cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Integrated Assessment Model for Public Policy Alternatives, Priorities, and Outcomes in Geothermal Environments

During the course of a research project on geothermal development in Imperial County, California, it became apparent that a broad perspective was essential if public policy alternatives, priorities, and possible outcomes were to be systematically delineated. Among the reasons for this belief are the following: 1. Geothermal energy sources could become important in filling the energy needs of the nation. 2. Research insights are necessary if rational long-term alternative energy policies are to be developed. 3. Overlap and duplication of research efforts often slow development and waste funds, especially when there is lack of communication and overlapping efforts. 4. Optimal mechanisms are needed to determine site locations vis-a-vis economic, social, and environmental costs. 5. Mechanisms are needed to expedite the decision-making process to speed geothermal resource development and to aid in formulating long-range national, state, and localized geothermal energy policies. 6. Communities need to prepare for changes prior to development of geothermal and other energy resources. 7. Information which can be applied to local geothermal planning elements is necessary if local jurisdications are to have any input and control over their resource development.
APPLICATION OF CONSUMER LIFESTYLE RESEARCH IN MARKETING PERSPECTIVE

This paper focuses on lifestyle research which is applied to reflect the way in which products fit into a consumer’s normal pattern of living by examining a person’s activities, interests, and opinions (AIO’s) and what opinions they have about themselves and the world around them. It reflects an interesting research field to identify the patterns that develop and emerge from the dynamics of living in a society. These studies provide both general and specific lifestyle items across a range of experiences and issues providing consumer profiles and relating their lifestyles to behaviour. A review of earlier studies reveal that lifestyle and psychographics research is being more frequently used in market segmentation studies for four primary reasons, to identify target markets, provide better explanations on consumer behaviour, improve a company’s strategic marketing, introduce new products and services in tune with the changing preferences and to minimise risk for new products and business ventures. However, it is the managerial ability to translate the segmentation findings into actionable marketing strategy. Finally, it is concluded that understanding the values and lifestyles of consumers better, their behaviour will be more predictable in segmenting the markets according to a mix of attitudes, beliefs, interests, opinions besides their consumption behaviour.
Entrepreneurship education trends

This study discusses recent trends in the field of entrepreneurship at schools of higher education throughout the world. Entrepreneurship continues to be one of the fastest growing areas in higher education. The findings of this study indicate that there were 366 job openings at schools and 231 candidates seeking positions in entrepreneurship during 2007/08. The findings also show that the number of international positions has virtually doubled since last year to 76, while the number of international candidates was 62. The article also looks at other trends and makes recommendations to candidates and schools in regards to the job market.
Obamacare and the 'What is a Tax?' Question -- Part II

We are engaged in a two-part exploration. The previous installment of our column reviewed the perennial question of whether a given state or local exaction should be classified as a tax or something else. It rehearsed the contexts in which the issue has arisen in state and local tax controversies, the practical stakes involved in those controversies, and the criteria courts have developed to distinguish between taxes and other types of governmental levies.
Strategies for Rolling the Efron Dice

(2001). Strategies for Rolling the Efron Dice. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 74, No. 3, pp. 212-216.
EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON MUSCULAR RESPONSES OF INNER EAR ORIGIN IN RABBITS ACCELERATED ROTATORY STIMULATION ON THE LABYRINTH

Examination was performed on rabbits, which were subdivided into the followings five groups: the intact, the unilaterally labyrinthectomized, the bilaterally labyrinthectomized, the decerebrated, the combinated of both decerebration and unilateral labyrinthectomy. Electric discharges were recorded in the muscles of the deep nape, the deep back and the fore limbs. Changings of the discharge in frequency were observed during angular acceleration of 90∼180- in a horizontal plane for 1∼2 seconds. The vestibulo-spinal reflex was discussed from the electromyographical point of view. 1. Labyrinthine muscular responses were observed in the deep nape and the deep back muscles, but not in the fore-limb. 2. In the deep nape and the deep back muscles of the intact and the decerebrated rabbits the electric discharges showed an increase in the muscles of the opposite side to rotatory direction, but a decrease in those of the same side during the accelerated period of rotation. During the decelerated period, however, the tendency of the muscular reaction was found to be reversed or to return to the state of the pre-stimulatory stage. The interval diagrams of discharges, observed in the decerebrated rabbit showed frequently smoothed curve as compared with those of the intact. 3. In the muscles of the intact side on the unilaterally labyrinthectomized animals, it was. difficult to record continuously the regular discharges, but phasic discharges were occasionally observed. The results of this experiment well support the contralateral innervation theory of the laby- rinthine muscular tonus. The electromyographical observations revealed that the muscular tonus was raised by the ampullopetal stimuli while it was inhibited by the ampullofugal.
Updating finite element models considering environmental impacts

Structures are always exposed to the surrounding environment. The environmental variability (especially fluctuation in temperature) creates noticeable variations in structural modal properties. Two major mechanisms from temperature can cause uncertainties in natural frequency and mode shape measurements: i) the changes of material properties (elastic modulus) by temperature variation, and ii) the stress stiffening effects by temperature induced axial loading. Also, changes of boundary condition may cause variation in modal properties as well. In model updating, not considering these environmental effects may cause false identification on structural damage, thus compromises the accuracy of the updating results. This study presents a finite element model updating technique which can address the issue of varying environment including temperature variation and boundary condition changes. Temperature and boundary condition information is incorporated into the stiffness formulation of the finite element model. A numerical study on updating a bridge model subjected to damage and environmental changes is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Study on the Revelation between the Institute Governance Structure and Operating Mechanism of ITRI and the Enlightenment to Science and Technology Work in Guangdong

Based on the analysis of the nature and role of ITRI, this paper investigates the governance structure and operat-ing mechanism, and then explains the revelation to the science and technology work in Guangdong. At last, this paper givessome suggestions on promoting the science and technology work in Guangdong.
Analysis on Effect of Project for Epilepsy Prevention and Administration in Rural Areas of Cangzhou City for Three Years

[Objective]To learn the obvious effective rate and compliance of phenobarbital and nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic agent in treatment of convulsive epilepsy in rural areas of Cangzhou city. [Methods]The patients with epilepsy in Cangxian county,Xianxian county,Suning county and Botou city of Cangzhou city were given phenobarbital and nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic agent,the efficacy and compliance were observed,and the data were analyzed. [Results]A total of 2 320 patients were involved in the phenobarbital administration group,and the average seizure frequency of patients before administration was(18.71 ± 35.87) times / year.After 3 months,6 months,9 months and 12 months of standard treatment,the obvious effective rate was 60.33%,69.36%,79.34% and 84.28%,respectively.In the first year,the obvious effective rate of patients in administration site showed a rising trend,and there was significant difference in efficacy between 6 months and 12 months of treatment(χ~2=1212.1,P0.05).Patient's condition has improved significantly,the seizure frequency decreased obviously,and the adverse drug reaction reduced with increasing duration of treatment.A total of 269 patients abandoned treatment at different stages,and the main causes included poor efficacy,adverse reaction and poor compliance. [Conclusion]Phenobarbital showed a good therapeutic effect in the treatment of convulsive epilepsy.Most of adverse reactions were mild,and it reduced with increasing duration of treatment.In the future,it is important to strengthen project management,carry out the follow-up and adjust the drug dosage timely,stress the importance of adherence among patients and their families to enhance the compliance,and improve the education of knowledge about epilepsy.The project for epilepsy prevention and administration is feasible in rural areas,and it can control epilepsy effectively.
Evaluation and analysis of agricultural modernization development level at county level in Fujian

This paper has established an evaluation index system of agricultural modernization development level according to the requirements of the agriculture modernization.Factor analysis is conducted to determine the weights of indicators at all levels and the AHP method is adopted to measure the agricultural modernization development level of 67 cities in Fujian Province.Simultaneously,according to cluster analysis the relevant cities are divided into the developed regions of agricultural modernization,the middle class areas of agricultural modernization and the relatively backward areas of agricultural modernization.Based on the above results agricultural modernization development strategy of each type areas is explored.
Incidence and persistence of Listeria monocytogenes in the catfish processing environment and fresh fillets.

Incidence of Listeria spp. in whole raw catfish, catfish fillets, and processing environments from two catfish processing facilities was determined in August 2008 and August 2009. Thirty-nine (18.4%) of 212 samples collected in August 2008 were positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Prevalences of Listeria species L. innocua and L. seeligeri–L. welshimeri–L. ivanovii were 11.3 and 23.6%, respectively. Of 209 samples collected in August 2009, 12.4% were positive for L. monocytogenes, 11% for L. innocua, and 19.6% for L. seeligeri–L. welshimeri–L. ivanovii. No Listeria grayi was detected in any of the samples. L. monocytogenes was not found in catfish skins and intestines, but was detected in catfish fillets, on food contact surfaces, and on non–food contact surfaces with frequencies of 45.0, 12.0, and 11.1%, respectively. In August 2008 isolates, serotypes 1/2b (62.2%) and 3b (15.6%) were frequently isolated, whereas the majority of the August 2009 isolates (92.3%) were serotype 1/2b. Genotyping analyses rev...
Administering Spatial and Cognitive Instruments In-class and On-line: Are These Equivalent?

Standardized, well-established paper-and-pencil tests, which measure spatial abilities or which measure reasoning abilities, have long been found to be predictive of success in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Instructors can use these tests for prediction of success and to inform instruction. A comparative administration of spatial visualization and cognitive reasoning tests, between in-class (proctored paper and pencil) and on-line (unproctored Internet) (N = 457), was used to investigate and to determine whether the differing instrument formats yielded equal measures of spatial ability and reasoning ability in large first-semester general chemistry sections. Although some gender differences were found, findings suggest that some differences across administration formats, but that on-line administration had similar properties of predicting chemistry performance as the in-class version. Therefore, on-line administration is a viable option for instructors to consider especially when dealing with large classes.
Soft Landing of Complex Ions for Studies in Catalysis and Energy Storage

Immobilization of complex molecules and clusters on supports plays an important role in a variety of disciplines including materials science, catalysis, and biochemistry. In particular, deposition of clusters on surfaces has attracted considerable attention due to their nonscalable and highly size-dependent properties. The ability to precisely control the composition and morphology of complex molecules and clusters on surfaces is crucial for the development of next-generation materials with rationally tailored properties. Soft and reactive landing of ions onto solid or liquid surfaces introduces unprecedented selectivity into surface modification by completely eliminating the effect of solvent and sample contamination on the quality of the film. The ability to select the mass-to-charge ratio of the precursor ion, its kinetic energy, and charge state along with precise control of the size, shape, and position of the ion beam on the deposition target makes soft landing an attractive approach for surface mod...
Human papillomavirus vaccination and subsequent cervical cancer screening in a large integrated healthcare system

Background Human papillomavirus vaccination may result in lowered intention to be screened for cervical cancer, potentially leading to gaps in screening coverage and avoidable cervical cancer diagnoses. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the association between human papillomavirus vaccination and subsequent cervical cancer screening initiation and adherence to recommended screening intervals to detect gaps in screening coverage and inform future prevention efforts. Study Design A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 2 distinct cohorts of female members of Kaiser Permanente Southern California, which is a large integrated healthcare delivery system. Papanicolaou screening initiation was evaluated in women who reached 21 years from 2010–2013. Adherence to recommended screening intervals was evaluated in women who were 25–30 years old in 2010. All women were observed to the end of 2013 for the evaluation of their screening behaviors. History of human papillomavirus vaccination and Papanicolaou screening were obtained from electronic medical records. Adherence to recommended screening intervals was measured as ≥85% vs Results There were 27,352 and 41,328 women included in the screening initiation and screening interval adherence analyses, respectively. In comparison with unvaccinated women, adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for screening initiation among women who had been vaccinated against human papillomavirus were 1.19 (95% CI, 1.11–1.28), 1.44 (95% CI, 1.34–1.53), and 1.57 (95% CI, 1.50–1.65) for 1, 2, and ≥3 doses, respectively. Adjusted odds ratios for screening interval adherence were 0.93 (95% CI, 0.83–1.04), 1.73 (95% CI, 1.52–1.97), and 2.29 (95% CI, 2.05–2.56), for 1, 2, and ≥3 doses, respectively. Conclusion Women who had been vaccinated against human papillomavirus in this community-based, integrated healthcare setting were more likely to be screened for cervical cancer than were unvaccinated women. Our findings underscore the need for targeted interventions among unvaccinated women who may be disproportionally affected by cervical cancer, despite the presence of population-based screening programs.
Output technologies for digital photography

An explosion of interest in digital photography has occurred in the past few years. Numerous new products have become available, each representing a price or quality breakthrough, or both. Examples include film scanners from Nikon, Polaroid and Kodak, digital cameras from over a dozen manufacturers, task-oriented imaging software applications from Microsoft, Live Picture and Adobe, services such as film scanning becoming available over the Web, and photo-quality printers from HP, Epson, Fuji, Kodak and Canon. While "digital photography" as a concept is readily grasped, just under the surface lie a number of challenging systems problems in two worlds that do not normally communicate with each other: photography and digital systems design. We outline some key issues from each of these worlds and, in addition, describe some recent advances in thermal ink-jet technology which enable photo-quality printing. Understanding these issues is key to routinely obtaining quality output from a digital photography system.
Enhancing gene regulatory network inference through data integration with markov random fields

A gene regulatory network links transcription factors to their target genes and represents a map of transcriptional regulation. Much progress has been made in deciphering gene regulatory networks computationally. However, gene regulatory network inference for most eukaryotic organisms remain challenging. To improve the accuracy of gene regulatory network inference and facilitate candidate selection for experimentation, we developed an algorithm called GRACE (Gene Regulatory network inference ACcuracy Enhancement). GRACE exploits biological a priori and heterogeneous data integration to generate high- confidence network predictions for eukaryotic organisms using Markov Random Fields in a semi-supervised fashion. GRACE uses a novel optimization scheme to integrate regulatory evidence and biological relevance. It is particularly suited for model learning with sparse regulatory gold standard data. We show GRACE’s potential to produce high confidence regulatory networks compared to state of the art approaches using Drosophila melanogaster and Arabidopsis thaliana data. In an A. thaliana developmental gene regulatory network, GRACE recovers cell cycle related regulatory mechanisms and further hypothesizes several novel regulatory links, including a putative control mechanism of vascular structure formation due to modifications in cell proliferation.
Comments on ``The significance of coral reefs as global carbon sinks—response to greenhouse'' by D.W. Kinsey and D. Hopley

Article original : Kinsey, D.W. and Hopley, D., 1991. Palaeogeogr., palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol., 89: 363-377.
Terrorism and Social Movements

In spite of a proliferation of empirical research, scholarship on terrorism remains theoretically fragmented and often inconclusive on even basic issues. In this chapter, we detail how terrorism can be incorporated into the social movements and collective action scholarships’ portfolio of research through a review of several of the most widely debated topics in current terrorism research: 1) how terrorism is defined; 2) dynamics of radicalization for individuals and groups; 3) intensity and targets of violence; 4) organizational diversification; and 5) the context of terrorist action. Taking a problem-centered approach, we detail how prior insights from scholarship on social movements and collective action can theoretically and substantively advance terrorism research.
Scalar fields in black hole spacetimes

The time evolution of matter fields in black hole exterior spacetimes is a well-studied subject, spanning several decades of research. However, the behavior of fields in the black hole interior spacetime has only relatively recently begun receiving some attention from the research community. In this paper, we numerically study the late-time evolution of scalar fields in both Schwarzschild and Kerr spacetimes, including the black hole interior. We recover the expected late-time power-law ``tails'' on the exterior (null infinity, timelike infinity, and the horizon). In the interior region, we find an interesting oscillatory behavior that is characterized by the multipole index $\ensuremath{\ell}$ of the scalar field. In addition, we also study the extremal Kerr case and find strong indications of an instability developing at the horizon.
Flexible PFC control featuring adaptive gain, mode estimation, and dual feedforward compensation

The performance and stability of Power Factor Correction (PFC) circuits is imperative to the efficiency of ac power systems and their respective loads. Since PFC converters may operate over a wide load range and support various peak input voltages, their controller should be designed for adaptability. In this paper, an adaptive Mixed Conduction Mode control algorithm which predicts the conduction mode and adjusts the feedback gain and feedforward signals is presented. This strategy is shown to expand the operating range and enhance the input current regulation of a bridgeless boost PFC converter through simulation in PSIM and on a hardware in the loop implementation in OPAL RT.
Managing Menopausal Problems

Breast cancer survivors often seek advice about menopausal problems from their oncologists. In addition, oncologists interact with colleagues about their patients’ menopausal issues. For these reasons, it is important that oncologists be knowledgeable about the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on overall health. And the need for up-to-the-minute information is intensified by the plethora of new drugs, the greater frequency with which pharmaceutical companies market directly to the public, and the increasing interest of patients in alternative therapies.
Norms of inverses for matrices associated with scattered data

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the norms of inverses for matrices associated with scattered data. Progress has been made in quantifying these interpolation methods, in the sense of estimating the norms of the inverses of these interpolation matrices and their condition numbers. Recently, some preprints from Baxter and Sun have shed some additional light on the robustness of these interpolation matrices. The chapter presents a method which obtains quantitative estimates for ∥A−1∥, where A represents the interpolation matrix, and the condition number of A. It also highlights two types of interpolation problems.
Formaldehyde Polymerization on (WO3)3/TiO2(110) Model Catalyst†

Polymerization of formaldehyde, H2CO, was studied under ultrahigh vacuum conditions on a model catalyst consisting of monodispersed (WO3)3 clusters anchored on TiO2(110). Formaldehyde oligomers, (H2CO)n, desorbing from the polymer that formed on the catalyst surface are detected between 250 and 325 K in temperature-programmed desorption experiments. At least two monolayers (ML) of H2CO are required on the surface to observe (H2CO)n, desorption and the amount saturates for H2CO coverages in excess of ∼40 ML. The presence of H2CO multilayers is required for the polymerization to take place indicating that it had to occur below 100 K. The saturation amount increases with increasing coverage of (WO3)3 clusters with the highest amount of ∼13 ML observed on 1.2 (WO3)3/nm2. No (H2CO)n desorption was observed on the bare TiO2(110) surface.
Abstract 3333: Chronic AMD3100 Antagonism of SDF1-CXCR4 Signaling Exacerbates Cardiac Injury After Myocardial Infarction Despite Increased Recruitment of ckitpos Progenitors

The SDF1-CXCR4 axis has been found to play an important role in survival signaling in the myocardium as well as promoting improved recovery after injury. To further define the role of SDF-CXCR4 in response to injury we used the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 (AMD) to block SDF1-CXCR4 interaction and activation after chronic coronary artery ligation. Mice were implanted with osmotic minipumps to begin chronic infusion of AMD (0.475 mg/kg/h) or PBS 24 h prior to coronary ligation. Cardiac function was determined by echocardiography 20 days after ligation, at which time hearts were analyzed for changes in morphometry. Biochemical analysis of hearts was performed 2 days after sham or ligation surgery with PBS or AMD infusion. Chronic administration of AMD significantly decreased cardiac function following myocardial infarction (MI). Echo analysis showed significant decreases in ejection fraction and fractional shortening in mice treated with AMD after MI which was accompanied by hypertrophy and increased systolic and diastolic LV chamber dimensions. Cardiac morphometric analysis showed the hearts of AMD treated mice after MI to have significantly increased scar area, increased apoptosis, decreased capillary density, and increased myocyte cross-section area, confirming echo findings. Analysis of signal transduction 2 days after ligation in AMD and PBS groups showed AKT signaling to be attenuated with no changes in ERK or GSK3beta phosphorylation. Recruitment of ckit pos cardiac progenitors (CPCs) to the risk region after MI was increased in AMD treated mice. ckit pos CPCs were CD34 neg and CD45 neg . In conclusion, these results suggest SDF1-CXCR4 signaling is necessary for the response to myocardial injury and that AKT signaling may play a significant role in this response. The results also demonstrate that recruitment of CPCs in response to injury require SDF1-CXCR4 signaling to mitigate the extent of injury.
DISTRIBUTION OF K88-ADHESIVE AND NON-ADHESIVE PHENOTYPES AMONG FOUR POPULAR BREEDS OF PIGS

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli expressing K88 fimbrial adhesins cause diarrhea and death in piglets by colonizing the small intestine and excreting enterotoxins that stimulate electrolyte fluid transport to the intestinal lumen. The E. coli colonize the small intestine by adhering to receptor(s) on the epithelial brush borders by means of fimbrial adhesins. K88ab, K88ac, and K88ad adhesins are the three distinct antigenic variants of K88 E. coli adhesins. Each variant exhibits a different adhesion specificity, suggesting differences in the receptors to which they bind. Differences in K88 variant binding, and presumably receptor expression in pigs is inherited in a simple Mendelian fashion with adhesive activity being dominant over nonadhesive activity. When the bacteria adhere they gain time to multiply and cause disease, specifically, colibacillosis. Thus, piglets whose intestinal brush borders contain these specific receptors are susceptible to diarrhea caused by one or more of the antigenic adhesin variants. Piglets whose intestines lack the receptors are resistant to diarrhea caused by K88 E. coli. The animals can be grouped into phenotypes according to the variants that adhere or fail to adhere to their brush borders. Phenotypes of pigs relative to the binding of the fimbrial variants K88ab, K88ac, and K88ad to these brush borders were previously established by Bijlsma et al (1982) as A: adhesive to all three variants, B: adhesive to K88ab and ac variants, C: adhesive to K88ab and ad variants, D: adhesive to the K88ad variant only, and E: nonadhesive. However, the distribution of these phenotypes in the swine population has not been established. Thus, the magnitude of risk to colibacillosis caused by K88 E. coli cannot be determined. Further, without knowledge of the availability of disease resistant breeding stock, strategies of genetic selection for resistance cannot be devised. The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of the various K88 adhesive phenotypes in several popular breeds of pigs.
Moving Horizon Estimation

Nearly every model predictive control (MPC) algorithm is premised on knowledge of the system’s state. As a result, state estimation is vital to good MPC performance. Moving horizon estimation (MHE) is an optimization-based state estimation algorithm. Similar to MPC, it relies on the minimization of a sum of stage costs subject to a dynamic model. Unlike MPC, however, conditions under which MHE is robustly stable have been slow to emerge. Recently, several results have appeared about the robust stability of MHE. We generalize the result on the robust stability of MHE without a max-term presented in Muller (Automatica 79:306–314, 2017). using assumptions inspired by the result in Hu (Robust stability of optimization-based state estimation under bounded disturbances. ArXiv e-prints, 2017). Furthermore, we show that all systems that are covered by the assumptions used in those previous works satisfy a certain form of exponential incremental input/output-to-state stability.
Mechanobiology of the heart valve interstitial cell: Simulation, experiment, and discovery

Abstract Heart valves are composed of multilayered tissues that contain a population of vascular endothelial cells (VECs) on the blood-contacting surfaces and valve interstitial cells (VICs) in the bulk tissue mass that maintain homeostasis and respond to injury. The mechanosensitive nature of VICs facilitates the regulation of growth and remodeling of heart valve leaflets throughout different stages of life. However, pathological phenomena such as mitral valve regurgitation and calcific aortic valve disease lead to pathological micromechanical environments. Such scenarios highlight the importance of studying the mechanobiology of VICs to better understand their mechanical and biosynthetic behavior. In the present chapter, we review use of novel experimental-computational techniques to link VIC biosynthetic response to changes in in vivo deformation in health and disease. In addition, we discuss the development of tissue-level models that shed light on the biomechanical state of VICs in situ. To conclude, we outline future directions for heart valve mechanobiology including model-driven experiments and highlight the need for high-fidelity, multiscale models to link the cell-, tissue-, and organ-level events of heart valve growth and remodeling.
Gender-Based Violence Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women: A Neglected Consequence of the West African Ebola Outbreak

During the 2013-2015 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa, response efforts focused on containing the disease and reducing the number of new cases to zero. While this focus was important, protocols were never established to protect adolescent girls and young women during the outbreak. As quarantines and school closures were put in place to contain the spread of disease, women and adolescent girls were vulnerable to coercion, exploitation, and sexual abuse, some of which resulted in unwanted pregnancies. Young women and adolescent girls were also unable to attend community meetings where education and instructions were given about how to protect themselves from contracting the disease. While the number of Ebola-infected patients and deaths were recorded accurately, victims of violence during the outbreak went uncounted, unrecognized, and unattended. Gender was overlooked during the response, leaving young girls highly vulnerable. Future response must ensure equitable health systems and consider sexual and reproductive health services as essential during response. The creation of safe spaces and empowering teenage girls with information and support is important. Safe spaces can provide adolescent girls with security, livelihood skills, psychosocial counselling for gender-based violence, and access to sexual and reproductive health information and referral services.
The Myth of Worker Exploitation in the Chinese Manufacturing Sector

Many news outlets and scholars have expressed concerns that workers have been unfairly exploited by employers in the Chinese manufacturing sector. Economic theory suggests that this exploitation, if it exists, is the result of employers in the manufacturing sector having considerable monopsony power. While there is a vast economic literature on monopsony power in the United States and other nations, little monopsony research has been conducted on the Chinese manufacturing market. This paper follows the monopsony research tradition and examines the Chinese manufacturing sector along several likely indicators of monopsony power. These include the turnover rate in the manufacturing sector, the relation between marginal factor cost and average factor cost, the relation between average real labor productivity and real wage in the manufacturing sector, and the comparison of labor costs between China and other countries. This study found that worker exploitation/monopsony in the manufacturing sector is not as severe as previously reported.
Cynicism or Apathy?: Defining Political Norms Influencing the Campus Climate

This study focuses on the role of interpersonal experiences within students’ political identity development. Based on interviews with 22 undergraduate student leaders from two small liberal arts co...
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Interventions Used to Increase Adolescent IEP Meeting Participation.

This study examined the effectiveness of interventions used to increase the participation of adolescents with disabilities during individualized education program (IEP) meetings. A systematic liter...
The Use of Instructional Technology in Direct Vocabulary Instruction

A bivalent counterbalanced within-subjects research design was used to determine the effectiveness of vocabulary instruction across two instructional conditions with 30 3 to 4-year-old at-risk preschool children. Instruction presented vocabulary words via static pictures with one subgroup and via projection and animation with the other. Conditions then were reversed. Dependent variables were children's serial free recall ability in specified categories and ability to name aloud selected pictures. There was a pretest, instructional, and posttest phase for each condition. Maintenance data were collected 12 weeks after the last posttest session. Results indicated no difference between conditions. Posttest and maintenance data indicated an increase in serial free recall and picture naming of targeted vocabulary that was maintained above the pretest level for all dependent variables.
COVID-19, bar crowding, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court: A non-linear tale of two counties

The Wisconsin Supreme Court's nullification of a carefully crafted, statewide regulatory scheme led to the substitution of a motley collection of asynchronous, uncoordinated local reopening plans that ultimately facilitated a resurgence of COVID-19. The distinct paths of epidemic containment and subsequent resurgence in Wisconsin's two most populous counties, Milwaukee and Dane, can be directly mapped into their respective volumes of bar traffic. A seemingly small relaxation of social distancing rules can result in a relatively large increase in the incidence of new infections. This study relies exclusively on publicly available, aggregate health data that contain no individual identifiers. The author has no competing interests and no funding sources to declare. This article represents to the sole opinion of its author and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the National Bureau of Economic Research, Eisner Health, or any other organization.
A Policy Review of Employers' Open Access to Conviction Records

Employers would prefer not to hire people who will engage in criminal behavior for which the employer incurs costs. In the United States, employers are allowed to use publicly available conviction ...
Host immunity modulates the efficacy of microbiota transplantation for treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a successful therapeutic strategy for treating recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection. Despite remarkable efficacy, implementation of FMT therapy is limited and the mechanism of action remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate a critical role for the immune system in supporting FMT using a murine C. difficile infection system. Following FMT, Rag1 heterozygote mice resolve C. difficile while littermate Rag1-/- mice fail to clear the infection. Targeted ablation of adaptive immune cell subsets reveal a necessary role for CD4+ Foxp3+ T-regulatory cells, but not B cells or CD8+ T cells, in FMT-mediated resolution of C. difficile infection. FMT non-responsive mice exhibit exacerbated inflammation, impaired engraftment of the FMT bacterial community and failed restoration of commensal bacteria-derived secondary bile acid metabolites in the large intestine. These data demonstrate that the host's inflammatory immune status can limit the efficacy of microbiota-based therapeutics to treat C. difficile infection.
Biobased Hyperbranched Poly(ester)s of Precise Structure for the Release of Therapeutics

Hyperbrached poly(ester)s derived from naturally-occurring biomonomers may serve as excellent platforms for the sustained-release of therapeutics. Those generated from glycerol are particularly attractive. Traditionally, the difference in reactivity of the hydroxyl groups of glycerol has precluded the formation of well-defined polymers at high monomer conversion without gelation. Using the Martin-Smith model to select appropriate monomer ratios (ratios of functional groups), polymerization may be carried out to high conversion while avoiding gelation and with the assurance of a single type of endgroup. Various agents may be attached via esterification, amide formation or other process. Sustained release of the active agent may be readily achieved by enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis.
Making sympathy “vicious” on The Island of Dr. Moreau

“Howled out of” England for his “wantonly cruel” experiments on animals, the eponymous vivisector of H. G. Wells’ gory 1896 work of science fiction, The Island of Dr. Moreau, sets up shop on a secl...
Preliminary Study of Serum Biomarkers Associated With Delirium After Major Cardiac Surgery.

Objectives The objective of this study was to identify novel serum biomarkers specific to postoperative delirium after major cardiac surgery to provide insight into the pathologic processes involved in delirium and its sequelae. Design Nested, case-control study. Setting Cardiac surgical intensive care unit in a single-site hospital setting. Participants The study comprised 24 older adults (aged >60 years) undergoing major cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results The primary outcome was a positive screen for delirium from postoperative days one through three based on criteria included in the long form of the Confusion Assessment Method. A multiplexed proteomic approach was applied using proximity extension assays to identify and quantify proteins found in serum collected on the day of surgery and postoperative day one in delirious and nondelirious patient cohorts. An increase in serum fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-21 levels was identified in the delirious cohort from a presurgery baseline of (mean ± standard deviation) 5.0 ± 1.1 log2 abundance (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.3-5.7) to 6.7 ± 1.6 log2 abundance (95% CI, 5.7-7.7; p = 0.01) postsurgery. A similar increase was identified in FGF-23 from a presurgery baseline of 1.7 ± 1.3 log2 abundance (95% CI, 0.8-2.5) to 3.4 ± 2.2 log2 abundance (95% CI, 2.0-4.8; p = 0.06) postsurgery. An increase in interleukin-6 serum levels also was identified in the delirious cohort from a presurgery baseline of 3.8 ± 1.1 log2 abundance (95% CI, 3.1-4.5) to 8.7 ± 1.9 log2 abundance (95% CI, 7.5-9.9; p Conclusions FGF-21, FGF-23, interleukin-6, and monocyte chemotactic protein-3 serum levels were increased postoperatively in patients who developed delirium after major cardiac surgery. This study identified two members of the FGF family as potential putative systemic biomarkers for postoperative delirium after cardiac surgery, suggesting a possible role for metabolic recovery in the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying neurocognitive dysfunction.
Unsupervised Class-Incremental Learning through Confusion

While many works on Continual Learning have shown promising results for mitigating catastrophic forgetting, they have relied on supervised training. To successfully learn in a label-agnostic incremental setting, a model must distinguish between learned and novel classes to properly include samples for training. We introduce a novelty detection method that leverages network confusion caused by training incoming data as a new class. We found that incorporating a class-imbalance during this detection method substantially enhances performance. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated across a set of common image classification benchmarks: MNIST, SVHN, CIFAR-10, and CIFAR-100.
Genetic Analysis of the Escherichia coli K1 Capsule Gene Cluster

Bacterial surface structures play a major role in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Escherichia coli also continues to be the most common gram-negative organism that causes sepsis and meningitis in newborn infants. It is now known that E. coli produces more than 70 serologically distinct capsular antigens, or K antigens. Strains that produce the K1 capsule account for 80% of the isolates that cause E. coli neonatal meningitis and comprise the majority of isolates from neonates with septicemia without meningitis and acute pediatric pyelonephritis. The polysialic acid (PSA) capsule of E. coli K1 is essential for the virulence of the organism. The proteins necessary for the synthesis and expression of the K1 capsule are chromosomally encoded by the 17-kb kps gene cluster located near serA on the E. coli genetic map. Indeed, a major theme that has emerged from the study of capsule gene clusters in E. coli, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis is that the organization of capsule determinants in gram-negative bacteria is remarkably similar. The current model for the KpsMT transporter predicts that loops extending from KpsM (perhaps the CI loop) interact with the helical domain of KpsT, coupling the energy of ATP hydrolysis to the transport of PSA across the cytoplasmic membrane. The 17-kb kps gene cluster, which is divided into three functional regions, encodes the information necessary for polymer synthesis and expression at the cell surface.
Preliminary analytical theory on particle trajectories in an ordered array of wires carrying current in HGMS

An ordered array of symmetrical wires carrying current is considered, each wire carrying a current equal in magnitude to the current in its neighboring wire but opposite in direction. The magnetic force in the array is calculated by summing the field contributions of the individual wires. The particle position is considered to be arbitrary. It is shown that the traction force can be adjusted by varying the current according to the build-up process in the separator. >
The Effect of Inhibitors of Trypsin and Phospholipase A2 on the Penetration of Zona Pellucida‐free Hamster Eggs by Acrosome‐reacted Hamster Sperm

The involvement of a trypsin-like enzyme and a phospholipase A2 in hamster sperm-egg fusion was investigated. Previously acrosome-reacted sperm and zona pellucida-free eggs were incubated in a low-K+ medium in the presence of nontoxic levels of low molecular-weight synthetic inhibitors of these enzymes. The level of K used in the fertilization droplet (0.6 mM) did not support further acrosome reactions and thus results were not due to inhibitor effects on the acrosome reaction. The operational definition of “sperm-egg fusion” used in the present work includes both attachment and fusion, since we could not distinguish between these events in these experiments. Sperm-egg fusion, as assayed by counting the number of decondensed sperm heads per egg, and the percentage of eggs penetrated were significantly reduced in the presence of the trypsin inhibitors benzamidine (1.2 mM) and p-nitrophenyl p′-guanidinobenzoate (55 μM) but not in the presence of the phospholipase A2 inhibitors p-bromophenacylbromide (12 μM) or Up-john Compound #1002 (100 μMM). Preincubation of the sperm but not eggs in p-nitrophenyl-p'-guanidinobenzoate reduced subsequent fusion in the absence of inhibitor. Examination of semithin sections revealed that all sperm which penetrated eggs were decondensed. These results support a role for a sperm trypsin-like enzyme but not a sperm or egg phospholipase A2 in hamster sperm-egg fusion.
Adenovirus Proteinase-Antiviral Target for Triple-Combination Therapy on a Single Enzyme: Potential Inhibitor-Binding Sites

Virus-coded proteinases are attractive targets for antiviral therapy. These enzymes are essential for the synthesis of infectious virus and perform a wide variety of tasks at different times and places during an infection. Among the medically important virus families with members known to encode proteinases (KRAUSSLICH and WIMMER 1988; BEBE and CRAIG 1997) are: the picornaviruses, which include polio, rhino and hepatitis A; the retroviruses, which include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); the flaviviruses, which include hepatitis C; the orthomyxoviruses, which include influenza; the herpes viruses, which include cytomegalovirus; and the adenoviruses. Viral proteinases are extremely specific enzymes, and there has been expectation that equally specific inhibitors may be effective antiviral agents. This expectation has recently been realized with the advent of HIV-proteinase inhibitors that have been shown to be extremely specific biochemically and effective clinically.
Advanced applications: an overview

Applications of materials in white-light optical imaging, remote-sensing systems are discussed. Image formation in terms of wavefronts and the influence of materials on the quality of images is given. The rationale for why some space optics structures are large is presented. Other topics are applications of adaptive spectrometers, adaptive optics, and the control of unwanted radiation. Optical materials limit the next-generation high-performance optical systems.
DynaMICs: Comprehensive Support for Run-Time Monitoring

Abstract Software engineering strives to enable the economic construction of software systems that behave reliably, predictably, and safely. In other engineering disciplines, safety is assured in part by detailed monitoring of processes. In software, we may achieve some level of confidence in the operation of programs by monitoring their execution. DynaMICs is a software tool that facilitates the collection and use of constraints for software systems. In addition, it supports traceability by mapping constraints to system artifacts. Constraint specifications are stored separately from code; constraint-monitoring code is automatically generated from the specifications and inserted into the program at appropriate places; and constraints are verified at execution time. These constraint checks are triggered by changes made to variable values. We describe the architecture of DynaMICs, discuss alternative verification techniques, and outline research directions for the DynaMICs project.
Meatal advancement and glanuloplasty hypospadias repair after 1,000 cases: avoidance of meatal stenosis and regression.

AbstractWe first described the meatal advancement and glanuloplasty (MAGPI) procedure in 1981 as a technique to repair distal hypospadias. During the last 10 years our experience has increased to more than 1,000 cases. Case selection is critical to surgical outcome. Excessively thin or rigid ventral parameatal skin, or a meatus that is too proximal or too wide must be avoided. To prevent the ventral meatal wall from falling back and leaving a retrusive meatus, the glans wrap to support the advanced ventral urethral wall requires a solid approximation of glans tissue in 2 layers. Meatal stenosis may be avoided by an adequately deep dorsal Heineke-Mikulicz tissue rearrangement, making the incision from within the urethral meatus distally into the glanular urethral groove. The MAGPI procedure is routinely performed on an outpatient basis without urinary diversion. A review of our experience with 1,111 cases during a 12-year period reveals that a secondary procedure was required in only 1.2%. The overall succ...