cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fuzzy Driven Multi-issue Agent Negotiation on Electronic Marketplace

Agent-based online negotiation by different autonomous agents has become radically important since the advent of e-business. Due to recent growing interest in the electronic marketplace, scientists are developing numerous models of inter-organizational electronic commerce. Most of the negotiation processes are complicated and time consuming. In this paper, we develop an intelligent negotiation model based on fuzzy constraints for bilateral multi-issue negotiation in business environments. The proposed model consists of two agents. The Information Agent (IA) is trained by the Knowledge Base (KB) and Negotiator Agent (NA) caries out the negotiation process. The aim of the NA in this model is to reach mutual agreement effectively and intelligently, while both agents are able to learn from the environment. The negotiation process is driven by fuzzy logic, considering the agent’s satisfaction within e-commerce system framework. In this paper, the system uses the KB before starting the negotiation process. Additionally, the KB is used, in different negotiation stages, to train fuzzy constraints for carrying out negotiations. We propose an equation that incorporates qualitative and quantitative characteristics to generate the next offering price in the negotiation. The Fuzzy Rule base is responsible for generating a rational value. This rational value, based on fuzzy constraints, controls the agent’s satisfaction level.
Slow Lawyering: Representing Seniors in Light of Cognitive Changes Accompanying the Aging Process

As an increasing number of lawyers represent clients who are elderly, it is imperative that lawyers become more knowledgeable about the aging process and how it impacts our clients. Although it is difficult to generalize, many seniors experience numerous and diverse cognitive changes that accompany the aging process. Existing literature offers various frameworks for addressing capacity issues and techniques for assessing diminished capacity. However, current legal scholarship provides little guidance for lawyers on how to accommodate these changes when they do not rise to the level of diminished capacity or dementia, and when the changes may, in fact, result in increased wisdom and “developmental intelligence.” This article seeks to fill that void. It summarizes selected cognitive developments that impact memory, outlining various types of memory and how they evolve during the aging process. This article also discusses current literature on decision-making capacity and different decision-making models and strategies that seniors may rely upon. The article concludes with recommendations on methods for enhancing communications with aging clients, while simultaneously acknowledging and accommodating cognitive changes and enabling seniors to play a prominent role in the representational process.
Evaluating A Math Instructors Clarity: An Analysis Of Low-To-Moderate Items Versus A High Inference Item

Instructors and students identify communication skills as being essential to successful classroom teaching and student learning. This study investigates the stability of student evaluations with respect to items related to instructor’s clarity. The majority of student evaluations completed at the end of a semester at the college level contain a question directly related to clarity. A pilot study was conducted which utilized four finite mathematics courses being taught by the same instructor. After assessing reliability and validity, a follow-up study was conducted utilizing four sections of introductory statistics employing the same design as the pilot. Ninety-four students completed some component of the researcher-constructed evaluation resulting in an overall 96% response rate. Seventy-one students completed the entire evaluation, allowing for a comparison between the high inference and the low-to-moderate inference items used to measure instructor’s clarity, resulting in a useable response rate of 72%. After a statistical transformation of the high inference item, descriptive statistics were produced for each type of item. Through a t-test, a statistically significant difference was found between the high and low-to-moderate clarity items. The difference between the types of clarity ratings was then analyzed via ANOVA techniques to explore differences by gender and expected course grade. Males tended to rate the instructor inconsistently, assigning lower ratings for the low-to-moderate inference items, while other ratings appear to demonstrate consistency.
Analysis of Abnormal Dielectric Loss and Capacitor of Transformer Winding

Problems encountered during the measurement of transformer dielectric loss between windings or between winding and iron core,such as negative or too big,or too small value of dielectric loss or serous small value of capacitance,are analyzed. It is founded that all abnormal transformers have only iron core grounding but don't have clamp grounding. It is because iron core earth screen was grounded through clamp in transformer that leads to abnormal results. It is suggested that dielectric loss should be remeasured by routine method when such kind of problems are encountered in preventive test.
Time-Lapse In Vivo Imaging of Dorsal Root Nerve Regeneration in Mice

Primary sensory axon injury is common after spinal cord and root injuries and causes patients to suffer chronic pain and persistent loss of sensation and motor coordination. The devastating consequences of such injuries are due primarily to the failure of severed axons to regenerate within the damaged CNS. Our understanding of the molecular and cellular events that play key roles in preventing or promoting functional regeneration is far from complete, in part because complex and dynamic changes associated with nerve injury have had to be deduced from comparisons of static images obtained from multiple animals after their death. Revolutionary innovations in optics and mouse transgenics now permit real-time monitoring of regenerating dorsal root axons directly in living animals. Here, we describe detailed procedures for repetitive monitoring of identified axons in a lumbar dorsal root over hours to weeks using both widefield and two-photon microscopes. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of in vivo imaging and provide suggestions based on our own experience for troubleshooting issues associated with repeated anesthetization, an extensive laminectomy, and post-op care. These techniques provide the unprecedented opportunity to obtain novel insights into why sensory axons fail to reenter the spinal cord.
Ionic liquids as electrolytes for non-aqueous solutions electrochemical supercapacitors in a temperature range of 20 °C–80 °C

Abstract To increase the operating temperature of the supercapacitors (SCs) without compromising their high cycle-life, several typical fluoro- and non-fluoro containing ionic liquids (EMI-mesylate, EMI-hydrogen sulfate, PP13-triflate, PP13-TFSI, and EMI-TFSI, as shown in Fig. 1) are studied as the electrolytes to prepare organic solutions for SC performance measurements using a two-electrode cell. Both cyclic voltammograms and charge/discharge curves at various temperatures such as 20, 40, 60 and 80 °C are collected. At 60 °C, the increased performance order in both rating and cyclability measurements are found to be as follows: 1) EMI-hydrogen sulfate
Disease prevention and the CDC. Interview by C. Burns Roehrig.

As director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, William L. Roper, MD, leads the agency of the U.S. Public Health Service responsible for promoting health and preventing disease, injury and premature death. Before coming to CDC in March of 1990, Dr. Roper, a pediatrician, served as a health care adviser for two presidents throughout the 1980s and as head of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) from 1986 to 1989. Reflecting recently on the various roles he has played, Dr. Roper spoke with C. Burns Roehrig, MD, editor of The Internist: Health Policy in Practice about the CDC and its efforts to prevent the spread of AIDS, hepatitis and other diseases.
MBE-grown germanium on sapphire ?

Abstract Single-crystal germanium has been grown on sapphire (1102) by molecular beam epitaxy. Germanium grows (110) when growth temperatures exceed 700°C, and the sapphire substrates have been preannealed above 1100°C. The in-plane registry was determined to be 1 11) ( 1 012) by X-ray diffraction. The Ge(220) X-ray linewidth was measured to be 230″ (seconds of arc) for a 2 microm film grown at 800°C after the substrate was preannealed at 1400°C.
Dynamics of nitrogen dissociation from direct molecular simulation

Nitrogen dissociation is studied using direct molecular simulation with a new potential-energy surface. Both ${N}_{2}$ - ${N}_{2}$ and $N$ - ${N}_{2}$ processes are simulated as they concurrently take place in an evolving nonequilibrium gas system. The coupling between vibrational excitation and dissociation is quantified leading to several new insights.
A Journey Gone Wrong: Mass in the Thorax

Two-month old baby boy presented with one-month history of cough to our hospital. His parents are non-consanguineous. He was born full term via normal vaginal delivery with no complication. He remained well after discharge from the hospital but started to have fever, cough and running nose associated with shortness of breath about one month prior to current presentation. He was admitted to a local hospital and diagnosed to have acute bronchiolitis. He received standard treatment according to the local guidelines. The fever and running nose resolved, and he was discharged after few days.
Developing Competency-Based Advising Practices in Response to Paradigm Shifts in Higher Education.

Competency-based programs have gained prominence in recent years for two primary reasons. First, more students are seeking ways to apply nonclassroom learning experiences toward a degree. Second, a paradigm shift in higher education encourages postsecondary curriculum developers to accept nonclassroom experiences as demonstrations of skills and competencies and to adapt curriculum to include these experiences. Educators must realize that the traditional classroom learning necessary to earn credits toward graduation must also apply to life outside academe and must reflect student experiences. Like educators in the classroom, advisors must respond to this change in perspective through inquiry-based practices and democratic relationships with students.
Lyapunov type inequalities for mixed nonlinear RiemannLiouville fractional differential equations with a forcing term

In this paper, we present some new Lyapunov and Hartman type inequalities for RiemannLiouville fractional differential equations of the form (aDx)(t)+p(t)x(t)1x(t)+q(t)x(t)1x(t)=f(t), where p, q, f are real-valued functions and 0<<1<<2. No sign restrictions are imposed on the potential functions p, q and the forcing term f. The inequalities obtained generalize and compliment the existing results for the special cases of this equation in the literature.
Chapter 41 – Niacin (B3) and Pantothenic Acid (B5)

Abstract: Niacin is a component of NAD+ and NADP+. Dietary nicotinamide, niacin, and Trp can all give rise to NAD+. The Trp content of some food sources may be quantitatively more important in generating NMN, and thus NAD+, than niacin itself. Coenzymes generated from niacin are best associated with dehydrogenase reactions. Niacin deficiency can result in pellagra. Pantothenic acid gives rise to two coenzymes, 4-phosphopantetheine and coenzyme A (i.e., CoA.SH). 4-Phosphopantetheine is a prosthetic group for acyl carrier protein, which participates in fatty acid biosynthesis. The reactive thiol (-SH) group of CoA.SH serves as a carrier (and activator) of acylgroups, most notably in degradative energy-yielding pathways. Lipoic acid is a B-complex vitamin whose only known function is to participate in the oxidative decarboxylations of α-ketoacids.
The Degree of Centralization in Large Urban Areas in the U.S., 1950-2010

Levels of centralization of population and housing and the phenomenon of decentralization are an important aspect of large urban areas. A measure of centralization called the centralization ratio is developed that reflects the proportional reduction in the mean distance housing units are located from the center compared to a uniform distribution in the urban area. Values for this measure are computed using data on numbers of housing units by census tracts for 59 large urban areas defined for each census from 1950 to 2010. The results show that mean levels of centralization have declined steadily and significantly over the period. This decline was not universal, however, with 14 areas showing increases. Centralization varied by region of the country, highest in the Northeast and lowest in the South. Mean levels of centralization were also higher for the largest urban areas.
A suite of phantom-based test methods for assessing image quality of photoacoustic tomography systems

As Photoacoustic Tomography (PAT) matures and undergoes clinical translation, objective performance test methods are needed to facilitate device development, regulatory clearance and clinical quality assurance. For mature medical imaging modalities such as CT, MRI, and ultrasound, tissue-mimicking phantoms are frequently incorporated into consensus standards for performance testing. A well-validated set of phantom-based test methods is needed for evaluating performance characteristics of PAT systems. To this end, we have constructed phantoms using a custom tissue-mimicking material based on PVC plastisol with tunable, biologically-relevant optical and acoustic properties. Each phantom is designed to enable quantitative assessment of one or more image quality characteristics including 3D spatial resolution, spatial measurement accuracy, ultrasound/PAT co-registration, uniformity, penetration depth, geometric distortion, sensitivity, and linearity. Phantoms contained targets including high-intensity point source targets and dye-filled tubes. This suite of phantoms was used to measure the dependence of performance of a custom PAT system (equipped with four interchangeable linear array transducers of varying design) on design parameters (e.g., center frequency, bandwidth, element geometry). Phantoms also allowed comparison of image artifacts, including surface-generated clutter and bandlimited sensing artifacts. Results showed that transducer design parameters create strong variations in performance including a trade-off between resolution and penetration depth, which could be quantified with our method. This study demonstrates the utility of phantom-based image quality testing in device performance assessment, which may guide development of consensus standards for PAT systems.
Increasing experience of ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract for patients with Crohn's disease: what have we learned?

Aim Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) has been proposed as a treatment of trans-sphincteric fistula in perianal Crohn's disease (CD). The aim of this study was to look at our experience of the LIFT procedure in CD patients on long-term follow-up. Specifically, we aimed to determine the fistula healing rate after the LIFT procedure after more than 12 months follow-up and to identify any prognostic factors. Method Retrospective study of patients with trans-sphincteric Crohn's fistula tracts treated with the LIFT procedure between January 2011 and October 2015. Complete fistula healing as well as clinical outcomes were analysed. Results Data were available for 23 patients. After a median follow-up of 23 months, LIFT site healing was 48%. Patients with healed LIFT had a median follow-up time of 10.5 months, while patients with failed LIFT had a median follow-up time of 31 months (P = 0.04). Median time to failure was 9 months for patients with follow-up > 1 year. Most patients failed within 1 year (9/12; 75%) of the procedure. In multi-site CD, the LIFT procedure was more likely to be successful in those with small bowel disease (P = 0.04) compared with colonic disease (P = 0.02). Other factors such as preoperative use of biological therapies, presence of a seton, previous repair attempts, fistula position, type or number of fistulas, multiple fistula tracts, smoking status and other associated perianal disease did not appear to influence LIFT healing rates. Conclusion The LIFT procedure offers reasonable long-term success in the treatment of perianal trans-sphincteric fistulas associated with CD. LIFT is more likely to fail in patients with concurrent colonic CD than in patients with small bowel CD.
The Identification, Structure, Care, and Conservation of Sawfish Rostra (Rhinopristiformes: Pristidae)

Abstract Sawfish rostra are commonly found in historic natural science collections, yet there is a scarcity of guidance on their preservation. Rostra are cartilaginous with teeth-like scales. The function and structure of sawfish rostra as well as key mechanical and chemical issues need to be considered for their appropriate care in museum collections. Possible routes of decay are discussed, and methods for the care and conservation of rostra in museum collections are suggested. The species of sawfish can be determined by the morphology of the rostral structure. Physical damage, due to the nature of the material and from handling, often causes deterioration of rostra.
My whirlwind journey to understanding and loving groupwork

Abstract: This essay covers a three day conference held by the International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG) Group Work Camp on Lake Geneva. The essay describes the activities, schedule and emotional state of the participants. The author, as one of the participants, displays her emotions and thoughts about the process and supports it with theoretical inserts about group work process and stages. Keywords: groups; therapy; group therapy; social work; stages; mutual; motivation; exploration; play; self consciousness; transformation; camp; evidence; groupwork
Hyaluronan-CD44 interaction with leukemia-associated RhoGEF (LARG) and EGF receptor promotes Rho/Ras co-activation and PLCε-Ca2+ signaling leading to cytoskeleton modification and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression

172 In this study we have examined the interaction of CD44 [a major hyaluronan (HA) receptor] with a RhoA-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor (LARG, Leukemia-Associated RhoGEF) in human Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma cells (HNSCC-HSC-3 cell line). Immunoprecipitation and immunoblot analyses indicate that CD44 and the LARG protein are expressed in HSC-3 cells; and that these two proteins are physically associated as a complex in vivo . HA-CD44 binding induces LARG-specific RhoA signaling and PLCe activity. In particular, the activation of RhoA-PLCe by HA stimulates IP 3 production, intracellular Ca 2+ mobilization and the upregulation of Ca 2+ /calmodulin-dependent kinaseII (CaMKII) leading to phosphorylation of the cytoskeletal protein, filamin. Phosphorylated filamin then modifies its interaction with filamentous actin resulting in tumor cell migration. The CD44-LARG complex also interacts with the EGF receptor (EGFR). Most importantly, the binding of HA to the CD44-LARG-EGFR complex activates the EGFR receptor kinase which, in turn, promotes Ras-mediated stimulation of a downstream kinase cascade including the Raf-1 and ERK pathways leading to HNSCC cell growth. Using a recombinant fragment of LARG (the LARG-PDZ domain) and in vitro binding assays, we have determined that the LARG-PDZ domain serves as a direct linker between CD44 and EGFR. Transfection of the HSC-3 cells with LARG-PDZcDNA significantly reduces LARG association with CD44 and EGFR. Overexpression of the LARG-PDZ domain also functions as a dominant-negative mutant (similar to the PLC/CaMKII and EGFR/MAPK inhibitor effects) to block HA/CD44-mediated signaling events (e.g. EGFR kinase activation, Ras/RhoA co-activation, Raf-ERK signaling, PLCe-mediated IP 3 production, intracellular Ca 2+ mobilization, CaMKII activity, filamin phosphorylation and filamin-actin binding) and to abrogate tumor cell growth/migration. Taken together, we believe that CD44 interaction with LARG and EGFR plays a pivotal role in Rho/Ras co-activation, PLCe-Ca 2+ signaling and Raf/ERK upregulation required for CaMKinaseII-mediated cytoskeleton function, and in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression.
Effect of Molybdenum Incorporation on the Structure and Magnetic Properties of Cobalt Ferrite

We report on the effect of molybdenum (Mo) incorporation on the crystal structure, surface morphology, Mo chemical valence state, and magnetic properties of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4, referred to CFO). Molybdenum incorporated cobalt ferrite (CoFe2–xMoxO4, referred to CFMO) ceramics were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction method by varying the Mo concentration in the range of x = 0.0–0.3. X-ray diffraction studies indicate that the CFMO materials crystallize in inverse spinel cubic phase. Molybdenum incorporation induced lattice parameter increase from 8.322 to 8.343 A coupled with a significant increase in density from 5.4 to 5.7 g/cm3 was evident in structural analyses. Scanning electron microscopy imaging analyses indicate that the Mo incorporation induces agglomeration of particles leading to larger particle size with increasing x(Mo) values. Detailed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analyses indicate the increasing Mo content with increasing x from 0.0 to 0.3. XPS confirms that the...
Proton damage in LED and phototransistor of micropac 66179 optocoupler

This paper reports proton damage in LED and phototransistor of the Micropac 66179 optocoupler. Analysis of the test data reveals interesting information, such as the dependence of the transistor gain on irradiation and photocurrent.
Dilute-anion boron nitride semiconductor for light emitters

First-Principle analysis of the band structures for dilute-anion BN-based semiconductor was performed, and the findings indicated a direct bandgap properties of this alloy in deep ultraviolet regime as compared to the indirect band gap BN alloy.
Global Spread (October 2014)

As the Ebola outbreak continued to rage in West Africa, Western countries began to be directly affected by the disease. On the last day of September 2014, the first active Ebola case was diagnosed in the United States. Officials in Dallas, Texas, scrambled to contain the virus. A few weeks later, tension rose dramatically when two of the nurses who treated the initial US patient developed Ebola. One of the nurses traveled to Ohio and back before becoming sick. She flew by plane and had contact with other travelers. Officials were very worried that Ebola flare-ups would start to occur across the country. On October 6, 2014, a nursing assistant in Spain was diagnosed with Ebola. Like the US nurses, she had helped treat a repatriated Ebola victim. On October 23, 2014, a new US case was identified. A doctor was diagnosed with Ebola in New York City after returning from Guinea. On the same day, an Ebola case was discovered in the West African country of Mali. The Ebola outbreak seemed out of control and poised to start a major international epidemic. In West Africa, however, a corner had been turned. Healthcare efforts had shifted from treating all Ebola patients in medical facilities to providing families with supplies to take care of sick patients at home. Toward the end of October 2014, reports started to surface about there being fewer cases in West Africa, especially in Liberia. These reports were initially treated with caution. As time progressed, however, it became clear that the drop in cases was real.
Single-Center, Prospective, Blinded Study Comparing the Efficacy and Compatibility of Efinaconazole 10% Solution in Treating Onychomycosis with and without Concurrent Nail Polish Use.

Background: Topical efinaconazole 10% solution is a promising new treatment for distal lateral subungual onychomycosis (DLSO). However, it is unknown whether this treatment is both compatible and efficacious in individuals wearing toenail polish. Materials and Methods: We evaluated the efficacy and compatibility of efinaconazole 10% solution with concurrent nail polish use in treating DLSO over 52 weeks. Efficacy was assessed using the onychomycosis severity index (OSI) and by measuring nail growth and thickness, while compatibility with nail polish was evaluated with questionnaires. Results: Eleven patients completed the study; 6 wore nail polish regularly and 5 abstained from polish. The efficacy of efinaconazole was not diminished by concurrent nail polish use as measured by OSI, nail growth, and thickness. However, this treatment produced undesirable cosmetic changes to the quality of nail polish over time. Conclusions: While efinaconazole 10% solution is an effective treatment of DLSO in patients wearing nail polish, this treatment may diminish the quality of the polish. Further research and development is needed to enhance the compatibility of topical onychomycosis treatments with nail polish use.
Abstinence education: resources from the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health for program design, implementation, and evaluation.

Abstinence education became a focus of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) activity when the Welfare Reform bill [P.L. 104-193] added a new Section 510 to Title V SSA. The legislation arrived with the MCH field divided on the appropriate approach to reducing out-of-wedlock births, especially among teens. Cognizant of these divisions, the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health prepared two useful and timely resources for State Title V directors, local health departments and other MCH professionals involved with abstinence education efforts to assist them in both their program development and implementation.
InSAR Observations and Insights into Aleutian Volcanism

For our study of Aleutian volcanoes we processed nearly 12,000 SAR images acquired by ERS-1, JERS-1, ERS-2, Radarsat-1, Envisat, ALOS, and TerraSAR-X from the early 1990s to 2010. We combined those images to produce about 25,000 interferograms, which we analyzed for evidence of surface deformation at each of the arc’s historically active volcanoes. Where the evidence was sufficient, we used analytical source models to constrain the location, shape, and volume change of each probable deformation source that we could identify. We concluded that magmatic, hydrothermal, tectonic, and thermoelastic (cooling) processes all play a role in causing surface deformation at Aleutian volcanoes.
Legal Restriction and Protection of Humor

Law and humor intersect in many ways. First, humor provides an essential vehicle for the social critique of the many foibles of lawyers, legislators, judges, and the legal process. In addition, lawyers, judges, and law makers sometimes try to be funny as they dispatch their duties. And then there’s a ubiquitous cultural phenomenon: the lawyer joke, which exposes important insights into how society views lawyers and the legal process. Yet the substance of the law also interacts with humor as well. This entry in the first ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HUMOR surveys these interactions between legal regulation and humor. The entry first describes how laws such as the First Amendment and intellectual property laws protect humor. The second half of the entry analyzes instances where the law restricts humor, with emphasis on defamation law, contract law, trademark violations, and employment discrimination laws. This latter part concludes that the law tends to avoid regulating humor that contains a significant degree of incongruity.
Belgium and Luxembourg

In 1975 there were 18 rainbow and brown trout fish farms in Belgium and none in Luxembourg. Total production of food fish was estimated to be only 300 MT (331 ST) of rainbow trout annually as recently as 1979.
Discrete Spline Smoothing

In this chapter we investigate Cholesky and FFT algorithms for discrete cubic spline smoothing, and we compare the performance of the continuous and discrete smoothers. Henderson [1] was the first to use Cholesky factorization for the discrete problem.
Chemical and sensory characterization of oat bran from experimental oat lines with varying amounts of total beta-glucan

vii General Introduction 1 Literature Review 3 History of Oats 3 Health Benefits 6 Methods of Measuring Dietary Fiber 9 Beta-Glucan 9 Sources 10 Uses 11 Health Implications 13 Oats as Food Products 17 Sensory Evaluation for Food Products 18 Instrumental Methods to Measure Physical Attributes 19 Literature Cited 23 Characterization, Bile Acid Binding, and Short-Chain Fatty Acid Production of Oat Bran from Oat Lines with Typical and High Amounts of Beta-Glucan 33 Abstract 34 Introduction 34 Materials and Methods 36 Results and Discussion 40 General Conclusions 45 Acknowledgments 45 Literature Cited 46 Tables and Figures 49 34 Introduction 34 Materials and Methods 36 Results and Discussion 40 General Conclusions 45 Acknowledgments 45 Literature Cited 46 Tables and Figures 49 Sensory and Instrumental analysis of Porridge and Muffins made from Oat Bran with Varying Amounts of Total Beta-Glucan 55 Abstract 56 Introduction 56 Materials and Methods 58 Results and Discussion 64 General Conclusions 71 Acknowledgments 72 Literature Cited 72
Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: Histopathology

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic idiopathic fibrosing and inflammatory disease affecting the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts.1–7 Abundant data on liver pathology in PSC are now available because of the increased frequency of Cholangiographic diagnosis and availability of livers for examination from PSC patients who have undergone transplantation.8 This chapter reviews our current understanding of hepatic pathology in this condition, its differentiation from other cholestatic conditions, and the diagnostic terminology.
Communicating with diverse patients: How patient and clinician factors affect disparities.

Abstract Objective Patient-clinician communication (PCC) may generate or reduce healthcare disparities. This paper is based on the 2017 International Conference on Communication in Healthcare keynote address and reviews PCC literature as a research area for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). Methods A narrative review of selected evidence on disparities in PCC experienced by race and ethnic minorities, associations between PCC and poor health outcomes, and patient and clinician factors related to PCC. Results Factors associated with poor quality PCC on the patient level include being a member of racial/ethnic minority, having limited English proficiency, and low health and digital literacy; on the clinician level, being less culturally competent, lacking communication skills to facilitate shared decision-making, and holding unconscious biases. Recommendations include offering patient- and/or clinician-targeted interventions to guard against unconscious biases and improve PCC, screening patients for health literacy and English proficiency, integrating PCC in performance processes, and leveraging health information technologies to address unconscious biases. Conclusion EffectivePCC is a pathway to decrease health disparities and promote health equity. Practice implications Standardized collection of social determinants of health in the Electronic Health Record is an importantfirst step in promoting more effective PCC.
Maturity-Related Differences in Systemic Pulmonary and Localized Fatigue Threshold Among Youth Male Athletes.

Purpose: To examine the reliability and the maturity-related differences of fatigue thresholds (FTs) among youth males. Methods: Twenty-nine youth males (11–17 y) completed 2 ramp exercise tests on a cycle ergometer. Systemic FTs were calculated from gas exchange and ventilation variables. Localized FTs were calculated from electromyography and near-infrared spectroscopy of the vastus lateralis. All FTs were determined using the maximal distance method and expressed relative to maximal oxygen consumption. All participants were grouped according to the number of years from peak height velocity into PRE- ( +1.5 y) peak height velocity. Reliability was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficients, and differences between groups were assessed with analysis of variance and Cohen’s d coefficients. Results: Analysis of variance revealed significant group differences with PRE having significantly greater systemic pulmonary FTs than POST, while localized muscular ...
Avian fitness consequences match habitat selection at the nest‐site and landscape scale in agriculturally fragmented landscapes

Habitat selection theory suggests that when choosing breeding sites, animals should choose the best available habitat; however, studies show that individuals fail to choose habitats that maximize their fitness especially in drastically altered landscapes. Many studies have focused on selection at single scales, often using a single measure of fitness. However, links between habitat selection and fitness may vary depending on the spatial scale and measure of fitness, especially in situations where agricultural land use has altered the surrounding landscape.We examined multiscale habitat selection and fitness measures of the Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii) and Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) using data collected in agriculturally fragmented landscapes.We found evidence for selection of nest sites with dense understory, larger patches, and increasing restored habitat cover and decreasing forest cover in the surrounding landscape.For both focal species, selection for dense understory significantly increased nest survival; however, there appeared to be no concurrent benefit for fledgling production. Selection for broader scale features positively influenced nest survival for the Willow Flycatcher with no concurrent benefit for fledgling production. The observed mismatches may be due to anthropogenic habitat fragmentation at broader scales or may represent reproductive trade-offs for a fitness benefit not measured in this study.Fine-scale habitat selection decisions by our focal species appear to match fitness outcomes, whereas habitat selection at broader scales only provided fitness benefits for the Willow Flycatcher. Though providing no fledgling production benefit, when combined with suitably dense nesting habitat, larger patches in landscapes with greater amounts of restored habitat cover for Bell's Vireo and lower amounts of forest cover for Willow Flycatcher will produce more fledglings per unit area than smaller patches in landscapes with less restored habitat and more forest cover, respectively, which could help inform conservation decisions for these at-risk species.
Racial Differences in Hospitalizations Due to Injuries in South Dakota Children and Adolescents

To determine racial differences and trends in pediatric injury hospitalization rates in a rural state. Hospital inpatient discharge data (2009–2014) for South Dakota residents aged 0–19 years were used to calculate annual hospitalization rates due to injuries. Race-, age-, and sex-specific rates were calculated, and trends over time were determined. Between 2009 and 2014, there were 3701 pediatric hospitalizations (1008 American Indian [AI]; 2303 white) due to injuries at an average rate of 269/100,000 (95% CI 260–280/100,000). Injury hospitalization rates were higher for AI than white children (532 vs. 213 per 100,000, respectively; p < 0.001). Rates for both AI and white children increased between 2009 and 2014 (both, p < 0.001). Suicide attempts were the predominant manner of injury in both the 10–14- and 15–19-year age groups, with AI adolescents having 3.5 and 3.2 times higher rates than white adolescents. Among AI adolescents aged 15 to 19 years, hospitalizations due to homicide-related injuries were 12.6 times higher than that of white children. Injury hospitalization rates among females recently exceeded that of males, due primarily to an increase in attempted suicides. Mechanism and nature of hospitalized injuries were consistent with the high rate of suicide-related admissions. South Dakota AI children have disproportionately higher hospitalization rates due to unintentional and attempted suicide- and homicide-related injuries, and the rate differences between AI and white children are increasing over time. Injury hospitalization rates among females have increased more rapidly and recently surpassed that of males.
CAPRIO: Context-Aware Path Recommendation Exploiting Indoor and Outdoor Information

During extreme weather conditions and natural disasters caused by meteorological phenomena, it is imperative to enable navigation that minimizes the outdoor section of recommended paths. Existing indoor-outdoor navigation and localization systems have evolved to support queries like the shortest distance, either outdoor or indoor, with additional constraints. However, most of them work in isolation and do not take into consideration the external natural conditions, like the weather, that an individual may experience walking outside during a polar vortex or heatwave. In this paper, we present CAPRIO, a context-aware path recommendation system whose objectives are two-fold: (i) minimizing outdoor exposure; and (ii) minimizing the distance of the recommended path. We propose a novel graph representation that integrates indoor and outdoor information to discover paths that satisfy outdoor exposure and distance constraints. We measure the efficiency of the proposed solution using two real datasets collected from the University of Pittsburgh and University of Cyprus campuses. We show that we can achieve comparable distance to the state-of-the-art in minimizing outdoor exposure.
Material Hardship Among Immigrants in the United States: Variation by Citizenship, Legal Status, and Origin in the 1996–2008 SIPP

Previous literature has explored different dimensions of immigrant incorporation; however, no extant literature describes the extent to which migration status is associated with a comprehensive set of material hardship dimensions. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) spanning more than a decade (1996–2008), we assess material hardship among the foreign-born by migration status, a unique contribution of this data. Trends over the study period reflect the persistent migration status gradient in material hardship. Multivariate models point to three important findings. First, unauthorized and legally resident non-citizens had significantly increased odds of hardship compared to the naturalized. Second, the magnitude of the migration status-hardship association varied depending on hardship with naturalized citizens generally having lower odds of each form of hardship than unauthorized and legally resident non-citizens. Finally, patterns of material hardship by US duration were not uniform. For example, for utility hardships, the unauthorized with 10 or more years of US duration have higher predicted probabilities than unauthorized of shorter durations. The results highlight the challenges of the immigrant experience in America for recent arrivals, the unauthorized, for legal immigrants, and immigrants who have resided in the US for more than 10 years.
Influence of energy removal rate on the quality of minced meat from undersized crawfish during frozen storage

Undersized crawfish have little economic value and are often discarded. Producing crawfish minced meat (CMM) from undersized crawfish and using an appropriate freezing technique may enable an economically viable market. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of the energy removal rate using two techniques, cryogenic freezing (CF) and air blast freezing (BF), on CMM’s quality during frozen storage. CMM was separated into two batches; one batch was cryogenically frozen with liquid nitrogen and the other batch was frozen with an air blast freezer. CMM batches were frozen and stored at − 18 °C. They were analyzed for moisture content, color, pH, and lipid oxidation during 180 days of storage. The CMM yield was 64.67% of the total crawfish weight. Cryogenic freezing achieved the highest freezing rate. Cryogenically frozen CMM showed 22% less lipid oxidation than CMM frozen by air blast freezing at 180 days of storage. This study showed that CMM could be mechanically produced from undersized crawfish and freezing techniques with high energy removal rate could better maintain quality attributes for CMM during frozen storage.
Surrender: Feminist Rhetoric and Ethics in Love and Illness: by Jessica Restaino, Southern Illinois UP, 2019, 204 pp., $35.00 (paper). ISBN: 9780809337149

Although many sentences capture Jessica Restaino’s purpose in Surrender: Feminist Rhetoric and Ethics in Love and Illness, perhaps this early declaration does so most succinctly: “In essence, I cal...
The four pandemics

COVID 19 interacts with white supremacy, economic insecurity and politcal terrorism, adversely affecting many people and populations. This article considers the consequences of these four interacti...
Gerrymandering as Art: A New Method for Teaching Redistricting

Gerrymandering is a controversial practice in American politics, and one that has generated a significant amount of legal, academic, and political interest. While gerrymandering is an important and...
The landscape of transcriptional and translational changes over 22 years of bacterial adaptation

Organisms can adapt to an environment by taking multiple mutational paths. This redundancy at the genetic level, where many mutations have similar phenotypic and fitness effects, can make untangling the molecular mechanisms of complex adaptations difficult. Here we use the E. coli long-term evolution experiment (LTEE) as a model to address this challenge. To bridge the gap between disparate genomic changes and parallel fitness gains, we characterize the landscape of transcriptional and translational changes across 11 replicate populations evolving in parallel for 50,000 generations. By quantifying absolute changes in mRNA abundances, we show that not only do all evolved lines have more mRNAs but that this increase in mRNA abundance scales with cell size. We also find that despite few shared mutations at the genetic level, clones from replicate populations in the LTEE are remarkably similar to each other in their gene expression patterns at both the transcriptional and translational levels. Furthermore, we show that the bulk of the expression changes are due to changes at the transcriptional level with very few translational changes. Finally, we show how mutations in transcriptional regulators lead to consistent and parallel changes in the expression levels of downstream genes, thereby linking genomic changes to parallel fitness gains in the LTEE. These results deepen our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying complex adaptations and provide insights into the repeatability of evolution.
Regulation of plasma triglyceride partitioning by adipose-derived ANGPTL4 in mice

Elevated plasma triglyceride levels are associated with metabolic disease. Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) regulates plasma triglyceride levels by inhibiting lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Our aim was to investigate the role of adipocyte-specific deficiency of ANGPTL4 in mice during high fat diet feeding. Adipocyte-specific ANGPTL4 deficient mice were fed a high fat diet (60% kCal from fat) for either 12 weeks or 6 months. We performed plasma metabolic measurements, triglyceride clearance and uptake assays, LPL activity assays, and assessed glucose homeostasis. Mice lacking adipocyte ANGPTL4 recapitulated the triglyceride phenotypes of whole-body ANGPTL4 deficiency, including increased adipose LPL activity, lower plasma triglyceride levels, and increased uptake of triglycerides into adipose tissue. When fed a high fat diet (HFD), these mice continued to display enhanced adipose LPL activity and initially had improved glucose and insulin sensitivity. However, after 6 months on HFD, the improvements in glucose homeostasis were largely lost. Moreover, despite higher adipose LPL activity levels, mice lacking adipocyte ANGPTL4 no longer had increased triglyceride uptake into adipose compared to littermate controls after chronic high-fat feeding. These observations suggest that after chronic high-fat feeding LPL is no longer rate-limiting for triglyceride delivery to adipocytes. We conclude that while adipocyte-derived ANGPTL4 is an important regulator of plasma triglyceride levels and triglyceride partitioning under normal diet conditions, its role is diminished after chronic high-fat feeding.
Psilocybin therapy increases cognitive and neural flexibility in patients with major depressive disorder

Psilocybin has shown promise for the treatment of mood disorders, which are often accompanied by cognitive dysfunction including cognitive rigidity. Recent studies have proposed neuropsychoplastogenic effects as mechanisms underlying the enduring therapeutic effects of psilocybin. In an open-label study of 24 patients with major depressive disorder, we tested the enduring effects of psilocybin therapy on cognitive flexibility (perseverative errors on a set-shifting task), neural flexibility (dynamics of functional connectivity or dFC via functional magnetic resonance imaging), and neurometabolite concentrations (via magnetic resonance spectroscopy) in brain regions supporting cognitive flexibility and implicated in acute psilocybin effects (e.g., the anterior cingulate cortex, or ACC). Psilocybin therapy increased cognitive flexibility for at least 4 weeks post-treatment, though these improvements were not correlated with the previously reported antidepressant effects. One week after psilocybin therapy, glutamate and N-acetylaspartate concentrations were decreased in the ACC, and dFC was increased between the ACC and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Surprisingly, greater increases in dFC between the ACC and PCC were associated with less improvement in cognitive flexibility after psilocybin therapy. Connectome-based predictive modeling demonstrated that baseline dFC emanating from the ACC predicted improvements in cognitive flexibility. In these models, greater baseline dFC was associated with better baseline cognitive flexibility but less improvement in cognitive flexibility. These findings suggest a nuanced relationship between cognitive and neural flexibility. Whereas some enduring increases in neural dynamics may allow for shifting out of a maladaptively rigid state, larger persisting increases in neural dynamics may be of less benefit to psilocybin therapy.
RANDOM: a program for the stationary random vibration analysis of linear structures with hereditary characteristics

Abstract The paper describes a general framework for the spectral analysis of linear structures under stationary random excitation. The method can be implemented as a post-processor to a Finite Element programme. The formulation is made in the frequency domain in a way which includes structures with hereditary characteristics. It uses the coupled equations of the normal mode components. The method is illustrated by two examples. The first is used to show that the off-diagonal terms in the modal equations may sometimes be significant and that the damping must be treated carefully in the formulation. The second is concerned with the along wind response of buildings and is used as a benchmark. It is shown that in this case, which involves a fairly complicated excitation mechanism, the algorithm is very fast, and can reproduce previously published results.
Characterization of Neuropeptide Y (NPY) Receptors

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), peptide YY (PYY), and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) constitute a trio of structurally related peptides that elicit a variety of physiological responses in targets including the brain, gut, and vascular smooth muscle. These actions are mediated by a family of G protein-coupled receptors, each of which exhibits a distinct pharmacological fingerprint. This unit describes protocols for identifying and characterizing the pharmacological properties of two NPY receptor subtypes, Y1 and Y2. At least four other members of this receptor family have been described (Y3, Y4, Y5 and y6), and a brief description of these receptors and relevant literature citations are also provided.