cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blocking the buccal nerve using two methods of inferior alveolar block injection.

The anatomic relations of the buccal nerve branch of the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve were studied to explain the rationale for the discrepancy in blocking the buccal nerve using two methods of blocking the inferior alveolar nerve, the conventional method and the Gow-Gates method. The conventional method rarely blocks the buccal nerve, while the Gow-Gates method is reported to consistently block the buccal nerve. Eight head and mandibular specimens were dissected to observe the path of buccal nerve and its relationship to the path of needles in the conventional and Gow-Gates techniques. The buccal nerve descends on the medial and then anterior aspect of the deep head of the temporalis muscle (Tdh). At the latter position the buccal nerve enters the retromolar fossa and is encased in a fascial sleeve created by a dense fascial band that spans between the temporalis muscle tendons and the buccinator muscle. At the level of the conventional block injection the buccal nerve was shielded from the path of the needle by the Tdh and the fascial band. In the Gow-Gates block injection, the buccal nerve was exposed on the medial surface of the Tdh, immediately lateral to the path of the needle and proximal to the fascial sleeve. Consequently, the anatomical relations of the buccal nerve in the conventional block method essentially shield the nerve from being bathed by anesthetic solution while in the Gow-Gates method the relations are such that the buccal nerve can be exposed to anesthetic solution and thus blocked, explaining the findings in clinical dentistry.
Adaptive Sampling via Histogram Equalization using an Active Walker Model

We propose a novel, progressive, adaptive sampling method, that efficiently varies the sampling rate in local regions of a function based on the distribution of already collected samples. We show that for many functions, increasing the sampling rate in a region of a function with relatively higher complexity is achieved by the equalization of the histogram of the sampled function values. The sampling scheme thus achieves two purposes that are shown to be equivalent; efficiently adapted sampling rates based on local function complexity, and an improvement in diversity in the sampled function values. We achieve the sampling, progressively, through an active walker model. The sample points are placed based on the location of simulated active walkers whose movement is adapted at each stage to achieve the required histogram equalization. The only requirement by this algorithm is the ability to obtain the value of the function at each sample point; no a priori information on the relative levels of local variation of the function being sampled is required. We illustrate this concept with some examples, and discuss practical applications in the two broad areas of adaptive sampling, and improving diversity in samples.
A channel field model of SOI MOSFET

The peak channel electric field E/sub m/ of MOSFET is a monitor of the hot-carrier-induced device degradation. The quasi-two-dimensional model for bulk MOSFET predicts E/sub m/ to be a function of device parameters including the drain junction depth X/sub j/. In SOI MOSFET there is no clear definition of X/sub j/. To use the silicon film thickness t/sub Si/ for X/sub j/ in E/sub m/ calculation for SOI MOSFET overestimates the hot-carrier currents. The authors present a model that includes the effect of the lateral doping gradient of the drain junction explicitly. The results agree with two dimensional device simulations. >
EFFECTS OF GROWTH REGULATORS ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF MUNGBEAN SPROUTS GROWN IN AN AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED CHAMBER

High quality mungbean sprouts are characterized by thick hypocotyls and short roots. In this study, three plant growth regulators (gibberellic acid, ethephon and abscisic acid) were applied to mungbean sprouts during growth in a microprocessor controlled chamber. Ethephon and gibberellic acid treatments produced sprouts having substantially more food value (dry matter, protein, ascorbic acid) per 100 g of mungbeans than the nontreated controls. Single application (10 or 20 ppm) or double application (20 ppm) ethephon treatment improved mungbean sprout quality through its root-shortening and hypocotylthickening effects. The chamber developed in this study eliminated labor and provided a simple, convenient and reproducible sprout growing process. It has potential in small factories or restaurants as well as in the laboratory.
A Conceptual Model for Network Decision Support Systems

We introduce the concept of a network DSS (NWDSS) consisting of fluid, heterogeneous nodes of human and machine agents, connected by wireless technology, which may enter and leave the network at unpredictable times, yet must also cooperate in decision-making activities. We describe distinguishing properties of the NWDSS and propose a 3-tier conceptual model comprised of digital infrastructure, transactive memory systems and emergent collaborative decision-making. We suggest a decision loop of Sense-Analyze-Adapt-Memory leveraging TMS as a starting point for addressing the agile collaborative requirements of emergent decision-making. Several examples of innovative NWDSS services are presented from Naval Postgraduate School field experiments.
A review of research and methods used to establish art therapy as an effective treatment method for traumatized children

Art therapy uses creative expression to provide individuals with a safe outlet for expressing thoughts and emotions to successfully facilitate recovery from psychological distress. The present study reviews the efficacy of art therapy as a method for treating traumatized children. Published, peer-reviewed literature that focused exclusively on the use of art therapy for treating children who had experienced a traumatic event was included in this review. This study found that art therapy was used successfully in a variety of contexts as a treatment regimen for traumatized children. Several methodological and statistical issues are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided in this review.
Male urethral strictures and their management

Male urethral stricture disease is prevalent and has a substantial impact on quality of life and health-care costs. Management of urethral strictures is complex and depends on the characteristics of the stricture. Data show that there is no difference between urethral dilation and internal urethrotomy in terms of long-term outcomes; success rates range widely from 8-80%, with long-term success rates of 20-30%. For both of these procedures, the risk of recurrence is greater for men with longer strictures, penile urethral strictures, multiple strictures, presence of infection, or history of prior procedures. Analysis has shown that repeated use of urethrotomy is not clinically effective or cost-effective in these patients. Long-term success rates are higher for surgical reconstruction with urethroplasty, with most studies showing success rates of 85-90%. Many techniques have been utilized for urethroplasty, depending on the location, length, and character of the stricture. Successful management of urethral strictures requires detailed knowledge of anatomy, pathophysiology, proper patient selection, and reconstructive techniques.
Design considerations for 2nd-order and 3rd-order bang-bang CDR loops

This paper examines two popular bang-bang CDR architectures: one is with a conventional RC loop filter which often involves a 3rd order loop design and the other is with a separate proportional path which involves a straightforward 2nd order loop design. Design considerations for the two architectures are compared as a function of various design parameters that impact jitter tolerance. Theoretical findings are confirmed by experimental results of a wide-range bang-bang CDR fabricated in 90nm CMOS
Water quality trends in Hamilton Harbour: Two decades of change in nutrients and chlorophyll a

ABSTRACT Systematic water quality research and monitoring has been on-going in Hamilton Harbour since 1987 in response to the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) for this Area of Concern (AOC). Here we present a spatiotemporal analysis of water quality in the harbour and its biological response from 1987 to 2007. Overall nutrient concentrations have decreased by 16 (SRP), 26 (NH3-Tot) and 36% (TP) in the harbour, chl a concentrations have decreased by 16% and NO3/2 concentrations have increased by 27%. Hypoxia in the hypolimnion of Hamilton Harbour remains a common occurrence despite improvements in surface water quality conditions. Seasonal patterns in water quality in Hamilton Harbour are mainly driven by biological activity and show typical patterns observed in dimictic nutrient rich lakes. There is systematic spatial variability in water quality in the harbour which is related to the proximity of point and non-point sources; however, there is coherence among all stations sampled and similar temporal trends wer...
Yield enhancement of field programmable logic arrays by inherent component redundancy

A complete technique that does not use any additional components for enhancing the yield of field-programmable logic arrays (FPLAs) is presented. In this approach, the inherent sparsity (absence of devices at crosspoints) of programmable logic arrays (PLAs) is utilized to mask certain types of manufacturing defects within the unprogrammed FPLAs, thus reclaiming chips which are otherwise discarded. Two categories of faults (called type 1 and type 2) are considered. Type-1 faults, which can be diagnosed a priori, are considered first. After diagnosing type 1 faults, the mask can be reconfigured around the faulty crosspoints. A streamlined bipartite matching algorithm is presented to enhance the speed of this reconfiguration. The uniqueness of the approach is that the programming of an FPLA is formulated as a graph theoretic problem for which a polynomial time solution exists. Type-2 faults in general cannot be diagnosed a priori. Therefore, a dynamic technique is presented for the repair of type-2 faults. Unused product lines of the FPLA are utilized for the repair. With a sufficient number of excess product lines, it is shown that a defective FPLA is guaranteed to be rendered usable. A probability measure for the usability of defective FPLA is obtained both with and without the implementation of this technique. Computer studies have shown that FPLAs with even a large number of defects can be successfully repaired, thereby increasing the yield. >
Accurate Modeling of Drain Current Derivatives of MESFET/HEMT Devices for Intermodulation Analysis

An alternative technique for modeling MESFET's for calculation of intermodulation responses is presented. This algorithm not only characterizes the I/V characteristics of the device, but also the derivatives are accurately modeled. The method proposed utilizes a feed-forward neural network using the back-propagation method with the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm. The advantage of this technique is that it can be used for both MESFET and HEMT devices. Furthermore, the need to extract fitting parameters is not required. This approach is truly independent of device process and technology, and can therefore be applicable to FET devices from SiC, GaN, GaAs and InP. Excellent agreement is observed between the neural network model and measured I/V data and I/V derivatives up to the 8th order. The I/V derivative evaluation was performed in Agilent's Advance Design Systems.
Stem cell therapy for refractory angina

Stem cells (SC) have demonstrated significant potential for regeneration of ischemic myocardium in both animals and humans, primarily after acute myocardial infarction. Recently, SC therapy for unstable angina pectoris, to include intractable chest pain and non-revascularizable coronary disease, has displayed clinical benefit within this subset of patients that are often refractory to medical therapy and poor candidates for reperfusion strategies, and thereby urgent need for novel therapies. Few human clinical trials have been completed to date with positive yet variable results due to inconsistencies in trial design rendering them difficult to interpret for clinical practice. Herein, a summary of all clinical trials of SC therapy in refractory angina is provided with pertinent findings from each study.
A Case Study on Runtime Monitoring of an Autonomous Research Vehicle (ARV) System

Runtime monitoring is a versatile technique for detecting property violations in safety-critical (SC) systems. Although instrumentation of the system under monitoring is a common approach for obtaining the events relevant for checking the desired properties, the current trend of using black-box commercial-off-the-shelf components in SC system development makes these systems unamenable to instrumentation. In this paper we develop an online runtime monitoring approach targeting an autonomous research vehicle (ARV) system and recount our experience with it. To avoid instrumentation we passively monitor the target system by generating atomic propositions from the observed network state. We then develop an efficient runtime monitoring algorithm, EgMon, that eagerly checks for violations of desired properties written in future-bounded, propositional metric temporal logic. We show the efficacy of EgMon by implementing and empirically evaluating it against logs obtained from the testing of an ARV system. EgMon was able to detect violations of several safety requirements.
LORD SolderBrace™ Wafer Applied Coating for Improved Reliability and Throughput in WLCSP

As more manufacturers look to increase the size of Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WLCSP) dies and also look to decrease the ball pitch, the susceptibility of the die to fail during thermal cycling and drop shock testing increases. The stress conditions introduced during thermal cycling from the mismatches in Coefficients of Thermal Expansion (CTE) lead to solder fatigue. The failure of WLCSPs during drop shock is found at the solder/pad interface. The general solution to address solder fatigue during thermal cycling and solder joint stress at the copper pad interface has been capillary underfilling the chips after chip attachment. To address these issues, a new material from LORD Corporation – SolderBrace™ wafer applied coating, can be used to partially underfill the WLCSP die at the wafer level. This type of technology can be applied using existing equipment and processing techniques making these materials a more cost effective solution. This new material technology has enabled thermal cycling reliabili...
Onchocerciasis and Women's Reproductive Health: Indigenous and Biomedical Concepts

Women in a rural farming community in Etteh, Nigeria, have traditional beliefs about onchocerciasis which differ from the concepts of modern science. Recognizing these beliefs may allow health workers to gain the confidence and participation of the people and increase the effectiveness of control programmes.
Identification and Retrieval of Moth Images Based on Wing Patterns

Moths are important life forms on the planet with approximately 160,000 species discovered. Entomologists in the past need to manually collect moth samples, take digital photos, identify the species, and archive into different categories. This process is time-consuming and requires a lot of human labors. As modern technologies in computer vision and machine learning advance, new algorithms have been developed in recognizing objects in digital images based on their visual attributes. The methods can also be applied to the entomology domain for recognizing biological identities. The Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) in general can be identified and classified by their body morphological features; wing visual patterns that can be obtained using various image processing approaches in automated diagnostic systems. In this chapter, we describe a system for automated moth species identification and retrieval. The core of the system is a probabilistic model that infers semantically related visual (SRV) attributes from low-level visual features of the moth images in the training set, where moth wings are segmented into information-rich patches from which the local features are extracted, and the SRV attributes are provided by human experts as ground-truth. For the testing images in the database, an automated identification process is evoked to translate the detected salient regions of low-level visual features on the moth wings into meaningful semantic SRV attributes. We further propose a novel network analysis-based approach to explore and utilize the co-occurrence patterns of SRV attributes as contextual cues to improve individual attribute detection accuracy. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is evaluated in automated moth identification and attribute-based image retrieval. In addition, a novel image descriptor called SRV attribute signature is introduced to record the visual and semantic properties of an image and is used to compare image similarity. Experiments are performed on an existing entomology database to illustrate the capabilities of our proposed system.
Designing Dynamic Strategies for the Efficient Usage of Systems and Tools

Increasing innovation in technology has led to the rapid development of systems and tools, and evolution of working environment and style. Strategies were developed to improve the efficiency of systems and tools. The objective is to formulate a framework for strategy building. The phases are: (1) identifying system characteristics, (2) identifying user characteristics, (3) expert analyses, (4) extracting expert analyses, and (5) building strategy set.
Playing the Pivot: Teaching Latina/o History in Good Times and Bad

I will begin with a confession. As I see it, the first time I taught Latina/o history was a disaster. It was fall 2000, and I was a newly hired assistant professor at Oberlin College. I had just finished my dissertation over the summer and had almost zero teaching experi ence?I had been a teaching assistant for several courses in graduate school. I also did not like the idea of standing in front of dozens of twenty-year-olds and lecturing them on history-related topics, or on anything else for that matter. I had been fairly content squirreled away in the Pittsburgh hills, and the thought of several rows of skeptical stu dents leaning back in their chairs, arms crossed, as I lectured did not thrill me. It did not help that I had gone to a small liberal arts college and had been precisely that kind of student?capable and engaged, but also skeptical and even a little suspicious of my professors. At the same time, I was thrilled to be able to teach a course in Latina/o history. My colleagues placed no restrictions on me, no hints to stay away from this topic or nudges to include that event. I thought, and still do, that there are enough similarities between the histories of Chicanas/os and Puerto Ricans and Cuban Americans, not to mention immigrants from the Dominican Republic and Central America and elsewhere in Latin America, to justify treating their diverse experiences in the United States within a single, semester-long course. As I saw it, I could go in two directions. I could treat the history of each group as a relatively discrete unit?a section on Chicana/o history followed by one on Puerto Ri cans, and so on, with transition days between topics to highlight similarities and differ ences. Alternatively, I could move chronologically from the sixteenth century to the near present, ending more or less with the Mariel boatlift in the 1980s. Along the way, I would shuttle around in space rather than in time, from the Mexican North and the American Southwest to the Spanish Caribbean and Miami and New York, describing what life was like in Cuba and Puerto Rico in 1848 when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, how nuevomexicanas/os in 1898 reacted to the Spanish American War, or how Puerto Ri cans viewed the Peter Pan flights from Cuba in the 1960s. I chose the latter approach. I chose poorly. Without an adequate textbook, I spent the semester feverishly writing lectures, a man on the run trying to unite disparate histories into coherent narratives. I compared slavery in the nineteenth-century Caribbean with
Of Footnotes, Missing Data, and Lessons for 50-State Data Collection: The Gubernatorial Campaign Finance Data Project, 1977–2001

This article serves three purposes. First, we present a new source of campaign finance data for the 50 states. This includes annual data on candidate expenditures in gubernatorial races from 1977 to 2001, as well as triennial and biennial data on campaign finance laws affecting gubernatorial races during this period. Second, we review the various sources of campaign finance data for the 50 states. Third, we examine the challenges of collecting and compiling data across the 50 states, since these data can vary so much in availability and measurement. We hope to provide some general lessons to researchers collecting or working with all types of cross-state data.
Plants Used Medically by Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous peoples traditionally use a wide range of plants to maintain their health. Many such plants have been selected empirically for generations, a continuing experimental process still under way. Modern medicine has benefited from anecdotal results of these experiments by selecting needed candidates for a currently inadequate pharmacopeia to treat large numbers of diseases and symptoms. When the rapid destruction of tropical vegetation—where the majority of cultured peoples using traditional medicines still live and where the richness of the flora implies great numbers of medically valuable plants—is considered in relation to the recent upsurge of interest in finding antiviral and antineoplastic agents, there is ample reason to justify learning what plants indigenous peoples are using, how they are using them, and under what circumstances they are proving efficacious. These often ignored ethnobotanical findings set the stage for targeting plant materials which can then be meaningfully analyzed for activity using appropriate bioassays and, when these are significant, for chemical isolation and characterization of active principles.
Neutron Energy Spectra from Proton Irradiated Thick Li Targets

At our laboratory thick metallic Li targets are used to generate pseudo-white neutron spectra. We use these spectra for a quick determination of the efficiency of our time-of-flight neutron detectors. This efficiency is obtained as the ratio of measured and calculated spectra. We describe our procedure.
3.27 – Evolutionary Constraints on the Emergence of Human Mathematical Concepts

Nonhuman animals and humans share many kinds of insights about the physical world. One of those is the ability to reason logically about the number of items in a set of physical objects. Current research suggests that nonverbal numerical reasoning about physical objects is the first type of numerical cognition that emerges in human development and it influences the development of children's formal numerical concepts such as verbal counting and arithmetic. Comparative research between humans and nonhuman primates can help us gain an understanding of the evolutionary origins of primitive mathematical concepts in humans, and characterize the basic algorithms that support the emergence of mathematical reasoning over human development. In this chapter we describe current knowledge from comparative cognition and neuroscience about the genetic/maturational, environmental, and evolutionary factors that underlie early mathematical concept development in humans.
Responsibility, Constraint, and the Complexities of Moral Agency

As Darby, Edesheim, and Price (2016) note, the dominant traditions of Western moral philosophy assume that the existence and exercise of moral agency and responsibility require a significantly unbu...
Exploring, Evolving, and Refining Hypnosis Education

A search of the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis and the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis using the keywords “Education,” “Training,” “Standards of Training,” and “P...
Halogen-Bonding Interactions of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Thyroid Hormone Derivatives: A Potential Mechanism for the Inhibition of Iodothyronine Deiodinase

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) increase flame resistance in consumer goods, but these compounds and their hydroxylated derivatives (OH-BDEs) impair normal thyroid function. Halogen bonding (XB) of PBDEs to an active site selenocysteine may prevent iodothyronine deiodinase(Dio)-catalyzed activation/deactivation of thyroid hormone (TH) derivatives. In this study, we compare the strength of the XB interactions of TH derivatives, iodine-based contrast agents and PBDEs/OH-BDEs with a methylselenolate model of the Dio active site using density functional theory calculations. The strength of the XB interaction depends upon the acceptor halide, the position of the halide, the number of ring substituents, and the proximity of hydroxyl groups to the XB site. The weaker Se⋅⋅⋅Br interactions relative to Se⋅⋅⋅I interactions are consistent with a model of competitive inhibition that blocks binding of THs at elevated PBDE/OH-BDE concentrations. XB interactions were generally more favorable at ortho and meta positions and in substrates with more electron-withdrawing substituents. PBDEs/OH-BDEs that mimic the binding behavior of THs, that is, containing ortho and meta bromides and adjacent hydroxyl groups, may be the most effective inhibitors. Highly-brominated PBDEs/OH-BDEs have comparable interaction energies to THs and may undergo debromination. These results may also suggest that XB strength must exceed a threshold value in order for PBDEs/OH-BDEs to undergo nucleophilic attack by Dio.
Automatic identification, clustering and reporting of recurrent faults in electric distribution feeders

Latent power line conditions, such as vegetation intrusion and apparatus that have failed or are in the process of failing can cause recurring fault events. Many such conditions are influenced by other factors such as wind and moisture, and therefore cause fault events only intermittently. These conditions are difficult to detect and locate with conventional technologies. Fault current and arcing from recurrent faults can cause further damage to already weak apparatus, ultimately leading to a catastrophic failure, at which time there may be more consequential damage to apparatus, including burned-down lines. For more than a decade, Texas A&M researchers have instrumented dozens of feeders using sensitive, high-fidelity waveform recorders to document numerous apparatus failure conditions, including multiple instances in which failing apparatus and other factors have caused recurring faults and momentary interruptions, spread over significant periods of time, without causing sustained outages. A series of related faults can escape notice when an unmonitored, pole-mount recloser is the interrupting device, unless customers report momentary interruptions, and experience indicates this often does not happen. Even if customers report individual momentary interruptions, the utility may not recognize that the multiple interruptions are related to each other, particularly if time intervals between operations are sufficiently long for operator memories to fade. Awareness of recurrent fault conditions would enable utilities to make timely, proactive repairs, thus avoiding additional faults and interruptions, as well as potentially preventing more catastrophic failures (e.g., equipment damage, downed conductors, fires). This paper describes an on-line, automated method to mine, cluster and report recurrent faults to utility operators in a near real-time fashion. This paper also documents one of multiple real-world examples where the methodology described in this paper was successfully used by utilities to locate and fix problematic components and prevent further faults.
The prospects for combination therapy with capecitabine in the rapidly evolving treatment landscape of renal cell carcinoma.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Although significant advances have been made in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), patients still develop resistance to standard therapies and require the administration of subsequent lines of treatment. New therapeutic approaches are thus imperative to improve the prognosis for patients with RCC.Areas covered: Based on the current literature, we summarize the treatment of metastatic RCC, including the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy, in this review article. We also review the existing scientific literature regarding the role of capecitabine in the treatment of RCC.Expert opinion: Currently, targeted therapies including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors are widely used in the treatment of metastatic RCC. More recently, the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors has been established in the treatment of advanced RCC. Traditionally, the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy in the treatment of RCC is limited. However, cy...
Neuropsychiatric Complications of Steroids

Steroids are ubiquitous medications used to treat myriad disease processes.They are not without complications or side effects, however.In addition to weight gain, hyperglycemia, and immunosuppression, neuropsychiatric complications may also be present.Often referred to as “steroid psychosis” the neuropsychiatric complications of steroid use are much more diverse and not necessarily so obvious as the moniker implies.Manifestations range from an increased sense of well-being to hypomania, mania, depression, and frank psychosis.In addition, cognitive symptoms may be present such as difficulty with attention, concentration, and memory impairment.Symptoms generally start within days to weeks of starting steroids.Cases have occurred hours after starting therapy as well as after discontinuation of steroids, however.The true incidence is unclear and various studies report a broad range of 2–60%.Higher doses of steroids do convey an increased risk for developing neuropsychiatric symptoms, however, doses as low as 2.5 mg of prednisone daily have resulted in symptoms.In addition, essentially all routes of administration have been associated with the development of symptoms including inhaled, intra-articular, epidural, topical, and of course oral.Outcomes are generally good with resolution of neuropsychiatric symptoms within 6 weeks for 90% of individuals.Cognitive insults may take months to fully resolve.Treatment details are discussed below.
Graduate Student Designed and Delivered: An Upper-Level Online Course for Undergraduates in Green Chemistry and Sustainability

Green chemistry and sustainability have garnered more awareness in the chemical industry in recent years, but green chemistry classes are still not commonplace for either the undergraduate or graduate student curriculum. Additionally, many departments are seeking avenues to reach greater numbers and types of learners through online courses. To address both needs, a small group of chemistry graduate students set out to design a 3-credit-hour upper-level online green chemistry course targeted at students most likely to apply green chemistry concepts in their future careers. The goals for the course included education in the basics of green chemistry (history, metrics, methodologies) along with opportunities to apply what they have learned and communicate it to a general audience. This process of developing modules and assessments for the discovery and application of green chemistry principles has enabled a supplementary education for the graduate students as well. Herein, the specific motivations of the gra...
Graph Classification using Structural Attention

Graph classification is a problem with practical applications in many different domains. To solve this problem, one usually calculates certain graph statistics (i.e., graph features) that help discriminate between graphs of different classes. When calculating such features, most existing approaches process the entire graph. In a graphlet-based approach, for instance, the entire graph is processed to get the total count of different graphlets or subgraphs. In many real-world applications, however, graphs can be noisy with discriminative patterns confined to certain regions in the graph only. In this work, we study the problem of attention-based graph classification. The use of attention allows us to focus on small but informative parts of the graph, avoiding noise in the rest of the graph. We present a novel RNN model, called the Graph Attention Model (GAM), that processes only a portion of the graph by adaptively selecting a sequence of "informative" nodes. Experimental results on multiple real-world datasets show that the proposed method is competitive against various well-known methods in graph classification even though our method is limited to only a portion of the graph.
Teaching for Transfer of Problem-Solving Skills to Computer Programming

Computer programming is a problem-solving activity that requires transfer of training to programming problems that were not taught. Three effective methods for promoting transfer are to provide conceptual models of the computer during instruction, to pretrain the users in relevant prerequisite skills such as comprehending a list of directions, and to encourage users to develop the problem solving strategies of experts such as breaking a problem into separate parts. These instructional methods improved problem-solving performance substantially over conventional instruction. The results are consistent with Singley and Anderson’s [27] theory of specific transfer of general skills.
Pharmacological Treatment of Autism

Although there is little evidence that any medication reliably relieves the core symptoms of autism to a major degree, most autistic patients receive some form of pharmacotherapy, much of it off-label, with the primary therapeutic aim being to improve behaviors that interfere with behavioral and educational therapies. Because of the difficulties inherent in conducting randomized, placebo-controlled studies in pediatric populations, evidence of the benefits of this strategy is limited, and most such studies have been small and of short duration. Nevertheless, evidence from controlled studies indicates that the atypical antipsychotic drug risperidone is frequently effective for ameliorating symptoms of irritability, hyperactivity, social withdrawal, and stereotypic, repetitive behavior. There remains uncertainty as to the risk of serious adverse effects with long-term risperidone treatment. Weaker evidence supports the efficacy of antidepressant and stimulant medications, and evidence is ambiguous regarding the use of anticonvulsants as “mood stabilizers” in autistic patients. Promising results have been reported for a number of other medications, but additional controlled studies are needed to confirm the validity of these reports. There is little evidence that any currently employed pharmacotherapy appreciably improves impaired social interactions or communication in autistic individuals. There remains a great need for research into the long-term benefits and risks of pharmacotherapy in autism.
Enzymatic Pathways for Platelet-Activating Factor, Related Alkyl Glycerolipids, and Their Precursors

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a succinct overview of the enzymatic reaction steps for alkyl glycerolipids and lipid precursors affiliated with the biosynthesis and catabolism of platelet-activating factor (PAF). Only the principal distinguishing features of the enzymes are summarized since detailed coverage of the metabolism of PAF (Lee and Snyder, 1985; Snyder, 1982, 1985a) and of ether lipids in general (Hajra, 1983; Horrocks and Sharma, 1982; Snyder, 1985b; Snyder et al., 1985a) has appeared in recent reviews or is discussed in other chapters of this book. This presentation is intended to serve as a quick and concise reference to the individual enzymatic reactions involving PAF and related ether-linked lipids. A composite pathway that illustrates the interrelationship of these reaction steps is also included.
Newspaper Policies on the Potential Merging of Advertising and News Content

Newspaper readers more readily trust news than advertising content. Therefore, journalists and media scholars consider it important that audiences can distinguish between news stories and advertise...
Ultraviolet multi-spectral microscopy using iterative phase-recovery from chromatic aberrations

The ultraviolet region of the spectrum offers unique capabilities for label-free molecular imaging of biological samples by providing highly-specific, quantitative information of many important endogenous biomolecules. However, the application of UV spectral imaging to biomedicine has been limited. To this end, we have recently introduced ultraviolet hyperspectral interferometric (UHI) microscopy, which applies interferometry to overcome significant challenges associated with UV spectroscopy when applied to molecular imaging. Here we present an alternative approach for UV multi-spectral microscopy which enables faster wide-field imaging at the expense of fewer spectral data points. Instead of line-scanning to recover high-resolution spectral information with an imaging spectrometer, we detect a wide field-of-view using a UV-sensitive camera and recover the spectral information using several (>5) UV-filters. Moreover, rather than using interferometry to recover the phase to correct for chromatic aberrations, we leverage the chromatic aberrations themselves to obtain a stack of through-focus intensity images (at various wavelengths) and then apply an iterative solution of the Transport of Intensity (TIE) equation to recover the phase and produce in-focus images at all wavelengths without moving the sample or objective. This configuration greatly simplifies the instrumentation, reducing its footprint and making it less expensive, while enabling fast, wide area imaging with better photon efficiency. We assess the capabilities of this technique through a series of simulations and experiments on red blood cells, which show good quantitative agreement with UHI and tabulated hemoglobin absorption properties. Potential biomedical applications are also discussed.
Physics-Aware 3D Mesh Synthesis

This paper proposes a new task that emphasizes the importance of past-designs in 3D mesh synthesis. Instead of synthesizing novel meshes from scratch, we introduce a physics-aware 3D mesh synthesis algorithm, which consists of two modules: a 3D mesh synthesis module where we use a VAEGAN to encode 3D meshes into a latent variable and use the decoder to generate 3D meshes from the encoded representations; a scientific decision making module using reinforcement learning which alters the latent representation supervised by a provided physical constraint. The results show that our approach can modify a given mesh so that it satisfies external physical property constraints while maintaining high appearance similarity. More importantly, our method outperforms all baseline methods by a large margin.
Analysis of Technical Evaluation for Current Regulation of 3D Printed Customized Medical Device

This paper summarizes the current research status of 3D printed customized medical devices regulations in US and EU. Based on the discussion of 3D printed customized medical devices in the US and the European Union, some thoughts are put forward from design, manufacturing, testing and other aspects.
Socioeconomic Predictors of Transactional Sex in a Cohort of Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Malawi: A Longitudinal Analysis.

Transactional sex is associated with incident HIV infection among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa. Evidence on the dimensions of socioeconomic status (SES) which predict transactional sex are mixed and primarily come from cross-sectional studies. This study examined the association between SES and transactional sex in a longitudinal cohort (n = 844) of AGYW ages 15–24 years enrolled in a quasi-experimental study in Lilongwe, Malawi. Prevalence of transactional sex was 22% at baseline, 15% at 6-months and 20% at 12-months. Being divorced or widowed, being food insecure, living in a home without electricity or running water, and having few assets were associated with transactional sex. Higher educational attainment and school enrollment were protective. Having 6–7 socioeconomic risk factors increased odds of transactional sex (AOR = 4.13, 95% CI 2.45, 6.98). Structural interventions which address multiple dimensions of SES may reduce transactional sex and ultimately prevent HIV transmission among AGYW.
Survey on water fluoride content and water-improving defluoridation projects in the endemic fluorosis areas of Gansu Province in 2005

Objective To investigate the distribution of water fluoride and the present status of water- improving delluoridation projects in the endemic fluorosis areas in Gansu Province. Methods According to "The National Technical Scheme for Endemic Disease Control in 2004" for the water improving projects, water fluoride content was determined from fluorosis villages in 34 counties of 11 cities in Gansu Province. The fluoride content in drinking water was assessed by F-ion selective electrode. Results Water fluoride content was determined in 1576 fluorosis villages of 34 counties. Water fluoride content of 7829 water samples was determined, and the fluoride content of 1891 samples was over standard. Water fluoride content was ≤ 1.00 mg/L(accounting for 75.19%) in 1185 villages and 1.00 mg/L(accounting for 24.81%) in 391 villages; the highest water fluoride content was 6.78 mg/L Nine hundred and ninety three water-improving and defluoridation projects were determined. Water fluoride content of 867 water-improving and defluoridation projects was determined; 768 projects had water fluoride content ≤1.00 mg/L(accounting for 87.67%) and water fluoride content of 108 projects was 1.00 mg/L(accounting for 12.33%),with the highest water fluoride content being 5.27 mg/L. Water-improving and delluoridation projects mostly relied on drilling a well to obtain under-grand water. Abandoned projects accounted for 30%. Conclusions In 34 counties of 11 cites(prefecture), nearly 30% of the villages had water fluoride content exceeding the standard. The situation of endemic fluorosis control is still serious in Gausu Province, countermeasures for endemic fluorosis must be carried out as soon as possible and surveillance of water-improving and defluoridation projects must be strengthened. Key words: Fluoride poisoning; Water; Data Collection
National Institutes of Health investment into cardiac arrest research: A study for the CARES Surveillance Group.

Abstract Objective To calculate and compare the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research investment for cardiac arrest (CA) to other leading causes of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) in the United States (U.S.). Methods A search within NIH RePORTER for 2017 was performed using single common resuscitation terms. Grants were individually reviewed and categorized as CA research (yes/no) using predefined criteria. DALY were calculated as the sum of years of life lost (YLL) and years lived with disability (YLD) using all adult non-traumatic out-of-hospital CA (OHCA) from the CARES database for 2017. Total DALY for the study population were extrapolated to a national level. Leading causes of DALY were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease study and funding data were extracted from the NIH Categorical Spending Report for comparison. The outcome measure was U.S. dollars invested per annual DALY. Results The search yielded 290 grants, of which 87 (30%) were classified as CA research. Total funding for CA research in 2017 was $37.1M. A total of 73,915 (97%) cases from CARES met study inclusion criteria for the DALY analysis. The total DALY following adult OHCA in the U.S. population were 4,335,949 (YLL 4,332,166, YLD 3784). Per annual DALY, the NIH invested $287 for diabetes, $92 for stroke, $55 for ischemic heart disease, and $9 for CA research. Conclusion The NIH investment into CA research is far less than other comparable causes of death and disability in the U.S. These results should help inform utilization of limited resources to improve public health.
Islam, militancy, and politics in Pakistan: Insights from a national sample

We use data from an innovative nationally representative survey of 6,000 Pakistanis in April 2009 to study beliefs about political Islam, Sharia, the legitimacy and efficacy of jihad, and attitudes towards specific militant organizations. These issues are at the forefront of U.S. policy towards Pakistan. Four results shed new light on the politics of militancy and Islamic identity in Pakistan. First, there is no relationship between measures of personal religiosity and the likelihood a respondent expresses highly sectarian sentiments. Second, militarized jihad is widely seen as legitimate in Pakistan but there are substantial regional differences in the acceptance of militarized jihad. Third, attitudes towards militant groups vary dramatically across groups, particularly when it comes to the efficacy of their actions. Fourth, while Pakistanis express massive levels of support for Sharia law, this is driven by its perceived connection with good governance, not by sympathy with the goals of militant groups ...
Accelerated protocol for the differentiation of podocytes from human pluripotent stem cells.

Summary Several kidney diseases including congenital nephrotic syndrome, Alport syndrome, and diabetic nephropathy are linked to podocyte dysfunction. Human podocytopathies may be modeled in either primary or immortalized podocyte cell lines. Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived podocytes are a source of human podocytes, but the existing protocols have variable efficiency and expensive media components. We developed an accelerated, feeder-free protocol for deriving functional, mature podocytes from hiPSCs in only 12 days, saving time and money compared with other approaches.
Meckel’s Diverticulum

In 1809, the German anatomist Johann Meckel the Younger described the structure that now bears his name and postulated its embryologic origin. The embryonic midgut is connected ventrally to the yolk sac via the vitelline duct, also known as the omphalomesenteric or omphaloenteric duct. Normally regressing between the fifth and seventh weeks of gestation, persistence of a portion of the vitelline duct on the antimesenteric side of the intestine results in one of several anomalous structures either alone or in combination. Meckel’s diverticulum is probably the most common, but others include vitelline sinuses, cysts, fibrous cords from the intestine to umbilicus, and omphaloenteric fistulas. The right and left vitelline arteries originate from the primitive dorsal aorta and travel with the omphalomesenteric duct. The left involutes while the right becomes the superior mesenteric artery and provides a terminal branch to the diverticulum. Obliterated vitelline artery remnants can persist as fibrous bands from the mesentery to the abdominal wall, providing a potential focus of volvulus or obstruction.
Secure collective defense system

In this paper, we present the design and implementation of the secure collective defense (SCOLD) system against distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. The key idea of SCOLD is to follow the intrusion tolerance paradigm and provide alternate routes via a set of proxy servers and alternate gateways when the normal route is unavailable or unstable due to network failures, congestion, or DDoS attacks. The BIND9 DNS server and its DNS update utilities are enhanced to support new DNS entries with indirect routing information. Protocol software for supporting the establishment of indirect routes based on the new DNS entries is developed for Linux systems. Experimental results show that SCOLD can improve the network security, availability and performance. Preliminary simulation results using NS2 indicate that the performance is scalable with respect to the indirect route initial setup overhead and processing overhead.