cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fraud in the International Transaction: Enjoining Payment of Letters of Credit in International Transactions

The burden of establishing the existence of fraud in letter of credit transactions rests upon the party alleging fraud. Courts that have adopted Sztejn have applied various standards of proof in determining when the burden of persuasion has been discharged. Because a unilateral claim of fraud would be insubstantial, the party alleging fraud must establish both that the fraud existed under the appropriate standard of proof, and that the bank had notice of the fraud. Courts in the United Kingdom require the party alleging fraud to show a sufficiently grave cause to justify a finding of fraud, and courts in both the United States and the United Kingdom recognize the defense of a holder in due course status. Courts that have not relied on the Sztejn fraud exception often use other theories to distinguish the type of fraud involved in Sztejn. When a seller resorts to the type of egregious fraud in the underlying transaction that leaves the buyer and, thus, the issuing bank little or nothing of value, the goals of preventing fraud and protecting innocent parties justify allowing an issuing bank to refuse to honor a draft even when presented with conforming documents.Courts generally analyze fraud in letter of credit transactions in one of three ways: (1) the "unqualified liability" approach, (2) the Sztejn fraud exception approach, or (3) the UCC approach. The approach adopted by a court is significant to the banks because the determination of a bank's liability for actions taken after the bank receives notice of alleged fraud differs under each approach. A confirming bank has three alternatives when potentially fraudulent documents have been presented. The bank can honor the draft, refuse to honor the draft, or seek to have payment of the draft enjoined. The consequences to the bank of each alternative will be analyzed with respect to the three judicial approaches for dealing with fraud in letter of credit transactions. The primary advantage of the Sztejn approach, protection of the buyer against fraud in the transaction, is also provided by the UCC approach. In addition, the UCC provides enhanced and specific protection for those banks in the domestic setting. In this article, Part I provides the introduction, followed by Part II introducing readers to the judicial nature of letters of credit. Part III follows by giving more information on the mechanics of issuing letters of credit, while Part IV presents irrevocability, fraud and injunction. Part V introduces judicial approaches to fraud in letters of credit transactions, while Part VI summarizes the article with the conclusion.
Transparenchymal Suture Fixation and Testicular Histology in a Prepubertal Rat Model

AbstractWe evaluate the effect on testicular histology when fine suture materials are used for transparenchymal suture fixation of the testis during orchiopexy in immature Sprague-Dawley rats. Significant inflammatory reactions were observed in all groups of animals with suture fixation regardless of suture size and material. Only 5% of the animals in the dartos pouch control group had an inflammatory response and no inflammation was noted in the nonoperative controls. Although these findings have not been documented in humans, this evidence raises concerns about the impact of surgical technique on the future reproductive capabilities of these testes. Alternatives to transparenchymal suture fixation of the testis should be considered in patients with cryptorchidism and testicular torsion. Sutureless dartos pouch placement may provide adequate fixation during most orchiopexies without risking injury to testicular structure and function.
Rotary Clubs, Consumption, and the Nazis’ Achievement Community

As we saw in the two preceding chapters, Nazi economic policy was not only centered on putting people back to work and preparing the country for war. It was also about engineering a proper racial and commercial sensibility. In the Nazi marketplace, the state and private companies communicated with Germans in their capacities as consumers, who held symbolic and actual power. Consumers had the ability to withhold support from the regime if the economy remained weak and to undermine a company by not buying its goods. Marketers and the Nazi Advertising Council therefore relied upon a number of tools to both appease and educate consumers. In the Third Reich companies found multiple opportunities for business, but the disparate aims of private industry and the regime created an uneasy tension. Schooling consumers in patience, frugality, and racial difference could be at odds with the desire to move products. Business leaders, who were encouraged to maintain a semblance of normality, were confused about how to implement a National Socialist agenda while protecting their own interests. Who exactly were these business leaders? How did they understand the new ideological terrain on which they operated? This chapter takes a closer look at these individuals – managers, company owners, and economists – and their participation in German Rotary Clubs during the Third Reich in order to understand the milieu in which Nazi ideas about commerce and consumption circulated. In a sense, this chapter uses the example of one civic association to understand the broader social and intellectual context of the Nazis’ market vision. As we will see, business in the Third Reich was not only about maintaining profits and healthy markets. The ascent of National Socialism also gave economic leaders an opportunity to explore their self-understanding as elites and to ask how their unfolding relationship with the consuming masses might be transformed after the tumultuous Weimar years. Nazism challenged them to forge an understanding of modern consumer society that would serve both their business interests and the Volksgemeinschaft. In their weekly conversations and debates, these bourgeois gentlemen breathed life into the ideas about achievement, trust, and virtuous economic behavior that were the hallmarks of the Nazi marketplace.
Comparison of blood and tissue lead concentrations from cattle with known lead exposure.

ABSTRACTBlood lead (Pb) is used to diagnose Pb poisoning and exposure in cattle, but there are limited data comparing circulating Pb with concentrations in beef from the same cattle. This study determines whether there is a correlation between blood Pb and tissue Pb concentrations in accidentally exposed cattle. Pb analyses were carried out on ante-mortem blood and post-mortem tissues (including, if available, brain, liver, skeletal muscle, bone, gastrointestinal contents and kidney, and also foetal tissues from one cow) collected from 13 cattle known to have accidental Pb exposure and from three control cows with no known exposure. Variables from cattle were analysed statistically using a Shapiro–Wilk normality test and non-parametric descriptive and association statistics. Blood Pb from exposed cattle rank-correlated with liver, bone and kidney Pb concentrations, but not with the Pb concentrations of brain, skeletal muscle or gastrointestinal contents. The lowest blood Pb concentration associated with a...
Germinal centers and autoimmune disease in humans and mice

Abstract Antibodies are involved in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases. While the mechanisms underlying the antibody response to infection or vaccination are reasonably well understood, we still have a poor understanding of the nature of autoimmune antibody responses. The most well studied are the anti-nuclear antibody responses characteristic of systemic lupus erythematosus and studies over the past decade or so have demonstrated a critical role for signaling by TLR7 and/or TLR9 in B cells to promote these responses. These TLRs can promote T cell-independent extrafollicular antibody responses with a heavy chain class switch and a low degree of somatic mutation, but they can also strongly boost the germinal center response that gives rise to high affinity antibodies and long-lived plasma cells. TLRs has been shown to enhance affinity maturation in germinal center responses to produce high affinity neutralizing antibodies in several virus infection models of mice. While more data is needed, it appears that anti-nuclear antibodies in mouse models of lupus and in lupus patients can be generated by either pathway, provided there are genetic susceptibility alleles that compromise B cell tolerance at one or another stage. Limited data in other autoimmune diseases suggests that the germinal center response may be the predominant pathway leading to autoantibodies in those diseases. A better understanding of the mechanisms of autoantibody production may ultimately be helpful in the development of targeted therapeutics for lupus or other autoimmune diseases.Immunology and Cell Biology accepted article preview online, 26 August 2016. doi:10.1038/icb.2016.78.
Self-Induced Oscillations of a Jet Flowing Over the Wedge. The Mechanism of Appearance of the Feedback

As a result of the direct numerical analysis of the nonstationary system of Navier–Stokes equations, we solve the problem of submerged jet formed by a narrow channel (nozzle) and flowing over a sharp rigid wedge. The time dependences of the vortex and pressure fields in the course of the transient processes and the process of stationary self-induced oscillations of the jet are established. It is shown that the role of hydrodynamic feedback channels in the transient process is played by the vortex formations generated at the time when the jet meets the wedge and moving against the jet flow. In the process of steady self-induced oscillations, the hydrodynamic feedback channel is formed due to the pressure drop on the wedge faces and periodic changes in its sign. This leads to the formation of a periodic flow in the medium from one face of the wedge to the other face and, hence, to the periodic transverse deflections of the jet. The comparison of the theoretically estimated frequency of self-induced oscillations of the jet with the experimentally obtained value reveals their coincidence with graphical accuracy.
Gender Differences in Complex Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, and Their Relationship to Mental Health and Substance Abuse Outcomes in Incarcerated Adults:

Complex trauma (CT; for example, childhood abuse) has been associated with significant behavioral health problems (i.e., mental health and substance use disorders) and symptoms that are consistent with complex posttraumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). CT is prevalent in adult forensic populations, and particularly important for women as they tend to report more adverse consequences of exposure to traumatic stressors and are entering the criminal justice system at a heightened rate compared with men. However, no studies have empirically tested the relationship among CT, C-PTSD, and behavioral health problems with gender among incarcerated adults. The present study examined the relationship between gender and childhood abuse history, C-PTSD symptom severity, and behavioral health problems in 497 incarcerated adults. Findings indicate that women were more likely to report a history of childhood abuse, and more severe C-PTSD symptoms and behavioral health problems than men. Childhood abuse history significantly accounted for the gender difference observed in C-PTSD symptom severity. C-PTSD partially mediated the gender difference in psychiatric morbidity and in risk of hard drug use. Implications for trauma-informed and gender-responsive services and research in the adult criminal justice system are discussed.
Does host immunity contribute to susceptibility to infection? The role of MAIT cells in Clostridium difficile Infection.

Susceptibility to Clostridium difficile (Cd) infection (CDI) occurs following disruption of the gut microbiome1. Mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a specialized population of innate T cells. MAIT cells recognize intermediates of riboflavin biosynthesis, a pathway found only in microbes, making MAIT development dependent on the host microbiome. While MAIT cells are important in combatting pulmonary infections, their role in CDI remains undetermined2. Since MAIT cells are found in relatively high numbers in the gut, we hypothesized that they would be critical in controlling Cd colonization3. WT and MR1-/- (lacking MAIT cells) mice were given antibiotics and infected with Cd spores. Astonishingly, MR-/- mice were resistant to Cd colonization. To determine the role of the microbiome in this resistant phenotype, mice were given fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) prior to infection and fecal samples were sequenced. WT mice given FMT from MR1-/- mice showed decreased colonization by day 7 and clearance of Cd by day 14, while the WT mice given control FMT remained colonized at high levels (109) throughout. These data suggest the microbiome associated with MR-/- mice leads to colonization resistance and differences in the microbiota composition of these two mouse strains is currently under investigation.
How predictable is plastic damage at the atomic scale

The title of this letter implies two questions: To what degree is plastic damage inherently predictable at the atomic scale, and can this predictability be quantified? We answer these questions by combining image analysis with molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to quantify similarities between atomic structures of plastic damage in a database of strained copper bi-crystals. We show that a manifold of different outcomes can originate ostensibly from the same initial structure, but that with this approach complex plastic damage within this manifold can be statistically connected to the initial structure. Not only does this work introduce a powerful approach for analyzing MD simulations of a complex plastic damage but also provides a much needed and critical framework for analyzing and organizing atomic-scale microstructural databases.
"Increases in Status, Perceived Under-Reciprocation, and Social Undermining Among Top Managers"

This paper explores how social and psychological biases may impede the social exchange relations of executives who ascend to high- status corporate leadership positions. We theorize that a combination of self-serving attribution biases among executives who reach high-status positions, and egocentric biases among their prior benefactors, causes a systematic difference in perceptions between the two parties about the relative importance of that help to the high-status beneficiary’s success. This in turn leads to the perception among prior benefactors that the high-status executives have not adequately reciprocated their help. We then extend this theoretical argument, first by suggesting that the perception of under reciprocation is heightened when the high- status executive is a racial minority or a female. Second, we examine how high levels of ingratiation directed toward the high- status executives may contribute to the attribution biases which lead to perceptions of under-reciprocation. The final compone...
An automated speech-language therapy tool with interactive virtual agent and peer-to-peer feedback

Widespread use of technology has brought about revolutionary changes in health domain. Treatment of speech and language disorders is one such field where computer-based techniques have the potential to provide readily available therapy at low cost by reducing the reliance on therapists and clinicians. Although significant research has been performed on computer-aided speech and language therapy, existing approaches do not focus on the nonverbal behavioral cues of a patient in a natural conversational scenario. In this paper, we propose an automated speech and language therapy tool with an intelligent and interactive virtual agent playing the role of a therapist. Besides giving feedback to the patient's response on various therapeutic tasks, the virtual therapist has the ability to carry out a conversation with the patient and give feedback on their nonverbal behavioral cues to help them improve their communicating ability. Additionally, our proposed system supports computerized peer-to-peer conversation in real-life scenarios which is also underrepresented in existing research concerning computer-assisted speech language therapy.
Providing Feedback to Early Interventionists and Other Professionals on Fidelity of Implementation of Assessment

In this chapter, research on the Fidelity of Implementation of Assessment (FOI-A) for the Battelle Developmental Inventory—Second Edition (BDI-2) across one New England state is used to provide guidance for supervisors and coaches on issues of FOI-A and how specifically to give feedback on the fidelity checklists and how early childhood professionals can use the feedback to improve their practice. Examples of feedback used in the study are provided. The authors share processes and procedures for feedback and coaching of professionals about their FOI-A. This chapter will present an interactive model for directors and team members to collaborate and improve FOI-A for themselves and their teams. Utilizing a reflective supervision model that includes observations protocols and checklists, supervisors and coaches are provided with helpful strategies for providing direct feedback to examiners of the Battelle Developmental Inventory—Second Edition (BDI-2). Positive frameworks and strengths-based approaches are leveraged to improve FOI-A in a nonjudgmental and collaborative learning environment. Finally, specific examples of FOI-A feedback for the BDI-2 that are based on fidelity checklists and fidelity observation protocols are shared.
Body Mass Index, Vitamin D Status, and Asthma Control Among Inner-City Children: A Feasibility Study

Childhood obesity and asthma are major public health problems. Obesity appears to significantly increase risk of poor asthma control, with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) deficiency being a potential, modifiable risk factor on this pathway. In this pilot study of 32 young children with asthma, who were recruited from a safety-net hospital, we examined the feasibility of assessing weekly reports of breathing problems from caregivers and the distributions of 25OHD and related biomarkers among the children. Most (83%) caregivers completed the entire 3 months of weekly surveys. Approximately half of the children had body mass index z-score ≥1.04; and one-third had 25OHD level <20 ng/mL. Mean Test for Respiratory and Asthma Control in Kids scores indicated poor asthma control. Intensive longitudinal follow-up of vulnerable children is feasible.
Sequential service restoration in distribution systems and microgrids integrating frequency response and varying switching interval

This paper presents a study of the application of a sequential service restoration method to single master operation microgrids with black start capability. Enhancements to a sequential service restoration methodology for frequency response characteristics during sequential load energization for diesel generators with isochronous governors were studied. Results were used to derive safe switching times during sequential service restoration for single master operation microgrid and informed the choice of maximum load step for the master distributed generators. The enhanced method was used to derive restoration sequences for a modified IEEE 123 node test feeder and an EMTP simulation in PSCAD was performed to verify the accuracy of the studies.
Disabling Gβγ SNARE interaction in transgenic mice disrupts GPCR-mediated presynaptic inhibition leading to physiological and behavioral phenotypes.

Gi/o-coupled G-protein coupled receptors modulate neurotransmission presynaptically through inhibition of exocytosis. Release of Gβγ subunits decreases the activity of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC), decreasing excitability. A less understood Gβγ-mediated mechanism downstream of calcium entry is the binding of Gβγ to SNARE complexes. Here, we create a mouse partially deficient in this interaction. SNAP25Δ3 homozygote animals are developmentally normal but impaired gait and supraspinal nociception. They also have elevated stress-induced hyperthermia and impaired inhibitory postsynaptic responses to α2A-AR, but normal inhibitory postsynaptic responses to Gi/o-coupled GABAB receptor activation. SNAP25Δ3 homozygotes have deficits in inhibition of hippocampal postsynaptic responses to 5HT1b agonists that affect hippocampal learning. These data suggest that Gi/o-coupled GPCR inhibition of exocytosis through the Gβγ-SNARE interaction is a crucial component of numerous physiological and behavioral processes.
Immune checkpoint-mediated myositis and myasthenia gravis: A case report and review of evaluation and management.

Abstract Background We present a case of myositis and possible overlapping neuromuscular junction disorder following treatment with nivolumab for recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods We report a 75-year-old man with recurrent stage IVA, T1N2cM0 oral cavity HNSCC treated with weight-dosed nivolumab who presented three weeks later with severe fatigue, generalized weakness, and bilateral ptosis. Evaluation demonstrated elevated creatine kinase and myopathic motor units on electromyography, supporting a diagnosis of an underlying muscle disease. Elevated serum acetylcholine receptor binding antibodies raised the possibility of concurrent myasthenia gravis. Results He received corticosteroids and plasmapheresis without improvement in muscle weakness. His course was complicated by bacteremia, cardiac arrest, and concerns for recurrent malignancy. Following a two-month hospital stay, he was made comfort care and died. Conclusions With increasing usage of checkpoint inhibitors in HNSCC, clinicians must be aware of and vigilant for associated rare but serious adverse events.
Detection of differentially developed functional connectivity patterns in adolescents based on tensor discriminative analysis

Adolescence is a crucial time for the development of functional connectivity, and the tuning process changes under different physical and cognitive status. However, there is still a lack of knowledge on where and how functional development changes across this age range. In this paper, we introduce a discriminative tensor decomposition method to detect differentially developed functional connectivity patterns. The method is a combination of the Fisher's discriminative analysis and CANDECOMP/PARAFAC(CP) decomposition, linked by a novel discriminative developmental ratio. A sequential orthogonal decomposition algorithm is then proposed to efficiently solve the problem. The method is validated by a real dataset, which contains functional connectivity maps for each individual. We separate the subjects by sex and use a sliding window approach over age to obtain two correlation tensors. Applying our method to the two tensors, we can detect connectivity patterns with differential development in sex. Our results show evidence for developmental differences between girls and boys that are largest during puberty.
Energy and width of the excited 0 + state in O 12

We review predictions for the energy of the excited ${0}^{+}$ state of $^{12}\mathrm{O}$ and present new calculations of its width. Results are compared with those of a recent experiment.
Comics History and the Question of Delinquency: The Case of Criminal

Contemporary US comics creators are deeply aware of historical links between comics and criminality. In Last of the Innocent, an acclaimed arc of their series Criminal, writer Ed Brubaker and illustrator Sean Phillips explore these links, evoking memories of comics history to critique normative concepts of innocence and legitimacy. A story of a crime that goes unpunished, Last of the Innocent shows how states of legitimacy—including implicitly, the status granted to some comics under the heading of the graphic novel—are unstable, since distinctions between criminality and innocence are enforced with arbitrary violence. Brubaker and Phillips, like many other creators, see the story of comics’ upward mobility in recent decades as a myth; their work recalls the historical power dynamics this myth has obscured.
Abstract TMP9: Procedural and Functional Outcomes of ADAPT Thrombectomy for Stroke Involving Anatomical Divisions of the M2 Segment

Introduction: Endovascular thrombectomy (ET) is the current standard of care for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) for large vessel occlusion. Recently, there has been interest and an effort to extend th...
Qualitative Review of Stories Told: Anecdotes of CFO – CEO Relationships

The basis of this qualitative examination was incited by the notion that the perceptions of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Local Conference leadership substantially effects how the relationships of Chief Financial Officers (CFOs/Treasurers) and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs/Presidents) are viewed and function as members of their conference leadership team . In the past, Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) have historically functioned in their own professional executive compartments within their organizations rather than partnering together as cooperative teammates. The 21 st Century’s, however, has forever changed how CFOs and CEOs relate to each other in the workplace due to the inception of governmental regulations called the Sarbanes-Oxley Act which was passed to address major corruption in large USA businesses and organizations, major non-compliance in accounting practices, extensive financial reporting fraud, institutional mis-management, board governance, CFO and CEO accountability. The impact of Sarbanes-Oxley has also influenced the relational practices of CFOs and CEOs in Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) conferences. A Mixed-Methods sequential exploratory research design was used with primary data for this study purposefully selected, collected and analyzed (coding, patterns, trends and themes) from qualitative focus group interviews with four local conference CFOs and CEOs, N=8, located in the United Stated of America (USA). Discussion and Conclusion are explored and disclosed, and the Implications of CFO and CEO relationship on organizational effectiveness, efficiency, and climate are presented.
The Struggle to Decolonize Official Knowledge in Texas’ State Curriculum: Side-Stepping the Colonial Matrix of Power

This article relies primarily on both postcolonial theory and Critical Indigenous Studies to demonstrate how the Mexican American Studies (MAS) PreK-12 Committee of the National Association for Chi...
Contributions to prematurity of maternal health conditions, subfertility, and assisted reproductive technology

Objective To determine the maternal demographic, health, and fertility variables underlying prematurity. Design Retrospective: Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System data linked to Massachusetts birth certificates and hospital stays. Setting Not applicable. Patients We included 166,963 privately insured, singleton, first births to women ≥18 years of age between 2004 and 2013. Deliveries were as follows: assisted reproductive technology (ART) when linked to Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System, medically assisted reproduction (MAR) when fertility treatment was indicated on the birth certificate, unassisted subfertile (USF) when there were indications of subfertility but no treatment, and fertile if none of the above. Intervention None. Main Outcome Measures Late preterm birth (LPTB; 34–36 weeks) and early preterm birth (EPTB; Results LPTB was increased in the USF (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–1.65) and ART (AOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.30–1.56) but not MAR (AOR 1.16, 95% CI 0.98–1.37). ETPB was increased in all (USF: AOR 1.67, 95% CI 1.21–2.31; MAR: AOR 1.67, 95% CI 1.31–2.12; ART: AOR 1.40, 95% CI 1.21–1.61). The strongest effectors of prematurity were placental problems (LPTB: AOR 4.02; EPTB: AOR 10.28), pregnancy hypertension (LPTB: AOR 2.14; EPTB: AOR 2.88), and chronic hypertension (LPTB: AOR 1.85; EPTB: AOR 2.79). Mediation analysis demonstrated a statistically significant indirect effect of placental problems for ART and subfertility. Conclusion The greatest effectors of prematurity were placental problems and hypertensive disorders. ART and, to a lesser extent, subfertility were both associated with preterm birth directly and indirectly mediated by placenta problems.
High responsivity tin gallium oxide Schottky ultraviolet photodetectors

The authors report on high spectral responsivity (SnxGa1 − x)2O3 Schottky UV photodetectors grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on β-Ga2O3 substrates. Schottky devices exhibited peak responsivities ranging from 49 to 194 A/W, with peak responsivity and wavelength position increasing systematically for higher Sn concentration from x = 0.01 to 0.18. Dark currents for the devices ranged from <1 nA to 3 μA with rise and fall times in the 0.21–3 s time range, with slower response times likely due to photoconductive gain caused by trapped holes. Incorporation of up to 18% Sn into the tin gallium oxide (TGO) devices resulted in a redshift in the peak responsivity position, ranging from 5.19 to 4.86 eV, demonstrating tunability within the UV-C spectral region through Sn concentration adjustment. The authors believe this to be the highest reported responsivity for a planar Ga2O3-based Schottky photodetector to date, suggesting that TGO based UV-C Schottky detectors are an attractive approach toward deep-UV sensing applications.The authors report on high spectral responsivity (SnxGa1 − x)2O3 Schottky UV photodetectors grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on β-Ga2O3 substrates. Schottky devices exhibited peak responsivities ranging from 49 to 194 A/W, with peak responsivity and wavelength position increasing systematically for higher Sn concentration from x = 0.01 to 0.18. Dark currents for the devices ranged from <1 nA to 3 μA with rise and fall times in the 0.21–3 s time range, with slower response times likely due to photoconductive gain caused by trapped holes. Incorporation of up to 18% Sn into the tin gallium oxide (TGO) devices resulted in a redshift in the peak responsivity position, ranging from 5.19 to 4.86 eV, demonstrating tunability within the UV-C spectral region through Sn concentration adjustment. The authors believe this to be the highest reported responsivity for a planar Ga2O3-based Schottky photodetector to date, suggesting that TGO based UV-C Schottky detectors are an attractive approach toward dee...
Fission matrix homogenization and iterative convergence in RAPID

Abstract The fission matrix based radiation transport code RAPID is able to perform high fidelity and fast 3D, pin-wise whole core calculations. The code can quickly estimate the system fission matrix by combining pre-calculated database fission matrices, and solving for the system fission matrix provides the multiplication factor and a detailed fission distribution. In this work, RAPID acceleration and numerical techniques will be examined. These are the fission matrix collapsing or homogenization options, choice of the power iteration tolerance and estimation of iterative error. In old RAPID calculations, in order to achieve a fast power iteration convergence of the whole core fission matrix, the pin-wise fission matrix is collapsed into an assembly-wise one following a 2-D pin-wise core slice calculation. In addition to the radial collapsing from pin to assembly, other radial and axial collapsing options are tested to find out the best balance between accuracy and speedup. Applying the fission matrix collapsing technique, RAPID requires at least two eigenvalue calculations. Different tolerances of the 2-D and 3-D power iteration calculations are combined to investigate the convergence. A more sophisticated method to estimate the iterative error is provided to determine the convergence. Overall, a combination of all acceleration techniques speeds up the RAPID calculation on BEAVRS benchmark problem by three times, with only a negligible loss of accuracy.
Examination of a lumbar spine biomechanical model for assessing axial compression, shear, and bending moment using selected Olympic lifts

Abstract Background/Aims Loading during concurrent bending and compression associated with deadlift, hang clean and hang snatch lifts carries the potential for injury to the intervertebral discs, muscles and ligaments. This study examined the capacity of a newly developed spinal model to compute shear and compressive forces, and bending moments in lumbar spine for each lift. Methods Five male subjects participated in the study. The spine was modeled as a chain of rigid bodies (vertebrae) connected via the intervertebral discs. Each vertebral reference frame was centered in the center of mass of the vertebral body, and its principal directions were axial, anterior-posterior, and medial-lateral. Results The results demonstrated the capacity of this spinal model to assess forces and bending moments at and about the lumbar vertebrae by showing the variations among these variables with different lifting techniques. Conclusion These results show the model's potential as a diagnostic tool.
Optimizing an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Microintervention Via a Mobile App With Two Cohorts: Protocol for Micro-Randomized Trials

Background: Given gaps in the treatment of mental health, brief adaptive interventions have become a public health imperative. Transdiagnostic interventions may be particularly appropriate given high rates of medical comorbidity and the broader reach of transdiagnostic therapies. One such approach utilized herein is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which is focused on increasing engagement with values, awareness, and openness to internal experiences. ACT theory posits that experiential avoidance is at the center of human suffering, regardless of diagnosis, and, as such, seeks to reduce unworkable experiential avoidance. Objective: Our objective is to provide the rationale and protocol for examining the safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of optimizing an ACT-based intervention via a mobile app among two disparate samples, which differ in sociodemographic characteristics and symptom profiles. Methods: Twice each day, participants are prompted via a mobile app to complete assessments of mood and activity and are then randomly assigned to an ACT-based intervention or not. These interventions are questions regarding engagement with values, awareness, and openness to internal experiences. Participant responses are recorded. Analyses will examine completion of assessments, change in symptoms from baseline assessment, and proximal change in mood and activity. A primary outcome of interest is proximal change in activity (eg, form and function of behavior and energy consumed by avoidance and values-based behavior) following interventions as a function of time, symptoms, and behavior, where we hypothesize that participants will focus more energy on values-based behaviors. Analyses will be conducted using a weighted and centered least squares approach. Two samples will run concurrently to assess the capacity of optimizing mobile ACT in populations that differ widely in their clinical presentation and sociodemographic characteristics: individuals with bipolar disorder (n=30) and distressed first-generation college students (n=50). Results: Recruitment began on September 10, 2019, for the bipolar sample and on October 5, 2019, for the college sample. Participation in the study began on October 18, 2019. Conclusions: This study examines an ACT-based intervention among two disparate samples. Should ACT demonstrate feasibility and preliminary effectiveness in each sample, a large randomized controlled trial applying ACT across diagnoses and demographics would be indicated. The public health implications of such an approach may be far-reaching. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04098497; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04098497; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04081662; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04081662
The Stopping Power of Norms: Saturation Bombing, Civilian Immunity, and U.S. Attitudes toward the Laws of War

In “Hiroshima in Iran: What Americans Really Think about Using Nuclear Weapons and Killing Noncombatants,” a pathbreaking survey of attitudes toward the laws of war published in the summer 2017 iss...
Interreligious Encounters in Polemics Between Christians, Jews, and Muslims in Iberia and Beyond: García-Arenal, Mercedes, Gerard Albert Wiegers, and Ryan Szpiech, (Eds), [Iberian encounter and exchange, 475-1755], 2019 Leiden: Brilll, vii + 434 pp., ill., colour plates, €75.00/$91.00 (paperback), ISBN 9789004401761

This collection of essays is a re-edition of a special edition of the journal Medieval Encounters (24: 2–3) edited by Mercedes Garcia-Arenal and Gerard Wiegers, consisting of 10 chapters that origi...
First description of the nest and juveniles of the Coppery Metaltail (Metallura theresiae), with comments on hummingbird nestling obesity

I provide the first description of the nest and juveniles of the Coppery Metaltail (Metallura theresiae), a hummingbird endemic to Peru. The locality of Unchog, in the elfin forest of the Carpish mountains in Huanuco, is where I found this species nesting. My descriptions are based on 4 nests found on different occasions (April 2013, January 2014, and Jul–Aug 2014). Coppery Metaltail used mainly moss, lichen, lycopodium, and twigs as materials to build their nests. I found 3 nest locations: a tree branch, creek banks, and an abandoned hut. The mean internal diameter of nests was 34.45 mm long by 42.52 mm wide (n = 4). I only measured the depth of 3 of them (mean = 33.83 mm). Metaltail eggs were white and had a mean of 12.93 by 8.3 mm (n = 2). Fledglings (n = 2) were observed in July and one of them reached up to 144% the mass of an adult. I comment on other cases of nestling obesity for different species of hummingbirds. The Coppery Metaltail selects different substrates for nesting and might reproduce throughout the year.
Applying the proximity compatibility and the control-display compatibility principles to engineering design interfaces: Research Articles

The authors determine the utility of applying two display design principles toward the development of interfaces for engineering design. The first principle, called the Proximity Compatibility Principle, specifies that displays relevant to a common task or mental operation should be rendered close together in perceptual space. The second principle, called the Control-Display Compatibility Principle, stipulates that the spatial arrangement and manipulation of controls should be easily distinguishable. To examine the utility of both principles, the authors conducted an experiment comparing the ability of subjects to find effective designs using a separable versus a configural interface in a multi-objective engineering design task. Results suggest that the proximity compatibility principle is an effective indicator of task performance. Moreover, the control-display compatibility principle can be used as an indicator of performance efficiency. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 16: 61–81, 2006.
Violence against emergency medical services personnel

Background. Emergency medical services (EMS) providers may be exposed to violent behavior while performing their routine duties. Objectives. To determine the prevalence of violence against EMS providers in the prehospital setting and to determine factors associated with such violence. Methods. Consecutive medical calls for EMS agencies in a southern California metropolitan area were prospectively analyzed for one month. Following each call, prehospital personnel recorded information about any episodes of violence (verbal or physical) during the run as well as variables felt to be associated with these behaviors. Results. There were 4,102 cases available for analysis. Overall, some sort of violence occurred in 8.5% (349/4,102) of patient encounters. Of this reported violence, 52.7% (184/349) was directed against prehospital care providers, while 47.3% (165/349) was directed against others. The prevalence of violence directed against prehospital care personnel was therefore 4.5% (184/4,102). Patients accoun...
Exploiting symmetry on parallel architectures

This thesis describes techniques for the design of parallel programs that solve well-structured problems with inherent symmetry. Part I demonstrates the reduction of such problems to generalized matrix multiplication by a group-equivariant matrix. Fast techniques for this multiplication are described, including factorization, orbit decomposition, and Fourier transforms over finite groups. Our algorithms entail interaction between two symmetry groups: one arising at the software level from the problem's symmetry and the other arising at the hardware level from the processors' communication network. Part II illustrates the applicability of our symmetry-exploitation techniques by presenting a series of case studies of the design and implementation of parallel programs. First, a parallel program that solves chess endgames by factorization of an associated dihedral group-equivariant matrix is described. This code runs faster than previous serial programs, and discovered it a number of results. Second, parallel algorithms for Fourier transforms for finite groups are developed, and preliminary parallel implementations for group transforms of dihedral and of symmetric groups are described. Applications in learning, vision, pattern recognition, and statistics are proposed. Third, parallel implementations solving several computational science problems are described, including the direct n-body problem, convolutions arising from molecular biology, and some communication primitives such as broadcast and reduce. Some of our implementations ran orders of magnitude faster than previous techniques, and were used in the investigation of various physical phenomena.
Values, public policy, and community food security

Values and beliefs regarding communityfood security were investigated among participants in2–3 day participatory planning events related to thelocal food system in six rural counties from oneregion of upstate New York. The results of Qmethodology reveal three distinct viewpoints: a) theSocial Justice viewpoint, which is primarily concernedwith hunger and the potential harm caused by welfarereform; b) the Pragmatist viewpoint, which values thecontributions agriculture makes to local communitiesand is not concerned about environmental or socialexternalities of the dominant food system; and c) theVisionary viewpoint, which also values agriculture inthe community but is very concerned aboutenvironmental and social externalities. After theplanning events, the Pragmatist viewpoint experiencedan 88% increase in members and the other twoviewpoints became less salient. Various categories ofprofessionals (e.g., nutrition, social welfare,agriculture, environmental) tend to express theviewpoints associated with their professions and/orthe client groups they serve. Despite thesedifferences among participants, the planning events inall six counties resulted in a wide range of goals andobjectives centered on a theme of re-localizing avariety of food system activities. These results arediscussed in relation to the desirability ofdeveloping an explicit philosophy of food andagriculture and the ideal processes required to doso.
Early in ovo exposure of chick embryos to ethanol prevents the neuronotrophic effects of intracerebral NGF administration on cholinergic phenotypic expression

Abstract We have reported that ethanol administration during early neuroembryogenesis significantly alters neuronal phenotypic expression. In addition, previous findings have indicated that ethanol may interfere with the neurotrophic effects of NGF. In this study, we examined the cholinergic neuronal response to NGF given intracerebrally to embryos at embryonic day 8 (E8) which were exposed to ethanol in ovo via the air sac at E1–3. We found that doses of NGF ranging from 0.01 to 1 ng/2 μl/embryo given intracerebrally to untreated embryos at E8, and sacrificed at E10, significantly increased choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity, the marker for cholinergic neuronal expression. This response was most marked in spinal cord as compared with the low response observed in cerebral hemispheres. In control embryos treated with saline at E1–3 and then receiving NGF intracerebrally at E8, ChAT activity in the spinal cord increased with increasing NGF doses; the highest value was obtained with 0.1 ng NGF. In contrast, in ethanol-treated embryos, ChAT activity was not affected by intracerebral administration of NGF and, in fact, the highest dose (0.1 ng) produced a decrease in ChAT activity. We conclude that: (1) intracerebral administration of NGF produces differential cholinotrophic effects in the embryonic chick CNS; and (2) exposure to ethanol during early neuroembryogenesis interferes with the cholinotrophic effects of NGF.
CHARACTERIZATION OF HOMONUCLEAR DIATOMIC IONS BY SEMIEMPIRICAL MORSE POTENTIAL ENERGY CURVES. 1. THE HALOGEN ANIONS

Morse potential energy curves for the homonuclear diatomic halogen anions and their excited states were constructed using experimental data available from the literature. All of the curves are uniquely or overdetermined. The properties of the negative ions have been related to those of the neutral by using three dimensionless parameters, kA, kB, and kR, to modify the Morse curves of the neutral. The magnitudes of the parameters are reasonably consistent and suggest ranges for other homonuclear diatomic ions. A set of Morse potential energy curves is predicted for astatine anions on the basis of the consistency of these parameters. These curves are a significant improvement over those presented 10 years ago because of the existence of additional experimental data. In cases where the curves are overdetermined, these data agree very well with the calculated Morse potentials. Estimates for internuclear distances were made on the basis of the assumption of the additivity of radii. Agreement with available expe...
Cause of the preliminary reverse impulse of storms

Atmospheric-current functions obtained for sudden commencements by Nagata and Abe, and by Jacobs and Obayashi, are analyzed. Electric-charge distributions in the ionosphere are deduced that could drive the part of the currents asymmetric about the geomagnetic axis. It is supposed, as an approximation, that only the Hall electric conductivity need be taken into account. Distortions of the outer magnetosphere that may give rise to the reverse impulse are discussed.