cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Techniques of the Golf Drive

Abstract This article presents a study of 12 golf professionals and one amateur. A selection from 2,500 stroboscopic pictures taken by A. G. Spalding was used to analyze the drive of golf professionals Robert T. Jones, Horton Smith, George Dawson, Jimmy Thomson, Harry Cooper, and one amateur Emil Marciniak. A golf drive checklist was devised for use in the study. A comparison was made between the checklist and selected stroboscopic pictures. The movement of the professionals as analyzed from the pictures did not always agree with their answers on the checklist. There seemed to be agreement on the following points: type of grip; position of head and of ball in relation to the body; the power hand and the method of transferring weight; the arc and path of the club.
Social justice dilemmas: evidence on the successes and shortcomings of three principals trying to make a difference

AbstractSocial justice leadership has become a popular topic and catchphrase in the field of educational leadership. However, most scholarly and empirical contributions have ignored the inherent tensions, challenges and dilemmas associated with the practice of school leadership and the realities principals confront on a daily basis. This is partly because researchers have tended to ignore multiple facets of justice in their empirical investigations as well as how larger forces outside the school associated with historical, political, social and economic injustices marginalize students and communities. This article explores three cases of challenging school–community contexts that confound and partially subdue the efforts of well-intentioned principals. Each case highlights a dedicated principal committed to their school and community, and documents the significant progress made in addressing particular social justice issues, but also how they confronted justice dilemmas that they believed required them to...
PING Gamma ray and neutron measurements of a meter-sized carbonaceous asteroid analog

The only main source of elemental composition information for carbonaceous (spectral type C or C-type) asteroids is from their optical, near-infrared and infrared properties, which include their spectral reflectance characteristics, albedo, polarization, and the comparison of optical spectroscopy with meteorite groups corresponding to asteroids of every spectral type. However, these sources reflect observations from widely contrasting spatial scales presently yielding a void in the continuum of microscopic and macroscopic evidence, a lack of in situ measurement confirmation, and require deeper sensing techniques to discern the nature of carbonaceous asteroids. The Probing In situ with Neutrons and Gamma rays (PING) instrument is ideally suited to address these issues because it can be used to determine the bulk elemental composition of asteroids. One aspect of the current work includes experimentally testing and optimizing PING on a known meter-sized basalt and polyethylene layered C-type asteroid analog sample that has the same neutron response as that of a C-type asteroid. To insure that the neutron response for the asteroid analog sample is like that of a C-type asteroid, the key elements are that the thermal and epithermal neutron fluxes, as a function of depth beneath the surface, need to closely approximate those of a C-type asteroid. In this paper, we will present the PING basalt layering experimental data and Monte Carlo computer simulations.
Interactive effects of feed intake and stage of growth on the lysine requirement of pigs

We studied the effect of reduced feed intake on the lysine requirement of pigs at the early growing (G) and finishing (F) phases. Two sets of 40 individually penned crossbred barrows averaging 27.1 +/- .2 (G) and 92.6 +/- 1.1 kg BW (F) were fed five dietary treatments (G; .75, .90, 1.05, 1.20, 1.35%; and F: .45, .60, .75, .90, 1.05% lysine) at two feeding levels (equivalents to 100 and 80% ad libitum intakes) for 15 d. In both stages pigs on the 80% feeding level had lower ADG (P .20) between feeding levels. We conclude that the effect of a reduction in feed intake on the lysine requirement depends on the stage of growth of the pigs.
Information and Support From Dietary Consultation for Mothers of Children With Food Allergies

H Mackenzie, J Grundy, G Glasbey, T Dean, C Venter. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2015;114(1):23–29 To examine what information and support parents of children with food allergies require from a dietary consultation. Parents of children with food allergies participated in 3 focus groups, each with 4 to 7 participants ( n = 17 who had 19 children with food allergies). Ethics committee approval and informed consent were obtained. Participants met in focus groups lasting up to 100 minutes, using topic guides to help identify parental knowledge gaps in food allergy dietary management, …
High mortality rates after both open surgical and endovascular thoracic aortic interventions in patients with end-stage renal disease

Abstract Background Morbidity and mortality have improved with the evolution of endovascular techniques (thoracic endovascular aortic repair [TEVAR]) for thoracic aortic disease, but results after aortic intervention in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) remain unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes of open and endovascular descending thoracic aortic repair in dialysis-dependent patients. Methods We identified 352 patients with ESRD on dialysis undergoing open repair (n = 136) or TEVAR (n = 216) of the thoracic aorta from 2005 to 2008 using the United States Renal Data System database. Acute presentation was defined as ruptured aneurysm, dissection, or traumatic injury; all other interventions were considered elective. End points were 30-day mortality, overall survival, rates of perioperative complications, and procedural trends over time. Between-group comparisons and survival analysis used standard statistical methods. Logistic regression and Cox regression were performed using multivariate analysis. Results TEVAR subjects were older than those undergoing open repair (68.2 ± 11.5 vs 60.8 ± 13.2 years; P P = .002). Elective 30-day mortality for open repair (n = 27 [29.3%]) was also greater than for TEVAR (n = 24 [14.3%]; P = .005). Those with acute presentation trended toward higher mortality for open repair (n = 14 [31.8%] vs n = 10 [15.7%]; P = .17). Respiratory failure was higher for open repair (n = 69 [50.7%] vs n = 56 [25.9%]; P P = .02). Estimated 1-year survival was 50% and did not differ between groups (44% for open repair, 53% for TEVAR). In multivariate analysis, TEVAR decreased odds of 30-day mortality compared with open repair (odds ratio, 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.24-0.71) but failed to demonstrate long-term survival advantage. Conclusions In ESRD patients, TEVAR provides short-term mortality benefits compared with open repair, but long-term mortality remains high regardless of treatment modality. Elective intervention for thoracic aortic disease in this population remains high risk and should be approached with caution.
Biological production, export efficiency, and phytoplankton communities across 8000 km of the South Atlantic

In situ oxygen tracers (triple oxygen isotope and oxygen/argon ratios) were used to evaluate meridional trends in surface biological production and export efficiency across ~8000 km of the tropical and subtropical South Atlantic in March-May 2013. We used observations of pico-, nano-, and microphytoplankton to evaluate community structure and diversity, and assessed the relationships of these characteristics with production, export efficiency, and particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes. Rates of productivity were relatively uniform along most of the transect with net community production (NCP) between 0 and 10 mmol O2 m-2 d-1, gross primary production (GPP) between 40 and 100 mmol O2 m-2 d-1, and NCP/GPP, a measure of export efficiency, ranging from 0.1-0.2 (0.05-0.1 in carbon units). However, notable exceptions to this basin scale homogeneity included two locations with highly enhanced NCP and export efficiency compared to surrounding regions. Export of POC and particulate nitrogen, derived from sediment traps, correlated with GPP across the transect, over which the surface community was dominated numerically by picophytoplankton. NCP, however, did not correlate with POC flux; the mean difference between NCP and POC flux was similar to published estimates of DOC export from the surface ocean. The interrelated rates of production presented in this work contribute to the understanding, building on the framework of better-studied ocean basins, of how carbon is biologically transported between the atmosphere and the deep ocean.
Synthesis of Place Transition Nets for Simulation and Control of Manufacturing Systems

Abstract This paper presents a methodology for constructing a class of place/transition nets for modeling, simulation and control of discrete manufacturing processes. We consider batch production processes which can be decomposed into a set of discrete operations. For each operation, required resources and associated discrete resource states are identified. To model the discrete-event evolution of the system we define a class of modified Petri nets and present a procedure for synthesizing the net model from simple activity cycles for each resource. New results in Petri net theory are presented which guarantee the absence of system deadlocks and proper resource allocation for the MPN models. Synthesis of the net constitutes a design of viable discrete contro logic including error recovery loops and other real-time decision structures. As an example, the proposed methodology is applied to the high-level discrete control of a two-arm robotic assembly cell.
Quantum chromodynamics and the solition model of hadrons

By starting from quantum chromodynamics (QCD) in a finite volume and then taking the infinite-volume limit, we suggest that there is a ''phase-transition'' phenomenon, which implies the existence of a long-range order in the vacuum for an infinite volume. This long-range order is represented by Lorentz scalars, because of relativistic invariance; such Lorentz scalars can in turn be identified with the phenomenological scalar fields used in a soliton (or bag) model of hadrons. In the phenomenological approach, a permanent quark confinement can be simply viewed as the vacuum of an infinite volume being a perfect ''dia-electric'' substance, with its dielectric constant kappa ..-->.. 0, while the ''vacuum'' inside a hadron is normal (kappa = 1), which may be identified as that of QCD for a finite volume. Inside the hadron, exchanges of gauge quanta between quarks give the QCD corrections to the soliton (or bag) model. Spectroscopy of light-quark hadrons is examined by expanding the hadron masses M in powers of the ''fine-structure constant'' ..cap alpha.. of QCD: M = M/sub 0/ + ..cap alpha..M/sub 1/ + ..cap alpha../sup 2/M/sub 2/ + ... . The near-zero mass of the pion is correlated with the existence of a critical value ..capmore » alpha../sub c/ in the mass formula, and the eta-eta' anomaly is associated with a large enhancement factor in the O (..cap alpha../sup 2/) quark-antiquark annihilation diagrams, due to coherence in the various color and flavor degrees of freedom.« less
Biosystematics of Natural Enemies

Insects are man’s primary competitor. In an effort to compete successfully with insects for food and fiber, man has employed numerous techniques for the suppression of pest insect populations. Biological control is one approach that has been used with some success against many insect pests. Augmentation is the phase of biological control concerned with the manipulation of natural enemies to make them more efficient in applied biological control programs. DeBach (1964) observed that the possibilities of augmentation have not been explored thoroughly. The field of biosystematics is similarly poorly explored but shows great promise as a research tool for biological control workers. In many instances biosystematics may be the only course available to biological control workers.
Attributes, behaviors, or experiences? Lessons from research on trauma regarding gender differences

I developed in the mid-1990s, and then taught to undergraduates for some years, a psychology of gender course. I quickly discovered that I had to deal with a substantial number of students entering...
Climate Politics as Investment

Climate politics in the Post-Kyoto-Phase apparently has turned into an issue of finance and investments: Enhancing north-south financial flows was one of the sticking points for agreement at COP 15 in Copenhagen 2009, and the failure to achieve substantial progress one this issue caused strong tensions between developing and developed countries; thereafter, the UN Secretary General launched a High Level Advisory Group on Climate Finance to determine the required levels of finance and the potential of different sources; the World Bank and many national governments have launched new climate finance instruments; and a whole new range of actors engages a discussion on how to meet the climate challenge through scaling up climate finance. This new importance of finance is due to a new attention for climate protection in developing countries, which is explained through the general need for higher emission reductions, the quickly rising emissions in some developing countries, and the comparably cheap abatement opportunities in the global south.
Inhibitors of the HIV-1 capsid, a target of opportunity

Purpose of reviewTo summarize recent advances in the discovery of chemical inhibitors targeting the HIV capsid and research on their mechanisms of action.Recent findingsHIV infection is critically dependent on functions of the viral capsid. Numerous studies have reported the identification of a vari
Identity, Genocide, and Group Violence

Social identity is typically multidimensional, involving connections and commitments to multiple overlapping groups. Because abstract groups such as nations, cultures, or religions have the potential to outlast the individuals who compose them at any given point in time, affiliation with such groups provides a sense of continuity, permanence, and meaning. Thus, we are highly motivated to act on behalf of groups central to our social identities and against other groups that threaten or impede our own. On the basis of these theoretical considerations, the chapter provides a four-phase model of genocide. The first phase involves a dichotomization of identity that divides the social universe into “us” and “them.” Phase 2 involves a process of dehumanization that places “them” outside the realm of moral obligation. This enables and justifies violence against the out-group, up to and including genocide (phase 3). Such justification is supplemented, in a final phase, by denial of what really happened, thus enabling the perpetrators to maintain their moral self-conceptions. These phases are illustrated with examples encompassing the Holocaust, the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the Latin American dirty wars of the 1970s and 1980s, and the European conquest of the Americas since 1492. The analysis is then extended to other cases of group violence, including the 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestine, the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon, and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Reduced cognitive function during a heat wave among residents of non-air-conditioned buildings: An observational study of young adults in the summer of 2016.

Background In many regions globally, buildings designed for harnessing heat during the cold exacerbate thermal exposures during heat waves (HWs) by maintaining elevated indoor temperatures even when high ambient temperatures have subdued. While previous experimental studies have documented the effects of ambient temperatures on cognitive function, few have observed HW effects on indoor temperatures following subjects’ habitual conditions. The objective was to evaluate the differential impact of having air conditioning (AC) on cognitive function during a HW among residents of AC and non-AC buildings using a prospective observational cohort study. Methods We followed 44 students (mean age = 20.2 years; SD = 1.8 years) from a university in the Greater Boston area, Massachusetts in the United States living in AC (n = 24) and non-AC (n = 20) buildings before, during, and after a HW. Two cognition tests were self-administered daily for a period of 12 days (July 9–July 20, 2016), the Stroop color-word test (STROOP) to assess selective attention/processing speed and a 2-digit, visual addition/subtraction test (ADD) to evaluate cognitive speed and working memory. The effect of the HW on cognitive function was evaluated using difference-in-differences (DiD) modelling. Findings Mean indoor temperatures in the non-AC group (mean = 26.3°C; SD = 2.5°C; range = 19.6–30.4°C) were significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in the AC group (mean = 21.4°C; SD = 1.9°C; range = 17.5–25.0°C). DiD estimates show an increase in reaction time (STROOP = 13.4%, p < 0001; ADD = 13.3%, p < 0.001) and reduction in throughput (STROOP = −9.9%, p < 0.001; ADD = −6.3%, p = 0.08) during HWs among non-AC residents relative to AC residents at baseline. While ADD showed a linear relationship with indoor temperatures, STROOP was described by a U-shaped curve with linear effects below and above an optimum range (indoor temperature = 22°C–23°C), with an increase in reaction time of 16 ms/°C and 24 ms/°C for STROOP and ADD, respectively. Cognitive tests occurred right after waking, so the study is limited in that it cannot assess whether the observed effects extended during the rest of the day. Although the range of students’ ages also represents a limitation of the study, the consistent findings in this young, healthy population might indicate that greater portions of the population are susceptible to the effects of extreme heat. Conclusions Cognitive function deficits resulting from indoor thermal conditions during HWs extend beyond vulnerable populations. Our findings highlight the importance of incorporating sustainable adaptation measures in buildings to preserve educational attainment, economic productivity, and safety in light of a changing climate.
Characterization and Modeling of Growth and Remodeling in Tendon and Soft Tissue Constructs

Separate theories of growth and remodeling have been outlined to illustrate that remodeling may occur at constant mass and is a configurational change whereas growth involves a change in the concentration of species. Engineered tendon constructs were generated for growth and remodeling studies. The constructs demonstrate mechanically responsive cells, grow and remain viable in culture for several weeks. They are excellent in vitro models for growth studies.
Brain and Nervous System: Biology, Metabolism, and Nutritional Requirements

Food affects brain chemistry and function. Many such effects involve the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which facilitates the transport of some water-soluble molecules (e.g., glucose, many amino acids), excludes other molecules, and permits diffusion of lipid-soluble molecules. Glucose is the principal energy substrate of brain; ketone bodies are used during starvation. Amino acids are incorporated into proteins and functionally important small molecules (e.g., neurotransmitters). Fatty acids are converted to membrane lipids. Two essential fatty acids have other important functions. Vitamins and minerals enter brain via BBB transporters. Diet affects the brain uptake of many of these nutrients, which often influences brain function.
Gender differences in melanoma prognostic factors.

Author(s): Farahi, Jessica M; Fazzari, Melissa; Braunberger, Taylor; Caravaglio, Joseph V; Kretowicz, Alexandra; Wells, Keith; Dellavalle, Robert P; Norris, David; Alkousakis, Theodore | Abstract: Background: Although previous studies identify gender differences in melanoma, limited research on the phenomenon exists.Methods: In this retrospective chart review, 1,156 adults diagnosed with melanoma, between 2006-2016, at the University of Colorado were included. Breslow depth, mitotic rate, ulceration status, and location were extracted from charts between March and August 2016. Cochran-Armitage trend tests and cumulative logistic regression were used to examine the association between gender and Breslow depth, univariately and after adjusting for potential confounders.Results: In univariate analysis, males were significantly more likely to present with lesions with higher Breslow depths (p for trend=0.005). In models adjusted for age, melanoma subtype, and location, males were marginally more likely to present with lesions with higher Breslow depths (cumulative OR: 1.261, 95% CI: 0.988-1.611, p=0.060). Males were also marginally more likely to present with lesions with higher mitotic rates, after further adjustments for all other prognostic factors (cumulative OR: 1.244, 95% CI: 0.979-1.580, p=0.074).Limitations: This was a retrospective single-institution study.Conclusion: Differences in mitotic rates among melanomas in males versus females, even after adjustments for all other prognostic factors, suggests that biological differences may contribute to the female prognosis advantage.
Mode penetration induced by transient magnetic perturbations

Three dimensional magnetic fields in tokamaks can induce forced magnetic reconnection (FMR) and produce magnetic islands on resonant surfaces. Conventional analytic solutions to FMR focus on describing the time asymptotic state given a steady-state field error. The focus of this work is to understand the nonlinear dynamics of mode penetration, an evolution from a high-slip, flow-screened metastable equilibrium into a low-slip, field-penetrated metastable equilibrium. In this work, we extend previous work by incorporating a temporally varying external magnetic field as a simple model for a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) event that produces resonant magnetic perturbations. Proof-of-principle, extended-MHD, NIMROD computations vary parameterizations of the transient external perturbation to probe the threshold for mode penetration. We test these computational results against analytical theory that captures the temporal evolution properties of the electromagnetic and viscous forces during and after a transient. We find qualitative agreement between computational and analytical results. However, computational tools are necessary to accurately capture the threshold conditions for mode penetration induced by an MHD transient.Three dimensional magnetic fields in tokamaks can induce forced magnetic reconnection (FMR) and produce magnetic islands on resonant surfaces. Conventional analytic solutions to FMR focus on describing the time asymptotic state given a steady-state field error. The focus of this work is to understand the nonlinear dynamics of mode penetration, an evolution from a high-slip, flow-screened metastable equilibrium into a low-slip, field-penetrated metastable equilibrium. In this work, we extend previous work by incorporating a temporally varying external magnetic field as a simple model for a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) event that produces resonant magnetic perturbations. Proof-of-principle, extended-MHD, NIMROD computations vary parameterizations of the transient external perturbation to probe the threshold for mode penetration. We test these computational results against analytical theory that captures the temporal evolution properties of the electromagnetic and viscous forces during and after a transient. We...
A novel application of photogrammetry to ground convergence monitoring in underground excavations

Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Spokane Mining Research Division (SMRD) are evaluating the comparative performances of ground convergence monitoring methods currently utilized in underground mining. A portion of this research is exploring applications of photogrammetry for periodic visual assessment of slow-converging ground. This paper describes the photogrammetric systems evaluated, including their components and methodology. These systems include light-weight equipment easily carried by a single individual traversing rough terrain in underground mine environments. This study demonstrates how photogrammetric methods may complement or replace existing underground convergence monitoring techniques on the basis of time and personnel requirements, equipment cost and robustness, and overall data quality. This research supplements previous studies into photogrammetric and laser scanning methods, and enhances understanding of how digital technology may be utilized to maximize safety in underground excavations. NIOSH SMRD is committed to improving workforce health and safety through innovative research and applications of technology.
Amplifier Album Review: Marvin Gaye, Here, My Dear (Tamla, 1978)

One generation before Atlanta singer Usher put his 2004 Confessions on wax, Marvin Gaye revealed his, documenting the ends of his failed marriage to his first wife, Anna Gordy Gaye, the sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy. Released in 1978 on Tamla, Here, My Dear announced Gaye’s intentions to
Multichannel Audio Front-End for Far-Field Automatic Speech Recognition

Far-field automatic speech recognition (ASR) is a key enabling technology that allows untethered and natural voice interaction between users and Amazon Echo family of products. A key component in realizing far-field ASR on these products is the suite of audio front-end (AFE) algorithms that helps in mitigating acoustic environmental challenges and thereby improving the ASR performance. In this paper, we discuss the key algorithms within the AFE, and we provide insights into how these algorithms help in mitigating the various acoustical challenges for far-field processing. We also provide insights into the audio algorithm architecture adopted for the AFE, and we discuss ongoing and future research.
Fostering Preschoolers' Emergent Literacy: Recommendations for Enhanced Literacy Experiences and Collaborative Instruction

Purpose Emergent literacy skills involve both the code-related and oral language skills that serve as the foundation for successful reading and writing development. Code-related skills have been fo...
Machine Learning Algorithms on Botnet Traffic: Ensemble and Simple Algorithms

The authors introduce the Bronte machine learning evaluation study for consistent detection of malware, specifically honed for botnets. Machine learning algorithms are already being used to detect malware in dynamic environments. This evaluation utilizes a static measurement approach that could be implemented on edge network devices. It was generated from conversation-based network traffic. This study fully enumerated the network traffic features to allow various machine learning algorithms to build various training sets to deploy against dual test sets. Utilizing the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA) datamining and analysis tool, various algorithmic experiments were deployed against the modern and large CICIDS2017 dataset. This evaluation study aimed to push non-IP address features through a series of machine learning classifiers. The study was conducted differently and more methodically than other related studies by using three highly randomized training sets and two test data sets. The test sets were different in that one was a real world based 98.9 benign traffic and one was 50/50 benign to bot traffic. The instance based nearest neighbor and decision tree classifiers ranked highest only using the training sets; but the J48, an expanded ID3 decision tree classifier, clearly produced the highest predictions against both test sets.
Heuristics-Based Multi-Agent Task Allocation for Resilient Operations

Multi-Agent Task Allocation is a pre-requisite for many autonomous, real-world systems because of the need for intelligent task assignment amongst a team for maximum efficiency. Similarly, agent failure, task, failure, and a lack of state information are inherent challenges when operating in complex environments. Many existing solutions make simplifying assumptions regarding the modeling of these factors, e.g., Markovian state information. However, it is not clear that this is always the appropriate approach or that results from these approaches are necessarily representative of performance in the natural world. In this work, we demonstrate that there exists a class of problems for which non-Markovian state modeling is beneficial. Furthermore, we present and characterize a novel heuristic for task allocation that incorporates realistic state and uncertainty modeling in order to improve performance. Our quantitative analysis, when tested in a simulated search and rescue (SAR) mission, shows a decrease in performance of more than 57% when a representative method with Markovian assumptions is tested in a non-Markovian setting. Our novel heuristic has shown an improvement in performance of 3–15%, in the same non-Markovian setting, by modeling probabilistic failure and making fewer assumptions.
Structures of the oxidized states of some common biochemical reducing agents

Abstract The crystal structures of the oxidized states of three of the most common biochemical reducing agents have been determined, by crystallization from aqueous solution where possible: tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine oxide (TCEP oxide, 1), bis(2-hydroxyethyl) disulfide (2MESS, 3), and tributylphosphine oxide (Bu4PO, 4). In addition, a less disordered crystal structure of the reducing agent tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphonium chloride (TCEP·HCl, 2) has been obtained. A greatly simplified method was found for synthesizing 1. An unusual method of obtaining X-ray quality crystals from hard-to-crystallize oily liquids is described, in which the oil is solidified to a glass by rapid cooling, allowed to warm to a supercooled liquid containing a few seed crystals, and finally crystallized just below its melting point. This method was successfully used to crystallize 3, a viscous oil at room temperature that had resisted all other methods of crystallization, for X-ray diffraction. An ab initio quantum chemical analysis of the conformers of 3 showed that the molecular geometry of this flexible molecule in the solid state was 320 kJ/mol higher than that of the lowest-energy conformer, underscoring the fact that the solid-state structure may not always yield the same molecular geometry as that of the minimum-energy conformer, especially for flexible molecules with strong intramolecular nonbonding interactions. The unusual NMR spectral characteristics of 4 are elucidated.
Prevalence and Characterization of Yoga Mentions in the Electronic Health Record.

Background: There is a growing patient population using yoga as a therapeutic intervention, but little is known about how yoga interfaces with health care in clinical settings. Purpose: To characterize how yoga is documented at a large academic medical center and to systematically identify clinician-derived therapeutic use cases of yoga. Methods: We designed a retrospective observational study using a yoga cohort (n = 30,976) and a demographically matched control cohort (n = 92,919) from the electronic health records at Penn Medicine between 2006 and 2016. We modeled the distribution of yoga notes among patients, clinicians, and clinical service departments, built a multinomial Naive Bayes classifier to separate the notes by context-dependent use of the word yoga, and modeled associations between clinician recommendations to use yoga and 754 diagnostic codes with Fisher9s exact test, setting an false discovery rate (FDR)-adjusted P-value ≤ .05 (ie, q-value) as the significance threshold. Results: Yoga mentions in the electronic health record have increased 10.4-fold during the 10-year study period, with 2.6% of patients having at least 1 mention of yoga in their notes. In total, 30,976 patients, 2398 clinicians, and 41 clinical service departments were affiliated with yoga notes. The majority of yoga notes are in primary care. Nine diagnoses met the significance criteria for having an association with clinician recommendations to use yoga including Parkinson9s disease (Odds ratio [OR], 6.3 [3.7 to 11.4]; q-value Conclusions: There is a widespread and growing trend to include yoga as part of the clinical record. In practice, clinicians are recommending yoga as a nonpharmacological intervention for a subset of common chronic diseases.
pH dependence of the Slc4a11-mediated H+ conductance is influenced by intracellular lysine residues and modified by disease-linked mutations

SLC4A11 is the only member of the SLC4 family that transports protons rather than bicarbonate. SLC4A11 is expressed in corneal endothelial cells, and its mutation causes corneal endothelial dystrop...
Disparities in COVID-19 Related Mortality in U.S. Prisons and the General Population

Abstract We provide an analysis of COVID-19 mortality data to assess the potential magnitude of COVID-19 among prison residents. Data were pooled from Covid Prison Project and multiple publicly available national and state level sources. Data analyses consisted of standard epidemiologic and demographic estimates. A single case study was included to generate a more in-depth and multi-faceted understanding of COVID-19 mortality in prisons. The increase in crude COVID-19 mortality rates for the prison population has outpaced the rates for the general population. People in prison experienced a significantly higher mortality burden compared to the general population (standardized mortality ratio (SMR) = 2.75; 95% confidence interval = 2.54, 2.96). For a handful of states (n = 5), these disparities were more extreme, with SMRs ranging from 5.55 to 10.56. Four states reported COVID-19 related death counts that are more than 50% of expected deaths from all-causes in a calendar year. The case study suggested there was also variation in mortality among units within prison systems, with geriatric facilities potentially at highest risk. Understanding the dynamic trends in COVID-19 mortality in prisons as they move in and out of “hotspot” status is critical.
Impact of left atrial strain mechanics on exercise intolerance and need for septal reduction therapy in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

AIMS We sought to assess the relationship between left atrial (LA) strain mechanics and exercise intolerance, and to evaluate the prognostic impact of LA strain mechanics on clinical deterioration necessitating septal reduction therapy in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). METHODS AND RESULTS Consecutive HCM patients who underwent exercise stress echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing on the same day between October 2015 and April 2019 were enrolled prospectively. LA strain mechanics were analysed using speckle tracking echocardiography. LA stiffness was calculated as the ratio of E/e' ratio to LA reservoir strain. The study cohort was divided into four groups based on the quartile of percent-predicted peak VO2, and exercise intolerance was defined as the lowest quartile (≤51%). Of 532 patients studied (mean age: 51 ± 15 years, 42% female), 138 patients demonstrated exercise intolerance. As exercise capacity worsened, LA strain mechanics worsened along a continuum (P < 0.001). LA contractile strain with a cut-off of -13.9% was optimal at identifying exercise intolerance. On multivariable analysis, worse LA contractile strain was an independent predictor for exercise intolerance (P = 0.002). Of patients with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, patients with LA stiffness worse than the median value (≥0.41) were significantly more likely to require septal reduction therapy than those with better LA stiffness (P = 0.026). CONCLUSION Worse LA contractile strain was an independent predictor for exercise intolerance in HCM. Patients with worse LA stiffness had a higher probability of clinical deterioration necessitating septal reduction therapy.
Unsymmetrical dirhodium single molecule photocatalysts for H2 production with low energy light

New axially blocked unsymmetrical dirhodium complexes photocatalyze the production of H2 under red light irradiation with a turnover number (TON) of 23 ± 3 in the presence of acid and a sacrificial donor. The presence of multiple metal/ligand-to-ligand charge transfer transitions improves their absorption of light into the near-IR.
Pictures are Crucial: Intuition, Electronic Structure, and Reactions in Materials Chemistry

In this chapter, I will describe how I have found the concepts of the valence bond description of chemical bonding essential in several materials chemistry research programs I have participated in. I learned these ideas from Bill Goddard early on in my scientific education, and they have been constant intellectual companions. An intuition about how electronic structures change as atoms move is a great boon to a synthesis chemist when designing and exploiting new chemical reactions.
DRIBO: Robust Deep Reinforcement Learning via Multi-View Information Bottleneck

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) agents are often sensitive to visual changes that were unseen in their training environments. To address this problem, we leverage the sequential nature of RL to learn robust representations that encode only task-relevant information from observations based on the unsupervised multi-view setting. Specifically, we introduce an auxiliary objective based on the multi-view in-formation bottleneck (MIB) principle which quantifies the amount of task-irrelevant information and encourages learning representations that are both predictive of the future and less sensitive to task-irrelevant distractions. This enables us to train high-performance policies that are robust to visual distractions and can generalize to unseen environments. We demonstrate that our approach can achieve SOTA performance on diverse visual control tasks on the DeepMind Control Suite, even when the background is replaced with natural videos. In addition, we show that our approach outperforms well-established baselines for generalization to unseen environments on the Procgen benchmark. Our code is open-sourced and available at this https URL.
SANS quantification of bound water in water-soluble polymers across multiple concentration regimes.

Contrast-variation small-angle neutron scattering (CV-SANS) is a widely used technique for quantifying hydration water in soft matter systems, but it is predominantly applied in the dilute regime or for systems with a well-defined structure factor. Here, CV-SANS was used to quantify the number of hydration water molecules associating with three water-soluble polymers with different critical solution temperatures and types of water–solute interactions in dilute, semidilute, and concentrated solution through the exploration of novel methods of data fitting and analysis. Multiple SANS fitting workflows with varying levels of model assumptions were evaluated and compared to give insight into SANS model selection. These fitting pathways ranged from general, model-free algorithms to more standard form and structure factor fitting. In addition, Monte Carlo bootstrapping was evaluated as a method to estimate parameter uncertainty through simulation of technical replicates. The most robust fitting workflow for dilute solutions was found to be form factor fitting without CV-SANS (i.e. polymer in 100% D2O). For semidilute and concentrated solutions, while the model-free approach can be mathematically defined for CV-SANS data, the addition of a structure factor imposes physical constraints on the optimization problem, suggesting that the optimal fitting pathway should include appropriate form and structure factor models. The measured hydration numbers were consistent with the number of tightly bound water molecules associated with each monomer unit, and the concentration dependence of the hydration number was largely governed by the chemistry-specific interactions between water and polymer. Polymers with weaker water–polymer interactions (i.e. those with fewer hydration water molecules) were found to have more bound water at higher concentrations than those with stronger water–polymer interactions due to the increase in the number of forced water–polymer contacts in the concentrated system. This SANS-based method to count hydration water molecules can be applied to polymers in any concentration regime, which will lead to improved understanding of water–polymer interactions and their impact on materials design.
Stability-based optimization of ACRT for the growth of CZT by the traveling heater method

Abstract Numerical modeling is employed to study the effects of several accelerated crucible rotation technique (ACRT) rotation schedules on the growth of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) by the traveling heater method (THM). In conjunction with these analyses, a measure is developed to estimate the amplitude of disturbances associated with cellular interface growth morphologies that develop over time and across the melt-solid interface. This disturbance amplitude measure is used to assess the ability of ACRT to stabilize the growth interface and thereby minimize inclusion formation processes. Notably, our analyses reveal that interfacial instability is not well correlated with melt undercooling, explaining why classical ACRT approaches to reduce undercooling by mixing may not stabilize growth. Computations show that interface stability is best achieved via rotation schedules that accentuate outward Ekman flows during spin-up and, during spin-down, eliminate Taylor-Gortler flows and minimize inward Ekman flows.
The Nature of the Wittenberg 1529 Revision of the Vulgate: Galatians I

One of the not too widely known literary ventures to come out of Luther’s Wittenberg is the 1529 revision of the traditional Vulgate. It contains the entire New Testament, but only portions of the Old Testament: the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, and Kings. There was also a separate edition of the New Testament alone, which appeared in the same year and was reprinted in 1536. Besides these editions originating in Wittenberg there were a number of outside reprintings of the Wittenberg New Testament: one at Hagenau in 1529, one at Basel in 1537, and two at Frankfurt in 1554 and 1570.
Sleep and the Pathogenesis of PTSD

Most, if not all, clinicians in the field of traumatic stress would agree that sleep disturbances are among the most prominent and distressing complaints associated with post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. This recognition is formalized in the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders IV by the inclusion of nightmares and difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep as symptom criteria. Overall, a pathogenic role for sleep disturbance in PTSD is supported by the prominence of sleep-related symptoms, the association of traumatic incidents with sleep disruption, and the overlap of the effects of sleep deprivation and PTSD symptoms. Although the importance of sleep disturbance in PTSD may seem self evident, there has been uncertainty regarding the objective nature of sleep abnormalities in PTSD. Historically, the deficiency of data allowed for speculative hypotheses. Although uncertainty regarding the role of sleep in PTSD remains, the topic has been the subject of a number of recent investigations by an international group of investigators. Therefore, it seemed timely with the convening of the meeting that inspired this volume, the Second World Conference of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies that met in June 1996 in Israel, to address investigations of sleep and PTSD. Researchers who are actively investigating the topic were invited to participate. They included Ehud Klien of Israel who presented a longitudinal study of recent accident victims that included actigraphic and Polysomnographie sleep assessments. Thomas Hurwitz of the United States presented sleep laboratory evaluations of Vietnam combat veterans. Wybrand Op den Weld and J. M. H. de Groen of the Netherlands presented sleep and circadian studies of aging World War II Resistance fighters. Peretz Lavie of Israel presented a study of awakening thresholds from rapid eye movement or REM sleep in PTSD subjects, and this author (Thomas Mellman of the United States) reviewed sleep studies of combat veterans and more acutely affected subjects who had PTSD related to a natural disaster. Richard Ross of the United States could not attend but was involved in conceiving and planning the symposium.
Efficient recovery of circulating tumor cells (CTC) using a novel micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)-based platform

LB-298 Objective: The efficient capture of rare circulating tumor cells is required for a safe and non-invasive means of cancer detection and molecular characterization. Therefore, we developed a combination of micro-fluidics and micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device and utilized it for the recovery of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in murine and human circulation. Methods: Using appropriate controls, feasibility and efficiency of capture studies were performed using blood samples spiked with ovarian cancer cells ex vivo then applied directly to an EpCAM-coated MEMS device. Pan-cytokeratin staining and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using human-specific pan-centromere direct labeled probes were used for confirmation of captured CTCs. Additional studies were conducted using blood from orthotopic mouse models of advanced ovarian carcinoma. After IRB approval, whole blood from patients with recurrent ovarian cancer was collected and the levels of CTCs were determined. Results: In blood samples spiked ex vivo with ovarian cancer cells, 80-100% of cells were recovered from each 5mL blood sample using the MEMS device and confirmed with FISH analysis. Overall, a range of 7 to 37 tumor cells were recovered in 200-500μL of whole blood from each tumor-bearing mouse. Zero tumor cells were detected in control (i.e., tumor-free) mice. A median of 5 tumor cells (range 2-167) were captured in each 10mL sample of blood from patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. FISH analysis of captured cells demonstrated aneuploidy on chromosomes 2, 6, and 8. No tumor cells were isolated from whole blood from normal human controls. Conclusions: The MEMS device is a highly efficient novel approach for capturing CTCs in human samples.Moreover, this is the first report in which CTCs from ovarian cancer patients is reported using MEMS. This approach may have significant implications for diagnostic and therapeutic settings for cancer patients.
Horticultural & ecophysiological evaluations of leatherwoods (Dirca spp.)

Horticulturists have overlooked Dirca spp. despite the many ornamental characteristics of these shade-tolerant but difficult-to-propagate shrubs. The genus is characterized by slow growth, shade tolerance, flowers in late winter or spring, and mature growth approximately 1 to 2 meters tall. The first objective of the work undertaken for this thesis was to evaluate three species of Dirca in a common garden setting in central Iowa. As part of an on-going trial, I analyzed data collected from 2007-2010. Dirca mexicana had the greatest survival rate with 88.9% alive as of 2010, despite its southerly origins. Within Dirca palustris, plants from Thunder Bay survived better than plants from Florida but exhibited poor vigor and achieved low health ratings. Dirca mexicana and D. palustris from Florida were rated the healthiest, and their stems extended the most annually. Dirca mexicana was suggested as the best species for inclusion in landscapes as cold as USDA Hardiness Zones 4 and 5, whereas selections from different provenances, particularly those from Florida, evince a selection gradient for commercially viable traits. Dirca occidentalis will require further evaluation for hardier, more climate-suitable genotypes if it’s to ever be promoted a landscape plant outside of its endemic distribution. The second objective was to document the edaphic responses of the same three species of Dirca under field conditions. Three treatments were imposed on an outdoor trial site; two acidic treatments and one based on the native soil pH of the site. To obtain the two treatments, we modified the soil (native pH 7.65) with 1-M sulfuric acid (H2SO4) to a pH between 4.5-5.0 and 6.0-6.5 using 200 mL/L medium and 70 mL/L medium, respectively. Stems of Dirca palustris extended the most in acidic root zones, but mean health ratings were highest in the slightly acidic and control