cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CARS temperature measurements in an MHD diffuser

The U.S. Department of Energy is currently conducting proof-of-concept testing of MHD power plant components in the DOE Coal -Fired Flow Facility located at the University of Tennessee Space Institute. As part of this DOE program, Mississippi State University is developing advanced instrumentation for nonintrusive measurements of coal-fired combustion gas properties. This paper presents data from MSU CARS temperature measurements taken in the CFFF diffuser during a recent long duration experiment. Details are given on the CARS system. Comparisons are drawn between the CARS data and the University of Tennessee Space Institute modeling results. These results further define the flow field and heat transfer in the diffuser and provide a basis for interpreting the CARS temperature measurements.
Apartheid or Not Apartheid? The Russell Tribunal on Palestine, South Africa Session, November 2011:

Apartheid or not apartheid?: that was the question addressed by participants – both jurors and expert witnesses – in the third session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine over the course of its de...
The kinetochore interaction network (KIN) of ascomycetes

Chromosome segregation relies on coordinated activity of a large assembly of proteins, the kinetochore interaction network (KIN). How conserved the underlying mechanisms driving the epigenetic phenomenon of centromere and kinetochore assembly and maintenance are remains unclear, even though various eukaryotic models have been studied. More than 50 different proteins, many in multiple copies, comprise the KIN or are associated with fungal centromeres and kinetochores. Proteins isolated from immune sera recognized centromeric regions on chromosomes and thus were named centromere proteins (CENPs). CENP-A, sometimes called centromere-specific H3 (CenH3), is incorporated into nucleosomes within or near centromeres. The constitutive centromere-associated network (CCAN) assembles on this specialized chromatin, likely based on specific interactions with and requiring presence of CENP-C. The outer kinetochore comprises the Knl1-Mis12-Ndc80 (KMN) protein complexes that connect CCAN to spindles, accomplished by binding and stabilizing microtubules (MTs) and in the process generating load-bearing assemblies for chromatid segregation. In most fungi the Dam1/DASH complex connects the KMN complexes to MTs. Fungi present a rich resource to investigate mechanistic commonalities but also differences in kinetochore architecture. While ascomycetes have sets of CCAN and KMN proteins that are conserved with those of budding yeast or metazoans, searching other major branches of the fungal kingdom revealed that CCAN proteins are poorly conserved at the primary sequence level. Several conserved binding motifs or domains within KMN complexes have been described recently, and these features of ascomycete KIN proteins are shared with most metazoan proteins. In addition, several ascomycete-specific domains have been identified here.
Equine Hemostasis: Description, Evaluation, and Alteration

This is a review of equine hemostasis and is divided into three sections. The initial portion describes the normal hemostatic system and includes platelet function, coagulation, fibrinolysis and control processes. The second phase is devoted to laboratory tests of hemostasis, and the last section provides information on specific alterations.
Studies of the formation of Ga and Al wires on Si(1 1 2) facet surfaces

Reflectance anisotropy (RA), low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used to study the formation of Ga or Al chains and nanowires on the Si(1 1 2) surface. At T > 350 °C, the Ga or Al chains form at the step edges by a self-limiting process, while at lower temperatures, Ga or Al metallic nanowires form on the terraces, in addition to the chains on the ledges. Low temperature depositions (at or below 300 °C) are shown to lead to the formation of Al (or Ga) metallic anisotropic nanostructures, which switch polarization as a function of deposition thickness. These results have been confirmed using atomic force microscopy, which clearly shows the progression of these anisotropic features as a function of deposition time.
New Anticancer Drugs Associated With Large Increases In Costs And Life Expectancy

Spending on anticancer drugs has risen rapidly over the past two decades. A key policy question is whether new anticancer drugs offer value, given their high cost. Using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)–Medicare database, we assessed the value of new cancer treatments in routine clinical practice for patients with metastatic breast, lung, or kidney cancer or chronic myeloid leukemia in the periods 1996–2000 and 2007–11. We found that there were large increases in medical costs, but also large gains in life expectancy. For example, among patients with breast cancer who received physician-administered drugs, lifetime costs—including costs for outpatient and inpatient care—increased by $72,000 and life expectancy increased by thirteen months. Changes in life expectancy and costs were much smaller among patients who did not receive these drugs.
Time-dependent X-ray diffraction studies on urea/hen egg white lysozyme complexes reveal structural changes that indicate onset of denaturation

Temporal binding of urea to lysozyme was examined using X-ray diffraction of single crystals of urea/lysozyme complexes prepared by soaking native lysozyme crystals in solutions containing 9 M urea. Four different soak times of 2, 4, 7 and 10 hours were used. The five crystal structures (including the native lysozyme), refined to 1.6 A resolution, reveal that as the soaking time increased, more and more first-shell water molecules are replaced by urea. The number of hydrogen bonds between urea and the protein is similar to that between protein and water molecules replaced by urea. However, the number of van der Waals contacts to protein from urea is almost double that between the protein and the replaced water. The hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions are initially greater with the backbone and later with side chains of charged residues. Urea altered the water-water hydrogen bond network both by replacing water solvating hydrophobic residues and by shortening the first-shell intra-water hydrogen bonds by 0.2 A. These interaction data suggest that urea uses both ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ mechanisms to unfold lysozyme. Specific structural changes constitute the first steps in lysozyme unfolding by urea.
Mechanism and Kinetics of Punch Sticking of Pharmaceuticals

Adherence of powder onto tablet tooling, known as punch sticking, is one of the tablet manufacturing problems that need to be resolved. An important step toward the resolution of this problem is to quantify sticking propensity of different active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and understand physicochemical factors that influence sticking propensity. In this study, mass of adhered material onto a removable upper punch tip as a function of number of compression is used to monitor sticking kinetics of 24 chemically diverse compounds. We have identified a mathematical model suitable for describing punch sticking kinetics of a wide range of compounds. Chemical analyses have revealed significant enrichment of API content in the adhered mass. Based on this large set of data, we have successfully developed a new punch sticking model based on a consideration of the interplay of interaction strength among API, excipient, and punch surface. The model correctly describes the general shape of sticking profile, that is, initial rise in accumulated mass followed by gradual increase to a plateau. It also explains why sometimes sticking is arrested after monolayer coverage of punch surface by API (punch filming), while in other cases, API buildup is observed beyond monolayer coverage.
Combating Corruption with Care: Developing Ethical Leaders in Africa

Corruption is an abuse of position power for personal gains. There isn’t a country in this world that is totally free of corruption, and probably there never will be. However, according to the late...
Refugee education: Education for an unknowable future

ABSTRACTConflict and displacement are increasingly protracted, requiring rethinking of refugee education as a long-term endeavour, connected not only to the idea of return but to the ongoing nature of exile. In this essay, I examine how refugees conceptualize education and its role in creating certainty and mending the disjunctures of their trajectories as refugees. Through a portrait of one refugee teacher, the essay explores technical, curricular, and relational dimensions of refugee education that assist refugee students in preparing for unknowable futures.
Towards personalizing treatment for depression : developing treatment values markers.

Background While ‘personalized medicine’ commonly refers to genetic markers or profiles associated with pharmacological treatment response, tailoring treatments to patient preferences and values is equally important.
Satisfaction, Burnout, and Turnover Among Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants: A Review of the Empirical Literature.

Examining the work-related psychological states of nurse practitioners and physician assistants is important, given their increased role expansion. The current PRISMA-guided review examined studies...
Multi-octave linear-to-circular polarizers

Linear-to-circular polarizers operating at mm-wave frequencies with multiple octaves of bandwidth are reported. First, a polarizer constructed from cascaded anisotropic dielectrics is discussed. This polarizer scales the design of achromatic waveplates from optical frequencies down to mm-wave frequencies. In addition, the polarizer is constructed from artificial dielectrics (metamaterials) rather than naturally occurring crystals, which would be too bulky at these lower frequencies. Next, a broadband polarizer utilizing a meanderline/metamaterial combination is reported. The polarizer significantly extends the bandwidth over previous microwave designs by optimizing the orientation of each metallic layer, as well as combining meanderline and metallic patch geometries into the design. Both polarizers operate at incident angles up to 60° from normal.
Case 4: Hemoptysis in a 17-year-old Chinese Boy

1. Yang-Chern Lim, MBBS, MRCPCH* 2. Sok-Yan Tay, MBBS* 1. *Department of Paediatric Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore A 17-year-old Chinese male presents to a Singapore hospital with spitting up of blood. He has a medical history of childhood asthma and a single episode of febrile seizure in childhood. He describes 3 episodes of coughing and spitting up of blood earlier that morning. This is the first time that he developed this symptom. A picture he took at home shows mainly dark red blood with small areas of saliva mixed in. There is no history of epistaxis, vomiting, retching, or bleeding diathesis. There is no significant contact or travel history. There is no history of smoking or tobacco chewing. There is also no history of chest trauma or foreign body aspiration. Initial vital signs are normal. There is no respiratory distress, with a respiratory rate of 12 breaths/min and oxygen saturation of 100% on room air. His blood pressure is 118/78 mm Hg, with a heart rate of 78 beats/min. His temperature is 98.6°F (37°C). Findings from examination of the oropharynx, ears, nose, and respiratory system are normal other than mild injection of the oropharynx. There is no evidence of blood …
Obstructive sleep apnea as an independent predictor of postoperative delirium and pain: protocol for an observational study of a surgical cohort

Introduction : Postoperative delirium and pain are common complications in adults, and are difficult both to prevent and treat. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is prevalent in surgical patients, and has been suggested to be a risk factor for postoperative delirium and pain. OSA also might impact pain perception, and alter pain medication requirements. This protocol describes an observational study, with the primary aim of testing whether OSA is an independent predictor of postoperative complications, focusing on (i) postoperative incident delirium and (ii) acute postoperative pain severity. We secondarily hypothesize that compliance with prescribed treatment for OSA (typically continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP) might decrease the risk of delirium and the severity of pain. Methods and analysis : We will include data from patients who have been enrolled into three prospective studies: ENGAGES, PODCAST, and SATISFY-SOS. All participants underwent general anesthesia for a non-neurosurgical inpatient operation, and had a postoperative hospital stay of at least one day at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, from February 2013 to May 2018. Patients included in this study have been assessed for postoperative delirium and pain severity as part of the parent studies. In the current study, determination of delirium diagnosis will be based on the Confusion Assessment Method, and the Visual Analogue Pain Scale will be used for pain severity. Data on OSA diagnosis, OSA risk and compliance with treatment will be obtained from the preoperative assessment record. Other variables that are candidate risk factors for delirium and pain will also be extracted from this record. We will use logistic regression to test whether OSA independently predicts postoperative delirium and linear regression to assess OSAs relationship to acute pain severity. We will conduct secondary analyses with subgroups to explore whether these relationships are modified by compliance with OSA treatment.
Phycocyanin from Microalgae: Properties, Extraction and Purification, with Some Recent Applications

Abstract Phycocyanin is a non-toxic, water-soluble pigment protein from microalgae that exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective effects. In addition to these ...
Association between Breastfeeding Duration and Type of Birth Attendant

Introduction. Healthcare providers play an integral role in breastfeeding education and subsequent practices; however, the education and support provided to patients may differ by type of provider. The current study aims to evaluate the association between type of birth attendant and breastfeeding duration. Methods. Data from the prospective longitudinal study, Infant Feeding Practices Survey II, was analyzed. Breastfeeding duration and exclusive breastfeeding duration were defined using the American Academy of Pediatrics’ national recommendations. Type of birth attendant was categorized into obstetricians, other physicians, and midwife or nurse midwife. If mothers received prenatal care from a different type of provider than the birth attendant, they were excluded from the analysis. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted to obtain crude and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results. Compared to mothers whose births were attended by an obstetrician, mothers with a family doctor or midwife were twice as likely to breastfeed at least six months. Similarly, mothers with a midwife birth attendant were three times as likely to exclusively breastfeed less than six months and six times more likely to exclusively breastfeed at least six months compared to those who had an obstetrician birth attendant. Conclusions. Findings from the current study highlight the importance of birth attendants in breastfeeding decisions. Interventions are needed to overcome barriers physicians encounter while providing breastfeeding support and education. However, this study is limited by several confounding factors that have not been controlled for as well as by the self-selection of the population.
‘Train of Elephants’: Blake’s (Un)Tamed Beasts and Hayley’s Animal Ballads

Crosby examines William Blake’s original engraved designs to William Hayley’s animal ballads (1802 and 1805 editions), particularly the depiction of elephants, eagles, lions and crocodiles that concomitantly draw on and subvert contemporary Eurocentric graphic representations of animals. Crosby argues that Blake’s engravings and their placement within the text destabilised Hayley’s use of the ballad commission as a vehicle for patronage. Rather, the ballad commission provided Blake with an opportunity to articulate pictorially his frustration with the two dominant forms of patronage of the period: the private patron and the marketplace.
BCG and the Lympho-Reticuloendothelial System

It is generally agreed that a stimulated and active immune system is operative in the suppression of neoplastic cells. BCG is one of the most active stimulators of the immune system, as indicated by its effects on the lymphoreticuloendothelial system (RES) [4, 8]. Its activity, both specific [7] and nonspecific [4], depends on the physiological state of the organism, the route of administration, the species of animal and the dose. In some species of animals (mouse, monkey) the dermal route of administration of BCG is relatively ineffective, but the intravenous or aerosol routes are highly effective [1]. In the guinea pig and in man the dermal route is effective but to a lesser degree than the intravenous or aerosol routes [2, 10].
The German Genocides and Subsequent Redress and Reparation Movements

Chapter 4 briefly examines the German genocides where the Nazis systematically murdered an estimated 11 million civilians; of whom 6 million were European Jews and approximately half to one and a half million European Roma. The chapter then moves to examine the two subsequent redress and reparation movements (RRMs).
Encoding probabilistic causal model in probabilistic action language

Pearl's probabilistic causal model has been used in many domains to reason about causality. Pearl's treatment of actions is very diffewnt from the way actions are represented explicitly in action languages. In this paper we show how to encode Pearl's probabilistic causal model in the action language PAL thus relating this two distinct approaches to reasoning about actions.
Creating Postcolonial Visual Pedagogy

The important work detailed in Chapter 8 is generally completed in the shadows and margins of cultural work, while the stereotypical mainstream media garners most of public attention. Chapter 9 begins to explore the question of how the work of artists, alternative media outlets, and transnational feminist activists can be brought in from the margins and used to create pedagogies that confront the traditional, colonial representations of gender. Several theoretical frameworks to inform this pedagogy, including pragmatism, postcolonialism, border pedagogy, and critical multiculturalism. The ideas of philosophers and curricular theorists provide a way forward in using visual representations to challenge current curricular models that carry on the legacy of colonialism. Images that address and subvert unequal relationships of power can be the foundation of an education of difference. The author proposes a form of curriculum based around the complexity of transnational individual and group experience and expression.
Adjuvant Therapy for Sarcomas in Adults

The treatment considered optimal for primary soft-tissue sarcomas is operative resection with adequate margins of normal tissue around the neoplasm. This approach has been fully illustrated earlier in this volume for a variety of primary sites and clinical presentations. With this approach, the overall “cure rate” for localized soft-tissue sarcomas in adults has been in the range of 40%. More recent reports do suggest a somewhat higher figure, but this may be due to better initial staging methods and the resulting separation of patients with clinically unsuspected metastatic disease. Unfortunately, local control of the sarcoma is not always achieved by operative resection, despite an attempt to follow the surgical principles that have been outlined. In some instances, local failure may occur due to employment of a less than radical approach in order to maintain a viable extremity or because of other anatomic limitations associated with sarcomas arising from the trunk, retroperitoneum, or the head and neck. Nonoperative adjuvant therapies have been employed to deal with both problems associated with treatment failure—local recurrence and hematogenous metastases. An attempt will be made to assess the value of these additional approaches to clinical management.
A Branch-and-Bound Algorithm for a Class of Mixed Integer Linear Maximum Multiplicative Programs: A Bi-objective Optimization Approach

Abstract We present a linear programming based branch-and-bound algorithm for a class of mixed integer optimization problems with a bi-linear objective function and linear constraints. This class of optimization problems can be viewed as a special case of the problem of optimization over the set of efficient solutions in bi-objective optimization. It is known that when there exists no integer decision variable, such a problem can be solved in polynomial time. In fact, in such a case, the problem can be transformed into a Second-Order Cone Program (SOCP) and so it can be solved efficiently by a commercial solver such as CPLEX SOCP solver. However, in a recent study, it is shown that such a problem can be solved even faster in practice by using a bi-objective linear programming based algorithm. So, in this study, we embed that algorithm in an effective branch-and-bound framework to solve mixed integer instances. We also develop several enhancement techniques including preprocessing and cuts. A computational study demonstrates that the proposed branch-and-bound algorithm outperforms a commercial mixed integer SOCP solver. Moreover, the effect of different branching and node selecting strategies is explored.
Tipping the Scales: The Migration–Selection Balance Leans toward Selection in Snake Venoms

The migration-selection interaction is the strongest determinant of whether a beneficial allele increases in frequency within a population. Results of empirical studies examining the role of gene flow in an adaptive context, however, have largely been equivocal, with examples of opposing outcomes being repeatedly documented (e.g., local adaptation with high levels of gene flow vs. gene swamping). We compared neutral genomic and venom expression divergence for three sympatric pit vipers with differing ecologies to determine if and how migration-selection disequilibria result in local adaptation. We specifically tested whether neutral differentiation predicted phenotypic differentiation within an isolation-by-distance framework. The decoupling of neutral and phenotypic differentiation would indicate selection led to adaptive divergence irrespective of migration, whereas a significant relationship between neutral and venom expression differentiation would provide evidence in favor of the constraining force of gene flow. Neutral differentiation and geographic distance predicted phenotypic differentiation only in the generalist species, indicating that selection was the predominant mechanism in the migration-selection balance underlying adaptive venom evolution in both specialists. Dispersal is thought to be a stronger influence on genetic differentiation than specialization, but our results suggest the opposite. Greater specialization may lead to greater diversification rates, and extreme spatial and temporal variation in selective pressures can favor generalist phenotypes evolving under strong stabilizing selection. Our results are consistent with these expectations, suggesting that the equivocal findings of studies examining the role of gene flow in an adaptive context may be explained by ecological specialization theory.
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging compared to echocardiogram for detecting doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.

1068 Background: Doxorubicin is a standard treatment for breast cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia. The benefits of doxorubicin are limited by its potential for cardiotoxicity. In this study we investi...
Tetracycline reduces feeding and reproduction of the parthenogenetic springtail, Folsomia candida

Treatment with tetracycline or rifampicin to eliminate the obligate intracellular bacterium, Wolbachia pipientis, provides an important tool for validating Wolbachia’s diverse effects on arthropod reproduction, including cytoplasmic incompatibility, feminization, male killing and parthenogenesis. For the soil collembolan, Folsomia candida (Entomobryomorpha: Isotomidae) efforts to establish the role of Wolbachia in parthenogenesis using tetracycline have been ambiguous, possibly reflecting variation in overall experimental design, mode of antibiotic application and duration of treatment. By maintaining F. candida populations on agar plates containing dissolved antibiotics we show that the EC50 (effective concentration for 50% reduction in biomass) for tetracycline is 50-fold higher than for rifampicin. Experiments with the fluorescent dye rhodamine further show that tetracycline deters feeding. Using individual Collembola, we show that reproductively mature F. candida survive more than 60 days exposure to tetracycline at concentrations 4-fold higher than the EC50 and that its effect on egg production is reversible, consistent with persistence of Wolbachia during tetracycline treatment. As has been shown with other microbes, our results suggest that in F. candida, Wolbachia survives antibiotic exposure by entering a metabolically dormant persister state, from which it can recover under favorable conditions. This possibility is of particular interest because persister cells are induced by toxin-antitoxin (TA) gene pairs, which have recently been associated with Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility in Culex pipiens mosquitoes.
Effects of early life stress on cocaine conditioning and AMPA receptor composition are sex-specific and driven by TNF.

Abstract Exposure to early life adversity can predispose adolescents to the formation of substance abuse disorders. In rodents, early stressors such as repeated maternal separation (MS) impact AMPAR activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc), regions involved in drug-cue association after cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). Notably, previous reports suggest that the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) regulates AMPAR subunit composition; increased TNF levels are reported to reduce GluA2-positive AMPARs. Since MS can elevate adolescent TNF levels, the stressor may therefore alter AMPAR subunit composition via neuroimmune signaling, thereby affecting cocaine-induced CPP. We tested the specific role of soluble TNF in MS-induced GluA2 loss and cocaine-induced CPP with biologic disruption of TNF signaling. TNF gene and protein expression were elevated in both PFC and NAc of MS males, but not females. GluA2 expression was reduced in both regions in only male MS rats, and systemic treatment with either ibudilast – a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, or XPro1595 – a blood-brain barrier-permeable blocker of soluble TNF – reversed such loss. MS males also formed greater preference for a cocaine-paired environment, the expression of which returned to control levels after XPro1595 administration. These data suggest a sex-specific mechanistic link between TNF signaling and changes in GluA2 expression and drug-cue conditioning, thereby providing further evidence for a role of MS and neuro-immune activity in cortical and striatal AMPAR changes. Moreover, manipulation of the TNF signaling pathway represents a novel approach for influencing response to reinforcing effects of drug use.
Specimens of Copablepharon fuscum Troubridge and Crabo 1995 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the Oregon State Arthropod Collection

Two specimens, including a paratype, of the rarely collected species, Copablepharon fuscum, are presented, along with photographs of the specimens themselves.
Learning to live within your (water) budget: Evidence from allocation-based rates

Abstract As allocation-based rates (ABR) become more widely adopted in the residential water sector, it is important to determine whether consumers interpret the water budget as a target for water use, or if they simply respond to the increasing block design. This paper exploits a natural experiment created when ABR were adopted by a California water district, that allows us to identify households with high water use as a treatment group. We find evidence of heterogeneous customer responses, and policy-induced behavioral changes that imply customers adjust their target level of water use based on the information signal provided by the water budget.
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells in keratoacanthoma and squamous cell carcinoma: A blinded study of CD123 as a diagnostic marker.

Background Histopathologic distinction between keratoacanthoma (KA) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is challenging. We surmised that a discriminatory immunostain would be clinically meaningful. Previous investigators have found CD123-positive plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) are more prominent in KA than SCC. We sought to determine if CD123 immunostaining might have value as a diagnostic test for distinguishing KA from SCC. Methods We used blinded, semi-automated image analysis to compare CD123 expression in 66 KAs and 63 SCCs in a tissue microarray. Results PDCs were present in both KA and SCC. Mean PDC frequency was higher in KA than SCC (14.2 vs 11.2 mean cells/0.0945 square mm) but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.1240). There was no significant difference in mean PDC cluster frequency, mean intratumoral PDC frequency, or the percentage of PDCs as proportion of the total mononuclear inflammatory cell infiltrate between KA and SCC. Conclusion CD123 immunostaining is not a clinically useful test for distinguishing KA from SCC.
Factors Affecting Coproduction Resentment within a Self-checkout Environment

Self-service technologies allow organizations to shift work from employees to the consumer, creating a coproduction environment where the consumer is an active participant in the delivery of a serv...
Periodic multi-pulses and spectral stability in Hamiltonian PDEs with symmetry

We consider the existence and spectral stability of periodic multi-pulse solutions in Hamiltonian systems which are translation invariant and reversible, for which the fifth-order Korteweg-de Vries equation is a prototypical example. We use Lin's method to construct multi-pulses on a periodic domain, and in particular demonstrate a pitchfork bifurcation structure for periodic double pulses. We also use Lin's method to reduce the spectral problem for periodic multi-pulses to computing the determinant of a block matrix, which encodes both eigenvalues resulting from interactions between neighboring pulses and eigenvalues associated with the essential spectrum. We then use this matrix to compute the spectrum associated with periodic single and double pulses. Most notably, we prove that brief instability bubbles form when eigenvalues collide on the imaginary axis as the periodic domain size is altered. These analytical results are all in good agreement with numerical computations.
Ovarian small cell carcinoma, hypercalcemic type: rare and aggressive tumor.

Small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type, is a rare undifferentiated carcinoma which characteristically presents in women over 40 years of age with abdominal fullness, unilateral tumor, and hypercalcemia.[1][1] It is an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis (<20% long term survival
Mitigating Security Risks: An Assessment of Cyberattacks on U.S. Voting Systems

Cyber-attacks have become more prevalent with the emergence of globalization, technological advancements, and societal dependencies on cyber infrastructure and data. The presidential elections of the U.S. and other countries have become the target of nation state attacks that threaten the foundations of democracy and the integrity of the votes cast in free elections. The following article provides an assessment of the U.S. cyber-security landscape and recommendations to ensure a secure voting system infrastructure and readiness for the future.
Victorian hands: the manual turn in nineteenth-century body studies: edited by Peter J. Capuana and Sue Zemka, Columbus, Ohio State Press, 2020, 295 pp., $69.95 (hardcover), ISBN 978-0-8142-1439-8

Reviewing an edited volume can be a bit of a challenge, even with books as cohesive and organizationally and theoretically connected as Victorian Hands. Academic book reviews tend to do a few basic...
Methodology for Knowledge Elicitation in Visual Abductive Reasoning Tasks

The potential for bias to affect the results of knowledge elicitation studies is well recognized. Researchers and knowledge engineers attempt to control for bias through careful selection of elicitation and analysis methods. Recently, the development of a wide range of physiological sensors, coupled with fast, portable and inexpensive computing platforms, has added an additional dimension of objective measurement that can reduce bias effects. In the case of an abductive reasoning task, bias can be introduced through design of the stimuli, cues from researchers, or omissions by the experts. We describe a knowledge elicitation methodology robust to various sources of bias, incorporating objective and cross-referenced measurements. The methodology was applied in a study of engineers who use multivariate time series data to diagnose the performance of devices throughout the production lifecycle. For visual reasoning tasks, eye tracking is particularly effective at controlling for biases of omission by providing a record of the subject’s attention allocation.
Bacterial inhibition by amniotic fluid.

Abstract Amniotic fluid is inhibitory for a number of bacteria. Its action is primarily bacteriostatic and may be related in part to inadequate nutritional factors. However, supplementation of amniotic fluid with casein hydrolysate still resulted in a prolongation of the lag phase of growth.
Infant mortality in twin pregnancies following in-utero demise of the co-twin

Abstract Objective To assess whether conversion from twin to singleton pregnancy following the demise of a co-twin influences survival. Methods This retrospective study compared the risk for neonatal, post-neonatal and infant death for converted co-twins versus unconverted co-twins using the US matched multiple file dataset for the period 1995–2000. We also examined the same risks for converted versus same-quantile co-twins, hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using Cox Proportional Hazards models. Results The risk for neonatal (HR = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.09–0.34 and HR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50–0.96) and infant death (HR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.12–0.42 and HR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.42–0.77) were significantly lower for converted twins than for unconverted twins and same-quantile twins, respectively. For black compared to white, the risk for post-neonatal death increased by 89% (HR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.03, 3.48), and 79% (HR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.53, 2.09) for converted vs. unconverted and converted vs. same-quantile, respectively. For converted black, the risk for neonatal death decreased by 17% (HR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.73–0.93) as compared to unconverted. Conclusions Risks for all mortality types were lower among converted co-twins than their unconverted or same-quantile counterparts. The lower neonatal and higher post-neonatal mortality among black require future research.
Zein storage protein gene family of maize. An assessment of heterogeneity with cloned messenger RNA sequences.

Abstract Zein messenger RNAs are shown to have an average poly(A) tract of 110 residues and a G + C content of 50%. Duplex DNA was enzymatically synthesized using purified zein m RNAs as the template material and inserted into a bacterial plasmid vector. Clones were rapidly screened for the size of the DNA insert by direct extraction of DNA from single colonies. A set of 20 clones with varying sizes was selected for further characterization. The 18 recombinant clones that contained zein sequences hybridized specifically to mRNA encoding polypeptides in either the light or the heavy zein class. The clones were further subgrouped by the presence of similar internal restriction sites and by the relative degree of sequence homology. The clones could be divided into two heavy class subgroups and at least three light class subgroups. In hybridizations of Southern transfers, representative clones from each of four subgroups reacted with numerous restriction fragments of genomic DNA. While each probe appeared to recognize common genomic sequences at the stringency employed, they each also hybridized to other bands. These results substantiate the contention that zein is a multigene family composed of sequences with limited heterogeneity. Although zein is being synthesized in large amounts in the endosperm at mid-development, no rearrangements or amplification of genomic endosperm sequences seem to be implicated.
Fiscal Spillovers between Local Governments: Keeping up with the Joneses' School District

While there is a rapidly growing literature concerning fiscal spillovers between local governments, it is challenging to empirically distinguish spillovers from common underlying trends. Using financial and geographic data for every school district in the U.S. from 1972 to 2002, this paper tests for fiscal spillovers using a new type of instrumental variable strategy that tests whether districts located near state borders respond to the predicted fiscal behavior of neighboring districts located in a different state. The fiscal behavior of the out-of-state neighboring districts will often be driven by changes in their states’ finance formulas or other state-specific shocks that are plausibly unrelated to factors affecting the in-state, border district. Additional specifications examine the extent to which local spillovers across state borders differ from in-state local spillovers. The results confirm that districts' revenues are influenced by exogenous shocks in their neighbors' revenues, especially for districts that were already outspending their neighbors. On average, a one dollar increase in the mean revenues per pupil of nearby districts leads to about a 22 cent increase in a district’s own revenues per pupil, which is smaller than estimates derived from ordinary least squares models or traditional instrumental variables models. Spillovers occur regardless of whether districts use direct or representative democracy to determine local tax revenue levels, and there is suggestive evidence that positive spillovers are mitigated by household mobility across districts in metropolitan areas. Based on these results, policymakers should consider that school finance policies targeted towards particular districts can change the equilibrium spending levels and residential composition of other districts.
An Interdisciplinary Introduction to Punishment

Book review of PUNISHMENT AND CULTURE: A RIGHT TO PUNISH? By Maria Jose Falcon y Tella and Fernando Falcon y Tella. Peter Muckley, translator. Leiden and Boston: Martinus Nijhoff, 2006.
Surface-water and groundwater interactions in an extensively mined watershed, upper Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania, USA

Streams crossing underground coal mines may lose flow, whereas abandoned mine drainage (AMD) restores flow downstream. During 2005–2012, discharge from the Pine Knot Mine Tunnel, the largest AMD source in the upper Schuylkill River Basin, had near-neutral pH and elevated concentrations of iron, manganese and sulphate. Discharge from the tunnel responded rapidly to recharge but exhibited a prolonged recession compared with nearby streams, consistent with rapid infiltration of surface water and slow release of groundwater from the mine complex. Dissolved iron was attenuated downstream by oxidation and precipitation, whereas dissolved CO2 degassed and pH increased. During high flow conditions, the AMD and downstream waters exhibited decreased pH, iron and sulphate with increased acidity that were modelled by mixing net-alkaline AMD with recharge or run-off having low ionic strength and low pH. Attenuation of dissolved iron within the river was least effective during high flow conditions because of decreased transport time coupled with inhibitory effects of low pH on oxidation kinetics. A numerical model of groundwater flow was calibrated by using groundwater levels in the Pine Knot Mine and discharge data for the Pine Knot Mine Tunnel and West Branch Schuylkill River during a snowmelt event in January 2012. Although the calibrated model indicated substantial recharge to the mine complex took place away from streams, simulation of rapid changes in mine pool level and tunnel discharge during a high flow event in May 2012 required a source of direct recharge to the Pine Knot Mine. Such recharge produced small changes in mine pool level and rapid changes in tunnel flow rate because of extensive unsaturated storage capacity and high transmissivity within the mine complex. Thus, elimination of stream leakage could have a small effect on the annual discharge from the tunnel, but a large effect on peak discharge and associated water quality downstream. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Enzymology and Life at the Single Molecule Level

The advent of room-temperature single-molecule imaging and spectroscopy in the early 1990s made it possible to follow biochemical reactions and conformational dynamics of an individual enzyme molecule in real time, yielding new information about the working of enzymes in vitro. This eventually led to the recent success in probing single-molecule biochemical reactions in a living cell with high specificity, millisecond time resolution, and nanometer spatial precision. We have studied how the gene expression and regulation occur at the single-molecule level in living bacterial cells. The examples herein illustrate the influence of the single-molecule approach to biological discovery, as well as prospects for medicine.
Thromboelastography in equine medicine: Technique and use in clinical research

Summary Thromboelastography (TEG) is a viscoelastic, whole blood-based assay that integrates information from both the cellular and soluble components of coagulation, providing a global evaluation of the haemostatic system. This contrasts with the conventional coagulation assays (i.e. platelet count, prothrombin time [PT], activated partial thromboplastin time [aPTT] and fibrinogen concentration [FIB]), which only provide information about one component (e.g. clotting factors in the case of PT and aPTT) of the haemostatic process, requiring the combination of several assays for a complete evaluation of haemostasis. Thromboelastography is an old technology that has been used in human medicine for over 50 years. However, it is relatively new in veterinary medicine and has only been applied to horses in the last 5 years. Clinical applications in human medicine include diagnosis and monitoring of coagulopathies. Currently, extensive research is being carried out to expand the use of TEG in dogs and cats. Therefore, it is expected that the use of this technique will also further expand in horses in the near future. To date, the available studies in the equine species have evaluated TEG in healthy horses, horses with gastrointestinal disease, septic foals, horses with exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) and a filly with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia. The main objective of this review is to introduce the TEG technique to equine clinicians, providing information on how the TEG functions, blood sample collection and processing, variables measured and their interpretations, normal reference values and areas of potential clinical application.
The effect of drug use disorder onset, remission or persistence on an individual's personal social network

Background and Objectives Drug use disorders (DUD) have strong associations with numerous social problems. However, little is known concerning differences between individuals who experience DUD onset, persistence or remission. While the literature is fairly clear on who is most likely to experience DUD onset and persistence, many correlates of DUD remission, including personal social networks, lack the empirical foundation to utilize them in evidence-based intervention or prevention efforts. While small, community samples suggest DUD remission is associated with growth in personal social networks, this conclusion is in need of larger population studies to justify. Methods This study used Waves 1 and 2 of the National Epidemiologic Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) to examine whether DUD status is a correlate of personal social networks. Results Multivariate models showed DUD onset and DUD persistence were related to smaller personal social networks. However, individuals who experience DUD remission showed personal social networks similar to persons who never experienced a DUD. Discussion and Conclusions As one of the first empirical studies of personal social networks among individuals with different stages of DUD using nationally representative data, these findings suggest that by decreasing drug use, personal social networks may be increased, which is a strong trait associated with the social influence necessary with maintaining DUD recovery. (Am J Addict 2015;24:427 –434)
Earthen levee monitoring with Synthetic Aperture Radar

The latest results are presented from an ongoing study of the use of multi-polarized Synthetic Aperture Radar as an aid in screening earthen levees for weak points. Both L-band airborne and X-band spaceborne radars are studied, using the NASA UAVSAR and the German TerraSAR-X platforms. Feature detection and classification algorithms tested for this application include both radiometric and textural methods. Radiometric features include both the simple backscatter magnitudes of the HH, VV, and HV channels as well as decompositions such as Entropy, Anisotropy, and Alpha angle. Textural methods include grey-level co-occurrence matrix and wavelet features. Classifiers tested include Maximum Likelihood and Artificial Neural Networks. The study area includes 240 km of levees along the lower Mississippi River. Results to date are encouraging but still very preliminary and in need of further validation and testing.
A Replicative Investigation of the Reliability of the MMPI in the Classification of Chronic Headaches

SYNOPSISThis study attempts to replicate and synthesize previous headache/MMPI research by investigating scale differences amongst diagnoses and between a control group; re-examining the occurrence of the conversion “V” pattern; evaluating the Kudrow-Sutkus (1979) classification system; measuring score changes which occur with prognosis; and observing the effect that “headache items” have on scale score elevations. Several mean scale scores differed from previous studies. A number of these differences were clinically significant. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) (sex [370 males and females] and headache diagnosis) for each scale determined that males had higher L scores; the control group had higher K scores than post trauma, mixed, or vascular patients; each headache diagnosis had higher 1, 2, 3, and 7 scores than the control group (scales 1, 2, and 3 were clinically elevated in only the post trauma and mixed conditions); scale 9 scores varied between conditions; and scale 10 scores were higher for migraine, mixed, cluster, and post trauma patients. Chi-square analysis determined that the conversion “;V” pattern occurred in a significantly greater degree in headache patients. However, the percentage of occurrence ranged from only 12.50 to 31.03 percent. The Kudrow-Sutkus system correctly diagnosed only 40.08 percent of 90 randomly selected subjects. One-way ANOVA determined that no significant change occurred in group scale scores in 20 headache sufferers who received treatment ranging from a multi-disciplinary hospital program to none at all and whose prognosis ranged from excellent to poor. One-way ANOVA determined that the removal of items which inquire about “headache symptoms” produced significant reductions on scales 1 and 3.The inability of this study to replicate previous empirical investigations raises questions of the MMPI's reliability as a diagnostic classifier in chronic headache. Certain elevations on the MMPI may be the result of symptom measurement and not psychopathology.