cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alternative Colorectal Imaging

Various alternative modalities to traditional colonoscopy have emerged over the past several decades, presenting documented value in the detection of colorectal diseases. Here, we present four imaging tests of the colon, including barium enema, computer tomographic (CT) colonography or virtual colonoscopy, magnetic resonance (MR), and capsule endoscopy. With the emergence of virtual colonoscopy and capsule endoscopy, barium enema has faded in favor as the diagnostic tool of choice for asymptomatic and symptomatic colonic lesions. In recent years, virtual colonoscopy has rivaled traditional colonoscopy as an effective tool in colorectal cancer screening, whereas MR colonography presents superior soft-tissue contrast without exposure to ionizing radiation. Colon capsule endoscopy is a recent venture following the success and widespread acceptance of small bowel capsule endoscopy. Despite comparable diagnostic yields and advancing technologies, only traditional colonoscopy is capable of tissue sampling and therapy, remaining the gold standard for diagnosis of colorectal lesions.
Nitrogen-Containing Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers: Progress and Prospects

Nitrogen heterocycles have advantages as hydrogen storage materials, including easier H2 release, better biodegradability, and low vapor pressure. The challenges that face practical applications, for example to vehicular transport, are discussed. Beyond heterocycles, amine/amide and amine/nitrile strategies are also covered.
Quantum technology past, present, future: quantum energetics (Conference Presentation)

Since the development of quantum physics in the early part of the 1900s, this field of study has made remarkable contributions to our civilization. Some of these advances include lasers, light-emitting diodes (LED), sensors, spectroscopy, quantum dots, quantum gravity and quantum entanglements. In 1998, the NASA Langley Research Center established a quantum technology committee to monitor the progress in this area and initiated research to determine the potential of quantum technology for future NASA missions. The areas of interest in quantum technology at NASA included fundamental quantum-optics materials associated with quantum dots and quantum wells, device-oriented photonic crystals, smart optics, quantum conductors, quantum information and computing, teleportation theorem, and quantum energetics. A brief review of the work performed, the progress made in advancing these technologies, and the potential NASA applications of quantum technology will be presented.
An Anti-Union Corporate Culture and Cell Manufacturing

Abstract The development of the cell (cellular) manufacturing process is revolutionizing the social and technical design of the traditional job shop. In the unionized workplace these changes impact on longstanding collective bargaining relationships and day-to-day working conditions. We discuss cell manufacturing based on our long-term research of a typical U.S. industrial company. We offer suggestions for a proactive union approach which can enhance the role of workers and their unions in the successful implementation of this new technology.
Epidemiological Study of Browser-Based Malware for University Network with Partially Observed Flow Data

The presence of personal financial data, intellectual property, and classified documents on University computer systems makes them particularly attractive to hackers, but not well prepared for their attacks. The University of Rhode Island (URI) is one of the few institutions collecting network traffic data (NetFlow) for inference and analysis of normal and potentially malicious activity. This research focuses on web-based traffic with client-server architecture and adopts simple probability-based transmission models to explore the vulnerability of the URI web-network to anticipated threats. The fact that the URI firewall captures only traffic data in- and out- of URI necessitates the modeling of internal un-observed traffic. Relying on a set of intuitive assumptions, we simulate the spread of infection on the dynamic bipartite graph inferred from observed external and modeled unobserved internal web-browsing traffic and evaluate the susceptibility of URI nodes to threats initiated by random clients and clients from specific countries. Overall, the results suggest higher rates of infection for client nodes compared to servers with maximum rates achieved when infection is initiated randomly. Remarkably, very similar rates are observed when infection is initiated from 100 different clients from each of selected countries (e.g., China, Germany, UK) or from one most active node from Denmark. Interestingly, the daily analysis over a three-month period reveals that the simulated infection rates that are not consistent with the intensity of the flow traffic may indicate the presence of compromised node activity and possible intrusion.
Dynamics of Countercurrent Square Jets

Extensive investigations have examined passive ways to manipulate the natural development of large scale vortices and their breakdown into turbulence to enhance the three-dimensionality of the flow, and thus entrainment and mixing. Compared to the axisymmetric jet, square jets are of special interest because they offer passively improved mixing at both ends: enhanced large scale entrainment due to axis-switching, and enhanced small scale mixing near corner regions and farther downstream -- due to the faster breakdown of vortex ring coherence. Although, passive control concepts enjoy reasonable success compared to active control scenarios -- which might demand an excessive energy input, practical performance requirements often demand the use of active control strategies. Coaxial jet systems with actuation based on imposing a co-annular secondary flow (Us) around the primary jet (Uo), have been used as effective active control approaches to jet noise reduction, thrust vectoring, and mixing enhancement. Beyond the use of the more traditional coaxial jet systems with r=Us/Uo>0, promising non-conventional techniques usesynthetic secondary flows with = 0 [1], or promote global instabilities and enhanced vortex strength based on the countercurrent jet shear layer enforced by a secondary suction flow with r<0 [2]. In the present work, we address the impact of combining active and passive control concepts using countercurrent square jets, seeking understanding of the instabilities and vortex dynamics underlying their entrainment-enhancing performance, and their dependence on initial conditions.
An Experimental Study of Instability Phenomena in the Initiation of Plastic Waves in Long Rods

A series of experiments are considered for stress-time histories at the impact face for wave propagation in long rods. From these data it is shown that the finite deformation mode and transition stability structure of the writer’s generalized parabolic stress-strain function is important in the problem of finite amplitude non-linear wave initiation and growth at the impact face and in the three-dimensional first diameter when considering the symmetrical free-flight impact of identical long cylindrical rods.
Improving Charge Carrier Mobility of Polymer Blend Field Effect Transistors with Majority Insulating Polymer Phase

The key approach to achieve high performance field effect transistor fabricated from semiconducting/insulating polymer blends with majority insulating polymer phase is the formation of connected fibrous structures of semiconducting polymer and good interfacial interaction of semiconducting polymer with the dielectric layer. Herein, tetrahydrofuran (THF) as a marginal solvent was used as an additive in marginal/good solvent mixtures to control the crystallite structure, phase segregation, and hole transport properties of poly(3-hexylthiophene)/poly(styrene) (P3HT/PS; weight ratio: 1/4) blends, with the advantage that marginal/good solvent mixture gives P3HT sufficient time for phase segregation and relatively better solvent quality to aggregate to more stable structures compared to other reported strategies as bad/good solvent mixtures or directly marginal solvents. Incorporation of THF reduces the P3HT solubility, forming connected fibrous structures as observed in both neat P3HT and blend films; it appea...
The Earth Is Not “Ours” to Save

The Anthropocene, as theorized by Dipesh Chakrabarty and Timothy Morton, attempts to name the fact that the human has become a geological actor. Much of the contemporary discourse around environmentalism and climate change calls for humans to act in particular ways to avoid a catastrophe in an imagined future. Even as a case can be made that the catastrophe has already happened, my point of departure in this chapter will be this simple claim: that thinking human action can avert climate-related catastrophe is, in the most obvious way, a re-assertion of the human’s status as geological actant. The earth is not “ours,” even to save.
A History of the Locked-In-Syndrome: Ethics in the Making of Neurological Consciousness, 1880-Present

Extensive scholarship has described the historical and ethical imperatives shaping the emergence of the brain death criteria in the 1960s and 1970s. This essay explores the longer intellectual history that shaped theories of neurological consciousness from the late-nineteenth century to that period, and argues that a significant transformation occurred in the elaboration of those theories in the 1960s and after, the period when various disturbances of consciousness were discovered or thoroughly elaborated. Numerous historical conditions can be identified and attributed to the production of the new theories that emerged from that period-on, not least in the broader social and cultural transformations that occurred with decolonialization, pro-democracy movements, and civil and disability rights advocacy, all contexts which exerted pressures on the institutions and professions of medicine. In this telling, the discovery of the locked-in patient is thus the exploration of a transformed vision of medical patients – one that moved them from a liminal indefinite space into a firmly grounded epistemological existence – in a backdrop in which medical professionals in particular and society in general was beginning to see the body differently. With this new vision, came a relational theory of consciousness to, a reading of a body and it signs, that shifted consciousness from an internally-derived state into a relationally-constructed object. The ontology of consciousness, whatever it was, thereby became entangled with the social condition of consciousness, one that bridged the worlds of close relationship with the social movements and anxieties about personhood that emanated out of that fraught period.
Social Interaction: A Determinant of Entrepreneurial Team Venture Success

An important issue to explain the success of new ventures is mostly ignored by the research of entrepreneurship: the social interaction within entrepreneurial teams. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of social interaction, which was originally developed for innovation teams in the field of entrepreneurship research and theory. The theoretical discussion proves if an adoption of the social interaction to the field of entrepreneurship is theoretically possible. Using the data of 159 German entrepreneurial teams, the effects of social interaction on new business success are empirically proven. The introduced measurement model, which consists of six dimensions, shows a high quality in the empirical test. The quality of the social interaction within entrepreneurial teams is crucial for the new venture success. An empirical comparison with the frequently used team conflicts confirm that the measurement of conflicts is not a sufficient substitute measurement for social interaction. Overall, the social interaction in entrepreneurial teams could be seen as an important but not only factor of business success.
Energy Transfer to Multiple Acceptors, in One, Two, or Three Dimensions

In the previous two chapters on energy transfer, we considered primarily covalently linked donor—acceptor pairs, or situations in which there was a single acceptor near each donor. However, there are numerous situations in which there exist multiple acceptors, such as the obvious case of donors and acceptors dissolved in homogeneous solutions. More interesting examples of the multiple-acceptor case occur in membranes and nucleic acids. Suppose that one has a lipid bilayer which contains both donors and acceptors (Figure 15.1, middle). Each donor will be surrounded by acceptors in two dimensions. Since the acceptor distribution is random, each donor sees a different acceptor population. Hence, the intensity decay is an ensemble average and is typically nonexponential. A similar situation exists for donors and acceptors which are intercalated into double-helical DNA (Figure 15.1, right), except that in this case the acceptors are distributed in one dimension along the DNA helix.
Hydrogeology of Karst aquifers

Karst aquifers are those in which caves or conduits form an important part of the flow path. Conduit permeability ranges from pipe-like openings greater than one centimeter in aperture to caves many meters in aperture. Recharge to karst aquifers comes from sinking streams, from dispersed infiltration through the epikarst, to storm runoff and into sinkholes. Discharge from karst aquifers is through large springs. Spring discharge tends to respond rapidly to storm flow. Groundwater moves through conduits in turbulent flow and typically carries a sediment load during storm runoff.
Exploring the Job Duties That Impact School Counselor Wellness: The Role of RAMP, Supervision, and Support:

The authors examined the predictive relationship between the performance of job duties informed by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model and overall wellness of school cou...
Single-Barrel Versus Double-Barrel Superficial Temporal Artery to Middle Cerebral Artery Bypass: A Comparative Analysis.

Objective The superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass is the most common bypass for augmenting or restoring cerebral blood flow. Although the single-barrel (SB) STA-MCA bypass is sufficient in most cases, the double-barrel (DB) STA-MCA bypass can supply the demands of different vascular territories or multiple efferent arteries. We present a comparative analysis of SB and DB STA-MCA bypass in a large, consecutive series to examine indications, surgical results, and patient outcomes. Methods A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database identified all STA-MCA bypasses performed by a single surgeon over 21 years. Results In total, 261 patients received 378 STA-MCA bypasses in 351 surgeries. SB STA-MCA bypasses were performed in 234 patients (90%), whereas DB STA-MCA bypasses were performed in 27 patients (10%). Patients with DB STA-MCA bypasses were more likely to undergo bilateral bypass procedures than those receiving SB STA-MCA bypass (P Conclusions DB STA-MCA bypasses are reserved for patients requiring revascularization of multiple vascular territories or efferent arteries. DB STA-MCA bypasses have patency rates and patient outcomes comparable to SB STA-MCA, with the advantages of a single incision and reduced operative complexity compared to high-flow bypasses. DB STA-MCA bypass is an important element in the vascular neurosurgeon's bypass armamentarium.
Abstract P1-06-03: A selective Cdk12/13 non-covalent inhibitor with potent anti-breast cancer activity

Cyclin-dependent kinases 12 and 13 (CDK12 and CDK13) are Ser/Thr protein kinase members of the CDK family. CDKs are regulated by cyclins and members of the family are key regulators of the cell cycle. Other members of this family—CDK7, CDK8, CDK9, CDK12 and CDK13—have been described as transcription-regulating kinases. CDK12 and CDK13 phosphorylate the C-terminal domain (CTD) of rpb1 the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II and interact with RNA processing factors, playing pivotal roles controlling transcription initiation and elongation, as well as posttranscriptional RNA processing. Specifically, CDK12 acts as the limiting factor for the transcription of a small subset of genes that are involved in the DNA damage response pathway and CDK13 affects expression of genes involved in growth signaling pathways. Importantly, like their cell cycle family members CDK12 and CDK13 have also been shown to be promising therapeutic targets for several cancer types. We have generated a novel, selective, and orally bioavailable, small molecule inhibitor of CDK12 and CDK13. Our lead molecule downregulates key DNA damage repair proteins including ATM, ATR, Brca1 and Rad51 leading to induction of apoptotic cell death in all triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines tested. We have confirmed the selectivity of our compound by kinase profiling and by comparing the gene expression profile by RNA-seq of cells treated with compound or infected with CRISPR sgRNA targeting Cdk12 and/or Cdk13. Importantly, our compound acts in synergy with the chemotherapeutic agents Cisplatin, Irinotecan and Olaparib. Finally, in preclinical efficacy studies, our lead compound blocked tumor progression in two different PDX models of TNBC and demonstrated tumor regression and enhanced efficacy over single treatment when dosed in combination with selected chemotherapeutic agents. Citation Format: Quereda V, Bayle S, Francesca V, Andrii M, William R, Derek D. A selective Cdk12/13 non-covalent inhibitor with potent anti-breast cancer activity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-06-03.
Causal inference and American political development: common challenges and opportunities

The causal inference (CI) movement has forced political scientists to think far more seriously about what can be learned from a particular research design and to be more attentive to making design choices that allow for credible causal inferences. At the same time, the rise of CI has given rise to the concern that political scientists have been better at making particular contributions isolating the effect of a single independent variable than at developing and testing theories that help us understand how these diverse findings fit together. For all of American political development’s (APD’s) distance from the causal inference revolution, a parallel can be drawn between the state of APD today and some of the concerns expressed about the broader state of political science in the wake of the rise of CI. This essay considers ways in which APD and CI can each be enriched through greater mutual engagement, suggesting that one should not dichotomize research into mutually exclusive categories of “well-identified research that makes credible causal claims” and “purely descriptive” APD studies.
The circadian system modulates the rate of recovery of systolic blood pressure after exercise in humans

Study objectives Recovery rates of systolic blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) after exercise have been used to assess cardiovascular fitness, and slower recovery rates are predictors of coronary heart disease and cardiac mortality. The endogenous circadian system is known to modulate BP and HR at rest and during exercise. Here, we examined whether the post-exercise recovery rates of BP and HR are also under circadian control. Methods Twelve healthy adults (mean age = 26 ± 6 (SD) years; 6 female) participated in a 240 h forced desynchrony protocol in dim light where all behaviors, including 15 min cycle exercise tests at 60% maximal HR, were uniformly distributed across the circadian cycle. Circadian phases were assigned based on the rhythm of core body temperature. For each session, HR was measured continuously, and BP every 3-5 min throughout baseline, exercise, and recovery. Recovery was quantified as the proportional return to pre-exercise baseline levels following exercise ([peak exercise-recovery]/[peak exercise-baseline) × 100%], whereby 100% represents full recovery to baseline). Results There was a significant circadian rhythm in systolic BP recovery, with fastest recovery at the circadian phase corresponding to late afternoon (equivalent to ~5 pm) and slower recovery across the early morning (~8:30 am; p = 0.029, peak-to-trough: 9.2%). There were no significant circadian variations in post-exercise recovery rates of diastolic BP or HR. Conclusions The circadian system modulates the rate of recovery of systolic BP after exercise with fastest recovery in the biological afternoon. These data could have implications for exercise prescription and interpretation of clinical tests of stress recovery.
Genome-wide association studies of structural birth defects: A review and commentary.

Background While there is strong evidence that genetic risk factors play an important role in the etiologies of structural birth defects, compared to other diseases, there have been relatively few genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of these conditions. We reviewed the current landscape of GWAS conducted for birth defects, noting novel insights, and future directions. Methods This article reviews the literature with regard to GWAS of structural birth defects. Key defects included in this review include oral clefts, congenital heart defects (CHDs), biliary atresia, pyloric stenosis, hypospadias, craniosynostosis, and clubfoot. Additionally, other issues related to GWAS are considered, including the assessment of polygenic risk scores and issues related to genetic ancestry, as well as utilizing genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism array data to evaluate gene-environment interactions and Mendelian randomization. Results For some birth defects, including oral clefts and CHDs, several novel susceptibility loci have been identified and replicated through GWAS, including 8q24 for oral clefts, DGKK for hypospadias, and 4p16 for CHDs. Relatively common birth defects for which there are currently no published GWAS include neural tube defects, anotia/microtia, anophthalmia/microphthalmia, gastroschisis, and omphalocele. Conclusions Overall, GWAS have been successful in identifying several novel susceptibility genes and genomic regions for structural birth defects. These findings have provided new insights into the etiologies of these phenotypes. However, GWAS have been underutilized for understanding the genetic etiologies of several birth defects.
Effectiveness of Diagrammatic Guide Signs at Complex Interchanges

The present work investigated if drivers’ interpretation of diagrammatic arrow signs dropped in accuracy as the number of lanes at an interchange increased. A set of diagrammatic arrow signs were s...
Gridlock in Global Ocean Governance: Diverging National Interests in the South China Sea

With the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1994, it was intended to serve as a means of universal ocean governance in resolving international maritime disputes. However, the failure to resolve the ongoing South China Sea Dispute, between the neighboring countries of China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines, has revealed regulatory gaps on the part of global ocean governance. This paper identifies the origins of gridlock in global ocean governance by identifying the diverging national interests of the actors involved in the South China Sea dispute that hinder cooperation in the region. Furthermore, this paper will show how the legacy of UNCLOS has stifled its own ability to mediate this contemporary conflict. In conclusion, this paper asserts that the key to resolving the South China Sea dispute is through multilateral natural resource extraction between the actors involved in the conflict, aided by the legal and diplomatic support of UNCLOS.
Modified Interconductor Contact Resistivity in Coated Conductor Stacks and Roebel Cables

Interconductor contact resistivity ( ICR ) is a key property in determining the stability and current sharing of coated conductor cables. Most coated conductor cables have relatively high contact resistivity and low current sharing as fabricated because of surface roughness and an oxide layer that forms on the Cu-stabilizer. Here we work to quantify the differences in using three methods to modify ICR : sample diffusion bonding, deposition surface modification, and thin conformable inserts. At first a stack of two coated conductors was used to simulate a cable. This stack was put under transverse pressure and exposed to moderate temperatures to promote diffusion bonding via the removal of the unstable Cu-oxide layer ( ICR measurements were performed on stacks before and after diffusion bonding, for stacks with deposited surface layers, and for stacks with a smart material insert. In addition, Roebel cables were prepared with deposited layers on the individual strands and atmospherically controlled diffusion bonding, and ICR was compared between the as-received and modified Roebel cables as well as coated conductor stacks.
Indigenous Silence, White Universality, and the Question of Appropriation in Mason & Dixon

Mason & Dixon’s silences regarding violence against Native Americans demand reoriented investigation. Some readers may feel that the novelist makes little effort to capture the larger experience of...
New Satellite-Based Vegetation Health Technology

Vegetation health (VH) method was developed for space-based monitoring of moisture and thermal and total health conditions of vegetation. This chapter is very important in explaining the theoretical and practical principals of the new development. The method stems from the properties of green vegetation to reflect sunlight and emit absorbed solar radiation in the visible (VIS) and near infrared (NIR) parts of solar spectrum. In drought-free years, vegetation is normally healthy being very green (contains much chlorophyll) and vigorous (contains much water). Such vegetation reflects very little solar radiation in the VIS and much in the NIR parts of solar spectrum. As a result, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), calculated from VIS and NIR, has a very high value, symbolizing good vegetation health, moisture and thermal conditions. Healthy vegetation also emits less absorbed thermal infrared (IR) radiation, resulting in a lower brightness temperature (BT) and a cooler canopy. Drought depresses vegetation greenness, vigour and makes the canopy hot due to an increase in VIS (due to depletion of chlorophyll), decrease in NIR (due to a decrease in water content), a reduction of NDVI and an increase in BT making canopy hot. Therefore, NDVI and BT serve as indicators of healthy/non healthy vegetation. Their data are composited and processed to reduce noise related to clouds, aerosols, water vapor, sun-sensor geometry, orbit degradation, satellite position, sensor deterioration, random noise and other errors. Further, processing includes a development of NDVI and BT multi-year climatology and three indices in the form of deviation from that climatology. The indices are Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), Temperature Condition index (TCI) and Vegetation Health Index (VHI), combining the first two together. They characterize vegetation moisture (VCI), thermal (TCI) and total health (VHI) conditions. These indices were based on the three biophysical laws: the Leibig’s Low-of-Minimum, the Shelford’s Low-of-Tolerance and the Principal of Carrying Capacity. This chapter describes the three indices and their applications for monitoring vegetation moisture, thermal and health conditions.
Analysis of energy storage power station investment and benefit

In order to promote the deployment of large-scale energy storage power stations in the power grid, the paper analyzes the economics of energy storage power stations from three aspects of business operation mode, investment costs and economic benefits, and establishes the economic benefit model of multiple profit modes of demand-side response, peak-to-valley price difference and auxiliary peak shaving service. Finally the paper have analyzed and verified the model in the power grid of a province in North China as an example.
The nature of aging and the geroscience hypothesis

Abstract Aging is observed in both living things and inanimate objects. The time-dependent, progressive deterioration of both living and nonliving things eventually results in nonfunctionality and, in the case of living things, death. In both cases functional immortality can be achieved by incorporating repair and replacement mechanisms into the system. Nevertheless, repair and replacement mechanisms, even though they act for some period of time, do not necessarily confer immortality. In many species, a distinction can be made between the soma (body) and germ line. The soma has maintenance mechanisms that do not confer immortality, while the germ line does. In this chapter, the reasons for this distinction are explored. The processes that comprise the deterioration of the soma are discussed. The geroscience hypothesis states that, if the deterioration mechanisms common to many or most tissues are known, therapeutic strategies that target those processes could alter the course of aging and have beneficial effects on the incidence or progression of multiple late-life diseases.
Should Oral Anticoagulation be used in ESKD Patients on Hemodialysis with Atrial Fibrillation? CON

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in patients with ESKD and is associated with a high rate of mortality and stroke. In the general population, clinical trial data have demonstrated that anticoagulation is effective in decreasing rates of stroke without markedly increasing rates of bleeding (1). However, existing data on the benefits and risks of anticoagulation for the prevention of AF-related complications in the ESKD population are conflicting; thus, the evidence does not support their use in patients on hemodialysis. In this perspective, we will examine the relevant data and make the argument that anticoagulation should NOT be used in patients with AF on hemodialysis. This assertion is supported by the lack of definitive data showing an improvement in rates of stroke or all-cause mortality, the possible harm of oral anticoagulation, and the burden these medications incur on patients (Table 1). View this table: Table 1. Key points: Barriers to use of oral anticoagulation for treatment of atrial fibrillation in patients on hemodialysis In the general population, warfarin and direct oral anticoagulation (DOACs) medications are commonly used for anticoagulation in AF to prevent ischemic strokes. The data in patients on hemodialysis and the use of warfarin are much more limited, and based largely on observational (rather than clinical trial) data. Although observational data are important, these data should be interpreted with caution due to possible confounding by indication, bias in patient selection, and effect of residual confounders ( e.g ., comorbidity). Even with these considerations, the data from observational studies largely do not support use of warfarin for prevention of stroke in patients on hemodialysis. For example, a recent meta-analysis of 15 observational studies including 47,480 patients with ESKD and AF showed that, compared with no anticoagulation, warfarin use in ESKD did not improve rates of mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 0.95; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], …
COVID-19 Vaccine Sentiments Among African American or Black Adolescents in Rural Alabama.

Considering the urgent need to increase vaccine uptake in Alabama, a rural state with the lowest rates of COVID-19 vaccination in the country, we conducted an exploratory study to elucidate sentiments toward vaccination among African American or black adolescents. We conducted in-depth interviews with 15-17 year olds in rural Alabama (N = 28). About 54% of our sample were female. Nearly a third lived with an older family member; 18% knew someone who contracted COVID-19. Using Rapid Qualitative Analysis, 3 COVID-19 vaccine-related themes emerged: influence of community leaders and older family members, fear of side effects and misinformation, and institutional distrust. To address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among rural African American or black adolescents, we suggest adopting a socioecological approach to public health messaging that addresses misinformation and government distrust and is delivered by local influencers with the social capital necessary to promote behavior change, namely older family members and Church officials.
Identifying critical sources of phosphorus export from agricultural watersheds

Surface runoff accounts for much of the phosphorus (P) input to and accelerated eutrophication of the fresh waters. Several states have tried to establish general threshold soil P levels above which the enrichment of surface runoff P becomes unacceptable. However, little information is available on the relationship between soil and surface runoff P, particularly for the northeastern United States. Further, threshold soil P criteria will be of limited value unless they are integrated with site potential for runoff and erosion. In response, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) developed a P Index (PI), which ranks the vulnerability of fields as sources of P loss in runoff, based on soil P, hydrology, and land use. This study evaluated the relationship between soil and surface runoff P in a study watershed in central Pennsylvania. The relationship was then incorporated into the (PI), and its impact on the identification of critical source areas within the watershed was examined. Using simulated rainfall (6.5 cm h−1 for 30 min), the concentration of dissolved P in surface runoff (0.2–2.1 mg l−1) from soils was related (r 2=0.67) to Mehlich-3 extractable soil P (30–750 mg kg−1). Using an environmentally based soil P threshold level of 450 mg kg−1 determined from the soil-runoff P relationship, the PI identified and ranked areas of the watershed vulnerable to P loss. The vulnerable areas were located along the stream channel, where areas of runoff generation and areas of high soil P coincide, and where careful management of P fertilizers and manure should be targeted.
Die Kapitalflussrechnung in der Unternehmensbewertung: Bewertungskalkül und Gestaltungshinweise

Die Anwendeng der Discounted Cashflow-Methode erfordert die sachgerechte Definition und Ermittlung der Cashflows und Kapitalkosten. Beide sind voneinander abhangig und sind in einem integrierten Modell abzuleiten. Durch das neu eingefuhrte Halbeinkunfteverfahren stellt sich in Deutschland die Notwendigkeit, die dabei geanderten steuerlichen Bedingungen in das Bewertungskalkul einzubeziehen. Dieser Beitrag prasentiert daher die adaquate Definition und Ermittlung der Free Cashflows anhand einer Kapitalflussrechnung. Dabei werden gleichzeitig Gestaltungshinweise fur die Standardsetter gegeben, um die Kapitalflussrechnung als Instrument einer wertorientierten Informationsvermittlung zu verbessern.
Encouraging Allocution at Capital Sentencing: A Proposal for Use Immunity

This Note considers the self-incrimination dilemma raised by a capital defendant's allocution statements at the sentencing phase of his trial. Allocution gives a defendant the opportunity to make a direct plea to the sentencing judge or jury. However, in a system where reversals are common, admissions made at sentencing in one trial may be used against the defendant at retrial, chilling the practice.After examining the origins of this country's bifurcated system of capital punishment and tracing the evolution of the common law right of allocution, the author contends that this ancient practice should assume a greater role in the sentencing phase of modern capital trials. The author argues that, in the context of a separate sentencing phase whose primary aim is to achieve an individualized determination of punishment, allocution performs a valuable role in providing the sentencer with greater information upon which to base its decision.While there is no constitutional doctrine that mandates use immunity in this context, there are powerful policy concerns that support such a rule. The right to be heard from personally may both aid in mitigation of sentence and broaden the participation of a defendant in his own trial. However, it is also in the state's interest, in imposing its most severe sanction, to reach the most informed result. In order to encourage allocution at capital sentencing, the author proposes granting use immunity to allocution statements, thereby preventing them from being used against a defendant at retrial.
Metal ion complex formation in non-aqueous solvents

Abstract Formation constants of Cu(II) and Yb(III) complexes with isobutyrate and α-hydroxyisobutyrate have been determined in water, ethanol, ethylene glycol, dimethylsulfoxide, 40 per cent dimethylsulfoxide-water, and formamide. Conditions imposed were 25°C and 0·10 M ionic strength. The order of complex stabilities in the different solvents is ethanol > DMSO > ethylene glycol > 40 per cent DMSO-H2O≈ formamide > H2O. The complex stabilities are discussed in terms of the solvating power and dielectric constant of the medium.
Effects of Part-Task Training on Memory Set Unitization and Retention of Memory-Dependent Skilled Search

Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of part-task training on the acquisition and retention of a memory-dependent skill. Participants received extensive practice on a semantic category, memory/visual search task in one of three training conditions. To assess the effects of part-task training on memory element unitization, subjects trained on one third, one half, or all of the memory set elements during any given training session. Transfer tests requiring whole-task performance provided one index of training effectiveness. The results suggest that consistent memory sets can be unitized even if part-task training is used. Indeed, part-task training was as effective as whole-task training when immediate transfer was assessed. Part-task training produced retention performance equivalent to whole-task training when retention performance was determined by both target and distract or learning. Retention performance was superior for part-task training compared with whole-task training when perfor...
Mind and Media: The Effects of Television, Video Games, and Computers

Video games, television, and computers are facts of life for today's children. Anxious parents and teachers, concerned with maintaining the intellectual and social richness of childhood, need to understand their effects. Are we producing a generation of passive children who can't read, who require constant visual and aural stimulation, and who prefer the company of technical instruments to friends and family? Greenfield believes that to answer this question we should not cling to old and elitist assumptions about the value of literacy. Instead she urges that we explore the results of the new research to discover how the various media can be used to promote social growth and thinking skills. She finds that each medium can make a contribution to development, that each has strengths and weaknesses, and that the ideal childhood environment includes a multimedia approach to learning. Current studies show us, for example, that television may indeed hinder reading ability under some circumstances. Yet it may also be used to enhance and motivate reading. Television can foster visual literacy, teaching children how to interpret close-ups, zooms, and cutting, and beyond this, how to pick up visual details, orient oneself in space, and anticipate formats and patterns of behavior. Video games teach spatial skills and inductive thinking, and classroom computers, contrary to the popular stereotype, encourage cooperative enterprise. Timely and optimistic, "Mind and Media" is filled with unexpected conclusions and practical suggestions for helping our children to thrive in a technological world.
Advances in cytogenetic diagnosis

Clinical cytogenetic diagnosis became established in medical practice when the original genome screen, a karyotype, identified the numerical chromosome abnormalities associated with Down, Turner, and Klinefelter syndromes. Since then, technological advances have propelled the field from the basics of identifying duplications and deletions of large portions of chromosomes to delineating submicroscopic aberrations. Innovations involving fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), multicolor chromosome “painting” and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) have linked the study of chromosomes and molecular sequence data, allowing for a detailed understanding of cytogenetic abnormalities and the associated phenotypes. Keywords: cytogenetics; fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH); spectral karyotyping; multiplex-FISH (M-FISH); comparative genomic hybridization (CGH); array CGH
Polarizing Agents and Mechanisms for High-Field Dynamic Nuclear Polarization of Frozen Dielectric Solids

This article provides an overview of polarizing mechanisms involved in high-frequency dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) of frozen biological samples at temperatures maintained using liquid nitrogen, compatible with contemporary magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Typical DNP experiments require unpaired electrons that are usually exogenous in samples via paramagnetic doping with polarizing agents. Thus, the resulting nuclear polarization mechanism depends on the electron and nuclear spin interactions induced by the paramagnetic species. The Overhauser Effect (OE) DNP, which relies on time-dependent spin-spin interactions, is excluded from our discussion due the lack of conducting electrons in frozen aqueous solutions containing biological entities. DNP of particular interest to us relies primarily on time-independent, spin-spin interactions for significant electron-nucleus polarization transfer through mechanisms such as the Solid Effect (SE), the Cross Effect (CE) or Thermal Mixing (TM), involving one, two or multiple electron spins, respectively. Derived from monomeric radicals initially used in high-field DNP experiments, bi- or multiple-radical polarizing agents facilitate CE/TM to generate significant NMR signal enhancements in dielectric solids at low temperatures (<100 K). For example, large DNP enhancements (∼300 times at 5 T) from a biologically compatible biradical, 1-(TEMPO-4-oxy)-3-(TEMPO-4-amino)propan-2-ol (TOTAPOL), have enabled high-resolution MAS NMR in sample systems existing in submicron domains or embedded in larger biomolecular complexes. The scope of this review is focused on recently developed DNP polarizing agents for high-field applications and leads up to future developments per the CE DNP mechanism. Because DNP experiments are feasible with a solid-state microwave source when performed at <20K, nuclear polarization using lower microwave power (<100 mW) is possible by forcing a high proportion of biradicals to fulfill the frequency matching condition of CE (two EPR frequencies separated by the NMR frequency) using the strategies involving hetero-radical moieties and/or molecular alignment. In addition, the combination of an excited triplet and a stable radical might provide alternative DNP mechanisms without the microwave requirement.
Arctic Cloud Characteristics as Derived from MODIS, CALIPSO, and CloudSat

AbstractThe Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP), and CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) set of sensors, all in the Afternoon Constellation (A-Train), has been regarded as among the most powerful tools for characterizing the cloud cover. While providing good complementary information, the authors also observed that, at least for the Arctic region, the different sensors provide significantly different statistics about cloud cover characteristics. Data in 2007 and 2010 were analyzed, and the annual averages of cloud cover in the Arctic region were found to be 66.8%, 78.4%, and 63.3% as derived from MODIS, CALIOP, and CPR, respectively. A large disagreement between MODIS and CALIOP over sea ice and Greenland is observed, with a cloud percentage difference of 30.9% and 31.5%, respectively. In the entire Arctic, the average disagreement between MODIS and CALIOP increased from 13.1% during daytime to 26.7% during nighttime. Furthermor...
Visiting order on membrane proteins by using nanotechnology

During the past decade, there has been spectacular progress in membrane protein structural biology, with the number of determined structures increasing by an order of magnitude to more than 100 (1). Most structures of multispan integral membrane proteins (IMPs) have been determined by using x-ray crystallography. However, solution NMR methods have also provided a modest number of structures for both α-helical and β-barrel IMPs, ranging up to 30 kDa in protein molecular mass (2, 3). Moreover, momentum in both solution and solid-state NMR (4, 5) of IMPs is growing, thanks in part to iterative innovation between NMR pulse technology and sample preparation/manipulation. In the latter category is an important new method to achieve marginal alignment of membrane proteins, as introduced in this issue of PNAS by Douglas et al. (6). Marginal alignment is a prerequisite for experimentally accessing a rich source of NMR structural restraints: residual dipolar couplings (RDC). This novel method can be predicted to significantly extend the number of membrane proteins for which RDC can be accessed as well as to enhance the ease and accuracy by which RDC are measured.
Enhancing Intelligent Knowledge Systems Using Organization-Centered Agent Models

AbstractMany construction industry–specific, agent-based applications have been deployed to enhance knowledge systems. These applications are generally agent-centered multi-agent systems (ACMAS). Interaction between ACMAS agents is designed around the internal mental states of an agent and the relationship between these states and its overall behavior. Communication in this approach comprises speech acts whose meaning can be described in terms of the mental states of an agent. This interaction protocol makes it difficult for agents that have been implemented using different approaches to communicate. This paper reviews the potential for addressing this limitation through using organization-centered multi-agent systems (OCMAS) in which agent interaction is designed around macro-level concepts such as organizations, groups, communities, and roles. Although the use of organizational metaphors in agent-based application is still in its infancy, there are some emerging modeling tools that can be used to advanc...