cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Validation of Autodesk Ecotect™ accuracy for thermal and daylighting simulations

Autodesk Ecotect™ is an environmental analysis software which according to the U.S. Department of Energy, has not been validated yet. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to validate accuracy of Ecotect™ for thermal and daylighting simulations of buildings and provide recommendations to the Architecture, Engineering and Construction community on application of Ecotect™. Analysis of thermal performance of an institutional building was conducted for one year while the daylighting performance was studied from January to September. The thermal loads and illuminance levels of the building were first measured in the field. The field measurements were then compared to the simulated thermal loads and illuminance levels obtained by Ecotect™. The validation results showed that Ecotect™ underestimated thermal loads in all the analyzed cases and overestimated illuminance levels in 98% of the analyzed cases. Therefore, these findings show that Ecotect™ cannot be used for accurate simulations of thermal loads and illuminance levels.
World Supply and Demand of Food Commodity Calories

Between the summers of 2006 and 2008, corn prices more than tripled from roughly $2.50/bushel to nearly $8.00/bushel. Prices for rice, soybeans, and wheat rose by similar or greater amounts. The exceptionally large and unanticipated rise in prices was attributed to many factors, including: (1) ethanol subsidies; (2) commensurately rising oil prices; (3) unexpectedly large demand growth from China and India; and (4) weatherrelated factors, such as drought in Australia. While some have argued that the commodity price boom, much like earlier housing and stock market booms, were due to a
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY OF FIRING STEATITE CERAMICS

The composition of normal as well as low-loss steatite bodies is shown on the MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 phase diagram. Clay-talc bodies containing 10% or less of clay have the longest firing range. Bodies near the forsterite corner of the clinoenstatite-forsterite-cordierite triangle have a firing range of about 100 °C. but they are too refractory. Auxiliary fluxes, such as CaO and BaO, shorten the firing range appreciably. The alkalis lengthen it but are electrically detrimental. The RO2 elements, such as SiO2 and ZrO2, when added in appreciable quantities, give good firing range but an excessive increase in the refractoriness of the body.
Large sensor system performance of decentralized detection in noisy, bandlimited channels

In this paper we investigate the performance of decentralized detection assuming a noisy and bandlimited channel between the local sensors and the fusion center. We formulate the problem as in a distributed wireless sensor network subjected to a total average power constraint and all nodes sharing a common bandwidth. The bandwidth constraint is taken into account by assuming non-orthogonal communication between sensors and the data fusion center via direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA). To facilitate the closed-form analysis we consider large sensor systems and random spreading, and derive the decentralized detection performance assuming independent and identically distributed (iid) sensor observations. For the first time, we apply random matrix theory to obtain decentralized detection performance in large sensor networks. Our results show that, even under both power and bandwidth constraints, it is better to combine many not-so-good local decisions rather than relying on one (or a few) very-good local decisions.
AREA AND HABITAT RELATIONSHIPS OF BIRDS IN GREAT LAKES COASTAL WET MEADOWS

Although relationships of birds to patch area and habitat characteristics have been dominant themes in avian ecology over the past few decades, relatively little is known about these relationships in wetland-dominated landscapes of the Great Lakes coastline. During 1997 and 1998, we surveyed birds and measured habitat characteristics along transects in wet meadows associated with the northern Lake Huron shoreline (NLHS) in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Using a suite of multivariate techniques, we related abundance and presence/absence of individual species to wet meadow area and habitat characteristics. Nine species were positively associated with increasing wet meadow area, which underscores the importance of large wetlands to avian conservation in the region. Bird variables also were related to habitat characteristies. Higher values of bird variables were generally associated with a suite of characteristics: more robust and dense grass/sedge vegetation, structural diversity in the horizontal and vertical planes, and increased frequency of willow shrubs. Individual species that require particular aspects of these characteristics for nesting or foraging were associated with principal components containing those aspects. In the NLHS, large wet meadows that possess these characteristics would support the greatest diversity and benefit the majority of species. However, conservation efforts that focus only on these traits will not be sufficient for all species because habitat requirements for some species are very specific (e. g., open water for mallard), and for others, habitat preferences may change from year to year in response to lake-level changes. While our results provide important insights, continued research is needed to further the successful conservation and management of birds in Great Lakes coastal wetlands.
Nucleotide-Induced Conformational Changes in Escherichia coli DnaA Protein Are Required for Bacterial ORC to Pre-RC Conversion at the Chromosomal Origin

DnaA oligomerizes when bound to origins of chromosomal replication. Structural analysis of a truncated form of DnaA from Aquifex aeolicus has provided insight into crucial conformational differences within the AAA+ domain that are specific to the ATP- versus ADP- bound form of DnaA. In this study molecular docking of ATP and ADP onto Escherichia coli DnaA, modeled on the crystal structure of Aquifex aeolicus DnaA, reveals changes in the orientation of amino acid residues within or near the vicinity of the nucleotide-binding pocket. Upon limited proteolysis with trypsin or chymotrypsin ADP-DnaA, but not ATP-DnaA generated relatively stable proteolytic fragments of various sizes. Examined sites of limited protease susceptibility that differ between ATP-DnaA and ADP-DnaA largely reside in the amino terminal half of DnaA. The concentration of adenine nucleotide needed to induce conformational changes, as detected by these protease susceptibilities of DnaA, coincides with the conversion of an inactive bacterial origin recognition complex (bORC) to a replication efficient pre-replication complex (pre-RC) at the E. coli chromosomal origin of replication (oriC).
Targeting Insulin-Degrading Enzyme to Treat Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) selectively degrades peptides, such as insulin, amylin, and amyloid β (Aβ) that form toxic aggregates, to maintain proteostasis. IDE defects are linked to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Structural and biochemical analyses revealed the molecular basis for IDE-mediated destruction of amyloidogenic peptides and this information has been exploited to develop promising inhibitors of IDE to improve glucose homeostasis. However, the inhibition of IDE can also lead to glucose intolerance. In this review, I focus on recent advances regarding our understanding of the structure and function of IDE and the discovery of IDE inhibitors, as well as challenges in developing IDE-based therapy for human diseases, particularly T2DM.
So you want to take over a botnet

Computer criminals regularly construct large distributed attack networks comprised of many thousands of compromised computers around the globe. Once constituted, these attack networks are used to perform computer crimes, creating yet other sets of victims of secondary computer crimes, such as denial of service attacks, spam delivery, theft of personal and financial information for performing fraud, exfiltration of proprietary information for competitive advantage (industrial espionage), etc. The arms race between criminal actors who create and operate botnets and the computer security industry and research community who are actively trying to take these botnets down is escalating in aggressiveness. As the sophistication level of botnet engineering and operations increases, so does the demand on reverse engineering, understanding weaknesses in design that can be exploited on the defensive (or counter-offensive) side, and the possibility that actions to take down or eradicate the botnet may cause unintended consequences.
Psychological Co-morbidities in Patients with Pain

Pain is a biopsychosocial phenomenon which may be variously affected by a host of anatomical, physiological, psychosocial, and environmental factors. Pain is among the most common reasons that patients pursue professional evaluation and treatment, and at present, a rate that is posing substantial strain on the healthcare system. Multiple challenges confront medical providers attempting to accurately diagnose and treat patients presenting with pain including diffuse symptom presentations, common absence of physical findings, and insufficient physician training. Psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, somatization, personality, and maladaptive coping are disproportionately represented in individuals reporting pain, and these psychosocial factors have been empirically shown to exert a strongly negative influence on treatment outcome and functional improvement. This chapter reviews prevalence of mood issues in individuals reporting pain, influence of psychosocial factors on functional treatment outcome, and assessment and treatment challenges faced by multidisciplinary providers. The additional phenomena of fear of pain and associated activity avoidance (e.g., kinesiophobia) and pain catastrophizing have emerged as significantly impacting pain treatment outcomes, and assessment and treatment issues regarding these phenomena are investigated. Efficacy of psychological interventions, particularly cognitive and behavioral interventions to reduce pain and improve patient function, is reviewed. Diagnostic challenges incumbent in the DSM system are discussed, and recommendations for future work are offered.
The Pharmacoepidemiology of Drug Interactions: Why and How They Are Important

This chapter discusses the pharmacoepidemiology of drug–drug interactions—how, why, and when clinicians encounter DDIs.
Characterization of oxygen-induced retinopathy in mice carrying an inactivating point mutation in the catalytic site of ADAM15.

Purpose Retinal neovascularization is found in diseases such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or retinopathy of prematurity and is usually caused by alterations in oxygen supply. We have previously described that mice lacking the membrane-anchored metalloproteinase ADAM15 (a Disintegrin and Metalloprotease 15) have decreased pathological neovascularization of the retina in the oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model. The main purpose of the present study was to determine the contribution of the catalytic activity of ADAM15 to OIR. Methods To address this question, we generated knock-in mice carrying an inactivating Glutamate to Alanine (E>A) point mutation in the catalytic site of ADAM15 (Adam15E>A mice) and subjected these animals to the OIR model and a heterotopic tumor model. Moreover, we used cell-based assays to determine whether ADAM15 can process cell surface receptors involved in angiogenesis. Results We found that pathological neovascularization in the OIR model in Adam15E>A mice was comparable to that observed in wild type mice, but tumor implantation by heterotopically injected melanoma cells was reduced. In cell-based assays, overexpressed ADAM15 could process the FGFR2iiib, but was unable to process several receptors with roles in angiogenesis. Conclusions Collectively, these results suggest that the catalytic activity of ADAM15 is not crucial for its function in promoting pathological neovascularization in the mouse OIR model, most likely because of the very limited substrate repertoire of ADAM15. Instead, other noncatalytic functions of ADAM15 must be important for its role in the OIR model.
The Security Bind in East Europe

The traditional restriction of the notion of national security to military security has unnecessarily weakened the power of that concept for understanding the responses of states to perceived domestic and international threats. A tripartite concept of security is offered here which distinguishes among threats: (1) to the state's leadership regime; (2) to its governing and resource distribution system; and (3) to its territorial integrity. This is applied to the study of the East European states, which find themselves caught in a multidimensional security bind between the domestic and international challenges to their security. They have thus been led to opt for policies insuring stability and avoiding uncontrollable changes as they attempt to ameliorate these threats.
Application of Virtual Power Plant on Large-scale Wind Power Grid Integration

Wind power grid integration has significant effects on the construction,production operations,security and stability of power system,due to the characteristics of intermittence,long distance,large-scale,and difficult to forecast of wind power.In this paper,the virtual power plant is proposed to solve problems that it is difficult to dispatch for large-scale wind power grid integration in the existing real-time scheduling mode of power system.The equivalence of local wind power,traditional water and thermal power,and other energy storage devices is achieved to effectively control power of grid.The feasibility is proved base on the data model of a virtual power plant and data validation by using the actual network operation data of a million kilowatts of wind power.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN GLOBAL WAVEFIELD CONTINUATION AND ROUTINE METHODS FOR DATUM CORRECTION

Current schemes of removing near-surface effects on seismic data processing are mainly static corrections or wave-equation datuming(WED).In the presence of rough topography or strong lateral velocity variations in the near surface,the WED scheme is the only option available.However,the traditional procedure of WED requires to downward continue the sources and receivers in different domains,respectively.So the author has presented a new datuming method based on global wavefield continuation(WEDD).In this paper,the WEDD are compared with the traditional datuming methods firstly in theory,and then their advantages,disadvantages and the applicable scope are discussed.
Influence of DC System Distribution Capacitance on Breaker Tripping

The self-discharge of DC system distribution capacitance may cause the misoperation of export relay and the incorrect tripping of breaker. Based on the simple analysis of the breaker misoperation caused by distribution capacitance, three situations is discussed and analyzed which are positive grounding, negative grounding, and export relay coil grounding respectively. The action voltage of the relay coil in every situations are obtained by formula derivation, and the distribution capacitance of the one point grounding that cause the export relay misoperation and breaker incorrect tripping is calculated in theory.
Assessment of the vaginal residence time of biomarkers of semen exposure

Objective The primary objective of this pilot study is to determine and compare the residence time in the vagina of biomarkers of semen exposure for up to 15 days post exposure. The biomarkers are prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Y chromosome DNA, the sex determining region of the Y chromosome (SRY) and testis-specific protein Y-encoded 4 (TSPY4). The secondary objectives are to determine if biomarker concentrations differed between intercourse and inoculation groups, to establish whether the sampling frequency post exposure affected biomarker concentrations and decay profile and to determine if biomarker concentrations in vaginal swabs obtained by the participant at home were similar to swabs obtained by the nurse in the clinic.
Regulation of the interleukin-3 (IL-3) receptor by IL-3 in the fetal liver-derived FL5.12 cell line.

To determine the effects of a cytokine on cognate receptor expression in normal and neoplastic cells, the interleukin-3 receptor (IL-3R) complex was examined in the parental IL-3-dependent line FL5.12, which was isolated from fetal liver, and in autocrine- and v-abl-transformed derivative lines. IL-3 decreased the amount of the IL-3R alpha and beta chains detected on the cell surface of the parental IL-3-dependent cells. In contrast, high levels of IL-3R beta were constitutively detected on the autocrine-transformed lines in the absence and presence of exogenous IL-3. Only low levels of IL-3R beta were observed in the two v-abl-transformed derivative cell lines examined, which no longer required IL-3 for growth. The levels of the IL-3R alpha chain detected were similar in these transformed cells and were not regulated by IL-3. These results were substantiated further by RNA analysis, because IL-3 decreased the levels of IL-3R transcripts in the parental factor- dependent FL5.12 line. The pattern of IL-3R gene expression was opposite to that of other receptors or proto-oncogenes, because RNA transcripts for all other genes examined were induced by IL-3. We conclude that IL-3 tightly controls IL-3R expression in the IL-3- dependent FL5.12 cells, whereas steady-state mRNA levels were not altered in the two v-abl-transformed derivative cell lines examined in this study.
Transuterine Resection of Fibroids: A New Approach to the Management of Submucous Fibroids in Selected Patients

Transuterine resection of fibroids is an effective alternative to hysterectomy in patients with uterine bleeding secondary to submucous fibroids. To date we have performed this procedure in 3 patients. In 2 patients transuterine resection was performed for uterine bleeding with a successful outcome. In the third patient the procedure was performed to treat infertility and the outcome is not yet known. The procedure should be performed by the combined efforts of a urologist and gynecologist.
The proliferation and movement of cells during re-epithelialisation

A review of the recruitment of uninjured cells in the region of a wound border, their proliferation and possible mode of movement during re-epithelialisation
Plagues, Priests, and Demons: Disease and the Rise of Christianity in Europe 150–800 c.e.

Through him [Saint Anthony], the Lord healed many of those present who were suffering in body and freed others from evil spirits. (Anthanasius's Life of St. Anthony , c. 360 c.e. ) A letter from Martin happened to be brought to him and he placed it in her bosom at the very moment when her temperature was rising and at once the fever left her. (Sulpicius Severus's Life of Saint Martin , c. 396 c.e. ) The glorious tomb of the blessed martyr Baudilius is in Nimes … The inhabitants of the region realized that this tomb often possessed a heavenly remedy for many illnesses. (Gregory of Tours's Glory of the Martyrs , c. 590 c.e. ) Early Christian literature abounds in references to sickness and the miraculous cure. Indeed, the miraculous cure is perhaps the most common type scene in sacred biography and history. Why are stories of sick people who are cured by monks and bishops so common, particularly relative to accounts of other “miracles” such as villages saved from marauding enemies or of crops saved from locusts or drought? To date, scholars of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages have shied away from this question. To quote one distinguished historian, “It is usually fruitless to indulge in speculation about what might have been the ‘real’ basis of miracle stories.” Since the Enlightenment, miracles largely have been seen as beyond the bounds of historical analysis. Correspondingly, sacred biography and history, because they are replete with miracles, have been ignored or cast as overly fictitious.
Very Strong Lattice Coupling in Diamond at Photon Energies up to 1.5 eV above the Bandgap

We report the observation of temperature-dependent oscillatory photoelectric yield from diamond extending from the band-to-band photo-absorption threshold at hν=5.5 eV up to and beyond hν=1 eV. The oscillations in the photoelectric yield are evenly spaced by the transverse optical (TO) phonon energy. A phenomenological application of the Franck-Condon principle shows remarkable agreement with the observed structures.
Morphological convergence in the pubis of slow-moving primates and xenarthrans

Objectives Determining the functional significance of pubic rami is important for reconstructing locomotor behavior of fossil species. The slow loris pelvis, characterized by long pubic rami, is unusual among primates. Long pubic rami may be related to increasing the moment arm of the abdominal musculature during ventroflexion after the termination of hindlimb suspension, which is a common component of slow arboreal quadrupedalism (AQ). Some extant xenarthran species are also slow AQ taxa, and provide an ideal group to test hypotheses of morphologically convergent adaptations to slow AQ. Materials and Methods A model relating abdominal moment arms to pubic morphology is tested in three genera of slow-moving xenarthrans (Bradypus, Choloepus, and Cyclopes) and two species of slow loris (Nycticebus coucang and Perodicticus potto), using a comparative sample of 37 species of primates and xenarthrans. Phylogenetic analyses of variance and regression were performed on pubic dimensions (superior and inferior pubic ramus length, pubic symphysis length). Results As a locomotor group, slow-moving xenarthrans and lorises share superior pubic rami that are longer than all other locomotor groups; at the species level, there is some overlap among slow AQ and non-slow-AQ taxa. Inferior pubic ramus and pubic symphysis lengths also differ according to locomotor category, but multiple comparisons among locomotor groups are non-significant. Discussion These results support the hypothesis that superior pubic ramus length is functionally related to slow, suspensory locomotion by increasing the leverage of the ventral abdominal musculature, and demonstrates morphological convergence among two phylogenetically distant groups of mammals that have evolved adaptations for slow, suspensory locomotion.
High-Temperature Superconducting Space Experiment II (HTSSE II) Overview and Preliminary Cryocooler Integration Experience

Imaging space applications have been the driving force behind the development of long life high reliability cryocooler development. A less well known application is High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) devices. At 60 to 80°K large performance gains are possible in thallium and yttrium based HTS microwave devices for communications applications. The High Temperature Space Experiment II (HTSSE II) is the first application of space HTS technology. The new generations of clearance seal mechanical refrigerators offer the potential for continuous long life high reliability operation, but there has been little space flight experience to demonstrate this potential. HTSSE II utilizes a British Aerospace 80K Stirling cycle cryocooler to cryocool a central cold bus of 7 HTS experiments and has an additional standalone TRW HTS experiment cooled by a TRW Stirling cycle cryocooler. In addition to introducing a HTS device space application, the goal of this paper is to provide an introduction to the cryogenic design of HTSSE II, the decision processes that formed it, and cryocooler integration design experience. The design presented has completed half of it’s qualification program and thus is preliminary in nature.
EFFECT OF DILUENTS ON THE RECOVERY OF MICROOGANISMS FROM FOODS

Two aspects of the recovery of bacteria from foods were examined: a comparison of the effects of two diluents, phosphate-buffered dilution water and 0.1% peptone on the recovery of eight bacterial strains and the total counts; and the effect of these diluents on the recovery during a period of 1 hr. No marked superiority of either diluent in terms of initial recoveries or of protection over a 1-hr time period was noted. On the average, however, recovery was as good or better in 0.1% peptone as in phosphate-buffered dilution water; the choice of diluent, therefore, is slightly in favor of 0.1% peptone, which seemed to yield higher recovery on more samples.
Temporal Trends in Utilization of Transthoracic Echocardiography for Common Outpatient Pediatric Cardiology Diagnoses over the Past 15 Years

Background No data exist regarding the temporal trends in utilization of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in an outpatient pediatric cardiology setting. This study evaluates the trends in utilization of TTE for common diagnoses known to have low diagnostic yield and the factors influencing these trends. Methods Patients evaluated at our pediatric cardiology clinics from January 2000 to December 2014 and discharged with final diagnoses of innocent murmur, noncardiac chest pain, benign syncope, and palpitations were included. Variables collected retrospectively included patient age, sex, insurance type, distance from clinic, and ordering physician's years of experience since fellowship. Results Of the 74,881 patients seen by 35 physicians, 36,053 (48.1%) had a TTE. The TTE rates increased from the beginning of 2000 to the end of 2004 (5.2% per year; P P P Conclusions After an initial surge in TTE utilization from 2000 to 2004, there was a steady decline. This study identifies some important factors influencing these trends. This information could help design quality interventions, but additional factors need to be explored since the trends persist despite adjusting for these factors.
Using measurable dosimetric quantities to characterize the inter-structural tradeoff in inverse planning

Traditional inverse planning relies on the use of weighting factors to balance the conflicting requirements of different structures. Manual trial-and-error determination of weighting factors has long been recognized as a time-consuming part of treatment planning. The purpose of this work is to develop an inverse planning framework that parameterizes the dosimetric tradeoff among the structures with physically meaningful quantities to simplify the search for clinically sensible plans. In this formalism, instead of using weighting factors, the permissible variation range of the prescription dose or dose volume histogram (DVH) of the involved structures are used to characterize the 'importance' of the structures. The inverse planning is then formulated into a convex feasibility problem, called the dosimetric variation-controlled model (DVCM), whose goal is to generate plans with dosimetric or DVH variations of the structures consistent with the pre-specified values. For simplicity, the dosimetric variation range for a structure is extracted from a library of previous cases which possess similar anatomy and prescription. A two-phase procedure (TPP) is designed to solve the model. The first phase identifies a physically feasible plan to satisfy the prescribed dosimetric variation, and the second phase automatically improves the plan in case there is room for further improvement. The proposed technique is applied to plan two prostate cases and two head-and-neck cases and the results are compared with those obtained using a conventional CVaR approach and with a moment-based optimization scheme. Our results show that the strategy is able to generate clinically sensible plans with little trial and error. In all cases, the TPP generates a very competitive plan as compared to those obtained using the alternative approaches. Particularly, in the planning of one of the head-and-neck cases, the TPP leads to a non-trivial improvement in the resultant dose distribution—the fractional volumes receiving a dose above 20 Gy for the spinal cord are reduced by more than 40% when compared to the alternative schemes, while maintaining the same PTV coverage. With physically more meaningful modeling of the inter-structural tradeoff, the reported technique enables us to substantially reduce the need for trial-and-error adjustment of the model parameters. The new formalism also opens new opportunities for incorporating prior knowledge to facilitate the treatment planning process.
Associations between safety climate and safety management practices in the construction industry

Background Safety climate, a group-level measure of workers’ perceptions regarding management's safety priorities, has been suggested as a key predictor of safety outcomes. However, its relationship with actual injury rates is inconsistent. We posit that safety climate may instead be a parallel outcome of workplace safety practices, rather than a determinant of workers’ safety behaviors or outcomes. Methods Using a sample of 25 commercial construction companies in Colombia, selected by injury rate stratum (high, medium, low), we examined the relationship between workers’ safety climate perceptions and safety management practices (SMPs) reported by safety officers. Results Workers’ perceptions of safety climate were independent of their own company's implementation of SMPs, as measured here, and its injury rates. However, injury rates were negatively related to the implementation of SMPs. Conclusions Safety management practices may be more important than workers’ perceptions of safety climate as direct predictors of injury rates.
A New Generation of Comfort Care Order Sets: Aligning Protocols with Current Principles.

Abstract Background: There are few published comfort care order sets for end-of-life symptom management, contributing to variability in treatment of common symptoms. At our academic medical centers, we have observed that rapid titration of opioid infusions using our original comfort care order set's titration algorithm causes increased discomfort from opioid toxicity. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the process and outcomes of a multiyear revision of a standardized comfort care order set for clinicians to treat end-of-life symptoms in hospitalized patients. Design: Our revision process included interdisciplinary group meetings, literature review and expert consultation, beta testing protocols with end users, and soliciting feedback from key committees at our institutions. We focused on opioid dosing and embedding treatment algorithms and guidelines within the order set for clinicians. Setting: The study was conducted at two large academic medical centers. Results: We developed and impleme...
Toward Valuing With Critical Systems Heuristics

Evaluation is defined by its central task of valuing—the process and product of judging the merit, worth, or significance of a policy or program. However, there are no clear-cut ways to consider va...
Nation Branding, Neoliberal Development, and the Remaking of the Nation-State: Lessons from Post-war Kosovo

Drawing on the case of post-war Kosovo, this chapter explores how nation branding intersects with a neoliberal development agenda. The author argues that Kosovo’s “Young Europeans” campaign was an effort to legitimize the adoption of economic policies and ideologies that served the interests of global capital rather than of the local population. Furthermore, the campaign articulated a post-ethnic, cosmopolitan, entrepreneurial national subject, while disregarding real social divisions. By juxtaposing the campaign’s messages with material indicators of life in Kosovo, the analysis raises questions about the winners and losers of neoliberal development. The chapter ends with lessons for a broader understanding of the changing nature of the nation-state under a neoliberal regime and suggests directions for future research at the intersection of public diplomacy and development communication.
Shape Coexistence and the Structure of Even-Even Se, Pd, and Ru Nuclei

New multiparameter (t, p-gamma-gamma-time) data are used to construct a 112Pd level scheme, which is combined with ISOL data and previous studies to establish the systematics of even-even Pd nuclei. The level structure of the even-even Pd nuclei is accounted for by mixed configuration IBM-II calculations, which include coexisting intruder state bands. The structure of 70Se and 102Ru are suggested to be modified by coexisting deformed and spherical bands, respectively.
Breast Feeding in Preterm Infants After Hospital Discharge

Historically there is a high rate of failure to breastfeed preterm infants after hospital discharge. The purpose of this study was to determine breastfeeding rates 6 weeks after hospital discharge in 2 groups of infants --Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW, Bt Wt < 1500 gm) and Low Birth Weight (LBW, Bt Wt 1500–2000 gm). A previous study in 1987 showed a 20% breastfeeding rate at 6 weeks after hospital discharge.
The city and county hospital of San Francisco: Recollections of far away and long ago

How savory a flavor wraps around old city hospitals ! Bellevue in New York with its noble facade and pediment rising above the grime of the Lower East Side; dingy Cook County, a plain deal and no fancy business ; New Orleans Charity Hospital, still with a Civil War odor about it that goes with two patients in a single bed and maybe another on a mattress underneath; the San Francisco City and County, built to serve the port into which wafted flotsam of seven seas as well as those who headed West and found in it their jumping-off place. Our hospitals with traditions as grey as those of the ancient Hotel Dieu on the Isle of Our Lady or the Salpetriere with old crones hobbling about the court under the lime trees as they did when Charcot watched them ; the Berlin CharitC where Virchow worked and taught; the Dublin Rotunda, with men lying on the bricks of the nearby empty lot, dozing off last night’s new paternal vigil. All of them, all city hospitals, each with its own particular private smell and flavor. University Hospitals? No, no ! Stately palaces of stately science. Like McSorley’s on East 7th Street versus the 21 Club. What makes the difference? It cannot be architecture; it must be the clientele, the drunks, the down-and-outers, the denizens of Skid Row and the girls from the cribs, if any such places (or persons) still exist; the clientele and the kind of doctor used to treating it. Unsifted clientele, not well mannered, not well washed, not suffering from rare and
A Role for Tyrosinase-Related Protein 1 in 4-tert-Butylphenol-Induced Toxicity in Melanocytes : Implications for Vitiligo

Vitiligo presents with depigmented cutaneous lesions following localized melanocyte death. Multiple factors contribute to cell death, including genetically determined susceptibility to trauma, and environmental factors, such as exposure to 4-tert-butylphenol (4-TBP). We demonstrate that 4-TBP induces oxidative stress that is more readily overcome by melanocytes from normally pigmented individuals than from two individuals with vitiligo. The antioxidant catalase selectively and significantly reduced death of melanocytes derived from two individuals with vitiligo, indicating a role for oxidative stress in vitiligo pathogenesis. In normal melanocytes, oxidative stress results in reduced expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF). Melanocyte-stimulating hormone-induced expression of MITF protein caused increased sensitivity to 4-TBP, whereas sensitivity of melanomas correlated with MITF expression. MITF stimulates melanin synthesis by up-regulating expression of melanogenic enzymes such as tyrosinase-related protein-1 (Tyrp1). Although melanin content per se did not affect sensitivity to 4-TBP, expression of Tyrp1 significantly increased sensitivity. Melanocytes and melanomas that express functional Tyrp1 were significantly more sensitive to 4-TBP than Tyrp1-null cells. Thus, normal melanocytes respond to 4-TBP by reducing expression of MITF and Tyrp1. We hypothesize that melanocytes in vitiligo demonstrate reduced ability to withstand oxidative stress due, partly, to a disruption in MITF regulation of Tyrp1.
Preinjury and Postinjury Factors That Predict Sports-Related Concussion and Clinical Recovery Time.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the relationship between preinjury risk factors (RFs) and subsequent occurrence of concussion and examine whether preinjury RFs or postinjury assessments predict clinical recovery in collegiate athletes. METHODS Risk factors (sex, sport, and self-report history of concussion, migraine, attention-deficit disorder, learning disability, depression, and anxiety) and Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT), depression/anxiety screenings, and neuropsychological testing were obtained before the season. For athletes who sustained concussion, RFs, postinjury SCAT, neuropsychological assessment, and clinical recovery were assessed. RESULTS We assessed 1152 athletes (69% male) at baseline and 145 (75% male) after subsequent concussion diagnosis. Only sport type (Wald = 40.29, P = 0.007) and concussion history (Wald = 9.91, P = 0.007) accounted for unique variance in subsequent concussion. Of athletes followed until full recovery, mean days until symptom-free (DUSF) was 9.84 ± 11.11 days (n = 138, median = 5 days, range = 1-86) and mean days until full return to play (DUFRTP) was 20.21 ± 19.17 (n = 98, median = 20.21, range = 4-150). None of the RFs or baseline testing measures were associated with DUSF or DUFRTP (P's > 0.05). After injury, athletes who reported more total symptoms (rs = 0.31, P < 0.001) and higher symptom severity (rs = 0.33, P < 0.001) exhibited longer DUSF. Days until symptom-free correlated with DUFRTP (rs = 0.75, P < 0.001). Among athletes assessed within 2 days after injury, DUSF was associated with Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Test visual motor (rs = -0.31, P = 0.004), reaction time (rs = 0.40, P < 0.001), and symptom score (rs = 0.54, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Only sport type and concussion history predicted subsequent occurrence of concussion, and none of the RFs or baseline measures predicted clinical recovery. Immediate postinjury assessments, including symptom number and severity, and select clinical measures predicted longer clinical recovery.
Conservation Biologists and the Representation of At-Risk Species: Navigating Ethical Tensions in an Evolving Discipline

Conservation biology is a discipline with the explicit goal of protecting species from extinction. We examine how conservation biologists represent at-risk species, how they navigate values and ethical tensions in the discipline, and how they might be more effective in reaching conservation goals. While these topics are discussed in the literature, we offer a unique empirical examination of how individuals perceive and perform conservation work. We conducted 29 interviews with conservation biologists and found that most respondents viewed their work as providing information but also felt that other species have intrinsic value and we should extend our ethical standards to include other species. However, many attempted to separate science from values, and some felt it was necessary to hide their values and ethical positions and avoid advocacy. While conservation biologists navigate these tensions differently, those who engage in advocacy will likely be more effective in reaching conservation goals. Current societal values and views on ethical extension, rather than a lack of science, represent the most significant impediment to addressing the extinction crisis.
Effects of Collapsing Data from Crossover Designs

Much behavioral research using within-subject designs employs special balancing methods to control for carryover effects and for period effects due to practice and fatigue. Unfortunately, analysis of data from these studies often does not make full use of the information available. Rather, data are analyzed after collapsing scores for a given treatment into a total for each subject. This method of data analysis is shown to produce bias in estimation of treatment effects and of the standard errors of such estimates. Therefore, both the nominal significance levels and the nominal power values for these analyses may be in error. A numerical example illustrates these difficulties. Recommendations are given for changes in experimental design and analysis methods that can obviate these difficulties.
The bivariate distribution of amyloid-β and tau: relationship with established neurocognitive clinical syndromes

Large phenotypically diverse research cohorts with both amyloid and tau PET have only recently come into existence. Our objective was to determine relationships between the bivariate distribution of amyloid-β and tau on PET and established clinical syndromes that are relevant to cognitive ageing and dementia. All individuals in this study were enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, a longitudinal population-based study of cognitive ageing, or the Mayo Alzheimer Disease Research Center, a longitudinal study of individuals recruited from clinical practice. We studied 1343 participants who had amyloid PET and tau PET from 2 April 2015 to 3 May 2019, and met criteria for membership in one of five clinical diagnostic groups: cognitively unimpaired, mild cognitive impairment, frontotemporal dementia, probable dementia with Lewy bodies, and Alzheimer clinical syndrome. We examined these clinical groups in relation to the bivariate distribution of amyloid and tau PET values. Individuals were grouped into amyloid (A)/tau (T) quadrants based on previously established abnormality cut points of standardized uptake value ratio 1.48 (A) and 1.33 (T). Individual participants largely fell into one of three amyloid/tau quadrants: low amyloid and low tau (A-T-), high amyloid and low tau (A+T-), or high amyloid and high tau (A+T+). Seventy per cent of cognitively unimpaired and 74% of FTD participants fell into the A-T- quadrant. Participants with mild cognitive impairment spanned the A-T- (42%), A+T- (28%), and A+T+ (27%) quadrants. Probable dementia with Lewy body participants spanned the A-T- (38%) and A+T- (44%) quadrants. Most (89%) participants with Alzheimer clinical syndrome fell into the A+T+ quadrant. These data support several conclusions. First, among 1343 participants, abnormal tau PET rarely occurred in the absence of abnormal amyloid PET, but the reverse was common. Thus, with rare exceptions, amyloidosis appears to be required for high levels of 3R/4R tau deposition. Second, abnormal amyloid PET is compatible with normal cognition but highly abnormal tau PET is not. These two conclusions support a dynamic biomarker model in which Alzheimer's disease is characterized first by the appearance of amyloidosis and later by tauopathy, with tauopathy being the proteinopathy associated with clinical symptoms. Third, bivariate amyloid and tau PET relationships differed across clinical groups and thus have a role for clarifying the aetiologies underlying neurocognitive clinical syndromes.
A comprehensive prospective examination of purposeful heading in American interscholastic and collegiate soccer players

Purpose: The popularity of soccer worldwide is unquestionable, yet the aspect of purposeful heading in the sport has drawn increasing scrutiny over the past 10 years. The reason for this is primari...
Digital Texts and Moral Questions About Immigration: Papers, Please and the Capacity for a Video Game to Stimulate Sociopolitical Discussion:

Scholars and critics have praised the video game, Papers, Please (PP), for raising critical awareness of sociopolitical issues, including immigration. To begin to determine whether PP stimulated pu...
Going over the cliff: MOOC dropout behavior at chapter transition

Participants’ engagement in massive online open courses (MOOCs) is highly irregular and self-directed. It is well known in the field of television media that substantial parts of the audience tend ...
The Emerging Role of Prepublication in Chemistry Education

The role of journal publications for academics has an interesting mix of long-standing values and new opportunities and challenges. As such, occasional adjustments to the expectations the Journal h...
Financing and resolving the ever-increasing humanitarian crises.

On 4 December 2019, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that financing to meet the existing humanitarian crises will increase in the coming year. ...
Estimating cardiorespiratory fitness from heart rates both during and after stepping exercise: a validated simple and safe procedure for step tests at worksites

Step test protocols are typically based on the heart rate (HR) measured either during exercise or during recovery. This study developed a new step test protocol to estimate maximal oxygen consumption ( $$\dot{\text{{V}}}{{\text{O}}}_{\text{2max}}$$ ) based on HRs measured during and after exercise, assessed the criterion validity of the model, and evaluated the protocol’s test–retest reliability. The protocol estimates $$\dot{\text{{V}}}{{\text{O}}}_{\text{2max}}$$ from HR measurements made once a minute during 3 min of step exercise and 2 min of recovery. The model was derived using a group of 118 working adults and cross-validated using a second group of 74 working adults. Furthermore, $$\dot{\text{{V}}}{{\text{O}}}_{\text{2max}}$$ was measured using a conventional treadmill test. While multiple regression analyses were used to develop prediction equations for $$\dot{\text{{V}}}{{\text{O}}}_{\text{2max}}$$ , intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to examine test–retest reliability. HRs during and after exercise significantly correlated with the measured $$\dot{\text{{V}}}{{\text{O}}}_{\text{2max}}$$ . The highest correlation (r = − 0.61) was for an HR index that combined values of HRs during and after exercise. A model including age, sex, body mass index, and the HR index accounted for 60% of the variance in measured $$\dot{\text{{V}}}{{\text{O}}}_{\text{2max}}$$ (standard error of the estimate, 4.05 mL kg−1 min−1 or 10.5%). Cross-validation analyses demonstrated good stability of the $$\dot{\text{{V}}}{{\text{O}}}_{\text{2max}}$$ prediction models. The ICC for the HR index was 0.65 (0.53–0.74), indicating fair to good reliability. The HR index, based on a combination of HR measurements during and after stepping exercise, offers a validated $$\dot{\text{{V}}}{{\text{O}}}_{\text{2max}}$$ estimation procedure suitable for use in the workplace.
Robot Failure Mode Prediction with Explainable Machine Learning

The ability to determine whether a robot’s grasp has a high chance of failing, before it actually does, can save significant time and avoid failures by planning for re-grasping or changing the strategy for that special case. Machine Learning (ML) offers one way to learn to predict grasp failure from historic data consisting of a robot’s attempted grasps alongside labels of the success or failure. Unfortunately, most powerful ML models are black-box models that do not explain the reasons behind their predictions. In this paper, we investigate how ML can be used to predict robot grasp failure and study the tradeoff between accuracy and interpretability by comparing interpretable (white box) ML models that are inherently explainable with more accurate black box ML models that are inherently opaque. Our results show that one does not necessarily have to compromise accuracy for interpretability if we use an explanation generation method, such as Shapley Additive explanations (SHAP), to add explainability to the accurate predictions made by black box models. An explanation of a predicted fault can lead to an efficient choice of corrective action in the robot’s design that can be taken to avoid future failures.