cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A combined M5P tree and hazard-based duration model for predicting urban freeway traffic accident durations.

The duration of freeway traffic accidents duration is an important factor, which affects traffic congestion, environmental pollution, and secondary accidents. Among previous studies, the M5P algorithm has been shown to be an effective tool for predicting incident duration. M5P builds a tree-based model, like the traditional classification and regression tree (CART) method, but with multiple linear regression models as its leaves. The problem with M5P for accident duration prediction, however, is that whereas linear regression assumes that the conditional distribution of accident durations is normally distributed, the distribution for a “time-to-an-event” is almost certainly nonsymmetrical. A hazard-based duration model (HBDM) is a better choice for this kind of a “time-to-event” modeling scenario, and given this, HBDMs have been previously applied to analyze and predict traffic accidents duration. Previous research, however, has not yet applied HBDMs for accident duration prediction, in association with clustering or classification of the dataset to minimize data heterogeneity. The current paper proposes a novel approach for accident duration prediction, which improves on the original M5P tree algorithm through the construction of a M5P-HBDM model, in which the leaves of the M5P tree model are HBDMs instead of linear regression models. Such a model offers the advantage of minimizing data heterogeneity through dataset classification, and avoids the need for the incorrect assumption of normality for traffic accident durations. The proposed model was then tested on two freeway accident datasets. For each dataset, the first 500 records were used to train the following three models: (1) an M5P tree; (2) a HBDM; and (3) the proposed M5P-HBDM, and the remainder of data were used for testing. The results show that the proposed M5P-HBDM managed to identify more significant and meaningful variables than either M5P or HBDMs. Moreover, the M5P-HBDM had the lowest overall mean absolute percentage error (MAPE).
Becoming Influential: A Guide for Nurses

1. What Is Influence and Why Do I Need It? 2. Rules of the Game 3. Understanding and Using Your Power 4. The Power of Image 5. Communicating Effectively 6. Why Politics? PART II. USING INFLUENCE 7. Setting Goals and Making Things Happen 8. Making Connections and Building Coalitions 9. Negotiating for What You Want 10. Dealing with Difficult People and Situations PART III. PUTTING INFLUENCE TO WORK FOR YOU 11. Enhancing Your Influence 12. Telling Nursing's Story 13. Managing Your Career 14. Balancing Your Life PART IV. THE FINAL STEPS 15. Preparing Your Successors 16. Leaving Your Legacy APPENDIX. Ten Little Known Secrets for Success
Twenty-year follow-up of flow reversal and revascularization for a giant serpentine basilar artery aneurysm.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE Current microsurgical and endovascular therapies have offered little advancement for the treatment of complex vertebrobasilar aneurysms. The outcome of patients with these rare lesions has remained poor, despite sometimes heroic measures. CLINICAL PRESENTATION The authors report a case of a 65-year-old man who 20 years earlier had presented with symptoms suggestive of brainstem compression. Imaging at the time revealed a giant, serpentine aneurysm of the basilar artery. The patient was treated with superficial temporal artery to superior cerebellar artery bypass and decompression of the aneurysm contents. Twenty years after this treatment, the patient remains functionally intact with few sequelae from his treatment or the pathology. Follow-up imaging reveals thrombosis of the aneurysm without ischemic damage to the brainstem. CONCLUSION This case demonstrates that good functional outcomes are possible for select complex posterior circulation aneurysms by using flow reversal and revascularization; however, at this time, we are unable to predict for which patients this strategy will be successful.
A Study of the Noise Source Mechanisms in an Excited Mach 0.9 Jet - Complementary Experimental and Computational Analysis

Coordinated experimental and numerical results are analyzed concurrently to explore the dynamics of large-scale structures and the resultant effect on the acoustic signals in a Mach 0.9 jet. The results comprise an unheated jet which is being excited by plasma actuators in order to produce coherent structures with a well-defined phase. The dynamic interactions of the generated large-scale structures are investigated using phase-averaging and iso-levels of Q-criterion. The near-field is then decomposed into its constitutive hydrodynamic and acoustic components using a spatio-temporal wavelet transform. Two-point correlations between the full and decomposed near-field, and the nearand far-field acoustic signals are utilized to identify the dominant acoustic source regions in both jets. Our previous experimental work had shown that each individual actuation event produced a temporally and spatially localized pressure fluctuation in the irrotational near-field, which was termed the impulse response of the jet. The response of the jet to periodic excitation could be reconstructed from a linear superposition of this impulse response. Results also showed that the nearand far-acoustic fields are also governed by this quasi-linear mechanism (though this does not imply that the noise generation process itself is necessarily linear). The preliminary analysis of the numerical results found that this same principle applied inside the jet shear layer (at jet lipline), albeit with less accuracy; suggesting that the structure interactions are largely linear in nature.
Inferences on the Dispersion of Cotton Arthropods in Texas

Discrete frequency distributions obtained from samples of various arthropods commonly found in Texas cotton fields were fitted to 6 discrete mathematical frequency-distribution models. The observed frequency distributions most frequently fit the negative binomial expectations, suggesting a clumped pattern of dispersion. These same arthropods were seldom observed to be randomly dispersed as indicated by poor agreement with the Poisson expectations.
Phorbol ester-induced low density lipoprotein receptor gene expression in HepG2 cells involves protein kinase C-mediated p42/44 MAP kinase activation

The signaling pathway involved in low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene expression induced by the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) was investigated in the human hepatoma HepG2 cell line. Treatment of HepG2 cells with 100 nM TPA resulted in an approximately 20-fold increase in LDL receptor mRNA level, as determined by RT-PCR, which peaked at 2-4 h of treatment and subsequently declined. The protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors calphostin C and staurosporine prevented TPA-mediated LDL receptor mRNA induction. In contrast, TPA did not affect squalene synthase mRNA expression. Immunoblotting of cell extracts with isozyme-specific PKC antibodies revealed that HepG2 cells expressed PKC alpha, which was mainly cytosolic, and PKC beta, PK epsilon, and PKC zeta, all of which were present in both the cytosolic and particulate fractions. Treatment of HepG2 cells with 100 nM TPA resulted in translocation of cytosolic PKC alpha to the particulate fraction, with a maximum at 30 min-2 h of treatment, but was without effect on the subcellular distribution of the other isozymes. TPA treatment also led to activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) ERK cascade. The specific MAPK pathway inhibitor PD98059 blocked TPA-induced ERK activation. Furthermore, pretreatment of cells with PD98059 inhibited TPA-induced LDL receptor mRNA induction. Moreover, pretreatment of cells with calphostin C inhibited TPA-mediated ERK activation and LDL receptor mRNA induction in a dose-dependent fashion. Based on a close kinetic correlation between PKC alpha translocation and ERK activation, and the effects of specific inhibitors, these findings suggest that translocation/activation of PKC alpha, and subsequent activation of the Raf-1/MEK/ERK MAPK cascade, represent key events in the transcriptional induction of LDL receptor gene by TPA in HepG2 cells.
Cytoskeletal Expression and Remodeling in Pluripotent Stem Cells

Many emerging cell-based therapies are based on pluripotent stem cells, though complete understanding of the properties of these cells is lacking. In these cells, much is still unknown about the cytoskeletal network, which governs the mechanoresponse. The objective of this study was to determine the cytoskeletal state in undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells and remodeling with differentiation. Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and reprogrammed induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), as well as the original un-reprogrammed embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), were evaluated for expression of cytoskeletal markers. We found that pluripotent stem cells overall have a less developed cytoskeleton compared to fibroblasts. Gene and protein expression of smooth muscle cell actin, vimentin, lamin A, and nestin were markedly lower for ESCs than MEFs. Whereas, iPSC samples were heterogeneous with most cells expressing patterns of cytoskeletal proteins similar to ESCs with a small subpopulation similar to MEFs. This indicates that dedifferentiation during reprogramming is associated with cytoskeletal remodeling to a less developed state. In differentiation studies, it was found that shear stress-mediated differentiation resulted in an increase in expression of cytoskeletal intermediate filaments in ESCs, but not in iPSC samples. In the embryoid body model of spontaneous differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, however, both ESCs and iPSCs had similar gene expression for cytoskeletal proteins during early differentiation. With further differentiation, however, gene levels were significantly higher for iPSCs compared to ESCs. These results indicate that reprogrammed iPSCs more readily reacquire cytoskeletal proteins compared to the ESCs that need to form the network de novo. The strategic selection of the parental phenotype is thus critical not only in the context of reprogramming but also the ultimate functionality of the iPSC-differentiated cell population. Overall, this increased characterization of the cytoskeleton in pluripotent stem cells will allow for the better understanding and design of stem cell-based therapies.
A Theory of Land Reform

This chapter develops a theory of land reform in several steps. First, it outlines the political process of land reform. It then details how the chief political actors interact within this process to either push for or block land reform. Finally, it formalizes the logic in a game theoretic model that captures the dynamic decision making of key actors and demonstrates how changes in key parameters impact redistributive land reform outcomes. The discussion shows that large-scale changes in redistributive policy such as land redistribution are more difficult to achieve when there are more institutional constraints to political rule. The opposition of a small number of institutional actors can jeopardize reform: if the executive opposes reform, the legislature cuts off funding, or the bureaucracy is corrupt or unorganized, redistributive land reform efforts will fall flat. Because land redistribution requires significant political concentration and administrative capacity, it is more likely to occur under autocratic rule. Only when democracy is highly majoritarian – a rare circumstance – can democratic political elites implement land redistribution. That the structural conditions for land redistribution are more propitious under autocracy, however, does not imply that reform is deterministic under these regimes. Landed elites may wield considerable political power. For land redistribution to be implemented on a large scale, there must therefore be a coalitional split between ruling political elites and landed elites that spurs ruling political elites to attack the foundations of landed elite power. Destroying landed elites can reduce the potential threat they pose to ruling political elites over the longer term if their interests are not satisfied or if they fear the intentions of political elites. It also signals the ruling political elite's reliance on their support coalition – the group that brings them into power – instead of on landed elites, thereby reducing the threat of an insider coup. Granting land from former landed elites to the rural poor can then undercut the threat of instability from below by buying the support of key groups of the population that have the capacity to organize anti-regime resistance. These political origins of redistribution captured by the theory therefore provide an explanation for the targets and the beneficiaries of land redistribution.
Acetazolamide in Lithium-Induced Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus

This letter to the editor documents the successful use of acetazolamide in a patient with lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.
Accuracy of distraction based lifting criteria for the identification of insincere effort utilizing the under loading method

Background Distraction based material handling tests are used to measure effort during functional capacity evaluations. Objective To identify validity of effort using the under loading method with the XRTS Lever Arm. Classification of effort between the two sessions (100% effort and estimated 50% effort) was compared with current validity criteria. Methods Fifty healthy and asymptomatic subjects were tested under two conditions (100% effort and an estimated 50% effort). Comparisons were made between percent changes from crate lifts to lever arm lifts from three starting heights (0.25 m, 0.38 m and 0.051 m). Results During the 100% effort sessions, no subject had a mean percent change >20%, a majority of lift comparison >25% or a single lift comparison >30%. The specificity of the current validity criteria is 100%. The under loading method of using the XRTS lever arm was 20% sensitive in identifying an equivocal or invalid test result when subjects gave an estimated 50% effort. Conclusions The results indicate the under loading method of distraction based testing is very specific but lacks sensitivity in identifying feigned weakness with asymptomatic, non-injured individuals. The high specificity of the test should eliminate concern of having a false positive for insincere effort during functional testing.
Noninvasivepositive pressure ventilation vsinvasive mechanical ventilation as first-line therapy for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure in cancer patients.

Abstract Purpose The objective was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of critically ill cancer patients who received noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) vs invasive mechanical ventilation as first-line therapy for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Material and methods A retrospective cohort study of consecutive adult intensive care unit (ICU) cancer patients who received either conventional invasive mechanical ventilation or NIPPV as first-line therapy for hypoxemic respiratory failure. Results Of the 1614 patients included, the NIPPV failure group had the greatest hospital length of stay, ICU length of stay, ICU mortality (71.3%), and hospital mortality (79.5%) as compared with the other 2 groups (P Conclusion Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation failure is an independent risk factor for ICU mortality, but NIPPV patients who avoided intubation had the best outcomes compared with the other groups. Early vs late intubation did not have a significant impact on outcomes.
Perceptions of Paternal Support After Transitioning to College: Interpretations Based on the Generative Fathering Framework

Based on social demands for involvement and adaptability that are required to be a good father in contemporary United States culture, this study explored young adults’ perceptions of paternal support and how it changed after they transitioned to college. Thirty-seven college students were interviewed. Taxonomic analysis led to seven types of paternal support and three themes regarding changes in support. Using the generative fathering framework (Hawkins & Dollahite, 1997), the findings are discussed based on how these students’ perceptions of paternal support fit within cultural ideals of fathering and gendered notions of support.
Damage Control Endografting for the Unstable or Unfit Patient

Background In the elective setting, both open surgical and endovascular therapies may be reasonable treatment options for many vascular conditions. However, an unstable or unfit patient with a vascular emergency may be less able to tolerate a definitive open vascular operation. We now report the outcomes for “damage control” endografting for unstable or unfit patients with vascular emergencies as bridge therapy before definitive open therapy. Methods A retrospective review of patients who underwent damage control endografting over a 9-year period (2005–2014) was performed. The primary inclusion criterion was the use of emergency damage control endografting as temporizing therapy to permit time for patient stabilization or optimization before definitive open repair. Patients who underwent endografting as planned definitive therapy were excluded. Results Indications for damage control endografting included arterial bleeding or expanding hematoma related to infected pseudoaneurysms ( n = 5), infected grafts ( n = 3), or cancer ( n = 1). Anatomic locations included the aorta ( n = 3), common iliac artery ( n = 2), common femoral artery ( n = 2), common carotid artery ( n = 1), and subclavian artery ( n = 1). The median age was 56 years (interquartile range [IQR] 51–70). Five of our patients were male and 4 patients were female. Median follow-up was 8 months (IQR 3–11). Operative (30-day) mortality was 11%. A single patient died on postoperative day 12 after undergoing aortic and duodenal reconstruction related to an aortoenteric fistula. Using the damage control approach, clinical stabilization was achieved in 8 of the 9 patients (88%). One patient with a bleeding infected common femoral artery pseudoaneurysm continued to bleed and required emergent open surgical repair. Definitive open repair was completed in 8 of the 9 patients (88%) at a median time interval of 3 days (IQR 1–10). Planned open repair was not performed in a patient with exsanguinating carotid hemorrhage after the associated cancer was deemed unresectable. Conclusions Damage control endografting facilitates stabilization of the majority of unstable and unfit patients with vascular emergencies to allow definitive open repair under more favorable conditions. This technique should be employed rarely due to the expense, but it is a technique worthy of consideration in select patients.
Energy loss in gas lasers operating in hollow-core optical fibers

The output of solid core fiber lasers is constrained in the mid-infrared due to the absorption properties of silica. Optically pumped gas lasers can reach the mid-infrared but require long path lengths for interaction between the pump light and gain medium. Optically pumped gas lasers where the gain medium is contained in a hollow-core optical fiber may provide a robust and compact platform that combines advantages of fiber and optically-pumped gas lasers. Experimental demonstrations of gas-filled-fiber lasers have been reported. The energy output of a molecular gas laser operating in a hollow-core optical fiber is computationally modeled using rate equations. The rate equations include terms for various physical processes including molecular self-collisions, molecular collisions with the fiber walls, and fiber attenuation. The rate equations are solved for a time-dependent, one-dimensional fiber model with an acetylene gain medium that lases along rotation-vibrational transitions. The energy output and losses are computed for multiple configurations. Model correspondence with reported experiments is shown. The computed energy losses due to backwards propagating light, fiber losses, and molecular collisions are applied to pulsed, continuous wave, and synchronously pumped gas lasers operating in hollow-core optical fibers. Energy losses due to molecular collisions are used to estimate heating in the gain medium.
Tracking of Nuclear Cable Insulation Polymer Structural Changes Using the Gel Fraction and Uptake Factor Method

Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cable insulation samples were exposed to heat and gamma radiation at a series of temperatures, dose rates, and exposure times to evaluate the effects of these variables on material degradation. The samples were tested using the solvent incubation method to collect gel fraction and uptake factor data in order to assess the crosslinking and chain scission occurring in polymer samples with aging. Consistent with previous reports, gel fraction values were observed to increase and uptake factor values to decrease with radiation and thermal exposure. The trends seen were also more prominent as exposure time increased, suggesting this to be a viable method of tracking structural changes in the XLPE-insulated cable material over extended periods. For the conditions explored, the cable insulation material evaluated did not indicate signs of anomalous aging such as inverse temperature effect in which radiation-induced aging is more severe at lower temperature. Ongoing aging under identical radiation conditions and at lower temperature will further inform conclusions regarding the importance of inverse temperature effects for this material under these conditions.
Fuzziness and the Normative Theory of Social Choice

The paper discusses the role of fuzzy notions of preference and optimality in the normative theory of social choice. It considers several alternative ways in which fuzziness can be introduced to widen the usual analytical framework of social choice theory. The significance of and justification for such extensions are discussed.
What’s Good for Boyle Heights Has Been Good at the Los Angeles Coliseum

George Sanchez’s 2004 article “What’s Good for Boyle Heights Is Good for the Jews” brings to light the fascinating history of the cultural and political dimensions of what he calls “radical interracialism” in the mid-twentieth century. As I delve more deeply into the racial, ethnic, and recreational history of Los Angeles, I find myself strongly indebted to the work of Sanchez and his cohorts of ethnic studies scholars working on Los Angeles. Sanchez’s research on the East Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights during the 1940s and ’50s has uncovered what Luis Alvarez calls a “counter-history of Los Angeles”: a narrative of the city’s and county’s history that disrupts the dominant understandings of decentralization, privatization, and apartheid-like segregation. To Sanchez, Boyle Heights was a “particular site of ethnic cooperation in the midst of racial segregation and political conservatism.” Recalling the neighborhood’s history during this period, he writes, “better situates our own search for neighborhoods of diversity that truly worked together in the past and our hope of a multiracial Los Angeles that can work together in the future.” Following his lead, I examine Sanchez’s formulation of “radical interracialism,” as articulated in his essays on Jewish cross-racial interaction in Boyle Heights and its political manifestation in the ascendance of Edward Roybal, the first Mexican American to serve in the Los Angeles City Council since the late nineteenth century. In these essays, Sanchez historicizes the making of cross-racial linkages on both cultural and political levels. Inspired by his research, I take up his challenge by embarking on my own search for radical interracialism in an unlikely yet ubiquitous urban institution—a sports stadium, whose hidden history of racial integration and public culture counters the social hierarchies inscribed in the neoliberal ballpark of the urban gentrifying present.
Reviews of Recent Publications by Aspray and Nelson [2 books reviewed]

Reviews the following two books: "Women and Underrepresented Minorities in Computing: A Historical and Social Study" (Aspray, W.; 2016) and "The Sound of Innovation: Stanford and the Computer Music Revolution" (Nelson, A.; 2015).
Beyond the Collective: The Comparative Strategic Utility of the African Union and RECs in Individual National Security Pursuits

African states hold memberships in two sets of intra-African collective security institutions: those at the Pan-African level of analysis (the African Union) and those at the subregional (Regional Economic Community [REC]) level of analysis. When observers typically view the benefits, or strategic utility, that these institutions provide to member states, they do so in terms of collective security, not individual national security. Given their embeddedness in two sets of institutions aimed at enhancing security, how do African states interpret the strategic utility of pursuing specific individual national security pursuits in either the African Union or the RECs? Based on interviews with personnel working in and in proximity to the African Union between 2014 and 2015, this chapter argues that in general, states view the RECs to have more strategic utility than the AU, even though the latter has some strategic benefits that the former does not.
Premutation in achondroplasia.

The genetic characteristics of achondroplasia can be summarized as follows: 1. It is a common disorder ranging in prevalence from 2.5 to 5 per 100,000; in Italy, Camera and Mastroiacovo (7) documented a prevalence of 1/28,000 live- and stillborn children; the best estimate of prevalence after correcting for under-ascertainment was 1/22,500. 2. Most cases (80–90 percent) are sporadic; in the study of Camera and Mastroiacovo 24/25 cases were sporadic. 3. The fertility of all achondroplasia couples (including couples with one or two achondroplastic spouses and those who had no children and all of those who had at least one child) is low, namely 0.96 (21).
On listening to music

My aim in this paper is an exceedingly modest one: to throw some light on listening to music. To do this I make use of some of Kant's ideas, which are drawn from the Critique of Pure Reason1 in the first two sections of my paper, and a few of T.S. Eliot's ideas, which are drawn primarily from his essay, "The Music of Poetry,"2 in the third and final section of my paper. I should make clear that I am not so much interpreting Kant and Eliot as I am borrowing from them and making use of their ideas in ways that they, no doubt, did not intend. It just happens to be true that their ideas are suggestive and, as I believe, fruitful for a consideration of music or so I will argue. Since the topic of my paper is listening, my argument in some measure takes cognizance of the position developed by Peter Kivy, whose work I consider to represent the state-of-the-art in musical aesthetics today, at least as far as listening is concerned. While I do not discuss Kivy's position in detail in what follows,3 my thinking on this subject has been stimulated by his recent book, Music Alone,4 and I would therefore like to acknowledge this general fact from the start. I only hope to have advanced the discussion begun there one step further down a very long road.
Microbial Insecticide Application: Cotton

Microbial insecticides have been widely tested on cotton in the USA and other countries. Application of microbial insecticides to cotton has consisted primarily of evaluating Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and Helicoverpa zea nucleopolyhedrovirus (HzNPV) formulations. However, progress has also been made with entomopathogenic fungi, nematodes, and protozoa and these entomopathogens will also be considered in this chapter.
The American Dream of Family in Film: From Decline to a Comeback*

The family and family-related values have always been a component of dominant culture and the American Way of Life. This article deals with the portrayal of the family in the New American Cinema, f...
Pathways to Health: an Examination of HIV-Related Stigma, Life Stressors, Depression, and Substance Use

Despite antiretroviral treatment (ART) being an efficacious treatment for HIV, essentially making it a chronic non-terminal illness, two related and frequent concerns for many people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) continue to be HIV-related stigma and life stress. These two variables are frequently associated with depression, substance use, and poorer functional health. Studies to date have not fully examined the degree to which these constructs may be associated within one model, which could reveal a more nuanced understanding of how HIV-related stigma and life stress affect functional health in PLWHA. The current study employed hybrid structural equation modeling to examine the interconnectedness and potential indirect relationships of HIV-related stigma and life stress to worse health through substance use and depression, controlling for ART adherence and age. Participants were 240 HIV-infected individuals who completed a biopsychosocial assessment battery upon screening for an RCT on treating depression in those infected with HIV. Both HIV-related stigma and stressful life events were directly related to depression, and depression was directly related to health. There were significant indirect effects from stigma and stress to health via depression. There were no significant effects involving substance use. It is important to continue to develop ways to address stigma, stressful life events, and their effects on distress in those living with HIV. Expanding our knowledge of disease progression risk factors beyond ART adherence is important to be able to design adjuvant interventions, particularly because treatment means that people living with HIV have markedly improved life expectancy and that successful treatment means that HIV is not transmittable to others.
The application of ultrasonic-assisted measurement in pure methane gas space in a constant volume chamber using an ultrasonic sensor

Abstract This work is an experimental study using a gas ultrasound sensor to investigate the effect of the ultrasonic-assisted measurement on sensitivity and attenuation in pure methane (CH4) gas. This paper is mainly focused on the ultrasonic transmission and reception voltage characteristics, self-vibration, envelope signal, and amplitude. The ultrasonic-assisted measurement system is used for a reorganization purpose of constant volume chamber (CVC) located in an NG or CNG vehicle. The CVC system is designed with two different ultrasonic sensors: pressure regulator, pressure sensor, temperature sensor, safety valve, mass flow controller and actuator, LabVIEW cDAQ and software, and air cylinder for sensor distance control. The experiments are performed in a wide range of operating conditions, i.e., initial pressure of 1–5 bar, temperature of 293 K, initial voltage of 300–500 V, sensor distance of 30–90 cm, resonant frequency of 56.2 kHz, and pulse rate of 7 Hz. As a result, as pressure increases, the measured width of the transmission sensor (T: EVA) and receiving sensor (R: EVA) is remarkably widened in a main measuring signal including envelope amplitude. Also, in the case of a high sensitivity ultrasonic sensor (HSUS) capable of measuring CH4 gas inside a CVC, the measuring sensitivity has a higher efficiency in high-density conditions as well as low-density conditions compared with other types. Consequently, as the initial pressure increases, the entire ultrasonic sensors can obtain higher efficiency and sensitivity in CH4 gas space because of the significantly accumulated gas particles.
A Tendon Indentation Method to Quantify Velocity-Dependent Reflex Responses after Hemispheric Stroke

Stretch reflex responses in passive muscle can be utilized to assess spasticity in chronic stroke survivors. In this study, we present a different method of eliciting the reflex response by imposing tendon indentation using a linear motor. Specifically, we test a "Ramp-and-hold" protocol, utilizing a linear motor controlled by a position-controlled feedback loop (Linmot, Inc), to indent the biceps brachii distal tendon at different velocities. The protocol was tested on the affected arm of three stroke subjects. We also utilized a tendon indentation combined with tendon-tapping method to quantify the reflex threshold. Our results indicate that the reflex response was elicited at velocities equal to or above 50 mm/s in 2/3 subjects. No reflex response was detected in one subject. All subjects showed a distinct reflex threshold using the indentation/tapping method. Furthermore, the presence of a reflex response during tendon-tapping was not necessarily accompanied by the elicitation of a reflex response during the ramp-and-hold. However, our data suggests that the indentation threshold during tapping is correlated to the presence of a reflex response at the velocities tested during the ramp-and-hold. Though more time consuming, tendon indentation using ramp-and-hold could provide greater resolution of the reflex response to quantify spasticity than the current clinically employed ballistic tapping method using a reflex hammer.
Vertebral Intraosseous Vascular Malformations in a Familial Cerebral Cavernous Malformation Population: Prevalence, Histologic Features, and Associations With CNS Disease

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether MRI-typical and MRI-atypical intraosseous vascular malformations are associated with familial cerebral cavernous malformation (FCCM). MATERIALS AND METHODS. In a retrospective matched case-control study, two radiologists reviewed the spinal imaging, both CT and MRI, of 22 patients with FCCM seen between 2006 and 2017 and of age- and sex-matched control subjects for MRI-typical and MRI-atypical intraosseous vascular malformations. Quantitative analysis of lesions identified included vertebral level, size, and number of lesions. Pathologic samples from two lesions were analyzed for histologic and immunohistochemical features. Whether the presence of typical, atypical, and total intraosseous vascular malformations differed between patients and control subjects was tested. For patients with complete spinal imaging, whether intraosseous vascular malformations were associated with age, sex, brain lesion count, and spinal lesion count was also tested. RESULTS. MRI-atypical intraosseous vertebral malformations were more commonly present in patients with FCCM (p = 0.003). Sixteen lesions were found in nine patients and none in the control group. The numbers of MRI-typical intraosseous vascular malformations were similar between patients and control subjects (p = 0.480). Age was associated with typical intraosseous vascular malformations (p = 0.027), though not with atypical malformations. MRI-atypical malformations were larger (mean diameter double) than MRI-typical malformations (p = 0.023). Histologic analysis of two lesions from different patients with pathologic collapse revealed the same histologic features consistent with combined capillary-venous malformations. CONCLUSION. Vertebral capillary-venous malformations (MRI-atypical intraosseous vascular malformations) are common in patients with FCCM and may have a more aggressive clinical course than MRI-typical malformations.
Evo-Devo Path as a Bridge between Evolution, Morphological Disparity, and Medicine with Comments on “Hopeful Monsters” in the Age of Genomics

Since its inception in the late 1970s/early 1980s, Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Evo-Devo) has produced much insight into the evolution of organismal design. Despite the obvious roots connecting Evo-Devo studies to pathology, malformations have been ignored as possible adaptive phenotypes within a different ecological or phylogenetic context and may provide insight into studies of macroevolution. While early opponents of the Modern Synthesis such as Richard Goldschmidt rooted for “hopeful monsters,” this idea was poorly supported and until recently has gone without many examples. Evo-Devo Path [1, 2] builds upon the theoretical framework of early biologists like Pere Alberch while also bridging our current understanding of genomics and development with the hierarchical organization of pathologies established by Isidore Gregory Saint-Hilaire and morphological disparity, thus further challenging the Modern Synthesis and interrupting the boundary between disease and novelty and serving as a bridge between the fields of biomedical research and natural history. Mutations in the regulation and expression of genes within our genome recur as categorizable malformations through the perturbation of key signaling pathways. With the advent of Evo-Devo and genomic advancements over the last few decades, we are able to revisit the micro-evolutionary-centered Modern Synthesis and the idea of “hopeful monsters” to find that unlike the contentious aura which surrounded Goldschmidt’s work, we may now be in a position to re-examine his theoretical framework along with the tenets of the modern synthesis.
Estimating optimal daily nitrate, potassium, and water requirements of Cannabis sativa ‘cherry wine’ during the vegetative phase

Mineral nutrient requirements of Cannabis sativa ‘cherry wine’ (hemp) were studied under steady-state nutrition where nutrients and water (H2O) removed via transpiration uptake were replenished dai...
Patient Education and Shared Decision-Making

This chapter briefly discusses the current recommended approaches to patient education and shared decision-making in clinical settings for patients with cancer, which can be used to address their needs as they make decisions about immunotherapy. The informational needs of patients with induced rheumatic diseases and syndromes due to cancer immunotherapy vary according to the type and stage of cancer, type of immunotherapy used, induced rheumatic disease (or presence of preexisting autoimmune disease), and the individual’s characteristics (e.g., age-specific, cultural competencies, health literacy, and preferences). The strategies that can be addressed by rheumatologists to improve patient education are delineated and include assessing health literacy and cultural values, involving patients in the decision-making process, using all forms of health communication, addressing misinformation, and initiating discussions regarding cancer care plans.
Analysis of two-level systems and mechanical loss in amorphous ZrO2-doped Ta2O5 by non-cage-breaking and cage-breaking transitions

The energy landscape of ZrO2-doped amorphous Ta2O5 is explored in this work. With models corresponding to experimental concentrations of 50% Zr and 50% Ta cations, we search for, gather, and analyze two-level systems (TLSs) from molecular dynamic simulations. The mechanical loss function is calculated for each TLS individually. The results show that TLS with low asymmetry and large elastic coupling constants contribute the most to mechanical loss. We identify these as "bad actors." The higher barriers relate to the mechanical loss at higher temperatures. The concept of the oxygen cage that describes the local structural environment surrounding a metal ion is introduced. The existence of a drastic change in local environment, or a cage-breaking process, enables us to understand the double peaks present in the asymmetry distribution and provides a pictorial interpretation to distinguish two types of TLS. Quantitatively, a cage-breaking event is related to at least one large distance change in an atom-atom pair, and non-cage-breaking transitions have only small rearrangements. The majority of TLSs are cage-breaking transitions, but non-cage-breaking TLS transitions show higher average mechanical loss in ZrO2-doped Ta2O5. By decomposing the contributions to mechanical loss, we find that the low temperature loss peak near 40 K mainly comes from non-cage-breaking TLS transitions and the second loss peak near 120 K originates from cage-breaking TLS transitions. This finding is important for understanding the interplay between the atomic structure of TLS and mechanical loss.
Analysis of folded structure and folding thermodynamics in heterogeneous-backbone proteomimetics.

Abstract Recent years have seen a growing number of examples of designed oligomeric molecules with artificial backbone connectivity that are capable of adopting complex folded tertiary structures analogous to those seen in natural proteins. A range of experimental techniques from structural biology and biophysics have been brought to bear in the study of these proteomimetic agents. Here, we discuss some considerations encountered in the characterization of high-resolution folded structure as well as folding thermodynamics of protein-like artificial backbones. We provide an overview of the use of X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy in such systems and review example applications of these methods in the primary literature. Further, we provide detailed protocols for two experiments that have proved useful in our prior and ongoing efforts to compare folding thermodynamics between natural protein domains and heterogeneous-backbone counterparts.
Task and Informational Constraints on Search Strategies: Testing the Idea of Convergence to Tolerant Regions.

The experiment reported was designed to investigate the interaction of information and force variability on the evolving search strategy, specifically testing the hypothesis of convergence to toler...
Modeling and Spacing Control for an Electric Vehicle with One-Pedal-Driving Feature

The market share of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) has grown year by year in the past decade, mainly due to the significant fuel saving and emission reduction benefits over the conventional vehicles, advancement of battery technology, and continuing reduction of battery cost. One of the unique features for BEVs is one pedal driving (OPD) thanks to the strong regenerative braking capability. The purpose of this study is to design and realize a spacing control algorithm for a BEV featured with OPD. First, an in-house drive-by-wire system was developed for a BEV with the OPD feature. Then, comprehensive vehicle experimental data were collected. A high-fidelity model was developed for a BEV with OPD feature in Matlab/Simulink environment and the model was validated using the experimental data. Thereafter, a two-stage inter-vehicle spacing control algorithm with application to adaptive cruise control (ACC) was developed and validated in simulation using the high-fidelity vehicle model and field testing. Simulation and experimental results demonstrated that the proposed spacing controller can achieve the desired inter-vehicle distance with regulation errors less than 1.34%. The proposed spacing control will be instrumental for developing an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) for BEVs with OPD feature.
Thirty‐five years overdue: Note on a belated up from slavery

(1974). Thirty‐five years overdue: Note on a belated up from slavery. Labor History: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 86-88.
An N-Acetylgalactosaminyltransferase from Human Blood Group A Plasma I. PURIFICATION AND AGAROSE BINDING PROPERTIES

Abstract An N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase which is present in the plasma only of individuals of blood groups A and AB was found to adsorb to agarose gel beads. The binding could be reversed by addition of uridine nucleotides. These properties appear to be unique characteristics of this enzyme among glycosyltransferases and other proteins in human plasma. The enzyme probably binds to an inhibitor of the glycosyltransferase reaction which is present in the agarose. The specific binding exhibited by this transferase allowed an essentially one-step purification of the enzyme to be achieved by a simple adsorption to agarose and elution with UDP.
Bush v Gore: What Were They Thinking?

There is an old question: does a judge decide how a case will come out, and then find a justification in the law? Or does the judge approach the case with no strong prior inclination and follow the legal materials where they lead? If we confine the question to judges who are reasonably able and conscientious, the answer is surely that cases lie on a continuum between these poles. In some cases judges may have no strong intuitions, and they more or less try to figure out the right answer from the legal materials, perhaps approaching them with a weak and rebuttable prior view that one position is correct. One would expect that to be true in cases involving relatively technical bodies of law that engage no strong moral sentiments, or perhaps in areas that are so infrequently litigated that the law is unfamiliar. In other cases one would expect a judge to have strong intuitions, from the start, about how the case should come out. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this, at least as long as the judge is willing to change her mind if the legal materials, upon investigation, make it clear that the intuition is unsustainable. It is sensible, as well as inevitable, for people immersed in the legal culture to trust their intuitions about what the law must be before they have specifically investigated an issue. The extraordinary litigation that led to the Supreme Court's decision in Bush v Gore' allows us to speculate, with more confidence than usual, about how the justices approached the issues presented by that case. The fast pace of the proceedings, and the relative novelty of the legal issues, made the justices' thought processes unusually visible. They could not, as they ordinarily would, wait for the lower court proceedings to be fully completed and take as much time as they needed before committing themselves publicly to a position. They had to respond to two separate decisions of the Florida Supreme Court very quickly and very publicly. The conclusion that emerges, in my view, is that several members of the Court-perhaps a majority-were determined to overturn any ruling of the Florida Supreme Court that was favorable to Vice Presi-
Control of Steam Generation Processes

This paper discusses a general purpose control system for central heating plants. The controller structure includes the recently proposed Generalized Predictive Control (GPC) algorithm and modern, distributed computing hardware.
Introduction: Principles of Electron Tomography

Tomography is a method for reconstructing the interior of an object from its projections. The word tomography literally means the visualization of slices, and is applicable, in the strict sense of the word, only in the narrow context of the single-axis tilt geometry: for instance, in medical computerized axial tomography (CAT-scan imaging), the detector-source arrangement is tilted relative to the patient around a single axis (Fig. 1a). In electron microscopy, where the beam direction is fixed, the specimen holder is tilted around a single axis (Fig. 1b). However, the usage of this term has recently become more liberal, encompassing arbitrary geometries, provided that the specimen is actively tilted into multiple angles. In line with this relaxed convention, we will use the term electron tomography for any technique that employs the transmission electron microscope to collect projections of an object that is tilted in multiple directions and uses these projections to reconstruct the object in its entirety. Excluded from this definition are ‘single-particle’ techniques that make use of multiple occurrences of the object in different orientations, with or without the additional aid of symmetry (Fig. 1c). These techniques are covered elsewhere (non-symmetric: Frank, 1996, 2006; symmetric: Glaeser et al., 2007).