cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Process optimization algorithm based on the double value design structure matrix

A design structure matrix(DSM) provides a simple,compact,and visual representation of a complex system.The evaluation and optimization of business process are similar to system design,but concerned more parameters,can not use the existing DSM.A double value design structure matrix(DVDSM) algorithm based on design structure matrix(DSM) algorithm and the properties of business process is proposed,who changes the elements of DSM to double values and describes the rules and process when the value is related to path,then is applied to a store logistics system.Through the simulation experiments,the effectiveness of DVDSM is proved.In the end,the approach is extended to show distance and string on the matrix.
Color fastness to light and mechanical properties of composited ramie fabric material

Since the composited ramie fabric material tends to occur color change and to be affected by complex stress under practical application environment,3 kinds of resin matrix-based composite material were prepared and their color fastness to light and mechanical properties under biaxial load were studied,and the strain fileds were characterized by using digital speckle correlation.The results showed that both water-based epoxy resin and isocyanate resin plates exhibited orthotropic and elastoplastic,while the performance of phenolic resin plate demonstrated linear and simultaneous brittle-fracture in both X and Y directions.Biaxial load difference is related to the orthotropy.Load changes in fracture direction have a negative impact on the other direction at the moment when breaking occurred and impact degree has a positive correlation with the loading values in fracture direction.At the linear elastic stage,load and average strain in Y direction are larger than in X direction under the same testing conditions(test area and time).The strain fields of isocyanate and phenolic resin plates in X / Y directions change more smoothly,whereas the water-based epoxy resin plate shows greater fluctuation in stress.Color fastness to light of phenolic resin plate is better than the other two,and light stability and apparent color of isocyanate plate are enhanced by boiling and alkali treatment.
Epidemiologic Analysis on AFP Cases From Whom Polio Vaccine Virus Was Isolated in Gansu Province During 2001-2003

Objective In order to find out epidemic regulation of AFP cases.Methods Poliovirus and relevant data in Gansu Province in 2001-2003 were analyzed.Results 16 of 331 AFP cases' stool were isolated poliovirus,isolated rate is 5.06%,all of which were vaccine associated poliovirus.All cases were sporadic and under 5 years old children,most of them were under 2 years old.The main clinic signs were fever,diarrhea,sensorial disorder of extremity,weakened or disappeared deep tendinous reflect.The main paralysis position was single or both crura,and paralysis residue of type Ⅱ was prevalent.The incidence rate of VAPP is 0.87/1000000,among which incidence rate of VAPP after first dose is 0.98/1000000,contact 0.50/1000000.Conclusion We can conclude that VAPP,VRPV,and VDPV cases can not be ignored in course of polio-free.It is important to keep high-level surveillance and vaccination coverage.
Spatio-temporal indexing: current scenario, challenges and approaches

With rapid advancements in computing hardware, tracking devices such as GPS receivers and sensors have become pervasive, generating a large amount of spatio-temporal data, such as measurements of temperature, pressure, air quality, traffic, etc. using sensors, GPS data from mobile phones and data from radars that capture location information about people and other moving objects such as cars and aeroplanes. This has enabled a wide variety of spatio-temporal applications, resulting in a renewed interest in techniques for handling spatio-temporal data. Over the past two decades or so, a large number of indexes for supporting spatial, temporal and spatio-temporal data have been independently proposed in the database and data mining communities. However, there exists no clear-cut guidelines or a prescriptive formula for pointing out which index should be chosen when specific needs of the underlying application are known. In addition, since spatio-temporal indexes have been proposed under various domains, it is hard for researchers and practitioners to determine whether some specified indexes are indeed available to address the problem at hand. For instance, an index like PO-Tree [7] is suitable for monitoring static spatio-temporal objects (such as sensors, cell-phone towers, etc.) but it is completely undesirable for handling moving object data (e.g., location tracking of cell-phone users, GPS tracking of vehicles and so on). Likewise, if the semantics of the application require indexing trajectories of moving objects, only a specific set of indexes (such as PA-Tree [6]) are useful whereas others such as (APR-Tree [3]) are undesirable.
Bronchocentric granulomatosis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.

SUMMARY Considerable clinical and radiologic similarity exists among FB, αβρ, MIB, αβρα, and, to a lesser extent, BCG. In the absence of focal obstructive lesions such as tuberculosis or neoplasm, one of the diffuse bronchial hypersecretory diseases, that is, bronchial asthma, acute or chronic bronchitis, asthmatic bronchitis, or cystic fibrosis, is prerequisite to the development of a clinical and radiologic syndrome, resulting from bronchial mucus retention. This hypersecretory bronchial obstruction syndrome characterizes each of the disorders discussed. Thus, the differences existing among these disorders are merely those of size and location of mucus plugs or casts, and there is substantial variation within each individual entity concerning even this aspect. Unfortunately, extensive efforts to elucidate immunopathogenesis exist only for αβρα. Although evidence for the immunologic and morphologic presence of fungi, particularly AF, in αβρα is quite compelling, it is not necessarily conclusive evidence for an etiologic role of AF in the immunopathogenesis of this disorder. In this regard, it is reasonable to speculate that, perhaps, similar immunologic and morphologic information exists for FB, ABP, MIB, and, in some cases, BCG. BCG, because of its unique intrinsic bronchial obstructive and destructive histopathology, is a disorder distinct from the others, though sharing common clinical and radiologic features in some instances. If Aspergillus is involved in the immunopathogenesis of this disease, it cannot be the only etiologic factor, since in many instances no evidence of its presence is found.
Early career teachers’ emotion and emerging teacher identities

AbstractThe goal of our project was to develop an understanding of the connections among emotional episodes and emerging professional teacher identities of first year teachers. We interviewed eight first year mathematics and science teachers. We asked them to reflect on emotional episodes and talk about how those emotions informed their teaching identities. Our data yielded a model of ‘identity-work’ that reflected the teachers’ engagement in a reflective process of understanding themselves as it related to those emotional episodes. Our model includes four key processes: (1) Teacher incoming identity beliefs; (2) Teacher identity emotional episodes; (3) Teacher attributions and (4)Identity adjustment. All of our teachers exhibited a form of this process with some teachers elaborating on the ways in which pleasant emotional experiences confirmed their identities and others elaborating on the ways in which unpleasant emotional experiences caused them to confront and/or adjust their emergent identities. Impl...
Graphene-family nanomaterials assembled with cobalt oxides and cobalt nanoparticles as hybrid supercapacitive electrodes and enzymeless glucose detection platforms

We report the development of hybrids consisting of supercapacitive graphene oxide (GO), reduced GO (rGO), electrochemically reduced GO (ErGO), multilayer graphene (MLG) decorated with pseudocapacitive nanostructured cobalt oxides (CoO, Co3O4) and nanoparticles (CoNP) via electrodeposition and hydrothermal synthesis facilitating chemically bridged (covalently and electrostatically anchored) interfaces with tunable properties. These hybrid samples showed heterogeneous transport behavior determining diffusion coefficient (4 × 10−8–6 × 10−6 m2/s) following CoO/MLG 550 F/g for Co3O4/ErGO and Co3O4/MLG. We found an ultrahigh sensitivity of 4.57 mA/(mM cm2) and excellent limit of glucose detection <50 nM following Co3O4/rGOHT < CoO/ErGO < CoNP/MLG < Co3O4/MLG. These findings are due to open pore network and topologically multiplexed conductive pathways provided by graphene nanoscaffolds to ensure rapid charge transfer and ion conduction. Density functional theory determined density of states in the vicinity of Fermi level in-turn providing contribution toward electroactivity due to orbital re-hybridization.
Pelvic Ring Injuries

Various common injuries in the pelvis and lower extremity are investigated in this chapter. Significant attention is paid not only to proper diagnostic examination and imaging, but also to optimal nonoperative and operative treatment options to manage these conditions.
Physical Properties of Banana Liquid Crystals

s, European Conference on Liquid Crystals, Zakopane, Poland, ISBN# 83-911181-8-1 (1997) p.201; S. Diele, S. Grande, H. Kruth, Ch. Lischka, G. Pelzl, W. Weissflog, I. Wirth, Ferroelectrics, 212, 169–177 (1998) 42. J. Xu, R. L. B. Selinger, J. V. Selinger, and R. Shashidhar, J. Chem. Phys. 115,
Improved Fountain Codes for BI-AWGN Channels

While gaining increasing popularity, fountain codes, including Luby transform (LT) codes and their extension called Raptor codes, are known to perform poorly over noisy channels. In this paper, we present a method which gives new output degree distributions that can significantly improve the decoding performance of these codes in binary input- additive white Gaussian noise (BI-AWGN) channels. First, we show that the variable nodes (VNs) in the decoding graph of LT codes can be grouped into different categories based on the timing when they receive their initial non-zero log-likelihood (LLR) values. In general, the earlier the VNs are updated with non-zero LLRs, the lower the decoding error rate is. Then, by utilizing the ``And-Or tree" technique, we theoretically derive the exact fractions of VNs in different categories for any given output degree distribution. Furthermore, we formulate an optimization process so that new output degree distributions can be designed with more number of VNs being in lower categories. The simulation results demonstrate that the designed degree distribution significantly outperforms existing distributions across a wide range of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and overhead values.
Filmic Contributions to the Long Arc of the Law: Loving and the Narrative Individualization of Systemic Injustice

Released on the cusp of the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Loving v. Virginia and in the midst of an uncertain political climate, Jeff Nichols’ Loving (2016) is a historical film charged with contemporary meaning for cultural and legal ideology. Loving presents a predetermined legal narrative as its filmic narrative, and in doing so, repackages the Lovings’ historic civil rights struggle against wider systemic oppression as a personal victory won by triumphant individuals through the power of love. This essay (1) examines the ideological connection between film and law, particularly as enabled through film’s affective realism, and their similar use of narrative and shared ability to influence what is deemed normative within a society; (2) addresses how Loving, distinctly as a film that tells the story of the Loving v. Virginia plaintiffs, serves to successfully narratively individualize what was and is a shared struggle against institutionalized oppression; (3) critically considers Loving as a civil rights nostalgia film, and examines what implications that may have for current legal issues that manifest from the same racism that prohibited interracial marriage; and (4) ultimately looks to a different, more optimistic reading of Loving specific to the post-election context in which it was released. Whatever the intention of its creators, the receipt of Loving at this moment in time comes with a particular academic responsibility to examine the work it does as a narrative within mainstream culture. Cases, especially Supreme Court cases, are litigated based on narrative; so legal narrative clearly contributes to which claims are deemed redressable in the eyes of the law. Mainstream cultural narratives — especially those disseminated through film, by nature of its affective connection to reality; and especially those, like Loving, which take as their filmic scope the underlying narrative of a case for which the legal outcome has already been decided — help to determine what experiences and types of existences become normalized. In the long arc of social progress, then, a more expansive concept of normalcy broadens which narratives will be accepted by a court that slowly reflects shifting mores, and therefore broadens who the law stands to protect. Loving, as a narrative about narrative, with the power to impact the law, shoulders a heavy ideological burden in a time when racial hate is on the rise and where many Americans feel like their president cannot be trusted to protect them.
A Note on the Order of Meromorphic Functions

If f(z) is a meromorphic function of order ρ(f) (0 ≤ ρ(f) < ∞) and lower order λ(f), then ρ(f) = Max {λ(f), ρ 1 (0),ρ 1 (∞)} where ρ 1 (0) and ρ 1 (∞) are the exponents of convergence of the zeros and poles respectively, of f{z).
Physicochemical and Sensory Properties of Cold Pressed Oils from Florida Hamlin and Valencia Oranges Affected by Huanglongbing

Cold pressed oils from huanglongbing (HLB) symptomatic (SY) and asymptomatic (AS) Hamlin and Valencia oranges were assessed for 2 y (2014 to 2015 and 2015 to 2016 seasons) with 2 harvest dates for each orange variety per year. Physicochemical properties (optical rotation, aldehyde content, ultraviolet [UV] absorbance, refractive index, and specific gravity) mandated by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) for orange oil quality were assessed. Hamlin and Valencia oils showed minor differences in physicochemical properties based upon disease stage. However, all Hamlin oils had aldehyde contents below the USP minimum and Valencia oil from late season SY oranges had specific gravities above the USP maximum. Significant differences based on harvest year were seen for aldehyde content, refractive index, optical rotation, and UV absorbance. While none of these changes led to an oil being out of USP specifications, they indicate a need to monitor the quality of oil every year to ensure a consistent product. Flavor taste panels were performed both years by adding 0.035% oil samples to a uniform orange juice base. Aroma panels were done by smelling pure oil. There were no significant differences between SY and AS oils for flavor, although panelist race was a significant factor in several of the panels. There were significant differences between the aroma of SY and AS oils for both 2015 to 2016 Hamlin Early and Valencia Late samples. Overall, these results show HLB can have an effect on the aroma and USP mandated physicochemical properties of Florida orange oils, although flavor may be unaffected by this plant disease.
LVAD Surgical Implant Technique: Infradiaphragmatic Approach

Inserting the inflow cannula into the left ventricular apex was a technique developed in the era of pulsatile left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). Despite the evolution to continuous flow devices, this technique has remained popular. However, an apical location can make patients vulnerable to arrhythmias and obstruction due to interaction with the ventricular septum. We developed a method for implanting the HeartMate II, HVAD, and HM3 LVAD along the diaphragmatic surface of the heart. The resulting parallel orientation between the inlet cannula and interventricular septum minimizes the risk of inflow disruption and myocardial irritation and also eliminates the need for a pump pocket.
A novel homozygous ABCA1 variant in an asymptomatic man with profound hypoalphalipoproteinemia

Abstract Low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) can be caused by several acquired secondary causes as well as primary genetic disorders. However, only a few conditions are associated with profoundly reduced levels below 10 mg/dL. We present an unusual case of a healthy man with severely decreased HDL-C because of a novel homozygous variant causing a Proline > Arginine amino acid change at position 1412 in the ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 gene. Homozygous variations in ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 typically cause Tangier disease, a rare autosomal recessive condition linked with several other abnormalities (eg, enlarged discolored tonsils). Despite having an HDL-C below 10 mg/dL, our patient presented without any other clinical symptoms or physical signs suggestive of Tangier disease. This case of presumptive Tangier disease adds support to the growing body of evidence that this genetic disorder may have greater phenotypic heterogeneity along with a more varied presentation than traditionally considered.
Geodynamics and metallogeny of active continental margins of the Kyrgyz Tien Shan

This paper focuses on the Late Riphean — Paleozoic stage that in the Kyrgyz Tien Shan is the most productive period in terms of ore mineralization. During the Riphean-Vendian stage, development of riftogenic structures resulted in ocean formation. Ensimatic island arcs and backarc basins rose in Cambrian — Early Ordovician time; ensialic island arcs formed in Middle Ordovician. Closure of the oceanic and backarc basins, accretion of continental blocks and formation of Kyrgyz-Kazakh microcontinent (KKM) took place during Late Ordovician — Silurian time. The KKM was bordered by subduction zones on both sides. Two marginal continental volcanic arcs (north — Aral-Kendyktas and south — Beltau-Kurama) were superimposed on a mosaic of various geodynamic complexes stacked in the course of collision. The evolution of the Aral-Kendyktas volcanic arc in the Northern Tien Shan was accompanied by ore mineralization of porphyry type. The Beltau-Kurama volcanic belt in the Middle Tien Shan is characterized by the volcanic-plutonic associations with porphyry Cu, Mo-Cu, Au-Cu, skarn-base-metal, and silver-base-metal mineralization.
Decreased serotonergic receptor binding in rhombic lip-derived regions of the medulla oblongata in the sudden infant death syndrome.

The sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is postulated to result from a failure of homeostatic responses to life-threatening challenges (e.g. asphyxia, hypercapnia) during sleep. The ventral medulla participates in sleep-related homeostatic responses, including chemoreception, arousal, airway reflex control, thermoregulation, respiratory drive, and blood pressure regulation, in part via serotonin and its receptors. The ventral medulla in humans contains the arcuate nucleus, in which we have shown isolated defects in muscarinic and kainate receptor binding in SIDS victims. We also have demonstrated that the arcuate nucleus is anatomically linked to the nucleus raphe ohscurus, a medullary region with serotonergic neurons. We tested the hypothesis that serotonergic receptor binding is decreased in both the arcuate nucleus and nucleus raphe obscurus in SIDS victims. Using quantitative autoradiography, 1 H-lysergic acid diethylamide ( 1 H-LSD binding) to serotonergic receptors (5-HT 1A-D and 5-HT 2 subtypes) was measured blinded in 19 brainstem nuclei. Cases were classified as SIDS (n = 52), acute controls (infants who died suddenly and in whom a complete autopsy established a cause of death) (n = 15), or chronic cases with oxygenation disorders (n = 17). Serotonergic binding was significantly lowered in the SIDS victims compared with controls in the arcuate nucleus (SIDS, 6 ± 1 fmol/mg tissue; acutes, 19 ± 1; and chronics, 16 ± 1; p = 0.0001) and n. raphe obscurus (SIDS, 28 ± 3 fmol/mg tissue; acutes, 66 ± 6; and chronics, 59 ± 1; p = 0.0001). Binding, however, was also significantly lower (p < 0.05) in 4 other regions that are integral parts of the medullary raphe/serotonergic system, and/or are derived, like the arcuate nucleus and nucleus raphe obscurus, from the same embryonic anlage (rhombic lip). These data suggest that a larger neuronal network than the arcuate nucleus alone is involved in the pathogenesis of SIDS, that is, a network composed of inter-related serotonergic nuclei of the ventral medulla that are involved in homeostatic mechanisms, and/or are derived from a common embryonic anlage.
The Matching of Clubs

Years ago I read an article, probably in Golf Digest, on the matching of clubs that contained a statement that it appeared to be beyond the powers of modern technology to devise a scheme for the perfect matching of golf clubs. Later, I found myself stranded in an airport with nothing to do, and this statement came to mind. I started work on the problem of matching clubs, and before I boarded my plane, I had a glimmer of how to proceed with the general problem of perfect matching. The basic idea was to find a way to distribute mass (slugs) along the inside of the shaft. It was a long hard row to hoe before I was able to design a satisfactory set of perfectly matched clubs.
The vocal speech understanding system

This paper describes the VOCAL (Voice Operated CALculator) speech understanding system. VOCAL is a software package that lets its user program a computer to perform numerical calculations by speaking to It in English-like sentences. To accomplish this, VOCAL uses processes for acoustic, grammatical, and semantic analysis. These individual procedures, which are relatively simple, are embedded in a control structure that uses the information from each component to arrive at a meaningful interpretation of spoken sentences. One unique feature of VOCAL, which is essential to the development of speech understanding systems, is that it is complete and self-contained. Coded in standard FORTRAN, it is compact enough to run on many minicomputers and can be used in a real-time, on-line environment on slightly more powerful machines. Testing has shown that despite a correct word identification rate of leas that 60% the VOCAL system usually correctly interprets even very long sentences.
Splitting the Difference

In her book, The Mismeasure of Woman, Carol Tavris tells a story about how men and women express love: A friend of mine, who I will call Roberta, has been mildly unhappy for years about one flaw in her otherwise excellent husband, Henry. The flaw rises and falls in importance to her, depending on Roberta’s state of mind and general stresses, but it has long been a chronic irritant. Henry’s problem is that he doesn’t like to “chitchat,” as he puts it. This means, Roberta explains, that he doesn’t like to gossip about friends and family, he doesn’t like to analyze his marriage on a weekly or even a yearly basis, he doesn’t like to analyze his feelings.... Once, pressed to reveal his passion, Henry said, “I vote with my feet. If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t be here.” Instead of killing Henry at that moment, which was her inclination, Roberta did what she usually does: She called a woman friend, and they met for lunch to discuss Henry. Several hours later, Roberta emerged refreshed, invigorated, and prepared to cope with Henry for another few months (Tavris, 1994, p. 246).
Brassau: automatic generation of graphical user interfaces for virtual assistants

This paper presents Brassau, a graphical virtual assistant that converts natural language commands into GUIs. A virtual assistant with a GUI has the following benefits compared to text or speech based virtual assistants: users can monitor multiple queries simultaneously, it is easy to re-run complex commands, and user can adjust settings using multiple modes of interaction. Brassau introduces a novel template-based approach that leverages a large corpus of images to make GUIs visually diverse and interesting. Brassau matches a command from the user to an image to create a GUI. This approach decouples the commands from GUIs and allows for reuse of GUIs across multiple commands. In our evaluation, users prefer the widgets produced by Brassau over plain GUIs.
Adaptive eQTLs reveal the evolutionary impacts of pleiotropy and tissue-specificity, while contributing to health and disease in human populations

Regulatory DNA has the potential to be adaptive, and large numbers of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) have recently been identified in humans. For the first time, a comprehensive study of adaptive eQTLs is possible. Many eQTLs have large allele frequency differences between populations, and these differences can be due to natural selection. Here, we combined population branch statistics with tissue-specific eQTL data to identify positively selected loci in human populations. Adaptive eQTLs tend to affect fewer tissues than non-adaptive eQTLs. Because the tissue breadth of an eQTL can be viewed as a measure of pleiotropy, these results suggest that pleiotropy can inhibit adaptation. The proportion of eQTLs that are adaptive varies by tissue, and we find that eQTLs that regulate expression in testis, thyroid, blood, or sun-exposed skin are enriched for adaptive outliers. By contrast, eQTLs that regulate expression in the cerebrum or female-specific tissues have a relative lack of adaptive outliers. These results reveal tissues that have been the targets of adaptation during the last 100,000 years of human evolution. The strongest adaptive signal in many regions of the human genome is an eQTL, including an eQTL associated with the Duffy blood group and malaria resistance. Scans of selection also reveal that many adaptive eQTLs are closely linked to disease-associated loci. Taken together, our results indicate that adaptive eQTLs have played an important role in human evolution.
Compliance with wrist-worn accelerometers in primiparous early postpartum women.

Abstract Background There are few studies that objectively assess physical activity using accelerometry in postpartum women and none that do so before 3 months postpartum. It is not known whether accelerometry can be successfully used in the early postpartum period and thus benefit studies designed to assess the health benefits and risks of early physical activity. Wear compliance may be substantially lower several weeks after childbirth, given the overwhelming nature of the early postpartum period, particularly for first time mothers. The aims of this study were to 1) describe the methods used to facilitate protocol compliance of wrist-worn accelerometry, 2) describe device usage and wear time in early postpartum primiparous women and 3) to place the compliance characteristics of early postpartum primiparous women in our study in context with that of other studies of postpartum women and standards published by large, physical activity surveillance studies. Methods Participants were primiparous women who were enrolled at 3rd trimester in a larger ongoing prospective cohort study, delivered vaginally, and lived in a 60 mile radius of the research site. The parent study was designed to evaluate the effects of early physical activity on pelvic floor health. Participants wore a wrist accelerometer (ActiGraph™ GT3XLink device) over two 7-day periods, 2–3 weeks and 5–6 weeks postpartum. We developed a protocol based on best practices to enhance compliance in this population. The Choi (2011) algorithm was used to determine wear time. Results Of all participants, 82.6% (166 of 201 eligible) and 70.1% (141 of 201 eligible) at 2–3 and 5–6 weeks, respectively, received and wore a functional device in the correct study time-frame for at least 7 days. Of participants that received a functional device, 94.3% (166/176) and 86.5% (141/163) wore the device for at least 7 days, with mean wear times of 1348.0 (135.8) minutes/day and 1313.5 (152) minutes/day, respectively. At 2–3 weeks, 96.1% and 90.4% met the NHANES and Whitehall II Study wear standards, respectively, while at 5–6 weeks, 93.9% and 84.1% did so. Conclusion Despite challenges in conducting physical activity research in postpartum women, adherence to wrist-worn accelerometry is high with this protocol.
Feeling our way to machine minds: People's emotions when perceiving mind in artificial intelligence

Abstract It is now common for people to encounter artificial intelligence (AI) across many areas of their personal and professional lives. Interactions with AI agents may range from the routine use of information technology tools to encounters where people perceive an artificial agent as exhibiting mind. Combining two studies (useable N = 266), we explore people's qualitative descriptions of a personal encounter with an AI in which it exhibits characteristics of mind. Across a range of situations reported, a clear pattern emerged in the responses: the majority of people report their own emotions including surprise, amazement, happiness, disappointment, amusement, unease, and confusion in their encounter with a minded AI. We argue that emotional reactions occur as part of mind perception as people negotiate between the disparate concepts of programmed electronic devices and actions indicative of human-like minds. Specifically, emotions are often tied to AIs that produce extraordinary outcomes, inhabit crucial social roles, and engage in human-like actions. We conclude with future directions and the implications for ethics, the psychology of mind perception, the philosophy of mind, and the nature of social interactions in a world of increasingly sophisticated AIs.
Exosomal markers (CD63 and CD9) expression using immunohistochemistry (IHC) in patients with right-sided and left-sided colon cancer.

e15119Background: Embryologically, the right colon (cecum, ascending colon, hepatic flexure and proximal two-thirds of the transverse colon) is derived from the midgut, whereas the left colon (sigm...
DNA damage repair deficiency as a predictive biomarker for FOLFIRINOX efficacy in metastatic pancreatic cancer

Patients with pathogenic germline and somatic variants in DNA damage repair (DDR) genes may derive greater benefit with platinum-based chemotherapy in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This study investigates the role of DDR genes as a predictive biomarker for response to first-line platinum chemotherapy with FOLFIRINOX in metastatic PDAC patients. Demographic, clinical, and pathologic variables were collected for patients with metastatic PDAC who received FOLFIRINOX as frontline treatment and who had germline and somatic genetic testing. Kaplan-Meier analysis of overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) were correlated to the presence of DDR pathogenic variants. Forty patients with metastatic PDAC met inclusion criteria. Germline genetic testing revealed germline pathogenic variants in DDR genes in 5 patients (12%), and somatic pathogenic variants in DDR genes in 4 patients (10%). Median PFS was significantly longer in patients with any (germline or somatic) pathogenic variant in DDR genes than in those without alterations 18.5 vs. 6.9 months (log-rank P=0.003). When restricted to the presence or absence of germline pathogenic variants in DDR genes, the median PFS was 18.5 vs. 7.4 months (log-rank P=0.005). The median OS for the entire cohort was 11.5 months was not statistically different between the two groups, however there were no deaths in the subgroup with germline pathogenic variants in DDR genes treated with frontline FOLFIRINOX. A subset of patients with metastatic PDAC and germline or somatic pathogenic variants in DDR genes have a statistically superior PFS when treated with the platinum containing regimen FOLFIRINOX. The role of DDR gene alterations as a predictive biomarker for FOLFIRINOX benefit should be further evaluated in prospective trials.
Self-efficacy and quality of classroom interactions of EFL teachers in Niger

This study explores the relationships between self-efficacy and observed quality of classroom interactions of EFL teachers in Niger and how they compare to their American counterparts. We collected and analyzed self-efficacy data from 609 EFL teachers using the Teachers’ Sense of Self-efficacy Scale (TSES). In addition, classroom interaction data were collected from 53 Nigerien EFL teachers using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). All the self-efficacy subscales were significantly correlated with the CLASS Instructional Support domain. When we compared the self-efficacy and classroom interactions scores of Nigerien teachers with those of American teachers, a significant difference was only identified in the classroom management scale of TSES. In terms of the CLASS score difference, Nigerien teachers showed significantly higher scores on the Negative Climate and Analysis and Problem-Solving subscales. These findings suggest both teachers’ self-efficacy and the classroom interaction quality may need to be assessed in different ways across the two cultures.
Technical Note: Automatic segmentation of CT images for ventral body composition analysis

Purpose Body composition is known to be associated with many diseases including diabetes, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases. In this paper, we developed a fully automatic body tissue decomposition procedure to segment three major compartments that are related to body composition analysis - subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and muscle. Three additional compartments - the ventral cavity, lung, and bones - were also segmented during the segmentation process to assist segmentation of the major compartments. Methods A convolutional neural network (CNN) model with densely connected layers was developed to perform ventral cavity segmentation. An image processing workflow was developed to segment the ventral cavity in any patient's computed tomography (CT) using the CNN model, then further segment the body tissue into multiple compartments using hysteresis thresholding followed by morphological operations. It is important to segment ventral cavity firstly to allow accurate separation of compartments with similar Hounsfield unit (HU) inside and outside the ventral cavity. Results The ventral cavity segmentation CNN model was trained and tested with manually labeled ventral cavities in 60 CTs. Dice scores (mean ± standard deviation) for ventral cavity segmentation were 0.966 ± 0.012. Tested on CT datasets with intravenous (IV) and oral contrast, the Dice scores were 0.96 ± 0.02, 0.94 ± 0.06, 0.96 ± 0.04, 0.95 ± 0.04, and 0.99 ± 0.01 for bone, VAT, SAT, muscle, and lung, respectively. The respective Dice scores were 0.97 ± 0.02, 0.94 ± 0.07, 0.93 ± 0.06, 0.91 ± 0.04, and 0.99 ± 0.01 for non-contrast CT datasets. Conclusion A body tissue decomposition procedure was developed to automatically segment multiple compartments of the ventral body. The proposed method enables fully automated quantification of three-dimensional (3D) ventral body composition metrics from CT images.
Identification of patients at risk of Clostridioides difficile infection for enrollment in vaccine clinical trials.

Abstract Background Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is an important cause of diarrheal disease associated with increasing morbidity and mortality. Efforts to develop a preventive vaccine are ongoing. The goal of this study was to develop an algorithm to identify patients at high risk of CDI for enrollment in a vaccine efficacy trial. Methods We conducted a 2-stage retrospective study of patients aged ≥ 50 within the US Department of Veterans Affairs Health system between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013. Included patients had at least 1 visit in each of the 2 years prior to the study, with no CDI in the past year. We used multivariable logistic regression with elastic net regularization to identify predictors of CDI in months 2–12 (i.e., days 31 – 365) to allow time for antibodies to develop. Performance was measured using the positive predictive value (PPV) and the area under the curve (AUC). Results Elements of the predictive algorithm included age, baseline comorbidity score, acute renal failure, recent infections or high-risk antibiotic use, hemodialysis in the last month, race, and measures of recent healthcare utilization. The final algorithm resulted in an AUC of 0.69 and a PPV of 3.4%. Conclusions We developed a predictive algorithm to identify a patient population with increased risk of CDI over the next 2–12 months. Our algorithm can be used prospectively with clinical and administrative data to facilitate the feasibility of conducting efficacy studies in a timely manner in an appropriate population.
Inclusion in Indignity: Seeing the State and Becoming Citizens in Chile’s Social Housing

Building on recent ethnographic research on social provision in the global South, this article examines the everyday construction of a welfare state that links distributive inclusion with social degradation of the urban poor. The Chilean state has long affirmed its responsibility for housing poor citizens, and claimed considerable success in doing so. Since 1979, subsidized provision of privately built housing has moved millions from precarious residence into formal homeownership. In beneficiaries’ eyes, however, state housing agencies often appeared not as benevolent guarantors of social inclusion but rather as producers of material and symbolic indignities endured by poor city-dwellers. This ethnographic study of social housing in Santiago examines how residents’ understandings of social rights, and of the state itself, are produced in routine encounters with agents of housing provision. In particular, it traces two competing images of the state that emerged in state-citizen interactions. First, grounded in lived experiences of claiming and inhabiting social housing, residents envisioned a denigrating state that regarded the poor as second-class citizens and willfully relegated them to substandard conditions. Second, housing officials challenged this view by presenting the alternative image of an incapable state, which was unable to guarantee dignified housing in a market-oriented society. Each of these images, in turn, informed residents’ everyday political practices. While the denigrating state-image elicited contentious claims-making for better conditions, official performances of an incapable state encouraged residents to abandon collective action in favor of costly private strategies of home improvement.
Efferocytosis and the Story of "Find Me," "Eat Me," and "Don't Eat Me" Signaling in the Tumor Microenvironment

The process of efferocytosis involves removal of dying or dead cells by phagocytosis. Another term "efferosome" is used which means a fluid-filled membrane vesicle which engulfs dead cells. The process of efferocytosis works in coordination with apoptosis because before the contents of apoptotic cells are bleached out, they are engulfed by efferosomes. Thus, the microenvironment is not polluted with toxic enzymes and oxidants. A defect in the apoptotic cell clearance may participate in autoimmunity and chronic inflammation for homeostasis and proper tissue development, for which removal of dead cells is essential. This also protects from chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. In different tumor types and other diseases, efferocytosis has been studied extensively and potential pathways identified. A few of the intermediates in different pathways, which create aggressive and tolerogenic tumor microenvironment, might be considered for therapeutic or interventional purposes. Since the key players in efferocytosis are macrophages and dendritic cells, development of antigen-dependent antitumor immunity is affected by efferocytosis. The literature analysis suggests that efferocytosis is an underappreciated immune checkpoint, perhaps one that might be therapeutically targeted in the setting of cancer. The current status of efferocytosis and its role in tumor microenvironment is discussed in this article.
Paleoenvironments and Paleoecology of the Green River Formation in Fossil Basin (Fossil Butte National Monument), Wyoming

In cooperation with Fossil Butte National Monument detailed paleontological and geological investigations of Eocene "Fossil Lake" (Green River Formation) were conducted during the summer of 1981. The principle objectives of this research are to determine the paleoenvironments and paleoecology of Fossil Lake by: 1) documenting the vertical stratigraphic distribution of the fossil biota and trace fossils; 2) determining the lateral variations in biota during a particular time interval; 3) mapping the lake deposits with particular emphasis on the extent of the "Lower Oil Shale Horizon" and approximate positions of the ancient shorelines, deltas, and islands; and 4) measuring stratigraphic sections and correlating important sedimentary units throughout the basin.
Effects of human γ‐globin in murine β‐thalassaemia

Murine models of beta-thalassaemia have been used to test therapeutic globin gene vectors. However, the level of gamma-globin expression necessary to achieve full phenotypic correction in these models is unclear. In order to address this issue, we carried out breeding and transplantation studies in murine models of beta-thalassaemia intermedia (Hbb(th-3)/+) and severe beta-thalassaemia major (Hbb(th-3)/Hbb(th-3)) using transgenic lines expressing various levels of human gamma-globin. Expression of gamma-globin RNA at a modest 7-14% of total alpha-globin RNA resulted in the selective survival of HbF(+) erythrocytes, a fivefold increase in total HbF, and a phenotypic improvement in the beta-thalassaemia intermedia model. Full normalisation of erythrocyte indices in this model required gamma-globin RNA expression at 27% of alpha-globin, resulting in an average 40% (6.8 g/dl) HbF. Studies using the homozygous Hbb(th-3) model of lethal beta-thalassaemia major demonstrated that even this high level of gamma-globin expression, for reasons related to the function of the hybrid globin tetramers, could only prolong, but not fully support, survival. Taken together, these results indicate that only the heterozygous Hbb(th-3) model of beta-thalassaemia intermedia can be reliably used for the pre-clinical assessment of gamma-globin gene therapy vectors, as well as other means of gamma-globin gene induction.
International travel to the United States: An econometric evaluation

Abstract This paper investigates the effects of real per capita income, exchange rates, and relative prices on the exports of travel services from the United States to seven foreign countries. In addition, the study evaluates the effects of real income, exchange rates, and relative prices on the total level of U.S. receipts from foreign travel. The analysis is conducted via regression techniques.
Shellfish and Microbial Source Tracking

This chapter reviews the impact of fecal contamination on the shellfish industry, summarizes the legal framework for regulation of the sanitary quality of shellfish, and examines the use of microbial source tracking (MST) techniques as applied to shellfish growing waters. Broadly, the microbial contaminants associated with shellfish-borne disease may be classified as either (i) being naturally occurring (autochthonous) in shellfish-growing waters or (ii) related to fecal contamination of the growing waters (allochthonous). Under the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP), shellfish-growing waters are classified as approved, conditionally approved, conditionally restricted, restricted, or prohibited. Several methods of MST have been described for identification of fecal pollution sources in contaminated water. These methods may be divided broadly into two distinct classes, library-dependent and libraryless methods. The techniques may be further classified as based on phenotypic or genotypic characterization of microbial (typically bacterial) isolates. A study determined that the viral methods could be used in the analysis of shellfish tissue and that genotyping methods of F+ RNA phages were sufficiently developed whereas PCR detection of adenovirus was limited by uncertainties in excretion rates, ambiguous specificity, and molecular methodology. Antibiotic resistance/ multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) analysis is a phenotypic technique examining antibiotic resistance profiles for isolated fecal indicators. Current methods for monitoring the quality of growing waters rely on bacterial indicators of fecal contamination. These organisms are general indicators of sanitation, not of the occurrence of pathogens, and knowledge of their presence alone may not allow adequate management of the shellfish-growing waters.
Protein synthesis in Artemia salina embryos. I. Studies on polyribosomes.

Abstract A study of polyribosomes from encysted embryos of the crustacean Artemia salina has been carried out by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Although no discrete polyribosome peaks were detected in extracts from hydrated-dormant gastrulae, a small amount of ribonuclease-sensitive material sedimenting below the ribosomes was present. Formation of small polyribosomes has been detected within 5 minutes after the dormant gastrulae were permitted to resume metabolism and development by incubation at 30°C. The increase in polyribosome content which occurred with further incubation appeared to result chiefly from the formation of heavier polyribosomes. Using NaH14CO3 as a precursor, protein synthesis has been detected in intact gastrulae within the first 15 minutes after the end of dormancy. Polyribosomes were shown to be functional by their in vitro incorporation of leucine-14C into hot trichloroacetic acid-insoluble material. An evaluation has been made of the method used for the study of polyribosomes in Artemia.
Aluminum in Food – The Nature and Contribution of Food Additives

Aluminum (Al) is distributed throughout the environment because of its presence as the third most abundant element on earth. Concern about Al toxicity to humans, including from food sources, has persisted since the demonstration that it has the potential to be a neurotoxicant (Wiley 1928, 1929; Schaeffer et al. 1928; Dollken 1898; Gies 1911; Anon. 1913; Yokel and Golub 1997; WHO 1997; Krewski et al. 2007; ATSDR 2008). Exposure of humans to Al is mainly from food, water, airborne dust, antiperspirants, immunizations, allergy injections and antacids (Table 1). Foods and beverages are the single largest contributor of Al intake for the typical human, providing ~ 3.5 to 10 mg/day. Food additives provide a significant percentage of the daily intake. Among the food additives, sodium aluminum phosphates (SALPs) are the main contributors. Drinking water provides ~ 0.1 mg. Other sources for some humans, their daily exposures and intakes, estimated percentage absorbed, and amount of Al that enters the blood are summarized in Table 1. The history of the use and regulation of Al food additives in the US, approved Al-containing food additives in the US and some other countries, primary food types contributing Al to the diet, typical daily dietary Al intake, dietary intake in relation to established tolerable intake and minimal risk levels, and some discussion of Al absorption, distribution, excretion, and toxicity are presented in this chapter.
Contingency analysis of caregiver behavior: Implications for parent training and future directions

Parent training is often a required component of effective treatment for a variety of common childhood problems. Although behavior analysts have developed several effective parent-training technologies, we know little about the contingencies that affect parent behavior. Child behavior is one source of control for parent behavior that likely contributes to the development of childhood problems and outcomes of parent training. We reviewed the evidence supporting child behavior as controlling antecedents and consequences for parent behavior. The implications for parent training are discussed, and recommendations for future research are suggested.