cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Filial Responsibility Among Mexican American College Students: A Pilot Investigation and Comparison:

As the number of Mexican American elders increases, their care becomes pressing. We sampled filial responsibility expectations of Mexican American college students to expand culture specific knowledge and found physical proximity to elders an important expectation. However, although some respondents adhere closely to the traditional Mexican value of familism, others may be adopting more individualistic attitudes. Filial responsibility norms may be changing as the Mexico and United States cultures interact at the Texas border.
Fuzzy logic resource manager: multi-agent fuzzy rules, self-organization and validation

Modern naval battleforces generally include many different platforms each with onboard sensors such as, radar, ESM, etc. The sharing of information measured by local sensors across the battlegroup should allow for near optimal decisions. A fuzzy logic algorithm has been developed that automatically allocates electronic attack (EA) resources in real-time. The controller must be able to make decisions based on rules provided by experts. The fizzy logic approach allows the direct incorporation of expertise. Genetic algorithm based optimization is conducted to determine the form of the membership functions for the fuzzy root concepts. Two algorithms for allocating power when faced with uncertainty are discussed. The self-organizing abilities of groups of agents controlled by the resource manager are considered. Methods of validating the resource manager are examined. These include evaluation through the scenario generator, a digital war game environment, the creation of mathematical measures of effectiveness, and other experimental test.
Guaranteed \ell _2-\ell _{\infty } Gain Control for LPV Systems

This chapter considers the optimal control of polytopic, discrete-time LPV systems with a guaranteed \(\ell _2\) to \(\ell _{\infty }\) gain. Additionally, to guarantee robust stability of the closed-loop system under parameter variations, \(\fancyscript{H}_{\infty }\) performance criterion is also considered as well. Controllers with a guaranteed \(\ell _2\) to \(\ell _{\infty }\) gain and a guaranteed \(\fancyscript{H}_{\infty }\) performance (\(\ell _2\) to \(\ell _2\) gain) are mixed \(\fancyscript{H}_2/\fancyscript{H}_{\infty }\) controllers. Normally, \(\fancyscript{H}_2\) controllers are obtained by considering a quadratic cost function that balances the output performance with the control input needed to achieve that performance. However, to obtain a controller with a guaranteed \(\ell _2\) to \(\ell _{\infty }\) gain (closely related to the physical performance constraint), the cost function used in the \(\fancyscript{H}_2\) control synthesis minimizes the control input subject to maximal singular-value performance constraints on the output. This problem can be efficiently solved by a convex optimization with LMI constraints. The contribution of this chapter is the characterization of the control synthesis LMIs used to obtain an LPV controller with a guaranteed \(\ell _2\) to \(\ell _{\infty }\) gain and \(\fancyscript{H}_{\infty }\) performance while the control \(\ell _2\) to \(\ell _{\infty }\) gain is minimized. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the convex optimization.
A Fatwa of Condemnation: The Struggle for Succession to Al-Hajj Umar

A Fatwa of Condemnation: the Struggle for Succession to Al-Hajj Umar / / Al-Hajj Umar appointed his eldest son, Ahmad al-Kabir, to be his successor in several ceremonies beginning in 1859. When Umar was killed in 1864, Ahmad inherited responsibility for the territories conquered by the military jihad (1852-64) between the Upper Senegal and Middle Niger valleys. He reigned from the old Bambara capital of Segu, and faced constant challenges. The most serious came from his brothers raised in Dingiray, a veritable cauldron of competition, by several prestigious mothers of Nigerian origin that Umar married in the 1830s on his return from Mecca. The first challenge came from Mokhtar and Habib, sons of Umar by the daughter of Muhammad Bello, successor to Uthman dan Fodio. / This proposal considers a consultation or fatwa that Ahmad elicited from a prestigious Fula scholar at the outset of this insurgency, in 1869. Al-Hajj Sa`id lived in Sokoto for several decades, then made the pilgrimage and settled in Segu sometime in the 1860s. He was the obvious person to consult, and delivered a ringing justification for the suppression of the revolt. The document comes from the Umarian library of Segu which was transplanted to the Bibliotheque Nationale of Paris at the end of the 19th century.
A Characterization of the Splitting of Inseparable Algebraic Extensions

(1978). A Characterization of the Splitting of Inseparable Algebraic Extensions. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 85, No. 5, pp. 338-341.
Impaired renal function and development in Belgrade rats.

Belgrade rats carry a disabling mutation in the iron transporter divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1). Although DMT1 plays a major role in intestinal iron absorption, the transporter is also highly ...
Immediate vs delayed shock on a spatial dimension

Comparisons were made among preferences for short, medium, or long spatial delays of shock, using 36 female albino rats. Significant preferences were found for long delay over either short or medium but for short over medium. This was interpreted in terms of the ambiguity of the choice situation: when punishment is absolutely certain, Ss prefer to have it immediately; when there is some ambiguity present, delayed punishment is selected.
Magnetic Anisotropy and Spin Reorientation in Nd2-xPrxCo14B

Nd2-xPrxCo14B intermetallics crystallize in tetragonal form isostructural to Nd2Fe14B. Structural and magnetic properties of the polycrystalline materials have been determined. Room temperature magnetic measurements indicate that these intermetallics exhibit uniaxial anisotropy throughout the entire composition range. Substitution of praseodymium in Nd2-xPrxCo14B significantly enhances the anisotropy field both at 78 K and at room temperature. Magnetization versus temperature plots show spin reorientation TSR2 at 546 K for Nd2Co14B and at 668 K for Pr2Co14B. TSR2 increases linearly with composition x. The 3d sublattice anisotropy which seeks the tetragonal plane appears to dominate above these temperatures. In addition to the above, low temperature magnetic measurements demonstrate the spin reorientation in Nd2Co14B and Nd1.9Pr0.1Co14B. Further additions of praseodymium strengthen the axial anisotropy at temperatures down to 4.2 K. Effect of competing crystal field interactions and the consequences of praseodymium substitution that result in considerable increase in anisotropy field in these quaternaries are discussed.
Melancholie. Historische und aktuelle Dimensionen eines psychokulturellen Komplexes

Mit der ‚kulturhistorischen‘ Wende in den Sozial- und Geisteswissenschaften seit den ausgehenden 80er Jahren des vorigen Jahrhunderts hat auch die Frage nach den psychokulturellen Voraussetzungen individuellen und kollektiven Verhaltens, dem stets entsprechende Wirklichkeitswahrnehmungen und -einschatzungen vorausgehen, neue Bedeutung gewonnen.
Research on the Coping Strategy for the IPv6 Address Resources of the Smart Grid

With the increased level of intelligence and upgraded automation of operational management and maintenance,IP addresses will be available in smart grid devices.IPv6 is the next-generation Internet network layer protocol.For the transition of smart grid to IPv6,the first problem confronted is to study the allocation of IPv6 address resources.The IPv6 address resources coping strategy and applications suggestions are put forward by drawing on the lessons of addresses in our predicament of the IPv4 age,comparing the IPv6 address with IPv4 address and analyzing IPv6 address demand of the smart grid,developing the mathematical model for IPv6 address forecast.In order to improve the performance of the power system information and communication network and facilitate reduction of the size of routing tables at all levels,it is recommended that the mechanism of application management of unified planning,unified application,and unified management be adopted for the next generation electric power IPv6 address resources to rapidly and sufficiently obtain the IPv6 addresses needed by the national smart grid development by application.Rational application for and retaining of IPv6 addresses makes it possible to minimize IPv6 address fragmentation and improve the efficiency of information and communication networks,thus enhancing the quality of the smart grid.
Study on method of organic phosphorus and carbamate pesticides in water using SPE and GC/MS

A method for analysis of 20 kinds of organic phosphorus and carbamate pesticides in drinking water using solid phase extraction(SPE) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC/MS) is suggested.These pesticides had been extracted,purified and pre-concentrated with solid phase extraction(SPE) technology,and the optimal column packing materials,extraction and purification conditions for SPE,and the working parameters of GC-MS were investigated.The experimental results indicate that the spiked recoveries and precision(RSD%) are 90.83%～105.0% and 3.20%～12.52% respectively.The detection limits for Scan and SIM are 0.000 3 mg/L～0.003 mg/L and 0.000 2 mg/L～0.002 2 mg/L.The established method is simple,rapid,sensitive and reliability.
ENTEROTOXIN PRODUCTION AND RESISTANCE TO ANTI-MICROBIAL DRUGS OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS IN FRESH MILK

To investigate the prevalence of enterotoxin production and resistance to anti-microbial drugs of Staphylococcus aureus in fresh, 209 pieces of fresh milk was analyzed for S. aureus. Isolated S. aureus strains were tested for staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) production(SEA-SEE) and antimicrobial resistance. S. aureus was detected in in 34 (16.27 %) raw bovine milk. Enterotoxin production was observed in 61.76 % S. aureus isolates. S. aureus isolates were highly resistant to penicillin (88.24 %) followed by erythromycin(41.48 %), tetracycline and oxacillin COAG(35.29 % and 35.29 %, respectively) and occurred 21 resistance phenotypes with the most to 6 kinds of drugs. The data showed that fresh milks were severely contaminated with S. aureus which could cause potential health hazards to consumers in Chinese food products and S. aureus showed resistance to different kinds of antimicrobials.
Impaired synthesis of DHA in patients with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa.

Many patients with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) have lower than normal blood levels of the long-chain polyunsaturated omega3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6omega3). This clinical trial was designed to test whether down-regulation of DHA biosynthesis might be responsible for these reduced DHA levels. DHA biosynthesis was assessed in five severely affected patients with XLRP and in five age-matched controls by quantifying conversion of [U-(13)C]alpha-linolenic acid (alpha-LNA) to [(13)C]DHA. Following oral administration of [U-(13)C]alpha-LNA, blood samples were collected at designated intervals for 21 days and isotopic enrichment of all omega3 fatty acids was determined by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Activity of each metabolic step in the conversion of alpha-LNA to DHA was determined by comparison of the ratios of the integrated concentration of (13)C-product to (13)C-precursor in plasma total lipid fractions. The ratio of [(13)C]DHA to [(13)C]18:3omega3 (the entire pathway) and that of [(13)C]20:5omega3 to [(13)C]20:4omega3 (Delta(5)-desaturase) were significantly lower in patients versus controls (P = 0.03 and 0.05, respectively). The estimated biosynthetic rates of [(13)C]20:5omega3, [(13)C]22:5omega3, [(13)C]24:5omega3, [(13)C]24:6omega3, and [(13)C]22:6omega3 were significantly lower in XLRP patients (42%, 43%, 31%, 18%, and 32% of control values, respectively; P < 0.04), supporting down-regulation of Delta(5)-desaturase in XLRP. The disappearance of (13)C-labeled fatty acids from plasma was not greater in XLRP patients compared with controls, suggesting that XLRP was not associated with increased rates of fatty acid oxidation or other routes of catabolism.Thus, despite individual variation among both patients and controls, the data are consistent with a lower rate of Delta(5)-desaturation, suggesting that decreased biosynthesis of DHA may contribute to lower blood levels of DHA in patients with XLRP.
Harold Demsetz Later in Life

Armen Alchian and Harold Demsetz established the Los Angeles School that has been influential ever since. Theirs is a school which shares some similarities with Chicago’s emphasis on the free market, Harvard’s tradition of institutional studies, and the strategic thrust of both the RAND Corporation and of the Hoover Institution, to which both contributed intellectually.
High-resolution velocity measurement in the inner part of turbulent boundary layers over super-hydrophobic surfaces

Digital holographic microscopy is used for characterizing the profiles of mean velocity, viscous and Reynolds shear stresses, as well as turbulence level in the inner part of turbulent boundary layers over several super-hydrophobic surfaces (SHSs) with varying roughness/texture characteristics. The friction Reynolds numbers vary from 693 to 4496, and the normalized root mean square values of roughness vary from 0.43 to 3.28. The wall shear stress is estimated from the sum of the viscous and Reynolds shear stress at the top of roughness elements and the slip velocity is obtained from the mean profile at the same elevation. For flow over SHSs with , drag reduction and an upward shift of the mean velocity profile occur, along with a mild increase in turbulence in the inner part of the boundary layer. As the roughness increases above , the flow over the SHSs transitions from drag reduction, where the viscous stress dominates, to drag increase where the Reynolds shear stress becomes the primary contributor. For the present maximum value of , the inner region exhibits the characteristics of a rough wall boundary layer, including elevated wall friction and turbulence as well as a downward shift in the mean velocity profile. Increasing the pressure in the test facility to a level that compresses the air layer on the SHSs and exposes the protruding roughness elements reduces the extent of drag reduction. Aligning the roughness elements in the streamwise direction increases the drag reduction. For SHSs where the roughness effect is not dominant ( ), the present measurements confirm previous theoretical predictions of the relationships between drag reduction and slip velocity, allowing for both spanwise and streamwise slip contributions.
Cultural studies 50 years on: history, practice and politics

Social and cultural geography’s relationships with ‘cultural studies’ have taken off in many directions over the last half-century. Outside of Britain, it is common to associate the rise of cultura...
"La Patria es Nuestra Madre": Family Metaphor and Race in the La Guaira Conspiracy

This paper explores the intersection of race and the metaphor of the national family in the texts generated during the Conspiracion de La Guaira, a failed 1797 republican independentista revolt in colonial Venezuela led by Mallorcan enlightened intellectual Juan Mariano Picornell. Turning away from traditional representations of the dynastic state in terms of paternity, the La Guaira conspirators figure the nation as a mother and creoles and Afro-Venezuelans as brother citizens. Yet, at the same time that it indicates a transition from dynastic to republican paradigms, the conspirators' emphasis on revolutionary brotherhood serves to contain the radical notions of equality unleashed by the republican independence movement.
Subclinical Partial Attritional Rupture of the Flexor Digitorum Profundus as an Etiology of Atraumatic Trigger Finger.

Background. Trigger finger is a relatively common clinical entity. The etiology is most often attributable to stenosing tenosynovitis though traumatic cases have been described. When trigger finger is associated with an underlying flexor tendon rupture, previous cases have reported a clear association with overt laceration or previous trauma. Methods. We present the case of a 23-year-old male active duty military service member who presented with a characteristic history and clinical exam consistent with trigger finger. The symptomatic onset was gradual, with no history of inciting trauma. Results. Given symptomatic persistent triggering following failure of conservative management to include cortisone injections, the patient was taken for open A1 pulley release. Intraoperatively, the triggering was found to be attributable to a partial attritional rupture of the small finger flexor digitorum profundus tendon. Tendon debridement, tubularization, and A1 and partial A2 pulley releases were performed with subsequent resolution of triggering. Conclusion. We present the rare case of subclinical atraumatic attritional rupture of the FDP tendon to the small finger as a cause of clinically apparent trigger finger. This is an important consideration as the hand surgeon must be prepared to address more atypical pathologies.
Primate Habitat Acoustics

Natural habitats are not recording studios. Calls emitted in nature encounter an irregular assortment of hard surfaces that reflect and scatter the wave front, producing complicated patterns of constructive and destructive interference. The propagated wave front is subsequently disturbed by wind, thermal gradients, and atmospheric absorption. Collectively, these phenomena result in an unpredictable and untidy acoustic environment. Furthermore, thunder, rain, crashing waves, or the relentless chatter of biotic sources can result in high ambient-noise levels that may mask the signal, overwhelm the recipient, and obliterate significant nuances and embellishments. Thus, vocal communication is hampered by attenuation, reverberation, distortion, and acoustic disturbances. Accordingly, the twin components of vocal communication, sound production and acoustic perception, may have undergone persistent selection to counter the most prominent impediments to both hearing and being heard. Primates have radiated from rain forest to grassland and other habitats, and each habitat differs acoustically. Hence, there is reason to believe that the duration, amplitude, pitch, and composition of primate vocal repertoires, the timing of emissions, and the placement and orientation of vocalizers is not haphazard, but each has become tuned to the acoustic parameters of the natal habitat to heighten the clarity of vocal exchanges. This chapter begins with an overview of the acoustic properties of rain forest, riverine forest, and savanna habitats occupied by East African primates, which is followed by reviews of how primate calls become distorted when propagated in natural habitats and how distortion scores have been used to explore the acoustic adaptation hypothesis. Finally, significant opportunities for additional research are highlighted.
Precision medicine in diabetes: an opportunity for clinical translation

Metabolic disorders present a public health challenge of staggering proportions. In diabetes, there is an urgent need to better understand disease heterogeneity, clinical trajectories, and related comorbidities. A pressing and timely question is whether we are ready for precision medicine in diabetes. Some biological insights that have emerged during the last decade have already been used to direct clinical decision making, especially in monogenic forms of diabetes. However, much work is necessary to integrate high-dimensional explorations into complex disease architectures, less penetrant biological alterations, and broader phenotypes, such as type 2 diabetes. In addition, for precision medicine to take hold in diabetes, reproducibility, interpretability, and actionability remain key guiding objectives. In this review, we examine how mounting data sets generated during the last decade to understand biological variability are now inspiring new venues to clarify diabetes nosology and ultimately translate findings into more effective prevention and treatment strategies.
“Gaus’s choice”: The Open Society as an ideal:

Gaus has recently offered a novel argument for an open society, connecting it to recent methodological debates regarding ideal and non-ideal theory. The argument, briefly put, is that political philosophies based upon the search for an ideal to anchor their critical and prescriptive ambitions, so-called “ideal theories,” are bound to fail. The best possible case for doing ideal theory should lead us to recognize that such endeavors are conceptually incoherent or lead to morally perverse outcomes. Consequently, the best way to approximate a knowledge of the optimal institutional state of affairs is to organize institutions around the goal of maximizing perspectival diversity, what Gaus calls the “Open Society,” not according to an ideal blueprint. I argue that precisely because ideal theory has the problems that Gaus skillfully illuminates, we should be skeptical about the picture he paints of the Open Society.
Optical coherence tomography angiography monitors human cutaneous wound healing over time.

Background In vivo imaging of the complex cascade of events known to be pivotal elements in the healing of cutaneous wounds is a difficult but essential task. Current techniques are highly invasive, or lack the level of vascular and structural detail required for accurate evaluation, monitoring and treatment. We aimed to use an advanced optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based angiography (OCTA) technique for the non-invasive, high resolution imaging of cutaneous wound healing. Methods We used a clinical prototype OCTA to image, identify and track key vascular and structural adaptations known to occur throughout the healing process. Specific vascular parameters, such as diameter and density, were measured to aid our interpretations under a spatiotemporal framework. Results We identified multiple distinct, yet overlapping stages, hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling, and demonstrated the detailed vascularization and anatomical attributes underlying the multifactorial processes of dermatologic wound healing. Conclusions OCTA provides an opportunity to both qualitatively and quantitatively assess the vascular response to acute cutaneous damage and in the future, may help to ascertain wound severity and possible healing outcomes; thus, enabling more effective treatment options.
Short-term results of left subclavian artery salvage in blunt thoracic aortic injury with short proximal landing zones.

Abstract Objective Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is the standard treatment of blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI). The concept of seal was derived from the treatment of aneurysms and has been adopted for BTAI. Given the location of injury in BTAI, left subclavian artery (LSA) coverage is sometimes necessary. In these often healthier aortas, a shorter proximal landing zone may be acceptable and beneficial in avoiding some complications. Current practice patterns vary, and long-term effects of LSA coverage remain unknown. Methods A single-institution experience with BTAI for TEVAR was examined from 2006 to 2017. The primary outcome was failure of sealing, endoleak, or persistent aortic injury on follow-up imaging. A centerline was used to measure the length of the landing zone, aortic diameter, and other parameters. Post-TEVAR computed tomography scans were examined for evidence of residual aortic injury. Results A total of 30 TEVARs were performed for BTAI. The mean age of the patients was 38.7 years (standard deviation [SD], 19.8 years), and 70% were male. The mean injury severity score was 36.75 (SD, 13.1). Treated patients had grade 2 (36.7%) or grade 3 (63.3%) BTAI. The LSA was salvaged in 23 cases and covered in seven cases. The mean landing zone in LSA uncovered cases was 16 mm (SD, 10.4 mm). There were 15 patients (65%) who had a landing zone 20 mm. The mean landing zone in the seven covered cases was 1.8 mm (SD, 2.4 mm). Procedural success was 96% for the uncovered group and 100% for the covered group. On follow-up imaging, there was only one residual endoleak in all surviving patients (n = 25). Five patients did not have postoperative imaging, two (7%) of whom died of nonaorta-related issues. Conclusions TEVAR for BTAI in patients with short proximal landing zones of 10 to 20 mm as well as in select patients with landing zones of 5 to 10 mm appears to be safe and efficacious. The aorta demonstrates no residual injury after TEVAR, with the graft acting potentially more as a bridge to allow healing. Long-term issues regarding LSA coverage have been difficult to ascertain and to evaluate because of historically poor follow-up in this population of patients. However, potential issues with LSA coverage and revascularization may be avoided by preserving the subclavian artery even with shorter proximal landing zones.
Functional MR Imaging and Auditory Activation

The processing of sound is one of the most complex sensory functions of the human brain, characterized by extensive modulation of neural signals in the brain stem prior to the ultimate expression of input in the auditory cortex. Processing at the level of the cortex is equally complex, reflecting the capacity of the human animal to decode and encode complex stimuli such as speech. Because of the unique capabilities of the human brain, neurophysiological studies using animals have left us with an incomplete picture of human auditory function. Investigators and clinicians studying hearing are anxious to apply new techniques to the human animal that will allow us to peer even further into the complex workings of the auditory system. Minimally invasive or noninvasive techniques, such as PET, FMRI, and MEG, that allow the study of human auditory function hold great promise and expectations.
History Archives: “The Building up of Character Has Been My Aim”: A Glimpse of the Life of Mary Hemenway

(1971). History Archives. Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation: Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 93-94.
Infection-Related Glomerular Disease

Glomerular disease results from a complex process. It can occur following acute illnesses or chronic diseases from other organs and body parts that promote bacterial invasion. Assessment and initial identification of the cause of this process is important in order to initiate interventions that promote a return to wellness. Prudent clinician judgment is necessary in client management in order to reduce the potential for long-standing renal disease. Medicinal intervention should be combined with patient education in addressing infection-related glomerular disease.
Lifescaping action research pedagogy

This article is a collaboration involving a professor and three graduate students. Together, they explore lifescaping action research pedagogy guided by the participatory inquiry process. Since the...
Alternating Current III-Nitride Light-Emitting Diodes With On-Chip Schottky Barrier Diode Rectifiers

We report in this paper the design and fabrication of single-chip alternating current-LEDs (AC-LEDs) by monolithically integrating, for the first time, high-breakdown Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) and micro-LED arrays using III-nitride LED epi-wafers of standard specs for volume production. A technique of cyclic mixed-etching has been introduced to restore the surface of inductively coupled-plasma (ICP) etching processed gallium nitride to device quality for fabricating high-breakdown Schottky junctions. Proof-of-concept single-chip AC-LED devices and a prototype driver-free white AC-LED lamp were demonstrated, showing high-efficiency LED emission, high chip area utilization efficiency, low power loss of the on-chip SBD bridge rectifier, and good luminous efficacy of the prototype AC-LED lamp. This paper paves the way toward mass-producing reliable and low-cost driver-free AC-LED lamps for solid-state lighting with existing LED manufacturing infrastructures.
Optimal Pipeline Maintenance Strategies in the United States: Stochastic Reliability Analysis of Gas Pipeline Network Failures

AbstractThe increasing number of corrosion-based incidents in pipeline systems within recent decades has encouraged decision makers to focus on predicting when pipelines will fail, and to improve m...
Addressing Suicidality: Examining Preservice School Counselors’ Perceptions of Their Training Experiences

Suicidality among children and adolescents is a growing public health concern (Osterman et al., 2015). CACREP (2016) and ASCA (2012) include crisis management in their standards and competencies fo...
Molecular and Direct Detection Tests for Treponema pallidum Subspecies pallidum: A Review of the Literature, 1964-2017

Direct detection methods for Treponema pallidum include dark-field microscopy (DFM), direct fluorescence antibody (DFA) testing, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs). Here, we reviewed the relevant syphilis diagnostic literature to address 2 main questions with respect to T. pallidum direct detection techniques: "What are the performance characteristics for each direct detection test for T. pallidum and what are the optimal specimen types for each test?" and "What options are available for T. pallidum molecular epidemiology?" To answer these questions, we searched 5 electronic databases (OVID Medline, OVID Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Scopus) from 1964 to 2017 using relevant search terms and identified 1928 articles, of which 37 met our inclusion criteria. DFM and DFA sensitivities ranged from 73% to 100% in cases of primary syphilis; and while sensitivity using silver stain histopathology for T. pallidum was generally low (0%-41%), higher performance characteristics were observed for T. pallidum-specific IHC (49-92%). Different genes have been targeted by T. pallidum-specific NAATs, with the majority of studies indicating that sensitivity is primarily dependent on the type of collected biological sample, with highest sensitivity observed in primary lesion exudate (75-95%). Given the rising incidence of syphilis, the development of direct, Food and Drug Administration-cleared T. pallidum NAATs should be considered an immediate priority.
Comparative genomic analysis of a Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O145:H25 associated with a severe pediatric case of hemolytic uremic syndrome in Davidson County, Tennessee, US.

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STECs) are foodborne pathogens associated with bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Although the STEC O157 serogroup accounts for the highest number of infections, HUS-related complications and deaths, the STEC non-O157, as a group, accounts for a larger proportion of STEC infections and lower HUS cases. There is limited information available on how to recognize non-O157 serotypes associated with severe disease. The objectives of this study were to describe a patient with STEC non-O157 infection complicated with HUS and to conduct a comparative whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis among the patient’s STEC clinical isolate and STEC O157 and non-O157 strains. The STEC O145:H25 strain EN1I-0044-2 was isolated from a pediatric patient with diarrhea, HUS and severe neurologic and cardiorespiratory complications, who was enrolled in a previously reported case-control study of acute gastroenteritis conducted in Davidson County, Tennessee in 2013. The strain EN1I-0044-2 genome sequence contained a chromosome and three plasmids. Two of the plasmids were similar to those present in O145:H25 strains whereas the third unique plasmid EN1I-0044-2_03 shared no similarity with other STEC plasmids, and it carried 23 genes of unknown function. Strain EN1I-0044-2, compared with O145:H25 and O157 serogroup strains shared chromosome- and plasmid-encoded virulence factors, including Shiga toxin, LEE type III secretion system, LEE effectors, SFP fimbriae, and additional toxins and colonization factors. A STEC O145:H25 strain EN1I-0044-2 was isolated from a pediatric patient with severe disease, including HUS, in Davidson County, TN. Phylogenetic and comparison WGS analysis provided evidence that strain EN1I-0044-2 closely resembles O145:H25, and confirmed an independent evolutionary path of STEC O145:H25 and O145:H28 serotypes. The strain EN1I-0044-2 virulence make up was similar to other O145:H25 and O157 serogroups. It carried stx2 and the LEE pathogenicity island, and additional colonization factors and enterotoxin genes. A unique feature of strain EN1I-0044-2 was the presence of plasmid pEN1I-0044-2_03 carrying genes with functions to be determined. Further studies will be necessary to elucidate the role that newly acquired genes by O145:H25 strains play in pathogenesis, and to determine if they may serve as genetic markers of severe disease.
A Social-Marketing Intervention and Concussion-Reporting Beliefs.

Context Concussion-symptom education remains the primary approach used by athletic trainers to address underreporting of possible sport-related concussions. Social marketing represents an untapped approach to promote concussion reporting by communicating the benefits or consequences of reporting or not reporting, respectively. Objective To apply expectancy value theory and identify how marketing the possible consequences of concealing concussion symptoms influenced young adults' concussion-reporting beliefs to increase the likelihood of reporting. Design Randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting Laboratory. Patients or other participants A total of 468 competitive collegiate club sport athletes at a large US university who engaged in 1 of 46 sports with various levels of concussion risk. Intervention(s) Participants were randomly assigned by team to 1 of 3 conditions. The treatment condition was a social-marketing program focused on the possible consequences of the reporting decision. The control condition was traditional concussion-symptom education based on the National Collegiate Athletic Association's publication, "Concussion: A Fact Sheet for Student-Athletes." An additional condition mirrored the traditional symptom education but included a less clinical delivery. Main outcome measure(s) Positive and negative beliefs regarding concussion reporting were assessed. We applied expectancy value theory, which posits that changing beliefs in the short term will produce greater reporting intentions in the long term. Results Club sport athletes exposed to consequence-based social marketing showed higher levels of positive reporting beliefs and lower levels of negative reporting beliefs than athletes exposed to traditional or revised symptom education. We observed no differences between the traditional and revised symptom-education programs. Exposure to consequence-based marketing decreased negative beliefs about reporting (B = -0.165, P = .01) and increased positive beliefs about reporting (B = 0.165, P = .01). Conclusions Social marketing offers athletic trainers another strategic tool for motivating athletes to report concussion symptoms by translating scientific findings into marketable statements and then communicating the benefits of reporting or the negative consequences of concealing concussion symptoms.
Catalyst: challenges in development of adsorbents for recovery of uranium from seawater

Sheng Dai is currently a section head of separations and polymer chemistry and a UT-Battelle Corporate Fellow at the Chemical Sciences Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and a professor of chemistry at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He served as a national technical director for a US Department of Energy project aimed at recovering uranium from seawater (2010–2016). His current research interests include ionic liquids, porous materials, and their applications for separation sciences and energy storage, as well as catalysis by nanomaterials.
Bad Motivation With Good Results: The Merit Of Filling Statewide Executive Vacancies With Same-Party Appointments

Throughout the last century, same-party requirements for filling state legislative vacancies have proliferated. Today, nearly half the states in the United States use some form of same-party appointment for filling state legislative vacancies—either instead of, or in conjunction with, special elections. But while same-party appointment requirements are widely used for legislative vacancies, they are rarely used for vacancies in statewide offices. In 2019, several Republican legislators in Kansas introduced a proposal to implement same-party appointment requirements for filling vacancies in the state’s elected executive offices, like attorney general and treasurer. But the intent here was to disproportionately limit the power of Democratic Governor Laura Kelly, not to adopt an idea on its own merits. This Article analyzes the Kansas Republicans’ proposal through the lens of the states that have already adopted, and utilized, similar same-party appointment systems. It comprehensively reviews the (highly partisan) motivations in adopting these systems in the first place, as well as how appointments have operated since these requirements have been implemented. Ultimately, it argues that the proposal introduced in Kansas should be adopted—but with a delayed effective date to minimize the partisan effects.
Towards building data analytics benchmarks for IoT intrusion detection

Data analytics projects span all types of domains and applications. Researchers publish results using certain datasets and classification models. They present results with a summary of the performance metrics of their evaluated classifiers. However, readers and evaluators may not be able to compare results from the different papers for several reasons. One reason is the variations in the classification models and specific settings used in those models; a second reason is the variations of computing resources and environments used to produce those results. A third reason is a variation in the input datasets, preprocessing steps, etc. There is a need for benchmarks or baselines, where researchers can reuse the same benchmark specifications and be able to produce the same reported results. This paper aims to aggregate models from different research papers and apply them using the same classification settings, the same computing resources, and the same datasets and preprocessing steps. The goals are to show a comparable comparison and also to build a benchmark for future assessment and improvements. Four popular IoT security datasets are used in this paper. Different classification models are evaluated and are applied in the same datasets using the same settings. The classifiers results are reported and compared based on several popular performance metrics.
Home Based Palliative Care: Known Benefits and Future Directions.

To summarize key recent evidence regarding the impact of Home-Based Palliative Care (HBPalC) and to highlight opportunities for future study. HBPalC is cost effective and benefits patients and caregivers across the health care continuum. High-quality data support the cost effectiveness of HBPalC. A growing literature base supports the benefits of HBPalC for patients, families, and informal caregivers by alleviating symptoms, reducing unwanted hospitalizations, and offering support at the end of life. Numerous innovative HBPalC models exist, but there is a lack of high-quality evidence comparing specific models across subpopulations. Our wide literature search captured no research regarding HBPalC for underserved populations. Further research will also be necessary to guide quality standards for HBPalC.
Vitamin K in Health and Disease

Chapter 1: Historical Background Chapter 2: Active Forms, Antagonists, Physical Properties, and Synthesis of Vitamin K Chapter 3: Dietary Intake of Vitamin K and the Vitamin K Content of Foods and Plasma Chapter 4: Vitamin K-Dependent Carboxylase and Vitamin K Epoxide Reductase Chapter 5: Vitamin K-Dependent Proteins Chapter 6: Absorption, Storage, and Metabolism of Vitamin K Chapter 7: Public Health Concerns Related to Vitamin K Status Chapter 8: Vitamin K Requirements, Toxicity, and Other Metabolic Interactions
Improved electromagnetic displacement transducer with large force for implantable middle ear hearing aid

This paper describes an improved electromagnetic displacement transducer for implantable middle ear hearing aid (IMEHA) and its in vivo test results in an ear of a dog. The new elastic body of the transducer is fabricated with silicon DRIE (Deep Reactive Ion Etching), and has a high aspect ratio, thus making the whole transducer volume 20% smaller. And the new design of the elastic body increase the energy transfer rate by 30% through reducing the unbalanced air gap of the electromagnetic driving part. In vivo experimental result shows the Auditory Brain Response (ABR) waveforms as a function of the sound pressure levels between 0 to 100 dB SPL.
Baseline factors associated with smoking cessation and relapse

Abstract Background. Data on smoking cessation and relapse for 6 years of the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial were evaluated in univariate and multivariate analyses to determine the relationship between variables measured at the beginning of the trial and smoking cessation and relapse for special intervention and usual care participants. Results. The variables positively associated with smoking cessation in both the SI and the UC groups included age, education, and past success in quitting; there was a negative association with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. The expectation of quitting was positively associated with cessation in the special intervention group only, while life events, alcohol, and the presence of a wife who smokes were significant predictors of reduced cessation for the usual care group. The special intervention program may have overcome obstacles which interfered with cessation among the usual care participants. Associations with relapse were generally stronger in the usual care group than in the special intervention group. For usual care participants, multivariate analyses showed that education, past success in quitting smoking, alcohol, and life events were associated with relapse rates. For special intervention participants, only alcohol emerged as a significant predictor. Conclusion. The data are relevant in terms of factors that govern smoking cessation and relapse for adult smokers who take part in formal intervention programs and for those who are left to modify their behavior on their own.
The role of the kidney in the erythropoietic response to hypoxia in parabiotic rats.

1. Parabiotic rats, in which one partner was either nephrectomized or ureter ligated, have been used to determine the role of the kidney in the stimulation of erythropoiesis by hypoxia as measured by iron59 incorporation into the peripheral RBC. 2. The radioiron incorporation into peripheral red blood cells was less in pairs in which the nephrectomized partner was hypoxic than in the pairs in which the unoperated or ureter ligated partner was hypoxic, suggesting that the kidney is important in the stimulation of erythropoiesis in response to hypoxia. 3. The iron incorporation in pairs in which the nephrectomized partner was hypoxic was greater than in those pairs in which one partner was nephrectomized but neither was hypoxic, suggesting that tissues other than the kidney contribute to the erythropoietic response to hypoxia.
Propositional Dynamic Logic for Recursive Procedures

We present a simple and natural deductive formalism μPDL for propositional dynamic logic for recursive procedures, including simultaneous recursion. Though PDL with recursive programs is known to be highly undecidable, natural deductive formalisms for it are of substantial interest, because they distill the essential logical components of recursive procedures. We also show that Pratt-Kozen's μ-Calculus, in which fixpoints are taken over formulas rather than programs, is interpretable in μPDL.
Gaussian inference in loopy graphical models

We show precisely that message passing for inference in Gaussian graphical models on singly connected graphs is just a distributed implementation of Gaussian elimination without any need for backsubstitution. This observation allows us to generalize the procedure to arbitrary loopy Gaussian graphical models. We thus construct a message passing algorithm that is guaranteed to converge in finite time, and solve the inference problem exactly. The complexity of this algorithm grows gradually with the "distance" of the graph to a tree. This algorithm can be implemented in a distributed environment as, for example, in sensor networks.
Gesture and Thought

Gesturing is such an integral yet unconscious part of communication that we are mostly oblivious to it. But if you observe anyone in conversation, you are likely to see his or her fingers, hands, and arms in some form of spontaneous motion. Why? David McNeill, a pioneer in the ongoing study of the relationship between gesture and language, set about answering this question in "Gesture and Thought" with an unlikely accomplice - Tweety Bird. McNeill argues that gestures are active participants in both speaking and thinking. He posits that gestures are key ingredients in an "imagery-language dialectic" that fuels speech and thought; gestures are the "imagery" and also the components of "language," rather than mere consequences. The smallest unit of this dialectic is the "growth point," a snapshot of an utterance at its beginning psychological stage. Enter Tweety Bird. In "Gesture and Thought", the central growth point comes from a cartoon. In his quest to eat Tweety Bird, Sylvester the cat first scales the outside of a rain gutter to reach his prey. Unsuccessful, he makes a second attempt by climbing up the inside of the gutter. Tweety, however, drops a bowling ball down the gutter; Sylvester swallows the ball. Over the course of twenty-five years, McNeill showed this cartoon to numerous subjects who spoke a variety of languages. A fascinating pattern emerged. Those who remembered the exact sequence of the cartoon while retelling it all used the same gesture to describe Sylvester's position inside the gutter. Those who forgot, in the retelling, that Sylvester had first climbed the outside of the gutter did not use this gesture at all. Thus that gesture becomes part of the "growth point" - the building block of language and thought. An ambitious project in the ongoing study of the relationship of how we communicate and its connection to thought, "Gesture and Thought" is a work of such consequence that it will influence all subsequent linguistic and evolutionary theory on the subject.
Distribution of Brown Blotch Bacteria in Wild and Cultivated Species of Basidiomycetes

Wild and cultivated Basidiomycetes species were cultured to determine the distribution of bacteria causing brown blotch disease of Agaricus bisporus. Colonies from each basidiocarp were screened for brown blotch organisms by the white line and host pathogenicity tests. Isolates causing brown blotch were identified as Pseudomonas tolaasi and an Arthrobacter species.
Kinematic calibration of manipulators with closed loop actuated joints

A method for performing forward kinematic calibration of manipulators having one or more closed-loop-actuated joints is presented. The technique is an extension of algorithms designed for open-loop jointed manipulators. The calibration is equivalent to minimizing an objective function subject to constraints. The objective function is taken as the integral of end-effector position and orientation error. The constraints arise from the closed-loop mechanisms present in the manipulator. >
From the EDITOR in Chief: The JBBM at 21

With a sense of pride and palpable accomplishments we present what the JBBM has achieved since its inception with historical context.Mummalenani and Lichtenthal (founding board members) describe th...
Basu's lemma and goodness-of-fit tests

In this paper we develop a technique that is useful in goodness of fit problems with nuisance location and scale parameters. Using Basu's lemma, we transform the sample so that it is independent of the nuisance parameters. The technique will be illustrated by several examples, a discussion of the efficiency of the proposed procedure, and some concluding remarks will given.