cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interpreting fuzzy clustering results with virtual reality-based visual data mining: Application to microarray gene expression data

This paper combines fuzzy clustering with a virtual reality based technique for visual data mining. The purpose is to construct virtual reality spaces preserving as much structural information from the original data as possible, where the results of fuzzy clustering procedures can be displayed and analyzed. The construction of such spaces involves non-linear transformations of the original feature space, which can be either the space of the original attributes or the space of the fuzzy memberships with respect to the constructed fuzzy classes. In particular, the representation involves the centroids of the different classes, the individual memberships of all of the studied objects with respect to all of the fuzzy classes, and eventually their comparison with additional crisp partitions or partitions induced by a decision attribute. This approach is applied to different data sets from the fields of biology and medicine, including microarray gene expression data related to Alzheimer's disease and Leukemia. The visual inspection and the navigation in the virtual reality spaces, provided useful insights about (i) the quality of the obtained classifications, (ii) the overlapping of different classes, and (iii) their relationships.
Simple Reaction Time Crossover Occurs in Schizophrenic Outpatients

A crossover pattern similar to that reported for inpatient schizophrenics (e.g., Bellissimo and Steffy 1972) has now been found for outpatients, and its frequency of occurrence in these outpatients is comparable to that reported for hospitalized patients by DeAmicas and Cromwell (1978). The process-reactive construct was unrelated to crossover in the current study, although crossover is found only in process patients in hospitalized samples. The difference in findings may be due to the insensitivity of the particular measure of this concept used here, or to the lack of validity for the construct in samples of chronic patients in the community and in treatment. The present results, together with DeAmicas and Cromwell's (1978) data suggestive of the presence of crossover in nondisturbed first degree relatives of schizophrenics, are consistent with an interpretation of this reaction time phenomenon as a behavioral marker of vulnerability. This hypothesis warrants study in a more extensive series of patients, and from a longitudinal perspective in which behavioral measures and clinical-social functioning variables are tracked across time.
A semantic relatedness approach for traceability link recovery

Human analysts working with automated tracing tools need to directly vet candidate traceability links in order to determine the true traceability information. Currently, human intervention happens at the end of the traceability process, after candidate traceability links have already been generated. This often leads to a decline in the results' accuracy. In this paper, we propose an approach, based on semantic relatedness (SR), which brings human judgment to an earlier stage of the tracing process by integrating it into the underlying retrieval mechanism. SR tries to mimic human mental model of relevance by considering a broad range of semantic relations, hence producing more semantically meaningful results. We evaluated our approach using three datasets from different application domains, and assessed the tracing results via six different performance measures concerning both result quality and browsability. The empirical evaluation results show that our SR approach achieves a significantly better performance in recovering true links than a standard Vector Space Model (VSM) in all datasets. Our approach also achieves a significantly better precision than Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) in two of our datasets.
A Diffusion Model for Growth Stocks

Since growth stocks tend to have low or even negative earnings and high volatility, it is a great challenge to derive a meaningful mathematical model within the traditional valuation framework. This paper attempts to derive a suitable diffusion model for growth stocks by using the idea of size distribution. Numerical illustration of the model based on the data covering the time period of the recent boom and burst of the "Internet bubble" is also presented.
Fluorescence Sensing of Amine Vapors Using a Cationic Conjugated Polymer Combined with Various Anions

A series of conjugated cationic polymers, differentiated only by their accompanying counter-anions, was prepared and characterized. The choice of counter-anion (CA) was found to drastically impact the solubility of the polymers and their optical properties in solution and in the solid state. Fluorescent polymer thin films were found to be instantaneously quenched by volatile amines in the gas phase at low ppm concentrations, and a mini-array with CAs as variable elements was found to be able to differentiate amines with good fidelity.
LocusZoom: regional visualization of genome-wide association scan results

Summary: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed hundreds of loci associated with common human genetic diseases and traits. We have developed a web-based plotting tool that provides fast visual display of GWAS results in a publication-ready format. LocusZoom visually displays regional information such as the strength and extent of the association signal relative to genomic position, local linkage disequilibrium (LD) and recombination patterns
Movement Disorders and Neuropsychiatric Conditions

The common co-occurrence of psychiatric diagnoses and neurological diagnoses has important implications. Subtle abnormalities on the neurological examination are often present and are referred to as “neurological soft signs.” Overt movement disorders are more common as well. The purpose of this chapter is to review common movement disorders and subtle neurological findings in developmental psychiatric disorders attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Analysis of morphological and anatomical characteristics of isoetes using Isoetes tennesseensis

The three known populations ofIsoetes tennesseensis were examined to document and analyze their morphological and anatomical characters. Characters examined included velum coverage, lacunae, leaf form and size, sporangial wall cells, and ligule and labium morphology. Three types of morphological patterns were found: stable, variable, and dimorphic. The discovery of dimorphism between mega- and microsporophylls for velum coverage, velum length, sporangium size, and ligule shape is of particular interest. This study presents a model for future work designed to complement current species descriptions and it establishes a baseline for morphological comparisons with otherIsoetes.
The Hardest Case I Never Settled

This short article describes the first caucus (private meeting) in a mediation between two tribes in Papua New Guinea over which tribe owned the river dividing the land between the tribes. The mediation failed. The mediator survived.
Identification and characterization of a -1 reading frameshift in the heavy chain constant region of an IgG1 recombinant monoclonal antibody produced in CHO cells

Frameshifts lead to complete alteration of the intended amino acid sequences, and therefore may affect the biological activities of protein therapeutics and pose potential immunogenicity risks. We report here the identification and characterization of a novel -1 frameshift variant in a recombinant IgG1 therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells during the cell line selection studies. The variant was initially observed as an atypical post-monomer fragment peak in size exclusion chromatography. Characterization of the fragment peak using intact and reduced liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analyses determined that the fragment consisted of a normal light chain disulfide-linked to an aberrant 26 kDa fragment that could not be assigned to any HC fragment even after considering common modifications. Further analysis using LC-MS/MS peptide mapping revealed that the aberrant fragment contained the expected HC amino acid sequence (1-232) followed by a 20-mer novel sequence corresponding to expression of heavy chain DNA sequence in the -1 reading frame. Examination of the DNA sequence around the frameshift initiation site revealed that a mononucleotide repeat GGGGGG located in the IgG1 HC constant region was most likely the structural root cause of the frameshift. Rapid identification of the frameshift allowed us to avoid use of a problematic cell line containing the frameshift as the production cell line. The frameshift reported here may be observed in other mAb products and the hypothesis-driven analytical approaches employed here may be valuable for rapid identification and characterization of frameshift variants in other recombinant proteins.
Spider Silk Peptide Is a Compact, Linear Nanospring Ideal for Intracellular Tension Sensing

Recent development and applications of calibrated, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based tension sensors have led to a new understanding of single molecule mechanotransduction in a number of biological systems. To expand the range of accessible forces, we systematically measured FRET versus force trajectories for 25, 40, and 50 amino acid peptide repeats derived from spider silk. Single molecule fluorescence-force spectroscopy showed that the peptides behaved as linear springs instead of the nonlinear behavior expected for a disordered polymer. Our data are consistent with a compact, rodlike structure that measures 0.26 nm per 5 amino acid repeat that can stretch by 500% while maintaining linearity, suggesting that the remarkable elasticity of spider silk proteins may in part derive from the properties of individual chains. We found the shortest peptide to have the widest range of force sensitivity: between 2 pN and 11 pN. Live cell imaging of the three tension sensor constructs inserted into vinculin showed similar force values around 2.4 pN. We also provide a lookup table for force versus intracellular FRET for all three constructs.
What Makes Some Intercultural Negotiations More Difficult Than Others? Power Distance and Culture-Role Combinations

This study examines whether and how intercultural negotiation dyads that vary in culture-role combinations experience different negotiation processes and outcomes. Participants completed an employment contract negotiation with a culturally different counterpart. Results indicated that high-status, high-power distance negotiators paired with low-status, low-power distance negotiators experienced more anger, placed less emphasis on cooperative goals, used less priority information exchange, and, consequently, gained less joint profits than high-status, low-power distance negotiators paired with low-status, high-power distance negotiators. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.
Health Care Reform after the ACA

After a shockingly bad start, the Affordable Care Act has completed its first open-enrollment season. But the administration has also deviated substantially from its legislative blueprint, and further changes will follow as it becomes clear that major ACA provisions don't work.
Evolution of clinical science. An overview.

Abstract An overview is presented of immortals, institutions, and discoveries of past ages which have contributed to the furtherance of clinical science. The presentation is divided into two parts: I. Noteworthy contributions to the development of clinical science--1500 to 1700 A.D. II. Noteworthy contributions to the development of clinical science--1700 to 1949 A.D. The time has come for a transformation and rejuvenation of clinical laboratories in hospitals and medical institutions in our country. In recent years, the clinical investigative mission of hospital laboratories has been grossly neglected owing, in large measure, to the increased work loads for analytical service that are required for patient care. However, commercial corporations have now gradually invaded the field of clinical laboratory services, so that in the foreseeable future clinical laboratories will be afforded more time and opportunities for fulfillment of the investigative mission. The objectives of clinical science are to conserve health and to cure disease. By promoting the investigative point of view, clinical science will be destined to contribute to the furtherance of its objectives.
Influence of occupational stress on the quality of life in workers of an enameled enterprise

Objective To study the influence of occupational stress to the quality of life in the workers of an enameled wire enterprise.Methods The occupational stress inventory revised edition(OSI-R) and World Health Organization quality of life questionnaire abbreviated version(WHOQOL-BREF) were employed to assess the occupational stress and quality of life among 319 workers in an enameled wire enterprise.Results Between the high and low score groups of occupational stress,the differences in each fields and the total score of quality of life were statistically significant(P0.05).Fields and total score of quality of life were negatively correlated with occupational stress reaction and its items(except responsibility),(P0.01),and positively correlated with coping resource and its items.Physical and psychological fields had a higher correlation with occupational stress than that of the social and environmental fields.Occupational task,stress reaction and coping resources had the function of prediction on physiological and psychological fields.The role insufficiency,role ambiguity,physical environment,responsibility,physical strain,psychological strain,rational/cognitive,social support,recreation and self-care were the main influencing factors on physical and psychological fields.Conclusions Occupational stress of workers in an enameled wire enterprise may influence the quality of life.The increased occupational task and strain could reduce the quality of life,while the increased resources of workers could improve the quality of life.Therefore,more attention should be paid to the role of insufficiency,role ambiguity,physical strain and psychological strain.
Evergreen Broad-leaved Woody Plants in Changqing National Nature Reserve of Shaanxi

To improve the conservation management of the evergreen broad-leaved woody plants,the baseline information regarding the species and their distribution pattern were collected through sample line,quadrate,literature review and specimen identification.Results showed that there are 100 species evergreen broad-leaved woody plants of 54 genera,including 26 species of arbors,59 shrubs,6 climbing shrubs,4 voluble shrubs and 5 vines,of which 2 species of 1 genus are distributed world wide,44 species of 25 genera in tropics,52 species of 25 genera in temperate zone,4 species of 3 genera only in China.The vegetation distribution is typical of the biodiversity of Qingling Mountains and characterizes north-south climatic transition zones.The majority of the vegetation in Changqing National Nature Reserve is evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest and can be classified into 10 phytocoenoses according to their habitat,community composition,appearance and structural features.
Metabolic Profiling in Metastatic Cancer Cells using Frequency Domain Fluorescence Lifetime Microscopy

NADH (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a cofactor for many enzymes and enzymatic activities in living cells. NADH is auto-fluorescent in its free and bound states with different fluorescent lifetimes. This intracellular NADH distribution can be imaged using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), either frequency domain or time domain based hardware. Many pioneering studies place NADH as a natural sensor for based oxidation-reduction states, confluency, glucose levels, proliferation, etc. Frequency domain FLIM imaging aided with phasor representation allows one to profile the distribution of NADH in real time and study any changes in terms of spatial coordinates. We investigate two parallel studies based on fingerprints from healthy, cancerous and stromal cells: 1) in-vitro cellular environments and following migrating cells in a 3D extracellular matrix 2) in-vivo autofluorescence study of tissues. We use different methods such as spectral phasors (two dimensional phasor plots for spectral images), optical redox ratio (Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide/NADH) and metabolic FLIM phasor signature in the characterization of metabolic states. We use these methods into demonstrate new findings in cancer and stromal cells co-cultures. These imaging and characterization methods promise next generation non-invasive clinical studies and diagnostics.
The Septal Translocation Procedure: An Alternative to Lateral Rhinotomy

Lesions deep in the nasal vault with contiguous sinus involvement often required a lateral rhinotomy for exposure. This procedure affords excellent surgical access, but requires a significant external incision. An alternative sublabial technique, with dislocation of the nasal septum into the opposite nasal passage, provides excellent surgical exposure for these same lesions, while external facial incisions are avoided. The text outlines the surgical technique and representative uses in optic nerve decompression, inverted papilloma, giant rhinolith, angiofibroma, and a variety of nasosinus and nasopharyngeal malignant lesions.
Developing a tool to record changes Impact of EFNEP on some nutrition-related practices

Described are the design and preliminary administration of an instrument to measure the impact of the Pennsylvania Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) on food storage and safety, kitchen sanitation, and food money management practices of program participants. No significant differences among these practices were found when each was correlated with duration of program participation. Overall improvement, however, was revealed, particularly in the first six months in the program.
Problems in Compatibility Studies

For various reasons interest in multi-component polymer systems exhibiting what is variously termed compatibility of miscibility (but usually not solubility) has greatly expanded in the last few years. Though as a result, the understanding of the properties of such systems has significantly grown, a number of fundamental problems remain. Several such problems will be discussed, in certain cases with a degree of unavoidable subjectivity, below. Illustrative examples in nearly all cases will be taken from the binary system consisting of poly (2, 6-dimethyl phenylene oxide) and polystyrene, and/or derivatives (e.g. copolymers) of the latter.
PERCEPTIONS OF THE HOMELESS TOWARD NONPROFIT HUMAN SERVICE PROVIDER

PERCEPTIONS OF THE HOMELESS TOWARD NONPROFIT HUMAN SERVICE PROVIDERS By LeQuan M. Hylton, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016 Major Directors: Sarah Jane Brubaker, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs and Associate Professor L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs William C. Bosher, Jr., Ph.D. Distinguished Professor of Public Policy L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs As the debate intensifies regarding developing remedies to meet the needs of America’s homeless, one solution is for governmental agencies to collaborate with and employ organizations from the nonprofit sector to assist with the needs of the homeless population. Included in the nonprofit sector, faith-based organizations (FBOs) have historically been a source of debate and contention in terms of collaborations with the government. However, Presidents Reagan, George H. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama have embraced the idea of including FBOs in the pool of service providers offering human services. In the Richmond, Virginia region, FBOs and nonreligious nonprofit organizations provide a range of human services to a substantial population of homeless clients. Yet, whether the homeless population prefers services offered by FBOs versus nonreligious nonprofits in general and for specific categories of service is unknown. These specific categories of service include alcohol treatment and recovery, counseling, drug treatment and recovery, food pantries, health care, job training and placement, short-term and long-term shelter, and meal sites. In addition, this study seeks to identify models using variables from this study that predict the preference for each category of service. Since homeless clients overall and specific human service preferences are an unknown, the importance of this study is to inform policymakers, those in the nonprofit sector, researchers, and other interested parties of these preferences. A study of this nature is also important to compare policy implementation to the preferences of the homeless to ensure the implementation accounts for principles of social equity. In addition, a study of this nature seeks to fill a literature gap by examining and understanding the intersections of demographic characteristics and preferences. Using the cohort and the rational choice theories, this study examines the preferences of homeless individuals for particular types of service providers.
Demystifying Ambiguity in Legislative Writing

Ambiguity in legislative writing causes confusion and misunderstanding. Sometimes, the ambiguity comes from conflicts between the drafter’s intended relationship of words and the reader’s perceived relationship of those words. At other times, ambiguity comes from the drafter’s failure to define important terms clearly. This paper (i) examines reasons for ambiguity in legislative writing as well as some of the problems that can be created by that ambiguity and (ii) offers strategies for avoiding ambiguity while drafting legislation, including the use of mathematical set theory to examine potentially ambiguous sentences.
Child Sexual Abuse

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the prevalence, incidence, and effects of child sexual abuse and various professional interventions related to it, such as child protection investigation and mental-health assessment, treatment, and prevention. Various research findings on the subject indicate that victims are fairly evenly distributed across the age span of childhood—that is, preschoolers, latency-aged children, and adolescents. However, the legal definitions of the upper age limit may differ by state and by statutes such as statutory rape, incest, and criminal sexual conduct statutes. The maximum age used in research for girls is generally 16 or 18, but some researchers have used a maximum age of 12 for boys. A sex offender may be a male or a female, although the vast majority are males, between 85 and 99% depending upon the study. As awareness of sexual abuse grows, so does the proportion of female offenders identified. Generally, offenders are adults or adolescents. The term “prevalence” is used to refer to the proportion of a designated population that has a particular problem or characteristic. In the case of sexual abuse, prevalence refers to the number of people who were sexually abused during childhood.
Elucidating the relationship between the later Cambrian end-Marjuman extinctions and SPICE Event

Abstract The late Cambrian-early Ordovician transition contains several discrete marine extinction events. The first of these extinctions, the end-Marjuman, occurs in two phases and is thought to coincide with the beginning of the Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion, or SPICE, a large excursion in the marine carbon isotope record that represents a large perturbation to the carbon cycle during this time. Additionally, the carbon isotope record from the Deadwood Formation in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA, displays a small negative δ13C excursion near the end-Marjuman extinctions. Here we examine the carbon isotope stratigraphy of the Upper Cambrian portion of the Conasauga Group of the Southern Appalachians, USA, to determine the relative timing between the extinction events and changes in the carbon cycle represented by excursions within the carbon isotope record. Previous high-resolution biostratigraphic studies have identified a thick stratigraphic record of end-Marjuman extinctions within the Conasauga Group, making it an excellent target for a high-resolution chemostratigraphic study. In the Conasauga Group, there is no change in carbon isotope stratigraphy across the first phase of the end-Marjuman extinctions, suggesting no major change occurred in the carbon cycle during this time. Further, a negative δ13C excursion is absent in the Conasauga Group across the interval that contains the end-Marjuman extinctions. This suggests that the excursion in the Deadwood Formation is either a local oceanographic signal or a diagenetic feature. Finally, the onset of the SPICE occurs at the same stratigraphic point as the second phase of the end-Marjuman extinctions and at the appearance of a low diversity, potentially low oxygen tolerant, trilobite fauna. The stratigraphic positions of these biological and geochemical events suggest a role for marine anoxia in the second phase of the end-Marjuman extinctions.
Ulama: pasado, presente y futuro del juego de pelota mesoamericano

The Mesoamerican ballgame has a history dating back 3 500 years. The game was such an integral part of the society, that nearly 2 000 ballcourts have been reported in the territory extending from the American Southwest to El Salvador. The institution was complex and carried diverse meanings and functions, such as: portal to the Underworld, the setting for reenactments of cosmic battles between celestial bodies, fertility rituals, warfare ceremonies, political affirmation of kingship, setting for human sacrifices, etc. The central importance of the ballgame is attested to by the fact that is clearly portrayed in the art of the Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Toltec and Aztec and was an important element in a pan-Mesoamerican cosmovision. The Spanish immediately recognized that the ballgame was a great deal more significant than merely recreation so they vigorously suppressed its playing. Interestingly, a modern form of the ancient game, known as ulama , has survived in a small number of remote communities outside of the city of Mazatlan in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico. Between 2003 and 2013, I led a multi-disciplinary investigation about Ulama that involved eight Cal State L.A. students and was called Proyecto Ulama . Our study focused on the history, folklore, and the social significance and cultural context of the game. A book about the findings of Proyecto Ulama is in preparation, but in this article I present some of the results of our research project.
Multi-arm star polyisobutylenes

The first synthesis of a multi-arm radial-star polyisobutylene (*-PIB) is described. The synthesis occurred by the addition of excess divinylbenzene (DVB) linking reagent to a living polyisobutylene (PIB⊕) charge i.e., by the “arm first” method under specific conditions. The radial structure of the *-PIB was proven by determining the molecular weight of a sample by light scattering, then selectively destroying the aromatic polydivinylbenzene (PDVB) core, and finally determining the molecular weight of the surviving alphatic PIB arms. The synthesis strategy, kinetic observations during synthesis, and procedures leading to a representative *-PIB are described. This product whose $$\overline M _{\text{w}} = 1,134,400$$ g/mole with $$\overline M _{\text{w}} /\overline M _{{\text{n }}} = 2.83$$ , contained ≈90.3 mole% (∼78 wt.%) PIB arms and ≈9.7 mole% (≈22 wt.%) aromatic core; thus the number of PIB arms emanating from the core was $$\overline N _{{\text{n,arm}}}$$ (number average number of arms)=56 or $$\overline N _{{\text{w,arm}}}$$ (weight average number of arms)=110.
CPLAY2: An HCI Game System for the Assessment and Intervention of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood caused by damage to parts of the brain that control balance and posture. They have problems with sensation, vision, hearing, swallowing and speaking. Rehabilitative touch screen gaming promises to assist in developing muscle tone and dexterity for CP patients as well as the therapists keep track of a patient's performance over time. In this work, we have developed a therapeutic game system (called CPLAY 2) to assess attention deficit and tracks game performance. The system generates reports on the patient's performance. And scoring scheme evaluates the patient's progress over time.
A Generalized Multigrid Theory in the Style of Standard Iterative Methods

A basic error bound for multigrid methods is given in terms of residuals on neighboring levels. The terms in this bound derive from the iterative methods used as solvers on each level and the operators used to go from a level to the next coarser level. This bound is correct whether the underlying operator is symmetric or nonsymmetric, definite or indefinite, and singular or nonsingular. We allow any iterative method as a smoother (or rougher) in the multigrid cycle. One of the advantages of this theory is that all of the parameters are available during execution of a computer program. Hence, adaptively changing levels can be achieved with certainty of success. This is particularly important for solving problems in which there is no known useful convergence analysis. Two problems arising in modeling combustion problems (flame sheets and laminar diffusion flames with full chemistry) are discussed.
Systems Analysis of Water Distribution Networks

Engineering systems analysis has been presented as a process which integrates computer-based analytic methods into design practice. As described, it implies significant changes in the content of the engineering design process and the manner in which engineering design is executed. The engineering systems analysis method proposed overcomes many of the current limitations on the use of computer techniques and therefore appears to be a useful framework for systems design. Specifically, the process recognizes the multiplicity of objectives and criteria of evaluation, searches out the best design strategies and configurations by sensitivity analysis, and distinguishes carefully between the mechanical evaluation of the alternatives and the judgmental selection of the preferred design. This systems analysis methodology was applied to an actual design problem, the planning for the $1 billion Third City Tunnel for New York City.
Historic log structures as ecological archives: A case study from eastern North America

Abstract Forests of eastern North America have undergone abrupt transformations over the last several centuries due to changing land use and climate. Researchers look to pre-settlement forests as a guide for forest restoration, though much of our understanding of composition and dynamics in pre-settlement forests is based on spatially restricted sediment records, few and fragmented old-growth stands in a narrow range of site types, and potentially biased historical documentation. Logs from historic structures hold information that may be useful to forest ecology in eastern North America, but before these records can be used, we must first establish where the logs originated, why they were selected over other trees, and what they can and cannot tell us about past forest ecology. Using a case study approach, I collected data from fifteen log structures in the central Appalachian region to compare construction site locations, species used, and mean diameter of logs through time to determine the ecological biases associated with human behavior in log structure construction. Construction site locations changed from valleys to mountains through time and the species used in construction shifted from Quercus alba to a mix of Quercus alba , Liriodendron tulipifera , Pinus strobus , and Castanea dentata over time. The diameter of logs used in construction were generally consistent through time, with an average basal diameter of 31.3 cm (±4.7). Mean age of logs increased through time for Quercus species, regardless of log diameter. These results suggest the species used for structural logs were selected by their abundance at the location of construction but that as construction site locations and resource availability changed through time, the species used in construction changed as well. While there are biases and limitations of dendroecological data from historic structures, the results presented here demonstrate that structural log data provide greater replication during the early European immigration period, representation of upland (valley) forest sites, and establishment of chronologies for species that are not well represented in current tree-ring chronologies (e.g. Castanea dentata, Liriodendron tulipifera ). These results suggest structural logs can benefit ecological research by filling the temporal, spatial, and species gaps in tree-ring chronologies not only for the central Appalachian region, but also for other areas in eastern North America.
Assistive adjustable smart shower system

Bathing is an important part of daily activities for people of all ages. However, existing shower systems designed for healthy adults can be a challenge for elder adults with limitations or people in wheelchairs. We propose an adaptive assistive smart shower system, which is capable of detecting the user's abilities and disabilities, and then provides the necessary aids automatically. The shower system considers three user classes: normal healthy user, slow walking user and a user in a wheelchair. A wearable Angel Sensor is utilized to collect the user's health data. A computer then processes the data and classifies the user. The shower system provides the necessary assistance based on the classification result. The average classification accuracy is 95. 2%.
Intravenous fluids: effects on renal outcomes.

Abstract Intravenous fluid therapy is the most commonly prescribed inpatient medication in hospitals around the world. Intravenous fluids are drugs and have an indication, a dose, and expected and unintended effects. The type and amount of fluid given to patients are both important, and can either hasten or slow recovery depending on how they are administered. This narrative review provides a brief summary of the effect of intravenous fluid administration on kidney function and on renal outcome measures of relevance to both patients and clinicians. Several large clinical trials of fluid therapy are currently underway, the results of which are likely to change clinical practice.
“The Case for Theological Literacy in the Psychology of Religion”: Introduction to a Theme Issue:

The Editor introduces a theme issue of Journal of Psychology and Theology on “The Case for Theological Literacy in the Psychology of Religion,” based on symposium presentations at the 1986 SSSR annual meeting. From diverse religious and theological vantage points, the lead articles make the case for theological sophistication in the Psychology of religion. Four responses, one from the symposium and three which were sought by the editor, contribute to the issues from evangelical and psychological perspectives.
Comparison of the Inflatable Penile and the Small-Carrion Prostheses in the Surgical Treatment of Erectile Impotence

AbstractIn 1974 a combined 3-hospital assessment was undertaken to evaluate the surgical treatment of erectile impotence. A comparison study on the inflatable penile and the rigid rod (Small-Carrion) prostheses was established. The inflatable penile prosthesis was implanted in 105 patients, while 45 men received the Small-Carrion prosthesis. A long-term success rate was achieved in 98 patients (93 per cent) who received the inflatable prosthesis. This prosthesis was removed in 7 cases because of infection, pain or inability to operate it. Functional success was achieved in 39 patients (88 per cent) with the Small-Carrion prosthesis. This prosthesis was removed in 6 cases, mainly because of infection and erosion of the rods into the urethra or glans penis. A guide line to proper prosthetic selection is presented for various patient populations.
LIDH: An Efficient Filtering Method for Approximate k Nearest Neighbor Queries Based on Local Intrinsic Dimension

Due to the so-called “curse of dimensionality” causing poor performance when querying in the high-dimensional space, the high-dimensional approximate kNN (AkNN) query has been extensively explored to trade accuracy for efficiency. In this paper, we propose a Local Intrinsic Dimension-based Hashing (LIDH) method for the high-dimensional AkNN query which locates a definite searching range by Local Intrinsic Dimensionality for filtering data points. Specifically, we propose a filter-refinement model for the AkNN query to avoid the virtual rehashing with fewer index space. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that our method can provide higher I/O and CPU efficiency while retaining satisfactory query accuracies.
The thermal charge-transfer reduction of uranyl UO22+(VI) to UO2+(V) by various functionalized organic compounds, and evidence for possible spin-spin interactions between UO2+(V) and hydroxymethyl (CH2OH) radical and between UO2+(V) and diphenyl sulfide radical cation (Ph2S+)

Abstract The linear uranyl UO22+(VI) cation (D∞h symmetry) exhibited strong and broad absorptions at 350–400 nm in anhydrous methanol and methanol-water mixtures in the UV-Vis spectra. The intensity of the absorptions (represented by absorbance at 375 nm) is directly proportional to molar concentrations of methanol and UO22+(VI), respectively. The linear relationships indicate formation of an electron-donor-acceptor (EDA) complex [UO22+, CH3OH]. The absorptions at 350–400 nm originate from the charge-transfer (single-electron transfer) from CH3OH (electron donor) to UO22+ (electron acceptor) within the [UO22+, CH3OH] complex. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies of various mixtures of UO22+-CH3OH and UO22+-CH3OH-H2O have shown that the charge-transfer also took place slowly in the dark, resulting in thermal reduction of UO22+(VI) to UO2+(V) (singlet, g = 2.08) by CH3OH, and CH3OH was oxidized to the hydroxymethyl CH2OH radical (generating an axial signal). The charge-transfer oxidation-reduction reaction is believed to take place via the EDA [UO22+, CH3OH] complex. EPR studies suggested spin-spin coupling between UO2+(V) and CH2OH in anhydrous methanol, supporting the formation of a [UO2+, CH2OH] ion-radical pair. The EPR studies have also shown that UO22+(VI) was reduced to UO2+(V) thermally by other alcohols (ethanol, 2-propanol, and cyclohexanol), and by diphenyl sulfide (Ph2S), l -ascorbic acid (AA), and 2-methyl-5-(propan-2-yl)phenol (carvacrol, ArOH), respectively. Ph2S, AA, and ArOH were oxidized to the diphenyl sulfide Ph2S+ radical cation (singlet, g = 2.00), ascorbic acid AA radical (singlet, g = 2.00), and carvacrol ArO radical (singlet, g = 1.98), respectively. Both EPR and UV-Vis studies indicate that the reactions followed the ground-state charge-transfer mechanisms similar to that of the UO22+/methanol reaction. EPR evidence supported formation of the [UO2+, Ph2S+ ] ion-radical pair in the charge-transfer reaction of UO22+ and Ph2S and spin-spin interactions within the ion-radical pair. The sulfuric-acid-catalyzed isomerization of CH2OH to CH3O was found by EPR studies.
Pedagogical content knowledge in computing education: a review of the research literature

This review synthesizes literature on computing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Shulman introduced PCK in the 1980s to describe the amalgam of knowledge teachers draw upon in their work and us...
DMD Open-access Variant Explorer (DOVE): A scalable, open-access, web-based tool to aid in clinical interpretation of genetic variants in the DMD gene.

BACKGROUND Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne) is caused by pathogenic variants in the DMD gene. Antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) are one emerging precision medicine treatment for Duchenne. DMD molecular genetic testing results guide precision-therapy molecular eligibility, requiring healthcare providers to perform analyses currently uncommon in clinical laboratory and medical practices. Clear DMD variant notation and interpretation are key components of clinical care with the availability of precision medicine. METHODS The DMD Open-access Variant Explorer (DOVE) is a web-based aid for DMD variant interpretation which additionally reports variant-specific predicted molecular eligibility for therapy. DOVE was developed in Python and adapted to the Django Web framework, integrates existing open-access tools, and does not rely on previous variant report/classification. RESULTS DOVE [www.dmd.nl/DOVE] interprets colloquial and HGMD inputs of DMD variants to output HGMD variant nomenclature, theoretical molecular eligibility for therapy, and any predicted deleterious molecular consequences of therapy. DOVE relies on holistic in silico prediction of molecular eligibility for therapy in lieu of reference to an empirically defined, "variant-eligible" list. Examples illustrate the advantage and necessity for holistic variant interpretation. CONCLUSION DOVE may prove useful for variant interpretation both at patient-level and in large-scale programs such as newborn screening and has broad application in concept to molecular genetic test result interpretation.
Computational Prediction and Experimental Verification of ε-Caprolactone Ring-Opening Polymerization Activity by an Aluminum Complex of an Indolide/Schiff-Base Ligand

Computational screening of a series of aluminum complexes for their activity in the ring-opening transesterification polymerization (ROTEP) of e-caprolactone (CL) was performed using a “framework distortion energy” (FDE) hypothesis. An {N,N,N,N}-aluminum complex with a bis-indolide Schiff-base ligand was predicted on the basis of that screening to be an efficient catalyst, and this prediction was tested and verified experimentally through the synthesis and characterization of the complex and evaluation of its ROTEP reactivity.
H-NS family members MvaT and MvaU regulate the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type III secretion system

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen capable of causing severe disease in immunocompromised individuals. A major P. aeruginosa virulence factor is the type III secretion system (T3SS). The T3SS is used to translocate effector proteins into host cells, causing cytotoxicity. The T3SS is under the transcriptional control of the master regulator ExsA. ExsA is encoded in the exsCEBA operon and autoregulates transcription via the P exsC promoter. There is also a Vfr-dependent promoter (P exsA ) located in the intergenic region between exsB and exsA A previous chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-on-chip experiment identified strong binding signatures for MvaT and MvaU in the intergenic region containing the P exsA promoter. MvaT and MvaU are DNA-binding histone-like nucleoid-structuring proteins that can repress gene expression. As predicted from the previous ChIP data, purified MvaT specifically bound to the P exsA promoter region in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Whereas disruption of mvaT or mvaU by either transposon insertion or clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat interference (CRISPRi) derepressed P exsA promoter activity and T3SS gene expression, overexpression of MvaT or MvaU inhibited P exsA promoter activity. Disruption of mvaT, however, did not suppress the Vfr requirement for P exsA promoter activity. Mutated MvaT/MvaU defective in transcriptional silencing exhibited dominant negative activity, resulting in a significant increase in P exsA promoter activity. Because no effect of MvaT or MvaU on Vfr expression was detected, we propose a model in which the primary effect of MvaT/MvaU on T3SS gene expression is through direct silencing of the P exsA promoter.IMPORTANCE Global regulatory systems play a prominent role in controlling the P. aeruginosa T3SS and include the Gac/RsmA, c-di-GMP, and Vfr-cAMP signaling pathways. Many of these pathways appear to directly or indirectly influence exsA transcription or translation. In this study, the histone-like proteins MvaT and MvaU are added to the growing list of global regulators that control the T3SS. MvaT and MvaU bind AT-rich regions in the genome and silence xenogeneic genes, including pathogenicity islands. The T3SS gene cluster has been horizontally transmitted among many Gram-negative pathogens. Control by MvaT/MvaU may reflect a residual effect that has persisted since the initial acquisition of the gene cluster, subsequently imposing a requirement for active regulatory mechanisms to override MvaT/MvaU-mediated silencing.
Approach for the identification of influencing factors and their effects on energy flexible production systems

Abstract Due to the expansion of renewable energies in Germany, the electrical energy supply is shifting to a complex volatile system. This work provides an approach for the identification of influencing factors and their effects on energy flexible production systems. Therefore, the system dynamic approach is extended by energy flexibility. As a result, a four-step method is presented that supports the energy and production manager in adapting the production system to the energy availability in the power grid. It is a matter of gaining an overview of the effects on the energy flexibility when typical variables are manipulated in production systems.
Compact dynamic optical isolator based on tandem phase modulators

Non-magnetic dynamic optical isolators, constructed from modulators, provide a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible approach to optical isolation in integrated photonics. The size of these isolators is strongly constrained by both the frequency and strength of optical modulation. Recent developments in modulators have indicated that large modulation strength, with a magnitude refractive index modulation up to unity, may be possible at gigahertz modulation frequency. In this Letter, we show that a previously proposed dynamic isolator design, based on tandem modulators, can be modified to take advantage of the possibility of such large modulation strength. Compared with the previously proposed tandem modulator design, our modification can lead to significant reduction of the device length without the need to increase modulation frequency.
Serous Neoplasms of the Ovary

Serous neoplasms of the ovary are composed of tumors where the epithelial cell type resembles that of the fallopian tube. These tumors range from benign, borderline to frankly malignant. Our understanding of borderline and malignant serous neoplasms has evolved in the past few decades. SBTs, though uncommon, are encountered in routine practice and have been the subject of several controversies regarding terminology and diagnostic criteria, which will be addressed. Our understanding of the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer has advanced significantly, but controversy still exists regarding its origin, and recent studies have suggested the possibility of origin in the fallopian tube at least in a subset of cases. Approximately 10% of ovarian cancers are hereditary due to mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, which not only poses one of the strongest risk factors but also has implications for patients and family members in terms of risk-reducing surgery options. From a practical standpoint, familiarity with the diagnostic criteria of high- and low-grade serous carcinoma is necessary for pathologists. This chapter addresses the pathologic features, relevant immunohistochemistry, molecular genetics, and challenges associated with the diagnosis of ovarian serous neoplasms.