cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relictual Amphibians and Old-Growth Forests

Terrestrial and aquatic herpetofauna were sam- pled by pitfall traps, time-constrained searches, and area- constrained searches (stream sites only) over a three-year period to examine the importance of forest age to amphibi- ans and reptiles. Fifty-four terrestrial and 39 aquatic sites in Douglas-fir-dominated, mixed evergreen forests were lo- cated in southwestern Oregon and northwestern California Mean age of trees on sites ranged in age from 30 to 560 years. Thirty-one species of amphibians and reptiles were detected from the 93 localities. Only three species were found prima- rily on older forest sites: the Del Norte salamander (Ple- thodon elongatus), the Olympic salamander (Rhyacotriton olympicus), and the tailed frog (Ascaphus truei). Paleoeco- logic evidence indicates an historical association between these three amphibians and the extant elements of ancient primeval coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. The life histories and habitat requirements of these species suggest that these forms are scarce in younger forests because the microclimatic and microhabitat conditions they require generally exist only in older forests. The long-term viability of these species in northern California and southern Oregon may depend upon developing forestry practices that protect these critical microclimates and microhabitats.
Microbial biosensor for p-nitrophenol using Moraxella sp.

Abstract A novel microbial biosensor/electrode for highly selective, sensitive and rapid quantitative determination of p -nitrophenol (PNP) was developed using PNP-degrading organisms immobilized in a membrane on a dissolved oxygen electrode. Moraxella sp. specifically oxidizes PNP while consuming oxygen. A change in oxygen concentration was determined by a Clark oxygen electrode and correlated to the PNP concentration. The sensor signal and response time were optimized with respect to the buffer pH, temperature, time of cell growth and weight of cells immobilized. The best sensitivity and response time were obtained using a sensor constructed with 0.3 mg of cells and operating in pH 7.5, 20 mM phosphate buffer. Using these conditions, the biosensor was used to measure as low as 14 ppb (0.1 μM) of PNP extremely selectively without interference from structurally similar compounds, such as phenol, nitrophenols and chlorophenols. The biosensor had very good storage and multiple use stability when stored in the operating buffer at 4 °C.
VUV laser plasma formation and microwave agile mirror/absorber

Summary form only given. Agile microwave reflectors are of interest as potential replacements for large phased arrays on mobile crafts. Microwave reflection from an VUV(/spl lambda/=193 nm) excimer laser produced plasma (W=20 mJ, /spl tau/=17 ns) in an organic gas (TMAE: tetrakis-dimethylamino-ethylene) contained in a 22 mm/spl times/7 mm rectangular column, has been demonstrated. This work investigates the reflection of X-band microwaves at normal and oblique incidences by a planar TMAE sheet of dimensions: 9 cm W/spl times/2-7 mm H/spl times/10-20 cm L, produced by the same excimer laser. Suprasil VUV coated (96% transparent) lenses are used to generate the sheet laser beam profile. Both triple probes and reference probes are used to determine the 3-D laser produced plasma density and temperature profiles, at TMAE neutral pressures in the 25-150 mTorr range. The plasma diffusion during its lifetime is very small. Densities and temperatures in the ranges of n=5/spl times/10/sup 12/-2/spl times/10/sup 13/ cm/sup -3/ and T/sub e/=0.5-0.7 eV are obtained. An examination of the microwave reflection is carried out using X-band horns and rectangular guide apertures. The amplitude and phase of the transmitted and reflected microwave signals are measured using both homodyne and heterodyne systems with hybrid-tee mixers. A time history of the plasma and temperature density is obtained with Langmuir probes and compared with. a measurement based on microwave transmission through the plasma. Reflected and transmitted signals are compared with those from an aluminum sheet of the same dimensions as the plasma. Future plans for the agile mirror reflector and absorber are discussed.
Feeding decisions of eastern bluebirds are situationally influenced by fledgling plumage color

The relative amount of resources that avian parents provide to individual offspring within a brood represents a strategy that can have large effects on reproductive success. We tested whether parental feeding decisions of eastern bluebirds Sialia sialis are influenced by offspring plumage color by presenting pairs of differently colored fledglings side by side and observing how they were provisioned by parents. After a control period, we manipulated blue plumage color so that one sibling in each trial became relatively dark and one became relatively bright. During neither the control nor the experimental periods did either parent consistently feed naturally brighter or experimentally brightened sons more than drab sons. Under specific circumstances, however, both parents directed a higher proportion of their feeding attempts to more brightly colored sons. Paternal feeding attempts to brighter offspring during both the control and experimental periods increased in relation to the brightness of these fledglings relative to their brothers. Maternal feeding decision, on the other hand, were influenced by numerous variables during control and experimental periods including the date of the trial, the difference in mass between fledglings, the feeding behavior of fathers during the trial, the relative investment by fathers during the nestling stage, and the amount of UV chroma in fledgling plumage. Taken together, these results suggest that equal provisioning of offspring is the strategy most commonly adopted by eastern bluebirds but more brightly colored offspring will be fed preferentially when resources for offspring are limited.
Basic Emotions and the Rocks of New Hampshire

This article describes James’s distaste for taxonomic classification of emotion and argues that he would not have been pleased by current scholarship which still focuses on the definition and classification of discrete emotions, distracting scholars from more fundamental underlying processes. I argue that as in James’s time, current taxonomies are still arbitrary and still constrain the kinds of questions psychologists ask.
Efficient image-dependent object shape coding

We present a new shape coding algorithm, which differs from previous algorithms in that both the coding and decoding are dependent on the image in which the object is defined. This way, the correlation between image and shape is removed and shape coding efficiency is improved on average by 3 times over the state-of-the-art algorithms.
Preparing Head Start Personnel to Use a Curriculum-Based Assessment An Innovative Practice in the “Age of Accountability”

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate technical assistance and training of Head Start teachers and assistant teachers on the use of a contemporary curriculum-based assessment. A descrip...
Weak ventral striatal responses to monetary outcomes predict an unwillingness to resist cigarette smoking

As a group, cigarette smokers exhibit blunted subjective, behavioral, and neurobiological responses to nondrug incentives and rewards, relative to nonsmokers. Findings from recent studies suggest, however, that there are large individual differences in the devaluation of nondrug rewards among smokers. Moreover, this variability appears to have significant clinical implications, since reduced sensitivity to nondrug rewards is associated with poorer smoking cessation outcomes. Currently, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie these individual differences in the responsiveness to nondrug rewards. Here, we tested the hypothesis that individual variability in reward devaluation among smokers is linked to the functioning of the striatum. Specifically, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine variability in the neural response to monetary outcomes in nicotine-deprived smokers anticipating an opportunity to smoke—circumstances found to heighten the devaluation of nondrug rewards by smokers in prior work. We also investigated whether individual differences in reward-related brain activity in those expecting to have access to cigarettes were associated with the degree to which the same individuals subsequently were willing to resist smoking in order to earn additional money. Our key finding was that deprived smokers who exhibited the weakest response to rewards (i.e., monetary gains) in the ventral striatum were least willing to refrain from smoking for monetary reinforcement. These results provide evidence that outcome-related signals in the ventral striatum serve as a marker for clinically meaningful individual differences in reward-motivated behavior among nicotine-deprived smokers.
Reading the Ventriloquist's Lips: The Performance Genre behind the Metaphor

Ventriloquist performance foregrounds “voice” as the mark of an identity that is always under construction.
Cosmopolitan Republicanism: Citizenship, Freedom and Global Political Authority

Cosmopolitanism and republicanism are both inherently political ideals. In most discussions, they are taken to have contrasting, if not conflicting, normative aspirations (Sandel 1996, Miller 1998). Cos mopolitanism is "thin" and abstractly universal, unable to articulate the basis for a "thick" citizenship in a republican political community. This commonly accepted way of dividing up the conceptual and political terrain is, however, increasingly misleading in the age of the global trans formation of political authority. Rather than centered on community, republicanism is in the first instance an ideal of political liberty in terms of which one is free to the extent that one is not subordinated to others. To be free is not to live under the power of some master, but rather to live as an equal in "a free state" (Skinner 1995, 25). According to the republican ideal of freedom, the purpose of the political community is to maintain and promote the equal freedom of its citizens in this sense (Skinner 1997; Pettit, 1997). Hardly a community in either the universalist or the partic ularist sense, the international society of states at best satisfies Berlin's demand for a "maximum degree of noninterference compatible with the minimum demands of social life" (Berlin 1969, 161). As an ideal of proper political order, cosmpolitanism is subject to a variety of interpretations. Cosmopolitanism could seek to protect the rights of individuals or to maximize the freedom of sovereign states to act as their citizens would choose. As opposed to such moral and liberal inter pretations, cosmopolitanism is now perhaps better understood as an ideal of citizenship, particularly if it is understood in light of the republican ideal of self-governance and freedom from tyranny. What it means to be "a citizen of the world" would then be open to a variety of different inter pretations of the democratic ideal, including a republican one in which
Robust Control of a 3-DOF Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle*

We present in this paper preliminary results on control design and stability analysis for robust set-point control of a apping wing MAV. The case considered in this work, namely control of a 3-DOF MAV model in the longitudinal plane, is meant to illustrate some of the speci c issues arising with the control of apping-wing MAVs, which stem from the peculiar characteristics of the actuation mechanism. In particular, two forms of actuation are employed in the model considered herein: (i) variable wing-beat frequency and (ii) variable stroke plane angle, resulting in an under-actuated model. The main purpose of the paper is to set a rigorous framework in which results from averaging theory and stabilization by bounded feedback can be e ectively combined for the design of a controller of xed structure (hence, easily implementable) that provides robust set-point control for the vehicle position in the longitudinal plane.
Electrochemical Synthesis of Spinel Type ZnCo2O4 Electrodes for Use as Oxygen Evolution Reaction Catalysts

A new electrochemical synthesis route was developed to prepare spinel-type ZnCo2O4 and Co3O4 as high quality thin film-type electrodes for use as electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Whereas Co3O4 contains Co2+ in the tetrahedral sites and Co3+ in the octahedral sites in the spinel structure, ZnCo2O4 contains only Co3+ in the octahedral sites; Co2+ in the tetrahedral sites is replaced by Zn2+. Therefore, by comparing the catalytic properties of ZnCo2O4 and Co3O4 electrodes prepared with comparable surface morphologies and thicknesses, it was possible to examine whether Co2+ in Co3O4 is catalytically active for OER. The electrocatalytic properties of ZnCo2O4 and Co3O4 for OER in both 1 M KOH (pH 13.8) and 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7) solutions were investigated and compared. The results suggest that the Co2+ in Co3O4 is not catalytically critical for OER and ZnCo2O4 can be a more economical and environmentally benign replacement for Co3O4 as an OER catalyst.
Mutagenesis studies of the 14 Å internal cavity of histone deacetylase 1: insights toward the acetate-escape hypothesis and selective inhibitor design.

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) proteins are promising targets for cancer treatment, as shown by the approval of two HDAC inhibitors for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. HDAC1 in particular has been linked to cell growth and cell cycle regulation and is therefore an attractive target for anticancer drugs. The HDAC1 active site contains a hydrophobic 11 A active-site channel, with a 14 A internal cavity at the bottom of the active site. Several computational and biochemical studies have proposed an acetate-escape hypothesis where the acetate byproduct of the deacetylation reaction escapes via the 14 A internal cavity. Selective HDAC inhibitors that bind to the 14 A cavity have also been created. To understand the influence of amino acids lining the HDAC1 14 A cavity in acetate escape and inhibitor binding, we used mutagenesis coupled with acetate competition assays. The results indicate that amino acids lining the 14 A cavity are critical for catalytic activity and acetate competition, confirming the...
Effects of 3-(o-Toloxy)-Propane-1,2-Diol (Mephenesin) on Sodium, Potassium, and Water Content of Frog Skeletal Muscle

SummaryMephenesin in concentrations up to 0.3% caused no change in the swelling resulting from immersion in high-potassium Ringers. Mephenesin at a concentration of 0.3%, but not at 0.1%, caused a large, reversible increase in swelling resulting from immersion in sodiumpoor, hypotonic Ringers. This relatively high drug concentration also caused a 20% loss of muscle potassium both in regular Ringers and in hypotonic, sodium-poor Ringers. These changes are thought to be related to muscle contraction produced by Mephenesin. Confirming results of similar experiments by Fenn (7), the procedure of disturbing or handling muscles at intervals throughout an experiment was seen to result in muscle weight gain, a small sodium increase, and little alteration of potassium content; this process was intensified by Mephenesin.
Emotion regulation training to reduce problematic dietary restriction: An experimental analysis.

Evidence suggests that emotion regulation may be a process relevant to problematic dietary restriction. However, emotion regulation has not been evaluated as an intervention target across a range of restriction severity. This study utilized an experimental design to examine whether targeting emotion regulation reduced problematic dietary restriction. Within a self-identified restrictive sample (n = 72), the effects of an emotion regulation condition (i.e., emotion regulation training) were compared to those of a control condition (i.e., nutrition information training) on dietary restriction indices (i.e., effort to reduce intake on a progressive ratio task, work towards an alternate reinforcer on a progressive ratio task, intake by dietary recall) following a stressor. Exploratory analyses of potential moderators (i.e., restraint, BMI, binge eating and purging status, emotion regulation difficulties) were conducted to examine whether these factors affected the impact of training on dietary restriction. No significant main effects of condition were detected on any outcome measure. However, results were moderated by BMI status. Participants with lower BMIs exerted less effort towards dietary restriction following the emotion regulation condition versus the control condition (p = 0.02). Results suggest that targeting emotion regulation may help to reduce problematic dietary restriction among lower weight individuals.
Research on Simulation Optimization Method of Reactive Power Compensation for 10kV Distribution Network

The capacitor grouping methods of pole-mounted reactive power compensation device on distribution lines are investigated in this paper. According to reactive power status of an island distribution network and in consideration of switching accuracy and economic factors, this paper optimizes capacitor capacity grouping of pole-mounted reactive power compensation device, and it simulates and analyzes the optimized grouping using SIMULINK simulation. Finally, a switching scheme based on grouping optimization is formed.
Reading with John Clare: Biopoetics, Sovereignty, Romanticism; New Essays on John Clare: Poetry, Culture and Community

As John Clare's relevance to Romantic studies grows to the extent that any book review of Clare criticism does not need to begin with the argument that the book or books being reviewed make the cas...
Erratum: “Multi-point, high-speed passive ion velocity distribution diagnostic on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment” [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 10D516 (2012)]

This article corrects an error in M.G. Burke et al., 'Multi-point, high-speed passive ion velocity distribution diagnostic on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment,' Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 10D516 (2012) pertaining to ion temperature. The conclusions of this paper are not altered by the revised ion temperature measurements.
Successful customer intercept interview recruitment outside small and midsize urban food retailers.

Customer intercept interviews are increasingly used to characterize food purchases at retail food outlets and restaurants; however, methodological procedures, logistical issues and response rates using intercept methods are not well described in the food environment literature. The aims of this manuscript were to 1) describe the development and implementation of a customer intercept interview protocol in a large, NIH-funded study assessing food purchases in small and midsize food retailers in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, 2) describe intercept interview response rates by store type and environmental factors (e.g., neighborhood socioeconomic status, day/time, weather), and 3) compare demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity) of participants versus non-participants. After a pilot phase involving 28 stores, a total of 616 interviews were collected from customers exiting 128 stores in fall 2014. The number of eligible customers encountered per hour (a measure of store traffic), participants successfully recruited per hour, and response rates were calculated overall and by store type, neighborhood socio-economic status, day and time of data collection, and weather. Response rates by store type, neighborhood socio-economic status, time and day of data collection, and weather, and characteristics of participants and non-participants were compared using chi-square tests. The overall response rate was 35 %, with significantly higher response rates at corner/small grocery stores (47 %) and dollar stores (46 %) compared to food-gas marts (32 %) and pharmacies (26 %), and for data collection between 4:00–6:00 pm on weekdays (40 %) compared to weekends (32 %). The distribution of race/ethnicity, but not gender, differed between participants and non-participants (p < 0.01), with greater participation rates among those identified as Black versus White. Customer intercept interviews can be successfully used to recruit diverse samples of customers at small and midsize food retailers. Future community-based studies using customer intercept interviews should collect data sufficient to report response rates and consider potential differences between the racial/ethnic composition of the recruited sample and the target population.
Detecting vortex formation and sheddingincylinder wakesusing Lagrangian coherent structures

The wake behind a circular cylinder is studied to investigate the complex vortex shedding physics in the near-wake region. Both the Q criterion and a Lagrangian coherent structure analysis are applied to flowfields acquired from a numerical simulation, as well as from experimental particle image velocimetry to determine the properties of the wake. A rate-of-strain filter is applied to the finite-time Lyapunov exponent field to filter out ridges corresponding to local shear, and yields ridges along which fluid trajectories separate hyperbolically. This strain filter reveals a sudden loss of hyperbolicity along a Lagrangian coherent structure as a new vortex begins to form. The Lagrangian coherent structures are also shown to identify and track topological Lagrangian saddle points in the cylinder near wake. This information characterizes the behavior of the vortices as they form, shed, and convect downstream. In particular, a Lagrangian saddle point is observed to remain attached to the cylinder surface unt...
Pareto-Optimal Aircraft Technology Study for Environmental Benefits with Multi-Objective Optimization

The composition of an aircraft technology portfolio in response to environmental impact goals is of paramount importance for present and future aeronautics. Characteristics of the portfolio selecti...
Invading public spaces: Exploring the effects of media type and social prompts on learning outcomes in an interactive environment

A 2 × 2, fully-crossed, quasi-experimental design was employed to determine if type of media (rich media vs. lean media) and social prompting (presence of prompts vs. absence of prompts) would diff...
Rehabilitative Principles in the Management of Thoracolumbar Syndrome: A Case Report.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this case report was to describe the chiropractic management of thoracolumbar syndrome using multimodal therapies. Clinical Features A 33-year-old woman with 3 weeks of back pain presented to a chiropractic clinic. Nerve tension tests and local tenderness were present in a pattern described by Maigne, and she was diagnosed with thoracolumbar syndrome (Maigne syndrome) at her initial visit. Intervention and Outcomes The Oswestry Disability Index for low back pain (62%), STarT low back screen tool for clinical outcomes (6 points total, with a 2-point subscale), numeric pain rating scale (6/10 constant, 10/10 with provocation), and test-retest exercise audits were outcome measures. She received 3 treatment sessions, each with progressive exercise audits, and discharged with advice. At discharge, the patient scores substantially improved (Oswestry Disability Index: 8%, STarT: 1 point total, numeric pain rating scale: 1/10, 10% of the time), and she exhibited greater confidence in home care. Endurance tests were performed to establish baselines for future care, which included static back endurance test (timed 52 seconds) and side bridge endurance test (timed 43 seconds). Conclusion The patient responded positively to chiropractic care. After a short course of care, the patient reported reduced pain, alleviated symptoms, and improved physical function.
Allocating Patent Rights Between Earlier and Later Inventions

CHARLES W. ADAMS* INTRODUCTION 56 I. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF BLOCKING PATENTS 65 II. THE ENABLEMENT, WRITTEN DESCRIPTION, AND NONOBVIOUSNESS REQUIREMENTS 71 III. THE POLYPROPYLENE LITIGATION 82 A. The Chemistry of Polypropylene 82 B. The Natta Patent 85 C. The Hogan and Banks Patent 87 D. In re Hogan 92 E. Enforcement of the Hogan and Banks Patent 98 IV. RECENT FEDERAL CIRCUIT CASE LAW 102 CONCLUSION 111
A Business Case Approach to Usability Cost Justification for the Web

Publisher Summary This chapter explains cost-benefit analysis of usability engineering and encourages professionals to consider this matter as a part of their daily work. Methods and guidelines for these analyses exist and have been used for a number of years to track the cost-benefits of usability engineering in traditional application and hardware development. These methods are now being extended to project planning and to track applications for websites to develop more accurate measures of the human factors contributing to the success of these development projects and their organizations. Usability engineering of web applications involves new complexity in designing, with an understanding of multi-channel access, trust, and privacy protection for customers and the identification and design for customer value on the web in this context. Development teams working on either internal or external web applications as well as other forms of software and hardware can reap many benefits for themselves, their organizations, and the organization's customers, clients, or constituents through attention to usability engineering cost-benefit data and the appropriate use of human factors resource on development projects.
Book Review: The Legal Thriller from Gardner to Grisham

Book Review: Sauerberg, Lars Ole. The Legal Thriller from Gardner to Grisham (Palgrave, 2016). Reviewed in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books.
Variations in incidence, overall survival, and cytogenetic risk in patients of white and Korean ethnicity with acute myeloid leukemia in the United States.

e18516Background: Cancer outcomes, including in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) may vary by ethnic background. Korean AML patients have been reported to have a lower incidence of certain mutations, su...
Global Political Economy and Regionalization: Four Paradigmatic Views

Any explanation of regionalization is based on a worldview. The premise of this book is that any worldview can be associated with one of the four broad paradigms: functionalist, interpretive, radical humanist, and radical structuralist. This chapter takes the case of regionalization and discusses it from the four different viewpoints. It emphasizes that the four views expressed are equally scientific and informative; they look at the phenomenon from their certain paradigmatic viewpoint; and together they provide a more balanced understanding of the phenomenon under consideration.
Making the Case for Results-Based Accountability as an Intervention for Chronic Absenteeism in Schools to Improve Attendance:

Chronic absenteeism has been indicated to put over 6 million students at the risk of numerous negative short- and long-term outcomes, such as academic failure, dropping out of school, long-term hea...
Promoting Self-Awareness: An Undergraduate In-Class Activity and Its Value.

Self-awareness is important in social work education because it promotes knowledge, skill, and value development. However, little is written about the ways in which educators facilitate this proces...
Laminar stability and heat transport in high aspect ratio planar confined impinging flows

Abstract We consider two-dimensional flow and heat transfer in a high aspect ratio ( e = 10 ) laminar confined impinging flow and show that unsteadiness occurs as a result of the bifurcation of the steady flow to an unstable branch of solutions. Our calculations reveal that the steady flow field displays hysteresis over a wide range of Reynolds numbers, Δ Re ∼ 40 , wherein the location of the reattachment point R P of the primary separation vortex is multi-valued. Linear stability analysis of the bifurcation branches leads to the conclusion that the upper branch corresponding to the larger value of R P is unstable. These steady flow bifurcation and stability results allow us to describe the details of the transition to unsteady flow previously observed for Re > 130 . We use the bifurcation results to quantify the associated hysteresis in steady wall jet heat transfer at the impinging surface. For two Reynolds numbers on either side of the bifurcation point corresponding to the jump from the stable to the unstable branch we compute the leading stability eigenmodes and the associated temperature modes. Due to the loss of flow stability on the upper branch the structure of the temperature modes is significantly different on the lower and upper branches. Consequently, perturbation Nusselt number profiles corresponding to the temperature modes on the two branches also show structural differences between these two Reynolds numbers. The comparison highlights the antisymmetric character of the temperature mode and perturbation Nusselt number corresponding to the unstable velocity mode on the upper branch, and the consequent asymmetry of the perturbed Nusselt number profile.
Pay Attention, Please: Formal Language Improves Attention in Volunteer and Paid Online Experiments

Participant engagement in online studies is key to collecting reliable data, yet achieving it remains an often discussed challenge in the research community. One factor that might impact engagement is the formality of language used to communicate with participants throughout the study. Prior work has found that language formality can convey social cues and power hierarchies, affecting people's responses and actions. We explore how formality influences engagement, measured by attention, dropout, time spent on the study and participant performance, in an online study with 369 participants on Mechanical Turk (paid) and LabintheWild (volunteer). Formal language improves participant attention compared to using casual language in both paid and volunteer conditions, but does not affect dropout, time spent, or participant performance. We suggest using more formal language in studies containing complex tasks where fully reading instructions is especially important. We also highlight trade-offs that different recruitment incentives provide in online experimentation.
Syntheses of type-I porphyrins via monopyrrole tetramerization

Abstract Treatment of 2-[(N,N-dialkylamino)methyl]pyrrole-5-carboxylic acids (e.g. 10,12 or 11,13) in methanol with K3Fe(CN)6 gives type-I porphyrins (etioporphyrin-I 7, coproporphyrin-I tetramethyl ester 16, respectively); with pyrroles 10,12 the product 7 is contaminated with about 8% of other type-isomer(s).
Frontier and Future Directions

In this book, we have introduced the current research works on broad learning and its applications on online social networks. This book has covered 4 main parts, where the first 3 parts include 6 main research directions about broad learning based social network mining problems, including (1) network alignment, (2) link prediction, (3) community detection, (4) information diffusion, (5) viral marketing, and (6) network embedding. These problems introduced in this book are all very important for many concrete real-world social network applications and services. A number of state-of-the-art algorithms have been proposed to solve these problems, which are introduced in great detail in this book. Broad learning is a very promising research area, and several potential future development directions about broad learning will be illustrated in the following sections.
Defensive Medicine: A Case and Review of Its Status and Possible Solutions.

Malpractice liability systems exist, in part, to provide compensation for medical malpractice, corrective justice for those injured by it, and to incentivize quality care by punishing substandard care. Defensive medicine is loosely defined as practice based primarily on the fear of litigation rather than on expected patient outcomes. It is largely motivated by a physician’s belief that the malpractice system is unfair, slow, and ineffective; these perceptions make malpractice concerns one of the largest physician stressors. A physician’s perception of malpractice rarely correlates with the stringency of their state’s tort system, overestimates their own risk, and overestimates the cost of defensive practices. While estimates are difficult to make, defensive medicine likely only accounts for 2.8% of total healthcare expenses. The phrase “tort reform” has been frequently used to suggest fixes to the malpractice system and to defensive practices. Safe harbors, clinical practice guidelines, comparative fault reform, reducing plaintiff attorney fees, and apology laws have each been evaluated as potential remedies to defensive practice, although most are unproven and all must be deployed in a state-by-state approach.
Incentivizing the Opposition: The EU’s Impact on Good Governance in Central and Eastern Europe

Under what conditions does the European Union (EU) promote good governance? Focusing on the EU members in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), I present the first systematic analysis in the literature based on longitudinal data suggesting state performance varies across two indicators of governance: While there has been a general trend of backsliding in corruption control since EU accession, various time series analyses reveal no such tendency regarding ethnic minority rights. I argue that the EU has the ability to offer electoral incentives/opportunities to opposition parties in national legislatures to adopt pro-EU policy preferences, which pressures government parties to implement reforms demanded by the EU. Several statistical models suggest that such political leverage the EU has over national governments is a stronger explanation for the cross-issue variation than any other alternative in the literature including the popular ‘membership conditionality’ argument. More specifically, prior to membership, the EU offers electoral incentives to opposition parties in CEE and mobilizes them to pressure governments to fight corruption. Yet, following accession, parties move away from EU-induced policies. Regarding minority protection, pro-minority opposition parties empowered by the EU during candidacy continue to favor pro-minority policies after accession and push governments accordingly.
A computed tomographic graphical approach to guide correction of femoral torsion.

OBJECTIVE To report geometric methods to assess femoral transverse bone morphology and develop a virtual method to guide the surgical correction of femoral torsional deformities. STUDY DESIGN Observational study. SAMPLE POPULATION Sixteen client-owned dogs comprising 14 normal femurs and 14 femurs with angulation-rotation bone deformities. METHODS Femoral torsion angle was measured with computed tomographic (CT) three-dimensional (3D) multiplanar reconstruction. Distal femoral transverse morphology was estimated with geometric methods and compared to direct measurements to span a target 20° angle on 3D reconstructions. A virtual correction of 20° was performed, and 3D-printed bone models were created. Femoral torsion of corrected bone models was compared to precorrection. RESULTS Geometric estimates with an arc and chord of the metaphyseal area and chord of a best fit circle did not differ from direct measurement of femoral cortical length along the cranial cortex. Femoral torsion differed between normal femurs (25.8° ± 6°) and those with deformity (36.9° ± 8.4°, P < .001). Torsion that was measured on corrected 3D bone models did not differ from the expected torsion (preoperative +20°). CONCLUSION Geometric methods provided an accurate estimate of distal femoral transverse bone morphology. Rotation of the distal femur based on geometric methods resulted in an accurate correction of torsion. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Femoral bone diameter can be measured on a CT cross-section, and rotation distance can be calculated to achieve a desired correction of torsion. This approach provides a simple and accurate method to guide the correction of femoral torsion.
The Relationship Between Atrial Fibrillation and Chronic Kidney Disease : Epidemiologic and Pathophysiologic Considerations for a Dual Epidemic.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) presently affects over 2 million Americans, and the magnitude and population burden from AF continues to increase concomitant with the aging of the U.S. population. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is present in 13% of individuals in the U.S., and the prevalence of CKD is also rapidly increasing. The increasing population burden of CKD and AF will profoundly affect the clinical and public health, since CKD and AF are both associated with lower quality of life, increased hospitalization rates, and a greater risk of heart failure, stroke, and total mortality. AF and CKD often co-exist, each condition predisposes to the other, and the co-occurrence of these disorders worsens prognosis relative to either disease alone. The shared epidemiology of CKD and AF may be explained by the strong pathophysiologic connections between these diseases. In order to promote a better understanding of CKD and AF, we have reviewed their shared epidemiology and pathophysiology and described the natural history of patients affected by both diseases.
Power consumption investigation for fused filament fabricated specimen

This paper describes a research project comparing various settings of current 3D printers and the effect on part quality and machine efficiency. The goal of this research is to determine the most appropriate parameters with which to 3D print any component. The chosen settings should provide a final product of quality while being efficient within three categories: print completion time, part weight, and Kilowatt-per-hour consumption. The purpose being to establish a set of parameters that will provide the sought-after efficiency on any fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printer, in any application, for any production part. These parameters could prove to benefit additive manufacturing (AM), saving time, material, and electrical energy cost. This study provides results for the most efficient settings across three parameters: layer height, infill ratio, and shell count. Through testing, given the experimental set-up and parameters, 0.3 mm, 3 shells, 25% infill was the most efficient array of settings in this application.
Predictors of Total Operating Room Time for Minimally Invasive Benign Hysterectomy

Study Objective To identify determinants of operative room (OR) time for benign, minimally invasive (MIS) hysterectomy and quantify the relative influence of pre-operative patient and surgical factors. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Five-hospital healthcare system. Patients or Participants Women undergoing MIS (laparoscopic or robotic) hysterectomy from July 2014 to February 2019 for benign indications (excluding prolapse). Interventions N/A Measurements and Main Results Assessed factors to predict OR time included patient (age, BMI, co-morbidities, race, insurance, uterine size on pre-operative imaging, indication for surgery), and surgical (route of surgery, surgeon specialty, surgeon volume, academic vs. community hospital, resident participation and concomitant procedures). Total OR time was measured as wheels in-wheels out time. Multivariate linear regression was used to develop a predictive model. A total of 1,549 hysterectomies performed during the study period with an average OR time of 200 minutes. Patient characteristics associated with a significantly increased OR time included: high BMI (+8-27min by category), 3 or more medical co-morbidities (+10-41min), non-White race (+7-10min), uterine size >10cm on pre-operative ultrasound (+25-141min). There was no relationship between OR time and indication for surgery (fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and abnormal uterine bleeding). Compared with a laparoscopic approach, OR time was increased with a robotic approach (+33mins). Compared to general gynecologists, gynecologic oncologists had longer operative times (+39min). When surgeon volume was included, for every hysterectomy performed per month on average, operative time decreased by 10 min. Resident participation resulted in a 10 min increased in OR time. Within the five-hospital system, OR time was decreased at private and community hospitals (-16-49min). Concomitant adnexal procedures did not add statistically significant OR time. Conclusion Preoperative factors are associated with differences in total operative time and can be used to streamline OR schedules and productivity.
AI-Powered Ransomware Detection Framework

Ransomware attacks are taking advantage of the ongoing pandemics and attacking the vulnerable systems in business, health sector, education, insurance, bank, and government sectors. Various approaches have been proposed to combat ransomware, but the dynamic nature of malware writers often bypasses the security checkpoints. There are commercial tools available in the market for ransomware analysis and detection, but their performance is questionable. This paper aims at proposing an AI-based ransomware detection framework and designing a detection tool (AIRaD) using a combination of both static and dynamic malware analysis techniques. Dynamic binary instrumentation is done using PIN tool, function call trace is analyzed leveraging Cuckoo sandbox and Ghidra. Features extracted at DLL, function call, and assembly level are processed with NLP, association rule mining techniques and fed to different machine learning classifiers. Support vector machine and Adaboost with J48 algorithms achieved the highest accuracy of 99.54% with 0.005 false-positive rates for a multi-level combined term frequency approach.
Frequency, distribution, and ploidy diversity of herbicide-resistant Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne spp. multiflorum) populations of western Oregon

Italian ryegrass [Lolium perenne L. spp. multiflorum (Lam.) Husnot] is one of the most troublesome weeds worldwide. Lolium multiflorum is also a grass seed crop cultivated on 50,000 ha in Oregon, where both diploid and tetraploid cultivars are grown. For this work, we will refer to the species as L. multiflorum, since the common names annual ryegrass and Italian ryegrass both refer to the same species. A survey was conducted to understand the distribution and frequency of L. multiflorum and its susceptibility to selected herbicides used in its control. The herbicides selected were clethodim, glufosinate, glyphosate, mesosulfuron-methyl (mesosulfuron), paraquat, pinoxaden, pyroxsulam, quizalofop-P-ethyl (quizalofop), pronamide, flufenacet + metribuzin, and pyroxasulfone. The ploidy levels of the populations were also tested. A total of 150 fields were surveyed between 2017 and 2018, of which 75 (50%) had L. multiflorum present. Herbicide-resistant populations were documented in 88% of the 75 populations collected. The most frequent resistances were to acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase), acetolactate synthase (ALS), 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) inhibitors, and combinations thereof. Multiple resistance and cross-resistance, found in 75% of the populations, were the most frequent patterns of resistance. Paraquat-resistant biotypes were confirmed in six orchard crop populations for the first time in Oregon. Herbicide resistance was spatially clustered, with most cases of resistance in the northern part of the surveyed area. Populations resistant to ALS and ACCase inhibitors were prevalent in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) fields. Multiple resistance was positively correlated with plant density. Tetraploid feral populations were identified, but no cases of herbicide resistance were documented. This is the first survey of herbicide resistance and ploidy diversity in L. multiflorum in western Oregon. Resistant populations were present across the surveyed area, indicating that the problem is widespread.
The Death of Retaliatory Arrest Claims: The Supreme Court’s Attempt to Kill Retaliatory Arrest Claims in Nieves v. Bartlett

The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Nieves v. Bartlett threatens to render retaliatory arrest lawsuits superfluous and allows officers to flagrantly chill speech without repercussion. An officer violates the First Amendment when she arrests an individual because of his protected speech. Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in Nieves, the individual could bring a lawsuit against the officer under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for depriving the individual of his First Amendment rights. Nieves, however, required the individual to show that the officer lacked probable cause for the arrest. This requirement nearly eliminates retaliatory arrest claims since it is incredibly easy for an officer to show probable cause. Even if the individual could show the officer lacked probable cause, the individual could have already sued the officer for a false arrest. Thus, retaliatory arrest claims are now superfluous and no longer serve any purpose in discouraging officers from chilling free speech. The decision’s negative effects will be compounded with the increasing number of retaliatory arrests during the recent George Floyd protests. The Court did create an exception in Nieves for when an officer had probable cause but normally would not exercise her discretion to arrest. For example, if an officer arrests an anti-police protester for jaywalking. Nonetheless, the Court suggested such a high standard to govern this exception that very few retaliatory arrest claims will succeed. Instead, lower courts should adopt a less stringent standard. This Note advocates that lower courts adopt a burden-shifting test used in employment discrimination cases. This standard is more realistic for plaintiffs to satisfy, and thus will allow the Nieves exception to deter officers from chilling speech. The final version of this Note has been published in the Cornell Law Review and is available to view at the following link: https://live-cornell-law-review.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Mills-note-final.pdf
Placental expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection: are placental defenses mediated by fetal sex?

BackgroundSex differences in vulnerability to and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been described in non-pregnant populations. ACE2 and TMPRSS2, host molecules required for viral entry, are regulated by sex steroids and expressed in the placenta. We sought to investigate whether placental ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression vary by fetal sex and in the presence of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection. MethodsPlacental ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were quantified in 68 pregnant individuals (38 SARS-CoV-2 positive, 30 SARS-CoV-2 negative) delivering at Mass General Brigham from April to June 2020. Maternal SARS-CoV-2 status was determined by nasopharyngeal RT-PCR. Placental SARS-CoV-2 viral load was quantified. RTqPCR was performed to quantify expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 relative to the reference gene YWHAZ. Western blots were performed on placental homogenates to quantify protein levels. The impact of fetal sex and SARS-CoV-2 exposure on ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression was analyzed by 2-way ANOVA. ResultsSARS-CoV-2 virus was undetectable in all placentas. Maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection impacted TMPRSS2 placental gene and protein expression in a sexually dimorphic fashion (2-way ANOVA interaction p-value: 0.002). We observed no impact of fetal sex or maternal SARS-CoV-2 status on placental ACE2 gene or protein expression. Placental TMPRSS2 expression was significantly correlated with ACE2 expression in males (Spearmans {rho}=0.54, p=0.02) but not females ({rho}=0.23, p=0.34) exposed to maternal SARS-CoV-2. ConclusionsSex differences in placental TMPRSS2 but not ACE2 were observed in the setting of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings may have implications for offspring vulnerability to placental infection and vertical transmission.These findings may have implications for offspring vulnerability to placental infection and vertical transmission.