cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Knowledge Discovery for Continuous Financial Assurance Using Multiple Types of Digital Information

This paper investigates some extensions to what has emerged as classic continuous (financial) assurance (CFA). First, this paper suggests broadening the base of information that is used in such systems to include emerging social media. Second, because of the new source of data, the methodologies also need to be expanded to include knowledge discovery approaches to facilitate analysis of new and existing information. Third, I suggest that continuous financial assurance begin to integrate with other business efforts at monitoring and knowledge discovery, for example, “business process management.” Ultimately, an integrated system could gain from information and discoveries in these other monitoring and knowledge discovery efforts. Finally, this paper suggests that additional proactive knowledge discovery be used in addition to classic continuous financial assurance data to facilitate additional discovery.
Web Browsing, Mobile Computing and Academic Performance

Students in two different courses at a major research university (one a Communication course, the other a Computer Science course) were given laptop computers with wireless network access during the course of a semester. Students’ Web browsing on these laptops (including: URLs, dates, and times) was recorded 24 hours/day, 7 days/week in a log file by a proxy server during most of a semester (about 15 weeks). For each student, browsing behavior was quantified and then correlated with academic performance. The emergence of statistically significant results suggests that quantitative characteristics of browsing behavior—even prior to examining browsing content—can be useful predictors of meaningful behavioral outcomes. Variables such as Number of browsing sessions and Length of browsing sessions were found to correlate with students’ final grades; the valence and magnitude of these correlations were found to interact with Course (i.e., whether student was enrolled in the Communication or Computer Science course), Browsing Context (i.e., setting in which browsing took place: during class, on the wireless network between classes, or at home) and Gender. The implications of these findings in relation to previous studies of laptop use in education settings are discussed.
The impact of costs of misclassification on software quality modeling

A software quality model can make timely predictions of the class of a module, such as not fault prone or fault prone. These enable one to improve software development processes by targeting reliability improvement techniques more effectively and efficiently. Published software quality classification models generally minimize the number of misclassifications. The contribution of the paper is empirical evidence, supported by theoretical considerations, that such models can significantly benefit from minimizing the expected cost of misclassifications, rather than just the number of misclassifications. This is necessary when misclassification costs for not fault prone modules are quite different from those of fault prone modules. We illustrate the principles with a case study using nonparametric discriminant analysis. The case study examined a large subsystem of the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, JS-TARS, which is an embedded, real time, military application. Measures of the process history of each module were independent variables. Models with equal costs of misclassification were unacceptable, due to high misclassification rates for fault prone modules, but cost weighted models had acceptable, balanced misclassification rates.
INCOME DISTRIBUTION STATISTICS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THEIR RELIABILITY

This paper is addressed to the question of how far income distribution statistics currently available in Latin America can be relied upon, either to assess the degree of inequality in the national distribution of income or to undertake comparisons between countries or over time. It gives a summary account of research carried out on Latin American data. The sources available in Latin America for estimating income distributions are discussed. Concentrating the attention on household surveys conducted in various Latin American countries, an inventory of such surveys and their characteristics is offered, along with a detailed exposition of survey methods and income concepts used for estimating household income. Methods used for assessing the representativeness of samples are summarily reviewed. The case for comparing income data from household surveys and population censuses with national accounts estimates is put forward, along with the procedures and assumptions used for carrying out such comparisons. The relative discrepancy between the two sources is taken as indicative of the degree of underestimation of each type of income in each survey. An analysis of such discrepancies across the set of surveys considered gives clues on possible underestimation biases in measuring each type of income and total household income in different types of survey and in population censuses. Differential effects on comparability of survey results call for appropriate methods of adjusting income distribution estimates to account for the missing incomes. A method for carrying out such an adjustment is applied to income distributions from a selected number of Latin American surveys. The results obtained provide an indication of how much difference it makes to use unadjusted or adjusted data to assess income concentration or to carry out comparisons over time or space.
Interleukin-1beta and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 cooperate to induce cyclooxygenase-2 during early mammary tumourigenesis

Introduction Inflammation within the tumour microenvironment correlates with increased invasiveness and poor prognosis in many types of cancer, including breast cancer. We have previously demonstrated that activation of a mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV)-driven inducible fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (iFGFR1) transgene in mammary epithelial cells results in an inflammatory response characterised by induction of inflammatory genes in the mammary gland. Specifically, we have observed increased levels of IL-1β expression in the mammary gland following activation of iFGFR1 and have used the iFGFR1 model to elucidate the function of IL-1β in promoting iFGFR1-induced mammary lesions.
Demonstrating the Capabilities of MindStorms NXT for the AI Curriculum

We demonstrate the possibilities offered by the new NXT platform for CS artificial intelligence curricular development. The NXT provides a number of hardware improvements over the RCX, including a faster processor and more memory. We demonstrate the curricular materials developed in the LMICSE archive, including autonomous mobile robot localization and SLAM.
Green light reversal of blue-light-stimulated stomatal opening is found in a diversity of plant species

Reversal by green light of blue-light-stimulated stomatal opening was found across a number of plant species, including leguminous and nonleguminous dicots and grass and nongrass monocots. Simultaneous exposure to equal fluence rates of blue and green light resulted in ∼50% reversal of normal blue light opening. Complete reversal occurred when the fluence rate of green light was approximately twice that of blue light. These results suggest that blue-green reversibility of stomatal opening is a basic photobiological property of guard cells. The blue-green reversibility of stomatal opening has been hypothesized to ensue from the cycling of two interconvertible, isomeric forms of the blue-light photoreceptor, zeaxanthin. Testing of blue-green reversibility could provide a valuable diagnostic tool for zeaxanthin-mediated blue-light photoperception.
Derived Willingness-to-Pay for Household Water Use with Price and Probabilistic Supply

Stochastic optimization is used to estimate the willingness-to-pay (WTP) of individual households and groups of households for changes in a combination of probabilistic water supply reliability and retail price of water. By modeling the financial and “perceived” costs of implementing long- and short-term conservation options and assuming rational (expected value cost minimizing) behavior, economic demand curves for water and expected water use can be estimated for a household. Monte Carlo-simulation techniques are used to represent variability in the household model parameters and derive estimates of aggregate household WTP for water supply reliability, and demand curves for water and conservation measures. Examples are provided to illustrate the approach.
Rapid Thermal/Plasma Processing for In-Situ Dielectric Engineering (Invited)

Rapid thermal processing of silicon in oxygen and ammonia ambients is an attractive technique for the growth of thin dielectrics such as silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, nitrided oxides, oxidized nitrides, and application-specific (composition-tailored) insulators. Multicycle rapid thermal growth processes are suitable for dielectric engineering and in-situformation of thin layered insulators with a variety of controllable oxygen and nitrogen compositional depth profiles by appropriate design of the temperature and ambient gas cycles. The growth and electrical properties of various dielectrics rapidly grown by the state-of-the-art techniques and their corresponding device performance are examined. Rapid thermal processing and microwave plasma generation have been combined in a novel custom-made multipurpose reactor for rapid plasma-enhanced multiprocessing of Si, Ge, and GaAs. Thin germanium nitride dielectrics can be formed by rapid thermal or plasma nitridation for germanium CMOS applications. Combination of in-situ rapid plasma nitridation followed by silicon nitride deposition may prove to be effective for MIS structures and surface passivation on GaAs. These new applications of rapid thermal/plasma processing are additional steps towards realization of fully RTP-based Si VLSI fabrication processes and development of new devices and technologies on other semiconductor materials.
Three-dimensional FSS elements with wide frequency and angular responses

In this paper, we describe a three-dimensional frequency-selective surface (FSS) element that generates a flat bandpass response over a wide band, as well as controllable low-pass angular response. The unit cell, which consists of a waveguide element with two connected cascaded radiating elements, exhibits a flat bandpass response over the frequency range 13 GHz to 24 GHz, i.e. a −3dB bandwidth (BW/f 0 ) of 66.6%. We show that the angular response of the FSS can be controlled by changing its periodicity, which, in turn, determines the angle at which the first higher-order Floquet harmonic begins to propagate.
Chondroprotective agents in thetreatment of articular cartilage degeneration

Abstract Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid provide new and exciting treatments for osteoarthritis. Although the use of these drugs is still controversial, they have gained popularity among the lay public, suggesting that they may have beneficial effects. Studies are now being performed to test the effectiveness of these medicines and, in particular, whether they function simply as placebos. Knowledge of these treatments is important for orthopedists treating young patients with articular cartilage damage.
A physical map of the Chinese chestnut ( Castanea mollissima ) genome and its integration with the genetic map

Three Chinese chestnut bacterial artificial chromo- some (BAC) libraries were developed and used for physical map construction. Specifically, high information content fingerprinting was used to assemble 126,445 BAC clones into 1,377 contigs and 12,919 singletons. Integration of the dense Chinese chestnut genetic map with the physical map was
Dipole-induced, first-order phase transitions of nano-rod monolayers

Abstract The isotropic–nematic transition of nano-rod monolayers with fore–aft symmetry is second order, in stark contrast to the first-order phase transition explained by Onsager [L. Onsager, Ann. (N.Y.) Acad. Sci. 51 (1949) 627] for rods in three dimensions. Here we show that the coupling of a dipole potential to excluded volume is sufficient to re-instate a first-order phase transition of rods confined to two dimensions.
Enhanced accumulation of free fatty acids in experimental focal cerebral ischemia

Cerebral ischemia is well known to cause an increase in the level of free fatty acids (FFAs) in rodent species. Such FFA accumulations may signal regional lipid membrane damage and are postulated to participate in the pathogenesis of progressive infarction after cerebral ischemia. In this study we have examined the regional levels of FFAS in the cortices of cats after 8 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion. The levels of specific FFAs (palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids) were 1.5 and 2.0 times higher in the penumbral and dense ischemic regions, respectively, than those in the non-ischemic contralateral region. Although no significant differences were found between the penumbra and dense ischemic regions in the levels of arachidonic acid, the levels of docosahexaenoic acid in both of these regions were significantly higher than those in the contralateral region (P < 0.05). These results suggest that enhanced accumulation of FFAs are regionally distributed after focal ischemia and may contribute to neuronal damage after focal cerebral ischemia in non-rodent species.
Shoveling sand or changing the nation?: transformation activism in Cape Town

(2008). Shoveling sand or changing the nation?: transformation activism in Cape Town. Anthropology Southern Africa: Vol. 31, No. 3-4, pp. 85-94.
In Conversation: RT Hon The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, Masters of the Rolls

Lord Phillips, 65, became Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice on 6th June 2000.1 He has been highly praised for his patience, attention to detail and fairness. Lawyers voted him as among the most popular judges in a survey by Legal Business magazine. In December 2002, he graciously agreed to an exclusive interview with the Singapore Law Review. With his guiding words, we attempt to trace his career and unearth the private thoughts of one of the greatest legal minds of our time.
Geophysical assessment of peak accelerations

abstract Forty of the larger peak accelerations at source-site distances R ≃ 10 km for earthquakes in the magnitude range 3.2 ≦ M ≦ 7.1 are the basis of a geophysical interpretation of peak acceleration data. For 4 1 2 ≲ M ≦ 7.1 these peak acceleration data are essentially independent of magnitude; for 3.2 ≦ M ≲ 4 1 2 these data increase from 0.1 to 0.2 g at M = 3.2 to about 1 2 g at M ≃ 4 1 4 . A qualitative argument is advanced to attribute the observed dependence on magnitude in the range 3.2 ≦ M ≲ 4 1 2 to the effects of faulting duration, anelastic attenation, and instrumental response. If this argument is valid, physical processes in the source region responsible for generating these high-frequency acceleration amplitudes at R ≃ 10 km are independent of magnitude. A simple theoretical argument predicated on the basis that high-frequency ground accelerations reflect isolated and localized bursts of faulting, suggests that this should be the case if the dynamic shear-stress differences gs accompanying localized failure in the source region are magnitude-independent. The peak acceleration data at R ≃ 10 km suggest that σ ˜ ≃ 2 2kb, a value nearly coincident with the maximum shear-stress differences likely to be sustained by active crustal fault zones at depths ≦ 10 km. If 5 kb is a more reasonable limit to the shear strength of crustal rocks at 10-km depth, 1.8 g is a more reasonable limit to ground accelerations caused by sources of faulting at R = 10 km.
Acute Dynamic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome After Midshaft Clavicular Osteosynthesis for Nonunion: A Case Report.

Clavicular fractures are common, representing 2.6% to 4% of all fractures and 44% of those in the shoulder girdle1,2. Midshaft fractures, which account for approximately 80% of clavicular fractures, historically were treated nonoperatively, even in the presence of substantial displacement2,3. Recent studies have shown that the rate of nonunion with displaced midshaft fractures treated nonoperatively may be as high as 15%3-5. Furthermore, clavicular osteosynthesis is reported to be a safe and reliable treatment of midshaft clavicular fractures, with midshaft nonunion rates as low as 2.2%5. Despite the success of clavicular osteosynthesis, compression of neurovascular structures of the thoracic outlet has been reported as a noteworthy complication6. We describe the results of an osteosynthesis of a clavicular fracture nonunion that resulted in a postoperative acute dynamic thoracic outlet syndrome. In addition, we present an intraoperative diagnostic test that can be performed to avoid such a complication. To our knowledge, there are no previously reported cases of acute dynamic thoracic outlet syndrome following clavicular osteosynthesis for fracture nonunion. The patient was informed that data concerning the case would be submitted for publication, and he provided consent. A forty-five-year-old right-hand-dominant healthy man sustained a closed mid-diaphyseal clavicular fracture secondary to a fall thirteen years earlier, and was treated nonoperatively at another institution. He presented to our clinic for evaluation of a painful atrophic fracture nonunion (Fig. 1). Physical examination demonstrated a normal radial pulse with no right upper-extremity sensory or motor deficits, and the patient was advised to undergo operative treatment of the nonunion with an intramedullary device and corticocancellous allograft chips (Fig. 2). Postoperatively, he developed progressive implant failure (Fig. 3) and had no signs of union due to compliance issues, which included performing push-ups in …
CHANGING REPRODUCTIVE RATES AND POPULATION CYCLES IN LEMMINGS AND VOLES.

Lemmings and voles (cricetid rodents of the genera Lemmus, Dicrostonyx, Microtus, Clethrionomys, etc.) have long been studied because of the dramatic fluctuations in numbers which their populations undergo. These changes are sufficiently pronounced and regular to warrant the name "cycles." Associated with the changes in density are changes in reproductive rates. These can (but do not always) include the following:
Conversion of red muscle to pale muscle.

SummaryConversion of red muscle to pale muscle can be accomplished by changing the position of the tendon of insertion to that of a white muscle. In thus assuming the function of a pale synergistic muscle, the red muscle in turn assumes the properties of pale muscle as evidenced by similar types of re-flexly induced contractions and by similar myohemoglobin and iron contents. Acknowledgment is due Mrs. G. W. Wyatt for aid in the chemical determinations.
Effects of Sex and Eye Color on Jumping Rope by Elementary School Children

Light-eyed individuals generally perform better at self-paced activities while dark-eyed individuals perform better at reactive activities. A 2 (boy, girl) by 2 (light-eyed, dark-eyed) by 4 (Grades...
Study on effect and prognostic evaluation of nursing intervention on patients with bronchial asthma

[Objective]To explore the effect and prognostic evaluationof nursing intervention on patients with bronchial asthma.[Methods]133 bronchial asthma patients were randomly divided into the control group(65 cases) and the intervention group(68 cases).The control group was given the normal treatment and nursing,and the intervention group received the nursing intervention measures on the basis of the control group.The compliance,pulmonary function indexes,relapse rate and score of life quality were compared between the two groups.[Results]After nursing intervention,the complete compliance of the intervention group was 77.9%,which was higher than that of the control group(58.5%) significantly(P 0.05).The relapse rate of the intervention group was 45.6%,which was lower than that of the control group(72.3%) significantly(P 0.05).The pulmonary function indexes and score of life quality in the intervention group were significantly better than those in the control group(P 0.01).[Conclusion]The nursing intervention can increase the compliance of patients with bronchial asthma,improve pulmonary function,reduce the relapse rate and enhance the life quality.
Abstract 272: Metformin enhances the anti-prostate cancer activity of abiraterone and enzalutamide

The standard treatment for advanced castration sensitive prostate cancer (CSPC) is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), generally in the form of suppression of gonadally produced androgens via medical or surgical castration. The selective inhibitor of androgen biosynthesis Abiraterone (Abi), and the androgen receptor (AR) antagonist Enzalutamide (MDV3100), are second line hormonal therapies used to treat PC patients failing ADT. However, these drugs provide treatment response for a limited duration of time due to the development of resistance to them. Included among the mechanisms leading to resistance to ABI or MDV is the expression of the AR variant AR-V7. Metformin, a widely used oral anti-diabetic drug, has been reported to reduce prostate cancer mortality in PC patients with type II diabetes. In this study, we explored the effects of ABI, MDV and metformin in a pre-clinical model of PC. Both Abi and MDV inhibited cell proliferation and the expression of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in androgen-sensitive LNCaP cells. However, neither induced cell death, and in fact MDV appeared to actually inhibit apoptosis in LNCaP cells. Both agents increased AR and AR-V7 expression, which in part may account for development of resistance to ABI or MDV. In contrast, metformin inhibited AR, AR-V7 and PSA expression in a dose-dependent manner, and induced apoptotic cell death in PC cells. Metformin, in combination with ABI or MDV, further enhanced apoptosis and inhibited expression of PSA than it did as single agent. Interestingly, at near physiological concentrations metformin induced apoptosis in a caspase-independent manner rather than by a caspase-dependent apoptotic program that is reported to occur with high doses of metformin. In conclusion, Abi or MDV inhibits AR signaling and PC cell proliferation, but also induces AR and AR-V7 expression. Metformin decreases AR and AR-V7 expression and induces apoptotic cell death. The combination of metformin with androgen biosynthesis/AR inhibitors results in caspase-independent apoptotic cell death in addition to inhibition of both cell proliferation and AR signaling. Further studies will be needed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of these combination treatments in patients with PC. Citation Format: Yi Xie, Linbo Wang, Arif Hussain. Metformin enhances the anti-prostate cancer activity of abiraterone and enzalutamide. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 272.
Dual roles of CCN proteins in breast cancer progression.

The tumor microenvironment has a powerful effect on the development and progression of human breast cancer, which may be used therapeutically. Despite efforts to understand the complex role of the tumor microenvironment in breast cancer development, the specific players and their contributions to tumorigenesis need further investigation. The CCN family of matricellular proteins comprises six members (CCN1–6; CYR61, CTGF, NOV, WISP1–3) with central roles in development, inflammation, and tissue repair. CCN proteins also exert functions during pathological processes including fibrosis and cancer by regulating extracellular signals in the cellular environment. Studies have demonstrated that all six CCN proteins exert functions in breast tumorigenesis. Although CCN proteins share a multimodular structure in which most cysteine residues are conserved within structural motifs, they may have opposing functions in breast cancer progression. A better understanding of the functions of each CCN member will assist in the development of specific therapeutic approaches for breast cancer.
Propagation Characteristics and Modeling of Meshed Ground Coplanar Waveguide

Additive manufacturing (AM) is increasingly being used for the realization of microwave circuits. In this method of fabrication, conductive patterns can be printed directly without the need of a mask or subtractive techniques such as etching a metalized substrate surface. For most AM processes, the materials used for the conductive layer are the most expensive ones; hence, there is value in minimizing the conductor surface area used in a circuit. In this paper, the approach of meshed ground coplanar waveguide (MGCPW) is analyzed by simulating, fabricating, and measuring a broad set of MG geometry sizes. Furthermore, a physical–mathematical model is presented, which predicts the characteristic impedance and the capacitance per unit length of MGCPW with less than 5.4% error compared with simulated data. A set of filters is designed and fabricated in order to demonstrate the approach. The main parameter affected by meshing the ground plane is the attenuation constant of the waveguide. It is shown that 50% mesh density in the ground plane of an MGCPW line can be used with less than 25% increase in the loss. In contrast, the loss of finite ground coplanar waveguide can increase by as much as 108% when the ground size is reduced by the same factor (50%). Both 3-D printing (microdispensing) and traditional printed circuit board manufacturing are used in this paper, and most of the propagation characterization is performed at 4 GHz.
Classification of Chirps Using Hidden Markov Models

This paper addresses the problem of classifying chirp signals in noise. Our basic approach combines a short time Fourier transform (STFT) with a hidden Markov model (HMM) to track the frequency progression versus time. Next, the best-fit polynomial of the resulting discrete Viterbi path is computed or the central moments are estimated from the distribution of the path. Our experimental results show that separable clusters in the feature space are formed for broad classes of chirps. A Bayesian classifier can then be applied effectively to classify the different families of chirps. Experiments have been carried out on both synthetically generated chirp signals and naturally occurring lightning discharges as recorded by the FORTE satellite.
CD4+ Effector Memory and Naive T Cells Mediate Graft-Versus-Leukemia Via Direct Recognition of MHCII on Leukemic Cells.

One of the major challenges in allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) is to separate graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) from graft-versus-leukemia (GVL). We and others have previously demonstrated, in both major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-compatible/multiple minor histocompatibility antigen-mismatched and MHC-mismatched murine models of alloSCT, that spontaneous effector memory (EM) CD4 + T cells depleted of regulatory CD25 + cells (CD4 + CD44 + CD62L - CD25 - ) do not cause GVHD. We have also shown that these EM CD4 + T cells can mediate GVL against a model of murine chronic phase of CML (mCP-CML) induced via retroviral transduction of BM cells with the bcr-abl fusion cDNA without causing GVHD (Zheng, et al ASH meeting 2004). In the present study we analyzed the effector mechanisms of these EM CD4 + cells in the B6bm12 → B6 MHCII disparate bone marrow transplantation (BMT) model. First, we demonstrated that the GVL activity of both EM and naive CD4 + T cells required cognate interactions with CML targets as GVL was ineffective against mCP-CML induced in bone marrow from B6.I-Ab −/− (MHCII − ) mice. Recipients of MHCII − mCP-CML died from mCP-CML between day 15-20 post BMT, regardless of whether they received EM or naive CD4 + cells or no T cells at all. In light of data in the same model that parenchymal MHCII expression is not required for GVHD (Teshima et al, 2002), these data demonstrate distinct mechanisms for the cytotoxicity by CD4 + cells in GVL and GVHD—direct in the former and indirect in the latter. To further investigate the specific mechanisms of T cell killing, we tested the effectiveness of EM CD4 + cells in eradicating mCP-CML induced in bone marrow cells from Fas −/− and TNFR1/R2 −/− mice. Both EM and naive CD4 + cells mediated GVL against these gene deficient leukemias that was similar to that against wild type mCP-CML. In summary, these results suggest that EM and naive CD4 + cells mediate GVL via direct cognate engagement with targets. Their killing, however, does not depend on either FasL or TNF-α which suggests a dominant role for perforin, TRAIL, or both. Interestingly, although the mechanisms of recognition and killing of mCP-CML by either naive or EM CD4 + T cells are so far indistinguishable, whereas only the naive cells cause GVHD. Whereas a number of investigators have been able to separate mechanisms of killing in GVHD vs. GVL, this is to our knowledge the first clear demonstration of a difference in the mechanism of recognition between GVHD and GVL.
Nonuniqueness of the fatigue threshold

Abstract The fatigue crack growth prediction near the threshold regime remains one of the most challenging fields in fatigue research. In previous studies, the threshold effects have been incorporated into fatigue crack growth models upon modification of the Paris Law in an empirical fashion. In this work, without a priori assumptions and empirical constants, we derived the threshold levels with a combination of molecular dynamics and continuum calculations. We illustrate that the threshold value is non-unique and depends on the state of the microstructure surrounding the crack. Also, in reality, we envisage very low fatigue crack growth rates near the ‘threshold’ and not a cut-off value, which is consistent with the experimental trends. In the model, the microstructure is characterized by the grain boundary types, the grain size, and the initial dislocation density. We derive friction stresses for the forward and the reverse motion of the crack tip dislocations interacting with the grain boundaries which allow determination of the irreversible crack tip displacements. We illustrate the benefits of sigma-3 grain boundaries, finer grain sizes and the shielding dislocations at the crack tip on improving the near-threshold fatigue crack growth behavior.
Venlafaxine-induced REM sleep behavioral disorder presenting as two fractures.

Abstract Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavioral disorder is characterized by the absence of muscular atonia during REM sleep. In this disorder, patients can violently act out their dreams, placing them at risk for traumatic fractures during these episodes. REM sleep behavioral disorder (RBD) can be a sign of future neurodegenerative disease and has also been found to be a side effect of certain psychiatric medications. We present a case of venlafaxine-induced RBD in a 55 year old female who presented with a 13 year history of intermittent parasomnia and dream enactment in addition to a recent history of two fractures requiring intervention.
In Their Own Words: The Significance of Participant Perceptions in Assessing Entomology Citizen Science Learning Outcomes Using a Mixed Methods Approach

A mixed methods study was used to transcend the traditional pre-, post-test approach of citizen science evaluative research by integrating adults’ test scores with their perceptions. We assessed how contributory entomology citizen science affects participants’ science self-efficacy, self-efficacy for environmental action, nature relatedness and attitude towards insects. Pre- and post-test score analyses from citizen scientists (n = 28) and a control group (n = 72) were coupled with interviews (n = 11) about science experiences and entomological interactions during participation. Considering quantitative data alone, no statistically significant changes were evident in adults following participation in citizen science when compared to the control group. Citizen scientists’ pre-test scores were significantly higher than the control group for self-efficacy for environmental action, nature relatedness and attitude towards insects. Interview data reveal a notable discrepancy between measured and perceived changes. In general, citizen scientists had an existing, long-term affinity for the natural world and perceived increases in their science self-efficacy, self-efficacy for environmental action, nature relatedness and attitude towards insects. Perceived influences may act independently of test scores. Scale instruments may not show impacts with variances in individual’s prior knowledge and experiences. The value of mixed methods on citizen science program evaluation is discussed.
In-pavement fiber Bragg grating sensor for vehicle speed and wheelbase estimation

The Department of Transportation classifies a vehicle depending on the number of axles and the space between them (wheelbase). Vehicle classification accuracy depends on the accuracy in estimating the speed and the wheelbase. In this study, a three-dimension Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer packaged Fiber Bragg Grating sensor (3D GFRP-FBG) is introduced for vehicle speed and wheelbase estimation. The experimental results show the ability of the sensor to estimate the speed and the wheelbase of a reference vehicle, with an accuracy of 95% or higher.
Racial differences in completion of the living kidney donor evaluation process.

Racial disparities in living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) persist but the most effective target to eliminate these disparities remains unknown. One potential target could be delays during completion of the live donor evaluation process. We studied racial differences in progression through the evaluation process for 247 African American (AA) and 664 non-AA living donor candidates at our center between January 2011 and March 2015. AA candidates were more likely to be obese (38% vs 22%: P < .001), biologically related (66% vs 44%: P < .001), and live ≤50 miles from the center (64% vs 37%: P < .001) than non-AAs. Even after adjusting for these differences, AAs were less likely to progress from referral to donation (aHR for AA vs non-AA: 0.26 0.47 0.83; P = .01). We then assessed racial differences in completion of each step of the evaluation process and found disparities in progression from medical screening to in-person evaluation (aHR: 0.41 0.620.94; P = .02) and from clearance to donation (aHR: 0.28 0.510.91; P = .02), compared with from referral to medical screening (aHR: 0.78 1.021.33; P = .95) and from in-person evaluation to clearance (aHR: 0.59 0.931.44; P = .54). Delays may be a manifestation of the transplant candidate's social network, thus, targeted efforts to optimize networks for identification of donor candidates may help address LDKT disparities.
Sensorimotor Learning of Dexterous Manipulation

Abstract Human sensorimotor learning has been extensively studied. However, most of this work has been focused on the adaptation of reaching movements against force fields or in response to visual perturbations of movement trajectories. As a result, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the learning of dexterous manipulation. To address this gap, we have designed several tasks and sensorized devices to quantify the processes underlying acquisition and retention of dexterous manipulation, as well as mechanisms that may favor or interfere with the generalization of learned manipulation tasks to other task contexts. As humans learned to perform manipulation tasks of the same or different objects across different contexts, we found evidence for multiple sensorimotor mechanisms characterized by different time scales and extents to which they can interfere with each other. We conclude this chapter by presenting potential applications of these biological findings to robotic dexterous manipulation.
Children's equivalence judgments: Crossmapping effects

Preschoolers made numerical comparisons between sets with varying degrees of shared surface similarity. When surface similarity was pitted against numerical equivalence (i.e., crossmapping), children made fewer number matches than when surface similarity was neutral (i.e, all sets contained the same objects). Only children who understood the number words for the target sets performed above chance in the crossmapping condition. These findings are consistent with previous research on children's non-numerical comparisons (e.g., Rattermann & Gentner, 1998; Smith, 1993) and suggest that the same mechanisms may underlie numerical development.
Ejection time in aortic stenosis and mitral stenosis. Comparison between the direct and indirect arterial tracings with special reference to preand postoperative findings.

C HANoEs in arterial pulse contour accompanying heart disease have been recognized for some years,l-13 particularly in relation to lesions of the aortic valve.14-25 Despite this recognition, arterial tracings are employed by few investigators. Systematic consideration of changes in pulse contour have not been made in relation to mitral valve disease. The purpose of this report is to investigate the abnormalities of the indirect carotid tracing in patients with aortic stenosis and mitral stenosis and to correlate these findings with the physiologic data obtained at cardiac catheterization and with pressures obtained at surgery. It is also our purpose to correlate the findings in the indirect carotid tracing with direct curves obtained during left heart catheterization or surgery.
The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities: Research Implications for the Assessment of Young Children

A review of the reliability and validity studies of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) shows the the MSCA has excellent reliability and stability; however, its concurrent validity w...
Decarbonizing power and transportation at the urban scale: An analysis of the Austin, Texas Community Climate Plan

Abstract Despite the growing importance of cities in climate change mitigation, there remains a dearth of rigorous analysis to inform municipal climate policies and mitigation strategies. Our study addresses this gap in the literature. We develop an energy system optimization model for urban-scale decarbonization, and use it to analyze the Community Climate Plan adopted by Austin, Texas. Austin is a valuable testbed for analysis because it is a member of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is particularly ambitious. We find that this policy objective can be achieved at a modest 2.7% increase in net present power and transportation costs relative to business-as-usual. The optimal decarbonization pathway proceeds through two distinct stages, first reducing power sector emissions, then electrifying transportation. Solar PV expands in the long run with or without the climate plan based on favorable cost projections, but the policy causes wind to replace natural gas as a complement to solar PV. Results also highlight the substantial value of intelligently scheduled battery storage operations and electric vehicle charging.
Epidemiology and resource utilization of ludwig's angina ED visits in the United States 2006-2014.

Objectives Ludwig's angina is a potentially lethal submandibular space infection. We aim to describe the epidemiological characteristics of Ludwig's angina patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) and to examine outcomes and resource utilization to determine their burden on ED and hospitals. Methods Using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample database, a nationally representative all-payer database, we retrospectively reviewed all ED visits between 2006 and 2014 for patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of Ludwig's angina (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, 528.3). We collected information including demographics, ED and inpatient charges, airway interventions, length of stay, and mortality. Results A total of 5,855 patients met our inclusion criteria. In our study population, the mean age was 44.5 years, with 54% males and 46% females. There were 75% insured and 25% uninsured. Overall median ED charges were $1,352 and median inpatient charges were $18,017.54, with a median length of stay of 3 days. As part of their management, 47.2% of the patients received a surgical drainage procedure, 3.3% required a surgical airway, and 4.6% required a nonsurgical airway. The overall mortality rate was 0.3%. Conclusion Ludwig's angina remains a rare and potentially life-threatening condition. The mortality rate appears to be decreased from previous historical accounts, with airway intervention remaining a significant part of management. Level of evidence 3 Laryngoscope, 129:2041-2044, 2019.
The double burden of food insecurity and obesity among Latino youth: Understanding the role of generational status

Background: Obesity is linked to food insecurity and generational status; however, little is known about how both impact obesity risk among Latino youth. Objective: To investigate the joint effect of generational status and food insecurity on obesity prevalence among Latino youth. Methods: We pooled data from the 2011 to 2017 waves of the National Health Interview Survey to derive a sample Latino youth aged 12 to 17 (N = 7532). Four generational categories were constructed: first generation (foreign-born children); second generation (US-born child; foreign-born parent[s]); 2.5 generation (US-born child; one foreign-born parent and one US-born parent); third generation (US-born child; U.S.-born parent[s]). Food insecurity was defined by monthly instances of food scarcity over the past year. Obesity was measured using age- and sex-specific body mass index percentile cut-offs. Log-binomial multivariable regression models estimated the association between generational status and food insecurity categories on obesity. Results: Obesity percentages among food-insecure households ranged from 12.8% in the first generation, 15.8% in the second, 24.3% in the 2.5, and 19.2% in the third. In fully adjusted models, 2.5 generation food secure youth had the highest prevalence of obesity (aPR: 1.53; 95% CI, 1.09-2.16) when compared with first generation food secure youth, followed by third generation food insecure youth (aPR: 1.49; 95% CI, 1.01-2.20). Conclusions: Food security status is associated with increased obesity prevalence among Latino youth across the generations. Given that obesity is a risk factor for top causes of mortality and morbidity, growing rates among this population is of public health and clinical importance.
The Non-Randomness of Municipal Government Reorganization: Evidence From Village Dissolution in New York

Municipal government dissolution used to be a rare occurrence in American history and has thus far received little attention in the literature. More than 300 of municipal governments, however, have...
Pandemic ethics: the case for risky research:

There is too much that we do not know about COVID-19. The longer we take to find it out, the more lives will be lost. In this paper, we will defend a principle of risk parity: if it is permissible ...
Drying methods affect physicochemical and functional properties of quinoa protein isolate

Quinoa protein possesses great amino acid profiles and can be a potential food ingredient with broad applications. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of different drying methods, namely freeze drying, spray drying, and vacuum drying on the functional and physicochemical properties of quinoa protein isolate, e.g., morphology, amino acid composition, SDS-PAGE profile, sulfhydryl/disulfide content, secondary structure, surface hydrophobicity, and thermal stability. The freeze-dried protein exhibited the highest emulsification capacity and stability and oil binding capacity, which was contributed to its higher surface hydrophobicity, while the spray-dried sample had the highest solubility and water absorption capacity at pH 7. Gels (8%) prepared with the freeze-dried protein had higher elastic and viscous modulus than that from others. The freeze-dried protein had the highest maximal denaturation temperature but lowest enthalpy, which may be attributed to its higher amount of random coil but lower percent of regular α-helix and β-sheet structures. Overall, quinoa protein isolate from different processing methods demonstrated distinct functional properties. This information will be useful to optimize quinoa protein production and benefit its applications.
Undiagnosed fibromuscular dysplasia in a deceased donor kidney transplant successfully treated with angioplasty.

A 41-year-old man with end-stage renal disease received a deceased donor kidney transplant without complication. Maintenance immunosuppression consisted of tacrolimus, mycophenolate and prednisone. Two months after transplantation, his creatinine did not improve beyond 2–2.3 mg/dL, which prompted allograft biopsy. His biopsy showed tubular epithelial injury without rejection, and given concern for possible calcineurin-inhibitor toxicity, his tacrolimus was changed to sirolimus. Renal function improved, but 1 month later he presented to the hospital with seizure activity, severe hypertension, acute kidney injury and MRI findings suggestive of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. Blood pressure was difficult to control, which had not been the case in the immediate posttransplant period, and addition of lisinopril worsened his renal function. Transplant renal artery stenosis was suspected, and allograft ultrasound with doppler confirmed our suspicion. The patient underwent an angiogram, showing 60% stenosis of the mid-distal transplanted renal artery. Interventional radiology successfully stented this lesion, with subsequent improvement in allograft function and blood pressure control. He did not require further intervention in follow-up.
Wellposedness of the 2D full water wave equation in a regime that allows for non- $$C^1$$ C 1 interfaces

We consider the two dimensional gravity water wave equation in a regime where the free interface is allowed to be non- $$C^1$$ . In this regime, only a degenerate Taylor inequality $$-\frac{\partial P}{\partial {\mathbf{n}}}\ge 0$$ holds, with degeneracy at the singularities. In Kinsey and Wu (Camb J Math 6(2):93–181, 2018) an energy functional $${\mathcal {E}}(t)$$ was constructed and an a-priori estimate was proved. The energy functional $${\mathcal {E}}(t)$$ is not only finite for interfaces and velocities in Sobolev spaces, but also finite for a class of non- $$C^1$$ interfaces with angled crests. In this paper we prove the existence, uniqueness and stability of the solution of the 2d gravity water wave equation in the class where $${\mathcal {E}}(t)<\infty $$ , locally in time, for any given data satisfying $${\mathcal {E}}(0)<\infty $$ .
Race and Human Rights

The terrorist attacks against U.S. targets on September 11, 2001, and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, sparked an intense debate about 'human rights.' According to contributors to this provocative book, the discussion of human rights to date has been far too narrow. They argue that any conversation about human rights in the United States must include equal rights for all residents.Essays examine the historical and intellectual context for the modern debate about human rights, the racial implications of the war on terrorism, the intersection of racial oppression, and the national security state. Others look at the Pinkerton detective agency as a forerunner of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the role of Africa in post-World War II American attempts at empire-building, and the role of immigration as a human rights issue.