cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dual-Fractal Analysis for Antigen−Antibody Binding Kinetics for Biosensor Applications

The diffusion-limited binding kinetics of antigen (or antibody) in solution to antibody (or antigen) immobilized on a biosensor and other surfaces is analyzed within a fractal framework. Often, the binding kinetics may be described by a single-fractal analysis. In some cases, the binding curve exhibits complexities. Then, for these cases, the dual-fractal analysis provides an improved fit when compared with a single-fractal analysis. This indicates a change in the reaction mechanism on the surface. It is of interest to note that the state of disorder (or the fractal dimension) and the binding rate coefficient both increase as the reaction progresses on the biosensor surface. For example, for the binding of 10 nM insulin growth factor-1 in solution to insulin growth factor binding protein-1 immobilized on a biosensor surface, a 64% increase in the fractal dimension from 1.73 (D f1 ) to 2.85 (D f2 ) leads to an increase in the binding rate coefficient by a factor of 31.8 from 3.92 (k 1 ) to 125 (k 2 ). Furthermore, as the IGF-1 concentration in solution increases from 10 to 80 nM in solution, k 2 and D f2 exhibit a linear increase. k 1 and D f1 exhibit a linear increase with the reciprocal of the IGF-1 concentration in solution. The different examples analyzed and presented together provide a means by which the antigen-antibody reactions may be better controlled by noting the magnitude of the changes in the fractal dimension and in the binding rate coefficient as the reaction progresses on the biosensor surface. Also, the magnitude of the changes in the binding rate coefficients (k 1 and k 2 ) and in the fractal dimensions (D f1 and D f2 ) as different parameters are changed for the different biosensor applications are of particular value, since they provide us with a measure or extent of changes in the binding rate coefficient on changing different experimental parameter values. It is of interest to note the effect of different parameters on the extent or heterogeneity that exists on the surface and how this influences the binding rate coefficients. This may be one method to help manipulate or control the binding rate coefficients on the reaction surface.
A large aperture spectrometer for observation of final states in electroproduction

Abstract The LAME (Large Aperture Magnet Experiment) apparatus, a 22 000 wire magnetic detector built to study final states produced in hydrogen by the 12 GeV electron beam at the Cornell Wilson Synchrotron is described in detail. The following topics are discussed: (a) preparation of the beam, including monitoring techniques; (b) construction of the multi-wire proportional chambers having a m9nimal frame size and the ability to cope with the electron beam which passes through the apparatus; (c) design of the data acquisition system, necessarily large and cheap; (d) track finding; and (e) geometric reconstruction. The last two tasks, the track finding and reconstruction, had to deal with tracks formed in a significantly non-uniform magnetic field and in the dirty environment typical of an electron machine, and indeed were carried out with a very modest computer.
3‐(1,2‐Propadienyl)‐2‐oxazolidinones [Reagents A–D]

Reagent A: 3-(1,2-Propadienyl)-2-oxazolidinone [250728-91-7] C6H7NO2 (MW 125.13) InChI = 1S/C6H7NO2/c1-2-3-7-4-5-9-6(7)8/h3H,1,4-5H2 InChIKey = CZSZJMQGRCDCLT-UHFFFAOYSA-N Reagent B: (4R)-4-Phenyl-3-(1,2-propadienyl)-2-oxazolidinone [256382-50-0] C12H11NO2 (MW 201.22) InChI = 1S/C12H11NO2/c1-2-8-13-11(9-15-12(13)14)10-6-4-3-5-7-10/h3-8,11H,1,9H2 InChIKey = FPCDELJNAKUUJG-UHFFFAOYSA-N Reagent C: (4R)-4-(Diphenylmethyl)-3-(1,2-propadienyl)-2-oxazolidinone [256382-53-3] C19H17NO2 (MW 291.34) InChI = 1S/C19H17NO2/c1-2-13-20-17(14-22-19(20)21)18(15-9-5-3-6-10-15)16-11-7-4-8-12-16/h3-13,17-18H,1,14H2/t17-/m0/s1 InChIKey = VYMLNEVDRQOXOQ-KRWDZBQOSA-N Reagent D: (4R)-4-(Phenylmethyl)-3-(1,2-propadienyl)-2-oxazolidinone [256382-52-2] C13H13NO2 (MW 215.25) InChI = 1S/C13H13NO2/c1-2-8-14-12(10-16-13(14)15)9-11-6-4-3-5-7-11/h3-8,12H,1,9-10H2 InChIKey = MDYHXFVWMZONMB-UHFFFAOYSA-N Handling, Storage, and Precautions: 3-(1,2-propadienyl)-2-oxazolidinones (reagents A–D) are oils at room temperature. They can survive either silica gel or basic alumina column chromatography, and are not readily polymerized even at temperatures greater than 80 °C. In an anhydrous environment, they can be stored at 4 °C for months without significant decomposition. Preparative Methods: the synthesis of 3-(1,2-propadienyl)-2-oxazolidinones is a two-step protocol from the corresponding commercially available 2-oxazolidinone. First, the pure propargyl amide is obtained by treating 2-oxazolidinone with sodium hydride and propargyl bromide. Subsequent isomerization of propargyl amide was induced by using t-BuOK in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at room temperature, leading to the desired allenamide with moderate to excellent overall yield. For the comprehensive preparation of 3-(1,2-propadienyl)-2-oxazolindinones, see the studies by Wei et al.1, 2 and Xiong et al.3
Predictors of 30-Day Readmission Following Inpatient Rehabilitation for Patients at High Risk for Hospital Readmission

Background The proposed Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 30-day readmission risk standardization models for inpatient rehabilitation facilities establish readmission risk for patients at admission based on a limited set of core variables. Considering functional recovery during the rehabilitation stay may help clinicians further stratify patient groups at high risk for hospital readmission. Objective The purpose of this study was to identify variables in the full administrative medical record, particularly in regard to physical function, that could help clinicians further discriminate between patients who are and are not likely to be readmitted to an acute care hospital within 30 days of rehabilitation discharge. Design This study used an observational cohort with a 30-day follow-up of Medicare patients who were deconditioned and had medically complex diagnoses and who were receiving postacute inpatient rehabilitation in 2010 to 2011. Methods Patients in the highest risk quartile for readmission (N=25,908) were selected based on the CMS risk prediction model. Hierarchical generalized linear models were built to compare the relative effectiveness of motor functional status ratings in predicting 30-day readmission. Classification and regression tree analysis was used to create a hierarchical order among predictors based on variable importance in classifying patients based on readmission status. Results Approximately 34% of patients in the high-risk quartile were readmitted within 30 days. Functional outcomes and rehabilitation length of stay were the best predictors of 30-day rehospitalization. A 3-variable algorithm classified 4 clinical subgroups with readmission probabilities ranging from 28% to 75%. Limitations Although planned readmissions were accounted for in the outcome, potentially preventable readmissions were not distinguished from unpreventable readmissions. Conclusion For older patients who are deconditioned and have medically complex diagnoses admitted to postacute inpatient rehabilitation, information on functional status measures that are easily monitored by health care providers may improve plans for care transition and reduce the risk of hospital readmission.
Back-angle anomalies in 6 Li scattering from 40 Ca and 44 Ca

Angular distributions for the elastic and inelastic scattering of 30 MeV /sup 6/Li ions from /sup 40/Ca and /sup 44/Ca have been measured. At backward angles (110/sup 0/--180/sup 0/) the cross sections for both elastic and inelastic scattering are an order of magnitude larger for /sup 6/Li + /sup 40/Ca than for /sup 6/Li + /sup 44/Ca. The results are compared with the anomalies observed in ..cap alpha.. and /sup 3/He scattering. The difference between the back-angle scattering for /sup 40/Ca and /sup 44/Ca is discussed in terms of the relative number of competing direct reaction channels capable of carrying away large amounts of angular momentum.
Statistical Decision in Forecasting Planning Data

Application of probability theory provides a rational and systematic approach to the problem of reliability prediction of such basic planning input data as population and economic forecasts. Furthermore, Bayesian decision statistics permit the utilization of a quantitative method for determining the best possible planning decisions with available information and planners' past experience and judgement. In this study the concept of reliability in land use-transportation planning is examined. As an example, the problem of county-level population forecasting in the southeastern Wisconsin region is considered. The reliability values associated with the population projections generated by different methods and for various counties are established. Also examined are the optimal number of different sets of projections to be considered for a county. The procedure outlined here can assist planners to arrive at an optimum level of design year population based on economic considerations, past experience and the amount and nature of information available.
Assessing chemical exposures during military deployments.

ABSTRACT Before the first Persian Gulf War, military chemical concerns were focused on life-threatening/performance-impairing effects from exposures to chemical warfare agents. Now, hazards of concern include both high and low levels of chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals in air, soil, and water. The types of health effects considered have expanded to include both immediate, acute effects (mild and severe), and delayed or chronic outcomes. Because federal exposure standards are not applicable to deployed personnel, the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine established military-specific exposure guidelines in Technical Guide 230, Chemical Exposure Guidelines for Deployed Military Personnel. Methods used to develop the guidelines address toxicological data limitations, uniqueness of military populations and exposure scenarios, and a risk assessment process compatible with existing military operational risk management doctrine. The Technical Guide 230 helps ensure c...
Ultra-Low Power Dynamic Knob in Adaptive Compressed Sensing Towards Biosignal Dynamics

Compressed sensing (CS) is an emerging sampling paradigm in data acquisition. Its integrated analog-to-information structure can perform simultaneous data sensing and compression with low-complexity hardware. To date, most of the existing CS implementations have a fixed architectural setup, which lacks flexibility and adaptivity for efficient dynamic data sensing. In this paper, we propose a dynamic knob (DK) design to effectively reconfigure the CS architecture by recognizing the biosignals. Specifically, the dynamic knob design is a template-based structure that comprises a supervised learning module and a look-up table module. We model the DK performance in a closed analytic form and optimize the design via a dynamic programming formulation. We present the design on a 130 nm process, with a 0.058 mm $^{2}$ fingerprint and a 187.88 nJ/event energy-consumption. Furthermore, we benchmark the design performance using a publicly available dataset. Given the energy constraint in wireless sensing, the adaptive CS architecture can consistently improve the signal reconstruction quality by more than 70%, compared with the traditional CS. The experimental results indicate that the ultra-low power dynamic knob can provide an effective adaptivity and improve the signal quality in compressed sensing towards biosignal dynamics.
Stratum corneum reservoir as a predictive method for in vitro percutaneous absorption

Interaction between drug and proteins and lipids in stratum corneum (SC) is an important pharmacokinetic parameter in early steps of absorption. Previous in vivo studies showed that the total amount of compound, regardless of properties, penetrating over a 96 h period could be predicted by the amount present in SC 30 min after application by a linear relationship. Validating this linear relationship through in vitro study would facilitate testing of transdermal drug delivery platforms. We aimed to determine in vitro penetration behavior across SC of humans by determining the relationship between quantity present in SC reservoir 30 min after application with 24 h skin absorption and penetration. In this study, use of the SC reservoir effect to predict absorption and penetration of topical compounds is reaffirmed with in vitro models involving human skin. These results indicate the amount in short-term (30 min) SC reservoir predict long-term (24 h) skin absorption and penetration, as characterized by statistically significant linear relationships determined via regression. This may be explained by the fact that SC is a rate-limiting barrier to percutaneous drug transport. After molecules diffuse through SC barrier, passage into deeper dermal layers and systemic uptake occur relatively quickly. These results enable one to measure quantity in SC reservoir shortly after topical application as a proxy for absorption and penetration over longer periods. With respect to drug development and risk assessment of toxic substances, this may simplify assays attempting to quantitate penetration capacity. Further investigation with a larger range of compounds is needed to clarify the observations recorded here. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Experimental Study with Tantalum

ConclusionsTantalum implanted in soft tissues is encapsulated by a thin layer of fibrous tissue. On the surface of the bone a similar reaction is observed, and in addition, X-ray reveals an increased density in the underlying bone. The metal is apparently well tolerated by tissue.
Analysis of weight and height of apparently healthy population, ages 65 to 94 years.

Summary1) Average weights per inch of height for both sexes in older population, ages 65 to 94, have been presented. This is the first study of its kind to appear. It is based on a population sample of apparently healthy persons and the sample size is considered statistically adequate. 2) There exists a definite trend towards a decrease in average weight of successive 5 year age groups after age of 65. There were 2 reasons for this: 1) individual weight loss accompanying aging due to loss of body substance, 2) high mortality rate among obese which favors survival of a larger proportion of underweight people. 3) Height and survival were not related.
Modern Biomedicine and the Evolution of American Laws

The fast development of modern biomedical technology in the last 30 years challenges the laws and bioethics of countries around the world.The 21st Century has even been nick-named Century of Biomedical Science.The modern biomedical advances have been forever changing the world,and at the same time they also created unprecedented legal and ethical issues,which caused huge debates.In response to the advances of the modern biomedical sciences,American laws have evolved to satisfy the novel needs of the new society in this Century of Biomedicine.These new American laws regulate and influence the daily life of Americans which cover almost all legal fields,including Health and Hospital Law,Family Law,Wills and Estates Law,Commercial Law,Patent Law,Criminal Law,etc.American lawyers and political leaders must be family with modern biomedical and bioethics laws in order to provide comprehensive service to their modern community and society.Modern biomedical laws have also been the central focus of American politics.On July 19 2006,President Bush for the very first time during his presidency used his presidential veto power against the new Stem Cell Research Bill passed by Congress,which caused huge political storm.We discuss here the hottest issues and the history of American laws related to biomedical and bioethical controversies including the right to making medical decisions,euthanasia,human cloning and stem cell research.
haitan in Gothic and Old English

By collecting data from various corpora, I examine and compare the use of the Gothic haitan and Old English hātan reflexes of *haitan , a transitive verb that develops into a copula-like verb in the other Germanic languages. Between the two languages, this verb can occur in five constructions: calling, transitive naming, infinitival commanding, subclause commanding, and copular naming. Both Gothic and Early Old English share the use of this verb in calling constructions whereas the subclause commanding construction is an Old English innovation and the copular naming construction does not appear until Late Old English. Regardless of the language or period, however, when *haitan occurs in transitive naming constructions, it strongly favours passive voice, which may explain its later use in copular naming constructions. Moreover, an examination of the competitors of Gothic * haitan show that it has strong competition from various verbs in each of its functions, though the competition in the transitive naming construction is weakest.
Individual Differences in Eye-Movements During Reading: Working Memory and Speed-of-Processing Effects

Theories of eye-movement control in reading should ultimately describe how differences in knowledge and cognitive abilities affect reading and comprehension. Current mathematical models of eye-movement control do not yet incorporate individual differences as a source of variation in reading, although developmental and group-difference effects have been studied. These models nonetheless provide an excellent foundation for describing and explaining how and why patterns of eye-movements differ across readers (e.g., Rayner, Chace, & Ashby, 2006). Our focus in this article is on two aspects of individual variation: global processing speed (e.g., Salthouse, 1996) and working-memory capacity (e.g., Just & Carpenter, 1992). Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2001), we tested the extent to which overall reading speed and working-memory capacity moderate the degree to which syntactic and semantic information affect fixation times. Previous published data (Traxler et al., 2005) showed that working memory capacity and syntactic complexity interacted to determine fixation times in an eye-movement monitoring experiment. In a new set of models based on this same data set, we found that working-memory capacity interacted with sentence-characteristic variables only when processing speed was not included in the model. We interpret these findings with respect to current accounts of sentence processing and suggest how they might be incorporated into eye-movement control models.
The Lancet: RANDOMISED CLINICAL TRIAL OF PERIOPERATIVE CEFAZOLIN IN PREVENTING INFECTION AFTER HYSTERECTOMY

To determine the efficacy of perioperative cefazolin in preventing pelvic and wound infections after elective non-radical hysterectomy, a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial was done. Among 86 patients undergoing vaginal hysterectomy, those who received three perioperative 1 g doses of cefazolin (44) had significantly fewer pelvic infections (21% vs. 2%); less standard febrile morbidity (31% vs. 14%); shorter length of stay (LOS); and fewer courses of antibiotics postoperatively. There was no reduction in rate of urinary-tract infection (UTI) (21% vs. 23%). Among 429 women having abdominal hysterectomy, the 206 who received cefazolin had significantly lower rates of wound and pelvic infections (21% vs. 14%), UTI (21% vs. 9%), and febrile morbidity (20% vs. 14%). They also had shorter LOS and received fewer courses of antibiotics postoperatively. Use of perioperative cefazolin was not accompanied by more side-effects. Three doses of perioperative cefazolin seem to be safe, efficacious, and cost-effective in preventing infection after vaginal or abdominal hysterectomy.
Elusive public support for us child care policy

ABSTRACTMost U.S. parents are in the paid labor force (US Department of Labor Statistics. (2014). Women in the labor force: A databook. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/cps/women-in-the-labor-force-a-databook-2014.pdf). Using a purposive non-probability sample (N = 415) of primarily upper-middle class, married White Democratic women, this study explores support for government regulation, funding, and provision of child care and the factors and context that may shape their beliefs. Although some respondents held reservations about government involvement, over 80% indicated that government should play a role in regulating care for children in all age categories (0–3, 4–5, and 6–12). Eighty-nine percent supported some form of government financial support for child care, and 58% and 61% saw a role for provision of child care for children age 0–5 and 6–12, respectively. Both regression analyses and qualitative responses indicated that support for a government role in child care was influenced by ...
'Statistics Gone on Holiday': Misinterpretations of Hypothesis Tests Propagated by Internet Resources

Different statistics resources on the Internet that explain hypothesis testing present two significantly different understandings of Type I error. Sometimes both understandings are inconsistently employed in the same source, frequently leading to overt errors in the interpretation of significance level. We explain the distinction between the two understandings of Type I error, document their occurrence in prominent internet sites which explain statistics, and demonstrate that confusion between the two understandings produce mistaken interpretations. We also discuss implications for statistics practitioners and educators.
Looking Coordinated: Bidirectional Gaze Mechanisms for Collaborative Interaction with Virtual Characters

Successful collaboration relies on the coordination and alignment of communicative cues. In this paper, we present mechanisms of bidirectional gaze - the coordinated production and detection of gaze cues - by which a virtual character can coordinate its gaze cues with those of its human user. We implement these mechanisms in a hybrid stochastic/heuristic model synthesized from data collected in human-human interactions. In three lab studies wherein a virtual character instructs participants in a sandwich-making task, we demonstrate how bidirectional gaze can lead to positive outcomes in error rate, completion time, and the agent's ability to produce quick, effective nonverbal references. The first study involved an on-screen agent and the participant wearing eye-tracking glasses. The second study demonstrates that these positive outcomes can be achieved using head-pose estimation in place of full eye tracking. The third study demonstrates that these effects also transfer into virtual-reality interactions.
Chemical Sensing Strategies for Real-Time Monitoring of Transformer Oil: A Review

Power transformers are a central component in the field of energy distribution and transmission. The early recognition of incipient faults in operating transformers is substantially cost effective by lessening impromptu blackouts. A standout amongst the most responsive and dependable strategies utilized for assessing the health of oil filled electrical equipment is dissolved gas analysis (DGA). Nowadays, there is an expanding requirement for better nonintrusive diagnostic and online monitoring tools to survey the internal state of the transformers. Chemical sensors are viewed as a key innovation for condition monitoring of transformer health, coordinating the non-invasiveness with typical sensor features, such as cost, usability, portability, and the integration with the data networks. Low-cost chemical sensors-based DGA techniques are expected to drastically augment the diagnostic abilities empowering the deployment on a broader range of oil filled power assets. The recent development involves both specific sensors designed to detect individual dissolved gas in transformer oil and non-specific sensors, operated in near ambient conditions, with the potential to be applied in a DGA system. In this paper, general background and operating guidelines of DGA are presented to address the origin of the gas formation, methods for their detection and the interpretation of the results by data analytics. The recent significant interest and advancements in chemical sensors to DGA applications are reviewed. Future research perspectives and challenges for the development of novel DGA chemical sensors are also discussed.
Context-Sensitive Cognitive and Educational Testing

This article reviews four interrelated approaches to reducing an inequitable gap in cognitive and educational test scores between individuals of a dominant culture and individuals of other cultures or subcultures. These approaches include (a) use of broader measures, (b) performance- and project-based assessments, (c) direct measurement of knowledge and skills relevant to environmental adaptation, and (d) dynamic assessment. It is concluded that when appropriate assessment is done that recognizes students’ diverse cultural and social backgrounds, equity can increase, predictive validity of cognitive and educational tests can increase, and at the same time, racial/ethnic/culture differences can decrease.
Privacy as Trust: Information Privacy for an Information Age

It seems like there is no such thing as privacy anymore. But the truth is that privacy is in danger only because we think about it in narrow, limited, and outdated ways. In this transformative work, Ari Ezra Waldman, leveraging the notion that we share information with others in contexts of trust, offers a roadmap for data privacy that will better protect our information in a digitized world. With case studies involving websites, online harassment, intellectual property, and social robots, Waldman shows how 'privacy as trust' can be applied in the most challenging real-world contexts to make privacy work for all of us. This book should be read by anyone concerned with reshaping the theory and practice of privacy in the modern world.
Nonintubated Anderson-Hynes Repair of Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction in 60 Patients

AbstractWe reviewed our experience with 68 consecutive Anderson-Hynes ureteropyeloplasties. The 64 infants, children and young adults ranged from 2 days to 28 years old (median age 2 years), and 28 were less than 1 year old. Intubation was used in only 4 patients: 2 who also underwent ureteral reimplantation for vesicoureteral reflux, 1 with stones in the renal pelvis and 1 with pyonephrosis. We successfully repaired 60 of 64 nonintubated renal units (93.4 per cent). Temporary postoperative ureteral stenting was required for extravasation from 8 renal units (12.5 per cent). Two patients later underwent repeat ureteropyeloplasty for recurrent obstruction. Nephrectomy was performed for pyonephrosis in 1 patient and for a nonfunctioning kidney that had exhibited poor function preoperatively in 1. Prolonged ileus necessitated extended hospitalization in 3 patients (4.6 per cent).We conclude that nonintubated dismembered ureteropyeloplasty for uncomplicated, primary ureteropelvic junction obstruction can be pe...
Options for Adaption to Climate Change

In order to tackle climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (“IPCC”) provided a portfolio of measures: mitigation, adaptation and constant research. Although Article 10 of the Kyoto Protocol underlined the importance of adaptation, adaptation to climate change had been obtained limited attention in the early negotiations of climate talks. In 2010, Cancun Session of Conference of Parties (“COP”) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (“UNFCCC”) highlighted the equal importance of adaptation just as mitigation. Since then, increasing attention has been drawn to adaptation practice by the international society. Typically, adaptation can be broken down into three steps: (1) realizing the effects of climate change; (2) designing the activity for remediation of climate change consequences; and (3) implementing the adaptation measures. The most important “adaptive step” is the decision-making and the way in which the activity is designed.Developing countries have already realized how climate change affects them. Change of temperature, precipitation and extreme events such as superstorms and sea level rise already have threatened them, in particular their water, agriculture and coastal zones. Their adaption programs “must be an integral part of a development policy process that ensures mainstreaming of climate adaptation in all relevant sectors of society while not forgetting the other multiple drivers (social, economic, and environmental problems)”. In other words, the ultimate goal of the adaption program design should create a link between the adaptation measures and overall sustainable development. The measures will need to be different for each country since “adaptation needs to be context specific and dependent on the resources available to the impacted domain.” However, adaptation cost and adaptive capacity are two barriers in developing countries. On a regional basis, the East Asia and Pacific Region bears the highest adaptation cost according to some economic analyses. With regard to adaptive capacity, developed countries have more strengths on adaptation development than developing countries because of their greater resources and often better governance systems, technical support and quality of national institutions. Various partnerships that aim to improve adaptive capacity and resilience have been carried out in developing countries. However, it is a long-term process and takes substantial time to see the results. Under the pressure of climate change, instantly effective adaptation measures would be helpful to developing countries. This paper proposes a series of adaptation paths that can be promoted and replicated under different circumstances regardless of different governance structures.
Fundamental Principles of Law for the Anthropocene

A wide array of questions arises from global change to confront environmental law. The IPCC has examined social decisions affecting the climate in the design of human settlements, transport systems, industrialisation, agriculture and silviculture, waste management, provisions for energy, and virtually all other socio-economic dimensions of human life. The AR-5, too, cannot avoid raising issues of human ethics and values at local and regional scales. Such issues reach environmental policy and law directly. The IPCC’s AR-5 report furthers widespread public debate about the human dimensions of climate change, and how social theory relates to environmental change. Already, climate change has captured the imagination, and a new genre of literature, climate fiction, or “cli-fi”, is engaging readers in imagining what is happening and will happen to each of us and our society.
Choosing contrast media for pediatric gastrointestinal examinations.

The availability of the new low osmolality contrast agents during the last few years has necessitated a reconsideration of which is the most appropriate contrast agent to utilize in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. There are some clinical situations in which these new agents have become the contrast media of choice (e.g., evaluation of suspected necrotizing enterocolitis, evaluation of suspected bowel perforation). There are many other clinical situations in which one needs to weigh the potential benefits of the new agents against significantly increased costs. This report reviews in detail the available contrast agents for studying the GI tract and outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each agent. The new agents are compared with existing agents such as barium and the hypertonic water soluble agents (e.g., gastrografin, hypaque, conray, etc.). Guidelines for the use of each agent are presented.
Thermal Engineering of Spacecraft Composite Structures

Standard methods in thermal engineering are extended for application to spacecraft composites. The mathematical formulation is shown to reduce to the two-dimensional case when applied to configurations commonly encountered in spacecraft design, and the controllable parameters which affect temperature and associated distortion are identified. Thermal control is discussed in terms of treatment with surface coatings, insulation, and the use of heaters and thermostats. Vacuum testing is recommended to determine conductance and long-term operation in space. The results of trade-off studies on the Fairchild Leasecraft mounting structure are presented.
Kick LL: A Smartwatch for Monitoring Respiration and Heart Rate using Photoplethysmography

With the growing popularity of wearable devices in the consumer space, interest in leveraging this technological platform in the medical field is rising. In this report, we describe a smartwatch capable of measuring respiration and heart rate using photoplethysmography (PPG). The device couples a photosensor, specifically tuned bandpass filters, and frequency content analysis to extract respiration and heart rate from the PPG signal. The results from the experimental device were compared to a commercial chest strap heart rate monitor. Respiratory rate measurements agreed within 1 breath per minute and heart rate measurements agreed within 3-4 beats per minute of the reference device. Furthermore, the device was packaged in an untethered wristwatch allowing for realtime measurements and analysis.
A Data-Driven Framework for Monitoring and Improving Organ Donation Awareness among Minorities Using Optimal Social Network Intervention

Purpose Increasing the number of organ donors can greatly enhance organ transplantation, but past health interventions have been ineffective in generating both large-scale and sustainable change, particularly among minorities. We propose to monitor and improve awareness by using a data-driven framework that employs social media to track social markers of awareness and deliver optimized social network interventions (SNI) to targeted audiences. Methods We monitored social markers of awareness across the US over a 1-year period using Twitter and examined their association using real data of organ donor registries. We delivered social network interventions on Facebook with and without optimized awareness content (i.e., educational content with a link to online donation registration) to low-income Hispanics in Los Angeles over a 1-month period, and measured daily number of impressions (i.e., exposure) and clicks (i.e., engagement) among the target audience. Results Social markers of awareness are associated with donation registration (r = .36, p Conclusion Our results suggest that our framework can provide a real-time characterization of organ donation awareness and its disparities, while effectively delivering tailored intervention to minority communities. Our framework has the potential to create large-scale, sustainable interventions capable of raising awareness and effectively mitigating disparities in organ donation.
Estimating the Column Density in Molecular Clouds with Far-Infrared and Submillimeter Emission Maps

We have used a numerical simulation of a turbulent cloud to synthesize maps of the thermal emission from dust at a variety of far-IR and submillimeter wavelengths. The average column density and external radiation field in the simulation is well matched to clouds such as Perseus and Ophiuchus. We use pairs of single-wavelength emission maps to derive the dust color temperature and column density, and we compare the derived column densities with the true column density. We demonstrate that longer wavelength emission maps yield less biased estimates of column density than maps made toward the peak of the dust emission spectrum. We compare the scatter in the derived column density with the observed scatter in Perseus and Ophiuchus. We find that while in Perseus all of the observed scatter in the emission-derived versus the extinction-derived column density can be attributed to the flawed assumption of isothermal dust along each line of sight, in Ophiuchus there is additional scatter above what can be explained by the isothermal assumption. Our results imply that variations in dust emission properties within a molecular cloud are not necessarily a major source of uncertainty in column density measurements.
Can Deep Learning Save Us and Itself From the Avalanche of Threats in Cyberspace

I present a computationally efficient and accurate feedforward neural network for sentiment prediction capable of maintaining high transfer accuracy when coupled with an effective semantics model of the text. Experimental results show the advantages of the new approach. Applications to security validation programs are discussed.
DNA barcoding to assess diet of larval eastern hellbenders in North Carolina

Abstract Freshwater macro-invertebrates are integral components of stream ecosystems, for example, as prey for many aquatic vertebrates. Identification of smaller aquatic macro-invertebrate prey items presents challenges to researchers due to size, taxonomic skill required to properly classify species, or lack of complete diet specimens. Therefore, many traditional methods of morphological identification may not reveal cryptic biodiversity of diet available to vertebrates, such as small larval salamanders, in lotic environments. We used DNA barcoding to identify prey items obtained from gastric lavage of ten small, larval eastern hellbender salamanders, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, allowing for greater taxonomic resolution than in previous studies. The eastern hellbender is a species of conservation concern in many areas throughout its geographic range, with little ecological knowledge presently available for juvenile life stages. We identified twelve taxonomic groups of invertebrate prey, including Nixe spinosa, Baetis intercalaris, Baetis flavistriga, Baetis sp., Lumbriculus rubellus, Thienemannimyia sp., Perlesta nelsoni, Maccaffertium ithaca, Iswaeon anoka, Isoperla dicalas, Epeorus vitreus, and Maccaffertium pudicum. Our data illustrate the utility of this emerging, affordable method to further inform traditional food web studies which researchers can use to manage aquatic ecosystems.
Analysis of the Synergistic Effect of Data Analytics and Technology Trends in the AEC/FM Industry

AbstractTechnological advancements focusing on effective and efficient information modeling, visualization, resource tracking, and collaboration have gained substantial traction in the architectura...
9.21 – Polymeric Implants

Polymers are widely used in medical implants (hip joints, eye lens replacements, heart valves, etc.), catheters, and contact lenses – hundreds of millions of devices are implanted into or interfaced with the human body each year. This chapter documents the magnitude of the use of polymeric materials in implants, addresses the unique characteristics of materials that elevate them from ‘material’ to ‘biomaterial’ (thus introducing the concept of biocompatibility), describes the main classes of polymers that are used in medicine (14 types of polymeric materials are discussed), and finally, offers some perspectives on biomaterials now, and where they might go in the future. An example is presented in the concluding section on sphere-templated biomaterials with 30–40 μm spherical, interconnected pores that heal into the body in a nonfibrotic, proangiogenic fashion.
Women’s and Fetal Issues in Neurotoxicology

Management of the pregnant patient with neurologic disease is challenging. Ideally, preconception planning can optimize the woman's neurologic condition before pregnancy. More than half of pregnancies are unplanned which makes careful consideration of medications vitally important. This article focuses on potential toxic risk to the fetus of medications deemed necessary to manage several common maternal neurologic issues: multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and headache during pregnancy and postpartum. It is important for the practitioner to have an understanding beyond the category system to understand the potential toxic risks to the infant.
Fighting the 'other pandemic' - systemic racism in urology.

In medicine and society exist two pandemics. One, COVID-19, has recently emerged and has been widely acknowledged. The other — systemic racism — has been silently deadly for centuries. Now is the time to recognize the impact of this other pandemic and to eradicate it.
Is Modern Liberty Ancient? Roman Remedies and Natural Rights in Hugo Grotius's Early Works on Natural Law

The Dutch humanist Hugo Grotius (1583–1645) is widely acknowledged to have made important contributions to an influential doctrine of individual natural rights. In this article I argue that Grotius developed his rights doctrine primarily out of normative Roman sources, that is to say Roman law and ethics. If this Roman tradition has been as central to Grotius's influential writing on natural rights as I claim, why has it not received more scholarly attention? The reasons lie in the view that while rights are constitutive of modern liberty, they were unknown in classical antiquity.
Gene Therapy for Overactive Bladder: A Review of BK-Channel α-Subunit Gene Transfer

A need exists for local (ie, bladder-specific) interventions to treat overactive bladder (OAB) with low risk of unwanted postprocedural outcomes. Gene therapy targeted to leverage endogenous physiology in bladder cells may assist in restoring normal cell and organ function. Herein, we review the potential promise of gene therapy for treating OAB, focusing on gene transfer of URO-902, a non-viral naked plasmid DNA expressing the big potassium (BK) channel. We searched PubMed for articles concerning functional aspects of the BK channel and its potential use for gene transfer as local OAB treatment. Results from preclinical, phase 1, and phase 2 studies of URO-902 for erectile dysfunction and phase 1 studies of URO-902 for OAB are included. The BK channel has been extensively studied; however, URO-902 is the first gene therapy used in clinical trials directed toward treating OAB via the BK channel. In both URO-902 studies, there were no serious adverse events considered treatment related and no adverse events leading to early withdrawal. Both studies included secondary efficacy endpoints with promising results suggesting improvement in OAB symptoms, and quality of life, with use of URO-902 versus placebo. Gene therapy involving the BK channel, such as gene transfer with URO-902, has demonstrated promising safety and efficacy results in women with OAB. Findings warrant further investigation of the use of URO-902 for OAB treatment.
Trends in racial and ethnic disparities in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes among nursing home residents.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate trends in racial and ethnic disparities in weekly cumulative rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and deaths in Connecticut nursing homes. DESIGN: Longitudinal analysis of nursing-home COVID-19 reports and other databases. Multivariable negative binomial models were used to estimate disparities in COVID-19 incidence and fatality rates across nursing-home groups with varying proportions of racial and ethnic minority residents, defined as low-, medium-, medium-high-, and high-proportion groups. Trends in such disparities were estimated from week 1 (April 13) to week 10 (ending on June 19, 2020). SETTING: The study was conducted across 211 nursing homes. RESULTS: The average number of cases ranged from 6.1 cases per facility for the low-proportion group to 11.7 cases per facility for the high-proportion group in week 1, and from 26.7 to 58.5 cases per facility in week 10. Compared to the low-proportion group, the adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for the high-proportion group were 1.18 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77-1.80; P > .10) in week 1 and 1.54 (95% CI, 1.05-2.25; P < .05) in week 10, showing a 30% (95% CI, 5%-62%) relative increase (P < .05). The average weekly number of COVID-19-related deaths ranged from 0 to 0.3 deaths per facility for different groups in week 1, and from 7.6 to 13.3 deaths per facility in week 10. Adjusted disparities in fatalities similarly increased over time. CONCLUSIONS: Connecticut nursing homes caring for predominately racial and ethnic minority residents tended to have higher COVID-19 incidence and fatality rates. These across-facility disparities increased during the early periods of the pandemic.
Irrigation and Debridement With Implant Retention: Does Chronicity of Symptoms Matter?

Abstract Background Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains a rare, yet devastating complication of total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Chronic infection is generally considered a contraindication to debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR); however, outcomes stratified by chronicity have not been well documented. Methods A retrospective review of all DAIR cases performed at a single institution from 2008 to 2015 was performed. Chronicity of PJI was categorized as acute postoperative, chronic, or acute hematogenous. Failure after DAIR, defined as re-revision for infection recurrence with the same organism, was evaluated between the 3 chronicity groups at 90 days as well as at a minimum 2-year follow-up. Results Overall, 248 patients undergoing DAIR for total hip arthroplasty or total knee arthroplasty PJI were included. Categorization of PJI was acute (acute postoperative) in 59 cases (24%), chronic in 54 (22%), and acute hematogenous in 135 (54%). DAIR survivorship was 47% (range 0.3-10 years). Overall, there were 118 (47.6%) treatment failures after DAIR with a minimum of 2-year follow-up. There was no difference in failure rate between total hip or total knee arthroplasty patients (P = .07). Patients infected with Staphylococcus conferred a higher risk of failure for all DAIR procedures regardless of chronicity category. Conclusion Identification of microbial species prior to undertaking DAIR may be more clinically relevant than stratification according to chronicity category when considering treatment options.
Administration of Team-Based Senior Capstone Course: Lessons Learned and Future Challenges

Abstract. Senior capstone courses provide an important mechanism for students to integrate and apply technical knowledge and skills they have acquired in previous coursework. Additionally, students are required to master a variety of professional skills, including teamwork, unstructured task completion, and project management to facilitate successful completion of a capstone course. Faculty also play an important role in the success of capstone courses. Sourcing and grading projects are common challenges for instructors. This paper will outline the challenges and best practices learned in the development and implementation of a senior-level capstone course in agricultural engineering technology, based on qualitative data gathered over several years. Specifically, strategies for defining, assigning, managing, and assessing projects will be emphasized.
Are children safer with kin? A comparison of maltreatment risk in out-of-home care

Safety, or the absence of maltreatment, is the primary mandate of the child protection services (CPS) system, both for children living at home and those living away from home. Yet, few research studies have examined maltreatment in out-of-home care due to the low incidence rate and data limitations. This study used statewide administrative data to estimate the association between placement type and experiencing a maltreatment investigation or substantiation in out-of-home care. Over 6% of informal TANF-funded kinship placements experienced an investigation alleging maltreatment by an out-of-home caregiver, compared with just over 3% for formal kinship care and non-relative foster care. However, the monthly risk of maltreatment was lowest in informal kinship care because these placements tended to endure longer before maltreatment occurred. Substantiated maltreatment during an out-of-home placement was rare across all placement types. For both investigated and substantiated maltreatment, risk was highest in the first 3 months.