cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ADVANCES IN MULTILINGUAL TEXT RETRIEVAL

Multilingual text retrieval extends the basic monolingual detection task to include retrieving relevant documents in languages other than the query language. The task therefore merges efforts in machine translation with efforts in text retrieval, but the machine translation component may be substantially simplified due to some basic assumptions about the design and implementation of high-performance text retrieval systems. A primary consideration is that most modern text retrieval systems regard queries and documents as unordered "bags" of words. The translation of an unordered set of terms is therefore approximately the translation of the terms themselves. Although a linearity assumption such as this breaks down when considering phrasal elements in most languages, it is reasonably accurate for many terms and becomes increasingly accurate at the sentence level and above.
Single-Image Measurements of Monochromatic Subdiffraction Dimolecular Separations

One of the current challenges in single-molecule imaging is the dynamic separation measurement between two subdiffraction-separated identical fluorophores. The combined intensity profile of two subdiffraction separated fluorophores can be approximated by a 2D Gaussian function, and we have developed a simple method to measures the dimolecular separation using this combined Gaussian intensity profile. By measuring the standard deviation (SD) of the convolved Gaussian image we show that we can (1) differentiate dimers from monomers and (2) measure the dimolecular separation with a known precision depending on the number of detected photons, all using a single image of milliseconds exposure time. We have constructed diagrams showing (a) the number of photons required to differentiate dimers from monomers, (b) dimer SD vs. separation, and (c) the precision in the measured dimer separation. This study demonstrates a simple method that allows dynamic measurements of monochromatic subdiffraction dimolecular separations. For example, a single image of 10,000 collected photons in 100 ms can determine the dimolecular separation down to 70 nm with a precision of 20 nm.
Analysis of contact between transversely isotropic coated surfaces: development of stress and displacement relationships using FEM

Abstract The problem of an elastic cylinder in normal contact between transversely isotropic layered substrate surfaces is investigated using the finite element method (FEM). A two-dimensional finite element model is developed which accurately determines the normal stress, contact length, and approach distance of layered surfaces. Numerical results, which are initially verified using Hertzian theory, are obtained at 756 distinct conditions by varying coating material, coating thickness, normal load, cylinder radius, and cylinder material. The numerical results are normalized with respect to Hertzian contact theory and a dimensionless anisotropic coating material parameter, ζ, is introduced. Numerical expressions for the normalized maximum normal stress, contact length, and approach distance are subsequently determined by curve-fitting the results of the 756 simulations performed. The relevance of such expressions are ascertained and discussed by comparing predicted results to isotropic layer theory presented by Gupta and Walowit [P.K. Gupta, J.A. Walowit. Contact stresses between an elastic cylinder and a layered elastic solid, ASME J. Lubrication Technol., Vol. 94 (1974) pp. 250–274.]
Hippocampic Theta Rhythm

A prominent theta rhythm dominates the EEG of rodents such as rabbits, rats and mice. This rhythmical activity is preponderant in the hippocampus and may become quite widespread; it is usually arousal-related and generated by cholinergic mechanisms. This pattern has been intensively studied by experimental neuroscientists but is rather little known in circles of clinical electroencephalographers. Hippocampic theta rhythm is also found in canines and felines but at a clearly lesser degree and is practically absent in monkeys and humans. An olfactory memory of the macrosmatic rodents helps us understand "the world in which they live," their EEG patterns being an objective sign of their neuropsychology.
Non-negatively Weighted #CSP: An Effective Complexity Dichotomy

We prove a complexity dichotomy theorem for all non-negatively weighted counting Constraint Satisfaction Problems (#CSP). This caps a long series of important results on counting problems, including unweighted and weighted graph homomorphisms and the celebrated dichotomy theorem for unweighted #CSP. Our dichotomy theorem gives a succinct criterion for tractability. If a set F of constraint functions satisfies the criterion, then the #CSP problem defined by F is solvable in polynomial time; if it does not satisfy the criterion, then the problem is #P-hard. We furthermore show that the question of whether F satisfies the criterion is decidable in NP. Surprisingly, our tractability criterion is simpler than the previous tractability criteria for the more restricted classes of problems, although when specialized to those cases, they are logically equivalent. Our proof mainly uses Linear Algebra and represents a departure from Universal Algebra, the dominant methodology in recent years.
Safety of rTMS to non-motor cortical areas in healthy participants and patients.

Abstract Objective rTMS is increasingly being used for stimulation to non-motor areas, but available safety guidelines are derived from experience with motor cortex rTMS. We reviewed the literature and our own data to assess the safety of rTMS to non-motor areas. Methods We reviewed for adverse effects all articles published from January 1998 to December 2003 that applied rTMS to non-motor areas, and analyzed data from our own studies from January 1997 to December 2003. Results Adverse effects were infrequent and generally mild. Headache was the most common, occurring in 23% of the subjects and more frequent with frontal rTMS. More serious adverse effects were rare and consisted of two seizures and four instances of psychotic symptoms induced by rTMS to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in patients with depression. Conclusions Overall, as currently applied rTMS to non-motor areas appears to be safe with few, generally mild adverse effects. In future studies, we recommend systematic reporting of adverse effects and careful documentation of machine type, coils used, and actual intensity as a function of maximum stimulator output. Phosphene threshold might be used to index stimulation intensity when rTMS is applied to the visual cortex, and research should be directed to identifying other indexes of intensity for TMS to other non-motor areas. Significance rTMS under the present guidelines is safe, with minimal adverse effects, when applied to non-motor areas.
Imaging retinotopic maps in the human brain

A quarter-century ago visual neuroscientists had little information about the number and organization of retinotopic maps in human visual cortex. The advent of functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a non-invasive, spatially-resolved technique for measuring brain activity, provided a wealth of data about human retinotopic maps. Just as there are differences amongst non-human primate maps, the human maps have their own unique properties. Many human maps can be measured reliably in individual subjects during experimental sessions lasting less than an hour. The efficiency of the measurements and the relatively large amplitude of functional MRI signals in visual cortex make it possible to develop quantitative models of functional responses within specific maps in individual subjects. During this last quarter-century, there has also been significant progress in measuring properties of the human brain at a range of length and time scales, including white matter pathways, macroscopic properties of gray and white matter, and cellular and molecular tissue properties. We hope the next 25 years will see a great deal of work that aims to integrate these data by modeling the network of visual signals. We do not know what such theories will look like, but the characterization of human retinotopic maps from the last 25 years is likely to be an important part of future ideas about visual computations.
Advanced Molecular Biologic Techniques in Toxicologic Disease

The advancement of molecular biologic techniques and their capabilities to answer questions pertaining to mechanisms of pathophysiologic events have greatly expanded over the past few years. In particular, these opportunities have provided researchers and clinicians alike the framework from with which to answer clinical questions not amenable for elucidation using previous, more antiquated methods. Utilizing extremely small molecules, namely microRNA, DNA, protein, and nanoparticles, we discuss the background and utility of these approaches to the progressive, practicing physician. Finally, we consider the application of these tools employed as future bedside point of care tests, aiding in the ultimate goal of unsurpassed patient care.
A Best-First Probabilistic Shift-Reduce Parser

Recently proposed deterministic classifier-based parsers (Nivre and Scholz, 2004; Sagae and Lavie, 2005; Yamada and Mat-sumoto, 2003) offer attractive alternatives to generative statistical parsers. Deterministic parsers are fast, efficient, and simple to implement, but generally less accurate than optimal (or nearly optimal) statistical parsers. We present a statistical shift-reduce parser that bridges the gap between deterministic and probabilistic parsers. The parsing model is essentially the same as one previously used for deterministic parsing, but the parser performs a best-first search instead of a greedy search. Using the standard sections of the WSJ corpus of the Penn Treebank for training and testing, our parser has 88.1% precision and 87.8% recall (using automatically assigned part-of-speech tags). Perhaps more interestingly, the parsing model is significantly different from the generative models used by other well-known accurate parsers, allowing for a simple combination that produces precision and recall of 90.9% and 90.7%, respectively.
Provider Staffing Effect on a Decision Aid Intervention

This study examined the association between Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Physician Assistant (PA) staffing in nursing homes and the effect of a decision aid regarding feeding options in dementia on the frequency of surrogate-provider discussions and on surrogates’ decisional conflict. We compared these outcomes for facilities that had no NPs/PAs, part-time-only NP/PA staffing, and full-time NP/PA staffing. The sample included 256 surrogate decision makers from 24 nursing homes. The decision aid was associated with significant increases in discussion rates in facilities with part-time or no NP/PA staffing (26% vs. 51%, p < .001, and 13% vs. 41%, p < .001, respectively) and decreases in decisional conflict scores (−0.08 vs. −0.047, p = .008, and −0.30 vs. −0.68, p = .014, respectively). Sites with full-time NP/PA staffing had high baseline rates of discussions (41%). These findings suggest that the decision aid and full-time NP/PA staffing can enhance surrogate decision making in nursing homes.
A Microfluidic Device for Quantifying Bacterial Chemotaxis in Stable Concentration Gradients

Chemotaxis allows bacteria to approach sources of attractant chemicals or to avoid sources of repellent chemicals. Bacteria constantly monitor the concentration of specific chemoeffectors by comparing the current concentration to the concentration detected a few seconds earlier. This comparison determines the net direction of movement. Although multiple, competing gradients often coexist in nature, conventional approaches for investigating bacterial chemotaxis are suboptimal for quantifying migration in response to concentration gradients of attractants and repellents. Here, we describe the development of a microfluidic chemotaxis model for presenting precise and stable concentration gradients of chemoeffectors to bacteria and quantitatively investigating their response to the applied gradient. The device is versatile in that concentration gradients of any desired absolute concentration and gradient strength can be easily generated by diffusive mixing. The device is demonstrated using the response of Escherichia coli RP437 to gradients of amino acids and nickel ions.
Computing Coastal Ocean Surface Currents From Infrared and Ocean Color Satellite Imagery

Many previous studies have demonstrated the viability of estimating advective ocean surface currents from sequential infrared satellite imagery using the maximum cross-correlation (MCC) technique when applied to 1.1-km-resolution Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) thermal infrared imagery. Applied only to infrared imagery, cloud cover and undesirable viewing conditions (gaps in satellite data and edge-of-scan distortions) limit the spatial and temporal coverage of the resulting velocity fields. In addition, MCC currents are limited to those represented by the displacements of thermal surface patterns, and hence, isothermal flow is not detected by the MCC method. The possibility of supplementing MCC currents derived from thermal AVHRR imagery was examined, with currents calculated from 1.1-km-resolution Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) ocean color imagery, which often have spatial patterns complementary to the thermal infrared patterns. Statistical comparisons are carried out between yearlong collections of thermal and ocean color derived MCC velocities for the central California Current. It is found that the image surface patterns and resulting MCC velocities complement one another to reduce the effects of poor viewing conditions and isothermal flow. The two velocity products are found to agree quite well with a mean correlation of 0.74, a mean rms difference of 7.4 cm/s, and a mean bias less than 2 cm/s which is considerably smaller than the established absolute error of the MCC method. Merging the thermal and ocean color MCC velocity fields increases the spatial coverage by approximately 25% for this specific case study
Development of a Pupal Color-Based Genetic Sexing Strain of the Melon Fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

The Þrst genetic sexing system for the melon sy, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), based on pupal color was developed. The recessive white pupae mutant, wh, was used in a putative chromosome translocation linking the wildtype allele to the male sex. This system permits the separation of males (wildtype brown pupae) from females (mutant white pupae). Results from laboratory studies indicated that egg hatch averaged 42% for sies 2Ð5 wk old, with higher rates (50%) for younger sies in this age range. Male larvae left the diet to pupate earlier than females, averaging 60% of the pupae in the Þrst day of collection, whereas only 40% on the fourth day of collection. Adult emergence rate was normal, averaging92%. Adult egg fecundity and fertility (both sexes) were very low( 1% of normal) after irradiation at 100 Gy at 1, 2, or 3 d before emergence. Adult sight ability from standard 20-cm tubes averaged 65%. Irradiated females landed on, and oviposited into, zucchini fruit signiÞcantly fewer times than nonirradiated females. Field cage survival tests indicated that the newstrain survived as well ( 80%) as wild males over a 7-d period when provided with food and water. Mating tests indicated that male-only sterile sies mated signiÞcantly more (about double) with wild females than sterile males from bisexual (male and female) sterile populations competing with wild males. Males fed only sugar until tested in the cages failed to mate with wild females, whereas males fed a low protein diet (6:1 sugar:protein) or the standard 3:1 diet mated as well as wild males for wild females. Finally, males exposed to the attractant, cuelure, failed to improve their mating performance compared with control, unexposed males. The results are discussed in the context of the potential for using the newstrain in current or future melon sy sterile insect technique programs in Hawaii and elsewhere.
Colloid osmotic pressure: An under-recognized factor in the clinical syndrome of heart failure

The clinical syndrome of left heart failure (HF) is often simplistically characterized as dyspnea related to elevation of pulmonary venous pressure. In fact, left HF may manifest as one or a combination of several syndromes, including acute dyspnea, chronic fatigue, functional incapacity, and
Is radiologic examination necessary for a 9-year-old girl with a knee injury?

The purpose of “Evidence in Practice” is to illustrate the literature search process to obtain evidence that can guide clinical decision making. This article is not a case report. The examination, evaluation, and intervention sections are purposely abbreviated. The father of a 9-year-old girl contacted our clinic to schedule an examination. He reported that his daughter injured her left knee during gymnastics practice the previous evening. He stated that, while attempting to perform a forward flip maneuver, she heard a “pop” in her left knee as she initiated the jump. According to witnesses, the girl landed awkwardly on her heels, with her knees bent, and she subsequently fell backward into a sitting position. The girl reported immediate anterior left knee pain following the maneuver. Because of her pain, she had been unable to walk since the time of the injury. Her father spoke to a physical therapist (Smith) at our clinic to relay this information and to express urgency in the case. The patient had not seen another medical professional for the injury. The father was a former client at our clinic and, therefore, sought our opinion about his daughter's injury. The girl had not yet undergone an examination or diagnostic imaging; therefore, we would be serving as a point of entry to the health care system. We planned to assess the extent of the injury in order to determine whether referral to another medical specialist was warranted. The patient's history of trauma during a high-velocity maneuver (ie, forward flip) and her inability to walk the following day indicated the possibility of a fracture, a growth plate injury, or some other serious injury (eg, ligamentous or meniscal injury). The prevalence of ligamentous or meniscal injury in knee trauma is much larger than the prevalence of fractures; less than 7% of …
Longitudinal Pressure Ulcer Rates After Adoption of Culture Change in Veterans Health Administration Nursing Homes

Objectives To examine facility-level pressure ulcer (PrU) development rates and variations in these rates after a system-wide adoption of culture change in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) nursing homes. Design Four-year retrospective longitudinal design. Setting VHA facilities (N = 109) representing 132 nursing homes known as community living centers (CLCs). Participants VHA nursing home residents. Measurements PrUs were identified using fiscal year (FY) 2008–11 Minimum Data Set (MDS) data. PrU development was defined as a Stage 2 or larger PrU on an MDS assessment with no PrU on the previous assessment. A risk adjustment model was developed using 105,274 MDS observations to predict the likelihood of PrUs (c-statistic = 0.72). A Bayesian hierarchical model that adjusted for differences in the precision of PrU rates from different-size facilities was used to calculate smoothed risk-adjusted (SRA) rates for each facility. The statistical significance of the trend over the 4 years was determined by examining the 95% interval estimate for the slope. Results Over the 4-year period, the beginning of which coincided with the VHA's system-wide adoption of culture change as a performance measure, median SRA facility PrU development rates were fairly consistent at approximately 4%. The range in SRA rates declined over the years, from a 14.8-percentage point spread to 10.1-percentage point spread. Some facilities had significantly improving SRA rates (e.g., declined steadily from 5.5% to 3.9%) and some had significantly worsening SRA rates (e.g., increased steadily from 5.1% to 7.9%). Seven sites had significantly improving rates (P < .001) that were below the median across all 4 years. Conclusion A system-wide culture change implementation did not affect CLC PrU development rates, but there was significant variation in facility rates, and some facilities had sustained high performance.
Heterogeneity of Goods and Methods of International Trade: Wholesale, Intra-Firm, or Arms-Length.

We look for evidence that heterogeneity of goods influences how the goods are traded internationally, whether via an intermediary in the form of a wholesaler, within the firm via intra firm trade, or at arms-length between firms. Making use of a unique data set of U.S. industries we find that trade among wholesalers is associated with homogenous goods, whereas intra-firm trade is associated with heterogeneous goods. These results are robust with respect to several different estimation methods.
Practicing software engineering in the 21st century

From the Publisher: This technological manual explores how software engineering principles can be used in tandem with software development tools to produce economical and reliable software that is faster and more accurate. Tools and techniques provided include the Unified Process for GIS application development, service-based approaches to business and information technology alignment, and an integrated model of application and software security. Current methods and future possibilities for software design are covered. Author Biography: Dr. Joan Peckham is a professor of computer science at the University of Rhode Island. She lives in Kingston, Rhode Island. Scott J. Lloyd is an assistant professor in management information systems at the University of Rhode Island.
Experimental Evaluation of the Free Piston Engine - Linear Alternator (FPLA)

This report describes the experimental evaluation of a prototype free piston engine - linear alternator (FPLA) system developed at Sandia National Laboratories. The opposed piston design wa developed to investigate its potential for use in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The system is mechanically simple with two - stroke uniflow scavenging for gas exchange and timed port fuel injection for fuel delivery, i.e. no complex valving. Electrical power is extracted from piston motion through linear alternators wh ich also provide a means for passive piston synchronization through electromagnetic coupling. In an HEV application, this electrical power would be used to charge the batteries. The engine - alternator system was designed, assembled and operated over a 2 - year period at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, CA. This report primarily contains a description of the as - built system, modifications to the system to enable better performance, and experimental results from start - up, motoring, and hydrogen combus tion tests.
Interactions between N-methyl-D-aspartate and CGS 19755 administered intramuscularly and intracerebroventricularly in pigeons.

Behavioral effects of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and the competitive NMDA antagonist cis-4-phosphonomethyl-2-piperidine-carboxylic acid (CGS 19755) were studied in pigeons. NMDA decreased responding under a fixed-ratio schedule of food presentation and was 8000 times more potent administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) as compared to intramuscularly (i.m.). CGS 19755 was 870 times more potent in producing catalepsy when administered i.c.v.; however, the duration of catalepsy was similar by the two routes of administration. Administered i.m. CGS 19755 decreased response rates only at doses that also produced catalepsy; administered i.c.v. some doses of CGS 19755 decreased responding without producing other behavioral effects. Rate-decreasing effects of i.m. NMDA were attenuated by i.m. CGS 19755; however, when CGS 19755 was administered i.c.v., there was little or no antagonism of NMDA. Rate-decreasing effects of i.c.v. NMDA were not attenuated by i.m. or i.c.v. CGS 19755 up to doses that produced catalepsy or eliminated responding. The large difference in potency between i.m. and i.c.v. administration for NMDA and for CGS 19755, as well as the slower onset of catalepsy when CGS 19755 was administered i.m., suggests these compounds do not readily cross the blood-brain barrier when administered parenterally. The inability of CGS 19755 to attenuate the rate-decreasing effects of NMDA when CGS 19755 or NMDA was administered i.c.v. suggests NMDA might decrease responding by different mechanisms when administered i.m. or i.c.v. in pigeons. Together these results indicate antagonism of NMDA in this study, and perhaps in other studies, when both NMDA and CGS 19755 were administered parenterally, might result from a peripherally mediated interaction. Moreover, this agonist-antagonist interaction is not a simple, competitive antagonism.
Survey of HIV infection and high risk behaviors among male STD out-patients in two areas of Xinjiang

Objective To fully understand and master HIV infection status in male out-patients with sexually transmitted di?seases(STD) and their high risk behaviors.Methods An anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted among male patients with STD who visited STD clinics in Urumqi and Ili Prefecture from June to July,2011.Awareness rate of AIDS related knowledge,high risk behaviors and results of HIV laboratory test were analyzed.Results Out of the 4 562 male STD patients,awareness rate of AIDS related knowledge was 83.6%,12.5% of the male STD out-patients paid for sexual intercourse and 15.5% had sex behaviors with temporary sexual partners in the past three months.0.5% of the male STD out-patients used drug and 0.4% involved in same-sex behaviors.Among these male STD out-patients,13 persons were detected to be positive,with HIV infection rate of 0.28%.Out of them,7 persons were drug users.Conclusions The male STD out-patients in the two areas are at high-risk of HIV infection.Epidemiological survey should be conducted and effective intervention should be further explored.
Design of the new antenna of ECRH system on HL-2A tokamak

Using the principle of quasi-optic,the new antenna of the electron cyclotron resonant heating(ECRH) system on the tokamak HL-2A has been designed.After being focused by the elliptical mirror and reflected by the plane mirror,4 68GHz/500kW/1s electron cyclotron wave beams would be injected into the tokamak from one -350mm port to accomplish heating to the plasma.Based on the propagating theory of the fundamental Gaussian beam,it is gotten that at the centre of the cross section of the tokamak,the power density of each beam is 158MW·m-2,and the power density radius,which means that the power density is reduced by a factor 1/e2 compared to the power density at the centre of the beam,is 31.7mm.On the mirror,due to the focusing and reflecting,the ohmic loss and diffraction loss of the microwave beams are 0.27% and 0.64%,respectively.By the finite element analysis software ANSYS,some thermal analysis of the mirror have been done.The result shows that the highest temperature increase would be only 0.47℃ under 1s pulse load,so there is no need of any cooling.
Development of New Compressing Pump Type Wet Shotcreting Machine

The application of wet shotcreting machines in China and the problems occurring in the application of 2 popular wet shotcreting machines are presented.The emphasis is placed on the presentation of the technical and structural principles of PS4J wet shotcreting machine.Study is made on how to improve the service life of the compressing hoses.Methods to estimate the central bending radius of the compressing hoses are recommended.The method to improve the pulse of the compressing pump and the characteristics of PS4J wet shotcreting machine to match JD-150 shotcrete mixing machine are introduced and the comprehensive performance of PS4J wet shotcreting machine is provided.
The physiologic approach to the management of itching.

Various physiologic factors of itch are reviewed, including relationship to pain, types of itch, the itch-scratch cycle and the function of dry skin and miliaria in itch. Basic pharmacologic experiments in control of pruritus are also reviewed. These facts are then applied in the therapy of pruritus.
A Recirculation Svstem With A Finite Capacitv And Parallel Subsvstems

A recirculation system (RS) with a single input function, heterogeneous subsystems,and a finite capacity is considered. Inside the RS the subsystems are placed in parallel and are accessed randomly...
Military assistance to safety and traffic services in El Paso : A retrospective analysis

This study was performed to evaluate the performance of military rotary air medical transport in the El Paso, Texas, region with regard to mortality. A retrospective review of transport and inpatient medical records was undertaken. All trauma patients air transported from January 1, 1996, to February 28, 1998, were included. Patients for whom records were unavailable were excluded. Mean time intervals for prehospital and interhospital transport were calculated. Injury severity and survival data were calculated using Revised Trauma Score, Injury Severity Score, and Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) methodology. Two hundred sixty-seven patients were eligible for analysis (83% of the total). TRISS analysis predicted 241 survivors; the actual number of survivors was 241 (mean = 0.98, z = 0.03) despite the fact that 6 individuals died who were predicted to live and 3 individuals lived who were predicted to die. We conclude that the actual mortality rate of those patients transported by military aeromedical lift equaled that predicted by TRISS methodology.
A Failed Modernity: The Ghost Story as the Bad Conscience of the Historical Novel

This chapter focuses on Sir Walter Scott’s ghost stories, chiefly on his most famous story, ‘The Tapestried Chamber’ (1828). But it begins with another, less well-known tale, ‘The Highland Widow’ (1827), because a reading of that story helps to establish the relationship between ghost stories and historical novels. It is the underlying argument of this book that the ghost story, like any genre, needs to be understood in relation to other genres with which it is, at any given historical moment, in conversation or competition. And the first such genre, with which the modern ghost story is contemporaneous and that it sets out to complicate, to counter, or even to contradict, is the historical novel. This chapter, then, begins by identifying some of the characteristics of the form through a reading of ‘The Highland Widow’; it then draws a set of comparisons with Scott’s historical novels as a means of highlighting the specific work of the ghost story; and it ends with a closer examination of ‘The Tapestried Chamber’ to demonstrate the significance of the differences between the two genres.
Making Feminist, Queer, Latinx, and #BlackVotesMatter

The 2016 U.S. presidential campaign season has taken voters on quite a ride. From primary night scandals to incendiary Get Out the Vote pitches, this electoral cycle has been anything but average. ...
Effects of a retention interval and refresher session on intracorporeal suturing and knot tying skill and mental workload.

Background The effects of refraining from practice for different intervals on laparoscopic suturing and mental workload was assessed with a secondary task developed by the authors. We expected the inability to practice to produce a decrease in performance on the suturing, knot tying, and secondary task and skills to rebound after a single refresher session. Methods In total, 22 surgical assistant and premedical students trained to Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery proficiency in intracorporeal suturing and knot tying were assessed on that task using a secondary task. Participants refrained from practicing any Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery tasks for 1 or 5 months. At the time of their return, they were assessed immediately on suturing and knot tying with the secondary task, practiced suturing and knot tying for 40 minutes, and then were reassessed. Results The mean suture times from the initial reassessment were greater than the proficiency times but returned to proficiency levels after one practice session, F(2, 40) = 14.5, P < .001, partial η2 = .420. Secondary task scores mirrored the results of suturing time, F(2, 40) = 6.128, P < .005, partial η2 = .235, and were moderated by retention interval. Conclusion When participants who reached proficiency in suturing and knot tying were reassessed after either 1or 5 months without practice, their performance times increased by 35% and secondary task scores decreased by 30%. These deficits, however, were nearly reversed after a single refresher session.
What Comes Next

Wars do not end when the last shot is fired. War planning has failed to demonstrate an understanding that victory requires consolidation and the emergence of a more healthy society. The most prominent recent example is the Second Iraq War, but the failure reaches back to the American Civil War. This essay is less concerned with the moral obligation to reconstruct after war than the practical necessity of jus post bellum. In order to learn how to achieve such a consolidation of military victory, a shift in mindset is required from both civil and military policy-makers and planners. A change in practice is required at the very beginning of planning for war. “Whole of government” has been an empty phrase, but experience dictates that an unprecedented degree of domestic and international cooperation is required.
Structure of human POFUT1, its requirement in ligand-independent oncogenic Notch signaling, and functional effects of Dowling-Degos mutations.

Protein O-fucosyltransferase-1 (POFUT1), which transfers fucose residues to acceptor sites on serine and threonine residues of epidermal growth factor-like repeats of recipient proteins, is essential for Notch signal transduction in mammals. Here, we examine the consequences of POFUT1 loss on the oncogenic signaling associated with certain leukemia-associated mutations of human Notch1, report the structures of human POFUT1 in free and GDP-fucose bound states, and assess the effects of Dowling-Degos mutations on human POFUT1 function. CRISPR-mediated knockout of POFUT1 in U2OS cells suppresses both normal Notch1 signaling, and the ligand-independent signaling associated with leukemogenic mutations of Notch1. Normal and oncogenic signaling are rescued by wild-type POFUT1 but rescue is impaired by an active-site R240A mutation. The overall structure of the human enzyme closely resembles that of the Caenorhabditis elegans protein, with an overall backbone RMSD of 0.93 A, despite primary sequence identity of only 39% in the mature protein. GDP-fucose binding to the human enzyme induces limited backbone conformational movement, though the side chains of R43 and D244 reorient to make direct contact with the fucose moiety in the complex. The reported Dowling-Degos mutations of POFUT1, except for M262T, fail to rescue Notch1 signaling efficiently in the CRISPR-engineered POFUT1-/- background. Together, these studies identify POFUT1 as a potential target for cancers driven by Notch1 mutations and provide a structural roadmap for its inhibition.
E-cigarette use and associated changes in population smoking cessation: evidence from US current population surveys

Objective To examine whether the increase in use of electronic cigarettes in the USA, which became noticeable around 2010 and increased dramatically by 2014, was associated with a change in overall smoking cessation rate at the population level.Design Population surveys with nationally representative samples.Setting Five of the US Current Population Survey-Tobacco Use Supplement (CPS-TUS) in 2001-02, 2003, 2006-07, 2010-11, and 2014-15.Participants Data on e-cigarette use were obtained from the total sample of the 2014-15 CPS-TUS (n=161 054). Smoking cessation rates were obtained from those who reported smoking cigarettes 12 months before the survey (n=23 270). Rates from 2014-15 CPS-TUS were then compared with those from 2010-11 CPS-TUS (n=27 280) and those from three other previous surveys.Main outcome measures Rate of attempt to quit cigarette smoking and the rate of successfully quitting smoking, defined as having quit smoking for at least three months.Results Of 161 054 respondents to the 2014-15 survey, 22 548 were current smokers and 2136 recent quitters. Among them, 38.2% of current smokers and 49.3% of recent quitters had tried e-cigarettes, and 11.5% and 19.0% used them currently (every day or some days). E-cigarette users were more likely than non-users to attempt to quit smoking, 65.1% v 40.1% (change=25.0%, 95% confidence interval 23.2% to 26.9%), and more likely to succeed in quitting, 8.2% v 4.8% (3.5%, 2.5% to 4.5%). The overall population cessation rate for 2014-15 was significantly higher than that for 2010-11, 5.6% v 4.5% (1.1%, 0.6% to 1.5%), and higher than those for all other survey years (range 4.3-4.5%).Conclusion The substantial increase in e-cigarette use among US adult smokers was associated with a statistically significant increase in the smoking cessation rate at the population level. These findings need to be weighed carefully in regulatory policy making regarding e-cigarettes and in planning tobacco control interventions.
Public reason and the limited right to conscientious objection: a response to Magelssen.

In a recent article for this journal, Morten Magelssen argues that the right to conscientious objection in healthcare is grounded in the moral integrity of healthcare professionals, a good for both professionals and society. In this paper, I argue that there is no right to conscientious objection in healthcare, at least as Magelssen conceives of it. Magelssen’s conception of the right to conscientious objection is too expansive in nature. Although I will assume that there is a right to conscientious objection, it does not extend to objections that are purely religious in nature.i Thus, this right is considerably more restricted than Magelssen thinks. In making my case, I draw on John Rawls’s later work in arguing for the claim that conscientious objection based on purely religious considerations fails to benefit society in the appropriate way.
Responsibility and the Relevance of Alternative Future Possibilities

In the past decade, philosophical and psychological research on people’s beliefs about free will and responsibility has skyrocketed. For the most part, these vignette-based studies have exclusively focused on participants’ judgments of the causal history of the events leading up to an agent’s action and considerations about what the agent could have done differently in the past. However, recent evidence suggests that, when judging whether or not an individual is responsible for a certain action – even in concrete, emotionally laden and fully deterministic scenarios – considerations about alternative future possibilities may become relevant. This paper reviews this evidence and suggests a way of interpreting the nature of these effects as well as some consequences for experimental philosophy and psychology of free will and responsibility going forward.
Operators with Simple Orbital Behavior

In this paper we consider two similarity-invariant classes of operators on a complex Hilbert space. A complete description, in terms of properties of various parts of the spectrum, is obtained for the operators in the closure and for the operators in the interior of each of these classes.
Influence of Inclusion of Apatite-based Microparticles on Osteogenic Cell Pheonotype and Behavior

The proximity of minerals found in human hard tissues may influence cell phenotype. Since cells respond to a range of environmental cues, this study sought to identify the influence of two apatite-based microparticles, hydroxyapatite (HA) and fluoroapatite (FA), upon dental and bone cells. After bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), 7F2 osteoblasts and dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) were plated into media with or without HA or FA particles, the cells were analyzed for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) production, collagen I production, osteocalcin production, and mineralization for two weeks. The BMSCs and DPSCs in media without any microparticles produced more ALP compared to those with microparticles from Day 5 forward. In addition, the collagen I and osteocalcin production in cultures without microparticles was higher than in cultures containing either HA or FA particles. While some studies have shown increased osteogeonic differentiation in the presence of mineral particles, those studies used nanoparticles that were able to be internalized by the cells and were smaller than the microparticles used in this study.
A nondestructive method of identifying pigments on canvas using low frequency electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is a useful analytical tool for studying objects with cultural heritage significance. It is generally thought of as a destructive spectroscopy, ow...
Facilitating education using cloud computing infrastructure

The paper presents the Cloud Computing infrastructure built in the Department of Computer Science at Prairie View A&M University. The Cloud provides customized services and necessary resources to support several Computer Science courses, senior design projects and master projects. In this article, we present the Cloud architecture, introduce the current Cloud setting-up, and describe how we use it to meet a variety of educational requirements in the department.
Identities in “The Fourth World”

How does Guillermo Gomez-Pena’s terminology help us to reflect on our children and grandchildren’s ethnically mixed identities?
Thermodynamics and Mechanics of Active Cell Motions

Thermodynamics and mechanics of active cell motion is a relatively recent area of research which is experiencing a transition that is brought by the rapid development of the field during the past decade. Roughly speaking, the transition is from collection of biological information from experiments and postulation of physical mechanisms through verbal arguements to quantitation of working hypotheses via mathematical equations and numerical computation of physical parameters. In this paper various biophysical and biochemical bases of active cell motions are briefly reviewed and some particular models are described.
Gadolinium-enhanced 3D MR angiography of renal artery stenosis: a pilot comparison of maximum intensity projection, multiplanar reformatting, and 3D volume-rendering postprocessing algorithms.

Abstract Rationale and Objectives The authors compared diagnostic accuracy of maximum intensity projection (MIP), multiplanar reformatting (MPR), and three-dimensional (3D) volume rendering (VR) in the evaluation of gadolinium-enhanced 3D magnetic resonance (MR) angiography of the renal arteries. They hypothesized that VR is as accurate as or more accurate than MIP and MPR at depicting renal artery stenosis. Materials and Methods The study group comprised 28 consecutive patients who underwent gadolinium-enhanced 3D MR angiography of the renal arteries. Studies were postprocessed to display images in MIP, MPR, and VR formats. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA), when performed (nine of 28 patients), was the standard for comparison. For each main renal artery, an estimate of percentage stenosis was made for any stenoses detected by three independent radiologists. For calculation of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy, MR angiographic stenosis estimates were categorized as mild (0%–39%), moderate (40%–69%), or severe (≥70%). DSA stenosis estimates of 70% or greater were considered hemodynamically significant. Results Analysis of variance demonstrated MIP estimates of stenosis were statistically greater than VR estimates in two readers and greater than MPR estimates in all readers for all patients. MIP images also showed the largest mean difference from DSA stenosis estimates for all three readers. For both VR and MPR, mean differences between MR angiographic stenoses estimates and DSA estimates reached significance for only one reader, whereas, for MIP versus DSA, mean differences reached significance for all three readers. Although not statistically significant compared with DSA, accuracies of VR (87%) and MPR (89%) were greater than that of MIP (81%). Conclusion In this pilot study, MIP was the least accurate of the three image display algorithms tested. VR and MPR yielded similar values for each method of comparison.
Hazardous Sound Levels Produced by Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy

Sound emitted from the Dornier system GmbH lithotriptor was found to be of sufficient intensity to warrant concern about noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss. The patients were exposed to impulses of 112 dB. peak sound pressure level. Operating room personnel were exposed to sounds of less intensity, although the number of impulses they were exposed to was much greater, thereby increasing the risk of hearing loss. Hearing protection is recommended for patients and operating room personnel.
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND OUTCOMES OF CARDIOGENIC SHOCK IN HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY

Cardiogenic shock (HCM) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an under-studied clinical entity. We sought to study epidemiology of HCM-CS, utilization of mechanical circulatory support (MCS), and in-hospital mortality from CS among patients with HCM. We utilized the US National Inpatient Sample
PET in Lymphoma

The management approach in Hodgkin (HL) and high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) has shifted toward reducing the toxicity and long-term adverse effects associated with treatment while maintaining favorable outcomes in low-risk patients. The availability of more effective therapies for lymphoma provides a rationale for accurate diagnostic tests and updated patient evaluation, staging, and response criteria. In this regard, positron emission tomography (PET) using fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) with computed tomography (CT) has proved effective as a metabolic imaging tool with compelling evidence supporting its superiority over conventional modalities, particularly in staging and early evaluation of response, and is now integrated into the routine staging and restaging algorithm of lymphomas. A semiquantitative parameter for measuring tumor glucose metabolism, the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), reflects aggressiveness of neoplasm and is proven to be an important survival predictor. Several quantitative metrics including metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) appears to be dependable and reproducible prognostic indicators. Additionally, the 5-point Deauville score (DS) has been recommended as a qualitative method for evaluating interim and end-of-treatment PET/CT results. This chapter summarizes the data on the proven and potential utility of PET/CT imaging for staging, response assessment, and restaging, describing current limitations of this imaging modality.