cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measuring the Performance of Governments

Abstract Measuring the Political Performance of Governments The comparative and IPE fields often highlight the linkage between politics and the economy. But while most economic phenomena can be measured, politics is far more subjective. This presentation will argue that, with a new tool, political and economic behavior both can be measured with equivalent levels of reliability. We make this claim by introducing a new concept and associated database called Political Performance. Political Performance is the ability of governments to (1) reach their population, (2) extract economic resources from that population and (3) efficiently allocate those resources to meet government objectives. Unlike other political measures, Political Performance does not reflect wealth (GDP), types of governments (democracies or authoritarian), or political values (quality of life indices). In contrast, political performance measures success in achieving government defined policy outcomes. Political performance emulates in the political and institutional arena what GDP approximates in the economic field. Just as a rising GDP per capita indicates financial success, political performance reflects policy success. This new Political Performance concept is particularly useful in isolating specific geographic opportunities for FDI as well as for foreign aid and national investment. Similarly it is a useful tool for anticipating subnational regions of conflict and economic distress.
Graphene Nanophotonics

Graphene, which is a single layer of carbon atoms assembled in a honeycomb lattice, has recently attracted significant attention, primarily due to its extraordinary electronic properties. In fact, its photonic properties are not less exciting. Graphene interacts with light strongly from ultraviolet to far infrared, and such interaction is tunable by electric field. Moreover, although graphene itself is gapless, a direct, tunable bandgap can be created by breaking its intrinsic crystallographic symmetry. These unique properties make graphene a promising candidate for various light detection, manipulation, and generation applications in an ultra-wide operational wavelength range. In this paper, we first discuss a few possible photonic applications based on the exceptional photonic properties of graphene, followed by detailed presentation on graphene photodetectors. Finally, two major future directions on graphene nanophotonic research will be covered.
Ovulating Hormone Release in Gonadotrophin Treated Immature Rats.

SummaryThe incidence of ovulation and number of ova shed in 25-day-old rats induced to ovulate by PMS injection at 22 days of age was significantly reduced by administration of sodium barbital at 1:30 p.m. on the 24th day of life. However, when barbital administration was delayed until 5:30 p.m., ovulation occurred more frequently and the number of ova resembled that of non-barbiturate treated controls. Similarly, hypophysectomy before 1:30 p.m. inhibited ovulation while hypophysectomy between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. did not. These data are interpreted to mean that ovulating hormone is released from the pituitary gland between 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. on the 24th day of life.
Process Monitoring for Multiple Count Data Using a Deleted-Y Statistic

AbstractA procedure for monitoring discrete multivariate counts is proposed. The procedure is based on two schemes: the first scheme detects a shift in one or two of the p variables; the second procedure detects a shift in all the variables. The first scheme is based on an unbiased estimator for the shift in a particular Poisson count when input variables are not measurable. Run length results show that for most shift conditions this estimator is more effective in detecting a shift in one or two variables than using multiple C charts on the raw counts. The second scheme is based on the average of the p variables. Run length results show that its performance is equal to or better than the performance of multiple C charts on the raw counts. Together the two schemes provide efficient detection of virtually all shift situations.
EFFECT OF SHAM FEEDING ON BILE FLOW IN CHOLECYSTECTOMIZED DOGS.

SummaryIn contrast to the true chole-retic effect of insulin hypoglycemia and feeding in chronic cholecystectomized dogs, sham feeding produced only a slight hydrocholere-sis. An increase in gastric secretion in the same dogs indicated effective vagal stimulation. These results add another difference between sham feeding and insulin-hypoglyce-mia in their effects on the digestive tract.
Refusal of Trabeculectomy for the Fellow Eye in Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) Participants

Purpose To understand the reasons for refusal of fellow eye surgical treatment for glaucoma after first eye trabeculectomy. Design Post hoc analysis of data collected in a multicenter, randomized clinical trial. Methods Data from participants in the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) who were randomized to and underwent initial trabeculectomy on their study eye, and whose fellow eye was eligible for surgical treatment, were analyzed. Participant demographic data and characteristics, surgical data from the study eye, and quality-of-life survey results were compared between groups that received or refused trabeculectomy in their fellow eye. The main outcome measure was patient refusal of fellow eye surgery for glaucoma. Results Of 159 participants who were randomized to and underwent trabeculectomy on their study eye and had a fellow eye that was eligible for surgery, 30 (19%) refused fellow eye surgery. Eligible patients who refused fellow eye trabeculectomy did not differ significantly in visual function or local eye symptoms from those that underwent fellow eye trabeculectomy (all P > .05). In a multivariable analysis of data, increased fellow eye preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) was associated with decreased odds (OR = 0.89, P = .0188), study eye hypotony at 3 months postoperatively was associated with increased odds (OR = 7.24, P = .0125), and argon suture lysis procedure was associated with decreased odds (OR = 0.38, P = .0385) of surgery refusal. Conclusions Refusal of fellow eye surgery was not uncommonly encountered in the CIGTS. Those who refused fellow eye surgery had lower fellow eye IOP and were more likely to have had hypotony after study eye trabeculectomy.
Automatic Video Summarization Using the Optimum-Path Forest Unsupervised Classifier

In this paper a novel method for video summarization is presented, which uses a color-based feature extraction technique and a graph-based clustering technique. One major advantage of this method is that it is parameter-free, that is, we do not need to define neither the number of shots or a consecutive-frames dissimilarity threshold. The results have shown that the method is both effective and efficient in processing videos containing several thousands of frames, obtaining very meaningful summaries in a quick way.
“Chemical Comforting” and the Theology of John C. Ford, SJ: Classic Answers to a Contemporary Problem

ABSTRACT This article is an historical and thematic study of the theological ethics of John C. Ford, SJ, regarding alcohol abuse and chemical dependency. Retrieving “classic” perspectives on these problems is seen as important for helping the churches to address this challenging “sign of the times” today. Ford's involvement in the fledgling “recovery movement” and his collaboration in early addiction science are documented. His main theological views regarding addiction are reviewed. Three themes are addressed: the nature of addictive illness, the role of a “spiritual” component in addiction, and the notions of sin and personal responsibility in relation to abuse and dependency.
The Adaptation of Production and Marketing to Competition

This chapter develops the specific transformations of production and marketing that are engendered through competition. It is shown how these engagements lead to a concentration and centralization of capitals, which, however, does not conform to Marx’s “Law of the Tendency of the Rate of Profit to Fall” or to his “Absolute Universal Law of Capital Accumulation.” Competition is shown to favor certain forms of capital ownership and to generate business cycles and crises.
Spacetrack: trading off quality and utilization in oversubscribed schedules

Many scheduling problems are posed as optimization problems where the goal is to find a feasible schedule that maximizes the utilization of some resource. In some domains it is also necessary to consider the quality of the resulting schedule. In most research these two quantities are independent. This paper introduces a real world problem in which radar tasks must be allocated to track objects in space. We explore the trade-off between off-line task resource utilization and a measure of task quality that correlates to whether tasks are actually successfully executed. We develop two general types of algorithms that differ in the way they reason about quality and explore the trade-off between high quality solutions and solutions with high resource utilization.
Locally optimal detection of adversarial inputs to image classifiers

Deep neural networks achieve state-of-the-art performance for image classification and other tasks but are easily fooled by forgeries which slightly modify a legitimate image in a specific direction and are visually indistinguishable from the original. This presents a security risk for applications such as driverless transportation systems. We formulate detection of such forgeries as a watermark detection problem and derive locally optimal statistical tests for identifying them. Motivated by this optimal structure, we present a procedure for learning a forgery detector from a training set. The reliability of our forgery detector is assessed for several image classification tasks.
A Literature Review of the Effect of Malaria on Stunting

Background: The current version of the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) maternal and child health impact modeling software does not include an effect of malaria on stunting.Objective: This literature review was undertaken to determine whether such a causal link should be included in the LiST model.Methods: The PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched by using broad search terms. The searches returned a total of 4281 documents. Twelve studies from among the retrieved documents were included in the review according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Results: There was mixed evidence for an effect of malaria on stunting among longitudinal observational studies, and none of the randomized controlled trials of malaria interventions found an effect of the interventions on stunting.Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to include malaria as a determinant of stunting or an effect of malaria interventions on stunting in the LiST model. The paucity and heterogeneity of the available literature were a major limitation. In addition, the studies included in the review consistently fulfilled their ethical responsibility to treat children under observation for malaria, which may have interfered with the natural history of the disease and prevented any observable effect on stunting or linear growth.
Pharmacologic management of voice disorders by general medicine providers and otolaryngologists.

OBJECTIVES 1) To compare laryngeal diagnoses from general medical providers (GMP) to otolaryngologists following GMP-based medication trial, and 2) to evaluate associations between GMP medication trials and pharmacologic treatment by otolaryngologists. METHODS Retrospective cohort analysis using large, national administrative U.S. claims database. Patients with laryngeal/voice disorders as per the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2012, seen by a GMP and then an otolaryngologist between 2 weeks to 3 months after the GMP visit, were included. Patient demographics, comorbid conditions, medication use, and initial GMP and otolaryngology laryngeal diagnoses were collected. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the association between GMP and otolaryngologist medication trials. RESULTS A total of 12,475 unique laryngeal/voice-disordered patients met inclusion criteria. At the initial GMP visit, 15.3% received an antibiotic, 14.0% a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), and 7.7% an oral steroid. After the otolaryngology visit, increased diagnoses of vocal fold paralysis/paresis, benign vocal fold/laryngeal pathology, chronic laryngitis, and multiple diagnoses occurred. The adjusted odds for an otolaryngologist prescribing an antibiotic, PPI, or oral steroid, respectively, given that a GMP prescribed an antibiotic, PPI, or oral steroid, was roughly two to three times higher that of a GMP not prescribing the given medication. CONCLUSION Patients with structural and neuromuscular laryngeal disorders were treated with medications by GMPs, and similar mediations often were repeated after otolaryngology evaluation. These findings suggest potential areas of unnecessary pharmacologic treatment of laryngeal/voice-disordered patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2b. Laryngoscope, 128:682-689, 2018.
Variability in objective and subjective measures affects baseline values in studies of patients with COPD.

Author(s): Anderson, Wayne H; Ha, Jae Wook; Couper, David J; O'Neal, Wanda K; Barr, R Graham; Bleecker, Eugene R; Carretta, Elizabeth E; Cooper, Christopher B; Doerschuk, Claire M; Drummond, M Bradley; Han, MeiLan K; Hansel, Nadia N; Kim, Victor; Kleerup, Eric C; Martinez, Fernando J; Rennard, Stephen I; Tashkin, Donald; Woodruff, Prescott G; Paine, Robert; Curtis, Jeffrey L; Kanner, Richard E; SPIROMICS Research Group | Abstract: RationaleUnderstanding the reliability and repeatability of clinical measurements used in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of disease progression is of critical importance across all disciplines of clinical practice and in clinical trials to assess therapeutic efficacy and safety.ObjectivesOur goal is to understand normal variability for assessing true changes in health status and to more accurately utilize this data to differentiate disease characteristics and outcomes.MethodsOur study is the first study designed entirely to establish the repeatability of a large number of instruments utilized for the clinical assessment of COPD in the same subjects over the same period. We utilized SPIROMICS participants (n = 98) that returned to their clinical center within 6 weeks of their baseline visit to repeat complete baseline assessments. Demographics, spirometry, questionnaires, complete blood cell counts (CBC), medical history, and emphysema status by computerized tomography (CT) imaging were obtained.ResultsPulmonary function tests (PFTs) were highly repeatable (ICC's g0.9) but the 6 minute walk (6MW) was less so (ICC = 0.79). Among questionnaires, the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was most repeatable. Self-reported clinical features, such as exacerbation history, and features of chronic bronchitis, often produced kappa values l0.6. Reported age at starting smoking and average number of cigarettes smoked were modestly repeatable (kappa = 0.76 and 0.79). Complete blood counts (CBC) variables produced intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) values between 0.6 and 0.8.ConclusionsPFTs were highly repeatable, while subjective measures and subject recall were more variable. Analyses using features with poor repeatability could lead to misclassification and outcome errors. Hence, care should be taken when interpreting change in clinical features based on measures with low repeatability. Efforts to improve repeatability of key clinical features such as exacerbation history and chronic bronchitis are warranted.
‘A critique of culture’: Alan Watts, psychedelic Buddhism, and religious play in postwar America

ABSTRACTHeralded as a time of economic prosperity, the post-World War II period in America also experienced extraordinary religious awakenings of born-again evangelicalism, Prosperity Gospels, and an apocalyptic flare rendered palpable by atomic bombs and the Cold War. Postwar Christianity found itself reinforcing neoliberalism, sanctifying standardizations accompanying technological routinization, economic progress, and consumption-based lifestyles, resulting in alienating crises of spirit and culture. Amidst uncertainty and conformity, psychedelics offered sacramental means for bypassing postwar society’s mechanisms by uncovering expressions of mutuality and compassion. Outlined within Alan Watts’ work, psychedelics unveiled Buddhist wisdom, detailing existence not as a function of difference, but as an expression of absolute interconnection. Neither doctrinaire nor authoritarian, Watts’ psychedelic engagement with Buddhism invites us to investigate beyond differences, toward moments in which the subjec...
Additive and subadditive antiallodynic interactions between μ-opioid agonists and N-methyl D-aspartate antagonists in male rhesus monkeys

μ-Opioid agonists are clinically effective analgesics, but also produce undesirable effects such as sedation and abuse potential that limit their clinical utility. Glutamatergic systems also modulate nociception and N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists have been proposed as one useful adjunct to enhance the therapeutic effects and/or attenuate the undesirable effects of μ-opioid agonists. Whether NMDA antagonists enhance the antiallodynic effects of μ-agonists in preclinical models of thermal hypersensitivity (i.e. capsaicin-induced thermal allodynia) are unknown. The present study determined the behavioral effects of racemic ketamine, (+)-MK-801, (-)-nalbuphine, and (-)-oxycodone alone and in fixed proportion mixtures in assays of capsaicin-induced thermal allodynia and schedule-controlled responding in rhesus monkeys. Ketamine, nalbuphine, and oxycodone produced dose-dependent antiallodynia. MK-801 was inactive up to doses that produced undesirable effects. Ketamine, but not MK-801, enhanced the potency of μ-agonists to decrease rates of operant responding. Ketamine and nalbuphine interactions were additive in both procedures. Ketamine and oxycodone interactions were additive or subadditive depending on the mixture. Furthermore, oxycodone and MK-801 interactions were subadditive on antiallodynia and additive on rate suppression. These results do not support the broad clinical utility of NMDA receptor antagonists as adjuncts to μ-opioid agonists for thermal allodynic pain states.
A note on the fundamental theorem of algebra

The algebraic proof of the fundamental theorem of algebra uses two facts about real numbers. First, every polynomial with odd degree and real coefficients has a real root. Second, every nonnegative real number has a square root. Shipman [‘Improving the fundamental theorem of algebra’, Math. Intelligencer 29(4) (2007), 9–14] showed that the assumption about odd degree polynomials is stronger than necessary; any field in which polynomials of prime degree have roots is algebraically closed. In this paper, we give a simpler proof of this result of Shipman.
Self-Copying DNA Programs

This chapter discusses the functioning of self-replicating systems as understood from studies on genes which contain all the hereditary information in living organisms. The discussion is based entirely on logical circuits. For chemical and physical properties of the molecules involved, the reader is referred to Molecular Biology of the Gene 1 and to DNA Replication 2.
Application of cross-linked stearic acid nanoparticles with dialysis membranes for methylene blue recovery

Abstract The interfacial properties of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and the ability to polymerize it, make it a potential precursor to nano-scale materials for water and wastewater treatment. Hence, the properties of CLA and of cross-linked linoleic acid micelles, which are basically stearic acid (SA) nanoparticles, were investigated in this study. The acid dissociation constant (pKa) of CLA was measured to be 4.93. The surface tension (γ) and the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of CLA (potassium salt) at different temperatures and ionic strengths were measured. Higher temperatures and ionic strengths both led to lower CMC and surface tension values. The average diameter and aggregation number of 4 mM thermally cross-linked micelles (4.55 nm and 135, respectively) were both larger than that of self-assembled 4 mM CLA micelles at 25 °C (2.83 nm and 44, respectively) in 0.1 M KOH. The pure cross-linked SA nanoparticles were obtained by repeated dialysis, and the stability of the cross-linked nanoparticles was confirmed by further dialysis and from equilibration studies in different solvents. The potential application of SA nanoparticles with dialysis membranes was tested by removing a cationic organic material, methylene blue, from water.
Risk Assessment Using Test Results

Consider the situation in which we would like to determine whether some object has a certain property. For example, the object might be a chemical and the unknown property might be the potential carcinogenicity of the chemical. Suppose, further, that we have a set of tests that we can use to help us determine whether the property is present in the object. In Chapter 3 we discussed several analyses for computing the performances of the tests and the interdependencies between the pairs of tests, and in Chapter 4 we discussed how one can select the “best” battery of tests to use for a particular application. In this chapter, it is assumed that we have chosen a battery to use, we have applied this battery on the object, and now we must interpret the results of this battery.
PHClab: A MATLAB/Octave Interface to PHCpack

PHCpack is a software package for Polynomial Homotopy Continuation, to numerically solve systems of polynomial equations. The executable program “phc” produced by PHCpack has several options (the most popular one “-b” offers a blackbox solver) and is menu driven. PHClab is a collection of scripts which call phc from within a MATLAB or Octave session. It provides an interface to the blackbox solver for finding isolated solutions. We executed the PHClab functions on our cluster computer using the MPI ToolBox (MPITB) for Octave to solve a list of polynomial systems. PHClab also interfaces to the numerical irreducible decomposition, giving access to the tools to represent, factor, and intersect positive dimensional solution sets.
The impact of psychiatric comorbidities on patient-reported surgical outcomes in adults treated for the median arcuate ligament syndrome

Abstract Objective Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is an often overlooked, surgically correctable condition that mimics functional chronic abdominal pain. Patient-reported surgical outcomes are unpredictable in MALS. The objective of this study was to define the psychiatric comorbidities in a cohort of adults undergoing surgery for MALS and to determine whether these comorbidities are predictive of patient-reported quality of life (QOL) outcomes. Methods A prospective observational trial was conducted between April 1, 2010, and December 31, 2015, at a single tertiary care hospital. Adults with a diagnosis of chronic abdominal pain in the setting of celiac artery compression were enrolled in a prospective Institutional Review Board-approved observational trial. Patients completed psychological assessments before surgery for MALS and at 6 months after surgery. The primary outcome was patient-reported health-related QOL (young adult version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory). Results A total of 51 patients (80% female; n = 41) with a mean age of 30.5 (±12.4) years were enrolled. Surgery significantly improved celiac artery hemodynamics in the entire cohort (P Conclusions Surgery improves patient-reported QOL in adults treated for MALS. Psychiatric diagnoses are common in adults with MALS and predict worse patient-reported QOL outcomes.
Multi-Stage Prediction for Zero-Inflated Hurricane Induced Power Outages

Predicting hurricane power outages facilitates disaster response decision-making by electric power utilities as well as other organizations of critical importance to society. Predictive models can be built on the basis of statistical learning methods that use data from past hurricanes to capture the effects of climatological, geographical, and environmental variables on the power systems. When the dataset is largely zero-inflated, as power outage datasets often are, classical data mining methods that are based on a relatively balanced number of zeros and non-zeros may fail. General accuracy evaluation metrics also become misleading because they focus on the prevalent zero-valued responses in the dataset. We develop a new framework that operates in three stages by separating the prediction of whether or not power outages will occur from the number of customers without power. In the first stage, the zero-inflation problem is handled via a series of binary classifications. In the second stage, the severity of outages is predicted leveraging clustering techniques. In the final stage, regression models estimate the number of customers without power. We introduce a weighted accuracy metric and investigate its benefits over mean absolute error. We validate the models with data from hurricanes Dennis (2005), Ivan (2004), and Katrina (2005), and then predict power outages associated with hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Irma (2017) in the central Gulf region. The results demonstrate improvement over the traditional approaches in the context of power outage prediction.
Association Between Fluoride Recommendations and Caries Risk in Medical Settings

Expanded partnership with the medical community is a necessary strategy for reducing disparities in dental caries among young children. We are conducting a prospective multicenter longitudinal study to develop a caries risk tool to be administered in primary healthcare settings for identifying toddlers at increased caries risk, stratified by racial/ethnic identity and/or socioeconomic factors. Purpose: Assess the relationship between fluoride (drops/tablets or topical-varnish) recommended from/by a healthcare professional and other caries risk questionnaire item responses. Methods: 1,326 children and their primary caregivers (PCGs) were recruited from three clinical medical research …
Insurance status, stage of presentation, and survival among female patients with head and neck cancer

Objectives Incidence trends and outcomes of head and neck cancer (HNC) among female patients are not well understood. The objective of this study was to estimate incidence trends and quantify the association between health insurance status, stage at presentation, and survival among females with HNC. Study design Retrospective cohort study. Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2007-2014) was queried for females aged ≥18 years diagnosed with a malignant primary head and neck cancer (HNC) (n = 18,923). Incidence trends for stage at presentation were estimated using Joinpoint regression analysis. The association between health insurance status and stage at presentation on overall and disease-specific survival was estimated using Fine and Gray proportional hazards models. Results Incidence of stage IV HNC rose by 1.24% from 2007 to 2014 (annual percent change = 1.24, 95% CI 0.30, 2.20). Patients with Medicaid (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.45, 1.74) and who were uninsured (aOR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.47, 2.04) were more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stage (stages III/IV) HNC. Similarly, patients with Medicaid (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.47, 95% CI 1.38, 1.56) and who were uninsured (aHR =1.45, 95% CI 1.29, 1.63) were more likely to die from any cause compared to privately insured patients. Medicaid (aHR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.24, 1.44) and uninsured (aHR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.24, 1.60) patients also had a greater hazard of HNC-specific deaths compared to privately insured patients. Conclusions Incidence of advanced-stage presentation for female HNC patients in the United States has increased significantly since 2007, and patients who are uninsured or enrolled in Medicaid are more likely to present with late stage disease and die earlier. Level of evidence NA Laryngoscope, 130:385-391, 2020.
Nasal Glucagon: A Promising New Way to Treat Severe Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is a common side effect of diabetes treatment. Severe hypoglycemia is both potentially dangerous and costly to patients and the health care system. It occurs frequently in patients treated with intensive insulin therapy but can also occur in anyone treated with other hypoglycemic agents. Glucagon is a polypeptide produced by the α-cells in pancreatic islets (1). It stimulates the breakdown of glycogen in the liver with the resultant liberation of glucose, which increases the plasma glucose concentration. Currently, the only available glucagon formulation on the market for the treatment of severe hypoglycemia is injectable glucagon (subcutaneous, intramuscular). However, glucagon is unstable when in solution and so requires reconstitution before administration. This process can be stressful for both patients and caregivers during hypoglycemic emergencies. Nasal glucagon has been shown to be as efficacious as the intramuscular glucagon formulation. Recently, Eli Lilly submitted a new drug application seeking approval of nasal glucagon from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. If approved, this agent will be …
Machine Learning Education for Young People without Programming Experience

Machine Learning-powered technologies are becoming ubiquitous. ML is a powerful tool for people to leverage when building systems and conducting explorations, and can enable people to build personally customizable systems. However, this technology remains mysterious to those who are not computer science experts. I develop tools and curricula to investigate how youth with minimal programming experience can learn to apply Machine Learning in creative and meaningful contexts.
Am I Too Old to Drive?: Opinions of Older Adults on Self-Driving Vehicles

Fully autonomous or "self-driving" vehicles are an emerging technology that may hold significant mobility potential for both disabled persons and for older adults unable to operate a conventional motor vehicle. It can be argued, however, that the needs, preferences and concerns of older adults and disabled persons regarding this technology have been insufficiently explored. Using focus group methodology, this study explores the sentiments of 39 older adults (55+) regarding self driving vehicle technology. Discussions from the focus groups revealed that although participants believed that self-driving vehicles can enhance their mobility and independence, they were concerned about their reliability and safety. Participants expressed additional concerns regarding their ability to purchase such a vehicle and the training required to operate it. Opinions were mixed regarding the consideration of older adults in the design of the technology.
Silica Induced Alveolar Leucocytosis: Modulation by Mepacrine

The initial response of the lung to inhalation of many dusts frequently includes the mobilization of polymorponuclear leucocytes (PMN) into the alveolar spaces. Lugano et al. (1982) demonstrated such a response following intra-tracheal instillation of silica particles in guinea pigs. The response occurred within the first 24 hours and was followed by fibrosis at the seventh post-instillation day. We used a somewhat similar model employing adult Fisher 344 rats which received 0.5 mg of autoclaved endotoxin free Minusil in 0.35 ml of saline by the intratracheal route-a full report is now published (Mikes, P.S., et al. 1988a). Briefly this model showed that broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) fluid showed a twofold increase in cell yield, of which 35% were PMN. This contrasts with the 1% PMN yield in control animal BAL fluid. This represents a 200 fold increase in the number of lavage recovered PMN. The PMN response was not accompanied by much increase in either total protein or albumin concentration in the BAL fluid from silica treated animals, thus no great inflammatory response occurred at least as judged by this measure of capillary permeability.
Reality and Legality: Disentangling What Is Actual from What Is Tolerated in Comparisons of Hemp Extracts with Pure CBD

Manufacturers of hemp-based cannabidiol products have argued that their products should be federally regulated as dietary supplements in the U.S. The justifications offered for this suggestion ofte...
Long non-coding RNA regulation of spermatogenesis and endosomal processes via the spectrin cytoskeleton in Drosophila

The spectrin cytoskeleton has been shown to be critical in diverse processes such as axon development and degeneration, myoblast fusion, and spermatogenesis. Spectrin can be modulated in a tissue specific manner through junctional protein complexes, however, it has not been shown that lncRNAs interact with and regulate spectrin. Here we provide evidence of a lncRNA that interacts with and {beta} Spectrin to regulate spermatogenesis and endosomal related activity in fat bodies of Drosophila. Protein-RNA and Protein-Protein biochemical analysis indicated the interaction between and {beta} Spectrin is modulated by the lncRNA CR45362. Immunocytochemistry revealed CR45362 is highly expressed in the basal testis while and {beta} Spectrin are clearly disrupted in this same region of CR45362 mutants. We genetically demonstrate -Spectrin and CR45362 deficiencies cause spermatid nuclear bundling defects with congruous changes of spectrin distribution and reduced Lysotracker staining in the fat body. Our data suggests lncRNA regulation of spectrin could provide cells with a repertoire of modulatory molecules to manipulate cell-type specific cytoskeletal and endosomal requirements.
Chaos in a simple model of a delta network

The flux partitioning in delta networks controls how deltas build land and generate stratigraphy. Here, we study flux-partitioning dynamics in a delta network using a simple numerical model consisting of two orders of bifurcations. Previous work on single bifurcations has shown periodic behavior arising due to the interplay between channel deepening and downstream deposition. We find that coupling between upstream and downstream bifurcations can lead to chaos; despite its simplicity, our model generates surprisingly complex aperiodic yet bounded dynamics. Our model exhibits sensitive dependence on initial conditions, the hallmark signature of chaos, implying long-term unpredictability of delta networks. However, estimates of the predictability horizon suggest substantial room for improvement in delta-network modeling before fundamental limits on predictability are encountered. We also observe periodic windows, implying that a change in forcing (e.g., due to climate change) could cause a delta to switch from predictable to unpredictable or vice versa. We test our model by using it to generate stratigraphy; converting the temporal Lyapunov exponent to vertical distance using the mean sedimentation rate, we observe qualitatively realistic patterns such as upwards fining and scale-dependent compensation statistics, consistent with ancient and experimental systems. We suggest that chaotic behavior may be common in geomorphic systems and that it implies fundamental bounds on their predictability. We conclude that while delta “weather” (precise configuration) is unpredictable in the long-term, delta “climate” (statistical behavior) is predictable.
Improving hypertension knowledge, medication adherence, and blood pressure control: A feasibility study.

Aims and objectives To examine the feasibility of a culturally tailored education programme for Haitian immigrants diagnosed with hypertension. Background Hypertension is a major public health problem, impacting more than 26% of the global population. The overall prevalence of hypertension is 45.4% in the United States with nearly 80,000 deaths due to hypertension in 2015. African Americans and other Black populations living in the U.S. are disproportionally affected by hypertension. Design Pre-test and post-test feasibility study. Methods A convenience sample of forty-four participants who identified as Haitian immigrants was enrolled in this evidence-based education programme. The intervention included culturally tailored education focused on improving knowledge, medication adherence and blood pressure. Outcomes were measured using the Hill-Bone Medication Adherence Scale and Hypertension Knowledge Test. The SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines were used for reporting outcomes. Results Of the participants that completed the study (N=42), the mean age was 61.95 (± 9.75) years and 59% were female. Baseline systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 143 (±18.15) and 85 (±7.23), respectively. Six weeks after the intervention, there was a significant decrease in mean systolic, 126 (±12.07) and diastolic 78.50 (± 7.23) blood pressures. An increase in medication adherence and hypertension knowledge was also noted at the six-week follow-up period. Conclusion The feasibility of healthcare provider implementation of a culturally tailored intervention to manage hypertension has been demonstrated. However, future research is warranted to gain a more in-depth understanding of how to approach hypertension management among Haitians and other Black immigrant communities. Relevance to clinical practice Advanced practice nurses are uniquely qualified to implement evidence-based programmes that improve patient knowledge and adherence to hypertension management. Through tailoring and adopting an evidence-based methods for educating patients about medication adherence and adequate blood pressure management, there is a potential to see improvements in patient outcomes.
Felt with the Heart: A Review of WomenHeart.org

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among United States women, yet few resources focus on consumer health education, advocacy, and support. WomenHeart.org, the National Coalition for Women ...
Urban lowlands: A history of neighborhoods, poverty, and planning, by Steven T. Moga

Landscape professor Steven T. Moga, Smith College, explains his book:Urban Lowlands draws from city planning history, environmental history, and landscape studies to examine connections between pov...
Systematic Review of the Literature

Objective To assess the regional and global literature on ART adherence among pregnant and postpartum women.
Algae-mediated treatment offers apparent removal of a model antibiotic resistance gene

Abstract Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) may promote the selection of antibiotic resistance in downstream bacterial communities. This study evaluates the capacity of algae-mediated biological treatment, using the freshwater alga Scenedesmus dimorphus as a representative freshwater species, to deactivate the plasmid pEX18Tc. This plasmid carries the tet antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) which confers resistance to tetracycline. Several interdisciplinary techniques are brought together to assess the degradation and deactivation of plasmid pEX18Tc. Results for deactivation of the model plasmid pEX18Tc show 100% reduction in plasmid transformation efficiency after less than three days of exposure to the algae treatment and a light control. Together with previous work documenting the efficacy of the algae treatment toward removing antibiotic parent compounds and mitigating their effects on downstream bacteria, results from this study suggest that the novel treatment could be an effective means of mitigating wastewater-based spread of antibiotic resistance into the natural environment via WWTP effluent discharge. Preliminary qPCR and transformation assays revealed that the algae treatment solution suppresses plasmid pEX18Tc amplification and transformation relative to controls in pure solutions. Ultimately, transformation assays are a useful functional assessment tool for assessing the potential of realistic mixtures comprising residual antibiotic parent drugs, transformation by-products, and ARGs to stimulate antibiotic resistance downstream, especially in light of observed difficulties with qPCR for use in simulated algae cultivation conditions.
TECHNIQUES OF POLARIZATION MEASUREMENT - A SURVEY*

In this paper, I plan to discuss experimental methods for measuring analyzing powers, spin correlation functions, and polarization transfer functions, with an emphasis on sources of error and techniques or precautions which minimize them. I consider this to be an extension of the excellent paper by R. Hannai), presented at the Karlsruhe conference, in the directions of a) higher spin, b) more detailed concern with the nature and magnitude of various systematic errors, and c) more attention to “higher order” experiments, i.e., to experiments in which two particles are polarized.
Differential function of Gγ13 in rod bipolar and ON cone bipolar cells

Heterotrimeric G-proteins (comprising Gα and Gβγ subunits) are critical for coupling of metabotropic receptors to their downstream effectors. In the retina, glutamate released from photoreceptors in the dark activates metabotropic glutamate receptor 6 (mGluR6) receptors in ON bipolar cells; this leads to activation of Go , closure of transient receptor potential melastatin 1 channels and hyperpolarization of these cells. Go comprises Gαo , Gβ3 and a Gγ. The best Gγ candidate is Gγ13, although functional data to support this are lacking. Thus, we tested Gγ13 function by generating Gng13(-/-) knockout (KO) mice, recording electroretinograms (ERG) and performing immunocytochemical staining. The amplitude of scotopic ERG b-waves in KO mice was lower than in wild-type (WT) mice. Furthermore, in both KO and WT mice, the ERG b-wave decreased with age; this decrease was much more pronounced in KO mice. By contrast, the photopic ERG b-waves in KO mice were hardly affected at any age. In KO mice retinas, immunostaining for Gβ3 and for the GTPase activating proteins RGS7, RGS11, R9AP and Gβ5 decreased significantly in rod bipolar cells but not in ON cone bipolar cells. Staining for Gαo and certain other cascade elements decreased only slightly. Analysis of our ON bipolar cDNA library showed that these cells express mRNAs for Gγ5, Gγ10 and Gγ11. Quantitative RT-PCR of retinal cDNA showed greater values for these transcripts in retinas of KO mice, although the difference was not significant. Our results suggest that Gγ13 contributes to mGluR6 signalling in rod bipolar cells more than in ON cone bipolar cells, and that this contribution includes both coupling the receptor and maintaining a stable localization of the mGluR6-related cascade elements.
A language for declarative robotic programming

We have applied methodologies developed for domain-specific embedded languages to create a high-level robot control language called Frob, for functional robotics. Frob supports a programming style that cleanly separates the what from the how of a robotic control program. That is, the what is a simple, easily understood definition of the control strategy using groups of equations and primitives which combine sets of these control system equations into a complex system. The how aspect of the program addresses the unpleasant details, such as the method used to realize these equations, the connection between the control equations and the sensors and effectors in the robot, and communication with other elements of the system. Frob is a system that supports rapid prototyping of new control strategies, enables software reuse through composition, and defines a system in a way that can be formally reasoned about and transformed.
Cardiac systolic time intervals in fetal monkeys: Pre-ejection period☆

Abstract The systolic time intervals of the fetal cardiac cycle were studied by means of simultaneous recordings of electrocardiogram (ECG) and ultrasound Doppler cardiogram (DCG) in chronic preparations of fetal rhesus monkeys. Recordings were made under physiologic conditions as well as during various experimental stresses. The pre-ejection period (PEP) showed no significant relationship with heart rate in the unstressed fetuses, but the acceleration of heart rate induced by epinephrine was accompanied by shortening of PEP. The PEP increased with advancing fetal age. The PEP was inversely correlated with left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and arterial pulse pressure, but showed a positive correlation with both systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure. The PEP also exhibited strong negative correlation with arterial blood pH. The prolongation was essentially the same whether acidosis was of respiratory or metabolic origin. The PEP increased slightly but significantly during nonacidemic hypoxemia; however, there was no correlation between Pao 2 and PEP. Epinephrine shortened the PEP significantly, whereas the effect of atropine was inconsistent. Alteration of the plasma glucose level by injection of insulin or glucose did not affect PEP. These findings demonstrate that the PEP may be a useful indicator of fetal cardiac performance, reflecting both myocardial contractility and the hemodynamic state of the cardiovascular system.
29. Coercion in At-Will Termination of Employment and Sexual Harassment

In contrast to Europe, the United States has failed to recognize a unified cause of action for workplace harassment. Sexual harassment recognized under Title VII is the exception. With the exception of sexual harassment, the at-will doctrine has traditionally insulated employers from legal claims arising from harassing or coercive tactics, unrelated to employee productivity or legitimate business interests. The author proposes that the likelihood of adoption of specific legal reform is inversely related to that reform’s ability to mutate to other progressive reforms. This paper argues that the toxicity of sexual harassment combined with the distinctive salience of its elements has prevented this statutory-based protection from evolving into more general forms of legal redress for workplace bullying. Without union protection, most employees lack any legal remedy for intimidating, hostile, or offensive action by an employer that singles them out for harm. The prerogative contract makes personal harassment especially coercive because employees understand that management can fire for a bad reason or no reason at all. Historically, however, coercion has failed to gain traction as a coherent theory in American employment law. For further reform to occur, a coherent theory of workplace coercion must be adopted. Sexual harassment deals with the distinction between coercive acts aimed at increasing productivity and those aimed at harassing employees for reasons unrelated to legitimate managerial concerns by adopting “unwelcomeness” as the litmus test. An alternative legal strategy would limit managerial power to its proper sphere by requiring firms to articulate reasonable motivational schemas. By placing the burden of legitimation on employers, individual employees would enjoy the security of greater personal autonomy. Because sexual harassment protections evolved from a discriminatory premise rather than a premise of abuse of power, it appears unlikely that Title VII will influence the expansion of state common law to curtail workplace bullying. It is the clear line that has been drawn around harassment that is “sexual” that has limited the spread of legal reform to other types of bullying. Accordingly, state courts have strained existing doctrine to address generalized workplace harassment and coercion. This is not only an indirect and attenuated means of preventing employer harassment; it fails to provide a remedy in a variety of circumstances. This paper calls for a unified theory of unjust workplace bullying, harassment and coercion, and proposes that such reform is consistent with employee expectations that the motivational tactics used in the workplace will be germane to productivity, as well as the dual notions of individual autonomy and privacy.