cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Enabling Resources and Risk Factors on the Relationship between Intimate Partner Violence and Anxiety in Ever-Married Women in Minya, Egypt

The effect of intimate partner violence (IPV) on mental health remains understudied in the Arab world. Using data from 608 ever-married women in rural Minya, Egypt who took part in the 2005 Egypt Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) and a 2012 follow-up survey, we assessed how a woman’s enabling resources and risk factors influenced the association of her exposure to IPV with her generalized anxiety. Results from multivariate regression models showed that proximity to natal kin, prior schooling, and engagement in market work 12 months before marriage had protective effects on generalized anxiety associated with IPV. Childhood abuse from mother also had a protective effect on this relationship. Similar abuse from the brother exacerbated the effects of anxiety when a woman was exposed to IPV. Empowerment programs can encourage women to attend school and engage in market or subsistence work, while suggesting strategies to improve the relationship of women with natal kin.
Abstract A22: In situ image-based monitoring of extracellular matrix mechanics in 3D pancreatic tumor-stroma co-culture models to inform therapeutic development

A number of compelling studies have shown that the mechanical landscape of the tumor microenvironment contributes significantly to regulation of growth behavior, phenotype, and therapeutic response. These findings could be particularly relevant to pancreatic tumors, which are associated with a profound desmolastic reaction. The exceptional abundance of rigid, fibrotic stroma encasing these lethal malignancies has been implicated in obstructing drug delivery and playing multiple tumor-promoting roles. In this context, we use in vitro 3D tumor models with customized stromal composition, combined with in situ quantitative measurements of extracellular matrix (ECM) rigidity via optical microrheology, as a platform for evaluation of therapeutics targeting biomechanical interactions with the microenvironment. Using ECM formulations of calibrated rheological properties (rigidity) in conjunction with optical measurements that provide readouts of dynamic changes provides a window into both sides of a mechanoregulatory dialogue, in which ECM rigidity influences tumor growth and, in turn, cancer cells and stromal fibroblasts remodel their mechanical environment. Here we examine differential therapeutic response to selected chemotherapy agents and photodynamic therapy (PDT) in culture conditions that lead to fibrosis (increasing mechanical strength) as well invasive behavior (local breakdown of ECM). The methodology used here could be more broadly applied to directly quantify impact of stromal depletion therapies and altered ECM remodeling concomitant with therapy. Citation Format: Dustin P. Jones, William Hanna, Gwendolyn M. Cramer, Hamid El-Hamidi, Jonathan P. Celli. In situ image-based monitoring of extracellular matrix mechanics in 3D pancreatic tumor-stroma co-culture models to inform therapeutic development. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Function of Tumor Microenvironment in Cancer Progression; 2016 Jan 7–10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(15 Suppl):Abstract nr A22.
Problem-Based Learning Discussion on Neuraxial Anesthesia in Parturients With Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot

Abstract Introduction Approximately 1% of all children born in the United States suffer from congenital heart disease, and 25% of those affected are born with critical congenital heart disease requ...
Polarization Mode Dispersion

Polarization mode dispersion (PMD) is a polarization-dependent variation of a material’s index of refraction. It leads to time delays and wavenumber differences between orthogonal polarization states of light at fixed wavelength. Classically, several methods have been developed for measuring PMD [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. Many of these methods use interferometric measurements to determine optical delays. However, the accuracy of these approaches are limited by the stability of the interferometer, the signal-to-noise level of the detector, and by the need to keep track of the number of interference fringes.
How Near Will You Hear? A Response to Benadon, "Near-unisons in Afro-Cuban Ensemble Drumming"

Fernando Benadon (2016) shines a strong objective light onto slight but noticeable timing perturbations in Afro-Cuban drumming practice, coining the term near-unisons to describe non-simultaneous attacks that are perceived as such, but that are also perceived to correspond to the same point on an abstract isochronous grid. I speculate that these data uncover an aspect of the music that will most likely be perceived qualitatively rather than quantitatively—an element of style rather than one of structure—but that the quantitative approach taken here is a crucial first step toward the stylistic analysis of genre-specific microtiming that is generally painted over with the broad brushes of participatory discrepancy or groove.
B-Cell Depletion Using IgG1 Anti-CD20 Spares MZ B Cells and Promotes Tolerance to Human FVIII In a Murine Model of Hemophilia A

Abstract Abstract 2206 Preventing and reversing inhibitor formation remains one of the major challenges for hemophilia A therapy. Anti-CD20 mAb (Rituximab) has been reported to be beneficial for hemophilia A patients who failed immune tolerance induction (ITI). However, the evaluation of anti-CD20 therapy often is complicated in the clinical setting by concomitant use of other immune modulating drugs, such as hydrocortisone and IVIG. In this study, we tested the effect of B-cell depletion per se on tolerance induction to FVIII in a mouse model of hemophilia A. Two subclasses of anti-mouse CD20 monoclonal antibodies with differential effects were used. We previously showed that IgG1 anti-CD20 selectively depleted follicular (FO) B cells and spared marginal zone (MZ) B cells, while IgG2a anti-CD20 efficiently depleted both. In FVIII primed mice (inhibitor titer = 30.7 ± 4.8 BU/ml), a single dose of IgG1 anti-CD20 pretreatment prevented the increase in inhibitor formation in the majority of treated mice given daily, high dose FVIII i.v. injection as a model for ITI. Surprisingly, only a marginal effect was achieved when we repeated the same protocol using IgG2a anti-CD20 for B-cell depletion, which efficiently depletes both FO and MZ B cells. To examine tolerance to FVIII, we re-challenged the treated mice with 2 μg FVIII intraperitoneally three months after the initiation of B cell depletion using IgG1 anti-CD20 when the number of peripheral B cells had recovered 60 % or more. The inhibitor titers remained significantly lower in the IgG1 anti-CD20 group after this FVIII boost injection (60.9 ± 33.2 versus 190.3 ± 33.5 BU/ml in control IgG1 group; p = 0.02). Importantly, after the mice were subcutaneously challenged with an unrelated antigen, OVA in CFA, there was no significant difference in anti-OVA IgG titers between the two groups. Taken together, these results suggested that selectively depletion of FO B cells by IgG1 subtype anti-CD20 mAb treatment may facilitate the tolerance induction to FVIII. (Supported by NIH R01 HL061883 and a fellowship from the American Heart Association) Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Classroom Microenterprises: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It!:

Microenterprises in the classroom provide a unique way to incorporate academic goals within transitional skill instruction for students with developmental disabilities. The purpose of this article ...
Women’s Leadership and Transnational Currents: The Adhiparasakthi Community in Toronto, Canada

This article analyzes the ways in which the Adhiparasakthi community in Toronto, Canada is linked to the larger transnational Adhiparasakthi organization in Melmaruvathur, India and illustrates how women’s ritual authority, congregational pūjā, and “inclusivity” ethics have shaped the identity of this diaspora community locally. As women serve in positions of ritual authority and leadership within the Adhiparasakthi Temple Society of Canada, they are in a position to effect change. The article further addresses some of the particular concerns within the community, such as those regarding rituals, lifecycle transitions, and fragmented support networks, and shows how some members of the community have found resolutions through the auspices of the mandram (temple). As women’s ritual lives and interpretations of the divine feminine converge with sevā (humanitarian work) in the Toronto context, their leadership and engagement has emerged as a current of support in the mandram community.
Vibrational Analysis of Extracellular Matrix Scaffolds: Comparison of Skin, Dermis, Cartilage and Subchondral Bone Using Oct and Vibrational Analysis

For four decades clinicians have used scaffolds composed of extracellular matrices ECMs as replacements for a variety of tissues These scaffolds contain collagen from different subfamilies and to a first approximation mimic the structure of the host tissue To avoid problems such as intimal hyperplasia and stress shielding it is important that the mechanical properties of the host and implant materials be matched We have reported that the use of optical cohesion tomography OCT in concert with vibrational analysis is a useful tool to evaluate mechanical properties of scaffolds to replace extracellular matrices in animals and humans as well to study the onset and pathogenesis of diseases In this paper we compare the mechanical properties of a number of ECMs to establish the mechanical requirements for scaffolding materials The results presented in this paper suggest that the moduli of elastic tissue fibrous collagen and subchondral bone are characteristic finger prints of structural components of ECMs that can be non invasively and non destructive measured using OCT and vibrational analysis
Infinite-Dimensional Integrals

Care must be taken when trying to extend commonplace formulas from many integration variables (N < ∞) to infinitely many integration variables (N = ∞ ). The case of independent normal distributions \((\equiv {\rm mean \ zero \ Gaussian})\) is a useful example from which to learn.
Ephemeral connections for reaching and grasping.

Bonsai is a tree-cultivation technique that has a rich history, spanning thousands of years. The goal is to grow an aesthetically pleasing miniature tree in a pot environment. One problem faced by practitioners of this art form is that the taller branches that grow first tend to extend outwards, shading the lower parts of the tree. Thus, the inner buds and leaves are stunted due to a lack of access to sunlight. To solve this problem, practitioners use wire to temporarily reposition the taller branches downward, until the interior growth has matured. The wires are then removed, having served their function. Similar temporary solutions are used during behavioral and neural development. Human infants exhibit a rooting reflex when their cheeks are stroked, turning their heads and opening their mouths in the direction of the stimulation. This is a behavioral adaptation for nursing that disappears as infants get older and no longer need it (1). Similarly, in the developing neocortex, subplate neurons form a temporary layer, keeping the early arriving connections from the thalamus viable until their permanent target—cortical layer 4—is formed; when that occurs, subplate neurons die off (2). In a study of marmoset monkeys, Mundinano et al. (3) share a similar story that links a temporary neural scaffolding with the proper development of an adaptive behavior. Marmoset monkeys, like other primates, are able to deftly grasp objects through visually guided action of the hands. To do so, they use a complex network of brain regions (4). A key node in this network is a visual motion-sensitive cortical area known as the middle temporal area (or area MT). In adults, area MT receives visual signals primarily from a part of the thalamus known as the lateral geniculate nucleus … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: asifg{at}princeton.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Childhood Gender Nonconformity and Intimate Partner Violence in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Childhood gender nonconformity has been associated with numerous adverse experiences, including peer bullying and homophobic violence. However, little is known about gender nonconformity in the context of intimate relationships, independent of sexual orientation. This study aimed to examine associations between childhood gender nonconformity and intimate partner violence (IPV) in adolescence and early adulthood. Using data from the 2007 wave of the U.S. Growing Up Today Study (N = 7,641, mean age = 22.8 years), we estimated risk ratios (RRs) for the association of gender nonconformity up to age 11 years and lifetime IPV victimization and perpetration. Models were adjusted for demographic characteristics, including sexual orientation identity. We assessed effect modification by gender and examined whether childhood abuse mediated the association between nonconformity and IPV. Males in the top decile of nonconformity were at elevated risk of IPV victimization (RR = 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.15, 1.71]) and IPV perpetration (RR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.54, 3.56) compared with those below median nonconformity, adjusting for sexual orientation and demographic characteristics. There was no evidence of a similar association for females in the top decile of gender nonconformity. Childhood abuse did not mediate IPV disparities by gender nonconformity. We identify gender nonconformity as an important risk indicator for IPV victimization and perpetration among young adult males, independent of sexual orientation. Findings highlight the vulnerability of boys and men who do not conform to societal gender norms and the importance of studying gender expression as a determinant of violence. IPV prevention efforts may be improved with more explicit focus on socially constructed gender norms and support for diverse gender expressions. Further research into the pathways between nonconformity and IPV and in more diverse populations is needed to build a more comprehensive understanding of the unique experiences gender nonconforming youth face.
Flexicurity and Labour Law: Labour Market Segmentation, Precarious Work, and Just Distribution

Profound changes in the labour market that have accompanied the growth of the European internal market, deepening and expanding globalisation, and the deployment of new technologies. Yet despite the fact that it is the dominant approach to labour market regulation within the European Union, flexicurity’s precise meaning or content is contentious; the emphasis tends to oscillate from flexibility to security depending on the specific EU institution or actor endorsing it. My goal in this chapter is to probe the relationship between flexicurity, labour law and labour law market segmentation, focusing on women workers in precarious work in particular. To do so, I use the theoretical framework developed by Anna Christensen and Ann Numhauser-Henning under the umbrella of the Norma Research Programme (Norma). Norma’s interdisciplinary approach places legal norms and institutions in their social contexts; it is also historical and comparative, as it seeks to understand the relationship between social change and legal developments. I begin by outlining the key components of Norma’s theoretical framework that I will use to assess the European Union’s flexicurity approach. Having sketched this conceptual framework, I use it to examine the development of the EU’s commitment to flexicurity, beginning with the atypical work Directives in the late 1990s through to statements in the Europe 2020 Strategy, focusing on the relationship between flexicurity and modernising labour law. I concentrate upon a key theme in EU labour law, which is regulating atypical forms of employment that are located at the margins of labour law. I suggest that the strategy of increasing ‘flexibility at the margins’ — the loosening of restrictions on such non-standard or atypical contracts as part-time, fixed-term and through- agency work — runs the risk of reinforcing segmented labour markets, especially labour markets that are segmented on a gender basis. In the conclusion, I reflect on whether, and, if so, the extent to which the normative field of flexicurity has disrupted traditional normative patterns in labour law.
La Princesse de Clèves and the Refusal of Love: Heroic Denial or Pathetic Submission?

Much has been written on Madame de Lafayette's relatively short novel and the refusal of the heroine to accept the man she loves and who also loves her has been widely debated over the last three centuries. Why does the heroine choose solitude and death instead of love and life?
Evaluation of Bacillus Strains for Plant Growth Promotion and Predictability of Efficacy by In Vitro Physiological Traits.

Bacilli are commonly used as plant growth-promoting agents but can be limited in effectiveness to certain crop and soil environments. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify Bacillus strains that can be consistent in promoting the growth of corn, wheat, and soybean and (2) determine whether physiological traits expressed in vitro can be predictive of growth promotion efficacy/consistency and be used for selecting effective strains. Twelve Bacillus strains isolated from wheat rhizospheres were evaluated in greenhouse pot tests with nonsterile soil for their effects on the growth of corn, soybean, and wheat. The strains also were assessed in vitro for multiple physiological traits. All 12 strains increased corn growth significantly compared to the controls. The four most efficacious strains on corn—Bacillus megaterium R181, B. safensis R173, B. simplex R180, and Paenibacillus graminis R200—also increased the growth of soybean and wheat. No set of traits was a predictor of growth promotion efficacy. The number of traits expressed by a strain also was not an indicator of efficacy as strain R200 that was positive for only one trait showed high growth promotion efficacy. Effective strains can be identified through pot tests on multiple crop plants, but in vitro physiological assays are unreliable for strain selection.
Childbearing and maternity leave in residency: determinants and well-being outcomes.

Purpose To characterise determinants of resident maternity leave and their effect on maternal and infant well-being. Among non-parents, to identify factors that influence the decision to delay childbearing Study design In 2016, a survey was sent to female residents at a large academic medical centre on their experiences with maternity leave, the impact of personal and programme factors on length of leave, reasons for delaying childbearing and measures of well-being. Results Forty-four percent (214/481) of residents responded. Fifty (23%) residents were parents, and 25 (12%) took maternity leave during training. The average maternity leave length was 8.4 weeks and did not differ across programme type, size or programme director gender but was longer for programmes with fewer women than men. The most common self-reported determinant of leave was financial. Residents with >8 weeks of leave were less likely to have postpartum depression or burnout and more likely to breastfeed longer, perceive support from colleagues and programme directors, and be satisfied with resident parenthood. Among 104 non-parents who were married or partnered, 84 (81%) were delaying childbearing, citing busy work schedules, concern for burdening colleagues and finances. Conclusions This study suggests that multiple aspects of resident wellbeing are associated with longer maternity leaves, yet finances and professional relationships hinder length of leave and lead to delayed childbearing. These issues could be addressed at a programme level with clear policies describing how work is redistributed during parental leave and at an institutional and state level through provision of paid family leave.
The relationship between coronary artery disease and cardiovascular events early after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Cardiovascular complications are major contributors to mortality at liver transplantation (LT). However, the impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) on these complications is not well-understood as the literature is limited by non-invasive assessment of CAD, which is suboptimal in patients with cirrhosis. Thus, the current study evaluated cardiovascular events at LT stratified according to the presence and severity of CAD quantified on coronary angiography. METHODS All patients who had LT from January 2010 to January 2017 were evaluated (N = 348), but analysis was restricted to patients who had coronary angiography prior to LT (N = 283). Protocol coronary angiography was performed in all patients' ages >50 years, history of CAD, abnormal cardiac stress test or risk factors for CAD. The primary outcome was a cardiovascular composite outcome including myocardial infraction (MI), cardiac arrest, stroke, cardiac death, heart failure or arrhythmia occurring within 4 weeks after LT. RESULTS CAD was present in 92(32.5%) patients and 32(11.3%) had obstructive CAD. During the study period, 72(25.4%) patients met the primary cardiovascular outcome, the most common being arrhythmia (N = 59 or 20.8%). Non-ST elevation MI occurred in 11(3.9%) of patients. A total of 10 deaths (3.5%) occurred, of which 6(2.1%) were attributable to cardiac death. There was no evidence of a relationship between the presence and severity of CAD and composite cardiovascular events. In multiple regression modelling, only diabetes [OR 2.62, 95%CI (1.49, 4.64), P < 0.001] was associated with the likelihood of having a cardiovascular event. CONCLUSION Cardiovascular disease mortality is the most important contributor of early mortality after LT but is not related to the severity of CAD.
Regret Bounds for Non-decomposable Metrics with Missing Labels

We consider the problem of recommending relevant labels (items) for a given data point (user). In particular, we are interested in the practically important setting where the evaluation is with respect to non-decomposable (over labels) performance metrics like the $F_1$ measure, \emph{and} training data has missing labels. To this end, we propose a generic framework that given a performance metric $\Psi$, can devise a regularized objective function and a threshold such that all the values in the predicted score vector above and only above the threshold are selected to be positive. We show that the regret or generalization error in the given metric $\Psi$ is bounded ultimately by estimation error of certain underlying parameters. In particular, we derive regret bounds under three popular settings: a) collaborative filtering, b) multilabel classification, and c) PU (positive-unlabeled) learning. For each of the above problems, we can obtain precise non-asymptotic regret bound which is small even when a large fraction of labels is missing. Our empirical results on synthetic and benchmark datasets demonstrate that by explicitly modeling for missing labels and optimizing the desired performance metric, our algorithm indeed achieves significantly better performance (like $F_1$ score) when compared to methods that do not model missing label information carefully.
Game design documentation: four perspectives from independent game studios

Changes in technology, development philosophy, and scale have required game designers to change how they communicate and mediate design decisions. Traditional game design studios used an extensive game design document (GDD), a meta-genre that described most of the game before it was developed. Current studies suggest that this is no longer the case. We conducted interviews at four independent game studios in order to share their game design documentation processes, revealing that, while an exhaustive GDD is rare, the meta-genre functions are preserved in a variety of mediated ways.
BODY TYPES AND ASSOCIATION WITH DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AMONG OLDER ADULTS: FINDINGS FROM NHANES 2013-2016

Older Americans are increasingly affected by overweight and obesity now as compared to previous decades. We examine the prevalence rates and association of Depressive Symptoms (DS) across body types created using the National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute recommended body mass index /waist circumference (WC) anthropometric cut off values among older Americans. 3,132 participants, 50 years and older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2016 was used for this analysis. Six body types were created using the anthropometric cut off values- normal weight with normal WC, overweight with normal WC, obese with normal WC, normal weight with high WC, overweight with high WC, and obese with high WC. The PHQ-9 score was used to create DS categories (1-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19, ≥20). The relationship of body types to DS categories was assessed using weighted multinomial logistic regression. The mean (SD) sample age was 63.4 (9.2). Approximately 12.9% of participants had a PHQ-9 score of at least 10. After adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity and poverty-income ratio, overweight with high WC (OR 7.61, 95% CI 2.37-24.48) had high odds of moderately severe DS. Obese with high WC had high odds of mild DS (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.22-2.52), moderate DS (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.09-4.20) and moderately severe DS (OR 5.59, 95% CI 2.75-11.39) compared to normal weight with normal WC. We demonstrate an association of body types with DS in an aging American population and these findings would not be identified if anthropometric measures were examined separately.
Operative Techniques and Pitfalls in Donor Bilateral Lung Procurement

Abstract Background Demand for lung transplant continues to grow nationally, and the number of donation after brain death and donation after circulatory death lung procurements increases each year. Methods We describe the Stanford technique for bilateral lung procurement for donation after brain death and donation after circulatory death and highlight the pitfalls and common mistakes to standardize the procurement process and ensure proper harvesting to prevent organ loss. Results Damage to the lung graft during bilateral en bloc procurement most commonly results from either poor preservation or injury to a pulmonary vein during division of the left atrial cuff. Conclusion En bloc bilateral lung procurement should be standardized to ensure reproducible graft harvesting and preservation while teaching new generations of transplant surgeons.
Posterior Cruciate Ligament Resection Does Not Consistently Increase the Flexion Space in Contemporary Total Knee Arthroplasty.

INTRODUCTION It is accepted dogma in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) that resecting the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) increases the flexion-space by approximately 4mm. Unfortunately, this doctrine is based on historical studies of limited size with variable technique. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of PCL-resection on in vivo tibiofemoral joint space dimensions in a cohort of modern TKAs. METHODS Tibiofemoral joint space measurements were made during 129 standardized TKAs by two arthroplasty surgeons. A medial parapatellar approach, computer navigation and provisional bone cuts were performed in all cases with particular attention to preserving PCL integrity. The tibiofemoral gap was measured with a calibrated tension device at extension, 45-degrees, and 90-degrees before and after complete PCL-resection. RESULTS 51% of patients were female (66/129) with mean age and BMI of 69.5 years and 34.2 kg/m2, respectively. After PCL-resection, mean change in center joint space dimension increased 0.33mm at extension, 0.95mm at 45-degrees, and 1.71mm at 90-degrees (P < .001). The 90-degree flexion-space opened ≥4mm in only 10% of patients. Dividing the flexion-space change by femoral implant dimension to account for patient size, the flexion-space at 90-degrees significantly increased more in females compared to males (P = .020). CONCLUSION The tibiofemoral joint space increased progressively from extension to mid-flexion through deep-flexion after PCL-resection, yet was substantially less than reported in historical studies. However, large variation in flexion-space opening was observed with some patients failing to increase the flexion-space whatsoever with PCL-resection. This runs counter to conventional TKA understanding and should be considered in modern surgical education. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic Level III.
Cobalt enrichment in anaerobic microbial cocultures revealed by synchrotron X-ray fluorescence imaging

This study examined iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, and zinc content of a model sulfate-reducing bacterium and methanogenic archaeon in mono- vs. coculture. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and synchrotron x-ray fluorescence microscopy were used to compare elemental content of bulk vs. single cells. Cocultures contained more cellular cobalt than monocultures as well as distinct nanoparticulate zinc- and cobalt/copper- sulfides. This study provides the first evidence that microbes have different metal quotas in mono- vs. coculture, and that cocultures grown in micromolar metal concentrations precipitate different metal sulfide minerals than previous studies of sulfate-reducing bacteria grown at millimolar metal concentrations.
Hyphylearn: A Domain Adaptation-Inspired Approach to Classification Using Limited Number of Training Samples

The fundamental task of classification given a limited number of training data samples is considered for physical systems with known parametric statistical models. As a solution, a hybrid classification method-termed HYPHYLEARN-is proposed that exploits both the physics-based statistical models and the learning-based classifiers. The proposed solution is based on the conjecture that HYPHYLEARN would alleviate the challenges associated with the individual approaches of learning-based and statistical model-based classifiers by fusing their respective strengths. The proposed hybrid approach first estimates the unobservable model parameters using the available (suboptimal) statistical estimation procedures, and subsequently uses the physics-based statistical models to generate synthetic data. Next, the training data samples are incorporated with the synthetic data in a learning-based classifier that is based on domain-adversarial training of neural networks. Numerical results on multiuser detection, a concrete communication problem, demonstrate that HYPHYLEARN leads to major classification improvements compared to the existing stand-alone and hybrid classification methods.
Who donates? Patterns of blood donation and donor characteristics at a university-affiliated hospital-based donor center.

BACKGROUND Blood donors are a crucial element of the blood supply chain. Optimal recruitment strategies built upon the robust understanding of local donor behavior and demographics-specifically, the donor characteristics of our university-affiliated hospital-based donor center-improve outreach and retention of donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS This retrospective study analyzed blood donors' genders, ethnicities, and donation frequencies at a university-affiliated hospital-based donor center from 2014-2019, stratified into seven age cohorts. Donor ethnicity demographics were compared to the reported student, employee, and LA County population. RESULTS Female donors outnumbered male donors in all age cohorts. The majority of donors self-identified (SI) as White (36.7%), Hispanic/Latino (21.6%), or Asian (19.1%). Older donors (age > 25) donated more frequently (4.1 vs. 2.3 donations per donor) than younger donors (age ≤ 25). Repeat donors who donated in multiple years during the study period were more likely to donate multiple times each year than those donors who only donated during 1 year. DISCUSSION Our donor demographics more closely reflect the university student and employee demographics than LA County demographics, demonstrating the broad local efforts of recruitment by student groups and donor center recruitment staff. However, non-White populations continue to be underrepresented. The majority of donors only donated once during the study period. Recruitment strategies to increase donor engagement among underrepresented populations and increase the proportion of repeat donors are likely to prove most beneficial.
Novel Agents and New Paradigms for Colorectal Cancer Beyond EGFR and VEGF

The advent of molecularly targeted therapies has fundamentally changed anticancer drug development. Advances in molecular oncology have altered scientific paradigms in drug discovery, and preclinical and early clinical drug development. In the current era, selective therapies are now rationally designed to inhibit specific novel targets that are well characterized at the molecular level. Inherent in this approach are new strategies that include testing agents in pharmacogenetically defined populations, analyzing the molecular profile of tumors prior to treatment, and individualizing anticancer therapy for each unique patient. Examples of promising molecular targets for future therapies for treating patients with colorectal cancer include the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and antiangiogenic inhibition, to name just two. This brief review discusses the new challenges and changing paradigms related to developing novel colorectal cancer therapeutics in the age of molecularly targeted therapies.
Enhanced sliding mode control of the space nuclear reactor system

The automatic control system (ACS) of the space nuclear reactor power system TOPAZ II that generates electricity from nuclear heat using in-core thermionic converters is considered. The sliding mode control technique was applied to the reactor system controller design in order to provide the robust high accuracy following of a neutron (thermal) power reference profile in a start up regime and a payload electric power (current) reference profile following in an operation regime. Extensive simulations of the TOPAZ II reactor system with the designed sliding mode controllers showed improved accuracy and robustness of the reactor system performances in a start up regime and in an electric power supply regime as well.
Of Non-Horses, Quantum Mechanics, and the Establishment Clause

The pronouncements of Chuang Tzu are seldom easy; his remark about non-horses is certainly no exception. The best explanations suggest that he was responding to a group of philosophers who argued that attributes are so connected to their objects that to speak of the object without the attribute was a form of nonsense. 2 True, Chuang Tzu seems to tell us, but it is almost equally nonsensical to fail to recognize the singularity of objects: for surely if a white horse is not a horse then a non-horse is not either. As is often the case with the writings of Chuang Tzu, he makes one notice several truths in getting where he wishes to go. He does no more than state a logical truth when announcing that a non-horse is not a horse. Yet he leaves us with a mystery: what, precisely, is a non-horse? He may have had in mind a shoe, a tea kettle, a tree, or a mountain. Indeed, he may have meant them all and many other things as well. It is impossible to identify any particular object with a term like non-horse. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a single criterion by which one of them takes pride of place. It is difficult to imagine a coherent way to
A practical guide to tune of proportional and integral (PI) like fuzzy controllers

A method for tuning a PI-like fuzzy controller is proposed. The relationship between parameters and performance of the fuzzy controller is discussed. This includes defining the relationships between parameters and control performance, which parameters are more important and which are less important, which parameters should be tuned first and which later, and in which direction parameters should be adjusted. The result is a guide for tuning fuzzy control systems. >
Marital status, gender roles, stress, and health in the elderly

A model of the relationship between the social context effects of marital status and gender role differences in health was tested in a sample of noninstitutionalized elderly. The conceptual model assumed that (a) marital status is a social context; (b) social contexts give rise to social interactions; (c) social interactions result in the assumption or modification of gender roles; and (d) gender roles determine the behavior of elderly individuals with regard to health, stress, coping, and social support. A random telephone survey of 6,585 households in six northeastern states resulted in a sample of 900 elderly 65 years of age or older. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the main effects, the joint effects, and the combined effects of gender and marital status on the independent variables as they related to health. Findings suggested that of the four marital contexts studied (married men and married women and unmarried men and unmarried women), married women were in the poorest health and most vulnerable to stress. For them, social support in terms of both number of confidantes and access to helping networks was not protective. These findings suggest that social context affects elderly women's health. The potential for expanding theories of women's health to include the social conditions in which they live is discussed.
Reversible blockage of neurite development and growth cone formation in neuronal cultures of a temperature-sensitive mutant of Drosophila

It has been suggested that the membrane recycling process in the Drosophila mutant shibirets1 (shits1) is reversibly blocked at restrictive temperature (greater than 29 degrees C) in various cell types, including neurons, as a result of enhanced vesicle fusion and disrupted membrane pinch-off (Poodry and Edgar, 1979; Koenig et al., 1983; Kosaka and Ikeda, 1983a, b). We analyzed the neuronal development of shits1 cells at the single-cell level by using dissociated larval CNS culture. Compared to normal cultures, there was a substantial reduction in neuronal adhesion to the substratum and a retardation of growth cone formation in shits1 cultures at 30 degrees C. Time-lapse studies showed that neurite initiation and elongation in shits1 cultures were suppressed at the restrictive temperature. Differentiated shits1 neurons exhibited accelerated reabsorption and retarded arborization of neurites at 30 degrees C. The above processes were reversible since normal outgrowth was restored when the temperature was lowered. These findings provide a new line of evidence that growth cone activity determines neurite initiation, elongation, and branching. Furthermore, if the primary defect of the shits1 mutation indeed resides in a membrane recycling mechanism common to different cell types, our results would also lend strong support to the notion that membrane recycling is crucial in the regulation of neuronal membrane adhesion and growth cone activity.
Target identification using neural nets and C4.5

This paper addresses the application of linear prediction with the backpropagation neural network (BPNN) and C4.5 for distinguishing jet and propeller driven aircraft using Doppler spectra derived from a continuous-wave (CW) coherent (X band) radar. To verify the BPNN's and C4.5's classification of the data random noise was added to the Doppler data and results from both techniques compared. >
Characterization of the promoter region and 3' end of the human insulin receptor gene.

Abstract The insulin receptor is an essential protein present on the surface of virtually all cells. Little is known about the control of the level of this protein on cellular surfaces, but it has been found that the level of insulin receptor protein correlates roughly with the level of insulin receptor (IR) gene transcripts within cells. Although the protein-encoding region is only about 4000 base pairs (bps), there are multiple species of IR mRNA ranging in size from 5400 to 9400 bps. We have found that the variation in size of these transcripts is due to multiple 3' ends, presumably reflecting alternative polyadenylation, so that the final IR exon ranges in size from 1400 to 5400 bps. The IR gene promoter is like other housekeeping promoters in that it has no TATA or CAAT boxes, is extremely GC-rich, and has multiple transcriptional initiation sites primarily within a 300-bp GC-rich region. Reporter gene analysis using IR promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (HIRcat) fusion plasmids established regions responsible for promoter activity and verified the localization of the major IR gene transcriptional initiation sites. However, transfection with HIRcat plasmids containing regions from -153 to -1818 resulted in increased utilization of the most 5' IR gene mRNA initiation sites in transfected relative to untransfected cells. Reporter gene analysis also established that a region of the IR promoter and first exon containing all of the transcriptional initiation sites is more active in HepG2 than CV1 cells. Because the steady-state level of expression of the IR gene is much higher in HepG2 than CV1 cells, the results of the reporter gene analysis may reflect tissue-specific differences in IR gene transcription. Such tissue-specific transcriptional regulation would be a novel finding in a housekeeping promoter.
Ultrafast field control of symmetry, reciprocity, and reversibility in buckled graphene-like materials

We theoretically show that buckled two-dimensional graphenelike materials (silicene and germanene) subjected to a femtosecond strong optical pulse can be controlled by the optical field component normal to their plane. In such strong fields, these materials are predicted to exhibit nonreciprocal reflection, optical rectification, and generation of electric currents both parallel and normal to the in-plane field direction. Reversibility of the conduction band population is also field- and carrier-envelope phase controllable. There is a net charge transfer along the material plane that is also dependent on the normal field component. Thus a graphenelike buckled material behaves analogously to a field-effect transistor controlled and driven by the electric field of light with subcycle (femtosecond) speed.
Analysis and Design of a Cost-Effective Associative Processor for Weather Computations

An associative processor organization with application to weather computations, and specifically, to a two-level atmospheric general circulation model developed by Mintz and Arakawa is used as the application problem to be implemented for system analysis and design. These system parameter changes include the arithmetic-logic capabilities, the number of processing elements, different speeds, structures, and access techniques of the memory, addition of a high speed temporary storage, and the use of an auxiliary storage unit. Pertinent data are calculated for all these systems and a cost-effective system is finally determined after the comparisons of these analysis results are made. This final system is then evaluated and compared with the original system.
Quantitation of phototoxic hyperemia and permeability to protein: I. Inhibition by histamine (H1 and H2) and serotonin receptor antagonists in pig skin

Abstract Exposure of pig skin treated with a solution of anthracene to long-wave ultraviolet radiation (UVA) produced an inflammatory response which consisted of erythema and increased vascular permeability. The erythema was measured by the increase in 51 Cr-RBC content of the skin; permeability of the microvasculature was determined by measurement of the accumulation of 125 I-albumin. Within the first 100 seconds (2.6 × 10 3 J/M 2 ) of irradiation, the 51 Cr-RBC content of the skin increased to twice normal and remained at that level despite continued irradiation. The dermal vasculature became increasingly permeable through 1000 sec of irradiation at which time the 125 I-albumin content was ten times normal. Pretreatment of pigs with the histamine receptor antagonists pyrilamine (H 1 ) or cimetidine (H 2 ) had no effect in blocking the photobiologic increase in blood content but showed a significant inhibition of the increased permeability to 125 I-albumin. The serotonin receptor antagonist methysergide had the same permeability inhibiting effects but was about ten times more active. Thus, in the pig, the erythema occurring during the anthracene-UVA reaction is not mediated by receptors for histamine (H 1 or H 2 ), or by serotonin, whereas the increased vascular permeability to 125 I-albumin occurring during the same phototoxic reaction is mediated by histamine and serotonin receptors.
Proposal for a dual-gate spin field effect transistor: A device with very small switching voltage and a large ON to OFF conductance ratio

Abstract We propose a new dual gate spin field effect transistor (SpinFET) consisting of a quasi one-dimensional semiconductor channel sandwiched between two half-metallic contacts. The gate voltage aligns and de-aligns the incident electron energy with Ramsauer resonance levels in the channel, thereby modulating the source-to-drain conductance. The device can be switched from ON to OFF with a few mV change in the gate voltage, resulting in exceedingly low dynamic power dissipation during switching. The conductance ON/OFF ratio stays fairly large ( ∼ 60 ) up to a temperature of 10 K. This conductance ratio is comparable to that achievable with carbon nanotube transistors.
Quantitative use of ultraviolet spectroscopy to calculate the effective irradiation dosage during weathering

The ultraviolet absorbance of a urethane coating showed typical yellowing that increased with exposure period. An effective dosage was calculated from the solar spectrum, the quantum yield for the degradation process and the ultraviolet absorption. Assuming a constant quantum yield, there is a clear acceleration of the absorption of damaging radiation because the ultraviolet absorption increases with exposure. This non-linear relationship offers possibilities on how to estimate a service lifetime. In addition, the yellowing can be analyzed as an Urbach tail which is usually attributed to structural disorder that introduces energy levels between the ground and excited electronic states.
Characterization of power loss from discontinuities in guided structures

This paper is an extension of the work presented by Sarkar et al. (1996). In that work it was shown how to utilize the matrix pencil approach to extract S-parameters of N-port microwave structures. In this paper this earlier approach has been extended to analyze radiation/power loss from the discontinuities of guided structures. Specifically, computed results are presented for the S-parameters of an open ended rectangular waveguide radiating into free space along with experimental results given by Marcuvitz (1951). In addition power loss from rectangular and mitered bends are computed for a microstrip line. The present results are more accurate than what is available in the published literature.
Enchanting Catastrophe: Magical Subrealism and BP's Macondo

Remembering the late 19th century deployment of spiritualist technologies (divining rods, witching sticks) to locate oil deposits in the Americas, this visual essay situates U.S. petroleum culture in an occult genealogy of capitalist sorcery and supernatural materialism. The essay re-imagines the branded “BP” oil spill as an enchanted disaster unfolding across implicate orders of colonial phantasm, new subsea infrastructures of petro-capitalism, and the mundane inferno of deep time. How to envision the BP disaster—and its expansive subsea digital archive—as a ‘magic site,’ where natural and supernatural blend? What can magical subrealism offer as both an analytics of contemporary power and a style of performative feminist conjuring? How really to think, with oil, the thought that thought may be unhuman?