cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of time and size in ontogenetic allometry: II. An empirical study of human growth.

The changes in shape that occur as a consequence of size changes during the third trimester (22 to 36 weeks post conception) of human growth are examined for muscular, tendinous and skeletal measurements of the lower limb. Gestational age and weight were highly correlated, but not linear. Several models appear to have equivalent fits to these data. The skeletal measurements were linear with body weight, but did not follow the predictions of any biomechanical model. Femur length grows more quickly than body weight, as does femur diameter. The ratio of length to diameter is nearly one, suggesting that the relative shape of the femur does not change with weight. The weights of the two muscles examined were nonlinear as functions of age or weight; Gompertz models with different coefficients fits these data best. The lengths of the two tendons were linear with age, but tendon weights were best described by nonlinear Gompertz models. One difficulty of the Gompertz models stems from the lack of an upper asymptote in these data. The data fit the lower half of the curve, however the model predicts an asymptote beyond the range of data available. The relative patterns of growth, i.e. muscles growing faster than tendons, suggest hypotheses that need to be tested with a larger data set. These include growth of muscles relative to bones or tendons in other regions, e.g., the upper limb or the cranium, and an extension of the data in time.
Recurrence/Persistence After Fistula Treatment: What Next?

Recurrence or persistence of fistula after treatment is common and very disappointing to both the patient and the surgeon. The preoperative assessment and accurate classification of fistulas have prognostic values in the odds of healing and risk of recurrence. In addition, the causes of operative failures, discussed in Chap. 22, should be taken into consideration in all fistula cases, especially the difficult or recurrent ones. The surgeon operating on fistulas on a regular basis must be familiar with many treatment alternatives in order to deal with operative failures.
Radioassay Profiles: A Laboratory Response to Cost Containment

A clinical laboratory profile is a cadre of tests that addresses a medical problem in a more cost-effective manner than the performance of each test individually and sporadically. Nonisotopic profiles as well as radioassay profiles have been offered by reference laboratories for several years. Most hospital-based laboratories have been directed away from instituting disease-oriented profiles because certain profile tests are only rarely requested, which makes them economically impractical to perform. There is also a tendency in teaching hospitals to individualize each requested test because of the belief that it enhances physician analytical skills. Recent experience in our laboratory has shown that by carefully developing an aminoglycoside profile in close collaboration with the hospital pharmacy pharmacokinetic service the cost for the drug assays and the expense to the assaying laboratory can be reduced while significantly improving patient care. We can provide a gentamicin or tobramycin profile, consisting of three or more blood samples and run as batch assay, at a cost that is less than the price of two individual assays. This has been done without creating a significant revenue loss to our laboratory.
TP53 mutations in newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia: Clinicomolecular characteristics, response to therapy, and outcomes.

BACKGROUND Mutations in the tumor protein 53 (TP53) gene predict a poor prognosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS Peripheral blood or bone marrow samples from 293 patients with newly diagnosed AML were analyzed with targeted, amplicon-based, next-generation sequencing-based mutation analysis. RESULTS TP53 mutations were identified in 53 patients (18%; 45 were missense mutations). In 13 of the 53 patients, the most common pattern of amino acid substitution was a substitution of arginine to histidine on different codons. The clinical characteristics, pattern of mutations, response to different therapies, and outcomes of patients with AML-TP53–mutated (n = 53) versus wild-type TP53 (n = 240) were compared. TP53 mutations were significantly more likely in patients who had a complex karyotype; abnormalities of chromosome 5, 7, and 17; and therapy-related AML. Patients who had TP53-mutated AML had significantly lower incidence of mutations in Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3), rat sarcoma (RAS), and nucleophosmin (NPM1) and higher incidence of coexisting MPL mutations compared with those who had wild type TP53. The distribution of TP53 mutations was equal for both age groups (ages <60 years vs ≥60 years). TP53-mutated AML was associated with a lower complete remission rate (41% vs 57%; P = .04), a significantly inferior complete remission duration (at 2 years: 30% vs 55%; P = .001), and overall survival (at 2 years: 9% vs 24%; P ≤ .0001) irrespective of age or the type of treatment received (high-intensity vs low-intensity chemotherapy). CONCLUSIONS The type of treatment received did not improve outcomes in younger or older patients with TP53-mutated AML. These data suggest that novel therapies are needed to improve the outcome of patients with AML who have TP53 mutations. Cancer 2016;122:3484–3491. © 2016 American Cancer Society
Number Line Skills and Home Numeracy Activities for Preschoolers in Center-Based and Family-Based Child Care

To our knowledge, this study represents one of the first systematic comparisons of number line skills, other early academic skills, and home numeracy and literacy environments for children attending center-based child care compared with children attending family-based child care. Building on previous work relating home numeracy experiences, linguistic proficiency (including receptive language and phonological awareness), executive functioning, and early mathematics knowledge with number line performance, this study improves our understanding of the early development of number line skills and suggests skill-level differences on several measures for children in two different out-of-home care settings. Eighty-nine children (n = 42 girls), ages three-and-a-half to kindergarten entry participated in this study and were given a battery of assessments measuring number line skill, phonological awareness, receptive vocabulary, mathematics ability, and verbal working memory. Parents completed questionnaires on home numeracy and home literacy environments and parents and teachers completed assessments of child executive functioning. Fifty-five (62 %) of the children (n = 29 boys) were recruited from 3 state-licensed child care centers and 34 from eight state-licensed family child care programs. Our results demonstrate clear differences between children in center-based child care and children in family-based child care on number line skills, early mathematics skills, phonological awareness, verbal working memory, and executive functioning. A path model indicated the best predictors of number line skills included child care setting; home numeracy environment through early mathematics skills; and early mathematics skills through receptive language skills.
Identification and characterization of high methane-emitting abandoned oil and gas wells

Recent measurements of methane emissions from abandoned oil/gas wells show that these wells can be a substantial source of methane to the atmosphere, particularly from a small proportion of high-emitting wells. However, identifying high emitters remains a challenge. We couple 163 well measurements of methane flow rates; ethane, propane, and n-butane concentrations; isotopes of methane; and noble gas concentrations from 88 wells in Pennsylvania with synthesized data from historical documents, field investigations, and state databases. Using our databases, we (i) improve estimates of the number of abandoned wells in Pennsylvania; (ii) characterize key attributes that accompany high emitters, including depth, type, plugging status, and coal area designation; and (iii) estimate attribute-specific and overall methane emissions from abandoned wells. High emitters are best predicted as unplugged gas wells and plugged/vented gas wells in coal areas and appear to be unrelated to the presence of underground natural gas storage areas or unconventional oil/gas production. Repeat measurements over 2 years show that flow rates of high emitters are sustained through time. Our attribute-based methane emission data and our comprehensive estimate of 470,000-750,000 abandoned wells in Pennsylvania result in estimated state-wide emissions of 0.04-0.07 Mt (1012 g) CH4 per year. This estimate represents 5-8% of annual anthropogenic methane emissions in Pennsylvania. Our methodology combining new field measurements with data mining of previously unavailable well attributes and numbers of wells can be used to improve methane emission estimates and prioritize cost-effective mitigation strategies for Pennsylvania and beyond.
Comparing the utility of host and primary endosymbiont loci for predicting global invasive insect genetic structuring and migration patterns

Abstract Halyomorpha halys, commonly known as the Brown Marmorated Stinkbug, is a highly polyphagous invasive pest introduced from East Asia into North America and Europe. It harbors ‘ Candidatus Pantoea carbekii’, an obligately-associated, vertically-inherited gamma-proteobacterial mutualist. We evaluated the use of this symbiont as a proxy for measuring host diversity, distribution, and phylogeography. Despite the symbiont’s accelerated molecular evolution, the symbiont genome shows relatively lower genetic diversity and structuring compared to the host mitochondrial genome in both native and invaded ranges. Therefore, we conclude that P. carbekii is not as effective as the host mitochondria for determining recent host population history and migration.
A review of economic considerations for cover crops as a conservation practice.

Over the past few decades, farmers have increasingly integrated cover crops into their cropping systems. Cover-crop benefits can help a farmer to achieve sustainability or reduce negative environmental externalities, such as soil erosion or chemical runoff. However, the impact on farm economics will likely be the strongest incentive to adopt cover crops. These impacts can include farm profits, cash crop yields or both. This paper provides a review of cover-crop adoption, production, risk and policy considerations from an economic perspective. These dimensions are examined through a review of cover-crop literature. This review was written to provide an overview of cover crops and their impacts on the farm business and the environment, especially with regard to economic considerations. Through increasing knowledge about cover crops, the intent here is to inform producers contemplating adoption and policy makers seeking to encourage adoption.
Dementia Health Promotion for Chinese Americans.

Introduction This study aims to describe the results of a dementia awareness campaign in the Chinese American community. Methods The campaign consisted of a health fair, four dementia seminars, radio shows, television episodes, and a YouTube series. Descriptive statistics and qualitative data were obtained from various health communication channels. Results There were 156 and 313 participants in the health fair and dementia seminars, respectively. The participants in each component of the campaign also provided qualitative data on barriers and effective ways to disseminate awareness of dementia and brain health. Conclusion A dementia awareness campaign may be an effective way to reduce health disparities and dementia in the Chinese American community.
Fluorescence Phenomena Useful for the Study of Polymers

The development of fluorescence techniques for the study of macromolecules, with special emphasis to those of biological origin, is reviewed. Fluorescent labels may “report” the polarity or rigidity of the medium. Fluorescence quenching depends on the spatial distribution of the emitting and quenching species. The polarization of the emitted light may be used to characterize rotational diffusion and conformational mobility. Excimer emission from polymer solutions reflects energy transfer and need not involve neighboring monomer residues along the contour of the polymer chain. Nonradiative energy transfer may be used to characterize a distance within a single macromolecule or distances between constituents of an association complex of macromolecules. The fluorescence photobleaching recovery technique is a powerful method for measuring minute diffusion coefficients.
Psychosocial co-morbidities in Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain syndrome (IC/BPS): A systematic review.

AIMS Psychosocial factors amplify symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis (IC/BPS). While psychosocial self-management is efficacious in other pain conditions, its impact on an IC/BPS population has rarely been studied. The objective of this review is to learn the prevalence and impact of psychosocial factors on IC/BPS, assess baseline psychosocial characteristics, and offer recommendations for assessment and treatment. METHOD Following PRISMA guidelines, primary information sources were PubMed including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and GoogleScholar. Inclusion criteria included: (i) a clearly defined cohort with IC/BPS or with Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome provided the IC/BPS cohort was delineated with quantitative results from the main cohort; (ii) all genders and regions; (iii) studies written in English from 1995 to April 14, 2017; (iv) quantitative report of psychosocial factors as outcome measures or at minimum as baseline characteristics. RESULTS Thirty-four of an initial 642 articles were reviewed. Quantitative analyses demonstrate the magnitude of psychosocial difficulties in IC/BPS, which are worse than average on all measures, and fall into areas of clinical concern for 7 out of 10 measures. Meta-analyses shows mean Mental Component Score of the Short-Form 12 Health Survey (MCS) of 40.80 (SD 6.25, N = 2912), where <36 is consistent with severe psychological impairment. Averaged across studies, the population scored in the range seen in clinical depression (CES-D 19.89, SD 13.12, N = 564) and generalized anxiety disorder (HADS-A 8.15, SD 4.85, N = 465). CONCLUSION The psychological impact of IC/BPS is pervasive and severe. Existing evidence of treatment is lacking and suggests self-management intervention may be helpful.
The relationship between drug abuse and sexual performance among women on methadone. Heightening the risk of sexual intimate violence and HIV.

Purpose: Through in-depth interviews with 38 women recruited from methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMTPs), this paper examines subjective experiences regarding the effects of illicit drugs on the women's sexual behavior and that of their male sexual partners, mainly changes in libido, performance, and pleasure. Methods: This paper addresses several questions: (1) How does drug use affect women's sexual performance? (2) How does drug use affect their partners' sexual performance and the sexual dynamics in their relationship? (3) How does drug use affect these women and their partners differently? (4) How are sexual disparities between women and their partners, heightened by drug use, linked with sexual and physical violence and risk of HIV? Results: Three major themes are discussed: some women believe that drugs, particularly heroin, increase their sexual performance, libido, and pleasure, but for others, drugs, particularly crack cocaine, inhibit their sexual performance and desire. Many of the women believe that crack cocaine and heroin enhance a man's sexual desire, performance, and pleasure. However, other women deem that these drugs are responsible for their partners' abusive and coercive behavior. The data further indicate that gender disparities, in how crack cocaine and heroin affect the sexual dynamics between drug-involved couples, often lead to sexual coercion and physical abuse. Conclusion: This in-depth narrative study of abused women in MMTPs draws implications from their subjective experiences for understanding the contextual mechanisms linking drug use, intimate sexual abuse, and HIV risk. It also suggests implications for designing HIV prevention programs that take into account the differential effects of drugs on sexual intimate violence and HIV risk. Education about the effects of drugs on sexuality and on the risks of sexual violence and HIV transmission is crucial for drug-involved women.
Visual Cortex Mechanisms of Strabismus: Development and Maldevelopment

Proper alignment of the eyes requires information sharing (fusion) between monocular visual input channels in the CNS; the first locus for fusion in the CNS of primates is the striate cerebral cortex (area V1). Fusion behaviors and V1 binocular connections are immature at birth, maturing during a critical period in the first months of life; maturation of fusion and V1 binocular connections requires correlated (synchronized) input from each eye. Nasalward biases are present innately in the neural pathways of normal primates before maturation of binocularity. Esotropia and the associated nasalward gaze biases of infantile strabismus can be produced reliably in normal primates by impeding the maturation of fusional/binocular connections in V1. Infantile esotropia occurs predominantly in human infants who have perinatal insults that would impair correlated visual input to V1. Surgical realignment of the eyes during the critical period of normal binocular maturation may achieve functional sensory and motor cures. If surgery fails to restore bifoveal fusion, subnormal fusion (micro-esotropia/monofixation) may be achieved within boundaries set by the properties of neurons in V1 and extrastriate cortex. Late-onset (e.g., accommodative) esotropia is easier to treat because the fusional connections in V1 matured substantially before the emergence of eye misalignment.
Race and Rule in the Colonial Andes

This essay reviews the following works: Rivers of Gold, Lives of Bondage: Governing through Slavery in Colonial Quito. By Sherwin K. Bryant. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2014. Pp. xiii + 240. $35.00 hardcover. ISBN: 9781469607726. Fractional Freedoms: Slavery, Intimacy, and Legal Mobilization in Colonial Lima. By Michelle A. McKinley. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2016. Pp. x + 282. $99.99 hardcover. ISBN: 9781107168985. The Disappearing Mestizo: Configuring Difference in the Colonial New Kingdom of Granada. By Joanne Rappaport. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2014. Pp. ix + 352. $25.95 paperback. ISBN: 9780822356363. Purchasing Whiteness: Pardos, Mulattos, and the Quest for Social Mobility in the Spanish Indies. By Ann Twinam. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2015. Pp. ix + 534. $32.71 paperback. ISBN: 9780804750936. Global Indios: The Indigenous Struggle for Justice in Sixteenth-Century Spain. By Nancy E. van Deusen. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2015. Pp. xi + 336. $25.60 paperback. ISBN: 9780822358589.
Childhood Maltreatment Experiences, Attachment, Sexual Offending: Testing a Theory.

The aim of this study was to empirically examine the theoretical model proposed by Grady, Levenson, and Bolder used to explain the relationships between experiencing trauma, attachment styles, and ...
Exploring the Relationship Between Lifestyle Behaviors and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Older Adults With Diabetes.

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to examine the association between 3 lifestyle behaviors (smoking, physical activity, and fruit and vegetable consumption) and health-related quality of life (HR...
Diabatic and adiabatic representations: Electronic structure caveats

Abstract In this Viewpoint issues in the construction and use of adiabatic and diabatic representations in describing spin-conserving electronically nonadiabatic processes using the Born-Huang ansatz are reviewed and illustrated. We address issues which limit the accuracy of commonly used approximate equations of motion. The following caveats are discussed. (i) The use of adiabatic states for Nstate > 2 is complicated by the fact that if states (I, J) and (J, K) have conical intersections then the derivative coupling f(a),I,J(R) may well be double-valued, rendering it inappropriate for nuclear dynamics. (ii) In the nonadiabatic tunneling regime, nuclear motion can be restricted to a single adiabatic potential energy surface on the basis of total energy. However, energetically inaccessible conical intersections make it necessary to take into account the geometric phase and the induced vector potential when formulating the nuclear Schrodinger equation. We review how a diabatization approach which takes explicit account of the derivative couplings can be used to accurately include these factors. (iii) Finally, we review how a commonly used class of two-state diabatizations based on smooth molecular properties can be subject to ruinous singularities inherent in equations defining the diabatization.
Generalized Wind Loading Chain: Time-Frequency Modeling Framework for Nonstationary Wind Effects on Structures

AbstractThis study proposes a generalized wind loading chain to describe a complete relationship among wind, force, and response induced by nonstationary wind events such as tropical storms or down...
Assessment of Parental Acceptability and Preference for Behavioral Interventions for Childhood Problem Behavior in Saudi Arabia

AbstractThe present study assessed the treatment acceptability and preference for common behavior management strategies with parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Saudi Arabia. Speci...
Cytotoxicity of Ear Drop Excipients in Human and Mouse Tympanic Membrane Fibroblasts.

ObjectiveCommercial ear drops contain ingredients reported to be inactive. We sought to evaluate such excipients for possible cytotoxicity on human and mouse tympanic membrane (TM) fibroblasts.Stud...
Accelerating viscous flow past a wedge

This paper presents direct numerical simulations of accelerated viscous flow past an infinite wedge with a focus on the effect of the accelerating rate on vortex dynamics and material transport near the wedge tip. The wedge angle ranges π/3 ≤ βπ ≤ 5π/6 and the acceleration rate is 0 ≤ p ≤ 1. Since the wedge is infinite, the inviscid self-similar analysis predicts that the solution of one viscosity at a time is the same as the solution of a different viscosity at a scaled time. This theoretical prediction is numerically verified in the current work. Evolution of the vorticity, streamlines, and streaklines is shown in great detail. In the vorticity field, hierarchical vortex separations at the wedge tip are observed, which associate with multiple circulating regions in the streamlines. We also compare the solution at varying acceleration rates and wedge angles and explore the scaling laws in the solution. Streaklines are used to illustrate material transport in the fluid flow. The streaklines form two spirals, a major one that corresponds to the starting vortex and a second one that appears near the wedge tip. The formation of both the major and secondary spirals are investigated and diagnosed using the strain rate in the fluid flow.This paper presents direct numerical simulations of accelerated viscous flow past an infinite wedge with a focus on the effect of the accelerating rate on vortex dynamics and material transport near the wedge tip. The wedge angle ranges π/3 ≤ βπ ≤ 5π/6 and the acceleration rate is 0 ≤ p ≤ 1. Since the wedge is infinite, the inviscid self-similar analysis predicts that the solution of one viscosity at a time is the same as the solution of a different viscosity at a scaled time. This theoretical prediction is numerically verified in the current work. Evolution of the vorticity, streamlines, and streaklines is shown in great detail. In the vorticity field, hierarchical vortex separations at the wedge tip are observed, which associate with multiple circulating regions in the streamlines. We also compare the solution at varying acceleration rates and wedge angles and explore the scaling laws in the solution. Streaklines are used to illustrate material transport in the fluid flow. The streaklines form two spira...
Response to Comment on Segar et al. Machine Learning to Predict the Risk of Incident Heart Failure Hospitalization Among Patients With Diabetes: The WATCH-DM Risk Score. Diabetes Care 2019;42:2298-2306.

Identifying patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at high risk for future heart failure (HF) has been challenging given the multisystem inputs that contribute to HF risk, inaccuracies in administrative coded data, and complexities with risk prediction models. In the machine learning–derived WATCH-DM (Weight [BMI], Age, hyperTension, Creatinine, HDL-C, Diabetes control [fasting plasma glucose], QRS Duration, MI, and CABG) score, we considered 147 candidate variables to create a simple, user-friendly, integer-based risk score to predict adjudicated incident HF events (1). We appreciate the critical appraisal of WATCH-DM by Fonseca and colleagues (2). Our integer score was developed similarly to the well-established method popularized by the Framingham framework, in which the points associated with each level of each risk factor are relative to the points associated with an increase in age (3). Briefly, continuous variables were first converted to dichotomous variables. Cutoffs for the continuous variables were either determined by established guidelines (for example, the normal, overweight, and obese cutoffs for …
Speaker Diarization as a Fully Online Learning Problem in MiniVox

We proposed a novel machine learning framework to conduct real-time multi-speaker diarization and recognition without prior registration and pretraining in a fully online learning setting. Our contributions are two-fold. First, we proposed a new benchmark to evaluate the rarely studied fully online speaker diarization problem. We built upon existing datasets of real world utterances to automatically curate MiniVox, an experimental environment which generates infinite configurations of continuous multi-speaker speech stream. Second, we considered the practical problem of online learning with episodically revealed rewards and introduced a solution based on semi-supervised and self-supervised learning methods. Additionally, we provided a workable web-based recognition system which interactively handles the cold start problem of new user's addition by transferring representations of old arms to new ones with an extendable contextual bandit. We demonstrated that our proposed method obtained robust performance in the online MiniVox framework.
Patterns of Conversation Trouble Source and Repair as Indices of Improved Conversation in Aphasia: A Multiple-Case Study Using Conversation Analysis

Purpose Social approaches to intervention for aphasia are being increasingly employed to address the functional communication barriers experienced by persons with aphasia. One specific approach is the use of conversation-based treatment in both group and two-person dyads. Although there are several methods to measure improvement for stimulation and cognitive neurolinguistic approaches, researchers have consistently indicated a need for outcome measures that can objectively demonstrate improved communication following conversation treatment. This study aims to demonstrate the utility for examining the patterns of conversation trouble source and repair as indices for improved communication as a positive response to intervention. Method The conversations of 20 consecutive participants, before and after 3 months, or 40 hr, of group and individual conversation-based treatment, were transcribed using conventions of conversation analysis, and sociolinguistic discourse analysis was applied. Measures of trouble source and repair were aggregated and subjected to statistical analysis. Results Persons with aphasia demonstrated statistically significant improvement in patterns of conversation trouble source and repair posttreatment for the rate of conversation trouble source and the length of repair. However, measures of self-initiation and self-completion of repair did not reach significance. Conclusion The study indicates that, following conversation-based treatment, the conversations of persons with aphasias were more efficient, experiencing fewer trouble sources and shorter repair sequences. These findings suggest that measures of conversation for the rate of trouble source and length of the repair sequence are valid indices of improved conversation.
Teacher Well-Being: Voices in the Field

Abstract Teacher burnout and attrition have been the focus of numerous studies, including examination of organizational structures and factors contributing to burnout. Yet, teachers’ well-being through the narratives of educators in the field remains an understudied area. The current study explored the experiences of practicing teachers in navigating the demands of the profession, and how these contributed to their conceptualization of teacher well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three elementary teachers. An exploration of their narratives revealed the powerful role of relationships with leaders and colleagues, and impact of emotional work. Implications for future research and practical applications are considered.
Professional Development: What Works : What Works

This comprehensive and authoritative book serves as the road map to your school’s professional development journey. Written for principals, professional development directors, other district leaders, and teacher leaders, Professional Development: What Works shows you how to plan and implement programs that promote teacher growth. Full of helpful case studies, useful resources, and templates, this book guides you in creating an effective, job-embedded professional development program that moves ideas to action. Special Features in this Revised Edition: Revised discussion on supporting and providing learning opportunities for adults New "Cases from the Field" and "Notes from the Field" amplify best practices and serve to narrow the gap between research and practice Updated and expanded coverage of professional job-embedded learning help leaders keep pace with advancements Suggested readings support digging deeper into topical areas found within the chapters
PolSIRD: Modeling Epidemic Spread under Intervention Policies

Epidemic spread in a population is traditionally modeled via compartmentalized models which represent the free evolution of disease in absence of any intervention policies. In addition, these models assume full observability of disease cases and do not account for under-reporting. We present a mathematical model, namely PolSIRD, which accounts for the under-reporting by introducing an observation mechanism. It also captures the effects of intervention policies on the disease spread parameters by leveraging intervention policy data along with the reported disease cases. Furthermore, we allow our recurrent model to learn the initial hidden state of all compartments end-to-end along with other parameters via gradient-based training. We apply our model to the spread of the recent global outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, where our model outperforms the methods employed by the CDC in predicting the spread. We also provide counterfactual simulations from our model to analyze the effect of lifting the intervention policies prematurely and our model correctly predicts the second wave of the epidemic.
Broad Emission Line Regions in AGN: the Link with the Accretion Power

We present a model which relates the width of the Broad Emission Lines of AGN to the Keplerian velocity of an accretion disk at a critical distance from the central black hole. This critical distance falls in a region bounded on the inward side by the transition radius between the radiation pressure and the gas pressure dominated region of the accretion disk and on the outward side by the maximum radius below which a stabilizing, radially accreting and vertically outflowing corona exists. We show that in the framework of this picture the observed range of H$\beta$ FWHM from Broad Line to Narrow Line type 1 AGN is well reproduced as a function of the accretion rate. This interval of velocities is the only permitted range and goes from $\sim 20,000$ km s$^{-1}$ for sub-Eddington accretion rates, to $\sim 1,000$ km s$^{-1}$ for Eddington accretion rates.
Study on wear state evaluation of friction stir welding tools based on image of surface topography

Abstract The status of the friction stir welding tool is an important factor affecting weld quality. The texture feature of the weld surface is the result of friction between tool and material. In this paper, friction stir welding experiments were performed on 2219 aluminum alloys with tools under different wear conditions to observe the changes in surface topography characteristics. The results show that the tool wear will lead to the confusion of the weld texture profile and the appearance of the local burr. Furthermore, we proposed a feature extraction method for weld surface images based on an improved local binary pattern algorithm, which can obtain local subtle feature changes. Euclidean distance similarity was used to evaluate the weld surface image, the results show that it has a good correlation with the wear state of the tool.
MELCOR Analysis of the Three Mile Island Unit 2 Accident

The MELCOR computer code has been used to analyze the first 174 min of the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) accident. MELCOR is being developed at Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S Nuclear R...
My Country, My Country, directed by Laura Poitras, produced by Jocelyn Glatzer and Laura Poitras Iraq in Fragments, directed by James Longley, produced by John Sinno and James Longley

As the war in Iraq drags on into its fifth year, the American press and public have only slowly become aware of the complicated political dynamics that have stymied plans for democratizing Iraq. In...
“Los tónicos de la voluntad”: Sobre la regeneración y la revitalización de las naciones

Moving along in one’s course of life requires a certain will to socially participate with others in common projects; at least in those that lead to a better future. Yet the will is not a constant and often the spirit fails and the course is lost. The “wealth of nations” —as Adam Smith put it— is supposed to result from the fruition and success of those national projects, thence the logical inference that such projects depend upon the spirit and will of those citizens who participate in them. In the process, issues of proactive identity may become matters of concern and, in response, people as well as their society as a whole attempt “to revitalize” themselves. “Revitalization,” which is a concept of long term use in American anthropology, applies chiefly to the study of colonized societies and cultures; but it calls to mind the secular concern in Spain for the “regeneration” of the nation and the subsequent literature of regeneracionismo . The meaning of both concepts —“revitalization” and “regeneration”—, as well as the movements associated with one or the other, are closely contingent upon the political, social and personal context to which these movements belong.
The role of the anterior prefrontal cortex in human cognition

Complex problem-solving and planning involve the most anterior part of the frontal lobes including the fronto-polar prefrontal cortex (FPPC), which is especially well developed in humans compared with other primates. The specific role of this region in human cognition, however, is poorly understood. Here we show, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, that bilateral regions in the FPPC alone are selectively activated when subjects have to keep in mind a main goal while performing concurrent (sub)goals. Neither keeping in mind a goal over time (working memory) nor successively allocating attentional resources between alternative goals (dual-task performance) could by themselves activate these regions. Our results indicate that the FPPC selectively mediates the human ability to hold in mind goals while exploring and processing secondary goals, a process generally required in planning and reasoning.
Enzyme ontogeny in normal and hemimelic limbs of mice

The appearance of electrophoretically separable isozyme patterns is specific both to type of tissue and to its stage of development (Markert & Moller, 1959). In abnormally developing embryonic systems there are alterations in the time of initial appearance and the persistence of isozymes from a variety of metabolic areas (Johnson & Spinuzzi, 1966, 1968). In malformed embryos from folic-aciddeficient rats the altered zymogram patterns of esterases from abnormal limbs were different from those of abnormal kidneys, yet differentiation of zymograms from the normal hearts of these embryos was unaltered. This implies a correlation between altered tissue-specific zymogram patterns and abnormally developing systems, though no causal relationship has as yet been shown (Johnson, 1968). Moreover, when tibial hemimelia in the rat was elicited by two different teratogens—a folic acid antagonist, 9-methylpteryol-glutamic acid (PGA), and the alkylating agent N -nitroso- N -methylurea (NNMU)—there were similar changes in the non-specific esterases after electrophoretic separation of homogenates from the defective limbs (Johnson & Lambert, 1968).
Reducing the life cycle environmental impacts of kesterite solar photovoltaics: comparing carbon and molybdenum back contact options

When fully developed, kesterite photovoltaics will require large quantities of earth minerals including copper, zinc, tin, and sulfur to generate electricity. This leads to questions about which material options can maximize the environmental sustainability of devices. Molybdenum is used as the back contact in kesterite photovoltaic devices, but can cause a detrimental reaction with the absorber layer limiting conversion efficiency. As a result, numerous substitutes or solutions are suggested including carbon-based back contacts. While molybdenum back contacts have been characterized in past environmental assessments, the impacts of graphene and graphite in comparison were unknown. Of paramount interest is the fact that graphene is an emerging nanomaterial with the potential to provide game-changing benefits in a variety of fields; however, the potential for human and environmental health risks to be introduced by new applications remains uncertain. We apply life cycle assessment (LCA) to the selection of photovoltaic back contacts for emergent solar devices. Specifically, we use TRACI 2.0 to analyze impacts associated with molybdenum, graphite, and graphene back contact alternatives. For data sources, we provide calculated unit processes for graphene and graphite back contacts and utilize open source life cycle databases including the United States Life Cycle Inventory. We explore the sensitivity of the model to assumptions regarding processes and inputs using sensitivity analysis and simulation. The results demonstrate that engineering factors, such as the amount of methane used in graphene production, as well as design factors, such as the thickness of potential graphite devices, can determine whether materials substitutions will result in environmental and health gains. Without improvements to graphene production methods, we find that graphene back contacts are associated with more significant health impacts. Graphite back contacts on the other hand are associated with increases in environmental indicators—though these increases are at levels that should not prove problematic in terms of overall impacts of solar photovoltaics. In conclusion, both graphite and graphene back contacts would provide potential technological improvements, but present additional risks that may need to be considered. Specific attention to graphene chemical vapor deposition improvements as well as efforts to reduce the thickness of graphite back contacts to below 5 μm are necessary to ensure that improved technical efficiency does not jeopardize the social and environmental goals of solar photovoltaics.
Clinical Significance of Upsloping ST Depression on Resting Electrocardiogram.

Introduction Upsloping ST depression is generally not associated with myocardial ischemia, yet there have been published reports that suggest otherwise. Case History A 34-year-old pregnant female presented with chest pain and palpitations. She was found to have supraventricular tachycardia, which resolved with intravenous adenosine. Few minutes later her ECG showed upsloping ST depression in leads V4–V6 that persisted for 1 hour after the resolution of the tachycardia. The patient was discharged in stable condition with outpatient follow-up. Conclusion Upsloping ST depression in resting electrocardiogram may indicate cardiac ischemia in the presence of active cardiac symptoms. In the absence of ongoing symptoms however, it may be secondary to conditions other than ischemia.
Two ideas about spelling: Rules and word-specific memory

Abstract Two ideas have been prevalent in spelling research. One is that we spell by using rules which map phonemes onto graphemes (the rule idea); the other is that we rely upon word-specific memory of spellings (the memory idea). We tested the hypothesis that good spellers make significant use of rules in addition to word-specific memory. In Experiment 1, 23 college students were given a standardized oral dictation spelling test; a multiple regression analysis of item difficulty showed that variables associated with the rule idea explained significant variance in spelling accuracy when word-specific memory variables were statistically controlled. Similarly, when rule variables were statistically controlled, word-specific memory variables explained significant variance. Experiment 2 used an experimental design to test a second prediction of the rule idea: phonemes with high-ambiguity rules should be more difficult to spell than less ambiguous phonemes, even when word frequency, word length, serial position within the word, and the target letter are experimentally controlled. Twenty-nine subjects were given an oral dictation spelling test, and the results showed that there were more errors on high than on low ambiguity phonemes. In Experiment 3, word frequency and phoneme ambiguity were manipulated factorially, and results consistent with both the memory and rule ideas were found. Experiment 3 also allowed us to ask how word frequency and rule ambiguity interact, and this led to suggestions of how rules and memory might interact in a processing model of spelling.
High-Power, Computer-Controlled Laser Diode Characterization Tester

A high-power, short wavelength, computer-controlled laser diode characterization tester was developed to measure the specialized electro-optical characteristics required for optical data storage applications. The tester design goals were achievements of high accuracy, repeatability, stability, and throughput of all the measured characteristics. To accomplish these goals, optimization of thermal, mechanical, and electro-optical factors of the tester were required. The laser diode used for this work was packaged with a back-facet photodiode in a TO-5 can, and was mounted on a specialized electro-satic discharge (ESD) protected, grounded heatsink, temperature-controlled, brass block mount. The laser diode fixture was mounted on computer-controlled micropositioning stages for fast and repeatable measurements. The data was acquired by a digitizing oscilloscope and sent to an IBM-PC AT on an IEEE-488 bus. The tester capability allows the following measurements: First, the continuous wave (CW) optical power, forward voltage, and back-facet diode sensitivity are measured. An optical power limiter and a maximum current setting are used as a precaution. Second, the peak lasing wave-length in the optical spectrum are measured at a given low and high power. Third, the parallel and perpendicular profiles of the far-field pattern are also measured at a given low and high power. For each profile, the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), pointing direction, and relative ripple magnitude are calculated using a Gaussain least-square fit to the data. Fourth, the astigmatic length and its shift from low to high power, and the near-field profiles are measured. Fifth, the polarization ratios are measured for a given numerical aperture objective. In these measurements, the collimating and focusing optics are corrected for the operating wavelength of the laser diode. Sixth, the temperature dependence of all the above characteristics is measured, and different important parameters such as the characteristic temperature and wavelength temperature sensitivity are calculated. The repeatability and accuracy of each of the measurements are statistically analyzed using control laser diodes.
Quantitative Assessment of a Tanzanian Integrated Conservation and Development Project Involving Butterfly Farming

Scientific understanding of the role of development in conservation has been hindered by the quality of evaluations of integrated conservation and development projects. We used a quasi-experimental design to quantitatively assess a conservation and development project involving commercial butterfly farming in the East Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. Using a survey of conservation attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and behavior, we compared 150 butterfly farmers with a control group of 170 fellow community members. Due to the nonrandom assignment of individuals to the two groups, we used propensity-score matching and weighting in our analyses to control for observed bias. Eighty percent of the farmers believed butterfly farming would be impossible if local forests were cleared, and butterfly farmers reported significantly more participation in forest conservation behaviors and were more likely to believe that conservation behaviors were effective. The two groups did not differ in terms of their general conservation attitudes, attitudes toward conservation officials, or knowledge of conservation-friendly building techniques. The relationship between butterfly farming and conservation behavior was mediated by dependency on butterfly farming income. Assuming unobserved bias played a limited role, our findings suggest that participation in butterfly farming increased participation in conservation behaviors among project participants because farmers perceive a link between earnings from butterfly farming and forest conservation.
A kernel for operators with one-dimensional self-commutators

It is known that if T is an operator with self-commutator of the form T* T-TT*=φ⊗φ, then for every complex z there is a unique solution x=T z *−1 φ of (T−z)*x=φ which is orthogonal to the kernel of (T-z)*. The exponential representation $$1 - (T_z^{*^{ - 1} } \varphi ,T_w^{*^{ - 1} } \varphi ) = \exp \left\{ { - \frac{1}{\pi } \int {\mathbb{C} \frac{{g_T ^{(\zeta )} }}{{\overline {(\zeta - z)} (\zeta - w)}} \frac{{d\overline \zeta \Lambda d\zeta }}{{2i}}} } \right\}$$ where gT is the principal function of T is established. The kernel\(\overline Q (z,w) \equiv (T_z^{*^{ - 1} } \varphi ,T_w^{*^{ - 1} } \varphi )\) has the advantage over previous kernels in that it is defined on all of ℂ2. Several consequences of the exponential representation of Q are derived. For example, if the planar measure of the essential spectrum of T is zero, then the Cowen-Douglas curvature can be immediately computed from Q.