cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HIPAA and Human Error: The Role of Enhanced Situation Awareness in Protecting Health Information

Several contemporary studies have identified human error as a major cause of privacy breaches in healthcare organizations. In this chapter, we first highlight the costs healthcare organizations incur from HIPAA privacy breaches. We then discuss the concept of situation awareness (SA) and its link with privacy protection. Situation awareness represents individuals’ awareness of what is happening in their surroundings and their understanding of how information, events, and actions affect their goals and objectives. Applying Endsley’s three-level SA framework helps us to identify specific types of SA errors and build scenarios of privacy breaches arising from SA errors. Using a taxonomy of SA errors derived from Endsley’s work, we analyzed the 21 cases of HIPAA privacy breaches in which the Office for Civil Rights has reached a resolution agreement. The results bring into focus the often neglected situational aspects of privacy protection and help to better understand the latent causes of privacy breaches along with their related implications for policy formulation, system design, and user training.
Mini-open anterior lumbar interbody fusion.

In deformity surgery, anterior lumbar interbody fusion provides excellent biomechanical support, creates a broad surface area for arthrodesis, and induces lordosis in the lower lumbar spine. Preoperative MRI, plain radiographs, and, when available, CT scan should be carefully assessed for sacral slope as it relates to pubic symphysis, position of the great vessels (especially at L4/5), disc space height, or contraindication to an anterior approach. This video demonstrates the steps in an anterior surgical procedure with minimal open exposure. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/r3bC4_vu1hQ.
H2 receptors mediate cyclical chloride secretion in guinea pig distal colon

We tested the hypothesis that histamine mediates ion secretion in the guinea pig distal colon by stimulating H2 receptors on submucosal neurons. Serosal addition of histamine evoked a transient increase in short-circuit current (Isc) followed by recurrent cyclical increases in Isc. The transient phase of the response was examined previously and was not investigated in these studies. Histamine (1.5-2.5 x 10(-5) M) evoked a peak increase in Isc of 177 +/- 25 microA/cm2 at intervals of 5 min for 1-2 h. The duration of each recurrent cycle averaged 2.1 +/- 0.3 min. The H2 agonist dimaprit evoked recurrent cycles that had larger amplitudes than those caused by histamine. In the presence of histamine or dimaprit, the amplitude of the first cycle of the response was always less than subsequent cycles, regardless of the initial concentration. The cyclical responses to histamine, 2-methylhistamine, or dimaprit were unaltered by the H1 blocker pyrilamine, were reduced by the H2 antagonist cimetidine, and were abolished by the neuronal blocker tetrodotoxin. Blockade of prostaglandin formation with piroxicam did not prevent the recurrent cycles. The recurrent cycles were inhibited by the chloride transport blocker bumetanide and by removal of chloride ions. Our results demonstrate that histamine mediates prolonged cyclical chloride secretion in the guinea pig distal colon by activating H2 receptors on submucosal neurons involved in regulation of epithelial chloride transport.
The Antifascist Narrative

When Soviet zone young people were not gathering potatoes in the countryside, or dealing on the black market, or tucked in bed under a few thin blankets against the cold, they were in school. There, when they were not scrubbing desktops, crying for hunger, or huddled around the classroom stove for heat, they were learning the lessons of antifascist democracy. In essays for German and history classes, pupils lauded national heroes, recounted their memories of the recent years, and speculated about Germany’s future. Their real and imagined stories demonstrate a struggle to make sense of the antifascist historical narrative offered them by their teachers. This narrative positioned the Soviet zone as largely innocent of National Socialist crimes and as the worthier successor to the German nation. Using what I identify as “memory lessons,” antifascist educators helped young people interpret and narrate their individual pasts and their collective (national) past. These lessons did not comprise an explicit program, but were rather a function of the communication between school and society. Writing essays, young people gradually learned to narrate their own and their nation’s experiences within an interpretative framework that encouraged them to remember certain elements, while suppressing or deemphasizing others. The extent to which this project was and was not possible determines not only how to evaluate the postwar curriculum strategies of the Soviet zone, but also the effectiveness of the school in the political and historical education of its pupils. Ultimately, this antifascist narrative helped pupils make sense of their recent experiences, a precondition for accepting the “new school’s” and the new nation’s legitimacy.
Nostalgic marketing, perceived self-continuity, and consumer decisions.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of nostalgic marketing on consumer decisions, including the relation of nostalgia to perceived self-continuity, brand attitude (BA), and purchase intent (PI). Design/methodology/approach The study uses an experimental design that compares individuals’ responses to past-focussed (nostalgic) vs present-focussed (non-nostalgic) advertising across a range of three product types. Analyses include structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate direct and mediated relationships. Findings Nostalgic past-focussed advertisements (as compared to present-focussed advertisements) elicited higher perceived self-continuity which led to more favorable ratings of BA and greater intent to purchase the product. These effects held up regardless of product type. SEM showed that the relation of advertising-evoked nostalgia to BA is partially mediated by consumer’s perceived self-continuity. BA also directly predicted PI. Practical implications These findings provide two implications for marketing managers. First, the perceived self-continuity plays an important role in the success of nostalgia marketing. As such, advertising designed to directly influence perceived self-continuity should be used for framing a nostalgic marketing purposes that aims to connect consumers to particular brands. Second, evoking nostalgia in marketing communications is not just effective for one product type but appears to be useful across a variety of product type (i.e. utilitarian, hedonic, and neutral). Originality/value The study is based within an experiential marketing framework but is innovative in examining the specific experience of nostalgia and linking it to consumer’s identity (i.e. self-continuity). This area has received little attention and appears to be a promising area for future research on consumer decisions.
Fields of Smooth Brome: History, Policy and Place-Making in the Post-Industrial Prairie

Our project engages environmental history as part of creative inquiry undertaken at the Westbrook Artists’ Site, a collaborative arts venture in central Iowa, part of what was once the great North American tall grass prairie that stretched from Texas to Saskatchewan. The Westbrook Artists’ Site (WAS) is located on a legacy farm of approximately 500 acres of land near Winterset, Iowa. Its mission centers on the post-industrial rural condition, with its ruined prairie heritage, as a problematic to be explored by participants, community members and visiting artists. We take on art critic Lucy Lippard’s call for an art that is “of place” rather than “about place” (Lippard LR, The lure of the local: senses of place in a multicentered society. W. W. Norton and Company, New York, 1997, p. 292). To this end, we have undertaken to get to know this one place and the many forms of life that inhabit it – through lived and sensory engagement, through art and literature, natural and environmental history, anthropology and the natural sciences. We seek to re-establish a reciprocal bond with the land and its biotic community and to utilize all available fields of inquiry to contribute to an understanding of and engagement with the landscape irreducible to the existing expert discourses, which have hitherto shaped its use, and thereby to strengthen the communities–human and non-human–of which it is a part.
Mission Bogotá: pedagogical governance in a weak state

AbstractWracked by crime and violence, Bogota, Colombia adopted a unique urban security policy in 1998 called Mission Bogota (MB). MB identifies the poor as ‘at risk’ of being violent. The program seeks to decrease crime by employing the poor and educating them on entrepreneurial urban citizenship, fomenting their sense of belonging to the city, a good work ethic, conflict resolution skills, and cosmopolitanism. Participants are then employed as citizen ‘guides,’ modeling their citizenship skills in public in order to instill exemplary citizenship in others by example. There is no evidence that MB reduces either crime or poverty. Nevertheless, the program establishes norms for ideal citizenship and structures the relationship between state and society. Based on one year of ethnographic research, I argue that MB uses pedagogy as a technology of governance to transfer responsibility for security provision from the state to society by making citizens responsible for their own security provision.
Nanoparticle engineered TRAIL-overexpressing adipose-derived stem cells target and eradicate glioblastoma via intracranial delivery

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most intractable of human cancers, principally because of the highly infiltrative nature of these neoplasms. Tracking and eradicating infiltrating GBM cells and tumor microsatellites is of utmost importance for the treatment of this devastating disease, yet effective strategies remain elusive. Here we report polymeric nanoparticle-engineered human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) overexpressing tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) as drug-delivery vehicles for targeting and eradicating GBM cells in vivo. Our results showed that polymeric nanoparticle-mediated transfection led to robust up-regulation of TRAIL in hADSCs, and that TRAIL-expressing hADSCs induced tumor-specific apoptosis. When transplanted in a mouse intracranial xenograft model of patient-derived glioblastoma cells, hADSCs exhibited long-range directional migration and infiltration toward GBM tumor. Importantly, TRAIL-overexpressing hADSCs inhibited GBM growth, extended survival, and reduced the occurrence of microsatellites. Repetitive injection of TRAIL-overexpressing hADSCs significantly prolonged animal survival compared with single injection of these cells. Taken together, our data suggest that nanoparticle-engineered TRAIL-expressing hADSCs exhibit the therapeutically relevant behavior of "seek-and-destroy" tumortropic migration and could be a promising therapeutic approach to improve the treatment outcomes of patients with malignant brain tumors.
(Re)Envisioning Human Service Labor: Worker-Owned Cooperative Possibilities

ABSTRACTThis article explores the viability of worker-owned cooperatives as a promising human service delivery model that prioritizes the well-being of both care recipients and providers. In so doing, the current labor conditions of those providing direct care services are presented, followed by a review of cooperatives as a promising countertrend within human service delivery. Three case examples of worker-owned, direct-care cooperatives are presented, concluding with a discussion of the challenges and possibilities of this model and suggested next steps as we continue to (re)imagine modes of care provision premised on worker sovereignty, economic equality, and social justice.
Noise analysis under nonlinear optical spring effect in cavity optomechanical sensors

Cavity optomechanical sensors with high resolution can be affected by nonlinear optical spring effect. Theoretical analysis and experiment have been done to illustrate this effect and thermal Langevin force under nonlinearity has been studied.
Exploring the role of YAP signaling in CD4+ T cell biology

The adaptive immune system’s ability to defend against infections and destroy cancerous cells is highly dependent on T cell proliferation. A long-standing observation through in vitro and in vivo studies is that T cells cluster together during activation and subsequent proliferation. In contrast, the vast majority of other cell types turn off division machinery upon cell-cell contact. The highly conserved Hippo signaling pathway controls for cell size and number through proliferation and apoptosis, thereby making it essential for regulating organ size. At the core of the Hippo cascade is the transcription factor YAP. Upon activation, YAP translocates into the nucleus and binds with transcription enhancer factors (TEADs) to drive transcription of proliferation-related genes. While YAP signaling has been extensively studied in epithelial cells, its role in CD4+ T cell effector function and proliferation remains unexplored. Our data indicates that overall YAP protein levels rises during T cell activation. Interestingly, although YAP activation increases proliferation of epithelial cells, our data suggests that YAP is a negative regulator of cellular proliferation in CD4+ T cells. Upon YAP depletion and then restimulating T cells in vitro, we discovered that the T cells knocked down by YAP exhibited greater proliferation and produced more IL-2 than T cells transduced with control shRNA. In support of this surprising finding, expressing a constitutively active YAP with all five phosphorylation sites mutated (YAP 5SA) in T cells led to decreased proliferation of CD4+ T cells. These results hint at potentially novel functions of YAP and warrants further analysis into how YAP signaling affects T cell proliferation.
Genetic improvement of lean growth rate and reproductive traits in pigs

Records on 361,300 Yorkshire, 154,833 Duroc, 99,311 Hampshire, and 71,097 Landrace pigs collected between 1985 and April of 2000 in herds on the National Swine Registry Swine Testing and Genetic Evaluation System were analyzed. Animal model and REML procedures were used to estimate random effects of animal genetic, common litter, maternal genetic, and the covariances between animal and maternal for lean growth rate (LGR), days to 113.5 kg (DAYS), backfat adjusted to 113.5 kg (BF), and loin eye area adjusted to 113.5 kg (LEA). Fixed effects of contemporary group and sex were also in the statistical model. Based on the single-trait model, estimates of heritabilities were 0.44,0.44, 0.46, and 0.39 for LGR; 0.35,0.40,0.44, and 0.40 for DAYS; 0.48,0.48,0.49, and 0.48 for BF; and 0.33, 0.32,0.35, and 0.31 for LEA in the Yorkshire, Duroc, Hampshire, and Landrace breeds, respectively. Estimates of maternal genetic effects were low and ranged from 0.01 to 0.05 for all traits across breeds. Estimates of common litter effects ranged from 0.07 to 0.16. A bivariate analysis was used to estimate the genetic correlations between lean growth traits. Average genetic correlations over four breeds were -0.83, -0.37,0.44, -0.07, 0.08, and -0.37 for LGR with DAYS, BF, and LEA, DAYS with BF and LEA, and BF with LEA, respectively. Average genetic trends were 2.35 g/yr, -0.40 d/yr, -0.39 mm/yr, and 0.37 cm2/yr for LGR, DAYS, BF, and LEA, respectively. Results indicate that selection
Optical assessment of cerebral autoregulation

Cerebral autoregulation (CA) is a homeostatic mechanism that maintains a relatively constant cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the presence of changes in the cerebral perfusion pressure (CCP), defined as the difference between mean arterial pressure (MAP) and intracranial pressure (ICP). Given the importance of adequate and consistent brain perfusion, CA is critical for brain viability and is known to be impaired in a number of neurological disorders. Global brain measurements of dynamic CA have been performed with transcranial Doppler ultrasound (to sense the blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery) and finger plethysmography (to measure systemic MAP as a surrogate for CCP). Optical methods offer the advantage of providing local measurements of cerebral blood flow and CA, thus allowing for local assessment and spatial mapping of CA. Optical techniques for the non-invasive assessment of CA include near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS). I will describe our approach to CA assessment with NIRS, complemented by the novel technique of coherent hemodynamics spectroscopy (CHS), and our findings of the expected enhancement in CA during hyperventilation-induced hypocapnia. I will also report dynamic traces of local CBF measured with NIRS-CHS and DCS during transient changes in MAP. Optical techniques offer the potential to address the challenge of continuous monitoring of local cerebral autoregulation at the bedside and in a critical care environment.
Could Information Technology Enable Efficient Central Economic Planning

Information technology has played an ever increasing role automating, optimizing and managing modern economic activities. These developments call into question what was once an obvious truth — that centrally planned economies are necessarily very inefficient and given to suboptimal performance due to their inherent information problems. This article examines the feasibility of using modern information technology to enable a centrally planned economy by evaluating the arguments made against central planning by Nobel Prize winning economist Friedrich Hayek in light of recent developments in information technology. Hayek identified two information problems that can preclude the development of an efficient centrally planned economic system: the problem of local information such as knowledge about individual preferences and the problem of global information including an accurate knowledge of relative scarcities. This article argues that the problem of local information has largely been offset by the growth of personal information as a commodity and that the emergence of the Internet of Things has the promise of allowing an accurate knowledge of global relative scarcities. The benefits of an IT-enabled centrally planned economy include improved efficiency and the ability to optimize economic activities around goals other than just profit maximization, while the limitations would include an elevated potential for corruption and abuse due to the centralization of economic decision making.
“What if my parents get deported?” Hispanic youths’ feelings about the Trump Presidency

While much has been written about President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, a subject receiving less attention is how Hispanic children feel about the President. Findings are presented from fo...
Etheridge Knight’s Prison Poetry

Etheridge Knight’s value to the African American literary tradition and the Anglo-American literary canon extends beyond his legacy as a preeminent voice associated with the Black Arts Movement. In his books of poetry, The Essential Etheridge Knight and Poems from Prison, published while he was an inmate at Indiana State Prison, Knight employs language, themes, characters, and spaces that do not only locate places and liberating identities within a confined space, but also ushers in new kinds of rhetorics and sensibilities from the limited space within which he finds himself to assert the politics of race, the agency of the familial, and the psychological restoration of memory. Black American art forms served as a vibrant tool that enriched his poetic vision. Thus, the prison environment did not deter Knight’s creative mindset but instead gave him room for constant communication between his creative mind and the physical world that existed outside of prison. The aim of this essay is essentially to demonstrate that constructed identities accounts for the distinctiveness of Knight’s poems about his prison experience. Also crucial to our understanding of these poems is how his dependence on the imagined spaces of memory, solidarity, and kinship helped him to overcome the psychological and emotional trauma of incarceration on the poet’s art.
Evaluation of the genotoxicity of cell phone radiofrequency radiation in male and female rats and mice following subchronic exposure.

The National Toxicology Program tested two common radiofrequency radiation (RFR) modulations emitted by cellular telephones in a 2-year rodent cancer bioassay that included interim assessments of additional animals for genotoxicity endpoints. Male and female Hsd:Sprague Dawley SD rats and B6C3F1/N mice were exposed from Gestation day 5 or Postnatal day 35, respectively, to code division multiple access (CDMA) or global system for mobile modulations over 18 hr/day, at 10-min intervals, in reverberation chambers at specific absorption rates of 1.5, 3, or 6 W/kg (rats, 900 MHz) or 2.5, 5, or 10 W/kg (mice, 1,900 MHz). After 19 (rats) or 14 (mice) weeks of exposure, animals were examined for evidence of RFR-associated genotoxicity using two different measures. Using the alkaline (pH > 13) comet assay, DNA damage was assessed in cells from three brain regions, liver cells, and peripheral blood leukocytes; using the micronucleus assay, chromosomal damage was assessed in immature and mature peripheral blood erythrocytes. Results of the comet assay showed significant increases in DNA damage in the frontal cortex of male mice (both modulations), leukocytes of female mice (CDMA only), and hippocampus of male rats (CDMA only). Increases in DNA damage judged to be equivocal were observed in several other tissues of rats and mice. No significant increases in micronucleated red blood cells were observed in rats or mice. In conclusion, these results suggest that exposure to RFR is associated with an increase in DNA damage. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 61:276-290, 2020. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mentorship in academic radiology: why it matters

Mentorship plays a critical role in the success of academic radiologists. Faculty members with mentors have better career opportunities, publish more papers, receive more research grants, and have greater overall career satisfaction. However, with the increasing focus on clinical productivity, pressure on turn-around times, and the difficult funding climate, effective mentoring in academic radiology can be challenging. The high prevalence of “burnout” among radiologists makes mentorship even more important. This article reviews benefits and challenges of mentorship in academic radiology, discusses how to institute a faculty mentoring program, examines different types of mentoring, and reviews challenges related to diversity and inclusion.
Inner ear delivery: Challenges and opportunities.

Objectives The treatment of inner ear disorders remains challenging due to anatomic barriers intrinsic to the bony labyrinth. The purpose of this review is to highlight recent advances and strategies for overcoming these barriers and to discuss promising future avenues for investigation. Data sources The databases used were PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science. Results Although some studies aimed to improve systemic delivery using nanoparticle systems, the majority enhanced local delivery using hydrogels, nanoparticles, and microneedles. Developments in direct intracochlear delivery include intracochlear injection and intracochlear implants. Conclusions In the absence of a systemic drug that targets only the inner ear, the best alternative is local delivery that harnesses a combination of new strategies to overcome anatomic barriers. The combination of microneedle technology with hydrogel and nanoparticle delivery is a promising area for future investigation. Level of evidence NA.
Application and Assessment of Probability and Statistics Concepts with a Permanent Magnet DC Machine Experiment

Probability and statistics concepts are an integral part of engineering education. Most engineering curricula have courses on probability and statistics. This topical coverage is valuable to practicing engineers and offered, in part, to satisfy requirements set forth by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Specifically, for electrical engineering programs, ABET requires that both probability and statistics concepts, including applications within the discipline, be covered in the curriculum. This requirement is often met with a single course in probability and statistics without hands on engineering or laboratory experiences. This paper provides an overview of probability and statistics topical coverage within the electrical engineering curriculum at the United States Military Academy and, in particular, provides details of an experimental application of these concepts with permanent magnet DC (PMDC) machine. This experiment provides students the experience of using probability and statistics concepts to a real world application with real data acquired during the experiment. Additionally, details on how the PMDC machine experiment and reporting are used for student outcome assessment is included. While this work presents this process for a specific experiment, it is generalizable to variety of experiments.
Image Decomposition Accelerates Dynamic Network Modeling for in situ Monitoring of Bio-mimic Wing Printing Processes

Abstract Bio-mimic wings are crucial constituents of Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicles, and the quality of such products plays a vital role in missions involving area exploration, aerial imaging and monitoring. Fused filament fabrication, as a versatile manufacturing approach, can be adopted to print single-layer artificial wings in an additive way. In such processes, quality of the printed wings is determined by the percentage of covered area, contingent on the vertical distance between the printing nozzle and the substrate. Even when properly calibrated, this distance is subject to variations due to the exceeding sensitivity to process drift, including vibration of the platform. In situ image analysis provides rapid guidance for process drift detection and assessment of the printed wing structures. While dynamic network analysis has been applied to quality assurance of steaming images, the computational overhead has made it unrealistic for monitoring high-definition images, particularly in the detection of images with incipient or tiny defects. In this study, we investigate image decomposition techniques, including wavelet transformation and bi-dimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD), to dissolve the original images into a series of basis images, which significantly reduces the number of communities in the network representation of images and diminishes the computational cost. Lastly, network generalized likelihood ratio control chart is developed to characterize anomalous variations in structures of the images. Our investigation shows that wavelet and EMD elevate the detection accuracy by 36.7% and 63.3%, while reducing the processing time by 43.5% and 73.9%, respectively, compared to the dynamic network approach without decomposition.
CHAPTER I – Numbers

Publisher Summary Numbers arose in the course of counting. Counting involves the addition of the number 1 to itself again and again. The numbers obained in this way are the natural or whole numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. With the growth of technology, problems of mensuration arose, and these required the division of one natural number by another. Thus, arose the use of positive rational numbers, for example, 2/3, 4/7, etc. This chapter discusses some of the basic laws governing numbers that a student uses in his day-to-day work. There are only two basic operations of subtraction and division: (1) addition and (2) multiplication. Moreover, many laws governing numbers are proved from a few basic laws, just as in geometry theorems are derived from a set of basic assumptions. The chapter presents a set of laws from which all other laws governing the basic operations are derivable. They fall into three groups: (1) those governing addition, (2) those governing multiplication, and (3) those connecting the two operations.
Reduction in urban water use leads to less wastewater and fewer emissions:analysis of three representative U.S. cities

Electricity consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with wastewater flows from residential and commercial water use in three major cities of the United States are analyzed and compared for the period 2010-2018. Contributions of unit wastewater treatment processes and electricity sources to the overall emissions are considered. Tucson (Arizona), Denver (Colorado), and Washington, DC were chosen for their distinct locations, climatic conditions, raw water sources, wastewater treatment technologies, and electric power mixes. Denver experienced a 20% reduction in treated wastewater volumes per person despite a 16% increase in population. In Washington, DC, the reduction was 19%, corresponding to a 16% increase in population, and in Tucson 14% despite a population growth of 3%. The electricity intensity per volume of treated wastewater was higher in Tucson (1 kWh/m3) than in Washington, DC (0.7 kWh/m3) or Denver (0.5 kWh/m3). Tucson's GHG emissions per person were about six times higher compared to Denver and four times higher compared to Washington, DC. Wastewater treatment facilities in Denver and Washington, DC generated a quarter to third of their electricity needs from onsite biogas and lowered their GHG emissions by offsetting purchases from the grid, including coal-generated electricity. The higher GHG emission intensity in Tucson is a reflection of coal majority in the electricity mix in the period, gradually replaced with natural gas, solar, and biogas. In 2018, the GHG reduction was 20% when the share of solar electricity increased to 14% from zero in 2016. In the analysis period, reduced wastewater volumes relative to the 2010 baseline saved Denver 44,000 MWh, Washington, DC 11,000 MWh and Tucson 7,000 MWh of electricity. As a result, Washington, DC managed to forgo 21,000 metric tons of CO2-eq and Denver 34,000 metric tons, while Tucson's cumulative emissions increased by 22,200 metric tons of CO2-eq. This study highlights the variability observed in water systems and the opportunities that exist with water savings to allow for wastewater generation reduction, recovering energy from onsite biogas, and using energy-efficient wastewater treatment technologies.
Coordination of Gas and Electricity Transmission Investment Decisions

With growing penetration of gas-fired generation in many systems, the economics and planning of natural gas and electric transmission networks are increasingly intertwined. However, in the United States these two sectors have investment mechanisms which differ greatly. This may impede coordination of expansion and investment, especially when intermediate power contract markets are weak. The New England region offers a case study of a gas transmission-constrained region where the decentralized, private, contract-based decision-making of the U.S. natural gas pipeline sector has not supported new gas capacity needed to fuel gas-fired generation, even with rapidly growing renewable energy production. New policy mechanisms may be needed to enable the interstate pipeline sector to better match the needs of highly variable electric generation.
Case Study in 21st Century Ecotoxicology: Using In Vitro Aromatase Inhibition Data to Predict Short-Term In Vivo Responses in Adult Female Fish

The present study evaluated whether in vitro measures of aromatase inhibition as inputs into a quantitative adverse outcome pathway (qAOP) construct could effectively predict in vivo effects on 17β-estradiol (E2) and vitellogenin (VTG) concentrations in female fathead minnows. Five chemicals identified as aromatase inhibitors in mammalian-based ToxCast assays were screened for their ability to inhibit fathead minnow aromatase in vitro. Female fathead minnows were then exposed to 3 of those chemicals: letrozole, epoxiconazole, and imazalil in concentration-response (5 concentrations plus control) for 24 h. Consistent with AOP-based expectations, all 3 chemicals caused significant reductions in plasma E2 and hepatic VTG transcription. Characteristic compensatory upregulation of aromatase and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (fshr) transcripts in the ovary were observed for letrozole but not for the other 2 compounds. Considering the overall patterns of concentration-response and temporal concordance among endpoints, data from the in vivo experiments strengthen confidence in the qualitative relationships outlined by the AOP. Quantitatively, the qAOP model provided predictions that fell within the standard error of measured data for letrozole but not for imazalil and epoxiconazole. However, the inclusion of measured plasma concentrations of the test chemicals as inputs improved model predictions, with all predictions falling within the range of measured values. Results highlight both the utility and limitations of the qAOP and its potential use in 21st century ecotoxicology. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1155-1170. © 2020 SETAC. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
Predictive Factors and Outcomes for Successful Thoracoscopic Lung Resection in Pediatric Patients

Background Less than 50% of children with congenital lung lesions are treated thoracoscopically. There are variable data regarding the benefits and limited information on factors contributing to successful thoracoscopic lobectomies in pediatric patients. We sought to identify predictive factors leading to safe and efficient thoracoscopic lung resection. Study Design We performed a single-center, retrospective chart review of patients (age Results Ninety-six patients were identified. Sixty-nine patients (72%) underwent initial thoracoscopy, with 15 (22%) converting to open thoracotomy (CTO). Forty-one (43%) patients had preoperative symptoms and 15 (15.6%) had an active infection. Among symptomatic patients, 18 (43.9%) underwent thoracotomy and 23 (56%) were attempted thoracoscopically, 13 (31%) of whom were completed thoracoscopically. On univariate analysis, age >1 year, infection, preoperative symptoms, and intraoperative adhesions were associated with CTO. Older age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.041) and estimated blood loss (EBL) (OR = 2.398) were significant prognostic factors of CTO on logistic regression. Thoracoscopy was significantly associated with decreased length of stay, opioid use, chest tube duration, blood loss and need for blood transfusion. There was no difference in operative time, 30-day readmission, or mortality. Conclusions Thoracoscopy has become a standard approach for pediatric lung resection. Our findings indicate that age
Truly Heterogeneous HPC: Co-design to Achieve What Science Needs from HPC

Future high-performance computing (HPC) platforms increasingly depend on heterogeneous node architectures to meet power and performance requirements. While modern HPC design largely incorporates GPUs with CPU resources, there is potential to further integrate novel forms of computing. The ability to leverage efficient, non-conventional computing technologies would be a fundamentally disruptive development in advancing HPC. Neuromorphic computing is such an emerging technology, which would interest the HPC community, due to its potential for implementing large-scale calculations with an extremely low power footprint. We will explore the example of mapping the connectome of the brain to illustrate advantages of using a heterogeneous system that incorporates neuromorphic hardware.
Perioperative Family Updates Reduce Anxiety and Improve Satisfaction: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose This study aimed to determine if standardized updates at specific perioperative events affect anxiety and satisfaction of the family members and if the length of surgical procedure affects the satisfaction with updates. Methods This study was a randomized control trial. In the control group, surgeons communicated with the family only once near the completion of the procedure. In the intervention group, families received electronic updates at 3 significant perioperative events during the procedure. A postoperative survey rating family member satisfaction and anxiety levels, using a Likert scale of 0-5, was administered. Results Mean level of overall satisfaction did not differ between groups (intervention: 4.68 ± 0.69 [95% CI: 4.50, 4.87]; control: 4.61 ± 0.78 [95% CI: 4.40, 4.82]; P=0.69). Mean anxiety levels were lower in the intervention group (2.48 ± 1.43 [2.10, 2.86]) than in the control group (3.12 ± 1.32 [2.77, 3.47]; P=0.01). Mean satisfaction with perioperative updates was higher in the intervention (4.48 ± 0.83 [4.26, 4.70]) versus control group (3.16 ± 1.89 [2.67, 3.65]; P=0.0001). For all subjects, there was positive correlation between procedure time and anxiety (Spearman's rho: 0.34; P=0.0002) and negative correlation between procedure time and overall satisfaction (Spearman's rho: -0.23; P=0.01). Conclusions Anxiety and satisfaction with perioperative updates were significantly improved by additional perioperative updates. These findings indicate that updating families during significant standardized strategic perioperative events can reduce the anxiety of loved ones and are preferred by most families.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of treatment and natural history of popliteal artery aneurysms

Abstract Objective To summarize the best available evidence comparing open vs endovascular popliteal artery aneurysm (PAA) repair. We also summarized the natural history of PAAs to support of the Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane databases, and Scopus for studies of patients with PAAs treated with an open vs an endovascular approach. We also included studies of natural history of untreated patients. Studies were selected and appraised by pairs of independent reviewers. A meta-analysis was performed when appropriate. Results We identified 32 original studies and 4 systematic reviews from 2191 candidate references. Meta-analysis showed that compared with the endovascular approach, open surgical repair was associated with higher primary patency at 1 year (odds ratio [OR], 2.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41-3.12), lower occlusion rate at 30 days (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.24-0.68) and fewer reinterventions (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.17-0.45), but a longer hospital stay (standardized mean difference, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.23-3.09) and more wound complications (OR, 5.18; 95% CI, 2.19-12.26). There was no statistically significant difference in primary patency at 3 years (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 0.97-1.97), secondary patency (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 0.84-3.03), mortality at the longest follow-up (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.21-1.17), mortality at 30 days (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.06-1.36), or amputation (incidence rate ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.56-1.31). The certainty in these estimates was, in general, low. Studies of PAA natural history suggest that thromboembolic complications and amputation develop at a mean observation time of 18 months and they are frequent. One study showed that at 5 years, approximately one-half of the patients had complications. Conclusions This systematic review provides event rates for outcomes important to patients with PAAs. Despite the low certainty of the evidence, these rates along with surgical expertise and anatomic feasibility can help patients and surgeons to engage in shared decision-making.
Improved and Interpretable Solar Flare Predictions with Spatial & Topological Features of the Polarity-Inversion-Line Masked Magnetograms

Many current research efforts undertake the solar flare classification task using the Space-weather HMI Active Region Patch (SHARP) parameters as the predictors. The SHARP parameters are scalar qua...
Immunotherapy in Bladder Cancer

The realisation that the host-cancer relationship involved the immune system led to the hope that assessment and manipulation of the immune system in man could be beneficical. Work in animal tumour systems provided important information and indicated that immune modulation or immunotherapy could, in carefully controlled conditions, completely eliminate an established cancer. These successes led to numerous clinical trials in humans involving many different tumours systems (1). In this report, I will relate our experiences in patients with bladder cancer.
Music information retrieval with temporal features and timbre

At a time when the quantity of music media surrounding us is rapidly increasing and the access to recordings as well as the amount of music files available on the Internet is constantly growing, the problem of building music recommendation systems is of great importance. In this work, we perform a study on automatic classification of musical instruments. We use monophonic sounds. The latter have successfully been classified in the past, with main focus on pitch. We propose new temporal features and incorporate timbre descriptors. The advantages of this approach are: preservation of temporal information and high classification accuracy.
Future X-ray Spectroscopy Missions

This article provides a description of the high-resolution X-ray spectrometers for astrophysics that will become operational in the near future. The emphasis is on the physical principles of operation.
Non-Threshold Pollutants and Air Quality Standards

Provisions for the establishment and implementation of national ambient air quality standards are a central feature of the Clean Air Act. These provisions reflect an implicit and often incorrect assumption that it is possible, for each pollutant of concern, to determine a threshold level of air pollution above which the pollutant is a threat to public health and below which it is not. This assumption forces the Environmental Protection Agency to make arbitrary decisions that do not rationally take into account the available scientific evidence concerning the effects of air pollution on health. In this article, Professor Feller demonstrates the arbitrariness and irrationality in the setting of the ambient air quality standards for two pollutants: particulate matter and lead. He also discusses additional problems created by the implementation of fixed air quality standards and considers possible alternative approaches to the setting of air quality standards.
Pathway of l-Sorbose Metabolism in Aerobacter aerogenes

Abstract The pathway of l-sorbose metabolism in Aerobacter aerogenes was determined to be: l-sorbose → l-sorbose 1-phosphate → d-glucitol 6-phosphate → d-fructose 6-phosphate. Phosphorylation of l-sorbose at C-1 is mediated by a phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system, whereas l-sorbose 1-phosphate reduction and d-glucitol 6-phosphate oxidation are mediated by pyridine-nucleotidelinked dehydrogenases. Mutants deficient in l-sorbose 1-phosphate reductase, d-glucitol 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, or a component (Enzyme I) of the phosphotransferase system did not grow on l-sorbose, whereas revertants which had regained these activities grew normally. Extracts of the Enzyme I-deficient mutant failed to catalyze the phosphorylation of l-sorbose with phosphoenolpyruvate, and adenosine 5'-triphosphate could not replace the phosphoenolpyruvate requirement for l-sorbose phosphorylation in extracts of the wild type strain.
Knot Theory and Quantum Groups

In the previous chapters, we analyzed the various schemes that have been proposed to catalog large numbers of conformal field theories, especially the rational ones with a finite number of primary fields. In this chapter, we will explore the most ambitious one, which is the use of Chern—Simons gauge theory [1] to classify conformal field theories. In the process, we will uncover a deep but unexpected relationship between conformal field theories and knot theory. Surprisingly, we will be able to use quantum field theory to generate new knot polynomials and analytic expressions for them. Knot theory, in turn, will be a tool by which we study conformal field theories and statistical mechanics, giving us a topological meaning to the Yang-Baxter relation.
An SPN-Neural Planning Methodology for Coordination of two Robotic Hands with Constrained Placement

This paper presents a planning methodology based on Stochastic Petri Nets (SPNs) and Neural nets for coordination of two robotic arms working in a space with constrained placement. The SPN planning method generates a global plan based on the states of the elements of the Universe of Discourse. The plan includes all the possible conflict-free planning paths to achieve the goals under constraints, such as specific locations on which objects have to be placed, order of placement, etc. An associated neural network is used to search the vectors of markings generated by the SPN reachability graph for the appropriate selection of plans. Moreover, it preserves all the interesting features of the SPN model, such as synchronization, parallelism, concurrency and timing of events. The coordination of two robotic arms is used as an illustrative example for the proposed planning method, in a UD space where the location of objects placement are restricted.
Vlasov model for the impedance of a rod-pinch diode

The rod-pinch diode [(R.A. Mahaffrey et al., 1978), (G. Cooperstein et al., 2001)] is a cylindrical, pinched-beam diode being developed as a radiography source [R.J. Commisso et al., 2002]. The diode consists of a small radius anode rod extending through the hole of an annular cathode. The diode has been operated at 1 to 5 MV with an impedance of 20 to 50 /spl Omega/, a FWHM pulse width of 20 to 50 ns, and an anode radius as small as 0.25 cm [(R.A. Mahaffrey et al., 1978), (G. Cooperstein et al., 2001), (R.J. Commisso et al., 2002)]. The diode is designed to run at critical current so that electrons emitted from the cathode flow axially along the anode rod and pinch radially onto the rod tip. Typically, ion emission from the anode is required for propagation of the pinch along the rod. Without ions, the pinch would occur on the anode rod just downstream of the cathode disk. In order to assure that a given diode will be properly designed to run at critical current requires a detailed knowledge of the diode impedance characteristics. Initially, a laminar flow model [B.V. Oliver et al., 2001] was developed to describe the rod-pinch diode. Although this model provides considerable insight into diode operation, PIC simulations show that the electron flow is not laminar [G. Cooperstein et al., 2001]. The model of [B.V. Oliver et al., 2001] was extended to include transverse electron pressure in order to consider the effects of nonlaminar flow [P.F. Ottinger et al., 2002]. However, a form for the transverse pressure tensor is required to close the equation set in this model and only special forms of the pressure tensor are analytically tractable. Here, a Vlasov model for the diode electron flow is developed using an electron distribution function with properties that are well characterized and directly related to a rod-pinch diode. In this model, the pressure tensor is self-consistently derived.
Boosting Speech/Non-speech Classification Using Averaged Mel-Frequency Cepstrum Coefficients Features

AdaBoost is used to boost and select the best sequence of weak classifiers for the speech/non-speech classification. These weak classifiers are chosen the simple threshold functions. Statistical mean and variance of the Mel-frequency Cepstrum Coefficients(MFCC) over all overlapping frames of an audio file are used as audio features. Training and testing on a database of 410 audio files have shown asymptotic classification improvement by AdaBoost. A classification accuracy of 99.51% has been achieved on the test data. A comparison of AdaBoost with Nearest Neighbor and Nearest Center classifiers is also given.