cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
‘Dagon Our God’: Iron I Philistine Cult in Text and Archaeology

Despite the late date and dubious veracity of the Deuteronomistic history, and despite the Bible’s status as the only Bronze or Iron Age text which indisputably refers to Dagon in a southern Canaanite geographical context, scholars have traditionally accepted 1 Samuel 5:1–8’s portrayal of Philistine cult in the Iron Age I as being centered on this deity and his temple at Ashdod. This study marshals archaeological and historical evidence to assess the level of support for the presence of Dagon in Iron I Philistia, and for a temple at Ashdod as described in the biblical account. Also considered, through comparison with the materially analogous situation in the Bronze Age Aegean, is the critical role that a textual complement to physical evidence (or, in the case of the Philistines, the lack thereof) plays in cultic analysis and pantheonic reconstruction.
NISAR L-band digital electronics subsystem: A multichannel system with distributed processors for digital beam forming and mode dependent filtering

The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) L-band SAR instrument employs multiple digital channels to optimize resolution while keeping a large swath on a single pass. High-speed digitization with fine synchronization and digital beam forming are necessary in order to facilitate this new technique called SweepSAR. An architecture employing multiple FPGA based digital signal processors has been conceived to facilitate digital calibration on an individual channel basis as well as digital signal processing to optimize the receive signal. On-board processing and data compression has been implemented to reduce the volume of data in order to satisfy the operational requirements of near global coverage for the desired science targets. A novel command and timing architecture was developed to manage this complex system to meet the challenging project requirements. The NISAR L-band Digital Electronics Subsystem is the combination of the hardware, firmware and software components architected and implemented to operate this radar and return the desired quantity and quality of data for the science community.
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Obese Patients

Abstract Health care is increasingly challenged by issues of clinically managing obese patients; this is of increased interest because the proportion of obese people in the general population is higher than ever and continues to increase. Obesity impacts the distribution of drugs and has been shown to impact metabolism and renal clearance as well. One clinical treatment of chronic obesity, bariatric surgery, results in rapid changes to drug absorption and distribution. For drugs with an already high interindividual pharmacokinetics (PK) variability, this can present significant challenges to drug management. This chapter discusses therapeutic drug monitoring as a tool for drug management in obese patients as well as bariatric surgery patients.
O crime da miscigenação: a mistura de raças no Brasil escravista e a ameaça à pureza racial nos Estados Unidos pós-abolição

This article discuss how the Brazilian example was debated and appropriated by politicians, scientists, and other members of the white US elite, who in the post-abolition period were preparing a nation project which maintained the old slaveholding ideologies of white supremacy and racial segregation, lasting in the country until the twentieth century. In Latin America it was possible to assess the negative effects of racial mixing, while Brazil became an example of backwardness and degeneration, reinforcing the need for urgent segregationist policies in the United States. The question of racial mixing was linked to the production of a notion of national identity which was sustained by the idea of purity of blood and in opposition to Latin American societies.
Selling Shakespeare: Biography, Bibliography, and the Book Trade

Selling Shakespeare tells a story of Shakespeare's life and career in print, a story centered on the people who created, bought, and sold books in the early modern period. The interests and investments of publishers and booksellers have defined our ideas of what is 'Shakespearean', and attending to their interests demonstrates how one version of Shakespearean authorship surpassed the rest. In this book, Adam G. Hooks identifies and examines four pivotal episodes in Shakespeare's life in print: the debut of his narrative poems, the appearance of a series of best-selling plays, the publication of collected editions of his works, and the cataloguing of those works. Hooks also offers a new kind of biographical investigation and historicist criticism, one based not on external life documents, nor on the texts of Shakespeare's works, but on the books that were printed, published, sold, circulated, collected, and catalogued under his name.
Thermal Neutron Diffusion in an Array of Plates

The exact solution to the diffusion equation for thermal neutrons emitted into an infinite medium containing absorbing and scattering plates is obtained. A fully explicit analytical representation ...
Roman Ingarden’s “Points of Indeterminateness”: A Consideration of Their Practical Application to Literary Criticism

In his books The Literary Work of Art and The Cognition of the Literary Work of Art,1 Ingarden deals with an aesthetic phenomenon for which he coined the well formulated name “Unbestimmtheitsstellen”, or “Points of Indeterminateness.”2 Due to the special structure and the connotative character of the language of a literary work of art, this phenomenon constitutes one of the most essential elements of such a work and is of greatest significance for Literary Criticism. Although Ingarden points out the importance of Points of Indeterminateness to some extent, his pioneering and all-embracing work on the theory of the arts and especially of literature forces him to limit the discussion of it to the “stratum of presented objects”, the third of the four strata or layers which, according to his theory, establish the work in its entirety; hence, he has devoted not more than ten pages in his first and seven pages in his second book to this problem.
High resolution melt curve analysis based on methylation status for human semen identification.

A high resolution melt curve assay to differentiate semen from blood, saliva, urine, and vaginal fluid based on methylation status at the Dapper Isoform 1 (DACT1) gene was developed. Stains made from blood, saliva, urine, semen, and vaginal fluid were obtained from volunteers and DNA was isolated using either organic extraction (saliva, urine, and vaginal fluid) or Chelex® 100 extraction (blood and semen). Extracts were then subjected to bisulfite modification in order to convert unmethylated cytosines to uracil, consequently creating sequences whose amplicons have melt curves that vary depending on their initial methylation status. When primers designed to amplify the promoter region of the DACT1 gene were used, DNA from semen samples was distinguishable from other fluids by a having a statistically significant lower melting temperature. The assay was found to be sperm-significant since semen from a vasectomized man produced a melting temperature similar to the non-semen body fluids. Blood and semen stains stored up to 5 months and tested at various intervals showed little variation in melt temperature indicating the methylation status was stable during the course of the study. The assay is a more viable method for forensic science practice than most molecular-based methods for body fluid stain identification since it is time efficient and utilizes instrumentation common to forensic biology laboratories. In addition, the assay is advantageous over traditional presumptive chemical methods for body fluid identification since results are confirmatory and the assay offers the possibility of multiplexing which may test for multiple body fluids simultaneously.
Examining Attitudes, Norms, and Control Toward Safety Behaviors as Mediators in the Leadership-Safety Motivation Relationship

The aims of the current study were to examine the effects of various safety leader behaviors on safety motivation. In addition, this study investigated the role of attitudes, norms, and perceived control toward safety behaviors as mediating mechanisms in the relationship between safety-specific leader behaviors and safety motivation. The sample for this study consisted of 168 members from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk who were employed in high-risk industries and occupations. The current study utilized a prospective design, whereby participants completed the survey at two points in time, separated by 3 months. While safety-specific transformational, contingent reward, and management-by-exception active leader behaviors were positively related to safety motivation, management-by-exception passive and laissez-faire behaviors did not exhibit any relationship with safety motivation. Furthermore, safety attitudes and safety norms mediated the relationship between active leader behaviors and safety motivation. Perceived safety control did not mediate the leader behavior–safety motivation relationship for any of the five leader behaviors. The findings of this study expand our understanding of the different processes through which active and passive/avoidant leader behaviors impact safety motivation, as well as provide directions for leadership development and occupational safety interventions. This is the first study to explore the impact of a range of active and passive/avoidant safety-specific leader behaviors on safety motivation through attitudes, norms, and perceived control toward safety behaviors.
Proteins mediating DNA loops effectively block transcription

Loops are ubiquitous topological elements formed when proteins simultaneously bind to two noncontiguous DNA sites. While a loop-mediating protein may regulate initiation at a promoter, the presence of the protein at the other site may be an obstacle for RNA polymerases (RNAP) transcribing a different gene. To test whether a DNA loop alters the extent to which a protein blocks transcription, the lac repressor (LacI) was used. The outcome of in vitro transcription along templates containing two LacI operators separated by 400 bp in the presence of LacI concentrations that produced both looped and unlooped molecules was visualized with scanning force microscopy (SFM). An analysis of transcription elongation complexes, moving for 60 s at an average of 10 nt/s on unlooped DNA templates, revealed that they more often surpassed LacI bound to the lower affinity O2 operator than to the highest affinity Os operator. However, this difference was abrogated in looped DNA molecules where LacI became a strong roadblock independently of the affinity of the operator. Recordings of transcription elongation complexes, using magnetic tweezers, confirmed that they halted for several minutes upon encountering a LacI bound to a single operator. The average pause lifetime is compatible with RNAP waiting for LacI dissociation, however, the LacI open conformation visualized in the SFM images also suggests that LacI could straddle RNAP to let it pass. Independently of the mechanism by which RNAP bypasses the LacI roadblock, the data indicate that an obstacle with looped topology more effectively interferes with transcription.
A Rare Case of Corynebacterium propinquum Endocarditis in a Native Valve

We report a case of a 63-year-old male who presented with complaints of 9 days of fevers up to 38.3 °C, chills and rigors, and headache of 3 - 4 days duration. He also noticed that the entire right half of his visual field was obscured. MRI of the brain revealed a 4 cm acute infarction involving the calcarine cortex of the left occipital lobe. Blood cultures grew Corynebacterium propinquum . A trans-esophageal echocardiogram revealed oscillating echodensities on the aortic valve, mitral valve, and posterior leaflet of the tricuspid valve, concerning for infective endocarditis. Repeat bubble study was consistent with a small patent foramen ovale. To the best of our knowledge, there have only been four reported cases of infection by this organism, with just two of them being infective endocarditis. There are no established guidelines for therapy. We used an Etest with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) reported to guide therapy. The patient was successfully treated with 6 weeks of intravenous ceftriaxone. J Med Cases. 2017;8(4):137-140 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc2795w
Drug discovery and therapeutic delivery for the treatment of B and T cell tumors

Hematological malignancies manifest as lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma, and remain a burden on society. From initial therapy to endless relapse-related treatment, societal burden is felt not only in the context of healthcare cost, but also in the compromised quality of life of patients. Long-term therapeutic strategies have become the standard in keeping hematological malignancies at bay as these cancers develop resistance to each round of therapy with time. As a result, there is a continual need for the development of new drugs to combat resistant disease in order to prolong patient life, if not to produce a cure. This review aims to summarize advances in targeting lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma through both cutting-edge and well established platforms. Current standard of treatment will be reviewed for these malignancies and emphasis will be made on new therapy development in the areas of antibody engineering, epigenetic small molecule inhibiting drugs, vaccine development, and chimeric antigen receptor cell engineering. In addition, platforms for the delivery of these and other drugs will be reviewed including antibody-drug conjugates, micro- and nanoparticles, and multimodal hydrogels. Lastly, we propose that tissue engineered constructs for hematological malignancies are the missing link in targeted drug discovery alongside mouse and patient-derived xenograft models.
Inversion recovery ultrashort echo time imaging of ultrashort T2 tissue components in ovine brain at 3 T: a sequential D2O exchange study

Inversion recovery ultrashort echo time (IR-UTE) imaging holds the potential to directly characterize MR signals from ultrashort T2 tissue components (STCs), such as collagen in cartilage and myelin in brain. The application of IR-UTE for myelin imaging has been challenging because of the high water content in brain and the possibility that the ultrashort T2 * signals are contaminated by water protons, including those associated with myelin sheaths. This study investigated such a possibility in an ovine brain D2 O exchange model and explored the potential of IR-UTE imaging for the quantification of ultrashort T2 * signals in both white and gray matter at 3 T. Six specimens were examined before and after sequential immersion in 99.9% D2 O. Long T2 MR signals were measured using a clinical proton density-weighted fast spin echo (PD-FSE) sequence. IR-UTE images were first acquired with different inversion times to determine the optimal inversion time to null the long T2 signals (TInull ). Then, at this TInull , images with echo times (TEs) of 0.01-4 ms were acquired to measure the T2 * values of STCs. The PD-FSE signal dropped to near zero after 24 h of immersion in D2 O. A wide range of TInull values were used at different time points (240-330 ms for white matter and 320-350 ms for gray matter at TR = 1000 ms) because the T1 values of the long T2 tissue components changed significantly. The T2 * values of STCs were 200-300 μs in both white and gray matter (comparable with the values obtained from myelin powder and its mixture with D2 O or H2 O), and showed minimal changes after sequential immersion. The ultrashort T2 * signals seen on IR-UTE images are unlikely to be from water protons as they are exchangeable with deuterons in D2 O. The source is more likely to be myelin itself in white matter, and might also be associated with other membranous structures in gray matter.
What Is Industrial Chemistry

Industrial chemistry is the manufacturing art concerned with the transformation of matter into useful materials in useful amounts. Usually this transformation of available materials into more desirable ones involves some kind of process following a recipe. In turn the process may involve grinding, mixing together various ingredients, dissolving, heating, allowing ingredients to interact (chemically or biochemically react forming new compositions of matter), cooling, evaporating or distilling, growing crystals, filtering, and other physical-chemical-biological operations.
MDL v. Trump

Litigation against the Trump Administration has proliferated rapidly since the inauguration. As cases challenging executive actions, such as the “travel ban,” multiply in federal courts around the country, an important procedural question has so far not been considered — Should these sets of cases be consolidated in a single court under the Multidistrict Litigation Act? Multidistrict litigation, or MDL, has become one of the most prominent parts of federal litigation and offers substantial benefits by coordinating litigation pending in geographically dispersed federal courts. Arguably, those benefits would also accrue if “public law” cases were given MDL treatment. There also are some underappreciated strategic reasons why both plaintiffs and the government might want to invoke the MDL process in these cases — and we suspect that, sooner rather than later, one of these parties might give MDL a try. In this Essay, we argue that although the MDL statute would allow for consolidation of these public law cases, there are prudential reasons why the judges in charge of MDL should stay their hands. In our view, these cases rarely achieve the efficiencies of most MDLs, and there is value to these cases undergoing scrutiny in multiple trial and appellate courts before they percolate upward to Supreme Court review. Moreover, consolidation of these cases would raise the political profile of the MDL process and thus might politicize the MDL itself as well as the selection of its judges. This politicization could undermine MDL’s primary role in mass tort litigation — and, indeed, it risks harming the national tort system more generally.
O31 Effectiveness of balance training and strength training protocols to improve functional clinical and patient-reported outcomes

Study Design Randomised Controlled Trial. Objectives Determine the effect of balance and strength training protocols on improving deficits in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Background Functional deficits arise following a lateral ankle sprain and individuals with CAI can experience long-term disability. Healthcare practitioners should use functional rehabilitation to improve these deficits. Methods and Measures Thirty-nine participants with CAI volunteered for this study. Identification of Functional Ankle Instability Questionnaire(IdFAI) determined CAI status. Participants were randomly assigned to: Balance Training Protocol(BTP), Strength Training Protocol(STP), and Control Group(CON). The BTP group completed hop-to-stabilisation balance training, the STP group completed resistance band and PNF strength protocol, and the CON group completed a bike workout. Participants completed training 3x/week for six weeks. Clinical outcome (Balance Error Scoring System(BESS), Star Excursion Balance Test(SEBT), and Side Hop Test(SHT)) and patient-reported outcome measures (Foot and Ankle Ability Measure Sport(FAAM-Sport) and Disablement of Physical Activity(DPA)) were evaluated prior to and following the 6 week training. Two multivariate repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted with follow-up univariate analyses. Results The MANOVA yielded a significant time by group interaction for the clinical measures(p 0.05) in any clinical outcome measure. No significant time-by-group interactions were identified when evaluating the MANOVA of the patient-reported outcomes(p=0.52). However, there was a significant main effect for time (p=0.001). Follow-up analyses revealed significant differences between the pre-test to posttest for the DPAS(p=0.02) and FAAM-Sport(p=0.001). Conclusion Both training protocols significantly improved balance and functional performance, but all groups improved patient-reported outcomes.
Terrorism as Disease: Beware of Misleading Metaphors

The author focuses on the misappropriation of medical terminology for metaphoric speech concerning terrorism and politics. He comments on how politicians would compare the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) to viruses while domestic terrorism would be described as a cancer. He mentions how this has negative repercussions including advocating the quarantine of migrants. He suggests that the public health community needs to step in and stop the use of disease metaphors in geopolitics.
Data integrity attack on consensns-based distributed energy management algorithm

Over the years, the well-known consensus algorithm has been widely applied to solve the energy management problems in a fully distributed manner, due to its scalability, robustness against communication failures and privacy protection features. However, this distributed approach is vulnerable to data integrity attack as there is no control center to monitor the correctness of the shared information. In this paper, we demonstrate how a malicious attacker could manipulate the energy schedule result by sending out false information and misleading other devices in the system. This attack can lead to extra economic benefit for the attacker, while causing financial loss to the social welfare. By revealing such potential financial risks, this paper conveys the message that besides the efforts of designing novel distributed energy management algorithms, it is equally important to protect the distributed energy management algorithms from possible malicious cyber-attacks. The proposed attack is illustrated in the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) system.
Electrocatalysts for the Oxidation of Small Organic Molecules in Alkaline Media

The development of the first practical alkaline anion exchange membrane approximately 10 years ago opened up direct liquid fuel cell research to alkaline media, allowing the use of a wider variety of less noble metal catalysts due to the decreased (or eliminated) corrosion compared to acid media. While Pt-based catalysts are used in many acid fuel cells, Pd has been found to efficiently oxidize various small organic molecules in alkaline media. Much recent progress has been made in the addition of various non-noble admetals and supports in order to improve the oxidation rates of important molecules such as: formate, ethanol, propanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and glycerol. Evidence of significant contributions from the electronic effect and bifunctional effect on catalyst efficiency will be explored, and practical comparisons of each molecule will be made.
Die Ausbildung der Wirtschaftler aus der Sicht der IBM Deutschland GmbH

Die IBM Deutschland war und ist ein groser Interessent an Absolventen der Hoch- und Fachhochschulen. Um eine genaue Zahl zu nennen: In unserem Hause sind gegenwartig etwa 1 800 Betriebswirte beschaftigt, und zwar in den verschiedensten Bereichen des Vertriebes und der Verwaltung sowie in der Produktion, Entwicklung und Forschung. Rund 1 000 — also mehr als die Halfte — dieser betriebswirtschaftlich ausgebildeten Mitarbeiter sind Fuhrungskrafte, wobei ihr Anteil in den einzelnen Fuhrungsebenen nahezu gleich ist.
Liver function tests in identifying patients with liver disease.

Background and aims Many patients with liver disease come to medical attention once they have advanced cirrhosis or acute decompensation. Most often, patients are screened for liver disease via liver function tests (LFTs). There is very limited published data evaluating laboratory values with biopsy-proven stages of hepatic fibrosis. We set out to evaluate whether any correlation exists between routine LFTs and stages of hepatic fibrosis. Methods A large retrospective observational study on 771 liver biopsies was conducted for evaluating the stage of fibrosis with AST, ALT, INR, BUN, creatinine, platelets, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, and albumin. Mean and 95% confidence intervals were used to describe the distributions of serum markers in different fibrosis stages. Multivariable generalized linear models were used and a two-tailed P-value was calculated. Results ALT was not statistically significant for any stage, and AST was statistically significant for stage 3 and 4 fibrosis. INR was statistically significant only in stage 4 disease but remained near the upper limit of normal range. Albumin failed to show a clinically relevant association. Platelets remained within normal laboratory range for all stages. The remaining laboratory values failed to show statistical and clinical significance. Conclusion The health care burden from chronic liver disease (CLD) will likely continue to rise, unless clinicians are made aware that normal or near normal laboratory findings may be seen in asymptomatic patients. Earlier identification of asymptomatic patients will allow for treatment with new promising modalities and decrease morbidity and mortality from CLD. Our study shows that laboratory values correlate poorly with liver disease.
Appropriateness of Beta-Lactam Allergy Record Updates After an Allergy Service Consult.

Background:Many patients with a self-reported penicillin allergy go on to tolerate beta-lactam antibiotics. Allergy specialists may be consulted to determine the nature and extent of the allergy. H...
Multifunctionality of particulate composites via cross-property maps

Closed-form analytical expressions for the effective electrical (thermal) conductivity and elastic moduli of a wide class of three-dimensional isotropic particulate composites (dispersions) for all phase contrasts and volume fractions have been previously formulated. These property estimates were extracted from exact strong-contrast expansions that incorporate complete microstructural information. In this paper, we employ these analytical expressions to derive and apply ``cross-property maps'' that connect combinations of pairs of the aforementioned effective transport and elastic properties to one another for a wide class of dispersions in which the inclusions can have different shapes and sizes and are spatially distributed in a matrix with varying degrees of order/disorder. We illustrate cross-property maps for a variety of cases (e.g., incompressible or compressible composites with conducting/insulating inclusions that may be rigid or compliant or auxetic) for high inclusion volume fractions. All of the cross-property maps that involve the effective conductivity translate immediately into equivalent results for the effective dielectric constant, magnetic permeability, or diffusion coefficient because they are mathematically analogous. We discuss an example that enables us to design a disordered dispersion with desired values of the effective dielectric constant and effective Young's modulus. Cross-property maps and their extensions will facilitate the rational design of particulate media with different desirable multifunctional characteristics. Moreover, our investigation has implications for the application of machine-learning and other data-driven approaches for multifunctional materials discovery.
Efecto de una dieta alta en grasa que contiene piñón de pino sobre el peso corporal y de órganos en ratas

Background: Pine nus have an outstanding nutritional value. Objective: To evaluate the effect of the intake of pine nuts on body and organ weight gain in rats fed a high fat diet. Materials and Methods: 24 male Sprague Dawley rats were fed control diet, high fat diet, or high fat with 2 % pine nuts, (n=8 per group). After 28 days the animals were weighed and killed, and mesenteric, retroperitoneal, inguinal, and epididimal fat pads were weighed as well as liver, kidneys, and heart. Results: The intake of high fat and high fat with 2 % pine nuts diets was similar and lower than fed control diet (p<0.05). Rats fed high fat with 2 % pine nuts exhibited higher weight gain and final body weight (p<0.05). The dietary efficiency of high fat and high fat with 2 % pine nuts diets were higher than fed control (p<0.05). The relative weights of liver, heart, kidneys and fat pads were similar in all groups. Conclusion: High fat intake generates higher body fat gain compared with an isocaloric control diet. High fat with 2% pine nuts diet did not affect body weight gain, relative organ weight, or fat pads weight compared with high fat diet.
Deconstructing networks, unearthing consensus: Diffusion of “cleaner” cookstoves in rural Himalayas of India

Both social structures and people’s beliefs affect the diffusion of innovations, but few studies have been able to understand how these dual influences operate simultaneously. Understanding this simultaneity is important because sustainable practices are influenced by the processes of social learning which build on individual interactions to become embedded in communities of practice. We combined social network and cultural consensus analyses to understand the diffusion of information on “cleaner” cookstoves in eight villages located within a micro-watershed of Kullu District in Himachal Pradesh, India. First, using social network analysis, we identified networks of information flow for three “cleaner” cookstoves: liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cookstoves, induction cookstoves, and Himanshu tandoors. Second, we identified key players in the cookstove information networks. Third, using cultural consensus method, we determined and compared the beliefs of the key and non-key players, as identified from the information networks. We found that information networks for selected cookstoves varied in structural measures of density and centrality. We also found that a local non-profit played a lead role in spreading information about selected “cleaner” cookstoves. There was a consensus among both key and non-key player groups regarding beliefs about selected cookstoves; however, non-key players had a higher agreement among themselves and fewer overlapping beliefs than key players. We also found that key players were not always users of the technology itself. This implies that key players, unlike opinion leaders, were not necessarily proponents of selected cookstoves but were able to spread information about them because of their position within the networks. We identified the mismatches in beliefs regarding “cleaner” cookstoves within a community. These mismatches reveal the differences in what people know and what they share through interactions within social networks, suggesting that communities of practice have yet to form. Because the formation of communities of practice has implications for how the adoption of sustainable technologies becomes routinized, we stress the need for more socio-cultural perspectives in diffusion studies.
Effect of New Fellowship Programs on Resident Case Volume in Pediatric Surgery.

Background The effect of subspecialty programs on associated general surgery programs is largely undocumented. This study examined the effect of new pediatric surgery fellowship (PSF) programs on the pediatric surgical experience of residents in the associated general surgery programs. Study Design Pediatric surgery fellowship programs established after 2002–2003 (earliest available ACGME caselogs) were identified. The number of pediatric surgery cases reported by each completing resident as surgeon in the associated general surgery programs from academic year (AY)2002–2003 to AY2016–2017 were recorded and examined before and after entry of the first fellow into associated pediatric surgery programs. Results Fifteen general surgery residency programs associated with new PSF programs were reviewed. First fellows entered the new PSF programs from 2002–2003 to 2013–2014. General surgery caselog availability before and after fellow matriculation varied accordingly. Data were available from 12 programs through the 5 years before matriculation of the first fellow into the associated PSF program. Over that time, the number of pediatric surgery cases performed by residents in those general surgery programs increased from 54.56 ± 2.98 to 68.71 ± 4.12 (p = 0.003). In 12 general surgery programs with resident caselogs available for the first 5 years after matriculation of the first fellow into the associated PSF programs, the mean number of resident pediatric surgery cases declined from 56.75(± 3.42) to 47.15(± 2.73) (p = 0.015). Conclusions Establishment of a new PSF program results in a significant decline in the pediatric surgery experience as surgeon for residents in the associated general surgery program. This outcome should be carefully weighed in the decision to establish a new PSF program.
A gradient reproducing kernel collocation method for high order differential equations

The High order Gradient Reproducing Kernel in conjunction with the Collocation Method (HGRKCM) is introduced for solutions of 2nd- and 4th-order PDEs. All the derivative approximations appearing in PDEs are constructed using the gradient reproducing kernels. Consequently, the computational cost for construction of derivative approximations reduces tremendously, basis functions for derivative approximations are smooth, and the accumulated error arising from calculating derivative approximations are controlled in comparison to the direct derivative counterparts. Furthermore, it is theoretically estimated and numerically tested that the same number of collocation points as the source points can be used to obtain the optimal solution in the HGRKCM. Overall, the HGRKCM is roughly 10–25 times faster than the conventional reproducing kernel collocation method. The convergence of the present method is estimated using the least squares functional equivalence. Numerical results are verified and compared with other strong-form-based and Galerkin-based methods.
Design of a thrombin resistant human acidic fibroblast growth factor (hFGF1) variant that exhibits enhanced cell proliferation activity.

Abstract Acidic fibroblast growth factors (FGF1s) are heparin binding proteins that regulate a wide array of key cellular processes and are also candidates for promising biomedical applications. FGF1-based therapeutic applications are currently limited due to their inherent thermal instability and susceptibility to proteases. Using a wide range of biophysical and biochemical techniques, we demonstrate that reversal of charge on a well-conserved positively charged amino acid, R136, in the heparin binding pocket drastically increases the resistance to proteases, thermal stability, and cell proliferation activity of the human acidic fibroblast growth factor (hFGF1). Two-dimensional NMR data suggest that the single point mutations at position-136 (R136G, R136L, R136Q, R136K, and R136E) did not perturb the backbone folding of hFGF1. Results of the differential scanning calorimetry experiments show that of all the designed R136 mutations only the charge reversal mutation, R136E, significantly increases (ΔTm = 7 °C) the thermal stability of the protein. Limited trypsin and thrombin digestion results reveal that the R136E mutation drastically increases the resistance of hFGF1 to the action of the serine proteases. Isothermal titration calorimetry data show that the R136E mutation markedly decreases the heparin binding affinity of hFGF1. Interestingly, despite lower heparin binding affinity, the cell proliferation activity of the R136E variant is more than double of that exhibited by either the wild type or the other R136 variants. The R136E variant due to its increased thermal stability, resistance to proteases, and enhanced cell proliferation activity are expected to provide valuable clues for the development of hFGF1- based therapeutics for the management of chronic diabetic wounds.
Abstract 081: Ghrelin is Produced by the Kidney and Mediates Distal Tubular Sodium Reabsorption in Rats

Ghrelin is a 28-amino acid peptide hormone that exerts powerful appetite-stimulating effects. Ghrelin receptor expression has been reported in the collecting duct, but the role of ghrelin in the ki...
A Shared Gesture and Positioning System for Smart Environments

Simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) describes a problem in applications such as robotics, self-driving vehicles, and unmanned aerial vehicles, of mapping an environment while simultaneously tracking agents and navigating within it. Existing research has focused on increasing the speed and quality of this mapping process, while reducing cost. In this paper we propose a simple framework for gathering location and gestural tracking of users via their mobile devices. We present an Internet of Things (IoT) framework for building creative environments with existing low-cost technologies. We will describe how to use this framework to design a shared gesture space. In this paper we focus on trying to solve an interfacing problem of interactive movement-based performances, where the audience watches performers, and interacting with the stage via embedded technology on stage/installation.
Hybrid Nonlinear Seismic Analysis of Bridges with Moving Traffic

AbstractOwing to current limitations on seismic forecasting, there is a high chance that a considerable number of vehicles will remain on bridges when an earthquake occurs. In traditional seismic a...
Detective Stories: An Aid for Mathematics and Reading.

ONE of the most difficult and yet useful skills that we teach is the skill of critical reading. Most educators believe that the lack of this skill keeps many students from developing their full educational po tential; teachers of mathematics would agree that students' lack of critical read ing skills is a major source of difficulty in trying to teach concepts and principles in mathematics. Since this skill is so im portant, not only in an educational setting but also in the everyday affairs of stu dents and people in general, we teachers should find ways of helping students ac quire it. The purpose of this article is to describe a technique that provides the opportunity for practice in critical read ing and, at the same time, generates a great deal of student interest. The technique is to use short detective stories on a regular basis in the classroom. The stories are purposely short (one to two minutes for the average reader) ; the students try to find clues that solve the mystery. Most students enjoy reading mystery stories and playing the role of detective. The thrill of trying to solve a mystery seems to be highly motivating for them.
Potential Problems Measuring Climate Sensitivity from the Historical Record

AbstractThis study investigates potential biases between equilibrium climate sensitivity inferred from warming over the historical period (ECShist) and the climate system’s true ECS (ECStrue). This...
How repeatable is CTmax within individual brook trout over short- and long-time intervals?

Abstract As stream temperatures increase due to factors such as heated runoff from impervious surfaces, deforestation, and climate change, fish species adapted to cold water streams are forced to move to more suitable habitat, acclimate or adapt to increased thermal regimes, or die. To estimate the potential for adaptation, a (within individual) repeatable metric of thermal tolerance is imperative. Critical thermal maximum (CTmax) is a dynamic test that is widely used to measure thermal tolerance across many taxa and has been used in fishes for decades, but its repeatability in most species is unknown. CTmax tests increase water temperature steadily over time until loss of equilibrium (LOE) is achieved. To determine if CTmax is a consistent metric within individual fish, we measured CTmax on the same lab-held individually-marked adult brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis at three different times (August & September 2016, September 2017). We found that CTmax is a repeatable trait (Repeatability ± S.E.: 0.48 ± 0.14). CTmax of individuals males was consistent over time, but the CTmax of females increased slightly over time. This result indicates that CTmax is a robust, repeatable estimate of thermal tolerance in a cold-water adapted fish.
Assessment of Resident Performance During the Cardiac Anesthesia Rotation: Application of the House Officer Clinical Assessment in Cardiac Anesthesiology

Objective The assessment of clinical skills was created that evaluates House Officer performance within 13 clinical domains during the Cardiac Anesthesiology rotation to provide an assessment and evaluation process for residents while performing a cardiac anesthetic. Design A retrospective evaluation of performance assessments over a 33-month period. Setting University hospital-based Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited Residency Training program. Participants Anesthesiology house officers within the Department Residency Program. Interventions This House Officer Clinical Assessment was created and implemented as residents rotated through the cardiac anesthesia service. Scores in 13 domain-specific components from this assessment were collected after the attending-resident debrief. Measurements and Main Results Most scores were found to be sufficient to suggest competency, and the evaluation allowed for a more detailed approach to assessment and feedback. The most common aspects of the case in which the residents showed reduced performance and proficiency were the transition off cardiopulmonary bypass and the performance of the transesophageal echocardiogram. Overall, the resident survey showed a positive response to the assessment and the feedback provided during the post-examination debrief. Conclusion The House Officer Clinical Assessment in Cardiac Anesthesiology allows for a more objective assessment of performance for specific portions of the case and allows for improved feedback on performance. Aspects of the evaluation tool and where residents correlate with the Anesthesiology Milestones for residency are discussed, as well as the ability to determine sufficient proficiency with knowledge and skills over the use of subjective rank to determine competency.
Biosynthetic origin of benzoquinones in the explosive discharge of the bombardier beetle Brachinus elongatulus

Bombardier beetles are well-known for their remarkable defensive mechanism. Their defensive apparatus consists of two compartments known as the reservoir and the reaction chamber. When challenged, muscles surrounding the reservoir contract sending chemical precursors into the reaction chamber where they mix with enzymes resulting in an explosive discharge of a hot noxious chemical spray containing two major quinones: 1,4-benzoquinone and 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone (toluquinone). Previously, it has been speculated that the biosynthesis of all benzoquinones originates from one core precursor, 1,4-hydroquinone. Careful ligation of the base of the reservoir chamber enabled us to prevent the explosive reaction and sample untransformed reservoir fluid, which showed that it accumulates significant quantities of 1,4-hydroquinone and 2-methyl-1,4-hydroquinone. We investigated the biosynthetic mechanisms leading to quinone formation by injecting or feeding Brachinus elongatulus beetles with stable-isotope-labeled precursors. Chemical analysis of defensive secretion samples obtained from 1,4-hydroquinone-d6-administered beetles demonstrated that it underwent conversion specifically to 1,4-benzoquinone. Analogously, results from m-cresol-d8 injected or fed beetles confirmed that m-cresol is metabolized to 2-methyl-1,4-hydroquinone, which is then oxidized to 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone in the hot spray. Our results refute the previous claim that 1,4-hydroquinone is the precursor of all substituted benzoquinones in bombardier beetles and reveal that they are biosynthetic products of two independent pathways. Most likely, the aforementioned biosynthetic channel of hydroxylation of appropriate phenolic precursors and subsequent oxidation is not restricted to bombardier beetles; it could well be a general pathway that leads to the formation of all congeners of benzoquinones, one of the most widely distributed groups of defensive compounds in arthropods. Graphical abstract.
Evaluating the Impact of the Post-9/11 GI Bill on College Enrollment for Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities:

Background/ContextThe Post-9/11 GI Bill has provided educational benefits to millions of military service members and veterans since its adoption in August 2009. Recent studies indicate that the bi...
Quantification of Root Gravitropic Response Using a Constant Stimulus Feedback System

Numerous software packages now exist for quantifying root growth responses, most of which analyze a time resolved sequence of images ex post facto. However, few allow for the real-time analysis of growth responses. The system in routine use in our lab allows for real-time growth analysis and couples this to positional feedback to control the stimulus experienced by the responding root. This combination allows us to overcome one of the confounding variables in studies of root gravity response. Seedlings are grown on standard petri plates attached to a vertical rotating stage and imaged using infrared illumination. The angle of a particular region of the root is determined by image analysis, compared to the prescribed angle, and any corrections in positioning are made by controlling a stepper motor. The system allows for the long-term stimulation of a root at a constant angle and yields insights into the gravity perception and transduction machinery not possible with other approaches.
Dominant takeover regimes for genetic algorithms

The genetic algorithm (GA) is a machine-based optimization routine which connects evolutionary learning to natural genetic laws [1–2]. The present work addresses the problem of obtaining the dominant takeover regimes in the GA dynamics. Estimated GA run times are computed for slow and fast convergence in the limits of high and low fitness ratios. Using Euler’s device for obtaining partial sums in closed forms, the result relaxes the previously held requirements for long time limits. Analytical solutions reveal that appropriately accelerated regimes can mark the ascendancy of the most fit solution. In virtually all cases, the weak (logarithmic) dependence of convergence time on problem size demonstrates the potential for the GA to solve large N-P complete problems.
Evidence-Based Practice with Children and Adolescents Coping with Abuse and Neglect

This chapter discusses the staggering numbers of abused children in United States, the causes of abuse, and best evidence for the assessment and treatment of abused children. The chapter notes that even abused resilient children who do well on many behaviorally oriented measures sometimes suffer negative emotional consequences including depression and low self-esteem. Concern is raised for the limited amount of knowledge at present on effective treatment approaches for abused and neglected children. A case study describes treatment with a severely abused child.