cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An additive cost approach to optimal Temporal Logic control

This paper presents a provably-correct Model Predictive Control (MPC) scheme for a discrete-time linear system. The cost is a quadratic that penalizes the distance from desired state and control trajectories, which are only available over a finite horizon. Correctness is specified as a syntactically co-safe Linear Temporal Logic (scLTL) formula over a set of linear predicates in the states of the system. The proposed MPC controller solves a set of convex optimization problems guided by the specification. The objective of each optimization is to minimize the quadratic cost function and a distance to the satisfaction of the specification. The latter part of the objective and the constraints of the problem guarantee that the closed-loop trajectory satisfies the specification, while the former part is used to minimize the distance from the reference trajectories.
New Approach to Mission Design Based on the Fundamental Equations of Motion

The complexity of space missions has been steadily increasing as new missions are expected to be designed to fly under more and more stringent constraints. This paper shows the use of a new, simple methodology that is useful for complex mission design. It deals with determining the “exact” control force needed to cause a spacecraft to move at a given inclination in a circular orbit around an oblate rotating body whose gravitational field is nonuniform. The methodology uses the explicit Udwadia–Kalaba equations of motions showing the simplicity, accuracy, and power of the approach, and the ease with which the control forces can be explicitly obtained.
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF EPIZOANS ON SILURIAN STROMATOPOROIDS WITHIN THE BRASSFIELD FORMATION

Abstract Stromatoporoids from the Brassfield Formation (Early Silurian, Llandovery) near Fairborn, Ohio, provided substrata for a diverse epizoic community. The stromatoporoids were colonized by at least 28 taxa, including bryozoans, cnidarians, echinoderms, annelids, and endolithic organisms. Analysis of the occurrence, diversity, distribution, and coverage of the epizoans recognized patterns of site-selective attachment on the surface of the stromatoporoids. The upper surface of the stromatoporoids had a slightly higher total epizoan coverage than the lower surface. Concentric zones outlined from the margin also had differences in area and percent coverage. On the upper and lower surfaces, epizoan occurrence decreased from the margin to the interior. Epizoan coverage for the lower surface also decreased inward. On the upper surface, the middle zone had the highest coverage followed by the outer and polar zones, respectively. Among the major invertebrate phyla, only the echinoderms were randomly distribu...
DISTRIBUTION OF THE BLACK-CAPPED VIREO AT FORT HOOD, TEXAS

Abstract We provide complete, updated data on the status of the endangered black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla) and its habitat on Fort Hood Military Reservation, Texas. We searched 74,880 ha of Fort Hood during spring and summer 2002 and 2003, noting the locations of potential habitat patches and vireos. We mapped 6,971 ha of potential habitat, 90% of which was occupied. Such high occupancy suggests that vireos have colonized most of the available vireo habitat on Fort Hood. We detected 1,846 male vireos. The area of occupied habitat and number of male vireos both exceed goals set in the Endangered Species Management Plan for Fort Hood. Assuming that half of the male vireos had mates, Fort Hood alone would exceed the previously published recovery goal of 750 breeding pairs for the Lampasas Cut Plains set in the recovery plan for the black-capped vireo.
Resilience in Chronic Illness

Resilience has been written about and valued since time immemorial. Its value is transmitted down generations through adages, mythology, anecdotes, and even children’s books. In essence, resilience can be thought of as a process of successfully adapting to maintain or regain emotional well-being in the face of adversity. It does not mean that distress is not experienced; rather, it is a process through which an individual’s thoughts and behaviors overcome distress and optimize positive outcomes.
Deference, Distrust, and Delegation: Three Design Hypotheses

Design thinking in argumentation involves speculative inquiry into alternative ways of carrying out the broad human project of becoming more reasonable. Design inquiry may or may not be accompanied by efforts at argumentation design. Engaging in intentional design of argumentation, or even just thinking about doing so, flips a perceptual switch that allows us to see many achievements of the past as the products of design and to see unsolved contemporary problems as opportunities for further innovation. Design theory can be a source of “design hypotheses”: ideas, based either on what has worked in the past or on new strands of thinking, about how argumentation could be conducted so as to produce greater overall reasonableness. A design perspective offers new ways to think about familiar problems, such as how best to incorporate expert knowledge into decisions that must be made by non experts. A design approach to the problem of expert opinion does not aim to evaluate particular arguments from expert opinion, but rather asks what resources we have in any situation, or in any homogeneous class of situations, for improving on even the general form of such arguments. A preliminary case study of the controversy over childhood vaccination is used to illustrate the embedding of design hypotheses about argumentation in durable institutional arrangements.
Children with Autism Detect Targets at Very Rapid Presentation Rates with Similar Accuracy as Adults

Enhanced perception may allow for visual search superiority by individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but does it occur over time? We tested high-functioning children with ASD, typically developing (TD) children, and TD adults in two tasks at three presentation rates (50, 83.3, and 116.7 ms/item) using rapid serial visual presentation. In the Color task, participants detected a purple target letter amongst black letter distractors. In the Category task, participants detected a letter amongst number distractors. Slower rates resulted in higher accuracy. Children with ASD were more accurate than TD children and similar to adults at the fastest rate when detecting color-marked targets, indicating atypical neurodevelopment in ASD may cause generalized perceptual enhancement relative to typically developing peers.
Evaluation of Career-Related Education in the National Curriculum for English Language and English Textbooks: The Policy Imperative

This article intends to evaluate National Curriculum for English Language (Government of Pakistan, 2006) and selected textbooks for Grades V and X in order to determine the extent to which career related learning has been addressed. A case of Pakistan has been selected for this review. This procedure was undertaken to evaluate consistency, depth and breadth of information addressed with reference to career education. The review showed that curriculum has incorporated career-related information for Grade X in line with the National Education Policy (Ministry of Education Government of Pakistan, 2009) in far much comprehensive manner when compared to Grade V. Furthermore, career-related information has been addressed inadequately in the curriculum for these two educational levels when analyzed according to the career development framework (Law and Watts, 2003). Recommendations are made to impart career education through curriculum programming and interventions.
Investigating Children’s Role in Family Dining-Out Choices: Evidence From a Casual Dining Restaurant

This study investigates children’s influence over parents with regards to the selection of family dining-out options. To further understand the connection between children’s influence on family dining and practical behaviors, this study examined children’s roles in relation to family communication patterns. Additionally, children’s demographic characteristics were examined as predictors influencing family dining-out choices. The context of this study was casual dining restaurants, a popular destination for family dining, vis-a-vis Taiwanese family consumers. The results show that mothers play a dominant role in the family dining-out decision-making process, and that children’s influence is similar to that of fathers in deciding on the type of restaurants, the specific restaurant, and the order of food items while at a restaurant. Additionally, teenage children have more influence than fathers. This study offers practical implications for foodservice operators in the development of family-friendly services...
An Experimental Study of Strike Propaganda

I NDUSTRIAL conflict is in the forefront of the news today, and is likely to stay there for some time in the future. The emotional appeals of the radical and labor press are familiar to all. The daily press has also been much criticized for its treatment of strike news. Its use of terms such as "loyal workers" instead of "strike-breakers," its tendency to condemn strikers as "reds" and to accept uncritically "back-to-work" movements and the statements of vigilante leaders such as Hiram Evans of the Klu Klux Klan have often been noted. Sometimes the press furnishes ammunition to its critics, as in the San Francisco general strike of 1934. Editor and Publisher magazine for July z8, 1934 contained an article boasting that the publishers of the San Francisco Bay region organized to break the strike under the leadership of Hearst general counsel Neylan. They encouraged vigilanteism by a campaign of publicity calling the strike a "revolution," and turned the tide of public sympathy away from the strikers. This type of behavior is to be expected, since modern metropolitan newspapers are big business, closely interwoven with the rest of our industrial structure, and since the newspapers are extremely susceptible to pressure from their advertisers. The American Institute of Public Opinion has given some data on public sentiment on labor questions in its surveys of the past year. Seventy-six percent of those polled said that they were in favor of labor unions; 67 percent preferred the American Federation of Labor to the Committee for Industrial Organization. Eighty-six percent favored compulsory incorporation of labor unions, and 69 percent thought that the government should regulate the unions. Sixty-seven percent thought that sit-down strikes should be made illegal. These sentiments follow closely the dominant editorial policies of our daily press. The purpose of this study is to analyze the treatment of a specific strike in the press and to determine experimentally the effects (i) of typical statements from several different editorial points of view, and (:) of the background of experience of the subjects, upon the opinions they hold.
The association between central fat distribution and recurrent cardiovascular disease events in female survivors of nonfatal myocardial infarction.

Background Visceral fat has been shown to be an important predictor of metabolic alterations that lead to increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, morbidity, and mortality. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the association between central fat distribution and the risk of recurrent coronary events among a cohort of female myocardial infarction (MI) survivors. Methods Participants included 356 women (mean ± SD age, 55 ± 8.71 years) discharged alive after an incident MI from hospitals in Erie and Niagara (New York) counties between 1996 and 2004. A recurrent cardiovascular event was any nonfatal or fatal International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision-coded diagnosis between 390 and 450. The mean ± SD follow-up time was 4.01 ± 2.6 years. Interviews and self-administered follow-up surveys were used to collect pertinent information, and a search of the National Death Index Plus database was completed. Results Eighty-five women experienced a recurrent cardiovascular event. Using Cox proportional hazards analyses, the crude model for body mass index suggested that after incident MI, women had a 39% risk of a recurrent CVD event (hazard ratio [HR], 1.39; confidence interval [CI], 0.76-2.54; P = .293), whereas crude models for waist circumference and sagittal abdominal distention showed the risk to be more than twice as high (HR, 2.12; CI, 1.08-4.16; P = .010; and HR, 2.16; CI, 1.09-4.28; P = .037, respectively). Both measures of central fat distribution appeared to be better predictors of recurrent cardiovascular events when compared with body mass index, whereas sagittal abdominal distention was the better predictor compared with waist circumference, even after multivariate adjustment. After adjusting for secondary prevention interventions-statin, aspirin, β-blocker use, and physical activity-the risk of recurrent event was observed to decrease by about 1%. Conclusions These results suggest that central fat distribution is positively associated with a recurrence of cardiovascular events after incident MI in women. The absence of decreased risk with secondary prevention interventions suggests that more investigation into the association of central abdominal fat and secondary prevention management is warranted.
Effects of GA_3 and IAA on the germination of four species of Clematis seeds

The effects of different concentrations of IAA and GA3treatments on the germination process of the seeds of Clematis brevicaudata,C.serratifolia,C.hexapetalaand,C.fusca were studied in this paper.The results showed that 20mg·L-1 IAA treatment was optimal for C.brevicaudata whose germination rate was 83% and the mean germination time decreased by 4.6days.20 mg·L-1 IAA and 5 mg·L-1 GA3treatments were optimal for C.Serratifolia whose germination rate can reach 93.4% and 90%,respectively.The mean germination time of these two treatments for C.serratifoliadecreased by 3 days and 2.3days,respectively.500mg·L-1 GA3significantly increase C.Hexapetalaand C.fusca's seed germination rate.The germination rate of C.hexapetalaseed increased from the original 5.1%to 33.4%. The germination rate of C.fuscaseed increased from the original 4%to 53.3%and the mean germination time decreased by 2days.
The art of reasonable combining drugs in anesthesia

As yet no single intravenous anaesthetic drug can effectively and safely provide hypnosis, analgesia and amnesia. Thus intelligent combinations of hypnotics and opioids are necessary, especially for total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA). Inescapable interactions occur, most of which are synergistic and should be evaluated for the optimal care of the patient. This synergism varies considerably according to the different drugs, the different endpoints of anaesthesia and the differently combined dosage of both agents. Because of their complex pharmacological properties, a valuable approach to evaluating interactions consists in administering both drugs to known plasma concentrations with the help of pharmacokinetic model-driven drug delivery systems (computer assisted continuous infusion). The Cp50 concept (plasma concentration that will prevent a pre-defined response to a given stimulus in 50% of the patients) is of prime interest. Recent (and current) studies have tried to define Cp50s of various hypnotics (such as propofol) and opioids (fentanyl, alfentanil, sufentanil). The best IV delivery technique appears to be infusing an opioid drug at analgesic concentrations (1-3 ng.ml-1 for fentanyl) and the hypnotic drug at modulated (but always hypnotic, no less than 3.0 micrograms.ml-1 for propofol) concentrations according to the different surgical stimuli and the patient's responses. The opposite approach (fixed hypnotic concentration, varying analgesic concentration) would be much less satisfactory. In addition, preoperative medications should be taken into account. Thus a better knowledge of the type and degree of interactions, as in a well-administered inhalational anaesthesia supplemented by opioids, will very likely contribute to develop TIVA liability and popularity.
Blood–Brain Barrier Na Transporters in Ischemic Stroke

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) endothelial cells form a barrier that is highly restrictive to passage of solutes between blood and brain. Many BBB transport mechanisms have been described that mediate transcellular movement of solutes across the barrier either into or out of the brain. One class of BBB transporters that is all too often overlooked is that of the ion transporters. The BBB has a rich array of ion transporters and channels that carry Na, K, Cl, HCO3, Ca, and other ions. Many of these are asymmetrically distributed between the luminal and abluminal membranes, giving BBB endothelial cells the ability to perform vectorial transport of ions across the barrier between blood and brain. In this manner, the BBB performs the important function of regulating the volume and composition of brain interstitial fluid. Through functional coupling of luminal and abluminal transporters and channels, the BBB carries Na, Cl, and other ions from blood into brain, producing up to 30% of brain interstitial fluid in healthy brain. During ischemic stroke cerebral edema forms by processes involving increased activity of BBB luminal Na transporters, resulting in "hypersecretion" of Na, Cl, and water into the brain interstitium. This review discusses the roles of luminal BBB Na transporters in edema formation in stroke, with an emphasis on Na-K-Cl cotransport and Na/H exchange. Evidence that these transporters provide effective therapeutic targets for reduction of edema in stroke is also discussed, as are recent findings regarding signaling pathways responsible for ischemia stimulation of the BBB Na transporters.
Physiological and Biomechanical Responses to Running on Lower Body Positive Pressure Treadmills in Healthy Populations

Lower body positive pressure treadmills (LBPPTs) aim to reduce musculoskeletal loading during running. As LBPPTs have become more commercially available, they have become integrated into athletic performance and clinical rehabilitation settings. Consequentially, published research examining the biomechanical and physiological responses to unweighted running has increased. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize the literature in an attempt to provide researchers and clinicians with a comprehensive review of physiologic and biomechanical responses to LBPPT running. Through a generic search of PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and SPORTDiscus using a comprehensive list of search terms related to LBPPT, unweighting, and body weight support during running, we identified all peer-reviewed publications that included LBPPT running. Two reviewers independently evaluated the quality of studies using a modified Downs and Black checklist for non-randomized studies. A total of 15 articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. Peak and active vertical ground-reaction forces were consistently reduced with unweighting, but regional loading within the foot was also altered towards a forefoot strike. LBPPTs also provide some horizontal assistance. Neuromuscular activation is generally reduced with LBPPTs, but the stabilizer muscle groups may respond differently than the propulsive muscle groups. Submaximal heart rate and volume oxygen consumption are reduced with unweighting, but physiologic response remains generally unchanged at maximal intensities. The current literature suggests that LBPPTs are effective in allowing individuals to achieve a given metabolic stimulus with reduced musculoskeletal loading. However, LBPPTs not only reduce impact but also change neuromuscular activation and biomechanics in a complex manner. Thus, clinicians must account for the specific biomechanical and physiological alterations induced by LBPPTs when designing training programs and rehabilitation protocols.
Early Preventive Psychotherapy after Disasters

The vulnerability of the human psyche has been becoming increasingly evident. Since the pioneering work of Freud (1) which was inspired by the observations of Charcot, there has been an awareness that overwhelming events occurring at certain vulnerable points in one’s life could leave one with life-long difficulties. Freud’s studies made it possible for him to focus on the psychic reality of the subject — alerting us to the fact that any “event” has to be experienced and interpreted by the individual in question. This was the key observation which made possible all the later studies of the “war neuroses”, and other situations which were especially perilous for the human psyche. On the other hand, it leads also to the realization that one’s own fantasies, wishes and conflicts experienced within a setting of the “average expectable environment” could also produce a variety of problems. Given the multiplicity of factors potentially involved in determining one’s experiences and reactions, the question of causal relationship between events and after-effects had to be dealt with carefully and sometimes with specialized techniques which make possible the bringing of unconscious fantasies into the conscious sphere.
Understanding Gender Symmetry within an Expanded Partner Violence Typology

Controversies persist regarding the pervasiveness of gender symmetrical patterns of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration even as IPV research has proliferated. Johnson’s typology accounts for gender symmetrical and asymmetrical patterns of partner violence; unfortunately this framework has been poorly integrated into our research methods resulting in a fragmented knowledgebase. The original typology can be expanded to account for patterns of control absent of physical violence at the dyadic level. Measures based upon an expanded typology will allow us to better explore the theoretical underpinnings of gender symmetry in partner violence categories, and facilitate category-specific intervention development.
Nonlinear reversal of PT-symmetric phase transition in a system of coupled micro-ring cavities

Parity time (PT) symmetric systems are known to exhibit two distinct phases: those associated with an unbroken and broken symmetry. In the domain of optics, PT-symmetry can be established by incorporating a balanced distribution of gain and loss in a system. Under linear conditions, in a coupled dimer, composed of two cavities or waveguides, if the gain-loss contrast increases beyond a critical value with respect to the coupling constant, a transition is expected from the unbroken symmetry to the broken symmetry regime. However, in the presence of nonlinearity, this transition behavior can be drastically modified. We here study a system of two coupled semiconductor-based resonators that are lasing around an exceptional point. The quantum wells in such structures not only provide gain but also lead to strong levels of saturable loss in the absence of any optical pumping. Interestingly, in sharp contrast with linear PT-symmetric configurations, such nonlinear processes are capable of reversing the order in which the symmetry breaking occurs. If the ratio of the net loss to coupling is less than unity in one of the cavities, as the pumping level in the other resonator is increased, the nonlinear eigenmodes move from an unbroken symmetric state to a broken one. Moreover, in this nonlinear domain, the structural form of the resulting solutions are isomorphic to the corresponding linear eigenvectors expected above and below the phase transition point. Experimental results are in good agreement with these predictions.
Models of Human Behavior: Talking to the Animals

If we could talk to the animals, learn their languages Think of all the things we could discuss If we could walk with the animals, talk with the animals, Grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals, And they could squeak and squawk and speak and talk to us.
What women want: Sexual quality of life after the treatment of gynecologic cancer.

e20617 Background: Previous studies of sexual function after treatment for gynecologic malignancies describe sexual problems, but few address how patients want to achieve resolution of these issues...
Therapeutic and Adapted Physical Education and Recreation; Physical Activity for the Child with Cystic Fibrosis

(1977). Therapeutic and Adapted Physical Education and Recreation; Physical Activity for the Child with Cystic Fibrosis. Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 50-51.
Profiling of hop-derived flavan-3-ols from lager beer in relation to hopping technology.

Little is understood regarding the fate of polyphenols during beer aging. Lager beers were produced with varying hopping regimes to investigate hop product contribution to beer polyphenol and flava...
Reality and Theory

Bank panics have long been experienced, and even extensively studied, as economic history. Yet the full explanation of panics remains contentious. Why do bank panics occur? How can recovery be made from the recessions triggered by bank panics? Can proper government policy prevent bank panics? Since the nineteenth century, these have been central questions in economics. As the historians have been cross-disciplinary in their views, many social science theoreticians have narrowly constrained their ideas within a single-discipline boundary. Disciplinary theories have partial validity in some contexts. But no disciplinary theory has complete validity in all contexts.
Purinergic Receptor Stimulation Decreases Ischemic Brain Damage by Energizing Astrocyte Mitochondria

As a leading cause of death in the world, cerebral ischemic stroke has limited treatment options. The lack of glucose and oxygen after stroke is particularly harmful in the brain because neuronal metabolism accounts for significantly more energy consumption per gram of body weight compared to other organs. Our laboratory has identified mitochondrial metabolism of astrocytes to be a key target for pharmacologic intervention, not only because astrocytes play a central role in regulating brain metabolism, but also because they are essential for neuronal health and support. Here we review current literature pertaining to the pathobiology of stroke, along with the role of astrocytes and metabolism in stroke. We also discuss our research, which has revealed that pharmacologic stimulation of metabotropic P2Y1 receptor signaling in astrocytes can increase mitochondrial energy production and also reduce damage after stroke.
Formulation of Alternating-Direction Iterative Methods for Mixed Methods in Three Space

Two alternating-direction iterative methods are formulated to treat the linear algebraic equations that arise from the mixed finite element approximation of a second order elliptic boundary value problem in three space variables. One is based on the Uzawa technique for iterating to a solution of a saddle point problem and the other on the Arrow-Hurwitz method for saddle point problems. The Uzawa version is analyzed in a special case. Some preliminary computational results are presented.
FUNGAL METABOLISM OF COMPLEX GLYCOSIDES: USTILAGIC ACID.

Ustilagic acid is a water-insoluble glycolipid produced by Ustilago may&, the corn smut fungus. It was discovered by Haskins (l), and its structure was elucidated by Lemieux, Thorn, and Bauer (2, 3). Pilot plant quantities are being produced in Japan.’ Ustilagic acid was shown to be a mixture of acylated derivatives of /I-n-cellobiosyl-15u, l&dihydroxy-n-hexadecanoic acid (glucoustilic acid A) and @-D-cellobiosyl-2n, 15~~ 16-trihydroxy-n-hexadecanoic acid (glucoustilic acid B). The major components (Fig. 1) of the mixture were considered to be diesters of the glucoustilic acids with acetic acid and either n-P-hydroxyn-hexanoic or L-P-hydroxy-n-octanoic acid. Minor components may contain n-hexanoyl groups. This work on the digestion of the complex, insoluble ustilagic acids was undertaken to determine the effect of acylation on the degradation of glycosides by fungi.
Natural History of Human's Most Distant Living Mammalian Relatives

In comparison to the more than 1,200 genera of placentals and marsupials, the three extant monotreme genera make up only a tiny part of modern mammalian diversity. However, the significance of monotremes to mammalian evolutionary history and biology is far more than can be measured by their few genera. The evolutionary stature of monotremes as the first group to diverge among extant mammal lineages has been corroborated by an overwhelming body of scientific evidence from fossils, comparative morphology, and molecular information on the genomic scale. With their highly specialized physiological and functional adaptations, distinctive developmental pattern and karyotypes, these egg-laying mammals push the envelope of human imagination regarding what is possible for mammalian biological diversity. For evolutionists, monotremes represent the extant phylogenetic bracket for the common ancestor of all modern mammals (crown Mammalia). For physiologists and functional morphologists, monotremes give meaning to mammalian structural and functional diversities. For ecologists and conservation biologists, the monotremes are an integral element of an ecosystem on Gondwanaland from the deep times of the Earth. Since the echidna and platypus became known to western science in 1792 and 1800, respectively, monotremes have always fascinated the scientific community and the public (Moyal 2001). But monotremes are more than a curiosity—they are an indispensable group for all scientists in pursuit of any area of mammalian comparative biology to consider. In Echidna—An Extraordinary Egg-Laying Mammal, Michael Augee, Brett Gooden, and Anne Musser have written an excellent primer on the biology and natural history of the shortbeaked echidna—Tachyglossus aculeatus or the spiny anteater. This book of 136 pages is a concise, informative, and immensely readable review of the structure, function, physiology, behavior, and life history of the echidna. It is well aimed at a general scientific readership and contains very interesting information on all aspects of the natural history and biology J Mammal Evol (2007) 14:283–285 DOI 10.1007/s10914-007-9059-1
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Parameters and Their Impact on Survival of Patients with Glioblastoma: Tumor Perfusion Predicts Survival.

Background Many prognostic factors influence overall survival (OS) of patients with glioblastoma. Despite gross total resection and Stupp protocol adherence, many patients have poor survival. Perfusion magnetic resonance imaging may assist in diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and prognostication. Methods This retrospective study of 36 patients with glioblastoma assessed influence of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging parameters reflecting tumor cell density and vascularity and patient age on OS. Results The area under curve based on optimal receiver operating characteristic curves for the perfusion parameters normalized relative tumor blood volume (n_rTBV) and normalized relative tumor blood flow (n_rTBF) were 0.92 and 0.89, respectively, and the highest among all imaging parameters and age. OS showed strongly negative correlations with corrected n_rTBV (R = −0.70; P 2.5. Twenty-four patients with n_rTBF ≤2.79 had a median OS of 12 months (95% CI, 10.46–17.9) compared with 2.8 months for 12 patients with n_rTBF >2.79 (95% CI, 1.31–4.2; P Conclusions The dominant predictors of OS are normalized perfusion parameters n_rTBV and n_rTBF. Preoperative perfusion imaging may be used as a surrogate to predict glioblastoma aggressiveness and survival independent of treatment.
Preoperative chlorhexidine mouthwash to reduce pneumonia after cardiac surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract Objective Postoperative pneumonia is one of the most common complications after cardiac surgery, entailing increased patient morbidity, mortality, and health care burden. The primary aim of this study was to assess whether preoperative chlorhexidine mouthwash is associated with reduced postoperative pneumonia after cardiac surgery. Methods A comprehensive systematic search of NLM Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health was executed to include the studies since inception to June 27, 2017, which assessed the effects of preoperative chlorhexidine gluconate mouthwash on postoperative pneumonia. Studies were identified by 2 independent reviewers, and data were extracted using a predefined protocol. Random effects models were run to obtain risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Quality of evidence was evaluated using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation criteria. Postoperative pneumonia after cardiac surgery was the primary outcome of the study. Results Five studies including a cumulative of 2284 patients were included. A total of 1125 patients received preoperative chlorhexidine. Use of chlorhexidine gluconate was associated with reduced risk of postoperative pneumonia compared with the patients who did not receive it (risk ratio, 0.52; 95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.70; P Conclusions Among the patients receiving preoperative chlorhexidine mouthwash, the risk of postoperative pneumonia is reduced by approximately one-half; its adoption in preoperative protocols could help improve patient outcomes.
Understanding ion irradiation resistance of a silicon diffused nanostructured ferritic alloy-chromium carbide–carbon composite

Abstract Cladding materials play the essential role in the safe, efficient, and economic operation of a nuclear reactor. In this work, a silicon diffused nanostructured ferritic alloy-chromium carbide–carbon (NFA|Si-Cr3C2-C) composite is studied as a nuclear fuel cladding material and ion irradiation with highly energetic Fe++ ions has been carried out to induce a peak damage level of ∼250 dpa. Elemental distribution, phase composition, and defect structure are investigated in order to understand the ion irradiation response of the NFA|Si-Cr3C2-C composite. SRIM simulation reveals displacement damage profiles for different phase compositions. The NFA|Si phase has good ion irradiation resistance with newly induced dislocation loops. The C phase in the NFA|Si matrix is prone to being partially amorphized whereas the Cr3C2 phase in the NFA|Si matrix is completely amorphized. This work offers important guidance for nuclear cladding material development.
Don't Tug on Superman's Cape: In Defense of Convening Authority Selection and Appointment of Court-Martial Panel Members

Abstract : From the earliest beginnings of our republic, military commanders have played a central role in the administration of military justice. The American military justice system, derived from its British predecessor, predates the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Although the system has evolved considerably over the years to its current state of statutory codification in the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), one thing has remained constant: courts-martial in the United States military are, and always have been, ad hoc tribunals created and appointed by the order of a commander, called a convening authority, for the express purpose of considering a set of charges that the commander has referred to the court. In turn, the members of the court, who in nearly every case are under the command of the convening authority, take an oath to "faithfully and impartially try, according to the evidence, THEIR conscience, and the laws applicable to trial by court-martial, the case of the accused" before their court. By their oath, when they sit in judgment in a military courtroom, panel members leave behind the commander who appointed them. The modem American military justice system is a creature of statutes that draw their authority from Congress's Constitutional responsibility to make "Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces. Its ultimate purpose is to help ensure the security of the nation by means of a well-disciplined military. No other system of justice in our nation carries an equivalent burden.
Comparison of Automated Sepsis Identification Methods and Electronic Health Record-based Sepsis Phenotyping: Improving Case Identification Accuracy by Accounting for Confounding Comorbid Conditions.

To develop and evaluate a novel strategy that automates the retrospective identification of sepsis using electronic health record data. Design Retrospective cohort study of emergency department and in-hospital patient encounters from 2014 to 2018. Setting One community and two academic hospitals in Maryland. Patients All patients 18 years old or older presenting to the emergency department or admitted to any acute inpatient medical or surgical unit including patients discharged from the emergency department. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results From the electronic health record, 233,252 emergency department and inpatient encounters were identified. Patient data were used to develop and validate electronic health record-based sepsis phenotyping, an adaptation of "the Centers for Disease Control Adult Sepsis Event toolkit" that accounts for comorbid conditions when identifying sepsis patients. The performance of this novel system was then compared with 1) physician case review and 2) three other commonly used strategies using metrics of sensitivity and precision relative to sepsis billing codes, termed "billing code sensitivity" and "billing code predictive value." Physician review of electronic health record-based sepsis phenotyping identified cases confirmed 79% as having sepsis; 88% were confirmed or had a billing code for sepsis; and 99% were confirmed, had a billing code, or received at least 4 days of antibiotics. At comparable billing code sensitivity (0.91; 95% CI, 0.88-0.93), electronic health record-based sepsis phenotyping had a higher billing code predictive value (0.32; 95% CI, 0.30-0.34) than either the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Sepsis Core Measure (SEP-1) definition or the Sepsis-3 consensus definition (0.12; 95% CI, 0.11-0.13; and 0.07; 95% CI, 0.07-0.08, respectively). When compared with electronic health record-based sepsis phenotyping, Adult Sepsis Event had a lower billing code sensitivity (0.75; 95% CI, 0.72-0.78) and similar billing code predictive value (0.29; 95% CI, 0.26-0.31). Electronic health record-based sepsis phenotyping identified patients with higher in-hospital mortality and nearly one-half as many false-positive cases when compared with SEP-1 and Sepsis-3. Conclusions By accounting for comorbid conditions, electronic health record-based sepsis phenotyping exhibited better performance when compared with other automated definitions of sepsis.
Taking Their First Steps: The Distribution of New Teachers in School and Classroom Contexts and Implications for Teacher Effectiveness:

Novice teachers’ professional contexts may have important implications for their effectiveness, development, and retention. However, due to data limitations, descriptions of these contexts are ofte...
Gender Disparities in Academic Emergency Medicine: Strategies for the Recruitment, Retention, and Promotion of Women

Although women comprise half of all medical students, the number of female academic emergency medicine (EM) physicians remains at approximately 27%. In addition, despite having equivalent credentials, female EM faculty remain underrecognized and undercompensated when compared to their male counterparts. Recent studies have shown superior outcomes among patients treated by EM physicians who are women; however, disparities in advancement persist. This white paper, prepared on behalf of the Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine, describes recent evidence demonstrating gender disparities in the EM workforce including content presented at the 2019 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting. The authors describe strategies to address the identified problems. Specific recommendations include individual as well as institutional/systems-level approaches to creating directed programming and initiatives to recruit, support, and promote women at all aspects of the career continuum.
Phallusialides A-E, Pyrrole-Derived Alkaloids Discovered from a Marine-Derived Micromonospora sp. Bacterium Using MS-Based Metabolomics Approaches.

Integrating MS-based metabolomics approaches, LC–MS–PCA and molecular networking enabled the targeted isolation of five new pyrrole-derived alkaloids, phallusialides A–E (1–5), from a marine-derived Micromonospora sp. bacterium. The structures of 1–5 were elucidated by analysis of their HRMS, MS/MS, and NMR spectroscopic data. The absolute configuration of phallusialide A (1) was determined on the basis of comparisons of experimental and theoretically calculated ECD spectra. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited antibacterial activity against methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and E. coli, with MIC values of 32 and 64 μg/mL, respectively, whereas 3–5 showed no antibacterial activity even at 256 μg/mL, yielding important SAR insights for this class of compounds.
Efficacy and safety of embolization of dural arteriovenous fistulas via the ophthalmic artery.

IntroductionDural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVF) are vascular lesions with arteriovenous shunting that may be treated with surgical obliteration or endovascular embolization. Some DAVF, such as ante...
Theory of (antimicrobial) relativity: When competitors determine a species' drug sensitivity.

Are 9evolution-proof9 therapies possible? The use of antimicrobials without imposing selection for resistance is conjectured to stop the rise of multi-drug resistance. Here, I present a theory, validated experimentally, suggesting a strategy to manipulate antimicrobial sensitivity and achieve sustained drug efficacy. The model predicts that accessory microbial species act as drug or carbon sink depending on their drug sensitivity, leading to increased drug tolerance or sensitivity in a focal species. Aided by this theory, I doubled the sensitivity of Escherichia coli MC4100 to tetracycline in 24h sensitivity tests. The effect was maintained for 168h following serial passages akin to those used in evolutionary biology to study antibiotic adaptation in MC4100. This theory, and particularly the experimental data, suggest that evolution-proof strategies do exist. My theory can provides a framework to design synthetic accessory species that maximise drug efficacy while minimising selection on resistance---opening a new venue to treat bacterial infections and, possibly, cancers.
Study on the PD Creeping Discharge Development Process Induced by Metallic Particles in GIS

Partial discharge (PD) detection and recognition are of great slgnificance to the condition monitoring of gas-insulated switchgear (GIS). The study focuses on the development process of PD creeping discharge induced by metallic particles in GIS. A GIS simulation experiment platform which was set up according to the actual operating conditions of GIS was employed for this. The discharge pattern of various stages was measured by pulse current method, meanwhile the characteristic parameters which can characterize the severity of PD effectively were extracted. Intensified CCD (ICCD) was also used to record the evolution process of PD. At last, the PD creeping discharge development was divided into 3 stages, which was manifested by K-means clustering algorithm, and they are corona discharge domination, coexistence of corona discharge and surface streamer discharge and surface streamer discharge domination respectively.
BiGBERT: Classifying Educational Web Resources for Kindergarten-12\(^{th}\) Grades

In this paper, we present BiGBERT, a deep learning model that simultaneously examines URLs and snippets from web resources to determine their alignment with children’s educational standards. Preliminary results inferred from ablation studies and comparison with baselines and state-of-the-art counterparts, reveal that leveraging domain knowledge to learn domain-aligned contextual nuances from limited input data leads to improved identification of educational web resources.
Abandon the Concept of Accredited Investors in Private Securities Offerings

Accredited investors as defined in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Regulation D occupy a favored spot in the world of federal securities law and may participate in investment opportunities not available to other investors. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) views accredited investors as sophisticated and able to fend for themselves in making securities investments without the need for the main disclosure protections in the Securities Act. Closer consideration of the accredited investor category raises questions about its continued vitality. It provides some benefits, but reasons for dispensing with the line between accredited and non-accredited investors are extremely strong. In particular, the SEC’s rationale for the category is deeply flawed, and many of the components of the category fail to effectuate even the flawed rationale. A better regulatory approach would be to get rid of the category and rely on a short set of mandatory disclosures. This would guarantee the supply of essential information rather than depend on the voluntary choices of issuers and speculative assumptions about investor sophistication and access to information. It would also have several other advantages and would not add significant costs because issuers overwhelmingly already prepare and provide disclosure to accredited investors.
Intra-group decision-making in agent-based models.

Many agent-based models (ABMs) try to explain large-scale phenomena by reducing them to behaviors at lower scales. At these scales in social systems are functional groups such as households, religious congregations, coops and local governments. The intra-group dynamics of functional groups often generate inefficient or unexpected behavior that cannot be predicted by modeling groups as basic units. We introduce a framework for modeling intra-group decision-making and its interaction with social norms, using the household as our focus. We select phenomena related to women’s empowerment in agriculture as examples influenced by both intra-household dynamics and gender norms. Our framework proves more capable of replicating these phenomena than two common types of ABMs. We conclude that it is not enough to build multi-scale models; explaining social behaviors entails modeling intra-scale dynamics.
Life cycle assessment (LCA) and Techno-economic analysis (TEA) of tilapia-basil aquaponics

Abstract. Aquaponics is the system combining hydroponic and aquaculture, in which fish and plants are raised together, and they can be beneficial from each other as well as to each other. When the system is maintained properly and is in a balance status, aquaponics will mimic the natural ecosystem, use much less water than traditional aquaculture, and have almost no effluent. As a result, it is thought more environmentally friendly and sustainable. In this study, both Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) of a tilapia and basil aquaponic system were conducted. Three scales, including a truly running system, pilot scale, and commercial scale of aquaponics were considered and analyzed. This study provided environmental impacts and profitability for operating aquaponics in the Midwest of U.S. It also showed that the operating scale and basil price had obvious effect on profits. When the scale was large enough, such as with the grow bed area of 75.6 m2 and when the basil price equals to or is great than $60/kg, operating aquaponics was profitable.
Antithrombogenic and Antiatherogenic Effects of Citrus Flavonoids

This presentation is intended to commemorate the life’s work of a singular individual, Dr. Ralph C. Robbins, who was a pioneer among researchers studying the health benefits of flavonoids, particularly flavonoids such as hesperidin, tangeretin, nobiletin and others which occur in citrus fruits. Dr. Robbins entered the field in 1960, a time when research on health effects of flavonoids seemed to raise more questions than answers. To put Dr. Robbins’ research in perspective, let us first look very briefly at the history of flavonoid research.