power-type coefficient. The resulting stochastic differential equation (SDE) has the particularity that the standard conditions for the existence and uniqueness of solutions of SDEs do not hold for a large subset of parameter space. Thus, we start by discussing the well posedness of the problem at hand, leading to a detailed characterization for the existence and uniqueness of solutions. We then provide criteria ensuring extinction and persistence of such population. Additionally, we list subsets of parameter space where (absolutely continuous) stationary measures for the SDE under consideration are guaranteed to exist, providing a description for the corresponding densities. We conclude with an application to the optimal management of resources. We consider a real asset such as, for instance, a farm or an aquaculture facility, devoted to the exploration of a unique culture or population whose growth follows a SDE such as described above, and look for the optimal harvesting strategy associated with such culture or population.
Application of Advanced Remote Sensing Techniques to Improve Modeling Estuary Water Quality

Estuaries, the interface between terrestrial and coastal waters are an important component of complex and dynamic coastal watersheds. They are usually characterized by abrupt chemical gradients and complex dynamics, which can result in major transformations in the amount, chemical nature and timing of the flux of material along these river–sea transition zones. The ecological functioning of these areas is considered to be of major concern, as estuaries offer the last opportunity to manage water quality problems before they become uncontrollable in the coastal waters.
Mr. Chalkentalk's Cupboard - Practical Lessons for Preservice Teachers in Rock and Mineral Identification and the Management of Teaching Collections.

Students in a laboratory techniques course for preservice teachers were engaged in an activity that was designed to assess their skills in identifying geologic materials and model a situation that might be encountered by new teachers. Related activites were designed to give the preservice teachers practical experience in obtaining geologic specimens, labeling them and storing collections. The materials to be identified in this activity (Mr. Chalkentalk's collection) comprised a large volume of mixed and unlabeled samples from an actual secondary earth science classroom. Following the activity, the sorted and identified samples were returned to the ninth grade teacher, thus providing a service learning experience for the college students. Overall, the students performed well in the separation and classification/identification of the materials in the Chalkentalk collection. Samples that were not fit for use in the secondary classroom were recycled. Students evaluated the completeness of the newly organized ...
The Boy’s Literacy Club

Initially, the purpose of my study was to investigate the reasons behind what seemed to be developing as a present day truism; boys are historically known and assessed as weaker literacy students (Campbell, Voelkl, & Donohue, 1997; Moss, 2007; Katch & Katch, 2010; Pelo, 2005; Rivers & Barnett, 2011).
Treatment of Groundwater Containing Perchlorate Using Biological Fluidized Bed Reactors with GAC or Sand Media

Ammonium perchlorate has been used by NASA and the U.S. military as a component of solid rocket fuels. The formulation has a limited shelf life and replenishment is done by high pressure water flushing of old fuel followed by replacement with fresh supply as part of regularly scheduled maintenance activities. Past practice allowed the spent flush water to be discharged to the ground. As such, large volumes of ammonium perchlorate have been disposed in Nevada, California, Utah and likely other states since the 1950s.1 Ammonium perchlorate is very soluble in water (i.e., 20 g dL−1 at 25 °C) and dissociates completely to ammonium and perchlorate ions. The perchlorate ion is mobile in aqueous systems and can persist for decades under typical groundwater and surface water conditions due to its lack of reactivity with other compounds.1
Transactional Sex among Men Who Have Sex with Men: Differences by Substance Use and HIV Status.

Exchanging money, drugs, and other goods for sex has been associated with sexual risk behaviors and increased STIs/HIV. While female sex work is well described, data on men who exchange sex for money or goods are more limited. This paper examined the prevalence and correlates of transactional sex among young men who have sex with men, especially focusing on substance use and HIV status. We conducted a cohort study of 511 participants recruited between August 2014 and December 2017 in Los Angeles, CA. Eligible participants were: (1) between 18 and 45 years of age; (2) male; and (3) if HIV-negative, reported condomless anal intercourse with a male partner in the past 6 months. By design, half were HIV-positive and half HIV-negative. At baseline and semi-annual follow-up visits, computer-assisted self-interviews were used to collect information on demographics, sexual behaviors including transactional sex which was defined as exchange of money, drugs, or a place to stay for anal intercourse. Laboratory testing was conducted for current STI/HIV status. The average age of participants was 31.4 years with 43% identifying as African American, followed by 36% as Hispanic/Latino. The prevalence of recent transactional sex across 1486 study visits was 17% (n = 255), with 74% of those reporting exchanging sex for drugs. The prevalence of transactional sex was higher among those who reported unstable housing (32 vs. 11%; p value < .01), concurrent sexual partnerships (26 vs. 9%; p value < .01), and transgender sex partners (40 vs. 15%; p value < .01). Those who reported receiving money, drugs, or shelter for sex were also more likely to report giving money, drugs, shelter for sex than men who did not report exchange sex (77 vs. 11%; p value < .01). Based on multivariable analyses after adjusting for age and race/ethnicity, HIV viral load was independently associated with transactional sex [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–1.7) per log10 increase]. Additionally, those testing positive for an STI were nearly twice as likely to report transactional sex as compared to those without STIs (AOR = 1.9; 95% CI 1.2–3.5). These findings underscore the relatively high prevalence of transactional sex and its potential role in ongoing HIV transmission among this cohort of high-risk HIV-negative and HIV-positive men who have sex with men.
Flipped classroom narrows the performance gap between low- and high-performing dental students in physiology.

The flipped classroom has been shown to have positive outcomes in learning. However, relatively little has been reported on the implementation of it in dental education. The purpose of this study w...