cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scalable trajectory methods for on-demand analog macromodel extraction

Trajectory methods sample the state trajectory of a circuit as it simulates in the time domain, and build macromodels by reducing and interpolating among the linearizations created at a suitably spaced subset of the time points visited during training simulations. Unfortunately, moving from simple to industrial circuits requires more extensive training, which creates models too large to interpolate efficiently. To make trajectory methods practical, we describe a scalable interpolation architecture, and the first implementation of a complete trajectory "infrastructure" inside a full SPICE engine. The approach supports arbitrarily large training runs, automatically prunes redundant trajectory samples, supports limited hierarchy, enables incremental macromodel updates, and gives 3-10/spl times/ speedups for larger circuits.
Incentive Motivation and Incentive Salience

Pleasure ‘liking’ is generated by a surprisingly frail and tiny network of hedonic hot spots distributed across the brain, working together like a connected archipelago of islands. By contrast, ‘wanting’ for pleasures has a much more robust and larger dopamine-related brain network that generates incentive salience. Perhaps that is a reason why peak hedonic of moments of intense happiness are relatively few and far between. In addicts, brain ‘wanting’ generators may become further hyperreactive through ‘neural sensitization’ by drugs (or by natural causes). That addictive process can result in intense ‘wanting’ even for something that is not ‘liked,’ which becomes a recipe for great unhappiness.
Kingsley's Chrono-Baby: Standardized Fictions of Class Time

As I was beginning the research for my dissertation, I found myself increasingly obsessed with clocks in novels. My first hypothesis was that the clocks acted as a symbol for questions that concerned the novel’s straddling of the line between mass produc tion and traditional ideas of art. I decided very early on that the clocks also spoke to the mass standardization of time in the Victorian period, especially with the advent of Greenwich Mean Time. However, the more I searched for the moment when time became standardized, the more it seemed to recede before me. After following this question down a rabbit hole for months, it became clear that time never became standardized in the Victorian era—and it still isn’t standardized now. What I took from this research was the insight that certain ideas generate a kind of fictional inertia. Especially in the case of mass social reform, it often seems as if what appears to be inevitable has already occurred. Standardized time was bound to happen, so it must have happened. People take this fiction to be truth, and it becomes commonly accepted as reality.
Smith Barney, Harris Upham, and Company, Inc.

This case deals with the introduction of put options in 1977. After a four-year experiment trading call options, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is about to begin the trading of put options. Ed Burton is faced with establishing trading strategies based on put-call parity. The case introduces put-call parity and allows the students to examine the practical aspects of how arbitrage works in the options markets.
Crystal structures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis GlgE and complexes with non-covalent inhibitors.

GlgE is a bacterial maltosyltransferase that catalyzes the elongation of a cytosolic, branched α-glucan. In Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), inactivation of GlgE (Mtb GlgE) results in the rapid death of the organism due to a toxic accumulation of the maltosyl donor, maltose-1-phosphate (M1P), suggesting that GlgE is an intriguing target for inhibitor design. In this study, the crystal structures of the Mtb GlgE in a binary complex with maltose and a ternary complex with maltose and a maltosyl-acceptor molecule, maltohexaose, were solved to 3.3 A and 4.0 A, respectively. The maltohexaose structure reveals a dominant site for α-glucan binding. To obtain more detailed interactions between first generation, non-covalent inhibitors and GlgE, a variant Streptomyces coelicolor GlgEI (Sco GlgEI-V279S) was made to better emulate the Mtb GlgE M1P binding site. The structure of Sco GlgEI-V279S complexed with α-maltose-C-phosphonate (MCP), a non-hydrolyzable substrate analogue, was solved to 1.9 A resolution, and the structure of Sco GlgEI-V279S complexed with 2,5-dideoxy-3-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-2,5-imino-D-mannitol (DDGIM), an oxocarbenium mimic, was solved to 2.5 A resolution. These structures detail important interactions that contribute to the inhibitory activity of these compounds, and provide information on future designs that may be exploited to improve upon these first generation GlgE inhibitors.
A decade of pelvic vascular injuries during the Global War on Terror

Background Pelvic vascular injuries (PVIs) rarely occur in isolation and are often associated with significant morbidity. The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence, trends, and early outcomes of PVIs sustained in combat. Methods The Department of Defense Trauma Registry was queried to identify all patients treated with PVIs during the first 10 years of Operation Enduring Freedom. Patient demographics, mechanism of injury, type of vascular injury, in-theater complications, and early clinical outcomes were examined. Results From 2003 to 2012, 143 patients (99% male) sustained a PVI in Afghanistan. During this period, there was a persistent increase in the percentage of patient visits (0.4% in 2003 to 2.0% in 2012). The mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 24. Sixty-six percent of patient injuries were secondary to explosions. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) encountered by dismounted personnel accounted for 47% of all injuries and were associated with a significantly higher ISS (28) compared with all other mechanisms of injury ( P P = .03). Forty-two patients (29%) sustained early infectious complications. Injuries from explosions were also associated with a significantly higher rate of infectious complications compared with other mechanisms of injury ( P Conclusions PVIs have occurred with increasing frequency during Operation Enduring Freedom. Despite a persistently low mortality, complication and infection rates remain high, particularly when injuries are secondary to explosions. IEDs are associated with higher ISS and complication rates. Future studies must continue to focus on the prevention and treatment of PVIs sustained in combat, particularly those caused by explosions.
Spectroscopy of CdTe/CdSe Type-II Nanostructures: Morphology, Lattice Mismatch, and Band-Bowing Effects

We compare the spectroscopy of two different morphologies of CdTe/CdSe type-II nanocrystals. Core/tetrapod and spherical core/shell particles are grown from identicalCdTe cores, and both morphologies exhibit type-II spectroscopic behavior. The two morphologies show very different oscillator strengths for the lowest (luminescent) transition; the core/tetrapod particles exhibit larger oscillator strengths for the same amount of spectral shift. A model is presented that explains this difference and accurately predicts emission wavelengths and relative oscillator strengths for the spherical particles. This model uses an elastic continuum treatment to consider strain induced by lattice mismatch at the core/shell interface. The CdTe–CdSe lattice mismatch results in a calculated core pressure of about 2.9 GPa for the particles with the thickest shells. This pressure causes a change in the CdTe conduction band energy of about 0.24 eV and a change in the CdTe lattice parameter of 2.3%. The change in the lattice pa...
Effect of ascorbic acid on rhinovirus replication in WI-38 cells.

Exposure of WI-38 cells to ascorbic acid plus glutathione mixtures in growth medium for 2 days prior to infection with rhinovirus serotype 20 and during virus replication suppressed multicyclic but not single-cycle growth of the virus. Multicyclic growth was suppressed over the range of multiplicity of infection (m.o.i.) of 4 times 10-minus 1 minus 4 times 10-minus 4 PFU/cell. There was some suggestion that, in the presence of ascorbic acid plus glutathione, interferon was produced at the highest m.o.i. tested but at barely detectable levels.
The measurement of 3-epimer 25-hydroxyvitamin D by mass spectrometry in clinical specimens detects inconsequential levels in adult subjects.

Background Vitamin D is derived from dietary sources or from the action of ultraviolet light on 7-dehydrocholesterol and undergoes a number of enzymatic modifications that lead to the synthesis of active vitamin D metabolites or metabolites with reduced biological activity. Among these, epimerization at the 3-hydroxyl group leads to the synthesis of 3-epimer 25-hydroxyvitamin D (3EVD). Described first in biological system experiments using in vitro incubation of vitamin D in cell culture, this molecule has been reported as having distinct activities when compared with 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHVD). Measurements of vitamin D have been conducted using a variety of methodologies and have led to conflicting assessments of the quantities of 3EVD 3 that are measured. Method The present article describes the development and use of a simple liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method validated by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments to quantitate 3EVD 3 in 3528 subjects, including 309 children (162 are Results Our findings demonstrate that, although 3EVD 3 constitutes a significant proportion of measureable 25OHVD 3 in subjects younger than 1 year, 3EVD 3 levels are negligible in most subjects older than 1 year. Conclusions It is important to choose the correct 25OHVD assay dependent on the age of the patient. Patients younger than 1 year should be run on a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry assay proven to not have potential contributions from any 3EVD present in the sample.
Mechanical Performance of In-service Composite Insulators

To evaluate the mechanical performances of in-service composite insulators,we experimentally researched the mechanical failing and dynamic loads on about 150 pieces of in-service inner-wedged,outer-wedged and crimped composite insulators.Experimental results show that,after more than ten years' service,inner-wedged composite insulators do not show significant decrease in mechanical performances;the residual mechanical strength of outer-wedged composite insulators has a large dispersivity,and the mechanical reliability of outer-wedged composite insulator is poor;crimped composite insulators have high mechanical performances and the mechanical performances of crimped composite insulator are reliable.The test results provide a reliable experimental guide for evaluating the mechanical reliability of in-service composite insulators.
Principles of Neurobiology

Principles of Neurobiology, Second Edition presents the major concepts of neuroscience with an emphasis on how we know what we know. The text is organized around a series of key experiments to illustrate how scientific progress is made and helps upper-level undergraduate and graduate students discover the relevant primary literature. Written by a single author in a clear and consistent writing style, each topic builds in complexity from electrophysiology to molecular genetics to systems level in a highly integrative approach. Students can fully engage with the content via thematically linked chapters and will be able to read the book in its entirety in a semester-long course. Principles of Neurobiology is accompanied by a rich package of online student and instructor resources including animations, figures in PowerPoint, and a Question Bank for adopting instructors.
Improved transposon-based library preparation for the ION Torrent platform

A transposon-based approach for the construction of sequencing libraries is an efficient way of preparing samples for processing on both Illumina and Ion Torrent platforms. However, PCR-mediated incorporation of adaptors in tagged DNA fragments leaves behind self-complementary regions flanking the DNA fragment. These regions are capable of forming hairpin structures and, together with adaptors, create conditions for the potential formation of template heteroduplexes. These negatively affect the sequencing process on the Ion Torrent platform and can lead to a more than 3-fold decline in output data compared with sequencing of conventional libraries. To address this problem, we have developed MuPlus, a transposon-based protocol for barcoded library preparation for Ion Torrent, in which one adaptor is integrated by PCR and the second is integrated by ligation as a single-stranded oligonucleotide after enzymatic cleavage of a complementary part on one strand of the tag. The resulting library does not contain self-complementary, hairpin-forming regions, is free of heteroduplexes, and can be analyzed on the Ion Torrent platform with the same efficiency as a library created with a ligation-based protocol.
Variable surgical outcomes after hospital consolidation: Implications for local health care delivery.

Background With more hospital consolidations as an inevitable part of our future health care ecosystem, we investigated the relationship between hospital consolidations and operative outcomes. Methods Using the Health Care Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database (Florida and California), the American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database, and Medicare's Case Mix Index data, we identified 19 hospitals that consolidated between 2007 and 2013 and propensity matched them with 19 independent hospitals, using patient and hospital characteristics. One year before consolidation and again 1 year after, we used difference-in-differences analysis to compare changes in the risk-adjusted complication rate of 7 elective operations performed in the consolidated hospitals and in the matched control group. Results Of the 7 procedures studied, 2 procedures saw a decrease in complication rate (lumbar and lumbosacral fusion of the posterior column posterior technique, difference-in-differences = −0.6%, P P P P P P > .05) after hospital consolidation. Conclusion Arguments have been made that consolidated health care systems can share high-performing clinical services and infrastructure resources, such as electronic medical records, to improve quality. Our results indicate that hospital consolidation does not uniformly improve postoperative complication rates.
Computing with coupled dynamical systems

While Boolean logic has been the backbone of information processing, there are computationally hard problems like optimization and classification wherein this conventional paradigm is less efficient. This motivates us to explore new pathways to their solution. In this invited talk, we describe an experimental testbed using coupled relaxation oscillator arrays that exploit the insulator-metal phase transitions in the correlated material, vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ), to realize a chip scale coupled dynamical system. Our work is inspired by the understanding that associative computing finds a natural analogue in the energy minimization processes embedded within the spatiotemporal dynamics of coupled systems. Our work not only elucidates a physics-based computing method but also presents opportunities for customized co-processors for solving computationally hard problems efficiently.
Developing Best Practices for Qualtrics Administration

In 2013 West Virginia University consolidated a few individually purchased college and individual licenses for Qualtrics survey software into a single campus-wide license that includes all of our colleges and regional campuses, to be implemented as a campus standard and enterprise solution for our campus. Due to some staff reorganizations over the past two years, I and the other Qualtrics brand administrators at WVU are all new to this administrative role. In this paper, I plan to share lessons that I learned while (1) participating in developing and documenting new business processes, (2) transitioning to serve as the main brand administrator, (3) cleaning up user accounts that had not been actively managed for years, and (4) working with the Qualtrics vendor, local group administrators, my IT colleagues, and campus users as we refine a set of best practices for product usage and administration. Although this paper discusses a campus-wide implementation of Qualtrics survey software, I feel that the lessons I learned during this process could be extrapolated to the development of best practices for other products or IT services.
Automatic setup of fault detection algorithms in building and home automation

The complexity and diversity of building automation systems (BAS) and the various faults that may happen in buildings make it very challenging to set up fault detection and diagnostics (FDD). This knowledge-intensive, expensive tasks urgently needs to be automated due to the limited time and budget available in this domain. A novel approach for computer-aided, automatic setup of FDD for BAS is described in this paper. Using the Web Ontology Language (OWL), the characteristics, requirements and necessary configuration of the FDD algorithms are formally specified in a machine-interpretable way. Also buildings and their BAS are described by OWL as building information model (BIM). Given these descriptions, the approach can match the specific characteristics and requirements of the FDD algorithms with the specific circumstances in the BAS in a formal evaluation process. All applicable FDD algorithms can be determined and subsequently configured to the individual characteristics of the BAS.
Differential declines in syphilis-related mortality in the United States, 2000-2014.

Background After reaching an all time low in 2000, the rate of syphilis in the United States has been steadily increasing. Parallel benchmarking of the disease's mortality burden has not been undertaken. Methods Using ICD-10 classification, all syphilis-related deaths in the national Multiple Cause of Death dataset were examined for the period 2000-2014. Descriptive statistics and age-adjusted mortality rates were generated. Poisson regression was performed to analyze trends over time. A matched case-control analysis was conducted to assess the associations between syphilis-related deaths and comorbid conditions listed in the death records. Results A total of 1,829 deaths were attributed to syphilis; 32% (n = 593) identified syphilis as the underlying cause of death. Most decedents were men (60%) and either black (48%) or white (39%). Decedents aged ≥85 years had the highest average mortality rate (0.47 per 100,000 population; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42-0.52). For the sampled period, the average annual decline in mortality was −2.90% (95% CI, −3.93% to −1.87%). However, the average annual percent change varied across subgroups of interest. Conclusions Declines in U.S. syphilis mortality suggest early detection and improved treatment access likely helped attenuate disease progression; however, increases in the disease rate since 2000 may be offsetting the impact of these advancements.
Rhythmic vs. Tonic Excitation

In Chapter 35, we showed that inhibition can become less powerful when it is made rhythmic. More precisely, a weak signal can elicit a response more easily when the inhibition in the receiving network oscillates. The opposite effect is seen for a strong signal. Here we will argue that excitation can become more powerful when it is made rhythmic. More precisely, weak signals benefit from being made rhythmic, while strong ones become less effective when made rhythmic.
Generational Differences and the Acceptance of Infusion Pump Technology

The idea that older individuals are more resistant to technology is well established. With the advent of new technologies in healthcare, we further examine this notion using a sample of nurses from a large, teaching hospital who were responsible for using infusion pump technologies for patient care administration. Hierarchical regression found no support for the assertion that older nurses would be less satisfied with infusion pumps as compared to younger nurses. However, the interaction between age and perceived support was statistically significant: age was negatively related to infusion pump satisfaction when perceived support was low, but was positively related to infusion pump satisfaction when perceived support was high. In other words, younger nurses were more satisfied with infusion pumps when support was low, but older nurses were more satisfied with infusion pumps when support was high. These results highlight how the contextual features of a hospital may mask the relationship between age and he...
Sociodemographic, Alcohol Use, and Other Toxicological Characteristics of Motor Vehicle Suicides in 16 States: Results from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), 2005 to 2011

Background Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are a leading cause of death in the first half of life in the United States. The international literature suggests that motor vehicle suicides account for more than two percent of single car crashes. However, literature on motor vehicle suicides in the US remains sparse, even though MVCs and suicide are two of the leading causes of death nationwide. This study seeks to define population characteristics of motor vehicle suicide decedents using the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). Methods Data for 16 states from 2005 to 2011 were examined. Narratives were independently coded for means of death. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for sociodemographic and toxicological variables. Chi-square tests were performed to assess differences by sex. Results were compared with all suicides from the NVDRS from 2005 to 2010. Results Of the 68,340 suicides in the NVDRS from 2005 to 2011, 818 (1%) were identified as motor vehicle suicides. Most decedents were train-related fatalities (59%), white (75%), male (77%), single (50%), and younger than 55 years old (87%). Eighty-seven percent were tested for alcohol, 34% of whom tested positive. Two-thirds (68%) of decedents tested were not positive for any drugs, and 13% tested were positive for both alcohol and at least one drug. More than one-third (38%) of decedents had a current mental health problem at time of death, but only one-quarter (25%) were currently receiving mental health treatment. Women were significantly more likely to test positive for antidepressants, have a current mental health condition, and be undergoing mental health treatment. Motor vehicle suicide decedents tended to be younger than all suicide decedents in the NVDRS, and a higher proportion was single (50% versus 30%, respectively). Conclusions Sociodemographic characteristics of motor vehicle suicide decedents in the United States are similar to those in the international literature. A substantial portion has acute alcohol and/or drug use, and there is a disparity in receiving appropriate mental health care. Broader implementation of proven, effective strategies to prevent suicide by any means might help reduce motor vehicle suicides.
Playing it safe: a review of security measures to protect a nuclear medicine department

1886 Learning Objectives 1. Describe 2 checks that need to be performed for individuals who have access to radioactive materials 2. List and describe three layers of protection to ensure safeguards for nuclear material stored and used in the nuclear medicine department 3. List and describe four physical barriers and administrative safeguards to prevent the theft of nuclear materials used in the nuclear medicine department 4. Describe the two safeguards to ensure off hours delivery of nuclear materials are done with proper security precautions 5. Describe the method for testing the radioactive materials safeguards that have been put in place to provide radioactive materials security in the nuclear medicine department. Maintaining effective control over nuclear material is essential for mitigating the risk of theft or unauthorized removal and is a condition of the nuclear materials licenses issued by regulatory agencies. Nuclear medicine facilities must be able to provide safeguards to ensure the prevention of intrusion and theft of nuclear materials. This security is first provided by identifying three layers of defense against unauthorized access to nuclear materials; the first level of protection is performed by site security personnel at the hospital entrances, the second level is restricted access within the radiologically controlled area of the nuclear medicine department, and the third layer of security takes place at the entrance to the area where radioactive materials are stored, typically, the “hot lab”. Physical protections that can be implemented within the department include signage, video cameras and door locks. Remote radiation monitoring with within sensitive areas can act as an early warning to potential thefts. Off hours delivery of nuclear medicines must be coordinated and supervised by hospital security. Detailed inventories as required by radioactive materials licenses must be kept up to date. Periodic unannaunced drills are used to test and verify the established security programs that have been implemented.
Pokémon in the Midst: Collecting and Using Data from within the Pokémon GO Ecosystem to Facilitate Ecology and Wildlife Biology Education

Teaching the techniques to collect and analyze data on wild populations presents many obstacles. Capturing, identifying, and collecting data from wildlife has many safety-related and logistical challenges. Pokemon GO, a relatively new, smartphone-based augmented reality game, provides a new landscape for simulating wildlife ecology research. The world of Pokemon GO is overlaid onto the physical world and is populated with a variety of species, each having biologically relevant characteristics. Each individual Pokemon also has unique morphometric data. These features of the game provide a platform for data collection and analysis that mimics real-world practices, while eliminating many logistical and safety-related constraints. Additionally, little to no training is involved to begin data collection, allowing more time to plan and execute simulated wildlife ecology projects and activities. The availability of this new virtual wildlife community provides a widely accessible, freely obtained resource for data collection that has directly relevant applications for wildlife ecology education.
Testing homogeneity of difference of two proportions for stratified correlated paired binary data

ABSTRACTIn ophthalmologic or otolaryngologic study, each subject may contribute paired organs measurements to the analysis. A number of statistical methods have been proposed on bilateral correlated data. In practice, it is important to detect confounding effect by treatment interaction, since ignoring confounding effect may lead to unreliable conclusion. Therefore, stratified data analysis can be considered to adjust the effect of confounder on statistical inference. In this article, we investigate and derive three test procedures for testing homogeneity of difference of two proportions for stratified correlated paired binary data in the basis of equal correlation model assumption. The performance of proposed test procedures is examined through Monte Carlo simulation. The simulation results show that the Score test is usually robust on type I error control with high power, and therefore is recommended among the three methods. One example from otolaryngologic study is given to illustrate the three test pr...
Hypoxia-induced compression of the tracheal system in the caterpillar, Manduca sexta

Abdominal pumping in caterpillars has only been documented during molting. Here, with synchrotron x-ray imaging and high-speed flow-through respirometry, we show that Manduca sexta caterpillars con...
Transitional slopes act as hotspots of both soil CO2 emission and CH4 uptake in a temperate forest landscape

Forest soils are an important component of CO2 and CH4 fluxes at the global scale, but the magnitude of these fluxes varies greatly in space and time within a landscape. Understanding the spatial and temporal distributions of these fluxes across complex landscapes remains a major challenge for researchers and land managers alike. We investigated the spatiotemporal variability of soil-atmosphere CO2 and CH4 fluxes and the relationships of these fluxes to chemical and physical soil properties distributed across a topographically-heterogeneous landscape. Soil CO2 and CH4 fluxes were measured along with soil temperature, moisture, bulk density, texture, carbon, sorption capacity, and dissolved organic matter quality over 2 years along hillslope transects spanning valley bottom, transition zone, and upland landscape positions in a temperate forest watershed. Transition zone soil CO2 efflux was 54–160% higher than low-lying valley bottoms, and 15–54% higher than uplands. Net seasonal CH4 uptake was 58–150% higher in transition zone soils than in uplands, while valley bottoms were occasionally large net sources (up to 19 nmol CH4 m−2 s−1). Soil CO2 efflux and net CH4 uptake were both positively associated with seasonal temperature, and were highest in soils with relatively high carbon and clay content, and relatively low bulk density, moisture, and sorption capacity. We concluded that: (1) transition zone soils act as landscape hotspots for net CH4 uptake in addition to CO2 efflux, and (2) that this spatial distribution is more consistent across seasons for net CH4 uptake than for CO2 efflux.
TIME TO REWARMING AFTER THERAPEUTIC HYPOTHERMIA AND OUTCOMES AFTER CARDIAC ARREST

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has been shown to be associated with favorable survival and neurological status after cardiac arrest. Whether time to rewarming impacts outcomes remains unknown. We studied consecutive comatose survivors of cardiac arrest that underwent therapeutic hypothermia at the
Pathogenesis of Enteropathy-Associated T Cell Lymphoma.

To provide an update on the pathogenesis of enteropathy-associated T cell lymphoma (EATL) and its relationship with refractory celiac disease (RCD), in light of current knowledge of immune, genetic, and environmental factors that promote neoplastic transformation of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs). EATL frequently evolves from RCD type II (RCD II) but can occur “de novo” in individuals with celiac disease. Recurrent activating mutations in members of the JAK/STAT pathway have been recently described in EATL and RCD II, which suggests deregulation of cytokine signaling to be an early event in lymphomagenesis. Intraepithelial T cells are presumed to be the cell of origin of EATL (and RCD II). Recent in vitro molecular and phenotypic analyses and in vivo murine studies, however, suggest an origin of RCD II from innate IELs (NK/T cell precursors), which could also be the cell of origin of RCD II-derived EATL. The immune microenvironment of the small intestinal mucosa in celiac disease fosters the development of EATL, often in a multistep pathway.
Beyond the Melting Pot 35 Years Later: On the Relevance of a Sociological Classic for the Immigration Metropolis of Today:

The following essays were originally presented at a symposium at the 1998 annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society. The charge to the authors was to revisit Beyond the Melting Pot, the cl...
The Varieties of Demonic Experience: A Study in Quasi-Human Nature

James delineates three types of functionality—productive, transmissive, and permissive—to explain the relationship between consciousness and the brain. Some demonologists refer to what they call the functional name of the demon, expressed in the particular sin it represents, while others treat demons more as persons. This idea of productive functionality in demonic possession takes on new significance when considering that some exorcists report that demons are drawn out with a physical process that includes vomiting and mysterious phlegm. Also considered is the phenomenon of alien abduction, which has similarities to the idea of demonic possession and reveals a new form of religious imagination.
A Novel Web Service Quality Prediction Framework Based on F-ELM

With the prevalence of service computing and cloud computing, more and more services are emerging and running on highly dynamic and changing environments (The Web). Under these uncontrollable circumstances, these services will generate huge volumes of data, such as trace log, QoS (Quality of Service) information and WSDL files. It is impractical to monitor the changes in QoS parameters for each and every service in order to timely trigger precaution, due to high computational costs associated with the process. In order to overcome the above problem, this paper proposes a web service quality prediction method based on improved Extreme Learning Machine with feature optimization. First, we extract web service trace logs and QoS information from the service log and convert them into feature vectors. Furthermore, in order to actively respond ELM more quickly, we mine early feature subsets in advance by developing a feature mining algorithm, named FS, and apply such feature subsets to ELM for training (F-ELM). Experimental results prove that F-ELM (trained by the selected feature subsets) can efficiently lift the reliability of service quality and improve the earliness of prediction.
Dance and Well-Being: Honoring Caroline Plummer

This chapter provides a glimpse of the experience of a community health registered nurse connecting her passion for the healing power of indigenous music and dance with community health nursing. As the recipient of the 2015 Caroline Plummer Community Dance Fellowship at the University of Otago New Zealand, the researcher explored the responses of postpartum mothers and their families to music and dance. The goal of the Maternal-Child Community Dance Project was to investigate the role of community dance in the wellbeing of new mothers and their babies. The study employed a mixed-method research methodology incorporating quantitative and qualitative methods. The project was framed in Māori concepts of healing, western integrative medicine theory, and community nursing methodology. Data sources included interviews, pre- and post-partum qualitative and quantitative assessments, and field observations.
Neuroinflammation in Gulf War Illness is linked with HMGB1 and complement activation, which can be discerned from brain-derived extracellular vesicles in the blood.

Abstract Cognitive dysfunction and neuroinflammation are conspicuously observed in Gulf War Illness (GWI). We investigated whether brain inflammation in GWI is associated with activation of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) and complement-related proteins in neurons and astrocytes, and brain inflammation can be tracked through neuron-derived extracellular vesicles (NDEVs) and astrocyte-derived EVs (ADEVs) found in the circulating blood. We exposed animals to GWI-related chemicals pyridostigmine bromide, DEET and permethrin, and moderate stress for 28 days. We performed behavioral tests 10 months post-exposure and quantified activated microglia and reactive astrocytes in the cerebral cortex. Then, we measured the concentration of HMGB1, proinflammatory cytokines, and complement activation-related proteins in the cerebral cortex, and NDEVs and ADEVs in the circulating blood. Cognitive impairments persisted in GWI rats at 10 months post-exposure, which were associated with increased density of activated microglia and reactive astrocytes in the cerebral cortex. Moreover, the level of HMGB1 was elevated in the cerebral cortex with altered expression in the cytoplasm of neuronal soma and dendrites as well as the extracellular space. Also, higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines (TNFa, IL-1b, and IL-6), and complement activation-related proteins (C3 and TccC5b-9) were seen in the cerebral cortex. Remarkably, increased levels of HMGB1 and proinflammatory cytokines observed in the cerebral cortex of GWI rats could also be found in NDEVs isolated from the blood. Similarly, elevated levels of complement proteins seen in the cerebral cortex could be found in ADEVs. The results provide new evidence that persistent cognitive dysfunction and chronic neuroinflammation in a model of GWI are linked with elevated HMGB1 concentration and complement activation. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that multiple biomarkers of neuroinflammation could be tracked reliably via analyses of NDEVs and ADEVs in the circulating blood. Execution of such a liquid biopsy approach is especially useful in clinical trials for monitoring the remission, persistence or progression of brain inflammation in GWI patients with drug treatment.
Releasing Nationalistic Tensions: Humour and Politics in Manuel Vázquez Montalbán’s El hombre de mi vida and Carme Riera’s Con ojos americanos

The increasing tension between Catalan and Spanish nationalisms since the 2000s has caused the topic to be the object of exploration in novels written by Catalan authors, either of Catalan or Spanish expression. While the dominant trend has been to depict nationalistic confrontations and the Catalan political scenario in a serious way, some authors have chosen humour to address the complexities of these issues. Two examples of this approach are Manuel Vazquez Montalban’s El hombre de mi vida (2000) and Carme Riera’s Con ojos americanos (2009). This paper argues that both works use humour in order to overcome the limitations of serious discourse for dealing with ideologically charged topics such as nationalism, while contributing to the release of political tensions. The work employs Michael Mulkay’s theory of humour (1988), as well as the relief and the incongruity theories, as the framework for analysing how the seriousness of nationalism is reversed through comic amusement.
Driver acceptance of partial automation after a brief exposure

Abstract Driving automation systems are being introduced into mass-market vehicles, but little is known about whether drivers will trust driving automation systems and use the technology. In this study, volunteer drivers operated five vehicles equipped with automated longitudinal and lateral control and completed surveys about their experience. A subset of drivers also documented uncomfortable experiences as they used the automation while driving. Driver agreement that the automation improved the overall driving experience was significantly higher for Vehicle A than the systems implemented in the other four vehicles. Drivers reported significantly higher trust in adaptive cruise control than in lane centering in every vehicle but Vehicle B. Increased agreement that the automation consistently detected lane lines; detected moving vehicles ahead; and made smooth, gentle steering inputs was associated with significant increases in agreement that the automation improved the overall driving experience. Situations where drivers reported feeling uncomfortable with the automation during their drive were dominated by instances where lane centering struggled with common roadway features such as hills and intersections.
MAML1-Dependent Notch-Responsive Genes Exhibit Differing Cofactor Requirements for Transcriptional Activation

Mastermind proteins are required for transcription of Notch target genes, yet the molecular basis for mastermind function remains incompletely understood. Previous work has shown that Notch can induce transcriptional responses by binding to promoters but more often by binding to enhancers, with HES4 and DTX1 as representative mammalian examples of promoter and enhancer responsiveness, respectively. Here, we show that mastermind dependence of the Notch response at these loci is differentially encoded in Jurkat T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells. Knockout of Mastermind-like 1 (MAML1) eliminates Notch-responsive activation of both these genes, and reduced target gene expression is accompanied by a decrease in H3K27 acetylation, consistent with the importance of MAML1 for p300 activity. Add-back of MAML1 variants in knockout cells identifies residues 151 to 350 of MAML1 as essential for expression of either Notch-responsive gene. Fusion of the Notch-binding region of MAML1 to the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) domain of p300 rescues expression of HES4 but not DTX1, suggesting that an additional activity of MAML1 is needed for gene induction at a distance. Together, these studies establish the functional importance of the MAML1 region from residues 151 to 350 for Notch-dependent transcriptional induction and reveal differential requirements for MAML1-dependent recruitment activities at different Notch-responsive loci, highlighting the molecular complexity of Notch-stimulated transcription.
High chemical recyclability of vinyl lactone acrylic bioplastics

The depolymerization selectivity of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) under thermolysis and dynamic vacuum is inherently limited by the repeat-unit structure, leaving much (∼47%) of PMMA to fragment and carbonize to char. Here we show that renewable, high-performance alternatives to PMMA with vinyl lactone repeat units, poly(α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone) (PMBL) and poly(γ-methyl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone) (PγMMBL), unexpectedly depolymerize much more selectively and recover monomers with considerably higher yield and purity than PMMA (76% pure monomer isolated from PγMMBL) and are also devoid of char formation, leaving the residue as only the oligomers with a total mass balance. To uncover the origin of the unexpected high chemical recyclability of P(M)MBL, this study has ascertained their ceiling temperature (Tc) by density functional theory, trapped and analyzed both primary and tertiary macroradicals generated during the depolymerization, and probed the stability of macroradicals using Lewis acid additives and mixed plastic feeds. The evidence obtained through this study suggests that the much enhanced recyclability of P(M)MBL bioplastics relative to PMMA is not due to their differences in Tc values, but rather the linear ester and cyclic ester-imparted difference in stability and monomer-production roles of primary and tertiary macroradicals generated in the random chain scission processes.
Instantaneous Generation of Static Light-Sheets using 1D Coherent Beam

We propose a method of creating static light-sheets by 1D spatially coherent beams. We theoretically and experimentally reveal the equivalence between our method and scanned light-sheet, and investigate its characteristics in details.
An Embedding Model for Estimating Legislative Preferences from the Frequency and Sentiment of Tweets.

Legislator preferences are typically represented as measures of general ideology estimated from roll call votes on legislation, potentially masking important nuances in legislators’ political attitudes. In this paper we introduce a method of measuring more specific legislator attitudes using an alternative expression of preferences: tweeting. Specifically, we present an embedding-based model for predicting the frequency and sentiment of legislator tweets. To illustrate our method, we model legislators’ attitudes towards President Donald Trump as vector embeddings that interact with embeddings for Trump himself constructed using a neural network from the text of his daily tweets. We demonstrate the predictive performance of our model on tweets authored by members of the U.S. House and Senate related to the president from November 2016 to February 2018. We further assess the quality of our learned representations for legislators by comparing to traditional measures of legislator preferences.
Classroom counterspaces: centering Brown and Black students in doctoral education

Campus counterspaces exist as spaces where Brown and Black students can promote their own learning, and where their experiences are considered valid and critical knowledge. However, research on cla...
The Importance of Anti-Racism in Trauma-Informed Family Engagement.

Students of color are disproportionately affected by exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), racial trauma, and traumatic stress. Trauma-informed interventions in schools can promote healing among ACE-impacted students of color. These interventions require collaboration with family members to decide upon services and referrals; however, educators commonly face challenges with engaging families. The study purpose is to understand barriers and facilitators to engaging families in trauma-informed mental health interventions for ACE-impacted students of color. As part of a larger school-based trauma-informed trial (Link for Equity), 6 focus groups were conducted with parents/guardians of color and school staff (n = 39) across 3 Midwestern school districts. Participants were asked open-ended questions about trauma, discrimination, school supports, and family engagement. Transcripts were coded by two team members, and thematic analysis was used to identify barriers/facilitators to family involvement. Results indicated that families of ACE-impacted students of color commonly experienced racism including microaggressions and stereotypes from the school community, which deterred engagement and prevented trusting relationships between families and school staff. Parents highlighted feeling excluded from decisions related to their child’s education and that their voices were not heard or understood. Participants discussed the need for schools to consider how family obstacles (such as mental health and trauma) may prevent families from engaging with staff, and they recommended structural changes, such as anti-racism trainings for educators. Findings highlight the need for anti-racist work that addresses interpersonal and structural racism in schools, in order to promote family engagement in trauma-informed mental health interventions.
Potential Excess Intravenous Antibiotic Therapy in the Setting of Gram-Negative Bacteremia.

(1) Background: Excessive intravenous therapy (EIV) is associated with negative consequences, but guidelines are unclear about when switching to oral therapy is appropriate. (2) Methods: This cohort included patients aged ≥18 years receiving ≥48 h of antimicrobial therapy for bacteremia due to Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, or Stenotrophomonas maltophilia from 1/01/2008–8/31/2011. Patients with a polymicrobial infection or recurrent bacteremia were excluded. Potential EIV (PEIV) was defined as days of intravenous antibiotic therapy beyond having a normal WBC count for 24 h and being afebrile for 48 h until discharge or death. (3) Results: Sixty-nine percent of patients had PEIV. Patients who received PEIV were more likely to receive intravenous therapy until discharge (46 vs. 16%, p < 0.001). Receipt of PEIV was associated with a longer mean time to receiving oral antimicrobials (8.7 vs. 3 days, p < 0.001). The only factors that impacted EIV days in the multivariable linear regression model were the source of infection (urinary tract) (coefficient −1.54, 95%CI −2.82 to −0.26) and Pitt bacteremia score (coefficient 0.51, 95%CI 0.10 to 0.92). (4) Conclusions: PEIV is common in inpatients with Gram-negative bacteremia. Clinicians should look to avoid PEIV in the inpatient setting.
Autoimmunity in dry eye disease – An updated review of evidence on effector and memory Th17 cells in disease pathogenicity

The classic Th1/Th2 dogma has been significantly reshaped since the subsequent introduction of several new T helper cell subsets, among which the most intensively investigated during the last decade is the Th17 lineage that demonstrates critical pathogenic roles in autoimmunity and chronic inflammation - including the highly prevalent dry eye disease. In this review, we summarize current concepts of Th17-mediated disruption of ocular surface immune homeostasis that leads to autoimmune inflammatory dry eye disease, by discussing the induction, activation, differentiation, migration, and function of effector Th17 cells in disease development, highlighting the phenotypic and functional plasticity of Th17 lineage throughout the disease initiation, perpetuation and sustention. Furthermore, we emphasize the most recent advance in Th17 memory formation and function in the chronic course of dry eye disease, a major area to be better understood for facilitating the development of effective treatments in a broader field of autoimmune diseases that usually present a chronic course with recurrent episodes of flare in the target tissues or organs.