cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Historical and Social Context of Education for African Americans

To understand how HBCUs contribute to African American education, the historical and social context of Black education must be explored. As noted in the previous chapter, the involuntary entry of African Americans into North America dates back to 1619, the year that slaves (indentured servants) from Barbados were transported to Jamestown, Virginia.
How to use a plain abdominal radiograph in children with functional defecation disorders

Defecation-related functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), such as infant dyschezia, functional constipation and functional non-retentive faecal incontinence, as defined by the Rome IV criteria, are common problems in childhood. The symptomatology varies from relatively mild, such as crying before passage of soft stools or infrequent defecation to severe problems with faecal impaction and the daily involuntary loss of faeces in the underwear. Conventional radiography is widely available, relatively cheap and is non-invasive. The drawback however, is radiation exposure. This review describes and evaluates the value of different existing scoring methods to assess faecal loading on an abdominal radiograph with or without the use of radio-opaque markers, to measure colonic transit time, in the diagnosis of these defecation-related FGIDs. Insufficient evidence exists for a diagnostic association between clinical symptoms of functional constipation or functional nonretentive faecal incontinence and faecal loading on an abdominal radiograph. Furthermore, evidence does not support the routine use of colonic transit studies to diagnose functional constipation. Colonic transit time measurement may be considered in discriminating between functional constipation and functional non-retentive faecal incontinence and in patients in which the diagnosis is not clear such as having an unreliable medical history. In children with the suspicion of defecation-related FGIDs, the diagnosis should be made based on the Rome IV criteria.
Effect of Brachionus rubens on the growth characteristics of various species of microalgae

Background: Cultivation of algae for conversion to biofuels has gained global interest. Outdoor raceway cultivation is preferred because of its lower capital and operating costs. A major disadvantage of outdoor cultivation is susceptibility of algal crops to attack by predatory rotifers. In order to quantify the impact of rotifer attack on different species of algae, we evaluated the growth of eleven microalgal species over a 21-d period after being infected by the predatory rotifer Brachionus rubens . Results: Of the eleven species, Chlorella sorokiniana was the most susceptible with rapid decline in algal growth concomitant with increase in rotifer population growth (3.82/d). In contrast, Synechococcus elongatus and Scenedesmus dimorphus were both resistant to the rotifer and suppressed rotifer growth (-0.06/d). An index of algal species susceptibility to be consumed by the rotifer was generated with C. sorokiniana as the baseline (index = 1.000) indicating most susceptible among species tested. Other species' susceptibilities are indicated in parenthesis as follows: Monoraphidium spp. (0.997), Chlamydomonas globosa (0.827), Botryococcus braunii (0.740), Chlorella minutissima (0.570), Chlamydomonas augustae (0.530), Chlamydomonas yellowstonensis (0.500), Scenedesmus bijuga (0.420), and Haematococcus pluvialis (0.360). Two species, namely, S. dimorphus and S. elongatus were unique in that they exhibited an ability to suppress the growth of the rotifer as indicated by the decline in rotifer populations in their presence. Conclusions: Variations in susceptibility of algal species to rotifer predation could be a result of their individual morphology, cell walls structure, or the biochemical composition of individual species. Normal 0 21 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
Religion and Reproductive Technology

This chapter will examines places where law, religion, and reproductive technology conflict. It examines four particular intersections: The first involves religiously motivated denials of service, in particular as they pertain to single and gay and lesbian couples. The second involves embryo adoption, where the largest providers of the service in the United States are religious organizations. The third is a bit of a dog that didn’t bark (at least so far): the “personhood movement” and its attempts to gain state constitutional protection for zygotes, embryos, and fetuses. Finally, the chapter will close by discussing relatively new attempts by religious organizations to bring forward objections to embryo destruction in pre-embryo disposition disputes between private individuals, in particular a recent case in Missouri that is currently being litigated.
Chips and Networks: The Microelectronics Industrial Complex

In an ever more interdependent world, national security is synonymous with economic dynamism and power.1 The guts of that power are microelectronics — computers, chips, networks, fiber optics, software, virtual reality, flat panel displays, x-ray lithography, optical storage devices, high definition television and hundreds of other related products and components.
Parent Beliefs About the Causes of Learning and Developmental Problems Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Results From a National Survey.

Abstract This study aimed to assess variation in parent beliefs about causes of learning and developmental problems in U.S. children with autism spectrum disorder, using data from a nationally representative survey. Results showed that beliefs about a genetic/hereditary cause of learning/developmental problems were most common, but nearly as many parents believed in exposure causes. Forty present of parents had no definite causal beliefs. On multivariate analysis, parents who were non-White, publicly insured or poor were more likely than other parents to endorse exposure causes, or less likely to endorse genetic causes, compared to other parents. Further research should assess how these beliefs modify health care quality or services use.
Different ways new information technologies influence conventional organizational practices and employment relationships: The case of cybervetting for personnel selection

Cybervetting – employers’ use of online information from social media and search engines to evaluate job candidates – may displace, supplement or shape conventional personnel selection and employment relationships in unexpected ways. Analysis of 45 interviews suggests that typically extractive approaches to cybervetting have the potential to displace less recognized, yet valuable, relational functions of more interactive practices depending on the functions and values users apply to the adoption and use of particular information and communication technologies. These findings highlight the need to consider how people implicitly and explicitly compare the functions of emerging technology-enabled practices with conventional organizational practices and salient values to understand when an emerging practice may displace, supplement or have no effect on a conventional practice. This study offers a preliminary framework for understanding how emerging sociotechnical practices evolve and with what effect, thereby...
Persistent homology of directed networks

While persistent homology has been successfully used to provide topological summaries of point cloud data, the question of computing persistent homology of graphs or networks remains unclear. In particular, the existing literature does not provide a treatment of persistent homology for directed networks that is sensitive to asymmetry. We study a method for constructing simplicial complexes from weighted, directed networks that captures directionality information, and we are able to prove that the persistent homology of such complexes is stable with respect to a certain notion of network distance. We illustrate our construction on a database of simulated hippocampal networks.
An Interbasin Comparison of Tree-Ring Reconstructed Streamflow in the Eastern United States

Tree-ring reconstructions of streamflow are uncommon in the eastern United States compared with the western United States. Although the east has not experienced severe drought on the scale of the west over the last 100 years, multiyear droughts have stressed the water management systems throughout the east. Here, we reconstruct mean May–September streamflow of three rivers serving population centers in the northeast (Beaver Kill River serving New York, NY), mid-Atlantic (Potomac River serving Washington, DC), and southeast (Flint River serving Atlanta, GA) to demonstrate the efficacy of reconstructing streamflow in the eastern United States. Then, we conducted an interbasin comparison to identify periods of common variability and examined the influence of the North Atlantic subtropical high on reconstructed streamflow. Our models explained 40–61% of the variance in the instrumental record and passed verification tests in all basins during the period 1675–2000 CE. Droughts and pluvials showed some synchrony across all basins, but the mid-Atlantic region acted as a hinge, sometimes behaving more like the northeast, and other times like the southeast. Climatic analyses suggest a relationship exists between the North Atlantic subtropical high and reconstructed streamflow that influences the probability of drought and pluvial events. Given the many factors influencing tree growth in closed-canopy systems, we have shown that careful standardization of individual tree-ring series, nested regression models, and the use of multiple species can produce robust proxies of streamflow across the eastern seaboard.
Including Entrustment Language in an Assessment Form May Improve Constructive Feedback for Student Clinical Skills

Workplace-based assessments provide valuable data for educators who make summative judgments regarding students’ clinical skills, but may be limited by a lack of constructive feedback. Including an explicit rating of learner “entrustment” may prompt faculty to provide better feedback. To assess this hypothesis, we added a single-item entrustment rating to forms faculty use to assess students’ clinical skills. Faculty provided more written feedback to students and were willing to use lower ratings when using forms with entrustment language. Entrustment ratings may serve to enhance faculty’s feedback and rating of students in clinical performance.
Distinguishing among multiple sclerosis fallers, near-fallers and non-fallers.

Abstract Background Fall rates among adults with multiple sclerosis are consistently greater than 50%, but near-falls (i.e. a trip or stumble) are often undocumented. Furthermore, little is known about the circumstances surrounding fall and near-fall events. The purpose of this study was to examine the similarities and differences among non-fallers, near-fallers and fallers with multiple sclerosis, including the circumstances that surround falls and near-falls. Methods In a single visit, 135 multiple sclerosis participants completed the Hopkins Falls Grading Scale, a custom questionnaire investigating circumstances surrounding falls and near-falls, and performed the Timed Up and Go and Timed 25-Foot Walk tests. Mann-Whitney tests were used to examine differences between fallers, near-fallers and non-fallers. Multiple logistic regression with AIC criterion was used to examine associations of circumstances with the odds of falling vs. near-falling. Cumulative odds ordinal logistic regression was used to analyze the association between each of the walking tests and the susceptibility of the individual for falls or near-falls. Results 30% of individuals reported falls, while 44% reported near-falls over a 1-year period. Non-fallers completed the walking tests more quickly than near-fallers (p Conclusion Near-falls occur commonly in individuals with MS; near-fallers and fallers reported similar circumstances surrounding fall events and demonstrated similar performance on standard timed walking tests. Clinicians monitoring individuals with MS should consider evaluation of the circumstances surrounding falls in combination with quantitative walking measures to improve determination of fall risk and appropriate rehabilitation interventions.
Multi-Envelope HIV-1 Vaccine Development: Two Targeted Immune Pathways, One Desired Protective Outcome

In 2016, there were more than 30 million individuals living with HIV-1, ∼1.8 million new HIV-1 infections, and ∼1 million HIV-1-related deaths according to UNAIDS ( unaids.org ). Hence, a preventive HIV-1 vaccine remains a global priority. The variant envelopes of HIV-1 present a significant obstacle to vaccine development and the vaccine field has realized that immunization with a single HIV-1 envelope protein will not be sufficient to generate broadly neutralizing antibodies. Here we describe two nonmutually exclusive, targeted pathways with which a multi-envelope HIV-1 vaccine may generate protective immune responses against variant HIV-1. Pathways include (i) the induction of a polyclonal immune response, comprising a plethora of antibodies with subset-reactive and cross-reactive specificities, together able to neutralize diverse HIV-1 (termed Poly-nAb in this report) and (ii) the induction of one or a few monoclonal antibodies, each with a broadly neutralizing specificity (bnAb). With each pathway in mind, we describe challenges and strategies that may ultimately support HIV-1 vaccine success.
Adaptive Trigonometric Transformation Function With Image Contrast and Color Enhancement: Application to Unmanned Aerial System Imagery

An unmanned aerial system (UAS)-based imaging technology has gained great interests in modern photogrammetry and remote sensing. However, due to the limitations of UAS imaging devices, image enhancement (IE) has become a necessary process for improving the visual appearance of UAS images. Although a great amount of effort has been focused on improving image quality from different aspects, the major obstacles are from computational efficiency and complexity, such as manually adjusting the associated algorithmic parameters that account for various image luminance. To overcome these drawbacks, we propose a new adaptive yet highly efficient luminance enhancement method, namely, adaptive trigonometric transformation function (ATTF), for enhancing the visual quality of digital color images captured by a UAS. The ATTF is derived from a tangent-based transformation function whose characteristics adaptively change with respect to the variation of the image luminance. By combining ATTF with a Laplacian operator and a color restoration process, a well-balanced color image is obtained. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is evaluated on various UAS-based images and compared with other IE techniques.
Host location and selection by the symbiotic sargassum crab Portunus sayi: the role of chemical, visual and tactile cues

The Sargassum community consists of a unique and diverse assemblage of symbiotic fauna critical to pelagic food chains. Associated symbionts presumably have adaptations to assist in finding Sargassum. In situ scattered Sargassum patches accumulate as they are pushed toward the shoreline (via wind, waves, currents or tides) and are frequently less than 1 m apart and in depths of 10 cm or less as the patches approach the shoreline Crabs, and other symbiotic fauna, must relocate to another patch that is seaward in direction or likely perish as their current patch will likely become beached. This study investigated sensory cues used for host location and selection by the Sargassum crab, Portunus sayi. Chemical detection trials were conducted with a two-chamber choice apparatus with Sargassum spp. and Thalassia testudinum as habitat source odors. Visual detection trials (devoid of chemical cues) and habitat selection trials were conducted in which crabs were given a choice between hosts. Results showed that P. sayi responded to chemicals from Sargassum spp. Crabs visually located host habitats but did not visually distinguish between different hosts. In host selection trials, crabs selected Sargassum spp. over artificial Sargassum and T. testudinum. These results suggest that crabs isolated from Sargassum likely use chemoreception; within visual proximity of a potential patch, crabs likely use both chemical and visual information.
Does 'Democracy' Mean that Outcomes Should Track Voter Preferences? Why Empirical Political Scientists Assume the Answer is Yes and Political Theorists Assume it's No

Empirical political scientists who specialize in American politics - “Americanists” for short - very commonly regard as the hallmark or criterion of democracy that policy outcomes ought, at least most of the time, to track voter preferences. (This criterion goes by many names, e.g. democratic responsiveness, policy responsiveness, substantive democracy, policy congruence, and correspondence; this paper uses the last.) I speculate that they use this criterion out of normative diffidence. While they seek a measure of democratic quality that will add significance to the distortions or abuses of democracy that they document, they seek to avoid controversial value judgments. Correspondence seems to square the circle by being (Americanists think) uncontroversial among normative theorists and modest about value in assessing democracy by how well it reflects not the scholar’s preferences but those of ordinary citizens. In fact, the paper argues, correspondence is a ridiculous criterion - conclusively rejected by almost all normative theorists, for excellent reasons, as well as by all Americanists when they think about it clearly. Americanists who think they need such a criterion should reconsider: their stories often stand on their own, in fact stand more securely, without a dubious normative account; and if normative criteria are necessary, the comparativists’ method (multiple measures, and a weighting rule that is explicitly named and defended) is superior to correspondence. Theorists, on the other hand, should interrogate our own contempt for correspondence. Though we are right to reject it in its crude forms, we go too far when we stop studying mass democracy altogether (in favor of participatory or deliberative “mini-publics”) out of indifference towards the project of letting ordinary citizens control their government and get what they want and need from it. This neglect can reflect a culpable lack of sympathy for ordinary, relatively passive citizens and their private projects. We often practice a “civic snobbery” that rejects a mass democracy of ordinary citizens in favor of an aristocracy of activists. Theorists should find ways of caring about ordinary voters and their rough control over government without embracing correspondence. In particular, we might embrace the role of advisers to democratic princes, who counsel ordinary citizens on the ways in which their political goals may be frustrated by strategic complexity, collective action problems, and a level of diversity in citizen opinions that most citizens fail to appreciate. Instead of pretending that we know better than ordinary citizens how they should live their everyday lives, we should limit ourselves to being experts on politics.
The Management of International Business

This chapter proposes that we are in the midst of a transition period in which economic competition and international business are the new arenas for international rivalry. International business is the instrument, multinational companies (MNCs) are the force, and international managers are the strategists with which nations attempt to gain a competitive advantage. In such an environment, it is vital for us to understand and learn how to manage international business. Ten major factors underline the importance of international business and the management of such an operation. These factors are discussed in detail.
Implications of nonsynchronous rotation on the deformational history and ice shell properties in the south polar terrain of Enceladus

Abstract Numerous studies of the south polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus have focused on the four main fractures (the tiger stripes), their associated water plume, and the effects of diurnal tidal stresses on these fractures. However, due to their small magnitude (10–100 kPa), diurnal stresses alone are unable to completely explain the initial formation of the tiger stripes and the many additional fractures in the region. We suggest nonsynchronous rotation (NSR) stresses, induced by a freely rotating ice shell over a global ocean, are large enough to overcome the tensile strength of the ice shell and initiate fracturing on Enceladus. Using the tidal stress calculation program SatStressGUI, we demonstrate the dependence of the magnitude of the NSR stress on the thickness of the ice shell, particularly the brittle outer layer of the ice shell. We suggest the brittle layer in the south polar region is 2–4 km thick whereas in the more northern regions, it is 6–8 km. The difference is most likely due to the elevated energy flux at the south pole, compared to the regions to the north, resulting in a warmer and thinner ice shell in the south polar region. The thinner ice around the south pole permits NSR tensile stresses of ∼5 MPa, enough to fracture the ice. However, the thicker ice to the north reduces the NSR stress to less than 2 MPa making fracturing less likely. The difference in ice shell thickness, and resultant NSR stress, can help explain the activity in the south, but relative quiescence in the north. Our modeled NSR stress magnitudes and orientations suggests a NSR period on the order of 1 Myr and advocate that the tiger stripes have rotated ∼45° clockwise about the south pole since their initial formation in response to NSR of the ice shell. If the ice shell is rotating at a constant rate, the tiger stripes would thus be up to ∼100,000 years old. An apparent decreasing angular separation between consecutive fracture sets that formed in the south polar region suggests an ice shell that has weakened in strength over the course of its recent geologic history; this could be a result of increased heating, thinning of the ice shell, or a combination of the two. As the ice shell thinned, the NSR stresses were enhanced, making fracturing more likely after a smaller amount of NSR compared to the previous fracturing episode.
Bedside Transorbital Ultrasound in the Clinical Evaluation of Pediatric Optic Neuritis in the Emergency Department.

Abstract Background Headache and monocular visual disturbance are worrisome pediatric presenting complaints in the emergency department. Appropriate and timely initial evaluation is critical. Most would opt for urgent computer tomography in such cases. Pediatric optic neuritis is a rare condition and is better evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging. With the increase in the use and scope of bedside ultrasound, there might be a potential role for transorbital ultrasound to be part of the emergency department evaluation of pediatric optic neuritis. Case Report This is the first pediatric case report on the use of bedside transorbital ultrasound in the emergency department evaluation of a 15-year-old girl with optic neuritis who presented with unilateral headache and left visual disturbance. Transorbital ultrasound of her left eye revealed an irregularly enlarged optic nerve sheath with increased optic nerve sheath diameter (5.1 mm) and an elevated optic disc height (0.5 mm). Ultrasound examination of her right eye was contrastingly normal, showing an optic nerve sheath diameter of 3.8 mm and that the optic disc was not elevated. The ultrasound findings correlated well with her magnetic resonance imaging of her orbits. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? The clinical findings and monocular ultrasound abnormalities facilitated the emergency department decision-making process and choice of neuroimaging. This highlights the use of transorbital ultrasound as a clinical adjunct and potential role in the emergency department clinical evaluation of a pediatric patient with optic neuritis. The finding of an irregularly enlarged optic nerve might be of potential clinical value but further studies are required.
Circumstellar Infrared Emission

Infrared astronomy has in the past decade emerged from being a part-time occupation of a few astronomers. Three major subdivisions of research have become apparent, solar system, galactic and extragalactic studies. In each of these fields infrared studies have made unique contributions. Planets emit the bulk of their radiation in the infrared, and infrared studies are essential to study planetary thermal problems. Many extragalactic objects have been found to emit astonishingly large fluxes in the infrared.
Characterization of pleated filter media using particle image velocimetry

Abstract Use of pleated filter media for removing particles is required in industrial and residential sectors encompassing many applications. Pressure drop is an important factor used to evaluate the performance of pleated filter media. Research has been focused on examining the effects of pleated filter properties and pleat geometries on pressure drop and filtration efficiency but air velocity distributions. In this study, a noninvasive particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique was used to characterize the velocity distributions downstream of pleated filters. A custom filter containing a singular rectangular pleat was constructed for comparison between a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical model and experimentally obtained PIV results. Results indicated that the trend between PIV and CFD was similar in general. Special attention is needed when modeling porous media as some discrepancies were observed near the corners of the pleated filter where the filter medium is less permeable due to compression of the fibers. Subsequently, the PIV technique was used with commercial pleated filters to study the effects of pleat geometry on the downstream velocity distributions. Air velocity distributions were affected by both the pleat geometry and the pleat stabilizing technique, which is commonly applied to pleated filters to maintain pleat shape and gaps between pleats. Results suggest that in addition to pleated filter geometry such as shape, density, and height, the geometric effects of pleat lock or pleat stabilizing techniques, should be also considered for estimating flow effects more realistically.
Assessing the Educational Quality of Facebook Videos as an Informative Resource on Otitis Media

ObjectiveThis study analyzes the quality and reliability of otitis media (OM) videos on Facebook and investigates whether the videos shared within the Facebook community are considered to be a valu...
Value Creation and Capture in Platform Business Models: An Information-Theoretic Perspective

Platform-based business models create economic value largely by lubricating longstanding frictions in markets. Our theoretical model considers three classic information-economics frictions – namely...
Remediation to Restoration to Revitalization: Engaging Communities to Support Ecosystem-Based Management and Improve Human Wellbeing at Clean-up Sites

Remediation to Restoration to Revitalization (R2R2R) is a framework to identify ecological and policy-based relationships between large-scale aquatic sediment remediation projects, subsequent habitat restoration projects, and waterfront revitalization. A defining feature of R2R2R is that it possesses three essential feedback loops: a translational ecology feedback loop, an adaptive management feedback loop, and a project management feedback loop. The R2R2R framework builds on Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) theory by addressing the role of humans through these feedback loops, and by recognizing the ability of communities to learn and make choices that improve the environment through translational science. In this framework, translating ecological changes from remediation and restoration projects to public benefits (e.g., swimmable water, potential for urban greenspace) using the concept of ecosystem services is critical to support decision-making. In practice, community perceptions and uses of the remediated and restored ecosystem or habitat are central to EBM. We use the Great Lakes Area of Concern program to illustrate how R2R2R exemplifies EBM for large, complex sediment remediation and aquatic habitat restoration projects.
Inner Ear Disorders in the Elderly with Carotid Artery Disease Requiring Revascularization: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Association

Background: Aging is almost assocaited with inner ear disorders (InEarDs) by means of age-related hearing impairment (ARHI) or vertigo-and-dizziness as well as the carotid artery disease requiring revascularization (CAD-R). Objective : The present study aimed to study the prevalence and characteristics of InEarDs in older adults diagnosed with CAD-R. The other aim was to determine if InEarDs in CAD-R patients is age-related or might be explained by a concomitant CAD-R. Method: A retrospective, case-control study was conducted at the Mayo Clinic, Florida. The study cohort includes 919 patients who had CAD-R. The control group consisted of 244 age- and gender-matched patients presenting with cardiac or peripheral artery disease. The InEarDs were assessed based on the diagnosis upon presentation to the Audiology Clinic and follow-up. Results: Of the 919, 348 had ARHI that includes significant peripheral signs and central symptoms (24.9%), vertigo-and-dizziness events that are recurrent and persistent with normal objective vestibular testing (12.9%), or a combination of both (11.0%). These percentages were significantly higher in the study group relative to the control group. After adjustment for the vascular risk factors, the study group had significantly higher odds of ARHI (OR= 1.94; 95% CI: 1.09-3.44; P<0.05 ), Conclusion : CAD-R patients had significantly higher InEarDs than the control group. CAD-R is more likely to be associated with ARHI rather than the vertigo-and-dizziness even after adjusting for the vascular risk factors.
Relationships between tibial acceleration and ground reaction force measures in the medial-lateral and anterior-posterior planes.

Abstract Peak vertical tibial accelerations during running have shown strong correlations with vertical ground reaction force loading rates and some associations with injury. However, little attention has been given to tibial accelerations along the medial–lateral and anterior-posterior axes. Therefore, our purpose was to examine the correlation between peak tibial accelerations and ground reaction force loading rates in the medial–lateral and posterior directions. Eighteen recreational runners were recruited who ran with a rearfoot strike pattern (10 men/ 8 women, mean age (yrs) = 33 ± 11). Tibial accelerations and ground reaction forces were collected while participants ran on an instrumented treadmill at a self-selected speed. Correlations were developed for: a) peak medial and lateral accelerations with lateral and medial loading rates, respectively, b) peak anterior tibial accelerations and posterior loading rates. Significant correlations were found between tibial accelerations and loading rates in all planes. Peak medial tibial accelerations were correlated with lateral loading rates (Rs = 0.86, p
Heeding early warnings: improving care for puerperal sepsis in Malawi.

In this issue, Cheshire et al. (BJOG 2020 xxxx) report feasibility of an implementation programme to improve prompt recognition and treatment of puerperal sepsis, the third leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide (Say et al, Lancet Glob Health, 2014, volume 2(6):e323-33), at 15 government health facilities in Malawi. Sepsis bundles have become a lifesaving cornerstone of care but were neither designed for obstetric populations nor with low-resource settings in mind. In particular, the ability to translate specific components of these bundles, such as monitoring of lactate, blood cultures, or safe administration of vasopressors, is not routinely available in many low- or middle-income country (LMIC) birthing facilities.
Smoking and Vaping Among a National Sample of U.S. Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

IntroductionWith concerns about cigarette smoking being a risk factor for severe disease from COVID-19, understanding nicotine and tobacco use patterns is important for preventive efforts. We aimed to understand changes in product use behaviors among U.S. adult combustible cigarette smokers and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users. MethodsIn August 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of a nationally-representative sample of adults age >18 in NORCs AmeriSpeak Panel who reported past 6-month use of combustible cigarettes or e-cigarettes. Multivariable logistic regression assessed factors associated with increased product use and quit attempts since hearing about COVID-19. Results1024 past 6-month cigarette smokers and/or e-cigarette users were surveyed. Among cigarette smokers, 45% reported no change in cigarette smoking and 33% increased cigarette smoking since hearing about COVID-19. Higher stress was associated with increased cigarette smoking. Among e-cigarette users, 41% reported no change in and 23% reported increasing e-cigarette use. 26% of cigarette smokers and 41% of e-cigarette users tried to quit because of COVID-19. Higher perceived risk of COVID-19 was associated with attempts to quit combustible cigarettes (AOR 2.37, 95% CI 1.59-3.55) and e-cigarettes (AOR 3.14, 1.73-5.70). ConclusionsCigarette and e-cigarette use patterns varied in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most cigarette smokers and e-cigarette users perceived product use as increasing COVID-19-related health risks, and this was associated with attempts to quit. Others, especially those reporting higher stress, increased product use. Proactive provision of cessation support to smokers and e-cigarette users may help mitigate stress-related increases in product use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Endothelial Stromal PD-L1 Modulates CD8+ T Cell Infiltration after Heart Transplantation

Purpose Heart transplantation is the only definitive treatment for end-stage heart failure. The role of checkpoint axes in transplantation has been partially addressed in animal models, but not in humans. Occurrence of fulminant myocarditis with allorejection-like immunologic features in patients under anti-PD1 treatment suggests a key role of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis in cardiac immune homeostasis. Methods We cross-sectionally studied 23 heart transplant patients undergoing surveillance endomyocardial biopsy (EMB). EMB tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were analyzed by flow cytometry. Multivariate logistic regression analyses including demographic, clinical and hemodynamic parameters were performed. Murine models were used to evaluate the impact of PD-L1 endothelial graft expression in allorejection. Results We found that myeloid cells dominate the composition of the graft leukocyte compartment in most patients, however with variable T cells frequencies that in few patients were the main infiltrating population. The CD4:CD8 T cells ratios were between 0 and 1.5. The proportion of PD-L1 expressing cells in graft endothelial cells, fibroblasts and myeloid leukocytes ranged from negligible up to 60%. We found a significant inverse correlation following an exponential decay pattern between a proportion of PD-L1+HLA-DR+ endothelial cells and proportion of CD8+ T cells. PD-L1 expression and leukocyte patterns were independent of demographic, clinical and hemodynamic parameters. We confirmed the importance of PD-L1 expression by endothelial cells in a murine model of fully allogeneic heart transplant. We found that Tie2Crepdl1fl/fl grafts lacking PD-L1 in endothelial cells were rejected significantly faster than Tie2Cre controls. Conclusion Loss of graft endothelial PD-L1 expression may play a permissive role toward CD8+ T cell infiltration in human heart transplantation. Murine model results suggest that indeed loss of graft endothelial PD-L1 may facilitates alloresponses, and thus potentially play a role in heart transplant rejection.
Advanced Light Source Operation and Critical Research during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Advanced Light Source (ALS), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), typically hosts about 100 users per week from aro...
Advances in the discovery and development of melanoma drug therapies

Introduction Therapeutic strategies for melanoma have evolved significantly over the last decade shifting from cytotoxic chemotherapies like dacarbazine to targeted therapies and immunotherapies including immune checkpoint inhibitors. These new drug therapies have improved overall as well as progression-free survival, lowering the mortality of this cancer for melanoma patients with advanced disease. Newer strategies incorporate combination therapies that harness synergies between mechanisms of anticancer efficacy as well as help overcome resistance issues of monotherapies, which remain a challenge. Areas covered This review looks at each class of drug therapy for melanoma and provides an overview of the preclinical mechanism of action, the clinical efficacy data, and their applications in combination therapy regimens. NCCN treatment guidelines, safety, toxicity, and immune related adverse events are also described as well as a note on cost. Expert opinion Numerous ongoing trials continue to evaluate the role of novel therapies and combinations for this challenging disease and understanding their mechanism of action, risks, benefits, and treatment guidelines can help care providers and patients have a more comprehensive and tailored discussion of treatment options and expectations.
Nutrients and solids removal in bioretention columns using recycled materials under intermittent and frequent flow operations.

This research investigated the fate and removal of nitrite (NO2-N), nitrate (NO3-N), orthophosphate (PO4-P), and total suspended solids (TSS) in two bioretention columns, which were designed with three recycled materials. The first column was packed with Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA). The second column was a Layered Media (LM), which has layers of RCA with crushed glass and rice husks. The columns were tested under intermittent and frequent operations of synthetic runoff with low and high feed concentrations. The effect of inflow concentration, antecedent dry days (ADD), column age, and the anticipated number of events (EN) was also statistically analyzed on the performance of columns. Depending on column types, nutrient removal was significantly (p < 0.05) increased under frequent flow operations by 26-53% over intermittent. However, TSS removal was notably (p < 0.05) increased by 23-35% under intermittent operations over frequent. Overall, LM showed an increased NO2-N (92 ± 2%) and NO3-N (88% ± 2%) removal under low feed frequent operations and TSS removal (97% ± 2%) under initial intermittent operations. On the contrary, RCA showed a maximum of 99% PO4-P removal under high feed frequent operations. Results showed that the nutrient outflow concentration was found to have a negative correlation with EN and column age and a positive correlation with ADDs throughout the experiments.
Intel Optane DCPMM and Serverless Computing.

This report describes 1) how we use Intel's Optane DCPMM in the memory Mode. We investigate the the scalability of applications on a single Optane machine, using Subgraph counting as memory-intensive graph problem. We test with various input graph and subtemplate sizes to determine its performance for different memory and CPU loads, as well as a comparison of performance on a single node Optane with a distributed set of nodes in a cluster using MPI. 2) We investigate the end-to-end execution delays in serverless computing and study concurrent function executions with cold starts. In future work, we will show that persistent memory machines may significantly improve concurrent function invocations in serverless computing including Amazon Lambda, Microsoft Azure Functions, Google Cloud Functions and IBM Cloud Functions (Apache OpenWhisk).
Trends in Usage of Telemedicine During and Post Covid-19 Pandemic Surge in NYC 2020

Background/Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust telemedicine to center stage in the U.S. healthcare landscape. Telemedicine, video and voice visits, has maintained access to medical care at a safe distance. In addition, its use has opened new avenues of application in continuity of chronic care. The way telemedicine is utilized in an urban, underserved population is not well-defined. Methods: This project takes place at a Federally Qualified Health Center located in Central Harlem in Manhattan that serves as a training site for internal medicine residents. Demographically, 45% of the patients identify as African American, 31% Latino and 58% live below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). With this cross-sectional study, we attempt to identify trends in the adoption and use of telemedicine services during and post COVID-19 pandemic Spring 2020 surge in NYC and its potential correlation to health disparities in our patient population. Results: We analyzed results based on age, zip code, and preferred language. During our study period of March to August 2020, 51% (n = 2898) of all visits were tele-visits. From March to May, 2020 (COVID-19 spring surge), 64% of visits were tele-visits. The elderly (>65 years) had 360 tele-visits of which 11% were video visits, lowest of all three groups. The highest utilization (43%) was seen in the 45–64 years age group. From June-August, 2020 (post-surge), there was a 36% decrease in tele-visits with the steepest decline seen in the elderly. Analysis of Central Harlem zip code data for the surge reveals that out of 816 tele-visits, 22% were video. Post surge, there was an overall decrease in the number of visits but an increase in video (n = 594 with 33% video). Sixteen zip codes with the highest FPL (>30%) had 17% tele-visits with 25% video. Again, post surge there was a drop in tele-visits but an increase in video by 35%. Primary language was English in 84% (74% voice and 26% video) of visits and Spanish in 12% (80% voice and 20% video) of tele-visits. Post surge, English was the preferred language in 89% of visits (65% voice, 35% video) with Spanish in 9% (87% voice and 13% video). Conclusion: The data reveals that despite a willingness to adopt telemedicine services and continue usage post surge, there are potential barriers to optimum utilization of video visits. Older age, technology awareness, and the need for interpreter services are all limiting factors. Further investigation into patient related factors is needed. From these trends, we hope to propose solutions to overcoming these barriers to healthcare access for chronic disease management well beyond the pandemic.
Separation of molecules, macromolecules and particles : principles, phenomena and processes

Introduction 1. Description of separation in a closed system 2. Description of separation in open separators 3. Physicochemical basis for separation 4. Separation in a closed vessel 5. Effect of chemical reaction on separation 6. Open separators: bulk flow parallel to force and continuous stirred tank separators 7. Separation in bulk flow of feed-containing phase perpendicular to the direction of the force 8. Bulk flow of two phases/regions perpendicular to the direction(s) of the force(s) 9. Cascades 10. Energy required for separation 11. Common separation sequences.
Token Finding Using Mobile Agents

One of the greatest challenges facing the software community today is the increasing complexity of software. Complexity limits understanding, making it difficult to evaluate the correctness, reliability, and performance of a system. Coupled with visualization, monitoring can provide users with insight into an application's behavior. Monitoring can also be used in conjunction with automated tools to adaptively tune performance. This paper presents a detailed look at how mobile agents that are embedded in a monitoring system can be used to find a token within a distributed system. Several strategies by which agents may accomplish this task are qualitatively compared. We then describe tests that were performed to evaluate trade-offs among the strategies considered, and discuss the results of those tests.
Complexity: Metaphors, Models, and Reality

Fundamental Concepts Examples of Complex Adaptive Systems Nonadaptive Systems, Scaling, Self-Similarity, and Measures of Complexity General Discussion Afterwords.
Myoelectric signal recognition using fuzzy clustering and artificial neural networks in real time

Application of EMG-controlled functional neuromuscular stimulation to a denervated muscle depends largely on the successful discrimination of the myoelectric signal (MES) by which the subject desires to execute control over the impeded movement. This can be achieved by an adaptive and flexible interface that is robust regardless of electrode location, strength of remaining muscle activity or even personal conditions. A real-time application of an artificial neural network that can accurate recognize the MES signature is proposed in this paper. MES features are first extracted through Fourier analysis and clustered using the fuzzy c-means algorithm. Data obtained by this unsupervised learning technique are then automatically targeted and presented to a multilayer perceptron type neural network. For real-time operation, a digital signal processor operates over the resulting set of weights and maps the incoming signal to the stimulus control domain. Results show a highly accurate discrimination of the control signal over interference patterns. >
Deformable registration of organic shapes via surface intrinsic integrals: application to outer ear surfaces

We propose a method for the deformable registration of organic surfaces. Meaningful correspondences between a source surface and a target surface are established by means of a rich surface descriptor that incorporates three categories of features: (1) local and regional geometry; (2) surface anatomy; and (3) global shape information. First, surface intrinsic, geodesic distance integrals, are exploited to constrain the global geodesic layout. Consequently, the resulting transformation ensures topological consistency. Local geometric features are then introduced to enforce local conformity of various regions. To this end, the extrema of appropriate curvatures -- the extrema of mean curvature, minima of Gauss and minimum principal curvature, and the maxima of maximum principal curvature -- are considered. Regional features are introduced through curvature integrals over various scales. On top of this, explicit anatomical priors are included, thereby resulting in anatomically more consistent registration. The source surface is deformed to the target by minimizing the energy of matching the source features to the target features under a Gaussian propagation model. We validate the proposed method with application to the outer ear surfaces.