cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Survey on the Awareness of AIDS Related Knowledge and Behaviors among Men Who Have Sex with Men

Objective To understand cognitive status of HIV related knowledge and the situation of sexual behaviors among MSM population and offer suggestions for behavior intervention.Methods From January to December,2010,358 MSM were investigated.through anonymous questionnaires.Information consent data were collected by EPIDATA 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS17.0.Results The condom using-rate of having anal sex with men at the last time was 56.6%;the condom using-rate of having sex with women at the last time was 33.6%;the general awareness of HIV related knowledge(getting 6 and above) of the respondents was 65.4%.The degree and the different sites of selecting the partners of the respondents on the survey had statistic significances significantly on the awareness of AIDS related knowledge.Conclusion The high mastery rate of AIDS knowledge is found in the survey.The respondents get HIV/AIDS knowledge through various ways actively.There is no obvious relationship between the mastery of HIV related knowledge and condom-using frequency.The ratio of non-protected sexual behaviors is high.How to adopt effective methods for behavior intervention to MSM to reduce their high risky sexual behavior still needs to be further studied.
Adaptive Thresholding Based Cell Segmentation for Cell-Destruction Activity Verification

An adaptive thresholding method used to distinguish cell boundaries in a given image is presented in this paper. A preprocessing step involves low pass filtering of the image to remove high frequency noise seen in the image. This image is now adaptively thresholded to create a binary image. The bright regions are further analyzed based on their geometrical descriptors such as area and form factor to classify them as cell or non-cell regions. Two sets of images, pulsed and non-pulsed, are available, which can be compared to determine the efficiency of the pulsing. Results for automatic segmentation are compared with those of manually obtained values to determine its efficiency.
Determining block detector positions for PET scanners

We present an algorithm for accurate localization of block detectors in a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. Accurate reconstruction of PET images requires precise knowledge of the physical position and orientation of the detectors. However, in some systems, block detector positioning and orientation can have relatively large tolerances, leading to implicit errors in the coincidence line-of-response (LOR) positioning. To compensate we utilize a rotating point source phantom where the rotational angle of the phantom is used to precisely determine the location of each scintillator crystal within a detector block. The aggregate block positions are then applied to the system model to determine the true location of each LOR. Images reconstructed with the more accurate LOR positioning demonstrate improved image fidelity.
Administrator Observation and Feedback: Does It Lead Toward Improvement in Inquiry-Oriented Math Instruction?:

Purpose: This study examines the content and efficacy of instructional leaders’ expectations and feedback (press) in relation to the improvement of middle school mathematics teachers’ instruction in the context of coherent systems of supports. Research Method/Approach: This mixed methods study is a part of a larger, 8-year longitudinal study in four large urban school districts across the United States. We used transcripts of interview data, surveys, and video recordings of instruction of 271 cases, over 4 years, to determine the content of administrator press, as reported by teachers, and the relationship between the content and change (if any) in instruction. To do so we used qualitative coding of interview transcripts, and ran a series of statistical models to examine the nature of the variance in and impact of administrative press. Findings: Most of the administrators’ press, as reported by teachers, was not targeted toward specific teachers’ mathematics instruction in ways that would likely lead towa...
Vacuum UV photo-oxidation of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

AbstractPoly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was treated with vacuum UV (VUV) (λ = 104.8 and 106.7 nm) photo-oxidation using a microwave (MW) plasma of Ar as the radiation source and the results were compared to treatment with O atoms produced from a remote MW plasma of a gaseous mixture of Ar-O2 in the absence of radiation. X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS) detected a lower saturation level for the atomic % of O with VUV photo-oxidation (32 at%) than with O atom treatment (34 at% O). The C 1s curve fitting results for both treatment methods show a decrease in aromatic sp2 carbons and an increase in the amount of carbon-oxygen bonding due to the formation of the carbonyl (C=O) and carbonate-like (O-(C=O)-O) moieties for VUV photo-oxidation; and C-O-C, C=O, and O-C=O moieties for O atom treatment, respectively. Advancing water contact angle measurements showed more of an increase in hydrophilicity with the O atom treated samples than VUV photo-oxidation. Atomic Force Microscopy images displayed smoothe...
Associations between activity of arginase or matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) and metritis in periparturient dairy cattle.

Metritis, a uterine disease caused by bacterial infection, is highly prevalent in dairy cattle after parturition. Uterine disease has negative effects on milk production and reproductive efficiency. Finding markers or indicators that can predict cows at greater risk for uterine disease could be beneficial to mitigating these deleterious effects. This study investigates the immune-derived enzymes arginase and matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) as potential markers for development of metritis in dairy cows. In a retrospective matched case-control study, 53 lactating Holstein cows diagnosed with metritis were matched and paired to 53 lactating Holstein control cows. In addition to examining cows for diagnosis of metritis on d 4, 7, 10, and 14 after parturition, occurrence of retained fetal membranes, gender of the calf, and the event of a stillbirth were recorded. Blood samples were collected 7 ± 3 d before calving, on the day of calving, and 7 ± 3 d after calving and were assayed for activity of arginase and MMP-8. Associations between metritis and activity of arginase or MMP-8 were determined by conditional logistic regression at each individual sampling time point. An interaction between activity of arginase, before and on the day of parturition, and retained fetal membranes tended (P ≤ 0.13) to be associated with metritis. After parturition, activity of arginase and the interaction between activity of arginase and retained fetal membranes were not (P ≥ 0.22) associated with metritis. Activity of MMP-8 was not (P ≥ 0.20) associated with metritis in the periparturient period. Retained fetal membranes were associated with the odds of developing metritis. Activity of arginase before and at the time of parturition might be a potential marker for occurrence of metritis, especially in cows that develop retained fetal membranes. MMP-8 does not seem to be a potential indicator for metritis.
Environmentally conscious investors and portfolio choice decisions

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a financial economic model that analyzes the effects of integrating environmental concerns into investment portfolios in capital markets. The environmentally conscious investor's expected rate of return on equity is shown to incorporate an environmental risk premium. Both the investors' degree of concern for environmental externalities and the environmental risk profile of a company are crucial for understanding why companies whose equity values are positively correlated with stricter environmental regulations exhibit a lower cost of equity capital. A closed-form solution to the environmentally-concerned investor is derived, offering insights into how the optimal portfolio relates to both the degree of concern for environmental externalities and the environmental risk profile of an equity stock.
Taking a Bite Out of Amyloid: Mechanistic Insights into α-Synuclein Degradation by Cathepsin L

A common hallmark of amyloids is their resistance to an array of proteases, highlighting the difficulty in degrading these disease-related aggregated proteinaceous materials. Here, we report on the potent activity of cathepsin L (CtsL), a lysosomal protease that proteolyzes the Parkinson’s disease-related amyloid formed by α-synuclein (α-syn). Using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy, an elegant mechanism is revealed on the residue and ultrastructural level, respectively. Specifically, CtsL always truncates α-syn fibrils first at the C-terminus before attacking the internal β-sheet-rich region between residues 30 and 100. This suggests that only upon removal of the α-syn C-terminus can CtsL gain access to residues within the amyloid core. Interestingly, three of the four mapped sites contain a glycine residue (G36, G41, and G51) that is likely to be involved in a β-turn in the fibril, whereupon cutting would lead to solvent exposure of internal residues and a...
Technical efficiency with multi-output, heterogeneous production: a latent class, distance function model of english football

This study combines the output distance function approach with a latent class model to estimate technical efficiency in English football in the presence of productive heterogeneity within a stochastic frontier analysis framework. The distance function approach allows the researcher to estimate technical efficiency including both on-field and off-field production, which is important in the case of English football where clubs are generally thought to maximize something other than profit. On-field production is measured using total league points, and off-field production is measured using total revenue. The data set consists of 2177 club-level observations on 88 clubs that competed in the four divisions of professional football in England over the 29-season period from 1981/82 to 2009/10. The results show evidence of three separate productivity classes in English football. As might be expected, technical efficiency estimated using the latent class model is, on average, higher than technical efficiency using an alternative method which confines heterogeneity to the intercept coefficient. Specifically, average efficiency for the sample is 87.3 and 93.2% for the random-intercept model and the latent class model respectively.
Yueqing’s Healthy Future: A Case Study in Design Planning for Healthy Urbanization

Yueqing’s Healthy Future is a context-based analysis for improving urban health against a background of unprecedented regional population transition in China’s mid-tier cities. This extended case study considers how China’s economic ascendancy, having ignited an epidemiological transition from communicable diseases more prevalent in rural areas toward largely preventable, non-communicable diseases typical of twenty-first century urban lifestyles, can facilitate more sustainable models of future urban development. Yueqing’s Healthy Future begins as sustainable infrastructure design within a framework of measurable standards to intentionally redress China’s environmental health crisis and resulting urban health problems. Key determinates for urban livability are amply addressed: urban infrastructure design, the built environment, the incorporation of nature, quality of life, and health and wellness. Prescriptive guidance to optimize urban health and long-term sustainability in the process of urban growth and development accompanies this case study: urban climate change resilience, urban mobility, and strategies for healthier buildings. This assessment includes recommendations by a joint research team from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Although these proposals reflect actual climatic, ecological, and environmental policy conditions of Yueqing, China and thus are tailored to improve that city’s sustainability profile, the recommendations may inform urban projects elsewhere with similar urban infrastructure and ecological conditions already in place.
Development of “KBCommons” — universal informatics framework for multi-omics translational research

Multi-level ‘OMICS’ data integration for multiple organisms has been one of the major challenges in the era of advanced next generation sequencing and high performance technologies. However, these data are often stored individually across different web resources based on data type and organism making it difficult to find and integrate them. There are many websites which stores different data types and display data in pie charts or plain text format but limit their data to only one fixed organism. Making it difficult for researchers working on other biological organisms including plants, animals, humans, and microbes have similar needs with multi-level omics data. These complex omics data requires extensive data management, exhaustive computational analysis, and effective integration to have a one-stop interactive, web-based portal to browse, access, analyze, integrate, visualize and share knowledge about genomics and molecular mechanisms, with ultimate links to phenotypes and traits. To achieve this, we have developed Knowledge Base Commons (KBCommons), a platform that automates the process of establishing the database and making the tools for organisms available via a dedicated web resource.
The Illusion of God’s Presence: The Biological Origins of Spiritual Longing. By John C. Wathey. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2016. 463 pp., $28.00 hardcover

The Illusion of God’s Presence is an important book on the spiritual quest from an ethological perspective filtered through an updated Freudian lens. Ethology is the naturalistic study of behavior ...
World Practices in Water Measurement at Turnouts

Measuring devices at farm turnouts on open channel irrigation systems are discussed under six general functional classifications; illustrations of each classification in use in different parts of world; future development is expected to provide new design incorporating desirable elements of several of these techniques.
Higher dimensional Darboux transformations

Abstract We give conditions for a first order partial differential operator to serve as an n-dimensional Darboux transformation between two second-order partial differential operators. We show that some of these conditions are given by first order nonlinear partial differential equations which may be solved using the method of characteristics. We also discuss the well-known example of the Boiti–Leon–Pempinelli equation and some others.
HEATING AND TOKAMAK CURRENT MAINTENANCE BY INJECTION OF INTENSE PULSED ION BEAMS

Plasma beams can now be efficiently produced containing several hundred kilojoules of 1 MeV ions. If such beams can be injected into a magnetically-confined toroidal system, present day tokamaks may have good enough confinement to achieve ignition. This paper describes three possible ways of injecting such beams, and presents simulations of the results of such injection.
A Compositional Model Checking Procedure

We consider the problem of formalizing a compositional model checking procedure with the ACL2 theorem prover. The algorithm uses conjunctive and cone of influence reductions to reduce a large model checking problem into a collection of smaller problems, and we prove the soundness of the composition of these reductions. The algorithm checks properties specified in Linear Temporal Logic (LTL), but the ACL2 logic does not allow us to express either the classical semantics of LTL or the classical soundness proofs for these reductions. We discuss ways of getting around this obstacle. We also discuss recent enhancements to ACL2, for example, a connection with the HOL4 theorem prover that may make similar efforts easier in future.
Psychometric Research on Children and Adolescents

The study of child psychopathology has been dominated by two major assessment paradigms, the medical and the psychometric. The medical assessment paradigm, epitomized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association (1952,1968,1980) is founded on the assumption that psychopathological disorders are disease entities. The purpose of psychiatric diagnosis is to relate observed signs and symptoms to underlying brain pathology. Even when a specific organic etiology cannot be identified, as in the case of most child mental health problems, the goal is still to explain observed signs and symptoms in terms of an underlying deficit or disorder. Within this paradigm, clinical interviews, physical examinations, and laboratory tests are used to determine if a patient has a given disorder or not.
Enhancing treatment for school-age children who stutter I. Reducing negative reactions through desensitization and cognitive restructuring.

Abstract This paper describes several treatment strategies that clinicians can use to address negative affective, behavioral, and cognitive reactions that school-age children who stutter may experience as part of their disorder. Specific strategies include desensitization to stuttering, cognitive restructuring, self-acceptance, purposeful self-disclosure, and a combination of both fluency enhancing and stuttering modification approaches. To facilitate clinicians’ application of these techniques, the strategies are presented in the context of a case study involving a 9-year-old boy who participated in a comprehensive treatment program for stuttering. Following treatment, the child exhibited improved communication attitudes and a reduced frequency and severity of stuttering, combined with reduced concern about stuttering, as indicated through formal and informal assessments. Findings suggest that clinicians can help children overcome the negative reactions associated with stuttering through a number of treatment strategies that can be applied in a variety of clinical settings. Educational objectives: After reading this article, participants will be able to: (1) define desensitization and cognitive restructuring and provide two arguments in favor of using these strategies in treatment for school-age children who stutter; (2) describe two treatment strategies for helping school-age children achieve desensitization through stuttering therapy; (3) describe two treatment strategies for helping school-age children engage in cognitive restructuring in the context of therapy.
Decline of a foundation tree species due to invasive insects will trigger net release of soil organic carbon

Eastern U.S. forests are witnessing an ecologically disruptive decline in one of the region's distinctive foundation tree species, the eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadenis). The exotic insect pests hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae, HWA) and elongate hemlock scale (Fiorinia externa) have greatly altered many forest ecosystems previously dominated by this important evergreen conifer. The consequences for ecosystem processes are far reaching because hemlock is often replaced by deciduous tree species, such as black birch (Betula lenta), which have strongly divergent effects on forest floor microenvironments and nutrient cycling. We took advantage of an accidental experiment initiated by patch‐level timber harvesting ~30 yr ago to investigate how the removal of hemlock, and its replacement by deciduous trees, has affected leaf litter characteristics, soil organic layer mass, C:N content, and soil respiration rates. We also contrasted these areas to nearby forest plots where deciduous B. lenta has been dominant for almost a century. The inclusion of healthy, intact hemlock stands in the design, and the close proximity of plots, allowed for a powerful space‐for‐time approach to detect ecosystem changes that are likely to occur across the broader landscape with HWA‐induced hemlock loss in coming years. Three years of data collection from a series of plots in hemlock, young birch, and mature birch stands revealed dramatic differences in soil carbon pools and cycling. Between forests dominated by hemlock vs. mature birch, we saw a significant decrease in soil organic layer mass and in the C:N of the remaining organic material. Although hemlock and young birch stands showed no significant differences in soil respiration rates, mature birch stands had significantly higher soil respiration rates throughout the entire growing season, regardless of wet or dry years. Our results suggest that the carbon pool in the forest floor is likely to mobilize through greater decomposition with a 6.8× decline in soil organic layer C storage as hemlocks are replaced by deciduous trees, leading to a potential net release of ~4.5 tons C per hectare. We conclude that the ramifications of this change for carbon storage could be extensive, but may take decades to manifest.
Children's Understanding of the Intent of Advertising: A Meta-Analysis:

The author conducts a meta-analysis investigating the extent to which children understand the intent of advertising. The results show several study characteristics that have contributed to variance...
Modeling of Errors in a Digital Energy Detector for On-Off Keying Receivers

A method of computing the error probability in a digital energy detection OOK receiver with a moving sum and hysteretic thresholds ( $MV_{\mathbf{th}1} > MV_{\mathbf{th}0}$ ) is presented. The model considered samples from both previous and current bits as the window for the moving sum is evaluated per new sample. Errors when consecutive bits are the same or different were analyzed separately as $ER_{\mathbf{B}(\mathbf{same})}$ and $ER_{\mathbf{B}(\mathbf{diff})}$ and were characterized based on the number of transitions of the majority vote output. $ER_{\mathbf{B}(\mathbf{same})}$ and $ER_{\mathbf{B}(\mathbf{diff})}$ were verified to have opposite behavior with $\Delta MV_{\mathbf{th}}$ . Optimal thresholds for the smallest bit error rate were then identified given a fixed number of samples N, error probability per sample $ER_{\mathbf{S}}$ , and probability of having bit transitions. The optimal thresholds for $\mathbf{N}=5,\ 10,\ 15$ , and 20, were found to be (2,3), (4,6), (6,9), and (8,12) when the sample error rate is from 0.01 to 0.16 and when the probability of bit transition is 50%. The computed error probabilities had %-errors of −6.91%, −0.40%, and −1.42% for $ER_{\mathbf{B}(\mathbf{same})},\ ER_{\mathbf{B}(\mathbf{diff})}$ , and $ER_{\mathbf{B}}$ when compared with behavioral simulations. $ER_{\mathbf{B}}$ was observed to be approximately proportional to $(ER_{\mathbf{S}})^{k}$ , where k is positive, and so improvements in $ER_{\mathbf{S}}$ will result in k-fold improvements in $ER_{\mathbf{B}}$ . Based on the results of the model, the k values for the N's mentioned were 2.45, 4.78, 6.60, and 8.40 and were noted to be slightly below N/2.
Inconvenient Truths About Human Longevity

The rise in human longevity is one of humanity's crowning achievements. Although advances in public health beginning in the 19th century initiated the rise in life expectancy, recent gains have been achieved by reducing death rates at middle and older ages. A debate about the future course of life expectancy has been ongoing for the last quarter century. Some suggest that historical trends in longevity will continue and radical life extension is either visible on the near horizon or it has already arrived; whereas others suggest there are biologically based limits to duration of life, and those limits are being approached now. In "inconvenient truths about human longevity" we lay out the line of reasoning and evidence for why there are limits to human longevity; why predictions of radical life extension are unlikely to be forthcoming; why health extension should supplant life extension as the primary goal of medicine and public health; and why promoting advances in aging biology may allow humanity to break through biological barriers that influence both life span and health span, allowing for a welcome extension of the period of healthy life, a compression of morbidity, but only a marginal further increase in life expectancy.
Parasitic extraction of 900-GeV/c protons from the Tevatron using a bent silicon crystal and measurement of the $b \bar{b}$ production cross-section at $\sqrt{s}$ = 38.8-GeV

This dissertation discusses results from an experiment demonstrating the feasibility of a novel extraction scheme using channeling in a bent crystal at future high-energy colliders for doing heavy avor physics in a xed target environment concurrently with collider experiments. In the second half of this dissertation we present the results from a measurement of the inclusive cross-section for b$$\bar{b}$$ production at the center-of-mass energy of 38.8 GeV using the semileptonic decays of the beauty mesons.
Risk factors, management and prevention of transfusion-related acute lung injury: a comprehensive update

Introduction: Despite mitigation strategies that include the exclusion of females from plasma donation or the exclusion of females with a history of pregnancy or known anti-leukocyte antibody, transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) remains a leading cause of transfusion-related morbidity and mortality. Areas covered: The definition of TRALI is discussed and re-aligned with the new Berlin Diagnostic Criteria for the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The risk factors associated with TRALI are summarized as are the mitigation strategies to further reduce TRALI. The emerging basic research studies that may translate to clinical therapeutics for the prevention or treatment of TRALI are discussed. Expert opinion: At risk patients, including the genetic factors that may predispose patients to TRALI are summarized and discussed. The re-definition of TRALI employing the Berlin Criteria for ARDS will allow for increased recognition and improved research into pathophysiology and mitigation to reduce this fatal complication of hemotherapy.
Phase I Trial of Targeted EGFR or ALK Therapy with Ipilimumab in Metastatic NSCLC with Long-Term Follow-Up

The natural histories of, and treatment options for, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) are distinctly different from those of lung cancer that lacks actionable mutations. Ipilimumab is a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitor that has been approved in other malignancies. A phase I trial of ipilimumab plus targeted therapy with either erlotinib or crizotinib was performed to assess the safety of the combination in patients with EGFR-mutated or ALK-rearranged advanced NSCLC. Patients with EGFR-mutated or ALK-rearranged NSCLC on a stable dose of erlotinib or crizotinib for > 28 days were eligible for the study. Patients were treated with ipilimumab 3 mg/kg for four cycles plus erlotinib or crizotinib. Treatment of the EGFR cohort resulted in dose-limiting toxicity in three of eight patients, with grade 3 diarrhea. The protocol was amended to reduce the ipilimumab dose to 1 mg/kg. Excessive toxicity resulted in the study being closed after 14 patients. Four of 11 EGFR-mutated patients ultimately developed grade 3 colitis. Of three ALK-rearranged patients, one developed hypophysitis and another grade 2 pneumonitis. For 11 EGFR-mutated patients, progression-free survival (PFS) from the start of ipilimumab was 17.9 months. Erlotinib treatment began a median 7.7 months before ipilimumab; therefore, erlotinib PFS was 27.8 months. Median overall survival (OS) has not been reached but will be > 42.3 months from erlotinib initiation. For three ALK-rearranged patients, ipilimumab PFS was 24.1 months. Median OS has not been reached but will be at least 47.2 months from the initiation of crizotinib. Erlotinib plus ipilimumab caused excessive short-term gastrointestinal toxicity leading to early study closure. However, PFS and OS were notable; therefore, targeted therapies with immunotherapy in NSCLC merit further study. Clinicaltrials.gov registration number: NCT01998126.
Signal Processing Foundations for Time-Based Signal Representations: Neurobiological parallels to engineered systems designed for energy efficiency or hardware simplicity

Neurobiological systems operate at power levels that are unattainable by modern electronic systems while exhibiting broader information processing capabilities for a number of important tasks. A variety of engineered systems designed for energy efficiency or hardware simplicity use time-based signal representations, which share similar mathematical principles with those that arise naturally in biology. In general, time-based signal representations refer to embedding information into the timing, density, or duration of a predetermined, and often bipolar, waveform. In mammalian nervous systems, it is generally accepted that neurons embed information into the timing and firing density of the sudden changes in their membrane potential, or spikes. Similarly, many low-power electronic systems use signal representations that embed information in the timing, repetition frequency, or duration of simple pulse waveforms. Despite their apparent similarities, such signal representations are often studied in different contexts.
Doxorubicin-associated takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a patient with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma

This case highlights the first reported association of doxorubicin with takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) presenting as cardiogenic shock during the first continuous infusion in a patient with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. We aim to raise awareness to recognize and distinguish between irreversible doxorubicin-associated cardiomyopathy and reversible doxorubicin-associated TC in patients with cancer.
Differential virulence contributions of the efflux transporter MexAB-OprM in Pseudomonas syringae infecting a variety of host plants

Abstract Efflux transporters such as MexAB-OprM contribute to bacterial resistance to diverse antimicrobial compounds. Here, we show that MexB contributes to epiphytic and apoplastic growth of Pseudomonas syringae strain B728a, as well as lesion formation in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). While a mexB deletion mutant formed fewer lesions after topical application to common bean, these lesions contain the same number of cells (105 to 107 cells) as those caused by the wild-type strain. The internalized population size of both the WT and the MexB mutant within small segments of surface-sterilized asymptomatic portions of the leaves varied from undetectably low to as high as 105 cells/cm2. Localized populations of bacteria within the leaf must apparently exceed a threshold size of about 105 cells/cm2 in order for a visible lesion to form. Strain B728a was capable of moderate to extensive apoplastic growth in diverse host plants including lima bean (P. lunatus), fava bean (Vicia faba), pepper (Capsicum annuum), Nicotiana benthamiana, sunflower (Helianthus annuus), and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). MexB was not required for growth in a subset of these plant species, and in which the duration of growth after inoculation was longer, indicating apparent variation in onset time or magnitude of plant chemical defenses among those hosts. The use of a hyper-susceptible efflux pump mutant strain is an informative strategy to explore the diversity of host chemical immune responses.
Increasing Relative Abundance of Pseudomonads Predicts Chronic Rejection after Lung Transplant

Purpose Culture-dependent methods have associated airway colonization with Pseudomonads with subsequent development of chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Here we use culture-independent methods to investigate this relationship. Methods We performed bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform on acellular bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid specimens obtained from 134 asymptomatic patients undergoing per-protocol surveillance bronchoscopy at 12 months post-lung transplantation. Bacteria from the genera Pseudomonadaceae, Burkholderiaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Aeromonadaceae and Alcaligenaceae were classified as Pseudomonads. CLAD onset was defined as irreversible decline of FEV1 to ≤80% post-transplant baseline in the absence of an identifiable cause. Survival analyses were performed using the logrank test and Cox proportional hazards regression and censored at 500 days of follow up. Results Nine samples (6.2%) had evidence of Pseudomonads on bacterial culture and 76 (56.7%) had evidence of Pseudomonads using culture-independent methods. The relative abundance of Pseudmonads ranged widely (1.3% - 100%). The relative abundance of Pseudmonads was not associated with demographic or clinical variables, although there was a trend toward more Pseudomonads in cystic fibrosis patients (p=0.069). Simply having evidence of Pseudomonads via culture-independent methods was not associated with shorter CLAD-free survival (p=0.267). However, we observed that increasing relative abundance of Pseudomonads was associated with increased risk of CLAD or death (Table, univariate p=0.022, multivariate p=0.038). Conclusion Increased relative abundance of Pseudomonads, detected via culture-independent methods, is associated with subsequent development of CLAD.
Black Blowers of the Now: Jazz and Activism from King’s Birmingham to Coltrane’s “Alabama”

When Martin Luther King, Jr. described the “fierce urgency of now” at 1963s March on Washington, he at once drew upon a shared cultural memory and social consciousness. In a manner as much musical ...
A Public Charity: Religion and Social Welfare in Indianapolis, 1929-2002

Review of: "A Public Charity: Religion and Social Welfare in Indianapolis, 1929-2002," by Mary L. Mapes.
International Case Studies in Social Entrepreneurship: A Focus on Brazil

The purpose of this activity is to teach students about social entrepreneurship through hands on experience. This activity can begin before the course starts so that students will have an understanding of social entrepreneurship and discussions can begin during the first class meeting. On the other hand, this activity could be a project carried out for the duration of a semester course. Students will research selected social entrepreneurs and have the opportunity to interview them. Using their research and interview data, they will write a case study of the social entrepreneur. Through this process will learn about the motivation, vision, expectations, and goals of entrepreneurs who focus on contributing to the greater good of society. They will also identify some of the challenges faced by these entrepreneurs and propose possible solutions.
The Origins of the NFL and the Super Bowl

Professional football grew from the popularity of the collegiate game. The NFL began as a small, regional league and grew to become the preeminent sport in the United States. As it grew in size and financial stability, the NFL faced several challenges from rival leagues. In 1966, the NFL agreed to slowly merge with the AFL and to establish a World Championship game. That championship game, now known as the Super Bowl, is the most watched televised event in the country. The game has grown to become a massive event and very big business.
Unified Framework for Polynomial-Time Wiretap Channel Codes

This paper presents a construction of wiretap channel codes, whose encoding and decoding complexity is polynomial in the number of channel uses $N$. More specifically, the complexity is equivalent to the complexity of field multiplication in GF($2^N$). Appropriate choices of the construction parameters yield, within a unified framework, the achievability of the secrecy capacities of (i) Wyner's wiretap channel, (ii) the wiretap channel of type II, (iii) the wiretap channel of type II with noisy main channel, (iv) the hybrid Wyner's/type II wiretap channel, and the best known single-letter achievable secrecy rates for (v) the compound wiretap channel, (vi) the wiretap channel when the eavesdropper's channel statistics are arbitrarily varying. Results are obtained for strong secrecy, do not require a pre-shared secret between the legitimate users, and do not require any symmetry or degradation assumptions on the channel (except for Model (vi), which requires the existence of a best channel for the eavesdropper). The underlying construction idea is to decouple the reliability and security constraints, using polar codes to deal with the reliability constraint(s) and universal hashing to deal with the security constraint(s).
Gender disparities in New York City bike share usage

By understanding gender disparities in bike share usage in New York City, programs can be better tailored to increase cycling and bike share usage among female members. Data from bike trips and a C...
Polymer Electrolytes with High Ionic Concentration for Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers

As fuel cells and electrolyzers require higher performance and durability, the design aspects of polymer electrolytes continue to evolve. One distinctive trend in achieving a remarkably improved pe...
Toward Instance-Optimal State Certification With Incoherent Measurements

We revisit the basic problem of quantum state certification: given copies of unknown mixed state $\rho\in\mathbb{C}^{d\times d}$ and the description of a mixed state $\sigma$, decide whether $\sigma = \rho$ or $\|\sigma - \rho\|_{\mathsf{tr}} \ge \epsilon$. When $\sigma$ is maximally mixed, this is mixedness testing, and it is known that $\Omega(d^{\Theta(1)}/\epsilon^2)$ copies are necessary, where the exact exponent depends on the type of measurements the learner can make [OW15, BCL20], and in many of these settings there is a matching upper bound [OW15, BOW19, BCL20]. Can one avoid this $d^{\Theta(1)}$ dependence for certain kinds of mixed states $\sigma$, e.g. ones which are approximately low rank? More ambitiously, does there exist a simple functional $f:\mathbb{C}^{d\times d}\to\mathbb{R}_{\ge 0}$ for which one can show that $\Theta(f(\sigma)/\epsilon^2)$ copies are necessary and sufficient for state certification with respect to any $\sigma$? Such instance-optimal bounds are known in the context of classical distribution testing, e.g. [VV17]. Here we give the first bounds of this nature for the quantum setting, showing (up to log factors) that the copy complexity for state certification using nonadaptive incoherent measurements is essentially given by the copy complexity for mixedness testing times the fidelity between $\sigma$ and the maximally mixed state. Surprisingly, our bound differs substantially from instance optimal bounds for the classical problem, demonstrating a qualitative difference between the two settings.
Near-point Findings in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and in Typical Peers.

SIGNIFICANCE Clinicians can better diagnose and manage vision problems of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children by establishing a standard of care for this population. Results also reinforce the importance of a comprehensive binocular vision evaluation in all patients with ASD. PURPOSE The purposes of this study were to compare near-point and ocular motility test findings in ASD children and typically developing (TD) peers and to compare findings among ASD children by level of verbal communication. METHODS Sixty-one children and adolescents (ASD, 34; TD, 27) aged 9 to 17 years completed an eye examination protocol including tests of distance and near phoria, near point of convergence, near fusional convergence and divergence, accommodative response, and Northeastern State University College of Optometry oculomotor testing. Testing was completed through refractive correction. Parents of ASD children provided information regarding subjects' verbal communication level (nonverbal, uses short words, verbal). RESULTS Distance phoria did not differ significantly between groups. Near phoria of ASD subjects was more exophoric (difference, 2.8 prism diopters). Mean near point of convergence break and recovery were 7.0 and 8.02 cm, respectively, in ASD subjects and 2.19 and 3.99 cm in TD subjects. Near fusional divergence and convergence showed no significant difference. Autism spectrum disorder subjects had significantly poorer stereoacuity (P < .0001) and, on Northeastern State University College of Optometry Oculomotor Testing, reduced fixation, poorer accuracy and stamina/ability, and increased head and body movement. Monocular estimation method retinoscopy results did not differ significantly between ASD and TD subjects. No significant differences in phoria, near point of convergence, and near fusional divergence or convergence were observed between ASD subgroups (nonverbal, uses short words, verbal). CONCLUSIONS Autism spectrum disorder children are more likely to show receded near point of convergence, poor fixation, inaccurate saccades, erratic pursuits, and exophoric posture. These differences occur, regardless of reported verbal communication level.
The Child Witness

The treatment of children as witnesses has evolved, particularly in the last quarter century. Competence standards have been relaxed or eliminated to assure the child's voice is heard; special accommodations may be allowed to make the courtroom less strange and forbidding; hearsay rules have been adjusted or newly created ones have been adopted to allow out-of-court statements, particularly in sexual assault and abuse cases; and psychological research continues into child witness accuracy and suggestibility and better interviewing techniques. This chapter addresses all of these changes, both retrospectively and as they unfold.
A Retrospective Evaluation of Chemotherapy Overdoses in Dogs and Cats.

Chemotherapy overdoses (ODs) are severe complications that can occur following the use of antineoplastics. However, little is known about chemotherapy ODs in veterinary medicine. The goals of this retrospective study were to report the occurrence, type, and cause of known chemotherapy ODs in companion animal medicine. The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine oncology and internal medicine listservs were solicited for chemotherapy OD cases in dogs and cats. An OD was defined as administration of a chemotherapy dose 10% higher than intended, or at a shorter interval than planned. Twelve non-anthracycline ODs in 11 dogs, and 3 cat ODs, were collected. Overdoses in dogs included carboplatin, cyclophosphamide, L-asparaginase, lomustine, mustargen, vincristine, and vinorelbine. The cat ODs included doxorubicin and vincristine. In dogs, the median OD was 2.1x (range: 1.2 to 10x) the intended dose. All dogs survived the OD and developed a variety of gastrointestinal and hematologic toxicities of varying grades. Both cats with a 3.6x vincristine OD died despite supportive care. The cat who received a 2x OD of doxorubicin survived the event, experiencing Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group – common terminology criteria for adverse events (VCOG) grade I thrombocytopenia and anemia, and VCOG grade II neutropenia. Chemotherapy ODs appear to be rare in veterinary medicine and are typically 2-3xs the intended dose. Clinical effects include VCOG grade I and II gastrointestinal distress and VCOG grade III and IV hematologic effects. With appropriate supportive care, most patients will survive the event. Life-threatening events are more common in cats following vincristine ODs.
Housing Affordability: A Regional Perspective

A computer program, AFORD, is developed to deal with the complexity of house purchase transactions at the city, county, and regional levels. The transactional framework behind the program focuses on the measurement of af-fordability, aggregating households in selected income classes with houses in specified price groups. This matchinq includes selection of geographical locations, target year, tenure choice, consideration of federal and state income and local property taxes, and mortqaqe terms. These parameters are chosen by the user in an interactive mode using a time-share system that is user-friendly. Illustrative comparisons of computer output demonstrate affordability response to changes in interest rates and down payments.
Comparison of electroanatomical mapping systems: accuracy in left atrial mapping.

Background: Current 3D mapping systems have difficulty rendering complex cardiac structures. Different electroanatomical mapping software has been recently developed which uses a mathematical algorithm to improve interpolation between mapped points and delineation of closely spaced structures. This study tested the feasibility and accuracy of this software in comparison to traditional software. Methods: In vivo 3D impedance-based mapping using a multielectrode catheter with a single geometry point cloud was performed in the left atria and pulmonary veins (PV) in 23 patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation. The maps were analyzed with traditional (NavX, St. Jude Medical, Minnetonka, MN, USA), either with or without multichamber mapping versus St. Jude OneModel TM software and dimensions of cardiac chambers in human studies were compared to preprocedural computed tomographic (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) scans to determine the relative accuracy of the maps. Results: Maps created by the OneModel software provided greater detail of complex cardiac structures compared to traditional software. Comparison of the left atrial/pulmonary vein electroanatomical maps with the CT and MR scans as reference standard demonstrated significantly less error in measurement of all PV ostial long- and short-axis dimensions, inter-PV distance, and ridge width (left PV to left atrial appendage) with the OneModel versus traditional software (P < 0.001 for all dimensions measured). Conclusions: The OneModel software produces maps that are more accurate in rendering complex cardiac structures compared to traditional software. (PACE 2013; 36:626‐631)
Defining The Intended Use Of Medical Expert Systems

As patient-specific, advice oriented medical expert systems receive increasing attention, the issues of how such products are actually intended to be used, and how they should be used, must be more effectively addressed. Intended use must consider classic medical device parameters such as indications and contraindications with respect to patient characteristics. In addition, intended use must consider characteristics defining the appropriate operator, the environment of use, and the degree to which the user can or should rely on the advice provided by the system. Without adequate attention to such details these types of products must find well deserved resistance to their actual incorporation in medical care. Moreover it can be anticipated that poorly performing products will find their way into the arena of medical mishap litigation.
Religion and nationalism: four approaches*

ABSTRACT. Building on recent literature, this article discusses four ways of studying the relationship between religion and nationalism. The first is to treat religion and nationalism, along with ethnicity and race, as analogous phenomena. The second is to specify ways in which religion helps explain things about nationalism – its origin, its power or its distinctive character in particular cases. The third is to treat religion as part of nationalism, and to specify modes of interpenetration and intertwining. The fourth is to posit a distinctively religious form of nationalism. The article concludes by reconsidering the much-criticised understanding of nationalism as a distinctively secular phenomenon.
Quotients by finite equivalence relations

This note studies the existence of quotients by finite set theoretic equivalence relations. May 18: Substantial revisions with a new appendix by C. Raicu