cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thalidomide: Tragic Past and Promising Future

Supported in part by grants CA107476, CA93842, CA100080, and CA62242 from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md; the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation; the Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships; the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society; and the Celgene Corporation. Dr Rajkumar has received research support from Celgene Corp to conduct clinical trials with thalidomide and CC-5013 at the Mayo Clinic.
Discrimination in the market for public school teachers

Abstract We seek to provide an answer to the question, ‘How much is required to induce white teachers to teach in black schools?’ using cross section data from the Coleman Report for 1965. The conceptual framework underlying estimation is a model of the spatial distribution of teachers based on the theory of equal advantage. School characteristics, including student racial composition, intelligence of students, student motivational indicators and neighborhood hazards are found to be important sources of real wage variation in the teachers' market. The estimates imply that a minimum increment of $300 (and probably more) was required for average white teachers to accept average black teachers' school characteristics in 1965.
Choosing Daughters: Exploring Why Mothers Favor Adult Daughters over Sons:

This article uses quantitative and qualitative data from 424 mothers' relationships with 1,494 adult children to explore gender differences in mothers' choices of children as sources of support and...
EFFECT OF NITROGEN FERTILIZATION ON STAY-GREEN AND SENESCENT SORGHUM HYBRIDS IN SAND CULTURE

Nitrogen (N) is vital in the production of N containing compounds in cereal crops. Stay-greenness in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is characterized by the plant's ability to retain water and chlorophyll content at maturity. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of the genotypic variability between stay-green (BT × 643) and senescent (RT × 7000) hybrids for leaf senescence, dry matter partitioning and N partitioning under three N levels (0.45, 0.90, 1.80 g plant−1). The stay-green hybrid had a higher percentage green leaf area at 120 DAE with a higher residual N in leaves. The chlorophyll meter (SPAD-502) values for the stay-green hybrid during anthesis (75 and 85 DAE) were higher compared to its senescent counterpart. The results indicated that the expression of stay-green phenotype in sorghum was contingent on a minimum N supply of 1.35 g plant−1 and associated with greater N acquisition. Nitrogen use and uptake in the stay-green hybrid were higher.
Improved contrast and spatial resolution with single photon counting (SPC) for an area X-ray imager, the newly developed high-resolution Micro-Angiographic Fluoroscopic (MAF) detector

Although in radiological imaging, the prevailing mode of acquisition is the integration of the energy deposited by all x-rays absorbed in the imaging detector, much improvement in image spatial and contrast resolution could be achieved if each individual x-ray photon were detected and counted separately. In this work we compare the conventional energy integration (EI) mode with the new single photon counting (SPC) mode for a recently developed high-resolution Micro-Angiographic Fluoroscopic (MAF) detector, which is uniquely capable of both modes of operation. The MAF has 1024×1024 pixels of 35 microns effective size and is capable of real-time imaging at 30 fps. The large variable gain of its light image intensifier (LII) provides quantum limited operation with essentially no additive instrumentation noise and enables the MAF to operate in both EI and the very sensitive low-exposure SPC modes. We used high LII gain with very low exposure (<1 x-ray photon/pixel) per frame for SPC mode and higher exposure per frame with lower gain for EI mode. Multiple signal-thresholded frames were summed in SPC mode to provide an integrated frame with the same total exposure as EI mode. A heavily K-edge filtered x-ray beam (average energy of 31 keV) was used to provide a nearly monochromatic spectrum. The MTF measured using a standard slit method showed a dramatic improvement for the SPC mode over the EI mode at all frequencies. Images of a line pair phantom also showed improved spatial resolution with 12 lp/mm visible in SPC mode compared to only 8 lp/mm in EI mode. In SPC mode, images of human distal and middle phalanges showed the trabecular structures of the bone with far better contrast and detail. These improvements with the SPC mode should be advantageous for clinical applications where high resolution and/or high contrast are essential such as in mammography and extremity imaging as well as for dual modality applications, which combine nuclear medicine and x-ray imaging using a single detector.
Present-day pattern of Cordilleran deformation in the western United States

We present the first detailed geodetic image of the entire western United States south of lat 42°N, merging both campaign and continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) data sets in a combined solution for station velocities having a single, uniform reference frame. The results are consistent with a number of features previously observed through local geodetic studies and very sparse space geodetic studies, including a dominant pattern of right-lateral shear associated with the San Andreas fault, rates of the westernmost sites (along the California coast) of 46–48 mm/yr relative to a North America reference frame, and some 11–13 mm/yr of deformation accommodated east of the Sierra Nevada in the Basin and Range province north of lat 36°N. South of 36°N, the solution also shows that the southernmost San Andreas fault system accommodates effectively all interplate motion and that the southern Basin and Range is not deforming significantly. At lat 37°N, the eastern California shear zone appears to exhibit simple shear oriented between ∼N20°W and ∼N40°W relative to North America, with a fairly well defined transition zone from localized shear to diffuse spreading in the Basin and Range. Enigmatically, this transition involves a significant component of contraction normal to the overall shear-zone trend; sites in the Great Basin move southwestward at up to ∼5 mm/yr toward sites within the eastern California shear zone. To the north, in contrast, there appears to be a relatively smooth transition from east-west spreading within the eastern Great Basin to northwest-southeast shear across the westernmost Basin and Range.
Pulsed electrodeposition into AAO templates for CVD growth of carbon nanotube arrays

Anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) templates for multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) growth were produced by anodization of aluminium followed by pulse-reverse electrodeposition of cobalt inside the AAO pores. Cobalt functioned as the catalyst for H2/C2H2 chemical vapour deposition (CVD) growth of fairly well graphitized MWCNTs initiating inside the majority of the AAO pores and quickly growing beyond the pore confines. A technique is introduced for the production of AAO templates that fill evenly during pulsed electrodeposition. The electrodeposition produced an active metallic catalyst in the pore bottoms, with minimal over-filling. This process also eliminates the reduction step necessary when alternating current (AC) electrodeposition is used for filling AAO pores.
Standardized letter of recommendation for pediatric fellowship selection.

Objectives/Hypothesis: To develop a pediatric otolaryngology fellowship selection standardized letter of recommendation (SLOR). Study Design: SLOR and narrative letter of recommendation (NLOR) comparison study. Methods: An SLOR was created to investigate qualities desired in fellows using five content-based categories: writer background, comparison of the applicant to contemporaries and predecessors, applicant's qualifications for pediatric otolaryngology, a global assessment of the applicant, and a summary statement about the applicant. In phase I, the SLORs were completed, including writing time, by the applicant's pediatric otolaryngology chief. In phase II, letters were ranked on Likert-type scales for the content-based categories, reviewer's overall ranking, and ease of review by six otolaryngologists. Reviewers recorded time needed to review each letter. Results: Nineteen SLORs (73%) were collected. Mean writing time was 8.84 ± 3.87 minutes. Interrater reliability was higher on the SLORs in the content-based sections and the overall ranking. Ranking times were lower on the SLORs. Mean and median rankings were higher on the SLORs for writer background, comparison of the applicant to contemporaries and predecessors, applicant's qualifications for pediatric otolaryngology, and ease of review; mean global assessment of the applicant, summary statement about the applicant, and overall rankings were lower on the SLORs. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first inquiry using an SLOR developed for otolaryngology. SLORs are an alternative to NLORs for fellowship selection that offers improved reliability and efficiency. Further investigation using SLORs in otolaryngology residency selection is merited.
Tracheal diverticulum masquerading as pneumomediastinum in a trauma victim

BACKGROUND The differential diagnosis for a paratracheal air collection includes Zenker diverticulum, tracheal diverticulum, apical herniation of the lung, and pneumomediastinum. In the setting of trauma, pneumomediastinum is traditionally regarded as an alarm sign that warrants investigation for tracheal or esophageal rupture,both highly morbid conditions. CASE REPORT A patient presented to the emergency department with neck pain several hours after being involved in a low-speed,side-impact automobile collision. She was discharged with analgesics after cervical spine radiographs showed no fracture and physical examination found no neurological deficits. She returned 18 days later with retrosternal pain and worsening neck pain, and cervical computed tomographic scan demonstrated an abnormal paratracheal air collection. Follow-up chest computed tomographic scan identified a right-sided tracheal diverticulum without evidence of pneumomediastinum.
When the Internet Becomes X-Rated: Creating an Ethical Climate for Technology in Catholic Schools

Pornography is the number-one business on the Internet, yet the very same Internet can be a valuable souce of knowledge for all students. Educators face many challenges in bringing the Internet into the classrooms. This article reviews recent and relevant case law on Internet access in schools, offers guidance about the writing of effective acceptable use policies, and concludes with advice to Catholic school teachers and administrators on creating an ethical climate while fully using available technology.
Knowledge Acquisition and Readiness Assurance Testing: The Connected Notes Intervention

The responsibility for knowledge acquisition is increasingly being shifted to students though the utilization of experiential learning, teamwork, online, and flipped classroom pedagogies. Students are expected to enter the classroom prepared to engage in thoughtful knowledge application activities; however, many students have not adequately prepared, leading to minimal team contribution and learning. Readiness Assurance Testing is often implemented to help enforce student preclass preparation. These individual and group quizzing techniques can help motivate some students to keep current in the readings, but they do not assist students in learning comprehension. In order to improve learning comprehension and document preclass preparedness, an innovative note-taking method, Connected Notes, is offered as a way to assist students in recording, organizing, and connecting content in personally relevant ways. To improve comprehension and stimulate deeper levels of learning cognitive science supports the effecti...
Abstract A26: Developing a network of community research councils to promote and facilitate clinical prevention trial participation in medically underserved populations

If we are to statistically represent the US population (CIA World Factbook), approximately 20% of all clinical trial participants should be composed of racial and ethnic minorities. However, it is a well documented public health concern that minority participation in clinical trials is minimal at best, namely among cancer trials. The American Cancer Society expects 1.6 million persons to be diagnosed with cancer in 2011 (Cancer Facts and Figures 2011, 1) and in order to develop and evaluate sustainable treatments, clinical trials are a necessity. It is estimated that 3–5 percent of eligible cancer patients will participate in clinical trials (Gotay, C.C., 569). Less than one percent will represent a racial or ethnic minority (npr.org). The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not a Community Research Council can increase minority participation in clinical trials. The Center for Equal Health, a partnership between the University of South Florida, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, and the Tampa Bay Community is committed to increasing minority participation in clinical trials for the purpose of enhancing the current treatment options and research surrounding ailments that directly affect minority communities. The Community Research Council (CRC) was established to advocate for and oversee clinical and translational research activities in the Tampa Bay region. Synthesized by examining examples from several Tribal Nations, this governing body serves to: 1) Strengthen the relationship of the research institutions with the community; 2) Provide oversight, protection, and advocacy of community participants involved in clinical and translational research activities performed by academic and clinical institutions; 3) Create and enhance clinical trial opportunities for underrepresented communities; 4) Empower underrepresented communities with decision-making opportunities concerning research activities that involve their members; and 5) Enhance and expand trust between academic and clinical institutions and the communities that they serve. Within 12 months of formation, the council will expand into at least one other geographical area to build upon existing relationships with other research institutions (i.e., Florida AM20(10 Suppl):A26.
Anisotropie der magnetischen SuszeptibilitÄt und SÄttigungsmagnetisierung als Hilfsmittel der Gefügekunde

Die Anisotropie der SAttigungsmagnetisierung und der magnetischen SuszeptibilitAt eines Gesteins hat sich als wertvolles Hilfsmittel der Gefugekunde erwiesen. Die Anisotropie magnetischer Mineralien, Methoden zur Messung dieses Effektes sowie die Darstellung der Ergebnisse magnetischer Anisotropiemessungen werden behandelt. Die Merkmale magnetischer Gefuge magmatischer, metamorpher und sedimentArer Gesteine werden an einigen Beispielen beschrieben.
Brief Behavioral Treatment for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

7 latency-age children received brief behavioral therapy for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The intervention included reinforcing appropriate behaviors and punishing negative behaviors, skills training, and parental education. There were significant decreases in impulsivity at home and school after intervention. These results suggest that brief behavioral interventions might decrease impulsivity in ADHD children over the short term, but the sample was small and heterogeneous, so replication on a larger sample is required.
Branched bpa polycarbonates with high shear sensitivity from ring-opening polymerization of cyclic carbonates

Branched BPA polycarbonates with high shear sensitivity (i.e. having complex melt viscosity ratios as high as 8.0 or even 10.0) were prepared by ring opening polymerization of cyclic oligomeric BPA carbonates in the melt (at 275 C) with various branching agents [e.g. 1,3,5-tris(chloromethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene, bis(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl) sulfide, and 1,1,1-tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane]. Furthermore, it was determined that the shear sensitivity is directly related to the branching agent level and inversely related to the level of initiator used in the ring-opening polymerization.
Latest Advancements of Smart Grid Core Standard IEC 61970

IEC 61970 has been classified as one of smart grid core standards by many international standards organizations and countries.In this paper,the latest development status of standard IEC 61970 is overviewed.Then the added names model,diagram layout model,greater change in the transformer model and measurement model in IEC 61970 CIM are introduced.Finally,the CIS and graphics code changes in IEC 61970 standard are described in this paper.
Research of Clock Synchronization in Eternet POWERLINK Network

This paper introduces a kind of method of how to realize clock synchronization in Ethernet POWERLINK network, and gives the measurement result of the clock synchronization precision of the POWERLINK networkr unning on FPGA hardware platform.
An internet-based referral/consultation system for the U.S.-associated Pacific Islands: its contribution to orthopedic graduate medical education at Tripler Army Medical Center.

ABSTRACT To evaluate the benefit of the Pacific Island Health Care Project (PIHCP) to our orthopedic graduate medical education program, we performed a retrospective review of our 8-year operative experience with patients referred through this program. Between July 1994 and June 2002, 69 patients underwent 79 orthopedic operative procedures. Patients were categorized by primary diagnosis, anatomic site involved, and surgical treatment rendered. Because many of the patients referred from the PIHCP with tumors were noted to have either unusually large lesions or advanced-stage disease, further analyses of tumor stage and pathologic grade were made. Seven of the 14 oncologic cases surgically treated in our department in the past 8 years were referrals from the PIHCP. Unique operative procedures performed for these tumor patients included one forequarter amputation, one hip disarticulation, one hemipelvectomy, two partial scapulectomies, and one distal ulna excision. We conclude that the PIHCP referrals provi...
Left Ventricular Wall Stress Calculated from One-Plane Cineangiography

Left ventricular dimensions from routine clinical one-plane cineangiograms were combined with left ventricular pressure measurements to permit calculation of left ventricular wall stresses. The 25 patients included 12 with normal left ventricular dynamics, 6 with volume overload, 3 with outflow obstruction, and 4 with cardiomyopathy. Average stresses calculated on the basis of an ellipsoid model agreed with average values obtained from the exact solution of a thick-walled elastic ellipsoidal shell. Peak values were 150 to 625 g/cm2 in the circular direction and 75 to 365 g/cm2 in the longitudinal direction. A fiber-corrected stress was defined which represents a force per muscle fiber. The variation in fiber-corrected stress during the cardiac cycle may be considerably different from the variation in simple stress. The force-velocity characteristics of circular fibers for the 25 patients are presented. The data on peak wall stress overlap in the four groups of patients. Peak velocity of circumferential fiber shortening varied from 0.44 to 0.63 lengths/sec in patients with myocardial weakness and varied from 0.74 to 2.56 lengths/sec in the other patients. Contractile element velocity was determined during ventricular ejection when the rate of force change equaled zero. Contractile element velocity of shortening was 0.22 to 0.32 lengths/sec in the cardiomyopathy group and 0.50 to 1.32 lengths/sec in the other patients.
Multiexponential and multicompartmental approaches for analysis of tracer washout data from animal tissues

Abstract A comparison is made between multiexponential and multicompartmental analyses of tracer washout data from biological tissues. Various analytical and computer methods are used to explore the relations between kinetic parameters of three-compartment models and parameters of three-exponential functions fitted to typical observed tracer washout records and also to examine relations between kinetic parameters of the same three-compartment models determined analytically and numerically. It is concluded that exponential factors and coefficients cannot always be equated respectively with compartmental transport rate constants or compartment sizes. Sufficient analytical and computer methodologies exist so that selection of meaningful biological models should not be hampered by a lack of appropriate solution procedures.
Feats without Heroes: Norms, Means, and Ideal Robotic Action

Moral competence is an increasingly recognized challenge and goal for human-robot interaction and robotic design. For autonomous robots, the question is are how they can arrive at and execute the best action in a certain context? This paper explores how a computational system could best decide and act given the practical, logistical, and cultural constraints involved. We argue that in ethically charged situations where certain forms of information are more limited than normal, a robot may use certain norms in order to adjudicate and plan an action. What is more, an autonomous robot’s provisional reliance on a norm, due to the robot’s distinctive abilities and lack of patiency, could fulfill those norms in unusual ways. While those extraordinary aspects to the robot’s action— its feats, one might say— may carry associations with virtue or heroism (as these actions might be viewed if performed by human beings), the objective for computationally rendered norms is to yield the best actions in an accountable fashion.
The Mammalian Oocyte

The mammalian oocyte is an extraordinary cell owing to its unique ability to initiate and sustain development of a complete organism. The purpose of this chapter is to inform and guide the reader through the properties of the oocyte that allow it to fulfill its obligatory role in the life cycle of mammals. Major features of the cytoplasm and nucleus are considered followed by coverage of the cellular, molecular, and biochemical traits that must be acquired during the course of oogenesis, a protracted process occurring within the ovarian follicle. The process of oogenesis is divided into three operationally distinct and sequential stages: the growth phase, the pre-maturative phase, and the maturative phase. Themes developed in the overall progress of the oocyte through growth, pre-maturative, and maturative phases include (1) the acquisition of competencies to initiate and complete the meiotic cell cycle, (2) the role of the dialogue between the oocyte and surrounding somatic cells of the follicle in assuring adequate metabolic support of the oocyte and in the synchronization of oogenesis and folliculogenesis, (3) the coordination of transcription, translation, and posttranslational protein modifications pertaining to the differentiation of the mature oocyte in relation to execution of fertilization and early embryogenesis. The experimental and clinical manipulation of oogenesis is finally discussed in the context of assisted reproductive technologies, and stem cell biology.
Introduction: Transnational Spaces in History

To most historians, the spatial dimension of the nation appears to be the seemingly natural skin to the body of history. Since the modern craft of history served as midwife at the birth of the modern nation-state and provided modern nation-states with national narratives that allowed each state to claim particular national spaces, historians have continued to tell history in its national variants.1 History has been, foremost, national history. Even younger forms of history with a focus on smaller units and dimensions, and which include a wide theoretical and methodological range from cultural history and everyday life history to regional and urban history, accepted in the end the nation as their framework. Students of history early on in their careers are still forced by tradition and the structures of history departments to choose national fields of study, they continue on to teach courses in a national specialization, they publish books for series in national fields, and they enjoy mingling with historians of their national specialization at exclusive annual meetings of national history associations such as the German Studies Association or the Organization of American Historians.
Basis of Mutual Domain Inhibition in a Bacterial Response Regulator

Summary Information transmission in biological signaling networks is commonly considered to be a unidirectional flow of information between protein partners. According to this view, many bacterial response regulator proteins utilize input receiver (REC) domains to "switch" functional outputs, using REC phosphorylation to shift pre-existing equilibria between inactive and active conformations. However, recent data indicate that output domains themselves also shift such equilibria, implying a "mutual inhibition" model. Here we use solution nuclear magnetic resonance to provide a mechanistic basis for such control in a PhyR-type response regulator. Our structure of the isolated, non-phosphorylated REC domain surprisingly reveals a fully active conformation, letting us identify structural and dynamic changes imparted by the output domain to inactivate the full-length protein. Additional data reveal transient structural changes within the full-length protein, facilitating activation. Our data provide a basis for understanding the changes that REC and output domains undergo to set a default "inactive" state.
Management of Potential Long-Term Toxicities in Breast Cancer Patients

Breast cancer is the most common non-cutaneous malignancy among women, and there are over 3 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States today. Excellent cure rates with modern therapies are associated with substantial toxicities for many women; it is important that health care providers attend to the resulting symptoms and issues to optimize quality of life in this population. In this article, we review management options for potential long term toxicities in breast cancer survivors, with a particular focus on bone health, fertility preservation, premature menopause, cardiac dysfunction, and cognitive impairment.
Buddhist Stone Sutras in China, Sichuan Province 1; Buddhist Stone Sutras in China, Sichuan Province 2

This pair of folio volumes represents the culmination of four years of collaboration between scholars at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and specialists from Peking University alo...
CO2 Capture from Ambient Air by Crystallization with a Guanidine Sorbent

Carbon capture and storage is an important strategy for stabilizing the increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2 and the global temperature. A possible approach toward reversing this trend and decreasing the atmospheric CO2 concentration is to remove the CO2 directly from air (direct air capture). Herein we report a simple aqueous guanidine sorbent that captures CO2 from ambient air and binds it as a crystalline carbonate salt by guanidinium hydrogen bonding. The resulting solid has very low aqueous solubility (Ksp=1.0(4)×10−8), which facilitates its separation from solution by filtration. The bound CO2 can be released by relatively mild heating of the crystals at 80–120 °C, which regenerates the guanidine sorbent quantitatively. Thus, this crystallization-based approach to CO2 separation from air requires minimal energy and chemical input, and offers the prospect for low-cost direct air capture technologies.
Comparison of higher irradiance and black panel temperature UV backsheet exposures to field performance

The need for faster PV qualification tests that more accurately match field observations is leading to tests with higher acceleration levels, and validating the new tests through comparison to field data is an important step. We have tested and compared a wide panel of backsheets according to a proposed new backsheet UV exposure qualification standard from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Weathering Technical Standard IEC 62788-7-2 specifies higher irradiance and higher black panel temperature UV Xenon exposures. We tested PVF, PVDF, PET, PA and FEVEbased backsheets in glass laminates and simple backsheet coupons in UV exposure condition A3 (0.8W/sqmnm@340nm and 90° C BPT) We find mild yellowing with no mechanical loss in the original lower intensity ASTM G155 0.55 W/sqm-nm 70C BPT exposure condition. The new A3 exposures creates mechanical loss in sensitive backsheets, with no effect on known durable backsheets. Results from the new exposure are closer to field mechanical loss data.
Current risk for transfusion transmitted infections

Purpose of reviewBlood safety is a topic of continuing concern, and much effort is expended on measures to decrease the risk for transmission of infectious agents via transfusion. At the same time, emerging infections may threaten this safety. A periodic review of risk is therefore appropriate.Recen
Fifty-Six Draft Genome Sequences of 10 Lactobacillus Species From 22 Commercial Dietary Supplements

Here, we present the genome sequences of 56 isolates of 10 species of the genus Lactobacillus that are considered beneficial components of the gut microbiota. The isolates examined were found in commercially available dietary supplements in the U.S. market.
Physical Activity Assessment and Intervention

Physical activity is the most common, everyday stress placed on the body, and may be used as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in evaluating and treating children with many different medical conditions. Physical activity at recommended levels may reduce insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, among other factors, and for children with metabolic syndrome, physical activity may be as efficient and effective as pharmaceutical treatment. Metabolic syndrome in children has been linked to poor cardiovascular fitness. Children have also demonstrated beneficial effects, such as weight loss, increases in cardiorespiratory fitness, and strength, when participating in a structured physical activity intervention. Physical activity has many components, and it is important to address each when designing an exercise program or intervention for children with metabolic syndrome. Baseline assessments of the current level of fitness are necessary before prescribing any exercise program for children with metabolic syndrome. The tests may be repeated throughout the program to measure progress and set realistic goals for the program. There is no consensus on the best type of intervention to address the constellation of cardiovascular risk factors in metabolic syndrome, and future studies are needed to substantiate the effects of physical activity in children and adolescents with metabolic syndrome and to standardize the specific duration, intensity, and type of activity that yield positive results.
Swarm Intelligence in Cellular Robotic Systems

Cellular Robotic Systems are capable of ’intelligent* behavior. The meaning of this intelligence is analyzed in the paper. We define robot intelligence and robot system intelligence in terms of unpredictability of improbable behavior. The concept of unpredictability is analyzed in relation to (1) statistical unpredictability, (2) inaccessibility, (3) undecidability, (4) intractability, and (5) non-representability. We argue that the latter two type of unpredictability, when exhibited by systems capable of producing order, can result in a non-trivial, different form of intelligent behavior (Swarm Intelligence). Engineering problems related to Swarm Intelligence are mentioned in relation to Cellular Robotic Systems which consist of collections of autonomous, non-synchronized, non-intelligent robots cooperating to achieve global tasks.
Roles of Superoxide in Inflammation and Ischemic Shock

Since the recognition in 1968 that the superoxide free radical, \(0_2^{\bar \bullet } \), could be produced by biological reactions (1), the radical has been implicated to play important roles in three pathophysiological processes: oxygen toxicity, inflammation, and post-ischemic tissue injury. The involvement of superoxide in oxygen toxicity has been elucidated by a great variety of studies involving both microbial and mammalian systems. This area has been well reviewed (2,3) and will not be further addressed in the present discussion. The major role of superoxide in the inflammatory process has recently become more clearly understood (4), while the involvement of superoxide in post-ischemic tissue injury is just beginning to unfold (5). What follows will describe our current concepts concerning the roles of superoxide in inflammation and ischemia.
Comparative effectiveness of drug-eluting versus bare-metal stents in elderly patients undergoing revascularization of chronic total coronary occlusions: Results from the national cardiovascular data registry, 2005-2008

Objectives This study sought to investigate the long-term effectiveness of drug-eluting stents (DES) versus bare-metal stents (BMS). Background Improved recanalization techniques have increased interest in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total coronary occlusion (CTO). The long-term effectiveness of DES and BMS is not known. Methods We used data from 10,261 stable patients age ≥65 years at 889 U.S. hospitals who underwent CTO PCI from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2008, in the NCDR (National Cardiovascular Data Registry) CathPCI Registry with linked Medicare inpatient claims for follow-up. Patient and procedural characteristics, and 30-month death, myocardial infarction, revascularization, and hospitalization for bleeding were evaluated by stent type. Outcomes following stenting were adjusted and compared using propensity score matching. Results DES were used for CTO PCI in 8,218 (80%) and BMS in 2,043 (20%). DES patients were younger (74.0 vs. 75.5 years, p Conclusions Compared with BMS, DES use in stable patients undergoing CTO PCI was associated with lower mortality, as well as similar myocardial infarction and repeat revascularization rates without an increase in subsequent bleeding requiring hospitalization.
The Amazon Echo

Smart speakers such as the Amazon Echo Dot and the Google Home Mini are the most important new product category of recent years and are having a major impact on American culture and society. This is because they are very functional (they can do so many different things) and because they rely on the power of speech, which makes them easy to use. There is a question of privacy involved with these devices, but millions of people who use smart speakers seem to feel that the benefits of smart speakers are more important than privacy concerns.
Effectiveness of adults’ spontaneous exploration while perceiving affordances for squeezing through doorways

When motor abilities change, people need to generate information to recalibrate their perception through active exploration. Most prior research has focused on observers' ability to update perception by executing experimenter-specified exploratory behaviors, however, the question of how observers spontaneously choose how to explore has been overlooked. We asked how effectively adults decide to explore when adapting to changes in their ability to squeeze through doorways. Results revealed that participants made efficient decisions about when to explore by approaching and practicing-they most often explored doorways that were near the limit of their abilities, and participants explored less often as their perceptual calibration improved. However, participants made sub-optimal decisions about how to explore, which resulted in a failure to fully recalibrate. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding the processes of perceptual-motor recalibration that underlie real-world behavior.
Adaptive Interaction Controller for Compliant Robot Base Applications

The aim of this paper is to design an adaptive interaction controller to deal with compliant base robotic systems executing interaction tasks (e.g., assembly tasks). The main goal of such controller is to avoid the force-overshoots while compensating the robot base dynamics. The proposed controller does not require any modeling/estimation of the environment dynamics, neither of the compliant robot base dynamics. In fact, based on the impedance control, the proposed controller is capable to online adapt its parameters to track a reference force. The stability of the proposed controller has been proven. The proposed controller has been applied to an industrial scenario. In particular, an assembly task has been selected to validate the control performance. A KUKA iiwa 14 R820 manipulator mounted on a compliant robot base (implementing different dynamic behaviors) and equipped with a Robotiq gripper has been used. The experimental results show the achieved control performance. The results have also been compared with the previous designed control methods.
Illuminating the Enactment of High-Leverage Teaching Practices in an Exemplary World Language Teaching Video Library:

In response to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages’ initiative and the gap existing in identifying high-leverage teaching practices (HLTPs) in world language teaching, this st...
A new factor solution for the Domestic Violence-Related Financial Issues Scale (DV-FI)

Economic abuse is a distinct form of intimate partner violence (IPV); yet, few measures of economic or financial factors exist. Weaver, Sanders, Campbell, and Schnabel's Domestic Violence-Related Financial Issues Scale (DV-FI) was developed to assess the role of financial-related issues in an individual's experiences of IPV as well as perceptions of financial self-efficacy and the future role that financial issues will play in one's sense of financial security. Despite its relevance to research focused on IPV, only portions of the DV-FI have been used in a handful of studies. The original factor analysis of the DV-FI identified five subscales within a shelter-based sample of impoverished, predominantly African American women. The DV-FI demonstrated good psychometric properties at the time of development; yet, to our knowledge, the factor structure of this measure has not been evaluated with another sample. Given the importance of identifying economic abuse and financial self-efficacy among women who experience IPV, it is essential to have a reliable and valid measure of these constructs. In this article, we describe the results of a confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis of the DV-FI using a community sample of 150 predominantly White, low-income women seeking civil legal services. We identified a four-factor solution of the DV-FI. Our findings provide support for the Financial Self-Efficacy subscale as a domain-specific measure of financial self-efficacy among women who experience IPV, but further validation is needed to explain the divergent findings for the remaining factors.
Approach to treatment of refractory dissecting cellulitis of the scalp: a systematic review.

Dissecting cellulitis is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis that results in disfiguring and painful, purulent lesions. Treatment of patients with disease resistant to standard therapies, including i...
Stream salamander persistence influenced by the interaction between exurban housing age and development

Exurban development is the fastest growing form of land use in the United States and already predominates southern New England. These housing developments alter stream ecosystems in a predictable manner described as urban stream syndrome. Yet, many stream salamanders are considered ubiquitous in the region. To determine what stream and watershed features enhance long-term population persistence in an exurban landscape, we compared the occupancy and abundance of two stream salamanders, Eurycea bislineata (northern two-lined salamander) and Desmognathus fuscus (northern dusky salamander), in watersheds that differed in housing density and time since construction. We estimated E. bislineata occupancy at 100% and found strong support for an interaction between the quadratic of average housing development age and housing density in watersheds influencing abundance. Abundance was sensitive to new and high-density housing developments and increased in watersheds that were more than 20 years post-construction when housing density was low. In comparison, D. fuscus occupancy was estimated at 18% and best explained by fine-scale stream features including soil temperature, water conductivity, dissolved oxygen, discharge, and sediment distribution. Notably, estimates of D. fuscus relative abundance within watersheds, including watersheds with low housing densities, were much lower than comparable estimates in the literature. We suggest an adaptive management approach to monitor and manage D. fuscus populations in the region. Future wildlife management decisions in exurban landscapes should consider interactions between housing age and density as well as development legacy effects.
Cardiac Reserve as Assessed by Augmentation in Cardiac Power Efficiency Predicts Response to Intravascular Ventricular Assist System Support

Purpose The intravascular ventricular assist system (iVAS) is a durable, ambulatory counterpulsation device that is currently under investigation for advanced heart failure patients. Baseline cardiac power efficiency (CPE) has previously been reported to predict hemodynamic success after iVAS. We investigated the role of change in CPE after inotropic challenge, a marker of cardiac reserve, as a prognostic tool prior to iVAS support. Methods Hemodynamic data at the time of right heart catheterization was collected on patients just prior to iVAS implantation. A subset of patients underwent milrinone loading followed by repeat hemodynamic assessment 10 min after a 50 mcg/kg milrinone infusion. Cardiac power index (CPI) was calculated as [CPI = cardiac index (CI) x mean arterial pressure (MAP)/451)] and CPE was calculated as [CPE = CPI/Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP)]. CPE at baseline and after inotropic challenge was calculated and a percent augmentation of 25% or greater in CPE was used as a cutoff indicative of cardiac reserve. The combined endpoint of independently adjudicated heart failure events, dependency on inotropes 7 days after implant, need for escalation to ECMO or death was evaluated. Results 40 patients from a single institution underwent iVAS implantation. 39 patients underwent RHC prior to iVAS (11.7 +/- 14.0 days before surgery). 11 patients underwent milrinone loading followed by repeat hemodynamic assessment. Baseline hemodynamics revealed an average CPE of 0.0227 +/- 0.0148 watts*mmHg/m2 for the entire cohort. In the subset of patients who underwent milrinone loading, CPE increased on average 41% from 0.0141 +/- 0.0055 watts*mmHg/m2 to 0.0236 +/- 0.0114 watts*mmHg/m2 (p = 0.003). There was a trend towards freedom from death, ECMO, HF events, or inotrope dependency in those who were able to augment CPE by more than 25% (N = 8), compared to those with less (N = 3) cardiac reserve OR = 0.071 (95% CI 0.003 - 1.73, p = 0.105). Conclusion Cardiac reserve as defined as a greater than 25% augmentation in CPE after milrinone challenge may predict future success with counterpulsation with iVAS. This hypothesis generating question warrants further investigation.
ZIP Code-Level Estimates from a Local Health Survey: Added Value and Limitations.

We assessed the added value and limitations of generating directly estimated ZIP Code-level estimates by aggregating 5 years of data from an annual cross-sectional survey, the New York City Community Health Survey (n = 44,886) from 2009 to 2013, that were designed to provide reliable estimates only of larger geographies. Survey weights generated directly-observed ZIP Code (n = 128) level estimates. We assessed the heterogeneity of ZIP Code-level estimates within coarser United Hospital Fund (UHF) neighborhood areas (n = 34) by using the Rao-Scott Chi-Square test and one-way ANOVA. Orthogonal linear contrasts assessed whether there were linear trends at the UHF level from 2009 to 2013. 22 of 37 health indicators were reliable in over 50% of ZIP Codes. 14 of the 22 variables showed heterogeneity in ≥4 UHFs. Variables for drinking, nutrition, and HIV testing showed heterogeneity in the most UHFs (9–24 UHFs). In half of the 32 UHFs, >20% variables had within-UHF heterogeneity. Flu vaccination and sugary beverage consumption showed significant time trends in the largest number of UHFs (12 or more UHFs). Overall, heterogeneity of ZIP Code-level estimates suggests that there is value in aggregating 5 years of data to make direct small area estimates.
America’s opioid crisis: the need for an integrated public health approach

Continued increases in overdose deaths and recent declines in life expectancy call for need to adopt comprehensive public health approaches to the United States opioid crisis and to establish an infrastructure to avert future crises. Successfully addressing the challenges posed by the crisis requires a translational, integrated approach that combines the contribution of neuroscience, pharmacology, epidemiology, treatment services and prevention. It also is critical to integrate interventions across settings, including healthcare, justice, education and social service systems. This review highlights four interconnected themes: (1) social determinants of health and disease; (2) person-centered approaches for prevention and treatment; (3) bridging the gap between implementation science and practice; and (4) using data to build learning systems of care, relevant to public health approaches to address the opioid crisis. We discuss how across these four themes taking into account the influence of developmental factors on brain function and sensitivity to environmental stimuli including drugs, addressing the complex interactions between biological and social factors, and promoting an ongoing dialogue across disciplines and settings will help accelerate public health advances that are evidenced based and sustainable to address the current opioid crisis and avert future ones.
Striatal low-threshold spiking interneurons locally gate dopamine during learning

Low-threshold spiking interneurons (LTSIs) in the dorsomedial striatum are potent modulators of goal-directed learning. Here, we uncover a novel function for LTSIs in locally and directly gating striatal dopamine, using in vitro fast scan cyclic voltammetry as well as in vivo GRAB-DA sensor imaging and pharmacology during operant learning. We demonstrate that LTSIs, acting via GABAB signaling, attenuate dopamine release, thereby serving as local coordinators of striatal plasticity.
High-resolution event stratigraphy (HiRES) of the Silurian across the Cincinnati Arch (USA) through integrating conodont and carbon isotope biochemostratigraphy, with gamma-ray and sequence stratigraphy

Silurian strata within the tristate area of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky have been thoroughly studied for well over a century. Due to rapid facies changes throughout the region numerous lithostratig...
Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome Presenting in a Patient With Punctate Inner Choroidopathy

Purpose:This work reports a case of long-standing punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) presenting with acute-onset multiple evanescent white dot syndrome.Methods:A 44 year-old man presented with new ...
Evictions and Neighborhood Child Maltreatment Reports

Each year, nearly 2.5 million evictions are filed in the United States. Recent research links evictions to a host of negative outcomes, but effects on child well-being are less studied, even as evi...
Evaluation of organic acidifiers as a corrective measure for high bicarbonate concentrations in organic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) float bed systems

Interest in the production of USDA-certified organic tobacco continues to increase. Limited research exists that focuses on organic production practices specific to tobacco. Float beds, a semi-hydr...