cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of the LCR ultrasonic technique for evaluation of post-weld heat treatment in steel plates

Abstract Ultrasonic travel times obtained with the LcR wave are able to distinguish between stress relieved and non-stress relieved 13 mm ( 1 2 in ) thick, steel plates. Two 1.22 m (48 in) square plates were patch welded in the centre to create a residual stress field, and one of the plates was stress relieved. The LcR ultrasonic technique sends a critically refracted longitudinal wave travelling beneath the plate surface, and the stresses in the plate affect the travel times through the acoustoelastic relationship. The LCR travel-time measurements not only distinguished between residual stress states in the plate, but also gave some information on their distribution and magnitude. Neither texture nor localized residual stresses affect the results. These findings demonstrate the potential usefulness of the technique for evaluating the state of post-weld heat treatment in structural steels.
A new PPN parameter to test Chern-Simons gravity

We study Chern-Simons (CS) gravity in the parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) framework through a weak-field solution of the modified field equations. We find that CS gravity possesses the same PPN parameters as general relativity, except for the inclusion of a new term, proportional to the CS coupling and the curl of the PPN vector potential. This new term leads to a modification of frame dragging and gyroscopic precession and we provide an estimate of its size. This correction might be used in experiments, such as Gravity Probe B, to bound CS gravity and test string theory.
Impact of the D genome and quantitative trait loci on quantitative traits in a spring durum by spring bread wheat cross

Key message The impact of the D genome and QTL in the A and B genomes on agronomic performance of hexaploid wheat and tetraploid durum was determined using novel recombinant inbred line populations derived from interploid crosses.
A pair selection algorithm for robust RO-PUF against environmental variations and aging

Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) have emerged as a promising security primitive for low-cost authentication and cryptographic key generation. However, PUF stability with respect to temporal variations still limits its utility and widespread acceptance. Previous techniques in the literature have focused on improving PUF robustness against voltage and temperature variations, but the issues associated with aging have been largely neglected. In this paper, we propose a reliable pair selection algorithm (RePa) that can generate reliable keys from an RO-PUF under aging, voltage, and temperature variations. The RePa approach selects RO pairs with both initial frequency difference and aging rate/slope in mind. The aging slope is predicted by exploiting correlation that exists between frequency variation with respect to voltage and frequency variation with respect to aging. We evaluate RePa with simulations to show that it achieves significant improvement over the current state of the art in terms of reliability and cost. The proposed approach can achieve ∼ 3.0x more robust key with only ∼ 2.3x more ROs required than the conventional RO-PUF pair selection for the same key size.
Origin of resistance to 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine in the HL-60 cell line

A194 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine (DAC) has recently been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome. However, mechanisms of cellular resistance to DAC remain unknown. Therefore, we investigated the origin of resistance to DAC using an HL-60 cell line. We initially selected resistant colonies in methylcellulose suspension from both parental cells and from cells derived from isolated single clones of HL-60. DAC hypomethylation induction of Long Interspersed Repetitive Elements (LINE) at low doses of 0.2 μM was lost in resistant cells by pyrosequencing-based analysis. Ara-CTP and Deoxycitidine kinase (dCK) activity was lost in resistant cells measured by phosphorylation of [H] 3 Ara-C in HL-60 cells and cell extracts, respectively. 5-Azacytidine that does not use dCK for phosphorylation induced a similar pattern of cell killing and LINE hypomethylation in both wild type HL-60 cells and cells resistant to DAC. We found that HL-60 wild type cells have a heterozygous point mutation from The to Arg in exon 3 of dCK and that the major type of dCK mutations in parental HL-60 cells is a heterozygous deletion of dCK, which abolished the ATG site. As with several tumor suppressor genes, we also found that one allele mutation does not cause a loss of DCK activity, however, a switch from a one-allele to two-allele mutation leads to resistance to DAC. To examine whether resistant cells were spontaneous, we designed primers that spanned the deleted region of dCK, and amplified that region from parental cells, suggesting that resistant cells were spontaneous. The major type of mutations in resistant clones selected from single clone-derived HL-60 was loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of dCK. In searching for the mechanisms of this kind of mutations, we initially found that treatment with DAC at 0.2 and 2 μM induced H2AX phosphorylation on day 1, 2 and 3, a marker of DNA double strand breaks. We next measured DAC-induced homologous recombination (HR) repair using a retrovirus vector containing two tandem repeats of mutant versions of a GFP-Zeocin resistance fusion gene and an intact neomycin resistance marker. Recombination between the tandem repeats regenerates a functional GFP-Zeo(R) marker. DAC treated at 0.2 and 2 μM increased a 6.5-folder and 9.5- folder of HR rates, respectively. LOH is often generated through HR. Thus, we conclude that both spontaneous genetic instability and DAC-induced genetic instability contribute to dCK gene mutations. Our study provides an important in vitro model for understanding the origin of resistance to DAC and other nucleoside analogues.
A Perceptual Pathway to Bias: Interracial Exposure Reduces Abrupt Shifts in Real-Time Race Perception That Predict Mixed-Race Bias

In two national samples, we examined the influence of interracial exposure in one’s local environment on the dynamic process underlying race perception and its evaluative consequences. Using a mouse-tracking paradigm, we found in Study 1 that White individuals with low interracial exposure exhibited a unique effect of abrupt, unstable White-Black category shifting during real-time perception of mixed-race faces, consistent with predictions from a neural-dynamic model of social categorization and computational simulations. In Study 2, this shifting effect was replicated and shown to predict a trust bias against mixed-race individuals and to mediate the effect of low interracial exposure on that trust bias. Taken together, the findings demonstrate that interracial exposure shapes the dynamics through which racial categories activate and resolve during real-time perceptions, and these initial perceptual dynamics, in turn, may help drive evaluative biases against mixed-race individuals. Thus, lower-level perceptual aspects of encounters with racial ambiguity may serve as a foundation for mixed-race prejudice.
Management of Complex Clinical System

Modern patient care systems have very similar profiles of complexity and risk. The clinical engineering profession needs to adapt, incorporate learn from the same types of technology management systems that have allowed such safe, reliable, and cost-effective operation of the Boeing 777. No amount of post-purchase testing or repair can build quality back into an inferior product. Airplanes are designed to withstand or perform within known envelopes of risk, and that is quite unlike many still poorly understood diseases, widely variant human anatomy and genetics, and the side effects of medicines and other therapies which intermingle in more variations than science currently understands. Airplanes are not evolving to meet individual requirements, BUT clinical technologies are evolving to deliver “precision medicine,” which may not only be custom configured to individual needs, but may persist near, on, or inside humans for their entire life.
Advancing the Evolution of Healthcare: Information Technology in a Person-focused Population Health Model

The current changes introduced into the healthcare delivery system through the Affordable Care Act require more than the isolated, quality/cost process solutions utilized to date. Robust information systems with capabilities to push information and provide valid analytics and decision support utilizing point-of-care data input are required to achieve a complex, person-centered, lifetime-focused model. This article presents a review of the current state of population health, a model identifying components within population health, and an example of information technology integration.
Inhibition by ergocornine of initiation and growth of 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene-induced mammary tumors in rats: effect of tumor size.

SummaryAdministration of ergocornine 11 days before, and 5 days after, treatment with DMBA significantly inhibited the induction of mammary tumors in rats. Ergocornine caused rapid and complete (to palpation) regression of 62% of established, DMBA-induced mammary tumors. Examination of sites where tumors had completely regressed to palpation, 2 months after ergocornine treatment was discontinued, revealed that 64% of the tumors did not recur. The effectiveness of ergocornine in regressing tumors was found to be related to initial tumor size. Tumors with volumes up to 1.8 cm3 regressed rapidly after ergocornine; whereas tumors approximately 14.1 cm3 and over did not respond to treatment. Tumors intermediate between these two sizes showed growth inhibition, and many showed regression in varying degrees. Therefore, mammary tumors start to lose their hormonal dependence as they become larger, and eventually may lose it completely. In view of these results, we suggest that prolactin inhibitors may cause regres...
Sporangial germination of Phytophthora from papaya.

SUMMARYSporangia of Phytophthora parasitica require only water for indirect germination or production of zoospores. However, papaya fruit extracts induce formation of germ tubes from the sporangia....
Experimental Research on Strength of Cement Red Clay

The red clay is a rock of carbonate.It distribution extensive in our country.The red clay representative otherness on engineering properties in differently region..Through the unconfined compression tests which use the viscosity lateritic loamy that distribution at the suffer and south of the hunan province on the cement red clay with different cement ratio and different curing time.This paper analyses the gain in strength mechanism of the cement red clay.Through the regression analysis on the test result.Give out the prediction equation of strength on the cement red clay with different cement ratio and different curing time.
Analysis of misdiagnosis for 1 cases suspected diphtheria

白喉是由白喉杆菌(Corynebacterium diphtheriae)引起的一种急性呼吸道传染病,其临床典型特征为鼻、咽、喉等处黏膜充血、肿胀,有灰白色假膜形成,以及外毒素引起的中毒症状.儿童青少年均易感,曾对该人群健康危害极大.我国自20世纪70年代广泛开展白喉类疫苗接种以来,该病得到有效控制,2000年至今除个别省个别年份有病例报告外,已连续多年无病例报告.北京市自1996年已连续15年无病例报告.2011年8月11日北京市丰台区疾病预防控制中心计划免疫科接到本市传染病医院收治一例白喉疑似病例的电话报告.为此进行该病例的流行病学调查及处理,现将结果分析如下. 关键词：疑似白喉;误诊
Mapping PTGERs to the Ovulatory Follicle: Regional Responses to the Ovulatory PGE2 Signal

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is a key intrafollicular mediator of ovulation in many, if not all, mammalian species. PGE2 acts at follicular cells via four distinct PGE2 receptors (PTGERs). Within the ovulatory follicle, each cell type (e.g., oocyte, cumulus granulosa cell, mural granulosa cell, theca cell, endothelial cell) expresses a different subset of the four PTGERs. Expression of a subset of PTGERs has consequences for the generation of intracellular signals and ultimately the unique functions of follicular cells that respond to PGE2. Just as the ovulatory LH surge regulates PGE2 synthesis, the LH surge also regulates expression of the four PTGERs. The pattern of expression of the four PTGERs among follicular cells before and after the LH surge forms a spatial and temporal map of PGE2 responses. Differential PTGER expression, coupled with activation of cell-specific intracellular signals, may explain how a single paracrine mediator can have pleotropic actions within the ovulatory follicle. Understanding the role of each PTGER in ovulation may point to previously unappreciated opportunities to both promote and prevent fertility.
TH-AB-209-10: Breast Cancer Identification Through X-Ray Coherent Scatter Spectral Imaging

Purpose: We have previously described the development and testing of a coherent-scatter spectral imaging system for identification of cancer. Our prior evaluations were performed using either tissue surrogate phantoms or formalin-fixed tissue obtained from pathology. Here we present the first results from a scatter imaging study using fresh breast tumor tissues obtained through surgical excision. Methods: A coherent-scatter imaging system was built using a clinical X-ray tube, photon counting detectors, and custom-designed coded-apertures. System performance was characterized using calibration phantoms of biological materials. Fresh breast tumors were obtained from patients undergoing mastectomy and lumpectomy surgeries for breast cancer. Each specimen was vacuum-sealed, scanned using the scatter imaging system, and then sent to pathology for histological workup. Scatter images were generated separately for each tissue specimen and analyzed to identify voxels containing malignant tissue. The images were compared against histological analysis (H&E + pathologist identification of tumors) to assess the match between scatter-based and histological diagnosis. Results: In all specimens scanned, the scatter images showed the location of cancerous regions within the specimen. The detection and classification was performed through automated spectral matching without the need for manual intervention. The scatter spectra corresponding to cancer tissue were found to be in agreement with those reported in literature. Inter-patient variability was found to be within limits reported in literature. The scatter images showed agreement with pathologist-identified regions of cancer. Spatial resolution for this configuration of the scanner was determined to be 2–3 mm, and the total scan time for each specimen was under 15 minutes. Conclusion: This work demonstrates the utility of coherent scatter imaging in identifying cancer based on the scatter properties of the tissue. It presents the first results from coherent scatter imaging of fresh (unfixed) breast tissue using our coded-aperture scatter imaging approach for cancer identification.
Model Misspecification When Eliminating a Factor in Age-period-cohort Multiple Classification Models

The impossibility of uniquely estimating all of the age, period, and cohort coefficients in age-period-cohort multiple classification (APCMC) models without imposing a constraint on the model is widely recognized. The problem results from a linear dependency in the design matrix, and this dependency involves the linear trends of age effects, period effects, and cohort effects. This article critiques the use of fit statistics to assess the overall importance of the effects of ages, periods, and cohorts in APCMC models. In particular, one proposed strategy to avoid the APCMC model identification problem is to test to see if including only two of the factors in a model (e.g., ages and cohorts) produces a fit that is not significantly different statistically from a model that includes all three factors. If the third factor (in this example periods) does not account for a statistically significant amount of variance, this strategy suggests that one should use the model with only the two factors. This is consis...
Rationally Irrational? Learning and Short-Sale Restrictions in Dynamic Portfolio Decisions

This paper examines the impact of learning on portfolio choice and asset pricing when there are short-sale constraints. Prior research on parameter uncertainty and learning shows that mildly risk averse investors always hold more extreme positions, short or long, than investors who never change their parameter estimates. Here, we show that short-sale constraints can reverse the conclusion. Namely, if an asset has a negative risk-premium (or a gamble's odds are unfair), an investor in a multiperiod world may still want to hold the asset (or take the gamble). Similarly, an in contrast to the extant literature on learning, assets with high risk premium (or gambles with great odds) may not be held at all. These results are driven by the possibility that the future will prove the investor's current beliefs wrong. We introduce implied risk aversion as a measure of the wedge that is being driven between investors and outside observers by the combination of short-sale constraints, parameter uncertainty, and learning. To an outsider, who does not account for parameter uncertainty, mildly risk averse investors always look less risk averse than they truly are. The converse is true for investors who actually are more risk averse. Their portfolio choices can even imply infinite levels of risk-aversion. When we solve for the equilibrium in a short-sale restricted economy with heterogeneity in investor risk aversion, we find that the market always appears to be more risk-averse than it really is. By contrast, learning without short-sale restrictions creates only a modest discrepancy between reality and inferences. Parameter uncertainty, learning, and constraints that inhibit short-sales may explain the equity premium puzzle.
Bayesian intermittent demand forecasting for large inventories

We present a scalable and robust Bayesian method for demand forecasting in the context of a large e-commerce platform, paying special attention to intermittent and bursty target statistics. Inference is approximated by the Newton-Raphson algorithm, reduced to linear-time Kalman smoothing, which allows us to operate on several orders of magnitude larger problems than previous related work. In a study on large real-world sales datasets, our method outperforms competing approaches on fast and medium moving items.
Direct intelligent wide-area damping controller for wind integrated power system

In this paper an intelligent wide-area damping controller is proposed for a wind integrated power grid. The proposed design is based on an energy function based intelligent optimal controller evolved from adaptive critic design using reinforcement learning technique. A Lyapunov function candidate is derived that links the energy function and the transient stability of the integrated system with the wide-area controller. The proposed wide-area controller augments the excitation system of the synchronous generator and local Maximum Power Point (MPP) tracking control of wind generator Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG). The theoretical results are validated by conducting simulation studies on 2-Area Kundur power system for damping the inter-area oscillations. It was observed that the method improves transient stability of the integrated system due to the active and reactive support from the DFIG and thus damping the inter-area oscillations much faster. It was also observed that the speed oscillations of DFIG is within the limits.
Aquí No Hay Pobrecitos: Decolonizing Bilingual Teacher Education in The U.S.-Mexico Borderlands

This article describes bilingual teacher preparation at a public university on the U.S.-Mexico border. I examine colonizing language ideologies that are reproduced in the local schools and teacher ...
Incorporating Sustainability into Climate Change Adaptation

There is a growing need to adapt to the current and projected impacts of climate change. Because of the widespread need for adaptation measures across all sectors and industries for the foreseeable future, it is important that they be designed and implemented using sustainability principles and practices. This article discusses some of the complexities of interconnected systems, the inherent uncertainties associated with projections of climate change impacts, and the effects of global-scale changes such as technological and economic development for decision makers to consider in the planning and application of adaptation measures that improve sustainability.
Abstract 5445: Inhibition of tumor suppressor function of RUNX3 by miR-301a facilitates the progression of castration resistant prostate cancer

Treatment of prostate cancer is still clinically challenging due to lack of reliable markers for diagnosis and prognosis. Serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) is of limited clinical utility due to poor sensitivity and specificity. A large number of false positives (50%) with traditional PSA testing lead many patients to undergoing unnecessary prostate biopsy and exposure to unnecessary risk of complications. So the goal of this study is to identify a reliable, non-invasive biomarker that can distinguish patients with benign, indolent and aggressive prostate cancer in various clinical settings. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding (18 to 28 nucleotides) RNA molecules that are present in all human cells, and their expression patterns are correlated with many cancer types, including CaP. In our results, we found a significant differential expression (p=0.013) of miR-301a in both tumor tissues (Gleason-6 and -7) and serum samples in comparison to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or adjacent benign samples. We observed a negative correlation between miR-301a and RUNX3 expression in human CaP samples suggesting tumor suppressive role RUNX3 might be compromised in CaP. To determine MiR-301a regulation on RUNX3, we evaluated miR-301a and RUNX3 protein in panel of prostate cancer cell lines, normal prostate epithelial cells and Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH). Similar results such as inverse correlation between miR-301a and RUNX were found in cell culture models. Also, over expression of miR-301a down regulates RUNX3 activation in prostate cancer cell lines and silencing miR-301a expression reverts RUNX3 activation in BPH cells. While evaluating the reporter activity of RUNX3 either by co-transfecting with mimic or inhibitor of miR-301a in BPH and prostate cancer cells: over expression of miR-301a down regulated RUNX3 reporter activity which corresponded with RUNX3 protein expression. Similarly, silencing miR-301a reverted RUNX3 promoter activity and protein expression suggesting RUNX3 is a direct target of miR-301a in CaP cells. Silencing miR-301a reverted the pro-apoptotic function of RUNX3, results in reduced colony formation, adhesion, invasion and migration of CaP cells. Investigating the mechanistic link miR-301a and RUNX3 may explore whether it could facilitate clinical decision making such as the decision to proceed with early surgery rather than active surveillance for intermediate risk prostate cancer patients deemed to be at high risk of progression. Citation Format: Venkatesh Kolluru, Balaji Chandrasekhar, Collin McKenzie, Houda Alatassi, Murali Ankem, Chendil Damodaran. Inhibition of tumor suppressor function of RUNX3 by miR-301a facilitates the progression of castration resistant prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5445. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5445
Development of Harlequin Syndrome following placement of thoracic epidural anesthesia in a pediatric patient undergoing Nuss procedure

We report the development of Harlequin Syndrome following thoracic epidural placement in a pediatric patient. Unilateral facial flushing with contralateral pallor and anhidrosis is the clinical presentation. This syndrome is typically benign. When related to regional anesthesia, treatment involves reducing the local anesthetic infusion or stopping it altogether.
Individual differences in the effects of baby images on attitudes toward getting married

Abstract Previous research on determinants of marital and reproductive timing focused on factors prominent in evolutionary theories. We focused on complementary factors prominent in research on attitudes, social cognition, and personality. Attitude construal and situated inference theories hold that priming can increase the accessibility of specific concepts, and that valence of the primed concepts can affect subsequent judgments. In two studies, one with college students and the other with a larger, more diverse sample, women, but not men, wanted to get married sooner if they had than had not recently seen images of smiling babies. Primed women also listed a greater number of and more positive children-related thoughts about marriage. These results suggest that subtle contextual cues can alter accessibility of relevant concepts, affect attitudes even on important issues, and work differently for different individuals. The results also suggest closer links between evolutionary, social cognitive, and personality theories.
Hepatitis C Screening in Commercially Insured U.S. Birth-cohort Patients: Factors Associated with Testing and Effect of an EMR-based Screening Alert.

Background and Objectives Hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing rates among U.S. birth-cohort patients have been studied extensively, limited data exists to differentiate birth-cohort screening from risk- or liver disease-based testing. This study aims to identify factors associated with HCV antibody (HCV-Ab) testing in a group of insured birth cohort patients, to determine true birth cohort testing rates, and to determine whether an electronic medical record (EMR)-driven Best Practice Alert (BPA) would improve birth cohort testing rates. Methods All birth-cohort outpatients between 2010 and 2015 were identified. HCV-Ab test results, clinical, and demographic variables were extracted from the EMR, and factors associated with testing were analyzed by logistic regression. True birth-cohort HCV screening rates were determined by detailed chart review for all outpatient visits during one calendar month. An automated Best Practice Alert was used to identify unscreened patients at the point of care, and to prompt HCV testing. Screening rates before and after system-wide implementation of the BPA were compared. Results The historic HCV-Ab testing rate was 11.2% (11,976/106,753). Younger age, female gender, and African American, Asian, or Hispanic ethnicity, and medical comorbidities such as chronic hemodialysis, HIV infection, and rheumatologic and psychiatric comorbidities were associated with higher testing rates. However, during the one-month sampling period, true age cohort-based testing was performed in only 69/10,089 patients (0.68%). Following the system-wide implementation of the HCV BPA, testing rates increased from 0.68% to 10.76% (P<0.0001). Conclusions We documented low HCV-Ab testing rates in our baby boomers population. HCV testing was typically performed in the presence of known risk factors or established liver disease. The implementation of an EMR-based HCV BPA resulted in a marked increase in testing rates. Our study highlights current HCV screening gaps, and the utility of the EMR to improve screening rates and population health.
Endovascular Perfusion Augmentation for Critical Care: Partial Aortic Occlusion for Treatment of Severe Ischemia-Reperfusion Shock.

BACKGROUND The resuscitation of patients in shock is materially intensive and many patients are refractory to maximal therapy. We hypothesized that partial inflation of an intra-aortic balloon, termed Endovascular Perfusion Augmentation for Critical Care (EPACC), would minimize material requirements while improving physiologic metrics. METHODS Swine underwent a 25% controlled bleed and 45 min of complete aortic occlusion to create a severe ischemia-reperfusion shock state. Animals received either standardized critical care (SCC) composed of IV fluids and norepinephrine delivered through an algorithmically controlled platform or EPACC in addition to SCC. Physiologic parameters were collected, and blood was sampled for analysis. Primary outcomes were total IV fluids and average MAP during the critical care phase. Differences (P < 0.05) were measured with t test (continuous data) and Wilcoxon rank-sum test (ordinal data). RESULTS There were no differences in baseline characteristics. There were no differences in the maximum lactate; however, animals in the EPACC group had a higher average MAP (EPACC 65 mmHg, 95% confidence interval [CI], 65-66; SCC 60 mmHg, 95% CI, 57-63; P < 0.01) and remained within goal MAP for a greater period of time (EPACC 95.3%, 95% CI, 93.2-97.4; SCC 51.0%, 95% CI, 29.5-72.6; P < 0.01). EPACC animals required less IV fluids when compared with the SCC group (EPACC 21 mL/kg, 95% CI, 0-42; SCC 96 mL/kg, 95% CI, 76-117; P < 0.01). There were no differences in final lactate. Animals in the EPACC group had a higher final creatinine (EPACC 2.3 mg/dL, 95% CI, 2.1-2.5; SCC 1.7 mg/dL, 95% CI, 1.4-2.0; P < 0.01), but there were no differences in renal cellular damage on histology (P = 0.16). CONCLUSION Using a swine model of severe shock, the addition of EPACC to SCC significantly reduced fluid resuscitation requirements and improved blood pressure. This is the first description of a new therapy for patients in refractory shock or in resource-limited settings.
Transformative Learning and AVE for Social Sustainability

Transformative learning theory is founded on Habermas’s three kinds of knowledge: instrumental, communicative, and emancipatory. Adult and vocational education emphasizes instrumental knowledge in meeting its goals of transmitting technical knowledge and developing specific skill sets and competencies. Yet when individuals acquire new technical skills this knowledge easily spirals into the communicative and emancipatory domains. In this chapter, I explore five approaches to transformative learning and examine the implications of each for promoting social sustainability. (1) The traditional cognitive approach is centered on critical reflection, which leads to revised habits of mind about the self and the world. (2) The extrarational perspective on transformation is concerned with imaginal and emotional learning. (3) Those theorists who favor connected knowing over autonomous knowing pay attention to the role of relationships in learning and understanding others’ points of view. (4) Critics of the individualistic understanding of transformation advise us to pay attention to the role of social change, both as a precursor to and a product of transformation. (5) Finally, some writers propose a global, holistic, and ecological understanding of transformation.
Mental Disorders Associated With Disturbed Sleep

Clinicians are well aware that many psychiatric disorders are associated with disturbed sleep. As many as 3% of people in the community may have “insomnia related to mental disorders,” a subtype of insomnia in the second edition of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (1). Insomnia is not the only sleep condition of interest when focusing on this population because excessive daytime sleepiness and rapid eye movement (REM) parasomnia can also be linked with psychiatric illness. Because of the variety of the conditions that can compromise sleep quality, identifying, and effectively managing sleep issues in the context of psychiatric disease requires knowledge of the pertinent psychiatric and sleep issues.
Frequency Assignment in Cellular Radio

Cellular radio uses a number of channels or frequencies (e.g., 7 × 44 = 308) divided into local cells (hexagons here) such that the same frequency can be reused in cells at graph distance 3 or greater: Open image in new window Here the whole plane is tiled. If we allow “call rearrangement,” we can think of assigning channels after we see the list of all call requests. Any number ≥ 0 of calls can be requested from any cell. The calls are being made to stationary, not to mobile, phones so one call corresponds to one channel. Suppose we have a bound on demand of the form “total number of calls requested in every 1-sphere is at most M.”
Reducing Flash Memory Write Traffic by Exploiting a Few MBs of Capacitor-Powered Write Buffer Inside Solid-State Drives (SSDs)

To mitigate the long write latency of NAND flash memory, solid-state drives (SSDs) typically use capacitor-powered SRAM or DRAM to realize internal nonvolatile write buffering. Due to the cost and size constraints, intra-SSD capacitors can only power a very small amount (e.g., 8 MB or 16 MB) of nonvolatile write buffer. As a result, most commercial SSDs simply use the few MBs of capacitor-powered write buffer in the first-in first-out (FIFO) manner without employing any advanced data eviction policy. This paper presents a set of design strategies across the application and storage device levels that can effectively leverage the very small intra-SSD write buffer to noticeably reduce the amount of data being physically written to NAND flash memory. These cross-layer design strategies are primarily geared towards mainstream applications (e.g., database and filesystem) that heavily involve logging/journaling operations. This paper discusses different strategies for realizing flash memory write traffic reduction through nominal application-level modifications, and presents solutions to accordingly manage the write buffer at small processing and memory resource usage inside SSDs. To evaluate the potential effectiveness, we carried out case studies based upon popular open-source relational databases and filesystem. With only 8 MB of intra-SSD capacitor-powered write buffer, our experimental results show that the developed design solutions can reduce up to 39.7, 36.5, and 52.9 percent of total NAND flash memory write traffic for MySQL, ext4 , and PostgreSQL, respectively.
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

Since the assessment program began in 1997, over 70 countries have participated at least once. Every three years, a randomly selected group of 15-year-old students take the test, which primarily focuses on one key subject.
A Good Scare: Leveraging Game Theming and Narrative to Impact Player Experience

Game narrative and theming are ways in which game designers can affect player experience. In this work, we incorporate theories of emotion into game design, to explore the relationship between aesthetic elements and player experience. We designed and playtested two differently themed variants of the game Outbreak, a 'Horror' and a 'Sanitized' version. We present preliminary findings about playing differently themed versions of the same game which suggest that scary content can sustain interest throughout play and transform players' emotional response to uncertainty.
Early childhood social communication deficits in youth at clinical high-risk for psychosis: Associations with functioning and risk

Effective social functioning requires a broad range of social communication skills that are impaired in psychosis populations. However, little is known about early childhood (4- to 5-year period) social communication during the premorbid (pre-illness) stage of psychosis. The present study utilized retrospective parent reports to examine total early childhood social communication deficits, as well as deficits in two distinct domains, reciprocal social interaction (social smiling/eye gaze) and communication (social chat/gesture), in youth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis (ages 13-21; 37.2% female). Furthermore, associations between early childhood social communication and CHR youth's current functioning (social, academic/work), symptoms (positive/negative), and risk for conversion to psychosis were examined. Compared to healthy controls, CHR individuals had greater deficits in total and communication-specific early childhood social communication. Early childhood total, communication, and reciprocal social interaction deficits were associated with worse current functioning and greater current negative symptom severity (amotivation/anhedonia) in CHR youth. Early childhood total and reciprocal social interaction deficits were also associated with increased risk for conversion. These findings inform the field's understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of psychosis by extending the current developmental literature on premorbid deficits in psychosis populations to specific domains of social behavior in a critical developmental period.
Surgical outcomes of sternal rigid plate fixation from 2005 to 2016 using the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database

Background Sternal rigid plate fixation (RPF) has been adopted in recent years in high-risk cases to reduce complications associated with steel wire cerclage, the traditional approach to sternal closure. While sternal RPF has been associated with lower complication rates than wire cerclage, it has its own complication profile that requires evaluation, necessitating a critical examination from a national perspective. This study will report the outcomes and associated risk factors of sternal RPF using a national database. Methods Patients undergoing sternal RPF from 2005 to 2016 in the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program were identified. Demographics, perioperative information, and complication rates were reviewed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for postoperative complications. Results There were 381 patient cases of RPF identified. The most common complications included bleeding (28.9%), mechanical ventilation >48 hours (16.5%), and reoperation/readmission (15.2%). Top risk factors for complications included dyspnea (odds ratio [OR], 2.672; P Conclusions Sternal RPF is associated with increased rates of three primary complications: blood loss requiring transfusion, ventilation >48 hours, and reoperation/readmission, each of which affected over 15% of the study population. Smokers remain at an increased risk for surgical site infection and sternal dehiscence despite RPF's purported benefit to minimize these outcomes. Complications of primary versus delayed sternal RPF are roughly equivalent, but individual patients may perform better with one versus the other based on identified risk factors.
Estimating the Thermal Effusivity for Coaxial Thermocouple Using a Quantified Aluminum Nitride Heater

In this paper, a parameter estimation approach, based on a least-square method and a quantified heat flux source, is proposed for estimating the effective thermal effusivity of a co-axial thermocou...
Mucosal Approaches for Systemic Immunity to Anthrax, Brucellosis, and Plague

Abstract Anthrax, brucellosis, and plague can result from a mucosal exposure, and each can produce a systemic disease. Next-generation vaccines have adopted mucosal approaches to protect against these diseases, particularly adopting homologous or heterologous vectors for vaccination. In fact, early vaccine development relied on live, attenuated pathogens. In this context, the development of live vaccines for anthrax, brucellosis, and plague are discussed. Some of the first vaccines developed in the mid- to late 19th century focused on the prevention of anthrax in livestock and the development of an immune antiserum for treating plague-infected patients. For each of these diseases, a historical perspective is provided, along with current work using live vector vaccines for mucosal and systemic prophylaxis. This discussion highlights the advantages of mucosal vaccination for protection against systemic diseases.
Gene tests in adults with epilepsy and intellectual disability.

A recent study describes the yield and clinical utility of epilepsy gene panel testing in a cohort of adults with epilepsy and intellectual disability. These findings are similar to those in children with developmental epileptic encephalopathies and support the utility of testing in this subgroup of adults with epilepsy.
Searching for Wolf-Rayet Stars in I ZW 18: the Origin of He II Emission

I Zw 18 is the most metal-poor star-forming galaxy known and is an ideal laboratory to probe stellar evolution theory at low metallicities. Using archival Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 imaging and Faint Object Spectrograph spectroscopy, we were able to improve previous studies. We constructed a continuum-free He II λ4686 map, which was used to identify Wolf-Rayet (W-R) stars recently found by ground-based spectroscopy and to locate diffuse nebular emission. Most of the He II λ4686 emission is associated with the northwest stellar cluster clearly displaced from the surrounding shell-like [O III] and Hα emission. We found evidence for He II sources, compatible with five to nine WNL stars and/or compact nebular He II λ4686 emission, as well as residual diffuse emission. Only one of them is outside the northwest cluster. We have done an extensive comparison between our results and the recent ground-based data used by Izotov et al. and Legrand et al. to identify WN and WC stars in I Zw 18. The differences between the various data may be understood in terms of varying slit locations, continuum fits, and contamination by nebular lines. We have calculated evolutionary tracks for massive stars and synthesis models at the appropriate metallicity (Z ≈ 0.02 Z☉). These single-star models predict a mass limit MWR ≈ 90 M☉ for W-R stars to become WN and WC/WO. For an instantaneous burst model with a Salpeter initial mass function extending up to Mup ≈ 120-150 M☉, our model predictions are in reasonable agreement with the observed equivalent widths. Our model is also able to fully reproduce the observed equivalent widths of nebular He II λ4686 emission due to the presence of WC/WO stars. This quantitative agreement and the spatial correlation of nebular He II λ4686 with the stellar cluster and the position of W-R stars shown from the ground-based spectra further supports the hypothesis that W-R stars are responsible for nebular He II emission in extragalactic H II regions.
Neonatal maladjustment syndrome in foals

Neonatal maladjustment syndrome is one of the most common neonatal foal diseases. It affects foals in the first 48 hours of life and causes a variety of clinical signs including loss of affinity fo...
It's time to move past biases against sex differences research: Commentary on Spets and Slotnick.

Neuroscience is uncovering sex influences at all levels of mammalian brain function at an accelerating rate. Unfortunately, persistent biases against the topic remain among some investigators. One ...
Us Antipoverty Policy and Reform

Despite decades of a war on poverty that came with proliferating programs and ballooning budgets, the official poverty rate in the United States has stubbornly refused to break from its narrow historical range. This failure stems largely from the methods used to pursue the alleviation of poverty, including a complex and chaotic welfare system that strips the poor of their dignity and their incentive to work. Welfare reform proposals are generally dominated by income support programs such as universal basic income. Although those proposals would indeed simplify the United States overwhelming welfare system, experiments with such guaranteed income schemes reveal complex problems with incentives and with a potential for politicization that could be damaging. Policymakers should instead turn to block grants to states, a policy that has real-world empirical support and that would alleviate the knowledge problem suffered by the federal government. States, in turn, should administer income support programs tailored to the individual causes of poverty, implementing work requirements for people who are temporarily disadvantaged and providing direct income to people who are truly unable to work.
Comparison between discrete event simulation approach and various existing empirically-based models for estimation of TBM utilization

Abstract The fundamental components in predicting the TBM performance (advance rate) are the rate of penetration and utilization. Extensive studies have been conducted to accurately estimate these parameters. Inclusion of various tunneling activities and their interdependencies, the impact of the site set up and management, and the role of human factors on the operation make an estimation of utilization a complex task. A few models have been developed to predict machine utilization, and these models are based on a statistical analysis of available TBM project databases. Apart from the existing models, the use of discrete event simulation (DES) for estimation has also been examined for TBM performance prediction. The sensitivity and accuracy of all these prediction models demonstrate a strong influence of geological conditions and site settings. The present study compares outcome predictions from six empirical models and DES simulations for eight projects. The variability of the predictions is assessed, and the prediction outcomes are tested for “validation” by comparison with results from the recorded observation at the tunneling sites. The result showed that the difference between the predicted utilization using discrete-event simulations and the actual value available from site data was 7%. Comparing the utilization obtained from other empirical methods, the considerable deviation can be seen. Hence, it is concluded that the DES approach provides for a more accurate estimation of machine utilization while offering the flexibility to customize the model on the basis of both equipment selection and the availability of data to incorporate the complex interdependencies of different tunneling activities.
Benzodithiophene Fused Cyclopentannulated Aromatics via a Palladium-Catalyzed Cyclopentannulation and Scholl Cyclodehydrogenation Strategy

We report the synthesis of a new class of cyclopenta-fused polyaromatic hydrocarbon (CP-PAH) incorporating fused benzodithiophene subunits. These CP-PAHs were prepared utilizing a two-step process involving a palladium catalyzed cyclopentannulation followed by a Scholl cyclodehydrogenation. This work broadens the scope of annulation chemistry by employing 1,2-bis(5-hexylthiophen-3-yl)ethyne and dibromoaryl derivatives based on anthracene, pyrene, and perylene to give 4,4',4'',4'''-(cyclopenta[hi]aceanthrylene-1,2,6,7-tetrayl)tetrakis(2-hexylthiophene), 4,4',4'',4'''-(dicyclopenta[cd,jk]pyrene-1,2,6,7-tetrayl)tetrakis(2-hexylthiophene), and 1,2,7,8-tetrakis(5-hexylthiophen-3-yl)-1,2,7,8-tetrahydrodicyclopenta[cd,lm]perylene. Scholl cyclodehydrogenation of the pendant thiophene units provided access to the π-extended polyaromatic systems 2,5,11,14-tetrahexylrubiceno[5,4-b:6,7-b':12,11-b'':13,14-b''']tetrathiophene, 2,5,11,14-tetrahexyldithieno-[4,5:6,7]indeno[1,2,3-cd]dithieno[4,5:6,7]indeno-[1,2,3-jk]pyrenes, and 2,9,12,19-tetrahexyldithieno[4,5:6,7]indaceno[1,2,3-cd]dithieno[4,5:6,7]indaceno[1,2,3-lm]perylene that possess helicene-like fragments. The anthracene-based CP-PAH was contorted owing to [5]helicene-like arrangements, while the pyrene- and perylene-based systems were essentially planar. The fully conjugated small molecules give low optical gaps (1.7-2.1 eV) with broad light absorption. The HOMO and LUMO energies of the CP-PAHs were found to be in the range of -5.48 to -5.05 eV and -3.48 to -3.14 eV, respectively. Finally, the anthracene-based CP-PAH was found to be a p-type semiconductor when tested in an organic field effect transistor.