cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contributions of recent barometric pressure trends to rates of sea level rise in southeastern Massachusetts (USA)

Abstract Rates of sea level rise can vary substantially along coastlines due to the many factors. These include inputs of freshwater from glaciers, vertical repositioning of land masses, wind conditions, ocean and atmospheric circulations, regional and local hydrology, salinity, and barometric pressure. This study focused on the effects that recent trends in the barometric pressure have had on sea level rise in southeastern Massachusetts (USA) between 1982 and 2015. Barometric pressure and sea level have a direct inverse relationship in that reductions in the former translate to increases in the latter, and vice versa. Analysis of uncorrected vs. barometrically-corrected sea level data from National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tide gauges in Boston Harbor and 54 nautical miles southeast of Nantucket indicate that between 6% and 21% of sea level rise can be attributed to significant declines barometric pressure, and the magnitude of the effect is highly seasonal. These trends may be the result of rising air temperatures in the region, and may strengthen with continued climate warming. The results help further our understanding of how local atmospheric trends on the order of several decades can influence the interpretation of relative sea level rise and assessments of coastal vulnerability to climate change. This is particularly important from the standpoint of salt marsh ecosystems, which have undergone major changes over the last several decades due to their inability to accrete vertically at the same rate as sea level rise, and are very sensitive to even minor hydrologic change over relatively short time scales.
Sexts from the royal infirmary

The body lies in its boredom and shit: desireroots through the interstices, between vacant stares and a wordthat reminds usof the whole echoing loveliness –like attending the wedding of two strange...
Laser confocal microscopic study of pH profiles of synthetic absorbable fibers upon in vitro hydrolytic degradation.

The objective of this study was to develop a new and non-destructive technique to measure the interior pH of synthetic absorbable biomaterials. Such a measurement would provide the required experimental evidence for validating the postulated theory that the accumulation of acidic hydrolytic degradation products within the interior of aliphatic polyesters is responsible for the observed accelerated degradation of this class of absorbable biomaterials. This new technique used a laser scanning confocal microscope coupled with pH sensitive fluorescent dyes like Texas Red sulfonyl chloride. The capability of optical thin sectioning of a laser confocal microscope would permit a non-destructive examination of the interior of biomaterials. Poly-p-dioxanone suture fibers (PDSII) of size 2/0 were used as the model compound for this new technique. The pH values of the unhydrolyzed and partially hydrolyzed PDSII fibers were found to decrease with increasing depth from the fiber surface and reached as low as about 3.5 at 70 microm depth. The largest depth that an interior pH could be measured within absorbable biomaterials was determined by the opacity of the biomaterials, i.e. a higher depth for a less opaque material. The observed interior pH profiles were correlated to the unique morphologic structure of PDSII fibers.
GazeGIS: A Gaze-Based Reading and Dynamic Geographic Information System

Location is an important component of a narrative. Mapped place names provide vital geographical, economic, historical, political, and cultural context for the text. Online sources such as news articles, travel logs, and blogs frequently refer to geographic locations, but often these are not mapped. When a map is provided, the reader is still responsible for matching references in the text with map positions. As they read a place name within the text, readers must locate its map position, then find their place again in the text to resume reading, and repeat this for each toponym. We propose a gaze-based reading and dynamic geographic information system (GazeGIS) which uses eye tracking and geoparsing to enable a more cohesive reading experience by dynamically mapping locations just as they are encountered within the text. We developed a prototype GazeGIS application and demonstrated its application to several narrative passages. We conducted a study in which participants read text passages using the system and evaluated their experience. We also explored an application for intelligence analysis and discuss how experts in this domain envision its use. Layman and intelligence expert evaluations indicate a positive reception for this new reading paradigm. This could change the way we read online news and e-books, the way school children study political science and geography, the way officers study military history, the way intelligence analysts consume reports, and the way we plan our next vacation.
Breast cancer detection using Ktrans MRI imaging to guide near infrared spectroscopy tomography

The parametric image of Volume Transfer Coefficient (Ktrans) in MRI has been used to guide image reconstruction of Near-Infrared Spectral Tomography (NIRST). The image reconstruction used direct regularization, in which no segmentation has been involved. A total of 24 patients were involved in this study and the reconstructed results show that the tumor total hemoglobin (HbT) contrast could be used to differentiate the malignant from the benign cases (p-value= 0.018). The addition of the MRI information allows more accurate and definitive HbT values from the NIRST.
Student and Teacher Perceptions Related to Behavior Change after Skillstreaming Training.

Social skills are important building blocks for attaining the social competence necessary for school and vocational adjustment. Comprehensive expectations in the classroom are similar to those in the workplace where social behaviors and skill performance are continuously being reviewed. Educators of emotionally disturbed students must deal with social problems that isolate students (Byrnes, 1990; Davis, 1989). Knapczyk (1988) pinpointed these problems as per taining to students' inabilities to conform to school codes. Since lack of conformity is viewed negatively, such behaviors can result in exclusion, ridicule, or isolation (Fox & McNeil, 1987) and place students with behavioral problems at risk for other mental health problems such as rejection, which Kerr and Nelson (1983) and Rubin and Clark (1983) reported as a signifi cant cause of delinquent behavior and academic failure. After confirming the importance of social skills training for community employment of stu dents with mild handicaps, Foss, Auty, and Irvin (1989) suggested that social skills instruc tion should have a high priority in curriculum planning. In any setting, the current focus is upon an effective curriculum which includes preventive and remedial approaches to social problems (Argyle, 1986; Kramer, 1988; Young & Kerr, 1979). McConnell (1987) suggested that the curriculum should include opportunities to partici pate in interpersonal communication in an environment where verbal interactions are ac cepted and students are guided to refine the effectiveness of their communication. Strain and Fox (1981) demonstrated that effective communication also enhances friendship build ing which is a major contributor to social and emotional health. When reminding us that peers of the emotionally disordered tend to remember negative behaviors and reacted with more negative behavior, Dodge (1983) reinforced the need for intervention strategies to in fluence interpersonal communication. Coaching techniques used in the Skillstreaming Curriculum (McGinnis & Goldstein, 1984) were designed to improve interpersonal communication in five groups of prosocial skills at the elementary level and six groups at the middle school level. The skills include classroom survival, friendship making, dealing with feelings, alternatives to aggression, dealing with stress, and planning. The present study was designed to examine effects of these coaching procedures on students' perceptions, of their social skills and teachers' perceptions concerning social be haviors of students staffed into classes for the behaviorally disordered. In addition, variables related to age, race, and socioeconomic status were examined.
Intimacy in Interpersonal Psychoanalysis

As a theoretical system, interpersonal psychoanalysis does not have the same formal structure as Freudian psychoanalysis or ego psychology. Interpersonal psychoanalysis can be conceptualized as an evolutionary, in contrast to an ideological, departure from the main stream of psychoanalytic thinking. This evolutionary movement was a function of three groups of factors: (a) the expansion of the explanatory framework of psychoanalysis beyond the biomechanical Freudian concepts to include anthropological, linguistic, sociological, and economic formulations; (b) the inclusion and concern with treatment for more disturbed patient populations, including the schizophrenic and those that would be considered narcissistic, schizoid, or borderline patients; and (c) a reaction against the increased emphasis on metapsychology and the formalized power structure of psychoanalysis. These evolutionary trends crystallized around the thoughts and activities of Harry Stack Sullivan, Erich Fromm, and Karen Horney, each of whom had a great deal of influence on developments in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. Interpersonal psychoanalysis can be thought of as a product of the works that have developed around the nuclei of Sullivan’s and Fromm’s contributions.
Picturing stimulated Raman adiabatic passage: a STIRAP tutorial

The procedure of stimulated-Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP), one of many well-established techniques for quantum-state manipulation, finds widespread application in chemistry, physics, and information processing. Numerous reviews discuss these applications, the history of its development, and some of the underlying physics. This tutorial supplies material useful as background for the STIRAP reviews as well as related techniques for adiabatic manipulation of quantum structures, with emphasis on the theory and simulation rather than on experimental results. It particularly emphasizes the picturing of behavior in various abstract vector spaces, wherein torque equations offer intuition about adiabatic changes. Appendices provide brief explanations of related coherent-excitation topics and useful evaluations of relative strengths of coherent transitions—the Rabi frequencies—involving Zeeman sublevels.
Risk of Cardiac Events Associated With Antidepressant Therapy in Patients With Long QT Syndrome.

Patients with long QT syndrome (LQTS) are at a high risk of cardiac events. Many patients with LQTS are treated with antidepressant drugs (ADs). We investigated the LQTS genotype-specific risk of recurrent cardiac arrhythmic events (CAEs) associated with AD therapy. The study included 59 LQT1 and 72 LQT2 patients from the Rochester-based LQTS Registry with corrected QT (QTc) prolongation and a history of AD therapy. Using multivariate Anderson-Gill models, we estimated the LQTS genotype-specific risk of recurrent CAEs (ventricular tachyarrhythmias, aborted cardiac arrest, or sudden cardiac death) associated with time-dependent ADs. Specifically, we examined the risk associated with all ADs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), and ADs classified on the CredibleMeds list ( www.CredibleMeds.org ) as “Conditional” or “Known risk of Torsades de pointes (TdP).” After adjusting for baseline QTc duration, sex, and time-dependent beta-blocker usage, there was an increased risk of recurrent CAEs associated with ADs in LQT1 patients (hazard ratio = 3.67, 95% confidence interval 1.98-6.82, p
Phylogenetic comparative chemical footprint analysis of the interaction between ribonuclease P RNA and tRNA

Abstract Ribonuclease P RNA is the catalytic moiety of the ribonucleoprotein enzyme that endonucleolytically cleaves precursor sequences from the 5' ends of pre-tRNAs. The bacterial RNase P RNA-tRNA complex was examined with a footprinting approach, utilizing chemical modification to determine RNase P RNA nucleotides that potentially contact tRNA. RNase P RNA was modified with dimethylsulfate or kethoxal in the presence or absence of tRNA, and sites of modification were detected by primer extension. Comparison of the results reveals RNase P bases that are protected from modification upon binding tRNA. Analyses were carried out with RNase P RNAs from three different bacteria: Escherichia coli, Chromatium vinosum and Bacillus subtilis. Discrete bases of these RNAs that lie within conserved, homologous portions of the secondary structures are similarly protected. One protection among all three RNAs was attributed to the precursor segment of pre-tRNA. Experiments using pre-tRNAs containing precursor segments of variable length demonstrate that a precursor segment of only 2-4 nucleotides is sufficient to confer this protection. Deletion of the 3'-terminal CCA sequence of tRNA correlates with loss of protection of a particular loop in the RNase P RNA secondary structure. Analysis of mutant tRNAs containing sequential 3'-terminal deletions suggests a relative orientation of the bound tRNA CCA to that loop.
Constitutive Equation for Compaction of Ceramic Powders

Die compaction is a widely applied technique for consolidation of ceramic powders. However, closed-die operations result in inhomogeneous densification. Die wall friction and complicated die shapes contribute to this. To reduce production costs, optimum processing is required. Thus, there is a need for a rational characterization and prediction of powder behavior.
96 – Diseases of Hypothalamic Origin

The hypothalamus integrates stimuli from a wide array of sources to control multiple behavioral, metabolic, and autonomic functions. Disruption of normal hypothalamic processes can result in altered water metabolism, temperature regulation, appetite control, sleep–wake cycles, circadian rhythms, and autonomic function. It is involved in memory, emotional expression, and behavior. The hypothalamus is also essential for control of anterior pituitary function, and abnormalities of the hypothalamus can result in both hyperfunction and hypofunction of the pituitary. Multiple etiologies can cause hypothalamic dysfunction, including congenital defects, tumors, infiltrative diseases, metabolic disturbances, infection, trauma, vascular insults, and irradiation. Patients with syndromes such as Prader–Willi, psychosocial short stature, and septo-optic dysplasia manifest multiple hypothalamic alterations. Hypothalamic hamartomas, germ cell tumors, gliomas, and craniopharyngiomas commonly disrupt normal hypothalamic functioning, and attempts to treat these lesions often result in persistent hypothalamic deficits. Critical illness, traumatic brain injury, and cranial irradiation have become more recognized etiologies of hypothalamic dysfunction requiring hormonal replacement.
Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy of C7H7+ Isomers in the Gas Phase: Benzylium and Tropylium.

Both prominent C7H7+ isomers, the benzylium and the tropylium cations, were generated in an electrical discharge/supersonic expansion from toluene and cycloheptatriene precursors. Their infrared spectra were measured in the region of 1000–3500 cm–1 using photodissociation of the respective argon- and nitrogen-tagged complexes with a broadly tunable OPO/OPA laser system. Spectral signatures of both isomers were observed independent of the precursor, albeit in different relative intensities. The spectra were assigned based on scaled harmonic B3LYP-D3/cc-pVTZ frequency computations and comparisons to previous experimental studies. Consistent with its high symmetry, only two bands were observed for the (nitrogen-tagged) tropylium ion at 3036 and 1477 cm–1, corresponding to C–H stretching and C–C–H deformation/C═C stretching vibrations, respectively. Furthermore, the C–H stretching region of the benzylium ion is reported for the first time.
Encyclopedia of Pest Management, Volume II

With contributions from more than 200 esteemed international authorities and containing approximately 200 entries, the Encyclopedia of Pest Management, Volume II is a key reference for professionals in academia, industry, and government, as well as students at all levels. Containing completely new entries, this volume is designed to be regularly co
Immobilization of Captive Wapiti Cervus canadensis with Azaperone and Xylazine

Abstract Xylazine, an α2-adrenoreceptor agonist, is commonly used in combination with other drugs for safe and effective immobilization of North American wapiti Cervus canadensis. Azaperone is a ne...
Secreted IL12p40 finds IL12p35 in the extracellular milieu to generate functional IL-12 cytokine

IL-12 is a cytokine produced by dendritic cells (DCs) that critically regulates the differentiation of naive T cells into IFNγ producing effectors. The canonical view is that IL-12 is secreted only after the 40 kDa (p40) and 35 kDa (p35) subunits form a heterodimer inside a DC. However, the p40 subunit is also released from DCs as a monomer whose function is unclear. We previously hypothesized that secreted p40 could bind p35 in the extracellular milieu to generate functional IL-12 cytokine. Indeed, in vitro experiments using lysates of CHO cells that overexpressed p40 and p35 showed that such a heterodimer could stably form outside the cell. In order to evaluate if such an extracellular assembly happens in vivo , mixed bone marrow chimeras were set up using p35−/− and p40−/− cells. In this model, since no cell can make both p40 and p35, any IL-12 activity would have to be generated by extracellular assembly of these subunits. Infection of such chimeric mice with Leishmania major showed IFNg production in the draining lymph nodes, suggesting that functional IL-12 may be able to assemble outside of DCs in vivo .
Characterization of Adult Functional Traits of Local Populations and Cultivars of Sandberg Bluegrass and Bottlebrush Squirreltail Perennial Bunchgrasses.

Plant functional traits offer an understanding of the plant’s ability to cope with varying environmental impositions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the above and belowground adult morphological and chemical composition traits of local populations of Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda J. Presl) and Bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides (Raf.) Swezey) collected in Nevada and their cultivated varieties. A total of six replications (one seedling each) from each population and cultivar of the two native perennial bunchgrasses were used in a randomized complete block design experiment. Each of the six seedlings from each sourced population was transplanted into individual tree pots (28 cm diameter × 61 cm height) containing 20.4 kg of air-dried Orr gravelly sandy loam soil in mid-November, 2015 and remained in the pots for the duration of the study (23 June, 2016). Traits evaluated were, plant height, leaf length, inflorescence length, shoot biomass, forage nutritive value, root morphological traits, and root carbon and nitrogen content. Traits means were considered different at P < 0.05. For Sandberg bluegrass, the cultivar ‘Mountain Home’ and the population from Panther Valley tended to have greater biomass than the population from Button Point but overall, the average of the two cultivars (10.8 g/plant) did not differ in shoot biomass relative to the local populations (7.6 g/plant). For squirreltail, plant height for the George St. Sonoma and Grass Valley populations (71.3 cm) was greater than the cultivars ‘Toe Jam Creek’ and ‘Vale’ (40.5 cm) but cultivars had greater biomass (12.6 g/plant) than the local populations (5.8 g/plant). Total root length and root diameter were not different among the Sanberg bluegrass and squirreltail populations. The results from traits expounded on in this study indicate the closeness of these populations for both species at their adult stage and provide insights for building a unified framework approach among the different agencies and restoration practitioners to aid in plant assemblages for restoration success in the Great Basin and beyond.
Survey of the near wake of an axial-flow hydrokinetic turbine in the presence of waves

Abstract Flow field results are presented for the near-wake of an axial-flow hydrokinetic turbine in the presence of surface gravity waves. The turbine is a 1/25 scale, 0.8 m diameter, two bladed turbine based on the U.S. Department of Energy's Reference Model 1 tidal current turbine. Measurements were obtained in the large towing tank facility at the U.S. Naval Academy with the turbine towed at a constant carriage speed and a tip speed ratio selected to provide maximum power. The turbine has been shown to be nearly scale independent for these conditions. The selected wave form was intended to represent oceanic swell encountered off the U.S. eastern seaboard. The resulting model wave is a deep water wave, in terms of relative depth, traveling with the “current”, in the opposite direction of the towing carriage. Velocity measurements were obtained using a submersible, planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) system at streamwise distances of up to two diameters downstream of the rotor plane. PIV ensembles were obtained for phase locked conditions with the reference blade at the horizontal position. Phase averaged results for no-wave and wave conditions are presented for comparison showing further expansion of the wake and shear layer in the presence of waves as compared to the no-wave case. When ensembles are selectively sampled on the wave phase, a high degree of coherency is shown to remain and the wake width is shown to undulate with the passing of the wave, with the vertical displacement range on the same order as that of a particle under similar conditions. The impact of waves on turbine tip vortex helical structure is also examined. Waves are shown to change the location of adjacent helices. In the streamwise direction, this changes the pitch of the helix, shown in previous studies to affect the downstream wake recovery distance. In the vertical direction, depending on the wave-induced flow field at the time they were created, vortices are forced outward, into the mean flow or inward, into the wake core, potentially enhancing kinetic energy transport and accelerating the re-energization process.
Co-axial fibrous silicon asymmetric membranes for high-capacity lithium-ion battery anode

Silicon as a promising candidate for the next-generation high-capacity lithium-ion battery anode is characterized by outstanding capacity, high abundance, low operational voltage, and environmental benignity. However, large volume changes during Si lithiation and de-lithiation can seriously impair its long-term cyclability. Although extensive research efforts have been made to improve the electrochemical performance of Si-based anodes, there is a lack of efficient fabrication methods that are low cost, scalable, and self-assembled. In this report, co-axial fibrous silicon asymmetric membrane has been synthesized using a scalable and straightforward phase inversion method combined with dip coating as inspired by the hollow fiber membrane technology that has been successfully commercialized over the last decades to provide billions of gallons of purified drinking water worldwide. We demonstrate that ~ 90% initial capacity of co-axial fibrous Si asymmetric membrane electrode can be maintained after 300 cycles applying a current density of 400 mA g−1. The diameter of fibers, size of silicon particles, type of polymers, and exterior coating have been identified as critical factors that can influence the electrode stability, initial capacity, and rate performance. Much enhanced electrochemical performance can be harvested from a sample that has thinner fiber diameter, smaller silicon particle, lower silicon content, and porous carbon coating. This efficient and scalable approach to prepare high-capacity silicon-based anode with outstanding cyclability is fully compatible with industrial roll-to-roll processing technology, thus bearing a great potential for its future commercialization.
The Synergistic Benefits of Systematic and Random Interleaving for Second Language Grammar Learning

Repeatedly switching between a series of to-be-learned topics, also called interleaved practice, can improve learning over traditional, one-topic-at-a-time blocked practice. We investigated whether interleaving's benefits for second language learning are facilitated by random schedules, wherein training trials follow unpredictable patterns, or by systematically alternating schedules, wherein trials are predictably sorted. Students learned to conjugate Spanish verbs in the preterite and imperfect tenses and then took a 48-hr delayed verb conjugation test. A consistently random (Experiment 1) or systematically alternating schedule (Experiment 2) did not improve learning versus blocking. However, the combination of both types–systematic alternation for study trials and randomization for practice trials–enhanced learning (Experiments 3–4). Thus, neither interleaving schedule alone appears to be sufficient; for verb conjugation skills and likely other materials involving study and problem-solving practice, both are needed. Interleaving's benefits are therefore impacted by the alignment between training schedule and task type.
Musculoskeletal injury survivors' resiliency: A systematic review.

Abstract Background Musculoskeletal traumas are on the rise in the United States; however, limited studies are available to help trauma providers assess and treat concerns beyond the physical impact. Little is understood about the psychological, social, and spiritual factors that protect patients from adverse effects after a physical trauma or their experiences with each factor afterward. Objective This systematic review was conducted to investigate and review advancements in research related to risk and resiliency factors experienced by survivors of traumatic musculoskeletal injuries. The use of biopsychosocial-spiritual (BPS–S) framework and resiliency theory guided the analysis. Methods Researchers reviewed 1003 articles, but only seven met the search criteria. Due to the complexity and uniqueness of traumatic brain injuries, studies on that target population were excluded. Results Of the seven articles reviewed, three identified psychological protective factors that protect against negative health outcomes; three identified negative psychological, social, or spiritual outcomes; and none investigated social or spiritual health. Conclusions There are significant gaps in the literature surrounding risk and resiliency factors related to the BPS-S health of musculoskeletal injury survivors.
Corollary child outcomes from the Pyramid Model professional development intervention efficacy trial

Abstract Professional development (PD) focused on social, emotional, and behavioral teaching practices has been identified as a critical need for preschool teachers. The Pyramid Model for Promoting Social Emotional Competence is a multi-tiered framework of evidence-informed teaching practices. Previous studies have shown that PD, which includes workshops, implementation supports, and controlled doses of Practice-Based Coaching, is associated with teachers’ improved fidelity of implementation of Pyramid Model practices. Some studies have shown corollary improvements in child outcomes. The present study reports corollary child outcomes from a cluster randomized efficacy trial examining effects of a PD intervention versus business-as-usual (BAU) PD. Ninety-two teachers and 997 children in these teachers’ classrooms, including 250 focal children at elevated risk for poor social, emotional, or behavioral outcomes, participated. Data on social, emotional, behavioral, and other developmental outcomes were collected pre-intervention and post-intervention for all children via teacher-completed rating scales. Data for focal children were collected on social interactions and challenging behavior using an observational coding system and for other developmental outcomes through direct child assessment. Results showed statistically significant and noteworthy effects for children whose teachers were in the PD intervention versus BAU PD for both non-focal and focal children's social skills and challenging behavior. By post-intervention, focal children whose teachers were in the PD intervention condition showed greater rates of social interaction than their peers in BAU teachers’ classrooms. No statistically significant or noteworthy differences were found for other child development outcomes. Mediation of treatment effects based on teachers’ Pyramid Model practice implementation was evidenced for social and behavioral child outcomes. Moderator analyses for select teacher and classroom variables showed differential treatment effects for non-focal children’s challenging behavior in classrooms with higher child-to-adult ratios. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Semi-supervised clustering of time-dependent categorical sequences with application to discovering education-based life patterns:

A new approach to the analysis of heterogeneous categorical sequences is proposed. The first-order Markov model is employed in a finite mixture setting with initial state and transition probabiliti...
Ten or More Cumulative Lifetime Adenomas Are Associated with Increased Risk for Advanced Neoplasia and Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening guidelines recommend frequent colonoscopies and consideration of genetic testing in individuals with ≥10 cumulative adenomas. However, it is unclear how these guidelines apply to routine practice. We estimated the proportion of participants found to have ≥10 cumulative adenomas in a screening population and described their outcomes of advanced neoplasia (AN), CRC, and extra-colonic malignancy. We performed a secondary analysis of VA CSP#380, which includes 3121 veterans aged 50–75 who were followed up to 10 years after screening colonoscopy. We calculated the cumulative risk of ≥10 cumulative adenomas by Kaplan–Meier method. We compared baseline risk factors in those with and without ≥10 cumulative adenomas as well as the risk for AN (adenoma ≥1 cm, villous adenoma or high-grade dysplasia, or CRC) and extra-colonic malignancy by multivariate logistic regression. The cumulative risk of ≥10 cumulative adenomas over 10.5 years was 6.51% (95% CI 4.38%–9.62%). Age 60–69 or 70–75 at baseline colonoscopy was the only factors associated with the finding of ≥10 cumulative adenomas. Compared to those with 0–9 cumulative adenomas, participants with ≥10 cumulative adenomas were more likely to have had AN (OR 17.03; 95% CI 9.41–30.84), including CRC (OR 7.00; 95% CI 2.84–17.28), but not extra-colonic malignancies. Approximately 6.5% of participants in this screening population were found to have ≥10 cumulative adenomas over 10.5 years, which was uncommon before age 60. These participants were found to have AN and CRC significantly more often compared to those with lower cumulative adenomas.
An Ultra-low Power RSSI Amplifier for EEG Feature Extraction to Detect Seizures

This paper presents an ultra-low power received signal strength indicator (RSSI) amplifier circuit that can be used to detect seizures through feature extraction from electroencephalography (EEG) signals. The RSSI-based feature extraction method provides a low-power area-efficient solution for analog computing based seizure detection hardware. A 6-stage RSSI amplifier circuit was designed in 65nm CMOS technology to cover the dynamic range of EEG signals with an area of 266μm×531μm. Measurement results of the RSSI circuit show that it has a power consumption of 31.6nW, covers a 45dB dynamic range, and has a linearity error of less than ±1dB.
'The People' and 'The People': Disaggregating Citizen Lawmaking from Popular Constitutionalism

This essay examines the relationship between popular constitutionalism and ballot initiatives like the anti-Affirmative Action Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI). I argue that dominant theories of popular constitutionalism today can be understood - and the borders they share with the wider corpus of studies on constitutional change can be demarcated - by thinking of constitutions that either live among people or that are entombed in glass cases. This analysis distinguishes between popular constitutionalism and a ballot initiative-oriented notion of constitutional change that I call initiative constitutionalism. This Essay argues that under an among people definition of popular constitutionalism, however else the MCRI might be understood, it should not be understood as an expression of popular constitutionalism. Popular constitutionalism and initiative constitutionalism advance substantially different models for tempering democracy and other fundamental values. To conflate these models is to eliminate our chance to debate the merits of each, and instead to assume that each of their products has balanced democracy and other fundamental values in the same (and proper) way. This assumption is worth questioning. In bypassing the affirmative action debate, then, I seek not to avoid it, but to clarify the context in which we place it. Such a project is especially important today, because popular constitutionalism is the legal academy's theory du jour.
Molecular landscape of vulvovaginal squamous cell carcinoma: new insights into molecular mechanisms of HPV-associated and HPV-independent squamous cell carcinoma.

Squamous cell carcinomas of the lower female genital tract may be human papillomavirus-associated or independent. We studied the HPV status, mutational repertoire, histology, and clinical data of 28 samples from 26 patients, 65% with a vulvar primary and 35% with a vaginal primary. These represented invasive vulvovaginal squamous cell carcinomas that underwent clinical tumor-normal targeted massively parallel sequencing analysis. HPV status was determined using the HPV high-risk RNA ISH assay and/or by MSK-IMPACT. Eleven patients had HPV-associated squamous cell carcinoma (four vulvar and seven vaginal) and 15 patients had HPV-independent SqCC (13 vulvar and 2 vaginal). Well-differentiated squamous cell carcinomas were always HPV-independent. HPV-independent moderately and poorly differentiated carcinomas frequently had alterations in the NOTCH signaling pathway (6/7), which were also associated with increased tumor budding (P: 0.002). HPV-associated vulvovaginal squamous cell carcinoma had PIK3CA activating mutations (7/11, 64%) as the most common genomic event, while TERT gene alterations, mainly TERT promoter mutations (14/15 cases, 93%) featured significantly in HPV-independent carcinomas. Other common abnormalities in HPV-independent tumors were TP53 mutations (13/15, 87%), CDKN2A alterations (10/15, 67%), and NOTCH1 and FAT1 mutations (7/15, 47% each). A subset of both HPV-associated and -independent tumors had NOTCH pathway alterations (6/11, 55% and 10/15, 67% respectively), but different genes in this pathway were altered in these tumors. In summary, TERT, TP53, CDKN2A, and NOTCH1 gene alterations strongly point away from an HPV-driven process (odds ratios: 0.01, 0.07, 0, and 0, respectively with p values < 0.02 for all four genes), while PIK3CA activating mutations without the other mutations strongly favors an HPV-driven tumor (odds ratio: 10.12, p value: 0.016). HPV-independent carcinomas are more likely to be moderately-poorly differentiated with intermediate to high tumor cell budding. Cancer cell fraction analysis of HPV-independent squamous carcinomas suggests that TERT and/or NOTCH1 alterations along with TP53 alterations can be the initiating event in these tumors.
Hybrid MPC System for Platoon based Cooperative Lane change Control Using Machine Learning Aided Distributed Optimization

ABSTRACT This study is devoted to developing a platoon-based cooperative lane-change control (PB-CLC). It coordinates the trajectories of a CAV platoon under a platoon-centered platooning control to accommodate the CAV lane-change requests from its adjacent lane, aiming to reduce the negative traffic impacts on the platoon resulting from lane-change maneuvers, on the premise of ensuring CAVs’ safety and mobility. Mathematically, the PB-CLC control is established using a hybrid model predictive control (MPC) system. The hybrid MPC system involves an MPC-based mixed integer nonlinear programming optimizer (MINLP-MPC) for optimal lane-change decisions, which considers multiple objectives such as traffic smoothness, driving comfort and lane-change response promptness subject to vehicle dynamics and safety constraints. To ensure the feasible lane-change, this study investigates and provides a lower bound of the lane-change time window by analyzing the MINLP-MPC model feasibility. Apart from the optimal lane-change decision consideration, the hybrid MPC system is well designed to ensure the control continuity and smoothness. In particular, the hybrid MPC system control feasibility and stability are proved to enable the platoon's back-and-forth state switchings between car-following and lane-change accommodation states. Next, we developed a machine learning aided distributed branch and bound algorithm (ML-DBB) to solve the MINLP-MPC model within a control sampling time interval (
Auger Studies of Damage and Charging in NaCl

In this study we observe that the positions of Auger signals shift from slightly below (∼10 eV) the tabulated values to well above (>150 eV). The observed shifts can be understood by a simple model of surface charging based on the change in the secondary electron emission of the damaged region.
High Flow Nasal Cannulas for Oxygenation: An Audit of Its Use in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract: Background High flow nasal cannulas (HFNCs) provide humidified oxygen at higher flow rates and higher FiO 2 s than conventional delivery devices and are typically used in special care units. There is limited information on their use in general hospital settings. Methods The medical records of all patients who were treated with HFNC during the calendar year 2014 were retrospectively reviewed to collect information on age, sex, indications, arterial blood gases when available, O 2 saturations and outcomes. Results One hundred six patients received oxygen supplementation by HFNC in their hospital in 2014. The average age was 61.6 ± years; 62 patients were men. The indications for HFNC included dyspnea (1 patient), hypoxemic respiratory failure (101 patients) and hypercapneic respiratory failure (4 patients). The PaO 2 increased from 68.2 ± 16.3 mm Hg to 83.1 ± 32.2 mm Hg (N = 32, P = 0.02) with the change to HFNC. The O 2 saturation increased from 93.1 ± 4.5% to 95.1 ± 3.0% (N = 106, P = 0.00015). The mean duration of use was 4.3 ± days. Sixty-five patients did not require intubation or noninvasive ventilation (NIV). Sixteen required NIV, 16 required intubation and 9 required both. The overall mortality was 15%. Conclusions HFNC oxygen therapy is used relatively frequently in their hospital on surgical and medical services. PaO 2 s and O 2 saturations improved when patients were switched to this mode of oxygenation, but some patients subsequently required NIV and/or intubation. Patients on HFNC need careful monitoring for deterioration in their respiratory status.
IDENTIFICATION OF THE STRUCTURAL GENE FOR β-GLUCOSIDASE IN SACCHAROMYCES LACTIS

Herman, Alberta (University of Wisconsin, Madison) and Harlyn Halvorson. Identification of the structural gene for β-glucosidase in Saccharomyces lactis . J. Bacteriol. 85: 895–900. 1963.—Three allelic forms (B h, m, l ) of the structural gene for β-glucosidase have been identified in the yeast Saccharomyces lactis . Evidence that these are structural gene alleles includes the independent expression of the alleles in homozygous and heterozygous diploids and differences in the specificity and in the physical properties of the enzyme produced in response to the various allelic mutations. Two factors, one controlling production of the pulcherrimin-like pigment, the other β-galactosidase activity, are linked to the B locus. The β-glucosidase in these strains hydrolyzes the chromogenic substrate, p -nitrophenyl-β-d-glucoside, arbutin, salicin, and esculin. Cellobiose, on the other hand, is hydrolyzed by another enzyme.
Camera cluster in motion: motion estimation for generalized camera designs

The first comparison of different types of cameras (as opposed to different algorithms) for the ego-motion estimation problem is presented. As technology and computational power increase, the effectiveness of visual algorithms is limited only by inherent statistical uncertainties in the problems they are solving. The Fisher information matrix is a powerful analysis technique that can apply to any problem that involves searching for a parameter set that minimizes an error function. This includes problems such as pose-estimation, object recognition, or classification. Designing camera systems optimized for particular tasks may significantly improve the success of visual algorithms.
Theorizing Multilateralism in a Time of Unipolarity

Coalitions of Convenience: United States Military Interventions after the Cold War. By Sarah E. Kreps . Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2011. 223 pp., $27.95 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-199-75380-2). In Coalitions of Convenience , Sarah Kreps addresses a key puzzle in both American foreign policy and great power politics: Why, despite its overwhelming military power, is the United States more likely to intervene multilaterally than to “go it alone”? In 10 post–Cold War interventions, the United States acted unilaterally—that is, without the support of an international institution and with a minimal number of partners—only twice. All other interventions involved various levels of institutional support and military cooperation (p. 22). Noting that this striking empirical variation is inconsistent with either a structural account, which would predict constant unilateralism, or a normative one, which would anticipate constant multilateralism, she offers an alternative based on (i) the unique American position atop the global power hierarchy (in that it often does not “need” much military assistance) and (ii) specific features of particular conflicts: the immediacy of threats (“time horizon”) and the effort required to produce a successful outcome (“operational commitment”). At its core, the theory is rooted in a notion of global order founded on power and maintained by its legitimate exercise. Powerful states would like to preserve their dominant positions, which they can achieve through strategic restraint, reassuring weaker states otherwise concerned about future exploitation and discouraging balancing behavior (Ikenberry 2001 …
XRANK: ranked keyword search over XML documents

We consider the problem of efficiently producing ranked results for keyword search queries over hyperlinked XML documents. Evaluating keyword search queries over hierarchical XML documents, as opposed to (conceptually) flat HTML documents, introduces many new challenges. First, XML keyword search queries do not always return entire documents, but can return deeply nested XML elements that contain the desired keywords. Second, the nested structure of XML implies that the notion of ranking is no longer at the granularity of a document, but at the granularity of an XML element. Finally, the notion of keyword proximity is more complex in the hierarchical XML data model. In this paper, we present the XRANK system that is designed to handle these novel features of XML keyword search. Our experimental results show that XRANK offers both space and performance benefits when compared with existing approaches. An interesting feature of XRANK is that it naturally generalizes a hyperlink based HTML search engine such as Google. XRANK can thus be used to query a mix of HTML and XML documents.
CHROMOGENIC ASSAY FOR PHOSPHOLIPASE C FROM BACILLUS CEREUS

A standard chromogenic assay for phosphatidylcholine determination has been modified in the development of a facile method for measuring the rate parameters (Km and Vmax) for phosphatidylcholine-preferring phospholipase C from Bacillus cereus (PLCBc). The assay is applied to the determination of the Ki for a known inhibitor of PLCBc.
Ommaya reservoirs for the treatment of leptomeningeal metastases.

Objective Ommaya reservoirs are frequently used to deliver intraventricular chemotherapy in cancer patients with leptomeningeal metastases. We review techniques of catheter placement and complication avoidance. Methods Between January 1995 and June 1998, Ommaya reservoirs were placed in 107 patients for the treatment or prophylaxis of leptomeningeal metastases at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Patients with slit ventricles (total, 25) underwent preoperative pneumoencephalography for ventricular dilation. Intraoperative fluoroscopic guidance was used in 77 patients to confirm the catheter tip position at the foramen of Monro. Other intraoperative aids included endoscopy in 21 patients, ultrasound in 7, and stereotaxy in 6. No aids were used in 3 patients, more than one aid was used in 9, and the technique could not be determined retrospectively in 3. Results The median survival of patients treated for leptomeningeal metastases was 9 months (Kaplan-Meier method). Eight patients developed hydrocephalus requiring conversion of the Ommaya reservoir to a ventriculoperitoneal shunt and precluding delivery of chemotherapeutic agents. An additional 11 patients referred for Ommaya reservoir placement demonstrated elevated intracranial pressure requiring an initial ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Complications of Ommaya reservoir placement occurred in 10 patients (9.3%) and included two infections, five catheter malpositions, and three intracranial hemorrhages. Two deaths occurred secondary to intracranial hemorrhage: one after postoperative anticoagulation for a mechanical heart valve, and one attributed to treatment-related thrombocytopenia. Nine patients (8.4%) had treatment-related imaging abnormalities; seven were asymptomatic and two developed symptomatic leukoencephalopathy. Conclusion Complications associated with Ommaya reservoirs can be minimized by intraoperative confirmation of the catheter position with fluoroscopic guidance and/or endoscopy. We recommend postoperative computed tomographic scans before initiation of intraventricular chemotherapy. Patients with elevated intracranial pressure may require shunting procedures in lieu of Ommaya reservoir placement.
Dual-Polarization Radar Characteristics of an Apartment Fire

Abstract Dual-polarimetric microwave wavelength radar observations of an apartment fire in Huntsville, Alabama, on 3 March 2008 are examined to determine the radar-observable properties of ash and fire debris lofted into the atmosphere. Dual-polarimetric observations are collected at close range (<20 km) by the 5-cm (C band) Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR) radar operated by the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Precipitation radars, such as ARMOR, are not sensitive to aerosol-sized (D < 10 μm) smoke particles, but they are sensitive to the larger ash and burnt debris embedded within the smoke plume. The authors also assess if turbulent eddies caused by the heat of the fire cause Bragg scattering to occur at the 5-cm wavelength. In this example, the mean reflectivity within the debris plume from the 1.3° elevation scan was 9.0 dBZ, with a few values exceeding 20 dBZ. The plume is present more than 20 km downstream of the fire, with debris lofted at least 1 km above gro...