cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Colour in a Physical World: A Problem due to Visual Noise

There is a tension between our perceptual experiences and our physical theories. Our perceptual experiences tell us about a world full of yellow dandelions, blue sapphires, orange pumpkins, and white pebbles. Our best physical theories tell us about a world of spinning quarks, polarized leptons, and energized bosons. Because we have little trouble imagining how large things could be constructed out of small things, we seem to have little trouble imagining how dandelions, sapphires, pumpkins, and pebbles could be constructed out of quarks, leptons, and bosons, at least in rough outline. But we seem to have lots of trouble imagining how yellowness could be nothing more than the spin, polarity, energy, etc., of a dandelion’s fundamental particles. As a result we are led to wonder whether there is room for colour in a physical world. This paper is about conciliatory thinking, a widespread and influential way of thinking about colours and the way they fit into the physical world. There are two claims that are definitive of conciliatory thinking. The first claim is that the colours preserve the structure of our colour experiences. What is the ‘structure’ of our colour experiences? One of the central tasks of this paper will be to get clear about this notion. But, for now, an example might help. Just as we experience objects as located in space and thereby experience them as closer or further from each other, we also experience objects as coloured and thereby experience them as more or less similarly coloured. For example, an experience of a yellow dandelion, an orange pumpkin, and a
A trigonal and hindered tertiary phosphine ligand rendered anionic by a niobate anchor: Formation of zwitterionic M(I) (M = Cu, Ag, Au, Rh) complexes

Treatment of terminal phosphide anion [PNb(N[Np]Ar)3]− ([Na(OEt2)]+ salt, Ar = 3,5-Me2C6H3) with two diphenylketene equivalents led to isolation of anion [P(C{CPh2}O)2Nb(N[Np]Ar)3]− in 78% yield as its [Na(THF)]+ salt. The latter reacts with diphenylketene (1 equiv) to provide the triple diphenylketene addition product [P(C{CPh2}O)3Nb(N[Np]Ar)3]− in 88% yield as its [Na(THF)]+ salt; the same material is obtained alternatively in 93% yield by reaction of diphenylketene (3 equiv) directly with niobium phosphide [Na(OEt2)][PNb(N[Np]Ar)3]. The anion [P(C{CPh2}O)3Nb(N[Np]Ar)3]− was also crystallized as its ion-separated [Na(THF)6]+ salt as illuminated by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study, which also revealed the three-fold symmetric nature of the highly hindered tertiary phosphine comprising the anionic component. Coinage metal monocations of the new, anionic phosphine were prepared via salt elimination; structural studies on the zwitterionic complexes (py)M[P(C{CPh2}O)3Nb(N[Np]Ar)3] (M = Cu, Ag, and Au) showed them to be isostructural in the space groupP21/c while illustrating the ensconcement of a two-coordinate coinage metal in a deep binding pocket flanked by three phenyl residues. Rhodium(I) incorporation into the anion's binding pocket illustrated versatility of the latter: in contrast to structural observations for the M(I) complexes (M = Cu, Ag, and Au), in the case of Rh[P(C{CPh2}O)3Nb(N[Np]Ar)3] an X-ray study reveals strong interactions (η6 and η2, respectively) with two of the three phenyl residues that are proximal to Rh(I) when connected to the phosphine lone pair of the anion.
Phase I Study of Cloretazine (VNP40101M), a Novel Sulfonylhydrazine Alkylating Agent, Combined with Cytarabine in Patients with Refractory Leukemia

Purpose: Cloretazine (VNP40101M) is a novel sulfonylhydrazine alkylating agent with significant antileukemia activity. A phase I study of cloretazine combined with cytarabine (1-β-d-arabinofuranosylcytosine, ara-C) was conducted in patients with refractory disease. Design: Ara-C was given i.v. at a fixed dose of 1.5 gm/m2/d by continuous infusion for 4 days (patients ages <65 years at time of diagnosis) or 3 days (patients ages ≥65 years). Cloretazine was given i.v. over 15 to 60 minutes on day 2 at a starting dose of 200 mg/m2, with escalation in 100 mg/m2 increments in cohorts of three to six patients until a maximum tolerated dose was established. The DNA repair enzyme O 6-alkylguanine DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) was measured at baseline. Results: Forty patients, including 32 with acute myeloid leukemia, received 47 courses of treatment. Complete responses were seen at cloretazine dose levels of ≥400 mg/m2 in 10 of 37 (27%) evaluable patients, and in this patient subset, AGT activity was significantly lower in patients that responded to treatment than in patients who did not ( P ≤ 0.027). Dose-limiting toxicities (gastrointestinal and myelosuppression) were seen with 500 and 600 mg/m2 of cloretazine combined with the 4-day ara-C schedule but not seen with the 3-day schedule. Conclusion: The recommended cloretazine dose schedule for future studies is 600 mg/m2 combined with 1.5 gm/m2/d continuous infusion of ara-C for 3 days. The cloretazine and ara-C regimen has significant antileukemic activity. AGT activity may be a predictor of response to cloretazine.
Scalable data parallel implementations of object-recognition on Connection Machine CM-5

Object recognition involves identifying known objects in a given scene. It plays a key role in image understanding. Geometric hashing is a technique for model-based object recognition in occluded scenes. We present scalable data parallel algorithms for geometric hashing on a CM-5. Given a scene consisting of S feature points, the parallel algorithm for one probe of the recognition phase takes O/spl lsqb/(S/P) log S/spl rsqb/ time on a fat tree-based architecture. We perform implementations of the proposed algorithms on a CM-5, after a careful study of its computation and communication characteristics. Earlier parallel implementations of the geometric hashing algorithm were carried out on a CM-2 using O(Mn/sup 3/) processors, where M is the number of models in the database and n is the number of features in each model. In these implementations, the number of processors is independent of the size of the scene but depends on the size of the model database which is usually very large. The algorithms presented significantly improve on the number of processors employed, while at the same time achieving much superior time performance. Earlier implementations claim 700 to 1300 ms for one probe of the recognition phase, assuming 200 feature points in the scene on an 8K processor CM-2 Our implementations run on a P processor CM-5, such that 1/spl les/P/spl les/S. Our results show that a probe of the recognition phase for a scene consisting of 1024 feature points takes less than 10 ms on a a 256 processor CM-5. The implementations developed in this paper require number of processors independent of the size of the model database and are also scalable with the machine size. >
Hospital discharge information and older patients: Do they get what they need?

BACKGROUND Ineffective communication of hospital discharge instructions may have important implications for future health, function, and quality of life. OBJECTIVE To describe patient recall of predischarge communication of discharge instructions by hospital staff, and to demonstrate the feasibility a posthospitalization survey in this urban, public hospital population. METHODS Cross-sectional telephone survey of 269 patients age 70 years or older who were discharged from an academically affiliated urban public hospital between September 7, 2004, and January 19, 2005. RESULTS The mean length of stay of the respondents was 5.6 days (range, 0–56 days), and the mean number of admissions over the study period was 1.6 (range, 1–7 times). The respondents were interviewed a average of 3 days after discharge (range, 1–10 days). Only 43.7% of the respondents replied yes when asked, “Did anyone talk with you about how to care for yourself at home after this hospitalization?” Among those who recalled how they received care instructions (n = 103), approximately 66.0% (n = 68) reported receiving instructions “verbally,” 10.7% (n = 11) reported receiving written instructions, and 23.3% (n = 24) reported receiving both. More than half the respondents (54.2%) did not recall anyone talking with them about how to care for themselves after hospitalization. Other significant gaps in important patient information were identified. CONCLUSIONS We found that a posthospitalization survey was both feasible and revealing in this urban, public hospital population. Furthermore, interviewee recall of predischarge communication of discharge instructions by hospital staff demonstrated significant gaps in communication between these patients and the hospital care team at time of discharge. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2007;2:291–296. © 2007 Society of Hospital Medicine.
A note on the conservative nature of the tables of lower confidence limits for cpk with a suggested correction

Chou, Owen and Borrego A. provided tables of 95% lower confidence limits for the process indices CpCPU (CPL), and Cpk. This represented a major step toward the proper use and understanding of such process indices. However, the simulations in this paper indicate that their tables for Cpk can produce 97 or 98% lower confidence limits (instead of 95%) making them conservative. An approximation suggested by Bissell is shown to provide the desired 95% lower confidence limits for Cpk for n > 30.
Evaluation of three hollow-fiber membrane oxygenators without integrated arterial filters for neonatal cardiopulmonary bypass.

The cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) procedure has been shown to be a possible cause of postoperative neurological morbidity for various reasons, including: large amounts of gaseous microemboli (GME) reaching the patient and hypoperfusion of the patient due to “stolen” blood flow. This study used a simulated CPB circuit identical to that in a clinical setting to examine three different hollow-fiber membrane oxygenators without intergrated arterial filters - the Capiox RX05, the Quadrox-i neonatal, and the KIDS D100 - to determine their ability to reduce the number of GME delivered to the neonatal patient and their hemodynamic properties in response to varying flow rates, normothermic vs hypothermic conditions, and open vs closed purge line. The circuit was primed with Ringer’s Lactate and then human blood with a hematocrit of 30%. Injections of 5cc bolusses of air were injected into the venous line proximal to the venous reservoir over a thirty-second interval. Six injections were done for each oxygenator at ...
Thermally driven escape from Pluto’s atmosphere: A combined fluid/kinetic model

Abstract A combined fluid/kinetic model is developed to calculate thermally driven escape of N 2 from Pluto’s atmosphere for two solar heating conditions: no heating above 1450 km and solar minimum heating conditions. In the combined model, one-dimensional fluid equations are applied for the dense part of the atmosphere, while the exobase region is described by a kinetic model and calculated by the direct simulation Monte Carlo method. Fluid and kinetic parts of the model are iteratively solved in order to maintain constant total mass and energy fluxes through the simulation region. Although the atmosphere was found to be highly extended, with an exobase altitude at ∼6000 km at solar minimum, the outflow remained subsonic and the escape rate was within a factor of two of the Jeans rate for the exobase temperatures determined. This picture is drastically different from recent predictions obtained solely using a fluid model which, in itself, requires assumptions about atmospheric density, flow velocity and energy flux carried away by escaping molecules at infinity. Gas temperature, density, velocity and heat flux versus radial distance are consistent between the hydrodynamic and kinetic model up to the exobase, only when the energy flux across the lower boundary and escape rate used to solve the hydrodynamic equations is obtained from the kinetic model. This limits the applicability of fluid models to atmospheric escape problems. Finally, the recent discovery of CO at high altitudes, the effect of Charon and the conditions at the New Horizon encounter are briefly considered.
Use of azo-dye-bound collagen to measure reaction velocities of proteolytic enzymes.

Abstract The insoluble protein-dye complex, Azocoll, can be used to measure proteolytic activity as a function of time. By using the aliquoted method discussed in this report, one 5.0 ml reaction mixture can give up to five points on a standard velocity curve. It has been shown that the ratio of solid to liquid in the reaction mixture can be kept constant to give accurate values when pipetting aliquots from a solid-liquid mixture. We have also shown that Azocoll is more sensitive to trypsin than previously reported and that the “dye bleeding” in control samples can be kept at a manageable level.
The Role Of Due Diligence In The Business Valuation Process

The due diligence process enables investors to do a better job of determining the appropriate price to pay for a privately held firm. This article delineates some factors that a prospective buyer should investigate thoroughly to determine the value of a small, privately held business under consideration for purchase.
Multiple Excitation in Composite Molecules

The study of single-photon, single-molecule interaction reveals basic information about electronically excited states of isolated molecules, but may reveal little about the excitation processes of molecules in the aggregate such as usually occur in nature. The present study explored the range of multi-excitation phenomena in multi-molecule systems. The interaction of one photon with a cluster of two or more molecules was considered. The list of phenomena includes Charge Transfer, Contact CT, Excimer, Exciton, Simultaneous Transition, Successive Excitation, Triplet-Triplet Annihilation, Exciton Fission, Non-Linear (Biphotonic) Absorption, and Biprotonic Phototautomerism. The purpose of the study was to examine the phenomenology, potential diagrams, and quantum theoretical formalism for the phenomena with the purpose of correlating what have been usually treated as separate phenomena, as accidentally discovered. The search for unifying elements of theory and the search for intermediate phenomena were both suggested. Numerous applications to photochemistry and photobiology were pointed out in this lecture.
Predictors of Transition to Heroin Use among Initially Non-Opioid Dependent Illicit Pharmaceutical Opioid Users: A Natural History Study

Background Increases in illicit pharmaceutical opioid (PO) use have been associated with risk for transition to heroin use. We identify predictors of transition to heroin use among young, illicit PO users with no history of opioid dependence or heroin use at baseline.
Novel Cytokines for Immunotherapy of Melanoma

Modulation of the immune system using cytokines, most notably ­interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-α (IFN-α), has been the mainstay of immunotherapy of melanoma for more than a decade. High-dose IL-2 has been associated with durable complete responses (CR) in a subset of metastatic melanoma and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients, providing proof-of-concept for successful use of cytokine immunotherapy. IFN-α as adjuvant therapy of high-risk melanoma is associated with improved relapse-free survival and in some studies, a modest improvement in overall survival. However, the therapeutic utility of IL-2 and IFN-α is limited by low response rates, significant treatment-associated toxicities and the paucity of biomarkers predictive of response to therapy. With the recent advances in our understanding of tumor immunology, it is apparent that the tumor immune microenvironment is extremely complex with several obstacles to the successful use of immunotherapeutic modalities. The use of novel cytokines with unique immunomodulatory properties, as well as the investigation of novel methods of cytokine delivery, has the potential to circumvent some of these obstacles. This chapter focuses on some of the novel cytokine-based immunotherapeutic approaches that appear promising for the treatment of melanoma.
NONRANDOM DISTRIBUTION OF LETHALS INDUCED BY TRITIATED THYMIDINE IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER.

Mutations were induced in Drosophila males by tritiated thymidine fed to larvae or injected into adults. Radioautographs of testes of treated males demonstrated a correlation between the occurrence of mutations and the presence of labeled sperna bundles. In addition to the presence of sex-linked recessive lethals, dominant lethals were also measureable. Mapping of the induced sex- linked recessive lethals disclosed a nonrandom distribution which differed from reported distributions of mutations induced by x rays and gamma rays. Distribution of mutations induced by H/sup 3/T appears to reflect the varying frequency with which thymine bases occur along the lengih of the Drosophila X chromosome. (auth)
Bacon-Shakespeare: The Tobie Matthew Postscript

difficult. I do not think it was her "rigid chastity", as Hazlitt put it, that made Isabella unattractive to Coleridge; it seems rather to have been her over-all character. Isabella is undoubtedly one of the most cerebral women in Shakespeare's works,6 and Coleridge did not like intellectual females. In fact, he praised Shakespeare's women because he thought them to be creatures of passion and feeling.7 That Coleridge felt Isabella was too analytical and too unfeeling is corroborated by a generally neglected comment made by J. Payne Collier8 in his edition of Shakespeare's plays:
LMI-Based Multiobjective Optimization and Control of Flexible Aircraft Using VCCTEF

This paper considers the control of coupled aeroelastic aircraft model with Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap (VCCTEF) system. The relative motion between two adjacent flaps is constrained and this actuation constraint problem is converted into an output covariance constraint problem, and therefore can be formulated using linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). A set of LMI conditions is derived for the design of an observer-based dynamic output feedback controller for VCCTEF configured aeroelastic aircraft model. The proposed controller is then applied to the NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM) for simulation, and the results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.
Predicting Consistency Between Officially Recorded and Self-Reported Records of Arrest

National Youth Survey Family Study (NYSFS) respondents were examined to identify the characteristics of individuals and their sociological environments, that would make them more likely to have consistency between self reported and officially recorded records of arrest. Somewhat surprisingly, it was found that those most likely to be at risk of arrest (males, high exposure to delinquent friends, higher level of substance use) are more likely to have consistency between officially recorded and self-reported arrests. Findings will be helpful in both producing more accurate information on arrests and in increasing sensitivity to the possibility of bias in arrest records that may be based on sociodemographic or behavioral characteristics of the individual.
Ultrasensitive Mercury Ion Detection Using DNA-Functionalized Molybdenum Disulfide Nanosheet/Gold Nanoparticle Hybrid Field-Effect Transistor Device

Mercury, one of the most harmful pollutants in water, has a significant negative impact on human health. The molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheet, due to its unique electronic properties, is a promising candidate for high-performance sensing materials. Here, we report a DNA-functionalized MoS2 nanosheet/gold nanoparticle hybrid field-effect transistor (FET) sensor for the ultrasensitive detection of Hg2+ in an aqueous environment. Specific DNA was used in the hybrid structure as the capture probe for the label-free detection. By monitoring the electrical characteristics of the FET device, the performance of the sensor was investigated. Our sensor shows a rapid response (1–2 s) to Hg2+ and an ultralow detection limit of 0.1 nM, which is much lower than the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for Hg2+ in drinking water (9.9 nM) recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In addition, the sensor shows a high selectivity to Hg2+ compared with other interfering metal ions, e.g., As5+, Cd2+, Pb2...
Stability analysis and improvement of solid state transformer (SST)-paralleled inverters system using negative impedance feedback control

In this paper, the stability of solid state transformer (SST)-paralleled inverters system is investigated by using the unified impedance-based stability criterion (UIBSC). Theoretical analysis reveals that the output impedance characteristics of SST are frequency-dependent and multiple resonances can happen in the SST-paralleled inverters system. A lead-lag controller and a negative impedance feedback controller are developed to mitigate the resonances within and beyond the current control loop respectively. Without additional sensors, the proposed negative impedance feedback control is able to achieve better damping function in a much wider frequency range compared to other methods. In addition, the proposed control method is less sensitive to the time delay. Simulation results are provided to validate the functionality of proposed methods.
Alterations in left ventricular curvature and principal strains in dilated cardiomyopathy with functional mitral regurgitation.

Background and aim of the study: Functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is increasingly recognized as a left ventricular (LV) disease. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is commonly accompanied by FMR and reduction of LV torsion. Therapeutic targets for DCM include LV size reduction, altered LV shape, elimination of MR, and increasing LV torsion. It was hypothesized that, in addition to increasing LV size, DCM with FMR would alter normal LV shape and reduce and alter the direction of principal strains across the LV wall. This hypothesis was tested by measuring changes in epicardial and endocardial 2-D principal strains and regional radii of curvature accompanying tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy in ovine hearts. Methods: Radio-opaque marker arrays were implanted into the left ventricle of eight sheep, including one subepicardial triangle and one subendocardial triangle in the anterior wall of the left ventricle. At one week postoperatively, biplane videofluoroscopy was used to determine marker dynamics. Rapid ventricular pacing was then instituted until FMR and signs of heart failure developed, and fluoroscopy was repeated. Circumferential LV radii of curvature were determined from marker triplets. Results: DCM changed the normal epicardial oval LV cross-section to a more circular configuration. The endocardium maintained its normal circular shape as the left ventricle dilated. Deformations of the triangles from end-diastole to end-systole were determined, and the magnitude and direction of 2-D principal strains calculated. DCM was associated with decreased magnitude of both epicardial (-0.095 ± 0.055 versus -0.040 ± 0.032, p = 0.006) and endocardial (-0.117 ± 0.047 versus -0.073 ± 0.037, p = 0.023) principal strains. DCM reduced the angle of epicardial but not endocardial principal strain. Conclusion: DCM with FMR is associated with LV dilation, circularization of the normally oval equatorial circumferential LV epicardium, transmural reduction in principal strain, and decrease in angle of principal epicardial strain. These changes contribute to a reduction in the net torsional moment and may guide the development of reverse remodeling procedures for the dilated, failing ventricle with FMR.
Papillary Carcinoma: Clinical Aspects

Although PTC tends to affect women more often than men (~2:1), the risk of cancer in thyroid nodules in men is equally, if not more, significant because of the much lower frequency of any type of thyroid disease in men. This chapter deals with several clinical aspects of these tumors, and descriptions of pathology and management appear in the immediate chapters that follow. In general, the discussion applies to all papillary cancers although there is a histologic basis to distinguish between classic papillary thyroid carcinoma and follicular variant papillary carcinoma. Moreover, both of the latter subtypes can be further classified into encapsulated or nonencapsulated papillary cancers as described in the chapter on pathology by Baloch and LiVolsi.
Terahertz devices, spectroscopy, and signal processing for biosensing

Sub-wavelength metamaterial structures are of great fundamental and practical interest because of their ability to manipulate the propagation of electromagnetic waves. Here we investigate the metamaterials composed of titanium and copper split-ring resonators for use in detection of living cells. Terahertz spectroscopy was utilized to detect a change in resonance frequencies of the bio-sensor in the presence of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in culture in real time. The shift in frequency showed dependency upon cell density. We applied circuit model to interpret the resonance peak shift observed, and not only do we see shifts in resonance frequency but also in capacitance and resistance as time progresses.
Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Diagnosis and Minimal Residual Disease Detection by Flow Cytometry

Flow cytometry is an integral tool in both the diagnosis and posttherapy evaluation of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The strength of the technology is its capacity for rapid, sequential single-cell analysis with simultaneous evaluation of multiple antigens, thus providing a comprehensive immunophenotype for discrete cellular subpopulations. As a result, it has become the methodology of choice for determining blast lineage and immunophenotype. Cytochemical or immunohistochemical evaluation, although useful and even required in some settings, has been surpassed by flow cytometry for the evaluation of blood and marrow in most instances (1, 2). Nevertheless, flow cytometric findings must be used in conjunction with morphology, molecular, and cytogenetic findings for the complete diagnosis and subclassification of AML. Evaluation of posttherapy samples for residual acute myeloid leukemia allows enumeration of blasts as low as 1% by morphology; however, distinguishing normal or regenerating progenitors from leukemic blasts rarely can be performed by morphologic examination alone. Flow cytometry not only allows a more sensitive assay, in some cases reaching a sensitivity of 0.01% (3–5), it is also able to identify aberrancies on the leukemic blast population that allow discrimination from normal or regenerating progenitors (2, 6, 7). These attributes make flow cytometry an ideal method for evaluating for minimal residual disease (MRD) in the posttherapy setting.
Studies on the visual evoked response. II. The effect of special cortical activity.

Studies have been made on the influence of stimulus through another modality on the visual evoked response. The solution of simple (single digit, three operation) arithmetic problems caused a decrease in VER. The use of equal area, transilluminated letter stimuli with an associated button pushing task, maximized the VER and made it most constant.
Translating to risk: The legibility of climate change and nature in the green bond market

The growth of climate finance, a field of investment focused on funding climate change adaptation and mitigation projects, both legitimizes and transforms financial flows. Green bonds, a financial product within climate finance, redirect investments from institutional investors into low-carbon infrastructure through the global bond market. These projects include clean energy, water infrastructure, public transportation, and sustainable forest management. The green bond market expands the scope of finance through the commoditization of the environment, as nature enters into financial markets as the added value of green bonds. In interpreting the environmental and economic value of forests, greener building methods, and public transportation, climate finance practitioners translate environmental, climate, and engineering expertise into the language of finance through the use of the term risk. However, these translations into risk require further risk management, promoting the production of green bond market devices such as standards and market indices. The ambiguity of risk supports these translations, creating a credible form of change within finance that legitimizes the development of the green bond market. This use of risk complicates its meaning and thus requires further examination beyond research already done in the social sciences on societal and individual dimensions of risk.
Cognitive function and patient-reported memory problems after radiotherapy for cancers at the skull base: A cross-sectional survivorship study using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status and the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head and Neck Module

Background Using patient-reported and objective assessment tools, we sought to quantify cognitive symptoms and objective cognitive dysfunction in patients irradiated for skull base cancer. Methods Participants were assessed using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) and the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head and Neck module (MDASI-HN), with subsequent analysis. Results Of the 122 participants analyzed, the majority (63%) had no frank detectable cognitive impairment by TICS, with frank impairment in 6%. Overall, mean patient-reported problems with memory (MDASImemory) was 3.3 (SD ±2.66). On recursive partition analysis, the MDASImemory cutoff point of ≥5 was associated with detectable cognitive impairment by TICS (logworth 1.69; P = .02), yet no MDASImemory threshold was associated with unambiguous absence of impairment by TICS. Conclusion Approximately one third of patients had ambiguous results by TICS assessment, for whom more rigorous testing may be warranted. Moderate to severe levels of patient-reported memory complaints on the MDASI-HN module may have utility as a screening tool for cognitive dysfunction in this population.
Improving Communication Through Resident-Nurse Shadowing

BACKGROUND: Previously, reduced resident hours, multiple ways to communicate (text paging, calling), and fewer opportunities for face-to-face communication had led to increased frustration from residents and nurses in our institution about communicating and prioritizing patient care needs. It was thought that a shared understanding and improved teamwork and communication between residents and nurses might be achieved if the residents could watch the nurses’ workflow and observe their care priorities. OBJECTIVES: To understand the experience of residents and nurses who had participated in a novel 4-hour nurse shadowing experience conducted during the first year of pediatric medical residency in a children’s hospital. METHODS: We undertook a basic interpretive qualitative study by using semistructured interviews to formally evaluate the shadowing program by examining the experiences of both the first-year residents and the nurses being shadowed. Residents and nurses who had participated in the past 3 years were eligible for inclusion in the study. RESULTS: Seven themes emerged that supported the overarching theme of improving communication between residents and nurses. Shadowing led to improved resident understanding and appreciation of nurses’ work. Both residents and nurses experienced enhanced relationships as they discussed opportunities to improve care delivery. Residents reported practice changes after shadowing a nurse. Peer relationships formed among the dyads that extended beyond the shadowing experience. CONCLUSIONS: Shadowing a nurse proved to be a valuable experience that had an impact on participants and potentially a positive impact on patient care.
AIN Epitaxial Layers for UV Photonics

The III-nitride wide bandgap semiconductors have been widely recognized as technologically important materials. Photonic devices based on III-nitrides offer many benefits including UV/blue/green emission, large band offsets of InN/GaN/AlN heterostructures, and inherently high emission efficiencies. These unique features may allow the creation of optoelectronic and photonic devices with unprecedented properties and functions. Achieving device quality Al-rich AlGaN with high conductivities and high quantum efficiencies remains one of the foremost challenges for the nitride community. AIN and Al-rich AlGaN alloys—covering wavelengths from 300 to 200 nm—are ideal materials for the development of chip-scale UV light sources/sensors, because AlGaN is the only ultra-wide-bandgap semiconductor system by which the bandgap can be easily engineered through the use of alloying and heterostructure design. Efficient solid-state UV light sources/sensors are crucial in many fields of research and development. Availability of chip-scale UV light sources is expected to open up new opportunities for medical research and health care. Solid-state UV light sources also have applications in water purification, equipment/personnel decontamination, and white light generation. There is an urgent need for developing new approaches to further improve material quality with reduced dislocation density and unintentional impurities and improved surface morphologies in Al-rich AlGaN alloys, which would enhance the doping efficiency and device performance.
“A Mash-Up World”: Hybridity and Storytelling in Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being

This chapter uses M. M. Bakhtin and the Zen Master Dōgen’s ideas about hybridity to provide a theoretical framework for understanding Ruth Ozeki’s novels. The author opens discussion with how Ozeki’s first two novels provide early examples of her exploration of hybrid worlds. These ideas reach their culmination in A Tale for the Time Being. As the novel unfolds, it offers few definite answers; in fact, entire books appear and disappear, and the lines between reader and author sometimes vanish. Rather than wallowing in despair, A Tale for the Time Being celebrates what it can affirm: while a mash-up world can be challenging, it also invites agency, collaboration, and transformation. A Tale for the Time Being literalizes what Ozeki sees as the promise of the postmodern, hybrid, mash-up world, a world where anything can happen and where we are called to be active participants in shaping what comes next.
Chapter 10 – Environment

Environmental change is the major driver of evolutionary change. Where environments are stable for long periods of time, the trend is for species to adapt to those environments quickly and early on, and then remain relatively unchanged (stasis) for most of the longer period of stability. Evolution is not an innate progression apart from environment as Lamarck believed. Rather, it is change that is most often due to natural selection adapting organisms to environmental changes. Environmental changes often create opportunities for some organisms, while eliminating opportunities for others. Opportunities allow adaptation to move some species into different niches and ways of living, which usually involve some noticeable evolutionary changes. Environments are very complex, with many biotic and abiotic components, any one of which may change over time. Also, environments are ever-present and therefore always exerting some form of selection on the species, whether stabilizing or directional. In the world of microbes, even the amount and kinds of DNA present in the environment can have profound evolutionary effects when certain horizontal gene transfers occur, which they do regularly. The diversity of biodiversity is in large part linked with environmental diversity and change over the history of our planet.
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: Restoring the Injured Microbiome after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

ABSTRACT Disruption of the intestinal microbiome early after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) has been linked to adverse outcomes in transplant recipients. To date, whether microbiome-directed interventions will be able to impact important clinical endpoints remains unknown. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a compelling intervention to restore healthy diversity to the intestinal microenvironment after allo-HCT, but currently has no established role in transplant recipients. In this review, we examine the use of FMT as treatment for Clostridium difficile infection and acute graft-versus-host disease, and also as a restorative intervention early after allo-HCT. Ongoing and planned studies will help determine the ultimate role of FMT in allo-HCT recipients.
Assessing readiness to drive in adolescents with narcolepsy: what are providers doing?

There are no universally accepted guidelines for assessing driving readiness in adolescents with narcolepsy. The purpose of the present study was to survey pediatric sleep medicine providers regarding their current practice patterns for assessing driving readiness in adolescents with narcolepsy, knowledge of their state laws regarding physician reporting of unsafe drivers, and opinions regarding what physician duty ought to be. This was an anonymous web-based survey distributed via the PedSleep listserv, which serves as a hub of communication for pediatric sleep medicine providers. A total of 52 pediatric sleep providers from 25 different states completed the survey. Eighty-eight percent of providers routinely assess driving readiness in adolescents with narcolepsy. Factors rated as “absolutely essential” by at least 50% of respondents included the following: history of previous fall-asleep crash or near miss, sleepiness (reported by patient), sleepiness (reported by caregiver), and cataplexy (reported by patient). Providers included maintenance of wakefulness testing: never (34%), if patient reports no/mild sleepiness (10%), if patient reports moderate/severe sleepiness (25%), or always regardless of patient symptoms (30%), and the median minimally acceptable result was 30 min (25–75th: 20–40 min). There was substantial lack of knowledge regarding legal obligations for reporting. These results demonstrate great variability in practice patterns among pediatric sleep medicine providers for assessing driving readiness in adolescents with narcolepsy. In addition, it shows limited knowledge of the providers about their respective states’ laws. Further studies are required to identify the best approach to assess residual sleepiness in this population.
Pre-Columbian agriculture, fire, and Spanish contact: A 4200-year record from Laguna Los Mangos, Costa Rica:

We present a lake-sediment record of pre-Columbian agriculture and fire history from the lowlands of southern Pacific Costa Rica that captures the arrival of maize agriculture at ca. 3360 cal yr BP...
The role of synthetic biology in climate change mitigation.

There is growing agreement that the aim of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is to avoid dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system, is not likely to be met without inclusion of methods to physically remove atmospheric carbon. A number of approaches have been suggested, but the community appears to be silent on the potential of one of the most revolutionary technologies of the current century, systems and synthetic biology (SSB). The potential of SSB to modulate the fast carbon cycle, and thereby mitigate climate change is in itself enormous, but if the history of genomics is any measure, it is also reasonable to expect sizeable economic returns on any investment. More generally, the approach to climate control has been badly unbalanced. The last three decades have seen intense international attention to emission control, with no parallel plan to test, scale and implement carbon removal technologies, including attention to their economic, legal and ethical implications. This article was reviewed by Richard Roberts, Aristides Patrinos, and Eugene Koonin, all of whom were nominated by Itai Yanai. For the full reviews, please go to the Reviewers’ comments section.
An in situ high-throughput screen identifies inhibitors of intracellular Burkholderia pseudomallei with therapeutic efficacy

Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) and Burkholderia mallei (Bm) are Tier-1 Select Agents that cause melioidosis and glanders, respectively. These are highly lethal human infections with limited therapeutic options. Intercellular spread is a hallmark of Burkholderia pathogenesis, and its prominent ties to virulence make it an attractive therapeutic target. We developed a high-throughput cell-based phenotypic assay and screened ∼220,000 small molecules for their ability to disrupt intercellular spread by Burkholderia thailandensis, a closely related BSL-2 surrogate. We identified 268 hits, and cross-species validation found 32 hits that also disrupt intercellular spread by Bp and/or Bm. Among these were a fluoroquinolone analog, which we named burkfloxacin (BFX), which potently inhibits growth of intracellular Burkholderia, and flucytosine (5-FC), an FDA-approved antifungal drug. We found that 5-FC blocks the intracellular life cycle at the point of type VI secretion system 5 (T6SS-5)-mediated cell–cell spread. Bacterial conversion of 5-FC to 5-fluorouracil and subsequently to fluorouridine monophosphate is required for potent and selective activity against intracellular Burkholderia. In a murine model of fulminant respiratory melioidosis, treatment with BFX or 5-FC was significantly more effective than ceftazidime, the current antibiotic of choice, for improving survival and decreasing bacterial counts in major organs. Our results demonstrate the utility of cell-based phenotypic screening for Select Agent drug discovery and warrant the advancement of BFX and 5-FC as candidate therapeutics for melioidosis in humans.
Enhanced Uptime and Firmware Cybersecurity for Grid-Connected Power Electronics

A distributed energy resource prototype is used to show cybersecurity best practices. These best practices include straightforward security techniques, such as encrypted serial communication. The best practices include more sophisticated security techniques, such as a method to evaluate and respond to firmware integrity at run-time. The prototype uses embedded Linux, a hardware-assisted monitor, one or more digital signal processors, and grid-connected power electronics. Security features to protect communication, firmware, power flow, and hardware are developed. The firmware run-time integrity security is presently evaluated, and shown to maintain power electronics uptime during firmware updating. The firmware run-time security feature can be extended to allow software rejuvenation, multi-mission controls, and greater flexibility and security in controls.
Compositional analysis for clausal exceptives

In this paper I argue that English exceptive constructions introduced by 'except' that appear to have a phrasal structure can be underliyingly clausal. I offer a compositional analysis for such exceptive constructions. I propose that an except- clause introduces quantification over possible situations and serves as a restrictor of this quantification. I show how this analysis derives the inferences exceptives come with and the known restrictions on their use.
Determinación de los factores que inciden en la degradación de los suelos por herbicida (glifosato), y su incidencia en el cultivo de papaya (Carica papaya) en el cantón Santo Domingo, provincia Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas

El proposito de este estudio es ayudar a comprender los efectos que causa el uso desmesurado del herbicida sistemico glifosato sobre el suelo, al ser aplicado en el control de malezas en el cultivo de papaya. La presente investigacion se realizo en un puesto de cultivo de papaya para determinar si el herbicida sistemico glifosato era la causa de ciertos problemas que se presentan en el cultivo de papaya, tales como el rendimiento bajo de produccion en el cultivo, si hay o no residualidad del herbicida en el suelo, si afectaba a los microorganismos existentes en el suelo, ademas de comprobar si afectaba a los macro y micronutriente que toma la planta, se realizo un analisis foliar para determinar la asimilacion de los nutrientes por parte de la planta. Para realizar este trabajo de investigacion se tomo las muestras de una propiedad ubicada en el recinto Puerto Limon del canton Santo Domingo, De la Empresa NEW HEAR, en ella se tomo lotes de 1 a 4 anos de edad. Como resultado se obtuvo que no existe residualidad del glifosato en el suelo, debido a que sus niveles encontrados son menores que los limites de deteccion y cuantificacion, de acuerdo al metodo Spann y Hargreaves. Se demostro que el glifosato no afecta directamente a los microorganismos existentes en el suelo, ya que los microorganismos se mantienen en los niveles aceptables. Por ultimo el glifosato no interviene en los macro y micro nutrientes del suelo.
“To Avenging My People”: Speculating Revenge for US Slavery in Dwayne Alexander Smith’s Forty Acres

Hawkes explores Dwayne Alexander Smith’s 2014 novel, Forty Acres, contending that it pushes against traditional historical and speculative fiction by questioning which realities are possible if people try to “fix” rather than merely critique history. If black rage, or “black noise” in the novel, represents a psychological extension of US slavery in the twenty-first century, then the cure that the characters in the novel envision is a return to the moment where the illness began by avenging their ancestors who were captured and enslaved. That revenge results in the establishment of a secret society of successful black men who kidnap and enslave white people. Drawing on legal theories of revenge and retribution, Hawkes examines Forty Acres as a “speculative revenge narrative” and asks how one can decide who is a worthy recipient of punishment, how Smith engages with speculative fiction to tell this story, and how the text considers US slavery and its complex aftermath.
Computational Sensing with a Multiplexed Vertical Flow Assay for High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Quantification

We demonstrate computational sensing with a multiplexed paper-based point-of-care assay for high sensitivity C-Reactive protein testing (hsCRP). Using blindly-tested human serum samples, we achieved an R2 value of 0.95 and an average coefficient-of-variation of 11.2%.
Nest Box Entrance Hole Size Influences Prey Delivery Success by American Kestrels

Nest boxes are a popular tool for research and conservation of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius; hereafter “kestrel”). The size of nest box entrance holes affects occupancy, interspecific competition, and nest predation for a number of bird species, but effects on prey delivery success are unstudied. We used digital video cameras to monitor kestrels using two nest box designs, one with a small circular entrance hole (8.75 cm in diameter; n = 8) and the other with a large U-shaped entrance hole (7.62 cm wide by 12.07 cm high; n = 6), to compare the rates at which kestrels failed to deliver large prey (vertebrates) into the nest box while provisioning nestlings. Across 111 d of monitoring, we observed a significantly higher prey delivery failure rate at the boxes with small holes (8.9%) compared to boxes with large holes (1.6%). Boxes with small holes fledged 4.33 nestlings and boxes with large holes fledged 4.5. These results suggest that kestrels nesting in boxes with small entrance holes may have higher costs while provisioning nestlings, compared to kestrels using boxes with larger entrance holes. We conclude that the ideal entrance hole size for kestrel nest boxes may be a compromise between being small enough to minimize predation, yet large enough to allow kestrels with large prey to easily enter. Future research should investigate whether boxes with higher prey delivery failure rates have lower reproductive success.