cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Usable declarative configuration specification and validation for applications, systems, and cloud

Diagnosing misconfiguration across modern software stacks is increasingly difficult. These stacks comprise multiple micro-services which are deployed across a combination of containers and hosts (VMs, physical machines) in a cloud or a data center. The existing approaches for detecting misconfiguration, whether rule-based or inference, are highly specialized (e.g., security only), cumbersome to write and maintain, geared towards a host (instead of container images), and can result into false-positives or false-negatives.This paper introduces configuration validation language (CVL), a declarative language for writing rules to detect misconfigurations that can, for instance, impact security, performance, functionality. We have built a system, ConfigValidator, which applies the CVL rules across a multitude of environments such as Docker images, running containers, host, and cloud. The system is running in production and has scanned thousands of Docker images and running containers for identifying misconfigurations.
Auditing, Attestation, and Financial Reporting for an Early American Charity

ABSTRACT: Our study examines assurance and attestation practices of the Charleston Orphan House from 1790 to 1825 and represents a response to Alchian and Demsetz's (1972) call for research into the nature of stewardship and agency costs among nonprofits by providing evidence of the largely unexplored early American practices (Moussalli 2008; Sargiacomo and Gomes 2011). We document the origins of the assurance and attestation techniques used to legitimize the Charleston Orphan House and to minimize the agency costs faced by its public and private funders. We find that assurance and attestation practices were reflected in the routine publication of the Committee on Accounts reports that served as vital elements of a governance structure that enabled the municipality and philanthropists to monitor the financial condition of the institution. These oversight efforts helped minimize agency costs that naturally arose between the Orphan House and resource providers, making it possible for the City of Charleston ...
Cod and the consumptive: a brief history of cod-liver oil in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis ravaged the Western world in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and was the chief cause of mortality among the epidemic diseases.1 Increases in population, urbanization and crowding, plus diets low in vitamins, proteins, and calories all may have fueled the tuberculosis epidemic in nineteenth-century Europe and America.2 While the disease affects many of the organs of the body, pulmonary tuberculosis caused the greatest burden of chronic disease and mortality in the population and attracted the most attention.3 Pulmonary tuberculosis is characterized by cough, sputum production, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and eventual hemoptysis (coughing blood). Characteristic nodules, called tubercles, appear in the lungs; these eventually progress to cavitary disease and loss of lung tissue. Over time, weight loss becomes striking, and patients become emaciated, weak, and pale; hence the disease was called "consumption," or "phthisis," the Greek term for wasting. Although an acute, rapidly progressive, and fatal form of the disease occurred, known as "galloping consumption," the disease was characteristically chronic, with
Participation of Women in Clinical Trials Supporting FDA Approval of Cardiovascular Drugs

Abstract Background Concerns exist that women are underrepresented in trials of cardiovascular medications. Objectives The authors sought to examine women’s participation and the reported safety and efficacy by gender for pivotal cardiovascular disease (CVD) trials submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supporting marketing applications. Methods On the basis of publicly available FDA reviews, the authors assessed enrollment of women in trials supporting 36 drug approvals from 2005 to 2015. Prevalence-corrected estimates for the participation of women were calculated as the percentage of women among trial participants divided by the percentage of women in the disease population (participation to prevalence ratio [PPR]), with a range between 0.8 and 1.2 reflecting similar representation of women in the trial and disease population. Sex differences in efficacy and safety were assessed. Results The proportion of women enrolled ranged from 22% to 81% (mean 46%). The calculated PPR by disease area was within or above the desirable range for atrial fibrillation (0.8 to 1.1), hypertension (0.9), and pulmonary arterial hypertension (1.4); PPR was Conclusions Women were well represented in trials of drugs for hypertension and atrial fibrillation, and overrepresented for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Representation of women fell below a PPR of 0.8 for trials in heart failure, coronary artery disease, and acute coronary syndrome. Minimal gender differences in drug efficacy and safety profiles were observed.
The Religious Origins of Disestablishment Principles

Some have argued that Establishment Clause jurisprudence is the enemy of religion, and, in particular, Christianity. This Article reaches an opposing conclusion: Core principles behind current Establishment Clause jurisprudence were derived from Christian denominations at the time of the founding. The United States did not begin as a unified Christian culture, but rather as a pluralistic collection of religious believers, some living in tension with other believers and some more tolerant. While it is true that the vast majority of denominations were Christian, the sense of difference among them was profound. There were Anglicans, Congregationalists, Methodists, Deists, Dutch Reformed, Baptists, Presbyterians, Quakers, and Catholics, as well as Jews. Protestants, taken as a whole, extended a strong influence, but the category, "Protestant," hides a wide array of religious beliefs and institutions - none of which ever held sole power over all of the colonies or states. The diversity of faith meant that there were numerous religious perspectives available to influence governing structures and theories. Conversely, it also means that no one religious tradition can claim sole responsibility for the structures that have been chosen. There are numerous distinctive influences that led to basic establishment principles recognized today, including (1) the functional separation of church and state in the society; (2) a prohibition on government preferring one religion over another; (3) a right against government coercion of belief; (4) government tolerance of all religious belief (even if not all religious conduct); and (5) the necessity of embracing the principles of democratic republican governance even as one is a member of a church that employs very different governing principles. This Article is an intellectual, religious history of the Establishment Clause. Today's Establishment Clause jurisprudence is illuminated when one learns how individual Christian denominations contributed to many of its basic principles.
Abdominal and Pelvic Masses

The pediatrician frequently asks the pediatric radiologist to verify the existence of an abdominal or pelvic mass and to suggest possible diagnoses. The imaging approach to such problems varies, but these basic principles must be followed: The initial procedure should be a three-view abdominal series (Chap. 4). When there is only a question of a mass, the least invasive procedure should be done first. Once a mass has been established, the work-up is guided by the patient’s age, the location of the mass, and the symptoms (Table 6.1). The following priorities should be kept in mind: (a) Since barium interferes with ultrasound, radionuclide imaging, CT, and excretory urogram, any barium examination should follow these studies. (b) If both a barium enema and an upper GI series are necessary, the barium enema should be performed first because barium is more readily cleared from the colon. The pediatric radiologist is the best source of information as to how the imaging work-up should proceed.
Materialism and Post-Mortem Survival

Whether we are to live in a future state, as it is the most important question which can possibly be asked, so it is the most intelligible one which can be expressed in language. Yet strange perplexities have been raised about the meaning of the identity or sameness of person, which is implied in the notion of our living now and hereafter, or any two successive moments. And the solutions of these difficulties have been stranger than the difficulties themselves. For personal identity has been explained so by some as to render the inquiry concerning a future life of no consequence at all to us the persons who are making it.
The Right to Life and Human Dignity

The exchange between Ramsey and Leon Kass is an important contemporary contribution to the critique of liberalism, a topic that has heated up with the growing awareness of multicultural concerns. Kass challenges the tradition of individual rights in contemporary ethical decision-making. “Friends of dignity,” Kass maintains, should be wary of the liberal tradition’s attempts to ground ethics in rights. Kass claims that there is more dignity in doing your duty and sacrificing on behalf of the other than in “standing on your rights.”
Neurotrophin Receptor Signaling

The neurotrophins, nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and neurotrophin-3 and -4, are a family of highly homologous proteins regulating neuronal survival and differentiation during the development of the vertebrate nervous system. They act through binding two types of receptors, a family of tyrosine kinase receptors, referred to as the Trks, and a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, p75NTR. This article discusses the mechanisms by which the receptors mediate the responses to neurotrophin or proneurotrophin binding.
HIGHER ORDER ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS

The processes of absorption and emission are one-photon processes because in every transition, the field either loses or gains a photon while the atom undergoes a corresponding change of state to keep the total energy constant. Processes that involve two photons are scattering, two-photon absorption, and two-photon emission. This chapter presents the general form for Raman scattering. The energy of the scattered radiation can be lower or higher than the energy of the incident radiation. Therefore, the process is inelastic and involves energetic changes in internal degrees of freedom. The Kramers–Heisenberg formula may be converted to another form that is more adaptable for discussions of Raman and Rayleigh scattering.
Three Conceptions of Religious Freedom

This essay explores three strands of thought that intertwine in the American legal literature of religious freedom, which can roughly be characterized as individualist, institutionalist and peoplehood. These conceptions correspond roughly to the three historically prominent American religious groups, respectively, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish. The three conceptions, viewed together, provide a pluralist approach to religious freedom which may be stronger than any of the three alone could provide. This has important implications for how courts and agencies should respect the fundamentally different claims which religious groups make upon the concept of freedom. This paper was prepared for the Israel Democracy Institute’s International Conference on the Role of Religion in Human Rights Discourse in Jerusalem.
Cultural basis for diabetes-related beliefs among low- and high-education African American, American Indian, and white older adults

OBJECTIVES: Racial and ethnic disparities in diabetes and subsequent complications are often attributed to culture; however, previous diabetes disparities research is restricted to in-depth ethnic-specific samples or to comparative study designs with limited belief assessment. The goal of our study was to improve understanding of the cultural basis for variation in diabetes beliefs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Rural North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: Older adults (aged 60+) with diabetes, equally divided by ethnicity (White, African American, American Indian) and sex (N=593). INTERVENTIONS: Guided by Explanatory Models of Illness and Cultural Consensus research traditions, trained interviewers collected data using 38 items in four diabetes belief domains: causes, symptoms, consequences, and medical management. Items were obtained from the Common Sense Model of Diabetes Inventory (CSMDI). MAIN OUTCOME: Beliefs about diabetes. Response options for each diabetes belief item were "agree," "disagree" and "don't know." Collected data were analyzed using Anthropac (version 4.98) and Latent Gold (version 4.5) programs. RESULTS: There is substantial similarity in diabetes beliefs among African Americans, American Indians and Whites. Diabetes beliefs were most similar in the symptoms and consequences domains compared to beliefs pertaining to causes and medical management. Although some discrete beliefs differed by ethnicity, systematic differences by ethnicity were observed for specific educational groups. CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic conditions influence diabetes beliefs rather than ethnicity per se. Ethn Dis. 2012;22[4]:466–472
Mechanical properties of the Papio anubis tympanic membrane: Change significantly from infancy to adulthood.

Abstract Mechanical properties of the tympanic membrane (TM) are important for studying the transfer function of the auditory system. However, nearly all reported human data are limited to adults because of the unavailability of temporal bones from children. In this study, we used the baboon ( Papio anubis ), a genetically close human relative, as a model to address the occurrence of age-dependent changes of the human TM. Forty-five baboon TMs were characterized in five age groups: 5 years of age, comparable to human ages ranging from newborn to adult. The elastic properties of the baboon TMs were characterized by a micro-fringe projection technique. Volume displacement of the TM under quasi-static pressure was first determined from its micro-fringe pattern. Subsequently, these displacement values were used in a finite element model to derive mechanical properties. The Young's modulus of the baboon TM exhibited a modest decrease from 29.1 MPa to 26.0 MPa over the age groups. The average Young's modulus was ∼1.4 times higher than that of the adult human TM. This is the first time that age-related TM mechanical properties of high primate are reported. These new findings may help to explore the potential value of the baboon as a new primate model for future age-related hearing research on the normal and diseased ear.
Design Space Exploration of Ovonic Threshold Switch (OTS) for Sub-Threshold Read Operation in Cross-Point Memory Arrays

We perform SPICE based simulations to identify the possibility and challenges of a sub-threshold read operation in a cross-point one-selector and one-resistive memory (1S-1R) array enabled by an ovonic threshold switch (OTS) with a high threshold voltage (Vth) and strong non-linearity of a sub-threshold regime. Here, it is important to read an on/off ratio below the Vth, where the OTS has not yet been turned on, leading to robust reliability characteristics of the 1S-1R. We show that the on/off ratio can be observed by adjusting the resistance range of the memory close to the threshold resistance of the OTS. Then, increasing the non-linearity in the sub-threshold regime of the OTS improves the on/off ratio. However, reading the obtained on/off ratio even in very small array is difficult due to sneak-path currents. Therefore, a low off-current of the OTS should be lower than 0.1 nA at 1 V to ensure a minimum readable on/off ratio (∼2 ×) in the array.
On dynamics of infinite-equilibrium systems

In this paper, dynamical systems with infinite-equilibriums is discussed through the local analysis. A computational method for equilibriums in nonlinear dynamical systems is developed which extends the Newton–Raphson method for solving nonlinear algebraic equations. The generalized normal forms of nonlinear dynamical systems at equilibriums are presented for a better understanding of singularity in nonlinear dynamical systems. At bifurcation points of equilibriums, the corresponding dynamical systems may become infinite-equilibrium systems. The dynamics of infinite-equilibrium dynamical systems is discussed through a few examples for demonstration of complexity and singularity in infinite-equilibrium systems.
Conformity of the Actual to the Planned Result in Orthognathic Surgery.

BACKGROUND Virtual surgical planning has facilitated preoperative planning, splint accuracy, and intraoperative efficiency in orthognathic surgery. The translation of the virtual surgical plan to the actual result has not been adequately examined. The authors examined the conformity of the virtual surgical plan to the postoperative result. They hypothesize that the greatest conformity exists in the anteroposterior dimensions. METHODS The authors examined patients who underwent Le Fort I maxillary advancement, bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, and genioplasty. The preoperative virtual surgical planning file and postoperative cone beam computed tomographic scan were registered in Mimics using unchanged landmarks. The conformity to the virtual surgical plan was quantified using linear and angular measurements between bone surface landmarks. Results were compared using t tests, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant RESULTS:: One hundred patients who underwent Le Fort I maxillary advancement, bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, and genioplasty were included. Three-dimensional analysis showed significant differences between the plan and outcome for the following landmarks: A point (y, p = 0.04; z, p = 0.04), B point (y, p = 0.02; z, p = 0.02), pogonion (y, p = 0.04), menton (x, p = 0.02; y, p = 0.01; z, p = 0.03), and anterior nasal spine (x, p = 0.04; y, p = 0.04; z, p = 0.01). Angular measurements sella-nasion-A point, sella-nasion-B point, and A point-nasion-B point were not statistically different. CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of conformity comparing the orthognathic virtual surgical plan to the actual postoperative result. However, some incongruency is seen vertically (maxilla) and sagittally (mandible, chin). Departures of the actual position compared with the plan could be the result of condylar position changes, osteotomy locations, aesthetic intraoperative decisions, and/or play in the system.
A population-based study of sociodemographic and clinical factors among children and adolescents with opioid overdose.

Abstract Study objective An upsurge of high-risk opioid misuse has contributed to the epidemic of opioid overdose in the United States. The primary aim was to report the rate of opioid overdose among the pediatric population and to report demographic and medical differences among POD versus IOD populations. Design Retrospective descriptive analysis of opioid overdose using the largest pediatric inpatient database in the United States. We performed a Pearson chi-square and Wilcoxon rank sum test to compare differences between cohorts. Setting Multi-institutional. Patients Data were obtained from the Kids' Inpatient Database of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. We used the International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision codes to extract records of pediatric patients who were admitted for POD or IOD from 2000 to 2012. Interventions None. Measurements None. Main results The final analysis included 15,884 patients admitted to a United States hospitals with opioid overdose. The rate of POD and IOD has increased steadily from 2000 to 2012. Black, Asian or Pacific Islander, Native American, Multi-race, and Unknown race had higher proportion of POD versus IOD (p Conclusions Our findings reinforce existing studies that report a continued rise in opioid morbidity and mortality while providing new insights into sociodemographic patterns and comorbidities associated with POD versus IOD.
The child sensorium as privileged biopolitical resource: Sensory care and the burden of emotional control in middle class North American childhood:

This article draws on ethnographic and archival material to examine a contemporary, neuroscience informed politics of care focused on the child sensorium (understood as an embodied neurobiological ...
Perspectives Regarding Hospice Services and Transfusion Access: Focus Groups With Blood Cancer Patients and Bereaved Caregivers

Abstract Context Patients with blood cancers have low rates of timely hospice use. Barriers to hospice use for this population are not well understood. Lack of transfusion access in most hospice settings is posited as a potential reason for low and late enrollment rates. Objectives We explored the perspectives of patients with blood cancers and their bereaved caregivers regarding the value of hospice services and transfusions. Methods Between June 2018 and January 2019, we conducted three focus groups with blood cancer patients with an estimated life expectancy of six months or less and two focus groups with bereaved caregivers of patients with blood cancers. We asked participants their perspectives regarding quality of life (QOL) and about the potential association of traditional hospice services and transfusions with QOL. A hematologic oncologist, sociologist, and qualitatively trained research assistant conducted thematic analysis of the data. Results Twenty-seven individuals (18 patients and nine bereaved caregivers) participated in the five focus groups. Participants identified various QOL domains that were important to them but focused largely on a desire for energy to maintain physical/functional well-being. Participants considered transfusions a high-priority service for their QOL. They also felt that standard hospice services were important for QOL. Bereaved caregivers reported overall positive experiences with hospice. Conclusion Our analysis suggests that although patients with blood cancers value hospice services, they also consider transfusions vital to their QOL. Innovative care delivery models that combine the elements of standard hospice services with other patient-valued services like transfusions are most likely to optimize end-of-life care for patients with blood cancers.
3.316 – Immunohistochemistry

Immunohistochemistry is a valuable tool for the identification and visualization of tissue antigens in biological research and clinical diagnostics. Immunohistochemistry can characterize various biological processes or pathologies, such as wound-healing, immune response, tissue rejection, and tissue–biomaterial interactions. Specific antigen–antibody reactions can localize key molecules (e.g., cytokines, enzymes, transcription factors) associated with each process within the tissues. Combined use of antibodies for such molecules and cell type-specific markers can identify the major cell sources and examine cell phenotypic changes (e.g., differentiation, activation). The careful validation and protocol optimization, as well as selection of the proper microscopy methods (bright-field vs. fluorescence microscopy), enable us to obtain specific and reproducible results. In addition, various newly developed fluorescent dyes, excellent color contrast, high resolution, and the possibility of simultaneous multicolor imaging make immunofluorescence microscopy a convenient tool for studying pathobiological processes at the cellular level. This chapter provides a general introduction to immunohistochemistry, including background information about antibody–antigen interaction, labeling techniques, tissue processing, basic immunohistochemical methods, and data interpretation. It also discusses the impact of immunohistochemistry in biomaterial research and current understanding of the pathological processes of wound-healing after implantation.
Survival Outcomes Following Lymph Node Biopsy in Thin Melanoma—A Propensity-Matched Analysis

The use of sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with T1 melanoma ≤ 1 mm has not been reported in a prospective clinical trial setting, so these clinical outcomes remain understudied. This study seeks to evaluate overall survival (OS) with and without lymph node biopsy (LNB) in patients with clinical T1N0M0 melanoma (0.5–1.0 mm). Patients were identified using the National Cancer Data Base (2004–2012). After stratification into 0.5–0.7-mm and 0.8–1.0-mm groups, patients undergoing LNB were propensity score-matched 1:1 to patients not undergoing LNB. OS was compared using the Kaplan–Meier method and the stratified log-rank test. Resection was performed in 28,846 patients, and LNB in 14,028 (49%); 15,194 were included in propensity score-matched analysis. The LNB and no-LNB groups were well balanced on all studied covariates (standardized mean difference < 0.10). Among patients with tumors 0.5–0.7 mm, 5- and 10-year OS were 94.7% and 82.7%, respectively, for the LNB group compared with 94.3% and 84.4% for the no-LNB group (p = 0.35). Among patients with tumors 0.8–1.0 mm in thickness, 5- and 10-year OS were 93.9% and 81.6%, respectively, for the LNB group compared with 90.3% and 74.3% for the no-LNB group (p < 0.0001). There was no difference in OS by LNB status in patients with lesions 0.5–0.7 mm, consistently with recommendations against its routine use in this group. In lesions 0.8–1.0 mm, receipt of LNB was associated with a clinically small but significant improvement in OS. Further study is warranted to better understand this outcome difference.
Surface Interrogation of Electrodeposited MnO x and CaMnO 3 Perovskites by Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy: Probing Active Sites and Kinetics for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Surface interrogation scanning electrochemical microscopy (SI-SECM) of two electrodeposited manganese-based electrocatalysts, amorphous MnOx and perovskite CaMnO3 , was used to investigate the manganese oxidation state relating to the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) under neutral conditions. The results indicate the amounts of MnIII and MnIV species in MnOx and CaMnO3 depend on potential. A MnV species was identified in both structures during the OER. Time-delay titration of MnV further revealed that MnOx produced two types of active sites with different OER reaction rates: k'fast (MnOx )=1.21 s-1 and k'slow (MnOx )=0.24 s-1 . In contrast, CaMnO3 perovskites in which the MnV species formed at a less positive potential than that in MnOx , displayed only one kinetic behavior with a faster reaction rate of 1.72 s-1 .
Exploring the Origins of Intense Magnetism in Early M-Dwarf Stars

We present the results of new global 3D MHD simulations of early M-Dwarf stars, exploring the influence that a tachocline of shear has on their instantaneous and long-term magnetic activity.
Typical preschoolers’ perceptions of augmentative and alternative communication modes of a preschooler with autism spectrum disorder

Understanding typical preschoolers' perceptions of communication modes could help guide augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study explored the perceptions of 16 typically developing preschoolers toward an (a) AAC application (app) on a tablet, (b) picture exchange using a binder with printed Picture Communication SymbolsTM, and (c) prelinguistic communication used by a preschooler with ASD in a series of videos the preschoolers watched. Using a multi-method design, the study implemented both quantitative (rank ordering and preference selection) and qualitative (interview) methodologies. Quantitative results revealed the typical preschoolers had a clear overall preference for the AAC app, but variation in preference existed when selecting a communication mode to use in specific social scenarios. Qualitative data show the children more easily understood the child with ASD when he used the AAC app and associated tablets with fun, which may have accounted for positive perceptions of this AAC mode. The study is exploratory in nature and limited by its size and scope. However, it provides insights useful for clinicians' understanding not just how typical preschoolers perceive various modes of communication, but also why they may perceive some more favorably than others, in order to tailor intervention accordingly.
Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma: Origin and Outcome

Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is an uncommon complication that can arise following insertion of a textured surface breast implant. This cancer presents as delayed fluid collection around a textured implant or surrounding scar capsule. BIA-ALCL can arise in either silicone or saline implants but only in textured implants to date and may be related to the shedding of surface particulate, which occurs in textured rather than smooth implants. Delayed seromas are not common, but upon their occurrence, there is a need to investigate for BIA-ALCL. Diagnosis of BIA-ALCL requires a monoclonal T-cell expansion of large anaplastic cells that express CD30. Treatment of BIA-ALCL involves surgical ablation with explantation of the implant and a capsulectomy, which can be curative if the disease is contained to the capsule. Testing, appropriate imaging, and oncology consultation are essential prior to any surgical intervention. The understanding of the etiology, disease progression, and treatment is important in the prevention, early diagnosis, and effective treatment of BIA-ALCL.
Innovating Ugandan Music on the Global Stage: A Case Study of Herbert Kinobe's Work

Recent years have seen a growth in ethnomusicological research on traditional African music performance on the global stage (Klein 2007; Dutiro and Howard 2007; and Dor 2014). Ethnomusicologists now have a body of research that explores the reinvention of traditional African musical practices in global contexts. Contributing to this growing body of scholarship, this paper examines the idea of musical innovation from the innovator's perspective. In a case study of American-based Ugandan instrumentalist, singer, and instrument maker, Herbert Kinobe, I demonstrate how he makes use of his global influences to transform traditional Ugandan musical sounds and instruments for his international audience. Drawing on interviews with the artist and musical analysis of his work, I examine three areas of his innovation process. These are: amplification of traditional musical instruments, reinvention of their structural parts, and alteration of their tuning systems. I argue that Kinobe's process, which is rooted in his creative approach to innovation, gives his musical sounds and instruments a global appeal while allowing for them to maintain their core cultural identities.
Direct Observation of Glucose Raman Fingerprint from in vivo Skin

We demonstrate the direct observation of glucose Raman peaks from in vivo skin. The signal intensities varied proportional to the reference glucose levels and tracking spectral intensity based on the linearity enabled accurate prospective prediction.
Generic Skills Development in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries and Graduate Outcomes: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Generic skills are essential because today’s jobs and the future of work require flexibility, initiative, and the ability to undertake many different tasks. While higher education graduates in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries recognize the contribution of these skills in their academics and workplace performance, generic skills development is not a consistent part of their education, which has led to socioeconomic challenges. If higher education placed a great emphasis on developing generic skills, students would expect to have pragmatic benefits, such as academic success, boosting workplace performance, positive interpersonal relationships, and better health and overall well-being. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic review has been conducted to examine generic skills development outcomes in the GCC. Hence, this systematic review aims to identify, evaluate, and summarize findings from peer-reviewed and policy-related studies that have documented generic skills development outcomes in the GCC countries, including identifying broad definitions used and areas for future research. The findings demonstrated conclusive evidence regarding the effectiveness of generic skills development at the higher education level in enhancing graduate outcomes in employability promotion skills, enhancing stakeholder engagement in curriculum and instruction, academic or workplace performance, influences on health, and effects on social dimensions.
Codification, Decodification and Recodification: History, Politics and Procedure

The purpose of this article is to provide insights into the role of codification in a number of countries around the world, based on the author’s experiences in legal education and in law reform. In each case the author looks at the various codifications in the context of the country’s history and its own legal culture.
Recirculating bone marrow B cells in C57BL/6 mice are more tolerant of highly hydrophobic and highly charged CDR-H3s than those in BALB/c mice

Summary To test whether mechanisms controlling the range of diversity of the developing antibody repertoire in C57BL/6 mice (IgH b ) operate similarly to those identified in BALB/c mice (IgH a ), we compared the sequences of VH7183-containing H-chain transcripts from sorted adult bone marrow C57BL/6 B-cell subsets with those previously obtained from BALB/c mice. Patterns of VDJ gene segment utilization and CDR-H3 amino acid composition, charge, and average length in C57BL/6 pro-B cells were similar, although not identical, to BALB/c pro-B cells. However, C57BL/6 mature, recirculating B cells failed to demonstrate the reduction in the use of VH81X and the narrowing in the range of variance of CDR-H3 hydrophobicity that characterizes B-cell maturation in BALB/c mice. To further test the ability of the C57BL/6 strain to discard B cells expressing highly charged CDR-H3s, we introduced a mutant IgH a DH allele that forces use of arginine, asparagine and histidine. Unlike BALB/c mice, C57BL/6 mice congenic for the charged DH maintained normal numbers of mature, recirculating B cells that were enriched for charged CDR-H3s. Together; these findings indicate that the mature C57BL/6 B-cell pool permits expression of immunoglobulins with antigen binding sites that are typically discarded during late stage bone marrow B-cell development in BALB/c mice.
A 6GS/s, 4-bit receiver analog-to-digital converter with embedded DFE

A 4-bit 6GS/s A/D converter is designed for a serial-link receiver and features an embedded adjustable one-tap DFE. Feedback-delay is relaxed through applying DFE to a 10-way interleaved pipelined architecture. Code-overlapping is used to remove residual ISI. Measured performance at 6GS/s shows 22.5dB of low-frequency input SNDR. DFE tap-coefficient is adjustable from 0 to 0.25 with 6-bits of programmable weight. The 1.8/spl times/1.6mm/sup 2/ chip is fabricated in 0.18/spl mu/m CMOS technology and consumes 780mW at 1.8V power-supply.
Magnetic resonance imaging and aneurysm clips

The problem of implanted metals causing tissue damage by movement in patients exposed to MRI fields has produced a confusing welter of erroneous, pseudoscientific publications about magnetics, metals, medical equipment, and tissue compatibility. Quite simply, among the devices made for implantation, only those fabricated of stainless steel have the ferromagnetic properties capable of causing such accidents. The author, who introduced the basic design of the modern aneurysm clip in the late 1960s and then a cobalt nickel alloy as an improvement over steel, while chairing the neurosurgical committee assigned to the task of establishing neurosurgical standards at American Society for Testing and Materials, exposes this flawed information and offers clear guidelines for avoiding trouble.
Learning and Team Attributes in an Enterprise Systems Simulation

A team-based enterprise systems simulation is used in an MBA class to enhance students’ knowledge of business processes and enterprise systems’ capabilities. Before the simulation begins, and after each distinct phase of the simulation exercise, student perceptions regarding individual learning and team attributes are assessed. The authors then investigate the relationship between team performance, individual knowledge, team attributes, and the simulation phase. All teams showed a similar increase in business process knowledge and enterprise systems skill as the simulation progressed to more advanced phases, while some behavioral attributes – such as team potency and individual satisfaction – appeared relatively constant across simulation phases but differ significantly depending on the team’s performance. Other attributes, such as role clarity and the number of within-team interactions, appeared to change more over time for certain types of teams than for others.
Varieties of Black Queer Religious Experiences

This article reflects on the ways in which Roger Sneed, in his book Representations of Homosexuality, expands on the limited discourse around Black gay men and wrestles with the problematic ways they enter African American religious discourse. The implications of limited representations of homosexuality are abundant and this article focuses on two specific challenges. First, it explores the implications of representing homosexuals as victims, problems, or plague and the ways that this interconnects with recent discourse on bullying and suicide among Black gay youth. Second, it suggests a reframing of the religious discourse around the varieties of religious experiences described in Black gay literature. It does this in order to rethink the centrality of the Black church and to focus more on the sacramental nature of the everyday lives of Black gay men and the unresolved ambiguities which are present in all of life.
Automated support for program refactoring using invariants

Program refactoring-transforming a program to improve readability, structure, performance, abstraction, maintainability, or other features-is not applied in practice as much as might be desired. One deterrent is the cost of detecting candidates for refactoring and of choosing the appropriate refactoring transformation. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of automatically finding places in the program that are candidates for specific refactorings. The approach uses program invariants: when a particular pattern of invariant relationships appears at a program point, a specific refactoring is applicable. Since most programs lack explicit invariants, an invariant detection tool called Daikon is used to infer the required invariants. We developed an invariant pattern matcher for several common refactorings and applied it to an existing Java code base. Numerous refactorings were detected, and one of the developers of the code base assessed their efficacy.
Substrate noise-aware floorplanning for mixed-signal SOCs

To reduce substrate-coupling noise in mixed-signal SOCs, we propose a new floorplanning method that considers substrate-coupling noise and adjusts placement of digital and analog blocks to reduce the influence of digital switching on the performance of sensitive analog circuits. A simple model of the influence of distance between blocks on distortion is used to compute a distortion number for a layout. As a result of noise optimization during floorplanning, the distortion numbers for MCNC benchmark-based circuits are significantly reduced compared to floorplans generated without optimizing for noise. Experimental results are very encouraging.
Modulation of AraC family member activity by protein ligands

A number of AraC family transcriptional activators bind low-molecular-weight ligands that modulate the activity of these proteins. Recently, it has become clear that the activity of several virulence-related AraC family members is regulated through the direct interaction of protein ligands. These interactions, in general, function to activate or repress the transcription of virulence genes in response to specific extracellular stimuli. The identification and characterization of several protein ligands that modify the activity of AraC family members in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella enterica are discussed herein.
Design and control of 2kW class power takeoff unit for rotating body type wave energy converter

The hydraulic power takeoff converter has been commonly applied to the rotating body type wave energy converters. It is because the hydraulic converter is more suited for dealing with periodic oscillating property of the body in a cost effective way. In order to extract wave energy effectively, the pressure and flow rate of the working fluid in the hydraulic converter should be kept adequately reflecting the period and height of given ocean wave. The pressure and the flow rate of the working fluid have effects on providing desired phase between incident wave and rotating body, and achieving optimum amplitude for the rotating body, respectively. To accomplish these objects together, a flexible controller is required reflecting the large variety of real ocean wave conditions. If the desired flexibility is limited, this may seriously affect the energy absorbing efficiency. The controller is designed to maintain the pressure and the flow rate of the working fluid at an optimum condition according to the given incident waves.
Conversational role influences speech imitation

This study assessed the impact of a conscious imitation goal on phonetic convergence during conversational interaction. Twelve pairs of unacquainted talkers participated in a conversational task designed to elicit between-talker repetitions of the same lexical items. To assess the degree to which the talkers exhibited phonetic convergence during the conversational task, these repetitions were used to elicit perceptual similarity judgments provided by separate sets of listeners. In addition, perceptual measures of phonetic convergence were compared with measures of articulation rates and vowel formants. The sex of the pair of talkers and a talker’s role influenced the degree of phonetic convergence, and perceptual judgments of phonetic convergence were not consistently related to individual acoustic-phonetic attributes. Therefore, even with a conscious imitative goal, situational factors were shown to retain a strong influence on phonetic form in conversational interaction.
Equilibrium characterization of fluid-saturated continua and an interpretation of the saturation boundary condition assumption for solid-fluid mixtures

Abstract This paper addresses several issues related to the equilibrium of solid-fluid mixtures. This work generalizes previous work, which was restricted to homogeneously deformed cuboids and focused on specification of auxiliary saturation boundary conditions. In particular, the equilibrium states of nonhomogeneously deformed interacting continua have been characterized for cases where not only the boundary of the mixture but also the entire domain of the mixture is in a saturated state. This characterization has been employed to demonstrate that the assumption of a saturated state at the boundary is compatible with the equilibrium equations and the associated boundary conditions in the context of the Theory of Interacting Continua. Furthermore, it has been shown that the saturation boundary condition assumptions necessarily require the mixture domain to be in a saturated state for equilibrium problems where the mixture boundary is continuously in contact with an infinite fluid bath, thereby validating the use of saturation boundary conditions in previous work.
Biodistribution and radioimmunopharmacokinetics of 131I-Ama monoclonal antibody in atherosclerotic rabbits

Monoclonal antibodies have been raised against Ama isolated from human and experimental atherosclerotic plaque. 131I-Ama-MoAb in the whole antibody form was injected into normal NZW rabbits and Watanabe hyperlipidemic rabbits. Biodistribution studies showed that atheromatous aortas had a significantly higher (5-7X) uptake of 131I-Ama-MoAb than that of normal aortas. However, 131I-Ama-MoAb was cleared very slowly from atherosclerotic rabbits. As a result, atheromas could not be identified by imaging because of the low target to non-target ratios.
Impact of hospital market competition on endovascular aneurysm repair adoption and outcomes

Objective The share of total abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repairs performed by endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) increased rapidly from 32% in 2001 to 65% in 2006 with considerable variation between states. We hypothesized that hospitals in competitive markets were early EVAR adopters and had improved AAA repair outcomes. Methods Nationwide Inpatient Sample and linked Hospital Market Structure (HMS) data was queried for patients who underwent repair for nonruptured AAA in 2003. In HMS, the Herfindahl Hirschman Index (HHI, range 0-1) is a validated and widely accepted economic measure of competition. Hospital markets were defined using a variable geographic radius that encompassed 90% of discharged patients. We conducted bivariate and multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses for the dependent variable of EVAR use. A propensity score-adjusted multivariable logistic regression model was used to control for treatment bias in the assessment of competition on AAA repair outcomes. Results A weighted total of 21,600 patients was included in our analyses. Patients at more competitive hospitals (lower HHI) were at increased odds of undergoing EVAR vs open repair (odds ratio, 1.127 per 0.1 decrease in HHI; P Conclusions Greater hospital competition is significantly associated with increased EVAR adoption at a time when diffusion of this technology passed its tipping point. Hospital competition does not influence post-AAA repair outcomes. These results suggest that adoption of novel vascular technology is not solely driven by clinical indications but may also be influenced by market forces.
PV system reliability: lessons learned from a fleet of 333 systems

The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) from PV systems can be reduced by maximizing the energy production of existing/future PV plants through increased availability. This can be achieved by detailed study of root cause and failure analysis of component failures leading to a systematic progress towards improving the reliability of various sub-systems. SunEdison owns/operates ~500 sites across the world and systematically collects field failure data in addition to power output and weather data. Analysis of this information allows following-up on corrective actions to eliminate/minimize the re-occurrence of failures and leads to continuous improvements. This paper will analyze some of the key findings from the system failures as follows: - Inverter failures not only cause most of the system outages, but also result in substantial energy losses. Component failures in PCBs and inverter software/firmware bugs are the most common root cause of system outages - From a systemic root cause perspective, lack of robust quality systems at multiple levels of the supply chain is quite evident, which points toward the need for collectively inculcating the quality culture at every stage of the supply chain - This paper will try to establish the need for "Continuous Improvement Process" (CIP) where systemic issues are confronted and solutions are internalized in the operating procedures as the only path to improving component reliability - For a given level of reliability, cost associated with servicing the plant becomes critical. This paper highlights the importance of using "cost of ownership" metrics for making procurement decisions