cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
INSTITUTIONALIZING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY STUDIES IN THE ACADEMY

In many ways, science and technology studies (STS) seems poised to become one of the most dynamic and influential areas of social scientific and humanistic inquiry during the twenty-first century. The intellectual sophistication and empirical strength of much work in the field is impressive, and its subject matter is of undeniable importance. The field is providing rigorous interpretations of the place of science and technology (ST it is exerting growing intellectual influence in the academic world and in public affairs; and it is illuminating some of the fundamental issues of our technological age. But at the same time, the intellectual strength of STS is not matched by a corresponding institutional robustness. One can therefore confidently predict that the field will fail to realize its potential unless it takes steps to consolidate its position in the academy, to become more fully institutionalized, and to expand.
Automation solutions for the evaluation of plant health in corn fields

The continuously growing need for increasing the production of food and reducing the degradation of water supplies, has led to the development of several precision agriculture systems over the past decade so as to meet the needs of modern societies. The present study describes a methodology for the detection and characterization of Nitrogen (N) deficiencies in corn fields. Current methods of field surveillance are either completed manually or with the assistance of satellite imaging, which offer infrequent and costly information to the farmers about the state of their fields. The proposed methodology promotes the use of small-scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Computer Vision algorithms that operate with information in the visual (RGB) spectrum. Through this implementation, a lower cost solution for identifying N deficiencies is promoted. We provide extensive results on the use of commercial RGB sensors for delivering the essential information to farmers regarding the condition of their field, targeting the reduction of N fertilizers and the increase of the crop performance. Data is first collected by a UAV that hovers over a stressed area and collects high resolution RGB images at a low altitude. A recommendation algorithm identifies potential segments of the images that are candidates exhibiting N deficiency. Based on the feedback from experts in the area a training set is constructed utilizing the initial suggestions of the recommendation algorithm. Supervised learning methods are then used to characterize crop leaves that exhibit signs of N deficiency. The performance of 84.2% strongly supports the potential of this scheme to identify N-deficient leaves even in the case of images where the unhealthy leaves are heavily occluded by other healthy or stressed leaves.
Effects of foot orthoses on center-of-pressure patterns in women.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of foot orthoses on the pattern of center of pressure in women with forefoot deformities during walking. Nine subjects with a forefoot varus and nine subjects with a forefoot valgus walked across a force platform three times for each of the following five treatment conditions: 1) barefoot, 2) shoes only, 3) rigid orthoses with shoes, 4) semi-rigid orthoses with shoes, and 5) soft orthoses with shoes. Force data were analyzed to determine the area under the center-of-pressure curve. A significant omnibus F ratio was obtained for treatments (p less than .001) and the deformity X treatments interaction (p less than .05) using a two-factor, mixed analysis of variance for repeated measures. Tukey's post hoc comparisons for the Varus Group resulted in significant differences (p less than .05) between the following treatment conditions: 1) barefoot and shoes only, 2) barefoot and rigid orthoses with shoes, 3) barefoot and semi-rigid orthoses with shoes, and 4) barefoot and soft orthoses with shoes. Tukey's post hoc comparisons for the Valgus Group resulted in significant differences (p less than .05) between the following treatment conditions: 1) barefoot and rigid orthoses with shoes, 2) barefoot and semi-rigid orthoses with shoes, and 3) barefoot and soft orthoses with shoes. The shoes-only treatment condition, in comparison with the barefoot condition, significantly reduced the center-of-pressure area for the Varus Group only.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A Prenup for Prince William and Kate? England Inches Toward Twentieth Century Law of Antenuptial Agreements: How Shall it Enter the Twenty-First?

This article, written at the time of the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton, explores the evolving status of English law on prenuptial agreements and proposed reforms to that law. It also compares English law and American law on this subject.
Effects of bepridil on transmembrane action potentials recorded from isolated canine cardiac tissues. Studies on normal and infarct-zone Purkinje fibres and ventricular muscle cells.

The electrophysiological effects of bepridil (1.9 μmol/l), a drug with antianginal and antiarrhythmic actions, were studied on transmembrane action potentials recorded from isolated cardiac tissues using standard microelectrode techniques. Recordings were made (a) from normal canine cardiac Purkinje fibres in major false tendons, (b) from partially depolarized subendocardial Purkinie fibres in 24 h infarct zones, and (c) from ventricular muscle preparations.
CUTANEOUS VASCULAR SYSTEM AS A MODEL TEMPERATURE RECEPTOR.

Simultaneous measurements were made of changes in the threshold for cool stimuli and of cutaneous vasodilation as a function of the temperature to which the skin was adapted. The close correspondence of the changes in these two measures, which result from changes in skin temperature, suggests that the cutaneous vascular system may have value as a model for temperature receptors.
Influence of Superlattice Potentials on Transport in Magnetic Multilayers

We discuss the effect of the superlattice potential on the magnetotransport properties of magnetic multilayers for current parallel and perpendicular to the plane of the layers. While quantum well states affect the magnetotransport, they are not the primary origin of the giant magnetoresistance observed in these materials for currents in the plane of the layers. In general, it is necessary to include both spin-dependent scattering and the effects of superlattice potentials in order to explain the magnetoresistance of multilayered structures.
Laboratory measurement of the OI1173989 Å branching ratio

Abstract Laboratory measurements of the OI 1173 989 A (3s' 3D° → 2p41D, 3s' 3D° → 2p43P) branching ratio have been made with a value of 1.5 × 10t-4 indicated. This value makes the branching transition at 1173 A an order of magnitude stronger than the branch at 7990 A (3s' 3D° → 3p 3P). The 1173 A branching loss is still too weak a loss process for multiply scattered 989 A photons to resolve the 989 A intensity problem in the dayglow.
Solid-on-Solid Monte Carlo Investigation of Islanding Kinetics During Heteroepitaxy

We have investigated the kinetics of islanding during heteroepitaxy using a solid-on-solid Monte Carlo (SOS-MC) simulation. We simulate deposition by randomly depositing atoms onto a square grid with periodic boundary conditions. Arrhenius surface diffusion kinetics are dependent on the sum of a surface energy barrier (Ed) and the number of nearest neighbors multiplied by an adatom interaction strength (Eb). We confine growth to the first layer above the simple cubic substrate and investigate coverages < 1/2 monolayer. We monitor the evolution of film microstructure by producing island size distributions and plots which compare a cluster's area to perimeter ratio with that of a circle. We find that our simulation qualitatively correlates with results of classical film nucleation theory. A simple model is used to demonstrate the existence of a 'probabilistic nucleation barrier'.
Influence of Hyperpyrexia on Velocity of Blood Flow.

ConclusionsDuring hyperpyrexia, induced by radiothermy, there is an acceleration of the velocity of blood flow.
329 CONDITION CRITICAL: RESIDENT PERCEPTIONS OF DO NOT RESUSCITATE.

Background Medical residents frequently discuss code status and other end-of-life (EOL) issues with patients. Resident beliefs regarding the outcome of codes and patient understanding of do not resuscitate (DNR) orders may influence these conversations. Methods During September 2005 an anonymous survey was administered to all internal medicine residents. The survey was composed of 15 items including demographics, open-ended responses, and Likert scale measures of skill and comfort with EOL issues. Five items were repeated from and compared to a 1995 resident survey that assessed perception of outcomes and experiences with patients who are DNR. Results Fifty-five residents completed the survey (response rate 64%). More than two-thirds of residents reported participating in more than 20 discussions of code status. The median number of codes attended was 10. The mean perceived survival rate was 21%, which was comparable to the 1995 data. The residents reported regretting resuscitating 23% of patients compared to 44% in 1995 (p Conclusions Residents perceive codes as more appropriate compared to a decade ago, while the number of codes attended and perceived survival rate were similar across time. Though current residents are less likely to regret resuscitation, they believe far fewer patients understand it. These findings raise important questions about how preconceived notions, doctor-patient communication, and health literacy impact EOL care.
Intermittent hypoxia induces murine macrophage foam cell formation by IKK-β-dependent NF-κB pathway activation

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder characterized by intermittent hypoxia (IH). Clinical studies have previously shown that OSA is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. Atherogenicity in OSA patients has been assumed to be associated with the NF-κB pathways. Although foam cells are considered to be a hallmark of atherosclerosis, how IH as in OSA affects their development has not been fully understood. Therefore, we hypothesized that IH induces macrophage foam cell formation through NF-κB pathway activation. To test this hypothesis, peritoneal macrophages collected from myeloid-restricted IKK-β-deleted mice were incubated with native LDL and exposed to either IH or normoxia. After exposure, NF-κB pathway activity and intracellular cholesterol were measured. In control macrophages, IH significantly increased NF-κB pathway activity by 93% compared with normoxia (P < 0.05). However, such response to IH was diminished by IKK-β deletion (increased by +31% compared with normoxia; P = 0.64), suggesting that IKK-β is critical for IH-induced NF-κB pathway activation. Likewise, in control macrophages, total cholesterol was increased in IH compared with normoxia (65.7 ± 3.8 μg/mg cellular protein and 53.2 ± 1.2, respectively; P < 0.05). However, this IH-induced foam cell formation was disappeared when IKK-β was deleted (52.2 ± 1.2 μg/mg cellular protein for IH and 46.3 ± 1.7 for normoxia; P = 0.55). This IH-mediated effect still existed in macrophages without LDL receptor. Taken together, our findings show that IH activates the IKK-β-dependent NF-κB pathway and that this, in turn, induces foam cell formation in murine macrophages.
Epigenetic Reprogramming of Cis-Regulatory Sites By R882-Mutated DNMT3A Potentiates Aberrant Stem Cell Gene Program and Acute Leukemia Development

Abstract DNA Methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) is frequently mutated in various hematopoietic malignancies; however, the underlying oncogenic mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we establish ex vivo and in vivo leukemogenic models recapitulating synergy between a DNMT3A 'hotspot' mutation (i.e., DNMT3AR882H) and kinase activation, which include a leukemia-initiating stem cell (LSC) model. We show that DNMT3AR882H cooperates with constitutively activated RAS (NRAS G12D) in transforming murine hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) ex vivo and inducing acute leukemias in vivo. Genome-wide transcriptome profiling analysis of these models reveals that DNMT3AR882H potentiates aberrant transactivation of 'stemness' gene expression programs, notably a set of transcription factors Meis1, Hox-A, Mn1 and Mycn. Further examination by ChIP-Seq and enhanced Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing (eRRBS) demonstrate that R882-mutated DNMT3A enzymes directly binds to cis-regulatory elements of these genes and induces focal CpG hypomethylation reminiscent of what was seen in human leukemias bearing DNMT3A R882 mutation. Furthermore, DNMT3AR882H-induced DNA hypomethylation facilitates gene enhancer/promoter activation and recruitment of Dot1l-associated transcription elongation machineries. Lastly, with these established leukemogenic model systems, we also demonstrate profound differences between R882-mutated and wild-type DNMT3A in mediating oncogenic transformation, epigenetic dysregulation and gene mis-regulation. Collectively, these findings not only mechanistically explain clonal and malignant hematopoiesis found associated with DNMT3A mutation but also establish targeting transcription elongation machineries as novel therapeutic avenues for DNMT3A-mutated hematological malignancies. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Characterization of the Structure and Nonstoichiometry of CaO-NiO Solid Solutions

To understand structure-property relationships it is necessary to characterize the cation and anion nonstoichiometry and the structure of a system, for example, disorder in an antiferromagnetic material. For a ternary such as Ca:NiO the cation composition, i.e. Ca/Ni ratio, and oxygen nonstoichiometry must be defined. The presence of undesirable second phases should not be ignored; knowledge of such is critical. These phase equilibria are controlled by the temperature, cation composition, and oxygen partial pressure.
Novel Adipocytokines: Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1, Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1, Chemerin

Given the global increase in obesity, significant research has focused on understanding the role of adipokines, or adipocytokines, on obesity-related pathologies. In the last two decades, hundreds of adipokines have been acknowledged. Monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP) 1, chemerin, and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) 1 are three such signaling molecules that have recently been classified as adipokines. Although these novel adipokines have clear roles in activities independent of obesity-related pathologies, emerging evidence now identifies their importance in metabolic-related diseases and cancer. This chapter will first provide a brief discussion on the discovery, structure, and receptors for MCP-1, chemerin, and PAI-1. Second, we will discuss the role of these novel adipocytokines on adiposity and subsequent obesity-related diseases. Finally, we will examine the available literature linking MCP-1, chemerin, and PAI-1 to tumorigenesis. Based on the literature, it is clear that these novel adipokines can impact disease pathology as related to obesity and tumorigenesis. The majority of the literature links increased expression of these adipokines to disease pathology. However, there is also evidence implicating that a decrease in these factors can influence obesity and cancer. Thus, it is possible that the role for these adipokines may be dependent on the model. Further, it is likely that the dysregulation of these novel adipokines resulting in either overexpression or underexpression results in an unfavorable outcome.
Working with Misspecified Regression Models

Conventional statistical modeling in criminology assumes proper model specification. Very strong and unrebutted criticisms have existed for decades. Some respond that although the criticisms are correct, there is for observational data no alternative. In this paper, we provide an alternative. We draw on work in econometrics and statistics from several decades ago, updated with the most recent thinking to provide a way to properly work with misspecified models. We show how asymptotically, unbiased regression estimates can be obtained along with valid standard errors. Conventional statistical inference can follow. If one is prepared to work with explicit approximations of a “true” model, defensible analyses can be obtained. The alternative is working with models about which all of the usual criticisms hold.
An Economic Exploration of Mining Industry of Northern Minnesota

Iron ore minining industry plays a big role in northern Minnesota. It contributes around 30 percent of the regional GDP. In recent time many of these regional mining companies are laying off their employees. China is one of the largest economies of the world. As such it has great impact on world’s economy. This exploratory study investigates if there is some connection between Chinese economic slowdown and regional mining layoffs. For this purpose this paper uses relevant news articles, academic papers, expert interviews and data from various secondary sources. According to the findings of this study multiple factors including slowdown of Chinese economy, steel dumping by China, rising world production of iron ore, low U.S. domestic demand of iron ore, low iron ore price, and, natural resource boombust cycle can be utilized in explaining these regional mining layoffs.
Enhancing an Intelligent Tutoring System to Support Student Collaboration: Effects on Learning and Behavior

In this study we explore how different methods of structuring collaborative interventions affect student learning and interaction in an Intelligent Tutoring System for Computer Science. We compare two methods of structuring collaboration: one condition, unstructured, does not provide students with feedback on their collaboration; whereas the other condition, semistructured, offers a visualization of group performance over time, partner contribution comparison and feedback, and general tips on collaboration. We present a contrastive analysis of student interaction outcomes between conditions, and explore students reported perceptions of both systems. We found that students in both conditions have significant learning gains, equivalent coding efficiency, and limited reliance on system examples. However, unstructured users are more on-topic in their conversational dialogue, whereas semistructured users exhibit better planning skills as problem difficulty increases.
Cautious Citizenship: The Deterring Effect of Immigration Issue Salience on Health Care Use and Bureaucratic Interactions among Latino US Citizens

Research shows that health care use among Latino immigrants is adversely affected by restrictive immigration policy. A core concern is that immigrants shy away from sharing personal information in response to policies that expand bureaucratic monitoring of citizenship status across service-providing organizations. This investigation addresses the concern that immigration politics also negatively influences health care utilization among Latino US citizens. One implication is that health insurance expansions may not reduce health care inequities among Latinos due to concern about exposure to immigration law enforcement authorities. Using data from the 2015 Latino National Health and Immigration Survey, we examine the extent to which the politics of immigration deters individuals from going to health care providers and service-providing institutions. Results indicate that Latino US citizens are less likely to make an appointment to see a health care provider when the issue of immigration is mentioned. Additionally, Latino US citizens who know someone who has been deported are more inclined to perceive that information shared with health care providers is not secure. We discuss how cautious citizenship, or risk-avoidance behaviors toward public institutions in order to avoid scrutiny of citizenship status, informs debates about reducing health care inequities.
Understanding the complex relationships underlying hot flashes: a Bayesian network approach.

Objective The mechanism underlying hot flashes is not well-understood, primarily because of complex relationships between and among hot flashes and their risk factors. Methods We explored those relationships using a Bayesian network approach based on a 2006 to 2015 cohort study of hot flashes among 776 female residents, 45 to 54 years old, in the Baltimore area. Bayesian networks were fit for each outcome (current hot flashes, hot flashes before the end of the study, hot flash severity, hot flash frequency, and age at first hot flashes) separately and together with a list of risk factors (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, body mass index and obesity, race, income level, education level, smoking history, drinking history, and activity level). Each fitting was conducted separately on all women and only perimenopausal women, at enrollment and 4 years after enrollment. Results Hormone levels, almost always interrelated, were the most common variable linked to hot flashes; hormone levels were sometimes related to body mass index, but were not directly related to any other risk factors. Smoking was also frequently associated with increased likelihood of severe symptoms, but not through an antiestrogenic pathway. The age at first hot flashes was related only to race. All other factors were either not related to outcomes or were mediated entirely by race, hormone levels, or smoking. Conclusions These models can serve as a guide for design of studies into the causal network underlying hot flashes.
Transformative Volunteerism: An Inventory of NGDO Volunteers’ Motivations

ABSTRACTThis study analyzes the motivations of so-called transformative volunteerism within the context of nongovernmental development organizations (NGDO), which attempt to raise awareness among Westerners of poverty-related problems in developing countries. Based on two of the most relevant studies on the motivations of volunteers, a questionnaire was validated using a sample of 376 individuals who voulunteer for Spanish NGDOs and perform development education work. The results of this study have validated the motivations inventory provided in previous studies and have created new categories inherent to the motivational reality of transformative volunteerism.
Spatiotemporal dynamics of effective fishing effort in the American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery along the coast of Maine, USA

Abstract Utilization and interpretation of fishery-dependent data such as fishing effort, although important in quantifying the dynamics of a fishery, tend to be challenging due to non-random sampling and the complexity of quantifying a species’ interaction with complex effects of environmental factors. We developed a framework for estimating effective fishing effort from fishery-dependent sampling data for the coastal Maine American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery, where a lack of high resolution effort data does not permit sufficient understanding of fishery dynamics. This framework incorporates environmental covariates in a bootstrapped two-stage generalized additive model to standardize lobster catch per unit effort (CPUE) from 2006 to 2013. Estimated confidence intervals (CIs) of sub-regional standardized CPUE were combined with congruent resolution landings data to estimate CIs of effective effort. Both effort and landings varied seasonally, with the peak of effective effort consistently preceding the peak of landings. Coast-wide from 2006 to 2013, effective effort increased modestly (4.6%) while landings increased dramatically (69.6%), suggesting assessment of spatiotemporal fishery dynamics may provide important insights for future management. Characteristic northeast-southwest differences in catch and effort suggest spatial non-stationarity of biological, temporal, and geographic processes in the Maine coastal American lobster fishery. The approach developed in this study has utility in situations in which a fishery may be data-limited, or with a surplus of fishery-dependent data.
Cellular and network processes of noradrenergic modulation in the olfactory system.

Abstract Norepinephrine (NE), a central neuromodulator, influences sensory processing at the behavioral and physiological levels, potentially by regulating signal-to-noise ratio in sensory neural networks. To understand neuromodulatory function at the perceptual level, one must understand the neural mechanisms underlying these effects. In this review, we illustrate this process using the olfactory system as a model system. We discuss basic computations in the olfactory system and their modulation by NE. We review known cellular effects of NE in the olfactory bulb and cortex and how these effects modulate olfactory computation. We then illustrate how computational modeling can relate cellular and perceptual data using the example of NE modulation of odor detection thresholds.
Alcohol-Abuse-Related Malformations

As noted by the Institute of Medicine, “Virtually every malformation has been described in some patient with FAS” (IOM, 1996, p.77). Although the presence or absence of these malformations does not influence the diagnosis, many of these abnormalities are so commonly encountered in conjunction with FAS that their occurrence in this context must be more than coincidental.
Skepticism and Everyday Knowledge Attributions

One of the more puzzling aspects of the issues concerning skepticism is the stark contrast between our everyday assertions concerning what we know and the conclusions of skeptical arguments. Skeptical arguments, which appear to be quite formidable, conclude that we know very little, whereas in everyday life we attribute a considerable amount of knowledge to ourselves.
NFL Franchise Values, Locations, and Stadium Economics

The NFL is clearly one of the most successful sports leagues in the world. The value of the franchises and the amount of consumer surplus generated illustrate this fact. Over the past 2 decades profits have dramatically increased. Forbes estimates that in 2010 the 32 teams combined are worth over $32 billion dollars. Media contracts have been growing at a very rapid pace and bigger stadiums are being built, as evidenced in Dallas and New York.
Ebola Virus Disease Preparations Do Not Protect the United States Against Other Infectious Outbreaks.

In this article the author asserts their opinion that Ebola virus disease preparations do not protect the U.S. against other infectious outbreaks. Particular focus is given to how this relates to the 2014-2016 West African Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic. Additional topics discussed include outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the cost burden of infectious disease.
The Ion-Hose Instability in a High-Current Multipulse Linear Induction Accelerator

The ion-hose instability is considered to be a potential danger for long-pulse, high-current electron linear induction accelerators (LIAs). As is shown in this paper, it is also a concern for multipulse LIAs. This instability is a direct result of beam-electron ionization of residual background gas, and the growth rate is proportional to the ion density. In a typical accelerator vacuum, there is little ion density decay between beam pulses, and the instability will grow throughout the pulse train. We have simulated this effect, taking into account ion density decay due to recombination and channel expansion. These simulations were done for the new 2-kA, 20-MeV Scorpius multipulse LIA presently being developed. The simulations have shown that the magnetic focusing field designed for Scorpius will be strong enough to inhibit ion-hose instability if the background pressure is kept below a value that is readily attainable with the present designs of induction cells and other accelerator components.
Complement-driven anemia: more than just paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS); hemolysis, elevated liver function tests, and low platelets syndrome; and transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy are related conditions, in that many patients harbor germline heterozygous mutations in genes that regulate the alternative pathway of complement (APC). Penetrance is variable because development of clinically significant disease appears to require supervention of a process such as inflammation. Complement activation on the endothelial surfaces leads to endothelial damage, platelet consumption, microthrombi, and a mechanical hemolytic anemia with schistocytes. Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a clonal hematopoietic disease caused by expansion of a stem cell that harbors a somatic mutation in PIGA PIGA mutant blood cells are deficient in the complement regulator proteins CD55 and CD59, making them susceptible to intravascular hemolysis due to a failure to regulate the APC on erythrocytes. Eculizumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to C5 and inhibits terminal complement by interfering with the cleavage of C5 by the C5 convertases. The drug is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of aHUS and PNH; however, a new generation of complement inhibitors that block C5 and other components of the complement cascade is showing promise in preclinical and clinical trials.
Risk Factors for Postpartum Emergency Department Visits in an Urban Population.

Objectives To identify risk factors associated with urban postpartum emergency department utilization. Methods This case–control study included 100 matched pairs of postpartum women who had delivered at a large, integrated urban medical system in Bronx, New York, in 2012–2013, with the cases having had an emergency department visit within 42 days of delivery. The cases, identified utilizing administrative and billing data, were matched 1:1 with controls by labor unit, delivery mode and date, excluding nonviable pregnancies. The controls did not have a known postpartum emergency department visit. Variables were abstracted from administrative data and chart review, and included demographics, antenatal/intrapartum/postpartum complications and neonatal intensive care unit admission. Factors associated with puerperal emergency department use were identified via univariate and multivariable analyses. Results Following conditional logistic regression, primiparity [54% vs. 32%, aOR 5.91, 95% CI 2.34–14.91], public insurance [70% vs. 56%, aOR 4.22, 95% CI 1.60–11.12], weekend delivery [30% vs. 26%, aOR 7.61, 95% CI 1.15–52.43] and delivery-related complications [47% vs. 28%, aOR 2.95, 95% CI 1.16–7.51] were associated with an increased risk of postpartum emergency department use, while women of younger ages (17–24 years old) were less likely to have postpartum emergency department use [aOR 0.23, 95% CI 0.07–0.74]. Univariate analysis of individual events within the composite variables showed an association between gestational hypertension/pre-eclampsia and postpartum emergency department use [28% vs. 13% OR 2.60, 95% CI 1.26–5.39]. Psychiatric history, social instability, preterm delivery/neonatal intensive care unit admission, pre-existing medical/antepartum conditions and prolonged postpartum stay were not associated. Conclusions for Practice Delivery-related complications, delivery timing, and certain sociodemographic factors are identifiable risk factors for increased postpartum emergency department utilization. These may be targeted for development of interventions improving puerperal care and potentially preventing emergency department visits, which are costly to the health system and disruptive to the lives of women and their families.
Wildlife Mortality at Wind Facilities: How We Know What We Know How We Might Mislead Ourselves, and How We Set Our Future Course

To accurately estimate per turbine – or per megawatt – annual wildlife mortality at wind facilities, the raw counts of carcasses found must be adjusted for four major sources of imperfect detection: (1) fatalities that occur outside the monitoring period; (2) carcasses that land outside the monitored area; (3) carcasses that are removed by scavengers or deteriorate beyond recognition prior to detection; and (4) carcasses that remain undiscovered by searchers even when present. To accurately estimate regional or national annual wildlife mortality, data must come from a representative (or appropriately weighted) sample of facilities for which estimates of mortality account for all sources of imperfect detection. I argue that the currently available data in the United States and much of the world do not represent the impacts of wind power on wildlife because not all facilities conduct monitoring studies, not all study results are publicly available, and few studies adequately account for imperfect detection. I present examples illustrating the limitations of our current data and pitfalls of interpreting data without accurately adjusting for detection bias. I close by proposing a solution through a simplified monitoring process that can be applied at every facility as part of normal operations. Application of an unbiased estimator that accounts for all sources of imperfect detection would assure comparability of mortality estimates. Public access to reported estimates would achieve representation. With these data we could develop a clearer understanding of how wind power is affecting wildlife throughout the world and inform our efforts to address it.
New Class of Attitude Controllers Guaranteed to Converge within Specified Finite-Time

This paper introduces a new class of finite-time feedback controllers for rigid-body attitude dynamics subject to full actuation. The control structure is Lyapunov-based and is designed to regulate the configuration from an arbitrary initial state to any prescribed final state within user-specified finite transfer-time. A salient feature here is that the synthesis of the control structure is explicit, i.e., given the transfer-time time, the feedback-gains are explicitly stated to satisfy the convergence specifications. A major contrast between this work and others in the literature is that instead of resorting to feedback-linearization (to get to the so-called normal form), our approach efficiently marries the process of designing time-varying feedback gains with the logarithmic Lyapunov function for attitude kinematics based on the Modified Rodrigues Parameters representation. Saliently, this finite-time solution extends nicely for accommodating trajectory tracking objectives and possesses robustness with respect to bounded external disturbance torques. Numerical simulations are performed to test and validate the performance and robustness features of the new control designs.
New Ways of Teaching at the new campus

This perspective article shares the experience of my teaching role as a clinical faculty in the newly designed regional campus curriculum of the inaugural class at the University Park. I have no Conflict of Interest to share.
Retrospective review of total neoadjuvant therapy

Background Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) followed by resection and postoperative multi-agent chemotherapy (maChT) is the standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer. Using this approach, maChT administration can be delayed for several months, leading to concern for distant metastases. To counteract this, a novel treatment approach known as total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) has gained popularity, in which patients receive both maChT and nCRT prior to resection. We utilized the National Cancer Database to examine temporal trends in TNT usage, and any potential effect on survival. Aim To study the temporal trends in the usage of TNT and evaluate its efficacy compared to neoadjuvant chemoradiation. Methods We queried the National Cancer Database for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, Stage II-III, from 2004-2015 treated with nCRT or TNT. TNT was defined as maChT initiated ≥ 90 d prior to nCRT initiation. Overall survival was calculated from the date of diagnosis to the date of last contact or death using Kaplan-Meier curves to present the cumulative probability of survival, with log-rank statistics to assess significance. Multivariable cox regression was used to identify predictors of survival and propensity score analysis accounted for bias. Results We identified 9066 eligible patients, with 8812 and 254 patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by maChT and TNT, respectively. Nodal involvement, stage III disease, and treatment in recent years were predictive of TNT use. There was greater use of TNT with more advanced stage, specifically > 1 node involved (odds ratio [OR] = 2.88, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.11-3.93, P Conclusion Our data demonstrates a rising trend in TNT use, particularly in patients with worse disease. Patients treated with TNT and nCRT had similar survival. Randomized trials evaluating TNT are underway.
On the path toward personalized medicine: implications of pharmacogenetic studies of alcohol use disorder medications

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The heritability of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is estimated to be ~50%; however, the genetic basis of the disease is still poorly understood. The genetic variants identified t...
Financial portfolio optimization with online deep reinforcement learning and restricted stacked autoencoder—DeepBreath

Abstract The process of continuously reallocating funds into financial assets, aiming to increase the expected return of investment and minimizing the risk, is known as portfolio management. In this paper, a portfolio management framework is developed based on a deep reinforcement learning framework called DeepBreath. The DeepBreath methodology combines a restricted stacked autoencoder and a convolutional neural network (CNN) into an integrated framework. The restricted stacked autoencoder is employed in order to conduct dimensionality reduction and features selection, thus ensuring that only the most informative abstract features are retained. The CNN is used to learn and enforce the investment policy which consists of reallocating the various assets in order to increase the expected return on investment. The framework consists of both offline and online learning strategies: the former is required to train the CNN while the latter handles concept drifts i.e. a change in the data distribution resulting from unforeseen circumstances. These are based on passive concept drift detection and online stochastic batching. Settlement risk may occur as a result of a delay in between the acquisition of an asset and its payment failing to deliver the terms of a contract. In order to tackle this challenging issue, a blockchain is employed. Finally, the performance of the DeepBreath framework is tested with four test sets over three distinct investment periods. The results show that the return of investment achieved by our approach outperforms current expert investment strategies while minimizing the market risk.
Nonlinear 3D cosmic web simulation with heavy-tailed generative adversarial networks

Fast and accurate simulations of the nonlinear evolution of the cosmic density field are a major component of many cosmological analyses, but the computational time and storage required to run them can be exceedingly large. For this reason, we use generative adversarial networks (GANs) to learn a compressed representation of the 3D matter density field that is fast and easy to sample, and for the first time show that GANs are capable of generating samples at the level of accuracy of other conventional methods. Using subvolumes from a suite of GADGET-2 $N$-body simulations, we demonstrate that a deep-convolutional GAN can generate samples that capture both large- and small-scale features of the matter density field, as validated through a variety of $n$-point statistics. The use of a data scaling that preserves high-density features and a heavy-tailed latent space prior allow us to obtain state of the art results for fast 3D cosmic web generation. In particular, the mean power spectra from generated samples agree to within 5% up to $k=3$ and within 10% for $k\ensuremath{\le}5$ when compared with $N$-body simulations, and similar accuracy is obtained for a variety of bispectra. By modeling the latent space with a heavy-tailed prior rather than a standard Gaussian, we better capture sample variance in the high-density voxel PDF and reduce errors in power spectrum and bispectrum covariance on all scales. Furthermore, we show that a conditional GAN can smoothly interpolate between samples conditioned on redshift. Deep generative models, such as the ones described in this work, provide great promise as fast, low-memory, high-fidelity forward models of large-scale structure.
Innovation, Creative Destruction and Sustainability

OVERVIEW:Nearly 4½ billion people, all over the world, earn less than three dollars a day. These are largely rural, largely uneducated—but not stupid—individuals whom we do not understand and on whom corporations have never seriously tried to focus. The assumption has always been that this is a market for governments or the not-for-profit sector to worry about, sort of like an international division of labor. However, this base of the pyramid is where the biggest business opportunities lie. As technologists, it is the early market that we should be looking at.
Noncumulative measures of researcher citation impact

The most commonly used publication metrics for individual researchers are the total number of publications, the total number of citations, and Hirsch’s h-index. Each of these is cumulative, and hen...
Fatigability as a Predictor of Subclinical and Clinical Anemia in Well-Functioning Older Adults

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Anemia is a common condition in older adults for which fatigue, the primary symptom, often goes unrecognized as individuals typically equilibrate their activity to avoid fatigue. Whether assessing fatigability (i.e., susceptibility to fatigue) facilitates identification of anemia is unknown. This study examines the association between fatigability and prevalent, incident, and persistent subclinical and clinical anemia in well-functioning older adults. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS Longitudinal analysis of 905 well-functioning men and women aged 60 to 89 years and followed for 1 to 5 years from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging conducted at the National Institute on Aging, Clinical Research Unit, Baltimore, MD. MEASUREMENTS Perceived fatigability was assessed as a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) from 6 to 20 following a 5-minute treadmill walk at 1.5 mph (.67 m/s); fatigue was assessed as reported unusual tiredness in the past month. Clinical anemia was defined using World Health Organization hemoglobin cutpoints of below 13 g/dL and below 12 g/dL for men and women, respectively, and subclinical anemia was defined as 13.0 to 13.9 g/dL and 12.0 to 12.9 g/dL, respectively. RESULTS Overall, 14% of participants had clinical and 30% had subclinical anemia at baseline. Each increment (1 RPE) of fatigability was associated after covariate adjustment with 14% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5-25%, P = .005) and 8% (CI = 1-17%; P = .031), respectively, greater likelihood of prevalent clinical and subclinical anemia. An average of 2.2 years later, each 1 RPE increment in baseline fatigability predicted an 11% (CI = 2-20%; P = .016) higher likelihood of incident and/or persistent subclinical and clinical anemia. Reports of unusual tiredness were associated with prevalent subclinical anemia only. CONCLUSION This study provides evidence that perceived fatigability may help identify well-functioning older adults with borderline to clinical anemia who are on a trajectory of persistently suboptimal or worsening hemoglobin status. Assessing fatigability may facilitate earlier diagnosis of health conditions that underlie persistent suboptimal hemoglobin status. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:2297-2302, 2020.
Stress Corrosion Cracking of TRIP Fe 39 Mn 20 Co 20 Cr 15 Si 5 Al 1 (at.%) High Entropy Alloy

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) can adversely affect the life of any engineering component. The study of high entropy alloys (HEA) shows excellent mechanical properties but SCC susceptibility is unknown. We have studied SCC behavior of a transformation-induced-plasticity (TRIP) Fe39Mn20Co20Cr15Si5Al1 (at.%) HEA in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution using slow strain-rate tensile testing (SSRT) on smooth tensile specimens along with the electrochemical behavior of the alloy. The microstructural characterization of the alloy was carried out in as-received condition and after corrosion test using advanced characterization tools including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The polarization test of the alloy done in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution revealed corrosion current density as 8.05 × 10−8 A/cm2, markedly lower than the 304 stainless steel (76 × 10−8 A/cm2). The pitting potential of the alloy was 0.089 V. The SSRT result shows a decrease in the elongation and ultimate tensile strength. Further, experiments are in-progress to understand mechanistic origin of decrease in ductility of the alloy.
Semantic generalization of punishment-related attentional priority

The present study aimed to determine whether attentional prioritization of visual stimuli associated with punishment transfers across conceptual knowledge independently of physical features. Partic...
Patient Privacy Exposed: A Closer Look at HIPAA in the Context of a Pandemic

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 is strict legislation executed to protect patient data and privacy. HIPAA has come to the forefront of conversation among healthcare and policy professionals as a result of the transition to recording patient data online and the commonality of noncompliance. However, in recent months, there has been a push for more leniency to allow for more comprehensive research to be conducted on COVID-19 despite the large number of privacy breaches and the compromise on the purpose of HIPAA. The pandemic, a seemingly temporary climate, demands research by scientists to track benefits of emergency-implemented strategies and physician-patient appointments to be held virtually; on the other hand, current HIPAA presents challenges by requiring anonymity and certain conditions to be met with regards to telehealth. By exploring recent modifications to HIPAA legislation made by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office for Civil Rights and its downfalls in maintaining confidentiality, this paper will focus on how HIPAA should redefine what privacy is to benefit both patients and researchers during the pandemic. This paper will also investigate how HIPAA should be implemented to protect patient privacy when treating COVID-19 patients and introduce considerations when redesigning HIPAA after examining the model employed by Taiwan and Singapore. This research will provide details on a better balance of HIPAA between privacy protection and publicizing data during emergency situations by breaking down each of the major waivers.
A Summary of Scanning High-resolution Interferometer Sounder (S-HIS) Observations During the FIREX-AQ ER-2 Campaign

A summary of the Scanning High-resolution Interferometer Sounder (S-HIS) observations from the FIREX-AQ (Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality) field campaign is presented.
A Fresh Look at Two Genesis Creation Accounts: Contradictions?

One would be exegetically blind to not see differences between the first (Gen 1:1–2:4a) and the second (Gen 2:4b-25) Genesis creation accounts.1 The majority of scholars stress discrepancies between them because they assume there are two different authors or sources with several redactors involved in putting these texts together. They claim that the first creation story was composed by the “Priestly” (P) writer, the second by the “Jahvist,” (J), and later an unknown redactor or redactors put them together.2 Richard E. Friedman states: “In many ways they duplicate each other, and on several points they contradict each other.”3 Are these two creation narratives really contradictory? Do they stand in opposition to each other?