cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative analysis of C9orf72 and sporadic disease in an ALS clinic population.

Objective: We investigated whether the C9orf72 expansion mutation in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is associated with unique demographic and clinical features. Methods: Between 2001 and 2015, approximately half of all patients attending the Emory ALS Clinic agreed to donate DNA for research. This research cohort of 781 patients was screened for the C9orf72 expansion, and demographic and clinical data were compared between those with and without the C9orf72 mutation. For mutation carriers without a family history of ALS, we sought further family history of dementia and other non-ALS neurodegenerative diseases in first-degree relatives. Results: The C9orf72 expansion was identified in 61 patients (7.8%). Compared to those without the expansion mutation, these patients did not differ in race, age, or site of onset. As expected, C9orf72 patients were more likely to have a family history of ALS (59% vs 7.9%) and to present with comorbid frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (14.8% vs 1.7%). Survival was shorter in patients with the expansion (log-rank χ 2 [1] = 45.323, p Conclusions: Comparing the C9orf72 ALS population to the general ALS population, there were no differences in race, age at onset, or proportion of patients with bulbar onset disease. Differences identified in patients with the C9orf72 mutation included shortened survival and an equal proportion of men and women. In addition, we found that assessing family history for dementia may identify other family members likely to be carrying the C9orf72 expansion, reduce the number of sporadic cases, and thus increase our understanding of disease penetrance.
Congenital Heart Disease and Down Syndrome

Congenital heart disease is very common in persons with Down syndrome. Today, with the survival of persons with Down syndrome reaching the age of 50–60 years it is important to ensure ongoing evaluation and follow-up. Some research studies have found a large number of adults with Down Syndrome in residential centers to have mild to moderate regurgitation of heart valves. Identifying valvular insufficiency and mitral valve prolapse is highly likely even in patients with no known congenital heart problems. Monitoring for pulmonary hypertension is important especially in those with known snoring and sleep apnea. Appropriate diet and exercise is essential as it is for us all.
The Berlin Crisis Intensifies

This crisis over Berlin sparked Norstad to consider how best to coordinate NATO plans and policy in a situation in which the “rights” were non-NATO in origin, even though the “responsibilities” had become SACEUR’s. As recalled in the previous chapter, the three “Occupying Powers” — the US, the UK, and France — were still in Berlin by right of conquest. The other member-states of NATO had no direct involvement in the evolution of the status of Berlin stemming from the Yalta Declaration to its de facto partitioning.2 Consequently, in February 1959 Norstad directed the establishment at Headquarters USEUCOM of a “small concealed US only group as nucleus for any tripartite staff he might have to form.”3
Student debt and hardship: Evidence from a large sample of low- and moderate-income households

Abstract Student debt has risen in recent years as higher education costs have shifted to students and their families, particularly those with low-to-moderate incomes (LMI). Though a college degree continues to convey higher earnings, those who finance their degrees have lower net worth and greater financial difficulties than persons without student debt. We assess the relationship between student debt and material and health care hardship among a large sample (n = 5558) of LMI tax filers, using propensity score analysis to adjust for self-selection into student debt status and loan amount and monthly payment quartiles. We find that participants with student debt have a higher likelihood of hardship. Loan amounts only partially predict hardship, and borrowers making current loan payments are at lower odds for hardship than non-payers. We also find that among those with student debt, non-payers and those without college degrees have much greater social and economic disadvantages.
Anxiety Modifies the Association between Fatigue and Verbal Fluency in Cognitively Normal Adults

OBJECTIVE In the present study, we examined the association between self-reported fatigue and verbal fluency in a sample of healthy adults. Given the co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive symptoms with fatigue, we examined whether these affective dimensions would modify this association. METHOD Fifty-nine cognitively normal adults took part in the study. Fatigue symptoms were assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), depressive symptomatology with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and situational anxiety using the state subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S).We used a composite measure of verbal fluency comprising letter fluency and semantic fluency as the outcome measure. RESULTS Multiple regression analyses revealed higher fatigue was associated with better verbal fluency when STAI-S scores were high. We did not find a significant interaction between the FSS and CES-D. CONCLUSION Greater situational anxiety levels may buffer against the negative influence of fatigue on verbal fluency in non-clinical populations, consistent with previous research showing that moderate levels of anxiety can benefit cognitive function. Whether subthreshold depressive symptoms modify the association between fatigue and verbal fluency is still unclear. Measures that assess different symptom dimensions specific to depression would help to clarify this issue.
Rapid acquisition of wideline MAS solid-state NMR spectra with fast MAS, proton detection, and dipolar HMQC pulse sequences

The solid-state NMR spectra of many NMR active elements are often extremely broad due to the presence of chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) and/or the quadrupolar interaction (for nuclei with spin I > 1/2). These NMR interactions often give rise to wideline solid-state NMR spectra which can span hundreds of kHz or several MHz. Here we demonstrate that by using fast MAS, proton detection and dipolar hetero-nuclear multiple-quantum (D-HMQC) pulse sequences, it is possible to rapidly acquire 2D spectra which correlate 1H chemical shifts to the indirectly detected wideline MAS powder patterns of dipolar coupled hetero-nuclei. The D-HMQC pulse sequence enables broadband excitation of the wideline hetero-nuclear NMR spectrum and provides higher sensitivity by detecting the narrower and more sensitive 1H NMR signal. This approach is demonstrated for the rapid acquisition of 2D 1H detected 195Pt solid-state NMR spectra of cisplatin and transplatin and the 71Ga solid-state NMR spectrum of a self-assembled Ga coordination polymer of unconfirmed structure. This approach should be broadly applicable for the rapid acquisition of wideline MAS solid-state NMR spectra of moderately abundant NMR nuclei.
Primary Thyroid Carcinoma with Low-Risk Histology and Distant Metastases: Clinicopathologic and Molecular Characteristics.

Background: Distant metastases (DM) are a rare occurrence in well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical, pathologic, and molecular features of primary thyroid carcinoma with low-risk histology that develop DM. Methods: A detailed clinicopathologic review and targeted next-generation sequencing were performed on a cohort of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma lacking gross extrathyroidal extension, extensive vascular invasion, or significant lymph node metastases but exhibiting DM. Results: Primary well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma with low-risk histologic features and DM was a rare occurrence, accounting for only 3% of metastatic non-anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. All 15 cases meeting the inclusion criteria harbored DM at presentation. The majority (11/15) of these tumors were follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), especially the encapsulated form (n = 8). The remaining patients harbored encapsulated Hurthle cell carcinoma (n = 2), encap...
Infant skin maturation: Preliminary outcomes for color and biomechanical properties

Background Newborn infant skin changes after birth but studies have focused on the epidermal barrier. Dermal properties are relevant for care, but literature on postnatal changes is sparse. We further characterized skin maturational changes in lightness, color and response to biomechanical stress. Methods Normal skin sites from subsets of participants in a trial on the progression and stage of infantile hemangiomas were retrospectively examined. Standardized photographs were analyzed as L*, a*, and b* images. Biomechanics were measured with the Cutometer® . Results Color changed significantly with increasing age. Skin was darker and redder at 2.0 vs. 5.4, 8.5 and 12.8 months. Yellow color increased, with higher values at 12.8 vs. 2.0, 3.5 and 5.4 months. Chest tissue was consistently more elastic than arm and face sites, with significantly higher elasticity for the youngest and oldest age groups. Biological elasticity, elastic recovery, and total recovery were significantly greater for the oldest subjects. Viscoelasticity and elastic deformation were lower at 5.5 vs. 8.8 and 17.6 months. Arm viscoelastic creep was highest at 2.8 months. Conclusion Skin maturation continues into year two. Increasing elasticity and decreasing viscoelasticity may reflect increased collagen structure/function. The findings have implications for prevention of skin injury associated with mechanical forces.
Cachexia, and not obesity, prior to pancreatic cancer diagnosis worsens survival and is negated by chemotherapy

Background: Although advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by progressive weight loss and nutritional deterioration, the effect of cancer cachexia and body mass index (BMI) at diagnosis on survival remains unclear. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated a prospectively collected internal cancer registry of PDAC cases from 2006–2014 at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. Cancer cachexia was defined as weight loss greater than 5% over the 6 months prior to diagnosis. Multivariate cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the influence of cachexia on survival. To evaluate effect measure modification of this relationship, we performed additional analyses strati ed by race, BMI class, stage, receipt of surgery and receipt of chemotherapy. We tested for heterogeneity by tting models with an interaction term for cachexia and the modifying variable. Results: Of the 977 patients, 611 (63%) were identi ed with cachexia. Cachexia in PDAC patients was prevalent across all stages of disease and BMI classes. Patients with cachexia had lower survival (median 4.3 months, IQR 1.7–10.0) compared to those without cachexia (median 5.2 months, IQR 2.0–10.6), log- rank P=0.03. In this analysis BMI at diagnosis was not associated with survival. In the multivariate Cox regression, cachexia was independently associated with decreased overall survival (HR 1.24, CI: 1.06–1.45, P=0.01). However, the effect of cachexia on survival outcomes was modi ed by receipt of chemotherapy. Cachectic patients who did not receive chemotherapy had a 40% increase in risk of death compared to non- cachectic patients (HR 1.40, CI: 1.12–1.75), while those receiving chemotherapy were unaffected by cachexia (HR 1.04, CI: 0.82–1.32, P interaction =0.01). Conclusions: In the largest cohort of pancreatic cancer patients examined to date, cachexia and not obesity is independently associated with worse survival in PDA and its effect is negated by systemic chemotherapy.
Design-based Pedagogy: Investigating an emerging approach to teaching design to non-designers

Abstract Teaching design to non-designers is a popular way to drive innovative and creative thinking. However, very little is understood about the pedagogical approach. This paper presents a definition for Design-based Pedagogy and catalogs a list of corresponding variables collected through a survey of experienced design and design thinking instructors. We demonstrate that this learning environment is robust in comparison to a variety of educational frameworks. The variables identified can help researchers and educators better understand what supports engaging design education.
Determination of porosity in anisotropic fractal systems by neutron scattering

Small-angle scattering from two-phase isotropic systems requires the scattering to be invariant to determine the relative fractions of each phase in the material. For anisotropic systems the measurement yields a result that depends on the projection of the phases onto the scattering plane, normal to the incident radiation. When the scattering system has a unique axis such that there is no preferred direction in the plane normal to that axis, the scattering gives elliptical contours on the two-dimensional detector. Two different measurements of projected phases, one with the incident beam direction coincident with the unique axis and the other normal to that axis, can be combined to give a three-dimensional description of the system and therefore lead to a determination of the total porosity of the system.
Effects of Linear Energy Transfer on the Formation and Fate of Radiation Damage to the Photoreceptor Cell Complement of the Rabbit Retina: Implications for the Projected Manned Mission to Mars

According to the deliberations of prestigious review committees over the past two decades, astronauts and space workers who will participate in extended missions beyond the protection of the geomagnetic field should be concerned about three general types of risks from exposure to external radiations (NCRP 1989). Two of those risks, induction of cancers and cataracts, are characterized sufficiently well in qualitative scientific terms that meaningful evaluations of the dose relationships ought to proceed without unexpected complication. About the third risk, damage to the central nervous system (CNS), little is known even of the general scope of the problem let alone the medical consequences of damage to specific tissues, and therein lies the real difficulty of risk assessment for the CNS. Therefore, that aspect of the situation will be examined in some detail here and particularly from the position of the student or young investigator who may wish to address a problem that could require a scientific lifetime for solution.
The Nuclear Weapons Proliferation Issue

There are four issues that various people include under the term “proliferation.” These are: 1. Vertical proliferation: Increased numbers, types, and methods of deployment of nuclear weapons by countries already having such weapons, and particularly by the two superpowers. 2. Horizontal proliferation: Additional countries with deployable or deployed nuclear weapons. 3. Potential capability: Still other countries with a capability to rapidly manufacture nuclear weapons, should a decision be made to do so. 4. Subnational potential: The possibility of manufacture of nuclear weapons from material diverted or stolen, as by terrorist or criminal groups intent on blackmail.
Temporal Structure of Spike Trains from MT Neurons in the Awake Monkey

We compute the power spectrum associated with single-unit extracellular spike trains recorded in a previous study of 213 neurons in extrastriate area MT of the macaque monkey, a region that plays a major role in processing motion information. The data were recorded while monkeys performed a near-threshold direction discrimination task so that both physiological and psychophysical data could be obtained on the same set of trials [14]. (1) About half of the cells have a flat spectrum with a dip at low temporal frequencies, indicative of a Poisson process with a refractory period. (2) About half of the cells have a peak in the 25–50 Hz frequency band. (3) We show that the peak in the power spectrum is related to the cell’s tendency to fire bursts of action potentials and that the shape of the power spectrum can be described without assuming an explicit oscillatory neuronal mechanism. (4) We find no relationship between the shape of the power spectrum, in particular, the amplitude of the peak, and psychophysical measures of the monkeys’ performance on the direction discrimination task.
Common Hormone Therapies Used to Care for Transgender Patients Influence Laboratory Results.

Background: Many laboratory tests are reported and interpreted with sex-specific reference intervals. However, transgender individuals receiving masculinizing or feminizing hormone therapy experience physiological changes predisposing some laboratory tests to shift outside of existing reference intervals. In this study, we review laboratory testing of a large cohort of transgender individuals who were prescribed hormone therapy for at least 6 months at an academic medical center. Methods: Transgender patients were identified using a search function within the electronic health record with gender identity status verified by chart review. Patients were grouped based on type of hormone therapy administered. All laboratory studies were ordered for medical purposes as part of clinical care; as a result, the exact laboratory tests differed among the patients. Some of the patients had sufficient data for both 6- and 12-month comparisons with baseline laboratory values. Results: Statistically significant changes were observed at 6- and 12-month comparisons in basic chemistry, endocrine, and hematologic parameters for transgender individuals receiving masculinizing or feminizing hormones. Chart review demonstrated variation in route of administration of hormone therapy and frequency of gender-affirming surgery within the study population. Conclusions: Transgender individuals receiving hormone therapy experienced significant changes in components of basic chemistry, endocrine, and hematologic parameters following administration of hormone therapy. Variability in hormone dosing and route of administration for gender-affirming treatment warrants further investigation.
How UN Peacebuilding Unintentionally Incentivizes Local-Level Violence

This paper challenges theoretical and empirical arguments about peacebuilding effectiveness that put the state at the center of United Nations peace operations. The paper draws on evidence from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) from 2013 to 2017. I argue that state-centric UN peacebuilding operations inadvertently incentivize local-level violence in post-conflict zones. I demonstrate that when the UN supports central governments it unintentionally empowers non-professionalized militaries, paramilitaries, and warlords to settle local scores. Armed violence against civilians in turn triggers a vicious cycle of reprisals and counter-reprisals. As an alternative to state-centric peacebuilding operations that incentivize local violence, I suggest that the UN should shift strategic resources away from central governments and toward UN policing, support of traditional and religious authorities, and the training of local security institutions.
Dominator Chromatic Numbers of Orientations of Trees

In this paper we prove that the dominator chromatic number of every oriented tree is invariant under reversal of orientation. In addition to this marquee result, we also prove the exact dominator chromatic number for arborescences and anti-arborescences as well as bounds on other orientations of oft studied tree topologies including generalized stars and caterpillars.
Health 2.0 and implications for nursing education.

Over the last 20 years the evolution of web browsers providing easy access to the Internet has initiated a revolution in access to healthcare related information for both healthcare providers and patients. This access has changed both the process used to deliver education and the content of the nursing education curriculum worldwide. Our amazing ability to access information around the world is referred as to Web 1.0. Web 2.0 moves beyond access to a world where users are interactively creating information. With the advent of Health 2.0 we are confronting a second revolution that is challenging all aspects of healthcare including all aspects of nursing. This paper explores the concept of Health 2.0, discusses a conceptual framework approach for integrating Health 2.0 content into the nursing curriculum, outlines examples of key concepts required in today’s nursing curriculum and identifies selected issues arising from the impact of Health 2.0.
Air pollution-associated changes in biomarkers of diabetes risk.

Background Ambient particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) air pollution may be diabetogenic. Objective To examine longitudinal associations of short- and longer-term mean PM ≤10 μm (PM10), PM ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), and NOx concentrations with five biomarkers of diabetes risk. Methods We studied a stratified, random minority oversample of nondiabetic Women's Health Initiative clinical trials participants with biomarkers and geocoded participant address-specific mean air pollution concentrations available at repeated visits (years = 1993-2004; n = 3,915; mean age = 62.7 years; 84% white). We log-transformed the biomarkers, then used multi-level, mixed-effects, longitudinal models weighted for sampling design/attrition and adjusted for sociodemographic, clinical, and meteorological covariates to estimate their associations with air pollutants. Results Biomarkers exhibited null to suggestively negative associations with short- and longer-term PM10 and NOx concentrations, e.g., -3.1% (-6.1%, 0.1%), lower homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance per 10 μg/m3 increase in 12-month PM10. A statistically significant interaction by impaired fasting glucose (IFG) at baseline in this analysis indicated potentially adverse effects only among women with versus without IFG, i.e., 1.4% (-3.5%, 6.5%) versus -4.6% (-7.9%, -1.1%), Pinteraction < 0.05. In contrast, longer-term PM2.5 concentrations were largely but not statistically significantly associated with higher biomarkers. Conclusions Low-level short-term PM10 and NOx concentrations may have negligible adverse effects on biomarkers of diabetes risk. Although longer-term mean PM2.5 concentrations showed primarily null associations with these biomarkers, results suggestively indicated that PM2.5 exposure over the range of concentrations experienced in the United States may adversely affect biomarkers of diabetes risk at the population level, as may longer-term mean PM10 concentrations among women with IFG.
Paradigms and paradoxes: revisiting the relation of oxidation state and acidity of polyhydride cations

Nearly four decades ago, we published a simple chemical regularity: the proton affinity of MHa is higher than that of MHb when “a” is greater than “b.” Some new thoughts about this pattern of chemical energetics are presented in the current study.
Cognitive performance effects of nicotine and industry affiliation: a systematic review.

Background and aims:Studies assessing the cognitive performance effects of nicotine show inconsistent results and tobacco industry funding has been correlated with study outcomes. We conducted a sy...
Opioid Prescribing Trends and Geographic Variation After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Introduction:Opioid prescribing patterns play an important role in the opioid epidemic in the United States. The purpose of this study is to examine the trends and geographic variation in opioid pr...
Primary Care Providers: Perceived Decision-Making Factors for Child Protective Service Report

Background: Pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) are mandated reporters and called to address family and social determinant risk factors; yet, PCPs do not report all child maltreatment suspicions or pursue alternate actions in lieu of Child Protective Service (CPS) referral. Factors influencing PCP clinical decision-making to pursue alternative action rather than CPS have not been investigated. Objective: To explore factors influencing PCP clinical decision-making for an alternative action or CPS report. Design/Methods: Using a semi-structured interview guide, we conducted a qualitative grounded theory study of primary …
A practical guide for analyzing large-scale assessment data using Mplus: A case demonstration using the Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies Data

In order to promote the use of increasingly available large-scale assessment data in education and expand the scope of analytic capabilities among applied researchers, this study provides step-by-s...
Constrictive Pericarditis after Open Heart Surgery: A 20-Year Case Controlled Study.

Abstract Background Constrictive pericarditis is a rare complication of open heart surgery (OHS), but little is known regarding the etiologic determinants, and prognostic factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical predictors and long term prognosis of post-operative constrictive pericarditis (CP). Methods Using the Myocardial Infarction Data Acquisition System database, we analyzed records of 142,837 patients who were admitted for OHS in New Jersey hospitals between 1995 and 2015. Ninety-one patients were hospitalized with CP 30 days or longer after discharge from OHS. Differences in proportions were analyzed using Chi square tests. Controls were matched to cases for demographics, surgical procedure type, history of OHS, and propensity score. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the risk of all-cause death. Log-rank tests and Cox models were used to assess differences in the Kaplan-Meier survival curves with and without adjustments for comorbidities. Results Patients with CP were more likely to have history of valve disease (VD, p Conclusion CP is a rare complication of OHS that occurs more frequently in patients with VD, AF, CKD, HD, multiple OHS, and it is associated with an unfavorable long-term prognosis. Given the large number of OHS performed every year, the results highlight the need for clinicians to recognize and properly manage this complication of OHS.
Algorithm for Multi-Robot Chance-Constrained Generalized Assignment Problem with Stochastic Resource Consumption

We present a novel algorithm for the multi-robot generalized assignment problem (GAP) with stochastic resource consumption. In this problem, each robot has a resource (e.g., battery life) constraint and it consumes a certain amount of resource to perform a task. In practice, the resource consumed for performing a task can be uncertain. Therefore, we assume that the resource consumption is a random variable with known mean and variance. The objective is to find an assignment of the robots to tasks that maximizes the team payoff. Each task is assigned to at most one robot and the resource constraint for each robot has to be satisfied with very high probability. We formulate the problem as a chance-constrained combinatorial optimization problem and call it the chance-constrained generalized assignment problem (CC-GAP). This problem is an extension of the deterministic generalized assignment problem, which is a NP-hard problem. We design an iterative algorithm for solving CC-GAP in which each robot maximizes its own objective by solving a chance-constrained knapsack problem in an iterative manner. The approximation ratio of our algorithm is (1+α), assuming that the deterministic knapsack problem is solved by an α-approximation algorithm. We present simulation results to demonstrate that our algorithm is scalable with the number of robots and tasks.
The relationship between vascular calcifications and urolithiasis in a large, multiethnic patient population.

Several studies have reported associations between vascular calcifications and urinary stone disease (USD). However, results have been inconsistent and the majority of studies did not report on race/ethnicity. We examined the association between vascular calcifications and USD in a large, racially/ethnically diverse patient population. We identified 672 USD cases and 672 controls (i.e., patients without a history of USD) from patients who underwent non-contrast CT imaging at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York between 2004 and 2013. Controls were matched to cases on age, sex and race/ethnicity. The non-contrast CT imaging was used to measure abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) and calculate the AAC severity score. Logistic regression models were used to examine associations of AAC presence and severity score with risks of USD and stone types. Cases and controls had similar AAC prevalence (45.2% vs. 44.8%, p = 0.87), and AAC severity score (median 10 vs. 9.3, p = 0.47). The presence of AAC (OR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.78–1.23; p = 0.86) or AAC severity score were not associated with risk of USD: ORs of 0.96, 0.87, 1.07 and 1.03 for increasing AAC quartiles (p-trend = 0.54). There were also no associations in the stratified analyses by race/ethnicity or by sex. However, when USD patients were stratified by stone type, brushite/apatite stone formers had an inverse association with the lowest quartile of AAC severity score (OR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.11–0.84, p = 0.04) in comparison to patients without AAC. Overall, we found no association between vascular calcifications and risk of urinary stone disease in this large, hospital-based, case–control study.
Robustifying $\ell_\infty$ Adversarial Training to the Union of Perturbation Models

Classical adversarial training (AT) frameworks are designed to achieve high adversarial accuracy against a single attack type, typically $\ell_\infty$ norm-bounded perturbations. Recent extensions in AT have focused on defending against the union of multiple perturbations but this benefit is obtained at the expense of a significant (up to $10\times$) increase in training complexity over single-attack $\ell_\infty$ AT. In this work, we expand the capabilities of widely popular single-attack $\ell_\infty$ AT frameworks to provide robustness to the union of ($\ell_\infty, \ell_2, \ell_1$) perturbations while preserving their training efficiency. Our technique, referred to as Shaped Noise Augmented Processing (SNAP), exploits a well-established byproduct of single-attack AT frameworks -- the reduction in the curvature of the decision boundary of networks. SNAP prepends a given deep net with a shaped noise augmentation layer whose distribution is learned along with network parameters using any standard single-attack AT. As a result, SNAP enhances adversarial accuracy of ResNet-18 on CIFAR-10 against the union of ($\ell_\infty, \ell_2, \ell_1$) perturbations by 14%-to-20% for four state-of-the-art (SOTA) single-attack $\ell_\infty$ AT frameworks, and, for the first time, establishes a benchmark for ResNet-50 and ResNet-101 on ImageNet.
Can particle appearance or disappearance be described by a quantum mechanical theory

A common justification for replacing quantum mechanics with quantum field theory (QFT) is that the appearance or disappearance of particles cannot be described using quantum mechanics. We show that this justification for QFT is not generally true by presenting a counterexample: parametrized relativistic quantum mechanics (pRQM). We begin by outlining a pioneering formulation of QFT that includes an invariant evolution parameter. The introduction of an invariant evolution parameter helped guide the development of QFT and is a characteristic feature of pRQM. We then present a probabilistic formulation of pRQM that highlights features of the theory that make it suitable for modelling particle stability. Two examples of particle stability are then presented within the context of pRQM to show that a quantum mechanical theory can be applied to particle stability. The examples considered in this paper are exponential particle decay and neutrino oscillations.
Implied Equity Duration: A Measure of Pandemic Shutdown Risk

Implied equity duration was originally developed to analyze the sensitivity of equity prices to discount rate changes. We demonstrate that implied equity duration is also useful for analyzing the sensitivity of equity prices to pandemic shutdowns. Pandemic shutdowns primarily impact short‐term cash flows, thus they have a greater impact on low‐duration equities. We show that implied equity duration has a strong positive relation to U.S. equity returns and analyst forecast revisions during the onset of the 2020 COVID‐19 shutdown. Our analysis also demonstrates that the underperformance of “value” stocks during this period is a rational response to their lower durations.
The Implications of Diverse Human Moral Foundations for the Ethicality of Artificial Intelligence

Organizations are making massive investments in artificial intelligence (AI), and recent demonstrations and achievements highlight the immense potential for AI to improve organizational and human w...
Lengths of Irreducible and Delicate Words

We study words that barely avoid repetitions, for several senses of "barely". A squarefree (respectively, overlap-free, cubefree) word is irreducible if removing any one of its interior letters creates a square (respectively, overlap, cube). A squarefree (respectively, overlap-free, cubefree) word is delicate if changing any one of its letters creates a square (respectively, overlap, cube). We classify the lengths of irreducible and delicate squarefree, overlap-free, and cubefree words over binary and ternary alphabets.
Association of bleeding with serotonergic antidepressants in patients receiving left ventricular assist device support

STUDY OBJECTIVE This study sought to determine whether SA use is associated with bleeding in patients receiving CF-LVAD support. DESIGN A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted of all adult patients who received CF-LVAD implantation at our institution. SETTING Barnes-Jewish Hospital between July 1, 2009, and October 1, 2018. PATIENTS Patients at least 18 years of age who received a HVAD™ (HeartWare Corp.), HeartMate II™ (St. Jude Medical), or HeartMate 3™ (St. Jude Medical) CF-LVAD and survived for at least 30 days postoperatively were included. INTERVENTION Patients who received SAs (n = 203) were compared to those who did not (n = 391) from 30 days to 18 months following implantation. The primary outcome was the incidence of first bleeding events including gastrointestinal bleed (GIB), epistaxis, or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS During follow-up, 219 patients had bleeding events: 93 of 203 (45.8%) in the SA group versus 126 of 391 (32.2%) in the control group (p = 0.001). After adjustment for age, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) use, history of bleeding events, history of smoking, and CF-LVAD type, SA use remained associated with bleeding (adjusted odds ratio: 1.75, 95% confidence interval: 1.22-2.51, p = 0.002). HeartMate 3™ patients experienced less bleeding than HeartMate II™ patients (adjusted odds ratio 0.46, 95% confidence interval: 0.23-0.90, p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS In this single-center, retrospective cohort of patients supported with CF-LVADs, SA use was associated with the incidence of first bleeding events, primarily driven by GIB. Further studies are needed to assess any differential risk of bleeding among SA agents and to assess the utility of altering antithrombotic strategies.
REDUCTION OF URBAN RUNOFF PEAK FLOWS BY PONDING

The methods used and advantages which can be obtained by incorporating the concept of roof-top ponding and short-term on-site detention storage into the design of urban storm drainage facilities are described. By limiting the rate of runoff from flat roofs and other applicable flat areas to predetermined rates, the peak rate of runoff to the receiving storm drainage system can be reduced. On-site detention ponding can also be used to reduce peak runoff rates. These techniques have been used to advantage in the Denver region to minimize the impact of new developments on the storm drainage system. Effective design of ponding and detention features requires careful analysis of regional rainfall characteristics. Because storage volumes are relatively small and the runoff hydrographs involved have short time bases with steep peaks, it is necessary to consider fully the magnitude-frequency relationship and intensity-duration characteristics of rainfall as well as its geographic distribution.
The Argument Phase of Taxpayer Politics

EDERAL TAX POLICY is developed in a welter of clashing opinions. The major source of controversy is the conflict of interest that exists among different although often overlapping economic groups -businessmen, industrial workers, farmers, creditors, debtors, landlords, persons with large incomes, persons with small incomes, and so on. Members of Congress, who are the principal makers of tax policy, are presumed to represent the interests of the whole public. They are elected on a geographical basis and do not, at least formally, represent specific economic interests. Such interests achieve the practical effect of representation through organized groups with paid advocates-the lobbyists-who work for proposals to reduce, or prevent an increase in, the tax loads of their respective groups.' In effect each group endeavors to push part of its load on to other groups through securing favorable legislative changes. The art of taxpayer politics is to persuade the necessary majority of the makers of tax policy-whether in the given situation these are the voters generally, the members of Congress, or a small group of the latterto vote in the desired way on tax proposals. The persons who successfully practice this art become experts in knowing what causes a policy maker to decide a tax issue in a certain way, and use that knowledge to achieve their ends. The chief task of the lobbyist appears to be to bring and keep before the attention of the policy maker the considerations which will lead him to make a favorable decision. The factors that motivate policy decisions are complex. Some have little relation to the public interest; even irrational and subconscious factors are present. Deep-seated prejudice, personal friendship or hostility, domination by a political boss or a powerful constituent, party loyalty, a trade for votes on other measures,
The American Scholar Revisited

IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, professors of literature have embarked, to use Winnie the Pooh's word, on a "long explore." Hermeneutics, decon struction, feminist criticism, reader-response theory, the politics of canon creation, the new historicism, theories of narrative ?all vie for the atten tion of literary scholars. From the outside (I was trained as a historian and work in a department of history), nothing looks so intriguing, so perplex ing, and so potentially frustrating, as the hothouse atmosphere within English Departments, for the swirl of critical methods has created both a sense of liberating promise and nervous defensiveness within them. Each of the three books under review attempts to answer the question: how did literary studies get to where they are today? Kermit Vanderbilt's American Literature and the Academy recounts the efforts to make American literature a university subject from the late nineteenth century to the 1940s. Richard Ohmann's The Politics of Letters is much broader, looking at popular literature, mass market magazines, advertising, and the pub lishing industry, as well as discussing modern academic literary study. Gerald Graff's Professing Literature: An Institutional History is a study of the profession of English in the American university from the late nineteenth century to today. Vanderbilt's book, the thickest in pages, is a rather pedestrian account of the rise of the subdiscipline of American literature within the univer sity. The way he fails is worth some comment. His work exemplifies a point of view about professional humanistic research that was au courant sometime around 1955. His presumptions open a window on the past. The story Vanderbilt tells is one of triumphant professionalism. From the sour beginnings in the nineteenth century, he traces the steady incur sion of American literature into the university and the growing sophistica tion of American literary scholars. His endpoint, one that reflects a fully "mature" profession, is The Literary History of the United States (1948), edited by Robert Spiller, among others.
A GRAPH-THEORETIC MODEL FOR THE SCHEDULING PROBLEM AND ITS APPLICATION TO SIMULTANEOUS RESOURCE SCHEDULING

ABSTRACT As computer and communications systems become more complex, system designers are broadening their concern from the scheduling of individual resources to scheduling tasks which require multiple resources simultaneously. However there are relatively few published results for simultaneous resource scheduling problems. Equally importantly, although there are algorithms for special instances of these problems in different application areas, there is no general model that provides a framework for applying results across application boundaries. In this paper we present a graph-theoretic model for formally specifying scheduling problems. We apply the model to several simultaneous resource scheduling problems, drawn from the increasingly important application area of scheduling input/ouput (I/O) tasks in a parallel computer system. The model is thus used to specify the I/O scheduling problem for parallel computers with tree architectures, parallel I/O in the presence of a class of mutual exclusion constraints, and scheduling parallel I/O for computers with multiple I/O bus architectures. We use the model for recognition of the similarity between scheduling problems, the transformation of one scheduling problem to a different scheduling problem, and the decomposition of a problem into subproblems. We thus obtain an optimal algorithm for parallel I/O in tree architectures, an optimal algorithm for scheduling parallel I/O in the presence of limited mutual exclusion constraints, and an improved heuristic for parallel I/O in multiple bus architectures.
Political History: History of Politics

This article is reproduced from the previous edition, volume 17, pp. 11667–11673, © 2001, Elsevier Ltd., with revisions made by the Editor.
Destruction of environmental air contaminants in non-thermal, atmospheric-pressure plasmas

Summary form only given. In the present work, we describe the results of the use of non-thermal, atmospheric-pressure plasmas generated in three plasmas reactors based on the capillary plasma electrode (CEP) design for the remediation of VOC-containing air streams. VOC concentrations of up to several hundred ppm were used. While most data were obtained for n-heptane (typical aliphatic compound) and toluene (typical aromatic compound), we also studied the plasma destruction of benzene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. Destruction rates of more than 90% could be achieved with moderate power expenditure. The main emphasis of this study was the detailed investigation of the effects of plasma reactor volume, plasma power, specific energy, initial contaminant concentration, species residence time in the plasma, treatment efficiency of single compounds vs. species mixtures, and by-product formation on the VOC destruction rates.
Fatal crashes from drivers testing positive for drugs in the U.S., 1993-2010.

OBJECTIVE: Illegal drug use is a persistent problem, prescription drug abuse is on the rise, and there is clinical evidence that drug use reduces driving performance. This study describes trends in characteristics of drivers involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes who test positive for drugs. METHODS: We used the Fatality Analysis Reporting System-a census of motor vehicle crashes resulting in at least one fatality on U.S. public roads-to investigate suspected drug use for the period 1993-2010. RESULTS: Drugged drivers who were tested for drug use accounted for 11.4% of all drivers involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes in 2010. Drugged drivers are increasingly likely to be older drivers, and the percentage using multiple drugs increased from 32.6% in 1993 to 45.8% in 2010. About half (52.4%) of all drugged drivers used alcohol, but nearly three-quarters of drivers testing positive for cocaine also used alcohol. Prescription drugs accounted for the highest fraction of drugs used by drugged drivers in fatal crashes in 2010 (46.5%), with much of the increase in prevalence occurring since the mid-2000s. CONCLUSIONS: The profile of a drugged driver has changed substantially over time. An increasing share of these drivers is now testing positive for prescription drugs, cannabis, and multiple drugs. These findings have implications for developing interventions to address the changing nature of drug use among drivers in the U.S. Language: en
Bismuth, tellurium, and bismuth telluride nanowires

Decomposition of the precursor Bi[N(SiMe3)2]3 in the presence of poly(1-hexadecene)0.67-co-(1-vinylpyrrolidinone)0.33 and a small amount of NaN(SiMe3)2 in 1,3-diisopropylbenzene solution at 203 °C gives Bi nanowires. The single-crystalline wires are several micrometers in length, and possess a mean diameter of 5.9 ± 2.4 nm. Decomposition of TeCl4 in the presence of TOPO in polydecene solution at 250–300 °C gives Te nanowires. These nanowires are also single crystals exhibiting micrometer lengths. The Te nanowire mean diameters are in the range of 30–60 nm, and depend upon the reaction conditions employed. Attempts to grow Bi2Te3 nanowires from reactions of Bi- and Te-containing molecular precursors produce other Bi2Te3 crystallite morphologies. Efforts to convert Bi nanowires into Bi2Te3 nanowires are also unsuccessful. However, reactions of Te nanowires and BiPh3 in polydecene solution at 160 °C do afford continuous Bi2Te3 nanowires, having micrometer lengths and mean diameters larger than those of the precursor Te nanowires. The Bi2Te3 nanowires are found to be encased in amorphous sheath structures, which apparently enforce the one-dimensional wire morphologies.
''My Life was Filled with Constant Anxiety'': Anti-Immigrant Discrimination, Undocumented Status, and Their Mental Health Implications for Brazilian Immigrants

Immigration reform and the various costs associated with undocumented immigration have been in national headlines in the past few years. The growth of Latinos as the US’ largest ethno-racial minority has sparked debates about the “browning” of the United States and led to an increase in anti-immigrant discrimination. While some researchers have documented the effects of racial discrimination on the mental health of ethno-racial minorities in the United States, less has explored how anti-immigrant discrimination and undocumented status influence the mental and psychological well-being of Latino immigrants, more specifically Brazilian immigrants, in the United States. Relying on data from in-depth interviews conducted with 49 Brazilian return migrants who immigrated to the United States and subsequently returned to Brazil, this paper will examine how their experiences living as racialized and primarily undocumented immigrants in the United States influenced their mental health. Specifically, I demonstrate that respondents experienced ethno-racial and anti-immigrant discrimination and endured various challenges that had negative implications for their mental health. This paper will also discuss additional factors that researchers should take into account when examining immigrants’ mental health and the challenges immigrants encounter in a racialized society with increasing anti-immigrant sentiment.